Saffron Sweet Rice

This sweet preparation is made with ingredients generally available in the house.This is quick and easy to prepare especially for bachelors,single people and ofcourse kids who have a sweet tooth and once in a while like to eat something sweet as a dessert. This is a gluten and casein free recipe and is for five people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Cooked Basmati Rice	1 ½ cups
Sugar	½ cups
Water	¼ cups
Ghee (Clarified Butter)	1 tbsps
Raisins	1 tbsps
Sliced Cashewnuts	1 tbsp
Sliced Almonds	½ tbsp
Cardamom Powder	½ tbsp
Saffron Strings	½ tbsp
Warm Water	1 tbsp

Method

1. Soak the saffron in the warm water and keep it aside.


2. Take water in a pan and add sugar and heat it till the sugar dissolves and forms a syrup.


3. Add the cooked rice and cook it for sometime in the sugar syrup.


4. Add the soaked saffron and cook till the water evaporates but still remains wet. Turn off the heat and add the cardamom powder and mix.


5. Take a small pan and add the ghee and heat it. Add the cashewnuts and almonds and fry them till light brown in colour. Add the raisins and fry them too.


6. Add these fried nuts and raisins to the saffron rice and mix lightly.


7. Serve hot or cold.


8. If basmati rice is not available, normal rice can be used.

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Spicy Potato Wafers - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Potato Wafers	1 packet
Tomato Ketchup	1 tbsp
Lime Juice (Optional)	½ tsp
Chilli Sauce (Optional)	½ tsp

Method

1. Open the packet of wafers into a bowl.


2. Crush the wafers roughly with your fingers.


3. Add ketchup and chilly sauce and limejuice.


4. Mix them well with a spoon and serve it immediately so that the potato wafers do not become soft.

More in Be Great Chefs series for kids - Complete List of Recipes

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Ice Cream Cake - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Ice Cream (Any Flavour)	1 small cup
Cake Piece or Muffin	1
Milk Chocolate	1

Method

1. Take a piece of cake in a small serving bowl.


2. Add the ice cream from the cup and spread it over the cake.


3. Make small pieces of the chocolate and sprinkle over the ice cream.


4. Serve it cold.

More in Be Great Chefs series for kids - Complete List of Recipes

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Ice Cream Soda - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Ice Cream (Any Flavour)	2 scoops
Limca or Mirinda	½ bottle
Cherry	1

Method

1. Take a tall glass put your favourite ice-cream scoops.


2. Slowly pour the soft drink into it.


3. To decorate it place a small cherry on top.


4. You can drink it with a straw.

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Spicy Bhelpuri - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Puffed Rice	1 cup
Readymade Mixture/Bujjia	1 small packet
Limejuice	½ tsp
Chilly Sauce (Optional)	½ tsp
Coriander Leaves	a few
Salt	to taste

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl well.


2. Serve it immediately otherwise the puffed rice will become soft.

More in Be Great Chefs series for kids - Complete List of Recipes

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Chocolate Biscuits - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Marie or Glucose Biscuits	1 packet
Condensed Milk	2 or 3 tbsps
Cocoa Powder	2 or 3 rbsps
Milk	1 tbsp or less

Method

1. Take out the biscuits from the packet and powder them either by rolling a rolling pin over them or by pounding them. Place them in a bowl.


2. Add cocoa powder, condensed milk and mix them well.


3. Make small balls and shape them as you like and place them in a plate.


4. The delicious chocolate biscuits are ready to eat.

More in Be Great Chefs series for kids - Complete List of Recipes

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Banana Chaat - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Bananas	2 or 3
Lime Juice	1 tsp
Salt	a little
Chaat Masala Powder	½ tsp

Method

1. Take the bananas and peel them.


2. Cut the bananas into circles with a fork or a spoon in a bowl.


3. Add the salt, limejuice and chaat masala powder and mix well with a spoon.


4. Pick up the banana slices with a toothpick or a fork.

More in Be Great Chefs series for kids - Complete List of Recipes

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Peppermints - Be Great Chefs series for kids

Ingredients	Quantity
Icing Sugar	100 gms
Peppermint Essence	2 to 3 drops
Green Food Colour	one drop
Milk	3 to 4 tsps

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl with the tip of your fingers.


2. Slowly add the milk.


3. Do not make it too thin. If more milk is needed add more.


4. Spread it on a smooth surface like a back of a big plate or a rolling board.


5. Cut different shapes with a cookie cutter or with a bottle lid.


6. Set it in a refrigerator for half an hour and just eat it.


7. At first the mixture may look thin, but it will set after you have put it in the fridge.


8. If peppermint essence is not there, do not worry. You could use any of your favourite fruit essence and use food colour accordingly.

More in Be Great Chefs series for kids - Complete List of Recipes

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Be Great Chefs

Hey kids! Hungry??

