A delicious starter served at get togethers and parties, the crackling spinach is still a hot favourite with young and old alike. If you wish to avoid frying you may air fry it but the taste differs. Eating in moderation is the answer to such preparations..
Ingredients:
2 bunches of spinach
Toasted sesame seeds
Chilly flakes
Salt
Sugar
Oil for frying.
Method:
Discard the stems of the spinach. Wash it well and pat dry. Chop finely and spread it out on a kitchen towel to dry completely. Dry roast the sesame seeds till they start popping. Remove from heat and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the spinach in small batches on a high flame till it is crisp. Drain and put it on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil. Once all the spinach is fried put it in a bowl. Drop in the toasted sesame seeds, chilly flakes a pinch of salt and powdered or castor sugar. Mix thoroughly and serve.
Note:
I have not mentioned the quantities of sugar, salt, chilly flakes and toasted sesame seeds as it is an individual choice to add as per requirement.
Winters are fast approaching and one feels satiated when there is a hot soup ready at dinner time.
My mother never added cornflour to any soup. Vegetables were pulverized to lend texture to a vegetable soup, cream and tomatoes were blitzed together in a cream of tomato soup and sweet corn was pressure cooked and sauteed in butter, cooled and ground to a fine paste… Minced vegetables were invariably added.
Posting a soup today sans vegetables. I thank my friend Chef Prajakta Pai Shahpur for her recipe. It’s just sweet corn all the way.
Ingredients:
Two corn cobs pressure cooked and kernels separated from the cob.
5 flakes of garlic
3 tbsps Amul butter
1 green chilly minced
Pepper and salt to taste
Method:
Sautee the corn and garlic in butter till the corn turns slightly white. Allow to cool and grind it to a fine paste. Tip this paste on the pan in which the corn was sauteed. Add enough water to adjust consistency and the finely chopped green chilly. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes and serve hot sprinkled with pepper.
The veg burger that I had posted earlier was a cheat one with veggies sauteed and piled on to the burger. It was just to get the children to eat their veggies.. Here is the regular one with vegetable Pattie, lettuce, tomato and onions. The Pattie is made in a simple and easy way. No corn flour slurry, no dipping in bread crumbs. You may use any number of vegetables of your choice. Children and adults will both enjoy it.
Ingredients:
5 Burger buns sliced into half
2 large potatoes pressure cooked
1 carrot grated
15 French beans chopped fine
1 medium sized onion chopped fine
1 inch piece of ginger
7 cloves of garlic
2 green chillies
1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder
Salt
4 slices of bread
Rava/ semolina to coat the patties
Oil to fry
Butter
5 Cheese singles
Mayonnaise
Tomato ketchup
Tomato sliced thinly
Onion sliced thinly
Lettuce
Method:
Peel the cooked potatoes and grate them. Steam cook the beans and carrot. Make a paste of the green chillies, garlic and ginger. Heat oil in a pan and drop in the onions. Allow them to turn translucent. Drop in the ginger, garlic and green chilly paste. Roast till the raw smell disappears and then add the steamed veggies and salt. Mash with a masher and then add the potatoes. Mix and heat thoroughly. Wet the slices of bread, squeeze out well and add them to the mixture. Continue mixing till it leaves the sides of the pan. Tip it into a bowl. Cover and keep aside to cool. After it has cooled refrigerate the mixture for around half an hour. Pinch five equal sized balls of the mixture and pat it into the shape of a Pattie. Dust with semolina and deep fry in medium hot oil till it turns golden yellow and crisp. Do remember the Pattie continues to cook even after being removed from the hot oil so it is absolutely essential to see that it is removed from the oil once it turns a deep golden yellow.
Assembling:
Apply butter on the inside of the two slices of the bun. Gently roast it till it turns a golden brown. Spread Mayonnaise and sprinkle with pepper. Place a lettuce and top it with a slice of cheese, slices of tomato and onion. Drizzle with tomato ketchup. Place the Pattie and the other half of the burger bun. Serve with more mayonnaise and ketchup as required.
This is a recipe which both kids and adults will simply enjoy! Spaghetti in pesto sauce is an Italian dish with the richness and aroma of basil which is it’s basic ingredient. It keeps the flavour of the dish fresh for long. This recipe, that can be cooked in under 30 minutes, has spaghetti tossed in a blend of cheese and pesto sauce along with cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients :
250 gms spaghetti (boiled in two litres of water, a pinch of salt and some olive oil till al dente)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig mint leaves
5 cherry tomatoes halved
2 garlic cloves crushed slightly.
