Ingredients: 1 cup roasted Eggplant, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1 tsp oil, 2 pinches cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp hing 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise 2 to 3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped 3/4 cup plain yogurt or to taste salt to taste
Method: 1) Heat oil into a tadka pan. Add cumin seeds and wait till they crackle. Add hing and green chili. Pour it in eggplant. 2) Add chopped onion and salt. Mix well. Add yogurt and cilantro. Mix nicely. Serve as a side dish
Ingredients: 2 medium bananas (little extra ripe) 1/2 cup yogurt, well beaten 1 green chili, coarsely ground (or to taste) 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander 1/4 tsp mustard powder 1 tsp sugar or to taste Salt to taste
Method: 1) Peel and cut banana into small cubes. 2) Beat the yogurt and add a tbsp of water to make the consistency little smooth. 3) Add coriander and salt together with hands. Add it to yogurt. 4) Add mustard powder, sugar, chili, crushed coriander and salt to yogurt. Mix well. Now add chopped banana. mix nicely. Banana raita can be served in the meal as a condiment or side dish.
Ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped cucumber (Peeled) 3/4 cup plain yogurt, well beaten 1 green chili, finely chopped 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped 1 tsp ghee 2 pinches cumin seeds salt to taste Method: 1) Mix cucumber and yogurt. Crush green chili with little salt. Add it to cucumber-yogurt mixture and mix. 2) Heat ghee in a tadka pan. Add cumin and wait till it crackles. Add this to cucumber raita. 3) Add cilantro and some salt if needed. Mix nicely. Serve as a side dish.
Tips: 1) To make raita more spicy, add little more green chili. 2) Do not add all yogurt at once. Add little and mix. Once you get perfect consistency, stop adding more. OR if you like yogurt-y taste, add more than given amount. 3) Some roasted crushed peanuts can add some crunch to the raita.
Ingredients: 1 cup Pomegranate kernels 1 cup finely chopped Red Apple 1/2 cup Yogurt 1 tbsp milk 1 Green chili, finely chopped 1 tsp Sugar 1 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped Salt to taste
Method: 1) Whisk the yogurt, add 1 tbsp milk. Then finely chop red Apple and add immediately to the yogurt. 2) Now add pomegranate kernels, green chili, cilantro, sugar and salt. Mix nicely. Chill for an hour. Serve as a side dish.
Tip: 1) Do not chop Apple ahead of time, it will turn brown. First whisk the yogurt, then chop the Apple. Add it immediately to the yogurt. Acid in yogurt helps keep the apple from browning
Ingredients: 1 medium Green Mango Jaggery 1 tsp Desi ghee 1/4 tsp cumin seeds 2 pinches Hing 3 to 4 curry leaves 2 Green chilies, (paste) 1/4 cup chopped Cilantro Salt to taste
Method: 1) Pressure cook Green mango upto 2 whistle. Peel the mango while it is still warm. After peeling grate the pulpy part if it is little hard. If it is fully cooked, then separate it from the pit and put in the blender. 2) Take equal portion of jaggery. Mix in the pulp. Blend this mixture and make a puree. If the mango pulp is little stringy then strain through a fine mesh. 3) Heat a pan. Add ghee and let it become hot. Add cumin seeds, hing, curry leaves and green chili paste. Then add green mango puree and required amount of water. Add salt let it simmer for few minutes. Garnish with Cilantro and serve hot with white rice. It also taste good on its own.
