Raswaley Methi Aloo | Fenugreek Potato Curry

Raswaley Methi Aloo | Fenugreek Potato Curry

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Winter season of full of green leafy vegetables, fenugreek or methi leaves are easily available in this season. Raswaley Methi Aloo is a traditional sindhi recipe prepared in winter. This is healthy and spicy curry dish usually served with rice, you can have it with roti too.
Feenugreek leaves are grinded to paste and then cooked with potatoes, lots of garlic and other spices.
This recipe is slightly bitter in taste, but healthy like other green leafy vegetables, you can add some spinach leaves while grinding to balance the bitter taste of methi.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Curry and Gravies | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

fenugreek or methi leaves-2 cups
potatoes -2
ginger-1”piece
garlic-15-20pods
tomatoes-4
onions-2
green chillies-4-5
salt-to taste
turmeric powder-1/2teaspoon
coriander powder-1 tablespoon
garam masala powder-1/4 teaspoon
oil-2 tablespoon
lemon-1

Method:

1. clean and wash fenugreek leaves
2. Roughly chop onion and grind them for 3-4 seconds without adding water.(coarse grinding is required
3. grind methi leaves with ginger, green chillies and tomatoes to fine paste.
   
4. peel and crush garlic pods.
5. heat oil in a pressure cooker, add onion paste, stirring continuously roast till golden in color, add crushed garlic to it, roast till garlic turns to pinkish in color
6. Add fenugreek paste to it, stirring continuously roast it on high flame till its color starts to change, your kitchen will filled with aroma of meethi
   
7. add chopped potatoes, turmeric and coriander powder to it, mix well roast on low flame for 2-3 minutes, add 1 cup of water to it, pressure cook till 3 whistles, first 2 on high flame and last one on low flame.
8. Let it cool completely, check gravy’s consistency if required boil it for 2-3 minutes.
9. At the time of serving add garam masala powder lemon juice to it.

In this winter season you can also try methi matar pulao and raswaley gobhi aloo.

Notes:

Proper roasting of methi paste is essential for perfect taste in this recipe, roast for 6-7 minutes till oil separates.
You can prepare this recipe without using onion too, sometimes I do.

Tags:recipe of methi aloo curry,fenugreek potato curry,sindhi methi aloo recipe,how to make raswaley methi aloo,step by step instructions of making fenugreek potato curry,green leafy vegetables recipe,winter special recipes indian,

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Green Moong Dal Vada | Fiber Rich Recipes

Green Moong Dal Vada | Fiber Rich recipes

Green Moong dal or chilke wali moong dal (along with husk) is rich in fiber and potassium which helps in lower blood pressure, thus including it in my recipe of vada or medu vada which is a south Indian deep fried snack usually made with urad dal and served with chutney or sambhar. This is a light and healthy version of vada made with green gram and require half soaking time.
Shaping Vada is difficult to many of us, but with practice and 2-3 trails you can shape perfect vada . Use less water as you can while grinding green moong dal and adding bread crumbs to the batter will help you shaping vada.
Now coming to the recipe, ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:

Preparation Time : 4 hours | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves :8
Recipe Category: Deep fried Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: South Indian

Ingredients:

Green gram(moong dal)-1 and ½ cups
Ginger-1 inch piece(grated)
Green chillies-4-5
Coridander leaves-1tablespoon
Cumin seeds-1 teaspoon
Hing or asafoetida-1/4 teaspoon
Salt-to taste
Oil-for deep frying

Method:

1. clean wash and soak moong dal for 4 hours.
2. Grind dal in grinder without water or use 1 to 2 teaspoons of water

3. Pour it in a bowl, add grated ginger, chopped green chillies, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, hing and salt to it, mix well and beat it for 2 minutes so that dal become light and fluffy and air is incorporated in it.
4. If it is difficult for you to shape vada from it, add one tablespoon breadcrumbs or semolina or sooji to it, this will absorb extra moisture.
5. heat oil in a pan or kadhai, take a small ball of grinded dal in wet hand, dip your thumb in water and make a hole in the center of vada, carefully drop it in oil
   
6. deep fry 3-4 vadas at a time
7. Prepare all the vadas with the remaining batter.

serve hot with chutney or sambhar

Notes:

First deep fry them on high flame as color start changing to golden, set the flame to medium to low for proper frying .
After shaping one vada clean you hand with kitchen towel before shaping the next one.
Don’t use too much water while shaping, oil may splutter while dropping vada in oil and they will absorb much oil in frying process.
For other deep fried snacks recipes please refer to my post 10 indian deep fried snacks.

