Akila's Cuisine

Instant Kuzhi Paniyaram | Instant Spicy Paniyaram | Kara Paniyaram

2019-05-14T22:14:00.000+05:30

There is always a pattern followed in utilizing the idli batter in many South Indian households. For the first two days, breakfasts would be idlis, the next two days, it would be dosas; then comes the ultimate astra—the leftover batter would be converted into either the soft, spongy uthappam or the chubby cheeks paniyarams. This instant way of making paniyarams is ideal for a quick breakfast or a light tea time snack. Come, let's learn the easy steps to make kara paniyaram.

Kara kuzhi paniyaram served with coconut chutney

Ingredients:
Leftover idli batter - 1 cup
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Green chilli - 1 finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped
Carrot - 1 small, grated
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
Salt - less than 1/4 tsp

Method:
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and urad dal. When they sputter, add finely chopped ginger, green chillies, onion and curry leaves. Saute until onion becomes transparent. Add grated carrot, coriander leaves and salt; saute for a minute and switch off the flame.
Allow the mixture to cool down completely and mix it to the leftover idli batter.

Heat a paniyaram pan, add 1/2 tsp oil in each hole. Add about 1 tbsp of batter in each hole and close with lid.
Let the paniyarams cook in low flame for about 2 minutes and flip them one-by-one using a spoon.
Cook both the sides well until they turn golden brown. Remove from pan and serve with your favorite chutney!

Multi-grain Dosa | Multi-grain Cheela | Multi-grain Adai

2019-05-07T15:47:00.000+05:30

I always ensure that I have a wholesome breakfast everyday. After all, healthy and tasty breakfast keeps me happy and energetic throughout the day. Hence, I tried a new recipe in dosa version (I would die for dosas 😛) — no rice dosa! I included all the legumes and a millet of my choice to make this nutritious dosa. This dosa/ cheela/ adai is filled with protein and fiber required for the whole day. This is an instant dosa that requires no fermentation and can be made in minutes. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
Finger millet or any type of millet - 1/2 cup
Chickpeas/ Kala chana - 1 tbsp
Garbanzo beans/ Kabuli chana - 2 tbsp
Green gram/ Green moong dal - 2 tbsp
Black-eyed peas/ Lobiya - 2 tbsp
Red kidney beans/ Rajma - 2 tbsp
Black Whole Urad dal - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 3
Red chillies - 2
Ginger - a small piece
Salt - as per taste
Water - for grinding

Method:
Soak all the legumes and millet together overnight or at least for 10 hours.

Add ginger, green chillies & red chillies in a mixer grinder and grind for few seconds. Once they are semi-ground, add the soaked items little by little and grind to a coarse dosa batter. Add salt and mix well.

The consistency should be like adai batter. This batter need not be fermented.

Heat a tawa, drizzle some oil, pour a ladle of multi-grain dosa batter and make dosa. Drizzle some oil over it.

Now flip the dosai to the other side; ensure both the sides are cooked well. Remove dosa from the tawa.

Serve 'hot n crispy' healthier dosa with your favorite chutney-sambar of your choice.

Note:
I have added turmeric powder (1/4 tsp) and kashmere red chilli powder (1/4 tsp) for nice color. This is purely optional.

Odeon Fire Paan @ CP, New Delhi 🔥 🔥 🔥

2019-05-04T12:47:00.002+05:30

This paanwala sets your tongue on fire with his fire paan! We've heard of burning fat. This guy takes it literally. So, after eating, eat this fire paan!

Varagu Pidi Kozhukattai | Kodo Millet Steamed Balls | Millet Upma Kozhukattai | Millet Dumplings

2019-04-29T17:46:00.000+05:30

Upma kozhukattai, a tambrahm delicacy, are made with rice rava. For a change, I tried using varagu arisi (kodo millet) to make dumplings today and the result was awesome. Varagu arisi, rich in protein, fiber, folic acid and minerals, can be used to make idli, dosa, pongal, upma, payasam, etc. It is recommended to use varagu as a substitute to rice or wheat. This gluten-free millet strengthens the nervous system, reduces the body weight and also checks high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Let's see the recipe to make varagu pidi kozhukattai.

