HANUMAN APPALU

Appalu-this is the main neivedyam recipe for Lord Hanuman. This sweet prasadam with crunchy outer layer and soft smooth inside tastes awesome. As a child I remember going to the temple near my house every Tuesday specially for this Prasadam. Some make these with rice flour and some use the wheat flour and some others combine both the flours. I remember the temple poojari’s wife near my house making them with wheat flour, I love the taste and I prefer using wheat flour. The appalu made with the rice flour tastes some what similar to arisalu, the one’s made with wheat flour tastes different but you cannot resist yourself form eating more. Well, the taste of the prasadam at temple is unbeatable, but I tried hard to get the exact taste. 

INGREDIENTS

• Wheat flour                     1 cup
• Rice flour                         2 Tsp
• Grated jaggery                 1 cup
• Water                               1/2 cup
• Elaichi powder                 1 tsp
• Ghee                                2 Tsp
• Oil                                    for deep frying

PROCEDURE
Combine the grated jaggery and water and keep the mixture on a stove. When the jaggery melts and just begins to boil add the ghee, cardamom. Switch off the flame and slowly add the flours. Mix well till you make a smooth soft mixture. The mixture should be tight and not watery. If required add more of the flour. You should be able to make a round ball with the mixture.
Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Grease your palms with oil/ghee and make a  round ball out of a small amount of mixture. Gently press the round on your palm to make a flat patty. Alternatively you can use a banana leaf or zip lock cover to make the appalu. Gently drop the appalu into the hot oil. Fry them on medium flame to deep brown color. Frying them on medium flame cooks them from inside. When the appalu are done gently press them between two ladles so that excess oil is removed (the same we as we do for arisalu or sojjappalu) and place them on a tissue paper. When the remaining oil is removed serve them.
TIPS

• Rice flour gives the appalu a crunch. Increase the quantity to get extra crunchy layer.
• Removing the extra oil is an important step.
• Do not overcrowd the pan as they tend to stick with one another and break.
• The flour jaggery mixture should not be too hard or too soft. If it is too hard the appalu will be hard and if is too soft they absorb more oil. You should have the right consistency and this is attained only by practice. 
• If you are not able to make soft appalu every time try adding 2 Tsp of grated coconut to the mixture and sure you will get softer appalu.      

METHI DHAL

Methi Dal

Pulses are rich in protein, carbohydrates and fibre. Toor dal, moong dal, urad dal, channa dal, kala chana, kabuli chana are some of the pulses used in Indian cooking. They form an important part in vegetarian cooking. Toor dal is extensively used in everyday cooking, especially  in South India. Combined with different kinds of vegetables toor dal is used to make different dishes.

Toor dal combined with green leafy vegetables form a very good main course with rice. Spinach, methi, Chinese spinach, Amaranths, are most commonly used to make dhal.

I made methi dhal which goes well with rice or roti.

INGREDIENTS

• Methi leaves          1 large bunch or 2 cups finely chopped
• Toor dal                 3/4 cup
• Onion                     1 medium
• Tomato                   1 medium
• Green chilies          1
• Redchillypowder     1 Tsp
• Sugar                      1 Tsp
• Salt                         to taste
• Tamarind  juice      3 Tsp( thick tamarind juice)

FOR TADKA

• Oil                          2 Tsp
• Chana dal               1/2 tsp
• Urad dal                 1/2tsp
• Mustard seeds       1/4 tsp
• Hing                       a pinch
• Garlic                      5-6(finely chopped)
• Curry leaves           5-6

PROCEDURECook the toor dal in a pressure cooker and mash it and set aside. In a pan add the oil and once it is heated add the tadka ingredients. When the dals turn to brown add the finely chopped onions. Fry for a minute and then add the finely chopped tomatoes. Fry for another minute and close the lid and let remain for a minute. When tomatoes and onions become soft add the methi leaves. Add the salt and sugar. Fry the methi till a nice aroma is felt. Although methi is bitter it gives a nice aroma when cooked. Close with the lid and fry intermittently. When the methi is cooked completely , to compensate the bitter taste add the tamarind juice and green chilies. Add half cup of water. When the water boils add the mashed dal. Stir till every thing incorporates well and finally add the chilly powder. See the consistency of the dal and adjust water to your taste.Serve hot with rice or roti.
TIPS

• Raw onion goes well with methi dal and rice, for that reason, with any leafy vegetable dal.
• Sugar is used so that methi does not change color.
• Some people cook every thing together in a pressure cooker, but the above procedure is the best way to bring out the flavors of methi.

