GINGER CURRY/ CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

ginger  35 gm
green chillies 3
mustard seeds 1 tsp
dry red chillies 7
coconut cut into small pieces 1/4 cup
oil 2 tbsp
methi seeds 1 tsp
gur/ jaggery 2 tsp
tamarind small lime size
curry leaves 1 sprig
salt to taste

Method

wash, peel & cut ginger in small pieces
cut green chillies in small pieces like coconut
soak tamarind in hot water & extract enough juice by adding little water 2-3 times
roast methi seeds & red chillies, cool & powder them
heat oil, let mustard seeds crackle, add ginger, green chillies, coconut, roast well
add tamarind juice, salt, let it boil & cook for 10 minutes, add gur, powder spices, let it come to a boil.
remove. this goes well with boiled rice & papad/ vadams !

SABUDANA POPCORN VADAM

INGREDIENTS

sabudana  1 kg
green chillies 10-15
lime 3 big
salt to taste
hing 1/4 tsp

Method

soak sabudana overnight with enough water. next morning, grind it with salt, chillies, hing, add lime juice, mix well. 
in a clean plastic sheet, make small rounds, let it dry, in the evening, carefully turn them over, dry again the next day till completely dry. normally it gets dry in summer in 2 days. make sure they're completely dry, before you store them.

they can be fried like papad when needed, goes well with all varieties of rice.

KANPUR DAL

Ingredients
moong dal   1 cup
salt to taste
ghee 1 tbsp

Method

wash dal, drain & dry it in a cloth, in shade, till the water evaporates.
heat ghee, add dal & fry lightly, add salt to taste.

RAW BANANA BHUJIA

INGREDIENTS

raw banana peeled, boiled, ground well  1/4 kg
salt to taste
green chillies 3 & ginger 1/2" grind with hing
udad dal pdr 2 tbsp
oil to fry
ghee 2 tbsp
ajwain 2 tsp

Method

to ground banana, add green chilli-ginger paste, udad dal, salt, ghee, ajwain, mix well.
heat oil, put the mixture in a thicker bhujia/ thenkulal mould, press into big round in the oil, deep fry till golden on both sides.
drain well, store once cool in air-tight container.

POTATO BHUJIA

INGREDIENTS

potatoes 1/4 kg
udad dal pdr.  1 tsp
salt to taste
oil to fry
sesame seeds/ til  2 tbsp
ghee  2 tsp

Method

boil, peel & grind potatoes to a thick paste.
add udad dal pdr. salt, ghee, sesame seeds mix well.
put in a bigger bhujia mould & press directly into hot oil.
remove once golden, drain well. store in air-tight containers.

SEMIA VADAM

INGREDIENTS

rice flour  1 kg

sabudana/ sago 1 glass, soak over night

lime 3 big

green chillies 5-6 grind well with salt & hing,strain

salt to taste

water 2 litres

Method

boil water, add salt, add rice flour & soaked sabudan, keep stirring well, till it is well cooked & dry.

remove, add lime juice & ground green chillies, mix well.

once it cools, fill the dough in 'omapodi' or bhujia maker & make small round shapes in a clean plastic sheet

keep it in the sun to dry, by evening, turn each one carefully, as underneath it will be slightly wet. so next morning, again keep them in the sun to dry. once they're all completely dry, store in a clean air-tight container.

As & when needed, heat oil, fry it, this gets fried quickly, so be careful, drain & eat it with any form of rice- biryani, pulao, mixed vegetable rice, tomato rice or by some chance, you don't have time to make vegetable, have it with sambar rice/ rasam ! those who like it, can eat it plain too, like my grandmother !

CHEESE CARTWHEELS

Ingredients

all purpose flour/ maida   150 gm
butter 100 gm
egg 1 big
grated cheese  75 gm
salt and pepper pdr. to taste
coconut chutney as needed

For chutney
 grated coconut  4 tbsp
roasted gram dal ( pottu kadalai) 1 tsp
coriander leaves  1 small bunch
salt to taste
ginger 1/2"
green chillies 2-3
lime juice  1 tsp
 add lime juice once the other ing. are finely ground and thick.

Method

sift salt, flour, pepper pdr.
add butter at room temperature, mix with fingertips only, rub it till it resembles bread crumbs.
add grated cheese, add lightly beaten egg.
add enough cold water to make a fairly stiff dough.
on a lightly floured working surface, roll the dough roughly to 1/2" thickness, spread the chutney, roll it tight.
cut into small pieces, press the edges well. 

either you can deep fry/ shallow fry, or those who are health conscious, can bake it in pre-heated oven by spraying lightly the oven plate & spray cooking oil on top. After baking for few minutes on one side, turn them over carefully, spray little oil on top again & bake till golden.

Healthy And Unique Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour or wheat flour (120g)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (20g)
• 2 tbsp ground flax. You can omit; the cake just won’t rise as much.
• 1/3 cup  sugar (64g)
• 1/8 tsp sugar substitute (or 1/4 cup more sugar)
• 1/2 to 1 cup mini chocolate chips (60-120g) (Do not omit. The recipe just won’t be the same if you do.)
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 loosely-packed cups frozen cauliflower, thawed completely but not cooked (250g) (Or omit and sub 1 cup canned pumpkin, if cauliflower is too weird for you. I might even like the pumpkin version better!)
• 1/2 cup milk of choice. For pumpkin version, use just 1/3 cup milk (or 1/2 cup if omitting oil).
• 3 tbsp oil (or omit and increase milk to scant 2/3 cup, for a lower-fat option)

Method

Preheat oven to 350F, and grease an 8×8 square baking dish. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix very well. Combine all liquid ingredients and the cauliflower in a food processor and blend until super-smooth, so there are NO lumps whatsoever.  Pour wet into dry, and mix until just combined, then pour into prepared pan and bake 30 minutes.  or till the knife when inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool completely. After a day, this cake is best stored in the fridge. 

