MUSHROOM TIKKA

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time : 10
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
200 grms button mushrooms
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 green chili chopped or ground to paste
2 tbsp chick pea flour (besan)
2 tbsp hung yogurt
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp degi mirch powder
1/2 tsp amchoor powder or lemon juice
1/2 tsp dhania powder or 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander or both
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 tsp jeera powder (or bhuna jeera)
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 onion diced
1 capsicum diced
1 tomato diced
chaat masala to sprinkle
butter for basting or pouring
Cream (optional)
Method:

1. Mix curd, besan,green chili,ginger garlic paste,lemon juice all the spices and 1 tbsp of oil in a bowl and make a marinade.
2. Add mushrooms,onions,capsicum and tomatoes to the marinade and mix well. Keep this in fridge at least for half an hour.
3. Pass all the washed diced vegetables and mushroom through a skewer and grease a griddle pan with butter and cook,twisting the sides till it is cooked from all the sides. Or you can cook it in an OTG for 8-10 minutes at 180 C. Or use a  wired griddle and cook directly on flame of gas. 
4.  Heat cream and pour it on the skewers and serve hot.

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MOOLI KI SABZI

Preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time 10 minutes
serves:4

Ingredients:
1/2 tbsp oil
2 radish (moolli)
1/4 tsp carom seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp degi mirch
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/4 tsp amchoor powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Method:

1. Peel and wash the radish and cut into 1/2" long cubes.Discard the long leaves and keep the small and tender leaves, chop them an keep them aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add carom seeds and when they start to crackle add the chopped radish,salt and turmeric powder and stir for a while.
3. Cover the pan with lid and cook  on low to medium heat stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes or till the radish become tender.
4. Add the chopped radish leaves and rest of the spices and give a nice stir.
5. Serve it hot with chapati or parantha. 

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SANDESH

Ingredients:
8 cups Milk
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1/2 cup castor sugar

1/4 tsp green cardamom powder
Cherries or Pistachios blanched and chopped for garnishing

Method:

1. Boil milk in a  thick-bottomed  pan. Add the lemon juice and stir till the milk curdles. Strain and immediately refresh the chhenna  with chilled water. Put the chhenna in a piece of muslin and squeeze till all the water is drained out.
2. Knead the chhenna well with the heel of your hand or with the help of a bowl (katori). Add caster sugar and cardamom powder, and knead again.
3. Cook in a non-stick pan on medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and divide into equal sized portions. Roll each portion into a ball and make a dent on the top.
4. When cooled, place a cherry or pistachio in the dent and serve.

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TOMATO PICKLE / SWEET AND SOUR TOMATO CHUTTNEY

Preparation time:10 minutes

cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Servings:10-15

Ingredients:
1/2 kg ripe tomatoes
1" ginger

7-8 cloves garlic
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 cups sugar

1/2 tsp onion seeds
2 tsp salt or as per taste

Method:

1. Grind ginger and garlic into fine paste with splash of vinegar.
2. Chop tomatoes roughly and discard the seeds, put in large pan, and cook till soft and mushy. Add the ginger garlic paste, sugar, vinegar,degi mirch and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, on low heat till sugar melts.
3. Increase heat to high and continue to cook, until chutney reaches desired consistency. Leave to cool.
4. Add onion seeds and mix well.
5. Fill in air-tight jar and keep in the refrigerator.

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CHANA DAL

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 cup chana dal
1-2 tbsp desi ghee(pure ghee)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 big or 2 small tomatoes pureed
1" ginger grated or finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 green chili chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp degi mirch
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi (dry fenugerik seeds)

Method:

1. Wash and soak chana dal for an hour.
2. Take 4 cups of water ,turmeric powder,salt and 1/2 tsp of oil (optional) in a pressure cooker and add the dal to it.
3. Pressure cook the dal.(Simmer the gas after first whistle and then cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame.)
4. When the pressure releases check the dal and keep aside.
5. Heat desi ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds to it, when they start to crackle and chopped onions,grated ginger and chopped garlic to it and cook till they become brown in color.
6. Now add chopped geen chili and pureed tomato and cook till the mixture leaves ghee. 
7. Now add rest of the spices and mix well.If required you can add 2 tbsp of water in this mixture.
8. Put this mixture in the cooked dal and if required you can add some more water to dal.
9. Again pressure cook the dal for two whistles or as required.
10. Now dal is ready to be served along with rice or chapati.

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BESAN WALI MASALEDAR ARBI

Preparation time: 10 minutes
cooking time : 10 minutes
serves :4

Ingredients:
250 gms arbi (taro)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp besan (chick pea flour)
1/2 tsp degi mirch
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp amchoor powder
1 tsp salt or as per taste
oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash the arbis and put them in a pressure cooker add 1 cup water and keep the cooker on high flame.
2. Switch off the gas after two whistles.
3. When the pressure releases take out the arbi and remove the peel.
4. Cut it into 1" thick roundels.
5. Heat oil in a kadahi and deep fry the arbi tll brown in color.
6. Remove from oil and keep aside.
7. Pour out excess oil and keep 1 tbsp oil in the kadahi.
8. Roast besan in oil and when it changes color add all the spices and salt and mix well.
9. Now add the fried arbi in it and mix well.
10. Besan wali arbi is ready. Seve it as a side dish with dal and chapati.

