Dahi Pakodi....

This is a refreshing and light dish to have on a hot and sultry day. This is quite like dahi vada, but quicker and much easier to make. 

INGREDIENTS:

• Urad dal+Moong dal-1 cup.
• Yogurt-2 cup.
• Black salt-a pinch.
• Roasted cumin powder-1 tsp.
• Roasted chili powder-1 tsp.
• Turmeric powder-1/5 tsp.
• Sugar-a pinch.
• Salt to taste.

PREPARATION:

Dahi pakodi

• Soak 1 cup of urad dal & moong dal for at-least 6-7 hours.grind coarsely & then mix in cumin powder,turmeric powder & salt.
• Beat curd with a little bit of milk,a pinch of sugar.keep fridge to set.
• Fry the pakoris & then put in a beaten curd mixture,which is mixed with water,a light watery consistency.
• Squeeze the pakoris lightly & put in curd batter.Spoon the curd on the top,keep this pakoris in this condition 30-40 min.
• Garnish with cumin power,red chili powder & some black salt.
• "Dahi pakodi" is ready to serve.

Lemonade recipe..

I always prefer to make fresh juice than preparing lemon squash as I do not like adding chemical preservatives to my juice recipes. This lemonade does not have any preservatives and stays fresh for 2-3 days if refrigerated. Lemon juice has lot of health benefits. It is a good sources of vitamin C which helps in increasing body immunity. Today let us learn how to make fresh lemon juice following this easy recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• Water-1/4 cup.
• Fresh lemon juice-1/4 cup.
• Sugar-1/4 cup.
• Cold water-3 cups.
• Salt-a generous pinch.
• Ice cubes-few.

PREPARATION:

• Squeeze juice of fresh lemon,strain it & keep it aside.
• In a pan,bring water & sugar to boil.Once sugar dissolves switch off the flame & let it cool.chill it after that add lemon juice,salt & cold water.keep it in the refrigerator.
• "Lemon juice" is ready to serve.Serve chilled with ice cubes(you can freeze some juice in ice tray & add those ice cubes).

                            *Those who don't want to add sugar can use honey instead. 

Oats carrot smoothie...

The refreshing carrot oats smoothie takes only a few minutes to prepare & is ideal for a quick light breakfast.it also makes a great snack.

INGREDIENTS:

• Oats-2 tbsp.
• Milk-3/4 cup(chilled).
• Carrot juice-1/2 cup.
• Dates-3(soak it in a little milk if required).
• Almonds-1 tsp chopped.
• Honey/sugar-2 tsp.

PREPARATION:

Oats carrot smoothie

• Cook oats in half cup of water until thick & leave it to cool.
• Extract 1/2 cup of juice from carrots.

                 *if u don't have a food processor,just grate 2-3 medium sized carrots,add 1/2 cups of water & grind it to a fine paste.Then filter it using a juice strainer.Extract as much juice as possible by pressing it with a masher.

• Combine cooked oats,dates,carrot juice,honey & little milk in a blender & blend until smooth.then add the rest of milk & blend for a few more sec.Garnish with chopped nuts.Pour it into a glass.
• The refreshing"Oats carrot smoothie" is ready to serve.Serve chilled.

Paneer Biryani...

INGREDIENTS:

For the marination:

• Paneer-1 packet(cut in 1/2 inch cubes).
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp.
• Chili powder-1/4 tsp.
• Lemon juice-1/2 tsp.
• Salt-1/4 tsp.

For the biryani:

• Basumati rice-1 cup(soaked in water at-least 5 mins).
• Oil-3 tsp.
• Cinnamon-1/2 inch.
• Star anise(Ful chakri)-1.
• Cashews-1 tsp.
• Large whole cardamom(Badi elaichi)-1.
• Cardamom powder-1/4 tsp.
• Cloves-2.
• Whole peppercorns-4-5.
• Chopped mint leaf-2-3 tsp.
• Bay leaf-1.
• Large onion-1(finely sliced).
• Ginger-garlic paste-2 tsp.
• Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp.
• Chili powder-1/2 tsp.
• Pinch of sugar.
• Salt to taste.

Optional:

• Ghee-1 tsp.
• Rose water-1/4 tsp.
• Pinch of saffron soaked in warm milk.

PREPARATION:

• Marinate the Paneer with for the marination ingredients & set aside.
• Heat up the oil in a vessel over medium heat.add the whole spices & stir until fragant about 30-40 sec.
• Then add the gg pste,turmeric powder,chili powder,salt & sugar to the oil,stir constantly until the oil floats in the top(~3-4 mins).
• Now mix the soaked & drained basmati rice into the masala mix along with the marinated paneer cubes.stir well till everything is coated with masala(~2-3 mins).
• After the rice is well mixed,add the boiling water to the pot.let it boil & then simmer over low heat for about 5-10 min or till done.
• While the rice is cooking,in a separate pan,fry the sliced onions till light brown,also saute the raisins & cashews till fragrant.
• Once the rice is done,mix the fried onions,raisins,cashews & mint leaves along with ghee.
• Sprinkle the cardamom powder & cover it for last half an hour.
• "Paneer biryani" is ready to serve & then serve warm with raita or curry of your choice.  

