Tastes Of India

RM29: Spinach and Dal Curry

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:33:00 PST

At home we used to have spinach with chana dal and black dal. This was the first time I cooked it with moong dal. But came out very well. So enjoy another dal curry.... :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for two people

3 cups spinach leaves
2 cups moong dal
1 big onion finely chopped
3 tsp tomato puree
2 bay leaves
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 red chili powder
1/2 cumin seeds
1/2 mustard seeds
3 cups water
1 tsp coriander leaves finely chopped
salt as per taste
oil/ghee to fry

Method: Wash the spinach leaves and chop finely. Pressure cook this, drain and keep aside (Two whistles are enough for this to cook). Dont throw water away you can add in curry if needed. Pressure cook moong dal as well(for this also two whistle is enough).

Heat the pan and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bay leaves and onion. Fry them till they become golden brown. To this add all dry masala (turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt as per taste and red chili powder) and tomato puree. Fry it for another two minutes. Add boiled moong dal and cook it for another minute.

Add lemon juice and boiled spinach, cook this for 1-2 min. Use water if required. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with chapati or rice.

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RM26: Achari Baigan

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:32:00 PST

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RM25: Aloo Raita (Curd/Yoghurt With Potato)

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:07:06 PST

This is my version of aloo/potato raita. You can do some changes in ingredients to increase its taste. This is what I liked after doing few trials :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

1.5 Cup curds
1 Potato, boiled peeled and cut into cubes
2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 Green chili, chopped finely
1/2 Tsp roasted cumin seeds coarsely ground
1/4-1/2 Tsp red chili powder (This can be replaced with black pepper powder)
1/4 Cup water
1/2 Tsp chaat masala
Salt as per taste

Method: Boil the potatoes, peel them and cut into small cubes. Beat curd/yogurt nicely. Add the salt, red chili powder(or black pepper powder), chaat masala and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. Add the potatoes, chopped green chili and coriander leaves. Mix well. Transfer this to a bowl. Garnish with roasted cumin powder. Refrigerate until required.

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RM24: Aloo Baigan Methi/Fenugreek Leave With Potato & Brinjal

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 19:32:23 PST

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RM23: Dal Rajma

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:00:00 PST

I found this recipe from Seema's blog. Usually I cooked masoor dal and rajma separately, but combination of them is also very tasty. Here I am presenting this combination.

Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

1 Cup masoor dal
1 Cup rajma
1 Big onion chopped finely
1 Medium sized tomato chopped finely
1 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tsp ginger-garlic paste
1.5 Tsp red chili powder
1/2 Tsp cumin seeds
2 Green chilies chopped finely
Salt as per taste

Method: Pressure cook masoor dal and rajma nicely and keep it aside. Fry onions until nicely brown and then add ginger-garlic paste, cumin seeds and fry for another min. To this add the rest of the masala ingredients and fry for another min. To the above add the cooked dal and rajma and enough salt. Lightly mash rajma and dal using potato masher. Add 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer for about 5-7 mins. Serve hot with roti or chapathi or rice.

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RM22: Beans Sprout Salad

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:00:01 PST

Again this salad is from one of hindi magazine. We enjoyed having this with paratha and sabji.

Ingredients: Sufficient for two people

250Gm fresh beans sprout
1 Medium sized tomato chopped finely
2 Tblsp yellow bell pepper
2 Tblsp red bell pepper
2 Tblsp green bell pepper
White pepper powder as per taste
Salt as per taste

Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tblsp vinegar
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1/2 Tsp sugar
Salt as per taste
Black pepper as per taste

Method: Mix well all ingredients for dressing and keep aside. Mix everything in a mixing bowl and serve with vinaigrette dressing.

