Harsha's Kitchenette

Methi Missi roti

2016-11-09T14:41:00.001-08:00

Ingredients :

1 cup besan
3/4 cup plain flour (maida)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp chaat masala powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
pinch hing(asafoetida)
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1 cup chopped fenugreek (methi) leaves
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
3/4 tsp haldi
1 tbsp ghee
salt to taste
whole wheat flour for rolling
ghee for cooking
butter to serve

Method:

Combine all the ingredients into a deep bowl and knead into soft dough using enough warm water.
Divide the dough into 16 equal portions and roll out each portion into a thin circle of about (5") diameter with the help of a little whole wheat flour for rolling
Meanwhile heat the Griddle(Tawa/Flat cast Iron skillet) on a medium high heat. Roll them into small balls, Taking one small ball at a time flatten it with a rolling pin , dust the flattened dough with flour on both sides and start rolling them again into a nice round chappati.
Put this flattened rolled out roti on the hot skillet, cook for about few minutes on both the sides.
Next hold the roti directly on gas flame & let it cook till you see brown spots appearing on roti .take care not to burn them.
Flip it on both the sides to get it evenly cooked, apply butter/ghee on both the sides, until it is lovely golden brown in colour, that means it is done.
Serve it with butter/Ghee, pickle ,chutney and chole.

Paneer Makhani

2016-11-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

250 gms. paneer (cottge cheese)
3 tbsp. ghee or butter
1 onion chopped into strips
1/2" piece ginger chopped fine
2 green chillies chopped fine
4 tomatoes chopped fine
2 cardamoms crushed
1/4 cup beaten curd
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. tomato sauce

Method:

Chop the paneer into 2" .
Heat half the ghee. Add onion,ginger, green chilli and cardamom. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, covered.
Add curd and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water and cool.
Blend in a mixie till smooth.
Heat remaining ghee, add gravy and other ingredients except milk and paneer.
Boil to get a very thick gravy.
Just before serving, heat gravy, add milk and paneer and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice or puri.

Aloo Mutter

2016-11-09T13:57:00.002-08:00

Ingredients:

1 cup green peas
2 medium size potatoes
2 medium size tomatoes
1 Pod Garlic (about 15-20 Pieces)
1/2 cup Green Coriander leaves
2 Green chilies
1 small onion
Salt to taste
Pinch of Turmeric

Method:

Grind Garlic, Coriander, tomatoes, green Chillies, onion, salt, turmeric.
Heat oil in cooker. Add ground Masala and roast till oil separates
Add potatoes pieces, and green peas and mix properly
Add water and pressure cook 2 whistles would be enough .
Serve with chappaties or puries

Chole

2016-11-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Ingredient :

1 cup kabuli channas
2 chopped onions
2 potatoes
2 tomatoes
2 tbsp dhana-jira powder
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp amchur power
1 tbsp garam masala
½ tsp soda bi-carb
½ tsp black pepper powder
3 tbsp ghee
salt to taste

Method :

Soak the channas for at least 6 hours
Add ½ teaspoon of soda bi-carb and cook in a pressure cooker
Cut the potatoes and tomatoes into big pieces
Heat the ghee in a vessel and fry the potatoes until soft
Remove the potatoes. In the same ghee add the onions and cook for a little time.
Add the dhana-jira and chilli powder and fry again.
Add the boiled channas and salt.
After 5 minutes, add the garam masala, amchur and black pepper powder and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes and tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes.
Decorate with coriander and coconut

Sweet Pongal

2016-11-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

Moong dhal - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup.
Milk
Coconut
cashew
jaggery
raisins
cardamom
ghee

Method:

Fry the moong dhal (before washing) till it becomes little light brown (it will start smelling).
Then soak rice and dhal separately for 10 minutes.
Thoroughly wash and keep it in cooker with the right water and cook it seperately (in two different containers).
Meanwhile cut coconut in very small pieces and fry in ghee.
Fry cashew and raisins separately.
Break the jagerry and put in water (very little) and make a syrup.
After we make the syrup strain it through tea strainer. Put the rice and dhal in a big vessel and add milk (may be one cup) and cook it till all the milk gets absorbed.
Add jaggery syrup and again cook till even it gets absorbed. Add three big table
spoons of ghee, powdered cardamon and cook again for a while.
Add fried coconut, cashews and raisins.
Serve hot in with a spoon of ghee

