# Tasty Recipes

Moong Daal Halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:53:00 +0000

Moong ki dal ka seera or halwa is a diwali special sweet, as its made as a bhog for prayers of divas on the eve of Deepawali in our marwari customs. This authentic Rajasthani recipe is very popular in winter in wedding dinners too. This was the first time i made it, as till now i never ever dared to make this labour intensive and high in calories sweet. I remember my mom making it, and her hands, red, after stirring it continously for so long (she used to make the delicious halwa in huge quantity, as we as kids used to love it, and needn't to be calorie consicious then)..

Every year i used to make the easy one, Aate ka halwa, in its place, but this year somehow decided to give it a try, though in a very small quantity. And believe me, all the effort it takes is worth it. It came out really delicious, and as i made it in less quantity, so it wasn't so much work too.. :)

Warning: This recipe needs a high amount of ghee and therefore ,should not be eaten in large amount.

Ingredients:

1 cup Dhuli Moong Daal (split yellow lentils without skin)
1 cup ghee (clarified butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 pods green cardamom split
1/2 tsp Saffron, soaked in a little milk
1/2 cup khoya (/mava)
1/2 cup chopped mixed dried fruits

Method:

Wash the moong daal and soak it in plenty of water overnight.(or atleast 3-4 hours)
Grind the daal into a coarse paste without adding any water while grinding.
Prepare a sugar syrup of 1 thread consistency and add saffron strands and cardamom pods to the syrup. Cover and set aside.
Now, warm the ghee in a heavy-bottomed (can use non-stick) pan on a medium flame.
Add the moong daal paste to this ghee and stir to mix. Cook the moong daal, stirring frequently (almost continously) on a medium flame to avoid sticking at the bottom till it begins to turn golden brown and the aroma eludes.
This step takes time and energy, and one needs to be patient..;)
Now add the khoya (/mava) and mix well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Finally add the sugar syrup (cardamom pods removed) and mix thoroughly. It gets softer after this.
Cook on a medium flame for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently.
Lastly add the dried fruits and switch it off.
Garnish with chopped nuts and serve.

Tips:

If halwa is dry , as per ur taste, can add more water while making sugar syrup.
At last, if you feel its still a bit dry, can add milk to it too to get the desired consistency.
If initially the ghee is too hot, lumps may get formed, don't worry keep stirring and break the lumps.
In this recipe sugar is on a bit lesser side, can add more if u have a sweet tooth.
Since i didn't had the khoya i added 3-4 pieces of Haldiram's kesari peda(grated) into it. It gave a nice taste as well as color to it. But yep sugar needs to be adjusted accordingly..
It takes a long time and lot of patience to saute the dal and prepare this halwa, so don't rush up.
You can make a larger quantity of this recipe and store it refrigerated for several weeks. Just add a little milk to the halwa before reheating it.

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These are few other Diwali Farsans ,that i did made.. Chiwda, Mathri's, Nimki(or salted sakarparee), Dahi wade, Besan ke ladoo, Moong daal Halwa and lastly Haldiram's Kesari peda's..(ofcourse i can't make something so perfect)

Wishing all my readers a very Happy and prosperous Diwali ...

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Sending this to Diwali Dhamaka at Purva's Daawat.

Yogurt Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:11:00 +0000

For a healthy balanced diet we do need to incorporate some salad varieties in our diet. Having same salad daily too won't help us much. And as, nowadays we do eat a lot of spicy as well as junk food, so a great way to cool our stomach is a Yogurt based salad, and that too with a combination of cucumbers, is the best to cool ourselves. This salad goes perfectly with our indian food. We can say its a sort of Tzatziki , a Greek starter dish, which basically contains cucumber with yogurt, olive and herb dressing as its main ingredients...It itself is quite filling, so can be made for light meals too.

Ingredients:

Fresh Yogurt 1/2 cup
Tomato 1
Onions diced 1
Cucumber, deseeded 1
Fresh corn kernels 1/3 cup
Lettuce(/Cubed cabbage leaves)
Capsicum 1 small
Mixed herbs
Feta cheese(/ crumbled paneer) 1 tbsp
lemon juice 1 tsp
Extra Virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
Crushed fresh pepper 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Firstly make hung curd. Simply put the curd in a muslin cloth and hang it at some convinient location, so as all the water drips, needs to be done for atleast about 15-20 minutes.
Next chop the tomato into small cubes, remove all the seeds and the juice .
Deseed cucumber with the help of spoon and chop it too into small cubes.
Chop capsicum into small pieces.
Also shred 3-4 lettuce leaves( or can make big squares of cabbage leaves instead).
Take fresh corn and cut corn kernels out of it with a knief( better don't use canned ones, it makes a huge difference in taste)
Now, mix all the other salad dressing ingredients(except salt), and toss gently.
Chill in refrigerator till the time of serving.
Before serving add salt to taste.

Tips:

DO NOT add salt beforehand , as the whole salad gets watery, and looses its texture.
Do remove all the water from tomato , as well as washed lettuce leaves(better dry it with paper towel, as it may contain lots of water after washing)
Best served chilled.

Sending this to
EC of simple indian Food for WYF: Light meals Event.
Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes for No Croutons required.

Pickled onions

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:24:00 +0000

Whenever i used to go to resturants , was always fascinated by these red small cute onions, and liked them a lot. By tasting it i could only understand that they are vinegar soaked, but how??, Can i do it at home?? howa'z the color so bright red?? So just browsed , and got to know that as simple they look, they are as simple to make, and can be stored for later use too...

The seasonings can also be varied as per your taste, so enjoy these pickled onions...

Ingredients:

Shallots 10 -15 in number
Sugar 2 tsp
Whole black pepper 10-12
Bay leaves 2-3
Cinnamon 1 piece
White rice vinegar 1/2 cup
Beetroot, small cubes 3-4
Salt to taste

Method:

Simply peel the small onions, set aside.
In a small non reactive bowl add vinegar, sugar, whole black peppers, bay leaves, cinnamom and bring it to a boil.
Add small onions and salt to taste.
Add canned cubed beetroot, and let it simmer for some time(4-5 minutes).( Your whole house would be filled with the aroma of vinegar...)
Switch off the gas and allow it to cool.
Have it as side dish with your daily menu.

Tips:

You can store it it fridge for upto a month in sirtight jar
If beetroot is not there , you will get a slight pink color, and not much difference in taste. For red color , you can add etable red color to it.
These vinegar soaked pickled onions can also be made with thinly sliced onions rings in a similar fashion.
Can be done with red wine vinegar too..
Also read somewhere , you can also make pickled red beet egg , by replacing onions with hard boiled eggs. I shall also try it out soon..

Aloo tikki chaat..

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:18:00 +0000

Few weeks back invited some of my friends for dinner, so thought of making chat in starters, and guess what, they came out perfect (though they turned out to be too filling). For making tikki chat, if you think of making everything from scratch, than indeed we feel it's a long long process, but as i already had my tamarind as well as green chutney ready in my fridge, and one of the dish in the main course as chole itself, so it was a lot easier... :). Even though, if it needs to be done at one go, still its worth the effort.

Ingredients:

For Aloo Tikki:

Potatoes 5 large
Bread Slices 2 -3
Garam Masala pwd ½ tsp
Roasted Jeera/Cumin Pwd 1 tsp
Coriander Powder ½ tsp
Corn Flour 1 tbsp+
Oil, for shallow frying
Salt to taste

For Date and Tamarind Chutney:

8 10 deseeded dates
2 tbsp tamarind pulp
1/4 cup jaggery
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste

Chole
Green chutney

Curd, beaten till smooth
Cumin powder
1 tbsp sugar
Finely chopped Onions
Fine sev to garnish
Red chilli powder
Chopped coriander leaves.

