Thursday, December 31, 2009

Good Bye 2009 with Chinese Fried Rice and Hot & Sour Cabbage

I had never tried Chinese cooking yet. This was my first attempt using Vinegar and Soysauce. I realised its so easy and quick. Just stir fry the veggies a bit, do not ovecook them, mix in the sauces and its ready. We bid 2009 a farewell with some Chinese food. I made some Hot and Sour Cabbage and Fried Rice.


Hot and Sour Cabbage -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup thinly shredded cabbage lengthwise
2) 1/2 cup carrots shredded lengthwise
3) 1 capsicum chopped vertically
4) 3-4 green chillies chopped
5) 3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup
6) 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
7) 2 tsp Vinegar
8) 3 tbsp cornflour dissolved in water
9) Salt and Black Pepper to taste
10)2 sprigs of Spring Onion chopped finely
11)Oil
Method -
1) Heat oil in a non stick skillet and add the carrots. Stir fry them on high flame.
2) Add the cabbage, capsicum and green chillies. Mix well and keep stirring them. Cook the veggies on high flame and for a very short time so that they the veggies does not loose the nutrients in them.
3) Add salt and black pepper and stir. Turn off the flame.
4) Now, heat another non-stick pan and add the tomato sauce, say sauce and the cornflour mixture and give it a quick stir. Turn off the flame. It will thicken and form a paste. Add this to the veggies and mix well.
My veggies are a little overcooked. It was a bit mushy but tasted great.


Chinese Fried Rice -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups cooked rice
2) 1 small onion chopped finely
3) 1 cup Carrots + Green Beans finely chopped
4) 2 tbsp soy sauce
5) Salt to taste
6) Oil
Method -
1) Heat oil in a wide skillet and saute the onions till translucent.
2) Add the veggies and stir fry them for 2 minutes on a high flame. Do not overcook them.
3) Add rice, salt and soy sauce to it. Mix well. Turn off the flame.
4) Garnish it with the spring Onions.
Serve hot with Hot & Sour Cabbage.
Enjoy!!!

I am glad, I have posted 15 new recipes and stood up to my resolution of posting 1 new recipe everyday. Although i could not post everyday but i did complete the 15 recipes countdown. Now, its another New Year and ofcourse there would be new resolutions.
WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!!

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Dal Makhani

Dal Makhani is a North Indian dish served mostly in Indian restaurants. It is made up of whole urad dal and kidney beans so it is rich in proteins. Now, this is a simpler and a healthier version of Dal Makhani using less oil. I am sure you all would love it. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup whole urad dal
2) 2 tbsp kidney beans
3) 4-5 Green chillies
4) 1 medium onion finely chopped
5) 1 tomato finely chopped
6) 1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
7) 1 tbsp Cumin-Coriander powder
8) 1 tsp Garam Masala
9) 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
10)Red Chilli powder to taste
11)2 tbsp Yogurt well beaten
12)1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
13)Oil
14)Salt to taste
15)Cilantro chopped for garnishing
Method -
1) Soak the dals overnight in about 3 cups of water.
2) To the dals add, onions, garam masala, green chillies, turmeric powder, cumin-coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder and salt. Pressure cook the dals until 3-4 whistles. Turn off the flame and let the pressure release on its own.
3) Open the cooker and stir the dals. Check whether they are porperly cooked. Now, put it one low flame and bring it to a boil.
4) Add the yogurt and mix well. Allow it to cook of low flame.
5) In a small skillet heat 1 tbsp oil and add the cumin seeds.
6) Once they crackle add the tomatoes and saute them a little. Do not overcook them.
7) Mix them in the dal.
8) Garnish it with cilantro and serve hot.
Serve with hot chapatis or rice. Enjoy!!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Methiche Mutke

Methiche Mutke can be a nice tea time snack. Its very easy and quick to make with very few ingredients. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups methi(Fenugreek) washed and chopped finely
2) 3 cups Coarse Wheat Flour
3) 1 tbspn garlic-green chillies paste
4) 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
5) 1 tbsp sesame seeds
6) Salt to taste
7) 2-3 tbspn Oil
8) 2 tsp water
Method -
1) Mix all the ingredients together and knead them to form a dough with very less water.
2) Apply little oil on your palms and make small mutkes with the dough. Roll a small amount of dough in your palm and then make it flat like a pattice oval shaped. Repeat with the remaining dough.
3) Heat little oil in a pan and shallow them from both the sides.
4) Serve hot.
You can also bake them. The first time I made these, I had baked them in the oven and they were perfect. By shallow frying it, it needs to be cooked a little more from the inside. These were a little half cooked. Also, you need a little more oil than it is needed for baking.
Bake them at around 200 degrees F for about 15 to 20 minutes from both the sides.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Christmas Desert - Falooda

I made this as a dessert on Christmas Eve. It tasted great and its so easy to make. It can also be made as a make ahead desert. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups milk (I used 2% but would work best if use whole milk)
2) 5 tbsp Rose Syrup (Easily available in any Indian stores)
3) 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
4) 1/2 tsp Basil seeds or Tukmaria (Bought from Indian stores)
5) A handful of store bought Falooda Sev
6) a pinch of cardamom powder
7) Sliced pistachios for garnishing
8) Any flavoured icecream - Vanilla, Strawberry, Kesar Pista. I used a Falooda flavoured icecream
Method -
1) Soak the basil seeds in water for about half an hour. The longer the better.
2) Boil around 2 cups of water in a skillet. Add the Falooda sev and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Strain it.
3) Boil 2 cups of milk in a skillet. Once the milk is boiled add the rose syrup, cardamom powder, Falooda sev and sugar. Mix it well and refrigerate for around 3 hours.
4) While serving, add around 1 cup of Icecream in the milk and mix it well. Let it melt. At this time also add the basil seeds.
5) In the serving glass, add 2 scoops of icecream and pour the milk over it filling the glass. Garnish with sliced pistachios.
Dig in it and Enjoy!!

