Coffee jelly custard

Coffee jelly custard

Milk 2 cups, cornflour 2 tbsp china grass 10 gms, coffee decotion ½ cup, splenda/ sugar free to taste. Soak china grass in ½ cup warm water for 15 min.Microwave high 2 cups water for 3 min. add china grass, mix well, micro high 3 min., add decotion, splenda tot aste. Greasea dish, add little water throw the water. Pour the liquid, allow it to set.

Custard – in ½ cup milk mix well 2 tbsp of cornflour. Boil 1 ½ cups milk, add the cornflour paste, cook well till it thickens, add splenda to taste, add vanilla essence ½ tsp.

To serve, put some custard in a cup, add the cut jelly piece & float it on top.

eggless black forest cake, coconut joys, chocolate biscuit cake,besan kaju barfi

besan & kaju burfi- besan 1 level cup, 10-12 kaju pdr in mixie & keep aside

fry besan in 2 tbsp of ghee till u get some nice aroma, mix the kaju pdr.

1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water boil to make syrup, let it boil for sometime, as when u drop in cold water it will form a ball. add the besan mixture to it, keep stirring well, add another 2 tbsp/ of ghee, once the sides bubble well, take off, pour in a greased plate, if u want add some pieces of nuts on top, cut before it hardens well. it will be soft unlike the mysore pak, has better taste due to kaju, needs less ghee too.

chocolate biscuit cake _

400 gms marie biscuit or something similar condensed milk 1 tim cocoa pdr. 6 tbsp

butter 100 gms honey 2 tbsp walnuts chopped few vanilla essence few drops

crush the biscuits into tiny pieces. put the condensed milk in a heavy bottomed pan & add butter & cook on a slow flame till the butter melts. add cocoa pdr. & honey & cook till a smooth mixture forms. add the essence & rum 1 tbsp optional.remove from fire, add nuts & crushed biscuits & mix well. pour into a large greased dish, spread & flatten with a potato masher/katori. chill in the frige for 3-4 hours to set. cut into squares & serve.

quick treats- coconut joys

butter 120 gms 250 gms pdr. sugar 250 gms coconut 60 gms unsweetened chocolate melted

melt butter in a pan. remove from heat. add pdr. sugar & coconut. mix well. shape rounded teaspoons of mixture into balls. press the centre of each & place on a cookie sheet. fill the centre with melted chocolate. chill until firm & store in frige.

salted pancakes & since u get pancake mix ready, for salty ones, just add some grated carrots, onion sliced, potato sliced, add salt, chillies to taste & make.

Eggless Black Forest

flour 120 gms cocoa pdr. 30 gms condensed milk 200 gms coke 100 ml butter 60 gms baking pdr 1/2 tsp

soda bicarb 1/2 tsp

sieve the dry ing. together. beat the condensed milk with melted butter. add the lfr mix gradually & mix in the coke. bake in a lined tin at 180 deg. C for 30-35 min. cool

sponge 500gm maraschino cherry in syrup 60 gm soaking syrup 25 ml ( must be sugar syrup) cherries 20 gm

sweet whipped cream 400 gms chocolate flakes 75 gms

slice the sponge in 3 layers. spread the cherries in syrup & cream. top up the 3rd layer. spread chocolate flakes & cherries & decorate.

Easy tacos & crunchy salad

easy way to make tacos - atta, rava & besan combined 1 cup, salt, little ghee to make stiff dough. made small puris, with fork made holes, fried in oil, while frying fold it 1/2 then just before taking out, slightly press the 1/2 open so that, u can put the rajma filling, top with salad mixed with tomato & chilli sauce & cheese, bake it micro for 1 min. i made 14 like that, got only 2 to taste !!

crunchy salad- grate carrots, radish/mulli, cut tomatoes, if u like do tadka with mustard seeds & gr. chillies, that is what i did, add salt to taste, squeeze lime, cut small some 8 walnut pieces add to it, it tastes good, appa also loved this salad made today !!walnut adds a nice flavour & taste to it.

