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Categories
Recipes

Pineapple Custard Halwa/Sheera

by Pallavi Ahuja

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup Semolina (Sooji/rawa)
  • 2 teaspoon custard powder (any flavored, I have used vanilla flavored)
  • 1 cup Desi Ghee
  • 1 cup Sugar/Jaggery (For healthy option, you can use brown sugar, jaggery, coconut sugar, etc.)
  • 2 tablespoon almonds, cashew, pista nuts finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
  • 1&1/2 cups Pineapple roughly cut into small pieces (You can also use canned pineapple which is already cooked and slightly sugared, so you can adjust the sugar in the halwa accordingly)
  • 2 cups Water
  • 1/2 cup warm Milk
  • 8-10 strands of Saffron (optional)

 

Method:

1. If you are using the fresh pineapple, then pressure cook it till 1 whistle with some water. After it is cooled down to room temperature, blend it to make a thick puree. Meanwhile soak the saffron strands in warm milk.

2. Now, take a kadai or pan. Heat ghee in it. Then add semolina and keep stirring it, so that there are no lumps. Let it roast till it gets slightly brown. Add custard powder and nuts in between to roast them as well.

3. Now add pineapple puree and sugar. Stir again and mix the ingredients well. Add water and mix well. Cover the lid of the pan and let it cook for about 5 minutes.

4. Now add saffron milk or milk without saffron (if saffron is not available) and cardamom powder. Again mix well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes more.

5. Garnish the halwa with chopped pista nuts and serve it hot.

Categories
Recipes

Eggless Chocolate Cranberry Cake

by Pallavi Ahuja

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup fresh Cranberries (you can use frozen ones, if fresh are not available)
  • 1 cup Brown sugar/White Normal Sugar
  • 2 tablespoon sugar for coating cranberries
  • 1 cup Milk
  • 1 cup Butter
  • a pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon Baking Soda
  • 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 4 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
  • 1-1/2 All Purpose Flour/Any Baking Flour

METHOD:

  1. Firstly, take a pan and put cranberries to it. Mix 2 tablespoon sugar and let it melt. This is to sweeten the tangy flavor of cranberries. When the sugar melts, cranberries get a thick puree kind of consistency. Switch off the flame.
  2. Take a bowl. Add butter and sugar. Use a cake beater to beat this mixture. Now add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and baking powder through a sieve, so that there are no lumps in the mixture.
  3. Beat the mixture again properly for about 2 minutes. Now add apple cider vinegar and milk. Vinegar helps in rising the cake even more. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk to it. Beat again well to make a good consistency batter which is not too runny.
  4. Pre-heat the oven to about 180° C temperature. Grease a baking tray with butter or oil. Set the cake batter into it. Add the cranberry puree layer on top of the batter. Spread it with the help of a spatula gently.
  5. Now keep the tray into the oven and bake it for about 35 minutes. Do the tooth pick test to check if the cake is baked completely. Once you take the tray out of oven, let it cool down and take out on a plate. There is no need for frosting for this cake, as the upper layer is of cranberries.

Categories
Recipes

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

by Pallavi Ahuja

Vegetables, being the important part of vegetarian and vegan diet, contain all the nutrients required for a healthy lifestyle. They can be an important part of your meals in the form of roasted, stir fried, curried vegetables, salads and of course, soups. One such recipe is Roasted Pumpkin Soup. This recipe is absolutely healthy, delicious and brings the beautiful color & unique flavors to the plate and palate. This recipe has a bit of Indian and European flavors blended together beautifully.

Ingredients

  • 200 gms Yellow Pumpkin
  • 1 medium size Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Spring Onion Green leaves finely cut
  • Salt to taste
  • Lemon Juice – For flavor
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric
  • 3 tablespoon Olive oil
  • Black Pepper for seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon Mixed Herbs (Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Dil leaves, Parsley etc.)

