Green gram dosa / Pesarattu

Ingredients:

Green gram - 1 cup
Green chillies - 4
Salt - as required
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Maida / All purpose flour - 1/4 cup (Optional) 
Baking soda - 1/2 tbsp (Optional) 
Oil - for making dosa.

Method:

1) Wash and Soak green gram over night.
2) Drain the water and add the Green gram into mixie jar. Also add Ginger, salt, Green chillies and grind it into fine paste.
3) Mix rice flour, maida to the grinded mixture. Add the baking soda to it and the sufficient water to get the batter consistency.
4) Allow it to rest for 30 mins.
5) Now Heat the skillet, add oil / Ghee. Take sufficient amount of batter and spread across the skillet.
6) Roast the dosa on both the sides and it is ready to be served.

Green gram dosa  tastes good with coriander chutney, tomato chutney, coconut chutney, Onion chutney.

Note:

1) Green gram can also be soaked in warm water for around 4 hours.
2) Chopped onions can also be mixed to the Green gram dosa batter.
2) Dosa can be consumed with some Ghee / clarified butter.
3) When grinding batter, avoid green chillies. Then you can also turn this into Masala dosa with some coconut chutney, red chutney and potato filling.
4) Dosa can also be made immediately avoiding the resting time of 30 mins.
5) Baking soda and maida can be avoided.

How to make tamarind pulp

Ingredients:

Tamarind - lemon size
Salt - as required
Jaggery - 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup

Method:

1) In a vessel, add water and allow it to boil.
2) When water starts boiling add jaggery , salt, Jaggery and allow it to boil for 5 mins.
3) Cool this mixture and squeeze the pulp from the tamarind.

Note:

1) Sugar or dates syrup / paste can be substituted for jaggery.
2) As the pulp is too thick enough, water can be added or less amount can be added to Sambhar, rasam etc.,

3) Jaggery can be optional when boiling. Only tamarind salt and Water can be used for boiling and extracting pulp.

Raw banana and peas tikki

Ingredients:

Raw banana - 1 medium
Peas - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 4
Pudina / Mint - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Soaf - 1/4 tbsp
Ginger - 1/4 cup (Chopped)
Garam masala - 1/4 tbsp
Chat masala - 1 tbsp
Salt - as required
Bread crumbs - 1/4 cup
Hing -  - 1/4 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) Cook Raw bananawith peel and peas seperately.
2) De- skin raw banana and mash well.
3) To mashed raw banana add, cooked peas, chopped green chillies, Chopped pudina, jeera, soaf, chopped ginger.
4) Mix well. Now add turmeric, garm masala, chat masala, salt, hing.
5) Mix well. Add water if required.
6) Make tikkis and roll them on bread crumbs.
7) Add oil to tava and  shallow fry tikkis.

Serve tikki with tomato ketchup.

Bhindi masala

Ingredients :

Bhindi/Okra - 2 cups (chopped 1 1/4 inch piece)
Onion - 1/2 cup ( chopped to big chunks)
Capsicum - 1/2 cup (chopped to big chunks)
Tomato - 1 small ( deseeded chopped to big chunks)
Tomato paste - 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves - 1 handful finely chopped
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Amchoor powder - 1/4 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/4 tsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp
Salt - as required
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch 
Green chilli - 4 

Method:


1) In a pan, add oil and Chopped bhindi and fry until the stickiness is gone.
2) In another pan, add oil, mustard, jeera, ginger, garlic, green chillies, chopped onion and fry till the golden brown.
3) Add capsicum and fry until soft.
4) Add tomato and the paste and stir well for 5mins.
5) Add turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, amchoor powder, chat masala, kasuri methi, and mix well.
6) Now add enough water and stir. simmer on a low flame.
7) Lastly add coriander leaves to garnish them. 

