Vegetable fried rice is our favourite Chinese rice recipe. When my husband was in US for a short period , he used to have this rice for lunch in which the quantity of vegetables was more than rice. After he came from the trip, he told me to make fried rice adding more vegetables than rice. I started making the same way and it made the rice more healthy. I used to add ajinomotto but after knowing its ill effects I stopped using it. But It din’t make any difference in taste and flavour. The only part I feel lazy/difficult is to chop the vegetables finely. Otherwise its an easy to make dish. It will come out very flavourful too. Make sure you add all these vegetables to get the exact taste of fried rice.
Wash and soak the rice in water in for 30 minutes. Mean while chop all the vegetables finely.For spring onion , cut the stem part & leaves part separately..
Pressure cook the rice adding a drop of oil .. Rice should be separate & fluffy. Spread the rice in a plate and cool down completely..
In a wide kadai , heat oil till it slightly fumes ..Now add all the finely chopped vegetables including onions ,capsicum, stem of spring onions ,ginger & garlic pieces.. I don’t follow any order..I just add everything together..
Add sugar, salt and toss in high flame for 2-3 minutes by mixing continuously.Keep stirring , adjust the flame to low if necessary..Adding sugar helps to maintain the color of vegetables and salt helps to sauté quickly.
.After the vegetables shrink into half , add soya sauce, rice and mix well.Mix well and add white pepper powder.Toss for few seconds and switch off the flame..Garnish with leaves part of spring onions..
We all would have tasted Kamar kat , thean mittai , javvu mittai , elandha vadai etc in our young age from petty shops and nowadays we don’t find this easily in the market. Our kids don’t have even any idea about it..So to make our kids savour its taste & to satisfy our cravings , i tried this recipe from my MIL’s old cookbook collections.To my surprise , the recipe was given using microwave which made me very happy to try.This is a very simple recipe which has only coconut & jaggery.The consistency of jaggery syrup is very important here.If the consistency is right , u’ll get this color , otherwise u wont.The size of kamar kat is of big gooseberry size.But i made it smaller to get 10 balls. I used microwave high (800w) setting in this recipe. Based on ur oven settings , please change the time.I made this for three times consecutively and i got it right in the third time..I made in very small quantity which yielded around 10 pieces..Try the same quantity (including the water) i mentioned here to get the best result.. I have given the stove top method in the notes section ..But I prefer microwave .. It came out very flavourful & tasty with the smell of coconut & jaggery..Though it gave a good exercise to the jaws , its worthy to taste. Do try n let me know how u liked it..
INGREDIENTS
1 cup - 200ml
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Grated jaggery – 3/4 cup
Water – 1/8 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/8 tsp (optional, I dint use)
Ghee – 1 tsp
Rice flour – 1 tbsp (to coat the kamarkat )
METHOD
Grate the coconut and grind in the mixie once to break the small pieces ..
Take the ghee in a microwave safe bowl and melt it by keeping for 20 seconds in microwave high power (800w) ..Remove the bowl and add the coconut gratings.. Mix well and again keep in high power for 1 minute to roast the coconut..Coconut will be turned slightly brown in color..Keep it aside & allow it to cool completely..
Now in a microwave bowl ( choose a big bowl) , take 1/8 cup of water and heat it for 1 min in high power..When the water is boiled , add the grated jagggery , mix well and again keep in microwave for 1 minute for the jaggery to melt completely..Strain the jaggery to remove the impurities..
Again microwave the strained jaggery syrup in high power for 2 minutes & 20 seconds to bring the hard ball consistency.. ( ie , when u drop the syrup in a plate of water , u should be able to roll a hard ball and when u drop the ball , u should get a “tung” sound.. The ball should look glossy.. Usually we make this syrup to make chikkis/kadalai mittai) .. The time i have mentioned here is perfect when u keep in 800w power. If ur microwave has less watts settings , please increase the timing in seconds and check it. This step is very, very important..Please keep an eye after 2 minutes and increase the time by 10 seconds to get the consistency..
Now add the roasted coconut , cardamom powder and keep in microwave high for 1 minute 30 seconds .. Remove the mixture for every 30 seconds , mix well and again keep it..After 1.30 minutes , the mixture will be slightly thick and it will leave the sides and non sticky to touch.U’ll be able to roll it..
Now transfer the entire contents into a plate and make balls , coat in rice flour and keep aside. Allow it to cool completely. It will become hard..