Optional:

•  After the rice is done,lightly sprinkle some rose water & saffron soaked milk before covering it up for half an hour

Another quick variation:

• Using pressure cooker for the rice fastens the process further,just give 1 whistle.turn off the stove after the whistle & release some pressure.

Here's hoping that this dish fascinates you to try your hand at it .

Have a great week ahead:)

Oats almond milkshake....

Oats almond milkshake is healthy, filling and also delicious. Since we are adding dates, you do not need much sugar for this. Today we will learn how to make Oats milkshake following this easy recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• Oats-2 tbsp.
• Dates-3.
• Almond blanched-3-4.
• Jaggery/sugar/honey-2 tsp.
• Milk-3/4 cup.

PREPARATION:

• Soak almonds in boiling water & peel the skin.
• Cook oats in 1/2 cup of water & allow it to cool.
• Blend almonds,dates in little milk first,then add cooked oats,jaggery,rest of milk & blend for a few more sec.
• Yummy "Oats almond milkshake" is ready.Pour into tall glass & serve chilled.

Banana oats smoothie...

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It keeps us active and energetic throughout the morning. It is important that we should not skip our breakfast.When you do not find time in the morning to prepare any other breakfast, you can resort to oats smoothie or milkshake recipes. How about preparing a quick Oats Banana  Smoothie with walnuts for a quick breakfast. It  is quite filling,delicious and also great for weight loss.

INGREDIENTS:

• Oats-1/2 cup.
• Milk-3/4 cup.
• Banana-1(Peel & cut into 3-4 pieces).
• Honey for garnishing.
• Walnuts chopped-1 tbsp. (optional)

PREPARATION:

• In a blender,combine oats,chopped banana,little milk & puree it until smooth.
• Then add the rest of the milk & blend again,add chopped walnuts,garnish with honey.
• "Banana oats smoothie" is ready to serve,serve chilled.....Enjoy...

Jeera pulao-jeera rice(Cumin flavored rice)..

Jeera (zeera) rice is a very simple and flavorful rice and can be prepared in a few minutes. It is the simplest of all flavored rice and goes well with most of the gravies we usually prepare for roti/chapati. Today let us learn how to prepare jeera pulao/rice following our easy jeera pulao recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• Basmati rice-1 cup.
• Finely chopped Onion-1(optional).
• Ghee/butter-2 tsp + 1 tsp oil.
• Cumin seeds(jeera)-2 tsp.

Whole Garam masala:

• Cloves-2.
• Cinnamon-1 inch piece.
• Bay leaf-1.
• Star anise-1(optional).

PREPARATION:

Jeera rice

• Wash & soak basmati rice in water for 20 min.Drain & keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan,add whole garam masala,saute for few seconds & then add cumin seeds,when it splutters,add onion & saute till golden brown in color,then add the drained rice & fry for a few minutes.add 2 cups of water,needed salt & cook rice till done.

*u can cook rice in a rice cooker/pressure cooker/in a pan with a lid.

• "Jeera rice" is ready to serve...fluff it with a fork & serve it with any gravy side dish of your choice.

Meet you all again with another interesting recipe, till then it is bye from food world...

Soybean Pualv...

INGREDIENTS:

• Cooked soya nuggets-1 cup.
• Rice-1 cup.
• Carrot chopped(big pieces)-1.
• Chopped French beans(big pieces)-1/4 cup.
• Green peas-1/4 cup.
• Garam masala-1 tsp.
• Cloves-4.
• Bay leaves-4.
• Chopped green chili-1.
• Chopped Onion-1.
• Refined oil-2 tsp.
• Salt to taste.
• Water-4 cups.
• Ghee/butter-1 tsp.

PREPARATION:

• Heat oil in a pan.add cloves,bay leaves,chopped green chili & onion.fry for 2 min & add rice,fry for another 2 min & add water.cover the pan & cook for 5 min.
• Add cooked soya nugget,chopped carrot,french beans,green peas,garam masala & salt,mix it.Cover & cook till done,lastly add some ghee for nice flavour.
• "Soybean pulav" is ready to serve....serve hot...

Chuda mixture(flattened rice mixture)...

INGREDIENTS:

• Flattened rice/thin poha-2 cup.
• Red chili-2.
• Roasted red chili powder-1/2 tsp.
• Curry leaves-15-20.
• Chaat masala-1 tsp.
• Roasted peanut/peanut pakoda-1/2 cup.*i use peanut pakoda...
• Ghee-1 tsp.
• Refined oil-1 tsp.
• Black Salt to taste.

PREPARATION:

Chuda mixture

• Heat a pan,add flattened rice to dry roasting,stir continuously,so that it cant be stick on pan & not to be burn,fry it till it crispy & keep aside.
• Heat oil in the same pan,add broken red chili,curry leaves,stir it 1 min,then add roasted flattened rice,salt,red chili powder,peanut pakoda,ghee & mix it well,stir it 2-3 min on medium flame,switch off the flame.
• Crispy"Chuda mixture" is ready to serve....enjoy the monsoon with this crispy chuda mixture.