Gatte ka pulao

This is a tasty pulao, that can be made using gatte.

Things required:
Rice: 1 cup
thick curd: 1/2 cup
Gatte (1" pieces): 1 cup
pulao masala : 1/2 tspn
(to make fresh pulao 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)
green chilly : 1 chopped
mustard seeds: 1/2 tspn
coriander powder: 1 tspn
saunf powder (aniseed powder): 1/2 tspn
turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
salt to taste
coriander to garnish

Preparation:
Prepare gatte. (The recipe proportions are five times more than that required for pulao).
Cook rice in microwave, or cooker so that each grain is long and separate.
For tempering heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter, add green chilly, corainder powder, saunf powder, turmeric powder. Add gatte and mix well. Add curd and cook till curd thickens a little and then add rice. Mix well, add pulao masala, cook covered for 2  minutes. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Methi Matar Malai

This is a sweet tasting rich recipe of peas in fenugreek leaves.

Things required:

Fresh green fenugreek leaves (Methi): 500 gms.
Peas (boiled): 1/2 cup
cream (can use malai ): 1/2 cup
khoya (can use 1/4 cup milk powder): 25 gms
sugar: 1 tspn
ginger paste: 1/2 tspn
green chilly chopped: 1 medium sized
coriander powder: 1 tspn
saunf powder: (aniseed powder): 1 tspn
garam masala : 1/2 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)
mustard: 1 tspn
salt to taste
oil: 2 tbpn

Preparation:
Boil peas in cooker for one whiste or in microwave for 2 mins in water with 1/2 tspn sugar and 1/2 tspn salt.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds to splutter, add green chilly and ginger and fry for few seconds. Add coriander powder, saunf powder and then add fenugreek leaves (methi). Add salt and cook covered stirring in between till methi is cooked. If some water remains, dry it by cooking it uncovered.
Add peas, cream, khoya and sugar. Cook for 2 -3minutes, add garam masala and serve hot.

Pizza

Things required:

Pizza base: 4 nos

Capsicum chopped: 1 cup

Onion Chopped: 1 cup

Tomato chopped: 1 cup

Pepper: ½ tspn

Oregano: ½ tspn

Pizza pasta sauce/ tomato puree: 2 tbspn

Salt: to taste

Oil: 2 tbspn + to cook pan pizza

Finely chopped capsicum, onion for garnishing.

Butter: for layering pizza base

Mayonnaise: for layering on pizza base
Grated pizza cheese: 100 gms

Preparation:

Heat oil, add onion and cook till golden brown, add capsicum, cook for two minutes. Add tomato and cook for 10 minutes stirring in between or til it is cooked well. Add pizza pasta sauce, and salt. Add pepper and oregano and mix well. Layer the pasta base with butter and then mayonnaise. Divide masala in four portions. Place a layer of prepared one part of masala on pizza base, top it with grated cheese and chopped onion and capsicum. Heat thick bottomed pan, put some oil and place pizza. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes on slow flame till cheese melts and it is crispy at the base. Serve hot with tomato sauce, chilly flakes and oregano. Prepare other pizzas similarly.

Rajasthani Gatte

Making Gatte:

You need: Besan (gram flour): 2 cups
Oil: 3-4 tbspn
Salt: to taste
Ajwain (Carom seeds): ½ tspn

Preparation: Mix all ingredients in flour and knead it with warm water. Make 20 balls and roll each ball into a long stick of ½"  diameter. In a flat bottomed pan boil 1 ½ lts. water and lay gatte sticks side by side at the bottom of the pan (gatte should be properly immersed in water). Cook covered for 15-20 minutes till gatte are cooked well. You can check it by cutting it with a knife. Take out gatte from water and let them dry and cool for 10 minutes. Keep the water for curry. Cut them in ¾” long pieces of equal size.

Tempering

Green chilly : 1 chopped
Coriander powder: 3tspn
Saunf powder (aniseed powder): 3 tspn
Beaten curd: 1 cup
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tspn
Mustard: 1 tspn
Salt: to taste
Garam masala : 1 tspn
(to make fresh garam masala take 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) 
Oil: 3-4 tbspn

Heat oil, add mustard to splutter, green chilly, coriander powder, saunf powder, turmeric. Add gatte pieces and mix well. Add the leftover water in which gatte were boiled. Add curd . More water can be added to bring it to desired consistency. Bring it to boil add garam masala, garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tangy Pasta

Things required:

Pasta Fusilli: 1 cup
Pasta Farfalle: 1 cup
Capsicum chopped ; 1 cup
Onion Chopped: 1 cup
Tomato chopped: 1 cup
Pepper: ½ tspn
Oregano: ½ tspn
Pizza pasta sauce/ tomato puree: 2 tbspn
Mayonnaise: 1 tbspn
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 3 tbspn

Preparation:

Boil 1 ½ lts of water, add pasta and boil on slow flame till cooked. Strain and wash with cold water. Heat oil, add ginger garlic paste, fry for 1 minute. Add onion and cook till golden brown, add capsicum, cook for two minutes. Add tomato and cook for 5 minutes stirring in between. Add pizza pasta sauce, mayonnaise, boiled pasta and salt. Add pepper, oregano, mix well and serve hot.

