Breadrolls

This is something that makes me drool on a cool rainy day. Crispy, fried, hot.. just what the day needs to make it perfect.
You will need:

• Boiled potatoes - 2 ( if you like veggies you can also use, 1 boiled potato and 1 cup of mixed boiled vegetables)


• White bread slices - 6 (don't use brown bread as it soaks in more oil)


• Green chilly - 1 chopped


• Coriander leaves - a handful - chopped finely (optional)


• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp


• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp


• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp


• Salt to taste


• Oil to deep fry

How to:

• Finely mash the potatoes/ vegetables


• Add all the remaining ingredients except bread and oil. Mix well. Taste to check if the spice is according to your taste and adjust the mixture.


• Cut off the brown edges of the bread slices


• Dip one slice of bread in a little water and quickly squeeze it out tight between your palms. This moist bread will be the covering of the roll


• While holding the pressed bread slice in your hand, put some filling in the center. Fold the bread slice diagonally and press the ends closed to make a long roll


• Make all 6 rolls and if you have time cover with a moist cloth and keep in the fridge for 15 minutes


• Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the rolls till they are golden brown in color. Remove from flame and serve hot with ketchup

Roasted rosemary vegetables

This is a quick fix I do when in need for a quick snack. Comfort food at it's best.
You need:
Red bell pepper - 1/2
Yellow bell pepper - 1/2
Capsicum - 1/2
Potato - 1 large
French beans - a handful
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Rosemary - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

• Chop the bell peppers and capsicum in large pieces. Break the french beans into 1" pieces. Slice the potatoes like chips.


• Heat a griddle and add the olive oil


• Roast the vegetables on the griddle till they are slightly soft and brown - almost like barbecuing them.


• Toss the vegetables with salt, pepper, rosemary and lime juice.


• Ready to eat with a thick piece of wheat loaf

Stuffed parantha - Potato

Since i've already written on how to make a stuffed parantha, this is just the stuffing recipe. Just like my mom makes it:
For the stuffing you need:

• 2 big potatoes - boiled and peeled


• red chilly powder - 3/4 tsp


• turmeric powder - 3/4 tsp


• Salt to taste


• 1 green chilly - finely chopped


• Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 tsp


• Fresh coriander leaves - a handful, finely chopped (optional)

How to:
Mash the potatoes finely and add all the other ingredients to it. Mix well. Do taste to adjust the spices according to you.
Make the parathas and cook as mentioned in my post "Stuffed parantha - palak"

Mint and Cucumber Raita

This is one of those super refreshing accompaniments that go so well with the afternoon meal. And ready in a jiffy.

You need:
3 cups of curd - sieve it to remove any lumps
1 cup finely chopped/ grated cucumber
1/4 cup mint leaves - finely chopped
Sugar - 1 tsp
Roasted cumin seeds (jeera)- slightly ground
salt - to taste

How to:
Mix curd, cucumber, sugar and mint together and chill in the fridge for some time. Just before serving add the salt and garnish with the roasted cumin seeds.

Stuffed Paranthas - Palak

Parantha's (a kind of griddle cooked flat bread) are an evergreen north Indian breakfast option. There are a variety of stuffing one can use to make delicious and healthy paranthas. My breakfast for tomorrow is stuffed palak paratha. This one is a little tricky so I'll put in an how to make it easy tip at the end ;) read on:
You need:
Wheat flour - 2 cups
Curd - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
1 green chilly - finely chopped
Palak (spinach) - chopped finely 2 cups (wash really well before chopping)
Oil for cooking
Water for kneading the dough

How to:
Add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oil and curd to the wheat flour. Mix slightly and then with water knead into a tight dough. Cover and keep aside.
Drain the washed and chopped spinach really well to remove all water. Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, green chilly, and cumin seeds. Mix well. DO NOT add salt at this point. If you do, the spinach will leave water and cannot be used as stuffing.
Take the dough and knead it some more till it is smooth. Divide into fist size parts. Roll out each part with a rolling pin into small circles. Put a drop of oil in the middle of the circle, add a pinch or 2 of salt (according to your taste) and spread evenly on the circle. Put a little of the spinach filling in the center and fold the edges to close the ball. Roll out again into a flat round bread. Sprinkle some wheat flour while rolling to avoid the bread sticking to the surface.

Heat a griddle and put the rolled parantha on it to cook. Spread a little oil on both sides and cook till they are nicely crisp and brown.

An easier way to make it is to mix all the ingredients together (even the spinach) while kneading the dough. Then you only need to roll it out and cook it and avoid the messiness of the stuffing. tastes are different though and I prefer the stuffed version :)

More stuffing recipes coming up :)

Eggless pancakes

I got this recipe from the net. Added a bit of my twist to it.. and here it is :)
For the pancake you need:

• Maida (self raising flour) - 1 cup


• Whole milk - 1 cup


• Water - 1 tbsp


• Oil - 1 tbsp


• Baking soda - 2 tsp


• Sugar - 1 tsp


• Honey - 1 tsp


• Cinnamon powder- 1 tsp


• Salt - 1/2 tsp


• Butter - 2 tbsp

For the filling you need

• Honey - 6 tbsp


• Strawberries - 6 chopped


• Bananas - 2 chopped


• Chocolate sauce/ Strawberry syrup - as much as you like :)

How to:

• Put honey, strawberries and bananas in a jar and shake well. Keep aside


• In a bowl add maida, salt, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon powder and mix well


• Add the remaining ingredients except butter and mix lightly. Do not mix too much. It's ok if you see lumps. Set aside for 5 minutes.


