Amma Jevayala

 Bhopalyache Gharge - sweet pumpkin puri with all goodness of pumkin and jaggery . Can have this with tea or as light dinner :) Quantity - Makes around 20/25 regular sized puris Ingredients -  Grated Pumpkin - 2 cups  Jaggery - 1 cup Ghee - as required Rice flour - 1 and half cup Wheat flour - 1 cup Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Nutmeg - a pinch  Salt - as per taste Oil - for deep frying puri Procedure - 1. Firstly , wash and grate pumpkin . You will need 2 cups of grated Pumpkin here . You can also use unsweetened pumpkin puree for this . 2. Next grate jaggery or use powdered jaggery . Now in a kadai , heat ghee and add the grate jaggery and grated pumpkin . Mix everything and let it cook nicely . Once cooked , pumpkin will start leaving from sides of the kadai . Do not make it too try . 3. Now let the cooked pumpkin jaggery mixture cool down completely . Once cooled , add wheat flour and rice flour . Add salt as per taste , cardamom , nutmeg and start mixing everything...

 Sweet Karamani or red chawali chundal - another classic chundal made during navratri Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Red chawali - 1/4th cup Jaggery - 2/3 tbsp or more as per taste Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Salt - a pinch  Nutmeg - a pinch  Fresh coconut - to garnish  Water - 2/3 tbsp as per jaggery quantity  Procedure - 1. First wash and soak red chawali overnight or atleast for 4/5 hours . 2. Then pressure cook the chawali  . Do not overcook it . It should not be too mushy . Usually 10 mins high pressure in instant pot should work .  3. Heat a kadai and put jaggery in it to melt along with water . Once it has melted , add the cooked chawali and mix well . 5. Add little water if it looks too dry and let it cook in low flame for 5 mins . 6. Then add cardamom,nutmeg and pinch salt and simmer it for some time . 7 . Finally garnish with fresh coconut  Serve hot :)

 Vatani dal - this is a classic marathi recipe and it very similar to chandal dal chundal . So , made this version for Navratri . Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Chana dal - 1 cup  Green chillies - 3/4 as per spice Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Fresh coconut - 1/4th cup Fresh coriander - for garnish (optional) Oil - for cooking Salt - as per taste Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper (optional) Procedure - 1. Wash nicely and Soak chana dal overnight or at least for 6/7 hrs . 2. Drain all water from soaked chana dal and then in a mixer grind it along with green chillies and half quantity of jeera . Do not grind into smooth paste . Grind it very coarsely . Some chana dal can remain intact as well. 3. Now heat oil in kadai . Once hot , add jeera . After it splutters , add hing and haldi . Then add the chana dal and mix everything well . Add salt as per taste and stir nicely . 4. Cover and allow it to cook covered for at least 10 mins . Again mix well and let it cook covered for another...

 Chickpea Chundal - classic chundal recipe made during navratri. Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Chickpeas/Chole - 1 cup , soaked for at least 10 hours in advance Green chillies -2/3 finely chopped Red chillies - 1/2  Urad dal - 1 tsp Fresh coconut - 1/4th cup Curry leaves - few  Hing - to temper Mustard seeds - to temper Haldi - to temper (optional) Salt - as per taste Oil - for cooking . Can use coconut oil too. Procedure: 1. Soak chickpea over night or at least for 10 hours in advance with enough water . Once soaked nicely , pressure cook chickpeas in instant pot for 25 mins manual mode. Add little salt while cooking . 2. In a kadai , heat oil . Once oil is hot , add tadka items - mustard seeds , hing , haldi , urad dal , curry leaves , red chillies , green chillies . Fry tadka nicely . 3. Once tadka is ready , add the cooked chickpeas and mix well . Adjust any salt and let it cook covered for at least 8/10 mins . Keep flame medium . 4. Next add fresh coconut and...

 Sev Batata Puri - classic mumbai style chaat Quantity - Makes aprox 8 plates of sev puri . Each plate has 7 puris Ingredients: Puri for sev - store bought any brand .  Thin sev - store bought Potatoes - 5 medium size Onion - 1/2 finely cut as required Tomatoes - 3/4 chopped finely as required Chaat masala - to sprinkle as required Fresh Coriander finely chopped - for garnsih Sweet chutney : Tamarind - one small lemon size  Dates -10/12 Jaggery - one tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Jeera powder - 1 tsp Salt - as per taste Green chutney - Mint bunch - 1/2 Coriander bunch - 3/4th Ginger -1/2 inch grated Green chillies - 5/6 as per spice Salt - as required Lemon juice - squeezed from half lemon  Red chutney (optional) Red chillies soaked - 5/6  Kashmiri chilli - 1/2 soaked Garlic - 5/6 pods finely chopped Salt as required Procedure - 1. Boil potatoes in cooker or instant pot . Let them cool and then remove skin . Mash them nicely with a fork and add salt as required ...

 Bread pakoda - a slight twist to the deep frying version making it more of like masala toast :) Quantity - for 2 people  Ingredients: Bread slices - 6  Besan - 1/ 2 cup Finely chopped green chillies - 2/3 Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Fresh chopped coriander - few strands  Salt as per taste Oil - for shallow frying Water - as required to make a thin paste Procedure: 1. First cut the sides of bread and keep then ready . You can use the sides to make bread crumbs and store 2. Next in a bowl , mix besan , green chillies , red chilli powder , coriander powder and fresh coriander . Add salt as per taste and then add little water to make a smooth paste of besan . Ensure there are no lumps. 3. Heat a saucepan or a tawa and add oil to it for shallow frying - 2/3 tbsp is enough . 4. Take a bread slice and cut it into 2 triangles . Repeat for all other slices as well .  5. Once oil is hot , dip the bread triangle in besan mixture and coat it nicely...

