Life was busy and hectic when we lived in California. Most of the days resulted in quick dinners and retiring early to bed to get back to the grind the next day. On returning from long days at work, I preferred making simple food. Lemon rice with leftover curries or a quick tarri always came to rescue. If there is leftover rice from previous day or meal, this recipe is perfect to give a delicious makeover to that.
This delicious recipe was given to me by a very dear friend, who hailed from a remote place in Karnataka. She loved to relish this rice with my curries and tarris and today I am sharing one of our favorite combinations here.
In the recipe below, I have used fresh turmeric because it’s in season now, but powder works perfect too. Also, adjust the lemon juice quantity based on personal preference.
Try this simple lemon rice recipe –
Ingredients –
2 cups cooked rice
1.5 tbsps cold pressed ground nut oil
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida (powdered)
1/4 cup groundnuts
1.5 – 2. tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
5-6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder or 1/2 tsp fresh grated turmeric
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
Method
Heal oil in a pan and sizzle mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and urad dal. Sauté until the urad just begins to change colour. Add the groundnuts and sauté for 3-4 mins on medium or until the groundnuts change colour and turns crisp.
Lower the flame and add sugar and salt and turmeric. Mix well and let it cook for 1-2 mins on low flame. Switch off the flame, and add hing to the mix. Let it all rest for a few seconds.
Add this on top of the cooked rice. Add lemon juice and mix everything gently.
Serve with curries of choice.
How to make the tarri –
Ingredients –
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbsps ginger garlic green chilli paste
3-4 curry leaves
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp goda masala or garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp mustard and cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida
2.5 cups water
2 tsps cold pressed groundnut oil
2 tsps jaggery powder
1 tsp tamarind pulp
Method –
Heal oil in a pan or wok. Sizzle mustard and cumin seeds. Bloom hing and add the curry leaves and ginger garlic green chilli paste. Sauté for a minute. Add the onions and cook until they turn translucent.
Add in the tomatoes and salt and let it cook until they turn soft and mushy and releases oil.
Mix in the dry spices – red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, goda masala, cumin powder. Mix well and sauté for a min.
Add in the coriander leaves and water. Cover and cook for 7-8 mins on low flame. Remove lid and add jaggery and tamarind pulp. Mix and again cook it for 3-4 mins.
Garnish with more chopped coriander.
Enjoy!!!
If you like this Lemon Rice & Hot & Spicy Tarri recipe or if you try it, I would love to hear from you in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handles.
Another winter favorite recipe of my family is this khasta paratha made with seasonal bathua/ chenopodium leaves. Soft, flaky, full of nutrition and health, and I promise you cannot stop at one because of it’s delicious flakiness! Pair this with dahi aloo or any pickle or raita of choice and the meal is sorted.
How to make this –
Ingredients – makes 8 parathas
1 bunch (2 cups) bathua leaves
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup besan/gram flour
1/3 cup almond meal (pulse almonds in a grinder until it turns into a fine powder)
2 green chillies – deseeded
1 inch ginger
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1.5 tsp ghee and more to cook the parathas
1/8 tsp hing/asafoetida
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
Method –
Rinse the bathua leaves a few times. Soak in water for 5 mins and again rinse a couple times.
Boil enough water to blanch the bathua leaves and bathua for 3-4 mins and immediately drain and put them in ice cold water for a min.
Use a grinder to make a smooth paste of 2 tbsp water, bathua, green chillies and ginger.
In a wide bowl mix together all the ingredients and knead into a smooth and soft dough. I didn’t use any more water to knead it because the moisture from bathua paste was enough.
If the dough is sticky because of besan, use a little oil to rub it on the dough and let the dough rest for at least 20-25 mins.
Divide the dough into 8 equal parts, roll each of them into a ball and flatten gently.
By using little dry flour, use a rolling pin or with palm roll them into thin circle. Brush ghee on it and sprinkle dry flour a bit. Now gently roll into it into a pipe shape, fold the pipe into a circle and with the rolling pin again roll them into the shape of the paratha.
Heat a griddle and cook the paratha from one side until light brown spots appear. Flip and apply ghee and it cook for 30 seconds. Flip again and apply ghee and flip it again and cook for another 30 seconds by pressing it gently.
Repeat with all the parathas.
Enjoy!!!
If you like this recipe of bathua khasta paratha, I would love to hear from you in the comments below or connect with me on my Instagram or Facebook handle.
