Fried Plantain

Plantains are the sort of banana which are used for cooking in contrast to the fruit banana which can be eaten raw or used in shakes or puddings.
Plantains are green in color which gradually turn yellow and eventually black.
When the plantains are green, we use them to make currys, when they turn yellow, you can make these fries , and when they turn black, do not throw them, you can still make fritters with them, by adding flour to it.

Fried Plantain is the quickest appetizer. It is just a 2 step recipe: cut and fry. simple.
You must use the ripe plantain, i.e when the skin is turning yellow and has some black spots on it.

Ingredients:

• Plantains - 2
• Salt - 2-3 pinches
• Oil - for deep frying

Directions:

• Peel the plantains. Chop them diagonally of about half an inch tickness.
• Sprinkle salt over the pieces and toss them well.
• Deep fry the plantains in hot oil and fry till they turn brown from both the sides.
• Remove on kitchen towel.
• They can be eaten by themselves, however you can have them with a dip of your choice.

Strawberry- Banana Smoothie

Strawberry and Banana smoothie is quick and so easy to make and gives a real boost to your body.

Ingredients :

• Strawberries - 10-12
• Ripe Banana - 1
• Crushed Ice - 1 cup
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - to taste
• Vanilla Essence - few drops ( optional )

Directions:

• Put all the ingredients in blender and process until smooth.
• Adjust the amount of milk till you reach the consistency you like.
• Adjust sugar to taste. or you can totally avoid sugar and enjoy the natural sweetness in the smoothie.
• Serve chilled.

Aloo Baingan

This is a simple yet delicious curry made of potatoes and bringals or eggplants and few spices.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 2
• Brinjals - 2 long or 5-6 small
• Onions - 1 medium
• Tomatoes - 1 medium
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies - 2
• Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp ( Optional )
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Water - 1/2 - 1 cup

Directions :

• Heat oil in a pan, crackle the cumin seeds.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and slit green chillies and saute them.
• Add finely chopped onions , saute them till they turn transparent.
• Now add tomatoes, turmeric powder and cook for 3-4 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked.
• Add all the masalas like coriander- cumin powder, red chili powder, salt and cook for just a minute.
• Now add diced potatoes and diced brinjals. Mix them well to coat them with the masalas.
• Add a little water , say 1/2 a cup and cook covered on low-medium heat stirring ocassionally.
• You can add some water if you find the curry with no misture. It might stick to the bottom in lack of moisture.
• Cook till potatoes and brinjals are cooked and all the water is evaporated.
• Serve hot with chapatis.

Corn Bruschetta

Bruschetta is an Italian appetizer.
I came across this recipe of corn bruschetta while browsing the net which is made of sweet corn kernels, milk , red bell pepper.
The variation includes different types of toppings like tomatoes, beans, etc .
It looked interesting to me however I did not expect it to trigger my taste buds. Nevertheless, I wanted to give it a try. And to my surprise, I loved it. And I shall now make it more often. Thank You , Manjula ji for sharing such a nice recipe.
I shall now pass this recipe to all of you.

Ingredients :

• Corn Kernels- 2 1/2 cups
• Milk - 2 cups
• All purpose flour (maida )- 1 tbsp
• Finally chopped red bell pepper- 1/2 cup
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Shredded parmesan cheese - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Green chili- 1-2
• Cilantro leaves - for garnish
• Bread slices
• Butter - to sprinkle

Directions :

• In a sauce pan, boil the milk and corn kernels until corn is tender.
• In the meanwhile toast your breads and butter them slightly, keep aside.
• Keep stirring regularly to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Add the all purpose flour and corn mixure in a blender, and grind coarsely. Just a couple of pulses. Do not make a smooth paste.
• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add cumin seeds. Let them crack.
• When the cumin seeds crack add the corn mixture, black pepper, salt and red bell pepper. Cook it on medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the grated cheese , lemon juice , mix well and turn off the heat.
• Corn Bruschetta should be in the consistency of a spread not too dry, not too liquid.
• Serve over toasted bread and garnish with chopped green chili and cilantro.

Jamaican Plantain Fritters

This is a Jamaican cuisine, very popular in Africa.
These fritters are made of over ripe plantains. Make sure the peel of the plantains have turned black and are not green.
Most people throw away their plantains when they turn black and soft like I used to, until I came across this recipe. This is the best time to make fritters out of those.

Ingredients:

• Ripe Plantains - 2
• Onion - 1 small
• All Purpose Flour - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
• Green Chillies - 2
• Oil - for shallow frying

Directions:

• Peel the skin of the plantains, and discard them, and put the plantains in a mixing bowl.
• Finely chop onions and green chillies and put them in the mixing bowl along with plantains.
• Add flour to it and mash it up with a potato masher, mix well. You can adjust the quantity of the flour as needed to make a thick batter.
• Salt is not really needed, but u can add a pinch if you wish to.
• Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Heat oil in a wide pan for shallow frying.
• Drop a tbsp of batter in the hot oil. You can make 4-5 fritters at a time depending upon how big your pan is.
• Let them fry for 2 minutes till they turn brown, then toss them all to the other side and let them fry for another 2 minutes.
• Remove on a kitchen towel to drain excess oil.
• Serve them hot with ketchup.

Variation :

• You can add beaten egg to the batter.
• You can serve with green chutney to give it an Indian touch.
• Ripe plantains would be sweet by themselves, but if you like it sweeter, you can add a tsp of sugar the batter. If you add sugar, the fritters would be darker in color.

Enjoy your sweet and hot fritters !!

