Indian Culinary Adventures

happy Karva Chauth

2010-10-25T08:36:00.001-07:00

More Karva Chauth Greetings n Messages

yogurt rice

2010-10-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

2 C boiled tukda rice or basmati rice

2 C yogurt

1 tbsp roasted chana

1/2 C peanuts

1 tsp rai

1 strand of kadi patta (curry leaves)

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

a pinch of hing

1 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

1) Boil rice a little more than usual because we dont want the rice to be grainy.

2) Let rice cool. Mix yogurt in rice. Ad more yogurt if necessary for a semi liquid consistency.

2) For Tadka, in a small pan, add oil, let it heat up, add hing and peanuts.

3) Once peanuts turn brown, add salt, rai, chana, kadi patta, ginger garlic paste and let them cook for about a minute.

4) Add this tadka to the yogurt and rice mixture and mix very well.

5) Serve with pickles.

Serves: 2

roasted brussel sprouts (Indian style)

2010-08-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Brussel sprouts are not liked by grown ups as well as children, but they can taste good by roasting them. Roasting brings out the flavor of any vegetable and when combined with Indian spices, they taste real good. Sprouts are healthy too so here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

20 brussel sprouts

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green chili, chopped

1/4 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya)

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

1) Chop the brussel sprouts into smaller pieces.

2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3) Mix all the above ingredients and place them on a cooking sheet.

4) Let them roast for about 40 minutes or until tender.

5) Serve hot with chapati or as a side.

Serves:4

Beetroot Pulav

2010-08-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

This recipe is just combining some of favorite ingredients, rice , beetroot and spices :)

I love the color of this dish and the taste is fabulous plus it is healthy because of the antioxidants in beetroot and nutrients of the veggies. You can combine veggies of your choice as well.

Here it is..

Ingredients:

1C basmati rice

2 C vegetable stock

1 small beetroot

1 small onion

1 small carrot

1/4th cauliflower

1/4th C peas, thawed

1/4th C paneer

1/4 C green pepper

1/2 tsp jeera (cumin)

2 cloves

2 tsp oil

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

2 bay leaves

salt to taste

Method:

1) Cut all the veggies in thin slices.

2) In a pressure cooker, add oil and let it become hot.

3) Add cumin seeds, cloves and bay leaves to the oil. When jeera starts to splutter, add all the veggies. Lt them cook for about 5 mins.

5) Add rice to the veggie mixture. Add stock and seasonings and pressure cook until you hear a whistle.

6) Serve hot with raita and papad

Serves: 4

quick microwave sweet and sour mango chutney

2010-07-22T14:25:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple and delicious chutney. This recipe is my mother's and when you put it on the table when you have guests, it will look as if so much work was put into it.
Here it is...

Ingredients:
19-20 strips of raw mango
1/4 tsp oil
1/4 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1/4 tsp calonji (onion seeds)
1/4 tsp saunf (fennel seeds)
3 tsp sugar
1/2 C water
1/4 tsp garam masala
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Method:
1) In a microwave safe bowl, add oil and heat up for 1 min.

2) Add jeera, calonji and saunf and microwave for a minute.

3) Add mango , salt , turmeric and water, and microwave for 3-5 minutes or until the mango becomes tender.

4) Add sugar, garam masala and microwave for another minute.

5) Let cool for 4-5 hours until all the flavors marry. It is ready to serve.

6) Serve with any spicy dish.

khichdi

2010-07-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

My husband, CJ, is a khichdi expert and i could never make a khichdi as tasty as his. So whenever I feel like having khichdi, i ask him to cook it. I thought of putting his recipe in the blog because this is really simple. Everybody can make it because of it's precise measurements. As for me, i just refuse to learn it, coz i have CJ to make it for me ;-)

Ingredients:

1/2 C basmati rice
1/4 C split moong daal (green)
1 tsp jeera
2 tbsp oil
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 C chopped onion
1 tomato finely chopped
4 C water
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pressure cooker, heat oil and add jeera. When it starts to splutter, add green chillies and onions. Let it turn brown.

2) Add tomatoes, let it cook for 2 minutes. Add garam masala.

3) Add the mixture of rice and daal, pour in water and add salt and black pepper.

4) pressure cook until one whistle and turn off the heat. Let the khichdi cook until all the pressure goes off by itself.

5) Serve hot with achar and papad

Serves: 4

lemony buttermilk pancakes with strawberry and bananas

2010-06-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

This is a basic pancake recipe which can be made at home very easily and tastes awesome, much better than a store bought pancake mix. Here it is...

Ingredients:
Batter
1 C buttermilk
1C all purpose flour (you can also use whole wheat flour to make it healthier)
1 large egg
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest

Toppings
maple syrup
1/2 C sliced strawberries
1/2 C sliced bananas
(you can use any fresh fruits a your topping)

Method:

1) In a large bowl mix all the ingredients of the batter to form a cake like consistency batter. If it is too thick add some more buttermilk. If you do not want to buy a whole lot of buttermilk, you can always make buttermilk at home by mixing 1 tbsp of yogurt or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk and let it rest for 10 minutes.

2) heat a flat girdle and spread some butter on it. With a ladle, pour the pancake batter on the girdle. Do not spread.

3) Once some bubbles appear on pancake, it is ready to flip. Cook on the other side for about 2 minutes. Prepare rest of the pancakes in the same manner.

4) Place all the toppings on top and enjoy !

Serves: 4 (2 pancakes each)

lauki ki sookhi sabzi

2010-06-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

This is also a very simple recipe which i started making when i start working. It is always difficult to prepare a whole lot of complicated food when you are tired and just want to relax. This sabji basically cooks on its own and goes very well parathas and makes a light and satisfying meal.
So, here it is...

Ingredients:

2 C chopped lauki (bottle gourd)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing (asafoetida)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp chopped green chillies
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tbsp oil
salt

Method:

1) In a hot pan, pour oil, add hing, coriander seeds and mustard seeds. Let them splutter.

2) After they start spluttering, add turmeric powder, green chillies and red chilli powder. Add the chopped lauki. Mix well, simmer and let cook for about 5-8 minutes.

3) Add coriander powder and let cook on high for 2 minutes.

4) Serve hot with paranthas.

Serves: 2

open faced healthy tomato sandwiches

2010-06-18T12:50:00.000-07:00

Nowadays, i am always trying to make healthy recipes, to maintain my weight.
I firmly believe that you don't have to starve to stay thin and you can always substitute healthy ingredients with the fatty ones and still have a flavorful meal ans loose weight !
So i experimented and loved the taste of these sandwiches. These make a healthy lunch without making you feel guilty. this is a great recipe for tomato lovers. Here it goes...

Ingredients:

2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 tomato sliced
1 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp of semi-soft goat cheese
1/2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

Method:
1) Brush the slices of bread with olive oil and toast them on a hot girdle until they get a light golden brown crust.

2) On each slice place the slices of tomatoes.

3) Sprinkle salt, pepper, chopped basil and goat cheese on top. Goat cheese has relatively less calories than mozzarella. But you can always use mozzarella as it goes well with tomato and basil.

4) Place in oven and broil on high for about 10 minutes until the goat cheese starts looking softer and tomatoes are roasted. Voila !

Serves: 1

lauki ka raita

2010-06-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here the recipe ....

Ingredients:
1/2 C grated bottle gourd (lauki)
2 C yogurt
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tsp jeera(cumin) powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a microwave safe bowl, mix half a cup of water and grated lauki. Microwave for 4-5 minutes until the lauki becomes tender as shown below.

2) In a serving bowl, mix the cooked lauki and rest of the ingredients and serve chilled.

Serves 4

Mirchi ka achar

2010-05-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple recipe for mirchi achar. Usually our mothers and grandmothers are expert at making pickles and we leave that task at them. But this recipe is so simple that even novice cooks and brand new wives can make it and enjoy the taste of homemade achar ! So without wasting any time, here it is..