No Bake No Egg Pinwheel Cookies

2015-05-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 Stick unsalted butter
3/4 Cup brown Sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1 Cup all purpose flour
1 Cup wheat flour

Toppings

Chocolate syrup
Cinnamon powder
Granulated sugar

(Alternatives: Any fruit jam , cocoa powder or vanilla sugar as you want)

Method:
For Dough:

First add 1 stick of softened unsalted butter into a mixing bowl and just work with rubber spatula to make it very smooth.
Then add pinch of salt & brown sugar. Stir this mixture until combined. Now add baking powder & baking soda. Again stir the mixture till it become smooth as a paste.
Then sift in all purpose flour & wheat flour. Fold until and work on the dough using your hands and form a bowl. You can use little bit of milk if it is very hard to combine all together. Dough should be little hard.
Plastic wrap the dough and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

Roll up:

Remove the dough from fridge. Out of fridge, dough gets sticky quickly so top with another piece of plastic wrap.
Roll out the dough with rolling pin. Now spread chocolate syrup evenly by using brush or flat spatula on top. Then dust with cinnamon powder & sugar on top of it.
Then carefully roll all the way up & cover with plastic wrap. Store this roll in the freezer for about an hour.

Cook over Stove-top:

Out of the freezer, cut the roll into half inch thick slices. Then stick in a wooden toothpick into cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies.
On a preheated fry pan over low heat, arrange cookies and cook for about 8 min covered. Cooking time varies depending on the power of stove-top.
When the bottom of cookies are lightly browned flip them over. Cover & cook another 2-3 min.
Then turn off the heat and let sit for another 2 min or until cooked.
Then let it cool on a wire rack.

Super Simple Ice Cream

2015-04-28T18:18:00.002-07:00

This is a Super duper easy recipe! Ice cream can’t get any easier....no-machine-required ice cream recipe!!!!:) I have learn this recipe from my best friend. So from now in summer I guess every weekend there will be a ice cream party for sure :)

Ingredients:

16 oz. Cool Whip Lite any flavor
14 oz Sweetened Condensed Milk
14 oz Evaporated Milk
Optional: 1 tsp vanilla or1/3 cup mango pulp or any flavor whichever you like.

Method:

Whisk together the Cool Whip, sweetened condensed milk & evaporated milk until combined.
Add any flavor extract or essence or pulp. Mix well.
Pour in a freezer safe container, cover, and freeze for at least 4-6 hours or overnight!
Enjoy this so easy & so creamy Ice cream

Spaghetti With Potato Balls

2014-11-06T16:34:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

For Potato balls:

1 cups mashed potato
3/4 cup white onion, diced
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup Italian fine breadcrumbs
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fine black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder (or 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
1/4 cup any shreded cheese
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for saute

For Spaghetti:

spaghetti pasta (any variety)
marinara sauce
chopped basil or parsley
Parmesan or any cheese

Method:

In a large saute pan, over high heat, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot add in the onions, parsley and garlic. Saute for about 4-5 minutes, reducing heat to medium about a minute after cooking.
When the saute mixture has reduced in volume quite a bit and onions caramelizing add salt, chili powder, pepper and any additional spices you may like to add.
Fold the saute mixture into the mashed potato. Then fold in the bread crumbs and the cheese. Your mixture should be quite sticky and thick now. Add more bread crumbs if mixture needs thick.
You can either place your mixture in the fridge to chill for a half hour to help with handling.
Heat up your pasta water pot and also pour your pasta sauce into a large oven-friendly dish. Place the pasta sauce dish in a 350 degree oven to heat.
Saute potato balls: Heat a splash of olive oil in your saute pan and add your formed balls. Roll formed balls in a bit of the bread crumbs before placing on the pan. Cook over medium-high heat for about one minute on each side.
Drop pasta into the pot when the water is boiling. Cook until tender. Drain and toss warm pasta with some red pepper flakes (optional) and olive oil. Spoon about 1 cup of the pasta sauce over top the pasta and toss well. Set aside, covered for now.
Take your sauteed balls and carefully place them in the hot pasta sauce dish. Then place the pasta dish back in the oven to braise the balls for at least 20 minutes. Oven heat can be 350 degrees. Do not cover the dish.
Now for assembly: Carefully remove the braised balls from the sauce and set aside. Then in a large bowl or your serving bowl, toss the hot pasta sauce with the warm pasta. Or you can just pour sauce over top pasta and not toss. Add balls over top to serve.
Freshly chopped parsley or basil & cheese.

