Get Cozy with Delicious Hot Parathas !!

It's lovely cool weather in Mumbai and with it come farm fresh vegetables and fruits. It's a great time to have melt in the mouth parathas with winter vegetables like raddish and cauliflower. Parathas can be made in a jiffy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here's how you can do it

Ingredients (for 6-8 parathas)

2 long raddish scraped and grated or 250 grams of cauliflower grated
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 bunch coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dhania powder
1/2 teaspoon chat masala
1/4 teaspoon red chillie powder
Salt to taste
1 small bowl oil
2 cups wheat flour

Method
Knead the dough for rotis in a tray with water and 2-3 tspns of oil with a pinch of salt and keep aside.
Squeeze out excess water from raddish/cauliflower and put in a bowl.
Add all spices and salt to taste and mix well. The paratha filling is now ready.
Divide the dough into lemon sized balls
Flatten each ball to puri size.
Sandwich the raddish/cauliflower filling between 2 puris. Close the edges and roll out into full size paratha.
Heat tawa and roast the paratha till both sides golden brown spots. Add 1 tspn of oil and roast both sides for a minute or two.
Serve hot with pickle, dahi and papad.

Banofee Pie to Die for !!

I was recently on vacation in Dharamshala and a friend who had visited the hill station a few moths ago, gave me a full list of places to see, shop and eat. She strongly recommended that we have Banofee pie, a delicacy of Dharamshala. Unfortunately throughout  our stay we couldn't find Banofee at any eatery in spite of a thorough search  - no one seemed to be making Banofee anymore, which was so disappointing!
 A few days ago I was having lunch with a friend at Mama Goto in Bandra and was pleasantly surprised to  find  Banofee pie on their dessert menu. I couldn't resist ordering it and relished it thoroughly!

Banofee is a multi layered dessert - the bottom is a  rich wheat flour, sugar and butter mixture, topped with a layer of caramel sauce with bananas, further topped with a  layer of whipped cream followed by chocolate chips,... making it ohh so yummmy !!!

Delicious Pumpkin soup

All of us are  becoming more  health conscious and  soups are an  important part of a healthy meal. A most of us  look for easy recipes of soups beyond tomato, mushroom, chicken and sweet corn. Yesterday I tried pumpkin soup which turned out really well and here's  my recipe

Makes for 4

Ingredients

1/2 kg pumpkin

2-3 spring onions

5-6 flakes of garlic (preferably fresh green garlic)

1/2 inch piece ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Few coriander or  mint leaves for garnish

Method

Peel and cut pumpkin, onion, ginger and garlic into small pieces. Put all ingredients in  a  pressure cooker. Add 2 mugs of water. Pressure cook for 7-8 minutes after first whistle. When cool, transfer contents to a blender and blend for a minute or two. Add salt, pepper and coriander or mint leaves for garnish. You can also add a few spoons of fresh cream if you want your soup richer. Serve hot with garlic bread or soup sticks.

Tasty Chilly Cheese Toast

Cheese is much loved food.  From kids to the elderly,  everyone enjoys a well made dish with cheese. A very popular dish at my home is Masala CheeseTtoast. We sometimes have it as a Sunday breakfast. On other occasions as  a tea time or after work snack and sometimes even as a Sunday evening meal accompanied with a bowl of soup. It's pretty simple to make and really delicious,  though  high on calories.

Ingredients

4-6 slices of bread

2 eggs

100 gms of cheese grated

1 cup milk

4 tblsps  maida or cornflour

1 small onion finely chopped

1 green chilly finely chopped

A few coriander leaves finely chopped ( optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tspn butter

Oil for frying

Method

Break eggs in a flat bowl and beat well. Slowly start mixing in the maida with a little milk,alternating  gradually  till you have a thick mixture. Now mix  in the grated cheese and blend  well. Add salt, pepper, green chillies,onion, coriander  and mix well so that you have a thick mayonnaise like mixture. Taste for accuracy of salt. Heat oil in a kadhai. When hot, reduce the flame. Take 1 slice of bread at a time and evenly spread out the egg cheese mixture to cover the entire surface and slowly put the slice into the hot oil with the wet side facing downwards. Let the slice fry while occasionally moving it around till it is golden brown on the cheesy side. Now turn it over and let the other side also fry to Golden Brown. Drain out any excess oil and place on tissue. Cut each slice into 2 traingles diagonally. Similarly fry  all slices , arrange on a serving tray and serve with tomato ketchup, chilli sauce or green chutney.