Method

  1. Cut the pumpkin piece into few big slices. Don’t peel it. Keep the pieces on a baking tray. Grease them with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. Now roast the pumpkin into pre-heated oven at 200° C for about 25-30 minutes. Keep checking in between.
  2. When the pumpkin flesh becomes too soft and tender to remove it from the skin, take it out. If you don’t have oven at your home, then we can normally pressure cook the pumpkin (chopped into small pieces) instead of roasting it in oven.
  3. Now, take a pan. Heat some olive oil in it. Add chopped garlic and onion. Saute till they become translucent. Add the pumpkin flesh (pressure cooked or oven roasted). Don’t forget to remove the peel.
  4. Now add little water, as this would be of thick consistency. Saute well. Add mixed herbs and a bit of spring onion leaves. Add salt to taste, red chilli powder and turmeric.
  5. Cover the pan with a lid and cook it for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring in between. Now turn the gas off. Let it cool down to room temperature. Now, blend it into a puree. You can strain it through sieve or have it as it is. I prefer fibrous texture of the soup, so don’t filter out the fleshy part.
  6. Before serving, heat it a bit. Garnish it with spring onion leaves, black pepper and lemon as per taste and serve it hot.
Categories
Recipes

Nutty White Asparagus Soup

by Pallavi Ahuja

White Asparagus is really popular among Germans and one of their favorite vegetables when it comes to healthy cuisine in form of soup or salads. This Nutty White Asparagus Soup recipe is just the perfect winter soup, not just super delicious and nutritious but also very filling with the perfect crunchy flavor of pine nuts, almonds and walnuts.

Ingredients

  • 250 gm White Asparagus
  • 5 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized Onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup green spring onion leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoon Coconut Oil
  • 2 tablespoon Roasted pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, finely chopped
  • Mixed herbs (parsley, thyme, basil, etc.) for garnishing – This is completely optional as per availability
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Firstly, wash the Asparagus properly. Cut the stem and top of each of it. Keep the top part separate. Now, peel off all the asparagus. Don’t throw away the roughage. Chop the rest of the Asparagus into small pieces.
  2. Now, take a pan and add 2 cups of water in it. Add peeled off part and stem of the Asparagus. Bring it to boil and keep for about 15 minutes. This will bring a nice color and flavor to water. This way we are preparing a vegetable stalk for the soup. Strain the water and keep it in same pan. Now boil the top part of Asparagus for about 10 minutes.
  3. Take another pan or kadai. Heat coconut oil in it. Add chopped onions, spring onion leaves and garlic. Saute well for about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped pieces of Asparagus and salt to taste. Saute it well and cook for about 10 minutes. Now you can use a hand blender to mash all the ingredients.
  4. Add the stalk prepared in previous step along with the top part of Asparagus. This adds nice flavor and crunch. Bring it to one boil. Add half of the chopped nuts.
  5. Serve the soup hot with garnish of black pepper and nuts.
Categories
Recipes

Kurkuri Besan Broccoli

by Pallavi Ahuja

Being born and brought up in a very small town of Northern India, I hardly knew what Broccoli was. As I was growing up and got opportunity to live in major metropolitan cities of India because of my work, I discovered not just the benefits of this wonderful looking vegetable but also it’s amazing taste. This comes from cabbage family and has numerous recipes to enjoy it’s flavor. Today, I am going to tell one such recipe, Kurkuri Besan Broccoli, which you can not just eat as a main course dish but as a tea time snack as well.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium sized Broccoli cut into small florets.
  • Desi Ghee/Oil – 2 tablespoon
  • Besan – 4 tablespoons
  • Black Pepper – 1 teaspoon
  • Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
  • Turmeric powder – 1/2 tablespoon
  • Garam Masala – 1 teaspoon
  • Garlic – 2 tablespoon finely chopped

