food with thought

Healthy veggie burger

2016-04-17T17:11:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't like burgers? It's been loved by people all around the world! here's a small attempt to make burger healthy. The patty is made with mixed vegetables and shallow fried to avoid extra calories. The patty of the burger can be had has cutlet also. Down below is the simple recipe of the veggie burger.

Ingredients:

Vegetable patty:

boiled and smashed mixed vegetables(carrot, peas, cauliflower etc)- 1/2cup

boiled and smashed potatoes- 1cup

cornflour- 2tbsp
pepper powder- 1tsp

oil- 1tbsp

salt to taste

To assemble a burger:

burger buns -4 nos

mayonnaise- 2tbsp

shredded lettuce- 1/2cup

sliced tomatoes- 1large

sliced onions- 1 medium

dill chips(optional)- 12 pieces

butter/oil- 2tsp

Method:

Vegetable patty:

1. take all the ingredients in a bowl except oil. mix well. take a lemon sized mixture and shape it into

a patty(cutlet). repeat the same and make all the patties.

2. heat a nonstick pan, drizzle some oil over it and place all the patties, drizzle some oil on the top.

cook both the sides in a medium flame till you get a golden brown colour.

Burger:

1. cut each burger bun into half, apply butter on the inner side(white side) of the bun and toast them

lightly on a pan.

2. on a clean dry surface place the lower side of the bun, spread some mayonnaise over it and place

the vegetable patty over it, now add shredded lettuce, dill chips, onion and tomato slices and the

upper side of the bun.

3. repeat the same for all the burger buns.

4. serve immediately with french fries and tomato ketchup.

Chole Bhature

2016-04-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Chole bhature is an all time favourite pinjabi dish. It's the most popular dish of India and is loved by one and all. It is an combination of spicy chickpea curry served with deep fried pooris. It's normally served for breakfast but can be had as any meal of the day. If you have soaked chickpeas it can be prepared within minutes and ideal for an weekend meal! here is the simple recipe of this wonderful dish..

Ingredients:

Chole:
dry white chickpeas(kabuli channa)- 2cups
onion roughly chopped- 1large
tomato roughly chopped- 2large
ginger-garlic paste- 1tbsp
red chilli powder -2tsp
chole masala- 2tsp
coriander powder- 1tsp
cumin powder- 1tsp
amchoor powder- 1tsp
1 tea bag/ 1tsp tea powder tied in a muslin cloth(optional)
cumin seeds- 1tsp
oil -2tsp
salt to taste

Bhature:
all purpose flour/maida- 2cups
fine sooji/chiroti rava- 1/4cup
curd/yogurt- 2tbsp
sugar- 2tsp
baking soda- 1/4tsp
ghee/oil- 1tsp
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Method:

Chole:
1. soak chickpeas overnight.
2. grind together onion and tomatoes.
3. heat oil in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds, when they splutter add ginger garlic paste, all the
masala powders and saute for a minute. Now add onion-tomato puree and fry for 2-3mins.
4. add soaked chickpeas, salt and tea bag. Adjust the water accordingly. Pressure cook it for 3-5
whistles.
5. serve hot with bhature. This will also taste good with naan, poori, chapathi, rice and pulao.

Bhature:
1. Take all the ingredients( except oil that has to be taken for deep frying ) in a bowl. Then add water
little by little and knead it into a smooth dought. allow it to rest for 10mins.
2. to make the bhature, take a small ball of the dough, roll it into a poori(it should be slightly thicker
than the regular poori) and deep fry it in a hot oil.
3. serve hot along with chole, with sliced lemon and onions in the side.

See also:
Green chickpeas curry(hara channa masala)
Togari kalu curry(pigeon pea curry)
peas pulao
green peas masala
gujarati thepla

Ragada Patties

2016-04-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ragada patties is a popular chat recipe. It's an popular breakfast in marathi cuisine and can be had as an one pot meal also. can be easily made if you have soaked peas. Here is the step wise recipe of the famous Indian chat.

ragada patties

Ingredients:

Ragada:

white peas(vatana)-1cup

tamarind paste- 2tbsp
jaggery- 1tbsp

ginger garlic paste- 1tsp
red chilli powder- 1tsp
coriander powder- 1tsp
garam masala powder- 1tsp
mustard seeds- 1/2tsp
curry leaves- 6-7
asafoetida- a pinch
oil- 2tsp