Most children enjoy cooking and there are benefits too in learning to cook. Like they become familiar with a variety of foods, can learn cooking skills, obtain knowledge of the nutritional value of foods, importance of kitchen hygiene and improve their eating habits too.

Well, before you go rushing to your mom to prepare your snack, do you want to be a little chef of your house and give your mom a well-deserved break?

Your wish may certainly become a reality! Here are a few mouth-watering recipes, which could be made just by you (without the use of fire/knives- so mothers be rest assured!). But a little help from mothers may be taken for getting the stuff required to make the dishes.

Finally it was you who made it right!


Following are the articles in the Be Great Chefs series of recipes for children to try out in their Summer holidays.

1. Peppermints


2. Banana Chaat


3. Chocolate Biscuits


4. Spicy Bhelpuri


5. Ice Cream Soda


6. Ice Cream Cake


7. Spicy Potato Wafers

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Cool Mango Panna

Cool mango panna is a cool drink best for Summer especially to beat the heat in the afternoon.This drink can be made and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

This recipe gives you two or more glasses.

Ingredients	Quantity
Raw Mango	1
Sugar	½ cup
Salt	½ tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder	1 tsp
Water	3 to 4 cups

Method

1. Cook the washed mangoes with a cup of water in the pressure cooker till soft.


2. Cool them and squeeze out the juice from the mango by adding water.


3. Add the sugar,salt and cumin powder and mix well till the sugar dissolves. If the mango is very sour,more water or sugar or both can be added.


4. Chill the juice in the refrigerator.


5. Serve this panna in glasses decorated with mint leaves.

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IndiBlogger Conference 2010 at Hyderabad

Ramani's Recipes has also initiated a YouTube channel with this video.

URL - http://www.youtube.com/user/ramanisrecipes

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Drumstick Pepper Dhal

Drumstick (Moringa oleifera) is a kind of vegetable that is shaped like a drumstick and so this name! This vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals,especially the leaves that are very rich in nutrients. Moringa oleifera is commonly found in South of India which is mainly used in sambar ,sometimes made into a pickle because of its special and unique flavour.

This recipe is an old recipe which my mother used to prepare and has very little oil and is spicy because of black pepper corns. It can be made less spicy too. It is prepared in combination with dhal/lentils to make it more nutritious.

Following recipe is adequate for four or five people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Drumsticks	3
Tuvar Dhal	½ cup
Red Chillies	2
Black Pepper Corns	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Black Gram/Urad Dhal	1 tsp
Asafoetida/Hing	a pinch
Curry Leaves	a few
Water	3 to 4 cups
Oil	1 tsp
Salt	to taste

Method

1. Wash the drumsticks and chop them into three inch pieces and steam them in the microwave or boil them with water seperately and keep them aside.


2. Roast the tuvar dhal in a pan till light brown and add cuminseeds, pepper corns and one red chilly and fry. Cool this.


3. Grind this dhal mixture in a grinder with water to a fine paste.It can be liquidy.


4. Add salt and mix it.


5. Take a pan and add the steamed drumsticks and dhal paste and add some more water and heat it on slow fire till the dhal is cooked. More water can be added as this absorbs a lot of water.


6. Remove the pan from the heat and put it in a serving bowl.


7. Take oil in a small pan and add the seasonings like the urad dhal,mustard seeds hing and last curry leaves and fry till the mustard seeds crackle.


8. Add this seasoning into the dhal and serve hot with hot rice or chappatis.

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Iced Ginger Watermelon Juice

This refreshing drink is ideal for a hot Summer's day.To make it into a mocktail, any aerated drink like Sprite or lemon soda can be used intead of water.You can even mix orange soda too. Try it! This recipe is for one or two servings.

Ingredients	Quantity
Deseeded Water Melon Pieces	3 cups
Grated Ginger	1 tbsp
Lemon Juice	1 tbsp
Sugar	2 tbsps or less
Water	2 to 3 cups
Mint Leaves	3

Method

1. Take one cup of watermelon pieces and add lemon juice,ginger and sugar and one cup of water and blend it in a blender to a smooth consistency.


2. Take this blended mixture and pour it into ice cube moulds and freeze them.


3. Take the rest of the watermelon pieces and water and blend it in the blender into a smooth juice.


4. Refrigerate this juice till the frozen water melon juice is ready.


5. To serve, take a goblet and add the juice and three or four frozen cubes and decorate it with mint leaves.


6. Note: Instead of water, any aerated drinks like Sprite or lemon soda can be added.

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Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich

This is a quick and easy dessert for kids especially.If you have Marie biscuits,icecream and fruits this dessert can be prepared in jiffy.

This recipe makes two sandwiches.