AMARANTH STEW/THOTAKURA PULUSU

 
Including the leafy veggies in your daily foods increases the immune capacity. Green leafy veggies are low in calories, low in carbs, high in protein, high in iron, high in dietary fiber, high in calcium. A cupful of greens included in your diet gives all the vitamins and minerals needed for the body. Although it is difficult to eat the leafy veggies every day, right and tastier cooking make you crave for more and more.
To me spinach is the tastiest green leafy veggie. Amaranth aka thotakura stands in the second place. Any thing prepared with this turns to a tasty dish. Whether it is fry or dal or stew every thing is delicious and mouthwatering. The red amaranth is mostly used for making the stew. This tangy and sweet and hot stew made with Amaranth can be had with rice or roti.     
INGREDIENTS

• Amaranth leaves             3 cups finely chopped
• Onion                              1 large finely chopped
• Tomato                            1 large finely chopped
• Green chilies                    3 finely chopped
• Garlic                                4 cloves chopped
• Oil                                     3 Tsp
• Tamarind                          a small lemon size ball  
• Urad and chana dal           1 tsp each
• Mustard seeds                  1/2 tsp
• Jeera                                1/2 tsp
• Turmeric                            a pinch
• Salt                                    to taste
• Sugar                                 1 Tsp
• Red chilly powder              1 tsp

PROCEDURE
In a small bowl soak tamarind in warm water. Extract juice and keep it aside. In a pan heat oil and add the dals , mustard, jeera and the green chilies and garlic. When the dals turn golden brown add the onion and tomato pieces. Sautee them for two minutes and then add the amaranth leaves. Fry for two minutes and  add the salt, sugar, turmeric. Fry for another minute and then add the tamarind juice. Add a cup of water and cook on a slow flame for about 15 minutes. By now you will feel the nice aroma from the stew. Finally add the chilly powder and cook till the required consistency of the stew is reached. Serve hot with plain dal and rice along with ghee.       
TIPS

• The same procedure is used to prepare any other leafy vegetable stew.
• If you like the stew to be more sweet and tangy add more of tamarind and sugar.
• Raw onions go well with this stew.

HYDERABADI SAMOSA

The samosas available in Andhra especially Hyderabad are entirely different from the samosas available elsewhere. These small and  perfect triangle samosas are famously known as Irani samosas. These samosas are served with chai in every road side hotel and of course big restaurants . The stuffing in these is only onions and nothing else. They are so crispy and so tasty that you can have 10 at a time. I was searching every where to get the perfect recipe for these mini delicacies and finally I found it in vahrehvah.com. I followed the same procedure and attained the perfect Hyderabadi style Irani samosas.  The procedure is very simple, but you need to have practice in making these. Unlike the regular samosas which uses only maida, wheat flour and maida mixture is used to make these samosas.
INGREDIENTS

• Wheat flour                       1 cup
• Maida/All purpose flour     1 cup
• Salt                                    to taste
• Oil                                      2 Tsp
• Oil                                     for deep frying

for the stuffing

• Onions                     2 Large
• Poha                        4 Tsp
• Red chilly powder    1/2 Tsp
• Salt                           to taste
• Jeera powder           1/2 tsp

PROCEDURE
In a large bowl add the flours, salt and 2 Tsp of oil. Mix well and now add water and form a soft yet firm dough. Rest the dough for 1/2 an hour.
Now roll a very thin chapathi out of a small portion of the dough.
Heat a tava and put the chapathi on it. Fry for 20 seconds on each side and remove into a plate. Do not over cook. Do not use oil and the chapathi should remain white.

Now cool the chapathi and cut it into rectangular pieces as shown.     

Chop the onions finely. Add the poha, salt, chilly powder and jeera. Do not rest the stuffing. The poha used absorbs the water oozed out by the raw onions while frying.
Make a paste out of a table spoon of maida and water.
Take each rectangular sheet and apply the paste on one edge.

Now fold the rectangle into a triangle pocket along the pasted edge.

Now place a table spoon of the stuffing inside the samosa as shown.

Apply some maida paste on the open edge, fold into a triangle and seal the edges tight. Make all the samosas.

Now heat the oil and deep fry the samosas on a medium flame till golden brown. Enjoy these with a cup of Tea.
TIPS

• Here I gave the traditional way of making the samosas. You can add any kind of finely chopped veggies to the stuffing.
• Carrot halwa or kalakand or kova can be used as stuffing to make sweet samosas.
• Applying maida paste to seal the edges is an important step.
• Traditionally these samosas are very small, you can also make larger ones.

RAGADA PATTICE

Ragada pattice, ragada samosa, ragada puri, ragada chaat………. The list goes on and on. Any thing served with ragada tastes awesome. This is one of the famous recipe in  the chaat world. The word chaat comes from the word chaatna…….finger licking. The tantalizing flavored recipes available at the chaatwalas are so delicious that you cannot stop licking your fingers  after finishing the dish. Now coming to our ragada pattice recipe, this is one of the recipe which has a bit of elaborate procedure of all the chaat recipes. The taste of it will be so tempting that you will not mind eating it every day. Basically I am a big fan of samosa ragada. A bowlful of ragada with two samosas will be a stomach filling menu for a happy evening. Well, coming to our ragada pattice, small mashed potato-patties are combined with a flavorful ragada to give  a best tasting chaat dish. This recipe is also called as Aloo tikki chaat.
INGREDIENTS

• Potatoes                       2
• Carrots                          1
• Bread crumbs                 3 Tsp
• Onions                          1 large chopped
• Tomatoes                     2 chopped
• Coriander                      3Tsp chopped
• Chana                            1 cup
• Green chilies                  2 chopped
• Red chilly powder          1 tsp
• Turmeric                        1/2 tsp
• Chaat masala                  1 tsp
• Salt                                to taste
• Sugar                             1 tsp
• Coriander powder         1/2 tsp
• Jeera powder                1/2 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste         1/2 tsp
• Sweet chutney              2 Tsp
• Green chutney              1 Tsp
• Pomegranate seeds      for garnish
• Oil                                4 Tsp    

