Paneer Butter Masala

This is one of the easiest dishes I have ever prepared. It was as yummy as you get it in a restaurant. I was wondering why restaurants charge such huge price on this simple and easy dish. So I recommend you all to give it a try and see. You can alter some of the fatty items here, but substituting butter might not be that tasty as name itself says butter masala. I made this dish from Vahrevah.com website and his video. So here is the link for the same. Enjoy.

Video:-

Recipe:(This link also has the video)
http://www.vahrehvah.com/Paneer+Butter+Masala:3536http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rSygSz7aj9w

Fire Truck Red Velvet Cake

Here is the Fire Truck for my son on his 5th year Birthday. He enjoyed cutting and eating it. Will post the recipe soon.

Khaman Dhokla

Dhokla is a Gujrathi snack similar to Idly. There are different forms of Dhokla and Khaman Dhokla is one of them. Here is the recipe for an Instant Khaman Dhokla which is perfect for an evening snack with tamarind chutney or corainder chutney.

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan/Gram flour
Pinch of Turmeric powder
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp citric acid crystals or juice of one whole lemon
1 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 tsp soda-bicarbonate
Oil for greasing and tempering

For tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds(optional)
Few curry leaves
hing
Finely chopped coriander
grated fresh coconut
Method:
Mix all the dry and wet ingredients(except oil) and make a thick batter, similar to Idly batter. Grease the bowl and pour the batter into it and steam it for about 15 minutes and cool it before taking it out of the bowl. Make the tempering with oil, mustard seeds,curry leaves and hing. Put the dhokla on a plate and add tempering on the dhokla and garnish with cilantro leaves and coconut. Serve warm with chutney.

Avalakki Bisibele Bath

Avalakki is a kannada term which means Poha/ Beaten Rice. This is a simple dish to make and its as yummy as the regular Bisibele Bath. Instead of Rice here we use Avalakki/beaten rice. This is a best dish for Breakfast/Bunch or at Snack time. This can be made heavy meal with lots of vegetables or can be kept simple with just onion. I usually do only with Onion but this time I tried with lot of vegetables as I made it for Lunch on Sankashti, as I'm not supposed to eat Rice/ Toor dal.

Ingredients:
1 cup Beaten Rice
1/2-3/4 cup Moong Dal
1/2 Onion Thinly sliced
1 Tomato chopped
1 cup Vegetables of your choice(I added Beans, Lima Beans, Carrot and Capsicum)
1tbsp Oil
1tsp Mustard seeds
1tsp Urad dal
Hing
Few Curry leaves
10-12 Peanuts/Cashew nuts/both
salt to taste
1tsp Tamarind Paste
Jaggery to taste
1-2tsp MTR Bisibele Bath Masala

Method:
Cook the Moong dal with tomato & vegetables except Onion & Capsicum in a pressure cooker. Meanwhile if the beaten rice needs to be soaked for long time do it now otherwise you can do it at the end. Once the cooker is cooled pour the dal in a heavy bottom pan and get it to a boil and add 1-11/2 cups water and add tamarind paste, Masala, jaggery and salt. Let it boil for 2-3 mins. Meanwhile get the tempering ready with Mustard seeds, urad dal, peanuts, curry leaves, turmeric powder and add onion- capsicum and fry for 2 mins till its soft. Now add the beaten rice to the boiling dal and let it mix well, now keep stirring as it will get thick and burn at the bottom. Finally once it reaches the consistency add the tempering with onion-capsicum and let it cook for 2-3 mins. The BBB is ready, serve it with a spoon of ghee.

Pineapple Salsa

Salsas are one of the easiest way to enjoy fruits on a relaxing weekend or during a game day. Since its a season for pineapple I tried this salsa and I loved the new taste, it was a mixture of sour, sweet, tangy and spicy. You can adjust to it to your taste buds.

Ingredients:

1cup Pineapple finely chopped
1/4cup Green & Red Bell peppers
1/4cup Red onion
1tbsp Lemon juice
salt, Pepper & chilly powder to taste
Method:

Mix all and refrigerate for 30 mins minimum so the taste gets mixed up well. Serve with your favorite chips.

Zucchini-Carrot Kofta

Malai Kofta is one of my favorite curry, but thinking of the deep fried kofta's and lot of butter, cream involved in it scares me away. So I tried a healthy version with some vegetables and baked kofta. It was as yummy as you eat it at a restaurant with guilt free. I have used Zucchini, carrot and potato, but you can use any vegetable of your choice. But I am a big fan of Zucchini so, I tried this.

