Rawa ladoo

 1 cup sooji

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup ghee

cardamom powder

cashewnuts

Dry roast the sooji till golden, but do not let it brown. Allow to cool.

Fry the cashenuts in a bit of ghee and keep aside

Powder the sugar fine and keep aside.

Coarsly powder the sooji. Add to sugar and mix thoroughly

Add ghee, cashewnuts and cardamom powder and mix well so it starts looking like bread crumbs.

Grease palms slightly, and press the mixture to make ladoos.

Peanut- Jaggery ladoo

First made for Janmashtami, this is an easy 2 ingredient recipe that came out really well.

1 cup peanut

1/3 cup jaggery

On a low flame, roast the peanuts till crunchy. Once absolutely crunchy (test one to check), let it cool then remove the skin. 

Add peanuts and jaggery in a grinder jar and pulse till ground to a coarse consistency- a little oil will release and it will become a mass. [do not grind for long stretches or too much oil will be released and you will not be able to make ladoos].

Take it out of the grinder, and shape into ladoos.

It can be stored outside, but will actually get consumed very fast. 

Tomato peanut Saaru

I always thought the Karnataka Saaru was something similar to our sambar, but with a slight variation in spices. Then I chanced upon a recipe for it, and found it was something entirely different. With tomatoes, garlic and peanuts, you can rarely go wrong, so I had to try it out. And it was lipsmackingly good. Next time, I'll try it with dosas. 

4 medium tomatoes

1/3 cup peanuts

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp jeera seeds

4- 6 garlic pods

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tsp sambar powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Blanche the tomatoes, peel and blend till you get a smooth paste. Keep aside. 

Roast the peanuts, coarsly grind and keep aside. 

Heat the oil, splutter the mustard seeds and jeera seeds. Add garlic (chopped), curry leaves, and light fry. 

Add tomato paste, haldi powder, chilli powder, sambar powder, ground peanuts and salt. Bring to a boil, and let it simmer for 5 minutes. 

Serve piping hot. 

Alphabet

Raw banana pakoras

When we moved to our new place, we inherited a banana plant, which promptly gave us a flower which developed into a few bunches of fruit. Unfortunate, we have no idea about harvesting bananas, and left the fruits on the tree to ripen. For a month and more, we waited, till I saw them starting to rot at the tips. I got the fruits in but still have no idea how to ripen them. So raw banana it is, and a fine vegetable it makes!

3 raw bananas

Green chilli paste to taste

Ginger garlic paste to taste

1/2 tsp haldi powder

Salt to taste

3 tbsp besan

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Pressure cook the raw bananas for 20 minutes after the first whistle. Remove the peel, mash and keep aside

Add green chilli paste, haldi powder and salt, and mix well. Roll into balls and flatten slightly. 

Make a batter with besan, salt and water

Heat the oil (to a temperature where a blob of batter rises slowly to the top). Dip the flattened balls in batter, and deep fry till golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towels. 

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney. 

Ragi pakora

Ragi is a healthy alternative to the regular cereals, but sometimes you want to attempt something other than the steamed stuff. I was pretty amused to find a recipe for deep fried ragi pakodas- seems almost a contradiction in terms- but they were absolutely amazing.

1 cup ragi flour

1/2 cups besan

12 large florets cauliflower

1 tsp pepper powder

2 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp chopped cashew nuts

1 tsp sesame seeds

Salt to taste 

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients well. Add water to make a partially loose batter (similar to idlis batter)

Cut the curry leaves into small pieces

Separate the florets into bite sized pieces

Add curry leaves, cashew nut and sesame seeds to the batter and mix  well. 

Heat the oil. Dip the florets in the batter and fry in the oil, turning around once so both sides are browned. 

Serve hot with a curd based dip. 

Besan halwa

I've always loved besan halwa, and when this one came with the additional tag of being good for a cold, I had to try it. Not sure of the effectiveness, but definitely high on taste.

