Shevyacho Sheero / Vermicelli Sheera

Today is a wonderful day. One of the best days of my life. Why???  Is it someones birthday? Or is it due to the India - Pakistan semi - finals of World Cup 2011?

Well, it is my hubby's birthday :) And lot of good things happened in my life on this day in the past. A very special day of my life indeed.
And to add to this, I received some beautiful awards from one of my blogger friend. All these will be published soon.

With all these beautiful things happening on the 30-March, I decided to start the day with a sweet note.

Ingredients:
1 cup vermicelli
3 tablespoon grated coconut
2 tablespoon ghee
5-6 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 cups water
10 raisins
1 tsp cardamom powder
Pinch of salt

Procedure:
In a kadia, put ghee and fry vermicelli until it turns golden brown.
Now, put water and keep on stirring.
Add sugar and stir.
Separately fry raisins in ghee till they blow.
Add these raisins to vermicelli.
Add cardamom powder and grated coconut.
Add a pinch of salt.
Stir till all water gets absorbed.

Coriander Dosa

 I felt like innovating a little more with Dosa's. Instead of preparing the normal dosa, I thought I should go one step further and prepare the coriander dosa. I just tried it and it turned out really great. Above all I have done these dosa's without oil which makes them even more healthy.If you have a good non-stick tawa, you need not use even a drop of oil. Just you have to make sure that the tawa becomes very hot before spreading batter.

Ingredients:
1 cup dosa rice
1/4 cup urad dal / black gram
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp methi
1/2 tsp baking soda
Water as required
1 tablespoon salt

Procedure:
Soak the rice and urad dal for 4 to 6 hours. Into this add methi too.
Grind the rice and dal in mixer adding adequate water.
Start with little water and gradually increase the water to make a thick batter.
Grind chopped coriander leaves and add to this.
Add soda and mix well.
Leave this overnight for fermentation.

After it gets fermented add salt and mix well.
Take a non-stick pan or tawa and heat it well.
Take enough batter and spread well.
Cover the dosa with a lid for 5 Min's.
Remove it when the edges start separating from the tawa.
Serve hot with chutney of your choice.


Sending this recipe to "Herbs and Flowers in my Platter" - Coriander leaves/Cilantro" announced at PJ's seduce your Tastebuds and guest hosted by Kirthi.

Also sending this recipe to 'ONLY' - ORIGINAL  RECIPES event announced by Nivedita of Niveditaskitchen and guest hosted by Pari of Foodelicious.

Radish Subzi

Since the day I fell in love with radish, I have started getting them home and experimenting with them in various ways. I was looking out for radish with leaves. Most of the grocery stores in Bangalore only sell the radish by discarding the leaves. I was on a hunt for radish with leaves. One fine day I spotted radish with leaves with the guy who moves door-to-door selling veges in the morning. I was thrilled and grabbed some of those and made a tasty dish. To know how I prepared the radish sabji with its leaves read below.

Ingredients:
2 Radish with leaves
1 tablespoon toor dal
1 onion
1 tspn mustard seeds
1tspn corriander powder
1/2 tsn asafoetida
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn chilly powder
2 tablespoon grated coconut
1 tspn jaggery

Procedure:
Clean the radish.
Chop radish leaves and the tender stem. Peel radish.
Cut radish into small pieces.

In a kadai, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida and finely chopped onions.
You can cover the kadai for 5 mins till onions turn pinkish.
Now add toor dal and radish and add 1 cup water.
Let it boil.
Add the radish leaves and mix well.
Add more water if required.
After it gets cooked, add corriander, turmeric and chilly powder.
Stir properly. Add jaggery and coconut and mix well.
Add salt as per your taste.

This can be served with rice or chapatis.

Sending this recipe to A Veggie/Fruit a month event announced by Priya and hosted by Sweetartichoke.