Method:

1. Prepare green coriander chutney

2. Prepare tamarind chutney.(better make both chutney's one day in advance)

Bring tamarind pulp to a boil. Add date paste and jaggery.
Then add red chilli powder , cumin powder and salt to taste. Adjust the spices and consistency, switch off the gas and let it cool. This can be stored in the air tight jar in the fridge for later use.

Alternatively, grind all the ingredients, along with little water, to make a thick chutney.

3. Make spicy Chole.

4. Yogurt Filling:

Beat the curd till its smooth without any lumps(add a bit water ,if too thick). Now mix in roasted cumin powder, sugar and salt to taste.

5. Aloo Tikki:

Boil potato till tender, peel and mash well(or better grate them for even consistency).
Remove the edges of bread slices. Dip the slices in water and squeeze them between your palms to remove the water. Crumble them with hands and add to the mashed potatoes. Also, bread crumbs can be directly added to mashed potatoes.
Mix in all the spices ; garam masala, roasted cumin powder, coriander powder, salt to taste and corn flour and mix well. Adjust the corn flour as required, it helps in binding and hence proper shape of tikki's.
Take a small lump and make a small ball. Press it down to shape it into round shape (about 1 cm thick ) to amke a tikki.
Heat tawa/griddle , put about 1 tsp oil, and shallow fry all the tikki's on medium to low heat on both the sides till they turn golden brown in color.
Repeat with all the tikkies and place them in a paper napkin to remove excess oil.

Assemble and Serve:

Place 2-3 hot Aloo Tikkies on serving plate.
Pour about 2 ladles full of Chole. Then add about 2 tablespoons of spiced yogurt.Then drizzle about a spoon each of Sweet Date-Tamarind Chutney and Green Chutney.
Finally garnish with chopped onion, sev and chopped coriander leaves.
Sprinkle a bit of red chilli powder and cumin power on top of it and serve immediately.

Tips:

Instead of bread slices can add one cup Bread Crumbs too
For oil consicious people, can also bake the tikkies till they turn gold and crisp on both the sides

Kheer, Rice Pudding, Indian sweet

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:31:00 +0000

Its been quite some time that i posted any recipe, and all is due to the fact that i don't get enough time to blog. I do have lots of snaps of recipes that i do make, but couldn't blog about them. So now when i had time , though of posting some sweet recipe.

Recently have been regularly watching ,"Yeah rista kya kahlata hain", in Star plus; and seeing Akshara making kheer for more then 2 episodes.. ;), though of making myself too. And then on the eve of rakhi got the occassion to make this. So here it comes, with the measurements... :) "100 gram chawal aur 150 gram shakkar, char logon ke liye.."he he....

But firstly something about kheer.., It's a popular Indian sweet, made for all happy ocassions. It is also called as ‘payash, payasa, payasam' in other Indian languages.

Kheer or payasam generally has a consistency of porridge. You can keep it plain or make it as rich as you like with the addition of nuts like cashews, pistachio, almonds etc. Most commonly made kheer is Rice Kheer or the Vermicelli kheer which is also called sevai or semiya payasam.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
A pinch of saffron(soaked in little hot milk)
2-3 crushed cardamom
2 tbsp sliced almonds
1 tbsp sliced pistachios
1 tbsp raisins (optional)
1 tsp ghee

Method:

Wash rice, drain and set aside.
Better use a non-stick frying pan to make kheer.
Melt the ghee(/butter) in a frying pan on medium heat, add rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Then add milk and boil till rice is fully cooked and the milk is reduced to half ,on a medium heat, stirring often to ensure the milk does not burn in the bottom of the pan.
Finally add the sugar, saffron, cardamom, mixed nuts(almonds, pistachios) and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
Turn off the heat.
As kheer cools off it will become thicker in texture.
Kheer can be served chilled or warm.

Tips:

Rice can be replaced with Vermicelli.
If you will be serving chilled add 1 teaspoon of extra sugar
Instead of cardamom you can add your favorite essence, rose or almond or vanilla essence if you wish
Jaggery(brown sugar) can be added as a sweetener depending on personal choice.

CFK:healthy lunch boxes, Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0000

After a long time i am blogging, so firstly i would like to say sorry, for the late roundup and my slow responses to all your mails. Actually from July onwards my younger kid also started going to school, so (instead of having more time )now i have even lesser time, .., as his play group is only for one and a half hour.., So picking and dropping the two takes all my time... :(

Also my elder one did had his 5th b'day party in july, so was busy few days with it, ( i shall upload some snaps soon)... Also 1st week of august was a week with one by one all getting sick..

Now now; enough of my excuses..hehe, getting over to the roundup of Cooking For Kids.. One thing that I wanted to ask all you bloggers , on behalf of Sharmi , the event starter, is for the future guest hosts of this event from september onwards. Whoever wants to host future CFK, please do contact her at cookingforkidsevent@gmail.com

And about this roundup, i did the roundup; in the same order as i received the entries.. Do remind me if i missed some entry.... Here are some cool and healthy lunch box ideas for all the kids and their mom's....

1. Oats rava idli by EC of Simple Indian food

2. Nameless Delight! by Sharmistha of COOK-A-DOODLE-DO

3. Tomato Masala Rice by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

4. Semiya Uppma by Vidhas of Appetizing Recipes

5. Whole Grain Pizza by Sadhana of A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine

6. Gobi manchurian fried rice by Andhraruchulu

7. Whole Moong Dhal Idly (Green Gram Idly) by Hemamalini of Salt to Taste

8. Dalia Upma with veggies by Pavani of Cook's Hideout

9. Pav Bhaji by Deepti Srivastava of Dipskitchen

10. Veg Vermicelli by Deepti Srivastava of Dipskitchen

11. Sooji Halwa by Deepti Srivastava of Dipskitchen

12. Colorful Vegetable Rice by Suparna Shaligram of Mirch Masala

13. Potato Stuffed Bread Rolls by Pari Vasisht of Foodelicious

14. Boiled egg Sandwich by Sudeshna of Cook Like a Bong

Also there are some few intresting and helpful tips for packing lunch boxes for kids by Sharmistha of COOK-A-DOODLE-DO at Tiffin Trouble!!

Announcing CFK: Healthy Lunch Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:09:00 +0000

Finally this month i got the oppurtunity to host the event Cooking for Kids (CFK), a monthly event started by Sharmi @ Neivedyam. Sharmi wanted some time to get settled in her new home, and what i wanted was this oppurtunity to guest host this event . Seriously being a mom of 2 picky ,fuzzy eaters(5 yrs n 3 years ), and wanting them to have a proper balanced diet is really no joke.

Soon my kids too would start half day schools, and i would need a lots n lots of ideas to pack their lunch boxes. So, thought, why not have this as theme for July's edition of Cooking With Kids. When we were kids , we used to have whatever mom used to put in tiffin boxes, but now a days with so much junk food around, kids have gone so choosy, and we feel , how to somehow give them whatever healthy is possible.
So all you need is to cook something which goes as a healthy lunch box. It could be anything that can be packed and given to the kids for their lunch or snack time, and ofcourse is healthy.

Some simple guidelines for the event :

Make a vegetarian dish which can be packed in a tiffin in the month of July and post it in your blog before 31st July 2009. Eggs & Cheese are allowed.

Multiple entries are most welcome. You can also send from archieves, provided it should be properly updated and reposted. Posts should be linked back to the event's announcement post(this post) and Sharmi's blog.

Send the following details to neha.agrawal.2610(at)gmail(dot)com with the CFK: Healthy Lunch boxes as its subject line

Your Name
Blog name
Recipe Name
Recipe URL
A Photo of any size

The use of logo is optional, if you use good, if not then also good.:)

If you are a non-blogger and you wish to participate, send in the above details with the recipe. I will post them in the round up.
If you don't wanna post any recipe, but just some tips on how to pack lunch boxes for kids , that too is welcome.

