These days I'm in the mode of healthy cooking and different variety of soups catch my fancy.
Spinach-peas soup
Ingredients: (for 2)
1/3 packet spinach
1 cup peas
1/2 medium sized onion (2-3 " in diameter)
jeera seeds
black pepper (ground)
salt to taste
Preparation:
1. Boil the spinach, peas (keep some for garnishing) and onion until cooked (or pressure cook them)
2. Blend the mixture in a blender.
3. In a pan, take 1/2 tsp oil, add some jeera seeds and the remaining peas kept for garnishing.
4. To this pan, add the blended mixture, salt to taste and black pepper. Cook for 2 minutes
5. Serve hot, with possibly some cream for garnishing
Tomato soup
Ingredients:
3 tomatoes
1 onion
1/2 tsp cut garlic or garlic paste
1/4 cup peas (optional)
1 cup milk
black pepper (ground)
salt to taste
Preparation:
1. Cut the tomatoes in large cubes and boil them in 3 cups of water.
2. In a pan, take 1/2 tsp oil. Saute the chopped onion and garlic.
3. Blend the tomatoes and sauted onion and garlic together.
4. In a pan, add the blend, salt and pepper.
5. Add the milk to the mixture, and cook for about 4 minutes.
6. You may add some peas to the soup (tastes good).
7. Serve hot.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Vegetable Hakka Noodles
Just a tip, if you use olive oil spray then you would use very less amount of oil in the entire recipe.
Ingredients:
1 packet hakka noodles
1/2 green bell pepper (chopped finely)
1/2 red bell pepper (chopped finely)
1 medium sized carrot - grated
1/2 cup grated cabbage (you could use cole slaw salad instead of cabbage and carrots separately)
200 gms tofu (cut in cubes)
1 tsp black pepper (ground)
salt to taste
olive oil
soya sauce
chili sauce
tomato ketchup
Preparation
1. boil 10 cups of water. Add the hakka noodles to the water and cook for about 2 minutes (or follow the instructions on the back of the hakka noodles packet). Drain the water and add some olive oil to the noodles so that they don't stick to each other. Add some salt and pepper to the noodles and keep aside.
2. In a pan, take some olive oil and fry the bell peppers until brown. Keep them aside.
3. Fry the tofu until brown. Keep it aside.
4. Fry the carrot and cabbage for 1 minute or so on low heat. Keep it aside.
5. Heat a new pan. Add the noodles, all the vegetables and the tofu and mix well. Add some soya sauce (makes it sour), chili sauce (makes it hot) and tomato ketchup (gives it a little indian taste, can be excluded) to the noodles (as per taste) and mix well until all the noodles are coated with the sauces.
6. Heat for 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve hot.
Ingredients:
1 packet hakka noodles
1/2 green bell pepper (chopped finely)
1/2 red bell pepper (chopped finely)
1 medium sized carrot - grated
1/2 cup grated cabbage (you could use cole slaw salad instead of cabbage and carrots separately)
200 gms tofu (cut in cubes)
1 tsp black pepper (ground)
salt to taste
olive oil
soya sauce
chili sauce
tomato ketchup
Preparation
1. boil 10 cups of water. Add the hakka noodles to the water and cook for about 2 minutes (or follow the instructions on the back of the hakka noodles packet). Drain the water and add some olive oil to the noodles so that they don't stick to each other. Add some salt and pepper to the noodles and keep aside.
2. In a pan, take some olive oil and fry the bell peppers until brown. Keep them aside.
3. Fry the tofu until brown. Keep it aside.
4. Fry the carrot and cabbage for 1 minute or so on low heat. Keep it aside.
5. Heat a new pan. Add the noodles, all the vegetables and the tofu and mix well. Add some soya sauce (makes it sour), chili sauce (makes it hot) and tomato ketchup (gives it a little indian taste, can be excluded) to the noodles (as per taste) and mix well until all the noodles are coated with the sauces.
6. Heat for 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve hot.
Friday, November 14, 2008
2 min sandwiches
When you are really really bored of cooking and really really hungry, this recipe is really really cool. All you need is bread, slice of cheese, coleslaw salad packet (which has grated carrot, cabbage and letuce), and ranch and southwest dressings. (other dressing combinations like ranch and italian, etc also work).
Mix the coleslaw salad with the two dressings in a bowl. On a slice of bread, put a slice of cheese, some of the salad mixture, tomato slices (not necessary) and another slice of bread. Sprinkle some salt if you like. Your sandwish is ready!
Courtesy: BB
Mix the coleslaw salad with the two dressings in a bowl. On a slice of bread, put a slice of cheese, some of the salad mixture, tomato slices (not necessary) and another slice of bread. Sprinkle some salt if you like. Your sandwish is ready!
Courtesy: BB
Monday, November 10, 2008
Undhiyu
This is one of the classic mixed vegetable preparations made in gujarat. It is called "undhiyu" as it was traditionally prepared in an earthen pot hung up-side down on a fire flame ("undhu" means up-side down in gujarati). The ingredients to this dish are found specifically in gujarat in the winter season. However, for the residents of USA, you can find a frozen pack of vegetables needed for undhiyu, packed by "swad".
I'll present this recipe differently, as there are multiple phases to this preparation.
Muthiya:
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1 cup chopped methi (fenugreek)
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp thick flour or rawa
2-3 chopped green chili
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
Preparation:
Mix the ingredients stated above, with water, until the dough is sticky and ready to make balls out of it. Make small balls of the dough and deep fry in oil. The muthiya are ready to be added in the vegetable preparation.
Masala:
1/2 cup grated coconut
5-6 green chili
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp dhaniya powder
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lime juice
salt to taste
Preparation:
Grind all the above stated ingredients in a mixer. The masala is ready.
