Idli with chicken curry

After long long time i decided to prepare Idli. My friend who is south Indian has been giving me many tips to prepare the fluffiest of all the Idli. I followed her tips and few of my own instinct to achieve the fluffy  Idli.
The basic idea is to ferment the batter. Fermentation requires a warm temperature and few catalyst enzymes. In this episode i used fenugreek as the catalyst and for warm temperature i warmed a bowl of water in the microwave, took it out and then placed the batter inside and allowed it to rise. In around 8 hours i received the excellent rised batter.

Rawa Idli- Quick microwave recipe

Idli is the king of South Indian Breakfast but the whole country have it every now and then. This rice and lentil steamed dumpling is a great way to start the day. The side dish like coconut chutney and sambar makes the meal complete. Its a solution for fast food. I remember back in Bangalore whenever i could not have my breakfast at home i would rush to my office canteen to grab a plate of idli. This plate of idli would make me not feel hungry until the lunch time and thus helped me to concentrate on my work.

Sattu k Parothe (Lentil stuffed flat bread)

Am back from my home and already feeling nostalgic . Anyways i enjoyed a lot during my stay. It was killing summer with some cats and dogs pouring rain in between. Sattu is the famous lentil powder of bihar and jharkhand, India. It is made from roasted chana dal. It is perfect for summer as it keeps the stomach cool and filled.

Lets take a look at the recipe
Serves- 10 Parathas
Preparation time- 10 minutes
Cooking time- 2 minutes for each paratha(filling, flattening and cooking)
Level of difficulty- medium

Ingredients:

• Chapati dough
• Sattu/Lentil powder(chana dal roasted and then powdered)- 1 cup
• Onion- 1, chopped thinly
• Green chillies- 1, chopped
• Ajwain or carom seeds
• Ginger minced- 1 Tbsp
• Garlic minced- 1 Tbsp
• salt as per taste
• Ghee or butter for cooking
• Water

Preparation:

Sattu masala preparation(filling preparation)

• To make a perfect sattu filling, add ajwain seeds, salt, onion, green chillies ginger and garlic to it, add little water and come up  with moist sticky sattu powder ,slightly like a dough.

Filling and flattening

• Now take handful of chapati dough and make balls out of it. Fill in the sattu masala and roll it flat.
• Heat a tawa or a pan in medium high heat.
• Place the chapati over the tawa, wait until some brown spots hit below, flip on to other side and wait until the brown spots hit on the other side too. Now flip again and add a tsp of butter or ghee. Grease both side well and take the paratha out off the pan.

Your sattu paratha is ready to be served. Serve it hot with any curry, sauce or pickle. It always tastes great.

Enjoy and happy cooking.

By- Sushmita Pandit.

How to make Nan.
How to make chapati . 
How to make aloo paratha.
How to make puri.
Radisch Chapati

Dhokla in 5 minutes(Microwave Recipe)

My hubby kept asking me to prepare dhokla since last few months. It was high time to fulfil his desire to have dhokla. I prepared this dhokla in just 5 minutes. My mother always prepared the dhokla using rice and lentil. Each time she prepared it had great taste. I prepared this dhokla using Besan(Chick pea flour).
This Gujrati recipe is superb and tastes wonderful. I am looking forward to learn more and more Gujarati recipes as most of them are vegetarian and have wonderful taste. My mother and mother-in-law both love having vegetarian food, serving them some of the most delicious recipe will make both of them happy, this is what i aim at for the moment.

 

Gajar Ka Halwa(Carrot sweet delight) - Mothers Day special

Happy Mothers Day to everyone. This is my mother and mother-in-laws favorite sweet dish. I dedicate this recipe to both my mother. Its a very famous sweet dish of India. Enjoy .

Dal Makhni(Lentil Dish)

Punjab's most famous maa ki dhal is full of protein. This is very easy recipe yet full of nutrition and excellent in taste. My husband loves this dhal a lot. Dal makhni is king of all the lentil's in India.
Lets quickly get on the recipe.

Chawal ki roti(chilka roti)(Rice pan chapati)

Hi this is a very famous cuisine from Jharkhand, my native place. This roti is prepared by soaking the rice and chana dal for minimum 5 hours or overnight and then it is grinded into very fine paste to make the roti over tawa. This is well served along with mutton curry or chicken curry. People prepare it on some special ocassions. They call it the Chilka roti. A bowl of chana dal ki chutney along with this add's a lot to this recipe.
Here is the recipe, hope you like this roti recipe from jharkhand,India.

