Alasaandhyachi Oosali

Alasaande popularly known a kidney beans is a rich source of protein.
This is a nutritious recipe which can be prepared within 30 Min's. It can be served with chapatis or with rice as a side dish. Try it out friends, it really turns delicious.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1 onion chopped fine
5 pods garlic
1/2 inch ginger
1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 tsp powdered aesofoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
2 tablespoon's tamarind paste
1 tsp salt
8-10 curry leaves
2 red chillies break into 2 pieces

Procedure:
Soak the kidney beans overnight or for 6-8 hrs and later pressure cook for 5 whistles.
Mix the ginger and garlic and make a paste.
Tamarind paste can be obtained by soaking a handful of tamarind in water and later mashing it.
In a kadai put 1 tablespoon oil and put mustard seeds.
Once mustard seeds flutter, put in aesofoetida and red chillies.
Fry a bit and add curry leaves.
Add onion and fry till it turns pink in colour.
Add turmeric powder,chilly powder,coriander powder and stir.
Now add the boiled kidney beans and stir.
Add the tamarind paste stir.
Add the grated coconut and mix well.
Add salt.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Sending this recipe to My legume love affair announced at Sandhya's Kitchen.

Crispy Onion Pakodas

 The showers of first rains are bestowed upon us in Bangalore by the Rain God. I thank him, cause it lifts the water levels.
Since the car tyre was flat in the morning, we decided to travel to office by bike. But, unexpectedly it rained in the evening while we were travelling home and we had to take shelter in a shop to avoid getting drenched. My hubby dear said that it's very lovely season and that he felt like eating hot onion pakoda's.

I too liked the idea and prayed to Rain God to somehow reduce or stop the rains till we reach home.
Very soon my prayers were heard and I came home with full enthusiasm to prepare what my hubby loves the most. Read below to find out more.

Ingredients:

100 grams gram flour
2 small onions cut straight
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon ajwain (carrom seeds)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cooking soda
2 cups cooking oil

Procedure:
Mix the gram flour with 1 cup water to make a thick batter. Ensure that there are no lumps.
Mix into this all the ingredients (except oil) listed above.
Heat oil in a kadai and wait for it to reach the right temperature. You can check this by leaving a pinch batter in the oil. It will get fried if the oil is set to the right temperature, else it will stick to the bottom of the kadai.
Using a spoon leave a tablespoon of batter in the oil. At a time 3 or 4 such tablespoons of batter can be dropped into the oil so as to fry more pakodas.
Health conscious people can spread them onto a tissue paper. Tissue paper will absorb the extra oil.
Serve hot with chutney of your choice or tomato sauce or have them plain.

Sending this to Street Food of India event by Rosh.

Rawa fried Mackerels

Since the day I came to Bangalore, I used to miss Goan fried fish. One day my hubby got home some mackerel's. Thankfully they were cut and fairly clean. I re-cleaned them till I felt satisfied and since then I started my experiments with fish.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg mackerel
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon chilly powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup rawa
1 cup rice flour
1 tablespoon oil

Procedure:

Clean and cut the mackerel's into 2 or 3 pieces.
Marinate the mackerel's as follows:
     Add all the cut mackerel pieces into a bowl.
     Apply salt,turmeric and chilly powder to it.
     Mix well and keep aside for 15 minutes.
For frying:
     Mix the rice flour, rawa, pinch of salt, 1/4 tsp each of turmeric powder and chilly powder.

Dip and roll the mackerel's into the rawa. Ensure that it is covered with rawa on all sides.
Heat the frying pan and spread 1 tsp oil. Add more if required.
Place the fish on the pan and fry on low flame.
After 5 minutes turn them to the other side.
Fry them for 15 minutes.
You know they are done when they turn brown.

The easiest tomato chutney

My hubby always told me that his friend got a very tasty tomato chutney in his lunch box.

And he always asked me to learn how that's made.

I tried several times, but it would not satisfy his taste buds and neither mine.

Finally after a lot of trial and error I got the secret... and it was to give it a little hot and sweet taste.Try it when you have very little time, this is the easiest and the fastest chutney I ever prepared. It takes only 15 minutes of preparation time.

Ingredients:

5 tomatoes

3 pods of garlic

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1/2 tablespoon mustard seeds

1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp salt

Procedure:

Chop the tomatoes and blend them along with the garlic pods to make a fine puree.

In a pan, fry oil and add mustard seeds.

Once they flutter, add cumin seeds.

Add garlic paste and red chilly powder.

Slightly stir.

Add sugar and salt and stir.

Add the tomato puree and cook it on a low flame.

Stir it in between.

You know it is cooked when the oil gets separated.

Sending this recipe to Sanyukta of creativesanyukta who is hosting an event Cooking with Whole foods(Whole Fruits/Whole Vegetables)-TOMATO on behalf of Kiran of SAMUDHURA who has organised this.

Yummy pudding

My hubby loves home-made food. And due to all the appreciation I get from him, I get encouraged to try new dishes. Off course the taste has improved. My mom taught me to prepare this pudding. She told me the exact proportion and I tried it... and believe me, it turned out yummy. A perfect dish for small home parties.

Ingredients:

3 eggs

6 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sugar for caramel

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp nescafe

1 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

Procedure:

For caramel: Warm a small flat utensil and spread 1 tablespoon sugar on it. Let the sugar melt. Then spread the melted sugar around by slightly shaking the utensil. Let it cool down. When it cools it will become hard.

In another utensil, add eggs and beat them.

Add sugar and stir till sugar dissolves.

Add essence and nescafe. Stir the contents and mix well.

Add cool boiled milk and stir.

Add salt.

Now spread this over the caramel.

Keep this in a pressure using a double boiler method. Switch off the gas after 6-7 whistles.

Take out the pudding from the cooker after it gets cooled and keep it in the fridge.

Serve chilled.

Fluffy Pooris

I always wanted to make some fluffy round balloon shaped pooris. Somehow they never turned out how I expected them to be. Finally I learnt the secret and now I am sharing it with you all.

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon all purpose flour / maida

Oil for deep frying

Procedure:

1) Mould 2 cups wheat flour along with maida. While moulding the flour add water and mix till the moulded flour becomes very soft. Add salt.Cover the moulded flour for 20 Min's before using it. This makes it even more soft.
2) Make marble sized balls of atta and flatten them by applying oil to your hands .

3) Heat oil and deep fry the pooris. While frying put little oil on top of the poori and turn it.Do not keep poori in oil for more than 2 Min's else it will become brittle.Take it out when it becomes slightly brown.

4) Serve it with potato sabji or any other dish of your choice.

The pooris turned out great and I had real fun while frying them. My 2 yr old daughter really loved them and had fun while eating the round fluffy pooris. I think you too should have fun. Why don't you give it a try???