My Diary

Back to blogging after long time

2011-04-09T02:28:00.000-07:00

Hello,

hope you all are enjoying cooking.

I have decided to make this blog more general rather that just about cooking.

I started this blog about a year ago and it was great meeting other bloggers and sharing the recipes.

I enjoy cooking sometimes but most of the times I wish I had good food without doing anything :)

Thats the case when you have to cook everyday :D

Well, food at my home is cooked in a decided way..its not like we are inventing recipes each day..so thats why I have finished writing all the recipes and so now I made this blog general.

Ginger chilli Instant pickle

2010-10-13T01:46:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Long time no post...I was thinking to post this one earlier but couldn't get the time. This is one of my favorite mom's recipes. It is very simple procedure and the pickle is ready to eat just the next day. Here goes the recipe:
Preparation time - 20 mins
Makes 300 gms
Ingredients:

250 gms ginger peeled and cut in small thin slices
juice of 4-5 lemons
8-9 green chillis cut from the middle and sliced in half
3 tbsp salt

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and store in an air tight jar.
Keep in sun for a day. The pickle is ready.

Crispy Methi Mathri

2010-10-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
We all must have tasted this snack..for those who haven't, here is the recipe. You must have seen the ready made Haldiram mathris in the market. But those are very oily and spicy. This is the home version of the same. Hope you will enjoy this as a tea time snack.

Preparation Time 20 minutes
Makes 40-50 small sized mathris

Ingredients:

300 gms maida (all purpose flour)
1 tbsp salt
6 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp kalaunji (nigella seeds/black onion seeds)
1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 cups oil for deep frying

Method:

Knead the maida with little water along with all other ingredients to get a stiff dough.
Keep in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Now make small balls out of this dough and flatten them to a thick circle with the help of palm or rolling pin.
Make holes in it with a fork.
Deep fry these till golden.
Store in an air tight container and serve with sauce/pickle and tea.

Stuffed Bitter Gourd (Bharwan Karela)

2010-10-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Stuffed vegetables have a taste of their own. They take some more oil to cook but the taste is different and spicy. Sometimes I do not like to have bitter gourd stir fry as it tastes bitter, so I cook these stuffed karelas which do not have a bitter taste and are really delicious with steamed rice. You can also cook stuffed Ivy gourd or stuffed lady's finger and brinjals by following the same recipe.

Preparation time-20 mins

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

5-6 small sized bitter gourd
salt to taste
2 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1-2 green chillis
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp black carom seeds (kalaunji)
2 tbsp fennel seeds (saunf)
2 onions chopped
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
3 tbsp oil for frying

Method:

Lightly peel off the outer skin of the bitter gourd and tear longitudinally from the middle.
Remove the seeds and boil them in 2 cups of water and little salt for about 5-7 minutes.
Drain water and let them cool. Sqeeze out excess water and keep aside.
On a frying pan, lightly roast the fenugreek seeds,fennel seeds,coriander seeds,kalaunji seeds continuously stirring for 5-10 minutes.
Switch off the flame and grind together the above roasted seeds,chopped onion,garlic and green chillis.
Mix in the salt,turmeric and amchur to the above prepared paste.
Now fill in the paste in the boiled bitter gourd.
Heat half the quantity of oil in a kadai. Place some stuffed bitter gourd in the oil and cook on medium flame.
Gently stir and turn them upside down. Take them out when they are golden and cooked nicely.
Similarly fry all the karelas by adding remaining amount of oil.
Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and onion rings

Garlic eggplant

2010-09-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This recipe I learnt from my mother. She used to cook this whenever we were bored of usual side dishes as it has a different cooking style and taste. It has low oil and tastes very nice with steamed rice. You can use a tawa or microwave to roast them or you can grill them too.

Preparation time 20 minutes
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:

3-4 eggplants (soft and big ones which are dark purple in color)
7-8 garlic cloves (crushed)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp red chili powder
2 tbsp mustard oil

Method:

Wash the eggplants and cut them in thin circles.
Take the thin slices on a tray and sprinkle salt,turmeric,crushed garlic and red paprika over them.
Mix evenly, add some water so that the powders spread over the eggplants.
Heat a tawa or frying pan, spread a tsp of oil over it.
Put some eggplant slices and add a tsp of more oil from the above.
Let them as it is for 5 minutes on medium flame. Press them gently so that they get fried evenly.
Now turn them upside down and fry till both sides are golden.
Repeat above steps till all the eggplant slices are done.
You can place these slices on whirlpool magic tawa and roast them in oven too to minimize the oil.

Serve hot with rotis and rice.

Sending this to "Only low oil or Low Calorie" event started by Pari and hosted by Priya Mitharwal.

Indian Salt Crackers (Namakpara)

2010-09-24T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This is the simplest recipe to make a nice snack which goes well with evening tea. The ingredients are few and the recipe is very easy.

Ingredients:
250 gms all purpose flour (maida)
1 tbsp salt or as per taste
1 tbsp kalaunji seeds (black carom seeds)
1 tbsp sunflower oil
oil for frying

Method:
Knead the APF along with other ingredients with little water to form a stiff dough (You can use cold water for better results).Do not forget to add 1-2 tbsp oil to the dough as it makes crispier namakpara.
Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
Make medium size balls out of the dough and roll them to a thick big chapatti.
Cut it into thin strips with a knife.Again make cuts to get diamond shaped pieces.
Fry them on low flame till golden brown. Roll another ball and repeat the steps.

Store them in an air tight container.
Enjoy with tea.

Nariyal Laddo and Paneer-Apple Kheer

2010-09-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
The coconut laddos that I made were a little experiment of mine. I bought some fresh coconut and decided to make laddos from it.They came out so well and I want to share with you the recipe. Here it is:

Makes 20 laddos

Ingredients:

300 gms fresh coconut grated
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp ghee(clarified butter)
1/2 tsp cardamom powdered
sliced almonds for garnishing

Method:
Heat ghee in a pan.
Add grated coconut and stir fry for 10 minutes.
Now add all the other ingredients except almonds and cook on low flame for another 10 minutes till all the ingredients are well mixed.
Turn off the flame and allow it to cool.
Make small laddos out of the mixture and garnish with sliced almonds.
I tried Paneer & Apple kheer from Nithu's blog and it came out so well.
Thanks Nithu for sharing this wonderful recipe.

You can find the recipe here.

I am sending the ladoo recipe to Celebrate Sweets: Laddoo event hosted by Nithu and started by Nivedita.

And the winner is....

2010-09-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hi,
I am so happy to announce the winners. The prizes are award winning cook books based on Indian cuisine:

1st Prize: 50 great curries of India by Camellia Punjabi

2nd Prize: Cooking at home with Pedatha

The first prize goes to:
Sanyukta Bayes from CA,US for bi-color patty

and the second prize goes to:
Pari Vasisht from Gurgaon, India for Yellow Lentils sheek kebab

Congratulations!!!
Please send me your addresses so that I can mail your gifts.

cheers
neha

Kids Menu event Round Up

2010-09-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Kids Menu event ended yesterday, and here is the round up. This was my first event and I was overwhelmed with the response I got. I received a total of 90 recipes from 20 different bloggers. Many recipes were really excellent and it was difficult to decide the winner. So I decided to give two prizes.

1st prize: 50 great Curries of India by Camellia Punjabi
2nd prize: Cooking at home with Pedatha

out of the best 10 recipes that I selected. The four point criteria that was used to evaluate the points were:
1) Look- recipe picture
2) Presentation- Style of writing the recipe procedure
3) Ingredients- Nutritional value and lesser use of spices
4)Uniqueness- Innovative cooking technique or ingredient

Here are the best 10 entries that I got:

1)
Bi-Color Patty by Sanyukta

2)
Spinach Pesto Pasta with Peas by Denise

3)
Drumstick Leaves and Oats Paratha by Priya

4)
Besan & Methi Leaves Paratha by Satyapaul Bangar

5)
Spinach Cottage Cheese Stuffed Buns by Satyashree

6)
Sesame Cookies by Deepa

7)
Pizza pops by Lavanya Shankar

8)
Carrot and mung dal stir fry poriyal by Krishnaveni

9)
Mixed Vegetable Noodles rolls by Pavani gunikuntla

10)

Yellow Lentils Seekh Kabab by Pari Vasisht

Thank you so much for participation and making this event a success.

Do check my next post for winner and runner up announcement.

cheers

neha

Last day for Kids Menu Event

2010-09-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,
Tomorrow, Sept. 18th is the last date for the submission of recipes for the kids menu event. Don't forget to send in your tasty and healthy recipes for the event.
send them at ver.akanksha@gmail.com along with recipe pic and your location.
The best 10 entries will be tried by me and my team [my sister in law, my hubby and my 2 yr old kid :)].
The winner will be decided on grounds of:
1) recipe procedure ease
2) availability of ingredients
3) Nutritional value
4) Taste
An exciting giveaway will be given to the winner.
Awaiting for your recipes....
happy cooking
neha

Dahi Vada (Lentil dumplings in flavored yoghurt)

2010-09-13T03:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all my readers. In this festive season, we all cook special dishes and sweets. I also prepared dahi vadas this time. These are basically south Indian but are popular all over India. These are prepared with urad dal and served with sweetened yogurt.Here is the recipe:

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Makes 10-15 vadas
Ingredients:
For the Vadas:

1.5 cup split urad dal
1/2 cup split moong dal
2 tbsp chopped cashews
1 tbsp raisins
1 green chilli
2 tsp grated ginger
salt to taste

For Garnishing:

5 cups fresh curd
2 tsp sugar
chaat masala
roasted and powdered cumin seeds
red chilli powder
black salt

For Imli Chutney:

1/2 cup tamarind
1/4 cup jaggery

Method:

Soak the lentils together in 4 cups of water or 4-5 hours.
Drain and add ginger,salt and green chilli and make a fine paste using little water.
Mix this batter vigorously by hand or by electric mixer till it becomes fluffy and whitish.
Add the cashews and raisins and mix.
Heat oil in a pan and drop 3-4 small balls of the batter. Deep fry these till golden brown.
Take some water in a deep vessel and soak the fried vadas in it for 10 minutes.
Now mix curd and sugar to get a smooth consistency.
Drop the vadas in the curd and keep in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Boil tamarind and jaggery with 1/2 cup water to make the chutney.
Serve the vadas along with chilled curd garnished with chutney,black salt,cumin powder,chilli powder and chaat masala.

Chickpeas patties (Chola tikki)

2010-09-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
We all must be knowing about aloo tikki. I tried to make tikkis in a different style using chickpeas (Kabuli chana). I recently made chola bhatura and soaked chickpeas in excess. So I reserved some of them to make this tikki.
Makes 6-8 patties
Preparation time 20 minutes
Ingredients:

for patties:

2 cups chickpeas soaked overnight and boiled
1 tbsp corn flour
salt to taste
1 tsp chopped green chilli
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder

for garnishing:

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup curd
1 tsp sugar

for imli chutney:

1/2 cup tamarind
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of salt
1 pinch of red chilli powder

Method:

To make patties:

In a bowl, mash the bolied chickpeas. Add all the other ingredients for patties and mix well.
Make small balls out of the mixture.
Take a tawa and spread a tsp of oil on it. Put the balls made above on the tawa.
Roast the balls on both sides till golden brown by pressing a little and sprinkle more oil if needed.
Keep aside on butter paper.

To make Imli Chutney:

Wash and boil tamarind in a cup of water.
Add all the other ingredients and mix well.
Turn off the flame. The chutney is ready.

Mix curd and sugar, beat well to get a smooth paste of dropping contituency. Using fresh curd will be better.

Spread curd and Imli chutney on the tikkis and garnish with chopped coriander and onion.

Serve Immediately.

Sending this to Nithu's Chickpeas event and linking this to Kiran's Future Guests Hosts post

Creamy Grilled Veg Sandwich

2010-08-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Sandwiches are most popular breakfast item. It is quick and easy to make and if it has lot of veggies, then it is healthy too. Most of us must have prepared this sandwich along with cheese. But, as the name suggests, I have used fresh cream as spread to make this sandwich. It was really yummy. Try out some time. The rich creamy vegetables melt in your mouth and the chaat masala gives it a tangy yummy taste.

Ingredients:

4-6 Bread Slices (as per your requirement..)
few tsps butter
2 tbsp fresh cream
1 tsp chaat masala
salt to taste
4-6 cucumber slices
4-6 capsicum slices
4-6 tomato slices
4-6 onion slices

Method:

Take a bread slice and spread a tsp of fresh cream on it.
Place 1-2 slices of tomato,onion,cucumber and capsicum
Sprinkle some chaat masala and salt over them
On another bread slice,apply some cream and cover the first one with plain face on top
Grill the sandwich on low flame for 10 minutes so that the vegetables inside get slightly cooked
You can apply butter on outside so that it gets grilled properly.

Enjoy with tea and Tomato Sauce.

Kanda Poha

2010-08-27T02:23:00.000-07:00

Its a favorite breakfast option in Maharashtra. Onion is called "kanda" in Maharashtra, that'ts why the name. It is low in calories and quite easy to make. Most of us might be well aware of the recipe.
Serves 2-3
Preparation time 15 minutes
Ingredients:

Thick Poha (beaten rice)- 2 cups
Onions - 2 large
Green Chilli - 1
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Rai (Brown Mustard seeds) - 1 tbsp
curry leaves - 7-8
salt - to taste
sugar - a pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
roasted peanuts - 1/2 cup
oil - 1 tbsp
namkeen sev - 1/2 cup for garnishing

Method:

Wash the poha and drain water. Add turmeric and mix well. Keep aside for few minutes.
Chop the onions and green chillies.In a kadai, heat oil. Add the rai seeds. When they start spluttering, add curry leaves and green chilli.
Stir for few seconds. Add chopped onions,salt and sugar. Fry till golden.
Now add the soaaked poha,peanuts and lemon juice. Mix well.
Turn off the flame and garnish with tomato sauce and sev.