Ingredients:
2 Zucchini grated
1 carrot grated
2 Potato cooked and mashed
1cup Soy Chunks(I grinded it into fine powder-Nutella Brand)
salt to taste
1tsp Lemon juice
1-2 green chillies(optional)
1tsp Cashew nuts and Raisins

For gravy:
1tsp Oil
1 can tomato Puree(No salt and low sodium)
1 Onion finely chopped
1tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1tsp garam masala
1tsp Chilli powder
1tsp Kichen King Masala(optional)
1tbsp Kasuri Methi
1 bay leaf
1tsp Sugar
salt to taste
1/4tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp Heavy cream

Method:
Squeeze all the water from Zucchini and mix it with grated carrot and mashed potato. Add green chillies, cilantro , lemon juice, salt to taste and cashewnuts-raisin. Mix it well and divide into equal parts and give it a round shape and roll it in soy chunks powder and bake it in the oven at 350*F for 20 mins with a little sprinkle of oil on each of the kofta balls.

Gravy:

Saute the onions with a tsp of oil and add ginger-garlic paste and saute for few more mins. Now add the tomato puree and all the dry masalas, turmeric powder and cover it and let it boil for 2-3 mins. Lower the flame and keep stirring every few mins till the oil seperates. Add salt and sugar and finally add Kasuri Methi and cream. Keep the gravy hot till you serve. Add the kofta's before serving otherwise they get soggy. Enjoy with Naan/ Chapthi.

Walnut Burger

Burgers for me meant to be just the Boca Burger. But after exploring the web and cooking channels I found this yummy and very healthy burger which has become very common burger at my house. Its very simple to make and delicious. Of late I have tried a no. of burger's and am happy with so many choices for a vegetarian like me. Will post some of them in my next posts.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Walnut
1/2 Cup cooked Garbanzo beans(or 1 can)
1/2cup Mashed potato(I substituted for 1 egg)
1tsp Garam Masala
1/2tsp Chilli Powder(adjust to your taste)
salt to taste

1 Big burger bun
1 big Romane lettuce leaf
2 big slices of Tomato
1 slice of Red Onion

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend it till its coarse/mashed well to make a patty. Now divide it into 4 parts and make it 4 balls and pat a little bit. If the patties are a little moist, then refrigerate for 30 mins. Bake it on a indoor/outdoor grill for about 4 mins on each side. You can place a cheese slice on top of the patty at the end and bake it for a 1 min/till the cheese melts a bit. Bake the Burger Buns for a min so it doesn't get soggy when the patty is placed.
To arrange:

Take the bottom part of the bun and put a lettuce leaf and tomato and the patty on it. 1 or 2 slices of tomato and cover it with the top bun.dress it with tomato ketchup and mayonnaise.

Low-Fat Strawberry Parfait

Parfait is a simple but very easy dessert good in any season. I love strawberries so this is my favorite low-fat, no guilt dessert.

Courtesy: Giada-De-Laurentiis

Ingredients:

5-6 Strawberry chopped + 2 for decoration
1 cup Yogurt/Greek Yogurt
1 orange zest + juice
2tbsp Sugar
1tsp honey
1tsp chopped nuts
Mint for garnish
Method:
First make Greek yogurt if you don't have a store bought one.To do that, put a paper towel/coffee filter paper on a strainer/small colander with a bowl under it and refrigerate for 1-2hrs.So the water separates from the yogurt and you will get a thick and creamy Greek yogurt.

Then take the chopped strawberries in a non-stick pan with orange zest and juice. Add sugar and honey to it and bring it a boil and cool it. Now lets arrange to parfait. First put a big spoon of Greek yogurt in the bottom of the serving cup and let put 1 spoon of cooled strawberry syrup and then layer it with a spoon of yogurt. You can make any number of layers you want then top it with nuts and garnish with mint.

Note: you can substitute Greek yogurt with whipped cream or one layer Greek yogurt and one layer Whipped cream.

Sago/ Sabbakki Idly

I was cleaning my pantry and found some Sabbakki/Sago seeds. The only dish i knew with this was sabbakki payasa/Sago kheer, Which I wasn't in a mood to make but wanted to try something new with this. Upma is one more dish I know, but nobody likes that in my family. So I started my hunt and found this recipe on some blog, So I thought why not give it a try and ....it turned out so good and I liked it. So its a keep for sure.

