Masoor Biryani

On request by my sis in law (brothers wife).
This is one of my favorite recipe, and well know in my friends and family. The recipe was passed to me by one of my mother's friend (Mane madam). Once I had it in her house when I was in college and I liked it.
It is best serve with Mango pickle and ghee.

Ingredients:
1 cup basmati rice Soaked for 1 hour and water removed
1 cup sprouted masoor
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 onions - chopped lengthwise
1 tamal patri (bay leaf)
2 green chili cut lengthwise
1'' dalchini (cinnamon )
a pinch shah jeera  (black cumin seeds) / cumin seeds
1/2  dagad phool (star aniseed )
2 lawang (cloves)
4-5 meerha (whole black pepper)
1/2 tsp garam masala
3 tbsp oil / ghee
2.5 cup boiling water
salt to taste

Procedure:
1) Heat oil in a thick bottom pot.
2) Add spices one by one, then add chilies and onion. Fry for few minutes till onions are translucent not browned. Then add ginger garlic paste and garam masala fry for a min.
3) Add rice and fry for 3-4 min stiring continuosly on a medium flame. Then add massor and fry for 3-4 min again.
4)Its important to add BOILING water to it now. Add salt.
5) Cook uncovered on medium first then on low.
6)Keep a little water more, so if you feel the rice is not cooked can add a little water to it.
Serve hot, garnish with a leaf of coriander.

Makhana kheer (Lotus seeds pudding)

Ingredients:
6 cups milk
3 cups makhana.
1 cup sugar
4 Cardamoms finely grounded.
7-8 Cashews sliced
5-6 raisins.
2 tsp ghee

Procedure:
1.Heat ghee in wok (skillet) and fry makhanas for 5 min or until light golden.
2.Coarsely ground the makhana and keep aside,
3.Heat milk to boil in a pot.
4.Once milk starts boiling, let it simmer for 10 min.
5.Now add crushed makhana,cashews,raisins,cardamom in it and cook it for another 10 min on low flame.
6.keep stirring on time to time.
pudding is ready, serve hot or cold.

Stir fry

Ingredients:
1 cup beans
1/2 zuchinni chopped
1 carrot diced
1 onion diced
1/2 bowl fresh coriander
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Procedure:
1) heat wok add oil than ginger garlic paste, soy sauce. Fry for 1-2 min.
2) add onions, carrot, beans, zucchini, and fry for 2-3 min. Add salt.
3) Garnish with coriander.
Serve with Congee
Can top with roasted peanuts or cashew nuts or Sesame seeds

Congee

Congee (Chinese rice soup)

Ingredients:
6 cups water
1/2 cup jasmine rice
1/2 tsp grated ginger
salt to taste

Procedure:
Add rice, water  and garlic in a large pot. When water is boiled, turn it down to medium low and put the lid on. Let it cook in medium low for 1 - 2 hours or until the congee is creamy. Stir occasionally.
Serve with Stir fry

Vietnamese spring roll with peanut sauce

Once we tried this rolls in a Vietnamese restaurant and we liked it, its raw and its healthy.

Ingredients:
For rolls:
60g dried rice vermicelli noodles
8 rice wrappers (22cm diameter)
12 leaves fresh Thai basil, chopped
3 sprigs fresh coriander, chopped
1-2 Carrots (cut lengthwise)
1 Cucumber (cut lengthwise)
few lettuce leafs 


For Peanut sauce:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 small garlic clove, mashed to a paste
• 1 tsp chili paste
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp water

Procedure:
For spring rolls
1)Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Boil rice vermicelli 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, and drain.
2) Fill a large bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper into the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat.
3) In a row across the center and  place a handful of vermicelli, basil, coriander and lettuce, leaving about 2 inches uncovered at each side.
4) Fold uncovered sides inward, then tightly roll the wrapper, beginning at the end with the lettuce. 
5)Cut roll in half if desired. 
    Repeat with remaining ingredients.


For sauce:
In a small bowl mix all the ingredients of the sauce and stir rigorously to mix well.

Ragada Pattis

Ragada Pattis (Spicy peas curry with Potato pattice)

This is my one of the most favorite food.My mom is expert in this. Love you mom.

Ingredients:
For pattice
500gm Potatoes
1 cup bread crumbs
1 green chili crushed
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

For tamarind Chatni
1/2 cup tamarind soaked
1/4 cup dates
2 tbsp jaggery
salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder

For Mint chatni
1/2 cup mint
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 green chili
salt to taste

For Ragada
2 cups dried peas (soaked overnight)
1tbsp garam masala
1/2  tsp turmeric powder
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp chili powder
2-3 bay leafs
salt to taste

For Garnishing
2-3 finely chopped onion
a bunch of coriander chopped
1 cup yogurt

Procedure:

For pattice
Boil potatoes until soft. Then peel and mash with bread crumbs, ginger garlic paste, salt, chili, turmeric powder and make some pattice.Shallow fry the pattice on frying pan until a little crispy .Here in above picture I baked the pattice, as I was running out of time.

