Peas Pulao

These days the vegetable market is flooded with fresh, tender and very sweet green peas and priced very affordably. Green peas can be used in a variety of dishes like Aloo Mutter, Paneer Mutter & Peas Patties, Mushrooms and Peas. One can also make a yummy Peas Palau which can be had as a meal with just Raita, Papad, Pickle or accompanied by a gravy dish or Cuchumber Raita. Enjoy Peas this winter and try the Peas Palao when you want a quick and tasty meal accompaniment.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• ½ cup shelled green peas
• 2 green chillies chopped
• ½” piece ginger chopped
• ½ tsp. cummin seeds
• ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
• ½ tsp. coriander powder
• 1 medium sized tomato chopped
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsps. oil
• Few coriander leaves chopped (optional)
Procedure:
Wash and soak rice in a bowl of water for 15 – 20 minutes. In a thick-bottomed pan heat oil. Add ginger, green chillies and cummin seeds. When cumin seeds splutter, add curry leaves and peas and mix well. Now add all other dry spices and stir for a minute or too. Add chopped tomato, cover pan and reduce flame. After about 5 minutes mix well. Now add rice, salt, coriander leaves and 2¼ cups water. Cook on high flame with pan uncovered, till all the water dries up and you see holes in the rice. Reduce flame, cover pan with tight lid and cook on lowest flame for about 5minutes. Open lid, rice well, cover and cook for another 5 minutes till rice is done. It should be steaming, soft, yet not lumpy. Serve hot with pickle, raita and papad.

Adai

Yesterday I visited my friend Prabha at tea time and she served fresh hot, crisp and yummy adai with Molgapudi. The combination was so delicious that I got Prabha to share the recipe which is pretty simple and easy to make. Here it is.
Ingredients
1 cup rice
1/3 cup udad dal]
1/3 channa dal ]to make 1 cup
1/3 cup tuvar dal ]
1/2 tsp hing
2 green chillies finely chopped
Few curry leaves
Few coriander leaves
Salt to taste
and a little oil for frying
Procedure
Mix the rice and dal and soak for 3 - 5 hrs (or even overnight). Grind the soaked rice and dal with the spices and some water in a grinder to have batter like consistency. Heat non-stick pan. Add 1 - 2 tsp of oil. Spread and wipe the pan. Now pour two ladles of the batter and spread thin and round. Lower flame and allow to cook. Put a few drops of oil on the top and turn over when the bottom side is golden brown. Allow the second side to become golden brown and crisp. Serve hot with coconut chutney, green chutney or molgapudi.

Orange Marmalade

The fruit market is flooded these days with juicy and delicious Nagpur Oranges that are firm, fresh and juicy and have the just the right sweet and tangy taste. While oranges are great for juice and to be eaten, one can make an absolutely yummy orange marmalade at home, which tastes great on hot toast as topping for deserts and even spread on a hot chappatti as a last dish on your daily meal. Here's my recipe of orange marmalade....All those who have tried it, love it, hope that inspires you to take a shot at making it.

Ingredients
12 medium to large Nagpur oranges (peel and remove pulp)
2 1/2 cups sugar
Rind / peel of three oranges
Juice of 1 lemon

Procedure
Peel oranges, remove pulp and keep aside. Take rind of three oranges. Scrape off the white fibres and cut into very thin strips of 1 cm length Boil the chopped rind in water for 1 or 2 minutes and drain out the water and repeat once again. Boiling it twice will help to remove the extra bitterness. Drain out water and keep aside. In a thick bottomed pan heat the orange pulp and sugar over a medium flame for a few minutes. The sugar will desolve and along with the orange pulp will become a little water. Keep cooking on low flame stirring occasionally. After 5 - 10 minutes, add the orange rind and cook together till the mixture is of ketch-up like consistancy. Add lime juice and give the final boil and put off flame. Cover the pan with a cloth and allow it to cool for a few hours. The jam will thicken because of the sugar. Empty in a bottle and store in a refrigerator.

Bread & Butter Pudding

Most of us like to end our meal, especially on the weekend with a sweet / desert. We sometimes go out and buy Indian sweets like gulab jammun, jalebi, ladoos or pastries and mousse. But once in a while when we are in the mood to make something our selves, we try to find a recipe that is simple to make yet delicious and nutritious. One such dessert is Bread and Butter Pudding, which goes very well with most meals, specially in cool weather. It can be served hot or cold depending on individual likes and tastes good both ways.
Ingredients:
• 500 ml milk,
• 500 ml cream
• 49 gm butter
• 6 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 French bread
• 100g apricot jam
• 250g sugar
• 25g sultanas

Procedure:
Slice the bread and apply butter on all sides. Line mould with butter. Prepare mixture with milk, cream and eggs and pour over the arranged bread rolls, sprinkle sultanas and bake at degree 200 degrees C for 15 – 20 minutes. Apply apricot jam and serve hot dredged with icing sugar. Garnish with mint sprig.

MultiGrain Thins with Beetroot Dip

I had the opportunity to taste the newly launched Britannia NutriChoice Multigrain Thins,Britannia's foray into the healthy snacking space and really loved all the three flavours - Classic Indian Spice, Herb Tomato and Lime and Mint. The Thins are delicious,light, healthy and a great snack to have at tea-time, with drinks, and even on the go. I also tried serving them with a beetroot dip and I think the combination is works brilliantly. So here's the recipe for the beetroot dip.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Beetroot Puree
1/2 cup hung curd
1/2 tsp cummin seed powder
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp chopped dill

Procedure
Blend all the ingredients in a blender to a smooth puree. Empty in a small glass bowl / dip serving dish and serve with Classic Indian Thins.

Tomato Curry

Most Sindhi's love to have Kadhi Chawal and Aloo Tikki or Aloo Tuk for lunch on Sundays. We are known for our Besan Kadhi which is absolutely delicious, but takes quite a long time to prepare. The other Kadhi that is equally tasty, but quicker to make is tomato Kadhi with vegetables. So I very often take the easier route and make Tomato Kadhi for lunch. You could try it out this weekend.
Ingredients
6 – 8 Medium sized Ripe red tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp Besan/Gram flour
8 to 10 Lady finger (slit in between)
cluster beans - 15
2 Drumstick Cut into 2 -3 inch long pieces
1 Carrot chopped into vertical strips
Few pieces of pumpkin (optional)
1 potato peeled and cut into pieces
1 brinjal cut into pieces (optional)
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies
8-10 curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp methi seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chillie powder
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Procedure
Pressure cook the tomatoes with two glasses of water for five minutes. Allow to cool. Remove the thin outer skin of the tomatoes and blend in a blender. Keep aside. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat the oil. Add mustard and methi seeds and allow to splutter. Add green chilli, ginger and curry leaves and lower flame. Now add besan and fry for 2 - 3 minutes. When golden brown, add tomato puree and about 2 - 3 cups of hot water and turmeric and red chilli powder. Bring to the boil and add the chopped vegetables and salt to taste and allow to cook for 15 to 20 minutes till the vegetables are done. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with white rice. Aloo tikki, french fries, papad can also go well with it.