Cracked Wheat Upma

Cracked Wheat is a very nuritous and low-fat diet . So for those who watch their weight, this is a very good option. It is an excellent source of fiber, iron and vitamins.
Upma made of cracked wheat tastes as good as that made of semolina.
So, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Cracked Wheat ( Dalia )- 1 cup
• Water - 2 - 3 cups
• Chopped Onions - 1 small
• Peas - 1/4 cup
• Chopped Carrots - 1/4 cup
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
• Chana Dal - 1tbsp
• Urad dal - 1 tbsp
• Cashew Nuts - 10
• Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 1-2
• Hing ( asafoetida) - a pinch
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnishing

Directions :

• Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds.
• Add chana dal and cook in low flame till they change color to slight reddish brown.
• Add cashew nuts, urad dal and cook for just half a minute till they turn slight reddish in color.
• This is when you add ginger and garlic paste, sliced green chillies and curry leaves.
• Add a pinch of hing.
• Add chopped onions and saute them till they turn transparent.
• Add chopped carrots and peas and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add water ( for 1 cup of cracked wheat, add 2 or 3 cups of water ) , add salt and bring it to boil.
• Now add cracked wheat to boiling water while stirring continuously to avoid formation of lumps.
• Cook till all the water is absorbed and then turn off the flame and cover the upma for a couple of minutes and let it rest.
• Garnish it with Chopped cilantro.
• Serve it hot with coconut chutney or peanut chutney or sambar or any pickle..

Orange Juice with a hint of Rooh Afza

I am a fan of Rooh Afza, so I don't mind rooh afza in lassi or milk or other drinks.
This drink is a mix of orange juice and rooh afza and is excellent for hot summer days.

Ingredients:

• Orange Juice - 1 cup
• Rooh Afza - 3 tbsp
• Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
• Ice Cubes - 2-3

Directions :

• In a glass, put ice cubes.
• Add rooh afza and lemon juice on the rocks ;)
• Pour orange juice in it and slightly mix it.
• Serve chilled.

Easy and Yummy !!!

Pappu Charu ( Lentil Rasam )

Pappu Charu or Lentil Rasam is a cousin of sambar. This is more diluted then sambar. Also, I do not add vegetables in this as I do in Sambar. You can, if you wish.
It is somewhere between the regular tomato rasam and sambar.

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups ( or as needed )
• Tamarind extract - 2 tbsp
• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Hing - a pinch
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 inch cube
• Rasam Powder - 2 tsp
• Salt -to taste
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Mustasrd Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Whole Red Chillies - 2
• Garlic Pods -3 ( optional )
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnishing

Directions:

• Pressure cook the dal along with some water till the dal is totally soft.
• Mash it up with a whisk. Keep aside.
• Heat 2-3 cups of water in a heavy bottom pan.
• To this water add turmeric powder, Diced tomatoes, salt and jaggery. Bring it to boil.
• Once the tomatoes are cooked half, add tamarind juice.
• Add boiled and mashed dal and rasam powder to it and bring it to boil.
• Let it cook till you reach the required consistency and turn off the heat.
• The consistency of pappu charu is thinner than sambar and thicker than regular tomato rasam. Adjust water accordingly.
• We now need to temper the rasam, heat ghee in a small pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, let them splutter.
• Add curry leaves, hing, broken red chillies and garlic pods. Fry till garlic starts to change color.
• Pour this tempering over the rasam and boil it one more time.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Serve hot with rice.

Variation : You can add boiled vegetables and onions also in the recipe. Typical vegetables include okra, brinjal, carrots etc.

Vankaya Bhajji ( Baingan Pakora )

Pakoras are famous savory fritters in India made of various vegetables like potato, tomato, eggplant, cauliflower, peppers, onions, paneer etc, covered with chickpea flour and some spices which are deep fried.

This is a picture of brinjal or eggplant pakora . However, you can make pakoras with other vegetables of your choice in just the similar way.

Ingredients:

• Sliced Vegetables - 1 cup
• Oil - for deep frying
• Chat masala - Just to sprinkle ( optional )

for batter :

• Besan ( chickpea flour ) - 1 cup
• Water - 1/2 cup or as needed to make a batter.
• Ajwain ( Carom Seeds ) - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, take all the ingredients required for batter , except water and mix well.
• Add water gradually, little by little and make a thick batter.
• The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or too thin.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a pan on medium .
• Thinly slice the vegetables. Dip these slices into the batter and coat both the sides and slowly slide them into the hot oil one by one.
• you can fry around 6-10 pakoras at a time depending upon how but the pan is.
• Let them fry for 2-3 minutes then, toss them to fry the other side.
• When they are crisp and golden brown, remove them on kitchen towels to drain the excess oil.
• You can sprinkle a pinch of chat masala on pakoras and serve them hot with ketchup or green chutney or tamarind chutney.

Kala Channa ( Black Chick Peas Curry )

Kala channa is a gravy curry made of black chick peas and is extremely rich in proteins.
Every time I do, Varalakshmi vratham, or any other Nomu, where in you need kala channa for tambolam, I am left with lots of kala channa.
So here is a best use of them. I like to have this curry with plain steamed rice, spicy pickle and Sliced onions for salad.
It tastes just too good.

Ingredients:

• Kala Channa - 2 cups
• Water - 5 cups
• Tomato Puree - 1 cup
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Bay Leaves - 1 or 2
• Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Salt -to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Chopped Cilantro - 1/4 cup
• Baking Soda - a pinch ( optional )

Directions:

• Wash and soak the kala channa in lots of water overnight.
• In a pressure cooker, add channa, water and a pinch of baking soda and cook on high heat till you hear 4 whistles , then reduce the heat to medium, and cook for half an hour .
• Turn off the heat and let the pressure go down by itslef.
• Check if the channas are cooked. Take one channa and press it to see if they are soft. If not, then you might want to cook for another 10 minutes till the channas are cooked and tender.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamom stick, bay leaf, ginger-garlic paste, asafoetida, turmeric powder and saute for a minute.
• Add tomato puree, salt and cook till the oil separates from the mixture.
• Add garam masala and red chili powder.
• With the back of a laddle , mash few of the channas very gently ,in the pressure cooker.
• Add the channa to the pan. Also add salt and chopped cilantro. Mix well.
• Bring it to boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook it covered for around 10 minutes.
• Serve hot with plain rice, pickle and sliced onions.

