Plain Rice

Today, I thought of sharing with you one of my tips to save energy as South Africa is facing an energy crisis. I cook rice everyday.Everyone who cooks long grain rice knows that it takes a lot of energy as the time needed to cook rice varies from 30 to 45 minutes. Many people tell me that when they cook rice it sticks or turns mushy. I buy the No Name brand of rice from Pick n' Pay. This is not an ad for Pick n' Pay nor do they pay me any commission for it. I buy this brand because it is fairly easy to cook and takes less time and the desired result.

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup long grain uncooked rice
2. 4 cups water
3. 1 tsp. salt

Method:

• Boil the water in a kettle.
• Wash rice in cold water 2 or 3 times.
• Pour the boiling water into the rice, add salt and let it remain on the stove on high for 10 minutes.
• When the water bubbles, off the stove and keep the vessel covered for approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
• Now drain the rice in a colander. You get non sticky, and properly cooked rice.
• This saves energy a lot if you cook rice on a daily basis.

Unniappam

When I went to Kerala in December, thought of bringing a appakkara (Unniappam chatti) along with me to South Africa. I remember my school days, when mum used her imaginations to cook for us some snacks, when we returned back from school with our tummies grumbling. But the same joy cannot be provided to my children here in South Africa as some of these beautiful vessels are not available here.

Yesterday, I thought of taking out my appakkara and try my culinary skills with it. I rolled out my first batch of unniappams and then called out to my son who was playing outside with one of his friends. He took two unniappams out to share with his friend. Within two minutes I saw a group of his friends outside my door hoping to get some as well. My son came inside and started with all the names of the kids who were there for the unniappams. So there went my two batches of unniappams. But what a pleasure to see the smiles on those little faces when each one got his share. Below is my version of unniappams. The unniappams in the picture are not as brown as the ones usually got as I ran short of jaggery.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups fine rice flour
2. 1/2 cup cake flour or all purpose flour or maida (I am thinking of the different names of the flour available in different countries)
3. 3/4 cup jaggery syrup
4. 2 bananas
5. 1 tblsp. thinly fried coconut pieces
6. a pinch of salt
7. oil for frying

Method:

• Mix together rice flour, cake flour, salt and jaggery syrup.
• Add mashed bananas and fried coconut pieces.
• Slowly add water and make it into a thick batter but of a pourable constituency.
• Heat the appakara (vessel) and pour oil to make the holes 3/4 full.
• When the oil is hot enough pour the batter into each of these holes.
• Slowly turn the unniappams to cook it thoroughly.
• When it is golden brown, drain it on kitchen paper towels.

Prawn Korma

Ingredients:

1. 1 kg. cleaned medium sized prawns
2. 4 green chillies sliced thinly
3. 2 medium sized onions sliced thinly
4. 1 inch ginger sliced thinly
5. 4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
6. 2 tomatoes sliced
7. 50 gms of tamarind juice
8. 3 tsp. of coriander powder
9. 2 1/2 tsp. of chilli powder
10. 1 tsp. of turmeric powder
11. 1 tin coconut milk
12. curry leaves (optional)
13. 1 tblsp. oil
14. 1 tsp. mustard seeds
15. salt according to taste

Method:

• Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds.
• Put in items from 2 to 5 and curry leaves and saute until slightly brown.
• Now add all the powder spices i.e. coriander, chilli and turmeric and saute for 1 minute.
• Add 1/5th of the coconut milk with 1 glass water and the turmeric juice.
• Add the cleaned prawns and salt, let it cook on low fire. When the prawns are half done add cut tomatoes and cook until fully done.
• Add rest of the coconut milk and let it simmer until the gravy is of the required constituency.

Sambar

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup tuver dhal (found in any Indian shop)


2. 3 tblsp. sambar powder


3. 3 cups chopped cubed vegetables (like carrot, okra, potato, drum sticks etc.)


4. 2 Red dried whole chillies and shallots sliced


5. 1 tsp. mustard and a few curry leaves


6. Tamarind water and salt as required


7. 1 table spoon oil

Method:

• Cook dhal in a pressure cook until 2 whistles are over.


• Add all the cut vegetables, salt, tamarind water and pressure cook it for a whistle more.


• Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds in it. Add the Sambar powder, redchillie, sliced shallots and curry leaves and saute.


• Add this to the cooked dhal and vegetables.


• Serve it with dosa, idli or rice.

Dosa

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cup white rice


2. 1/2 cup black gram dhal


3. salt to taste

Method:

• Soak white rice in water for 12 hours.


• Soak black gram dhal also separately.


• Grind the black gram dhal and rice separately in a grinder to a fine paste. Mix them together. Keep it overnight for the dough to rise.


• Add salt to the dough and prepare dosa after applying oil to the dosa tawa and there is no need of oil if it is a non stick tawa.


• Serve with Sambar.