Mooli Paratha

Parathas are ideal for nutritious lunch or dinner or even a snack.A blend of veggies,wheat and fat it is a wholesome dish.

Ingredients

• 1tsp amchur powder
  
• 1bunch coriander leaves
  
• pinch of cumin powder
  
• 2 Green chillies
  
• 1/2 tsp Oil
  
• 2 medium Radish
  
• 1/2tsp red chilli powder
  
• salt to taste
  
• 2 cups wheat flour
  
• Oil or butter to fry the parathas

Procedure

• Take a radish, Peel the radish and grate it.
  

1st Method

• Add salt,red chilli,amchur,cumin powder,green chillies finely chopped,coriander leaves, mix well and Squeeze this mixture and remove water from it and keep aside.
  
• Now take wheat flour and make dough with drained radish water,little oil, and normal water.
  
• Rest it for 15 min.
  
• Divide the dough into small equal parts make a small chapati and stuff the mooli mixture into it and make a chapati.You can also make two flat chapatis and stuff the mooli between them and then make it even.
  
• Take a pan, heat it and fry the parathas slowly. Fry them on both the sides with butter or ghee or oil.
• 2nd method,
•  Take a pan, heat it and fry the grated raddish,add red chilli,cumin,amchur,salt,onions,mix well till the raddish becomes dry.
  
• Divide the dough into small equal parts.make a small chapati andstuff the mooli mixture into it and make a big chapati.
  
• Take a pan, heat it and fry the parathas slowly. Fry them on both the sides with butter or ghee or oil.
  
• Serve hot with onion raita
  

Coconut chutney

Coconut chutney is a yummy accompaniment to dosas, idlis or everyone to have with plain rice.

Here go the simple steps:

Items needed

Chana dal: 4 tbsps 

Grated coconut:one cup 

Green chillis : three 

Tamarind extract: 1/2 tsp 

Ginger: chopped 2 tbsps

 Salt to taste

 Water one cup

For seasoning

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Urad dal: 1 tsp

 Oil : 1tsp

Procedure

 Dry roast chana dal till it is reddish.Let it cool for 10 mins

Grind the chana dal, coconut,tamarind,ginger,green chillis with water to make a fine paste.Add salt to taste

In a pan prepare the seasoning by adding mustard seeds and urad dal to one tsp of hot oil.When the mustard seeds splutter remove from flame and add the seasoning to the chutney.

Server hot with dosas or idlis

Microwave Peda Recipe

A quick way to make this delicious, all time favourite sweet-Peda.

This is a recipe from my Lax aunty whose 25 years in States forced her to find ways to make and relish Indian savouries.

 Well this Peda tastes awesome and being here in the States it was about a year I had not had this sweet. The result was within 5 minutes of its making my husband and I devoured about 20 pedas :)  

The taste to some extent also resembles milk khoa or tartipaal of the south. Well here goes the quickest way to make pedas.

Items

• Sweetened Condensed Milk : one small can of 14 oz or 396 gms
• Dry milk powder : 2 cups
• Unsalted butter : one stick around 113 gms
• Elaichi powder: 1 tsp optional
• Almonds and pistachios: optional

Procedure

• For making this, it is preferrable to use a glass microwave bowl with a little depth.This is because the mixture will keep bubbling and a little depth will prevent it from spilling out
• Heat the stick of butter in the microwave safe bowl till it melts
• Now remove from the microwave and all the condensed milk and milk powder and elaichi powder if present .Stir well to mix it up.
• Now keep the bowl in the microwave and heat for 3 minutes.During these 3 minutes , remove from microwave and stir every minute.
• After 3 minutes place the mixture in the microwave and heat for smaller durations like 30 secs.This is because the mixture will now start bubbling and you will have to switch off the heat and remove and stir it every 30 seconds.
• Do this for about 2-3 minutes.
• The mixture after this would have considerably thickened.
• Now let the mixture cool for 15 mins and then make small peda shaped balls.
• You can add an almond or pistachio in the center of every peda to add to the flavour and appearance.

Bataka poha

A yummy breakfast served in Gujarat and Maharashtra,Bataka poha is made of pressed rice flakes and potatoes and onions.It is a quick anytime dish too.