Sindhi Dal Pakwan

2010-08-24T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I came to know about this recipe from a popular TV show " Kitchen Champion" which comes on Colors channel. It sounded easy to make and so I tried it and the results were great.
Here is the recipe:
Serves 2-3
For Pakwan:
1 cup all purpose flour (maida)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cushed cumin seeds
1/2 tsp crushed carom seeds (ajwain)
For Dal:
1/2 cup chana dal (split bengal gram lentil)
1 tomato chopped
1 onion chopped
2 cloves
2 cardamom
1" cinnamom stick
1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
2 tsp ginger,garlic and green chilly paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
chopped coriander for garnishing

Method:
For making pakwan:
Knead the dough along with all the ingredients under pakwan and make a stiff dough. Keep covered for 10 minutes. Roll them into small thick circles and make holes in them with a fork. Deep fry these poris till crisp and golden.
For making dal:
Pressure cook dal with 2 cups water and haldi.
In a kadai, take ghee and add cinnamon,cloves,cardaom. When they crackle, add chopped onion aand fry till golden brown. Now add chopped tomato,salt cumin and coriander powder,garam masala,red chilli powder,ginger garlic and green chilly paste and fry till the oil oozes out.
Finally add the cooked dal and simmer for 2 minutes.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with the pakwans.

Sending this to Bookmarked Recipes Every Tuesday Event hosted by Priya Mitharwal.

Punjabi Kadhi (Indian Yogurt Curry with chickpea flour)

2010-08-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

The curry gravy is made with yogurt and thickened with chickpea flour.Pakoras(dumplings) are added and it pairs beautifully with steamed rice or khitchri. It is a traditional recipe of North India.

Light enough for children, it has nutrients like Vitamin A,Vitamin C,Calcium and Iron.

I followed the recipe as my mother taught me years ago but this time decided to make kadhi in a more prefessional style. Shobha Indani's book is a good one to start with and the results were great. Here is the recipe:

For Pakodas:

1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp green chillis (omit if making for kids)
1 tsp oil
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

For the gravy:

Thick sour curd 1and1/2 cup
Besan 1/4 cup
salt to taste
sugar to taste
haldi (turmeric powder) 1/4 tsp
Ghee (clarified butter) 2 tbsp
Rai-hing (mustard seeds and asafoetida)for tempering
Methi dana (fenugreek seeds) 5-6
Cloves and cardamom 2 each
whole dry red chillies 2 (omit if preparing for kids)
grated ginger 1 tsp
curry leaves 5-6
chopped coriander 2 tbsp

Method:

Making the Gravy

1. Combine besan,curd,salt,sugar and haldi along with 2 cups water. Mix well to get a smooth paste.

2. Heat ghee in a deep pan and add the tempering. When it starts crackling, add methi seeds,cloves,cardamom,red chilly,ginger and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds.

3. Add the curd paste and stir continuously till it starts boiling.

4. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Making Pakodas:

1. In a bowl, mix besan,onion,salt,chopped green chilli and 1 tsp oil.

2. Make a batter of dropping constituency adding enough water.

3. Whip it well and deep fry making small pakodas from this batter in hot oil.

4. Add these pakodas in boiling gravy and simmer for 2 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.

Sending this to my event Kids Menu and Suma's event Side Dishes from India and to MLLA # 26 hosted by Briciole and started by Susan.

Flat Green Beans sabji and Event Announcement

2010-08-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Its very difficult for most of the mothers to decide what to cook for their children. It should be healthy and tasty too. There are many packaged foods available in the market, like jam,soups,noodles, etc but home made food is fresh and does not have any preservatives.

It could be great if there could be a weekly menu decided for the children. We all know that proper nutritional diet is so important for the development of child's mind and body. Iron deficiency in food could lead to mental weakness and anemia ; lack of vitamin C in food could cause your children to get frequent cold and cough.

That's why I decided to announce this event so that we could have a good collection of recipes that we can give to small children in the age range 1-10 yrs.

You can mail your recipes to ver.akanksha@gmail.com, with the subject "Kids menu event".
Include:
your name,
recipe url ,
your location
and picture of the recipe in your mail.

Here are some rules for the event;
1) recipe should be suitable for kids in the age range 1-10 yrs
2) you have to include the nutritional information of the dish. No need to write exact calories but you can give an idea of the main nutrients it contains
3)vegetarian recipes and egg is okay but non veg recipe is not okay
4)you can mail multiple entries
5)home made medicines for cold,cough,stomach ache etc are also welcome
6)Please include the logo and event announcement link to your post

EVERY RECIPE WILL BE TRIED AND REPOSTED HERE...
The winner will be decided on grounds of recipe procedure ease and nutritional value and taste.An exciting gveaway will be given to the winner.

I try to incorporate green vegetables in daily diet and here is one such recipe of flat green beans (called "sem" in hindi). It is rich in fiber and protiens and children can have it too if you have not added green chilli to it.

Ingredients:
1 cup flat green beans chopped
1/2 cup potatoes chopped
1/4 cup green peas boiled (optional)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of asaoetida powder(hing)
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 green chilli chopped
1 tbsp oil
Method:
Heat oil in a kadai.
Add fenugreek seeds,hing and green chilli. Let them splutter.
Now add the vegetables and green peas. Add turmeric and salt. Mix well and cover.
After 5 minutes, remove lid and stir. Cover again and cook on low flame till vegetables are tender.
Keep stirring in between to avoid burning.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with dal,rotis and rice.

Matar Paneer and Poori Bhaji

2010-08-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I made matar paneer today at dinner and it turned out great...I used to make it earlier but could not get the taste as in restaurants. So I followed a recipe book by Mrs Indani and it was simply mouthwatering :)..In the breakfast; time was limited, so I boiled some potatoes and made bhaji which we had along with chappatis as my hubby is very particular with oil and he hates pooris.

potato bhaji

I got the wonderful recipe for potato bhaji from Jay's blog. You can get the recipe here. Her blog has many delightful recipes.

Here is how I prepared Matar Paneer:

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup green peas boiled
1 cup paneer cubes deep fried
for the paste:
2 lage onions chopped
1 large tomato chopped
4-6 garlic cloves
2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
2 tbsp curd
2 tsp grated ginger
1-2 green chillis
10-12 cashew nuts
for the gravy:
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup fresh cream

Method:
Make the paste and keep aside.
In a kadai, heat oil. Add the paste and fry till oil oozes out. Add all the masala powders and fry for a minute. Now add fresh cream and 1 cup water. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and add fried paneer cubes and green peas.
garnish with raisins and serve with rotis or rice.

I am sending this to Jay's Letz Relishh event and Divya's Show me your Curry event.

Pumpkin stir fry/ kaddu ki sabji

2010-08-08T01:12:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Pumpkin can be cooked in many ways. In south India, it is mostly added in sambhar. This vegetable is rarely seen in the menu for parties. Though it can be used in making great sweets like "petha".
Serves 2
Ingredients
250 gms pumpkin cut in 1" pieces along with the skin
1 potato(optional)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin seeds
3-4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of hing(asafoetida)
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp amchur powder
2 tbsp oil for cooking
Method:
In kadai, heat the oil. Add cumin seeds,bay leaf and hing powder. Add the garlic cloves and stir for few seconds. Now add the pumpkin and mix well. Cover the lid and lower the flame.
Now add salt,garam masala,turmeric,coriander powder,red chilli and cover again for few minutes.
Lastly add the amchur powder and cook in open till the pumkin is tender.
Serve with rotis and rice.

Dhania Aloo

2010-08-05T21:25:00.000-07:00

Last time when I went to buy the vegetables for the week, the vendor gave me a big bunch of coriander leaves and I was wondering how to utilize them before they get spoilt.
I was talking to my sister in law once and she gave me the idea to cook dhania aloo. I have never tried it but decided to give it a try..the results were good and I will make it again for sure. Here is how I made it:
Serves 3-4
Preparation Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 potatoes (medium sized) boiled
1 bunch (2 cups) of fresh coriander leaves washed and chopped
2 tbsp cooking oil
a pinch of turmeric powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 green chilli
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp lime juice

Method:

Peel the boiled potatoes and cut them in bite size pieces.
Grind coriander leaves along with little salt,green chilli and ginger. Add some water to get a smooth paste.
In a kadai, heat oil. Add coriander powder,turmeric powder and salt. Stir for few seconds.
Now add the coriander paste and fry till the water evaporates.
Add diced potatoes,garam masala and lime juice. Mix well and turn off the flame
Serve with puris or parathas.

Onion paratha

2010-08-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is a dish which can be a quick and tasty breakfast on a sunday if you are bored with bread and butter.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat flour
1 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp kalaunji seeds

1 onion shredded

1 green chilli chopped

coriander leaves chopped

salt to taste

2 tsp kasuri methi

Method:

Mix all the ingredients with 1 tbsp melted butter and knead into a dough with water.

Make small balls out of it and roll into thick rotis.

Fry on a pan applying oil on both sides.

your paratha is ready...you can have it with tea and pickles.

Tindora sabji / Ivygourd stir fry

2010-08-03T03:58:00.000-07:00

Whenever I used to make tindoras at home, it either got burned or remained somewhat raw...so I decided to follow a recipe before making it.. Sailus Kitchen is one of the food blogs that I read religiously and as soon as I found this recipe on the site, I bookmarked it and whenever I make tindoras, I follow it line by line. The sabji no doubt turned out to be very good indeed.
Here is how I made it:
Ingredients:
200 gms fresh tindoras slit finely lengthwise or in circles
1 red chilli or 1/2 tsp red chili powder (adjust it as per your spice level)
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder or whole garam masala (1 bay leaf,1clove,1cardamom,1/2 inch cinnamon)
salt as per taste
1 tbsp lime juice or 1 tsp dry mango powder(amchur powder)

Method:
In a kadai, heat the oil. When it is hot, add cumin seeds,whole garam masala,red chilli and asafoetida powder. when the aroma fills the kitchen, immediately add tindoras and cover. Keep the flame to high. Covering immediately after adding vegetables to the roasted cumin seeds and masala, allows the flavors to blend well as the smoke cannot escape.
After few minutes, lower the flame and remove the lid. Stir and add salt and turmeric. Cover and cook,stirring in between.
After about 10 minutes, you can see that the tindoras have changed color and lost their moisture.
Stirring is very important here to avoid burning.
Add the garam masala and red chilli (if you are using powder form of them) along with dry mango powder or lime juice.
Serve with rotis or rice.
This goes to Priya's wonderful event Bookmarked Recipes - Every Tuesday Event-3rd Aug,2010

Mushroom and Capsicum Masala

2010-07-31T04:17:00.000-07:00

I bought some button mushrooms yesterday and decided to make this side dish which goes well with chapattis and rice.

Sadhu Vaswani

I got hold of a book of recipes while I was in Pune and it had some exotic vegetarian recipes. It is called "Simply Vegetarian" and it was being sold in one of the Sadhu Vasvani's functions. He used to promote vegetarian food and this book have the recipes which present vegetarian food in interesting and healthy style.

Book compiled by "Anokhi Anjali" Bangalore

Mushrooms are not frequently made in our family. I bought it though because the recipe was interesting and simple to try out. Also I was looking for a slight change in the menu.

Everyone liked it very much and I shared it with my neighbor too. She liked it so much that she decided to make it every time she has mushrooms and capsicum :)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

200 gms mushroom quartered
1 capsicum cubed
1 green chilli chopped
3 onions finely chopped
2 tomatoes, pureed
2 tbsp fresh cream
4 tbsp oil

Dry Masalas:

10-15 cashew nuts, powdered
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Fry 1/2 the quantity of onions and tomatoes.
Add all the dry masalas and salt and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes. Keep aside.
In another pan, heat the remaining oil and sauté the remaining onions and tomatoes.
Keep stirring till the onions are soft. then add the green chilli, mushroom, capsicum and salt and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add to this the onion and tomato mixture kept aside.
Add fresh cream. If the gravy is too thick then add some milk.

*Garnish with coriander leaves

The versatile blogger award

2010-07-30T02:26:00.000-07:00

Thanks sadhna for passing on this award to me...you are doing a great job at cooking and wishing you all the best for your future...
I guess this award is for bloggers who write a range of posts covering different areas..I like to pass on this award to one blog which is very informative and diverse in its topics..
From My Kitchen by Sanjeev Kapoor
He is really a genius in cooking and the posts are really helpful with many good recipes...

Bangalore and its spicy food

2010-07-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

I have recently relocated to Bangalore and there is cloudy here most of the time....I have to survive a week here without LPG cooking gas...I bought a small stove and it was really helpful. With only one stove, I have to prepare food in time..so I tried to reduce the cooking time by making pre arrangements like:
1) soaking rice and lentils in water at least half an hour before cooking
2)boiling the vegetables in a cooker before making sabji so that I don't have to wait for them to get tender in a kadai (I bolied cauliflower,cabbage,potatoes,carrots before cooking them).

