Tuesday 29 April 2014

White Gravy





Ingredients :

  • Fresh curds - 1 cup
  • Fresh cream - 1 / 2 cup
  • Grated cheese or paneer - 1 tsp
  • Milk - 1 cup
  • Cashew nuts broken - 1 tbsp
  • Peanuts husked and lightly roasted -  1tsp
  • Khuskhus seeds - 1 tsp [ soaked in little milk ]
  • Green chillies - 2 to 3
  • Ginger - small piece
  • Coriander leaves - little [ finely chopped ]
  • Bread slice -1 [ only white portion ]
  • Sugar - 1tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Cinnamon - clove powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Ghee or oil - 4 tbsp.

Method :

Grind  cashew, peanuts, and bread  [ together ]  in dry mixie and keep aside. Then grind  onion, green chillies, khuskhus together adding little milk and make smooth paste. Then keep one heavy kadai, heat oil or ghee, and add onion paste. Fry for 5 minutes, add curds and cook [ stir ] continuously till whiteness of curds disappears. Then add milk, bring to a boil. Add sugar, salt, dry mixture, spice powder and cream. Stir gently till it starts boiling. At this stage add boiled vegetables. Cover and cook for few minutes more till the gravy becomes thick and mix well. Garnished with grated cheese, and chopped coriander leaves. You can also add some cherries.

Red Tomato Gravy







Ingredients :

  • Red big tomatoes - 3
  • Big onions -2
  • Capsicum [ red ] - 1
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
  • Cashews or peanuts - 2 tbsp
  • Ginger & garlic [ crushed ] - 1 tsp
  • Cinnamon - clove powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Oil or ghee - 2 tsp

Method :

Dry roast cashews or peanuts lightly. Then grind coarsely. Make puree  of  tomato and capsicum together. This should be done in food chopper or grated.Chopped onions finely and keep aside. Then heat oil or ghee in a heavy pan. Add ginger, garlic and stir for a minute. Add onions and stir fry till light pink, add tomato puree and allow to boil. When it start boiling add all other masalas, salt, sugar and crushed nuts. Cover and simmer till the gravy becomes thick and oil separating. Remove from the gas and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.Add required boil vegetables in this gravy.

Sunday 27 April 2014

Green Gravy




Ingredients :

  • Fresh spinach [ palak ] chopped, washed and drained - 4 cups
  • Onion finely chopped - 1 / 4 cup
  • Ginger [ grated ] - 1 tsp\
  • Wheat flour - 2 tsp
  • Green chillies - 3 to 4 
  • Cheese grated [ optional ] - 1tbsp
  • Salt - as required 
  • Lemon juice - 1 tsp
  • Soda bicarb - a pinch
  • Cinnamon - clove powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Oil - 4 tbsp.


Method :

Take spinach in a largr vessel, add soda and toss to mix. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. water all over it. Then cover and keep on the gas on high flame for 3 minutes. Then make it cool in a plate or place under water. Put in a mixie, along with chillies, flour and a pinch of salt. Run till semi - smooth. Then heat oil in a pan, add ginger, cinnamon, clove powder and stir. Add onions, stir fry till its change in ti light pink clour. Then  add blended spinach mixture,  all other ingredients except cheese. Allow to cook 5 minutes more in low flame. Add prepare vegetables at this stage.Cook for 3 minutes more till all vegetables mix with gravy. Garnisnh with grated cheese before serving.


 

Curd Gravy





Ingredients :

  • Curds fresh and thick - 1 cup
  • Red chilli powder - 1 1 /2 tsp
  • Dhania powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Salt - as required
  • Mustard and cumin seeds each - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Curry leaves - 1 spring [ fresh ]
  • Wheat flour - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 2 tbl. sps.
  • Water - 1 cup


Method :

Beat curds with a spoon till well broken. Then keep aside. Then mix all masalas in 2 tbsp of water, dissolve.  After that, heat oil and add mustard, cumin seeds. When it splutter add asafoetida, curry leaves and dissolved masala and stir. Keep the gas in low flame. When the oil separates, add curds, stir continuously till whiteness of curds vanishes. Dissolve the wheat flour in remaining water, and add to the gravy. When its start boiling add the veggies. [ at this stage ] Simmer till gravy becomes thick. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with rice, or roti.


Note :

Use fresh curd & serve for the same day.

Saturday 26 April 2014

Brown Gravy



Ingredients :

  • Tomato - 1 [ finely chopped ]
  • Big onion - 1 [ cut in slices ]
  • Ginger, garlic grated - 1 tsp
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbl. sps.
  • Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
  • Wheat flour - 1 tsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Dhania powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Salt - to taste
  • Dry roast together cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, whole dry red chillies [ each 2 no. ]

Method :

Dry roast wheat flour to a light pink, stirring continuously. Keep aside. Heat oil, add onions, fry till well browned. Drain well by pressing, putting back oil in pan. Make it cool and grind in mixie. Keep aside.In remaining hot oil, add cumin seeds allow to splutter. Add asafoetida, tomato, ginger garlic stir fry for a minute. Add all dry and ground masalas, flour, stir well. Add tamatind paste, salt and stir. Simmer till gravy is thick and oil starts to separate. Add prepared veg and stir, keep cooking for 3 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, serve with parathas, rotis, etc.