A delicious & hearty curry/stew cooked with toor dal, spices, tamarind and lot of veggies. This pairs well with idlis, appams, medu vadas or as I like it – with rice. This is healthy and nourishing and I love to add whatever vegetables I have at that time.
In the recipe shared below, I have used a combination of carrots, brinjal, potato, drumsticks, shallots and green peas. Feel free to add bottle gourd or lauki, pumpkin, green beans and more.
How to make this –
Ingredients –
3⁄4 cup Toor dal
1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 cup vegetables – carrots, potato, brinjal, drumstick, green peas – chopped 7-8 shallots – quartered
4 medium sized tomatoes – chopped
2 tbsps Sambar Masala
2 tbsps Tamarind pulp
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsps coriander leaves – finely chopped
1⁄4 tsp hing
6-7 curry leaves
1 tbsp urad dal
3 tbsps groundnut oil
2-3 green chillies
Rinse and soak toor dal for 30 mins. Pressure cook toor dal with turmeric powder and salt to upto 3 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the steam release naturally. Open the cooker and gently mash the dal using a potato masher.
In a separate pot, cook the veggies together in 3 cups of water for around 7-8 mins on medium flame. Add a little salt. Drain and keep aside.
In a pan heat oil and sizzle the hing and mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, urad dal and green chillies. Sauté for a min.
Add in the quartered shallots and let it cook until it turns soft. Add in the tomatoes and cook until it releases oil and looks mush. Mix in the cooked vegetables, salt to taste, sambar masala and the tamarind paste.
Now add the cooked toor dal with all the water in it. Mix everything well, cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 mins on low flame.
Mix in the finely chopped coriander leaves.
To temper –
Heat oil and ghee and sizzle all the tempering ingredients for a min. Pour it over the cooked sambar.
Enjoy with idli, medu vada or rice!!!
If you like this vegan creamy sprouts & coconut stew recipe, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handles.
Indian seasonal produce have so much to offer in terms of nutrition and health and I consciously make an effort to incorporate that in the meals cooked by me.
These savory pancakes are super nutritious, full of protein and makes a wonderful breakfast recipe.
How to make it –
Ingredients – makes 6-7 pancakes of 5” diameter each.
1/2 cup yellow moong
1/3 cup green chickpeas/ hara chana/ choliye/ harbhara
1/4 cup coriander stems and leaves mixed
1-2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 green chillies
1 inch ginger
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water
Cold pressed groundnut oil to cook the pancakes
Method –
Rinse a few times and soak yellow moong for 4 hours. Drain the water.
In a blender, blend all the ingredients except oil, cumin and fennel seeds until it reaches a smooth batter consistency.
Now add the cumin seeds and fennel seeds and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan, and add a couple ladleful of batter. Cook it on low heat for 4-5 mins on each side, or longer if the pancakes are thicker.
Serve with tomato chutney or any chutney of choice.
Enjoy!!!
If you like this yellow moong & green chickpeas savory pancakes recipe, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handles.
This is the simplest way of putting in seasonal veggies in your daily meal. Being a marwari, parathas in any form and flavour is always welcome and I can eat them happily for any meal of the day. Oh! How do I describe the joy of ghee laden, well cooked hot paratha on a winter morning, afternoon or evening with garam masala chai and chilli pickle. Yum!
How to make this simple paratha –
Ingredients –
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup grated cabbage and 1/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup rinsed and chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ajwain/carom seeds
1 tsp ghee and more to cook the parathas
3 finely chopped green chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Method –
Mix together and with required water, knead into a soft dough – whole wheat flour, salt, turmeric, cumin seeds, chopped green chillies, ajwain (crush in between palms while adding) , coriander leaves, ghee, grated cabbage and grated carrots.
Keep aside to rest for 15 mins. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll it to give a shape of roti/flatbread.
Roast on griddle/tawa with ghee/oil.
Enjoy with condiments of choice!
If you like this cabbage & carrot paratha recipe, please let me know in the comments below. You can also connect with me on my Instagram and Facebook handle.
A food stylist, photographer, and blogger. After leading Human Resources for several years in India and the US, my inner calling prompted me to work on a dream and a vision envisaged by my younger self many years ago. Being creatively inclined and with an interest in food, I decided to embark on my journey towards endless and limitless possibilities.