Carrot Pickle

Mumbai is finally seeing cooler evenings and mornings, and the appearance of winter vegetables in the market. Over the last couple of days I have seen fresh and tender green peas and juicy red carrots, which can be used to make a number of winter delicacies including Gajar Halwa. What I am going to share now is a very simple and easy to make Carrot Pickle, which is nutritious, oil free and tasty.
Ingredients:
4 - 5 Juicy Red Carrots
10 - 12 flakes of fresh or dried garlic (peeled and slit)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Wash and scrape carrots and cut into 1 cm thick slices. Put chopped carrots in a pan. Add enough water to be half inch above the carrots. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes on low flame. Allow to cool. When cooled, add all spices. Mix well and put in a glass jar, cover lid and keep in sunlight for a few hours. This pickle is ready to eat the next day and tastes good for 4 to 5 days, becoming a little more sour each day. It goes extremely well with all Indian Food, specially dal and rice. The water makes a very appetizing drink.

In my home each winter we make a fresh lot of the pickle every week because it goes consumed so quickly.

Paneer Toast

Weekends are always time to break away from regular meals and experiment with something new. I, for one love to try out new recipes for breakfast and also a Sunday evening snack because I like to skip dinner and have a light snack i.e. wholesome, delicious to taste and quick to make. Paneer Bhurji on Toast is one such snack which makes a terrific breakfast or a Sunday evening light meal.
Ingredients:

• 250 gms. Paneer finely chopped
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
• ½” piece ginger finely chopped
• 2 green chillies finely chopped
• ¼ tsp. oregano (if not available ¼ tsp. cummin seeds)
• Coriander leaves finely chopped
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• 6-8 slices of bread
• 3 tbsps. melted butter or oil
• Butter for Toasts (optional)
• Salt to taste

Procedure:
Heat butter / oil in a kadai. Add oregano / cummin seeds. When they stop spluttering, reduce flame and add green chillies and ginger. Stir for a minute or two. Add onions and stir for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cover for a few minutes. When tomatoes are soft and well blended with onion, add Paneer and all other ingredients. Stir and cover. Keep on lowest flame for 3-5 minutes. Remove and keep aside. Toast bread in a toaster or on a non stick pan. Apply a little butter and spread cooked paneer on each toast. Cut each toast into halves diagonally. Serve hot with crisp potato wafers.

I was at the launch of Godrej Tyson - Real Good Yummiez Punjabi Chicken Tikka earlier this week and really nejoyed the authentic taste of the product. The Tikkas are soft, juicy and delicious, bringing real Punjabi taste to one's home and ready to serve in a jiffy. Celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani showed us many creative ways of using Yummiez Punjabi Chicken Tikka interestingly and I am sharing with you here absolutely finger-licking delicious Chicken Tikka Penne Pomodoro that he prepared in just a few minutes, making everyone's mouth water even while he was making it happen.

Ingredients

Chicken Tikka Chunks (4 Tikka pieces or 120 gms)
Cooked pasta (preferably short 150 gms)
For the sauce
Onion chopped 1 Tablespoon
Celery 1 tsp
Leeks 1 tsp
Garlic 2 cloves
Butter 1 tbsp
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Tomatoes chopped (3 medium sized)
Basil leaves 1 tsp
Parsley chopped 1 tsp
Fresh coriander chopped 1 tsp
Sugar pinched
Green Chilli chopped one
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cream 1/2 cup
Spring Onion 1 stalk

Procedure:
Cut Chicken Tikka Chunks into slices. Set aside cooked pasta in boiling salted water for 9 - 12 minutes. Drain and cool. Keep 1/2 cup of cooking water for the sauce. In a heavy bottomed pan heat up the olive oil and clarified butter. Sweat the diced onions, leeks and celery for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Throw in the chopped tomatoes along with the Chicken Tikka slices and saute well for six minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, pinch of sugar to create a chunky sauce. Blanche the pasta in boiling water and add to the sauce. Add the cream, basil, parsley and fresh coriander. Garnish with spring onion and serve in an attractive glass dish.

I was in Delhi most of this week participating in the Ad Asia Conference. While the conference provided a lot of food for thought, the lunches and dinners offered a food to think about. While most of the meals were big buffets with a big spread of thematic dishes, there were many new and innovative delicacies that were served and I will share a few. For the first time I saw kulfi scraped out in strips from a pink and white striped cylinder just like one pulls out scotch tape from a roll and it tasted really good. Another, first was pomegranate flavoured kulfi on a stick, which took us back to our schools days. Even in Raitas innovation could be seen, whether it was mint and pomegranate raita, which was so cooling and delicious or the mustard and curry leaves raita which immediately took you to Kerala. In Street Food dinner, the Kanji Wada was to die for, as also the veg Galoti Kebab which melted in the mouth. After enjoying the exotic and rich Delhi food for four days am back in Mumbai and in Home Sweet Home looking forward to my first simple meal of the week, which is Roti Sabzi Dahi and Salad.

Carrot and Orange Soup

I am in beautiful Delhi to attend a conference …. lovely weather good food of all types. Last night we went to an Italian restaurant and had an excellent meal beginning with Carrot, Ginger and Orange soup. I liked it so much that I went to meet the chef and persuaded her to share the recipe with me. So here it is.

Ingredients:
6 to 8 fresh baby carrots( The Mahableshwar type , orange coloured ones)
1 orange
½ piece ginger finely chopped
8 to 10 mint leaves
15 to 20 small wheat bread roasted croutons ( They had used Italian wheat)
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Wash , scrape and grate carrots. Peel the orange. Remove the flesh of each segment by opening out. In a pan put grated carrots, orange pulp, mint leaves and ginger . Add 4 cups of water and boil on low flame till carrots are tender. Put off flame. Allow to cool a bit and then put the contents into a blender and blend till smooth. If too thick add a little hot water.
Add salt to taste and serve hot garnished with croutons.

Sheera

As we all get ready to welcome Goddess Laxmi in our homes tomorrow with sweets, fruits, flowers, coconut etc, in our family we also make wheat, flour Sheera (kanah prasad) a delicious Sheera that we have been used to since childhood, served in all Gurudwaras and temples. Here's how you can make it at home.

Ingredients
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 pure ghee
A little over 2 cups of water

Procedure
Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed kadai. Reduce flame and add flour and stir. Separately in a pan boil water with sugar to make sugar syrup and turn off flame once sugar is fully dissolved and water is boiling. Keep stirring the flour on a low flame till it turns golden brown. Slowly add the sugar syrup stirring continuously on a slightly higher flame, so that there are no lumps. Keep stirring, reduce flame, cover kadai with lid and cook for five minute on low flame stirring occasionally. Delicious hot kanah prasad is ready. Empty in an attractive serving dish with lid and place at the Pooja. Distribute to family and friends after Pooja is over.