Last date of this event is July 31st, 2009. So ,please all moms do share your yummy and healthy lunch boxes here with me, for all the other mom's to get benefit from.

Crunchy and Nutritious Soya Kababs

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:44:00 +0000

Few weeks back was watching Sanjeev Kapoor's 'Khana Khanzana' and came across this recipe. Looked nice and healthy too and luckily was having all the ingredients at home, so that evening itself tried them out and they came out really well. All the ingredients were i felt healthy, and were the ones that i wanna add to my diet, and the best thing it's a shallow fried snack, unlike most indian snacks. Healthy ingredients like sago Sabudana or tapioca or pearl sago, soya nuggets and tofu . Do try out, it really taste yum...

Ingredients :

Soya chunks, soaked and drained 2 cups
Onion, finely chopped 1 large
Green chillies, finely chopped 2
Coriander powder1 tsp
Cumin powder 1 tsp
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Ginger, grated 1 inch
Chaat masala 1 tsp
Dry mango powder (amchur) ¼ tsp
Tofu(extra firm), grated 150 grams
Poha, soaked ½ cup
Sago (sabudana),soaked 3-4 tbsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil to shallow fry

Method :

Blend soaked soya chunks, onion, green chillies, coriander powder, salt, cumin powder, red chilli powder, ginger, chaat masala powder and amchur powder in a blender.
After that in same blender add tofu and continue to blend for two more minutes.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add soaked poha, sabudana, garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves ; mix well .
Divide the mixture into equal portions and shape them into round kababs.
Heat oil in a shallow frying pan. Gently lower the kebabs in the oil, and shallow fry them till they are golden brown on both the sides.
Drain on absorbent paper.
Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.

Tip:

Breadcrumbs can be used in place of (and also along with) poha.
If you don't like tofu, can add paneer too to it.

MBP:Mango masti Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 08:35:00 +0000

Here comes the roundup of Monthly blog Patrol : Mango masti. Thanx again to coffee for letting me host the event. I really enjoyed seeing all the mangoes coming in my inbox this summer. You all also enjoy..

.

1. Frozen Mango Yogurt by Sadhna of a2zvegetariancuisine inspired from here

2. Mango Ice Cream by Anu of My Scrawls inspired from here

3. Mango Pudding by Poornima of Tasty Treats inspired from here

4.Shrikhand with mango bites by Cham of Spice-club inspired from here

5. Aamras by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes inspired from here

6. Mango Jam by Divya Kudua of Easycooking inspired from here

7. Mascarpone cheese and mango by Bindiya of In love with food inspired from here & here

8. Aam Daal by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini inspired from here

9. Appe huli by Priyanka of Asankhana inspired from here

10. Thai Sticky Rice with Mangoes by Pavani of Cook's Hideout inspired from here

11. Mango Salsa by Trupti of Recipe Center inspired from here

12. Spicy Mango Slices by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes inspired from here

13. Aam Pora Shorbot by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini inspired from here

14 .Mango &carrot milkshake by Rekha of Plantainleaf inspired from here

15. Moist Mango Muffins by Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf inspired from here

16. Mango Halwa by Srilakshmi of Annapurna inspired from here

17. Mango Rava Kesari by Hemamalini of Salt To Taste inspired from here

18. Microwave Mango Halwa by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes inspired from here

Do tell me if any entry is missing or any link incorrect ,so as i can correct it.. ENJOY....

Vegetable Biryani

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:26:00 +0000

BIRYANI, the name itself tells us that its something rich and flavourful and exotic and aromatic and tradional and.....
It was long time i thought of trying it out, but was afraid of the last step, cooking on low flame(as i don't have oven) and burning it, BUT the crispy bottom ,which was the result of slow cooking, made me make it again and again after that...
Biryani was introduced in Indian via Mughal cuisine. The word Biryani is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) (بریان) which means "fried" or "roasted". Traditionally, biryani is layered in a heavy pot and heated through until the rice at the bottom becomes crispy and delicious And the flavour of all the spices penetrates into each n every grain of rice. Its not very easy to cook biryani, as firstly it do requires a whole lot of ingredients (each and every is important for the flavour it gives) and takes time to cook, but the final result is simply awesome.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup basmati Rice
100 grams carrots
100 grams cauliflower
100 grams potato
More Veggie, like peas or beans
50 grams paneer
15 grams cashewnuts
15 grams Raisins
250 grams curds
40 grams fried onions
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chilli
1 tsp kala jeera
40 gms mint leaves
40 gms Coriander leaves
5- 6 tbsp oil
A pinch of Saffron(soaked in milk)
1 tsp whole garam masala
1 tbsp hydrebadi biryani masala
Salt to taste

Method:

First wash and soak the rice for atleast 20 minutes. Boil water and cook the rice in open pan(with lots of water), and drain the water when its only 70% cooked.

Chop all the veggies into big pieces lengthwise.

Take a wide bottomed pan, add oil,then whole garam masala,saute it. Then add zeera,ginger garlic paste, vegetables and mix well and finally add salt. Cook on medium high flame till they are only half done.

Now add mint,coriander,chopped green chillies,biryani masala, half cup of curd and then add paneer.

Next take a biryani bowl (or a baking dish), layer half of the cooked vegetables and spread all over, add some more curd, mixed nuts (optional), salt, fried onions.Next layer half rice, repeat the same process again.

Finally pour the saffron mixture over it and sprinkle the remaining fried onions and coriander leaves. Cover with tight lid or foil, and either bake on a preheated oven for about 20-30 mins or even can cook on stove top on low flame covered for 10-20 minutes.

Serve hot with raita or any vegetable curry.

Notes:
Whole garam masala: Can use ready mix or 2 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom , 4 cloves, 2-3 bay leaves ,1 star arsine.
I didn't preferred deep fried onions , so before adding veggies added 2 sliced onions and cooked till done.

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Sending this to JFI:Mint at Ashwini's place started by Mahanandi

Tangy Pav Bhaji

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Sun, 17 May 2009 05:40:00 +0000

Pav Bhaji is one the most famous street food , savoured in all parts of india. Basically its a fast food dish native to maharashtra.

And which is the best Pav-Bhaji? Its the one where pav bhaji wala bhaiya is there, with his huge cast-iron pan in front of him. And all around are bowls of chopped veggies and an alarming number of packets of Amul butter, and Masala'a .Whatever is the order, he 'll put appropiate amount of veggies, boiled potatoes, loads of buttere, n all the masala's and then mash , and saute it to give a sizzle and fill the place with heavenly aroma. Then serve it with pav, roasted in again loads of butter and raw onions and lemon pieces.
Its done and it goes into the tummy melting in the mouth...

Now, there's no comparision for that Pav Bhaji, but quite a aroma and taste can also be reached at home. Try this.. (I know that the picture is not all duing justice to the yummy bhaji, but that much only i could do manage with the saved portion..)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped cauliflower,
1/2 cup chopped french beans,
1/2 cup green peas,
1 cup finely chopped capsicum (green peppers),
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots,
4 potatoes,
4 medium sized tomatoes,
3 medium sized finely chopped onions,
3 tbsp Pav bhaaji masala(Everest reccomnded),
4 5 green chillies,
4-5 garlic cloves,
1 inch ginger,
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (optional),
chopped coriander leaves,
salt to taste

Pav (a kind of bun)
1 pack salted butter (Amul butter is recommended)

Method:

Boil potatoes and mash them.Set aside.
Boil all the finely chopped vegetables separately.
Mash the boiled vegetables to form a coarse pulp using Pav bahji masher.