Shahi Pulao

2014-11-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
1/2 cup Cauliflower pieces
1/2 cup fresh green peas
1/2 cup green beans chopped
1 carrot thinly chopped
1 big onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 boiled potato (cut into chunks)
6-8 green chillies chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 cup milk
2 tbsp ghee
Few raisins
Few cashew nuts chopped
Few almond sliced
Salt to taste

Whole Garam Masala:

2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 green cardamom crushed
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (shahi jeera)
1 inch cinnamon stick

Method:

Roast the whole garam masala in a pan without adding oil.
Roast for 2 minutes, leave to cool and then grind to make a smooth powder.
Boil the rice, until 1/2 done, drain the whole water and leave to cool.
Melt the ghee in a pan and add all the vegetables.
Add salt and spices. Mix well.
Cook on low flame for 4 minutes.
Add the grounded whole garam masala powder.
Mix well and add milk.
Stir for one minute and then add rice.
Cover the pan with the tight lid.
Leave to cook at least for 10 minutes on low flame.
Finally garnish with raisins, cashew nuts and almonds.
Serve hot with dal fry and raita of your choice.

Vada / Gola Bhat

2014-11-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

For Vada :

Sprouted matki (moth) - 1/2 Cup
Chana dal (Gram lentil) - 2 Tbsp
Urad Dal (Black lentil) - 1/4 Cup
Moong dal - 1/4 Cup
Chopped cilantro (Kothimbir) - 1/4 Cup
Cumin seeds - 1 Tbsp
Red chili powder - 1 Tsp or to taste
Salt - 3 Tsp or to taste
Green chili paste - 1 Tsp or to taste
Garlic paste - 1 Tsp
Oil - 1 Tsp

For Bhat :

Rice - 1 1/2 Cup
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 Tsp
Curry leaves (optional) - 4-5

For Tadka(Tempering):

Oil - 2 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 Tsp
Asafoetida - 1/4 Tsp
Dry red chili - 2-3
Curry leaves - 5-6

Method :

Soak chana dal, urad dal and moong dal for 2 hrs in lukewarm water.
Wash rice till water runs clean, soak for 15 mins.
Grind soaked dal and sprouted matki coarsely in grinder.
In a bowl mix grinded dal mixture, cilantro, garlic paste, cumin seeds, red chili powder, green chili paste, oil and salt and mix well.
Make 8-10 medium sice balls from this mixture. Apply some oil to your plalm while making the balls so the mixture won't be sticky.
Heat oil in kadai or in dig sauce pan and add curry leave & red chilli powser then add soaked rice and cook till half done on medium flame.
When rice is half done place all dal mixture balls on it & cover with lid. Now cook this rice completly on medium flame.
Heat 2 tbsp of oil in another pan for tempering and crackle mustard seeds. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and dry red chilies fry for a moment and switch off stove.
Serve a plate of rice with vada. Crumble vadas then add tadka and enjoy with kadhi or any saar or rasam.

Beet & Kale Rice Pilaf

2014-11-05T15:06:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1 bunch spring onion onion, chopped
3/4 cups Jasmine rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 medium beets, peeled & grated (about 1 cup)
2 kale leaves, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cups vegetable broth or plain water
1/4 tsp ground pepper
Salt, to taste

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat.
Add the spring onion and cook until they are tender, about 2 minutes.
To the onions, add the rice, garlic, vinegar and basil. Stir, cooking, until the rice is coated, about 1 minute.
Stir in the beets, kale and vegetable broth.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low.
Cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped sprin onion & chopped kale leaves. Serve warm with any delicious curry.

Aloo Tikki / Potato Patties

2014-11-05T12:57:00.003-08:00

Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded or mashed potato
2 -3 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tsp salt
Oil for shallow fry

For Stuffing / Filling

1/3 cup green peas boiled and drained
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp green chili minced
Chopped cilantro
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp oil

For Serving

1/2 cup yogurt whipped
¼ cup cilantro chutney
¼ cup tamarind chutney

Method:

Making Filling

Boil green peas for 5 mins then drain the water from the peas and lightly mash.
Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat; add all the filling ingredients, stir fry for about 2 min. Keep the filling little moist. Set aside.

