hello all 🙂 its been months that I havent posted any food here for the reason not knowing to me .. well, today I am starting it again… I had fresh bunch of palak in my refrigerator, which i did not want to keep it for long, so thought of preparing Aloo Palak for lunch today..

Here comes the recipe

Ingredients:

• palak- 2 bunches
• onion-1 small
• tomato -1 small
• potato- 2 small
• turmeric powder- pinch
• sugar-1/4tbsp
• red chilly powder- 1/2 tbsp
• coriander powder-1/2 tbsp
• garam masala powder- 1/2 tbsp
• salt
• cumin seeds- 1/2 tbsp
• oil-2 tbsp

Method:

• wash palak and chop it roughly. Heat a tablespoon of oil and add chopped palak, and saute till it is reduced to half.
• Once the palak is cool, grind it finely adding a pinch of sugar to retain its colour .
• pressure cook potato, cube it into small chunks.
• Add a tablespoon of oil and add cumin seeds, let it splutter. Now add chopped onions and fry till transparent, add chopped tomato and saute till tomato becomes mushy.
• At this stage add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt, coriander powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
• Add ground palak puree and add potato chunks. let it boil for 5 minutes. Serve hot with roti..

Photo will be uplaoded shortly 🙂

I have already posted the recipe of bisi bele bath which my mom prepares. Here I am telling you my version of bisi bele bath. It is a great one pot meal which goes well with potato chips. It is my all time favourite rice dish. I can have this for 3 course as well 😉 I never tried adding onion or garlic for bath, but today gave a try… trust me adding a few pieces of onion and garlic gives a good taste and flavour. Even though preparing this is a lengthy process, it calls for it… give it a try….

Ingredients

• toor dal/ togari bele/ yellow pigeon peas-1 cup
• sona masuri rice- 3/4 cup
• vegetables- 1 cup ( i used carrot, potato,  green peas, capsicum)
• onion-1 small
• garlic-3 pods
• oil- 1 tbsp
• butter/ghee-2 tbsp
• jaggery-1/2 tbsp
• tamarind- a small ball
• to make masala powder
  • coriander seeds- 2 tbsp
  • dry coconut- 5 tbsp
  • urad dal- 2 tbsp
  • channa dal-2 tbsp
  • red chilli-5 ( I used byadagi)
  • fenugreek- ¼ tbsp
  • cinnamon-1 inch
  • cloves-3
  • khuskus- ¼ tbsp
  • oil-2 tbsp
  • for seasoning
    • mustard seeds- ¼ tbsp
    • ground nuts
    • cashew nuts
    • curry leaves
    • ghee-1/2 tbsp

Method

1. Chop vegetables and soak toor dal in water.
2. In a wok fry dry coconut till golden brown in colour, keep aside. Add a tablespoon of oil and fry red chilly for 2 minutes and remove. Fry all other ingredients like coriander, fenugreek, urad dal, channa dal, khus kus, cinnamon, and cloves separately in little oil and keep aside. When they become cool, grind to a fine powder.
3. In pressure cooker heat a tablespoon of oil, add onions and garlic. Sauté onions till they turn transparent.
4. Add vegetables, dal, rice, water (approximately 1 liter), salt, turmeric powder, tamarind, ground masala powder and mix well.
5. Add a tablespoon of butter or ghee and close the lid. Pressure cook till 4 whistles.
6. In a small pan prepare seasoning with ghee and garnish bisi bele bath with the seasoning.
7. Serve piping hot with potatao chips, raita or khara boondi.

Note:

• Add more water when cooking to avoid burning. Bath absorbs water later on.

Ladies finger/ bhendi/ bende kai is one vegetable which I never liked preparing till I came to know how to get rid of its stickiness. I usually prepare bhendi and onion sambar, bhendi subzi to go with rice. I never tried any curry to go with roti. Finally a day came when I prepared aloo bhendi as I had only potato and bhendi stock in my kitchen… it is very easy and must try recipe…

Ingredients:

• Potato- 2 medium
• Ladies finger/bhendi/bende kai- 20
• Onion-1
• Tomato-1 big
• Red chilli powder- ½ tbsp
• Jeera-1/4tbsp
• Oil- 1 tbsp
• Salt
• Lemon juice- ½ tbsp

Method:

• Cut potato in cubes and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
• In wok heat oil, add bhendi and fry for 2 minutes in high flame to get rid of stickiness.
• Chop onions and tomato finely and keep aside.
• In a wok heat a tablespoon of oil, add jeera. When jeera splutters, add onions and fry till transparent. Add tomato and sauté till tomato become mushy.
• Now add potato, salt and cook for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle little water and add bhendi, cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add red chilli powder and sauté for a miute.
• Finally add lemon juice and cover.
• Serve hot with roti with slices of onion. 