Onion cheese bake

onion & cheese baked

onion 3 big lightly fry in 1 tbsp ghee/butter till transparent gr. chillies to taste cut fine gr. dhania about 2 tbsp if possible

maida/ atta, besan, rava all combined or any flour u have about 2 cups milk/ buttermilk/ milk & curd mixed 1- 11/2 cups

oil 1 tbsp to grease the dish, also to put in flour, mix well, then add salt to taste , add gr. chiillies, dhania, milk.buttermilk mix with 3/4 tsp of baking pdr. incase u add buttermilk not even needed. it will be like idli batter. but in the dish, level it, spread the onion on top, sprinkle cheese on top, bake in pre-heated oven at 150 deg. C for about 15-20 min. till the knife comes out clean, cheese has melted on top.

Dishes with bread

For bread vadais- 5-6 slices of bread, remove the corners, about 1
katori of curd, 1-2 onions sliced fine, green chillies to taste/red chilli pdr., 1 katori of green dhania. besan 1-2 tbsp, rice flour also appro. the same amount. mix all well, if you feel sticky add more flour, flatten & deep fry. you may increase more of onion too if you like. no hard & fast rule.

Bread kheer- 4-5 slices of bread, remove corners, old bread is better, crumble it with your hand fine, in about a tbsp of ghee fry them slightly, add about 800ml. of milk, boil it, add sugar to taste add more milk if you want it watery. as it cools it becomes thick, may add some kesar to it, or kesar pdr. to get a nice colour. add nuts & raisins acc. to taste. I
like it, as it tastes like basundi, easy to make too. if you keep your secret none will believe it to be bread !!

Bread pudding- 4-5 big slices of bread, 2 cups of milk, heat milk add sugar to taste, add the crumbled bread & let it soak well. then add 1 tsp of baking pdr. nuts & raisins as per desire. then bake in pre heated oven at 180 deg. C for about 20 min. or till the knife comes out clean. here too no hard & fast rule, only thing if the mixture is too watery, then you can't cut into pieces, if it is slightly thicker than the idli batter, it would be fine.

Wheat veg. adai

1 cup atta which is mixed with soy flr., besan etc or you can mix these in whatever proportion you like, then add 1/2 cup rice flr., salt to taste, finely cut onion, carrot, grated bottle gourd, grated potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower cut fine, green chillies to taste cut fine. you can add whatever veg. you like, make a thick batter, then spread like adai & cook well on both sides on a tava.

Plum chutney

Plum chutney

plum 1/2 kg - remove skin & seed onion 2 big ginger 1" garlic pearls 4 ( optional) jeera 1/2 tsp ajwain 1/4 tsp

saunf small 1/2 tsp grind all together, or except plum the rest, put in micro high for 3 min., then add the plum, salt 1 tsp, chili pdr. 1 tsp

sugar 3-4 tbsp or to taste, mix & micro high covered for 10 min. stir after 5min. then again check for the taste, as it can be varied with more sugar & less chili pdr. & cook for another 10 min. or till the desired consistency you want. It goes well with bread, dosai, rotis, adai,even the kara biscuit !

Kheer,Fruit vermicelli pudding,deep fried bananas

Kheer - 1 tbsp ghee 2” cinnamon stick ¾ cup brown sugar 1 tsp elaichi pdr

1 cup coarsely ground rice 5 cups milk ½ cup raisins ¼ cup sliced almonds

½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg

in a heavy pan melt ghee & fry the cinnamon stick & sugar. Keep frying sugar until it begins to caramelize, reduce heat at once. Add the rice & ½ the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring to avoid the milk boiling over. Reduce the heat & simmer until the rice is cooked, stirring regularly. Stir in the remaining milk, with the elaichi, raisins & nuts. Leave to simmer until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly to prevent the kheer from sticking to the base of the pan. When the mixture is thick & creamy, spoon it into a serving dish. Serve hot/cold, sprinkle nutmeg.

