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Friday, June 28, 2013

Tomato Soup - Restaurant Style





If u say soup,the first thing which comes to my mind is Tomato soup.Going for dinner tonight?the first you would order is tomato soup.Everybody loves it.For a nice evening cool evening  lets have hot comfy soup.Why not make restaurant style tomato soup at home today?

Here is what u need

5 ripe roma tomatoes (not the sour variety)
2 small carrot
1/2 onion
3 pod garlic
1 teaspoon ghee
2 tablespoon oil
1 Bay leaf
11/2 tspn sugar.
1/2 tspn cornsflour
3 Tbspn
3 pinch pepper powder.

1) Take a pan,heat ghee and oil.Add bayleaf,lengthwise chopped onion,chopped garlic and fry for 2 min .Then add sliced carrot fry for 2min  in medium heat.Add roughly chopped tomatoes,3 pinch pepper powder,1/2 cup water.,salt to taste.Cover it and cook for abt 10 min.Remove bay leaf.

2)Blend the above mixture to a very smooth paste and strain it.

4)Add some more water,sugar and bring it to boil.Mix cornflour in water and add it.Then the cream.Boil it again.

5)Serve with croutons(fried bread or fried tea rusk)

Croutons
 


Slice the white bread into small pieces.
Deep fry them in oil+1tspn ghee on a low-med flame(if u number ur heat index from 1 to 8,then fry it in 3-4) not on high for abt 10 min till crispy.Tends to absorb more oil.But worth the taste.



 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Mysore Masala Dosa


Mysore masala dose or Bengaluru masala dose has the red chutney smeared inside and it tastes great.

Batter
3 cup rice(preferably long grain rice or sona masuri)
3/4 cup white split urad dal
2 Tbspn moon dal
2 Tbspn channa dal
1/2 teaspoon methi seeds/fenugreek seeds
2 Tbpsn thick poha

Wash and soak all together morning till evening or 7  hrs.
Grind to a very smooth paste.Cover it and allow it to ferment overnight.Keep it in a dark warm place like inside the oven.

Add salt and a pinch of sugar when u are abt to make dosa.

Filling

Potato palya
3 big potatoes
2 big onion
1 string curry leaf
2 string cilantro
2 tbpsn oil
1/4 tspn mustard seeds
1/4 tspn channa dal
2 pinch turmeric
2 greenchilly

1)Lets pressure cook the potatoes till soft.Peel the skin and mash it.

2)In a pan add oil, when hot add mustard seeds and allow it to pop then chana dal till golden    brown,then turmeric ,curry leaves,greenchillies finely chopped.Add finely chopped onion and fry it till its transparent abt 4 min,Lets add cilantro,salt and mashed potatoes

3) Mix well and keep aside

Red Chutney

1 Tbspn roasted chana dal/hurigadale
 4-5 dry red chillies
4 pod garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2  tspn tamarind
salt to taste

Grind all the ingredients with  little water to make a smooth thick paste.


Coconut chutney

5 Tbspn Coconut fresh/frozen
2 Tbpsn roasted chana dal/hurigadale
2 greenchilly
2 string cilantro
1 tspn tamarind
salt to taste

Grind all the ingredients  to a very smooth paste with little water .

Lets make Dosa
 
1) Heat the griddle or nonstick pan on medium flame for 2 min.If u sprinkle water on it,it should make lot of sound,that is how u know its ready to put dosa
2)Spread dosa round and thin.Use continuos circular motions.
3)Mix 4 tbspn oil and 2 tspn ghee and keep it aside to make dosa
4)Take 1 tea spoon oil/ghee mixture and put it around dosa
5)When dosa starts showing up golden  brown color with edges betting crispy,smear 1 tspn red chutney,leave it for 10 sec.Add 2-3 tbpsn potato filling.
6)Fold dosa and top it with little butter and Enjoy with Coconut chutney .


 

Ridge gourd Dal

 
 
 
Heerekai thovve/Ridge gourd dal is easy to make recipe and goes well with Rice ,pickle and papad.

1 cup moong dal
1 big ridge gourd
1 big tomato
1 pinch turmeric
2 pinch asafetida.
1 string curry leaves.
2 greenchillies slit.
1 tspn ghee/oil
1/4 tspn cumin seeds
1/4 tspn mustard seeds
1/4 tspn chana dal

Pressure cook Ridge gourd,moong dal,tomato turmeric,greechilly and water for 1 whistle or completely done.

Heat ghee ina pan.Add  cumin,mustard when it pops add chana dal and fry till light golden brown.Add curry leaves and asafetida .

Add the above tempering to the cooked dal with salt and boil it for 10 min.

Here is ur protein dal!
 

Strawberry Icecream- Easy,No ice cream maker required!





