Bharwa bhindi (Stuffed bhindi/Stuffed Okra)

This is the most famous curry in our marwadi household and this delicacy is so relished that this curry is even  made when we have important events or guest at home. Bharwa or Bharma bhindi means stuffed bhindi made out of basic ingredient like garlic, red chilli powder etc. It is simple and yet yummy yummy. 



Ingredients
Ladies finger (bhindi) approximately 18-20
7-8 cloves of garlic pod
3-4 green chili (optional)
1/4 tbsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp coriander (dhania) powder
3 tbsp chilli powder to taste
1 tbsp dried mango powder (amchur) - optional
1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1/4 tbsp hing (asafeotida)
Salt to taste
lLttle water
3 tbsp oil

How I Prepare
1. Wash the bhindi and pat dry them nicely. Make sure no water is seen.
2. Cut both the ends of bhindi, then make a slit in between lengthwise. Make sure not to split the bhindi.
3. Make garlic and green chili paste. To this add turmeric, dhania, red chilli powder, amchur and salt, combine everything into a mix by adding little water. The paste should be thick and not watery.
4. Fill each slit bhindi with the above masala and keep aside.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Add hing, mustard seeds, jeera saute for 30 seconds. Add the stuffed bhindi and left over masala if any.
6. Cover and cook on a slow flame, stirring and turning the bhindi in between.
7. Serve hot with rotis.

Notes
1. If you want more masala, additionally you can add onion while make garlic and green chili paste. Grind everything in smooth paste.
2. This dish don't need any water while cooking. But if feel the curry is burning and needs some then add just 1 or 2 spoons water.

Simple Gobi manchurian

Gobi Manchurian the most loved Indo chinese dish in India and my hubby's all time favorite appetizer. He loves it so much that every time we go to India, this is his first MUST to have dish. Initially I use to think its tough to make it. But I was wrong if you have all the right ingredients handy, this dish is simple and easy to make. Every time I make it, I see a big smile on my hubby's face :) .


Ingredients
1 medium Gobi (Cauliflower)
3/4 cup all purpose flour (Maida) 
1 tbsp Corn Flour
1 tbsp rice flour 
Salt to taste 
1 Chopped green chili 
1 tbsp Garlic Paste
1 tbsp Ginger Paste
1/4 tbsp  pepper powder
Water to make batter.
4-5 big garlic cloves minced into small pieces
1/2 inch ginger minced into small pieces
1/2 cup capsicum cubed (red, green)
3-4 green chilies cut into half
2 tbsp Soya Sauce 
2-3 tbsp Sriracha sauce or tomato Ketchup 
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp Oil
Finely chopped Coriander Leaves 
Finely chopped spring onions leaves

How I Prepare
1. In a mix bowl add maida,  corn flour, rice flour, garlic paste, ginger paste, pepper powder, salt and few drops of  Sriracha sauce or tomato sauce.
2. Slowly add water to the above mix and make a thick batter. 
3. In a frying pan, add oil and heat it up
4. Cut the Gobi into florets and dip them in the paste and deep fry till golden brown. Keep aside.




5. Heat oil in another pan and add the minced ginger & garlic, chopped capsicum and green chili to it.
Saute it for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add Soya sauce, chili sauce, vinegar, sriracha sauce or tomato sauce. Mix it well.
7. Increase the flame and add fried Gobi.Mix it well. Toss it couple of times until gobi is nice and hot.
8. Garnish it with coriander leaves and spring onions and serve it hot.

 I was out of coriander and spring rolls that's the reason my Gobi is missing the garnish :)

Tomato Raitha



Ingredients
2 cups thick yogurt, whisked till smooth
1 large tomato diced into small piece
1 medium onion chopped into small pieces
3/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder (Or substitute with 1 green chilli)
1-2 mint leaves chopped fine (this is secret ingredients if added gives raitha a quick flavor)
Few fresh coriander leaves chopped fine
Salt to taste

How I Prepare
1.  Take a large bowl add all ingredients and mix well.
2.  Chill and serve it as side dish.

Tip
1. While peeling onion if you think it's spicy, place it in a freezer for 5-10 minutes and then chop it. This will avoid tears while chopping.

Methi Pulao/Methi Rice

My mother in law taught me this recipe and it's awesome rice item.




Ingredients
2 cups of basmati rice
1 big bunch of methi leaves chopped into small pieces
Fist full of avarekayi (kannada term) known as papdi lilva in hindi
1 large onion cut into thin long slices
1 tomato cut into small cubes
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 inch of ginger
4-5 small green chilies
2 cloves
1 cardamon
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 inch cinnamon stick
1/4 inch of anistar
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoon dhaniya powder (coriander powder)
Fist full of coriander leaves finely chopped
Few strings of mint leaves (optional) finely chopped
Salt to taste
3-4 tbs Oil
2 cup water

How I prepare
1. Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 minutes
2. In a stone pestle or any other pestle add garlic, ginger, green chilies  cloves, cinnamon stick, anistar and crush it nicely into a coarse powder. If you don't have a pestle use mixer to make a coarse paste.
3. Take a pressure cooker, heat up oil in it. Add jeera, bay leaves, cardamon and saute for few seconds then add the above mix and saute it for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add Onions and cook it until translucent. Add avarekayi, methi leaves and saute it for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add tomato, coriander and mint leaves. Cook it for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add Salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhaniya powder and mix everything nicely
7. Add rice to the above mix and fry it for 1 more minute
8. Add water and pressure cook for 2 whistles
9. Serve hot with Raita.