PROCEDURE
Soak the kabuli chana for at least 6 hours. If you are making the chaat in the evening soak the chana in the morning. White peas or green peas can also be substituted for the kabuli chana.
For making the aloo tikki or patties, only potatoes are used, but I like to use carrots also. You can even skip carrots.
Cook the potatoes, carrots, garbanzo beans in a pressure cooker.
For the aloo tikki
Mash the boiled and peeled potatoes and carrot. Add enough salt, Chopped green chilies, bread crumbs, a Tsp of chopped coriander leaves. Mix them well. Now make small thick patties out of the mix. Shallow fry the aloo tikki  with 2 Tsp of oil on a medium flame till they are crisp on the outside.
For making the ragada
Take a pan and heat 2 Tsp of oil and add the ginger garlic paste. Now add finely chopped onion pieces. When the onions turn brown add the finely chopped tomatoes, green chilies. Cook for about 2 minutes till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy. Now add the boiled chana. Mash half of the chana. Cook for two minutes. Now add the dry spices one by one. Turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, chaat masala, sugar, salt. Add half cup of water and cook on a slow flame for 10 minutes with lid covered. Now the ragada is ready.
Arranging the Ragada pattice
Place two patties on a serving plate. Pour the ragada over the pattice. Now sprinkle a table spoon of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, chopped cilantro. Top it with sweet chutney and green chutney. Add a pinch of chaat masala and a spoonful of pomegranate seeds as a garnish.  Serve hot.

ALOO PAPDI CHAAT

As any other chaat item this is also very easy to make and delicious to eat. The crisp mouth melting papdi (also called papri) pieces are combined with finely cut veggies, chaat chutneys and served with a dash of salt, pepper and chaat masala on the top. Papdi is like the thick crisp puri. Maida is combined with jeera and salt and made into a very stiff dough. Now the dough is rolled into small thick puries and deep fried. Well I will come with the papdi recipe in my coming posts. Here I have used the store bought papdi. Some chaatwalas break the papdi into small pieces and combine the pieces with veggies, while some others serve the whole papdies topped with veggies and chutneys. You can choose any way you like. 
INGREDIENTS

• Papdi or Papri               15(small) or

                                               10(Large)

• Boiled potato                1 large
• Onion                            1 medium
• Tomato                          1 medium
• Coriander                      4 sprigs
• Sweet chutney              2 Tsp
• Green chutney              2 Tsp
• Salt                                to taste
• Red chilly powder          1/4 tsp(optional)
• Chaat masala                 1/4 tsp

PROCEDURE
If the papdi used are large then crumble them into small pieces, and if they are small and round you can use them as it is.
Boil the potato and cube it into small pieces.
Finely chop the onion, tomato, coriander.
In a large bowl add the papdi, chopped onions, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet chutney, green chutney, salt, red chilly powder and chaat masala. Mix well and serve immediately.
Alternatively if the papdi’s are small, arrange then in a tray, top them with the veggies, chutneys, salt, chilly powder and chaat masala.
A spoonful of thick beaten curd can also be used if you like.  

GOBI 65

Gobi 65 is somewhat similar to gobi manchuria. While Gobi Manchurian is an adapted Chinese dish, Gobi-65 is purely an South Indian dish and tastes very yummy. This is very simple and can be had as an appetizer, snack or as a side dish for roti, naan. Many of you might have come across the Chicken 65 recipe, and gobi 65 is the vegetarian twist for chicken 65. There are many stories related to this number 65. What ever may be the story, the dish tastes very awesome.
INGREDIENTS

• Cauliflower florets                 2 cups
• Besan                                     2 Tsp
• Maida                                     1 Tsp
• Rice flour                               2 Tsp
• Ginger garlic paste                 1 Tsp
• Salt                                        to taste
• Red chilly powder                  1 Tsp
• Garam masala                         1/2 tsp
• Curd                                       3 Tsp
• Lemon juice                           1 tsp(optional)
• Green chilies                          1 finely chopped
• Red food color                        a pinch(optional)
• Julienned veggies                   1/2 cup(onions, carrots, capsicum)
• Chopped coriander                  2 Tsp
• Curd                                        1/4 cup
• Oil                                            for deep frying

PROCEDURE
In a large bowl add the flours, salt, green chilly pieces, red chilly powder, garam masala, curd, lemon juice, food color, ginger garlic paste. Mix well and add enough water to make a batter same as the bajji batter. Now add the cauliflower florets and marinate for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the marinated gobi florets. Do not over crowd the oil. Fry the gobi in small batches. Fry the gobi till crisp and brown. Now remove it into a dish.
Heat a table spoon of oil add  the julienned veggies, green chilies and chopped coriander. Add the well beaten curds.  Add the fried gobi , toss well and serve.
TIPS

• Egg can be used instead of water if you eat eggs.  
• You can add tomato sauce or soy sauce in the marinade to enhance the taste. 