Potato Capsicum Fry

It was Sankashti Chaturthi. This was a special one as it came on Tuesday and is well known as Angarki Chaturthi. Mom called up early morning to remind me that I should fast today or at least eat pure veg food.
She also told me that if  I do this one successfully, it is equivalent to 21 Sankashthi's. I have faith in Lord Ganesha, so I decided that I should do it.  The day went well. But when the night came and we returned home from office, I went and checked my fridge as to what all veges are there. Normally I would cook the simple potato sabji. But this time I thought of preparing something unique. My imagination and the experiment turned out to be a very successful one. A great dish without onions and garlic. Check the recipe below.

Ingredients:
2 Potatoes
1 Capsicum
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
8-10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 tablespoon oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp lemon juice

Procedure:
Boil the potatoes using pressure cooker. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.
Let the potatoes cool down. After cooling, peel them off and chop into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces.
Cut the capsicum straight. Take off all the seeds.
In a kadai,heat oil.
Put in mustard seeds. When they flutter add cumin seeds.
Add asafoetida and curry leaves.
Add to this turmeric and chilly powder.
To this add the capsicum and fry continuously till capsicum turns brownish.
Now add chopped and boiled potatoes and fry.
Add salt to taste and fry thoroughly.

Add lemon juice and mix it well.
Serve it with rice, chapatis or phulkas.

Sending this recipe to 'ONLY' - ORIGINAL  RECIPES event announced by Nivedita of Niveditaskitchen and Pari of Foodelicious.

Garam - Garam Cauliflower and Potato Pakoda's

This is something I loved since my childhood. My mom would prepare these pakodas almost everyday. Now I prepare these pakodas for my little one. She loves them, just the way I do ... 

   Potato Pakoda's

Ingredients:

100 grams gram flour
4-5 cauliflower florets cut straight
2 Potatoes cut into slices
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1 tablespoon carom seeds(ajwain)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 tspn chilly powder
1/4 tsp cooking soda
2 cups cooking oil

                                                    Cauliflower Pakoda's


Procedure:
Apply salt and chilly powder to the cauliflower florets and potato slices, keep aside for 15 mins.
Chilly powder can be excluded if you wish.
Mix the gram flour with 1 cup water to make a thick batter. Ensure that there are no lumps.
Add salt as per your taste to the batter keeping in mind that salt has also been added to the cauliflower florets and potato slices.
Mix into this all the ingredients listed above except cauliflower and potato.
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.
Dip the cauliflower in the batter and leave them in the kadai with hot oil. Do the same with potato. At a time 4-5 pakoda's can be fried.
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 recipe to Gayathri for Waking Through The Memory Lane event:

Step - by - Step Baingan ka Bharta

One of the best things I learnt is to make Baingan ka Bharta the traditional way but without
using charcoal. The taste however is similar to that cooked on charcoal. I seriously love the tangy taste and this does not make me miss "maa ke haath ka khana". The procedure mentioned below is how Goan's cook Baingan ka Bharta. I added a little more tamarind paste as I really love it that way.

Ingredients:
1 big brinjal
2 onions
2 green chillies
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 cup tamarind paste
1 marble sized ball of tamarind
salt to taste

Procedure:
Clean the brinjal and make 4 -5 slits as shown below.

 Heat a frying pan and spread 1 tablespoon oil.
Apply oil to the entire brinjal and keep it on the pan and cover it as shown below.

After sometime open the covering and turn the brinjal carefully to the other side.
Carefully insert the marble sized tamarind ball through one slit and again cover the lid.
Keep on turning the brinjal till it gets cooked on all sides.
This might take 25 - 35 Min's.
Once cooked it will turn brown and it will emit water as shown below.

Let the brinjal remain covered until it cools.
After cooling, peel it off.
Mash the pulp and mix in finely chopped onions and green chillies.
Mix in the tamarind paste.
Add salt to taste.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Sending this recipe to 'ONLY' - ORIGINAL  RECIPES event announced by Nivedita of Niveditaskitchen and Pari of Foodelicious.

Cholay Masala

It's been a long tiring day. After coming home from office always thoughts come to mind as to what to cook for dinner. It has to be something easy , something which does not consume much time. Since I had soaked chick-peas the previous night, I thought of preparing Cholay Masala in a very easy way.

