Vegetable Biriyani

Ingredients:
1.5 cups Basmathi Rice
1 medium sized Onion
2 tsp of Corn flour
1 medium sized Carrot
1 small Potato
4-5 florets of Cauliflower
2-3 florets of Broccoli
12-15 strands of Coriander leaves (3/4 +1/4)
8-10 strands of Mint leaves (3/4 + 1/4)
3 Green Chillies
4-5 tsp Biriyani Masala powder / paste (I have used Priya Biriyani paste)
3/4 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Cumin seeds (1/2 for Cooking Biriyani Rice + 1/2 for cooking Biriyani Masala)
4 cloves(2 for Cooking Biriyani Rice +  2 for cooking Biriyani Masala)
1 inch sized Cinnamon (1/4 for Cooking Biriyani Rice + 3/4 for cooking Biriyani Masala)
2 Cardamom (1 for Cooking Biriyani Rice + 1 for cooking Biriyani Masala)
1 Ansi seed
1/2 Nutmeg flower / Jaayikayi Hu
1.5 cups Yogurt (3/4 for Cooking Biriyani Masala +3/4 for Biriyani)
Salt to taste
1 tsp Cashew nuts / Godambi
3/4 tsp Almonds / Baadami
Pinch of Saffron
Oil
Recipe:
Chop the onion into thin long pieces as shown picture below.

Add corn flour and mix them well.

Keep oil in a thick bottomed vessel and heat it. Put the onion and fry them in medium flame until they turn golden in color.

Put the onion in tissue paper to absorb the extra oil content.

Soak rice in water for about 30 minutes. Put around 8-10 cups of water in a vessel and bring it to a boil. Add 2 tsp Oil, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, 1/4 inch sized cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt and boil.

Add rice and cook it for around 4-5 minutes until the rice is cooked up to 75%.

Drain the water and keep it aside.

Peel the potato and put them in water for about 5 mins. Cut the potato and carrot into medium thin long pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into large pieces as shown in the picture below.

Cut the green chillies into two halves. Chop coriander leaves and mint leaves into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put 3-4 tsp oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 cloves, 1 cardamom, 3/4 inch sized cinnamon, nutmeg flower, ansi seed and fry them in medium flame for about 1 min. Add ginger garlic paste and fry them for about 1 min. Add green chillies, chopped potato, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, salt and fry them in medium flame for about 5-6 mins. Add 3/4th of chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves and fry them for about 2-3 mins. Add 4-5 tsp biriyani masala and fry them for about 3-4 mins in medium flame.

Once vegetables are 80% cooked, add 3/4 cup of yogurt and mix them well. Keep this biriyani masala in low flame for about 2 mins.

Put 2 tsp hot water in a bowl, crush the saffron, add it to the bowl and keep it aside.

Chop the cashew nuts and almonds into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put half of the prepared biriyani masala in another vessel and heat it in low flame. Add 3/4 cup of yogurt, salt, broken cashew nuts, broken almonds and mix them well. Add 2-3 tsp fried onion on top of it as shown in the picture below.

Put 2/3 of cooked rice and spread it over the masala as shown in the picture below.

Add remaining prepared biriyani masala, remaining chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and remaining fried onion as shown in the picture below.

Put remaining 1/3 of cooked rice and spread it over the masala as shown in the picture below. Add saffron water as shown in the picture below. Sprinkle little amount of water and salt and cover the lid.

Put 2 cups of water in another large vessel and heat. Keep the briyani vessel in this vessel and cook them for about half an hour as shown in the picture below.

Serve hot along with Raitha. The mentioned ingredients will serve around 4-5 plates of vegetable biriyani. I tried this recipe from vahrehvah. Thanks Sanjay for the recipe.

Broccoli Raitha

Ingredients:
2 Broccoli
2 strands of Celery leaves
2 - 2.5 cups Curd / Yogurt
2 Green Chillies
Pinch of Asafotida powder
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
2-3 Curry leaves
Salt to taste
1-2 tsp Oil

Recipe:
Chop broccoli into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut green chillies into medium sized pieces. Chop the celery leaves into small pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put oil and mustard seeds in a thick bottomed vessel / pan. Once it starts spluttering, add pinch of asafotida powder, curry leaves, green chillies, chopped celery leaves and fry them for about 2 mins in medium flame. Add chopped broccoli, salt and fry them for about 2-3 mins in medium flame. Sprinkle little amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid.

Keep it aside till it comes to room temperature. Once it comes to room temperature, add yogurt, salt and mix well.(You can add little amount of milk if curd is too thick or it is sour.) Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice / Pulav / Biriyani.

Amrutha Phala

Ingredients:
1.5 fresh thick Coconut Milk / Kayi Halu
1.5 cups Milk
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups Sugar
2 - 3 Cardamoms / Elachi / Elakki

Recipe:
Grind 1.5-2 cups of fresh grated coconut into smooth paste by adding little amount of water. Squeeze the ground coconut, by placing it in a clean cotton cloth.

Put milk and coconut milk in a thick bottomed vessel and bring them to a boil.