Notes
1. Since the basmati rice is soaked for 30 minutes it needs less water. Adjust the water according to rice you use.
2. I used frozen avarekayi, you can use peas as alternative.

Akki Rotti/Rice flour Roti

Akki rotti is a made using rice flour and is served during breakfast or evening snack item. This dish is unique to state of Karnataka. The preparation of akki rotti is similar to ragi rotti which I posted a while back. I use the same technique as ragi rotti,  spreading the dough directly on the cool pan and then cooking the rotti.


Ingredients
2 cups of rice flour
1 large onion finely chopped
3-4 green chilies finely chopped (add more for more spice)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
Few strings of coriander finely chopped
Few curry leaves roughly torn (optional)
Few teaspoon of grated coconut (optional)
Salt as per taste
Oil to spread on rotti
1 cup of Luke warm water

How I Prepare
1. In a bowl add all the above ingredients expect water and oil. Mix everything nicely few times with your hands. This helps in release the onion water and  releasing its flavor in flour.
2. Add water slowly and knead the mix into a dough. The dough should not be too hard.
3. Divide the dough into small portions.
4. Take a pan, spread little oil into it. Place the dough and start spreading into a thin circle.
5. Place the pan on the stove and cook into medium heat.
6. Once one side is little cooked, turn the roti using spatula and cook other side by applying little oil.
7. Once the other side is cooked, spread oil on turn it again. Oil should be applied both the sides
8. Cook the rotti until it turns into light golden brown color.
9. Serve hot with some chutney or pickle. I served with my garlic chutney/curry. It was awesome

Notes
1. You can add few teaspoon of chopped dill leaves known as sabbsige soppu in kannada and Suva in hindi.





Stuffed Methi Paratha/Methi Puri/Fenugreek leaves Paratha

This is a unique dish which my mom makes it often and it is one of my favorite paratha. I like it more than Aloo paratha.  
Generally with methi/fenugreek leaves thepla (Gujarati flat bread) is made. My mom makes thepla for rajasthan travel as it stays fresh for 3 days. Nothing is more awesome than to eat thepla in train for lunch along with spicy garlic chutney. Thepla is good for picnics too. 

Back to stuffed methi paratha. As I said this paratha has a unique flavor and tastes similar to Kachori (famous Rajasthani snack).


Ingredients
1 bunch of methi leaves
1 cup of besan (chickpeas flour)
3-4 pods of garlic finely chopped
3-4 green chilies (optional) finely chopped 
1 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoon dhaniya powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1/4 teaspoon of Saunf (fennel seeds)
Pinch of asafotedia (hing)
3-4 tbs of oil for stuffing
Few tbs oil while making paratha
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Wheat flour mixed like roti dough

How I Prepare
1. In a wide saute pan, add oil and heat up. Once hot add hing, jeera, saunf, curry leaves, garlic, green chilies and saute it for 30-60 seconds. 
2. Lower the flame and add besan flour. Mix it  nicely and saute it for few minutes until the raw smell of besan is gone. Keep stirring and make sure besan doesn't get burnt.



3. Once you get nice aroma of besan, start adding turmeric powder, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder, garam masala and salt as per taste. Mix everything and fry it for couple of minutes.

3. Wash methi leaves and chop it roughly. Add methi leaves to the above mix. The moisture in washed leaves should allow the mix to bind well. If not add few drops of water.

4. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the mix to cook for few minutes. Switch off the stove, remove the lid and allow the mix to cool down.


5. Take roti/wheat dough divide into small portions. Roll out a portion of dough into a small circle, place small ball size mix in the middle of  circle. Wrap a mix with the dough, gathering the edges together. Pinch the edges together to seal, flattening it into a disc and roll it to a size of roti ( 6 inch diameter).
6.  Place the paratha on your heated pan.  Once it is lightly cooked, flip it and let the other side cook complete. Flip it back and oil the paratha. Flip again and oil the other side too. Make sure both the sides is cooked completely before taking out of the pan.
7. Serve it hot with curd/yogurt or pickle.


Horse gram sundal/Kollu Sundal/Kulthi Sundal


Ingredients
2 cup  soaked or sprouted Horsegram
1 medium sized onion
Few curry leaves
1-2 whole red chilli break into half
3-4 green chillies finely chopped (increase it if u want more spicy)
1 teaspoon urad dal
2 teaspoon grated coconut  ( I use frozen)
3-4 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 Asafoetida (Hing)
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water

How I Prepare
1. Pressure cook horsegram with little water and salt. I took 2 whistles. The bean should not be too hard or too mush.

2. Take a pan heat up the oil. Add hing, mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Add urad dal, curry leaves, green chilies and whole red chilli.

3. Saute until the urad dal is golden brown in color.  Add onions, saute them until translucent.

4. Lower the flame,  add cooked gram and salt to taste. Mix everything nicely and cover the pan with lid and cook it for few minutes.

5. Garnish with coriander and coconut. Serve it hot as side dish or salad.

Lahsun Ki Sabzi (Garlic Curry)

Sounds Weird, but its true it's a curry served as side dish. You might have heard of garlic chutney many times but not the sabzi. My mom makes this curry often when she runs out of options and if you are a garlic fan then you will love to eat your roti's with this curry alone. 


