Running out of options for breakfast - try this, "Sevai Upma" (Vermicelli Mix)

Sevai is a tricky item to work with. I had about 4-5 failed attempts of Sevai upma before I could make it right. This is usually a rare dish people make, at least I have not seen people make Sevai upma as frequently they do Poha or regular Upma for breakfast. This, therefore makes, a good dish for guests too. The only tricky part is how much water you put when you cook Sevai upma and the lesson I learnt is to start with small amounts or try the microwave version of cooking it.

Ingredients:

Thin Vermicelli \ Sevai - 2 cups

Chopped Onion - 1\2 cup

Frozen Peas - 1\2 cup

Green chillies - either slit or in a paste form, as per taste

Roasted Peanuts - whole or crushed

Salt per taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 3\4

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Chopped Coriander

Method:

1. Put vermicelli in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tsp oil to it and mix it so that all sevai is greased. Microwave this for 1-2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds. Stop when you see the sevai getting red. Add 1\2 cup water to this bowl and then continue cooking. You will require 2-3 minutes for the vermicelli to be cooked. Add water if necessary. Eat a little sevai to check if its cooked.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds and curry leaved. Add chopped onion and saute till onion turns translucent. Add turmeric powder, green chilly paste\slit, peanuts (whole\crushed), salt, sugar and mix well.

3. Now add cooked vermicelli and mix again delicately, making sure everything mixes well. Adjust salt, sugar to taste. Cover for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Tips:

You can also add roasted split chana daal when sauteing onion, for that extra and different flavor.
Additional veggies of your choice will add colors and nutrition.

Vegetarian Thai Basil Rice

I am a great fan of flavors. And when I discover something that is new to me I desperately want it to try on my own. I know this does not happen all the time but the desire is always there ;). But this time I could make it happen. I prepared this dish in a week just later after I tried it.

Have you ever wondered using basil in cooking? At least I never thought of it until in the last week when I ordered this aromatic dish, Thai Basil Rice. Basil is one of the key ingredients and a must present ingredient in the Thai kitchens.

I simply love Thai cooking, the flavours and the ease with which it is prepared. Its quick , required handful ingredients and no extra or tiring preparation, yet tastes so good. As many of you know all the dishes in Thai cuisine use lots of vegetables. This makes it healthy. To add to this we have Tofu (which is a protein power pack).


When I started eating this dish I decided that I am definitely going to try this. It had so less ingredients and just the aroma of basil. I knew this is simple to cook. I searched (Binged/Googled whatever :)) and found out the key of this rice. First, it required the Jasmine Rice, which is abundantly used in Thai cooking. And this sure makes a difference as this rice had a different texture and had  a property to stick together but was not sticky. And of course the Basil leaves. In India we worship the basil tree but never used it in cooking. Often it is used in homemade medicines but never in cooking (at least to my knowledge, (I may be wrong)). Thai basil leaves are bigger than the Indian Basil. You can get these in any Asian store both rice and leaves.

Non vegetarian eaters can enjoy this rice with chicken and fish oil. Here is the vegetarian version :). And I am so happy with the outcome of my recipe.

 

Ingredients:

Jasmine Rice - 1,1/2 Cup
Fresh Basil Leaves - 20-25 (if they are full size) or three bunches
Tofu Cubes - 500 gms
Capsicum - 1 Cup, Julienned
Onion - 1 Cup, Julienned
Garlic - 4-5 cloves, minced
Green Chillies - 2, chopped finely
Salt - per taste
Soy Sauce - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Cucumber for garnishing


The original recipe calls for using fish sauce but being a vegetarian I had to find something else. I searched a lot on Internet and found there are some vegetarian replacements available for the fish sauce. I remembered the taste of the rice and I decided to try out tamarind water :) And you know what, it worked very well .

Tamarind Juice - 1-2 tbsp

Method:

1. Rinse the rice before cooking. To cook Jasmine Rice add 2 Cup water to the rice. Add little salt. Bring it to boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover it with a lid and cook for another 15-20 minutes or till the rice is entirely cooked. Then turn off the heat and keep it covered for another 10 minutes. Keep it to cool.

2. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry tofu till it turns a little brown. We need to do this so that the tofu cubes remain intact. Once done keep them aside.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and saute a little. Then add onion for 1 minute and add capsicum. saute for another 3-4 minutes. Keep burner on high flame. Make sure the veggies are not overcooked.

