Bharva Bhindi

Ingredients
1 kg Bhendi, washed
1 large onion , sliced finely
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp lemon juice

For stuffing:
1 1/2 tsp red chili pwd
1 tsp amchoor
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp saunf(fennel)
2 tsp dhania pwd
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Method:
Make one slit on each bhendi and set side.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil and fry the stuffing masala well till it turns brown. Not more than a minute.
Stuff each bhendi with this masala and keep the remaining
aside.
Heat the remaining oil, add the cumin seeds and when they splutter add the sliced onions.
When the onions turn brown, add the remaining masala and the bhendi pieces.
Sprinkle some water and salt and cook covered on a low flame for 30 minutes.
Keep turning occasionally.
When the bhendi is done, take it off and sprinkle some lemon juice.Mix well.
Serve hot with chapati/rice and dal.

Peas Pulao

Ingredients:
6 cups of cooked white basmati rice
1 1/2 cups of frozen green peas, thawed
1 small onion sliced
1 tsp jeera(cumin) seeds
3 garlic flakes, crushed finely
1 small piece of ginger, crushed finely
1-2 cloves
1 small piece cinnamon, broken into pieces
2-3 cardamoms
2 tablespoon ghee(clarified butter)
Salt to taste
2 tsps coriander leaves ,mint leaves chopped finely
1 tablespoon cashew nuts, chopped

Method:

Heat the ghee in a non stick pan and add ginger-garlic paste.
When it turns brown, add cardamoms, Cinnamon,
jeera, cloves and onions.
Fry till the onions turn transparent.
Now add the peas, cashew nuts and the coriander,mint leaves , mix well.
Cook on low heat till the peas are cooked.
Mix in the cooked rice .
Eat when hot with a vegetable or meat side dish.

Bulls Eye

Ingredients:
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 -3 eggs
butter
salt & pepper to taste
cookie cutter(Or a bottle lid)
Method:
butter both sides of bread and use cookie cutter to cut a hole in the center of each piece. Put the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with salt & pepper to taste. Place the bread in a skillet or griddle heated to med - low heat. Pour the eggs into the holes in the bread and cook until done. You can also toast the holes you cut out. Serves 2.

Cabbage Kofta Curry

Ingredients:
For Koftas
1/2 medium size Cabbage Shredded
Besan or all Purpose flour (required to make balls)
Oil for frying
For Gravy
1 medium sized onion
a Piece of ginger
1 Cardamon
1 cinanamon stick small
1 clove
1 spoon jeera
1 spoon dhania
2 medium sizes Tomatoes
Method
1.Take the shredded Cabbage in a bowl, add flour & make small round
balls with the same.
2.Deep fry the balls in the hot oil & keep aside
3.In a seperate pan heat 1 tsp of oil & add bay leaves & the paste, salt
according to taste & little bit of sugar.
4.Let the paste cook till the oil seperates.
5.Can add little water if the paste is too thick.
6.Switch off the flame add the Kofta's & Cover till Serving.
7.Before serving garnish with fresh coriader leaves.

Ethnic way of designing interiors...!

With all that is happening in the world today - the threat of war, falling stock prices, a recession (in spite of what economists say) - more and more of us are nesting. That is, we are spending more time at home.
While it is hard to control what happens in the outside world, home is where you decide the who, what, where, when and why. Ethnic decor is filled with endless options to spice up your living space. However, you may wonder, what is ethnic decor.

"Ethnic decor is different. Many cannot define it, but know it when they see it."
This open-ended approach is what makes ethnic decorating fun. It's eclectic, inclusive, colorful and most of all, unique. It allows you to fill in blanks for yourself, using an internal palette to satisfy decorating needs.

Designing your rooms around an ethnic theme can be exciting and fun and allows you to bring elements of other cultures and distant lands into your home. You can be more daring in your approach to colour and with such a wide variety of textures and patterns available, this can collectively add a whole new dimension to your interior design project. Unusual artifacts from different cultures can work very well as focal points in a room and as there are no hard and fast rules to stick to and because there are so many variations, you can go beyond the usual or traditional to portray a style that is not only beautiful, it is unique.

