Chatpata Couscous

On a day when I feel like fixing myself a light and healthy meal, I can't think of anything faster and better than this chatpata version of couscous. Depending on the availability I keep adding different ingredients to spice up this one pot meal. To make it a whole satisfying meal, I add either a leftover chole or a ghugni with gravy on the side. It is also a very yummy snack time treat. So here is how I make it:

Indregients:

10 oz. original Couscous( I have used one 10 oz. pack shown in the pic below)
1 boiled potato-peeled and finely chopped
1 cucumber-peeled and finely chopped
2 tomatoes-finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper-finely chopped
1 small onion-finely chopped
2-3 green chillies (according to taste)-finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves-finely chopped
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon rind
1 tbsp mustard oil (olive oil can also be used)
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper powder
1 tsp salt

To garnish:
1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Make the couscous according to the pack. (I have added 2.5 cups of water instead of the 2 cups asked on the package)

 

2. Mean while prepare and mix all the other ingredients in a large bowl.

 

 

 

3. Now add the prepared couscous, and mix well.

 

4. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Pav Bhaji

This used to be one of my most favourite breakfast dishes. Since I have grown up in a joint family of 15 and more, Pav Bhaji was made either as a birthday special breakfast, or a Sunday breakfast. I still remember my mother and aunts cutting up vegetables used in this dish the night before. The dining room where they cut the vegetables, would start smelling of and announcing what was awaiting us the next morning. Waking up to the smell of bhaji cooking in butter, would have me and my cousins racing to get to the breakfast table ASAP. I am not sure if I can bring that same excitement to my kids' face but I try my best to make Pav Bhaji as a Special day Dinner or to celebrate small little victories that my kids achieve in day to day life.

Ingredients:

To boil together:
3 large potatoes
2 carrots
18-20 French beans
1 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

To be chopped finely:
2-3 green chillies
2 medium onions
1 full garlic bulb
1 large green bell pepper
3 tomatoes
1 bunch spring onions
1.5 cups cauliflower-grated

Other ingredients:
2+1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Pav Bhaji masala( I used Badshah brand 1.5 tbsp and .5 tbsp roopak brand)
1/2 tsp Deghi mirch powder
Juice of a 1/2 lemon (optional)

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker cook the chopped potatoes, carrots and beans for 3 whistles, using 1 cup water.

2. Heat 2 tbsp each to butter and oil together. Add the chopped onions and fry till it becomes translucent. Then add capsicum, green chillies and 1 tsp salt. At this point the onions and capsicum will leave water. Fry till the mixture is dry and add the chopped garlic. Fry for 2 minutes.

3. Now add the grated cauliflower. Again it will leave some water. Fry the mixture till it is dry. Add 1/2 cup frozen peas.

4. Now add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked and well blended. Add the spring onions, fry for a minute .

5. Add pav bhaji masala and deghi mirch. Cook for a minute.

6. Add the boiled vegetables, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Bring the bhaji to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, mashing it a little. Check the seasonings.

7. Turn the flame off and add a tbsp of butter to the bhaji, and cover.

8. Heat a tawa and grill the pav by adding butter to both sides, till golden crisp.

9. Serve with chopped onions, green chillies and lemon wedges.

 

10. Enjoy!

Boondi Kadhi

Kadhi, like dal, is made in various different ways across India. Some use only yogurt, while some add coconut to it, but the most common and basic way to make it is by adding besan to yogurt along with a medley of herbs and spices. I make kadhi almost every week and it is a very relieving alternative to the regular daily dal. I keep surprising my family by using different add-on's in my kadhi. The one's that are most commonly used are pakodis, chillis, lauki koftas, mangodi, papad, boiled parwal, boiled raw bananas, palak, dill leaves, gatte(rajasthani besan dumplings) and sometimes a medley of mixed boiled vegetables like carrots, beans, cauliflower, peas and potatoes. No matter what I add to it, my basic recipe for Kadhi is always constant. The spice level is adjusted depending on the occasion it is made for and the add-on that goes in it. So here is the recipe for it:

Ingredients:

To be mixed and strained together
1.5 cups dahi(a little sour yogurt is best)
1/3 cup besan
4 cups water

Masalas to be added to the strained dahi mix:
1/4 tsp haldi,
1/2 tsp red chilli powder,
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp hing,
1/4 tsp methi powder
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste

For the tadka:
1 tsp oil
3-4 cloves
1/2 tsp rai seeds
a small pinch whole methi seeds
12 curry leaves
3-4 green chillies, chopped
1" ginger, cut in juliennes

For garnishing:
1/2 cup boondi
2 tbsp Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Strain dahi and besan with the help of water and keep aside. Keep an extra cup of water to adjust the consistency of the kadhi.

