Amchur Puliyogare -Quick Delicious Meal

South Indian Festivals are never complete without puliyogare/pulihora/tamarind rice.Traditional puliyogare is made with tamarind.I wanted to post a quick fix for the traditional one which tastes good too.

I used amchur powder and used less ingredients to make it simple.

This recipe sure will be handy for busy moms.

Quick ,tasty and fulfilling lunch box idea.

Tempering + Amchur powder + Rice--->Instant puliyogare!

Ingredients

cooked rice-4 cups
amchur powder- 2 tspn
oil-3 Tbspn
mustard seeds-1/2 tspn
chana dal-1/2 tspn
peanuts-1 Tbpn
urad dal- 1/2 tspn
dry red chilly-2
asafetida-1/4tspn
turmeric-1/4 tspn
grated dry coconut-1.5 Tbspn
curry leaves-2 string
pepper powder- 2 pinch
jaggery powder-1/4 tspn
salt to taste

How to make
1)Heat oil in a non stick pan.Add mustard seeds when hot and allow them to splutter.Now add chana dal and peanuts then the urad dal and fry them till it turns golden brown.Add red chilly pieces,asafetida,turmeric,curry leaves,pepper powder.Keep the stove in very low/warm..

2)Add grated dry coconut,powdered jaggery,amchur powder.Once the jaggery melts turn off the stove.Dont burn the amchur powder!.Immediately add cooked rice,salt & mix well.

3)Enjoy this instant meal:-)

Note:
1)Don't skip dry coconut,it adds authentic taste(I usually add 2 tbspn :-)).You can also add  1/2 tspn black sesame seeds or white seasame seeds for tempering.

2)I used 2 tspn amchur powder for 4 cups cooked rice.The amchur powder I used was not so strong and I like it more tangy.So adjust according to taste buds.You can always sprinkle extra amchur and mix at last!

3)I made it mildy spicy.If u want extra spicy then add some more pepper powder.Or Even you can add 1/2 tspn chillypowder along with amchur powder

Vessel was empty in no time:-):-)
 

Electric Rice cooker Pulao - Super easy recipe

Sometimes you get bored of  traditional time consuming recipes ! and don't even feel like going out to restaurant?

This is what you can make - electric rice cooker pulao-super easy super delicious.

This no stove recipe can be made when u go on a tour or campsites with electric outlet.

Here is what u need
Rice-2 cups(basmati/sona masuri)
oil-   3 Tbspn
jeera-1/4 tspn
cut mixed vegetables-3 cups( peas,carrot,beans,cauliflower,potato,corn,lima beans)
cilantro chopped-2 Tbspn
dill greens chopped - 1 Tbpsn(optional)
green chilly chopped-2
mint chopped-1 Tbpsn
garic pod minced-2
garam masala-1 tspn
dhania powder-2 tspn(u can replace 1 tsp with biryani masala powder if u have or even pav bhaji masala powder)
bay leaf-2
cashew nuts-1 Tbpn(according to your preference,i like to add more)
salt to taste

Here is how to do
Lets combine everything in the rice cooker.Water quantity is same as u make plain rice.

Isn't is easy?

Top it with fried onions(readily available in stores) and enjoy with some raita

 











S'more - Campfire treat

S'more or smore is a traditional campfire dessert.Roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate is sandwitched between graham crackers.Ya!who doesn't love this warmth cracker- chocalate -marshmallow sandwitch!?:-)

This treat is famous in USA and Canada.National S'more day in USA is on August 10th.Light up the campfir e,roast the marshmallow make the smore .While having the warm tasty smore,u can do lots of campfire activities like storytelling,singing and games to keep the kids occupied and have tons of fun.

Wanted to do something different for friday night and was browsing around.Came across a fall activity in the park near by with hayride and campfire smore.Hmmm!

Ingredients

Marshmallow-These are cylindrical sweet spongy/gooey pieces.You get many brands of marshmallows at the store with jumbo size or regular size.I got a pack of jet puffed marshmallows.

Crackers-Picked up Honey Maid Graham crackers as these are famous for making smore.You can buy any store brand grahams.

Chocolate-Used  hersheys milk chocolate as i already had it in home.You can buy any variety like ghirardelli milk chocolate squares(my favourite),dark chocolate squares.Thin square chocolates works good in sandwitches.

How to roast Marshmallow in fire

Here is the fun part

1)Poke the marshmallow to a long stick so you don't burn your hands.Insert it inside so you can see atleast 1 inch stick at the end just to make sure it doesn't fall off.

2)Once the campfire is set and ready hold the marshmallows close to the charcoal and roast it.Keep roatating the stick so it gets uniformly heated.If u roast your marshmallows at the tip of the flame it will catch  fire and turn black soon if u like the black part as i do then thats ok! But the best marshmallows are roasted to golden brown.

Note:You can also try roasting marshmallows on the gas grill or gas stove

Assemble
Here comes the delicious part

1)Take the graham craker,add a big square of chocolate on top then comes the hot gooey marshmallow which melts the chocolate a bit yumm:-).Now take another craker and press the marshmallow.Enjoy with your friends and family.