 Khekda Kanda bhaji - are crispy pakoras of onion and not of khekda or crab as the name suggests . They are simple called khekda bhaji because of their appearance .  Quantity - makes 10 crispy bhajis Ingredients: Onion = half of big or 1 medium size Besan - 3 tbsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Jeera powder - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 2 tsp or as per spice Haldi - one pinch Salt - as per taste Ajwain - 1/2 tsp (optional) Peanut oil - for frying Hot oil - 2 tbsp as mohan  Procedure- 1. Cut onion vertically into thin slices and separate out every slice . Take these into a big bowl. 2. Next add all the dry spices and besan and mix well . Also add salt and keep it aside 3. In meanwhile keep oil for frying in a kadai . When it becomes hot , remove 2 tbsp of oil and add it to the onion mixture . Mix well with onions and spices . By now , onion must have left some water due to salt and so the mixture becomes slightly wet . Do not add any water to the mixture . This will not make the b...

 Tandulache Dhirde/Ghavan - simple dish made from rice flour but very tasty and falls in comfort food category  Quantity - makes 6 regular sized dhirde Ingredients: Rice flour - 1 cup Salt - as per taste  Whole jeera - 1/2 tsp (optional) Fresh coriander leaves - few (optional) Oil - for cooking  Water - 2/3 cups to make a watery consistency of batter Procedure- 1.  In a big bowl , take rice flour and add salt /jeera/coriander leaves chopped . 2. Next add water and keep checking consistency . Batter should be very thin like rava dosa . This will give nice crispy texture to the dhirde. 3. Heat tawa and once it is hot , pour ladleful of batter and make a thin round dhirde . You will see bubbles appear in the dhirde . That means it has perfect consistency . Add oil along the edges . Be generous with oil .  4. Once it is  nicely brown on one side , flip it and cook on other side .  Serve hot with homemade tup /lasun chutney or mango pickle or coconut c...

 Palak Paneer - quick and yummy  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Palak(Spinach) bunch -1 Tomatoes - 3 medium size Garlic pods - 4/5  Paneer - 200 gms Tadka and Masala- Haldi  Hing Red chilli powder Black pepper powder Coriander powder Salt to taste Oil for cooking  Procedure - 1. Firstly we need to blanch the palak . To do this , wash palak nicely and in a big vessel blanch palak with 1 cup of water for 2/3 mins . Once you see slight change in color of palak , switch off the gas and allow it to cool. 2. In the meanwhile , roughly cut tomatoes and puree them in a blender . Mince the garlic nicely and keep it ready for cooking. 3. Stair the palak once cooled and reserve any water left from blanching . We will use this for cooking . 4. In a kadai , heat oil . Once it is hot , add hing and minced garlic . Let it fry nicely and then add pureed tomatoes . Mix well and allow this to cook with a lid for 3/4 mins . 5. While this is getting cooked , blend palak into...

 Shepuchi Bhaji - a very healthy recipe for iron intake . Shepu has a very unique taste . But this stir fry is dry and by adding moong dal , we can make it crunchy  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients: Dill leaves bunch - 1 medium Yellow split moong dal - 1/4th cup  Garlic pods - 3/4 Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - to temper Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Salt - as per taste Oil - for cooking  Procedure - 1. First we need to nicely wash dill leaves and remove them from the stem . This activity is time consuming , but very important as we do not want to use any thick stem for cooking . In the meanwhile , soak yellow moong dal split in water for at least half hr 2. Once dill leaves are sorted , chop them roughly so that they are not whole .  3. Next , heat oil in kadai . Once it is hot , add tadka items - mustard seeds , haldi , hing and fry tadka nicely. 4. Once tadka is hot enough , add finely minced garlic and fry it till ...

White Mula Amti - make simple amti a bit interesting by adding unique flavor/taste of raddish/mula Quantity - for 2 people lunch Ingredients- While Mula - 1/2 long mula  Green chillies - 2/3 as per spice Fresh coriander leaves - few Curry leaves - to temper Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Mustard seeds - to temper Jeera - to temper Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Goda Masala - 1 tbsp Jaggery - 1 tsp Kokam - 2/3 petals Toor dal - 1 cup Water - as required Salt - as required  Coconut - for garnish optional  Procedure - 1. First boil Toor dal in pressure cooked .  2. In the meanwhile , wash , peel and cut mula into small cubes . Then in a kadai boil mula with 1/2 cup water . Another way is to pressure cook mula along with dal itself .  3. Once mula is cooked well , keep it aside . 4. Now heat oil in kadai . Once hot ,add mustard seeds , jeera , haldi , hing , green chillies and curry leaves. Fry everything nicely . 5. Once tadka is hot , add cooked mula and mix it wel...

Mushroom Chilli Garlic - to curb your chinese food taste buds , but without any soya sauce or MSG added! Quantity - for 2 people dinner Ingredients - Button Mushrooms - 20/25 (can use any variety of mushrooms) Green Pepper/Capsicum - 1 medium size  Onion - 1 small (optional) Whole red chillies - 6/7  Kashmiri Chilli -1/2 Garlic pods - 6/7 Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp Peanut oil - for cooking  Hing - to temper Haldi - a pinch Salt - as per taste Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp or a pinch (secret ingredient) Procedure -  1. Firstly , we need to make chilli garlic sauce . For that , soak whole red chillies in warm water for atleast 3/4 hours . 2. Cut garlic pods roughly and then grind them with soaked chillies and fennel . You can use little water (same water used to soak chillies) while grinding . Grind nicely into a smooth paste of chilli garlic . 3. Heat oil in a kadai . While oil is getting hot , ensure you have cut onions , green pepper and mushrooms into nice medium cubes . ...

