Cauliflower subzi (फ्लोवरची सुकी भाजी)

Igredients -

Cauliflower - ½ kg

Ginger – 1 inch

mustard seeds – ¼ th T-spoon

Asafoetida – 1/4^th T-Spoon

Turmeric Powder – ½ t-spoon

Green chilies – 2 to 3 (as per your taste)

Salt to taste

Oil - 1 Tb-spoon

Garnishing –

Few Coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut

Procedure –

1. Cut cauliflower into medium size florets and clean. Finely chop ginger and green chili.

2. Heat oil in pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter.

3. Add asafetida, chopped ginger, chopped green chilies and turmeric powder.

4. Add florets and salt and mix well.

5. Add ½ bowl of water and cover a pan with lid.

6. Cook subzi for 10 minutes. Keep checking water level in between.

7.Garnish with fresh grated coconut and chopped green coriander.

8. Serve hot with roti.

Fenugreek leaves curry (मेथीची भाजी)

Igredients -

Methi leaves – 1 bunch

Chana Dal flour – 1 Tb-spoon

Cooked Toor Dal – 2 Cups

For seasoning –

Oil – 1 T-spoon,

Garlic pods – 5-6,

mustard seeds – 1/4^th T-spoon

Asafetida – 1/8^th T-Spoon

Turmeric Powder – ½ T-Spoon

Red chili Powder – ½ T-spoon or as per your taste

Sugar or Jaggery – ½ T-spoon or as per your taste

Salt to taste

Procedure –

1. Knead methi bunch carefully. Wash the leaves and chop roughly.

2. Transfer chopped leaves to kadai, add chana dal flour and 1 bowl water.

3. Cook methi for 5 to 8 minutes.

4. Add cooked Toor Dal to cooked methi. Then add salt and sugar and give it a good boil.

5. Take oil in other pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Then add asafoetida and garlic cloves. Let garlic cook until it becomes golden brown in colour.

6. Then add turmeric powder and red chili powder.

7. Pour hot seasoning on methi subzi.

8. Have hot with fresh roti or Jowar bhakari.

Note : If garlic cloves are too large in size, chop then roughly.

Oatmeal Lace Cookies

 

Ingredients –

Quick Cooking Oats – 1 Cup

All purpose flour/Maida – 1/4^th Cup

Baking Powder – 1 ½ T-sp

Sugar – 1 Cup

Butter , salted (Softened) – 100 grams

Egg – 1

Vanilla extract – 1 t-spoon

Procedure –

1. Preheat oven at 160C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes or until it becomes white in colour.

3. Add egg, vanilla and beat well till blended.

4. Mix the flour, oats and baking powder together.

5. Add the flour mixture to the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla mixture and mix well.

6. Pour t-spoon of mixture on a baking sheet, 2” apart from each other.

7. Bake the cookies for 5 to 8 minutes or till edges are golden brown.

8. Peel carefully from the paper while its little hot, or before cool down completely.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients –

All-purpose Flour (Maida) – 2 cups

Baking Powder – 1 t-spoon

Baking Soda – 1 t-spoon

Salt – ½ t-spoon

Cinnamon Powder – 1 t-spoon (as per your taste)

Nutmeg Powder – 1/4^th tsp

Yogurt – 1 cup

Brown Sugar – ½ cup, packed

Sugar – 1 cup

Vanilla -1 t-spoon

Carrots – 2 cups, finely shredded

Walnuts – 1/2 cup, chopped (reserve few for garnishing)

Unsalted Butter – 1 stick (4oz), melted

Eggs – 2

Procedure -

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F or 180 C.

1. In a mixing bowl, add All-purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon Powder and Nutmeg Powder. Mix well. Sieve if possible.

2. In another large mixing bowl, add Yogurt, Brown Sugar, Sugar and Vanilla. Mix until sugar dissolves.

3. Take two bowls and break eggs separating white and yellow of eggs. Beat yellow and white separately. White should be very light and frothy.

4. Add Eggs to the sugar and yogurt mixture. Fold in the Flour mixture until a smooth batter is formed.

4. Add shredded carrots, walnuts and butter. Mix well but lightly.

5. Grease the bottoms and sides of 2 9” cake pans and dust with flour. (A

9”×13” rectangle pan can also be used.)

