Spinach Soup

Ingredients -

Bay leaf - 2
Ghee - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Garlic cloves - 3 

Green chillies - 1

Milk - 0.5 cup

Oil -  2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Small Onion- 1
Small Tomato - 3
Spinach - 1 bunch
Water - 3 cup
Whole black pepper - 8

Preparation:

 Use fresh spinach leaves for that yummy taste. 


1) Wash spinach leaves with water and chop them roughly. 

2) Crush garlic cloves, chop green chili, onions and tomatoes. 

3) Heat oil in a nonstick pan, add black pepper first and 1 pinch hing. Add crushed garlic cloves, green chilies and then onions. After onions are little transparent, add tomatoes.

4)Once tomatoes cook for some time (in 2 mins) add chopped spinach and let it cook in the open pan for some time (4-5 mins). Do not overcook spinach also do not cover the pan otherwise soup will lose its green colour as well as the taste. 

5) Once the above cooked mixture is little cold, blend it in the mixer with some water. Do not add all the water now, as it would be difficult to blend the mixture with too much water. 

6) Once the mixture is nicely blended, add some water to make the mixture to the soup consistency.

7) Now in another pan, add some ghee, then cumin seeds, 1 pinch of hing, bay leaves and then pour the pureed mixture in the blender. Add salt according to your taste. Add water according to how you want the soup thicker/thinner. Add some milk and let the soup boil and then simmer for some time (2 mins) before serving.

8)Soup is ready to be served. While serving sprinkle some black pepper powder and a dash of cream if you want.

Enjoy this hot yummy and healthy spinach soup.

Wheat flour steamed Modak / मोदक

Ingredients

For Cover -  

• Wheat Flour: 1 Cup
• Oil: 2 tsp
• Salt to Taste
• Water

For Stuffing -

• Fresh Grated Coconut: 1 Cup
• Poppy seeds (Khas-Khas) 
• Grated Jaggery: half Cup OR little more than half cup depending on the sweetness of jaggery (Adjust as per your taste)
• Cardamom / Elaichi Powder: ½ tsp
• Ghee: 2 tsp

Procedure

• Mix salt and small amount of oil in a wheat flour very well. Then add some water and knead the dough. The dough should not be too soft. It should be just like Puri dough. Then add remaining oil and knead the dough. Cover this dough with clean pot or wet cotton cloth and keep aside for at least half hour.

• For stuffing, heat ghee in kadhai.  Then add coconut, poppy seeds and jaggery. Cook this mixture on a low flame till the jaggery melts and the mixture comes together. DO NOT heat for extra time as the coconut starts burning and will become hard. (If this happens, pour some milk to bring the softness). Then add cardamom powder and mix well.
• Make small balls of dough. Apply some oil on a rolling board and roll these balls in small puries . These puries should not be too thick and too thin. or to get it faster, roll the dough into big chapati and cut it into small rounds with the sharp edge bowl pressing on chapati.
• Place small amount of stuffing in the middle of puri. Merge all the sides of puri to make in the shape of a fresh fig. Prepare all modaks. 
• Meanwhile boil water in a steamer or big pot.
• Take a colander; apply some ghee or oil to it. Place all modaks on plate or colander and keep this colander on steamer. Cover with lead. Cook these modaks for 15 – 20 minutes. 

Methi Malai Mutter

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Fenugreek Leaves – 1 bunch
Frozen Peas – 16 oz (1/2 kg)
Heavy Whipping Cream/fresh cream– 1 cup (or to taste)
Evaporated Milk – 5 oz can (147 ml)
Salt – to taste
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Whole Dry Red Chilies – to taste
Ginger – 1 Tbsp, minced
Onion – 1/2 medium, chopped
Tomato – 1 medium, chopped
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder – to taste

Method:

1. Wash Fenugreek Leaves well, remove roots and chop finely.
2. Sprinkle salt over Fenugreek Leave, mix well and set aside 15-20 minutes
3. Heat Oil in a medium pan on medium heat.
4. Add Cumin Seeds and allow them to sizzle for 10-15 secs.
5. Add in Dry Red Chili (break the chili in half if you like it spicy).
6. Add Turmeric Powder and immediately, add in Onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Add Ginger, mix and cook until Onions are a light golden color.
8. Add Tomatoes, mix and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add Green Peas, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Red Chili Powder and Salt. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Be sure to stir in between to prevent sticking.
10. Squeeze out salt water from Fenugreek Leaves and add it to the peas.
11. Cover and cook until Peas and Fenugreek Leaves are cooked (3-6 minutes).
12. Add in Heavy Whipping Cream and Evaporated Milk, mix well and bring to a boil.
13. Serve hot with Chapati, Naan or Rice.