Ingredients:

1cup Sabbakki/Sago seeds
1cup yogurt
1/2cup Fine sooji
cilantro leaves chopped
1tsp Oil
1/2tsp Mustard seeds
1/2tsp Urad dal
1/2tsp channa dal
1-2 green chillies chopped
salt to taste
3/4tsp ENO/fruit salt
Method:

Soak the Sago seeds in the yogurt overnight or at least 6 hrs with additional water if necessary. In a pan make tempering with oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, green chillies and broken cashew nuts(optional), add sooji and roast it for couple of minutes. Cool it and add it to the tapioca-yogurt batter. Add chopped cilantro, salt and eno and mix well. pour it into Idly stand and steam it for 15 Min's. Enjoy with sambar/chutney of your choice. Eat it warm.It is similar to rava idli's but has a little taste of Sago seeds.

Spinach-Watermelon salad

This is a very simple and easy spring/summer salad. The color combination is superb and very inviting. It is indeed a refreshing salad with the orange vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

1cup Baby Spinach(You can do 1/2cup each of Spinach and Lettuce)
8-10 watermelon cubes/balls
1tbsp Walnut
1/2cup cooked Pasta

Vinaigrette:
1tbsp orange juice
pinch orange zest
salt & Pepper to taste
1tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Put the spinach, watermelon, walnuts and cooked past a in a bowl and prepare the vinaigrette in a separate bowl and mix it before serving.

Spiderman Chocolate Cake

I saw this cake in Wendy's"Cake Space" and wanted to try out as I had some buttercream frosting sitting in my freezer. It was a chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. My Son freaked out seeing it.

Spinach Pesto sauce

This is a very easy Pesto sauce with no cheese in it. It tastes wonderful and very healthy. Good thing about pesto sauce is you can make a lot and freeze it, so you will have it any time you need or its that simple that will not take much time.

Ingredients:

2cups Baby Spinach
1cup Walnuts
1/4cup Olive Oil
salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:
Grind the walnuts to a fine/coarse powder then add spinach and blend it. Add salt and Pepper and start grinding and slowly add olive oil till its well blended and fine paste is formed. Use it on any pasta or store it in an airtight container.

Note: Its easy in a food processor or a glass jar blender.

Fruit Spring roll

This is a no cook spring roll, so healthy and tasty. It can be served either as appetizer or as dessert.Its easy to make and it can be a game for the guests to do their spring rolls by themselves. These spring wraps/rolls are easily available in the Asian section of the supermarket. I usually have this in my pantry as they have a very long shelf life. All you do it get the filling ready and soak the roll sheets in water and stuff it. As simple as it sounds. Its yummy and even my son enjoyed it as it was filled with his favorite fruits.

Recipe Coutesy: "Everyday Italian "-Giada de Laurentis from Food Network.

Ingredients:

4 Spring Roll sheets
2-3 Strawberry
1 Mango
1tbsp Honey
Hand full of Rice Noodles
1tsp Chives/dill

Method:

Cook the Rice noodles and drain it and put it in a bowl. Add honey and chopped chives/dill and mix it well and keep aside. Now chop long strips of strawberries and mango . Now soak a sheet of spring roll sheet in warm water and when soft spread it on a kitchen towel and add the noodle mixture and mango and strawberry and roll it once and then the sides and roll again. You can dip it in honey or enjoy just like that.

Oatmeal Dosa(crepes)

Oatmeal Dosa is a one of the easiest and healthy Dosa I have eaten. Dosa is something I do every weekend and was so bored of soaking and grinding process. Since I was on a diet and not eating Rice items I was in hunt of a healthy version of Dosa and gave this a try. It was a gr8 hit in my house and tasted good too. Its simple to make and can be eaten any time of the day. Just mix and soak for an hour and its ready to make. The aroma of oatmeal on the griddle is superb. I enjoyed making and eating it.

Ingredients:

For Dosa
~~~~~~~~
1cup Instant Oatmeal
1/2cup Rice flour
1/2cup Yogurt/curds(if sour its still better)
1/2cup Semolina/fine Sooji
1tsp Finely chopped Green chillies
1tsp Cumin seeds/powder
1/2tsp Sugar
salt to taste
1tbsp Chopped Cilantro

For Rasa
~~~~~~~
1tbsp chopped Onion
1tbsp Tomato
1tsp Rasam Powder
salt and jaggery to taste
1tbsp Dalia/hurigadale Powder
1cup water+1tbsp
1tsp oil
1/2tsp Mustard seeds
a little Hing
cilantro for garnish

Method:

Soak oatmeal , rice flour, semolina and yogurt together. Soak for atleast an hour , add the other ingredients to the above mixture and make a semi-thick batter.Pre-heat a tava/griddle and pour a big spoon of batter and make a thick dosa or else they break while they are turned to cook on the other side. Put a spoon of oil on the sides serve hot with chutney/sambar/Rasa. Eat this dosa hot from the griddle, if cooled dosen't taste that good.

