quick microwave sweet and sour mango chutney

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

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

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

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