Macaroni upma is an easy, interesting, Indian style macaroni recipe prepared by adding vegetables and garam masala. I never thought it tastes so good. Actually this recipe was suggested by one of my friends. When she told me to make this easy macaroni recipe for Raksha’s lunch box, I was hesitant to try it because Raksha is very fussy when it comes for her lunch box recipes. So I tried it for our Sunday breakfast as the first trial. Raksha loved it very much and told me to pack it for her school this week. Even myself and Sendhil liked it too. So this recipe is a hit in my home✌. No side dish is required for this upma. You can eat it as such. Macaroni tastes so soft, juicy and flavorful. Friends, do try this yummy macroni recipe for your family and share the feedback with me. Lets see how to make Indian style macaroni upma recipe with step by step pictures.
Boil 3 cups of water in a bowl. Add macaroni. Cook till soft.
Drain the excess water and run the macaroni under tap water to retain its shape. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, gg paste till raw smell goes off.
Add capsicum, carrot and green peas. Add salt and saute till half cooked.
Add tomato and cook till mushy. Lastly add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder.
Add some water and cover cook till vegetables are done. Lastly add tomato ketchup. Mix well.
Now add cooked macaroni, mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot and enjoy !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
In a wide bowl, boil 3 to 4 cups of water. Add a tsp of cooking oil and some salt. After the water comes to roll boil, add macaroni and mix well.
Cook in medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir it every now and then to avoid macaroni sticking to the bottom of bowl. Water spills if you cover cook. So you should cook in an open pan till its 3/4th cooked.
Last 5 minutes, you can cover and cook the macaroni in low flame to make it soft. Switch off the flame and drain the macaroni in a sieve. Remove the excess cooked water. Show the macaroni under the tap water to make it retain its shape. Set aside.
In a kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off.
Add capsicum, carrot and fresh or frozen green peas. Add salt and saute in medium flame till the vegetables are half cooked.
Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Lastly add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Saute well.
Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover the kadai with a lid. Cook till vegetables are soft. After all the water is drained, add tomato ketchup and mix well. Then add cooked macaroni. Mix and coat well in medium flame. Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy eating hot for best taste !
Note
Adjust the quantity of chilli powder and garam masala powder as per your taste.
You can replace macaroni with cooked pasta.
Addition of tomato sauce helps to give a creamy base to the paste. So do not skip it.
Try this yummy Indian style macaroni upma with vegetables for your breakfast or dinner. Enjoy !
This is mom’s Tirunelveli style puli illa kari ( i.e. Kuzhambu for rice without tamarind). Puli illa curry is usually prepared adding drumstick leaves (Murungai keerai). But my mom makes it with drumstick, brinjal and onion. There are two methods of making puli illa kari.
One by roasting & grinding pepper, cumin, red chilli and coconut. Another method is by grinding coconut, cumin and onion just like poricha kuzhambu. My mom uses pepper if she adds drumstick leaves else she follows the second method.
Today I have shared the same. Similarly this kuzhambu can be prepared with toor dal or moong dal. As this kuzhambu is without tamarind and tomato, we add some lemon juice while serving. Friends, do try this easy puli illa kuhambu for rice and share your feedback with me.
Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding enough water, turmeric powder and few drops of oil.
Pressure cook in low flame for two whistles. Open the lid after steam is released. Mash the dal. Grind coconut, onion and cumin to smooth paste. Set aside.
Wash and chop brinjal, drumstick and onion.
In a kadai, heat oil and saute onion. Add brinjal, drumstick. Saute for a minute.
Add 2.5 cups of water, required salt, red chilli powder. Boil and cover cook till vegetables are cooked.
Now add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste. Boil for few minutes.
Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add to kuzhambu and Switch off the flame.
Serve hot with rice and enjoy !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and chop onion, brinjal and drumstick. Wash and pressure cook toor dal adding turmeric powder, a drop of cooking oil. Cook in low flame for one whistle. Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mash the dal well.
