Let's welcome 2014..

..with our authentic pahadi Urad dal pakode, which are made on all auspicious celebrations ! Along with that let's make a quick Ice-cream-rasgulla sweet dish as well !

Ingredients :-

Split Black gram ( Urad dal )  -  250 gram

Turmeric powder ( Haldi ) - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder (optional ) - 1 tsp

Salt  - as per taste

Asafoetida (Heeng) - 1tsp

Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp

Oil  - for frying

Method:-

Soak dal overnight. Grind it into the fine paste with as less water as possible. Add turmeric, salt, chilli powder and heeng to it . Mix well. Make small ball on wet palm and flatten it . Make a hole in the middle with index finger. Stick sesame seeds on top. Deep fry till golden brown.

-----------------------

Icecream-rasgulla pudding

Ingredient :-

Vanilla Ice cream - 1/2 kg box

Rasgulla - 8/10

  Nuts - assorted finely chopped

Strawberry slices/ chocolate chips - optional

Creative variations - optional  /  plenty

Method

Squeeze sugar syrup from Rasgulla, cut them in halves with a knife and keep them aside. keep vanilla ice cream out for a while and let it melt. Layer a flatten dish with icecream. Top it with a layer of halved Rasgulla. Then goes in sprinkling of nuts and strawberry pieces. Repeat the layers and garnish it with nuts and chocoloate chips. Chill it for 4-5 hrs or overnight in chiller . Relish !

Pahadi Panch Phoran

By : Shalini kuriyal

Panch phoran is a mix of five spices which gives distinctive pickely flavour to the dishes they are added to. It's so interesting how this mixture enhances the taste and gives a zing to the regularly used daals (lentils)  and veggies. I have learnt this from my mother. She uses these spices chiefly with 'Karela' (bitter gourd) which always tastes divine !

Ingredients :

Fenel seeds   (Saunf)             -          2 tbsp

Cumin seeds  (Jeera)            -           1 tbsp

Nigella seeds (Kalonji)        -           1 tbsp

 Carom seeds    (Ajwain)        -            1/2 tbsp

Fenugreek seeds   (Methi)      -           3/4 tbsp

Three methods : 

1. Mix them all to use whole for tempering. 

  2. Dry roast them for a while and grind them . 

Store the powder in an airtight jar.  

3. While grinding a spoon ful of sugar can be added to

 balance the bitterness of Fenugreek seeds.

For giving it a bengali twist, Mustard seeds (rai) can be added. 

How to use panch phoran 

1. Wholeseed tempering (tadka) can be done in Karela / Pumpkin / Boiled Potato / Ladyfinger and Arhar dal.

2. The grounded masala can be used to make stuffed Karela / Brinjal (baigan) / Okra (bhindi )/ mushroom/ Indian round gourd (tinda) and pointed gourd (parwal).

You can be creative to use this spice-mixture in many different ways. The number and amount of any spice can be adjusted as per the taste and preference. 

Kodaa Onion Parantha

Koda / Mandua / Ragi / nachani or Finger millet flour , as we know, is highly nutritious and 10 times richer in calcium than rice or wheat. To enhance its flavour a twist can be given to it by adding few more ingredients.  

Ingredients :

Koda - 1/2 cup

Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup

Onion (chopped) - 1

Green chillies (chopped) - 1 

Coriander leaves ( chopped)  - a bunch

Kalonji (Onion Seeds) - 1 tea spoon

Ajwain ( Carom seeds) - 1 tea spoon

Salt - as per taste

Red chilli pd (optional) - 1 tsp

Method : 

Mix flours well and let it sit for a while so that the chopped onion leaves its juice. Now add water slowly and knead a soft dough. Quantity of wheat flour can be adjusted if you feel there isn't enough binding in the dough.

Roll out chapati and cook with ghee. Serve with Raita or Chutney !

P.S.  If kids (or grown ups in some cases) refuse to eat this because of it's texture and colour, perhaps a little cheat can help here ! Small ball of above dough can be stuffed inside wheat flour dough to give it a regular parantha looks ! 

Go, give it a try and sneak in some nutrition inside regular food ! :-)

Almondy Green Chutney

Raise your hands if you like dipping and dunking your finger food or snacks in green chutney before eating them.  Great ! Lets's churn a chutney charm with refreshingly green and healthy ingredients !   

Ingredients:

Dhaniya/Coriander leaves  - 1 bunch

Pudina/Mint Leaves   - 1 bunch 

Green Chillies  - 4/5

Ginger/Garlic    -   as per taste

Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp

Almond - 10-20 

Salt - as per taste

Roasted Jeera powder (optional) - 1 tsp 

Method

Mixie all the ingredients into a fine paste. Add water if needed. Adjust the seasoning. Relish it !  No snacks to eat it with? Just pop a papad in a microwave and enjoy chutney with it !

(Variation :  Raisins can be added to make it into a hot n sweet chutney.) 

Protein Packed Pulao

This dish is for one of those lazy winter Sundays when you want to fix something simple and quick . So here is a one-pot meal which is wholesome, nutritious, quick-fix and filling too ! Loaded with available veggies, it's  moong-dal sprout that makes this dish high in protein.   

Rice - 11/2 cup

Onion ( Chopped) - 1/2 cup

Sprouted moong - 1/2 cup

Peas (Fresh/Frozen) - 1/2 cup

Carrot (diced) - 1/2 cup

Pulao Masala - 2 tsp

Salt - as per taste

Red chilli pd (optional) - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric (optional )- 1/4 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Green Chillies - 1

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Oil/Ghee - 1 tbsp

Water/ vegetable stock - 3 cups

In a pan heat Ghee/oil.  Add jeera, green chillies and onion. Let it turn dark brown. Add  Veggies and saute for a minute. Add washed, soaked and drained rice and let it cook for a minute or two. Add spices and bhuno for 2-3 more minutes. Add water and further cook it on slow flames. Once the water dries, cover it and let it simmer for couple of more minutes. Adjust the cooking time by pressing/checking the grain of rice. Once done, turn off the gas and let it cook in its own steam . 

Sprinkle coriander leaves. 

Serve it with Raita, Papad, Salad, Ghee and Achaar.

 Have a home picnic ! Carry the pots and plates out 

where your house gets rays of bright afternoon sun.

Now spread a sheet and get ready to overeat.

Complete this meal with some sweetmeat.

and remember, without a afternoon nap this treat is incomplete !

So Zzzzzz and enjoy your Sunday !!!!

Tip: 

This make-ahead dish can be prepared in a rice-cooker as well. The tempering and sauteing part of the cooking can be done on the gas stove while having breakfast in the morning . Transfer it in the rice cooker, add required water and leave it . Just switch it on 20 minutes before you are ready to eat lunch !