Fruit vermicelli pudding- 6 tbsp ghee 1-cup vermicelli coarsely broken saffron

¼ cup sliced almonds ¼ cup pistachio nuts ½ cup raisins 1/3-cup dates sliced

5 cups milk 4 tbsp dark brown sugar

heat 4 tbsp ghee & sauté the vermicelli until golden brown. Heat the remaining ghee; fry the nuts, raisins & dates over medium heat till the raisins swell. Add the vermicelli & mix gently. Heat the milk in large heavy pan, add the sugar. Bring to a boil, add the vermicelli mix & let the liquid return to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat & simmer until the vermicelli is soft & you’ve a fairly thick pudding. Stir in the saffron & cook for 1 min. serve hot/cold.

Deep-fried bananas - 1 cup maida 1/3 cup rice flr ½ tsp salt 1 cup water

Finely grated lime rind 8 small bananas oil for deep frying caster sugar & 1 lime cut in wedges to serve.

Sift the flours & salt together. Add just enough water to make a smooth batter. Mix well, and then stir in the lime rind. Heat the oil. Peel the bananas & dip them into the batter 2-3 times. Deep-fry it until crisp & golden. Drain & serve hot, dredged with sugar. Offer the lime wedges to squeeze over the bananas.

Green mango curry & tomato chutney

Green Mango Curry

2 medium sized mangoes neither totally green nor ripe 1 cup curd salt

½ tsp haldi 1 tbsp oil ½ coconut ground to a paste ¾ tsp mustard seeds

3 gr chilies whole 10-15 curry leaves

blend the curd with 1 ½ cups of water too male it like lassi. Peel the mangoes & cut into thin long slices. Heat oil, add the mustard seeds, add the grated coconut paste, stir for a min. or 2, when well blended, add the lassi, haldi, the gr chilies along with the curry leaves. Cook for about 10-15 min. over low flame, stirring, then add the mangoes & salt. Cook till the mangoes are tender.

Tomato Chutney

½ kg tomatoes chopped 2 tbsp oil 1” ginger sliced fine 3 red chilies

1 tsp panchporan- mix. of jeera, saunf, kalonji,methi & mustard seeds. ½ cup sugar

6-8 garlic ground to a paste 1 tsp salt 3 whole gr chilies ½ cup raisins

heat oil, put in panchporan, then add the red chilies. Stir, add the ginger, garlic. Immediately add the tomatoes, sugar, salt & simmer on low flame for about 10 min. till the sauce thickens. Now add the raisins, green chilies & cook for another 15 min. till the chutney is thick & glossy.

Chutneys- sesame, mango & coriander

Fried sesame seed chutney

¾ cup til  1 tbsp salt        ¾ cup water          2 gr chillies          4 tbsp dhania,

1 tbsp mint  1 tbsp tamarind paste  2 tbsp sugar  1 tsp oil     1/4 tsp onion seeds

4 curry leaves     onion rings        sliced chillies          dhania to garnish.

Dry roast the til & leave to cool. Grind them to a grainy pdr. Transfer the pdr to a bowl, add salt, water, diced chillies, dhania, mint, tamarind paste & sugar & mix with a fork. Taste & adjust the seasoning, the mix should have a sweet & sour flavour. Heat the oil, fry the onion seeds, curry leaves. Add the til paste & stir fry for 45 sec. Transfer the chutney to a serving dish & leave to cool. Garnish with onion rings, sliced gr chillies & dhania & serve with your chosen curry.

