Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Amla buttermilk

Today I read in a Tamil E-newspaper about an Indian festival associated with Amla, Goddess Lakshmi, a golden amla rain, gold buying tradition and more importantly CHARITY. It is called Akshaya trityai. So I wanted to make a post on the Amla, which Indians consider as a holy fruit. The festival comes around the peak of Indian summer and it will definitely remind us to take more amla, which can make people fit for the weather. Amla (Indian gooseberry / nellikkai), has innumerable medicinal benefits. Click this link to read the medicinal value of Amla. I prepare this buttermilk often with breakfast during summers. Enjoy this drink at any time to get more healthy, beautiful and of course wealthy too, as per the belief.



Ingredients: (2 cups)
amla - 4
fat free buttermilk - 1 cup
water 1 cup
cumin - 1/2 tsp
curry leaf - few.
salt - 2 pinches

Method:
De-freeze the amla or wash and clean the fresh gooseberries.
Remove the seed and slice the amla. Pulse it in a blender along with little water and extract juice. Repeat extraction thrice.
Mix the juice with buttermilk, salt, cumin and chopped curry leaves.
Amla more is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Serve as healthy drink with breakfast or at any time.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Pomegranate pulav

Pomegranate pulav is more famous among people who cannot take spicy hot dishes. This pulav goes well with any spicy non veg curry or paneer makhani. This is more like a 'sweetish ghee rice' topped with pomegranate or Kashmiri pulav . After tasting it in a restaurant I tried it at home to bring back that taste. This is a very forgiving dish and anyways we will get an amazing pulav. I am pleased with the outcome and we both enjoyed it to the core. Hope you all like it too. Enjoy :)

Pomegranate pulav served with lamb curry and onion raitha.

Ingredients:
(for 2 people)
Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cup
ghee / butter - 3 tbsp (1 tbsp for 1/2 cup rice)
pomegranate fruit - 1/2 cup
cashew nut - 10 (halved)
almond - 4 (thinly sliced)
onion - 1/2 cup
(thinly sliced lengthwise)
green chilly - 2 (halved)
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
cilantro + mint leaf - a handful

saffron - few strands.
milk - 1 tbsp

Spices:
cinnamon - 1 inch
cloves - 2
cardamom - 2
star aniseed - 1
fennel - 1 tsp
bay leaf - 2

Method:
Wash the rice thrice. Soak the rice for 30 minutes.
Cook it with more water (5 cups)and 1 tsp salt , till it is 3/4 th done (cooked but very firm).
Immediately pour over a strainer / colander and remove the water.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee and fry the cashews + slivered almond till they turn golden. Keep aside. Add the remaining ghee and put all the spices except the saffron. Immediately add the finely sliced onion, little salt + sugar (1/4 tsp each) and saute till it turns mild red.
Then put the ginger garlic paste, chillies and saute for 30 seconds.

Add the rice and mix without breaking the rice. Soak the saffron in milk while cooking.  Garnish with soaked saffron + milk , finely chopped cilantro+mint, fried nuts.  Reduce the heat and cook covered for a few minutes .Keep aside.

Choose a very ripe seedless pomegranate.
Take out the red fruits (fleshy seeds) alone and keep aside.

Before serving, bring the pulav to piping hot by microwaving or dum process (placing over a hot tawa). Remove from heat and add the pomegranate, mix well.

Pomegranate pulav is ready!

Serving suggestions:
Pomegranate pulao can be served with spicy Indian lamb curry (mutton kulambu) or mutton sukka varuval or kheema curry or simply with a raitha.
A glass of mango lassie with this combination is common.
The pulav should be tasty all by itself, but not spicy hot.
Avoid reheating after adding pomegranate, as it will affect the pulav's color.

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