Tags:green moong dal vada recipe,fiber rich recipes,south indian snacks ,snacks,deep fried snacks,recipe of making green moong dal vada,how to make green moong dal vada,healthy snacks,indian deep fried snacks

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Poha

Poha

Poha is a quick and easy snack recipe made with flattened rice. In north India it is served as a breakfast with jalebi. With slight variations in ingredients it is cooked in different forms like: kanda poha, batata poha, lemon poha , matar poha and tamarind poha. It can be prepared as dessert with addition of sugar or jaggary and milk.
Poha is healthy and easy to digest, it doesn’t require any preparations hence you can cook it within minutes. Today I am sharing you my simple recipe of poha made with onions, ingredients require and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:
Preparation Time : 5 minutes | Cooking Time : 5 mins | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Breakfast | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Poha or flattened rice- 2 cups
Onion- 1 big
Green chillies-4
Curry leaves-10-12
Mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
Red chillipowder-1/4 teaspoo
Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
Salt- to taste Lemon-1
Dalmoth, sev or anyother mixture-1 tablespoon Oil-1 tablespoon
Sugar-optional

Method:

1. Take poha in a vegetable strainer, wash it thoroughly under running water
2. Sprinkle turmeric powder over washed poha mix well
3. Keep aside for 5 minutes 
   
4. Chop onion and green chillies
5. Heat oil in a pan or kadhai, add mustard seeds as they splutter, add chopped onion, green chilies and curry leaves, roast till onions are light pinkish in color.
6. Add red chili powder , salt and soaked poha mix well, stirring continuously cook for 2 minutes
7. Garnish it with dalmoth, sugar and lemon juice, serve hot
   
   
   

Notes: Thick poha goes well for this recipe.
I prefer to garnish it with mixture as it includes peanuts, chana dal and sev which gives it a crunch.
Adding sugar is optional, with lemon juice sugar gives it sweet and sour taste.
It is difficult to warm poha, you can do this in microwave or place pan or kadhai in which you cooked poha over a pan in which water is already boiling. It helps poha to keep warm.

Tags:poha recipe,kanda poha recipehow to make pohabreakfast ideas breakfast+recipes step by step instructions of making poha

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20 Microwave Oven Cooking Tips for Indian Kitchen

20 Microwave Oven Cooking Tips for Indian Kitchen

Written by
Sandhya Khattri
Microwave Oven is a very popular kitchen gadget. Today I am sharing 20 Tips related to Microwave Oven cooking for Indian kitchens. Though you can prepare complete meal in Microwave Oven but small tasks can easily be performed with Microwave Oven . Fast, healthy and unsupervised cooking are its key benefits. If you have command over timing and power level adjustments Microwave Oven can be a good companion in kitchen.
Here is a complete list of 20 Tips that you will find useful in your day2day cooking.

Preparing Veggies for Stir Fry

In Indian cooking we serve stir fries as a side dish, their cooking require time and attention, simply place washed veggies in micro safe container, sprinkle some salt over them and micro high them for 3-4 minutes, veggies are ready(you can use potatoes, cauliflower, beans, carrot and ladyfingers etc) Just before serving, heat oil in a pan, add spices and prepared veggies, stir once or twice and side dish is ready to serve.

Extracting Tamarind Pulp:

Tamarind pulp is essential for kadhis, dals and chutney’s it require pre soaking, but in Microwave Oven place washed tamarind with some water Micro high it for 2 minutes, give it standing time, as it cools extract juice from it.

Roasting Papad’s and Snacks

Now a days different types of snacks specially meant for Microwave are available in market, they can be prepared within seconds, simply place them on turntable of Microwave Oven, micro high them for 40-50 seconds you can get oil free snacks ( refer to my post microwave pani poori). Brush papads with some oil and microwave them for seconds, you can prepare fried papads with less oil.

Making Ghee

This is a time taking process when prepared manually, place prepared butter in Micro safe bowl, micro high it for 3-4 minutes, give it standing time, check if ghee it not extracted properly, micro high it for another 1-2 minutes. Don’t try this continuously for 6-8 minutes, ghee will spill out (as continuous cooking raise its temperature)

Roasting Nuts

Peanuts, cashewnuts and other seeds can be easily roasted in Microwave Oven by placing them on turntable and micro high them for 2 minutes, turn once in between, as they cool down they will become crisp and crunchy. Add salt and one teaspoon oil or ghee to 1 cup cashewnuts, mix well and microwave them in the way mentioned above, you will get fried cashewnuts.

Blanching Tomatoes

Blanched tomatoes are required for gravies, pasta and pizza sauce and for soups. Make cross mark on tomatoes with knife, place them in flat dish micro high them for 2 minutes with lid covered, blanched tomatoes are ready.

Steaming Idli and Dhokla

usually steaming idli and dhokla in conventional method requires 12-15 minutes , but in microwave this task if performed within 3 minutes. You can check my jhatpat microwave dhokla with tangy sauce recipe.