Patties:

potatoes- 3medium
cornflour- 1tbsp
coriander leaves chopped- 2tbsp
lime juice- 1tbsp
red chilli powder- 1tsp
salt to taste
oil- 1tsp

To serve:

onion finely chopped- 1cup
coriander leaves chopped- 1/2cup
sev(thin)- 1 cup
green chutney- 1/2cup
sweet chutney-1/2cup

Method:

Ragada:
1. soak white peas overnight and pressure cook it for 5 whistles.
2. heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafoetida, when the mustard seeds splutter
add the remaining ingredients of ragada along with the cooked white peas and cook it in low
flame for 10mins. check the consistency and add the water accordingly.

Patties:
1. boil and smash the potatoes, add the remaining ingredients of patties and mix well.
2. take a ball sized mixture and shape them into patties.
3. heat a non stick pan and shallow fry the patties by drizzling oil on both the sides. if you want you
can deep fry the patties also.

To serve:
1. place 2 patties on a plate. pour suuficient amount of ragada over it.
2. add green chutney, sweet chutney, onions, coriander and top it with sev.
3. serve hot.

See also: sev puri
vada pav

Sambar

2013-09-14T01:30:00.000-07:00

Sambar is an most integral part of South Indian food, without this no meal will be complete and you cant even imagine Dosa/Idly without sambar. Its an multi purpose dish which can be served for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. So many times I'll first prepare Sambar and later I'll decide what should go along with it. Here I have used mixed vegetables, you can use any vegetable of your choice.

Ingredients: 1cup Pressure cooked Toor Dal
1cup chopped mixed vegetables(Brinjal/Drumstick/Potato)
2 Tomatoes finely chopped
1 Small Onion finely chopped
1tbsp Garlic paste
1/4cup Tamarind paste
1tsp Sambar Powder
1tsp Red chili powder
1tsp Dhania powder(coriander seeds powder)
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
2tsp oil
1tsp Mustard seeds
1tbsp curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida
Salt to taste

Method: 1)In a vessel add cooked toor dal, mixed vegetables, tomatoes, tamarind paste, sambar powder red chili powder, dhania powder, turmeric powder, salt and cook till the vegetables are soft.
2)Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add curry leaves, asafoetida and
fry for 30secs, now add onions, garlic and fry till the onions turn pink. Add this to the above
mixture and cook for 5mins.
3)Serve hot with Rice/Idly/Dosa/Pongal.

See Also: Mallige Idly
  Masala Dosa
  Open Dosa
  Ven Pongal

Pulissery

2013-09-14T00:46:00.003-07:00

Kalan/Moru Curry/Butter Milk Curry/Mor Kolambu/Majjige Huli/Kadi

Pulissery is an very prominent dish in Onam Sadya. Traditional spices are cooked along with curd to give a tangy-spicy gravy. This is served along with the hot rice. Here i have used Ash gourd to Pulissery you can also use vegetables like Bottle Gourd, Cucumber, Bhendi, Ridge Gourd or even Black Channa. If you'll add fried pakodas to this it will become Kadi-Pakora.

Ingredients: 1cup beaten curd/butter Milk

3/4cup chopped ash gourd

1tbsp grated coconut

1tbsp soaked channa dal

1tbsp soaked rice

3 green chilies

1tsp cumin seeds

1' chopped ginger

2tsp oil

1tsp mustard seeds

1tbsp curry leaves

3 red chilies

1/4tsp turmeric powder

a pinch of asafoetida

salt to taste

Method: 1)Keep little water for boiling in a vessel, add ash gourd and cook till its half cooked.

2)Grind together coconut, channa dal, green chilies, rice, ginger, and turmeric powder to a

smooth paste. Add this mixture to the ash gourd water and continue cooking till the ash

gourd is cooked completely.

3)For tempering heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add curry leaves,

asafoetida, red chilies and after 30secs put off the flame.

4)Add beaten curd, salt and tempering to the ash gourd mixture and cook for 2mins.

