Recipes to Try Out

This is a recipe for a starter dish from the region of Maharashtra. Its simple, easy to make & rich in Iron.

Ingredients- I bunch of cleaned & finely chopped cilantro, bengal gram flour, 1tsp of chilli powder, 1/4 tsp of turmeric, 1/2 tsp of cumin-coriander powder, 2 cloves of garlic & salt to taste.

Mix bengal gram flour with the chopped cilantro so that you can knead it into a dough. The dough shouldn’t be too dry so add the flour as much as the cilantro can accomodate.  Add very little water & oil  while kneading as the cilantro also tends to give out some water. Add the above spices & salt . Roll out the dough into elongated rolls . Steam them in a bamboo steamer or any other steamer. Don’t pressure cook ! Once they are well steamed cut them in to 1/2 thick pieces & shallow fry them till they are light brown on both sides. Alternatively you can eat them as they are.. Isn’t this a healthy & simple recipe? Try it out! Serve it with cilantro- mint chutney & your family will love it.

 Aviyal is a dish prepared with as many vegetables as one can get. It belongs to South-indian cuisine. All vegetables go in it, except for some mushy vegetables, like tomato, brinjal, ladies fingers, cabbage, cauliflower, beetroot, radish, turnip, onion, sweet potato,etc. Otherwise all the following vegetables can be used depending on the availability.

Raw green plantain, Elephant yam, Snake gourd, Pumpkin, Ash gourd, Carrot, beans,Green mango (raw)
Drumsticks, Raw jackfruit.
A small quantity of bitter gourd can be used to give a tinge of bitterness.
Ingredients- Vegetables: 250gm of the above mentioned mixed vegetables.
Turmeric powder- 1tsp, Grated fresh coconut- 1 1/2 cups ( can use 1 cup for people who dont like too much coconut), Green chillies- 4-6 depending on the spice level one prefer, Curds- 1/2 cup, salt to taste, 4-5 curry leaves, 1tsp jeera/ cumin seeds, Coconut oil or any vegetable oil 1tbsp.

Wash & cut all the vegetables lengthwise into 2″ pieces.Boil the vegetables with little water ( just enough to cover them) & turmeric & salt.One should be careful not to overcook the vegetables, they should remain crisp. Grind the coconut with green chillies & cumin seeds. Drain the vegetables, retain some water in which they were cooked. Take a wide bottom pan & add the coconut mixture to this vegetables. Cover the pan & let it simmer on a low flame, just so that coconut doesnt taste raw & mixes well with the veggies. Then switch of the flame & add the curds & mix it well. Temper this with mustard seeds & curry leaves. This aviyal can be used as a side dish for sambar rice or any other rice. You can vary the consistency of the gravy by adding more water ( in which the vegetables were cooked ) to it but it shouldn’t be too watery or too dry.

Here is recipe for Maharashtrian style prawns curry. ( Maharashtra is a state from India)

Ingredients- 1 pound of large/ medium size prawns, 1medium onion, ginger-garlic paste, tamarind pulp, 1/2 cup of coconut milk or finely grated coconut, 1 1/2 tsp chilli powder ( you can vary to the level of spiciness you want ), 1/4 tsp turmeric, salt to taste, finely chopped coriander/cilantro.

Clean & then marinate the prawns with ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, chilli powder & tamarind pulp. Then heat up oil in a wide bottom vessel, add the onions. Once the onions become transparent & start turning brown, add the prawns, saute them till you see the colour changing to pink. Then add water & lower the flame. Add the coconut milk/ grated coconut , cover the vessel & let it cook. The prawns cook very fast about 15min or so. You can add more water depending on the consistency you want. Garnish with fresh corainder. Serve this with white rice.

Every region of India has different ways of making dal , a little bit of changes in spices & tempering gives the dal a completely different taste. So here is a recipe for Masoor dal from Maharashtra ( a state from western-central region of India) .

Ingredients- Masoor dal ( orange coloured lentils) - 2 cups aprroximately, 1/4 cup of grated coconut, green chilies ( depending on how spicy you want it), 2-3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro, 1 medium size chopped onion,  1 1/2 tsp of taamrind pulp , salt to taste.

Soak the dal for about 1/2  hour or so. Grind the coconut, chillies , garlic & cilantro to make a paste. In a vessel combine the masoor dal, with water & add the chopped onions to it. Keep it on a medium flame, as the dal cooks there will be a white froth on the top. Remove that froth & then add the green paste of coconut & chillies , tamarind pulp & salt. Add water according to the consistency you want. Lower the flame & let it cook. These lentils cook very quickly so its easy to make. Also lentils are good source of proteins & little bitof variations in cooking make them healthy & tasty entrees.