Sweet Corn Soup

Things required:
Frozen corn/ fresh corn: 1 cup
finely chopped vegetables (carrots, french beans, capsicum, cabbage, some corn kernels)- 1 cup
sugar: 1 tspn
salt to taste
pepper: 1/2 tspn
vinegar: 1 tbspn
aginomoto: 1/2 tspn (optional)
Corn flour: 2 heaped tspn

Preparation:and
Grind corn in mixer and take three whistles in pressure cooker with six cups water. Keep on slow flame for 5 minutes. Cool and strain. Mix corn flour in one cup water and add to the soup base. Add salt, sugar, aginimoto, pepper, vinegar, pepper and boil it. More corn flour can be added to get the desired thickness. Add chopped vegetables and stir for 2-3 minutes to keep vegetables crunchy. Serve hot with soya sauce, green chilly in vinegar, and green chilly sauce.

Low Cal Spinach Corn

This is a easy to make and low calorie tasty curry.

Things Required:
Spinach: 500 gms

Fresh or frozen American corn: 3/4 cup
Ginger: ½"  piece grated
Green chilly : 1 chopped
Coriander powder: 1 tspn
saunf powder (aniseed powder): 1 tspn
Turmeric powder: 1.2 tspn
Mustard: ½ tspn
Sugar: 1 tspn
Salt: to taste
Garam masala: ½ 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
Oil: 1 tbspn

Preparation:

Sort spinach to remove stems. Boil 1 ½ lts of water, add 1 tspn salt and sugar in water. Add spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes and remove from fire. After 5 minutes drain spinach, let it cool and grind it to paste in mixer. (The colour of palak is preserved green by adding salt and sugar). Similarly microwave covered corn in 1/ 2 cup water with a pinch of turmeric for 2 minutes.

Heat oil, add mustard to splutter, add green chilly, ginger, coriander powder, saunf powder, turmeric and roast the masala for ½ minute. Add spinach paste. Add sweet corn ; salt and stir it well. Cook covered for 4-5 minutes and add garam masala. Serve hot.

It can be garnished with grated cottage cheese (paneer). Baking it in preheated oven for five minutes gives a sweet flavour to the curry.

Fried mini Idly

This is a healthy snack that my family loves very much. I must thank my friend Mahima for this recipe.

Things required:
Coarse grained Rawa (Semolina): 2 cups
Curd: ½ cup
Fruit salt (eno): 1 tspn

For tempering:
Vegetables (shredded/ grated): 2 cups (French beans, capsicum, cabbage, carrot)
Onion (chopped long): 1 medium sized
Green chilly: 1 (chopped)
Curry leaves: 7-8
Green coriander for garnishing
Til (sesame) seeds: 1 tb spn
Poppy seeds (optional): 1 tbspn
Mustard (rai): 1tspn
Garam masala: 1 tspn
Oil: 3-4 tbspn
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Roast rawa slightly for 5 minutes on slow flame, add curd, salt and luke warm water to make idly batter of dropping consistency. Keep for five minutes. Add fruit salt and if required more water (rawa may soak water). Steam it in greased mini idly pans.

For tempering heat oil, add mustard to splutter, green chilly, curry leaves, til seeds and poppy seeds. Add onion and cook till golden brown, add French beans and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add other vegetables and cook stirring till they are tender. Add salt for vegetables. Add mini idlys, mix well and add garam masala. Garnish with green coriander and serve hot.

Rawa Laddo

Things required:


Rawa (fine): 4 cups
Ghee: 2-3 tbspn (optional)
Sugar powder: 2 cups
Fresh grated coconut: 2 cups
Milk: 500ml
Raisins: 20-30 pieces
Almonds: 10 pieces (broken)
Cashew nuts: 10 pieces (broken)

Preparation
Roast rawa with ghee on slow flame for 7-8 minutes till raw smell goes away. Boil milk in heavy bottom pan (kadhai) and add grated coconut. Cook on slow flame for 30 mins stirring in between till it becomes thick. Add rawa and let it cool. Add sugar powder, raisins, almonds, cashewnuts and mix well. Make laddoos. If it is loose and difficult to bind you can add warm milk in required quantity to bind the laddoos.

Gujiya

Things Required:


Maida (Flour): 300 grams
Khoya (Mawa): 200 grams
Sugar powder or Processed sugar(bhura): 1 cup
Cardamom: 3-4 nos (coarsely grounded seeds)
Cashew nuts: 10 nos. (broken into pieces)
Raisins: 2 tbspn (20-25 pieces)
Almonds : 10 pieces (broken into pieces)
Grated dry coconut: ½ cup
Ghee to fry

Preparation:
To make the filling, roast khoya till brown. Cool and break it to make a fine powder. Add sugar, raisins, cashew nuts, almonds, cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix well.