Ingredients
2 Pods of garlic, peel the cloves and cut them into small/tiny pieces
2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (Hing)
2-3 tbs oil
3-4 teaspoon of water
Salt to taste

How I prepare
1. Take a small pan, heat up the oil in it. Add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and allow the mustard to splutter. Lower the flame and add garlic and saute it for few minutes until the garlic has turned into light golden brown color. Don't allow the garlic to burn.
2. Add all the spices and salt. Add water, mix everything nicely. Allow the mix to cook until the oil separates out from the masala.
3. Serve it with Roti, Dosa or Akki Roti.

Notes
1. The curry stays good for 3-4 days outside and if refrigerated then it's good for few weeks.
2. After emptying the curry, I wipe one Roti not to waste any masala :)

Bharwa Besan Mirchi (Stuffed Mirchi)



Ingredients
5-6 Long green chilies/mirchi
1 cup besan flour (chickpea flour)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon amchur powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
4-5 seeds of ajawan seeds
3-4 tbs Oil
1/4 teaspoon Asafeotida (Hing)
1 cup water
Salt to taste


How I Prepare
1. Wash the chilies and pat dry them. Cut in middle and if mirchi's are too long cut them into half. Remove the seeds if you don't want the curry to be spicy.


2. Take a pan, add little oil and roast the besan flour on medium flame until the raw smell is gone.
3. Transfer the besan in the plate and allow it to cool down.
4. Add mustard seeds, turmeric powder, dhaniya powder, red chilli powder, Salt and mix into a paste by adding water. The paste should not be too watery.

5. Fill up all the mirchi with the paste. Keep the left over paste as is.
6. Heat up oil in the pan, once hot add hing, jeera and saute for few seconds.
7. Lower the flame and add the stuffed mirchi and left over paste and toss it slow. Add little water and cover with the lid.
8. On medium flame cook the curry for 15-20 minutes or until the mirchi is completely cooked. Stir it occasionally.

9. Serve it hot with roti's

Notes
1. If  chilies are not spicy, then you can add small green chilies into the besan paste.
2. Don't make the besan paste too thick, once cooked it will be too hard. Paste should be off cake batter consistency.
3. Optionally u can add few drops of lemon juice if amchur powder is not available. If you like it to be little tangy.

Tawa Pulao



Ingredients

2 cups cooked Basmati rice
1 cup mixed veggies (cut into small pieces). I used peas, carrot, mixed bell peppers (green, red, orange).
1 medium sized onion cut into small pieces
1 medium sized tomatoes cut into small pieces
2-3 small green chilies cut in half
2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
2 teaspoon pav bhaji masala
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
2-3 tbs Oil
Salt to taste
Coriander for Garnish

How I prepare


1. Heat up oil in a big pan. Add cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chilies and saute it for few seconds.
2. Add onion and cook it until translucent.
3. Add tomatoes, mixed veggies and cook it for 1-2 minutes
4. Add pav bhaji masala, garam masala, red chilli powder and salt and mix everything well. Add few drops of water if required.
5. Close the pan lid and cook the veggies for 4-5 minutes or until tender.
6. Once the veggies are cooked, add rice and mix everything nicely.
7. Close the lid again and cook it for 3-4 minutes more.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with Raita or just squeeze few drops of lemon.

Notes
1. You can use left over rice for the above recipe.
2. Sprinkle few drops of water after mixing the rice, to help keep the rice moist.
3. Make sure the cooked rice is not too soft or mushy.
4. If you are freshly cooking the rice, allow the rice to cool completely. Before mixing it.

Spinach Pulao/Palak Pulao


Ingredients
2 cups of basmati rice
1 big bunch of spinach (I used baby spinach) chopped into small pieces
Fist full of green peas
1 large onion cut into thin long slices
1 tomato cut into small cubes
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 inch of ginger
4-5 small green chilies
2 cloves
1 cardamon
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 inch cinnamon stick
1/4 inch of anistar
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoon dhaniya powder (coriander powder)
Fist full of coriander leaves finely chopped
Few strings of mint leaves (optional) finely chopped
Salt to taste
3-4 tbs Oil
2 cup water

How I prepare
1. Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 minutes
2. In a stone pestle or any other pestle add garlic, ginger, green chilies  cloves, cinnamon stick, anistar and crush it nicely into a coarse powder. If you don't have a pestle use mixer to make a coarse paste.
3. Take a pressure cooker, heat up the oil in it. Add jeera, bay leaf, cardamon and saute for few seconds then add the above mix and saute it for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add Onions and cook it until translucent. Add peas, spinach and saute it for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add tomato, coriander and mint leaves. Cook it for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add Salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhaniya powder and mix everything nicely
7. Add rice to the above mix and fry it for 1 more minute
8. Add water and pressure cook for 2 whistles
9. Serve hot with Raita.

Notes
1. Since the basmati rice is soaked for 30 minutes it needs less water. Adjust the water according to rice you use.
2. The same recipe can be used for making Methi pulao.

Pach Kutta Ki Sabzi

Pach Kutta Ki sabzi is a very common curry in Marwadi cuisine. This curry is made from 5 different vegetables hence the name Panch Kutta. It is so famous that in most of our marwadi wedding this curry is made. For Jain version skip the garlic. We are Jain but we eat onion and garlic all year around expect during 8 days of Paryushan. My mom loves garlic and she tends to add them a lot due to health benefits and no wonder her dishes always taste better then others.

I kind of like this dish as it allows to empty you refrigerator in one single shot. You can add what you have handy. If one of veggie listed below is not available you can skip it totally.










