Onion, cucumber, tomato raita

All of us know how effective yoghurt is in fighting the summer heat.  And as we move towards summers I’d like to share a recipe that will help you beat the summer heat to some extent with ingredients such as cucumber, onion, mint and fresh coriander – a combination that is sure to help you protect yourself and your loved ones from heat wave.

Ingredients:

125 ml                  Yoghurt (dahi)

¼                            Cucumber (finely chopped)

1 small                  Tomato (finely chopped)

1 small                  Onion (finely chopped)

1 small                  green chilli (optional) (finely chopped)

Salt (according to test)

1 pinch                 Red chili powder

¼ Tsp.                   Mint powder

¼ Tsp.                   Cumin powder

10 gms                 Fresh Coriander (finely chopped)

Water

Procedure:

1. Take yoghurt and beat it into a thin mix.  Add a little water.
2. Add salt, red chili powder, mint powder and cumin powder.
3. Add finely chopped cucumber, tomato, onion and chilli and mix.
4. Garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander.

You can add other vegetables such as finely chopped carrots or capsicum.

Serve as a side-dish with rice-dal, pulao, puris or chappatis. 

Tasty split Bengal gram with some spices (according to your taste)

Here’s another yummy way to eat split Bengal gram that is so good for health.

Ingredients:

100 gms.                  Chaney ki daal (Split Bengal Gram)

1 pinch                      Asafoetida

Salt

Red chilli powder

Turmeric powder

1 Tsp.                        Fennel seeds (powdered)

1                                 Indian Bay leaf (Tej Patta)

Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                        Cumin

2-3                             Whole dried red chillies

1 small piece           Ginger (finely chopped)

1 medium                Onion/ shallot (finely chopped) (optional)

1 medium                Tomato (finely chopped) (optional)

¼ Tsp.                                   Garam masala

Green coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Procedure:

Take split Bengal gram, add water and boil it with asafoetida, fennel seeds, bay leaf, salt, red chillies powder and turmeric powder. 

Take it off the fire when it’s well done.

Tadka

Heat oil in a pan.

Add cumin seeds.  When they start spluttering add whole dried red chillies, ginger and onions.

Once the onion and ginger start turning brown, add chopped tomatoes.   Add boiled split Bengal gram to the mix once tomatoes are well cooked.

Mix well.  When the lentils start boiling, add garam masala.  Mix well.

Take off the fire and garnish with finely chopped green coriander.

Serve with steaming rice/ chapattis and/or vegetables.

I hope that you’ll enjoy this meal.  May you have a healthy meal!

Chatpati Idli (Spicy rice and lentil cake)

Morning breakfast and afternoon snacks tend to put one in a dicey situation.  It's so difficult to please everyone and then of course, we are always concerned about being able to provide a healthy meal to youngsters who are so finicky about food.

At times, we have some leftovers at home so here’s a quick recipe for you if you have some leftover idlis (and no sambhar) or sandwich bread at home.

So here’s a healthy snack for

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                    Mustard seeds 

2-3                         Dried whole red chillies (optional)

5-6                         Curry leaves

½ medium sized Onion (cut lengthwise)

1 medium sized               Tomato (finely chopped)

Salt (according to taste)

1 Tsp.                    Sambhar powder

Water

4-5                         Idlis (or white sandwich bread)

1 Tb. Sp.              Ground poppy seeds and almonds mix

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil in a pan.

2.                   Add mustard seeds.

3.                   When the seeds start sputtering add whole red chillies. 

4.                   Add curry leaves, after 2-3 minutes add onions.

5.                   Stir fry till they are well cooked.

6.                   Add tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes while stirring from time to time.

Add salt and sambhar powder and mix well.

Add ground poppy seeds and almonds mix.

Add idlis and mix well.

If required, add  ¼ cup of water and mix well.

And if you wish to make it healthier, just add a few veggies such as peas and carrots (finely chopped).  Have a nice and healthy meal!

AaTey ka pooDaa (Pancakes made of wheat-flour)

When I was younger, everytime it rained we had two types of poodas as a sort of snack and we called the combo monsoon special.  It’s a quick and healthy meal when you don’t have a lot of time or no veggies at home.

Ingredients:

1 cup             Wheat flour

1 Tsp              Ajwain (bishop’s weed)

Salt

Red chilli powder

1 small          Onion/ shallot (finely cut)

1 or 2            Green chillies (finely cut)

Water

Sunflower oil or any other cooking oil

Procedure:

Mix wheat flour, ajwain, salt and red chilli powder. 

Add onion, green chillies and water to it and mix well.

Heat a pan, oil it and pour the mix in it.

When the liquid starts drying turn it over.

Pour oil on all sides.  Let it cook.

Once it is done.  Serve it with tomato chutney or sauce.

