Snake-gourd seed Dosa ( Phoddale beeye polo )

Ingredients :

White rice – 1 cup

Snack-gourd seed / phoddale bee / padavalakayi beeja – 1 cup

Grated coconut – 2 tsp

Red chillies – 7 to 8

Salt – To taste

Tamarind – A little

Oil – As required for making dosa.

Method :

Soak white rice for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes , drain the water from white rice completely. Keep aside.

Grind grated coconut + red chillies + tamarind into smooth paste.  Before taking out the ground paste, add the white rice ( drained water and kept )  and grind again into medium consistency batter.Before taking out the ground batter, add the snake-gourd seeds ( phoddale bee ) and salt to the mixer and grind again once coarsely. ( SEEDS ARE NOT BE DISCARDED IF LEFT WHILE GRINDING ). Take the ground batter in a bowl.

On a tawa, heat oil. Prepare dosa as usual. ( cook both side of dosa )

Serve hot with dal ( dalitoy ) and cooked rice. 

Ridge-gourd skin Chutney. ( Ghosale sheere chutney )

Ingredients :

Ridge-gourd skin ( ghosale sheere )  – 8 to 10 ( washed and cut into 1 inch pieces )

Fried Red chillies – 5 to 6

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Cumin seeds ( Jeera ) – 1 tsp

Ghee – 1 ½ tsp

Salt – To taste

Method :

Dry roast grated coconut till the water evaporates ( about 2 minutes ). Keep aside.

In a kadai, heat ghee. Add cumin seeds. After it starts to splutter, add ridge-gourd skin and roast till golden browned. Remove roasted ridge-gourd skin from kadai Keep aside.

Grind fried coconut + fried red chillies + salt ( WITHOUT ADDING WATER ). Before removing the ground paste, add roasted cumin seeds + ridge-gourd skin. Grind again into medium consistency paste by adding little water.

Serve with cooked rice and Dal ( dalitoy ).

Mushroom Cutlet

Ingredients :

Mushrooms – 4

Potato – 1, boiled , peeled and mashed

Onion – 1, finely chopped

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

Green chilly paste – 1 tsp

Bread Crumbs – 1 cup

Salt – To taste

Method :

In  3 cups of water , add mushrooms. Cook it by covering the lid for 5 minutes. Drain the water completely. Finely chop the mushrooms and grind for 3 to 4 times.

Heat oil in a pan. Add onion pieces and fry for 7-8 minutes. Ginger-garlic paste and green chilly paste. Fry for 5 minutes. Add crumbled mushrooms and sauté till water evaporates. Add salt and mix evenly. Switch off the flame and let the cooked mixture to cool for 5 minutes.

In a bowl, add mashed potato, ½ cup bread crumbs and cooked mixture. Mix evenly and make patties. Roll the patties in the remaining bread crumbs.

On a pan, heat oil. Shallow-fry the patties / cutlets till both sides of the patties turns golden browned.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Mushroom – Baby corn Delight

Ingredients :

Mushrooms – 5 ( chopped into 4 pieces )

Baby corn – 4 ( chopped )

Onion – 1 big, finely chopped

Tomatoes – 2 ,pureed

Green chillies – 2, finely chopped

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – ½ tsp

Cinnamon stick – 1

Cardamom – 3

Cloves – 4

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Cashew-nuts – 3 ( soaked in lukewarm water )

Salt – To taste

Oil – 2 to 3 tsp

Method :

Cook mushrooms and baby corn . Keep aside.

Grind cashew-nuts soaked in water into a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Then, grind green chillies into a coarse paste. Keep aside.

In a kadai, heat oil . Add onion and fry till it turns translucent. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and sauté for a while. Then add the green chilly paste and fry for a minute. Add the tomato puree and cashew-nut paste. Cook till oil separates. Add red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt. Mix evenly. Then, add cooked mushrooms and baby corn pieces . Mix evenly and cook for 5 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapatis/ rotis / phulkas.

