Vegetable Jalfrezz

Take:
French beans: 4-5 (Cut it diagonally into oblique slices)
carrots (Orange): 2 medium sized (Cut it diagonally into oblique slices)
capsicum: 1/2 large, cut 1" square pieces.
Peas: 1/2 cup
Onion: 1 medium sized (cut into four pieces from top and then remove each layer)
mushrooms: 6-7 (cut into four longitudinally)
baby corn: 3-4 (Cut it diagonally into oblique slices)
Onion paste:  Take 1 medium sized onion and grind it with 1 green chilly.
1/2 " shoot of ginger, 3-4 garlic cloves: chop into fine pieces
Pepper: 1 tspn
Subji masala: 1 tbspn (I use MDH kitchen king). Alternately you can use 1 tspn garam masala.
Tomato: 1 medium sized pureed
Tomato sauce: (3-4 tbspn)
salt to taste
cheddar cheese/ cottage cheese and coriander leaves for garnishing.
Oil: 5 tbspn

• Boil 800 ml water with 1 tspn salt and 1 tspn sugar. Remove from burner and add beans, carrots, peas and baby corn to blanch.
• After 3-4 minutes, take off the vegetables from water, leaving the water in vessel.
• Heat the same water for 2-3 minutes and then add mushrooms to blanch for 3-4 minutes. Remove mushrooms from water.
• Heat 2 tbspn oil in a pan, and add chopped ginger and garlic and saute for a minute.
• Add onion and capsicum. Saute on high flame for 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute again till all water is drained. Add the remaining vegetables and saute it again for 2-3 minutes.
• On another stove heat 3 tb spn oil and roast onion paste till golden brown. 
• Add tomato paste and roast it till for 4-5 minutes stirring continuously.
• Add the sauted vegetables to this masala. 
• Add pepper powder and subji masala and mix it on high flame for 1-2 minutes.
• Add tomato sauce and mix it well.
• To give the burnt tandoori flavour to the curry, slightly displace the kadhai/pan from heat, take a spoonful of vegetable in porous/slited steel laddle and keep it on flame for 30 seconds. Mix this back in kadhai and take another spoonful of jalfrezzi. Do this 3-4 times.
• Mix the jalfrezzi again, transfer it in a serving dish.
• Garnish it with grated cheese, paneer and serve hot.
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Sewai Halwa/ Semolina Pudding

I was craving for sweet sewai the other day specially  made on the occasion of Id and I came across this recipe on internet (ifoodtv). Adapted it to Indian style as the flavour of cardamom should be prominent for me in halwa. I tried it though now sure how it will come out because of egg as an ingredient which I had never tried with semolina. But to my surprise it turned out well..liked by Sanjeev and Toshini both. I am putting it down, I need to try it again without egg, I will share the subsequent adaptations as well.

You need:
Semolina (sewai) : 1 3/4 cups
ghee: 2 tspn
sugar: 1 1/2 cups (grind it)
egg: 1 (well beaten)
coconut milk: 2 cups (I took half of a big raw coconut and grinded it with two cups water and then sieved the milk)
cardomon (Elaichi): 2 pieces
Cloves (Laung): 2 pieces
salt: 1/2 tspn
water: 1 1/2 cup
vegetable oil: 3 tbspn
poppy seeds (khus khus): 2 tspn
Mewa katran (kaju, badaam, kishmish): 3-4 tbspn (optional) [thin long slits of almonds, and cashew nuts; some raisins]

• Coarsely grind cardamom and cloves in a stone crusher.
• Roast semolina in ghee till golden brown in a thick bottomed pan.
• Beat egg in a bowl, add sugar, vegetable oil, coconut milk, salt, water and mix well using a beater. 
• Add this mixture to  semolina and cook on high flame stirring continuously till you see the first signs of bubbles. 
• Reduce the flame and the mixture will also start thickening. Cook on low flame, stirring continously till the mixture thickens and starts leaving the surface.
• Mix the mewa katran and cardamon-clove powder.
• Transfer this in a greased baking dish and layer it with poppy seeds.
• Put this in convection 200 degrees for 10 minutes. This will make the top layer crispy. (incase you do not prefer to have some crispy semolina you can avoid this and can directly grill the semolina).
• Then grill it for 8-10 minutes till golden brown on surface.
• Serve hot.

DOZZA

A traditional uttapam with a cheesy touch to make it look like pizza from the toping and having a base of dosa- is what this recipe is all about. Both of us -me and Sanjeev  just love this, and I have to make this whenever I make dosa.

Try this as it tastes different from pizza or uttapam.

Dosa batter (Makes 10-12 dozzas) (To prepare dosa batter, soak 2 1/2 cups of boiled rice, 1/2 cup raw rice and 1 cup urad dal for 7-8 hours. Grind rice and dal separately, Mix after grinding , add salt and enough water to get the pouring consistency. Keep it in warm place overnight, or for 8-10 hours for the batter to ferment).


For dozza topping: (5-6 dozza)
Potato boiled: 3-4  medium sized (Meshed, add salt, 1/2 tspn black pepper powder)
capcisum (chopped): 1 large
onion (Chopped): 2 medium
Tomato sauce: 1/2 cup diluted with 2-3 tspn water
butter: 50 gms
cheddar cheese (Grated): 40 grams
Oil: 3-4 tb spn

• Heat a flat pan/ non stick tawa.
• Reduce the flame, put one cup batter and spread it evenly into a thick dosa.
• Top it with two tbspn potato masala, two tbspns capsicum, two tbspn onions.
• Put some butter at 2-3 places, tomato sauce in circles or drops, and top it with grated cheese.
• Circle the dosa with oil, so that it is cooked on edges and can be removed easily later.
• Cover the dozza and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes. The dozza will be cooked and cheese melts like pizza.
• Remove the cover, increase the flame for a minute. This makes the bottom of dozza crispy.
• Nudge at the edges and remove carefully, tranfer to a serving dish and serve hot.