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RM21: Mini Uttapam and Green Chutney

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:53:21 PST

I like South Indian dishes, this weekend I thought of trying Uttapam. I use to have this in the morning breakfast when I came to bangalore and was new to the South Indian taste. So here I am representing my mini uttapam recipe with green chutney :).
Ingredients: Sufficient for two people

1 Cup Rice
1/2 Urad Dal
2 Capsicum finely chopped
2-3 Green Chilies finely chopped
2-3 Tomato Finely chopped (without seeds)
2 tsp coriander leaves finely chopped
3 Medium sized onion finely chopped
Salt as per taste
Oil/Ghee to fry

Method: Soak rice and dal overnight or 5-6 hours separately. Wash and drain the rice and grind it coarsely in a blender. Grind the daal into a smooth and forthy paste. Mix the grinded rice and daal together into a batter. Mix salt and keep aside in a warm place for 8-10 hours or overnight for fermenting.Heat the nonstick tava up to medium heat, use a serving spoon to spread batter onto it. using circular motions with the ladle spread it in a thick circle. Spread a tsp of oil on sides and cover the pan for a while. Fire should not be between medium and low. Sprinkle cut vegetables on the upper side of uttapam and let it heat on the under side. When one side becomes a little brown in color than cook on the other side too. Serve hot with green chutney :)

Green Chutney

2 cup Min leaves chopped
1 cup coriander leave chopped
1 big size onion chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
1 green chilli (medium size)
1 tsp sugarsalt as per taste

Method: Grind everything into a fine paste using a little water if needed. This chutney can be kept for 3-4 days in the fridge can be served with pakori, kabab's and at any time in food.

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RM20: Oatmeal - Coconut Cookies With A Difference :)

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:00:01 PST

I made oatmeal & chocolate chips cookies for my hubby's birthday. And everyone loved them very much. When my hubby finished them he wanted me to make oatmeal & coconut cookies. I was a bit worried as he eats 4-5 cookies in a day. So now while making this cookie I thought of adding some wheat flour. Though cookies were soft comparatively to other cookies but tastewise it was good. :). And I was more than happy to realize that at least its a bit healthier version.

Ingredients: Making 36-40 Cookies

2 Cup coconut
1 &1/4 Cup oats
3/4 Cup maida
3/4 Wheat flour
1 Cup brown sugar
2 Tsp vanilla
1 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp baking powder
1/4 Tsp salt
1 Cup unsalted butter

Method: Preheat the oven at 350F. Meanwhile prepare for cookies dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flours, baking soda, salt and baking powder.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy. Add vanilla and coconut mix until combined. Add dry ingredients slowly slowly and stir by hand just until everything combined together.

Using a tablespoon , drop the dough onto lined baking sheets. Pat it and try to give a little shape. Bake until the cookies are a light golden in color , about 15 minutes. Remove and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Place the cookies on a wire rack to finish cooling. Thats it, Oatmeal-Coconut cookies are ready to serve :).

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RM19: Gobi/Cauliflower Manchurian

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:00:00 PST

Here is a funny thing which I did while making this manchurian :). I had been thinking of making this cauliflower manchurian from past two months or even more then that, but somehow one or other reason my cauliflower ended up in some other cooking stuff. Finally I determined one day :).

Now the funniest part will start, I thought somehow that manchurian color happen to be so dark because they are fried till that color comes up. So I keep frying them till this color came. I completely forgot that adding tomato sauce only its color becomes brown or red sort of. Florets were like half burn till I fried them :(. I thought no problem I will make again and will post then. But Medhaa di encouraged me so much to post it, that I am posting it today as it is. Who knows when next time I will make this :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for 2 people

For Fry Florets
300 Gram cauliflower cut into small florets
3 Tblsp all purpose flour/maida
2.5 Tblsp cornflour
1/2 Tsp salt/as per taste
1/4 Tsp white pepper powder/red chili powder/as per taste
1/4 Cup water
4-5 Spring onion sliced
1 Cup capsicum
4 Pods garlic chopped finely
1" Ginger
3 Tblsp tomato sauce
1 Tblsp soya sauce
1 tsp Vinegar
Oil for cooking
Salt as per taste
White/Red chili powder as per taste

