May 12, 2012

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.

May 7, 2012

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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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.



May 2, 2012

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.