Beetroot curry - 1

Preparation time : 15 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients :

Beetroot : 1 big
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Jeera (or) Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Green chili's : 2 (or) red chili powder : 1tsp
Onion : 1/2 (optional)
Coriander powder : 1 tbsp
Grated coconut : 2 tbsp
Roasted sesame seed powder : 2 tsp

Fresh Coriander springs : 3

Method :

Chop beetroots to cubes, pressure cook them and keep them aside.
Take a pan, heat it, add a tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, chopped green chili's and saute them.
Add finely chopped onion, cook them till they are transparent.
Add cooked beetroot.
Add salt and chili powder.
Add coriander powder, grated coconut.
(instead you can grind coriander seeds and coconut together coarsely and all it)
Cook for one minute and take off the flame.
If using sesame powder, add it now.
Sprinkle freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Mix it well and serve it hot with rice.

Thank you, do post your comments.

Curd rice (or) daddojanam

This is my 100th post :)

Curd rice is a very popular south India dish and is truly a comfort food. It tastes great with pickle or chutney or dal's. Curd rice is also called as Dahi Chawal (Hindi), Thair Sadam (Tamil), Mosaranna (Kannada), Dahi Bhaath (Marathi) and Daddojanam (Telugu). It is most popular dish in south india.

In most of the homes of south India, it is standard to eat curd rice at the end of lunch or dinner that helps ease the effects of the notoriously spicy main dishes. They cannot do without at least a spoonful of curd rice at the end of each meal. 

The curd rice has enormous nutritional and health benefits. It helps improve the digestive system, strengthens the immune system, and helps to cope with stomach problems. It also helps to get strong bones and teeth as its calcium content is high. Coping with high level of cholesterol becomes easier with the help of curd.

Preparation time : 15 mins

Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Cooked rice : 2cups

(Generally rice : water= 1:2 but for this cook rice with i.e 1:3 = rice : water) 

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

Urad dal : 1/2 tsp

Jeera (or) Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp

Green chili's : 3

Red chili's : 4

Ghee : 2 tsp

Curd (or) Yogurt : 2 cups

Fresh coriander leaves : 5 springs

Curry leaves : 10

Hing : pinch

Cashew nuts : 10

Ginger : 1" piece

Salt : to taste

Method :

Take a pan heat it.

Add mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, red chili saute them till urad dal gets nice color.

Add hing, minced ginger and cashew nuts.

Switch off the flame.

Add curry leaves.

Keep it aside to cool down a bit.

Now take a bowl, add rice, curd, chopped green chili, freshly chopped coriander leaves and salt.

(When i cooked rice, i cooked it in the old method(not using pressure cooker), that is boiling rice and water together so that we get 'Ganji', i mixed 1cup of ganji also in my curd rice and it tasted really really good)

Mix it well.

Add prepared seasoning and mix it once again.

Your curd rice is ready to eat.

In some areas curd rice is served with seasoning, some times grapes and seeds of fresh pomegranate are added to make appear appealing and enhance the taste. This can be topped with Boondi and served chilled or you can also include grated carrot. Some chopped onion, cucumber, kissmiss (dried grapes) can also be added to curd rice.To make delicious curd rice, use fresh natural curd (or) yogurt. You may also add some fresh cream or sour cream to it to make it truly yummy.

Enjoy your dish.

Thank you, do post your comments.

Bread rolls - 1

This is a healthy snack item and tastes awesome.

It is roasted and not deep fried in oil , so it is less in calories.

I used paneer , you can even use scrambled egg for this one.

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Bread slices : 6
Paneer : 1 cup
Onion : 1 (or) 1/2 finely chopped
Red chili powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder : 1/4 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste : 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves : 10 springs
Tomato sauce (or) tomato ketchup : 1 tbsp
Butter : 2 tbsp
Salt : to taste

Method :