Yield: 4 to 5 medium Naan Time: Fermentation - Approx 1 and half hour । To make Naan 10 to 15 minutes
Ingredients: 2 cups Maida (All purpose flour) 1 tsp dry yeast 1/4 cup Yogurt (Tip 1) 1/4 cup warm water 1/2 tsp Sugar Salt to taste (approx 1/2 to 1 tsp) 2 to 3 tbsp Oil
Method: 1) In 1/4 cup warm water dissolve sugar and yeast. Cover and let it rest for 10 minutes. This mixture will become frothy within 10 to 15 minutes. 2) Take maida in a mixing bowl. Add salt, yeast water and mix nicely. Then add 1/4 cup yogurt and knead the dough. If required, use little warm water to knead the dough. Make a soft dough. Knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Use little oil while kneading. Cover the bowl with a plate and keep at a warm place for an hour to ferment. 3) After one hour, the dough will be fermented and doubled in size. Punch down the dough to remove air bubbles. Put the oven on Broil. Grease and keep ready a baking tray. Divide the dough into 4 to 5 equal balls. Sprinkle little dry flour on a flat surface and roll the dough ball into 1/4 inch thick naan. You can give any shape. But generally naan has uneven triangular shape or oval shape. Put the rolled naan on baking tray. Two naans would easily fit on the baking tray. 4) Put the tray on the top rack of the oven. Cook one side for one and half minute. If required, bake for 30 seconds more. Once you see brown spots on one side, remove the tray out and flip the side. Cook the other side for a minute. Butter and Sesame Naan Remove baked naan from the oven. Rub a teaspoon of butter on each naan and sprinkle roasted sesame seeds for garnishing. You can also sprinkle some chopped coriander. Serve hot. Garlic Naan Before baking the naan, keep ready a mixture of 2 tbsp butter and 3 garlic cloves (minced). Once naan is baked, rub 1 or 2 tsp garlic butter on the naan and serve hot.
Note: 1) Do not use cold yogurt. It should be at room temperature. Cold yogurt slows down fermentation process. In winter season, use some hot water while kneading the dough.
Ingredients: 1 ft french bread loaf Kosher salt / normal salt to taste 2 to 3 pinches of dry herbs (I used Rosemary and Oregano) Butter spread: 4 tbsp Butter 1 tbsp Olive oil 5 cloves of garlic, minced
Method: 1) Preheat the oven at 400 F. 2) Cut the bread loaf horizontally into two halves. 3) To make garlic butter spread, melt butter in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds. Do not let it boil. It won't taste good. Then add olive oil and minced garlic to the melted butter and mix nicely. If you don't have microwave, use the stove-top. Heat a small saucepan, add olive oil and make it warm. Turn off the heat. Add butter and minced garlic and mix well. 4) Spread the garlic butter on the inside (white) area of cut bread and also on the two vertical sides. Crush the herbs and sprinkle all over it. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until the edges get lightly brown. Sprinkle salt to taste. Take a cutting board. Put the baked bread, buttered side down and slice it with a sharp knife. Serve hot with tomato pasta sauce.
Tips: 1) You can slice the bread into strips before applying the spread. However, you will need to make extra garlic butter spread to apply on the two vertical sides of each slice. Also, it will taste too much buttery.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup roasted Peanuts powder 2 cups water 1 tsp pure ghee 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 2 kokum 2-3 green chilies, chopped 1 tsp jaggery or sugar to taste salt to taste Cilantro for garnishing
Method: 1) Mix peanuts powder and water and blend in the mixer. 2) Heat a pan. Add ghee and let it melt. Add cumin seeds, and green chilies. Saute for few seconds. Add peanuts powder mixture. Add kokum, salt and jaggery. Boil for couple of minute over medium heat. Serve hot with Samo Rice.
Ingredients: 1 cup round slices of French beans (thin slices) 1 green chili, finely chopped 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice 2 tbsp Peanuts powder 2 tbsp fresh coconut, scraped 2 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped Salt to taste Sugar to taste (approx 1/2 tsp) Method: 1) Pressure cook sliced green beans upto 1 whistle (Tip 1) 2) Crush green chili and little salt together. 3) Take the cooked green beans in a bowl. Add crushed green chili, lemon juice, peanuts powder, fresh coconut, cilantro, sugar and little more salt. Mix gently with a spoon. Serve as side dish in your meal.
Tips: 1) While pressure cooking the beans, add around 2 cups water at the bottom of the pressure cooker. Put the chopped green beans in the pressure cooker steel container and do not add water in this container. This will only steam cook the beans. 2) French beans salad taste good without adding oil tempering. However, you can add it according to your preference. To make the tempering, heat 1 tsp oil, add 2 pinches of cumin seeds, and a pinch of asafoetida. Pour it over Salad and mix nicely. 3) Add some Yogurt to give a different flavor.