Avocado Ricotta Pound Cake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mashed pulp of a ripe avocado
1/2 cup  ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons lime zest
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Confectioners’ sugar, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan and cover the bottom with parchment paper cut to size. In a mixer at medium speed, beat the avocado until smooth and buttery. Add ricotta and butter; mix until fluffy. Add the sugar; beat until incorporated. Add the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition; add lime juice and mix well. In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; add 1/2-cup at a time, to the avocado mixture, stirring just to mix after each addition. Stir in lime zest. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top; sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Lay a sheet of parchment paper over the pan. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. Allow to cool 15 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar to serve.

ps- for health benefits of avocado, see my cancer and health related blog-

http://cancersupportindia.blogspot.com/

Corn Kababs

INGREDIENTS
400 gms fresh/ frozen sweet corns crushed coarse
100 gms Mashed potatoes
10 gms Garam masala
100 gms Coriander leaves
50 gms Chopped green chillies
100 gms Chopped capsicum
50 gms Chopped ginger
100 gms Chopped onions
50 gms Raisins
30 gms Salt
100 ml Cream
200 gms Paneer
oil as needed

METHOD
Sauté chopped ginger, garlic, green chillies in oil.Add corn to it. Add crushed potatoes, paneer and all the other ingredients. Season with salt, black salt, green chillies and garam masala powder.Make small patties out of this mix and cook on the griddle from both the sides until golden brown, serve hot with your choice of chutney.

Marinated Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

16 ounces  frozen Brussels sprouts

1/2 cup  vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons dried minced onion

Method

Cook Brussels sprouts until slightly under-done. Drain.
Make a marinade with remaining ingredients. Mix well and pour over Brussels sprouts while hot. Marinate 3 to 4 days before serving.
Drain and serve.

Brussels Sprouts - health benefits

The Brussels Sprout is a cruciferous vegetable. It’s in the same family as broccoli, kale, collard greens and cabbage. It grows in a number of places ranging from California to New York. The plants prefer a cooler temperature. And it’s said that for home growers, Brussels Sprouts taste best right after the first frost.

Health Benefits

Cruciferous vegetables provide an abundance of health benefits. In fact, health experts recommend eating them a few times a week. They lower cholesterol and are packed with fiber. They’ve also been shown to help fight and prevent many types of cancer including bladder, breast, colon, lung, prostate, and ovarian cancer. It has anti-inflammatory properties as well as anti-oxidants.

Brussels Sprouts are high in vitamin K which has been shown to improve bone health and prevent bone loss and fractures. It’s also high in vitamin C, folate, fiber, and vitamin A. It also has omega 3 fats, protein, and calcium. A cup of Brussels sprouts is a mere 60 calories and contains 80% of the RDAs recommendation for vitamin C.

How to Eat

Brussels Sprouts are a bit too chewy to eat raw. However, they’re delicious when sautéed in a bit of oil or fat. Try them sautéed in olive oil or bacon fat and seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little bit of maple syrup. They’re also tasty with nuts or cheese. You might enjoy them boiled and tossed with vinegar and oil.

Bottle Gourd- health benefits

it's other names – calabash, opo squash, lauki, or long melon

Health Benefits

Cooked bottle gourd, or lauki, is a calming, soothing food that acts as a diuretic. Extremely low in calories and high in dietary fiber, cooked bottle gourd makes an excellent food for people who are dieting. After eating a healthy portion of cooked lauki, your stomach is full and your whole body feels relaxed; and if you're dieting, you will appreciate those feelings. You can enjoy large portions of cooked bottle gourd without worrying about counting calories.

You'll notice I keep saying “cooked bottle gourd.” That's because you don’t want to eat the vegetable raw as it could harm the stomach and digestive system, causing ulcers, or worse. Like other members of the gourd family, the bottle gourd contains the tetracyclic triterpenoid cucurbitacins compound, which is responsible for the bitter taste. This bitter taste should let people know that it is poisonous, but raw 'calabash juice' has been touted by weight loss hucksters as a miracle drink. Just be aware that drinking raw, uncooked 'calabash juice' or eating raw bottle gourd is dangerous to your health. Once cooked, the bottle gourd becomes harmless and quite tasty, offering more than enough health benefits to keep anyone on a weight loss program happy.

How to eat

The calabash, as a vegetable, is frequently used in Asian cuisine as either a stir-fry or in a soup. In Burma, young leaves are also boiled and eaten with spicy hot fermented fish sauce called Nga peet. And in Central America seeds of the bottle gourd are toasted and ground with other ingredients (including rice, cinnamon, and allspice) to make horchata, a popular drink of the region.

In other cultures, this gourd is cooked just like a summer squash and enjoyed with a variety of toppings including butter and brown sugar. Often connected with Indian cooking and spices, the bottle gourd is very typically surrounded with warm, spicy aromas.

A delicious sweet is also made from bottle gourd, see in this blog.