Add 4-5 tbspn warm ghee (moin) to the flour. Mix well, moin should be enough to bind the flour when held tightly in fist and left open. Knead the dough tight with warm water. Keep the dough tight so that it absorbs less ghee while frying. Make small balls and roll each into a 5” diameter circle. Add 2 tbpsn filling in centre of the circle, wet edge on one half of gujiya, fold the other half over this side to make a semi circle with filling in between. Seal the edges and make the edging with hand. Gujiya maker can also be used.

Deep fry 3-4 gujiyas at a time in ghee on slow flame.

Green Mathri Flowerets

Things Required:

Maida (Flour): 2 cups
Rawa / Suzi (fine): 1 ½ cups
Besan (gram flour): 1 cup
Ajwain: ¼ tspn
Salt to taste
Oil to fry
Fresh coriander: 100gms
Green chilly: 2 nos. medium size
Ginger: 1” piece

Preparation:
Grind coriander, chilly, ginger, cumin seeds in mixer to make a smooth paste.
Roast maida, rawa and besan separately for 5-7 minutes each on slow flame till the raw smell goes away. Mix them, add ajwain, salt and 6-7 spoon warm oil (moin). Mix them well, moin should be enough to bind the flour when held tightly in fist and left open. Add green paste, and knead with warm water. Knead the dough tight so that it absorbs less oil while frying. Make small balls and roll them into a 4” diameter circle, wet four opposite corners with finger and lift them to center to make flowerets.

Deep fry 5-6 flowerets each time. Add mathris in hot oil on high flame, cook them on slow flame turning in between and increase the flame while removing.

The mathris can be sstored for a week.

Mathris tastes very good with curd or imli (tamarind) chutney filling in between.

Coconut Peanut Chutney

Things Required:
Fresh Coconut: 1/4 or 1/2 cup grated
Roasted peanut: 1 1/2 tbspn
green chilly: 1piece
ginger: 1/2 "
garlic: 2-3 cloves
salt: as per taste
cummin seeds: 1/2 tspn
black salt: 1/2 tspn
lemon juice: 1/2 tspn

Preparation: Mix all the ingredients and grind to make chutney. Add lemon juice. Serve with snacks .
Tempering: Heat 1 tbspn oil, add 1/2 tspn mustard seeds, two dry red chillies, 4-5 curry leaves and put the tempering over chutney.

Instant Rawa Idly

Things required:
Rawa (Coarse ): 3 cups
curd: 2 cups
green chilly: 1 finely chopped
chana dal: 1 tspn
curry leaves: 8-10
Mustard seeds (Rai): 1/2 tspn
Fruit salt/ Eno: 1/2 tspn
Oil: 2 tbspn
salt: to taste

Preparation:
Heat oil, add rai to splutter, green chilly, chana dal, curry leaves and rawa. Mix rawa well, and roast for 4-5 minutes on slow flame. Remove from fire, transfer in a bowl, add curd and enough water to make it a dough with pouring consistency. Keep for 5minutes, Rawa may soak water so add more water. Add fruit salt/ eno; salt and mix well. Transfer in greased idly cooker dishes and steam idlys. Serve hot with coconut peanut chutney.

Can also add chopped vegetables- frenchbeans, capsicum, carrot, peas in idlys.

Crispy Arvi

Things required:
Boiled peeled Arvi: 500 grams
green chilly : 1 (chopped)
rai (mustard): 1/2 tspn
turmeric powder: 1/4 tspn

coriander powder: 3 tspn
saunf powder: 1tspn
mango powder (amchoor): 1 tspn
black salt: 1/2 tspn
black pepper: 1/4 tspn
oil: to fry
garam masala: 1/2 tspn
sugar: 2 tspn
green coriander chopped to garnish
salt to taste

Preparation
Flatten each arvi with hands and fry all arvis till crispy. Heat 2 tspn oil, add rai till it splutters, add green chilly, turmeric, coriander powder, sounf powder, amchoor, 2 tb spn green coriander in same order. Add black salt, black pepper and arvi. Mix well till masala coats each arvi well and cook covered on slow flame for 2-3 minutes. Add garam masala and sugar. Remove from fire, garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Malwi Kadhi

Things required:
Pakodas:
Besan: 1 cup,
curd: 1 tbspn
ajwain: 1/2 tspn
Haldi (turmeric): 1/4 tspn
salt to taste

Kadhi:

Thick curd: 500 ml

Besan (gram flour): 3 heaped tspn
methi dana (fenugreek seeds): 14-15
rai (mustard): 1 tspn
coriander powder: 2 tspn
haldi: 1 tspn
garam masala: 1/2 tspn
salt as per taste
green chilly: 2 chopped
curry leaves: 8-10
sugar: 2 tspn
heeng: 1 pinch
Cooking Oil: 3 tbspn

Preparation:
Mix all ingredients of pakodas and add enough water to make a thick paste. Heat oil, add 1 tbspn hot oil to this batter and  make round pakodas.

Beat curd, mix besan in it so that no lumps are formed. Add 750 ml to 1 ltr water depending on the thickness of kadhi you prefer.

