Papaya Yoghurt Honey Dip

Ingredients:
1 Cup Papaya
1 Cup Yoghurt/hung curd
1-1/2 Tbspn Honey.

Click here for pic

Method:

Churn all above ingredients in mixer. Keep it in refrigerator for few hours.
Serve chilled with choice of dish like nachos, cream crackers etc. 

Drown in Choc cake

This is the first time,I tried chocolate cake. I am not a choc lover, but my hubby is.This recipe is dedicated to my dear hubby.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of all purpose flour

1-1/2 cup sugar(powdered)

4 Tb spoon cocoa powder

3/4 cup milk

100g butter(I used amul butter)

1 cup water

1-1/2 Tb spoon baking powder

1 Tb spoon lime juice.

For choc glaze Icing:

1 cup of cocoa powder

1 cup of icing sugar(finely powdered sugar)

2 Tbspoon of Luke warm water.

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degree C. Mix melted butter and sugar, till creamy froth comes. Sieve flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. 

Add water and milk in sieved mixture and mix well. Now add butter-sugar mixture and lime juice, mix the cake mix in cut n fold method. Keep Mixing for at least 10 minutes, to produce air in the batter.

Grease and flour baking dish  and pour the batter into it. Bake it for 30-40 minutes at 200o C. until a toothpick , inserted comes out clean. Do not over cook it as cake continue to cook even after removed from oven. Therefore, be alert while baking a cake.

For Icing:

Mix all the ingredients in a deep wok, and mix well until a smooth n shiny  texture comes out.

Take out the cooked cake and allow it cool for 15-20 minutes. Remove the upper layer of cake. and pour choc glaze in the center of cake and with the help of spatula spread the glaze all over the cake. Keep it in fridge for 10 minutes to set the cake. 

Remove it from fridge and cut into the pieces and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Lotus Stem Curry.

Ingredients:
For Curry:
4 Medium tomatoes(finely chopped)
3 Onions(finely chopped)
4 Green chillies(finely chopped)
6-7 Crushed garlic cloves
1 Tb spoon coriander powder
1 Tb spoon chilli powder
1/4 T spoon turmeric powder
1 Tb jeera (cumin seeds)
1 Tb spoon garam masala powder
1 Tb spoon amchur powder
Chopped coriander & mint leaves
2 Tb spoon oil.
Salt for taste.
1 cup of water.



For Lotus Stem:
4 Lotus stems root. ( boiled and 1/4 inch sliced)
Rawa & Corn flour
Oil for frying
Salt
Chilli powder
1 Tb spoon lime juice.

Method:
Sprinkle juice, salt and chillipowder in sliced lotus stem and let it stand for 10 minutes. Coat each slice with rawa and corn flour and deep fry them till golden brown color.

Heat oil in a wok and add jeera, green chillies and crushed garlic. Saute for few seconds, add chopped onions. Saute till translucent in color.  Add tomatoes and cup of water, bring to boil for few minutes. Add all the dry spices. Let it cook for few more minutes.  Add fried stems, cover the lid and let it cook for another 5-10  minutes.
Garnish with coriander and mint leaves and serve hot with chapatis.

Corny Tomato Soup..

                                                                                                       Ingredients:
4 Medium tomatoes
1 Packet of sweet corn
Salt as per taste
1/4 Cup of mint leaves


Method:
Boil tomato, corn with salt in a pressure cooker up to 3 whistle. Take out the steam by force method, running into tap water till steam comes out.

Blend above mixture with mint leaves. Sprinkle with black pepper powder and Serve hot.

Egg Sunday...

I named this dish Egg sunday coz I cudn find anything else an easiest breakfast option on lazy sunday morning..with a sip of hot chocolate..and a newspaper. My hubby fondly named it egg upma...One can call this dish as scrambled eggs..But I have given a new name.


Ingredients:

4 Eggs
1 Green Capsicum(chopped)
2 Tomatoes(chopped)
1 Onion(chopped)
1/2 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp Cream
Salt for taste
1 Tbsp Butter




Method:
Beat eggs in bowl with milk. Keep it aside.
Heat butter in a pan, do not over heat. Add all the chopped vegetables, salt and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Pour the whisked eggs over veggies and using spatula push towards center. Cook till eggs are done.(It will hardly take 7-8 minutes). Off the flame immediately, as egg would be still cooking for 5 minutes. Overcooked egg doesn't taste great.
Mix cream or cheese and serve hot with coffee or hot chocolate..

Veg DUM Biryani !

Try this dum biryani once, I am sure you will never order in any restaurant. 

