Masoor Dal (Lal Split Masoor Dal)

Masoor Dal

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2cups masoor dal
• 2 tea spoon garam masala
• 2 tea spoon turmeric
• salt as required
• 2 table spoon oil
• 2 finely chopped onions
• 4-5 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 inch finely chopped ginger
• 3-4 finely chopped green chillies
• 2 finely chopped tomatoes
• 1 tea spoon finely chopped coriander
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard
• 6-7 curry leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon jeera

Method:

Rinse masoor dal thoroughly until water is clear. Put the dal in a vessel and add 4 cups of water, bring it to boil.

Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes and then add 1 tea spoon garam masala and 1 tea spoon turmeric. Once the dal is cooked, it will thicken, add water to keep the dal loose. When the dal is soft, turn off the heat.

Heat oil in a wok when oil gets hot add mustard, jeera, curry leaves, onions and fry until they get tender. Do not let them get brown. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Continue to fry onions till they get completely cooked . Add the remaining garam masala and turmeric. Fry them until the mixture starts to stick. Don't allow the spices to burn.

Now add tomatoes and cook till it becomes soft. Then pour in the cooked dal. Mix well and simmer to blend all the flavours. Add water if required. Now add salt and coriander and mix well. Once the dal boils, turn off the heat.

Soya Granules Cutlet

Soya Granules Culet

Most of the folks do not like soya but the best way to keep it unnoticed is to serve it as a cutlet...so lets begin with the preparations...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Soya granules(I have used Nutrela granules)
• 4-5 boiled potatoes
• 1 cup finely chopped vegetables(carrot,beans,green peas)
• 3-4 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 table spoon red chilli powder
• 1 tea spoon Garam masala
• 1 tea spoon dhania jeera powder
• 4 slices of bread(grind in grinder)
• 1 table spoon coriander leaves
• salt for taste
• 2 table spoon corn flour
• oil for frying
• juice of 1 small lemon
• rava as required(100 grams approx.)

Serves: approx. 6 people


Method:

Take soya granules add 6 to 7 cups of water with a pinch of salt and bring it to boil for 5 minutes. Remove from gas stove and drain out the water. Rinse the granules 2 or 3 times in fresh water. Drain and squeeze out the water from the granules completely.

In a bowl, take boiled potatoes and mash them. Now add the soya granules, vegetables, green chillies, red chilli powder, garam masala, dhania, jeera powder, bread crumps, coriander leaves, salt,1 table spoon corn flour, lemon juice and mix well.

In a separate bowl, dissolve 1 table spoon of corn flour in half cup of water and mix.Now shape into cutlets, dip the cutlets in the corn flour water, roll in rava and deep fry till it turns golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Vegetable Grilled Sandwich



Vegetable Grilled Sandwich



In our family everyone loves Sandwiches ,specially my father-in-law,so i keep experimenting with different varities of sandwiches.This sandwich is one of my such experiments.

Ingredients:

• 10 slices sandwich bread
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 finely chopped capsicum
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 finely chopped tomato
• 1 tea spoon oregano
• 1 tea spoon chilli flakes or chilli powder
• salt as required
• grated cheese
• butter as required

Method:

Finely Chop onion,capsicum,cabbage ,tomato and keep aside.

Grate cheese and keep aside.



Take some oil in a pan.Heat it and add all the vegetables other than tomato,saute it for a minute.We dont have to cook the vegetables, the crunchiness of the vegetables should be intact. Now add chilli flakes,oregano,little chilli powder (i added it just for the colour) and salt. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Apply butter to two slices of bread,on one slice put the vegetable mixture,then tomato.

Add grated cheese.Now cover it with other slice of bread and grill .I have grilled it in an electric sandwich griller.If you dont have a griller you can make it on a tava.Serve it with tomato ketchup.

Your yummy vegetable grilled sandwich is now ready.

Instant Cucumber Dosa(Kakadi che pole)



Instant Cucumber Dosa(Kakadi che pole)

I was not understanding what to make for dinner today, was bored of the regular stuff so thought of making this dosa. My Ajji(Grandmother) makes this dosa and all of us love it.This dosa can be made for breakfast or dinner.It has everything in it so I dont make any chutney to accompany. It tastes nice with white butter or pickle.

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers (Kakadi)
• 2 cups rice flour
• 3 tea spoon besan
• 1 small lemon sized jaggery(gul)
• salt to taste
• 5-6 green chillies
• 2 tea spoon coriander leaves
• 2 tea spoon jeera

Method:

Grate cucumber and keep aside.



Then make a paste of coriander leaves ,green chillies,jeera,salt,jaggery.Add this to the grated cucumber.

Now add rice flour ,besan and water and mix .Make a thin batter.



Heat an iron tava ,put one tea spoon oil on it ,spread the dosa batter, cover and cook. When one side is done flip it over and fry it till the other side is done.



Serve Hot. Tastes best when eaten hot.



 



Bagara Baigan

Bagara Baigan

Bagara Baigan is one of the most loved and specially prepared dish in the City of Nizams-Hyderabad. To be honest, I was unaware of this dish but post wedding, the dish I was attracted to was Bagara Baigan and I always wanted to make this dish and the best person to learn was my Hubby's Aunt who is an expert in Hyderabadi dishes.

There are range of recipes available on Bagara Baigan but the dish which I feel differentiates itself from others is the one that I have mentioned in this post. One of the uniqueness of this dish is the stuffed  tomato.When it mixes into the gravy , the juicy flavor that flows out is what I love the most. It really goes well with any dish you name like Rice, Biryani, Rumali Roti, etc. I will post other varieties of bagara baigan in my next post. 