For pesto sauce:
2 cups basil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
1/2 cup roasted walnuts
Salt
4 garlic cloves
3 tbsps olive oil
Method:
Tip all the ingredients mentioned under pesto sauce in a blender and grind to a coarse consistency. Keep aside. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic cloves. Toss till they turn golden brown. Add the cherry tomatoes. Remove the garlic. Add the pesto sauce. Cook for a minute. Add the boiled spaghetti. Mix thoroughly. Garnish with a mint sprig , cheese and serve immediately.
Salted cashews are a favourite the world over. Since the Indians love theirs sprinkled with spices, decided to make a batch this Diwali with a few spices added. They have turned out extremely crisp and delicious. Do take care while buying the cashewnuts. The large sized ones are the best . The smaller ones can be used in seasonings for Pulao or for making cashew paste.
Ingredients:
500 gms whole Cashews
2 tbsps chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt as required
2 tbsps coriander powder
1 heaped tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp asafoetida powder
3 tbsps corn flour
5 tbsps Besan/ gram flour
3 tbsps oil
Oil for frying.
Method:
Tip the cashews in a sieve and hold them under running water. Wash and drain thoroughly. Drop them into a bowl when they are still wet and add the salt, asafoetida, chilly, turmeric, coriander and cumin powder. Mix thoroughly. Add the oil, corn flour and besan and keep mixing till the cashews are evenly coated. Marinate for an hour. Microwave for three minutes just to dry them out a little. This also helps in the cashews absorbing hardly any oil while they are being fried. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the cashews when the oil is medium hot. Remove them once they turn golden yellow and place them on a kitchen towel. They turn a beautiful golden brown by the time the next batch is fried. Do not allow them to brown in the oil as the heat roasts them even after they are removed. Finish off with the remaining cashews, allow them to cool and store in an air tight container.
This crunchy sweet and tangy salad of slivered cucumber, carrot and raw mango goes well with rice, roti or can be even enjoyed as is. I prefer mine rolled inside a roti as it makes for a healthy meal.
Ingredients:
1 large carrot
1 large cucumber
1 small raw mango
Juice of half a lime
Salt
A pinch of sugar
Pepper powder if required.
Method:
Wash and peel the carrot, cucumber and raw mango. Either slice it into thin long juliennes or sliver them as I have, with a peeler. Tip everything in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar and lemon juice. Mix and refrigerate. Season with salt just before serving.
Note: do not add salt before hand as the salad oozes water and turns limp.
Mushrooms are a rich source of protein, selenium, vitamins and antioxidants. Button mushroom cultivation has become an alternative source of income for the Indian farmer and also a profitable one.
This post though is not about mushrooms. It is for those who are allergic to them as I am. I decided to prepare a Mushroom masala but with potatoes shaped into button mushrooms.
All one needs is an apple corer and a sharp knife. Just slice the tip of a potato and stick the apple corer about 2/3 into it. Cut it in a circle. You can feel the knife touching the metal.. Remove the corer and you are left with a pretty looking button mushroom.
Ingredients:
250 gms baby potatoes
2 large onions sliced
2 tomatoes chopped fine
7 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2 tbsps Kashmiri chilly powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1tsp Garam masala
4tbsps curds whisked well
3 tbsps oil
2 tbsps ghee/ clarified butter
1tsp cumin seeds
Salt
Method:
Prepare the potatoes into the shape of a mushroom as mentioned above. Wash and drop them into boiling salted water. Switch off , cover and allow to stand till you are able to handle the potatoes. Peel the skin and keep aside. Roast them sprinkled with salta in a little oil so that they become firm. Heat the ghee and oil mixture in a pan. Drop in the cumin seeds and after they splutter add the sliced onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute till the onions are translucent and the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears. Add the chilly, coriander and garam masala powders and saute for a minute. Add the tomatoes and roast till mushy. Drop in the whisked curd and mix thoroughly. Add enough water to bring it to a gravy like consistency. Drop in the potatoes and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes and check for salt. Add if required. Cover and cook for about five minutes. Switch off and keep aside for about fifteen minutes for the flavours to infuse. Serve with Jeera rice or roti.
A healthy, delicious and extremely nutritious Chivda to make during Diwali this year. Makhana or foxnuts are a stellar Indian super food. Low in fat and sodium, and high in calcium and potassium. They are an ideal snack to munch on when one feels those mid morning or late evening hunger pangs.
I usually roast foxnuts with just half a teaspoon of ghee and a sprinkling of salt. I decided to make a chivda this year, adding a variety of seeds to make it more nutritive. The amount of fat used in this recipe is also extremely less. Enjoy it with your evening tea or pack it for your children in their tiffin boxes.
