Idly / Steamed Rice Cakes

A famous Breakfast, or even sometimes Lunch/Dinner. Healthy being steamed. I know, no need to talk about Idly.. isn't it?
Posting a recipe here using Idly Rava.


Ingredients:
2 Cups Idly Rava
1 cup Urad daal ( white lentils)
1 Tspoon Fenugreek seeds ( methi seeds)
Handful of Poha ( flattened rice / Powa )


Procedure:

1. Wash Idly Rava,Lentils,Fenugreek seeds and soak all the ingredients in water for 5-6 hours. Water should be enough. Much above the ingredients.
2. Once soaked, remove all the water. Grind them in Mixer to a consistency just towards coarse but not coarse or fine. While grinding add enough water to smooth grinding.
3. Consistency of batter shall be pouring consistency. Pancake batter consistency.
4. Once the batter is ready, pour it in a container and cover it with a lid. Keep aside in warmer place for 10-12 hours for fermenting to take place. e.g overnight.
5. After 12 hours, you will see the batter has blown up. Add 1-1.5 Tsp salt to batter.
6. Keep water for boiling in a pan. If you have Idly mold,  apply/spread oil to the mold first. Pour the batter ( as per the size of the mold. ) 3/4th fill in the mold.
7. Steam for 12-14 min. 
8. Keep aside for cooling. Don't try to remove Idly when it is hot, it will be very soft then. Give 5-6 min to cool down then remove it using spoon.

Serve hot with Sambar or Coconut chutney or Ground nut chutney.

Idly is a good option for food when you having a throat infection and avoiding oily stuff. It is hot,soft and healthy what more we want? 

Enjoy!!

#idlirecipe #southindianfood #indianrecipes

Groundnut-Sesame powdered chutney

Instead of making 2 I thought what if I try this, and it worked. Good for winter...hot chutney..
goes well for sandwich. Apply butter to bread slice, spread this powder and yummy sandwich is ready..healthy too :) try it


Ingredients:
Ground nuts and sesame seeds ( teel) almost in equal quantity. Because groundnuts are bigger in size take it less in quantity. 
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
Sugar 1/2 Tsp
Garlic cloves as per taste 


Procedure:

1. Roast groundnuts and sesame seeds together. I roasted them in Oven on lowest temperature ( 160C ) which assures the equal roasting of both ingredients equally and you don't have to keep stirring. If oven if preheated, I guess 10-12 min is enough. Just keep an eye in between; roast them until groundnuts appear like well roasted.  Remove the tray in between roasting to make sure nothing is burning or when it is well roasted.
2. You can roast in kadhai as well. Just keep stirring until well roasted.
3. Once roasted,keep aside to cool down.
4. In mixer pour these 2 things along with red chili powder, salt,sugar,garlic cloves.
5. Grind into little coarse consistency chutney powder. You know how chutneys are :)

Good for winter since Sesame is good in Calcium content. Try the sandwich, i love this chutney sandwich.

Cheese Paratha / Stuffed Cheese Indian Bread

Another 10 min preparation ...ideal for breakfast :) but you can take it in Lunch box too :)


Ingredients: 


Stuffing :
Grated Mozzarella cheese
Cumin powder
Chaat masala / Amchur powder
Red chili powder
Green chili finely chopped
pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
( I haven't given any proportion spices. Take it as per your taste and quantity you need.) 
Cover:
Whole wheat flour dough


Procedure: 

1. Mix all the ingredients of stuffing. Taste, and add whichever spice you need more or if something is more, add little bit more cheese.
2. Mix well. 
3. Take a part of Dough , roll it into a small poori and put some of the stuffing. Collect all the sides of poori and close it together and make a ball off it.
4. Dust little flour on platform and roll into Paratha with rolling pin.
5. On a heated Tava roast the paratha on both the sides. Keep the stove on medium flame so that it wont burn.
6. I don't use oil for this paratha as it already has a fat.
7. Serve hot with tangy pickle or any fav. chutney.

Healthy about cheese: It is very high in calcium content.

Also very rich in Vitamin B which is good for children, women.