• Heat an non stick griddle and add butter to it. Heat till the butter just melts. Add the butter to the pancake mix and stir well


• Heat the griddle again. Add 1/4th of the pancake mixture to the griddle, spread in a thick circle and cook till bubbles appears on the surface. Flip and cook till the other side is done.


• Take the pancake out on a plate bubble side up and spread half the filling mixture on it. Cook another pancake and use it to sandwich the filling. Top with a generous helping of chocolate sauce/ strawberry syrup. Ready to eat. Can make another sandwich from the remaining mixture :)

Kairi ki Launji (Sweet and Sour raw mango chutney)

This is my favorite accompaniment with lunch in summers. Its tangy and sweet and fresh and just the thing that'll make you lick your fingers.
You need:
Raw mango (kairi) - 2 diced
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Sauf (fennel seeds) - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry ginger (Saunth) - 1tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

How to:
Heat oil in a pan and add the saunf and dried ginger. Add the chopped kairi, cover and cook till it is slightly soft. Add the other ingredients (except sugar) and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cook till the oil leaves sides. Mash the mango pieces a bit to give a pulpy consistency.

Ready to eat :)

Jalapeno and olive pasta sauce

This is my twist on the regular red sauce that I make to go with pasta. Makes it spicier and yummier.

You need:

• Tomatoes - 4 medium (make sure they are red to give that beautiful color to the sauce)


• Garlic - 10-12 cloves (believe me.. more garlic.. more yumminess)


• Jalapenos - 2 ( I got it out of the can.. so I took 5 pieces)


• Black olives (or green ones or mix both) - a handful (again out of the can here)


• One green chilly (optional)


• A handful of fresh coriander leaves


• Onions - 3 medium - finely chopped


• Olive oil - 1/2 cup (GOOD FOR HEALTH)


• Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp


• Chilly flakes - 2 tsp


• Oregano - 2 tsp


• Salt to taste

How to:

• Put green chilly, tomatoes, and garlic in a mixer and grind to a paste


• In this put in the olives, jalapenos and fresh coriander and just give one turn in the mixer. The paste should be coarse and grainy


• Heat the oil in a pan and saute the chopped onions till they are slightly golden


• Add the tomato paste to it, cover and cook for 5 minutes


• Add the chilly powder, chilly flakes, oregano and salt to it and cook till the oil leaves sides.

Toss in any pasta and serve hot :)

Tri-color pulav

Ok.. this is something that i tried today and it came out really well.. Hence the post :)
You need:

• Long grained basmati rice - 2 cups


• Ghee - 1/2 cup (sorry folks.. i know its too much.. but gotta be done)


• Cashew nuts - a fistful


• raisins - 4-5


• Onions - 3 (Julienne one and finely chop the other 2)


• green chillies - 3 (finely chopped)


• ginger - 1" piece (finely chopped)


• Mixed veg (peas/diced carrots/corn/chopped beans) - total 1 cup.. maxx 1/2 cup


• tejpatta - 1 leaf


• cloves - 2-3


• Badi ilaichi - 1


• cumin seeds - 1 tsp


• juice of 1/2 lemon


• salt to taste


• turmeric powder - 2 tsp


• red food color - 1 tsp

How to (this is my shortcut method so a little unorthodox)

In a pressure cooker add the washed rice and the mixed vegetables. Add salt and 1 1/2 cup of water. Close the cooker and cook on a high flame for one whistle. Immediately remove from flame and let out all the steam. Open the cooker and drain out all the remaining water from the rice.

From this semi cooked rice take a little less than 1/4 quantity in a separate bowl. Add the red food color and mix well. Similarly take another bowl and take out less than 1/4 of rice in that, add turmeric and mix well. Let the remaining rice be white.

In a deep pan, heat the ghee. Add tejpatta, ilaichi, cloves, and cumin seeds. Add the julienned onion and cook till brown. Add the finely chopped onions, cashews, green chillies and ginger and cook till brown.

While the onions are browning.. wash off the colored rice. I.e. add water to the rice where you had added the red food color and the turmeric and wash out all the color. Once all color is washed off.. mix it with the white rice. Add this mixed rice to the browning onions and mix well. Add some salt if needed. Add the raisins. Cover and cook till the rice is tender.

Just before serving sprinkle the lemon juice and mix well.

Tawa Sabzi

Quite high calorie (sorry my low fat diet friends) but awesomely delicious..
What you need:

• Assorted vegetables: Ladyfinger (Bhindi), Bitter gourd (Karela), Mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, beans, baby corn, onions - pick any that interests you or is available


• 4 big tomatoes


• 2 big onions


• 1 green chilly


• 1/2 " piece of ginger


• 2-3 cloves garlic (optional)


• 1/4 cup thick curd


• red chilly powder - 2 tsp


• turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp


• coriander powder - 2 tsp


• garam masala - 1 tsp


• salt to taste


• Oil for frying

How to:

• Grind tomatoes, onions, green chilly, ginger and garlic into a paste


• Heat 2 tbsp oil and add the paste. Cook till oil starts to leaves sides. Add all the masala and


• Clean the vegetables and slice horizontally into 1/2 inch thick slices. Deep fry these slices till tender


• Just before serving, heat a griddle (tawa) and add 1 tsp oil to it. Add the tomato paste and fry for a while. Add the vegetables and keep cooking then arrange the vegetables on the sides to keep hot.