Method: Mix all purpose flour/maida, cornflour, salt & pepper as per taste in 1/4 cup of water. If batter became to thick then add a little more water. Consistency should be like dosa batter sort of. Dip cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry them until they become a little brown in color. Fry all the florets and keep them on paper towel so that it can soak all the excess oil.
Now heat the oil in a pan and add chopped garlic, ginger. Fry them for few min and then add chopped spring onion and capsicum. Fry them till capsicum becomes tender, to this add tomato sauce,soya sauce, vinegar and adjust chili as per your taste. Now add fried cauliflower florets and mix well. Adjust salt as per taste. Garnish it with cut spring onion and serve hot.

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RM18: Almonds and Honey Toast

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:50:00 PST

Almonds and Honey are very important for skin. It contains anti aging elements and very good for skin and hair. I saw this recipe in a magazine and liked it.. So dear friends enjoy this honey toast in breakfast....:).

Ingredients: Sufficient for two people

4 Brown bread slice
4 tsp Honey
20 Almonds crushed
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Butter
Pistachious(Pista) for garnishing

Method: Roast the brown bread pieces and keep them aside. Heat the butter in a pan and add brown sugar. Stir it to mix well. To this add honey and crushed almonds as soon as brown sugar melts. Stir it for a minute, mix well. Now spread this mixture to the roasted bread and garnish this with chopped pistachious(pista) and have with milk. I liked this to have in the morning time :) with my tea or milk. Really wonderful :).

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RM17: Ras Malai

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:31:57 PST

This recipe is from Anudivya's blog. Well I felt it was more of "malai-rabdi" instead of ras malai :). Here is the recipe.

Ingredients: Will Make 16 Squares of Rasmalai

425 Gram ricotta Cheese
3 Tblsp Sugar
5 Cup milk
3 Tblsp chopped almond and pistachios
5-6 Cardamom
2 Tblsp condensed milk
3-5 Threads of saffron

Method: Preheat oven to 350F. Mix ricotta cheese and sugar with the help of hand blender properly. Pour this mixture in a greased baking tray and bake for about 35 min. Here I think just baking for 35 min will be suffice to make cheese firm after cooling down.
Allow it to cool for 30 min before cutting into squares.
Boil the milk in a heavy bottom pan till milk becomes almost 3 cups. Add the dry fruits, condensed milk, cardamom, and saffron. Allow it to cool for sometime and then keep in the fridge.Pour the milk over the cut squares of cheese, and let it soak for at least an hour before serving.
Make sure milk should be chilled before pouring onto ricotta cheese squares, else they will melt .

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RM16: Cashews Cookies

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:46:36 PST

I saw these cookies in Sunita's blog. Well outcome was good but I feel somehow I should not be added egg. So I will try without using egg and then will update how will that make difference.

Ingredients: 18-20 Cookies

1 Cup cashews coarsely ground
3 Tblsp semolina
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1/4 Tsp baking soda
1 Egg
2.5 Tblsp unsalted butter
3 Tblsp light brown sugar
8-9 Cashew nuts halved for garnishing

Method: Pre heat the oven at 160C. Sift the flour and soda into the bowl and mix well. To this add semolina and ground cashews and mix well. Beat egg in a bowl. To this add brown sugar and unsalted butter. Mix well and add all dry ingredients. Dont over knead/mix.
Pour half a spoon mixture on greased baking tray and flatten that with the help of fingers to make a small circle. Press a halved cashew on top of each cookie and bake in the centre of the oven for 10-12 minutes or till golden around the edges. Check them after 8-10min as they tend to burn very fast.

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RM15: Mixed Vegetables In Yellow Lentil Gravy

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:32:21 PST

I have seen this dal in Aparna's blog, and was so tempted to make this. When were small, one of my neighbourhood aunt made sambhar like this with addition of some more vegetables. It tasted great. So when I saw this in her blog, thought of making this. I have not followed her recipe. As usual some editing in original recipe. But one thing for sure add any number of spices or cook any way this yellow dal and mix vegetables combination will ROCK :D.

