Rava Laddu - Version 1

Ingredients:

Rava / Semolina - 1 1/4 cup
coconut - 1/4 cup 
Powdered Sugar - 1/3 cup
Cardamom powder / Elaichi powder - 1/2 tbsp
Ghee - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
Cashew, raisins - as needed

Method:

1) Roast rava until it starts to smell nice. set aside to cool.
2) Dry roast coconut as well until aromatic or golden brown.
3) In a bowl, add rava, powdered  sugar, elaichi powder, dry coconut.
4) Fry nuts in hot ghee.
5) Add them  to the bowl. Add more ghee if needed and mix well.
6) Take small portions and roll them into small balls.

Note:

1) Rava and coconut together should be 1 1/2 cup. Adjust the ratio as per your taste.
2) Condensed milk can also be used instead of ghee and sugar.

Kodubale / Chrispy spicy rings / Chrispy earrings (Version 2)

Ingredients:

Maida - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
chiroti rave - 1/4 cup
Oil - for frying
Red chillies - 4
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Om kalu / Ajwain - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

1) Fry red chillies in 1/2 tbsp of oil and grind it into powder.
2) Now mix all the ingredients using hot oil and water.
3) Roll them into cylindrical shape and join the ends to form the round shape.
4) Fry all the kodubale into golden brown.

Kodubale is ready to be served with coconut chutney or Tomato sauce or Chilly sauce.

Strawberry icecream

Ingredients:

Frozen Strawberries - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Milk cream - 2 cups

Method:

1) Blend frozen strawberries, milk cream and sugar together.
2) Freeze this mixture for more than 4 hours.

Strawberry ice cream is ready to be served .

Note:

1) Milk cream and sugar can be replaced with condensed milk .

Homemade Dosa Batter - Version 2

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Urad dal - 3 tbsp
Poha - 1 tbsp
Methi - 1 tbsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tbsp

Method:

1) Soak Rice and poha together for 3 hrs or overnight.
2) Soak Urad dal and Methi seeds together for 3 hrs or overnight.
3) Grind the batter and mix the baking soda and keep it aside overnight.

Dosa batter is ready to spread on tava next day.

Note:

1) Batter can be left overnight of depend on the rising of the batter.
2) If living in low temperatures area, then keep the batter in Oven with light turned on for over 1 hour and then turn off the light and keep it inside overnight.
3) Add 2 tbsp of oil to the batter and spread dosa. No need to add oil to tava, if following this tip.
4) Baking soda can also be added once batter has risen.
5) Add enough water to adjust the batter to make dosa, add salt too before making dosas.

Capsicum / Green bell pepper pudi palya

Ingredients:

Capsicum - 2 medium

Roasted gram dal - 4 tbsp

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Green chillies - 4 

Coconut - 1/4 cup

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 

Oil  - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) Grind Roasted gram dal, coconut, chillies, ginger and salt into fine powder and keep it aside.

2) In a kadai, add oil, mustard, jeera, chana dal, urad dal, hing and curry leaves.

3) Add finely chopped capsicum until soft.

4) Add the powder to the cooked capsicum and mix well. Turn off the heat.

Capsicum pudi palya is ready to be served.

Note:

1) Capsicum can be replaced with cooked raw banana, gori kayi, potato too.

Strawberry milkshake ( Version 2)

Ingredients:

Frozen Strawberry - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup (Optional)
Milk - 1/2 cup


Method:

1) Mix all the ingredients and blend it to enjoy delicious strawberry milkshake.

Mango Seekarani

Ingredients:

Ripened Mango - 1 medium
Sugar - 6 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tbsp
Mixed nuts - 1/4 cup
Milk - 2 cups

Method:

1) Chop mango into fine pieces or mash the mango in to fine paste.
2) Mix All the ingredients together.

Mango seekarani is ready to be served.

Note:

1) It can be served as quick dessert.
2) Pic shows instant dosa being served with mashed potato and seekarani.
3) Recipe for instant dosa: http://princessncooking.blogspot.ca/2016/06/instant-dosa.html

Sprouting fenugreek

Ingredients:

Fenugreek seeds - 1 cup
Water 

Method:

1) Wash the dry fenugreek seeds.
2) Fill the water just above the fenugreek seeds and soak them overnight.
3) Rinse well and keep it in a air tight container with its lid 3/4 covered for over 2 days.
4) You can also keep the seeds in a damp cloth.

Tasty sprouted fenugreek seeds ready to eat directly or as salad or add them in curries.

Thai dessert - fried banana

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Salt - a Pinch
Baking powder - a Pinch
Shredded coconut - 1/4 cup 
Sesame seeds - 1tbsp toasted  (optional)
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water - 3/4 cup

Method:

1) Mix all the ingredients with water to form a batter. 
2) Add few drops of oil/ ghee onTo the pan.
3) Spoon slices of banana dipped in the batter onto the pan and allow it to roast on both sides.

Fried banana can be served as snack, dessert, or with icecream.

Note:

1) Appe pan can also be used.
2) It can also be deep fried.