Store in a box n enjoy !!
NOTE
For stove top method , melt a tsp of ghee in a pan and roast the grated coconut till u get a nice aroma & slight brown color..In a bowl, take the grated jaggery along with little water just to cover it..Melt the jaggery and strain to remove the impurities. Again heat the syrup, it will become frothy & thick. After few minutes , pour a drop of syrup in a plateful of water. U should be able to roll a hard ball & makes a tung sound when dropped.. Now add the roasted coconut & again keep the bowl in the flame & keep on mixing it. At one stage , the mixture become thick & it leaves the sides. When the ,mixture is still warm , grease ur hands with oil and make tight balls.Roll in rice flour & set aside.. Follow the same for all the balls. Rolling in rice flour prevents sticking of kamarkat with each other when kept in bottles..
Rolling in rice flour is very important to avoid the sticking of balls with each other..
My MIL told me to use even lesser coconut than the above quantity..U can use 2 tbsp too. It will be enough..
Chilli parotta recipe was in my try list for a long time. Its an easy dinner recipe if you have frozen parotta in hand. My sister told me to try long back but that time I din't have any idea about its taste & look.
Recently I tasted this dish in some restaurants & finally I tried at home to match the taste of hotel style chilli parotta. I rarely buy readymade parotas as my hubby is not much fond of them. So far I have bought them only thrice. First two times to try parotta salna recipe & this time to make chilli parotta.
We loved it and planning to make this for my guests too. I made it little spicy to suit its name. If you want to make it less spicy, reduce the quantity of red chilli powder OR add lemon juice before serving. Do try this simple, colourful, easy dinner recipe & let me know how you liked it.
Small Bell pepper / Capsicum – 1/2 no ( cut into small cubes)
Big onion – 2 nos (medium size , slice cut)
Tomato – 1 nos ( finely chopped)
Ginger – Garlic paste – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp ( Use 1/2 tsp for less spice)
Coriander powder – 1/2 - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup / sauce – 1 tbsp
Salt & water – As needed
Lemon juice – few drops (optional)
Coriander leaves – to garnish
HOW TO MAKE CHILLI PAROTTA
Cook the frozen parotta and cut into square pieces. Set aside.
Heat oil and saute onion, gg paste, curry leaves, capsicum. Add tomato and saute till mushy.
Add all the spice powders and mix well in low flame for few minutes.
Add tomato sauce and mix well. Add little water if the mixture is dry.
Lastly add the parotta pieces and mix well. Switch off and garnish with coriander leaves.
METHOD
Cook the frozen parotta as per the directions given in the pack. Cut into strips & then into square pieces. Keep aside.
In a kadai heat oil, add the onions, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves, bell pepper pieces & saute till it turns transparent. Then add the tomato pieces & saute till it turns mushy.
Now add all the spice powders, salt. Mix well in low flame for few minutes.
Finally add the tomato sauce, mix well, add a tbsp of water (optional) if the mixture is too dry. Then add the parota pieces. Toss it well with a fork like ladle to avoid turning mushy. Switch off the flame & garnish with coriander leaves.
Add lemon juice if desired and serve hot immediately !!
Bhel puri is one of the easiest , tasty and guilt free snack. I used to make this very often in my home .. Whenever I have chaat chutneys in my hand , bhel puri is the first snack recipe that hits my mind. I make it very simple by just adding the raw veggies , sweet & sour chutneys and sev.
I usually don’t add papdi. Of course adding crushed papdi makes this snack more crunchy. So I add more sev, roasted peanuts, cashews etc to replace papdi. As you all know, this snack should be served immediately after you mix. By the time I finished clicking , it became soggy & I ate a soggy bhel.
This recipe was lying in my drafts for long time.Its a simple stir fry recipe which u would have tasted in most of the restaurants during lunch closing time i.e around 2.30pm. Whenever i feel lazy to cook for myself , i make this poriyal .It has no grinding or boiling part & no coconut.Its very easy & can be made in jiffy.. Before marriage , when i was working , my colleagues used to bring this poriyal for sambar rice.. I love its taste & simplicity. My husband hates cabbage because of its smell. We can easily remove its smell to some extent by adding finely chopped ginger.It smells great while u saute..I hope most of u know this tip & make this stir fry at home.. Bachelor's , do try this recipe & let me know how u liked it..
INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml
Grated cabbage – 1cup
Big onion – 1no (finely chopped)
Red chilli powder / Sambar powder – 1 tsp (adjust as per ur spice level)
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – As required
Ginger – 1 inch piece (finely chopped)
Curry leaves – few
Sugar – A pinch
To temper
Oil – 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1tsp
Channa dal – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds / jeera – 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves – to garnish (optional)
METHOD
In a wide mouthed kadai , heat oil and temper mustard seeds.. After it splutters add urad & channa dal , Curry leaves..
After the dals turn golden brown , add the onions & ginger bits.Mix well and saute till onion turns transparent.
Now add the grated cabbage & the required salt , a pinch of sugar.Then add the sambar powder/Red chilli powder & turmeric powder.. Mix well & saute till cabbage shrinks in quantity.
Keep the flame low & cover the kadai with a lid for few minutes. Stir in between.. Make sure the cabbage doesn’t get burnt..If u feel the mixture is very dry , sprinkle little water , mix well & cover the kadai..
After the cabbage is cooked well , switch off the stove ..
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves if u like..
Enjoy with sambar rice !!
NOTE: Adding ginger is a must to remove the raw smell of cabbage. If u like cabbage smell , u can skip ginger..
Dear friends ,
In this new year , I have taken my blog into a next step as a website in the name of “www.chitrasfoodbook.com” with a hope to give better recipes & pictures.
In this aspect, I have bought a new DSLR to give more realistic images of my recipes. I thank all my friends & readers for your continuous love & encouragement and I hope to get your support & blessings for my website too. I welcome your suggestions for further improvements in this space..
At this moment , I would like to thank Cuponation , a website that has the most comprehensive collection of coupon codes in India which includes deals and offers from all the top online retailers like flipkart, jabong, future bazaar , myntra , home shop 18 , Ekstop , pepperfry and there is a big list goes on.
Recently I bought some home appliances & Bakeware ( which I wanted to buy for long time ) at discounted rates using their coupons. Just go through their website & subscribe for exciting deals !!
As Valentine’s day is nearing, I thought of posting a cake recipe . My husband loves chocolate cake ..So I baked this cake as Valentine’s day gift ..I got this recipe from marias menu..I have tried this cake twice & I slightly adjusted the recipe to suit our taste.There is no butter or egg used in this recipe..With very simple ingredients which are readily available in our pantry , we can make this cake..I chose this recipe because it had a mild coffee flavour. Its dark color, chocolaty smell & its spongy texture made me felt very happy with the result . As a beginner in baking , I simply loved this cake & I was completely satisfactory with the outcome .
My hubby liked this cake very much and my daughter wanted some icing on it .. So I tried a simple frosting too…
.Here comes the recipe…
INGREDIENTS 1 cup - 200ml
All purpose flour – 1 cup
Sugar – 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp
Cocoa powder or drinking chocolate powder – 5 tbsp
Baking powder – 1/2 tsp
Cooking soda –1 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Cooking oil – 1/2 cup
Beaten curd – 1/4 cup
Milk – 1/4 cup ( at room temp)
Hot coffee – 1/4 cup ( mix 1 tsp coffee powder in 1 cup of hot water.Add 1/4 cup to the mixture. I used BRU. )
For frosting
Unsalted butter – 100 gms (1/2 cup)
Any plain chocolate – 175 gms ( 1.25 cups) ( i used dairy milk , around 15 cubes)
METHOD
Sieve maida , baking powder & cooking soda together in a wide bowl.Then add the sugar , mix well .. Make a dent in the center..Add the wet ingredients one by one & mix well using a whisk or blender. Whisk or beat it gently..
Keep the baking pan ready by greasing with butter & sprinkle maida all over it. Pat it well so that the maida should coat around the sides too..Line the bottom of pan with a butter paper. Preheat the oven in 180c , convection mode for 10 mins.
Now transfer the cake mixture to the pan & bake it for 25-30 mins in 180c till tooth pick inserted should come out clean. Mine got done in 28 mins. Keep an eye after 20 mins.Check with a tooth pick or spoon & then remove the pan.
Let it cool for 15-30 mins. Then invert it in a wire rack or a plate & allow it to cool completely..
