Carrot Radish Stir fry | Mullangi Carrot Poriyal | गाजर मूली सब्जी

 Carrots and radish ,both are delicious and healthy vegetables .I am a huge fan of both these and can have it all round the year without a fuss .

To be honest,combination of radish and carrots is a very new thing for me.  I use carrots in combination with many other veggies for making poriyal ,but never attempted to use with radish as I always felt that the smell and taste of radish will be over powering in the poriyal.

Radish always gets made into sambar ,popularly called as mullangi sambar or as mooli paratha . As I write this post ,I realized I haven't blogged Mullangi Sambar and am setting reminder to myself, that I must blog it very soon. 

Well,now coming back to Carrot Radish curry,this was purely dear hubby's idea and as always I wasn't very convinced but he assured me that it will taste yummy . As I wasn't very comfortable with the combo,I told him to make this poriyal and that I would only taste it when it is done.  As opposed to the usual diced chopping ,hubby grated the carrots and radish for making this delightful stir fry.

So ,this poriyal is made by him and photography is by me . The recipe that I am penning below is just as he told me what he did . When I was asked to taste after he prepared the curry, I was totally floored . It was a riot of flavor explosion. Subtle sweetness from the carrots and mild pungent flavor from the radish was a perfect match with the occasional crunch from the green peas . The garnish from fresh corriander is an added flavor booster . Do not compromise on the use of freshly chopped coriander ,it adds up to the taste to the Nth level. Pair it with any sambar or Vethakolambu or even have it as a plain salad.

Winter is slowly setting in and now is the best time to enjoy fresh and tender carrots, radish, cauliflower , fresh green peas .

Piping hot Gajar halwa, Aloo Gobhi sabji and fulkas will be an absolute treat to the taste buds on a chill winter night. Do check out all those recipes on my blog. 

Check out the Winter Special Veg Hariyali video on my You tube channel .

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Preparation Time- 15 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Complexity - simple 
Serves  - 3 to 4

Ingredients 
2 medium sized radish grated
2 medium sized carrots grated 
Handful of green peas 
1 medium onion chopped
2 to 3 green chillies chopped
2 tsp oil 
Mustard seeds + curry leaves 
Pinch of asafoetida 
Salt as needed 
Fresh corriander 

Method 

• Squeeze out the water from the grated radish . After grating the carrots and radish don't let the vegetables sit for a long time,else they will become soggy. 
• In a thick bottomed kadai,heat oil and crackle the mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies .
• Saute the onions until transparent .
• Stir in the carrots, radish and green peas and season with salt.  
• Mix well and cook covered for 4 to 5 mins until the radish and carrots are well cooked .
• Garnish with fresh corriander and serve hot.

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Carrot Rice - Quick lunch box recipe (Vegan & GF)

Carrot rice is a very healthy and delicious flavored rice and perfect for carrying as a lunch option for kids as well as adults.  This rice is mildly spiced and also there is a subtle hint of sweetness from the grated carrots . We can also add cashews, groundnuts, peas or boiled sweet corn while preparing the carrot masala making it all the more tasty ,healthy and delicious. 

Carrot rice is very simple to make and gets done in less than 15 mins if we have cooked rice ready on hand . If you have to pack an early lunch, you can precook the rice previous night, prepare the carrot masala and in the morning and just mix it with rice ,viola you are lunch box is ready in a jiffy! 

Serve it with some papads and flavored dahi seasoned with some roasted jeera powder or even goes well even with Boondi Raita . To make it even more sumptuous,  you can pack some carrot fries too. (recipe courtesy- Magical Ingredients by Radha R ) 

Have you tried the delicious  

Carrot Pumpkin Soup 

Carrot Kheer (Payasam) 

Evergreen Gajar Halwa

Carrot Sambol   (Srilankan Vegan Salad)

Carrot Koshimbir  from my blog ?? 