For Rice:

1 cup rice
Salt as per taste
2 cloves (laung / lavang)
3 Big cardamoms

5-6 Whole black pepper

1 star anise
1 stick cinnamon (dalchini)
2 bayleaf (tejpatta)

1 T spoon oil
Masala Paste:

6 whole dry kashmiri red chillies
1/2 cup cashewnuts (kaju)
2 tsp chopped ginger (adrak)
3/4 cup chopped onions

Curd Paste:

1/4 cup beaten curds (dahi)
2 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
2 tbsp chopped mint leaves (phudina)
1 T spoon garam masala


Veggies gravy:

2 T spoon oil
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 cup sliced onions
3/4 cup chopped potatoes
1/4 cup chopped carrots
 1/4 cup chopped french beans
1/2 cup cauliflower florets

Method :

Clean and wash the rice. In a large pan, add 3 cups of boiling water to the rice with clove, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom,star anise, black pepper oil and salt.Cover and simmer till the rice is nearly cooked. Drain and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a pan add the cumin seeds.When the seeds crackles, add the onions, mix well and cook till the onion turns to golden brown in color. Add all the vegetables, salt, grounded red masala and 1/2 cup water, mix well and simmer till the vegetables are 3/4 done. Remove from the flame and keep aside.

In a deep wok, pour the vegetable gravy as first layer,top with the rice and spread the curd paste over the rice.Cover with a tight lid, you can also place vessel filled with water above the lid to keep it intact and keep the vessel on a tava and cook over a slow flame for 25 to 30 minutes.

Serve hot with raita of your choice. You can serve with instant Dahi Kadi .

Easy Dahi Kadi...

Sometimes, you don't wanna spend much time in kitchen and  sametime you also don't wanna order from outside...
I tried this version of kadi for such times..and hence sharing same in my blog..try once..

1 cup  curd
1/2 cup soaked boondiya..
chopped coriander
chopped mint leaves
2 Chopped green chillies
1 T spoon mustard seeds
1/4 T spoon crushed ginger
3-4 curry leaves
Salt as per taste
2-1/2 cups of water
1 T spoon oil
1/4 t spoon turmeric powder
1 T spoon red chilli powder

Method:
Mix curd and water, make it like buttermilk.
Heat oil in deep pan, add mustard seeds, when they start spluttering add curry leaves and green chillies. Now add ginger, turmeric and red chili powder and let it roast for a 30 seconds.  Add buttermilk. You can add more water if required. Let it boil for 5 minutes. Off the flame. add salt and garnish with coriander and mint leaves.

Add boondies just before serving. Serve dahi kadi with rice or chapati.

Variations: Instead of boondies you can add fried/roasted onions.

Kofta Curry

Ingredients:
For Kofta
2 Cups of grated lauki (bottle gourd)

1 Cup gram flour

1/2 Tspoon crushed ginger
1/2 Tb spoon mint powder
1/2 Tb spoon ajwain
1/4 T spoon turmeric powder.
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying

For curry:
2 Medium onions
Puree of 4 Medium tomatoes
3 Red chilies
5-6 curry leaves


Method:

Mix all the ingredients of kofta in a bowl , make fine dough(it could be lil sticky). Heat oil in deep pan, using a spoon make a small lump from mixture and deep fry. Make 8-10 such kofta balls. Keep them aside.

For curry, blend onions,, chilies and curry leaves in a mixture. Heat oil in a wok, add cumin seeds and add onion mixture into it. Saute till onion becomes translucent.
Then add tomato puree and 2 cups of water.Add dry spices of your choice (1/2 T spoon  turmeric powder, 1/2 Tspoon chilli powder and 1 T spoon coriander powder). Cover the lid and let it get cooked on medium flame for atleast 15-20 minutes, till it starts leaving its aroma. Add kofta into the curry . Let them soaked in the curry on low flame for about 10 minutes.
Off the flame, Serve hot with chapatis or rice.

Baked Chapati Rolls!!

Sunday morning after diwali , lazy beginning ...after breakfast hubby left for spanish lessons, maid finished her work. House was clean, laundry was done , I was relaxed and reading newspaper. Suddenly my cell phone rang and my dear friend who has missed her flight and her next flight was  in late afternoon, was coming to spend few hours, also she wants to have some quick bite.

I checked my fridge, nothing much :(, few leftover chapatis, milk and a bottle of appy fizz..... 10 mintues became hours for me, just to think what I can cook with limited options ..I came upto an idea , made paneer from milk(Homemade Paneer) and used leftover chapatis.
My friend could not stop appreciating the dish.

Just try this:
You can also try with fresh ones but crisp will come from leftover only.
Ingredients:
Few leftover chapatis
Paneer 1/2 cup
2 Tb spoon apple juice ( juice can be of any variant)
Spices of your choice to season.
Method:
Marinate Cottage cheese in apple juice and spices for 30 minutes.( I used crushed roasted cumin seeds, salt , mint powder, red chilli powder, chat masala).
Preheat microwave for 15 minutes. Divide the chapati in halves, place a spoon of cottage cheese mixture on one half chapati and fold it or make a roll. Using water on fingers, try to close the ends.
Repeat the procedure for other halves.
Grease the baking tray and place the rolls in tray and bake them for 10-12 minutes at 200 degree celsius.

