Idli

Ingredients:

White rice : 2 cups
Urad dal : 1/2 cup
Cooked white rice : 1 cup

Salt : 1 tsp
Soda : 1/4 tsp

Method:

Soak white rice and urad dal over night or at least 4 to 6 hours.
Grind soaked white rice, urad dal, cooked rice into smooth batter.
Batter should not be too thin or too thick in consistency.
Take required batter into a bowl.
Add soda and salt. Mix well. Add very little water if required.
Grease the idli mould using ghee/oil.
Fill the mould with the batter. Steam cook until done.
Serve with Peanut chutney or sambar.

Kaakarakaaya (Bitter Melon) Fry - 2

Ingredients:

Indian Bitter melon : 8 medium sized
Salt : to taste
Turmeric : 1 spoon
Chilli powder : 1 spoon
Dhania powder : 1 spoon
Oil : 2 spoons
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Cilantro : to garnish
Urad dal : 1 spoon
Onion : 1 medium size finely cut
 Amchur : 1 spoon

Method :

Wash bitter melon and chop off the edges.
Cut each bitter melon into round circles (not too thin or not too thick).
 Add salt and turmeric to the cut pieces. Mix well. Let it sit overnight or at least 1 hour. After the marination, squeeze the water from the melon pieces. Wash this in water twice to remove further bitterness from melons. Ensure that no water is left from the bitter melons.
Sprinkle very little water on the veggies and cook in microwave  for 7 min.
Heat oil in a wide pan.
Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Let it pop/splutter.
Add urad dal. Let it turn brown.
Add finely cut onion. Saute it.
Add bitter melon. Let it cook for few more min.
Add hania, chilli and amchur powder. Mix well.
Check spice/salt and add additional salt if needed.
Close the lid and cook until the cut pieces turn brown/crisp.
Switch off the stove and garnish the fry with cilantro.

 Tip : Sprinkle some water while frying bitter melon instead of adding more oil.

Aloo Palak

Ingredients:

Spinach : 2 bags

Green chillies : 5

Garlic : 3 cloves

Oil : 4 spoons

Potatoes : 2 (boiled & diced)

Onion : 1 medium finely cut

Tomato : 1 medium finely cut

Clove: 2

Cinnamon : 1 inch

Star Anise: 2

Yogurt : 3tbsps

Cashew powder : 1 tbsp (roasted & powdered)

Dhania powder : 1 spoon

Chilli powder : 1/2 spoon

Cumin powder : 1tsp

Kasoor methi powder : 2 spoons 

Salt : 2 taste

Fresh cream : 3 tsp (optional)

Method :

Heat 2 spoons of oil in a pan.

Add green chillies, garlic and cut spinach. Saute it well.

Switch off the stove and let it cool.

Grind the spinach mixture to a smooth paste. Add very little water if required while grinding.

Heat remaining oil in the same pan.

Add clove, cinnamon, star anise. Let it splutter.

Add finely cut onion and tomato. Saute it. This mixture should be cooked very well.

Add spinach paste and mix well. Add dhania powder, cumin powder, salt and chilli powder (if required).

Cook for few more min.

Add yogurt, cashew powder, aloo and kasoor methi (crush between palms and then add).

Mix well and let it cook for few min. Add water if required. 

Ensure that very less water is added. Palak should not be running like a river. It should be thick in consistency.

Switch off the stove once the required consistency is reached. Switch off the stove.

Garnish with fresh cream.

Goes well with fried rice/biryani, roti or naans.

Egg Fry

Ingredients:

Eggs : 4

Oil :2 spoons

Onion : 1 small finely cut

Tomato : 1 medium finely cut

Clove: 1

Cinnamon : 1/2 inch

Star Anise: 1

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Curry leaves: 5

Ginger & garlic paste : 1 spoon

Salt : 2 taste

Green chillies : 4

Turmeric : 1 spoon

Cilantro : 1/4 cup finely cut

Method:

Heat oil in a pan.