Frying edible gum crystals

In winter we prepare healthy recipes like ladoo’s and panjeeri made with gond(edible gum crystals) conventional method required deep frying but in Microwave oven without using oil or ghee you can prepare edible gum crystals within seconds, check my recipes of gond ke ladoo and edible gum crystals panjeeri.

Cooking fruits and vegetables

pears, apples mangoes and gooseberry can be easily cooked in Microwave Oven for making purees and desserts like rabri. I find amla cooking very easy in microwave oven, place washed amla on turntable, microhigh them for 4 minutes, give them standing time, you can easily use them for making murraba (preserve) and chutney (don’t need to soak them overnight in lime water or boiling them). Carrots can also be prepared in the same manner for murrabba.

Making Jams

Preserving fruits like apples and mangoes in the form of Jam require approx 40-45 minutes of cooking but in microwave you can prepare them within 10-12 minutes. For detailed information please check my recipe of mango jam in microwave oven.

Cooking Rice

Cooking daily rice is easy in Microwave Oven , take soaked rice with water(1:2 ratio) microhigh it for 6-7 minutes with lid uncovered, cook for another 2-3 minutes with lid, give it standing time, perfect rice is ready with each and every grain separated.(rice cooking time may vary depending upon the power levels of your Microwave Oven , after 1 or 2 trails you will be able to get exact time for cooking.

Layering Biryani

prepared cooked rice and veggies separately , for biryani just before serving arrange layers of veggies and rice in microsafe cooker, add spices and flavors microwave them on 60% power level for 3-4 minutes, biryani is ready to serve.

Roasting Eggplant for Bharta

On gas stove you can roast one eggplant at a time, but in Microwave Oven you can roast 4-5 eggplants simultaneously by placing them on turntable of microwave oven and microhigh them for 4 minutes. After cooling its peeling is difficult hence suggesting that each eggplant should be cooked on high flame for less than a minute on gas stove, its skin will burnt and you can easily peel it, as it is already cooked in Microwave Oven , don’t require much time.

Extracting Juice

It is very easy, place half cut lemons on turntable of Microwave Oven , micro high them for 10 seconds, you can extract maximum amount of juice from lemons with less effort. This is helpful when you need lemon juice for making lemon drinks or pickles. In the same way juice of mausambi can be extracted without using juicer.

Preparing Potatoes and sweet potatoes

For aloo chaat and kand ki chaat you can prepare potatoes in Microwave Oven , as these recipes require half cooked potatoes, wash them and place them on turntable, micro high them for 5-6 minutes, you can get these veggies ready for deep frying.

Making batter for Khandvi

You can also prepare batter for khandvi in Microwave Oven mix curd, ginger, besan, turmeric and salt with water, place them in Micro safe bowl, micro high them for 3-4 minutes, set the power levels to 60%, microwave them for another 1-2 minutes, check the batter by spreading it on the back side of thali, if it is prepared you can easily roll khandvi out of this, else give another minute of cooking. Don’t give it standing time, remove at once from oven in order to prevent over cooking.

Roasting Khoya

Indian desserts are incomplete without khoya, its roasting require continuous stirring and time but in Microwave Oven it is easy, place it in bowl, micro high it for 4-5 minutes, stir twice in between, khoya is prepared.

Setting Curd and Fermenting batters

In winters setting curd is difficult task, start empty Microwave Oven on high for 30 seconds, switch off it, place container in it, warmth in oven will help in setting curd. The same process can be adopted for fermentation of batter.

Preparing beetroots

Beets are hard and required lots of time in boiling, in order to prepare them for salads and beetroot tikki, Micro high them for 6-8 minutes by placing them on turntable.

Drying green leafy Vegetables and spices

Coriander, methi(fenugreek) and mint leaves can be easily dried and stored for further use. In conventional drying lots of dust and other impurities are incorporated to them and their color is also distorted , but in Microwave Oven it is easy and their natural green color is retained after drying. Wash greens, let them air dry for 8-10 minutes, place them on turntable of microwave oven, micro high them for 2-3 minutes, give them standing time for 5 minutes, After cooling they will become crisp and dry. Veggies should be dry before placing them on turntable else cooking will start and they will require more time to dry. Dry spices like coriander seeds, red chilies, cloves and other spices can be easily dry roasted im Microwave Oven , after this their grinding become easy.

Notes: 

Time mentioned in these tips may vary depending upon the power levels of your Microwave Oven
After 1-2 trials you will be able to get the exact timings according to your oven (My oven’s highest power level is 850 watts.)
If you find these tips useful please share them on your social networking sites.

