Miscellaneous - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Roasted Besan chillies

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

These chillies are not for the weak hearted. They provide the much needed punch to a meal of Dal rice or Curd rice. They also go well with a Jowar or a Bajra Roti. I would like to thank my friend Bharati Ughade who shared her recipe with me.

Ingredients:

25 spicy chillies slit but stem kept intact

2 tbsps Besan/ pea flour

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1 tbsp Amchur/ dry mango powder

Salt

3 tbsps oil

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Tip in the slit chillies and salt. Roast till they change colour. Remove and keep aside. Drop in the Besan into the same oil and roast it till it gives its aroma and turns a nice deep golden brown. Add the coriander, cumin and dry mango powders. Mix thoroughly and saute for a minute or two. Switch off and allow to cool thoroughly before storing.

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Roasted FoxNuts/ Phool Makhana

Posted on February 1, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

These are nothing but puffed lotus seeds or fox nuts. They are the simplest snack to prepare when one is hungry. Highly nutritive and extremely delicious.

Why is it so easy to make?
Most of the hard work for this dish is done by the people collecting the lotus seeds in Bihar and some parts of Northern India. First is the laborious process of collection of seeds. Next they are cleaned and stored. Post this is gradation and getting the white puff at a certain temperature. That’s the reason for it being a little pricey.

Ingredients:

50 gms Phool Makhana

2 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter

Pepper and salt as required

Method:

Heat the ghee in a pan Drop in the Phool Makhana and sprinkle the pepper and salt. Keep roasting on a very gentle flame till they are crisp. Takes just five minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

This portion serves three.

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Kashaya-2

Posted on February 1, 2021February 1, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is the second immunity booster that I am posting in my website. Thanks to my friend Priyanka Agarwal who shared her recipe with me. Traditional kashaya read immunity boosters are making their presence felt during these Covid times. Turmeric is not just an anti oxidant but an anti inflammatory as well. So also cinnamon. Ginger and pepper are known for their healing properties and so also Tulsi or Holy basil . A concoction of them is prepared by boiling them together.

Ingredients:

2 small sprigs of Tulsi

A large pinch each of Cinnamon, turmeric and pepper powder

One inch piece of ginger grated

300 ml of water

Method:

Drop all the ingredients into a pan and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Strain and sip hot.

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Caramel popcorn with Jaggery

Posted on January 21, 2021January 21, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

The other day, a good friend called up to ask why she couldn’t see a recipe of Caramel Popcorn in my blog. I promised her that I would make and post it today. Decided to skip the white stuff and give it a healthy twist by caramelizing jaggery. It’s turned out delicious. I used the ready to make packet of Act II Popcorn as I wanted to try a small batch. Everybody liked it so much that I ended up making of two more packets

Ingredients:

1 packet of Act II Popcorn (Golden Sizzle) 90 Gms

100 gms of Chikki jaggery

2 tbsps of Amul butter

Half a glass of water

Method:

Tip the jaggery and water in a pan. Bring the water to a boil and lower heat. Allow the jaggery to melt slowly. In the meantime, heat a pan and tip in the Act II Popcorn into it. Cover it with a lid and allow it to pop. When the popping sound stops, switch off the gas, open and pour the popped corn into a dish. Allow to cool a little. Check the consistency of the melted jaggery. The jaggery by this time would have started frothing. Pour a drop of the syrup into a bowl of water. The drop should come together and when picked should be hard to touch. Drop it into the water. It makes a ‘click’ sound. Switch off the gas and tip in the butter. Mix well and add the popped corn into it. Coat the popcorn evenly with the jaggery syrup, by mixing it well with a slotted ladle. Once coated tip the caramel popcorn onto a large dish. Allow to cool thoroughly. Separate the caramel popcorn and store it in an airtight container.

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Grilled vegetables, salad, rice and mixed vegetable gravy platter

Posted on January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

A complete meal that can be enjoyed by the family. Grilled vegetables like Peas, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Bellpepper and French Beans compete with a salad of Carrot, cucumber, tomatoes and cabbage. Fragrant Basmati rice topped with grilled potato wedges and accompanied by a mixed Vegetable. The recipe link to the Kashmiri mixed vegetable is given below.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/kashmiri-mix-vegetable-recipe/

Ingredients:

Basmati rice cooked and ready

All the grilled vegetables, salad items and rice is as per one’s requirement.