In a pan, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add cumin seeds (optional), finely chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies.
Then add 2 chopped onions, sauté till transulent and then add chopped tomatoes and cook till done.
Add the pav bhaaji masala and mix. Let it cook.
Now add mashed potatoes and add boiled vegetables.
Lastly add some butter again(it gives a nice aroma).
Finally add salt to taste.
Add water as required.
Cook till the bhaaji thickens.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Next give slits to the buns horizontally, i.e, keeping the base intact. On a hot griddle, melt butter. Arrange all the buns on the pan. Roast both the sides as well as the inner surfaces of buns with butter, pressing it slightly.

Serve these buns(pav) and hot bhaaji with chopped onions and a piece of lemon.

Tips:

Choose proper buns, do not buy the sweet ones or can have burger instead.
Use butter generously while making pav bhaaji.
Light roast the buns. Let them remain buttery and soft.
You can use any veggies of your choice.

Variations:

For an even spicier result, make masala pav...melt some butter in a skillet. Sprinkle pav bhaji masala in it, then fry the bread in this spicy butter until sizzling and golden.
Masala onion: Heat some butter, add a pinch of pav bhaaji masala and salt. Put the chopped onions, lemon juice and mix. Serve this masala onion with pav bhaaji.

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Sending this to WYF:Quick meal
And also to Sunday snacks: Chaats, at All Thingz Yummy!!

Bhel puri

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:51:00 +0000

Chaat is something that is loved by all. And now being away from India, we carve for them a lot more. So this very simple chat, Bhel Puri has become one of the most loved evening snack in our house. Its so flexible in its ingredients, that it can be enjoyed anytime, with whatall available in the kitchen(only puffed rice should be there) . Apart from Bhel popular Chaat's that we we relish are Aloo Tikkis (garnished with onion, coriander, hot spices and a dash of curd), bhel puri, dahi puri, panipuri, dahi vada, papdi chaat, and sev puri. Bhel puri is a a puffed rice dish with potatoes and a tangy tamarind sauce. It is prepared across India, and is known by different names ,Churu Muri in Bangalore or Jhaal Muri in Kolkata.

Ingredients:

4 5 flat crispy puris
200 gms puffed rice (kurmura / murmura/ murrah),
3 tbsp plain sev (thin one),
1 teaspoon chilli powder,
1 potatoes (boiled),
1 big red onion,
1 tomato
1 small bunch coriander leaves,
2 3 green chillies,
Lemon juice or raw mango (optional),
1/4 cup any spicy mixture,
2 tsp cumin powder,
salt to taste

Sweet tamarind chutney
Green chutney

Method:

Prepare the green and sweet chutneys.
Chop onion, potato, tomato and raw mango finely. Chop coriander leaves and green chillies. Set aside.
Mix together puffed rice and sev, salt and chili powder ,cumin powder and the mixture. I usually use Haldiram's 'Navratan' or 'Mixture' one, but can use any.
Before serving, mix chutneys to taste, chopped veggies and the murmura in a bowl.
To serve, put some bhel in individual plates, top with some more sev and chutneys (if desired) n serve immediately with crispy puris.

Tips:
There's no hard n fast rule for making Bhel's. If u don't have chutneys, you can skip them.
Can also add grated coconut or Musturd oil, to give it a unique flavour.

***************************
Sending this to Sunday snacks: Chaat, along with pani puri at All Thingz Yummy!!
And also to 15 minutes cooking @spices etc

FIC:Red & Green, Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Wed, 06 May 2009 08:43:00 +0000

Finally here comes the colorful roundup of last month's FIC: Red + Green. I was a bit doubtful while announcing the theme, but was overwhelmed with the response. So finally it wasn't atall tricky.. :) I'm glad.... Viewing all the red n green recipes pouring in was a soothing experience to my eyes.., Now you all also do feast your eyes and keep drooling(as i was ,while drafting this roundup)....

1. Kadai Paneer by pooja of SaiKitchen
2. Chillas with Gram Flour by Parita of Parita's kitchen
3.Vegetable fried rice by Kalva of Curry In Kadai
4. Stuffed Capsicum Rolls by Rashmi of Food-o-Rama
5.Creamy Broccoli Soup by Varsha VIpins of Will-O'-the-Wisp
6. Salad Decoration by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
7. Salad Decoration by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
8.Arai Keerai Kootu by Kayal of Kayal's Kitchen
9. Tawa Vegetables by EC of Simple Indian food
10.Mavadu / Tender mango pickle by Vidhas of Appetizing recipes
11.Red and Green Bell Peppers Korma by Asha of Foodieshope.
12.Potato Beetroot cutlet and Coriander chutney by Ashwini Kamath of Konkani Foodie
13.Tomato N Cucumber Salad by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
14.French Beans N Red-Bellpepper Rice by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
15.Tou Manchurian by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
16.Brown rice pilaf by Food Fanatic
17.Stuffed Capsicum in a Spicy Gravy by Srilakshmi of Annapurna
18.Strawberry Pistachio Pudding by Usha Rao of MySpicyKitchen
19. Navratan Korma by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
20. Grilled Capsicum and Tomato Salad by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
21. Roasted Capsicum Salad by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
22.Aval Uppuma by Sumy Sunil
23. Carrot Chutney by Sumy Sunil
24.Bittergourd Stir Fry by Deepika of Less Sugar,Please...For a Sweeter Life
25.Tomato Onion Gojju by Sushma of Savi-Ruchi
26.Clean-up-the-fridge Quiche by Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi
27.Radish, Peas and Bell Peppers Sauteed by Deepa Hari of Simple Home Cooking
28.Brocolli Capsicum Pepper stir fry by Rekha of plantainleaf
29.Snow Peas with Peppers by Tigerfish of teczcape-an escape to food
30.Pasta (Desi-style) by Aruna Chundi of The Temptations
31.Spicy Thai noodles by Manjusha of Inspired Cooking
32.Moong Dal chillas with twist of Bell Peppers by Parita of Parita's Kitchen

33.Spinach Tomato Sauce by Lakshmi of Lakshmiskitchen
34.Veg noodles by Sree of Tastespell
35. Green Almonds in Cucumber Gelée from Alinea by Jude of Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté
36.Focaccia bread sandwich by Chaitra of Aathidhyam
37.Green Peas in Tomato Gravy by Valarmathi of Simple and Yummy Recipes
38.Indian Style Spaghetti Pasta with Olive Oil by Parita of Parita's Kitchen
39.Spicy Crackers by Raaga of The Singing Chef
40.Mushroom Peas Masala by Raaga of The Singing Chef
41. Jewel Salad by Soma of eCurry
42.Maavadu/Vadu Maanga by Shoba Shrinivasan of Anubhavati
43.Cilantro-Chickpea Fritters by Uma of Essence of Andhra
44.Instant Mango Thokku (Pickle) by Vidya of Delectable Vegetarian Recipes
45.Spinach with corn by Preeti of Khaugiri
46. Green Moong-Tomato kachumber by Indrani of Appyayan
47.Spicy Tomato Pickle by Oriya Food of Home Cooked Oriya Food
48.Green Beans Foogath by Meera of Enjoyindianfood
49.Vegetarian 'Pizza Capricciosa' by Graziana of 'Erbe in Cucina' (Cooking with herbs).
50.Thai fried rice by Archy of Archy's Recipe Book
51.Cilantro lime vinaigrette & fruity salad by Cham of Spiceclub
52.Spinach Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce by Priti of Indian Khana
53.Tomato-Lettuce Salad by Prathibha of The Chef and Her Kitchen
54.Mushroom Manchurian by Sia of Monsoon Spice
55.Stuffed Tomatoes by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
56.Spicy Tomato Rice by Lubna Karim of Yummy Food
57.Cucumber tomato salad by notyet100 of asankhana
58.Pesto Margherita Pizza by A&N of Delectably Yours
59.Thai Vegan Curry by Maya of KonkanWorld
60.Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Avocado Salad by Muneeba of An Edible Symphony
61.Capsicum Tomato Masala by Padma of Padma's Recipes
62.Watermelon and Feta Salad with Cucumber and Mint by Emiglia of Tomato Kumato
63.Healthy Bhel Salad by Few Minute Wonders
64.Keerai kootu by Kalpana of messycooks
65.Stuffed capsicums by Neha of Tasty Recipes

Phew..., Really a lot of them...I tried not to miss any entry, or do any error, but if there's any ,do tell me ,so as i can correct it... Thanx you all for yours participation...