Tags:Microwave oven cooking Tips,Tips for cooking in Microwave oven ,Indian cooking tips using Microwave oven ,How to efficiently use Microwave oven in kitchen,kitchen tips,Microwave oven Tips,Microwave oven cooking Tips for indian recipes

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Besani Bhaji | Step by Step Recipe

Besani Bhaji Step By Step Recipe

2 Dec 2012
Besani Bhaji is a traditional sindhi recipe made from bengal gram flour. This is onion and tomato based gravy dish served with roti.
Besani Bhaji is very similar to rajasthani gattey curry. Bengal gram flour is kneaded along with fenugreek and dill leaves(in summer when fresh leaves are not available we prefer to replace them with poppy seeds), oil and some other spices to stiff dough, which is further divided into small portions and shaped in small balls(gattey). Gattey can be deep fried or directly boiled in gravy. In this recipe I am directly boiling them in gravy.
Ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:


Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time : 30 minutes | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Gravy Dishes | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients:

For gattey
Bengal gram flour-1 cup
Fenugreek and dill leaves-1/2 cup chopped
Salt-to taste
Oil-2 tablespoon
Red chillipowder-1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
Roasted cumin powder-1 teaspoon
Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda-2 pinches
Water-as required
For Gravy
Onion-2
Tomatoes-4-5
Green chillies-4-5
Ginger-1”piece
Garlic pods-10-12
Red chillipowder-1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder-1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
Salt-to taste
Oil-1 and ½ tablespoon
Garam masala powder-1/4 teaspoon
Water-2 cups

Step by step instructions of making Besani Bhaji

1. Roughly chop onions, grind them in grinder for few seconds, it’s consistency should be thick.
2. Peel and crush garlic pods.
3. Grind tomatoes, green chillies and ginger to puree.
4. In a bowl mix Bengal gram flour, oil, salt, red chili powder, roasted cumin powder, turmeric powder and baking soda, mix well and knead to stiff dough by adding water as required.
5. Divide this dough in equal parts and make small balls of it(refer to image)
   
6. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, fry onion paste till golden in color, add crushed garlic as it turns to pinkish in color, add red chili powder and tomato paste, roast it for few seconds
   
7. Add the remaining spices(except garam masala powder), roast for 2-3 minutes till oil separates.
8. Add 2 cups of water to it and bring it to boil, as it starts boiling add bengal gram balls to it, adjust the flame to low, let it cook for 15-20 minutes.
   
9. Balls will float to top as they will cook and gravy will thicken.
10. Sprinkle garam masala powder over it.
    

Besani bhaji is ready to serve with roti, nothing else is required with this recipe.
Notes:

• You can deep fry these balls too, before adding them to boiling gravy.
• Fenugreek leaves can be replaced with 1 tablespoon poppy seeds.
• Make small size balls and cook them properly else they will remain uncooked from inside.
• For a variation along with gattey you can add ½ cup fresh peas in boiling gravy, it tastes good, I do add often.

Tags:recipe of besani bhaji,how to make besani bhaji,traditional sindhi food recipe,,step by step instructions of makign besani bhaji,

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Radish Stir Fry | Healthy Seasonal Recipes

Radish Stir Fry| Healthy Seasonal Recipes

By
Sandhya Khattri
Radish stir fry is a healthy seasonal vegetable, it is served as a side dish and can be prepared within 10 minutes., radish roundels are stir fried along with its leaves some basic spices are used in this stir fry, it is seasoned with lemonjuice. In north india it is commonly known as mooli ki bhujia. Radish stir fry goes well with dal and rice, some people like it with kadhi chawal, you can have this with any gravy dish. I prefer to cook it in Lunch.
Ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows
Preparation Time : 5 minutes | Cooking Time : 8 minutes | Serves :2
Recipe Category: Stir Fry Vegetables | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Radish -1
Radish leaves-1 cup
Green chillies-2
Black mustard seeds-1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1/4 teaspoon
Salt-to taste
cumin seeds-1/4 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds-1/4 teaspoon
Mustard Oil-2 teaspoon

Method:

Peel radish and cut it into roundels.
Roughly chop radish leaves along with their soft stems.
Soak it in salted water for 5 minutes, wash it thoroughly under running water

In a pan heat oil, add cumin,fenugreek seeds,green chilies and mustard seeds as they crackle add chopped radish along with turmeric powder and salt mix well.