Bellam Paramannam (Jaggery Rice Pudding)

Bellam Paramannam is a sweet rice dish which is prepared on almost every festival or puja in south India as a part of Naivedyam ( offering to God ).
It is prepared with rice, milk and jaggery.
I make it for almost all the pujas.
 Here's the recipe for the same :

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Milk - 4 cups
• Grated Jaggery - 2 cups
• Water - 1 cup
• Cardamom powder - a pinch
• Cashew nuts, raisins - for garnishing
• Ghee - 2-3 tbsp

Directions :

• Wash and soak rice in water for about half an hour. Drain and keep aside.
• Boil the milk in a heavy bottom pan or pot, then simmer it and add rice to it. Cook until the rice is soft and cooked. Turn off the heat.
• In a separate pan, heat water and add grated jaggery to it and let it melt on medium heat. Do not cook for too long, you just want the entire jaggery to melt . it might be done in, say, 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 2 minutes.
• Now add this jaggery to the cooked rice and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes .
• Add cardamom powder just one minute before turning off the heat.
• In a small pan, heat ghee, and roast cashewnuts and raisins till golden , pour all of it ( along with the remaining ghee ) over the rice and mix well.
• You can serve it hot or cold or at room temperature.

Tip : Some people prefer to cook jaggery along with rice and milk. However, that would be a little risky as it might separate the milk. So it would be better to cook them both separately and mix it after they cool down a bit.

Corn Cutlet

Cutlets made of sweet corn and potatoes make a delicious snack. Goes extremely well with green chutney or even ketchup.

Ingredients:

• Sweet Corn Kernels - 2 cups
• Boiled Potatoes - 1 big or 2 small
• Bread Crumbs - 3 tbsp
• Green Chillies - 2 or to taste
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Chopped Cilantro - 2 -3 tbsp
• Grated Ginger - 1 tsp
• Salt -to taste
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Oil - for shallow frying

Directions:

• Boil the potatoes, mash them up , keep aside in a mixing bowl.
• Boil Corn kernels, let it cool, drain all the water, grind coarsely, mix it with the mashed potatoes.
• Add finely chopped green chillies, chopped cilantro, grated ginger, cumin seeds, salt, red chili powder, asafoetida and mix well.
• The mixture might be too moist, so we need to add bread crumbs to bind them together. If you think 3 tbsp of bread crumbs it too less and the mixture is still too moist, add some more bread crumbs.
• To shallow fry the cutlets, heat around 3-4 tbsp of oil in a pan. Take a lemon sized ball of the mixture, flaten it a bit and carefully drop it in the oil.
• Place around 4-5 such cutlets in the pan at once, depending upon how big your pan is.
• Let it fry for 3-4 minutes on medium heat and then toss it to the other side . Let the other side also fry till the cutlets are brownish and crispy.
• Remove on a paper towel to drain out the excess oil.
• Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup.

Home Made Bread Crumbs

This is not really a recipe , but bread crumbs is one of the ingredients in many recipes like Aloo Tikki or Corn Cutlets etc.

You can make them at home very easily. Sometimes you are left with 4-5 slices of old bread at home and you really don't like to make sandwich or toast out of those. Making bread crumbs is the best use of such leftover, old bread.

Directions:

• Break the bread slices into small pieces and place them on a microwave safe plate.
• Heat them in the microwave for a minute.
• Toss all the pieces and heat them again for another minute.
• Let them come to a room temperature.
• Grind coarsely.
• You can store it for many days in an air tight container.

Tomato Pappu ( Tomato Dal )

Tomato Pappu ( tomato and toor dal ) is an integral part of daily meal in Andhra Pradesh.
Tomato Pappu mixed with hot steamed rice with a gollop of ghee and some pickle and potato fry would be a heavenly meal for most Andhraites . I bet .

Ingredients:

• Toor Dal - 1 cup
• Onions - 1 medium
• Tomatoes - 3 Large or 4 small
• Green Chillies - 3-4
• Grated Ginger - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Garlic Cloves - 2-3
• Salt - to taste
• Cilantro - to garnish

Directions:

• Pressure cook dal until soft. Mash it up. Keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan, add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Add cumin seeds, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, hing.
• Add chopped onions, grated ginger and saute till onions turn translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry for 5-7 minutes till the tomatoes are tender and almosed mashed up. Add turmeric powder and salt.
• Now add the cooked dal into it and adjust water according to how thick you like it to be.
• Let it cook for 10 minutes on meduim heat and garnish it with chopped cilantro at the end.

Cabbage Chutney

Cabbage Chutney is one of my favourites. When I first made this after marriage, my mother in law was surprised to see that chutney can be made of cabbage also. But, trust me, it tastes really good.

Ingredients:

• Chopped Cabbage - 4 cups
• Red Whole Chillies - 3-4
• Tamarind Extract - 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Urad Dal Wash - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Hing ( Asafoetida ) - a pinch
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the chopped cabbage for 10 minutes or till the cabbage is cooked. Let it cool.
• In a grinder, add cabbage, tamarind extract, turmeric powder and red chillies and grind them all with minimum water required to grind into a paste.
• Transfer it into a bowl . Add salt and mix.
• For tempering, heat 1 tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds , let them splutter. Then add urad dal, fry till they turn reddish in color. Add hing and curry leaves.
• Put this tempering on the chutney and mix well.

This goes well with rice or chapati.

Egg Biryani ( Quick Version )

This recipe of Egg Biryani is a quicker version of traditional biryani, which is typically made of layers of rice and egg masala and cooked on a low heat which is obviously time consuming. However, this recipe would not take that long.