Pineapple Kesaribath

Ingredients : 

Medium Rava/ Semolina / Sooji - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Sugar - 1.5 cup or little more ( your pref)
Ghee - little less than 1/2 cup
Pineapple - 1 cup; finely chopped
Cashews - as required finely chopped 
Raisins - as required
Cardamom / elaichi -2-3 no; powder
Pineapple essence (Optional) - 2 drops
Yellow food color - just a tiny pinch (Optional)
Salt - a pinch
Cloves - 1

Method :

1) De skin and finely chop pineapple
2) Heat 1-2 tsp of ghee in a thick bottom kadai / pan and saute raisins & cashews  in it ,one by one.When they turn golden brown remove and keep aside.
3) In a same kadai  with leftover ghee,  roast rava over medium flame for 3 minutes or until it turns slightly golden brown. Make sure it doesn’t get burnt and keep it aside.
4) Now in a kadai, add ghee, clove, and then add water. Boil water. 
5) Once its well boiled, add finely chopped pineapple pieces and mix well . 
6) Close a lid and allow it to cook for 3-4 mins . 
7) Add the roasted rava slowly and carefully mix to make sure no knots are formed. 
8) Add sugar,salt and ghee.Mix everything . Keep mixing until the kesari starts leaving its sides .
9) Finally , add cardamom powder, pineapple essence ( if adding ) and nuts. Give a gentle mix and switch off .

Now Pineapple kesari bath is ready to serve . Serve hot or warm . 

Note:

1) Adding as much as ghee gives good flavour.
2) Pineapple essence can also be added.
3) I wanted thee natural color to the kesari, so i have not added the color to it.

Bombay saagu

Ingredients:

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
Gram flour / Besan - 5 tbsp
Salt - as required
Chayote/seema vankaya - 2 medium
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Green chillies - 4
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Water - 2 cups
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Method:

1) In a kadai, add oil. Once oil is heated, add mustard, jeera, chana dal, urad dal, hing, curry leaves.
2) Add Green chillies, ginger and fry well.
3) Add tomato paste / chopped tomatoes, turmeric and fry until soft.
4) Add gram flour and mix well. Now add water and bring to a boil.
5) Meanwhile pressure cook vegetables .
6) Add the cooked vegetables to the boiling mixture.
7) Add salt and boil until saagu is neither thick nor thin.
8) Garnish the saagu with coriander leaves.

Bombay saagu is ready to be served.

Note:

1) Any vegetable can be used. Even onions can be used.
2) I have used the water used for boiling vegetables.
3) This tastes good with poori , chapathi, rava idli.
4) Chopped Onion can be added along with cooked vegetables.

Vegetable saagu

Ingredients:

Green beans ( 15 to 20) - 1/2 cup 
Carrots( around 2 )  - 1/2 cup 
Potato - 1/2 cup ( keep the cut potatoes in water ( 1 small medium size))
Onion (1 small onion) - 3/4 cup 
Fresh / soaked peas - 1/2 cup 
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp
Few curry leaves
Oil - 2 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp
Fresh/frozen coconut - 1/2 cup
fried gram dal/hurigadale/pottu kadalai - 1 1/2 tbsp
Poppy seeds /khus khus/gasagase - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 4
Cilantro/coriander leaves - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Water - 4 cups


Method:

1) Boil 2 cups of water.
2) Add all the chopped vegetables to the boiling water. Then add salt, turmeric powder, and curry leaves, and mix well.
3) Let it boil on medium heat for 10 minutes or until the peas and beans become tender.
4) Grind coconut, fried gram dal, poppy seeds, green chillies, coriander leaves and a little bit of onion into a fine paste. Add enough water to grind.
5) Add this paste to the partially cooked vegetables.
6) Let it cook for another 8 to 10 minutes on medium low heat. Keep stirring constantly.
7) In another pan, add 2 tsp oil in ladle on medium heat.
8) Once it is hot enough, add hing and mustard seeds,  curry leaves. 
9) Add this to thee boiling saagu and turn off the heat.

Pour it on the saagu.

Note:

1) Soak ¼ cup dried peas 3 to 4 hours,which yields 1/2 cup soaked peas.
2) Vegetables can be more or less than 1/2 cup.

Moong dal halwa

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1 cup
Milk - 3 cups
Ghee/ Clarified butter - 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Elaichi (Cardamom) Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Badam (Almonds) - 3 tbsp
Kishmish (Raisins) - 3 tbsp
Pista chopped - 3 tbsp

Method:

1) Clean and soak the moong dal for 2 hours, drain and grind to a coarse paste.
2) Fry the dal paste in ghee, till it turns golden brown.
3) Add the milk and cook on low flame, stirring continuously, till milk dries up.
4) Add sugar and cook, stirring continuously, till desired consistency is reached. 
5) Add Cardamom powder before turning off the stove.
6) Mix well and transfer to a bowl. 

Garnish with the almonds. raisins and pistachio.

Strawberry lemonade

Ingredients:

Strawberry - 2 cups (Fresh)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 3/4 cup
Chilled water - as required
Lemon - 1 (Thinely sliced)

Method:

1) Slice tops from strawberries, discard.
2) Add strawberries, sugar, lemon juice to a blender and pulse until strawberries are liquid.
3) Strain juice through a sieve, if you prefer most of the pulp be removed.
4) Pour juice into 1/2 gallon pitcher, add slices of lemon, fill with chilled water.
5) Don't over fill pitcher with water, add just enough to make 1/2 gallon Pour over ice and enjoy.
6) Garnish sides of glasses with lemon slice and half of strawberry.

Note:

1) Sugar can be replaced with agave or maple or honey.