6. Evenly divide the batter into the 2 cake pans and smooth the top.

7. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F/180C.

8. Remove from Oven and allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.

9. Flip them out onto waxed or parchment paper and allow them to cool.

If you wish to frost this cake let the cake cool completely and then start frosting.

Dal Fry (II)

Ingredients -

1. Toor Dal/Pigeon Peas – 1 cup

2. Chana Dal/chick peas – 1/4^th cup

3. Urad Dal – 2 tb-spoons

4. Finely chopped ginger – 2 t-spoons

5. Green chilies – 2, with slit

6. Turmeric Powder – ½ t-spoon

7. Salt to taste

Tadka (seasoning) –

1. Butter/ghee – 2 t-spoons

2. Cumin Seeds – 1 –t-spoon

3. Onions – 2 medium, finely chopped

4. Tomatoes – 2 medium, finely chopped

5. Cloves -3

6. Cinnamon – 1 ½ “

Garnishing –

Chopped coriander

Garam Masala (optional)

Procedure –

1. Soak Chana Dal for 2-3 hours. Cook in a pressure cooker Toor Dal, soaked chana dal and urad dal, ginger, green chilies together along with turmeric powder and salt.

2. Heat butter/ghee in a kadhai. Add jeera and let them splutter. Add cloves and cinnamon. Add chopped onion and sauté till it becomes golden brown.

3. Then add tomatoes and sauté till they become mushy. Then add red chili powder and garam masala. Pour hot tadka on cooked dal and serve hot with rice.

Bhindi Fry

1. Bhindi (okra) – ½ kg./1 pound

2. Onions – 2 medium

3. Garlic paste – 1 tb-spoon

4. Green chili paste – 1 tb-spoon or as per taste

5. Coriander seeds powder – 1 t-spoon

6. Amchoor powder – 1 t-spoon

7. roasted and crushed peanuts – 2 tb-spoons

8. Besan/chickpea flour – 2 tb-spoons

9. Oil – 3 tb-spoons

10. Mustard seeds – ½ t-spoon

12. Asafetida – 1/4^th t-spoon

13. Turmeric powder – ½ t-spoon

14. Chopped coriander for garnishing

Procedure –

1. Chop bhindi (okra) in ½” long pieces. Make paste of onions.

2. Heat 2 tb-spoons oil in a pan. Add chopped bhindi and shallow fry till it gets cooked. Bhindi should be little crispy. Transfer bhindi in a different pan.

3.   Heat remaining one tb-spoon oil in the same pan. Add mustard seeds. Let them splutter. Add asafetida. Then add onion paste, garlic paste and green chili paste. Sauté till onions become golden brown.

4. Add turmeric powder and sauté. Then add fried bhindi and mix well. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add coriander seeds powder, amchoor powder, crushed peanuts and sauté 2-3 minutes. Then add besan and sauté for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Then add chopped coriander and serve hot with roti.

 

Cauliflower Curry (Maharashtrian way) (फ्लॉवरचा रस्सा)

Ingredients -

Cauliflower – 1 medium

Green Peas – 1 bowl

Potatoes – 2 medium, cut into big chunks and fried

Tomato – 2 finely chopped

Jaggery – 1 tb-spoon

Red chili powder – 1 t-spoon or to taste

Salt to taste

Masala –

sesame seeds - 1 tb-spoon

Chana dal – 1 tb-spoon, roasted

Cinnamon – 2” piece

Cloves – 7-8

Onion – 2

Garlic pods – 7

Cumin seeds – 1 t-spoon

Dry grated coconut – ½ bowl

Freshly grated coconut -  1/4^th bowl

Chopped green coriander – 1/4^th bowl

Oil – 2 tb-spoons

Mustard seeds – ½ T-spoon

Asafetida – 1/4^th T- spoon

Turmeric Powder- ½ T-spoon

Procedure –

1. Grind roasted chana dal and sesame seeds in a mixer grinder and keep aside. Add tomatoes in mixer grinder and make a paste and keep aside.

2.  Add 1 tb-spoon oil in a pan and heat the oil. Add chopped onions and garlic and sauté for  5 minutes until onions turn golden brown.

3. Add freshly grated coconut, chopped coriander and sauté for 2-3 minutes more. Let it cool down completely. Add in a mixer grinder and grind into fine paste.