Methi ke paranthe

Methi paratha is a favourite in winters...made it yesterday...missed to take a picture, but thought of posting the recipe...

Take:
Wheat floor: 4 cups
Gram floor: 3/4 cups
3 cups of chopped methi bhaji (fenugreek leaves)
Oil: 3 tbspn
Green chilly: 1
Ginger: 1/2 inch shoot
Coriander powder: 1 tspn
Garam masala: 1/2 tspn
Rai (mustard seeds): 1/2 tspn
Salt

• Crush ginger and green chilly in stone crusher to make a paste, or finely chop them.
• Heat oil, add rai to splutter.
• Add  ginger chilly paste, coriander powder and then washed fenugreek leaves.
• Add salt and cook for 5-6 minutes till cooked. Add garam masala and remove it from fire.
• Mix both wheat and gram floor, add cooked fenugreek  leaves. Knead it with warm water and make 10 balls from the dough.
• Roll a ball into a 4 inch dia roti, layer it with a coat of oil and then make it into a ball folding the edges in the center.
• Roll this ball into a 8 inch paratha after coating it with wheat floor (palethan).
• Put it on a hot tawa (flat pan) on high flame, roast both the sides on high flame.
• Reduce the flame and layer both the sides with oil . Make it crisp by cooking it on low flame.
• Serve hot with curd chutney. 
• 
  Make rest of the parathas similarly.

Creamy Pasta

After a good break at Andaman and Nicobar islands and defending my PhD thesis proposal, I was back in kitchen today...made creamy pasta, tangy pasta, salad and garlic bread in dinner ....Here is the creamy pasta recipe.

Onion : 1 (medium sized)
ginger: 1/2 tspn
butter: 2tbspn
maida (white floor): 2 tspn
oil: 1 tbspn
farfalle pasta: 1 1/2 cup
black pepper powder: 1 tspn
oregano: 1 tspn
sugar: 1/2 tspn
salt:  to taste

• Boil pasta in water with salt and a little oil. Strain and wash with cold water.
• Make paste of onion with ginger.
• Heat oil, and saute onion paste till it is golden brown.
• Heat butter in a thick bottomed pan, add maida and roast till golden brown.
• Add a little warm milk and mix it well with floor, see that no lumps are formed.
• Add remaining milk, sugar, salt, black pepper, cooked onion paste and mix well.
• Add pasta in this mixture and mix well. 
• Transfer in serving dish and serve hot with garlic bread.

Caramel Custard

Hmm I never knew this mouth watering recipe is so easy..tried it yesterday and it came out just fantastic..thanks Clare..

You need:
Eggs: two
milk: 1 1/4 cup
sugar: 1/2 cup
vanilla essence: 3-4 drops

Preparing caramel:

• Heat 2tspn sugar in non stick pan stirring continuously. The sugar will melt. When it turns brown and the bubbles start coming take it off from fire and shift it to aluminium or steel mould.
• Keep this caramel in freezer for 5 minutes.

Custard:

• Beat the eggs with beater, add remaining sugar and warm milk and beat it again.
• Strain the mixture to remove egg threads.
• Add essence and mix it well.
• Pour it in the mould over caramel.
• Cover the vessel with tin foil, make some fine holes on the foil for steam to escape.
• Steam the custard in pressure cooker without placing weight (whistle) for 20 mins on slow flame. (Put 2 cup water in the cooker and heat it till it starts steaming. Place a hollow ring at the bottom and then place the mould. Close the lid and let it steam for 20 mins. Preferably take a deeper mould).
• After the pressure cooker cools, remove the mould from pressure cooker and take off the foil. Use a knife and gently nudge the custard sticking to the mould walls.
• Keep the serving plate or dish on mould's top. Invert the mould quickly so that the custard tranfers to the dish with caramel on top.
• Chill it for 1-2 hours and serve.

Maithi ki kadhi

Maithi ki kadhi is a curd based recipe which is one of my favorites since childhood. It is generally made in winters and tastes good with rice.

You need:
curd: 500 gms
gram flour (besan): 3 tb spn
Fenugreek leaves dried (Kasuri maithi): 3 tbspn
(You can use fresh green leaves also, will need 1/2 cup chopped)
fenugreek seeds (maithi dana): 1/2 tspn
mustard seeds (rai): 1 tspn
asofoetida (heeng): 1 pinch
turmeric powder (haldi powder): 1tsp
coriander powder: 2 tspn
green chilly chopped: 1 large
curry leaves: 8-10

How to proceed:

• Beat curd well, add gram flour and mix well so that no lumps are there. 
• Heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter, add green chilly and curry leaves.
• Add fenugreek seeds, asofoetida, coriander powder, turmeric powder and saute.
• Slowly add the curd mixture stirring continously. Add 500 ml water, and keep stirring continuously on high flame till one boil. (The curd will split if you stop stirring)
• Add salt and let the kadhi simmer for 10 minutes on low flame. In between  add fenugreek leaves after two-three boils.
• Add garam masala and let it cook for 3-4 minutes or till desired consistency is achieved.
• Serve hot with rice.

Chilled macroni salad

I made this two days ago and it tasted awesome..My husband just went gaga over it... preferred this over dinner. Thanks to my sis Vaishali for sharing this with me..
 Dressing: Churn in mixer for 2-3 minutes- (3 tbspn chopped onions, 2 tb spn oil, 1/2 tspn each of red chilly powder, mustard powder, pepper, salt, sugar; 1 tspn oregano, 3 flakes garlic, 1tbspn lemon juice, 2 tbspn vinegar, 1/2 bay leaf crushed). Refrigerate the dressing in deep freezer for 10 minutes.

