Archana's Feed

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Archana — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:10:00 +0000

These cookies made with flour and chopped dark chocolate is easy and fun to make and simply delicious and aromatic. The ingredients needed short and the method is absolutely simple, that you will wonder that cookie making cant get easier.

Makes: 40 small or 20 large cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped/broken into small chips/chunks

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Whisk the butter, vanilla essence, sugar and eggs until creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, desiccated coconut and chocolate. The mixture will form a dough like consistency. Just stir enough to combine all the ingredients. (If not using a processor, knead with your hand, care to not over knead.)

Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 5 minutes.

Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with butter paper/parchment paper. Flatten the balls slightly and place them at least 1 inch apart giving enough room for the cookies to spread.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and store in cookie jars or air tight containers.

Avathi Keerai

Archana — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:12:00 +0000

India as various types of green leaves apart from the well known spinach that people from different regions use for cooking. One among them is Avati Keerai widely cooked in southern India, is rich in calcium and iron.

The preparation of the vegetable is simple and delicious that children who don't like greens tend to fall in love with this tasty recipe prepared from this leaf.

Image Courtesy - http://www.indusladies.com/forums/indian-diet-and-nutrition/29499-agathi-keerai-and-its-benefits.html

Ingredients

2 bunches of avathi keerai, washed and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup yellow split moong dal

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon asafoetida

2 whole red chillies

2 tablespoons coconut

1 teaspoon oil

salt to taste

Method

Steam the agathi keerai either in a pressure cooker or in a steamer along with salt.

Cook the moong dal in a sauce pan until it is cooked, but yet grainy and not mushy. Drain any excess water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Allow them to crackle. Add the steamed leaves, cooked dal, coconut and salt to taste. Stir gently to combine the ingredients.

Serve hot with rotis, rice and sambar.

Mooli Thepla

Archana — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:38:00 +0000

This flat bread made from whole wheat flour and grated raddish, flavored with cumin, coriander and green chillies, rolled out thin makes a delicious tasting thin soft bread.

A favorite gujarati snack bread. Sit in a long distance train and if you find a Gujarati, you will find theplas. Just as said, its a great travel food, like a baguette is to a French man. You can eat it just about anywhere without any accompaniment, giving you the satisfaction that you have actually had something substantial to eat.

Makes: 12 - 15 theplas

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons yogurt

1 cup grated radish

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons oil + Oil for cooking the thepla
Salt to taste

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons in a saute pan; add the cumin seeds, turmeric powder, grated radish, saltand saute until the radish becomes tender and soft. Turn off heat and allow it to cool.

Combine all the ingredients together to the above radish mixture and knead to a firm dough adding water only if required. The process of kneading with yogurt and the warmth of the hand can make the thepla dough very sticky and very soft. Add more flour if needed to reduced the stickiness and top of with a dash of oil to make it smooth from the outer.

Make 12- 15 lemon sized balls and roll them out as thin as you can to approximately 6 inches in diameter. Note tossing the dough in dry flour while rolling will prevent it from getting sticky when rolling them out.

With iron skillet on high heat, cook the rolled out theplas smearing about 1/4 teaspoon of oil on both side and until brown spots appear on the theplas. Remove from heat.

Continue the above with the remaining portions of the dough, stacking the cooked thepla’s one over the other. This will prevent them from drying and also preserve moisture.

Note that the theplas are cooked on high heat and hence cook very fast.

Serving Suggestions
Serve it as a snack with tea or coffee.
Serve for breakfast with chevdo and some pickle
Last but the least, serve it with a subzi of your choice

Ragi Soy Wheat Theplas

Archana — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:16:00 +0000

Makes: 12 - 15 theplas

Ingredients
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ragi flour
3 tablespoons of soy flour
1 teaspoon flaxseed powder
1/4 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon asafoetida powder
1/2 cup finely chopped fenugreek/methi leaves or spinach leaves or grated carrots
(dried fenugreek leaves called kasuri methi can also be used)
2 tablespoons oil + Oil for cooking the thepla
Salt to taste

Method

Combine all the ingredients together and knead to a firm dough adding water only if required. The process of kneading with yogurt and the warmth of the hand can make the thepla dough very sticky and very soft. Add more flour if needed to reduced the stickiness and top of with a dash of oil to make it smooth from the outer.

Make 12- 15 lemon sized balls and roll them out thin to approximately 6 inches in diameter. Note tossing the dough in dry flour while rolling will prevent it from getting sticky when rolling them out.

