Paneer Kofta Curry

Time 30 min

Ingredients

Paneer 150 gms

Onion 1 big size

Tomatoes 3 medium size

Cashewnuts 1/4 cup

Ginger 1/2 inch

Red chilies 2-3 (or red chili powder 1/2 tsp)

Curd 2 tbsp

Green cardamom 1

Black pepper powder 2-3 pinch

All purpose flour / Maida 1 tsp

Oil 1tbsp + for deep frying

Garam masala 1/4 tsp

Fresh cream 2 tbsp

Sweet potatoes 1 medium size

Chaat masala 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Corn flour 2 tsp

Method

Roughly chop the tomatoes and onion and put into the cooker along with onion, cashewnuts, ginger, green cardamom, red chilies (or red chili ppowder 1/2 tsp), salt and 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Then add yogurt and mix well. Add 1 cup water to the mixture. Cook in the cooker till 3 whistles. Keep it aside and allow it to cool.

Grate cottage cheese into a bowl. Add black pepper powder, salt, flour and mix well. Make small balls and shape into koftas. Deep fry these koftas till golden in colour. Soak in the tissue paper for excess oil. 

Blend the cooked mixture using grinder into a smooth paste. Heat the oil in kadai then pour the mixture. Cook for 3-4 min. Then add cream and garam masala powder and mix well. Then arrange the koftas in a serving bowl, pour the gravy over, drizzle a little cream and serve immediately. Or koftas can be added to the gravy before switching off the flame. And then serve immediately. 

Sweet Potato with Curd

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes 1 medium size

Curd 2-3 tbsp

Method

Peel off sweet potatoes, cook in pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Allow it to cool. Then smash sweet potatoes mix with curd. Mix well. U can even add 1 cup of buttermilk instead of curd. 

Korda Zunka

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Chickpeas / Chana daal 1 cup

Chopped onion 1 medium size

Garlic cloves 3-4

Ginger 1 inch

Green chilies 3-4

Coriander 2 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves 3-4

Oil 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

Soak chana daal in water along with 1/4 tsp cumin seeds for 2 hrs. Grind chana daal, garlic, ginger, green chilies, turmeric powder, coriander, salt into a coarse paste.

Heat oil in pan, add mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves. After seeds pops out, add onion, fry till golden brown. Then add coarse paste, mix well. Stir continuously for 10-12 min so that no lumps are formed. The mixture should be dry. Turn off the flame. Garnish with the coriander. Serve with bhakari

Tip.

U can carry zunka while travelling, it wont get spoil for 2 days if made without onion. 

Methi Pulao

Time 30 min

Ingredients

Basmati rice 1 cup

Fenugreek leaves 2 heaped cups

Onion 1 medium size chopped lengthwise

Tomato 1 medium size (grated)

Garam masala 1/4 tsp

Fennel seeds powder 1 to 2 pinch

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Bay leaves 2-3

Pepper corns 1 tsp

Cloves 5-6

Green chilies 2 slit from the middle

Cashew nuts 1 tbsp

Ghee 2 tbsp

Water 1.1/2 or 2 cup

Salt to taste

Method

Wash the rice with water. Drain the water keep it aside. Heat the thick bottom non stick sauce pan. Add ghee after it becomes hot add onion and tomato, saute for few min. Then add bay leaves, pepper, cloves, green chilies, ginger garlic paste. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Then add fenugreek leaves, fry for 3-4 min. Then add rice, turmeric powder and saute for about 5-6 min till it becomes dry on medium flame. Then add hot water first then garam masala, fennel seeds powder and salt to the rice, stir well. Cover with the lid keep the high flame for about 4-5 min. You will observe that most of the water is soaked by the rice. Then remove the lid stir rice upside down very carefully otherwise rice will get broken. Keep the low flame and cook it for about 7-8 min.

Sukhya Shewaya

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Vermicelli / Shewaya 1 cup

Sugar 1/2 cup 

Cardamom / Velchi powder 1/4 tsp

Chopped pista badam 2 tsp

Kismis 1 tsp

Ghee 3 tsp

Khoya / Khava 1 tbsp

Water 1/2 cup

Method

Heat thick bottom pan, add ghee, then add vermicelli (i use roasted very thin vermicelli) fry for 2-3 min. Now to this add water then immediately vermicelli will get swollen. Now add sugar. Mix well. Sugar will get dissolved. Now add khoya, dry fruits, cardamom powder, mix well. If the mixture gets very dry then add 1-2 tsp milk. Allow it to cook on low flame for about 5-6 min.  Then switch off the flame and serve hot.