Cabbage Thoran

2013-09-13T23:39:00.002-07:00

Cabbage Thoran is one of the side dishes served in Onam Sadya along with the rice. It is also called as Cabbage Poriyal in Tamil Nadu. This is very simple and preparation time is also very less. As this is very less in calories you can have it guilt free. Don't forget to soak the chopped cabbage in salt water for 15mins before cooking because pesticides will be sprayed to the cabbage.

Ingredients: 1cup chopped cabbage
2 green chilies finely chopped
1tbsp curry leaves
2tbsp grated coconut
2tbsp chopped coriander
2tsp oil
1/2tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste

Method: 1)Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and when they splutter add asafoetida,
curry leaves, green chilies and fry for a minute.
2)Add cabbage, salt and cook uncovered in a low flame till the cabbage gets cooked.
3)Add coriander, coconut and mix well.

Note: If you will overcook, cabbage will change its color.

See Also: Pumpkin Thoran
Channa Sundal

Ganesha Chaturthi

2013-09-08T02:53:00.001-07:00

Ganesha Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated to mark the birthday of Lord Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvathi. It is usually celebrated for 1,3,5,7 or 11days. Its celebrated elaborately all over India. Different regions have their native traditions in celebrating this festival. There are lots of stories associated with Ganesha Festival which are narrated to the kids. Special food, mostly the favorites of Lord Ganesha is prepared on this day and offered to the God. Here I have tried to list few traditional recipes that are prepared during this festival. Wish you all a very happy 'Ganesha Chaturthi'.

Ganesha Chaturthi Recipes: Channa Sundal
Modak
Rava Laddu
Sweet Kadubu
Karjikai
Medu Vada/Urad Dal Vada
Sweet Pongal/Sakkarai pongal
Gojju Avalakki

Channa Sundal

2013-09-08T02:06:00.002-07:00

Vinayaka Chaturthi is just two days away and you can prepare this channa sundal as prasad for Lord Ganesha. There are two varieties of channa black/brown channa and white/kabuli channa. This is usually prepared on festivals like Ganesha Chaturthi/ Navaratri/ Saraswati Pooja/ Lakshmi Pooja and so on. This can be even had as an evening snack, as it is less in calories and high in protiens. This tastes good as an side dish also along with rice.

Ingredients: 1cup channa
1/4cup grated raw mango
1/4cup grated coconut
2 green chilies finely chopped
1tbsp curry leaves
2tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
2tsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

1)Soak channa overnight and pressure cook it along with salt and water for 2 whistles.
2)Heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds, asafoetida and when the mustard seeds splutter add curry leaves,
green chilies and fry for a minute.
3)Add cooked channa, little sallt(if required) and cook for 2mins till it gets mixed properly.
4)Put off the flame, add coconut, raw mango, coriander leaves and mix well.

Note: you can use lemon juice instead of raw mango.

See Also: pumpkin Thoran
Matki Ki Usal

Modak

2013-09-05T21:34:00.002-07:00

Modhaka/Kozhakkattai/Kudumu

Modaks have been an integral part of Vinayak Chatuthi as these are Lord Ganesha's favorite. Modak looks like momo's and are stuffed with a mixture of coconut and jaggery. There are two types: Fried modak and Steamed modak, but still the stuffing will be the same for both of them. Here I have shared the recipe of Fried modak. The procedure of preparing this is very simple, you just need to master the method of sealing the modaks.

Ingredients: 1cup maida(all purpose flour)
1tbsp chiroti rava
a pinch of cooking soda
1cup grated coconut
1cup grated jaggery
2tbsp poppy seeds(khus-khus)
1tsp cardamom powder
1/4cup chopped dry fruits(cashew/raisins/almonds)
1tbsp ghee
oil for deep frying

Method:
1)In a bowl add maida, chiroti rava, cooking soda and knead into smooth dough like poori's by adding required water. Allow it to rest for 15mins.
2)In a pan heat ghee and roast all the dry fruits until they turn golden brown and keep aside.
3)In that same pan cook together coconut, jaggery and poppy seeds till the jaggery melts completely
and the mixture comes together. Add cardamom powder, fried dry fruits and mix well.
4)Make small lemon sized balls out of the dough and roll them into small poori's. Now place a
spoonful of coconut mixture in the centre of the poori and fold together the edges to form the shape
of the modak, repeat the same for all the modak's.
5)Deep fry all the modak's one by one till they turn golden brown and crisp. You can store this in an air tight container for a week.

