Masala Mushrooms / Tasty Mushrooms

This one is Naina’s most wanted and liked dish, and one of my favorites too.. whenever I go to mom’s place, I tell her to make it for me .. or I carry a packet of mushrooms :)
This one goes to Side Dish for Chapati at Viki's Kitchen
Ingredients:
1 packet Mushrooms
5-6 Garlic
Little ginger
2 green chillies
Some coriandar leaves
3 tsp of Curd
1 tsp of Meat Masala / Malwani Masala
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Make a paste of garlic, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves. Clean and Cut mushrooms into half and then boil and drain. Keep it aside, marinate mushrooms with curd and the paste prepared add salt and Meat Masala
Put this mixture in cooker and give one whistle. Let the cooker cool down, hot masala mushrooms are ready to serve.
Hmmm yummy .. and mouth watering…
Tastes better with bread or pao and can be even served as a side dish with chapattis.

Enjoy -
~ Kanchan

Nachani Cake!

Never imagined that 'nachani'(Ragi) cake would come out so tasty!! Me & my sis -in-law tried it & this low fat cake is really yum!

Ingredients:
1 cup Milk
1 cup Dahi
1 cup Nachani atta
1/2 cup Wheat atta
1/4 cup Bhuna Rava
1 cup Sugar
2 tea spoons Amul butter
2-3 Dairy Milk chocolates (Rs5/- ones)
4-5 spoons Cocoa powder
a few drops of Vanilla essence
1/2 spoon baking soda

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients well to form a smooth creamy batter. Note: Mix in one direction while making the batter.
















Apply ghee in a microwave container & pour the batter into it. Pre-heat at 150 degrees & then bake for 40 minutes. (Keep checking by inserting a toothpick, if it comes out clean then the cake is done!)

-Akki.

Doodhi Kofta - Oil Free

I was very tempted to make and have something yummy.. but got really bored of oily and fried food.. Peeped into the fridge and there was bottlegourd (doodhi).. so made oil free doodhi Kofta
Here's the oil free version:

And here's the normal version (mom in law had made a while ago):


This one goes to Side Dish for Chapati at Viki's Kitchen

For the koftas:
1 medium grated bottlegourd (say 300 gms)
1 medium grated carrot (if you like)
1 cup gram flour (adjust the quantity as per yr choice)
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 medium green chilli chopped
some chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients, no need to add water, as the gourd releases enough water to bind.
For the normal version, you can make kofta like balls and deep fry.. I don’t have a Paniyaram pan, so decided to spread it like an omlette or pan cake on the non stick pan
It was quite thick, and I covered and cooked it for 10 mins on medium flame. Turned over, covered and cooked for another 5 mins. I happened to make 2 pancakes/ omlettes
Once done, cut it into pieces like cubes or diamonds of your liking
This is what mine looked like

For the Gravy
3 medium onions - paste
2 medium tomatoes pureed
1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp tumeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste

For the magic aroma:
1/2 tsp black pepper powder - freshly ground
few curry leaves crushed
1/2 tsp butter

Cook the onion paste till brown. Then add all the other ingredients and cook till the oil seperates.
Add enough water and bring to a boil. Once the gravy thickens a bit, add the koftas, and cook for 2-3 mins more.
Just before turning off the gas, add the magic aroma ingredients, and your yummy dish is ready!
Mom in law couldn't wait to taste it!! She loved it, and hubby enjoyed it too!!
-Naina

Egg cup

Mom in law saw it on a cookery show a while ago.. Made it quite sometime back.. but I haven't posted it!

The pic's not too great... (I always click with my cell phone)


Basically, just take 2 eggs, beat them and add salt.
Then, for the sutffing… make a mixture of your choice, like onions, tomatoes, chillies, cheese. Add seasonings of your choice and keep this aside.
We took a bagharia (the round cup type vessel we use to temper the dals)..
Put half of the beaten egg into it, once it is semi cooked, remove it.
Put the remaining half of the beaten egg in the bagharia, and once this one sets, put in the stuffing, and semi cooked 1st egg on top of it.
Let it set, and your 'egg cup' is ready to eat..
Made it just once, so welcome to suggestions!
Also, may turn out better in the microwave.. will try next time

-Naina

Jowar Bajra Poori

My mom in law tried this out.. inspired from something she saw on a cookery show..



Another entry for the Breakfast Event at Simple Indian Food



For the dough:
2 cups jowar atta
2 cups bajra atta
1/2 tsp haldi powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
4-5 tbsp oil
1/2 to 3/4 cup curds (sour better)
1 chopped onion

Knead all this into a tough dough.. roll out as pooris and deep fry..

As an alternative, you could even make rotis / theplas / parathas with this dough!
-Naina

Microwave Potato Chips

My hubby loves bhajiyas, deep fried snacks and wafers.. though occasionally :)
So I thought, lets try out oil free wafers

(I know it looks a bit burnt, but didn't taste like burnt..)

This one goes to Microwave Easy cooking Potluck Party


Slice the potatoes finely with a slicer.. Spread evenly on a microwavable dish. Microwave on high for 3-4 mins (until almost done). Then grill for a minute or 2..And its crispy and crunchy..
-Naina

Potato and Drumsticks

This one's from my sis in law.. Everytime she comes over.. she treats our taste buds and sharpens my culinary skills!!

This along with Achari Vegetable (also my sis in law's !!) goes to Side Dish for Chapati at Viki's Kitchen

4 big drumsticks (Singi) (chopped into finger size pieces, and semi boiled)
1 big potato
3-4 cloves of garlic crushed
1 medium onion sliced finely
2-3 tbsp curds (sour if poss)
2-3 tbsp besan (gram flour)
Tumeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder
Salt to taste

In a pan, heat some oil, and add the crushed garlic. When it gives a pleasant aroma, add the onions, and cook till golden. Add the masalas. Then add the gram flour, roast a bit. Add to it the curds and mix evenly. Add water, and add the vegies. Cover and cook untill done!
Something unusual to my taste! And of course delicious!