Ingredients: Sufficient for 2-3 people

1 Cup yellow lentil (tuvar dal)
2 Cup mixed vegetables like, cauliflower florets, french beans cut in small pieces, sliced carrots,green peas)
1 Big onion chopped finely
1 Tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 Medium sized tomato chopped finely
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1/2 Tsp mustard seeds
2 Pinch of asafoetida
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
1 green chillies chopped finely
1/2 Tsp red chili powder
1 Tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Method: Mix 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder & 1 tsp salt and pressure cook the yellow lentil with 2 cups of water. One whistle is enough to cook that, as we dont want it too mushy initially. Keep this aside till other things are ready.
Boil all the vegetables for 10-15 min. Drain all the water and keep them aside too.

Heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds and asafoetida. Let it splutter and then add chopped onion. Stir it till onion changes its color, add ginger-garlic paste, chopped green chilies and tomatos. Cook this just for 3-4 min. Tomato's should not be mushy. Some people dont like tomatos half cooked, those can cook this until tomato's become mushy and starts leaving oil in the corner of the pan. To this add red chili powder and mix well. Now add all boiled vegetables and stir for few seconds, lastly add boiled yellow lentil and mix well. Adjust water as per your choice how much watery you want this curry. I added 1 cup of water. Adjust salt as per taste and add lemon juice. Mix well and cook on low flame for 2-3 min covering the lid. So that vegetables can soak spices flavour. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis/parathas/naan/rice.

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RM14: Corn Pepper Salad

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:18:10 PST

This salad was given in a magazine. I find it very healthy, a mix of pepper & corn with vinigrette dressing.. mmmmm yummmmy.
Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

250 Gm boiled corn or canned corn
4 Tblsp yellow bell pepper chopped finely
4 Tblsp red bell pepper chopped finely
4 Tblsp green bell pepper chopped finely

Vinigreete Dressing
2 Tblsp vinegar
1 Tblsp lemon juice
1/2 Tsp sugar
Salt as per taste
Black pepper as per taste

Method: Mix well all ingredients for dressing and keep aside.
Mix all ingredients for salad in a mixing bowl and serve with vinigrette dressing.

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RM13: Poha Pulao/Flatten Rice With Vegetable

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:30:09 PST

In UP we make tahiri which is rice pulao with mix vegetables. I made something like that with flatten rice. We enjoyed this as a tea time snack and was wonderfully tasty. So here is poha pulao at your service :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

2 Cups poha/flatten rice
1 Medium potato cut into slices
1/2 Cup green peas
1/2 Cup corn
1 Medium carrot grated
1 Medium sized onion chopped finely
1-2 Green chilies chopped finely
1 Tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1/2 Tsp red chili powder
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
A pinch of asafoetida
Chopped green coriander for garnishing
Salt as per taste
2 Tblsp lemon juice
Oil for frying

Method: Put flatten rice under the running water for 2 times. Drain all the water and keep that aside. Till then it will become soft and puffy.
Heat oil in a pan and add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Let cumin seeds splutter and add chopped onion, and fry till onion changes the color. To this add ginger-garlic paste & chopped green chilies. Stir it for a min. Add all cut vegetables and mix well. Cover the lid and cook untill veggies becomes tender. To this add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt as per taste. Mix well and now add poha/flatten rice. Mix it properly and adjust salt as per taste. Mix lemon juice before serving and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Yummmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :).

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RM12: Methi Chole / Garbanzo Beans With Fenugreek Leaves

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:45:57 PST

Long time back I have seen methi chole in someone's blog, since then I wanted to make them. It was a new taste for me. Previously whenever I made, kasoori methi was used, but addition of fresh methi/fenugreek was very good. Taste was superb, here is how I made.

Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

1 Cup chickpeas/garbanzo beans
1 Cup methi/fenugreek leaves chopped finely
1 Big tomato pureed
1 Big onion chopped finely
1 Tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 Tsp coriander powder (optional)
A pinch of asafoetida
1/4 Tsp garam masala
Oil for cooking
Salt as per taste
Green coriander leaves finely chopped for garnishing

Method: Soak 1 cup of garbanzo beans for 5-6 hours, add 1 tsp salt and pressure cook it till they are cooked. Beans should not be mushy, 5-6 whistle are enuf else cook more. Keep that aside till masala is ready.
Heat oil in a pan and add asafoetida and cumin seeds. Let them splutter and add chopped onion. Fry them till they changes color to golden brown. After this add pureed tomato and cook this until tomato starts leaving oil in the corners of the pan. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder (optional) and garam masala. Fry for 1-2 min. To this add chopped fenugreek/methi leaves and cover the lid. Cook this for 2-4 min. Finally add garbanzo beans and mix well. Adjust salt as per taste.
Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and server hot with rice/roti/paratha. I love the taste :).

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RM11: Methi Paratha / Fenugreek Flatbread

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:15:00 PST

Methi paratha is my father's favourite. As soon as this comes in the market it starts coming at my home too. We make curries, pooris, parathas and mathris with that. This paratha exists in every blog so why should I leave it :D. I am also posting it today.

Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

2.5 Cup whole wheat flour
1 Bunch of methi washed and chopped finely
1 Medium sized onion chopped finely
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Tsp of red chili powder
Salt as per taste
A pinch of asafoetida

Method: There are many ways to make methi paratha. You can add any number of spices in this to make it more tasty. Since my childhood I am eating this only with these spices which I still love. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, once they start spluttering add asafoetida and chopped onion.Fry until translucent then add all the remaining spices and fry for few seconds.Now add the chopped methi/fenugreek leaves and fry for another minute. Let it cool, now either you can directly mix this in the wheat flour or you can grind it to get a smooth paste. I made a paste and added 1/2 cup of water, this is sufficient to make dough with 2.5 cup flour.

Now you already know how to make parathas :), just make small balls with this dough and roll small circles. roast them on griddle until you see brown spots. Cook this from both sides and serve with raita or pickle. Generally we have all kind of paratha either with chutney/raita/butter milk. Pickle comes at last :).

Here are my Paratha List :)
Chana Dal Paratha
Green Peas Paratha
Aloo Paratha
Paneer Paratha
Coriander Paratha
Moolie Paratha
Missi Roti
Mint Paratha
Paneer & Cabbage Paratha
Moong dal Paratha

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RM10: Salty Vermicelli And Old Memories

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:45:07 PST

I am having this salty vermicelli since my childhood and I still love to have this at any time. In 1980's (I will say so :D), vermicelli word was not at all known, I dont remember whether this was really existed or not. It was known as "jave" (pronounce it as ja-v). And they were made in every home. Mom used to make a soft dough of all purpose flour (maida) with the help of ghee/oil and kept that aside for about one hour. And then in the afternoon time my mom and I used to make that with the help of thumb and fingers on the news paper or thin cloth. Then put them in the sunlight till they become completely dry. After that collect them from the newspaper or thin cloth and pack in the container. Use them whenever you want to eat "numkeen jave" (salty jave) we called it. This process was called as "jave todna".

The funniest part was, if we go to anybody's house and found that they are making this then we also used to jump and start making with them. Gossip, have tea and make this. Wow what a wonderful time it was :). I still remember those time in 1980's when people preferred to live in "mohalla" and in joint families. We lived at that place for about 14 years :). Having together everybody in afternoon time and making jave was heavenly feeling now. Today there is nothing like that, now in US we say "we will take house in Indian Community" means where Indians are in mejority. But this feeling is rare to find .Now we are far from that place and too busy in our life, dont get time to make this at home anymore. And simply use ready made vermicelli and now "numkeen jave" turned to "salty vermicelli" :)). I miss that time so much. Posting this I am remembering all my time spent there.

