Tomato Baath

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 small cups
Tomatoes - 4 big finely chopped
Onions - 1 big finely chopped
Coriander Leaves - 1/ 4 cup finely chopped
Pulav masala - 2 Cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves, 3-4 bay leaves, a few fennel seeds, 1 Marati Moggu, 1 cardamom
Curry Leaves - 10-11 leaves
Salt to taste
Oil - tsps

For the Masala:

Onions - 1 big finely chopped
Red chillies - 5-6
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 1 whole (medium sized)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2
cloves - 4
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/ 4 cup finely chopped
Oil - 6 tsps

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a wok and add red chillies and 1 onion finely chopped.Saute on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat, cool and grind to a paste with the other ingredients.Keep this aside.

Now heat 4 tsps of oil in a cooker, add all the pulav masala, add chopped onions with the curry leaves, saute until done and then add chopped tomatoes, saute for 5-6 mins in medium heat, now add the ground masala paste, heat it for a 2 mins and then add washed rice.Add water as required(usually double the quantity of rice), i usually add a little less (than i normally do) for pulav made in cooker, so that the rice is not sticky. Cook until done, i usually turn off after two whistles usually about 10 mins. Dish it and decorate it with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with papads and raitha.

Cream of mushroom soup

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms - 250gms
Onion - 1/2 or 1 small finely chopped
Cornflour - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 cups
Pepper powder -to taste
Salt to taste
Bay Leaves - 3
Cloves - 3
Onion shoot - 2 shoots finely chopped
Coriander - finely chopped

Method of Preparation:

Saute the cornflour in butter/olive oil, make sure not to burn it.Then add milk and water as required, add bay leaves, cloves,pepper powder,salt and bring to boil, remove the bay leaves and cloves and set aside. Heat some olive oil in a pot and saute the chopped onions and once they are soft add the mushrooms and half the quantity of chopped coriander and saute them until cooked, now take 1/3 of this mixture and grind coarsely. Add this ground mixture to the milk along with the sauteed mushrooms and chopped onion shoots and bring to boil until it thickens.Now garnish with remaining chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with garlic bread or toast.