See Also:Sweet Kadubu
Karjikai
Rava laddu

Rava Laddu

2013-09-04T23:10:00.001-07:00

Rava Laddu/Semolina Laddu/Sooji Laddu

Rava Laddu is an delicious and an quick sweet which can be prepared by beginners also. My mother-in-law usually prepares this along with besan laddu and sweet kadubu for Vinyaka Chaturthi. This is an mouth watering combination of semolina-coconut-milk-cashew nuts. Its perfect to make when time is short but you still want an special desert, especially when you are making last minute preparations.

Ingredients: 1cup rava/semolina/sooji
3/4cup grated coconut
3/4cup powdered sugar
1/4cup milk
1/4cup chopped cashew
2tbsp ghee
1tsp cardamom powder

Method: 1)Heat a tbsp of ghee and roast the rava in medium flame till it turns golden brown. Allow it to cool.
2)Heat a tbsp of ghee and roast the chopped cashew until it turns golden brown, now add
coconut and fry for a minute.
3)Add powdered sugar, rava and mix well. Put off the flame and add milk till it reaches the
consistency of preparing laddus.
4)Allow it to cool little and when you can bear the heat, divide the mixture into equal portions and make laddus out of them. You can store this in an air tight container for 2-3days.

See Also: Sweet Kadubu
  Karjikai
  Sweet Pongal
  Gulab Jamun

Sweet Kadubu

2013-09-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

Hoornada Kadubu/Karida Kadubu/Kari Kudumulu

Vinayak Chaturthi is just an week away and I'm sure in most of the houses the preparations might have already started. I'm going to post few recipes that are prepared to offer as prasad on this day. One such traditional recipe is of Kadubu which is prepared in all the houses of Karnataka during Gowri-Ganesha festival. This is said to be the favorite of Lord Ganesha and usually we offer 11 or 21 of them.

Ingredients:

For Dough: 1cup maida flour
1/4cup chiroti rava
1/4tsp turmeric powder
a pinch of cooking soda

For Hoorna(stuffing): 1cup toordal
1cup crushed jaggery
1tsp cardamom powder
oil for deep frying

Method: 1)In a bowl mix all the ingredients mentioned under dough, add water as required and knead
the mixture into a smooth dough. It should be as soft as poori dough. Keep it covered for
15mins.
2)Take a big vessel in that cook toordal by adding 4cups water for 15-20mins i.e, till it gets
half cooked. You should be able to smash it with your fingers.
3)Now drain off all the water completely(dont discard the water as it can be used to prepare
rasam or the very famous obattu saru). Add grated jaggery to the dal. Slowly the jaggery
will start melting and we will get a thick mixture of dal and jaggery. Add cardamom powder
at this point and mix well. Let this mixture get cooled.
4)Grind the above mixture into a smooth hoorna(poornam) using an wet grinder(you
can also use blender/mixer). Divide this hoorna into small lemon sized oval balls, flatten
them a little and keep aside.
5)Now divide the dough into small lemon sized balls and roll them into small pooris. Wet the edges of the poori slightly with little water, place the flattened hoorna in the centre and fold
it to form half moon shape. Repeat the same for all the pooris and deep fry them in the hot
oil until it becomes golden brown and crisp.

See Also: Karjikai
Sweet pongal/Sakkarai pongal
Gulab jamun

Sabudana Vada

2013-09-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Sabudana Vada or Sago Vada is a very famous Maharashtrian snack. These are specially made during Dussera/Navratri while fasting as this does not contain onion/garlic. Sabudana(pearl tapioca) gives a very soft and chewy texture to the vada, the combination of sabudana along with potato is extremely unique. The vada is so soft that it just melts in the mouth and you'll be left craving for it. Here I have shallow fried the vadas to make it healthier but typically it is deep fried in oil.