Ingredients
1/2 cup gawar phali (clustered beans) cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cucumber cut into blocks
1 cup peas
1/2 cup green capsicum
1 Turai (chinese okra/Beerakaya/Ridge gourd ) you can substitue with zuccini also
1 large tomato
4-5 big cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
11/2 teaspoon of dhaniya powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
Few curry leaves (optional)
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
3 - 4 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Little water (1-2 spoons)
Coriander for garnish

How I prepare
1. Take a pan, heat up the oil. Add hing, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once mustard starts to splutter add garlic and curry leaves. Saute for few seconds.
2. Turn the stove heat low. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, dhaniya powder, salt, little water and mix it nicely.
3. Allow this mix to cook for 2-3 minutes. Make sure not to burn the mix, add more water if required.
4. Add gawar phali and cover with the lid and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Then add all the remaining veggies and mix it well. Add little water if required. Tomato and cucumber will release water, make sure not to make it too watery.
6. Close with the lid and allow the veggies to cook for 10-15 minutes. Occasionally check in between and give it a stir.
7. Once cooked garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Note:
1. Here in US veggies cook really fast and they release plenty of water so I add water very cautiously.
2. You can add few drops of lemon too.
3. I added gawar phali first and allowed it to cook for few minutes as it takes long time for this veggie to cook.
4. Alternatively instead of cooking the curry on stove, you can pressure cook the curry after step 5.


Aloo Palak


Ingredients
2 potatoes boiled and cut into big chunks
2-3 bunch of spinach ( I use big packet of baby spinach) roughly chopped
4-5 big cloves of garlic finely chopped
2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
11/2 teaspoon of dhaniya powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Little water (1-2 spoons)

How I Prepare
1. Take a pan heat up the oil. Add hing, mustard seeds, jeera saute for few seconds  then add finely chopped garlic and saute for few more seconds.
2. Lower the flame, add all powders and little water and mix it well. Don't allow the masala to burn. Add more water if required and cook it for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add spinach and saute for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add potatoes and mix everything together nicely and allow the curry to cook for 10 minutes with lid closed.
5. Server it hot with Roti or Rice

Note
1. You can add green chilli, if you want more spicy. Rajasthani curries are generally red in color.
2. Don't reduce the garlic quantity, garlic gives a unique flavor to the dish.


Besan Ki Sabzi


Using Besan (chickpea flour) for cooking is very common in Rajasthan cuisine. We make lots of curries from besan like ghata ki sabzi, Bhujiya ki Sabji (plain besan bhaji), sev ki sabzi, besan ki sabzi, patod ki sabzi, Khadi etc.. I will be listing them all when I make them shortly. In my house my mom use to make besan ki sabzi on sunday nights as a light comforting food after a heavy sunday lunch. This curry should be made just before you want to eat. It has to be eaten hot and generally prepared on sunday night as everyone is at home after their weekend outing.


Ingredients
4 tsp besan flour (chickpea flour)
2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
3-4 green chilies chopped
Few peanuts (this is optional, my mom never adds this but my hubby likes as it gives some crunch to the curry)
Few curry leaves
1 teaspoon  red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (optional, add it only if u want it more spicy)
1/2 teaspoon dhaniya powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
Pinch of hing (asafoetida)
2-3 teaspoon oil
11/2 cup of water
Coriander leaves
Salt to taste



How I Prepare
1. Add besan to a large bowl, add all the spice powder, including salt as per taste. Add water slowly and make a thin paste (similar to what we do for Khadi).

2. In a pan, heat oil and once hot add hing, mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter add garlic and saute for 1 minute, then add groundnut seeds, onion, curry leaves, green chilli and saute until onions are translucent.

3. Lower the flame and slowly add the besan mix. Make sure to stir continuously to avoid lumps.

4. Add more water if required as the besan will start getting thick as it cooks.

5. Taste the mix and adjust the salt and spicy accordingly. Allow the curry to cook for 10-15 minutes until the raw smell of besan is gone completely.

6. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with rotis



Paneer Veggie Curry

















Ingredients
1 cup of cut paneer pieces.
1 1/2 cup of red and green capsicum pieces
1 large onion cut into big pieces
1 tomato cut into blocks
2 teaspoon ginger and garlic paste
1 teaspoon kasuri methi
2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon dhaniya/coriander seeds powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2-3 tbsp oil
Salt to taste


How I Prepare
1. Cut all the veggies including onion and paneer in block size.
2. In a pan heat up the oil, once hot add jeera, bay leaf and saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add ginger/garlic paste, onion and saute it until onions are translucent.
4. Add tomato  red chilli powder  dhaniya powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt and let it cook until the tomato become soft.
5. Add capsicum pieces and cook for 5 more minutes
6. Once capsicum is half cooked, crush kasuri methi between your palm and add it.  Add paneer and mix everything gently.
7.Close the lid and allow it to cook on low flame for 5-10 minutes more.
8. Server hot with roti's

Note
1. I didn't add any water as the juice from tomato will help to keep the curry moist. If you need more gravy then add water little by little.
2. You can add few lemon juice too if you like it to be more tangy.


