Tomato Rice

I needed a quick fix lunch for my 1 year old who goes to day care now. And if you are working and have to send lunch box with your kid to school, the need to cook quick, but healthy meals is the perhaps the most pressing item on your list. This led me to search for one-pot healthy meals. I am in no way a innovator when it comes to cooking. Tried and tested is what I believe in and my mom suggested Tomato Rice. This recipe is courtesy to her. Both me and my son enjoyed the meal!

Ingredients:

Rice
Ghee
Ginger garlic paste
Carrots - cut in to small pieces
Peas - cut in to small pieces
Beans - cut in to small pieces
Any other vegetables - cut in to small pieces
Tomato - blended in to a puree
Salt to taste

Process:

1. Cook rice separately and keep aside
2. In a pan, add ghee. 
3. Once hot, add ginger garlic paste and stir for few seconds.
4. Then add the carrots, peas, beans, and other veggies and fry for 3-4 mins.
5. Then add the blended tomato purée in to pan and stir.
6. Let it stay till the raw taste is gone. Stir occasionally.
7. Now add the made rice, and salt and mix well.
8. Serve hot! 

Parwal/Patal Besan Fry - Pointed Gourd

Someone who isn't very enthusiastic about spending a lot of time in kitchen after a long day at work, I appreciate all the quick recipes my mom taught me. The Patal besan fry is one such dish. The best part of it is, because of its softness, it can be taken with both rice and roti. This can also serve as a quick side dish during an elaborate dinner.

Ingredients:

Patal/Parwal/Pointed Gourd - Washed and cut in the middle to allow stuffing.
Besan - One cup
Jeera - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt
Red chilli powder
Oil

Process:

1. Mix all except patal in a bowl. Add oil in it and keep mixing till it is stays together. 
2. Stuff the mixture along the split in the patal.
3. Heat a generous helping of oil in a container.
4. Once hot, add the stuffed patals in the oil and let it cook.
5. Once the patals are start getting brown, sprinkle the rest of the mixture on top of it and mix.
6. Cook covered. Sprinkle water occasionally and cook covered till the patals are soft.
7. Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Pumpkin Curry - Gummudikaya Korra

Once in a while, it is  nice to have a curry on the sweeter side and pumpkin is a natural for that. I love this particular curry, because not only is it tasty with a mix of spice and sugar, it is super easy and quick to make. I love to eat it with rice!

Ingredients

Pumpkin - Cut in cubes

Channa dal - 1 tbsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - tbsp

Dry Red Chilli - 2 in number or according to taste

Asafoetida - a pinch

Sugar

Oil

Salt to taste

Process

1. Heat oil in a container
2. Once hot, put the channa dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, and red chilli in it.
3. Once they start spurting, add the pumpkin and mix.
4. Add half a cup water, salt and sugar. Make it sweet according to your preference.
5. Cook covered till pumpkin is tender.
6. Serve hot with rice.