With iron skillet on high heat, cook the rolled out theplas smearing about 1 teaspoon of oil on both side and until brown spots appear on the theplas. Remove from heat.

Continue the above with the remaining portions of the dough, stacking the cooked thepla’s one over the other. This will prevent them from drying and also preserve moisture.

Note that the theplas are cooked on high heat and hence cook very fast.

Serving Suggestions
Serve it as a snack with tea or coffee.
Serve for breakfast with chevdo and some pickle
Last but the least, serve it with a subzi of your choice

Kuzhi Paniyaram

Archana — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Spice up your dosa batter (Indian crepe mixture) with onions, chiiles and mustard and serve it as an appetizer, a quick healthy light lunch or a snack box for school.

An interesting quick dish which can be made from the ready dosa batter available in your fridge or at your grocer. Make it nutritious by adding grated carrots, pureed tomatoes, chopped spinach or even spring onions and cabbage to give it an Asian touch. Go ahead and indulge in these quick and easy savory protein cakes.

Equipment Needed: Paniyaram Pan : These Paniyaram Pans are very versatile. I like to steam many batters which require deep frying, like making dahi vada's, gobi manchurian or even kofta's. Surely an investment that you can think of to start cooking healthy.

Ingredients
2 cups of dosa/idli batter
2 tablepsoons grated coconut
1/4 cup grated carrots (or chopped spinach, finely minced cabbage) - optional
1/4 cup onions chopped finely (if you get the baby pearl onions they are more tastier)
1 teaspoon of green chilles chopped coarsely
1 tablespoon finely chopped curry leaves
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon of oil

Method
In a small pan heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Allow it to crackle. Add the chopped onions and saute until onions are tender.

Combine all the ingredients including the above mixture into the dosa batter.

Grease the paniyaram pan with oil. Spoon the dosa mixture into the holes of the pan. Heat the pan on medium heat and cover with a lid. After a 3-4 minutes you will notice the top part steamed. At this point, turn over each paniyaram and allow it to cook the other side. This time around don't cover with a lid. Allow it to cook on medium low heat until the bottom is browned and crisp.

Once done, remove and arrange on serving trays. Continue with the remaining batter and serve warm or room temperature as it is or with your favorite chutney.

Turia Muthia nu Shaak

Archana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:57:00 +0000

A gujarati dish made from turia/ridge gourd and steamed fenugreek leaf dumplings. The gram dumplings also help to thicken the gravy while the ridge gourd adds nutritional value and fibre to this dish. You can also substitute the turia with mixed vegetables or just simple French beans

Serves: 4
Cooking Time : 30 minutes
Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Ingredients for Muthias
1/2 cup of chopped fenugreek leaves
3/4 cup gram flour/besan
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon green chilli-ginger paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
3 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste

Other Ingredients
3 cups of turia, peeled cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon green chilli-ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon of oil
Salt to taste

Method
Combine all the ingredients for the muthias in a bowl and knead into a soft dough, adding little water only if required.

Divide the above mixture into 15-20 oval portions. Now we need to fry the muthia's.
Heat oil in a small frying pan, so it takes in just enough oil to fry the muthia. We can either shallow fry them or deep fry them. Once the oil is hot,add the muthias and fry them on medium heat until browned and cooked. Keep side.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds crackle, add the green chilli-ginger paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, sugar and salt. Add the turia, and simmer covered until the turia is cooked. Add in one muthia at a time. Cover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are fully cooked, adding more water if required, so the dumpling get a more tender and softer consistency.

Serve hot with phulka's.

Bhakri

Archana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:31:00 +0000

A common man's staple in maharashtra and gujarat, is made from jowar flour or wheat flour. The texture is a crisp yet soft bread, layery and absolutely delicious that can be had plain with pickles and yogurt or with a favorite in our family, Dhoodi Channa dal.

Makes: 12- 14 bhakri's

Ingredients
2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tablespoons ghee
2 teaspoons sesame seeds or ajwain seeds or cumin seeds
salt to taste

Method
In a wide bowl, combine the flour, ghee, cumin seeds and salt and mix well. Add water a little at a time and knead into a firm dough. Keep aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 to 14 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a 100 mm diameter circle.

Heat a griddle and and roast each round on both side until golden brown, putting light pressure on the bhakri, so the insides cook evenly. Serve hot plain with pickle and yogurt or with any vegetable of your choice.