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice - 2 cups
• Water - 3 cups
• Biryani Masala - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Whole Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Star Anise - 2
• Bay Leaves - 2
• Oil or Butter - 2 tbsp
• Onions - 1 medium
• Chopped Cilantro - 1 tbsp
• Ginger - Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Green Chillies - 3-4
• Mint Leaves - 1 bunch
• Plain Yogurt - 1 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Boiled Eggs - 4-5
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp ( optional )
• Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp ( optional )

Directions:

• Soak rice in water for 1/2 an hour.
• Boil eggs, slit them lengthwise, keep aside.
• Heat oil or butter in a heavy bottom deep pan or pot. Add cumin seeds, whole garam masala, sliced onions, ginger garlic paste and saute them till onions turn translucent.
• Add chopped cilantro, chopped mint leaves, slit green chillies , biryani masala.
• Add plain yogurt and salt and give it a good mix.
• Add water and rice. Cook covered on medium heat.
• While the rice is being cooked, we shall saute the boiled eggs in some spices to add some flavour to the eggs. This is optional though. You can add just plain boiled eggs to the biryani as well.
• In a plate, take 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp red chili powder, salt, and mix them all.
• Sprinkle this masala mixture all over the eggs and saute them in butter for just a couple of minutes and keep aside.
• When the rice is done, add these eggs to the biryani and give it a very gentle mix, making sure you do not break the rice. Turn off the heat.
• Serve hot with raita.

Gajar ka Halwa ( Carrot Pudding )

Gajar ka halwa is a mouthwatering dessert made of carrots and milk. It is prepared as a special treat in India. It is a very rich pudding made of lots of ghee , dry fruits, nuts and khoya.
I remember mom used to make it in a very big vessel and store it in fridge for atleast 4-5 days.
I have eaten the best gajar ka halwa when we were in Delhi. We used to get those red carrots there in Delhi.
However, red carrots are sadly not easily found everywhere. In hyderebad, we used to get orange ones. In US, I found those red carrots only once, never again.
Halwa made of red ones are definitely better than the orange ones, nevertheless, that should not stop us from making this halwa. This one is absolutely delicious too.

Ingredients:

• Grated Carrots - 4 cups
• Whole Milk - 4 cups
• Sugar - 2 cups
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Ghee - 1/4 cup
• Dry Fruits - cashewnuts, raisins, pistashios ( for garnishing )

Directions:

To make Khoya:

• Divide milk into two portions. We will make khoya with half of the milk.
• To make khoya, take 2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom pan, bring it to boil.
• Reduce the heat and continue to cook. Keep stirring , making sure milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Milk will gradually reduce to a thick dry lump. This is khoya , also known as mawa.
• Keep aside.
• You can also use store bought khoya, instead of home made one.

To make Gajar ka Halwa:

• Heat ghee in a wide non-stick pan, roast cashew nuts and raisins for few seconds till cashews turn slightly golden. Remove and keep aside for garnishing at the end.
• In the same ghee , add grated carrots. Fry them on low-medium heat, continously stirring.
• Simultaneously, boil the remaining milk in another pot. Cook till the milk is reduced to half the quantity.
• The carrots should be 3/4th cooked in about 10-12 minutes. This is when you have to add the boiled milk. Cook till all the milk is evaporated. Stir continuously.
• When you see the milk dried up, add khoya( mawa ), sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• After you add sugar, it will make the halwa moist, so keep stirring and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes till the halwa is no longer moist and starts to ooze out the ghee.
• Turn off the flame, transfer it onto a serving plate and garnish with roasted cashew nuts, raisins and sliced pistachios.
• You can serve it hot, cold or even at room temperature.

You can store it in fridge for about 3-4 days and warm it just before serving.

Microwave Method:

You can make this halwa in microwave as well. This is much easier and less time consuming than the stove top method for sure.

• Just add grated carrots and milk in a microwave safe deep bowl and cook for 10 minutes uncovered.
• Take it out of the microwave, mix it well and cook again for 10 minutes uncovered.
• Add sugar and mix well and cook again uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Take it out and mix well . Check for the moisture. If you still find moisture, cook again for 5 minutes. Repeat this process till all the moisture evaporates.
• Add the powdered cardamom to the halwa and mix well.
• Now heat ghee in a pan, and roast cashew nuts and raisins. Pour this over the halwa nad mix well.

Tip:  You can replace sugar with sweetened condensed milk.

Enjoy !!!

Vegetable Puff / Paneer Puff / Egg Puff

Vegetable Puff , alternatively called as curry puff, takes me back to my college days memories, in Hyderabad. We used to go to bakeries during lunch break or after college and order a puff and a coke religiously.
We can make Vegetable puffs by stuffing mixed vegetables into the puff. Similary, if we stuff boiled eggs, we can make Egg Puffs or stuff paneer mixture to make Paneer Puffs.
I shall tell the recipe of vegetable puff here. You can try paneer puffs or egg puffs in a similar way.

Ingredients:

• Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup
• Puff Sheets - 2
• Chopped Fresh Cilantro - 2 tbsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies or Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Mixed Vegetables: ( Boiled )

• Potato - 3/4 cup
• Carrots - 2 tbsp
• Peas - 2 tbsp
• Beans - 2 tbsp

Typically these vegetables are used, however, you can use any other you like.

Directions:

• Chop and boil all the vegetables and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add ginger garlic paste, saute for few seconds then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, Chili powder ( or green chillies ).
• Add the boiled vegetables and salt and fry for a couple of minutes and turn off the heat.
• Add chopped cilantro, chat masala and lemon juice. Let this mixture cool down.
• Take a puff sheet, place 3-4 tbsp of stuffing on it and fold it into half and seal it.
• To seal it better, you can apply water on the edges of the sheet and press it gently from all the sides.
• Pre heat the oven at 450° F .
• Bake the puffs for 10 -12 minutes.
• Serve hot with ketchup.

Jeera Aloo

This is the simplest potato recipe, yet irresistable.
Potatoes cooked with lots of cumin seeds and few spices.

