Strawberry Milk Shake

Tis the season of Strawberries :) and apart from eating them as they are, there are just so many things one can do with this amazing and healthy fruit... Ive started with Strawberry Milkshake.. Kids love this flavour :)

What you will need:

• 1 cup of fresh strawberries
• 2 scoops of ice cream (vanilla / you could experiment with different flavors )
• 1 cup of milk

How to make it :

• Put the strawberries in a blender and puree it.
• To this, add ice cream and milk.
• Mix well and blend.

Serve in tall glasses with a few slices of strawberry fruit . Sit back and enjoy :)

Tamarind /Puli Sevai

I have an exam at work tomorrow and I need to cook something quick and tasty for dinner tonight so I have more time to study. I sometimes have a craving for anything tangy like vatha kozumbu, poondu kozumbu, fish gravy (Andhra style) and the like. Tonight, Tamarind sevai it is :)

This is what you will need (serves two) :

• Instant Sevai Mix /Rice noodles - 250 gms (readily available in the supermarket)
• Red chillies - 3
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 spoon
• Turmeric powder - a pinch or two
• Salt to taste

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Urad daal, - 1 tsp
• Channa daal, - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - 3 to 4
• Hing - a pinch

A handful of roasted peanuts and Cilantro - for garnishing

How to make it :

• Cook the sevai/ Rice noodles as instructed on the pack and keep aside.
• In a pan heat little oil, pop mustard seeds, add turmeric powder, urad daal, channa daal, chillies, curry leaves and fry till the daals are golden brown.
• Add some water (about 1/4 cup) to the tamarind paste, dilute it and add this tamarind water.
• Let it boil till the raw smell goes and thickens.
• Turn off the stove and add the sevai/ boiled noodles and salt. Mix well.
• Garnish with cilantro and roasted peanuts.

This goes well with coconut chutney/ pottu kadalai chutney :)

Spring Onions Subji

I've always loved the flavor of spring onions and have never tried it in anything beyond Chinese, Italian or in Omlettes... I had decided to make dosas for dinner but did not want the same old combinations of chutney/ sambhar and the like...  I put this together last night as an accompaniment with Dosa's and it was awesome , if I may say so myself :) Here is how I made it :

What all you will need ( for two people) :

• Spring Onions : 1 -2 chopped
• Onion: 1/2 sliced thin
• Methi Seeds: 1/4 tsp
• Red Chillies: 2 broken
• Oil: to fry
• Sambar powder: 1- 1/2 tsp
• Hing: a small pinch
• Besan: 3/4 - 1 tablespoon.

How to make it :

• Heat oil in a pan, add the methi and red chilli when the oil is hot.
• Now add the sliced onions and fry for a few minutes.
• Now add the spring onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the Sambar powder and saute for a minute.
• Add the Besan and stir well. fry for a few minutes.
• Now, add some water until you get some gravy.
• Allow it to boil for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste.

This can be had with Roti's also or as a sandwich spread as well :)

Soya Nuggets in Tomato Gravy

I've always had a fascination for soya nuggets and remember fishing them from the rice in Soya biryani or in any gravy they were in ... While I was staying over at a friends place until I got a rented place of my own in Hyd, I remember making this one evening for my friends kid, as an accompaniment with roti's..... and he polished the entire bowl :)

Here is what you will need :

• Soya chunks : 1 small bowl
• Tomato : 4 medium
• Cumin powder : 1 Tsp
• Green chillies : 2
• Ginger garlic paste : ½ Tsp
• Corn flour : 1 Tbsp heaped
• Salt : To taste
• Turmeric powder : A pinch
• Coriander powder : 1 tsp
• Garam masala : 1-1/2 Tsp
• Kasoori methi : 2 Tsp
• Oil : 1-2 Tsp
• Mustard seeds : ½ Tsp
• Curry leaves : 8-10

How I made it :

• Soak Soya chunks for about 20 minutes in warm salted water.
• Squeeze extra water and keep aside.
• Make puree of tomatoes and green chillies. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and fry till it gets light brown.
• Add tomato puree, mix all spices and fry on low flame.
• Dissolve corn flour in some cold water and add into gravy. Adjust the thickness with water.
• Add soya chunks and cover the lid.
• Cook for about 5-7 minutes on low flame.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with chapatti or rice and ghee :)