Cashewnut Barfis

Today is World Food Day and Diwali is also upon us. What better way to celebrate both making delightful Cashew-nut Barfi at home bound to be a big hit with family and friends, so why not try it out and let the compliments keep coming.
Ingredients:
• 500 gms. cashew nuts (you can buy the broken variety, they are cheaper)
• 225 gms. sugar
• 8-10 cardamoms – deseeded and powdered
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup milk
• ¾ tbsp. pure ghee
• 8-10 almonds and pistas each – finely chopped
Procedure:
Grind cashew nuts in a mixer to a powder. Please be careful not to over grind, as oil will start to come out. Grease a large round steel plate / thali and keep aside. Place a thick-bottomed / non-stick kadai on the flame. Put sugar and water and heat. As soon as the sugar dissolves, put in the milk, reduce flame and boil. In a minute or two you will have a frothy layer on the top with some dirt particles. Remove the frothy layer with a sieve and let the sugar syrup boil on low flame till it is sticky and of One String consistency. Now put in the ground cashew nuts, cardamom powder and pure ghee. Mix well for a couple of seconds and put off the flame.
Immediately remove mixture on a greased thali. Pat with hand to flatten and make a circle of 1 cm. thickness. Sprinkle chopped almonds and pistas and press with hand. Allow to cool. Cut into diamond shaped pieces and serve.

Methi Puri with topping

Ingredients
1 cup wheat flour
½ cup Sooji (Rawa)
1 tbsp pure ghee
1 cup methi (fenugreek ) leaves washed and chopped
¼ tsp jeera powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

For Topping (Optional)
2 medium sized potatoes boiled , peeled and cut into small pieces
1 tsp ginger, garlic and green chilli paste
½ tsp chaat masala
¼ tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Juice of ½ lemon
Roasted and chopped groundnuts 1 tbsp (optional)
Procedure
Mix all the ingredients for the puris and knead into a soft dough with a little warm water. Make small balls. Roll out into puris and fry in hot oil till golden brown. The puris can be had by themselves with dahi, pickle etc or with your meal i.e. vegetables, meat etc. You can also serve the puris as a tasty snack with topping. To prepare the topping, mix all the ingredients well in a bowl except the groundnuts. Arrange puris on a plate . Spread topping evenly on the puris and garnish with chopped groundnuts and coriander leaves.

Stuffed Capsicum

Capsicum whether greedn, red or golden yellow is a vegetable that looks good, tastes good and is very versatile. Used in salads, main courses, snacks and even as toppings on pizzas, puffs and other small eats adds a delicious flavour. Several parts of the country stuffed capsicums are also a delicacy, especially in vegetarian menues. From mince meat to panneer to green peas, soya bean, potatoes, cauliflower etc. are all used to make the simple capsicum a tastier and more wholesome dish. I am sharing below a simple and easy to make dish of capsicum stuffed with potatoe and onion stuffing.

Ingredients
4 - 6 medium sized fresh capsicums
3 medium sized potatoes (boiled, peeled and cut into tiny pieces
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
2 green chillies chopped
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1/2 tsp jeera (cummin seeds)seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp amchoor powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil
Few coriander leaaves finely chopped
Procedure
Wash and slit the capsicum vertically from top to bottom (just one slit. Heat a non-stick pan with 1 tbsp oil. Lower flame and put in the capsicum after draining out the water. Keep turning the capsicums around, so that they get evenly cooked on all sides and after 5 - 7 minutes, they are a little soft and golden brown. Remove from flame and keep aside the pan.
In a separate kadai, heat the remaining two tbsp of oil. When hot add jeera seeds, ginger and green chillies and allow to splutter. Now put in the chopped onion and cook on low flame for a few minutes till translucent. Add the chopped potatoes and dry spices, mix well and cook on low flame covered for 3 - 4 minutes. Add chopped coriander and turn off flame. Mix well and allow the mixture to cool.
Take the capsicums and fill in the potato mixture through the slit in each one slowly, so that you are able to fill up the whole capsicum with the potato mixture and bring the two ends together. Place all the stuffed capsicums on the non-stick pans. Cover with a fitting lid and allow to steam on low flame for about 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and serve hot on a plate decorated with tomato and cucumber slices. This preparation of capsicum goes very well with dal rice, curry rice or even just a pulao.

Kabuli Chana Dabal Roti

On weekends most of us who have a busy working week want to cook up a tasty meal, but one that's not too elaborate. Kabuli Chana Dabal Roti is a healthy, nourishing and yummy snack cum meal.
Ingredients:
• 250 gms Kabuli Chana soaked overnight in water
• 2 onions medium sized
• 1” piece ginger
• 2 red chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds roasted
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp ground garam masal
• ½ tsp tumeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 4-6 tbsps oil
Procedure:
Boil Kabuli Chana in a pressure cooker till soft. In a thick bottomed pan or kadai heat oil, add ground masala and fry for about 10 minutes on slow flame. Put in boiled chana and other spices and stir for a few minutes. Now add 1 ½ cups water and cook on slow flame for 15 minutes. Serve hot with onion rings, lemon and fresh Pav / bread slices.

Pomfret Curry

With the monsoon on it’s way out, there is plenty of fresh fish in the market and Pomfret is an all time favourite with sea food lovers. The joy of enjoying a well made, spicy fish curry with rice specially on a Sunday afternoon is something most non vegetarians would love to experience.
Ingredients
1 medium sized pomfret or few slices of Surmai fish
½ coconut
5 to 6 Kashmiri red chillies
½ tsp Jeera seeds
8 to 10 flakes garlic
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil
1 tomato( grated)
1 small ball of tamarind
Salt to taste.
A few coriander leaves finely chopped
Procedure
Grind grated coconut with jeera, garlic and chillies. Wash the fish well and apply a little salt over it and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add ground masala. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then add grated tomato and turmeric. Cook for a while add tamarind water and a little hot water and salt. Let the gravy boil for a few minutes on low flame till the oil shows on the top. Now gently put in the fish pieces and boil for 2 to 3 minutes till fish is done. Turn off flame and serve with white rice garnished with coriander leaves.

Dahiwale Aloo

Aloo or potato is a favourite and very often most frequently used vegetable in most homes. Today let’s try a different and quick and simple to gravy dish with potatoes.
Ingredients:
3 to 4 medium sized potatoes, boiled,, peeled and cut into thick slices.
1 cup fresh yoghurt well blended
1 tsp besan
¼ tsp each jeera and mustard seeds
I inch piece ginger finely chopped
½ tsp dhania powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp asoefotida(hing)
2tbsps oil
6 to 8 curry leaves
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan. Add jeera and mustard seeds, ginger, hing and curry leaves. Add potatoes and all dry spices and sauté for 5 minutes. Blend yoghurt and besan with a little water and add to the potaoes, Add salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Put off flame and serve hot garnishes with coriander leaves.