Varagu pidi kozhukattai served with peanut chutney

Ingredients:
Varagu arisi/ Kodo millet - 1 cup
Water - 1 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Carrot - 1 grated
Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped
Green chilli - 2 finely chopped
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, hing and curry leaves. When they splutter, add onion and saute till it turns transparent.
Add ginger and green chillies; add turmeric powder. Saute for a minute. Now add grated carrot and saute till its half cooked.
Add water and salt. When water starts boiling, add the millet, cover the kadai with lid and cook in low flame until all the water gets absorbed by the millet.
Once done, let it cool for sometime. When its warm enough to touch, make balls out of upma and steam it in idli pot for 10-15 minutes.
Varagu upma kozhakattai is ready to serve. Enjoy with your favorite chutney or pickle.

Note:

Add any vegetables of your choice like beans, potato, capsicum, green peas, etc.
Add grated coconut for enhanced taste.

Steamed Vegetable Momos | Veg momos

2019-02-26T22:28:00.000+05:30

Momos...these street dumplings, originally from Tibet, are popular in India and particularly in North India and Northeast India. There are a wide variety of momos available from chicken to mutton to vegetable. Yet, street food and snack shop vendors innovated the recipe, went a way beyond and introduced fried momos, tandoori momos and even chocolate momos! Let's master the kids favorite momos recipe and relish at our home.

Ingredients:
For stuffing:
Cabbage - 1/4 cup, grated
Carrot - 1/4 cup, grated
Ginger - 1 inch grated
Garlic - 3 pearls, grated
Green chilli - 2 finely chopped
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

For dough:
Maida - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 pinch
Water - as required

Preparation:

Mix maida, salt and water to make a stiff dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan, add grated ginger-garlic-green chillies and saute. Add carrot, cabbage and salt and saute for 5 minutes.

Method:
Take a small sized ball from dough. Dust a little flour and roll out the dough into a small circle. Place the veg stuffing on it. Start pleating them as shown in the picture.

Repeat the process for the rest of the dough.

Heat water in an idli pot. Once the water begins to boil, place some leftover cabbage leaves in the idli mould and place the momos on top of the leaves.*

Close the idli pot and steam the momos for 10 minutes. Enjoy the hot piping momos with chutney.

Momos served with store bought momowali chutney

*placing cabbage leaves in the idli pot helps to infuse the cabbage flavor in momos; this is purely optional. You can simply grease the idli mould with oil and place the momos to steam. You can use momos steamer also.

Methi paratha | Fenugreek leaves paratha | வெந்தயக் கீரை பரோட்டா | Methi layered paratha

2019-01-25T10:14:00.001+05:30

Methi leaves/ fenugreek leaves are aromatic leaves rich in fiber, minerals and vitamins. They have numerous health benefits that include lowering blood sugar levels, effective check on cholesterol levels, aiding to get rid of digestive disorders, regulating menstruation and resulting in weight loss when included in diet regularly. Methi can be had in the form of methi seeds, methi leaves and kasuri methi (dried methi leaves). Today let's see the methi paratha recipe.

Ingredients:
Methi leaves - a small bunch
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Ajwain/ Carom seeds - 1/4 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Water - to make dough

Method:

Take whole wheat flour (atta) in a bowl, add the washed, cleaned methi leaves, and other ingredients, mix well and make a soft pliable dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Take a ball sized dough, roll it into 3-4 inches diameter. Smear some ghee or oil and start pleating. Lift the pleated strip and gently stretch it. Roll the strip into a thick disc and tuck it beneath so that the pleats face up in a spiral.
Dust the thick disc with some dry flour and roll it into a 5-6 inch diameter paratha.
Place the rolled paratha on hot tawa. Smear some ghee or oil and cook until brown spots appear on both sides.
Enjoy the nutritious methi paratha with raita and pickle of your choice.

Note: Please refer palak paratha recipe for stepwise pictures for making layered paratha.

Gobi 65 | Cauliflower fry | Cauliflower 65

2019-01-11T21:43:00.000+05:30

Gobi 65—a quick, yummy snack to be accompanied with chai on a cold winter evening! This dish, quite popular in restaurants, can also be served as side dish for pulao or any rice of your choice. This can also be served as a starter. Follow the below easy steps to make the mouth-watering gobi 65 at your home!