Grind coconut, cumin seeds and small onion to a smooth paste. Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai. Saute small onion till transparent. Add chopped brinjal and drumstick. Saute for a minute. Now add 2 cups of water, salt and red chilli powder.
Cover the kadai and cook in medium flame till the vegetables are cooked well. Now add the cooked dal and ground coconut paste.
Boil for few minutes. Temper mustard seeds and curry leaves in 2 tsp of oil. Add to the kuzhambu. Switch off the flame.
Serve hot with rice. While serving, you can drizzle few drops of lemon juice in the kuzhambu and mix with plain rice.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of red chilli powder as per your taste.
For variations, you can add roasted and ground pepper, cumin, coconut and red chilli paste instead of red chilli powder.
If you have drumstick leaves, you can pressure cook in separately. Add to the kuzhambu along with vegetables and make it. It tastes and smells good.
Try this easy, yummy Tirunelveli style Puli illa kari and enjoy !
Gajar halwa / Carrot halwa using Delhi carrot was in my try list for long time. Recently I bought some fresh Delhi carrots in Reliance. I thought of trying carrot halwa and red carrot pickle with it. To begin with, I tried this easy carrot halwa recipe without khoya and condensed milk in pressure cooker for a surprise guest at home yesterday. I finished the preparation quickly under 20 minutes. It came out really well with a bright red color. We loved it very much. I served the same for Valentine’s day treat as well.
Friends, do try this yummy carrot halwa using Delhi carrot easily in a pressure cooker. Don’t forget to share your feedback with me. For variations, you can use Ooty carrot instead of Delhi carrot. Cook the grated carrot in an open kadai, add condensed milk instead of sugar, milk and try it.
Wash and peel the outer skin of Delhi carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater.
Measure 2 cups from it. In a pressure cooker base, heat 1 tbsp ghee.
Saute carrot for 5 minutes to leave the raw smell. Add milk and a pinch of salt.
Pressure cook in high flame for 2 to 3 whistles.
Open the cooker after the steam is released. Add sugar, cardamom powder and a tsp of ghee.
Mix well in medium flame till halwa starts to leave the sides of cooker.
Lastly add ghee roasted cashews along with the remaining ghee. Mix well and serve warm with ice cream !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash and peel the outer skin of Delhi carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater. Measure 2 cups from it and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker. Saute the grated carrot in medium to high flame till its raw smell leaves completely. It takes 5 to 7 minutes. Carrot changes to pale red in color. Add boiled milk( at room temperature) and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
Cover the lid. Put the weight valve. Keep the flame high and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles. Open the cooker after steam is released. Carrot becomes soft after cooking and some milk will be leftover in the bottom of cooker.
Add sugar, cardamom powder and a tsp of ghee to avoid halwa sticking to the bottom of cooker. Mix well. Carrot mixture liquifies after adding sugar. Mix in medium to high flame till the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of cooker.
Do not over cook the carrot, sugar mixture to prevent halwa becoming hard and chewy. Switch off the flame at the right time with some wetness in it. When it cools down, halwa comes to perfect consistency.
Roast cashews in the remaining ghee. Add to the halwa. Mix well and serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of sugar as per your taste.
You can replace sugar and milk with condensed milk. In that case, cook carrot adding little water.
Do not over mix the carrot after adding sugar. Halwa may become chewy and hard after cooling down.
Try this easy, yummy Carrot halwa in a pressure cooker and enjoy ! I served halwa and dry fruits mixture for my guest.
This is my second post under Quinoa recipes. I had already shared Instant quinoa idli without rice. Today I have posted how to make Indian style, soft idli and crispy dosa batter with quinoa by fermentation method. As I always say, quinoa is not thinai in Tamil. Quinoa and foxtail millet/ Thinai are completely different. Quinoa should be pronounced as Keen-wah. This millet is widely available in US and abroad.
In India, you can find it in organic stores in all major metropolitan cities and is available online in Amazon. But It is costly. In this quinoa idli dosa batter recipe, I have used a combination of quinoa, idli rice (Salem rice) and urad dal in the ratio of 2:1:3/4. You can try this recipe without idli rice but idli may be sticky to taste.
