Aloo Poha

Ingredients
3 cups poha (rice flakes)
1 medium-sized potato - boiled and chopped
1/2 onion - chopped finely
1/4 cup peas - boiled (or frozen and thawed)
2-3 tbsp carrots - boiled and chopped (optional)
1 green chilli - finely chopped
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
4 tbsp oil
salt & lemon juice - to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp sugar
chopped cilantro - for garnish
thin sev or shredded coconut - for garnish (optional)

Method
Take the poha (puffed rice) in a bowl and wash it thoroughly with water. Soak them in water for 1 min, then transfer to a colander and let all the water be drained. leave them while you prepare the other stuff. They will puff up a little and get softened as they soak the water.

Take the chopped carrots and peas in a bowl, add a little water and microwave them for 5 mins until they become soft and cooked. Alternately, you can boil them along with the potatoes.

Take 4 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan, add the curry leaves and the cumin seeds. When they start spluttering, add the chopped green chillies and the onions. Saute them till they turn slightly pinkish-golden in color.

Add all the boiled vegetables, sugar(optional), salt and turmeric powder and cook for 5 mins. Finally add the soaked poha and mix everything well ltogether, evenly coating with oil and spices. Sprinkle little water if desired, then cover with a lid and let it cook for another 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the vessel.

Add the chopped coriander, leaving some for garnish, and give it a final stir. Remove from flame and transfer to a serving bowl.

Garnish with some more chopped cilantro and shredded coconut or sev if you like. Serve the Aloo(Batata)Poha hot with a cup of tea fr breakfast, or some lemonade on a breezy summer evening!

Cheese Chutney Toast

Ingredients

To serve 8 persons

Bread slices : 8
Coconut : ½
Coriander leaves : 1 bunch
Sugar : 1 tsp(optional)
Salt : 1 tsp
Green chillies : 4
Cumin : 1 tsp
Lime juice : juice of 1 lime

Cheese sauce:

Cheese ( grated ) : 1 cup
Butter : 2 tbsp
Salt : ½ tsp
Milk : 2 cup
Maida flour : 4 tbsp
Pepper powder : ½ tsp

Method

Mix all the items listed under cheese sauce and prepare thick sauce.
Grate coconut.
Grind grated coconut, coriander leaves, green chilli, cumin, salt and sugar to a paste.
Mix with lime juice.
Fry 8 bread slices.
Spread chutney over the slices.
Place the slices on a flat vessel.
Pour cheese sauce over the slices.
Place it on a griller, till the top turns golden.
Serve it hot with your favorite sauce.

Kids would love it...!

Baked Bread Rolls

Ingredients
6 slices of fresh bread
1 tbsp. butter softened
2 flakes garlic crushed
1/2 tsp. crushed red chilli
salt to taste
1 tbsp. grated cheese
Method
1.Roll the bread flat with the help of a rolling pin.
2.Mix the salt, chilli, garlic in the butter.
3.Apply on all slices generously.
4.Roll one slice tightly from end to end.
5.Brush all over with a bit of butter.
6.Coat the roll with grated cheese by rolling in it.
7.Repeat for all slices. Cover rolls with a moist cloth.
8.Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
9.Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes or till golden brown and crisp.
10.Serve hot with ketchup.

Note: If you have trouble keep the rolls in place when raw, secure them with toothpicks before placing in the fridge.Remove toothpicks before baking.Makes 6 rolls.

Rava Dosa

Ingredients:
1 cup fine suji (semolina)
1/2 cup rice flour or plain flour
1 tbsp. oil
1/8 tsp. soda bicarb
2-2 ½ cups buttermilk
1 tsp. coriander chopped fine
2 green chillies chopped fine
Method:
Blend all the ingredients together.
Add more buttermilk if necessary.
add grated ginger to the batter, spread it on the tawa.
Serve hot with onion and/or coconut chutneys.

Mughal style kheema masala curry

Ingredients

• 1/3 tbsp oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 2.5 cm/1 in ginger root, finely chopped

• 2 green chilies, finely chopped

• 8 cloves

• 8 cardamom pods

• 4 bay leaves

• 2 cinnamon sticks

• 1 tsp poppy seeds

• 1/2 tsp black pepper corns

• 2 tsp Mughal-style garam masala

  

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 4 tsp ground coriander

• 1 tsp ground turmeric

• 5 mill tsp paprika

• 25gm/1/4 cup ground almonds

• 1 tomato, skinned and chopped

• 1.5kg minced (ground) lamb

• l cup natural (plain) yogurt

• salt

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

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Method:

1. Heat the oil and fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chililes over a medium heat until browned. Add the cloves,cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, poppy seeds and peppercorns and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring.

