LOBIA MASALA !!!!!

Lobia Masala is a black eyed peas curry. It is a Punjabi gravy which goes well with rotis. Another ideal side dish for lunch box. Here i skipped adding ginger at the end, but you can add if you like that flavour. I adopted this recipe from SPICE UP THE CURRY.

INGREDIENTS

For pressure cooking:

• Lobia (black eyed beans or chawli or cowpeas) - 1 cup
• Water - 2 cups
• Black cardamom - 2
• Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece
• Cloves - 2
• Green chili - 1, slit

For gravy:

• Ghee (Clarified butter) or oil - 1 tablespoon
• Dried red chili - 1, broken, seeds and stems removed
• Ginger paste or freshly grated ginger - 1 ½ teaspoons
• Garlic paste or freshly grated garlic - 1 ½ teaspoons
• Tomatoes - 2 medium or 1 ¼ cups chopped
• Salt - to taste
• Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
• Red chili powder - 1 ½ teaspoons
• Turmeric powder - ½ teaspoon
• Butter - 1 tablespoon
• Garam masala - ½ to 1 teaspoon
• kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 teaspoon, lightly crushed
• Heavy cream - 2 tablespoons
• Ginger - 1 teaspoon, julienned (i skipped this)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash black eyed peas or lobia under running cold water till water runs clear.
2. Soak them in enough water for 1 hour.
3. After soaking time discard the water. Take lobia in a pressure cooker, add black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves and slit green chili. Also add 2 cups of water. Cover with lid, put the weight on. Turn the heat on high.
4. Pressure cook it for 1 whistle on high and then lower the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Then turn off the stove. Let the pressure go down by itself. Then open the lid. It should be soft and not mushy.
5. Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add dried red chili. Saute for a minute.
6. Then add grated ginger and garlic (or paste). Saute for 30 seconds.
7. Add chopped tomatoes and salt.
8. Saute till tomatoes get soft.
9. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
10. Mix well and cook for a minute.
11. Then add cooked lobia with its water.
12. Stir well.
13. Bring to a simmer.
14. Simmer it for 7-8 minutes or till the gravy thickens.
15. Now add butter.
16. Stir well so it gets melted.
17. Then add garam masala and kasoori methi.(i fried kasoori methi  in little ghee & added it in the end)
18. Mix well.
19. Now add heavy cream.
20. Stir well and simmer for a minute only. Turn off the stove.
21. Add julienned ginger.(i skipped this) Cover the pan with lid.
22. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Then open the lid. Lobia masala is ready to serve.
23. Remove it to a serving bowl and garnish with more ginger. It is optional though.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

VEGETABLES STIR FRY !!!!!!!!

Today let us cook something special but easy & for diet concious people like me. Ya...you guessed it write....STIR FRIED VEGETABLES. Actually i don't know exact measurements for this  recipe. You should do variations according to your taste. But believe me, you can prepare it within no time & really yummy & healthy too.

INGREDIANTS:-

Any vegetables (brocoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onion, capsicum, carrot etc) - 2 cups
oil - 1tsp
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Dried basil leaves - 1/2 tsp
Italian herbs - to taste
salt - to taste
lime juice - 1-2 tsp

METHOD:-

1. Make florets of c. flower & brocoli, round the carrots, cube onion & capsicum, chop cabbage leaves in little bigger size.
2. Heat a pan & put oil.
3. Add all veggies & add pepper powder+salt+dried basil leaves+Italian herbs & mix well.
4. Close the lid & let it cook for 7-8 mins. Stir inbetween once or twice.
5. When done switch off the stove & add lemon juice & mix well.
6. Serve hot with a fork.

NOTE:-

1. You can add other veggies like mushroom, french beans, potatoes. fresh / frozen green peas etc.
2. If  you are adding green peas, cook it first & then add.
3. Make variations in spices & herbs according to your taste. 
4. If you want, you can add chilly flakes too.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

ALOO PALAK !!!!!!

Another easy side dish for chapathi & ideal dish for lunch box. I always tried palak paneer for son's lunch box. This time i wanted to try some easily available vegetable with palak. So, when thought about it , aloo palak came to mind. & once again I got this recipe from my favourite blog "VEG. RECIPES OF INDIA".

 INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 bunch palak/spinach
• 3 medium sized potatoes/aloo
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
• 3 garlic + ½ inch ginger - crushed or made into a paste in a mortar-pestle
• 1 or 2 green chilies
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch cinnamon
• 1 small indian bay leaf
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• a pinch of asafoetida/hing
• ¼ or ½ tsp garam masala powder
• 1.5 tbsp besan/gram flour or makai ka atta/maize flour
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee or butter
• ½ tsp crushed kasuri methi/dry methi leaves (optional)
• salt as required
• a few ginger julienne for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS

1. boil the potatoes or aloos in a pressure cooker or steamer till the are completely cooked.
2. peel and quarter or dice them. keep aside covered.
3. boil 2 to 3 cups water with some salt.
4. switch off the fire and immediately add the palak or spinach.
5. blanch them in the water for 4-5 minutes.
6. drain and immediately place the palak in cold water for 3-4 minutes.
7. drain again and along with green chilies, make a smooth puree in a grinder or blender.
8. heat oil or ghee or butter in a pan or kadai/wok.
9. fry the bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon till they become aromatic.
10. add the chopped onion and fry till light brown.
11. now add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw aroma goes away.
12. add the tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes become soft and mushy.
13. the oil should start releasing from the mixture.
14. now add the turmeric powder and asafoetida and stir for 5-10 seconds.
15. add the palak puree. stir well.
16. add the besan or gram flour. stir with a wired whisk so that the besan dissolves and there are no lumps.
17. alternatively, you can also dissolve the besan in 3-4 tbsp water and make a smooth paste.
18. then add this paste to the palak mixture. stir and add 1 cup water. season with salt.
19. simmer the palak gravy till the palak gets completely cooked.
20. the gravy or sauce will slightly thicken.
21. you can adjust the consistency by adding more or less water.add the aloos and simmer for 2-3 minutes more.
22. sprinkle the garam masala powder & crushed kasuri methi leaves. stir and cook for a minute.
23. serve aloo palak hot with some rotis, chapatis or parathas.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

EGG MASALA GRAVY !!!!!!!!

He he...it is nothing but improved version of my EGG MASALA :D In this recipe i just change powders as suggested by my sisiter & ground tomato-onions to a smooth paste while grinding other ingredients. Believe me, it was a great hit at my mom's place. Everyone liked it very much. So, thoght will share it with my friends too.

INGREDIENTS:-

Long Red chilly - 4
oil - 2 tsp
onion, chopped - 2
tomato, chopped - 2
coconut - 1 cup
pepper pow - 1/4 tsp
coriander pow - 3/4 tsp
egg, boiled - 4
kitchen king masala pow - 1/4 tsp
kundapur chicken masala pow - 1 tspsalt
coriander leaves for garnishing 

METHOD:-

1. Keep pan on the stove & pour oil.
2. Now fry chopped onion till brown.
3. Next fry chopped tomatoes, cook till soft. 
4. Grind coconut+coriander pow + pepper pow+tomato-onion mixture and make a smooth paste.
6. Put paste to pan & add salt.
7. And fry for sometime till raw smell disappears.
8. Add kitchen king masala pow+kundapur chicken masala pow & mix well.
9. Now put boiled eggs & lil water close the lid & cook for a minute. Don't forget to stir carefully.
10. Last add chopped coriander leaves.
(Draw small cuts on egg with a sharp knife, taking care not to break eggs).

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

ALU-CAPSICUM CURRY !!!!!!!

Alu-capsicum masala...one more side dish for rotis...yes yes...prepared it for my son's lunch box as capsicum is his favourite veggie. Tastes yumm ! We get both alu & capsicum easily anywhere, so we can prepare it any time, any where. It's a north indian gravy for rotis. I adopted this recipe from FOODVIVA.COM...In original recipe, curry is little dry...but i made it gravy.

INGREDIENTS:-

potatoes, medium - 2 (boiled, cubed & cubed)
capsicum, medium - 3 (cubed)
onion, medium - 2 (finely chopped)
tomato, medium - 1
cashew nuts - 2 tblsp
ginger - 1/2 tsp (grated)
garlic - 3-4 cloves
coriander seeds - 1 tsp
jeera seeds - 1/4 tsp
garam masala pow - 1/2 tsp
turmeric pow - 1/2 tsp
red chilly pow - 1 tsp
cooking oil - 2tblsp
sugar - 1tsp (i skipped this)
water - 1/4 cup (i used more)
salt to taste
coriander leaves, chopped - 1tblsp for garnishing

METHOD:-

1. Take tomato+coriander seeds+cumin seeds+ginger+garlic cloves in a mixer jar to prepare puree.
2. Take a kadai, heat 1tblsp oil & add cubed capsicum, sprinkle salt over it & saute it for 3-4 mins. Transfer to a plate & keep aside.
3. Add remaing 1 & 1/2 tblsp of oil in same kadai & saute chopped onion until it turns light brown. Add red chilly pow+turmeric pow+garam masala pow & mix well.
4. Add puree (prepared in 1st step)+salt+sugar(i skipped this) & 1/4 cup of water. Cook on low to medium heat until oil gets seperate from it. (it will take 5-6 mins)
5. Add boiled & cubed potatoes + cooked capsicum, stir & mix well.
6. Add 1/4 cup water & let mixture cook over medium flame.
7. Cook for 3-4 mins & turn off the stove & transfer gravy to a serving dish.
8. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

and here's an tip:-

1. Add 2 chopped green chillies while making puree to make garvy spicy.
2. Add 1 tsp of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) to give curry Punjabi touch.

EGG SUKKA !!!!!!!

I used ABHIRUCHI chicken sukka powder to make this egg sukka. Got recipe from same pack.