Heat oil, add rai till it splutters, add methi dana, green chilly, curry leaves in same order. Add haldi and coriander powder. Add the curd and besan mix with continous stirring on high flame. Keep stirrring continuously till one boil else the curd will split. Add salt and let the kadhi boil for 15 minutes on medium flame, stirring in between. Add sugar and mix it. Add garam masala, pakodas and remove from fire. Serve hot with rice.

Additional tempering ( tadka) can be done to add more taste and flavour.

Tadka (Tempering):

Things required- 1 tbspn oil , 1/2 tspn rai, 4-5 curry leaves, fresh green coriander and 1 tspn red chilly powder.

Heat oil in a small tadka pan, add rai curry leaves. Remove from fire add some green coriander and then red chilly powder. Adding some green coriander reduces the temperature of oil so that red chilly doesn't burn. Pour this tadka on top of kadhi and serve.

Baigan Bharta (Roasted Eggplant recipe)

Things Required:

One Big Baigan (Eggplant): about 500 gms.
Onion: One cup (chopped)
Tomato: one cup
green chilly: two (finely chopped)
Ginger: 1" piece (grated or crushed)
Garlic: 6-7 flakes (chopped finely)

Green coriander: for garnishing

Amchoor (dry mango powder): 1 tspn
coriander powder: 3 t spn
haldi (turmeric): 1/2 tspn
red chilly powder: 1/2 tspn
Rai (mustard): 1 tspn
garam masala: 1/2 tspn
oil: 3 tbspn

Preparation:

Roast baigan on gas flame, and peel off the shell. Remove the cover and mesh it.

Heat oil, add rai till it splutters, add green chilly, garlic and ginger and saute it for half a minute. Add onion, cook till brown. Add tomato, cook well (sauting it) till starts leaving oil. Add coriander powder, haldi, amchoor and cook till masala is roasted. Add red chilly powder mix well. Add meshed roasted baigan and mix well. Cook covered for 8-10 minutes. Cook open sauting well for 5-6 minutes. Add garam masala and remove from fire. Serve with coriander garnishing.

Pittha

Things required:
Filling: .
Chana dal : 1 1/2 cups (soak in water for 4-6 hours)
Garlic: 4-6 cloves
green chilly: 1
ginger: 1" piece
salt to taste
Cover:
Wheat flour: 2 cups
Warm cooking oil: 1 tbspn
salt to taste
Tempering :
Cooking oil: 3-4 tbspn
Rai (mustard): 1 tspn
green chilly (chopped): 1
haldi (turmeric): 1/2 tspn
Curry leaves: 8-10
Til seeds: 1 tspn
Poppy seeds: 1 tspn
dry grated coconut: 2 tbspn
coriander: 4 tb spn
garam masala: 1/2 tspn

Preparation:
Grind all the ingredients  of filling adding 1/2 cup water to make it a smooth paste. Add oil and salt to wheat flour and knead with water to make a dough of rolling consistency. Make four balls. Roll each ball into a 6" diameter circle. Place 1/4 th of the filling on one side and fold it to make a semi circle gujiya and press the edges tightly to seal the filling in gujiya. Make similar gujiyas of other balls.
Add all the four gujiyas to boiling water in a big pan so that all of them immerse properly. Cook on medium flame till the gujiyas come up on the water surface. Remove and keep them on a cloth to cool. Slice gujiyas to make eye shaped pitthas of 1 cm thickness.
Tempering: Heat oil, add rai till it splutters, add green chilly, curry leaves, til seeds, poppy seeds, haldi, 2 tb spn coriander, coconut in same order. Add Pitthas, mix them gently so that the masala covers them evenly. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring and mixing. Remove from fire, add garam masala and sugar. Transfer in serving dish and garnish with remaining coriander. Serve hot with peanut coriander chutney.

Peanut Coriander chutney

Things required
Green fresh coriander: 1 cup chopped
Ginger: 1/2" (peeled )
Green chilly: 1
garlic: 4-6 cloves
Peanuts: 1 tbspn
Laung sev: 1 tbspn (its a namkeen, Haldiram make is available in market)
black salt 1/4 tspn.
salt to taste
lemon juice: 2 tspn

Preparation: Add all the ingredients (except lemon juice) and grind in a mixer to make chutney and add lemon juice.

Yummy Sandwiches

Things Required: Makes 7-8 sandwiches
Bread: 16 slices
Filling:
Boiled mashed Potatoes: 3 medium sized
Boiled chopped vegetables [bottlegourd (lauki), carrot, french beans, peas]: 2 cups
Capsicum (chopped): 1 small sized
Milk: 300ml
Maida : 2 tbspn
Butter: 40 gms
Grated cheese : 40 gms
black pepper: 1/2 tspn
salt to taste
sugar: 2 tspn

Preparation
Roast maida in butter till it is light brown and stops smelling raw. Add milk continously stirring to avoid forming lumps and cook till it becomes a smooth sauce. Add sugar, pepper and capsicum and cook for 2 mins. Add potatoes, vegetables and grated cheese, mix and cook for 2 mins.
Use this filling to make sandwiches preferably in electric grilled sandwich maker using butter on the outer bread covers. Serve hot with tomato sauce and green chutney.

