Meal haven

Semiya Payasam/Kheer

A light and tasty milk kheer which can be served after a meal. Often served during festivals, this is a staple in many households.

Ingredients:

Semiya/Thin Pakistani Vermicelli -1/2 cup

Milk – 500 ml

Sugar – 1/2 cup

Cashewnuts roasted – 5 or 6 pieces

Almonds/badam – 4 or 5 pieces sliced

Saffron – 2 strands

Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Preparation:

In a pan, add ghee and roast the almonds, cashew and the raisins until it pufs up. Remove and Keep aside 3 almonds and 3 cashewnuts for garnishing.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add the semiya or vermicelli into the pan and saute it well. Take it off and keep it aside. Then add milk to the pan, turn the flame to medium and let the milk simmer for some time about 10 minutes so that it becomes a bit thick. Keep stirring in between so that it does not get burnt. Then, add the semiya to it and stir again. Let the semiya cook in the milk until soft. Keep the flame on low. Once the semiya is cooked, add the sugar, cardamom powder, rest of the cashewnuts, almonds, saffron and stir it once. Turn off the heat and let it cool.

The semiya may absorb milk as it gets thicker and starts to cools down.

Note: Some of them add 1/4 cup of condensed milk for a thicker and creamier payasam.

Khichdi

Rice

A simple one pot meal of rice and lentils with a perfect balance of proteins and carbohydrates. This recipe is cooked in a traditional pressure cooker and is eaten all over India.

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Rice – 1 cup

Toor dal – 1/2 cup

Onion 1 medium sized sliced lengthwise

Green chillies – 3 or 4 slit and seeds removed

Ginger – 1 inch piece chopped into small pieces or grated

Garlic – 5 or 6 cloves chopped

Tomatoes – 2 small chopped

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – to taste

Bay leaf – 1

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon sticks of 1 inch – 2 pieces

Cardamoms – 2

Preparation:

Wash the rice and dal together and soak for about half an hour .Heat oil and ghee, add whole spices, onions, green chillies and saute for sometime. Then add chopped ginger, garlic and sauté. Add soaked rice and dal without the water. Add salt, turmeric powder and sauté for about 5 minutes. Keep stirring so that the rice doesn’t stick to the pan. Add 4 and 1/2 cups hot water and transfer the contents to cooker. Put the weight on when the steam comes and wait for the whistle. After one whistle, reduce heat and cook for 7 minutes. Let it cool down and then, open the cooker and stir lightly. This can served with roasted papad, fried papad, pickle, garlic red chilli chutney (as shown in pic) or any other spicy chutney.

Note: If you want dal rice to be more mushy, add half cup more water while it is cooking.

Vegetable Cutlets

Snacks

A delicious snack made with vegetables and potatoes which can be baked or shallow fried. It is mainly served as a snack in the evenings with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

Beans – 6 to 7 pieces

Cauliflower – 3 or 4 small florets finely chopped

Peas – 1/4 cup

Carrot – 1 finely chopped

Onion – 1 medium chopped fine

Potatoes – 3 big

Green chillies finely chopped – 5

Ginger Garlic paste – 1/2 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 5 stalks

Garam masala powder – 1/4 tsp

Bread slices – 2 crumbled

Salt- as needed

For crust:

Maida – 2 tbsp

Pepper – 1/4 tsp

Salt -as needed

Water – 2 tbsp

Bread crumbs – 1 cup

Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp

Preparation:

Boil potatoes in water, until soft. When it is cooked, remove skin and mash it and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add finely chopped green chillies, saute followed by onions. When the onions becomes translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and fry until the raw smell of onions disappears. Then add finely chopped carrots, saute and then, the finely chopped beans and stir for 2 minutes on high heat. Add chopped cauliflower and the peas and stir again.

When it is cooked al dente (not fully cooked, 3/4 th cooked), take it off the fire and add finely chopped coriander leaves, add 2 pieces of fresh bread crumbs, mashed potatoes, salt and garam masala powder.

Divide them into equal balls.Then flatten them slightly to make thick patties and keep them aside in a plate.

In another plate, put half of the bread crumbs and keep them aside.

In a small mixing bowl, add maida, salt, pepper and water and make a thin batter. If you want a thicker crust, the batter should be slightly thick.

Keep the patties, bread crumbs and the batter together, close to each other.

Next, dip the patties in the batter and place them on bread crumbs. Turn it and coat the other side also with bread crumbs.

Place it on a plate and continue with all patties until it is well coated with the crumbs.

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in pan and place the crumb coated patties and shallow fry them in oil on both sides, until it turns golden brown.

You may also bake the patties for 15 minutes in the oven at 180 degree Celsius. Serve it with tomato ketchup.

