Besani Bhindi [ Ladies Finger Subji ]

Ingredients :

• Bhindi [ ladies finger ] - 250 gm [ small and tender ]
• Small onion - 4 to 5 [ cut into four and separated ]
• Oil - 4 tbsp
• Ginger paste - 11/2 tsp
• Besan [ gram flour ] - 3 tbsp
• Aniseeds [ saunf ] -1/2 tsp

Powered masala:

• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Amchoor [ dried mango powder ] - 1/2 tsp

Method :

Wash, drain and wipe dry with a clean kitchen towel. Then slice off 1/4 from the top & bottom of each bhindi, make a slit in each piece. Keep the bhindi in a large pan. Then mix all the ingredients of the powdered masala together. Sprinkle this masala over the bhindi. Then heat oil in a big kadai,add saunf. Reduce the flame when the saunf changes colour, add besan, cook in low flame till it changes colour. Add ginger paste, stir for a few seconds and add the bhindi along with onions. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium flame, stirring in between till completely cooked. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with roti, rasam rice.

Kalyana Kotsu [No onion and tomato]

Ingredients:

• Moong dal - 2 tbsp [soak in water]
• Bengal gram - 1 tbsp [soak in the water]
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Small Brinjal - 1[cut into small pieces]
• Carrot - 1 [cut into small cubes]
• Small Potato - 1 [cut into small pieces]
• Fresh green peas - little
• Green chillies - 2 to 3
• Salt - As required
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 sp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - little
• Coriander leaves - little
• Jaggery - little

For seasoning:

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

Grind both the dals together in a mixer and keep aside. Then take one small cooker and add oil. When it becomes hot, add the seasoning. When the dal changes its colour, add the vegetables, ground dal paste, all the dry masalas and mix well. Add the tamarind paste, jaggery and required water. Close the cooker and allow for about 3 whistles to come. After the pressure goes, open the cooker, garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves. Serve hot with pongal, rice, idli and dosas.

Peas Paratha

Ingredients :

• Fresh or frozen peas - 2 cups
• [ cooked with salt and a pinch of soda-bi-carb to retain green colour. This is optional ]
• Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
• Green chillies - 6 to 7 [ chopped ]
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece [ grated ]
• Salt - as required
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - little
• Sugar - 2 tsp
• Oil - 1/4 cup
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Rice flour - 2tbsp

Grind together :

Grind green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, coriander, sugar, lemon juice and little salt in mixer and keep aside.

Method :

Make a soft dough mixing flour, oil, salt and water. Divide into lime size balls. Grind the peas, add the paste and mix well. Divide the mixture into balls larger than the balls of dough. Then flattten each dough ball, place the peas mixture ball in centre and carefully cover it with the dough. Flatten slightly, sprinkle some rice flour and roll out to about 4 inch circles. Roast on hot tawa using oil on both sides. Serve hot with thick curd and pickle.

Vegetable Medley

 

Ingredients :

• French beans - 1/2 cup [ cut inti 1/2 inch pieces ]
• Carrots - 1/2 cup [ chopped fine ]
• Cauli flower florets - 1 cup
• Peas - 1/4 cup [ shelled ]
• Potatoes - 2 [ peeled and chopped finely ]
• Capsicum 1 [ chopped ]
• Salt -  as required 
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Dhaniya powder - 1/2 tsp
• Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Method :

Heat oil in deep bottom kadai, add all chopped vegetables. Sprinkle water, cover and cook on high flame for 10 minutes. Add all the  masalas and mix well. Cook till  all the vegetables become soft. Keep the gas in low flame. Garnish with fresh cream and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with pulkas and parathas.

Vegetable Rava Uppuma

Ingredients :

• Sooji [ rava ] - 1 cup
• Chopped vegetables - 1/2 cup [ finely chopped ]
• [ onions, carrot, green peas, potato and tomatoes ]
• Salt - as required
• Water - 2 to 21/2 cups
• Green chilli - 1 finely chopped
• Ginger - 1/2 inch piece [ finely chopped ]
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Ghee- 3 tbsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Curry leaves - little
• Fresh coriander leaves - little

For seasoning :

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Black broken dal - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dal - 1/2 tsp

Method :

Take one deep kadai, heat oil in high flame for 2 minutes. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, bengal gram dal, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and asafoetida. When the dals change in colour, add onions and mix well. Then add vegetables and tomatoes, fry for another 3 minutes. Then add rava and mix well. Then add boiled water along with salt. Keep the gas in low flame stir well till rava completey cooked. Add ghee to that mix well. Garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves. Add roasted peanuts, cashew nuts to uppuma for a crunchy flavor.

Minty Green Peas Soup

                                                  Minty Green Peas Soup




Ingredients :

• Green peas [ shelled ] - 2 cups
• Onions - 2 medium size
• Water - 4 to 5 cups
• Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
• Fresh cream - 1/2 cup
• Butter - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Black pepper - to taste

Method :

Heat butter in a deep dish on high flame for 1 minute. Then add chopped onions, stir and fry for 2 minutes. Then add shelled peas, water, mint leaves, salt and black pepper. Mix well and cook on high flame for 10 minutes till peas become soft. When done, cool and grind in mixture, and strain in a soup strainer. Cook again on high flame for a minute. Remove from the gas and serve hot with  fresh cream.