• Meanwhile, boil 1 cup macroni. Add macroni to boiling water with 1 tspn salt and 1 tb spn oil, drain when cooked.
• Saute 3 tbspn peanuts with 1 tbspn oil
• Take half capsicum chopped (1/2 " squares).
• Cut slices of one small sized cucumber.
• Mix macroni, peanuts and capsicum with the dressing. Garnish it with a cucumber slices on top and keep in refrigerator.
• Serve chilled.

Baigan lababdar (Eggplant marinate recipe)

This is a yum curry made of small brinjals/baigan/eggplant. simple and easy..just try it out...

You need:
Brinjals (Eggplant): 6-7 small sized cut into four pieces (vertically )
ginger (grated): 1tspn
green chilly: 1 chopped
Onion: 2 medium sized (thin long slices )
tomato: 1 large sized (thin long slices)
turmeric powder/ haldi: 1/2 tspn
oil: 4-5 tbspn
salt
mustard seeds: 1/2 tspn
Marinate: 1/2 cup thick curd, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 tspn red chilly powder, 1/2 tspn garam masala, salt
green coriander: for garnishing

• Heat 2 tbspn oil, add brinjal pieces, turmeric powder, salt and saute. Cook covered till brinjals are cooked well. For better taste you can deep fry these brinjals...I avoid deep frying.
• Marinate cooked brinjals. Keep in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Heat 3 tbspn oil, add mustard seeds, green chilly, ginger and saute onion till they are cooked well.
• Add tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add brinjals pieces and mix well.
• Add the remaining curd mixture from marinate and half cup water, cook covered for 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer in a serving dish and garnish it with chopped coriander

Kheer

Things required:

Milk (full creme): 1 ltr

Sugar: 5 tbspn

Rice (chawal): 2 tbspn

cardamom: 1 seeds crushed

Makhane (fox nut): 1/2 cup chopped

kishmish (raisins): 15-20

Badaam (almonds): 3-4 for garnishing

• Soak rice in water for 15-20 mins.
• Also soak raisins in water to avoid splitting of milk. 
• Heat milk in a thick bottomed pan. Bring to boil and then add sugar.
• After another boil add rice. Let the kheer cook on slow flame for 20-25 mins.
• When it is a little thick, add makane and keep it simmering for another 10 mins
• Once it has reached the desired consistency, add cardamom seed powder, raisins, garnish it with chopped almonds and serve.

Besan ki papdi

Another diwali preparation... I made it today. This recipe hails from Bundelkhand in central India. Very common among Jains there, its like papad.

You need:
Besan (Gram flour): 2 cups
ajwain (carom seeds): 1 tspn
garam masala: 1/2 tspn
red chilly powder: 1 tspn
salt: to taste
Oil: to fry and for moin (binder)

Directions:

• Add 5 tbspn warm oil as moin (binder) to besan and rub to mix well. Check by binding it in fist, it should bind and take the shape of the fist (muthhi moin).
• Add ajwain, garam masala, red chilly powder, salt and knead it very tight with warm water.
• After kneading, the dough needs to be worked on more. For this I prefer to beat it with some stone. Since I didnt have big grinding stone, I used the beater of small ginger crusher at home. Beat the dough to make it flat, roll over and again beat it flat. Repeat this 7-8 times.

• Make two balls of the dough, roll them into a coil, and cut equal sized portions of 1" dia, 3/4" thickness (loi). I used a thread to cut them.

• Keep them covered for 1-2 hours.
• Coat each portion with besan and roll into a 2" dia papdi. Keep them on dry cloth for half an hour.
• Once the papdis are a little tight, roll them again to make 4" dia big papdis. The thinner they are the better they taste.
• Keep on placing all the papdis on same dry cloth and once you are done with rolling, start frying with the first rolled.
• Heat oil, and on medium flame fry all the papdis- sliding one at a time, turning each of them 2-3 times. 
• Take out on tissue paper to absorb extra oil.
• Let them cool, and then store/serve.

Shakkarpare

Shakkarpare is very common in north India . It is a sugar coated sweet made of white flour. My mom used to make them for me and I just loved them for their taste and softness. I never tried making it myself, but this Diwali I tried and it turned out well (ofcourse mom was troubled a couple of times over phone :). But then, I can take this liberty with none else but my most talented mom who taught me everything- cooking, stitching, crochet, needle work, painting, and what not. All I am and everything I know, I owe to my mother. I love you mom!
I am bringing you here one of my favorite home made sweet..

You require: 
Maida (White Flour): 4 cups
Ghee to fry and add moin (binder)
sugar: 1 1/4 cup
clove: 4-5 pices
cardamom : 2 pieces, seeds powdered

• Add 10 tbspn ghee (moin) to maida and rub well. Try to bind it in fist and it should take the shape (mutthi moin).
• Knead it with warm water (neither too hard, nor too soft).
• Make five portions. Roll one portion to make a 7" dia pancake, about 1/2 cm thick.
• Cut 1" *1/2" pieces (shaped like a parallelogram)
• Heat ghee, slide 15-20 at a time and cook on slow flame for 4-5 minutes. Before taking out increase the flame and fry for half a minute continuously turningthem, so that the shakkarpare's get a beige colour (I missed taking pics at this stage).
• Frying tip: Add the shakkarpare in high flame, later reduce the flame and fry in low flame, turning 2-3 times. Increase the flame before removing, so that the oil is hot for the next round. The colour of the shakkarpare is light beige. So take care that the oil never gets very hot to turn them brown.

For sugar coating/ chaashni chadana.

• Take sugar in a thick bottomed pan  and add 1/3 cup water. Keep it on low flame stirring in between. The sugar dissolves and starts boiling in some time. To check when it is done, take little syrup on laddle, press it between your fore finger and thumb, release them. It is about two strings and makes a ball when rubbed. Or try to cover a shakkarpara, it should coat it well and start drying. At this stage remove from  fire and add cloves and cardamon seed powder. The cloves are removed later but they add a nice flavour to the sugar coating.
• Meanwhile take all the shakkarpare in a big plate, or bowl  (Paraat). Pour the chaashni/sugar syrup on them and turn them so that sugar coats on all of them. 
• Let them cool , separate them if they stick to each other and serve.

