The biggest challenge for anyone who cooks everyday is menu planning as it has to be simple, balanced,healthy and family members preferences should also be considered.

When you cook everyday, that too three times a day, you tend to run out of ideas. Having some menu plan to refer would be helpful during such times. Hence this idea of sharing simple menu plan with you all:)

Menu plan 1

Cabbage carrot dry curry
Orange rasam
Yeriseri( Kerala special)
Rice
Yogurt
Chips
Pickle
Peanut chikki( kadala Urundai )

Cabbage Carrot Dry Curry

Ingredients

Chopped cabbage- 2 cups
Chopped red carrots- 1 cup
Grated ginger- 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Split urad dal( ulundhu)- 1 tsp
Red chillies- 2
Grated fresh coconut- 1/2 cup

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it starts spluttering, add the red chillies and urad dal. Sauté till dal becomes golden. Reduce the flame. Add grated ginger and cook for few seconds.
Add chopped cabbage and carrots, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well. Add 1/4th cup of water and close the pan. Cook till the vegetables become tender and dry. Switch of the gas. Add the fresh grated coconut and mix well.
Serve hot with rice and rasam.

Yeriseri ( Kerala Special)

Ingredients

Chopped raw banana- 1 cup
Chopped yam- 1 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Water- 2 and 1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Whole pepper – 1/2- 1 tsp
Red chillies- 3-4
Grated fresh coconut- 1/2 cup+ 1 tbsp
Coconut oil- 3 tsps
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Hing( perungayam)- 1/4th tsp
Curry leaves- few

Method.

Heat a pan, add chopped raw bananas, yam, salt to taste, turmeric powder and water. Cook till the vegetables become soft.
Roast pepper and red chillies in a tsp of oil. Cool and grind with 1/2 cup if coconut to a smooth paste. Mix this paste with half cup of water and add this to the cooked vegetables. Mix well and let it simmer. If it’s too thick add some more water. Check the seasonings.
Once it starts boiling, take it off the gas.
Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering add grated coconut and hing. Sauté till the coconut becomes golden. Add the curry leaves and cook for few mins. Add this tempering to the vegetables, mix well and serve hot with rice.

Orange Rasam

Orange rasam

Ingredients

Tuvar dal- 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/4th tsp
Oranges- 2
Rasam powder- 2 tsps
Salt to taste.
Green chillies slit- 3
Chopped ginger- 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes chopped- 2
Ghee- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
Jeera- 1/2 tsp
Hing – 1/4th tsp
Chopped coriander leaves- 1 tbsp

Method

Wash and soak tuvar dal for half an hour. Pressure cook dal with turmeric powder for 3-4 whistles.
In a pan, add the cooked and mashed dal, 2 cups of water, salt to taste, green chillies, ginger, chopped tomatoes and rasam powder.
Let it boil well till the tomatoes becomes soft. Squeeze juice from the 2 oranges.
Once the tomatoes become soft, reduced the flame to low, add the orange juice and some water( as much as needed to get rasam consistency). Mix well. Check the seasoning. Let it simmer. Switch it off before it starts boiling.
Heat ghee in a pan. Add mustard, jeera and hing. When it stops spluttering, add it to the rasam and garnish with chopped cordiander leaves.
Serve Rasam hot with steaming rice drizzled with little melted ghee:)