4. Heat 1 tb-spoon oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add asafetida. Then add cauliflower, potatoes and green peas. Sauté for a while. Then add ground masala, sesame seeds and chana dal powder and tomato paste.  Add some water as per consistency you want and cook the curry for 10 minutes.

5. Add jaggery, salt, grated coconut and chopped coriander and turn of the heat.  If you like more sourly taste, you can add little tamarind pulp.

6. Serve it hot with roti or puri.

Green Garlic Chutney (लसणाच्या पातीची चटणी)

Green garlic leaves and garlic pods – 1 bunch

Green chilies – 4-5

Chopped coriander – ½ bowl

Raw peanuts – 1/4^th bowl

Salt to taste

Peanut oil – 1 tb-spoon

Procedure –

1.  Finely chop green garlic leaves and tender garlic.

2. Add chopped garlic, green chilies, coriander, peanuts and salt in a mixer grinder and make a fine paste.

3. While serving the chutney add raw peanut oil, mix and serve with Bhakari or chapatti.

Note :

If you don’t like the flavor of raw oil, you can add warm oil.

This chutney also goes well with bread, specially white bread.

Chutney Powder

Chana dal – 1 cup

Urad dal – 3/4^th cup

Curry leaves - handful

Dry red chilies – 10 or to taste

Peppercorns – 8-10

Cumin seeds – 1 tablespoon

Sesame seeds – 1 tablespoon

Asafetida – 1 t-spoon

Tamarind paste – 3 tablespoons/ to the taste

Jaggery – 2 tablespoon or to taste

Sugar – 1 t-spoon

Salt to taste

Oil for roasting.

Procedure –

1. Heat oil in a pan.

2.   Add urad dal, then chana dal, then red chilies, peppercorns, cumin seeds. Lastly add sesame seeds and asafetida. Roast for a while and turn of the heat.

3.   Add tamarind, jaggery, sugar and salt and grind everything together in a grinder. Mix well and store in a air tight container.

Khaman and Sev Khamani

Khaman is the most popular Gujarati snack. This moist and delicious savory cake is a must for a Gujarati feast but don’t get it confused with Dhokla. Generally people call it Khaman Dhokala, but they are completely two different preparations. And yes pre-planning is needed for this traditional and tasty khaman.

Sev khamani is also a popular snack and most probably invented from the Khaman itself. Another tasty recipe, with ginger-garlic flavor and served with chutney.

For Khaman you need -

Ingredients:

1. Chana Daal – 1 cup

2. Urad Daal – 1 Tb-spoon

3. Yogurt – 1/3rd cup

4. Water – 1/4th cup

5. Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 1 Tb-spoon

6. Salt – 2 t-spoon

7. Turmeric Powder – 1/8 t-spoon

8. Asafoetida – 1/8 t-spoon

9. Green Chili Paste – to taste

10. Minced Ginger – 2 t-spoon

11. Oil – 2 Tb-spoon

12. Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tb-spoon

13. Fruit salt/Eno – 1 t-spoon

Seasoning:

1. Oil – 2 Tb-spoon

2. Mustard Seeds – 1 t-spoon

3. Asafetida – 1/8 t-spoon

4. Green Chilies – to taste, slit

5. Water – 6 Tb-spoon

6. Sugar – 1 Tb-spoon

7. Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tb-spoon

Garnishing –

Chopped cilantro/coriander

Shredded fresh Coconut

Method:

1. Combine Chana and Urad Daals, wash well and soak in water overnight (at least 8 hrs).

2. Drain out water and add daals to food processor or mixer blender. Add Yogurt and grind daals by using 1/4th cup of water.

3. Take out the mixture into a bowl and add Chickpea Flour, Salt, Turmeric Powder, asafetida. Mix well, cover and keep in warm place overnight to ferment.

4. Once fermented, add Green Chili Paste, Ginger, Oil and Lemon/Lime Juice. Mix well.

5. Grease a steel dish with a high rim and place it empty in a pot with 1 inch water

for steaming. Use another bowl at the bottom of the pot to prop up the dish out of

the water. Cover pot and allow the water to come to a boil. You can use pressure cooker without whistle.

6. When the water starts to steam, add fruit salt to the batter and mix well in one direction. Remove the empty dish from the pot and pour in batter. After adding fruit salt, you have to really fast in this step.

