Carrot Hopper [ fresh juice ]

Ingredients :

• Fresh carrot - 1 / 2 kg.
• Beetroot - 100 gms.
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Honey - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - a pinch
• Palm sugar [ panam kalkandu ] - 2 tsps.

Method :
Wash carrots in warm water using a vegetable brush for cleaning. [ do not scrape the skin. More vitamins and minerals are present under the skin.] Remove top and tail portion and cut in to big pieces. Scrape thin skin from beetroot and cut in to big pieces. First put peeled ginger in to the juicer and follow with other vegetables. Mix salt, honey and palm sugar to the juice. Serve in small glass topped with crushed ice.

[ always use fresh carrots to obtain more juice.]

Aloo Bonda [ batada vada ]

Ingredients :

For stuffing :

• Cooked potatoes - 1 / 2 kg.
• Minced green chillies - 2 tsps.
• Chopped ginger - 1 tsp
• Chopped tomatoes - 1 / 4 cup
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Chopped coriander leaves - little
• Oil - for frying
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Bengal gram dahl -1 / 2 tsp
• Curry leaves - little

For the batter :

• Bengal gram flour - 1 cup
• Rice flour - 1 / 3 cup
• Salt - as required
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Cooking soda - 2 pinches

[ mix all the ingredients as mentioned and prepare a thick batter by mixing  required water. ]

Method :

Peel outer skin from cooked potatoes. Mash well when it is still warm. Heat oil in a frying pan, add mustard seeds, when it pop add bengal gram dhal fry for few minutes and then add minched chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Then mix mashed potatoes with salt and turmeric. Stir in high flame till moisture is absorbed completely. Squeeze lemon and add coriander leaves and remove from fire. When cools  down make medium sized balls.  Dip the balls one by one in the batter and put in hot oil. [ few at a time ]  Deep fry till golden brown.

Aloo Kababs

Ingredients :

• Potatoes - 1 / 2  kg.
• Bread - 5 slices.
• Minced green chillies - 1 1 / 2 tsp.
• Chopped coriander and mint
• leaves - 2 tbl. sps.
• Garam masala powder - 1 / 2 tsp.
• Dhania powder - 1 tsp.
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Rice flour - 3 to 4 tbl.sps.
• Am chur - 1 / 2 tsp.
• [ dry mango powder ]
• Salt - as required
• Oil - enough to fry.

Method :

Pressure cook potatoes. Peel and mash thoroughly  when it is still warm. Then soak bread slices one by one in water and lift out immediately. Then squeeze extra moisture and add to mashed potatoes with all other dry ingredients. Make balls and shape in to kababs. Deep fry in hot oil till crisp and brown.
Serve hot with sauce or chutney.

Melon Quench

Ingredients :

• Water melon - 300 gms. [ cut into pieces ]
• Mint leaves - few leaves
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Salt - a pinch
• Lemon juice - 1 tbl. sps.
• Kala namak - a pinch
• Honey - 2 tsps.

Method :

Use blender 

Remove seeds and outer skin from water melon, cut into pieces. Crush peeled ginger along with mint leaves in blender. Add water melon pieces and blend well. Strain through large eyed strainer. Then mix salt, lemon juice, honey and kala namak. Pour in a decorative glass with crushed ice on top. Serve immediately.

Spinach Pulao

Ingredients:

• Spinach [palak] - 2 bundles washed and chopped
• Potatoes - 2 big [peeled and cubed small]
• Carrot - 2 [scraped and cubed]
• Tomatoes - 2 small [cut into thin strips pulp removed]
• Basmati rice - 1 cup [soaked for 40 -50 minutes]
• Water - 2 cups [for cooking]  
• Ghee - 5 to 6 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Black pepper - 1tbsp
• Salt - as required
• Cashew nuts - little [fry in little ghee and keep aside]

Method:

Take one pressure pan and heat ghee for 2 minutes. Add cumin seeds, chopped spinach, potatoes, carrot and stir them in high flame for 5 minutes. Then add rice, black pepper, salt and water. Then close the pressure pan and wait for 2 whistles to come. Then remove from the gas. After the pressure comes out, open the lid and garnish with fried cashew nuts. When done, serve hot with tomato strips / waffers.                        

Vegetable Medley

Ingredients :

• French beans - 1/2 cup [cut into small pieces]
• Carrots - 1/2 cup [cut into small pieces]
• Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
• Peas - 1/4 cup shelled
• Potatoes -2 [peeled and cubed]
• Capsicum - 1 [chopped]
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Red chillie powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
• Amchur powder - 1/4 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tbl sps.
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Fresh cream - 1/4 cup
• Fresh coriander leaves - little

Method :

Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds. When it pop ups, add all the (cut) vegetables. Add salt, turmeric, red chillie powder, dhaniya powder, amchur powder and little sugar. Add 1/4th cup of water. Cover and cook on high flame for 15 minutes till all the vegetables are well cooked. Before removing from the gas, add the fresh cream and mix well. Remove from the gas and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve with hot roti or parathas.

Chocolate almond cake

Ingredients:

• Sift together :
• Maida - 250 gms.
• Cocoa - 3 tbl. sps. [ level ]
• Baking powder - 2 tsps. [ level ]
• Cooking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Blend together:

• Condensed milk - 1 tin
• Melted butter - 100 gms.
• Luke warm water - 1 glass
• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Other ingredients :

• Almonds - 1/2 cup [ sliced and chopped ]

Method :

Sift the mentioned ingredients together twice. Blend mentioned ingredients together in a bowl. [ other wise you can use mixie also ] Then add sifted ingredients and mix well in clock wise direction. Mix half the sliced almonds to the batter. Then transfer to a greased baking dish. Arrange rest of the almonds on top. Bake in a pre- heated moderate oven approximately for 45 minutes in 170˚C / 375˚F


Note :

While arranging nuts on top before baking, dip the nuts in milk and then arrange, so that it doesn't sink into the cake after baking.