• While serving take a portion of the veggies in the center of the griddle and add a little curd to it. Fry for a few seconds and serve hot.

Gatte ki Sabzi (gram flour dumplings in a spicy sauce)

This is a traditional rajasthani dish prepared in a variety of ways. You can alter it to make multiple versions and i've added optional ingredients for your convenience.
For the gatte (dumplings) you need:

• Besan (gram flour) - 1 1/2 cup


• Oil - 3 tbsp


• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp


• Heeng (asafoetida) - 1 pinch


• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (alter as per taste)


• Salt to taste


• 2 peppercorns, 2 cloves - thickly crushed

For the gravy you need:

• Curd - 1/2 cup


• 2 onions - finely chopped (optional)


• 4 cloves of garlic - crushed (optional)


• Ginger - 1" piece julienned


• 2 green chillies - finely chopped


• Red chilly powder - 1 tsp


• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp


• Coriander powder - 2 tbsp


• salt to taste


• Oil/ghee - 3 tbsp

How to: Dumplings

Put all ingredients for the dumplings in a bowl and knead into a dough that shapes well. Add little water to knead it as required.
Once the dough is ready shape it like sausages. This will make around 4-5 sausages.
Heat 4 cups of water in a pan. Once it boils add the dumplings to it and boil for 10 minutes or till cooked.
Drain out the water (save it for the gravy) and let the dumplings cool
Cut into 1/2 inch long pieces once cool

How to: gravy
Heat the oil/ghee in a pan and saute onions till translucent. Add the ginger, garlic and green chilly and cook for 2 minutes.

Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt in the curd and mix well. Add this paste to the cooking onions and stir well till the oil leaves sides.

Add the dumplings and 3 cups of the saved water to this gravy and cook till it attains a thick consistency.

Ready to eat with hot rotis :)

Alu Matar Dry

Boiled potatoes - 4
Peas - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Asafoetida (heeng) – 1 pinch optional
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Red chilly pd - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
Chopped green chilly - 2
Dry Mango Powder (amchur) – optional - 1 tsp

Temper asafoetida and cumin seeds in hot oil. Add peas and cook till soft. Cube the boiled potatoes and mix all the masala with the potatoes except amchur. Add these masala potatoes to the peas and cook till oil slightly leaves sides. Add amchur and mix well.

Dahi Vada

This is a tasty and healthy accompaniment to meals and quite easy to make :)

You need:
urad dal - 1 cup
salt - to taste
Thick curd - 4 cups
Buttermilk - optional - 2 cups
Oil for frying

To garnish
Sweet and sour tamarind chutney
Green coriander chutney
Fresh coriander leaves
red chilly pwder
roasted cumin powder
salt

How to:
Soak urad dal in water 2 hours in advance. Drain the water and grind the dal to a thick paste adding minimal water. Beat this paste with your hands till fluffy.

Heat oil in a pan. Add salt to the dal paste. Fry the dal paste as small round balls (vada) in the hot oil till golden brown. Remove from flame and dip in a bowl of buttermilk. If you don't have buttermilk, dip the vada in warm water.

Once the vada is thouroughly soaked, press it to remove excess water/ buttermilk.

To serve, keep 2 vadas in a bowl, top it generously with thick curd. Garnish with all the garnish ingredients listed above.

Quick fix sandwich

This is a variant of a snack that my roomie used to make for us... and I love it! Easy no nonsense healthy snack.. sometimes good enough for lunch :)

You need:

• 4 Slices of brown bread


• 2 thin slices of fresh paneer (cottage cheese) slightly smaller than the bread slices. Make sure the paneer is fresh and elastic and does not crumble


• 4 tbsp of thick dahi (curd)


• 1 green chilly - finely chopped (optional)


• 1 cup of finely chopped capsicum, onion and tomato


• red chilly powder - 1 tsp


• mustard powder - 1 tsp (alternatively use mustard sauce)


• salt to taste


• Butter to toast

How to:

• Put the curd, red chilly powder, mustard powder, salt in a small plate with edges and mix well.


• Marinate the vegetables and paneer in this mix for 30 minutes


• Take a slice of bread and place the marinated paneer on it. Add some vegetables from the marinate and cover with the second slice. Press lightly to seal it


• Heat a griddle and add some butter. Place the sandwich on the griddle and toast till golden brown. Turn to the other side and toast again.


• Repeat with the other 2 slices and the leftover mixture


• Serve hot with ketchup

Vegetable Pulao

This is again a quick fix recipe when i am in no mood to spend a long time in the kitchen and yet crave a spicy full meal. For accompaniments you may have raita, pickel or just plain curd... or maybe eat it as is. This is a spicy version so mellow down according to your taste.
You will need:

• 2 cups basmati rice (Long grained, fragrant rice)


• 4 cups of water for cooking


• 1 cup mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, cauliflower, beans, potatoes) - dice where required


• 2 medium onions - finely chopped


• 2 green chillies - finely chopped


• 4-5 cashew nuts


• 2 tbsp ghee/oil


• 1 tsp cumin seeds


• 1 tsp mustard seeds


• 1 tsp red chilly powder


• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder


• 2 tbsp coriander powder


• 1 tbsp garam masala


• salt to taste


• juice of 1 lemon


• fresh coriander to garnish

How to:

• Wash the rice and keep aside.