Cook it on high flame for 3-4 minutes, you can see radish has released all its moisture, simmer the flame and let it cook for another 5-6 minutes, at this stage you can cover the lid, check radish if there is moisture content in it, let it dry on high flame.
Radish stir fry is ready, just before serving squeeze lemon juice over it

Notes:

Radish leaves and stems give a nice crunch to this side dish and are healthy too, you can also make this recipe without these if you don’t like slightly bitter taste of these.
It is prepared with mustard oil, you can prepare it with any vegetable oil.
You can also try some  other stir fry recipes of my blog: beans potato stir fry, amaranth leaves sabzi and aloo parwal

Tags:quick stir fry vegetables recipe,how to make radish stir fry,vegetarian recipes,easy indian recipes,raidish stir fry recipe,healthy seasonal+recipes

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Matar Tikki Chaat Recipe

Matar tikki Chaat

Sandhya Khattri
27 Nov 2013
Matar tikki chaat or matar aloo tikki(patties) chat is very popular north Indian chaat recipe filled with sweet, sour and tangy flavors. Actually it is a street food but when cooked at home with fresh ingredients of our choice, then turns to a healthy food.
Matar(dried peas) tikki chaat is prepared all over north Indian with slight variations, aloo tikki served with curd and sweet tamarind chutney itself is a complete recipe. Now a days it is served with roasted dried peas(known as matar ki chaat). This combo is served as a starter or appetizer in parties.
Today I am showing you my version of matar tikki chaat in which potato patties( aloo tikki) roasted peas are served with dates and tamarind chutney and green coriander chutney and other spices.
Ingredients required and step by step instructions for the recipe are as follows.

Preparation Time : 8 hours | Cooking Time : 45 mins | Serves :8
Recipe Category: Chaat Recipes | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 8-10
Dried peas-1 cup
Corn flour-2 tablespoon
Green chillies-6
Coriander leaves-2 tablespoons chopped
Ginger=2” piece grated
Red chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon
Roasted cumin powder-1 tablespoon
Chaat masala-1 teaspoon
Papdi -4 (crushed)
Dates and tamarind chutney-4 tablespoon
raw mango chutney (green chutney)-2 tablespoon
Desi ghee-3-4 tablespoons
salt –to taste
lemon-1

Method:

• Soak dried peas overnight.
• Pressure cook them for 5-6 whistles on high flame and further 12-15 minutes on low flame, peas should be dry and soft, if there is water content in it, dry up on high flame with lid uncovered.
• Boil, peel and mash potatoes, add salt and corn flour to it, mix well and shape tikkis or patties.
• Heat ghee on griddle arrange aloo tikkis on it 4-5 at a time, shallow fry them on medium heat till golden brown in color from both sides. As they are half cooked shift them on the sides of griddle and make place on the middle of tawa for roasting matar or dried peas.

• Add half of grated ginger, green chillies, coriander leaves and 2 crushed papdi to boiled peas. Roast peas on medium heat by stirring continuously and pouring some ghee in between. Proper roasting is necessary for perfect taste, this will take approx 12-15 minutes, in between aloo tikkis which you have shifted on side have to turn once or twice, their outer crust will become crisp.
• 
  

• In the same manner prepare tikkis and roasted peas from the remaining ingredients.
• For serving place one or two tikkis or patties in a plate, top it with one table spoon roasted dried peas, pour dates and tamarind chutney , green chutney and crushed papdis, sprinkle some salt, red chillipowder, roasted cumin powder chaat masala, coriander leaves, ginger and green chillies over it, squeeze few drops of lemon juice.Serve it at once.

Notes: For shallow frying use wide pan so that you can roast tikkis and matar together, else just shallow fry tikkis and then roast matar.
While serving you can add whisked curd too.
You can adjust spices according to your taste.
Corn flour can be substituted with 2 bread slices.
Papdis are small deep fried salted crackers made from all purpose flour.
If looking for other tikki or chaat recipes that require less preparations and time you can check beetroot tikki or paneer potato tikk with sweet tangy sauce.
Tags:Indian chaat recipes,matar tikki chaat recipe,,peas potatoes patties,indian starters recipes,indian appetizer recipe,north indian street food,street food recipes indian,aloo matar tikki chaat,step by step instructions of making matar tikki chaat

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Methi Ka Cheela | Fenugreek Savory Pancakes

Methi ka Cheela| Fenugreek Savory Pancakes

By
Sandhya Khattri
21 Nov 2013
Methi cheela is a diabetic friendly recipe made from bengal gram flour, wheat flour and fresh fenugreek leaves. These savory pancakes are ideal for breakfast, you can have these as a teatime snacks too.
This simple recipe doesn’t require any preparations except cleaning fenugreek (methi) leaves and can be served within minutes. I prefer to serve methi ka cheela with amla (gooseberry) chutney, you can have this with any other chutney of your choice.
Usually chelas are prepared with bengal gram flour, but in this recipe I have used 1:1 ratio of wheat flour and bengal gram flour, as besan is slightly heavy to digest adding wheat flour makes these cheelas light and easy to digest. Normal besan ka cheelas are crisp and firm but these pancakes (cheelas) are crisp from outside and soft from inside. Ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:

Preparation Time : 5 minutes | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Breakfast Recipes | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Bengal gram flour- ½ cup
Wheat flour-1/2 cup
Salt-to taste
Fenugreek or methi leaves-1/2 cup
Turmeric powder-1/8 teaspoon
Green chillies-2
Water-3/4 cup
Oil-1 -1 tablespoon

Method:

1. clean, chop and wash fenugreek leaves.
2. Chop green chilies
3. In a bowl add bengal gram flour, wheat flour, salt, turmeric powder, fenugreek leaves green chilies and water. Mix it well, batter should be of pouring consistency, you can add more water if required.
4. Heat griddle or pan, apply some oil over it.
5. Before pouring batter over it, stir the batter once, and pour one tablespoon of batter over hot griddle, spread it with the help of spoon in circular motion to give the shape of cheela.