For chutneys:

Tamarind Chutney : Grind all the Ingredients in a grinder. Taste and adjust salt and Jaggery.
Mint Chutney         : Grind all the Ingredients in a grinder. Taste and adjust salt.

For Ragada:

Soak the peas overnight. Next day boil until soft. Add some salt while boiling.
In a pot add oil, bay leaves and fry for few seconds then add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, garam masala and cooked peas, boil for 10 min. Taste and add salt and a little chili powder.

For Serving : first put pattice in a plate then ragada and then chopped onions, coriander, and top with mint chutney, tamarind chutney and yogurt. Yummy

Shengdanyachi Chatani (Peanut Chatni)

Ingredients:
1 cup roasted peanuts
1 tsp chili powder
2-3 garlic cloves
salt to taste

Procedure:
1) Grind together all ingredients coarsely
Can have with bread, or on top of salads, with yogurt, in sandwich, with rice, chapati or roti, naan.

Korean Noodles Stir fry

I got to know about this noodles from my Boss's wife Precy. Once she gave me this stir fry for lunch. I was amazed to see this transparent noodles. Actually this are made up of potato starch.

Ingredients:

1/4 packet noodles. Glass Noodles( From 300 gm packet)
1 Zucchini chopped
1 Carrot sliced lengthwise
1 cup fresh beans
1/2 onion (chopped = 1'' cubes)
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds / roasted pine nuts
1tsp ginger garlic paste
1 fresh green / red chili
1tbsp sesame oil
1tsp soy sauce
1tsp cooking wine
1/2 rice vinegar
salt to taste

Procedure :
1) Add noodles in boiling water and cook until they are soft.
2) In a wok add oil, chili,onions, ginger garlic paste. Fry for 2-3 min.
3) Add beans, carrots, cook for 2-3 min and then add zucchini. Can also add mushrooms.
4) Add vinegar and wine, soy sauce. After frying for 3-4 min add noodles and fry again.
5) Serve with sesame seeds or pine nuts

Peas and potato pattice

In January the fresh peas season starts in India.
Aai (mother) makes 'Masale Bhat' and 'Matta' on 26th January for Republic Day.
And sweet will be offcourse Jalebi.
But today I am posting another recipe by my aai called Pattice. Made up of Potatoes and fresh Peas. (or frozen)

Ingredients:
500 gm Potatoes boiled
250 gm peas
1 onion chopped
1tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 coriander powder
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup fine semolina
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp chili powder
oil for frying
1 cup yogurt
9-10 mint leaves
1 chilli fresh
salt to taste

Procedure:
1)For filling:
          In a pan heat oil add onions and fry untill translucent.
          Add turmeric, chili, coriander, garam masala powder and ginger-garlic paste. Fry for 2-3 min.
          Add fresh peas and fry than put lid and cook for 3-4 min.
          Add salt to taste. And let it cool for few min.
2) Mash the potatoes and mix in the bread crumbs, salt. Dont prepare the mixture too early as it tends to get get very soft and stick because of salt, you will unable to make ball. So prepare when you are ready to make pattice and fry.
3) Now make small balls of potato mixture and flaten it on palm, then fill the peas mixture and make the ball again and flatten a little bit.
4) Roll it on fine semolina or bread crumbs, and than goes on frying pan with a little oil. Make crispy.
5) Do the same with rest.
          For Chutney / Dip:
                     1) Grind Mint leafs and 1 chili ,salt together.
                     2) Mix with yogurt.

Kolhapuri Misal Pav

Kolhapuri Misal Pav

Kolhapur is a famous city of Western Maharashtra in India, know for it’s famous Mahalaxmi Temple and spicy food.

On a weekend, I thought of making something different for lunch. So the dish was Kolhapuri Misal Pav. This is famous recipe from Kolhapur, so it’s name has Kolhapuri . Misal  means mixture, as it contains 3-4 different varieties of sprouts.  Pav means bread. 

I remember my mother use to make this at the time of Diwali as we have huge stock of the snacks.

So remembering those old days.Lets make misal.

With all this ingredients it seems difficult but not if you gather all ingredients as mentioned below.