This is a little different the way my mother used to prepare. Now by adding some vegetable it has become tastier. This is how it is cooked:

Ingredients: Sufficient for two people

2 cup Roasted Vermicelli
2 medium sized potato cut into small and thin cubes
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/2 cup peas
1/2 ground nut
1-2 Green Chilies finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ajvain
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp lemon juice
salt as per taste
oil/ghee to fry

Method: Heat the oil in a pan,add ajvain and mustard seeds till they start spluttering. Add chopped onion, ground nuts and green chillies and fry them until they are brown in color. Now add peas and cut potato's, cover this and cook for 5 mins(This is better if all vegetables are cooked before adding vermicelli). Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt, vermicelli and 4 cups of water. Cook this for around 10 minutes on medium heat. When there is no water remaining add lemon juice and mix well.

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RM9: Lentil Soup

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:44:37 PST

Soup in winter's is a perfect idea for health :). It is such a comforting food. Whenever I make any dal I add more water and cook. Before adding tempering I take out some cooked dal water and have it with black pepper & salt. This time thought of making lentil soup from scratch. Well it came out very well, we enjoyed a lot with bread crisp.

Ingredients: Sufficient for 4-5 people

150 Gram red lentils (masoor dal)
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
1 Tsp ginger paste
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1/4 Tsp Chili flakes
1 Medium onion chopped finely
1 Cup grated carrot
1 Litr vegetable stock freshly made
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 Tblsp chopped coriander
A pinch of asafoetida

Method: Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.Once they start spluttering add ginger paste, asafoetida, chili flakes and chopped onion. Fry this till onion changes its color. To this add grated carrots and cook till carrot becomes tender. Now add vegetable stock and red lentils. Bring it to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally until lentils are tender. Try to mash lentils so that it becomes blended. or leave as it is.

Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves before serving. Serve hot with garlic bread or simply, you will enjoyyyyyyyy :).

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RM8: Rava Laddu

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:49:40 PST

Rava Laddu is something which is made extensively in my in-laws place. First time I tasted there itself. It tastes good. I tried this at home keeping in mind that if it will not work then I will make halwa out of it :). Good one :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for making 9-10 Laddu

1 Cup Sooji/Semolina/Rava
1/3 Cup sugar
5-6 Cardamom make a coarse powder
2 Tblsp Ghee
1 Fistful raisins
1/3 Cup warm milk
Few cashewnut for garnishing

Method: Heat 1 tblsp ghee in a heavy pan and fry cashewnut and raisin till they become golden brown. Remove them from the pan and keep it aside.

Now in the same pan add semolina and roast it till its raw smell vanished and it turns to little brown. Add 1 Tblsp ghee, roasted raisin, cardamom powder and sugar. Mix well. Add some warm milk to make a crumbly mixture. Start making laddu using both hands.
Initially it is really difficult to make laddu as it tends to break. But try to give it a shape using some milk on ur palms and put it in the place in few min it will be hard.

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RM7: Chana Dal Paratha/Gram Dal Stuff FlatBread

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:09:05 PST

My mother-in-law is expert in cooking. Whenever we travel she always prepares this chana dal parataha for us. It is really very tasty. Though making stuffing can be a bit tedius but its worth it. Just check it here.

Ingredients: Sufficient for three people

3 Cup Wholewheat flour
2 Cup chana dal
2 Medium sized onion
2 Tsp Coriander leaves finely chopped
1 Tsp Cumin seeds
4 Clove (laung)
1 Piece (2.5 cm) Cinnamon
4 Dry red chillies
Salt as per taste
Oil to fry

Mathod: Add 1tsp salt & water and prepare a soft dough. Keep it aside till the stuffing mixture is ready.
Soak chana dal for 2 hours or overnight. Drain all the water and keep aisde for few min. Heat oil & add cumin. When it starts spluttering add red chillies, clove, cinnamon and fry it for a minute. Now add chopped onion, coriander leaves and fry this till onion becomes brown in color. Add chana dal after removing water and fry till all the moisture is absorbed. Add salt as per taste. Cool this mixture and grind it well. Now stuffing is ready :).

