Carrot Rasam

Add carrot puree to the simple rasam and make it more healthy.

Ingredients:

• Chopped Carrots - 1 cup
• Tamarind - small lime sized
• Rasam Powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Water - 2 cups
• Salt -to taste
• Cilantro - 2 springs

For Tadka :

• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida- a pinch
• Curry Leaves - 1 spring
• Red whole chili - 1-2

Directions: 

• Boil the chopped carrots and puree it after cooling a bit. Do not throw the water in which you boiled carrots. Use the same water for making rasam.
• Soak tamarind for 10 minutes and extract the juice.
• Heat the water you saved earlier, add tamarind extract, turmeric powder, rasam powder and pureed carrot. Bring it to boil. Add salt.
• For tadka, heat ghee in a small pan, splutter mustard seeds, then cumin seeds, add asafoetida, curry leaves, chili. Pour it over the rasam. Add chopped cilantro and turn off the heat.

Variation:  You could add tomatoes to the rasam. You could also add half a cup of boiled toor dal to it.

Jowar ki Roti ( Jonna Rotte )

Jowar ki roti is an Indian flat bread made of sorghum. It is very healthy. It is gluten free and rich in fiber.

Making this roti is slightly difficult than the regular roti, nevertheless, it is worth the try. Moreover, as they say, practice makes perfect.
This is my first attempt. It came out well, but I hope to get better the next time.

Ingredients: 

• Jowar Flour ( Sorghum ) - 1 cup
• Boiling water - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Ghee to sprinkle.

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, mix flour and salt. Knead the dough with hot water. Do not use your hand as the water is hot, knead with a spatula.
• Once the temperature is low, knead with hand for a couple of minutes. You can add 1/4 tsp of  oil while kneading. Keep aside for 10 minutes.

• Take a portion of  the dough and make it into a smooth ball.

• On a greased sheet ( foil or plastic ) roll this ball with your hand. Dust it with dry flour.

• Then with the help of a rolling pin, roll a little more very lightly.

• Slowly lift the roti and place it on a hot griddle or tawa.  Brush the surface of this roti with some water.

• Flip it after a minute. Sprinkle a litte ghee on this side, and cook for a minute and flip again. This is when you will see the roti puffing up.

• Cook till both the sides are golden and crispy.
• Enjoy with any curry of your choice.

Pav Bhaji

Pav Bhaji, the most popular street food from Mumbai, but eaten all across the country.
It is mixed vegetable curry served with toasted pav ( bread or bun ).

Ingredients:

• Onion - 1 big
• Tomatoes - 2 
• Potatoes - 2 big
• Finely Chopped cauliflower - 2 cups
• Fresh or Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
• Green Chilies - 3-4 ( or to taste )
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste ( optional )
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Pav Bhaji Masala - 2 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped Cilantro- for garnish
• Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
• pavs - 4
• Butter - for roasting pavs

Directions: 

• Boil potatoes, cauliflower and green peas. Mash them all and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and saute finely chopped onion. Then add ginger garlic paste and saute.
• Add chopped green chillies and chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are totally mushy.
• Add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and cook for about a couple of minutes.
• Now add all the boiled and mashed vegetables along with 3/4 cup of water and mix very well.
• Add Pav Bhaji Masala and cook for about 15 min. Add more water if it is too thick.
• Adjust salt. You can either add a little butter at this point or add while serving.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and add lime juice. The bhaji is ready.
• Now heat a griddle and toast the pavs with a little butter till they look slightly golden in color.
• Serve pavs with hot bhaji along with chopped onions for side.

Cabbage and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

• Chopped Cabbage - 2 cups
• Tomatoes - 2-3 Or Tomato Puree - 1/2 cup
• Chopped Onion - 1 small
• Ginger - 1/2  inch
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Olive oil - 1 tsp
• Water or vegetable stock - 3 cups
• salt - to taste
• Pepper - to taste
• Any other seasoning you prefer. ( like, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary , etc )

Directions: 

• In a saucepan, heat olive oil, and saute minced ginger and minced garlic.
• Saute chopped onions.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cabbage. 
• Add water and cook till cabbage and tomatoes are tender. Let it cool.  You can also cook in pressure cooker for a couple of whistles.
• Transfer it to a grinder and grind into puree.
• Transfer it back to the saucepan and cook for 10 more minutes. Adjust the amount of water according to your taste. Add more if the soup is too thick.
• Add salt, pepper , any seasoning( optional ).
• Add just a little, say, 1/6th tsp of butter while serving. Serve hot.

Rainbow Paratha

Ok, my daughter is one of those picky eaters who do not like to eat veggies. So I have to keep thinking of various ways to disguise and include veggies in her diet.
And here i am yet again with  "Rainbow" Paratha. The red color comes from beet root, orange from carrots and green from spinach. I am sure every child will be amused to see this and every mom will be happy to see their child eating veggies.

You can make use of other veggies also to add different colors.

