Thursday, November 26, 2009

Panchamel Daal / Five Daal Fry / पंचमेळ डाळ



Ingredients:
Split Bengal Gram 1/4 cup ( हरभरा डाळ / चना दाल )
Split Red Gram 1/4 cup ( तुरीची डाळ / तुअर दाल )
Split Red Lentils 1/4 cup ( मसूर डाळ / मसूर दाल)
Yellow Split Moong 1/4 cup ( पिवळे मूग )
Horse bean 1/4 cup ( Urad daal / उडदाची डाळ )
1/2 T spoon Turmeric
2 T spoon or to taste Red chilli powder
6 Cloves
6 Cardamom
3 bay leaves
1 small stick of cinamon
mustard seeds, cumin seeds 1 T spoon each
1/4 T spoon Asafoetida
2 T spoon or to taste garam masala
2 T spoon Grated ginger
Lemon juice 1/2 T spoon
Salt to taste
Sugar 1 T spoon
Ghee or Oil

Procedure:
  1. Wash all the grams well and pressure cook them with water of quantity 3times the grams.
  2. Keep 2 Tsp oil or ghee in pan to heat up. Put mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida.
  3. Put cloves,Bay leaves ,Cloves,Cardamom,Cinamon and stir fry well for 1 minute.
  4. Put onion and stir well till it cooks well. Add chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle little water to make onion, tomato cook well.Stir well.
  5. Add turmeric,red chilli powder, coriander powder,garam masala.
  6. Add cooked daal. Add 1/2 cup water if daal is not watery. If cooked daal has water in it add as per your taste.
  7. Add grated ginger ,salt, sugar.
  8. Let it cook for some minutes in order mix all the spices well in the daal.
  9. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
  10. Before serving add lemon juice.


Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Spinach-Buttermilk Curry / पालकाची ताक घालून भाजी




Hi,
This recipe is a traditional Maharashtrian Spinach curry :) Not spicy or masala style but yet very tasty. Try it!


Ingredients:

250gm Spinach
5 T spoon of cooked yellow moong daal ( Yellow moong daal pressure cooked)
1 T spoon Gram flour
2 T spoon Curds
water
salt to taste
1/2 t spoon turmeric
3-4 Kokum
1 T spoon or to taste Sugar
1 T spoon Cumin powder
1 T spoon Coriander powder
2-3 green chillies chopped or to taste

For Seasoning:
mustard seeds
cumin seeds
2 red chillies de seeded
2-3 garlic cloves chopped into small pieces
asafoetida
curry leaves 2-3 twigs

Procedure:

  1. Chop the spinach.
  2. Pour 1 T spoon oil in pan. Once hot, put chopped green chillies,stir well. Put chopped spinach.
  3. Keep stirring.
  4. Add little water ( around 1/2 cup) to let spinach cook well.
  5. After 5-6 minutes, if spinach is well cooked, try to mash it in the pan itself with the spoon.
  6. Add 1 cup water. Let it come to boil. Add kokukm.
  7. Let it come to proper boil so that sourness of Kokum will be absorbed in water.
  8. Add turmeric,cumin powder,coriander powder.
  9. Stir well.
  10. Add Cooked moong daal now and while stirring, mix everything well. In order to apply daal properly to the spinach.
  11. While curry is cooking well, take curds,gram flour(Besan), around 1 cup water in a bowl. Churn it well to desolve the gram flour in buttermilk without any lumps.
  12. If curry is cooked well ( daal, all spices are well mixed, cooked) add the mixture of buttermilk to it.
  13. Mix well. Add sugar.
  14. Mean while keep 2 T spoon oil for heating. Once hot, add mustard seeds, Asafoetida,garlic pieces. Once garlic becomes little brownish in color add cumin seeds,curry leaves, chopped de' seeded red chili pieces.
  15. Add salt as per taste to the curry. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes.
  16. Pour the seasoning on the curry and immediately close the curry pan with lid.
  17. Switch off the gas.
Covering the curry after seasoning maintains the aroma of the seasoning :) So just remove the lid before you serve.

Note:
  • You can adjust the consistency by adding less or more water in curry.
  • You can cook 1 cup daal for the whole day or so and just remove few spoons for this curry aside. Rest of the daal can be made into daal tadka or daal fry.