Ingredients:
Cauliflower - 250 grams (cut into small florets)
Gram flour/ Besan - 4 tsp (can use corn flour also for even more crispier fried florets)
Plain flour/ Maida - 3 tsp
Rice flour - 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few, finely chopped
Coriander leaves - few, finely chopped
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Oil - for frying

For seasoning:
Oil - 2 tsp
Green chilli - 2 slit lengthwise
Curry leaves - few
Garam masala powder - 1 pinch

Preparation:

Take cauliflower florets in a bowl. Add hot water, turmeric powder and some salt to it and let it rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, drain water completely.
In a large bowl, mix all the other ingredients mentioned above and add required water to make a thick batter (Note: the batter should neither be too thick nor too thin).
Marinate the cauliflower florets in the batter for 20 minutes.

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai. Keep the heat on medium flame. Once the oil is hot enough for frying, deep fry all the florets in small batches.
Once the florets are golden brown, remove and drain on a colander.
For seasoning, heat oil in a pan, add curry leaves, green chillies, garam masala powder and saute for a while.
Now add the fried florets into the pan and toss for 2-3 minutes.

Delicious restaurant style gobi 65 is ready!

Serve with onion rings and a slice of lemon

Palak Layered Paratha | Spinach Layered Paratha | பாலக் கீரை பரோட்டா | Palak ka paratha

2018-11-21T17:46:00.001+05:30

Palak / Spinach is the prominent leafy vegetable available in abundance in winters. Rich in iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin and dietary fiber, palak helps in effective diabetes management by lowering glucose levels and increasing insulin sensitivity. Benefits of palak also include prevention of cancer, lowering blood pressure, strengthening the digestive system, prevention of hair loss and so on. Though palak can be eaten raw in salads, wraps and sandwiches, the best way to include large amount of palak in our diet is by making parathas. This North Indian dish tastes so divine with pickle and curd. To palak paratha recipe now!

Ingredients:
Palak - a small bunch
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Green chilies - 3
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4 pearls
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Kalonji/ Black caraway - 1/2 tsp (optional - can use ajwain instead)
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Water - to make dough

Method:
Take water in a large vessel and bring it to boil. Add washed palak leaves. Let it boil for 2 more minutes (do not over-boil).

Transfer the blanched palak (drain water completely) into a blender; add ginger, green chilies and garlic and blend to a smooth puree (do not add extra water).

Take whole wheat flour (atta) in a bowl, add the pureed palak, salt, kalaonji, garam masala powder, oil and make a soft pliable dough. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Take a ball sized dough, roll it into 3-4 inches diameter. Smear some ghee or oil and start pleating. Lift the pleated strip and gently stretch it. Roll the strip into a thick disc and tuck it beneath so that the pleats face up in a spiral.

Dust the thick disc with some dry flour and roll it into a 5-6 inch diameter paratha.

Place the rolled paratha on hot tawa. Smear some ghee or oil and cook until brown spots appear on both sides.

Relish the beautiful, green and healthy palak paratha with raita and pickle of your choice.

Kimchi Salad - Quick recipe

2018-11-19T17:14:00.001+05:30

Kimchi is a traditional Korean cuisine made from salted and fermented vegetables. There are numerous kimchi varieties made with different vegetables; the most commonly used vegetables are napa cabbage or Korean cabbage and Korean radishes. The seasonings include gochugaru (Korean chili pepper flakes), spring onions, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, etc. Kimchi is traditionally stored in jars in room temperature (similar to the pickles we make). The longer the kimchi is stored, better would be the fermentation, so would be the enhanced taste. Kimchi can be eaten alone like salad or can be had with rice and soups.

Kimchi can be consumed fresh as well. Today I made 'Indianized' kimchi salad by substituting cabbage, soy sauce, etc. Let's see the detailed recipe here.