Take a bowl, Add crumbled paneer ,chopped onion, red chili powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, salt and mix it good.
Now add Ginger garlic paste , tomato sauce, freshly chopped coriender and mix again. keep aside.
Take bread slices, Remove edges of the bread.
(use regular white bread).
Now roll out each bread with rolling pin as thin as you can.
Some breads can be rolled out easily but some breads will break while you are rolling, so for those breads which are breaking you should not roll them, Take water in plate, put bread slice , immediately turn around , take it out and squeeze the liquid by pressing between your arms, then you will have thin bread slice.
Now keep that prepared paneer mixture at one end of bread slice length wise and roll it care fully.
seal the edges with water.
(If you are using dry breads then you can seal them with maida and water mixture)
Roll all the bread slices.
If you are making them with dry bread slices then wrap up these tightly rolled bread slices in a damp kitchen towel and set aside for 15 mins..
If you are making rolls with wet bread slices then you need to keep them in fridge for 15 mins.
Apply butter to rolls and roast them on tawa.
Cut them to half .
Lovely, mouth watering bread roll are ready to serve :)
Serve them hot and enjoy.
Thank you do post your comments ....

Rasmalai

Ras malai is one of the most popular Indian desserts. Originating from West Bengal.

Ras malai  comprises of sweet, cream to yellow-colored rounded dumplings of cottage cheese or ricotta cheese (called ‘paneer’ in India) soaked well in clotted cream called ‘Malai’ in Hindi). This clotted cream is nothing but sweetened, thickened milk delicately flavored with cardamom, pistachios, rosewater, and saffron. Ras malai is a Light, refreshing and truly delicious Indian dessert. It is often categorized as Milk sweet and a bit high on calorie side. It’s a very sumptuous dessert for the kids.

This is favourite sweet to my mother and to my grand mother :)

Makes : 12
Preparation time : 1hour approx

Ingredients :

For Rasgulla's :

Whole Milk : 4 cups
vinegar (or) lemon juice : 3 to 4 tbsp
Water : 3 cups
Sugar : 1 1/4 cup
cardamom powder : 1/2 tsp
ice cubes : 10

For malai (or) Rabdi :

Milk : 3 cups
Sugar : 3 tbsp
Sliced almonds and pista : 2 tbsp
Cardamom powder : 1/4 tsp

Method :

For Rasgulla's :
Take a pan and add milk.
When it started to boiling (bubbles should come) add vinegar or lemon juice till you can see clear water.
Once milk is curdled take it off the stove immediately, add ice cubes.
(To stop the process of curdling)
(If you don't have ice cubes, Strain it and wash it with cold running water)
after 3 mins strain the water , take the paneer and keep it in a cloth and hang it for 1/2 hour.
After 1/2 hour Squeeze out all the water from paneer.

Put it on a work surface and knead it well for 5 mins untill you get a nice and soft dough.

Make 12 small balls out of that dough.
(After you cook them they will double in size)

Slightly press these balls to flatten them.
Now take a cooker add 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/4 cup of sugar to it.
Add cardamom powder also.
Once it started boiling add in these small paneer pieces.
(you don't want any sugar syrup consistency and if you don't put these paneer balls in hot boiling water they will break open)
Pressure cook them for 2 or 3 whistles.
Take it off the stove, Let them cool down a bit so that you can handle them with your hand.
Take those paneer pieces out and gently press them or squeeze them little bit with your hand so that the water from them will come out.

Now make Malai :

For Malai or Rabdi :

Take a pan add milk, let it boil.
Milk should be reduced to half, stir it continuously.
It will take around 20 mins.
Add sugar and cardamom powder.
Add these paneer pieces, and let it boil for one min, so that they will absorb milk.
Take them to bowl and garnish with almonds and pista's.

Then keep them in fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
They should be served chilled.
Rasmalai when you eat , it will melt in your mouth.

Dal makhani

Dal makhani is one of Punjabi cuisine's most characteristic signature dishes, and is high in protein. Traditionally, this dal is cooked on low flame, for hours, on charcoal, which gives it a rich, creamy texture and enhances the flavours of the dish. Dal makhani is prepared with lentils and beans combined with cream (malai) or fresh butter. Makhani means cream or butter. When cooked at home, more moderate amounts of cream or ghee are often used.

     

Dal makhani is a treasured staple food from the cuisine of Punjab, North India. Apart from Punjab, Dal Makhani is popular all over the world because of its richness in taste and nutrition.