Quick chakoli

As the festival of Diwali ushers in, we are tempted to prepare lots of mithai..Some sweets, some salty snacks-like chakoli. Its crispy and very tasty.I have never found anyone saying "No" to Chakli or chakoli.  Though it is made in many ways with different combinations of ingredients- rice, pulses, groundnut etc etc, I am putting up something hassle free that does not require any roasting or grinding. Simple ingredients: flour and dhuli moong dal (Split green gram). So here we go!!!

Take out:
Maida (White flour): 3 cups
Dhuli Moong dal (split green gram): 1 cup
Oil: to deep fry
salt: to taste
Zeera (Cumin seeds): 1 tspn
Ajwain (Carom seeds): 1 tspn
red chilly powder: 1 tspn

Get Going:

• Wash dal. Add two cups water.
• Cook dal and steam maida in pressure cooker. Take 2 cups of water at the bottom of cooker, keep dal with water in a jar at the bottom (covered) and keep maida on top (uncovered). Take 3 whistles.
• Break lumps in maida when it is slightly hot. Add zeera, ajwain, lal mirch and salt. Add boilded dal and knead it. The water added while cooking dal is enough to knead (if required you may add some warm water).
• Make small chakoli's using the a saancha (chakoli maker).

• Heat Oil, slide 3-4 chakolis at a time in hot oil. Use a jhara (flat laddle with pores) to pick the chakolis from plate and slip in oil. Fry them in low flame turning once or twice in between. Take chakolis out of oil and place them on tissue paper to soak excess oil. Store after chakolis cool down. 
• Frying tip: Add the chakolis in high flame, later reduce the flame and fry them in low flame, turning 2-3 times. Increase the flame before removing, so that the oil is hot for the next round. The colour of the chakoli is creamish. So take care that the oil never gets very hot to turn chakolis brown.

Carrot do Pyaza

This is a quick preparation and tastes well when hot. It takes 10 minutes to cook and it is advised to make it in the end and serve directly from the pan to table.

You need: 
Carrot Grated: 1 cup
Onion (sliced): 1 cup
Peas: 1/2 cup
green chilly: 1 chopped
Cumin seeds: 1 tspn
coriander powder: 1 tspn
turmeric: 1/2 tspn
garam masala: 1/2 tspn
salt: to taste
Oil: 1 1/2 tbspn

• Heat Oil in pan. Add cumin seeds to crackle, add green chilly, coriander powder, turmeric and saute for a minute.
• Add Onion, saute continuously till they are brown.
• Add peas and carrot, salt and cook covered for 5-6 minutes (stirring in between).
• Add garam masala, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes, sauting .
• Serve hot.

Suzi ka Halwa (Semolina sweet)

Things required:
Suzi bareek (Semolina fine): 1 cup
Pure ghee (melted white plain butter): 1 cup
sugar: 1 cup
warm water : 2 cups
cardamom: 2 pieces (peeled and powdered)
dry coconut grated (for garnishing)
cahewnut: 5-6, broken half
almonds: 4 pieces (cut into small pieces)
Raisins: 10-15
Preparation
Melt ghee in a kadhai, add suzi (semolina) and then roast suzi in ghee on slow flame till it turns brown. Roasting should be done on slow flame with continous stirring. Increase the flame high, add water and then sugar and stirr continously so that no lumps are formed. Reduce the flame and cook covered for 2-3 minutes. Add cardamom powder, raisins mix well. Transfer in serving dish and garnish with chopped cashew nuts and sliced almonds and serve.

UP wala Boondi ka raita

Boondi Raita

Boondi raita is cherished all over India. Boondi are deep fried small crispy balls of gram flour. Boondi raita is liked with everything -pooris, parathas, or chapatis. Boondis mixed with spices are served as garnishing with rice in South India. 

So today I bring you the same old raita but with a different type of tempering normally done in UP. The zeera/cumin seeds are burnt with oil over flame which gives a very different flavour to the raita.

You need:

Beaten Curd: 250 ml

Plain Boondi (without spices): 1 cup

Roasted cumin seeds (powdered): 1/2 tspn

Black pepper powder; 1/2 tspn

Black salt: 1/2 tspn

red chilly powder: 1/2 tspn

Salt: to taste

Zeera (cumin seeds): 1 tspn

Heeng (asofoetida); 1 pinch

Cooking Oil: 1/2 tbspn

Chopped green coriander for garinishing.

• Mix 250 ml water with beaten curd (this raita very thin in consistency, but you may add water depending on the consistency desired)
• Add salt, black salt, pepper powder, cumin seeds powder, red chilly powder in curd, mix well.
• Add Boondi in hot water, keep it for 5 minutes, drain water. Add to curd.
• For tempering, take oil in a round steel laddle. Hold it over flame, when the oil is hot add asofoetida and cumin seeds/Zeera. Cumin seeds will splutter and tilt the laddle a little so that the oil and cumin seeds catch fire. Dip this fired laddle in curd mix and cover it immediately, so that the fumes after fire extinguishes are trapped in the raita. 
• Pictures of tempering are here.
• Garnish it with chopped coriander, red chilly powder and serve.

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Paneer Wrap

This yummy recipe makes a good light dinner. It does require some effort but it is worth it...

(serves 3-4)

Dough: To make dough, take 1 cup of white flour (maida), fine semolina (bareek suzi), 1/2 cup curd, 3 tb spn oil and salt. Mix them all. Knead it with warm water, keep it covered with soft wet cloth for 2-3 hours.