Goad Khandvi - this sweet dish is made only on Nagpanchami in the month of Shravan in my parents home . I still remember the exact taste of this sweet as my aaji used to make it ! Quantity - makes 20/21 regular size barfis/vadya  Ingredients - Idli Rava - 1 cup  Homemade ghee - 2 tbsp  Gul/Jaggery - 1 and half cup (2 cup if you eat more sweet) Grated Ginger - 1 tsp Sugar - 1 tbsp  Water - 2 and half cups  Cardamom powder - 1 tsp Nutmeg - a pinch Salt - a pinch Fresh Coconut - to garnish Procedure - 1. Take a kadai and heat 2 tbsp ghee in it . First , we need to roast the idli rava nicely . Once ghee is hot , add idli rava to it and start roasting . Keep stirring till the rava fluffs up and slightly changes color . You will also get a very nice aroma of this roasted rava . Use all your sensory organs to test that the rava is nicely roasted . Remove it aside and let it cool. 2. Now wipe the same kadai , to remove any small grains of rava . Heat 2 and half cup of...

Peerkangai Poriyal - perfect vegetable to have a light dinner and you can also make chutney from its peel . Recipe for chutney to follow Quantity - for 2 people dinner Ingredients - Peerkangai/Ridge Gourd - 1 big or 2 small Green Chillies - 3/4 as per spice Urad dal - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - to temper Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Curry leaves - to temper Fresh coconut - 1/4th cup  Fresh coriander leaves - few strands Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or as per taste Salt - as per taste Peanut oil - for cooking  Procedure - 1. First step is to wash the gourd nicely and peel its skin . Save the skin to be used for making chutney later . Then chop the gourd into small cubes . If the seeds are tender , you can remove them or you can include it as part of sabzi as well . 2. In a kadai ,heat oil .Once oil is hot , add tadka items - mustard seeds , haldi , hing , curry leaves and urad dal . Fry tadka nicely and then add green chillies . Stir for a min . 3. Next add the cut gourd pieces a...

Sabudana Thalipeeth - twist to regular thalipeeth by adding sabudana and making it more flavorful :) . Perfect option for breakfast or evening tiffin . Quantity - 5 regular size thalipeeth  Ingredients- Sabudana - 1/2 cup (Upvas brand for USA) Potato - 2 medium size Rajgira flour/Jowar flour - 1/4  cup  Roasted peanut powder - 4/5 tbsp  Green Chillies - 3/4 or as per spice Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp  Fresh Coriander chopped - few strands  Hing - a pinch Haldi - a pinch (optional for color) Salt - as per taste Homemade Ghee - for cooking/roasting  Water - little for kneading  Appliance Needed - Tawa Handkerchief or Cling Wrap - for making thalipeeth  Procedure - 1.  Firstly , wash and soak sabudana the night before making thalipeeth . Water used for soaking should  be a thin layer above the sabudana . Use a flat plate for soaking too . Excess water will make it too soggy . Also , it depends on the brand/variety of sabudana . So , it i...

Bitter gourd Fry - crunchy option as a side dish for your rice and dal  Quantity - 1 cup  Ingredients - Bitter gourd - 2 medium size Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp  Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp Salt - as per taste Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Peanut oil - for cooking  Fresh Coriander - for garnish (optional) Procedure - 1. Wash and clean bitter gourd . Then cut into thin circles . You can also cut small cubes , but thin circles give a good look to this fry  2. Heat oil in a kadai . Once oil is hot , add the sliced bitter gourd directly . You should hear a nice crackling sound - this indicated oil is perfectly hot .  3. Stir the gourd slices for half a min and then add all dry masalas - red chilli powder , haldi , hing , coriander powder and mix well . Add salt as per taste and keep stirring .  4. Do not cover the kadai at any time . This prevents the fry from becoming soggy and returns the crunch. 5. Keep stirring in between and let it cook for at lea...

Lal Bhoplyachi Bhaji - quick and healthy . Red pumpkin is regarded as one of the superfoods . Quantity - for 2 people dinner Ingredients Red Pumpkin - 1 Green chillies - 2/3  Cumin seeds - to temper Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Curry leaves - to temper few leaves Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp  Salt - as per taste Roasted peanut powder - 1 tbsp  Fresh coconut - to garnish  Fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped to garnish  Ghee - for tadka and cooking  Procedure - 1. Wash and remove skin of the pumpkin . You can make chutney from pumpkin skin and also from its seeds . So save them and later you can wash and dry them to make chutneys . Cut pumpkin to medium cubes and keep ready to be cooked. 2.  In a kadai , heat ghee . Once it is hot , add tadka items - jeera , hing , haldi , curry leaves and green chillies . Fry tadka nicely and then add methi seeds . Allow tadka to roast for 1 min. 3. Next add red pumpkin cubes and mix well . Add salt as per taste and ...

Mixed dal Adai with drumstick leaves - this is a perfect protein + iron rich dish and becomes a filling recipe for brunch  Quantity - Makes 8/10 regular size Adai  Ingredients - Raw rice - 1/2 cup Tur dal - 1/2 cup Chana dal -1/4 cup Yellow Moong dal - 1/4 cup Urad split dal - 2 tbsp  Whole red chillies - 4/5  Whole Black pepper - 1/2 tsp Drumstick leaves - 1 cup Salt - as per taste Hing - a pinch Haldi - a pinch Oil - for cooking Adai  Procedure - 1. Wash and soak rice and all mixed dals together for at least 8 hours or overnight .  2. Clean and pluck drumstick leaves . It is bit time consuming to pluck those leaves as they are small and have delicate stems . Ensure you remove any leaves which are looking white or has spots or it bitten by insect .  3. Now in a mixer grind all dals + rice along with whole red chillies , black pepper , hing and haldi . Grind to a smooth batter . The batter won't becomes very smooth and there will be some granular textu...

