Pohe- savory flattened rice snack

Potato Pohe with green peas.
I love pohe. This simple snack is associated with so many delightful childhood memories. I remember waking up to the smell of freshly made pohe. Pohe can be made as an evening snack, something that you enjoy with a cup of hot tea.
the thing to remember is that pohe needs a lot of onion, salt and oil.
Recipe:
1 bowl "thin" pohe.
1 large onion, diced
1 large potato cut into bite sized wedges
1/2 cup green peas
2 sprigs curry leaves
4 tsp oil + some reserve
4 green chillies, cut into pieces
2 tsp clarified butter
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
salt, sugar to taste
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp mustard deeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
chopped cilantro and or fresh coconut for garnishing
Procedure:
Heat a heavy bottom pan and warm up oil in it. Add hing and mustard seeds, when they start to sputter add cumin seeds, curry leaves and chillies. Then add onion and tumeric on it. Cover and let the onion cook till translucent. Then add potatoes and peas and some water. Cover till the potatoes are cooked and some water dries up. Then add salt and mix well the wet pohe in this. Cover and let it steam for some time. If the pohe flakes look dry, then add some of the reserve oil to it. Then mix well the sugar and clarified butter. Taste it and adjust salt-sugar accordingly. Garnish with cilantro, grated coconut and serve hot.
Enjoy
Dipti!
Pohe taste best when they are served hot.

Cherry tomatoes Rasam

Spicy rasam with a sweet undertone
I love rasam. And as I am typing this, I just remembered that there are tons of tomatoes beggiing to be turned into rasam for me. Till now, rasam for me meant something I got at our local restaurant or some failed attempt I tried to make by copying recipe from behind of a rasam powder packet. but this is definitely my go to and must have recipe. I have blended 2 different recipes together and come up with my own. And thanks to my friend R who has been sending my rasam by the bucketloads. I made my rasam with cherry tomatoes and it was a little sweet to taste. Use roma tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes.
Recipe:
Rasam powder:
3/4 cup corriander seeds
1/4 cup black peppercorns
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 TBS chana da
1/2 TBS toor dal
1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds
3 dry chillies
2 sprigs curry leavs
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
dry roast all the ingredients seperately and grind them fine. Store in an airtight container in freezer for months. You will need around 2 tsp for 2-3 tomatoes.
Rasam:
10 cherry tomatoes, you can use 2 roma tomatoes
6 peppercorns
2 cloves garlic for grinding
1 tsp cumin seeds for grinding
2 cloves garlic for grinding
2 green chillies for grinding
1 tsp cumin seeds for tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds for tempering
oil for tempering
1 sprig curry leaves
cilantro
1" tamarind pulp
salt and sugar for taste
2 tsp rasam powder, add more later if desired
Procedure:
Boil and mash the tomatoes coarsely. Blend in blender along tamarind pulp. Coarsely grind garlic, peppercorns, green chililes and add to tomatoes. I like my rasam pulpy so i never strain. But otherwise strain. Boil this liquid in a pot and add the rasam powder. Heat other kadai and add oil to it. The add mustard seeds, cumin, garlic and curry leaves for tempering. Add this to the boiling rasam. Add salt and sugar to taste. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
Serve hot with rice or have it as it is as a soup.
Enjoy
Dipti

Layered mexican dip

Many layered dip.
I just forgot how many layers I had made. But this is something great to do with the leftover tostada fixings. I took a glass bowl just to see how pretty everything looks. I made mine from leftovers but this would be perfect for a potluck with fresh ingredients.
Recipe:
1 can mexican black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can salsa
1 can gaucamole
1 can sour cream
1 bag shredded mexican cheese blend
olives, green onions and cilantro for topping
jalapenos if needed
Procedure:
Take a glass bowl. Divide the above ingredients into 2 parts each. Layer with black beans at the bottom, then salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, olives-cilantro-green onions and jalapenos. Repeat in layers till over. Refrigerate for atleast 1 hr. Serve chilled with tortilla chips.
Enjoy
Dipti!