Dhoodi Channa Dal

Administrator — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:14:00 +0000

Bottlegourd/Dhoodi simmered with chana/gram dal and spices, makes a delicious and nutritious meal along with bhakri or plain parathas.

Servings : 4

Ingredients
1 cup bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi), cut in cubes
1/2 cup split Bengal gram/chana dal
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 green chilli slit
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (less or more according to taste)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons freshly chopped coariander leaves

Method
Wash and soak chana dal in one and a half cups of water for an hour. Cook the chana dal adding enough water in a cooking pot or a pressure cooker until tender and soft. Dont let it become mushy.

Heat oil in a sauce pan; add asafoetida, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, and sauté until they start to crackle. Add the bottle gourd, turmeric powder, salt, bay leaf, green chilli and stir. Simmer covered with 1/4 cup of water until the bottle gourd gets tender.

Add the cooked channa dal, red chilli powder, sugar and garam masala powder. Simmer covered for 10 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with bhakri, phulka's or plain parathas.

Khatta Dhokla

Archana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:52:00 +0000

A Gujarati farsan (snack) as they call it, has its place in every gujarati household, now increasingly popular around the world. Dhokla's are a steamed dish made from rice and whole lentils like urad dal and gram/split channa dal that is packed with proteins and makes a perfect travel or lunch box companion or a quick one dish dinner as well.

You can make these dhokla's more nutritious by adding finely chopped carrots, french beans, grated bottled gourd, green peas, finely chopped cabage to the batter before steaming.

Equipment : A Dhokla Thali/Plates and a Steamer
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
2 cups rice
1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup channa dal/ split gram lentil
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons green chilli-ginger paste
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 tablespoon red chilli powder for sprinkling
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons enos fruit salt
Salt to taste

Ingredients for seasoning
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5-6 curry leaves
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method
Soak the rice, channa dal and urad dal in plenty of water for about 6 hours. Grind the mixture into a coarse dough adding just enough water and care to not make it watery. The dough has the same consistency as a the idli dough (if your are aware). The consistency is when you use a laddle it does not pour itself but falls in dollops.

Add the yogurt and salt and allow it to ferment for 6-8 hours.

Add the enos fruit salt, oil, asafoetida, green chilli-ginger paste and mix well.

Apply a little oil to a dhokla thali( flat metal with low rim). Pour enough batter so as to fill half the height of the thali.

Sprinkle a little red chilli powder on top of the dough. Place the dhokla plates in a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes, until the dhokla's are cooked.

Cut the dhokla's into pieces and serve with green chutney.

You can also season the dhokla's with the seasoning ingredients, but heating oil in a small frying pan and adding the mustard, cumin and curry leaves. Once the crackle, turn of heat. Drizzle the seasoning over the dhokla's and garnish with coariander leaves.

Custard Jelly Tart

Archana — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:21:00 +0000

A classic simple tri color favorite of my family. A three layered dessert, with a biscuit crust at the bottom, custard with fruits in the middle and your favorite jelly on the top. Simply delicious.

Ingredients
3 cups of plain marie biscuit crumbs
1/2 cup butter
Custard Sauce ( see recipe below)
1 packet of Wiekfield strawberry jelly mix

Ingredients for the Vanilla Custard
5 tablespoons custard powder
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar (extra if you like it sweeter)

Method for custard
Whisk the custard in a sauce pan with milk and sugar until the custard is dissolved.
Heat the sauce pan on medium heat, stirring continuously and making sure lumps are not formed, until it thickens and the custard is cooked. Allow it to cool under room temperature.

Method for the Tart
Lightly grease a square 8 inch pan. Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter in a bowl. Using a flat spatula or a glass, press the crumb mixture into the base of the pan. Refrigerate the biscuit crust for 1 hour.

Once the vanilla custard is cooled after it has been prepared, spread the custard on top of the biscuit mixture and refrigerate for 2 hours. You could mix some fruits like pineapple into the custard if you like some crunchiness into the custard.

Now prepare the jelly according to the instructions and allow it to cool slightly and pour the jelly mixture on top of the custard mixture. Now refrigerate for 4 hours.

Cut into small square portions and serve cold.

Oondhiya

Archana — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:38:00 +0000

A classic Gujarati dish with root vegetables, eggplant, baby potatoes all simmered in a delicious spicy green coconut gravy.