I made this when I had very less vegetables at home to prepare sambar. Jeera is one Indian spice, when added to any dish gives a nice aroma and taste. Jeera rice is very easy to prepare and can be prepared when you are in a hurry… you do not require any curry to have it with jeera rice.. Simple raita goes well with it…  try this easy rice and enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

• Rice- 1 cup
• Shahi jeera-  1/2 tbsp
• Cardamom- 1
• Cinnamon- small piece
• Salt
• Oil and ghee- 1 tbsp

Method:

• Cook rice and keep aside to cool.
• In a wok heat ghee and oil, add cardamom, cinnamon and shahi jeera. Sauté for a minute.
• Do not allow jeera to crackle as it gives bitter taste.
• Now add rice and salt, sauté till rice becomes hot.
• Jeera rice is ready!!!!!
• Garnish with fried onions and serve hot with raita.

Note on preparing fried onions

• Slice onion finely, sprinkle ½ tablespoon of corn flour and mix.
• Soon after mixing with flour spread onion in hot oil and fry in medium flame.
• When the onion turns light brown in colour, take it out and strain in tissue paper.

My childhood always consisted of lots of sweet dishes, be it store brought sweets or homemade sweets like kheer, halwa, hayagreeva etc etc…. 🙂  my mom usually prepares channa, moong and vermicelli payasa… it had been a long time since I tasted this payasa… So when I had to prepare sweet for guest, I made this payasa.. it tastes good when you serve it piping hot… Here comes the recipe.

Ingredients

• Moong dal/hesaru bele- 1 cup
• Milk of one whole coconut
• Cardamom- 2 crushed finely
• Jaggery- 1 cup (adjust according to your taste)
• Ghee- 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts and raisins

Method

• Dry roast dal till nice aroma, pressure cook till soft and keep aside.
• Meanwhile prepare coconut milk from grated coconut and keep it ready.  
• Now fry cashews and raisins till golden brown, keep aside.
• In a kadai add dal, thin coconut milk, and grated jaggery, bring to a boil and simmer for 4 minutes.
• Add first coconut milk, cardamom powder, fried cashew nuts, and raisins,mix well. Keep stirring it for 2-3 minutes.
• Hesaru bele payasa is ready to be seved !!!!!

Notes

• On preparing coconut milk:
  • Grate coconut and grind it in a mixer adding required amount of water to a very smooth paste.
  • Place a muslin cloth on a large bowl and transfer the coconut mix to it.
  • Squeeze the cloth till you get milk.
  • In a separate bowl take ½ cup of water and immerse cloth along with coconut paste. Again squeeze it to get thin coconut milk.
  • To make thick payasa, you can even add 2 tablespoon of rice floor diluted in water.
  • Do not boil payasa after adding thick/ first coconut milk.

I always wanted to try some recipe using baby corn, but somehow I couldn’t prepare. Last week when we went for vegetable shopping, I found fresh baby corn in super market and bought a small pack of it to try baby corn Manchurian or any gravy. Yesterday the day came when we invited my husband’s boss and his friends over dinner. When I was browsing for the recipe I found one interesting curry in Racks kitchen. For my first experience it came out really well. I served baby corn curry along with plain and butter roti.

Recipe

• Baby corn- 15
• Garam masala powder- ½ tbsp
• Red chilli powder- 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder- a pinch
• Oil & ghee- 1 ½ tbsp
• Coriander leaves for garnishing

To grind 1

• Onion- 1 big cut into cubes
• Tomato – 2 medium
• Ginger- 1inch
• Garlic-4 pods
• Green chilli-1

To grind 2

• Cashew nuts-12

To temper

• Bay leaf-1 small
• Cloves-3
• Cinnamon- small piece
• Elaichi/ cardamom – 3

Method:

• Pressure cook baby corn for 4 whistles, keep aside. Meanwhile soak cashew nuts in warm water for half an hour and grind to a smooth paste.
• Fry cubed onions in oil and grind along with tomato, green chilli, ginger and garlic.
• Heat oil in a wok; add all tempering, fry for a minute. Add the above mix and sauté for 3 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
• Fry in low flame till oil leaves.
• Add cashew paste and fry for another 3 minutes.
• Add cooked baby corn, milk and bring to gravy consistency. Bring to boil and switch off the flame.
• Garnish with fried capsicum, onion and fresh coriander.
• Serve with roti 🙂

when I was browsing for some Indo- Chinese recipe, I found this Schezwan fried rice. When I read the recipe it looked bit difficult and time consuming. But being a foodie I wanted to try this fried rice. It took approximately 3 hours for me to finish including chopping vegetables. But when I tasted it all tiredness went away 🙂 You can prepare the Schezwan sauce in advance which will save your time. Enjoy this fried rice with any manchurian of your choice. I prepared vegetable manchurian. I referred to http://www.chefandherkitchen.com/ for the recipe. 

Ingredients for preparing Schezwan sauce:

• 10 medium sized Garlic pods
• 10 Red chillies
• 3 tbsp. finely chopped Garlic
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped Ginger
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped thick Coriander stems
• 2 large Tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Soya Sauce
• 1 tbsp. Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp Pepper powder
• Salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp. Oil

Method:

• Remove the stems of red chillies and soak them in warm water for half an hour.
• Grind the soaked red chillies with garlic pods to a fine paste.
• Grind tomatoes to a smooth puree.
• Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic and sauté  for a minute. Add finely chopped ginger and coriander stems and saute til the raw smell of all the ingredients go away.
• Add pureed tomatoes and simmer for a while and then add ground red chili paste and fry  until the raw smell of tomatoes and red chili- garlic paste goes away and it leaves the oil in the edges.
• Add  vinegar, soya sauce, sugar,  pepper powder and salt and mix nicely and  simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Store  it in an air tight container in refrigerator. 

Schezwan Fried Rice

Recipe:

• Basmati rice- 1 cup
• Ginger- 1 tbsp
• Garlic-4 pods
• Thick coriander stems- few
• Schezwan sauce- 3-4tbsp
• Soya sauce- 1tbsp
• Vinegar-tbsp
• Black pepper powder-1/4tbsp
• Oil- 3 tbsp
• Chopped vegetables- 1/2cup ( I took carrot, capsicum, beans and spring onions)

Method:

• Soak rice in water for 15 minutes and cook. Refrigerate the rice for 1/2an hour to help in retaining shape when mixing.
• Heat oil in a wok over high flame and add finely chopped ginger, garlic and coriander stems, fry till crisp.
• Add spring onion white and fry till soft in high flame.
• Add finely chopped vegetables except capsicum and fry for 2-3 minutes. When they become little crisp, add capsicum and fry in high flame till all vegetable become crisp.
• Add salt, pepper powder, vinegar, schezwan sauce and mix well.
• Now add cooked rice,spring onion green and mix again gently till rice is hot.
• Serve hot with any Manchurian!!!!!

I had half a loaf of bread in my refrigerator and what struck suddenly is preparing bread masala. But its common and I had prepared this many times. So this time I had to try something different which I have not prepared before. When I went inside kitchen I found good amount of potato in basket and what came in my mind that time was stuffed bread pakoda. Bread pakoda is very easy and tastes great with tomato ketchup. Having said that, stuffed bread pakoda is also very easy and tastes great when had immediately. People with weight and cholesterol issues can sacrifice their diet for a day and enjoy this snack 🙂

Recipe:

• Bread slices- 8
• Potato-2 big
• Onion-1 small
• Green chilly-1
• Coriander leaves- few
• Garam masala powder- ¼ tbsp
• Salt-as required
• Lemon juice- ½ tbsp
• Mustard seeds
• Curry leaves-few
• Oil-1tbsp + for frying
• Gram flour/besan- 1 cup
• Turmeric- a pinch
• Red chilly powder-1/2 tbsp

Method:

• Trim the sides of bread, cut into triangular and keep aside.
• Pressure cook potato for 4 -5 whistles, when cool, grate potato and keep aside.
• In a pan heat a tablespoon of oil, add mustard seeds, when they splutter add curry leaves and green chilly.
• Add finely chopped onion and sauté till light golden in colour. At this stage add salt, garam masala powder and mix well.
• Transfer the above mix to potato and mash well.
• Apply thin layer of potato mix on bread slice, place another bread slice on it and press it gently.
• Meanwhile prepare besan batter and keep it ready. The batter should be slightly thicker than normal pakoda batter.
• When the oil is hot, dip bread inside besan batter and fry it till golden brown in colour.
• Transfer to tissue paper and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

You have nothing to eat at home with coffee or tea???? Try this …. My mom used to prepare a box full of this snack and which was getting emptied within 3-4 days:)  I can guarantee the same even at your home. Especially kids will love to have this.