 Ingredients :

• Wheat Flour - 3 cups
• Chopped Carrots - 1/2 cup
• Chopped Beet Root - 1/2 cup
• Spinach - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/4 tsp 
• Ghee - to sprinkle

Directions: 

To make the dough :

• Blend chopped carrots into a smooth paste , set aside. Similarly, blend beet root and set aside. Also the same with spinach.
• To one cup of flour , add the carrot paste and knead it into a soft dough.  You might not need to add any water, however, if it is too hard, add a couple of tbsp of water and knead.
• To the other cup of flour add beet paste and knead the dough. Similarly , to the third cup of flour, add spinach paste and knead the dough.

 Now, there are two ways you could make the parathas.

1st method:

• Take a small part from each ball and make them make them into string.

• And roll it into a flat ball.

• Roll this into a disc with the help of a rolling pin. Dust it with dry flour to avoid sticking.

• Make chapati on hot skillet. Sprinkle a couple of drops of ghee.

Click here to find the step by step instructions of making chapati.

2nd method: 

• You have made three big balls of flour and kept it ready , right.
• Roll each ball and make it into three large discs.
• Place them one on top of the other and roll it all together into a rod.
• Cut them into equal sizes. The would look something like the below:

• Roll them into discs of around 6inch diameter dusting with dry flour.

• Make chapati on hot skillet. and drizzle some ghee.

Give it to your kids, they will love it. So will you :)

Raw Papaya Curry ( Hara papitha sabzi )

Ingredients :

• Green Papaya - 1 small
• Onion - 1
• Tomatoes - 2
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
• Hing ( asafoetida ) - a pinch
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
• Red Chili Powder - to taste
• Salt - to taste
• Chopped Cilantro - for garnish.
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Directions: 

• Peel the papaya, take off the seeds and chop.
• I cooked it in a pressure cooker to save some time. Heat oil in the pressure cooker, splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Add hing.
• Saute ginger garlic paste and chopped onions.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt. Mix well.
• Add a couple of glasses of water and chopped papaya.
• Close the lid of the cooker and cook for 3 whistles or till the papaya is tender. Adjust seasoning.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.

You can cook in a pot , which will take a little longer than the pressure cooker. The method remains the same.

Eggplant Parmesan with Spaghetti

Eggplant Parmigiana or Eggplant parmesan is one of mine and my husband's favorites in the Italian cuisine.
I looked for it's recipe all over the internet and tried to make this at home for the first time. I  know it did not turn out to be the perfect one, nevertheless, it was not bad for the first time. As they say, " Practice makes Perfect" , I shall get there one day. :)

I thought I should share this experience of mine with you all, so here I am with the recipe I tried.

Ingredients:

• Eggplant ( the big one ) -1
• Salt - 1 tbsp
• Grated Parmesan cheese - 1/2 cup
• Grated Mozzarella cheese - 1 cup
• Bread Crumbs - 2 cups 
• Eggs - 2
• All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
• Olive Oil - 3 -4 tbsp
• Spaghetti Sauce - 2 cups
• Chili Flakes and Oregano - for serving
• Spaghetti - 1 packet

Directions:

• Slice the eggplant in 1/4th inch thickness. You could either slice it into circles or lengthwise. (1. in pic )
• Sprinkle salt all over the slices of the eggplant and put them into a colander. (2.in pic )
• Rest it for 30 minutes so that most of the moisture is extracted from the eggplant.( 3.in pic )
• Remove the slices from the colander and place them on a paper towel. Take another sheet and place on top of the slices and press them gently to blot off all the moisture. ( 4. in pic )

• Now we have to prepare for the coating. Beat the egg and keep it ready. Also keep the bread crumbs spread in a plate.

• In a mixing bowl, sprinkle the all purpose flour all over the eggplant slices and toss them so that they are coated from both the sides. This is just a time saver. You can also coat them one by one from both the sides.

• Now, take one by one and dust the excess flour, and dip it the beaten egg. Turn it around so that it is coated from both the sides.

• Now roll that slice into the bread crumbs. Turn it over and coat the other side as well.

• Repeat this process with all other slices and keep them on a plate. They are now ready for frying.

• In a pan, heat oil and shallow fry these slices till golden brown from both the sides. 

•  Remove them on paper towel to drain off the excess oil. Shallow fry the next batch as well.

• We now have to assemble the eggplants in a baking dish for baking.
• Spread the spaghetti sauce in the baking dish. I used the store bought  sauce. 
• Arrange the eggplant slices on top of this layer without overlapping. Little bit of overlapping is fine.

• Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese all over.

• And then the parmesan cheese. 

• Preheat the over on 425°F and bake for 15 minutes or till the cheese melts and the sauce is bubbly.

• It's ready. You can eat it like this with a little seasoning of your choice. Or You can eat it along with some spaghetti. 
• Cook the spaghetti like directed on the packet. 
• In a serving plate, lay a bed of cooked spaghetti, topped with some spaghetti sauce and en eggplant parmesan. sprinkle some extra cheese and some chili flakes and oregano or any other seasoning of your choice.

Enjoy :) It's worth the effort !!