Kuttansadham (Mixed Vegetable Rice)

All I can think of when I make Kuttansadham, is the fun we had as kids_ my cousins and my neighbours ‘ kids_trying to cook. We’d plead and plead with our moms to give us the ingredients . 

There was a  kitchen outside the house, with an earthen stove ,we made the fire with paper and twigs and a little bit of kerosene that we got after pleading some more. We didn’t handle pressure cookers back then and we simply used ordinary pots to cook.We’d scurry back and forth like little mouse to the main kitchen carrying water  salt and whatever  else we could lay our hands on!

The sense of community we felt ,as we put together all our stuff , cooked and shared our food  _truly priceless!.The laughter and giggles still ring in my ears and I cannot but  feel a tug in my heart when I see how much my kids miss out on the fun we had as kids.

Anyways,here’s the  easy , one dish meal recipe, that I make when I ‘m in a hurry to get done with cooking

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

1/4 cup toor dhal

1/2 cup mixed vegetables chopped ( 2 brinjal. 1 drumstick,1 carrot, 1 potato)

10 shallots

Tamarind the size of a lime  

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

salt to taste.

To grind:

2 cloves garlic

4 dry red chillis

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 small pieces coconut

Preparation:

Soak rice and toor dhal in water.Grind the ingredients given for grinding to a fine paste.Soak tamarind in one cup of water and squeeze out the juice.

Method:

Put the rice, dhal, vegetables, shallots,turmeric, ground paste, the tamarind juice,and 3 cups of  water.When the steam comes place the weight ,reduce the flame and cook for 15 mins.When done, temper with mustard.Serve with onion vadam and appalam. 

This is another entry for JFI for Rice  hosted by Sharmi of Neivedyam.