Vegetables:
100 gm Surati papdi
100 gm Suran
100 gm purple kand
50 gm lilva beans
2-3 small eggplants
(all of the above are present in the "swad" undhiyu mix frozen veg packet)
6-7 small potatoes
2-3 bananas (ripe)
Preparation:
1. Cut all the vegetables above, other than bananas and potatoes.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add all the vegetables other than bananas and potatoes and let the vegetables cook. Cover the pan with a plate full of water for better cooking. Add 1 pinch baking soda and a pinch of hing to it.
3. Cut the potatoes and bananas with four cuts and fill the masala prepared above in them.
4. Add the filled potatoes and extra masala to the pan of vegetables and let it cook.
5. After about 5 mins of cooking, add a little water to the mixture and add the muthiyas. Let the mixture cook.
6. After about 4-5 minutes, add the filled bananas and stir the mixture gently. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut.
The undhiyu is ready to eat!!
I'll present this recipe differently, as there are multiple phases to this preparation.
Muthiya:
1 cup besan (gram flour)
1 cup chopped methi (fenugreek)
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tbsp thick flour or rawa
2-3 chopped green chili
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
Preparation:
Mix the ingredients stated above, with water, until the dough is sticky and ready to make balls out of it. Make small balls of the dough and deep fry in oil. The muthiya are ready to be added in the vegetable preparation.
Masala:
1/2 cup grated coconut
5-6 green chili
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp dhaniya powder
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lime juice
salt to taste
Preparation:
Grind all the above stated ingredients in a mixer. The masala is ready.
Vegetables:
100 gm Surati papdi
100 gm Suran
100 gm purple kand
50 gm lilva beans
2-3 small eggplants
(all of the above are present in the "swad" undhiyu mix frozen veg packet)
6-7 small potatoes
2-3 bananas (ripe)
Preparation:
1. Cut all the vegetables above, other than bananas and potatoes.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add all the vegetables other than bananas and potatoes and let the vegetables cook. Cover the pan with a plate full of water for better cooking. Add 1 pinch baking soda and a pinch of hing to it.
3. Cut the potatoes and bananas with four cuts and fill the masala prepared above in them.
4. Add the filled potatoes and extra masala to the pan of vegetables and let it cook.
5. After about 5 mins of cooking, add a little water to the mixture and add the muthiyas. Let the mixture cook.
6. After about 4-5 minutes, add the filled bananas and stir the mixture gently. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut.
The undhiyu is ready to eat!!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Surali chya wadya / Khandvi / Dahi wadi
This was ont of the first dishes I made after to came to the US. Considered as one of the most difficult dishes amongst the Maharashtrians (they say if you can make suralichya wadya, you are ready to be married :P), its actually quite a simple dish to make.
Ingredients:
1 cup besan (gram flour)
2 cups buttermilk / taak (plain yogurt + water)
2 green chilies (crushed)
1 pinch turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
coriander leaves
1 tbsp grated coconut
aluminium foil
Preparation:
1. Mix besan, buttermilk, crushed green chilies, turmeric and salt well.
2. Spread out about 4-5 squares of aluminium foil on a platform.
3. Cook the mixture on low heat by regular stirring it. Stirring is very important to avoid the mixture from burning or sticking to the pan.
4. When the mixture starts becoming thick, stir continously to avoid lumps of besan.
5. Stop cooking once the mixture attains the required consisteny. The consistency is very important to this dish. You can check consistency by pouring a little amount of the mixture on a metal surface. If it peels off easily when cooled, then the required consistency is attained.
6. Spread about 2 big spoons of the mixture on each foil square.
7. Spread the mixture evenly, in a single direction, using a flat spoon or your hand. Let it cool for 4-5 minutes.
8. When cool, peel off the layer, making a roll of the layer. Cut small cylindrical pieces of the rolls and arrange them in a plate.
9. Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds (raai), sesame seeds (til) and cumin seeds (jeera) to the oil. Then pour the oil on the arranged pieces of the rolls. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut.
10. Khandvi is ready!!!
Do let me know how it turns out, if you ever try it :)
Ingredients:
1 cup besan (gram flour)
2 cups buttermilk / taak (plain yogurt + water)
2 green chilies (crushed)
1 pinch turmeric powder (haldi)
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sesame seeds
coriander leaves
1 tbsp grated coconut
aluminium foil
Preparation:
1. Mix besan, buttermilk, crushed green chilies, turmeric and salt well.
2. Spread out about 4-5 squares of aluminium foil on a platform.
3. Cook the mixture on low heat by regular stirring it. Stirring is very important to avoid the mixture from burning or sticking to the pan.
4. When the mixture starts becoming thick, stir continously to avoid lumps of besan.
5. Stop cooking once the mixture attains the required consisteny. The consistency is very important to this dish. You can check consistency by pouring a little amount of the mixture on a metal surface. If it peels off easily when cooled, then the required consistency is attained.
6. Spread about 2 big spoons of the mixture on each foil square.
7. Spread the mixture evenly, in a single direction, using a flat spoon or your hand. Let it cool for 4-5 minutes.
8. When cool, peel off the layer, making a roll of the layer. Cut small cylindrical pieces of the rolls and arrange them in a plate.
9. Heat 1 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds (raai), sesame seeds (til) and cumin seeds (jeera) to the oil. Then pour the oil on the arranged pieces of the rolls. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut.
10. Khandvi is ready!!!
Do let me know how it turns out, if you ever try it :)
Cooking for fun
This blog is dedicated to my love for cooking. My mother is an awesome cook, and I'm proud to say I seemed to have inherited some of her expertise in cooking :D
This blog will be a documentation of some of the cool dishes I make, mostly my mother's recipes with some additions from my side.
This blog will be a documentation of some of the cool dishes I make, mostly my mother's recipes with some additions from my side.
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