Tostada- a total delight

Tostada
This is such a great delight. A large crispy tortilla with all the stuffings on it and topped off with condiments like olives and jalapenos. My mom loves this.
Recipe:
4-6 tostadas, find them in any grocery store
2 cups shredded, boneless chicken any way you like it - my recipe follows
1 cup guacamole, homemade or store brought
1 cup salsa , homemade or store brought
small can olives chopped
cilantro chopped
smal container mexican sour cream or regular sour cream
green onions chopped
1 can mexican black beans, drain of the liquid and rinse the beans
jalapenos if you desire
kraft or any company mexican blend of cheese
Procedure:
My roast chicken recipe:
Clean and cut chicken breast. marinate with salt, pepper, cumin powder, garlic cloves and the brine from jalapeno jar along with few jalapenos and veggies like carrots, bell pepper, onions and tomatoes.
Bake in oven at 350F for 45 mins.
Pan roast with little oil to get crispy dry shredded chicken.
Tostada Layering:
Take a single toastada and add the chicken as the bottom most layer. then the beans. Then the gucamole and salsa, top it with cream cheese. Garnish with jalapenos, olives, shredded cheese and green onions. Serve immediately or the tostada will get soggy.
For a vegeterian meal, add grilled veggies like onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zuccini, eggplant, mushrooms etc instead of chicken.
Enjoy
Dipti!

Guacamole-my messy creation

My messy guacamole..

When I was carrying my baby, I used to hate this green weird concoction. To me at that time, it looked very slimy and messy and something with questionable texture. But post pregnancy, I have begun to fall in love with this good-for-you-fat guacamole. Mind you, I cannot eat avocados as it is, simply because it doesnot have any particular flavor but is quite nutty and fatty to taste.

Add this guacamole to any tacos, burrtitos or just as a dip with chips and you are in culinary heaven. My guacamole explodes in my mouth with spicy,sweet,nutty and sour flavor.

The trick is to make it 1 hr before serving to let the flavors blend in.

Recipe:

2 large ripe avaocados, peeled and mashed with fork

1 large tomato, chopped and deseeded

1 medium red or yellow onion, chopped

1 lime juice

salt to taste

2 chillies, minced and deseeded

handful chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, minced

procedure:

Mix all the above ingredients together. Cover the bowl and keep it in the refrigerator for 1 hr to let the flavors blend. MAke sure that you donot make a mush out of avocados otherwise it turns really gooey. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature with chips/tacos.

Dipti

Basic Salsa

Simple Tomato Salsa.

There are so many different kinds of salsas in Mexican cuisine, but still I love this very simple salsa. A few basic ingredients from your kitchen and you can fix this up in no time. Also, I find it very interesting that this salsa is very similar to Indian koshimbir(raita without yogurt). The difference being the addition of garlic and cumin powder, two greatly used ingredients in both Mexican and Indian cuisines.
Recipe:
2 tomatoes
1 onion, if you have red, great or yellow would do.
juice from 1 lime
1 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste
sugar to taste
2 serrano chillies or even thai would do., minced
1 large clove of garlic, minced
some chopped cilantro

Procedure:
Dice the tomatoes and the onion. Mix all the ingredients together. If possible, chill for 30 mins before serving to let the flavors blend. Serve with tortilla chips or on taco.
Enjoy
Dipti!!

Mint (Pudina) Chutney

Green Mint Chutney

This is a very easy and versatile mint chutney. I add a little garlic to the chutney which gives it a little different flavor. I pair my chutney with chaats like bhel puri, ragda patties and pani puri. Make it a little thick and serve it with your favorite kababs. Make it super thick and use it as a spread for sandwiches or bagels.

Recipe:
1 bunch of fresh mint, plucked, washed and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, plucked, washed and chopped
2 garlic cloves
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
salt to taste
jaggery to taste, or use sugar

Procedure:
Take all the ingredients and blend them to the required consistency. If serving with chaats, a little chaat masala added to it tastes great.
This chutney can be frozen for a long time in the freezer.
Enjoy
Dipti!!

Healthy Vegetable Cutlets

Gorgeous red beet patties

A long time ago, when I was very young and studying, I had gone to a friend of mine to help her with her course work. And of course her mom gave us snacks to eat and they turned out to be these gorgeous red colored patties which tasted a lot like fish fry but turned out to be humble vegetable cutlets.
Fast forward 12-13 years later when I develop this sudden hankering for the same taste. I still remember that taste:) So off i went and tinkered about in my kitchen and came up with these vegetable cutlets which can be eaten as a snack or if you really fatten up the cutlets and put them between a bun, they are your main course veggie burgers.