Tomato and Herbs pull apart bread - Recipe based on budgetbytes blog . Classic bread dish for any potluck summer party Quantity - 1 loaf  Ingredients - For Masala/Herbs paste- Olive Oil - 1/4th cup Garlic - 6/7 pods  Dried Basil - 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme - 1/4 tsp Dried Rosemary - 1/4 tsp Red Chilli Flakes - 1/2 tbsp or as per spice Salt - as per taste  Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp  Tomato Paste (whole food brand) - 3 oz or 5 tbsp  Honey - 1/2 tsp  For Bread -   Warm Water - 1 cup Dry active Yeast - 2 tsp  Sugar - 1/2 tsp Olive Oil - 1 tbsp Maida - 3 cups Salt - as required Parmesan Cheese - 1/4 cup  Procedure - 1. First step is to prepare the tomato sauce/paste and allow it to cool down . For this in a saucepan , heat olive oil . In meanwhile , mince garlic and keep it ready .  2. To the hot oil , add minced garlic and all other dry spices - basil , oregano , thyme , rosemary , chilli flakes , black pepper and mix well ....

Masoor Rice - one of my favorite rice dishes as cooked by Aai ! Quantity - for 2 people lunch Ingredients -  Whole Brown Masoor dal - 1 cup  Sona Masoori Rice - 1 cup (can use Basmati as well) Onion - 1 small or 1/2 medium  Tomato - 2 small  Ginger - 1/2 inch grated Garlic - 7/8 pods grated Whole kashmiri red chilli - 1  Bay leaf - 1  Star anise - 1 Cloves - 2 Green chillies - 2  Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp  Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Salt - to taste  Peanut oil - for cooking Fresh Coriander leaves - for garnish Water - 3 cups for cooking Procedure - 1. First soak brown masoor dal for atleast 4 hours . If you want to sprout them , soak overnight and then drain water and keep covered with a lid until sprouts are formed . 2. Next soak rice for atleast half hr .  3. Finely chop onions and tomatoes . Mince garlic and grate ginger nicely . Keep everything ready to add to instant pot. 4. Heat...

Eggless Chocolate Lava Cake in a mug - recipe by Ranveer Brar and implemented by dear husband :) Quantity - 2 regular size mug cake Ingredients - Cold water - 1/2 cup Oil - 3 tbsp  Lemon juice - 1 tsp Powdered sugar - 1/3rd cup Salt - a pinch Dark Cocoa powder - used Hershey's brand 2 heaped tbsp Maida - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Dark chocolate - 1 bar . We will be using approx. 3/4th of this bar . I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate (60% dark) squares Procedure- 1. First prepare wet ingredients . For this in a big bowl , add cold water , oil , lemon juice as per specified quantities . Mix everything well with a fork or a spatula .  2. Next add powdered sugar to this wet mixture and stir nicely to melt the sugar .  3. After the sugar is nicely mixed , start making the dry mixture . 4. For dry mixture , in another bowl , start by adding pinch of salt , cocoa powder , add maida and baking soda . Mix all these together gently . 5. Now add the dry ingredients to wet mixture...

Basil Tomato Dip/Chutney - can be used as a spread for your toast or with poli  Quantity - spread for 4 toasts Ingredients - Basil - 1 bunch Tomatoes - 2 medium  Green chillies - 3/4 spicy Salt  Olive oil - 1 tbsp Black pepper - 1/2 tsp (optional) Procedure - 1. In a pan , heat olive oil . Till the oil is getting hot , wash and dry basil leaves . Use only leaves here .  2. Once oil is hot , add the leaves and fry them nicely . Ensure they don't get burnt - keep flame medium 3. Next add chopped tomatoes and green chillies and continue to cook together with Basil .  4. Keep cooking till tomatoes become mushy and soft . Switch off and let it cool down .  5. Grind into a fine paste on cooling down . Add black pepper while grinding and adjust salt once it is removed from mixer . Use as a spread on your toast or you can use as a chutney with poli + tup :)

Kolhapuri Missal - perfect protein packed dish . 4 important components of a tasty missal are - usal + batata pohe + spicy tarri + farsan  Quantity - for 2 people lunch and dinner Ingredients - For Usal - Whole green moong dal - sprouted  Mustard seeds - to temper Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Red chilli powder - 3 tsp  Curry leaves - few leaves Salt - as per taste Peanut oil - for cooking  Kokam - 2/3 petals Jaggery - 1/2 tsp  For Batata poha -  Refer to Kanda poha post  Just add peeled and cubed potatoes along with onion to make batata poha. For Spicy Tarri -  Peanut oil - 4 tbsp  Onion - 1 medium  Tomato - 1 medium  Garlic pods - 6/7  Ginger - 1 inch  Whole red chillies spicy - 4/5 Whole red kashmiri chilli - 2 Dry coconut slices - 1/2 cup Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp Whole black pepper - 1/2 tsp  Sesame seeds - 1/2 tsp Cinnamon - 1  Cloves - 3/4 Fennel seeds - a pinch  Water - for g...

Spicy Appe - a twist to the traditional mix dal appe .  Quantity - make from remaining dosa batter . Make using appe pan/patra - 7 at one time  Ingredients - Left over Dosa batter - batter on 4th day  Onion - 1/2 medium Green chillies - 4/5 as per spice Ginger - grated 1 inch Curry leaves -  few finely chopped Salt - as per taste Oil - for cooking Appliance needed -  Appe patra/pan Procedure - 1. Finely chop onions ,chillies and curry leaves . Also, grate ginger finely . 2. Take remaining dosa batter . Usually dosa batter on day 4 of grinding is best for this dish . 3. Adjust salt and water if required to make this batter very smooth and pourable .  4. Then add onions and everything else to this batter and mix well .  5. Now heat appe pan/patra . Add little oil to each slot of this pan . Once the oil is hot , pour spoonful of batter in each slot . 6. Pour some more oil from sides and cover the pan with a fitting lid .  7. Remove lid and flip appes...