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 1/4 kg chopped into thin strips
Carrot - 1 chopped into thin strips
Spring onions - 1/2 cup chopped
Red chili flakes - 1 tsp
Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Minced garlic - 1 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - 3 tbsp

Method:
Take water in a large bowl. Add salt and chopped cabbage into the bowl. Let it soak for 30 minutes. Meanwhile chop carrot and spring onions and mince garlic.

After 30 minutes, drain the water and wash the cabbage 2-3 times.
In a large bowl, take all the ingredients except cabbage and mix well. Do not add salt again.

Now add the washed and drained cabbage and mix well.

Kimchi is ready to eat now. Season with lots of roasted sesame seeds and enjoy Kimchi—a yummy, chatpata dish not to be missed in winter!

Note:

I have not added spring onions. Traditional recipe includes radish julienne also.
Also try making kimchi with cucumber, beetroot, eggplant, pumpkin, etc.
Vinegar can also be added along with soy sauce.
You can also store kimchi in an air tight container for 5 days in room temperature. Mix the veggies once in a day. Kimchi ferments well and oozes out water; can be consumed after 5-7 days.

Protein Packed Veg Pulao

2018-09-05T12:37:00.001+05:30

Can you make the royal Pulao (pilaf in Persian) a healthy, power-packed, protein dish? Yes, you can. You can make your pulao healthier by adding a handful of lentils. This may sound weird. You make think whether I end up making pulao or khichdi. Yes, I am cooking pulao with a handful of lentils to ensure it is protein rich. There are lots of lentil varieties. Today I used the brown variant.

Red Lentil or Masoor Dal in Hindi is rich in protein, vitamin, antioxidants and what not! Fondly called as 'the powerhouse of nutrients', this dal helps stabilize blood sugar levels, get rid of extra cholesterol, and more importantly this dal aids in weight loss.

Protein pulao with paneer shredded on top

Serves - 2
Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 3/4 cup
Water - 1.5 cups
Masoor dal - 3 tbsp
Cut vegetables - 1 cup (beans, carrot, capsicum, potato, sweet corn kernels, peas)
Salt - to taste

For marination:
Onion - 2
Tomato - 1
Green chilli - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curd - 2 tsp
Kasuri methi - 2 tsp

For seasoning:
Oil - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Red chilli powder - 1 pinch

Preparation:
Soak dal in water for one hour.

Saute all the ingredients mentioned under 'marination' list except curd and kasuri methi. Let them cool; add curd and kasuri methi and grind them to a fine paste.

Cut all the vegetables and marinate them in the gravy for minimum 30 minutes. More you marinate, better will be the flavor and taste.

Method:
Heat oil in a pressure cooker; add the items mentioned under 'seasoning'. Once you get nice aroma, add the marinated veggies. Saute for a while until excess water evaporates.

Add soaked and drained masoor dal, basmati rice, salt and water. Pressure cook for one whistle in low flame. Once the pressure is settled, open the cooker and fluff the rice gently.

after opening the cooker...

Garnish with coriander leaves.

fluffed rice

Protein punched pulao is ready to serve. We enjoyed this hot piping pulao on a rainy Sunday with onion raita.

Banana leaf gives an additional flavor to the dish

Note:

I have shredded about 50 grams of paneer on top of the pulao for an extra dose of protein. That's purely optional. Paneer can also be cut into cubes and added.
Adjust red chilli powder and green chillies according to your taste.
I have not added any whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon and cloves to this pulao. You can add them while seasoning.

Potato Fry | 'Lumba' Aloo Fry | உருளைக்கிழங்கு ஃப்ரை

2017-08-31T13:57:00.000+05:30

Potato fry is everyone's favorite. There are different ways of cooking potato curry. We usually boil potatoes, mash them and add spices. But, in this recipe I did not boil them. I chopped them and cooked directly in kadai. So, this potato fry would be crispier. Sunil loves this potato fry as the potatoes are chopped lengthwise and they look like French fries 😝; so, is the given name - lumba (long) aloo fry 😜. This fry is the perfect combination for poondu rasam/garlic rasam. Do try this potato fry and let me know your feedback.

Ingredients:
Potato - 4
Oil - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp
Salt - as required

Method:
Wash, peel and chop potatoes lengthwise. Heat oil in a kadai, add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add chopped potatoes.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder & salt and mix well. Sprinkle some water, cover with lid and cook in low flame until potatoes are completely cooked.