You can also have the Low-Fat version by baking it in the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Divine trip to Amritsar and Dharamshala

Just back from a lovely trip to Amritsar and Dharamshala. Besides having memorable, spiritual moments, we had some great gastronomical experiences like yummy melt in the mouth, oh so fresh tikkis with chholas, chutney and dahi at a small stall on Bazar road in Mcleodganj, fabulous lassi and onion Khulcha, Paneer bhurji and parathas at Bharwan da Dhaba in Amritsar.
Our hotel in Dharamshala, Pong View served good ghar ka khana whenever we decided to have a meal there. What struck me was how well they used shredded ginger as a topping in most of their gravy dishes like Choley, aloo matar, aloo bhaaji etc. The one centimeter long ginger shreds gave a very fresh and delicious taste to each dish.

I am going to start doing the same at home.

Dakshinayan - Ultimate south-Indian food destination!

Being a vegetarian, Dakshinayan in Juhu, is one of my favourite restaurants for consistent fresh and yummy south- Indian delicacies and polite and quick service. Its a great restaurant for a Sunday breakfast- which is what we did today. The wide variety of melt-in-the-mouth idlis - steamed idli, rassam idli, butter idli, molgapudi idli, Kancheepuram idli are a good way to begin your sunday breakfast/brunch. Follow it up with Sada/cheese Sada, masala, rawa masala, adai or paper dosa or perhaps the delicious upma. If you are in the mood for a sweet, I would recommend Rawa Kesari and if you like something cool you could try the rose-almond ice-cream or the falooda.
For me no meal at this place is complete without a strong cup of filter coffee which is what I had today too.

Dakshinayan is also a good place for lunch, dinner or an evening snack and chat with friends.

Palak and Doodhi Pakodas

Palak and Dudhi are not very popular for snack but can be made into delicious, crunchy pakodas that are hard to put down.

Sharing the link on how to make them. Hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKfFUC8IJ1w

Paneer Tikkas

The Diwali festivities begin today with Dhanteras. All of us will have many visitors dropping in over the next few days. Along with the traditional tray of mithai and dry fruits,a savoury snack is always welcome. Paneer tikka can be got ready in just a few minutes. Here is how you can delight your guest with this yummy snack.

Ingredients:

250 grams Paneer/ Cottage cheese cut into cubes or fingers

1 tbsp gram flour/ besan

1tsp red chillie powder

1tsp amchur powder

½ tsp jeera powder

¼ tsp kala namak 

¼  tsp  slightly crushed ajwain (optional)

Salt & red color powder

¼ tsp Chaat masala or tandoori masala (optional)

I small onion peeled and cut into fine rings (optional)

Method:

Mix all the dry spices in a bowl and empty out on a plate or thali. Heat oil in a kadai. Roll the paneer cubes   in the mixture & gently drop into hot oil one by one. Deep fry for a minute or two till golden brown. Drain out excess oil and remove paneer pieces on a tissue. Arrange paneer tikkas in a flat serving dish and serve hot with  chutney or ketchup or onion rings.

A few days ago, I was at Chinmaya Vibhooti, attending a Pranayama Camp. The food served at the ashram was saatvik and vegetarian. No onion, garlic and minimal oil and spices. Inspite of that everything tasted delicious, completely busting the myth that masalas and oil make food more tasty. Whether it was veg pulav, tamatar bhaaji, dal, sambar or stuffed brinjals or the morning upma served with laddoos made from rotis, each dish was Superb! All of this reinforced my belief that food cooked with love and a passion for service always turns out superb!

Yummy Cheesy Cabbage Parathas.

All of us experience days when you are not in the mood to cook an elaborate meal, we look for ways to rustle up a quick meal that's tasty, filling and healthy. Cabbage and cheese parathas are perfect for such occasions. Something easy and tasty and a great way of using cabbage which adds a little bite to the texture.

Ingredients

225 gm  cabbage grated

100gm soft cheese , crumbled

2tbs , coriander leaves, finely chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped.

