Lemon Rice

The international food day at work was an opportunity for everyone at work to share different cuisines. For this event I prepared lemon rice and cholay. It was a pleasure to taste different cuisines from appetizers, entrees to desserts. Here is the recipe for lemon rice.




Ingredients:

Jasmine rice cooked - 1 cup
Fresh lemon squeezed - 1
Salt to taste

Dry coconut powder - 3 tsp
Ginger grated - 1/2 inch

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Channa Dhal - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 1 or 2 cut
Curry leaves - 2 strings
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Garnish:
Cilantro chopped - 2 to 3 tsp
Peanuts/Cashew nuts roasted - 3-4 tblsp
Sauted bell pepper and peas - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Cook rice so each grain is separate.
2. Spread it on a plate and add 2-3 tsp of oil and let it cool.
3. Take oil in a pan add mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, channa dhal and turmeric powder.
4. When is sputters add the grated ginger. Pour this on the cooled rice.
5. Add salt, coconut powder
6. Garnish with cashew nuts, roasted peanuts, sauted bell pepper, peas, and chopped cilantro.

Cooking Rice at Paadi Temple

During my recent visit to India in February 2010, I visited Paadi Temple, in South Kodagu. It is a beautiful temple and very scenic. What impressed me the most is that the family who performs pooja at the temple also cooks lunch everyday for the devotees who visit the temple, without a head count of how many people are there for lunch everyday. It varies from 150 to 600 people and one or two people cook the entire meal with a variety of dishes. It is amazing and unbelievable how they can cook such a sumptuous meal in such short notice. It is just the miracle of the temple. I took this picture of the rice being cooked in the temple kitchen when I visited there.

Tindoora and Sprouted Green Channa Curry

Ingredients:

Tindoora - sliced lengthwise 4 cups
Sprouted green channa dhal soaked overnight and cooked- 1 cup
Onion - 1 big
Tomatoes - 2 big
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Sambhar powder - 3 tsp
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Oil to saute - 3-4 tblsp
Corriander leaves - 2 tsp chopped for garnishing

Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Hing - a pinch
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 3 strings
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3-4 tbslp

Method:
1. Saute tindoora in oil and set aside
2. Make a seasoning of oil with mustard seeds, hing, urad dhal, curry leaves, and turmeric.
3. To the seasoning add the chopped onions and chopped ginger and saute till brown
4. Add tomatoes to this and cook for about 10- 15 minutes
5. Finally add the sprouted green channa dhal which is cooked
6. Add the sambhar powder, coconut milk, and salt to taste and the sauted tindoora
7. Garnish with corriander leaves.