Vegetarian Side dishes

Channa Masala


Ingredients:

Chick peas (kabuli chana) - 1 cup
Onion - 125 gms
Tomato - 75gms
Green chilli - 02 nos
Garlic - 4 to 5
Ginger - 20 gms
Bay leaves - 2
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp.
Tea - 02 bags
Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp.
Salt as required
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:


Soak chick peas  overnight.
In a small piece of white cloth Place the tea pack  in the centre, gather the cloth and seal its mouth so that tea leaves don't fall out. 
Keep this in the pressure cooker along with chick peas. 
Pressure cook until tender. Tea adds brown color to the chick peas.
Cut onion, tomato and green chilli. Grind it in a food processor along with ginger and garlic and make paste.
Heat oil in a pan and  bay leaves 
 Add the paste and fry on medium heat until golden brown (The oil starts separating from the mixture).
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Mix well. cook it  for 2-3 minutes.
Add water enough to make thick gravy. Bring the gravy to boil.
Add cooked chick peas (along with the water in which it was cooked, remove tea cloth). Stir well and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves and serve hot.

Kadai Bhindi 

Ingredients:

Lady finger (okra / bhindi) - 250 gms.
Gram flour - 1 tbsp.
Thinly sliced onion - 02 nos
Thinly sliced green chilli - 02
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp.
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp.
Vegetable oil as required
Salt to taste

Method:

• Cut lady finger into thin long slices.

• • • Heat oil in a kadai.

• • • • Deep fry lady finger until crisp and light golden brown.

• • • • • Keep the fried lady finger aside.

• • • • • • Just leave 2 tbsp oil in kadhai, remove the rest.

• • • • • • • Add cumin seeds and green chilli and fry for 30 seconds. 

• • • • • • • • Add sliced onion and fry until golden brown.

• • • • • • • • • Add gram flour, and saute for 3-4 minutes. 

• • • • • • • • • • Add lady finger and the remaining ingredients. Mix well. 

• • • • • • • • • • Heat for a few seconds and then remove from heat.

Garnish with green coriander leaves and serve

 Dum Aloo

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes - 1/2 kg
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp.
Cardamoms  - 4
Cloves - 4 to 5
Black pepper - 7 to 8
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Caraway seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Cardamom (green) - 2
Asafoetida - a pinch
Bay Leaves - 4 to 5
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Medium size onion  - 1
 curd - 1 cup
Ghee/oil - 4 tbsp.
Salt to taste

Method:

• Dry roast the coriander seeds, cardamoms, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, caraway seeds, cardamom green and then grind it in a blender to make fine powder.
• Peel off the potatoes and prick it.
• Heat oil in a pan for about one minute. 
• Saute the potatoes in oil over medium heat till they change the color from white to light brown. Set aside.
• Add bay leaves, asafoetida, ginger-garlic paste, chopped onion to the remaining oil. Fry till the paste becomes reddish brown and the mixture starts separating from the oil.
• Add the garam masala prepared in step1 to this mixture and heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Fry it about a minute.
•  Then add curd and continuously stir it.
• If you find the gravy too thick, you can add some water.
• Finally add pricked fried potaoes to the gravy and cook it. Switch off the gas after 4-5 minutes (before first whistle).

Garnish  with  coriander leaves and serve hot.

Kids Special

Its summer and kids are in home , kids always wants easy finger licking foods and they wants different every day lets make some interesting foods for kids in a healthy way.






Buck Wheat Pan Cake


Ingredients 
1 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon sugar (add as required)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon butter

Method:-
Combine dry ingredients and mix slightly. Add milk, oil, water, and vanilla. Whisk together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix - it should still be slightly lumpy. Set aside to rest for a few minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. While pan is heating, add butter. As soon as the butter is melted, add melted butter to pancake batter.

Return pan to stove and stir butter into batter.

When pan is hot, pour the batter in the pan 
hot pan cake is ready.




Red Kidney Bean and corn  Cutlet 


Ingredients

1 cup red kidney beans soaked for about 8 hours

4 small potatoes

1 cup corn

2 cups mixed vegetables (  mixture of beans, carrots and peas)

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup semolina

1/2 tsp red chilli powder (optional) (or according to taste)

1/2 tsp garam masala

salt according to taste

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

Grind together

4 green chillies

handful of cilantro (coriander leaves) cut fine

1 inch piece ginger

a little extra oil to shallow fry the cutlets

Drain red kidney beans and place in a pot with fresh water and simmer on a low heat until cooked. Alternatively drain red kidney beans and place in a pressure cooker with sufficient water and cook until soft.

Cook potatoes with skin either in the pressure cooker

When the potatoes are cool, peel potatoes, mash them and keep aside.

Grind together green chillies, handful of cilantro and ginger until it becomes a fine paste.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin seeds begin to splutter add the mixed vegetables to it,add salt to taste, chilli powder, garam masala, sprinkle a few drops of water and cook on a low flame until it is soft.

Add mashed potatoes to the cooked vegetables and mix well.

Add cooked red kidney beans  and corn to this mixture and mix well. Using the back of your spatula or a potato masher, mash the mixture gently until most of the vegetables, beans and potatoes get mashed.

Add bread crumbs and semolina to this mixture and mix well.

Cool slightly and form lemon sized balls and flatten it slightly.

Heat a tawa on medium high, place the flattened cutlets on them and add a few drops of oil around the cutlets. Turn over and fry the other side similarly.