The reason that I bought a stove here was that the outside food here is too spicy...the dal,sambhar,rice,rasam,sabji everything has lot of masalas in them that my stomach got upset and so I have to resort to home made food..
I got to know that it is essential to take lot of curd here so that your stomach can survive this much spices...I will remember that while I am eating outside here in Bangalore :D

Sattu bhara Paatha

2010-07-21T22:08:00.001-07:00

This is a traditional dish of north India as the sattu is very particular to that place....not many people may be familiar with it.Basically the sattu mixture is filled in balls and roasted which is called as Daal Bati, a popular dish of Bihar. But here I will make parathas out of the sattu mixture as it is much easier and less time consuming.

Serves 4 (8 parathas)

Ingredients:

For the filling:

100 gms Roasted chana (chick peas) grinded to powder.

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 green chilli chopped

some chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp mustard oil

Salt to taste

1 tbsp red chilli achaar masala ( you can take any achaar preferably red chilli achaar and take out some of its filling)

1 lime juice

1 small onion chopped

1 tsp kalaunji seeds

For Dough:

3 cups wheat flour

oil to fry

Method:

knead the flour with water into a not too soft dough (medium tight consistency, use cold water for better results)

Mix all the ingredients for the filling, add some water to the mixture so that it mixes well but remains in semi powder form.

Now make small balls out of the dough and fill the mixture into it and roll them with light hand.

Fry them on a tava applying oil on both sides.

The delicious parathas are ready. Serve with Tea and achaar or baigan bharta.

Need Some Tips

2010-07-19T22:31:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,
I have been cooking for few years now but still I keep thinking of ways to improve and make cooking easy. I need your help in some areas where I don't have much ideas...

1) We store the dough in refrigerator when not in use, as such it becomes hard and is not suitable to make good chapatis, so how to make soft rotis out of the dough which is just taken out from the fridge...I know we can allow it to rest sometime, but what if we don't have time?

2) How many times we can reuse the oil. The oil which has been used for deep frying is left and is it safe to use it in cooking again?

3)What if the rice has been cooked but the grains are somewhat hard, can we cook it again to make it soft?

4)I have prepared tea many times, but it comes out different most of the times, the reason is I don't measure the ingredient amount everytime I prepare tea. I wanted to know the technique of making filter tea which they give it in market..it tastes so good and I can't get that taste at home..

5) Can we prepare tandoori rotis at home without the tandoors? and nans?

6) Can we adjust the masalas in a sabji which is already cooked? I remember making parwal (pointed gourd) and the sabji turned out average as I have not added enough oil and spices.

7) How to avoid tears while cutting onions ?

Take care till next post..

Aloo Gobhi ki sabji

2010-07-14T04:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends,

I am missing home made food here..earlier I used to think that it will be a wish come true for me to get multi cuisine items in the menu but now I miss that "ghar ka khana". I have learnt this sabji from my mother in law who cook simply but the taste is such that you can eat 3-4 chapattis in one go. I made this sabji without adding garam masala because it overshadows the taste of the vegetables. Here is the recipe:

Serves 2

Preparation time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup cauliflower florets

1/2 cup potatoes

1 green chili chopped

2-3 garlic cloves chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

Dry masalas:

salt as per taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tbsp mustard oil for cooking

Method:

The secret of making a good cauliflower sabji is how much time you give them to cook nicely before adding water.also its always better to shallow fry them with little oil and salt before adding them to the masalas.Cauliflower starts giving a distinguished aroma when it is fried.

Coming back to the recipe:

In a pan,take 1 tbsp oil. Add the vegetables along with a pinch of salt and fry till golden. Keep aside.

Take 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and asafoetida powder. After few seconds, add green chili and chopped garlic. When they turn slightly red, add the onions and sauté till golden brown.

Now add the tomatoes and cook till they are mushy. Add all the dry masalas and mix in the fried vegetables.

Now let them blend by covering for 5-10 minutes and stirring in between (This is the most important step as otherwise the sabji will taste raw).

Now add 1/2 a cup of water and close the lid of the cooker. Turn the flame to high and wait till one whistle. Turn the flame to low and cook for 1 more whistle.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Notes:

This post is mostly for beginners who want to know how to cook cauliflower

There is no fancy technique or ingredients in this recipe but the taste is good

You can omit the step for frying the vegetables

I was taught this recipe by my mother in law just after marriage

5 star menu at Ginger Hotel,Bangalore

2010-07-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

The square meal restaurant at Ginger Hotel

Hi all,

I recently relocated to Bangalore and staying at Ginger Hotel in Whitefield area, Bangalore. The Buffets offered here were really awesome and have a range of dishes. I am wondering as to how they make such good food :0.Here are the names of some dishes that I really wanted to know how to make them, so any one with the recipe please do share...

Breakfast options:
1) Chutney Idli (green colored idli, tasted somewhat like mint idli)
2) Semia bath (looked like namkeen semolina)
Main Course:
1) cauliflower 65
2) Veg jalfrezi
3) Green Pepper soup
4) Dal Lasooni
5) Veg kofta
6) methi matar malai
7) shanghai rice
8) Khimchi Salad
Desserts:
1) Carrot kheer
2) Pumpkin Halwa
oops I'm forgetting some names.. :( Next time I will write them before eating :D

Home Made Samosas

2010-07-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Back to blogging from a weekend . I was thinking to make samosas at home because outside ones are too spicy sometimes that your stomach gets upset after eating them. But I love them and so I tried and also this corresponds to my blog theme "Home Made Food" :)
Makes 6-8 samosas
For the outer covering:
2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the filling:
3 large potatoes boiled and mashed
1/2 cup green peas boiled (optional)
1 tsp ginger grated
1 tsp green chili paste
2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/2 tsp amchur powder
salt as per taste
1 tsp rai seeds
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp oil
Method:
Knead all the items together under the heading "for the outer covering" to a firm dough. Use cold water for better results.Keep aside covered for 10 minutes
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the rai seeds and let them splutter. Add the ginger and green chili paste and stir for few seconds. Now add the mashed potatoes and boiled green peas. Add cumin-coriander powder,salt, garam masala, amchur powder and lemon juice.Mix well.Turn off the gas.
Take a small portion of the dough and roll into a thick 2" dia circle (slight oblong shape). Cut it from the middle to get two semi circles. Take one of them in hand and form a cone out of it by rolling it from the straight edge. Stick the two ends by pressing gently.
Now fill 2 tsp of the filling inside this cone and close it like an envelope.
Repeat this for as many samosas you want to make. Deep fry these cones till slight golden and keep on oil absorbent paper.
The samosas are ready. Serve them with pudina chutney or tomato sauce.

Capsicum and Potato with Curd

2010-07-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of changing the way to cook capsicum and potato sabji. I found some curd resting in the fridge, so decided to make this dish. The results were good.

Serves 2

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 capsicum chopped

1 potato chopped

1/2 cup curd

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

5-6 cashews (crush them to coarse powder)

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp green chili paste

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

salt as per taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil

Method:

In a pan, heat oil. Fry the onion and tomatoes. Add ginger,garlic and green chili paste. Sauté for few minutes. Add salt,turmeric,cumin and coriander powder along with cashew powder. Mix the potatoes and capsicum and cover and cook for 10 minutes.When the vegetables are tender, add the garam masala and curd. Cook for few more minutes.

Serve with rice or rotis.

Pav Bhaji

2010-07-07T22:51:00.000-07:00

Very famous snack in Maharashtra, the bhaji contains lot of veggies and is therefore healthy. I had it outside 2-3 times and then I tried it at home from the recipe book by Shobha Indani...I made it on Sunday morning as breakfast and my family liked it very much...here is the recipe-
Preparation Time 30 minutes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 cup potatoes chopped
1/2 cup cauliflower chopped
1/4 cup chopped capsicum
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup fresh green peas
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1 tsp amchur (dry mango) powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp kasoori methi
1/4 tsp black salt
2-3 tbsp butter
1 cup tomato puree
For the Paste:
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp grated ginger
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped coriander
For garnishing:
Butter,chopped coriander,chopped onion and lemon juice
Method:
Prepare the paste by blending all the ingredients under paste.
Pressure cook all the veggies with a cup of water till 1 whistle. Turn off the flame and keep aside. When the pressure escapes, mash the veggies.
In a kadai, heat the oil. Add the paste and saute it till oil starts oozing out. Add chili powder,amchur powder haldi, dhania-jeera powder, kasoori methi, garam masala, black salt, normal salt, butter and tomato puree.
Fry till oil separates from the masala. Now add the mashed vegetables and some water to get desired consistency. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Slit the pav from the middle and roast them on a tawa applying butter on both sides.
While serving, put some butter or grated cheese on the bhaji and sprinkle some chopped coriander.
Have hot bhaji with pavs along with onions and lemon juice.
Recipe adopted from Shobha Indani's book "Swad Sugandh".

Hariyali Pulao

2010-07-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Yesterday for dinner, I made rice as I was feeling lazy to knead the dough and cook chappatis. I have few mixed vegetable varieties in my refrigerator so I used them to make this green pulao. It came out like very close to Biryani.
Preparation Time 20 mins
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups chopped vegetables(potato,cauliflower,spring onion,capsicum, French beans etc)
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup mint leaves
1 tomato chopped
1 green chili
1 onion chopped
5-6 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger grated
7-8 cashews
1" cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 green cardamom
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt as per taste
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/2 cup fresh cream
2 tbsp olive oil
Method:
In a vessel, wash the rice and add 2 cups of water and whole garam masala to it (bay leaves,cinnamon,cardamom,cloves) cook till 90 % done. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes. On a tray,spread the rice and poke it with fork to let out the steam. Remove the bay leaves,cloves,cardamom and cinnamon.
Blend the tomatoes,green chili,garlic,ginger,coriander leaves,mint leaves and cashews along with lemon juice to get a fine paste.
In a kadai, add oil. Fry the onions till brownish. Now add the coriander-tomato paste. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes stirring in between. To this, add the dry masalas (jeera-dhania powder,salt,garam masala). Fry on low flame for one more minute. Add the cream and let it cook for a minute. Now add the chopped vegetables and cook till they are somewhat tender. You can cover the kadai and let them cook or you can parboil them to reduce the time of cooking. Add the rice and mix gently. Cook for few more minutes.
Serve hot with curd and pickles with a dollop of ghee on it.

Need Recipe

2010-07-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Can anyone share the recipe for the above vegetable..I am completely confused as to what this is called and how to make it. These are amply available here in Maharashtra..but we found them less in North India where I belong.

Potato and Okra Stir Fry

2010-07-05T23:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Yet another recipe from my kitchen..basically my mother used to prepare lady's finger in this way for lunch along with dal, chapatis and rice. It was really yummy. Last week has been to spicy and hectic for me as I have cooked Chinese food, so this week I am trying to cook tasty but simple recipes. Its like "Simple ghar ka khana" and outside food cannot substitute it as it is cooked with all your heart and soul in it.
Preparation Time 20 mins
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
2 cups bhindi (lady's finger) chopped finely
1 cup potato chopped finely
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
a pinch of asafoetida powder
1 green chili chopped (or 1 tsp red chili powder, I personally do not use red chili powder)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
salt as per taste
pepper powder as per taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp amchur (Dry Mango Powder)
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
few coriander leaves for garnishing
2 tbsp mustard oil
Method:
In a kadai, heat 2 tbsp mustard oil. Add methi seeds and hing along with green chili. When the aroma fills the kitchen, add the chopped bhindi and potatoes.Sprinkle in the turmeric powder and salt and cover it for 10 minutes and cook on low flame. When you remove the lid, you can see that the bhindi has become somewhat tender and changed color. Now add the cumin powder, coriander powder, amchur, pepper powder and garam masala. Mix gently and stir fry without covering for another 10 minutes.
* Remember to chop the potatoes finely otherwise they will take too long to get tender as amchur powder is present too.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Ridge Gourd Peels sabji

2010-07-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all, I am good and there is no back pain now.Thanks for everybody's concern. I have got so many friends :)

This post I am sending to Nithu's "Best out of Waste event".This green sabzi is very easy and quick to prepare. It tastes awesome with steamed rice and the green peels are rich in iron and fiber too. Here goes the recipe:

Serves 2-3

Preparation time 10 minutes [excluding the peels chopping time :)]

Ingredients:

2 cups ridge gourd peels chopped finely (Wash them thoroughly before chopping)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 green chili chopped

a pinch of asafoetida powder

a pinch of turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 tbsp mustard oil

Method:

In a kadai, add the oil. When it is hot, drop in the cumin seeds and asafoetida powder. Stir and mix in the chopped green chili. When the chilis are roasted, add the chopped ridge gourd peels and sprinkle the salt and turmeric powder. Mix well and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring in between.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Crispy Vegetables in Hot Garlic Sauce

2010-07-02T01:07:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
As I promised, here is the recipe for Veg Crispy in garlic sauce.
This week has been Chinese week for me.
I remember going to the market on Monday this week and buying all the veggies and other ingredients required for preparing Chinese food. There is a small market nearby my house and me and my kid went walking all the way.
But while coming back from there, my one year old kid insisted to get carried on my arms and I have to carry both the heavy backpack and my kid all over myself (My kid has a weight of 12 kilos and backpack must be of 5 kilos at least).
By the time I reached home, I was really exhausted and after a day, my back started paining badly :(
But all this effort was worth it for the yummy Chinese food..he he.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For crispy Vegetables:
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup carrot cut in thick slices
1/2 cup capsicum cut in 1' squares
1/2 cup cabbage slice thickly
1/2 cup maida (all purpose flour)
1/4 cup corn flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper powder
For the sauce:
1 green chili chopped
5-6 garlic cloves chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 cup spring onion whites
a tbsp of spring onion greens for garnishing
1 tbsp chili garlic paste ( see below for the method to prepare this paste)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1.5 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
a pinch of ajinomoto
a pinch of sugar
salt to taste
pepper powder to taste
Method for preparing the chili garlic paste:
20 garlic cloves
10 dried red chilis
3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp salt
a pinch of ajinomoto
2 tbsp white Vinegar
In a vessel, take a cup of water and boil the red chilis in it till tender. Drain and blend it along with garlic and ginger to a smooth paste. In a pan, heat the oil. Add the paste and fry for 5-10 minutes. Now add ajinomoto and salt and fry for a minute. At last, add the vinegar and turn off the gas. Allow to cool and store in an air tight container. You can store it in a refrigerator for 1 month.
Method for preparing crispy vegetables:
Take a bowl and mix maida,corn flour,pepper and salt. Add water to get a thick paste. Dip vegetable pieces in this paste one by one and deep fry them till crisp and golden. Keep aside on an oil absorbent paper.
Method for preparing the Sauce:
In a pan, heat oil. Add chopped garlic,green chilis,ginger,spring onion whites and ajinomoto. Stir on high flame for few seconds. Now add the salt,sugar,pepper powder,chili garlic paste,soy sauce and tomato sauce.Add the corn flour solution and bring it to boil.
Before serving, spread the sauce on crisp vegetables and garnish with spring onion greens.

