North indian carrot, mango pickle

Ingredients :

• Finely cut [ lenth wise ] - 2 cups
• Mango [ raw ] - 1 big [ cut into pieces ]
• Mustard oil - 1 / 4 kg.
• Salt - as required
• Vinegar - 2 table spoon
• Grated jaggery - little
• Red chilli powder - 1 / 4 cup dehusked yellow mustard - 1 1 / 2 tbls [ broken ]
• Coriander powder - 1 tsps.

Method :

Wash the vegetables in luke warm water strain and spread on a cloth to dry up excess moisture. Dry well and then cut lenthly. Heat oil in a kadai add vegetables and fry for 1 minute. Take the pieces alone from oil. Keep aside. Again in the same oil, add masala powder, mustard, coriander powder, salt and chilli powder. Mix well and remove from the fire.Dissolve grated jaggery in vinegar. [ do not heat .] Add the vegetables to that. Store it in a clean dry bottle. Use it  after 2 days.

Kothimbir Vadi [Maharashtrian Dish]

Main Ingredients :

• 2 cups of coriander leaves - washed and chopped
• 3-4 tablespoon gram flour
• 1/2 tablespoon rice flour
• 2 teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoon curd
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar ( optional)
• salt to taste

Ingredients for Seasoning:

• 2 teaspoon oil
• 2 teaspoon white sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
• 4 to 5 few curry leaves
• 1 green chili chopped

Method:

Combine all the main ingredients together in a bowl and knead to make a firm, smooth dough. Add little water if required and shape it into a rectangular.
Prepare the steamer with water. Grease a dish of steamer and place the vadi  in the steamer plate. Steam the vadis in the steamer for about 15-20 minutes on high heat.
Once steamed, allow it to rest for about a minute and take it out and cool completely. Once cooled completely, cut the vadies  into 15 equal slices or bite size pieces.
Heat oil in a pan; add mustard and cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Add in the asafoetida, the curry leaves, green chilies and sesame seeds. Stir well for about 30 seconds.
Add in the steamed vadi  into the seasoning and stir fry for about a minute.  This is so that the vadis get  well coated with the seasoning. Serve warm with hot tea or just as it is for snack.

Methi subji [Maharashtrain Style]

Ingredients :

• Methi leaves - 1 bundle [ wash and chopped ]
• Onion - 2 to 3 [ peeled and chopped ]
• Green chillie - 2 [ slit in to 3 pieces ]
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Fresh grated coconut - 1 / 4 cup
• Fried peanuts - 1 / 4 cup [ powder in mixture ]
• Oil - 2 table spoon
• Cummin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp

Method :

Heat oil in a frying pan, add cummin seeds. When it splutters add onions along with slit green chillies. Fry till onion become transparent.  Then add methi leaves, fry for 2 minutes. Add salt and turmeric powder. When all the water gets absorbed, put peanut powder, grated coconut and fry  till subji becomes almost dry.  Remove from the gas. Serve with roti, and  dahl rice etc.

Grill sandwich

Ingredients :

• Bread [ fresh ] - family pack
• Amul butter - 1 / 2 cup
• Green chutney - 1 / 4 cup

 [ grind coriander leaves, palak leaves 2 to 3, green chillies, roasted & peeled ground nuts little, 1 tsp of lemon juice, salt. Grind all together to a fine paste . ]

Required vegetables :

• Potato - 2 [ boiled peeled and sliced ]
• Beet root - 1 [ boiled peeled and sliced ]
• Onion - 1 [ peeled and sliced ]
• Tomatoes - 2 [ sliced ]
• Cucumber - 2 [ peeled and sliced ]
• Capsicum - 1  [ sliced ]

Method :

Take 2 slice bread and apply butter. Then take 2 bread slices and apply green chutney and keep aside. Then keep vegetables in bread slices [ one by one ] and close with other piece of bread. Press gently and keep in between the well greased electric grill sandwich toaster. When the both sides become brown remove from the toaster. While serving cut into 4 pieces and serve with green chutney and tomato sauce.

Potato cake

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1 / 2 kg
• Sugar - 1 kg
• Sugarless koa - 100 gms
• Cardamom powder - little
• Borneal flakes [ pacha karpuram ] - little
• Saffron - a pinch
• Kesar colour - a pinch

Method -

Pressure cook potatoes. Then peel outer skin and mash without any lumps. Then mix koa with the mashed potatoes well till both blends properly. Then keep one heavy bottom kadai [ non- stick ] on fire with sugar and enough water to cover it. Boil the syrup till two string consistency is reached. Remove  from the gas and add potato mixture and stir well till it blends, without forming any lumps. Again keep it back over fire and stir well. Add ghee and mix well till halwa starts to leave sides of the vessel. Mix colour, cardamom powder, powdered borneal, saffron [ which is dissolved in hot milk ] and mix well. Pour on a greased tray. Allow it to cool and then cut into pieces. Your tasty potato cake is ready to eat.

Note : You can use sweet potato  also.

Til Mil Matar

Ingredients :

• Fresh shelled peas [ matar ] - 2 cups [ boiled ]
• Tomato - 1 [ cut into small pieces ]
• Fenugreek leaves [ kasoori methi ] - 2 table spoon
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Sesame seeds - 1 1 / 2 tsp [ dry roasted, to garnish ]
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Fresh cream  - 1 table spoon

Spice mixture for gravy :

• Onions - 2 [ roughly chopped ]
• Garlic flakes - 2
• Sesame seeds [ till ] - 2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - 1 / 2 tsp

 [ grind all together using little water to a fine paste in mixcer. ]

Method :

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadai. Reduce heat, add the spice mixture and fry for 3 minutes till nice smell comes. Stirring continuously. Add tomato pieces, boiled peas and kasoori methi. Fry for some more time till oil comes out. Fry in low flame. Finely sprinkled with a roasted sesame seeds. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh cream. Serve with roti, parathas.

Wheat pongal

Ingredients :

• Broken wheat [ lawpsi ] - 1 cup [ soaked overnight ]
• Rice - 1 / 2 cup
• Toovar dahl - 1 / 4 cup
• Moong dahl - 1 / 4 cup
• Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt -as required
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece [ finely chopped ]
• Green chillies - 2 [ finely chopped ]
• Black pepper - 12 [ crushed ]
• Cummin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Vegetable used :

• Potatoes - 2 [ peeled and cut into small pieces ]
• Carrots - 1 / 2 cup [ cut into small pieces ]
• French beans - 1 / 2 cup [ cut into small pieces ]
• Fresh peas - 1 / 4 cup
• Tomatoes - 2 [ cut into small pieces ]

For seasoning :
Ghee - 4 to 5 table spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 1 [ broken ]
Curry leaves - little
Onion - 2 [ peeled and sliced ]

For garnishing :
Coriander leaves - little
Cashewnut bits - 10 to 12 [ fried in ghee ]

Method :

In soaked wheat rava [big ] add the washed rice, both dahl, green chilli, ginger, crushed pepper, cummin seeds, asafoetida, salt ,  turmeric powder and tamarind paste . Mix well, add more water and to bring it to 2" above the level of the rice. Pressure cook and wait for 3 whistles to come. Cook the vegetables adding just enough water and little salt. Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustard seeds, red chillies, curry leaves and onion slices. Fry till the onion is light brown and crisp. Add the boiled vegetable and saute for 5 minutes in low flame. Add to the wheat pongal, mix well adding 2 tbspn of ghee  at the end. Garnish with coriander leaves and fried cashewnuts. Transfer to a vessel and serve hot with coconut chutney and sambhar.