Aloo Methi Sabji / Potato Fenugreek Indian side dish

Blogging after such a looong time...
Today I am posting a side dish Sabji which takes just 10 minutes this way and hence I find it one of the ideal lunch preparation. 


Ingredients: 


5-6 medium sized potatoes boiled in pressure cooker until soft
1 Bunch of  Methi ( Fenugreek leaves which gives approx. 1 cup of leaves after sorting )
1 Tsp coriander powder ( or to taste )
couple of pinches Turmeric powder
2-3 green chillies chopped finely
Salt to taste
1/4 Tsp Sugar 
1 - 2 Tsp oil 
mustard seeds, cumin seeds,Asafoetida


procedure :

1. Chop boiled potatoes keeping the skin on them ( it is healthy ). Chop Fenugreek leaves finely.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Once heated, add mustard seeds, when they splutter add cumin seeds.
3. Add chopped green chillies , Asafoetida. Add turmeric powder.
4. Add chopped Fenugreek.  Saute  for couple of minutes. Fenugreek will get cooked soon.
5. Stir well. Let it cook for couple of minutes.Once you see it leaving water and getting cooked, add chopped potato cubes.
6. Give a nice stir. Mix well.
7. Add salt, sugar.
8. Since potatoes are already boiled, it will not take time. We are just making sure Fenugreek is covered all over the potatoes well.
9. Cook for 1 min on sim flame.
10. Serve hot with Chapati or fulaka :)
11. Sprinkle little lemon juice while serving ...if you like it. It is considered good that green vegetables eaten with lemon juice makes body absorb the iron quickly.

Live a healthy life!!! 

Enjoy

Beet-Dill-Onion-Jowar-ragi Roti ( Thalipeeth)

Healthy Healthy Healthy!!!!   nothing much to say about this but Healthy....do try ..very easy, just mix and put :)


Ingredients:
1 medium sized Onion finely chopped
12-15 twigs of Dill leaves finely chopped
1 small Beet root  grated
Around 1.5 cup Jowar Flour 
Half Cup ragi flour ( Nachani )
2 Tsp rice flour
Salt


procedure:

1. Once you have all the vegetables chopped/grated,  in the same pan add all the flours into it.
2. Add salt.
3. Slowly add slight lukewarm water to this mixture to prepare Dough. Dough shouldn't be loose or Lumps like. It should be well bonded ( because Jowar flour makes it difficult to knead.) So knead well into a proper Dough. ( Thalipeeth / Akki Roti kind of dough )
4. Pour 1 Tsp oil on a Tava and spread well. 
5. take some part off the dough and start making a Roti on tava by pressing the dough on tava with your fingers. ( if you see the picture)
6. Pour little bit of Oil around and cover the tava and roast on medium flame till roasted well.
7. Roast the second side as well.

Serve with Butter or any powdered Chutney.

because of all iron containing ingredients this is surely a health way of eating. Also, easier since everything together :) no need to prepare separate chapati and sabji :)

Cabbage Sabji / Indian Style Cabbage side dish

This is a simplest recipe of eating Cabbage and no Masala at all :) tasty and healthy.
I have tried exactly mom style....but of course mom's cooking..no one can beat isn't it?


Ingredients
Vertically chopped Cabbage
Turmeric
Yellow split moong daal
Salt to taste
Sugar 1/2 Tsp
Cumin seeds, mustard seeds
Green chillies chopped
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves finely chopped
Oil


Procedure:

1. Soak  3-4 Tsp Moong daal in water before you start chopping Cabbage. ( Approximately 3-4 Tsp for around 2 cups of chopped cabbage but take it as per your taste )
2. Chop cabbage.
3. keep oil in a pan to heat up. Once heated add mustard seeds,cumin seeds.
4. Once they splutter, add chopped green chillies, curry leaves. Add turmeric.
5. Add chopped Cabbage.
6. Stir well.
7. Cover the pan and cook it on MEDIUM flame for around 5 min. Take care by stirring in between to avoid cabbage getting stuck at the bottom of the pan.
8. Remove the lid and stir well again. Repeat step 7.
9. Just check if cabbage is half cooked.
10. Add soaked Moong daal now. And mix well.
11. Add salt, Sugar. Mix and stir.
12. Close the lid and cover the pan again and let it cook for another 5-7 min or less but till well cooked.
13. Once cooked well, add chopped Cilantro.
14. Serve hot with freshly made chapatis.