• In a pressure cooker heat the oil/ghee and temper the cumin and mustard seeds.


• Add the cashew nuts and cook till slightly brown


• Add the onions and stir fry till golden brown


• Add all the vegetables and spice and stir well


• Add the rice and all the spices and mix well.


• Add the water for cooking, stir once and close the lid


• On a high flame, cook till one whistle and remove from flame


• Open the cooker only once all the steam has escaped. Add the juice of lime and mix well. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Bedvi Pudi

This is again a traditional rajasthani dish and superbly tasty. Its good as a snack, breakfast or a main meal. Best served with a potato curry though pickle and chutneys work equally well. I love to munch a couple with my cup of tea.

You need:
Urad dal (yellow lentils) - 1 cup
Wheat flour - approximately 2 cups
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 or 2 tsp
Mota masala (optional) - this is a traditional rajasthani masala made with roughly ground fennel seeds, dry ginger, cloves, peppercorns and coriander seeds)
Oil - 2 tbsp for the dough and more to fry

How to:
Soak the urad dal 2 hours in advance. Drain excess water from the dal after 2 hours and grind to a very rough paste (2 turns in the mixer should be enough). Add all the spices and 2 tbsp oil to this lentil paste and mix well. Slowly add the wheat flour and knead the dough till it is slightly tight and has stopped sticking to your hand.

Heat the oil in a deep pan. Roll out the dough in small puris (1 cm thick rounds of dough) with a rolling pin. Fry in hot oil till nicely brown and crisp.

Serve hot.

Kele ki chaat

This is a simple yummy sweet and sour concoction of ripe bananas. Easy to whip up and awesomely tasty.

You need:
Ripe bananas - 2
Salt - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp
Juice of 1 lemon
red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp

How to:

Chop the banans in to rounds. Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Ready to eat :)

Serve immidiately else the bananas will turn soggy.

Crispy noodle salad

This is like the Chinese bhel that you might find on the streets of Mumbai. A little bit of effort is needed on the crispy noodle part, but the end result is awesome :)

You need:
Hakka noodles - half pack
Cucumber - 1 cubed
Tomatoes - 2 large julienned
Onion - 2 medium - julienned (make sure you cut thin strips)
Capsicum - 1 julienned
Cabbage - Julienned 1 cup
Soy sauce - 3 tbsp
Vinegar - 3 tbsp
Chilly sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup - 4 tbsp
salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Maida (refined wheat flour) - 1 cup
Oil to deep fry


How to:
Mix all the vegetables and sauces together in a bowl. Add salt, Mix well and keep aside.
Heat a deep pan full of water. When the water starts boiling add a tsp of salt and a tsp of oil in it. Add the Hakka noodles and boil for 8-10 minutes or till done. Don't let them become too soft. Also don't break the noodles while adding them to the water.


Once the noodles are done. Strain and soak in a pan of iced water. Strain out the water again and rub some oil on the noodles.


Heat oil in a deep pan. Spread maida in a plate. When the oil is hot, take a handful of noodles and dust them with maida. shake off excess flour and put them in the hot oil. Reduce the flame and fry till golden brown. Remove from the oil and keep aside. You will end up with a nest of noodles. Make sure you put the noodles in only when the oil is really hot.


Once all the noodles are fried you are ready to serve your salad. Taste the vegetable mix and add more sauce/spice according to your taste. While serving, crush the fried noodles to smaller pieces and mix with the vegetables.


You can add a sprinkling of coriander leaves to garnish.

Vegetable upma

Upma has always been a quick fix for me. This South Indian dish can be made with a lot of variations. Mine is a simplified version which includes veggies to give it that i-am-eating-healthy feel.

you need:

thick sooji (semolina) - 1 cup

1 cup chopped mixed vegetables (peas, beans, carrots, cauliflower)

Onion - 1 large - finely chopped

tomato - 1 medium (optional) finely chopped

ginger - 1 inch piece - julienne or grate

green chilli - 1 finely chopped

red chilli powder - 1 tsp

turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

salt to taste

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

kadhi patta (curry leaves) - a few

urad dal/ chana dal - 1 tbsp

water - 3 cups

oil - 2 tsp

ghee - 1 tbsp

How to:

In 1 tsp oil roast the sooji till it is slightly brown and fragrant. stir frequently for even cooking.

In another pan, mix the oil and ghee and heat. Temper the mustard seeds and kadhi patta. Add the urad/chana dal and roast lightly. Add the onion and cook till brown. Add ginger and green chilly. Add the vegetables, cover and cook for a minute. Add tomatoes and all spices and cook till tomatoes are soft. Add the water, cover and cook till all vegetables are slightly soft. Add the roasted sooji and cook till all the water is absorbed. In case the semolina is too thick and is still slightly uncooked, add more water and simmer for a bit.

Serve hot garnished with some namkeen, lime juice and coriander leaves.