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Complexity - Simple 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

1.5 cups cooked rice. 
2.5 cups grated carrots 
Handful of boiled sweet corn
Handful of green peas 
2 tbsp groundnuts 
few curry leaves 

1-2 dry red chillies 
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp vangi Baath masala 
1 tsp turmeric powder 
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp rasam powder
4 tbsp oil 
Salt as needed 

Method

• Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan fry the ground nuts followed  by  mustard seeds ,curry leaves , red chillies and asafoetida. 
• Add the grated carrots ,turmeric powder , red chilli powder and saute it  nicely.  Sprinkle some water and cook covered for 2 mins on medium flame. 
• Open after 2 mins ,the carrots would have become soft and semi cooked,at this stage add the rasam powder, vangi Baath powder ,salt and mix well . Continue closed cooking for another 2 mins.
• Open the lid ,add the boiled corn , peas and mix it nicely.  By now the carrots would have cooked well and become soft.  The masala for the Rice is ready now . 
• Add the cooked rice and carefully mix it with the carrot masala taking care not to break the rice..adjust salt if needed at this stage . Keep the rice covered for 5 to 10 mins for the flavors to steep in well with the rice .you can also add some roasted cashews just before serving. 
• Serve with chilled dahi and papads .

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South Indian Lunch (Saatvik) - Thali #4

 Weekends are leisure time when the whole family gets to have a peaceful sit down meal over some chit chat and banter.  It had been a long time since I prepared and served an elaborate meal for my family.

This morning too as always I dint have this thali planned on my cards ,but as I went about cooking it just happened and by the time I finished cooking, I was elated with the outcome. 

The items on the thaali are very simple to make and did not need any special ingredients.  All the veggies needed were sitting right in my vegetable basket and so my job became a lot simpler.   

Every recipe on the thali is already on my blog,so all you have to do is click on the individual names below on the menu and viola,you shall be redirected to the detailed recipe post . 

Carrot Kosambri 

Aloo Capsicum Sambar 

Chou Chou Carrot Curry 

Tomato Rasam 

Carrot Payasam 

Carrot Sambol | Easy Carrot Salad - Vegan Srilankan Recipe

 Carrots are my favorite vegetable when it comes to eating raw . I love adding carrots to my meal as a salad or as raita . The subtle sweetness from the carrot and crispness ,gives the salad a nice crunch .

Gajar Koshimbir / Carrot Kosambri  is the Indian version of carrot salad where grated carrots are seasoned with tempered mustard seeds, udad dhall , red chillies and garnished with fresh coconut . Likewise, Carrot Sambol from Srilanka is a close cousin of the Indian Kosambari . 

In Srilanka, carrot sambol is served as a part of breakfast with Sevai /String hoppers and some stew . Many a times, lunch also has this healthy sambol as part of the menu .  

Carrot Sambol is very easy to make and can be prepared in a jiffy . Except for pepper powder and chopped green chillies ,there is no other spice element . The overall salad is crunchy and mildly spiced garnished with fresh coconut and mixed with tomatoes and onions.  While I was reading up about Srilankan cuisine, I found out another variant of Carrot Sambol ,prepared in the Jaffna region of Lanka. In that version, some amount of yogurt is added to the salad which resembles the Carrot Raita from Indian Cuisine.

Carrots are a powerhouse of nutrients and there will seldom be anyone who would hate carrots . From the childhood we have been told that , carrots are a good source of vit A and regular consumption of carrots help in preventing the deficiency of vit A . The orange color of carrot is got from Beta Carotene which is metabolised into Vit A . It addition to vitamin A , carrot is also a rich source of vit K and Vit B complex which are very much essential for our overall growth and health.

Carrots are widely used across cuisine all over the globe . Indian and Asian cuisine also make use of carrots widely in many recipes like stir fries, salads, fried rice , desserts , soups etc .  

Come winters;Gajar Halwa & Carrot Kheer are the most popular never to miss seasonal desserts that every household will dish out and serve . The warm serving of Halwa or kheer is perfect for the chill winter days.

Thai Style Carrot Salad is another lipsmacking and refreshing salad option I have bookmarked from Priya's blog "the world through my eyes" .

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Complexity - easy
Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients

3 - 4 orange carrots
2 green chillies
2 tsp pepper powder
3 to 4 tbsp fresh coconut
salt to taste
2 medium sized tomatoes 
1 small onion 
1/2 fresh lemon

**Can be made as a saatvik / No onion No garlic version by skipping the Onions.

Method

• Peel the carrots and grate them using a grater or food processor.
• De seed the tomatoes and chop them into small cubes
• Chop the onions.
• Mix the carrots,onion and tomato in a wide mixing bowl along with coconut,pepper powder and green chillies .
• Add the lemon juice and salt just before serving. Toss it lightly and serve immediately.