Recipe:
2 small beets, grated
2 carrots, grated
1/4 of small cabbage, grated
1/4 of small cauliflower, grated
1 cup peas
1 cup green beans
2 medium potatoes
all the veggies should be more or less equal, if quantity varies, dont worry.
1 Tbs ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
handful breadcrumbs
rice flour for dredging
oil for frying

Procedure:
Dry roast all the grated veggies. Cover and let it steam. Add peas and mashed potatoes and all the other ingredients except for oil and rice flour. Mix well. Form patties. Dredge in rice flour and shallow fry. Makes around 40 small patties. Freezes well.
Serve hot with ketchup.
If you want a great veggies burger, make a big patty and shallow fry well. Put it between 2 buns with tomato, onion cucumbers and other condiments.
enjoy
Dipti

Amrakhanda

Amrakhanda, looking gorgeously delicious :)

I dont dabble much in desserts. They seem to be my weak point. they come in second to baking. But I actually enjoyed making this gorgeous dessert. Infusion of hung yogurt with s rich mango pulp and some cardmom powder, makes this dessert very velvety. Good when eaten on its own, tastes best when eaten with hot Puris. Though I have heard of people eating this with rice. But hey! who am I to judge. To each his own.

Recipe:

32 oz carton of yougurt (I get the low fat dannon variety)

1 small sour cream (8oz)

1 container mango pulp (you can use fresh mangoes, make sure they are ripe,3-4 of them)

5 cardmom powdered very fine

about sugar: i never add any sugar in amrakhanda because of the mango pulp and this type of dessert sweetens more the next day . The best thing is to make this dish a day in advance as the flavors blend and deepen the next day. If the pulp or the fresh fruit is not as sweet as you prefer, add sugar freely.

Procedure:

Tie up the yogurt overnight in a cheese cloth over your sink with a pot underneath it to catch the cloth if it slips from the faucet. This yogurt is called as hung yogurt where the water or the whey is removed from the regular yogurt. Take this in a mixing bowl, add sour cream, pulp and the powdered cardmom and mix well. I use a hand mixer for this. Chill in the fridge and serve it with hot puris.

If you are using regular yogurt, by that I mean yogurt with fat and if the amrakhanda is too thick for your liking, add some milk and thin it out.

Enjoy,

Dipti!

Fish Cutlet

Cod Fish Cutlets

Cutlets before frying
Here's how it goes at my house.

my duckie: I want fish. mamma!! I WANT FISH FRYYYYY!!!

me: ok, I will ask baba to go and get some from that shop which is 25miles drive away.

my duckie: no, i want it. fishieeeeeeeeee!!!

me: Ok, I will get some tilapia/salmon/cod fish for you. my poor kid, you wont know the enjoy of eating Arabian sea fish like pomfret, bombil, ravas, surmai and ghol..

So, I drive alll the way upto either meijers or jewel and pick up whatever fresh fish they have. Mind you, the fish we get here isnt exactly as fresh as the fish we get in India..I miss fresh fish.

So i get home some fresh cod and decide what to do. Curry making is out of question because duckie had demanded something fried. So I flash back to my office colleague who had gotten this absolutely fantastic ghol fish cutlets for lunch one day. I think I had gobbled up her entire lunch. So now thinking back and scratching my brain, I tried to remember the ingredients and the -procedure. Of course i trolled the internet too. What I did was an amalgamation of my preferences and few recipes tossed around.

The verdict: both hubby and son loved it. I froze some and fried them on a later day when I was in dire need of snacks.

Recipe:

1/2 lb cod fish, cleaned

marinate with:

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp tumeric powder

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

salt to taste

1 large potato

1 tsp garam masala powder

handful bread crumbs

1 bunch green onions- only the green onions part, diced

handful chopped cilantro

oil for frying

Procedure:

Marinate the fish the usual way. Pressure cook the fish and the potato seperately. Drain water from fish. Heat oil, add cooked fish, garam masala and saute till fishy smell disappears. Add green onions, breadcrumbs, potato and cilantro. MIx well. Make small patties and dredge in rice flour. Shallow fry till brown and crispy on both sides. Serve hot with ketchup. Makes around 20 patties.

Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup...or stew

Almost a stew but not quite so a hearty soup...
I love chicken noodle soup. My fav is the one that someone else makes for me..:) But then that is true for any kind of meal.:) Chicken noodle soup is supposedly very good for your body especially when you are down with cold, flu and similar things. So i decided to make "my own recipe". I searched the internet high and low for different recipes, read quite a few books on soups and finally came up with my own version of Chicken Noodle Soup. I had warned S that this was a stomach-filling-as-good-as-any-meal soup but still he had to go and call it a stew. Though in hindsight, if it had been a little thicker, it would have been a hearty stew instead of a hearty soup. Well I liked it though and duckie loved it.
I made my own broth for this soup.
Recipe:
for the broth:
6 cups water
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
carrot trim ends
onion trim end
celery stalks
peppercorns, bayleaf, rosemary stalks
chicken pieces w/ or without bones.
Boil all the above ingredients together till the broth reduces to about 4 cups and the chicken is cooked. Discard the veggie bits and ends along with the chicken bones if any.
Soup:
4 cups chicken broth
2 carrots diced
1/2 onion diced
handful of peas
veggies like celery, beans, corn , bell pepper around 1/2 cup
rosemary 1 tsp finely chopped
black pepper and salt to taste
1/4 cup egg noodles or spaghetti
Boil all the above ingredients together till the noddles and veggies are cooked through and serve hot w/ or w/o a blob of butter. This soup is full of all the goodness of the veggies and chicken. Best cure for a sad wintry day.
Enjoy
Dipti!

Sabudana VAde

Fried Tapioca Fritters

Now thats a fancy name...fried tapioca fritters.
I prefer calling it as plain old sabudana vada. Generally prepared during mom's fasting, this delightful snack is one of my favs. I love eating this with plain ketchup. Again as all sabudana dishes go, this one is loaded with carbs and fried too. So double the danger, but so worth it:)

I love eating this snack on a rainy day and curling up with a good book while munching on it and mom refilling my empty plate. But gone are those days...now i have to prepare my own food and cant even sit for 2 mins alon forget curling up w/ a book. Duckie likes this and S loves this. He likes it with plain yogurt mixed with salt and sugar and roasted cumin seed powder.

Recipe:

1 cup sabudana soaked the previous day

3 potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed

1 cup roasted peanut powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

salt to taste

sugar to taste

1 tsp cumin seeds

Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Mix all the above ingredients together and form lime size balls and then flatten them into patty.

Heat a heavy bottom pan preferably a kadai and heat oil in it. When hot, turn the flame to medium-low and deep fry sabudana patty in it 2-3 at a time depending on the size of the kadai. Fry till golden brown taking care that it doesnot get burned but is cooked all through the inside.
Serve hot with ketchup or yogurt.

If you want to serve as appetizers, make smaller size patties. The trick is too make sure that vadas are cooked properly from inside and serve them hot.

Enjoy,

Dipti!!

Sabudana Khichidi

Sabudana Khichidi
Sabudana khichidi is one of my fav things to eat...ever. It is quite easy to make but the main thing is that the sabudana itself has to be of good quality. If the sabudana doesnot soak through properly, then the resultant khichidi is very hard to eat. Soak it more, and the khihidi turns a soggy mess. My mom used to make this khichidi whenever she used to fasts. makes sense eating this during fasting, being rich in carbohydrates and everything...I learned how to make the right khichidi from my MIL. Personally, I think she still makes the better khichidi.:)
Recipe:
1 cup sabudana, soaked in water overnight. make sure that you wash the saubadana first and the water is just one layer more than the sabudana. cover the sabudana while soaking.
1/2 cup roasted, coarsely ground peanuts
1 potato boiled and chopped in medium-size chunks
3 minced green chillies
salt to taste
sugar to taste
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp oil
2 tsp clarified butter
chopped cilantro for garnishing
Procedure:
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan, when hot add cumin seeds. Add the potato chunks and green chillies. Then add the roasted peanuts and then the soaked sabudana. Saute the sabudana on medium-low flame. Keep on doing it till the sabudana is transperant and soft to touch. Donot cover while cooking.
After the khichidi is cooked, garnish with cilantro and add clarified butter for extra flavor. Traditionally, this khichidi is prepared in clarified butter, but cooking in oil cuts down the extra calories.
Serve this khichidi when hot and with a side of yogurt. Some peopl like wedge of lime and grated coconut with this. The above quantity serves 2 people.
Enjoy
Dipti!

Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplants with dried shrimp

Eggplant stuffed with dried prawns, onions and spices

Yum yum yum. This is my mom's speciality. I remember when as a kid I used to wait for my mom to make this absolutely delicious recipe of eggpplants stuffed with dried shrimps and potatoes. Alternately, this recipe can be made with roasted peanuts. S has an aversion to eggplants but I make sure to add lots of potatoes and he loves it. My little duckie loves to eat this too though he is not fond of the dried shrimps in it. And me, I love the entire thing. So it just works well for the three of us.

Recipe:

4 small eggplants, washed and cut at the top into slits.

2 large potatoes cut into 1/4" rounds

2 medium onions, minced

1 handful dried shrimp, soaked in water and marinated w/ 1/2 tsp red chilli, 1/4 tsp tumeric powder, salt to taste and some tamrind pulp and paste made of 2 cloves garlic, 1/2" ginger, 2 green chillies and some chopped cilantro.

1 cup masala powder of dried dessicated coconut and fried onions

salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

little sugar to taste
4 tsp + 2 tsp oil for cooking

Preparation:

Heat a heavt bottom pan with 2 tsp oil. When hot, add a pinch of asafoetida to it. Then add the marinated shrimp to it and roast till cooked. When cold, add onions, coconut masala powder, garam masala powder, salt and sugar and mix well. Stuff the eggplants with this mix. Heat the pan again with 4 tsp oil and when hot gently lower the eggplants into it along with the potato rounds and the leftover mixture. Cover and let it cook on low flame. When cooked, serve hot with chappatis and rice and varan.

Enjoy

Dipti!!

I know this recipe seems a little lengthy, but its definetley worth it.

Simple Moong Dal

Aromatic Moong Dal

I remember my mom making this dal whenever we used to get bored of veggies. This protein rich dal is very easy to make but is flavorful and easy to digest. I remember when I had my baby, my mom used to make this dal atleast thrice a week. The recipe I have below is an exact version of my mother's. I usually make this dal when my refrigerator is low on veggies, am too bored to run to the grocery store and whenever we are expecting or had a heavy lunch/dinner.

Recipe:
1/2 cup moong dal
1 small onion minced
1 sprig curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp roasted corriander powder
1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
pinch of garam masala
salt to taste
sugar to taste
cilantro for garnish
2 tsp oil to cook
Preparation:

Soak moong dal in warm water for atleast 2 hrs. Drain and keep it. Heat a kadai and warm up the oil in it. Once hot, add mustard seeds. When they start sputtering add cumin seeds and the curry leaves. Add onion and let it cook. Then add ginger-garlic paste, tumeric, red chilli powder, corriander and cumin powder. Stir fry for 1 min and add the soaked dal. Stir fry again for 1 min and let the spices mix with it properly. Then add 1 cup water, cover and cook till the dal is well done. Lower the flame to mediu-low so that it doesnt get burned. Adjust the quantity of water according to your needs, but traditionally, this dal is not runny. After the dal is cooked, add garam masla powder, salt and little sugar to taste. Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve it with hot chappatis and ghee.
Enjoy
Dipti

Stir fried Swiss Chard

Stir Fried Red Swiss Chard

Coming to the US, I have made peace with my heart, mind and stomach that not all Indian vegetables will be available here but that I should make do with the locally available produce and use them as much as possible. Growing up, I used to eat lots of greens or rather my mom used to make me eat them, but in all fairness, they were delicious. One day while yapping to my friends about the dearth of "Indian" greens over here, someone mentioned Red Swiss Chard which is similar to a type of green leafy vegetable we get in Indian. So I drove to my farmers market, got me someof those colorful looking leaves and planned out the menu for lunch. They tasted somewhat similar to the bhaajii I used to eat in India but needed more onion and garlic. I liked it. S hates greens as it is. Duckie was suspicious but ate some of it. The verdict..??? This is now a regular at my house for lunch.:))

Recipe:
1 bunch of swiss chard
4 cloves of garlic- i love garlic
1/2 onion
2 tsp oil
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
sugar to taste
note: I rarely ever add any spices in greens. I love them simple, stir fried with onions and garlic.
Preparation:
Heat oil in a pan, add asafoetida when hot. Then add garlic and brown it a little. Then add onion and let it cook completely. Then add the swiss chard leaves and cook them till wilted and they lose the bitter taste. Add salt and sugar according to taste. This type of grrens doesnot handle reheating very well. So make this just before eating and serve hot with a side of yogurt, chappati or rice.
Enjoy
Dipti

Grated Potatoes (batatacha kiss)

Grated Potatoes with a dollop of Yogurt..