Sandge



Sandge are small moong dal dumplings. They are made by soaking split moong dal overnight. Then grinding it coarsely with ginger, garlic, red chilli powder, cilantro and salt. Grease a plate with very little oil and keep it ready. Take little batter in your fist and drop small dumplings of batter with your thumb on the grease plate. They are sun dried for around 4-5 days till they become hard as shown in the picture. In India, it can be easily dried on the roofs or terraces. Store them in an air tight container. I have stocked this in my pantry here. It tastes good when you cook them with onions and other spices and can be served with rotis. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup sandge
2) 2 cups warm water
3) 1 small onion chopped finely
4) 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for the seasoning
5) 1 tbsp Kolhapuri Masala (You can use red chilli powder)
6) 2-3 garlic cloves chopped finely
7) 1 inch ginger grated
8) Salt to taste
9) Oil
10)Freshly chopped cilantro for garnishing
Method -
1) Dry roast the sandge in a pan till they start turning little red. Keep aside.
2) In a skillet heat oil and do the seasoning.
3) Add onions and saute till they turn light brown.
4) Add the garlic at this point. Saute for a minute and add the grated ginger.
5) Add the roasted sandge. Mix well. Add salt and red chilli powder. Cover and cook the sandge.
6) Garnish it with cilantro and serve hot with chapatis.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Palak Mushroom Tikkis

I saw this recipe on an Indian cookery show. I knew spinach with mushrooms is a great combination and decided to give it a try. They were quick and tasted great.
Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup spinach chopped finely
2) 1 cup boiled mushrooms
3) 1 cup wheat flour
4) 1 cup besan.chick pea flour
5) 1 cup peanut powder
6) 1 tspn ginger-garlic-green chillies paste
7) Salt to taste
8) Lemon juice
9) 2 tspn water
10)Oil for frying
11)1 tspn rice flour
12)1 tspn rava/sooji/semolina
Method -
1) Take all the ingredients in a mixing bowl except oil, rava and rice flour and knead them into a dough.
2) Use very little water to mix these as the mushrooms and spinach itself loose some water.
3) Take a small portion of the dough (a size smaller than a golf ball) and make round tikkis. Repeat this with the remaining dough.
4) Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan.
5) In the meantime mix the rice flour and rava together. Coat the tikkis in this mixture and shallow fry them from both the sides.
6) Garnish it with shredded coconut and cilantro. Serve it eith ketchup or chutney.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Pithale

Pithale is an all time favourite food in Maharashtrian cuisine. Its comforting and in this cold weather it tastes just awesome. It is traditionally served with "bhakri", a flat bread made of jowar flour. I had it with chapati and rice. It also tastes great with rice. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1/2 cup besan or chickpea flour
2) 3 cups Water
3) mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for seasoning
4) 2 tbsnp red chilli powder divided
5) 1 small onion chopped finely
6) Salt to taste
7) Lime juice to taste
8) Freshly chopped cilantro
9) Oil
Method -
1) Take the besan in a mixing bowl. Add water and mix it properly. Avoid forming lumps. Add salt and red chilli powder. Mix it well. Keep aside.
2) In another bowl, mix the chopped onions, cilantro, 1 tbspn red chilli powder, salt to taste and lemon juice.

3) Heat oil in a kadhai and do the seasoning. Add the besan mixture and keep stirring until its cooked. It should form a custard like consistency.
4) While serving, add a spoonful of the onion mixture over the pithale.
5) Serve it with bhakri, chapati or even plain rice.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Spring Onion Salad (Kandyachya Patichi Koshimbir)

Spring Onion Koshimbir sounded quite unusual to me when i first heard it from my mom-in-law. I had never tasted or heard of it before. She made it once when she was here and i fell in love with it. Well, the whole idea behind it is to include lots of salads in your meals everyday. This can be a great option. I loved it. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup spring onions
2) 1 tbspn peanut powder
3) 1/4 tspn mustard seeds
4) 2-3 green chillies slitted and chopped lengthwise
5) a pinch of asafoetida
6) Salt to taste
7) Oil
Method -
1) Wash the spring onions nicely and chop them finely. Include the onions also.
2) Heat 1 tspn oil in a skillet and add the mustard seeds.
3) Once they crackle add asafoetida and green chillies.
4) Once the seasoning is done pour it over the chopped onions.
5) Add peanut powder and salt.
6) Mix well.
Eat Healthy. Be Healthy.

Kacchi Dabeli

Kacchi Dabeli reminds me of my college days. If you ever want to eat authentic Kacchi Dabeli, you should visit Pune. At the other end of Hongkong Lane or in front of Deccan Bus Depot, there used to be a thelevala (man with a cart) selling hot dabelis. If ever we used to pass by that side, it was a must to stop and eat those tempting Dabelis.
I had totally forgotten about these until few days back when i ate these hot dabelis at a function at my friend's place. Thanks to her. It made me so nostalgic. I immediately asked for the recipe and that was so simple. No doubt i bought the Dabeli Masala and tried it out immediately over the weekend. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 tbspn Bombay Magic Kacchi Dabeli Masala store bought (You can easily get them in Indian Stores)
2) 4 burger buns
3) 4 potatoes boiled
4) 1 onion finely chopped
5) Tamarind and Date chutney to taste
6) Pomogrante seeds
7) Masala Peanuts
8) Salt to taste
9) Lime Juice
10)Cilantro finely chopped
11)Oil
Method -
1) Mash the boiled potatoes and add the Dabeli Masala to it.
2) Heat 1 tspn oil in a pan and heat this mixture for 2-3 minutes.
3) Add salt, sugar and lemon as per taste and heat it again for around 10-12 minutes stirring in between.
4) Spread this mixture in a plate and add the Pomogrante seeds and cilantro Mix well.

