DILL-BARA IDLI with Tangy Tomato Chutney

A very healthy recipe for all ages and kids love to eat as idlis are green in color with tangy chutney.

Ingredients for idli
Dill leaves 2 cups (wash and chop finely)
Idli rava 2 cups
Urad dal 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Baking soda ½ tsp
Oil
Coconut 1 cup grated
Green chilli 4-5
Ginger 1 inch
Salt to taste

Ingredients for Tomato Chutney
Tomato 2 chopped
Onion 1 chopped
Garlic clove 1
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Tamarind pulp 1/2 tsp
Salt
Oil
Mustard seeds ½ tsp
Hing a pinch
Curry leaves few

Preparation
Grind coconut, green chilli and ginger coarsely. Mix idli rava, dill leaves, ground paste, and salt.

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and urad dal. Add it to above and mix with water to consistency of idli batter. Keep it in fridge for 3-4 hr. Remove ½ hr before preparing idli and add baking soda and mix well. Steam in idli moulds greased with oil for 10-15 min.

For chutney- Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion. Fry. Add tomato and fry. Grind it with garlic, tamarind pulp, red chilli powder & salt. Tempering- Heat oil, mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.

MOOGA MOLO

(Sprout Moong Curry)

Ingredients
Moong sprouts 1 cup (boiled)
Coconut 1 cup grated
Dhania powder 1 tsp
Tamarind paste ½ tsp
Red chilli 4-5
Oil
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Hing a pinch
Curry leaves few
Salt to taste


Preparation
Grind coconut, red chilli, dhania powder, tamarind paste. Add it to boiled moong, add salt and bring to a boil. Add water to get a thick curry.
Tempering- heat oil, mustard seeds, hing, and curry leaves.

HINDOLI

(AMLA CHUTNEY)
This is a very tangy chutney and favorite of me & my sis. We used to eat just anything along with this chutney, especially crispy rice flour dosas that my mom used to make.....What a perfect combo!!

Ingredients
Amla 10 - 12 (medium sized)
Haldi 1 tsp
Red chilli powder 2 tsp
Hing 1 tsp + 1 tsp
Ginger 2 tsp (chopped finely)
Green chilli 2 tsp  (chopped finely)
Mustard seeds 2 tsp
Methi seeds 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 3 - 4 tbsp

Preparation
Wash and pressure cook amla with 1/2 cup water for 2 to 3 whistles. When cool, discard water and remove seeds and keep aside.
Boil 1 1/2 cup water with salt (as needed for the amla) and let it cool. This salty water has to be used to grind amla.
In a mixer container, add cooked amla, haldi, chilli powder, and hing 1 tsp. Add salty water as needed and grind amla mix. Keep it a little coarse.
Remove in a bowl. Add ginger and green chilli. Mix and keep aside.

For tempering: Heat oil. Add mustard seeds, as they splutter add methi seeds and hing powder 1 tsp. Switch off the gas and let it cool. Add this to amla mixture. Mix well and store in air tight containers. If stored in a refrigerator, can be kept for 2 - 3 months.

Serve with hot idlis, dosas, rotis, chappatis etc.

PEPPER CHICKEN

Ingredients

Chicken (boneless) 500 gm

Garlic 1 tbsp chopped

Onion 1 medium chopped finely

Onion 1 medium sliced

Pepper power (fresh) 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder ½ tsp

Haldi ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil

Lemon juice as needed

Dhania leaves for garnishing

Preparation

Wash chicken and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onion. Sauté. Add a pinch of salt and garlic. Sauté till brown. Add haldi and sauté for 1 min. Add chicken and mix well till one with onion & garlic masala.

Add pepper powder 1 tbsp, chilli powder and salt. Mix well and cover and cook till chicken done. Add sliced onion and 1 tbsp pepper powder. Cook for 2 min. Turn off heat. Add lemon juice and dhania leaves.

Serve hot.

CHILLI CHICKEN

(ANDHRA STYLE)

Ingredients

Chicken (breasts boneless) 2 pieces

Lemon juice ½ tsp

Yogurt 2 tsp

Maida (all purpose flour) as needed

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

For the marinade:

Ginger 1 inch

Garlic cloves 4 -5

Curry leaves 4-5

Cloves (lavang) 2

Dalchini (cinnamon) 1 inch

Red chilli 3-4

Rice 2 tbsp

Preparation

Wash chicken and keep aside.

Grind all the ingredients of marinade. Apply this marinade on chicken with yogurt, lemon juice, and salt. Set aside for ½ hr.

Heat a shallow frying pan with oil. Roll chicken pieces in maida and shallow fry on medium heat for 2 min. Turn the other side and fry for 2 mins. On low flame, cover & cook for 3-4 min. When chicken done. Remove in a plate & garnish with lemon wedges and onion slices.

DAL FRY

Ingredients

Toor dal 1 cup

Onion 1 big chopped finely

Tomato 1 big chopped finely

Ginger-garlic paste 1 ½  tsp

Green chilli 2 chopped

Jeera 1 tsp

Dhania powder 1 tsp

Jeera powder 1 tsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Haldi ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Ghee

Dhania leaves for garnishing

Preparation

Wash and boil dal till done.