Tip : Never add the salt and lime juice before hand in any salad, as it will tend to release the juices and the salad will turn soggy and lose the crunch.

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Chou chou carrot poriyal | Chayote Carrot Stir fry - Vegan & GF

After binge eating during festive season, we all yearn for a simple home cooked meal . We are no exception to this and our stomach friendly meal after Diwali festivities was a tongue tickling Karvepillai Kuzhambu (curry leaves in tamarind gravy) , soothing Tomato Rasam and this mildly spiced chou chou carrot curry with a liberal garnish of fresh coconut. 

Chou chou or chayote as it is known in most parts of the world is available in Bangalore almost all round the year.  Also known as Bangalore Kathrikai(Tamil) or Seeme Badnekaai (Kannada) . 

Kathrikaai in Tamil means Brinjal / Eggplant , since this resembles a big size brinjal and as it is more often available in Bangalore or Karnataka, people probably began to refer as Bangalore Kathrikaai but in reality this belongs to the squash family and not Eggplant family. 

 Badnekaai also means Brinjal in Kannada and Seeme means "foreign or across boundary " .Since this vegetable was introduced by the westerners the name of "Foreign Brinjal" got stuck to this as this is not a native Indian vegetable. 

Winter is the time when this vegetable is available abundantly very tender fresh . I love to use this chou chou in my cooking a lot . We can use this in Sambar , more kuzhambu and even kootu. 

Chou chou kootu recipe can be accessed via this link . 

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Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 15 to 20 mins
Complexity - simple 
Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

2 medium sized chayote /chow chow 
2 medium sized carrots

Handful of frozen/fresh peas (optional)
1 green chilli chopped 
Few fresh curry leaves 
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
4 to 5 tbsp fresh grated coconut 
Salt as needed 
Pinch of asafoetida (skip for GF)

Method 

• Peel the chayote and carrots and  cut them into small cubes. 
• If using fresh peas, blanch them in water until tender.
• In a pan heat the oil and splutter the mustard, asafoetida along with chillies and curry leaves .
• Sautee the chopped carrots ,peas and chayote with some salt ,sprinkle some water and close with a lid .
• We will do a covered cooking as it retains the nutrients of the vegetables and also the crunch .
• Occasionally open the lid and stir /toss so that they don't get burnt . Sprinkle water if there is a need and continue covered cooking until the chou chou and carrots are well cooked .
• Open the lid and add fresh grated coconut,mix well and turn off the stove.  

Carrot Pumpkin Soup - Gluten Free & Vegan

 A warm soup on a chill winter's night is what we all crave for . This carrot pumpkin soup is  inspired by the Fall season where Pumpkins are available in plenty and used in a wide range of sweet as well as savory recipes in the USA and Canada. 

During my brief stay in the US , I was amazed to see how the sweet pumpkin is used in cooking various recipes and best part would be the beautifully decorated Pumpkins on Halloween suppsoedly to give the Spooky effect 💀 but I always admired the artist who carves it with patience. 

 I was also cleared of the misconception that it is only we Indians who use a lot of Pumpkins in our day to day cooking. If you have observed, Indian cooking makes use of even the seeds , the inner flesh , the skin in our recipes without letting anything go waste . 

Musical instruments like the Veena, Tanpura , Sitar are  made using dried pumpkin shells .

This soup came in just around the time when one of the food groups that I am a part off announced a throw back Thursday event on Instagram with pumpkin 🎃  as the main theme . I am happy to link it to #instapumpkinplus on Instagram hosted by Foodies + group

Well , coming to today's recipe, my part of the country has been experiencing a dull and gloomy weather for almost a fortnight due to a severe depression around the coastal regions . Needless to say we indulged into fried snacks a lot in the last 3 -  4 days and I dint want to give into the craving . Hence , I decided on making this warm soup along with our supper . 

Carrot Pumpkin soup is mildly spiced and even kids can have it. Absolutely very easy to put together and gets done in about 20 mins . You may add some fresh cream if you like or skip it if you want to keep it the vegan way .

This warm pumpkin carrot soup is a perfect appetiser for any kind of parties.  You may serve them with some croutons , bread sticks or  roasted bread cubes for the added crunch .

Listing some more delicious and healthy soups by my blogger friends which have intrigued me to venture into making soups more often than before .I insist you all must also try them and enjoy with your family . 