Addition of rice helps to keep the idli non-sticky and gives a proper shape. Even though its my first attempt, I am completely happy with the output. Idli came out very well, soft and spongy with a mild nutty flavor. Idli looks pale white in color like quinoa and not pure white. I tried making dosa too. It was crispy in the sides and soft in the center. You can make thin dosa or thick uthappam adding onion, chilli as you wish.
One thing you should remember about this batter is , it becomes sour quickly. After fermentation, you should refrigerate the batter till use. Also It is better to finish the batter in 2 days by making idli, dosa, uttapam or paniyaram. This idli tastes slightly sticky when hot. But it tastes perfect when eaten warm. You can serve this idli with any chutney or sambar. I had it with coconut chutney and idli podi. It was yumm !
After trying this quinoa idli successfully, I am confident of exploring more quinoa recipes. I will post it whenever I make any. Ok, now lets see how to make quinoa idli dosa batter with rice with step by step pictures.
Wash and soak quinoa, idli rice, urad dal together for 7 to 8 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste in mixie or grinder adding required water.
Transfer the batter to a big vessel and ferment it over night.
Next morning batter would have doubled in quantity.
Add salt and mix well with a ladle. Grease idli plate and fill the batter.
Steam in an idli pot for 10 minutes. Check if its cooked well by inserting a wet finger.
Remove the idli plate once its done. Let it rest for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove the idli and serve with chutney or sambar.
You can also make thin or thick dosa with this batter.
QUINOA IDLI DOSA RECIPE - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the quinoa twice or thrice. Along with it add idli rice, urad dal. Wash it well. Soak them together for 7 to 8 hours.
Grind the batter in a wet grinder or mixie ( in batches) to a smooth paste adding required water. Do not add salt.
Transfer the batter to a vessel. Ferment it over night or minimum 10 hours. The next morning, batter would have doubled in quantity based on the weather. Add salt and mix the batter well with a ladle. Add little water if the batter is too thick.
Grease an idli plate with oil. Pour the batter till 3/4th of each hole. Boil water in an idli pot. Place the idli plate when the water comes to a roll boil. Steam it for 10 minutes or till cooked.
Check the idli by inserting your wet finger. If it comes out clean idli is cooked else cook for more time. Remove the idli plate from the pot and rest it for 3 minutes.
Remove the idli using a spoon and serve it with your desired chutney or sambar. You can also make thin or thick dosa by adjusting the consistency of batter. But cook in low flame because this dosa turns brown quickly.
Enjoy !
Note
If you have quinoa flour, you can use it and mix with rice, urad dal batter.
This batter stays good upto 3 days under refrigeration.
As I told, this idli tastes slightly sticky when very hot but it becomes perfect when warm. It stays good for few hours. So you can pack for lunch box too.
Try this easy, healthy quinoa idli dosa recipe and enjoy !
Recently I started making vendakkai poriyal (Okra fry / Lady’s finger curry) in microwave. Its so easy to make and hassle free. I tried it in my own way by microwaving chopped onion and lady’s finger in high power for 8 to 10 minutes by tossing them twice in the middle. Then did the seasoning. It came out very well. The best part is you don’t have to stand nearby and keep sautéing to remove the slimy texture of vendakkai. Lady’s finger cooks so quickly in less oil. I am happy with my first attempt of making lady’s finger poriyal in microwave. You too give a try and share your feedback with me. Ok, lets see how to make vendakkai poriyal in microwave with step by step pictures.
Wash and pat dry lady’s finger with a towel. Chop into small roundels.
In a microwave safe bowl, take the chopped vendakkai, chopped big onion, turmeric, sambar powder and salt.
Add a tbsp of cooking oil and mix well to coat the vegetable.
Microwave in high power (800w) for 6 to 8 minutes. Open the microwave once in 2 minutes and stir it well.
Remove the lady’s finger after its cooked soft. In a small kadai, temper mustard, urad dal, cumin and curry leaves, add to the poriyal. You can add grated coconut if you like.
