Sunday, November 30, 2008

Tomato Chutney


This chutney goes well with all kinds of dosas, but the best with Mushti Dosa.
Ingredients:
For Frying :
Oil - 1 tsp
cinnamon - 1" long
clove - 2

Aniseed/saunf - 1/2 tsp
whole red chilli - 4
Onion - 1, chopped
garlic - 2 cloves, peeled and chopped
ginger - 1/2" scraped and chopped
Tomato - 1 big, chopped
salt to taste

Seasoning:
oil - 1 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
curry leaves - 4 leaves

coconut - 2 tbsp
roasted chana dal- 1 tbsp (huri kadle/kadle pappu)

Method:
Heat oil in a pan, add clove, cinnamon, saunf, red chilli and fry for a minute, now add chopped onions, garlic and ginger and fry till brown. Add tomatoes and cook till nice and soft. let it cool.
Grind to a smooth paste along with coconut, roasted chana dal and salt. For seasoning, heat oil add mustard seeds, let it splutter add curry leaves. Pour this seasoning to the tomato mix. Tomato chutney is now ready.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Mushti Polo ( Rice-lentil Dosa)





Mushti in konkani means handfull and polo means dosa. There are many recipes to this mushti dosa. I have tried almost all the recipes for this particular dosa as it is my favourite. i always loved the way my amma made this dosa and again mom are great cooks. But somehow whenever i tried it here in Doha it never came as i expected. Then it was during my stay in India post delivery, midwife Lalithakka gave me this recipe and when i tried it here it was a success!!!!

Ingredients:
Raw rice (Dosa rice) - 2 cups
Urad daal - one handful or 1/4 cup
Methi seeds - 2tsp
cooked rice/ poha/puffed rice - one handful or 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Soak rice, urad daal and methi seeds for 2 hours or more. Grind to a smooth paste along with cooked rice. If using poha or puffed rice just wash, drain off and add while grinding to the rice-lentil mix. Add salt and mix well. let ferment overnight. Heat a non stick tawa sprinkle drops of water to test if the tawa is hot enough, if u hear a sizzling sound then u are ready to pour the batter. take a ladlefull of batter. Spread the batter thick enough. cover the tawa and cook on medium flame. Flip out the dosas. Yes, need to be cooked only on one side. Oil is not necessary if using non stick tawa, add 2 drops or so if you desire. Serve hot with Tomato Chutney.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Channa Baingan (chickpeas n brinjal curry)


This dish goes well with chapathi/rice. Simple and easy to make if u have cooked chickpeas ready. I usually pressure cook 11/2 cups of chickpeas at a time and divide them into batches: one half goes into hummus-arabic salad, other half into the chana salad and other half to the curry.
Chickpeas are low in fat and high in dietery fibre packed with carbohydrates and protiens.


Ingredients:
Chickpeas - 1/2 cup
Voilet brinjals - 2 medium
Onions - 2
Garlic - 6 flakes
Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
Sambar powder - 1-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 2tsp
Coriander leaves - 2tbsp, chopped
Soak chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook the chickpeas till soft. If you do not have time for the overnight process then soak chickpeas in hot boiling water for an hour and then pressure cook for 15 min. If using canned chickpeas use it as it is.
Slice Brinjal lenghtwise and keep in salted water to prevent discolouration.
Slice onion lenghtwise.
Peel and chop garlic finely.
Tomato puree: cook 1 big whole tomato in water for 4 minutes. once cool enough to handle peel off the skin and mash the pulp.
Heat olive oil in a pan add finely chopped garlic followed by onions.
when it turns golden brown, add sliced brinjals and fry on medium flame till soft.
Now add tomato puree, chickpeas(strain water and add chana alone). Saute.
Add salt and sambar powder. Mix well add 1/4 cup water cook on low flame till semi dry if serving with roti or fully dry if serving with rice.
Garnish with dhaniya and serve hot

Monday, November 24, 2008

Vegetable Pulao


This dish is very simple and delicious!! and every household has their own way of preparing it. But hold on, this is healthy with veggies as usual but it has soya granules which is packed with important nutrients like calcium, magnesium and B complex vitamins and fibrous too. The best part of making this pulao is ur kidos will not even realise that they are eating healthy food that is soya.


Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1cup
water - 2 cups (hot boiling water)
onion - 1 big, thinly sliced
ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
green chillies - 4, slit
veggies - 1cup (beans, carrot, peas, baby corn)
soya granules - 2tbsp
garam masala - 1tsp, optional
coriander leaves - 1 handfull, chopped
olive oil - 2tsp (choose any oil)
lemon juice - 1tsp

Wash and soak rice in water for 30 min. Soak soya granules(not chunks) in hot water for 15 min, drain and sqeeze the granules and keep aside. Heat oil in a kadai, add sliced onions, fry till brown and nice aroma fills the kitchen. Now add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies, saute for a min. Add veggies, soya granules, salt cover and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the rice and add to the cooked veggies, saute for another 3 min. Take care not to break the rice. Meanwhile heat 2 cups water, when it a starts to boil add to the rice mixture. Get the whole mixture to a boil add salt to ur taste, garam masala, lemon juice.


Cover and cook on a low flame for exactly 8 minutes. Do not peep in to the kadai now and then to check the rice....it will cook by 8 minutes. Put off the gas and forget it again do not open to see. After 10 minutes tranfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve it with raitha of your choice.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Charmuri mixture


Snacking!!! who doesn't love to? Being health conscious these days i try to make healthy snacks and this charmuri mixture is healthy and heavenly!! charmuri is called Puffed rice/mandakki.


Ingredients:
charmuri - 2 cups
oil - 1tbsp (preferably coconut oil but any oil will do)
garlic - 10 cloves(garlic lovers can add more and garlic haters can omit this and use mustard instead
peanuts - 1/2 cup
Roasted gram/ huri kadle - 1/4 cup
Whole red chillies - 2
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Heat oil in a wide pan or kadai. Add crushed garlic cloves and fry till light brown, now add peanuts, roasted gram and whole red chillies and fry till the peanuts are roasted well. Now add turmeric, mix well. Finally add puffed rice and mix well till the puffed rice is all yellow!! sprinkle salt to taste and let cool. Store in an airtight container.

My Family


My daughter Sakshi, loves all kind of food. She is my first inspiration to start this blog. I have been a silent reader of other blogs which have highly inspired me. I love to experiment on food and has always been a hit and full gaurantee that my hubby and sakshi would eat them without complaints.