LOW FAT DOUBLE KA MEETHA

Double ka Meetha is yet another Hyderabadi delicacy. Bread is deep fried in ghee, dipped in sugar syrup and then topped with rabdi and dry fruits. The sweetness of the  this dessert is from the sugar syrup and the rabdi, hence the name double ka meetha …………..twice the sweetness. On the other hand bread is known as double roti, so the name double ka meetha…………….sweet made of double roti. What ever may be the story behind the name,  this rich delicious flavorful and lavish Nizami dessert  is loved by every one.
Traditionally the bread pieces are deep fried in ghee, dipped in thick sugar syrup and then thick saffron and cardamom  rabdi is pored on the bread slices. Then the dish is topped with ghee fried dry fruits. Having this once a while is ok, but if you want to eat this any time you like then try my low fat Double Ka Meetha recipe. The taste of this dish is also awesome and moreover health friendly.
INGREDIENTS

• Bread                     6 slices
• Sugar                      1 cup
• Water                     3/4 cup
• Dry fruits                1/4 cup
• Low fat Milk            2 cups
• Sugar                       4 Tsp
• Ghee                       3 Tsp
• Custard powder      1 Tsp

PROCEDURE
Heat the milk in a thick bottom pan and let it come to a boil.  Mix the custard powder in cold milk and add this to the boiling milk. Add  4 Tsp of sugar. When the milk becomes thick switch off the flame, cool the milk and chill the milk in refrigerator . 
A day old bread works well for this recipe. For the traditional recipe also old bread is good, as it absorbs less of ghee. Well coming to our recipe, smear some ghee on a tava and fry the bread on both the sides lightly. Fry all the pieces in the same way. You can discard the edges if you like. Now place the breads on a oven plate. Set the oven to broil mode at 300 degree Fahrenheit. Now place the plate on the middle rack of the oven. Now wait for just 45 seconds. You find the top of the bread turning dark brown and crisp. Now flip the other side of the bread pieces and again place them inside the oven. Again wait for another 45 seconds and your bread is now ready.
NOTE: Temperature of each oven vary, so be careful while the bread is in oven. It gets burnt up very easily, so open the oven for every 15 seconds and check the bread.
Cool the bread and by now the bread would become very crisp. When you break the slices you should hear the sound. Cut the slices into 4 pieces each and set them aside.
Make sugar syrup with one cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water. The syrup should attain one thread consistency.
Now dip each piece of the bread inside the sugar syrup and the place them on the serving tray. Now fry the dry fruits in a Tsp of ghee and sprinkle them on the sugar dipped bread pieces. Now pour the refrigerated milk on the pieces. Serve immediately. Some like the bread to be little crisp and some want the bread to absorb the milk. Serve according to the taste of your family members.
TIPS

• Mix the dry fruits in the milk and serve the milk in a small cup with the sugar dipped bread in a separate plate.
• If you don’t like the custard flavor take one cup of milk and one cup of condensed milk and boil them. When the mixture becomes thick you can use this. Cardamom powder and saffron can also be added for an added flavor and taste.
• If you do not have an  oven roast the bread on the tava on a medium heat till you attain the crisp brown texture.
• Vanilla flavored custard powder tastes awesome, You can even try the other flavors.        
  

SPICY GOBI BITES

  This recipe is from my kitchen and my own creation. I wanted to make a simple cauliflower recipe which is spicy and tasty, but do not contain any sauce and that’s how I attempted this dish.  This can be had as an appetizer or a snack or even had as a side dish for naan or roti. I fried the marinated gobi and tossed it in a spicy thick gravy. The dish turned out awesome. If any of your family members do not like the soy sauce or the tomato sauce then this can be a perfect alternative to gobi manchuria. Try this and I am sure it won’t let you down. There is no rule to follow the same recipe, try adding your own ingredients to suit your taste.
INGREDIENTS

• Cauliflower florets                 1 cup
• Maida                                     1 Tsp
• Corn flour                               1 Tsp 
• Rice flour                               2 Tsp
• Red chilly powder                  1 tsp
• Onion                                     1 small 
• Tomato                                  1 small 
• Onions, carrots, capsicum     1 cup julienned
• Green chilies                         2 julienned
• Ginger Garlic paste               1 Tsp
• Sugar                                    1 tsp
• Salt                                       to taste
• Lemon juice                         1/2 Tsp
• Oil                                         for deep frying
• Ginger                                   1 Tsp( julienned)

PROCEDURE
In a bowl add the maida, rice flour, corn flour, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, sugar, salt, lemon juice. Add enough water and make a thick paste. Now add the gobi florets. Mix well. Cover with a lid and let marinate for 1/2 an hour.
Now heat oil in a pan and deep fry the gobi till deep brown and crisp.
Cube the onion and tomato and grind to a paste. In another pan add 2 Table spoons of oil and add the grind onion and tomato paste. Fry till the raw flavor is removed, and the paste leaves the oil and turns golden brown. Now add a pinch of salt, julienned veggies, chilies, ginger. Fry for another minute (the veggies should remain crisp) and add the fried gobi. Toss till all the gobi gets the coating of the gravy. Now remove into a serving dish and top with some raw veggies. Serve hot.   