Also do check out MBP: Mango masti going in this blog....

Announcing MBP

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Sat, 02 May 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Now here comes the theme for this month's Monthly blog Patrol MBP: Mango Masti.. Its May,and its so hot this year, so i thought that's its best to have some mango masti to relieve this scorching heat. MBP is the brain child of Coffee of Spice Cafe and i'm glad that she gave me a chance to be a guest host this month. Mangoes, the “divine national fruit” of India, are delicious fresh or pickled, and are perfect for refreshing summer time beverages or desserts.

So all you need is to cook something from fellow bloggers, containing the king of Fruits, Mango, raw or ripe. It could be anything from a starter, main course, side dish drinks or a dessert - anything as long as it has MANGO.

Some simple guidelines for the event :

1. Based on this month's theme, i.e, MANGO, you have to cook something from the fellow bloggers (the “from” has to be a blogger and not any other cooking site!!) posted recipes.Prepare any recipe using Mango as its one of the ingredient and post about it on your blog by 31st May 2009

2. Post a pic of the final recipe on your blog linking it to the blogger (whose recipe you made) , Coffee’s MBP event page and this announcement. Whether to make it a post or no, is entirely your choice. You can just put a final pic or put step by step pics or if you have made any variations you might want to highlight that or post the whole recipe. Its entirely upto you. But one final pic and a link to the origional recipe is a must.

3. Any number of entries are welcome as long as the posts are done in the month of May. That is 1st May to 31st May. Reposting from archives is also welcomed.

4. The food item should be vegetarian which may contain eggs.

5. Send the following details to neha.agrawal.2610(at)gmail(dot)com with MBP: Mango Masti, as its subject line

Your Name
Blog name
Recipe Name
Recipe URL of ur post
Recipe URL of original post
A Photo of of final dish

6. The use of logo is optional, if you use good, if not then also good.:)

7. If you are a non-blogger and you wish to participate, send in the above details with the recipe. I will post them in the round up.

The last date is 31st May, end of May. Coming soon is the roundup of FIC , do check out...

UPDATE:(7th May) I think there's some cofusion abt MBP, The dish has to be from other bloggers blog. I did updated the post a bit too to highlight the point. Thanx, waiting for the entries..

Stuffed Capsicums

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 09:46:00 +0000

After a break i'm doing this post. This wasn't a intentional break, but we did shifted our house 2 weeks back, and somehow i wasn't able to browse from my new home. 1 week i was busy packing and unpacking, and now my laptop is setup in the same room ,where my kids take their afternoon nap, my only time for browsing. And they do "Sleep like a baby".(i always wonder why that mattress companies says 'like a baby', though babies are so notorious sleepers,may be the hours..).

Now coming to these Stuffed Peppers, there are a lot of ways to make these stuffed chillies, you may either fill them with potatoes(as i did), or gramflour or mixed vegetables,or any non veg stuffing, anything as par your taste. For the gramflour filling you can check stuffed chillies, which i posted earlier. Also as i didn't had oven so i made them on stove top, but doing in oven is better and easier.

Ingredients:

4 small sized green peppers
4 potatoes bolied n mashed
1 cup chopped mix vegetables
3 tbsp cooking oil
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp raw mango powder
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the green peppers well and pat dry with paper towel. Cut the top off about 1/2" from where the stem is attached. Deseed and set aside.
Trim bottoms very slightly (do not make a hole) so as the peppers can stand up. Put all cleaned peppers in hot water till half done,drain and set aside for later use.
Heat 3 tbsps of cooking oil, add the cumin seeds. Now add the green chillies and garlic and fry till done.
Add the onion and fry till soft. Then add all finely chopped mixed veggies(i used carrots,peas,corn,beans, n deseeded capsicums) and cook till soft.
Now add all the powdered spices and fry for about a minute.
Finally add the mashed potato and mix well to blend with all the spices. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the fire, add salt to taste and mix well.
Now stuff each pepper fully with the mashed potato mix. Press down and top up to ensure they are well filled.
Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a shallow pan on a low flame. When hot add the peppers (standing up) and fry covered till done.
Gently turn the peppers all around and fry till golden. Turn off fire.
Garnish with grated cheese on top or even paneer.

Tip:
Its easier if after stuffing ,grate chesse on top, and bake them in the oven.
You also slit the chillies (if they are big), from the centre and cut them into 2 halves.

**************************
Sending this to FIC: Red + Green event going in my blog ,initiated by Harini. Also do check out for MBP event, which shall be guest hosted here next month.

AFAM, Roundup.

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:00:00 +0000

Here comes a huge roudup of A Fruit A Month : Cucumber. I'm really overjoyed with the huge response. Thanx maheswari again, for letting me host one of my favourite fruit. Now i have lots of recipes, so as not to use cucumbers only in salads; but anything and everything, from main course to curries, pickels, smoothies or soup.
The cucumber is a natural diuretic which is used in the fitness world by bodybuilders and people trying to reduce their weight. So use externally for soothing your puffed eyes, or drink its juice to detoxify your body, its good for us. Or have it in so many different ways this summer and stay coooool.

*********
SOUPS
*********

1. Cucumber Soup by Aparna Prabhu of APS KITCHEN
2. Cold gazpacho soup by Neha of Tasty Recipes
3.Cucumber almond soup by A&N of Delectably Yours
4.Avacado and cucumber soup by Swapna of Cooking with swapna

**********
SALADS
**********

1. Tomato cucumber Salad by Food fanatic of Food fanatic
2. Khamang kakdi by Sanika N of Spicy & Tangy.....Sweet & Yummy !!!!
3. Soya N Cucumber Chilly by Aparna of Aps Kitchen
4.Cucumber Avocado Fiesta Salsa by Asha of Foodie's Hope
5. Kisrawiyya by Jessica Voloudakis of Fearless Kitchen
6. Cucumber Salad with Peanuts by Apu of Annarasa -Essence of Food

7. Cucumber Salad by Ashwini of Nanna Adige
8. Oh ee mu chim by PJ of Seduce your tastebuds
9. Carrot cucumber tomato salad by Vidya Venky of vidyascreations
10. Som Tam Mia Noi by Miri of Peppermill
11. Cucumber Peanut summer salad by Neha of Tasty Recipes

***************
Main course
***************

1. Cucumber Paratha by Sanika N of Spicy & Tangy.....Sweet & Yummy !!!!
2. Cucumber Wheat Dosa by Trupti of Recipe Center
3. Cucumber Pepper Idli by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
4. Kakdi thalpith by Preeti of Khaugiri
5.Vegetable rice by Kalva of Curry In Kadai

******************
Dips(/chutneys)
******************

1.Cucumber Mustard Chutney by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
2. Cucumber Dosa and Cucumber Chutney by Supriya of Queen of my kitchen
3. Cucumber chutney by prajusha of icookipsot
4. Tzaziki by Malini of Khana Khazana with Malini
5. Oi Sobaki by Shree of ShreeZ Experiments

**************
Side dishes
**************

1. Cucumber Raita by Bhawna Gupta of From My Palate
2. Cucumber raita by EC of Simple Indian food
3. Cucumber Yogurt Salad by Meera of enjoyindianfood
4. Spicy Cucumber Raita by Vidya of Delectable Vegetarian Recipes
5. Cucumber Sandwich by Madhumathi of Madhu's Food Journal
6. Cheese Veggie Sandwich by Rupali Jain of North Ki Rasoi Se...