Rasam

What do you do when you have bad cough and buy tabs but don't take them regularly - make Good Old Rasam :) I don't have a mixie at home right now so had to make it minus all the grinding of Jeera and Pepercorns that I would prefer..This came out just as good and I ended up drinking it instead of consuming it with rice . This is how I made it :

What all you will need :

Tomatoes: 2
Tamarind: Size of an amla soaked in about 2 cups of water
Rasam powder: 3 heaped teaspoons
Water: 2-3 cups
Hing: a pinch
Turmeric: a pinch
Mustard, Jeera: 1 tsp
Ghee: 2 teaspoons
Curry Leaves: 4-5
Corriander Leaves: to taste.
Jaggery: 1/4 tsp.

This is how I made it :

• Take the bowl, which has the tamarind soaking it in and sqeeze the tamarind well.
• Throw in a tomato, squeeze it into the water.
• In a saucepan, heat the ghee and fry the mustard, jeera and curry leaves.
• Pour the tamarind water.
• While waiting to boil, add the rasam powder, chopped tomato. salt, turmeric and hing.
• Let it boil for 10-15 minutes until the raw smell of tamarind vanishes.
• Now taste the rasam, add Jaggery to adjust the taste.
• Finish with corriander leaves!

Mix it with rice as an accompaniment or drink it straight from a cup :)

Mooli Paratha's ( Radish )

I remember my mum making this for me when I was in school and it used to be YUMMY !! Today, Mooli Parathas it is :) There is no extra work to be done except for grating the radish of course :D

What all you will need :

• Radish - 2 nos ( you an use either red/white.. )
• Atta - 2 cups
• Salt to taste
• Green chilli - cut into small roundels ( optional for those who like it spicy)
• Water to knead the dough
• Oil - 2 tbsps to mix with Atta

What you need to do :

• Grate the radish and add it directly into the atta to be kneaded.
• Knead the dough with salt to taste and some oil and water and chillies if adding any.
• Please keep in mind that the radish will give out water and so the paratha's need to be rolled out and cooked immediately.
• Eat them hot with bullseye/ curd with chilli powder/ pickle.

Hope you like it !

Gobi Paratha's

Hmm...  ain't it kinda unfair that roti's and parathas do not get limelight?  Tonight I made Gobi parathas...Let me tell you how I made them .

What you need to do half an hour earlier :

Keep aside:

Cauliflower - 1 medium sized
Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Haldi - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp ( adjust according to taste)
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Also knead the atta and keep it covered with a wet cloth. The longer it stands, the better the roti's come out :)

What you do with it :

Take the cauliflower and grate it all up.
Take a kadai and heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in it and throw in some cumin. When it is starts spluttering, add the grated gobi, haldi, chilli powder, garam masala and salt to taste - all together.
Saute all this for about three to four minutes until the water given out by the gobi has all evaporated.
Take off the gas and allow to cool till room temperature.

Just half an hour before you want to eat dinner :

Roll out the Chapathi like you normally do, just a little smaller.
Put in about 2 tablespoons of the gobi masala in the middle of the chapathi.
Fold the chapathi in from all four sides like a square.
Dust this in some atta and roll out into paratha's taking care not to let the filling spill outside.
Cook on a tava as you normally make paratha's.

Enjoy with Pudina chutney /curd with chilli powder/ pickle :)

P.s: You can apply a little ghee on the paratha just before serving ;)

Dal Makhni

There is place in Hyderabad called " Angeethi " (Near city Centre) where you get the yummiest Dal Makhni .. I shifted residence to an all girls PG and they introduced me to this place !.I tried making it at home and it came out well :)

Here's how I made it..
What you need to do the previous night before going to bed :

Urad Dal: 1/2 cup [The whole ones with black skin]
Red Kidney Beans/Rajma: 1/2 cup

• Soak the two overnight.

When you are ready to start cooking the next day :

• Pressure Cook with salt, 2 crushed garlic pods, half a sliced onion, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, a tiny pinch of turmeric and a teaspoon of red chilli powder.
• This takes about 20-30 minutes to cook.
• The dals must be soft and mashed.

Then ...