For each serving:

3 tbsp besan

4 tsp ghee

2 tsp sugar

1/2 cup water

Almonds for garnish 

Method:

Heat the ghee, add besan and on a low flame, roast till lightly browned. 

Heat the water and make a syrup with the sugar. 

Add sugar syrup to the roasted besan and mix well. Turn off the flame 

Serve, garnished with chopped almonds

Dal baati

Anyone who know me I love authentic food from virtually any part of India, and when I saw a picture of the Rajasthani dal baati, I was immediately transported back to a thali lunch I had with my mother at Rajdhani. With so many available dishes, I didn't enjoy it as much that day as I should have, but more than made up for it when I cooked it myself.


For the dal:
1/4 cup moong dal (dhuli)
1/4 cup toor dal
1/4 cup chana dal
1/8 cup urad dal (dhuli)
1/8 cup green moong dal
1/2 tsp haldi powder
Salt to taste

For tempering of dal:
2-3 clove
2 bay leaves
1 green cardamon
1 inch piece cinnamon
1 tsp jeera
A pinch of hing
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 green chilli, chopped
1 inch ginger, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp ghee


For Baati:
2 cups wholewheat flour
1 cup rawa
1/4 tsp ajwain
1/3 cup ghee
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt


Method:
For dal:
Soak the dals for 2-3 hours to soften it.
Pressure cook the dals with salt and haldi powder for 20 minutes after the first whistle (or cook on an open flame, till soft).
Heat the ghee, add hing, bay leaves, connamon, cloves, jeera and let it splutter till jeera turns dark. Add chopped chillis and ginger and saute on low heat for a minute. Add chilli powder, and pour the ghee over the dal.
Cover the dal and let the flavours infuse. Bring to boil, and simmer for 5 minutes.

For baati:
Mix the dry ingredients well. And ghee and mix till crumbly. Add a little water, and knead to form a tight dough. Cover with a cloth and let it stand for 1 hour.
Make lemon sized balls, flatten slightly and make a depression in the centre.
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
Lightly grease a baking tray, and bake for 15-20 minutes till golden.
Flip and bake the other side.

To eat, break the baatis in half, pour ghee over them, and have with dal.

Cheesy brown rice with vegetables

The hubby was away for the day, and I knew the kids wouldn't want to have bhindi. So I rustled up this fried rice, and served it with fried papad.

2 bell peppers (one red, one yellow)
3 pods garlic, chopped
1/2 cup peas
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 tbsp cheese
1 tsp butter
Salt to taste

Method::
Soak the brown rice for 1 hour and cook it with sufficient salt, till done. Drain water and keep aside.
Add grated cheese to the rice, and mix well.
Heat the butter, add garlic and saute till browned. Add chopped bell peppers and saute for 1 minute. Add peas, and saute for an additional minute.
Pour the fried vegetables over the cooked rice, and mix well.
One dish meal complete!

Ragi korakattai

I'm trying to mix up the cereals in our diet, and my new favourite is ragi flour. These steamed dumplings are similar to the savoury korakattai made with rice flour, and I absolutely love them because they can be rustled up in a jiffy and taste really good. 

I use only half the indicated quantity of jaggery, but this is the original recipe. 

1 cup ragi flour

1/2 cup grated coconut 

1/2 cup grated jaggery

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

A pinch of salt

3 tbsp water

Method:

Mix the dry ingredients together (keeping aside 1 tbsp coconut), add water gradually to make a firm dough. 

Roll into lemon sized balls and press into an oval shape. 

Steam in a steaming plate or an idli maker for 10 minutes. 

Garnish with coconut and sugar before serving. 

Kabuli chana with aloo tikki

I adapted the recipe I used to make a rich paneer dish, to make kabuki channa, and it tasted as yummy as the paneer dish. The leftover I had with aloo tikki, and felt I was in gastronomical heaven.

