Oats Vegetable Idli

I found this recipe on Monika's blog, and knew I had to try it out. I did so, a couple of days back, and the result was YUMMY. Everyone at home loved the idlis. What's more - it's very simple and easy to make, and healthy as well.

Here's the recipe, reproduced from her blog, with a few little changes:

Ingredients:

1. Oats – 1 1/2 cups
2. Rawa – 1/2cup
3. Mix veggies – 1 cup (Grated carrots, chopped onions and boiled peas)
4. Sour Curds – 2 cup
5. Corainder leaves – a handful
6. Curry leaves – 6-7
7. Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
8. Chana dal – 1 tsp
9. Urad dal – 1 tsp
10. Oil – 1 tsp
11. Eno Fruit Salt – 1 tsp

Method:

1. Mix oats, rawa and curds and keep aside for 30 minutes
2. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds
3. When they crack add curry leaves, channa dal and urad dal
4. Fry till it turns light brown in color
5. Add the tempering to the oats mixture.
6. Add the veggies and salt to taste and mix well.
7. Grease the idly mould and keep them ready.
8. Add the Eno and pour the batter in the moulds immediately.
9. Steam for about 15 minutes and your idlis are ready!

Thanks for the awesome recipe, Monika! :)

Pav Bhaji

I am a big fan of Pav Bhaji, ever since I learnt to eat out. :) I was more than happy when the better half's office boy taught me this recipe. Now I make it at home, and the better half loves it. It's simple to cook, healthy and tasty. I love such one-pot meals, a single dish which is a complete meal in itself.

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

Slices of bread

For the bhaji:

1. 2 large cups of vegetables - peas, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, carrot, etc.(pressure cook with salt to taste)
2. 3-4 medium-sized tomatoes, finely chopped
3. 1/2 capsicum, finely chopped
4. 3 onions, finely chopped
5. Salt to taste
6. Lemon juice to taste
7. Pav Bhaji masala to taste
8. Red chilli powder to taste
9. Turmeric powder to taste
10. Coriander leaves to garnish, finely chopped
11. Hing to taste
12. Mustard seeds for tadka
13. Ginger-garlic paste to taste
14. 6 medium-sized potatoes, pressure cooked with salt to taste, peeled and mashed

Method:

1. Heat some oil in a kadhai, and add some hing and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.
2. Add the finely chopped onions and cook for a while, adding more oil if necessary. Cook till the onions start turning brown.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a bit, till the raw smell goes away. Mash the tomatoes till they lose their shape.
4. Add the boiled vegetables, removing the excess water from it. Mix well.
5. Add the capsicum and boiled potatoes, adding salt, pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to taste. Mix and cook well.
6. When it is almost done, add the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice to taste. Mix well.

Toast the bread slices lightly on a tawa, adding butter. Serve the bread with the bhaji, garnishing with finely chopped onions.

Fried Rice

This recipe comes from my aunt, who is a wonderful cook. It is a little customised to suit the tastes of our family. We all love eating this version of fried rice with Gobi Manchurian. It is very simple and easy to cook, and is healthy too.

Ingredients (For 2 people):

1. Oil for tadka
2. Ajinomoto to taste
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper powder to taste
5. A small piece of ginger (finely chopped)
6. 1-1/2 glasses of rice (cooked in about 3-1/2 glasses of water i.e. neither too raw nor overcooked)
7. 2 small onions (chopped finely)
8. A few garlic cloves (peeled and chopped finely)
8. A cupfull of chopped vegetables - beans, carrots, cabbage, green peas, etc.

Method:

1. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Cook till they start turning brown.
2. Add the chopped garlic and saute a little.
3. Add the chopped vegetables and cook till they are tender, sprinkling water if necessary.
4. Crumble the rice a bit and add it to the vegetables. Mix well.
5. Add the salt and pepper powder to taste. Let it cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add a pinch of ajinomoto and mix well. Take off from heat.

Corn Upma

This is another simple but extremely tasty recipe. This is usually made in Gujarati households. The recipe was taught to me by mom, passed on to her by her mother-in-law, i.e. my granny who, in turn, learnt it from some Gujarati friends.

Ingredients:

1. 4 corn cobs, which should be neither too fresh nor too hard
2. A tablespoon of milk (optional)
3. Salt to taste
4. Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
5. Green chillies (finely chopped, according to taste)
6. Hing powder to taste
7. Mustard seeds
8. Sugar to taste
9. A little oil for tadka
10. Turmeric powder to taste
11. Lemon juice to taste

Method:

1. Grate the corn cobs and keep aside.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the green chillies and leave them in for a minute.
4. Add the grated corn and mix well. Sprinkle the milk on it, if using. This adds to the softness of the upma.
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and sugar to taste. Mix well and cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add the lemon juice to taste and mix well. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.

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.