Mango Rice

Rice

As the summer season is on and mangoes have started appearing in the market, this rice recipe with coconut and mango came to my mind. Tangy and bursting with flavours, it is a good option for a lunchbox meal.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup

Water – 3 cups

Gingely oil – 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp

Mango grated – 1/2 cup

Coconut grated – 1/2 cup

Salt – as needed

Cashewnuts – 4 or 5 fried

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds – 1tsp

Chana dal/bengal gram dal – 1/2 tsp

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Whole red chillies – 2

Green chillie – 1

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Boil rice with 3 cups water, 1/2 tsp gingely oil (so that the grains remain separate) and salt. When rice is cooked, drain the water. Allow it to cool. Add one tsp gingelly oil again to the rice which is cooked and cooled.

Heat gingely oil in kadai. Add mustard seeds, channa dal, bengal gram (urad)dal, 2 whole red chillies, one green chilli whole, 1/4 tsp asafoetida, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder for yellow colour, ( If you want a white coloured rice, you may skip the turmeric powder) and grated mango. Saute for 2-3 minutes till the flavour of the raw mango goes away. Then add grated coconut, mix well for sometime and add rice to it. Mix slightly on fire for 1 minute or 2 minutes. Adjust the salt as required. Add chopped coriander on top and garnish it with fried cashewnuts.

Mutton Kurma with English Vegetables

Non-Vegetarian

Ingredients:

Mutton – 500 gms

Cauliflower – 4 small flowerettes

Beans – 4 or 5 chopped

Peas – 1/4 cup

Potato – 1 chopped

Knolkhol – 1 chopped

Green chillies – 4 or 5

Turmeric powder – 3/4 tsp

Tomatoes – 1 no + 1/2

Onion chopped – 1 big + 1/2

Chopped coriander – 3/4 tbsp

Chopped mint leaves – 10

Juice of 1/4 lime

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Curds – 2 tbsp

Grated Coconut – 1 tbsp

Cashewnuts – 5

Poppy seeds – 1/2 tsp (optional)

Cloves – 3

Cinnamon – 1 inch piece

Aniseed/Saunf – 1/2 tsp

To Grind:

Grind coconut, cashewnuts and poppy seeds to a fine paste.
Cut the green chillies and saute it in oil well and add 1/2 onions and 1/2 tomatoes and saute well. Grind it and keep it aside.
Marinate the mutton for 1 hr in yogurt.

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the whole garam masala (saunf, cardamom and cinnamon). Add chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and saute well. Then add coriander leaves and mint leaves and also the green chillie-tomato paste, turmeric powder and saute. Add the mutton and saute well. Add little salt and cook in pressure cooker until 2 whistles are heard. After the first whistle, reduce the flame and cook for 10 – 15 minutes on slow until the 2nd whistle. If the meat is not tender, you may need to give more time to cook.

After the pressure cooker cools down, check if the meat is cooked. Then add the coconut paste,lemon juice and the chopped vegetables and stir it once. Close the cooker again and keep until 1 whistle sound is heard. Close and allow the cooker to cool.

Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

Healthy Orange Granitas

Desserts

Ingredients:

Oranges – 4

Water – 1 cup

Honey – 3 tbsp

Fresh Lemon juice – 1 tbsp

Oange zest – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Wash the oranges and cut 1/4 of the oranges from the top and keep the top and the oranges separately. Also, cut a sliver from the bottom so that the oranges stand firm. Freeze the scooped out oranges for 2 hrs.

Using a knife, scoop out the insides of the orange. Collect the juice and the pulp in a bowl. Pulse this alongwith honey, lime juice, orange zest and water until smooth, in a blender.

Pour the puree into a broad flat pan or broad flat bottomed plastic container and place it in freezer. Every 30 minutes, scrap with fork to break the ice. Repeat 4 times upto 2 hrs.

When you are about to serve, remove the frozen granita and scrap it again and scoop it into the orange shells. Serve garnished with mint or cream.

Sabudana/Sago vada

Snacks

A Maharastran evening snack made with sago (tapoica pearls), potatoes and peanuts, which is crisp on the outer side with a soft texture inside.

Ingredients:

Sabudana/Sago/Tapoica pearls – 1/2 cup

Water – 3/4 cup for soaking sago

Roasted peanuts – 1/4 cup

Potatoes – 1 big or 2 medium sized

Green chillies – 2 finely chopped

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Corainder leaves – 2 stalks chopped

Rice flour (optional if needed only) – 1 tbsp

Preparation:

Soak sago in 3/4 cup water for 2 hrs. Some sago may require longer time. You can find out by pressing the sago. If it is soft, it is soaked well or else, soak it for longer time.Drain it well in a colander and keep it aside.