Serve hot with ketchup as a snack or use the cutlets in your burger or sandwich .

Oats Idly 

Ingredients

3 cups oats (1 minute quick cooking oats)

1 1/2 cups fine semolina (rava)

5-6 green chillies cut very fine ( or according to taste)

2 tsp split chick pea lentil (chana dhal)

6 tsp broken cashew nuts

2 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp salt ( or according to taste)

1 tsp baking soda

handful cilantro cut fine

2 tbsp olive oil (or any other oil)

plain yogurt (about 4 1/2 cups for the entire quantity of oats idli powder)

Method:-

Dry roast the one minute oats in a heavy bottomed pan on medium to medium high heat stirring continuously until it turns creamy/light brown. Keep aside to cool for a few minutes.

In the meanwhile dry roast the semolina on medium to medium high heat for 3-4 minutes stirring continuously, then remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

When the oats is cooler, grind coarsely in a spice grinder in batches. Take care to process these in short bursts as they grind very quickly and they only need to be ground to a coarse consistency.

Mix the cooled semolina and coarsely ground oats together.

Add to this mixture salt to taste and baking soda and mix well.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds to it, when mustard seeds begin to splutter add split chick pea lentil (chana dhal) and cashews to it and saute for a few seconds.

When the lentil and cashews begin to turn brownish, add cut green chillies to it and saute for about a minute until the green chillies start to change color.

Pour this oil + lentil + green chillies mixture on the dry mixture of oats and semolina. Mix very well.

Take out the required amount of this mixture and mix with equal parts of plain yogurt. Add cut cilantro and mix well.

Grease idli moulds and place spoonfuls of this mixture into each mould and steam for about 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool for about a minute, remove each idli and serve with sambar or chutney of choice.

Ginger Cookies

Ingredients 

3 cups (420 grams) all purposeflour

1/4 teaspoons salt

3/4 teaspoonbaking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsaltedbutter, room temperature

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated whitesugar

1 largeegg

Method

 In a large bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your electricmixer(or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined.  

Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven.  

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.

  Use a floured cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.  

With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. 

Bake for about 8 - 12 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. 

 Small ones will take about 8 minutes, larger cookies will take about 12 minutes.  

They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown. 

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minutes.  

When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cheese Chilly Toast

Ingredients 

4 slices of bread
1/4 cup of crumbled or grated cheese (cheddar or feta or amul cheese)
1/2 of a small onion (chopped finely)
2 small green chillies(chopped)
1 tbsp of coriander leaves(chopped)
1 tbsp of buttersalt
1/4tsp pepper.
Method:

Apply Butter on all the slices.
Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl.
Now put this mixture on 2 slices. And cover them with the other 2 slices.
Heat oil or butter in a pan and toast these sandwiches on both the sides.

Macroni and Cheese

Ingredients 

200 gms macaroni (boiled)
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cup flour (maida)
2 cups milk
2 cups processed cheese (shredded)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Salt and black pepper powder (to taste)

nutmeg 1tsp
Method
 Place 2 tbsp. butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat at 100% power for 30 secs.
 Add flour, salt and pepper
 Gradually mix 2 cups of hot milk and stir it.
 Slowly stir in 1 cup grated cheese and cover with a cling film.
 Microwave at 100% power for 2 – 3 mins.
 Add boiled macaroni and mix well.
 Preheat the oven on convection at 250 degree Celsius
 Add bread crumbs and mix well.
 Sprinkle this breadcrumb mixture and 1 cup grated cheese evenly over macaroni.
 Bake it at low rack at 250 degree Celsius for 15 – 20 mins till golden brown.Quick Pasta

Ingredients

300 gms - spaghetti
1 tomato - finely chopped
1 onion - cut in rings
1 small capsicum - julienned
1" ginger
3-4 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
salt to taste
2 tsp oil for saute
2 tbsp - tomato sauce
Method:

1. Bring pasta to boil till aldente (firm to bite)
2.  Drain and then sieve through cold water (this retains the colour of the pasta, in case you are using multi-coloured pasta).
3. Grind the chillies, ginger, garlic and tomato sauce together.
4. In a pan, heat oil, and saute the oinions & capsicum, then add the chopped tomatoes and the chilli-ginger-garlic-sauce-paste. Add salt and cook for 2-3 minutes. add water IF you want a gravy.

Mini soya dosa

ingredients :

1/2 cup rice flour

1/4 cup urad dal flour
1/4 cup soya flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup grated cucumber (squeezed of all water)
1/2 tsp chopped green chilli
1/4 cup coriander leaves, chopped
2 tsp oil
Method:
1. Mix the rice flour, urad dal flour, soya flour and salt with about 1 cup of water to make a batter.
2. Add the cucumber, green chillie and coriander leaves and mix well.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan and grease it lightly with oil.
4. When hot, pour spoonfuls of the batter on the pan and spread a little to make small dosas.
5. Serve hot with any chutney of your choice.

Healthy Carrot Milk

Ingredients

2 large Carrot
2 cups Cold Milk
1 tsp Honey
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

Method:
1. peel the carrot and wash them thoroughly.
2. Grate the carrot and put it into the mixie .
3. Set the mixie to medium speed and process for 1 minute.
4. Add the cold milk, honey or sugar and vanilla essence and process again for 1 minute.
5. serve cold