Tomato Chutney - a different kind of dip for you dosa :) Quantity - a small bowl of chutney Ingredients - Chana Dal - 1 and half tsp Kashmiri Whole Chilli - 1 Red whole chillies - 3/4  Onion - 1/4th of medium  Garlic pods - 4/5 Tomato - 1 big Mustard seeds - to temper Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Curry leaves - few leaves to temper Peanut oil - for frying and to temper Salt - as per taste Procedure - 1. In a pan , heat 1 tsp of oil . Once oil is hot , add chana dal and roast it till it becomes light brown . Remove aside 2. Now in the same pan , add garlic pods , roughly chopped onions , red chillies and kashmiri chilli and also tomatoes roughly chopped . Mix everything well and let it fry . 3. Add little salt and let the mixture cook nicely till tomatoes become mushy . Switch off the gas and let it cool 4.  Once the tomato mixture is cooled , grind it with the fried chana dal to a very smooth paste . Do no add water as oil and juices from tomato/onion are enough for...

Kelyachi Shikran - comfort food or alternative when you feel like having a simple yet complete meal . Quantity - 2 cups of shikran Ingredients - Ripe Banana - 3 medium size  Milk - 1 cup  Sugar - 1 tsp Cardamom powder - a pinch  Procedure - 1. Warm milk slightly if it is directly taken out of the fridge. It should not be too hot . Room temperature is preferred . 2. Peel and mash banana with you hands and add it to the warm milk . Other option is chop banana into cubes or slices and add to milk 3. Add sugar and cardamom powder and mix everything well . Serve with hot phulkas or just eat as a mid meal/evening snacks :)

Rava Ladoo - easy recipe without sugar syrup Quantity - Makes 21 small ladoos Ingredients - Fine Rava/Semolina - 2 cups Homemade ghee - 4tbsp Raw sugar powdered - 1 and 1/2 cups Raisins - a fistful Cashews - a fistful  Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp  Milk - 1/4th cup  Procedure - 1. Heat a pan and add 1 tbsp ghee to it . Let the ghee melt and roast raisins and cashews . Roast till cashews turn light brown and raisins puff up . Remove and keep aside to use later 2. In the same ghee pan , roast rava nicely . Mix well all the ghee and keep stirring till you get slight brown color  . Also this will be accompanied by nice aroma of ghee roasted rava . 3. Remove rava and let it cool a bit. 4. Now in a mixer , grind raw sugar finely into a powder . Add cooled rava to this powdered sugar in mixer and again pulse couple of times till you get fine mix of sugar and rava .  5. Next, in the same pan used for roasting rava , melt 3 tbsp of ghee . 6. While ghee is melting , mix rava...

Basil Thogayal or Basil chutney - use some leftover basil from your Pesto Pasta to give it some indian flavor twist! Quantity - one mason jar  Ingredients - Basil leaves fresh - 1 bunch Tamarind - 1/4th cup dry Molagai podi - 2 tbsp Salt - as required Procedure- 1. Wash and dry basil leaves nicely .  2. In a pan , dry roast these leaves till they are reduced . You can also add little oil while roasting . But this is optional . Let it cool completely 3. In mixy , grind basil leaves along with molagai podi and dry tamarind . Grind to make a coarse powder. 4. Add salt after removing from mixy and mix well . Serve as a side chutney with poli and bhaji and tup :)

Arvi/Arbi/Alkudi Fry - spicy fry to make Alkudi interesting . Other way to eat this tuber is simply pressure cook and eat with salt Quantity - for 2 people dinner Ingredients- Arbi root - 5/6 Mustard seeds - to temper Cumin seeds - to temper Red chilli powder - 3/4 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Molgai Podi - 1 tbsp Hing - to temper Haldi - to temper Salt - as per taste Peanut oil - for cooking  Fresh Coriander leaves - to garnish Procedure - 1. Wash and peel arbi nicely . Then keep a bowl of water ready to add pieces of arbi chopped . Adding in water is necessary to prevent any oxidation of arbi . 2. Cut small cubes or slices of arbi just like potato roast and keep them in water till they are ready to be fried . Then drain all the water and keep it ready to use. 3. Heat oil in a kadai . Once it is hot , add tadka items - mustard seeds , cumin seeds, hing and haldi .Fry the tadka nicely 4. Then add drained arbi into this tadka and mix well . Add some salt and stir for couple of minut...

Methi Thelpa - best way of eating fresh methi leaves and Aai's special recipe Quantity - 7/8 regular sized theplas Ingredients - Whole wheat aata - 2 cups Besan - 1/4 th cup  Fresh Methi bunch - 1  Ginger - 1 inch grated finely Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp  Haldi - 1/2 tsp Hing - a pinch Ajwain - 1/2 tsp Jeera powder - 2 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Sesame seeds - 1 tsp  Homemade curd - 1 tbsp Peanut oil - 3 tbsp Salt - as per taste Homemade ghee - for roasting Water - for kneading  Procedure - 1. Wash methi leaves and remove them from their stalk . Finely chop the leaves. 2. In a parat , add aata and besan . Then add freshly chopped methi leaves and other masala - ginger , red chilli powder , hing , haldi , ajwain , coriander and jeera powder , sesame seeds . Mix everything well with the aata. 3. Now add wet ingredients - curd , 1 tbsp of oil and also add some salt here . Mix everything nicely before we add water for kneading .  4. Start adding water slowly ...

Handvo - protein packed and tasty evening snacks ! Thanks to our friend Suruchi for introducing this to us ! Quantity - Round Lentil Cake Medium size Ingredients - Raw Rice - 1 cup (sona masoori variety or even basmati) Chana Dal - 1/2 cup Tur Dal -1/4th cup Urad Dal - 2 tbsp Green Chillies - 5/6 or as per spice level Ginger - 1 inch finely grated Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp Haldi - 1 tsp Hing - a pinch  Carrot - 1/4th cup grated Dudhi - 1/4th cup grated Fresh Coriander - finely chopped few strands Yogurt - 1/4th cup Peanut oil - 1 tbsp for adding into the batter and some more for tadka  Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1 tsp  Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 5/6 to temper Ghee - to coat baking pan  Salt - to taste Appliance Needed -  Baking pan Oven Procedure - 1. Wash and soak rice + all dals together for atleast 4/5 hrs . 2. Drain water from the soaked rice + dal mixture and grind them into a smooth paste . Do not add lot of water . Just add little bit ...