Enjoy!!!!

Aloo Methi Paratha / Potato- Fenugreek Indian Paratha

It  became my favourite paratha now :)  Tried first time, very easy, just like Aloo Paratha but healthier.  :) and equally tasty tasty :)  Yummy.........


Ingredients: 
1 Big Boiled and mashed potato
1 cup Finely chopped Fenugreek ( Methi ) leaves.
Salt to taste
1/2 - 1 Tsp Amchoor powder
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
Sugar 1/2 Tsp
Chopped green chillies
Chopped coriander leaves
2 Tsp Coriander powder
Wheat flour for Dough


Procedure:

1. Prepare Dough and keep aside.
2. Add all the ingredients above ( except Wheat flour obviously ;)  and mix well. Keep the stuffing ready.
3. Role small sized poories off the dough.
4. Just like Aloo paratha, put the little stuffing inside this poori and close it into ball.
5. Role gently into a Paratha and roast on hot Tava. Roast both the sides.

Serve them hot with Yoghurt, pickle and nice salad, Butter............

Enjoy!!!!!

Dates Burfy / Khajoor Burfy

Nothing to talk about this sweet. Just do it! :)

Ingredients: 


Around 245 gm De seeded dates

Dry fruits : Almonds, Pistachio  - 50 gm together and  crushed coarsely.

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

1 tsp poppy seeds - dry roasted 

2 Tsp Ghee


Procedure:

1. Put these de seeded dates in Mixer and crush them.
2. Heat up 2-3 Tsp Ghee in a pan.  Add crushed Dry fruits and stir for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the crushed Dates to this pan. Stir for maximum 2 minutes on a medium flame of stove. (If you smell of a roasted Dates, immediately switch off the gas).
4. Let the mixture cool down now for 5 min.
5. Add Cardamom powder to the mixture.
6. Apply little ghee on your palms and knead the mixture well to get a smooth texture without lumps. 
7. Make a cylindrical shaped roles out of this mixture. As shown in the second image.
8. Wrap the roles in aluminium foil like chocolates. And it should be tightly wrapped.
9. Keep the roles in fridge for 4-5 hours.
10. Take out the roles and cut it into round shaped Burfy.

#sugarfree #dates #almonds #pistachio #healthysweets

Groundnut Chutney

Created a new Label " Instead of wasting". It is quite a job to "not to waste" food isn't it?  
Well ,even I try to avoid wasting food, and so coming up with this recipe. My mum suggested this, hope you will like it.


Ingredients:


Groundnuts which are in too much quantity in Mixtures / Namkeen / Farsan / any Savoury snack you buy outside
Cumin seeds powder
Red chilli powder
Salt
Little bit of sugar


Procedure:

1. Whenever you eat these Mixture / Namkeen / Sev / Farsan  you will find lots of groundnuts. Generally many people will just keep them aside and while washing the bowl we will throw them. Instead, keep putting them every time in your mortal and pestle. Just keep on collecting them in M&P. 
2. Just when they are 1-2 Tsp kind of quantity we will make chutney.
3. To M&P  add little cumin seeds powder, salt,red chilli powder,sugar and crush all the ingredients to give us a fine powder. 
4. You can add Garlic to it while crushing. It is optional.
5. I think I generally do it once a week or in 2 weeks. 
6. Ready!!!!!!!   Serve in the same day meal as a side dish.

Hope you will try it :)

Daal Baati - Baked Indian Bread

This is a Rajasthani traditional dish and I simply Loooove this. Easy easy easy to make and tasty  too...this Baati is served with traditional daal rajasthani style , but you can prepare your own favourite daal and serve them with it :) You would love them for sure.