4. Gently add tofu and basil leaves and stir.

5. Add Soy sauce, tamarind water and salt per as per taste.

6. Now add the jasmine rice and stir evenly.

7. Cover for 2-3 minutes. Garnish it with cucumber and serve.

Tips: 

• @Veggie lovers - Make this more healthy by adding broccoli, carrots, snap peas..whatever veggie you like. :)
• @Perfectionists - In the first attempt you will not get a perfect idea for the number of basil leaves to be used, which is OK. :) . Enjoy !!!!!!!!
• @Non-vegetarians - use fish sauce and chicken.

Sending this to Serve it - Stir Fried Event (Denny's page), Hot and Spicy Treats

Sabudana Vada (Tapioca pearls fried tikkis)

This year we, I mean the Seattle, had a record snow. Schools were closed, roads were slippery, going anywhere was just risky. But snow in Seattle is like a rainbow in a rain. It lasts only for a while but makes the green world look entirely different and beautiful.

The point is there was no chance we can go for grocery and the question was what to do. No green veggies at home and got bored potatoes. Daals and pulses do not appeal the taste buds in cold winters.
When I ran out of all the options, there was this Sabudana Vada which I know how to make and does not need any special ingredient.

Ingredients:

Serves 2 or makes 12 - 15 Vadas

Tapioca pearls (Sabudana) - 1 Cup
Peanuts - roasted and crushed - Handful
Green Chili paste - per taste
Potato - 1 Small, Boiled and Smashed - (optional)
Lime juice - per taste
Salt - per taste
Sugar - per taste
Coriander - 2 tbsp, chopped
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Oil - for frying
Milk - 1-2 tbsp
Coriander + Cumin seeds powder - 2 - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Soak sabudana  in only enough water for 3-4 hours. There should not be any excess amount of water.

2. Now add crushed peanuts, salt, sugar, coriander + cumin seeds powder to the sabudana and mix.

3. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a large shallow skillet and then add cumin seeds to it. Once they sizzle add green chili paste and mix immediately.

4. Quickly add the sabudana mixture to this and mix for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of milk, lime juice as per taste and mix again. Lid it and let it cook for 5-6 minutes on lower to medium flame.

5. Open the lid and mix the sabudana again. Adjust salt, sugar, and lime juice. Its hard to adjust the green chili now and hence you should be careful when you add it in the first place.

6. Add coriander and this makes the Sabudana Khichdi.

7. To make sabudana vadas we will add the boiled and smashed potatoes to this mixture. This will keep the vadas intact and help in binding.

8. Take a little mixture in hand and make tikkis of it.

9. Heat oil in a pan and then fry the tikkis. Serve with tomato ketchup, or a simple dahi (yogurt) raita.

10. To make this raita, add generous amount of sugar and little salt to plain yogurt. Mix it well to get dropping consistency. Add a seasoning of oil , mustard seeds and cumin seeds to it. Mix and serve with sabudana vadas.

Tips:

Another simple way to make vadas is to skip the khichdi step. Add green chili paste and lime

This year's Snowman :) :)

Vegetable Hakka Noodles (Sauted Spaghetti) with Schezwan Sauce

This Christmas we had  a potluck at our home. The special thing for this potluck was the Chinese theme :). Everyone made some kind of Chinese noodle, rice or Manchurian. The Hakka Noodles made by one of our friend was really amazing. Here is the same version oh Hakka Noodles made using not the Chinese noodles but the Spaghetti which is a Italian pasta variety. You can buy this in any American grocery store. This is a really quick snack or even a full meal.

Ingredients:

Serves 4-5

Spaghetti Pasta  - 1 pack or 16 oz
Carrots - 1 Cup, Julienned
Capsicum - 1 Cup, Julienned
Cabbage - 1 Cup, Julienned
Spring Onion - 1 Bunch
Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Schezwan Sauce - 1 tbsp (optional)
Red Chili Sauce - per taste
Vinegar - 4 tsp
Salt - per taste
Oil - 4-5 tbsp

Method:

1. Bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to taste, if desired.

2. Add the spaghetti to the boiling water. Cook for about 6 minutes of till the noodles cook.

3. Once the spaghetti  cooks, drain out the excess water and rinse it again with the cold water. This prevents sticking of the noodles to each other.

4. Heat oil in a wok or in a shallow pan. Saute carrots, capsicums and cabbage in order. Keep them a little crunchy and do not overcook.

5. Add soya sauce, red chili sauce. Mix schezwan sauce with the vinegar and add this to the veggies. Add salt. Mix well.

6. Now add the noodles and quickly mix everything.

7. Adjust the sauces and salt and sprinkle the chopped green onion . Use 2 forks if you don't have proper tools. Mix and serve.

