A tangy sweet n sour chutney made with ginger, garlic and curry leaves which is tasty as well as healthy. Pairs well with pesarattu or adai and idlis or dosas.
Ingredients
In little oil, saute the udad dal and chana dal
Then add coriander seeds and red chillies and saute
Add curry leaves and saute well
Add ginger and tamarind and saute
Next, add a small piece of jaggery and saute well
Grind all the ingredients excluding the leaves. Add the leaves lastly.
Ground paste before adding the leaves
Ingredients:
Ginger – 3/4 cup diced
Peeled Garlic – 6 cloves
Whole Curry leaves – 3/4 cup
Chana dal/bengal gram dal – 1 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera – 2 tsp
Udad dal – 1 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
Tamarind – a small piece
Jaggery – 3/4 tsp powdered
Whole red chillies – 6
Salt to taste
Oil as required
For seasoning:
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaf – 1 sprig
Asafoetida – a pinch
Whole Red chillies – 2
Preparation:
Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan. Add the udad dal and chana dal and saute well. When they are sauteed well, add jeera, coriander seeds, red chillies and fry them until the dals turn golden in colour.
Remove the dals from the pan and keep them aside. Now, add 1/2 tsp of oil again and saute the curry leaves well until they start to wilt. Do not saute them too much. Take them off when they are still green in colour and start to change colour. Remove them and keep them aside.
Now, add 1/2 tsp of oil and add the diced ginger and saute them well for 2 minutes. Add the garlic pieces, tamarind piece and jaggery and saute them again for another 2 -3 minutes until the raw smell goes off.
Take them off the pan and grind it in a mixer alongwith the sauteed dals. Add the curry leaves and grind again. Adjust the salt. Season it with the items mentioned under ‘seasonings’ and serve with adai or pesarattu (green gram dal dosas).
A traditional curry from the State of Kerala which is prepared for Onam Sadya (Onam feast). I first had a taste of it at my mom’s friend’s place in Calicut for Onam Sadya when I was young and used to wait for Onam to have it.
This curry has a sweet n sour taste and is a slightly thick gravy which is midly spiced.
Ingredients:
Diced ripe mangoes – 3/4 cup
Water – 2 cups
Thick Yogurt – 3/4 cup
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Jaggery powdered – 1 tsp (optional)
Salt
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
To grind:
Grated coconut – 1 cup
Cumin seeds/Jeera – 3/4 tsp
Green chillies – 3
Water – 2 tbsp for grinding
Pepper corns – 4 or 5
Seasoning:
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds – 4 to 5 seeds
Whole red chillies – 2
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Coconut oil – 1 tsp
Preparation:
Wash and dice the mangoes. Add them to a pan or kadai and add 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and curry leaves. Boil it and cook until the mangoes are soft and turn mushy.
In a mixie jar, add grated coconut, peppercorns, green chillies, cumin seeds and grind to a smooth paste adding water.
Add yogurt in a bowl and with a whisk, make sure that there are no lumps in the yogurt and add it to the cooked mango. Ensure that the flame is low and make sure that the curry does not boil as it may curdle the yogurt. Add the powdered jaggery and salt and mix well.
Switch off the flame and season with coconut oil, mustard, asafoetida, fenugreek seeds, whole red chillies and curry leaves.
Notes:
Add salt only after curd and jaggery are added.
Tempering in coconut oil is recommended for authentic taste.
Once yogurt is added, make sure the flame is on low and do not boil it.
Ladi Paav as it is called in India are soft and spongy dinner rolls or slider bunds served with Indian street food like pav bhaji, dabeli, or with a cup of hot masala chai.