Ingredients	Quantity
Marie Biscuits/Any Other Cookie	4
Vanilla Ice Cream/Or Any Flavour	1 scoop
Ripe Banana Slices	4
Mixed Chopped Dry Fruits	2 tsps

Method

1. Take two biscuits and place them upside down on a flat surface.


2. Take a tablespoon of icecream and put it on one biscuit.


3. Then plac a banana slice on it and cover it with the other biscuit and press it gently.


4. Repeat with the other two cookies.


5. Quickly place these sandwiches in a plate and keep them in the freezer for some time till the icecream freezes.


6. They can be served as a snack or as a dessert.


7. Instead of vanilla icecream,chocolate or strawberry ice cream with nuts or strawberry can be used.

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Banana Icecream Dessert

To coax children to eat fruits like banana is sometimes difficult. But you can serve it in a different way with icecream of their choice and ultimately eat the fruit.The kids would love to eat this yummy dessert.You can make two servings.

Ingredients	Quantity
Vanilla Ice Cream	2 scoops
Ripe Banana	1
Butter	½ tsp
Brown Sugar/Honey	1 tsp
Almond Slivers	a few

Method

1. Peel the banana and slice it in the center to get two long slices.


2. Take butter in a pan and heat it.


3. Place these banana slices in the hot butter and sprinkle brown sugar or honey and fry till golden brown.Cool them.


4. Take a serving bowl and place a scoop of icecream and beside it the banana slice and decorate it with almond slivers and tuti fruiti.

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Mango Rice

Yet another recipe with mangoes which is used in a different way.Grated mango is mixed with rice like lime rice or tamarind rice.This is very easy to make and tasty too as it has the mango flavour. This dish is rich in Viamin C. This is for three to four people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Grated Raw Mango	½ cup
Cooked Rice	1 tbsp
Chopped Green Chillies	1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Cashewnuts	6 or 7
Peanuts	1 tbsp
Bengal Gram Dhal (Channa Dhal)	1 tbsp
Black Gram Dhal (Urad Dhal)	1 tsp
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Asafoetida	a pinch
Red Chillies	2
Curry Leaves	1 tbsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 tbsps
Pappads	6

Method

1. Take a pan, add the oil and heat it.


2. Add the channa dhal,urad dhal,mustard seeds,asfoetida,red chillies and peanuts and fry till light brown in colour. Add the cashewnuts and fry them too.


3. Add the green chillies and curry leaves.


4. Add the tuimeric powder and grated mango and saute it for a few minutes.


5. Add salt and the cooked rice and mix well so that it is hot and well blended. Remove from the heat.If the mango is ver sour ou may need more rice or less of the grated mango.


6. Serve the mango rice garnished with curry leaves and pappad.

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Mango Ginger Garlic Chutney

Since it is the mango season this chutney can be prepared and preserved for three or four months. To stay longer, it can be kept in the refrigerator.

Ingredients	Quantity
Grated Sour Mango	1 cup
Ginger	50 gms
Garlic	50 gms
Red Chilly Powder	3 tbsps
Roasted Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)	1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds	1 tbsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	6 tbsps

Method

1. Powder the roasted fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds together.Grind the cleaned ginger and garlic to a fine paste.


2. Take oil in a pan and add the oil and heat it till it smokes and remove from he heat.Cool it till it is warm.


3. To this oil add grated mango,ginger garlic paste,methi and cumin powder,red chilly powder and salt and mix well.Cool the mixture and store it in a clean bottle.If the mangoes are sour it will stay longer.


4. This delicious chutney can be served with hot rice or with dosas and utappams.

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Little Cool Cabbage Parcels

These small parcels of salad packed in blanched cabbage leaves is wholesome and different from other salads and is best for a hot Summer afternoon. Try it!

Ingredients	Quantity
Green Cabbage Leaves	4
Grated Carrots	4 tbsps
Diced Cucumber	2 tbsps
Sliced Capsicum	1 tbsps
Diced Tomatoes	2 tbsps
Chopped Onions	2 tbsps
Chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)	1 tbsp
Green Gram Sprouts	1 tbsp
Lime Juice	1 tbsp
Pepper Powder	1 tsp
Olive Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard	1½ tsp
Salt	to taste
Honey (Optional)	1 tsp

Method

1. Take a whole cabbage and cut four fresh and full green leaves and carefully wash them.


2. Blanch them in hot boiling water till they wilt and quickly wash them in cold water so that they retain their colour.Drain the water well.


3. Mix grated carrots,chopped onions,cucumber,capsicum,tomatoes, green gram sprouts, coriander leaves in a bowl with salt and pepper powder.


4. Make a dressing by mixing olive oil with mustard,honey,salt and lime juice and keep it aside.Instead of olive oil Sunflower oil can be used.


5. To make the the parcels,take one blanched cabbage leaf and place it on a flat surface.


6. Put a tablespoon or more of the salad in the center of the cabbage leaf and bring the sides of the leaf together to cover the salad and make a neat package.Do with the rest of the leaves.


7. Place them on a serving plate and pour the prepared dressing over them and cool it in the refrigerator before serving.

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