7. Place dish back into the pot, cover and steam for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove Khaman from the pot and leave on counter to cool for 10-15 minutes.

8. Meanwhile heat Oil in a small pan. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to crackle. Add Asafetida and Slit Green Chilies. Cook for 1-2 minutes, turn off stove and sprinkle a little salt. Keep aside. If you like you can add a tablespoon of sesame seeds also in the same oil, but before adding the chilies.

9. In a small bowl, mix 6 Tbsp Water, 1 Tbsp Sugar and 1 Tbsp Lemon/Lime Juice.

Keep aside.

10. Grease a sharp knife and cut Khaman into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Remove and arrange pieces on a platter. Mix Water/Sugar/Lemon solution with Green Chili Seasoning and mix well.

11. Drizzle the mixture over the Khaman pieces and allow them to absorb all of the liquid.

12. Garnish with chopped Cilantro Leaves and grated Coconut.

13. Serve with Mint and Tamarind Chutney.

Note :

For variation and nice look you can use the mini idli pot and steam small idlies the same way you cool khaman. Add seasoning on the idlies and serve small khaman idlies. No need of cutting them. Good for the parties.

For sev Khamani you need -

Ingredients:

1. Khaman – 20 pieces (without any seasoning)

2. Oil – 1 tb-spoon

3. Finely chopped garlic– 2 tb-spoons

4. A pinch of asafetida (hing)

5. Green chilies – chopped, as per taste.

6. Pomegranate seeds – ½ cup

7. Chopped cilantro/coriander – 2 tb-spoons

8. Shredded coconut – 2 tb-spoons

8. Fine sev – 1/4th cup

Procedure:

1. Crumble the khaman in a bowl and keep aside. If needed strain them into a strainer for fine powder without lumps.

2. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add chopped garlic and asafetida and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds till the garlic become light brown in color.

3. Add green chilies to taste and turn off the heat.

4. Add crumbled khaman and mix well. Take out the mixture in a serving bowl. Garnish with fine sev, coconut, cilantro and pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

5. Serve mint and tamarind chutneys with this sev khamani.

Note :

1. You can skip pomegranate seeds if you don’t like them in this particular dish. But pomegranate seeds give nice crunch.

2. Traditionally garlic is necessary for this sev khamani, though not for khaman itself.

Fettuccine with Tomato-Basil sauce –

Igredients -

Extra virgin olive oil – 1 tb-spoon

Onion – 1 large, chopped

 Garlic cloves – 3-4, minced

Freshly ground black pepper - 1/4^th t-spoon

Crushed red pepper - 1/4^th t-spoon

ripe tomatoes – 2 pounds (0.9 kg. approximately), coarsely chopped

tomato paste - 3 tb-spoons

Fettuccine pasta – 1 pound/ ½ kg. approximately

Freshly chopped basil - 3/4^th cup + basil sprigs for garnish

Parmesan cheese - 2 tb-spoon, coarsely grated

Salt to taste

Procedure -

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until tender. Add the salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and sauté.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and tomato paste, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to cook down into the sauce.

3. While the sauce simmers, add the pasta and some salt to the boiling water, return to a boil and cook for 9-11 minutes. Reserving 1/4^th cup of the cooking liquid, drain the pasta in a colander. Sprinkle few drops of olive oil on pasta so that they won’t stick together. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and toss with the reserved cooking liquid.

4. Add the chopped basil into the sauce and spoon the sauce over the pasta. Top with the Parmesan and garnish with the basil sprigs.

Note :

Serve this fettuccine with mixed salad tossed with lemon juice and garlic or a red-wine vinaigrette.

Rajma (kidney beans curry) -

Ingredients -

Rajma| kidney beans – 1 Cup, dry

Onions – 2 medium, roughly chopped

Tomatoes – 3 medium, chopped

Ginger - 1” chopped

Garlic cloves – 2-3, chopped

Green chilies – 2, chopped

Rajma masala - 3-4 Cloves, 2-3 Green Cardamom, 1” Cinnamon, 4-5 black pepper

 Bay leaves – 2

Cumin seeds – ½ t-spoon

Turmeric powder – ½ t-spoon

Red Chili powder – 1 tb-spoon OR to taste (use kashmiri red chili powder)

Coriander powder – 1 tb-spoon

Cumin seeds powder – ½ t-spoon

Amachoor powder – 1 t-spoon

Salt to taste

1 tbsp ghee + 1 tsp Oil

Chopped coriander leaves and 1 t-spoon butter for garnishing

Procedure -

1. Wash and soak Rajma overnight or 5-6 hours in hot water.

2. Drain and pressure cook with 2 cup fresh water until the Rajma is cooked soft yet hold it’s shape – for about 15 minutes. Keep it aside.