Archana's  golden colored Pumpkin soup is what I would like to try soon . She has added some potato which will give a nice volume to the soup.

Mayuri ji shared a vitamin rich Roasted  Pumpkin soup topped with some spicy salsa which balances the sweetness of the pumpkin and makes the soup flavorful and mildly spiced . 

Narmadha has a kid friendly Creamy Carrot soup to feed your little ones who make a fuss to eat their share of veggies . Cheat feed them with some French fries or chips and I am sure they will polish the bowl clean while Kalyani's rich Carrot Almond Soup  is an absolute treat on a winter night and a crowd puller if served at parties.

How can we forget the Rustic Tomato Soup and Rasam - the Desi Soup of India when we are talking of soups? 

Priya Iyer shares her classic Italian Tomato Soup with us while Swaty shares a lipsmacking Carrot Rasam .

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Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves  - 2 to 3
Complexity  - Simple

Ingredients 

100 gms pumpkin

2 carrots peeled 

1 medium tomato 

1 green chilly 

Small piece of ginger

Handful of fresh corriander

pepper powder as needed

Salt as needed 

3 cups water (1 cup = 150 ml )

1 tsp fresh cream (skip for vegan) 

Method 

• Wash and peel the skin from the pumpkin and carrots. 
• Roughly chop the ginger, carrots ,pumpkin and tomatoes, slit the green chilly . 
• Add all these in a pressure cooker, 1 glass water along with roughly chopped corriander and pressure cook for 3 whistles and let the pressure cool down.
• Blend it finely in a blender and pass it through a sieve .
• Add some water depending on how thick you want your soup along with salt and bring it to a boil .
• Serve warm with topped with some cream and freshly ground pepper .

Notes 

• You can use vegetable broth instead of water .
• A little butter can also be used while serving. 
• You can add some roughly chopped onions and 1 or 2 cloves of garlic along with other vegetables. 

Thengaai Arachavitta Kariamudhu ( Poriyal )| Vegetable stir fry with coconut paste

Thenga Araichuvitta kariamudhu  / stir fry used to be a regular at my mom's place and I have also eaten quite a few times at some weddings here in Bangalore,Karnatka .  Kariamudhu is a typical iyengar jargon for poriyal / curry /stir fry .

Thenga is coconut and Araichuvitta means grind ,so basically we make a quick masala by grinding fresh coconut, jeera ,chilli and some salt.  This spice mix is added to the tempered and boiled vegetables. 

By and large in South Indian cuisine, fresh grated coconut is added in the end after the stir fry is prepared but this slight twist in the addition of ground coconut paste ,elevates the flavor profile and enhances the taste of the curry .

This stir fry is not anything complex of different , instead of the usual fresh coconut scraping garnish, we grind the coconut with a few spices and add it to the cooked veggies and saute it for a few minutes . I love this  stir fry with beans , chayote / chou chou , carrot or  beans - carrot combo .

At home ,I make araichuvitta kariamudhu (poriyal) stir fry using

• Beetroot
• Cabbage
• Cabbage + Peas
• Carrots 
• Cabbage +Carrot + Beans 
• Carrot + Peas 

Below recipe uses beans and carrot as the main ingredient ,but you can use the same recipe for preparing the stir fry  using any of the veggies mentioned above . Beetroot Thenga araichuvitta kariamudhu is also simply lipsmacking. 

Some more simple and tasty curries on my blog  

• Cabbage Peas Poriyal 
• Chou chou carrot poriyal 
• Beans paruppu Usili
• Vazhakkai (raw banana) Roast 
• Urulai (Potato) Kaara Curry 
• Baby Potato Roast 

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Complexity : Medium
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients
150 gms french beans
2 medium carrots
3 tablespoons fresh coconut scrapings
1 tsp jeera / cumin seeds
2-3 green chillies (mildly spiced)
fresh corriander chopped - handful
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste

Method

• Chop the beans and carrot into small cubes and wash it well and drain .
• In a mixie jar / blender . Quick blend/pulse the coconut, jeera, chillies and corriander leaves. Do not add any water, just a pulse or two so that the ingredients are all crushed well. Keep aside.
• In a pan / kadai , heat the oil and temper it with mustard seeds, asafoetida and add the chopped beans and carrot with some salt , add some water and let it cook well. Cook covered with a snall opening such that the steam can escape and the color of the beans and carrot is retained.
• Check occasionally to ensure that the vegetables donot charr / burn due to inadequate water. Adjust water if needed and let it cook to be soft but not mushy. Alternatively ,you may also steam the veggies before hand or even microwave them .
• Once the water is all evaporated and veggies cooked well, add in the ground paste and stir well and cook for just 1-2 mins and turn off the stove.
• Serve it along with Sambar , Rasam and Piping Hot rice and ghee.