Powder the roasted peanuts coarsely.

Boil the potatoes and mash them well. Do not overcook the potatoes.

In a mixing bowl, add the mashed potatoes, sago, coarsely powdered peanuts, green chillies, jeera, coriander leavess, salt and mix well.

Shape them into vadas or patties. They should not be too thick or too thin.

Heat oil in a pan. When it is hot, slip the vada into the pan. If it starts to break, add 1 tbsp rice flour to the dough, mix again and fry on medium flame. When it turns golden brown on one side, flip it to the other side. When it is done, take it off and drain it in a kitchen tissue and serve.

Mutton Chukka Keerai Curry

Non-Vegetarian

Another recipe which is a regualr in my mom’s kitchen is mutton with brinjal and sorrel leaves/khatta palak or chukka keerai as we call it. This curry can be served with rice, chapathi or pooris too.

Ingredients:

Mutton – 500 gms

Medium sized Tomatoes – 2

Onions – 2

Chilly powder – 2 tsp

Coriander powder – 4 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Ginger paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste – 1 1/2 tsp

Small violet brinjals to be sliced into four – 7 -8 nos

1 small bunch consisting of 15-20 leaves of Chukka keerai/sorrel leaves(English)/Khatta palak(Hindi)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves (chopped finely) – 10 stalks

Mint leaves (chopped finely) – 15

Preparation:

Clean the greens and take only the leaves. Discard the stems. Wash and chop them.

Heat oil. Add chopped onion and sauté till it becomes soft. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté till the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes away. Add mint leaves and half of coriander leaves. Chopped tomatoes and fry well till tomatoes turn pulpy. Then, add chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and sauté on very low fire for 2-3 minutes or else, the powders may get burnt. Then add meat and sauté well. If you feel the meat may stick to the pan, sprinkle with water and sauté for 5-7minutes. Transfer to cooker and add 1 and 1/2 cup of water to cook meat. Cook for one whistle. After one whistle, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes (depending on the quality of meat).Since this is soft, tender meat I have kept it for 10 minutes only. Put off the fire and open the cooker only after the pressure goes down. Then add sliced brinjals and add chopped sorrel leaves and cook on low flame till brinjals are tender. Remove when gravy thickens.

Coconut Thogayal

Chutneys

A coarse version of chutney which is mainly eaten with rice or pongal or kichdi. Super tasty when eaten with hot rice and ghee.

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 tsp

Grated coconut – 6 tbsp

Red chillies – 2

Kashmiri red chilli for colour (optional) – 1

Urad dhal – 1 tsp

Salt – 1/2 tsp or as per taste

Sugar – a pinch

Tamarind – a small marble sized one

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Ginger (optional) – 1/4 inch piece

Curry leaves – 2

Seasoning:

Oil – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – 3 or 4

Udad dal – 1/4 tsp

Preparation:

Wash and soak tamarind in 1 tsp warm water so that it can be ground easily.

In 1/4 tsp oil, fry red chillies separately and then remove.Fry urad dhal, asafoetida and 1 or 2 curry leaves. Pulse red chillies and urad dhal for a second. Add ginger chopped and pulse once again.Then add all the other ingredients. Grind without water first, then add very little water. Make it into a slightly coarse paste. The thovayal should be a very thick consistency. Remove into a small bowl and season with mustard, urad dhal and few curry leaves.

Note: Some people roast the coconut slightly while roasting other ingredients but personally I don’t, as I like the fresh grated coconut.

Chocolate Ice cream

Desserts

An ultra rich, creamy and smooth ice cream perfect for summer. The chocalatey flavour is definitely satisfying and worth a try. You cannot taste the avocado and is a hit with children too….

Ingredients:

Nestle Sweetened condensed milk – 1 can or 397 g

Avacado – 1 large ripe

Cocoa powder unsweetened – 3 1/2 tbsp

Whipped cream – 1 cup/ Dream whip powder – 1 sachet

Cold milk – 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Peel and chop the avocado. Add it to a blender alongwith the condensed milk. Pulse on high until it is smooth and creamy. Now add the cocoa powder and blend it again until smooth. Empty the contents into a large mixing bowl.

Empty the dream whip sachet in a bowl and add 1/2 cup cold milk to it. Whip on high speed for about 10 – 15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in 1/2 of the avocado mixture with a spatula and then slowly, fold in the other 1/2 of the mixture. Make sure you don’t fold in too fast to maintain the air inside that was whipped in.

Pour the mixture into a 9×5 inch loaf pan and freeze for 8 hours until solid.