Filling: you need

1. Cottage cheese (paneer): 200 gms (chopped into 1/2 " cubes)
2. capsicum: 2 medium sized (chopped 1/2" size)
3. Onion: 2 medium sized (chopped)
4. ginger: 1" grated
5. garlic: 6-7 flakes finely chopped
6. green chilly: 1 large finely chopped
7. red chilly: 1 tspn (optional to make it spicy)
8. Tomato puree: 4tbspn
9. tomato sauce: 4 tbspn
10. sugar: 1/2 tspn
11. ajonomoto (mono sodium glutamate): 1/2 tspn (optional)
12. pepper: 1 tspn
13. soya sauce: 1 tspn
14. vinegar: 2 tspn
15. salt to taste
16. Oil: 4 tbspn

You will also need Green Chutney

Preparation:

Make 10 balls from dough and roll them into big chapatis/ pan cakes (around 10" dia). Cook them on both sides over a hot tawa/flat pan . Keep aside.

• Heat Oil.
• Add green chilly, ginger, garlic and saute for half a minute. Add Onion and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add capsicum, cook covered till capsicum is crunchy.
• Add cottage cheese cubes, mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add tomato puree and tomato sauce.
• Add sugar, salt, pepper, red chilly powder and ajinomoto. Add soya sauce and vinegar. Mix well
• Take off from fire.
• Divide into ten portions.
• Heat a tawa/ flat pan. Reheat a Chapati/ wrap cover layering it with little oil on both sides.
• Put a layer of green chutney on one side. Put one portion of filling in the centre along the dia, leaving some space on one end to roll back. Roll back this end over filling. Now wrap in the filling by rolling the other two free ends. 
• Cover it with tissue paper or foil on the closed end.
• Serve hot with green chutney and tomato sauce.

To make egg wrap, reheat the wrap cover with oil. Take it off. Now beat one egg, add salt and  a pinch of red chilly and pepper to it. Put one tspn oil on it on hot pan and spread it to make an omelette of the size of wrap cover. After it is cooked on one side, lay the wrap cover on the other (uncooked) side. Turn over, put a layer of green chutney on the omelette. Add filling and wrap it as above. Serve hot with tomato sauce and green chutney.

Egg rolls make a healthy and tasty item for kids.

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji is a simple, quick and very tasty delicacy from western India. It is healthy as well. My daughter likes it very much.

Bhaji is a mixed veg curry which is served with Pav (white bread/ bun). Pav are cut in two, toasted on a flat pan with  butter and served hot with hot bhaji.

Things you need to make Bhaji: (six servings)
Onion : 2 medium sized grinded
garlic: 5-6 flakes finely chopped/ meshed
green chilly: 1 large chopped
ginger : 1" grated.
Tomatoes: 4-5 medium sized (pureed)
Potatoes (boiled and meshed): 5-6 medium sized
Capsicum, peas, carrot, french beans, cauliflower(all chopped): 1 cup each
Bottle guard, white raddish (chopped) : 1 cup each (optional)
Pavbhaji masala: 4 tbspn
dry mango powder: 1 tspn
black salt: 1tbpn
salt: to taste
oil: 5-6 tbspn
butter: 100 gms.

Onion: 1 chopped for garnishing.

green coriander: 1/2 cup chopped for garnishing

Lemon: 1 cut in two pieces.

• Mix all the chopped vegetables and boil them for a whistle in pressure cooker or cook covered in a pan with water. Make sure they are cooked but don't mesh.
• Heat oil, add ginger, garlic and green chilly. Saute for a minute.
• Add onion paste and cook till golden brown. 
• Add tomatoes and cook till the masala leaves oil. 
• Add 3 tbspn pav bhaji masala, dry mango powder and saute for a minute.
• Add the boiled vegetables, salt,  and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add 4-5 cups of water and let the bhaji simmer for 10-15 minutes, till you get the desired consistency. The more the bhaji simmers on low heat, tastier it gets. 
• Add black salt, 2-3 tbspn butter (optional)
• For tempering: heat 2-3 tbspn butter in a thick pan, add 1 tbspn pav bhaji masala and top it on bhaji.
• Mix the tempering well, transfer in serving dish and garnish it with chopped coriander, spate of butter.
• Serve bhaji with toated pav.
• Chopped onion and lemon juice are topped on bhaji suiting to individual taste.

Sama ke chawal (Mordhan) ki khichdi

I am jotting down another recipe for vrat/fast. Sama ke chawal or mordhan are white round grains, I was told by mom that they are seeds of some grass. Cooked like upma with potatoes and peanuts, this recipe is very light to eat, as compared to sago/sabudana.

Sama ke chawal: 1 cup

Peanuts (roasted, peeled and coarsely crushed): 1/3 cup

green chilly: 1 chopped

potato (chopped): 1 medium sized

tomato (chopped): 1 medium sized

grated ginger: 1 tspn

curry leaves: 8-10

Cumin seeds (Jeera): 1/2 tspn

garam masala: 1/2 tspn

Fresh coriander chopped: 1/4 cup

Oil 2 tbspn

1.     Roast sama ke chawal for 3-4 mins on low heat in a thick bottomed pan. 

2.     Heat oil in thick bottomed pan.

3.     Add Cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Saute for half a minute, add potatoes and cook uncovered till they are crispy golden brown. Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4.     Add sama ke chawal, mix well. Add two cups hot water, mix and cook covered on low heat for 5-7 minutes.

5.     Open, add peanuts, garam masala, half of chopped coriander  and mix well. Cook covered for 2-3 minutes till all water is absorbed.