Keep stirring in between. Sprinkle some more water if required. Do not let the potatoes turn mushy. Ensure that they are completely cooked and also they are crisp.

Note:
You can add 1 tsp of gram flour/ besan to get crispier potato fry.

Ragi Idli | Finger Millet Idli | கேழ்வரகு இட்லி

2017-08-24T14:42:00.002+05:30

Ragi idli—the best alternative for the usual rice idli-dosas. Ragi (finger millet in English, kezhvaragu/ keppai in Tamil) is rich in calcium and protein. It is also a very good source of dietary fibers that enable weight loss and maintain blood sugar levels. Ragi also helps to improve low hemoglobin levels, since it is rich in iron. It is ideal to have ragi for breakfast as it will keep one energetic for the whole day. Ragi mudde (ragi balls), ragi dose, ragi roti are the most popular traditional breakfasts in Karnataka. Today, we will learn to make healthy ragi idli.

Ingredients:

Ragi/ Kezhvaragu - 1 cup
Idli rice - 1 cup
Whole urad dal - 1/2 cup
Salt - as required
Water - as required

Method:

Wash and soak urad dal separately in a vessel and idli rice & ragi together in another vessel for 5 hours.

Grind urad dal first by adding little water at a time until the batter becomes fluffy. Remove from wet grinder and keep aside in a vessel.

Grind rice+ragi adding required amount of water to a slightly coarse batter.

Mix the urad dal batter and rice+ragi batter with required amount of salt. Allow the batter to ferment for 7 hours or overnight.

Once the batter is fermented, make idlis in idli paanai/ idli steamer.

Steam cook the idlis for 10-15 minutes. Ragi idli is ready.

Enjoy ragi idli with your favorite chutney/ sambar.

Lunch menu idea #3 | South Indian Lunch Menu

2017-08-16T14:37:00.000+05:30

Here I present another South Indian lunch recipe. Rasam-potato fry is all time favorite for all. This lunch menu is very easy to prepare and doesn't take much time.
Click the below links for the detailed recipe of poondu rasam and potato fry.
Steamed rice - Poondu Rasam - Potato fry - Curd - Pickle

Vangi Bath | Kathrikaai Sadham | Brinjal Rice | Eggplant Rice | ವಾಂಗಿಭಾತ್

2017-08-02T13:21:00.001+05:30

Vangi bath / kathrikaai sadham/ brinjal rice is a famous Karnataka cuisine. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I am always fond of one pot meals. Vangi bath is one such quick recipe, can be made in 20 minutes if brinjals are cut ready and vangi bath powder is handy. Another uniqueness about this recipe is, this is 'no onion no garlic' recipe. Since this recipe is very simple to cook, this is ideal for packing your lunch box. Let's see the recipe.

Serves - 2

Ingredients:

Kathrikaai/ Eggplant/ Brinjal - 3
Cooked rice - 1 cup
Vangi bath pudi - 1.5 tbsp
Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized
Salt - as required
Jaggery - a very small piece (optional)

For seasoning:

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Curry leaves - few

Preparation:

Chop brinjals lengthwise. I used long green brinjals to make vangi bath. Soak tamarind in hot water for 15 minutes. Extract the juice and discard the pulp.

Method:

Heat oil in kadai, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, adafoetida and curry leaves. When they splutter, add chopped brinjals and turmeric powder; saute well.
Add tamarind extract, vangi bath powder, jaggery & required salt. Mix well; cover with lid and cook in low flame until brinjals are cooked (brinjals should not turn mushy...be careful!)
Once done, switch off the flame, add cooked rice and mix gently.
Vangi bath is ready in no time. Serve with papads, fryums and curd.

Vangi Bath Powder | Vangi Bath Pudi

2017-08-02T12:11:00.000+05:30

Vangi bath / kathrikaai sadham / eggplant rice can be made in a jiffy with this handy powder. This powder is very easy to prepare and can be stored in refrigerator for 15 days. I always prefer homemade spice powders as they are fresher and more authentic to store bought ready mix powders. Let's see how to make vangi bath podi.

