Moong Sprouts in Canapes

It's wedding season... it's party season and everyone is indulging on rich food and also entertaining a lot at home... constantly looking for new ideas for snacks to serve,  that are easy to make and healthy at the same time.. Moong sprouts in Canapes meets both criteria  - is healthy and easy to make. So take a look.. you might want to try them out when you have your next party at home

Ingredients:

·        1 bowl of sprouted moong

·        1 medium sized onion finely chopped

·        1 medium sized tomato finely chopped

·        2 green chillies finely chopped

·        1 inch piece of ginger finely chopped

·        4 to 6 curry leaves

·        ½ tsp Jeera or cumin seeds

·        ¼ tsp red chillie powder

·        ¼ tsp haldi or turmeric powder

·        ½ tsp dhania or coriander powder

·        A few drops of lemon juice

·        2 tbsps oil

·        Salt to taste

·        A few coriander leaves finely chopped

·        1 small bowl of bhel (fine) sev

Procedure:

Heat oil in a kadai. When hot, add jeera seeds, green chillies , ginger and curry leaves. Allow to splutter. Add chopped onion and cook till translucent.  Next, add tomato and cook on low flame for a couple of minutes till soft. Now put in sprouted moong and all the dry spices with salt to taste. Mix well. Cover and cook on low flame for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off flame and allow to cool a little. Arrange canapés on a tray. Fill each canape with a spoon of the  cooked moong mixture and serve garnished with sev and coriander leaves.

Bhindi Aloo in Green Masala

Bhindi or Ladyfinger is a popular vegetable with most communities and generally cooked cut into small pieces or fried. a delicious Bhindi preparation can also be made by cooking full bhindis stuffed with fresh green masala. this preparation goes well with rotis or even dal and rice.

Ingredients:

1. 250 gms Bhindis( Lady fingers)
2. 2 medium sized potatoes
3. 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
4. 1 small bunch of coriander leaves , washed and chopped
5. 8 to 10 flakes of garlic peeled
6. 1 inch piece chopped
7. 2 green chillies finely chopped
8. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
9. 1/2 tsp coriander powder
10. 1 medium sized tomato chopped into 1/2 inch size pieces
11. salt to taste
12. 3 tbps oil

Procedure:

Wash the bhindis, wipe them dry and cut off the heads and tips and slit each bhindi vertically , then keep aside. Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices (four - five per potato)
Now grind coriander, onion, green chillies, garlic and ginger with a little salt in a grinder. Empty out the ground masala in a bowl. Fill a little bit green masala in the slit of each bhindi and keep aside. Likewise take two two slices of potato and fill in the green masala between them.
Heat oil in a thick kadai and put in the pairs potato slices and turn them around for 5 minutes on low flame till they are half cooked. Now put in the stuffed bhindis and turn around for a coupe of minute after adding corinder powder, turmeric and a little salt.
Finally add the chopped tomatoes and cover the kadai and cook on very low flame till the potatoes and bhindis are cooked. You can check by piercing a knife through one potato slice and one bhindi. if it goes in smoothly, the dish is cooked.
Turn off flame and serve in a flat serving dish. Garnish with coriander leaves.

With the festive season on in full swing and many holidays to enjoy leisurely meals, you might like to try having a delicious breakfast of Masala Koki.... a favourite Sunday breakfast in many Sindhi homes. Enjoy:)




Masala Koki


Ingredients:

· 2 cups wheat flour
· 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
· 2 green chillies finely chopped
· Small bunch of coriander leaves finely chopped
· ¾ cup pure ghee
· Salt & pepper to taste


Procedure:
Heat ½ cup ghee and add to flour. Mix in onion, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt & pepper and knead it into soft dough with warm water. Divide dough into 6 portions. Heat tawa/griddle and reduce flame, flatten each portion into a round thick chapatti ¼ inch thick and cook on tawa over slow flame moving gradually. When both side are evenly covered with brown spots fry each side with ½ tsp. pure ghee till crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with pickle , papad , yoghurt or a glass of lassi

Diwali is almost here and we are all preparing a whle lot of sweets enthusiastically for family and friends. I made Coconut Ladoos yesterday, which were liked by all who had them.

Sharing the recipe with you too and hope you'll try it out over the next few days.

COCONUT LADOOS




Ingredients:

1 Coconut removed from the shell, peeled and scraped
1 cup or katori of sugar
1/2 litre full cream or regular milk
8 to 10 cardamoms peeled and powdered
1 pinch red food colour ( optional)

Procedure:

Put milk, scraped coconut and cardamom powder in a pan and cook on medium flame till the milk evaporates completely and you have a soft coconut mixture. It should take about 15 to 20 minutes . Next empty out the coconut mixture in a thick kadai or pan, add sugar and cook on low flame stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes till the mixture is dry and slightly sticky. In case you wish to give the ladoos a lightpink colour, just add a speck/pinch of red cooking colour in powder. Mix well so the colour is uniformly spread and the mixture has a light pink colour. Turn off flame. Allow the mixture to cool .when still luke warm, spread a little pure ghee on your palm, take a small portion of the mixture , press and form into ladoos.