Crispy Rawa Cheela

Things required:(makes 6-8 cheelas)

Rawa: 2 cups

Besan (gram flour): 1/2 cup

Carrot (grated): 1/2 cup

Cabbage (grated): 1/2 cup

Capsicum (grated): 1/2 cup

ginger (grated): 1tspn

green chilly (finely chopped): 2 pcs

curd: 1 cup

salt to taste

cooking oil : to make cheelas

Preparation:

Beat curd , mix it with rawa. Add all other ingredients. Add water to make a smooth batter to make cheelas (not very thin). Keep it for 30 minutes.

Heat tawa and make cheelas like dosas. Serve it with green chutney and tomato sauce.

(Tips: To make them crispy, initially heat tawa very hot, put some oil all over, sprinkle water over it and then lay cheela on high flame. When the cheela leaves surface or it is brown on one side, turn it upside and let it cook on slow flame for 1-2 minutes. Turn it again and keep it on high flame, till it is crispy. Fold it and serve this cheela hot. On high flame lay another cheela, and follow same procedure.)

Bread Vada

Things required:

Sandwich bread (large sized) : 18 pieces

Curd: 500 gms

roasted cumin seeds powder: 1 tspn for curd, 1 tspn for garnishing

red chilly powder: 1 tspn for garnishing (optional)

sugar: 1heaped tspn

black salt: 1/2 tspn

salt: to taste

Stuffing

Cucumber: 4 large (grated)

cashew nuts: 20 pieces broken

raisins: 20-30 pieces

pepper powder: 1/2 tspn

salt to taste

Preparation:

Beat curd well, add salt, sugar, black salt and  roasted cumin seed powder.

Stuffing: Extract juice from grated cucumber to make it dry, add cashew nut pieces, raisins, salt, pepper.

Take bread slices, cut it in round shape using a sharp edged bowl. Place 2 tbspn of cucumber stuffing on one bread. Keep other bread piece on top of it, close the edges by pressing. Make all vadas. Lay these vadas in a round serving dish. While serving pour curd over it. Garnish it with alternate lines of cumin seed powder and red chilly powder. Serve with imli chutney.

Indorei Pohe

Things required:
Pohe: 4 cups [Pohe are available in three thickness- paper poha (very thin), medium thick poha and thick poha (as good as rice). Take the poha with medium thickness].
onion: 1 cup chopped
green peas: 2 tb spn (can use frozen peas)
potato: 1 medium finely chopped (optional)
green chilly: 2 chopped
curry leaves: 6-8
green coriander to garnish
lemon: 1
mustard (rai): 1/2 tspn
groundnut: 1 tb spn (optional)
saboot dhania (coriander seeds): 10-15 seeds coarsely crushed
saunf: 1 tspn
haldi: 1/2 tspn
sugar: 1 1/2 tspn
Oil: 2 tbspn
salt : to taste
garam masala: 1 tspn
Preparation:
Wash and soak poha in water for 2 minutes. Drain water and keep it in strainer for 5-10 minutes. (the time for soaking depends on the quality of poha, if it is very soft you may just wash it with water and keep in in strainer, sprinkling water in between)
Take peas in half a cup of water, add a pinch of salt and sugar and microwave covered for 2 minutes. Else, the peas can be cooked in boiling water with sugar and salt.
Heat Oil , add rai till it splutters, green chilly, curry leaves, saunf and coriander seeds in same order. Add groundnuts, cook for 1/2 minute, add haldi, onion, potatoes, and little salt just enough for onion & potatoes. Cook covered for 3-4 minutes, stirring in between ,till potatoes are cooked. Add peas saute for a minute. Add salt and sugar in poha. Add poha to kadhai. Mix poha with oil, onion and potaoes well. Cook covered for 4-5 minutes, stirring in between. Add 1 tbspn chopped coriander, mix well and cook covered for 2-3 minutes. Remove from fire, tranfer in serving dish, garnish with chopped coriander. Serve with lemon, laung sev (namkeen), and poha masala/ jeeravan.
(The taste of poha is preserved more if after mixing it in oil , it is cooked in microwave for 2-3 minutes. Mix garam masala, coriander with poha before microwaving it. )

keeping fresh coconut for a 4-5 days in refrigerator

Remove coconut from shell. Keep cocnut pieces in airtight plastic box (I prefer tupperware) filled with water in the chiller section. Coconut stays fresh without smelling for 4-5 days.

low oil absorb

If you want your fried items to absorb less oil, add a tspn salt in hot oil.

Coconut chutney

Things required:
Green coriander (washed, chopped): 1/2 cup
Fresh coconut: 2" square piece (approx)
garlic: 3-4 flakes
ginger: 1/2 " piece
tamarind paste: 1-2 tspn 0r 1/2 inch ball of tamarind can be grinded with chutney
black salt: 1/3 tpn
roasted chana dal: 2 tspn
salt to taste
Grind all the ingredients together in a mixer. Serve chutney with dosas, cheelas. If coconut is cold/ removed from fridge, add a little luke warm water.