Semiya idli in microwave

Ingredients:

Semiya / Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
Chiroti Rava / Semolina - 1 cup
Chana dal - 1 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup (Broken)
Mustard - 1 tbsp
Green chillies - 4 medium (finely Chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch
Salt - as required
Curd / Yogurt - 2 1/4 cup
Hing / Asofoetida - 1/4 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves / Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Baking soda - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan, add 1 tbsp of ghee followed by semiya. Fry until golden brown and keep it aside.
2) Again add 1 tbsp of ghee and add chiroti rava and fry until golden brown and add this to the roasted semiya.
3) Follow the simillar process to fry chana dal, cashew, Mustard, green chillies, ginger. Add this to the fried semilina ans semiya.
4) To this add hing, salt, chopped coriander leaves, baking soda and mix well.
5) Mix well and add the amount of curd mentioned. Keep the batter aside for 5 mins.
6) Take the bottom part / base of the microwave idli maker, add 3/4 water to it and microwave it for 1 min.
7) Smear the idli tray with ghee / oil.
8) After 5 mins, add the batter to the idli tray and stack them in the bottom part of the stand which we microwaved with water for over a min.
9) Close the lid and microwave it for 5 mins.
10) Once done, leave it for 2 mins and then yummy idlis are ready to be served.

Rava idli taste good with potato sagu, chutney.

Note:

1) Ghee can be substituted with oil
2) Refer my post on how to make Restaurant style potato sagu.
3) Semiya and Rava can also be used in 1:1 ratio.

Spinach chutney

Ingredients:

Spinach - 2 cup (roughly chopped)
Urad dal - 3 tbsp
Red chillies - 6
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Tamarind - size of a marble
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/4 tbsp
Garlic - 2 cloves (Crushed)
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 6
Salt - as required.

Method:

1) In a pan, add oil followed by chopped spinach. Fry well until the volume is reduced and the spinach is completely fried.
2) In another pan, add 1 tbsp of oil,  urad dal, 4 red chillies and hing and fry until golden brown.
3) Now add the fried spinach, urad dal, red chillies, hing in a blender. Along with Coconut, Tamarind, salt and grind this into fine paste. Keep this aside.
4) Now in a pan, add remaining oil, mustard, curry leaves, crushed garlic, and red chillies. Top this on the grinded paste.

Spinach chutney is ready to be served with Rice, Idli, Dosa etc.,

Note:

1) Spinach can be substituted with any other green leafy vegetable like dill leaves, coriander, Mustard leaves, Fenugreek leaves etc.,
2) Chutney can be stored for around a week in refrigerator.
3) I have used both spinach and dill leaves.

Eggplant Gojju

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 1 Big
Tamarind pulp - 1 cup
Salt - as required
Sugar - 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Mustard  - 1/4 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 6
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Red bell pepper - 1/4 cup (Optional)


Method:

1) In a pan, add oil, mustard, jeera, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves, hing one by one.
2) Now add chopped ginger and fry for around 2 mins.
3) Add Chopped eggplant and red bell pepper. Fry for around 5 mins.
4) Take the tamarind pulp and add to the pan and mix well with eggplant.
5) Cook until eggplant is soft enough.
6) Now add turmeric, salt, sugar, sambhar powder and cook for 3 mins.
7) You can add sufficient water to get the gojju consistency.
8) Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and shredded coconut.

Roasted coconut cashewnuts

This could be perfect snack for rainy / winter days. The recipe is one of the appetizer / snack of Thai Cuisine with some sweet and Hot taste in it.

Ingredients:

Groundnut oil / peanut - 1 tbsp
Honey - 2 tbsp
Cashewnuts - 2 cups
Dessicated coconut (dry unsweetened shredded) - 1 1/3 cup
Red chillies, seeded n finely chopped - 2 small
Black pepper - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - as required

Method:

1) Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan and then add honey.
2) After 1 min add cashew nuts, coconut and stir until golden brown.
3) Now add red chillies, salt and pepper.
4) Toss until all the ingredients are mixed together.
5) Serve warm or cooled in paper cones or saucers.

Note:

1) Cashew nuts can be substituted with almonds or peanuts.
2) Groundnut oil can be substituted with canola oil, vegetable oil , olive oil too. I prefer groundnut oil.

How to Slice and Eat a Star Fruit

Here are few tips and tricks to choose, slice and eat star fruit.

1) First choose the best, most ripe starfruit with slight green edges and rich orange color

2) Using a sharp butcher knife, slide the blade down the green edges of the star fruit being careful only to remove the non-orange edge.