Sweet Potato Fry

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes 1 medium size

Chaat masala 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Corn flour 2 tsp

Method

Peel off sweet potatoes, make medium slices. Apply chaat masala, salt, rub on all slices, keep it aside for 10 min. Sprinkle the cornflour on slices, Shallow fry till it turn golden in colour.

Tip

U can use, pepper powder instead of chaat masala and can eat at the time of fast.

Sweet Papdya / Kadakani

This is especially prepared at the time of Dasara mainly day of saptami. Along with kadkani there are other shapes are prepared using same dough i.e Panja, Veni, Phani, Paan, Jodvi, Chandani.........These are offered to Goddess Laxmi.

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Maida / All purpose flour 1 cup

Semolina/rava 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

Sugar 1/4 cup or more as per your taste (u can add 1 tbsp )

Milk 1 tbsp

Pinch of salt 

Ghee 1 tbsp  

Oil for frying

Method

Grind the sugar using mixer. 

Mix all ingredients and knead the dough. Make small balls of 1 inch size. Roll with rolling pin to make a thin papdya of 7-8 inch in size. Deep fry in oil. 

Aloo Mutter Bhaji

Time 30 min
Ingredients
Boiled potatoes (cut into cubes) 2 medium size
Peas / Mutter 1 cup
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Garam masala 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
Water 2 cups

Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp
Coriander for garnishing

Make paste for gravy
Chopped onions 2 medium size
Chopped tomatoes 2 medium size
Ginger 1 inch
Garlic 3-4
Mint leaves 3-4

Method
Heat oil in pan add cumin seeds, after it crackles, then add masala paste, fry for about 4-5 min till oil separates out. Then add red chili powder, turmeric powder, mix well, fry for 1-2 min. Then add potatoes, peas, garam masala, salt and water, cook for 10 min by covering lid till mutter is cooked.  Switch off the flame. Serve hot.

Coriander / Kothimbir Wadi with Poha

Time 45 min

Ingredients

Chickpeas flour/ Besan 1/2 cup
Poha 1/2 cup
Moong daal 1/4 cup

Fresh chopped coriander 3 cups
Cumin coriander powder 1/4 tsp

Turmeric Powder 1/4 tsp

Red chili powder 1/2 tsp

Ginger 1 inch
Garlic cloves 4-5 tsp
Coriander seeds 1tsp
Fennel seeds 1tsp
Grated jaggery 1 tsp
Green chilies 3-4
Water  1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Oil to add to batter 2 tsp
Oil to shallow fry vadi 1/4 cup

Cooker for steaming

Method

Soak moong daal and poha for about 1/2 hour. Now grind moong daal, poha, ginger, garlic, green chilies, turmeric powder, red chili powder, cumin coriander powder, jaggery, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, salt and 1 cup of coriander. Make smooth paste. Now add remaining chopped coriander, water 1/2 cup and oil. Mix well. If required then add 2-3 tsp water. The batter should be like idli. So that soft vadis can be prepared. 
Now grease the pressure cooker vessel with oil. Pour batter to this vessel, Keep in cooker, allow it to cook with steam for about 20-25 min. 
Keep it aside to cool. Cut it and shallow / deep fry the steamed vadi in a pan/kadai.  It tastes wonderful with rice, chapati as a side dish.

Tip
U can do the seasoning with mustard seeds, asafoetida and serve.

Vermicelli / Shewaya Kheer

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Full fat milk 4 cups

Vermicelli 1/2 cup

Sugar 1/4 cup or more as per ur taste

Cardamom / Velchi powder 1/4 tsp

Chopped pasta badam 2 tsp

Ghee 2 tsp

Water 1/2 cup

Method

Heat thick bottom pan, add ghee, then add vermicelli (i use roasted very thin vermicelli) fry for 2-3 min. Now to this add water then immediately vermicelli will get swollen. Now add sugar. Mix well. Sugar will get dissolved. Then add full fat milk, dry fruits, simmer it on low flame for about 10 min. Then switch off chill in refrigerator or serve hot.

Tip

Sometimes i condense the milk first by heating milk in thick bottom pan for 10 min, then i add to the vermicelli, it taste delicious.  If you want to follow this method then use more milk like 5-6 cups.

Malida / Chapati Ladoo / Churma

Ingredients

For dough

Wheat flour  1 cup

Oil 2-3 tsp

Salt to taste

Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

Jaggery 1/2 cup

Ghee 2 tsp

Poppy seeds 1/2 tsp

Fennel seeds powder 1/4 tsp

Wheat flour 1/4 cup for dusting

Iron Tava

Ghee 1-2 tsp

Method

Dough preparation

Knead the dough just like chapati. The dough should not be too soft or too hard. Keep it aside for 15 min. Then divide into 3-4 portions. Roll over to make chapatis. Make little thicker chapatis than normal chapatis. Allow it to cool.