Basic gravy





Ingredients :

  • Tomato - 2
  • Onions - 2
  • Garlic flakes - 3 to 4
  • Ginger - small piece
  • Dry red chillies - 4 to 5 [ deseeded ]
  • Fresh curds - 1 / 2 cup
  • Cashews broken - 7 to 8
  • Oil - 1 tbl. sps.
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Dhania powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Cinnamon - clove powder - 1 / 4 tsp
  • Salt as required

Method :

Grind all ingredients together except oil [ use mixer if hand grinder not available ]
Heat oil, add paste, stir. Fry till oil separates. Then add 1 cup of water, bring to boil, simmer till the gravy become thick. Can be prepared by onion and tomato. Grind to a smooth texture.
Can be stored in freezer for 3 to 4 days.
Use this gravy with vegetables and make side dish for paratha, roti.

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Capsicum Chat

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Ingredients :
  • Red capsicum - 3 [ cut in to round pieces ]
  • Thin sev - 1 / 4 cup
  • Sweet chutney - 1 / 4 cup
  • Green chutney - 1 / 4 cup
  • Chaat masala - 2 tsp
  • Kala namak [ black salt ] - 1 tsp
  • Anar dana - little
  • Boiled potato - 2 big [ peel and mashed ]
  • Onion - 2 big [ finely chopped ]
  • Fresh curd - 1 cup [ beaten ]
  • Boiled rice - 1 / 4 cup
  • Salt - as required
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Oil - for frying
  • Cabbage - 1 / 4 cup [ grated ]
  • Carrot - 1 / 4 cup [ grated ]
  • Bread grums - 3 tbl. sps.
  • Conflour - 3 tbl. sps.
  • Chopped coriander leaves - little

Method :

Heat the oil in kadai, add finely chopped onion and saute for a minute. Then add grated cabbage, carrot, finely chopped green chillies, ginger. Then add mashed potatoes. Mix well.

Add salt, chaat masala, red chilli powder and then boiled rice. Mix all together and keep aside. Then stuff the mixture to red capsicum [See photo]. Sprinkle conflour and bread grums on bot the sides. Keep it in a hot tawa, add little oil [Shallow Fry]. When it becomes golden brown on both the sides, remove from the tawa and arrange them properly in a plate. Before serving, pour 1 tsp of beaten curd [See photo], 1tsp of green and sweet chutney. Sprinkle little anar dhana, chopped onions  chopped coriander leaves and sev. Ready to serve.

Thursday 17 April 2014

Sprouted green gram [ moong ] fried rice






Ingredients :

  • Sprouted green gram - 1 / 2 cup
  • Basmathi rice - 1 cup [ soaked in water for 15 minutes ]
  • Green chillies - 2 [ slit ]
  • Big onion - 2 [ cut into small pieces ]
  • Carrots - 2 [ cut into small cubes ]
  • Capsicums - 1 big [ chopped ]
  • Fresh green peas - little
  • Caramalised sugar - 1 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Garam masala - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 2 tbl sps.
  • Ghee - 3 tbl. sps.

For seasoning :

  • Cinnamon - 1inch piece [ cut into small pieces ]
  • Cloves- 2 to 3
  • Cardamom - 2
  • Bay leaf - 2

Method :

Soak rice for 15 minutes. Slice onions, carrots, capsicums. Prepare sprouted gram previous day. Cook rice in enough water to which little oil and salt is added. Drain through a colander and allow to cool. Then heat oil and ghee together on frying pan, add seasonings. When it spulter add onions, green chilli. After a minute add carrots, peas, capsicum and sprouted gram in the order given one by one leaving gap of 1 or 2 minutes in between. When the vegetables and green gram become soft add  cooked cooled  rice, caramalised sugar, garam masala. Check the salt. Stir in a high flame for 5 minutes till rice becomes hot. Remove from the gas. Serve hot with boondhi raitha and banana wafer.

