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. 

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.

Tikona Parantha

We've already made square paranthas but just for a change, you may think of changing the shape... So today, I'm sharing the way I make triangular parantha.  You can make simple paranthas or  namak-ajwain waaley paranthas, ingredients remain the same only the shape changes.

BTW did you know that you can also have paranthas with warm tea or pickle or both.  It's simple and delicious.  Another delicious way to have paranthas is to eat them with home-made butter.  Just yummy!

Quinoa - A simple recipe

Are you looking for a healthy meal to prepare which you won’t spend hours in the kitchen?  So here’s a quick and simple recipe for you. 

Quinoa or, as some people call it, `Rice of Incas’ is a very healthy option for those who want to avoid rice for one reason or another.  There are several ways of making it but one of the easiest and still tasty ways is to serve it with red Kidney Beans (or Raajmaanh) or simply boiled chick peas (Kabuli Chaney).

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Olive Oil/ Colza oil

1 cup                     Quinoa

Kelpamar (according to taste)

Water

Preparation:

Boil water.

Add quinoa grains.

Let it boil for about 5 - 10 minutes.

When it is done you’ll see that the grains haver germinated.

Once the grains are well cooked, lower the flame and let the water dry.

Serve in a dish with kelpamar and olive oil or colza oil dressing.  You can add some boiled chickpeas or red kidney beans (rajma) to it. 

It is a healthy and complete meal.  Personally I love it as main course of my meal.  If you are looking for a healthy

Health Benefits:

Quinoa has a very high nutritional value and its high protein content (18%) makes it ideal for those looking for protein rich diet.

Colza or Rapeseed oil is a rich source of Omega 3, 6 and 9 and an excellent source of these Omega elements for vegetarians.

And if you don’t get Colza oil, you can use Olive oil, which, too, has several health benefits.

Fruity delight- Plum Chutney

Fruits are good for health and we love them so much, in all their forms: raw, in cakes, bakery products, shakes, jams, jellies and chutnies.  But how much is enough?  Who cares?  I just love these yummy gifts of nature.   Today, I'm going to share the recipe of Plum Chutney with you, dear readers.  I loved it the first time I had it years ago, thanks to my lovely sister who is an excellent cook…

Ingredients:

½ Tb. Sp.               Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                    Bishop weed (ajwain) seeds
4-5 medium            Plums (Aaloo-bukharaa)

Salt (according to taste)
1 pinch                  Red chilli powder (according to taste)
2 Tb. sp.                Sugar
Water

Procedure:

1.                   Wash plums.

2.                   Put them in a pan and cover with water.  Let them boil for 30-40 minutes.

3.                   Let them cool.
4.                   Once they are cold, peel and deseed plums.

5.                   Crush the plums.















6.                   Boil for another 15 minutes.

7.                   Now, heat oil in a pan.
8.                   Add ajwain and when it starts sputtering add salt and red chilli powder.
9.                   Add it to boiled plums.
10.               Add sugar.
11.               Put it back on fire and let them boil for another 5 minutes.

12.               Serve with paranthas or rice or chapatis, as you like it. 

I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I do J

This dish can be eaten during Navaratri by those who avoid onions, etc., during this period.

Poha: A healthy snack

Every time you want to prepare snacks for yourself or your little angels, isn’t it a struggle to search for a healthy and yummy option?  Well, today, I’m sharing a traditional recipe that is not only healthy but yummy as well.

Ingredients:

1 Tb. Sp.              Sunflower Oil

1 Tsp.                    Mustard seeds 

1 medium           Potato (peeled and cut into small cubes)

Salt (according to taste)

1 pinch                 Red chilli powder (according to taste)

½ Tsp.                   Turmeric powder

Water

100 gms               Rice Flakes (chidwa/ chooDa/ pohey)

1                            Green chilli (optional)

½ medium sized Onion finely chopped (optional)

1 Tb Sp                 Sugar (optional)

25 gms                 Green coriander, finely chopped.

5-6 drops            Lemon juice (optional)

2 Tb Sp                 Haldiram’s Bhujia/ any namkeen (optional)

Procedure:

1.                   Wash rice flakes under running water (in a sieve).

2.                   Heat oil in a pan.

3.                   Add mustard seeds.

4.                   When the seeds start sputtering add potato cubes.  Stir fry till they are golden brown.

5.                   Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and mix well.

6.                   Add washed rice flakes. Mix well and cover for 2-3 minutes.

7.                   Add onion, green chilli, lemon juice and sugar.   Stir well and cover.

8.                   Take off the heat and garnish with green coriander, mix.

9.                   Serve in a bowl and garnish with bhujia.

And if you wish to make it healthier, just add a few veggies such as peas and carrots (finely chopped) after step 4.  Have a nice and healthy meal!