Jeera aloo

Ingredients: 4-6 boiled potatoes (medium sized) cut in cubes, 1 tbsp jeera or cumin seeds, 2 tsp finely chopped green chillies, 1 tbsp ghee, 10-12 small curry leaves, 1/2 tbsp freshly roasted and powdered groundnuts, 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, salt to taste

#jeeraaloo

Preparation and Cooking Time: 20 min

Recipe:

1. Heat a kadhai/ pan and add ghee to it. After half a minute, add cumin seeds, green chillies and curry leaves to it.

2. Add the potatoes to it along with the salt and turn it lightly.

3. Add the groundnut powder and allow cooking for 5 min with closed lid. 

4. Add salt to taste and garnish with coriander!

Tips: You can add a dash of lime juice and serve it hot!

Water melon salad

 

Ingredients: fresh raw part of the water melon (2 cups diced), 1 tbsp of freshly roasted and ground peanuts, 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander, 2 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, salt to taste

Preparation Time: 10 min (serves 2 - 4)

Recipe:   

1. Take a glass salad bowl.

2. Add the cut raw water melon and the peanuts powder (coarse) to it. 

3. Toss it lightly. Add lime juice, coriander and salt.

4. Heat a small tadka pan. Add ghee to it. Add mustard seeds and asafoetida and use this to season the salad. Pour it on the salad.

5. Toss the salad lightly and refrigerate it if you prefer cooled salads.

6. Use fresh herbs for garnishing.

Tips: The raw part of water melon is the thick skin of pale pista and white color that is just below the flesh of the fruit. It can be used for salas if fresh and soft. 

#summer #summerishere #beattheheat

Rabri tart

Ingredients: 1/2 ltr cow milk, 1 cup marie biscuit powder, 1/2 tbsp butter, 2 -3 tsp sugar, 5-6 strawberries, glass dish

Preparation time: 35 min, cooling time 2 hours (for 3-4 people)

Recipe:
1. To make rabri of the milk, empty it in a non stick kadhai or deep pan and bring it do boil on high flame. After a boil, turn the gas low. Keep stirring the milk intermittently, while turning the gas to medium, low and full after every 5-7min. Do not remove the cream. It will thicken the milk. Boil it till the milk is less than halved and become thick. This will take approx 35 min. In the end, add sugar and turn off the gas.

2. In the meantime while rabri is being  cooked, melt the butter and mix it with the biscuits powder.

3. Now take a dish and spread the mixture in step 2 evenly on the base. Microwave it for 1.5-2 min depending on the thickness of the layer and the size of dish. ( the thickness of layer for me was approx 1 cm and I microwaved for 1min 40sec)

4. Remove the dish and allow to cool.

5. In the meantime while also stirring rabri, you can cut the strawberries for toppings. I had cut cubes and slices to dress up the dessert as shown in pic.

6. If rabri is done, allow it to come to room temperature and then pour it over the baked base of the dish evenly.

7. Do not use spoon but just tilt the dish to spread rabri.

8. Top it with strawberries and freeze it covered with lid or shrink wrap for half an hour.

9. Enjoy it chilled!

Green Idli

#healthy #different #food #breakfast #snacks #quick-bites #finger-food #all-time-fav

  Ingredients: 1 cup split green lentils (hari dal), 1/2 cup rice (non- basmati and unpolished preferred), less than 1/2 cup yellow split lentils (mogar) and split chick peas (chana) each, 1 tbsp curd, approx 2 tsp ginger paste, 1 green chilli, 2 tsp soda, 1 tbsp fresh coriander herbs, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp turmeric powder, salt to taste and a tsp of sugar

Preparation Time: 10 min (for batter), 12 hours (for fermentation), 20 min (cooking time)

Recipe:

 

  1. Take all the pulses and rice in a vessel. Wash them properly and allow soaking for 2-3 hours in sufficient water (almost twice the quantity of cereals)

2. When well soaked, drain off excess of water and grind the grains to semi-fine paste. To this, add the curd, mix well and keep it in a vessel with cover inside a warm place like microwave (with an inch bigger vessel to allow it to ferment).

3. After 10-12 hours the batter rises up and is well fermented to be used. 

4. Now, grind the ginger, chilli, coriander and cumin seeds to paste and add this to the batter. Add salt to taste, sugar and turmeric powder. Now mix the batter well. It will be thick. Add half a cup water in tranches while continuously stirring.

5. Heat the Idli- maker (you may also use dosa maker) and grease the plates lightly. Add a spoonful of the batter to each of the molds and cover the maker once done. Turn the gas high and after 5- 7 min, check. The idli should be ready.

6. Carefully take off the idli from the molds (after it cools down). Use a flat spoon used for serving rice. It is easier to take off the idlis.

7. Serve it hot with your favorite dips - chutneys!