Kala chana, anar and aloo chaat

A Healthy Summer special...

Ingredients
1 cup black chana soaked in a bowl of water for 5-6 hours
2 medium sized potatoes boiled , peeled and cut into small pieces
1 large pomegranate peeled and de-seeded
Salt, pepper, chaat masala to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tblspn olive oil
a few mint leaves for garnish


Method
Boil the soaked chana in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. After the first whistle on low flame. When t he cooker cools, drain out any excess water. In a salad bowl, put boiled gram, boiled potatoes and pomegranate. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lime juice and spices and pour over the salad in the bowl. Mix well and garnish with a few mint leaves and serve.

Kothambir Wadi

Kothambir wadi is a yummy and easy to make snack that goes well with drinks, at  tea time and as a side dish with a meal.

Ingredients

1 bunch coriander leaves removed from stem, washed and finely chopped
1 small bowl of gram flour/ besan
1 tblspn ginger, garlic, green chilli paste
1/2 tspn jeera/ cummin seed  powder
1/4 tspn turmeric/ haldi powder
Salt to taste
few tbspns oil for frying

Method

In a deep bowl / tray, mix wet coriander leaves with all the other spices. Slowly add the gram flour and mix well to make a dough. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Flatten each into a roll of about 2 inches diameter. Place the rolls in a large sieve and put the sieve on a pan of boiling water. Cover the sieve and let the rolls steam for 10-15 minutes on medium flame till they are cooked. To check if done put a knife through one roll. If it comes out smooth, it is done. Turn off flame, allow the rolls to cool and cut into slices of 1 cm thickness. Heat 2 tblspn of oil in a non stick pan and put around 6-8 slices and fry till both the sides are golden brown. Serve hot with coriander mint chutney, coconut chutney or ketchup.

Chilled Dahi Aloo chaat

In the sweltering May heat, Dahi aloo chaat makes a great meal accompaniment as well as an in between meals and tea time snack.

Ingredients

2 cups chilled blended yogurt
1-2  potatoes boiled peeled and cut into small pieces
1 small bowl of fresh pomegranate seeds
Salt, pepper/ red chilli powder and chaat masala to taste
few strands of coriander leaves

Method

In a bowl put boiled potatoes. add all dry spices and chilled yogurt. Mix well. Now pour out the contents in a glass serving dish. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves and serve chilled.

New Flavour for Ice cream lovers !!

Ice cream Lovers are always experimenting with new flavors, either based on seasonal fruits or other exotic ingredients. While April and May are months when Alphonso mango ice cream is the favorite with young and old , I was surprised when a few days ago I got a gift of a tub of fresh jackfruit ice cream. Not being fond of jackfruit, I opened the tub a bit apprehensive about what lay in store, but was pleasantly surprised at the unique and delicious flavour of the ice cream. So next time you're looking for an original flavour think of Jackfruit!

Banana and Chikoo Shake !!

With the heat and humidity of Mumbai, one loses appetite for big meals and heavy food.  A wholesome fruit milkshake, had along with a few almonds/walnuts can be healthy and filling breakfast.

Method

Peel and cut 1 Banana/ Chikoo/ small mango. Put in a blender with 1 glass of chilled milk with 1/2 tspn of sugar (optional). Blend well. Serve chilled in a tall glass. Have it with 2 -3 walnut pieces and 5 almonds.

Left overs to Nothing Left .. !!

Most housewives are always confronted with the problem of storing  small quantities of left overs which no one feels like eating the next day. An easy way to make left over dry vegetables like potato bhaaji, aloo mattar, paneer bhurji etc interesting,  is to convert them to yummy filling  for toasts, Add one finely chopped onion, 1 to 2 green chilli, ginger, a little salt and pepper, 1 finely chopped tomato and a few chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. You may also add some grated cheese and and your filling is now ready. Place it between buttered slices of bread and grill/toast. Serve hot with chatni, ketchup, fries, chips, salad and it can become a full meal.

Turnip and Mint (Shalgam-Pudina) Soup

Ingredients
4-5 medium size turnips
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tspn butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tblspn lemon juice


Method

Peel wash and cut the turnips in small pieces. Add finely chopped onion, mint leaves to it and blend to form a smooth thick paste. Add 1 tspn to a pan and heat the pan on a medium flame. Pour the blended mixture in the pan and allow it to boil. add salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is too thick dilute it with water to the required consistency. Add lemon juice to taste. Serve hot with bread sticks.