Baingan ka salan (Brinjal gravy)

Ingredients

For grinding

1 tbsp peanuts

2 tbsp coconut 

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 tsp poppy seeds

Other ingredients

½  kg Brinjal (small)                      

¼ tsp mustard

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp kalonji (onion seeds - optional)

1 Red chilli and 1 green chilli 

1 tbsp ginger & garlic paste 

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chili powder

1tsp masala powder

2 sliced onions

A pinch turmeric powder

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves d

Few curry leaves

2 tbsp thick curd

Oil to deep fry

Salt to taste  

Preparation 

                                                           

Heat pan, dry roast peanuts, sesame seeds, poppy seeds & coconut.

Grind this into paste and set aside.

Wash the brinjals and wipe with towel, without any water and slit them into four.

In another pan heat oil deep fry the brinjals and set aside.

Method

Heat oil in a pan add mustard, when mustard starts spluttering

add cumin, red chilli, kalonji, sliced onions and  curry leaves.

Cook this till onions are golden brown in color.

Add ginger garlic paste cook this till raw flavor goes.

Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder

green chilli and salt sauté for a minute.

Now add peanut and sesame paste mix it with little water.

Cover with lid and cook in low flame for 20 minutes, stir in between.

Add curd, once it comes to boil, add fried brinjals &  masala powder mix gently.

Cover with lid on and let it cook for 10 minutes in low flame.

Then add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Goes well with jeera rice/ chapatti/ poori.

American corn & Cheese soup

Ingredients

1 cup American corn

2 spoons grated cheese

1 onion

Few ginger & garlic

¼ spoon black pepper powder

2 spoons corn flour

½ spoon butter / oil

Salt to taste

Method

Boil American corn with water for 5 minutes and set aside.

In a pan add ½ spoon of butter add onion, garlic and ginger sauté for 2 minutes.

Now add boiled corn along with water.

Mix the corn flour with little water add this to above with salt and allow to boil.

Finally add grated cheese and freshly crushed pepper powder.

American corn cheese soup is ready to serve.

Channa Masala

 Ingrdients

200 gms channa ( chickpeas)

3 onions

4 tomatoes

1 tbsp channa masala powder

1 tsp amchur powder

1 tsp chopped ginger                                         

1 tsp chopped garlic         

1 tsp sambar powder / red chilli powder

A pinch turmeric powder

Few coriander leaves

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Preparation

Wash and soak channa overnight.

Pressure cook channa without salt for 5 to 6 whistles.

Grind tomatoes in to puree and set aside.                         

Grind 2 tbsp of boiled channa in to a paste and set aside. (for thick consistency of gravy)

Method

In a pan add oil in that add ginger, garlic and onion sauté for 2 minutes.

Add  chili powder,  turmeric powder, amuchur powder and cook for a minute.

Now add tomato puree and cook well till raw smell goes.

Add channa with required water and salt and cook for 10 minutes.

Finally add channa paste & channa masal powder mix well.

Cook for 2 more minutes in low flame.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  

Ready to serve hot channa masala.

Goes well with  chapathi / poori.

We can do bread channa also.

Vazhakka Puttu

Ingredients

5 small raw bananas (Big 2)

¼  tsp mustard

1 tbsp gram dhal

1 red chilli

A pinch asafetida

Few curry & coriander leaves

1 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 green chilli & 1 red chilli

2 tbsp coconut

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Method

Steam  vzhakka with skin in cooker for 1 whistles.

(Keep in cooker without water)

Let it cool and remove the skin and grate it.

Now heat oil in a pan, add mustard when it starts spluttering

add channa dhal, red chilli, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and sauté.

Add grated vzhakka  slat and cook for 4 minutes.

Now add coconut and mix well, cook for 2 more minutes.

Add coriander leaves.

Ready to serve hot vzhakka  puttu.

Goes well with smabar / rasam / curd rice. 

Thattai

Ingredients

2 cups rice flour

½ cup roasted gram flour

1 tsp red chilli powder

¼ tsp asafetida            

1 tbsp gram dhal (soaked in water for 15 minutes and filtered)

tsp butter            

Salt to taste.

Method

In a pan add rice flour, roasted gram flour, red chilli powder,

asafetida, curry leaves, soaked gram, butter and salt mix it well.

Add water little by little and mix all these ingredients to make dough.

Now make small round shape balls out of the dough.  

In plastic sheet spread oil, and keep this.  

Now close the plastic sheet, gently press with flatten vessel (coffee davara)

Heat  oil in a pan.