3) Now spread the tamarind-date chutney to both sides of the bun.
4) Put 2 tbspn of the potato mixture on one side of the bun.
5) Over it put some chopped onions and masla peanuts.
6) Now cover the other side of the bun.
7) Heat little oil in a non stick pan and lightly fry the buns from both the sides.
Serve hot!!!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Upma

Upma, I love it. But my husband is not very fond of upma so i do not make it very often. Last evening we came home after a day long of activites. Bowling, Laser Tag, Video Games, a nice lunch in an Indian Restaurant and finally watched Avataar 3D movie. Had loads of fun and was in a mood of having something light for dinner. I decided to make Upma. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup rava/sooji/semolina
2) 2 cups water
3) 1 small onion chopped finely
4) 2-3 dry red chillies
5) 1 tbspn urad dal
6) 1/4 tspn mustard seeds and cumin seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves for seasoning
7) Oil and salt to taste
8) Finely chopped cilatro for garnishing
Method -
1) Dry roast the rava till it turns lightly brown. Keep aside.
2) Heat oil in a kadhai and do the seasoning.
3) Add dry red chillies and saute for some time.
4) Add onions and saute till they are light brown.
5) Add urad dal and saute for some more time.
6) Add 2 cups water and bring it to boil. Add the rava and keep stirring it. Do not allow to form lumps.
7) Cover and let it cook for a couple minutes.
8) Garnish it with freshly chopped cilantro.
Serve hot.

Daliya Salad

I saw this recipe on showmethecurry.com and bookmarked it long back. I decided to try it out this weekend. This can also be a wholehearty lunch as it contains daliya or cracked wheat and it keeps your tummy full for a while. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1/2 cup daliya
2) 1 small onion chopped finely
3) 1 small tomato chopped into cubes
4) 2-3 green chillies chopped finely
5) 1 small bell pepper chopped into cubes
6) 5-6 almonds sliced finely
7) 1 tspn pine nuts
8) 1 tbspn dried apricots or dried cranberries or raisins
9) 1/4 tsp black pepper
10)Salt to taste
11)Cilantro chopped finely
12)Olive oil
Method -
1) Pressure cook the daliya with 1 cup of water.
2) Heat pan and dry roast the sliced almonds and pine nuts lightly. Keep aside.
3) Heat 1 tspn olive oil in the same pan. Add onions and green chillies and saute them till the onions are light brown.
4) Keep aside in a mixing bowl and let the onions cool down completely.
5) Add daliya and all the other ingredients - tomatoes, bell pepper, black pepper, salt, roasted almonds and pine nuts, dried apricots and cilantro.
Serve cold.

Friday, December 18, 2009

South Indian Pohe

My grandmon makes pohe the south indian style. She has stayed in Karnataka for a pretty long time and hence she has hands on all the South Indian dishes and
I simply love them. She had made this dish when my husband first visited her place before our marriage. He loved it. We both have a liking towards south indian food. i make this style of pohe very often. Can you guess what is the main ingredient in this dish? Well, thats the rasam powder and tamarind paste. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups thick pohe
2) 1 tbspn rasam powder
3) 2 tbspn tamarind paste
4) Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, asafoetida turmeric powder and curry leaes for seasoning
5) 1 tspn urad dal and chana dal each.
6) Oil and salt to taste
7) Fresh shredded coconut and cilantro for garnishing
Method -
1) Wash the pohe nicely. Apply the tamarind paste and rasam powder to it. Add salt. Mix well and keep it covered for around 15 minutes.
2) Heat oil in a kadhai and do the seasoning.
3) Put the pohe mixture and give it a nice toss. Cover and cook for a few minutes.
4) Garnish it with fresh coconut and cilatro. Serve hot.
The rasam powder makes the magic. Try this out and I am sure you will love it.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Mixed Sprouts Salad

This salad is my mother-in-law's recipe. I loved it the moment i tasted it. It's healthy and very tasty. The magic part in this is the tamarind paste with the mint leaves. This combination tastes awesome. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup mixed sprouts (I used matki, green moong and masoor)
2) 1 small onion chopped finely
3) 1 tomato chopped finely
4) 2-3 green chillies chopped finely
5) 2 tbspn tamarind paste
6) a handful of mint leaves washed and chopped finely
7) Salt to taste and cilantro for garnishing
Method -
1) Sprinkle very little water over the sprouts and pressure cook it just for 1 whistle.
2) Mix all the ingredients in the sprouts nicely and its ready to serve.
Enjoy this healthy salad. I am sure you will like it.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Daliya Upma

Daliya(Cracked Wheat) Upma is a very healthy dish. You can have it as a whole meal adding some veggies to it or as a weekend brunch. It tasted great. Here is what you need -
Ingredients-
1) 1 cup daliya or Cracked Wheat
2) 2 cups water
3) mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for seasoning
4) 1 cup veggies of your choice (I used mixed vegetables like carrots, green beans, peas and sweet corn)
5) 3-4 green chillies finely chopped
6) 1 inch ginger grated
7) 1 small onion finely chopped
8) Oil and salt to taste
Method -
1) Pressure cook the daliya until 3-4 whistles.
2) Heat oil in a skillet and do the seasoning. Add green chillies, ginger. Saute and add onions. Fry them till light brown.
3) Add the veggies. Mox well. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4) Add salt and cook for few more minutes.
5) Now add the cooked daliya. Mix well. Cover and let it cook for some more time.
6) Garnish it with cilantro and serve hot.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Our 3rd Marriage Anniversary!!!