Recipe:

• Whole wheat flour- 2 cups
• Salt- as per taste
• Hot coconut oil-4 tbsp
• Oil to deep fry
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Water-1/2 cup + extra to knead the dough

Method:

• In a bowl mix together whole wheat flour, salt, hot coconut oil and mix. Now add water and prepare semi soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes prepare thin roti from the dough and cut it into small diamond shape.
• Meanwhile bring oil to smoking hot, transfer the roti pieces to hot oil and fry till golden brown in colour.
• In a separate pan add sugar and water to prepare thick syrup. The syrup should be very thick so that when you transfer tukkudi to syrup it forms crystal on it and gets coated with it.
• Once all the batches are done, transfer tukkudi into sugar syrup and mix well.
• Remove and store in a air tight container.

Even though there are different ways of preparing capsicum masala, I kept it very simple and basic. I used minimum ingredients and prepared tasty capsicum masala. This goes well with plain roti or chapathi.

Ingredients:

• Bell pepper/capsicum- 3 medium
• Onion-1 chopped finely
• Tomato- 1 big chopped finely
• Garlic- 4 pods
• Garam masala powder- ½ tbsp
• Kitchen king masala- ¼ tbsp
• Coriander powder- ¼ tbsp
• Red chilly powder-1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric – a pinch
• Cumin seeds- 1/4tbsp
• Salt
• Oil-2 tbsp

Method:

• In a pan heat a table spoon of oil, when hot add chopped capsicum and fry in high heat till crisp and keep aside.
• In same pan, add a tbsp of oil and add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds splutter, add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add finely chopped onion and fry till golden brown.
• Add chopped tomato and sauté till tomato become mushy. Now add all dry ingredients such as salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, and kitchen king powder, red chilly powder and mix well.
• Add little water and cook in medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Now add fried capsicum and cook for another 2-3 minute. Check the seasoning and add a dash of lemon juice.
• Serve hot with roti or chapathi.

After preparing palak parata I still had 10 long and big palak leaves in my hand. I had two options, either to keep it inside refrigerator and use in any gravy or prepare some snack from it. Having tried palak pakora the onion pakoda style, I thought of trying it in different way. Trust me palak pakora with sliced onion tastes heavenly. Will post the recipe soon.

Recipe:

• Medium sized palak leaves- 10
• Gram flour- 1 cup
• Rice flour- 3 tbsp
• Salt- as per taste
• Red chilly powder- ¼ tbsp
• Turmeric powder- a pinch
• Cooking soda- a pinch

Method:

• Wash and drain remove water from palak.
• In a mixing bowl combine all dry ingredients and mix. Add water and make a thick batter. The consistency of batter should be such that, batter should stick to palak leaves.
• When the oil is heat, add palak leaves coated with besan and fry till light brown in colour.
• Remove and drain in tissue paper.

In Managalore and Udupi upma and poha is a very famous breakfast. It is easy to prepare yet fills your stomach. This is had with thick and cold yoghurt. Even though it is easy, I prepared this after 2 years 😉  so instead of having only upma, have upma with poha and enjoy Managalore cuisine.

Recipe for Vegetable Upma/ sajjige

• Semolina/rava- 2 cups
• Mixed vegetables- carrots, French beans, green peas
• Onion- 1 small (chopped finely)
• Tomato-1 small
• Water- 3 cups
• Ghee- 1 tbsp
• Slit green chilly-2
• Curry leaves- few
• Mustard seeds- ½ tbsp

Method:

• In a pan heat a tbsp of ghee and fry semolina till light brown in colour, keep aside.
• In same pan, heat a tbsp of oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, green chilly, finely chopped onion and fry till onion turn transparent.
• Now add all vegetables and fry for a minute. Meanwhile boil water and add to the vegetables. Add salt and turmeric, close the lid and cook for 7-8 minutes till the vegetables are cooked.
• When the vegetables are cooked, add fried semolina and mix well. Add water if necessary. Check for salt and cover the lid for another 2-3 minutes. When the upma becomes thick its ready!!!!