Add water, sugar and yeast
It will start to froth after 20 minutes
Add flour , baking soda and salt
Knead it well
Cover it with cling wrap
After 2 -3 hrs when the dough has risen, punch it well again
Knead it
Divide it into 10-12 equal pieces
Roll each piece into a ball
Place the balls on a plate
Wrap them with a wet cloth
Brush the dough with milk and bake
Ingredients:
Warm milk – 1 cup + 1 tbsp for brushing
Sugar – 2 tsp
Dry yeast – 1 tbsp
Maida / All Purpose flour – 3 cups
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Butter, softened/melted – 2 tbsp and1 tbsp for basting
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Water – 3 tbsp for activating yeast
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, add water, sugar and dry yeast. Mix it well and let it rest for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. When the yeast is activated and rises up, add 3 cups maida, baking soda and salt. (Sift the baking powder and maida well). Add the milk and knead until the dough turns soft. Then, add the butter and knead the dough until it is soft and pliable.
Cover with cling wrap or wet cloth and rest for 2 hours in a warm place. Then, after 2 hours, when the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough and knead it slightly to remove the incorporated air.
Divide it into 10-12 equal sized balls and place the balls into a greased tray. Place them leaving equal space in between as it may rise during baking.
Brush the dough with milk and cover with cling wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes or until the dough rises again.
Preheat an oven and bake at 180 degree celsius for 20 minutes, or until the pav turns golden brown from top.
Once the pav is out of the oven, rub with butter to get a shiny look. Cover with a wet cloth and allow to cool completely.
The ladi pav is ready to be served with tea or pav bhaji.
Chilas are popular Indian crepes. These gram flour crepes are prepared with spices and vegetables for a quick and easy breakfast. You can serve it with mint chutney or sweet n sour tamarind chutney.
Ingredients:
Besan/Kadala maavu (Gram flour) – 1 1/4 cups
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Chillie powder – 1 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Chopped coriander – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Green/Red capsicum finely chopped – 1/4 cup
Oil for cooking – 4 tsp or more
Preparation:
In a bowl, combine besan, chille powder, asafoetida, turmeric powder, salt and 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and whisk well. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix.
Heat a griddle/tava. Pour a ladleful of the batter on it in a circular motion to make a 6″ diameter. Make sure the crepe/chila is not too thick or thin. Smear 1 tsp of oil all over the edges and cook on a medium flame until the chila turns golden in colour. Flip to the other side and on a medium flame, take it off when it turns golden.
Repeat the steps to make more chilas and serve with chutney.
Overnight Oats is just old fashioned oats that have been soaked in milk overnight. You may use coconut milk/almond milk, soy milk, yogurt and any of your favourite toppings with it. Easy to make as no cooking is involved, it is a quick and healthy breakfast to make.
Ingredients:
Old fashioned rolled oats – 1/2 cup
Milk – 3/4 cup (Regular milk/ Almond milk/Soy Milk/Coconut Milk)
Yogurt – 1 tbsp (optional)
Honey – 1 tsp
Vanilla essence – 1 drop
Chia seeds – 1 tsp (optionally you could use sabja too)
Add 2 tsps of Quaker Oats ( I prefer these) to the container of your choice. Pour in 3 tbsp of milk and then layer it with any topping of your choice, honey, vanilla essence and yogurt. Layer again with more oats and add milk to it until the oats and toppings are covered with the milk.
A Thai chicken soup packed with flavours of lemongrass, gaalangal (thai ginger) and lime juice. Loved by all in my family, this soup can also be prepared by adding coconut milk to it (Tom-Kha soup).
Ingredients:
Fresh red chillies or green chillies – 4
Lemon grass – 1 stalk
Galangal diced – 2 inch piece
Evaporated milk – 3 tbsps
Kaffir lime leaves – 5 or 6
Nam Pril Pao paste -3 tbsp
Chicken boneless diced or prawns deveined and shelled- 150 gms
Tomatoes – 1 big
Button Mushrooms – 7 – 8 pieces
Garlic – 4 pieces finely chopped
Lime juice – 4 tbsp
Fish sauce – 3 tbsp
White sugar – 1 tsp
Coriander leaves chopped – 2 tbsp
Preparation:
Crush the chillies coarsely using a mortar. In a wide bottomed pan, add oil and heat it. When hot, add the chillies, chopped garlic, chopped mushrooms, onions and saute well. Add the chicken pieces and saute again until it is 3/4 th cooked. Then add tomatoes, lemongrass stalk cut into pieces, galangal, kafir lime leaves and 4 cups of water to it. Then, add in the evaporated milk and the nam prik pao paste(note below) and stir well until it dissolves. Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes on low heat.