6.     Garnish it with chopped coriander, can add lemon juice and serve hot with green chutney and curd.

(You can also add other vegetables like chopped beans, carrot, cauliflower, cabbage and capsicum)

Chilly paneer

Things you need:

Paneer (cottage cheese): 250 grams (3/4"dices)

Capsicum: 2 medium sized (cut into 3/4" pieces)

Onion: 2 medium sized (cut lengthwise into four parts and layers peeled)

green chilly: 1 chopped

Garlic flakes: 5-6 chopped

Flour (maida): 3 tbspn
red chili powder: 1 tspn
pepper: 1/2 tspn
Vinegar: 1 tbpn
soya sauce: 2-3 tspn (depending on the colour desired)
tomato sauce: 4 tbspn
aginomoto: 1/4 tspn
sugar: 1/2 tspn
Oil and salt

Mix maida, salt and red chilly powder. Add 5-6  tbspn water to make batter . Marinate paneer pieces in this batter for 30 minutes. Deep fry coated paneer pieces till golden brown.

Heat 3-4 tbspn oil. Add green chillies, garlic and saute them for 1 minute. Add capsicum and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add Onion and again cook till both capsicum and onion are crunchy. 

Add salt, sugar, aginomoto and pepper and stir. Add vinegar, soya sauce, tomato sauce and mix well. Add 1/2 cup water and boil. Add the fried paneer pieces, mix them all well, cook on heat for 1-2 minutes.

Serve hot.

( To taste it a little different try this: In the end, slightly shift the pan from fire, take some mix on jhara (laddle with pores), burn it over fire for 7-8 seconds. Mix it back. Take another scoop and repeat this 4-5 times. This gives a different flavour and smells good. Serve immediately.)

Malai Kofta

This is a very tasty slightly sweet tasting curry...impressive to serve it over dinner...

Things required for making Kofta: (for six servings)
Potaoes: 5-6 (large) boiled
araroot/ arrow root: 3-4 tspn (used as binder for koftas)
Paneer (cottage cheese): 50 gms
Raisins: 15-20
cashew nuts: 7-8 broken
Pepper: 1 tspn
sugar: 1 tspn
green coriander (chopped): 2 tbspn
salt: to taste
Oil: to fry
Boil potatoes in microwave. In case you are boiling in pressure cooker, strain to drain water as soon as the pressure cooker cools, let the potatoes cool in uncovered on strainer. This helps to keep potatoes dry. Mesh potatoes, add arrow root and salt.
Filling: Mesh paneer, add coriander, pepper, raisins, cashew nuts, sugar and salt.
Take a small 11/2 " ball of potato mesh, flatten it, place 1tspn of filling and roll over to make oval koftas. Heat oil, and fry koftas 2-3 at a time in very hot oil turning once or twice only.
Lay the koftas in a flat serving dish.

For Curry You need

poppy seeds: 1 tspn

fresh/dry grated coconut: 2 tbspn

makhane (fox nut): 1/2 cup

cashew nuts: 5-6
onion: 3 medium sized
ginger: 1"
green chilly: 1 medium sized
tomatoes: 4 (pureed)
mustard seeds: 1 tspn
creme: 3 tbspn
milk: 1/2 cup
oil: 5-6 tbspn
Garam masala: 1 tspn
(to make fresh garam masala slightly roast 2 cloves, 4 black pepper corns, small piece of cinnamon, 4-5 seeds of cardamom, Mix all the ingredients, roast for a minute on pan and then grind coarsely)

White masala: Soak poppy seeds, coconut, foxnuts and cashew nuts in 1/2 cup water for 2 hours, grind to a paste.

Grind onion, ginger, green chilly in mixer. Heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter, add the onion mix. Roast this masala till golden brown, stirring in between. Add tomato puree and cook till dry, stirring in between. Add 1/2 cup of water and again roast till the masala leaves oil. Add white masala and milk. Add water to get desired consistency of curry. Boil once.
Add creme, garam masala and boil.

Just before serving , pour hot curry over the koftas. Garnish it with grated cottage cheese, creme, tomato sauce.

Sabudane ke Vade (Sago cutlets)

Another recipe for vrat/fast.

You need:
Sago: 1 cup (soak sago in water for 1/2 hr., drain water, and keep it in refrigerator for 6-8 hours in closed box)
potatoes: 6-7 medium sized (boiled, peeled and meshed)
Ginger: 1" grated
green chilly: 2 nos chopped
coriander leaves: 1/4 cup chopped
peanuts: 1/2 cup (roasted, peeled and coarsely grounded)
coriander powder: 2 tspn
mango powder: 1 tspn
black pepper powder: 1 tspn
salt: to taste
Mix all the ingredients and make into small flat balls with a hole in center. It is must to have a hole for proper cooking and to avoid bursting of sago.

Frying: Heat oil, add 3-4 vadas in very hot oil. If the oil is less hot then the vadas may spill. Turn over the vadas after half a minute and reduce the flame, frying frequently turning over on reduced flame till they are golden brown. Increase the flame, make fry them till crispy, remove from oil. Add another round of vadas in high heat.

Serve hot with curd chutney and green chutney.

Tip: Making the flame high in the end makes vadas crispy and prepares the oil for next round of frying. Vadas often burst due to sago so keep your face away from oil pan.

Makhane ki kheer

 A sweet recipe for vrat/upwaas/fast.

You need: (3 servings)
Full creme milk: 1 ltr
sugar: 4 tbspn
Makhane/ Fox nut (puffed kernet of Gorgon nut): 1 1/2 cups chopped
Charoli: 1 tbspn (optional)
raisings: 2 tbspn
Kesar flakes (5-6)

Preparation:
Boil the milk in heavy bottomed pan. Add sugar and cook on medium flame till it thichkens. Add makhane and cook it till desired consistency or the preparation is approximately 350 ml . Soak raisins in water for half an hour during this preparation. Drain raisins, wash charoli, kesar in 1 tspn of milk and add them to milk.

transfer in serving dish and serve hot. You can garnish it with chopped pista flakes also.

