Dahi vada

 

Ingredients

For vada
2/3 cup urad dhuli dal
1/3 cup moong dhuli dal
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp Ginger-green chilly paste
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

For final preparation
1 Cup thick curd, chilled
Roasted cumin seed powder
Red Chilly Powder
sweet-and-sour-tamarind-chutney
Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak urad and moong dal in water for 2 hours. Blend to a coarse paste with very little water.
2. Add ginger-chilly paste, salt and baking powder and whisk till it becomes a bit fluffy. This will take a minute or two.
3. Heat oil. Take a serving spoon. Wet it and take a helping of mixture and slide it in the oil for frying. Do the same for each dumpling wetting the spoon everytime. 
4. Fry each batch till all the dumplings turn golden brown on each side. Strain on a tissue paper Keep aside.
5. Before serving whisk the curd. Add salt. 
6. In hot water add the dumplings and keep for a minute to soften them. Drain the water out of them by squeezing them in your palms, maintaing the shape of dumplings.
7. Add them to curd. Cover the entire dumplings with curd.
8. Garnish with roasted cumin powder, red chilly powder and sweet-and-sour-tamarind-chutney. Keep in refrigerator for 10-12 minutes so that vada's soak all the flavors.
9. Serve chilled.

Deli sandwich

  Ingredients

2 Brown bread slices
Lettuce leaves ( dipped in chilled water before serving)
1 paneer-cottage-cheese-pattie
Onion slices
Tomato Slices
Cucumber Slices
1 egg omellette
Salt and black pepper
Mayonnaise

Method

1. Arrange a bread slice. Top it up with lettuce leaf, tomato slices, onion slices, cucumber slice and salt and pepper on it.
2. Prepare a small omelet just to cover the bread slices and top the above bread slice with this omellete.
3. Top this up with paneer pattie and mayonnaise on it.
4. Cover it with another slice and enjoy the meal :)

Cheese Croquettes

 Ingredients

4 medium sized  boiled potatoes
4 tbsp fresh bread crumbs, crushed
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder to taste
Oil to fry

For Filling :
100 gm Cottage Cheese, grated
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp Coriander Twigs, chopped
1 green chilly, chopped
1 tsp Ginger, chopped
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Black pepper powder
1/2 tsp saunf powder (fennel seeds)
Dry Bread Crumbs, crushed
Cheddar cheeese
Olive oil, to brush
Salt to taste

 

Method

1. Mash potatoes and add fresh bread crumbs to it with salt and pepper to make a soft dough.
2. Mix all the ingredients of the filling , apart from dried bread crumbs.,olive oil and cheddar cheese for filling the croquettes.
3. Take a small portion of dough (lemon sized ball) and flatten it. Fill a tablespoon of filling in it and grate some cheese on top and shape it into cylindrical form. Seal edges with a bit of water.
4. Brush top of croquettes with olive oil and roll in dried bread crumbs.
5. Fry each croquettes on all sides till golden brown on top.
6. Serve hot with green chutney and tomato ketchup.

Veg Soupy Maggi Noodles

Ingredients

1 pack of instant maggi noodles
1 small capsicum, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 small tomato, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
Water to boil
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Method

1. Heat oil in a skillet. Add cumin seeds.
2. When they start spluttering ad onion, capsicum. Cook till onions turn glossy.
3. Add maggi masala, Stir and add tomatoes.
4. Cook till oil separates on low flame. Add 3 cups of water now.
5. Add in the noodles. Cook till noodles turn tender. Let the gravy be in the recipe.
6. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Rava Oats Idli

Ingredients ( makes 10-12)

1 cup sooji/rava (semolina)
1 cup instant oats
1 1/2 cup curd, bit sour
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp grated carrots (optional)
A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1 sachet eno fruit salt
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

Method

1. Dry roast sooji till it becomes light brown. Keep aside.
2. Dry roast oats till they change there color a bit. Cool and Grind in a grinder to a powder.
3. Mix sooji, oats, carrots ,curd and salt in a bowl. Add water to make the batter to a consistency of idli batter. Leave for 10 min.
4. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and pour into the batter. Mix well.
5. Grease the idli moulds with a little bit of oil. Prepare the steamer on flame for steaming.
6. Add eno fruit salt to the batter. Give a stir in one direction only. The batter will rise instantly.
7. Pour immediately into the greased moulds and steam for 10 minutes. Check if idlis are cooked if not steam for another 5 minutes.
8. Serve with cocunut-chutney or sambhar.