Ingredients:

• Potatoes - 3 large
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 2-3 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Amchoor ( Dry Mango Powder ) -1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions :

• Wash , peel and chop potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
• I prefer to cook them before frying, this quickens the process of cooking. You can cook in microwave for 5 minutes . Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and saute till it slightly changes its color.
• Add ginger paste and saute for half a minute.
• Take a tablespoon of water and mix turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and amchoor in it and add it into the pan. Mixing these masalas in little water would prevent them from burning and turning black.
• Now add boiled potatoes and salt; and give a good mix so that the they are evenly coated with the masala.
• Cook on low-medium heat, stirring gently ocassionally, making sure not to break the potato pieces.
• Fry till potatoes are crispy and reddish.

This is a good side dish with chapati.

Fruit Custard

This is a very rich and healthy dessert made of milk, tropical fruits and nuts.

Ingredients :

• Milk - 4 cups
• Sugar - 1 cup or to taste
• Custard Powder ( any brand ) - 2 tsp
• Cardamom Powder - a pinch
• Fruits - as many as you like ;)
• Nuts - as many as you like :)

Fruits : Typically, Banana, Mango, Apple, Grapes, pomegranate . ( However, you can alter the choice of fruits according to your taste )

Nuts: Typically, Cashewnuts, Raisins , Almonds, Pistachios.

Directions:

• Peel and chop all the fruits into a bite size and keep aside. I prefer to peel the skin of the apple, but u can keep it, if you wish. And I prefer to cut the grapes into half. But you can add as whole if you wish.
• Boil milk in a heavy bottom deep pan or pot.
• When milk comes to a boil , add sugar and mix well. You can adjust sugar according to your taste.
• Now in a small cup, take little cold milk ( say 1/4 cup ) and dilute custard powder in it without any lumps.
• Add this custard mix to the boiling milk and stir continuosly, making sure the milk doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. If it did, it is better to change the pan/pot.
• After you add the custard mix, the milk should thicken in 5-6 minutes.
• That is when you add cardamom powder. Mix well and turn off the heat.
• Let it cool. Once the custard cools down, store it in fridge.
• Add the chopped fruits and nuts to the custard just before serving.

Serve Chilled !!!

Karela Masala ( Bitter guard with onions )

Ingredients :

• Bitter Guards ( karela ) - 4-5
• Onions - 2 medium
• Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
• Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
• Amchoor - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnishing

Directions:

• Scrap the Karelas and make a slit at one side to remove all the seeds. You can keep the seeds if you like. I sometimes leave half of them.
• Chop the karelas into thin slices, either lengthwise or round like chips.
• Wash and rub 1 tbsp of salt over the karela pieces and let them sit for 1-2 hours.
• Wash again and queeze the moisture out of the karela. This will help reduce the bitterness.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add sliced onions and saute till they turn translucent.
• Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, amchoor and red chili powder.
• Add karela and fry them . Cover it and let it cook till the karelas are tender and totally cooked. Adjust salt.
• Add chopped cilantro after you turn off the flame.

Potato and Turnip Greens

This is the curry made of turnip greens( leaves ) and potatoes.
Turnips are called as shalgam in hindi. The leaves of which are rich in Vitamin A, C , K and calcium. Hence, a very healthy vegetable.

Ingredients:

• Turnip Greens ( Leaves ) - 1 bunch
• Potatoes - 3
• Onions - 1 medium
• Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoestida - a pinch
• Red Whole Chili or Green Chili - 2 or to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Amchoor ( Dry Mango Powder ) - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp or to taste ( Optional )
• Butter - 2 tbsp

Directions:

• Wash and peel Potatoes, dice them, keep aside.
• Wash and chop the tunip greens, keep aside.
• For slightly quickening the cooking process, I prefer to half cook potatoes and turnip greens in microwave. Put them both in a microwave safe bowl and cook for around 4-5 minutes or till they are half cooked. ( Optional step )
• Heat butter in a pan, add mustard and cumin seeds, let them splutter. Add Chillies , hing.
• Add chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute till onions turn brownish.
• Add coriander powder, amchoor powder and turmeric powder.
• Add the potatoes and turnip greens. Add salt. Cook Covered, so that they get cooked in some moisture.
• It will take slightly longer if they are not microwaved before. Keep stirring ocassionally.
• Add garam masala when the curry is almost cooked.
• Cook for another couple of minutes and turn off the flame.
• Goes extremely well with chapati.

Banana Peda

Banana Peda is made out of ripe bananas and can be made with minimum ingredients. When the banana gets too ripe and gets those black spots all over, no one in my family likes to eat it. So , this is one of the ways to use such bananas.

Ingredients :

• Ripe Bananas - 2
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Ghee ( Clarified Butter )- 1 tbsp
• Roasted Cashewnuts - 4

Directions :

• Heat ghee in a pan, roast the cashew nuts in it for just about a minute till they turn golden. Remove them and keep aside for garnishing at the end.
• Mash the bananas and put them in the same ghee.
• Add sugar and keep stirring .
• Fry till banana turns dark in color. It might take around 6-8 minutes. Stir continuously.
• Off the flame when the banana paste thickens.
• Let it cool. When it cools it turns little harder. You should be able to make balls out of it.
• They are balls of halwa consistency ( not as hard as other ladoos )
• Garnish with placing roasted cashew nut on each of the peda.

Each banana will make 2 pedas.

Khaman Dhokla ( Instant )

Khaman Dhokla comes from the land of Gujrat, however eaten in the entire country.
Traditionally, it is made of chana dal, but this recipe is the instant version which does not require any soaking, grinding and fermenting like in the traditional way. This is made of besan ( bengal gram flour ).
I always wondered how mom made these, so out of curiosity , I, one day, decided to stand next to my mom in the kitchen while she was making these, and was pleasantly surprised to see how easy and quick they are to make.
I never tried the traditional way of making dhokla, I prefer instant. Call me lazy ;)

Ingredients:

• Besan ( Bengal Gram Flour ) - 1 cup
• Sooji ( Semolina ) - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Ginger-Green Chili paste - 1 tsp
• Citric Acid - 1/2 tsp
• ENO Fruit Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Slit Green Chillies - to taste
• Hing ( Asafoetida ) - a pinch
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnishing
• Water -1 cup + 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 2 tsp