Dal Dhokli

This is again a very popular traditional Rajasthani recipe that is easy to make and one of my favorites. It's a complete meal in itself and a delight to one's palate :)

You need:
For the dal
Split green moong dal (green lentils) - 2 cups
Onion - 2 medium - finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch piece - grated
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
salt to taste
For the dhokli
Wheat flour - 1/4th cup
Gram flour - 1/2 cup
cumin seeds - 2 tsp
red chilly pd - 1/4 tsp
salt- 1/4 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp
water to knead
For tempering
ghee - 2 tbsp (can substitute with oil)
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
green chilly -1 -2 - finely chopped
red chilly powder - 1 tsp

How to:
Mix everything for the dal and put it in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water. Put on high flame for 2 whistles and remove from flame.
Meanwhile, mix everything for the dhokli together and knead into a soft dough. Roll the dough in a slightly thick round using a rolling pin. Cut out 1 inch squares from this rolled dough. Keep repeating till all the dough is used up.
Open the cooker and add these dough pieces in the hot dal add more water (not more than 2 cups). Close the cooker and simmer on low flame for 15-20 minutes.
Open the cooker once cool. In a pan, heat the ghee, add cumin seeds and green chilly, add the red chilly powder and immediately pour over the contents of the cooker. Mix well.

While serving, add lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with green coriander chutney.

Paneer Bhurji

This is a quick fix healthy dish. Just heavenly with hot rotis.
You need:
Paneer (cottage cheese) - 250 gms - crumble it with your hands
Onions - 2 medium - finely chopped
Tomatoes - 2 medium - finely chopped
A handful of boiled green peas (optional)
A handful of finely chopped capsicum (optional)
Green chilly -1 finely chopped (add 2 if you want to spice it up)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp (or 1 if you are really looking for low oil)
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (or spice it up if want)
Salt

How to:
Heat oil in a pan (preferably non stick if you are using less oil). Temper the cumin seeds and add the onions. Fry till they start turning brown. Add the peas and capsicum if you are using them and cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes and cook till soft. Add all the remaning ingredients except paneer and cook till the oil leaves sides. You will have to stir often to avoid the mixture sticking at the bottom of the pan. Add the paneer in the end and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot :)

Bhindi Masala

This is a simple and everyday way we cook Bhindi. Though it is full of spices like all rajasthani dishes.

You need:
Bhindi (ladyfinger) - 250 g
Onion - 1 medium - cut in cubes
Green chilly - 1 - sliced vertically
red chilly powder - 1 tsp
dhania (coriander) powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
salt - to taste
oil - 3 tbsp (sorry ppl, no oil no taste)

How to:
Put 2 cuts in each bhindi vertically to split it in 4 parts. Don't cut all the way down and let the parts stick together. By the way, make sure you have washed the bhindi and chopped off the heads and tails before you start making these cuts. If you wash it after chopping you have a big gooey mess to deal with.

So then, heat oil and temper the cumin seeds. Add the bhindi and green chilly and stir fry a bit till it changes color. Add all the spices and stir well. Take a steel plate that has raised edges and use it to cover the bhindi pan. Put a thin layer of water on this plate. Make sure no water goes in to the cooking bhindi. Cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring in between. When the oil starts to leave the sides it is done.

Remove the bhindi from the pan and saute the onion in the same masala. Add on top of the cooked bhindi. If you like a slightly tangy taste add some dry mango powder (amchur) or a few drops of lemon juice to the dish.

Crunchy Veg Salad

The health conscious are making me bow to their wishes! So here is a salad that I like to munch on when I am looking for a light eat.

You need:

• Lettuce - 1 cup torn leaves
• Cucumber - 1/2 cup diced
• Tomato - 1 diced and seeds removed
• Onion - 1 finely chopped
• Cottage cheese - 1/2 cup cut into small pieces
• Feta cheese (optional) - just a little bit to sprinkle
• Walnuts - a handful of small pieces
• Black olives - a handful
• Bread cruotons - 1 handful
• Juice of one lemon
• Chilli Vinegar - 1 tbsp
• White pepper - 1 tsp (if you don't have it opt for black pepper)
• Olive oil - 1 tsp
• Honey - 1 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves - to garnish
• Salt - to taste

Mix everything together, toss well and serve immediately.

Dal Makhani

Another one of my experimental dishes that I have put together after trial and error. Quite popular at dinner parties. Sarah, this is for you :)

You need

1 cup Black whole urad dal (lentils)

1/2 cup Jammu Rajma i.e. red kidney beans (these are smaller and lighter in color than the normal variety)

3 onions

2 tomatoes

2 green chillies

1 inch piece of ginger

3-4 cloves garlic (optional)

1/2 cup curd

1/2 cup milk

1 stick dalchini (cinnamon)

2-3 laung (cloves)

1 big illachi (cardamom)

2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin seeds

salt to taste

fresh coriander leaves to garnish

oil - 2 tbsp

ghee - 1 tbsp

Butter and cream to garnish (optional)

How to:

• Soak the lentils and kidney beans overnight.
• Grind 2 onions to a paste
• In a pressure cooker add the soaked lentils, onion paste, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, turmeric powder and 4 cups of water. Steam on high flame for one whistle and simmer on low flame for 20 minutes
• Meanwhile, chop the remaining onion finely.
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion till golden brown
• Mix tomatoes, green chillies, garlic, ginger and grind to a paste. Add this paste to the cooking onions. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.
• In the curd, add half the red chilli powder, all of coriander powder and garam masala and mix well. Add this curd to the cooking tomato paste and mix well. Cover and cook till the oil leaves sides. Stir often to avoid sticking to the bottom.
• When the pressure cooker opens, add this paste to the lentils, close the cooker and steam again for 1 - 2 whistles on high flame . Add more water if needed.
• When the cooker opens, add the milk and bring to a boil.
• This dal tastes best when it has been cooked for a very long time. So simmer and cook as much as possible.
• While serving, take the dal out in a bowl. Heat ghee and temper cumin seeds. Add the remaining red chilli powder and pour over the dal. Add a dollop of butter and a swirl of cream and sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves.