6. Let it cook for a minute on medium heat, you will see batter is drying up, and pancake's side are leaving the surface of pan, pour some drops of oil on the sides of pancake and few drops over it.
7. With the help of spatula turn methi cheela from one side and let is cook from other side.
8. Repeat the same process with the remaining batter to make pancakes.
Delicious fenugreek pancakes are ready to serve.
If looking for other breakfast recipes, you can also try green moong dal paratha, tomato onion uttapam and pudina paratha.

Notes:

Batter should be of pouring consistency, stirring once before pouring it over pan helps even distribution of fenugreek leaves.
If it is cooked properly and is golden in color from one side than turn it else pancakes will break.
You can also add some soya leaves along with fenugreek leaves for flavorful pancakes.

Tags:besan ka cheela recipe,fenugreek recipes ,fenugreek pancake recipe,indian breakfast recipes,breakfast ideas,healthy breakfast recipes,diabetic friendly recipes,quick snacks,step by step recipe of besan ka cheela

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Sarson Ka Saag | Punjabi food Recipes

Sarson Ka Saag

By
Sandhya Khattri
19 Nov 2013
Sarson Ka Saag is a famous Punjabi recipe made from mustard, bathua, spinach and fenugreek leaves, usually served with makki ki roti. It requires time and earlier preparations to make this saag and outcome is healthy and tasty main course recipe. You have to clean greens earlier and normally 1 and ½ hour hours of cooking is required, hence Punjabis prepared it in bulk and it last longs upto 3-4 days.
Sarson Ka Saag is prepared all over north India in winter with slight variations in cooking methods and ingredients: In Uttar Pradesh non Punjabis cook it as a stir fry using mustard oil, some people use radish in it. Tomatoes or sour curd is used to balance the bitterness of mustard and fenugreek leaves. I prefer to use lots of tomatoes for sour flavor. In its tempering onion ,garlic, or both are used along with cumin seeds and red chili powder. You can opt ingredients according to your taste. Whenever I prepare it , initially it is served with makki ki roti and leftover saag is enjoyed with sweet rice ( sindhi tehri) a perfect combination of sweet and savoury.
This blog post reminds me of childhood days when neighbors use to share or exchange food on daily basis and we had the opportunity of tasting different foods. During our childhood days we have enjoyed this authentic Punjabi Sarson ka Saag a lot. In my neighbor there was a Punjabi family, aunty use to cook it in bulk, one day she provided us a big bowl of it saying “ Aaj sarson ka saag banaya hain, kha kar dekhna “ asking how it was prepared. That big bowl of saag tempered with desi ghee was quite sufficient for our family of 5 members. Next day her son( who was unaware of the fact we have already tasted it) came with another bowl of sarson ka saag, saying “ mummy ne sarson ka saag banaya tha aap key liyen layen hain” we were smiling and seeing each other faces , again accepted that tasty sarson ka saag. Whenever it is served fresh tempering is added, it taste enhances with due course of time.
Now coming to the recipe, Ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:


Preparation Time : 30 minutes | Cooking Time : 1 hour | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Punjabi Food | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Mustard leaves-1 bunch(400gms approx)
Bathua leaves- 1 cup(chopped)
Spinach leaves-1 cup
Fenugreek leaves-1/2 cup
Tomatoes-5
Green chillies-4-6
Turmeric powder-1/2 teaspoon
Salt –to taste
Ginger-1”piece
Maize flour-1 tablespoon
Water 1 and 1/2 cups
For tempering
Garlic-15-18 pods
Cumin seeds-2 teaspoon
Red chillipowder-1 teaspoon
Ghee or butter - 2 tablespoon

Method:

Clean all the greens chop them finely.
Wash them thoroughly using plenty of water.
Grate ginger and chop green chilies and tomatoes.
In a pressure cooker add chopped greens along with ginger, green chillies, tomatoes, salt and turmeric powder.
Pressure cook them on high flame for 4-5 whistles, after it reduce the flame and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes.