It was our 3rd Marriage Anniversary yesterday. These have been wonderful years and I wish it lasts forever and ever. Thank You for all our well wishers. Its such a good feeling to get pampered by your loved ones, parents, relatives, friends and specially your husband on this special day.
We enjoyed our day. Since it was a weekday and the climate getting more colder and colder, we decided to be just at home this time. I decided to cook a nice hearty wholesome dinner and baked a cake. Well, but my husband's demand was Chicken Curry and Chicken Biryani. So, i was all set the whole day making it. My husband loved it and couldn't stop resisting the Biryani.
This was my first experience with frosting and icing the cake. It turned out to be just great but still i have to get a hand on it. Fortunately it was not a disaster. Thanks Madhura, for guiding me with it.
The New Year is approaching. Just 15 days to go and we would be stepping into 2010. We all make New Year resolutions. This time, I have decided to make a resolution before the New Year. I am going to post or atleast try posting one recipe everyday till the New Year. That means total 15 recipes. The recipes which i learned from my mom-in-law, some bookmarked recipes which i wanted to try since long and some experimental ones. Lets see how far I go. So, please do visit my blog everyday to find something new.
Thank You!!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Green Beans with Sprouts Vegetable

Fresh Green Beans and Sprouts combination is interestingly an healthy and amazingly wonderful dish. My mother-in-law makes it this way and I loved it. We all know that green vegetables should always be included in our meals and when the sprouts are added to it, it becomes a wholesome healthy meal.
I have a sprout maker in which i can make 3 different types of sprouts at a time. I had matki(moth lentils), moong(green moth lentils) and masoor sprouted. I added little of all the 3. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups finely chopped green beans
2) 1 cup sprouts of your choice
3) 3-4 green chillies
4) 2-3 garlic cloves
5) mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for seasoning
6) Salt to taste
7) 1 tsp jaggery grated
8) Shredded coconut and finely chopped cilantro for garnishing
Method -
The Method is very simple. Heat oil in a wide skillet. Do the seasoning. Add the green beans and sprouts together. Add salt and jaggery and cook them till tender. Garnish it with fresh coconut and cilatro.
Thats it!!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Rice Flour Thalipeeth (Tandulachya pithache thalipeeth)

Hi All....I am back. First of all,Sorry for its been a long long time since I last posted and a big Thank-You to all those who visited my site. We were enjoying the past 3 months with our parents and hence no time for blogging. My in-laws were here with us and we had a great great time with them. Ofcourse, there was a lot of cooking and lots of eating, We had decided to keep our dietary plans aside and just Enjoy!!!
I am back with Rice Flour Thalipeeth. This is my grandmom's recipe. This can be a wholesome weekend brunch or any weeknight dinner. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups Rice Flour
2) 1 small onion finely chopped
3) 4-5 green chillies finely chopped
4) a bunch of cilantro finely chopped
5) salt to taste
6) Oil
Method -
1) Mix all the ingredients except oil together and knead it nicely.
2) Grease a non stick pan with little oil.
3) Take a portion of the mixture and spread it on the pan with your palm making it into a circle.
4) Moist your hand with water if it starts sticking to your hand.
5) Make 3-4 small holes in it and drop few drops of oil.
6) Cover the pan and let the thalipeeth cook from both the sides.
7) Serve hot with chutney or pickle.
I served this with garlic chutney and mixed pickle.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Green Beans Salad

I had bought these fresh Green Beans from the Farmers Market and I thought of making something different with it. My mom makes this salad. It can be served as a side dish or can be eaten as a salad.
Ingredients
1) 1 cup Green Beans chopped
2) 2 tbspn frozen shredded coconut
For the seasoning -
1) 1 tspn mustard seeds, cumin seeds each
2) a pinch of asafoetida
3) 3-4 curry leaves
4) 2-3 green chillies chopped
Method -
1) Boil the beans until just tender. Add little salt in the water while boiling. You can add a pinch of Baking Soda in the water so that the beans retain its colour.
2) Drain the beans.
3) Do the seasoning. Heat little oil and add the seasoning ingredients. Once they sizzle pour the seasoning over the beans.
4) Add shredded coconut, salt as per taste. Mix well and serve.
This can be served chilled as well as hot. Enjoy!!

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Black Beans Salad

This healthy and heartsome salad was our lunch today. Weekends are always lazy and I need some quick and healthy recipe to serve. I had some black beans soaked overnight for curry. The idea of this salad flashed in my mind and I decided to give it a try. We loved it and it was an wholesome meal. The corn kernels and the fresh cucumber bites in between were tasting awesome. You can serve it hot or chilled. Both tastes equally good. I had it with some yogurt by the side. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1/2 cup Black Eyed Beans soaked overnight
2) 1/4 cup corn kernels boiled
3) 1 small cucumber diced
4) 1 small tomato diced
5) 1 small onion diced
6) 2 green chillied chopped
7) 2 tbspn lemon juice
8) a bunch of cilantro chopped for garnishing
9) Salt as per taste
Method -
1) Boil the beans till just tender. Do not overcook them. I pressure cooked them only till 1 whistle.
2) Mix all the ingredients with the beans in a mixing bowl.
3) Keep it covered for 5-10 minutes. Let the beans nicely marinate in the lemon juice.
4) Serve hot or chilled.
Enjoy and have a Healthy week ahead!!!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Rava Idli

We live in the 21st century and we need or have got habitual to instant things. We need instant food, we need everything automatic and machine operated. Microwave is one of them. It is a great great appliance in the kitchen and we are just handicapped without it.
I made Instant Rava Idlis in microwave. They were made just in 4 minutes. My mother-in-law sent me the microwave idli maker and i loved it. Thank-You so much. Its been a life saver. My husband loves Idlis and now I can make them whenever i can without fermenting the batter.
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups Rava/Sooji/Semolina
2) Oil
3) 1 tspn mustard seed
4) a pinch of asafoetida
5) 1-2 dry whole red chillies
6) 1 tspn chana dal
7) 1 tspn urad dal

1) 1 cup yogurt well beaten
2) 4-5 curry leaves
3) 2-3 green chillies chopped finely
4) 1 inch ginger grated
5) Salt to taste
6) 1 cup water
7) A handful of cilantro
8) 2 tspn ENO or Fruit Salt
9) Thinly sliced tomato and cilantro for garnishing