Kuttu sweet adai or buckwheat pancake - healthy and gluten free option Quantity - Makes 6 small pancakes Ingredients - Kuttu flour - 2 cups Ripe Banana - 1  Milk - 2 cups Jaggery/Sugar - 1/2 cup  Ghee - for roasting  Fresh berries - to top with  Honey/Maple syrup - to top with  Baking Soda - 1 tsp (optional) Procedure - 1. Take Kuttu Flour and sift it nicely . 2. Now in a blender , add flour , ripe banana mashed , milk and jagger and blend into a smooth paste . You can also add little cardamom . Add baking soda (optional) 3. Heat a tawa and pour some ghee to heat up .  4. Now pour a ladleful of smooth kuttu prepared batter on the tawa and make small but thick pancakes . Do not spread it like a dosa .  5. Cover with lid and let it cook till you see cracking sound . Then flip it and cook on other side . Do not make it very dark brown .  Serve hot and sprinkle honey and berries :)

Pulihora or Tamarind Rice - with homemade pulihora masala and instant pot goodness  Quantity - for 2 people lunch Ingredients - For Pulihora dry masala - Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp Chana dal - 1 tbsp Urad dal - 1 tbsp Whole Black pepper - 1/2 tsp Methi seeds - 1/4th tbsp  Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp  Whole Red chillies (can use kashmiri for color) - 4  Mustard oil - 2 tbsp  For Rice - Sona Masoori rice - 1 cup  Tamarind extract - 1 cup  Curry leaves - 1 strand  Whole red chillies - 3  Cashews - 1/4th cup  Urad dal - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - to temper  Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Jaggery - 1 tbsp  Mustard oil - for cooking Water - 1 and 1/2 cup for cooking rice Salt - as per taste Appliance Needed - Instant pot  Procedure - 1.  Before we start making pulihora masala , we need to do some pre work of soaking . Soak rice for atleast 20 mins and soak tamarind in warm water for atleast 20 mins .  2. For dry masala , in a f...

Mango Milkshake - the only milkshake we got while growing up ! And its taste is still fresh in mind . Quantity - 2 glass full after dinner late night drink Ingredients - 2 Fresh Mangoes - Alphonso for best taste when in Mumbai, Ataulfo (honey mangoes) in USA Whole Milk - 1 cup  Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp  Nutmeg - a pinch  Kesar strands - 2 per glass Salt - 2 tsp (or more if you have sweet tooth) Appliance Needed - Ninja blender Procedure - 1. Wash and soak Mangoes in water for atleast half hour . This enhances the nutrient value of mangoes - mostly helps to get rid of the excessive phytic acid from mangoes . 2. Next , remove the skin and extract all pulp from mangoes and seeds as well . Take some time to do this , so that all the pulp is nicely removed .  3. Then using hands , smash any hard pieces in pulp and put it in blender  4. Add milk , cardamom powder , nutmeg and sugar as well and blend it into smooth frothy milkshake  5. Remove in your favorite gla...

Dal ki Dulhan - a very simple dal dhokli recipe which is a complete meal  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Tur dal - 1 cup Yellow Moong dal without skin - 1/4 th cup Orange Masoor dal - 2 tbsp  Red whole chillies - 4 Cumin seeds - 2 tsp  Red chilli powder - 2 tbsp Haldi - 1 tsp Hing - to temper Fresh Coriander leaves - chopped finely few strands Garlic - 3 pods minced Ginger - 1/2 inch grated Whole wheat aata - 1 cup Ragi flour - 1/4th cup Water - 4/5 cups for cooking dal and also for kneading dough  Home made ghee - for cooking  Salt - as per taste Procedure - 1. First wash and soak the dals atleast for 20 mins . 2. Now in a kadai , heat some ghee . Once it is hot , put 1 cumin seeds and let them splutter . 3. Next add the drained dals and fry them nicely in ghee .  4. Add haldi , red chilli powder and mix it well with dals . Add 4/5 cups of water to the dals and allow it to cook fully . Cover it with a lid and let it cook on medium/low flame . You ca...

Palak Dal - this is different preparation than what is made at home . Learnt this from my SIL (Meghna) Quantity  - for 2 people lunch/dinner Ingredients -  Spinach bunch/bag -1  Onion - 1 small or half medium (optional) Garlic - 7/8 pods Tamarind extract - small golf size Tur dal - 1 cup ( can add tur 1/2 + chana 1/2) Red whole chillies - 3/4 as per taste Red chilli powder - 1 tsp  Coriander powder - 1 tsp  Mustard seeds - to temper Cumin seeds - to temper Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Salt - as per taste Peanut oil - for cooking  Water - 2 cups for cooking . Appliance needed - Instant pot Procedure - 1. Wash and chop spinach finely . Keep it ready .Also mince the garlic finely and keep it ready . 2. If using onion , chop it finely and keep it ready . 3. Wash and soak tur dal for atleast 20 mins .Also soak tamarind in warm water for 20 mins and then remove its extract . 4. Heat instant pot in saute mode and add oil for cooking . 5. Once oil is hot enou...

Khamang Kakadi - adding tadka and peanuts to cucumber to make it "khamang" or very tasty  Quantity - for 2 people lunch side dish Ingredients - Cucumbers - 2 medium size Crushed peanut powder - 4/5 tbsp  Green chillies - 2/3 as per spice Fresh coriander leaves - few strands  Cumin seeds - to temper Hing - to temper Haldi - just a pinch  Homemade ghee - to temper Salt - as per taste Sugar - just a pinch  Lemon - 1 tsp juice  Fresh coconut - little for garnish Procedure - 1. Firstly wash and peel cucumbers . Next chop them into very small pieces . We do not want to grate the cucumber , but cut them as small as possible .  2. Put cut cucumber in a big bowl .Add little salt and allow it to rest for couple of minutes . Then squeeze and remove all excess water from cucumber . You can drink this water if you like . We just do not use it in the recipe as the salad becomes too watery .  3. Now add roasted and crushed peanut powder , fresh coriander chopped...