Ingredients:
                         3 cups Wheat flour
                         1/4 Cup and 2-3 Tsp Yoghurt
                         2Tsp Carom seeds
                         3 Tsp oil
                         Salt to taste


Procedure:

1. Preheat oven 200 deg. C
2. Add yoghurt,oil,salt,carom seeds to the wheat flour. Start kneading.
3. Add lukewarm water as much as needed to knead the dough well.
4. Dough should be of medium Tight consistency. It should not be Hard like Puri or shift like Chapati but in the middle..  
5. Make medium sized balls off the dough.
6. Put aluminium foil on the baking tray. And place the Baati on tray. Keep them enough               separated
7. Bake them for 15-20 minutes. After 15 minutes, the underside will be roasted to golden               brown. Now flip the Baati to roast other side. Again keep for around 15 min. Keep               checking in between. Ovens are different. So dont follow 15 min exactly. Once you see the colour changing , try a small Baati taking out and break - if the centre part is cooked and not soggy then they are ready. 
8. Once roasted enough like golden brown, it is cooked properly. Once they are ready. They will have cracks on them. 
9. Pour pure Ghee on Baati with spoon, it will absorb immediately. 
10. Serve Baati with your own favourite Daal. 
11. While eating, break the Baati into small chunks and mix with the Daal.Pour Ghee on top generously and enjoy!!!!!!! yum....I am feeling like eating again!!

Other ways to eat Baati :  It tastes amazinggg  with pickles .
Or,  to the crushed Baati, add Ghee, powdered Jaggery and mix well. Add some grated dry coconut. Mix well. This is Churma. Wow, it tastes........yuuuuuuuuuuuuummmy.


Enjoy!!!!!!!

AlooDum / DumAloo / Spicy potatoes

One of the favourite dishes of my husband...Dumaloo  or AlooDum...is a famous North India Curry.
Very spicy..spicy as in an amazing blend of Indian Spices...not Hot by taste.


Ingredients: 

1. Around  half Kilo Small-medium sized potatoes
2. 2 Tsp Coriander seeds ( I used Coriander powder 2 Tsp. You can use same if for now you dont have seeds in the shelf)
3. 1 Tsp Cumin seeds
4. 2 Bay-leaves
5. 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder
6. 4-5 Red chillies
7. 1/2 Tsp Black pepper
8. 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
9. 1  medium size Onion
10. 1 Tsp Garam masala
11. Asafoetida
12. Salt to taste
13. 2-3 Tsp Yoghurt ( optional)

Procedure:

1. Boil potatoes in Pressure cooker. Once cooled, remove skin and prick them slightly softly.
2. Ground paste 1 :  In a mixer , put  Items 2-7 from top list along with little bit of water. and Grind well into a paste.
3. Now, grind onion,garlic in mixer to a paste. This is paste 2
4. Heat oil in a pan. Once heated, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and Asafoetida.
5. Add  Paste 1 and stir well. Add paste 2. 
6. Start stirring well till the Pastes are cooked, or slight turning pink. ca.  2 Minutes.
7. Add 2 cups of water. Let it boil. Add salt to taste.Once started boiling, add boiled potatoes.
8. Let them get blended in Spices well. Cook in Spice water.
9. Cook for around 10 min. You will see the gravy takes thick consistency.
10. Add Garam masala. Mix gently so that potatoes are not broken.
11. Switch off the gas. Add yoghurt if you like ( But it gives a nice gravy consistency to the Curry)
12. Garnish with chopped coriander.

Enjoy!!  

Savoury Potato Shreds

Ingredients:

1 big potato grated

2 green chillies chopped

1/2 Tsp Cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1/2 Tsp sugar

2-3 Tsp Roasted groundnuts powder

2 Tsp Ghee

Procedure:

1. Put the grated potato in a bowl filled with water. Shreds should be completely under water.
2. In a pan pour Ghee. Heat well. Once heated, add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add chopped chillies.
3. Remove the shreds from water with hands pressing it between your palms and removing all the water. When water is removed properly add this dry shred in pan.
4. Put all the shred in pan now.
5. Stir immediately as the potatoes will stick to the pan bottom.
6. Add salt to taste. Stir well. 
7. Cover with a lid and let it cook for couple of minutes on medium flame.
8. Steam it for couple of times till you see shreds are cooked well.
9. Add ground nut powder. and mix well. Add sugar.
10. Cook for another 2 minutes.
11. Check if potato shreds are cooked well and are soft.
12. Switch off the stove and serve hot with sweet yoghurt and/or tango Lemon Pickle.