**********
Curries
**********

1. Tamata-Dosakaya Curry by Lubna of Yummy Food
2. Dosakaya Pappu by Lubna of Yummy Food
3. Cucumber curry by Mahima of Olivesandbasil
4. Vellarikkai Puli Pachadi by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen
5. Vellarikka Kichadi by Divya Kudua of Easycooking

6. Southekayi Majjige Huli by Sushma of Savi-Ruchi
7. Southekayi Koddel by Lakshmi of Cooking Station
8. Sowthekai Kairasa by Srividya of Vidya's Kitchen
9. Khamang Kakdi by Preeti of Khaugiri

**********************
Smoothies & Coolers
**********************

1 . Strawberry N Cucumber Shake by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
2. Cucumber Popsicle by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
3. Cucumber and mint cooler by rekha of plantainleaf
4. Cucumber Lemonade by Uma of Essence of Andhra

5. Cucumber kiwi cooler by Cham of Spice-club
6. Cucumber drink by Deepa Hari of Simple Home Cooking
7. Cucumber Coolers by Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf
8. Cucumber Coolers by Sweatha of TastyCurryLeaf

I did tried not to miss any entry, but if i did so , please do remind me, so as i can update it correctly. Thanx you all again for your lovely entries...

Announcing FIC

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:38:00 +0000

This month i got the honour of hosting FIC, Food In Colors. Thanx Harini for that. So when i thought about which color to select ,i was really confused. It's always there for me, selection is a big trouble, for everthing. What all basic primary colors (or their shades) i could think of in terms of colors of food, were already over. So, after litreally eating away poor harini head, we decided to give it a twist and we ended up in a COMBO. "Red + Green". Whatever you prepare, the final dish should highlight BOTH the colours. Greens shouldn't be just a garnish(from coriander,mint etc), but a prominent color from the main ingredients of the dish. Quite tricky??. No No..., Just its just that green can come from capsicum, beans, peas etc..

So all do send me any vegetarian food, containing the selected colours predominantly. It could be anything from a starter, main course, side dish or a dessert - anything as long as the in the final dish Red And Green BOTH colors can be seen.

Some simple rules as stated by event starter:

1. Raw vegetables are not allowed except if used as such in salads or prepared food!

2. Any number of entries are welcome as long as the posts are done in the month of April. That is 1st April to 30th April.

3. Posts should be linked back to this event to this announcement post and to Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers

4. The food item should be vegetarian which may contain eggs.

5. Send the following details to neha.agrawal.2610(at)gmail(dot)com with the FIC, as its subject line

Your Name
Blog name
Recipe Name
Recipe URL
A Photo of final dish(any size)

6. The use of logo is optional, if you use good, if not then also good.:)

7. If you are a non-blogger and you wish to participate, send in the above details with the recipe. I will post them in the round up.

The last date is 30th April, end of April. So all, do send me ur entries for this colorful event..
Waiting for ur entries...

Malai Kofta

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:30:00 +0000

This dish comes for special occassions, Malai ( Cream) Kofta; it has the richness of cream and dry fruits and lots of aromatic flavours. First time when i tried this , it was a total mess. I don't know, i think the potatoes were some new ones(for that season, as i remember told by my mom ..or were they old ?? ). Anyways, the result was the potatoes were too sticky and even after dipping my hands in oil, i wasn't able to make balls out of it. Somehow with the help of my mom ,with the tips given at last, finally balls were made and i was able to make delicious Kofta's.
These koftas are served in a creamy gravy (which i got correct without her help). Malai Kofta is served best with Naan (tandoor-baked flatbread), kulcha's or Jeera rice.

Ingredients:

For koftas:

250 gms(4 large) boiled potatoes
50 gms paneer mashed
50 gms Khoya(thickned milk, optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds,raisins and cashewnuts)
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry the koftas

For the sauce:

3 tbsps cooking oil
2 large onions grated
1 tomato pureed
2 tbsps garlic garlic paste
2 tsps coriander powder
2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
1 cup milk(approx)
1 tbsp khoya
1 tbsp fresh curd
Salt to taste
Fresh cream to garnish

Method:

Grate the potatoes(so as there's no lumps and its even thoroughly). Season with salt.
Mix all the other ingredients separately for koftas, add salt to taste and make small small balls out of it.
Shape the potato mixture like a bowl and put the paneer mix balls in the center and then roll into perfect rounds.
Heat the oil to fry the koftas, on a medium flame. Deep fry these rounds till light golden brown in colour.
Drain on paper towels and keep aside.
If the potatoes are sticky, and are not manageble, add a bit of cornflour in the mix, or can coat it with cornflour paste and then fry. More tips in the end.

For the gravy, first heat the 3 tbsps of oil in a deep pan and add ginger garlic paste to it.
Then fry the onions till it is light brown in color and the oil begins to separate from the onions.
Then first add red chilli powder and then all other dry spices and then immediately add tomato puree to it. Fry till oil separates.
Add khoya ,a bit of salt and curd. Fry .
Then add milk slowly and water to get a desired thick consistency (not too thin), and cook. Mix well.
Bring the gravy to a boil and then reduce the fire to a simmer.

Serving:
At the time of serving, place the kofta's in the dish, and pour hot gravy over it. And then garnish each kofta's with the whipped cream and serve.
Serve with hot Naans ,Kulcha's or Jeera Rice.

Tips:

Instead of directly pureeing the tomatoes you can blanch them first in hot water and then puree, it gives better taste n color too.
If potatoes are sticky still, you can add a bread slice (edges removed), or even soaked pooha(rice flakes) to it.
If you don't have khoya, use Ricotta cheese.Just bake the same in Microwave,the cheese will crumble and can be substituted for khoya.
And most important DO NOT add kofta's in the gravy beforehand. The balls will absorb lots of gravy and will be tooo soft, to pour.Can see my gravy is looking thin a bit in snap, but eventually it got thicker.

Also, there's some flowers, Rose, that i tried making with apple's peel. Did u liked them???
********************
Sending this Malai Kofta to RCI: Lucknow started by Lakshmi

Onion Kulcha

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 08:16:00 +0000

Kulcha, its a type of Indian bread quite similar in looks and appearance to a naan(another very famous indian bread), just without the elongated shape and are much softer. It can be made on a tawa or griddle, as opposed to naan, which is better baked in a hot tandoor or oven only ,to get the desired effect. And as now i have neither, i prefer making Kulcha's only, whenever there's need to cook something special. Also they come out more soft when made by stove top method as compared to baking.

Ingredients:

1 heaped tsp. dry yeast
About 200 ml warm water.
2 tsp sugar

For Dough:
500 gm all purpose flour or maida
1/2 cup natural yoghurt or dahi
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. ghee or vegetable oil
Salt to taste

For Stuffing:
1 sweet onion, minced
few coriander/mint leaves chopped
1/4 tsp chilli pwd.
salt to taste

Method:

Place warm water in a bowl and add yeast and sugar over the water. Leave aside for 5-10 minutes, until it becomes frothy (activated).
Now sift flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
Make well in the centre. Add curd and oil in the well.
Then make a soft non sticky dough with the yeast water.
Cover and leave aside for 2-4 hours in a warm place, until it doubles in size.
Mix all the ingredients for stuffing.