250 gms kabuki channa, soaked for 6 hours

1 bay leaf

1 inch piece cinnamon

1 badi elaichi

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1 tsp dhania powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder

1 tsp kasoori methi

Salt to taste

A pinch of nutmeg 

For gravy:

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 onions chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 cup water

Method:

Pressure cook the kabuki channa with the dry spices till soft. Keep aside 

Pressure cook the ingredients listed under gravy for 20 minutes on sim after the first whistle (I cooked the channa and the gravy at the same time). Cool and grind to a fine past 

Heat oil, add bay leaves, and sauté for a minute or two

Add paste, and dry spices, and sauté on a low flame till the oil starts leaving the sides

Add cooked channa, kasoori methi, salt and cook for 5 minutes

Serve with parathas or roti. 

Oil free karela

Karela always uses a lot of oil, so when I saw a version of karela which didn't use any oil, I was tempted to try it out. It tasted really good, though the kids refused to eat it on principle. 

250 gms karela

2 tbsp salt

For stuffing:

2 tbsp besan 

2 tbsp grated coconut

1 tsp jaggery, grated

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp amchur powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1/2 tsp rock salt/ regular salt

Method:

Scrape the skin off the karela, make a longitudinal slit and remove the seeds. Coat with the salt and keep aside for 15 minutes. Squeeze the karela slightly, and scrape off the salt. 

Mix the ingredients listed under 'for stuffing' well, and stuff into the karela. If there is a bit left over, rub it on the outer surface. 

Place the stuffed karela carefully on a steaming plate, making sure the slit end is facing upwards. Steam for 10 minutes till done. 

Soya rose halwa

Many moons back, I had made a protein rich vegan dessert which we all loved. Today, I made the soya-rose halwa again, and liked it just as much.

Fhjj

Cabbage fritters

With onion prizes shooting through the roof, it is nice to be able to experiment with pakoras made with other vegetables.

These are cabbage pakoras made with cabbage left over after using most of it in a curry. 

Matar paneer- rich, creamy version

We end up having a lot of osneer at home, so when I saw a recipe for a "quick" version of paneer masala which can be whipped up in a jiffy when visitors drop in unexpectedly, I was obviously interested. Unfortunately, the lady has very different standards when it comes to cooking- this turned out to be at least as involved (if not more so) than my regular version. But the dish was more than worth the effort. Definitely a recipe I'm going to use much more. 

200 gm paneer

1/2 cup peas

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1 tsp dhania powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder

1 tsp kasoori methi

Salt and sugar to taste

A pinch of nutmeg 

1/2 cup milk

For gravy:

4 tomatoes, chopped

2 onions chopped

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 inch piece cinnamon

2 green cardamom

10 cashew nuts

1/2 cup water

Method:

Pressure cook the ingredients listed under gravy for 20 minutes on sim after the first whistle

Cool. Discard cinnamon and cardamom and grind to a fine paste

Heat oil, add bay leaves, and sauté for a minute or two

Add paste, and dry spices, and sauté on a low flame till the oil starts leaving the sides

Add peas, milk, kasoori methi, salt and sugar, and cook for 5 minutes

Add paneer, bring to a boil, and turn off the flame

Serve with parathas or roti. 

Sada aloo dum

MM calls this the yin to the yang which is the traditional Bengali aloo dum. Posto, coconut, curds- a combination that leaves me salivating, but one which my family doesn't care much for. 

So when I saw baby potatoes, I picked them up, and while making a conventional potato fry for dinner, reserved a few parboiled potatoes to make this dish for myself. Sometimes you deserve to pamper yourself. 

250 gms baby potatoes

3 tbsp grated or dessicated coconut

1 tbsp Khus Khus/ posto/ poppy seeds

3 tbdp curds (at room temperature)

1 tbsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp green chilli paste

1-2 red chillis

1-2 green cardamom

2-3 cloves

1/2 inch piece of cinnamon

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp cumin powder

Salt and sugar to taste

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Soak posto and coconut in 1/4 cup warm water for 30 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste and keep aside. 