Preparation time : one hour
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Whole urad dal with skin : 1/2 cup
Kidney beans (or) Rajma : 2 tbsp
Chana dal : 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Whole spices :
Cardamom : 2
Cloves : 2
Cinnamon : 2"piece
Bay leaf : 1
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Tomato : one large
Butter : 2 tbsp
Red chili powder : 1 tsp
Coriander powder : 1tsp
Kasoor methi : 1/2 tsp
Cream : 1/4 cup
Salt : to taste
Coriander leaves :  one spring

(Urad dal : kidney beans : chanadal = 1 : 1/4 : 1/4 and urad dal : butter : cream = 1 : 1/4 : 1 )
(If every thing is in cups then you need 5 to 6 tomatoes)

Method :

Soak dal's for one hour.
(I used split urad dal with skin so i got that color, if you use whole urad dal with skin you will get even darker color!!! )
(If you are preparing in hurry, then you no need to soak dal's but you should cook them for more whistles.)
Pressure cook dals till they are really well cooked and mashed up.
We will use water from dal in cooking later.
Make tomato into puree and keep it aside.
Take a pan , heat it, add 1tbsp of oil, when it is hot add cumin seeds, when they splutter add whole spices - cinnamon, cardamom, clove and bay leaf , saute them a bit.
Add ginger, garlic paste and turmeric.
Add tomato puree, cook for 5 mins, when it comes to boil add chili powder, coriander powder, and salt.
Cover it with lid, cook it for 5 mins.
Add butter, cook it for 5 mins.
Add water from dal and bring it to a nice boil.
Add cooked dal into this mixture, mix it good.
Add kasoor methi powder mix it well.
Put the flame in low, cover and cook for 30mins, stirring for every 5 mins.
After 30 to 40 mins add cream , mix it cover and cook for 5 mins.
If you want you can sprinkle pinch of garam masala powder on top.
Garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Yummy Yummy Dal makhani is ready to serve.
Serve it hot with rice or roti.
(You should serve this hot.)

As this dish is rich in proteins and fiber, it would also be the healthiest meal at your home too. Rajma and whole urad provide protein and calcium which are extremely important for maintenance of your body cells and healthy bones. Cooking the dal in tomato puree adds a little sharpness to this dish and also enriches it with folic acid and vitamin A.

Thank you, do post your comments :)

Prawn curry

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Prawns : 150 grms
Onion : 1
Tomato : 2
Green chili's : 2
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Cumin powder : 1/2 tsp
Chili powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 tsp (or) you can even use paste of whole spices
Tamarind paste : 2 tsp (optional)
Coconut paste : 2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Coriander leaves : 1 spring

Method :


Take a pan, add 2 tsp of oil,add cumin seeds.
Add finely chopped onions.
Fry till they are golden brown , add ginger garlic paste,finely chopped green chili, saute them a bit.
Add finely chopped tomatoes.
Add coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chili powder and garam masala powder.
Fry till oil oozes out.
Add prawns, salt, cover and cook for 5 mins.
Take the lid off.
Add in tamarind paste and coconut paste mix well.
Cook till prawns kind off shrink a little bit.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander.
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Tomato bagara

For this curry the main ingredient is Tomato, that we commonly use it as one of the ingredients for other dishes .... You can use normal tomatoes but i like to use cherry tomatoes for this recipe. This curry taste really good and goes very well with paratha's.

Preparation time :
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Onions : 1
Very Small tomatoes : 10
Tamarind : small size (or) Tamarind pulp : 2 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Chili powder : to taste
Turmeric powder : pinch
Roasted peanuts : 3 tbsp
Grated coconut : 3 tbsp
Dry red chili : 3
Coriander leaves : 1 spring
For seasoning :
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Jeera (or) cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : 10

Method :

Make a paste out of roasted peanuts, grated coconut, red chili and salt.
Keep it side.
For this curry you need very small tomatoes, i.e tomatoes as size of goose berry kind off .
Wash them , take a fork and make a mark with the fork on each tomato,i.e piercing the tomato. If you do so tomato flavour goes to curry and tomato gets the flavour of gravy.
Take a pan heat it, add ingredients listed for seasoning.
Add finely chopped onions and fry them till they are golden brown in color.
Add the paste that we already prepared.
Add tamarind juice, salt, chili powder, turmeric.
Let it boil.
Add water and make it to the consistency you like.
Add tomatoes.
Let it cook for 5 mins.
Switch off the flame.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve it with roti.