Ingredients:

• 8 small purple brinjals(baigan)
• lemon size tamarind
• 3-4 tomatoes
• 1/4 cup oil

Ingredients for paste No. 1:

• 2 medium onions
• 1 inch ginger
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tea spoon haldi(Turmeric Powder)
• 1 tea spoon red chili powder
• salt as required

Ingredients for paste No.2:

• 1 table spoon coriander seeds
• 3/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 10-12 fenugreek seeds
• 1 tea spoon khus khus
• 2 table spoon sesame seeds (til )
• 3 table spoon grated dry coconut

Ingredients for tempering:

• 2-3 dry red chillies
• 3-4 crushed garlic cloves
• 7-8 curry leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds

Method:

Wash and slit Brinjals from both the sides without cutting the brinjal completely with the stem intact and soak in water.

Wash and cut tomatoes from both the sides without cutting the tomato completely.

Soak tamarind in 1 cup warm water and keep aside.

Turn you stove on and roast the onions on it with the flame medium-high.This will burn off the skin of the onions but the onions will get soft and cooked from inside.As shown in the picture below.

Once the onion is roasted ,let it cool and then remove the skin and cut it. Now put it in a grinder and make a fine paste of all the ingredients in paste No.1. and keep aside.

Dry roast all  ingredients for paste No. 2 one by one and grind with tamarind water into a smooth paste and keep aside along with first paste. As shown below.

Mix both the pastes together and stuff in the brinjals and tomatoes.

Heat oil in a vessel and add mustard seeds when they splutter add crushed garlic,curry leaves and dry red chillies and fry ,then add the stuffed brinjal and cover and fry till it is half cooked.

Once done add the remaining masala and water as required .Let it boil .Once it boils add the stuffed tomatoes and cook for another 5-8 minutes or till oil comes out and till it gets thick gravy like consistency.

Now enjoy the delicious bagara baigan with rice or rotis.

Set Dosa

Set Dosa

Set dosa as the name suggests are served in a set of 3 small and spongy dosas.


Ingredients:

• 3 cups dosa rice
• 1 cup thick poha
• 1 tea spoon methi
• 1 tea spoon rice flour
• 1 tea spoon maida
• 1 tea spoon sugar
• salt to taste

Method:

Soak rice, poha and methi separately for 6-7 hours. Now drain all the water and grind it into a smooth batter with little water. Do not make the batter too thin.

Now put it into a mixing bowl. Keep the batter aside covered for fermentation overnight. Next day before making the dosas, add rice flour, maida, sugar and salt. Mix well.

Heat a tava and pour 2 laddles of batter. Cover and cook gradualy on medium flame. Drizzle some oil on the edges. When it is nicely roasted flip it over and cook from the other side.

Make thick pancake like dosas.

Serve hot with Chutney and sagu . Enjoy.

Sesame Toast (Gold Coin)

Sesame Toast (Gold Coin)

This is one of the popular Chinese starters. In this, bread slices are deep fried with vegetable mixture on it. This starter can be deep fried or shallow fried. Originally it is deep fried but to avoid calories you can shallow fry it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 small loaf sliced bread
• 2 finely chopped onions or 4 spring onions
• 2 finely chopped carrots
• 1 large finely chopped capsicum
• 2 boiled and mashed potatoes
• 2 table spoon oil
• 2 tea spoon soya sauce
• 1 table spoon chilli powder
• 1/2 tea spoon aji-no-moto (optional)
• 2 table spoon corn flour
• 1 table spoon maida
• salt to taste
• roasted sesame seeds as required
• 1 tea spoon ginger paste
• 1 tea spoon garlic paste
• oil for deep frying

Method:

Heat Oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic paste, onions, carrots, capsicum and aji-no-moto. Cook on high flame for 2-3 minutes.

Add mashed potatoes, soya sauce, chilli powder and salt. Mix all of it together. Remove from heat and cool the mixture. Add corn flour and mix properly.

Mix maida with a bit of water to make a thick paste and keep aside.

Cut the bread slices in circles using a cookie cutter or with a lid of some bottle. Apply the maida paste on each bread roundlet and spread the potato mixture generously (only on one side of the bread). Press well. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds, spread some dry corn flour and press.

Deep fry in hot oil.

Remove on an absorbent paper and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

If you do not want to cut into circles, you can apply the mixture on entire slice of bread (only on one end of the bread) press well. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds, spread some dry corn flour and press. Deep fry.

Cut into three to four parts and serve hot.

Schezwan Sauce

Schezwan sauce

Ingredients:

• 12 dried red chillies
• 1/2 cup oil
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 2 finely chopped spring onions
• 12 finely chopped garlic
• 1 inch finely chopped ginger
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• salt to tast

Method:

Remove stems of red chillies and boil in 2 cups of water for 10 minutes.
Drain and cool the chillies, grind them into a fine paste.



Take oil in a pan and heat it, add garlic, ginger, green chillies and spring onions and sauté for 1 minute. Add red chilli paste and sauté for some more time. Add tomato ketchup, salt and mix .Add vinegar let it boil till the oil rises out, and then turn off the heat.

Note:



This sauce can be stored for 2-3 weeks.

Finally my Blog is up

Hello Food Lovers,

After many months of pondering over how to express myself through one of my main passions in life "COOKING", I have finally decided to blog ...and I am really happy and excited that finally my blog is up.

Through this medium, I would like to share with food lovers on how it is simple to prepare food through recipes that excites us as foodies.... I have learnt range of cuisines over the years and I would want to pen down these recipes for you all.

I hope and expect that I would receive all your support and sincere comments in days to come, so that I can experiment many new delicacies for us to enjoy.

Looking forward to sharing my simple recipes. Please reach me on my blog, if you need any support on a particular dish that interests you and I will definitely try to provide you simpler yet mouth watering recipe...

Thank You All,
Happy Cooking!!!!