Sabudane ki khichdi

Navratri begins today and with this begin one month of festivity in India. Navratri means Nine+ Nights. This is the part of year that I love most, as the environment is so festive. Followers keep fast for nine days during Navratri. Dandiya and Garba form of dances from Gujrat  are performed in the evenings in whole of northern and western India during these days. People in groups of 20-500 dance in circles on gujrati tunes. Bengali celebrate it in different style, make big mandaps of Goddess Durga and hold cultural programs. Everywhere in the streets we can see Mandaps of goddess Durga in different forms and styles.

In these nine days of fasting there are some sabudana (sago) recipes that are normally made like sabudane ki khichdi, sabudane ke wade, sabudane ka mixture, sabudane ke papad. Other things made are kheer, kuttu ki puri, sama (a grass seed) ke chawal, singade ( a seed of aquatic plant) ke bhajiye, singade ki burfi and so on.

I plan to put in some of these recipes in the coming days. Today I made sabudane ki khichdi and makhane ki kheer in the morning. and they are here..

Sabudane (Sago) ki Khichdi  : (six servings)

You need:

Sabudana/ sago (Tapioca balls): 3 cups
green chilly: 2 chopped
ginger: 1/2 inch grated
curry leaves: 12-15
potato: 2 medium sized finely chopped.
fresh green coriander leaves : 1/2 cup chopped
peanuts: 1 cup (roasted and crushed: some small and some big pieces should be there)
coriander powder: 2 tspn
adofoetida (heeng): 2 pinch
cumin seeds: 1 tspn
Black pepper powder: 1 tspn
Garam masala: 1tspn
salt: to taste
sugar: 1 1/2 tspn
Oil: 4-6 tbspn

How to make:
Wash sabudana with water and soak it in water for 1/2 hour. Drain the water in colander. Transfer in a closed box and sprinkle some water on top. Leave it for 6- 8hours in refrigerator. I normally soak it in the evening and  refrigerate it overnight.
Heat 4 tbspn oil, add cumin seeds, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves and asofoetida in order. Saute for a minute, add coriander powder and again saute for half a minute on low heat. The oil should be hot enough to swell the cummin seeds and not very hot to burn the coriander powder. By putting green chillies and ginger, the oil temp comes down. Add sabudana and peanuts. Mix well, add salt and cover cooked for 8-10 minutes stirring in between.
Meanwhile, heat two table spoon of oil and cook the potatoes (with salt) uncovered stirring in between, till they are cooked and are little crispy. (You can use boiled potatoes, or cook potatoes with green chilly and then add sabudana, I prefer to cook them separately.)
Mix the potatoes in sabudana, add pepper powder and garam masala, 1/2 cup chopped coriander and cook covered for 2 minutes.
Transfer in a serving dish, garnish it with remaining coriander and serve hot with green chutney and curd. (green chutney without onion and tomato is preferred for upwaas/fasts)

Instant Hide and Seek brownie

This one is from my instant recipes. When you feel like having a hot dessert after dinner, you can make this in minutes and enjoy.
Things you need: 
Hide and seek biscuits: Three packets
Baking powder: 1 pinch
Walnuts and raisins: 2 tb spn

Preparation:
Break the biscuits and powder in mixer. Add enough water to make it thick pouring consistency (same as cake batter). Add a pinch of baking powder, walnuts and raisins and mix well.
Transfer  in a greased microwave dish. Microwave for 3 minutes.

Instant brownie is ready. It tastes very good when hot.
You can serve it with vanilla icecream.

Sambhar

I make sambhar in 4 different ways. This one is different because it uses two diff types of dals (pulses) and really tastes different and good. I always serve my guests with this variety as it is different..
I must thank my Mami Kalpana who is a very good cook to have taught me this. I always look forward to her dishes when ever I visit Bhopal my native town.

Things you need: (6 people)
Masoor dal (split red lentil): 3/4 cup
Arhar dal (split red gram): 3/4 cup
Chopped veggies (bottle guard, french beans, carrot, lady finger, white raddish, brinjal): 1 1/2 cup
Onion: 1 large, cut length wise

garlic: 4-5 cloves (chopped)

Dry red chillies: 3-4

Whole coriander seeds: 10-15
Mustard seeds: 1 tspn
Hing (asofoetida): 2 pinch
Oil: 3-4 tbspn
tamarind paste: 2 tspn or extract of 1" ball of tamarind
Sambhar masala: 4 tbspn (I prefer Everest brand for this preparation)
Fresh sambhar masala: blend one 2' piece of fresh coconut with 2 tbspn roasted bengal gram dal, 1' piece of ginger and 1 green chilly.

What next:
Wash the lentils together and take one whistle in pressure cooker. Open, add the chopped vegetables and again cook it for one whistle. Add salt.
Heat Oil. Add mustard seeds, garlic, curry leaves, coriander seeds, red chillies in order. Add onion and cook till brown. Add fresh sambhar masala saute for a minute. Add sambhar powder and saute for a minute. Add tamarind paste, salt, 1 cup water and let the masala boil. Add boiled lentil and vegetables and water to get desired consistency. Give it a boil, simmer it for 5-8 minutes.

Dry chutney for idli

I must thank my colleague Mrs Kumar for teaching me South Indian recipes. She used to bring yummy soft idlis coated with dry chutney in tiffin and we all used to love them. Infact all of us waited for her to get these idlis. Here is the recipe of Dry Chutney.
I keep it all the time on dining table, and it adds taste to our snacks like sewai upma, upma, poha and other snacks with this chutney. I am a big time chutney, pickle fan so have many type of pickles and chutneys in my kitchen.

Things you need: 
Dhuli Urad dal: 1 cup
Chana dal(gram pulse): 1 cup
Peanuts: 1/2 cup
Til (sesame) seeds: 2 tb spn
Dry red chilies: 10-12 (can take more for making it more spicy)
salt: as per taste

Preparation:
Roast urad dal, chana dal and peanuts on slow flame in a thick bottom pan till light brown. Add til seeds and red chillies and roast further, till til seeds swell and urad/chana dals turn medium brown. Allow it to cool.
After cooling grind it in mixer. Add salt to taste. You can store this chutney for a month.