SURAN (YAM) CUTLETS

Most of us are familiar with and enjoy mincemeat, potato or vegetable cutlets. There are several other vegetables that lend themselves well to making cutlets and other snacks and one such vegetable is Suran or Yam. It doesn’t look very appealing when you see it in the vegetable market, but can actually be converted into a delicious snack or dish to die for….
Ingredients:
250 gms suran
1 small onion finely chopped
½ tsp jeera
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped or ground
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 slices bread or one pav
1 tbsp besan (gram flour)
¼ tsp red chilli powder
½ tsp coriander powder
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Ground bread crumbs for coating
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Procedure:
Peel suran and cut into 4 o5 large pieces. Boil in a pressure cooker for a couple of minutes. Open lid , drain out water and mash suran and allow it to cool . Heat two tbsps oil in a kadai and add jeera, ginger , green chillies and onion. Cook on low flame till onion is translucent. Add the mashed suran and coriander powder, chilli powder and salt. Stir for a minute or two, remove from flame and let the mixture cool. When it cools , add gram flour and bread( soak bread in water and squeeze it out) and coriander leaves and mix well. Keep the mixture in the fridge for an hour or two so it hardens a bit. Then make balls and flatten to cutlets. Cot both sides with bread crumps and shallow fry in a non stick pan till both sides are golden brown. Serve hot with green chutney, coconut chutney or ketchup.

Mixed Dal

Dal finds a permanent slot in all Indian meals. Since most of us have some form of dal almost everyday, there is a need for variety to avoid monotony setting in. Here’s a recipe for a very tasty dal which goes well with roti and even rice.
Ingredients:
½ small katori chana dal
½ small katori Tur dal
½ small katori green moong
½ small katori udad dal (white or black)
½ small katori masoor dal
( You can use any 3 or 4 or all of these dals)
One mall ball of tamarind
One medium sized onion finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger scraped and finely chopped.
8 to 10 flakes garlic peeled and finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp mustard seeds
Few curry leaves
2 tbps pure ghee
Salt to taste
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Procedure:
Wash and soak dals in 3 to 4 cups of water for an hour or more. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water. Add turmeric powder and cook in a pressure cooker for 5 to 7 minutes after the first whistle on reduced flame. When cool open cooker lid and once again cook on low flame after adding salt and tamarind water. The grains of dal should be well cooked but clearly seen. Cook for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Now heat the ghee in a tadka kadai, add mustard seeds and let them slutter. Add ginger, garlic, onion and chillies and cook till onions are transulent. Put this into the hot dal and immediately cover with lid. Before serving add chopped coriander leaves

Carrots and Methi (Gajjar Methi)

I am sharing today a highly nutritious and quick and easy to make recipe of Gajar in Methi. It not only tastes good, but goes well with both roti and rice.
Ingredients
250 gms carrots
1 bundle methi leaves (fenugri)
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
6 - 8 flakes of garlic peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp coriander powder (dhanya powder)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
2 green chillies finely chopped
3 tbps oil
salt to taste
Procedure
Wash and peel carrots and chop into small pieces. Remove methi leaves from stalks. Wash well and chop finely. Heat oil in thick bottomed kadai or pan. Add ginger garlic and green chillies and saute for a minute or two on low flame. Now add finely chopped methi leaves and saute for a couple of minutes. Add dry spices coriander, turmeric, chillies (red) and chopped carrots and turn around for 2 - 3 minutes. Finally, add finely chopped / grated tomatoes. Mix well. Add salt. Cover the pan and cook on low flame till carrots are done. (You can check it out by piercing with a knife). Serve with hot rotis or puries, dahi and pickle.

Over the weekend I tried making Daliya Upma, a dish that can be very good for breakfast as well as tea time snack or even a light meal if you are not in a mood for a regular meal. It is pretty simple to make, highly nutritious and tasty too, so I hope that I have tempted you enough to want to try it.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Daliya (coarsely ground wheat)
1/4 cup rava (suji)
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped and steamed mixed vegetables (carrot, green peas etc.)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
6-8 curry leaves
juice of half lemon
few coriander leaves finely chopped
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Procedure
Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadai, add mustard seeds, ginger and curry leaves, allow seeds to splutter. Reduce flame and add chopped onion. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Now add daliya and suji. Again saute for a minute or two. Now put in the vegetables and stir again for a minute or two. Add salt to taste and 2 1/2 cups of boiling water. Cook for a minute or two on low flame covered, till the mixture is solid but soft. Turn off flame, add lemon juice and serve garnished with coriander leaves. You can serve this with coconut chutney or yoghurt and papad.

Egg Curry

Most of us have eggs for breakfast or an in-between meal snack like sandwiches or pakodas etc., but eggs also make a delicious curry, which can be the main course of a lunch or dinner meal. Here's my recipe.
Ingredients
4 eggs boiled and kept aside
1/2 coconut (grated)
4 - 5 kashmiri dried red chillies
1 tsp jeera (cummin seeds)
8 - 10 flakes garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 grated tomato
1 tiny ball of tamarind soaked in water
3 tbsps oil
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Grind coconut, chillies, jeera and ginger garlic with a little water in the mixer. mixer. Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add ground masala and saute for a few minutes on low flame. Add turmeric and grated tomato and cook for a minute or two. Now add salt, tamarind water after squeezing out the tamarind and two cups of boiling water. Cover pan and allow to simmer on low flame for ten minutes. Turn off flame. Peel the boiled eggs and slit into two vertically. Place eggs in a glass bowl or serving dish and pour hot gravy over it. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with white rice or fresh pav bread. Onion-tomato salad and fried papads go well with this curry rice.

Ghatvan Aloo

Rajasthani food is known for its richness and delicious taste and universally popular dish in this cuisine is Ghatvan Aloo - easy to make and yummy to taste.
Ingredients
4 medium sized potatoes boiled and peeled
4 to 5 medium sized tomatoes grated
1/2 tsp saunf seeds (ani seeds)
2 to 3 pieces of one inch (dal chinni / cinnamon)
1/2 tsp peppercorn
10 to 12 cloves
1/2 tsp methi seeds
8 - 10 curry leaves
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
4 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1 tsp dhania (coriander powder)
1 tbsp yoghurt (dahi)
Salt to taste
Procedure:
In a thick-bottomed pan or kadai heat oil and put all the dry spices and let them crackle for minute or two. Add grated tomato and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add turmeric powder and dhania powder and cook for a few minutes. Add yoghurt and 1 cup of hot water and bring to the boil. Smash the boiled potatoes unevenly and put into the gravy. Add salt to taste and cook for a couple of minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti, puri, paratha or fresh bread.

Chatpatti Mathri

“ Having just celebrated Raksha Bandhan and now Janmashtami to be followed by Ganesh Chaturthi, the festive season is upon us …. i.e celebrations and get to gethers with families and friends… and a lot of eating all through the day. A good snack to make and have at home whether you have guests or not is Chatpata Mathri. It stays crisp and fresh for several days, goes well with both hot and cold beverages and is a great in between meals snack. Try making it sometime and I am sure it will soon become a regular habit.”