Mango chutney

4 tbso malt vinegar         ½ tsp crushed dried chillies    6 cloves         6 peppercorns salt

1 tsp roasted jeera        ½ tsp onion seeds   ¾ cup sugar         thin peel of 1 orange/lemon

450 gm/ 1lb raw mangoes peeled &cubed         2” piece ginger thinly sliced

pour the vinegar into a pan, add the chillies, cloves, pepper, jeera , onion seeds, salt & sugar. Place over a low heat & simmer until the spices infuse the vinegar about 15 min.

add the mango, ginger, garlic & peel if using. Simmer until the mango is mushy & most of the vinegar has evaporated. When cool, pour into sterilized bottle. Cover & leave for few days before using.

Tip- ginger freezes very well, which can be handy if u find it difficult to get fresh ginger locally. It can be sliced/ grated straight from the freezer & will thaw on contact with hot food.

Fresh dhania relish – goes well with samosas, kebabs & bhajias !can be used as a spread for sandwiches.

2 tsbp oil     1 dried red chili        ¼ tsp each jeera, fennel &onion seeds           ¼ tsp hing

4 curry leaves          1 ½ cups desiccated coconut           2 tsp sugar salt 

3 fresh gr chillies     175-225 gm fresh dhania/corainder  4 tbsp mint sauce 

juice of 3 lemons

heat oil add the dried chili,jeera, onion seeds, hing, curry leaves, coconut, ugar & salt. Fry stirring until the coconut turns golden brown. Leave to cool. Grind the spice mix ture with gr chillies, fresh dhania & mint sauce, moisten with lemon juice. Chill before serving.

Veg. Korma,Cauliflower & coconut milk curry, Nut pulao

Veg. Korma

¼ cup/50 gm butter 2 onions cut garlic opt 1” ginger grated 6 pods elaichi

1 tsp each dhania & jeera pdr 2” cinnamon stick 1 tsp haldi 1 fresh red chilli cut

1 potato peeled & cut into 1” cubes 1 small brinjal 175 ml/ ¾ cup water

4 oz/ 115 gms mushrooms thickly sliced 1 cup gr beans cut 1” lengths 4 tbsp curd

150 ml/ ¼ pint double cream 1 tsp garam masala salt & pepper dhania

melt the butter, add the onions & cook till soft. Add the garlic, ginger & cook for 2 min, then stir jeera, dhania, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, haldi & finely cut chilli. Cook stirring constantly for 30 sec. Add the potao, brinjal, mushrooms & water, cover the pan & bring to boil, then lower the heat & simmer for 15 min. add the beans & cook uncovered for 5 min. with a slotted spoon, remove the veg. to a warmed serving dish & keep hot. Allow the liquid to bubble until it has reduced a little. Season with salt & pepper, then stir in curd, cream & garam masala. Pour the sauce over the veg. & garnish with dhania. Serve with rice.

Tip- try using canned chickpeas/ butter-lima beans to really bulk out this curry.

Cauliflower & coconut milk curry

1 cauliflower 2 med tomatoes 1 onion 1 fresh gr chilli ½ tsp haldi

2 tbsp oil 400 ml/14fl oz coconut milk 250 ml/ 1 cup water 1 tsp sugar

1 tsp tamarind pulp soaked in 3 tbsp warm water salt

trim the stalk from the cauliflower & divide into tiny florets. Peel the tomatoes if u like, then chop them into ½- 1” pieces. Grind the onion, garlic, chilli to a paste, add haldi. Heat oil, fry the spice paste without browning it till nice aroma comes. Add the florets & mix well. Stir in coconut milk, water, sugar, salt. Simmer for 5 min. add the strained tamarind juice & tomatoes & cook for 2-3 min.