So here’s to monsoons and rain God!

Baingan Bhaja (Fried Aubergines)

Actually, even though some people would like us to believe that Baingan doesn’t have any guna (a tongue in cheek reference to its name in Hindi) it is not true.

Aubergine is a rich source of fibre and has low saturated fat content as well as cholesterol.  It is diuretic and a rich source of potassium, iodine, sodium and magnesium.  It also has antioxidant properties.    

So today, I am going to share a simple recipe with you today.  Though it has some fat but as aubergines have little fat, so it balances out all right.  But I won’t advise it to you if you have health problems.

Ingredients:

1         Aubergine    (baingan)

Salt

Red chilli powder

Turmeric powder

Mustard or sunflower Oil

Procedure:

Cut big, round pieces of aubergine.

Sprinkle some salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder on the aubergines and tilt the plate so that the water released by aubergines is collected on one side.

Let them lie for at least half an hour.

Heat some oil in a pan.

Fry the aubergines.

Serve with daal and rice or khichadi or chapattis or any other way you want.  I even love having them as snacks with tea though that’s not how one is supposed to have them.

Daal waalaa parantha (Fried Indian Flatbread with Split Bengal Gram filling)

Paranthas are my favourite breakfast and there are so many types of paranthas.  Today’s recipe is daal waalaa parantha which is a parantha filled with Split Bengal Gram.  When I was young I used to call it lentils for the horse, a reference to the fact that in India it is fed to horses because of its nutritive value.  It is a good source of calcium, iron and dietary fibre.  So here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Cup             Wheat flour

50 gms          Split Bengal Gram (Chaney ki daal)

1 pinch          Asafoetida (hing)

1 Tsp  Salt

1 pinch          chilli powder

1 pinch          garam masala

1 small          Onion/ Shallot (finely cut)

1 or 2            Green chillies (finely cut)

Water

Ghee (clarified butter) or Oil

Procedure:

Knead flour so that when you make a hole in it with your finger, it doesn’t stick to your finger.

Filling

Take split Bengal gram, add water and boil it with asafoetida.

Take it off the fire when it’s well done and dry all water.  Mix and crush the Bengal gram, so that it becomes a sort of dry paste.

Add salt, red chilli powder and garam masala and mix well.

Add onions and green chillies.  Mix well.  Keep it aside.

Paranthas

Take a small part of it and roll it into a small ball and ensure that there’s no crack in the ball.

Roll this ball in dry flour and flatten it.

Use rolling-pin and flatten the circle further till it is around 4-5 inches in diameter.

Take 1 Tea spoon of the filling and put it on the flattened dough.

Take all ends and close it in the dough.

Roll it in some dry flour and flatten it upside down i.e. the folded end should face the plate.

Use rolling pin to further flatten it and make it into a bigger circle.

Put the girdle on fire.

When it is hot, put the flattened dough on the girdle.

Once it is cooked on one side (it will become somewhat yellowish brown), turn it over and put oil on the cooked side.

After some time, turn it over again and if the other side is cooked oil it as well otherwise turn it back till it is cooked.  Once it is cooked, turn it over and oil the other side (that you’ve not oiled earlier).

After around 1 minute turn it over and let it cook for some time.

Serve it with pickle or/and vegetables or/and plain yoghurt and/or raita and/or dahi pakodiyan and/or Tomato chutney.

I hope that you loved this healthy meal as much as I do.  Enjoy your meal!

Potatoes and onions - simple recipe

I know I recently shared a potato recipe and you must be wondering how can I come up with another one so soon, but you can make potatoes in so many different ways that I couldn’t help sharing another one with you.  And this is not the end of potato recipes…. There are more to come, so be prepared.  Meanwhile, enjoy this one!

Ingredients:

4-5 medium       Potatoes (peeled and cut into big pieces)

½ medium          Onion/ shallot (cut lengthwise)

Salt (according to taste)

2-3                         whole red chillies

1 pinch                 Red chilli powder (according to taste)

¼ Tsp.                   Turmeric powder

1 Tb. Sp.              Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                    Cumin (jeera) 

½ Tsp.                   Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)

¼ Tsp.                   Garam masala

1 Tsp.                    Tomato purée

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil.

2.                   Add cumin and whole red chillies.

3.                   When they start spluttering, add onions.

4.                   When the onions are semi-cooked add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix 

              well.

5.                   Add potatoes and some water.

6.                   Cover and let it cook on low flame.  Keep stirring from time to time.

7.                   When the potatoes are cooked, add tomato purée and let it cook for another 5 minutes.

8.                   Add garam masala and coriander powder.

9.                   Mix well.

10.               Let it cook at low flame for approximately 5 minutes.

Serve as a side dish with chapattis, rice or poories.