Instant Sandwich - Tomato-Onion Sandwich

Ingredients:  

2 small Finely chopped onions

2 small finely chopped Tomatoes

Chopped coriander leaves

3-4 Tsp Ground nuts powder ( Roasted and powdered groundnut)

Red chilli powder to taste

Salt to taste

Sugar 1/2 Tsp

Brown Bread or White bread

Butter

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients well.
2. Apply little butter on bread slice and stuff the above mixture.
3. Roast it in sandwich maker on medium flame of stove for about 4-5 min or till roasted well golden brown. Once roasted, flip and roast the other side as well.
4. Serve hot with Tomato ketchup  :)

Jaggery coated Walnuts

It is healthy, Easy,tasty,fast recipe. Maximum time it takes is 5 min :)  Children will feel its Chocolate and have it...:)

Ingredients:


100 gm Walnuts cut into halves
120gm Jaggery  ( take as per your taste. You can decide at the once you finish reading recipe)


Procedure:

1. Cut the walnuts into halves.
2. Pour Jaggery on Non stick Tava and heat Tava. Let the jaggery melt.
3. Once it is melted, give 2 min. It will start leaving sides of the Tava/pan.
4. Add Walnut halves into melted jaggery.
5. Stir well in order to apply the Jagger to all the sides of walnuts.
6. Cook for 2-3 min.
7. Switch off the stove.
8. Before the Tava/pan cools down. Transfer the walnuts with spoon on a foil sheet one b one. Keep them separated. If Tava/pan becomes cool while you transfer walnuts will stick to the pan since jaggery will become hard. So if it is hard, switch on the stove again let it melt and then transfer again. 

     9.  It will take few minutes. 2-3 min to cool down the walnuts.

     

 Ready!!!!!!!!

Butter Naan and Aloo Palak

One of my favourite and am sure everyone's favourite :) Indian bread .. tandoori style bread....


Ingredients: 


250gm plain Flour
2tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
100ml  milk
2 tsp oil
sesame seeds
fresh chopped coriander
melted butter for brushing naan


Procedure:

1. Sift together the flour,sugar,salt and baking powder.
2. In a separate bowl, mix oil and milk together.
3. In a pan in which you are going to make dough, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and then in this pour the milk-oil mixture.
4. Start making dough.
5. The dough should become soft. Knead well back and forth. 
6. In an oiled pan ( non metalic and oven proof) keep the dough.
7. Cover the pan with muslin cloth or tea towel and keep in a warm place for minimum 1 hour.( I kept it in an oven heated on minimum temperature.
8. After one hour, the dough will rise up. ( Ideally it should be rise up to double size)
9. Once risen up, make 5 balls off the dough.
10. Preheat the oven on 220 degrees ( or on the highest grill temperature of the oven). Keep a baking sheet on the tray and keep the tray in oven.
11. Role the dough ball into oval shaped Naan. Pour little sesame seeds and finely chopped coriander over Naan bread and role again on the Naan to suppress the seeds and coriander.
12. Keep the Naan on the baking sheet and keep the tray in the upper shelf.
13. Grill for 2-3 minutes or till the brown coloured spots.
14. While hot, brush with butter and serve.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!

I am also going to post Naan using Yeast. Today's was the Baking powder version. 

Let us see which is better either with Yeast or with Baking powder.

The Subji you saw above is Aloo Palak, so thought of posting the recipe immediately instead of posting separately.
I prepare aloo Palak without onion and garlic. You can try it this way.

Ingredients:

2 Big Boiled Potatoes ( Don't peel off them)
Palak /Spinach 250 gm
Mustard seeds
Cumin Seeds
3-4 Green Chillies chopped
2 Tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
Turmeric
Asafoetida
Curry leaves

Note: you can make changes to quantity of ingredients as per your requirement or taste always.