2. Heat oil in a large vessel. Add the cloves, rai and methi seeds allowing each to cook for a while before adding the next.

3. Add the curry leaves, green chillies and ginger and fry for a minute. Now add a cup of water and bring it to a boil.( this allows the spices to cook and release their aroma)

4. Now stir the dahi-besan mix well and add it to the boiling tadka, stirring it constantly till it comes to a boil. Once the kadhi starts boiling, reduce the flame and let it simmer for 20 minutes. If the kadhi becomes too thick, add more water.

5. Taste to check the seasonings and to make sure that the raw smell of besan is gone. Once done, add boondi and coriander leaves to garnish.

 

Note: There are numerous add-ins that can change the look and flavor of Kadhi. In this kadhi, boondi is to be added in the last minute as it softens up very quickly. Boiling it for long can disintegrate the boondis

During winters, I like to add garlic to my kadhi. To add garlic to the recipe above, fry 2 tbsp of chopped garlic along with green chillies and ginger.

Enjoy with roti, rice, khichdi.

***Please do not hesitate to ask me if something not clear in the recipe above***.

Rava Khoa cupcakes

 

The other day I was going through a friend's blog and found a recipe for Rava cake. Seeing that all the ingredients used in the recipe were easily available in my kitchen, I made a batch. Then I baked a second batch. When the second batch vanished, I thought of baking a third, and since Diwali was right around the corner, I thought of adding a few extra ingredients to make it look festive and ornamental. So here is what I made:



Ingredients:

1 cup Suji
1 cup grated khoa
1 1/4 cup yogurt (I used wholemilk yogurt)
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/2 tsp elaichi powder
a generous pinch Saffron
2 tbsp dried cranberry
2 tbsp slivered almonds
1/3 tsp baking soda

Method:

1. In a large bowl whip together butter, sugar and yogurt.
2. Now mix in suji, khoa and saffron. Mix well. Cover. Let it rest for 30 minutes
3. After 20 minutes of mixing the batter, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Prepare cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
5. Add elaichi powder to the batter and mix. Then add the baking soda, mix well and pour the batter equally in 12 cupcake moulds.

 

6. Decorate with the slivered almonds and dried cranberries.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the sides of the cupcakes are golden brown. Turn on the top grill/broiler to get an even, golden color on top.

Cool and Enjoy!

Thank you so much Pradnya, for this wonderful treat!

Note:
1. The nuts and fruits for decotation can be varried to one's personal taste, liking and availability.
2. To bake a whole cake from this recipe, grease a 11"x7" baking pan with butter or oil spray and bake for 30-35 minutes and then grill the top for uniformity.
 

Dalma

Dalma

After returning home at the end of a tiring day or after a long trip, one craves for a plate of warm, relaxing and comfort food. Dalma is one such dish and tops the list for me. It is thin dal made with a mix of lentils, that is cooked with a variety of vegetables in it - the combination can be innumerable. I personally like to add vegetables like pumpkin, parval, brinjal, raw papaya, potatoes, carrots and beans. When dal is cooked with vegetables and served with rice or rotis, it makes a complete meal and that too a nutritious one.
Here is how I make it:

Ingredients:

Dals:(to be washed together):
1/3 cup yellow moong dal
1/3 cup masoor dal
1/3 cup toor dal

Vegetables:(To be washed, peeled and cut in large chunks)
1 small potato
1 carrot
12 Beans
5-6 parwal (wash, cut the ends and make a slit from end to end)
1/2 pumpkin
1/2 cup raw papaya
2 small baby brinjals

1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp haldi

For the Tadka:
1 tbsp ghee or oil or a mix of two
2 whole red chillies
1/4 tsp Hing
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 green chillies, slit
2 tbsp ginger, cut into jullienes
12 curry leaves
2 sliced onions
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

1. In a sauce pan boil the dals with salt and haldi using 5 cups of water. When it comes to a boil, start adding the vegetables in the order of time it takes to cook. The vegetable that takes the longest, goes in first. I use the order- Beans, parwal, papaya, potato, carrots, pumpkin and brinjal. Keep stirring once in a while to make sure the dal does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

2. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over medium flame and add oil/ghee. Add the whole dried red chillies, hing and mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the ginger, green chillies and the curry leaves. Fry for a minute and add the onion slices.