Spring Fritatta

The swaying little green leaves, wild flowers and all the trees in their best attire. Spring makes my world looks like heaven. Am happy for the fact that i can see some more vegetables over the racks in the groceries. My kid is going out in the park and is well enjoying with some water works that he does there. It's a great relief for me as am not use to such cold harsh weather but am use to some 40 C to 45 C. Next month i go back my home for some days. Month of may is said to be a terrible time as the sun is at its peaks in India and almost everything is fuming. People find out several ways to adapt themselves to such hot weather. In kolkata it's worse as its hot and extremely humid, you keep sweating and you go tried in just minutes. Am getting myself ready to fight with summer. But before the war begins i just want to enjoy the spring here in Germany to its fullest. Therefore i prepared some spring fritatta.  As the name suggests all colorful vegetables goes into this dish.

Drumsticks Curry(Sahjan ki sabzi or Sutti ki sabzi)

Drumsticks in India is called by so many names like "sahjan", "sutti", "Murungai" and so on. It is said as power house of minerals. This is a tree whose every part is brought into use. The pods, drumsticks are used for making curry and sambar. The flower are used in making dumplings, curry and in so many other ways. Leaves are used along with lentils and sometimes served as just stir fry. All these parts are used in different ways in Ayurveda to cure diseases. 

Hainanese Rice(Singapore Style)

I have been hunting for some other ways to prepare the flavored rice other than the regular biryani and fried rice. This led me to search for some east Asian food and to my luck i found this really awesome recipe. This is basically served with chicken or a combination of sauce but i gave it a twist and served it with cauliflower Manchurian. This rice goes perfect with any spicy curry or veggies or any meat.

French Beans and Potato Stir Fry Curry

French beans are one of my favorite vegetable. I really like them in noodles , spaghetti  and also in mix vegetable. But today i prepared the french beans with potato, the stir fry style. My mom prepares the beans curry which is always the best. I really like the beans curry gravy with chapati and rice.
My mom's kitchen garden bean plants where like super plants. On a plot of 2 meter square they yielded like 2 to 3 kilo grams of beans per day. Everyday i plucked them and i would also pluck some tender ones with a thought that the next day these plant doesn't make me work again so much. But to my dismay i had to just keep plucking them the other day also.I just miss my good old days and those super plants. Now i don't even get to see kitchen garden any more. These days like all i head to the supermarkets and grab a kilo of them at an obvious high rate.

Whole Wheat Banana & Raisin's Pancake - Healthy Breakfast Recipe Series

Pancakes are said to be healthy when they are prepared with whole wheat flour. This is a quick ,filling and healthy breakfast dish. You can prepare it in the go. Raisin and banana add lots of flavor to this pan cake. Wheat provides iron and calcium to your body whereas banana and raisins provides with vitamin C. Let 's take a look at this recipe.

Karela Bhaja- Bitter Gourd Curry(dry)

Karela or the Bitter Gourd is of course bitter. But what if i just compress its bitterness and present it to you.

I always frowned whenever my mother prepared the karela/bitter gourd curry back home in India. But not any more. I found ways to minimize the bitterness and also thereby preserving the goodness of karela in it.

There are several ways this bitter gourd or karela is prepared. One of my favorite is the stuffed karela. I  like it very much but it being too rich in fat ,i cook it occasionally. I also like the bitter gourd pickle which is not bitter at all and is quite tasteful. Apart from this there are famous south Indian bitter gourd masala chips, they are just awesome in taste. 

Oat meal Porridge-Healthy Breakfast Recipe Series

Oats are full of high energy, carbohydrates and fiber. It has low fat content and high protein content. Here we see that oats are highly nutritious cereal . It would be wonderful if we start our day with it. Here i have come up with a oat porridge recipe that is very simple yet delicious in taste. 

Milk,fruits and corn flakes -Healthy Breakfast Recipe Series

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day as the body receives the first dose of food and water after 8 hours. It has a great impact on your day since the kind of breakfast you take decides the kind of meal you are going to have for the whole day. People taking regular breakfast tends to be less obese

and less diabetic as compared to people who skip their breakfast. In addition it keeps your stomach full and doesn't often makes you hungry, thus boosting your concentration and health.

Am on a mission to bring some extremely healthy and nutritious breakfast recipe, so that you can start your day with some quality food. To accomplish this mission i will be posting a series of breakfast recipe in this month. I have come up with this task for myself as i know many of my friends at present are skipping their breakfast and running for their work without chewing a single bit of food in the morning. I want to present this recipes to all of you with a hope to save you all from skipping your daily breakfast "The essential meal of the day".

Egg salad

Majority of my friends like hard boiled egg. I love them too. When i was a kid i would hear this add on the TV saying "Sunday ho ya Monday roj khayein Andey"  , Which meant eat eggs everyday. These are rich source of protein and one should take them in their diet on regular basis. This recipe is also suitable for people on diet because its really healthy. There are several ways people consume the boiled eggs. In many parts of the world eggs are served as soft boiled or in poached form while in many other parts they are usually served in hard boiled form .