Ingredients:
• 2 cups refined flour (Maida)
• 2 heaped tbsps. Pure ghee
• 1tsp cumin seed (jeera)
• 1tsp thyme (ajwain)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying

Procedure:
Heat ghee and add to the flour. Put all spices into the flour. Knead into chapatti like dough with water. Make small balls like for puris. Roll out each ball into a thick puri. Pierce each puri at several places with a fork / knife. Heat oil in kadai. When hot add one puri at a time. Fry on slow turning sides till golden brown. Don’t allow the puri to swell up. Cool and store in air tight jar. Serve with pickle, chutney and tea / coffee.

Paneer Bhurji

Paneer or cottage cheese is a healthy and versatile food, loved by most of us especially vegetarians. It can be used in a number of interesting ways in starters, main courses and desserts too. From paneer tikkas and parathas to exotic dishes like paneer makhanwala and pasanda to pulao, palak paneer and kababs, paneer adds elegance and class to any dining table. A very simple and quick to make yet delicious paneer preparation is Paneer Bhurji. It takes just 10 to 15 minutes to make it, but it can be served in so many different ways. It tadstes great with paratha, roti or puri, can be served on hot toast, makes an excellent filling for sandwiches and grilled toasts, is a yummy filling for canapies served with drinks, makes a great pulao when added to cooked rice. I am sure there are many, many more ways to enjoy it. Would love to hear about your way...

Ingredients
250 gms paneer(cottage cheese. Cut into very small pieces(1 cm)
1 medium sized onion finely chopped
2 large tomatoes finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Half teaspoon ajwain
1 teaspoon coriander powder(dhania powder)
1/2 teaspoon cummin seed powder(jeera)
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp oil

Procedure
Heat a thick bottomed kadai or pan. Add oil and when hot add ajwain seeds and allow to splutter.Add green chillies, ginger and onion and stir for a few minutes till onions are translucent or light pink in colour. Now add chopped tomatoes and cover the pan for 2-3 mins and reduce flame. After a couple of mins open the lid and add dry spices and continue to stir for a couple of mins till the tomatoes and onions are well blended. Now add chopped paneer and salt,cover the pan and cook for a min or two. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves accompanied with hot roti, nan or puri.

Steamed Eggplant with Toppings

August or Shravan is the month where many people do not eat non –veg food and fast and are always looking out for interesting vegetarian recipes to try out . Here’s one which is easy to make and doesn’t take too much time I am sure will be liked by all who love brinjal or eggplant.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized eggplants (Brinjals - use Bharta Brinjals)
• 2 large onions finely chopped
• 2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 green chillies
• 1” pc. Ginger finely chopped
• Few coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1\4 tsp. garam masala powder
• 6 tbsp. Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:

Slit Eggplants in half lengthwise. If eggplants are about 6-8 inches in length cut each half into 2 horizontally so you have four pieces from each. Soak in salt water and keep aside for a few minutes.

In a non-stick pan heat 4 tbsps oil and fry the eggplant pieces till golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and keep on a clean white paper.

Topping:

Heat non-stick pan and put 2 tbsps oil. Add green chillies and ginger. Stir for a minute and add chopped onions. Saute for a minute or two, now add tomatoes, garam masala powder, salt, mix well and cover pan with fitting lid. Cook on low flame for a few minutes till tomatoes and onions are soft and blended. Put off flame. With a spoon spread the tomato mixture evenly on one side of each egg plant piece. Arrange eggplant pieces back in the pan. Garnish with coriander leaves, cover and cook on low flame for a couple of minutes till eggplant pieces are hot and soft. Serve. Goes well with dal-rice, or chapatti.

Sunday Brunch

We've had a very wet Mumbai all week. The rains not only make the city dull and damp, they also impact our food preferences. After a long day at work and a long commute home, the desire to have a hot and light meal is very strong. A hot soup and a delicious sandwich is the perfect answer to such a meal. So today I suggest spinach soup that is very easy to make, delicous and highly nutritious too and is even tastier with a few baked Hippo Munchies. Cheese Tomato Sandwich Toast provides the perfect accompaniment and completes the meal.

Cheese Tomato Sandwich Toast
Ingredients:
• 2 cubes cheese (50 gms)
• 1 green chillie
• 1 small / medium tomato
• Few coriander leaves finely chopped
• 4 slices of bread buttered on 1 side
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedure:
Grate cheese/ cut into small pieces and chop tomato, chillie and coriander fine. Mix all together. Add salt & pepper. Divide mixture into 2 portions. Take 2 buttered slices of bread at a time and fill in one portion of mixture, keeping the buttered side outside. Place in a sandwich toaster and toast on low gas flame till both sides are golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup / chilli sauce / green chutney and potato chips.


Spinach Soup
Ingredients:
• 2 Bundles Spinach finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons oil
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• ¾ cup milk
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 100 gms cheese grated
• 100 gms fresh cream
• salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan. Sauté the onion. Add chopped spinach. Stir for a minute or two. Now add salt, cumin seeds, pepper and ginger paste. Stir and cook for a few minutes on low flame. Add milk. Cook for a few minutes. Remove from fire. When cool blend in mixer. If the mixture is too thick dilute to gravy consistency with a little water. Serve hot garnished with grated cheese.

Moong Dal Pakodi

Monsoon months are great to socialise and catch up with friends over a movie, game of cards, high tea or a meal. All of these activities make one want to unwind with a nice chilled drink and a hot snack to accompany. Moong Dal Pakodis are delicious and convenient thing to make. The batter can be stored in the refrigerator to last for two days, so ideal for a weekend.

Ingredients:
• 1 ½ Cups Moong Dal
• ½ piece ginger
• 2 Green Chillies
• ½ tsp Cummin Seed
• Few coriander leaves finely chopped
• ¼ tsp. ajwain
• 1/8 tsp soda bicarb
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Procedure:

Soak dal in 3 cups of water for about an hour. Grind in mixer with ginger and green chillies to a fine paste. Remove in a bowl. Add cumminseed, ajwain, coriander leaves, salt and soda bicarb and mix well.

Heat oil in a kadai. When quite hot, add one teaspoon of the mixture at a time making pakodis. Put 10 to 12 Pakodis at a time. Reduce flame and deep fry till golden brown and crisp. Serve hot with tamarind chutney, mint chutney or tomato ketchup.

Mango Murabba

“With the onset of the rains we bid good bye to the much love Alphonso mango and welcome other vaieties of mangoes like Langda, Badam, Dusehri and Totapuri. The Totapuri mango has a very distinctive longish shape and is pointed at both top and bottom ends and has a distinctive taste too. As a young girl many , many years ago I watched with interest my mother make delicious Mango Murabba with Totapuri mangoes . Now, I try to make it at least once every year around this time. I made it last week and am sharing the recipe so you can try it out if you have a sweet tooth and love to have something sweet with your meal. “

Ingredients

1 kilo Totapuri Mangoes
½ kilo sugar
30 cardamoms (remove seeds and discard skins)
1 pinch boondi colour

Procedure
Peel the mangoes and cut into slices of about 2 inch length and 1 – 2 cms width. Add two glasses of water to the sugar and boil in a pan for about five minutes, reduce flame and add mango slices. Cook on low flame. After about 10 minutes add cardamoms to the mangoes being cooked. Cook till the sugar syrup thickens and the mangoes are cooked. The consistency of the sugar syrup should be like gulab Jamun syrup. Add a pinch of boondi colour and turn off the flame. Cover the pan with napkin and allow to cool. When cool fill in jars and refrigerate. This Murabba tastes very good with hot roti, paratha or puri.

