Merry Christmas!!! It feels really great to have Plum Cake on the eve of Christmas. It at times feels good not to cook and get served :)))

Coriander Pesto Sauce Soya Rice

Really have a wonder why suddenly my eyes are all over greens these days??? Fusion of Italian ingredients with Indian cooking methods.

• 1 bunch - Green coriander/Kothamalli/Dhania
• 100 gms - Medium sized Soya nuggets
• 1 cup - Basmati Rice
• 2 tbs - Olive Oil
• 2 tbs - Low fat butter
• 1 tbs - Jeera/Cumin,Seeragam
• 1 - Green chilly
• 1 1/2 cups - Water
• 200ml - Water to soak
• Salt to taste
• 4 tbs - Pesto Sauce

For Pesto Sauce

3 - Garlic pods/Poondu /Lehsoon

2 cups - Basil leaves/ or you can use Tulsi leaves

1/2 cup - Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup - Parmesan cheese

1 tbs - Pine nuts or you can use walnuts after dry roasting them

1 tbs - Black pepper

1 tbs - Salt

Vidhiee/Method:

For making Pesto sauce:
1. Peel the skin of garlic.
2. Grate the Parmesan cheese.
3. In a blender add garlic,pine nuts,basil leaves,salt,pepper.
4. Grind them to a paste.
5. Add  Olive oil blend them well.
6. Finally the Parmesan
7. Add oil while the blender is on run.
If , you pesto is thick add few table spoons of water.
If, you are too lazy or in a quick get the ready made pesto sauce from the market.

For making rice,..
1. Wash and soak rice for 10 mins in 200 ml water.
2. Wash and chop coriander and green chilly.
3. Blend them to a paste in a blender.
4. In a pan add Olive oil and butter. Heat well and add jeera.
5. Add in the coriander paste and soya nuggets.
6. Now drain excess water from the rice and add them to the coriander soya mixture.
7. Add salt accordingly as you are going to add pesto sauce which too has salt in it.
8. Mix in 4 tbs of pesto sauce. You can add more if you need.
9. Mix them well and saute in pan for 5mins.
10. Transfer the mixture to a rice cooker.
11. Add water mix well and cook until the rice is done.

Serve, hot with any green raita or it can be taken alone no need of any condiments.

After days i just had a look on to the page view hits of my bloghttp://delicious-bhojanam.blogspot.in/ elated to see that the page view hits have crossed 2000 :))) Really makes me explore more and present quality stuffs.. Thanks all for the support !!!

Dates Tomato Sweet Chutney

Dates Tomato combination most people do not make it. But, thanks to my mom who gave me the taste of it at the very young age. All of us at home love this chutney. Past few months we had rather forgotten it until my dad asked for it!! And here it goes for all of you :)

• 100 gms - Seedless brown dates/Pericham pazam/Khajoor
• 4 - Medium sized tomatoes
• 2 - Cloves/Krambu/Loong
• 1 - Cardamom/Elakai/Elaichi
• 1 tbs - Fennel/Sombu/Saunf
• 1 tbs - Cumin/Seeragam/Jeera
• 1 - Bay leaf/Brinji Elai/Tez patha
• 1 - Green Chilly
• 100 gms - White sugar
• 1 pinch - Salt
• 100 ml - Water
• 1 tbs - Oil

Method/Vidhiee:
1. De-seed the dates and chop them roughly.
2. Wash and chop the tomatoes finely. Slit the green chilly.
3. In a saucepan add oil.
4. Once the oil is hot add in the fennel seeds, cloves,cardamom,jeera and bay leaf.
5. Wait till the jeera and fennel turn black.
6. Add in the dates and saute for 2 mins.
7. Add in the chopped tomatoes and green chilly.
8. Add the pinch of salt to it.
9. Now saute till the tomatoes turn soft and get mixed well with dates.
10. Now add in the sugar and mix well.
11. Once the sugar starts melting add in the water.
12. Boil the chutney until water reduces and chutney becomes greasy.
13. Stir occasionally.

Serve hot with any Paratta, Any Rice variety like ghee,peas,jeera,briyani, etc.