DAL KICHADI

My mom and daughter both are unwell today and i was taking care of mom being a daughter and my daughter being a mom. Kichadi seemed a good option for their lunch today and hence i prepared kichadi. The only difference is I prepared kichadi with masoor dal today, for the first time. Came out well but i felt tur dal was even more tastier.

 Ingredients:

1 cup rice
3/4 cup dal
1 inch ginger (grated)
4 green chillies
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

For the tadka:

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 big onion (cut small)

2 tomato (cut small)
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 pinch of hing (asafoetida)
2 red chillies (torn in 2)
1 tbsp oil

Method of Preparation:

1. Wash rice and dal together and pressure cook it with chillies, turmeric, green chillies, ginger, dhania powder and salt, for 3 whistles, alongwith 4.5 cups of water.
2. Heat a pan, add oil and once the oil is hot, splutter mustard seeds, add hing, jeera one after the other.
3. Add red chillies, onions and once the onions turn translucent, add curry leaves, and tomatoes. Let the tomatoes cook for 3 mins until is soft.
4. Add this to the kichadi and mix well. Add hot water if you want it of more liquid consistency.

Serve hot with pickle, papad or eat it as is.

GRILLED VEGGIES and FRUITS

I'm trying out recipes which are healthy & diet friendly and grilled veggies and fruits is one of these experiments. This is not a new dish, but still can be made interesting with different marinades. Today i tried out the normal one with curds, mint leaves, cilantro, garlic, jeera, salt and sugar. My son loves paneer, daughter apple and pineapple, capsicum and onions for me. This is the mix of veggies and fruits i used and before i could take a picture of the dish, my son had finished all the paneer.... My daughter, since she is sick today, was a little fussy but she ate it in the end because she loves fruits.

 Ingredients:

Capsicum, Onion, Apple, Pineapple, Paneer or any similiar veggies and fruits as per your choice.

For the marinade:

1 bowl curds

1 handful cilantro (coriander leaves)

3 tbsp mint leaves (pudina)

4 green chillies (adjust as per taste)

1 tsp jeera

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp sugar

salt as per taste

Method of Preparation:

1. Cube or cut all veggies and fruits into triangle.

2. Marinate them in the marinade for half an hour.

3. Grill them in a microwave. ( i have used the paneer grilled setting which is for 12 mins). You can also use the non stick microwave pan. Brush the pan with olive oil and use the same setting. I did both grill and pan but by the time picture was taken grilled veggies were over.

Tastes very good if you make the marinade spicy.

Serve hot.

 

                                                      

     

VEGETABLE SAAGU (KARNATAKA STYLE)

My whole family loves the poori saagu we get in Bangalore. It is not that we don't like the poori bhaaji in Mumbai, but the saagu, i miss here. To compensate i make the saagu at home atleast once a month. It goes well with not only poori but also with dosa, idli, phulka, appam and even rice.....
I use less coconut since the gravy has a thick consistency from the roast gram dal used in the recipe. I learnt this from one of the cooks who we had hired for a feast at home.
It is packed with a lot of vitamins and minerals from the various vegetables used in the recipe. There is no hard and fast rule of the vegetables that can be used. So, use your own combination and pack a punch in your family meal!!!!

 

Ingredients:

All vegetables to be cut to the same size, into small cubes.
1 big carrot
1/4 bowl green peas (fresh/frozen)
1 big knol-khol (I get this in mumbai only in the winter)
12 french beans
1 big potato (optional)
1 small cauliflower
1 pinch turmeric

For the gravy paste:

1 tbsp fresh grated coconut
3 tbsp roast gram dal (puttani, dahliya, bhuna chana)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
5 green chilli (adjust according to your taste)
1 clove
1 inch cinnamon
1 handful of coriander (hara dhania, cilantro, kothimiri)
1 inch ginger (optional)

For tadka:

2 byadagi chilli (torn in half)
1 tsp mustard
a pinch of hing
curry leaves
1 tsp oil

Method of Preparation:

1. Dry roast the coriander seeds, clove, cinnamon and cumin seperately. Let it cool.
2. Pressure cook all the vegetables with a pinch of salt and turmeric for 1 whistle. It should be almost cooked.
3. Blend all the ingredients for the gravy paste.
4. Heat oil in a kadai, splutter the mustard seeds, add hing, red chillies and curry leaves.
5. Add the vegetables to the kadai, the gravy paste, salt as per taste and bring everything together.
6. Adjust water as per your like and requirement and let it simmer for 5 mins.

Serve hot with poori, parantha, dosa, idli, appam, rice.....

MATAR PANEER (PEAS and COTTAGE CHEESE)

Ingredients:

250 gms paneer (cut into cubes)
150 gms green peas (either fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp kasuri methi
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
a pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp oil

for the paste:
2 big onions (sliced thin)
3 tomatoes (sliced thin)
1 tsp red chilli powder (i use everest tikalal)
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/4 tsp garam masala (u can use this as per your preference, my kids like less garam masala)
 1 tsp oil

 Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a kadai and fry the onions till brown.
2. Fry tomatoes the same way, till it gets mushy.
3. Blend the fried onions, tomatoes, chilli powder, dhania powder and garam masala to a smooth paste
4. In the same kadai, add 1 tbsp oil and when the oil is hot, add ginger/garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
5. Add peas and saute for 2 mins. Add salt and turmeric.
6. Now add the paste and mix well, add water if necessary and let the peas cook for 5-6 mins till it gets a little soft.
7. Now add kasuri methi and let it cook for another minute.
6. Add the cubed paneer and let all the flavors infuse the paneer. Let it simmer for 2 mins.

Serve hot with rotis, poori, parantha.

OATS UPMA


It is ages since i updated my recipe blog. I have a lot of pictures which i need to upload and have decided to do so in the course of the next couple of days. My friend Pripti wanted to know recipes made from oats as she is not very fond of the oats porridge. I have tried dosas, idlis and upma from oats, so, i gave her a few recipes that she could try out and since i had this picture in my album, i decided to post the recipe, which i had prepared a couple of months back. Beginning with this post, i intend to complete the updates of all the photos i have at present, in my database.....

Oats has been researched and found to be a very healthy diet option. On its own, very bland and the porridge version is not exactly to the likings of Indian pallette. That is why we have so many options of masala oats available in the super market of late. I like trying out new things which made me use oats instead of rava in this upma. It came out well and tasted good too... Healthy and tasty too is a good combination.

Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1 big onion (chopped medium)
1 tomato (chopped medium)
4 green chillies (adjust according to your taste)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
a pinch of turmeric
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp lime juice (optional)

Method of preparing:

1. Dry roast the oats till a pleasant aroma arises, in a kadai.
2. Keep it aside and in the same kadai, add oil.
3. Once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add onions.
4. When the onions turn translucent, add curry leaves and salt.
5. Add tomatoes and turmeric and fry for sometime, till the tomatoes get soft
6. Add close to 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
7. When the water comes to a boil, add the oats, mix well and let it absorb the water and cook.
8. After 2 mins, switch off the flame and add lemon juice if required and serve hot.