-Naina

Smoked Stuffed Capsicum

This one's something my mom and aunt (dad's sis) make.. Its different and nice.. May be its a Sindhi dish.. not sure..



My mom in law's reaction was the best! hmmmmm.. she went.. cos of the smoked flavour!

For the Stuffing (this is the simple aloo bhaji we generally make)
Take 4 medium potatoes, boil, peel and chop them into cubes.
In a pan, heat some oil, add some mustard seeds, some curry leaves, and a chopped green chilli. Add salt, and cover and cook for say 5 mins. Generously add chopped coriander leaves to it.

Then.. take say 4 big / 8 small capsicums. Using your knife creatively, remove the top stem of the capsicum, so as to have a hole at the top. Stuff the potato bhaji into this.

Then, just cover all the stuffed capsicum with a little oil, and roast on the flame till tender from all sides..(the way we roast the brinjal for baingan bartha).. The smoked flavour is truly different!
-Naina

Neer Dosa!

This dosa gets its name from ‘Neer’, that means water in kannada,(since the batter for this dosa is very watery.) Ingredients: very simple! 2 Cups Rice/ ½ Cup Grated Coconut/ Salt To Taste/ Oil
Method:
Soak the rice for a few hours preferably overnight. Grind the soaked rice to a fine paste along with grated coconut. Add salt, enough water to make a thin batter. Keep aside for 2 hours.

Prepare dosas:
Apply oil on tawa first & then just put the watery batter on the tawa & spread to make it as thin as possible on the full tawa. Keep it covered on low flame & then once done remove it from tava put it on a plate let it cool for a minute & the fold it thrice to form a triangle.

Enjoy with Green or Red Chutney!!

Green Chutney:
Grated coconutCoriander (cilantro) chopped Green chilies 3-4 (depending on how spicy you want it)lemon juiceChana splits(dalia),Salt To Taste

Method:
Grind Grated coconut, coriander & chilies with little to form a paste. Add half a spoon of lime juice, dalia & grind again. Add salt as per taste.
You can also give a tadka of curry leaves & mustard seeds.

Red Chutney:

Grated coconutRed chillies - 10-12(depending on how spicy you want it)Tamarind - (small ball)Salt - (as per taste) required Seasoning - Oil - 2 tsp, 1 tsp urad dal, mustard seeds, pinch of hing(asafoetida), few red chilli pieces & curry leaves
Method:

In a small pan fry the red chillies. Grind the coconut, red chillies, salt and tamarind adding minimum water required. Heat oil in a pan & add urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillies & a pinch of hing. After mustard seeds starts to splutter, add curry leaves. Fry till crispy & then add this to the grounded coconut chutney.

-Akki.

'Chitranna’

‘Chitranna’ or Lemon Rice Southie dish you can easily make when in a hurry.
You can also make it with leftover rice. :)



Ingredients:

Procedure:

In a kadai heat one tablespoon of ghee/oil. First add peanuts or cashews, fry them until they turn light brown. Remove aside. Then add a little more oil & add cumin and mustard seeds, when they splutter add curry leaves first, split green chillies, chana dal, urad dal & potatoes (optional). Sauté them till golden and crisp. In the end, sprinkle half teaspoon turmeric for that golden yellow color. Mix and then sauté for another one to two minutes. Add the peanuts & cooked rice in the kadai with the sautéed ingredients, add salt (as per taste) & at last sprinkle a spoon or two of limejuice.
Note: Rice absorbs the limejuice & the tanginess you feel during the preparation reduces in intensity after sometime.

-Akki

My Sunday treats

Sunday's incomplete without doing something worthwhile in the kitchen..
Made a batch of Oats ladoo.. this time with jaggery instead of sugar..

And some Eggless choclate cake..

-Naina

Kobi Cha Zunka

Last week, I just saw cabbage in my fridge, and was bored to make the regular sabzi, so took some besan, and thought of creating something innovative..
The gas was occupied, so used the microwave! And here's Kobi cha Zunka
For those who don't know.. To know what is Zunka, click here or here



This one goes to Microwave Easy cooking Potluck Party

You need:
1/2 a cabbage (chopped)
2 cups besan / gram flour
1-2 chopped green chillies
Some chopped coriander (optional)
1/4 tsp Tumeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
some curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and sugar to taste

In a microwavable dish, take some oil, add the mustard seeds, and micro on high for 1 min. Add curry leaves, and again micro on high for 1 min.
Add to it all the other ingredients (except lemon juice) and enough water, to make a idli batter type consistency.
Microwave for 10-15 mins (or until done), and keep stirring every 2 mins for the 1st 5 mins, and 1 min for the next 5 mins.
Finally add the lemon juice, and it can be served as a zunka.
Variation: In the pic you see, I cooked it a little more, so that it dried up, and make cutlets of it. Later we even shallow fried it it make it a bit crispy. Good as a snack too!
-Naina

Strawberry Oats Pudding

Made this last weekend.. not bad.. in fact quite good if you don't mind the stickyness of oats..

Ingredients:

300 ml milk

2 sachets of strawberry oats (I used the quacker brand) (you could also use the normal oats, and add cardamom or kesar or any syrup for the flavour)

1 tbsp corn flour

sugar to taste

I roasted the oats a bit, and turned them in the mixie to a fine powder.

Then, mixed the corn fl0ur in 1-2 spoons of milk and kept it aside.

Heated the remaining milk, added sugar. Then added the oats powder and cornflour paste. Kept stirring till it thickened.

Let it cool, and a yummy healthy dessert is ready!!

-Naina