Ingredients: 2cups boiled and smashed potatoes
1cup sabudana/sago/pearl tapioca
1/2cup roasted, peeled and crushed groundnuts
2 green chilies finely chopped
1tbsp ginger paste
3tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1tbsp lime juice
5-6tsp oil
salt to taste(use black salt if you are fasting)

Method:1)soak sabudana for 3-4hrs till they become soft. Drain the water completely and transfer it
into a bowl. smash it roughly.
2)To sabudana add all the ingredients except oil and mix well.
3)Divide the above mixture into small lemon sized balls. Press them lightly to form patties.
4)Now shallow fry them on a hot tava by sprinkling little oil on both the sides. Cook till they
turn golden brown. If you are deep frying, then add patties to the hot oil and fry till they
become golden brown and crisp.
5)Serve hot with green chutney and curd.

See Also: Medu Vada
  Dahi Vada
  Mixed Dal Vada
  Potato Rolls
  Vada Pav
  Avarekalu Cutlet

Sev Puri

2013-08-31T06:09:00.000-07:00

It's saturday and a day for enjoying all the fun street foods and here is the recipe of the most loved street food Sev Puri. We can make it even more tastier in our kitchens too. Try this simple recipe at home and your family is going to love it.

Ingredients: 5 papdis
1/4cup boiled and chopped potatoes
1/4cup finely chopped onions
3tbsp Green chutney
3tbsp Sweet chutney
3tsp Garlic chutney
1tsp chaat masala
1tsp lemon juice
1/2cup sev
2tbsp chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Method: 1)arrange papdis on a plate. Top these papdis with potatoes and onions.
2)add 1/2tsp of garlic chutney and 2tsp of green chutney and sweet chutney on each of these
papdis.
3)sprinkle with chaat masala, lemon juice and salt on top.
4)garnish with sev and coriander leaves.
5)serve immediately.

See also: Vada pav
Masala toast sandwich/Potato sandwich
Palak pakora
Potato rolls

Green Chutney, Sweet chutney and Garlic chutney

2013-08-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

These 3 chutneys are a must to prepare any Indian chaat and can be served as a dip along with pakodas and vadas. Any chaat will be incomplete without these chutneys. You can keep this for 15days if refrigerated and can prepare chaats any time you wish to have.

Ingredients:

Green chutney: 1cup coriander leaves
1/3cup mint leaves
1 green chili
black salt as required
few drops of lemon juice

Sweet chutney: 1cup tamarind pulp
1/2cup jaggery
1tsp red chilly powder
1/2tsp cumin powder
salt to taste

Garlic chutney: 1/2cup garlic peeled
1tsp cumin powder
1 1/2tsp red chili powder
juice from one lemon
salt to taste

Method:

Green chutney: grind together all the ingredients to a fine chutney by adding very little water.

Sweet chutney: in a bowl add all the ingredients and boil them till it becomes thick.

Garlic chutney: grind together all the ingredients to a coarse chutney by adding little water.

Verum Arisi Dosa

2013-08-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Verum Arisi Dosa is usually prepared in Tamil Nadu and it is an speciality of palakkad region. I had it long back when i visited Tamil nadu and always wanted to try this. Today I made up my mind to prepare this when I got an easy recipe of this from 'rak's kitchen' website. In karnataka plain batter of this dosa is prepared as 'neer dosa'. You can even add drumstick leaves to this to make it more flavorful.

Ingredients: 1cup idli rice

a pinch of cooking soda

salt to taste

1 small onion finely chopped

1 green chili finely chopped

1/4cup grated coconut

1tbsp curry leaves

1/2tsp mustard seeds

1tsp urad dal

1/4tsp asafoetida

2tbsp oil

Method: 1)soak idli rice overnight and grind it into an thin and smooth batter like neer dosa the next

day. add cooking soda, salt and mix well. keep aside.

2)heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urad dal and asafoetida, when the mustard

seeds splutter add curry leaves, green chillies and fry for a minute. now add onions and fry

till they turn pink.

3)allow the above mixture to cool and add it to the previously prepared batter along with the

coconut and mix well.

4)heat dosa tava, grease it with oil, pour the dosa batter from outside to inside by filling the

gaps. sprinkle little oil and cook it on both the sides.

5)serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Bombay Masala Toast Sandwich/Potato Sandwich

2013-08-13T06:39:00.001-07:00

Masala toast also famously known as Bombay toast sandwich is an famous street food of Mumbai. Its made with an potato filling along with green chutney and sliced vegetables and hence stomach filling compared to other sandwiches. I have grilled the sandwiches here, it can be toasted on the tava also. This is typically served with green chutney and tomato sauce.