Turn off the heat and add fish sauce, lime juice and sugar. Season it as per your liking. The soup should be tangy, salty and spicy.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Note: Thai Nam Prik Pao is a concentrated thai paste made of chilles, garlic, shallots, dried shrimp. It is avaiable in all Asian grocery shops in the Thai section.
A fast food dish/street food served with soft bread rolls and bhaji (a spicy vegetable curry which includes potatoes, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers and green peas). This delicious blend of veggies and bread tastes delicious and is enjoyed by all.
When oil is hot, drop the cumin seeds
Add green chillies
Add onions
Saute the ginger garlic paste well
Add tomatoes
Saute the chopped carrots
Add the chopped cauliflower and peas
Add tomato paste
Add pav bhaji masala and red chillie powder
Add turmeric powder
Mash the veggies well and add the mashed potatoes
Ingredients:
Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Onion – 1 big (finely chopped)
Potatoes – 3 big (boiled)
Green peas – 1/2 cup (store bought, frozen)
Cauliflower – 1 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Carrot – 1 cup (finely chopped)
Tomato – 1 medium (chopped)
Tomato paste (store bought) – 1 tbsp
Capsicum – 1/2 cup (finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Green chillie – 1 finely chopped
Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Kasuri methi – 1/2 tbsp
Paav Bhaji Masala – 1 1/2 tbsp
Lemon – 1/2
To toast pav
Pav (buns) – 4 to 6
Butter – 1 tbsp
Pav bhaji masala – 1/2 tsp
For Garnish
Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp
Onions finely chopped – 1 tbsp
Butter – 1 tsp
Lemon wedges – 1
Preparation:
Mash the boiled potatoes and keep it aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and oil in a large pot on medium heat. Once the butter melts and oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add the chopped green chillies and saute.
Add the chopped onions and saute well again. Cook the onions for around 4 minutes until golden brown in color. Add the ginger – garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears.
Now, add the finely chopped carrot and saute again. Add chopped tomatoes and mix well. Let the tomatoes cook for 2 minutes. Next, in goes the cauliflower and the fresh green peas. Saute well for 4 minutes.
I prefer to use my food processor/chopper to chop cauliflower and carrots, which helps in cutting it very finely.
Add tomato puree and salt. When it is well sauteed, add the finely chopped capsicum and mix well. Add the pav bhaji masala, red chili powder and turmeric powder.
Mix well and then add in 2 teaspoons of kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and 1/2 cup of water. Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro and juice of 1/2 large lemon. Let the bhaji simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mashed potatoes to this bhaji, mix well and then remove pan from heat.
To toast the pav, melt butter on a pan. Sprinkle some pav bhaji masala on top of the butter and then place the buns on the pan. Press to toast the pav until crisp and golden brown, on both sides.
Another favourit street snack from Mumbai and Calcutta, these are mini crunchy puris served with boiled potatoes and lentils with a sweet n sour , spicy tangy water. There are many snacks that come under the Indian chaat items but paani puri is a clear winner !