Salt to taste.

All I do is put  diced pieces of cabbage and cottage cheese along with the  coriander and green chillies in a food processor, pulse for a  minute or two. Upturn in a bowl. When ready to actually make parathas, sprinkle salt to season, stuff in the whole wheat round and roll out like a thick roti. Cook on non-stick tawa till both sides are evenly done. Add a little butter for the last flip over which will bring crispness to the paratha. You can even serve with a blob of butter, any pickle or a bowl of yogurt and roasted papad.

Love this variation  for parathas as it is easy, no boiling, cooking  or squeezing of filling  required as in making parathas out of potatoes, radish, or cauliflower.  Besides even the seasoning is simple – salt and chillies.

Enjoy!

Goodies from Agra !!

I was in Agra last weekend and was amazed to see the large number of Petha and Daalmoth shops, but then  isn't  Agra known for these two delicacies? The funny part was that  all shops had the brand name Panchi, just like all chikki shops in Lonavla call themselves Maganlal Chikki!

The wide variety of Pethas offered include, Kesar Petha, Mango Metha, Kesar- Angoor Petha, Strawberry Petha, Santra Petha and many, many more.... innovation at work!

Having tried the very juicy and oh so sweet petha, the crunchy and spicy dal moth was a perfect add on. There is  a variety of Dal Moth offerings to select from too! No wonder the combination of petha and dal moth sells so well!! 

Add Zing to your Snacking with Coconut Chana Chutney

With Lord Ganesha's final visarjan yesterday, our ten day feasting on sweets has also come to an end. Its time for hot savoury snacks, accompanied by flavorful chutneys. A very simple and delicious chutney that goes well with vadas, dosas, idlis, pakodas and even chips is the Coconut and Chana chutney.
Its just takes a couple of minutes to make and stays fresh for 2 days in the fridge.

Ingredients                                                                     

1/2 Coconut peeled and cut into small pieces
An equal amount by volume of split yellow chana
2 green chilles
1 inch piece of ginger
Salt to taste

Method

Put all ingredients in the grinder, add half a cup of water and grind to a smooth paste. Serve with hot snacks or with chips.

While weekends are a time for indulging and giving in to your desires for yummy food and snacks, most people today are health and calorie conscious and looking for interesting, tasty options that are low on calories. An idea that I  find practical and easy to make is a capsicum, tomato, spring onion spread which I use in multiple ways -  on ragi or whole wheat crackers topped with grated cheese or as a dip for chips and it's equally good as base for grilled sandwiches and pizza toasts. It takes just a few minutes to make and can be stored for a few days. Here's how you can make it

Ingredients
1 medium sized capsicum very finely chopped
3-4 spring onions finely chopped or one medium sized  regular onion 
4 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1/2 tspn coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 tblspn Oil

Method
Heat Oil in a thick bottomed kadai. Add chillies, ginger and onions and saute on low flame for a couple of minutes. Add chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cover the kadai for a couple of minutes. When the tomatoes are soft and pulpy, add chopped capsicum, coriander powder and salt and mix well. Cover and allow to cook on a low flame for a few minutes till capsicums are soft and the whole mixture is homogeneous. Cool and use as you like - as a topping or a dip. Garnish with cheese to give that extra taste. In grilled sandwiches, you can use it as a base and top it with boiled potato or boiled egg slices.

Relish Classic Coconut Ladoos this Ganesh Chaturthi !!

The joyous 10 day festival of Ganesh Chaturthi begins today and so do visits to family and friends to seek blessings of the benevolent Lord Ganesha with offerings of sweets and fruits. This year, I decided to make coconut laddoos which are liked by a lot of people. Instead of buying the regular sweets from the mithai shops, why not surprise our dear ones with some homemade, easy and delicious Coconut Ladoos. 

Watch the entire reciepe of Classic Coconut Ladoos on my Youtube channel Simply Sindhi and share your views.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIwg-ECi-1Q&index=28&list=PLiCsbPkJbeFllaUlKGzBezZfZQb6PzrKi

(Jewel??) of India

Why is it so difficult to maintain quality and service in the restaurant business?