Rasa:

In a small pan make the tempering with hot oil ,mustard seeds and hing and let it splutter.Now add onion and fry till they are soft . Add tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Add Rasam powder, salt and jaggery and bring to a boil. Mix the hurigadale powder in a little water and make a thin batter and add it to the rasa with a low flame bring it a boil for 3-4 mins and garnish with cilantro. It tastes good with Dosa. (don't add too much jaggery it will taste like gojju, It has to be a little sweet and little spicy at the same time.)

Vegetable Jalfrezi

Jalfrezi is Indian version of Chinese stir-fry. This word is derived from different languages...Jhal/jal is a Bengali word which means spicy hot and frezi a slang for fry-zee. Zee is Urdu word and it means fry.Together this Jalfrezi makes a spicy hot fried dish. This is really interesting how a dish gets its name an its equally interesting to eat. Its a perfect Indian stir-fry, it spicy, tangy and filled with vegetables. Our family enjoyed every bite of it. Here vegetables have to be a little raw and crispy, you should not fry/cook it completely. But if you have somebody in your family who doesn't like the half cooked vegetables then cook a little more but fry less.

Ingredients:

1/2 Onion (cut into long thin strips)
1 Bell Pepper (cut into long thin strips)
1 Potato(Skin peeled and cut into long strips like french fries )
1 tomato(preferably hard cut into long strips after De-seeded)
1Zucchini(cut into long thin strips)-optional
1 Carrot (cut into long thin strips)
5-6 long cut Tofu/Paneer pieces
5-6 Baby corn
1tbsp oil/butter
1/2tsp Cumin seeds
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1tsp Garam Masala
1tsp Chilli powder
1/2tsp Dhania-Jeera powder
cilantro for garnishing

Method:
Put the potato, baby corn and Carrot in a microwave safe bowl and boil the potatoes for 5 Min's, till they get tender and not mushy. Heat the oil in a frying pan add cumin seeds and once they splutter, add turmeric powder and onion. Fry till they r soft, now add bell peppers saute them for few Min's and then add zucchini and saute them, now add cooked vegetables and finally add tomatoes. Meanwhile shallow fry/deep fry the tofu on a griddle. Once all the vegetables are saute well add tofu and dry masala and few drops of water and fry them few Min's till the masala's are well blended. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.
Note: If you want this to be a gravy version then add some water and bring to a boil andd 1/2tsp cornstarch powder mixed in 1tbsp milk. Mix well and serve hot.

Surprise cake

This is a cake I made for my friend Preeti-Pramodh on their 10th yr anniversary and it was a surprise, that's why I called it a surprise cake. It was a Vegan Marble cake with Butter cream Icing. I used store bought cake mix but substituted egg with Ener-G egg replacer and water with Applesauce and it was a very dense and moist cake.
The inspiration/idea for this cake was from Dhanya's collection.Thanks to her, I know I couldn't make it as professional as her. But I was happy that I tried and I loved it.

Indian Pav/ Dinner Rolls

Pav....at home??you all must be thinking why would u do it at home when u can get it in store for an affordable rate. I also thought the same when I saw this entry in DK's Blog. But looking at those amazing pictures and so good step-by-step explanation I was carried away to try this at home. I really wanted to see 'is it that easy?' I have never baked a bread at home so far. But believe me its that easy and taste's way better than the store bought. Mine was super soft and perfect. If u have a day which u wanna bake try this. You can refer the method and ingredients in DK's blog but for my future reference I shall have the method and recipe. I haven't changed anything in the recipe, since it was my first attempt in baking a dinner roll and I wouldn't do it either now.

Ingredients:

3 cups Bread flour ( or use all purpose flour) plus few more for dusting
1 packet/21/4tsp Dry active yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1-1/4 cups milk
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
Method:

First warm the milk and add the butter and let it melt. Meanwhile take the yeast in a cup and add sugar and warm water and set aside for 10 mins so it rises. Now take a bowl and add the bread flour and salt and mix well. Combine the Milk and butter mixture slowly and then add it to the flour and mix well. It will be pretty sticky don't add any more flour to it. Now the flour the counter and put this sticky dough and start knead the dough, till the stickiness is gone. For about10-15 mins. Now grease a bowl and place this dough and cover it with a plastic wrap and let it rise double in volume.