Making tikkis

Add the salt and bread crumb into the mashed potatoes and knead to make the dough.
Divide the potatoe mixture into 8-10 equal parts.
Takes one part of the potato dough, make a ball and flatten over the oiled palm. Put about 1 tsp of filling in the center and wrap around with potato. Lightly flatten the filled balls to patties. Make all the patties.
Heat non stick heavy skillet on medium high heat, generously greased the skillet. Place the tikkies on the skillet, making sure they are not touching each other and has some space all around.
Oil the tikkies from the top. Cook them for about 1 minute and turn them over, tikkies should be light golden brown. Oil the tikkies from the top and lightly press with spatula.
Turn the tikkies 3-4 times as needed to make sure tikkies are nice and crispy. Brush the oil lightly every time when you turn the tikkies over and also press with spatula.
Tikkies are served along with tamarind chutney, cilantro chutney and yogurt. You can also serve them with spicy chole.

Thor

2014-11-05T12:36:00.002-08:00

Thor is a traditional Gujarati Sweet which is usually served as Prasad to Lord Krishna. It is the main Prasad offered at Nathdwara / Shreenathji in Rajasthan, India.
This sweet is also made during Diwali and other such festivals.

Ingredients:

1 cup of All- purpose flour (Maida)
2 tbsp Semolina
¼ cup Melted Ghee
A little less than ¼ cup Warm Milk
½ cup + 2 tbsp Sugar
¼ cup Water
1 tbsp Milk
Ghee or oil for frying

Method:

Mix flour and semolina in a bowl.
Now alternately add a tablespoon of ghee and milk each and prepare into dough. The dough should be a little stiff. Cover it with a wrap and let it rest for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Now take the rested dough and divide into 6 equal parts and using the pressure of your palms press it into a circular shape. Simultaneously keep heat the ghee or oil for frying.
Roll each ball a little thick. cut as many 1 1/2-inch stars using cookie cutter (or rounds) as you can & prick wih a fork. Deep fry in medium hot oil, on a low flame till bubbles stop completely. Remove & cool.
Let it rest for about 2 to 3 hours.
Keep a non – stick pan to heat. Add in sugar and water to it. Once sugar starts to melt add in 1 tbsp of Milk and keep stirring. (Milk helps to remove impurities in sugar)
After a while you’ll see form/ dirt floating on surface of the syrup. Remove it carefully with a spoon and discard. You can also strain the syrup if desired.
Keep cooking the syrup until it thickens up. You don’t have to caramelize the sugar so avoid burning it. Your syrup should be foamy and a little white in color.
Once done, deep each thors into it and generously coat on both sides.
Rest the Thors side by side on a flat sheet for about 5 to 8 minutes. (You should not overlap them). Now refrigrate for about 15 to 20 mins till the sugar syrup is all set.
Once set, keep the Thors on to a serving plate and enjoy.

Rasgullas

2014-09-26T17:27:00.003-07:00

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 liter (5 cup)
Sugar - 1.5 cup
White vinegar - 2-3 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pan till it starts foaming; cool down the milk a bit. Add 1 cup water in milk for making it cool quickly. This makes chena softer and rasgullas comes out spongier.
Add the vinegar little at a time and stir. It will curdle right away. You should see the milk solids (chenna) separate from the whey. Pour into a colander lined with cheesecloth; rinse the chenna with cold water to get rid of the vinegar. Allow the water to drain completely.
Gather the muslin cloth edges together and express as much water as possible; this is a soft paneer. Turn the paneer onto a rolling mat or other smooth surface. Knead the paneer well to make a dough. Roll into a ball and divide into 15-20 equal portions.
Add sugar and 4 cup water in pressure cooker and let it boil. When it starts boiling place the entire prepared balls in cooker one by one. Cover it with lid and let it simmer once and bring to pressure. After it simmers once reduce the flame and cook for 7-8 minutes more.
Take cold water in any utensil and place pressure cooker in it. Cool the cooker or place it below water tap so that it becomes cool quickly. Open the lid carefully and take out rasgullas along with sugar syrup in a bowl. Add cardamom powder and make them cool down. After 5-6 hours rasgullas become more sweet and tasty. Serve chilled rasgullas.

Mix-Flour Laddoos

2014-09-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 Cup Rice Flour
2 Cup Mung Dal Flour
2 Cup Wheat Flour
2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Cup Ghee
1 tbsp Cardamom powder

Method:

Mix all the flour together. Heat ghee in a vessel with a thick base and fry the mixture on a low flame until you get nice aroma and well roasted. This will take around 15-20 min.
Let the mixture becomes luke warm and can be handled with hands.
Mix the grounded sugar and cardamom powder in the mixture before making laddoos out of it.