Last night, since we were attending a show at the Nehru Centre Auditorium, we decided to have quick and lite  bite at Jewel of India, a restaurant whose food  we had  liked for years . Being next door to the auditorium, we thought it was the perfect place to enjoy a quick  dinner after an evening of memorable music. Unfortunately, we were in for a Big disappointment. Our Manchow soup came in 5 minutes, but without the accompanying sauces. We had to  request  three different waiters to get them . They finally arrived 10 minutes later, by which time the soup was cold and the crispy noodles  in it soggy ! Our baked potato starter took quite a while to arrive, and  was so spicy, that it was difficult to eat.

Our main course Paneer Bhurlee with  whole wheat  crisp  Tandoori Rotis, was the biggest let down. It took over 40 minutes to be served and what we got was an insipid, yellow paste that had no taste at all. The rotis were made of maida and soggy! By now we were really exasperated, complained to the manager, who apologized and said we will not be charged for the Paneer dish. We were in no mood to have any dessert. Getting our bill was another challenge with several staff members running around to get it, over which we wasted 15 minutes.

As we stepped out of the restaurant, I was wondering how could both the quality of food served and the service have gone down so drastically, since we were last there about a year ago!

I am not going to JOI in a long time, till I get some great reviews!!

Celebrate Janmashthami with Authentic Segoji Khirni !

It's Janmashthami today and most homes will have traditional delicacies and sweets cooked. A long time favourite in my family has been sabudana kheer or segoji khirni (as it is called in Sindhi)which can be enjoyed equally if had hot or chilled. It tastes yummy by itself or with hot puris.

Here' s how you can make it

Ingredients

1 Ltr Milk

4 tblspn Sugar

3-4 tblspn Sabudana

10-12 cardamoms (peeled and deseeded)

20-25 strands of Saffron/Kesar ( soaked in 2 to 3 tbsps warm water/ milk)

10-12 Almonds julienned

20-30 raisins

Method

Put the sabudana in a strainer. Wash under running water for a minute. Drain out the water and keep the strainer aside for about an hour. (the sabudana will swell up a little and soften). Boil milk in a thick bottom pan. Lower flame and allow to simmer. After adding sugar and cardamon seeds, boil for 5-10 mins. Now add saffron, sabudana and let it boil for couple of minutes before you add the dry fruits. Serve Hot as dessert or as part of the meal. You can also refrigerate and serve chilled.

Snack it with Guacamole and chips !!

A friend invited me over for a movie afternoon last week. Watching our favorite old time classic, brought back some good old memories, as did the guacamole and chips we munched while watching the movie. So this morning I decided to make it and serve to my friends coming over this evening for a bridge game.

So try out this simple but delicious dip and have a great weekend :) 

INGREDIENTS

·         2 ripe Avocados

·         1-2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice

·         2 Tbsp or 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion or spring onion

·         1-2 green chillies, finely chopped

·         2 tablespoons cilantro/coriander (leaves and tender stems), finely chopped

·         A dash of freshly grated black pepper

·         1 small ripe tomato chopped

·         Salt to taste

·          

METHOD

1 Cut the avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avocado from the peel, put in a mixing bowl.

2 Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado. (Don't overdo it! The guacamole should be a little chunky.) Sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Add the chopped onion, coriander, black pepper, salt, chilles and chopped tomatoes. Mix well.

3 Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

4 Chilling tomatoes may  hurs their flavor, so you can add chopped tomato to your guacamole, add it just before serving.

Serve it with nachos, tortilla chips, khakra, wafers.

Tasty Cabbage-Cucumber salad

A good salad is becoming an integral part of our daily meals for most people. Cucumber, carrot, tomato and onion are the most commonly vegetables to be used in everyday salads. However that tends to become boring and monotonous and all of look for a change, that is simple to put together, tasty and nutritious. Cabbage, cucumber and peanut salad is perfect to be had with lunch.

Ingredients                                               

1 small cabbage (200 grams)

1 cucumber

50 grams peanuts (roasted and shelled)

2 tblsp Olive oil

1-2 tblsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pinch sugar (optional)

Few Mint leaves (optional)

Method

Wash and finely shred the cabbage. Peel the cucumber and cut into small pieces. In a salad bowl, put chopped cabbage and cucumber. Add peanuts and all other ingredients, mix well and serve chilled. Garnish it with mint leaves.