Bajil

Ingredients:

• Poha/pressed rice/avalakki- 1 cup
• Grated coconut-1/2 cup
• Salt- according to taste
• Sugar- 1 tbsp
• Sambar powder-1/4tbsp (optional)
• Seasoning
  • Mustard seeds
  • Urad dal
  • Dry red chilly-1 small
  • Curry leaves-few
  • Coconut oil-1 tbsp

Method:

• In a bowl add grated coconut to this add the seasoning, salt and sugar and mix well with your hands.
• Now add pressed rice and mix again till it becomes soft.
• Serve with vegetable upma and curd 🙂

Yet another recipe from my mom’s kitchen. As a child I always wanted guests to visit our home just to have pulao 😉 My mom prepares this pulao at least once in a week. But we always have complaint that she adds some special ingredient when guests come home;) No other pulao can beat my mom made pulao in my case 🙂 so whenever I visit home, I have this for 3 course 😉 love you amma :-*

Here comes the recipe of pulao

Ingredients:

• basmati rice- 1 cup ( I used sona masuri as I did not had stock of basmati rice)
• mixed vegetables- carrot, beans, green peas, potato, cauliflower
• onion- 1 cut into thin slices
• garam masala power- 11/2 tbsp ( I used MDH brand )
• green chilly- 2 small
• coriander leaves- small bunch
• garlic- 3 pods
• shredded coconut- 3-4 tbsp
• ghee- 3 tbsp
• cashew nuts- 2 tbsp
• ground nut- 4 tbsp
• bread slice- 2 ( toasted till light brown)

Method:

• If you are using basmati rice, wash and soak rice for 30 minutes. Others skip this step.
• Grind together coconut, green chilly, garlic, coriander leaves and garam masala to a fine paste and keep aside.
• In a sauce pan heat ghee and fry onion till light brown in colour. Now add ground nut and fry for another 4 minutes till it becomes crispy and splutters.
• Add ground masala and fry for another 5 minutes till its raw smell disappears.
• Add chopped vegetables and mix well.
• Now add rice and 4 cups of water, salt and bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to ,medium high and cook till done. It takes approximately 15 minutes.
• Finally add cashew nuts and toasted bread slices and close the lid.
• serve hot with mixed raita:)

Mangalore, namma Kudla is famous for its sea foods. If you see a name board in Tulu language anywhere in the corner of the mega cities, you will get verities of South Kanara or Udupi sea foods.     However, since I am a pure vegetarian, I can deal with this dishes and I know only what I taste.

Mangalore… namma kudla J even though we eat roti and other dishes on weekends with our friends, finally we land in Udupi restaurants. In Hyderabad Taj Mahal, Caffe Nandini, Kamat serves authentic udupi style cuisines. Before going to the respective restuarent our order is ready in mind 😉 we have vada sambar, masala dose, plain dose, rava dose or goilbaje. I do not know why goibaje is called as mysore bajji 😦

Well, everyone knows Mangaloreans use lot of oil that too, coconut oil in their dishes.  Without coconut and its bye-products we cannot survive even a single day. The taste of coconut in our dishes and fried items in coconut oil has got its own taste which cannot be beaten by any other dishes.

Our breakfast includes dosa, sajjige bajil, idli, rice noodles ( semige/semiya), kadubu/pundi to name a few.

Lunch and dinner includes boiled rice, sambar, playa, pickle, buttermilk, papad.

Though we are not famous sweet eaters like North Indians, our sweets do not contain only coconut oil and dhals.  Some of the famous sweets of this part of the State are:

• wide variety of halwa likely kashi halwa, papaya halwa, godhi/ whole wheat halwa, carrot halwa, beetroot halwa etc
• payasa such as semiya sabakki (semiya sabudana), hesaru bele( moong dal)payasa, kadle bele payasa (channa dal), akki payasa, carrot payasa, hal hittu payasa ( kheer made with rice batter)
• other sweets such as jilebi, satu, holige, athirasa, badam puri, hayagreeva

Our snacks includes- chakkuli, tukkudi, vada, pakoda, aloo bonda, kodbale.

well, without wasting much of time I am giving the recipe of mangalore special palya