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup Urad dal (with peels on) 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds 1/2 tbsp Asafoetida 5 to 6 dry red Chilies 1/2 tbsp oil
Method: 1) Dry roast Urad over medium low heat till you sense nice aroma. Stir continuously. It should take about 10 to 15 minutes. Then transfer roasted Urad to a bowl. 2) Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan and roast red chilies over medium low heat for 2 minutes. Do not roast over high heat, it will burn the chilies. Remove seeds if you want the powder less spicy. 2) Mix roasted Urad Dal, cumin, asafoetida, and roasted red chilies together and grind to fine powder. Dangar is ready. Let it cool down and then store it in a airtight container.
Mix 1 tbsp Dangar, 3 tbsp finely chopped onion or 2 cloves of crushed garlic, some yogurt and salt. Serve this mixture an accompaniment with the meal.
Ingredients: 1/4 cup urad dal 1/4 cup chana dal 7-8 Dry red chilies 6-7 Curry leaves 1 tsp oil salt to taste
Method: 1) Roast chana dal and urad dal separately until lightly pink. 2) Heat 1 tsp oil in the pan. Add red chilies and curry leaves. Roast slightly. 3) Grind chana dal, urad dal, red chilies, curry leaves and salt together to a powder. Keep very little coarse for crunchy texture. Sprinkle over Dosa to make it flavorful.
Tips: If you want the podi little more spicy, mix 1 tsp red chili powder to it.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup grated fresh Turmeric (Turmeric Roots) ( Tip 1) 10 to 12 Fenugreek seeds 6 to 6 green chilies or to taste Juice of 1 lemon 1 tbsp grated ginger 3/4 to 1 tsp coarsely crushed mustard seeds For Tempering: 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp hing
Method: 1) In a small saucepan heat 1 tbsp oil. Fry fenugreek seeds until color turns to light brown. Remove seed from oil. 2) In that same oil, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add hing and transfer this Tadka to other bowl. let it cool down. 3) Finely chop green chilies. coarsely crush fried fenugreek seeds. 4) In a bowl, add grated turmeric, grated ginger, lemon juice, green chilies, salt, crushed mustard seeds, and crushed fenugreek seeds. Mix all nicely. Also add tadka to it and mix thoroughly. You can serve this pickle immediately. Refrigerate after preparing. Pickle will stay fresh for 15 to 20 days in refrigerator.
Tips: 1) Peel the turmeric roots before grating. 2) According to your preference you can chop the turmeric finely, instead of grating. However, pickle made with grated turmeric brings out the flavors nicely.
Ingredients: 1 cup carrots, small pieces (1 cm) 1/2 cup cauliflower, very small florets 1/4 cup Green Peas 1 tsp Salt or to taste 1 and 1/2 tsp red Chili powder 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp Asafoetida 4 to 5 Fenugreek seeds 1/4 + 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds 1 tbsp Lemon juice 1 tsp Oil
Method: 1) In a mixing bowl, add carrots, cauliflower and green pea. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and mix well. Grind 1/4 tsp mustard seeds coarsely and add it to the mixture. 2) Heat oil in a small saucepan (eg. egg pan). Add fenugreek seeds and let it become little brown. Remove from oil with a spoon, keep aside. In that hot oil, temper 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, let it crackle and transfer it to a small glass bowl to cool down. 3) Crush the fenugreek seeds and add it to vegetable mixture. Add prepared tadka to the mixture and mix well. 4) Finally, add lemon juice and mix nicely. This pickle is ready to serve. It will stay fresh for 5-6 days in refrigerator.
Ingredients: 15 green chililes (Thai) 6 to 7 Garlic pods 1/2 tsp salt or to taste 1/2 tsp Oil
Method: 1) Remove stems of green chilies, peel garlic pods. Heat a pan over low heat. Add 2 to 3 tbsp water, green chilies and garlic. Cover and steam cook for 5 minutes. 2) After 5 minutes, cook uncovered until all the water evaporates. Let it cool down. Put them into mortar with salt and crush them with pastel. If you don't have mortar and pastel use grinder. 3) Heat 1/2 tsp oil, add crushed Kharda and roast for a minute. Serve this super hot Kharda with Bhakari (Millet Roti)
Tips: 1) This is the basic recipe. You can do variations to this basic recipe. Add cilantro, cumin, hing into hot oil before adding crushed Kharda. Also sprinkle little peanut powder. Some people like to add little roasted sesame seed to this Kharda.
