Crunchy Yummy Healthy Salad

One of the best options to keep your system functioning is to have salads. Recent times people give importance to healthy lifestyle which in turn calls for a healthy yet yummy diet. Check out this simple salad.

Ingredients:

• 1           - Medium Ice berg lettuce
• 1           - Big carrot
• 1/2        - Cucumber
• 1/2        - Green/Red/Yellow Capsicum
• 1           - Medium Pomegranate
• 200 ml  - Curd
• 1tbs       - Olive oil
• 2 tbs      - Dried mixed herbs
• Salt to taste. ( Put 1/2 tbs less than usual as vegetables itself contain salt in them)

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. In a cup beat the curd. Add in the mixed herbs, salt , olive oil. Mix well.
2. Keep it inside fridge.
3. Meanwhile finely chop carrot, cucumber, capsicum. De-seed pomogranate.
4. In a big bowl and in the chopped vegetables. Over it tare the lettuce into medium peices.
 5. Now add in the curd dressing over the vegetables.
6. Mix them well and cool it in fridge for 10-15 mins.

Serve chill. You can have it as a full meal during evenings.

 

Godumai Rawa Upma / Broken Wheat Upma with Thakkali Thair Patchadi

Off late the broken wheat has taken over the rice meal. Broken wheat considered as a sumptuous, easily digestible and easy to make main course ingredient. Down south of India in Tamilnadu broken wheat has been in used as main ingredient for various main course dishes. One of such is this Upma.

Fresh morning with heavy, healthy breakfast... Try it!!!!

Ingredients:

• 250 gms  - Godumai Rawa / Broken wheat
• 1 tbs        - Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbs     - Cumin seeds
• 3-4          - Dry red chillies
• 2 tbs       -  Sesame oil
• 1 tbs       - Asafatida
• 1 tbs       - Broken urad dal
• 2 arc       - Curry leaves
• 500 ml   - Water
• 100 ml   - Water for soaking
• Salt to taste

Method / Vidhiee:
1. In a pressure cooker add in oil.
2. Once it gets heated up add in mustard, cumin, broken urad dal,asafatida, dry red chillies and saute till they splutter.
3. Do not turn them black. Hence, lower the flame.
4. Add in the curry leaves.
5. Soak the broken wheat for 10 mins before you start this process.
6. Add in the broken wheat after straining the water.
7. Stir well and add salt, 500 ml water to it.
8. Or you can measure it as 1 cup of broken wheat to 3 cups of water.
9. Pressure cook and leave minimum 3 whistles.
10. After the pressure is off open the lid of the cooker. Mix the upma well.

Serve hot with any chutney or with tomato curd patchadi.... see below for the method.

Thakkali / Tomato Thair Patchadi

Ingredients:

• 2         - Medium sized red tomatoes
• 1         - Green chilly
• 1 arc   - Curry leaves
• 1 tbs    - Mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbs - Asafatida
• 1/2 tbs - Dry red chilly powder
• 1/2 tbs - Turmeric powder
• 2 cups  - Beaten curd
• 1/4 tbs - Sugar
• 1/2 tbs - oil
• Salt to taste

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. Finely chop the tomaotes and green chilly.
2. In a pan add in oil and splutter the mustard seeds along with curry leaves and asafatida.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes and green chilly.
4. Now add in turmeric powder, red chilly powder, sugar and salt.
5. Saute till the tomatoes turn soft.
6. Cool them and add into the beaten curd.

Garnish with green coriander and serve it along with Upmas, dosa, idllies, chappattis.

Aachari Masala Chappathi with Hari Dahi Panneer

Bored of the regular chappathi's and oily red gravy's. Tried a different simple yet yummy tasting versions.

Aachari Masala Chappathi
Ingredients:

• 250 gms - Atta
• 1 tbs       - Dry coriander powder
• 1 tbs       - Dry red chilly powder
• 1 tbs       - Dry turmeric powder
• 1 tbs       - Dry jeera powder
• 1/2 tbs    - Aamchur / dry mango powder
• 2 tbs       - Any pickled gravy
• 2 tbs       - Chopped green coriander
• 1/2 tbs    - Salt
• 50 ml      - Water
• 
  

Method/Vidhiee:
1. In a bowl mix in atta, dry ingredients, salt and mix well.
2. Add in the aachar/pickle into it and knead well.
3. Sprinkle water as and when required and knead it tight.
4. Keep aside them for 1 hour.
5. After an hour make small balls of the dough and flatten them into chappati.
6. Cook them on tawa with til oil.

Serve hot with any subtle gravy dish.

Hari Dahi Panneer

Ingredients:

• 250 gms - Panneer / Cottage cheese
• 1 bunch  - Pudina / Mint
• 2 tbs       - Green coriander puree
• 1/2 cup   - Curd
• 1 tbs       - Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tbs    - Jeera powder
• 2             - Green chilly
• 50 gms   - Blanched almond
• 1 tbs       - Garam Masala
• 1             - Onion
• 1 tbs       - Kasoori Methi / Dry fenugreek leaves
• 2 tbs       - Oil
• 1 tbs       - Whole jeera
• 1/2 tbs    - Saunf
• Salt to taste
• 100 ml Water

Method/ Vidhiee:
1. Cut the panneer into medium pieces.
2. Finely chop the onions and slit the green chillies.
3. In a pan add in the oil. when hot add in the jeera, saunf and green chilly.
4. To it add in the finely chopped onions.
5. Once they turn golden brown add in the dry masalas.
6. Meanwhile grind the almond into paste and add it to the onion.
7. Lower the flame. Add in salt and stir well.
8. Whisk the curd with coriander paste.
9. Boil the almond paste for 3 minutes. Keep stirring occasionally.
10. Add in the curd coriander mixture to it and stir well again.
11. Add in the panneer to the gravy. Close the pan and let it boil in low flame for 7-8 minutes.
12. Add water how much ever diluted you require.
13. At end garnish with green coriander and serve hot with chappathi or rice.

Aaloo Secret Sabzi (no onion or tomato)

Current prices of Onions in India makes a foodie to venture out for non onion recipes.
A day when you do not have onion, tomatoes in your refrigrator and no other veggies to go for other than potatoes. So the dish just happened and became a real hit!!!!

Serves 4
Ingredients:
6          - Potatoes
7          - Medium sized carrots
2          - Green chillies
3          - Garlic pods
1 tbs    - Kashmiri chilly powder
1 tbs    - Dry coriander powder
1 tbs    - Dry jeera powder
1/2 tbs - Turmeric powder
1 tbs    - Amchoor powder
1 tbs    - Jeera
1/2 tbs - Saunf
1 tbs    - Kasoori Methi/ Fenugreek leaves
Salt to taste
2 tbs    - Oil
500ml  - Water

Method or Vidhiee:
1. Wash carrots and dice them into chunks.
2. Grind the carrots with garlic.
3. Wash the potatoes dice them into medium chunks and soak them in water.
4. In a pressure cooker add in the oil.
5. Heat it and then add in Jeera, Saunf, green chillies.
6. To it add in the ground paste and lower the flame.
7. Saute them for 1 min.
8. Add in the dry masala powders and saute for 2 mins.
9. Now add in the potatoes and coat them with the paste.
10. Finally add salt and kasoori methi.
11. Add water and pressure cook till 3 whistles.
12. After they are done add in chopped green coriander.
Serve hot with rice/ Chappati/ Dosas.

Tip:
You can add in any other vegetables also. Most suitable would be green peas.
This dish might be bit sweet but you can balance with the chilly powder
Dish does not require Garam Masala powder.