Ingredients:
100 gms Makhana
25 gms flax seeds
50 gms pumpkin seeds
25 gms sunflower seeds
2 tbsps sesame seeds
25 almonds
1/4 of a dry coconut/ copra slivered
1 tbsp chilly powder or paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1tsp sugar or Stevia
1 tsp Hing/ asafoetida
2 sprigs curry leaves
Salt
1tsp ghee/ clarified butter
Method:
Tip the Makhana into a wide mouthed pan or kadhai. Sprinkle salt, turmeric powder, curry leaves and add half a teaspoon of ghee. Mix thoroughly and switch on the stove. Roast on a gentle flame till the Makhana is crisp. Keep aside. Take half a teaspoon of ghee in a pan. Roast the coconut slivers to a golden brown. Keep aside. Roast the pumpkin seeds till they change colour and turn crisp. Remove and tip in the flax seeds. Roast till they splutter. Remove and add the sesame seeds. Roast till they splutter. Mix all the three roasted seeds and sprinkle a little salt over them when they are still warm. Mix thoroughly and keep aside. Roast the almonds till they change colour and keep aside. Powder the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and sugar. Heat a pan and add the roasted Makhana, the seeds, almonds and sprinkle the powdered spices. Drop in the chilly powder and heat the entire mixture till the spice powder coats the Makhana well … Allow to cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container.
Note: All seeds need to be roasted separately or they could burn as roasting time for each varies. The entire process of making the Chivda took me just fifteen minutes. Keep all the ingredients at hand so you do not lose time heating the pan over and over again. Do not roast the coriander and cumin seeds as you are powdering them along with the sugar. The sugar will melt and the resultant sticky mass cannot be used.. the asafoetida will give out it’s aroma when the mixture is being re heated.
An extremely easy to make, delicious one pot meal, the Brinjal Pulav is ready in just half an hour. Serve it with some chilled raita or some sliced onions and a wedge of lemon. Wash it down with a glass of buttermilk… Divine!
Ingredients:
250 gms Basmati rice washed and soaked for twenty minutes.
250 gms Eggplant/ Brinjal/ aubergine cut into quarters leaving the stem intact
2 large onions sliced
1 large potato peeled and cut into fingers
1 tomato chopped fine
2 inch piece ginger
9 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp Everest Biryani Masala
1 tbsp chilly powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 heaped tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
Salt
3 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter
5 tbsps oil
Half a cup of curds
300 ml boiling water
Method:
Drain the Basmati rice and keep aside. Make a paste of ginger and garlic. Heat the oil and ghee mixture in a pan. Drop in the brinjal and saute for a few minutes. Remove and keep aside. Drop in the potato wedges and saute them too for a couple of minutes. Keep these too aside. Drop the sliced onions and ginger garlic paste into the ghee oil mixture. Saute till the onions turn translucent and the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears. Add the Biryani masala, turmeric, chilly, coriander and cumin powder and roast on a gentle flame for a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes and keep roasting. Whisk the curds and drop it inside this mixture. Within a couple of minutes the oil starts separating. Immediately add the drained rice and mix well. Pour in the boiling water, the eggplant, potatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow the Pulav to on an extremely gentle flame. It is ready in exactly ten minutes. Check for salt and serve hot with a mixed veg raita.
There are a couple of varieties of Sanna khotto posted in this website. Sanna khotto are nothing but steamed dumplings or also can be termed as spicy idli… One can add finely chopped greens, veggies onions or even make them plain with asafoetida added for flavour. You can also make them with rice or with equal measures of rice and arhar/ toor dal. Posting a Sanna khotto flavoured with healthy Drumstick/ Moringa leaves today.
Ingredients:
250 gms raw rice
1/2 of a large coconut
6 roasted Byadgi chillies
6 roasted Guntur chillies
1tbsp tamarind paste
Finely chopped Moringa leaves as required
Asafoetida as per preference
Salt
Method:
Wash and soak the rice for three hours. Tip it into the mixer jar along with the grated coconut, asafoetida, roasted chillies and tamarind. Grind it to a semolina/ rava like consistency. The batter should be slightly more loose than of dropping consistency. Pour the batter into a bowl. Add the finely chopped Moringa leaves, salt and mix well. Grease katoris/ steel cups with oil. Pour the batter into them and steam in a steamer for about fifteen minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Remove from flame and allow to cool. De mould and keep covered in a container. Serve drizzled with coconut oil along with rice and Dal.