100 gms of Amul butter/ salted butter

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Brush the vegetables to be grilled with butter and grill them till they are done but crisp. Alternatively you can also saute them in a pan . Take care to see that you saute each of the vegetables in butter separately. You may either grill the potato wedges or deep fry them. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Chop the salad items into thin strips and tomatoes into roundels for aesthetic effect. You may slice them as you please. Place the rice, grilled vegetables, salad and the Kashmiri mixed vegetable on a serving platter. Serve as is or with a Raita.

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Avalya/Gooseberry Saaru

Posted on December 27, 2020 by vinayaprabhu2

Amla or Indian Gooseberry is rich in Vitamin C. It is a digestive as well. Indians make a variety of preparations from juice, pickles to Murabbas, Mukhwas, Chutney or saaru. It is also brined for use at a later date. A saaru is a liquid preparation served over rice. Posting the fragrant garlic seasoned saaru. It can be served as an appetizer as well.

Ingredients :

10 pieces of sliced brined Gooseberry

1 litre water

10 cloves of garlic crushed coarsely

2 Byadgi chillies broken into bits

2 tbsps ghee/clarified butter

Salt only if required

Method:

Tip the sliced brined Gooseberry into a pan. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for a couple of minutes. Heat the Ghee in a pan. Add the crushed garlic and roast till they turn a golden brown. Add the dry chilly bits and toss. Drop in the seasoning into the boiling saaru. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Switch off and keep aside for fifteen minutes for the flavours to infuse. Serve over rice or enjoy it as an appetizer.

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Fresh Fruit salad

Posted on December 13, 2020December 13, 2020 by vinayaprabhu2

Winter has set in and a variety of fruits have flooded the market in India. Grapes, guavas, Malta, sweet lime, strawberry , plums, a variety of apples and custard apple too. Posting a fresh fruit salad drizzled with the strawberry crush that I made. The recipe link to the strawberry crush is given below.

Ingredients :

Equal quantities of the following fruits:

Orange

Sweetlime

Guava

Grapes

Banana

Apple

Chickoo

Vanilla Icecream

Strawberry crush.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/strawberry-crush-recipe/

Method:

Chop the fruits into tiny bits. Mix them and refrigerate for a couple of hours. While serving, drop them into individual bowls. Top with icecream and drizzle with the strawberry crush.

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Bhindi/Okra in Peanut Masala

Posted on November 28, 2020November 28, 2020 by vinayaprabhu2

After making the roasted peanuts and sesame chutney, I was left with some roasted peanuts. I was planning to make another batch of chutney but chanced upon a recipe using roasted peanuts and Okra by my cousin Shobana Rao. My heartfelt thanks to her for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients :

250 gms Okra/Bhindi
A large pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
3 tbsps oil
100 gms roasted peanuts
7 tbsps Grated coconut
A small bunch of Coriander leaves finely chopped
1 tbsp Chilly powder
Juice of half a lemon
2 tbsps Dhania/Coriander powder
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin powder
2 tsps Sugar
Salt

Method:

Wash, pat dry and snip off both ends of the Okra. Slice them lengthwise into two. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the Hing. Toss and add the Okra. Keep tossing till done but crunchy. Powder the roasted peanuts coarsely. Tip them into a bowl along with grated coconut, chopped coriander leaves, Dhania jeera powder, salt, sugar chilly powder and lemon juice. Mix thoroughly and drop this into the Okra. Toss. Heat the Okra subzi for a couple of minutes. Serve hot with Roti or rice.

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Dahi Bhalla and Thayir vadai

Posted on November 25, 2020December 6, 2020 by vinayaprabhu2

Dahi Bhalla from the North of India meets it’s cousin Thayir Vadai from the South. Every part of India makes these dumplings either by frying them or roasting them in an Appe pan and then dunking them in curds/Yoghurt. The seasonings differ according to the region, but this is one item popular with young and old alike.

Both Dahi Bhalla as well as the Thayir Vadai have been made in the Appam pan, so consume very less oil. Recipe links to both the varieties have been given below.

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Fried Yam, Bittergourd and Okra

Posted on November 24, 2020December 6, 2020 by vinayaprabhu2

These are three items that come in handy when having house guests. You can prepare them and store them in airtight containers for a fortnight. Fried pieces of Yam, Bittergourd and Okra can be turned into a variety of items which serve as a wonderful side dish. Recipe links to all the items are given below.

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