The Potato Mix
My mom usually made this great grated potatoes whenever she was fasting. This dish is a good source of carbohydrates, proteins and everything in between. Add a healthy serving of yogurt and you have a complete meal. The only hitch is that you actually have to spend a good amount of time grating potatoes. I alternate my hands while grating:) I love this dish because even though it has very few basic and simple ingredients, it is very filling and tastes great.

Recipe:

2 medium washed potatoes, grated, and squeezed to removed extra water

2 TBS roasted peanuts, coarsely ground

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oil

2 green chillies finely minced

salt to taste

sugar to taste

chopped cilantro for garnishing

side of yogurt

Heat a heavy bottom pot and add oil to it. When hot, add cumin seeds and then green chillies. Then add the grated potatoes and roasted peanuts and mix well. Cover and let the potatoes cook. You will know the potatoes are cooked when the pot starts steaming. Donot add any water for cooking. Add salt and sugar according to your taste. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with a side of yogurt.

Sometimes, this recipe is made with clarified butter, but I use oil just to reduce the fat. Make sure that the potatoes are cooked completely before eating otherwise they just taste weird.

Enjoy

Dipti!

Sheera

Sweet Sheera- an all time favorite
Now here when I say all time favorite, I dont mean mine. I mean favorite for people in general like my husband who would devor it gladly anytime of the day: breakfast, snakcs, lunch or dinner. Sheera is made from sooji also known as wheat creamlets. This sheera is also prepared duirng any auspicious occasions or even whenever we have a simple puja at our home. Personally, I am not a big fan of sheera, but when S proclaimed his love for this simple dessert, I decided to give it a try. I usually have this after my meals, as a dessert. I kow people who would gladly have this for a main course.
Recipe:
1 cup sooji
1 1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tsps milk masala (crushed powder of almonds, cashew, pistachios, cardmoms and saffron)
1/2 cup clarified butter (ghee), more if you are not watching your weight.
pinch of salt (to bring out the sweetness)
1 heavy bottom pot just so that sooji doesnt get burned while roasting
Preparation:
Heat the pot and keep it on medium-low flame. Add the sooji to this and start roasting slowly. add clarified butter slowly. Sooji should be medium brown and soon you will be able to smell the it. Take care not to burn this. Then in a separate container mix the milk and water together and microwave on high for 2 min. Add the hot milk to the roasted sooji immediately and carefully and add the pinch of salt too. Mix well. Lower the flame to "low" and cover the pot. Check after sometime to see if the sooji is cooking properly. you can check by pressing some between your fingers to see if is cooked properly. When cooked completely, add sugar and milk masala to it. Mix well and cover it. Let it steam twice and serve hot.
SOme poeple like it cold, some hot while some at room temperature
Some add fruits like pineapple, banana and mango while adding sugar. Lessen the quantity of sugar accordingly.
When heating it the next day, add some milk and microwave it.
Enjoy
Dipti

Cucumber Raita

Green Cucumber Raita
This is my fav raita. Very easy to make. And because of cucumbers it has a great cooling effect. A perfect summer side dish. I usually make this as a side dish with biryanis or any similar spicy main course.
Recipe:
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 TBS roasted peanut powder
salt to taste
sugar to taste
1/2 lime juice
1 tsp grated coconut
2-3 green chillies, minced
handful of chopped cilantro for garnishing
for tempering:
2 tsp oil
pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
Preparation:
Peel and dice the cucumber. Add all the ingredients and mix well. Heat a small pot for tempering. Add oil and when hot add asafoetida and cumin seeds. When they start sizzling, turn off the gas and pour the tempering over the mixed cucmber raita. Mix the raita well and serve chilled.
There is another method where you can omit the grated coconut and add 2 TBS of yogurt. Add more sugar then and omit the lime juice completly. That too taste great with biryanis.
Enjoy
Dipti