 
Did u see some fresh strawberry in the market today?Why not try this delicious icecream.
 
7 strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whipped topping/cool whip.
 
Blend strawberries,sugar,regular milk till very smooth.Add heavy whipping cream and beat it,then the cool whip and beat it well.Freeze it overnight or 6-8 hrs.Oh!so yummy.
 
Note:You can use the lite variety of cool whip and  use 2% milk for low fat option.Use splenda for sugar free option.


 
 
 
 
 
 

Banana Rasayana-Healthy Easy dessert

Balehannu Rasayana is prepared usually during festival days as Prasad.Very easy to makeand requires only few ingredients.Festivals days are so very busy and so this prasad can be made in 2 minutes!.Make this for festivals like Ram navami,Shivratri or for any vrath like vaibhava Lakshmi,sai baba parayana and distribute to ur friends.

Bananas getting ripen? and bored of eating, make this for dinner,keep in refridgerator for sometime and enjoy ur dessert.

Here is what u need:
Ripe banana-5
Honey-1 tbspn
jaggery-4 tbspn
Fresh/frozen grated coconut-2 tbspn
ghee- 1 pinch




Slice the ripen banana(preferably with spot).Grate the jaggery with by running knife ,add it.Then add the honey and grated coconut ,very little(garbanzo size) ghee .Mix well and serve.

 
If u keep out for a while,jaggery melts completely and looks like this



 
 
 
Advantages of honey and where to buy:

Its antiseptic properties inhibits the growth of certain bacteria and helps keep external wounds clean and heals fast.

Honey helps to cure cough and cold.

Have honey,lemon juice,warm water very first in the morning .It keeps u energetic and also helps in weight loss.

In India u will get pure honey.I usually used to buy it from walmart,publix in US and tasted very bad.My daughter had severe cold and her pediatric suggested to get pure honey from LiquorBarn .Yes they sell pure and yummy ,cheaper honey called American Honey.You can also get it from your local farmers market or whole foods.
 

 

 
 

 

 


 


 

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Spinach Sambar-indian popeye!:-)



If u are not a big fan of the spinach,try this recipe and u will start loving it for sure.

Here is what u need for super yummy super healthy spinach sambar:

1 cup  Toor Dal
1 bunch spinach
1 chopped Onion
1 chopped tomato
1 Tbspn sambar powder ,click on the link for the recipe- sambar powder
Tamarind big lemon size
1 pinch turmeric
fresh/frozen grated cocnut 1 Tbspn.

tempering:1 tspn ghee,1/4 tspn mustard seeds,2 pinch asafetida/hing

Pressure cook Toordal,chopped spinach with water and turmeric until 2 whistle  or until compeletely cooked some pressure cooker requires 3 whistle.Allow the cooker to cool down completely,if you are in a hurry put it down under running tap water.

Soak tamarind in water for 20 min and squeeze out the juice.(u can also microwave tamarind and water for 2 min high and keep it in the freezer for 2 min and then squeeze out)

Now lets add salt and sambar powder,add 11/2 tbspn sambar powder if u like it spicy.Bring it to boil for 5 min then add the tamarind juice and boil it for 10 min in medium.

Next add 1 tspn ghee in a pan,add mustard seeds and allow it to pop then the asafetida .Add tempering to sambar.

Enjoy with rice and raw onion...hmmm yummy
 

Friday, June 21, 2013

Hakka Noodles

Everyone's favourite noodles and with indian touch u will love it.My 2 year old likes it a lot.
Try it and you will make it very often..

Cabbage cut lengthwise-1 cup
Carrot cut lengthwise -1 cup
green bellpepper/capsicum cut lengthwise- 1/2 cup
orange or yellow capsicum cut lengthwise -1/2 cup
Brocolli pieces - 1 fistful
Hakka noodles-200 g
Oil-6 tbspn+1 tbpsn
dry red chilly- 4
garlic -2 pods
vinegar -1 tbspn
chole masala- tspn
garam masala- 1/4 tspn
pav bhaji masala- 1/4 tspn

Bring water to boil and add the hakka noodles.Add few drops of oil while cooking.Cook for 2 min and run under cold water and drain it,mix 2 tbpsn oil and leave it aside.You can get hakka noodles in any grocery store with or without egg.I also get good cheap noodles from any Chinese store or oriental market.I checked the ingredients,it has just wheat and water and you get a big pack within $2!.

Make the paste of vinegar,garlic,red chilly and  keep aside.

In a wide pan,heat oil(be generous).Add all the vegetables stir for half minute add the redchilly vinegar garlic paste,salt ,chole masala,pav bhaji masala,garam masala.Cook it will half way done so it has crunchy texture.Then add noodles and extra oil if u prefer and mix it in high heat.