In the mean time , make the frosting. Take water in a wide bowl & allow it to boil well. Now place a plate or a shallow bowl on the top of the water bowl.the bowl should not touch the water.. Add the butter & melt it . When the butter is melted half way , add the chocolate cubes & stir it gently. Chocolate cubes will melt & switch off the flame.. Stir until all the chocolate melts. Remove the bowl & allow the mixture to warm..Frosting thickens when it is warm …
After the cake cools down , apply the frosting , cut into pieces & Enjoy !!…
NOTE
When u use unsweetened cocoa powder , add more sugar as mentioned in the recipe.If u use drinking chocolate powder , 3/4 cup sugar is enough..
The cake has a mild bitterness due to the addition of coffee powder. If u want u can skip it…
I got this crispy Gobi 65 / Cauliflower 65 recipe from Aval vikatan’s “ 30 Restaurant style recipes” supplementary. This is a dry version. Before I got this book, I used to try Chef Damodaran’s recipe which is also similar to this. This recipe has dry kasoori methi leaves in addition. I have tried this several times and it comes out super crispy , tasty with nice flavour like hotel style cauliflower 65. We love it a lot. I usually make in weekends with veg pulao or biryani.
Sometimes, I make this cauliflower fry for my daughter after she comes from school. This is one of her favourite snacks. U can prepare this recipe well in advance for parties or get together & fry it when required. The more time the cauliflower marinates, the tastier it would be. You can try without marination as well.. Please go through the Notes section for do’s & dont’s.. Lets see how to make crispy Gobi 65 recipe with step by step photos and video !
Gobi/Cauliflower – medium size flower (20 florets)
All purpose flour / Maida – 1/2 cup
Corn flour – 1/2 cup OR rice flour + corn flour - 1/4 cup each
Red color powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder or green chilli paste – 2 tsp
Ginger – garlic paste – 1.5 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Crushed fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Lemon juice – Few drops
Dry Kasoori methi leaves – 1.5 tsp (crushed )
Salt & water – As needed
Cooking oil – To deep fry
HOW TO MAKE GOBI 65
Remove florets from cauliflower. Parboil adding salt and turmeric powder.
Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients to make the batter.
Add water to make bajji batter consistency.
Lastly add cauliflower florets. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Heat oil and deep fry the cauliflower pieces. Fry till golden in both the sides.
Remove from oil once its crispy. Drain in a tissue paper. Enjoy with tomato ketchup.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Remove the florets from the cauliflower & par boil it for 5 minutes adding salt and turmeric powder. Make sure cauliflower florets are small in size.
When the water roll boils, switch off the flame. Leave it for 3 minutes and drain the hot water completely & wash it in cold water immediately to avoid over cooking of cauliflower. Drain all the water completely.
Now in a wide bowl, add all the powders, crushed spices & salt, lemon juice mix well . Add water carefully to make bajji batter consistency. The batter should fall like a ribbon. Now put the florets, mix well & marinate for minimum 30 minutes to 2-3 hours. Please watch video for better understanding. Cauliflower should be well coated with flour.( watery batter absorbs more oil). If you don't have enough time, you can fry it instantly without marination.
Heat oil in a kadai and put the cauliflower florets in a sprinkled way one by one. Deep fry on both the sides till all the bubbles cease. Do it batches in medium flame Deep fry curry leaves in the last batch & decorate it while serving !!
Super crispy gobi 65 is ready !! Enjoy eating hot with tomato sauce !!
NOTES
It will stay crispy for 30 minutes. But for best taste, you should eat it hot hot !!
While you make the batter add less water & bring to bajji batter consistency. If you add more water, gobi 65 may absorb more oil. Adding less water & more flour makes it hard.. Please be careful while adding water. Approximately it takes 3/4 to 1 cup of water I guess. If you add more water, add some more flour to bring the right consistency.
If you feel adding maida is unhealthy , add wheat flour instead of maida.
Adding food color is optional. But it gives a nice look to the fries like we get in restaurants.
. Whenever i feel lazy to cook for myself , i make this poriyal .It has no grinding or boiling part & no coconut.Its very easy & can be made in jiffy.. Before marriage , when i was working , my colleagues used to bring this poriyal for sambar rice.. I love its taste & simplicity. My husband hates cabbage because of its smell. We can easily remove its smell to some extent by adding finely chopped ginger.It smells great while u saute..I hope most of u know this tip & make this stir fry at home.. Bachelor's , do try this recipe & let me know how u liked it.. 
..I got this recipe from 