Ingredients:

250 gms green chillies
2 tablespoons white mustard seeds
2 tablespoons saunf
1 tablespoon methi dana (fenugreek seeds)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons salt
sarson ka tel (mustard oil)

Method:

1) Wash the green chillies and dry them in sun. Chop the green chillies.

2) In a dry pan, roast saunf and fenugreek seeds until you can smell the aroma of spices. Cool them and in a mixer, grind this masala with mustard seeds.

3) In a glass jar mix this mixture with chopped green chillies, add salt, turmeric powder and oil until the green chillies are submerged in oil.

4) keep this achar in a dry place for a week until it is ready to eat.

spicy green chillies and peanut chutney

2010-05-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

I am writing after a long long time and that is because i was busy with my masters. Finally its done and i am waiting for my convocation. During this time, i got to know a lot of simple recipes which made my student life easier. This recipe is one of them. Believe it or not , i got this recipe from my brother who lives alone and loves to cook!! here it goes.

Ingredients:

1 bunch cilantro
1/2 cup peanuts
6-7 green chillies
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 teaspoon oil

Method:

1) spread the oil on a flat top or pour in a pan.

2) Roast the peanuts and green chillies together until the peanuts become brown and green chillies are roasted. Let them cool for about 20-25 minutes. This step is important because this leaves the peanuts crunchy in the chutney rather than becoming soggy because of the steam.

3) Add peanuts and green chillies and rest of the ingredients into a blender to form a fine paste.

4) You can modify the amount of green chillies according to your spice level. I usually use the green chillies grown at home which are not that spicy.

Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Serves 4

Banana Nut Muffin

2009-01-09T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe which did not get to me in the first time ....took me around 3-4 tries to make it perfect :) Anyway , Banana Nut Muffin is my husband's favorite and i made it for his office party and it turned out really well, everybody appreciated it. So i decide to put it on the blog..

Ingredients:

3 medium bananas
1/2 C walnuts, chopped
2 C all purpose flour
1 C sugar or 1/2 C splenda
3/4 C butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
11/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method:

1) Mash 1 banana coarsely and keep aside.

2) slice the other 2 bananas in a big mixing bowl and add sugar . Mix with a hand mixer for good 4-5 minutes until a smooth paste is formed.

3) Add eggs , vanilla , melted butter, salt , baking soda and mix well .

4) Slowly add the all purpose flour part by part so that no lumps are formed and keep mixing with the mixer.

5) Fold in chopped walnuts and the coarsely mashed bananas into the batter with a spatula.

6) Grease a muffin tin with melted butter and fill half of each cup with batter so that it doesn't fall off when it swells.

7) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake the muffins for about 20 minutes or when a toothpick comes out clean.

Serves: 12(one each)

patta gobi alu sabzi

2008-09-04T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is a very simple recipe and tastes delicious. You can have it with roti, parathas and even stuff it in bread and make sandwiches. Although i made this with cabbage and potatoes, you can also add peas to it if you are a peas fan.

Ingredients:

1/2 cabbage, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
1 potato, chopped
1 green chili
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pan, heat oil and add potatoes. Let them fry until they are cooked. Then add onions, green chilis, saute until the onions turn brown.

2) To this add salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, garam masala and coriander powder. Fry for a few seconds.

3) Add the cabbage and mix well. Simmer the stove and cover the pan. Let cook for 7 -8 mins or until the cabbage the becomes tender.

4) open the lid, cook on high flame for 2 minutes to make it a little crunchy. This is optional.

5) Serve hot with roti.

Serves: 2-3

3)

gatte ki sabji

2008-09-02T13:37:00.000-07:00

gatte are steamed besan dumplings in a curry. I learnt making this dish from my mother and everytime i taste it, it just keeps getting better:) Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:

Gatte:
11/2 C besan (gram flour)
1 tsp sookhi methi (dried n crushed fenugreek leaves)
2 tsp yogurt
1/4C vegetable oil + 1/4C water
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste

Curry:
1 tomato
1/2 onion
2 green chilis
1 clove garlic
1/2 inch root of ginger
handful of cilantro
1/4C milk
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste Method:

1) Combine all the ingredients of the gatte to form a firm dough. Add more water if necessary.

2) roll the dough to form 3-4 small cylindrical tubes.

3) Boil water in a pot and drop in the cylindrical dough tubes into the water and let boil for about 5 mins or until the tubes rise up.

4) take them out and cut them to form thick slices of gatte.

5) In a grinder, add tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cilantro and grind to form a masala paste.

6) Heat oil in a pan, add the masala and let cook until it starts to leave oil.

7) Add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt to taste. Stir for a few seconds and add milk and water to form a gravy. Let it come to a boil.

8) add gatte to the gravy and let cook for a few mins so that everything is mixed well.

9) Serve hot with roti.

Serves: 2-3

Kamaldandi/bhe ki sabji -Lotus root crisps

2008-08-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

Kamaldandi(Lotus root) is also called 'bhe' in north india. Usually it is cooked after boiling it with a curry. But it can also be cooked as a sookhi bhaji and it tastes great with roti. I was lookin for lotus root here in US as i love it but couldn't find it. My good friend Namrata told me to look for it in the Vietanamese market and there i found it!! I was so excited :) thanks Namrata! For the people who are confused , yes this a vegetarian dish...Now this is my mom's recipe and its her favorite too. So here's to you mom :)

Ingredients:

4-5 lotus roots/Kamaldandi/bhe, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tomato , chopped
1 green chili, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 inch ginger root grated
salt to taste

Method:

1) Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil and add sliced kamaldandi and potatoes. Pan fry them until they become golden brown. Place them on a paper towel so that excess oil gets soaked.

2) Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the same pan and add onions, green chilis and ginger. Let the onions fry until they become golden brown.

3) Add chopped tomatoes and stir for 2 mins. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala. Stir for a few seconds.

4) Add cooked bhe and potatoes to the masala. Cover with a lid and let them cook for about 10 mins on low flame.

5) Serve hot with roti.

Serves: 2-3

Palak pulao

2008-08-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

Palak pulao is something that you can make with the leftover spinach. This is a great way to feed greens to people who do not like them. i discovered this dish a few days back when i was bored with the usual sabji-roti and wanted to make a different kind of rice dish ;) I experimented and it turned out pretty well. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch spinach, chopped
1C basmati rice
1/2 onion, sliced
1 potato, chopped
2-3 cloves
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp jeera
2-3 bay leaves
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1 tbsp oil or ghee
2 tbsp yogurt
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pressure cooker or a deep pot, add oil and let it heat. After it is hot, add jeera , cloves and bay leaves.

2) When jeera starts to splutter add onions and potatoes. Saute them for about 5 mins. Add spinach and saute for 2 mins.

3) Add yogurt, rice, garama masala, coriander powder, salt, pepper and turmeric powder. Mix well.

4) Add water, double the quantity of rice and cover the rice with a lid. Let it cook on medium high until a whistle comes. Let the steam come out on its own.

5) If cooking in a pot, add water, 3 times that of rice. and let it cook on medium low until all the water evaporates.

6) Serve hot with raita and pickle.

