Palak – Soya Tikki

Ingredients :

Palak ( Spinach ) – 1 bunch

Soya chunks – 8 to 10

Potatoes – 2, medium

Chana dal – 3 tbsp

Green chillies – 2

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Bread slices – 3

Bread crumbs – As required

Salt – To taste

Oil – For shallow-frying

Method :

First cook soya for 5 minutes by adding water as required. Then ,drain the water completely. Squeeze soya chunks to remove excess water. Keep aside.

Cook palak for 5 minutes by adding water as required. Then, drain the water completely.

Pressure cook the potatoes. Then, let it to cool for sometime. Mash the cooked potatoes and keep aside.

Mash the bread slices and keep aside.

Grind soya chunks + palak + chana-dal into fine paste without adding water.

In a bowl, add the mashed potatoes, ground paste, finely chopped green chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt, mashed bread and mix evenly. Prepare small tikkis out of the prepared mixture.

Roll the prepared tikkis in the bread crumbs.

On a tava or flat pan, heat oil. Shallow-fry the tikkies till both sides of the tikkis turns golden browned.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Healthy Noodles Cutlets

Ingredients :

 

Noodles – ½ packet

Baby corns – 3

Spring onions – 3 sprigs ( finely chopped )

Grated processed cheese – ½ cup

Green chillies - 2

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Cumin ( Jeera ) powder – 1 tsp

Dry bread crumbs – ¾ cup for binding + ¾ cup for coating

Oil – As required for shallow frying

Salt – To taste

 

  Method :

Cook the baby-corn + ½ cup water for 7-8 minutes. Then, drain the water completely and let the baby-corn to cool for few minutes. Remove the corn kernels ( makai ke dane ) and grind the corn kernels into a coarse mixture. Keep aside.

Grind green chillies + ginger.

Cook noodles till done without adding any masala. Drain the water completely and keep aside.

In a bowl, add the cooked noodles, corn kernels mixture, green chilly-ginger paste, chopped spring-onions, ¾ cup of bread crumbs, cumin powder and salt. Mix all the ingredients evenly. Prepare small round or heart shaped patties and roll the patties in the bread crumbs.

      On a tava or flat pan, heat oil. Shallow fry the patties till golden browned on both sides of the cutlets.

      Serve hot with tomato sauce.


For No onion - No garlic version , you can add coriander leaves instead of spring onions.

Saag Paneer

Ingredients :

Paneer – ½ cup ( cut into equal sized cubes )

Palak ( Spinach / Saag ) – 1 bunch

Onion – 1, medium ( finely chopped )

Tomatoes – 2 , medium ( pureed )

Green chillies – 2 ,chopped

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Coriander powder – 2 tsps

Cumin powder – 2 tsps

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder  - A pinch

Salt – To taste

Oil – 2 tbsp + for frying

Method :

Wash the spinach thoroughly, cook it for 5 minutes by adding enough water. Remove and add it to the mixer along-with the chopped green chillies and grind into a smooth consistency paste.

Marinate the chopped paneer by adding ½ tsp turmeric powder , ½ tsp red chilly powder and ½ tsp salt. Keep it aside for 5 minutes. Then, take deep bottomed frying pan, heat oil. Add the marinated paneer cubes and fry till all the sides of the paneer becomes golden browned. Remove from oil and drain the excess oil from paneer on a kitchen tissue paper. Keep aside.

In a kadai, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the finely chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste and fry till golden browned. Add the remaining red chilly powder + turmeric powder + coriander powder + cumin powder and fry till the raw smell of the spice powders disappears. Then, add the tomato puree and cook by stirring frequently till the oil gets separated. Then, add the palak puree and salt to taste. Close the kadai with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes. Finally, add garam masala powder and cook further for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with chapatis / phulkas.

Vermicelli Upma

Ingredients :

Bambino vermicelli – 1 cup

Onion – 1 , medium ( finely chopped )

Green chillies – 2 ( finely chopped )

Chana dal – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cashewnuts – 8 ( halved )

Curry leaves – 1 strip

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Ghee – ½ tsp

Oil – 2 tsp

Salt – To taste

Water – 1 cup

Coriander leaves – little ( finely chopped )

Method :

In a seasoning laddle, add ghee or oil. When heated, add the halved cashew-nuts and fry till golden browned. Keep aside.

In a pan, heat ghee. When heated, add the vermicelli and roast it till golden browned. Keep aside.

In a kadai, heat oil. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and chana dal. When cumin seeds and mustard seeds starts to splutter, add the curry leaves. When the curry leaves begin to crackle, add turmeric powder and fry for a while. Then, add the finely chopped onion and fry till golden browned.  Then, add water. When water starts to boil, add salt to taste and roasted  vermicelli. Cover the kadai with a lid and cook till water evaporates. Finally, add the fried cashew-nuts and mix evenly. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

Whole Wheat grain Dosa

Ingredients :

Whole wheat grain – 1 cup

Grated coconut – 1 cup

Jaggery – ½ cup

Salt – To taste

Ghee – As required

Water – As required

Method :

Soak whole wheat grain overnight. Then, wash the soaked whole wheat grain and drain the water completely.

Grind whole wheat grain + grated coconut + water as required so that the batter should not be of thin or thick consistency but should be of medium consistency. when the grounded turns into coarse consistency, add ½ tsp salt and jaggery ( ½ cup ).  Then, grind again into a dosa batter of smooth consistency as possible. ( NOTE THAT DO NOT ADD FURTHER WATER TO THE BATTER ).