MamaGoto - Should you Go To ?

In the last two weeks I have taken two groups of friends to MamaGoto, the Asian food restaurant on Hill Road Bandra, because they wanted to have Chinese/Asian cuisine and MamaGoto is conveniently located being close to home. On one occasion we went on a weekday afternoon and on second occasion on a Monday night, both being not very busy times. But on both occasions the service was rather slow and the staff confused. However on the food front some dishes were very good and the others average. I particularly liked their clear veg soup, egg fried rice and the mixed vegetables in schezwan sauce. The starter which was a Momo in shape of a spring roll was quite disappointing and so was the hot and sour soup. If you are looking for a place to have a relaxed evening and some light and tasty food, try MamaGoto but make sure you have a lot of time and go early as they don't take reservations.

Tasty Cheesy Bread Rolls !!

Last evening, soon after I got back from a day trip to Pune, I got a call from a friend that she was coming to my locality and would drop by at my place, I asked her to join us for dinner. I needed to add some finishing touches to the meal that was cooked and ready and organize a starter quickly. Since it was a rainy evening, I thought of making tasty and easy to make bread and cheese rolls. Here's how I made them -

Ingredients:         

6 slices fresh bread (cut off all four edges of each slide)      
1 small bowl of milk or buttermilk
4 to 5 tbps grated cheese
1 small onion finely chopped
1 green chilly finely chopped
A few coriander leaves finely chopped
1/4 tsp pepper powder (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Procedure:

Put grated cheese, onion, chilly, coriander leaves and salt in a bowl and mix well to a thick paste. Pour the milk/buttermilk in a flat bowl/deep plate. Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai. When really hot, lower the flame, soak one bread slice in the milk/buttermilk quickly, squeeze out extra  milk, put a spoonful of the cheese onion paste in the centre and close the open edges by pressing the edges and giving it the shape of a roll. Slowly drop each roll into the hot oil and fry till all sides are evenly golden brown in color. Drain out the oil and remove the rolls on paper tissue. Serve hot with ketchup or coriander mint chutney.

P.S. You can substitute the cheese paste filling with potato and peas filling. 

Do share your comments and let me know how this simple but yummy recipe made your loved ones smile!

Chicken soup for the 'cold' !!!

The much awaited monsoon has finally hit Mumbai and as usual has  brought the colds and sore throats to Mumbaikars. There's nothing like a hot cup of chicken soup to perk you  up and help  fight the cold virus. It's easy to make and tastes great !

Ingredients             

3-4 fleshy  pieces of chicken
1 small onion
1 tspn coriander powder
1/4 to 1/2 tspn pepper powder
2-3 cloves
1 inch  piece cinnamon
Few strands of coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1/2 - 1 tspn corn flour -- optional
1 tspn butter  -- optional 


Method
In pressure cooker , put washed chicken pieces and finely chopped onion along with coriander powder , cloves and cinnamon . Add 2-3 cups of water and pressure cook for 7-10 mins after the first whistle. When cool, open cooker and take out the chicken pieces and debone the flesh. Add 1/3 of the chicken flesh back to the cooker and put the contents in a blender and blend well. Heat to boiling point Add salt and pepper powder and the remaining shredded chicken and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with garlic toast or bruschetta 

Optional : In case you like your soup thicker, after blending and while heating, you can put the butter and corn flour on a pan, saute it and add the soup to it and mix well. If you like the soup to be  more like a clear soup you can dilute by adding some boiling water.

Delicious Idli Upma !

I happened to have this delicious dish at a friend's place yesterday afternoon. It was something new I came across and so delicious that I got the recipe and tried it out today. Sharing the same with you all. So if you want to give your regular idlis a new twist do try this new recipe !!

Ingredients  

4 to 6 idlis (made the previous day)

1 small onion finely chopped

1/2 tsp udad dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

1 tsp chopped Kerala green chillies or regular chillies

8 to 10 curry leaves

2 tblsps oil

Method

Crumble idlis with the hand to pulp. Heat oil In a kadai. When hot, add udad dal and mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter, next add the chillies and curry leaves, lower the flame and add onion. Saute on low flame for a couple of minutes till onion is translucent. Add crumbled idlis, a pinch of salt and mix well. Cover the kadai and steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve in a glass bowl. You can garnish with chopped coriander leaves if you choose. This tastes good even when had cold.