Ingredients:
1 cup chick-peas
2 tomatoes
2 small onions
5 pods garlic
1 inch ginger
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp kasuri methi
salt to taste

Procedure:
Soak chick-peas overnight or for 6 hrs.
Boil them and keep aside.
In a frying pan, fry chopped onions.
When onions turn pinkish, add garlic and ginger and fry for 2 Min's.
Then add chopped tomatoes and fry. While frying, always use low flame and cover the lid.
When tomatoes emit little water add turmeric powder and garam masala.
Switch off the gas and let this cool.

After cooling, grind into a paste.
Mix this paste into the boiled chick-peas.
Add water as per your choice.
I suggest not to add too much water, as the gravy will become watery.

Then add kasuri methi and stir.
Add salt as per your taste.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with bread of your choice.

Sending this recipe to A.W.E.D - Indian Cuisine hosted by Umm Mymoonah and announced by ChefInYou.

Tasty Onion Bhakri

As soon as I wake up early in the morning, a question which comes to my mind, is "what to cook for breakfast?".
Then I rush to my kitchen and check out what all is available.
One fine day I found lots of rawa in my kitchen. So I decided to cook onion bhakri and it turned out to be one of the best weekly breakfast option. To simplify it, a Bhakri is a round flat unleavened bread.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups rawa/semolina
2 small onions
2 tablespoon grated coconut
1 tsp jaggery
1/2 tsp salt
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
1 green chilly
1 tsp turmeric powder

Procedure:
Soak rawa in 1 and 1/2 cups water for 30 Min's. After 30 Min's, drain the excess water.
After 30 Min's add to it all the ingredients listed above and mix properly.

Adjust salt according to your taste.

Heat a frying pan, spread 1 tsp oil and take one fist full of batter in your hands and spread it on the frying pan using your finger tips. Try to make it slightly thin.
Put 1 tsp oil on the upper side and turn after 5 Min's. Fry on both the sides till it's slightly brownish on both sides.
Serve it with chutney. I prefer it plain.

Sending this recipe to fast-food-not-fat-food event to NowServing.

Instant Cookies Treat

While watching the India vs Ireland cricket match of the World Cup 2011, my hubby casually said "I wanna eat cake and Cookies".
I just gave it a thought and didn't say anything to him.
After 10 Min's, I walked to my kitchen and within 5 Min's I walked out with the Cookies.
Hubby was speechless and said " Did Aladdin's Genie turned my wish into a reality?".
I said " Yes, you can think so" :)
I got lots of compliments for these cookies.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon All purpose flour/maida
1 tsp corn flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tsp ghee/butter
2 tablespoon curds/yogurt
2 tsp cooking oil

Procedure:

Mix the all purpose flour, corn flour,baking powder and cocoa powder.
Mix in sugar.
Mix ghee,curds and oil and mould well.
Grease the microwave tray by applying ghee.
Make small round shapes of the cookies and place them on the plate.
Microwave for 90 seconds.
Take then out of microwave and cool them on a wired rack.
After cooling, the crispy instant cookies are ready to be served.

This was my 2nd experiment with cookies and it turned out to be a real success.
Found this recipe in one of the blog's.

Lajjatdaar Mooli Paratha

One of my friend shared with me Mooli Ki Sabji one fine day in office. I really liked it. Ever before that I never even bothered to taste Mooli commonly known as radish.
One fine day I thought that I should try some experiments with Mooli. Started with Mooli Ki Sabji and followed by Mooli Paratha.
Mooli Paratha turned out to be my favorite paratha. Find out the recipe below.

Ingredients:
2-3 Radish
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 green chilly
2 tablespoon's chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
3 cups wheat flour
1/2 tsp carrom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 tablespoon ginger paste

Procedure:
Moulding wheat flour:
Mould wheat flour to make firm dough. While moulding 3 cups wheat flour put 1 and 1/2 cups water, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tsp oil. Make sure that dough is not sticky.

For the stuffing:
Heat a pan and put in 1 tablespoon oil, cumin seeds, ginger paste and turmeric powder and fry for 1 Min's.
Put in chopped green chilly and fry.
Then put in the grated raddish and fry for 10 Min's till its dry.
Put in chopped coriander leaves.
Mix salt to taste.