Method -
1) Heat oil in a wide skillet and do the seasoning. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies, chana dal and urad dal. Add the rava and mix well. Roast the rava nicely until it start changing its colour.
2) Meanwhile coat the Idli trays with oil and keep aside.
3) Turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
4) Take the yogurt in a bowl and add all the other ingredients to it except ENO. Mix well.
5) Add this mixture to the Rava and mix it well.
6) Add water little at a time and keep mixing it without forming any lumps. Rest the batter for 10-15 minutes.
7) Add ENO at the last minute and mix well. The mixture should foam up. This step is important as we are not fermenting the batter. Adding ENO takes care of that.
8) Pour little batter in the Idli trays and put them in the mocrowave on high for 4 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes and then remove.
Serve hot Idlis with sambar and coconut chutney.
I kept a thin slice of tomato and a coriander leaf in the idli trays before pouring the batter. Its looks nice and attractive.
Enjoy!!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Chicken Kadhai

Chicken Kadhai, one of my husband's favourite dish. He orders this everytime when we go to any Indian restaurant. I made this at home yesterday and it turned out delicious. A very very easy and a quick recipe. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 pound chicken
2) 2 medium onions sliced lengthwise
3) 3-4 garlic cloves
4) 2 inch ginger
5) 3-4 green chillies
6) 3 medium tomatoes
7) 2-3 dry red chillies
8) 3-4 peppercons
9) 1 tspn turmeric powder
10) 1 tbspn cumin-coriander powder
11)Salt to taste and Ghee
Method -
1) Wash chicken pieces nicely and marinate it with turmeric powder and salt for 2 hours. Its always best to marinate it for a longer time. The longer you marinate the quicker the chicken cooks.
2) Grind ginger, garlic and green chillies to a fine paste.
3) Puree the tomatoes along with peppercons, cumin-coriander powder and dry red chillies.
4) Heat ghee in a skillet and put in the chicken pieces. Fry the pieces for a couple of minutes. Remove them.
4) In the same ghee, fry the onions till they become translucent.
5) Add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and saute for a minute.
6) Now, add the tomato puree and saute for a couple of minutes.
7) Add the chicken pieces. Mix well and add 1 cup of water. Adjust the salt at this time.
8) Cover and cook the chicken until its tender.
9) Garnish it with coriander and serve hot with chapatis or rice.
Enjoy!!!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Gujarati Dal

This dal tastes awesomely delicious and is a nice variation to the usual Toor Dal. Its spicy, tangy and flavourful. I also like to have it simply as a soup. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup Toor Dal washed
2) 1/4 cup peanuts
3) 1/2 tspn turmeric powder
4) 1/2 tspn chilli powder or to taste
5) 1 tspn cumin-coriander powder
6) 1 tspn Garam Masala
7) 3-4 Kokum
8) 1 tspn Amchur Powder
9) 2 green chillies finely chopped
10) 1 inch ginger grated
11)1 medium Tomato diced
12)Jaggery to taste
13)Lemon Juice to taste
14)Salt to taste

For the seasoning -
1) 1 tspn Oil
2) 1/2 tspn mustard seeds and Cumin seeds each
3) A pinch of asafoetida
4) 5-6 curry leaves
5) 2-3 cloves
6) 1 small cinnamon stick
7) 1 dry red chilli

Method -
1) Pressure cook the toor dal with peanuts, salt, turmeric powder with enough water. Make 3-4 whistles and let the pressure go down.
2) Transfer the dal to a skillet and add all the dry powders, kokum, tomato, green chillies, ginger and jaggery. Add around 2 cups of water and let it boil.
3) Now, heat oil in a small skillet and do the seasoning.
4) Add this seasoning to the boiling dal.
5) Mix well and check salt at this point. Adjust salt and water according to your taste and allow it to boil nicely.
6) Add enough water as Toor Dal has a tendency to absorb the water and thicken. This dal should be more watery.
7) Garnish it with cilantro.
Enjoy!!!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Guacamole - Indian Style

Guacamole, used in Mexican recipes is made up of ripe Avacados. My friend makes this Indian style. I loved it when I tasted. Since,now I have developed a taste for Avacados, I use them in my cooking very often. I decided to make this Guacamole and I loved it. You can use it as a dip or as a bread spread or as a chutney. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 ripe Avacado
2) about 1 inch ginger
3) 3-4 green chillies
4) Lemon juice and salt to taste
Method -
Cut the Avacado into 2 parts. Remove the seed and scoop out the pulp. Mash it. Grind the ginger and green chillies to a smooth paste and add this paste to the pulp. Add salt and squeeze in the lemon juice. Mash it well once again and Guacamole is ready.
Enjoy!!

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Saturday Brunch - The Dosa Feast

We both love South Indian food, Dosas being are favourite. How can I forget the famous Vaishali restaurant on F.C Road in Pune, India. I have not had authentic dosas anywhere else specially the sambar.
For making dosas you need to plan ahead as it requires grinding the soaked dals and fermenting the batter. For us dosas are always a feast. I usually make the batter and store it as it lasts for almost 8-10 days in the refrigerator. With the same batter, I make idlis and uttapams too. So, if you have the batter ready, you have so many options with it.
My husband likes dosas but he needs everything (sambar, ccoconut chutney and potato sabji) with it. Thats why I call it a Feast.
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup urad dal
2) 2 cups rice
3) Salt to taste
Method -
1) Soak the dals seperately for around 6-8 hours or over midnight.
2) Grind them seperately with as much water required.
3) Mix both of them well in a bowl. Add salt and as much water requied. It should be of pancake consistency. It shouldn't be thick and too thin. Remember, you should be able to pour it easily. Keep it covered and allow it to ferment for almost midnight or 8-10 hours. I know, this takes time but as I told you before, this should be planned a couple of days in hand.
4) Heat a griddle/pan. Pour a laddle ful of batter on the pan and spread it roundly over the pan.
5) Put few drops of oil on the sides of the dosa.
6) Let it cook till it is slightly brown and then flip it over.
7) Cook it for a minute and serve it hot with chutney and sambar.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Avacado Salad

I love to include salads in my meals. Recently I tried Avacados and i simply loved this fruit. Avacado, is a fruit similar to a pear in shape but has a large oval shaped seed inside. It also has a proper way of cutting this fruit. These are grown in Mexico and the famous Guacamoule used in Mexican food is made from Avacados.
I tried this salad giving it an Indian touch to it and we loved it. It can also be served as a side dish.
For selecting Avacados and to check if they are ripe, press it slowly with your thumb and if it gets pressed softly, its ripe and ready to use.
You would need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 Avacado peeled and cut into pieces.
2) 1 small tomato chopped finely
3) 1 small onion chopped finely
4) 2-3 springs of sping onion chopped finely
5) 2 green chillies chopped finely
6) A bunch of cilantro to garnish
7) Salt, black pepper and cumin-coriander powder to taste
Method -
Add all the ingredients except the Avacados to a mixing bowl and mix well. Add Avacados and just give them a quick mix. This prevents them from smashing.
This salad is healthy and nutritious and now i have Avacados regularly in my pantry!