Top it with spring onions and tomato ketchup..yumm...
 

Healthy Poha Chat

Very easy to make!yet tasty and healthy.Munch on any time snack!.
Best tea time snack and surprise for friends  by making in 2 miuntes!

Thin Poha/paper avalakki - 2 cup
finely chopped onion -1
finely chopped tomato-1
chopped cilantro-6 strings
namkeen mixture - 4 tbspn
lemon juice-1/2 tspn
green chillies finely chopped-3
sugar-2 pinch
salt to taste

Add thin poha to microwave safe wide bowl and microwave high for 1 min,stir and microwave high for 1 min till its very crispy.Some microwave takes 30 sec more to make it crispy.

If u don't have microwave,keep it in the sunshine or just dry fry it in a wide pan on ur stove/cooktop until crispy.

Add all the ingredients and mix well.Ready to munch!

 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Bhindi pakora/bendekai bajji



Calling all the bhindi/okra lovers to try this recipe.This pakora can be made in 2 ways.

10 numbers bhindi
gram flour 1 cup
rice flour 1 tspn
ginger garlic paste 1tspn
chilli powder 1/2 tspn
asafetida 2 pinch
turmeric 1 pinch
cooking soda or eno fruit salt  2pinch
salt to taste
Oil for deep fry

Add  salt,chillipowder and marinate the bhindi for 15-20 min.

Mix all the  ingredients well and make a batter by adding water little at a time.The consistency of the batter must be thick .

Wash the bhindi,dry them in paper towel.Slit vertically into halves.Dip each one in the batter and fry them on medium heat.Until its crispy and golden brown.

The second variation is:

Take the besanflour/gram flour ,add rice flour,add salt,ginger garlic paste,asafoetida,turmeric.Then add  chopped bhindi ,add 1 finely  chopped onion,2 strings of curry leaves finely chopped,3 greenchillies finely chopped,2 string cut mint leaves.

Lets add water little at a time and make the batter just like any other pakora.Add eno or soda and fry it in medium heat till golden brown.Your guests will love it!And if ur kid don't eat bhindi,for sure it will enjoy this:-).

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Mixed Vegetable Saagu

Vegetable Saagu is an authentic delicacy from Karnataka.If u go to restaurants in Bangalore and order set dosa,its served with vegetable saagu and chutney .The name poori usually is followed by saagu.Also goes well with Chapati/Roti .My husband loves it with rice...

Here is what u need:

1 cup chopped green beans
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced capsicum
1 cup chopped kohlrabi/navilkosu(kannada)/knol khol.
1 cup frozen/fresh green peas
1 cup cabbage


To grind:
 1/2 cup coconut
2 tablespoons roasted chana dal/hurigadale
1 teaspoon dhaniya or u can also use cilantro/kothambari soppu
4 green chilli
1 small clove garlic
1 inch ginger,cinnamon,3 cloves/lavanga
1.5 teaspoon poppy seeds

Oggarane/Tadka:
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teasppon mustard seeds
pinch turmeric
1 finely chopped onion


Grind the above to a very very smooth paste with little water
In a pan add oil,add mustard seeds allow it to pop add a pich of turmeric.Add finely chopped onion and fry for 1 min then add all the vegetables except capsicum.Add 1 cup water and allow it to cook.Once the vegetables are half done add capsicum and allow it to cook.Dont  overcook.Next the grinded paste and boil it in medium flame stirring occassionaly for 6 min.Add1/4 teaspoon sugar to taste .Enjoy!
 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Mango Icecream-no ice cream maker needed!

Ice cream made from fresh fruit tastes so very different from the flavored store bought ones.When I go to Indian grocery I usually don't forget to get mango pulp or if mango season ,I bring a box of atulfo variety mangoes.Whenever I go to walmart I see mangoes year around.If u get it from walmart make sure u leave them atleast for 3 days so its fully ripe and juicy.Hmm I miss those indian varieties raspuri,malgoba,mallika....

Planned to make ice cream and it was a big hit!Everybody in home waits for the mango ice cream after dinner.

2 mangoes ripened
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whipped cream ie,cool whip
7 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup low fat/full fat milk

Peel the skin of mangoes,remove the seed inside and blend it with low or full fat milk till smooth.I added 7 tablespoons sugar while blending mangoes as it was not really sweet and used full fat milk for rich taste.

Add heavy whipping cream to the mango puree and beat for 2 min

Next the cool whip and beat it for 2-3 min

Cover it and freeze it for 6-8 hrs.

Note:
1)If mangoes are not in season,substitute with 1 cup mango pulp u get in indian grocery.You can increase cool whip for more creamy texture.

2)You can always substitute mango puree with strawberry puree to make some strawberry ice cream-click here for strawberry ice cream recipe