For the paratha:
Make round balls from the dough. The size should be a little bigger then the table tennis ball.
Roll the flour ball into a little bit of flour powder and roll it into  small flat round shape.
Then place a tablespoon of the stuffing on it and close from all sides.
Then again apply some flour powder and roll it into bigger round shapes, just like a chapati.
Then apply 1/2 tsp ghee on the frying pan and place the paratha on it.
After 5 Min's, apply 1/2 tsp ghee on the upper side and turn. Fry for 5 Min's.
The paratha is done. Serve it with curds or any dish.

Mouth Watering Stuffed Mackerel's

I don't like eating plain fried Mackerel's since my childhood. I would eat it with tomato ketchup. One day my mom prepared stuffed Mackerel and since then I ensure that I get one of those stuffed Mackerel's.
Every time that I go to Goa my mother prepares stuffed Mackerel's for me.
But to eat this mouth watering dish I had to wait to go to Goa.

I always cooked and served Rawa Fried Mackerel to my hubby darling. He would feel sad that i would cook it for him and not have it myself.
One day he got the whole Mackerel and asked me to cook stuffed Mackerel's also known in Goa as Bharillo Bangdo /  Reishad Bangde / Mirsangecho Bangdo.
Then started the experiments and finally I hit the perfect taste.
Try this in your kitchen and let me know.

Ingredients:
2  Mackerel's
3 tablespoon's grated coconut
2 tablespoon's chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp salt
2 tsp tamarind pulp
1 green chilly
4-5 pods of garlic
Onions (optional)

For frying:
1 cup rawa
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Oil

Procedure:
Clean the Mackerel by cutting only its head and fins.
Marinate the fish by applying 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder and salt.
Make a slit on each side of the fish bone. To make a slit, start from the tail and continue till its neck.

Grind green chilly, grated coconut,chopped coriander and garlic into a rough paste. Don't put water while grinding. Finely chopped onions can be added to the mixture after grinding.
Mix tamarind paste which can be obtained by soaking tamarind in water.
Add a pinch of salt.

Now stuff this mixture into the Mackerel on both sides and let it marinate for 10 - 15 Min's.

In rawa, mix  chilly and turmeric powder and a pinch of salt.

Now roll the stuffed Mackerel on both sides by holding firmly so as to avoid the stuffing from coming out.

In a pan, put 1 tablespoon oil.
Place the stuffed Mackerel in it and fry thoroughly for 10 Min's on one side. Put little oil on top.
After 10 Min's turn it carefully and fry on the other side for another 10 Min's.
When it's done it will emit a very good aroma indicating that the fish is done.

Palak Paneer

4 packets of milk got spoiled yesterday. I felt sad that the milk got spoiled. I didn't know the reason why it got spoiled. I was about to throw it out and just then something stuck my mind. Something like to make paneer out of it.
Here goes the trick to make paneer out of spoiled milk.
Drain all the spoiled milk on a muslin cloth and tie it tight.
Remove all the excess water and keep some weight above it.
After 8 - 10 hrs you will get paneer. Isn't it great?
I used this paneer to make delicious and extremely nutritious palak paneer.

Ingredients:
2 bunches of fresh palak
1 onion chopped
10 garlic pods
1/2 inch ginger
1 green chilly
1 tomato chopped
200 gms paneer
1 tablespoon garam masala

Procedure:
Chop palak and add it to mixer along with green chilly and 5 garlic pods.
Make a puree and keep aside.

Cut the paneer into fine cubes and fry them in oil till they turn brown.

In a pan, add oil and fry onions.
When onions turn pink, add ginger garlic paste using 5 garlic pods and ginger.
Add tomatoes and stir.
Close lid for 5 Min's.
Add to this paneer.
Then add the puree to the pan in which onions and tomatoes are frying.
Add garam masala and stir.
Add salt to taste.

Sending this recipe to A.W.E.D -Indian Cuisine hosted by Umm Mymoonah and announced at DK's announcement page.

Also sending this recipe to Garnishing Event.