Mango Rasam and Bissi Bele Bhat With Cucumber Raita

Just Another Weeknight

People might be wondering, where did I disappear after posting just 2 recipes. Did I already quit? Oh no, how can I quit, when cooking dinner is something that a Mom has to do everyday. It just so happened, that Sunday being a Sunday, a sudden dinner plan with my Hubby's colleagues took us to an Indian Chinese joint. And yesterday, I had to drop my sister at the airport and we all ended up eating at one of the restaurants there as we had 3 hours to cut.
So here I am today with another weeknight dinner menu.

Ever since I have decided to write this blog, I have been on a constant lookout for some quick dinner ideas and recipes that are different than what I usually cook. My whole aim has been to cook these recipes and give a review on how they turned out. But so far, it has been extremely difficult. There are a million Indian food Blogs and I came across quite a few really good ones with innovative recipes. But so far I haven't come across any which provides atleast a few quick meal ideas which are different. So I am still relying on my half baked skills of pulling up a menu out of the blue with ingredients I have at home, which can be  cooked in around 45 minutes and is vegetarian with Indian flavours.

Today's menu : Ripe Mango Rasam with Bissi Bele Bhaat and Cucumber Raita
Cooking Time : 45 Minutes
Serves : 5
Kid-O-Meter : 4.5 for the Rice and Raita and 0 out of 5 for the Rasam

Mango Rasam

Ingredients :

1 medium Mango cubed with skin on
1/2 tspn Tamarind Pulp
3 tspns Jaggery
2tspns Rice Flour
2 tspns Red Chilli Powder

For Tadka
1tbspn Oil
3-4 Dried Red Chillies
1/2 tspn Mustard Seeds
1/2 tspn Cumin Seeds
1/2 tspn Fenugreek Seeds
1/2 tspn turmeric
8-10 Curry Leaves
Hing

Directions

In a pan add the Mango along with 1 nd 1/2 glasses of water an cook the mango in water for 5-7 minutes. Next add 2 more glasses of water, red chilli powder, tamarind pulp, jaggery, rice flour and salt. Let it boil for 8-10 minutes and turn of the stove. In a seperate pan heat the oil. Next add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, turmeric chillies and curry leves, following more or less the same order. Then add this flavoured oil (also called tadka and something that is basic to all Indian cooking) to the rasam that we have already prepared and kept aside.
Serve hot

Bissi Bele Bhaat

For Tadka :
All ingredients enlisted above except for cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds

For Bhaat
11/2 cups of Rice
3/4 cup of Toovar Daal
3 tbspns of Sambar Masala
1 tspn of Tamarind Pulp
2 tspns of Red Chillie Powder
Salt to taste

Directions :

Cook the rice and daal in a pressure cooker. Prepare the tadka in a pan and then add the daal. Mix thouroughly. Then add the rice, sambar masala, chillie powder, tamarind pulp an the salt. Next add 11/2 glasses of water and let it cook till you see a boil in the center of the pan. Your Bissi Bele Bhat is ready to be served.

Cucumber Raita

Ingredients :

2 Small English Cucumbers choppped finely
2 tbspns of Yoghurt
2 tsnps Sugar
Salt to taste

Directions :

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl just before serving and its ready to eat. One word of caution is to not make this raita ahead of time as it will turn all watery.

HAPPY COOKING!!!