Serving:
Heat 3 tbspn ghee/oil  in a pan, add a pinch of asofoetida and 3 tbspn chutney. Wrap fresh hot idlis in this chutney and keep it for 5-10 mins for soaking. Serve them.
This is very good for carrying in tiffins/picnic/travel and works just like sandwiches.

Low Cal Dal Makhni

Hi,
I am resuming activity on my blog after  a long gap.. was preoccupied mostly with travel and work.. else wise I was busy trying new designs in crochet...today I am posting recipe of Dal Makhni, which comes from North India and Punjab, in particular. Though like any other Punjabi delicacy, Dal Makhni is also very rich in butter and spices, I am putting down an adaptation for low cal lovers..I made it in the evening today and my family enjoyed it..

Things required: (serves five)
Black Urad dal: 1 cup
Rajma (red kidney beans): 1/4 cup
Onion: 1 cup chopped
Ginger: 1 " piece
Garlic: 7-8 flakes
tomato (mid sized): 2 nos (puree)
dal makhni masala: 1 1/2 tspn
amchoor (raw mango powder): 1/2 tspn
red chili powder: 1/2 tspn
tomato sauce: 2 tbspn
malai/ creme (optional): 2 tbspn
milk: 3/4 cup
salt as per taste
butter: 25 gms (can take more for garnishing)


What next:
Soak Dal and Rajma for 6-8 hours.
Pressure cook dal and rajma with onion, garlic and ginger in 4 cup water. Take 5 whistles on high flame and cook it in low flame for about 20 mins to cook the dal and rajma properly. Let it cool for 10 mins before opening.
Open the cooker and put in on low flame. Add tomato puree, and cook for 10 mins.  Add garam masala, amchoor, red chili powder, salt and cook further for 5 mins. Add milk and creme and cook further for 5-10 mins till desired consistency of dal.
Tempering:
Heat 25 gms of low cholestrol butter in a pan and add cumin seeds and cook till brown. Put the tempering on dal, mix well and serve hot. You may like to top it up with chopped coriander, creme and butter for garnishing.
Serve it with naan/chapati and rice.

Baked Spinach Mushroom

Another spinach mushroom recipe.. two in sequence.. but I couln't resist posting it.. I tried it last evening and it worked wonders..

what you need:(serves 2)
Button mushrooms: 7-8 washed and cut in four pieces
spinach: 200gms chopped
tomatoes: 2 small sized or one medium (finely chopped)
milk: 1 cup
ginger: 1/2 " piece grated
garlic: two flakes finely chopped (optional)
white floor (maida): 2 tspn
butter: 60 gms.
salt to tase
pepper: 1/2 tspn
sugar: 1/2 tspn
grated cheese: 25 grams approx.
what to do with these:
Take mushrooms with one cup water in a bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Heat 20 gms (1/3 of total)butter in a pan till it melts, saute mushrooms till no water is left.
Heat 20 gms butter till it melts, add ginger and garlic, cook for one minute on slow flame add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes till they are soft, add spinach and cook covered for 5 minutes.
Heat remaining butter in a pan, add white floor and roast it on slow flame till it turns brown, add milk and mix well till it thickens. Add sugar, pepper and salt. Add spinach and mushroom. Transfer it in  a bowl and top it with grated cheese. Grill it for 5 minutes in microwave or in a pre heated oven. Serve hot.
(The filling also tastes well in sandwiches)

Spaghetti with Spinach and Mushroom

Hey I tried this last evening and it came out really well. So thought of sharing this recipe.

You need:

Spaghetti: 150 grams

Spring Onion: 1 Cup chopped with some green leaves also

Ginger: 1 tspn grated

Tomato pasta sauce: 4 tbspn (you can use tomato puree also, use 1/2 tspn more pepper and oregano in this case)

Tomato sauce: 1 tbspn

Mushrooms: 7-8 medium sized cut in four pieces vertically

Spinach: 250 grams. (remove stalks and chop finely)

Cheddar cheese: 40grams

Butter 40 grams

Oregano: 1 tspn

Black pepper: 1 tspn

salt to taste

Preparation:

Boil spaghetti in hot boiling water with 1 tbspn oil and salt till cooked. Drain, wash with cold water.

Heat 1 tspn butter in thick bottomed pan and saute mushrooms till there is no water and they are soft.

Heat rest of the butter and add ginger, saute for a minute. Add spring onions and cook for 3 minutes . Add spinach and cook till spinach is cooked. Add pasta sauce (tomato puree),tomato sauce, salt, pepper, oregano and cook for two mins. Add one cup water and wait till it boils, add spaghetti and grated cheese. Cook for 3 minutes and serve hot.

Bread Poha

Things required:

Sandwich bread:14-16

onion: 1 cup chopped

green chilly: 2

curry leaves: 6-8green

coriander to garnish

lemon: 1

mustard (rai): 1/2 tspn

groundnut: 1 tb spn (optional)

haldi (turmeric): 1/2 tspn

sugar: 1 tspn

Oil: 4-5 tbspn

salt : to taste

garam masala: 1 tspn

Preparation: Crush bread slices with both the hands. You can use grinder to crush but take care to keep it coarse. Heat Oil , add rai till it splutters, green chilly and curry leaves. Add groundnuts, cook for 1/2 minute, add haldi, onion and little salt just enough for onion . Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring in between till onion are golden brown. Add bread crums and salt. Cook covered for 4-5 minutes, stirring in between. Remove from fire, add garam masala, sugar. Tranfer in serving dish, garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with lemon slices. Add lemon as per indivudial taste.