Vegetable Sandwich

This is a very simple recipe that I love. Learnt after a lot of trials and tribulations. :)



Ingredients:

1.Slices of sandwich bread
2. Chaat masala to taste
3. 1 medium sized potato
4. 1 medium sized tomato
5. 1 medium sized cucumber
6. 1 medium sized beetroot
7. Butter
8. A few green chillies
9. Tomato ketchup to taste

Method:



1. Grind the green chillies to a paste and keep aside.
2. Boil the potato and beetroot separately.
3. Cut the boiled potatoes and beetroot, cucumber and tomato into round-shaped pieces separately.
4. On one slice of bread, apply the green chillies paste.
5. Lay it on a flat board and arrange some boiled potato slices on it. Arrange some beetroot slices on top of it. On top of that, arrange some cucumber and tomato slices.
6. Add some tomato ketchup on the vegetables, to taste.
7. Sprinkle some chaat masala on the ketchup, to taste.
8. Spread some butter on another slice of bread, and lay it on top of the sandwich, covering it.
9. Cut into small slices and serve.

Variations:

1. Can also be grilled on a tawa or sandwich maker.
2. Sev (omapidi) can also be sprinkled over the vegetables before closing the sandwich with the second bread slice.

Chocolate Fudge

This is a highly customised version of chocolate fudge that we have been making at home since years. Taught to me by mom. Probably, it isn't even authentic chocolate fudge, but that has never mattered. All that matters is that it is is chocolate and it is yummy. And it is very, very simple to make. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1) 1 cup low fat milk cream ( I use 200 ml of Amul non-sweetened milk cream. It comes to just about 1 cup)
2) 1 cup sugar, a little here or there, according to taste
3) Cocoa powder to taste
4) Ghee for greasing a plate

Method:

1. Grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat a little water and add the sugar to it. Keep stirring till the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the cream to it and mix well.
4. Add cocoa powder to taste, stirring well, so that no lumps are formed. I add the cocoa powder depending on the colour of the mixture and the taste - it should be just the right chocolate-ey flavour for you.
5. Take off from heat when the mixture is of halwa consistency, and transfer it to the greased plate. Allow to cool.
6. Serve in small bowls, with chopped cashews sprinkled on top.

Grape Thokku

I had these black grapes that the better half got, which turned out to be extremely sour. I decided to try out something new with the sour grapes, and to my surprise, it turned out amazingly well. Everyone loved it!! Sour grapes are not so bad, after all! :)

I am submitting this entry for the Complete My Thali Contest at Jagruti's blog!



Ingredients:

A bowl of seedless red grapes (if they are with seeds, de-seed them)
Salt to taste
A piece of ginger
2 green chillies
Hing to taste
Sugar to taste
Methi seeds to taste
Oil for tadka
Turmeric powder to taste
Mustard seeds

Method:

1) Grind the grapes in a mixer to a paste, without adding water.
2) Remove the peel from the ginger. Grind the ginger and green chillies to a paste in mixer.
3) In a pan, heat some oil. Add hing powder, methi seeds and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
4) Add the green chillies-ginger paste and cook for a while.
5) When it starts changing colour, add the grapes paste.
6) Add salt, sugar and turmeric powder to taste.
7) Cook it on low flame,stirring well, till the paste starts to thicken. Take off from gas when cooked well.

Tastes well with parotas, chappatis and rice items.

Ari Nellikai Urugai (Ari Nellikai Pickle)

I wonder how I didn't know something as sinful as Ari Nellikai existed till my recent visit to Mysore. I was overjoyed to find that it was available at the Malleshwaram vegetable market too. Mommy darling taught me how to make yummy Ari Nellikai picke - something I absolutely adore these days. :)

Ingredients:

1. 250 grams of Ari Nellikai



2. Salt to taste
3. Hing powder to taste
4. Chilli powder to taste
5. Turmeric powder to taste
6. Jaggery to taste
7. Oil
8. Mustard seeds

Method:

1. Remove the seeds from the Ari Nellikai and cut it into small pieces. (This can be quite an uphill task, as I discovered, but the hard labour is totally worth the wonderful finished product.)



2. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
3. Add the hing powder to taste.
4. Add the nellikai pieces and cook on low flame till it gets a little soft.
5. After it gets soft, add salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder to taste and mix well. Cook for a while.
6. When it is mixed well, add crushed jaggery as per taste. Mix well and cook for a while.