Pani Poori

Ingredients (for 2 people):

Pooris

For the stuffing:

1) 3 large-sized potatoes
2) Salt to taste
3) Panipoori masala
4) Coriander leaves
5) A handful of red chana, soaked for more than 12 hours

For the sweet Pani:

1) A fairly large-sized ball of tamarind
2) Jaggery to taste
3) Jeera to taste
4) Water as per requirement

For the green Pani:

1) A bunch of pudina
2) A bunch of coriander leaves
3) Panipoori masala
4) Salt
5) 1 lemon
6) 2 green chillies
7) Water as per requirement

Method:

1) Soak the tamarind in water and keep aside.
2) Next is the preparation of the stuffing. Boil the red chana and potatoes in cooker. Chop the coriander into fine pieces and keep aside.
3) Make preparations for the green Pani. Chop the green chillies, pudina and coriander leaves and grind together to a paste in mixer. Take this paste in a vessel and add water as per requirement. Add salt and panipoori masala to taste. Add the juice of the lemon (more if required). Stir well and keep aside. Green Pani is ready.
4) Now prepare the sweet Pani. Extract the pulp from the soaked tamarind, adding water whenever necessary. Add more water and heat it in a kadhai. Heat till the raw smell goes away, and then add jaggery to taste. While it is simmering, dry grind some jeera in the mixer and add it to the kadhai. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Sweet Pani is ready.
5) Now prepare the stuffing. Peel the boiled potatoes and mash them. Cut the coriander meant for the stuffing finely. In a vessel, add the finely chopped coriander to the mashed potatoes. Add the boiled red channa, salt and panipoori masala. Mix well. The stuffing is ready.

Note:

1) Tastes awesome when the Pani is chilled for a while before serving.
2) This recipe is customised to meet individual tastes.

Khaman

I am back to the kitchen after a loooooooooooooong time, with Khaman. This is a Gujarati dish, one of my favourites. The recipe has been altered a bit, so as to suit my taste and to make it healthier. Here goes:

Ingredients (for 2 people)

1) 1 cup besan

2) Salt to taste

3) Sugar to taste

4) Curd

5) Juice of 1 lemon

6) 2 teaspoons Eno fruit salt (plain)

7) Coriander leaves to garnish, chopped

8) A bit of oil

7) Green chillies, chopped, to garnish

8) Hing

9) Mustard seeds

Method:

1) Take the besan in a large bowl and add salt and sugar to taste. Add the curd and lemon juice. Add the Eno fruit salt and mix well to make a paste, a bit thicker in consistency than Bajji batter. The paste should taste slightly sour and sweet (pulippu and thidippu konjam thookal). If necessary, add more lemon juice and curd and sugar.

2) Whisk the paste with hands to make it slightly fluffy. Keep it aside for about 1/2 hour.

3) After 1/2 hour, grease a deep steel plate and pour this paste into it evenly. Steam in cooker for about 5 minutes without whistle.

4) Take out the plate. Heat some oil in a kadhai and add mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter. Add the chopped green chillies and fry a bit.

5) Pour this oil-mustard seeds-green chillies mixture on top of the steamed khaman and cut into square pieces.

6) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving. Dry coconut (Kopra) can also be used for garnishing.

Note: 1) Can be eaten hot or cold as a snack by itself, or can be served with Bombay Chutney and/or Raw Papaya kosamalli.

2) People who do not like too much of a sweet taste can cut down on the quantity of sugar.

Cauliflower manchurian

Note: Highly customised as per individual tastes


Ingredients: (for 2 people)


1) 1 medium-sized cauliflower
2) 2 small-sized onions
3) 6-7 cloves of garlic
4) Coriander leaves to garnish
5) Salt to taste
6) Sugar to taste
7) Red chilli powder to taste
8) Mustard seeds
9) Oil
10) 4-5 tablespoons tomato ketchup
11) 3 tablespoons red chilli sauce
12) 2 tablespoons corn flour
13) 4 tablespoons maida
14) A pinch of Hing
15) A pinch of turmeric powder
16) A bit of ginger


Method:


1) Cut the cauliflower into large florets. Half boil the cauliflower in some water. Keep aside.
2) Cut the ginger, onion, garlic and coriander and keep aside.
3) In a large bowl, mix together the maida and cornflour, salt and red
chilli powder to taste and turmeric. Add some water and make a watery paste.
4) Heat some oil in a kadhai. When it is hot, dip the cauliflower florets in the paste and fry till brown in colour. Keep the fried cauliflower florets aside.
5) In the leftover oil after frying, add mustard seeds and hing. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
6) Add the garlic, ginger and onion and fry for a little while.
7) Add the cauliflower florets and stir well, ensuring that the florets do not break.
8) Sprinkle a little water and add salt, sugar and red chilli powder to taste. Stir well.
9) Add the tomato ketchup and the red chilli sauce and mix well.
10)Take off from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.






In order to increase the thickness of the gravy, mix a tablespoon of corn flour in water well so that there are no lumps and add this to the curry. Can be eaten with rice, chappatis or just as a snack.