Chinese Veg Fried Rice

2010-07-01T02:34:00.001-07:00

I have been trying my hands on Chinese cooking these days as I love Chinese food and really want to know how it is cooked. I have already shared with you the veg Manchurian and today I am going to share with you veg fried rice. I am still a beginner in cooking Chinese food and so I tried to follow a recipe book by Shobha Indani. The dish turned out to be really yummy.
Preparation time 30 minutes
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 cup of chopped vegetables(cauliflower,carrots,french beans,capsicum etc.)
1/2 cup spring onion whites
1/2cup spring onion greens
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp oil
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of ajinomoto
salt and pepper powder to taste
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp chili sauce
2 tsp white vinegar
Method:
Wash the rice 2-3 times. Add to cups water and cook in open pan till 90% done. Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes. Now spread the rice on a large tray and poke it with fork a few times.
In a kadai, heat the oil. Add garlic,ginger,ajinomoto,sugar,spring onion whites and stir on high flame for 1 minute. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for 5 minutes(till they are somewhat soft)
Add the rice,salt,pepper powder,soya sauce,chili sauce, vinegar and spring onion greens. Mix gently and cook for 2 more minutes.
Serve hot.

The picture shows Veg fried rice with "Crispy vegetables in hot garlic sauce", which I will share in a later post.

Veg Manchurian

2010-06-30T04:01:00.000-07:00

Chinese food has become very popular in India. It is an integral part of every weddings and celebration menu.
Veg Manchurian is healthy too as it has finely cut vegetables which are not over cooked. I decided to make it at home by following a book called "Swad Sugandh" by Shobha Indani and the result was very nice. Here is the recipe:
Serves 4
Preparation Time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Manchurian balls-
Grated cabbage-1 cup
Grated Carrot-1/2 cup
Chopped Onion-1/4 cup
Finely chopped green chilies-2 tbsp (deseed them if you require less spicy)
salt to taste
pepper powder to taste
maida(all purpose flour)-3 tbsp
corn flour-2 tbsp
soda bicarb- a pinch
oil 2 tsp
oil for deep frying
For Gravy-
2 tbsp oil
chopped garlic 1 tbsp
grated ginger 2 tsp
chopped green chilies 2 tsp
chopped spring onion whites 1/4 cup
ajinomoto a pinch
1 cup water
soy sauce 1 tbsp
tomato sauce 1 tbsp
salt to taste
sugar to taste
pepper powder to taste
1 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
vinegar 2 tsp
chopped spring onion greens 1/4 cup
Method:
1. For the balls: Squeeze out excess water out of grated cabbage and carrot. Add remaining ingredients for the Manchurian balls and mix well. Make small balls out of the mixture and deep fry them. Keep aside on oil absorbent paper.
2. For the Sauce: Heat the oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and grated ginger along with spring onion whites and green chilies. Stir on high flame for few seconds. Sprinkle a pinch of ajinomoto and sauté for few more seconds. Add soy sauce,tomato sauce,salt,sugar,pepper powder with a cup of water. When it comes to a boil, add the corn flour paste and cook stirring continuously till the sauce thickens. Now add the Manchurian balls,vinegar and spring onion greens. Simmer for 2 more minutes.
Serve hot with Chinese Fried rice.

Gulab jamun

2010-06-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

Serving tasty dessert to guests after a meal is mandatory as it reflects the hospitality of the hosts. You can buy them from the market or you can make some at home. It is nice to make some at home during festivals.It could be easy if we follow the right procedure and some tricks.
Makes 18-20 gulab jamuns
Ingredients:
mawa or khoya (Ricotta Cheese) 250 gms
Maida(All purpose flour) 50 gms
soda bi carb 1/2 tsp
Ghee or Refined oil for deep frying
For the sugar syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
cardamom powder 1 tsp
Method:
To make sugar syrup: Add water in a pan and add sugar. Bring it to a boil. Keep cooking till all the sugar melts and the liquid thickens. Mix cardamom powder and switch off the gas.

Mix mawa,maida,soda together along with some milk to form a soft dough. Divide it into 20 smooth balls. Deep fry these balls in on a very low flame till they are dark brown. You can lift the pan and rotate it gently to turn the balls without stirring them.
Transfer them to warm sugar syrup and let them soak for an hour at least.Serve warm.

*You can fill crushed nuts like cashews,almonds and pistachios inside the balls.
*Before frying the balls, take small piece of the dough and drop it in oil, if it breaks, add some more maida to the dough, if its too hard, add some ghee and water to the dough.

Dal Tadka: Hotel style

2010-06-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

No lunch is complete without dal chawal..If you have kids at home, then you have to cook it daily atleast once so that your child gets a good dose of carbs and protein in her diet. Recently I was reading about how to cook in restaurant style. There was always a difference between home made food and outside food. I am trying to bridge the gap between the two. This is one such post.
Serves 4-6
Preparation time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup moong dal or toor dal
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp grated ginger
5-6 garlic cloves
1 tsp chopped green chili
1/4 tsp Hing (asafoetida powder)
1/4 tsp Haldi (turmeric powder)
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
For tempering:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp butter or desi ghee
Method:
Wash the dal in a pressure cooker. Add chopped onions,green chili,garlic,ginger,haldi and hing. Add 3 cups of water and cook the dal. When the dal is cooked, mash it a little and add salt and garam masala.
In a pan. heat butter, add jeera and hing. When they splutter, add dal from a little height. Keep the flame on high. This will cause the surface oil to catch fire(flambeing) and gives extra taste to the dal.This is done immediately before serving.
Garnish with fried onion rings and chopped tomatoes.

I have tried this recipe from Shobha Indani's book "Swad Sugandh".

Food for Diabetics: Bottle gourd Curry

2010-06-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
I got inspired in writing this post because I really feel that the type 2 diabetic patients have a hard time choosing their daily menu items. My mother is a diabetic patient and whenever I was at home I used to cook for her. She used to have a meal low on carbs and oil. She has to be extremely cautious in the amount of food she takes. Also she has to keep munching every hour so that the sugar levels do not drop too much. If that happens then it may lead to faintness.
Diabetic patients are recommended to eat bottle gourd in lots of quantities. So here is one such recipe. It is very tasty too and a normal person like you and me can try it if you want a break from spicy food.
Preparation Time 15 mins
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 medium size bottle gourd
1 big tomato chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chili chopped
a pinch of asafoetida powder
Method:
Peel and wash the bottle gourd. Chop it in fine pieces. In a pressure cooker, add a tbsp of oil. Add the cumin seeds and green chilli. When they splutter, add asafoetida. After few seconds, add the chopped tomatoes. Fry till they are tender. Now add the bottle gourd along with turmeric and salt. Stir and cook in open for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the cumin powder and stir.Add a cup of water and close the lid. Cook on high flame for 1 whistle. Lower the flame and cook for 2 more whistles.
Turn off the flame and let the pressure escape on its own. Lightly mash the cooked vegetable and serve hot with dal and rotis.

Best out of minimum: Some Instant recipes

2010-06-25T02:56:00.000-07:00

In my cooking experience, I have encountered some moments where I have limited resources and time to prepare a good meal or breakfast.Sometimes you are run out of vegetables and few ingredients and there is no time to rush to the market. Although most of us have the privilege to order the items on phone, but sometimes it could be late at night when this option won't work. Also if you have a house with kids and old people, you can not go out and eat every time you feel hungry. So lets see what are the minimum ingredients through which you can prepare a great meal or a delicious snack:

wheat flour

Gram flour(besan)

rice grain

lentils(red gram lentil or toor dal is always in stock in most of the Indian homes)

bread

cheese slice/butter

tomatoes

potatoes,onions (these we always have in stock)

salt,sugar,pepper powder

semolina(suji or rava)

curd

Option 1: Potato Curry

This could be made with tomatoes and onions quickly in a pressure cooker. Chop all of them and keep aside. Drop some oil in the cooker and put in cumin seeds and green chili. Add the onions and saute them. Add tomatoes and cook for a minute. Now add coriander powder,turmeric and salt along with potatoes. Stir fry for few minutes. Add water and cook for 2 whisles. The curry is ready. You have to take the quantities according to the servings.

Option 2: Aloo Paratha

Most of us know the recipe :)

Option 3: Idli

In a bowl, take a cup of semolina, add equal amount of curd and a tsp of eno powder with some salt. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Steam cook in a cooker without applying whistle for 15 minutes. Temper with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Option 4:Cheese Tomato Sandwich

Take a bread slice and keep one cheese slice on it. Cut a tomato in rings and put 2 of them on a bread slice. Sprinkle some pepper powder and close the sandwich. Grill and serve with tomato sauce.

Option 5:Potato Sandwich

well known recipe :)

Option 6: Pakodas or Bhajiya

You can make bhajiyas with onions or with Bread.

I make the besan paste with salt,red chili powder and some garlic paste. You can make it more complicated if you have the ingredients.

Option 7: Fried Rice

You can use the left over rice or you can cook some. Heat some oil in a pan and add onions. Fry them and add tomatoes with salt. Add some garam masala and chili powder for nice flavor.Add rice and fry for few minutes. Serve with pickles.

Well this post is becoming too long..I will add more in this series in my next post.

Enjoy your weekend till then!

Shahi Paneer

2010-06-24T02:45:00.000-07:00

Hi,

All of us must have tasted this curry in India in celebrations or parties.This curry has paneer in rich cashew sauce. It is very delicious and has some sweet taste. Although I like it in non sweet form. It taste awesome with nan or tandoori rotis. Give it a try :)

Serves 4

Preparation time 40 minutes

Ingredients:

250 gms fresh Paneer cut in triangles

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup cashews

1 cup whole milk

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2-3 bay leaves

1/4 inch cinnamon stick

2 cloves

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 onion chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the almonds in a cup of water for 10 minutes. Peel and keep aside.

Take cashews , peeled almonds and milk in a grinder and make a smooth paste.

In a pan, take 1 tbsp of oil and fry the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste and cook till raw smell goes. Allow to cool. Grind the fried onions to paste form.

In a non stick pan, add some oil. Add the bay leaves,cinnamon stick and cloves. After few seconds add the onion paste and cashew almond sauce.

Cook the paste on low flame for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Keep stirring as even slight burning can alter the taste of the dish.

Now add paneer, salt,garam masala,red chili powder and coriander powder. Add two cups of water and bring to a boil.

Cook for another 5 minutes.

The dish is ready.Remove the cinnamon stick,bay leaves and cloves.Serve hot with rotis or rice..

* Some people like it sweet, you can add some sugar or raisins.Garnish with cream if you prefer.

*If paneer is not fresh and soft, fry it before adding it to the sauce.

Vegetable Khichdi

2010-06-23T02:17:00.000-07:00

Some day or other we all get bored of cooking. I was feeling the same way today and needed a break. My stomach was also feeling heavy and I needed some light food without spices. I decided to cook this meal which was simple and tasty. Also my one and half year old son didn't allow me to cook leisurely and mostly I have very little time to prepare lunch and dinner. So I made this khichdi which was quick and my kid liked it too.
Preparation Time 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup arhar dal or toor dal (split red gram lentils)
1 cup cauliflower florets
1/2 cup potatoes chopped in 1" cubes
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chili chopped (optional,omit if preparing for kids)
Method:
Wash rice and dal together, keep aside. In a pressure cooker, add 4 tbsp cooking oil. Add cumin seeds and green chili. stir for few seconds. Now add the cauliflower florets and potatoes, stir fry for 5-6 minutes. Then add rice and dal. Add salt,cumin powder and turmeric. Stir and cook in open for another 5 minutes. Add two and half cups water and close the lid of the cooker.
Wait for 1-2 whistles. Let the pressure drop by its own.
Serve with green salad,papad and pickles.

*You can add more vegetables like carrots and green peas

Mixed Paratha

2010-06-21T21:55:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This is the king of all parathas. The unique filling of this stuffed flat bread gives it a yummy taste. It is best to serve this paratha with a coating of butter on it(if you are not on diet :)) along with pickles and tea. Happy cooking!