Tips:

• Schezwan sauce is optional. It is not present in authentic Hakka Noodles.
• Use any other noodles instead  of Spaghetti.

Instant Uttappa (Semolina Crepes topped with veggies)

Uttappas are always very fulfilling. These instant Uttappas taste good and we can have as many toppings as we like.  Make them look attractive for children by spreading tomato ketchup and Sev.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Coarse Semolina (Rava)

3/4 Cup of Rice Flour

3/4 Cup of All Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup of Yogurt (Dahi)

Salt as per taste
Oil

For Topping:

Finely Chopped Onion, Capsicum, Carrot, Cabbage (whatever is liked and available in fridge :))
Garam Masala
Tomato Ketchup
Fine Sev

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients expect the veggies. Mix 1-2 Cups of warm water. Make a thick batter the way we make it for regular uttappas.

2. Allow it to soak for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat a nonstick pan, put some oil on its surface. Now pour some batter and spread it with the help of ladle. Put the veggies on top of it, sprinkle some Garam Masala. Put some oil along the edges. Let this side cook for a while and once done flip it over and let the other side cook.

4. Serve with tomato Ketchup or spread it over the Uttappa, Put some Sev and you will get Uttappa Pizza :).

Tips:

The rice flour makes these Uttappas a little crisp.

Cucumber and Tomato Open Sandwich

This is one of the favorite snacks at home. Its very easy, tastes so good and most important is very satiating. I never knew about the concept of open sandwiches until this recipe was introduced to me after marriage. Open sandwiches as the name suggests are open with some toppings on top of the bread. There are hundreds of varieties of them but this one is the first and the only one I have ever tried or eaten. Try to make this one on a sunny day as the taste and the combined flavors of all the ingredients are really refreshing.

Ingredients:

1 bread loaf(white or brown)

Green Chutney

1 bowl peeled diced Cucumber

1 bowl diced Tomato

Tamarind Chutney

Sev

Method:

1. Take a bread slice and spread green chutney on it.

2. Top it with diced cucumber and tomato.

3. Spread tamarind water on the slice as required.

4. Sprinkle sev.

Tips:

Both the chutneys when made ahead of time, the open sandwich is just a 4 step snack.

Tirangi Vada - The TriColour Bread Pakodas - make a perfect snack

The name itself tells us what this snack would look like. Yeah it has three colors which look like India's national flag and therefore the name goes as Tirangi Vada. This is a perfect snack on a rainy day with a garama garam chai and when junta is very hungry :). 

Ingredients:

Bread loaves

Tomato Ketchup

For Besan Paste:

Gram flour as per need (Besan aata)

Pinch Turmeric powder

Red Chili powder as per taste

Salt as per taste
1 tsp Asafoetida
Oil for frying

For Green Chutney:

Bunch of Coriander

Mint Leaves (pudine ke patte)
Cumin seeds

Green Chilis as required

Salt as per taste

Pinch of sugar

Method:

1. In a grinder take all the ingredients listed under Chutney , add little water and grind it to make a Chutney. Adjust pudina, water, salt , chili as per liking and taste. Make this a little pungent in taste.

2. Take a bread slice and spread green chutney over eat. Place another slice on top of it and spread tomato Ketchup on it. now cover this with a third slice.

3. Cut this sandwich into small pieces as you want.

4. Mix Gram flour, salt , red chili powder, turmeric powder and water to make a paste. (Saw way as one makes for Onion pakoras)

5. Heat oil in a skillet (kadai). Take a piece of above bread sandwich , dip it in the besan paste so that there is a thick layer of besan paste on it and deep fry in oil. Fry till it gets a slight brown color.

Serve hot :)

Tomato Omelet.... Yummy !!!

This one is again a Mama's recipe and one of my favorites. Thing I like about such recipes is that they require very little preparation time. Once the batter is done we are free to do other work and then we can make omelets when we want to eat. Also don't forget to make nariyal chutney with this. Omelets just taste perfect when accompanied with this chutney.

Other thing which I would like to share is about tomatoes. Whatever we eat is divided into 3 kinds of substances. Alkaline, Acidic and Neutral. Alkaline are good for body and help to maintain the required balance so that all the functioning in the body is going on properly. Most of the green veggies are alkaline. That's why green juices are recommended :). Well I had read some of the book and found out that tomatoes are mentioned in first 7 most alkaline foods. Here is a site that lists the alkaline foods and I found this quote by Dr. Young as well:

'Your health depends on the balance of an alkaline environment, created by eating foods such as tomatoes, avocados and green vegetables...striking the optimum 80/20 balance and regulating your body's acid/alkaline chemistry through simple changes in diet can result in weight loss, increased stamina and strength,a stronger immune system and a greater sense of wellbeing.'