Rajasthani Kadhi

This is a staple Rajasthani dish. I remember as children we had a fixed meal of kadhi chawal everyday. Rajasthani kadhi is different from it's other Indian counter parts like Punjabi and Sindhi kadhi. This sour concoction is quite simple and doesn't use too many spices. A hot bowl of Kadhi on a cold day is bliss indeed.

You need:
2 cups sour curd or 4 cups sour buttermilk
2 cups of water if you are using curd
4 tbsp gram flour (besan)
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
mustard seeds (rai) - 1 tsp
methi dana (optional) - 1/2 tsp
red chilli pd - 1 tsp
ghee - 1 tbsp (actually marwari's believe more the ghee the better so feel free to pile it on)
salt to taste

How to:
Mix watered curd or buttermilk with gramflour and mix well. Make sure that no lumps remain. Add salt and methi dana and put on the flame. Bring to a boil while stirring continuously. Reduce the flame and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally to avoid the mix sticking to the pan. The more you cook it the better it tastes. Rajasthani Kadhi is very watery in consistency and if the mixture gets too thick add some more water.

Heat ghee in a separate pan. Temper the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Remove from flame and immediately add red chilli powder. Pour on top of the simmering curd mixture. Mix well and bring to a boil. Ready to eat :)

Rajma Masala

Rajma (red kidney beans), especially with rice, is a very popular north indian dish. Today's lunch was Rajma so i thought might as well pen down the recipe quickly.

You need:
1 cup rajma
3 onions
2 tomatoes
Garlic - optional - 4-5 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chillies - 2
Dalchini (cinnamon) - 1 stick
Laung (Cloves) - 2 pieces
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (or more if you want it spicy)
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tbsp (level)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
oil - 4 tbsp
Fresh coriander leaves - to garnish

How to:

• Soak the Rajma overnight (or if you want to make it the same day, at least for 4 hours in hot water)



• Grind 2 onions to a paste



• Put Rajma, onion paste, cinnamon, cloves, salt and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Add 3 cups of water. Cook on high flame for one whistle and then simmer for 20 minutes on low flame.



• Meanwhile chop the remaining onion finely.



• Heat oil and temper the cumin seeds. Add the chopped onion and fry till it starts turning brown.



• Mix tomatoes, green chillies, garlic and ginger and grind to a paste. Add this paste to the frying onions. Add red chilli powder and coriander powder. Cover and cook till the oil leaves the sides.



• Add the boiled rajma to the masala and mix in the garam masala. Bring to a boil.



• Simmer till the gravy attains required thickness



• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve

For my calorie conscious friends: You can make this in a non stick pan by using just 1 tbsp oil. Although, the taste is in the oil i say :D

Chocolate cake

This is by far my favorite recipe. I have picked it up from somewhere during the teenage baking experiments, so not original like the rest.. but great. This is a basic chocolate cake so u can dress it up as u like. My favorite topping is to add a scoop of chocolate/vanilla icecream and pour chocolate sauce on it.

You need:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
5 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp powdered sugar
100gms butter
1 tin milkmaid
300ml pepsi/coke/soda
1 tsp vanilla essence

How to:
I make it on a gas oven, so someone has to help me with the oven temperature. But in any case pre-heat the as oven for 10 minutes.
Mix butter, milkmaid and sugar and beat well till all lumps dissolve.
Mix maida, cocoa pd, baking soda and baking pd and sift 2-3 times to evenly distribute all ingredients.
Add half this dry mixture to the milkmaid mix and fold in. Add some pepsi and flour alternatively and keep stirring. When all the pepsi and flour is added the mixture should be of a pouring consistency without any lumps. Add vanilla essence and stir. Add to the container of the gas oven and bake on low heat for 45 minutes. Insert a knitting needle to check if it is done (the needle should come out clean). Cook for some more time if not done. Remove from flame and let it stand for one minute. Loosen the sides with a butter knife and tap it out on a plate.

Cool and serve with the topping of your choice. If you want icing let me know and i'll put up a recipe.

Poha

This is the quintessential Indian breakfast. Hot poha has a slightly sweet and spicy taste, perfect with a cup of tea. To add crunchiness, we eat it with a topping of namkeen.

You need:
Poha - 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium - finely chopped
Raw peanuts - a fistful
Potato - 1 small - chopped in small cubes
Green chilly - 1 - finely chopped
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Juice of 1/2 lemon
oil - 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder - to taste
Salt - to taste

How to:
If you have thick poha, wash and drain it before starting the preparations so that it has time to soften. If you have thin poha, wash it just before you need to add it to the pan.