Thank you, do post your comments.

Left over chapati sweet

This is a nice sweet prepared with left over chapati's.

Today, i don't feel like drinking milk nor eating like cereals, so i searched my kitchen and i have a left over chapati , so i prepared this....

This tastes good..... and you can have this as break fast , as snacks or even as dessert :)

Preparation time : 15 mins
Serves : 1

Ingredients :

Chapati : 1
Milk : 1 cup
Sugar : 2 tsp
Cardamom powder : 1/2 tsp

Method :

Take a pan heat it.
Add milk , let it boil for 5 mins.
Cut chapati into small pieces and add these pieces to boiling milk.
Let it to boil for 5 to 10 mins.
Switch off the flame, add cardamom powder.
Serve it hot :)
Enjoy your dish........
Thank you, do post your comments.

Ridge gourd curry - 2

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Ridge gourd : 2
Grated Coconut : 2 tbsp
Coriander powder : 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder : 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
For seasoning :
Urad dal : 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves  : 10
Green chili's (or) red chili's : 2

Method :

Heat a pan , add 1 tsp of oil.
Add ingredients listed in seasoning one by one , saute them till they are brown.
Add in roughly peeled and chopped ridge gourd , salt , and cook it till ridge gourd becomes soft.
Add Coriander powder, Cumin powder, grated coconut, mix it.
Serve it with rice or roti.

vusirikaya pachadi (or) goose berry pickle

Vusirikaya (Telugu), aamla (Hindi), goose berry ( English ) is a fruit which is very high in vitamin c and good for health.

In traditional Indian medicine, dried and fresh fruits of the plant are used. All parts of the plant are used in various Ayurvedic /Unani medicine herbal preparations, including the fruit, seed, leaves, root, bark and flowers.To Ayurveda, aamla fruit is sour and astringent in taste, with sweet, bitter and pungent secondary tastes .

Particularly in South India, the fruit is pickled with salt, oil, and spices. Aamla is eaten raw or cooked into various dishes. In Andhra pradesh, tender varieties are used to prepare dal (a lentil preparation), and amle ka murabbah, a sweet dish indigenous to the northern part of India (wherein the berries are soaked in sugar syrup for a long time till they are imparted the sweet flavor); it is traditionally consumed after meals.

Preparation time : 3 days + 30 mins

Serves : 8 to 10

Ingredients :

Indian Goose berry (or) Usirikayalu : 8 big (250 grms)

Fenugreek seeds (or) methi seeds : 2 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds :  21/2 tsp

Hing (or) Asfotida : 1/2 tsp

Turmeric : 1/2 tsp

Salt : 2tbsp (or) to taste

Green chili's : 12

Dry red chili's : 12

Oil : 1/4 cup

Method :

Take goose berries, wash them and dry them thoroughly.

(If they are wet, then the pickle will not stay for long)

Cut goose berries to remove seeds.
Cut them into small pieces.

Take a blender, add these chopped pieces , turmeric and grind it with out any water , to get finely grated gooseberry.
Take it out , add salt, mix it with hand nicely.
Take blended gooseberry to a glass jar and set aside for 3 days.

After 3 days,
Take a pan, heat it , add oil, Add methi seeds fry them a bit.
Add mustard seeds , wait for mustard seed to splutter.
Add cut green chili's and saute them till they change in colour.
Add dry red chili and saute them, add hing, turn off the flame.
Let these cool down, take them out from oil into a blender and grind them to a fine powder.
(keep that oil aside for later use)
Mix this seasoning into that goose berry paste.
And add that left over oil now.
Mix everything good.
Store this in an air tight container.

This will stay fresh for long.i.e. 10 to 15 days (keep refrigerated for more shelf life)
Enjoy your dish.
Thank you , do post your comments :)

Wood appple dessert (or) Velaga pandu pachadi

This is one of my favourites, usually my grand ma prepares this after Ganesha chaturdhi.

Wood apple is also called as elephant-apple , monkey fruit, and curd fruit.