Makes 10 parathas

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

for filling:

1/2 cup shredded cauliflower

1/2 cup shredded paneer

1/2 cup shredded cheese (amul cheddar cheese)

1 cup methi leaves chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 tsp salt or as per taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp garam masla powder

1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chili powder

for dough:

2 cups wheat flour

Method:

Knead the dough with warm water and keep it aside.

In a pan, heat a tbsp of oil. Add the onions and fry till golden.

Now add the methi leaves ,shredded cauliflower and paneer. Stir fry for few minutes till all the water has dried down.Add salt,coriander powder,ginger garlic paste and red chili powder. Turn off the flame and let it cool down.
Add the shredded cheese to the cooked mixture. The filling is ready.

Make 10 balls out of the dough. Take one of them and press in the middle to form a bowl kind of shape. Fill 2 tsp of filling into it and close like a dumpling.Repeat this with all the balls.

Roll them with light hand and if some mixture comes out let it be.

Fry them on a tava applying oil on both sides.

Serve hot with a butter coating.

Farraa (Pandubba Recipe)

2010-06-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Most of you have not heard about this recipe. These are tasty stuffed boiled dumplings(thats why the name), particularly famous in North India. You can prepare it with rice flour or wheat flour, but it tastes better with rice flour. Here is the recipe:
Makes 10 farraas
Preparation time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram lentil)
1 black cardamom (badi ilaichi)
15 galic cloves
3-4 green chilis
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp salt or as per taste
3 cups rice flour

For Tempering:
1 tsp rai (Black mustard seeds)
few curry leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1 tbsp desi ghee

Method:
Soak the dal for 4-5 hours. Now take dal in a grinder along with salt,green chilis,garlic,peppercorns,coriander seeds and black cardamom. Grind to form a coarse paste.The filling is ready.
Take rice flour in a bowl and knead using warm water.
Make 10 balls out of the dough and roll each into a small circle. Fill 2 tsp of the filling into it and close like a semi circle.
In a big vessel, heat 2 ltrs of water. when it starts boiling, add the dumplings to it and let them boil for 20 minutes. Drain and let them cool.
In a pan, heat ghee and add the cumin seeds and rai. When they splutter, add asafoetida powder and curry leaves. Stir for 10 seconds. Now add the boiled farraas and stir fry them for few minutes.
Serve them with cane vinegar.

Paneer Butter Masala

2010-06-18T05:30:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This is a very famous main course dish served in parties and celebrations. Paneer dishes are my favorite and I used to eat out at least every month to get the taste of delicious paneer curries.
It has been raining outside for quite a few days and so I decided to make paneer butter masala at home in restaurant style. It turned out to be delicious and my hubby was surprised :). The aroma was really mouth watering.
It is important that you select fresh paneer and tomatoes for this recipe. With fresh paneer, there is no need to fry them, you can add them directly to the gravy.
Serves 4
Preparation time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
250 gms fresh paneer cut in 1" cubes
2 onions chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
5-6 garlic cloves
1" piece ginger
1 green chili
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 cup cashews
4-5 almonds soaked in water and peeled
100 gms amul butter
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
Method:
In a pan, heat the half the butter, when it melts completely,add the onions and fry till they are transparent.Add the nuts and fry for few minutes along with the onions till the nuts are slight golden. Keep aside to cool.
Make a paste of ginger,garlic,tomatoes and green chili.
When the onions and nuts are cooled down, grind them to a thick paste, add some water if necessary.
In a kadai, heat the remaining amount of butter and add the tomato paste. Add the salt and turmeric and cook for 3-5 minutes stirring continuously.Take care to avoid burning.

Now add the onions and nuts paste and add paneer and milk. Stir and mix well. Cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add some water if gravy is too thick. Add garam masala and kasuri methi.You can add some red chili powder for more rich color of the gravy. However, I personally avoid using red chili.
Cook for few more minutes and serve with tandoori roti or fried rice.

Tahiri with vegetables

2010-06-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This a nice rice dish which is quick and easy to make out of ordinary ingredients.The fried vegetables give it a unique taste. The important aspect of this recipe is its simpliciy because it does not have too many ingredients. I have not added garam masala and red chili powder in this recipe.

Also I have omitted garlic and ginger paste because rice tastes best in its natural form along with vegetables.It turned out to be yummy along with raita and coriander chutney.
My stomach is thankful to me as I have avoided garam masala and red chili powder. Garam masala is not recommended for daily use in your diet as it is not good for the skin and can cause wrinkles early.

Serves 2

Preparation time 20 mins

Ingredients:

1.5 cups Basmati rice

1 tomato chopped

1 green chili chopped

1 onion chopped

1 potato cut in big slices

1 cup cauliflower florets (do not chop them small, keep them big)

1 tbsp coriander powder

2 tsp salt or as per taste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

(you can add more vegetables such as French beans,carrot,capsicum and cabbage if you like)

Method:
1) In a pan, take 4 tbsp olive oil, fry all the vegetables with a pinch of salt till golden.Keep aside.

2) Take a pressure cooker and add 2 tbsp cooking oil.

3) Add cumin seeds and chopped green chili.

4) When they start to splutter, add the chopped onions.

5) When the onions become transparent, add the chopped tomatoes.

6) Cook till tomatoes are tender, now add the fried vegetables,turmeric powder,salt and coriander powder

7) Add the washed rice and stir fry for 5 minutes.

8) add 3 cups water and close the lid.Turn the flame to high.

Wait till 1-2 whistles.

The rice is ready. Serve with curd and pickles.

Chilli Paneer

2010-06-15T03:17:00.000-07:00

The chilli paneer is a Chinese dish which can be cooked in two ways, either dry or with gravy.
Today I am going to make it dry. It is important that the paneer is fresh and soft so that the dish turns out to be delicious.
In many parts of the country, chilli paneer has a red color but in some restaurants I have seen it brown in color.
Here I will cook the red chilli paneer.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
200 gms fresh paneer cut in 1" cubes

100 gms corn flour
50 gms maida (all purpose flour)
Salt to taste
A pinch of sugar
2 tbsp Tomato sauce (non sweet)
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp green chilli sauce
6-7 green chillis cut longitudinally into halves and seeds removed
2 capsicum cut in 1" squares
3 onions cut in thick slices
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Method:
Mix corn flour and maida in a bowl with slight water so that it form a thick paste. Add a pinch of salt.
Immerse paneer cubes into it and deep fry them.
Take out when the outer coating is slight golden. Keep aside.
Now take 1 tbsp refined oil in a kadai and add the slit green chillis, capsicum and onion with a pinch of sugar.
Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes. Do not over cook.
Now add the sauces, vinegar, salt and ginger garlic paste. Keep stirring on high flame. Toss in the paneer cubes. Cook for 5 minutes.
Chili Paneer is ready.

Serve hot with nan or Tandori roti.

Palak Paratha(Spinach bread)

2010-06-14T04:29:00.000-07:00

This is very healthy and delicious breakfast. The parathas are rich source of iron and could be served with tea or coriander chutney. These could be a good option to pack in tiffins for school going kids. You can apply some cheese spread on the parathas and fill paneer and vegetables and roll them to form a wrap and then serve.
Makes 10 parathas
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups spinach leaves
2 cups wheat flour
2 tbsp desi ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder(optional)
1 tsp salt
Method:
Boil spinach leaves in a cup of water for 15 minutes with a 1/2 tsp of salt.Allow to cool.
In a bowl,mix all the ingredients along with boiled spinach leaves and knead. Do not drain the water used for boiling spinach, use that in kneading the flour.
Mash the leaves with hand so that it mixes with the flour properly.
Make 10 balls out of the dough. take a ball and roll it to a small circle. Apply some oil on half of the circle and close like a semi circle. Apply oil on it and again close to get a quarter circle. Roll this to a thin triangular shaped bread.
Shallow fry this on a pan so that both sides are golden.Repeat these steps with all the balls to make 10 such parathas.
Serve hot.

Chole Bhature

2010-06-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

A very famous dish all over India.It is popular in birthday parties and many such small occasions.It can be served in main course or as snacks. It tastes nice with onion rings,lemon juice and pickles.
Chole (Chana masala recipe):
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cups kabuli chana soaked overnight
1/4 cup tamarind
1 cup tomato puree
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder or as per spice level
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp chana masala powder
4 onion chopped
8-9 garlic cloves
1" piece ginger
1 green chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 bay leaves
Method:
1) Pressure cook soaked chana for 2-3 whistles along with a pinch of salt. Keep aside to cool.
2) Make a paste of onion,garlic,ginger and green chili along with some water in a grinder.
3) Boil tamarind in a bowl of water and extract the juice.
4) Soak salt,turmeric,coriander powder and chana masala in little water for 10 minutes.
5) In a pan, take 4 tbsp oil. Add the bay leaves and cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the onion paste and fry till it becomes brown and all the water has dried.
6) Now add the tomato puree and fry for 5 more minutes.Keep stirring and flame should be low to avoid burning.
7) Add the masala paste and tamarind juice. Bring to a boil. Add this gravy to the pressure cooker and cook on low flame for 2 whistles.
Bhature recipe
Serves 3 (Makes 8 bhatures)
Preparation time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp cooking soda
1 cup sour curd (khatti dahi)
1/2 tsp salt
Method:
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and knead with warm water to form a soft dough. Keep aside covered for 15-20 minutes. Make 8-10 balls out of it and roll into a 4" dia circle. Do not roll too thin. Deep fry them one by one.
Serve hot.

White Radish stuffed flat bread(Mooli ke Parathe)

2010-06-10T03:11:00.000-07:00

Hi,
Another delicious and quick recipe for breakfast. Some of the benefits of including white radish(mooli) in your diet are:

1) it is healthy obesity diet food,which has the function of clearing heat, detoxifcation, strengthening stomach, reducing phlegm, relieving a cough,smoothing Chi,defecation, creating saliva,anti-thirst,etc..

2) it contains more vitamine C than fruits,rich in vitamin A,vitamin B,Calcium,P,Iron.

3) White radish contains many enzymes that help to digest.

4) White radish contains mustard oil which can increase appetite and promote the intestinal mobility and promote excretion.

5) White radish can induce body to create interferon which will increase the immunity of the body, inhibiting cancer cell growth.

6) White radish contains less heat but more edible fibre,easy to create satiety feeling.

7) Clinical observation show, eating white radish regularly can prevent subcutaneous fat accumulation,remove fat,soften blood vessel,and keeping defecation.

8) Radish seeds contain volatile oil which can reduce blood fat, lower cholesterol and help to lose weight.

(Courtesy:http://www.healthy-chinese-recipe.com)

Paratha recipe :

Serves 4(makes 8 parathas)

Preparation time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups white radish peeled,washed and grated

1 tsp salt or as per taste

1 green chili chopped

1/2 cup coriadner leaves chopped

2 cups wheat flour

oil to fry

water to knead

Method:

Mix a pinch of salt to grated radish and keep aside for 15 minutes. In the meantime, knead the dough.

Now squeeze water out of the grated radish with hands as much as possible. In a bowl, add chopped green chili and coriander leaves to the grated radish and mix some salt.

Make 8-9 balls out of the dough and flatten to a 1" dia circle. Use some wheat flour dust to avoid sticking and fill 2 tsp of radish mixture to each and close like a dumpling. Roll each one of them with a light hand and shallow fry on a tawa. If some radish mixture comes out while rolling, let it be. You can apply some oil on the rolling board to avoid sticking.

Fry to golden brown on both sides and serve with pickles and tea.

Eggplant Curry

2010-06-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is a different kind of curry in a way that it does not have onions and garam masala in it like most other curry recipes. The masala it has is sometimes called 'thanda masala' and it consists of mustard seeds and garlic mainly.
Serves 4
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1 big eggplant chopped in 1" cubes (Store in a bowl of water and peel off)
1 potato chopped(optional)
1 tomato chopped
8-9 garlic cloves
2 tsp mustard seeds
3 tsp coriander seeds
1-2 green chilis
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
Method:
a) Deep fry the eggplant and potatoes. Keep aside on an oil absorbent paper.
b) Take garlic,green chili,coriander seeds,mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds in a grinder and grind to form a smooth paste.
c) In a pan, heat 2 tbsp cooking oil. Add the garlic paste and stir for few minutes. Keep stirring the masala so that it does not burn or else the taste will be spoilt.
d) Add tomatoes and fry till they are tender. Now add salt and turmeric along with the fried vegetables.
e) Stir fry on low flame for 5 minutes so that turmeric looses its raw taste, Sprinkle some water if needed.
f) Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water,mix well and cover the pan. Cook for 15 minutes on low flame till the vegetables are tender. Keep stirring in between.
Serve hot with rice or rotis.

* YOU CAN USE OLIVE OIL TO FRY THE VEGETABLES AND FOR COOKING TO MAKE IT MORE HEALTHY. OLIVE OIL HAS ZERO CHOLESTROL BUT IT COSTS MORE.

Chocolate Rolls

2010-06-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

These rolls can be a good option to prepare during festivals and serve to the guests. The chocolate filling you can prepare yourself or use a ready made one.
Makes 8 rolls
Preparation Time 20 minutes
Ingredients:
200 gm pack of Marie Biscuits
100 gm cocoa powder
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup water
1 tbsp sugar powdered
Method:
Grind Marie biscuits to a smooth powder. Mix 2 tbsp butter and knead adding water to form a soft dough.
Mix remaining butter to cocoa powder and add milk so that it forms a thick paste. Add sugar powder to get a semi dry mixture.If you are using ready made chocolate, just grind it to powder form and add some water to make it semi dry.
Now make 7-8 balls out of the Marie biscuits dough. Roll each into 2" dia circle. Fill 2 tsp of cocoa powder mixture into it and close like a roll. Repeat these steps with all the balls to make 8 such rolls.
Refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Decorate with silver wok. Serve.