Heat oil in a pan (preferably non stick) and fry the peanuts till dark brown in color (don't burn them). Remove the peanuts and keep aside. Similarly, fry the potato cubes till golden brown and keep aside. Add cumin seeds to the remaining oil and then fry onions in it till slightly brown.

While the onions are frying mix salt, sugar, red chilly pd, turmeric pd and green chilles with the poha. Once the onions are done, add the poha mixture to the pan. Add peanuts and potatoes and mix well. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in between. Check to see if the poha is soft and cooked. Remove from flame. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and namkeen and serve hot...

Penne in white sauce

I love pasta... there is no time of the day when I'll say no to pasta and a glass of wine. I'm sharing my favorite recipe today, which is also quite popular among my friends. It is a secret weapon i use to establish my reputation as a cook. So here goes...

You'll need:
Penne pasta - 100 gms
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup (peas, broccoli, carrot, corn, mushroom)
Cheese - 6 cubes (use amul/ britannia cheese cubes)
Oregano - 1 tsp (you can also use the leftover seasoning seasoning from any pizza place)
Chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Milk - 1 cup (slightly warm)
Flour - 1 tsp ( you can use wheat flour or maida)
onion - 1 small - grated or ground to a paste
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Butter - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

How to:
Add some salt to a pan full of water and heat. Once it starts boiling add the pasta to it and cook for 10 minutes or till soft. Drain the water and keep the cooked penne in a pan of iced water.

Blanch the vegetables (except mushrooms) for 2 minutes in boiling water and keep aside.

Heat butter, preferably in a non-stick pan. Add the grated onion and saute till transparent. Add the flour and cook for a minute stirring continuously. Remove from flame and cool a bit. Add milk while stirring the mixture to avoid any lumps. If lumps form just strain the sauce to remove them. Put on medium flame and cook till the sauce starts to thicken. Add some more milk if needed. Add the cheese and stir continuously till it dissolves.

Add all the remaining ingredients including Penne and vegetables and simmer for 2 minutes. Ready to eat.

Spicy karele

I hated Karela's till i came across this dish by my mom.. it's now one of my favorites :)
you need:
Bitter gourd (karela) - 4 medium
Green raw mango (kairi) - 2 small
fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 tbsp
coriander powder - 1 tbsp
turmeric pd - 1 tsp
red chilli pd - to taste
salt - to taste

How to:
Peel the karela's put a log cut along the length to open up the kaela and rub with salt. Keep for a while. Wash thouroghly.
Mix the remaining ingredients and fil in the cut.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add the karelas and close the lid (do not add water). Simmer for 3-4 minutes but remove from flame before the first whislte. Open the lid and cook the karelas till brown on all sides.

Pasta Salad

This one is my all time favorite and loved by people who have tried it. It's a cold salad so very refreshing on a hot day...

Penne pasta - 200g
Onions -2 medium (julienned)
Tomato - 1 medium (julienned - remove seeds as much as possible)
Red/yellow/green capsicum - Mixed 1 cupful (cubed and blanched)
Corn - 1/4th cup (boiled)
Lettuce - few leaves (tear into bite size pieces)
Tomato ketchup - 3tbsp
Mayonnaise - 2 tbsp (or you can add as much as you want depending on the creaminess you want)
oregano - 1 tsp
salt to taste
pepper to taste
red chilli powder to taste

Heat 5 cups of water with 1 tsp salt and a few drops of oil. Add pasta and boil for 10 minutes or till cooked. Drain the water and dip the pasta in ice cold water. Drain this water out as well. Mix rest of the ingredients with the pasta and keep in the fridge to chill. Serve after half an hour or later when the pasta has absorbed the flavors.

Just Desserts

Every time some one comes home there is a nagging question: what to make! Normal food is fine but usually desserts take their own time. Getting into a time rush made me experiment with some recipes that are ready in a jiffy and look great.

Simple sundae

Icecream - any flavor (preferably chocolate/ vanilla) you can add 2 different flavors for a nice look to the dessert

Cookies - Oreo/chocolate chip/pure magic

Assorted chopped fruits/ jam/ jelly - pick any

Chocolate syrup - to drizzle

Roasted nuts - a handful

Candied cherries - a few

Crush the cookies and layer them in a goblet. Each goblet is individual serving. Add a scoop of icecream (2 if you are using different flavors). Spread a layer of fruits/jam/jelly on top. Garnish with crushed roasted nuts, drizzle chocolate syrup and top up with a cherry. Ready to eat :)

You can also put in sponge cake instead of cookies in case you want to go for a softer feel. Cookies make it crunchier.

Some more on desserts will be up shortly... please share your quick fixes too

Khichdi

Some people say that it's a food for the indisposed, but it is my favorite food at any time. Easy to make and light to eat the moong dal khichdi gets my vote every time. Here is how to make it.

Rice - 1/2 cup

Split green moong dal - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - 1tsp

Salt - to taste

water - 4 cups

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Add everything together except ghee and pressure cook on high flame for one whistle. Reduce the flame and simmer for 10 minutes.

Open the cooker after 15 minutes and beat the khichidi after adding the ghee till it is nicely mashed and lighter in color. Ready to eat.

To make it spicy you can also give it an onion tadka.

Spicy Paneer Pakode

This is a perfect snack for a rainy day with a cup of tea or at a casual gathering over a few drinks.