Devide dough into even sized balls. Press the center of each and put in prepared dal mixture. Close the opening well. Flatten and roll out into rounds and fry it on both sides. Your chana dal paratha is ready now :D.

Tip: Chana dal parathe are very dry so any curry dish or salad will work with it. Pooris can also be made with the same mixture.

Check my other types of Paratha :):
Green Peas Paratha
Aloo Paratha
Paneer Paratha
Coriander Paratha
Moolie Paratha
Missi Roti
Mint Paratha
Paneer & Cabbage Paratha
Moong dal Paratha

Check here what my fellow RM runners are cooking :).

RM6: Mater Paneer / Green Peas With Paneer

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:24:41 PST

This is my husband's favourite dish and loves it having with rice. Though it is not something which I like most :). So far it is cooked by my husband at home whenever we had this. But this time I had to cook this and in hurry I pour turmeric and paprika. Due to which its color is a bit different :)). Have a look :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for 2-3 people

200gm Paneer/cottage cheese, cut into small cubes
2 Cup green peas
1 Tsp coriander powder
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Big tomato paste
1 Medium sized onion chopped finely
1 Tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 Tblsp cashew powder (optional)
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tsp red chili powder/as per taste
1/2 paprika powder
Salt as per taste
Oil for cooking

Method: Heat a little oil in a heavy bottom pan and shallow fry the paneer cubes till they becomes light brown in color. Keep them in warm water immediately else they will be hard.

In the same pan heat some more oil and add cumin seeds. Let it splutter and add chopped onion and fry till it becomes golden in color. To this add ginger-garlic paste and tomato paste. Cook this until tomato starts leaving oil in the corner of the pan. Add coriander powder, cashew powder (optional), turmeric powder, red chili powder and paprika. Mix well and adjust salt as per taste. Pour 1 cup of water to this masala paste and add paneer & peas. Cook this on low flame until gravy thickens. Garnish with green coriander leaves and serve with roti/paratha/nan/rice.

Check here what my fellow RM runners are cooking :).

RM5: Poha Tikki/Flatten Rice Balls

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:49:48 PST

Poha Tiiki I have seen in 365 Days of Pure Vegetarian's blog. I find it very useful I knew to make veg poha out of it. But now I have 3 things which I can make with flatten rice (poha), veg poha, poha pulao & poha tikki :)). They all dont have much difference but a good way of consuming flatten rice :). I agreed the point when flatten rice really becomes mushy while making poha. I kept throwing it untill I know about this tikki. Well now I use it like this :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for making 8-10 tikkis

2 Cup Thin poha/flatten rice
2 Medium size potato
2 Tblsp green coriander chopped finely
1 Slice of bread
1 Green chili chopped finely
1 Tsp red chili powder or per taste
Salt to taste
Amchur powder per taste (optional)
1/2 Cup peas
Oil for cooking
1 Tsp chat masala
Method: Run cold water over the bread slice and then squeeze out all the water. Crumble it and mix it with all the ingredients listed, taste and adjust any seasonings. Take a small portion and make a ball by rolling it in between your palms, then press it a bit to flatten out just like the image below. Now, your tikki (pattie) has gotten it’s shape.

Heat a non-stick pan, add a tbsp oil and place a few tikki making sure not to over crowd the pan. Press it down with a spatula so that more surface area can get golden brown and crispy. After a few minutes, gently flip the tikki to cook on the other side. Press a little bit again, add a little more oil if needed and let it cook until golden brown.

We had this tikki with curd and chat masala. garnish the hot tikkis with curd, chat masala, green mint chutney, salt, red chili powder and tomato sauce :).

Now this is ready to eat :)).

Check here what my fellow RM runners are cooking :).