Banana- Potato Cutlet

Ingredients :

Raw Banana – 1

Potato – 1

Green chilly – 1

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Ginger – ½ inch piece ( finely chopped )

Roasted and crushed ( jeera )  cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Ajwain – ½ tsp

Pepper powder – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves – Little ( finely chopped )

Bread crumbs – ½ cup

Salt – To taste

Method :

Boil raw banana and potato. Peel and mash them. Add roasted and crushed cumin seeds, ajwain , pepper powder and mix evenly. Add green chilly pieces, ginger, red chilly powder and salt as per taste. Mix again evenly. Make small balls from the prepared dough and prepare tikkis of any desired shape. Roll the prepared tikkis in bread crumbs.

On a tava heat oil. Shallow fry the tikkis till golden browned on the both sides.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Sprouted Moth bean Masala

Ingredients : 

Sproued Moth bean / Matki – 2 cup

Tomatoes – 2, large

Salt – To taste

Oil – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – Little ( finely chopped )

For preparing paste :

Onion – 1, sliced

Poppy seeds / Khus - Khus – 4 tsp

Cinnamon – 3 sticks

Cloves – 3

Pepper-corns – 3 to 4

Garlic – 2 cloves

Coriander seeds – 1 tsp

Roasted Red chillies – 6 to 7

Method :

Heat oil in a pan and roast poppy seeds + onion slices + cinnamon sticks + cloves + pepper-corns + coriander seeds + roasted red chillies. Grind the roasted ingredients into a coarse paste. Before removing the paste, add garlic and grind again fine paste by adding little water. Transfer the ground paste in a bowl and Keep aside.

Cut  the tomatoes into big slices. In a deep bottomed vessel, add the sliced tomatoes + ¼ cup of water and cook. Blend the cooked tomato slices into a smooth consistency puree by adding the water used for cooking. Keep aside.

In a deep bottomed kadai, add the sprouted moth beans, ground paste, 2 to 3 teaspoons of water and cook for 10 minutes. When cooked, add the pureed tomato and salt. Cook again for 5 minutes. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapatti. 

Paneer in Carrot-Tomato gravy

Ingredients :

Paneer – 1 cup ( cubed )

Carrot – 1, big ( boiled and pureed )

Tomatoes – 2 ( boiled and pureed )

Red chilly powder – 2 tsp

Asofoetida / Hing – A pinch

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Milk – 2 tsp

Salt – To taste

Oil – 3 tsp

Curry leaves – A strand

Coriander leaves – Little ( finely chopped )

Method :

In a kadai , heat oil. Add mustard seeds and asofoetida. When mustard seeds begin to crackle, add curry leaves, ginger paste and fry till the raw smell disappears. Then, add red chilly powder, pureed tomato and cook till the oil is left on the sides of the kadai.

Add pureed carrot and mix evenly. Cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and cook again for 2 minutes on high flame. Add cubed paneer and cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add milk, stir evenly and cook for a minute.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis / chapatis.

Live it up this Summer.... ( ENTRY FOR The Lakmé Diva Blogger Contest on IndiBlogger )

Sun tan is one of the major problem with the darker skins. Many of them like to have their skin tanned in summer but some wants to get rid away from sun tan. The affected areas are mainly face, neck and arms. Avoiding over exposure to sun may get rid of  tan. Tanning, which is visible on your skin, is a sign that deep down in your skin’s derma-layers, damages like sun spots, pigmentation, age lines and more, are forming.
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Lakmé Sun Expert range provides complete protection from the sun’s harmful rays. It provides superior protection against both UVA and UVB rays to keep skin healthy and beautiful. 
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Home remedies for tanned skin -

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• Before going for a bath rub the lemon slice on the affected skin. Let it dry and take bath after half an hour. Lemon is one of the best remedy to get rid from tan.