Soya Methi ka Saag

2010-06-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

This is a non spicy and less oily vegetable recipe.The green leafy vegetables are rich source of Iron and Vitamin A. It tastes nice with steamed rice and tadka dal.

Serves 2

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

200 gms soya saag

100 gms methi leaves

1 potato chopped

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

3-4 garlic cloves

a pinch of turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 green chili chopped

Method:

Wash the leaves thoroughly 3 times.Chop them finely. Discard the stem and roots of methi leaves. You can keep the stem of soya leaves.

Add 1 tbsp cooking oil in a pan. When it is hot, add fenugreek seeds,green chili and garlic cloves. After garlic cloves are slightly brown, add the potatoes and saag and immediately cover the lid so that the flavors of garlic and methi seeds blend nicely with the vegetables.

After 1 minute, open the lid and add salt and turmeric. Add a cup of water and cover the lid. Cook on low flame for 10 minutes. Water is added to avoid burning of leaves and also potatoes will become tender quickly. Stir in between to see that the vegetables do not stick to the pan.

Check if the potatoes are tender and water has evaporated. Turn off the flame and Serve.

Eggplant and Tomatoes

2010-06-04T03:53:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

This is a nice sabji to have in lunch along with rotis,rice and dal. The tomatoes and garlic gives it a nice flavor.

Eggplant used must be soft and fresh. Some of the benefits of eating eggplant are:

Low in Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Cholesterol
High in Dietary Fiber, Folate, Potassium, Manganese, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper

The nutritional value and health benefits of eggplant makes it ideal for:

Maintaining optimum health
Weight loss

Don't include too many eggplants in your diet if you're interested in:

Weight gain

Nutritional Values

Preparation	Serving Size	Carbs	Fiber (g)	Fat (g)	Energy (kj)
Eggplant - raw	100g	2.5	2.5	0.5	75
Baby Eggplant	4 (65g)	1.5	1.5	0	45
Eggplant - grilled	3 slices (90g)	2.5	2.5	0	75
Eggplant - fried	100g	2.5	2.5	25	1000

(courtesy: http://www.great-workout.com/)

Here is the recipe:

Serves 4

Preparation Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 big eggplant chopped in 1" cubes (Store them in a bowl of water after cutting or else they will turn black, do not peel off)

1 potato chopped (optional)

2 tomatoes chopped

2 tsp garlic and green chili paste

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

salt as per taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Method:

In a pan/kadai, add 2 tbsp oil. When the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds and asafoetida powder.

After few seconds, add the chopped eggplant and potatoes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Keep stirring in between to avoid burning.You can add 2 tbsp water so that potatoes are cooked nicely.

When the potatoes are somewhat tender, add the chili garlic paste and the tomatoes. Mix well and add salt and turmeric.

Sprinkle some water to avoid burning and cover the pan. Cook till vegetables are tender.

Serve hot.

Methi Thepla

2010-06-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

When I was in Mumbai, sometimes I had to rush to office and could not prepare the breakfast. Then I used to pick up something from a sweet and snacks shop. I remember that they used to sell parathas packed with the pickles. It was so yummy and I used to have it with tea. I inquired them as to how they make such tasty parathas, and the vendor said that these are theplas ( a famous Gujarati dish). Here is the recipe:

Makes 8 theplas
Preparation time 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups wheat flour
1/4 cup cooking oil (to be mixed in flour)
1 cup methi leaves(or kasuri methi soaked in water)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
warm water
Method:
In a bowl, add all the ingredients and knead with warm water.Keep aside for 15 minutes.
Now make 8 -9 balls out of the dough and roll each of them into a thin circle. Fry on a tawa so that both sides are golden.
Serve with pickles and tea or you can pack them up in aluminium foil for tiffin and travel.

*you can use finely chopped green chili instead of red chili.

Raw Mango Drink (Panna)

2010-06-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

This drink can be prepared either with raw mangoes or with partially ripe ones.The mint leaves added impart a unique flavor and has cooling effect on the stomach. It is quite easy and quick to make and if you have some raw mangoes then prepare this drink to feel refreshed in this summer.
Preparation time 10 minutes
Makes 4 glasses (200 ml each glass)
Ingredients:
2 raw mangoes
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp black salt
2 tbsp fresh mint leaves crushed
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Method:
Boil the mangoes for 10 minutes in an open pan with 2 cups water. Allow to cool. Drain water and peel off the skin of the mangoes. Remove seeds.Roast the cumin seeds on a tawa for 5 minutes and crush them to get a coarse powder.
In a bowl, add mango pulp, sugar,black salt, crushed mint leaves, cumin seeds powder. Beat the pulp and mix well adding 1/2 cup water. When the sugar crystals are mixed, Add 4 cups chilled water and mix. Strain and serve.
You can adjust the sugar and salt according to your taste.

Paneer Kalimirchi

2010-06-01T02:01:00.000-07:00

This is a gourmet main course dish served with nan. The peppercorns are the main ingredients here which impart a distinct flavor, that's why the name. This dish is usually a part of festivals and wedding parties.

Serves 4

Preparation Time 20 mins

Ingredients:

250 gms paneer cubed (1")

2 green capsicum cut thinly lengthwise

1 onion chopped

1/2 cup beaten yoghurt

1 green chili

6-7 garlic cloves

1" piece ginger

10-12 pepper corns or 1 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Method:

Fry the paneer cubes lightly. Keep aside.

Make a paste of ginger,garlic,green chili and pepper corns.Shallow fry the onions till light brown. Grind them to form a paste.

In a pan heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the capsicum and fry for few minutes. Now add the onion paste and ginger garlic paste. if you are using pepper powder then add it. Fry till garlic is cooked. Now add the paneer and yogurt. Sprinkle garam masala and salt and cook on low flame for 10 minutes. If the gravy is too thick, add little water.

Serve hot with nan or rotis.

Fruit raita

2010-06-01T01:43:00.000-07:00

Raitas are a must to have with meals in summers. Curd has necessary bacteria which aids in digestion and it has a cooling effect on stomach. Lassi is so popular these days. Here is the recipe to make Fruit raita.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh curd
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 mango peeled and diced
1/2 cup apple chopped
1/2 cup pineapple chopped
1 tbsp cherry
Method:
In a mixer, take curd and sugar to form a thick paste.
Roast cumin seeds on a pan and grind them to powder.
Add black salt,cumin seed powder and fruits to the curd. Mix.
Garnish with cherries and serve chilled.
You can add more fruits if you like.

Bharwan Karele

2010-05-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

Bitter Gourd is known for its nutritional benefits (Refer to the end of this blog). It can be made in many ways. Bharwan sabji is my favourite. But it takes ample amount of oil to cook this vegetable properly, so make sure you are not on diet.

Serves 4

Preparation Time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

200 gms Bitter Gourd(Karela)

3 tbsp moti saunf (fennel seeds)

3 tbsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp kalaunji seeds (black caraway or black onion seeds)

1/2 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)

1 tbsp amchur (raw mango powder)

1 tsp salt or as per taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

6-7 garlic cloves

1-2 green chilis

4 tbsp mustard oil for cooking

Method:

Tear the karelas from the middle and remove the seeds. Boil in salt water for 5 minutes. Drain water. Squeeze with hand and keep aside.

Roast the coriander seeds,saunf, kalaunji seeds and methi seeds together till aroma arises.

Grind garlic,green chili and roasted seeds together to form a coarse powder. Add some water to make it semi dry so that it gets filled inside the karelas and does not get burnt when cooked. Mix salt, turmeric and amchur powder to it.

The filling is ready.

Fill this mixture in the boiled karelas.

In a pan heat oil, add the filled bitter gourd and cover the lid. After 10 minutes, open the lid and turn the karelas upside down. Cook for 10 more minutes.

The sabji is ready. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with dal,rice and rotis.

Alternatives:

You can grind raw mango with the roasted powder instead of adding amchur powder. That gives a better taste.
Nutritional Value of Bitter Gourd

100 grams of bitter gourd comprises of the following nutrients:

Calcium - 19 mg
Copper - 0.034 mg
Dietary Fiber - 3 g
Dietary Folate Equivalents - 72 mcg
Folate - 72 mcg
Food Folate - 5.6 mcg
Iron - 0.43 mg
Magnesium - 17 mg
Manganese - 0.089 mg
Pantothenic Acid - 0.212 mcg
Phosphorus - 31 mg
Potassium - 296 mg
Protein - 1 g
Selenium - 0.2 mcg
Sodium - 5 mg
Sodium - 5 mg
Total Carbohydrates - 4 g
Zinc - 0.8 mg

(Courtesy: http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/)

Spring Onion and Potato Dry Sabji

2010-05-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hi,
This is very healthy and tasty dish. It is like ghar ka simple khana.

Spring Onion is:

Low in Saturated Fat, Sodium, and Cholesterol
High in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper

The nutritional value of spring onions makes them ideal for:

Weight loss
Maintaining optimum health

Don't include too many spring onions in your diet if you're interested in:
Weight gain
Nutritional Values

Preparation	Serving Size	Carbs	Fiber (g)	Fat (g)	Energy (kj)
Spring Onion - raw	12g	0.5	0	0	10

(Courtesy: http://www.great-workout.com/nutrition)

Here goes the recipe:

Preparation time 15 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

150 gms spring onion chopped along with shoots

1 potato chopped

1 green chilli chopped

1/2 tsp salt or as per taste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp asafoetida powder

Method:

Wash the vegetables 2 times. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida powder and green chili.

When the chili is roasted slightly, add the chopped vegetables and mix salt and turmeric.

Cover the pan and let it cook on low flame for 10 minutes.

Stir after 10 mins and again cover for 5 mins.

Check if the potatoes are tender. Turn off the flame.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis and rice.

French Beans with Potato Dry

2010-05-27T02:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This is a nice green vegetable that is nutritious and quite easy to make. The method for making all the dry vegetables are very much similar. We just have to make sure that they don't get burned. Also some have tomatoes added for sourness while some other may have raw mango powder.
Make sure to add less salt in the beginning because less quantity of salt can be adjusted afterwards while if it is in excess, the dish will spoil and there can be no adjustments. Whenever I have went outside to eat, I have noticed that they have added less salt in all the dishes.
Also garnishing with coriander leaves gives added flavor and nice look.
Serves- 4
Preparation Time- 20 minutes
Ingredients:
200 gm French Beans Chopped in 1'' pieces
1 big potato cut in 1'' cubes
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder(hing)
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 green chili chopped (or 1/2 tsp red chili will do)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped
Method:
Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Keep aside. In a pan, add 2 tbsp oil. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds,bay leaves,asafoetida and green chili. Stir for 5 seconds. The aroma of hing fills the kitchen. Now add the onions. Stir and add ginger garlic paste when the onions turn transparent. After 1 minute, toss in the tomatoes. Keep stirring.
When the tomatoes are tender (it will take not more than 5 minutes), add vegetables. Also add salt,coriander powder,turmeric and garam masala.
Mix well. Sprinkle some water and cover the lid of the pan. Lower the gas flame and cook for 15 minutes. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning.
When the vegetables are done, turn off the flame. Keep the lid closed for few minutes so that the vegetables get steam cooked and the potatoes are tender. If the vegetables stick to the pan while cooking, you can add some water and then close the lid, otherwise the vegetables will burn.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice,dal and rotis.

Potato Curry

2010-05-25T03:39:00.000-07:00

While I was preparing the lunch today, I found there were no vegetables left in my refrigerator. Only Potatoes and onions were kept in a basket. I decided to make Potato Curry then.If one uses pressure cooker, then it is cooked quickly and the preparation time is not more than 10 minutes. The ingredients that one needs to assemble are minimal and ordinary. This curry tastes nice with dal, rice and rotis. It can be also made in breakfast where it is served with puris.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 Potatoes chopped in 1'' cubes
2 green chili chopped
1 big onion chopped
1 big tomato chopped
5-6 garlic cloves
1'' piece ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 black cardamom
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup coriander leaves for garnishing
Method:
In a food processor, grind onion,garlic,ginger,green chili,cumin seeds,coriander seeds,black cardamom together with little water to form a fine paste. Keep aside.
In a bowl, take salt,garam masala, turmeric and coriander powder and soak in 2 tbsp water for 5 minutes.
Heat the cooker, put 3 tbsp mustard oil and when the oil is hot add the onion paste and stir.
After 5 minutes add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes.
Now add the masala paste and mix well, Cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes and stir. Let it cook in open for few minutes.
Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water and close the lid of the cooker. Turn the flame to high and wait for 1 whistle.
After that, lower the flame and cook for 2 more whistles.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

How to cook Dal

2010-05-24T03:26:00.002-07:00

Dal(lentils) are rich source of proteins. Most common dal that is cooked in Indian cuisine is the Toor Dal (Arhar dal or red gram lentil)'It is advisable to cook dal in a pressure cooker because otherwise it will take a lot of time and hence lot of LPG will be wasted.
1/2 cup of dal can serve 3.Wash the dal in a cooker. Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water(the amount of water should be three times the amount of dal).Add 1 tsp of salt or as per your taste and also add 1 tsp of turmeric powder.Close the lid of the cooker and let it cook on high flame till 1 whistle.After 1 whistle, lower the flame and cook for another 3-4 whistles.The dal is ready. This can be fried afterwards or taken as it is.

