PAAPRI / PLAIN MATHRI

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour (maida or plain flour)
2 tbsp semolina (sooji)
2 tbsp oil + oil for frying
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
Approx 1/3 cup lukewarm water or as needed

Method:

1. Mix the flour, sooji, salt, and 2 tbsp oil in a bowl. Add water to the mixture a little at a time and knead a firm dough.
2. Cover the dough with a wet muslin cloth and set aside for 15 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into about 3-4 equal parts.
4. Roll one section of the dough to eight inches in diameter, fairly thin ­– about thickness of dime. Do the same with the remaining two parts.
5. Prick the rolled dough firmly with a fork to avoid puffing of papdis while frying. 
6. Take a round cutter or a bowl and take out circles of desired size.Roll out the excessive dough in to a ball ,then repeat the method mentioned above and take out papdies out of that as well. 
7. Heat oil in a kadahi or wok and fry the papdis on medium heat until both sides are a golden brown in color.
8. Remove cooked papdi with a slotted spoon on an absorbant paper towel. Do the same with remaining papdis as well.
9. After the papdis cool down to room temperature they will become crisp.
10. Papdis can be stored in airtight container for 1 month.

Read More

SOUTH INDIAN RAITA / SOUTH INDIAN STYLE DAHI BHALLA

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 0
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

200 gms hung curd
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp powder sugar
1" ginger grated
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chili
salt to taste
2 tsp boondi


Method:

1. Mix hung curd,milk and sugar with the help of blender.
2. Grate ginger and squeeze out it's juice, and mix it in the curd discard rest of it or use it in ginger tea or in any other vegetable.
3. Break the curry leaves with hands in small pieces and mix them in curd as well.
4. Cut the green chili lengthwise in small pieces and mix these pieces with curd.
5. Finely add salt at the time of serving and garnish with boondi.
6. Serve chilled. 
7. You can serve it with vada or bhalla as well.

Read More

METHI MALAI PANEER

Preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
1 cup white sauce
200 grm cottage cheese cut in cubes
1 onion very finely chopped
1 tbsp dry kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
1/4 tsp black or white pepper powder or as per taste
2 tbsp fresh cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp oil or butter
Method:

1. Heat oil or butter in a pan and add chopped onions,stir till they become pink in color. 
2. Add white sauce and rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Cook till you reach the required consistency and serve hot with rice or chapati.

Note:

1. Be careful while adding salt as it is already present in white sauce.

Read More

KURKURI BHINDI

Preparation time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
250 grm okra / lady finger (bhindi)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp sabzi masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/4 tsp degi mirch
1/4 tsp dry mango powder (amchoor powder)
salt to taste
mustard oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Wash the okra thoroughly and clean each one with a cotton napkin properly.
2. Cut off top and tip of the okra and chop it into 1/2 inch long roundels.
3. Heat the oil and deep fry okra into it till it becomes crisp and brown.
4. Drain it out on an absorbent paper. 
5. Take a tablespoon of oil in another pan and add cumin seeds to it.
6. When they start to crackle add rest of the spices and salt and mix well.
7. Add fried okra to it and mix well.
8. kurkuri bhindi is ready. Serve it with dal and chapati.

Variations:

1. You can add 1 tbsp of besan (gram flour) before adding spices, roast it and then add rest of the spices and okra.

Read More

MEETHE CHAAWAL

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 tbsp ghee
2 cloves (laung)
4 cardamoms
a few saffron strands (kesar)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp milk
1 cup sugar
a hand full of blanched and sliced almonds or pistachios or cashew nuts

Method:

1. Add saffron to warm milk and keep aside.
2. Clean, wash and soak the rice for 10 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
3. Heat the ghee in a pan and add the cloves, cardamoms,turmeric powder and rice and sauté for 5 minutes.
4. Add  3 cups of water and saffron mixture, let it boil under lid on low flame till all the water is absorbed by the rice.
5. Now add sugar and cook till the water released by sugar is absorbed by rice.
6. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid.
7. Garnish with the mixed nuts and serve hot.