• Apply yogurt daily on your face. This makes the skin softer and also reduces darkness. This can be applied daily. It acts as a deep cleanser.

• Squeeze some tomato juice and apply it directly on to your face and leave it for 15 minutes. This caan be done in alternate days which helps to reduce the sun tan.

• Mix grounded powdered almonds, oatmeal, plain yogurt, milk and allow it soak for few minutes. When they are mixed well apply to your face. Leave it for 30 minutes and when fully dried wash it warm water. Repeat it twice in a week.

• Aloe vera is one of the best remedy for sun tanned skin. This can be applied daily at bedtime.

• Drink enough water during daytime in summer, preferably a glass of water every hour.
• Boil milk with a pinch of cardamom or some rose petals. Cool it and enjoy this excellent summer drink!
• Have fruit juices like those made from watermelon, orange, pineapple etc. Add some leaves of mint in them as it has excellent cooling effect.
• Make 'lassi' from curd (yogurt). Mix curd and water in ratio of 3:1 and add sugar and/or rose petal to beat the heat.
• Have herbal tea made from mint leaves to keep cool in summer.
• Make 'aam panna' or the 'raw mango juice' by first roasting or boiling raw mangoes and then mixing the pulp in cool water with a pinch of salt, some sugar and half tsp roasted cumin powder.
• Have 'chanch' or buttermilk in the morning with your breakfast. This keeps cool from within and save you from the heat waves outside.

Mango – Garlic Pickle

                                                                     Mundappa Mango

Ingredients :

Raw Mangoes – 3 to 4

Red chillies – 15 to 18

Mustard seeds – 1 cup

Coriander seeds – ¼ cup

Cumin seeds / Jeera – 2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds / methi – 1 ¼ tsp

Garlic – ¼ cup , finely chopped

Curry leaves – ¼ cup , chopped

Salt – 2 cups

Water – 5 cups

Oil – 3 tsp

Method :

Chop the mango into square pieces ( discard the seeds ).

In a vessel, add salt and water. Highly Boil the salt water till more bubbles appear. After transferring it in a container, as the salt water comes to lukewarm level, add the mango pieces to it and mix evenly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a kadai heat a tsp of oil. Add the red chillies and fry for some-time. Transfer the red chillies on a plate. In the same kadai, add the mustard seeds and fry for some-time. After transferring the mustard in a bowl, continue separately frying process in the same kadai till fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds are fried.

Grind the red chillies to a coarse powder. Transfer the powdered red chillies into a bowl. Then, grind the mustards seeds, fenugreek seeds and cumin seeds together into a coarse powder. Before transferring the ground powder, add the powdered redcillies and little salt water to the grinder ( {prepared in the first step} DO NOT USE SEPARATE WATER ). Grind into a coarse paste.

Strain the mango pieces in a vessel from the salt water ( Preserve the salt water in a bottle  ).

Add the ground paste to the vessel which contains mango pieces. Mix evenly. If u want more gravy in pickle ( KHOLU in Konkani ) add the preserved salt water as per required consistency. Mix evenly.

In a kadai, heat 2 tsp of oil. Then add the garlic pieces and fry till golden browned. Add curry leaves and fry for ½ minute. Add the prepared tempering to the pickle. Mix evenly.

Store the pickle in an air-tight container. Serve as a side dish with cooked rice and dal.

Soya – Paneer Bhurji

Ingredients :

Paneer – 1 cup, crumbled

Soya granules – 1 cup ( soak in hot water for 10-15 minutes & then drain the

                                               water completely )

Tomato – ¼ cup , chopped into small pieces

Onion – ¼ cup , finely chopped

Capsicum – 1, small ( chopped into small pieces )

Green peas – ¼ cup ( blanched / boiled )

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – ¾ tsp

Green chillies – 2 , chopped

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Salt – To taste

Oil – 3 tsp

Coriander leaves – Little, finely chopped

Method :

In a kadai, heat oil. Add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds start to crackle, add onion pieces and fry till it becomes translucent. Then, add tomato pieces and green chilly pieces. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add crumbled paneer, soya granules and cook again for 3 minutes. Add capsicum pieces , green peas. Cover the kadai with lid and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis / chapatis.