Once its raised well take it out on a floured counter and roll into a square shape. Cut it into 12 equal parts and make a ball shaped with each piece. Place them on a baking sheet about11/2 inches apart. Let it raise again till they stick to each other. Pre heat the oven to 350*F and bake for about 25mins or till its golden in color. Let it cool for 10 mins before serving. We had this with Bhajji and it was awesome.

Thanks DK for this wonderful recipe. I was very excited it turned out great.

Note: Use Bread flour and dont replace it with APF. It makes a lot of difference.

Pita Bread

Pita Bread is a Arabic word khubz (ordinary bread). Its mainly used in Mediterranean Cuisine but now a days its pretty common in almost every cuisine. Its simple bread and similar to our Naan bread. Its either deep fried or baked on a very high temperature. But when you want to do it at home the oven's max temp is 500*F. But it still puffs and you get a pocket when cooled. Only thing i didnt like is it becomes a little crispier and hard when cooled. Next time i would like to try on a hot griddle and see if it stays soft. Here I have tried wheat pita bread, but White flour will make is still more softer i guess.

Ingredients:

1tsp Sugar
1packet Yeast
2cups All purpose Flour(1cup APF + 1cup Wheat Flour)
11/2tsp Salt
1cup Warm Water
Method:

In a small cup put sugar, yeast and add warm water mix well and let it stand for 10 mins and rise. Meanwhile Put the APF in a bowl and add salt. Now add the yeast and mix with while adding warm water. Make a very soft dough. Its fine if its sticky. Grease another bowl with a spoon of oil and dump the dough and coat it well with oil and cover it with a damp cloth/plastic rap. Let it rise for an hour or 2.

Flour the counter well and start kneading the dough with a folding motion till the dough is no more sticky to hands. Divide them equally and let it sit covered for 10 more mins. Preheat the oven for 500*F and place the baking sheet too.Now roll each one at a time for 6-8' diameter. Put it on the hot baking sheet and let it bake for 4 mins and then turn and bake for 2 mins on the other side. Let it cool before u cut it. I like to cut it with a scissor. Store in a plastic bag or hot case for couple of days and enjoy it with a nice filling. I have one Mexican Pita Pockets recipe, will post it soon. U can put a burger/hummus/just vegetables and make a sandwich. Its easy for even kids to hold it and eat.

Sorry the picture quality is not so good. I was in a hurry and tired. Will to upload one next time.

Home made Cream

Heavy cream is something so easy that you can make it at home just before a dish which demands. I learn't this trick from a cookery class I attended few yrs back and always do that at home. So here is the simple recipe, you can make fat free or full fat cream. Choice is yours. Here I have made low fat Cream.

Ingredients:

1/4cup Cream from the 2%Milk(When you boil the milk and cool it for the yogurt or anything else, start collecting the cream on top of the milk in a small box)
1-2tbsp 2% Milk
Method:

Put the cream and milk in a blender or Food processor and blend it well for 1-2 mins till its foamy and thick. Store it in an airtight container and use within 2-3 days. Or make fresh every time.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Now a days I am trying some new dishes which I would have never thought of trying it at home. After getting calorie conscious I am digging for new dishes with less calories and more vegetables and filling. This is one such dish which has high amount of vegetables and flavors but if done individual pot pies it cuts a lot of calories in the pie base. This was a nice change on a cold/rainy day. The crust was crispy with soft and tender vegetables and the perfect sauce with it.

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)[I used Canola oil]
2 cups sliced yellow onions
1 fennel bulb,
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Pinch saffron threads
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups large-diced potatoes (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 cups Green Beans
1 1/2 cups carrots
1 1/2 cups butternut squash
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced parsley

For the pastry:

1box of ready pastry mix.

Method:

Melt the butter/oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel and saute until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, saffron, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the heavy cream and season to taste. The sauce should be highly seasoned.

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Lift out with a sieve. Add the beans, carrots, and squash to the pot and cook in the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add the potatoes, mixed vegetables, onions, and parsley to the sauce and mix well. Let it stay warm.