I really feel such little changes make a huge difference in ones lifestyle, health and behavior. Tomato is the ingredient always present in every one's fridge and liked by all. Just eating it raw is always good. But if one gets bored we always have tons of recipes were we can use it and this one is one of them :)

Ingredients:

Serves 4

2 1/2 bowl Besan Flour
1/2 bowl Rice Flour
2 Medium size finely chopped Tomatoes
1 small finely chopped Onion
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Green chili paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp chopped Coriander
Salt as per taste
Oil

Method:

• With the help of water, mix all the above ingredients,except oil, in a bowl, adjust the chili paste and salt and make a batter not too much thick and not too much watery, medium consistency. 
• Heat a non-stick pan and spread above batter into thin omelets (the way we do it for crepes or dosas).
• Put some oil from the sides. Turn the omelet when it can be easily done (also check if its not sticking to the pan). Cook other side and serve with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney (nariyal ki chutey).

Tips:

• Some people add little amount of thick Semolina (sooji/rava) into the batter.
• One can eat this omelet along with bread.
• Rice flour makes them a little crisp.
• Chop the tomatoes and onions real fine, this will make it easy to spread omelet and have them real thin and crisp.
• Don't forget to make nariyal ki chutney. This as per my opinion is a must have besides tomato ketchup with these omelet :). I will post my version of nariyal chutney sometime :)

Quick and Easy Masala Pav

Last week while doing the grocery I bought the Bun pack and planned to make Pav Bhaji in some days. But on the day when I wanted to make it, I found out that the peas in my freezer were out of stock :( and now I had to figure out how can I use these pav. I remembered the other thing which I can make is Kacchi Dabeli but we just had Aloo paratha last night and didn't want to eat aloo again. Then I remembered this Masala Pav. I used to eat this in India. Very spicy and mouthwatering food. Different restaurants and people have different recipes. The main ingredients in here are the onion, tomatoes and Pav Bhaji masala. I googled few recipes  and then made some variations and came up with this one. It was very easy to make this one. Everybody at home liked this recipe and I am happy to have one more entry in my recipe book :)

Ingredients:

Makes 10 - 12

12 bread Buns (Pavs)
1 cup chopped Tomato
1 cup chopped Onion
3/4 cup chopped Capsicum (Green Pepper)
1-2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp Cumin + Coriander powder (dhaniyajeera)
1 tsp red chili powder
1 1/2 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala 1 tsp butter
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
Chopped Coriander for garnishing

For Puree:

1/2 cup Tomato puree
2-3 Garlic cloves

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and then add chopped Onion. Saute for a while and add chopped garlic and capsicum. Saute till onion turns soft.

2. Now add chopped tomato, mix and saute again. Add tomato + garlic puree, turmeric powder, red chili powder, dhaniyajeera powder and pav bhaji masala. Mix well and let it cook for a while. Keep sauteing.

3. Now add salt to taste, adjust the masalas as per your taste, mix and the masala is ready. (You can also add aamchoor (dried mango) powder).

4. Heat another pan. Slice a pav into 2 horizontally and apply little butter on outer faces of each side. Take some masala in this heated pan, saute a little and immediately put this masala on the lower piece of the bun. Cover this with the upper piece and then cook this pav on both the sides till it turns little brown. While doing this lid the pan.

5. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot. (just put the pav on the chopped coriander and it will stick to the pav)

Tips:

You can prepare and set aside the masala ahead of the time and use it whenever you want to actually serve.

Chatpata Corn-Poha Chaat (Corn and Beaten Rice Chaat recipe)

Kanda Poha or just poha is a daily breakfast in India. It's beacause this can me made in no time and is actually very fullfilling. Poha is called as beaten rice in enlish. Stores have 2 varieties of Poha: Thick and thin. For making kanda Poha or corn-poha chaat one should use thick variety. One additional thing needed for this chaat is corn poha (maka poha or simple corn flakes). I usually use the Chewda of corn poha. But if thats not available in your pantry you can just fry the flakes in no time. I will post the chewda recipes later some time.