Ingredients:

Urad dal - 1 tbsp
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 3 tbsp
Cinnamon sticks - 4 small pieces
Cloves - 4
Guntur red chillies - 8
Byadagi red chillies - 4 (optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add all the ingredients and roast until they turn golden brown.

Allow the mixture to cool. Grind them in a mixie to a coarse powder. Store it in an air tight container.

Note:

Instead of byadagi red chillies, you can use kashmere red chillies.

Murthal Paranthas in Gurugram...! - Shri Ram Dhaba

2017-07-30T19:41:00.000+05:30

Murthal - that quaint little rustic place which gives poor Delhiites a taste of a bygone era when paranthas were kneaded in Whole wheat (Atta) (Gasp..!) and served with white butter.

Before the greedy American doctors descended on the scene, Indians used to happily eat butter, and gorge aloo paranthas. Now, we feast on Nutralite paranthas in weirdly named places within the city. Not that we are any healthier. Or Happier.

The reason why all of Delhi is ready to make the 80 kilometer long trek to Murthal is because it offers us something which we will crave for - unadulterated, pure, butter thrashed Paranthas.

Hardly anyone douses white butter on paranthas in cities. I vividly remember small dhabas in Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur serving up huge paranthas with butter, but I never felt oddly heavy after the meal!

Enough of wistful memories now!

Murthal is now a terribly crowded place - the two stalwarts of paranthas - Amrik Sukhdev and Gulshan have to deal with quite literally hordes of parantha fans and anxious families keeping watch on tables full of patrons gulping down paranthas with butter.

The other issue is parking. Not to take anything away from Amrik Sukhdev, (their paranthas are awesome), but the last we went there, we spent 45 minutes trying to park our small hatchback, one hour standing in front of a table, lustfully watching a family eat; wondering when will they get their asses up so that we can have out fill. Well... one hour later, horror of horrors, that family was joined by another family for a get together!! Our one hour of waiting was in vain!!!

So, with out taste buds unsatiated (is that even a word??!), we decided to come back.

Till we heard about Shri Ram Dhaba in Gurgaon.

Located on Sohna Road, just opposite the Spaze IT SEZ, this wonderful dhaba offers the best of all worlds. (not both, but ALL!)

To begin with, there is outdoor seating as well as covered seating. Then the best part - Murthal Paranthas immersed in dollops and dollops and dollops of white butter, simmering with the ingredients all tightly packed and baked in a tandoor.

We ordered Boondi raita to go along with the paranthas...and boy oh boy, were we in for a surprise or what! The raita is served in a huuuuge bowl, its depths reaching all the way to Australia (or so it would seem!)

Coming to paranthas, we had paneer, hari mirch-pyaz, and mixed paratha, and each one of them was an absolute and sheer delight!, Crisply baked, the edges were flaky and the stuffing was awesome!

Paneer Parantha

Hari mirch-Pyaz Parantha! Wanna bite?

Needless to say, I felt like Antoine Ego (in the movie Ratatouille) after the first bite and every subsequent bite!!

Me thinks a legend is in the making on Sohna Road, go there before the word spreads...

And yes, the parking is free!

Poondu Rasam | Garlic Rasam | பூண்டு ரசம் | Garlic Indian Soup

2017-07-28T08:15:00.000+05:30

Poondu rasam / garlic rasam - yet another quick recipe for a lazy Sunday lunch. I learned this from my mom and can be made in ten minutes. Poondu rasam accompanied by potato curry makes the lunch very special. If you caught a cold, I swear, this rasam is the best remedy. Let's see the recipe.

Ingredients:
Tamarind - a small lemon sized
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Rasam powder - 1.5 tsp
Salt - as required
Water - as required
Coriander leaves - for garnishing

For grinding:
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Garlic - 5 pods
Curry leaves - few
Pepper corns - 6

Preparation:
Soak tamarind in hot water for ten minutes. Extract the juice and discard the pulp.
Dry grind the items mentioned 'for grinding' for few seconds. This should be slightly coarse.

Method:
Take tamarind extract, add turmeric powder, rasam powder, salt and the coarsely ground garlic-cumin seeds mixture; mix well and let it boil in low flame.