Heat ghee in kadai. Add jeera ½ tsp, when they splutter add ginger-garlic paste and fry. Add onion and sauté. Add tomato, haldi, dhania powder, jeera powder, and red chilli powder ½ tsp. Sauté masala till oil separates. Keep  aside.

In the same kadai, add ghee. The remaining jeera and red chilli powder. Add the above masala, toor dal and salt.

Bring it to a boil. Garnish with dhania leaves and serve with jeera rice or steamed rice.

STUFFED BUTTON MUSHROOMS

Ingredients:

Mushrooms 10 (button mushrooms)

Onion 1 big chopped

Garlic cloves 2 – 3 chopped

Cottage cheese 2 - 3 tbsp

Pepper powder 1 tsp

Toothpicks 10

Lemon juice 1 tsp

Butter as needed

Salt to taste

Preparation:

1.  Wash, clean and remove stalks of mushrooms. Chop the stalks finely and keep aside. Keep heads of mushrooms aside.

2.  

For the stuffing: Heat butter, add chopped onions. Sauté. Add chopped mushroom stalks, garlic chopped, pepper powder, nutmeg powder and salt. Sauté. Switch off the gas and add cottage cheese. Remove in a dish and let it cool.

3.  Sandwich the mushroom heads with toothpicks by filling this mix in middle.

4.

  Heat butter, add stuffed mushrooms. Fry them till outer layer done. Add lemon juice. Switch off gas.

5.  

Serve with any sauce as desired.

SWEET PANCAKES

Ingredients

·         Rice flour 2 cups

·         Jaggery or Gud 1 ½ cups

·         Banana 1

·         Baking powder ½ tsp

·         Cardamom powder 1 tsp

·         Sesame seeds or Til 2 tsp

·         Salt a pinch

·         Ghee

·         Honey

·         Crushed almonds

Preparation

Mix jaggery in 1 cup water.

Add mashed banana, rice flour, baking powder, cardamom powder, sesame seeds and salt.

Add to the jaggery mixture.

Prepare a thick batter. Add a little water if needed.

Heat ghee on a tawa. Prepare small 3-inch diameter pancakes. Turn the other side.

When pancakes are done, place them on plate. Drizzle honey and crushed almonds. Serves 4.

VEG KURMA IN WHITE GRAVY

Ingredients

Vegetables (beans, carrot, green peas, potato etc) 2 cups
Oil
Salt to taste

For ground masala:
Dhania seeds 2 tsp
Jeera 1 tsp
Pepper 4-5
Poppy seeds (khus-khus) ½ tsp
Shahijeera ½ tsp
Dalchini ½ inch
Cardamom 2-3
Green chilli 3-4
Onion 1 medium (chopped)
Garlic cloves 3-4
Coconut 1 cup

Preparation

Wash, cut and boil the vegetables.

Prepare kurma masala with the ingredients using water.

Heat oil, add the masala. Fry for 2 min. Add boiled vegetables and salt. Cover and cook till done.

Serve with chapattis, rotis or rava idli.

GAVA GULI

(ATTA LADDU)

Ingredients

Wheat flour (atta) 1 ½  cups

Ghee ½  cup

Sugar powder 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1 tsp

Dry fruits chopped 1/4 cup (optional)

Preparation

Heat ghee on a low flame, add maida and keep stirring continuously till aroma arises (nearly 5 min).

Add sugar powder and mix well. Switch off heat.

Add cardamom powder, chopped dry fruits and mix well.

Place mixture in a dish to cool for 5 min.

Prepare laddus and store in air tight containers.

NANKATAI

Ingredients

Maida 3 cups

Ghee 1 cup

Sugar powder 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1 tsp (optional)

Preparation

Mix maida, ghee and sugar powder well.

Preheat oven at 180 degrees.

Make small lemon-sized balls and press on top. Place on a greased baking tray. Prick with fork.

Bake in oven at 180 degrees for half an hour.

Let it cool. Store in air tight containers.

CHIROTI

Ingredients

Maida 1 cup

Rava (fine sooji) ¼ cup

Hot oil 2 tbsp

Ghee ¼ cup

Rice flour 2 tsp

Sugar powder ½ cup

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Mix maida, rava, and hot oil for 5 min. Mixture should be crumbly. Using very little water prepare a soft dough. Cover in a plastic wrap and keep aside for 2 hours.

Make lemon sized balls. Roll them as thin as possible.

Apply generous amount of ghee on one such rolled portion, sprinkle some rice flour. Place one more rolled portion on top. Again repeat the process of ghee and rice flour. Repeat this step until 4 rolled portions.

Now make a sort of log out of this. Press on the sides.

Cut 1 cm pieces slantly and slight roll each of them.

Deep fry immediately till golden brown. Remove on a tissue paper and roll them in sugar powder. After it cools, store in air tight containers.