This curry goes well with Rice, Chapati and Jowar roti.
Happy Eating!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Fresh Green Spinach Paratha / खमंग पालकाचा पराठा / Palak paratha


Hi,
The colour of this paratha is so refreshing that you feel ' Go green' ;)

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time:5 min

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach leaves
green chillies as per taste
1/2 T spoon Turmeric
garlic cloves
Salt to taste
1/2 T spoon Sugar
Wheat flour
Jowar flour
Rice flour
1 T spoon Cumin powder
1 T spoon Coriander powder

Procedure:
  1. Wash the spinach leaves nicely and cook in pressure cooker.( as per your cooker decide the whistles and time). Spinach should be well cooked in order to get mashed well.
  2. Once cooker is cooled down, pour cold water on cooked spinach.
  3. Drain water and keep aside, we will use it while kneading dough.
  4. Grind the green chillies, garlic in mixer to a coarse mixture. Not very fine paste.
  5. Grind the cooked spinach iin mixer well. It should become a smooth fine paste.
  6. Pour the spinach paste in mixing bowl. Put chilli-garlic paste.
  7. Add enough wheat flour( as per your quantity of spinach), jowar flour. Wheat flow should be maximum in quantity. Jowar flour should be just like , if one cup wheat flour is used 2 T spoon of jowar flour.
  8. Be careful while adding wheat flour, since if flour becomes more, you will loose the spinach flavour. So keep on adding little bit if needed.
  9. Add salt, cumin powder,turmeric,sugar,coriander powder.
  10. Knead well. And make a proper dough. Spinach, flours should be mixed well.
  11. Cover it with a pan/ cotton cloth for 10-15 min.
  12. Dust with rice flour while making parathas.Roll into medium thick parathas and roast well both the sides. Apply little oil. Roast till little golden brown colour appears.
Happy eating!!!!!

Corn Bhel / कॉर्न भेळ


Hi,

A very munchy snack and just mixed and serve kind of...everyone would love this.

Ingredients:
200 gm sweet corn kernels
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
8-10 twigs of coriander leaves
1 T spoon Chaat powder or to taste
1 T spoon Amchoor(dry mango powder) or to taste
1/4 T spoon salt or to taste
1-2 T spoon red chili powder or to taste
1/2 T spoon Cumin powder
Haldiram's Bombay-mix mixture

Procedure:
  1. If you are using frozen corn kernels, take it out to normal room temperature before using. Or if you are using canned kernels, just drain them well before you use.
  2. In a mixing bowl add kernels and all the powders except salt.
  3. Taste and adjust the spices as per your taste.
  4. Add finely chopped onion,coriander leaves,tomato.
  5. Mix well.
  6. Just before you serve, add the 'Bombay mix' mixture and salt and then mix gently.
You can add sweet and sour Tamarind-Jaggery sauce also if you like:)

Note: I have used Bombay mix mixture but it is as per your taste you can use any but it should be spicy because we are using sweet corn kernels:)

Healthy benefits of corn:
  • Helps in maintaining a good health for our heart.
  • Increase in memory levels because it contains Thiamin in it
  • Rich in Vitamin B which helps in producing energy under extreme stress.
Happy Eating!!!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Yellow moong daal Dosa




Hi,

I love this Dosa genuinely.It doesn't take time for fermentation ; also, doesn't require rice in it ..so it is healthy too :)

Preparation time: 10 min
Serves: 3 people

Ingredients:
1 and half cup yellow split moong daal.
2 T spoon grated ginger or to taste
4-5 green chillies or to taste
1 small spoon Asafoetida
1/4 T spoon Turmeric
2 T spoon Coriander powder
Salt to taste

Procedure:
  1. Soak Moong daal for minimum 5 hours. 5-7 hours is ok.
  2. Once ready to make Dosa, grind daal,ginger,green chillies together in mixer to a thin paste.
  3. Add enough water to make grinding easier. Carefully add the water as the consistency is important.
  4. The batter should be of the Dosa consistency. Medium consistency that is. Batter shouldn't be coarsely ground it should be finely ground(smooth batter).
  5. Add turmeric,salt, Asafoetida,coriander powder now.
  6. Pour a ladle full batter on hot Tava ( griddle) and spread it in circular motion starting from centre to outside. ( I know all of you must be aware of this already :)
  7. Once it looks dry on top, sprinkle little oil on side and top.
  8. Flip the Dosa and roast the underside as well for 2 min. Just for a 1-2 min.
  9. Serve hot, with pudina chutney or maggy ketchup or lemon pickle.
Happy Eating!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Toast-Pizzza




I know the name must have taken your attention here:)
An easy way to enjoy pizza immediately...less cheese...more crispy and very little time to cook and an eye catching look...so many things to tell about this......