Mutter – Aloo – Pudina Tikki

Ingredients :

Green peas / Mutter– 1 cup

Potatoes / Aloo – 4

Mint leaves / Pudina – 3 tsp , chopped

Red chilly powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – A pinch

Ginger-garlic paste – ½ tsp

Bread crumbs – ¾ cup

Salt – To taste

Oil – Little , for shallow frying

Method :

Boil green peas and potatoes by adding sufficient water . Drain the water completely.

Blend green peas and mint leaves together till they become mushy.

In a bowl,, add the boiled potatoes and mash completely. Then, add the ground mixture , red chilly powder , turmeric powder , ginger-garlic paste , salt and bread crumbs. Mix evenly. Set aside for a minute. Prepare tikkis.

On a tava, heat oil. Shallow-fry the tikkis till both sides of the tikkis become golden browned.

Serve hot with tomato sauce or any chutney.

Vegetable Jalfrezi with gravy

Ingredients :

French beans – 10 to 12, diagonally sliced

Potatoes -  3 , cut in thin long pieces and & fried

Carrot - 1, julienned

Green capsicum – 1, julienned

Tomato – 1, julienned

Green peas – 100 gms

Onions – 2, julienned

For gravy :

Tomatoes – 2 , blanched

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsps

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Salt - To taste

For tempering :

Oil – 3 tsp

Curry leaves – 10 to 12

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Fenugreek ( methi ) seeds – ½ tsp

Coriander leaves – little, for garnishing

Method :

Blanch all the vegetables except potatoes and tomato until tender and crisp. Drain the water completly.
Grind the 2 blanched tomatoes ( gravy ingredient ) into puree by adding the ginger piece.
In a large bowl, add the tomato puree + red chilly powder + coriander powder + turmeric powder. Mix evenly and keep aside
In a kadai, heat oil. Add onion juliennes and saute till  golden browned.
Add the prepared gravy mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
Add all the blanched vegetables, tomato juliennes and fried potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with chapatis / rotis.

Potato – Palak Curry ( Aloo palak )

Ingredients :

Baby Potatoes – 4 to 5

Palak / Spinach – 1 bunch

Green chillies – 1 ( slit length-wise )

Onion – 2 ( finely chopped )

Cumin seeds / Jeera – ½ tsp

Ginger – garlic paste – ½ tsp

Red chilly powder – ½ tsp or according to taste

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Kasuri Methi ( Dry fenugreek leaves ) – ½ tsp ( crushed )

Milk-cream – 2 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt – To taste

Method :

Wash the baby potatoes. Prick the baby potatoes with a fork and pressure cook by adding little salt and water as required. ( pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles ). Then allow the cooked baby potatoes to cool for some-time. After the potatoes gets cooled peel the outer skin of the potatoes. In a pan , heat a tsp of oil. Add the cooked and peeled baby potatoes. Shallow-fry till golden browned on all sides. Transfer the baby potatoes on a cooking paper tissue and keep aside.

Wash the palak thoroughly. In a deep-bottomed vessel, add a cup of water, the washed palak and slit green chilly. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the water ( Do not throw the water used for cooking ). In a mixer, add the cooked palak and green chilly. Grind into a smooth paste. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds begin to crackle, add finely chopped onion, turmeric powder and fry till onion turns golden browned. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add coriander powder, red chilly powder and mix evenly. Add the palak-green chilly paste and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the cooked and shallow fried baby potatoes and cook again for 7 to 8 minutes. Now, add the water used for cooking palak, salt to taste and cook again for 5 to 6 minutes. Finally, add the crushed kasuri methi , little milk-cream and mix evenly. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.

Serve hot with rotis/ chapatis.