Refreshing Mango Salad !

Was at a friend's place this afternoon playing bridge and along with a couple of hot snacks and tea, she served a very refreshing chilled Mango Salad, which was yummy and just perfect for the muggy weather we are experiencing in Mumbai. Mango salad is most simple to make and needs just a few ingredients. Here's how you can make it. 

Ingredients

1 large Badami Mango (Ripe but firm)

A  couple of tsps of fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp red chillie powder

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

10 to 15 mint leaves.

Procedure

Peel the mango and cut it into vertical strips like you would chop potatoes for french fries. Place the slices in a bowl. Sprinkle chillie powder, salt, lemon juice and finely chopped mint leaves. Mix well and arrange mango pieces nicely in a salad dish and chill for about 30 minutes. Serve  chilled with other snacks or a meal, or just by itself as a light filler in between meals. 

You may also ad a dash of pepper powder if you like.

Kiwi Quotient !!!

Over the weekend, I was invited to "Kiwi Quotient" an event hosted by Sofitel Hotel in association with New Zealand and Zespri Kiwi Fruit for food bloggers and food lovers. The event showcased the versatility of Kiwi in culinary creations and the distinctiveness of the new variety "Sun Gold Kiwi" which is yellow, sweeter and more juicy!

Not being a regular eater or an ardent fan of Kiwi fruit, I was not aware of it's multiple health benefits. It is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, improves digestion and a good source of folic acid. Diabetics too can enjoy it.

Chefs Indrajit and Prakash of Sofitel demonstrated for us in a Bar setting, how we could make some quick, simple and unique creations... Kiwi Bruschetta- a very unusual, but delicious version of Bruschetta; Kiwi Tam - a yummy and nutritious salad; an exotic cocktail- Kiwi Mania and a non alcoholic beverage - Kiwi Cooler!

Since I am a vegetarian, I tried both the vegetarian creations and gave them a thumbs up - the Bruschetta and Kiwi Cooler. Here's how you can make them too.

Kiwi Bruschetta 
Ingredients                                            

20 gms (4) French Baguette slices

50 gms Avacado

50 gms Kiwi Fruit

5 gms green chillies

10ml Lemon Juice

5 gms salt

30 gms Racket lettuce

10gms Parmesan cheese

5 gms coriander leaves

For garnish, Gojo berries or any other berries or cherry tomatoes.

Method:    

Cut the kiwi and avacado in small pieces and keep aside in a bowl

Chop the coriander, green chillies and mix with avacado and kiwi 

Add in salt and lemon juice

Slice the baguette and lightly toast them. Drizzle with olive oil.

Spoon out the mixture on the toasted baguette slice and garnish with a few berries.

KIWI COOLER                                                                           

Ingredients:

60 ml Fresh Kiwi Pulp

10  to 12  Fresh Mint leaves

30 ml Sour Mix ( 2 parts lime 1 part sugar)

Dash of Soda

Method:

Gently muddle mint leaves and add all the ingredients into a cocktail shaker.

Add ice cubes and shake it well. 

Pour it in a HI- Ball glass

Garnish with Fresh cut slice of kiwi and mint sprig.

The sour mix and mint leaves bring out the flavour  & refreshing appeal of this drink.

I also realised that since Kiwi has a very mild taste and flavour, adding stronger flavours like lemon, garlic , cheese accentuate the taste of the different  creations! 

Beat the heat with Cold Cucumber soup ...

The summer heat coupled with all of us indulging on the lovely Alphonso mangoes, results in many of us having upset stomachs due to excessive body heat. An excellent thing to have in such situations is Cold Cucumber Soup.

Here's how you can make it in minutes.

                                                                   

Ingredients

4 cups buttermilk

1 medium sized cucumber

1/2 tsp  mustard seeds

1 tbsp oil

a few coriander leaves finely chopped

salt to taste

Put buttermilk in a pan. Peel the cucumber, slit into halves vertically and scoop out the seeds. Grate the cucumber shell on a grater and add to the buttermilk. Next add salt and mix well. In a small Tadka kadai heat oil. Put mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Then pour the hot oil and mustard seeds on the buttermilk. Mix well and chill in the fridge for some time. Serve chilled garnished with coriander leaves. 