Lasun/Garlic Chutney

Lasunachi Chutney and Bhakri(a flat bread made of jowar flour) is a staple diet of the farmers in Maharashtra, India. The rural people of Maharashtra are simple and they eat food which is also simple. After the hard working day in the sun, they look forward to this lunch which is Jowar Bhakri, Lasanachi Chutney and a couple of onions smashed with a fist. And with this they are all set to work again in the fields.
Lasun Chutney can also be eaten in various forms. I like it to spread over bread with some butter. It can be eaten simply as a condiment with the meal. Some also like to add a teaspoon of yogurt in the chutney and have it with chapati.
I usually make this chutney and store it in an air tight container. This lasts for almost a week or 10 days. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 8-10 garlic cloves
2) 1/4 cup peanuts
3) 1/2 cup dry shredded coconut
4) 1 tspn red chilli powder. (I had some chilli flakes so I used those instead)
5) Salt
Method -
1) Heat a pan and dry roast the cloves, coconut and peanuts seperately.
2) Put all the ingredients in the grinder. Add red chilli powder and salt to taste. And grind it.
Chutney is ready!!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Koshimbir

I am very fond of salads and I try to include as much salads as i can in my meal. If I am short of time I simply cut some cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes and have it as a salad. Or then Another option for me is Koshimbir. Koshimbir, a simple tomato-cucumber salad. Very easy to make and you will find this in every Maharashtrian homes for dinner.
Ingredients -
1) 1 cucumber chopped finely.
2) 1 tomato chopped finely.
3) 2-3 green chillies finely chopped.
4) 2 tbspn roasted peanut powder.
5) Salt and Sugar to taste.
6) A handful of cilantro finely chopped.
Method -
Mix all the above ingredients together to make this salad. So, simple and quick.

Palak Dal

This was an awesome dish I tried today. Its very easy and healthy and also a good change than our usual simple dal. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup spinach washed and chopped finely.
2) 1 cup toor dal washed and soaked in water.
3) 2-3 dry red chillies.
4) 2-3 garlic cloves.
5) 1 small onion chopped finely.
6) mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for seasoning.
7) Oil and salt to taste.
Method -
1) Pressure cook the Toor Dal.
2) Heat oil in a skillet and do the seasoning. Then add the red chillies and garlic and saute them for some more time.
3) Add onions and saute them for about a couple of minutes.
4) Add spinach. Mix well. Cover the lid and let it cook for some time.
5) Now add the cooked Toor Dal. Mix well and add water according to the desired consistency.
6) Add salt and let it boil for some time.
Palak Dal is ready. Serve hot with chapatis. Enjoy!!!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Vegetable Biryani

This was an unplanned dish. I made this last saturday. I am always searching for some new recipes which can be made on weekends. My idea of weekend lunch/brunch is that it should be quick to make, simple and should be sufficient enough for lunch and dinner. This recipe came in my mind. I quickly made the vegetable masala, fried some goodies and baked the dish. It was awesome and perfect. Here is what you need -
For the rice -
Ingredients -
1) 2 cups rice
2) 4 cups warm water
3) a pinch of saffron mixed in 1 tbspn warm milk
4) Salt
Method -
1) Wash and drain the rice.
2) Boil the rice in warm water till the rice is cooked.
3) Cool the rice and add the saffron and mix gently. Keep aside.
For the goodies -
Ingredients -
1) 2 medium potatoes cubed
2) 3 medium onions sliced lengthwise
3) 1/4 cup cashew nuts and rasins
4) Oil for frying
Method -
1) Heat oil in a skillet and fry the potatoes till they are slightly brown.
2) Now fry the onions and drain them on the paper towel.
3) Fry the cashews and rasins just for 10-20 seconds and drain on the paper towel.
The frying goodies are ready!!
Now, lets see whats needed for the masala -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup vegetables of your choice. I used the frozen packet of mixed vegetables
2) 2 medium onions
3) 2 medium tomatoes
4) 3-4 garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger
5) 3-4 green chillies
6) a bunch of washed cilantro
7) 1 tspn red chilli powder and cumin-coriander powder each
8) Oil and salt to taste
Method -
1) Steam the vegetables.
2) Mix everything except the powders in a blender and grind it to a smooth paste.
3) Heat oil in a skillet and add the blended mixture to it.
4) Cover the lid and let it cook for sometime. Stir occassionally in between.
5) Once the oil starts leaving the masala, add the powders and saute for one more minute.
6) Add the steamed vegetables, salt. Cover and let it cook for sometime. Do not overcook the veggies. Let them be tender.
The Vegetable Masala is ready!