For the pastry, make the pie base as given in instruction on the box.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.Make 4 pie base for an ovenproof bowls filled with the filling.. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the butter wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the sides, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.Vegetable Pot pie is ready. Serve at Room Temperature.

Kai-Sasuve Chitranna / Coconut mustard Rice

I would like to wish all a very Happy Belated Ugadi Wishes. I wanted to post this last week on Ugadi but somehow couldn't. So here it is a Rice item which is very different from the usual rice item. I usually do this on festivals and when I have fresh coconut, otherwise it doesn't taste that good. The main ingredients in this is Mustard and coconut other than Rice. Its simple and it dosent need any raita to the side.

Ingredients:

1tsp Mustard seeds
1cup Freshly grated coconut
1tsp Red chilli powder(or 6-8 Red Chilli)
1/2tsp Jaggery
salt to taste

For tempering:
1tsp Oil
1/2tsp Musatrd seeds
1/2tsp Urad dal
1/4tsp turmeric powder
1tsp Peanut
5-6 curry leaves
Hing


Method:
First grind mustard seeds, coconut, red chilly/chilly powder, jaggery, salt. If needed add few spoons at a time water, otherwise try to grind it without. Once you grind it to a paste, prepare tempering with oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, peanut, turmeric powder,hing and curry leaves. Add the paste and saute it for couple of mintues in low flame. If you have added water while grinding then saute it a little more otherwise 3-4 mintues should be fine. Add this mixture to the cooled rice and mix well. Serve warm.

Khaju/Cashew Masala

The name itself says how rich, creamy and elegant this dish is. Its one of my favorite dishes I used to have when I used to go to a Restaurant called "Gokul" in Bangalore. Its a small restaurant but this dish was one of the best there. I wonder now how I used to eat this and burn the calories in it. This is a very royal dish so don't make it quite often. Last time I had this dish was 2 yrs ago when I visited B'lore and learn't this dish in a cookery class. Once in 3-4 months is ideal. If you are fan of veggies in curry then this can be a side dish , as there are no vegetables in this dish its just cashews. Cashews are one of the healthy nut and its good if you eat 4-5 nuts daily. For more information on cashews you can refer this link. Now lets move on to the recipe.

Ingredients:

1cup Whole Cashews
1/4cup Khova/heavy cream
2tsp Ghee
2 Onions chopped & paste
2 cloves
2 cinnamon
2 cardamom pods
1/2 cup Tomato puree
1tsp G+G+G[Ginger+Garlic+Green chilli]
2tsp Coriander powder
2tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2tsp Cumin powder
1/2tsp Pepper powder
1/2tsp cashew paste[5-10 cashews and 1tsp water and grind into fine paste]
1/2cup Fresh coconut slices
few curry leaves
1tsp Kasuri Methi

Method:
Fry Whole cashews in oil and keep aside. Heat ghee/oil in a pan add whole masalas, onion paste, G+G+G and saute for a minute. Then add tomato puree and dry masalas. Now fry till the oil seperates. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water[depending on the consistency required] and salt , when it starts boiling add khova/cream and fried cahews. Cook for few minutes. Finally add cashew paste, coconut bits and cook for 2-3 minutes and serve warm with chapathi's/ roti.

Simple Salad

Here is a simple salad but very tasty.
Ingredients:

1 cup Lettuce roughly chopped
5-10 Grape/cherry Tomato cut into half
1tbsp chopped walnuts
5 Pineapple bits(from can)
1tbsp Cooked Garbanzo beans(or Canned)
1/4cup Green bell peppers(roughly chopped)
salt and pepper
1tbsp Olive Oil

Method:

Place a serving bowl and add lettuce, tomatoes, pineapple, walnuts, garbanzo beans, bell peppers, salt and pepper. Now add a spoon of olive oil and toss it. Serve chill.

Tips: You can add any dressing or vinaigrette .This is one simple version.

Instant Jalebi

This is my blog-anniversary Post. Its been a year I started to blog. I started the blog with a dedication to my brother and am celebrating today with a dedication to my son who just loves these. "Jalebi" the word itself is mouth watering. Its one of the tastiest Indian dessert. Its my son's favorite sweet and he can trade his lunch/dinner for this. Its actually very good for Acidity patients, they say "If eaten with a glass of milk every morning then the acidity will be cured". But I am not sure how much it is true. Its high in calories for sure as it fried and dipped in sugar syrup so will add few pounds. But its fine to eat once in a while.