A very refreshing appetizer!

5 tips to make your regular meals more nutritious!

This weekend has started on an exciting note. Finding my name in the winners list of Times Foodista  for April '14 contest,  was a pleasant surprise. Participating in this month's contest too, I am sharing a few tips to cook quick healthy meals. Do try them out and share your comments.

Tip 1 : Boil yellow moong dal for 2 meals and blend it. Put  half of the blended dal in a bowl  and garnish  it with dry spices, red chilly powder, coriander or dhania powder, amchur or mango powder along with 2 tblsp of hot pure ghee. This dal goes really well with rotis. you can store the other  half of dal in the fridge and next day, heat it with one grated tomato, 1 tsp ginger green chili paste, salt and coriander leaves. Bring it to boil for a minute or two and give the mixture a tadka of hing, jeera, curry leaves. Makes a good meal when teamed with rice and pickle.

Tip 2 : Chop some cauliflower, beans, carrots and add some green peas. Boil these with a little water and salt to taste, till cooked. Drain out the water and add, pepper and lemon juice/salad dressing. You appetizer cum salad is ready to eat.

Tip 3 : Heat 1 tspn of pure ghee/butter in a pan and add 4 tblsp of dalia/broken wheat. Saute for a minute or  two. Add a pinch of salt and 2 cups of water to this. Cook for a few minutes till it gets thick/pulpy. This dalia makes an excellent, nutritious porridge when had with milk/yogurt.

Tip 4 : Vegetarians can add few soya chunks/granules to regular vegetables/curries while cooking. Also diluted soya milk can be added to chapati/paratha dough while kneading, to add to the nutritional value.

Tip 5 : Use left over vegetable or dal to make yummy parathas. Dal can be kneaded with dough and rolled out  into chapatis and dry vegetable can be mashed and used as a stuffing for parathas.

So try out these tips and add to the nutrition value of your regular meals.

Delicious Rawa Dhokla !!

I am sharing today the recipe for Rawa Dhokla, a quick and easy to make delicious tea time snack or side dish with a vegetarian meal. Hope you enjoy it as much as my family and friends do.

Ingredients  

1 cup Rawa (Sooji)   

1 cup yogurt (dahi) 

2-3 tbps oil     

1 pinch turmeric powder    
1 tsp chili ginger paste

1 small sachet of Eno's salt

1 pinch red chili powder

salt to taste

For Tempering         
1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp sesame seeds       
6 to 8 curry leaves                                                             

2 green chilies (chopped)

For Garnishing

2 tbps grated coconut

A few coriander leaves finely chopped

Procedure 

Put the Rawa in a large bowl. Add yogurt and some water to the rawa and mix well to bring it to a semi thick consistency (like mayonnaise). To the batter add  salt, turmeric powder, ginger chili paste, and  one tbsp. oil and mix. Grease a thali with a little oil. Just before pouring the batter into the thali add the small sachet of eno salt and mix it thoroughly. Now place the thali with the Dhokla batter in an Idli maker or steamer over boiling water. Please note the water should be boiling when you place the thali in that vessel. Cover and steam for approx 20-25 mins and your dhokla should be ready. To check prick the dhokla in one place with a knife. If it comes out smooth without anything sticking on it, the dhokla is done.

Remove the thali and keep aside. After a few minutes make diagonal pieces of dhokla with a knife. Sprinkle a bit of chilli powder over it. For tempering take a small Phodni kadai and heat one tbsp. oil. Oil when hot, add mustard seeds, after it starts popping add sesame seeds, then add finely sliced chilies and curry leaves. Once the sesame seeds have turned brownish take the kadai off the gas and add a bit of water and then spread this over the dhoklas evenly. Using a spatula take the pieces of Dhokla from the thali and place onto a serving dish. Then garnish with freshly grated coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves. You can serve the dhoklas with coriander-mint chutney or coconut chutney.

Variation

Instead of taking one bowl of rawa, you can take ¾ cup of rawa and top it up with gram flour. So there you go! Tasty and light Rawa dhokla all ready to eat.

Do leave your comments below and let me know.