Layering the Biryani

1) Take a baking dish and grease it with oil or ghee.
2) Now, add half of the rice followed by the goodies.
3) Then, add the whole vegetable masala followed by the remaining rice and the goodies on top.
4) Cover it with an aluminium foil and bake the dish in the oven preheated at 400 degrees F for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve it hot with raita and Enjoy!
You can also layer the biryani and store it in the refrigerator before baking.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Seviya Upma & WaterMelon juice

It was Friday night and my fridge was empty. I was thinking what can be made for dinner and then thought of this dish. I wanted to try it since a long time. It can also be a great dish for weekend brunch or even breakfast. Its light, nutritious and healthy. Here is what you need -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup Vermicelli
2) 1 small onion chopped finely.
3) 1/2 cup mixed vegetables of your choice
4) mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and turmeric powder for seasoning
5) 2-3 green chillies finely chopped
6) 1 inch ginger minced
7) 1 tbspn raw peanuts
8) 1 tbspn cashews
9) 1.5 cups boiled water
10) Salt to taste and Oil
Method -
1) Heat 1 tbsn oil in a skillet and roast the vermicelli till they become light golden brown. Keep them aside.
2) Heat little more oil in the same skillet and add the seasoning ingredients.
3) Add the peanuts and saute them for about a minute.
4) Add cashews and saute for 30 seconds.
5) Add onions and saute them. Add green chillies and ginger and saute for some more time.
6) Meanwhile boil the water in the microwave. It saves time.
7) Add the veggies. Add salt and mix well. Cover and let the veggies cook for some time.
8) Now, add the boiled water and let it boil nicely. Check the salt at this point and add little if required.
9) Add the roasted vermicelli. Mix well. Cover the lid and let it cook for around 4-5 minutes. Stir occassionally.
Upma is ready. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Mango Icecream

Its summer season. Summers are always associated with mangoes. Summer vacation and mangoes goes hand in hand. We are dying to eat mangoes. Back home in India, we used to get boxes of Alphanso mangoes at home. And then there used to be a series of all Mango recipes - Aamraas, mango milkshake, mango icecream. But i simply loved cutting the mango into pieces and having it. Wow, Once you taste Hapoos Amba (Alphanso Mango) you will never eat any other mangoes. They are just perfect, juicy, sweet. In simple words, tasty!
I bought the Mexican mangoes from Farmers Market but still we were not satisfied. I started searching for some Mango recipe and found this on ShowmetheCurry.com. I am a big fan of Hetal and Anuja of ShowMeTheCurry.com and without a second thought i gave it a try. And it was just awesome suiting our tastes...This is also a nice make ahead desert. And you can surprise your guests with it. Its very very simple and easy with very few ingredients needed.
Ingredients -
1) 1 can Alphanso Mango Pulp
2) 14 oz can of Condensed Milk
3) 8 oz Cool Whip
4) few pieces of ripe mango
Method -
Pour all the ingredients except the mango pieces in a big mixing bowl. Mix it well very nicely. Transfer it to a container with a lid and freeze it for 2 hours. After 2 hours, mix in the mango pieces and return the dish to the freezer. Freeze for 3 hours.
Serve and Enjoy!!!

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Ragda Patties

I love chaats and i am sure everybody does. I can eat chaats anytime. I miss those days when we used to hangout with friends just to eat chaats. Back home in Pune, there are so many chaat joints. How can i forget the most famous Bheleshwar near SNDT college backgate, Ganesh Bhel in Kothrud and yeah the chaat basket at Manmeet on FC Road! Ohh, I miss those days :(
I have started preparing chaats at home Ragda Pattice being one of them. And ofcourse they are hygenic. But having chaats on thelas at the roadside has a different fun in it. Isnt it? You all would agree to this!!
So, Here comes Ragda Pattice. Ragda is a thick gravy of white peas which is served with pattice which can also be called as a potato patty or patato cutlet. You would need -

For the Pattice -
Ingredients -
1) 5-6 medium potatoes boiled
2) 2 bread slices
3) Salt to taste and Oil for shallow frying
Method -
1) Mash the boiled potatoes. Soak the bread slices in warm water and immediately squeeze it out. Add the slices to the potato mixture.
2) Add salt and mix well.
3) Take a golf size ball of the mixture and flatten it on your palm to make a pattice.
4) Shallow fry the pattice on a tava/skillet using 1 tbspn of oil. Drain on a paper towel.

For the Ragda -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup vatana or white peas soaked overnight
2) 1 medium onion chopped finely
3) 1 tspn turmeric powder
4) 1 tbspn ginger-garlic paste
5) 1 tbspn cumin-coriander powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder each
6) Salt to taste and Oil.
Method -
1) Pressure cook the peas. Heat oil in a wide skillet and add the ginger-garlic paste.
2) Add the onions and saute for sometime.
3) Add all the dry powders and saute for some more time.
4) Now add the cooked peas with little water. Add salt. Cover and let it cook for 5 minutes.
Ragda is ready!!
While serving, take 2-3 pattice in a plate. Pour the ragda over it. Put some tamarind chutney on top of it. Garnish with finely chopped onions and coriander. Enjoy!!!

Monday, May 25, 2009

The Comfy Food, Kadhi-Khichadi

Kadhi-Khichadi is supposed to be the most comfort food in Maharashtrian cuisine and ofcourse it is. We had this for dinner last night. This combination is perfect on a cozy wintery night or when its raining heavily outside.
I have posted the recipe for Kadhi earlier. We will see whats needed for Khichadi -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup rice
2) 1/2 cup split moong dal
3) 1 small onion chopped lengthwise
4) 2-3 curry leaves
5) 1/2 tspn mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida for seasoning
6) 1 tspn cumin-coriander powder and chilli powder each
7) Oil and salt to taste
Method -
1) Wash the rice and dal and soak it for about half an hour.
2) Heat oil in a pressure cooker and do the seasoning.
3) Add onions and saute for a minute.
4) Add the dry powders and saute again for a minute.
5) Add the soaked rice and dal and mix them well.
6) Add around 3 cups of water. Add salt to taste.
7) Pressure cook till 3 whistle. Let the cooker cool down.

Serve hot with Kadhi and pickle of your choice.