It has a very hard rind which can be difficult to crack open, and contains sticky brown pulp and small white seeds.

This fruit is eaten by elephants, with out even breaking the shell. This is what we studied in our school... 

            Siri da vaccina vaccunu

            Sarasambagu narikela jalamula bhangin,

            Siri da boyina bovunu

            Kari mingina velagapandu kramamuna Sumati!

One of the poems from sumati satakam :)

The fruit is eaten plain, mixed into a variety of beverages and desserts, or preserved as jam. The scooped out pulp from its fruits is eaten raw with or without sugar, or is blended with coconut milk and palm - sugar syrup and drunk as a beverage, or frozen as an ice cream. It is also used in chutneys and for making jelly and jam.

Indonesians beat the pulp of the ripe fruit with palm sugar and eat the mixture at breakfast. Indians eat the pulp of the ripe fruit with sugar or jaggery.The raw pulp is mixed with yogurt and made into raita. The raw pulp is sour

in taste, while the ripe pulp would be having a smell and taste that is a mixture of sourness and sweet.

The ripe fruit is rich in beta-carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A; it also contains significant quantities of the B vitamins thiamine and riboflavin, and small amounts of Vitamin C.

This is very useful fruit for diabetic disease. In addition it is widely used as a good herbal remedy for an upset stomach.

Method: The wood apple is first broken, the inside part is taken in a bowl and smashed by hand while adding some water in several doses. Then the seeds are squeezed to extract as much juice as possible and then separated by hand from the juice. The juice (Similar color as Mango or Papaya Juice) is then taken with or without sugar.

The ripe fruit is rich in beta-carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A; it also contains significant quantities of the B vitamins thiamine and riboflavin, and small amounts of Vitamin C.

Preparation time : 5 mins
Serve : 2

Ingredients :

Wood apple (or) velaga pandu : 1
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Milk : 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup

Method :

Take wood apple and break it.

Scoop out the flush into blender.

Blend it to a smooth paste by adding milk and sugar.

Refrigerate it before serving.

Enjoy your dessert :)

Thank you, do post your comments.

Chana dal chutney

This delicious chutney (or) pachadi is prepared with chana dal and it is a great combination with hot rice.

My mom used to make small dumplings with left over chutney. We used to wait for that left over chutney , because we love to eat those dumplings :)

I am sure you will also like this for sure ........ so give it a try once :)

It is called as chenaga pappu pachadi in Telugu.

Preparation time : 15 mins
Serves : 2 to 4

Ingredients :

Chana dal : 1/2 cup
Jeera (or) cumin seeds : 1/8 tsp (or) 2 pinches
Red chili's : 5 (or) to taste
Salt : to taste

Method :

Take a pan and dry roast chana dal, red chili and jeera.
You should roast chana dal till you get nice aroma and it is slightly color changing.
(First time when i did this i roasted till it is brown color and i added tsp of jeera , then the result --- chutney is not at all good)
Let it cool down to room temperature.
Take a blender, add roasted ingredients , salt and Grind it to a smooth paste by adding little bit water at a time.(It should be very thick paste , so don't add much water)
Take it into a bowl .
Serve it with hot rice.

Now comes Favourate of my brother's and mine
Making of dumplings with left over chutney.....
We call these dumplings as " pachadi billalu ".
Heat oil in a pan, enough to deep fry.
Take that chutney little bit and drop it in oil when oil is ready.
Fry them till they are done.(It will take about 3 to 5 mins)
Serve them.
These dumplings goes well with curd rice.

(Very small dumplings , may be i took pic very near so that they are looking big i think, they are pretty small in general)

Enjoy your dish :)
Thank you , do post your comments :)

Bottle gourd curry - 1

I am thinking of making a curry with bottle gourd, and my friend came home at that time, she told this curry to me and it prepared it. I liked the curry and it tastes very good.

