Chana Dal with Cucumber

Ingredients :

• Chana dal [ bengal gram ] - 3 / 4 cup
• Chopped cucumber - 1 / 2 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger green chilli paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 3 / 4 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - little [ for garnishing ]

Method :

Wash and soak chana dal in water for at least an hour. Then drain and keep aside. Add 2 cups of water to the soaked dal and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes, till the dal is done. Whisk well to mash the dal. Keep aside. Then heat the oil in  a large pan, add the cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Then add the cooked dal, ginger , green chilli paste, turmeric powder, and chilli powder and cook for 5 minutes. Add cucumber and salt and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till the cucumber is tender, but still a little crisp. Add some water, if required to adjust the consistency. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis and rice.

Rich Vegetable Jalfraize

Ingredients :

• Cauliflower - 1 cup [ small pieces ]
• Peas - 1 / 2 cup
• Beans - 1 / 2 cup [ cut in to 1 / 4 inch pieces ]
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbl.sps.
• Potato - 2 medium
• Paneer - 1 / 4 cup [ cut in to small cubes ]
• Carrot - 1 / 2 cup [ cut in to small pieces ]
• Salt - as required
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Ghee - 2 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Coconut extract - 1 / 2 cup
• Curds - 1 cup
• Fresh cream - 1 / 4 cup

Grind together :

• Onions - 2
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Garlic - 3 flakes
• Red chillies - 2
• Tomatoes - 3 to 4 medium sized
• Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 / 2 inch piece
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamoms - 3
• Chilli powder - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Dhania powder - 1 tsp

[ grind all together in mixer and keep aside ]

Method :

Dice all the vegetables, add enough water and cook in pressure cooker. Heat oil and ghee. Fry ground masala  for 5 minutes in low flame. When oil leaves side add vegetables, paneer, along with chilli powder, salt, sugar and coconut extract and curds. Simmer  for 10 minutes. When   the  subji  becomes thick add little fresh cream and remove from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti, parathas.

Baoli Handi

 

Ingredients :

• Small brinjals - 4
• Medium carrot - 1
• Small florets cauliflower - 5-6
• Green peas - 1/4 cup
• Green chillies - 4
• French beans - 7-8
• Medium potato - 1
• Medium tomatoes - 2
• Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
• Split green grams [ dhuli moong dal ] - 1/4 cup
• Leaves spinach - 7-8
• Rice [ kolam ] - 1 cup
• Soya granules - 1/4 cup
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Onion - 1 large
• Salt - To taste
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Red chillie powder - 1 tsp  

Method :

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add cumin seeds and when they begin to change colour, add onion, brinjals, carrot, cauliflower, green peas, green chillies, french beans and potato. Saute for two minutes.  

Add salt, turmeric powder and red chillie powder and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for three to four minutes.

Add rice and three cups of water. Cover and cook for two minutes.

Add soya granules, stir and again cover and cook for two minutes.

Add tomatoes, coriander leaves, split green gram and spinach leaves and stir to mix well.

Add salt, stir and cover. Cook on medium heat till its done. Your baolii handi is ready to serve.

Potato maseyal

Ingredients :

• Potato - 1 / 2 kg
• Big lemon - 1
• Poppy seeds [ kasa kasa ] - 1 tsp
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 tbl. sps.
• Ginger - 1 small piece
• Green chilli - 2 to 3
• Curry leaves - little
• Fresh chopped coriander leaves - little
• Salt - as required
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Oil - 3 tsp

Grind together :

Grind coconut, poppy seeds, green chilli, and ginger in mixer and make smooth paste, and keep aside.

Method :

Boil and peel the potatoes. Then mash it. Then heat oil in kadai, add asafoetida, curry leaves and fry for 2 seconds.  Add ground masala, mash potatoes to that and mix well. Add salt and turmeric along with 2 glass of water. When it starts boiling reduce the flame. When the masala becomes thick,add the lemon juice and remove from the gas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with poori, roti, and rice.

Sabudhana Khichdi

Ingredients :

• Sabudhana - 1 cup [ soaked in water for 3 hours ]
• Potato - 2 [ peeled and cut into very small pieces ]
• Fry peanut powder - 3 tbsp.
• Fried peanut - 1 handful
• Oil - to fry
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required

Masala :

• Ginger chilli paste - 2 tsp
• Sugar - 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Fresh chopped coriander leaves  - little
• Fresh grated coconut - little
• Curry leaves - 2-3

Method :

Soak the sabudhana in water for 3 hours . [ while soaking add salt and sugar. ]  Heat oil, add cumin seeds, peanuts and small pieces of potatoes. Fry for 2-3 minutes till the potatoes becomes soft. Then mix the soaked sabudhana along with lemon juice, ginger chilli paste and peanut powder. Keep the gas in low flame. Close the kadai with a lid. Fry for 5 minutes till the masala gets mixed with the sabudhana. Finally add the grated coconut to that. Before removing, garnish with coriander and curry leaves. Serve hot.

This is a Maharashtrian Dish prepared especially for fast.

Zardha Pulav

Ingredients :

• Basmathi rice - 1 cup
• Cardamom - 3to 4
• Pure ghee - 3 tbl. sps.
• Kesari powder - 1 / 4 tsp
• Milk - 1 / 4 cup
• Water - 1 1 / 2 cup
• Sugar - 1 / 2 cup
• Peeled almonds - 5to 6
• Broken walnuts - 1 tsp
• Rose water - 1 1 / 2 tsp
• Sweetles khova - 100 gms.
• Powdered sugar - 2 tsp

Method :

Wash and soak rice for half an hour. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add cardamoms and fry for a minute. Add 1 1 / 2 cups of water with kesari powder. When it starts boiling add rice and hot milk. Close the vessel and cook in low flame till rice becomes tender. Make a thick sugar syrup by dissolving it in 1 / 2 cup of water and boiling it, crumble khova and powdered sugar, rose water, finely chopped nuts. When rice is cooked and moisture is evaporated add sugar syrup and khova mixture. Mix gently and cook in low flame for 10 to 12 minutes till moisture dries up. Arrange in a serving plate and garnish with kesar and chopped nuts. Enjoy your yummy zardha pulav.

Stuffed Ladies Finger

Ingredients :

• Ladies finger - 1 / 2 kg [ tender ones ]
• Onion large - 3
• Green chillies - 8 to 10
• Salt - as required
• Oil - for frying
• Fresh grated coconut - little [ for garnish ]
• Chopped coriander leaves - little [ for garnish ]

Method :

Wash and cut ends from ladies finger. Using a sharp knife make a long slit in the center and carefuly take seeds from inside. Then mince onions, green chillies, and the seeds [ which is taken away from ladies finger ] into very fine pieces. Fry them in oil till raw smell is lost. Then mix salt to that, and stuff inside ladies finger. Then take a non- stick flat pan and arrange stuffed pieces in it with oil. Cook in reduced flame, with a lid on top turning gently in between.  When vegetable become soft remove from the gas and garnish with fresh grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves. Serve with rice and roti.