Your dish is ready. Serve with sauce or chutney.

Tips:  You can also trying using mashed vegetables for filling, can use cheese or jams

Tomato-Basil Soup

This is my favorite soup, easy and quick to make and delicious in taste.


Ingredients:
4 Tomatoes
1 Packet of basil leaves
3-4 Garlic  (crushed)
1 Tb spoon olive oil


Method:

Pressure cook chopped tomatoes and basil leaves with 2 cups of water.
Blend them well in mixer. Heat oil in a deep wok, add crushed garli and immediately pour tomato-basil mixture.
Mix well and let it boil for 5-7 minutes.Add salt as per taste, season with black pepper.

Serve hot.


Tip: You can enhance its flavour by adding 1 big cardamom while cooking tomatoes and basil.

Tomato-Mint Soup

Healthy soup for stomach. It really do wonders when you have an upset stomach.
Do try this once.

Ingredients:
6 Tomatoes
1/2 Bunch of mint leaves
1 Tb spoon olive oil


Method:

Pressure cook chopped tomatoes and mint leaves with 2 cups of water.
Blend them well in mixer. Heat oil in a deep wok and add blended mixture.
Boil well, add salt as per taste and season with your favorite spices.
Serve hot.

Khatti Arbi.(Colocasia)

Ingredients:
250gm Arbi (Colocasia)
3 Tb spoon curd
10-15 Kokum leaves paste (Gamboge leaves)
1 Tb spoon paste of pudina leaves(mint leaves)
1/2 Tb spoon garlic paste
1/2 Tb spoon roasted cumin powder
1/2 Cup chopped coriander
Juice of one lemon
1 Tb spoon mustard oil
Dry spices of choice
Salt as per taste.

Method:
Microwave arbi for 7-8 minutes, peel them and slice them as per you desire(I sliced with 1/2 cm thickness).
Mix curd with pudina paste, cumin powder, kokum paste and salt. Mix well the curd paste and sliced arbi.
Keep aside for at least 20  minutes.

Heat oil in a pan, add dry spices of your choice along with garlic paste. Saute for few seconds. Add arbi mixture . Mix well and cook covered on low flame for about 10-15 minutes.

Garnish with Coriander leaves. Serve with chapati.

Lauki ki kheer(Bottlegourd dessert).

Ingredients:

300 gm bottlegourd(grated)

1 ltr boiled milk

1/4 spoon cardamom powder

1/4 cinnamon powder

3/4 Cup powdered sugar

2 Tb spoon grated almonds

2 Tb spoon Ghee (clarified butter)

Rose or kewra flavor essence

Method:

Heat ghee in deep pan, add bottlegourd and roast well for 10-12 minutes. Add milk with cardamom and cinnamon powder  and cook on medium flame for an hour. Do not let the whole milk get dry, it should have thick consistency. Once you start feeling its getting cooked, add sugar, almonds. Cook for another 5 minutes and off the flame. 

Let it cool down and add few drops of your favorite flavor. 

Tastes really great when served chilled.

Simple Pulav.....

This is a simple pulav recipe, which i tried without using onion n garlic.

You need:

1 Cup basmati rice.
1 capsicum (finely chopped)
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup corn ( semi boiled)
1/2 cup carrot (finely chopped)
1/2 cup chopped coriander
9-10 whole black pepper
3-4 clove
1 T spoon cumin seeds
2 Bay leaves.
3-4 whole red chillies
1 Tomato(chopped)
2-3 Cinnamon sticks
2 Big cardamom.


Method:
Boil rice with salt, cinnamon,big cardamom and 1 Tspoon of oil. Strain the rice and keep it aside. Heat oil in a pan , add black pepper, clove, when it starts to splutter put bay leaves, saute for few seconds and then put cumin seeds.

Add all the vegetable except coriander, now add your favorite dry spices and keep it on medium for few minutes till veggies are cooked.
Add rice and mix well with coriander. Your pulav is ready to serve.

Paneer capsicum parantha.

It was raining outside when I and my hubby  both felt the urge to have something hot and filling as well. Pakoras!! no no ...something different...suddenly he got an idea of having paneer ka dish..I was bit surprised coz, he is not the one who love paneer. Later came the actual picture, he wanted paneer which should not be very spicy nor too bland, also contains few veggies and more over should not taste like trendy kadahi paneer or paneer makhanwala...hmmm time to really think......................

There I decided to make paneer paranthe...not too spicy nor too bland and do not taste like other paneer dishes in restaurants.

Process starts with making paneer first.

1/2 Ltr milk
1 Tb spoon white vinegar or juice of 1 lemon.

Boil milk, as it starts boiling add vinegar or lemon juice.stir for another minute. Milk will start breaking in small-2 pieces, separating water. In a strainer, drain the excess water. Your paneer is ready.

For parantha:
1 capsicum( finely chopped)
1/4 cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1/4 cup pudina(mint) leaves (finely chopped)
1 onion (finely diced)
Dough made up of your fav flour.(wheat flour or refined flour) I used wheat flour.

Heat oil in wok, add cumin seeds. Add onions, saute till turns soft n pink add capsicum, saute for  1 minute.
Add dry spices of you choice and salt. Add paneer and mix well. Remove the wok from heat. Allow the mix to cool down. Mix chopped pudina and coriander leaves. Divide the mixture in portions.

Make balls out of your dough. Roll out the ball. Fill in above mixture, close the roll  and make a ball again . Roll out with  help of pin. Cook on tawa griddle applying oil on each side.
Serve hot with curd or pickle.

PS: You can also add other veggies like peas, cabbage etc.

Tikki Chole

Tikki chole is my dad's fav. While cooking, I always remember him. Though, I never got chance  to cook same for him. But I always try to cook keeping his taste in mind. Just right balance of spices. And I have decided to share this recipe in the blog.

Ingredients:

Chole

Kabuli chana 300 gm 

7-8 Tomatoes

3 Green chillies

1 Small block ginger

1/4 bunch of coriander(do not remove stem)
1/2 Tb spoon turmeric
1 Tb spoon chilli powder
1 Tb spoon coriander powder
Salt as per taste

Tikki

6-7 Boiled potatoes

1/4 Tspoon ajwain

1/2 Tspoon black pepper powder

1/2 Tspoon pudina powder
Salt as per  taste

Method:

Soak kabuli chanas overnite. Boil chana in fresh water with salt, cinnamon and big cardamom. Do not drain water.

Grind tomatoes, chilies, ginger and coriander in a mixer. make a fine paste.

Add oil in deep wok, add cumin seeds, cloves and wait till splutter. Add above paste with chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix well. Cover the wok with lid and let it cook for 10-15 min. (keep checking in between: if required extend the time for cooking the paste but not more than 20 min).

Add boiled chanas and boiled water and salt. Mix well.
Let it cook for another 15 minutes. Garnish with coriander and mint leaves.

For tikkies,  Mix all the ingrdients and make fine dough with it. Make small balls and slightly press with hand and make flat tikki.
Now, you can roast them on tawa or shallow  fry too, depends upon your taste.

Serve hot with pudina chutney, chopped onions n tomatoes.

Dal Har Har!!!

Dal Har Har, name is coming from the menu of one of the dhaba of katra (Vaishno devi). I found it to be quite interesting. And when today, I was cooking this same dal, actually thought to give same only.

My friends asked me to post dal's recipes on my blog, as they say, all variants of dals that I cook, tastes different from anyone else.

Ingredients:

1 Cup toor dal

1/2 Cup green split gram dal

3 Medium tomatoes(finely chopped)

2 Medium onions(finely chopped)

1 Tbspoon garlic paste

2 Green chilies(finely chopped) 

1/2 Tspoon  turmeric powder

Salt as per your taste.

For Tadka:

3 Tb spoon oil

1 Tb spoon mustard seeds

2 Cloves (crushed)

4-6 whole black pepper

1 Big cardamom(badi ilaichi)

5-6 Curry leaves

Method:

Wash toor dal and green dal properly and soak for 10-12 min in ice cold water. In a pressure cooker, put both the dals and add 4 cups of water(quantity of water depends on what consistency (thick or thin) you require). I like in a medium way. Add all the chopped vegetables and garlic paste, also add turmeric powder and salt to it. Mix well and pressure cook on high flame up to 5 whistles. Let it cool down.

For tadka, Heat oil in a pan, add crushed cloves and black pepper and badi ilaichi. After  some 30-40 sec, add mustard seeds.When seeds starts spluttering, add chilli powder and immediately off the flame. Add curry leaves.

Pour the tadka in cooked dal and mix well. Add some pudina powder and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Tips:

If you don like garlic in dal, you can add pinch of  asafoetida in tadka.

Split green dal adds fibre content and reduces the acidic nature of toor dal. Adding vegetables in dal also    reduces the calorie intake.

1 cup of dal contains 100 cal while if you add vegeis into it,then 1 cup of dal contains 70 cal. 

Scrambled Egg Sandwich!!

Ingredients:
Brown Bread
4 Eggs
2 small tomatoes(finely chopped)
1 onion(finely chopped)
1 capsicum (finely chopped)
1/4 cup milk
Salt per taste
1/2 Tb spoon butter

Method:
Whisk eggs and milk together till it becomes frothy. Add salt (if you need it spicy or tangy u can add spices of ur choice, I like it bland).
Heat a thick bottom pan , add butter. Spread out the egg mixture on pan. When it starts setting down, immediately add veggies and wait till it settles down completely.(cook all on medium flame).
Turn it upside down, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Fold it from one side, using spatula in vertical position, start chopping the base. (Do this step on low flame)
Do it repeatedly, until it is completely chopped..and texture is all white in color.

There is quite high risk of over cooking. Just be aware of amount of heat while cooking.

Put scrambled eggs on buttered brown bread. and grill.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Corn Daliya

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of broken wheat (wheat daliya)
1 cup of broken corn(corn daliya)
1 cup chopped veggies of your choice
(cabbage, onions, tomatoes, chilies, carrots, capsicum)
1 Tb spoon Oil
1/2 T spoon mustard seeds
1/4 T spoon turmeric powder
1 T spoon red chilli powder
3 cups water
Salt as per  taste

Method:
Heat oil in pressure cooker, add mustard seeds, wait till they splutter. Saute all veggies for 5-7 minutes. Mix well turmeric and chilli powder. Let it cook for another 5- 7 minutes. Add corn and wheat daliya in pressure cooker. Mix well. Add water and salt.
Pressure cook till 4 -5 whistles on high flames. Let it cool down.

Serve hot with green chutney.

Rich Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun was never in my favorite list, but these I fell in love with.... My taste buds were completely amazed by their texture, flavor... just exact.. I would suggest you to try this recipe, not very tricky, not very messy....just simple...

You Need:

Ingredients:
1 cup Maida
100 gms Ghee
200 gms Mawa
6 Cardamoms (crushed)
1 tbsp Sugar
10 pc of Misri
2 Pinch Saffron
1 cup crated coconut



For Syrup:
3 cups Sugar
3 cups Water

Method:

Take Mawa and 1tbsp sugar in a bowl, mix properly and make it smooth. Slowly add flour and prepare a fine dough. Leave it for an hour.
Apply little ghee on the palms. Make small balls from the prepared mixture. Add a pc of Misri in each gulab Jamuns so that it will soak extra cyrup from Gulad Jamun. Pour ghee in a pan and heat. Fry the balls in ghee on a low flame.
Boil water with equal amount of sugar. Also add cardamom and saffron.
Put the fried balls in this solution. Remove after 3-4 hours. Roll gulab jamuns in crated coconut.
Gulab Jamuns are ready to serve.

Onion Cream Pasta

I tried another version of pasta with cheesy-creamy flavor. After trying this recipe,  I bet you will never buy ready made 2 min pastas. 

You Need:

4-5 Spring onion bulbs

1/4 Cup of parsley

1 Green chili

3/4 cup cheese (crated)

1 cup milk or 1/2 cup of cream ( i used milk)

Black pepper powder as per taste.

250 g Macaroni Pasta

2 Tb spoon olive oil

Method:

Boil Pasta with salt and 1 t spoon of olive oil.

Grind onions, chili and parsley in a mixer. Mixture should be fine paste. Heat oil in a pan, saute onion mixture till it releases its aroma. Add milk in the mixture, mix well. Cook for 5-7 mins, add cheese into it. Cook on simmer for next 5 min. Add pasta  and mix well. Off the flame. 

Sprinkle black pepper powder and serve hot.

I am very sure all cheese lovers will relish this. It gets cooked in no time.

Lauki ke Gatte (Bottlegourd Rolls)

In spite of being Punjabi, I always love rajasthani cuisine. Now, that I am married in a rajasthani family, my understanding towards rajasthani flavors has improved.

Gatte ki sabji is quite common in this cuisine. I tried to give this a different version and  very excited to share same with you all. 

For 4 persons you need:

3/4 Cup Wheat flour

3/4 Cup Gram  Flour

1 Cup boiled rice

1 cup crated bottle gourd(Lauki)

1 T spoon coriander powder.

Pinch hing powder

Salt as per taste

1 T spoon red chilli powder

1 T spoon pudina powder

For Curry:

2 cups of curd

2 Tb spoon oil

1 T spoon mustard seeds

4-5 Curry leaves

1 Tb spoon red chili powder

Method:

For gatte:

Mix all the ingredients and make a firm dough. Dough should not be very tight or very soft. Make 4-6 small rolls(cylindrical shape) out of dough. Heat 4 cups of water in deep wok, bring it to boil and add rolls. Boil rolls till they are cooked. Take out from water, cut into small pieces. Keep it aside. Do not drain water.

Add oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When spluttering  starts add gatte pieces into it and saute for 5-7 mins. Sprinkle chili powder and mix well. Add curd, later add little-2 strained water into the curry as per your need for thick or thin gravy. Bring to boil. Off from the flame. Add salt to your taste.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Creamy Soup!

Try out this creamy soup, which has creamy flavors without maida, or corn flour or cream.

Surprised!!! This soup is again all veg and lentils, in a way very healthy and filling. 

Ingredients:

3 Medium tomatoes(chopped)

3-4 Spring onion bulbs (chopped)

1/2 Cup split green moong daal

2 Cloves garlic

3-5 Curry leaves

6-7 Whole black pepper

1 Tb spoon oil

Method:

Wash and soak moong daal for 10-15 mins. Heat oil in pressure cooker, add black pepper, wait till they splutter. Add curry leaves and daal, roast for 5-8 mins, further roast onions till soft. Add tomatoes and 2 cups of water and salt acc. to taste.

Pressure cook uptill 3 whistles.

Let it cool down, blend in mixer. Add lil butter in it and serve hot.

Garlic Green Pasta!!

Another trial from my kitchen.
Garlic Green Pasta. Try once and share your experience.


Serves 4. Time taken 30 min.
Ingredients:
2 Bunch of spinach.
3 Medium tomatoes
10-12 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
6-7 Basil Leaves
1 Tb spoon oregano.
Tabasco
2 Tb spoon olive oil.
250 g Pasta (fussili, penne, spaghetti etc)



Method:
In a deep wok, boil pasta with 1tb spoon salt and 1 t spoon oil till tender.
Parallely, boil spinach in 1 cup of water with salt and lil sugar. Blend  finely in mixer. Keep aside.

Blend tomato, basil and oregano in a mixer. Heat oil in a wok, add tomato mixture and cook on medium flame for 10 -12 min. Add spinach puree and cook for another 10  min on medium flame. Add tobasco, as per your taste and oregano. Cook for another 2 - 3 min.

Add pasta. Mix well and off from flame.
 In another small pan. heat 1 tb sppon olive oil and saute garlic till they turned pink. Spread garlic over the cooked pasta. Mix well.

Garnish with grated cheese. Serve hot.

Soupy Noodles!!

My husband is very fond of soupy noodles..therefore i decided to give it a try. To make it healthy, I took rice noodles instead of all purpose flour. There were no added no preservatives to the noodles.

The resulting recipe was very tasty and nutritious. Hence, I am sharing my recipe for the same.

Serves 2 People
Ingredients:
3 Medium Tomatoes
1/4  cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup finely chopped beans.
1 T spoon white  vinegar
5-6 curry leaves
50 g Rice Noodles
1-1/2 Tb Spoon  olive oil
1/2 Tb spoon black pepper powder
9-10 Oregano leaves.

Blanch tomatoes and peel the skin. (if you need fiber in your soup, you can avoid the peeling).Keep them aside. Do not drain the water used for blanching the tomatoes.

Boil 1-1/2 cups of water in a deep wok. When water starts boiling add salt and vinegar. Add all the shredded   vegetables and curry leaves. Simmer on flame for 10 min.

In Parallel, boil 3 cups of water with salt and 1/4 Tb spoon of olive oil. Add noodles and simmer for next 7-10 mins. Keep it aside, lid covered for another 10 min. Drain the water from noodles and run below cold water.

Sieve the vegetable stock and keep the stock and vegetables separately.

Blend the vegetable stock and blanched tomatoes in a mixer.

In a deep wok, add olive oil. Add tomato mixture, stir on slow flame. Now, add water used for blanching tomatoes. Keep the consistency as you desire(thick or thin). I prefer thin. Let it boil on slow flame. Add vegetables and oregano leaves. Keep stirring. Add noodles in the soup.

Garnish with coriander leaves and black pepper powder.

Serve hot yummy soup. I am sure you will relish it.

Whole Wheat Baked Samosi!

I really wanted to make this long back, finally i tried and it came to be a successful one.
Just give it a try..and I am sure you all will relish than any fried samosa.

You need:
2 Cups whole wheat flour
Salt to taste
1/2 T spoon ajawain (oregano seeds)
2 T spoon oil.

For filling:
3 Boiled potatoes
1 Chopped green chilli
Chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1/4 Tb spoon ginger (crated)
2 Tb spoon oil

Method:
Make dough out of wheat flour. and keep it aside for 15-20 min.

Mix all ingredients  for filling and cook them in oil with lil turmeric powder for 10 mins. Keep it aside and let it cool down.

Roll out small round chapati out of dough. Cut them half from diameter. Fold the halves into a cone shape.
Fill the potato mix in cone (gently). Using water from finger close the edges of the cone.

Apply lil on baking tray and keep it for 30 min at 200 C in preheat oven. Keep checking in intervals. You might have to increase the time from 30 min to 1 hr, it depends upon the power of the oven. For me it took 1 hr.
If you are required to set for an hour and I would suggest to keep the samosi flipping in every 15 min.

Serve hot with sauce or green chutney. I can bet.. You ll fall in love with it.

Nutritious Bottle Gourd Soup.

I always like homemade soups and keep on experimenting with diff vegetables in soups. This bottle guard soup, actually tried for my friend who is expecting. She insist to suggest some tasty, tangy yet healthy and nutritious soup.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of crated bottle gourd (Lauki)
2 Medium tomatoes (chopped)
4 Strands of ajwain leaves.
2 Cups of water
Salt (acc. to taste)
1/2 T spoon mint powder
1/2 T spoon black pepper powder
Chopped coriander leaves.


Method:
Add crated bottle guard, tomatoes and ajwain leaves in water. Mix salt and pressure cook up-to 3 whistles.
Let it get cool down. Blend well in mixer.

Add black pepper, mint powder and coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

Kanchipuram Platter

This recipe is from one of my dear Indu aunty, my very own neighbor.Most of the time I satiate my south indian food cravings from her kitchen.

Her 22 years of experience in culinary skills, thrilled me and I couldn't stop myself to share her one recipe in my blog, with all her permission. 

Kanchipuram Platter

This platter contains 3 different flavors.

1) Kanchipuram Idli

2) Kanchi Vadai

3) Mix Veg Sambhar.

Kanchipuram Idli:

2 Cups rice(soaked overnite)

2 Cups urad dal(soaked overnite)

3 Big spoons curd

1/2 cup crushed roasted cashews

Salt (acc to taste)

1 Tb spoon black pepper powder

1 Tb dana methi(soaked overnite)

Coarsely grind rice, urad dal and danamethi and keep aside for 7-8 hrs for fermentation. Later, mix curd, salt, cashew, black pepper.  

Place above mixture using spoon in idli mould and steam for 3-4 minutes.

Kanchi Vadai:

2 Cups of urad dal(soaked overnite)

Chopped vegetables( whichever available)

Salt (acc to taste)

Zeera powder (acc to taste)

Red chilli powder (acc to taste)

Grind urad dal and mix all above ingredients. Make small balls and deep fry in oil. Keep it aside.

Mix Veg Sambhar:

Chopped vegetables( whichever available)

1 cup arhar dal

1 tb spoon sambhar masala(readily available in market)

Boil arhar dal with salt and turmeric (1/2 t spoon). Saute all the vegetables separately. Mix it in cooked dal. Add oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when seeds start splutter simmer the flame. Add curry patta and sambhar masala and immediately add cooked dal and mix well. 

Keep aside 1 bowl of sambhar separately

Soak vadai in sambhar for few 7-8 minutes.

Arrange all the items in a plate and serve hot.

Homemade Pasta Arabiata

I have been in singapore long back, there I had a good pasta, in pasta mania and being vegetarian I tried all  7 different pastas. In all,  I love  pasta arabiata..tangy, spicy and juicy .

I tried it at home and guess what!! results..yummmmyyyyy. This pasta will take no time to cook and totally non messy.....

 All you need for 2 is:                                                                

6-8 Red tomatoes.
Pasta of your choice(spagetti,penne, fusili etc)
7-8 Freash basil leaves
3-4 Garlic cloves
3 green chillies
Oregano ( acc. Taste)
Dry Basil leaves pwder(readily available in market)
2 Tb spoon Olive Oil.
3 Tb spoon Tomato Ketchup
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil Pasta with pinch of salt and 1 T Spoon of olive oil. On other side blend tomatoes, garlic, chillies and basil leaves in fine puree. Heat olive oil in wok, add puree and cook for 15 min, then add basil powder and oregano and cook for another 10 mins.  Add Ketchup and simmer for 5 min.

Meanwhile, rinse boiled pasta under cold water. and later add them to cooked puree.
Mix well . Serve hot.

If you wish, you can add later add tobasco and chilli flakes to make it more spicier.
Hope you all try this and share your experience.

Pumpkin Soup.

Healthy Soup with all vital and necessary nutrients and also can be used as calorie counter.
This soup will satiate you. its quick and easy too.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup choped pumkin
2 tomatoes(chopped)
1 onion(choped)
 paste of 3-4 garlic cloves
5-6 fresh basil leaves.
1 Tbsp olive oil.


Method.

Saute all chopped vegetables except basil  in oil for 5 min and add 3 cups of water.
Add salt to taste and let it pressure cook for upto 3 whistle.

Cool it down and then blend in the mixer with basil leaves.
Add black pepper and melted butter.

Serve hot.

Microwave Uttapam!!!

My hubby calls it as indian form of pizza. This is one of my favorite south indian dish and here i have given it lil modified version. Lets try it!!

All u need :  
For Batter:
1 Cup Rice
1 Cup Udad dal
1 Cup Cella rice (yellow n thick one)

Soak them together overnite and grind finely. keep aside for atleast 8 hours or uptill fermentation happens.

For Topping:
1 Capsicum (nicely diced)
2 Tomatoes (nicely diced)
1 Onion (nicely diced)


Spread batter with deep spoon or on microwave plate. Spread it evenly, do not spread it with thin base, it should be lil thick. spriinkle capsicum, tomato and onion or any other topping of ur own choice. Sprinkle salt and pepper . U can also add some cheeese over it.
Keep it in microwave for 4 minutes. Ur Uttapam cum Indian pizza is ready.

For first uttapam it takes 4 mins from second one onwards it will only take 3 mins and healthy and oil free uttapam is ready.

Serve hot with sambhar or coconut chutney.

Rajma-Masala.

Rajma-chawal is one meal, that my hubby can't stop eating anytime, anyday. He just loves. Initially i used to make it every sunday. My mom gave me one secret recipe for rajma, which actually add alltogether different taste in it. Here, I m sharing same recipe with u all.

I am sure all who are reading this receipe will surely try ones and feel the difference.

All u need is. 

2 Cup of chitkabri Rajma (soaked overnite).

3 Onions

5 Tomatoes.

5-6 cloves of garlic.
I tb spoon crated ginger.

3 Green Chillies.

Dry Masala as per taste (red chilli powder, turmeric, salt)

2 Tb spoon Garam Masala

2 Tb Spoon Kashmiri masala (u can get readynade in  jammu or see receipe in slurrps section) 

4 Cloves

5-7 whole black pepper.

Method:

Boil rajma with 3-1/2 cups of water, salt and 1/2 T spoon turmeric powder.

Saute choped onion in pan without oil(u can saute onion on tawa also, it will be easier then in pan). Let it cool down. Blend it in a mixer with tomatoes, chillies, ginger and garlic, make a thick paste. Heat oil in deep pan and add cloves, whole black pepper. Add zira when clove and black pepper splutter.

Add the onion -tomato mixture in oil, add all dry masala, including kashmiri masala. mix well and saute for min 20 min while covering the lid and mixing in intervals.

Meanwhile, drain rajma keep aside the boiled water(don throw).

Later, add rajma in sauteed mixture and mix well. Add boiled water and mix well,  add some dry pudina powder. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with Rice.

If you want to make it without onion garlic, yes u can make it very tasty, only u need to add few more tomatoes, ginger and some boiled rajma to make thick paste and saute for atleat 30 minutes.

Try add your valuble comments.

Mushy Mushroom Matar

Ingredients:

• 200g Mushrooms
• 100g Matar(Green Peas) 
• 4 Red Tomatoes
• 2 Onion
• 2 Green Chillies(chopped)
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves(crushed or diced)
• 1 Tb Spoon Curd.
• Salt, zeera, Red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala as per taste.

Method:
In a wok, Saute nicely chopped onions, chilli and  crushed garlic. keep it aside.
In a pan, add 1/4 cup of water and add chopped tomatoes. cook them for 5-7 mintues. keep it aside.
After, both the onion and tomatoes cool down, blend them together in mixer into a fine and thick paste.

Put some oil in a wok, add some zeera, wait to let them splutter, add tomato paste and all dry masala as per your taste buds, but no garam masala now. cook at least for another 10 minutes. when paste become dark in color and start giving aroma, add curd and add some water (quantity depends, how u wanna ur gravy to be) into it. bring water to boil a lil and then put peas into it and cook for another 5 -7 minutes, later add mushrooms and cover the lid and cook for another 15-20 mintues(stir occasionally).

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Healthy Instant Snack - Seviyan

Hi friens,

My first Recipe on this blog: I always use this as SOS, when my hubby is hungry. Healthy and gets ready in no time. Also good to have it as breakfast.
All u need is  3 tomatoes, 2 onions, 1 capsicum (optional, if u like)  nicely diced and of-course 1 cup  of rawa(suji) seviyan(Bambino, Tasty Treat).
.

Boil 2 cups of  water with 1 tb spoon salt. Add  roasted seviyan in boiled water and cover it. Keep aside for another 5 minutes.

In a pan, add 2 tb of oil (tastes better when mustard oil), if its mustard, heat oil at low temp and add mustard seeds before oil gets too hot(as oil will become bitter), saute onions till turned pink. Add tomatoes, 1 pinch   turmeric powder, and salt as per taste, saute till tomato softens. Now add capsicum(if required) and cook for another 1 minute.Do not exceed the time to cook capsicum, else they will get softened and  lose the  flavour.

Add seviyan( seviyan will soak all the water). Mix gently, garnish with chopped mint and coriander leaves and add 2 pinch of grounded black pepper. Switch off the burner

Serve hot. I am sure no one will require sauce or chutney...it tastes better without these.

Thanks.

P.S: Always keep roasted seviyan in storage as it stay for longer period.

Please comment, if u try and like this receipe. Suggestions are welcome on this blog.

My First Blog!!!

Dear Friends,

My name is Ankita, and with this blog, I ll be sharing my experiences on variety of culinary.

Equally, I want all of you to share your culinary experiences.

I am sure all of you Queens Of Kitchen will benefit from this blog.

Thanks