Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich



Cucumber and Tomato Sandwich

This is simple and quick to prepare kind of sandwich. As I had said earlier in our family everyone loves sandwiches. Many a times we plan to organize sandwich dinner. This sandwich tastes different because of the home made red sauce which I use.

Ingredients:

• 16 slices sandwich bread
• 1 Cucumber
• 2 tomatoes
• pudina/mint chutney
• Red sauce
• butter as required

Method:

Peel and cut the cucumbers in thin slices. Cut the tomatoes in thin slices and keep aside.

Apply butter on two slices of bread. On one buttered slice apply pudina chutney and on the other buttered slice apply red sauce.

Now arrange the tomato and cucumber slices on top of the chutney and then cover it with the other slice.

Now trim the edges and cut the sandwich diagonally and enjoy as it is or grill the sandwich in an electric sandwich grill without removing the edges. If you don't have a grill you can make it on a tava with a bit of butter untill both the sides are golden brown.

Serve Hot with tomato ketchup.

Mint/Pudina Chutney

Pudina Chutney

This chutney is my grandmothers recipe...This chutney goes well with sandwiches, dosas or any other snacks.


Ingredients:

• 1- 2 bunch of mint leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• 3-4 green chillies
• salt to taste
• juice of half lemon

Method:

Grind all the above ingredients except lemon juice with little water into a fine paste. Now remove the chutney into a bowl and add lemon juice. Mix properly

Pudina chutney in now ready to be served with any dish.

Red Chutney or Sauce

Red sauce

This is a very different type of sauce. I learnt it from my neighbour.This sauce is specially made for sandwiches. Apply it on any sandwich, it will taste delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 table spoon maida
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tea spoon red chilly powder
• 2 table spoon tomato ketchup
• salt to taste

Method:

Fry maida on a pan till its changes colour slightly.

Now add milk slowly as you mix. Once it starts boiling, add salt, chilly powder and tomato ketchup.Mix well and remove from heat.

Now sieve it in a strainer to remove any lumps.

Apply on sandwiches and enjoy.

Sabudana Khichdi

Sabudana Khichdi

Sabudana Khichdi is a popular maharashtrian dish made of sago/sabudana and mainly prepared during fasting/upvass. I have learnt this kichadi from my mother she makes it a bit sweet and spicy.

Making any dish of sabudana is quiet tricky.Thats why it is very important that we soak it properly and in correct proportion or else the kichadi will become sticky.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sabudana
• 4 finely chopped green chillies
• 1 tea spoon jeera/cumin seeds
• 2-3 table spoon coarsely ground and roasted peanuts
• 1 table spoon roasted peanuts(remove the skin)
• salt to taste
• 2 tea spoon sugar
• 2 table spoon fresh grated coconut
• 1 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 potato peeled and finely chopped
• 2- 3 table spoon oil

Method:

Wash the sabudana and soak in water overnight or for about 2- 3 hours. Make sure you add enough water to cover the sabudana(as shown in the picture). If you add too much water the sabudana may become sticky. After 2-3 hours sabudana will soak all the water and increase in size. Now the sabudana is ready to cook.

Now add salt, sugar,peanuts powder and peanuts to the sabudana. Mix all of it together.

Heat oil in a kadai, add jeera when it changes colour, add green chillies and potatoes. Fry till the potatoes get cooked.

Once the potatoes get cooked add the sabudana and mix well. Cover and cook on a low flame till the sabudana is cooked. Keep stirring  in between. Sabudana it cooked when it turns translucent, this takes around 10-12 minutes. Now mix the coconut and coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

Batata Poha

Batata Poha

Poha is a well known maharashtrian dish. I prepare this dish frequently for breakfast as this is the most simplest and light on the stomach.

There are many different types of poha available in the market for example ..thich poha, medium thick poha, thin poha and very thin poha.For this recipe I  have used medium thick poha.


Ingredients:

• 2 cups medium thick poha
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 potato chopped in small pieces
• 1 /2 inch ginger finely chopped
• 4 slit green chillies
• 10-12 curry leaves
• 2 tea spoon sugar
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• a pinch of asafoetida (Hing)
• 1 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves
• 1 table spoon fresh grated coconut
• 2-3 table spoon oil

Method:

Wash poha and drain the water compeletely and keep it aside.

Heat oil in vessel and add mustard seeds, when they splutter add cumin seeds, curry leaves, slit green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Fry for a minute and add onion and potato. Cover and cook till the potato is done.

By now the poha will turn soft, then add salt and sugar to it. Mix well and keep aside.

Once the potato is cooked add poha to it. Mix Properly.

Cover and cook on a low flame for 4-5 minutes or till it heats through.

Serve hot garnished with coconut and coriander leaves.

Those who like lemon can add lemon juice to it.

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice 

Ingredients:

• 250 gms basmati rice or any good quality rice or 5-6 cups cooked rice ( today I have used sona masoori rice)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 10 beans finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots finely chopped
• 3-4 spring onions finely chopped
• 1 table spoon finely chopped cabbage
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper
• 1 tea spoon ajinomoto (optional) (I have not used)
• 1 table spoon soya sauce

Method:

First wash and soak rice for 1/2 hour. Boil it with salt and water till rice is more than half cooked. Drain water and spread the rice on a plate and let it cool completely or put rice in a rice cooker, the rice should be cooked a bit grainy.