3) Once the edges are removed, slice off the two ends. Only remove about 1/2 inch, not too much. At this point your fruit should have no more green or brown areas.

4) Next, slice the trimmed starfruit across the broad side, into star shapes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick

5) You’ll notice that your slices have seeds in them, mostly in the middle pieces. These should be removed with the tip of the knife.

6) Star fruit is a very fun-shaped fruit, so get creative with how you plate it. It also makes a great garnish, and in Costa Rica (in Spanish is called ‘carambola’) they are plentiful and cheap. 

7) They are a great snack with a little sprinkle of cinnamon, as a juice drink, or to use in salads. They are versatile, so find your favorite way to use them and enjoy!

Palak Mushroom Biryani

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup (washed)
Water - 2 cups 
Peas - 1/4 cup
Palak / Spinach - 2 cup (chopped finely)
Onions - 1 (chopped)
Tomatoes - 1 medium
Garlic - 2 big pods
Ginger - 1/2  inch
Green Chillies - 4 (according to your taste)
Bay leaf - 1 
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch 
Cardamom - 1
Oil - 3 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Salt - as required
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 6
Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp (Optional)

Method:

1) Grind ginger, garlic, green chillies and tomato into smooth paste.
2) Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, jeera, hing, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaves, bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon one by one.Fry until golden brown.
3) Now add chopped onions and fry until golden brown.
4) Now add Palak and Mushroom and fry for around 2 mins.
5) Add the paste grinded and fry for 5 minutes.
6) Now add peas and fry for next 3-4 minutes.
7) After 4 mins add turmeric, salt, washed rice and fry for around 3 mins. Now add Water to cook rice. 
8) When water starts boiling check for salt and adjust if necessary. 
9) Allow the rice to cook completely. When rice is cooked, add shredded coconut and lemon juice. 

Tasty Palak Mushroom Biryani is ready to be served with raita, coconut chutney or just as it is.

Note:

1) You can substitute peas with avarekalu or chick peas.
2) Garam masala can also be added.
3) Lemon juice is optional and can be avoided.
4) Palak can be substituted with Dill leaves.
5) Mushroom can be substituted with shallow fried paneer / Cottage cheese.

Avarekalu thavve / Surti papdi lilva dal

Ingredients:

Avarekalu - 1 cup
Green chillies - 4
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Salt - as required
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Beans - 1/4 cup (Optional)
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 6
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup (Chopped)

Method:

1) Cook Avarekalu, toor dal with beans and turmeric and keep it aside.
2) In a pan, add oil, mustard, jeera, chana dal, urad dal, hing, curry leaves, green chillies.
3) When green chillies fry well, add the cooked avarekalu with beans.
4) Add sufficient water and salt. Boil for around 5 mins.
5) Now add Lemon juice and coriander leaves and turn off the flame.

Restaurant style potato sagu

Ingredients:

Potato - 4 medium (Boiled and peeled)
Green chillies - 4
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Onion - 1 medium
Chana dal - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal- 1/4 tbsp
Mustard- 1/4 tbsp
lemon juice- 1/2 tbsp
Sagu powder - 4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 6
Water - 200ml
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan add, Oil, mustard, chana dal, urad dal, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves . 
2) Add onion and fry until golden brown.
3) Once onion is fried, add boiled and roughly mashed potatoes.
4) Now add sagu powder mixed in water. (4 tbsp of Powder with 200ml of water)
5) Mix well and boil until sagu gets thicken.
6) Turn off the flame and add the lemon juice.

Garnish it with coriander leaves.
Sagu can be served with rava idli, poori, chapathi. 


PS: Refer our "Homemade potato sagu powder" to know more on how to make the powder at home.

Note:

1) I have made it very thick. You can add more water to get the sagu consistency.

Homemade Potato Sagu powder

Ingredients:

Salt - as required
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1 cup
Red chillies - 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

1) In a pan, dry roast coriander seeds and red chillies.
2) When they cool down, finely powder this along with sugar, salt, turmeric, hing.

Note:

1) Sugar can be avoided.
2) Mix 6 tbsp of Powder with 300ml of water and then add to the cooked onion and 1 kg potato.