Par boil the potatoes in salted water. Peel, prick and keep aside. 

Whip the curds with cumin powder and keep aside. 

Heat half the oil, and toss the baby potatoes till lightly browned. 

Add the remaining oil, sauté the red chillis for 15 seconds. Remove and keep aside.

Add whole spices and let them sizzle. Add posto-coconut paste and sauté on low flame till the oil separates and it turns to a light beige colour. 

Add ginger and chilli paste and sauté for a minute. 

Remove from the flame, add the curds, mix well. Return to the flame, and cook on low heat for a minute. 

Add 1/2 cup water, and let it simmer till the volume reduces by half. 

Add potatoes, salt and sugar, and let it simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. 

Top with ghee, if desired. 

Pomegranate sprouts salad

The simplest of meals, but probably the most flavourful, and colourful. I love sprouted moong. I love pomegranates. And when the two come together, all you need is a bit of rock salt to bind it all together.

Spiced oats cookies

When I lady baked a batch if butter cookies, the hubby wanted oats cookies. This one is for him!

3/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup maida

1/4 cup granulated sugar*

2 tbsp butter

2-3 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp pepper powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/2 tsp ginger powder

A pinch of nutmeg powder

A pinch of salt

1/4 cup raisins 

Method:

Mix the oats, flour and sugar well. Add the spices and mix well. 

Add the butter, and mix well till crumbly. 

Add milk one spoon at a time, mixing well. 

Add the raisins and mix well. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175 degrees. 

Grease the baking tray. Till the dough into balls, flatten and place on the baking sheet. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking to ensure it doesn't burn. 

Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. 

Chicken korma with Khus Khus

I developed a sudden craving for khus khus tonight, and realised the best way to disguise it into food would be in a chicken korma. Modified it slightly, and the recipe worked really well.

1 kg chicken

1 tbsp curds

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

3 medium onions

2 medium tomatoes

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

12 cashewnuts

1 tbsp khus khus

4 tsp dhania powder

2 tsp jeera powder

2 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp kasoori methi

Salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

 

Whole spices:

1 bay leaf

1 inch piece cinnamon

1 star anise

1 large badi elaichi

Method:

Marinate the chicken in a mixture of curds, ginger garlic paste and salt for 1 hour.

Grind the onions with a little water till you get a fine paste. Keep aside.

Grind the tomatoes, cashew nuts and khus khus and keep aside.

Heat the oil, add the whole spices, and toss around for 30 seconds. 

Add onion paste, ginger garlic paste, and the dry spices. Fry on a low flame till the oil starts leaving the masala.

Add the tomato-cashew- khus khus paste, and mix well. Saute for about a minute till the raw smell goes.

Add the marinated chicken, allow it to come to a boil on a low flame, cover, and let it cook for 45 minutes. Every 15 minutes, stir it a bit so it doesn't stick. Do not add water.

Nutty peas delight

I've realised that vegetables go down much easier, if they are colourful, which prompted me to make this peas- pepper curry in a creamy gravy for dinner. You can bet every last bit was polished off.

4 pods of garlic, thinly sliced
2 inch piece - ginger, grated
1/2+1/2- yellow and red pepper, thinly sliced
2 1/2 - onions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp - ghee
1 cup milk
1 tsp - garam masala
Oil to sauté vegetables
3 tbsp flax seeds
6- 8 cashew nuts
1 tsp kasuri methi
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Method
Steam the peas for five minutes till slightly cooked. Keep aside.
Coarsely grind the flax seeds and cashew nuts (without water). Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a non stick pan, add the thinly sliced garlic, ginger, onions and pepper and saute for a minute on medium heat.
Add the coarsely ground nuts and cook for about a minute. Add the 1/2 cup of milk and cook until the milk evaporates.
Add the garam masala, salt, sugar and 1/2 cup of milk and bring it to a boil.
Add the peas and the kasuri methi and mix well.
Serve immediately. Goes best with hot rotis.