How to Cook Steamed Rice

2010-05-24T03:26:00.000-07:00

Rice is a major part of our meals. In bengal and South India, rice is the only grain eaten in lunch and dinner. Rice can be cooked in many ways. Some people cook it in pressure cooker to save time, while some cook in it in handi (heavy bottomed pot).
If the rice is cooked in pressure cooker, it is sticky because the starch remains. While if it is cooked in handi, each grain is separate as the starch is drained out with excess water.People on diet or diabetic patients should take starch less rice as the carbohydrate content in it is minimal.
A cup of rice will serve 2.
To cook a cup of rice in a pressure cooker, wash the rice thoroughly; 3times atleast to remove the whitish dust. Add 2 cups water. Close the lid of the cooker and cook on high flame. After 1 whistle, turn off the flame. Let the pressure escape on its own. After some time, when the cooker has cooled down, open the lid and let the steam escape.The rice is ready.
To cook a cup of rice in a handi, take 4 cups of water in any heavy bottomed vessel (if handi is not available), let it boil.When it starts boiling, add the washed rice to it.Stir and let it cook without covering the lid. After 15 minutes, rice will be somewhat tender.Cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off the flame. Drain excess water.(Use a sieve to drain water from the rice)Spread rice on a big tray so that each grain is separate.
Apply some desi ghee(clarified butter) and serve.

How to Saute Onions

2010-05-24T03:24:00.001-07:00

In all the curries, we have to saute the onions. Onions are the major ingredient in many main course dishes all over India, mainly north India. Onion and garlic give distinguished flavor to the meal.The onions should be chopped finely for sauting.
Take a pan and add oil. The amount of oil should be such that it spreads on the onion evenly.
For 1/2 a cup of onion, you have to take 1/4 cup of oil.
When the oil is hot(when oil starts smoking slightly), add all the onions. Stir occasionally.Turn the flame to low to avoid burning. When the onions are transparent, add a pinch of salt. After 10 minutes, the onions will change color to light brown.The Sauting is done.
Make sure that they do not turn dark brown, because the flavor will be lost.

Vegetable Rice with Soya Chunks

2010-05-24T01:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I wanted to try a new rice dish for dinner which can be healthy and quick to make. I saw the nugget packet kept in the kitchen. I decided to make vegetable pulav adding those nutrela chunks. The meal turned out to be yummy. I served it with curd and pickles and papad. Here is the recipe.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice

1oniom chopped

1 tomato chopped

1 capsicum chopped

1 carrot chopped

1/2 cup French beans thinly sliced

1/2 cup soya chunks

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala powder

2 bay leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

Method:

Wash rice and keep aside. Boil soya chunks in salt water for few minutes. Drain water and keep aside.

In a pressure cooker, add 3 tbsp of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and bay leaves.

When the seeds start spluttering, add all the chopped onions. Fry till golden brown. Now add the tomatoes and ginger garlic paste. After 5 minutes, add all the vegetables and cook on low flame and cover the lid (Do not close the cooker, just cover the lid). Cook till the vegetables are tender. Add rice and mix well. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups water along with salt and garam masala powder.

Close the lid of the cooker and keep the flame on high. Wait for 2 whistles.

Turn off the flame after 2 whistles. Let the pressure escape on its own.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

karele ki sabji (Bitter Gourd)

2010-05-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This sabji is usually served in lunch. We used to have it in our college mess. It tastes nice with steamed rice. Bitter Gourd is considered good for health especially for Diabetic patients.
Preparation time- 30 minutes
Serves- 4
Ingredients:
4 medium sized Bitter gourd chopped in thin rings
1 potato cut in small pieces (optional)
2 onions chopped finely lengthwise
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 green chilli
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp amchur (Raw mango powder)
5-6 tbsp mustard oil
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped
Method:
Soak the chopped kerala (Bitter gourd) in salted warm water for 15 minutes.
In a kadai, put oil, when the oil starts smoking, put the onion and fry till light brown.
Now add the potatoes and soaked kerala in kadai along with salt and turmeric.
Sprinkle a little water and close the lid.
After 10 minutes, open the lid and add amchur powder.
Crush the garlic and green chilli together and add to the kadai. Stir and cook without closing the lid.
Stir occasionally to avoid burning.when the potatoes are soft and the kerala is roasted nicely, turn off the flame.
Garnish with coariander leaves and serve with rice or chappatis.

Pakodas (Bhajiya)

2010-05-21T03:18:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This is a famous appetizer served in all over India with pudina chutney.Every Morning, road side chai walas and street vendors start cooking bhajiya, samosa ,puri bhaji etc and people gather in crowds to take a quick breakfast. No cuisine is as versatile as Indian cuisine. We have so many breakfast options in India. I have seen the popularity of bhajiya and puri bhaji in Lucknow and Kanpur where they were served in nice bowls made from leaves and tea was so refreshing that we forgot all our tiredness and just enjoyed the rain outside the pandal (makeshift shop).
Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
250 gms besan (gram flour)
2 onions chopped thinly lengthwise
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
oil to fry
Method:
In a bowl mix all the ingredients except oil.Add some water to get a thick paste. Do not add excess water. The mixture should be semi dry so that the pakodas are crispy.
In a deep pan, add 1 cup oil. When the oil is hot, take some paste in hand and put slowly in oil. Take care that the oil do not splashes as you put the paste.
Add 6-7 such pakodas and fry them together on low flame.
Remove the pakodas from oil when both sides are cooked.( Take them out when they are lightly brown).
Keep on an oil absorbent paper.
Repeat above steps till all the paste is finished.
Serve hot with sauce or chutney.

Bread Sandwich with Potato filling

2010-05-21T03:02:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This can be a good breakfast option to serve. It is less oily and tastes nice with tomato sauce.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
16 white bread slices
Butter
4 potatoes boiled
2 tomatos chopped
2 onions chopped
2 green chilli chopped (or as per taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tsp coriander powder
4 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Sandwich toaster

Method:
Mash the potatoes. Take a pan and heat some oil. Add the chopped onion,tomato and green chilli. Fry till they are tender. Add the salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chopped coriander leaves to it.
Fry for 5 minutes and then add the mashed potatoes.
Turn off the flame after cooking for 5 more minutes. The potato filling is ready.
Take a bread slice and apply butter. Put good amount of potato filling over it and cover with another bread slice.
Apply some butter on both parts of the toaster and keep the sandwich inside. Toast till both the sides are golden brown.
Repeat above steps with all the bread slices to make 8 sandwiches.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Besan ke Laddo

2010-05-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This sweet balls are very famous all over India, and they are mostly made during festivals and celebrations.
Preparation Time- 40 minutes
Ingredients:
250 gms besan (gram flour)
200 gms sugar
150 gms desi ghee
50 ml milk

Method:
In a mixer, grind the sugar to a smooth powder form. Keep aside.
In a heavy bottomed kadai, add ghee. When ghee is hot, add the besan and fry till golden.Sprinkle some milk over it while frying.
The besan starts giving a distinguished aura when it is done. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning.
Turn off the flame and let it cool.
Mix together the sugar and besan and make small balls with hand.
If the besan is too dry that the balls break, take some ghee on hand and then make the balls.
If the besan is too wet, then add some fried suji in it and then try to make the balls.

Store in an air tight container.

Suji ka halwa

2010-05-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This is common dessert served in India. It can be served with puris or eaten as it is.It is a nice breakfast option and it is also served as a dessert in rajasthani and gujarati thalis, This dessert tastes best when rava is fried in appropriate amount of desi ghee (clarified butter). It is good for growing kids and students but people on diet should stay away from it :)
Preparation Time - 20 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1/2 cup suji (rava)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/4 cup desi ghee
2 green cardamoms, peeled and crushed
3-4 cashews cut in small pieces (optional)
3-4 almonds cut in small pieces (optional)
3-4 raisins (optional)

Method:
Take a pan and add the ghee. When the ghee starts melting, add the suji and fry.
Keep stirring to avoid burning. Fry till the suji becomes golden in color.
Add the sugar and after mixing, add water slowly and keep stirring so that lumps are not formed.
The quantity of water should be exactly double the quantity of suji.
Keep stirring till the halwa gets thicker.
Add the cardamom, cashews, almonds and raisins.
Serve hot.

Potato and Capsicum Dry

2010-05-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

Hello,
This is not just another sabji. It is very quick to make and healthy too. It can be made with minimum oil and is good for diabetic patients (if potato is not taken). I used to make it in breakfast along with rotis in winters as we need a good breakfast to fill our stomach in cold weather. In winters, our body tend to loose energy more to balance the temperature of the body with that of outside.In breakfast therefore, one should have a cup of warm tea/coffe and some carbohydrates like chappatis or bread.
1 cup green capsicum has 15 calories. Capsicum is:
Fat free
Low sugar
Contains fibre
Very low salt
Good source of vitamin C
(http://www.livestrong.com/)

Serves 2
Preparation Time- 20 mins
Ingredients:
2 big green capsicum
1 potato
1 green chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 tbsp oil

Method:
Chop the capsicum and potatoes
In a kadai, heat the oil and put the cumin seeds and green chilli.
Add the chopped onions and sauté for few minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry till tender.
Add the vegetables and mix well adding salt,turmeric and coriander powder. Sprinkle some water and cover the lid.
Cook on low flame till the vegetables are done.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Bhindi Curry

2010-05-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

Bhindi or okra is made in many ways. This one has some gravy that's why the name. Bhindi is readily available in summers. I checked my refrigerator and I found some of it.But the quantity was not enough to make dry sabji. So I decided to make bhindi and potato in gravy.
Serves 4
Preparation Time- 20 minutes
Ingredients:

150 gms Bhindi (Lady's Finger)
1 potato (optional)
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chilli chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 tbsp besan (gram flour)
1/2 cup mustard oil
Method:
Wash and dry the lady's finger with a cloth. Cut transversely in big sizes (Do not split from the middle).
Deep fry the bhindi pieces and potatoes. Keep aside on an oil absorbent paper.
In a kadai, take 2 tbsp oil and when the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and green chillis.
When they start spluttering, add the chopped onions and fry till they are golden.
Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute for few minutes.
Add the tomatoes and stir for few minutes.
When the tomatoes are tender, add all the dry masalas along with besan.
Sprinkle some water so that masalas don't burn.
After 5 minutes, add the fried bhindi and potatoes with 2 cups water.
Cover the pan and cook on low flame till the vegetables are done.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with chapattis.

Chane ki Dal

2010-05-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Chane ki dal (split gram lentil) is prepared along with lauki (Bottle gourd). It tastes nice with steamed rice and there is no need to have sabji along with it. It is a kind of masala dal and is quite filling to the stomach. It is usually prepared in thick consistency and we can add tomatoes or amchur (raw mango) powder for sourness.
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 20 mins
Ingredients:
1 small size bottle gourd (lauki)
1/2 cup chane ki dal
1 big onion chopped
1 big tomato chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 green chilli
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

For tempering:
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1tbsp desi ghee
1 red chilli

Method:
Wash and chop lauki in not too small pieces.
Wash the dal and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker, take 30 ml mustard oil. when the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and bay leaves.
Now add the chopped green chilli and ginger garlic paste.Saute for a minute.Add the chopped onions and fry till golden brown, Add tomatoes and cook till tender. In a bowl take all the dry masalas with 2 tbsp water and soak for 5 minutes. Add this masala paste to the cooker and cook for 5 minutes.
Now add the bottle gourd and dal and stir fry for 10 minutes on low flame.
Add 1and1/2 cups of water, mix and close the lid of the cooker.Put the flame on high and wait for 1 whistle.
Then lower the flame and let it cook for 3-4 whistles.
Turn off the flame and allow the pressure to escape on its own.
In a pan, add desi ghee ad asafoetida powder. add the red chilli and pour this mixture on the cooked dal.
Close the lid immediately, so that the smoke blends with the dal to give a nice flavor.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

Raw Mango Chutney

2010-05-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 raw mango peeled and cut in big pieces

2 green chilli

4 tbsp mint leaves

1 tsp salt

3 garlic cloves

Method:

Take all the ingredients in mixer grinder and grind to form a coarse paste. Do not add water.

The chutney is ready.

Spinach Dal

2010-05-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

This dal is nutritious as it has iron rich Spinach leaves and protein rich lentils. The dal is a mix of two lentils- urad and arhar; this is because, taking only urad dal will be heavy for the stomach to digest and it will be difficult for older people. Also, if you are bored of having toor dal daily for lunch then you can try this alternative.It tastes nice with steamed rice. Tempering with desi ghee,whole red chili and garlic gives it a mouth watering aroma and flavor.

Preparation Time: 20mins
Serves 3
Ingredients:

1/4 cup split urad dal (black gram)
1/4 cup toor dal (red gram lentils or arhar)
1 cup spinach leaves chopped
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 green chilli chopped or 1 whole red chili
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp desi ghee
Method:
In a pressure cooker, take both lentils and add 2 cups water.
Add the asafoetida powder,salt and spinach and close the lid of the cooker.
Cook on high flame for 3 whistles.Lower the flame and cook till one more whistle comes.
Turn off the flame and let the pressure go off by itself.
Open the lid of the cooker and check that the lentils are tender.
Take 1 tbsp of desi ghee in a pan and add the green chillies/whole red chili and garlic.
Saute till the garlic is brown.
Pour the dal to the pan and simmer. Add some water if the dal is thick. Bring to a boil.
Turn off the flame.
Serve with plain rice and curd.