Spicy Coconut and Garlic Chutney

Spicy Coconut and Garlic Chutney
This is one of the most common and versatile chutneys found in maharashtrian households. This chutney tastes best with vada pav, bhajis (fritters) or any other fried snakcs. This chutney at the same time can add spice to any boring meals. I remember eating this chutney by the spoonfuls with most of the meals when I was young. This chutney can be made in bulk and stored in an airtight container for upto 2 weeks.
Recipe:
1 cup dry dessicated coconut
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste
sugar to taste
Mix all the ingredients together and dry run them through the blender, making sure that they get mixed well. Store in an airtight container for peruse.
There are various variations of this chutney. Some add ingredients like white sesame seeds or black ajwain seeds or roasted corriander seeds or even oil. Whenever I am making fresh chutney for vada pavs, I usually drizzle 1 tsp of oil in which the vadas have already been fried. It just gives it a different taste and binds up all the ingredients together.
Enjoy
Dipti

Spaghetti and Chicken Meatballs with Sweet and Spicy sauce.

Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti- A favorite of mine.

Cooking the meatballs in the sauce itself gives a great flavor to the sauce

The meatball mix

This is one of the easiest pasta dishes I have every made. To save time, you can make a great quantity of meatballs, a big amount of pasta sauce and freeze them both seperately. The whenever required, just cook the meatballs, thaw the sauce, boil the pasta and toss it together and serve it with a helping to parmesan cheese. Dinner is ready within 30 mins.

I always promise myself that the next time I would make big quantities of meatballs and sauce but it never happens.

Recipe:

For the sauce, just follow the red basic sauce recipe saved under pasta/noodles.

for the meatballs:

1 lb minced chicken breast

1 small onion minced

1/4 cup green scallions if you have any on hand

3 cloves of garlic minced

handful breadcrumbs

salt to taste

fresh black pepper

1 tsp dry basil

1/2 container ricotta cheese- this makes the meatballs delightfully moist

1 egg

2 tsps olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F Mix all the ingredients except for the minced chicken in a large mixing bowl. Then add the minced chicken to it and mix. Donot over mix otherwise the meatballs would be tough. ball them into lime size balls. Arrange on a baking sheet. You can bake these directly or pour some spicy pasta sauce around it so that the juices flavor the sauce. Bake for 35 mins. Remove and let it stand for 5 mins and then mix it with the sweet sauce.

Now for the spicy pasta sauce:

I usually serve this pasta with 2 sauces, sweet and spicy. So when I make my basic red sauce, before adding sugar, I divide it into 2 parts. To part A I add more sugar and to part B, I add 1/2 tsp red chiilli flakes.

Boil the spaghetti per instructions and toss with little butter and 1 tsp dry basil. Heat up a sauce pan and add the sweet pasta sauce to it.

To serve: Take a plate, serve pasta on it. then serve some sweet pasta sauce, then meatballs and then some spicy pasta sauce around it. garnish with parmesan cheese and serve immediately:)

You could omit all the sweet-spicy pasta sauce instructions and stick to just one.

Remember to serve with red wine though!!

Enjoy

Dipti!!

Garlic Chutney Sandwiches

Garlic chutney on white bread and butter.

This is easily on of my fav sandwiches. I had a friend in school who used to get this for the lunch. I remember exchanging my lunch to eat her sandwiches. Then my mom realized this and she started making these quick fix sandwiches for me. Really they take no time at all. Just slather some butter on your bread, sprinkle some garlic chutney and Voila!!!! lunch ready.:)
Recipe:
4 slices either white or brown bread.
Some softened butter.
2 tsp of garlic chutney ..more if you like the garlicky flavor.
chutney recipe:
1 pod garlic peeled and chopped
1/2 cup dry dessicated coconut
salt to taste
sugar to taste
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ajwain seeds(optional)
1 tsp corriander seeds(optional)
dry blend everything in a blender and store the chutney in an airtight container for 1 week. This chutney tastes great with savory snakcs like vadas too.

Lay down 2 slices of bread, slather the butter and sprinkle with chutney. Assemble into sandwich and eat immediately:) Make the 2nd sandwich and eat that too!
Enjoy
Dipti