Add oil to the semolina
Mix well
Add soda bi carbonate
Add maida
Add soda water
Mix well and if reqd, add more soda water
Knead and keep it to rest for 1 hour
Roll out into a big circle
Check out the thickness of the rolled out circle
Using a round cutter, cut out into small circles
Deep fry the puris
Flip to the other side when golden
Fried crispy puris
Boiled potatoes
Green chutney/water
Ingredients:
Potatoes – 3 big cut into cubes
Dates Tamarind chutney – 1 cup
Coriander Mint chutney – 1 cup
Soaked and cooked green moong dal/black chick peas – 1/2 cup
Chat masala – 1/2 tsp
Dry mango powder/Jeera powder – 1/2 tsp
Sev (optional) – 1/4 cup
Preparation:
For Puris
Semolina/Rava – 1 cup
Soda bi carbonate – 3 to 4 pinches
All purpose flour/Maida – 1 tbsp
Soda water – 6 tbsp
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, add semolina, oil, baking soda and salt. With your fingers, mix the oil evenly with the semolina. Now, add maida/all purpose flour to this mixture.
Mix again very well so that the all purpose flour is mixed evenly. Add 3 tbsp soda water first. Mix again. Then add 1 tbsp soda water more and begin to knead the dough. The semolina absorbs water while kneading. Add water in parts while kneading.
Then add 3 tbsp more of the soda water and continue to knead. The kneading is very important in getting the perfect pani poori texture. The dough should not be too soft or too hard. If you make the dough soft, then add 1 to 3 tsp more of the sooji. If the dough looks hard, then add sprinkle some water and continue to knead.
Knead it again as the elasticity in the dough helps in rolling the dough without cracks and thinly. When rolling, the dough should roll easily without any cracks. Knead to a semi soft elastic dough and keep it in a bowl or pan.
Cover the dough with a moist kitchen towel or napkin and allow the dough to rest for 60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, knead the dough again. Divide the dough into 4 parts and knead out one part into a big circle. With a round cutter, make 5 to 6 small circles, cut it out and deep fry it in hot oil. The oil should be really hot while frying. Gently nudge each puri while it is dropped into the oil. This helps the puris to puff up easily. When it turns golden brown, flip it to the other side and cook. Remove when it turns golden brown on this side. Repeat this process for the other 3 parts of the dough.
When the puris cool down, store these puris in an airtight container.
Preparing the dal and the potatoes
Soak black chana dal or green moong dal in water for 4 to 5 hours. Pressure cook black chana dal with a pinch of salt for 2 -3 whistles. or if using green moong dal, boil it in a vessel with a pinch of salt and enough water. Keep it aside when cooked and water has been absorbed.
Cut the boiled potatoes into cubes and keep it aside. Sprinkle it with little chat masala and jeera powder. Add the boiled black chick peas or green moong to it and mix.
Assembling the puris
Keep the coriander mint chutney and tamarind chutney in a bowl, ready to serve (recipe below).
To serve, tap the puri gently at the centre lightly to make a half inch hole in it. Add about 1 teaspoon of the potato dal filling into the puri. Fill the puri with some tamarind dates chutney and coriander mint water and serve.
Green chutney:
Mint leaves – 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves – 1/2 cup
Green chillie – 1
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
Lemon – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Chat masala powder – 1 tsp
Kala namak (black rock salt/sanchal) – 1/4 tsp
Water – 4 cups
Wash the leaves thoroughly. Transfer all the above ingredients to a mixer jar and 3/4 – 1 cup of water and grind it to a smooth paste. Add the rest of the water and grind again. The green chutney water is ready.
Tamarind Dates chutney
Deseeded dates – 1 cup
Deseeded Tamarind – 1/2 cup tamarind pulp
Roasted cumin seeds powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp
Black Salt/Rock Salt/Sanchal – 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
In a bowl, mix tamarind and dates with 2 cups of hot water and soak for for 1 hour. Blend them in a mixie alongwith the water, to a smooth paste. Sieve it and keep it aside.
Heat a pan. Transfer the tamarind-dates pulp to it. Add rock salt, red chillie powder, salt, cumin seeds powder and cook for 2 -3 minutes. Boil once stirring in between. Put off the flame and let it cool. You can store this chutney in the fridge in an air tight container for a month.