SATIN ROSE FLOWER WALL DECORATIVE

While I was searching YouTube I came by a video detailing the making a rose flower out of a tissue paper. I followed the same thing in making these small roses out of the satin ribbons. After making a bunch of different color roses I pasted them on a small cake base. You can use different colored and different sized ribbons. Make a couple of them and hang them on your wall.

ORANGE PEEL FLOWERS

Orange peel is usually discarded or some times dried and powdered and used in face pack. Here I used the orange peel to make this wall art. Cut the peel into your favorite shape, peel off all of the white  layer . Dry the pieces in shade until all the moisture is removed and the pieces turn brittle. If the pieces are dried in sun the color of orange peel changes so dry them in shade.  Now paste them on a cardboard. You can even paint the pieces with different colors. This natural orange color stays for a longer time if the pieces are given a coating of clear varnish or clear nail polish.  

TRAY WITH NEWS PAPERS

Here I made a tray with news papers. I rolled a bunch news papers into cylinder. Roll them into a thick cylinder and paste the edges. Cover this cylinder with a colored paper. Make 20 of these cylinders and stack 5 of them and paste them on a cardboard. Each stack of 5 cylinders should be pasted individually and dried thoroughly before assembling the tray. Use the try as a napkin holder or mail holder.  

VEGGIE FRIED RICE WITH STIR FRIED VEGGIES

A simple rice recipe which is so tantalizing and so light is fried rice. Although this is an authentic preparation from China, many Asian countries adapted it by varying the ingredients used and to suit the tastes of people living there. Indian fried rice, Japanese fried rice, Thai fried rice, Chinese fried rice etc.  The basic ingredients used in fried rice are pepper, soy sauce and vinegar. Keeping these ingredients the same a large number of varieties of fried rice can be made. Add veggies of your choice, eegs, paneer, tofu, mushrooms, chilly sauce, tomato sauce, chicken, fish, prawns…………and the list goes on and on……. As the name itself suggests the cooked rice is stir fried with other ingredients. Unlike the biryani or the pulav which are very lavish and heavy, fried rice is very light and moreover it doesn't contain any masala. So this turns out to be a favorite for many people. Usually fried rice served in Indian restaurants is accompanied with a gravy curry and a raita. Well any curry or sabzi goes well with this. Today I am going to present a simple fried rice recipe with stir fried vegetables.
VEGGIE FRIED RICE
INGREDIENTS

• Cooked rice                      3 cups
• Vegetables                       1 cup
• Salt                                   to taste
• Soy sauce                         1/4 tsp
• Vinegar                             a few drops
• Pepper powder                1 tsp
• Sesame oil                         3 Tsp

PROCEDURE
Cook the rice and keep aside for it to cool completely. While cooking add a tablespoon of oil and each grain of rice will be separate after cooking. See that there are no lumps in the rice.
Any vegetables of your choice can be used. Don’t go for veggies which become too mushy. Usually potatoes and onions are also avoided in fried rice. Here I used carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, green bell peppers, red bell peppers, French beans, green chillies. Green chillies are again optional.
Chop all the veggies into very small pieces. Do not cook or blanch the veggies. The crunch in the veggies should remain even after cooking, so avoid pre cooking. Heat a large non stick pan. Pour in the oil. Heat the oil and add all of the veggies except green chillies. Stir fry for a minute on a medium high flame. Add the salt and the green chillies. Fry for one more minute and when the veggies turn a little bit soft add the cooked and cooled rice. Mix well and fry for another two minutes. Finally drizzle a few drops of soy sauce, vinegar and add the pepper powder. Mix well and increase the flame to high. Fry for half a minute and remove onto a serving plate. Serve hot with any curry and raita……the Indian way.       

TIPS

• The veggies should be as small as possible, so they become soft in less than a minute of frying.
• Chilly sauce or tomato sauce can be used to enhance the taste.
• Ajinamoto can be used to enhance the taste.
• Veggies like broccoli, spring onions can also be used.
• Usually a tsp of ginger garlic paste can be used if you are making fried rice with chicken, sea food, any non vegetarian.
• White pepper powder is generally used, but you can go for black pepper powder also.
• Use sesame oil or olive oil as they give the dish a better flavor. 

STIR FRIED VEGGIES
INGREDIENTS

• Vegetables                        2 cups
• Oil                                     4 Tsp
• Salt                                   to taste
• Green chillies                    1
• Red chilly powder             1 tsp
• Tomato sauce                   2 Tsp
• Garam masala                    1/2 tsp
• Coriander, jeera powder  1/2 tsp

PROCEDURE
Wash and cut all the veggies into large 1 inch cubes. Deseed the firm red tomatoes and cube them also. Here I have used, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, French beans, onions.  Slit the green chilly and deseed it. Cut it into long thin slices.
Heat oil in a pan and add the potatoes and carrots first as they take a longer time to cook. Fry them on a slow flame covered for a minute. When they are half cooked add French beans and the cauliflower pieces. Again cook them for a minute with the lid on. Now remove the lid and add the remaining veggies onions and bell peppers. Stir fry all the veggies on a medium flame for another 2 minutes. At this moment add some more oil if needed. Fry them till all the veggies are soft, but should retain their crunch. Finally add the tomatoes, green chilies, salt,  garam masala, coriander and jeera powders. Fry for one more minute till the tomatoes turn soft. Now add the tomato sauce and a spoonful of water. Mix well and remove into a serving dish. Serve hot with any rice or Indian bread.
TIPS

• Tofu or paneer cubes can also be added. 
• To decrease the preparation time blanch the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, beans in hot water for a minute and use them. You can also microwave them for a minute and use.
• Red and yellow bell peppers can also be used.
• Ajinamoto can also be added to increase the taste.
• Do not over cook the veggies, they should retain the crunch.