Method

  1. Don’t cut the broccoli florets into very small pieces rather medium sized. Rinse the florets with water and keep them aside to drain the water completely.
  2. Then take a bowl with besan in it. Add about 1 tablespoon cooking oil, salt to taste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric. Now mix all ingredients with hands properly, so that there is no lump of besan because of oil. Let the mixture rest for a while.
  3. Now take a pan or kadai. Heat desi ghee or oil in it. Add chopped garlic. Saute it well and then add broccoli florets. Saute it well again and cover the pan with lid. Let the broccoli cook for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring in between so that it doesn’t stick to the utensil.
  4. Don’t over cook the broccoli, else it will lose it’s crunch. Now add the besan masala prepared earlier. Just sprinkle the besan over the broccoli florets evenly. Then mix it gently with a spatula. Sprinkle some water over it. Cover the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes more.
  5. Now you will notice the besan is evenly absorbed by florets and they give feel of pakodas without even deep frying. Serve this Kurkuri Besan Broccoli as a tea time snack or main course dish with chapati or paranthas.
Categories
Recipes

Hara Bhara Kebab

by Pallavi Ahuja

Kebabs are the most popular appetizers in our Indian cuisine. They originated from the Persian and Turkish cuisine in late 17th century. Many variants are popular throughout Asia, and around the world. Although Kebabs are cooked on skewer on a Tandoor to have a smoky flavor, some of them do not need to be cooked on skewers. They can be easily moulded into any shape of your choice and pan-grilled as well. Kebabs can be vegetarian as well and a lot of vegetables can make it even healthier and full of nutritions. This Hara Bhara Seekh Kebab recipe is easy to cook at home and pan-grilled.

Ingredients

  • Paneer – 1 cup grated
  • Onion – 1/2 cup finely chopped
  • Potatoes – 2 cups mashed
  • Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
  • Spinach – 1 cup roughly chopped
  • Green Peas – 1/2 cup boiled
  • Capsicum/Green French beans – 1/2 cup (optional vegetables to add more color and flavor)
  • Green Chillies paste – 1 teaspoon
  • Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Chaat masala/Amchur Powder – 1 teaspoon
  • Bread crumbs – 1 cup
  • Salt to taste
  • Turmeric – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Mustard oil for grilling
  • Coriander Powder – 1 tablespoon
  • Garam Masala – 1/2 teaspoon
  • Roasted Besan – 2 tablespoon

Method

  1. Firstly, we will take a pan and add some oil in it.
  2. When it is heated, add chopped onions. When it becomes little translucent, add ginger garlic paste and green chillies paste. Saute well.
  3. Add salt to taste, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilli powder and garam masala. Add spinach, green peas, capsicum and french beans. Mix well and saute for about 2 minutes. Turn off the gas and let the mixture cool down to room temperature. Then grind it to make a fine puree. Don’t add extra water to it, else it will be too runny.
  4. Take a bowl. Mix mashed potatoes, grated paneer and the vegetable puree made in last step. Mix everything well and then add roasted besan for binding. Mix again well to make a dough which is not very hard or runny.
  5. You can mould it into round shape or put it on skewers to give seekh kebab shape. Now coat every kebab with bread crumbs. As per choice, you can deep fry it, grill it on pan or oven bake it. Serve hot with the chutney of your choice.

Notes

Instead of besan, you can add corn starch as well. But besan is healthier option than corn starch.

Categories
Recipes

Kombdi Vade

by Rita Naik Goraksha

Ingredients

For the chicken gravy

  • 1/2 kg boneless chicken
  • 4 to 5 medium size onions
  • 2 to 3 tbsp ginger/ garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp ( maharashtrian red masala ) homemade
  • Make a paste of little coriander & 1 green chilly
  • Salt as per taste
  • 3 to 4 tbsp oil

For the vade. You get ready made flour in the market but this is the recipe to make it homemade.

  • 1/2 kg rice (Not necessary to wash. You can wash the rice and dry under the fan)
  • 1/2 kg jawari
  • 250 gm wheat
  • 250 gm chana dal
  • 250 gm udad dal
  • 2 tbsp jeera
  • 2 tbsp dhania
  • 1 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp methi seeds
  1. Make a paste of dry coconut, onion, coriander seeds, cloves, dalichini, poppy seeds
  2. Marinate the chicken with ginger/garlic paste,& coriander & chilly paste about 1/4 tsp ,turmeric powder, masala & salt
  3. In a pan put oil & fry the finely chopped onions. Then add the chicken to it. Sauté for sometime. When the sides leave oil just add the above paste 2 to 3 tbsp according to thickness. Add little water. Close the lid & take a whistle & simmer the gas for 5 to 7 mins.
  4. Mix all the ingredients & grind into flour. To make vadas knead the dough with warm water at least 5 to 6 hrs before making them. Add salt & turmeric powder to the flour while kneading the dough. Take a plastic bag to tap the vadas on it. Deep fry in hot oil.
Categories
Recipes