Ingredients:

Serves 3-4

1 Cup sweet corn
1 Cup Poha (Beaten rice)
1 Cup Corn Poha or Corn Flakes (raw corn flakes fried)
1-2 tsp Chopped green chili
1 tbsp roasted Peanut crush (optional)
Tamarind water
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Red chili powder
Salt
Lemon juice (optional)

Method:

1.Soak the poha in water. Wash and drain all the water. Microwave sweet corns untill they boil.

2. Heat some oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add cumin seeds and green chili. Then add soaked Poha and mix well so that yellow color spreads all over. Add peanut crush. Now add sweet corn. Add salt and mix again.

3. In a bowl take flakes, crush them a little with hands, add above poha-corn mixture on it. Sprinkle some refined sugar and red chili powder on it. Add 2 tsp of tamarind water, mix again and serve immediately.

Tips:

One can also garnish with fresh chopped corriander.
Kanda Pohe is a very common breakfast in India. If they left over you can easily use them and make Corn-Poha chaat.

Back with the recipe of Gujarati Handvo / Handwa ( Lentil cake recipe )

                          I hope all my friends are doing well and posting lotsa great recipes :).
It has been a while since I posted any new recipe. Well I got some kinda work which is keeping me busy these days. I have tried many new recipes during this time but could not post them :(. Well today I got some time to post this wonderful recipe of Handvo. Handvo a.k.a Handwa is a Gujarati item and very much liked by everyone. Even my Maharashtrian friends like to eat this. Handvo can be ate as a main course item or even as a side dish. In most of the Gujarati functions and wedding parties people serve handvo as a side dish. I have referred to various sites and tried out this recipe.

Ingredients:

Serves 4-6

1 Cup Rice
1/4 Cup Channa Daal (Split Bengal Gram)

1/4 Cup Toor Daal (Yellow Lentil)

1 tbsp Urad Daal (Split Black Lentil)

1/2 cup Yogurt (sour is preferred)

2–3 finely chopped Green Chilies

2 tsp Ginger Paste

2 tsp Garlic Paste

1.5 cup of Shredded Bottlegourd/Doodhi/Lauki

1/2 tsp Carom seedsAjwain

2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Eno Fruit Salt (soda)

2 tbsp Sesame Seeds

3 tbsp Oil (divided use)

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafetida (Hing)

2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder

6-7 dried Curry Leaves

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash rice and all daals and soak them for 3-4 hours.

2. Drain water from the soaked rice and daal.Add yogurt and coarsely grind them (add little water; only if required).

3. In a mixing bowl, add batter from above and mix chopped ginger, chopped garlic, chopped green chilies, salt, sugar, ajwain, turmeric powder and shredded Lauki. Mix well.

4. In a small skillet, just medium heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add dried curry leaves and red chili powder. (the red chili powder may get burnt if the oil is normal hot; we have to just heat it a little) Add this to the above batter and mix well.

5. Cover and let this batter rest for 6-7 hours or overnight.

6. Add fruit salt and mix well; stir in one direction for a minute so that the batter becomes fluffy.

7. Divide batter into a greased cake pan. Sprinkle sesame Seeds over the top of the batter.

8. In a small skillet, heat remaining Oil. Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Switch off stove. Add asafetida to the oil and cumin seeds. Spread this oil seasoning over the top of the sesame seeds.

9. Bake at 350F (180C) for 30-40 minutes.Once done broil this on High for for 6-7 minutes. You can see a golden crust forming at the top. Let the handvo cool a bit before you serve it

Tips:

Handvo is usually eaten with tea. It can be tried with tomato ketchup or different chutneys.
Keep watch while broiling it. This is a fast process and may over broil the handvo.

My first Moong Daal Cheela (Simple variation with Paneer)

Cheela are like creepes. I first time saw these cheelas in India where a chef was making hot cheelas on a large griddle. I used to see so many recipes of Cheela made form variety of daals (lentil) and always wished to try it myself at home. Me being a Gujarati and not having tried a moong daal cheela (chila) always killed me. I was scanning a book of Viddhu Mittal from one of my friends and I found a lovely recipe in it. The addition of paneer makes this cheela look so attractive and makes everyone to have it. I still want to try all different kinds of cheelas. Being high in proteins and fibers this has become one of my favorite snack/breakfast items.