Jeera Rice/Pulao


Ingredients
1 cup basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 teaspoon ginger/garlic paste
1 bay leaf
2 clove
4-5 whole peppercorns
1 cardamon
1/4 inch cinnamon stick
2-3 tbsp Oil (you can use 1/2 oil and 1/2 ghee, or only ghee)
1 1/2 cup water
Handful of peas (frozen or fresh)
Salt to Taste

How I Prepare
1. In a pressure cooker, add oil or ghee(if u are using ghee). Once hot add bay leaf, clove,
cardamon, cinnamon stick, pepper, jeera and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add ginger/garlic paste
saute for few seconds.
2. Add peas, soaked rice and saute for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add water, salt and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
4. Serve hot with side dish


Note
1. Basmati rice needs less water then regular rice.
2. You can skip ginger/garlic paste if you didn't like garlic flavor in rice.
3. If u like the rice to be bit spicy add 1-2 cut green chilies.
4. If you are serving this to the guest add few cashew nuts for additional flavor.

Cabbage Bhath/Cabbage Rice

Cabbage bhath is something my hubby introduced it to me. In our home cabbage is complete 'No, No', my mom don't use it and i never tasted it before. After marriage I learned few dishes from cabbage, like cabbage curry, cabbage pakora, cabbage bhath, cabbage kolumb etc..in Iyengar flavor. My MIL's recipes.






Ingredients
2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cabbage small size, finely chopped into small pieces
2-3 teaspoon of Vangibath powder
1/2 teaspoon red chill powder
1 whole red chilli cut into half
few curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon spilt urad dal
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
few curry leaves
pinch of asafotedia (hing)
1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste
3-4 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


How I prepare
1. In a cooking pan, add oil, once hot add hing, mustard seeds, urad dal, cut whole red
chill, curry leaves and saute until the urad dal is golden brown in color.

2. Add the chopped cabbage and saute it for few minutes.

3. Add salt and cover the lid and allow the cabbage to cook (10-12 minutes).

4. Once cooked add vangibath powder, red chilli powder and tamarind paste. Mix everything nicely and cook it for 2-3 minutes.

5. Switch off the stove and add cooked rice to above mix and Mix it thoroughly.

6. Serve it with chutney or ratia.




Note

1. While cooking rice make sure not to cook it to soft.
2. I prepare the brinjal/eggplant vangibath in the same way. If you don't like tamarind taste substitute with
few drops of lemon juice.
3. You can also add few groundnut's. It tastes good.
4. I had 1/2 capsicum, so I chopped into small pieces and added with cabbage.

Horse gram curry/Kollu/Kulthi

Horse gram known as Kulthi in hindi, is not a common lentil used in our daily cooking. Recently hubby and I were doing South Beach diet and in phase 1 you should avoid sugar and carbs completely. Being vegetarian the only means of protein for us was lentil/dal. Initially it sounded weird to eat lentils everyday without any roti or rice. But eventually I got used to it and thanks to South Beach diet I was able to shred my pregnancy and post pregnancy weight completely :).During this phase I started to try different lentil than usual and Horse gram was one among them. Before the diet I used to use horse gram once in 6 months or so. But now I started to use them more. So for convenience I sprout them in bulk and freeze it. You can make soup, sundal, busssaru (typical karnataka style), curry etc and having them ready is quite handy you need not plan in advance. I will share the curry recipe the way my MIL makes.   I have used the frozen sprouted beans here. You can use freshly sprouted or non sprouted too. It tastes great.

Ingredients
1. 2 cups of horse gram (frozen, freshly sprouted or soaked in water overnight)
2. 1 large potato
3. 1 medium sized onion
4. 3-4 gloves of garlic
5. 1/2 inch ginger
6. 1-2 green chillies
7. 1 large tomato
8. 2 teaspoon of grated coconut
9. 3-4 whole red chillies
10. 2 teaspoon of dhaniya powder
11. 1 clove
12. 1/4 inch cinnamon stick (chaka/Dalchini)
13. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
14. 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
15. 1-2 bay leaves
16. Salt to taste
17. Oil
18. Coriander leaves for garnish

How I Prepare
1. In small pan add little oil, fry onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, red chilli for 3-4 minutes. Add tomato, grated coconut and fry for 2-3 minutes. Grind everything into a smooth paste.
2. Take oil in pressure cooker. Once hot add hing, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and saute for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the grinded paste, dhaniya powder, and potato. Saute it for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add horse gram, salt to taste. 1/2 cup of water and mix everything together and pressure cook for 2 whistles (or until horse gram is tender).
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with rice or roti.

Notes
1. If you use the frozen one, take one more whistle to defrost.
2. Adjust the spices as per your taste.



Cucumber Raita




Ingredients
1. 2 cups thick yogurt, whisked till smooth
2. 3-4 mint leaves chopped fine
3. 1 large cucumber grated
4. 3/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder (Or subsitute with 1 green chilli)
6. 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds (crushed nicely)
7. Few fresh corainder leaves chooped fine
8. Salt to taste

How I Prepare
1.  Take a large bowl add all ingredients and mix well.
2.  Chill and serve it as side dish.

Note
1. I crush the mustard seeds in a tissue paper/news paper. Place the seeds in the middle of the paper, fold it and run the rolling pin multiple times until all seeds are crushed.
2. Adding mustard seeds gives a complete different flavor. In Rajasthan cuisine no raita is made without mustard seeds.

Carrot Halwa/Gajar Ka Halwa

It's getting cold over here, winter has started and Diwali is also here. I hate winter coz of the cold  but love it as you burn more calories :) and more food intake. I constantly look forward to cook something hot, spicy and sweet treats in my kitchen. I remember during my childhood my mom used to make many sweets dishes rich in nuts (especially badam) and ghee during winter. She used to make us eat sweet treats like gajar ka halwa, badam halwa, urad dal ladoo etc for breakfast everyday in the morning saying its good for health. My mom makes gajar halwa with lots of ghee and Khoya. Khoya is not readily available in US so I totally skip it, if you can get it, add it. It gives a rich texture and taste. I use less ghee to cook healthy.


