Masala-Baigan(spicy eggplant)

This time I got small size green colour baigan(eggplant) from farmers market so thought of making this spicy dish.My hubby is not fond of baigans but he just love masala baigan.You can also try making stuff baigan using the same ingredients.

Ingredients

Baigan small 8

Onion 2

Ginger 1 inch piece

Garlic 3-4 pods

Green chili 1-2

Garam masala 1 tsp

Coriander pw 1 tsp

Cumin pw 1/2 tsp

Turmeric pw 1/2 tsp

Red chili pw 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Salt

Oil 2 tbsp

Method

1. Wash and cut the baigans lengthwise into quarters.Grate onion,ginger,garlic and chop the green chillies.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai/pan and add cumin seeds,asafoetida.Let the seeds crackle and then add grated onion-ginger-garlic,green chillies and fry it just for a few seconds.

3. Add baigan pieces,salt and all the spices.Cover it to cook on medium heat till the baigans are done.

4. Serve hot with chapati/parathas.

Paneer Paratha

Here comes yummy Paneer parathas.Paneer is Indian form of cottage cheese.Either get it from Indian grocery store or make it fresh at home.See How to make paneer from my earlier posts.Make stuffed parathas from this stuffing and you'll surely say - "Hmmmmmm Yummy".

Ingredients

For Dough

Whole wheat flour/atta 2 cups

Oil/ghee 2 tsp

Salt 1/2 tsp

Water

For filling
Paneer/cottage cheese grated 1 cup

Onion 1 small

Green coriander leaves

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Green chili 1-2

Salt

Oil/ghee for frying parathas

Dry flour for dusting

Method

1. For dough mix wheat flour,salt,oil,water and knead it very well to make a soft dough.Cover it and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.

2. Take paneer in a bowl and add chopped onions,coriander leaves and all other filling ingredients in it.Mix well and remember this mixture should be dry( if it is not dry then fry it for a while).

3. Now make small balls from the dough and roll it in a small circle.
4. Put the stuffing on it and close it from all the sides.Gently pat it with your palm and apply dry flour on both sides and roll it again to make a paratha.
5. Heat a tava/griddle and cook this paratha on it over medium flame.Apply oil/ghee on both sides and gently press it with a spatula to make it crispy.
6. Take paratha out of tava/griddle when it is golden brown in colour.Serve it with curd/raita, pickle/chutney.

Note: Add salt to the stuffing just before making parathas otherwise it will be watery.

Sooji (Semolina) Halwa

Sooji/rava Halwa is an Indian pudding made of semolina.At many places it is offered to God ( as prasad ).The classic proportions of its ingredients( ghee,sooji,sugar,water ) are 1:2:3:4 but sugar proportion can be changed as per liking.So here is my sweet recipe of sooji halwa.

Ingredients

Sooji/semolina 1 cup

Sugar 1 cup

Ghee/clarified butter 1/2 cup

Water 2 cup

Green cardamom pw 1/2 tsp

Coconut grated 1/4 cup

Raisins

Almonds

Method

1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.Add sooji and fry it till golden brown in colour on medium heat.Keep stirring to avoid burning.

2. Now add green cardamom powder,sugar,water and half of the dry fruits (coconut,raisins,almond),Stir continuously to avoid lumps.

3. Cook till the water evaporates.

4. Garnish with rest of the dry fruits and serve hot.

Note: You can substitute water with milk to make it more healthy.

I am sending this to the event CFK: Healthy Lunch Boxes hosted by Neha @ #Tasty Recipes and originally started by Sharmi @ Neivedyam.

Also sending it to event Lets Go Nuts-Coconut hosted by Padmajha @ Seduce Your Taste Buds.

Veg-Vermicelli

This is a simple and tasty snack and can be ready in no time.Here vermicelli is cooked with veggies so it is healthy too.It was a regular part of the weekend breakfast during my growing up years.

Ingredients

Vermicelli 1 1/2 cup

Onion 1

Potato 1

Peas 1/4 cup

Green chili 1

Salt

Cumin seed 1 tsp

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Turmeric pw 1 tsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Ghee

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry the vermicelli till golden brown in colour.Take out and keep aside.