Punch the dough down, and make tennis size balls out of it.
Heat a griddle or tawa or a frying pan.
Roll the balls out to a circle of approx. 3-4 inches in diameter. Put the stuffing (about 1-2 tbsp) in it, fold and agian roll out into 6-8 inches in diameter and 2-3 mm. thick circle . Don't make it too thick, because it swells up a little when cooking.

Place it on the heated griddle/tawa. When a few bubbles appear, turn it over. cook on both sides,and finally apply butter/ghee on one side, take it off the griddle.
Best serve kulchas immediately or else can also stack them one on top of other and then wrap them in a foil. Just before serving reheat in a grill or oven.
Serve with Chole or any other rich curry, like i served them with Malai Kofta's.

Tips:

Once the packet of yeast is opened ,it shouldn't be kept for long, unless its in the freezer.
Kulchas can be made in advance and reheated. They can be frozen too. Defrost fully, re-heat and serve.
You can make any type of filling for it , like onion or potatoes or even plain kulcha. I made all the three varities, for the three guys in my house with entirely different taste buds... :)

**************
Sending these Kulche's to RCI: Lucknow started by Lakshmi

Celebrating Blog Anniversary with Carrot halwa

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:30:00 +0000

Celebrating my 1st Blog anniversary and also the 100th post with our tradional Indian sweet "Gajar ka Halwa". One year back i started this blog; spend hours browsing others blog, commenting on their posts, trying new recipes, enjoying reading comments on my posts..., (took a long break in between too) , getting to know a entire new world alltogether.. Really its a amazing thing to do, blogging..

Actually i did thought to post this about a week ago, BUT.. last week was kids holidays in singapore(term break), and i didn't realised beforehand, that they would keep me so so busy the whole week, day n night... This one week was a whole mess for me... and finally today i relax, when the school reopened, my goodness managing 2 little brats....

Now something about this carrot pudding or carrot halwa,which is the most famous of Indian sweet dishes. It origiantes in the northern parts of India. As kids we always had this made from the RED long variety of carrots, which grows in the cooler climates of India (mostly north) and are available only during the winter months. They are juicier and naturally very sweet so halwa made from them is more carrot and less sugar and tasted real heavenly. If anyone can get red carrots, should definately try making the halwa with them.

But everywhere else we get these orange carrots only,and halwa tastes delicious with them too.

Ingredients:

Shredded carrot 2 cups
Milk 2 cups
Sugar 1/4 + cup
Cardamom powder 1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted butter/ghee 2 tablespoons
Cashews, raisins, almonds to garnish

Method:

In a thick bottomed open pan, add ghee, and roast the nuts, keep aside.
In the same pan , add the grated carrots and then milk, and bring to a boil. Uncovered, cook for approx. 20 - 25 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and the milk has integrated into the carrots. Stir the mixture frequently to avoid it sticking to the pot.
Or alternatively you can add 2 cups milk, and lastly add 4 tbsp khoya (or ricotta cheese) ; to speed up the process and make it even better.
Then add sugar and stir constantly to dissolve, on a high heat for 3-5 minutes until the carrots glisten and gets a wonderful golden color.
Fianlly add Cardamon powder and the half of the nuts.

Garnish with the other half of nuts on top, and serve warm or cold.

Although it takes a little bit of time to prepare, the steps to make this dessert are simple. And the final dessert is full of wonderful rich carroty and nutty flavor and aroma of cardamom. Also you can make carrot halva in advance and keep in the fridge for about a week.

Tips:

Grate the carrot with a big(holes one) grater, so the halwa doen't become too mushy at last.
You may add condensed milk/ fresh homemade cream to make it even richer.
It is also served warmed with chilled Vanilla Icecream, and it tastes heavenly..

***************************
Sending this to RCI: Lucknow started by Lakshmi

Fresh Cucumber Peanut summer salad

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 02:47:00 +0000

This is a wonderful summer salad, and is great for Indian taste buds. The best way to have cucumbers, is to have them in salads(as i feel). For those who like a crunchy salad, this Thai salad, known as Taeng Kwa Brio Wan, is perfect with its combination of cucumbers and peanuts. A lovely combo of flavours and textures. So give these salads a try as you work to improve your diet. I added very small amounts of red bell peppers for a little more color, as we all know when a food looks good we carve more for it.. :)and it makes it even more healthier

I did tried my hand at a simple food carving too, see how the mini cucumber basket with small carrot flowers looks like.. isin't it cute..

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber; peeled, seeded and diced
3 tbsp coarsely chopped peanuts(roasted n peel removed)
10-15 Cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 small onion, chopped(optional)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp red pepper chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp white sugar
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
salt to taste

Method:

Take a mixing bowl and whisk sugar, lemon juice, olive oil and cumin till the sugar has dissolved in it. Then add cucumbers, peppers,tomatoes, onions and cilantro.
Since i used mini cucumbers hence i just chopped them( didn't peeled n seeded). I usually prefer not to peel its skin, just scrub it nicely.
Combine it all by tossing.
And then it can be kept in fridge to be chilled.
Just before serving add salt to taste and serve it by sprinkling chopped peanuts on top.

PS:
I just added cumin, as i like its flavour, likewise you can also add chat masala powder to it.
The original recipe calls for, adding salt at first to cucumber and squeeze the water out of it.

*******************

Sending this to AFAM:Cucumber going in my blog, started by Maheshwari of Beyond The Ususal.

Red Kidney beans aka Rajma

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:14:00 +0000

Rajma chawal, this had been my favourite dish since childhood and i still love it very much. Rajma curry is very famous dish in north india, espicially in Punjabi's. I had one punjabi friend D in college,her mother used to cook yummy rajma. I liked it so much that whenever she brought rajma chawal in her luchbox (yep, we did took lunch boxes,even in engineering college), she just simply used to give the whole box to me(though it had enough for 3 of us) Both D n R used to watch me as i relished the dish and gave them back, if something was still left. Those happy and carefree days...

Ok, now back to these beans, Red Kidney Beans are a rich source of anti-oxidants and contains cholesterol-lowering fiber which prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making them a very good food source for diabetics. And one taken with rice it makes a complete meal in itself. :)

I always make so much that it should be enough for 2 meals, somehow next day it always tastes better.

Ingredients:

Red Kidney beans 1 cup
Onion 1
Tomato pureed 1
Green chilli 2 3
Ginger an inch
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder 1 tsp.
Garam Masala Powder 1 tsp.
Vegetable oil 3 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Wash the rajma and soak in water overnight or atleast 5 6 hours with 1 tsp salt in the water.
Pressure cook rajma until tender. Or better you can use canned kidney beans too.
Grind onion, green chilli and ginger to make a fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and then the paste and fry on medium heat until golden brown (The oil starts separating from the mixture).
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix well. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add pureed tomatoes and cook till done.
Add cooked rajma (along with the water in which it was cooked). Stir well and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Finally add garam masala powder.
Add water enough to make thick gravy. Bring the gravy to boil or pressure cook for 1 whistle.
Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Best served with jeera rice .

Tips:

Can also grind some cooked rajma and add it finally, really gives nice texture.
Can add sugar too, some like it a bit sweeter.

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Sending this to Lentil mela at Ashwini's spicy cuisine
along with Green peas usal.
And to MLLA 9th Helping, at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska by Laurie, started by Susan

SWC: SOUPS, Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Here comes the roundup of SWC:Soups. First of all, i would like to thank Lakshmi for starting such a healthy event, so as we can be fit..
I was very pleased with the way my inbox kept flooding with entries, with yummy and healthy soups of various cuisines from all over the world. There are a lot of soups which were a complete meal in itself, and some so simple which can be made in a jiffy.. While hosting the event i came across so many new and interesting blogs too. Thanx you all for making the event a success.
I just posted the entries, in the (almost the) same order as i received them.