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh coconut (shredded) 1/4 cup Chana dalia (Which we use in poha chiwda) Salt to taste 1/4 tsp sugar 1 green chili For tempering 1/2 tsp oil 1/8 tsp mustard seeds 1/2 tsp Urad Dal 1/8 tsp hing 5 to 7 curry leaves 1 dry Red chili 1/8 tsp ginger paste
Method: 1) Grind coconut, chana dalia, green chili, salt and sugar in a grinder to fine paste. Add little water if required. Pour this mixture into a bowl. 2) Take a small kadai, heat oil and prepare tempering by adding mustard seeds and Urad Dal. wait till urad dal becomes light brown, then continue by adding hing, curry leaves, red chili, and ginger paste. Pour it over coconut mixture. Mix nicely and serve with Idli, Medu vada, Masala Dosa, Utthappa, Appe and other south Indian recipes.
Note: 1) This chutney recipe is basic type usually found in Mumbai udipi hotels. You can create different combination using ingredients like yogurt, cumin, tamarind etc. 2) Another delicious Chutney recipe which goes well with Maharashtrian meal.
Ingredients: 1/2 Toor Dal 1/4 cup Tamarind (Soak in water and make 1 cup juice) 4 to 6 Shallots or pearl onions (peeled) 4 to 6 medium cubes of Bottle gourd 5 to 6 medium cubes of Eggplant 2 Drumsticks, cut into 3 inch sticks 2 medium tomatoes, big cubes 1 tsp Jaggery Sambar Masala For tempering 2 tsp Oil, 1 tsp Urad Dal, 1/4 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/8 tsp Hing (Asafoetida), 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder, 10 curry leaves, 1 green chilies
Method: 1) First make Sambar Masala. Pressure cook Toor dal until tender. whisk nicely. 2) Heat oil for tempering. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chili. Add onion and drumsticks, saute for 1 minute. Add 1 cup water, cover and cook over medium heat until half done. 3) Once drumsticks and onions are half cooked, add eggplant and bottle gourd. Add tamarind juice and 1 tsp salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add some water if needed. 4) After all vegetables get cooked add cooked toor dal and little water. Taste and add salt if needed. Add ground Sambar masala, jaggery, and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp red chili powder for little color. 5) Taste samhar, and add any ingredient if needed. Serve hot with Idli, Dosa, Uttappa, Medu Vada and other south Indian recipes.
Note: 1) Do not roast Masala ingredients for too long it can change color of sambar. 2) Peel bottle gourd before adding, the peels take longer to get cooked. 3) Add Potatoes, red pumpkin in sambar according to your taste. 4) If you don't have shallots, just dice normal onion into big chunks and use it.
Ingredients: 1/2 coconut, scraped 2 Green chilies 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped 1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp Lemon Juice Salt to taste 1/2 tsp sugar
Method: 1) Roast cumin for a minute over medium heat. Roasted cumin gives nice flavor to chutney. 2) Grind scraped coconut, green chilies, cilantro, cumin, lemon juice, salt and sugar together. If you want thin consistency, add little water and grind again.
Addition of 2 tbsp yogurt makes the chutney smooth and tasty. In this case, add 2 more chilies and while grinding the chutney.