Mix veg Kurma - No Onion No Garlic - Video Recipe

Many of the households donot make use of onion and garlic on regular days and some on special occassions like Amavasai,Festive days,Pooja days etc etc.
The general feel is making gravies without onion and garlic will not be tasty and hence many of them donot attempt making gravies at all. 
Donot worry,try this gravy and you will really love to eat No Onion No Garlic recipes .


Preparation Time : 15-20 mins
Cooking Time : 10 mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity : Medium

Gajar Kheer | Carrot Payasam | Carrot Pudding

Kheer / Payasam needs no special introduction .Almost every Indian meal, be it South Indian or North Indian has a kheer or payasam in the menu . The list is endless when we consider the varities of Kheer or Payasams that are dished out in our country . We are experts in making kheer/pudding with all possible ingredients that blend with regular milk or coconut milk and sugar or jaggery.

Carrot payasam,is a very healthy variant of payasam/kheer/pudding made using fresh carrots. This payasam uses very little sugar as the carrots are naturally sweet and just a teaspoon of ghee for garnish which is also optional .

I generally make this gajar kheer when the spread is very heavy and this balances the dessert segment without much added sweetener or ghee.
This paysam can be made for any get togethers,,festivals or even as Prasad during Navratri,Gokulashtami etc

You can either use the orange ooty carrots or the Delhi Laal Gajar for making this payasam . Just before you cook the  carrots ensure that the carrots are washed well and peeled thoroughly. 

Classic Recipes using Carrot on my blog 

Carrot Pumpkin Soup
Carrot Rice 
Carrot Sambol (Srilankan recipe)
Carrot Kosambri 
Carrot Halwa

Preparation Time : 5-10 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Serves : 3-4
Complexity : Simple

Ingredients
3-4 medium sized carrots - peeled and cut into halves
4-5 cashews/kaju/mindhiri paruppu (optional)
2 cups of milk ( 350-400 ml approx)
2-3 tablespoon sugar (adjust depending upon sweetness of carrot)
pistachios finely chopped
1 tsp elaichi powder
2-3 tsp fresh grated coconut.
1 tsp ghee

Method

Pressure cook the carrots and cashews in 1/2 cup milk  and cool for a while.

In a blender ,add the cooked carrots with milk,sugar,grated coconut and blend finely until its smooth and creamy.

You may add a little milk incase you find it difficult to blend.

Transfer the carrot mixture into a big vessel,add the remaining milk and mix well and simmer it on low flame until the mild raw flavor of the carrots are lost totally and you get a nice aroma.

Add the cardamom powder at this stage ,mix well and turn off.

Roast the pistachios in ghee and add it to  the payasam. 

You may serve this warm or chilled. I personally like it chilled as its very flavourful.

Note : You may substitute jaggery for sugar . Adjust the quantity of jaggery depending on  jaggery 's sweetness. 

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This post was originally published in March 2017 with some really amateur clicks when I did not know much about food styling and photography.  Today (1/10/2022) as part of the Foodies_Redoingoldposts  group activity, I got the opportunity to click some decent photos of the recipe and also update the write up . Hope you all enjoy reading and viewing the modified content. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#74

Carrot Kosambri / Carrot Koshimbhir - Vegan Salad

Kosambri (Kannada) ,Koshimbir(Marathi),Kosumalli (Tamil) is an Indian Salad made out of  fresh carrots or cucumber .Some times a handful of soaked Moong Dhall/ Yellow Lentils is added for extra flavor and taste. 

I generally donot like to add moong dhall to my kosambri . I prefer to taste the carrots and relish the mild dressing of fresh coconut scraping and the seasoning of mustard , lentils and green chillies along with asafoetida .

Its a common practice in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to have this as a part of menu for special occasions like weddings,festivals,poojas at temples or a special function at home. Ugadi /Gudi Padwa meal is incomplete without a kosambri .