So what do we mean by ethnic?
Ethnic basically means native or indigenous people from a particular area so in relation to Interior Design it means to bring the natural elements that are representative of whatever culture, land or peoples you choose to portray into your own home to define your space.
Naturally the world is your oyster as they say so there are countless cultures to choose from, all you have to do is bring a particular ensemble of colours, patterns, materials and artifacts together to create a "look" that is recognisable and distinctive. What about a Mediterranean flavour, Native American Indian symbolism, or perhaps Tibetan Buddhism? Popular themes include African, Mexican, and Asian but you can go with whatever inspires or appeals to you. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Themes:
African Theme
Think of Africa and all that it conjures up in your mind, the landscape, the sounds, the smells, the colours, the mood, and then if you try to pick out the key points, what would they be? Colour schemes might include earthy colours like green, beige, browns and tans, set off with orange and splashes of red. Think about floor and wall coverings, natural substances would probably work best. Finishing touches can include wall hangings, African artifacts, drums, rugs, African fabrics and prints, animals made of stone, clay or wood, ceremonial masks hung on the wall, brightly coloured African bowls and pots, and so on.
Mexican Theme
What does Mexico mean to you? Perhaps desert colours with sandy tones, beige and khaki, along with reddish, rustic colours and hues. Blankets and woven fabrics in bright colours, perhaps terra cotta pots and bowls, pine wood is popular for furniture. Artifacts can include symbols of the South West or from the Spanish influence, or from the Aztecs, Mayans and other ancient civilisations, all of which can add an interesting and authentic Mexican look and feel.
Asian Theme
There are many variations within an Asian theme but two quite popular ones are Japanese and Chinese. Japanese themes tend to lean towards a more minimalist look and have a tranquil and peaceful feel. Consider a futon and using screens to get that Japanese ambiance. Colours tend to be natural and objects from nature often feature as focal points, for example, smooth stones and pebbles, water fountains and bonsai trees. Chinese themes on the other hand might involve brighter and bolder colours, lanterns, dragons and other mythological creatures, artwork depicting the traditional people colours and landscapes and Chinese handwriting.

Shahi Paneer

Ingredients:
250 gms. paneer (cottge cheese)
3 tbsp. ghee or butter
1 onion chopped into strips
1/2" piece ginger chopped fine
2 green chillies chopped fine
4 tomatoes chopped fine
2 cardamoms crushed
1/4 cup beaten curd
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. tomato sauce
To garnish:
2 tbsp. grated paneer
1 tbsp. chopped coriander
Method:
Chop the paneer into 2" fingers.
Heat half the ghee. Add onion,ginger, green chilli and cardamom. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, covered.
Add curd and cook for 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup water and cool.
Blend in a mixie till smooth.
Heat remaining ghee, add gravy and other ingredients except milk and paneer.
Boil to get a very thick gravy.
Just before serving, heat gravy, add milk and paneer fingers and boil for 3-4 minutes.
Garnish with chopped coriander and grated paneer.

Gobi Manchurian

Ingrediants:
1 medium cauliflower cleaned and broken into big florettes.
1 small bunch spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp. ginger finely chopped
1 tsp. garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup plain flour
3 tbsp. cornflour
1/4 tsp. red chilli powder
2 red chillies, dry
3 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. milk

1sp red chilli sauce

1/4 sp ajinomoto
METHOD:
Boil the florettes for 3-4 minutes in plenty of water, to which a tbsp. of milk has been added.
Drain and pat dry on a clean cloth.
Make thin batter out of flour and 2 tbsp.cornflour, adding 1/4 tsp. each of ginger and garlic,ajinomoto,chilli sauce and red chilli powder and salt to taste.
Dip the florettes in the batter one by one and deep fry in hot oil. Keep aside.
In the remaining oil, add remaining ginger, garlic and crushed red chilli and fry for a minute.
Add the salt and spring onions.
Stir fry for a minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil.
Add 1 tbsp. cornflour to 1/4 cup water and dissolve well.
Gradually add to the gravy and stir continuously till it resumes boiling.
Boil till the gravy becomes transparent. Add florettes and soya sauce.
Boil for two more minutes and remove.
Serve hot with noodles or rice.
Variations:
Dry manchurian can be made by omitting the gravy.
Make florettes as above and instead of adding water as above, add fried florettes, spring onions and soya sauce at this stage.
Sprinkle 1 tsp. cornflour on the florettes and stirfry for 2 minutes.
Serve piping hot with toothpicks or miniforks and chilligarlic sauce or tomato sauce.
Same procedure for veg. manchurian (with gravy or dry), but instead of using only cauliflower, use finely chopped minced vegetables and bind with some cornflour or bread crumbs and make small lumps the size of a pingpong ball.
Fry as above and proceed as above.