This is a very easy recipe and makes Jalebi's perfect ,crispy and instant every time. Just follow the recipe as it is. I have done this couple of times and would do it whenever my son wants. Its healthy since we'll be using fresh oil and right ingredients. Since its Instant you cannot store it and eat later, it has been eaten warm. So prepare this at the nth moment. You can add any color you want to make look like jalebi's.

Ingredients:

For the jalebi batter
1 cup plain flour (maida)
1 teaspoon Bengal gram flour (besan)
1/2 teaspoon fresh yeast, crumbled
1 tablespoon melted ghee
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 drops of lemon yellow food colouring
For the sugar syrup
2 cups sugar
a few saffron strands
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Other ingredients
ghee/oil for deep frying


Method:

For the jalebi batter-
Sieve the plain flour and gram flour together. Dissolve the yeast in 1 tablespoon of water. Mix the flour mixture, yeast solution, ghee, sugar and lemon yellow food colouring with 2/3 cup of water to make a thick batter, making sure that no lumps remain. Keep aside for 10 minutes till the yeast ferments.
For the sugar syrup-
Dissolve the sugar in 1 cup of water and simmer for 5 minutes till the syrup is of 1 string consistency. Add the saffron and lemon juice and mix. Remove from the fire and keep aside.

Heat the ghee/oil in a broad saucepan [about 1" deep]. Fill the Jalebi batter into a piping bag/ketchup bottle with a single hole nozzle or a thick cloth with a small hole in the center which is finished with button-hole stitch. Press out round whirls of the batter into the hot ghee/oil working closely from centre to the outside of the whirl. Deep fry the Jalebis till golden brown and transfer into the warm sugar syrup. Drain immediately and serve hot.
Tips
Do not allow the Jalebi batter to over ferment. Fry the Jalebis immediately once the batter has rested for 10 minutes.

"Recipe from Tarla dala(dot)com"

Spinach Chapathi/ Tortilla with Zucchini Palya/sabzi

"Go Green"would be the best name for this dish, as everything is green.In my last grocery shopping I was looking for some tortilla's for making chips and found spinach tortilla and liked the color but I didn't feel like buying as I felt its kinda old. So i thought how about i try it at home and see how it tastes. It was really tasty, healthy and a lovely color. Its simple though as we do regular methi chapati. I usually have the baby spinach bag in my refrigerator, so it made my life a little simpler.

Ingredients:

Chapati:
1 cup Baby spinach
2 cups Wheat flour
1tsp salt
1tsp oil

Palya/Subzi:

4 Zuchhini
2tsp huli pudi/curry powder
1tbsp fresh coconut grated
1tsp oil
1/2tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp urad dal
salt to taste
jageery(optional)
1tsp cilantro for garnish


Method:
Chapati-
Grind the spinach with a little water in a blender/food processor. Now mix that with the wheatflour, salt and oil and make a dough. Now roll each ball and roast it on the griddle for 2 mins on each side.

Palya/Subzi:
Cut the zucchini into cube shapes.Prepare the tempering with mustard seeds and ural dal. Now add the chopped zucchini and fry for 2-3 mins and then add salt and saute for a min more. Now add huli pudi/ curry powder, jaggery and coconut. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with chapati.


I am sending this post to 'Healing Foods Event'-Spinach, hosted by Divya.

Crochet Poncho

This is my first big project in crochet and I took around 3 months to complete but it looks amazing and I am very happy that I tried it. The white yarn looks neat and goes well on any color dress. I used to have one in my childhood which my Mom had crochet it for me and I had it for a long time.I even remember the color of it...RED. I saw this in a book that I borrowed from the library.
I fell in love the time I saw this and started of right away. But I couldnt spend much of my time on this so it took me 3 months to complete but I think its perfect for Spring.Don't you think so?

Rava Dosa/Crepes

Dosa's are everyones favorite. This is an easy to make Dosa which needs no fermenting time or soaking. Just mix and do whenever you feel like.That's what I like most about. The Rave in this makes it crispier thats why kids love them. They are not as heavy as the Masala Dosa. Its perfect for evening snack.

Ingredients:
1/2cup Rava/Fine Sooji
1/2cup Rice Flour
1/4cup Maida/All purpose Flour
1tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped
1tsp Cumin seeds
2 Green chillies finely chopped
Salt to taste
Method:
Mix all the flours and Sooji with salt , cumin seeds, green chillies and coriander leaves in a big bowl. Now add water to make a very thin batter. It has to be double the quantity. Now heat a griddle and sprinkle the batter with hands/Big spoon. It should be a very thin. Leave it for a min and add a spoon of oil. Let it cook and starts to leave the griddle, then turn over and cook for a min. Serve hot with chutney.