Achari Tendli

by Rita Naik Goraksha

  • For Achari Masala
    • 1 tbsp mustard seeds
    • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
    • 1 tbsp fennel seeds
    • 1/2 tsp kalonji
    • 1 tsp methi or fenugreek seeds
    • 1/2 tsp ajwain
    • 15 red chillies (Kashmiri & spicy one you can add both)
    • 1 tsp dry mango powder
  • For the subzi:
    • 500 gm Tendli
    • 2-3 Tbsp Oil
    • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
    • 1/4 tsp Hing (asafoetida)
    • 1/2 tsp Tumeric powder
    • Salt according to taste

Method:

  1. In a pan dry roast mentioned ingredients for the masala but do not over roast them. In the same pan dry roast the chillies. Let it cool for sometime. Now put everything in a jar & blend it into a powder. You can store this powder if it’s extra in a jar for further use.
  2. Wash & dry the tendli. Chop them into four long pieces. In a kadhai add oil put some mustard seeds once the splutter add little hing to it. Now add the masala (2 to 3 tbsp) depending on the quantity of the veggie. Add turmeric powder. Add the chopped tendli to it. Add salt. Mix well. Cover & cook.
  3. Serve hot.
Categories
Recipes

Cluster Bean Dhokla

by Srishty Jain

Sharing with you all the recipe cluster bean/fali dhokla, which is closest to my heart. This is one recipe which brings back such nice childhood memories. My mother used to teach at the school along with taking care of me and managing the house. Those were the days when household helps were limited and automation was minimal.

Because of her busy schedule, we had very little time for picnics or going out. But every year, with the first rain we would go out onto the terrace and sit on a platform next to the water tank. It was the highest accessible point of the house. My mom would cook fali dhokla specially for that day and bring it up in a big tiffin.. The aroma of dhokla would mingle with the smell of moist sand, the chirping of birds, the sun at the horizon about to set, occasional sighting of rainbow and the cool breeze.

We followed this ritual year after year; it was our idea of a little picnic on the terrace. Those were the small joys of life. This memory is etched into mu mind for a lifetime.

I was missing my mom today, hence tried this dish. The recipe is as follows:

Serves two.

For dough

  • 2 cups of wheat flour
  • 1 cup of fine flour/maida
  • 1 teaspoon spoon carrom seeds/ajwain,
  • 1 teaspoon refined oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder
  • Salt to taste

For gravy

  • 1 cup cluster beans/gwarfali finely chopped
  • 1 cup bottle guard/lauki chopped,
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
  • 2 green chillies finely chopped,
  • Some juliennes of ginger

Method

Mix the above ‘dough’ ingredients together and make a soft dough. Cover it in a muslin cloth and set aside for 15 minutes. Now divide the dough in ten balls and make dhoklas and set them aside.

For gravy

  1. Take a cooker and add 2 tablespoon oil.
  2. Put 1 bay leaf and a teaspoon of mustard seeds.
  3. Once the seeds start crackling, add one teaspoon red chilly powder, half teaspoon turmeric powder, salt to taste and three cups of water.
  4. One the water starts boiling up, add all the cut vegetables and let the mixture boils once again.
  5. Now add the dhoklas to the mixture.
  6. Cover the cooker lid and pressure cook it for three whistles. Let the pressure get released on its own. Be careful not to open the cooker before all the pressure is released.
  7. Once the pressure is released, remove the lid and add one teaspoon of dry Mango powder/amchur and squeeze half a lemon into it.
  8. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

Do try it at home and let me know what you think. You can sprinkle some wheat flour into the gravy if it gets too watery.