Bisi Bele Bhath

I completly forgot this recipe until my colleague reminded me of it yesterday,thanks to him.

What other recipe can be more authentic and originally Karnataka than the now world famous Bisi Bele Bhath? Bisi Bele Bhath in Kannada means hot dal and rice. It is simply that. Perhaps originally it was only hot rice and dal. Now it has progressed to a complete filling meal with dal, rice and all sorts of vegetables. I got to taste the delicious homemade bisi bele bhath from my aunt who is a bangalorian and ever since it has become one of my favourite .I remember once my friend saying ,"bisi bele bhath served at the hotels is so spicy, your bisi bele bhath is very tasty”.

Ingredients
1 1/2cups Rice
1/2cup Turdal
2 Small brinjals
1 Fresh Carrot
2 Fresh Drumsticks (optional)

1 potato
A handful of small onions
A pinch of Turmeric powder
6 Red chillies (lessen if you prefer less spicy)
4 Green chillies
2 tsp Mustard seeds
20 gm of Cashew nut
Curry leaves few
Coriander leaves few
lime sized tamarind
Ghee/oil for frying
Salt to taste
For Powdering
1tsp Fenugreek seeds
1tsp Coriander seeds
4-6 Red chillies
Grated coconut
For Masala
4-5 Cardamoms
4-5 Cloves
½ tsp Aniseeds
1tsp Poppy seeds
A small piece Cinnamon
Method
Peel onions.
Peel and cut vegetables into 1 inch pieces.
Wash rice and dal thoroughly. Place it in a container with 2 1/2 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric powder and chopped vegetables.cook it in a cooker for 2 whistles.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the ingredients for powdering until fenugreek turns golden brown in colour. Powder and keep aside.
Heat some more oil and fry poppy seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, aniseeds. Powder and keep aside.
Soak tamarind in a little water and extract juice.
Heat oil, add red and green chillies, mustard and curry leaves. When mustard crackles, add to rice and mix well. Add tamarind juice, salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
Heat a little ghee and fry cashew nuts until golden brown in colour.
Add to rice along with powdered ingredients and masala powder. Mix well. Remove from fire.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves .
Serve it hot with pure ghee and papad/chips.

Variation:Masala powder may be prepared in advance and kept in air tight jars so that bisi bele bhath can be prepared in a jiffy any time.or we can also cook this with the instant bisi bele bhath mix found in any of the super markets.MTR mix is the best.

Carrot Halwa

Ingrediants:
1 kg juicy orange carrots
1 1/2 litre milk
400-500 gm sugar
elaichi powder (cardomom)
saffron few flakes
few drops of orange colour (optional)
1 tbsp ghee
Method:
Peel and grate carrots
Put milk and carrots in a heavy saucepan. Boil till thick, stirring occassionally. Once it starts thickening, stir
continuously. Add sugar and cook further till it thickens. Add ghee, elaichi, saffron and colour. Stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out.

Serve hot, decorated with a chopped almonds/cashew or pista.

Bobbattu/Puranpoli

Mere mention of ‘Bobbattu’ , the famed Andhra ethnic sweet and an integral dish of a sumptuous meal for festive occasions, is enough to tickle the tastebuds.
But then making a ‘Bobbattu’ has almost become a vanishing art calling for a certain skill as well as time and patience. Thankfully traditional ‘Bobbattu’ made a comeback into urban households thanks to our ‘Home Food’ outlets . I just love the bobbattu prepared by my mom..here iam posting the recipe shared by her,go ahead and njoy the recipe.

Ingrediants:
300gms. channa (yellowgram) dal
300 gms. jaggery
1 tsp. cardamom powder
150 gms. plain flour
1 tbsp. ghee
warm water to knead dough
ghee to serve

Method:
Boil dal in plenty of water till soft but not broken.
Drain water.
Mash jaggery till lumps break. Gring jaggery and dal ,till a soft lump is formed ,add cardamom powder to it and Keep aside.
Mix ghee, flour, add enough water to make a soft pliable dough.
Take a small sized ball of dough, roll into a 4" round.
Place same sized ball of filling in centre, cover all round and seal.
Reroll carefully to a 6" diameter round.(Like paratha's)
Roast on warm griddle till golden brown.
Repeat other side.
Take on serving plate. Apply a tsp. of ghee all over top.

OR
Shallow fry on griddle like a paratha for a better flavour.
But this method will consume more ghee and therefore calories.