Spiced Carrot fry

Very very quick, easy and tasty recipe ever. I had a ton of carrots in my refrigerator and dint know what to do with them. I was particularly not in the mood to make any fancy recipe and so went ahead and tried this simple and easy recipe. Goes very well with rice, roti, bread or even just yogurt. In fact it tastes wonderful as it is with out any side dish. It requires a little prep work. Carrots have to be sliced in to thin strips as shown in the picture.

Ingredients:

Carrots - 2
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Red chilli powder - to taste
Curry masala - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop the carrots as shown in the picture. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped carrots. Let the carrots cook on high flame for a few minutes. 
3. Keep tossing the carrots in between till they turn golden brown as shown in the picture.
4. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder to the above and mix well. 
5. Sprinkle curry masala and mix well and serve. 

Enjoy with some hot rice on the side!!!!

Note: Cook the carrots a little longer till they turn in to golden brown color. Feel free to add in any spice powder [like garam masala etc.] instead of curry masala.

Bisibelebath

Bisibelabath stands for Bisi (hot) Bele (Lentil) Bath (Rice). Very famous dish from the southern part of India. This is the first time I tried this dish and I knew from then on that I will make this dish at least once every 15 days. Very healthy and delicious too. Lot of ingredients go in to this dish. Yet, its easy to prepare this dish if you have all the ingredients readily available at home. 

Ingredients:

Precooked rice - 1 cup
Pre cooked lentils - 1/2 cup (toor dal)
Carrots - 1/4 cup
Hing - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 3 tsp
curry leaves - 2 springs
Green chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Procedure:

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seed, cumin seeds, chana dal and urad dal and fry them for few seconds.
2. Add green chillies and curry leaves and fry them for few seconds. Add hing powder and cook.
3. Add grated carrots and cook for few mins. 
4. Add salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and mix. 
5. Add in the tamarind paste along with some water and bring it to boil. 
6. Add pre cooked and pureed lentil paste, and sambar powder to the above and mix well.
7. Add precooked rice to the above and mix well and bring it to boil. 
8. Add 1 tbsp butter and cook it for few seconds. 
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Enjoy while it is hot with some crispy papad on the side!!!!

Note: You can use ghee instead of butter. Also, this dish tastes great with lots of veggies like beans, potatoes, cauliflower etc..

Spring Onion pancake (Indian version)

Today, I decided to make some thing with fewer ingredients and at the same time it should taste delicious. In simple words I wanted to make something that is very very easy to prepare. Well, I found one. I made like 10 of these for two people and believe me they were not sufficient. Takes less then 10 mins to prepare and less than 1 min to be consumed. So.. with out any further delay here comes my special recipe.

Ingredients:

Chickpea flour - 1 cup

Semolina - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt - to taste

Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Water - 1 cup

Ginger (grated) - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2 

Spring onions - 4 

Cilantro - 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 1 pinch

Oil - 1 tsp for each pancake

Preparation:

1. Mix chickpea flour, semolina, cumin seeds, rice flour, turmeric powder, salt, yogurt, grated ginger, chopped green chillies in a bowl.
2. Add water to the above and keep mixing till it forms in to a light batter. 
3. Add chopped spring onions and chopped cilantro to the above and mix well.
4. Add in the baking powder just before making the pancakes and mix well. 
5. Heat a nonstick pan and drizzle few drops of oil. Add about a quarter cup of the above batter on the pan and spread it evenly. Add few more drop of oil on the surface of the pancake. 
6. Cook till the pancake turns golden brown [as shown in the pic] on the bottom side and then flip it to the other side. Let it cook on the other side for about a min and then remove from the pan. 

Enjoy with some ketchup on the side..!!!!

Soya - Kheema mutter (Vegetarian version)

Soy chunks are easily available now a days. Very healthy and a good substitution for meat. In fact if you can get the recipe right then it tastes much better than meat. 

Ingredients:

• Soy Chunks - 2 cups
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cardamom pods - 2
• Cinnamon stick - 1"
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tomatoes - 2
• Onion - 2
• Green Chillies - 3
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Chilli powder - to taste
• Green peas - 3/4 cup
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - few springs

Procedure:

Soya Chunks Kheema: (A)

• Add hot water to Soy chunks and keep it aside for 10 to 15 mins till all the water is absorbed. 
• Once the water is soaked completely, blend the chunks in to tiny chunks as shown in the picture. At this point it looks like cooked minced meat.