1) DK
2) Siri
3) Srivalli
4) Ranji
5)PJ
6)Curry Leaf
7)Medha
8)Priya
9)Bhawna
10)Raaji
11)Ruchii
12)Anu
13)Kamala
14)Roopa
15)Divya Kudua
16)Rekha
17)Divya M
18)Lakshmi
19) Lakshmi Venkatesh
20) Sripriya
21) Viji

RM4: BottleGourd With Moong Dal

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:24:15 PST

Moong dal with bottle gourd was very new to me when my friends told me about this and cooked for dinner. Though she made that very spicy but I liked the taste. It was different. :). I tried this combo in my way and really come out very well. We both liked it :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for 2-3 people

1 Cup moong dal
2 Cup lauki/bottle gourd
1 Tsp cumin seeds
1 Tsp ginger-garlic paste
1-2 Green chilies chopped finely
A pinch of asafoetida
1/2 Tsp turmeric powder
1/2 red chili powder/as per taste
2 Dry red chilies
Salt as per taste
Oil for cooking
Green coriander for garnishing

Method: Pressure cook the moong dal and bottle gourd with 1 tsp salt and 1 cup
of water. 2 whistle are enough. It looks good if dal is not mushy as moong dal
becomes very soft while cooking. Meanwhile prepare tadka.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let them splutter and add dry red chili, asafoetida and chopped green chilies. Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder and red chili powder. Now mix bolied dal and bottle gourd, mix well. Adjust salt as per taste. Garnish this with chopped green coriander and serve with rice/roti/paratha.

Check here what my fellow RM runners are cooking :).

1) DK
2) Siri
3) Srivalli
4) Ranji
5)PJ
6)Curry Leaf
7)Medha
8)Priya
9)Bhawna
10)Raaji
11)Ruchii
12)Anu
13)Kamala
14)Roopa
15)Divya Kudua
16)Rekha
17)Divya M
18)Lakshmi

RM3: Vegetable Upma

bhawana.1980@gmail.com (Bhawana) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:47:00 PST

Upma is one of our breakfast item during our stay in Bangalore. In weekends when I don't get what to make for breakfast, my husband comes with this upma. Whatever he finds in the fridge he asks me whether he should add that in the upma or not. And after approval :) I get this vegetable upma for my breakfast... :D. Really in Saturday or Sunday morning how comforting is that, isn't. This is what he makes :).

Ingredients: Sufficient for 2-3 people

3/4 Cup Semolina/Rawa/Sooji
1 Medium sized onion chopped finely
1-2 Green chilies depends on taste
2 Sprigs of curry leaves
2 Tblsp grated carrot
1/2 Cup capsicum chopped
1 Tsp soaked chana dal
1 Tsp soaked urad dal
1 Tsp ginger paste or fresh grated ginger
1 Tsp mustard seeds
2 Tblsp cashews
Salt as per taste
1 Tsp lemon juice
Oil for cooking

Method: In a heavy bottom pan dry roast the semolina/sooji/rava till it becomes a little brown or raw smell disappears. Keep this aside until masala is ready.

Heat oil in the pan and add mustard seeds. Once they start spluttering add curry leaves, soaked chana dal & soaked urad dal. Cook it until dal becomes golden in color. Add chopped onion, ginger paste, cashews, green chilies and fry till onion changes its color too. After 4-5 min add all vegetables and adjust salt as per taste. Mix well and stir for 2-3 mins. Add 2 cups of water, cover the pan with the lid and cook this until all vegetables are cooked. Add more water if needed. Adjust salt & chili as per the taste. Serve hot with coconut chutney thats way it is served in Bangalore. We simply had this and it was mmmmmmm.... wonderful :).

Check here what my fellow RM runners are cooking :).

1) DK
2) Siri
3) Srivalli
4) Ranji
5)PJ
6)Curry Leaf
7)Medha
8)Priya
9)Bhawna
10)Raaji
11)Ruchii
12)Anu
13)Kamala
14)Roopa
15)Divya Kudua
16)Rekha
17)Divya M
18)Lakshmi