I believe that the environment, ecology and weather has a major impact on the food culture of a region and it is quite interesting to note that when you walk 40 km from a place you will find that the food culture has already taken a bent as compared to the one from where you started and as you proceed to walk on, and with each 40 km of distance you will discover a new cuisine and a new food culture,"Diversity" Isn't that amazing!!!.

Egg Salad

Spinach Mushroom Potato Cheese Sandwich

Health is wealth, so to preserve this wealth we should try to eat food as healthy as possible. I had to come up with a recipe that would be tasty, filling as well as nutritious. I brought together spinach, mushroom and boiled potatoes to prepare the filling for the sandwiches. I have always liked the Potato tikka sandwiches but this time i wished something more than Potato.

Here is the Recipe:
This will serve - 4
Preparation - 10 minutes
Cooking - 2 minutes
Level of difficulty- Easy

Ingredients:

• Potato- 2 large boiled
• Spinach- Bunch of fresh leaves, chopped
• Mushroom-5 large, chopped
• Onion- 1
• Salt
• Pepper powder- 1 Tsp
• Whole wheat Bread slices- 8
• Cheese slices- 4
• Butter
• Oil

Preparation:

• In a skillet heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
• Add in the mushroom and fry for two minutes.
• Add the spinach, sprinkle salt to taste, cover and let it cook for 2 mintes in medium heat.
• After 2 minutes, sprinkle pepper powder. Turn off the heat.
• Now add these vegetables to the boiled potatoes, mash and mix everything all together.
• Grease the bread slices with butter or margarine
• Sandwich the vegetable mix and a cheese slice between two slices of bread.
• Place in a sandwich maker for minute or 2.

Your Spinach mushroom potato sandwich is ready to be served, Serve it hot with Ketchup or Mayonnaise.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking.

By- Sushmita Pandit.

Vegetable Dalia Khichri (Vegetable Wheat Rice Khichri)

Dalia or Wheat rice are extremely light and highly nutritious . Addition of vegetable makes them super nutritious. Khichri means mixture of lentil , rice and vegetables. These are said to be easily digestable. My son , husband and Father-in-law love this dish. You can bring in any number of vegetable to this dish, no matter what it always taste great.

This Recipe will serve -4

Preparation- 10 minutes

Cooking- 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

Level of difficulty- easy

Ingredients:

• Dalia/ Wheat rice/ weizengrütze fein -200gms
• Lentil- 200gms
• Carrot- 1, chopped
• Zuchini- 1, chopped
• Cauliflower- 2 florets
• Potato- 2, chopped
• Salt
• Butter- 1 Tbsp
• Cumin seed- 1 Tsp
• Turmeric- 1 Tsp(optional)
• Tomato- 1 large, chopped
• Water- 600-800 ml of water

Preparation:

• In a pressure cooker pan, heat butter, add the cumin seed and let it crackle.
• Add in the wheat rice, fry until colour changes to little whitish.
• Now drop all the vegetables and washed lentil.
• Add water such that you cover 2/3rd of the vegetable layer.
• Season with salt and turmeric.
• Cover the pressure cooker and in low heat wait for three whistles.
• Turn off the heat and let the cooker cool up for 5 minutes.

Your Vegetable Dalia Khichri is absolutely ready to be Serve.

Serve hot with Papad ,Chips ,curd or pickle.

To cook without pressure cooker, after step 5 , cover the pan with a heavy lid and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until lentils are done.

Enjoy.

By- Sushmita Pandit

Morning cake, The Tutti Fruitti Cake

At times am extremely lazy in the morning and often end up skipping my breakfast. Sometimes i even do not fill like boiling milk or egg , these are times when i just want to relax and would not leave my couch at any cost. For such occasion i crave for a slice of cake. Oh gosh! i love cake and nothing can give a better start to a lazy morning than a fruit cake. Further, this cake always has a better chance to switch your lazy overly relaxed morning into so called Yactive Day!!!.

In India i always used to have the Packed cake, like Britania Marie Cake which came into variety of flavors. Since the time i left India i have been missing my type of Cake :-( Until recently when i discovered that i can bake one myself. :-) Tidddinggg . 

I have baked a large cake to keep a check on my breakfast.I just do not want it to go void any more. Here's sharing you the recipe of the Tutty fruity cake.