Nut Pulao 1-2 tbsp oil 1 onion 1 large carrot grated 1tsp jeera
225 gm/1 cup basmati rice soaked for 20-30 min. 2 tsp dhania pdr
2 tsp mustard seeds 1 bay leaf 4 gr cardamom 450 ml/2 cups veg. stock ¾ cup walnuts & kaju salt & pepper
heat oil fry the onions, garlic, crrot for 3-4 min. drain the rice & add with the spices, cook for 2 min. stirring to coat the grains in oil. Pour in the veg. stock, add the bay leaf & season well. Bring to boil, lower the heat, cover & simmer very gently or 10-12 min. without stirring. Remove the pan from heat without lifting the lid. Leave to stand for 5 min, then check the rice. If it is cooked, there will be small steam holes on the surface of the rice. Discard the bay leaf & the cardamom pods. Stir the nuts & check for seasoning. Garnish with dhania.

Stuffed potatoes & brinjal

Stuffed baby veg.

12 small potatoes 8 small brinjals

for the stuffing- 1 tbsp. Til 2 tbsp. Each dhania & jeera pdr.

½ tsp. Salt ¼ tsp chilli pdr. ½ tsp haldi 2 tsp sugar

¼ tsp garam masala 1 tbsp besan 1 tbsp lemon juice garlic opt.

2 tbsp gr. Dhania/cilantro

For the sauce- 1 tbsp oil ½ tsp mustard seeds 400 gms/14 oz can tomatoes cut

2 tbsp fresh dhania 2/3 cup water

Pre heat oven to 200 deg. C/400 deg. F/ gas 6. make slits in the potatoes & brinjals, ensuring that you don’t cut rt. Through.

Carefully spoon the spicy stuffing into each of the slits.

Arrange the stuffed veg. In a greased ovenproof dish & filling side up/

For the sauce, heat the oil , fry the mustard seeds then add the tomatoes, dhania & any left over stuffing. Stir in the water, bring to a boil & simmer for 5 min. until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce over the veg. Cover & bake in the oven for 25-30 min. until the veg. are soft.

Stuffed Brinjal in seasoned tamarind juice

12 baby brinjals 2 tbsp oil 1small onion cut 2 tsp ginger, garlic opt.

1 tsp each dhania & cumin seeds 2 tsp each poppy , sesame seeds & coconut

1 tbsp dry roasted skinned peanuts ½ tsp chilli pdr, salt 6-8 curry leaves

1-2 dry red chillies cut ½ tsp concentrated tamarind paste

Make 3 deep slits lengthwise on each brinjal, then soak in salted water for 20 min.

Heat ½ the oil & sauté onion for 3 min., then add ginger & garlic cook for 30 sec. Add dhania & cumin seeds sauté for 30 sec., then add the poppy & sesame sseeds with coconut sauté for 1 min. stirring constantly. Leave to cool, then grind adding 7 tbsp of warm water/ the mixture should resemble slight coarse paste. Mix the peanuts, chilli pdr salt into the spice paste. Drain the brinjals & dry on kitchen paper. Stuff the spice paste in each slit & reserve the remaining paste.

Heat the remaining oil over med. heat & add the curry leaves, chillies. Let the chillies blacken, then add the brinjals & the tamarind blended with 7 tbsp of hot water. Add any remaining paste & stir well. Cover the pan & simer gently for 15-20 min. or until the beinjals are tender. Serve with rotis.

Curries- gram & gourd, Brinjal with mushrooms, Corn Cob, Zucchini

Bengal Gram & Ghia/Bottle gourd curry

175 gms/ 3/4 cup Bengal gram oil 2 gr Chillies cut 1 onion cut

garlic opt 2” piece ginger crushed 6-8 curry leaves 1 tsp chili pdr

1tsp haldi salt 450 gms/ 1 lb bottle gourd/zucchni peeled,pithed & sliced

4 tbsp tamraind juice 2 tomatoes cut gr dhania

put the lentils with 450 gms water & cook till the grains arre tender without mushy.

To cook dal always soak it for some time as it gets cooked faster.

Heat he oil& fry the chillies, onion, garlic & spices. Add the gourd & cook unitl soft. Add the dal & any other water remaining. Bring to boil, stir in tamarind juice, tomatoes & dhania. Simmer gently until the gourd is cooked.