2. Now again heat 1 tbsp oil and add Cumin seeds, asafoetida,chopped green chili.Add chopped onions and fry them till golden .

3. Add small pieces of potatoes and peas in it.Further add salt,turmeric powder and cover it to cook on medium flame till the potatoes are almost done.

4. Now add the vermicelli,salt and 2 1/2 cups of water.Allow it to cook till the water evaporates and it becomes tender.

5. Finally pour 1-2 tbsp ghee on it and serve hot.

Note: You can also add cabbage to it.

I am sending this to the event CFK: Healthy Lunch Boxes hosted by Neha @ #Tasty Recipes and originally started by Sharmi @ Neivedyam.

Pav-Bhaji

Pav-bhaji is a famous Indian snack originally from Maharashtra state.Pavs are bread/buns and bhaji is vegetable curry.It is my all time favourite snack.There is a special blend of spices called pav-bhaji masala is added to give it a nice flavour and aroma.

Ingredients

Potato boiled 3-4 medium

Tomato 2

Mix-Veggies(Peas,Capsicum,cauliflower,Beans,Carrot) 1 cup

Onion 2

Pav-Bhaji masala 1 1/2 tbsp

Red chili pw 1 tsp

Turmeric pw 1/2 tsp

Salt

Lemon juice 1 tbsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Pav/bun 4

Butter

Chopped coriander leaves

Method

1. Pressure cook all the veggies with a little water.Drain the water and mash the veggies coarsely.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions.Fry till golden in colour.

3. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1-2 minutes.

4. Now add chopped tomatoes and pav-bhaji masala,red chili powder,turmeric powder and fry till the oil leaves the masalas.

5. Add potatoes and veggies, salt and mash all things together with the spatula.Cook for 5 more minutes, add a little water if it is getting dry.

6. Pour some butter on it.Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice.

7. Apply some butter on pavs/buns and place them over a hot frying pan.Heat them till golden on both sides.

8. Finally serve hot pavs,bhaji with onion rings and lemon wedges.

I am sending this to the event CFK: Healthy Lunch Boxes hosted by Neha @ #Tasty Recipes and originally started by Sharmi @ Neivedyam.

Tinda-Masala

Tinda is Indian Round Gourd or Indian Baby Pumpkin.I was looking for fresh ones but finally settled for frozen ones from Indian store.Tindas are famous in north India specially in Punjab state.So here is my recipe for Tinda-masala.

Ingredients

Tinda 250 gm

Onion 2

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp

Green Chili 1-2

Garam masala 1 tsp

Coriander pw 1/2 tsp

Turmeric pw 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Salt

Oil 2 tbsp

Method

1. Wash,peel and cut the tindas into quarters.Grate the onions.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds,asafoetida.Let the seeds crackle.Add chopped green chillies and fry for 1-2 minutes.

3. Now add tindas and all other ingredients.Cover it to cook on medium heat till the tindas are done.

4. Serve hot with chapatis.

Note: You can also make stuffed tindas with the same ingredients.Just mix all the ingredients except oil,cumin seeds for stuffing.Cut a cap from top of tinda and scoop out the seeds.Now fill it with the stuffing and either bake them or cook them in hot oil using a pan.

Lobhiya( Black-eyed beans ) Chaat

Lobhiya is the hindi name of Black-eyed beans/pea .It is an excellent source of calcium,folate and vitamin A among other nutrients.I am sharing this very healthy chaat recipe which is very easy to make and tastes superb.

Ingredients

Lobhiya 1 cup

Onion 1

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Chaat masala 1 tsp

Green chili 1-2

Cucumber 1/2

Tomato 1

Green coriander leaves

Lemon juice

Salt

Oil 1 tbsp

Method

1. Pressure cook lobhiya with water and salt in it or you can soak the beans in water overnight and then boil them in fresh water to cook.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds,asafoetida.Let them crackle.