PALAK ONION PAKODA

  

Spinach is the tastiest leafy veggie and this when used to make the tasty jhatpata  pakodas not only increases the taste, but also infuses health into fried pakodas. I like the pakodas to be extra tastier so I added onions also.
INGREDIENTS

• Palak                      1 cup finely chopped
• Onions                   1 finely chopped
• Gram flour              1 cup
• Rice flour                2 Tsp
• Green chillies         1 chopped finely
• Salt                         to taste
• Red chilly powder   1/2 tsp
• Oil                           for deep frying

PROCEDURE
Combine all the ingredients and add enough water to make a thick mixture. The mixture should not be too watery, keep it crumbly. Too much water make the pakodas absorb more oil. So watch and add the water.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the pakodas in small batches. Keep the flame medium. If the flame is too high the pakodas don’t cook from the inside. On the other side if the flame is too low they absorb more oil and become too hard.

TIPS

• Usually I use a whole bunch of palak. Blanch the Palak leaves for 2 minutes in hot water and then chop the leaves and use them. This way you can use more of palak. Alternately you can chop the palak and micro wave for a minute and use. In this method extra water is not required to make the pakoda batter. Add flour and onions into the soft palak till you get a thick mixture.
• Simple palak pakodas without onions also tastes good.
• Use a teaspoon of ginger garlic paste to enhance the taste.

PESARATTU

Pesarattu is a purely Andhra signature Dosa. Although it is a heavy breakfast, no one can give up  because of its taste. This is surely the best tasty dosa.  There is no long soaking or fermentation required like the normal dosas(made with urad dal and rice). Whole moong dal( green gram dal) is soaked in water for a couple of hours, grinded along with ginger and chilies, the batter is used to make dosas which are cooked on a slow flame to golden perfection. Usually pesarattu-upma is a perfect combination, but today I am presenting the recipe for Onion stuffed pesarattu.  There is also another best pesarattu which is called MLA Pesarattu. This has the special potato stuffing inside the dosa. For now enjoy the onion pesarattu with chutneys of your choice.
INGREDIENTS

• Whole moong dal(green gram)   3 cup
• Rice                                           1/4 cup
• Salt                                            to taste
• Ginger                                        1 inch piece
• Jeera                                         1 Tsp
• Onion                                         2 Large
• Carrot                                       1 large
• Green chilies                             2
• Coriander leaves                       2 Tsp( finely chopped)
• Oil                                             to make the dosa

PROCEDURE
Soak the moong dal  and rice for about 3 hours and grind to a fine paste. This should be same as the thick dosa batter. Add the salt and keep aside. While grinding you can add green chilies, ginger  to enhance the taste.
Finely chop the onions, green chilies, ginger. Grate the carrot and keep aside.
Heat the dosa tava. Pour a ladle full of the batter and spread into a circle just like the normal dosas.
Top the dosa with the onions, jeera, ginger, jeera, green chilies, grated carrot. Pour a spoonful of oil along the edges of the dosa and cook for about 4 minutes on a medium flame.
When the dosa turns golden brown fold it into the middle and serve with chutney of your choice. Do not flip the dosa.
TIPS

• Alternately grind the green chilies and ginger along with the moong dal, add the jeera and make plain dosas. These also tastes awesome.
• You can also grind the dal without soaking. These dosas also tastes good.
• Add a bit of more oil than the regular dosas.

LAUKI HALWA

The goodness of the veggie(bottle gourd) combined with the sweetness of the sugar, milk and crunchiness of the nuts forms a perfect dessert called lauki halwa. Many may be new to making this halwa, but this is also prepared the same way as the carrot halwa is made. Green color can be added to make the dish colorful, but I haven’t used. This simple tasteful awesome dish is perfect for any occasion. Next time you make a dessert prepare this to surprise your loved ones.
INGREDIENTS

• Bottle gourd                        1 medium
• Sugar                                    2 cups
• Milk                                      2 cups
• Dry fruits of ur choice          3 Tsp
• Ghee                                    1/4 cup
• Cardamom powder               1/2 tsp
• Green color                          a pinch(optional)

PROCEDURE
Peel the lauki and discard the soft layer inside the vegetable. Grate the lauki and squeeze out the water from it. Measure the grated lauki. It should be exactly 2 cups. Adjust the sugar accordingly. The lauki to sugar ratio should be 1:1.
Heat a pan and add a table spoon of ghee. Roast the dry fruits and keep them aside. In the same ghee fry the grated lauki. When the lauki looses its raw flavor add the milk and color if you like( here I haven't used the color). There is no perfect measure for milk. Increase or decrease according to your taste. I prefer more milk and this way you can decrease the amount of ghee as the milk evaporates and forms khoya.
Cook on a medium flame stirring intermittently. When the milk totally evaporates add the sugar . Keep stirring and add a table spoon of ghee at a time. When the halwa forms a lump add the cardamom and fried dry fruits. Remove and serve hot. 