Serves: 2

Lauki ke kofte

2008-08-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Lauki ke kofte is simply bottle gourd dumplings in a curry. This is a very tasty way of having lauki/ghiya for the people who do not like it. As for me, i love it and so any lauki dish is a treat for me ! It may sound strange but it's true:-) These dumplings can also be used as an appetizer and give a similar effect as pakoras. I learnt this recipe from my mom who is a great cook for the 100th time ;-) and all her recipes can be followed blingfoldedly and they are garunteed to turn out amazing! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

For kofte:
1C grated bottle gourd/lauki
3 tbsp gram flour(besan)
1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tsp chili powder
1 green chili deseeded, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
1C vegetable oil
salt to taste

For curry:
1 tomato
1/2 onion
2 green chilis
1 clove of garlic
1/2 inch ginger root, peeled
handful of cilantro
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2C milk
salt to taste Method:

Preparing koftas:

1) In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients of kofta except oil and mix well so that no lumps are formed. The consistency should be thicker than pakora batter. If you feel that the batter is watery, add more besan until the right consistency is reached.

2) In a frying pan, heat oil, drop in little dumplings of the batter into oil. Leave space between them. Let them cook until a dark brown color is reached. Flip them to make both the sides brown. Place them into paper towel to remove excess oil.

Preparing curry:

1) In a grinder, add tomato, onion, cilantro, garlic, ginger and green chilis and grind them to form a paste.

2) In a pan, heat oil and pour in the paste. Let it cook until it starts to leave oil.

3) Then add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and cook for a few seconds. Add milk and 1/2C water to form a gravy. Let it come to a boil.

4) Add the lauki dumplings into the curry and let it simmer for a few minutes. turn off the heat.

5) Serve hot with roti or rice.

Serves: Makes about 10 koftas.

Palak Paratha/Spinach tortilla

2008-08-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

Palak paratha is something which can be fed to the people who do not like spinach in their meals. It is tasty and nutritious. You can have it with any curry or even pickle and curd. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:

1/2 bunch of spinach or 1/4 of a frozen spinach box
1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
2C wheat flour
warm water for kneading.

Method:

1) Wash and roughly chop the spinach. Drop them into your blender with a little water and form a paste.

2) Now in a bowl , add wheat flour, ajwain, salt, chili powder and grinded spinach. Knead to form a soft dough. Add warm water for kneading after all the spinach is incorporated and still a dough ball is not formed.

3) Form small balls of this spinach dough about 1 inch in diameter. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a thin round flat tortilla.

4) Heat a tava(flat pan )on medium high and place the tortilla onto the tava and let it cook each side, Apply ghee on both sides and let it cook until small black specks are formed.

5) Serve hot with pickle or raita.

Serves: Makes about 12 tortillas

Dhokla

2008-08-13T09:28:00.000-07:00

Dhokla is a gujrati dish and i think every indian household in US makes dhokla at home! Maybe this is because people in US are more calorie conscience and we don't get dhokla in indian markets:-)
This is a steamed dish made of semolina(sooji) or gram flour(besan) or rice flour or different ratios of the three. I make it with semolina and gram flour. I think this is the easiest snack to make and looks as if it took hours to make . You can have it with green chutney or hot sauce. I personally like it with hot sauce. Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
For Dhokla:

1C semolina (suji)
1 tbsp gram flour (besan)
2C yogurt
1 tsp eno
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
chopped cilantro (optional)
a pinch of baking powder (optional)
1/4C cashew nuts, chopped (optional)

For tadka:

1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp vegetable oil
2 sliced green chilis
Method:

1) In a mixing bowl, drop in semolina and gram flour. Mix well until there are no lumps in besan.

2) Add turmeric powder, baking soda, cashews, cilantro, salt, sugar and mix well. Then pour in yogurt and mix well to form a cake consistency batter.

3) to steam the dhokla, fill a large pan with 2 inches of water. Keep it on a high flame to form steam. Meanwhile grease a smaller pan or flat container that fits in the bigger pan. I grease a baking pan which is used for making cakes.

4) Now add eno to the batter and mix immediately and thoroughly. Por the batter in the greased pan and keep it in the steam bath. Cover the bigger pan with a lid and let it steam for about 15 mins or until a toothpick stuck comes out clean.

5) In a separate pan, heat oil and add rai and green chilis. When it starts to splutter, turn off the heat. Spread the tadka over steamed dhokla.

6) Cut the dhokla into cubes.

7) Serve hot with green chutney or hot sauce.

Serves: 4

Tip: Add eno just before steaming it.

ghiya/lauki chana daal

2008-08-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Ghiya chana daal is also a punjabi dish which my husband loves. I started liking it recently when i learnt to make it the right way ;-) The consistency of this daal has to be thick for the proper flavor. Bottle gourd in chana daal tastes really good and this is a perfect way to finish up the lauki which nobody wants to eat and is sitting in your fridge. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1C chana daal/bengal gram
1C ghiya/lauki , chopped
1/2 onion , chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 inch ginger root, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chili, chopped
salt to taste
Method:

1) Pressure cook chana daal and lauki together with a little salt and 4 cups of water on high flame. turn the heat on low after 1 whistle and let it simmer for about 10 mins. Turn off the heat and let the steam come out on its own.

2) In a separate pan, heat oil. Add chopped onions and fry until they turn light brown, Add tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chili and let them cook for 2-3 mins.

3) Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala. Let it cook for a few seconds. Transfer the tadka to the boiled daal and mix well

4) Let the daal come to a boil. Add more water if necessary.

5) Serve hot with jeera rice.

Serves: 2-3

Paneer Bhurji

2008-08-08T14:51:00.001-07:00

Paneer bhujji is a very common breakfast dish in north india. Anda bhujji is much more famous, but i love this bhujji as it gives the true taste of paneer. It looks rich and can be used as a filling for toasts too. You can also have it with roti/ parantha. This is the first sabji i learnt to cook, when i was a kid:-)
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

0.5lb paneer (fresh cottage cheese)
1C peas
1/2 onion, chopped
1 green chili , chopped
handful of cilantro (optional)
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
Method:

1) Grate the paneer.

2) In a pan, heat oil , add onions, green chili and thawed peas. Let them cook on medium high, until the onions become golden brown.

2) Add salt , red chili powder, turmeric powder and saute for a few seconds. Add the grated paneer and turn off the heat. Mix it well till it is coated with the masala.

3) Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti or bread.

Serves: 2-3

Sweet Mango Chutney/ aam ki meethi chutney

2008-08-07T08:52:00.001-07:00

This is my mum's recipe and i love it every time i have it!! Mango chutney goes well with anything spicy, usually with rice and a spicy curry or you can use it as a marmalade. The first time i made it , it became hard as a rock :-) although it did taste good, i tried again it turned out pretty well. Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:

4 raw mangoes
2 tsp ajwain, carom seeds (optional)
sugar
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Method:

1) Peel off the skin of the mangoes and remove the pit in the middle by cutting off the pieces. Grate the pieces of mango. Follow this for all the 4 mangoes

2) Measure the grated mangoes in a measuring cup. It came out to be 2 cups for me. In a mixing bowl add the grated mangoes and the same amount of sugar, as the mangoes, which is 2 cups for me. If it is 3 cups then add 3 cups of sugar. The idea is to have a 1:1 ratio.

3) Soak the mixture overnight. By morning the sugar dissolves and becomes liquid.

4) In a pan, heat oil, add ajwain and turmeric powder. Pour in the sugar and mango mixture. Add salt and keep stirring the mixture on medium low heat until the sugar becomes thick and light brown and mangoes become tender.

5) The chutney will harden more when it cools so leave it a little watery. Turn off the heat. Add garam masala and chili powder and mix well.

6) Transfer into a bottle and refrigerate it. It lasts as long as a year. Enjoy!

Tip: You don't need the mangoes to be soaked overnight. I do it to cook the chutney faster and save some energy :-)

Homemade Yogurt/Dahi

2008-08-06T16:41:00.000-07:00

This is a very basic recipe. Although store bought yogurt tastes great, there is something tasty about the homemade one :-) This is also a very simple recipe and homemade yogurt contains 1/2 of the calories of the store bought one!!
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

3C milk (whole is always better but you can you use 2% or 1% too)
2 tsp yogurt (store bought / homemade after the first setting)

Method:

1) In a pot, heat water about 1 cm in level , till small bubbles appear. Heat water so that the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

2) Pour in milk slowly so that the water layer is not totally gone. Heat the milk until small bubbles appear.