A healthy South Indian breakfast recipe which is popular in Tamilnadu. A one pot recipe and easy to make, pongal can be served with chutney and sambar.
Ingredients:
Oats – 1 cup
Yellow moong dal – 1/2 cup
Water – 3 cups
Salt to taste
Seasonings:
Ginger – 1 inch piece grated
Black pepper corn – 1/2 tbsp whole
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Cashew nuts –2 tbsp broken
Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 1/2 sprigs
Ghee or clarified butter – 2 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Preparation:
Roast the oast in a pan for 2 – 3 minutes and keep it aside.
Wash moong dal well and add it to the pressure cooker. Add salt and water. Mix well and pressure cook for 3 whistles (After the 1st whistle, reduce the flame and keep it on a slow flame for 7-8 minutes. When it cools down, open and check if the dal has cooked fully well. It should be soft and mashable. Heat the cooker again and when the dal starts to boil, add the roasted oats and keep stirring for 2 – 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of hot water if required as it should be of a semi-solid consistency. Once the oats is cooked, put off the flame.
Heat a pan with ghee and oil. Add jeera and pepper corns followed by other seasonings.
Pour the seasoning to the pressure cooker and using a spatula mix vigorously distributing the seasoning evenly.
Serve this ven pongal very hot along with coconut chutney, sambar and filter coffee for a sumptuous breakfast.
You can drizzle more ghee on top of ven pongal before serving, in case you like it.
Motichur ladoo is a traditional Indian sweet prepared during festivals. Prepared with gram flour and sugar syrup, these sweet boondis melt in the mouth and are prepared with a perforated spoon or a fine strainer with small holes. These are then crushed to a coarse powder to get the perfect result.
Traditionally orange food colouring is added to the ladoos but I here, I have refrained from adding it.
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Ingredients:
For Boondi
Besan/Chickpeas Flour – 1 cup Semolina/Rava – 1 tbsp Baking Soda – 1/4 tsp Oil/Ghee for Frying
For Sugar Syrup
Sugar – 1 cup Few Saffron Threads Yellow/Orange Food Color -2 pinches (optional)
Garnishing
Chopped Pistachios Few threads of Saffron
Preparation
For Sugar Syrup
Heat a sauce pan with 1 cup sugar, saffron threads and 1/2 cup water (pic 7). Mix well to dissolve the sugar (pic 9). Stir it until you get a one string consistency (take one drop of syrup between finger and thumb and check one thread consistency) (pic 10).
If you are using food color, add it and mix well. Switch off the flame, add cardamom powder and keep aside.
For Boondi
In a bowl, add 1 cup besan/gram flour, rava/semolina and baking soda (pic 1). Mix the ingredients well (pic 2). Then, add 3/4 cup of water and make a batter of pouring consistency. Using a whisk, make sure there are no lumps (pic 3).
In a kadai or pan, heat ghee or oil. When it becomes hot, drop one or two drops of the batter and it should come up steadily. If they dont come up, the oil is not hot enough.
Position a perforated spoon or a small holed sieve above the oil (pic 4). Take a ladle of the besan batter and pour on top of the perforated spoon or the sieve. Slightly shake the spoon or the sieve so that the boondis fall down from the perforattions into the hot oil (pic 5).
Fry the boondis till they become golden. Do not overfy them. Take the boondis out after a minute (pic 6). In case it becomes crisp, the boondis will not be able to absorb the sugar syrup and will not be soft. Use a large slotted spoon to remove the fried boondis. Drain it in a kitchen issue and keep it aside.
If the boondis are small, crush them with your hands. Now, add the fried boondis into the sugar syrup (pic 11). Note that the syrup should be hot while adding the boondis. If it is not hot, you may slightly heat the syrup to make it hot.
Apply some ghee on your palms and shape the motichur ladoos. The mixture will be warm when preparing the ladoos (pic 12). They will become firm on cooling.
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