Paneer (cottage cheese) 100 gms cut into cubes (or any shape you prefer really)

Green Chillies - 4-5 finely chopped

Besan (Gram flour) - 1 cup

Chaat masala - 1 tbsp

Saunf (fennel seeds) - 2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Red chilli pd - to taste

Salt - to taste

Oil for frying

Add everything together except paneer and oil. Mix well and add water to make a thick batter. Add paneer cubes and let it stand for a while. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the pakodas till golden brown. Serve with green chutney/ ketchup

You may also add chopped onions to the batter for a different taste.

Just Delicious - Strawberries and Bananas

I've always been a junk eater and so something that contains fruit is healthy in my opinion. It's another thing that it is coated in ice cream and chocolate sauce ;)

Verrryyy easy to make and just delicious.. I made it the other day as breakfast (!!) and had to repeat it for lunch and dinner.

You need:
Strawberries - 8-10
Bananas - 2
Ice cream - slightly liquidy (I used home made ice cream which is a better alternative)
chocolate sauce or drinking chocolate powder or grated dark chocolate

All you have to do is chop the strawberries and bananas, drizzle the ice cream over the fruits and garnish with whatever chocolate alternative you have available. It's perfect for that dessert craving. You can also use mangoes and pomegranate

Besan Chila with Paneer filling

This is one of my favorite recipes because it is easy to make, quite filling and healthy too. Just one caution, if you are not used to making dosas's and chila's start with a nonstick pan.


For the Chila
Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup
Zeera (cumin seeds) - 1 pinch
Heeng (asafoetida) - 1 pinch
Saunf (fennel seeds) - 1 tsp
Eno - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt and red chilly powder to taste
Oil to cook

For the Filling
Paneer - 1/2 cup grated
Tomato - 1 small - finely chopped
Onion - 1 small - finely chopped
Green Chilly - 1 finely chopped
Few coriander leaves - chopped
salt to taste

Mix everything for the filling together and keep aside

Mix everything for the chila together (except oil) and add water to make a batter. It should be of a dripping consistency and easy to spread.

Heat a nonstick pan and brush it with oil. Spread a thin layer of chila batter on it in a round shape.

Cook on one side till brown and flip over to the other side. Cook for 30 seconds and flip over again. Put a portion of the filling mixture on the less cooked side and fold the chila in half.

Serve hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup.

Oh Honey!

Honey is one of the oldest foods known to man. The sweet golden syrup was considered a food for the gods and features prominently in religious and medicinal activities. Various cultures have adopted it with relish. Indian's use honey as a vital part of the “panchamrit” used to anoint the deities and drink it as a blessing of the gods. It is also a part of many home-remedies especially for a bad throat. A mixture of honey with warm milk is believed to induce sleep. Honey with water is taken by people wanting to lose the extra kilos and many more. Anyway, this post is not about home remedies... It's about my favorite honey dishes.

Apple and Raisin Salad

2 apples - diced

A fistful of raisins

2 tbsp honey

Salt to taste

Juice of 1/2 lemon

A pinch of cinnamon powder

Mix everything in a bowl and serve fresh

Honey and Lemon Cooler

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp honey (vary as per sweetness requirement)

salt - 1/2 tsp

Mint leaves - 3-4

Ice

Roughly crush ice and mint leaves together and put in a tall glass. Mix lemon juice and honey and pour over the ice. Add water to fill 3/4th of the glass. Stir and garnish with a sprig of mint and a wedge of lemon.

If you have your favorite honey recipes too, please feel free to share...

Spaghetti in tomato base

This is one of my experiments that turned out awesome.. even if i say so myself.. so couldn't resist posting it.

Spaghetti - half a pack (more like a big fistful)
Olive and tomato paste - 3tbsp (its ready made, pick any brand)

Tomato ketchup - 2tbsp

Red and yellow bell peppers - half of each chopped into cubes

Onions - 2 big (chop one finely and other into rounds)

Garlic - 3-4 cloves crushed (or vary this amount as per your taste)

Crushed red chillies or chilly flakes - 1 tbsp (or reduce if you want less spicy)

Olive oil - 2tbsp

Oregano - 1 tsp (or use one sachet of domino's or pizza hut seasoning)

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - to taste

Take a big pan and fill half with water. Bring to a boil. Add spaghetti without breaking the strands. As the noodles soften they will sink in the water. Boil for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain and put in ice cold water.

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add onions and saute till translucent. Add garlic and bell peppers. Add everything except spaghetti and cook till the oil leaves sides. Add spaghetti and toss lightly.

Ready to eat with hot garlic bread :D

Mirch ke tapore

Well since the blog name is tadka I thought of giving it a spicy start. So here is my fav chilli recipe for you:

Thick green chillies - 10 (not the really spicy ones) - chop in to thick rounds

Saunf (Fennel seeds) - 1 tbbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Ginger - julienned 1 tbsp

turmeric - 1/2 tsp

sugar - 1/2 tsp

Aamchur (dry mango powder) - 1tsp

salt and red chilli powder to taste

Heat oil and add the fennel seeds, after stirring a bit add ginger and cook for a minute. Add the

chillies and cook for another 2 minutes or till you can smell the aroma of chillies cooking. Add the remaining spices and cook for another minute. It's ready to eat :)

It's almost like a pickle and can be eaten with anything.