Kothimbir Wadis

Its been raining all day today in Mumbai and its the perfect Friday evening to have friends over for drinks and gupshup, a perfect evening for a hot and tasty snack that's light on the stomach and I can think of nothing more suitable than Kothimbir Wadi, a Maharashtrian delicacy that I learned from a friend. It's pretty simple to make and liked by most....

Ingredients
• 1 bunch Coriander leaves (Kothmir)
• 1 cups gram flour / Besan
• 1 green chilie
• 1/4 tsp red chili powder
• 1 pinch turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon asafetida
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3 tbsp oil

Procedure

Separate coriander leaves from stalks, wash thoroughly and chop fine. In a bowl, mix coriander leaves, besan, green chilie and all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Knead into stiff dough with a little water if required. Shape the dough into a roll of two to three inch diameter. Place the roll in a seive and steam, covered and placed above a pan containing boiling for about 15 minutes till it is cooked well. You can confirm that it is properly done if you pass a knife through it and the dough does not stick to the knife. After it cools, cut the roll into slices of 1 cm thickness. In a non-stick pan, put a little oil and when hot, place the slices and fry till both sides become sides are crisp and brown.

Serve hot with mint or coconut chutney or ketchup.

Crunchy and Yummy

The management mantra of "Innovate or Die" seems to have pervaded in all businesses including food, which today witnesses interesting variations and product introductions virtually everyday. On a recent visit to Ahmedabad, I was told by a friend to visit the popular store Induben khakhrawalla in Meethakali Village, Ahmedabad and was amazed to see the mind-bloggling varieties of khakhras in flavours as varied as manchurian, pani puri, pav bhaji etc. Innovation can be taken a step further for making khakhras an even more interesting snack and substantial snack in just a couple of minutes. Some ideas:

1. Khakhra broken into quarters and topped up with chopped boiled potato, onion and tamarind chutney with bhel sev sprinkled on the top.

2. Khakhra topped with finely chopped onion, tomato, green chillies and coriander leaves

3. Khakhra topped with paneer or egg bhurji

4. Apply a layer of cheese spread on the khakhra sprinkle finely chopped spring onion and chilli flakes and put in the grill for a minute or two and serve hot.

5. Khakhra topped with cooked moong, kabuli channa or chowli and green chutney

6. Pav Bhaji bhaji served on Khakhra

The next time you are in a mood for a quick snack try one of my variations on khakhras

Fried Baby Corn with Salt & Pepper

The rainy months bring an abundance of corn into the vegetable market. Corn is highly nutritious and can be enjoyed in many ways... roasted corn on the corb with salt, chilli and lemon rubbed onto it, steamed corn, baked corn, corn with methi as a vegetable, corn in salad and also in starters like canopies, corn and cheese keish etc. Here’s an easy baby corn recipe for a starter or side dish that you could easily put together and am sure will be a big hit with family and friends.
Ingredients:

• 1 packet baby corn
• 3 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 capsicum finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons corn flour or maida
• Oil for frying
• 1 tsp. Butter
• Salt and Pepper to taste
Procedure:
Make a thin batter of cornflour and water with a little salt. Dip each baby corn in the batter and deep fry in a kadai with hot oil over a medium flame till crisp and golden brown. Remove from oil and keep aside.

In a frying pan melt butter on a low flame, add spring onions and capsicums and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add fried baby corn, salt and pepper and toss around. Remove from fire. Serve hot with Chillie sauce or Schezwan sauce.

Food in France

I am just back after a week in charming Cannes (Cannes Festival of Creativity) and experienced in Big measure the natural beauty, warm sunshine, lovely people and exotic food. It's a pity that being a vegetarian I couldn't sample the sea-food delicacies at all the dinners that we got invited to. At a french food restaurant in the old town, I was surprised to see that they actually served 10 inch prawns that were devoured by my colleagues and friends.

While there is limited choice for vegetarians, I enjoyed some very good pizzas, soups, sandwiches, sauted vegetables, khous khous and salads with delicious dressings. At one of the meals I particularly enjoyed a light and tasty starter which had a cheese and herb filling wrapped in a crispy outer covering, shaped like our samosa, served on a bed of stewed apple slices. The one thing that stands out for all french cooking is the delicate flavours, and being extremely light on the stomach. Every meal also has a variety of freshly baked breads and crossaints to accompany the meal and of course the french love their wine, so there was a variety for every occassion.

Since I do eat egg, I really had a go at the exotic range of French confectionery and desserts - pastries, tarts, pies, mousses and several others.



Bon Appetit

The Rains are upon us it's beautiful outside. A perfect atmosphere to have a hot plate of Pakodas with Masala / Adrak Chai or Filter Coffee. So let's get into the kitchen and quickly dish up what is making our mouth water.

Ingredients
1 potato peel and cut into thin slices
1 capsicum cut into 1 inch wide vertical strips
A few spinach leaves minus stalk (palak)
A few thin slices of doodhi (pumpkin optional)
1 cup gram flour (Besan)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp ajwain
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Pinch of Soda Bi-carb

Procedure
Put gram flour in a big bowl. Add the dry spices and coriander leaves and make a thick batter with water. Make sure there are no lumps (like consistency of custard). Keep aside for about 10 minutes.

Heat oil (to reach about 1/3 of Kadai)on high flame. Dip the sliced potatoes and the other vegetables one by one in the batter. Take out excess batter and put in hot oil one by one. Reduce flame a little and let the Pakodas fry, turning with a sieve spoon till they are golden brown on both sides. Take out Pakodas from the kadai with the help of sieve ladle and take them out on a plate covered with tissue to absorb any extra oil. Arrange in an attractive glass plate or dish and serve with tomato ketchup green chutney pickle or coconut chutney.