Ingredients:

• tondekai- 1 cup
• cashew nuts- 1/2 cup
• coconut oil-1 tbsp
• shredded coconut-1 tbsp
• mustard seeds- 1/4tbsp
• broken red chilly- 1 samll
• curry leaves-few

Method:

• wash and cut tondekai lengthwise and keep aside.
• cook tondekai and cashewnut separately adding little water and salt in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles.
• In a pan heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds, dry red chilly and curry leaves. When it splutters, add cooked tondekai and cashew nut and fry for a minute. Now add shredded coconut and cook till water content is evaporated and palya is dry.
• tondekai palya is ready 🙂
• 

When I was browsing for new breakfast recipes I suddenly found this Idli.. Idli has always been one of my favorite breakfast. But I could not prepare soft idlies for a long time. It always turned out to be hard. Somehow after trying for 3-4 times, I succeed 🙂 Now I have the confidence of preparing idli 🙂 so when I know the regular idli, thought of trying this version. After having neer dosa for a week, wanted to have something else badly 😦 so then I prepared this Idli. I must tell you the taste of ginger,cumin and pepper gives a great taste to Idli.

Well, It originated from the town ‘Kanchipuram’ in Tamilnadu and hence the name. I prepared sambar to add with Idli. You can have it with any side dish of your choice.

Ingredients:

• Idli rice- 11/2 cup
• regular rice- 1/2 cup
• Urad dal- 11/2cup
• cumin seeds- 1/4 tbsp
• grated ginger- 1/ 2 tbsp
• crushed pepper- 1/4 tbsp
• ghee- 1/2 tbsp
• oil
• salt

Method:

• Soak rice and urad dal in water for 5-6 hours. wash 4-5 times, grind to a coarse paste adding little water.
• Add salt to the batter,mix well and keep aside overnight.
• Morning in a bowl take 1 cup of batter and add crushed pepper powder, whole cumin seeds, grated ginger, ghee,1/2 tbsp of oil and mix well. Meanwhile prepare steamer and grease Idli plate with little oil and pour the batter. When the steamer is ready, transfer the idle stand and steam for 20 minutes.
• wait for 5 minutes, remove from steamer. Transfer Idli to a plate and cut into V shape.
• Kanchipurm Idli is ready to be served 🙂

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY 🙂 rice kheer is a very well known one… which needs no introduction. I love this kheer just as any other kheer 😉 this kheer is very easy to prepare and tastes awesome 🙂 As it is a holiday, thought will prepare something which is easy and not time consuming.. at that point of time this kheer came to my mind. Today I cooked rice along with milk in a pan. You can even cook rice well in advance then add to milk which saves time too… but today i tried this method to get the aromatic smell of basmati rice. 

Ingredients:

• basmati rice- 1/2 cup
• milk- 4 cup
• sugar- 1 cup
• cardamom powder- a pinch
• cashew nuts- few
• raisins- few

Method:

• Soak rice in water for half an hour, in a mixer just give a turn to cut the rice into small.
• In a heavy bottomed pan add milk and rice. Cook in medium flame stirring occasionally till milk reduces to half and gets creamy texture. This takes approximately 20-25 minutes.
• Now add a cup of sugar and mix. Cook till you get the right consistency.
• Add roasted dry fruits and serve hot or chilled.

 

From August it is the time for festivals…. followed by sweets:) I enjoy having sweets. Hence, every week i prepare sweets which is easy to prepare yet tasty. We use whole wheat in preparing roti…puri…try this halwa too…..but I must apologize for the fact that it consumes lot of ghee 😦

Health benefits of whole wheat flour:

• Whole wheat flour has been associated with reversing the weight gain process. The consumption of these high-fiber foods helps in boosting the metabolic rate and thus, contributes to keeping the body weight under control.
• Consuming whole wheat flour in foods has been proven to protect the body against the risk of insulin resistance, which can otherwise lead to visceral obesity, low levels of protective HDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure.
• Daily consumption of these foods has shown a decline in the increasing blood sugar.
• source :http://nutrition.indobase.com/articles/whole-wheat-flour-nutrition.php

Method:

• whole wheat flour- 1 cup
• sugar – 1 1/4 cup
• water- 1 cup
• milk-1 cup
• ghee- 1/4 cup
• cashew nuts and raisins

Method:

• Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts and raisins till light golden brown, keep aside.
• Add whole wheat flour and fry in low flame for 5 minutes in low flame.
• Add milk and water and mix. Now add sugar and mix with the help of beater.
• This will help in avoiding any lumps in halwa. When the mixture becomes thick and forms a size of ball, add fried cashew nuts and raisins and mix well.
• Grease a plate with ghee and spread and cut into desired shape.
• You can serve it as it is in small ice cream cups.