Tofu Ravioli

Ravioli is an Italian dish, which is mainly a stuffed Pasta. Its a delicate and a very refreshing dish.This Ravioli dish is so easy and can be made anytime, if the stuffing is ready. Here I have used Won-ton wrappers as the base.They are readily available in the super-market, so just fill the stuffing and steam it for couple of minutes and dress it with the sauce and its ready to eat. This Tofu stuffing was so yummy and tasty that you will not go to any fancy restaurant anymore. I am actually looking forward to make them again.

Ingredients:

1 pkg won ton wrappers (or vegan pasta dough rolled out)
1 cup extra firm tofu
1/2 cup fresh spinach finely chopped
5-10 mushrooms chopped
1/2 a red bell pepper finely chopped
1 large Onions or scallions chopped fine
1/3 c. gr sunflower seeds (use spice grinder-optional)[I didn't us it]
4-6 sun dried tomatoes soaked in boiling water
3-4 baby carrots finely grated
3 Tbsp yeast
1 tsp crushed rosemary
2-3 cloves garlic crushed
splash of lemon juice
Milk to thin
fresh cracked pepper to taste
sea salt to taste

Tomato sauce
--------------
1 medium Onion chopped
2 cups Canned Tomatoes no salt added
3 cloves Garlic minced
1 tsp Oregano dried
1/2 tsp Basil dried
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth (Stock)
2tbsp Tomato Paste
1/4 tsp ground Black Pepper
Directions:

First put all the ingredients for the sauce in a food processor and blend it well. Now heat a pan with a tsp of olive oil and saute the sauce till it gets thick and all the water is evaporated. Keep aside and let it cool a bit.

Mill sunflower seeds into meal consistency then set aside.Drain sun dried tomatoes and finely chop.Blend sliced tofu, lemon juice, sea salt, yeast and milk until ricotta like consistency in a food processor. Finely dice tomatoes, red peppers, and chives. Blend with tofu mixture by hand with a fork just until well mixed. In a small bowl combine tofu mixture with remaining ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined. Now heat a tsp of olive oil in a frying pan and add this mixture and fry it for 5-6 minutes set aside and cool it.

Place a 1 Tbsp of mixture in center of won ton wrapper. Wet(I brushed fat free milk on the wrappers,you can use just water/butter too), crimp and seal edges of wrapper Securely (or the wrapper will open in the pan and contents will spill out). Cook a few(8 minutes on each side) at a time in your vegetable steamer making sure to not crowd pan or they will stick to each other and be gluey. Keep warm on a covered dish while the remainder cook. Toss with a bit of olive oil when they are cooked to prevent sticking.Top with a little fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, sauce and Parmesan cheese as desired.

I am sending this post to Jyothi's First Event "Pasta Party".

Corn-Methi Baked Cutlets

Cutlets baked is somewhat not digestible right?...I felt the same way when i saw this recipe in Parita's blog. Thanks Parita for this recipe but I fell in love for 2 main reasons 1. Being the photography 2. Being "baked". Now a days I so freak out of deep fried....'baked' sound makes me feel good and light. Cutlets are my all time favorite snack, as its healthy because of lots of vegetables in it. This is a very simple and easy to make cutlets. It can be deep fried or shallow fried but I chose to stick with the baked part. Mine became a little bland as I reduced the quantity of spices in it but it will be yummy if its spicy. So follow the exact amount of spices in the recipe.

Ingredients:

1cup Boiled and mashed potato
1/2cup Fresh Methi leaves(chopped)
1/2cup Sweet corn
2tbsp Bread crumbs +2tbsp (for rolling it)
2 green chillies finely chopped
1tsp sugar(i skipped it)
1tsp chat masala
1tsp lime juice
salt to taste

Method:

Mix everything other than 2 tbsp bread crumbs for rolling. Make a nice dough,add extra bread crumbs if the dough is too soft. Divide into equal 8 parts and make small balls out f it and flatten it flat. Now roll each cutlet in the bread crumbs(i used regular bread crumbs as i didn't have coriander bread crumbs) and place it on a greased baking sheet and spray cooking spray on the top as well and bake at 400*F for 15 Min's on each side. Enjoy it hot with a green chutney or ketchup.

[Note: These cutlets can be used as Patty in the burgers.]