Dahi Wada

Most Indians love Dahi Wada as a dish in a chat party or as an accompaniment to a meal or even as a snack. Dahi Wadas are made and served differently in different parts of the country with a different topping or a tadka. While, all communities consider Dahi Wada as a delicacy, it is rare to find soft and fresh Dahi Wadas that melt in your mouth, I am sharing with you today the Sindhi way of making and serving Dahi Wadas and I hope you enjoy them as much as my guests do.
Ingredients:
• 1 cup Udad dal
• ½ inch piece ginger
• 1 green chilli
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• Salt
• A few coriander leaves finely chopped
• Curds of 1 litre milk
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• Oil for frying
• Pepper, chilli powder and cummin seed powder to taste
Procedure:
Soak udad dal in water for 5 to 6 hours. Now grind with ginger & green chilli to fine paste. Add cummin seeds, juice of ½ lemon and salt. Mix well. Heat oil in kadai. Make small balls of mixture and deep fry till golden brown. The Wadas are now ready. Before serving boil water in a pan and in the boiling water add the Wadas and put off the flame and soak Wadas for 5 - 10 minutes till the Wadas are very soft. When cool squeeze out water from each wada. Blend curds, add salt and put in the wadas in an attractive glass bowl. Before serving add a little more blended curd and garnish it with cumin seed powder, red chilli powder, pepper and coriander leaves. Serve with tamarind & date chutney or green chutney (optional).

Nuchinwadi

Last weekend I was playing Bridge at a friend's place and with tea we were served a few snacks, one of which was an extremely healthy, tasty and unusual snack called Nuchinwadi, a tradional family recipe of my friend. I managed to get the recipe and would like to share it with you.

Ingredients
2 cups green moong soaked in water for 4 to 5 hours
1 inch piece ginger
2 green chillies
2 tbsp of grated fresh coconuts
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Grind together coarsely the soaked moong, ginger, green chillies and coconut in a mixer grinder. Remove contents in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. In an idly maker, put the ground batter in the moulds and steam for 10 minutes after the water starts boiling. Put a knife through in one of the mould to check if the wadis are done. No batter should stick on the knife. Remove moulds. Scoop out the wadis and serve hot with coconut or mint chutni.

Masala Potato Puri

Masala Potato Puri the recipe for which I am sharing, is quick and easy to make, tasty and can be had by itself or as in accompaniment with dishes like Chola, Paneer, Aloo Bhaji, Egg Bhurji etc. It goes perfectly with just Dahi and Pickle and can be a good change from regular roti and puri occasionally.

Ingredients:
• 4 Medium sized potatoes
• 2 cups of floor (maida)
• few coriander leaves finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• Oil for frying
Procedure:
Boil potatoes. Peel and mash while hot. Add flour, coriander and spices and knead into a dough without adding a drop of water. You may add a spoon or two of oil if required. Make small portions of dough and roll out into Puris. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with pickle, chutney or yoghurt.

Last night Aloo Mutter was one of the dishes on our dinner menu and there was a fair amount of it leftover. This morning as I was deciding what I should carry with me the office for lunch, a quick peek into the fridge showed that there was Aloo Mutter and rice leftover from last night, along with a few other things.

Being a hot summer day, I thought I would use the leftovers to create a tasty palao, which accompanied by onion, tomato raita would be a perfect meal for a working day.

Ingredients
Leftover rice
Leftover Aloo Mutter Bhaji
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped
Few curry leaves
1/2 tsp jeera cummin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
2 Boiled eggs (optional)

Procedure
In a thick-bottomed kadai or pan, heat 4 tsps oil. When hot add cummin seeds. Allow to splutter, reduce flame and add ginger, green chilli and curry leaves. Turn around for a minute and add the aloo mutter bhaji. Stir for a minute or two and add the leftover rice. Mix well. Add half cup of water and coriander leaves and cook on very slow flame for 5 to 7 minutes till the rice is well-steamed. Serve hot with onion-tomato raita, papad and pickle. You can also serve the palao with boiled eggs cut into halves.

Cool Raitas for Hot Summers

Yoghurt or Dahi is something we all love with an Indian meal and more so to cool our stomachs in the hot summer months. To make yoghurt more interesting and tasty keeping the hot weather in mind, one can add a number of fruits and vegetables like cucumber, mint, onion-tomato, potato, pineapple, apple-ginger. I am sharing below the recipes for cucumber raita(you can follow the same for mint, replacing mint for cucumber), apple-ginger, onion-tomato, potato. You can now enjoy a delicious new raita everyday of the week this summer.

Cucumber Raita
Ingredients:
• 1 medium sized bowl of yoghurt
• One cucumber peeled and finely chopped
• Red chillie powder (optional)
• A few chopped coriander leaves finely chopped, if available
• Salt, Pepper and Cummin seed powder to taste
Procedure:
Empty the yoghurt in a bigger bowl. Blend yoghurt with a spoon or beater, till smooth. Add chopped cucumber and salt and mix well. Sprinkle pepper and cummin powder and red chilli powder (optional). Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Potato Raita
Ingredients:
All ingredients same as in Cucumber Raita except that you need to replace the cucumber with 1 medium sized potato boiled, peeled and cut into small pieces.
Procedure:
Exactly the same as in cucumber raita.


Tomato Onion Raita
Ingredients:
• 1 medium sized bowl of yoghurt
• One medium sized tomato finely chopped
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 green chillie finely chopped
• A few coriander leaves finely chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
Procedure:
Empty the yoghurt in a big bowl. Blend yoghurt with a spoon or beater, till smooth. Add chopped tomatoes, onion, green chilli and salt and mix well. Sprinkle pepper on top. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve chilled.

Delicious Home-made Mango Ice-Cream

Ingredients
1 litre milk
10 tsps sugar
1 big Alphonso mango
1 tbsp custard powder (mango flavour)

Procedure
Add sugar to milk and thicken in a thick-bottomed pan to about 3/4 quantity. Mix custard powder in a little cold milk and add to the boiling milk. Stir for a minute or two till it thickens and then put off the flame. Allow to cool. Peel and cut the mango and blend in a blender to puree. When the milk cools to room temperature add to the mango puree, blend for few seconds and pour out into a stainless steel / aluminium container with tight-fitting lid. Put in deep freeze and allow to set.

In a few hours you will have delicious ice cream ready to cool you on the hot weekend.

While serving scoop out from the container into glass bowls and top it with a few pieces of fresh mango and a cherry to add a dash of colour.

Sweet, Sour and Hot Chutney (3-in-1)

Very often many of us think of having a chaat party at home, but put it off because we feel that making the many chutneys needed (hot, sweet and sour) is very cumbersome and time-consuming. So here's a easy recipe for a 3-in-1 chutney which you can use for sev puri, bhel puri, dahi puri, ragda pattice etc.

Ingredients
100 gms dates (deseeded and cut into small pieces)
1 small bunch of coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1 inch piece ginger
2 green chillies
1 tbsp jeera (cummin seeds)
3/4 cup tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Procedure
Boil the chopped dates in a little water for 5-7 minutes till they are soft and pulpy. Grind dates, coriander and all other spices except tamarind in the mixer to a smooth consistency. Empty the contents in a bowl, add salt and thick tamarind water (strained). Mix well and your chutney is ready. If too thick, you can dilute it with a little Bisleri water.