KASHMIRI DUM ALOO

I love the Kashmiri recipes. Every dish is creamy textured with wonderful colors and aroma. Nuts and dry fruits are used in almost every dish. The slightly sweeter taste in the curries makes them special. The costliest spice,Saffron(widely grown in Kashmir) is also used in many of the dishes. It not only gives the great color but also infuses great aroma into the dish.  Kashmiri dum aloo is one such dish which goes well with all Indian breads, fried rice etc. The deep fried baby potatoes are delicately cooked in onion and nuts gravy along with the curd and cream paste to attain a perfect taste. The cashew badam paste enhances the taste even more and make every one a fan of the dish. Here I give the recipe for the Kashmiri dum aloo. I made small variations to cut down the calories but made sure the taste remains the same. 
INGREDIENTS

• Baby potatoes                    1/4 kg
• Onion                                  1 large
• Cashew and badam             1/4 cup
• Curd                                   1/4 cup
• Salt                                     to taste
• Red chilly powder               1/2 tsp
• Paprika                                1/2 tsp(for color)        
• Coriander                            1 tsp
• Jeera                                  1/2 tsp
• Cardamom                           2
• Cloves                                 3
• Cinnamon                           2 small pieces
• Bay leaves                           1 large
• Pepper corns                      4 
• Oil                                       4 Tsp
• Sugar                                   1 tsp
• Coriander leaves                 2 Tsp( finely chopped)
• Cream                                 3 Tsp

PROCEDURE
PREPREPARATION:
Take very small potatoes, preferably baby potatoes. If you do not get the baby potatoes I give you a trick. Take the larger potatoes and cut them with the water melon scooper( it is just like small ice cream scoop with sharp edge). Boil these potatoes till soft but not too mushy. Retain the skins, prick them with fork all over. Keep them aside.
Dry roast the coriander seeds and jeera. Powder them along with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns.
Traditionally the boiled potatoes are deep fried in hot oil till golden brown. But I prefer less calories so I pop the boiled potatoes in 300degree oven for 30 minutes and they are done. Alternatively marinate the boiled potatoes in oil, salt, turmeric, garlic powder mixture for 20 minutes and fry them in a nonstick pan with 3 table spoons of oil till golden brown and crisp.
Chop the onions and fry them in a tablespoon of oil till golden brown and grind this into a paste
Similarly soak the cashews and badam for a hour in hot water, remove the skins on almonds and grind both of them to a fine paste.
Now comes the actual preparation:
Take 4 Table spoons of oil in a pan and heat it. Add the bay leaves. Now add the onion paste and cashew- badam paste. On a low flame cook them for 2 minutes. Now add the dry spice powder, potatoes and little bit of water. Cover and cook on a slow flame for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and add the salt and chilly powder, sugar, paprika. Mix well and add the well beat curds. Mix thoroughly so that the curds do not split. When the curds mix well with the potatoes adjust the gravy consistency you want and switch off the flame. Finally add the cream and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice.  
TIPS

• Curd should be fresh so that the curry tastes awesome.
• Generally the skin on the baby potatoes is very thin so they are served with skins on. If you are using the larger potatoes you can remove the skin.
• If you do not have the watermelon scooper you can cut the potatoes into large chunks.
• Usually tomato is not used in the gravy as it has the tendency to split the curds. 

VEGETABLE KOFTA CURRY

A perfect recipe for all occasions, which goes well with all Indian breads and rice is kofta curry. Koftas are the deep fried dumplings made with single vegetable or a combination of different veggies. The name comes combined with the veggie name or the ingredient used such as potato kofta, lauki kofta, cabbage kofta, palak kofta, malai kofta and so on. Here I give a simple vegetable kofta recipe where the deep fried vegetable dumplings are cooked in a tomato onion gravy with mild masala.    
INGREDIENTS
KOFTAS

• Boiled potatoes                       2 small
• Boiled carrots                          2 small
• Boiled peas                             1/4 cup
• Shredded cabbage                  1/4 cup
• Paneer                                    3 Tsp grated
• Ginger garlic paste                 1 tsp
• Gram flour                               3 Tsp
• rice flour                                 2 Tsp
• Cashews                                 5 finely chopped
• Green chilies                          2 finely chopped
• Salt                                         to taste
• Oil                                          for frying koftas

GRAVY

• Onion                                     1 large
• Tomatoes                               2 large
• Ginger garlic paste                 2 tsp
• Jeera                                      1 tsp
• Cream                                     2 Tsp
• Cashew paste                         2 Tsp
• Sugar                                       1 tsp
• Coriander powder                   1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder                   1 Tsp
• Jeera powder                         1/4 tsp
• Garam masala                          1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves                     2 Tsp
• Salt                                         to taste
• Turmeric                                 1/4 tsp
• Oil                                          3 Tsp