Preparation time : 30 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Bottle gourd : 1/2 piece
Toor dal : 4 tbsp
Onion : 1 small
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Coriander powder : 1tsp
Red chili powder : 1tsp
Salt : to taste
For seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad da : 1/4 tsp
Jeera (or) cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : 1 spring

Method :

Cook toor dal till done.
It should retain its shape, but it should be cooked.
Peel the skin of bottle gourd and cut into circles.
Take a pan, heat it , add 1 tsp of oil.
Add ingredients listed for seasoning.
Add chopped onion,ginger garlic paste, cook them till onions are brown.
(If you don't want onions in your curry you can skip them even)
Add bottle gourd and salt.
Sprinkle little water, cover and cook till they become soft.
Once they are done, take the lid off, add cooked toor dal.
Add chili powder, coriander powder mix well.
Cook for 2 more mins and your curry is ready.
Serve it hot with rice.
Thank you , do post your comments.

Cabbage curry - 1

Preparation time : 20 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Chopped Cabbage : 1cup
Onion : 1 small
Potato : 1 medium
Grated coconut : 3 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Chili powder : to taste
For seasoning :
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Mustard seed : 1/4 tsp
Jeera (or) Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : 10
Green chili's : 2

Method :

Take a pan. Heat 1tsp of oil. Add ingredients listed for seasoning.
Add onions and saute them for a while.
Add peeled cubed potato's, cook them a little bit.
Add chopped cabbage, chili powder, salt.
Sprinkle little water, Cover and cook for 5 to 10 mins.
Add grated coconut, mix it well.
Serve it hot with rice.

Raw banana curry - 2

This is one of the tastiest curries for me. I like to eat this fry with hot rice.

It taste good.

Preparation time : 15 mins
Serves : 2

Ingredients :

Raw banana : 1
Green chili : 2
Ginger : 2" piece
Salt to taste
Butter milk : 1cup
For seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp
Urad dal : 1/4 tsp
Jeera (or) cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves : 10

Method:

Take a bowl, add thin butter milk and salt to it.
Peel bananas, chop them into cubes.
Put these in that butter milk bowl.
If you skip this step your curry is no good and if you don't do this your curry will be bitter...
Take a pan, heat it , add 1tbsp of oil, add ingredients listed for seasoning.
Squeeze banana cubes from butter milk and add it to pan.
Cover and cook for some time, till they are soft.
Make ginger and green chili together into a coarse paste.
Add that paste to pan.
Sprinkle salt, cook till you get nice crisp texture outside.
Serve it hot with rice.
It tastes really really good :)
Enjoy your dish.....
Thank you, do post your comments.

Semiya upma (or) vermicelli upma

Serves : 2
Preparation time : 15 mins

Ingredients :

Semiya (or) vermicelli : 1 cup
All kinds of vegetables
Carrot,capsicum,Onion,tomato,beans,peas,cauliflower,potato
(Slice all the vegetables length wise)
water : 3 cups
salt to taste
cashew nuts : 10
oil : 1 tbsp
ghee : 2tsp

For Seasoning :
mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
urad dal : 1/2 tsp
jeera : 1/2 tsp
Green chilli's : 2
curry leaves : one spring
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp

Method :

Take vermicelli and fry it in 2tsp of ghee , till it is light golden brown in color. Keep it aside.
Take pan, add oil , when oil is hot add ingredients listed for tampering and cashew nuts.
Add Vegetables (onions, potato, carrot, cauliflower,capsicum, beans, peas,tomato) in that order , one after the other , sauteing them little bit, add salt and let them cook for 5 mins.
Add water and check for seasoning.
Let water comes to boil.
Then add roasted vermicelli.
(If you don't roast your vermicelli then your upma will be mushy)
Cover and cook for 10 to 15 mins.
Add coriander leaves.
Switch off the flame.
Serve it with coconut chutney (or) tomato ketchup.

Green apple dal

We went to a ground, we saw one green apple tree there, we picked two apples and we had them, i can't eat more than half, then i thought why can't i make a dal with this sour apples, so i picked one more, next day i prepared dal with it . It is simply superb and you should try this one. It tastes really good awesome.

Serves : 2
Cooking time : 20 mins

Ingredients :

Green apple : 1 ( granny smith or bramley or cooking apples)
Toor dal : 5 tbsp
water : 2cups
Coriander leaves : 2 strings
Turmeric : pinch

For Seasoning :
urad dal : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1tsp
Jeera : 1tsp
Curry leaves : 10
Green chili : 2

Method :

Wash dal and pressure cook it with 2 cups of water till mushy.
Peel and chop Green apples and keep aside.
Heat a pan add 1tsp of oil.
Add ingredients listed for tampering.
Add green apples, turmeric and cook till they are soft.
Add mashed dal to it.
Add little water if you want thin consistency.
Then add salt and check for taste.
Let it boil once.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve it with Rice or roti.
Be leave me this dal tastes great.