Ingredients:
1tbsp Olive Oil
1 Large Onion, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Kg Ripe Tomatoes, quartered (* Select ripe, full-flavoured tomatoes)
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
5 Sprigs of fresh Thyme , Oregano & Parsely
1 Bay Leaf
3 tbsp sour cream or plain yogurt
Salt and Ground black pepper

Method:
1. Heat Olive oil in a large, preferably stainless-steel pan or flameproof casserole.
2. Add the onion and carrot and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until just softened, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, chopped garlic and herbs. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
4. Discard the bay leaf and press the soup through a strainer. Stir in the yogurt or sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Cool, then chill in the refrigerator. Serve with a garnish of yogurt.

I hope you enjoy the soup!
-Sapna.

Hi here is a recipe which I got from “foodnetwork” & tried it out. It came out well so thought will share it with you all.

Ingredients- Butternut squash 1 pound, 1medium size onion, 2 cloves garlic, salt to taste, 2 tsp curry powder ( I added garam masala) 1tbsp honey, Chicken broth ( optional) . If you dont get butternut squash try it with the orange pumpkin.

Heat up the oil & add the chopped onions & garlic. Saute them till they become soft then add the chopped butternut squash ( I would prefer to buy already chopped one, as its a tough job to cut the whole butternut squash) & about 2 cups of water or chicken broth. Cover the lid of the vessel & bring it to simmer about 15min till the squash cooks. Then add the honey & blend it. While serving drizzle some yogurt over the soup..

Here is a simple recipe for spinach/ palak soup.

Ingredients-1 bunch of  Washed & cleaned Spinach, 1 medium onion, 1 tomato, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 -3 green chillies, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp Dry oregano.

Heat up the oil, add the chopped onions, garlic, & green chillies. Once the onions become transparent add the chopped tomato. Then add chopped spinach & salt.  Saute for a bit then add water or chicken broth. Add black pepper & oregano . Cover the vessel & let the spinach cook on a low flame. Once the spinach is done let it cool down & then blend it in a mixer. You can add some lemon juice for added flavour.

This is one healthy & easy to make recipe for kids. Take 1 cup of Moong dal ( green) & soak it overnight. Drain the water, cover the the container & let it sprout. Then  grind the sprouts  with little water, 1/4 tsp chilli powder, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, fresh cilantro/coriander  &  salt to taste. Soak 1/2 cup of Rice flour & then it to the above mixture. Add salt to taste. Heat the pan & spread the batter to make dosas.

This is a Maharashtrian Sweet dish called “Ninav” , the key ingredient of which is “Besan” . My mom always made this & everyone at home enjoyed eating it. So here is my mom’s recipe-

Ingredients- 1/2 kg chana dal ( or besan ) , 1/2 cup whole wheat grain ( or whole wheat flour) , 1/2 cup Rice ( or rice flour) . Roast everything separately . Grind it to fine flour if you are taking the whole grains. Take 1 cup of this flour & add 1/2 cup of jaggery, 2 cups of coconut milk, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp of cardamom, 1/4th tsp of nutmeg , 2 tbsp of ghee or clarified butter & mix it well. Put this mixture on low heat , keep stirring it to avoid lumps till you get a consistency of a porridge. Then take a baking pan, smear it with butter & pour this mixture into it. Preheat the oven to 150C & keep the above batter for 20 min till u see it getting a brownish tinge.
I hope you enjoy making this for your family!

Have anyone of you faced the dilemma of what to make for lunch/ dinner during midweek after long working hours? Here is a recipe which is easy to make & yet mouth watering!

Ingredients- Minced Chicken or any other meat., onions, ginger-garlic paste, Chilli powder/ paprika, Cumin Powder, Turmeric, oregano, & salt to taste.

Method- Heat up the oil, add the chopped  onions & ginger garlic paste, saute well till the onions turn light brown. Thaw the minced meat/ chicken & mix all the dry ingrediens in it. Marinate it for at least an hour. Then add this meat to the onions & saute on high flame.. When the oil starts to separate out add some water & let it cook. Keep the kheema dry. Once the kheema is cooked you can add boiled potatoes mix everything together. Apply little oil on your hands & make medium sized cutlets / burgers. Coat them with bread crumbs & shallow fry them. These cutlets can be relished  with  coriander-mint chutney.

Alternate method- Instead of cooking the kheema, combine it with all dry ingredients, onions & bread crumbs & roll them into burgers. Grill these till the meat cooks.