Quick Tomato Soup (Microwave Recipe)

Serves: 4
Cooking time (approx.): 7 minutes
Style: Indian Vegetarian

Ingredients:

4 cups tomato juice
2 teaspoon(s) cornflour dissolved in a little cold water
1 teaspoon(s) roasted cumin seed powder
1 teaspoon(s) ginger - garlic paste
1 tablespoon(s) milk
salt and freshly milled pepper.


Instruction:

Combine all the ingredients except for milk in a microwave-safe deep bowl. Microwave on high (100%) power for about 4 minutes (stirring mid-way).
Add the milk and mix well. Microwave on high (100%) power for about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly milled black pepper.

TIPS:

This soup can be made by pureeing fresh tomatoes. This would be time-consuming but worth the effort.
When the microwave cooking time for a step exceeds 2 minutes, it is highly recommended the contents be checked and stirred at regular intervals to avoid burning of food.
Standing time is a very important step as it completes the microwave cooking process of a dish. Ideally, allow the dish to stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
Serve hot with: croutons or bread sticks.

Aloo Poha Recipe

Poha is flattened or beaten rice, is an easy-to-cook breakfast recipe. There two varieties of flattened rice – thin and thick because of their thickness. Poha is also used in other snack items such as mixture or chiwda or many more.

Beaten rice also a convenience food to make a rice porridge or paste by adding hot water to it, depending on the amount of water added. Hot steaming poha is prepared and kept warm over boiling water so that the hot moisture from the water can keep the poha warm and moist. Toppings such as onions, tomatoes, green chilies and more are kept on the side for people to add them as per needs.

Ingredients:

2 cups Poha (Beaten Rice)
1 Potato diced
1 Onion chopped
1 green chili finely chopped or as per taste
1/4 cup dry peanuts
1 tsp Chana dal
1 tsp Urad dal
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 sprig Curry leaves
4 tblsp Oil
1 tsp red chili powder – optional
1/2 cup mutter(peas) – optional
1 pinch Turmeric powder
1 Lemon
Few Corainder leaves
Salt to taste


Preparation:

Soak the poha in water. Wash and drain all the water.
Add some salt , turmeric powder , keep aside.
Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes, chop the onions, chillies, corainder leaves.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, preferably non-stick, add mustard seeds,chana dal, urad dal, peanuts, curry leaves and let it splutter. Add onions, green chilies and saute. Add the potatoes & peanuts, mix well and let it cook.
Add the poha, corainder leaves and stir. Keep it on slow flame for 5- 7 minutes.
Let it cool for sometime and add then lemon juice.

Potato Podimas Recipe

Ingredients

Potato - 1 lb
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida(Kayam) - A small pinch
Green chillies - 6 nos
Ginger - A small piece (minced/grated)
Black gram(Urud Dhal) - 1/2 tsp
Red gram(Thuvaraparippu) - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram(Kadalaparippu) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Dry red chillies- 2 - 3 nos
Curry leaves - A few
Coriander leaves - A small bunch (washed and finely chopped)
Lemon - 1 no
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp or as reqd


Preparation:

Boil potatoes with turmeric and salt.
Peel skin and mash them and keep it aside.
Heat oil in a pan or a kadai.
Splutter mustard seeds.
Fry black gram, red gram, Bengal gram, asafoetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves, red chillies, finely chopped ginger, lemon juice and salt.
Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
Let this cook for a few mins.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Chettinad Chicken or Mutton Rasam (soup)

Chicken Rasam is one of Chettinad specials. This recipe can be used for both mutton or chicken. This rasam or soup would be one of the best remedies for cold. I personally prefer chicken for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken or mutton ( with bones)
5 shallots (small onions)
1 tbsp fenugreek
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp cumin(jeera),sombu(large jeera) powder
1 tsp redchilli powder
1 tsp dhaniya powder
2 tomatoes
5 flakes garlic
1' ginger
2 cloves
1' cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 stack curry leaves
oil for seasoning
salt to taste


Preparation:

Use small pieces of chicken or mutton with bones. Boneless meat doesn't give much flavour to this rasam. Grind ginger and garlic to a fine paste.

Heat oil, add fenugreek,cloves and cinnamon sticks,curry leaves. Add shallots(small onion) and fry for few minutes.Add tomatoes and fry for 1o mts. Add chicken or mutton. Add turmeric powder,jeera sombu powder,chilli powder,dhania powder.Mix well and add 2 cups of water( alter according to ur taste, u can have it slightly thicker consistency for rice, whereas for the soup it has to be watery). Leave it for minimum of 30 minutes( cooking time depends on quality of the chicken mutton).At the end of boiling add (pepper,ginger,garlic)powder to give good odour.


Note: U can filter the rasam, and have it as a soup.

Rava (Sooji) Halwa

Suji halwa can be made very quickly withgout any preparation in advance.

Preparation time: 20 minute
Ingredients:

1 cup Sooji (semolina)
1 cup Sugar
2.5 cup water
2 teaspoon Ghee
1 tablespoon lowfat butter (heart foundation recommended) or canola oil
Almonds (grated)/Raisins
2-3 Cardamom, coarsely powdered


Preparation :

Add sugar to water and mix well. Keep aside.
In a skillet (kadai) take ghee and sooji and cook for 3 minutes. Add oil/butter and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat, till the sooji turns light brown. With the skillet on the stove, add cardamom powder and raisins, grated almonds, then add water-sugar solution slowly, stirring with a spoon and allow the water to evaporate (it would take about 5-7 minute).

Garnish with a few grated almond pieces.

Serve sooji halwa warm.

Note: This sooji halwa recipe uses only 2 tsp ghee and use butter or oil. This saves a lot of calories from saturated fat in ghee. Don't be surprised for the use of oil. No body can notice any difference in the taste. Just try it. We have used it several times and all have relished our sooji halwa made according to this recipe.