Ingredients
1. 2 cups grated carrot. ( I grate using food processor and it's super quick)
2. 2 cups milk
3. 1/2 cup condensed milk
4. Few saffron/kesar strands soaked in little water
5. 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
6. 2-3 teaspoon of nuts (Badam, cashew and raisin). I was out of raisin so I skipped it.
7. 4-5 teaspoon of ghee (increase/decrease it as per your taste)

How I Prepare
1. Add ghee in a pan. Once hot add grated carrot and sauté it for 10-15 minutes until you get nice aroma of carrots and moisture of the carrot is reduced. 
2. Heat up the milk in microwave for a minute and then add it to the above mix. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes then add condensed milk and cardamom powder. 
3. Let everything boil together for 10-15 minutes or until all milk is evaporated. Keep stirring in between. Most importantly cook it on medium flame.
4. Add kesar and nuts and mix it nicely. It's ready to Serve hot. Once cool refrigerate it. It stays good for 4-5 days.

Notes
The condensed milk is sweet enough, so I don't add any additional sugar. If you think the sweetness is less add sugar as per your taste.



Idli/Sambar/Chutney


Idli Ingredients
1. 3 cup rice
2. 1 cup urad dal
3. 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
4. Salt to taste
5. 1/2 cup Mamra(puffed rice) or 1/2 cooked rice.

How I Prepare
1. Soak rice along with fenugreek seeds for 4-5 hours, and urad dal for 1 hour in cold water. The dal should be thoroughly washed.
2. Grind urad dal into smooth paste, by adding little water each time. Make sure paste is not watery. Empty the urad dal paste in a big vessel.
3. Grind rice with puffed rice/cooked rice into a smooth paste. We don't want it to be too coarse.
3a. If you are using puffed rice, soak it in water for 1-2 minutes and add it to rice while grinding it.
  3b. If you are using cooked rice, then add it to the rice while grinding.
4. Empty the grinded rice in the same bowl as urad dal. Add little salt and mix it with hand nicely.
5. Leave the mix for 8-10 hours to ferment
6. Once fermented, Pour the batter into greased idli moulds and steam for 10-12 mins for super soft and spongy idlis.

Tips
1. In US the weather is not same all year around, therefore in the night before sleeping. I preheat my oven to 250F and switch it off and keep the bowl in the oven for whole night with oven light on.

2. If the batter is nicely fermented then you will notice small little bubble in batter. For some reason if it is not fermented enough,  you add little bit of eno before placing the batter in idli mould.




Sambar (My mom method and my all time favorite with Idli) Ingredients
1. 1/2 cup toor dal
2. 1 large onion, 1/2 cut into big chunks for grinding and 1/2  cut into long slices
3. 1 large tomato, 1/2 cut into big chunks for grinding and 1/2 chopped into pieces
4. 1-2 cloves of garlic cut into long slices
5. 1/2 inch ginger cut into big chunks
6.  1 cup of vegetable (Carrot and beans, and add few drumsticks if available)
7.   2 teaspoon of sambar powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder.
9. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
11. 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
12. 1 teaspoon of grated coconut
13.  Few curry leaves
14. 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
15. 1 red whole chilli
16. Salt to taste
17. Oil 
18. 1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida (hing)
19. 4-5 cups of water
20. Few strings of coriander

How I Prepare
1. Pressure cook dal with turmeric powder and 2 cups of water.
2. Cook all the vegetables until they are tender. I generally add all of them together and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
3. In pan add little oil, once hot add jeera, garlic cloves, ginger, onions (big chunks) and saute it nicely until the onions are translucent.  Add tomato (big chunks), grated coconut, 1 string of coriander leaf and saute for 1-2 minutes. Let the mixture cool and then grind it into a smooth paste by adding sambar powder, red chilli powder and tamarind pulp.
4. In a pan add oil for tadka, add hing, mustard seeds, curry leaves and whole red chilli and saute. Allow the mustard to splutter. 
5. Add remaining sliced onion and saute it until translucent  Added chopped tomatoes saute it until the tomato are cooked. Add the grinded mix and bring it to boil.
6. Add the above mix to the dal along with cooked vegetable mix and adjust the consistency by adding water. Add salt to taste and boil it nicely. Garnish with coriander.


Chutney Ingredients
1. 2 handful of dalia (Kadale pappu)
2. 1 cup grated coconut
3. 1 garlic clove
4. 1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp
5. 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
6. 5-6 green chilli
7. Few strings of coriander (i take only 4-5 leaves, i don't like the chutney to have more coriander flavour)
8. 1/2 inch of ginger.
9. Little water
10. Salt to taste
11. 1-2 mint leaves (optional)

For tadka
1. 1-2 teaspoon of oil
2. 1/2 teaspoon urad dal
3. 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
4. Few curry leaves
5. 1 whole red chilli
6. 1/4 teaspoon of asafoetida (hing)

How I Prepare
1. In mixer add everything except coconut and water. Grind it for 1-2 minute, then add grated coconut and little water and grind it until you get an even paste.
2. Heat up the oil for tadka, once hot add the hing, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, cut whole chilli in half and saute until urad dal is golden brown. Switch off the stove and add the tadka to chutney and mix.