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AALU VADI / AALU BADI KI SABZI / AMRITSARI BADI/ MASALA BADI

Preparation time : 10 minutes
cooking time : 30 minutes
serves : 6

Ingredients:
2 urad dal ki masala badi (if big in size otherwise increase the quantity as per size)
4 medium sized potatoes peeled and diced
1-2 tbsp desi ghee
1 big onion very finely chopped
2 tomatoes
1/2" ginger
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp dhania powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp degi mirch (optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
 Method:

1. Put the badies in a polythene bag and hit them lightly with rolling pin to break them into pieces.
2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and fry the badies in ghee till light brown in color.
3. Remove them in a plate and keep them aside.
4. Now in the same ghee add cumin seeds and when they start to crackle add finely chopped onions in it.
5. Fry the onions till brown in color.
6. Make a fine paste of tomatoes along with ginger in a mixer.
7. Add this paste to the cooked onions and cook till it leaves oil.
8. Now add salt and all the spices and give a stir.
9. Add 3-4 (depends how much liquid or gravy you want to have) cups of water,fried badies and diced potatoes in the cooker and close the lid.
10. Simmer the gas after first whistle and then cook for 15-20 minutes on low flame.
11. Switch off the gas and when the pressure is released open the pressure cooker and check the badies, if they have become soft then it is o.k. otherwise cook under pressure for some more time.
12. Serve this along with salad,curd and chapatis.

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KARELE KI SABZI/KACHRI KARELA

Ingredients:

250 gms karele (bitter gourd)

2 medium sized onions thinly sliced

1 tbsp oil 

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp hing asafoetida powder

1-1.5 tsp salt as per taste

1 tsp garam masala or sabzi masala

1/2 tsp amchoor powder

1/2 tsp sounf powder
1/2 tsp dhania powder

1/4 tsp red chili powder

1 tsp sugar

Method:

1. Wash,peel and cut the karelas in lenght wise slices.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt on to the karelas and keep them on rest for 3-4 hours.
3. Drain out the liquid and discard it .
4. Wash the karelas once again.
5. Take the oil in a pan and when it is hot add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida (hing) powder.
6. Now add the sliced onions and stir them till pink in color.
7. Add the washed karelas and the rest of the salt and put a lid on the pan and cook the karelas till they become tender stiring occasionally.
8. Now add red chili powder,sabzi masala,amchoor powder,sounf powder,dhania powder and the sugar and cook without lid for another five minutes on low flame.
9. Serve hot with chapati.

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BREAD DHOKLA

Ingredients:

4 slices of bread
1/2 cup thick curd
1 green chili finely chopped
1/2' piece ginger grated
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-6 curry leaves
1 tsp powdered sugar (optional)
salt to taste
oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Take curd in a bowl and mix salt, sugar ,garam masala powder,chopped chilis,chopped curry leaves  and grated ginger in it.
2. Trim off the edges of the bread and spread a nice thick layer of curd mixture over one slice of bread and place the other bread slice over it,repeat the same with other slices as well.
3. Now heat a tava (griddle) or flat base pan and pour 1 tsp oil on it and then put some mustard seeds in this oil and quickly place one sandwich on the crackling mustard seeds and lightly press it with a spatula.
4. Now pick up the sandwich with spatula and again pour some oil on the griddle and mustard seeds and place the uncooked side of the bread on the crackling mustard seeds.
5. Cook from both sides till it becomes light brown in color.Repeat the same with the other sandwich.
6. Cut the sandwich in desired shape and serve with tomato ketchup.

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METHI PAKORA

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 cups besan/chickpea flour1 tbsp semolina

1 tbsp water or yogurt – add more if required
1/8 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped methi leaves
1 tsp powdered sugar

1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander/dhania powder
1/2 tsp cumin/jeera powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp ginger and green chili paste
oil for frying

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients  and make a smooth dough and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Make small elongated cylindrical rolls.
3. Heat water in a pan and keep a greased steel strainer over it so that the water does not touch the strainer and keep the rolls on the strainer and cover it with lid.
4. Let them cook for 10-12 minutes and then switch of the gas now let the rolls get cool.
5. Or Boil plenty of water in a pan and cook the rolls in boiling water for 7 to 8 minutes till they float on top. Drain and keep aside to get cool and dry.
6. Now cut slices out of these rolls and deep fry them in hot oil till golden brown in color.
7. Drain on kitchen paper towels.
8. Serve hot with some chutney or tomato sauce.

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