I made something similar, but to the dal I added some peanuts, also added some peas, it went well with rotis, anyway I cooked it, so I liked it !!!!

Brinjal curry with mushrooms

2 large brijals 1 ½ cups mushrooms oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds garlic opt.

Red chilli cut fine 1 tsp each dhania & jeera pdr ¼ tsp haldi 1 bunch spring onions salt 400 gm/14 oz can cut tomatoes dhania /cilantro to garnish

preheat the oven to 200deg. C/400 deg. F/ Gas 6. wrap the brinjals in foil & bake for 1 hr. or until soft. Unwrap & leave to cool. Cut the mushrooms . While the brinjals are baking, heat the oil & fry the mustard seeds, then add the spring onions & mushrooms, chillies, garlic fry for 5 min. Stir in the pdrs, salt & fry for 3-4 min. Add the tomatoes & simmer for 5 min. cut each brinjal in half lengthways& scoop out the soft flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash well with a fork. Add the mashed brinjal, dhania to the saucepan, bring to a boil & simmer till the sauce thickens.

Corn Cob Curry

4 whole corn cobs- fresh/canned/frozen oil 1 large onion ginger, garlic

½ tsp each haldi, onion seeds, 5 spice pdr, sugar chili pdr curry leaves

1 cup plain curd

Cut each corn cob in ½ using sharp knife taking care not to damage the kernels/ur hand !!

Heat oil, fry the corn pieces until golden brown on all sides. Remove & keep. Grind onion, garlic, and ginger. Remove & mix with all the spices, curry leaves & sugar. In the oil fry the onion mixture till the oil separates. Cool the mix. & gradually fold in the curd, mix well until it is a smooth sauce. Add the corn to the mix. & mix so that all the pieces are evenly coated. Gently reheat for about 10 min until the corn is tender. Serve hot.

Courgette/Zucchini Curry

675 g/ 1 ½ lb zucchini 2 tbsp oil ½ tsp each jeera& mustard seeds gr dhanai

1 onion ¼ tsp each haldi, chilli pdr 1 tsp each jeera & dhania pdr salt

1 tbsp tomato puree 400 gms chopped tomatoes ¾ cup water 1 tsp garam masala

Trim the ends of zucchini & cut them evenly into 1cm thick slices. Heat oil fry the mustard & jeera. Then add onion, garlic fry for 5-6 min. add all the pdrs & salt fry for 2-3 min. add the sliced zucchini& cook for 5 min stirring so that it doesn’t burn. Mix the tomato puree & cut tomatoes & add some water. Cover & simmer for 10 min. until the sauce thickens. Stir in fresh dhania, garam masala, then cook for 5 min., till the veg. is tender.

Tips for cooking

To boil corn with the skin quickly, keep in microwave high power for about 90 sec., and then turn the side & again another 90 sec. Then peel the skin when still warm & then in a plate put some salt & pepper or chilli pdr. to taste, take 1 lime cut into ½, then dip the lime well in the salt mix. & rub on the corn well. If the power of the microwave is less then you may need another 60 sec. for each side.

Dosai spring rolls- sweet & salty, Vadai doughnut !

Dosai spring rolls-

Sweet – left over dosais, depending on the no. of dosais, 1 –1 ½ cups of scraped coconut, sugar to taste, some roasted nuts & raisins. Maida, again depending on the no. of dosais, ½ -1 cup to make thick batter.

Keep the dosai on a flat plate, mix well all the filling ingredients, spread on dosai, then tightly roll, or better still if the dosai is big, cut into 2, then put the filling & roll. Then dip it well in the thick maida batter & deep fry in medium hot oil.

Ps- dosais shouldn’t be too thin for this.

Salty rolls- left over veg. of make filling by frying lightly some onion, steamed sprouts, finely cut carrots, cauliflower, peas etc. in the same way cut dosai into 2 spread the filling, roll it tight & dip to coat well in thick maida batter & deep fry in medium hot oil.