Cauli Flower Soup

                                                  Cauli Flower Soup



Ingredients :

• Fresh cauliflower - 1 medium size
• [ chopped fine [ only the flower ]
• Potato - 2
• Vegetable stock - 3 cups
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Maida - 2 tbsp
• Butter - 1 tbsp
• Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
• Salt - as required

Method :

Pressure cook the flowerettes, and potatoes. Peel the potatoes and mash both well and keep aside. Mix butter and maida  along with milk and keep aside. Add water to this and cook well till it boils, when it started boiling  add mashed cauliflower and potatoes to that. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Add salt and pepper to that and serve hot.

Yellow Pumpkin Soup

                                                  Yellow Pumpkin Soup




Ingredients :

Pumpkin - 1/2 kg
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Butter - 3 tbsp
Milk - 1 litre
Salt - as required
Pepper powder - 1tbsp
Bread toast - for garnishing
Water - 1 cup

Method :

Peel the pumpkin and chop it into large pieces. In a deep pan, add butter. When it melts, add pumpkin pieces and fry them. Add salt, pepper powder, ginger paste and water and cook till pumpkin is soft. Blend this mixture in a mixie along with 1 cup of milk. In a pan, add the remaining milk and pumpkin pieces and cook for 10 minutes. Serve with bread toasts.

Tomato Soup

Ingredients :

• Red ripe tomatoes - 500 gms.
• Onions - 2 medium sized
• Carrot - 1
• Potato - 1 small size
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - as required
• Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
• Fresh coriander leaves - little [ for garnishing ]
• Fresh cream - 1 tsp [ for garnishing ]
• Bread toast - little

Method :

Scrape the carrot, peel onions, potato and cut them into 4. Then pressure cook tomatoes, onions, carrot and potato along with salt. When it is done, pour them into a blender to make a smooth mixture. Strain this through a coarse sieve. Then boil the soup for 5 minutes more in low flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and fresh cream. Bread toast can be added.

To make bread toast :- Take 1-2 day old bread, remove edges, cut each slice into four vertically and horizontally. You will get small cubes. Deep fry in hot oil or ghee. Drain and keep aside.

P.S. :- Instead of potato, corn flour can also be added to make the soup thick. Dissolve 2 tbsp of corn flour in 2 tbsp of water and add to the soup while boiling.

Beet soup

                                             Beet Soup


Ingredients :

• Beet root - 2
• Onions - 1 chopped
• Pepper powder - 1 tsp
• Carrot - 1 chopped
• Parsley - 1 spring
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Cream - for garnishing

Method :

Peel the beetroots and cook them till tender and grate them. In a large pan, heat 1/2 litre water. Add chopped onions, carrot and parsley. Boil it. Keep in low flame and cover and cook  for 1/2 an hour till vegetable are soft. Now strain this mixture and add the strained water to the grated beetroot and mix well. Take another pan, and heat this mixture, adding salt and sugar. Boil again for 10 minutes in low flame. Strain and discard the beetroot pulp. Serve chilled with cream.

Onion - Garlic Masala

                                              Onion - Garlic Masala



Ingredients :

• Onion - 4 to 5  [ medium sized thinly sliced ]
• Garlic - 2 pods [ full ] peeled and crushed
• Desiccated coconut - 1 cup
• Red chilled powder = 6 tsp
• Salt - as required 
• Oil - 7 to 8 tsp

Method :

Saute onion and garlic till light brown. Add the coconut and saute for  a few minutes. Then add chilli powder and salt and saute on slow heat for about ten minutes.  This mixture can be used as it is or finely ground. [ maharashtrian people use this masala for making gravies. ]

South Indian Curry Powder

                                             South Indian Curry Powder



Ingredients :

• 1tsp each of channa dal, urad dal, toor dal and rice grains
• 1 tsp each of cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds  black pepper and turmeric powder
• Coriander seeds - 1 cup
• Red chilli powder - 1/4 cup
• Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

Method :

Dry roast the dals and rice grains till light brown. Add the other ingredients. Saute curry leaves and chillies in a little oil. Grind all together in mixer. Store in air- tight container and use . You can keep this for 15 days.  [ keep this in fridge. ]

Curry Powders

                                          Curry Powders [ Maharashtrian Type Masala Powders ]



Ingredients :

• Coriander seeds - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cloves - 5 to 6
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Poppy seeds - 2 tsp

Method :

This masala should be prepared fresh. It cannot be stored. Mix all ingredients and grind in mixer. If desired, one onion, 4 to 5 garlic flakes, cloves, and green or red dry  chillies can be added while grinding. Use this masalas and make yummy subji. [ for wet pulses subji ]