Spinach & Dal Parathas

Last night for dinner, one of the dishes we had was Moong Dal with Spinach.  Since there was fair bit of leftover dal, I decided to use it in an interesting and different way by making Parathas and served them with Dahi and Papad as good breakfast.  Here's what I did...

Ingredients
1 small onion finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp ajwain
1 tsp oil for the dough
Few tsps for frying
Salt to taste

Procedure
Put dal in a bowl.  Add all the ingredients, oil and enough wheat flour to make a soft dough for rotis.  Make balls of 1 to 2 inch sized diameter and roll-out like rotis.  Cook on hot tava on medium flame till both sides are done.  Fry with a little oil on both sides till the Paratha has uniform brown spots and is well cooked. 
Serve hot with pickle, papad, dahi or egg bhurji.

Mango Panna

A lovely drink to beat the summer heat.... try making Mango Panna over the weekend. 

Ingredients
2 large raw mangoes
1 cup sugar
8 - 10 cardamoms peeled and powdered (optional)
3 tblsp chopped Mint Leaves (Pudina Leaves)
1 tsp Salt (Namak)
1/2  tsp dry-roasted and grounded Cumin Seed (Jeera)
4 cups water

Procedure
Peel and cut mango into small pieces.  Boil the mango and sugar in a little water till soft.  Cool.  Blend the mango mixture in a mixie or blender.  Add all the spices and blend well with water. Serve chill with crushed ice.

Paneer & Poha Cutlets

Ingredients

2 medium sized potatoes (boiled, peeled & mashed)

1 cup poha or beaten rice

200 gms paneer

2 green chillies finely chopped

1 inch piece ginger finely chopped

1 small onion finely chopped

½ tsp jeera powder

¼ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp garam masala powder

Few coriander leaves finely chopped

2 slices of white bread

1 pinch of boondi colour (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Procedure

In a large bowl put mashed potatoes, mashed paneer and poha that has been soaked in water for just a minute or two and squeezed out.  Add onion, ginger, green chillies, all the dry spices.  Soak the two slices of bread in a bowl of water, squeeze out and add to the ingredients in the bowl.  Add salt, coriander leaves and mix well into a well-blended dough.  Make balls (slightly larger than a table tennis ball).  Flatten each into round cutlets or shape them to have a tear-shape.  Heat a few tsps of oil in a non-stick pan and place four – six cutlets at a time.   Fry on medium flame till golden brown on both sides.  Serve hot with coriander and mint chutney, tomato ketchup or chilli sauce or onion rings and lemon slices.  

With the summer heat intensifying by the day, we all seem to lose our appetite for food, but build up a big appetite for drinks that cool and satiate us in the hot and humid weather.  Over the last few days, I have tried a few summer coolers that are quick to fix and ever so satisfying...

Mango Milkshake

Put one medium sized Alphonso Mango (peeled and cut) and a big glass of cold  milk with 2 tsps  sugar in a blender and blend for a minute or two till the mango dissolves in the milk.  Pour in a tall glass and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Top with a few pieces of sliced mango and enjoy!

Fresh Lime with Mint and Crushed Ice

Dissolve1 ½ tbsp of sugar in a little warm water in a pan or bowl. Add the  juice of one large lemon. Now add 1 ½ glass of chilled  water, a few mint leave and some crushed ice and a pinch of salt ( optional)  Stir well and serve in a tall glass.  Decorate it with a slice of lime placed on the rim of the glass. 

Masala  Lassi

Blend 3 – 4 tbsp of yoghurt with a  glass of chilled water in a pan or bowl. Add  ¼ tsp each  of jeera and black pepper powder and  ½ tsp salt . Mix well and serve in a tall glass. 

Water Melon Juice

Cut water melon into pieces, remove the seeds and blend in a blender with crushed ice.  Serve in a tall glass with a few pieces of water melon. 

Kesar Sherbat

Buy any good brand of Kesar Sherbat. Put 2 – 3 spoons to a glass, top it up with chilled water, crushed ice and juice of half a lemon.  Makes a really refreshing drink. 

Doodhi (White Pumpkin) With Chana Dal

Continuing with the vegetables that are cooling and good in the summer heat, I share today the recipe for Doodhi with Chana Dal, a delicious and nutritious dish that goes well with both rice and roti.

Ingredients

250 gms doodhi (White Pumpkin) peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 to 3/4 cup chana dal (soaked in water for one hour
2 onions finely chopped
3 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped or grated
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Procedure

Heat oil in a pressure cooker.  Lower flame and add jeera seeds.  Allow to splutter. Add green chillies, ginger and chopped onions.  Saute till onions are light pink in colour.  Now add chana dal, chopped doodhi and saute for a couple of minutes.  Add all the dry spices and cook for another minute or two and then add chopped / grated tomatoes.  Keep turning around on low flame till the tomatoes are well-blended.  Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of boiling water.  Close cooker and cook for 5 - 7 minutes after the whistle.  This dish should have a thick gravy, accordingly add a little hot water on opening the cooker if required. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with roti / rice with pickle and yoghurt (optional).

Ridge Gourd - Turai Sabzi

With the Mercury rising each day, homemakers are always looking for ideas for mails that are light on the stomach, yet appetising. Turai or Ridge Gourd is a vegetable that is delicious, nutritous, but very easy to digest and makes a perfect dish for the summer months.
Ingredients
1/2 kilo Turai peeled and finely chopped (preferably buy the ones with smooth surface)
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
4 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
3 tbsp oil
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Salt to taste
Procedure
In a thick-bottomed pan heat oil. Add ginger, green chillies and onion and saute on low flame till onions are transluscent and pinkish in colour. Now add the chopped Turai and cover for a few minutes and cook on low flame. The Turai will give out some water. Let that dry. Now add the dry spices and tomatoes and saute for atleast 10 - 15 minutes on low flame till the tomatoes are well-blended. Reduce flame and cook on extremely low flame by placing some water on the lid, so that the Turai does not burn, but cooks in its own juices. After a few minutes check to see if the Turai and tomatoes are well cooked. With a wooden hand blender, blend Turai to a smooth paste like consistency. Add a little boiling water and garnish with coriander leaves and serve with dal khichdi or chappati.

A delicious new versatile snack from Britannia - Snackuits

A couple of days ago while doing my grocery shopping, I saw very colour and attractive packs of Britannia 50:50 Snackuits, a new product launch by Britannia and bought all three flavours because they looked absolutely yummy. 50:50 Snackuits is a delicious, but healthy snack in three flavours - Swiss Cheese & Chilly, Chinese Hot &Sweet and Italiano Pizza. They are a perfect tea-time or on-the-go snack. They also go well with a chilled lemonade or other drink on hot summer days that we are presently experiencing.

I also got a little adventurous and experimented with toppings and accompanyments that could go with Snackuits and here are some of my suggestion


On the Chinese Hot & Sweet, I topped it with lightly fried paneer pieces and crispy fried spinach.


On the Swizz Cheese and Chilly, I put a topping of finely chopped tomato, spring onion and red capsicum with a dash of salt pepper and lemon juice.


On the Italiano Pizza, I topped it with finely chopped chicken salami, corn and red chilli flakes.

All the three flavours go well with a dipped tarter sauce or even a green coriander chutney.