3. Add chopped green chillis,onions in it and fry till golden in colour.

4. Now add the boiled lobhiya,chaat masala,salt and cook for 1-2 minutes.Pour lemon juice in it and mix well.

5. Cut cucumber,tomatoes in very small pieces.

6. Now in a serving dish take the lobhiya and add cucumber,tomato pieces and chopped green coriander leaves on it.It is ready to serve.

Note: You can also make gravy based lobhiya-masala curry as I made rajma-masala.

I am sending this recipe to the event MY Legume Love Affair: Twelfth Helping hosted by Annarasa and originally started by Susan.

Reposting it to send to the event Sunday Snacks-Spill The Beans hosted by Priya of Akshayapaatram.

Magic Masoor Dal

Here in this recipe I cooked whole masoor dal( red lentil ) with raw mango to give it a tangy taste.Believe me just give it a try once and you are going to make it again and again.It goes well even with plain rice.

Ingredients

Whole Masoor Dal 1 cup

Turmeric pw 1/2 tsp

Raw mango 1 small

Garam masala 1/2 tsp

Red Chili pw 1 tsp

Salt

Ghee 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Onion 1 small

Garlic 2-3 pods

Method

1. Wash and soak dal for 15 minutes.Peel and cut mango in small pieces.Now pressure cook dal with 3 cups of water,salt,mango pieces and turmeric powder till the dal is cooked.

2. In a pan heat ghee and add cumin seeds,asafoetida.When the seeds crackle add chopped garlic and onions.Fry till golden in colour.

3. Add dal with all the spices and check the consistency.If required add some water.

Note: If you don't have raw mango use dry mango powder.

I am sending this recipe to the event Sunday Snacks-Spill The Beans hosted by Priya of Akshayapaatram.

Malai Kofta

Malai Kofta is the most popular paneer dish which is liked by all.I made it first time on my son's request.I was not sure about the outcome but to my surprise it was superb.Just like the restaurant taste,so all's well that end's well.Along with paneer I used boiled potatoes and mix veggies to make the koftas.It goes very well with any kind of stuffed naan,parathas or jeera rice.

Ingredients

For Koftas

Paneer (grated) 1 cup

Potatos (boiled and grated) 1 cup

Mix vegetables (boiled) 1 cup (I used Carrots,peas,beans,cauliflower)

Corn starch for coating

Coriander pw 1 tbsp

Cumin pw 1 tbsp

Red chili pw 1 tbsp

Raisins

Salt

Oil for frying

For Gravy

Onion 2

Ginger-garlic paste 1 tbsp

Tomato 2

Cumin seeds 1 tsp

Coriander pw 1 tsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Milk 1/2 cup

Cashewnuts pw 2 tbsp

Salt

Green coriander leaves chopped

Oil 3 tbsp

Method

1. Take out the excess water from the boiled veggies by squeezing it in a muslin cloth.Crush the veggies roughly.

2. Add grated paneer,potatoes,veggies,coriander powder,cumin powder,red chili powder and salt.Mix all the ingredients properly to make a smooth mixture.

3. Make small balls from this mixture and put a raisin inside each ball and make oval shape.

4. Coat these balls in the corn starch and deep fry them in oil.Take out the koftas and place them on a kitchen towel.

5. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add the chopped onions,salt and fry till golden.

6. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry it for another 1-2 minutes.

7. Add chopped tomatoes,coriander powder and fry till the tomatoes are cooked.

8. Take this in a blender and grind to make a paste.

9. Now heat 1 tbsp oil and add cumin seeds in it.When it begin to crackle add this paste and fry for 2 minutes.Now add 1 cup warm water.Bring it to a boil.

10. Add milk in it and again bring it to boil and add cashew powder.

11. Finally add the koftas in this gravy and let them cook for a minute.Gently turn the koftas.

12. Sprinkle chopped green coriander and grated paneer on it and serve immediately.

Mango-Banana Smoothie

A smoothie is a blended,chilled,sometimes sweet beverage made from fresh fruits or vegetables.In this smoothie I have used mango,banana,milk and some spices.