Poha (Flattened rice) recipe

Ingredients

1 cup poha (flattened rice, medium thick)
1 small onion , chopped
1 capsicum, diced
1 small tomato, diced
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1-2 green chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp oil
2-3 strands coriander leaves(optional)
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt

Method

1. Wash poha below running water in a large strainer. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add curry leaves, green chillies, capsicum and onion. Fry for sometime till onions turn glossy.
3. Now add tomato pieces and all the spices. Cook till tomatoes become tender. Will hardly take 2,3 minutes.
4. Now salt and poha. Mix well. Fry for 1-2 mins on a medium flame. Add coriander leaves. Mix well and remove from flame.
5. Serve with lemon or squeeze lemon juice before serving.

Spicy Veggie Vermicelli

Ingredients

1 cup vermicelli
1 small capsicum, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
2 pods garlic, chopped
1 green chilly, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp corriander powder
1-2 cloves
A pinch of cinnamon powder(daalchini)
Oil
Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil vermicelli in a heavy bottomed pan with 1/2 ts salt  for few minutes, till they are tender. Drain and cool under running water. Drop a tsp of oil in it. Mix and keep aside.
2. Now in a flat pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, cloves.
3. When cumin starts spluttering add onion and capsicum. Fry till onion is glossy.
4. Add spices now. Stir and add tomato and garlic.
5. Fry for a minute and add boiled vermicelli. Add salt according to taste.
6. Saute and serve hot.

Spinach Corn cheese grilled Sandwich

Ingredients

3 wheat bread slices
1/2 cup corns
1 bunch spinach (7-8 leaves)
3-4 garlic pods, chopped
1 green chilly chopped
1" piece ginger, chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp mozzarella cheese, grated
1 tsp cumin seeds powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder(saunf)
A pinch of asafoetida(hing)
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method

1. In a deep bottomed pan boil water(1 cup). Add 1/4 tsp salt and boil spinach leaves till they are tender. It'll take 2 minutes. Cool and Grind spinach to smooth paste in a blender.
2. Heat a wok, add oil. Add cumin seed powder and fry ginger garlic chillies for hardly a minute.
3. Add rest of the spices, stir and add corns.
4. Let the corns get a slight golden brown color and then add spinach to it.
5. Fry for a minute. Adjust the salt and add lemon juice. Mix and Spinach corn is ready.
6. Now take the bread slices. Top one with spinach corn mixture and cheese on top.
7. Cover with a slice and top again with spinach corn mixture and cheese. 
8. Cover with third slice. Grill the Sandwich and enjoy :)

Vegetable Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

2 Wheat Bread slices
Cucumber Slices
Onion Slices
Tomato Slices
Paneer (Cottage Cheese) slices
Garlic Mayonnaise
A pinch of Black Pepper powder
Salt to taste

Method

1. Spread mayonnaise on both the bread slices.
2. Top a slice with all the veggies layer by layer.
3. Sprinkle pepper and salt. Cover with other slice.
4. Grill the sandwich and enjoy a healthy snack :).

Veg Burger ( Paneer patties)

Ingredients

1 Buns
Tomato slices
Cucumber slices
Onion slices
Lettuce leaves (optional)
Mustard sauce
Mayonnaise
Paneer patties

Method

1. Slice the bun in two and spread mayonnaise on both slices.
2. On lower slice put lettuce leaf, onion, paneer patty.
3. Top up with mustard sauce, onion, tomato and cucumber slice.
4. Add other bun slice bun on it and enjoy fresh.