Namkeen Bread

2010-05-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hi,
This can be a quick breakfast and is for those who don't eat egg. This vegetarian dish tastes like bread omelet.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 slices of white bread
1/2 cup of all purpose flour(maida)
2 green chilis chopped
1 small onion chopped
salt to taste
butter
Method:
In a bowl, take the flour and add chopped onions and green chilli to it. Add some salt and mix with water to get a thin paste.
Apply this paste on a slice of bread on one side. Spread some butter on a pan and when it melts put the bread on it. The face on which the paste is applied should be facing down.
Press the bread lightly from above so that it cooks evenly.
After 5 minutes, turn the bread and toast it on other side as well for few minutes.
Do the same for all the bread slices.
Serve with tomato sauce.

Pudina Raita

2010-05-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Preparation Time -10 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 tbsp mint leaves
1/2 cup curd (it should be cold, kept in refrigerator)
1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1 tsp black salt
Method:
In a blender, mix all the ingredients with 1/4 cup water.
Do not add excess water as the raita will not taste good.
Add some more salt if required.
The raita is ready.
Serve as a side dish with lunch.

Jeera rice

2010-05-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Basmati rice
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
oil to cook

Method:
In a Pressure Cooker, add 3 tbsp oil.
When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
Now add the rice and salt and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Then add 1 cups water and close the lid of the cooker.Wait for 1 whistle.
Turn off the flame and open the lid of the cooker after 10 minutes.
Spread the rice on a tray and let the steam escape.
Serve with Dal fry and vegetables.

Green Peas Pulav

2010-05-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/4 cup green peas shelled
1/2 cup Basmati rice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
1 green cardamom
2 cloves
2 bay leaves
Method:
Wash the rice and keep aside.
In a Pressure Cooker, take 3 tbsp oil and put cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves.
After they start spluttering, add the green peas and salt.
After stirring for 5 minutes add rice and mix well. Cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
Now add 1 cup of water and close the lid of the cooker. Wait for 1 whistle. Turn off the flame and open the lid of the cooker after 10 minutes. Spread the rice on a large tray so that the steam escapes and each grain is separate.
Garnish with cilantro leaves.
Serve hot with any curry or dal fry.

Jack fruit Curry

2010-04-29T22:27:00.000-07:00

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 40 mins
Cuisine: North Indian
Ingredients:
200 gms jack fruit peeled and cut 1'' cubes, keep the seeds
oil to fry
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1'' piece ginger
2 tomatoes pureed
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt or as per taste
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garam masala

Method:
Shallow fry the jack fruit pieces in 1 tbsp oil till they turn light golden. Keep aside.
Grind the onion,garlic, green chilli and ginger together to form a smooth paste.
In a pan, heat 3 tbsp oil, put cumin seeds and bay leaves.
After they start spluttering, add the onion paste and fry till golden.
Now add the tomato puree and stir for 10 minutes.
Add the salt, turmeric, coriander powder and garam masala. Sprinkle a tbsp of water so that the masalas do not burn. Mix well.
When the masala starts leaving oil, add the fried jack fruit and coo for 5 minutes.
Add 3 cups water and close the lid. Cook on low flame for 20 minutes or till the gravy is thick and the jack fruit is tender.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with rotis or nan.

Maggie Fried

2010-04-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1/4 cup green peas
2 tbsp carrot chopped
2 tbsp capsicum chopped
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp green chilli sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
1 tsp tomato sauce
1 pack Maggie masala noodles (10 Rs pack)

Method:
Boil all the vegetables except onion in 1 cup water with a tsp of salt for 10 minutes.Drain water and keep them aside.
In a pan, add 2 tbsp of refined oil.
When the oil is hot, add the onions and fry till golden.
Now add the boiled vegetables and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Add the sauces and 2 cups water.
Toss in the noodles and the noodle masala that comes with the pack.
Cook for 5 minutes till the noodles are tender.
Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Aloo Gobhi Curry

2010-04-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 potato cut in quarters
1 onion
2-3 garlic cloves
1'' ginger
2 green chilis or as per taste
2 tomatoes pureed
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp edible yellow color (optional)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 or 2 bay leaves

Method:
Shallow fry the vegetables in a Kadai in 1 tbsp oil till they become golden. Keep aside.
In a mixer, take the onion,garlic,ginger and green chilli with some water and make a smooth paste.
Now in a pan heat 2 tbsp oil and put cumin seeds and bay leaves.

When they start spluttering, add the onion paste and fry till it is dry.
Then add the tomato puree and fry till the mixture starts leaving oil.
Now add all the dry masalas and color and cook for 5 more minutes.
Then add the fried vegetables and mix well.
After 5 minutes add 2 cups water and close the lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame till the vegetables become tender.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

Spring Onion and Potato Curry

2010-04-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Ingredients:
100 gms spring onion chopped
1 medium size potato chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 green chilli chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala

Method:
Take a pan and heat 2 tbsp oil.
Add the spring onion and potatoes.
Cook for 10 minutes.
Now add the dry masalas and garlic paste.
Add 1 tbsp water so that the masalas do not burn. Stir for 5 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes along with 1 cup water and close the lid.
Cook for 15minutes or till the potatoes become tender.

Serve with rotis or rice.

Instant Rava Uttappa

2010-04-27T01:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This uttappa can be made quickly if the rice batter is unavailable. The taste is nice and make sure you have Nariyal Chutney and Sambhar to serve with it.
Servers:4
Ingredients:
Rava(sooji)-250 gm
Sour Curd(Khatti Dahi)-250 gms
Sweet Soda-1/4 tsp
1 tomato chopped
1 onion chopped
1 green chilli chopped
1 tsp salt or as per taste
oil to fry

Method:
Mix the rava, curd and soda in a bowl and water to get pouring consistency. Keep aside for half an hour.
Take a non stick tawa and put some oil on it. When the oil starts smoking, wipe the oil with a cotton cloth.
Now put 1 karchii of batter on the tawa and spread. Keep it a little thick.
Cover the tawa for 2 mins and let it cook.
Open the lid and put some oil on the sides. Sprinkle the tomato,onion and green chilli on it and press so that they get embedded on uttappa.
Now very carefully, turn it upside down and cover the lid for 2 minutes. The uttappa should be cooked properly on both sides and onion must be brown.

Serve with chutney and sambhar.

Sambhar

2010-04-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

Hi,
This South Indian dal is famous all over India and is served with idlis and dosas.
Serves:4
Ingredients:
Toor (Arhar) Dal-200 gm
Sambhar Masala -2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder-1/4 tsp
Small Brinjals-2, cut in small pieces
Pumpkin-1/2 cup chopped
Onion-1 chopped
Few Curry leaves
Mustard Seeds-1 tsp
Salt-1 tsp or as per taste
Tamarind-1 lemon size ball
1-2 red chillis

Method:
Boil Arhar dal with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles.Open the lid of the cooker and let it cool.
Soak Tamarind in a bowl of water for 15 minutes and extract the juice.
In a kadai, add 1 tbsp of oil.
When the oil is hot, lower the flame and add mustard seeds and red chilli.
Add the Curry leaves and stir for 30 secs. Now add the onion and stir till they are brown.
Then add vegetables, salt and tamrind juice and bring to a boil.
Pour this liquid in the pressure cooker having dal and mix in.
Add the sambhar masala and close the lid of the cooker.
Cook on low flame for 20 minutes.

The Sambhar is ready.
Temper with chowk of desi ghee and rai.

Veg Burger

2010-04-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

Burgers were favourite snack we used to have in our college days. The chai wala used to prepare it with minimal ingredients and quickly.You can add more vegetables and variety of ingredients as you wish, but I am giving here the simplest recipe.
Serves 2
Ingredients:

4 Pavs cut from the middle
3 boiled potatoes
Butter
Cheese slices
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
oil to fry
1 onion cut in rings
1 tomato cut in rings
1 cucumber cut in rings
pepper powder to sprinkle

Method:
Mash the potatoes and add the salt and garam masala to it. Now make 4 balls out of it and shallow fry them on a tawa. Press them lighlty so that they get a disk kind of shape.
Fry on both sides till they turn light brown.Keep aside
Take the pavs and apply butter. Place the vegetables and aloo tikki on each half.
Put 1 cheese slice on each of them and sprinkle some pepper powder. Cover them with the other half.
Serve with Tomato Sauce and Tea.

Veg Chowmein

2010-04-25T02:09:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
The recipe that I am going to discuss here is my own version of the Noodles. I am not aware of the professional style in which the Hakka noodles or chowmein are made. My mother used to cook noodles at home when we needed a change from regular meals and that was pretty nutritious and delicious too.
Serves 2
Ingredients:

200 gms of Chinese noodles
1 carrot chopped
1 onion cut in rings
1 capsicum cut in fine half rings
3-4 green chillis cut lengthwise
1/2 cup cabbage cut finely
1/4 cup spring onion chopped
2 tbsp Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp Chilli Sauce
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
a pinch of sugar

Method:
Boil the noodles in a big vessel adding 4 cups water and 1 tbsp of refined oil.
After 5 minutes, Drain the water and spread the noodles on a big plate and let them get dry.If the noodles are thick, then boil them for 15 more minutes.
Take a kadai and add 1 tbsp of refined oil.
Now add all the vegetables and sprinkle salt and sugar.
Stir for 10 minutes and add the sauces and the vinegar.
Keep stirring on high flame.
Now add the noodles and try not to break them by stirring. Instead try to shake the kadai for mixing.
Do not overcook. Close the lid of the flame after 10 minutes and serve.

You can have chilli paneer with the noodles.

Matar Paneer

2010-04-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
This a traditional main course sabzi which is common in Indian weddings and parties.
Serves 4

Ingredients:
200 gms paneer cut in small cubes
1 cup green peas
100 gms khoya (Ricotta Cheese)
1 big onion grinded to smooth paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1 big tomato
1 inch ginger
1 green chilli or as per taste
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp edible color
2 big cardamom
1/2 inch cinnamon
2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds

Method:
Roast the ricotta cheese in a kadai for 10 minutes and keep aside.
Boil the green peas in a cup of salt water for 15 minutes.Drain the water and keep aside.
Grind the tomato,ginger,green chilli,coriander seeds,cumin seeds,cardamom,cloves and cinnamon together to form a smooth paste.
Lightly fry the paneer cubes and keep aside.
In a pan take 2 tbsp oil and add the onion and garlic paste.
Fry till the onion paste is brownish and then add the tomato paste.
Fry for 5 minutes and add the color,salt,turmeric powder and coriander powder.
Keep stirring till the masala leaves the oil.
Now add the khoya,paneer and green peas.
After 5 minutes, add 2 cups water and close the lid of the pan.
Cook for 15 minutes on low flame.

The matar paneer is ready.
Serve with nan or jeera rice.

Veg Sandwich

2010-04-24T01:40:00.000-07:00

Hi,
This sandwich is very popular in Mumbai where the bread slices are applied with the nariyal chutney which is typical to South India.We used to have it outside our office instead of the samosas as they are more healthier.
Serves 2
The Nariyal Chutney:
Ingredients:
100 gms fresh coconut pieces
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 green chilli
salt to taste
Method:
Grind all the ingredients in a mixer grinder along with some water to form a smooth paste.
The chutney is ready.

Veg Sandwich:
Ingredients:
6 white bread slices
Butter
1 potato boiled and sliced
1 onion cut finely in circles
1 tomato cut in circles
3-4 tbsp Nariyal chutney
Tomato Sauce
6-7 tbsp Cheese grated
pepper powder

Method:
Take 2 bread slices and apply the butter.Now apply the nariyal chutney on top of the butter on both the bread slices.
Place the 1 slice each of potato, onion and tomato on one bread slice and sprinkle grated cheese and pepper over it. Cover it with the another bread.
Cut the Sandwich in 4 equal squares or in triangles and serve with tomato sauce.
You can grill the sandwiches if you like or have it plain.
In the vegetables you can also add beet root and cucumber slices.

Paneer Sandwich

2010-04-24T01:21:00.000-07:00

Hi,
This dish I encountered in my college days when we used to go to canteen for the evening tea.
I then tried it at home and everyone liked it. Two sandwiches are enough to make stomach full.
Serves 2
Ingredients:

100 gms paneer cut in bread size slices
6 bread slices
butter
black pepper powder
salt to taste

Method:
Apply butter on a bread slice and place the paneer. Sprinkle some salt and pepper and put another bread slice on the top. Place in a sandwich maker and grill on both sides.

Similarly make with all the bread slices.
The sandwiches are ready.
Serve with tomato sauce and tea.

Dal fry

2010-04-22T01:56:00.000-07:00

The Arhar dal or toor dal tastes best when it is fried. There are various ways to fry the dal. There is Gujarati dal, Rajasthani dal, Hyderabadi dal etc. I am writing here the North Indian style for frying the dal. You can use butter or desi ghee (clarified butter) to fry the dal. Its tastes nice with both.
Serves 4
Preparation Time- 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dal cooked
1 small red tomato chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 tbsp onion finely chopped
1 green chilli chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 cup coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tbsp butter or desi ghee
Method:
Take a pan and add 2 tbsp butter or desi ghee.
Add the cumin seeds and asafoetida.
Now add the chopped onions and garlic and keep stirring till they become golden brown.
Then add the tomatoes and green chilli.
When the tomatoes are soft, add coriander leaves.

Now to the frying pan, add small amount of dal water and let the tomatoes cook for 2 more minutes. When the soup comes to a boil,add this mixture to the dal and mix. If the dal is too thick, boil some water in the same pan and mix with the dal.
Serve hot.