Ingredients

Mango Pulp 2 cup

Banana 2

Sugar 2-3 tbsp

Milk 1 cup

Vanilla 1 tsp

Cinnamon pw 1 pinch

Nutmeg pw 1 pinch

Ice cubes

Method

1. Blend together all the ingredients except ice cubes to make a smooth mixture.

2. Now add ice cubes and blend again.

3. Serve chilled.

Note: You can substitute milk with orange juice.

I am sending this recipe to the event Mango Mela hosted by Srivalli.

Mango Lassi

Lassi is a very popular and traditional yogurt-based drink from Punjab,India.There are two types of lassis- salted and sweet.I am sharing this recipe of sweet lassi flavoured by mango which is my son's all time favourite drink.

Ingredients

Mango pulp 1 cup

Yogurt 3 cup

Sugar 1/4 cup

Ice cubes

Method

1. Blend together mango pulp and sugar.

2. Now add yogurt and blend.

3. Lastly add the ice cubes and blend one more time to get a smooth mixture.

4. Serve chilled.

I am sending this recipe to the event Mango Mela hosted by Srivalli.

Matar-Paneer

In this recipe paneer and peas are cooked together into a delicious onion-tomato gravy.I used home made paneer here.I have already posted the recipe of How to made Paneer at home.

Ingredients

Paneer 250 gm

Peas 1 cup

Onion 2 medium

Ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp

Tomato 2-3

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida 1 pinch

Garam masala 1 tsp

Coriander pw 1 tsp

Turmeric pw 1/2 tsp

Red chili pw 1/2 tsp

Salt

Oil 3 tbsp

Method

1. Cut paneer into small cubes.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry these paneer cubes till golden in colour.Take out and keep aside on a kitchen towel.

3. Now heat remaining oil and add cumin seeds,asafoetida.When it begin to crackle add finely chopped onions and fry till golden in colour.

4. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1-2 minutes.

5. Add finely chopped tomatoes,coriander powder,turmeric powder,red chili powder,salt and fry till the tomatoes are done.

6. Add peas,little water and cover it to cook till the peas are done.

7. Finally add the fried paneer pieces and garam masala.Toss it gently and cook for 1 more minute.garnish with grated paneer and chopped green coriander.

Onion Kulcha

Kulcha is very famous Indian bread originally from Punjab.Traditionally it is made in tandoor(Indian clay-oven) but it can be made in our electric oven at home also.

Ingredients

For Dough

All purpose flour/Maida 4 cups

Salt 1/4 tsp

Baking pw 1 tsp

Baking Soda 1/4 tsp

Milk 1 cup

Sugar 1 tsp

Egg 1

Yogurt 1 tbsp

Oil 1 tbsp

Butter

For Filling

Onion 2

Green coriander chopped 2 tbsp

Cumin pw 1 tsp

Red chili pw 1 tsp

Salt

Method

1. To make the dough sieve together flour,salt,baking powder and baking soda in a large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl whisk together milk,egg,sugar,yogurt.

3. Now pour this liquid mixture on the flour and knead a soft and smooth dough.If needed add a little warm water and knead for 10-15 minutes.

4. Oil the dough and cover it with a damp cloth.Keep aside in a warm place for 2 hours.

5. To make the stuffing chop the onions finely and add cumin powder,red chili powder,salt and green coriander.The stuffing should be dry.(You can also add a boiled,mashed potato in it to make it dry)

6. To make kulchas knead the dough for again 5 minutes and divide it into 8 equal balls.

7. Preheat the oven at 400 degree F and lightly grease two baking trays with butter.

8. Take one ball and sprinkle some dry flour on it and flat it with your palm and roll it into a small circle.

9. Place a spoonful of stuffing on top of it and fold the sides to make it a ball again.Now roll it into an oval or circle.

10. Moisten the surface of the kulcha with little water and sprinkle a few chopped green coriander leaves on it.

11. Repeat this process to make all 8 kulchas like this.

12. Place them on the baking trays and bake for 5 minutes.Now turn the broiler on for 2-3 minutes to make your kulchas golden in colour.

13. Take them out and apply some butter on each kulcha.Serve hot with chhola-masala.