Ingredients
1/2 cup surti papdi cut into 1/2 inch size pieces, alternatively you can use flat beans or snow peas
1/4 cup of sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup of yam, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup peeled and cubed raw banana
5 baby eggplant/ brinjal, with 3 slits (not the stem side). Don't take the stems out
5-6 baby potatoes, peeled with 3 slits.
1 teaspoon caraway/ajwain seeds
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garlic paste

1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
Salt to taste

Ingredients for the Masala and Stuffing
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
3 tablespoons of freshly chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon of chopped green chillies
1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of chopped ginger
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon of garam masala powder
1 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds or powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt to taste

Ingredients for Methia Muthia
1/4 cup fresh fenugreek leaves/ methi
1/4 cup gram flour/ besan
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon enos fruit salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste

Method for the Muthias

Heat oil for deep frying in a small frying pan, as you will be frying small oval doughs of muthia.

Combine all the ingredients for the muthia and knead into a stiff dough adding a little water only if required. Divide the dough into ten equal portions and shape into ovals.

Deep fry the muthias in hot oil untill golden brown. Drain onto an absorbent paper and keep aside.

Method for making the Oondhiya
Make a coarse paste of the Stuffing Masala Ingredients.

Stuff the slit brinjals with this masala and mix a 1/4 cup of stuffing masala with the potatoes and keep aside. Keep aside the remaining masala for further use.

Heat oil in thick bottomed frying pan, add caraway seeds and allow them to crackle. Add the asafoetida, papdi beans, and stir well for two minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, garam masala powder, sugar, salt and remaining green masala. Stir together the above ingredients.

Stir in half cup of water, and as the water starts to boil, lower heat and add the yam, sweet potatoes, raw bananas, stuffed brinjals and stuffed potatoes. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, taking care to keep the stuffed vegetables on the top until the vegetables are tender, but not over cooked.

Add the fried muthiyas and cover and allow to simmer on low heat till the muthiyas double in size, adding more water if required. Check the salt and spice levels. if you like it more spicy you can add red chilli powder.

Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander, chopped fresh green garlic and scraped coconut.

Quick Honeyed Paneer

Archana — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Home Made Paneer simmered in honeyed tomato gravy with subtle spices is sure to make your dinners light and nutritious. This dish will be a reason for you to start cooking your dinners, as they can get as simple as this recipe.

Another healthy tip: While pureeing the tomatoes, add a couple of carrots and puree it along with the tomatoes to make the gravy, now you have added that vegetable for extra nutrition.

Ingredients

1 cup home made paneer cubes (or store bought)
1.5 cups freshly pureed tomatoes (choose red tomatoes)
2 tablespoons cream or some milk
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 tablespoon kasuri methi
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Vegetable/Sunflower oil
Salt to taste

Method

If it is a store bought paneer; soak in hot salt water for about 1o minutes. This process makes the paneer soft and tasty.

Heat oil in a pan; add the cumin seeds, ginger and honey, sauté for a few seconds until the honey starts to bubble. Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder and saute for a few seconds.

Add the tomato puree, salt, red chilli powder and cardamom powder and simmer for 2-3 minutes. add the milk or cream. Drain the water from the paneer and add it to the above gravy. Add kasuri methi and simmer for few minutes.

Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve it with hot phulkas.

Cottage Cheese Dip with Pepper and Olives

Archana — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:04:00 +0000

A classic favorite, home made cottage cheese with roasted red bell peppers and black olives makes a great dip for entertaining or even use it as a spread on your bread when making a sandwich.

Ingredients
1 cup home made cottage cheese (paneer) (strained)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons chopped black olives
1/4 cup roasted red bell peppers
salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Method

Made sure you drain all the liquids from the cottage cheese before whisking it with the other ingredients. Combined the cottage with all the other ingredients and serve cold with chips or bread

Samosas

Archana — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:58:00 +0000

Samosas are crusty deep fried triangles filled with spiced up cooked potatoes and had as a tea time snack with your favorite date chutney or the green chutney or plain old simple tomato ketchup. They look complicated and difficult to make, but once you get the knack, these are quick to make and even more quick to eat. So enjoy the recipe and modify the spices to suit your ingredients.

