Today was one of those days when I tried to do a little more than my usual weekday work. I left work early and decided to do grocery shopping, so that I don’t have to spend time on it over the weekend. By the time I reached home carried everything to our apartment on 2nd floor, I was tired. Then I picked Ishaan from daycare and reached home totally exhausted. I wanted to make something simple, but then I found a plantain that was sitting in the refrigerator for a while. I thought of making alsande randayi , which is one of my favorite Konkani dishes, but didn’t have grated coconut. So I thought of making a simple pulav which would taste almost like the randayi. I had bought a pack of coconut milk powder a while ago which was sitting unopened in the pantry. So I used that. It took few minutes of prep time.
While that was getting done, I thought a mint chutney would go well with it. So I made this chutney/tambli. It was a very tasty and filling dinner.
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups basmati rice 1/2 cup black eyed beans (alsande) 1/2 cup plantains chopped into tiny pieces 1 tea spn finely chopped ginger 1 tea spn finely chopped garlic 1/4 cup chopped onions 4-5 curry leaves 1/2 tea spn chilli powder 1/2 tea spn coriander powder A pinch turmeric 1 cup thick coconut milk 2 cardamoms 2" cinnamon Ghee/oil Salt
Method: Heat ghee/oil. Add cardamoms, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, onion. Fry for few minutes. Then add rice and fry for few minutes. Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and fry for few minutes. Add black eyed beans, plantains, salt, curry leaves. Mix well. Add coconut milk and 2 and 1/2 cups water. Let it cook till done. (I used a steel vessel to make the pulav. After the above steps, I transferred the vessel to rice cooker. I use my rice cooker like normal pressure cooker. Easy to clean up. I just add a cup of water to the rice cooker, and then keep the steel vessel with food in it. The rice comes out very well).
Mint chutney : Grind together 5-6 strands of coriander leaves (along with the stems), 4-5 leaves of mint, 1 green chilli(optional) and 1 cup yogurt, salt to a smooth paste. Serve with pulav.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 20mins + cooking time
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If there is one vegetable that I want to include in our diet and miserably failed, then it is broccoli. My friend keeps telling me how great this vegetable is. Lately I have been a little successful in my broccoli mission :). I include it in soups and pastas, but don’t make it ‘star of the dish’. I see better result with the approach!. Recently I made this soup and it came out really good.
Ingredients: 2 cups chopped broccoli 1 cup chopped leeks 1 tea spn chopped garlic Butter Cream Pepper powder Salt
Method: Heat butter and fry garlic for few seconds. Do not let it brown. Add broccoli and leeks. When they are cooked, grind them to smooth paste adding little water. Bring it to boil. Add cream, salt. Cook for few more minutes. Add pepper. Serve hot.
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