Now grind these chapatis in the mixer to make coarse powder. To this add grated jaggery, fennel seeds powder, cardamom powder and ghee. Mix well. Make ladoos, sprinkle poppy seeds from outside.

Tip

U can use leftover chapatis also. But tastes great with fresh ones.

This is especially done at the the time of Mohrram.

Nankhatai / Cookies

Ingredients

Maida 100 gms

Fine Semolina 25 gms

Besan 25 gms

Ghee/unsalted butter 50 gms

Pinch of salt

Cardamon powder 1/4 tsp

Baking powder 1/2 tsp

Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Curd 2 tsp

Sugar 75 gms

Pista slices 2 tsp

Method 

Sieve maida, besan, soda, baking powder 2-3 times. This will help the baking powder and soda to get uniformly mixed with other ingredients.  Now take this into a mixing bowl, add semolina and cardamon powder mix well. In another bowl add butter sugar beat well till fluffy then add the maida mixture, spoon by spoon and mix well. Now add curd and make a dough and divide into small rounds of 1.5 inch in size and place pista/almonds on top.

Preheat the oven at 180 dgr  bake for 15 min till light brown in colour.

Another variation add 2 tsp coco powder to dough, mix well and make into different shapes of cookies.
Around 20 cookies are prepared.

Whole Moong Curry / Mugachi Amti

Time 30 min
Ingredients
Moong beans /Whole green gram 1 cup

Finely chopped onion 1 big size

Grated tomato 1 big size

Red chili powder / Kolhapuri masala 2 tsp

Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp

Kokum 3-4

Jaggery 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Goda masala 1/4 tsp

Fresh grated coconut 2 tsp

Water 2 cup or more

Oil 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Do not soak moong beans but directly cook in pressure cooker. Add water upto moong beans level. (U may add 2-3 tsp water more) SO to avoid overcooking.  

Heat oil in pan, add cumin seed, after it crackles add onion saute till onion turns golden brown. Then add tomato fry for 3-4 min. Then add cooked moong, fry well for 5-6 min, then add Red chili powder / Kolhapuri masala, Turmeric powder, Goda masala fry for about 2-3 min. Stir fast to avoid burning. Now add water, kokum, jaggery, coconut and salt. Mix well. Cook on low flame for about 5-6 min. Serve with chapati or rice. 

Dill Leaves and Pumpkin Leaves Bhaji / Shepu Bhoplyachi Bhaji

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Dill leaves Shepu 1 bunch

Pumpkin leaves / Bhoplachi paney 1 bunch

Moong daal 2tsp

Rice 2 tsp

Chopped green chilies 2

Crushed garlic cloves 6-7

Water 1 cup or less

Salt to taste

Ghee 1tsp

Method

Soak moong daal & rice in water for at least 2 hrs. Clean dill leaves and pumpkin leaves, chopp well keep it aside.

Heat oil in pan. Add  garlic and green chilies. After garlic becomes golden brown. Add chopped dill leaves, soaked moong daal & rice. Add 1 cup of water. Cover with lid and cook for 6-7 min. Then add salt, mix well and cook till it is done. Serve with bhakari. This bhaji is generally prepared in shravan month, especially on the day of arrival of gauri in ganapati festival.

Tip

Moong daal and rice help to remove typical smell of dill leaves.

Shepu and Bhopla pale bhaji

Harbhara pale bhaji / Chickpeas leafy vegetable/Garbanzo leaves: This vegetable is also prepared the way Shepu and Bhopla pale bhaji is prepared (Only along with rice and moong daal groundnuts are added). 

Apple Sheera

Time 20 min

Ingredients

Semolina/rava 1 cup

Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp

Sugar 3/4 cup

Water 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup as per ur requirement dry or very soft.

Pinch of salt 

Ghee 3 tbsp  

Apple 1

Cinnamon 2 very small pieces

Cloves 2

Method

Peel off (optional) apple, then makes small pieces. Cook these pieces with 2 tsp sugar in microwave safe bowl for about 2-3 min, on high power till it get tender. Keep it aside.