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl , mix besan, sooji, ginger-green chili paste, citric acid, turmeric powder and salt. Add 1 cup of water and make it into a smooth batter with no lumps.
• If you do not have citric acid , it can be replaced with 1 tsp of lemon juice.
• Heat the steamer and keep it ready while you prepare the mixture. If you do not have a steamer, you can as well use a pressure cooker, but with no weight.
• Grease the dhokla plate with cooking spray and keep aside.
• Add ENO fruit salt to the batter and give it a good mix. It will instantly raise the batter to double the quantity.
• Immediately pour this batter onto the dhokla plate and place it in the steamer or cooker.
• Cover and cook for 7-10 minutes. Then turn off the heat. Insert a toothpick into the dhokla, it should come out clean if it is cooked.
• It should now look like a spongy cake.
• Take the remaining half cup of water and mix sugar in it. Pour this water all over the cake evenly with the help of spoon. This will make the dhoklas juicy and a little sweet. You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on how sweet you like it. 

Tadka :

• Dhoklas now need some tempering. Heat oil in a small pan , add mustard seeds. Let them splutter.
• Add hing and slit green chillies. Saute for just a few seconds.
• Pour it all over the dhokla evenly.
• Cut the dhokla into equal pieces and garnish them with chopped cilantro.
• You can also garnish with grated coconut , if you like. 

Serve it hot or cold with green chutney. It can also be eaten without any chutney, just like that. Just bite into it and it will melt in mouth. Yummmmm !!!!

Punugulu

Punugulu are made of idli batter. When we make idli for the breakfast and little batter is leftover which is not sufficient for the next set of idlis, we usually use that batter for making punugulu, a perfect evening snack.
Punugulu are also made of whole wheat flour, the recipe of which I will blog some time soon.

Ingredients:

• Idli Batter - 1 cup
• Finely Chopped Onions - 1 medium
• Finely Chopped Green Chillies - 2 or to taste
• Chopped Cilantro - 3 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - for deep frying

Directions:

• Mix all the ingredients in the idli batter.
• Heat oil for deep frying in a deep pan.
• To check if the oil has reached the right temperature , drop a very small amount of batter in the oil. It should touch the bottom for 2 seconds and then float on the surface. It should neither sit for too long at the bottom, nor float up immediately.
• Take a teaspoonful batter and drop into the oil. If you like it small size like me, drop only half a tsp. I like it small so that I can eat them as whole without having to bite it into half.
• You can make around 7-10 punugulu at once ( of course depending upon the size of your pan )
• Toss all the ponugulu to the other side . Fry them till they are golden brown from all the sides.
• Remove on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
• Serve them hot with coconut chutney.

Bhindi Do Pyaza

Bhindo Do Pyaza as the name says is made of okra and lots of onions . It is a very delicious curry and can be eaten with chapati.

Ingredients :

• Okra - 3 cups
• Sliced Onions - 1 1/2 cups
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Carom Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Oil - 3 tbsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Amchoor Powder ( Dry Mango Powder) - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• Wash and dry the okras. Cut the crown, and slit them into half, lengthwise. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add carom seeds.
• Slice the onions long and add them in the pan, along with grated ginger and turmeric powder. Saute till onions turn translucent, do not brown them.
• Now add the slit okras and little salt. Cook them on low-medium heat . Keep stirring them every 4-5 minutes . Cook till they turn tender.
• Add garam masala, chili powder and amchoor powder and mix well.
• Add whisked yogurt to the curry and cook till the yogurt dries out.
• Serve hot with chapati

Koora Podi ( Curry Powder )

Koora Podi ( Curry Powder ) is a mix of various lentils and spices. This can be used in many fry curries, either as stuffing or just to sprinkle on the top. It tastes awesome and can give a totally different flavour to any fry curry (dry ). You can make it in large quantity and save it for a very long time in an air tight container.


Ingredients:

• Red Chillies - 8 or to taste
• Chana Dal - 1 cup
• Urad Dal Wash - 1 cup
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Coriander Seeds - 3-4 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 2 tbsp
• Tamarind - 2 inch piece
• Curry Leaves - 2 springs
• Garlic Cloves - 3-5 ( Optional )
• Hing - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

Directions:

• In a pan, dry roast red whole chillies, chana dal.
• When chana dal starts to change color, add urad dal and fenugreek seeds and fry them.
• Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fry.
• Cut the tamarind into small pieces and add them for frying.
• Add garlic and curry leaves. Also add hing and turmeric powder.
• Roast till they all turn slightly reddish brown and curry leaves and red chillies are totally dried. Make sure not to burn any of the ingredient. Stir frequently.
• Let this mixture cool and then grind into a coarse mixture , add required amount of salt .

Use it as a stuffing in curry like Gutti Vanakaya or sprinkle on any fry curry like potato fry or ridge guard fry or ivy guard fry.
You can make it in large quantity save it in an air tight container for a few months.

Gutti Vankaya ( Stuffed Brinjals )

Gutti vankaya is authentic Andhra dish made with stuffed eggplants.
It can be made in various ways. You can have various stuffings, however this recipe is a dry curry made of small eggplants stuffed with powder of few pulses and spices.

I shall add other ways of making gutti vankaya in the near future. Stay Tuned !!

Let me tell you a quick story of my house. My husband is a die-hard fan of eggplants. Whenever we go for grocery shopping, he is sure to pick up atleast 3 varieties of eggplants, the small ones, the long ones, the big one for bharta. He would not mind eating eggplant curry anyday.
well I guess most of the people from Andhra are eggplant fans. My father and my father-in-law are in the fan-list too.
Brinjals or Eggplants are a good source of folic acid and this is the vegetable which has the maximun recipes. Brinjals can be made in more than 65 ways. Hence it is often described as " King of Vegetables "

Lemme now tell the Ingredients you will need for this recipe:

• Small Tender Eggplants - 6-8
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste

For Stuffing:

• Red Chillies - 2
• Chana Dal - 2 tbsp
• Urad Dal Wash - 2 tbsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
• Tamarind - 1 inch piece
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Garlic Cloves - 3 ( Optional )
• Hing - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp

Directions:

• Slit eggplants into cross shape only 3/4th way through, keeping the stem intact. Do not separate into halves.
• Microwave them just for a couple of minutes or shallow fry so that they are little soft. You do not need to cook it fully. This process is just to speeden up the cooking process. You can avoid this step and directly cook which will take la little longer.
• Keep these egglpants aside till we prepare the stuffing.