That's it, and you get some mouth-watering pickle!

Pattarveliya aka Paatra aka Alvi

This is one of my most favourite Gujarati dishes. This recipe has been customised to suit individual tastes. :)



For 2 people

Ingredients:
1. 10 medium sized paatra leaves (Sepankazhangu leaves)
2. Salt to taste
3. Ginger-fresh coriander-green chillies paste
4. Turmeric powder to taste
5. Jaggery to taste
6. Oil
7. A small lemon-sized ball of tamarind
8. Hing powder to taste
9. 2 cups of besan
10. Mustard seeds
11. Dry, dessicated coconut (kopra)
12. Fresh coriander leaves - chopped finely

Method:

1. Wash the paatra leaves and cut off the bulging veins, taking care not to cut the leaves. Wipe the water off using a clean cloth.



2. Soak the tamarind and extract a thick paste, using a little water. Strain and remove any impurities.
3. In a bowl, mix the besan, salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and green chillies paste to taste. Add the tamarind paste and mix well. Add red chilli powder if it is not spicy enough. Add a little water if necessary and make a slightly watery paste.
4. Lay out the reverse side of a leaf on a hard surface, and spread the besan paste all over it generously. Lay one more leaf over it, and again spread some more paste. Make a layer of 4-5 leaves in this manner.






5. Fold in the sides of all leaves together. Then, roll up all leaves together.
6. Roll up all the leaves in this manner.
7. Grease a plate with a little oil and place the rolls on it.
8. Pressure cook with whistle for about 3-4 whistles.
9. Once the steam escapes, remove the rolls and let them cool. Cut them approximately equal, small pieces.
10. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add the paatra pieces and cook for a while, till the pieces become a little crisp.
11. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and dry, dessicated coconut (Kopra). Tastes nice with tamarind chutney.

Sabudana Khichdi

Note: Highly customised to individual tastes

For 2 people

Ingredients:

1) 1 glass sabudana
2) Oil
3) Mustard seeds
4) Hing powder to taste
5) Salt to taste
6) Turmeric powder to taste
7) Lemon juice to taste
8) Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish
9) Sugar to taste
10) A handful of raw groundnuts

Method:

1) Soak the sabudana for about 2 to 2-1/2 hours and then wash and put it in a strainer, to drain out the excess water. You can soak the sabudana and then leave it in the strainer overnight, to cook the khichdi the next day.
2) After the water has drained out, add salt, sugar and turmeric powder to taste to the sabudana and mix well. Keep aside.
3) In a kadhai, without adding oil, dry roast the raw groundnuts till they become a little brown. Then take off from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, remove the skin and grind coarsely in a mixer.
4) Mix the groundnut powder well in the sabudana.
5) Heat some oil in the kadhai and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow to splutter.
6) Add the sabudana to the kadhai and mix well. Cook for some time, stirring well. Don't cook for too long, as the sabudana tends to become hard if overcooked.
7) Add lemon juice to taste and chopped coriander leaves when almost done and mix well.

Tawa Pulao

For two people

Ingredients:

1) A little piece of ginger
2) 7-8 cloves of garlic
3) 2 green chillies
4) A little oil
5) Pav bhaji masala to taste
6) Rai
7) Hing to taste
8) Salt to taste
9) Lemon juice to taste
10)Turmeric powder to taste
11) Coriander leaves, finely chopped
12) Tomatoes (finely chopped)
13) Capsicum (finely chopped)
14) Onion (finely chopped)
15) Green peas (half boiled)
16) Potatoes (half boiled and finely chopped)
17) Beans (half boiled)
18) Cabbage (finely chopped)
19) Cauliflower florets (half boiled)
20) Carrot (half boiled and finely chopped)
21) A little red chilli powder to taste (optional)
22) 2 cups rice (boiled)

Method:

1) Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste.
2) Heat some oil in a kadhai and add rai. Allow it to splutter. Add the hing.
3) Add the ginger-garlic paste and cook for a while.
4) Add the tomatoes and cook till a little soft.
5) Add all the vegetables and mix well. Add water in required quantity.
6) Add salt, chilli powder (if needed), pav bhaji masala and turmeric powder to taste. Mix well and cook for a while.
7) When it is almost done, add the lemon juice to taste. Mix well and garnish with coriander leaves.