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.