Read More

CARROT BEETROOT KANJI

Ingredients:

4 carrots/gajar
1 medium sized beetroots
8 cups water 

1/2 tsp red chili powder or as per taste
3 tbsp mustard powder
2 tsp black salt or as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and peel the carrots and beetroots ,roughly chop into long pieces.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a glass or ceramic jar  and cover with a lid or muslin cloth and keep the jar in sun for 3-4 days.
3. Stir with a wooden spoon everyday before keeping the jars back in the sun.
4. When the kanji starts tasting sour, it means the drink is fermented.
5. Serve carrot kanji straightway or refrigerate.Take it out from the refrigerator 1 hour before serving and have it during the day time while enjoying the Sun.

Read More

MEETHA PARANTHA

Meetha parantha or chiini ka parantha is a crispy sweet bread. It should be consumed immediately after it is ready otherwise it will become hard.Children like it very much. It can be eaten during fast when you can't consume salt like Monday or Tuesday fast.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves : 2

Ingredients:
1 cup wheat flour
3 tsp sugar or as per taste
oil for shallow frying

Method:

1. Take wheat flour in a bowl and gradually add water to knead normal dough as you knead for chapati.
2. Keep it on rest for 10-15 minutes.
3. Now divide the  dough in two or three equal sized balls depending upon the size of parantha you want.
4. Roll one ball at a time with the help of a rolling pin into a circular diskette of 3-4" diameter.
5. Place one tsp of sugar in the center and gather the sides to seal the sugar in side the dough.
6. Flatten the dough , dust it with some flour and roll it again with the help of a rolling pin into a circular diskette of 5-6" diameter.
7. Now place this parantha on a hot tava and shallow fry from both the sides using little oil.
8. Serve hot with butter and pickle. If you are having fast then eat it with butter or cream.

Read More

PEANUT BUTTER

.........................

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 5-10 minutes
serves: 15-20

Ingredients:
2 cup peanuts (with skin)
1.5 tsp honey
1.5 tbsp peanut oil
salt as per taste

Method:

1. Heat a pan and roast peanuts stirring continuously until you get the popping sound of some peanuts and the skin of the peanuts gets light brown colour spots. Or you can roast them in an oven or micro wave as well.
2. Let the peanuts get cool then de-skin them by rubbing them with your hands and then blowing away the skin.
3. Add the peanuts, salt,oil and honey inside the blender and blend till it becomes a smooth paste and you get desired consistency. 

Read More

HOME MADE BUTTER

Preparation time: 5 minutes
cooking time: nil
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
2 cup heavy cream or milk cream
1-2 cups warm water in winters and the same quantity of chilled water in summers

Method:

1. Pour cream into a food processor or blender. Process for 5 minutes or till it start to thicken.
2. In summers  add chilled water and in winters add warm water or chilled water as per season and blend further for 5-6 minutes or until the butter separates.
3. Strain off the liquid.Collect the liquid in a different bowl this is butter milk and can be used in a number of ways.
4. Press butter into a small bowl with the back of a spoon to further remove liquid.
5. Wash the butter with cold water, it is important to wash the butter and drain out any excess water to keep the butter fresh for a long time.

Read More

KALE CHANE KE KABAB

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

Ingredients:
250 gms Bengal gram (kala chana)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-6 garlic, finely chopped
1" ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp salt or as per taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 green chillies
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp red chilli powder 

1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp bhuna jeera (roasted cumin seeds)

oil for deep-frying

Method:

1. Soak the Bengal gram for 6-8 hours or overnight.
2. Pressure cook the soaked gram in a pressure cooker with water reaching an inch above the gram. Add the  salt 1tsp and pressure cook for 15 minutes or till done.
3. When the pressure releases check the gram and drain out any excess water(You can make chana soup out of it).
4. Mash the gram with the help of a potato masher or you can do the same in a chopper. 
5. Add rest of the ingredients except oil. Mix well and adjust seasoning.
6. Shape the gram mixture into  small patties on your palm. 
7. Heat the oil in a girdle. Put the patties on the girdle. Cook over medium heat till nicely crisp on side. ( frying pan. Add a few patties at a time and shallow-fry on medium heat till golden brown and crisp at the bottom. Flip the patties over and cook the other side as well.
8. Serve hot with green chuttney,tamarind chuttney or ketchup.

Read More