Saturday Night Pizza


Pizza always brings back childhood memories. I remember eating Pizza for the first time at home prepared by my mom. We liked it and then it was a regular item at our place. My mom had this small and tiny round oven which was taken out only to bake cakes on birthdays or to make the delicious baked Karanjis for Diwali. Pizza became popular later and then the oven also was used up more frequently. Since here I have the privilege of having a full size oven at home, I decided to make this much awaited dish on a Saturday Night.
Initially, I thought of buying the pizza base from stores. But then thought that this would not be fair enough for my little cooking skills and hence decided to give it a try finally. Let's start with the Pizza Sauce.
For the Sauce -
1) 6 mediium tomatoes
2) 2-3 garlic cloves minced
3) 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
4) 1 tbspn fennel seeds powder
5) 2 tbspn Italian Seasoning
6) Salt to taste and Olive Oil
Method -
1) Blanch (Put the tomatoes in boiling water for 3 minutes and immediately put them in cold water. The skin comes out very easily) the tomatoes. Chop half of them finely and puree the rest.
2) Heat olive oil and add the minced garlic. Saute and add the chopped bell peppers. Saute for about a minute.
3) Add the diced tomatoes and the puree. Mix well. Cover and let them cook for around 5 minutes.
4) Add salt, fennel powder and the Italian seasoning. Mix well. Cover and let it cook for around 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally.
Remember, the sauce should not be watery and not too thick also. It should be able to spread evenly on the pizza base.
Now, lets see how the Pizza Base was prepared. I searched for lots of pizza base recipes on the internet. I found many recipes using All Purpose Flour. I decided to add little wheat flour with it and thats how the Pizza Dough was formed.

For the Pizza Dough -
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup All Purpose Flour
2) 1 cup Wheat Flour
3) A packet of dry Active Yeast
4) 1 tspn sugar and salt to taste.
5) Olive oil
Method -
Take 1 cup of warm water (not hot,yeast bacteria would die in hot water.) and mix the yeast and sugar in it. Let it rest for 10 mins. Mix the flours in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast solution, salt, around 1 tbspn olive oil and knead well with the help of warm water if required. The dough would be little elastic. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 1 hour. The mixture will be doubled in size. Knead it again and let it rest for another 30-45 minutes covered with a damp cloth. Divide the dough in two parts to have 2 pizzas.
Assembling the pizza -

Traditionally, pizzas are made on pizza stone. If you do not have a pizza stone, you can make it in a pan or use a baking sheet.
Preheat the oven at 470 degrees Farenheit. Take a portion of the dough on a pan and strech it with your hand with little pressure covering the pan. Spread the pizza sauce on the base leaving the edges unsauced. Now, add toppings of your choice. I used some onions, green and red bell pepper and mushrooms. Olives and Jalepenos would also taste lovely. Spread in the Mozarella cheese above it. Add few drops of olive oil over the cheese. Apply some olive oil to the unsauced edges also. The pizza is now assembled. Keep the pan on the stove on low flame till it gets hot and the dough starts cooking. Then transfer it to the oven. Let it bake for 15-20 mins or till the cheese starts melting and the edges are crisp and slightly brown.
You can also spread the dough on a baking sheet coated with olive oil and directly put it in the oven.
Let it cool for 10 minutes and then cut it with the pizza cutter and Enjoy!!!
This is worth giving it a try. You will definitely like it and above all you feel immensely satisfied. Have a Nice Week Ahead!!

Monday, May 18, 2009

7 layer bar cookies

These 7 layer magic bars are just awesome. I fell in love with them the moment i tasted them. For a girl like me, who is not at all fond of sweets, could not resist eating just 1 cookie. These bars are a hit in every party. I ate them at a potluck party and immediately asked for the recipe to my friend. Could not believe this recipe is so simple. Tried them out last week.
Ingredients -
1) 13*9 baking pan
2) 1 stick unsalted butter
3) 1.5 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
4) 1 cup (6 ounces) Chocalate chips/Semi sweet chocalate chips (I used Hersheys packet of 12 ounces)
5) 1 cup (6 ounces) Butterscoth chips (Hersheys pack of 12 ounces)
6) 1 cup crushed pecans/walnuts/peanuts (I used crushed walnuts)
7) 1 cup of sweetened coconut flakes
8) 14 ounces of sweetened condensed milk
Method -
1) Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Farenheit.
2) Melt the butter in the pan. I put it in the pan while its preheated.
3) Once the butter melts spread the crumbsto cover it and press it with a fork to form a nice layer.
3) Now, start layering the rest (chocalate chips, butterscoth chips and walnuts).
4) Then pour the condensed milk over it starting from the ends covering the entire pan.
5) At the last, pour the coconut flakes over the milk.
6) Bake it for around 20 minutes or till the coconut turns golden brown.
7) Refrigerate it for few hours. Cut it slices and enjoy!!!

I bet you can't eat just one. :)

Friday, May 8, 2009

Dahi Wada

Dahi Wada, is a North Indian snack/appetizer but now famous all over. It tastes awesome and also a reliever from this scorching heat.
Ingredients -
1) 1 cup urad dal washed and soaked overnight
2) Dahi/Yogurt whipped well
3) Salt to taste and oil for frying
4) red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder to taste
5) Tamarind chutney to taste
Method -
1) Grind the urad dal with very little water required to a smooth paste.
2) Take this mixture in a bowl and whip it nicely for about 2-3 minutes until the batter becomes smooth and fluffy.
3) Heat oil in a wide skillet. Drop a spoonful of batter and fry them very little until they are just light brown. Remove immediately. Drain on a paper towel.
4) Once the wadas are cooled, soak them in luke warm water for about 20 minutes.
5) Take the whipped yogurt in a bowl. Add salt to it. Now, squeeze the water out from the wadas and put them in the water. Do this very carefully. Squeeze just a little bit and make sure you are not breaking the wadas. Soak these wadas in the yogurt and refrigerate.
While serving, first prepare the extra yogurt by adding water and salt to it so that it is of pouring consistency. Take out the wadas in the serving dish and pour this yougurt over them. Sprinkle chilli powder and cumin powder as per taste and pour about 1 or 2 tbspn of tamarind chutney. Serve chilled. Enjoy!!