3. When the onions become transparent, add the garlic and fry till the onions caramalise and turn golden brown.

4. Turn up the heat and add the tomatoes. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add the Red chilli powder. Stir well and add a cup of water. Bring it to a boil and add it to the now boiled dal. Mix well.

5. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes and add the coriander leaves.

Note:
1. When I am in a hurry, I soak the dal in hot water while I am cutting the vegetables. Then I pressure cook the dal and vegetables using 4 cups of water, salt and haldi and 1 tsp oil/ghee for 2 whistles. In this case allow the pressure to drop by itself. The consistancy of the dal is then adjusted while adding the tadka.

2. It is best served with hot steamed rice. To serve with rotis, keep the consistancy of the dal a little thick.

3. Side dishes that go best with Dalma Bhaat are: Karela bhaja, Aloo bharta and fried dal vadi.

I hope you enjoy it!

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

As soon as someone says Grilled Cheese Sandwich, the first thing that comes to my mind is the amount of butter and cheese involved. This is one of the main reasons why I always ended up avoiding it. So finally, to be able to eat a whole sandwich, without any guilt, I created this similar version of it, using more vegetables and relatively lesser fat.

For My Kids, cut up in stripes..

Serves 2

Ingerdients:

1 12" baguette (you can use any kind of bread that is available, even 4 slices of white bread would do)

1/4 cup finely chopped mixed bell peppers

1/4 cup finely chopped tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped broccoli

1 tbsp chopped onions

1 green chilli chopped (optional)

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

1/4 cup shredded cheese (I have used a mexican blend)

1 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

a dash of any herb blend

Prepped Ingredients

Method:

1. Slice the baguette horizontally into half and then again, into two sandwiches, vertically. Mix all the ingredients, except the butter, in a bowl.

2. Heat a griddle, butter the bread on the outside, and place on the griddle with the stuffing on the base bread( refer to the next pic)

3. Once slightly toasted, cover the sandwitch with the top slice, and toast on the other side, pressing it down a little.

4. Serve with a little ketchup and mustard.

PS:- Sometimes when I like to eat lesser bread, I make open sandwitches by covering the sandwiches while they are grilling. (pics follow)

Enjoy!

Corn Cheela

This cheela has a very sweet chilli combination of flavors....the perfect snack for a rainy day, or after school snack for the kids(less the chillies)

Ingredients:

2 corn on the cob, grated,

1/2 cup besan

1 tsp rice flour(optional, this is to make it crisp)

2 tsp ginger-green chillies, pounded

2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

a squeeze of hing

salt to taste

oil for making the cheelas

 

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients above. Add a little water if the batter is too thick.

2. Follow the below steps from spread the batter on pan to serving it on platter.

Add few drops of oil on a hot pan.

Spread two spoonfuls of batter and add a few drops .of oil.

Cover the pan and let it cook on low flame for a minute.

Reverse the Cheela;
Add a few drops of oil;
Cook on high flame till this side is also brown and crisp.

Serve hot with Corriander chutney

         

Enjoy with green coriander chutney.

Tip: If I have a lot of people to serve and not as many corn cobs, i increase the amount of besan and seasonings added. It does dilute the taste but none the less it still tastes yummy.

Green chutney with garlic

 

Green Coriander Chutney

This is a very useful chutney, and at the same time it has a very high nutritional and taste value. If you have a batch of these, ready in the fridge, it always comes in handy with pakoras, cheelas, sandwiches, poha, and with regular meals too.

Ingredients:

To be ground to a paste

2 cups coriander leaves, washed, chopped

5-6 green chillies

2" ginger,

2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lime,

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

Method:

Grind the ingredients to me made into a paste. Add the lime juice, salt and sugar.

Tip: If you do not intend using all the chutney in one go, refrigerate the paste. Take our little by little and add the lime juice, salt and sugar accordingly.