Add clove, cinnamon, star anise. Let it splutter.

Add mustard seeds, curry leaves. Let it pop.

Add green chillies. Saute it.

Add onion, tomato, ginger&garlic paste. Saute it.

Add salt, turmeric. Mix will.

Break eggs one by one into the pan. Mix well.

Mash the egg into small pieces while cooking.

Close the lid and cook for few more min. One the egg mixture is dry, switch off the stove.

Transfer the fry into a bowl.

Goes well with Chapati or as a side item for rice.

Dal

Ingredients:

Toor dal : 1cup
Cumin seeds : 1 spoon
Methi powder : 1/4 tsp
Tomato : 1 medium size cut
Tamarind extract : 2 spoons
Salt : to taste
Green chillies : 6
Turmeric : 1 tsp

Seasoning : 

Oil : 2 spoons
Hing : 1 tsp
Methi seeds : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Broken red chillies : 2
Finely cut cilantro : 1/4 cup
Curry leaves : handful
Onion : 1 small size finely cut (optional)

Method :

Wash dal thrice add enough water to it.
 Let it soak for 30 min. You can avoid this step if you are in hurry.
Add cumin seeds, methi powder, tamarind extract, green chillies, turmeric and salt. Pressure cook for 3 whistles or until dal is well cooked.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add mustard seeds. Let it pop.
Add methi seeds, curry leaves, broken red chillies, hing. Saute it.
Add finely cut cilantro and onion. Saute it.
Transfer dal to this pan. Mix well and let it cook for few min.
Switch off the stove and transfer to a bowl.

Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

Carrots: 3 cups grated

Ghee : 1tbsp

Cashews : handful

Dry grapes : handful

Sugar : 1.5 cups

Milk: 2.5 cups

Water : 1 cups

Elachi powder : pinch

Method :

Heat ghee in a pan.

Fry cashews until brown. Take it into a separate bowl.

Fry dry grapes until they are swollen. Take it into a separate bowl.

Add grated carrot to the same pan. And fry it in a simmer mode until the raw smell goes and carrot shrinks in size. Add more ghee if required.

Add milk, water and sugar and cook until the carrot mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Decrease milk/water if the halwa is too liquid in consistency.

Just before halwa is getting done, add nuts, dry grapes and elachi powder.

Switch off the stove.

Transfer it to a bowl.

Gulab Jamun

Yummy Jamuns

Ingredients:

For Jamuns:
GITS Instant Gulab jamun : 1 packet
Milk : 1 cup (adjust to form a dough)
Ghee : 2 spoons enough amount to apply to hands)
Oil : for deep fry

Syrup:
Sugar : 1 glass
Water : 1 glass
Elachi : 1 tsp powdered

Method:

Pour jamun powder in a bowl.

Add enough milk to form a dough.
Rub ghee to hands and start kneading the flour to form soft dough. The dough should be similar chapati dough.

When kneading the jamun mix, work with your fingers gently. Do not apply more pressure with entire palm. This will result in not having fluffy and soft jamuns.

After kneading the dough, close the lid and let it rest for 30 min.
Apply, ghee to your hands and make small balls. Ensure that you are making smooth balls by working them in between your palms gently.
Heat oil to in a pan to deep fry these balls.
Once the oil is heated, put the stove in simmer mode and fry the jamuns. Fry only few at a time.

Oil should not be overheated and always fry the jamuns in simmer mode only. Otherwise, jamuns will turn into brown color and inner part will not cook properly.

Sugar Syrup:

Simultaneously, pour sugar, water and elachi powder in a wide vessel to prepare sugar syrup. Put this vessel on the stove and let it cool. One the sugar syrup boils with bubbles, put the stove on simmer for 4 min and then switch the stove off.

Transfer fried jamuns immediately to the sugar syrup and let it soak. jamuns will double in size once they are well soaked.
Transfer them to a bowl.
Serve hot or cold.