Heat oil in a wok, add salt and pepper. Add beans, carrots, spring onions and cabbage. Fry very lightly on high flame.

Add the cooked and cooled rice.Mix it properly.

Now add soya sauce, ajinomoto and salt if required. Fry for 5 minutes on high flame.

Now add spring onion greens. Mix properly and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with any Chinese gravy dishes.

Chilli Mushroom In Brown Sauce

Chilli Mushroom In Brown Sauce

Ingredients:

For fried mushrooms:

• 200 grams Button mushrooms, sliced
• 3 table spoons maida
• 2 tea spoon corn flour
• 1/2 tea spoon chilli powder
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tea spoon pepper powder
• oil for frying

For brown sauce:

• 2 table spoon oil
• 7-8 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1 inch finely chopped ginger
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• 1 finely chopped spring onion
• 2 1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
• 1 small onion cut into big pieces.
• 1 capsicum cut into big pieces
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 table spoon soya sauce
• 1/4 tea spoon sugar
• 1/4 tea spoon ajinomoto (optional)

Method:

Wash and cut all the vegetables and mushrooms.

Mix maida, corn flour, salt, red chilli powder and pepper powder in a bowl with some water to make a thick batter. Now add mushrooms and toss, coat it with the batter.

Heat oil in a kadai and deep dry the mushrooms. Remove and drain off excess oil and keep them aside.

Now in another wok heat oil. Add ginger, garlic and green chillies. Fry it till it becomes slightly brownish.

Add the spring onion white, onion and capsicum saute for a minute.Pour in the vegetable stock and all sauces and seasonings, bring it to boil.

In another cup take half cup of water or vegetable stock and add the corn flour, mix and remove all lumps.When the vegetable stock starts boiling add the batter fried mushrooms.Lastly add cornflour paste.Cook for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat.Garnish with spring onion greens.

Serve hot with fried rice or plain rice.

Appe(Paniyaram)

Appe(Paniyaram)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup urad dal
• 2 cup rice
• salt to taste

Method:

Wash the urad dal and rice, soak in water separately for 6-8 hours.

Now grind them with a bit of water into a smooth batter. Do not make the batter very thin. The batter should be thicker than dosa batter.

Transfer the batter in a steel vessel, cover and keep aside overnight for fermentation.

Next day the batter will rise due to fermentation. Now add salt and mix properly.

Heat the appe pan, add generous drops of oil in each of the compartment. Now add the batter in the compartments.

Cover and cook. When it gets golden brown, turn it over with a spoon, add a bit of oil and fry from the other side.

Serve hot with Chutney.

You can do a variation by taking some batter separately and adding some onions,green chillies and coriander to the batter then remove the appe in the same way as said above.

Phutana and Coconut Chutney (Dalia and Coconut Chutney)

Phutana and Coconut Chutney (Dalia and Coconut Chutney)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup phutana/roasted split gram/Dalia/Putnala pappulu
• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 2-3 green chilies
• 1/2 inch piece of tamarind
• salt to taste

For Tempering:

• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
• a pinch of hing/asafoetida
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon urad dal
• 2 dry red chilly
• 1 tea spoon oil

Method:

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste with a bit of water and transfer it into a bowl.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seed, when they splutter, add cumin seeds and urad dal. Allow it to turn red.Now add dry red chilly, curry leaves and hing and turn off the heat.

Now pour this tempering on the chutney.

Serve with idli, dosa, vada etc..

Green Coconut Chutney

Green Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh grated coconut
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1 inch piece of tamarind
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon sugar
• 2 table spoon finely chopped coriander leaves

For Tempering:

• 1/2 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1/4 tea spoon cumin seeds
• a pinch of hing/asafoetida
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1/2 tea spoon urad dal
• 1 dry red chilly
• 1 tea spoon oil

Method:

Grind all the above ingredients into a fine paste with a bit of water and transfer it into a bowl.

Heat oil in a pan add mustard seed, when they splutter, add cumin seeds and urad dal.Allow it to turn red.Now add dry red chilly, curry leaves and hing and turn off the heat.

Now pour this tempering on the chutney.

Serve with idli, dosa, vada etc..

Aloo Paratha



Aloo Paratha

Aloo Paratha needs no explanation. It is made in every household and loved by all...

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 cup maida
• salt to taste
• water as required

Filling:

• 5 big potatoes boiled
• 2 tea spoon green chilly paste
• 2 tea spoon ginger paste
• salt to taste
• 1 tea spoon cumin/jeera powder

Method:

Mix all the ingredients of the dough together and knead well to make a soft dough.

Peel and mash boiled potatoes when they are still hot and add green chilly paste, ginger paste, cumin powder and salt.Mix all of it together.

For Paratha, take a palm full of the dough to form a small ball, dust the board with some wheat flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin gently to form a small chapati. Place the potato filling in the centre of the dough.

Now close the dough from all the sides to form a small modak. As shown in the picture below. If there is some extra dough on top remove it and seal it properly.

 

Now turn the ball upside down dust the board with wheat flour and flatten the stuffed dough using a rolling pin, gently flatten it to form a thick round circle. Do not make the parathas very thin. Be careful not to be too hard or the filling may come out.

Heat a tawa/griddle and fry the paratha with oil or ghee from both the sides on a medium flame. When both the sides turn golden brown your paratha is ready to serve.

   

Serve hot with dahi, raita, pickle, butter or sauce.