3. Heat oil and ghee combination in a pan, add cumin seeds and bay leaves and sauté. Add onions and Sauté it for 3-4 mins until the onions become light brown. Add ginger-garlic and sauté for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2 -3 minutes, till they become little mushy.

4. Grind all the whole spices in a mixer grinder. Add all the spice powders to the onion-tomato mixture. To this, add cooked Rajma along with the stalk. Adjust the consistency to your choice and let it cook for 10-15 mins on low heat. Stir occasionally.

5. Finally add salt to taste. Cook for 2 mins more. Remove from the heat. Check for seasoning. Let it sit for 10-15 mins before serve. Let blend all the spices with Rajma.

6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or paratha.

Note:

1. Rajma-chawal is a very popular Punjabi meal. Rajma is also regularly cooked in Kashmir. While making Rajma in Kashmiri style, use 1/8 t-spoon of funnel seeds powder and 1/8^th t-spoon of nutmeg powder and skip the cumin seeds powder.

2. Rajama should be mildly spiced and little sour in taste. If you don’t like sour taste, you can skip amchoor powder, but don’t add sugar.

3. Here I am using pressure cooker, but traditionally rajma is cooked on a low-medium flame for a longer duration. You can use slow cooker for this recipe.

4. You can use ghee as much as you want, here I tried reducing ghee/oil as much as I can.

Dum Aloo Kashmiri –

Ingredients -

Small potatoes – 1 pound/ ½ kg

Tomatoes – 2 medium

Red chili powder – 1 t-spoon

Cumin seeds – 1/4^th t-spoon

Turmeric powder – 1/4^th t-spoon

Dry ginger powder – 1/4^th t-spoon

Funnel seeds powder – 1/8^th t-spoon

Bay leaves – 2

Garlic cloves – 5-6

Ginger – ½ ‘’

Curd – 1/4^th cup

Water – 2 cups

Oil – 1 tb-spoon + for frying potatoes

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Procedure –

1. Boil the potatoes and peel them off. Punch some holes in potatoes by using fork. Make fine paste of tomato and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry potatoes. Make a paste of ginger and garlic.

3. Heat oil in another pan and add bay leaves and cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter.

4. Add ginger-garlic paste, all dry spices, red chili powder, turmeric powder, dry ginger powder, funnel seeds powder and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add beaten curd and sauté till the mixer is completely cooked and oil starts leaving the mixture.

5. Add tomato paste and sauté till tomatoes are cooked.

6. Then add fried potatoes, 2 cups of water and mix well. Cover the pan with lid. Give dum or cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with paratha or jeera rice.

Avocado and lettuce salad with lemon and garlic dressing –

Ingredients -

Avocado – 2

Iceberg lettuce – ½ or 1 small

Scallions/spring onions with onion greens – 1 bunch/ 4-5 onions and greens

Tomatoes – 2 medium

Cilantro/coriander – 2-3 tb-spoons finely chopped

For dressing –

Juice of 2 lemons/limes

Garlic cloves – 4, finely chopped

Extra virgin olive oil – 3 tb-spoons

Freshly crushed black peppercorns – 6-8

Mustard powder – 1/4^th t-spoon (optional)

Salt to taste

Procedure –

1. Chop the avocado in bite size chunks. Shred iceberg lettuce. Slice onions and greens. Slice tomatoes.

2. Mix in lemon/lime juice, garlic, black pepper powder, mustard powder, salt and EVOO.

3. Arrange iceberg lettuce in plate. Arrange tomato slices around the corners over the bedding of lettuce. Keep avocado pieces and onions in the center. Sprinkle onion greens and chopped cilantro/coriander.

4. Drizzle the dressing on salad and eat little cold for that crunch of lettuce and fresh taste and color of avocado.