Paneer (Cottage Cheese) Patties

Ingredients (Makes 4)

100 gm cottage cheese (paneer), grated
1 small onion, diced
1" piece ginger, diced
1 green chilly, chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp chaat masala powder (optional)
1/4 tsp cumin seed powder
1/2 tsp corriander powder
1/4 tsp fennel powder(saunf)
1 tsp finely chopped corriander leaves
A pinch of asafoetida(hing)
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method

1. Mix cottage cheese onion ginger and chilly properly.
2. Add all the spices, salt and corriander leaves.
3. Make round patties big enough for buns, Flatten them a bit for even cooking.
4. Heat a nonstick flat pan. Add oil and fry them evenly on both sides till they r crisp and light brown, on medium heat.
5. Optionally  you can even grill them without oil. It'll be more healthier.
6. Use them hot for chaats, or burgers or evening snacks

Veg chowmein (Indian style)

Ingredients

For noodles

1 small packet noodles around 400 gms
5 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp oil

For final preparation

1 onion sliced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 capsicum sliced
1 carrot julienne
1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp soya sauce
2 tsp garlic paste
2 green chillies julienne
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp cumin powder
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

How to Proceed

For noodles :

1. Bring the water and salt to boil. Add noodles to it.
2. Boil them to the stage that they are 'bite-like'. Dont cook much as they will be soggy. Just let them be mildly raw.
3. Drain immediately and cool under running water.
4. Work 1/2 tbsp of  oil into the noodles and keep aside. 

For final preparation

1. In a skillet heat oil and add cumin powder and chaat masala to it.
2. After 2 seconds add the onions and cook them till they turn glossy.
3. Add garlic paste and chillies now and all the vegetables and stir for few seconds. the veggies should remain mildly raw.
4. Now add the salt and black pepper powder and mix well. Add boiled noodles now and mix well. Take care that noodles dont break.
5. Add in the soya sauce, vinegar and stir fry for a minute.
6. Serve hot.

Note
Increase or decrese soya sauce ,vinegar and chillies according to taste. I like it spicy :)

Quick veg fried rice

Ingredients

1 cup basmati rice (soaked for 30 min in 1 cup water)
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
1 inch ginger piece, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
2-3 garlic pods, chopped
1 small potato (cubes of 1 inch)
Handful of frozen peas or any other vegetables of your choice
1 tsp garam masala powder
2 cloves
1-2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf) powder
1 tsp chaat masala
1tbsp butter
A pinch of asafoetida(hing)
Salt to taste

Method

1. Soak rice in 1 cup of water for 30 mins.
2. In a pressure cooker heat butter and add cumin seeds,chaat masala, cloves and bayleaf to it.
3. When seeds start spluttering add onions,green chillies and potatoes (or any other vegetables that you chose, apart from frozen peas as they take very less time to cook). Cook till onion is transparent and potatoes are slightly light golden brown from edges.
4. Now add corriander powder, fennel seeds powder plus a tsp of water ( so that the spices dont burn) and cook for a second or two.
5. Add tomatoes,garlic and ginger and cook on low fire till tomatoes are partially cookes and separate oil.
6. At this point add soaked rice ( along with the water). 
7. Add salt to taste, garam masala and asafoetida.
8. Cover the pressure cooker lid and cook on high heat for a whistle. Then on low heat for a minute or two.
9. Serve hot with boondi raita.

Moong Dal Mangodi

Ingredients

1 Cup Moong dal (soaked for 2,3 hours)
1 Onion Small (finely diced)
3-4 Cauliflower florets (grated)
2-3 Spinach leaves (optional )
2-3 Coriander stems
2 Green Chillies
1/2 inch Ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Red Chilly powder
1 tsp garam Masala
Salt to taste
Pinch of asafoetida(hing)

Method

1. Soak moong dal in a cup of water for 2,3 hours.
2. Add coriander stems, jeera, asafoetida ,green chillies and ginger to it and grind it to a paste of a smooth batter consistency in a blender.
3. Add salt, garam masala ,red chilly powder and onions to the mixture.
4. You can now add cauliflower to half of the mixture and spinach to half of it to create two flavors or add both to make it mixed.
5. You can add vegetables of your choice too like bell peppers, carrots, methi leaves etc to make it taste different. I used cauliflower and spinach.
6. Now deep fry in hot oil the small dumplings made out of the mixture.
7. Drain it out on paper towels.
8. Serve hot and crispy with coriander or mint chutney or tomato ketchup.