PROCEDURE
Mash the boiled potatoes, carrots, peas. Alternatively you can grate the boiled veggies. Now mix the shredded cabbage, paneer into the mashed veggies. Add some salt, Chopped chilies, cashew nuts, some coriander leaves, 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste, gram flour and rice flour. Mix well. You can also use some raisins if you like the taste. Make small balls and deep fry them in hot oil and keep aside.
Chop the onion and blanch the tomatoes. Remove the skin on the tomatoes and grind the onions and tomatoes to fine paste.
In a pan heat 3 table spoons of oil and add the ginger garlic paste. When it is done add the tomato- onion paste. Fry till the mixture oozes out the oil. Add the cashew paste and fry for another minute. Slowly add the dry spice powders one after another……. salt, chilly powder,turmeric, jeera powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder. Add the fried koftas, cream and coriander leaves and mix gently. Switch off the flame and serve immediately with roti or nan or rice.
TIPS

• Alternatively bake the koftas instead of deep frying to reduce the calories.
• Do not let the koftas soak in gravy for long time. Combine the gravy and koftas just before serving.
• Whole milk can be added instead of cream.

RAJMA MASALA

Rajma masala is one of the best signature dishes from North India. This spicy kidney bean curry is a best side dish for roti or chapathi. The high fiber and rich protein red kidney beans are cooked in a a tangy onion-tomato sauce combined with the delicate masalas to give an authentic Punjabi flavor. This goes well with almost any Indian bread or flavored rice.
INGREDIENTS

• Rajma                   2 cups
• Onions                  1 large
• Tomato                 1 large
• Jeera                    1 tsp
• Salt                       to taste
• Turmeric               a pinch
• Oil                         2 Tsp
• Ginger                   1/2 inch piece
• Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
• Red chilly powder    1 tsp
• Coriander leaves     2 Tsp (chopped)
• Garam masala          1/2 tsp
• Cream                     2 Tsp(optional)

PROCEDURE
Soak the rajma overnight or preferably 8 hours.  Pressure cook these till soft. Remove rajma from water and keep aside. Finely chop the onions, tomatoes, ginger. In a pan add the oil and heat. When it is heated add the whole jeera, ginger, turmeric. Add the onions and sauté for two minutes. When the onions turn  golden brown add the tomatoes. When the tomatoes also turn soft and the mixture turn mushy add the boiled rajma. Mash some of the rajma and mix well. Now add the salt, chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala. Add a cup of water and cook(preferably water from cooked rajma). Cook on a slow flame for about 15 minutes by stirring intermittently. When the desired consistency  is reached add the cream and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well and serve hot with any Indian bread.  This goes well with fried rice also.

VEGETABLE CUTLETS(100th POST)

One of the best and easy to make snack with lots of vegetable goodness and healthy to eat without counting the calories is pan fried vegetable cutlet. Unlike other snacks which contain one or two veggies, these veggie cutlets contains lot and lots of vegetables and so these are very healthy. This is a very good recipe for kids who do not eat all veggies as curries. Crisp on the outside and soft on the inside with mild masala these cutlets tastes awesome. Its fun for kids to give different shapes for their own cutlets. These wonderful mouthwatering cutlets can be made in a jiffy if all the veggies are cooked and kept ready. These can either be deep fried or shallow fried. Here I give the recipe for the shallow fried mixed vegetable cutlets.
INGREDIENTS

• Boiled potatoes                 1 large
• Boiled carrots                    1 large
• Boiled green peas              1/2 cup
• Finely chopped cabbage    1/2 cup
• Finely chopped palak         1/2 cup
• Finely chopped onion        1 small
• Bread                                 2 slices
• Bread crumbs                     1/4 cup
• Green chillies                      2 chopped
• Red chilly powder              1/2 tsp
• Salt                                    to taste
• Coriander                          2 Tsp(chopped)
• Garam masala                   1/4 tsp(optional)
• Ginger garlic paste           1/2 tsp(optional)
• Oil                                    for shallow frying

PROCEDURE
Boil the potatoes, carrots and green peas. Peal the potatoes and carrots and mash them. Finely chop all other veggies. Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger garlic paste. When it is done add the chopped onions. When the onions turn transparent add the chopped cabbage, chopped green chilies and chopped palak. When the veggies turn soft and dry add the boiled and mashed veggies. Add the salt and cover with lid. Wait for a minute and then add the garam masala and the coriander leaves. Remove from fire and let cool.

Mash the fresh soft bread and mix it with the cooked mixture. Now add the bread crumbs. Mix well. The mixture should be soft but should be able to made into patties. At this stage you can add some more bread crumbs or can also add corn flour if the mixture is too soft. Now smear your palms  with oil and make small cutlets with the mixture. Set aside.

Coat each cutlet with bread crumbs to enhance the taste. Now heat a tava and shallow fry with oil. The cutlets can be had with any sauce or ketchup.

TIPS

• Any veggies which suite your taste can be used. Don’t use veggies with excess water. If you do want to use them, squeeze out excess water and use( bottle gourd, Zucchini etc)
• The cutlets can also be used as patties for vegetable burgers.
• The cutlets can also be deep fried instead of shallow fry.
• Coat the culets with some oil and bake these in an oven.