Ukadiche Modak Using Mould

2014-09-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

For the dough

1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp ghee or oil
a pinch of salt

For the filling

1 cup grated fresh coconut
1 cup jaggery powder
1 tbsp roasted poppy seeds
7-8 cardamoms, powdered
10-12 cashew nuts, chopped

For the dough

Mix water and milk in a sauuce pan or in vessel & boil 3.
Add little bit of salt to it.
Reduce the flame to low and add rice flour to it.
Keep stirring till the rice fllour cooks and become a lump.
Remove from the flame. Cover with a lid and keep it aside and allow to cool.
Knead the rice flour lump into a smooth dough by using ghee or oil.
Keep it covered. If you feel dough is hard or dry, just add 2-3 tsp of water and knead it.

For the filling

Mix the coconut, Jaggery, roasted poppy seeds and cashew nuts together.
Heat this mixture in a pan over a medium flame, stirring continuously till the jaggery melts.
When the jaggery release nice aroma and start to thickens, switch off the flame.
Allow it to cool and add the cardamom powder. Mix well.

Preparation of Modak using mould

Divide the dough into equal portions and also divide the filling into equal portions.
Grease the mould lightly with ghee. Use 1 portion of the dough to stuff in the mould's cavity.
Keep aside a small portion of the dough to seal the modak to bottom.
Fill the cavity with portion of coconut filling.
Seal the surface with the rice dough. Now open the mould and place the modak on a plate. Make sure you keep prepared modak covered to avoid dryness.
Repeat the same process to all modaks. Once all the modaks are done, place them to the steamer decks, which is lined with muslin cloth. Steam in a modak patra for 15 minutes.
You can use idly steamer for stemming modak. While steaming modak you can use banana leaf or turmeric leaf. It gives a good aroma to the modak.

Mango Cake

2014-06-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – 1 cup
Mango – 1 large
Condensed milk – ½ cup
Powdered sugar – ½ cup
Milk – 3-4 tbsp
Butter / Ghee – 1/3 cup
Cashew nuts – 2 tbsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking soda – ¼ tsp

Method:

Preheat oven at 350 F.
In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, baking powder & baking soda. Strain the mixture twice and mix well.
In separate bowl mix ghee or soft butter, mango pulp and condensed milk whisk them nicely.
Also add powdered sugar and mix well. Cut cashews into small pieces.
In a separate large mixing bowl mix dry ingredients and wet mixture. Whisk the batter rigorously until all lumps get dissolve. Also add cashew nut pieces in the batter.
Grease the baking pan or cake mold with ghee or butte
Pour the batter in the baking pan and tap it on surface so that it gets even. Place the cake mold in the oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes on 350 F. Check after 25 minutes.
Insert a knife or toothpick in cake to check it. The batter should not stick to the knife. If the knife comes out clean that means cake is baked completely.
Take out the cake from oven and allow it to cool. Now separate the cake from mold.
For this run knife all around the cake and place the container upside down over a plate. Cake will come out from the mold. Enjoy this cake with hot coffee.

Mango Sheera

2014-06-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Sooji/Rava - 1/2 cup
Sugar- 1/2 cup
1 medium ripen Mango
Whole Milk - 3/4 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Few Saffron strands
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
6 - 8 Almond sliced
8 -10 Raisins
Ghee 3 - 4 tbsp

Method:

Cut mango into pieces, keep aside few cubes for garnishing the sheera later. Grind the remaining to a smooth puree and keep it aside.It should yield 1/2 cup approximately.
Warm 1 tbsp of milk and add saffron(crush the saffron slightly before adding) to it and keep it aside for 10 mins.
Heat 2 tbsp ghee in a kadai/pan and add sliced almonds and fry until they turn light brown in color, remove and keep aside.
In the same pan add raisins and fry them until they bulge up, remove and keep them aside.
Now in the same pan add rava and fry until the rava becomes aromatic and very light brown in color.
Meanwhile boil water with sugar in another pan until the sugar dissolve.
Add the boiling water to the roasted rava mixture by mixing it simultaneously and cover it and cook for 2-3 mins until the rava absorbs the water.
Add the milk and mix again and cook for a minute. Rava would absorb all the liquid and becomes slightly dry now.
Now add the ground mango puree to it and mix well and cook for a minute.
Lastly add cardamom powder, saffron milk mixture, roasted sliced almonds and raisins, 2-3 tbsp ghee and mix well.
Cover it and let it cook for 2 mins Switch off the flame and cover it for 5 mins.
Garnish with sliced almonds & with mango cubes.