Halbai is a very mild sweet which looks like burfi and tastes like halwa. Even though it consumes lot of time and energy in preparing, it is worth. I prepared with rice this time. Halbai is prepared with wheat and ragi too.. once it goes inside your mouth it just melts down 🙂 

Ingredients:

• regular rice- 1 cup
• jaggery- 11/2 cup
• grated coconut- 1 cup
• ghee- 5 tbsp
• cardamom powder- a pinch

Method:

• soak rice in water for 4-5 hours or overnight.
• Next morning grind rice and coconut to a very fine paste adding required amount of water.
• Add 10 more cups of water to the batter and keep aside. Increase water according to consistency of batter. The batter has to be very watery.
• In a non stick pan add grated jaggery and a tablespoon of water and bring to boil. When the jaggery is melted completely, add rice and coconut batter and stir continuously. It takes nearly half an hour 😉 
• Add ghee in between and keep stirring till it comes to ball shape and assembles in middle of pan.
• Now add cardamom powder and mix well.
• Grease a plate with ghee and transfer the mixture to plate spreading evenly.
• Wait till it comes to room temperature, cut into cubes or diamond shape.
• Garnish with cashew nuts or almonds.

Note: 

• Tip by my mother in law: you can grease a plate and steam the same batter for 20 minutes. Here you are saved from a heavy exercise 😉 
• It lasts only for 2 days…. so you have to finish it soon 🙂

Dal tadka is a Panjabi cuisine which is served with palin rice or roti.  Dal Tadka is made with yellow lentis or combination of lentils and tempered with simple spices. I prepared this dal to prepare dal parata which I can even use for dinner tonight with plain rice and papad 🙂

Ingredients:

•  toor dal- 1 cup (washed and soaked for 30 minutes)
• turmericpowder- 1/2 tbsp
• red chilly powder-1/2 tbsp
• hing-a pinch
• garam masala powder- 1/2 tbsp
• chopped garlic-2 pods
• mustard seeds
• dry red chilly-1
• cumin seeds
• curry leaves

Method:

• Pressure cook dalalong with a pinch of hing and turmeric powder till very soft, whisk till smooth.
• Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan, add cooked dal and fry for a minute.
• Add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, garam masala powder, salt, 1/4 cup of water and bring to boil for 5 minutes in medium flame.
• In a small pan prepare tempering / tadka with mustard seeds, garlic, cumin seeds, broken red chilly, curry leaves.
• Transfer tadka to dal. 

SORRY COULD NOT TAKE PIC OF DAL TADKA AS I WAS BIT BUSY PREPARING FOR PARATA 😦 

When my friend said she is preparing dal parata for dinner I was quite surprised, as that was the first time I heard one more variety of parata 😉 I wanted to give my hand to this version so I tried today for lunch… Trust me you will love this… I had with cucumber raita and mango pickle.

Health benifits of toor dal/ togari bele

• Toor dal contains folic acid, an important vitamin for all women, especially those planning to become pregnant.
• Toor dal are an excellent source of nutrients and plant protein, and they also contain dietary fiber.
• Toor dal is an excellent source of carbohydrates, which your body needs for energy. When we eat food containing carbohydrates, our body breaks them down into glucose, or blood sugar. Blood sugar is then used to provide energy to your brain, body and nervous system.
• source:http://www.livestrong.com/article/549835-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-toor-dal/

Ingredients:

• wheat flour- 2 cup
• red chilly powder- 1/2 tbsp
• turmeric powder- 1/2 tbsp
• salt- 1/2 tbsp
• oil-1/2 tbsp
• dal tadka (https://sumanapbhat.wordpress.com/2013/08/12/dal-tadka/)

Method:

• Combine all ingredients together except dal tadka and mix well.
• Add dal tadka little by little and form a smooth dough.
• Cover with wet cloth and keep aside for minimum 10 minutes.
• Prepare lemon sized balls of dough and roll like regular roti.
• Apply ghee on both the side and cook till light brown in colour.