Ingredients:

1 cup Green Gram (dhuli moong daal), dehusked split
2 tbsp Bengal Gram (Chana Daal),dehusked split
(optional)
2 tsp Green Chilies, chopped
2 tsp Ginger paste
Salt to taste
Pinch of Asafetida (hing)
2 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander
Oil for frying

For topping:
1 Cup Cottage Cheese (paneer) grated
2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional)

Method:

1. Soak both the daal for 2 hours and drain the water after that.

2. Then grind both the daals , green chilies, ginger with just enough water to form a smooth batter.

3. Add salt asafetida, coriander to the batter and mix well.

4. Mix all the ingredients under topping and keep aside.

5. Heat a non-stick pan. Spread some oil. Take a ladle of batter and spread on the pan (the way we spread crepes) till 6" wide.

6. Add 1-2 tsp oil around the Cheela and let it cook until golden brown. Flip the side and let other side cook for 30 sec.

7. Now flip again , spread 1 tbsp topping, fold the cheela and serve.

Tips: 

• Other variation is to have a mixed vegetable stuffing/topping (use onion, tomato, green chili, ginger etc). One can also add grated tofu instead of paneer.
• Refrigerate the mung bean batter for upto 3 days and make fresh cheela as desired.
• Can serve with coconut chutney, corriander chutney, tomato ketchup , pickle or anything you want :)

Semolina Upma with Buttermilk- "Sanja" ....A different recipe than regular Upma

"Sanja" is a Marathi word and probably this recipe belongs to Maharashtra. My mother - in law makes this dish. This one is like Upma but the main difference lies in adding buttermilk. Butter milk actually adds the sour taste to Sanja. This recipe is pretty fast once you make butter milk and great for people with upset stomach :)), kids, oldies ...But yes, a different taste can be enjoyed by anyone.

Ingredients: Serves: 2-3

1 cup Semolina (Rava)
3 cups Water
2 tbsp Curd
Green chili paste to taste
1 tbsp Roasted Peanut Crush
Salt to taste
1 tsp Turmeric powder
For tempering -
Oil, Mustard seeds, Asafetida,
Cumin seeds, 3-4 Curry leaves (optional)
Fresh Chopped Cilantro for garnishing

Method:

1. Add curd to the water, whisk it and make buttermilk.

2. Heat oil in a shallow pan and add the ingredients for tempering. When they sizzle add chopped green chili, turmeric powder. Stir and immediately add peanut crush and semolina.

3. Now keep on roasting semolina for a while till you smell a nice flavor or till the semolina becomes little lighter.

4. Now add buttermilk and make sure you stir in continually while adding buttermilk to semolina. This is actually to avoid any lumps of semolina getting formed.

5. Now add salt, adjust the chili paste and turmeric powder as per taste and color. Let it cook for sometime, till it thickens or reaches the consistency you want. Stir in between. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Tips:

One can also add few lime juice drops to this.

Yellow Rice

Yellow rice is the best way to use any leftover rice. It requires very less time to prepare and needs no curries, no daal to enjoy.

Ingredients: Serves: 2

1 cup cooked fresh or leftover Rice

2 tsp Chopped Green Chili

1/2 cup Chopped Cilantro

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 cup chopped Onion

1/2 cup roasted peanut crush

6 - 7 Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

1 tsp Sugar

Lemon Juice

For seasoning: 4 tsp Oil, 1 tsp Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp Cumin Seeds, Pinch of Asafoetida (hing)

Method:

1. Break the rice lumps if any by hand.

2. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add Cumin seeds and asafoetida. Immediately add curry leaves and green chili, chopped onion and saute till onion turns transparent.

4. Now add turmeric powder and rice and mix it well so that the yellow color of turmeric spreads evenly.

5. Now add salt, sugar, peanut crush, 3-4 drops of lemon juice, chopped coriander and mix again. Lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes and serve hot.

Something South Indian - Instant Sooji Appe

Have you seen any Indian who has never tried a south indian dish...:) ? Nah, it's not possible. I love south Indian dishes. Today I wanted to try "Appe". These are small balls made from rice and urad daal (soaking them overnight). But I learned an instant recipe from my mother and this works out very well. Appe requires a special kind of skillet. You can have a look or buy them here. I got one from India which is a US version and has a flat bottom to work on our coils. You can eat this with tomato ketchup or coconut chutney.

Ingredients: Makes ~40 Appe

3/4 cup Sooji (semolina)
1/2 cup Idli rava (optional)
1/2 cup Rice flour (This gives little crispyness to them)
3/4 cup chopped Onion
1 cup Yogurt (curd)
3 tsp Green chili paste (or as per taste)
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp chopped fresh Coriander
2 tsp crushed dry Curry leaves
3 tsp cumin seeds (optional)

Oil to make Appe

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except for the oil. Adjust the chili and salt as per taste.

