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.