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.