As the pressure settles down open the lid of pressure cooker and churn the boiled saag with wooden churner, alternatively you can use electric hand blender . I like the consistency obtained with wooden churner. ( saag has been transferred to other vessel just for taking pics) you can do the churning process in pressure cooker.
Dissolve 1 tablespoon of maize flour in water and add it to the mashed saag, it gives a binding to greens and to some extend settles the bitterness of methi and sarson leaves.

Again place it on heat and let it cook for 35-40 minutes on medium to low flame, (if using the same pressure cooker don’t use its lid) you have to churn it 3-4 times in between.
Heat ghee in a pan, add crushed garlic pods to it as they are golden in color and cumin seed and after few seconds add red chilli powder to it, pour this tempering over sarson ka saag .

Delicious sarson ka saag is ready to serve with makki ki roti.

Notes:

Proportions of greens can be changed according to your taste.
Proper churning is must to obtain the thick consistency of saag.
After adding maize flour you have to give sufficient time to cook saag.
You can also squeeze lemon juice over it.

Tags:sarson ka saag recipe,how to make sarson ka saag,Punjabi sarson ka saag recipe,step by step instructions of making sarson ka saag,green leafy vegetable recipes,authentic punjabi sarson ka saag recipe,how to cook sarson ka saag, punjabi food recipes, healthy recipes, lunch ideas,  sarson ka saag recipe with pictorical instructions,indian food recipes,

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Wheat Halwa | Gurupurab Recipes

Wheat Halwa | GurPurab Recipes

16 Nov 2013
Wishing you very happy Gurupurab to all my readers. Wheat flour halwa is must for this occasion, this is a simple Indian dessert recipe, you can make it any time of day with easily available ingredients at home. This is quick and easy to cook delicious and healthy sweet with goodness of wheat flour and ghee. You can also try other halwa recipes of my blog : besan ka halwa, sooji halwa and rawa kesari .Ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:

Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Indian Desserts | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Wheat flour- 1 cup
Ghee-3/4 cup
Water-2 and ½ cups
Sugar-3/4 cup
Cardamom-2

Method:

In a bowl mix sugar with water.
Heat half quantity of ghee in a pan, add cardamoms roast for 1 minute, and mix wheat flour to it stirring continuously roast on medium to high flame for 4 to 5 minutes.
Wheat flour's color starts changing to brown adjust the flame to low.

Stirring continuously roast for another 5 minutes.

Add sugar syrup to the roasted wheat flour, mix it well, mash all the lumps in wheat flour

After stirring it for one minute, you will see whole water has been absorbed, at this stage add the remaining ghee, mix well, cover the lid and cook for only 1 minute.

Notes:

Need not to heat sugar and water mixture, before adding it to wheat flour mix it well.
After adding water you have to continuously stir it .
You can garnish halwa with dry fruits.
Coarse ground wheat flour is ideal for making halwa.

Tags:wheat halwa recipewheat flour halwa recipe,how to make wheat flour halwa,gurupurab recipes,indian desserts,indian sweets,atte ka halwa,mithai recipes,quick and easy indian sweets

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Makki Ki Roti

Makki ki Roti

Makki ki roti is traditional Punjabi flat bread recipe made from maize flour served with sarson ka saag, this is a healthy bread recipe ideal for breakfast and dinner in winters. You can also have makki ki roti with green garlic chutney or jeera tamatar me aloo or simply with a scoop of butter.
Generally rolling out makki ki roti is difficult to many of us, if you use fresh flour(local flour mills provide fresh in winter) and kneaded properly you can easily roll out without the help of plastic sheets.
Green chillies , coriander leaves or green garlic can be added to flour. I have tried it with chopped onions but it break while cooking. Initially if you find difficulty in rolling out you can take help of plastic sheets but trying manually after 2-3 times you will be able to roll them easily.
Ingredients required and detailed instructions for the recipe are as follows:

Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time : 15 mins | Serves :4
Recipe Category: Indian flat bread | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Green chillies-2(chopped)
Maize flour-2 and ½ cups
Salt-to taste
Green chillies-2(chopped)
Coriander leaves -1tablespoon
Water- as required for kneading the dough
Oil-2 tablespoon

Method:

1. In a bowl add maize flour, salt, green chillies, coriander and one tablespoon oil to it, with the help of water knead soft dough.
2. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes you will see maize flour has absorbed water and dough is stiff add more water and knead it again to soft dough.
4. Divide dough in equal portions and make balls of it.
5. Heat griddle on high flame and apply oil to it, set the flame to medium.

6. Take water in a bowl wet you hands with it, take a ball of dough in your hand, flatten it with another hand’s fingers as thin as you can, this will form a small roti, carefully place it on hot greased tawa , dip you fingers in water and immediately press maize roti from all directions. You have to wet your fingers twice or thrice, spread it as thin as you can.
7. Drop some oil on the sides of roti and some over it.
8. After a minute turn it carefully and cook from another side.
9. While cooking press the sides(rough edges of roti) with the help of spatula.
10. Cook from both sides till golden brown in color.
11. Prepare all the rotis with the same manner.