If carrots are not in season then Vellarikaai Kosmalli / Southekaai Kosambri is served.

Carrot Sambol is the Srilankan version of Carrot Kosambri with some mild variation.

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : Nil
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

250 gms carrot - grated
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Kothmir/ Hara Dhaniya /Cilantro / Corriander leaves 
few nos. Curry leaves / kadipatha/karivepilai
Salt
pinch of sugar
Tempering
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Udad dhall
1 tsp Channa Dhall
2-3 dry red chillies
pinch of asafoetida

Method

• Squeeze out the water from the grated carrot and put it in a huge serving bowl.
• Prepare the seasoning using mustard seeds,udad dhall,chana dhall.Once all of these splutter,add the red chillies ,curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Pour it on the carrots.
• Add the grated coconut,salt,sugar and toss well. 
• Finally garnish with fresh corriander and serve.

Note:

• Salt tends to leave water and make the salad soggy,so add the salt just before serving.
• If you would like to add moong dhall,soak it for about 15-20 mins in warm water and then add it to the carrots and toss well.
• For those who love the flavor of lime,you can squeeze about a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and toss well. Do this just before serving to avoid the salad from turning soggy.
• Carrot can be substituted with cucumber or you can take half proportion of each i.e carrot and cucumber and make this salad.

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Gajar Halwa / Carrot Halwa - Microwave method

My mom had magic in her hands when she made gajar ka halwa. I try to make like her and have succeeded to a great extent.Amma always made carrot  halwa the traditional way where the carrots are cooked in milk until all the milk is absorbed and then simmered further with ghee and sugar . The traditional recipe is on my YouTube Channel and you can get the recipe here .

I customized the traditional recipe of slow cooking to make it in the microwave oven so that busy office goers or even bachelors can easily make it at home and enjoy the delicious halwa .

Taste wise I did not make out any difference between the two methods,just that the microwave method  gave me the Gajar Halwa quickly to please my Taste buds. 

Gajar halwa is mainly made in winters as the availability of Delhi carrots popularly known as Laal gajar or red carrots is abundant. But ,you can also make gajar halwa with the Ooty carrots or Orange carrots and they also taste yummy .In my home, Hubby is a fan on ooty carrot halwa while I relish both equally . I personally haven't found any stark differences between the two varieties of carrots used for preparing the halwa ,think its all personal preference and acquired taste.

I love to have warm gajar halwa with a scoop of vanilla icecream. This combination was introduced by my maternal grandpa who was a die hard sweet lover . Needless to say ,me being a fan of icecream as well as gajar halwa, this combo was a super hit with me .

This recipe was posted way back in 2013 on the occasion of V's birthday and after so many years it saw the light again today (13/1/2023) by way of which the photos and write up was updated for our fortnightly activity of Redoing Old posts ,an initiative by my fellow blogger Renu. This is the 92nd edition of Redoing old posts . I am hoping to be consistent with this activity so that many of my old posts get their desired face lift :-) 

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Cooking Time : 20-25 mins
Serves : 2-3

Ingredients

250 gms carrot grated

1 cup milk

2 cups sugar

3tbsp ghee

cardamom powder

For Garnishing

cashews - 4/5 pieces

almonds - 4/5 pieces

raisins  - 3/4 pieces

Unsalted pistachios 

Method

• Peel and wash the carrots.
• Grate them using a grater .Grate them just before you start making the halwa.
• Take a microwave safe container,add the grated carrots,milk and cook in the oven for 15 mins.
• After about  7-8 mins,take the container out of the oven,stir the mixture and place it back for the remaining time.
• Once the carrots are cooked,add the ghee and sugar and place it again for another 10 mins.
• Stir again, once after 5-6 mins and add the garnishing items and cardamom powder to the mixture and place it in the oven for balance time. 
• After adding the sugar don't cook for a long time as there is a tendency for the halwa to turn hard and rubbery.  Incase due to oversight such a mishap happens,add some milk and mix well .This will help salvage the halwa .
• The halwa starts leaving the sides of the container and you can see the ghee on top of the mixture. Yummy halwa is ready !!!
• Serve hot or cold..Both taste yummy !

Note :

• If the carrots are too juicy,squeeze out the juice with your hands before you put them for cooking.
• In case you feel the carrots are not cooked in the first 15 mins,you can increase the time and check at intervals until the carrot is completely cooked. 