Vadai doughnut (medu vadai only)

For 1 medu vadai, 2 tsp ghee, 1tsp cashew nuts cut fine fry in ghee, then add about 6-8 tsp of sugar & keep on low flame & keep on stirring till it caramelizes, then roll the vadai in this to coat it well from all sides, you can grate some chocolate on top when still warm as it will get well coated.

Mdhur vadai

Here is a simple vadai recipe- no grinding.
1 katori each of rice flr., maida, atta, ravai, 2 katori of finely cut onion, green chillies to taste, 2 tbsp of finely cut cashewnuts, 2 tbsp of finely cut fresh coriander leaves, salt to taste, you can add finely cut ginger 1" piece, little bit of hing pdr. make a stiff dough of this. heat oil, make thin vadai on plastic sheet either using oil/water & deep fry on medium hot oil. with this I got 15 vadais. It tastes good without chutney also if you add more green chillies.

Orange peel pachadi/pickle?

Peel of orange with the white part 1, thick tamarind juice 1 small katori, vellam/gur 2 tbsp or more as per taste, salt, chillies, ginger & garlic to taste, hing, mustard seeds. to easily cut the orange peel, steam it for 15 min. in the cooker, or microwave it for 3min. with some water, then cut into small pieces, also cut finely chillies to taste, ginger 1/2- 1" piece, garlic optional, curry leaves 1 sprig. heat 1 tbsp. oil, add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, once it splutters, add hing, then add the cut spices, fry a bit, add the peel, fry, add the juice, salt vellam/gur, let it boil well & get thick. remove & store. it goes well with crud rice, rotis, as spread on bread.

Sweet coconut bonda

Sweet Coconut bonda- left over idli/dosa batter should be a little thick, same quantity of grated coconut, sugar to taste, nuts & raisins as per choice roasted in ghee. mix the batter with coconut & sugar well, add the nuts, heat oil, it should not be smoking hot, keep it on medium heat whenever you fry any sweet. with wet hands make small balls & fry in hot oil. But as soon as you put the balls, wait till the down part gets slightly golden before you turn, otherwise it can break. Or if the batter is a little thin, you can add some rava/suji, add sugar or if the batter is too thick, you can use some condensed milk too. But only the final batter after mixing all the ing. should not be thin, it should be thicker than the idli batter where you should be able to roll, though the balls may not come absolutely round.

Tips for cooking

Tips for cooking- To peal garlic quickly, remove each single pod, spread on the microwave & heat in medium heat for 10-15 seconds only. You can peal them easily, then you can store them in air tight container in the fridge if you want.

To make gravy in less oil & cook quickly- fry onion, tomatoes, chillies & other ingredients you want in microwave for 3 min. with a tsp of oil. Then cool & grind, it will need less oil, cook faster, give out a better flavour too.

To make soft rotis- when you need dough, last add 1-2 tsp of oil & need well & keep it aside for 30 min. then your rotis will come soft, also you can roll them thin.

To make white sauce, normally they use maida or refined flour, but you can make the same with wheat flour/atta, using wee bit of oil, roast the flour, then add water, make a smooth paste without lumps, add water as per your need, if you want thick sauce, then less water, or more, to enrich it you may add some milk along with water & grated cheese last. Season with salt & pepper powder as per taste.

When you cook in microwave, always add salt last to dish, as when you cook them, especially dry veg., then get too dry. Also it is good to add salt last in any form of cooking, as then you’d need less salt, so good for Bp patients too.

Green chillies to last long, once bought, before storing always remove their stem, then it will last long. To store green veg. use the net type bags to store in the fridge, as when you store in plastic bags, the veg. tend to give out moisture, so they get spoiled quickly.

To powder easily cardamom- microwave it with the skin for 1 min. when still warm pdr it with the skin, as the skin also has the smell & the nutritive value, then allow it to cool before you store.