Kheema mutter:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. 
• Once you get the aroma go ahead and add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and mix well. Cook till the onions turn translucent. 
• Add the Soy Chunks kheema from (A) and mix well. 
• Add chopped tomatoes, salt and chilli powder and cook for a few minutes. 
• Add yogurt, green chillies, frozen peas. Mix well and cook for for about 3 to 5 mins. 
• Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well.
• Add fresh coriander leaves and remove from heat. 

Enjoy with hot rice and yogurt on the side.

Small Jalebi

I love sweets. India is one country which has thousands of varieties of sweets. We have some special sweet for every occasion. I can eat them at any time of the day or I can say I eat sweets all the time. I have been trying to make different varieties and here comes one of my experiments. Well it is very very sweet.. and of course delicious! This recipe is for all the sweet lovers.

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 cup 

Corn Flour - 2 or 3 tbsp

Yogurt   - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp 

Orange food color - pinch 

Oil/ Ghee - to deep fry

Sugar - 2 cups 

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp 

Procedure:

1. Add flour, corn flour, baking powder in a bowl and mix. Add yogurt and mix well. 
2. Dissolve food color in about 1 tbsp water and add it to the above. At this point add enough water to the mixture to get a thick and smooth batter. 
3. Let this batter ferment over night. Then take this batter in to a piping bag and keep it aside.
4. Add sugar, cardamom powder and sugar in a pan and heat till we get a string consistency. (roughly for about 10 to 15 minutes)
5. In a separate pan add 1" layer of oil. 
6. Reduce the heat to low and at this point. Pipe the batter (from step 2) in circles as shown in the picture. Make sure to cross the circle to hold the shape. 
7. Turn the Jalebis when they are firm and fry them till they are golden brown. 
8. Remove from the oil and soak them in moderately warm sugar syrup (from step 3) for about 2 or 3 mins. 

Serve hot!!

Note: Crispiness of the Jalebis depend on the Cornflour. The more cornflour you add, the more crispier they become. 

Simple masala rice with Veggies

This is probably one of the most easiest and delicious recipe that I have tried. Its especially convenient to make when you have guests at home. I like to add what ever veggies I find in my refrigerator. So, its also the best way to finish all the leftover veggies. I have a 5 liter rice cooker at home and it makes it much more easier to cook this dish.

Ingredients:

Veggies - chopped 1.5 cups {I used carrots, peas, potatoes}

Onion - 1 chopped

Butter - 1 tbsp

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch

Bay leaf - 1 

Cloves - 5

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp 

Chilli powder - to taste

Uncooked rice - 1.5 cups 

Water - 3 cups [depends on the type of rice you use] 

Fresh coriander leaves - handfull

Procedure:

1. Add butter in to a rice cook and let it melt. Add cardamoms, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and mix well. After few seconds add ginger garlic paste and cook for a few seconds. 
2. Add chopped onion to the above and cook till they become translucent. 
3. Add in the veggies and cook till they become soft. 
4. Add rice to the above and mix well. Pour in the water and stir. 
5. Add coriander powder, salt and chilli powder and mix. Add freshly chopped coriander leaves and mix well. 
6. Close the lid and let it cook. Stir once or twice before the rice is completely done.

Serve with raitha or some curry on the side!!!!

Cheese Puffs

Its funny why I decided to cook this recipe. I had 3 egg and cheese left in my refrigerator, looked up on the internet and bumped in to this recipe. It sounded and looked Yummy, so I decided to go for it. Very simple recipe and if you also happen to have some cheese and eggs then do try it. It tastes best when hot.. so try not to leave it for the next day!

Ingredients:

Butter - 100 gms
Grated Cheddar cheese - 1 cup
Eggs - 4
Flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1 pinch
Water - 3/4 cup

Procedure:

1. Add water in a hot pan, add butter and salt and stir till the butter melts. 
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Once the butter melts stir in the flour. 
3. Add eggs to the above and mix well. Add cheese to the above and mix well. 
4. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture in to another bowl. 
5. Once the mixture cools, scoop the mixture on to a baking pan.
6. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 25 mins. 

Enjoy while they are hot!!!!