3) Turn off the heat and let it cool, for about 20 mins until your finger goes in without getting hot.

4) In a bowl, add yogurt. Pour the cooled off milk, cover and let it set in a warm place for about 8-9 hours. Remember to keep it in a warm place or coverred in kitchen towels.

Serves:4-5

Sarson ka Saag aur Makki ki Roti

2008-08-05T14:13:00.001-07:00

Saag and Makki ki roti is the traditional Punjabi dish. Saag is made out of a mixture of mustard greens and spinach. Makki ki roti is made of coarse corn flour. Until now i haven't been able to find the coarse corn flour anywhere in indian grocery stores. So i get it from india but if anybody knows where can i get it here, that would be great.
For now, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

For Saag:

2 bunches of mustard greens
1 bunch of spinach
1 inch of ginger root, peeled
1/2 onion , chopped
3 green chilis
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp chili powder
salt to taste
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp butter

For Makki ki Roti:

2C corn flour
2 boiled potatoes
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala
7 tbsp ghee
salt to taste
Method:
Saag:

1) chop the spinach and saag roughly. Drop them in a pressure cooker with green chilis, chopped ginger and sugar. There is no need to add water as spinach and mustard greens will leave water.

2) Pressure cook until one whistle and turn off the heat. Let the steam come off on its own.

3) Take the lid off and mash the boiled saag.

4) In a pan, heat oil , add chopped onions and garlic and fry them for a while until they turn brown. Add salt and chili powder. Add the saag and cook until the water from the saag disappears. Add a tbsp of butter and turn off the heat.

5) Serve hot with makki ki roti and fresh butter on top.

Serves:2-3

For Makki ki Roti:

1) Mash the boiled potatoes and add to corn flour, ajwain, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Knead with warm water to form a dough. The dough will not be sticky as a regular dough. So it will be a little difficult to roll it out. So, the potatoes work as a binder.

2) To make the rolling easier, place a damp cloth underneath a medium dough ball and one damp cloth over it. Out out with a rolling pin. Remove the damp cloth.

3) Heat tava and apply ghee on it , remove damp cloth from underneath by pulling it out gently.
Place on the tava and apply ghee, about a tbsp for eah roti till it becomes brown on both sides.

4) Serve hot with saag.

Makes 7 Makki ki rotis

Tip: You can also use grated radish(mooli) instead of potatoes.

Low calorie banana bread

2008-08-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

Recently my husband has become very health cautious. Although he has a sweet tooth, he wants his desserts to be low calorie. Now, thinking of a low calorie dessert is difficult because anything without butter and sugar might not taste as good. Anyway, my friend Namrata got an eggless and low calorie date cake once when she came home and it was fantastic!! I didnt realize that it has no butter.
This gave me an idea to make low calorie banana bread. I added splenda instead of sugar and buttermilk instead of oil or butter. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, medium
1 1/2 C all purpose flour
1/4 C+2 tbsp splenda/ 3/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 C buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
1/4C raisins, optional
Method:

1) In a mixing bowl , beat eggs and sugar together with a hand mixer for about 5 mins till the eggs become fluffy.

2) In a separate bowl mash the bananas and add oil and vanilla and mix well. Add the banana mixture to the egg bowl and fold in flour , baking soda and salt.

3) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bread loaf pan and add the batter to the pan. Pour some raisins on the top

5) Bake the bread for 45 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Serves:4-5

Rongi/Lobia/Black eyed kidney bean curry

2008-07-31T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is a dish prepared all over India. People in north india call it Rongi and down south it is called lobia. The method of preparation for this dish a little different in different parts of india. This is best serves with lachha parantha but you can also have it with rice. Today i will post it north indian style.
Many people do not like the flavor but i love it the way my mom prepares it. My husband didnt like it much when we got married. So i told him, let me prepare it my way first and still if you don't like it and i will not prepare it for you:-) And as you would predict, he liked it with lachha parantha !! So, now we have it once in a while when i dont have much at home to cook, the grocery day is approaching and i want to wait for the grocery day :-)
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1C lobia/rongi
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 inch ginger root
2 green chilis
handful of cilantro
1/2 onion
3/4 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala (optional)
salt to taste.
Method:

1) In a bowl of hot boiling water, soak the rongi for about an hour. This will cook it faster. You can also soak it in cold water for about 4-5 hours. Boiling water swells the daals faster. That is my experience. This way you dont need to soak everything overnight.

2) In a pressure cooker, boil the lobia with 4 cups of water and some salt. Wait until a whistle, simmer and let cook for about 15 mins. Turn off the heat and let the steam come out on its own.

3) Meanwhile in a grinder, add onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilis and cilantro. Grind to form a paste or masala.

4) Heat oil in a separate pan, add the masala and let cook until it starts leaving oil. Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder and garam masala and let cook for a few seconds.

5) Pour this masala into the boiled rongi and mix well. Let it come to a boil or cover the cooker to get one more whistle. This way the masala mixes well and if the rongi is not fully boiled , it will get cooked in the last whistle. Add more water if necessary.

6) Serve hot with parantha or rice.

Serves: 3-4

Upside down vegetable pizza

2008-07-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

My husband and i both love pizza. The only thing that i dont prefer is getting home delivery for pizza because by the time it is delivered it gets hard! I was watching the Robin miller show one day and she shared a simple recipe of pizza which seemed difficult because it was upside down!!
Anyway , i modified the recipe by adding some more salt and herbs to the dough. Also, i made the vegetarian version, with lesser cheese. It was an instant hit in our house:-)
My husband loved it and we ate the sides too !!! And most of all , it was fresh!!
Here's my version ...
Ingredients:

1C mozarella chesse, shredded
For the topping:

1/2C bell pepper chopped
1/2C onions, sliced
1/2C mushrooms, sliced (any kind of mushrooms)
1/2C pizza sauce, store bought
1/2C pasta sauce, store bought
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

For the dough:

1 egg
3/4C all purpose flour
3/4C milk
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried italian herbs
Method:

1) In a pan, heat oil and drop in the veggies. Let them cook until they become soft. Add pasta sauce and pasta sauce , salt and pepper. Let them simmer till the sauce comes to a boil. Turn off the heat.

2) In a mixing bowl, crack the egg and beat it. Then add milk, olive oil. Whisk them to mix well. Add the flour , salt and herbs and incorporate in the liquid to form a paste. It has a thin consistency so do not worry.

3) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a baking pan, layer the topping mixture first. Then layer the shredded cheese. Pour the dough over the cheese so that it spreads out all over the topping and cheese.

4) Bake it in the oven for about 25 mins or until the top becomes light brown.

5) Slice ans serve by flipping the slice upside down :-)

Serves: 2

Tip: you can also add other toppings like tomatoes and olives.

coconut chutney

2008-07-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

Coconut chutney is something i liked from the moment i tasted it and i have been making this chutney for years...Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1C fresh or dry grated coconut
1C yoghurt
1 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp roasted chana
2 green/red chilis
1 tsp rai
1 tsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) Heat oil in a pan, drop in peanuts, chana and green chilis, let them roast until peanuts turn light brown. Add peanuts first because they take time to cook as compared to the chana. Drop in chana afte a min or two the peanuts are in. Add green chilis in the end.

2) In a grinder, add coconut, the fried peanuts, chana and green chili, yoghurt, salt and water if necessary.

3) Grind them together to form a chunky paste.

4) In the remaining oil , add mustard seeds until they splutter. Drop them in the chutney.

5) Store in refrigerator and serve cold with idli or dosa.