SHANKARPALI

Ingredients

Maida 1 cup

Wheat flour (atta) 1 cup

Rice flour 2 tsp

Jeera ½ tsp (optional)

Hot oil 2 tsp

Chilli powder 2 tsp

Hing a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Preparation

Prepare a dough using all the ingredients (like a chapatti dough). Keep aside for half an hour.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible. Cut into diamond shapes.

Deep fry immediately till golden in color. Store in an air tight container.

GOBI MUSSALLAM

Ingredients

Gobi (cauliflower) 500 gm
Onion 2 big (grated)
Tomato 2 big (puree)
Cumin 1 tsp
Turmeric ½ tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Garam masala powder ½ tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Cream 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil

Preparation

Cut the gobi into florets and wash. To the boiling water add these florets and turmeric. Cook till florets done. Strain all the water and keep gobi florets aside.

Heat oil. Add jeera and onion. Sauté for 3 min. Add tomato puree, coriander powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Sauté for 5 min till the masala leaves out a good aroma. Add gobi florets and salt. Add a little water to make a thick gravy. Cover and cook for 2 min. Add cream and cook for 1 min.

Serve with roti or chapati.

TOMATO PULAV WITH ONION CHUTNEY

This is my favorite dish since my school days. Very filling and delicious, and a very easy way to get away from vegetables.

Ingredients

For Pulav:
Basmati rice 2 cups
Onion 1 big (chopped)
Tomato puree 1 cup
Cardamom 3
Cinnamon 1 inch
Cloves 2
Green chillies 3
Salt to taste
Oil
Water (boiling hot) 4 cups

For onion chutney:

Onions 4 (sliced length wise)
Mustard seeds ½ tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Urad dal ½ tsp
Green chillies 2 (slit)
Curry leaves 7-8
Coconut 2 tbsp grated (optional)
Yoghurt (thick) 1 ½ cups
Salt to taste
Oil

Preparation

Wash and soak basmati rice for 15 min.

Heat oil, add cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. Add onions, green chillies and sauté. Add basmati rice and tomato puree. Sauté for 1 min. add boiling water, salt. Cover and cook till done.

For chutney, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing, urad dal, curry leaves, green chillies and onions. Sauté till onions done. Add coconut. Mix well. Let the mixture cool. Add salt and yoghurt. Add a little water if needed. Mix well.

Serve hot tomato pulav with this onion chutney and some roasted papad.

PANEER CAPSICUM

This is a very delicious sabzi to be used in veg rolls. A very easy picnic food.

Ingredients

Paneer 200 gm
Capsicum 2 big
Onion 2 big (grated)
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Turmeric ½ tsp
Garam masala powder ¾ tsp
Red chilli powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Oil

Preparation

Deseed capsicum, wash and cut capsicum into cubes.

Cut paneer the same size.

Chopped onions can be used but grated onions give a different taste as they coat well with masalas on paneer & capsicum.

Heat oil. Add cumin. Add onion and ginger garlic paste. Sauté for 3 min. Add capsicum. Mix, cover and cook till done. Add turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder. Fry. Add paneer pieces and salt. Cover and cook for 2 min.

To serve, spread cheese spread/mayonnaise and tomato ketchup on rotis. Spread a little bit of the prepared sabzi in middle and prepare a roll. Use any sauce of your choice. Tastes good with chapatis also.

BATATA TALASANI

(POTATO SABZI)

This is my family’s favorite sabzi. A very good option when you run out of vegetables, potatoes always come in handy.

Ingredients

Potato 4 big

Curry leaves 10-12

Garlic cloves 2 (optional)

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Asafoetida (hing) a pinch

Cumin ½ tsp

Fenugreek seeds (methi) ¼ tsp

Black gram dal (urad dal) ½ tsp

Turmeric powder ½ tsp

Red chilli powder 1 ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil 4 tbsp

Preparation

Peel potatoes, wash and cut them length wise into thin strips (like French fries).

Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing, urad dal, methi, cumin and curry leaves (if adding garlic, crush and add them at this point). Sauté. Add potatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix well. Sprinkle a little water, cover and cook till done.

Serve with any rice and dal.

CHUTNEY PITTO

(CHUTNEY POWDER)

This is a must in any South Indian kitchen. We eat it with idli, dosa, roti, bread etc.

Ingredients

Chutney dal/Putani 100 gm
Sesame seeds 10 gm
Red chilli 10-15 (as per taste)
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp (optional)
Dry coconut 2 cups
Curry leaves 10-15
Garlic cloves 8-10
Tamarind lemon size ball
Salt to taste

Preparation

All the ingredients have to be separately dry roasted on low flame, care to be taken not to burn them. This dry roasting has to be done as follows:

1.     Dry roast putani. Keep aside. Dry roast sesame seeds. Keep aside. Dry roast red chilli. Let them cool. Make a powder of this along with turmeric and sugar. Keep aside.

2.     Dry roast khopra for 5 min. Add curry leaves, garlic cloves and tamarind. Dry roast for another 2 min. Keep aside and let it cool. Make a powder (powder will be a little sticky).

Mix both powders and add salt. Mix well. Again make a fine powder by putting in mixer. Let it cool. Keep in air tight containers.
Serve with idli, dosa, rotis, bread etc.