2. Add the garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric and paprika ad cook for w minutes. add the almonds and tomato and mix well.

3. Stir in the meat, yogurt and salt, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender.garnish with mint and serve hot with rice, Nan and vegetables.

Mixed Veg Curry

Ingredients
1 cup mixed vegetables sliced, boiled
(use carrot, cauliflower, beans, peas, potato, etc.)
1 tomato sliced
1/2 coconut grated
1/2 tsp. ginger grated
1/2 tsp. garlic crushed
3 green chillies
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1/2 tsp. each cumin, mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
salt to taste
1 tsp.lemon juice
2 cloves
1" piece cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter
Method
1.Drain the boiled vegetables, keep stock aside.
2.Blend together, coconut, chillies, sesame seeds, cinnamon, cloves in mixer.
3.Heat butter, add seeds, allow to splutter.
4.Add ginger, garlic and paste.
5.Stir fry for 3-4 minutes.
6.Add all the vegetables except tomatoes.
7.Add 1/2 cup stock. Cover, simmer for 5 minutes.
8.Add salt, chilli powder,tomatoes and cook till gravy is thick.
9.Serve hot with parathas or chapatis.

Keema kofta Curry

Ingredients:

Mutton mince ........... 1/2 kg. (or) Chicken mince

Onions ....................... 5-6 sliced

Tomato ................... 1 chopped

Green chillies ......... 2-3

Ginger-garlic paste ..... 1 tbsp.

Bread crumbs ............. 1 tbsp.

Coriander powder ...... 1tsp.

Cumin powder .............1 tsp.

Red chilli powder ......... 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric powder ........ 1/2 tsp.

Garam masala ............. 1tsp.

Coriander leaves......... handful

Mint leaves ................ 6-7 (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil

Method:

1. Fry the onions to a golden brown colour.Add the chopped tomato, 2 green chillies, ginger-garlic paste and half cup water. Let it cook. Cool it and grind.

2. Clean and wash the mince. Squeeze out the water completely.
3. In a food processor grind this along with 1 onion, 1 green chilli, mint and coriander leaves, a little ginger-garlic paste, breadcrumbs, coriander-cumin-turmeric powders, Garam masala and salt.

4. Make balls out of this mix.

5.In a flat bottomed pan heat a little oil, add the ground onion paste, salt, coriander-cumin-turmeric powders and place the koftas. Simmer for 5 minutes and turn them carefully.

6. Add about 1 cup water and cook on low flame till done. Add a little garam masala.

7.Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rotis / naan/parathas.

Malai Kofta Curry

Ingredients:
For the Kofta:
1 1/2 kg. potatoes
2 heaped tablespoons crumbled paneer,
khoya and thick malai
4-5 cashew nuts chopped
1 tablespoon raisins
2-3 finely chopped green chillies
1/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp red-chilli powder
1/2 tsp cardammom powder
Salt to Taste
3 tbsp cooking oil/ghee(clarified butter)
Oil for frying the koftas
For the gravy:
2 medium onions,chopped
3 flakes garlic,crushed
1 inch ginger,crushed
3 large tomatoes,pureed
1 tsp red-chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp dhania(corainder) powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp powdered poppy seeds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ground peanuts/cashewnuts
Method
Boil potatoes till tender.
Peel, mash and add salt to taste.Keep aside.
Mix all the other ingredients for the kofta into a paste.
Make small sized balls with the potato mash and place a little of the prepared mixture in the center.Seal the edges and shape into stuffed rounds.
Deep fry each kofta till golden brown.Drain and keep aside.
Blend together the onions, ginger, garlic and the poppy seeds and fry in 3 tbsp of oil till brown till the oil begins to separate.
Add the pureed tomatoes and the masala powders.
Add sugar and ground peanuts.
after the gravy thickens ,you can add some more malai to thicken it even more.
Mix in some water if necessary.When the gravy comes to a boil, add the koftas.
Heat through and serve.
The koftas should be put in just before eating the dish or else they will turn soggy.
Serve hot with pulav or rotis/paratha's

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.