Paneer Tikka Masala (Marinated Indian Cheese)

Paneer Tikka Masala is simple yet rich and elegant north Indian dish and I am sure it is the favorite restaurant menu item for most of us. We always feel that making any dish with paneer is a complex process which is not true. If you have ingredients handy then any dish can be made at home.  I will post the recipe in 3 different step (Marinating the paneer, preparing the gravy paste and final step to prepare the curry). Below is the picture of the final product (Yum Yummy)


Ingredients (Marinating)
1. 1 packet of paneer (1/2 lb)
2. 2 teaspoon yogurt
3. 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon jeera powder
5. 1 teaspoon besan  (chickpea flour)
6. 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
7. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. Pinch of salt

How I Prepare
1. Cut paneer into 1/2 or 1 inch blocks, whatever size you prefer. Mix all above ingredients for marinating in a bowl. Add cut paneer and mix it such that paneer is nicely coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow this mix to marinate  for 45 minutes-1 hour. It's ok to keep the mix in refrigerator.


Ingredients (Gravy)
1. 3 ripe tomatoes chopped into big pieces
2. 2 cloves of garlic
3. 1/2 teaspoon of jeera seeds (cumin seeds)
4. 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf) 
4. 10-12 cashew nuts
5. 1-2 green chillies
6. 3-4  whole red chillies
7. 2 cups  of water.

How I Prepare
1. Add above ingredients in a cook pot and boil until the tomatoes are tender. Allow it to cool and then grind it into a smooth paste.

Ingredients (final step)
1. 2-3 teaspoon of oil
2. Salt to taste
3. 1 teaspoon butter (at room temperature)
4. 1 whole clove
5. 1-2 bay leaves
6. 1 whole green cardamom
7. 1 teaspoon of kasuri methi
8. 1/4 teaspoon garam masala.
9. 1/2 teaspoon sugar

How I Prepare
1. Take a pan, heat up half of the oil and once hot drop the marinated paneer pieces slowly and fry it until golden brown on medium heat. Take out the paneer.


2. In the same pan add some more oil. Once hot add cloves, bay leaves, cardamom and saute it for 1 minute. To this add the pureed mixture and lower the flame. The tomato mix will start  to splutter so cover  it with a lid and allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add salt to taste, sugar, garam masala and crush methi with your hands and add it to mix. Mix it nicely and cook it for 2 more minutes. You should start getting the kasuri methi smell.
4. Add fried paneer gently to the above mix and stir it slowly making sure you don't break the paneer. Add butter.
5. Cover the pan with lid and cook it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
6. Serve hot with rice, jeera rice, ghee rice or roti.

Red Leaves/Amaranth leaves Sambar/Dantina soppu Huli

Amaranth leaves also known as red leaves is very common in Karnataka and it's known as Dantina soppu. Dantina Soppu sambar goes well with rice and ragi mudde. You can prepare either sambar or andhra pappu (without sambar powder) using these leaves.  I generally make sambar (grinded version) and it is my hubby's favourite.



Ingredients
1. 1 bunch of amarnath leaves.
2. 1 onion. I use half for grinding cut into big blocks and other half is cut into long slices
3. 1 tomato. I use half for grinding cut into big blocks and other half chopped into pieces
4. 1/2 cup toor dal
5. Pinch of turmeric powder
6. 2-3 teaspoon of sambar powder (Or go as per your regular quantity)
7. 2 teaspoon grated coconut
8. 2 cloves of garlic
9. 1 teaspoon Tamarind paste
10. 1/4 whole jeera
11. Salt to taste

For Tadka
12. 1-2 whole red chilli cut into halves
13. 1/4  teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
14. 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
15. Oil for tadka
16. Few Curry leaves


How I Prepare
1. Pressure cook toor dal for 2 whistles with turmeric powder.
2. Wash the leaves and chop them into small pieces. If the stem is tender you can chop them too. It taste good.  Add leaves, half cut onion, tomato and little salt to the cooked dal and pressure cook for 1 more whistle. Add little water if required.
3. Heat up little oil in a pan, add onion, garlic cloves and jeera to it. Saute it until onion is translucent. Add remaining half tomato, grated coconut and saute it for 1-2 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool.
4. Grind the above mixture into smooth paste with sambar powder and tamarind paste.
5. Add the grinded paste to the cooked dal. Adjust the consistency by adding some water. Don't make it watery. This sambar should be thick.
6. Cook it on medium flame until the sambar starts boiling. Add Salt as per taste
7. Take a small pan, heat put up oil. Add hing, mustard seeds, curry leaves and whole chill and saute for 1 minute. Add the tadka to the boiled sambar.
8. Serve hot with rice and papad.



Ragi Rotti (Easy way)

Ragi Rotti is a breakfast item in Karnataka and it is quite filling. It is made of ragi (finger millet) flour. It is prepared in the same way as Akki rotti (Rice flour rotti). Ragi flour is easily available in Indian stores over here. Many people have different technique to spread the rotti dough, some spread the rotti over banana leaf, some on plastic cover and some on steel plate. In my house my mom used to spread it on a flat steel plate and then place the steel plate on the hot tava. After few minutes she use to separate the rotti from the plate and drop it on tava and cook it. This method is bit time consuming and there are chances that the rotti might break, if you don't allow it to cook properly on one side before taking it out from plate. Later after marriage I found that my MIL  has a different technique and she followed none of the above methods. She takes the dough spread it directly on the tava (before heating up the tava) and then keep the tava on stove to cook it. It cooks perfectly without any broken piece. I have been using her method every since for both ragi and Akki rotti.