Ingredients: 8slices of white/brown sandwich bread
1cup potato stuffing(recipe follows)
1/2cup green chutney(recipe follows)
1onion thinly sliced into rounds
1tomato thinly sliced into rounds
1capsicum thinly sliced into rounds
1tsp chaat masala
butter/oil as required
salt to taste

Potato stuffing: 1cup boiled and smashes potato
1/4cup onion finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
1tsp ginger paste
1tsp curry leaves
2tsp coriander leaves finely chopped
1/4tsp cumin seeds
1/4tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of turmeric powder
2tsp oil
salt to taste

Green chutney: 1cup coriander leaves
1/3cup mint leaves
1 green chili
black salt as required
few drops of lemon juice

Method:

Potato stuffing: 1)heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and when they splutter add curry
leaves, green chillies, ginger paste, turmeric powder and fry for a minute.
2)add onions and fry till they turn transparent, now add smashed potato, salt, coriander
leaves and mix well in a low flame.

Green chutney: grind together all the ingredients to a fine chutney by adding required water.

Sandwich: 1)apply butter/oil on both the sides of the bread slices.
2)apply green chutney on one side of the bread slices, upon it spread an layer of potato
stuffing, above that arrange finely sliced onion, tomato and capsicum. sprinkle some salt
and chaat masala on it, cover it with another bread slice to which we have already applied green chutney on the inner side.
3)place it on the hot grill, apply some more butter on top if required, close the grill and let
it grill until the bread becomes crisp and golden brown in color.
4)serve hot with green chutney and tomato sauce.
See also: Tomato-Garlic toast

Dark Chocolate Cake

2013-07-29T05:09:00.002-07:00

Ever thought of surprising your kids and family members by an homemade Birthday cake, here it is, perfect for birthdays, this is a great recipe for an easy, foolproof chocolate cake. Its moist, fudgy and nutty. Satisfy that chocolate craving with this mouth melting dark chocolate cake recipe.

Ingredients: 3 eggs
11/4 cups powdered sugar
1cup all purpose flour(maida)
1/2cup cocoa
1/2tsp baking powder
a pinch of cooking soda
3/4cup oil
1/2cup cashew finely chopped
1tsp vanilla essence

Method: 1)sieve flour, cocoa, baking powder and cooking soda together.
2)beat sugar and eggs very well together.Add essence. Add oil gradually beating mixture
lightly.
3)fold in flour a little at a time, with a wooden spoon, till all the flour is used up.
4)pour half of the mixture into a greased baking tin of 8'' diameter, sprinkle some cashew
evenly on it, pour the remaining mixture and sprinkle the remaining cashew on it evenly.
5)bake this in a preheated oven at 180degree celsius for 30mins.
6)let it cool for 5-10mins before removing from tin. Do the icing if required.

See also: Plum Cake

Small onion kulambu

2013-07-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Kulmabu is a very popular recipe in Tamil nadu. There are numerous varieties of kulambu among them this is the most simple recipe, this is also called as poodu kulambu as garlic is used in large quantity. This spicy and tangy kulambu is a an very good combination along with rice. Keep some papad along with it and this makes an perfect lunch menu.

Ingredients: 1cup pearl(small/sambar) onions
1/2cup garlic pods
2cups tomatoes finely chopped
1/2cup tamarind pulp
1/4cup coconut milk
1tbsp curry leaves
3-4 whole red chillies
1tsp mustard seeds
1/4tsp methi seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
2tsp sambar powder
1tsp red chilli powder
1/4tsp turmeric powder
1/2tsp jeera powder
5-6 sesame seed oil
salt to taste

Method: 1)heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, methi seeds and when they splutter add asafoetida,
curry leaves, red chillies, garlic pods and fry for a minute. add onions and fry till they turn
pink. add tomatoes and fry till they turn soft.
2)add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, sambar powder, jeera powder and fry till the oil
separates.
3)add tamarind pulp, coconut milk, salt and cook it in low flame for 5min.
4)serve hot with rice.

Matar Paneer

2013-07-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

Matar Paneer is one of the favorite delicacy among vegetarians. This is an excellent and an mouth watering side dish, probably most frequently ordered dish in Indian restaurants. Green peas and Paneer cooked together into a delicious gravy, it is usually served as an side dish along with naan, roti, paratha, rice and pulao.

Ingredients: 1cup paneer(cottage cheese) cubes
1cup green peas(fresh/frozen/soaked)
1/2cup tomato chopped into cubes
1/4cup onions chopped into cubes
6-7 garlic cloves
1' ginger
1tsp dhania powder
1tsp red chilli powder
1/4tsp turmeric powder
1/2tsp garam masala powder
1/4tsp amchoor powder
3tsp oil/butter
1tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste

Method: 1)grind together onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger into an smooth paste.
2)heat oil/butter in a pan, add cumin seeds and when they splutter add the masala paste and fry
till the oil separates.
3)add dhania powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, amchoor
powder and fry for a minute.
4)add green peas, paneer, salt and cook in low flame till the green peas turns soft. add water
if required while cooking.
5)serve hot.

See also: Vegetable Makhanwala
Dum Aloo
Tomato Curry
Sweet Corn Curry

Jack Fruit Dosa

2013-07-19T05:00:00.000-07:00

Jack fruit dosa is a dosa variation with an unique flavour and aroma. It can be prepared in 2 varieties salt and sweet, salt one is prepared using raw jack fruit and the sweet one is prepared using ripe jack fruit. here i'm sharing the sweet jack fruit dosa recipe.

Ingredients: 1cup dosa rice
1cup ripe jack fruit chopped
1/4cup grated coconut
1/4cup jaggery
1/4tsp cardamom powder
ghee or oil to prepare dosa

Method: 1)soak rice overnight and grind it into an thin smooth batter.
2)grind together jack fruit, coconut, jaggery by adding required water to form a smooth paste.
add this to the above batter along with the cardamom powder and mix well. The batter shoul
be little thick than the normal dosa batter.
3)heat dosa tava, greese it with ghee or oil, pour a ladleful of batter on the tava, spread it
gently, sprinkle oil/ghee and cook well on both the sides.
4)serve hot with honey and sweet coconut chutney.

See also: Sweet coconut chutney

Sweet coconut chutney

2013-07-19T04:55:00.003-07:00

Sweet coconut chutney is a type of chutney made using coconut and sugar. It is an best side dish along with neer dosa, appam, plain dosa, jackfruit dosa, banana dosa, coconut dosa and even chapatis. It is very simple and can be prepared in few minutes. kids will love this and will finish their dosa without any fuss.

Ingredients: 1cup grated coconut
1/2cup sugar
1/4tsp cardamom powder
1tsp ghee

Method: 1)heat an non stick pan, add coconut, sugar, ghee, cardamom powder and fry in a low flame
till the sugar melts. add water if u feel chutney is getting dry.
2)add chopped ripe bananas and dry fruits to enhance the taste.

Tip: this can be used as filling for modaks, gujiya, sweet kadubu and karjikai.

See also:Karjikai
  Neer Dosa
  Appam

Medu vada(urad dal vada)

2013-07-18T04:47:00.001-07:00

Medu vada is an traditional urad dal based fried snack, medu vada is an south indian cuisine delight. It is loved by all and tastes great with coconut chutney and sambar. This is the base for dahi vada which i have posted previously.

Ingredients: 1cup urad dal
1/4cup coconut finely chopped
2tsp ginger paste
2tsp pepper corns
2tbsp curry leaves finely chopped
a pinch of asafoetida
oil for deep frying
salt to taste

Method: 1)soak the urad dal in water for 5-6 hours and grind it in the grinder(mixer/blender) by adding
required water to form a smooth batter. the batter should be thicker than idli batter and must
be extremely soft. then only the vadas will be crispy an soft.
2)add coconut, ginger paste, pepper, curry leaves, asafoetida and salt to the batter and mix
well.
3)heat oil in a kadai, wet the palms and take lemon sized batter and flatten to a round shape.
4)make a hole at the centre with your thumb and slowly slide it into the hot oil. repeat the
same for rest of the batter.
5)deep fry the vadas until they turn golden brown. serve hot.