Serves:4-5

Tip: If the yoghurt is thick and store bought 1/2C should be enough.

Idli

2008-07-25T11:21:00.001-07:00

Although there are a lot brands of readymade idli and dosa batter in the grocery stores these days, i like to make it at home. There is something different about the taste. You can also put a lot of things in the batter to make different style of idlis. For now I am posting the most basic recipe. The key to making soft idlis is that the batter should be fermented properly. Also if you whip the batter a little bit before steaming them they come out to be real soft. There are different ratios of urad daal and idli rava but to me 1:1 ratio works perfectly fine.
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1C urad daal
1C idli rava (store bought)
oil for greasing the mould
salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak the urad daal and idli rava separately in water for about 6-8 hours.

2) Urad daal will swell a bit after soaking. Drain the water and In a grinder , add urad daal first and grind it to a fine paste. Add water little by little to the grinder to make the consistency of a cake batter.

3) Drain water from the soaked idli rava and add to the grinder. Mix well. Pour the batter into a large bowl so that the batter fills half of it. This is because, when the batter ferments, it doubles in size and the bowl should have enough space.

4) Cover the bowl with a lid and keep covered in towels in a warm place in the kitchen. I usually keep it in the pantry or in a recently used oven.

5) Ferment for about 10 hours. By this time the batter should have formed a lot of small bubbles and it should have doubled in size.

6) If it did not, then you can make dosas with batter or try keeping it for some more time to ferment in a warmer place.

7) Add salt to taste in the batter. Grease the idli mould with little oil and pour the batter in each mould.

8) boil about an inch or two of water in a large pan which can accomodate the mould. Keep the mould in the pan of boiling water and cover the lid so that the steam is trapped and it cooks the idlis.

9) Steam for about 12 mins and they are ready to take out of the mould.

Serves: This amount of batter will make 24 idlis so decide for yourself ;-)

Sambhar

2008-07-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Sambhar is a south indian dish. I have started liking it very recently. Earlier, i never liked it. When i was in a hostel, the mess had south indian menu all the time and every other day there was Sambhar. Since, i was not very fond of Sambhar and since it was tasteless, i started disliking it even more!! But my brother loves it and as we have many South indian family friends , my mother learnt this recipe from them. When i tasted Sambhar made by my mom, i was blown away, I could even have it as a soup without anything.
Usually it is served with idli, dosa or rice. I will post idli dosa recipes later in the blog. For now here's the sambhar recipe.

Ingredients:

1C toor dal/harhar daal
4C water
4-5 tamarind pieces
1 carrot, cut into thin strips
2 potatoes , chopped
pinch of hing
1 onion chopped
1 tsp rai/mustard seeds
4-5 red chilis
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp sambhar masala powder
salt to taste
Method:

1) Wash the daal and drop in a pressure cooker. Add the chopped vegetables. You can add more vegetables according to your taste like eggplant, beans and spinach are the common ones.

2) Add water to the cooker and cook on high flame until a whistle comes. Then turn the flame to low and let the cooker sit for about 7 mins. Turn off the heat. Let the steam get out by itself

3) Soak the tamarind in water for half an hour. You will see the pulp of tamarind mixing with water.

3) Meanwhile in a pan, heat oil and add red chilis, mustard seeds. After the mustard seeds start to splutter, add onions and fry them until they start turning golden brown. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder , sambhar masala and cook for a few seconds.

4) Add the water from the soaked tamarind to the masala. Add this mixture to the daal and let it come to a boil. Add more water if it comes out to be thick.

5) Serve hot with idli, dosa or rice or have it as a soup ;-)

Serves: 3-4

Tip: Add lil turmeric powder and salt to the daal while pressure cooking and daal will cook faster.

Mix vegetable sandwich

2008-07-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I love any vegetarian sandwich. so i try to come up with different variations of sandwiches. Mix vegetable sandwich is something that i came up with yesterday. It came out to be yummy. So, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

4 Slices of bread
1/4C peas. thawed
1/4C carrots, chopped
1/4C corn, thawed
1/4C onion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp cream cheese
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pan, heat oil and drop in chopped onions. Saute until they become brown. Then add carrot and cover and let cook for 5 mins on slow flame. This will cook the carrots.

2) To the pan, add thawed peas and corn and mix well. Saute for a few mins and turn off the heat. Let it cool.

3) Apply butter on one side of each bread slice and place them on a hot tava. Let them brown on one side and take the bread off the tava. Let it cool for a few minutes.

4) When the vegetables come to room temperature, add cream cheese and mix well.

5) with a butter knife , apply the veggie mixture to the bread slices. Combine 2 slices to form a sandwich.

6) Cut the bread into triangular pieces and serve.

Serves: 2

Dum alu/whole potato curry

2008-07-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

Dum alu is traditionally a kashmiri dish and very tasty and spicy. My kashmiri friend's mom used to make it and get it for us in the hostel when we were studying and we used to wipe it off our plates in just minutes!! Anyway, i tried to make it my own way thinking of the spices that aunty put in her authentic dum alu. The first time i made it, alu came out to be pretty hard but the second time, i got it right:-)
My husband liked it both the times!
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

8-10 small potatoes
oil for frying

For the marinade:

1/2C yoghurt
1 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder

For the curry:

2-3 red chilis
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cashew nuts
2 -3 tomatoes
1 onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger root
1 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
handful of cilantro
1C milk
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp garam masala
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Method:

1) Cover the potatoes with cling wrap individually and microwave them for about 3 minutes or until they come to a boil. You can also pressure cook them to boil them. I am boiling them because they use less oil for frying and i dont have to worry about them being totally cooked from inside.

2) Peel off the skin. In a deep pan, heat oil so that fumes start to come out. Meanwhile poke all the potatoes with fork at different places so that the oil and marinade seeps in.

3) Fry the potatoes until they turn golden brown from outside and a nice crust forms.

4) In a bowl, mix together, youghurt, salt, turmeric powder and chili powder. Drop in the fried potatoes and let them marinade for about half an hour or 45 mins until you see the yoghurt reduced to half.

5) Meanwhile in a separate bowl soak red chilis and coriander seeds in water for about hald na hour.

6) When they are soaked, they give a nice aroma together. In a grinder, add red chili , coriander, ginger , garlic, cilantro, onion, tomatoes, cashewnuts, fennel seeds and grind them together to form a paste.

7) In a pan, heat oil and add this paste. Cook it until it starts to leave oil. Add the milk and salt, turmeric powder, chili powder and garam masala. Also add the marinaded potatoes with rest of the curd. Cover and let it cook on low flame until the mik reduces and a thick curry forms.

8) Serve hot with naan or pulav.

Serves: 2-3

Tip: You can use less red chilis if you want it less spicy. I do the marinade to make the potatoes soft from inside and for the masala to go inside the potato. If not marinated they taste bland inside.

Mix vegetable raita with peanuts

2008-07-21T10:44:00.001-07:00

This is a simple raita recipe with a little twist;-)

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/4C peanuts
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 green chili
1/2C yoghurt
salt to taste
Method:

1) In a pan, dry roast , peanuts and green chili until the peanuts turn brown and chili is a little charred.

2) Grind the peanuts into small bits. Make sure they are not powdered.

3) Chop the roasted green chili. In a bowl mix together yogurt, cucumber, carrot, tomato, onion, peanuts, green chili, salt and chili powder. I am just using half a cup of yoghurt because you can serve it as raita or salad ....You can use more if you wish.

4) Serve chilled.

