ALOO SANDWICH

The Indian way of making a healthy and tasty sandwich for kids. Simple ingredients and easy to make. I used brown bread to make it even more healthier.

INGREDIENTS

Bread slices               10
Potatoes                     3 large
Onion                        1 medium
Green chilies              2 chopped
Coriander leaves        2 Tsp chopped
Salt                             to taste
Garam masala             1 tsp
Oil                               1Tsp
Butter                          to shallow fry
Jeera                           1 tsp

PROCEDURE

Boil potatoes, peel and mash them.
Heat oil in the pan and add the jeera.
Add the finely chopped onions. When the onions turn color add the chopped chilies, mashed potatoes, coriander leaves, salt, garam masala.
Let cool and set aside.
Take 2 bread slices and smear butter on both sides.
Layer potato mixture on one slice and close with other slice.
Now shallow fry the sandwich on medium flame on both sides. You can also use a sandwich maker.
Serve hot with tomato sauce.

SPICY PARWAL

INGREDIENTS

Parwal                      1/2 kg
Ground nut               3 Tsp
Red chilies                5-6
Oil                             4 Tsp
Salt                            to taste
Chana dal                  1 Tsp
Urad dal                    1 Tsp
Jeera                           1 Tsp


PROCEDURE

Heat a pan and dry roast the chana dal, urad dal, red chilies, jeera and ground nuts.
Make a fine powder.
Cut parwal into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the parwal on slow flame till they are half done(with lid closed at the beginning).
When the parwal turns soft remove the lid and fry till the parwal turns golden brown on the outside.
Add the  ground powder. Fry till the curry is fully done.
Serve with hot steaming rice and ghee.

SWEET PARATHA

A simple kids favorite which can be made every time you make chapati or roti. Don't assume that I mixed sugar while making the dough. The procedure is simple. The secret is, think of the aloo paratha.....replace aloo stuffing with sugar. Are you confused......check the procedure. 

INGREDIENTS

• Wheat flour                  1 cup (makes  3 medium Parathas)
• Water                           for making the dough
• Salt                              a pinch
• Ghee                            4-5 Tsp
• Sugar                           2 Tsp for each paratha

PROCEDURE

Add salt to the flour. Add water little by little and make the dough- same as the chapati dough.
Smear some ghee on top of the dough.

Rest the dough for at least 3-4 hours.

Divide the dough into 3 parts.

Using a rolling pin and dry flour roll the dough into thin roti.

Smear a table spoon of ghee on the roti.  Now sprinkle 2 table spoons  of sugar on the roti.

If the sugar is too corse grind it to a rough powder.

Be liberal in using the sugar and ghee.

Now roll the roti like a mat.

Again roll it to form spiral. (You can also fold it like a triangle, like the normal chapati)

Now using the rolling pin make a thin paratha.

Heat a pan and fry the sweet paratha with ghee.

Enjoy it, as is or with fresh cream(meegada) from the milk. 

VANKAYA BAJJI

One the tastiest bajji's my mother used to make is vankaya bajji. Made with soft and tender brinjal, these bajjilu will melt away in your mouth.

INGREDIENTS

Tender brinjal                Long 3
Besan                             1 cup
Rice flour                        2 Tsp
Green chilies                   3
Ginger                             1 inch piece
Ajwain                            1 Tsp
Salt                                  to taste
Turmeric                         1/2 tsp
Oil                                  to deep fry

PROCEDURE

Grind the chilies, ginger and ajwain into a paste.
I use long and fat brinjals. Small and round brinjals will have more seeds and they don't taste good.
Slice the brinjal into the shape you want. I choose to cut into square pieces.
Sift the besan and this provides aeration which make the bajjilu fluff up.
Now heat 2-3 Tsp oil to Smoking hot and add it to the besan . Mix well(with a spoon, not hand......oil is hot)
Add rice flour, ground paste, salt, turmeric.
Now add water little by little and make a batter. It should be like the dosa batter, not too thick nor too thin.
Heat oil for deep frying the bajji.
Dip the brinjal slices one by one and fry them in the oil. The oil should not be smoking hot.
Keep the flame on med high.
One fine way of enjoying these bajjilu is with hot rice and ghee.

MIXED VEGGIE KURMA- MILD VERSION

A simple curry dish for any Indian bread-roti, naan, chapati, puri- or any rice dish- pulao, fried rice, vegetable rice. I have already posted the recipe for vegetable kurma. This recipe also has almost the same ingredients, but is milder in taste. I used fresh cream and butter in its preparation.