Serving Suggestions :

A scoop of vanilla ice cream with the halwa is an excellent combination.

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Bisi Bele Baath - Karnataka Special

Bisi Bele Baath,a signature dish of Karnataka,India primarily made out of rice and lentils literally translates to
(Bisi)- Hot
(Bele)-Lentil
(Baath)-Rice

  A slightly lengthy method of preparation,but the end result is delectable.There are various recipes used in different households for the preparation of Bisi Bele Baath.The recipe which I am going to share with you,is the one that I learnt from my Mom.


Preparation Time : 30 mins
Cooking Time : 45 mins
Serves : 3-4

Ingredients

For the Bisi Bele Baath Masala
1 tbsp Channa Dhall / Yellow Bengal Gram dhall
2 tbsp Dhania / Corriander seeds
10-15 dry red chillies (the spicy variety)
3-4 dry dry byadgi red chilli (no spice color yielding chilli)
1 tsp methi/fenugreek seeds 
1 small stick cinnamon
2-3 cloves 
Curry leaves - few 
turmeric powder

asafoetida

Main Dish
1 cup rice
1/2 cup thoor dhall
1 potato- chopped as cubes
1 onion - chopped as cubes
2 carrots- chopped as cubes
1 drumstick - chopped lengthwise 
50 gms french beans - chopped lengthwise
50 gms green peas
lemon sized tamarind - soak in hot water and extract thick pulp
Jaggery

1/2 cup grated coconut 

Tempering
2 tsp Mustard Seeds
2-3 dry red chillies
curry leaves

asafoetida

Method

Preparation of the Masala
1. Heat a little oil in a pan,add in the dry red chillies and roast until the pungent flavor  of the chillies is lost and they turn crisp and keep it aside.Take care not to burn them.
2. In the same pan,now add the channa dhall and roast it until it turns golden brown,keep aside.
3. Add in the corriander seeds,methi seeds,curry leaves,asafoetida and turmeric powder and roast them until the corriander seeds give out a nice aroma.Methi seeds should not turn brown.It will become bitter.
4.Lastly ,just dry roast the cinnamon and cloves.
5.Grind all of these into a dry spice powder.

6.This powder can be stored in a container and can be used later also.

Preparation of Bisi Bele Baath

• Pressure cook the rice and lentil with a little turmeric powder and 3 cups of water.
• Take about 3 tbsp of the masala and wet grind it with the grated coconut into a fine paste.
• In a deep heavy bottomed vessel,heat a little oil and temper it with mustard seeds,curry leaves and dry chillies.
• Saute the onions until pink,add in the rest of the veggies and saute till the oil coats around them.
• Add in salt,asafoetida and pour in the tamarind extract and some water ,enough to cook the vegetables.
• Add small amount of jaggery and 1 tbsp of the masala and let the veggies cook well.
• Add the masala paste prepared using coconut,when the vegetables are half cooked.
• Mean while,slightly mash the cooked rice and lentil so that it blends well when added to the cooked vegetable mixture.
• Once the vegetables are cooked well ,add in the rice and stir well and allow the entire mixture to slightly come to a boil.
• You may add a little water,if you find difficulty in stirring the mixture and it seems too thick.
• Check for the spice and salt and add salt accordingly.If you need more spicy you can add in the dry masala and stir well.
• Before serving,garnish with roasted cashewnuts or groundnuts and drizzle some ghee over it and serve hot with Papad,potato chips and curd.

Note :

• For those who dont like the taste of onions,it can be omitted while preparing.
• Vegetables such as capsicum,ash gourd(white pumpkin),Chou Chou (Chayote) can also be added.
• Instead of green peas,boiled chick peas /chole can be added

Vegetable Uthappam

Uthappam is a dosa like dish made using fermented batter. Unlike dosa,uthappam is a thick pan cake like preparation with various toppings such as onions,tomatoes,carrots,peas etc.

Vegetable Uthappam

Masala Bhaath

I am sure,most of you would have tasted this classic Maharashtrian Cuisine or atleast heard of it. This particular dish holds a very royal portion in traditional Maharashtrian functions or festivals. Though various types of cuisnes have entered the wedding menus,this particular dish holds a remarkable position.

I owe full credit to my prof,Mrs Harshali Patil,for having given me this amazing traditional marathi cuisne.

Masala Bhaath