For stuffing :

• In a pan, dry roast red whole chillies, chana dal.
• When chana dal starts to change color, add urad dal and fenugreek seeds and fry them.
• Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fry.
• Cut the tamarind into small pieces and add them for frying.
• Add garlic and curry leaves. Also add hind and turmeric powder.
• Roast till they all turn slightly reddish brown and curry leaves are totally dried. Make sure not to burn any of the ingredient. Continuous stirring is a must.
• Let this mixture cool and then grind into a coarse mixture , add required amount of salt

This powder is called "Koora Podi" in telugu, which means curry powder.

• We need to fill this powder into the slit eggplants.
• Since this stuffing is a powder it might not stay into the eggplants while cooking , so we need to make it into a paste consistency.
• Add some oil to the powder so that they stick together and do not fall apart while cooking. You should be able to make a ball out of the powder, do not make it too thin.
• Stuff this paste into all the slit eggplants.
• Heat oil in the pan, arrange these stuffed eggplants such that none of them overlap each other.
• Sprinkle salt over the eggplants and cook them covered on low heat.
• After 4-5 minutes, toss them all with the help of a fork to cook the other side.
• Keep tossing them every 5 mintues very carefully making sure not to break them.
• When you see the eggplants totally cooked and tender, turn off the flame.
• Serve with plain steamed rice and dal .

Vegetable Khichdi

Khichdi is a dish made of rice and pulses.

It is cooked with very little oil ,no spices, and lots of vegetables, hence a very light and nutritious dish.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Moog Dal ( either yellow or green ) - 1 cup
• Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Chopped Vegetables - as much as you like
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Chopped Onions- 1 small
• Chopped Tomatoes - 1 medium
• Hing - a pinch
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Water - 4-5 cups
• Salt - to taste

Note: A large variety of vegetables can be used, typically, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, beans, peas, broccoli, baby corn, bell pepper.

Directions:

• A pressure cooker or pressure pan or a big vessel with a lid can be used to make khichdi. I use Pressure pan.
• Wash rice and dal together. Keep aside.
• Heat ghee in the pressure pan, add cumin seeds, let them splutter. Add hing.
• Add chopped onions and saute just for a minute , no need to brown them. Add turmeric powder.
• Add Chopped tomatoes or tomato puree and all the diced vegetables.
• Stir fry for just a minute.
• Add dal and rice mixture, water and salt and cook covered on high heat for 10 minutes and low heat for 5 minutes. If you are cooking in a vessel , cook till it is done.

It can be eaten with yogurt or raita or kadhi ,pickle, papad.

Variation :

• In some places, like Bihar, they make khichdi in semi paste consistency. If you like it like that, add more water. Instead of 2 whistles on cooker, let there be 3-4 whistles. Infact that makes an absolute wonderful baby food. It is so easy to eat and digest.
• Second variation could be, that you make the khichdi spicy. Typically it is made without spices, but if you like it, you can add ginger, green chillies, garam masala etc.

Mango Lassi

A refreshing drink made with yogurt and mango.
Mango Lassi is most commonly found in India and Pakistan. One glass of mango lassi on a summer day is a bliss. However , I am sure many of you would agree , it tastes the best if made of Indian mangoes rather than these mexican mangoes or other types we find here in US. Nothing like Indian mangoes.

Ingredients :

• Yogurt - 3 cups
• Ripe Mango Pieces - 1 1/2 cup
• Sugar - to taste
• Crushed Ice - 1/4 cup
• Crushed or sliced Pistacios - for garnishing

Directions :

• Put the yogurt, sugar and mangoes in a blender and blend till smooth.
• Put crushed ice in a serving glass , and pour lassi over it.
• Garnish with pistachios.

This recipe will make 4 cups of lassi.

Variation :

• Some people like to add milk to it. Take 1/2 cup milk and while blending yogurt and mongoes, add milk little by little till you reach the required consistency.

Bhindi Fry ( With Tamarind Juice )

Bhindi is also known as Okra or Ladies Finger.

This recipe of bhindi is cooked in the tamarind juice and is little sour in taste.

Ingredients:

• Bhindi (Orkra ) - 1 lb
• Tamarind Juice - 2 tbsp
• Sugar or jaggery - 1/2 tsp
• Red Whole Chili - 1 or 2
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Urad Dal Wash - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/8 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 3 tbsp

Directions:

• Wash bhindis and pat dry them or put them on the kitchen towel for 10 minutes, so that they are dry.
• Cut them into equal pieces and keep aside.
• Soak tamarind in luke warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze and extract the juice out of it. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. Let the mustards seeds splutter and urad dal change color to reddish brown.
• Add hing, curry leaves, red whole chillies, turmeric powder.
• Add the cut bhindi pieces and give a good mix.
• Cover it and cook for 10 minutes , stirring every one minute. Cooking it covered for long time without stirring in between would make the curry sticky.
• After 10 minutes, when the bhindis are 3/4th cooked, add tamarind juice and salt and sugar. Give another good mix. ( you don't want to add more sugar, because the basic taste of this curry is supposed to be sour and not sweet )
• Continue to cook covered for 5-7 more minutes on low-medium heat.
• Remove the lid and cook till the moisture it totally evaporated and the bhindis are no longer sticky and are totally cooked.

Lauki-Til ki sabzi ( Squash - Sesame curry)

Lauki is also known as Dudhi or Ghiya in Hindi , Sorakaya or Anapakaya in Telugu , Bottle Guard or Squash in English. It bears many medicinal properties. It is good for liver , it decreases acidity, treats urinary disorders and constipation , it acts as a medicine for insomina and many more.