2. Heat the Appe skillet and add 1 tsp oil to each of it's groove.

3. When the oil heats up add about 2 tsp Appe batter to each of the groove.

Make sure to give Appe some space to pop out. Now lid this for about 40 seconds.

4. Remove the lid and check for edges, to see if they are turning brown and if Appe can be easily removed. If so turn the Appe upside down and let the other side cook.

5. Add oil if required. Adjust heat and let the other side cook for some time before getting them out.

Tips:

Enjoy Appe with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

Hyderabadi Toast

Hyderabadi toast is one of my favorite snacks. I don't know why this recipe is called Hyderabadi toast, well I never thought about that; I just enjoy making and eating it. It's simple, healthy, takes very little time, actually no cooking is at all required and adds a different taste.

Ingredients: Serves 1

2 Slices of bread

1/2 Capsicum seeded

1/2 medium size firm Tomato
1/2 medium size Onion
1 tbsp Plain yogurt (curd)

2 tsp fine Semolina (Rava)

3 tsp Cream

2 tsp Chopped Green Chili

1 tsp Salt
1-2 tsp sugar

Tomato Ketchup (Sauce)

You will also need a sandwich-maker.

Method:

1. De-seed tomato and chop capsicum, tomato, onion and add to the mixing bowl.

2.  Add yogurt, cream, semolina, chili, salt, sugar, black pepper(if you like) to the bowl and mix again. Take a slice of bread and spread this mixture over it.

3. Take other slice of bread and spread tomato ketchup on it and place this slice over the previous one from step 1

4. Now spread some butter on the outer sides of both the breads. Plug in the sandwich-maker and place this sandwich in it until the bread turns brown or becomes crispy.

Tips:

If you don't like tomato ketchup inside you can skip that step .

Isn't that an easy recipe ???? :)

Kacchi Dabeli

Dabeli is again a hot favorite chaat item of Indians. I never knew we can make it at home. It is very easy to make if you have dabeli masala available. Check out for this masala in any Indian store.

Dabeli potato mixture

Ingredients: Serves: 2

For potato mixture:

Chopped Onion 2 Tbsp (opt)
Chopped Tomato 2 Tbsp (opt)

2-3 medium size potatoes

Dabeli masala
Red Chili powder per taste
Salt per taste

1/4 cup chopped coriander

For Garlic-Coconut Chutney (optional):

6-7 garlic cloves

1 tbsp dried/fresh grated coconut

Salt, red chili powder as per taste

For Green Chutney:

Handful of fresh corriander
1 Tsp Cumin seeds
sale per taste
Lemon Juice per taste
or you can also look at my Vegetable Sandwich post for the recipe of Green Chutney.

For Tamarind Chutney: Click here

Pomegranate seeds (optional)

1 medium onion - chopped

Butter

Sev

2-3 tsp Oil

4 plain Buns

Salt as per taste

Method:

Dabeli potato mixture

Potato mixture:

1. Boil, peel and smash potatoes. Heat oil in a skillet, saute onion, and tomato. Add about 1 - 2 tbsp of kacchi dabeli masala, red chilli powder and salt as per taste. Add smashed potatoes to it. Mix well. And let it cook for 3-5 minutes.

2. Set this mixture in a plate, garnish it with coriander and grated fresh coconut and let it cool.

Masala Peanuts:

Take roasted peanuts. Heat some ghee/butter in a small skillet. Add peanuts to it. Saute them for 3-4 minutes. Then add salt , little dhaniya jeera powder and red chili powder to them as per taste.

Garlic-Coconut chutney:

Grind garlic, coconut, salt and red chili powder together. Add water as required to it. This chutney is as watery as tamarind chutney.

Green Chutney:

Grind all ingredients to form a paste.

To make dabeli take a bun and cut it into 2 halves; top and base. Take the top bun and spread both the chutneys (garlic and green) on its lower side. Spread tamarind chutney on both the buns. Spread potato mixture, chopped onion, few masala peanuts, and few pomegranate seeds on one of the buns. Now place the top part on the lower so as to form the original bun again and spread some butter on outer sides of both the parts. Heat a pan and place dabeli on it. When the base turn little brown, invert the bun and repeat this for upper half. Put some sev on top and serve hot.

I will soon add the complete Dabeli picture.

Ragada(Ragda) Pattice

Ever wondered a choupati without Ragada Pattice...No way :)

Every Indian enjoys 'chaats' and without any doubts Ragada Pattice is one of the favorites of all. This one is a different recipe than what is served at Choupati centers. Ragada pattice indeed takes some preparation time but its easy to serve.