I think children will loveee this :) short pizza...model of pizza may be :)

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 5 min


Ingredients:

White bread slices
Grated cheese
sweet corn kernels
Red,Yellow,Green bell pepper finely chopped
Tomato ketchup

Procedure:

  1. Apply tomato sauce on one side of bread slice.
  2. Put grated cheese over the slice generously if you are giving it to children ;) and put less if you are weight conscious :)
  3. Put sweet corn kernels, nicely chopped small square pieces of multi coloured bell pepper.
  4. Heat up Tava ( Griddle) or a frying pan and put little butter ( optional).
  5. Keep the cheesy bread slice on it and cover with lid.
  6. It will take 4-5 min or less/more depending on your Tava. Check in between if its done. Do not let it burn.
  7. Let the bread turn into nice crispy toast and then its ready :)
Ready to serve!!!!!!
Enjoy!!!! Eating...

I put less cheese because of weight control :( and had forgotten to put corn kernels :( , so your pizza may look much much better than mine ;)

Don't forget to post comment on this recipe...
Just click ' Post comment' tag down the recipe...

Thank you :)

Friday, November 13, 2009

Dates-Kokum Chutney ( Healthy Chaat chutney)




I am sure many of us must be crazy about pani puri, sev puri, and many more mouth watering chaats:)
Instead of Tamarind I used Kokum a healthy replacement for the Sour taste and dates(Khajoor) for Jaggery :)
So next time you think of a Chaat, you don't have to worry about Tamarind acidity problems:)
Perhaps, Dates will improve your Haemoglobin ;)
So here I go with the recipe without boring anymore ;)

By the way did you know How Tamarind has got its name? It is Tamar a Hind means Indian date, Tamar is an Arabic name for date :) so Tamar a Ind is nothing but Tamarind :)


Preparation time: Soaking of date and Kokum for 4-5 hours


Ingredients:

1 cup dates
3/4 cup Kukum fruit
( Depend on how sour and sweet taste you want and how sour is Kokum, adjust the quantities accordingly.)

1/2 T spoon Black salt
1/2 T spoon Rock salt
but if you dont have these salt, take usual salt we take everyday for cooking.
1 T spoon Roasted cumin powder ( Roast cumin seeds till rawness is gone and then powder it)
1 T spoon Coriander powder
Red chilli powder as per taste
1/2 T-spoon Dry ginger powder


Procedure:

  1. Soak dates and kokums in lukewarm water for 4-5 hours or overnight if you plan earlier:)
  2. De seed the dates. Also,some dry skin of dates will be separated, remove it as well.Clean the dates properly before grinding.
  3. Drain water and keep it aside ( Don't throw this water)
  4. In the mixer put all the ingredients as per taste along with de seeded dates and kokum.
  5. Add enough water for grinding the mixture smoothly.
  6. Keep on adding little water to simplify the grinding.
  7. Consistency of the paste should be medium thick.
  8. Once ground well ,taste it little bit and as per your taste add salt/red chilli powder or cumin seed powder carefully.
  9. You can store this chutney for almost 1 week in airtight container in fridge.
While using, add enough water to this chutney, mix well to remove lumps. Then add Pudina(Mint) chutney to it with enough water.
Also you can add cumin-coriander seed powder and salt as per your Chunky taste need :)
This water can be used for Pani puri, mathari chaat, sev puri and so on :)

Chutney alone can be served with Appey, samosa, batata wada and your favourite snacks :)

Happy Eating :) Don't forget to write comment on this recipe...

Healthy benefits of date ( Khajoor) :
They digest very easily hence given for quick energy.
Soaked overnight and crushed,is good for those who have heart problems.
Beneficial for those who are suffering from constipation.