Washington Apple Jam

A couple of days ago a friend sent me a hamper of Washington Apples and I fascinated to see the multi-coloured, firm apples, beautifully packaged with an interesting note explaining the major varieties of Washington Apples. The broad categories cover red delicious, which is the most widely grown apple in the world. It's heart-shaped bright red in colour and sometimes striped. Its crunchy and has a mildly sweet flavour, great for eating or in salads. Golden delicious, mellow and sweet, the flesh stays white longer than other apples. Granny Smith, green, extremely tart, juicy, excellent for snacking. Gala, pinkish-organge stripes over a yellow background, again great for snacking and salads. Fuji, holds its texture when baked and is known for its syrupy sweetness.

While I cut up the Fuji and Red Delicious apple, the day I got the hamper, I decided to use the Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Gala to make apple Jam and here's what I did....

Ingredients

Three Apples peeled and grated
1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp of cinnammon powder
1 drop / pinch of cooking colour (red)(optional)

Procedure
Mix sugar and grated apples in a thick-bottomed pan and place on flame. Cook over low flame, stirring occasionally till the mixture is well-cooked and homogenious and has jam-like consistancy. Will take about 15-20 minutes. Add cinnammon powder and lemon juice, cooking colour and stir for a minute or two. Remove from flame, cool and store in glass jar. Since no preseervatives are added, keep refigerated.

Apple Jam tastes great on hot buttered toast, spread and rolled on hot buttered chappatti, with hot puri. Can also make an interesting snack / desert by putting on Britannia GoodDay cookies and topping it with a little fresh cream and nuts.

Kali Miri Puri aur Dahi

Summer is upon us and all of us want to eat tasty, easy to make and cooling foods, while spending as little time in the kitchen as possible. I'd like to share an age-old recipe of delicious Puris that make a yummy, holiday breakfast and are a great accompaniment at lunch or dinner, especially when you have guest over. So try it out this weekend....

Ingredients:
• 2 Cups wheat flour
• 1 tbsp pure ghee
• ½ tsp pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying
Procedure:
Add ghee salt and pepper to the flour and knead into a soft dough with water. Make small balls of the dough and roll out each into a small round Puri. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Serve hot with Dahi, pickle, chutney and fried / roasted papads.
For a more filling meal, you can serve these Puris with Aloo Bhaji or vegetable either dry or with gravy.

I am sure all of you are glued to your TV sets watching our Men in Blue take on our neighbours! Whether you are watching the match at home with family or friends or at a club, restaurant or any other venue, the experience will not be complete without snacks to munch on and refreshing beverages to go with them. You may not have time to dish up what I am going to share today, but can definitely try it out when the bigger match (the final) on Saturday. Here's an easy to put together snack that can be had all through the match... it's healthy and delicious. Also, sharing a very refreshing mocktail recipe. THe combination of Chana Aloo Chaat and Orange Twist can be quite something. Hope you enjoy:)

Chana Aloo Chaat

Ingredients
250 grams Kabuli Chana soaked in water for about 6 hours
2 medium-sized potatoes boiled, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 medium-sized onions finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger cut into thin strips / chopped
1 Tomato finely chopped (optional)
2 green chillies finely chopped
A few coriander finely chopped
Quarter tspn red chilli powder
2 tspns coriander powder
2 tspns chaat masala
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
50 grms fine sev (Bhel Sev) (optional)
Procedure
Pressure cook the Kabuli Chana with 4 to 5 cups of water for 10 to 15 minutes after the first whistle on low flame. When cool open and drain out water and put chana in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients except sev and mix together. Put in a serving bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and sev and serve. The chaat can be enjoyed all through the match and does not need to be heated.

Orange Twist

Ingredients
Orange Juice
Ginger-ale
Lemon Slices
Procedure
Mix chilled Orange Juice and Ginger-ale in 60:40 proportion. Add crushed ice (optional) and slice of lime and serve.

Last week I attended an interesting event hosted by the The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States - A tasting session of American Whiskeys, which was truly educative and enjoyable. In addition, I learnt a lot obout the uniquiness of American Whiskeys and how one can make interesing cocktails using these Whiskeys.

David Pickerell, the Master Distiller of George Washington Distillery explained to us that “American Whiskeys are produced in a completely natural process. Unlike other whiskeys, Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskeys are primarily made from corn, and are aged in charred, new oak barrels which can be used only once. This combination makes for a fuller, sweeter whiskey than its European counterparts.”

Several whiskey-based cocktails such as a Bourbon Manhattan and a Twisted Whiskey Sour were demonstrated at the event by master mixologist Shatbhi Basu, who explained that “Bourbon & Tennessee whiskeys make great cocktails because of their definitive flavour. They bring an edginess and depth to the drink - a certain assertiveness that redefines the taste experience! This is what makes them hugely popular with Indian consumers.”

I am sharing two of the recipes that Shatbhi Basu mixed up for us... Black Gold and Twisted Whiskey

Black Gold

30ml Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey
30ml Coffee Flavored Liquor
Splash of Cola
1. Take old-fashioned glass filled with ice
2. Pour whiskey, coffee liquor, add a splash of cola, and stir
3. Serve in an old fashioned glass
4. Garnish with a stick of Kit Kat chocolate

Twisted Whiskey Sour
45ml Bourbon or Tennessee Whiskey
20ml Lime Juice
15ml Sugar Syrup
30ml Orange Juice
2/3 drops of Aromatic Bitters
1. Take a mixing tin filled 3/4th with ice
2. Add whiskey, lime juice, sugar syrup, orange juice, bitters. Shake
3. Serve in a Champagne tulip
4. Garnish with a slice of orange / cherry

HOLIday!

Sunday being Holi, I am sure most of us will spend the morning with family and friends having fun and spreading joy with colours and letting ourselves go. While we will all have our share of jalebis and rich food during the day, I think Sunday evening will be a time for relaxing at home and watching a cricket match with a soup and salad.

Lemon Coriander Soup
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
• 2 – 3 pieces of Lemon Grass washed
• 1 – 2 slit chillies
• ¼ cup carrots, sliced
• ¼ cup mushrooms sliced
• ¼ cup cabbage, diced
• ¼ cup red cabbage diced
• ¼ cup spring onion whites, sliced
• 2 tbsp spring onion greens, chopped
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
For the garnish
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander
• 1 tsp lemon juice
Procedure:
Method
Combine the lemon grass and chillies in a pan with six cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer till the water reduces to approximately four cups. Strain and keep the stock aside, discarding the lemon crass and chillies. Heat oil in a pan and add the carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, red cabbage and spring onion ad whites and sauté for 1 -2 minutes. Add the stock, slat and pepper and bring to a boil.Simmer till the vegetables are tender. Add the spring onion greens and serve hot garnished with coriander and lemon juice.

Cabbage & Capsicum Salad
Ingredients:
• 1 small fresh cabbage
• 2 spring onion
• Juice of1 lemon
• 2 capsicums
• 1 green chillie
• ½ tsp. Sugar
• Salt and Pepper to taste
Procedure:
Grate or finely chop the cabbage. Finely slice the capsicums, spring onions and chillie. Mix all the vegetables in a bowl and chill in the refrigerator. Just before you serve, add salt, pepper, sugar & lemon juice and toss well.