Now in another microwave safe bowl, add rava, pinch of salt, cinnamon, cloves. Keep it on high power for 2 min only. Now to this evenly add melted ghee, again keep bowl on high power for 1-2 min only. Then mix the contents using spoon, so that rava should not get burn. Again keep bowl on high power for 1 min only. Now nice smell of rava will come. Now to this add hot water, keep it again in microwave on high flame for 1 min. Then add remaining sugar and apple. Mix well. Again microwave it for 2-3 min. Serve hot. 

Tip

U need good amount of experience in handling microwave.

Rava get burn fast so keep checking the rava even though u keep in microwave for 2 min. U need to mix well so that it doent get burn. 

Ghee need to be distributed evenly in the rava

Fried Modak

Time 45 min

Ingredients

For stuffing

Grated fresh coconut 1 cup

Jaggery 1/2 cup or more as per the taste

Pedha / Khava/ Khoya 1 tbsp

Cardamom / Velchi powder 1/2 tsp

Pinch of Salt

Dough

Wheat flour/Maida 1 cup

Semolina 2 tsp

Ghee 3 tsp

Water 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Method

For dough

First prepare dough. Heat ghee in kadai, then pour it in maida, salt, semolina mixture. Allow it to cool for 3-4 min, then knead the dough. It should be not hard nor soft. Keep it aside atleast for 15 min. 

For stuffing preparation

Grate the fresh coconut. Take only white portion and avoid black skin. Now take grated coconut in thick bottom pan, add jaggery and velchi powder, little salt. Switch on the flame. As soon as pan gets heated the coconut will start leaving water. Stir continuously for 5 min to avoid burning. Now add khoya to the mixture. Again stir for about 5 min. till little moisture remains in the pan. Switch off the flame. The mixture should be moist and should not be dry. 

Actual Stuffing

Divide dough into round balls of 1 inch in size. Roll with rolling pin to make small chapati of 4-5 inch in size, add 1 spoon of saran / stuffing at the center. Now fold the sides of chapati at the center to make nice shape. Make remaining modaks accordingly.

Keep modak in idli stand and steam for about 10 min. Fry these modaks in deep kadai till golden in colour, use olive oil for frying, it consumes less oil.

Healthy Carrot Dryfruits Paratha

Time 20 Min

Ingredients

For dough
Wheat flour  2 cup
Carom seeds 1/2 tsp
Sesame seeds 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 2-3 tsp

For stuffing
Grated carrot 2 cup

Grated ginger 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp

Sliced dry fruits (Almond & Pista) 1 tbsp


Wheat flour 1/4 cup for dusting

Iron Tava

Butter 3-4 tsp

Method
Mix the grated carrot, grated ginger, pepper powder, sliced dryfruits. Do not add salt to this mixture otherwise carrot will leave water, so it will be difficult to roll the paratha. Add little more salt to the dough to compensate the salt.Mix well. Keep it aside.
Then in a another mixing bowl, Knead the dough adding all the ingredients. Keep it aside for 15-20 min. The dough should not be too soft or too hard. Keep it aside for 15 min.
Then make 7 -8 portions of dough. Take one portion of dough apply little flour on the polpat or flat surface. Then roll gently to make chapati of size 7-8 inch in size. Now add spoonful of stuffing at the center, close all sides by taking at the center. Gently press, and now roll to make paratha. Then heat the tava on high flame for 2-3 min then make a low flame. Then put paratha on tava and apply little butter on upper side. Let it be for 1-2 min. Then flip the paratha and roast. At this stage make medium flame. Roast the paratha for about 4-5 min on medium flame till it becomes light golden brown.

Tip.

Serve hot with tomato or chili garlic sauce.

Masala Ridge Gourd / Masala Dodkyachi Bhaji

Time 30 min

Ingredients

Ridge gourd 2 medium size (remove outer edges and cut into 2 inch pieces)

Finely chopped onion 2 medium size

Red chili powder 1.5 tsp 
Smooth paste of (Coconut 1 tbsp+ 1 inch ginger+3-4 garlic cloves+4-5 curry leaves+2 green chilies+ 1 tomato)  

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Garam masala 1 tsp

Water 2-3 tbsp

Oil 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in pan, add onion, saute till onion turns golden brown. Then add masala paste+ red chili powder+ turmeric powder. Fry well for 2-3 min. Then add ridge gourd. Fry and stir well for about 2-3 min. Then add 2 tbsp water cover with lid and cook for about 7-8 min till ridge gourd is cooked 80 %. Then add garam masala powder. Stir well. Then let it cook for about 3-4 min till its done. Keep checking the water level to avoid burning. Switch off the flame, and serve hot with chapati.

Tip
Ridge gourd doesn't require much water to cook. U need to taste whether it has been cooked or not. Then add water accordingly.