For 5-6 persons

Ingredients:

For curry:

2 cups sprouted beans cooked

2 onions chopped

2 small tomatoes chopped

½ tsp turmeric

6-7 curry leaves

1tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp red chili powder (can add extra as per taste)

5 cups water

¼ tsp sugar

Salt to taste

            For curry paste:

            2 tbsp dry coconut

            ½ cup fresh coriander leaves

            3 garlic cloves

            1 inch ginger  ---- and grind all together to a very fine paste

For potato vegetable:

3 Potatoes (boiled) and chopped

1 onion chopped

¼ tsp turmeric

1tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard

5-6 curry leaves

¼ cup Fresh coriander

Salt to taste

For Garnishing

1 onion finely chopped

1 cup fresh coriander chopped

1 tomato chopped

1 lime/lemon cut into 8 pieces

1 Packet- 500gm spicy snacks (can get from Indian store)

Procedure for curry:

1) Heat oil in thick bottom soup pan.

 2) Add cumin, onions and fry till translucent.

 3) Add turmeric and chili powder.

 4) Add curry leaves and garam Masala and tomatoes.

5) After frying for 4-5 min add the curry paste.

6) Fry again for 6-7 mins till oil separates from the paste.

7) Then add cooked sprouts…. (wash and cook sprouts in pressure cooker 2 whistle or add to boiling water and boil  until it becomes soft/ cooked).

88) Adding salt and sugar ,Let the mixture boil for few min.
  9) When the curry is boiling remove the oil which floats on top in a bowl and keep aside, use the same oil while serving on top. ( the oil is called as 'cut').

    By that time make potato vegetable

1) De skin and chop the boiled potatoes and keep aside.

2) In a pan add oil chopped onions, turmeric, cumin and mustard seeds, curry leaves,    salt and fry for 1-2 min.

3) Then add potatoes and chopped fresh coriander. And fry for 2 -3 min.

4) Vegetable is ready.

5) I am not using chili in this because overall dish will become more spicy than planned.

Serving suggestions are as shown in the picture.

Serve hot.

Dahi bhat

Dahi bhat recipe -1 (easy yogurt rice)

Ingredients:

1 bowl cooked rice

½ bowl yogurt

1 garlic clove grated

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1)      1) Mix rice, yogurt and grated garlic, salt in a bowl.

2)      2) Make semi liquid consistency.

3)      3) Serve with fresh chopped coriander.

Dahi Bhat – recipe 2 (Yogurt rice)

I remember my aai (mother) use to prepare this rice in summer to keep our body cool. Its a tradition that whole meal is not complete without having 'dahi bhat'.

Ingredients:

1 bowl cooked rice

½ bowl yogurt

1 garlic clove grated

1tbsp oil

½ tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

1tsp Chana dal

1tsp urad dal

Pinch of Asafetida

1 green chili chopped

6-7 curry leaves

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1)      1) Mix rice, yogurt and grated garlic, salt in a bowl.

2)      2) Make semi liquid consistency by adding water.

3)      3) Heat oil in a pan add chana dal, urad dal, cumin, mustard, chili and curry leaves, asafetida fry for 1-2 min.

4)      4)Serve with fresh chopped coriander.

·       5) Can replace ginger for garlic.

5 Grain Porridge

5 Grain Porridge

This is a healthy alternative for cornflakes in morning. Good in winter as it produces heat in the body. Basically this is a mixture of 5 grains, coarsely ground. You can store this for couple of months.

Ingredients:

1 cup Bajari (Pearl millet)

1 cup Rice

1 cup Jowar (Sorghum)

1 cup wheat

1 cup whole Moog (whole mung beans with skin on)

½  cup Til /  sesame seeds roasted

2 tsp Oowa / Ajwain Roasted (Carom seeds Roasted)

2 cups water

Salt to taste

Procedure:

1)      1)Roast  separately all the grains on low flame. In thick bottom pan.

2)      2) Ground separately all grains coarsely. Sesame and carom seeds as well.

3)      3)Mix all the grains, sesame and carom seeds.

Cooking:

1)     1) Boil water in thick bottom Pot. Add salt.

2)     2) Mix 3 tbsp above prepared mixture in ½ water and add to boiling water.

3)     3) Keep on stirring  while its cooking. Cook for 15-20 min.

4)      4)Serve with milk or buttermilk.  (Recipe for buttermilk in Spicy sago)

Nachnyachi Ambil (Ragi / Finger Millet Sour Porridge)

Nachnyachi Ambil (Ragi / Finger Millet Sour Porridge)
Good in summer as it cools body. Good source of Protein and calcium too.

 

                                          

Ingredients:

2 tbsp finger millet flour

2 cups water

1 garlic clove

1tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Buttermilk or yogurt while serving.