Bharali Bhendi / Bhindi Masala / Okra Masala

2014-06-18T17:09:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Bhendi / Okra - 15 - 20 medium sized

Masala for stuffing:

Roasted peanut powder - 4-5 tbsp
Coconut grated- 2 tbsp
Cumin powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - 1 tbsp
Amchur Powder - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon or to taste
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro

For Tadka:

Oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 4-5

Method:

Wash bhendi and let it dry on pepper towel completely.
Make slits so that you can stuff the masala inside. Cut it into halves lengthwise.
In a small bowl, prepare the masala by mixing everything together except for salt.
In a medium pan, take oil and make tadka by adding mustanrd seeds, cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves.
Now stir in stuffed bhendi and let those cook properly.
Sprinkle salt and mix it lightly. Make sure the masala doesn't come out.
Keep it covered for 3-4 minutes.
Once bhendi becomes soft and masala is cooked, it's ready to serve hot with rotis or with garlic naan.

Kakdiche Ghavan / Cucumber Sweet Pancakes

2014-06-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Grated cucumber/kakdi - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1 cup
jaggary powder or grated - 1/3 rd cup
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro
Ghee/butter

Method:

Peel and grate the cucumber. Remove the seeds. Add the grated jaggery to it. Heat the nonstick pan on medium high, put cucumber and jaggery mixture in it and the jaggery by heating it on a medium flame.
Bring to boil the mixture until the jaggery is dissolved and cucumber is cooked. Remove from the flame and cool completely.
Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, chopped cilantro and cumin seeds to this mixture.
Add the rice flour to the mixture by little at a time and mix thoroughly so that they do not form lumps.
In case the batter becomes too thick add little water. Batter should be in dropping consistency, semi thick.
Heat a non stick flat pan or tava and apply a ghee or butter on it.
Spread the ladleful batter on the pan. Put a lid on the pan and cook on a medium flame.
Cook for couple of mins then flip over and cook on the other side for more couple of mins.
Serve hot with ghee or butter.

Cabbage Raita / Patta Gobhi ka Raita

2014-06-13T14:51:00.000-07:00

Ingredients

1 cup yogurt
1 cup fresh cabbage thinly sliced
1 green chilli, finely sliced
Salt & ground pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp roasted peanut powder
1 tsp grated coconut

For tarka or tempering:

1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 dry red chilli
4-5 curry leaves

Method:

Cut cabbage into thin, shot strips, like for coleslaw.
Mix all the above ingredients with the yogurt. Adjust seasoning.
Heat oil, add1/2 tsp. mustard seeds. When seeds splutter, add dry red chilli & 4-5 curry leaves, stir and pour over the raita.
Mix well & Serve chilled.

Ragi Idli

2014-06-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Whole Urad Dal/Skinned black gram: 3/4th cup
Fenugreek/ Methi seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ragi flour/finger millet flour : 2 cups
Salt: As needed.
Oil for idli mould to grease.

Method:

Soak the urad dal & fenugreek seeds together for a minimum of 4 hours.
Grind the urad dal & fenugreek seeds to a very smooth & fine paste with the water used for soaking.
Scoop out the urad dal mixture to a large utensil. Add the ragi flour, salt & adjust the consistency of the batter (add little water at a time). Batter should be of dropping consistency.
Allow the batter to ferment overnight or a minimum of 8 hours.
The batter would have doubled after fermentation. Mix the batter gently.
Grease the idli moulds. Add enough water to the steamer.
Add about 2 tbsp of batter to each mould & steam the idlis for 15-20 mins.
Turn off the heat. Let the idlis cook in the steam for couple of more mins. Remove the mould from the steamer.
Scoop out the idlis using a spoon or a spatula.
Serve idlis hot with a sambar & a chutney of your choice.

