NANNA ADIGE

Click - Red

This is my entry for Click - Red hosted by Jai and Bee.

Seeing all the fruits in the house, thought of taking photos of them for Click - Red. After taking couple of photos, finally decided to go with this photo.

Upma is somewhat a life saver in my house. I make this for breakfast as well as for dinner sometimes. Last weekend we dint step out of the house as it was very cold and had not gone for grocery shopping. I was out of all the vegetables. When I opened my fridge I saw only beets left and thought will make chapati and beets curry. Then I heard my 3 year old calling me "mommy I want upittu". As soon as she saw beets in my hand, she forgot what she was saying and she wanted them to eat. I cut and gave them to her a piece and asked for more and she had half of one beet. Then it occurred to me why not do beetroot upma. Along with that I added her favourite corn too. She enjoyed eating the upma and she was like "Thank You Mommy". So sweet... This was our dinner..

Ingredients:

TheUpma Rava - 2 cup Onion – 1 small Beetroot – 1 medium (diced to small pieces) Corn – ¼ cup Chilies – 4 (split to halves) Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp Channa Dhal – ½ tsp Urad dhal – ½ tsp Curry Leaves Coriander leaves Oil – 2 Tb spoon Salt Water – 4 cups Method:

Fry rava with little oil until you get the aroma. Then keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add channa dhal and urad dhal.
When it gets little brown add chopped onions and chilies and fry till onions are golden brown.
Then add dices beetroot and corn and allow it to cook by adding a little salt.
Break the curry leaves with hands and add to it.
Cover and allow it to cook for few minutes.
Then add water and allow it to boil.
When the water starts boiling, add rava slowly. Keep stirring while adding rava.
Cover the lid and allow the rava to cook for few minutes on low heat.
Then add coriander leaves on top and stir and serve hot.

Lentil - Wild Rice Salad

Every time I make rice (especially Basmati Rice) in a rice cooker, it sticks to the bottom and I have to scrape it out. So, due to all the scratches at the bottom, I bought a new rice cooker. I got a receipe book along with it.. This receipe caught my eye, as it said salad with rice and lentil ..Hmm..When I went through the ingredients..it looked simple and healthy too.. When I made and served it to my hubby, he din't believe that it is a salad.. It tasted Yumm..

Ingredients for Salad Wild Rice – 1 cup Brown Lentils – ½ cup Green Onions (chopped) – 3 Celery stalk (diced) – 1 Red bell Pepper (diced) – 1 Water – 4 cups Salt Dressing: Extra- Virgin Olive oil – 1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar – 2 Tb spoon Dijon Mustard – 2 tsp Ground black pepper – ¼ tsp Fresh Italian parsley – 1 Tb spoon (I used Cilantro / coriander leaves) Fresh Lemon thyme (minced) – 2 tsp Sweet marjoram (minced) – 2tsp ( I have not used this) Method:

Place the wild rice, lentils and water in the rice cooker.
Cook for one hour.
Then add green onions, celery and red bell pepper.
Close the lid and continue cooking until rice is tender for about 15 minutes.
Remove the salad and place in a serving bowl. Cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, black pepper and fresh herbs.
Drizzle the dressing over the rice and lentil salad and toss well.
Serve at room temperature or chill for up to 4 hours before serving.

I would like to send my Lentil - Wild Rice Salad to MLLA hosted by Srivalli. My Legume Love Affair was originally started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

PS: I have used Uncle Bens Wild rice. I did not use the seasoning that came along with it. Uncle Ben rice is a mixture of wild rice and long grain rice.

Fusion Lunch (Thai and Indian combo)

Happy Republic Day to all of You

After a lovely warm week, we had a sudden temperature drop and a cold weekend. So, din't step out of the house on Saturday. On sunday we had planned to have a Republic Day potluck. So, on saturday I wanted to try Thai food as we had planned to stay at home. Had all time for trying this dish. We had a fusion lunch that day, Thai and Indian combination... Now a days my daughter is having crazy cravings at crazy times. Suddenly she got up and she wanted to eat sweet Pongal. When I had made it for Sankranthi, she had loved it..and I think she remembered it all of a sudden and asked for it...So, made Pongal for her along with Thai food.

I wanted to try a Thai dish without any coconut milk in it...(watching weight). Thanks to Google..can find anything.

Ingredients:

Extra-firm Tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes - 1 package (8 ounces) Soy sauce – 1Tb spoon Lime juice – 1/2 Tb spoon Yellow onion, chopped - 1 medium Red bell pepper, diced - 1 Green bell pepper, diced -1 Garlic, finely chopped - 1/2 teaspoon Flour - 1 Tb spoon Vegetable broth - 3 cups Nori flakes (or other crushed seaweed) - 1 teaspoon Crushed pineapple, with juice - 1/4 cup Vegan Thai red curry paste - 1-2 Tb spoons Zucchini, diced – 1 medium Mung bean or soy sprouts - 1 cup

Method:

Marinate the tofu cubes in the soy sauce and lemon for at least half an hour.
Stir or shake often to cover all the pieces.
Heat a large, non-stick wok or sauce pan over medium-high heat, and add the onion, peppers, and garlic.
Cook, stirring, until onions are becoming tender for about 8 minutes.
Add the flour, stirring constantly, and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, for about 2 more minutes, until the flour begins to brown.
Continue to stir as you add the vegetable broth, nori flakes, crushed pineapple, and curry paste.
Turn down the heat to low and simmer until it's thickened, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the tofu and its marinade to a hot, non-stick skillet.
Cook, stirring gently, until all the liquid has evaporated.
Continue to cook without stirring until the tofu is browned on one side; then turn it over to brown on all sides. Add it to the curry mixture.

Return the skillet to the heat and sauté the diced zucchini until it is tender but still crisp.
Add it to the curry mixture.
Cook the curry for about 5 more minutes. Serve over rice, sprinkled with bean sprouts and topped, if you like, with chutney.

PS: I have used Thai Kitchen Red curry paste . Other brands contain shrimp paste in it. You can add any other veggies too along with this. I have used sea weed instead of nori flakes. Thai Red Curry goes to A.W.E.D Thai Cuisine hosted by DK .

Now coming to Pongal, it is a must sweet made during Makara Sankranthi. I have made this twice in a span of 10 days..:-)Trying to cut dowm the sweet consumption, but not able to... This sweet goes to my daughter on her request...

Ingredients: Moong Dhal - 1 cup Rice – 2 cups Dry coconut – ¼ cup Jaggery – 2 cups Elaichi / Cardamom – 2 Ghee – ¼ - ½ cup Milk – ½ cup Raisins – 1 Tb spoon Cashews – 1 Tb spoon Method: