Food for Bliss

Recipe - Ministorne soup

2008-07-11T13:34:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Minestrone Soup with vegetables and awards

Summary:

Black beans have high level of protein, minerals and dietary fiber. The soluble fiber helps stabilize the blood sugar level and lower risk of heart disease.

Vegetable soup with pasta or sandwich is something, I cook regularly for dinners. I get my family to eat their veggies and protein in one meal. It helps them eat warm lunches/dinners during cold winter. Makes a very nutritious dinner with some salad or pasta in the side.

Thank you for all the awards showered. I have been taking it easy as it is summer vacation for my kids and currently we are on vacation in LA. So will take a while to get back to the routine.

The big bear hug from Andhra flavours:

I would like to pass it on to SMN , Kamala, Asha and Rekha

Blogging with a purpose from Priti of Indian khana :

I would like to pass this on to Divya Vikram, Ramyabala ,Roopa ,Sagari

Ingredients:

Black beans - 1/2 cup uncooked (1 cup canned or frozen)

Onion - 1/4 cup

Celery - 1/2 cup

Bell pepper - 1/2 cup

Yam - 1/2 cup

Zucchini - 1/2 cup

Green beans - 1/2 cup

Tomato - 1 cup (1 large tomato)

Spinach - 1/2 cup (frozen or any fresh greens)

Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves (according to taste)

Bay Leaf - 1 small

Whole Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - 4 cups

Salt - 3/4 teaspoon

Black Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon

Ground Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon

Butter/Ghee/Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon

Lemon Juice - according to taste (optional)

Process

Preheat butter or olive oil in a soup pot or pressure cooker, splutter whole cumin seeds, add bay leaf. Add
finely cut onions, celery and garlic and stir till aromatic.

Add all
the veggies, tomatoes, ground cumin, black pepper and salt.

Add 4 cups of water, spinach and cooked black beans/canned beans, bring to boil, lower heat and cover the dish, let it cook until cooked black beans are fully cooked with vegetables (20minutes). Turn off the heat.

Add little lemon juice (optional). Serve
hot.

Preparation time 30 minutes

# Servings: 4 - 6

2008-07-01T18:20:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Chard parata/Akkura rottelu

Chard leaves paratas

Summary

Swiss chard is one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods. It has an excellent combination of phytochemicals, chlorophyll, other plant pigments, and soluble fiber. It also contains a generous amount of Vitamin K that is especially beneficial in the maintenance of bone health. Whole wheat flour has good dietary fiber. The combination is a healthy and nutritious meal.

Parata can be served as breakfast/lunch/dinner. My family enjoys paratas of any kind. Spinach can be used as variation for Chard leaves.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 2 cups
Chard leaves - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 3 small Indian chillies
Carom seeds (ajwain) - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Water - 1 cup
Cilantro - 1/4 cup

Process:

Knead all the above ingredients together except salt, slowly adding water to the flour. It's better not to add all the water into the flour. After the dough is kneaded, take a teaspoon of oil in your hand and apply it all over the dough. Set the dough aside for 20 - 30 minutes before making roti.

Method to roll Parata:

Get the tools ready - Tawa on the stove with medium high temperature. Rolling pin to make/roll rotis. All purpose flour in a 3/4 plate to lightly flour the dough in between during rolling the roti. Grilling rack if you are not using a gas stove. Tongs to flip the roti on the tawa and on the grilling rack. Make a big lemon size ball out of the dough.

Slightly flatten the ball sized dough and dip the flatten ball in the all purpose flour plate which is placed in the side. Place it on the lightly floured/clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center. Make sure not to apply too much pressure while rolling. Apply ghee on the half rolled roti, sprinkle a pinch of salt.

Roll or fold it back in desired shaped. Layered folding of the dough results in fluffy and layered parata.

Continue rolling and lightly dust the roti/parata with flour if the parata is sticking to the surface. Too much dusting may spoil the taste of the parata too. It is important to roll the dough on one side only. Soon you will see the small ball of dough expand to 3 inches in diameter (just like a disc).

Method to cook Roti/Parata:

Preheat the tawa/cast iron pan on medium high. Transfer the ready parata on to the pan and wait for 10-15 seconds. You will see small bubbles forming on the parata.

Flip the parata on to the other side and wait for 15 - 30 seconds.

Apply ghee/clarified butter. Cook both sides of the roti and ensure parata is well cooked.

Serve hot with any spicy pickle, curry or yogurt in the side.

Preparation time - 10 - 20 minutes

# Paratas: 10 (depending on the size)

2008-06-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Carrot and Toor dal curry (Carrot kandi pappu koora/Carrot poriyal/Gajar ki sabzi)

Carrots cooked with Pigeon Peas

Summary:

Carrots can be eaten in different ways, raw, steamed, in soups, in cakes or in sweets like carrot halwa. Carrot is high in dietary fiber,antioxidants, beta carotene and vitamin A. It is believed that consuming carrots makes a persons eye sight better. I cook and feed my family carrot in all the different forms to take advantage of the nutritional value of carrots.

Vegetable cooking with dal is a very common practise in south India. My kids love this dish, as it has little or no spice added.

Carrot curry prepared with dal should not be spicy. Do not add red chilli powder or any kind of extra spices to this. This curry has a nice flavor to itself with the combination of dal and vegetable. One dish covers it all.

As it is summer vacation in the US, I am quite busy with kids schedule and my work schedule, I am also planning on going to California for vacation. So, I will be posting recipe, whenever time permits, I will try and post at least two or three recipes a week. Thank you for the readership!!! I appreciate it.

Ingredients:

Carrots - 4 cups approximately (shredded/cut)
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Coconut - 2 heaping tablespoons (grated or powder)
Toor dal - 1/2 cup (pressure cook 1/2 cup of dal with 1 cup of water for 1 whistle)

Seasoning:

Chana dal (bengal gram) - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing (asafoetida) - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies - 1
Oil - 1 tablespoon.

Process:

Preheat wok/kadai with oil at medium high temperature. Add chana dal, cumin and mustard seeds. Let seeds splutter. Add red chillies, hing and curry leaves. Let the chillies roast for few seconds. Add carrots to the seasoning. Cover carrots, cook them for 5 minutes at medium high temperature.

Now add pre-cooked toor dal to the half cooked carrots seasoning. Mix well, cook for 5 - 10 minutes to ensure all the ingredients are cooked well.

Once carrot curry is cooked, add grated coconut. Mix it well and turn off the stove.

Decorate/Garnish with coconut powder. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time - 20 - 30 minutes.
# Servings - 4 - 6

2008-06-25T09:33:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Panini Sandwiches

Summary

Panini is one of my husbands favorite sandwiches. Whenever we go out to eat, this is something he orders with soup or salad in the side. These sandwiches taste great with sour dough bread and hot soup in the side in winter and with a salad on the side in summer.

I bought the panini sandwich maker couple of years ago and ever since, he enjoys the home made sandwiches more. I use the sandwich maker for paneer tikka and different variates. My kids have started enjoying Panini too. Making panini for dinner saves my time on a busy day, having pesto sauce ready in the fridge, saute vegetable and just press them in the sandwich maker, the dinner is READY! You can make panini on the regular tawa too, you will have to flip the sandwich and toast the bread on the second side.

Ingredients:

Sour dough bread - 8 slices
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Butter - 1 teaspoon
Parmesan Cheese - 1 cup
Pesto sauce - 4 teaspoons
Zucchini - 1 cup
Carrots - 1 cup
Broccoli - 10 florets
Bell pepper - 1/2 cup

Any vegetable of your choice...

Process:

Preheat butter in a skillet/wok, add chopped vegetables. Stir fry the vegetable well, add salt and black pepper. Sautee till the vegetable are cooked well. For flavor, I sometimes add 1/2 teaspoon of oregano (optional).

Apply pesto sauce on one side of a bread slice, place the other side on the grill facing the pesto sauce up. Add the sauted vegetables on top of the pesto sauce, add parmesan cheese. Place the second bread slice on the top and press/close the sandwich maker.

In 2 minutes the sandwich will be ready to serve with melted cheese over the veggies. Serve hot with salad or hot soup in the side!

Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes
Servings: 4

2008-06-24T11:26:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Dill and moong dal

(Dill/fennel leaves cooked in Moong dal)

Summary

"Fresh and dried dill leaves (sometimes called "dill weed" to distinguish it from dill seed) are used as herbs.

Like caraway, its fernlike leaves are aromatic, and are used to flavor many foods, such as gravlax (cured salmon), borscht and other soups, and pickles (where sometimes the dill flower is used). Dill is said to be best when used fresh, as it loses its flavor rapidly if dried; however, freeze-dried dill leaves preserve their flavor relatively well for a few months.

In the Middle Ages, dill was thought to protect against witchcraft.^{[citation needed]}

Dill seed is used as a spice, with a flavor similar to caraway.

Dill oil can be extracted from the leaves, stems and seeds of the plant.

Dill can also be used to help cure both insomnia and bad breath. Sometimes dill is made into a tea to help cure an upset stomach."

Source : Wikipedia.

Cooking dill and moong dal together is a healthy recipe for the hot summer. It is soothing for the summer diet. Do not over cook dill. I always add dill at the end of the cooking to retain the taste, flavor and nutrients of the vegetable.

Ingredients:

Dill leaves - 1 bunch (approximately 2 cups)
Moong dal - 1 cup
Dry red chillies - 1(optional)
Turmeric - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (for seasoning)
Hing (Asafoetida )- 1/4 teaspoon)
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons (according to taste)
Ghee/Oil - 2 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon (optional)
Water - 3 cups (to cook)

Process:

Wash dal and add 2.5 cups of water add salt and turmeric. Pressure cook dal for 2 whistles. The temperature should be medium high to high. Chop fennel leaves and set them aside. Use the tender stems and tender bulbs too.

Seasoning:

Preheat with oil in a kadai (skillet). Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds for seasoning. After you see the seasoning seeds splutter, add red chillies (optional) and hing (Asafoetida). If you are using red chillies and green chillies, better to avoid red chilli powder.

Add seasoning to dal and chopped fresh dill leaves, add 1/2 cup water to get the desired consistency. Cook it for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, mix well, turn off the stove.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 20minutes.
# Servings 3 - 4

2008-06-23T16:43:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Aloo pakora chaat (Bangaladumpa bajji)

(Potato fritter dipped in chickpea flour)

Summary

Potato fritter/Aloo ke pakode reminds me of my childhood days. When I was young, I couldn't handle the mirchi bajji hotness, and my mom prepared these for me and all of them use to eat mirchi bajji. The base of this recipe allows you to make different kinds of fritters with Mirchi, Onion, Green pepper, Raw Plantain, Eggplant, Cauliflower, Fresh leaf spinach and so on...

Ingredients

Besan (gram flour/chickpea flour) - 1 cup
Potato - 2 medium size (sliced thin)
Chopped Onion - 1 cup thinly chopped
Chopped Tomato - 1/4 cup
Cilantro - 1 tablespoon
Green chillies - 1 finely chopped (optional)
Red chilly powder - 1/2 teaspoon (according to spice level)
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Chaat masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste - 1/2 teaspoon

Process

Preparing the batter to dip potato slices:

Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup
Red chilly power - 1/2 teaspoon.
Salt according to taste - approximately - 1/2 teaspoon.
Water little less than 1/2 cup approximately.
Mix them in a wide bowl, vegetables are easy to dip.
Prepare medium thick batter consistency slowly adding water to it.

Deep-frying:

Take 3 cups of oil in a deep bottomed skillet. Heat the oil on medium-high. Dip the potato slice one at a time in the batter so that potato slices are well coated with the batter.

Gently drop them in the skillet and deep fry until golden.

Remove them on to a paper towel covered plate to soak the excess oil and let it cool a minute or two.

Take the chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro, green chillies (optional) to the cut bite size pakoras and mix all of them in a bowl.

After mixing all of the above in the bowl, garnish the pakora chaat with lemon juice, red chilli powder (according to spice level), 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala. and a little salt to taste. ENJOY!....
Preparation time 20 minutes

# Servings - 2 - 4

2008-06-22T21:47:00.000-05:00

Recipe- Methi and moong dal with tomatoes

Fenugreek leaves and moong dal with tomatoes

Summary:

Fenugreek leaves or fenugreek is a natural remedy for migrane, asthma. Fenugreek reduces blood glucose levels, also reduces blood cholesterol. Source : Wikipedia.
Methi/Fenugreek leaves can be grown outside the kitchen in a pot. Sprinkle methi/fenugreek seeds in the pot, add some potting soil on the top (not more than an inch). Water the seeds on a regular basis, you will see methi leaves growing within a week or two and can be used fresh whenever desired.

Adding moong dal to methi is the result of nutritious side dish, which has greens and protein. Methi dal can be eaten with roti or rice. Home grown methi has its freshness. Lot of my friends asked me if , adding fenugreek leaves makes the dal bitter. Adding fenugreek gives a nice flavor to dal but not bitterness.

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves/Methi leaves - 1cup (chopped)
Moong dal - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 1 nos
Dry red chillies - 1 (optional)
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Turmeric - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (for seasoning)
Hing (Asafoetida )- 1/4 teaspoon)
Salt - 1 teaspoons (according to taste)
Ghee/Oil - 2 teaspoon
Water - 3 cups (to cook)

Lemon juice - 1 table spoon (optional)

Process:

Wash dal and add 2.5 cups of water and add chopped methi leaves, tomato, salt, turmeric and green chillies. Pressure cook dal for 2 whistles. The temperature should be medium high to high.

Seasoning:

Preheat with oil in a kadai (skillet). Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds for seasoning. After you see the seasoning seeds splutter, add red chillies (optional) and hing (Asafoetida). If you are using red chillies and green chillies, better to avoid red chilli powder.

Add seasoning to the dal, add 1/2 cup water to get the desired consistency. Cook it for 5 minutes.

Add lemon juice. Turn off the stove. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 30minutes.
# Servings 4 - 6

2008-06-21T15:30:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Stuffed Baby Zuccini

Summary:

Zucchini squash is a watery vegetable. Zucchini is found in yellow, light green and green colors. Zucchini is low in calories and good amounts of vitamin A and 1/2 a cup of Zucchini has 19% of required manganese. Source : Wikipedia

Stuffed zucchini is a very simple recipe and all my friends love this whenever I make it. In order to save time, I make the stuffing beforehand and mix it with roasted chickpea flour and roasted onion. My mom taught me to make stuffed chillies, eggplant/brinjal, ridge gourd (beerakaya) etc.. After coming to USA, I have started making stuffed zucchini for variety and now most of my friends like this curry and are a great fan of this curry.

I make stuffed zucchini with yellow and green squash. But make sure the squash is thin and shorter compared to the regular zucchini.

Ingredients:

Baby Zucchini - 4
Onion - 1/2 cup
Curry powder - 4 tablespoons (heaping)
Chick peas flour (Besan) 2 tablespoons
Cilantoro - 2 tablespoons

Process:

Roast/Sautee onion in a skillet. Let the onions cool. Roast chick peas flour seperately, let it cool. Grind roasted onions, roasted chick pea flour and curry powder in a blender/mixie. Set it aside.

Wash and clean baby zuccini, make flour slits vertically. Add cilantro to the stuffing mixuter, mix well. Stuff in each zucchini.

Method to Roast:

Take a medium or large size pan or wide kadai/skillet. Preheat the oil on medium heat. Gently place the stuffed zucchinis on the pan and roast them well at medium temperature.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Preparation time : 15 - 20 minutes (if the Curry Powder is pre-made)
# Servings - 4

Tips:

Curry powder preparation: Refer to Masala's/Chutney Powders under Labels.
You can also prepare the stuffing mix (any kind of curry powder) before hand and mix besan just before making this dish and adding roasted onions is an option.

2008-06-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Macaroni and Cheese

Summary:

Macaroni and Cheese is loved by most of the kids. Mac and cheese is very easy to make, kids eat without fussing. I make mac and cheese atleast once a week. Usually, I buy the mac and cheese packs, which comes with uncooked pasta/macaroni and the cheese sauce sachet (dry).

I learnt making the cheese sauce from my friend long back with estimation. Measurements are my contributions. I have noticed there are lot of recipes online with almost the same measurements. Making cheese sauce is fairly easy. After I learnt making the cheese sauce, I keep elbow macaroni stocked, and use it when ever needed.

Ingredients:

Macaroni pasta - 1 cup
Cheese sauce - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon salt
Oil - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Cook macaroni in 5 - 6 cups of boiling water at amedium high temperature, with salt and oil for 10 minutes. Set it aside.

Ingredients for cheese sauce:

Cheese (swiss or cheddar) - 1/4 cup (grated)
Milk - 1/4 cup
All purpose flour (Maida)- 1 tablespoon
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 pinch

Directions to make sauce:

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan at medium temperature. Add all purpose flour to the butter, mix it well. Stir continuously for 2 - 4 minutes and make sure the flour doesn't turn brown. Add milk slowly to the flour mixture, mix well. Let the milk and flour cook well for 8 - 10minutes (approximately), you will notice the milk thickening. Add cheese to the milk mixture, mix well till the cheese is melted. Add salt according to taste.

Add boiled/cooked macaroni to cheese sauce, mix well. Cook for 2minutes and turn off the stove.

Serve hot with some vegetable in the side, to make a complete nutritional meal.

Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes
Servings: 2 - 3

2008-06-20T08:39:00.000-05:00

Awards and Meme:

One more Meme! I have been tagged by skribles . I would like to tag

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

Finished studying at the University and was planning on starting work...

2. What are five things on my to-do list for today (non-work related)?

Taking kids to Swimming

Bike riding with the family

Taking kids to Park

Cooking, cleaning, organizing and all time job Laundry!!

Blogging and net surfing if any time left...

3. What are five snacks that I enjoy?

I am not really a snack person... but to name a few

Spicy kaju

Spicy Jalapeño potato chips

4. What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

I would hire a full time help in the house. I would cook but the help will clean the kitchen, I will serve food to my family, but the help will clear the dinning table and clean the dishes, do laundry! I hope my husband is not reading, I have a house keeper, who cleans the house every week though! But, I would like it every day;-). Save the time for my family. Would invest in a business where it will multiply without scratching our brains (4 hr work week is my goal!!!).

5. Places I have lived at?

Hyderabad, Iowa, Austin, Southern California, Dallas, Northern California, Chicago and back to Iowa. Again Southern California is calling us...

6. Jobs I have had:
Student, now a systems administrator and a full time wife PLUS full time mom to two young kids :-)

2008-06-19T09:01:00.002-05:00

Recipe - Bangaladumpa Chips (aloo ke chips)

Potato chips

Summary

Potato chips are full of starch and oil. Its is junk food. But for mental health it is ok to eat junk food in moderation. My kids always tease me, asking, "Mom. you made junk food today?" Is it ok, to have junk food? Many more expressions of surprise.

I have always seen my mom making potato chips from my childhood. I always use to feel it is such a waste of time and energy to make it at home, it is better to buy it from a store. After marrying to my health conscious husband, I have also become health conscious and prefer to eat home made stuff than store bought. That doesn't mean I don't buy potato chips from store. I make potato chips to surprise my kids hahaha... The process is fairly easy, the result is a big surprise and a big hug from my kids.

Ingredients:

Potato - 1
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil to deep fry - 2 cups to deep fry

Process:

Make thin slices of potao with the help of slicer or with knife. I prefer the slicer. Knief kind of cuts it inuneven thinckness. The thicker the slick the soggier are the chips. I prefer to slice them very thin, to get the wafer taste and look.

Preheat oil in a skillet/kadai. I carefully slice potato into the kadai, as I am making the chips (that's how I learnt :-)). You can always slice them in the side and transfer the sliced potato into the kadai. Deep fry the chips on both side till they are well fried and just before they turn into golden brown. Remove them before they change their color, to retain the perfect color you want, else with the remaining hotness the chips will have burnt taste.

Remove chips on to a paper towel, to remove excess oil from the chips. Sprinkle salt, and red chilli powder. Let it cool before storing in an air tight container.

Shelf life - 1 -2 weeks
Preparation time 15 minutes

2008-06-18T22:00:00.000-05:00

Awards and meme....

One of my fellow blogger Sireesha has passed the Rocking girl blogger. Thank you for the award and for thinking about me.

I want to pass the award to my fellow bloggers and friends:

Srivalli

Siri

Sailaja

Priyanka (notyet 100)

lg
Vani

Priyanka has passed on the award of "Nice matters" from Asan Khana. Thank you for the award and would like to pass the awards to four of my fellow bloggers:

Shubha
Ranji
Skribles
Suma Rajesh

Andhra flavors has passed an award "you made my day". Finally I have posted it on my blog and passed it on to my fellow bloggers:

Rashmi
Arundhathi
Sangeeth
Trupti

2008-06-18T08:54:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Mullakada Pulusu (Drumsticks sambar)

(Pigeon Peas cooked with Drumsticks)

Summary:

Pulusu is part of a nutritious meal as it includes all the components of a balanced meal. It is very suitable for those who want to cook a single side item with rice. Very popular among young couples and busy professionals as it can be cooked relatively quickly.

Pulusu is very popular in South India. Each state, for that matter every household, in southern India cooks pulusu/sambar with variations. For example, a small amount of sugar or jaggery is added for sweetness. Others add coconut for flavor. Different combination of vegetables are added for different flavor.

Drumsticks are very rich in calcium, high in vitamin and mineral content, adding toor dal to drumsticks makes the dish protien rich too.

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 1 cup
Drumsticks - 12 pieces
Tomato- 1 cup
Onion - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Water - 5 cups
Jaggery/Sugar - 2 teaspoons (according to taste)
Tamarind - 1 teaspoon (concentrate or 1 and 1/2 tspn Lemon juice)

For seasonsing:

Ghee - 1 table spoon
Mastard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 2
Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 stalks

Preparation for cooking dal and vegetables:

Wash toor dal well, pressure cook dal with 3 cups of water, cut tomatoes, green chillies and salt and turmeric for one whistle. Set it aside. Note: Some people prefer to add all the vegetables to the dal and pressure cook it. You can do that if you are in a hurry or would like to cook all in one go and make it an easy preparation in one step.

Preparation for vegetables if you are not cooking with dal:

Cut drumsticks to two inch size. It is good not to cut them tiny else they will get mushy. Pressure cook drumsticks, onion and tomato with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and turmeric for one whistle. Set it aside.

Seasoning:

Preheat the saucepan/pot with ghee on medium high temperature. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds to ghee and let seeds splutter. Add red chillies, green chillies (optional), curry leaves and asafoetida to it.

After a minute add onions to the seasoning and sautee it for couple of minutes or little brown. Start adding all the above cooked ingredients (dal and vegetables) to the seasoning.

Add 2 -3 cups of water to bring it to your desired consistency. Add sugar/jaggery. Turn the temperature down to medium low and let it cook for 15 minutes. This allows all the spices to blend well with pulusu/sambar.

If you pressure cooked all the ingredients in one step, then add the seasoning, tamarind paste/pulp and boil it for 15 - 20 minutes.

Preparation time: 20 - 30minutes

# Servings 4- 6

Tips:

For those who are watching their diet, you can try different types of oil for the seasonings. For example, sesame oil seasoning is very tasty and helpful for colder climates.
For Tamarind pulp: Take 5 small stalks of tamarind add half cup of water and microwave it for 2- 3 minutes. the water will decrease to 1/4 cup. Let it cool and then mash the tamarind pulp with a spoon and filter it.

2008-06-17T08:13:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Aratikaya chips (kache kele ke chips)

Raw plantain chips

Summary

Plantains has high dietary fiber, vitamin c, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. It is good for people suffering with asthma, bronchitis, cancer. By eating plantain or banana, for diabetics, it temporarily increases the blood sugar and insulin level, and also due to the high dietary fiber may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Source: Puritan

Plantains can be used for cooking different types of food depending on the ripeness. Raw plantain can be used for making fritters, chips by deep frying, steam cooked to make curries. Banana chips are famous in Kerala and in Gujarati's. The taste may differ from both the regions but the process is almost the same.

I learnt making banana chips from a Gujarati friend of mine. The process is fairly easy, the result is a healthy and nutritious home made snack with better ingredients.

Ingredients

Raw plantain - 1
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil to deep fry - 2 cups to deep fry

Process:

Make thin slices of plaintain with the help of slicer or with knife. I prefer the slicer. Knief kind of cuts it uneven thinckness. The thicker the slick the soggier are th chips. I prefer to slice them very thin, to get the wafer taste and look.

Preheat oil in a deep skillet/kadai. I prefer to slice plantain into the kadai, as I am making the chips (that's how I learnt :-)). You can always slice them in the side and transfer the sliced plantain into the kadai. Deep fry the chips on both side till they are well fried and just before they turn into golden brown. Remove them before they change their color, to retain the perfect color you want, else with the remaining hotness the chips will have burnt taste.

Remove it on to a paper towel, to remove excess oil from the chips.

Sprinkle salt, and red chilli powder. Let it cool before storing in an air tight container.

Shelf life - 1 -2 weeks
Preparation time 15 minutes

2008-06-16T09:02:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Dal Parata (dal roti/pappu rotelu)

Roti/Parata made with dal

Summary:

Dal paratas can made with left over dal. Dal Paratas can be served as breakfast/dinner. In north Indian these paratas are enjoyed at breakfast with chai. Dal has good source of protein and whole wheat flour is a good source of dietary fiber. Any kind of dal can be used to make dal parata.

I usually serve dal parata for dinner, made with the left over dal from lunch. Serve with any kind of vegetable in the side, will make a full nutritious meal. The same dough can be used to make dal kachori or dal poori, just by deep frying it.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1and 1/2 cup
Dal (cooked lentils) - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 3 small Indian chillies
Onions - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Carom seeds (ajwain) - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon

Process:

Knead all the above ingredients together ( except salt), just add a tablespoon of water if needed (depends on the consistency of the dal). After the dough is kneaded, take a teaspoon of oil in your hand and apply it all over the dough. Set the dough aside for 20 - 30 minutes before making Parata.

Method to roll Parata:

Get the tools ready - Tawa on the stove with medium high temperature. Rolling pin to make/roll rotis. All purpose flour in a 3/4 plate to lightly flour the dough in between during rolling the roti. Make a small lemon size ball out of the dough. Slightly flatten the ball sized dough and dip the flatten ball in the all purpose flour plate which is placed in the side. Place it on the lightly floured/clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center. Make sure not to apply too much pressure while rolling. Apply ghee on the half rolled roti, sprinkle a pinch of salt.

Roll or fold it back in desired shaped. Folding in layers results in fluffy and layered parata.

Place it on the lightly floured/clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center. Continue rolling and lightly dust the roti/parata with flour if the parata is sticking to the surface. Too much dusting may spoil the taste of the parata too. It is important to roll the dough on one side only. Soon you will see the small ball of dough expand to 3 inches in diameter (just like a disc).

Method to cook parata:

Preheat the tawa/cast iron pan on medium high. Transfer the ready parata on to the pan and wait for 10-15 seconds. You will see small bubbles forming on the parata.

Flip the parata on to the other side and wait for 15 seconds.

Apply ghee/clarified butter on the parata. Cook both sides of the roti and ensure parata is well cooked.

Preparation time - 10 - 20 minutes

# Servings: 4 - 6 rotis (depending on the size)

Tips:

I usually add salt to the roti dough at the time of rolling, then dough won't get too soft. I find that adding salt at the time of kneading dough and dal, makes it too soft and it is hard to roll roti/paratha.
Roll and half cook the paratas and stack them. Cook them fully just before serving.

2008-06-15T08:28:00.003-05:00

Recipe - Pesarratu (green moong dal Chelle/Dosa)

Whole Moong dal crepes

Summary:

The regional tastes of Indians vary from state to state and even in a particular state region to region. The 'Pesarattu – Upma" is one typical combination particularly patronized and popular in Coastal Andhra (the region along the rivers Godavari and Krishna). The "Pesarattu – Upma" is a double "DHAMAKA" (treat) for important guests, health conscious persons and aristocratic populace of Coastal Andhra.

Since the Dish is prepared & consumed fresh obviously meet any health standards apart from rich taste and nutrient values. Even kids will enjoy when served with limited spices.

The "Pesarattu – Upma" is a combination of Dosa made of mong dal and Upma made of semolina. Both the dishes are prepared separately using pure ghee, which obviously mean high calorie content! This specialty item is normally served at breakfast and at times for dinner as a full course!

To give some different in taste and health capsule is served hot, with a combination of plenty of cut onion & green chilies pieces fried separately using ghee and spread or sprinkled profusely on the top of the Pesarattu/Dosa.

Besides this form of Dosa can prepared at a short notice i.e. say 60-90 minutes, unlike other South Indian Dosa, which requires almost 24-30 hours planning ahead. The main ingredient, whole moong dal preferred as compared to skinned split mong dal for rich and natural taste, flavor and to preserve the digestive, nutrient values and useful healthy ingredients.

The Pesarattu is served stuffed either with Upma or separately depending upon taste of the individual along with a chutney made of chick peas and also with Sambar. Pesarattu should be served and consumed immediately on preparation.

Brown rice is nutritional compared to white rice. White rice has mostly carbohydrates, without nutrients. Moong dal is considered one of the easy to digest dals in ayurveda. Moong dal consumed with skin has more nutrients in its skin compared to without skin. Moong dal has good dietary fiber and protein. Adding brown rice and whole moong dal makes a healthy meal. I use brown rice in lot of my recipes keeping the nutritional vallue in mind. One can use white rice instead of brown rice.

One of my fellow blogger Sireesha has passed the Rocking girl blogger. Thank you so much for the award and for thinking about me.

I want to pass the award to my fellow bloggers and friends:

Srivalli

Siri

Sailaja

Priyanka (notyet 100)

lg
Vani

Ingredients :

Whole moon - 1 cup
Brown rice/White rice - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger - 2 inches
Green chillies - 6
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Ghee/Oil - 2 tablespoons (to spray on the dosa)
Water - 2 cups (grind with 1/2 cup of water, add the remaining during preparation of pesarattu)

Batter preparation:

Presoak the moong dal and brown rice and fenugreek seeds together for 1 - 2 hours (can be soaked over night too but minimum one hour).

Grind all the above ingredients with water. Add 1/2 cup of water during grinding and add the remaining during preparation of dosa. Note: I prefer to grind moong dal, rice, onion, ginger, green chillies and cumin seeds with salt. This way, my kids don't fuss much about spice or onions etc. Some would like to grind moong dal and rice with salt and water, and add fried onion, ginger, green chillies separately using ghee and spread or sprinkled profusely on the top of the Pesarattu/Dosa.

Preparation of Pesarratu/dosa:

Preheat a non-stick pan/cast iron skillet. Make sure the consistency of the batter should be medium. Not too thick not too thin. The batter should stick to the ladle when mixing. Pour a ladle full of the batter in the center of the preheated pan or greased skillet; Slowly spread the batter into a thin circle.

Spray oil on top of the pesarratu/dosa. As the edges of the pesarattu/dosa start turning into golden brown color, remove from the pan, if desired, you can cook on the other side.

Make sure pesarratu/dosa is cooked well.

Fold pesarattu/dosa in desired shape and serve hot with upma or any kind of spread/chutney or chutney powders and sambar.

Preparation time: 5 minutes (apart from soaking and grinding time)

Tips:

For pesarratu/dosa to come out in one piece, use onion to clean the iron skillet. Wipe the skillet with onion and 2 drops of oil on the skillet, if pesarattu/dosa is sticking to the skillet.
For Upma recipe , check the blog achieve April 25.

2008-06-14T08:21:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Semiya Upma

Salty pudding with semolina noodles

Summary:

Semiya Upma comes handy as a quick snack. Semiya Upma can be made with or without vegetables. I prefer to cook Upma with vegetables, keeping in mind the nutrional value for the meal or snack for kids.

I prefer to make Upma with bambino vermicelli. Vermicelli is available in pre-cut form, and the noodle thickness is perfect for semiya Upma. I have tried different brands of semiya, but would recommend bambino for making semiya Upma.

Ingredients:

Semiya (Vermicelli) - 2 cups (roasted)
Water - 3 cups
Onion - 1 cup (chopped)
Carrot - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Green beans - 1/2 cup(chopped)
Capsicum - 1/2 cup(chopped)
Green chillies - 1 (according to taste)
Dry red chilli - 3 small pieces
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Cilantro - 1 tablespoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Chana dal - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Roast semiya in ghee till light light golden brown in color at medium high temperature. Set it aside. In the remaining ghee, add chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilli, red chilli and curry leaves. Let the seeds splutter add onion, saute onion for 5 minutes.

Add carrots, green beans, capsicum. Add salt and turmeric, cover the dish for 5 minutes at medium temperature.

Add 3 cups of water, bring the water to boil.

Add roasted semiya to the boiling water. Mix well.

Add a teaspoon of ghee(optional), cover semiya, let it cook at low temperature for 10 minutes.

Add ghee helps semiya not to stick too much after its cooked. Garnish with roasted cashews and cilantro, serve hot.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-06-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Cabbage and Chana dal curry (Cabbage senaga pappu koora/Cabbage poriyal/Patha gobi sabzi)

Cabbage cooked with Bengal gram

Summary:

Cabbage, an excellent source of vitamin C, can be eaten in soups, salads, pickles, and sandwiches.

Vegetable cooking with dal is a very common practise in south India. My kids love this dish, as it has little or no spice added. Cabbage curry prepared with dal should not be spicy. Do not add red chilli powder or any kind of extra spices to this. This curry has a nice flavor to itself with the combination of dal and vegetable.

Ingredients:

Cabbage (small in size)- 4 - 5 cups approximately (shredded/cut)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut - 2 heaping tablespoons (grated or powder)
Chana dal - 1/2 cup (pressure cook 1/2 cup of dal with 1 cup of water for 3 whistles seperately)

Seasoning:

Chana dal (Bengal gram) - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing (asafoetida) - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies - 1
Green chillies - 1 large (according to taste)
Oil - 1 tablespoon.

Process:

Preheat wok/kadai with oil at medium high temperature. Add chana dal, cumin and mustard seeds. Let seeds splutter. Add red chillies, green chillies, hing and curry leaves. Let the chillies roast for few seconds.

Now add chopped cabbage, pre-cooked chana dal, salt and turmeric to the seasoning. Mix well, turn down the heat to medium, cover the dish, cook till cabbage is well done (approximately - 15 minutes). Stir occasionally.

Once cabbage curry is cooked, add grated coconut. Mix it well and turn off the stove.
Decorate/Garnish with coconut powder. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time - 20 - 30 minutes.
# Servings - 4 - 6

2008-06-12T10:20:00.002-05:00

Recipe - Khichidi (Khichiri with green moong dal and brown rice)

Brown rice and whole green gram cooked together.

Summary:

Khichidi is very simple to make and can be cooked without much effort. Khichidi made with moong dal is very easy to digest. Khichidi itself can be served as a meal which really doesn't need a side dish. Some would like to eat it with papad too. Khichidi can also be eaten with yogurt (during summer) or with some spicy pickle/chutney (during winter).

Brown rice is nutrional compared to white rice. White rice has mostly carbohydrates, without nutrients. Brown rice is chewier than regular white rice, takes little longer time to cook then regular white rice.

Moong dal is considered one of the easy to digest dals in ayurveda. Moong dal cooked with skin has more nutrients in its skin compared to without skin has good dietary fiber and protein.

Adding brown rice and whole moong dal makes a healthy meal.

Ingredients:

Green whole moong dal - 1/2 cup
Brown rice - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee (clarified butter) - 2 teaspoons
Water to pressure cook - 2 and 1/2 cups
Cumin seeds - 3/4 teaspoon
Ajwain (carom seed) - less than 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Hing (asafoetida powder) - 1/2 a pinch
Dry red chilli - 1 (optional)
Cilantro to garnish
Water 3 cup

Process:

Wash moong dal and rice together and add 2 and 1/2 cups of water, salt, turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of ghee.

Cooking:

Pressure cook it at medium high temperature for 6 whistles, simmer and cook for 20 minutes. If you are cooking without a pressure cooker, use presoaked brown rice (at least 2 - 4 hours in warm water) to speed up cooking. Cook rice and dal at a medium high temperature and bring it to a boil. Simmer the temperature and stir for a minute or two. Cover with the lid, and let it cook for 40 minutes on the lowest setting.

Seasoning:

Preheat ghee in a small pan and add cumin seeds, carom seeds(ajwain) (optional), dry red chilli (optional) and hing. Let it splutter.

Add the seasoning to the cooked khichidi. If you would like to change khichidi's consistency, you can always add one or more cups of hot water to your desired consistency. Khichidi tastes better if served hot.

Preparation time : 45minutes

# Servings : 2 - 3

2008-06-11T12:21:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Aloo fry (Bangaladumpa vepudu)

Potato fry

Summary

Potato fry is a very simple and easy to cook dish. This is called as Indian bachelor's dish. Meaning, there will be no person, who doesn't know how to make the potato fry. Potato fry goes well with rasam, and yogurt rice. Aloo fry and rasam make a good combination to serve.

Aloo fry can be made crispy without too much oil. Add salt to the chopped potatos and set it aside for 30 minutes. Squeeze out the excess water, and saute in oil.

Ingredients:

Potato - 3 large (3 cups)
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Process:

Preheat oi in a skillet, add onion and turmeric.

Fry them for 10 - 15 minutes. Potato will be almost ready to be done/cooked, add red chilli powder, salt.

Cook till potato is done well. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time 20 minutes
#Servings - 4

2008-06-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Baingan bhartha (Kalchina vankaya koora)

Roasted eggplant curry

Summary

Eggplants help control cholesterol. They are high in potassium and good source of folic acid.

According to Wikipedia, China and India are the highest consumers of eggplant. Just like tomatoes there are different types of eggplants, varying in size and color. Eggplants can be prepared in different styles.

South Indians make baingan bhartha with different ingredients and call it "pacchi pulusu/kalchina vankaya pacchadi. The roasted eggplant is not fried as much as the north Indian bhartha. I will post the pacchi pulusu and vankaya pacchadi recipes later.

Baingan bhartha is very popular in north Indian cuisine. Typical Punjabi baingan bhartha doesn't need too many spices. Salt, turmeric and red chilli powder are the basic spices. I add coriander powder and garam masala to the curry to make it spicy.

Ingredients:

Onions- 2 big (3 cups chopped)
Tomatoes - 4 medium size (3 cups)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon (according to taste)
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies - 1 finely chopped
Cilantro - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Eggplant roasted - 1 large (2 cups pulp)

Method:

Apply oil all over the raw eggplant, roast eggplant on the stove top or roast the eggplant on broil in an oven for 10 - 15 minutes turning in between. Remove the burnt skin from the eggplant and discard the skin. Mash the pulp of the eggplant and set it aside.

Preparing masala/base spice mixture:

Seasoning:

Heat oil or butter in a skillet or pan. Add cumin seeds and hing, allow the seeds to splutter. Add chopped onions, cook till light slightly brown in color.

Add chopped tomatoes, coriander powder, turmeric and red chilli powder. Saute till tomatoes are well mashed and all the water/wetness in the mixture is evaporated at medium high temperature.

Add the eggplant pulp, salt, cook for 10 - 15 minutes at medium heat temperature.

Add garam masala(optional), cilantro and finely chopped green chillies according to spice level, mix well and turn off the heat. Serve hot with roti/paratha/rice.

Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes
# Servings : 4

2008-06-09T11:57:00.002-05:00

Recipe - Black bean dal

Black beans cooked with spices

Summary:

Black beans, very rich in nutritional value, has protein and cholesterol lowering fiber. Its high fiber prevents diabetes blood sugar levels rising rapidly after a meal.

For busy people, slow cooker can also be used for cooking. Preparation of black bean should be planned adequately for slow cooking which takes 12 - 15 hours before the meal time. Pre-soak black beans to cook in a slow cooker. For pressure cooking, pre-soaking black bean reduces the cooking time.

I prepare black bean dal regularly in our house. Black bean takes a long time to cook if cooked without soaking. Black bean dal can be eaten with rice or roti/paratha/puri or even eaten as soup. I have started cooking black bean dal after I came to US and learnt in the company of the multi cultured families in our community.

Ingredients:

Black bean dal - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small (1 cup chopped)
Tomato - 1 medium (1cup chopped)
Ginger - 1 teaspoon (grated)
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon (according to taste)
Red chilli powder - 3/4 teaspoon (according to taste)
Coriander powder (dhania powder) - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Water - 2 cups of water
Cilantro - 1 tablespoon (garnish)
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Process:

Wash and clean black beans, soak them over night. If you decide on cooking without soaking, pressure cook it for more time at least 15 whistles. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pressure cook pre-soaked dal in 2 cups of water (at least 10 whistles) with salt and turmeric.

After the pressure is released, if you notice, dal is still standing out you can always lightly mash it into slight mixture, or cook it on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes.

Preparing masala/base spice mixture:

Seasoning:

Heat oil or butter in a skillet or pan. Add cumin seeds and hing, allow the seeds to splutter. Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic and cook till light slightly brown in color.

Add chopped tomatoes, ginger, minced garlic (6 -8 cloves optional), coriander powder and red chilli powder. Saute till tomatoes are well mashed.

Add onion and tomato seasoning to cooked black bean dal and little water ( desired consistency), cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves, tomatoes and onions before serving. Serve with rice or roti.

Serve with rice or roti. To serve it as soup, add little more water to the desired consistency and serve with bread in the side or salad or sandwich of choice.

Tips:

Some prefer to cook onion, tomato together with the moth dal with salt, red chilli powder, dhania powder and turmeric till 8 -10 whistles. After the pressure is released add cumin seeds seasoning to the cooked dal, and let it simmer on low heat for 15 - 20 minutes for the spices to seep in.
For slow cooking, after 8 - 10 hours of slow cooking, add the prepared gravy to the boiled/cooked beans in the slow cooker and let it cook for 4 -5 hours till all the ingredients are mixed well with spices seep in. Garnish with cilantro, tomatoes and onions before serving.

2008-06-08T09:10:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Pani Poori/Gol gappe

Summary:

Gol gappe is a favorite appetizer among food lovers who enjoy spicy food. Many people (including me) remember the childhood days of eating gol gappe served at chat bhandars and savoring the taste. As we grow older and pay attention to the nutritional value of food as well as the hygienic conditions, we tend to be a bit reserved when it comes to enjoying food like this. During my last trip to India, I was fortunate to try these out at Haldirams and miss having access to such facilities in the US. Nowadays Swad foods sells pre-packaged kit containing all the ingredients (no chole) as well as the pooris. Unfortunately the pooris are sometimes stale and the taste is not the same as fresh made pooris. With proper planning, one can relive the childhood joy of eating gol gappe at home. Here are the details:

Ingredients:

Gole gappe
Boiled chick peas
Cilantro chutney
Tamarind Chutney
Spicy water (mix 3 table spoons of pani poori masala/jal jeera powder in 4 cups of water)

Ingredients for the dough:

Semolina - 1/4 cup
Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
All purpose flour - 1/4 cup
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon (according to taste)
Water - 1/3 cup (approximate)

Knead dough with the above ingredients. Set it aside for 30 minutes

Preparation to roll Poori:

Make a lemon size dough, Slightly flatten the ball sized dough and dip the oil to avoid sticking. Place it on a clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center. Make sure not to apply too much pressure while rolling. Soon you will see the small ball of dough expand to 3 inches in diameter. Take a round one inch cap or cup and cut out small circles in roti.

Method to cook Pani Poori:

Preheat the oil in a skillet on medium high. Transfer the rolled mini poori into the pan and wait for 10-15 seconds. You will see poori puffing. Slowly turn the poori on to the other side and wait for 15 seconds or you notice the poori changing to golden brown. Remove it just before golden brown.

Transfer the poori on to a paper towel to soak the excess oil.

Filling Pani poori:

Make holes in the center.

Add chopped potato, boiled chickpeas, cilantro chutney, and garnish with boondi/sev/ moong dal (optional)

Pour/dip in the spicy water (masala pani) and yum, eat each mini poori in one bite....UMM...So good!

2008-06-07T08:15:00.002-05:00

Recipe - Ravva dosa

Semolina crepes

Summary:

Rava dosa doesn't need any fermentation. They can be prepared right away. For the desired result, it is better to soak the batter for a couple of hours. These dosa's come in handy when there is time restriction with cooking. Pacify's hungry kids as an instant snack. Or even a good morning breakfast. I make these very regularly.

I would like to thank Andhra flavours for the award: "You make my day". This is my first award. I would like to pass on this award for four other fellow bloggers:

Rashmi
Arunthadi
Sangeeth
Trupti

Ingredients:

Semolina(sooji rava) - 1 cup
All purpose flour (maida) - 1/2 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Onions - 1/2 cup
Green chili - 2 - 3 Indian green chilies (chopped/minced)
Cilantro - 3 tablespoons
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon (according to taste)
Yogurt - 1 cups
Water - 2 and 1/4 cups (approximately)
Oil - to spray on the dosa

Process:

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. Do not pour all the water at once. Make the batter into smooth and silky thin with no lumps. Set the batter aside for couple of hours. If you wish you make dosa right away, you sure can. But dosa's taste better when they soak in yogurt for couple of hours.

Preheat a non-stick pan/cast iron skillet. Ladle the batter in the center of the preheated pan or greased skillet; slowly spread the batter into a thin circle.

Spray oil on top of the crape/dosa. The edges of the dosa start turning into golden brown flip the dosa and cook it on the other side. In 1 minute remove dosa from the pan.

Fold dosa in desired shape and serve hot with sambar/lentil soup or any kind of spread/chutney or chutney powders.

Preparation time: 5 minutes (15 minutes to prepare batter)

Tips:

Try using a cup to pour the batter on to the skillet, if you are not comfortable with the ladle. Move your hand fast while pouring.
For some reason if the dosa is not coming out well, add little more water to the batter and dip your fingers in the batter and pour the batter with your fingers on to the skillet. Believe me; you might not have eaten crispier dosa's before :-)
To make it more nutritious, I replace rice flour with whole wheat flour.

2008-06-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Aratikaya koora (Kacche kele ki sabzi)

Raw plantain cooked with onion and tomato

Plantains has high dietary fiber, vitamin c, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. It is good for people suffering with asthma, bronchitis, cancer. By eating plantain or banana, for diabetics, it temporarily increases the blood sugar and insulin level, and also due to the high dietary fiber may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Source: Puritan

Plantains can be used for cooking different types of food depending on the ripeness. Raw plantain can be used for making fritters, chips by deep frying, steam cooked to make curries. Every household, in southern India prepares raw plantain curry with variations. For example, small amounts of coconut or curry powder/mustard paste are added. The recipe given is the one cooked with tomato and onion without any sweet and sourness added to it.

Ingredients

Plantain - 1 large
Chana dal - 2 teaspoons
Urad dal - 1 teaspoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves 1 stalk
Dry red chilli - 1
Green Chilli - 2 (depending on the spice level)
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Water - 1/2 cup

Process:

Preheat oil in a medium bottom saucepan or wok on medium high temperature, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let them splutter, add red chilli, green chillies and curry leaves.

Add onion, tomato, salt and turmeric sautee it for 5 minutes. Add the chopped raw plantain, mix it well.

Cover the dish, cook on low heat till the plantain blends well with onion and tomato, add 1/2 cup of water to curry (approximately 15 minutes). Turn off the stove, when plantain is fully cooked.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-06-05T11:16:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Gobi Paratha (Gobi ke parathe)

(Cauliflower stuffed flat Indian bread)

Summary:

Cauliflower stuffed parathas can be served as a meal with yogurt and some sweet/spicy pickle. When I came to US, I did not know how to make paratha's. One of my Punjabi friend thought me. I learnt a lot of my punjabi dishes from her. I had to get the hang of it and this is my contirbution for those who are learning to cook.

Ingredients:

Ready to roll roti dough - 1 and 1/2 cup (knead 3 cups of wheat flour,salt and water)
Cauliflower - 4 cupse (grated)
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 tablespoon (grated)
Dry fenugreek leaves (dry methi) - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder (dhania powder)- 3 teaspoons
Dry mango powder (amchoor powder) - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 4 - 5 small (chopped)
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)

Preparation for stuffing:

Add all the above ingredients (except salt) to the grated cauliflower. Adding salt to the mixture makes the cauliflower mixture loose and with lot of moisture, rolling the paratha gets difficult if you are just starting to learn.

Preparation for roti:

Dough preparation - Add 1 and 1/2 cup of water (approximate) to 3 heaping cups of wheat flour with a large pinch of salt and knead to stiff dough. Cover and keep aside for 20minutes for best results.

Method to roll gobi Partha:

Get the tools ready - Tawa on the stove with medium high temperature. Rolling pin to make/roll rotis/parathas. All purpose flour in a 3/4 plate to lightly flour the dough in between during rolling the paratha dough. Have the roti dough ready to roll the paratha's. Make one lemon size ball out of the dough. Slightly flatten one ball sized dough and dip the flatten ball in the all purpose flour plate which is placed in the side. Place it on the lightly floured/clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center.

To prevent sticking of the paratha dough when rolling, you can continuously rotate the dough on the surface, and set it aside and start rolling the second ball sized dough the same way.
(lift it up and throw it back down just like a frisbee). Place one tablespoon or little more of cauliflower mixture stuffing on the half rolled paratha and sprinkle one or two pinches of salt (according to taste).

Slightly press/seal the ends of the roti together like a ball covering all mixture and gently roll the paratha.

Continue rolling and lightly dust the paratha with flour if the paratha is sticking to the surface. Too much dusting may spoil the taste of the paratha. It is important to roll the dough on one side only. Make sure not to apply too much pressure while rolling. Try not to roll the paratha too thin (if you're a beginner at this). Soon you will see the small ball of dough expand to 3 inches in diameter (just like a disc)

Method to cook cauliflower paratha:

Preheat the tawa/cast iron pan on medium high. Transfer the ready paratha on to the pan and wait for 20 seconds. Flip the paratha on to the other side and wait for 15-20 seconds.

Flip the paratha again on the cooked side and apply clarified butter (ghee) or oil and make sure the paratha is cooked well on both sides.

Do not leave the paratha too long on the tawa or else it will burn. Transfer the paratha into a plate and brush it with ghee. Parathas taste good when served hot.

Preparation time : 20 - 30 minutes
# Parathas - 12

Tips:

You can always roll gobi paratha's and half cook them and stack them before hand and Cook them fully when you are ready to eat.

2008-06-04T17:54:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Spicy asparagus

Summary:

Asparagus has good medicinal qualities. Asparagus has good source of dietary fiber and good source of folic acid. Asparagus is low in calories with no fat and cholesterol.

Asparagus is a healthy side dish which can be eaten with Rice, Roti, Pasta. The shoots or spears are cooked in different ways. Asparagus has a delicate flavor, steam cooked or stir fry makes it delicious too.

Ingredients:

Asparagus - 1 bunch (3- 4 cups approx)
Cumin - 1/2 spoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powderr - 1 teaspoon
Butter - 1 teaspoon.

Process:

Soak the spears in the water for few minutes before cutting. So that all the fine sand in the spears is washed away. Now wash the Asparagus in clean water again. Cut it into small pieces.

Roast:

Preheat the skillet and melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds.

Once the cumin starts crackling, add asparagus spears, salt, red chilli powder and dhania powder.
Sautee well for 5 - 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover and cook for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Until asparagus is tender.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.
# Servings: 3 - 4

2008-06-03T20:49:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Dadhojanam (Dahi ke chawal)

Yogurt rice

Summary:

Yogurt rice is very pacifying to the body, when eaten in summer. Adding seasoning to it makes it aromatic and appealing. Adding lemon pickle in the side gives happiness to the mental health ;-)

Yogurt rice is a typical south indian dish. In andhra pradesh yogurt rice is called as "dadhojanam". Yogurt rice reminds me of Indian temples, where yogurt rice is served as prasad after offering to the lord. The best flavor and test comes out of the rice when yogurt rice is prepared half hour to one hour before serving time.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup (uncooked)
Yogurt/Curd - 4 cups
Ginger - 2 tablespoons (grated)
Green chillies - 4 medium size (chopped)
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Chana dal - 1 table spoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chilli - 1 long( 3 pieces)
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Method:

Wash rice, add 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon salt and one teaspoon of oil. Cook the rice separately and set it aside.

Seasoning:

Preheat oil in a wok/kadai at medium high temperature. Add chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add grated ginger, green chilies, dried red chilli, and curry leaves. Sautee them well.

Mixing:

Mix yogurt with cooked rice and the seasoning. Mix well, set it aside for 30 minutes to one hour to let the yogurt seep/soak in the rice for more flavor.

Serve with lemon pickle or any spicy pickle in the side.

Preparation time : 20 - 30 minutes
#Servings: 2 - 4

2008-06-02T08:46:00.005-05:00

Recipe - Moth dal

Turkish beans cooked with spices

Summary:

Turkish beans, very rich in nutritional value, has protein and cholesterol lowering fiber. Its high fiber prevents diabetes blood sugar levels rising rapidly after a meal.

For busy people, slow cooker can also be used for cooking. Preparation of moth should be planned adequately for slow cooking which takes 12 - 15 hours before the meal time. Moth have to be pre-soaked for cooking in a slow cooker. For pressure cooking, pre-soaking moth reduces the cooking time.

I prepare moth dal once in a while to bring varity to cooking in our house. In this recipe, moth can be cooked together with onion and tomato to save time and energy, or the basic masala can be added to the the boiled beans. Moth dal can be eaten with rice or roti/paratha/puri. Moth dal is popular in north India, I have started cooking moth dal after I came to US and learnt in the company of the multi cultured families in our community.

Ingredients:

Turkish beans (moth dal) - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 small (1 cup chopped)
Tomato - 1 medium (1cup chopped)
Ginger - 1 teaspoon (grated)
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder (dhania powder) - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Water - 2 cups of water
Cilantro - 1 tablespoon (garnish)
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Process:

Wash and clean turkish beans, soak them over night. If you decide on cooking without soaking, pressure cook it for more time at least 12 whistles. Simmer for 10 minute for 4 whistles. Pressure cook pre-soaked moth dal in 1 and 1/2 cups of water (at least 8 - 10 whistles) with salt and turmeric.

After the pressure is released, if you notice, dal is still standing out you can always lightly mash it into slight mixture, or cook it on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes.

Preparing masala/base spice mixture:

Seasoning:

Heat oil or butter in a skillet or pan. Add cumin seeds and hing, allow the seeds to splutter. Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic and cook till light slightly brown in color.

Add chopped tomatoes, ginger, minced garlic (6 -8 cloves optional), coriander powder and red chilli powder. Saute till tomatoes are well mashed.

Add onion and tomato seasoning to cooked moth dal and little water ( desired consistency), cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves, tomatoes and onions before serving. Serve with rice or roti.

Serve with rice or roti.

Tips:

Some prefer to cook onion, tomato together with the moth dal with salt, red chilli poweder, dhania powder and turmeric till 8 -10 whistles. After the pressure is released add cumin seeds seasoning to the cooked dal, and let it simmer on low heat for 15 - 20 minutes for the spices to seep in.
For slow cooking, after 8 - 10 hours of slow cooking, add the prepared gravy to the boiled/cooked turkish beans in the slow cooker and let it cook for 4 -5 hours till all the ingredients are mixed well with spices seep in. Garnish with cilantro, tomatoes and onions before serving.

2008-06-01T08:26:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Nimmakaya pappu (Moong dal)

Split yellow gram soup with lemon and ginger garnish

Summary:

Plain dals can be made with different types of lentils. This particular soup has a distinct flavor to it. My husband loves the taste and flavor of this soup. Moong dal is simple and easy to make. According to Ayurveda, moong dal is considered good and easy to digest.

Ingredients:

Moong dal (split yellow green gram without skin)- 1 cup
Salt - 1 and 1/2teaspoons
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Green chillies - 2 medium size (chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (grated 1heaping tablespoon)
Lemon juice - 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Water - 3 cups (to cook) add 1 and 1/2 more later
Cilantro - 2 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 tablespoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Process:

Wash moong dal, add 3 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder. Pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Seasoning:

Preheat ghee in a wok/kadai at medium high temperature. Add cumin seeds, let the seeds splutter, add hing, green chilies and ginger. Sautee them well. Add the seasoning to the cooked dal after the pressure release.

Add lemon juice, cilntro and 1 and 1/2 cup of hot water to bring it to the desired consistency. Serve it with rice or soup.

Serve it with rice, roti or soup.

Preparation time: 10 - 15 minutes
# Servings - 4

2008-05-31T22:43:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Rasam

Sweet and sour tomato soup

Summary:

Rasam is a typical south Indian side dish. Every household, in southern India prepares rasam with variations. The taste of rasam depends on the rasam powder used/prepared. For example, small amounts of dal is added or is made lot more spicier with less jaggery/sugar added. Rasam's taste differs in every region. People from Tamilnadu prepare rasam powder with lot of dry roasted red chilli in it. People from Andhra prepare rasam powder with more coriander seeds and whole black pepper and less dry red chillies. The recipe given is the Andhra rasam. You can call it typical telugu brahmin recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 3 large (roma)

Tamarind - small lemon size ( 1 teaspoon paste)
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Cilantro - 3 table spoons
Rasam powder - 3 teaspoons (according to spice level)
Water - 7 cups

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry Leaves - 2 stalks
Ghee/butter- 2 teaspoons

Method:

Boil chopped tomatoes, tamarind, salt, turmeric with 1 cup of water for 10 minutes on medium high temperature.

Mash/grind with a blender all the boiled ingredients, add 6 cups of water, sugar, rasam powder and chopped cilantro. Set the prepared soup aside.

For seasoning, preheat ghee at medium high temperature, add mustard and cumin seeds, let them splutter. Add curry leaves and asafoetida. After a minute add the seasoning to the prepared tomato and cilantro mixture soup. Let it boil for 5 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice or can be served as a soup in cold winter months.

Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes
# Servings: 4

2008-05-30T07:09:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Thai curry with tofu and green beans in sesame sauce

Summary:

Green beans is one of the vegetables, which can be found anywhere in the world. Green beans is high in vitamin c and no fat. Tofu is the soybean curd, high in protein and calcium. Adding sesame makes it rich in calcium , manganese and copper.

Thai curry goes well with noodles or steamed rice. I use store bought sesame sauce. Whenever I get bored with the regular indian cooking, I change few ingredients and make it little attractive for my family to invite them to the dinning table with a smile on their face. This is the first time I tried thai curry with sesame sauce and it turned out very tasty. Please give it a try and let me know how it turned out.

Ingredients:

Green beans - 4 cups (cut in 2 inch pieces)
Tofu - 2 cups (half a pound)
Coriander powder (dhania powder) - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 2 teaspoons
Ginger - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 1 teaspoon
Sesame sauce - 1 teaspoon
Coconut milk (lite) - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Oil - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Preheat oil in a wok or skillet, add cumin seeds, let them splutter. Add green beans, salt and turmeric. Sautee them for 7 - 10 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic, tofu cubes, coriander powder and saute for 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk and sesame sauce. Let it cook till green beans is cooked well. Add water (2 cups) to bring it to the desired consistency.

Serve hot with steamed rice or noodles.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
# Servings: 4 - 6

Tips:

For Sesame sauce:
Ingredients:
Sesame seeds: 1/4 cup
Rice vinegar - 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar - 3/4 tablespoon

Roast sesame seeds, blend with sugar, salt, rice vinegar until smooth.

2008-05-29T09:06:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Aratikaya pulusu bellam koora (Kacche kele ki khatta meeta sabzi)

Raw plantain cooked with sweet and sour sauce

Summary:

Plantains has high dietary fiber, vitamin c, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. It is good for people suffering with asthma, bronchitis, cancer. By eating plantain or banana, for diabetics, it temporarily increases the blood sugar and insulin level, and also due to the high dietary fiber may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Source: Puritan

Plantains can be used for cooking different types of food depending on the ripeness. Raw plantain can be used for making fritters, chips by deep frying, steam cooked to make curries. Every household, in southern India prepares raw plantain curry with variations. For example, small amounts of coconut or mustard paste/curry powder or mustard powder are added. The recipe given is the sweet (jaggery/sugar) and sour (tamarind) recipe, which is a very common recipe in Andhra cooking.

Ingredients

Plantain - 1 and 1/2 large
Chana dal - 2 teaspoons
Urad dal - 2 teaspoons
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
curry leaves 1 stalk
Dry red chilli - 1
Green Chilli - 2 (depending on the spice level)
Tamarind paste - 1/2 teaspoon
Jaggery/Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1/2 + 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Water - 1/2 + 1/4 cup

Process:

Pressure cook peeled and chopped plantain with 1/2 teaspoon salt and turmeric and 1/4 cup of water for 2 whistles. Set it aside.

Preheat oil in a medium bottom saucepan or wok on medium high temperature, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let them splutter, add red chilli, green chillies and curry leaves.

Add cooked plantain, tamarind paste, jaggery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water, mix it well. cook on low heat till the plantain blends well with the sweet and sour sauce (approximately 15 minutes).

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes
# Servings: 2

2008-05-28T06:04:00.000-05:00

Recipe- Paneer Paratha (Paneer ke parathe)

(Cottage cheese stuffed flat Indian bread)

Summary:

Cottage cheese/ Paneer stuffed parathas can be served as a meal with yogurt and some sweet/spicy pickle. When I came to US, I did not know how to make paratha's. One of my Punjabi friend thought me to make parathas. I had to get the hang of it and measurements are my contirbution for those who are learning to cook.

Paratas are generally served as breakfast/snack/dinner in Northern India. I generally make paratas for lunch or dinner. I try and make low fat paneer with skim milk, for mental satisfaction :-)

Ingredients:

Ready to roll roti dough - 1 cup (knead 2 cups of wheat flour,salt and water)
Cottage cheese ( Paneer) - 2 cups
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 tablespoon (grated)
Coriander powder (dhania powder)- 1heaping tablespoon
Dry mango powder (amchoor powder) - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 4 - 5 small (chopped)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)

Preparation for stuffing:

Add all the above ingredients (except salt) to the grated cauliflower. Adding salt to the mixture makes the paneer mixture loose and with lot of moisture, rolling the paratha gets difficult if you are just starting to learn.

Preparation for roti:

Dough preparation - Add 1 cup of water (approximate) to 2 heaping cup of wheat flour with a large pinch of salt and knead to stiff dough. Cover and keep aside for 20minutes for best results.

Method to roll paneer partha:

Get the tools ready - Tawa on the stove with medium high temperature. Rolling pin to make/roll rotis/parathas. All purpose flour in a 3/4 plate to lightly flour the dough in between during rolling the paratha dough. Have the roti dough ready to roll the paratha's. Make one lemon size ball out of the dough. Slightly flatten one ball sized dough and dip the flatten ball in the all purpose flour plate which is placed in the side. Place it on the lightly floured/clean surface and slowly roll the dough in a circular motion from the center.

To prevent sticking of the paratha dough when rolling, you can continuously rotate the dough on the surface, and set it aside and start rolling the second ball sized dough the same way.
(lift it up and throw it back down just like a frisbee). Place one tablespoon or little more of paneer mixture stuffing on the half rolled paratha and sprinkle one or two pinches of salt (according to taste).

Slightly press/seal the ends of the roti together like a ball covering all mixture and gently roll the paratha.

Continue rolling and lightly dust the paratha with flour if the paratha is sticking to the surface. Too much dusting may spoil the taste of the paratha. It is important to roll the dough on one side only. Make sure not to apply too much pressure while rolling. Try not to roll the paratha too thin (if you're a beginner at this). Soon you will see the small ball of dough expand to 3 inches in diameter (just like a disc)

Method to cook paneer paratha:

Preheat the tawa/cast iron pan on medium high. Transfer the ready paratha on to the pan and wait for 20 seconds.

Flip the paratha on to the other side and wait for 15-20 seconds.

Flip the paratha again on the cooked side and apply clarified butter (ghee) or oil and make sure the paratha is cooked well on both sides.

Do not leave the paratha too long on the tawa or else it will burn. Transfer the paratha into a plate and brush it with ghee. Parathas taste good when served hot.

Preparation time : 20 - 30 minutes
# Parathas - 12

Tips:

You can always roll paneer paratha's and half cook them and stack them before hand and Cook them fully when you are ready to eat.

For Paneer preparation refer: Paneer in diary products Labels.

2008-05-27T07:09:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Beerakaya pappu/Turayi aur moong dal

Ridge gourd and Moong dal

Summary

Ridge gourd is very easy to digest and is considered very healthy according to Ayurveda. Ridge gourd can be cooked as a vegetable, dal or chutney. Ridge gourd should be tasted for sweetness before it is cooked. Bitter ridge gourds should be discarded. Tenderness of the ridge can be determined by examining the skin. The skin should be soft and easily scraped with the finger tip when tested. You get better results when the gourd is very fresh i.e. consumed soon after picking.

Ridge gourd dal is easy to digest and has a very nice flavor to it. Moong dal or toor dal can be used to make rigde gourd dal. Green chilli and dry red chilli are used to add spice or hotness to the dal. Do not add red chilli powder to this dal, ridge gourd will loose the flavor.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd - 1 medium size (1 cup chopped)
Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 1
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Wash dal, add 2 cups of water, ridge gourd chopped pieces, salt, green chillies, red chillies (optional). Pressure cook for 2 - 3 whistles.

Preheat ghee in a skillet at medium heat temperature, add cumin and mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add curry leaves and hing. Add the dal to the seasoning and cook it for 2 - 3 minutes.

This dal goes well with roti or rice.

Preparation time - 15 - 20 minutes
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-05-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Dondakaya fry (Tindora/Kovakkai/Kundru sabzi)

Ivy gourd or Little gourd stir fry

Summary

Tindora/little gourd has low glycemic index which is good for people who are diabetic, helps regulates blood glucose. It is high in beta-carotene. I just came to know that dondakaya is also known as gentleman's toes (compare lady's fingers/okra ). Source: Wikipedia.

Tindora/dondakaya is very popular vegetable in south India. Dondakaya can be eaten as a curry or chutney. My kids love dondakaya fry with less spice.

Ingredients:

Tindora - 40 (sliced in circles)
Onion - 1 medium size (1 cup chopped)
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Preheat oi in a skillet, add tindora, onion and turmeric.

Fry them for 10 - 15 minutes. Tindora will be almost ready to be done/cooked, add red chilli powder, salt.

Cook till tindora is done well. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time 20 - 30 minutes
# Servings: 4

2008-05-25T10:26:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Capsicum Aloo curry (Benguluru mirchi bangaladumpa koora)

Bell pepper and potato cooked in tomato sauce

Summary:

Bell pepper is good for anemia. Bell pepper is high in vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B6.

Bell pepper is also know as capsicum in some countries like India, New Zealand and Malaysia. Bell pepper are available in different sizes and colors like green, yellow, red and sometimes in purple. Each colored pepper has its own distinct flavor, and is used for different kind of cooking. Bell pepper of any color makes a good topping on pizza.

Adding potato and tomato to the green bell pepper gives nice flavor to the curry. This is one of the curries, I learnt to cook after I got married, and started cooking regular meals like a typical Indian house wife :-)

Process:

Bell pepper/Capsicum - 2 medium size ( 2 cups chopped)
Potato - 1 medium size (1 cup boiled)
Tomato - 1 medium size ( 1 cup chopped)
Onion - 1 small ( 1/2 cup chopped)
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chilli - 1 broken to 3 pieces(optional)
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Process:

Preheat oil in a wok/skillet on medium high. Add cumin seeds and dry red chilli pieces. Let the seeds splutter, add hing. After few seconds, add chopped onion, tomato, turmeric, coriander powder, salt and red chilli powder and saute for 2 -3 minutes.

Add boiled potato, chopped bell pepper and 1/2 cup of water, cover the dish and let it cook on low for 10minutes till all the spices are blended and cooked well. Tip: add roasted bell pepper, for the crispy texture to the potato sauce after 10minutes, to enjoy the crispier curry.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 20minutes
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-05-24T09:47:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Hard shell Taco

Summary:

The origin of taco is Mexico. The ingredients used in taco are almost the same as in burritos. Tacos include bean, cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Two different types of tacos are available, hard shell taco and soft shell taco at Mexican and American restaurants in the US. The stuffing ingredients are almost the same. I haven't been to Mexico and can't compare with the authentic dishes available in Mexico. My comparisons are with respect to what I have tasted in the US.

I regularly make tacos at home because I can control the quantity and quality of ingredients. Taco is very easy to make, if all the ingredients are available at home. I buy organic salsa, guacamole, beans and sour cream including taco shell, though most of the basic ingredients can be prepared at home (call me lazy).

Ingredients:

Corn taco shell - 1
Pinto beans(cooked) - 1 tablespoon
Salsa - 1 tablespoon
Guacamole - 1 teaspoon
Sour cream - 1 teaspoon
Lettuce - 2 tablespoons
Tomato - 1 teaspoon
Olives - 1 teaspoon
Jalapenos - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Mexican cheese - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Warm taco shells, apply/add warm/hot pinto beans vertically in the center. Add cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, jalapenos. Garnish with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and mexican cheese. Serve with chips and salsa in the side.

Preparation time: 5 minutes (if the ingredients are ready)
# Servings - 1

2008-05-23T08:30:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Putnal pappu pachadi (Idli chutney/idly pachadi/chana dal chutney)

Indian hummus spread

Summary:

Putnal pappu pachadi/chana dal chutney is served with idli/dosa/vada and lot of other light south Indian dishes. Each household in India prepares chana dal chutney with variations. For example, small amounts of coconut or yogurt or cilantro are added. The basic preparation for chana dal chutney remains the same. The taste of putnal pappu pachadi is based on sourness added to it with tamarind/lemon juice. Sourness can always be balanced according to taste.

Putnal pappu pachadi/chana dal chutney tastes good when served fresh. Left over chutney can be stored in refrigerator, but I find the fresh made chutney tasty than the refrigerated one.

Ingredients:

Putnal pappu (split chick peas) - 1 cup
Coconut powder - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 6 Indian chillies (depending on the spice level)
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon (according to taste)
Cilantro - 3 tablespoons
Tamarind - small lemon size (1 and 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice or 1/4 tamarind paste)
Water - 1/2 cup (to grind)

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chilli - 1 (optional)
Curry leaves - 1 stalk

Process:

Grind all the ingredients with water. Add water if needed to acquire desired consistency.

Preheat oil in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter, add red chilli, hing and curry leaves. After a minute, mix the seasoning with the grinded chutney.

Serve it with piping hot idlis/dosa/upma or pita bread.

Preparation time : 15 - 20 Minutes
# Servings: 4 - 6

Tips:

If the chutney/spread is being served with pita bread, do not garnish with seasoning.

2008-05-22T09:12:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Kale and Chana dal (Akkura pappu)

(Fresh Kale leaves cooked in Bengal gram or split chick peas)

Summary

Kale is from a cabbage family, but the center leaves do not form into a head, has curly leaves. Kale is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C. Chana dal is high in protein and dietary fiber, and low in fat with healthy source of carbohydrates for people with diabetes.

Adding chana dal to kale is the result of nutritious side dish, which has greens and protein. Kale dal can be eaten with roti or rice. Toor dal can also be used as variation for chana dal.

Ingredients:

Kale - 1/2 bunch (approximately 2 cups chopped)
Chana dal - 1 Cup
Tomatoes - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 1 Serrano pepper or 3 small Indian chillies cut in stripes (optional)
Dry red chillies - 2 (optional)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon (according to spice level)
Turmeric - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (for seasoning)
Hing (Asafoetida )- 1/4 teaspoon)
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons (according to taste)
Ghee/Oil - 2 teaspoon
Water - 3 cups (to cook)

Process:

Wash dal and add 3 cups of water and add chopped kale leaves, onions and tomato, salt, turmeric and green chillies. Pressure cook dal for 5 whistles. The temperature should be medium high to high.

Seasoning:

Preheat with oil in a kadai (skillet). Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds for seasoning. After you see the seasoning seeds splutter, add red chillies (optional) and hing (Asafoetida). If you are using red chillies and green chillies, better to avoid red chilli powder.

Add dal to the seasoning, add the tamarind pulp/concentrate, 1/2 cup water to get the desired consistency. Cook it for 5 minutes. Turn off the stove. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 30minutes.
# Servings 3 - 4

2008-05-21T17:07:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Vegetarian Burrito

Summary:

Burrito is a Mexican dish. Different types of burritos are available at Mexican restaurants in the US. I haven't been to Mexico and can't compare with the authentic dishes available in Mexico. My comparisons are with respect to what I have tasted in the US.

In a lot of mexican restaurants, vegetarian burritos are served with refried beans and spanish rice. Burritos include bean, cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Spanish rice is also included some times.

I regularly make burritos at home because I can control the quantity and quality of ingredients. Burrito is very easy to make, if all the ingredients are available at home. I buy organic salsa, guacamole, beans and sour cream including tortilla though all of these can be prepared at home (call me lazy).

Ingredients:

Tortilla - 1
Pinto beans(cooked) - 2 tablespoons
Salsa - 1 table spoon
Guacamole - 1 teaspoon
Sour cream - 1 teaspoon
Lettuce - 2 tablespoons
Tomato - 1 teaspoon
Olives - 1 teaspoon
Jalapenos - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Mexican cheese - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Warm tortilla on a pan, apply/add warm/hot pinto beans vertically in the center. Add cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, jalapenos. Garnish with guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Fold it from both the sides. Fold one side of the burrito to half, then fold the second side into half. Serve hot.

Preparation time: 5 minutes (if the ingredients are ready)
# Servings - 1

2008-05-20T08:28:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Lauki/Dudhi cooked with milk ( Sorakaya/Anapakaya paalu posina kura)

Bottle gourd curry cooked with milk

Summary:

Lauki is very easy to digest and is considered very healthy according to Ayurveda. Lauki can be cooked as a vegetable, dal or chutney. Tenderness of the Lauki can be determined by examining the skin. The skin should be soft and easily scraped with the finger tip when tested. You get better results when the lauki is very fresh i.e. consumed soon after picking.

Lauki as a vegetable, is very simple to cook and bland in taste. For those who can't handle too much spice, lauki is for them. In south india, red chilli powder is not added to the cooking. The spice is added by green and red chillies only. Zuccini can be replaced for Lauki squash.

Ingredients:

Lauki - 4 cups (chopped)
Carrots - 1/2 cup (chopped - optional)
Green chillies - 1
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Chana dal (bengal gram) - 2 teaspoons

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee - 1 teaspoon
Milk - 1/4 cup

Process:

Preheat wok/kadai with oil at medium high temperature. Add chana dal, cumin and mustard seeds. Let seeds splutter. Add red chillies, green chillies, hing and curry leaves. Let the chillies roast for few seconds. Add chopped carrots to the seasoning. Fry it for 2 minutes.

Add Lauki, salt and turmeric, mix well. Cover the dish and let it cook till lauki is almost cooked (10 minutes approx).

Uncover the dish, add milk and sugar. Mix well, cook till carrot and lauki are cooked. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Serve hot with roti or rice.

Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes
# Servings: 4

2008-05-19T20:04:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Kale and potato curry

Summary

Kale is from a cabbage family, but the center leaves do not form into a head. Kale is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C.

Kale has a distinct flavor, and not everyone likes the taste of it. I add potato with Kale, so that the kale flavor is not dominating and kids can eat it too. Its a big task to feed kale to the kids. Both of my daughters don't eat Kale generally, but they enjoyed this curry. I will make this curry more often.

Ingredients:

Kale Leaves - 1 bunch (approx 4 - 5 cups chopped)
Potato - 1 big (boiled 1 cup)
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)
Green chillies - 2 (according to taste)
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
Amchoor - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida (hing) - 1 large pinch
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Process:

Preheat a medium heavy sauce pan or a wok with oil on medium high temperature, add cumin seeds. Let them splutter, add dry red chilli, green chilli and hing. After a minute add boiled potato, coriander powder and turmeric powder. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add chopped kyle and salt, mix it well. Cover the dish, cook for 5 - 7 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of water if needed. Turn off the stove, after kale is cooked.

Serve it hot roti or rice.

Preparation time- 20 minutes (apart from chopping kale and boiled potato)
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-05-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Nachos

Summary:

Nachos are very popular snack. Even though burrito is originated from Mexico, the ingredients used in nacho are almost the same in burritos too. Different types of nachos are available at the fast food restaurants. In lot of Mexican restaurants, nachos are served with refried beans and nacho cheese with corn chips. Where as in the fast food chains, macho ingredients includes bean, cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, salsa, guacamole and sour cream, with corn chips

I make nachos at home very regularly. My husband loves nachos with lot of salad on it. Nachos are very easy to make, if all the ingredients are ready in the house. I use store bought salsa, guacamole, beans, sour cream and corn chips. This saves my time and energy and a quick dinner/snack to the family specially at the end of a busy working day.

Ingredients:

Corn chips - 1 cup
Pinto beans(cooked) - 2 tablespoons
Nacho cheese - 2 table spoons
Salsa - 1 table spoon
Guacamole - 1 teaspoon
Sour cream - 1 teaspoon
Lettuce - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1tablespoon
Olives - 1 tablespoon
Jalapenos - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Mexican cheese - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Warm corn chips (optional), spread chips in the plate in single or double layer. Add melted nacho cheese and beans.

Add lettuce, tomato, olives, jalapenos. Garnish with mexican cheese, guacamole, salsa and sour cream.

Preparation time: 5 minutes (if the ingredients are ready)
# Servings - 1

2008-05-17T07:52:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Yams dal

Yams soup

Summary

Yams is low in saturated fat and high in dietary fiber, vitamin C and Vitamin B6. This makes Yam very nutritional and gives good protection against diabetes and obesity unlike potato.

Lentils have high level of protein, minerals and dietary fiber. The soluble fiber helps stabilize the blood sugar level and lower risk of heart disease. Source: Wikipedia

Yams are mistaken to sweet potato. But can be used as variation for sweet potato. Yams mixed with lentils, makes a nutritious and healthy soup.

Ingredients:

Yams's chopped - 1/2 cup
Toor dal - 1 cup
Amchoor - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - less than 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
Water - 2 cups(to cook)

Process:

Wash and clean dal, add 2 cups of water, chopped yams and the spices. Pressure cook all the ingredients for 3 whistles. Keep it in the side. Seasoning is optional. If you would like season, Preheat wok/sauce pan with one teaspoon of ghee/butter, mustard and cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add it to the cooked dal/soup. Add 1/2 cup of hot water to the cooked dal to get the desired consistency. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Preparation time - 15 - 20 minutes
#Serving: 2- 4

2008-05-16T07:33:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Sorakaya Pappu/Lauki aur toor dal (annapakaya/dudhi dal)

Calabash/Bottle gourd cooked with lentils

Summary

Lauki is very easy to digest and is considered very healthy according to Ayurveda. Lauki can be cooked as a vegetable, dal or chutney. Tenderness of the Lauki can be determined by examining the skin. The skin should be soft and easily scraped with the finger tip when tested. You get better results when the lauki is very fresh i.e. consumed soon after picking.

Lauki dal is very simple to cook and bland in taste. For those who can't handle too much spice, this is dal is for them. In south indian dals, red chilli powder is not added to dals in cooking. The spice is added by green and red chillies only. Zuccini can be replaced for Lauki squash for making this dal.

Ingredients:

Lauki - 1 cup (chopped)
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 1
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1/4 teaspoon
Ghee/Oil - 1 teaspoon
Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Process:

Wash dal, add 2 cups of water, lauki, salt, green chillies, red chillies (optional). Pressure cook for 2 - 3 whistles.

Preheat ghee in a skillet at medium heat temperature, add cumin and mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add curry leaves and hing. Add the seasoning to the cooked dal. Garnish with lemon juice if you like. This dal goes well with roti or rice.

Preparation time - 15 - 20 minutes
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-05-15T14:27:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Methi and Toor dal (Menthi kura pappu)

(Fenugreek leaves cooked in Pigeon Peas)

Summary

Fenugreek leaves or fenugreek is a natural remedy for migrane, asthma. Fenugreek reduces blood glucose levels, also reduces blood cholesterol. Source : Wikipedia.

Adding toor dal to methi is the result of nutritious side dish, which has greens and protein. Methi dal can be eaten with roti or rice. Chana dal can also be used as variation for toor dal.

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves/Methi leaves - 1 bunch (approximately 2 cups or 3 frozen cubes)
Toor Dal - 1 Cup
Onion - 1 cup (optional)
Tomatoes - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 1 Serrano pepper or 3 small Indian chillies cut in stripes (optional)
Dry red chillies - 2 (optional)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon (according to spice level)
Turmeric - 1/2 - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (for seasoning)
Hing (Asafoetida )- 1/4 teaspoon)
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons (according to taste)
Ghee/Oil - 2 teaspoon
Tamarind - 1/2 teaspoon (concentrate)
Water - 3 cups (to cook)

Process:

Wash dal and add 2.5 cups of water and add chopped methi leaves, onions and tomato, salt, turmeric and green chillies. Pressure cook dal for 3 whistles. The temperature should be medium high to high.

Seasoning:

Preheat with oil in a kadai (skillet). Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds for seasoning. After you see the seasoning seeds splutter, add red chillies (optional) and hing (Asafoetida). If you are using red chillies and green chillies, better to avoid red chilli powder.

Add dal to the seasoning, add the tamarind pulp/concentrate, 1/2 cup water to get the desired consistency. Cook it for 5 minutes. Turn off the stove. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 30minutes.
# Servings 3 - 4

2008-05-14T14:26:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Chard and Moong dal curry (Akkura pappu koora)

Chard cooked with split moong dal.

Summary

Swiss chard is one of the most powerful anti-cancer foods. It has an excellent combination of photochemical, chlorophyll, other plant pigments, and soluble fiber. It also contains a generous amount of Vitamin K that is especially beneficial in the maintenance of bone health. Lentils have high level of protein, minerals and dietary fiber.

This dish can be eaten with roti or rice. Chana dal can also be used as variation for Toor dal. Different kinds of greens can be used as variation for chard. Typically this curry is made with amarnath leaves or spinach leaves, in India. My mexican friend said amarnath leaves are also part of Mexican cuisine. Living in US, amarnath leaves/thota koora are very rare to be found in indian grocery stores.

Recipe given below tastes delicious made with red chard or swiss chard, too. This curry make a nutritious meal with everything in one single dish.

Ingredients:

Chard - 4cups (finely chopped)
Moong dal - 1/2 cup (pre-soaked for 10 minutes
Green chillis - 2 Indian green chillies (depending on the spice level)
Dry red chilli - 1
Ginger - 1 teaspoon
Garlic - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Hing - one small pinch
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Process:

Preheat a medium heavy sauce pan or a wok with oil, add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them splutter, add dry red chilli, green chilli and hing. After a minute add ginger, garlic, pre-soaked moong dal, salt and turmeric powder with 2 cups of water. Cook it at low temperature for 10 minutes.

After moong dal is almost cooked, add chopped chard. Mix it well. Cover the dish, cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Turn off the stove.

Serve it hot roti or rice.

Preparation time- 20 minutes (apart from chopping chard)
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-05-13T09:25:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Pesto Pasta

Summary:

Pesto pasta is one of the easiest to make. My little one, Saachi is a pasta fan. We all tease her, that she should have born in an Italian family. She can survive on any kind of pasta and vegetables in the side as her staple food.

As everyone knows, pesto sauce is made with fresh basil leaves. Basil has good medicinal qualities which helps in anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties. It is also helps as a supplement to treat stress, asthma and diabetes. Source: Wikipedia

Pasta is from Italian origin. There are different kinds and shapes of pasta which are made out using dough with many other ingredients, shaped in spaghetti, macaroni, penni pasta and so on. Pasta is eaten with different kinds of sauces in the side. Pasta is rich in carbohydrates.

Ingredients:

Pasta (any kind) - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon
Pesto sauce - 3 teaspoons (according to taste)

Process:

Boil water in a pot with salt and oil. Add pasta to the boiling water. Let it cook for 10 -15 minutes till it is done. Drain the pasta in a colander.

In a microwave bowl mix pasta and pesto sauce well. Microwave it for one minute, serve it hot. Goes well with vegetables in the side or bread and soup.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
# Servings: 2 - 4

2008-05-12T19:08:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Pesto sauce

Summary:

Basil has an antioxidant, that helps in anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-viral and anti-microbial properties.It is also helps as a supplement to treat stress, asthma and diabetes. Source: Wikipedia

For Pesto sauce, basil leaves or parsley leaves can be used. I make pesto sauce with just basil, when basil is available plenty in summer. Basil can be grown outside the kitchen in a pot and can be made fresh whenever desired. I add parsley in months when basil is not as available, like in winters.

I got the non-diary/vegan recipe from my friend, Brianna. She soaks walnuts 6-8 hours or overnight to help with digestibility. The walnuts actually maintain their crunch.

Also without cheese, this works for packed lunch sandwiches where you can add fried tofu, and/or raw veggies. Pesto sauce can be used in sandwiches, pastas and so on...

Ingredients

Pesto sauce with cheese:

Basil - 1 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
Pine nuts/Walnuts - 3 tablespoons
Olive oil - 5 tablespoons
Black pepper powder- 1/4 teaspoon
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup grind

Pesto Sauce with out cheese:

Basil - 1 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves ( can add up to 5 if you can handle it)
Olive oil - 5 tablespoons
Walnuts/Pine nuts - 3 tablespoons
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
Black pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons (according to taste)

Process:

With Cheese:

Food processor/blend pine nuts/walnuts with garlic, fresh basil (may add parsley in months when basil is not as available). Now add garlic cloves, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper.
Dish out into a clean container. Store it in the refrigerator.

With out cheese:

Food processor/blend soaked walnuts/Pine nuts with garlic, fresh basil (may add parsley in months when basil is not as available). Now add garlic cloves, olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Preparation time: 5 - 10 minutes
# Servings 8 - 10

2008-05-11T10:38:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Banana bread

Banana cake/Muffins

Summary

Today is Mothers day, and my kids wanted to bake something with me for mothers day. We baked Banana bread/Cake/Muffins yesterday, and my husband took photos while we were baking. My kids and husband served this as breakfast with hot tea. It feels wonderful to be pampered. They know me very well that I prefer a healthy snack for my family.

The kids want something that is not very crispy, not very mushy, not too sweet. I want it to be healthy and nourishing. I involve the kids to make something that they will enjoy. One of out favorites is Banana muffins and bread for snack/breakfast. I use the following recipe for cakes, breads and muffins. This particular recipe is egg less so it suits vegetarians well.

Happy Mothers day to all the mothers out there!!!!

Ingredients:

For desired results use standard measuring cups and spoons.

All purpose flour (part whole wheat is fine) - 3 cups
Baking soda - 2 teaspoons
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 2 teaspoons (optional)
Ground ginger - 1 teaspoon
Organic soy flour - 2 heaping tablespoons
Organic oil - 3/4 cup
Organic vanilla - 2 teaspoons
Organic sugar - 1 and 1/4 cups
Ripe bananas - 3 1/2 cups (about 3 -4 bananas mashed)
Walnuts/Almonds (chopped) - 1 cup (optional)

Preheat

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare three 8 inch round baking pans or one 9 by 13 inch baking pan or a muffin mold and bread baking mold/dish.

Process

Stir in all the below ingredients into a mixing bowl for a flour mixture.

All purpose flour (part whole wheat is fine) - 3 cups
Baking soda - 2 teaspoons
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 2 teaspoons
Ground ginger - 1 teaspoon
Organic soy flour - 2 heaping tablespoons

On the side melt 1/2 cup organic butter in medium sized pan and add:

Organic oil - 3/4 cup
Organic vanilla - 2 teaspoons
Organic sugar - 1 and 1/4 cups

Mashed bananas and add chopped walnuts/almonds (optional)

Add flour mixture and stir until combined. Grease the pan with butter or oil. Pour into the pan(s).

Baking

Bake for 30-50 minutes (depending on pan size). For muffins, it takes approximately 30 -40minutes To see if the bread/cake is done, gently pierce with a tooth pick into the cake after 40 - 50 minutes. The tooth pick should come clean without any wet cake batter.

Preparation time: 50 minutes - 1 hour

# Servings: 15 muffins and 1 whole bread

PS: Martha Stewart

2008-05-10T11:51:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Lentil Soup with celery and vegetables

Summary:

Lentils have high level of protein, minerals and dietary fiber. The soluble fiber helps stabilize the blood sugar level and lower risk of heart disease. Source: Wikipedia

Vegetable soup with bread butter sandwich is among one of my kids favorite lunch items to school. I get them to eat their veggies and protein in one meal. It helps them eat warm lunches during cold winter. Makes a very nutrious dinner with some salad or pasta in the side.

Ingredients:

Lentils - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1/4 cup
Celery - 1/2 cup
Bell pepper - 1/2 cup
Yam - 1/2 cup
Zucchini - 1/2 cup
Green beans - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 cup (1 large tomato)
Spinach - 1/2 cup (frozen or any fresh greens)
Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves (according to taste)
Bay Leaf - 1 small
Whole Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
Water - 4 cups
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
Black Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Ground Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter/Ghee/Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon
Lemon Juice - according to taste (optional)

Process

Preheat butter or olive oil in a soup pot or pressure cooker, splutter whole cumin seeds, add bay leaf. Add finely cut onions, celery and garlic and stir till aromatic.

Add all the veggies, tomatoes, lentils, ground cumin, black pepper and salt.

Add 4 cups of water, bring to boil, lower heat and cover the dish, let it cook until lentils are cooked (20minutes). Turn off the heat.

Add little lemon juice (optional). Serve hot.

Preparation time 30 minutes
# Servings: 4 - 6

2008-05-09T14:45:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Buckwheat Soup with black beans

Summary:

Buckwheat can be used as an alternative to rice. Buckwheat is high in fiber and has high nutritional value and good medicinal uses. Buckwheat helps prevents gallstones, high blood pressure, type II diabetes and so on. Buckwheat protein binds cholesterol tightly, helps reducing plasma cholesterol in people with excess in their system. Source: Wikipedia

According to ayurved, the grain and bean ratio should be 2:1 ratio, for easy digestion. I do it 1:1 ratio, keeping the growing kids in mind. Soup can be made with millet grain or amaranth grain as well, instead of buckwheat groats. Beans of choice can be used - Black beans boiled, or adzuki beans or black eyed beans etc. Whole bean is high in protein. Vegetables of choice - carrots, green beans, butternut squash, chard, spinach, red cabbage, green cabbage etc.

Buckwheat soup can be made with minimal vegetables too. Its ones choice of vegetables and availability of vegetables that makes the soup delicious. Below is the recipe, given by my friend, who is into health foods and cooks with estimation. As usual measurements and choice of vegetables are my addition. My family loved this soup, my four year old asked me to make this soup more often :-)

I give this as lunch to my 7 year old, she is not a big fan of vegetable soups. But to be one among the other kids with a western menu, she takes it with bread and butter in the side. I give her a choice, soup or Indian food!!! Her choice has always been soup :-)

Ingredients:

Buckwheat Groats - 1/2 cup
Black beans - 1/2 cup (presoak overnight)
Onion - 1/4 cup
Celery - 1/2 cup
Bell pepper - 1/2 cup
Yam - 1/2 cup
Green beans - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 cup (1 large tomato)
Spinach - 1/2 cup (frozen, fresh greens are better)
Garlic - 2 or 3 cloves (according to taste)
Bay Leaf - 1 small
Whole Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
Water - 3 + 3 cups (3 cups to cook black beans)
Salt - 1/2 + 1/2 teaspoon (1/2 teaspoon to add to black beans)
Black Pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Ground Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter/Ghee/Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon
Lemon Juice - according to taste (optional)

Process

Wash and clean black beans, soak them overnight. Add 3 cups of water and salt to the black beans. Pressure cook it for at least 8 whistles. If you are using slow cooker, start cooking before 10 -12 hours on high setting before preparing the soup. Add hot water when cooking in the slow cooker to save an hour in cooking.

Preheat butter or olive oil in a soup pot or pressure cooker, splutter whole cumin seeds, add bay leaf. Add finely cut onions, celery and garlic and stir till aromatic.

Add all veggies, tomatoes, buckwheat groats and boiled beans. Add ground cumin, black pepper, salt and water.

Add 3 cups of water, bring to boil, lower heat and cover the dish, let it cook until buckwheat is fully cooked (20minutes). Turn off heat.

Turn off heat. Add little lemon juice (optional). Serve hot with bread or any kind of pasta.

Preparation time 30minutes (apart from cooking black beans)
# Servings: 4 - 6

Recipe help by: Monica

2008-05-08T15:10:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Eggplant curry/Brinjal curry ( Vankaya menti koora/baingan ki sabzi)

Eggplant cooked with onions and tomatoes

Summary:

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetable. Eggplant helps control cholesterol. It is high in potassium and good source of folic acid. Fenugreek leaves or fenugreek is a natural remedy for migrane, asthma. Fenugreek reduces blood glucose levels, also reduces blood cholesterol. Source : Wikipedia

Eggplant is consumed more in China and India. Eggplants are grown in different sizes and colors.

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 8 - 10 (small round ones)
Fenugreek leaves/Methi leaves - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Tomato - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Curry powder - 2 heaping tablespoons
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies - 2
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Chana dal (bengal gram) - 1 teaspoon)
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Green chilies - 1 serrano
Dry red chiles - 1 no
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk

Process:

Preheat the wok with oil, add dals and seasoning seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add green chillies, red chillies and curry leaves.

Add Onion and tomatoes to the seasoning. Saute them for a minute or two.

Add Fenugreek leaves to the onion, tomato seasoning. Fry it for 5 minutes.

Add freshly cut eggplant to the wok. Add salt and turmeric, Mix it well and cover the dish for 5 - 8 minutes.

Stir occasionally to check if the eggplant is well done.

Add curry powder to the already cooked eggplant curry, turn off the heat. Mix it well. Let the curry sit in the wok for 5 minutes and retain the heat.

Dish out the curry into a serving bowl. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Servings 4

Tips:

Eggplant curry tastes good without curry powder too.
Curry powder preparation: Refer to: Masala's/Chutney Powders

2008-05-07T00:21:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Carrot Halwa/Carrot Burfi

Summary:

This recipe marks a milestone - it is 100th recipe on my blog! I started about 3 months ago and wanted to post a recipe each day till I reach 100. At times I thought I would not be able to maintain my regular posts but I made it. Hooray!

Thanks to all of you who provided me with valuable feed back and encouragement. In the spirit of accomplishment and celebration, let me share the recipe for a dessert - Carrot Burfi.

Carrot burfi or halwa are different forms of the same basic dessert. I prefer carrot burfi over carrot halwa, because it is easier to keeptrack of how many pieces you have consumed and can be had in moderation.

Carrot burfi/halwa can be prepared in different ways. Some make it milk base with condensed milk, some make it with paneer and some make it with dry milk powder. Carrot burfi/halwa tastes the same no matter how it is cooked. Today, I substituted paneer with milk powder to speed up the process and the result was delicious carrot halwa.

Carrots can be eaten in different ways, raw, steamed, in soups, in cakes or in sweets like carrot halwa. Carrot is high in dietary fiber,antioxidants, beta carotene and vitamin A. It is believed that consuming carrots makes a persons eye sight better. I cook and feed my family carrot in all the different forms to take advantage of the nutritional value of carrots.

Give this recipe a try and you will truly experience bliss through food!

Ingredients:

Carrots - 2 lbs (grated)
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups
Cardamon powder - 1 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoons
Almonds(blanched) - 1/3 cup
Non-fat dry milk powder - 2 cups

Process:

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan or a large skillet. Add grated carrots and sugar .

Cook them covered for 25 minutes on medium high temperature.

Add dry milk powder, uncover the dish and cook it for 30 to 35 minutes. Stir frequently.

Watch the dish at the end to avoid burning of the carrots. Cook until all the moisture of the dish is almost dry or desired consistency. Add almonds and cardamom, mix it well.

Serve halwa little warm in temperature as a dessert. Carrot halwa makes a great dessert for gathering, weddings or any kind of ceremonies.

To serve it in the form of burfi, grease a plate with butter/ghee and transfer the mixture. Spread it evenly with a buttered spatula or grease your hand to avoid getting the mixture stuck to your hand. Decorate the top layer of the burfi with almonds or pistachios powder, and cut to desired shapes.

Let the burfi cool down before you separate the pieces. Otherwise you will get uneven shapes.

Preparation time - 1 hour.
# Servings : 50 - 60 pieces (depending on the size)

2008-05-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Uttampam

Indian vegetable pizza with no cheese

Summary:

Think of a cold afternoon or evening, and you would like to have something hot and healthy without much effort, if you have the batter ready and not in the mood for dosa or idli. That's when Uttapam comes handy. Uttampam can be made with left over dosa or idli batter.

Lot of people call Uttappam as indian pizza without cheese. Kids love this as it can be made with out spice and adults enjoy this too spicing accordingly.

Uttapam is made out of urad dal and rice. The base/batter needs fermentation for 10 -12 hours. The batter is rich in protein and carbohydrates. Adding vegetables to it makes it healthy and colorful with extra flavor.

Ingredients:

Idli Batter - 1/2 cup
Bell peppers - 1 tablespoon (chopped or sliced)
Onions - 1 tablespoon (chopped or sliced)
Tomatoes - 1 tablespoon (chopped)
Cilantro - 1/2 table spoon (chopped)
Green chillies - 1 teaspoon (chopped)

Process:

Preheat tawa/skillet, grease the tawa with oil. Pour half a cup of batter and spread the batter with the laddle on tawa ( not too thin).

Add/decorate desired vegetables on the top of the batter. Apply/spray oil to the edges of the uttapam. Cover th skillet and let it cook for 2 - 3 minutes.

Uncover the skillet, flip uttapam to cook on the second side for 1 - 2 minutes.

Serve hot with with ginger chutney or sambar.

Preparation time - 8 - 10 minutes
# Serving - 1

Tips:

Refer to blog archives for idli batter.

2008-05-05T19:02:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Methi paratha/Methi kura rottelu/Akkura rottelu

Fenugreek leaves parathas

Summary

Fenugreek leaves or fenugreek is a natural remedy for migraine, asthma. Fenugreek reduces blood glucose levels, also reduces blood cholesterol. Source : Wikipedia. Whole wheat flour has good dietary fiber. The combination is a healthy and nutritious meal.

Methi parata can be served as breakfast/lunch/dinner. My family enjoys paratas of any kind, served with love. Spinach can be used as variation for fenugreek leaves.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1
ChickPea flour/Besan - 1/4 cup (optional)
Fenugreek leaves - 1 cup
Green Chillies - 3 small Indian chillies
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Carom seeds (ajwain) - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon
Water - 1/2 cup

Process:
Knead all the above ingredients together except salt, slowly adding water to the flour. It's better not to add all the water into the flour. After the dough is kneaded, take a teaspoon of oil in your hand and apply it all over the dough. Set the dough aside for 20 - 30 minutes before making roti.

Method to roll Parata:

Get the tools ready - Tawa on the stove with medium high temperature. Rolling pin to make/roll rotis. All purpose flour in a 3/4 plate to lightly flour the dough in between during rolling the roti. Grilling rack if you are not using a gas stove. Tongs to flip the roti on the tawa and on the grilling rack. Make a small lemon size ball out of the dough.

Roll or fold it back in desired shaped. Layred folding of the dough results in fluffy and layered parata.

Method to cook Roti/Parata:

Preheat the tawa/cast iron pan on medium high. Transfer the ready parata on to the pan and wait for 10-15 seconds. You will see small bubbles forming on the parata.

Flip the parata on to the other side and wait for 15 - 30 seconds.

Apply ghee/clarified butter. Cook both sides of the roti and ensure parata is well cooked.

Serve hot with any spicy pickle or yogurt in the side.

Preparation time - 10 - 20 minutes

# Servings: 4 - 6 rotis (depending on the size)

2008-05-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Egg less Cranberry orange cookies

Vegan cookies – (Egg less cranberry orange cookies)

Summary:

Cranberry orange cookies are very easy to make. My kids love these cookies. I try to make it healthy replacing all purpose flour with wheat flour. In fact this recipe was tried by my seven year old daughter under my supervision. The photos of cookies you see may not be perfect in shape as they were made by my daughter. But tastes the same, I should say very tasty/sweet as she made them with love :-)

I give these cookies as part of my daughter's lunch as dessert.

Ingredients

Sugar – 1 and 1/2 cup
Butter – 1/2 cup
Milk - ¼ cup (replace with one ripe mashed banana – vegans)
Orange juice - 2 tablespoon
All purpose flour - 3 cups (partial wheat flour can be used)
Baking powder - 1teaspoon
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Baking soda 1/4 teaspoon
Soy flour – 2 tablespoons
Cranberries – 1 and 1/2 cups (chopped)
Nuts – 1 cup (chopped)

Preheat:

Preheat the oven at 350°.

Process

Melt butter in a mixing bowl. Stir in all the above ingredients. Mix all the ingredients well without any lumps.

Give the cookie dough desired shape (remove the cookie molds before placing the tray in the oven). To avoid dough sticking to your palm, apply butter.

Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them for 10 -12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Decorate it with grated orange peel.

Preparation time: 20 – 25 minutes

Servings – 25 – 30 cookies depending on the size.

Recipe help by eggless.com (few changes in ingredients done by me)

2008-05-03T09:37:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Mutter Paneer (Mutter tofu)

Sweet peas cooked with cottage cheese and spices

Summary:

Paneer is very popular ingredient in Indian cuisine. I use tofu in place of paneer to speed up the cooking process. Tofu is the soybean curd, high in protein and calcium.

This is one of those dishes where protein and vegetable can be served in a single dish to feed the kids. My kids love mutter paneer, which is one of the reasons I make mutter tofu quiet often. One really can't tell the difference between tofu and paneer when cooked.

Ingredients:

Sweet peas (frozen) - 3 cups

Paneer/Tofu - 1 cup
Onion - 1 big (1 and 1/2 cup chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 medium (2 cups chopped)
Ginger - 1 tablespoon (minced)
Garlic - 1 teaspoon (minced)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Hing - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Cream/Milk - 3 tablespoons

Process

Heat oil or butter in a skillet or pan. Add paneer/tofu and sautee them for 3 -5 minutes till paneer turn slight golden brown. If you are using tofu, tofu turns slight yellowish in color. Set the sauteed tofu aside.

Use the same oil to prepare the gravy/masala . Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic and cook till light slightly brown in color.

Add chopped tomatoes, ginger, minced garlic (3 pods optional), coriander powder and red chilli powder. Saute till tomatoes are well mashed.

Grind/blend the mixture (optional).

Add cumin seeds and hing, allow the seeds to splutter. Add sweet peas and sautee them for 4 - 5 minutes. Add onion and tomato seasoning and sauteed tofu/paneer.

Add 1 - 2 cups of water to bring it to desired consistency. Cook for 15 - 20 minutes till sweet peas is cooked. Or pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

After the pressure is released, add 3 tablespoons of cream/milk bring it mutter paneer to a boil and turn off the stove.

Garnish with cilantro, Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time - 20 - 30minutes
# Servings 4 - 6

2008-05-02T08:53:00.004-05:00

Recipe - Tindora chutney/Dondakaya pachadi

Tindora spread

Summary:

Ingredients:

Tindora - 20
Onion - 1/3 cup (chopped)
Cilantro - 2 table spoons
Green chillies - 8
salt - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Tamarind - 1 teaspoon paste ( small lemon size tamarind soaked in water)

Seasoning:

Chana dal - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Cilantro - 2 tablespoons
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Process:

Preheat oil in a skillet at medium high temperature, add tindora and salt. cover the dish and cook it for 5 -10 minutes. Don't have to cook tindora fully. Turn off the stove. Let it cool.

Seasoning:

Preheat oil in a skillet at medium high temperature, add chana dal, cumin and mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add curry leaves/cilantro.

Grind tindora, tamarind pulp/paste and the seasoning in a grinder. Add very little water if needed. Do not grind it into a paste. Tindora texture should be felt when eating, to enjoy the flavor. Fry onions seperately, in golden brown in color and add it to the tindora chutney to have it the authentic way.

Tips:

Fry onions along with the seasoning and grind them with tindora. Grind them in a food processor.

Preparation time: 15 - 20 minutes
# Servings : 4 - 6

2008-05-02T08:53:00.002-05:00

Recipe - Capsicum - ginger chutney

Bell Pepper and ginger chutney

Summary:

"Ginger is good for nauseating conditions. Bell pepper is good for anemia. This anti-oxidants rich chutney is also good in inhibiting the growth of cancer, So very good for curing and preventing cancer." The benefits of this chutney are provided by Dr. Pradheep Chhalliyil who has a health related website of his own, www.sakthifoundation.org

Add green chillies (optional) to make it hot and spicy.

Ingredients:

Bell pepper - 1 big
Ginger - 1 inch
Olive oil - 2 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Water - 1 tablespoon

Process:

Chop Bellpepper to 2 inch long pieces. Grind all the above ingredients together.

Preparation time - 5 - 10 minutes
#Servings: 4

2008-05-01T09:07:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Capsicum and Cauliflower curry

Cauliflower and Bell pepper cooked in gravy

Summary:

Bell pepper is good for people with anemia. Cauliflower is high in dietary fiber and vitamin C. Cauliflower belongs to the broccoli and cabbage family. Cauliflower and bell pepper curry has a nice flavor to it, when cooked together.

Cauliflower curry goes well with roti/parata/rice or fried rice/biriyani. I prefer to add bell pepper at the end to retain the crispness.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 15 florets (medium size)
Capsicum - 1 large ( 1 cup)
Onion - 1 big ( 1 and 1/2 cups chopped)
Tomato - 3 medium (2 and 1/2 cups chopped)
Ginger - 1 tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder (dhania powder) - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Cilantro - 1 tablespoon (for garnish)
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Heat oil or butter in a skillet or pan. Add cumin seeds and hing, allow the seeds to splutter. Add chopped onions, ginger, garlic and cook till light slightly brown in color.

Add chopped tomatoes, ginger, minced garlic (6 -8 cloves optional), coriander powder, salt and red chilli powder. Saute till tomatoes are well mashed.

Grind/blend the mixture.

Boil/microwave the cauliflower florets adding or sprinkling 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 5 minutes in the microwave.

Sautee bell pepper (capsicum) in a skillet for 4 - 5 minutes seperate to retain the crispness.

Preheat the kadai/skillet with oil, add cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add the gravy to the seeds. Add gravy to the seasoning, add the florets and bell pepper to the gravy, and mix well. Let it cook, till cauliflower is well done and turn off the stove in 5 -8 minutes. Add 1 cup of water to get the desired consistency while cooking.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time - 30 minutes
#Servings 6

2008-04-30T08:15:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Raagi dosa (pulla dosalu)

Millet Crepes

Summary:

"Raagi/Millet is an excellent food for diabetics, full of fiber and nutrients. The tired feeling in diabetics and any other sick person is alleviated by eating wholegrain ragi. Ragi given to children will give them bone strength because of higher nutrient content". Source:Sakthi Foundation.org

Ragi dosa needs little bit of preparation. The good part is nothing needs to be grinded. No need to worry about fermentation. They can be prepared with ease. For the desired result, it is better to soak the batter overnight. These dosa's come in handy when there is time restriction with cooking. Kids are hungry and need an instant snack Or even a good morning breakfast. I make these very regularly. Give it a try and leave a comment if your family enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

Millet flour/Raagi flour - 1 cup
Semolina/Sooji - 1 cup
All purpose flour/Maida - 1 cup

Rice flour - 1 cup
Wheat flour 1 cup
Cheakpea flour/Besan - 1 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Onions - 2 cups
Tomatoes - 2 cups
Green chili - 2 serrano (3 - 4 Indian green chilies)chopped/minced
Ginger - 2 tablespoons (chopped /minced)
Cilantro - 2 - 3 tablespoons
Salt - 2 teaspoons (according to taste)
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Water - 7 cups (approximately)
Oil - to spray on the dosa

Process:

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl. Do not pour all the water at once. Make the batter into smooth and silky thin with no lumps. Set the batter aside for overnight.

Preheat a non-stick pan/cast iron skillet at a medium heat temperat. Ladle the batter in the center of the preheated pan, slowly spread the batter into a thin circle. Spray oil on top of the crape/dosa.

The edges of the dosa start turning into golden brown flip the dosa and cook it on the other side. In 1 minute remove dosa from the pan.

Fold dosa in desired shape and serve hot with sambar/lentil soup or any kind of spread/chutney or chutney powders.

Preparation time: 5 minutes each dosa (15 minutes to prepare batter)

# Servings 6 - 8

Tips:

It is easier to ladle the batter in the center and lift the pan and move it in a circular motion so that the batter spreads in a circle shape, by itself.

Try using a cup to pour the batter on to the skillet, if you are not comfortable with the ladle. Move your hand fast while pouring.
For some reason if the dosa is not coming out well, add little more water to the batter and dip your fingers in the batter and pour the batter with your fingers on to the skillet. Believe me; you might not have eaten crispier dosa's before this day :-)

2008-04-29T00:07:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Bharwaan Tindora (Dondakaya kura/Kovakkai/ Kundru sabzi)

Ivy gourd or Little gourd stir fry

Summary

Tindora/little gourd has low glycemic index which is good for people who are diabetic, helps regulates blood glucose. It is high in beta-carotene. Thanks to Wikipedia, I leant, dondakaya is also known as gentleman's toes (compare lady's fingers/okra ). Source: Wikipedia.

Tindora/dondakaya is very popular vegetable in south India. Dondakaya can be eaten as a curry or chutney. I make stuffed tindora/dondakaya for small gatherings. I live in a multi cultural community. Dishes like stuffed tindora is like a delicacy, considering its look and presentation. If I am in a hurry I just chop tindora into vertical slices and add the spices on top of them and make it a stir-fry. Tastes almost the same but looks different :-)

Okra/Bhindi can be made the same way as Ivy gourd/Tindora

Ingredients:

Tindora - 45 - 50 pieces

Stuffing:

Coconut - 2 tablespoons (optional)
Chickpea flour/Besan - 3 tablespoons (roasted)
Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoons

Process:

Wash and clean tindora, slit tindora veritcally, making four slits. Make sure one edge of the tindora is entact. Mix all the spices together with with 2 teaspoons of oil. Stuff tindora with the stuffing mix.

Preheat an open skillet with oil on medium heat, add the stuffed tindora's slowly to the pan in a single layer.

Cook/roast them well on all the sides on medium temperature, make sure not to cover the dish.

Preparation time 30 - 45 minutes (takes longer to stuff :-))
# Servings: 4 - 6

Tips:

From one of my readers: Thank you Jen!!

To cook Kovaikkai/Tindora/Dondakaya faster with a little less use of oil, microwave the slit Kovaikkais about 20 of them (on a plate with a little bit of water) and then stuffed them and placed them in a single layer in little oil.
The rest of the Kovaikkai slit vertically (To hasten the cooking process, cooked them in the microwave first and then followed the rest of your recipe, turns out awesome.
To cut the stuffing process short, slice tindoras thin (10 minutes can be saved). Cutting tindoras is also a chore ;-)

Preheat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds. Let them splutter add chopped tindora, turmeric. Let them cook for 10- 15 minutes.

Add red chilli powder, salt and chick pea flour, sautee till the desired crispness is aquaired.

Serve it hot with roti or rice.

2008-04-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Kalakandh burfi

Milk Cake with dry fruits

Summary:

Milk cake reminds me of the Indian sweet stores. My whole family loves Kalakandh. The shelf life of this sweet is not more than 7 days even in a refrigerator. Tastes delicious eaten fresh.

Kalakandh is typically made with paneer as the base. Ricotta cheese can replace paneer to save time. Paneer is high in protein. Kalakandh is very rich calories. Addition of almonds and pistachio makes it rich and delicious. Anything eaten in moderation is the secret of good health. So do not worry about the calories when you are enjoying delicacies like these...

Ingredients:

Paneer - 2 cups ( 2 litres milk to make paneer crumbs )
Dry milk powder - 2 cups
Heavy whipping cream - 1/2 pint(250 ml approx)
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 tablespoons (optional)
Cashew - 1/2 cup (coarsely grinded)
Almonds - 1/2 cup (coarsely grinded)
Pistachio - 1/2 cup (coarsely grinded)

Process:

Boil whipping cream in a heavy sauce pan at medium temperature.

Add paneer to whipping cream. Mix well, cook for 5 -7 minutes, stir continuously, till paneer cooks well. Can fry/cook it for longer time, to get light golden brown color.

Add dry milk powder, mix well. cook for 8 -10 minutes.

If you find the mixture too dry, add little ghee. Add cashew, almonds and pistachio, mix well for 2 minutes.

Let the mixture come down to lukewarm temperature (not too cold). Add sugar to the mixture, mix well. Adding sugar to the mixture at the right temperature yields best results.

Grease a plate with butter/ghee and transfer the kalakandh/milk cake mixture. Spread it evenly with a buttered spatula or grease your hand to avoid getting the mixture stuck to your hand.

Decorate the top layer of the burfi with pistachios powder, and cut to desired shapes.

Let the burfi cool down before you separate the pieces. Otherwise you will get uneven shapes. Store burfi in the refrigerator and serve cold/chill.

Preparation time - 30 - 45 minutes (apart from paneer preparation)
# Pieces - 35 - 40 (depending on the size)

Tips:
Refer Paneer preparation for paneer crumbs.

2008-04-27T10:01:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Atta wale Baingan (Vankaya vepudu/Brinjal fry)

Eggplant dry curry

Summary:

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetable. Eggplant helps control cholesterol. It is high in potassium and good source of folic acid.

Eggplant is consumed more in China and in India. Eggplants are grown in different sizes and colors.

My whole family loves eggplant and the dishes made out of it. We can live on eggplant for a week :-) My daughter Shreya loves this sabzi without potato, can eat it every other day.

Potato can be added to this curry for variation. In north Indian cooking potato can be added to most of the vegetables and the quantity of the curry can be increased.

Ingredients:

Eggplants - 12 - 15 (small round brinjals sliced into four)
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder (dhania powder) - 1teaspoon
Dry mango powder (amchoor) - 1 teaspoon
Whole wheat flour (atta) - 1 tablespoon
Oil - 2 tablespoons

Process:

Preheat oil in a skillet at a medium , add eggplant pieces, fry for 4 - 5 minutes. Add red pepper, dhania powder, amchoor and salt. Mix them well and cook at medium heat temperature.

Add wheat flour/atta to the half cooked eggplant. Fry/Saute eggplant till they are cooked and crisp at medium low temperature.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
# Servings: 4 - 6

Tips:

Boiled potato can be added to this eggplant curry. Add potato, after eggplant is fried for 4-5 minutes along with the spices, let the spices roast well with brinjal/eggplant and potato.
.

2008-04-26T11:53:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Nimmakaya pulihara (Lemon rice/Pulighodarai)

Rice mixed with lemon juice and spices

Summary:

Pulihara reminds me of temples and festive seasons. Yellow rice is is prepared as an offering at the temples almost everyday and is served as "prasad/bhog". Lemon rice is very famous in south India. Each state, for that matter every household, in southern India prepares lemon rice almost the same way.

After leaving home, pulihara is prepared almost once in a month with the left over rice. I usually prepare lemon rice more frequently than tamarind rice, as this is easier to prepare and takes less time.

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup (standard measuring cup not the rice cooker cup)
Lemon juice - 1/4 cup (2 large lemons approx)
Cashew nuts/ground nuts roasted - 1/4 cup (optional)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Hing ( asafoetida) - 1/4 teaspoon
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Chana dal (bengal gram) - 2 teaspoons
Urad dal (black gram) - 1/ teaspoon
Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 stalks
Green chilies - 5 - 6 Indian green chilies
Dry red chilies - 3 (cut in small pieces)
Methi powder (fenugreek) - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Cook Rice:

Wash rice, add 2 cups of water with one teaspoon salt and one teaspoon of oil. Cook the rice separately and set it aside.

Process:

Preheat oil in a wok/kadai at medium high temperature. Add chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter, add methi powder, hing, green chilies, dried chilies, and curry leaves. Sautee them well. Add turmeric powder and turn off the stove.

In a large open bowl, spread rice, add seasoning and lemon juice. Do not pour lemon juice all at once. One can't tell the sourness of the mixture, unless one is a very good cook.

Add the lemon juice according to your taste. After lemon rice is mixed well, set the rice aside for 15 - 20 minutes for all the juices to blend with rice.

Preparation time 20 - 30 minutes

Servings: 4

2008-04-25T12:49:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Sooji ka Upma/Bombai ravva upma

Semolina Upma/Salty pudding with semolina/farina

Summary:

The famous south Indian breakfast. Upma itself serves as a breakfast/snack/dinner with out extra work. If unexpected guest are coming over, and you have so little time to prepare, Upma is the quick solution.

Kids love this as an afternoon snack or even serves as a good lunch with vegetables added to it. Upma can be made with different ravas, rice rava, wheat rava, poha/aval/atukulu with little variation.

Ingredients:

Sooji/Semolina- 2 cups
Onion - 1 big (1 and 1/2 cups)
Ginger - 1 tablespoon (chopped/minced)
Green chillies - 8 Indian chillies
Cilantro/Coriander leaves- 1/4 cup
Water - 6 cups (to cook)
Salt - 2 teaspoons (according to taste)

Seasoning seeds:

Chana dal (bengal gram)- 1 tablespoon
Urad dal (black gram) - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 stalks
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Process:

Preheat oil in a heavy bottom skillet/wok at a medium high temperature. Add seasoning seeds, let them splutter. Add curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. Sautee them for a minute, add onions. Fry onions for 2 minutes. Tips: For more nutrition, add vegetables along with onions and make it vegetable upma.

Add sooji/semolina to the onion mixture, roast it for 5 - 7 minutes.

Lower the temperature of the stove, add salt, mix it well. Add water to semolina mixture and keep stirring. Make sure no lumps are formed.

Add a dab of ghee/clarified butter, cover the skillet and cook upma at low temperature for 15 - 20 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with any kind of chutney.

Preparation time: 20 - 30 minutes.
# Servings: 4 - 6

2008-04-24T09:57:00.001-05:00

Recipe Sorakaya pottu pachadi/Anapakaya pottu pachadi

Spicy spread with Lauki peel

Summary:

Lauki is very easy to digest and is considered very healthy according to Ayurveda. Lauki can be cooked as a vegetable, dal or chutney. Tenderness of the Lauki can be determined by examining the skin. The skin should be soft and easily scraped with the finger tip when tested. You get better results when the lauki is very fresh i.e. consumed soon after picking.

Chutneys can be made out of the fresh peel of lauki/doodhi/sorakaya/anapakaya pottu/. The skin can be used for preparing chutneys and the pulp can be used for making dal or curry.

South India is very famous for fresh chutneys like these ground chutneys. Traditionally chutneys like these are stone ground. These chutneys taste better when they are made fresh. The shelf life is relatively low compared to other chutneys, may be 7 days in a refrigerator.

Ingredients:

Lauki peel - 1cup
Green chillies - 6 small Indian( according to taste)
Tamarind - 1/4 teaspoon paste (one small lemon sized tamarind soaked in warm water)
Salt - 3/4 teaspoon (according to taste)
Chana dal (bengal gram) - 1 tablespoon
Urad dal (black gram) - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Cilantro - 1/4 cup

Process:

Preheat a skillet with one teaspoon oil, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds to splutter. Add curry leaves and green chillis. After a minute add Lauki peel, turmeric. Fry them for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add tamarind pulp and salt; Turn off the stove.

Let it cool. Grind all the ingredients with cilantro. Add very little water if needed.

Tastes good with roti/rice or can be used as a sandwich spread.

Preparation time: 10 - 15 minutes
# Servings: 8 - 10

Tips:

Replace tamarind with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

2008-04-24T09:49:00.001-05:00

Recipe Beera pottu pachadi

Spicy spread with Ridge gourd peel

Summary:

Ridge gourd is very easy to digest and is considered very healthy according to Ayurveda. Ridge gourd can be cooked as a vegetable, dal or chutney. Ridge gourd should be tasted for sweetness before it is cooked. Bitter ridge gourds should be discarded. Tenderness of the ridge can be determined by examining the skin. The skin should be soft and easily scraped with the finger tip when tested. You get better results when the gourd is very fresh i.e. consumed soon after picking.

Chutneys can be made out of the fresh peel of Ridge gourd/Beerakaya pottu. Generally, the skin is used for preparing chutneys and the pulp is used for making dal or curry.

South India is very famous for fresh chutneys like these ground chutneys. Traditionally chutneys like these are stone ground. These chutneys taste better when they are made fresh. The shelf life is relatively low compared to other chutneys, may be 7 days in a refrigerator.

Ingredients:

Ridge gourd peel - 2 medium size (3 - 4 cups)
Green chillies - 8 - 10 small Indian( according to taste)
Tamarind - 1/2 teaspoon paste (one small lemon sized tamarind soaked in warm water)
Salt - 1 teaspoon (according to taste)
Chana dal (bengal gram) - 1 tablespoon
Urad dal (black gram) - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Cilantro - 1/4 cup

Process:

Preheat a skillet with one teaspoon oil, add chana dal, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds to splutter. Add curry leaves and green chillis. After a minute add ridge gourd peel, turmeric. Fry them for 1 or 2 minutes, add salt and cilantro; Turn off the stove.

Let it cool. Grind all the ingredients with tamarind. Add very little water if needed.

Preparation time: 10 - 15 minutes
# Servings: 8 - 10

Tips:

Replace tamarind with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice.

2008-04-23T16:25:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Rajma

Red kidney beans cooked with spices

Summary:

Kidney beans, very rich in nutritional value, has high protein and cholesterol lowering fiber. Its high fiber prevents diabetes blood sugar levels rising rapidly after a meal.

For busy people, slow cooker can also be used for cooking. Preparation of rajma should be planned adequately for slow cooking which takes 12 - 15 hours before the meal time. Rajma have to be pre-soaked for cooking in a slow cooker. For pressure cooking, pre-soaking rajma reduces the cooking time.

Rajma is one of the dishes cooked very frequently in our house. My kids love rajma. I add pinto beans to kidney beans, pinto beans serves as gravy and give a nice flavor and consistency to rajma. In this recipe, rajma is cooked together with onion and tomato to save time and energy. Rajma can be eaten with rice or roti/paratha/puri. Rajma is not only popular in north India but also in south India.

Ingredients:

Red kidney beans - 1 and 1/2 cups
Pinto beans - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 big ( 1 and 1/2 cups chopped)
Tomato - 3 medium (2 and 1/2 cups chopped)
Ginger - 1 tablespoon
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder (dhania powder) - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Water - 6 cups of water
Cilantro - 2 tablespoons (garnish)
Oil - 1 tablespoon

Process:

Wash and soak rajma (red kidney bean) overnight. If you decide on cooking without soaking, you will have to pressure cook it for more time at least 12 whistles.

Pressure cook pre-soaked rajma in 6cups of water (at least 8 - 10 whistles) with onions, tomatoes, dhania powder, salt, red chili powder, turmeric, and grated ginger till rajma are soft.

After the pressure is released, if you notice, the rajma is still standing out you can always lightly mash it into slight mixture, or cook it on low heat for 10 - 15 minutes. Add 1 - 2 cups of water to bring rajma to the desired consistency.

Garnish with coriander leaves, tomatoes and onions before serving. Serve with rice or roti.

Tips:

Some prefer to saute the onion tomato mixture and then add to the cooked rajma. Cook rajma with salt and turmeric till 8 -10 whistles. Add sauteed onion and tomato gravy, cook it on low heat for 15 - 20 minutes for the spices to seep in.
For slow cooking, after 8 - 10 hours of slow cooking, add the prepared gravy to the boiled/cooked kidney beans in the slow cooker and let it cook for 4 -5 hours till all the ingredients are mixed well with spices seep in. Garnish with cilantro, tomatoes and onions before serving.

Adding masala and spices to cooked Rajma :

Seasoning:

2008-04-22T10:04:00.001-05:00

Recipe - Spaghetti squash, vegetables and tofu soup

Summary:

Vegetable soup with tofu is among one of my kids favorite lunch items. I get them to eat their veggies without fuss. It helps them eat warm lunches during cold winters. The roasted Spaghetti squash has little sweetness with coconut milk and zing from ginger. Soup serves as dinner with freshly tossed salad and bread in the side.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti squash - 1 cup (cooked/baked)
Vegetables of your choice - zucchini, beans, carrot, broccoli, capsicum (green pepper) - minimum half a cup of each vegetable
Tofu - 1 cup (cut in small cubes)
Coconut milk - 2 cups (thick)
Ginger - 2 teaspoons (minced)
Garlic - 1 teaspoon (minced)
Green onions/shallots - 1 tablespoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Roasted cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Black pepper - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt - 1 teaspoon

Process:

Cut spaghetti quash into two equal parts from the center. Apply/spray olive oil on spaghetti quash, bake it at 400 degree in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until flesh is tender. Remove from the oven, let it cool. Fork out the pulp/squash into a bowl which seems like spaghetti and discard the shells.

Preheat oil in a thick bottom skillet or open dish, add ginger, garlic, carrots and green beans. Saute them for 3 - 4 minutes.

Add rest of the vegetables, tofu, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, salt and turmeric. Mix well, cook or fry the vegetables for 5 minutes

Add spaghetti squash, coconut milk and alphabet pasta to the vegetables. Add 1 - 2 cups of water to bring it to the desired consistency.

Add black pepper, lemon juice and 2 - 3 cups of water to your desired consistency. Cook it on simmer for 5 - 10 minutes to let the juices blend with tofu. Garnish with shallots and serve hot.

Preparation time : 20 - 30 minutes (apart form baking/cooking spaghetti squash)

Servings - 4

Tips:

If alphabet pasta is not available, add regular shell pasta (boiled/cooked) to the soup.

Cooking sphaghetti squash:

Boil water that is enough for a whole squash to immerse/dip. Cook/boil the squash for 20-30 minutes till the squash is tender (when pierced with a fork or a knief into the shell, the squash flesh should be soft).

2008-04-21T09:24:00.000-05:00

Recipe - Cabbage and Toor dal curry (Cabbage kandi pappu koora/Cabbage poriyal/Patha gobi sabzi)

Cabbage cooked with Pigeon Peas

Summary:

Cabbage, an excellent source of vitamin C, can be eaten in soups, salads, pickles, and sandwiches.

I have made this curry for a potluck, in a multi-cultured community and they all loved it. Vegetable cooking with dal is a very common practise in south India. My kids love this dish, as it has little or no spice added.

Cabbage curry prepared with dal should not be spicy. Do not add red chilli powder or any kind of extra spices to this. This curry has a nice flavor to itself with the combination of dal and vegetable.

Ingredients:

Cabbage (small in size)- 4 - 5 cups approximately (shredded/cut)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 1 stalk
Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut - 2 heaping tablespoons (grated or powder)
Toor dal - 1/2 cup (pressure cook 1/2 cup of dal with 1 cup of water for 1 whistle)

Seasoning:

Chana dal (bengal gram) - 1 tablespoon
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Hing (asafoetida) - 1/4 teaspoon
Red chillies - 1
Green chillies - 1 serrano (or 1 Indian large medium green chilli)
Oil - 1 tablespoon.

Process:

Preheat wok/kadai with oil at medium high temperature. Add chana dal, cumin and mustard seeds. Let seeds splutter. Add red chillies, green chillies, hing and curry leaves. Let the chillies roast for few seconds. Add frozen peas to the seasoning. Fry it for 2 minutes (till they are thawed).

Now add pre-cooked toor dal to the seasoning. Mix well, cook for 1 - 2 minutes.

Add cabbage, salt and turmeric. Turn down the heat to medium. Cover the vegetables cook for 10 minutes, stir in between.

Once cabbage curry is cooked, add grated coconut. Mix it well and turn off the stove.

Decorate/Garnish with coconut powder. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Preparation time - 20 - 30 minutes.
# Servings - 4 - 6