Serves: 2-3

Alu gobhi

2008-07-19T17:13:00.001-07:00

My mom makes alu gobhi in two ways, one is the simple way with tadka and other one is with ground masala. Both the methods make the sabji taste very different. The difference in the taste comes because of ginger and garlic.Today i am posting the one with a simple tadka. I am doing the simple one because i want to start with simple things and then graduate to complicated dishes.
Here's the recipe. Ingredients:

1 cauliflower (1.5 lb)
1 big potato or 2 small ones
1 onion, chopped
1 inch ginger, finely chopped
handful of cilantro for garnish
1 tsp chili powder
2 green chilis, chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp garam masala
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) In a pan, heat oil on a high flame and drop in chopped potatoes. Let them fry for about 4 mins or until they start to turn golden.

2) Add chopped onions, ginger and green chili to the potatoes. Saute again for about 5 mins until the onions starts to turn brown.

3) Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder to the potatoes and saute for a few seconds. Drop in the cauliflower florets.

5) Stir and let the masala coat the florets. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 5-7 mins on medium flame. This will cook the gobi and at the same time make it crunchy like it is fried. You can also cook it on a low flame and it will turn out softer.

6) Sprinkle the garam masala on top and mix well.

7) Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti.

Serves:3-4

Tip: You can also add thawed peas when you add onions to the dish. I didn't do it because my husband is not very fond of peas but it is a typical punjabi way to make some sabji look richer by adding peas.

Pav Bhaji

2008-07-17T14:31:00.000-07:00

Pav bhaji can be had as a snack or as a meal. It is a maharashtrian dish and my mother cooks it very well. I got this recipe from her.

Ingredients:

8 pairs of pav
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1/2 cauliflower, chopped
1/2C cabbage, chopped
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds (optional)
butter
2 tomatoes
1 big clove of garlic
3 green chilis
handful of cilantro
salt to taste

Method:

1) Steam all the chopped vegetables in a pressure cooker or in a pan with a lid, until they are tender. If steaming in a pressure cooker, turn off the heat after one whistle.

2) After the vegetables are steamed, mash them until they are completely blended.

3) In another saute pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add half the onions and saute until they start turning brown.

4) In a grinder, grind together, tomatoes, garlic, green chilis and cilantro. Add this mixture to the pan and let cook until it starts to leave oil.

4) To this add turmeric powder, salt and chili powder and mix well. After a few seconds, add the mashed vegetables and let them come to a boil.

5) Sprinkle pav bhaji masala and lime juice over the vegetables and mix it well. Add a tbsp of butter if you want to make it richer. Turn off the heat.

6) On a tava apply butter to each pav and cook them on both sides.

7) Garnish the bhaji with some chopped onions on top and serve hot with pav.

Serves: 3-4

Instant french toast

2008-07-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

There is a french toast recipe where you do all the fancy things like baking and layering and there is one which is instant. Today i am posting the instant one which you can have as a breakfast or snack. The layered recipe is too good and i will post that too. For now, here's the instant one.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
2 bread slices
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter
sugar syrup (optional)
pinch of salt n pepper

Method:

1) in a bowl break two eggs, add sugar, salt and pepper. Beat the eggs until all the sugar dissolves.

2) Heat a pan, add a tbsp of butter to the pan, let it melt.

3) Cut each breacd slice into 2 so as to form a tiangle or any shape you want. Dip the bread in the egg mixture and place on the pan. Do the same for all the other pieces.

4) Flip them until the egg is cooked.

5) Serve hot with more sugar syrup on the top.

Serves: 1

Lachha Paratha

2008-07-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Well, i first had this parantha at a restaurant called New Yorker ( Can u believe it!!) and loved it. The speciality is that it has many layers and each layer tastes heaven with all the ghee and masala in it:-) After that, i tried it at so many restaurants that i dont even remember, how many!! But that was the best. So i tried to attempt this at home and it worked out pretty well.
When my mom-in-law came to US this year, i told her about it and she told me that this is a traditional punjabi "hath ka parantha", i didnt know that !! Anyway, here's how you make it.

Ingredients:

1C Wheat flour
salt and chili powder to taste
1/2C ghee

Method:

1) the key to this is how to make layers. There are many methods but i follow this one.

2) Take a medium sized ball of kneaded wheat flour. With a rolling pin, spread it out on a flat base, into a round shape.

3) Apply a tbsp of ghee on top. Sprinkle some salt and chili powder on top. Now, with a knife cut the round tortilla into strips as shown in the last picture.

4) Stack those strips on top of each other and roll it into a ball. Flip it to the side and press it a little as shown in the third pic picture.

5) Again, roll it out into a round shape as shown in the second pic. Put it on a heated tava and apply ghee on both sides. Flip it until it is completely cooked.

6) Serve hot with pickle or youghurt.

Serves: 2-3

dahi bhalle

2008-07-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Dahi bhalle, as we call it in punjabi is not only a north indian dish but it is made in south india too.
But, it is made with a difference and is called dahi vade. There are a couple of tricks to make soft bhalle which am going to share with you today. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1C urad daal
handful of cilantro (optional)
3C yoghurt
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp roasted cumin powder
oil for frying
salt to taste
Method:

1) Soak urad daal in water for about 6 hours or overnight.

2) Grind the daal in a grinder. Add little water at a time, into the grinder to make a paste. The paste should have consistency like a cake batter or even little thicker than a cake batter.

3) Add salt to this paste. You can also add chopped cilantro for additional flavor.

4) This is the tip, mix the batter or rather whip it for about 5 minutes continously. To test if the bhalle are ready to fry, just pour a little batter into a bowl of water. If it rises to the surface, it is ready to fry. If it sinks, it still needs some whipping. If you dont whip at all, bhalle will turn out to be super hard and you dont want that!!

5) In a pan, heat oil. When it is hot enough, start dropping balls of this batter into the oil. They will expand so leave enough space between two balls.

6) Flip them when they turn brown. fry from all the sides, take them out and drop them in a bowl of cold water.

7) Dropping them in water makes them soft and this step also gets rid of additional oil in them.
After 5 mins, take out the bhallas from water and press them to get the additional water out. They should look like the first picture.

8) After all the bhallas are fried, soaked in water and pressed, add yoghurt to them. Add seasonings like salt, chili powder and cumin powder.

9) Keep in refrigerator and serve cold with biryani or any rice variety or anything. they are simply delicious.

Serves:5-6

Vegetable Biryani

2008-07-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Vegetable Biryani, hmmmmm, the first time i ate it, i fell in love with it. This was in hyderabad at a local biryani house. It was so delicious and i never got that taste later. Then once, years latermy roommate at work made it and it tasted the same....i asked her the recipe and got to know her secret ingredient. I never thought mint would taste soooo good in rice.
Anyway, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

2C basmati rice, boiled
1/2 bunch mint
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 onions
3-5 cloves
3-4 bay leaves
1C cauliflower, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2C peas
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1/2C paneer, chopped
1C milk
2 tbsp ghee
1 green chili
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste

Method:

1) Boil the rice with a spray of oil and salt until they are half cooked.

2)In a pan, heat ghee and let it melt, add cumin, cloves and bay leaves. Let them fry for a while.

3) meanwhile in a grinder add, 1 onion, mint, cilantro and green chili. Grind to form a paste.

4) Add this paste to the saute pan with ghee and let it roast for about 2-3 mins. To this add, salt, garam masala, turmeric powder, chili powder and all the chopped vegetables except for paneer.

5) Simmer, add milk and let the vegetables cook , add paneer when vegetables are half cooked. Simmer and cook for about 15 mins till the vegetables are completely cooked and the milk is reduced to half.

6) Pour the masala into the boiled rice and mix it well. The rice will become moist because of the mik. Cover the biryani and cook on low flame until the rice is completely cooked.