Pudding

This is a simple and easy pudding that tastes yummy. Its my daughters favourite.

Things required

Vanilla custard: 2 tbspn ( I prefer Weikfield)

Milk: 1/2 ltr.

Sugar: 3 tb spn

Fruits: chopped finely (apple, grapes(slit half), pomgranate, banana): 1 cup

Strawberry sauce

Fruit cake slices: 250 grams

Preparation

Custard preparation: Heat milk, take out 1/2 cup milk when luke warm. Mix custard powder in this milk. Boil rest of the milk with sugar. Add the custard milk slowly in this boiling milk while stirring continously. Cook for 1 min on slow flame, stirring contnously till it becomes smooth. Let it cool. Add fruits and mix well.

Setting the pudding: take a slightly deep bowl. Place a layer of cake at the botton. Pour a layer of custard over this.
Place another layer of cake and pour remaining custard. Garnish it with strawberry sauce, you can make a chequered pattern.
Keep it in refreigerator for 2 hours. Serve in pudding bowls, take care to take the scoop from the bottom so that all the four layers come.
Can also serve 2-3 cubes of strawberry jelly set in ice trays with pudding. Kids just love this combination.

Icecream soda

This is an instant and easy serving. Can be used in place of sweet after meals.
Thing required:
Vanila icecream: 1/2 ltr pack
Mirinda: 500 ml (any other orange drink)
Preparation
Take long glasses, put two scoops of ice cream and add Mirinda over it. Put a straw and spoon and serve.

Sewai Upma

Things required:
Sewai (Vermicilli): 1 cup
Mixed vegetables finely Chopped (Carrot, French beans, cauliflower, peas, cabbage, capsicum): 1 cup
Onion (chopped): 1 medium sized
Ginger: ¼ “ piece grated
Green chilly: (1) chopped
Green coriander chopped for garnishing.
Tomato puree: 1 tbspn
Garam masala: ½ tspn
Oil: 1 tb spn
Rai (mustard): ½ tspn
Water: 2 cups (boiling hot)
Chat masala (optional)
Preparation:
Roast Sewai will till dark golden brown. Roasted sewai available in market can also be used.
Heat oil in a thick bottom pan, add rai till it splutters, add ginger, green chilly, onion and sauté till golden brown. Add all vegetables except capsicum and cabbage. Cook covered for 3 min. Add capsicum and cabbage. Add tomato puree and sauté for a minute. Add 2 cups of boiling water, salt and sewai . Mix well, cook covered for 4-5 minutes stirring in between. If the water doesn’t dry cook open for some time. Add garam masala, transfer in a serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander. You can sprinkle chat masala over it before serving.
Precaution: take care to stirr and mix upma gently so that you dont break the sewai strands.

Capsicum Cheela

Things required: (Makes 6-7 cheelas)
Besan (gram flour): 3 cups
Capsicum grated: 1 cup (or very finely chopped in chopper)
green chilly: 1 finely chopped
Ginger: 1" piece grated
Green coriander: 1 small bunch finely chopped
ajwain: 1/2 tspn
coriander powder: 1 tspn
pepper: 1/4 tspn
salt to taste
Preparation
Add capsicum to besan. Add luke warm water in this mixture to make it a smooth batter of pouring consistency (not too thick/ thin; enough to make cheela). Add other ingredients. Keep for 10 minutes.
Make cheelas on non-stick tawa using little oil. Serve hot with green chutney and curd chutney (recipe given in chutneys).

Rainbow Pakodas

Things required: (serves 4)

Sandwich bread: 12 pieces

green chutney

tomato sauce

butter

ajwain: 1/2 tspn

besan 3 cups

oil to fry

salt to taste

red chilly powder: 1/2 tspn (optional)

coriander powder: 1 tspn (optional)

green chilly, ginger paste: 1 tspn

Preparation

Add water to besan to make a smooth paste so as to dip bread pakodas. Add chilly ginger paste, ajwain, coriander powder, red chilly powder, salt to taste. Beat the batter well.

Take three bread pieces. Put butter one side of two pieces. On other side put a layer of green chutney on one piece and a layer of tomato sauce on another . Keep the bread with chutney at the bottom (chutney side facing up), place the other bread with sauce over it, keeping the sauce face up. Place the third bread piece over this.

Heat Oil, add one tb spn of hot oil in besan batter and mix well (this makes pakodas crispy). Dip the three breads in besan batter and fry in oil. Make all the pakodas in the same way. Sprinkle chat masala powder on these pakodas and cut them diagonally to get four rainbow pakodas from each piece. Serve with the coloured side up, with sauce and chutney.