Makes: 30 samosas

Ingredients for the filling
4 cups of boiled finely diced potatoes
2 tablepoons roasted halved peanuts
1/4 cup cooked fresh peas
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon crushed fennel/ sauf
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons garam masala powder
2 teaspoons dry mango powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon black salt
salt to taste
3 tablespoons or more of freshly chopped coriander leaves

Ingredients for crust
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon caraway seeds / ajwain
1/4 cup melted ghee
salt to taste (about 1.5 teaspoon)
1/2 cup warm water

Method for the filling

Heat 1 tablespoon oil pan; add the cumin seeds and allow it to crackle. On low heat add the ginger and turmeric powder. After a few seconds add all the other filling ingredients except the peas, and gently toss all the ingredients so the potatoes get evenly coated with the spices. Stir for 3-4 minutes on low flame and finally add the peas and combine it with the potato mixture.
Set aside to cool. Once cool add the freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Method for the crust

Combine the flour, caraway seeds, salt and ghee with your hands until the flour resembles course crumbs. Make a well in the center and add water little at a time. Knead the dough with your hand to make a soft firm dough, adding more water if required. Cover the dough for 20 minutes with a wet muslin cloth. Divide the dough into 15 balls and keep covered with a muslin cloth.
Keep 1/2 a cup of water by the side for coating and sealing the edges of the samosas. On a floured surface, roll each ball into 6 inch diameter circle and cut each circle into half.

Spread the water lightly all along the edge of the semicircle. Fold the semicircle into a cone shape and seal the side edges and not the top opening of the cone. Pick the cone up in your hands.

Fill the cone with 2 tablespoons of potato filling. Press this filling down gently into the cone with your fingers. Now close the top of this cone into a triangle shape, pinching the top edge so that it is completely sealed.

Continue to make semicircles, cones and fill the rest of the samosas.
Heat oil in a frying pan for deep frying the samosas. Place the samosas in the frying pan a few at a time. Turn the samosas around in the oil once they come floating to the top. Fry them until the they turn a light golden-brown color on all sides. Keep the heat on medium high heat and not high heat. High heat can brown the crust faster but not make the crust crispier.

Serve samosa hot with green chutney and tamarind chutney or plain old tomato ketchup.

Sweet Potato Koftas

Archana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:02:00 +0000

What better way to relish the wholesome nutrition rich sweet potatoes other than making healthy koftas out of them. These are delicious and my family, including the children enjoy this dish with hot phulkas

Ingredients For Koftas

2 cups of boiled sweet potatoes

1/4 cup freshly chopped fenugreek leaves
¼ cup of gram flour
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Method for koftas
Preheat oven to 200 C.

Mix all the ingredients and divide into 10 round portions/balls.

Place the balls in a baking tray and into the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until you see the kofta balls have begun to brown/golden. Prick the kofta with a toothpick to check if it comes out cooked and not raw. Turn the oven off and let the kofta's sit aside until the gravy is ready.

For the Gravy
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 cups of freshly pureed tomatoes
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves
1 tablespoons cream
1 tablespoon sugar/honey
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons vegetable/sunflower oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pan; add the ginger, garlic and saute them on low heat until they release their aroma.

Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, chilli powder, dried frenugreek leaves coriander powder and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add cream, sugar, 1 cup of water and salt to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Since these are baked kofta's they tend to absorb more gravy.Add the baked kofta's to the gravy just before you are ready to serve and simmer them for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add more water if you feel they gravy is too thick for you. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves

Enjoy the kofta’s with hot phulka’s or any Indian bread of your choice.

Malaysian Curry

Archana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:53:00 +0000

A very popular Malaysian curry typically made with fresh vegetables brings out the authentic taste of the Malaysian curry. Everywhere you go where curries are served, you will probably find this type of curry, mostly with chicken and potatoes.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of red curry paste
1 cup of boiled, peeled and diced potatoes

2 cups of steamed vegetables (carrots, baby corn, broccoli, mushrooms)
3 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
2 lemongrass (use the white parts only, pounded)
2 cups water (use less water if you want thicker curry or more if you want more curry sauce)
1/2 cup coconut milk
3-4 curry leaves

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Method

Heat oil in a sauce pan. Add the the sliced shallots and saute until aromatic or light brown in color. Add the curry paste into the pot and stir until aromatic. Add the vegetables, potatoes and lemongrass. Stir for 1 minute before adding the water.

Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium. Bring the curry to boil and then lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the coconut milk and bring it to boil. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Lemon Grass Soup

Archana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:29:00 +0000

Vegetarian Lemongrass Soup or Tom Yum (tom yum het mangsawirat) is a vegetarian version of Thailand’s most popular soup. Tom Yum is very spicy and sour, and usually served scalding hot in a hotpot with a fire underneath. There are many different variation. This one is a clear vegetarian version.

Ingredients

1/4 cup broccoli florets
1/4 sliced baby corn
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 stalks of lemon grass sliced4-6 kaffir lime leaves
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon red curry paste (optionally if you like it to be spicy)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4-5 basil leaves1 teaspoon white sugar
salt to taste

Method

Add 4-5 cups water to a sauce pan, add the lemon grass and limes leaves to the water. Tear the lime leaves to release flavor.

Turn on your heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Boil the herbs for about 5 minutes or so, to release the flavors. The color of the water should be a light green when you’re finished.

Add the vegetables into the mixture and boil until the vegetables are slightly tender.

Turn off the heat. Add your soy sauce, sugar, (red curry paste) and at the very end the lime juice. Taste to make sure the flavor is right. It should be very sour & spicy. You may need to add more lime juice depending on how sour your limes are.
Transfer to a bowl and garnish with basil leaves.

Note:
Lime leaves and lemon grass, so you may want to scoup them out them out of the soup before you serve. You can optionally add or omit the red curry paste. If you like a richer and spicy flavor you can add the paste.

Crunchy Khadai Koftas

Archana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:58:00 +0000

Crunchy delicious gravy with some baked kofta dumplings will sure add a change to your menu for party dishes. A fusion of the Khadai Vegetable and a kofta gravy taste simply delicious as the crunchy bell peppers blend so well to the soft fluffy koftas.

Ingredients For Koftas
2 cups of boiled mashed potatoes
1/2 cup freshly made cottage cheese/paneer
¼ cup of gram flour
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Method for koftas
Preheat oven to 200 C.

Mix all the ingredients and divide into 10 round portions/balls.

Place the balls in a baking tray and into the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until you see the kofta balls have begun to brown/golden. Prick the kofta with a toothpick to check if it comes out cooked and not raw. Turn the oven off and let the kofta's sit aside until the gravy is ready.

For the Khadai Gravy
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced bell peppers (red and green)
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
2 cups of freshly pureed tomatoes
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon sugar/honey
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
2 tablespoons vegetable/sunflower oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat oil in a pan; add the onions, ginger, garlic, bells peppers, carrots and saute them on high heat heat until tender, crisp and gets a roasted flavor.

Add the tomato puree, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, chilli powder, dried frenugreek leaves coriander powder and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add cream, sugar, 1 and 1/4 cup of water and salt to taste and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Since these are baked kofta's they tend to absorb more gravy.Add the baked kofta's to the gravy just before you are ready to serve and simmer them for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add more water if you feel they gravy is too thick for you. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves

Enjoy the kofta’s with hot phulka’s or any Indian bread of your choice.

Herbed Spaghetti

Archana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:19:00 +0000

A twist to the traditional saucy versions of spaghetti is to toss the cooked spaghetti with freshly made pesto and grilled vegetables. The recipe is delicious and simple to make and quick to eat! You can choose any pasta of your choice, its sure go go well with many textures.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound dried bucatini or spaghetti
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon of home made pesto
2 cups of grilled vegetables (eggplant, bell peppers, mushrooms and onions)
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Parmesan Reggiano cheese and crushed black pepper for sprinkling

Method

Cook the spaghetti in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (3 tablespoons salt for 6 quarts water) until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.

Heat tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until foam subsides. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant and pale golden.

Add the pesto, the grilled vegetables and the cooked spaghetti and stir until the ingredients are well combined and the pesto sticks well to the spaghetti. t;br />
Finally add the parsley, cheese and pepper and toss well. Add more water (kept aside) to moisten if necessary. Serve warm.

Walnut Pesto

Archana — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:37:00 +0000

Nothing like home made pesto, with fresh ingredients and ground with your favorite nut like walnut or almonds or pine nuts. I have used just basil in this pesto recipe, but you can add, parsely, mint, basil, coriander and make it a herbed pesto, it tastes delicious as well and adds a twist to the original.

Serves: 4 cups

Ingredients
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/4 cup walnuts
4 cloves chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Method
Place the walnuts,garlic, basil leaves, salt, and pepper in the food processor and churn until coarse, with the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve with your favorite pasta or use it as your recipe call it.

Store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.