Can serve with milk / coconut milk, then don’t add garlic and cumin instead add sugar and cardamom.

Procedure:

1)       1) In thick bottom pot boil water.

2)    2) Add crushed garlic, cumin and salt. And boil for 5-6 min.

3)    3) Mix finger millet flour in a separate bowl with water and then add to boiling water to prevent clumps.

4)    4) Boil for 3-4 min.

5)    5) Cool and serve with buttermilk. ( Buttermilk recipe in Spicy sago)

Nutritive value of Ragi per 100 g

Protein 7.3 g

Fat 1.3 g

Carbohydrate 72 g

Minerals 2.7 g

Calcium 3.44 g

Fibre 3.6 g

Energy 328 kCal

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg red pumpkin / butternut
• 2 medium sized potatoes
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1tsp fennel seeds
• 2 vegetable stock cubes
• 2 tsp oil
• salt
• freshly grind pepper
• parsley to garnish
• cream or coconut milk , while serving
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• 4-5 bread slices.

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 200degreeC. Roast the pumpkin, Onion, Garlic cloves in the oven until its soft. about 30-40 minutes : test with knife. and remove flesh. discard seeds.
2. Add some bread slices while roasting the pumpkin and remove when lightly brown and crisp. Continue to cook pumpkin further.
3. In a pot heat oil, fennel seeds ,fry well. Add peeled and chopped potatoes. cover with water and stock cubes. cook for 20-25 min or until just cooked.
4. Than add pumpkin flesh in the mixture above.mix with a stick blender. check for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. add water or vegetable stock to get desired consistency.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley and cream or coconut milk.
6. Serve with crispy bread topped with Parmesan cheese
7. * Can add a hint of ginger just before blending.

Rocket Pesto

Ingredients:
100g rocket leaves (or can also use Basil leaves)
1-2 medium sized garlic cloves
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (or can also use Pistachio)
salt
25g Parmesan or very dry Pecorino cheese - grated
75 ml olive oil (for lighter version, reduce the quantity of oil)



Procedure:
1) In a grinder add rocket leaves, pine nuts salt, garlic and grind coarsely.
2) add grated cheese
3)add oil.
The pesto will keep for a few days in the fridge stored in a well-sealed jar.
Hint: If possible use Mortar and Pestle instead of electric grinder.

Stir fry Sprouts

Chinese Fried vegetable

Ingredients:

• 100 gms bean sprouts 
• 1 carrot sliced
• 2 strings of spring onion chopped
• 1/2 '' ginger grated
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 rice wine
• pinch of brown sugar
• salt to taste
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp oil

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan add ginger,soy sauce and rice wine, sugar. let it simmer for 30 sec.
2. Add sprouts and carrots, fry well and taste for salt , if needed then add more. Cook for another 30 sec.
3. Before serving garnish with spring onions and carrots and ground pepper.

Summer Fruit Salad

The recipe is simple as I always prepare when I am in hurry.


Ingredients :

• 200ml or 250ml - ready made custard
• Seasonal fruits such as (Quantity - as per individual preference or availability)
• Raspberry
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Mulberry
• Cherry
• Persimmon
• Apple
• Kiwi
• Banana
• Caster Sugar

Procedure:

1. Wash and dry all fruits.
2. Cut Apple into 1 inch pieces, slice bananas, Persimmon, Kiwi. Remove skin of this fruits.
3. Don't cut any of the berries.
4. In a bowl add custard and top it with all fruits and Castor sugar. Enjoy

Shabudanyachi Khichdi (Spicy Sago)

Shabu - Sago and Dane - Peanuts so Shabudanyachi khichdi. As ' Margshish' (hindu Month) started we have to do fasting on every Thursday, we can eat sago and fruits, milk, sweet potato and there are few more things. We can have dinner after doing pooja.

Fasting is basically for happiness, wealth, and health.

This recipe is well known all over Maharashtra.

Shabudanyachi Khichdi

Ingredients:

1 cup sago - Soaked overnight - add water till sago are just soaked, dont add too much of water.

1/2 cup roasted peanuts - grind coarsely

2-3 green chillies or red chili powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Procedure :

1) Mix soaked sago, coarsely grinded peanuts and salt.

2) Heat oil in thick bottom pan, add cumin, chillies, fry for 1 min then add above mixture.

3) Fry for 4-5 min. You can also add fresh grated coconut on top.

4) Serve with buttermilk or yogurt, cucumber.

Buttermilk : In a mixing jar take 3 tbsp of yogurt add salt to taste and 1 cup water and blend it . Can also add cumin powder or Curry leaves or mint.