Soup To The Rescue!!

It was reported that the blizzard that hit the Northeast on Sunday, December 26th was the 6th worst in the history for the area. And to think, I was feeling bad about not attending my friend's wedding in Long Island. Phew!! We were stuck at home from 10AM 12/26 to 10AM 12/27. We had to wait 24 hours before we could shovel our way out. While most people hit the grocery stores to stock up on supplies, we decided to stay at home and out of the storm.
My mom was eager to try this new soup recipe she had in mind and so our dinner plans for the evening were set: Chat-pata Corn Soup.

Ingredients listed below are good for 3 servings:

- (1) 14.75oz can of Creamy Sweet Corn
- 1¼ tbsp of Coriander chutney
- Salt, as needed 
- 10 pieces of Fried onion rings, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

1) Empty the sweet corn can contents, coriander chutney and 1 can of water into the blender. Blend until it is smooth for 2-3 min.

2) Pour out the blended contents into a saucepan (if a silky smooth consistency is desired, pass the mixture through a fine mesh colander or sieve) and add additional water to desired consistency. Add salt and allow the contents to come to a boil on medium heat. The soup will thicken slightly after removing from heat.

3) Pour it into bowls, garnish it with crunchy onion rings and savor the chat-pata taste on a cold wintry night.

HO HO HO Holiday Rice With Beets!!

 

Have we got a treat for you! We decided to spread some holiday cheer by cooking up this colorful and healthy rice dish for everyone to enjoy during the holidays. We call it HO HO HO Holiday Rice. We prepared it just in time for Christmas...so even Santa can have a taste.  I figured he's so used to eating cookies that he might like to try something new.

Main Ingredients

You can make 6-8 servings by using the ingredients listed below:

• 1 large Beet Root, peeled and grated
• 1½ cups Rice (prefer Basmati), washed and cooked
• ½ cup Carrots & Peas (frozen)
• 4 Green chilies, split lengthwise
• 1" piece Ginger, chopped finely
• 1/8 cup Fried onions
• 1½ tbsp MTR Vangibhath powder
• 4-5 leaves Curry leaves (optional)
• 1 tsp each Whole Mustard and Cumin
• 1 tbsp Black Gram Dal (optional)
• 3-4 tbsp Vegetable oil
• Salt, as needed

Procedure:

1) Cook rice with little less water than normal so that it separates individual grains. After the rice is done, separate it with a wooden spatula and add a tbsp oil to avoid sticking.
2) Heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard and cumin seeds, when they splutter, add the gram dal and stir until it is golden brown (1-2 min). Add green chilies and ginger and stir for 1min and add grated beetroot and ½ tsp salt mix well and place the lid and cook for 4-5 min.

3) Add another tsp of salt and cooked rice in portions mixing it with season until it is uniform. Mix in fried onions, frozen carrots & peas and vangibath powder, stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

4) Serve it hot garnished with fresh coriander.