7) Serve hot with yoghurt

Serves:4-5

Chick Pea curry/Chhole

2008-07-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

Chick Pea curry is also a punjabi dish and usually had with either puri or rice. I had a party last night at my place and i made puri- chhole which my friends thoroughly enjoyed!!
Tell you a secret, i got this recipe from husband!!! He cooks rarely but when he cooks , everything is delicious:-)
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cans of chickpeas drained/2 cups of raw chickpeas soaked overnight in water and boiled.
2 garlic cloves
1 inch ginger root
handful of cilantro
3 tomatoes
1 onion , diced
2 green chilis
1 tbsp roasted cumin powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
Method:

1) In a pan, heat oil and add the diced onions. Saute them for a while until the onions start to turn brown.

2) Meanwhile in a grinder add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, green chilis and cilantro. Grind them together to form a chunky paste.

3) Add this paste to the onions in the pan and let it cook until it starts to leave oil. Then, add garam masala, turmeric powder, cumin, chili powder and salt.

4) Cook the masala for a few soconds and it is ready to go into the boiled chickpeas. Mix them together and boil the chcikpeas for about 15 mins more so that the masala incorporates and forms a thick curry.

5) Serve with puri or rice.

Serves:6-7

fettuccini alfredo

2008-07-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is an italian dish which is very famous. It is difficult to like it in the first go but once you start eating it, you are sure to develop the taste ans love it!
Fettuccini is a kind of pasta and alfredo is a sauce which goes very well along with pasta and pizza.
For people who love it, this is the best pasta ever!! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fettuccini pasta
1/2 pint heavy cream
1/4C onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp butter
1/4C parmesan cheese
2 tbsp parmesan cheese for garnishing (optional)
1 tbsp chopped parsley for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1) In a deep pan, boil water and add some salt. Put pasta in the water for boiling.

2) Meanwhile, in a saute pan, add butter. When the butter starts to melt, add chopped onions and garlic. saute for a while.

3) when the onions become translucent, add cream. Let it come to a boil and simmer for about five.

4) To this mixture, add some grated parmesan cheese and let it melt. The sauce thickens after a while. Turn off the heat.

5) Add some salt and pepper to this sauce and then add the boiled pasta in it. Also, add 1/4 cup of pasta water to dilute the sauce little bit.

6) Garnish with more parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve hot with your favorite bread.

Serves: 2-3

Aloo-Poha

2008-07-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

Poha is a maharashtrian dish which is usually had for breakfast or as a snack. We have it every Sunday for breakfast. As my family lived in Maharashtra all my childhood, this is something that my mom has been cooking for ages.
Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

3C thick poha
1/4C peanuts
1 potato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp tuemeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 green chili, chopped
1 tsp rai/mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil
sugar
salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak the poha in water for about 2 mins and drain out the water. Sprinkle a tsp of sugar on the soaked poha and let it sit.

2)Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil and add rai. When rai starts to crack, add peanuts and potatoes.

2) Fry the potatoes. When they are cooked, add the onions and green chili and simmer the flame. Let the onions cook for 2 mins.

3) Add salt , turmeric powder and chili powder to the onion-potato mixture and stir for a few seconds until the masala is cooked.

4) Turn off the heat and add the soaked poha to the pan and mix well. Heat needs to be turned off so that the poha doesnt stick to the bottom of the pan and become hard.

5) Serve with sev and some lime juice sprinkled over it.

Serves: 2-3

Daal Paratha

2008-07-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Parantha is a key punjabi dish. There are different varieties which i will keep posting. For now , here's daal parantha.

Ingredients:

1C Leftover daal (any daal except chhole/rajma)
2C wheat flour
1/2C onion, finely chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ajwain
ghee
salt to taste

Method

1) In wheat flour, add the left over daal in parts and knead. dont add all the daal at once or else the dough will become too sticky.

2) also add chopped onion, ajwain, chili powder and salt. Add more water if the dough is dry.

3) Knead until the dough starts leaving your hand and sticking to itself.

4)Make small balls, about 14-15, from the dough. With a rolling pin , roll each ball into a round tortilla shape.

5) Put the tortilla onto a tava and let it cook on both sides. Apply ghee on both sides.

6) Serve hot with butter or pickle.

Serves:4

Tamarind rice

2008-07-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Although we are a punjabi family, our neighbours were south indian. When i was a kid, i used to love tamarind rice prepared by Subramanium aunty. My mother learnt the authentic recipe from aunty and passed it on to me. I still relish the sweet and tangy flavor of this dish.

Here's the recipe.

Ingedients:

1C boiled rice, cooled.
1 tsp rai
1 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsp peanuts
2 tbsp roasted chana
a pinch of hing
2-3 tamarinds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 green chili
a strand of kadi patta leaves
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak tamarind in a cup of water for about an hour. It starts to form a pulp. extract all the pulp and throw away the seeds.

2) In a pan , heat oil, add peanuts, let them roast for a while. Add chana and stir for a while. Add rai, hing, kadi patta, chopped green chili, turmeric powder and tamarind water.

3) Once the mixture starts to boil, add sugar and salt.

4) Mix the masala into the rice and let it sit for half an hour. This way the rice will soak all the masala and become moist.

5) Serve with yoghurt

Serves: 2

Baked Pasta

2008-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

My husband loves italian food and so do i. Once we went to my husband's uncle's place and aunty made such delicious pasta. When i asked her, she said its multigrain and also baked!! I mean, how can multigrain pasta taste soooo good :-)
Anyway, jokes apart, i took the recipe from her and threw in some of my ideas and some cheese to make it delicious:-) Here's the recipe.

Ingedients:

1/2 lb multigrain rotini pasta
1/2C parmesan cheese
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, sliced
1/4C peas, thawed
1/2C broccoli florets
1C marinara sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Method:

1) In a pot of boiling water, add salt and rotini pasta. Let the pasta boil for about 10 mins or until al dente.

2) In a baking pan, throw in the chopped vegetables, drizzle olive oil over them. Season with salt, pepper and dried italian herbs.

3) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 12-15 mins.

4) Take the vegetables out and add the al dente pasta to the vegetables , add marinara sauce and cheese. Mix it all together.

5) Again place the baking pan in the oven for about 15-20 mins until the cheese melts and the pasta is fully cooked.

6) serve hot with garlic bread.

Serves: 2-3

Sookhi Arbi

2008-07-10T09:41:00.000-07:00

Arbi which is usually called taro here, is also a day-to-day punjabi dish. It is cooked with gravy or dry. But, according to me, dry tastes better than the gravy one. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

8-9 pieces of taro/arbi
1/2C onion chopped
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
chopped cilantro for garnish
Method:

1)Peel and wash the taro. Keep it aside until it dries. Slice them fries shaped pieces.

2) heat oil in a pan. Add ajwain and turmeric powder. After that add the sliced arbi into the pan. Let it fry for a while on high flame.

3) Then add the chopped onions and cover the pan. Let it simmer for abt 15 mins. Add garam masala, chili powder and again cook it for abt 5-10 mins.

4) Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti.

Serves: 2

Rajma-Kidney bean curry

2008-07-08T18:44:00.000-07:00

Today I am posting recipe of my favorite dish, rajma. This is an authentic punjabi dish which is usually had with rice.

Ingredients:

2C red kidney beans
1/2 of a big onion
2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger root, peeled
handful of cilantro
2 green chillis
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp paprika powder/ degi mirch
1 tsp ground and roasted cumin
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak the beans in cold water overnight or in hot water for about an hour. They should swell.
Boil these beans with a little salt for abt 45 mins in a large pan. Cover the pan or use a pressure cooker.

2) for the masala, grind the coarselt chopped tomatoes, onions , ginger, garlic, green chillis and cilantro together to form a chunky paste.

3) Heat oil in a pan. Add this ground masala to the oil and let it cook on medium heat, until it starts leaving oil. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin and garam masala. Stir for a few seconds.

4) add this masala mixture to the boiled beans. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes so that the masala gets incorporated. Add more water necessary.

5) Garnish with chooped cilantro and Serve hot over rice.