1. Creamy Vegetable Soup by Radhika of Tickling Palates
2. Carrot cabbage soup by Jayasree of Kailas Kitchen
3.Vegetable Soup by Rachana of Gourmetlaunchpad
4. Baby corn soup by EC of Simple Indian Food
5. French Onion Soup by Madhumathi of Madhus Food Journal
6. Tomato Saar by Ankita of A Veggie's Cookbook

7. Umbrian farro and lentil soup by Letizia Mattiacci of madonnadelpiatto
8. Tomato Garlic Soup by Asha of Aroma Hope
9. Gingery sweet potato soup by Cham of Spice-club
10. Borscht with Kvas by DK of Culinary bazaar
11. HERBED WHITE BEAN SOUP by Rekha of plantainleaf
12. Chick peas and Spinach Soup by Núria of Spanish Recipes

13. Butternut Squash Bisque by Joelen of Joelen's Culinary Adventures
14. Green Bean and Tomato Soup by Lakshmi of Cooking station.
15. Tomato Soup by Bhawana Gupta of From my palate
16. Roasted carrot and tomato soup by TBC of The Budding Cook
17. Paya soup by Priayanka of asan khana
18. Beet root Soup by Purva of Purva's Daawat

19.Tomato soup with smoky bell pepper by Vidhas of Appetizing recipes
20. Vegetable Corn flour soup by Vidhas of Appetizing recipes
21. Ginger carrot soup by Sowmya of Creative saga
22. Green Peas Soup by Trupti of Recipe Center
23. Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
24. Cauliflower, Broccoli N Pasta Clear soup by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

25. Vegan Chilled Avocado Soup by Priyasuresh of Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes
26. Tocana de Hrisca by Manda of Asparagus Thin
27. Potato and spinach soup by Deepa Hari of Simple Home Cooking
28. Rasam (Tomato tamarind soup) by Deepa Hari of Simple Home Cooking
29. Chunky Veg and Pasta Soup by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
30. Tomato Red Lentil Soup by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please

31. Garlicky Ashgourd Soup by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
32. Spinach 'N Apple Soup by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
33. Chickpea Soup by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
34 . Pumpkin Soup with Coriander by Deepika of Less Sugar, Please
35. Peas Potato Soup by Hemamalini of Salt To Taste
36. A soup filled with love (Pumpkin Soup) by Aparna Prabhu of Aps Kitchen

37. Easy Tomato Soup by Lakshmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles
38. Kid friendly Chicken soup by Oriya Food of Home Cooked Oriya Food
39. Tomato Soup by Oriya Food of Home Cooked Oriya Food
40. Spicy Lemony Coriander soup by Oriya Food of Home Cooked Oriya Food
41. Pineapple Hot and sour soup by Sumarajesh of Sumas cuisine
42. Carrot Soup by Prajusha of Icookipost

43. Cajun Style Potato and Kale Soup by Curryleaf of TastyCurryLeaf
44. Minestrone Soup by Maya of KonkanWorld
45. Cold Gazpacho soup by Neha of Tasty Recipes
46. Vegetable soup by Swapna pravin of Cooking with swapna
47. Cauliflower soup by Swapna pravin of Cooking with swapna
48. Caribbean pumpkin soup by Swapna pravin of Cooking with swapna

49. Gingery Sweet Potato soup by Neha of Tasty Recipes
50. Cool cucumber turns hot( Cucumber Soup) by Aparna Prabhu of APS KITCHEN
51. Asian-soup by Annalyn of munchin' in manila
52. Tomato Soup with Fries by Gayathri Hema of Just Urs!!!

Do check out SWC: Meals on wheels, last date 31st march. I tried not to miss any entry, but if i have, please point it out,so i may correct it....

Last but not the least, wishing you all a very very HAPPY HOLI....

Gingery Sweet Potato Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:12:00 +0000

When i did announced the event SWC:Soups, it was really hot here in Singapore. I didn't felt like having or cooking soups at all. And then i made that chilled refreshing Gazpacho Soup. Usually it rains a lot here in December and January, but as per records, this month January was the driest jan. in a decade. And it followed till almost end of feb. But, thanx god , now its finally raining, raining a lot (nowadays climate has gone so unpredectable), and we felt like having hot soups. So for yesterday dinner i made this along with Instant corn dhokla( recipe coming soon)

Something about Sweet potatoes,they are a great source of beta-carotene, essential for vision. The soup had a strong taste of ginger, and was perfect for a filling dinner in a rainy day.

Ingredients:

1 small onion,cut coarsely
2 garlic cloves,chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 carrot, chopped coarsely
1 stalk of fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced crosswise
100 gms sweet potato, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 cups vegetable broth or 2 vegetable stock cubes.
Salt to taste
1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Method:

In a pressure cooker add onion, garlic, ginger, carrot ,lemon grass and sweet potato. Cover and and cook for a whsitle, till the potatoes are tender.
Transfer the sweet potato to a blender. Puree the sweet potato soup.
Return the soup to the saucepan.Add stock cubes and season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Pour the soup into a bowl, top with the cilantro and serve.

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Sending this to SWC:Soups, (started by LG ) Hosted at my blog.

Aloo pooha

noreply@blogger.com (Neha) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:34:00 +0000

Aaloo Poha or kanda pohe is i feel the staple breakfast/snack in every North Indian Kitchen. Actually this tangy snack is an all time favorite throughout India with slight variations,though. I also make it every week atleast once. Easy to make, its quite filling too. Must be, as its made with flattened beaten rice.

I sometimes use to make this even before my marriage, but that was under my mom ,so was quite simple. After marriage,when we were in bangalore, when first time i bought poha, it came out to be thin one. Result it all formed one big lump,when i soaked it.(That one is used to make chiwda) Then i bought thick one(asked specially for thick one). It didn't got soaked properly n was all dry. Finally ,asked my sister,What's wrong??? she told me there's comes one more of medium thickness,that we should use. OMG.

Once when we went to indore, i saw this poha everywhere, and it was too spicy there. Hot steaming poha was prepared and kept warm over boiling water so that the hot moisture from the water can keep the poha warm and moist. One nice combo was Poha Jelabi..

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cup Poha(rice flakes) (from Indian groceries)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 potato, diced
3-4 green chillies, chopped
Handful of frozen green peas (optional)
2 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped finely
1 lemon/lime

Haldi/turmeric powder 1 tsp
Jeera/cumin 1 tsp
1t mustard seeds
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Black salt 2 tbsp
Sugar 1tbsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the rice flakes/atukulu in running cold water,in a seive, drain and set aside. These flakes will absorb the water and shall puff up.
Meanwhile, chop onions, green chillies, potato.
Heat oil in a wide pan and firstly add the peanuts. fry them and set aside.
In the same oil add the cumin seeds and curry leaves(optional). Let it fry for a min and a then add onions, diced potato, green peas and green chillies to the pan . Add a bit of salt to enhance cooking.
Let it cook for few mins till the potatoes are done.
Meanwhile, mix all the spices in the soaked poha and mix well with your hands. (so as not to break the flakes)
Finally mix it well in the pan and let it sit on the flame for 3-5 more mins. Add the lime/lemon juice and chopped cilantro and mix well so that the juice is evenly distributed.
Serve hot with any of the below toppings.

Toppings:

I serve it with fried peanuts on top of it.
Also it tastes womderful with Haldiram's bhujia.
In nagpur we had it with some very hot red chutney over it, along with green chillies.
Also its served with chopped onions or grated coconut.

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Sending this to Cooking for kids :Potato, authored by Sharmi of Neivedyam as my kids love it too. Along with Yummy Samosa's and Vegetable cutlets.