Procedure:

1. Wash and then chop Spinach leaves.
2. Heat 1-2 Tsp oil in pan. Once heated, add mustard seeds. When the crackle add cumin seeds, Asafoetida, green chilies, curry leaves.
3. Add chopped spinach leaves. Stir well.
4. Spinach will start loosing water. Stir well. And keep cooking till it is soft.
5. Once you are happy with the consistency, add Turmeric now.
6. Mix well and add chopped potatoes. ( chop potatoes with skin)
7. Give a nice stir and add salt to taste. Add sugar little bit.
8. Add Coriander powder.

Taste and add salt if needed. Serve Hot with home made Naans :)

Coconut Ladoo

Another traditional recipe......yummy...my favourite and easiest and fastest desert according to me


Serves : 9 small


Ingredients: 


2 Cups grated coconut ( if you are using frozen coconut, make sure you de freeze it for couple of hours or enough to remove icy particles in it. Even I used frozen one.)
Half cup Sugar
Almonds 
Cardamom powder ( 2-3 cardamom pods )
Half cup  Milk


procedure:

1. In a non-stick pan add grated coconut and milk together.
2. On a medium flame, keep it stirring until it comes to a thicker consistency. When you start, it will leave oil on the sides due to coconut. But a continuous stir makes it better cooked.
3. Once the mixture is become thick in consistency, add cardamom powder and almond pieces.
4. Add sugar. Again the mixture become fluidly.  Keep stirring and avoid sugar getting burnt at bottom of pan. Stir well continuously.
5. Mixture will become thick again. And once it reaches thick consistency. Switch off the stove immediately. 
6. Keep it aside to become cool.
7. Once cooled totally. Apply little Ghee on palms and role the mixture into round Ladoo.

Beans Salad / फरसबी ची कोशिंबीर

This is a Traditional Maharashtrian dish...a healthy yet tasty side dish to accompany rice and daal :)


Ingredients: 
Beans
Ground nuts powder( roasted ground nuts powdered)
Fresh grated coconut
chopped Green chillies
Salt to taste
Little bit Sugar 
Lemon juice
Pinch of soda (Bi-bicarbonate)
Mustard seeds,Cumin seeds,Asafoetida


Procedure:

1. Remove the threads from the sides of the pods and chop them well.
2. Pour 1-2 Tsp oil in pan. Heat it well. Add cumin seeds,mustard seeds and Asafoetida. Add chopped Beans pods and stir well. ( see Note)
3. Add pinch of soda. And stir well. Sprinkle little water with hands.Just sprinkle, don't add water.
4. Cook well on medium flame of stove. Giving continuous stir so that it doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan.  This way of cooking makes the pods crispy :)
5. Add finely chopped green chillies  or rather coarse chili paste.
6. Add salt.
7. Once it is cooked well. Switch off the gas and keep it aside.
8. Once it is cooled properly, add sugar,fresh grated coconut, groundnut powder and lemon juice. Mix well and it is ready.

Note: Instead of cooking the chopped pods in pan, cook them in pressure cooker.

         Put chopped pods in a bowl and without pouring water in the bowl, pressure cook    

         them.

Mutter Paneer Made Easy!!!

Ingredients:

Paneer chopped in cubes

Onion finely chopped

Green peas

Tomato sauce (hot and sweet tomato chilli sauce)

Chilli paste

Cinnamon ( whole or shop bought Cinnamon powder)

Cloves

Salt

Ginger paste or grated ginger

(Garlic paste optional. I didn't use it)  

Coriander leaves or salad cress for garnishing

Mustard seeds,cumin seeds,turmeric for tempering.

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,turmeric. Add cinnamon,cloves. ( If you don't have whole cinnamon,sprinkle some Cinnamon powder )
2. Add chopped onion and stir well. Once onion is well cooked add Tomato sauce.
3. Stir well.
4. Add red chilli paste and give a good stir.
5. Add Green peas and stir well.Let it cook well for 2-5 minutes.
6. Add cubed Paneer and toss the pan in order to apply gravy to paneer cubes properly. I said toss instead stir is because that wouldn't disturb shape of soft paneer :)
7. Add salt to taste.Mix well.
8. Garnish with chopped coriander or salad cress.

An easy way to enjoy delicacy like Mutter-Paneer :)