Add water to attain the required consistency. When froth begins to form on the surface, switch off the flame. Do not let the rasam to boil in this stage.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Poondu rasam/ garlic rasam is ready to serve.

Note:

This quick rasam does not require seasoning.
If required, heat a tsp of ghee, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds & curry leaves. When they crackle, pour over the rasam.
You can also use sambar powder instead of rasam powder.

Jugheads - South Delhi Paradise!

2017-07-24T13:36:00.000+05:30

South Delhi, that part of Delhi where people eat a snickers bar with forks and knives, and horror of horrors - drink Rasam from a soup bowl, is home to several low cost eating places. Van Chinese - that beautiful 'desi'fication of Chinese cuisine - which uses paneer and potato freely originated in Defence Colony. In this post, we visited an iconic place in Uday Park - aptly named Jughead!!! - after the famous character in Archie's!

When you enter August Kranti Marg and cross Golden Dragon (another LEGENDARY Chinese restaurant), keep heading towards Moolchand.

Take the left turn toward Uday Park and voilà! A small, old world market welcomes you. Sans the mall and the pricey parking, you enter Jugheads.

The place serves Mughlai as well as Chinese cuisine.

The portions are awesome and the taste is simply out of this world.

Things to look out for and die for are menu items like Honey Chilli Potatoes and Veg Chowmein.

The portions are humongous; so go on an empty stomach!

How to Sprout Moong Beans at home? | How to Sprout Green Gram?

2017-07-22T15:40:00.000+05:30

Sprouted beans are low in calories and rich in fiber, vitamin, iron and what not? They aid in weight loss. Sprouting beans at home is not at all a difficult task. No longer you require a sprouting jar or a cotton cloth or muslin cloth to hang the beans. A small air tight container will do to get fresher and tastier homemade sprouts.
Let's see how to sprout beans.

Take 1/4 cup of moong beans/ green gram. Wash it and soak it in water for 7-8 hours or overnight. I soaked it in the morning. Ensure that the beans are completely immersed in water.

After 8 hours, rinse the beans well and drain the water completely. Have a look at the beans. They are already swollen and some of them have even started to sprout.

Transfer the beans to an air tight container. Close it and keep it in room temperature. Leave it overnight undisturbed.

Next day morning - you can see that the beans have sprouted well.

Note:

Sometimes, beans may take longer time to sprout. In that case, take the beans from air tight container. Wash once, drain water completely and keep the beans in air tight container for another 6-7 hours.
In order to get longer sprouts, follow the same method as mentioned above.

We will see some sprouts recipes in upcoming posts!

Cabbage Manchurian | Gobi Manchurian | Cabbage Dry Manchurian

2017-07-21T12:13:00.000+05:30

Gobi manchurian is a very popular Chinese dish made with cauliflower. I tried this recipe with cabbage today. Manchurian (gravy) is the best partner for fried rice and this dry manchurian can be had as a snack/ starter. It took less than 45 minutes for me to make this recipe. Let's see how to prepare this quick snack!

Ingredients:

For manchurian balls:
Cabbage - 1 cup, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Refined flour/ maida - 3 tbsp
Salt - as required
Oil - for deep frying

For seasoning:
Onion - 1 finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp
Green chilli sauce/ red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - few
Salt - as required

Method:

Mix all the ingredients mentioned for manchurian balls. If required sprinkle some water, since cabbage itself has enough water in it.

Heat oil in a kadai for deep frying. When oil is hot enough, fry the cabbage mixture in to small balls.

Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion. Saute until onion becomes transparent. Add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw flavor goes off.

Add soya sauce, vinegar, green chilli sauce, tomato sauce & salt and mix well.

Now add the fried manchurian balls and coriander leaves to this mixture and gently mix. Cabbage dry manchurian is ready! Perfect snack for a rainy evening!

Note:

Instead of soya sauce, vinegar & green chilli sauce, you can use finely chopped green chillies and hot n sour sauce (easily available in stores).
You can try another variant by adding more vegetables like beans, carrot, potato to make vegetable manchurian.
You can also add spring onions along with coriander leaves.