If you need to know more benifits of lauki, please watch Baba Ramdev videos ;)

Here are the ingredients for this curry :

Ingredients :

• Lauki - 2 cups
• Sesame Seeds - 3-4 tbsp
• Slit Green Chillies - 2
• Red Whole Chillies - 1
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Turmeric Powder - a pinch
• Hing - a pinch
• Urad Dal wash - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring

Directions :

• Dry roast sesame seeds and red whole chili in a pan. Keep stirring till they slightly change the color and gives out a nice aroma.
• Grind them into a powder when they cool down and keep aside.
• Peel the lauki and cut them into half an inch cubes. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, let them splutter. Add urad dal and saute till they turn slightly reddish.
• Add hing , curry leaves, slit green chillies, turmeric powder.
• Now add cut pieces of lauki, add salt, mix well. You can add little water to it, say, 1/4 cup. Not much because the lauki will also release some water.
• Cover it and cook for 15 minutes stirring a couple of times in between. If you think the curry is too dry and is sticking at the bottom, add another 1/4 cup of water and cook.
• Check with the help of a fork if the lauki is cooked well and is tender.
• When it is cooked, add the sasame powder to the curry and mix well. Cook it for another 3-4 minutes uncovered. Let all the water evaporate. Turn off the heat.
• Serve with plain steamed rice or chapati.

Masala Egg

Boiled eggs fried with few spices make an excellent appetizer. Very easy to make.

Ingredients :

• Boiled Eggs - 4
• Chana Dal - 2 tbsp
• Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tbsp
• Whole Red Chilli - 1
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida ( Hing ) - a pinch
• Grated Fresh Ginger - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - taste
• Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Directions:

• Boil eggs and keep aside.
• In a pan, dry roast chana dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, red whole chillies till they turn slightly reddish brown.
• Let it cool. Grind them into a coarse powder after it cools down.
• Heat oil in a pan, add grated ginger and saute till it turns reddish .
• Add hing, ground masala, salt and red chili powder, saute for a minute, stirring conituously.
• Add the egg halves and let it fry for a minute or two.
• Toss the eggs carefully and let it fry for another minute or two.
• Mix it very gently, making sure not to break them , so that the eggs are fully coated with the masala .
• Transfer it onto a serving plate. You can garnish it either with chopped cilantro, or you can sprinkle few drops of lemon juice.
• Serve hot

Enjoy with your favourite drink !!

Sambar Powder

Here is how you can make sambar powder at home. You can of course buy it ready made from the store, however, if it is made freshly at home, it tastes much better than store bought powder.


Ingredients:

• Coriander Seeds - 2 1/2 tbsp
• Toor Dal - 1 1/2 tbsp
• Chana Dal - 3/4tbsp
• Urad Dal - 3/4 tbsp
• Pepper Corns - 1 tsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Whole Red Chillies - 4-5
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring

Directions:

• In a pan, dry roast all the dals (toor, chana, urad) till they turn golden. Remove and keep aside in a mixing bowl.
• Now , in the same pan, dry roast coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, pepper corns, cumin seeds and mustard seeds , till they turn reddish brown and mustard seeds start popping. Remove it and put it in the same mixing bowl.
• Finally dry roast chillies and curry leaves for a minute. Put these also in the mixing bowl.
• Let all these ingredients cool.
• In a grinder, add all these ingredients, turmeric powder and hing ( asafoetida ) . Grind them all coarsely.
• Store this powder in an air tight container. You can save it for a month.

Sambar

Sambar is a lentil based vegetable stew widely made in South Indian states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and karnataka. Each state prepares it with a typical variation and has their own adaptations. This slight variation in the cooking process brings the distinction in their flavour. So, there are no set rules as such. I shall share the recipe I know.




Ingredients:

• Toor Dal - 1 cup
• Tamarind - lemon sized ball
• Shallots - 1/2 cup or Onion - 1 medium
• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Chopped Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
• Whole Red Chillies - 2
• Water - 4-5 cups
• Salt -to taste
• Jaggery - 1 inch cube
• Sambar Powder - 1 tbsp ( Store bought or home made)
• Ghee (Clarified Butter )- 2 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida ( Hing ) - a pinch
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Vegetables of your choice - 1 cup

Note :

• Sambar powder can be bought ready made from any Indian store or can be made at home. Click here for Home Made Sambar Powder Recipe .
• A wide variety of vegetables can be added to sambar. Typical vegetables include carrot, okra, white raddish, pumpkin, brinjal , squash (bottle gurad), drumsticks. Some people also like to add beans, plaintain or cauliflower. You can use any of these which are available with you .

Directions:

• Pressure cook toor dal till it is soft. Beat it with the help of a whisk so that it is like smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze and extract the pulp and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a heavy bottom deep pot. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds .Let them splutter.
• Add red chillies, hing, curry leaves.
• Add shallots. If you do not have shallots, you can substitute them with diced onions. . Add turmeric powder and saute for a couple of minutes till the onions are slightly translucent. Do not brown them.
• Add all the diced vegetables and drumsticks. Saute them for 3 mintes. Keep Stirring.
• Now add diced tomatoes and the tamarid juice into the pot.
• Add water , salt , jaggery and sambar powder.
• Cover it and let it cook till the vegetables are 3/4th cooked.
• Now add the toor dal to it and again cook it covered in slow-medium flame.
• You can check with the help of a fork if the vegetables are tender and cooked well.
• In the end, add chopped coriander leaves and turn off the flame.

Variation : As I said before, each state has its own variation, in the states of TN and Kerala, they use coconut in the sambar preparation.

If you like to use coconut then , in a small pan, heat oil, fry whole red chillies, coriander seeds , fenugreek seeds and fresh grated coconut for just 2 minutes and grind in into a wet paste using very little water, say, 2 tbsp. and add this paste to the sambar and cook.