Vegitable shammi kebab

This is a very delicious and healthy kebab.

Generally shammi kebab is prepared with minced meat , ground chick peas and spices, in this vegetarian version we are replacing mince meat with plantains (i.e raw banana's).

Preparation time : 45 mins
Makes : 6 to 8 approx

Ingredients :

Plantain (or) Raw banana : 2
Chana dal : 1/2 cup
(The quantity is mashed  plantain : mashed chana dal = 1 : 1/2)
Green chili : 2
Ginger garlic paste : 1tsp
Chili powder : 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder  : 1 tsp
Cumin powder : 1 tsp
Amchoor powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala : 1 tsp
Salt : to taste

For stuffing :
Paneer : 1/2 cup
(you can even use cheese or koa, if you eat eggs you even can use crumbled egg )
Onion : 1 finely chopped
Coriander leaves : 10 springs
Chili powder : 1tsp
Chat masla : 1tsp
Salt : to taste

Method :

Take a pan , heat it, add little oil, add cumin seeds once they crackle add very finely chopped onions.
Add very finely chopped green chili's, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and very finely chopped mint leaves.
Add cooked chana dal, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, amchoor powder, garam masala powder, Mix them good.
Add cooked peeled plantains (or) raw bananas.
Remember to take out the boiled plantains from water after it gets cooked or else the plantain would abrosb the water and you would not get the right consistency to mix for prepraring Kebab.
Add chopped fresh coriander, and salt.
Check for taste.
Switch off the flame.
Mash the entire mixture till it becomes like a dough, keep it aside.
Prepare stuffing now.
Take a bowl , add paneer , onion, coriander, salt,chili powder and chat masala.
Mix them well.

Divide both mixtures into equal portions.
Take dal and  plantain mixture , press it, stuff the panner ball in it , carefully close it.
Seal every thing well to make a ball and then press it to make it into Pattie.
Shallow fry them in pan (or) on tawa.
Don't turn them much , turn them only once other wise they will break.
Your very delicious and delicate kebab's are ready to serve.
Enjoy them with green chutney or with any sauce.
Thank you , do post your comments :)

Methi khakhra

Khakhra is a popular vegetarian roasted Gujarati Indian thin cracker bread or snack item made from wheat flour.

Khakhra is made in several varieties such as methi, jeera, bajri, math and masala flavours to name a few.

Khakhra is usually eaten with chutney, pickles, butter, ghee or yogurt.

Khakhra is  available in many flavours like jeera khakhra, masala khakhra, methi khakhra, pani puri khakhra, pav bhavji khakhra etc...

Preparation time : one hour
Makes : 8

Ingredients :

Wheat flour (or) chapati atta : 1 cup
Fenugreek leaves (or) methi leaves : 1/4 cup chopped finely
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Green chili paste : 1/2 tsp
Salt : to taste
Oil : 2 tbsp
Water : as needed
Ghee : 4 tsp

Method :

Take a bowl , add methi leaves, oil, turmeric powder, green chili paste and salt mix all together.
Add flour mix well.
Add water little at a time and make a nice smooth dough (like chapati dough)
Wrap it and leave it for at least for 15 mins.

After 15 mins take the dough , kneed it again with 1 tsp of oil.
Make 8 round balls from that dough.

Take one ball at a time , dust it with little wheat flour and roll it very very thin.
(you can even see through it kind off )
Roll all of them.

Heat a tawa, put it in medium heat.
Take one khakhra and place it on tawa, when you see the bubbles , flip it and cook it for few mins, take it out.You just need heat them, with no spot on it. (just to take away the rawness)

Apply ghee on them , now they are soft only.
You can even bend them at this stage.

Let them cool down.
Heat tawa on medium heat.
Place khakhra on it , Take  roti press, potato press, kitchen towel or base of a glass... and keep pressing the bubbles that appear on khakhra.
Turn it to the other side and do the same , till they are crisp or till you can see light golden brown color on them.