Whole Green Moong Tadka

This dal is very popular with a community I used to visit very often. It is one of those dals which was made at home to lift our moods. Even though it looks and tastes no lesser than a heavy party dal, it is relatively much gentler on the stomach and also very nutritious. So, here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup whole green moong daal(washed and cleaned,no need to soak)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, sliced
4 tbsp ginger-garlic(fresh,pounded)
4-5 green chillies- sliced
1 tsp tomato paste(optional-gives good colour, even sauce or puree would work)
1/4th cup coriander leaves
1/2 tsp chili pd
1/2 tsp haldi
salt to taste

For the Tarka:2 tbsp ghee
a pinch hing
1 bay leaf,
1"cinnamon stick
2-3 cloves
2 whole red chillies
1 tsp jeera


Method:
1 In a pressure cooker, heat the ghee and make a tadka adding all the ingredients above in the order mentioned.

2 Then add the onions(cook for a while), green chillies,ginger-garlic(do not cook the garlic and ginger for long)..tomatoes(chopped)add the salt and haldi.

3 When the tomatoes are cooked add the tomato paste, chilli pd and the dal,stir for a few minutes. Add the coriander leaves and 4(approx) cups of water.

4 Give 2 whistles on high flame and cook on a low flame for 40 mins..allow the pressure to drop on its own.

This daal is supposed to be thickish but you may want to adjust the thickness and the seasoning.

Enjoy with rice or roti.

Onion Raita

Onion Raita

Onion raita is one of those side dishes which complements dishes like biryanis and kachoris as a perfect match

Ingredients:

1 onion finely chopped
2 green chillies
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp ginger juice
2 cups plain lowfat curd
1/2 - 1 cup lowfat milk
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. Beat the curd and add the milk(quantity of milk added depends on the thickness of raita one prefers. I like thin raita with biryani and slightly thick with kachoris and puris)

2. Add the salt, sugar and the rest of the ingredients.

3. Enjoy.

Tip: Onion leaves water once the salt is added. Adjust the amount of milk added to the curd accordingly.

Green Chilli Pickle

Green chilli pickle:

This is one of my personal favorites and a must have for those who cook non spicy meals for their kids. For me it is an additive with nimkis, khakhra, kachoris, rice and practically every meal.

Ingredients:

250 gms chopped green chillies (you can pick the chillies according to your heat tolerance)

25 gms mustard seed powder

25 gms salt

1 tsp red chilli powder

A pinch haldi

1/2 tsp each or fennel seeds, kalonji, and fenugreek seeds.

1/2 tsp sugar

Juice of 2 limes
2-3 tbsp mustard oil

Method:
Wash, dry and cut the chillies to small pieces. Air dry them for about 30 minutes.
Mix all the above ingredients together in a clean dry bowl. Once well mixed, store in a clean dry glass jar. After 2 days store in a refrigerator.
Enjoy with nimki, khakhra, kachoris and practically everything.

Tip: Always weigh the chillies, salt and mustard powder accurately. the rest can vary to taste. 

Kachori Subzi

Kachori Subzi

I love cooking. This is my first blog and as you all will see I am very new to expressing my mind. Please bear with me and allow me to start my blog with my first recipe. I chose this to be my first recipe because it is very popular with my family and friends. It is a complete meal and brings a smile on my kids' face. So here it goes:

Serves 4

Ingredients for kachori:

1 cup aata (whole wheat flour)

1 cup suji

1/4 tsp kalonji

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 generous pinches of hing (more or less to liking)

1/2 tsp salt or to taste 

2 tsp oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Add enough water to make a soft dough. Let the dough rest while you make the subzi.

Ingredients for subzi:

4 large boiled potatoes

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp panch phoran

1/2 tsp hing

2 tbsp pounded ginger green chili paste

1 tbsp kasuri methi

1/2 tsp haldi

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp red chili powder

A pinch of rock salt,

1/2 tsp amchur powder

A pinch of garam masala.

Salt to taste

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into large chunks. Mash 2 chunks.

2. Heat oil in a wok. Add panch phoran, when it crackles add the hing, kasuri methi and ginger chilli paste. Cook for a minute.

3. Add haldi, coriander powder and red chilli powder, cook for a minute.

4. Add the potatoes and mix well frying for a few minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.

5. Add amchur, garam masala and salt. Simmer for 10- 15 minutes till the gravy Is a little thickish.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves

To proceed: 

Heat 2 cups oil in a wok. Knead the dough for a minute and make 1" round balls. Roll into 4" circles using a little oil. Deep fry the kachoris till they are a nice golden brown.. 

Serve with the subzi, onion raita, a piece of lime and green chilli pickle.

Hope you enjoy!