Tip: if vada is absorbing more oil then add 2tsp rice flour to the batter and mix well. this will make vada
crispier.
See also:
dahi vada
Mixed dal vada

Dahi vada(south indian)

2013-07-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

Dahi vada is very popular all over India, even though each state has its own version, all the versions taste equally good. Today I'm sharing south indian dahi vada recipe here. Its called as 'mosaru vade' in kannada, 'thayir vadai' in tamil, 'thayir vada' in malayalam and 'perugu vada' in telugu.

Ingredients: 2 urad dal vadas(medu vada)
1cup curd
2tbsp pomegranates(optional)
1tbsp mixture
1tsp curry leaves
1/4tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
1tsp urad dal
1tsp oil
salt to taste

Method: 1)heat oil in a pan add mustard seeds n when they splutter add curry leaves, asafoetida, urad
dal and fry for a minute. add this tadka to the curd along with salt and mix well.
2)soak the vadas in water for 3-4min, squeeze them gently to drain the excess water n place it
on the serving bowl.
3)pour curd on the vadas till they get soaked completely.
4)refrigerate it for 30mins and serve chilled by garnishing with pomegranates and mixture.

Avarekalu Cutlet

2013-01-31T03:38:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered Cutlet can be prepared with Avarekalu(hyacinth beans), cutlet is such a snack which can be prepared with any unusual combination of vegetables, beans, dal etc. Try adding these beans to the cutlet, which will give a very unique and crunchy taste to the cutlet. Enjoy the goodness of it.

Ingredients: 1cup boiled and smashed potato
1/2cup deskinned avarekalu
1/4cup finely chopped onions
1tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 green chilly finely chopped
1/4cup coriander leaves finely chopped
1tsp red chilly powder
1/2tsp cumin powder
1/2tsp dhania powder
1tsp amchoor powder
1tsp garam masala powder
1/4cup corn flour
5-6tsp oil
salt to taste

Method: 1)in a bowl mix together potato, avarekalu, onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies,
coriander leaves, red chilly powder, cumin powder, dhania powder, amchoor powder, garam
masala powder, salt, 2tsp corn flour and mix well.
2)divide the above mixture into equal sized balls. flatten each ball into discs. keep aside.
3)in a bowl mix together 5tsp corn flour, salt, required amount of water and whisk it into a
thin, smooth paste. keep aside.
4)in a plate spread remaining corn flour. keep aside.
5)now dip the flattened discs in the cornflour paste, roll them on the corn flour properly so that
each side of the cutlet gets coated properly. keep aside.
6)heat an nonstick tava, grease it with oil, place the cutlets, sprinkle little oil and shallow fry
them till golden brown.
7)serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Green Peas Paratha

2013-01-23T03:51:00.001-08:00

Green Peas Paratha also known as 'Matar Ka Paratha' is an absolutely delicious and one of the best known punjabi recipe. I'm discovering the different stuffed parathas , that are very common and popular in a punjabi household. Here the green peas is mildly spiced and stuffed inside the flat bread. The color of the paratha is very attractive for kids and an best way to track them down for some healthy eating.

Ingredients:

stuffing:1cup green peas(fresh/soaked/frozen)

2 green chillies

1' ginger

1tsp cumin seeds

1tsp fennel seeds(saunf)

1/4tsp turmeric powder

1tsp amchoor powder

1tsp garam masala powder

5-6tsp oil

salt to taste

Dough: 1cup wheat flour

1/4tsp salt

1tsp oil

water as required

Method: 1)in a bowl mix together wheat flour, salt , oil and knead it into an smooth dough by adding

required amount of water. allow it to rest for 10-15min.

2)grind together green peas, green chillies and ginger coarsely, without adding water. keep

aside.

3)heat 2tsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, fennel seeds and when they splutter add grinded

mixture, turmeric powder, amchoor powder, garam masala powder, salt and fry till it

becomes dry. allow it to cool.

               4)divide the dough and stuffing into equal parts. the stuffing balls should be 11/2times larger
than the dough balls.
   5)roll the dough ball into 3inch diameter circle, place the stuff ball in the center. seal by
                 pulling the edges of the rolled dough together to make a ball. roll the stuffed balls light
                 handedly into 6inch diameter balls. use dry wheat flour for dusting while rolling the
                 parathas.
   6)heat the tava and cook the rolled parathas on both the sides by sprinkling oil or desi ghee.
   7)serve hot with curd and pickles.