Blueberry Milkshake

This is the creamiest home-made milkshake that I have ever had. There are no special ingredients added, its the blueberries that gives the milkshake this texture. Not to mention,the nutrients in Blueberries. They are an excellent sourse of anti-oxidants, iron, and other vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients:

1 scoop ice - cream

1 cup blue berries(Fresh or frozen)
4 spoons sugar, adjust this to your taste level
1/2 cup milk, I used whole milk

Blend all together and serve.

I am sending this recipe to Torview's event here

Bluberries

Show me your refrigerator

This is my entry to this event hosted by Divya.

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is one of my favorite dishes and I'm sure many of you reading this would already be drooling over it. It is an eternal Indian dish that is liked by many all over the world.

Ingedients

1 small bunch of chopped Spinach(frozen or fresh)

10-12 pieces of 1" paneer cubes

Milk or Cream, as needed(I used 1/2 cup milk)

1 small Onion, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

3-4 green chillies/jaalpenos

1 spoon,Garam masala/all spice powder

1 Spoon,Corriander powder/dhania masala

Chilli Powder - as needed for taste

Boil spinach(frozen of fresh) in little water for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, microwave it. Use as little water as possible so that you don't need to discard the water that has the nutrients. Let it cool.

In the meanwhile, take a medium sized pan and add oil followed by onions. After 3-4 minutes, add tomatoes. Let it cook well for about 5 minutes. Now, add the spice powders. At this point, take care that the dish is not burnt. Add a little water if it helps to keep the dish from burning. After a couple of minutes, switch off the stove and let the masala cool.

Now, come back to the spinach and add it to a blender jar WITH the chillies (Do not forget the green chillies) and coarsely grind. Just 1-2 pulses should do. Keep it aside. Once the onion and tomato paste has cooled, blend it finely in the same blender jar(or a different one). You will not need any additional water.

Again,add 1 spoon of oil in the same skillet and add this onion-tomato paste to it. Let it cook for a few minutes. Add spinach paste and salt and mix well. Allow it to come to a boil. Add, milk or cream. If you are not concerned about the calories, you can go ahead and add cream. It is cream that is used in the original recipes of Palak Paneer and the one served in restaurants. If not cream, add plain milk. Water can also be used instead of cram or milk but the dish does not turn out creamy. Add as much as needed to make the dish to a consistency that you want. Next, stir in paneer pieces without breaking it and cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix well. Check the taste for salt and switch off the stove.

Serve with rotis,parathas or rice. I served it with steamed rice.

Methi/Fenu greek leaves Rice

I had some methi leaves with me and did not want to make the usual methi parathas(that I always make). I thought I"ll use the internet to search recipes for methi pulao or methi rice and I land up with so many recipes and each one is different. WOW, that speaks volumes on how tasty and flavored this dish could be. Not to mention, the different varieties in cooking it. Finally, I closed my browser and decided that I would be trying my own recipe because I did not have some ingrdients from some recipes or some other. Here is my recipe.Trust me, this is a very simple recipe. No roasted powders and no grinding. It is a fast fix recipe. Pack it in your lunch box and you are good for lunch. Or have it for dinner too. The smell of methi leaves as you cook the dish will fill your kitchen.

Here's what you will need:

Cooked rice - about 2 cups

1 small bunch of methi leaves, washed well and chopped

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 medium tomato, chopped

Cooking oil - 3-4 tablespoons(this is not a super healthy dish - the flavor comes from the excess oil used for methi leaves)

1/2 spoon mustard seeds

a few curry leaves

Lemon juice for garnish

Salt to taste

In a skillet/pan, heat all of the oil and once hot, add mustard seeds,asofoetida and curry leaves. Now add onions. Allow them to get cooked for 3-4 minutes;follow by tomatoes. After a couple of minutes, add the chopped fenugreek leaves and mix well. Allow it to cook till it wilts. This will take just a minute. Now, add salt and turn off the stove. Add the cooked rice and lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot or warm.. This can be eaten with pickle/yoghurt.