• Heat a pan with some oil and 2 tablespoons of butter ( is essential for the yumminess ! ), throw in some cumin seeds.
• Add 4 pods of garlic and 1 inch piece of ginger, chopped. Fry for a minute.
• Now add one medium onion- chopped.
• Cook until onions are browned.
• Add a teaspoon of ground garam masala and red chilli powder.
• Add 2 chopped tomatoes.
• Cook until the oil leaves the side.
• Add this to the dal mix and stir well.
• Add 2 tablespoons of cream and mix.
• Leave this on a low flame for about 20 minutes.

Let it simmer away and you have some yummy dal!

When you serve, add a teaspoon of butter and a drop of cream. It is awesome with Naan's , phulka's or even, all by itself :)

Double Beans Subji / Porial

This has been one of my favorite dishes while growing up. However, I have not seen much of this in Hyderabad.. The other day I happened to chance upon a packet of these delicious beans and away they came home with me :) Here is how I made this yummy curry ..

Things I Needed : Ingredients:

Double beans 1/2 cup
Onion 1 no.
Turmeric 1/8 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Salt As needed
Coconut oil 1 tsp (optional)

To Grind:

Coriander seeds 1/2 tblsp
Coconut 2 tblsp
Red chillies 3-4 nos.
Garlic 1 flake
Black pepper whole 1/2 tsp
Jeera 1/2 tsp

To Temper:

Mustard 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp
Oil 2 tsp

How I Made It :

• Soak the double beans overnight and pressure cook the next day,for 3-4 whistles.
• Cut onion length wise and keep aside.
• Grind the ingredients under the "To Grind" table,to a powder.
• Heat oil in kadai and add mustard,urad dal and then add curry leaves and onion,fry till onion turns out golden brown.
• Then add the cooked beans,salt and turmeric and fry in medium flame for 2 minutes.
• Add the ground masala powder and add enough water to the beans to make a gravy.
• Mix well and cook in low flame,till the water completely evaporates.Keep turning in between to avoid burning.
• Fry till the masala turns golden brown.
• If desired add coconut oil at the end and transfer to the serving bowl and Serve as accompaniment for rice.

Hope You Like It !! :)

Chilli Paneer

It all started out with the usual conversation  in my head- "wat do I make for dinner tonight?" and the usual response - "Anything"! And then "Anything" becomes Noodles and "Chilly Paneer" :)

I thought it would be a change from the usual - Dal chaval or Roti Subjii and turned out quite well, if I may say so myself ( I am modest, na .? :D)

I did make a few changes here and there as I did not have the required ingredients and was too lazy to go out and buy them at 8:00 in the evening .. So here goes -

Ingredients required :

A slab of Paneer ( readily available in the Super market) cubed - 200 gms should do fine
One medium Onion - Sliced
One medium capsicum - Either cut them into long slices or into squares
4-5 garlic pods - crushed
3-5 Green chillies - julienned (for the look)
Vegetable soup powder - 2 tablespoons - Mixed in half a cup of water (instead of veg stock)
Corn flour - 3 tablespoons
Soya Sauce - 2 tablespoons
Green Chilli Sauce - 1 tablespoon
Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Oil - to shallow fry the paneer
Salt to taste
Spring onions - 1 tbsp to garnish/ 1 tbsp fry
1/4 tsp Ajino motto ( i didn have any, so didn use any but came out well all the same)

How I Made It :

1. After I cut the paneer , I dusted it in the cornflour and then shallow fried them till they were golden brown on all sides and put it aside on a tissue for the excess oil to drain.
2. In a pan, I heated about 2 tablespoons of oil and when warm , dumped the crushed garlic with a tablespoon of spring onions and waited for the garlic to brown a bit and then, in went the onions, capsicum and green chillies that were sauted for about a couple of minutes.
3. When the onions started turning a shade of pink, I added the fried paneer pieces, the vegetable soup powder mixed in water, soya sauce, chilli sauce, pepper powder, salt to taste and mixed it well.
4. In the meantime, I mixed the remaining cornflour with about one third cup of water and then when the mixture in the pan started boiling, I stirred in the blended cornflour and cooked it on high heat, stirring and tossing until the sauce thickened to coat the paneer and the vegetables.
5.Serve immediately., garnished with remaining spring onions.


P.s: Don't forget to thank me for the compliments you receive ;)