Notes:
Dough should be soft , adding oil to it is must else roti will break on tawa while turning.
Try to spread as thin as you can , else it will not cook properly from inside.
It is said that one makki ki roti takes as much time as 3 normal wheat flour phulkas or roti needs, hence give sufficient time for cooking.
While cooking on tawa don’t turn it again and again, for proper cooking only 2 turns are sufficient.

Tags:how to make makki ki roti,makki ki roti recipe,Punjabi flat bread recipe,north indian recipesindian flat bread recipesmakki ki roti recipestep by step instructions to make makki ki rotibreakfast recipes,breakfast ideas,punjabi recipes

You can also try these recipes for winterSaai thoom ja phulka(green garlic paratha),koki and
gur ka paratha

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10 Indian Deep Fried Snacks

10 Indian Deep Fried Snacks

by
Sandhya Khattri
14 Nov 2013
Here is a collection of 10 Indian Deep Fried Snacks recipes of my blog. This collection comprise of Soya cheese rolls, Palak pakora, Onion fritters, bread pakora, kachouri, green garbanzo beans samosa, masala kaju(maida), sev, sesame rice balls and bread roll. You can have these snacks during intervals between meals. Some of the snacks in this collection are quick and easy and some require earlier preparations.
Preparation time and cooking time of each snack varies, here I have listed maximum preparation time as required for kachouris and sesame rice balls. As far as cooking time is concerned it is clearly mentioned in the individual post.
You can read recipe and its detailed instructions by clicking on the image of individual snack.
Preparation Time : 8 Hours | Cooking Time : 45 mins
Recipe Category: Deep fried Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: Indian

Tags:Indian snacks,Snacks,Snacks Recipe,Deep fried Indina Snacks,Soya Cheese roll recipe,Palak pakora recipe,Onion Fritters recipe,bread pakora recipe,kachouri recipe,green garbanzobeans samosa recipe,masala kaju recipe,Sev recipe,Sesame rice balls recipe,bread roll recipe,Quick and Easy Snacks,Party Snacks,how to make indian deep fried Snacks

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Bread Roll

Bread Roll

Sandhya Khattri
11 Nov 2013
Bread roll is a deep fried snack recipe made with mashed potatoes, peas and other spices with soaked bread slice coating.
This is a very popular north Indian snack, usually served as a breakfast, you can have this with chutney or sauce of your choice or simply with a cup of tea. This is usually served as a breakfast but you can have this at any time. Bread rolls can be prepared earlier and just before serving you can deep fry them. Ideal for Lunch box with  tomato sauce.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes | Cooking Time : 20 mins | Serves :8
Recipe Category: Deep fried Snacks | Recipe Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients:

Bread slices-8
potatoes(boiled and mashed or grated)-6-7
peas-1/2cup
green chillies-4
ginger-1/2” piece(grated)
salt-to taste
red chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon
garam masala powder-1/2 teaspoon
amchur powder-1/2 teaspoon
mint powder-2 teaspoon
oil-1teaspoon+extra for deep frying
Method:
1- Cut the edges of bread slices.

2- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan, add peas to it, sprinkle some salt over them, cover the lid and let them cook for 4-5 minutes, peas will be cooked and become tender.
3- Now add all the spices and boiled and mashed potatoes to it, mix well stirring continuously, roast for another 3-4 minutes on high flame.

4- Remove the mixture from pan and let it cool completely .
5- In a flat dish or wide bowl add sufficient water, mix some salt to it, dip each slice of bread in it, squeeze it in between your palms(squeeze out as much water as you can) place some potato peas mixture over bread slice and give it a cylindrical roll shape(refer to pic)by covering potato filling with bread slice.
6- Prepare all the rolls in the same manner.
7- Leave bread rolls for 5 minutes, during this time coating will set and while frying edges will be secure.

8- Heat sufficient oil in kadhai or pan, deep fry 3-4 rolls at a time on medium to high heat.
9- Repeat the same process with the remaining rolls.

Notes:

For extra taste you can add some grated cheese to the mixture.
After preparing raw rolls before deep frying you can place them in fridge, doing this while deep frying rolls will absorb less oil than normal course.
Don’t want to deep fry bread rolls, prepare them, brush them with oil and bake them in oven, you will get non fried bread rolls.
Substitute mint powder with fresh mint leaves or coriander leaves.

Tags:recipe of bread rolls,how to make bread rolls,breakfast ideas,Indian breakfast recipe,mashed potatoes recipes,bread recipes,fried snack recipes ,Indian snacks

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