Ingredients: 3 cup All purpose Flour or Self Rising Flour (Note 1) 2 tsp Dry Yeast 1.5 tsp Sugar 1 tsp Salt 4 tbsp Oil 1 and 1/2 cup to 1 and 3/4 cups warm water 2 tbsp Milk
Method: Activate Yeast 1) Take 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl. Water should not be too hot or cold. Mix sugar in it. Add dry yeast and mix nicely, cover the bowl for 5 minutes. Yeast will activate within 5 to 10 minutes. After 5 to 7 minutes, water should become frothy. If it becomes frothy, that means yeast has activated. Dough 2) In a big bowl, sift 3 cups flour and salt. Add yeast's frothy water, and warm water. Knead to soft dough, use some dry flour while kneading. Knead till dough become elastic (approx 3 minutes). Incorporate oil into the dough and knead for few minutes. Make a nice ball. Surface should be very smooth. Place the dough ball into deep bowl. Cover with a plate and place it to a warm place for 1.5 hours. 3) After 1.5 hours dough will rise and become double in volume. Use little Oil and slightly punch down the dough. Now divide the dough into 10 equal parts. Use little dry flour while handling. Grease a baking pan (I have used 10" dia pie bakeware) with little oil and sprinkle little dry flour. Make 10 smooth surface balls. Arrange on the baking pan. Cover with plastic paper for 30 minutes. In this 30 minutes, dough balls will rise a little. Bake 4) Preheat oven at 370 F for 7 to 10 minutes. Brush the surface of dough balls with milk. Bake for 22 minutes. Turn off the oven, remove pan after 3 to 4 minutes. Let the bread cools down for 10 minutes. Serve these Bread rolls with Misal, Pavbhaji, Batata Vada, Chole, Pindi Chole
Note: 1) I have used Self Rising Flour to make this bread. Self Rising Flour is a mixture of All purpose flour, salt and Baking powder. Therefore one can use self rising flour in this recipe. But some salt is already exist in this flour, so for 3 cups of self rising flour add 1/2 tsp salt. While using All purpose flour, add the salt according to the given quantity. 2) The more you knead the dough, the finer texture you will get.
Ingredients: 3 medium Potatoes For Tempering: 2 tbsp Oil, 2 pinch Mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds, 1/8 tsp Asafoetida, 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp Urad Dal (optional) 1/2 tsp Ginger paste 4 green chilies or to taste, slit lengthwise 4-5 curry leaves 1/4 cup Cilantro, finely chopped Salt to taste 1 tsp lemon juice (optional) 2 tbsp Cilantro for garnishing
Method: 1) Boil and peel potatoes, make small cubes (2 cm). 2) Heat oil in a nonstick pan or Kadai. Add mustard seeds, allow to crackle. Add Cumin, Asafoetida, Turmeric powder, and Urad dal. 3) Once urad dal becomes little golden in color, add ginger paste, green chilies and curry leaves. Also, add 1/4 cup Cilantro, saute for 5 to 10 seconds and add potato cubes. Mix gently with spatula. Do not mix vigorously, it could crumble the cubes. 4) Sprinkle salt to taste. Cover the pan and cook over medium low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in between. Add lemon juice and mix well. Garnish with Cilantro. Serve Potato bhaji with Puri or Chapati.
Note: 1) Adjust amount of chilies according to your taste 2) Some people like little mashed up potatoes in this sabzi. In that case, before covering pan in step 4, mash potato cubes a little and stir nicely. Then cover and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
Ingredients: 1/4 Cup Roasted Eggplant pulp 1 tbsp Jaggery 2 tbsp Tamarind juice 2 to 3 tbsp Onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp Roasted sesame seeds, crushed coarsely 1 tbsp Oil 1/8 tsp Mustard seeds (Know More - Facts and Benefits of Mustard Seeds) 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds Pinch of Asafoetida 2 dried red chilies, broken into pieces 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder 1 tsp Goda Masala Salt to taste 2 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
Method: 1) Take a medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup lukewarm water and jaggery. Let it stand for 10 minutes to dissolve the jaggery. Crush the small particles of jaggery with fingers. 2) Once Jaggery is completely dissolved into the water, add Crushed Sesame seeds, Goda Masala, salt, Onion and Cilantro. Stir nicely and add roasted eggplant. Mix nicely. This bhurta has little thin consistency than normal Baingan Bhurta, so add 1/4 cup or desired amount of water. 3) Heat oil in a small saucepan. Add Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, Asafoetida. Turn the heat off and remove pan from heat. Add broken red chilies, stir gently with spoon for 5 seconds and immediately pour it over Bhurta and mix well. Also add Tamarind Juice to taste. This bhurta is served cold. It goes great with Moong Dal and Rice Khichdi, Masale Bhat (Spiced Rice) and Millet Roti.
Note: 1) 2 tbsp fresh scraped coconut taste amazing in this Bharta. 2) Adjust Tamarind juice to taste.
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