Ingredients:

For Pattice:

2 medium size potato

2 bread loafs

2 tsp ginger paste

Green chili paste, Salt as per taste

Few drops of Lemon juice

Few Coriander leaves; chopped

Little sugar

For Ragada:

2 cups fresh or frozen Green peas

1 tbsp chopped onion

1 tbsp chopped tomato

2-3 tsp Garam Masala as per

Vertical slits of 1 Green chili

1 Clove

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp Chai Masala

Salt as per taste

4-5 tsp of oil, mustard seeds,
asafoetida (hing), cumin seeds for seasoning

For Green Chutney:

1 tbsp roasted Chana Dal

1 tbsp roasted Peanuts

1 1/2 tbsp fresh grated coconut

1 tbsp Cilantro

1/4" cube ginger

1-2 Green chili

Salt and little sugar as per taste

1 tsp Jeera

For Imli ki Chutney: Click Here

Method:

Pattice:

1. Boil, peel and smash the potatoes.

2. Soak the bread slice in little water, squeeze them in between the hands and add to the potato smash.

3. Add all other ingredients and mix well the patty mixture.

4. Now make small patties of any shape you like (round, heart or leaf shape); put semolina on both sides of it and shallow fry all of them.

Ragada:

1. Boil the peas, smash them a little and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and add clove and bay leaf. When they start to sizzle add all the seasoning ingredients.

3. Immediately add chopped onion and fry till they turn trasparent. Now add chopped tomato and green chili and saute a little.

4. Add garam masala, chai masala and salt as per taste. Add boiled peas, put some water and let it cook for 5-6 minutes.

Green Chutney:

Grind all the ingredients in a mixy. Add water as required. This chutney is bit watery but not as watery as Imli ki chutney.

How to serve:

In a bowl put 2-3 patties. Put some ragada on top of it, then put green chutney, imli ki chutney and sev in sequence.
Garnish with chopped onion and coriander.

Methi and Palak Thepla (Fenugreek leaves and Spinach Paratha)

Back in my school days I remember my friends getting crazy for the mouthewatering and satiating theplas made by my mother. Thepla is a popular gujrati food item and its next to impossible to find any gujrati to not have eaten a thepla :)...The best thing about them is the flour and green ingredients which increase the nutrition value. I tried this recipe for first time and I bet mom would really like them.

Ingredients: Serves: 10 - 12 theplas

1 Cup Bajra flour

2 Cup Wheat flour

3/4 Cup Besan flour (optional)

1 tbsp Fresh fenugreek leaves, chopped
1 tbsp Spinach leaves, chopped (optional)
2 tsp green chili paste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 Cup fresh yogurt
Salt as per taste
Oil ('mohan') 1 tbsp
Some wheat flour for rolling the dough balls

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients and knead the dough. Add little water as required.

2. Make 10-12 even balls from the dough and set aside.

3.Take one ball, flatten it in the bowl containing the wheat flour on one side, flip it over and flatten it again.

4. Start rolling it on the block/flat slab with a roller. Rolling should be from inside to out. Roll till we get about 6" diameter disc thepla.

5. Heat the pan and place the thepla on it so that the upper side is now facing the pan.

6. As this side cooks turn quickly to bake other side. Then when other side cooks well put some oil on it, turn and with the help of spatula make sure all sides get cooked and oil spreads to all the sides. You can again turn the thepla and cook the back side.

Tips: Eat with pickle, curd or tea.

Corn-Poha Chat (Corn - Beaten Rice)

This recipe adds variety in your kitchen. Take no time to prepare.

Ingredients: Serves 3-4

1 Cup sweet corn
1 Cup Poha (Beaten rice)
1 Cup Corn Flakes (Fried flakes)
2 tsp Chopped green chili
Tamarind water
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Red chili powder
Salt
Lemon juice (optional)

Method:

1.Soak the poha in water. Wash and drain all the water. Microwave sweet corns for 5-6 minutes.

2. Take some oil into pan, add mustard seeds and when they splutter add cumin seeds and green chili. Then add Poha and mix well so that yellow color spreads all over. Now add sweet corn. Add salt and mix again.

3. In a bowl take flakes, crush them a little with hands, add above poha-corn mixture on it. Sprinkle some refined sugar and red chili powder on it. Add 2 tsp of tamarind water in it. Mix again and Serve

Tips:

Poha is a very common breakfast in India. If they left you can easily use them and make Corn-Poha chat.