Lasuni Masoor dal  - easy recipe to cook orange Masoor dal with flavors of garlic  Quantity - 2 people lunch Ingredients - Whole Orange Masoor dal without skin - 1 cup  Garlic pods - 7/8  Red chilli whole - 2/3  Coriander powder - 1 tbsp Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Fresh coriander - to garnish Cumin seeds - 1 tsp to temper Homemade ghee - to temper Water - for cooking  Procedure - 1. First wash and soak orange masoor dal nicely . Let it soak for atleast half hour in enough water . Then pressure cook the dal with enough water (2 cups) and pinch of haldi . 2. After dal is cooked , mash it nicely to make it smooth . 3. In a kadai , heat ghee for tadka . In meanwhile , very finely mince the garlic and keep it ready . 4. Once ghee is hot , add tadka items - cumin seeds , haldi , hing . Fry tadka properly and then add the chopped garlic and continue to fry . 5. After couple of mins , the raw smell of garlic will go away and this ...

Paneer Tikka - Bbq style dry and tasty Quantity - makes around 25- 30 regular sized bbq sticks Ingredients - Paneer - 1 slab Nanak brand Red onion - 1 medium or half big Green Pepper - 2 Red Pepper - 1  Yellow Pepper -1 (optional) Greek Yogurt - 2 cups  Ginger - 1 inch grated Garlic - 6/7 pods Coriander powder - 3 tbsp  Red chilli powder - 3/4 tbsp Ajwain - pinch for taste Kasuri methi - 1 tsp crushed Cumin powder - 3 tbsp Salt as per taste Coriander fresh bunch - 1/2 Green chillies - 4 Mint leaves - 1/2 bunch  Roasted gram dal powder/roasted besan- 1 tbsp  Mustard oil - 2 tbsp  Water - to grind green paste. Appliance required- BBQ sticks - soaked in water overnight to prevent from burning Oven or BBQ grill  Procedure - 1. Firstly , we need to prepare marinade atleast 2 hrs before we want to BBQ . If you can prepare previous day its going to add to the taste .  2. Keep all the veggies - onion , peppers and paneer ready . Cut them into cubes of med...

Pumpkin Olan - very simple and tasty stew recipe without any coconut milk  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - White pumpkin - Half cut or 1 cup  Red chawali - 1/2 cup  Green chilli - 1/2 as per spice Salt - as per taste Water - as required for cooking Procedure - 1. Soak red chawali in enough water for atleast 4 hrs .  2. Then pressure cook chawali in 1/2 cup water with little salt. Ensure it is cooked nicely but not mashed . 3. Cut white pumpkin into small cubes . In a saucepan , cook pumpkin with 1/2 cup water .  4. Cook the pumpkin nicely till it becomes transparent. 5. Now add cooked red chawali and green chilli . Add any water remaining from cooked chawali also and adjust salt. 6. Let all of this cook very nicely on sim flame for 10 min or till it comes to a boil . Serve hot as a side dish with your favorite sambar and rice + tup :)

Bhindi Fry - simple quick and crispy bhindi  Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients - Fresh Bhindi - 25-30  Mustard seeds - to temper Haldi - to temper Hing - to temper Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Wet Kokam - 3 petals Coriander powder - 2 tsp  Salt as required Fresh Coconut - to garnish  Peanut oil - for cooking. Procedure - 1. This is very quick and easy bhindi fry without any masala . For this , first wash bhindi properly and them dry them with a clean cloth .  2. Then cut bhindi breadthwise . Ensure you do not cut too small . Keep them ready to be fried 3. Now is a kadai , heat oil . Once oil is hot , add tadka items - mustard seeds , haldi , hing .  4. After mustard seeds splutter , add the cut bhindi and mix everything well . Let it cook for couple of minutes without any lid 5. In couple of minutes , you will see bhindi becomes sticky and starts becoming lumpy . This is the right time to add salt and kokam . Kokam prevents the stickiness of bhindi . If you ...

Ajwain option -  quick easy and immunity boosting recipe  Quantity - makes 5 regular sized parathas Ingredients-  Whole wheat aata - 2 cups Ajwain - 1 tsp Salt - as per taste Home made ghee - for roasting Water - for making dough Procedure - 1. Take a parat and add whole wheat flour to it . To this add ajwain and mix it nicely . Also add salt 2. Now using warm water , make a soft dough . Knead nicely to ensure dough is soft to roll into parathas . 3. Heat a tawa to roast the paratha and keep ghee handy to include while rolling the paratha . 4. There are various ways of rolling paratha - can make into a triangle shape , can cut along radius of a small aata circle and roll into layers , can make fan layers etc .  5. I have tried various methods and fan layers rolled into pinwheel is my personal favorite .For this , take a small portion of dough and roll into a medium size circle . Apply ghee to this small circle . Now start folding from one side of circle like making a...

Methi Matar Malai - creamy curry which blends the bitter nutty flavor of methi with sweetness of matar and malai  Quantity - dinner/lunch for 3-4 people Ingredients- Fresh Methi leaves - 1 bunch Mattar - 1 cup  Onion - 1 big and 1 small or 2 medium  Cashews - unroasted 1/2 cup Green chillies - 2  Ginger - 1 inch Garlic pods - 4/5 Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp Coriander powder - 1 tbsp Haldi - very little for color  Hing - to temper  Cumin seeds - to temper Cinnamon - 1 stick  Whole Black pepper - 5/6 Green Cardamom - 3 Homemade dahi - 4/5 tbsp Water - required for cooking and grinding  Malai - removed from top while making homemade yogurt , 1/2 cup Peanut oil - for cooking Homemade ghee - for cooking  Salt - as per taste Procedure - 1. First step is to remove methi leaves from methi bunch and soak them in water . Once all leaves are removed , wash them  nicely in this soaked water and then strain the water in a colander.  2. In the mea...

