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!

Apple Crumble

Well, I don't really have a sweet tooth and I rarely, if ever, have desserts/ sweets.  But I do like to have something sweet once in a while.  The other day I had apple crumble at a friend's place and liked it so much that I decided to try it at my place... And it turned out that I really liked it.  And that's how this recipe has come to you.

Ingredients:

- 6 apples

- 150 gms brown-coloured sugar
- 150 gms wheat flour (maida)
- 125 gms butter
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder (dalchini)
- 1 packet of vanilla flavoured sugar

-  50 gms powdered almonds
- juice of one lemon

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 210°C.
Peel the apples.  Remove their middle part cut them in big cubes.

Spread them in a baking dish.

Pour lemon juice, cinnamon powder and vanilla flavoured sugar on the apples.

Take a big bowl / salad dish / paraat (Indians) and mix wheat flour and brown-coloured sugar.
Then add cubes of butter and mix it so as to obtain a lumpy mix.

Spread this flour-mix on the apples so as to cover the same.

Put in the oven for half an hour (30 minutes).

Serve warm alone or with whipped cream or vanilla-flavoured ice-cream or all three of them.

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!

Aaloo wadiyaan (Potatoes with spicy nuggets made of lentils)

Here's another yummy potato recipe for those of you who are potato lovers.  A tasty yet healthy potato recipe thanks to the wholesome wadi.  Yes, you guessed it right, I am from Punjab and grew up with Papads and Wadis.  Those of you who are not aware of it, in fact, we Punjabis believe that the best wadis and papads are those from our own Amritsar.

Ingredients:

1                             Wadi

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

Procedure:

1.                   Heat oil and add wadi to it. 

2.                   Heat till it is light brown.  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 take off the flame.

8.                   Break the wadi.

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

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.

Tomato Chutney

Here’s a quick dish that I love having as an accompaniment with several types of food-dishes and it is the perfect replacement for ketchup minus preservatives.

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Oil

1 Tsp.                    Cumin (jeera)

1 small piece      Cinnamon (dalchini)

4-5 big                  Tomatoes (Cut in cubes)

1 Tb. Sp.              Raisins (kishmish)

Salt (according to taste)

Red chilli powder (according to taste)

1 Tb. Sp.              Sugar

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin and cinnamon to it.

Once the cumin starts spluttering, add salt and red chillies.

Add Tomatoes, some water and cover.

Once the tomatoes are well cooked remove the lid.  Add Raisins and let it simmer for about five minutes.

Add Sugar.  Mix well and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve as an accompaniment with rice or khichadi or chapattis or pakodas or puris or in any other way that you like.  I love it even with sandwiches instead of regular ketchup bought from the market.