Bhindi Masala with peanuts

Things required
Bhindi (lady finger): 250 grams (cut longitudinally in four parts, one inch long pieces )
green chilly : 1 (chopped)
ginger: 1/2'' piece grated
groundnet: 1/4 cup (roasted, peeled and coarsely crushed)
saunf powder: 1tspn
rai (mustard): 1/2 tspn
coriander powder: 1 tspn
turmeric powder: 1/4 tspn
mango powder (amchoor): 1/2 tspn
oil: 1 1/2 tbspn
garam masala: 1/2 tspn
green coriander chopped to garnish
salt to taste
Preparation
Heat oil in kadai, add rai till it splutters , add green chilly, ginger, coriander powder, saunf powder, turmeric, groundnut and bhindi in same order. Mix well, add amchoor powder and cook covered for 6-8 minutes till it is done, stirring in between. Add salt, cook further for 2 min. add garam masala, mix and transfer in serving dish. Garnish it with coriander and serve hot.

Wheat flour Halwa

Things required:
Wheat flour: 1 cup
Pure ghee: 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 flour and then roast flour 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 coconut, cashew nuts and almonds and serve.

green chutney

Green chutney:
Things required
Coriander: 100 grams (cleaned, washed and chopped)
Ginger: 1/2" (peeled )
Green chilly: 1
tomato : 1/2 small (optional)
onion: 1/2 (optional)
black salt 1/4 tspn.
cumin seeds (zeera): 1/4 tspn
salt to taste
lemon juice: 1 tb spn
Preparation: Add all the ingredients and grind in a mixer to make chutney and add lemon juice.

Tricolour khaman

Green chutney: Things required
Coriander: 100 grams (cleaned, washed and chopped)
Ginger: 1/2" (peeled )
Green chilly: 1
tomato : 1/2 small (optional)
onion: 1/2 (optional)
black salt 1/4 tspn.
cumin seeds (zeera): 1/4 tspn
salt to taste
lemon juice: 1 tb spn
Preparation: Add all the ingredients and grind in a mixer to make chutney and add lemon juice.

Khaman: Things Required
Yellow khaman ready mix : 250 grams
Idly ready mix: 150 grams
Garnishing (Tadka)
Cooking oil: 2 tbspn
Rai black (sarson) (preferably big size granules): 1 1/2 tspn
til: 1 tspn
green chilly: 3 (big Pieces)
Curry leaves: 10-15
Sugar: 1 tspn
Vinegar (optional): 2 tspn
Green coconut (grated): 2 tbspn
Green coriander chopped
Preparation:
Khaman cooker can be used. Alternatively, khaman can be steamed in an edged plate (thali) over kadai. It can also be made in idly cooker, where we get tricoloured cakes.
Heat water in kadhai, or khaman cooker. Meanwhile add little luke warm water to ready made idly mix (in proportions specified by the manufacturer on idly pack). Put it in a greased plate(thali)/ cooker's dish. When the water starts boiling in kadhai/ cooker, place the thali over it and cover it with a bigger plate. Cook for 2 mins. While the idly layer is being cooked, add luke warm water in prescribed proportions to ready made khaman mix. When the idly layer is a bit hard on top, put a layer of chutney over it and add khaman paste over it. Cook covered for 6-8 mins. To check if khaman is properly cooked, you can insert a greased knife at the centre of khaman. If knife comes out without any paste on it, this indicates khaman is cooked. Let the khaman remain covered for 2 mins then uncover and cut the khaman cake in squares or rhomboids.
Tadka:
Heat oil. Add rai till it splutters, add green chilly, curry leaves, til in same order. Remove from fire and add vinegar, 2 tb spn water, sugar. Spread this tadka over khaman. Transfer khaman pieces in serving dish, garnish it with coriander and grated coconut and serve with green chutney.
(If using idly cooker, remove the cakes in serving dish and garnish each cake with tadka).

Green chilly serving with Khaman:
Things required:
Green chilly: 50 gms (slit longitudinally)
sugar: 1 tsp
vinegar: 2 tsp
clove (laung); 2-3
water: 1/2 cup
Add all the ingredients and pressure cook for one whistle. Serve with khaman .

Coconut Chole

A good breakfast and tiffin preparation

Things required:

Kabuli chane: 2 cups dry, (soak them overnight).

Fresh coconut: 3/4 cup grinded, 1/4 cup grated (optional)

Green chilly: 1 (chopped)

Ginger : 1 tspn grated

Curry leaves: 8-10 leaves (optional)

Fresh lemon juice: 2tspn

Hing (asofoetida): 2 pinch dissolved in 1 tsp water

Rai (black sarson): 1/2 tspn

Garam Masala: 1/3 tspn

Black pepper powder: 1/4 tspn

Oil: 1 tb spn

Salt: to taste

Preparation

Pressure cook chole with five cups of water and salt, take two whistles and then cook it on slow flame for 10 minutes. Take out chole after some time and drain excess water. Chole should be cooked properly, could be pressed easily with hand.

For frying, heat oil in non-stick kadai ( since I use less oil, prefer to use non-stick vessel). Add rai till it splutters, add green chilly, ginger, curry leaves cook for 1/2 minute, add hing dissolved in water, add chole and grinded coconut. Add a little salt to make up for coconut. Cover and cook on low flame for 6-8 mins. stirring in between. Add pepper powder, lemon juice and garam masala. Mix well and cook covered for another 2 minutes.