INGREDIENTS;-

eggs - 4
chicken sukka powder - 5tsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
onion, finely chopped - 1 big
oil as needed
garlic cloves - 5
curry leaves - 2 strands
Tamarind - big chana size(soak it in little water for some time & make pulp)
salt to taste

METHOD;-

1. Boil eggs, remove shell & halve them.
2. In a pan add grated coconut & fry till it turns little brown & keep aside.
3. In a pan, heat oil, add chopped onion & smashed garlic & fry till light brown.
4. Now add curry leaves + grated coconut+chicken sukka masala powder+tamarind pulp+salt to taste & mix well.
5. Now add halved eggs & mix again.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

MUSHROOM CHILLY !!!!!!

I am very happy that today i am posting my hubby's favourite recipe. I adopted this recipe from my fav blog VEG RECIPES OF INDIA. Here i added capsicum too to enhance the flavour & taste. & one more reason is my son loves capsicum very much. A best starter for rainy season for veg lovers.

INGREDIENTS (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 200 to 250 gms white button mushrooms or baby portabella mushrooms, about 7 to 8.5 ounces
• 1 medium onion or 1 to 2 spring onions whites, halved or quartered and the layers removed, reserve the greens for garnish
• 2 to 3 green chilies, slit
• 1 small capsicum or red/green/yellow bell pepper (optional), chopped into squares
• 7-8 garlic cloves/lahsun, finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger/adrak, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp naturally fermented soy sauce or as required
• ½ tbsp sesame oil or any veg oil for the sauce
• ½ to ¾ tsp corn flour
• 1 to 2 tsp water
• ½ to 1 tsp sugar or as required
• salt and pepper as required
• oil for deep frying the mushrooms

for the batter

• 5 to 6 tbsp whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp corn flour
• ¼ tsp black pepper or add as required
• salt as required
• water as required to make a medium consistency batter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. rinse and wipe dry the mushrooms. trim the stalks.
2. halve them if big in size and quarter them if smaller in size.
3. make a flowing medium consistency batter with the ingredients listed above "for the batter".
4. heat oil for shallow frying in a kadai or wok.
5. dip each mushroom slice in the batter and coat uniformly with the batter.
6. add them to the medium hot oil and fry till they are slight golden and crisp.
7. fry the mushrooms in batches and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
8. in another wok or pan, heat sesame oil.
9. add the onions (and capsicum if adding them) and stir fry on medium or high heat for a minute.
10. add the ginger, garlic and green chilies. stir fry on a high flame till you see the onions getting browned at the edges.
11. add the soy sauce, salt, sugar, pepper and stir fry for half a minute.
12. add the fried batter coated mushrooms and stir on a low to medium flame
13. sprinkle about 1 to 2 tsp water and ½ to ¾ tsp corn flour on the mushrooms.
14. saute for a minute or two. continue to stir. this gives a nice glaze to the mushrooms.
15. switch off the flame and serve the chili mushroom hot with veg fried rice, bread or even chapatis or naan. you can also garnish with spring onion greens while serving.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

ALU RASSEWALE !!!!!!!!

Alu rassewale...another side dish for rotis/puris & an ideal side dish for lunch box. Wanted to try this since from long time. You can make it when you have fast. Coz this is no onion, no garlic recipe. I adopted this recipe from the blog ANUBHAVATI.

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 medium to big Potatoes.(Boiled and mashed to 1 inch sized chunks)

4 medium sized Tomatoes chopped in to small pieces.

1 cup Water.

Turmeric a  pinch.

1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

1 Tsp Dhania Powder.

1/4 Tsp Garam Masala

1 Tsp Salt

Curry Leaves, Oil,Jeera to season.

PREPARATION:

• Mix all the powders (turmeric,red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and salt) in a little container and add 1/8 cup of water and dole it in to a paste.
• Pour oil in a kadai, allow it to get hot, add jeera and curry leaves and immediately add the paste.
• Allow 2-3 seconds for the paste to cook in the oil and add the chopped tomatoes and allow to cook till mushy.

• Add the mashed potatoes and mix in the required salt as well. You may want to moderate the salt as we have already added a spoon with the powders.
• Let this curry cook for a few minutes and now add a cup of water and allow to simmer for a good ten minutes.

• Switch off the stove and garnish with chopped corrainder.
• Serve HOT with puris or parathas.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

FRENCH CHEESE TOAST !!!!!!!

French cheese toast...a yummy, easy to make snack for kids. 

INGREDIENTS:-

bread slices - 2
egg - 1
cheese cube - 1 (i used amul)
butter as required
red chilly powder as per taste
salt to taste

METHOD:-

1. Cut the sides of the bread slices & make triangles.
2. Beat the egg. Add red chilly powder & salt to that & beat again.
3. Heat the pan, add butter, dip the bread slices(2) in egg batter & place it on pan.
4. When cooked properly, turn it to another side. Sprinkle grated cheese on it.
5. When cooked properly, take out from pan & place it on a plate.(cheese part should be upside).
6. Dip another 2 slices of bread in egg batter & shallow fry on both sides.
7. Now place these bread slices on the other 2 bread slices. 
8. Serve it with tomato ketch up.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))