Mouth watering Tandoori Chicken

Ingredients:

1. Yogurt : 1 tsp per piece
2. Salt to taste
3. Ginger garlic paste
4. Lime juice
5. Pepper powder
6. Red chili powder
7. Fenugreek leaves powder
8. Garam masala powder
9. Cumin powder
10. Coriander powder
11. Turmeric
12. Red color
13. Chicken
14. Chat masala

Initial Marination : 

1. Make slits in the flesh of the chicken pieces and rub lime juice + salt + chili powder over them. Keep aside for half an hour.

Actual marination and Baking:

1. Mix yogurt + ginger garlic paste + chili powder + salt + pepper powder(half tsp) + fenugreek leave powder(half tsp) + turmeric  + garam masala (half tsp) + 1 tsp cumin powder + 1 tsp coriander powder + lime juice + red color

2. Mix the chicken well into this mixture.

3. Preheat oven for 400-450F.

4. Put chicken in the oven. It takes around 30-35 mins to cook the chicken.

Maharashtrian Kadhi ( कढी)

 Ingredients :

1. Gram flour (besan) :2 tablespoons
2. Yogurt 3 cups
3. Ginger 1 inch piece
4. Garlic 3-4 cloves
5. Green chillies 2, chopped
6. Curry leaves 4-6
7. Salt to taste
8. Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon
9. Oil 1 tablespoon
10. Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon
11. sugar to taste

  

Preparation :

• Prepare Ginger garlic paste.
• Mix gram flour and yogurt thoroughly. Make sure to avoid lumps of gram flour. Add two cups of water, salt to taste and turmeric powder.
• Stir continuously on medium heat.
• Heat oil in another pan, add mustard seeds, when they crackle add ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves.
• Cook for a minute and then add to kadhi. Stir continuously on low heat until kadhi is slightly thick. add sugar.
• Remove from fire, adjust salt/sugar and serve hot.

Dal Makhani.. Punjabi Special

Ingredients :  

1. Ginger garlic paste
2. Salt
3. Turmeric
4. Cumin Seeds
5. Chili Powder
6. Coriander Powder
7. Kasuri methi powder
8. chopped coriander
9. Garam masala powder/whole garam masala (card-mum, cloves leaves, cinnamon, dried Indian bay leaves (tamalpatra))
10. butter
11. tomato puree
12. whipping cream

Recipe :

• Soak Rajma overnight. 
• Mix masur dal and rajma and give it 3 whistles and then lower the flame and simmer for 20 mins.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. 
• Add cumin + whole garam masala/garam masala powder +  ginger garlic paste + turmeric + tomato puree and cook well for 10 min in medium flame covered 
• Add chili powder + coriander powder.+ salt. Cook until the mixture thickens into pulpy sauce (about 3 mins covered). 
• Add butter and whipping cream. mix it well and cook for 2 mins.
• Then add the leftover water from the cooked dal. (If you don't have, just add water) and boil for some time.
• Add cooked rajama and masur.
• Sprinkle kasuri methi powder to get a good flavor. 
• Your dal makhani is ready! Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Misal-Pav (मिसळ पाव)

Misal-Pav

Ingredients for Usal

3 cups sprouted - Mataki, Moong, Masoor (any one or two or all)
3 medium size Boiled Potatoes (peeled & cut into cubes)
1 tbsp red chili powder or as per taste.
1 tsp sugar
Salt as per taste
1 tsp chinch/tamarind pulp
3-4 tbsp oil For Tadka- rai, hing, haldi 

Grind to powder -
1tsp Jeera, 2 tsp coriander seeds /dhane, 2 cloves/lavang, 2-3black peppercorn, ¼ inch cinnamon/dalchini piece

Grind to paste -

½ cup chopped onion, 4 garlic cloves, ½ inch ginger piece, 10-15 pudina/mint leaves, ½ or 3/4 cup grated coconut

Other Ingredients for Misal

2 cups Chivada/pharsan

2 cups Shev
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup chopped fresh green coriander
1 cup dahi/curd/ plain yogurt (optional)
Slices of bread or Pav

Sprouted Pulses

Method for the Usal

1) Heat oil in a pan or kadai, add mustard seeds, when it starts to crackle add hing, Turmeric.
2) Add ground paste and saute till the oil starts loosing out of the masala, then add ground masala powder, red chili powder, tamarind pulp and salt. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
4) Add mashed potatoes and cook them for 3-4 minutes.
5) Add finely chopped tomatoes and again cook for 5 minutes till tomatoes cook well.
6) Now add sprouted pulses, saute them for a while.
5) Add warm/hot water and cook on a low flame for another 10 minutes.

 

To Serve the Misal

1) Place a couple of spoonfuls of Usal in a bowl. Top it with a spoonful of chivada/pharsan/shev. Garnish with 1-2 tsp chopped onion, coriander; fresh curd(optional).
2) Add bread/pav on a side dish.
 And your spicy tasty dazzling misal is ready! :)