Ingredients
1. 1 1/2 cup ragi flour ( you can make approximately 4-5 rotti)
2. 1/4 cup rice  flour
3. 1 onion medium/big size finely chopped
4. 4-5 green chillies finely chopped (increase/decrease it per your taste)
5. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
6. Few string of coriander leaves finely chopped
6. Salt to taste
7. Water to mix dough
8. Oil


How I Prepare
1. Add ragi, rice flour in a mixing bowl. Add onion, green chilli, coriander, salt, cumin seeds and mix it nicely by crushing onions with your hands for few minutes. This allows to get more flavour incorporated in the flour.

2. Start adding water little by little and knead it nicely in a dough. The dough should be such that its easy to spread. It should not be too hard.



3. Take a tava spread little oil in it and take small ball size portion of dough and spread it evenly on the tava using your hands.



4. Cook both the sides of rotti by applying little oil. Serve it hot with ghee or any chutney you like. It's best when eaten hot.

Notes
1. Once one rotti is cooked, switch off the stove. Remove the rotti from the tava. Turn the tava such that the bottom side is under the tap. Run it under the water for 1-2 minutes. The tava will become cool to make the next rotti.

2. Alternatively if you have two tava, you can allow the tava to cool naturally and make the next rotti on a different tava.

Indian Flat Beans Curry/ Chaprada Avere Palya

Indian flat bean or Val Papdi in gujarati or Chaprada Avere Palya in Kannada is prepared as a side dish and served with hot roti or rice. I generally prefer with rice than roti. This curry is one among those vegetable which was never made in my house (Marwari Jain family). The reason for this is my parents are from Rajasthan and Rajasthani cuisine do not include lots of green veggies, due to the climatic condition of the region. I was born and brought up in Bangalore but still this vegetable didn't make it entry in my list either, until I got married to my hubby belonging to Iyengar family from Bangalore. In States this veggie is easily available in all Indian store year round and for first time my hubby thought me how to cook it? I made couple of changes and came out of my own version.   



Ingredients
1. 1/2 lb of Indian flat bean
2. 1 medium sized onion
3. Few curry leaves
4. 1-2 whole red chilli break into half
5. 3-4 green chillies finely chopped (increase it if u want more spicy)
6. 1 teaspoon urad dal
7. 2 teaspoon grated coconut  ( I use frozen)
8. 3-4 teaspoon oil
9. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
11. 1/4 Asafoetida (Hing)
11. Salt to taste
12. 1/4 cup water

How I Prepare
1. Wash beans thoroughly with cold water, using your hands remove strings from both the ends. Take handful of beans at once place on cutting board and cut beans into small pieces (1/4 inch)

2. In a pressure cook add cut beans, 1/4 cup water, little bit of water and cook it for 1 whistle. The reason I do this sometimes the beans tend to be hard and pressure cooking them lightly will make sure all beans are evenly cooked. Alternatively you can boil direct on stove for few minutes

3. Take a pan add oil. Once the oil is heated up add hing, mustard seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Add urad dal, curry leaves, green chillies and whole red chilli.

4. Saute until the urad dal is golden brown in color.  Add onions, saute them until translucent.

5. Lower the flame, add turmeric powder, salt to taste and cooked vegetables. Mix everything nicely and cover the pan with lid and cook it for few minutes.

6. Garnish with coriander and coconut. Serve it hot.

Note
1. While adding beans to the tadka mix make sure to drain the water. This curry should be dry. You can drain the beans and keep water handy in case u see the curry to be too dry you can add it little by little.

2. I  put the frozen coconut packet in microwave for 30 sec. This helps the coconut to thaw quickly and easy to garnish.

3. Alternatively beans can be cooked without pressure cooking too. Add the cut beans to the tadka mix and cook it. It's just that it takes more cooking time.

4. You can skip onion's too and just go with basic tadka ingredients.




Pani Puri(Gol Gappa) - Pani Recipe

Pani puri also known as Gol Gappa is a very popular Indian street food. Being in States we miss eating street food a lot, only few restaurants offer chats here and usually there aren't fresh enough. I generally make the pani at home and get the puri's from the Indian stores. It's easier that way to make it in few minutes. 


Ingredients

1. 5-6 cups cold water
2. handful of fresh pudina leaves
3. 2 green chilli (Increase it if u want it to be spicy)
4. 1 tbsp amchur pwd
5. 1/2 teaspoon chaat masala powder
6. 1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon black salt (this gives the pani the aroma)
8. few strings of fresh coriander leaves
9. 2 teaspoon thick tamarind pulp
10. 1 teaspoon sugar or Jaggery
11. salt to taste

How I Prepare

1. Grind pudina leaves, coriander and green chilli together into a fine paste. Empty the paste in a bowl and use cold water to rinse  jar/blender.

2. Empty the rinsed water in a big bowl, add remaining water and all other ingredients.

3. Stir  water nicely by adding 2-3 spoon of  grinded paste. Taste it and if required add more until you get pani of your taste.

4. Keep pani in refrigerator for few minutes before serving with puri.

Notes
1. I don't add all the paste at once because I keep pani to medium spice. While serving I serve the paste as side dish so that if anyone wants more spicy they can just add to their bowl and mix it.

2. While mixing all ingredients to Pani, stir it nicely and taste the water couple of times. Adjust the ingredients quantity as per your taste. Some like it more tangy, some sweet, some spicy so just play with the ingredients.