INGREDIENTS

Vegetables               2 cups(potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, cauliflower, zucchini)
Butter                       4 Tsp
Onion paste              1 cup
Tomato puree           1 cup
Cream                      1/2 cup
Garam masala          1 Tsp
Ginger garlic paste   1 Tsp
Red chilly paste        1 Tsp
Salt                           to taste
Coriander                 3-4 sprigs

PROCEDURE

Dice 2 medium sized onions and make a paste.
Make tomato puree with blanched and peeled tomatoes.(can use canned tomato puree)
Soak 5-6 red chilies in hot water and make a paste.
Dice veggies of your choice into bite size pieces and boil them.
Heat butter in a pan. Add ginger garlic paste, sauté for a minute.  Add the above pastes one by one, cover and cook till all the raw flavor is removed and the paste is well cooked.
Now add the cooked veggies, salt and add a cup of water.
Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes on a slow flame.
When every flavor is blended into veggies, add the garam masala and cream.
Cook for another five more minutes and serve with any flavored rice or Indian bread.

ONION-PEANUT CHUTNEY(MADRAS CHUTNEY)

Madras chutney as it is called is very famous in my childhood days. My aunt used to make it for breakfast. Made with peanuts and onions, the chutney tastes awesome with idly, dosa, vada, upma etc.

INGREDIENTS

Peanuts                    1 cup
Onion                      1 large
Red chilies               5
Salt                          to taste
Tamarind                 a small piece

For tadka
Oil                          2 Tsp
Chana dal               1/2 tsp
Urad dal                 1/2 tsp
Mustard                  1/4 tsp
Hing                       a pinch
Red chillies            2


PROCEDURE

Fry the peanuts on a slow flame with some oil. Let them cool.
Chop the onion and fry the onion pieces in a table spoon of oil.
Grind the peanuts, fried onions, salt, red chilies, tamarind. Add the water as required.
Fry the tadka ingredients in a table spoon of oil.
Add the tadka to the chutney.

MILK HALWA

You will be wondering how milk can be turned into halwa. But yes, I made this halwa with milk. One simple clue for making this is, add ghee while making khoya/pala kova. I will give the detailed procedure for making the sweet along with simple tips.

INGREDIENTS

Whole Milk                  4 cups
Condensed milk           1 cup
Sugar                            3 Tsp
Ghee                            4-5 Tsp
Nuts                              your choice
Milk powder                2-3 Tsp(if required)

PROCEDURE

Boil plain milk till it turns into 1 cup. It could take 30-45minutes.
Use a heavy bottom pan. I used the small pressure cooker to boil the milk as it has good thick bottom and milk do not get burnt while boiling.
Now add the condensed milk, sugar.  Condensed milk gives great color and taste to halwa.
Keep on stirring till you get to see the milk thickening.
Now add the ghee. If the milk absorbs the ghee it is well and good, but if the milk don't absorb the ghee add 2 Tsp of milk powder.
Stir continuously till the halwa consistency is attained. Remove from flame even when it is still on the liquid side because it thickens as it cools.
Add nuts of your choice and serve.
Believe me it tastes heavenly.

PANEER MINT PARATHA

One of the rich and tummy filling paratha recipes is paneer paratha. Made with grated paneer, mint and ghee this will not let you leave your dining table by eating one. You can have it as is with out any side dishes. Now a days you get low fat paneer available in market, so you can have as many as you want. Alternatively you can make chhana with low fat milk in your home and this makes the paratha very tasty.

INGREDIENTS

Wheat flour                  2 cups

Oil                                2 Tsp

Salt                               to taste

Water                           as required

Ghee                            for frying

For the filling

Paneer                          1 cup grated

Green chilies                2 very finely chopped

Coriander                     1 Tsp chopped

Jeera                             1 Tsp

Ginger                          1 tsp minced

Mint leaves                   2 Tsp finely chopped

PROCEDURE

Make a dough using wheat flour, salt, oil and water.

Let the dough rest for 4-5 hours.

Mix all of the filling ingredients. All the ingredients should be very finely chopped.

Take a large lemon sized dough and roll it into a small patty.

Place 2-3 tsp of filling in the patty and cover the filling with the patty from all sides.

Again roll the dough ball into a large paratha by using dry wheat flour. Gently roll the paratha. Do not use  pressure while rolling, otherwise the filling may come out.

Now fry the paratha on a tawa with ghee or butter.

Seve hot with any curry or simply curd. 

IDLY CHUTNEY WITH A TWIST

If you want idly chutney as you get it in some hotels then you will want to look at this recipe. Some of the restaurants serve the idly chutney with some garlic in it. If you are a garlic lover try this out.

INGREDIENTS
Fresh coconut                 1 cup grated
Roasted chana dal           1/2 cup
Cashew                           a handful
Garlic cloves                   2-3 large
Green chilies                   5
Salt                                 as required
Tamarind                        1 inch piece

For seasoning
Oil                                 1 Tsp.
Chana dal                      1/2 tsp.
Urad dal                        1/2 tsp.
Mustard                         1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves                  a few
Red chillies                   2

PROCEDURE
Grind the coconut, dal, garlic cloves, cashews, green chilies, salt, tamarind with water. Check the consistency as per your requirement.
Heat oil and add the tadka ingredients.
When the tadka is done add it to the chutney.
Serve with idly, dosa, upma, utappam........