On a tava, heat ghee. Then, prepare the dosa ( Dosa should be cooked on both sides till golden browned ).

Serve hot.

Malabar Spinach and Raw papaya curry ( Vaali Ambat )

Ingredients :

Raw Papaya – 1, small ( peeled , deseeded and chopped into square pieces )

Malabar Spinach (vaali / basale ) – 1 bunch , ( 1 kaatu in Konkani ) , chopped and washed

Onion – 3, medium

Toor dal ( yellow pigeon peas ) – 1 cup

Grated Coconut – 2 cups

Roasted Red chillies – 8 to 9

Tamarind pulp – 1 tsp

Oil – 2 tsps

Jaggery – As per taste

Salt – To taste

Water – As required

Method :

Chop 2 onions into small square pieces and 1 onion into fine pieces.

Pressure cook toor dal till 3 to 4 whitles. Mash it. Keep aside.

Grind grated coconut + roasted red chillies + tamarind pulp into a smooth masala by adding water as required. Keep aside.

Cook raw papaya for 10 minutes. Then add chopped Malabar spinach to it and cook again for 10 minutes. Then, add the 2 onion ( cut into square pieces ) to it and cook again for 10 minutes. Then, add the mashed toor dal , salt . Mix evenly and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ground masala and stir evenly. Then, add jaggery and cook again on low flame till the jaggery gets melt.

Meanwhile, in a seasoning ladle heat oil. When oil gets heated, add the finely chopped onion pieces and prepare a seasoning till onion gets dark browned.

Finally add the seasoning to the Malabar spinach and papaya curry and mix evenly.

      Serve hot with steamed rice.

Cluster Beans Masala ( Mitkesaang Masala / Javalikayi Masala )

Ingredients :

Cluster beans ( Mitkesaang / Javalikayi ) – 150 gms ( washed and cut into 1 inch pieces )

Onion – 1, big ( finely chopped )

Tomato – 1, medium ( finely chopped )

Ginger–garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Cumin ( Jeera ) seeds – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – As per taste

Jaggery – Little

Salt – To taste

Oil – 2 tsps

Water – As per required

Method :

In a kadai, add oil. When it gets heated, add cumin seeds. When it crackles, add finely chopped onion and fry till golden browned. Add finely chopped tomato and fry till it gets mushy. Then, add ginger-garlic paste, 1/4 turmeric powder, red chilly powder and fry for 3 to 4 minute. Add salt and little jaggery. After jaggery gets melt, add cluster beans pieces and little water. Cover the kadai with lid and cook till cluster beans gets tender. If you want more gravy finallly add more water.

Serve hot.

Potato-Soya-Paneer Cutlets

Ingredients :

Nutrella Soya Chunks  - ½ packet

Potato -1 big ( Boiled,peeled and Mashed )
Onion - 2medium( finely chopped )
Paneer - 150 gm ( finely grated )

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Corn-flour – 3 tsps

Turmeric powder - a pinch

Bread Crumbs – ½ cup

Bread – 3 slices ( for binding )

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – 3 tsps ( finely chopped )

Oil – 4 tsps

Salt – to taste

Method :

Soak soya in hot water for  2 minutes. Drain water from soya and squeeze the soya to remove excess water. Grind soya into coarse pieces.

In a deep bottomed pan, heat 1 tsp of oil. Add chopped onion and fry till golden browned. Then , add red chilly powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell of the masalas disappears. Transfer the mixture on a plate and keep aside.

Soak bread slices in water for 30 seconds.
Remove excess water by squeezing gently. Crumble and keep aside. Prepare a medium consistency corn-flour paste by adding water as required.

In a bowl, add the ground soya pieces, grated paneer, mashed potato, fried mixture , coriander leaves, salt and mix all the ingredients evenly. Make small patties.

Dip the patties in corn-flour paste and then roll in bread crumbs.

Heat oil on a flat pan. Shallow fry the patties till golden browned.

      Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Healthy Dry fruits Kulfi

Ingredients :

Milk – 1 litre + ½ cup

Dried Anjeer – 2

Dates ( Khajoor ) – 3

Pista –5

Badam – 5

Powdered Sugar – 1 cup

Saffron ( Kesar ) – A pinch

Cardamom powder – A pinch

Water – As required for soaking

Method :

Soak  1 anjeer, 3 dates, 4 pista, 4 badam in ½ cup of water overnight.

Soak saffron in 1 tsp of water for 2 hours.

Grind the soaked mixed dry fruits into a smooth paste by adding ½ cup of milk ( do not add water again ).

Chop the remaining dry fruits into small pieces and keep aside.

In a deep bottomed pan, add a litre of milk. Stir continuously and reduce the milk to one third of its quantity on low flame. Add the ground paste, powdered sugar and chopped dry fruits pieces to the milk and cook further for 5 minutes stir continuously. Remove from flame. Add a pinch of cardamom powder and soaked saffron to the cooked mixture and mix evenly.

Pour the above cooked mixture into kulfi moulds, close with the lids and allow it to set in the freezer for 6 to 7 hours.

      Once mixture is set, de-mould the kulfi into the plates and garnish with chopped pista.

Healthy Dry fruits Kulfi is ready to serve.