Ingredients:

 11/2 cup Thick poha

 1 potato finely chopped

 2-3 green chillies finely chopped

 1/2 tsp mustard seeds

 Few curry leaves

 Raw groundnuts about 10

 1 tbsp chopped cilantro/Corrainder

 1 tsp coconut grated(optional)

 3 tbsp oil

 1 tsp chana dal

 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

 1 finely chopped onion

 Salt to taste

 2 tsp sugar(optional)

Procedure

 Wash poha well and drain it.Set it aside

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. 
When they splutter add chana dal and fry till the dal is light golden. 

 Now add the groundnuts and roast in oil till they are reddish
Now add the curry leaves and saute for 10 seconds. 
Now add the chopped onions and turmeric powder and saute till onions turn to light golden brown colour.
Add the chopped potatoes and salt.Stir till potato is slightly fried and cooked.

 Add the poha now and stir well

Add sugar if you like a bit of sweetness
 You may now add the shredded coconut which is again optionalServe hot garnished with chopped cilantro.

Jeera Rasam

This rasam is supposed to be very good for the stomach and for curing cough and cold. It is a rasam you cant stop having when you start eating.It is pretty addictive ;)

Here go the ingredients:

• Jeera 2 table spoons
• Tur Dal 2 table spoons
• Tomato 2 small 
• Tamarind extract : 1 spoon
• Rasam/Sambar powder : 1 tea spoon
• Salt to taste
• Corrainder leaves for garnishing

For Seasoning

• Ghee: 2 tea spoons
• Mustard seeds: 1 tea spoon
• Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon

Procedure:

• Soak the two tablespoons of jeera and tur dal for 15-20 mins in little water
• Meanwhile,chop the tomatoes ,add 3 cups water to the tamarind extract to make it thin.
• In a cooking vessel add the tomatoes, tamarind water,rasam powder and salt and let it boil for about 20 mins.
• This boiling brings out all the flavour of the tomatoes to the water.
• Take the soaked jeera and dal and grind it with the water in a mixer to a fine consistency.
• Add the jeera paste to the boiling rasam and let it boil for 3-4 mins only.If we boil it for a long time the flavour of jeera will be lost.
• Prepare the seasoning by adding the mustard and cumin seeds to hot ghee.Once the mustard seeds splutter , remove from flame and pour on the rasam.
• Garnish the rasam with corrainder leaves and serve hot with rice or drink as a soup!

Palak/Spinach Soup

A healthy soup which can be served anytime of the year.

Ingredients:

• Palak/Spinach one bundle cut, washed and cleaned
• Milk one cup
• Black pepper powder 2 tsp
• Sugar 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Butter or oil 1 tsp
• One Onion finely chopped
• 2 tsp chopped Ginger
• 2 tsp Maida/all purpose flour

Procedure:

• Boil the spinach in 2-3 cups of water till it is cooked.
  
• Take the butter or oil in pan and when it is hot add the ginger and onions .Stir it on medium flame till the onions become translucent
• Add 2 tsps Maida to the onions and stir for 2 mins.
• Remove the onion mixture from flame and allow to cool
• Blend in a blender the spinach and onion mixture with water just enough to blend.You can use the same water in which the spinach was boiled to retain its nutrients.
• Add the blended mixture to a cooking pan.If needed add some more water to make it of soup consistency.
• Add salt, black pepper powder, sugar and stir well.Add milk and bring to a boil.
• Remove from flame.
• You can add white butter or cream if you want to indulge a bit .
• Serve hot with bread

khara pongal

A very simple and tasty form of pongal which hardly takes any time.

The following quantity serves 2

Ingredients:

Rice : 2 cups

Moong dal: 3/4th cup

Ghee: 3 tbsps

Cumin seeds/jeera : 1 tbsp

Black pepper powder: 2 tsps

Water: 5.5 cups

Ginger shredded: 1tsp

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Dry roast the rice and moong(do not wash the rice and dal before) together for about 1 min in a pan. The roasting gives a good flavour to the dish

Now wash the roasted rice and moong dal.

Add the washed dal and rice to a pressure cooker.Add the 5.5 cups of water and shredded ginger and 3 tsps salt .Cook for 2 whistles.

After the steam goes away open the cooker lid.

In a small pan add 3 tbsps ghee(you have to be generous on ghee for pongal to taste good). Once the ghee is hot add the cumin seeds and black pepper powder to the ghee.Once the cumin seeds get brown, remove the pan from flame and add the contents to the pongal in the pressure cooker and mix it well.

Serve hot with chutney or vetta kozhambu