Add sugar, keep the amrutha phala in medium flame and stir this mixture once in 2-3 mins until it becomes thick. Add cardamom powder and stir the amrutha phala continuously in medium flame until it leaves from the bottom.

Apply little ghee on the plate, pour this amrutha phala and spread it using one flat spoon as shown in the picture below.

Cut it into square pieces immediately as shown in the picture below.

Keep it aside for about 30-40 mins and then separate each pieces as shown in the picture below. Store them in an airtight container.

Southekayi Thirulina Chutney / Kondaata

Ingredients:
10-15 Inner part of Tender Cucumber / Ele Southekayi Thirulu
1/2 cup grated Coconut
2-3 Green Chillies
Small grape sized Tamarind
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Curry leaves
1 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Grind grated coconut, green chillies, tamarind into smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut, use hot water while grinding.) Add inner part of cucumber and grind them together for about 1-2 mins. Add this ground coconut to a vessel. Add salt, required amount of water and bring it to a boil.

Put mustard seeds and oil in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and then add it to chutney. It goes well with dosas.

Spinach(Palak) Poori

Ingredients:
1 bunch baby Spinach leaves / Ele Palak soppu
2 cups Wheat flour
2 Green Chillies
Salt to taste
Oil

Recipe:
Clean the spinach leaves, wash them and keep them aside.

Put 6-7 cups of water in a vessel and bring it to boil. Add little amount of spinach leaves to this water and stir them for about 2-3 mins. Remove the spinach leaves from boiling water and put them in a vessel containing cold water. Repeat this procedure for all the spinach leaves.

Squeeze the spinach leaves as shown in the picture below.

Put squeezed spinach leaves, green chillies in a mixer and grind them into smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water as shown in the picture below.

Mix wheat flour, ground spinach leaves, salt and knead the dough by adding sufficient amount of warm water. Cover the dough and keep it aside for about 15 mins.

Take little amount of dough and make a round ball.

Roll the ball little bit as shown in the picture below by using sufficient amount of dry wheat flour.

Keep oil in a thick bottomed vessel and heat it. Put rolled poori to oil. Fry both the sides of poori.

Serve hot along with Bombay Sagu / Bhaji / Channa Masala / Mixed Veg Kurma. The above mentioned ingredients will serve 10-12 spinach pooris.

Onion Tomato Palya

Ingredients:
2 large Tomatoes
1 large Onion
1-2 Green Chillies
2 tsp Jaggary
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Pinch of Turmeric powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp Chilly Powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp grated Coconut
3-4 strands of Coriander leaves
4-5 Curry leaves
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp Oil
Recipe:
Chop onion, tomato into thin sized medium pieces as shown in the picture below. Chop the coriander leaves into small pieces. Cut the green chillies into two halves.

Put mustard seeds and oil in a thick bottommed vessel/pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves, green chillies, chopped onion, turmeric powder and fry them for few minutes in medium flame until onion turns golden in color.

Add chopped tomatoes, garam masala, chilly powder, salt, jaggary, little amount of water and cook them well by covering a lid. Add grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves and mix them well. Keep the palya in low flame for about 2-3 minutes. It goes well with Chapathis.

Ambate(Amte) Kayi Gojju

Ingredients:
6 Balitha Ambate(Amte) Kayi / Hog Plum / Ziziphus Mauritiana / Ber
2 Lemon sized Jaggary
1 - 2 Green Chillies
1 small Onion (Optional)
4 - 5 strands of Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
5 - 6 Curry Leaves
1 - 2 broken Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
Pinch of Asafoetida powder
1 tsp Ghee
1 tsp Oil

Recipe:

Wash the ambates and cook them in a pressure cooker by adding little amount of water and cook.(2-3 whistles)

Once the pressure goes off, squeeze them properly as shown in the picture below. (If required, put the squeezed pulp in a mixer for few seconds.) Add grated jaggary, salt and mix them well.

Chop onion, coriander leaves into small pieces as shown in the picture below. Cut the green chillies into medium sized pieces as shown in the picture below.

Put ghee, chopped onion in a pan and fry them in medium flame until onion turns golden in colour. Add this fried onion to Gojju. Add chopped coriander leaves, green chillies to Gojju. Put mustard seeds, broken red chillies, cumin seeds and oil in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add asafoetida powder, curry leaves, keep it for few seconds and then add it to Gojju. Mix well before serving. It goes well with Rice.

Thimare Tambli

Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated Coconut
1 bunch of Brahmi leaves / Thimare / Ondelaga / Centella Asiatica
Small piece of Ginger or 10-15 Cumin seeds
1 Green Chilly
1 - 1.5 cups Buttermilk / Curd / Yogurt
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 Curry leaves
1/2 tsp Ghee
Recipe:
Put grated coconut, green chilly and ginger(or cumin seeds) in a mixer and grind them into smooth paste by adding sufficient amount of water. (If it is frozen coconut, add hot water while grinding.) Add brahmi leaves and grind them together for about 1-2 mins.

Pour the ground mixture to a vessel. Add buttermilk, salt and mix them well. (If it is yogurt/curd grind it in a mixer for few seconds before adding it to tambli.) Add ghee and mustard seeds in a pan. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and add it to tambli. Mix well before serving. It goes well with rice.