Ambyache Panha - easy to store and make everyday during summer  Quantity - makes one 3 cups container concentrate Ingredients - Raw Mango - 2  Raw sugar - same quantity as mango pulp Kesar strands - 1 tsp Cardamom powder - 1 tsp  Salt - a pinch literally  Procedure - 1. Wash Raw Mangoes nicely . Then pressure cook the mangoes in Instant pot - manual mode 25 mins . Ensure there is water in the main pot . Do not add any water with Mangoes . 2. After they are cooked , allow them to cool completely . Then peel off their skin and remove all the pulp. This requires skill as you have to thoroughly remove pulp from mango seeds and skin .  3. Now in a mixer , grind this pulp . Do it in batches to avoid pulp from spluttering all over . Blend the pulp into a nice smooth paste. Make sure there are no hard particles or remains of the pulp remaining . 4. Now measure the pulp in a cup and grind exact amount of sugar as that of the pulp . Remember do not grind pulp and sugar to...

Ribbon Pakoda - perfect snack which gives a crispy snap .  Quantity - Makes atleast 40/50 pakodas  Ingredients- Rice flour - 2 cups Besan - 1 cup  Red chilli powder - 4 tsp or as per taste Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp  Haldi - 1 tbsp  Hing - pinch Salt - as per taste Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp  Hot oil (mohan) - 2 tbsp Water - required for kneading  Peanut oil - for frying Appliance needed - Chakali maker with ribbon pakoda disk Procedure - 1. In a parat , mix all dry ingredients together .You can also sift the rice flour and besan before mixing together .  2. Then add hot oil to this mix .Crumble the aata so that the hot oil is mixed nicely within the flour .  3. Now using water start making a soft dough. Put water slowly as we do not want to make the aata too soft . Keep kneading till you get medium soft dough .  4. Now grease the chakali maker and also heat oil for frying in a kadai . Oil should be hot before you start frying pakodas . 5. To test ...

Green Chutney - a perfect sauce or dip to add spice to your snacks Quantity - for 2 people Ingredients- Fresh Coriander bunch - 1/2  Mint leaves - 1/2 bunch Green chillies - 4/5 as per spice level Ginger - 1/2 inch Salt - per taste Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp  Water - needed for grinding Appliance Needed: Preeti Mixer Procedure - 1. Wash fresh coriander leaves and mint leaves nicely .Chop green chillies and ginger into small pieces. 2. Now using mixer , grind everything together . Add very less water in the beginning . 3. Grind into a smooth paste and remove from mixer . Lastly taste and adjust salt as per taste Serve as a dip with your favorite snack or drizzle on top of dahi vada or any of your favorite chat.

Kuttu Dosa - very good option to use your  millets frequently. Quantity - makes 6 small dosas Ingredients - Cucumber - 1 big Green chillies - 3/4 as per taste Ginger - 1/2 inch grated Fresh coriander - 2/3 strands Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Hing - a pinch Haldi - a pinch Salt - as per taste Kuttu Flour - 2/3 rd cup  Water - 1/3 rd cup  Homemade ghee - for roasting  Procedure- 1. Wash , peel and cut cucumber into medium sized pieces . Cut green chillies and grate ginger finely . 2. In Preeti Mixer , grind cucumber + ginger + green chillies and fresh coriander . Do not add any water as cucumber will release its own water .Blend into a smooth paste. 3. To this paste , add 2/3 rd cup of Kuttu flour and mix well in the blender itself . Add salt , cumin seeds , haldi and hing now . Mix well and continue to grind again .  4. Add 1/3rd water next and grind everything together into a very nice smooth batter . Consistency is crucial here . Batter should not be too watery here ...

Goad Chutney - perfect blend of tamarind , dates and jaggery . Quantity - 1 cup pyrex container Ingredients - Dry Tamarind - one medium sized ball  Dates - 10/12 deseeded Medjool dates or Noor dates (can take more if you like it more on sweeter side) Gul/Jaggery - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - as per taste Water for cooking - 1 cup Procedure - 1. Soak tamarind in warm water for 20-30 mins . After that , extract all the tamarind juice in the same water and remove all seeds and hard particles .Also soak deseeded dates in warm water for 20-30 mins. Drain the dates water and keep them ready  2. In a saucepan , add soaked dates and tamarind extract and mix well . Start heating this mixture . 3. Keep stirring to ensure mixture does not stick to the bottom of saucepan . Keep flame on medium and stir occasionally . After 5 mins , add gul , red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt . Mix everything well and allow it to cook and come to a boil. 4. As the...

Dahi vada - nothing better than enjoying a soft tasty vada immersed in just right flavored dahi ! Quantity - 21 vadas Ingredients - For Vada: Whole Without skin Urad dal - 1 cup  Green Chillies - 4/5  Ginger - 1 inch and some more Salt - to taste Peanut oil - for frying Water - 1/2 cup for grinding  For dahi - Home made dahi Green chillies - 4/5 Ginger - Half inch Coriander powder - 2 tsp Salt - as per taste For garnish - Coriander powder  Red chilli powder Cumin powder Chat masala (optional) Tamarind date chutney (recipe to follow) Green chutney (recipe to follow) Nylon Sev  Pomegranate or Cranberries  Appliance needed- Ultra stone grinder or Preeti mixer  Procedure - 1. First we need to soak urad dal in enough water for atleast 10 hours or overnight. 2. Next is grind urad dal nicely using ultra grinder or mixer . Ensure you add 1/2 cup water or as required just to get the batter flowing and not sticking to grinder . Consistency is important here - we...