Yield - Cake of 2 Pound or more
Preparation- 30 minutes
Cooking time- 20 to 25 minutes.
Level of difficulty- Medium

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour- 225 gms
• Sugar- 250 gms
• Butter- 250 gms
• Eggs- 5
• Vanilla essence- 2 Tsp
• Baking powder- 1 Tsp
• Baking soda- 1 Tsp
• Salt- 1/2 tsp
• Tutty fruity- 1/2 cup

Preparation:

• Sieve flour, baking powder and baking soda.
• In a mixing bowl, bring together butter and sugar, whip until a smooth paste appears.
• Add eggs one by one and whip the mixture with each addition.
• Add the vanilla essence and salt.
• Now incorporate the flour little by little in the batter and blend until a smooth dough is formed.
• If you find your dough to be too tight loosen it by adding 1 to 2 tablespoon of milk in it.
• Add half the amount of tuty fruity in the batter. Give it a fold once.

Preheat your oven  at 180 Degree

Line your baking tray with parchment paper or butter paper

Fill the baking tray only to 2/3rd of its height. You can transfer the rest of the batter into another baking tray. On the top of the Batter sprinkle the remaining tutty fruity.

Now bake your cake at 160 degree C for 20 to 25 minutes. After 20 minutes of Baking you can check your cake if it is done by inserting a tooth pick, if it comes out clean, your cake is ready. Take out and let it cool on the wire racks.

Slice and enjoy the tuty fruity Cake. :-)

Inspired from the Recipe of Sanjeev Kapoor khana khazana cook books.

By- Sushmita Pandit

Masala Nan, Nan stuffed bread, Tandoori Nan

I have always loved masala nan. I almost like all the dishes that are cooked in Tandoor. While mentioning tandoor i feel like little talking about it. Traditional Tandoor is a mud packed oven, which is quite economical and extremely environment friendly since it is made up of pure clay or mud without the addition of any minerals. It is also not put up into furnace before people start using it. It is simply sundried before it is brought in use. And with the help of tandoor some amazing dishes are prepared. To mention a few namely, tandoori roti, tandoori chicken, tandoori gosht and the list continues.
But here i have prepared Nan by using the science of Tandoor in gas stove  and oven. The results are no less brighter than the Tandoori Nan . I got excellent nan by this process and therefore i would love to share this recipe with you.

This recipe will serve- 4 people(12 medium size nan)
Preparation- 45 minutes to 3 hours
Cooking - 2 to 3 minutes for each nan
Level of difficulty- medium

Ingredients:

For Dough 

• All purpose flour- 500 Gms
• Olive oil- 2 Tbsp
• Salt -1 Tsp
• Sugar- 1 Tsp
• Yeast- 1/2 of fresh block or 1.5 Tsp of instant yeast powder or granules
• Yogurt- 2 Tbsp
• Luke warm water- 130 ml

For the filling

• Potato- 4 large size boiled
• Onion- 1, finely chopped
• Curry leaves- 4 to 5 (optional) or any herb of your choice.
• Mustard seed or cumin seed- 1 Tsp
• Butter- 1 Tbsp
• Chili optional
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 Tsp
• Salt as per taste
• Butter for greasing nan

Preparation:

Dough preparation

• Bring together all the ingredients except luke warm water and then by adding little luke warm water time to time prepare a soft dough. Cover this dough with wet cloth and leave it aside for minimum 45 minutes to 3 hours.

Nan dough after 1 hour of kneading.

Masala Preparation or Filling Preparation

• Heat 1 Tbsp of Ghee or Butter in a skillet, add the seeds and let them crackle. 
• Add the turmeric powder and fry a little .
• Now add the curry leaves and then the onion. 
• Season with salt and fry until onion is translucent. 
• Now pour this whole preparation over the boiled potatoes. Now mash the potato. Your filling is ready.

Masala or potato filling

Nan preparation and baking 

• Fold the dough after the given time. Take 2 inch size ball from the dough.

1 inch size ball

• Dust it with flour.

Ball pressed between palms and then dusted with flour

• Fill in with the masala.

• Roll it flat, prefarably in oblong shape
• Super heat Tawa or frying pan. 
• Grease the flattened nan with water on both side.
• Place this greased nan on the super hot tawa. watch it rise after 30 seconds, Flip it. wait for another 30 second.

Nan on super hot pan, flipped once

• Now place a pizza pan inside the oven and turn on the broiler in the oven.
• Transfer the nan from pan to Pizza pan. Broil for 30 seconds, flip onto other side, broil for another 30 seconds. Take out and grease with butter.

Nan broiling in oven

Nan broiling in oven flipped onto other side.

or

After step 4

(if you have pizza stone heat it inside the oven and straight away place the nan on your pizza stone. Flip onto other side once you see the nan has risen up and allow it to brown on the other side too. Once it is brown grease it with Butter and enjoy)

Repeat the process until you get desired number of Nan's.

This is how we make nan by replicating the mechanism of Tandoor.

Enjoy your masala nan with Mutton Rogan gosht or any curry of your choice.

Ready to east nan, Greased with butter 

Happy cooking.

Don't forget to comment, because your words are inspiration to me and keeps me going. Thanks :-)

By- Sushmita Pandit