Forgot to soak beans overnight ?

It many times happens that we plan to make rajma or chole the next day but forget to soak them overnight.
A quick soak tip is that , boil the beans in water for about 5-10 minutes.
Cover it and set aside. Let it cool for about 1 hour.
You have your soaked beans ready to cook.
Works for kidney beans, garbanzo beans, an all other beans which need to be soaked overnight.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Since it is halloween time and we have too many pumpkins around which means too many pumpkin recipes.
What do you do with the seeds? Do not throw them away. It makes a good crispy thing to munch on.

Ingredients:

• Seeds from one pumpkin
• Salt - to taste
• Water - 2-3 cups ( for boiling)
• Oil spray - to sprinkle

Directions: 

• Cut the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. To separate the seeds from the stingy core, soak the seeds in a bowl of water for about half hour. The clean seeds will float on the surface of water. Take the seeds out and keep aside.
• In a small saucepan , take the water and add salt to it. Boil the seeds in this salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Drain .
• Spread the seeds on the baking pan and spray the oil very lightly. 
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bake the seeds for about 15-20 min until they brown on both the sides. You can toss them in between. 
• Eat after cooling. Eat as a whole or peel and eat the inner seed.

Pumpkin Halwa

Easy to make and good to taste Pumpkin Halwa :

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin (grated) - 5 cups
• Milk - 1 1/2 cup
• Sugar - 1 cup or to taste
• Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cashew Nuts - 8-10
• Ghee - 1/4 cup

Directions: 

• Peel and grate the pumpkin. 
• In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of ghee and add the grated pumpkin. Cook on low-med heat till the raw smell disappears.
• Now add milk and cook till the pumpkin is cooked. keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom of the pan.
• Add sugar mix well. Cook till the ghee separates.
• In a separate small pan, heat ghee and roast cashew nuts till golden. Add roasted cashew nuts and cardamom powder to the halwa and give it a good mix.

Enjoy !!

Gummadikaya Pulusu ( Pumpkin Stew )

Month of halloween and it's pumpkins all around. Yesterday I made this pumpkin pulusu. This is sweet in nature and this blend of sweet and spice makes it excellent.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin - 1/2 of the medium sized pumpkin ( cubed, you can leave the skin on)
• Onions - 1 ( cubed )
• Tomatoes - 2 medium ( Cubed )
• Tamarind Pulp - 2 tbsp
• Jaggery - 1/4 -1/2 cup
• Salt -to taste
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp or to taste
• Rice Flour - 2 tbsp
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnish
• Water - 3-4 cups

For Tempering :

• Oil / Ghee - 2 tbsp
• Chana Dal - 2 tbsp
• Urad Dal - 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Hing - a pinch
• Red whole Chillies - 1-2

Directions: 

• In a heavy bottom deep pot, heat water and add cubed pumpkins and onions. Let them boil till pumpkins are slightly tender.
• Now add cubed tomatoes , salt, turmeric and chilli powder. Cook covered for 3-5 minutes.
• Add tamarind pulp and jaggery. mix well. Cook covered for another 2 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix rice flour with few tbsp of water and make a thin batter. Pour this mixture into the    pot slowly while mixing.  This mixture would help the pulusu ( stew ) thicken. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• For tempering, heat oil or ghee in a small pan, and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chili, curry leaves, hing. Pour this tadka over the pulusu and mix well. Adjust salt.
• You can garnish with a little chopped cilantro.

This pulusu is supposed to be sweet so a little more jaggery would not harm.

Serve this pulusu with mudda pappu ( plain toor dal ) and ghee over white steamed rice.  Did I just hear someone say " ummm heavenly " haha.. 

Enjoy !!

Pesarattu

Pesarattu is a green moong dal dosa. Pesarattu with upma and allam pachadi ( ginger chutney ) is a heavenly combination. Ask any Andhraite and they will bet on it.

Ingredients:

• Whole Moong Dal - 2 cups
• Raw Rice - 3/4 cup
• Green Chillies - 3-4
• Ginger - 2 inch
• Salt - to taste 
• Water - as needed for grinding
• Chopped Onions - to sprinkle  on dosas 
• Chopped Cilantro - to sprinkle on dosas.
• Oil -  to spray over dosas

Directions:

• Wash and soak moong dal and rice for about 6 hours.
• Grind soaked moong dal, rice, green chillies,ginger and salt into a smooth and thick batter using little water.

• Heat tawa on  medium - high and spread the  batter into a circle.
• Drizzle some oil all  over the dosa, especially on the borders.
• Flip the dosa and cook till both the sides are golden brown.
• Sprinkle some chopped  onions and chopped cilantro and fold the dosa.
• Serve hot with upma and allam pachadi. 

Pumpkin Kootu

Pumpkin kootu, which can be made of white, green or yellow pumpkin is very easy to make, healthy and tasty too.
I made this with the green one.

Ingredients:

• Pumpkin - Half of the small one ( peeled , seeded and cubed )
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 2 cups
• Salt -to taste
• Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Green chillies - 4-5
• Peppercorn - 1 tsp
• Raw rice - 1 tsp

For Tempering: 

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad Dal - 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves- 1 spring
• Hing - 1/8 tsp
• Red Whole Chillies - 2 ( optional )

Directions: 

• In a pan, boil pumpkin cubes in 2 cups of water. Also add turmeric powder and salt in it. Boil till 3/4th cooked.
• In the meanwhile, grind coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, peppercorns, raw rice into a smooth paste using a little water.
• Add this paste into the pan with pumpkins. Cook till pumpkins are done and the gravy thickens.
• To add tadka to the curry, heat oil in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves, red chillies, urad dal, hing. Pour this tadka over the kootu and mix well. Adjust salt.
• Serve with steaming white rice and ghee.

Aloo Paratha

Aloo Prathas are the most common stuffed parathas. Tastes best with plain yogurt and  pickle or chutney.

Ingredients:

For Dough: 

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
• Water - as needed to knead the dough
• Salt - 2 pinches

For Potato Filling: 

• Boiled Potatoes - 2
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Finely Chopped Green Chillies - to taste ( 1 or 2 )
• Finely Chopped Cilantro - 2 tbsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
• Red Chilli Powder or garam masala - 1/2 tsp ( optional )
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Amchoor Powder - 1/4 tsp

For Making Paratha: 

• Wheat flour - for rolling
• Ghee ( Clarified Butter ) - to frying parathas

Directions: 

• Knead the dough and set it aside for 10 minutes. 
• For filling, peel and mash the boiled potatoes. Mix in the green chillies, cilantro, cumin seeds, garam masala or red chili powder, turmeric,amchoor powder and salt. mix them all well together.
• Divide the dough and potato filling in equal parts.
• Roll each ball of dough into 3 inch diameter circle. Place one part of potato filling in the center.
• Seal by pulling the edges together and make a ball again.
• Repeat the process with the remaining parts. Keep them aside.
• Heat the skillet on medium high. 
• Now roll each ball into the dry wheat flour so that it doesn't stick while rolling.
• Roll them into 6 inch diameter disc. 
• Place the paratha on the hot skillet.  After around 15 - 20 seconds, flip it over. You would notice small brown spots on the paratha.
• After 10 -12 seconds, drizzle a few drops of ghee all over the surface of the paratha. And Flip it over again.
• Drizzle ghee over this surface as well. Roast the paratha till it is golden brown on both the sides.
• Serve hot with curd and pickle or chutney.