Lunch menu idea #2 | South Indian Lunch Menu

2017-07-19T10:47:00.000+05:30

Here I present the traditional South Indian lunch recipe. The lunch menu is very simple and takes less than 1 hour only to prepare. Enjoy your weekend lunch time by having everyone's favorite mor kuzhambu and appalams of course...😍

Click the below links for the detailed recipe of kuzhambu and beans poriyal.

Steamed rice - Mor kuzhambu - Beans stir fry - Curd & Pickle (picture not included)

Beans stir fry | பீன்ஸ் பொரியல் | South Indian style beans curry

2017-07-19T08:51:00.000+05:30

Beans stir fry is a very easy recipe and this curry goes well with rotis and rice. There are different ways to make this curry. One is by adding moong dal, another one is adding grated coconut, etc. Today, I made this curry without moong dal or coconut. Yet, I did not want my curry to taste very bland. So, in order to get a peppy effect, I added 2 crushed garlic cloves. Let's see the recipe.

Ingredients:

Beans - 250 grams
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as required

For seasoning:

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Garlic - 2 crushed cloves
Curry leaves - few

Method:

Wash and cut the beans into small pieces. Pressure cook for 2 whistles and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add urad dal, chana dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and garlic cloves. Saute until dal and garlic turn golden brown.

Add the cooked beans, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, required salt and mix well.

Cover with lid and cook for 3 minutes. Mix well. Beans stir fry is ready! This curry tastes awesome with curd rice.

Idli Milagai Podi | Milagai Podi | இட்லி மிளகாய்ப் பொடி

2017-07-17T13:31:00.002+05:30

Idli milagai podi/ idli podi, fondly 'மொளாப்பொடி' is an inevitable accompaniment for idlis and dosas in every 'tambrahm' household. I used to gulp unlimited idlis & dosas and I don't wait for chutney or sambar (ரொம்ப சமத்து, you see...😜). Every household has their own version of milagai podi recipe, and this is my mom's recipe that I'm sharing here...

Ingredients:
Urad dal - 1/2 cup
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 1 cup
Asafoetida - 2 small pieces (or 1/4 tsp powdered hing)
Salt - as required
Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp (optional)

Method:
Dry roast sesame seeds in a kadai. Keep aside. This is optional; if you don't like, you can skip this.

Add 1/2 tsp oil, roast red chillies. Keep aside. Similarly roast urad dal, hing and chana dal separately until they turn golden brown. Add little oil when you start roasting urad dal and chana dal.

Allow them to cool, add salt and grind to a coarse powder in the mixie. Spicy milagai podi is ready!!! Store in an airtight container.

Lunch Menu Idea #1 | Simple North Indian Thali Idea #1 | Dinner Menu Idea #1

2017-07-16T12:42:00.000+05:30

In this post, I present a simple, yet nutritious North Indian Thali (lunch menu idea / dinner menu idea). Simple, because it is not as rich as your typical Punjabi fare, simple because it uses everyday ingredients.

For the individual recipes in the thali platter, click the links to know more!

Roti - Steamed rice - Cluster beans stir fry - Tur dal fry - Roasted papad - Boondi Raita.

Cluster Beans Stir Fry | ग्वार फली की सब्जी | North Indian Style Kothavarangai Curry

2017-07-16T12:19:00.003+05:30

Cluster beans/ gawar ki phali/ kothavarangai are rich in protein and fiber. Though we make many South Indian varieties in kothavarangai like poriyal, vathal, kootu, kuzhambu, paruppu usili, etc., I wanted to try the North Indian version of kothavarangai. So, I tried this simple and quick sabzi. Let's see the recipe.

Ingredients:

Cluster beans - 250 grams
Onion - 1 big finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 2 finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Kitchen king masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Finely chop cluster beans and pressure cook for 2 whistles.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds. When they splutter, add onion and green chillies. Saute until onion becomes transparent. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute well.

Add turmeric-red chilli-coriander-kitchen king masala powders, required salt and saute well.

Add the cooked cluster beans and mix well. Cover with lid and cook for 2 minutes.

Quick and easy cluster beans stir fry is ready!

Note:

You can use garam masala powder instead of kitchen king masala powder.