Serves: 3-4

Tip:A cup of bean requires about 3 cups of water to boil.

Namkeen Saviyaan

2008-07-08T18:29:00.000-07:00

In the olden times, grannys used to make seviyaan at home with their own hands. I am fortunate that my husband's grandma still makes it and we get a taste of home-made seviyaan. Most people consider seviyaan to be a sweet dish. But namkeen seviyaan makes a great snack too and with all the veggies added, it has nutritional value. This can be a great to-go lunch. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

2C seviyaan , dry roasted
2C water
1/4C peas
1/4C chopped beans
1/4C corn
1/4C chopped potatoes
1/4C chopped carrot
1/4C chopped onions
1 tsp rai or mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Method:

1) Heat oil in a pan, add rai, when it starts spluttering, add the chopped vegetables , let them simmer. When the vegetables are cooked, add chopped onions and cook with the lid open until the onions begin to brown.

2) Add salt , chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well, add the seviyaan and then water.

3) Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook on medium heat until all the water evaporates and the seviyaan swells.

4) Serve hot.

Serves: 2

Hakka noodles

2008-07-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

Chinese food is my husband's and brother's favourite. So this is something i learnt from my mother, who is a great cook.

Ingredients:

1 packet Ching's hakka noodles
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2C chopped green onion
1C cabbage, shredded
1/2 bell pepper chopped
a carrot peeled and chopped
1 tsp hot sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1) In a deep pan, boil salted water and add noodles. Boil for abt 8 mins or till al dante. Drain in a colander. Spray some oil over the noodles so that they dont stick to each other.

2) In a saucepan, add olive oil, onions and vegetables, except for cabbage. Simmer and let the vegetables cook for a while.When veggies are 3/4th cooked, add cabbage. Add cabaage later as it cooks fast and we want it crunchy.

3) After a minute add ginger paste and garlic paste. Stir and then add the boiled noodles. Turn off the heat as soy soauce burns in the heat. After the heat is turned off add soy sauce and hot sauce. Mix well and serve.

Serves: 1-2

Tip: Add salt only when using low sodium soy sauce. If the cap of soy sauce bottle is red then it already contains enough sodium and there is no need of salt. If the cap is green, it is low sodium.

Bharvan Baigan

2008-07-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am not a big fan of eggplant and certainly not the regular aloo baigan and masala baigan. So i thought, the only way to make eggplant delicious is to come up with a rich filling for bharvan baigan. I tested it yesterday and it came out to be pretty good. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

8-10 small size eggplants
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2C cashewnuts
1 tsp coriander seeds
3 cloves
2 tbsp coconut, shredded
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp tuemeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt to taste
cilantro leaves for garnish

Method:

1) In a pan, heat a tbsp of vegetable oil. Add cloves, coriander seeds and onions , fry until onions tuen tranlucent. Add cashewnuts to this and let them become slightly brown. Turn the heat of and le the mixture cool.

2) In a grinder, add the above mixture, coconut, turmeric powder , chilli powder, garam masala and salt.Grind to make a paste. Add little water if necessary.

3) Slit the eggplant into cross slits and fill them with the cashew paste. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil. Add the eggplants and let them sear on all the sides.

4) Add the remaining paste to the pan. Add little water to make a gravy and let it simmer till the eggplants are cooked and the paste starts to leave out oil.

5) Garnish with some chopped cilantro and serve hot with roti.

Serves: 2-3

Punjabi Kadhi

2008-07-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today's posting is a very common one but Kadhi is something which according to me, is a difficult dish. Being a Punjabi, this is something that i wanted to taste authentic, the way my grandma used to make it. There are some specific things that need to be done for the Kadhi to turn out perfect. I struggled a lot with this dish initially but when you get it, it is just a delicious treat!!
My husband can eat it any day and any time of the year. So, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the Kadhi:
5 cups Yoghurt
2 tbsp gram flour (besan)
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
a pinch of hing (aesefodita)
2 tbsp ghee
salt to taste

For Pakoras:
1/2C mustard oil
1/2C gram flour
1/2C chopped onion
a pinch bajing soda
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 chopped green chilli
salt to taste

Method:

1)In a measuring cup add besan, salt, red chilli powder, garam masala, turmeric powder and mix them. Add yoghurt so that 1/4th of the cup is filled, mix until a thick paste is formed. This way the besan wont form lumps. Pour this paste into a bowl and add 41/2 cups of yoghurt and mix it well.

2) In a pan, heat a tbsp of ghee, add hing, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, ginger paste, garlic paste. After a few seconds, add the yoghurt mixture and keep stirring on high flame until it comes to a boil. It is advisable not to stop stirring until the yoghurt comes to a boil or else it will break into lumps.

3) Simmer the kadhi and cook it for abt 30 mins more. The more u cook, the more delicious it is.

4) make a cake like batter of besan, onions, baking soda, green chilli and all the masalas incuding salt, for the pakoras.

5) Deep fry them in mustard oil and add to the kadhi while it is simmering. This way the pakoras become soft.

6) serve hot over rice.

Serves 2-3

Bruchetta

2008-07-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

Bruchetta is an italian vegetarian appetizer which i love. This is the first thing i ate in a restaurant when i came to US. My husband loved it and introduced it to me. Since then i was trying to recreate it at home but something or the other would go missing.
I wondered , from where did that strong fragrance came. I tried various cheeses but nothing worked. Finally, i realized , it was basil and no cheese!!! From then on it was the making of a perfect bruchetta. We never order it at the restaurant now:-)
Here's the recipe... Ingredients:

French bread
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, finey chopped
3 basil leaves (offcourse!)
6 tbsp olive oil
1/3 onion, finely chopped Method:

1) mix together tomatoes, onion, garlic, chopped basil leaves and 4 tbsp olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

2) slice the frence bread into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Apply rest of the olive oil to the slices. Toast them in a toaster or a 375 degrees preheated oven for abt 10 mins.

3) Spread the tomato mixture over the bread and serve.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

2008-07-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that i saw in various TV shows. I got an idea of how to make a vegetarian enchilada taste delicious, by mixing and matching different ingredients from various TV shows!!
So, this is my own creation and believe me , my husband, who is a great food critic, loved it!!

Ingredients:

4 mexican tortillas (store bought)
2 tomatoes
1 big onion or 2 small ones
Juice of 1 lime
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch of cilantro
2 green chillies
1 tbs all purpose flour
1C vegetable broth
1/2 lb paneer
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1/2C shredded mozarella cheese
2 tsp cumin powder

Method:

1) Cut the tomatoes, half the onion, a green chilli and a garlic clove in big wedges. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper over them. Roast them in your toaster or in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15-20 mins until the tomatoes become soft and start to char.

2) pour the above in a grinder, add a tsp of cumin powder, juice of a lime, cilantro and some more salt and pepper. Grind it together to form a chunky salsa. Keep it aside.

3) In a similar way , roast the paneer and chopped bell pepper with olive oil, salt and pepper until they are half cooked.

4) Chop the left over onion and garlic finely. In a pan, add some olive oil, onions and garlic and let them fry until they are tender.

5) To this add all purpose flour and mix it thoroughly to avoid lump. Then slowly add the broth while mixing it. After a while the liquid thickens because of the flour. Now add the roasted vegetables and half of the tomato salsa that we prepared earlier. This is the filling for Enchiladas.

6) Dry toast the tortillas on your burner for just few seconds to make them soft. Spread half of the leftover salsa over these tortillas. Then add the filling, some shredded cheese and fold the tortillas to form a cigar shape. Do it for all the tortillas.

7) In a baking pan, spread some salsa at the bottom, place the tortillas on the top. Spread the leftover salsa on the top. Cover the top with shredded cheese.

8) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the enchiladas for about half an hour. They are ready to be served.