Slowly turn the plastic paper on your palm and it will come easily.

Now drop this into hot oil and deep fry it.                                                                           

The simple and the delicious thattai is ready to serve.

Variation - In dough you can add white sesame seeds and crushed peanuts also.

Dum Aloo

Ingredients

½  kg potatoes

2 onions

1 tsp jeera

1 tbsp gram flour

¼ cup fresh & thick curd

½  cups of tomato puree

small piece of ginger

few garlic

¼ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp saunf powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

½  tsp kashmiri red chillie powder

¼ tsp masala powder

oil to fry

salt to taste

Preparation

Peel the skin and cut the potatoes.

Heat oil in a pan, deep fry the potato in high flame and set aside (otherwise it will be very oily)

In a pan add 1tsp oil in that add onion, ginger and garlic fry for 5 minutes.

Grind the above in to paste and set aside.

In a bowl add curd, coriander powder, saunf powder, red chili powder, and turmeric powder

mix well keep aside.

Method

Heat oil in a pan add jeera and  gram flour fry until it turns in to golden brown.

Now add tomato puree and onion paste and fry well.

Add this to curd.

Add the fried potatoes, mix it well and add 1cup of water.

After the gravy boils, let it cook on low flame for 10 minutes. (stir in between)  

Finally add masala powder and mix well.

Serve hot with poori /paratha / naan /fried rice.

Mint Rice (Pudina rice)

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati rice
2 cups water
1 bunch mint leaves
Small piece of ginger
2 tbsp coconut
1 green chilli
4 pods garlic
1 tsp fennel (saunf)
A pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee
Salt to taste.

Method

In a pan add a tsp of oil in that add fennel,
ginger, garlic, green chilli and mint leaves fry for 2 minutes.
Now add coconut (don’t fry) to the above and grind to a fine paste.
In a pressure cooker add ghee, 2 cups of water and boil it.
Now add the above paste and turmeric powder mix well.
Finally add rice and salt mix well and cook for 2 whistle.
Simple mint rice is ready to serve with any raitha.

Chocolate Balls

Ingredients

35 Marie biscuits

2 tbsp cocoa powder

½ tin condensed milk (or ½ cup powdered sugar)     

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp desiccated coconut 
Few gems 

Method

Make a fine powder of the biscuits in a mixer.

Add cocoa powder, condensed milk, butter, coconut and mix well,

make it in to dough (sprinkle little milk if needed)

Make small balls of the dough and make it in to round shape.

Garnish with gems and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Enjoy the delicious chocolate balls.

Tip -while using sugar powder use ½ cup milk.

  

Besan Ladoos

Ingredients

2 cups basan flour

1cup Powdered sugar

1/2 cup ghee

1/4 spoon caradamom powder

few cashew nuts ( roasted)

A pinch nutmeg powder

Method

Powder the sugar and keep aside.

Now in a pan add ½  cup of ghee, heat well.

Add besan and roast it in low flame until color changes

to golden brown, and you will get nice aroma from the flour.

Keep stirring continuously to avoid burning at the bottom.

Now switch off the gas.

Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder and roasted cashew nuts.

Now add powdered sugar and mix well, set aside for 2 minutes.

When the mixture is warm, shape in to balls with your hands.

Grease your hands with ghee to avoid sticking.

Garnish with any dry fruits.

Mysore Pak

Ingredients

1 cup besan

2 cups sugar

1 ½  cups ghee

½ cup water 

                     

Preparation 

        

Grease a plate with little ghee and set aside.

In a bowl add besan & ¼  cup ghee mix well and set aside.

This will help you to prevent from lumps.

Method

In a pan add sugar and water, in medium flame, bring it to boil

and check for one string consistency.

If you drop the sugar syrup from the ladle, last drop will be like

one string will form and that’s the correct consistency.

Keep ghee in another pan simultaneously, in low flame throughout the sweet preparation.

Now add the besan & ghee mixture to the sugar syrup and mix well.

Add the remaining ghee in between and keep stirring continuously.

Keep the flame in low and keep mixing, add ghee little by little.

It will start bubbling and when the besan mixture starts

to leave the sides of the pan, remove from flame.

It’s important to remove at this stage; else mysore pak will become hard.

Pour it into a greased plate, it will spread evenly by itself.

When it is warm, cut it into desired shape.

Melting  mysore pak is ready.

Note : You have to be very careful while checking the one string consistency

of the sugar syrup and final stage of mysore  pak consistency.

Tip - If you heat the ghee and keep adding while preparing the sweet,

the preparation time is faster.