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the lady’s finger. Pat it dry using a cloth towel. Chop into small roundels. Wash and peel the onion skin. Chop into small squares.
In a microwave safe bowl, take the chopped lady’s finger, onion, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Pour a tbsp of cooking oil and mix well to coat the pieces.
Microwave in high power (800w) for 2 minutes. Open the microwave and remove the bowl. Mix well. Again cook for 2 minutes.
Lady’s finger starts to cook and becomes slimy leaving out threads. Mix well and cook for 2 more minutes.
Open and mix again. Cook till sliminess goes off and lady’s finger becomes soft. It shrinks in quantity too. It took total 8 minutes for me. Time may vary based on the power of your microwave oven.
Once its cooked soft, remove. Temper mustard, urad dal, cumin seeds and curry leaves in a small kadai. Add to lady’s finger poriyal. Mix well and serve ! Optionally you can garnish the poriyal with grated coconut.
Note
You can red chilli powder instead of sambar powder.
For variations you can add one finely chopped tomato along with lady’s finger. It also helps to remove the sliminess quickly.
Try this easy vendakkai poriyal in microwave quickly and enjoy !
Beetroot rice (Beetroot pulao) is one of the yummy, colorful, kids friendly rice varieties for lunch box. It can be prepared in 2 ways. One by making beetroot masala and mix with leftover cooked rice. Second is one pot method using pressure cooker. We can call it as beetroot pulao. Recently my neighbor gave me some beetroot rice to taste. We loved it very much. So I got the recipe from her and tried in my kitchen. As I wanted, its a very simple recipe without any grinding job.
All you have to do is just saute all the spices, beetroot , add rice and cook. It can be done under 15 minutes. You can prepare it easily for your lunch box. Even kids would love to eat this rice as it looks colorful. Friends, do try this easy beetroot pulao recipe for your lunch box or a quick weekend lunch. You will love it ! Here you go, Indian style beetroot rice recipe with step by step pictures.
Beetroot rice / Beetroot pulao recipe
Beetroot rice / Beetroot pulao recipe for lunch box.
Basmati rice - 1 cup ( I used loose basmati rice used for making hyderabadi biryani)
Cooking oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 1
Bay leaf - 1
Star anise - 1
Shahjeera / Black cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - few
Big onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 2 to 3
Dhania powder / coriander seeds powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1.5 cups
Salt - as needed
HOW TO MAKE BEETROOT PULAO
Wash the basmati rice and soak in water for 15 minutes.
Wash and peel the beetroot skin. Chop into small pieces and set aside.
Chop onion, slit green chilli. Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base.
Saute the whole garam masala one by one. Then add cashew nuts, onion.
Saute till onion becomes transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off.
Now add the chopped beetroot, green peas. Saute for a minute. Add turmeric powder, dhania powder and garam masala powder.
Saute for few minutes. Lastly add water, soaked rice, salt and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame.
Open and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with onion raita !
METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Wash the basmati rice and soak it in enough water for 15 minutes. Wash and peel beetroot skin. Chop finely. Finely chop onion, slit green chilli. Set aside.
Heat oil + ghee in a pressure cooker base. Saute cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise, bay leaf. Add shajeera, cashew nuts, big onion, green chilli and saute till onion becomes transparent.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute till its raw smell goes off. Then add chopped beetroot, green peas and mix well for few minutes.
Add turmeric powder, coriander seeds powder, garam masala powder and salt. Mix in medium flame.
Add 1.5 cups of water and bring to boil. Add the soaked rice and mix gently without breaking the rice. Close the cooker lid. Keep the flame high till steam comes out.
After steam starts to come, lower the flame completely and put the weight valve. Cook in very low flame for one whistle. Switch off the flame. Let the steam release. Then open the cooker and fluff the rice gently. Serve hot with onion raita, chips !
Enjoy !
Note
Adjust the quantity of green chilli as per your taste.
You can use red chilli powder instead of green chilli but taste of pulao varies.
Try this yummy, colorful beetroot pulao and share your feedback !