Transfer in a serving dish and garnish it with coriander, grated coconut.

Rice Sewai

Rice Sewai: A light morning breakfast

Things required: Serves 3

Rice Sewai: 2 Cups (I prefer using MTR rice sewai)
Fresh coconut: 1/2 cup (grated)
Groundnut: 1 tbspn (optional)
Green chilly: 1 (chopped)
Onion: 1 medium size (chopped)
curry leaves: 8-10 leaves
gram dal: 1 tspn (washed)
lemon juice: 1 1/2 tspn

Fresh coriander: chopped to garnish

salt to taste
Garam masala: 1/2 tspn
haldi: 1/4 tspn
Oil: 1 tbspn
rai: 1/2 tspn
Preparation:
Boil one litre water and add sewai in boiling water. Strain, wash it with cold water once it is done. Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan (non stick- kadhai), add rai till it splutters, add green chilly, curry leaves, gramdal, groundnuts and stir for one minute till groundnuts are fried. Add Onion , haldi and cook for 3-4 minutes till it is golden brown. Add sewai, coconut, salt and cook it covered on low flame for 5-7 minutes, stirring in between. Add lemon juice, garam masala and stir, cook covered for 2 minutes. Transfer in a serving dish and garnish it with coriander. Serve hot with jeeravan or dry chutney.
Tips for fast cooking: I believe in parallel processing. First take water and keep it on flame to boil, meanwhile chop onions, green chilly. By this time the water boils and you can add sewai. Now you can focus on frying onion and by the time your onion is cooked , sewai is ready on other burner. By doing it parallely you can cook the recipe in 12- 15 minutes.

Healthy Appe

This is a quick healthy snack that my daughter loves for tiffin.
Healthy Appe for breakfast, tiffin.
Things required:
Coarse Soozi (rawa) : 2 cups
Curd: 3/4 cup
Eno: 1/2 tspn
finely chopped vegetables mixed (caulifower, carrot, capsicum, cabbage) : 1 cup (I prefer to use a chopper for fine chopping)
ginger: 1/2 " finely chopped or grated
green chilly: 1 (finely chopped)(optional)
onion: 1/2 cup
pepper powder: 1/2 tspn
salt: to taste

Procedure: Roast rawa in thick pan (kadhai) little bit. Take care not to roast it on high flame, or for long. Add curd, vegetables, green chilly, ginger, onion while rawa is hot. Mix all the ingredients well and add warm water to make a paste. Keep it for five minutes. Meanwhile coat a layer of oil on each cup of appe patram (an iron vessel with cups, non-stick appe patrams are also available in market). Heat the patram.
In the batter, rawa may absorb water, so a little more water may be needed. Add water till you get a thick pouring consistency.Add eno to the batter. Put little oil (1-2 drops) on each cup of patram increase the flame, when oil is little hot add little sarson (rai), wait till it splutters. Reduce the flame and put paste in each cup. Cover the patram and let it cook for 3 minutes or till it is cooked crispy brown at the bottom. Open the cover and turn the cakes upside down. Cover and cook for further 1 minute .
Remove the cakes from patram and serve hot with chutney.
Tip: While using iron patram, it is advised to (anneal the vessel) i.e. heat the patra and let it cool. Then layer the cups with oil and use. This ensures that the cakes donot stick to the bottom of the patra.
Alteration: A variation of the dish can be made by using dosa batter in place of rawa and eno. 25% rawa can be added to dosa batter to make the cakes more fluffy.

Curd Chutney

Curd Chutney to serve with snacks
Things required:
Curd: 2 Cups
Ginger: 1/2 " finely chopped
Green chilly: 1 finely chopped
Salt (to taste)
Beat Curd and add green chilly, ginger and salt and serve with any snacks. The curd chutney tastes very good specially with pakodas.

Golden Corn Pakodas

This is a fast recipe for evening snacks and can also be served as dinner starter.
Corn Pakodas (serves 4-5)
Things required:
Frozen/ freash corn: 500 gms
Gramflour (Besan): 2 heaped tbspn
ginger :1" piece (grated)
onion: 1 cup chopped
green chilli: 1 (finely chopped)
dry coriander: 1 1/2 tspn coarsely grounded (use coriander powder if not available)
saunf : 1 tspn coarsely grounded
green coriander leaves: 1/4 cup chopped
asofaetida (heeng): one pinch
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
Procedure:
Grind sweet corn/ fresh American corn with pinch of asofaetida in mixer. Add water just enough to grind it. You can also use fresh corn (grated). Add besan and mix well. Mix all the ingredients. Add 1 tb spoon hot oil in the batter to make pakodas crispy. Make small balls of 1" size and fry in oil till golden brown and crispy. Serve hot with sauce, green chutney and curd.
Tips for frying pakodas: Heat the oil just enough that a small ball of paste surfaces up after putting in oil. Put pakodas to fry in high flame, reduce the flame for 2 minutes after adding all the balls, again increase the flame and fry continously stirring to make the pakodas crispy.