Potato Curry

2014-06-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 3 medium size, diced.
Tomatoes - 1 large, finely chopped.
Onion - 1/2 finely chopped.
Garlic - 2-3 cloves, minced.
Ginger - 1 tsp grated
Coconut powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
1/4 tsp asafoetida
Cinnamon stick - 1 1inch.
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp or as per taste.
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tbs
Salt as per taste.
Water about 2 - 2 1/2 cups.
Oil - 2 1/2 Tbsp.
cilantro/coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

In a sauce pan heat oil, add asafoetida and fry cumin seeds till they start to get brown.
Add onion, ginger and garlic, fry till the onion start to get translucent. About 4-6 minutes, make sure to keep stirring the onions while frying to prevent them from burning.
Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt along with 1/4 cup of water. Cover the pan with a lid and let the tomatoes cook on moderate heat till they become soft and mushy and the oil starts to separates to the sides of the pan, for about 5-6 minutes.
Finally add the potatoes, give it a quick stir. Add the garam masala, coconut powder, cinnamon stick and 1- 1 1/2 cup of water.
Cover the lid and let it cook on low medium heat for 10 - 12 minutes or till the potatoes are done.
Make sure to keep checking the water while the potatoes are being cooked, if the water dries out too quickly add little more water.
Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with roti, bread, naan or rice.

Dal Dhokli

2014-06-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toovar Dal
1/2 cup Wheat Flour + for dusting
1 tsp ajwain optional
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tbsp grated coconut
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
A pinch of Asafoetida
1 Dry Red Chilli, broken into two pieces
1 sprig Curry Leaves
3 Kokum petals
2 tsp Jagarry powder
3 teaspoons Oil
Water for dal and making dough
Salt
2 tablespoons chopped Coriander Leaves, for garnishing

Method:

Rinse toovar dal in running water and add it in the pressure cooker. Add 1½ cups water and salt in it.
Close the lid and pressure-cook it over medium flame for 3-whistles. Remove cooker from flame and let it stand until it is cool down.
While dal is cooking, prepare dough for dhokli.
Take 1/2 cup wheat flour, carom/ajwain seeds, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder, 1-teaspoon oil and salt in a big bowl.
Add water as required in small quantities and knead a little stiff but smooth dough (like paratha dough). Cover with a cloth and let it settle for 10 minutes.
Open the lid of pressure cooker, Transfer dal to a deep bowl or just keep it inside the cooker and blend it into smooth puree using hand blender. Add 2-cups water and blend again for 5-10 seconds.
Heat 2-teaspoons oil in a large kadai or pan over medium flame. Add mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add cumin seeds, asafoetida, dry red chilli and curry leaves and allow cumin seeds to sizzle.
Add 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder and coriander powder, grated coconut and mix well.
Add pureed dal, 1-cup water, kokum petals, jaggery and salt. Bring it to boil over medium flame and then reduce flame/heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, divide dough into 4-equal portions and give them a round shape. Take one dough ball, give it a shape like pattie and put it over rolling board.
Dust little flour, roll it out into a thin circle of 7-8 inch diameter and transfer to a plate. Repeat the step for remaining dough balls.
Take one rolled circle over rolling board and cut it into multiple small diamond shapes using knife or cutter.
Slowly add all diamond shaped pieces (12-14 pieces at a time) into boiling dal and increase flame to medium and cook for a minute or two.
Add next batch of diamond shaped pieces after 1-2 minutes. Stir occasionally in between.
Repeat the process with remaining rolled circles, cut them into pieces and add into dal. After adding all pieces, cook them over medium flame until dhokli does not taste raw, about 8-10 minutes. Stir occasionally in between.
Turn off flame and transfer it to a serving bowl or deep serving plate. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Spinach/Palak Thepla

2014-06-11T15:38:00.001-07:00

Ingredients:

Wheat flour 1 1/2 cup
Spinach/ Palak leaves 3/4 cup
Sambhar powder 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Salt As needed
Oil 3-4 tbsps
Butter milk as needed for making the dough

Method:

Remove the spinach leaves from its stem,clean it and chop it coarsely. Sauteed the wet leaves in a kadai with little oil, just till it reduces in volume.
Add the sautéed leaves, salt, turmeric powder, garam masala, sambhar powder,jeera and oil and mix well.
Add required butter milk to make a soft dough, just like we make for roti/chappathis. Keep aside for 20-30min.
Make equal sized balls and roll to thin rotis.
Heat a tava, sprinkle little oil and just cook and toast the thepla from both sides .
Serve with any simple raitha or simply with curd and pickle.