Mini Meals

Its been more than 2 weeks that I've worked on my blog. We had a grand celebration in our apartment for Independence day and I was busy with its preparation for the last 2 weeks.
I thought that I should compensate for this silence and came up with the idea of Mini meals. Most of the South Indian restaurants offer 2 types of meals - Mini meals and normal South Indian meals. The normal meals is quite elaborate and requires you to have enough time to eat!!
For the rest, who don't have enough time and still don't want to settle with a sandwich, Mini meals is a good option. I thought of doing something like that for lunch today.

Mini Meals Menu
Chapathi
Channa Masala
Tomato Rice
Beetroot rasam
Kovakkai /Tindoora Fry
I'm not sharing the recipe of chapathi because its so simple and known to all. I shall probably add it another day. Moving on to the rest of the list...

Channa Masala
Ingredients
White Channa - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 4
Onions - 3
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Channa Masala - 1 tablespoon
Green Chillies - 2
Corriander leaves - a small bunch
Tea powder - 1 tsp
Bay leaves - 2
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Lime Juice - 1 tsp
Dry mango powder/amchur- a pinch(optional)
Salt - to taste
Procedure
1. Boil 1 cup of water and add the tea powder and filter the black tea.
2. Pressure Cook the channa with water, 2 bay leaves, 2 cloves and the black tea. This gives a dark tint for the curry along with good aroma.
3. Heat ghee and oil in a kadai and add Jeera, ginger garlic paste and onions and fry for 5-6 mins till it turns brown.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook till it becomes thick.
5. Mash a few pieces of cooked channa and add it to the kadai. Mix in the channa masala, amchur and the remaining channa.
6. Add 1 cup of water, salt and close it for 5 mins.
7. Once all the ingredients are mixed well, remove from the stove and add lime juice.
8. Garnish with corriander leaves.
9. Serve hot with Rotis /chapathis.



Tomato Rice
Ingredients
Rice - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 6
Onions - 3
Oil - 3 -4 tablespoon
Jeera - 1tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Garam Masala - 1 tablespoon
Cardamom powder 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Corriander leaves - a few
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1tsp



Procedure
1. Cook the rice separately with a few bay leaves and cloves and transfer into a plate and allow it to cool.
2. In a kadai, heat oil and add the cardamom powder, jeera, ginger garlic paste, curry leaves and onions. Fry till golden brown.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook till it becomes thick.
3. Mix in turmeric powder, garam masala powder, salt and make it into a thick paste.
4.Add the corriander leaves and remove from heat.
5. Slowly add a few spoons of the paste to the cooled rice until the entire paste is mixed with the rice.
6. Heat this in the microwave before serving.


Kovakkai Fry /Tindoora Masala
Ingredients
Kovakkai /Tindoora - 1/2 kg cut into thin long pieces
Onions - 2 cut into thin long slices
Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
Jeera - 1tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 3-4 tablespoons
While cooking some vegetables we may have to reduce our health consciousness as these vegetables require a little bit more oil than others. Kovakkai is one such vegetable!! So, be a little lavish if you really want kovakkai fry...


Procedure
1. Heat oil in a kadai and add jeera, curry leaves and the onions and fry till golden brown.
2. Cook the kokkai with very little water in a microwave for 5-7 mins and drain the water. (You may use this water for the rasam instead of throwing it.)
3. Add the cooked kovakkai and add turmeric powder and salt and saute for 5-6 mins.
4. Now mix in the sambar powder and fry for 5 more mins in sim so that it turns light brown colour.
5. Tasty kovakkai fry is ready.

Beetroot rasam
I had earlier promised to share other tasty beetroot recipes like beetroot rasam....here it goes..
Ingredients
Beetroot -1
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Tamarind - 1 lime size(Squeeze the juice)
Rasam powder -2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Pepper powder -1 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Corriander leaves- a few chopped
Jeera - 1tsp
Green chillies - 2
Ghee - 1 tsp
Procedure
1. Cut the beetroot into big pieces and cook it in the microwave for 5 mins.
2. Allow it to cool and grind it into a smooth paste.
3. In a thick bottom vessel, boil the tamarind pulp(approx. in 2 cups of water).
4. Add the beetroot paste, turmeric powder, hing, salt and allow it to boil for 3-4 mins.
5. Add 1 cup of water and simmer for 2 mins till a frothy layer is formed on top. Remove from the stove.

6. Heat the ghee and add Jeera, ginger paste, curry leaves and green chillies. Pour this to the tasty and health rasam.
7. Garnish with corriander leaves and have it as a soup or with white rice. Either ways, its too good.