[ soak whole green gram[ moong ] in water for 6 to 8 hours. Strain through a clean muslin cloth and tie well. Hang it for a day to sprout. Sprinkle water in between. ]

Monday 14 April 2014

Poha [ aval ] spicy pongal



Ingredients :

  • Poha [ aval ] - 1 cup [ thick ]
  • Moong dal - 1 / 4 cup [ boiled ]
  • Oil - 3 table spoon
  • Water - 4 cups
  • Ghee - 3 table spoon
  • Black pepper - 3 tsp
  • Cummin seeds - 2 tsp
  • Ginger - 2 tsp [ peeled and chopped ]
  • Cashew nuts [ halved ] - 2 table spoon [ fried in ghee ]
  • Green chillie - 1 [ chopped ]
  • Curry leaves - little
  • Asafoedida - 1 / 4 tsp

Method :

Take one small cooker. heat ghee and oil together, fry cashew nuts, green chilli, pepper, cummin seeds, asafoetida, and  curry leaves. When it splutters, add poha and fry till it turns in colour. Then add boiled moong dal, salt , 4 cups water and pressure cook till 3 whistle comes. Then remove from the gas. Then open the lid add  more ghee and mix well. Serve hot  with coconut chutney.

Friday 11 April 2014

Guvar ki subji [ Gujarati Type ]



Ingredients :

  • Guvar [ kothavaraikai ] - 1 / 2 k. g.
  • Onions - 1/ 4 k. g. [ cut in lenth wise ]
  • Tomatoes - 2 [ chopped ]
  • Salt - as required
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Coriander, cumminseed powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Garam masala powder - 1 / 4 tsp
  • Sugar - 1 tsp
  • Chopped coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :

  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
  • Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Method :

Wash and cut the guvar in to one inch pieces. Then heat the oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds. When  the mustard seeds splutter add asafoetida. Put the onions, saute till golden brown. Add the guvar pieces and a little water. Cover and cook till the subji  is tender. Add the chopped tomatoes and all the dry masalas. Continue cooking for 10 minutes in low flame. When the subji gets ready remove from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti and rice.

Thursday 10 April 2014

Dal Banjari





Ingredients :

  • Urad dal [ split black lentils with skin ] - 1 cup
  • Chana dal [ split bengal gram ] - 1 / 2 cup
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Sliced onions - 1 / 2 cup
  • Cloves [ laung ] - 2
  • Cinnamon [ dalchini ] - 1 stick 
  • Dry whole red chillies - 2 [ broken into pieces ]
  • Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
  • Finely chopped green chillies - 2
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Ghee - 2 tbsp

For the garnish :

  • Chopped coriander leaves - little
  • Ginger [ cut into thin strips [ juliennes ] - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Clean and wash the dals together. Pressure cook with the turmeric powder, salt and 3 cups of water for 4 to 5 whistles or till the dal is cooked. Then heat the ghee in a pan, add the onions, cloves, cinnamon and red chillies and saute till onions turn into golden brown. Then add the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and red chilli powder. Saute for 2 minutes. Add this to the cooked dal and boil for 4 to 5 minutes. Serve hot garnished with the chopped coriander and ginger strips.

Thursday 3 April 2014

Masala Dal



Ingredients :

  • Yellow moong dal -  1 / 4 cup
  • Masoor dal - 1 / 4 cup
  • urad dal - 1 / 4 cup
  • Toovar dal - 1 / 4 cup
  • Grated onions - 3 / 4 cup
  • Chopped tomatoes - 3 / 4 cup
  • Salt - as required 
  • Oil - 3 tbsp

To be ground in to a paste :

  • Garlic flakes - 4 to 5
  • Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
  • Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 4 tsp
  • Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
  • Kashmiri dry red chillies - 6
  • Ginger - 1 inch piece
  • Cinnamon - 2 to 3 pieces
  • Balack pepper - 3 to 4
  • Cloves - 2

For garnishing -: chopped coriander leaves

Method :

Wash all the dals together and soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside. Add 3 cups of water and cook in pressure cooker till it becomes soft. heat the oil and fry the onions till they turn translucent. Then add the ground paste and fry for 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and fry again for 5 minutes. Then add the cooked dals, salt and 1 glass of water. Bring to boil for 5 to 10 minutes in lower flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Palak Toovar Dal



Ingredients :

  • Toovar dal - 1 / 2 cup
  • Spinach [ palak ] - 2 cups [ chopped ]
  • Ginger - 1 tsp [ finely chopped ]
  • Green chillies - 1 tsp [ finely chopped ]
  • Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Lemon juice - 1 tsp
  • Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
  • Salt - as required
  • Chopped coriander - 2 tbsp

For seasoning :

  • Bay leaves - 2
  • Cloves - 2
  • Whole dry red chillies -3 [ broken in to pieces ]
  • Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Oil - 1 tsp

Method :

Clean,  wash and soak the toovar dal in water for 2 hours. Drain and keep aside. Then mix soaked toovar dal, ginger, green chillies, turmeric powder, salt, and 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistle. Then transfer to a large pan, add the palak and lemon juice and bring to boil. For seasoning, heat oil in a pan. Add the bay leaves, cloves, red chillies, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds crackle, pour the seasoning over the cooked dal. Add the chilli powder and chopped coriander, mix well and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot with roti, and steamed rice.