You can even do them roti maker.
Switch on your roti maker, when it is warm enough, put your khakhra.
Press it, flip it to the other side, press it again.
Do not press it too hard, do them till they are crisp.

One thing is if you bake them too much then they will be chewy.
So take care not to over bake them.

When you serve apply little ghee and sprinkle little chat masala on them.
Store them in air tight container for freshness and for 15 days.
Enjoy your khakhra.....
It is a nice tea time snack....
Thank you, do post your comments :)

kalakand (or) milk burfi

Kalakand is a sweet that is milk and cheese dessert , popular in northern and eastern India. It is made with Paneer, milk , and sugar that is topped with pistachio nuts.

To make kalakand, a soft cheese called paneer is added to boiling milk, then sweetened and cooked until it begins to thicken. The hot mixture is poured onto a greased flat surface, where it is allowed to cool and then served.

Preparation time :
Makes : 12 pieces

Ingredients :

Milk : 8 cups (whole milk)
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Lemon juice (or) vinegar : 3 tbsp
Chopped Pistachio : 1 tbsp

Method :

Use 4 cups of milk to make paneer.
Take a pan and add milk.
When it started to boil (bubbles should come) add vinegar or lemon juice till you can see clear water.
Once milk is curdled take it off the stove immediately , add ice cubes.
(If you don't have ice cubes drain it and wash it with cold running water.)
(This will stop the process of curdling).
After 3 mins strain the water, take the paneer and keep it in a cloth and hang it for 1/2 hour.
After 1/2 hour squeeze out all the water from paneer.
It will look like this.

Now, take a pan , add remaining 4 cups of milk.
Let it come to boil. It will take about 15 mins.
Add paneer to the boiling milk now.
Cook for 10 - 15 mins more.
Till it becomes like dough.
Add sugar and mix it , cook it for 2 more mins.
(Entire process you need to keep stirring it , other wise it will stick to the bottom)
Take the mixture onto a plate and of 1 inch thickness.

Garnish it with pista's.
Let it cool down for at least 1/2 hour before you cut into pieces.
Enjoy your sweet.

Thank you , do post your comments.

Mysore pak

Mysore pak  is a sweet dish of  Karnataka, India, usually served as dessert. It is made of generous amounts of ghee(clarified butter), sugar and gram flour(besan).

Now a days , smooth mysore pak is also available in market.

This sweet takes considerable amount of ghee . 

This dish is prepared in 15 mins, but in that 15 mins you should keep your mind and body entirely in that preparation.

Preparation time : 30 mins
Makes : Around 40 pieces

Ingredients :

Gram flour (or) besan : 1 1/2 cups
Oil + ghee : 2 cups ( i used half ghee and half oil, if you wish you can use entire ghee)
Sugar : 2 cups
Water : 1/2 cup

Method :

Take gram flour in bowl, add some hot oil (around 5 tbsp) and mix it good.
Take a sieve and sieve the flour.
Heat oil and ghee in one pan.
Parallelly take one more deep,big pan add sugar and water.
Keep the flame in medium high.
Check the consistency of sugar syrup.
You need one thread consistency or the other way to check this is take a small bowl with water and add little bit of sugar syrup, if it form a soft ball then it is ready.

Now add gram flour little by little,  mixing it continuously.
Mix it such a way that there are no lumps.
(we already added oil in gram flour that helps and we don't get any lumps because of that)

Keep mixing the mixture.
When you see small bubbles coming then you should add hot oil on it ladle by ladle,while continuously mixing it.
(The oil and ghee should be smoking hot)
You will see froth when you mixing it, that is what creates wholes in sweet.
The mixture should not stick to the pan.
When entire oil finished and when you see slightly the color is changing ,take it off from the flame.
Take a plate that is greased with oil , Pour this mixture in it.

Wait for 10 mins and run knife.
After 10 more mins take the pieces out.
Enjoy your sweet :)
When i first prepared this sweet, i am afraid of the ghee in the recipe and added only 3/4 cup ghee, then i ended up in besan halwa , if you want mysore pak then you should use that much ghee or oil.

Thank you, do post your comments :)