Dhaniya chutney - sandwich style

This is a different flavor to the usual Corriander chutney/Cilantro dip. This was the version that my mom used to make for sandwiches and I loved them as it gave a completely different taste to sandwiches.
We are planning a road trip for the Independence day week end and I thought it would be a good idea to pack a few sandwiches for the drive(being vegetarians we hardly find anything to eat on travel)




Here's the list of ingredients:
Cilantro - 1 medium bunch
Onion - 1 small,chopped
Bell peppers - 1/2 medium,chopped(Optional)
Green chillies/jalapeno peppers - to taste
ginger garlic paste - 1 spoon
sugar - 1 spoon(Yes,sugar!!!)
Lemon juice - to taste/1 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cooking oil - 1 spoon

There are two ways to make this chutney: One is by sauteeing the onion and bell peppers in a spoon of oil and then, on coolong,blending it together with the other ingredients; the other is to add all the ingredients in the blender. I used the first method.

In a skillet, add cooking oil for the saute and add onion pieces followed by bell peppers. Give it couple of minutes and switch off. allow it to cool.
In a blender jar, add all the ingredients along with the onion and bell peppers and grind to a smooth consistency.

This recipe will make about 6-8 sandwiches and stays good for about a week in the refrigerator.

To make sandwiches:
Slice Sandwich rolls or use bread loaves. Apply this dip to one side and stuff the rolls with veggies of your choice. I add grated carrots, sliced cucumbers,sliced tomatoes, few pieces of olives. Yum! I'm already drooling . You could also add mustard sauce/tomato ketchup/mayonnaise or pickle to other other side of the sandwich.

Cauliflower Stir-fry

This is a typical cauliflower stir-fry recipe and is a very common one too.

Here is the ingredient list:

1 medium cauliflower head,chopped

1 small onion,finely chopped

Green Chillies/jalapenos - to taste

1 spoon,kitchen king masala

ginger-garlic paste- 1 spoon(I used store bought)

cooking oil,for the saute

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Ingredients for tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon
Curry leaves - few
asafoetida- a pinch(optional)

Soak the chopped cauliflower florets for 10-15 minutes in water to which turmeric powder has been added. This ensures faster cooking of the florets and also removes any germs that might be present.

Heat cooking oil(I used 2 tbsp) in a pan and add the temepring ingredients one after the other. Next add chillies/jalapenos followed by onions. Saute for a couple of minutes till onion is partially cooked. In the meanwhile,drain the water from the cauliflower peices. Add the pieces to the pan.Let it cook for about 10 minutes. Now add salt,kitchen king masala and mix well. the florets tend to give out water while cooking, hence wait till all the water has been absorbed.Switch off the stove. Serve as a side to rice/dal or rotis.

Paneer recipes

This dish is my own and tried out in my kitchen. It did come out pretty well and does taste similar to paneer makhani(or is it paneer makhani???!!! :) ). I love paneer and I am a little lazy to sometimes chop other vegetables for paneer dishes like Kadai paneer or Palak paneer. This dish of mine just needs onion and tomatoes. I am yet to name this dish. May be, one of you reading this recipe could suggest a name :)

Here is the list of ingredients:

2 cups paneer,diced into small cubes

1 medium onion,chopped

2 medium tomatoes,chopped

About 1 cup,milk or water

Chilli powder,to taste

1 spoon,Corriander powder

Salt to taste

1 spoon,Cumin seeds

cooking oil

cilantro leaves,for the garnish

In a skillet,heat 1 spoon oil and saute the chopped onions and tomatoes. Allow it cool and blend it to a smooth paste in a blender without any water.

Next, add 1-2 spoons oil in the same skillet. Once hot,add cumin seeds followed by the onion and tomato paste. Let it cook for about 4-5 mins. Next, add salt,chilli powder,corriander powder and mix well. Let it cook for a couple of minutes(This paste tends to burn if left unattended).

Now, add milk or water. Once it comes to a boil, add the chopped paneer pieces and give it one final mix taking care that the paneer pieces do not break. I do not generally fry paneer. But, if you wish then you can fry paneer in a teaspoon of oil in a separate pan and add it to the dish. Switch off the stove. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serve hot with rotis,parathas or rice.

I served this with methi parathas.

Strawberry Smoothie

This is a strawberry smoothie that I just tried and am now blogging it. I wanted to have some refreshing fruit juice or smoothie and with strawberries lying in my refrigerator I made a strawberry smoothie. I faintly recollect reading somewhere that orange juice gives a nice zesty taste when added to fruits like strawberry. I wanted to verify this too :)

Toss in 3-4 medium sized chopped strawberries, a little orange juice and a couple of spoons of yogurt with sugar in a blender jar. Blend till smooth. Enjoy chilled.

                                                   I am sending this entry to this event

Also, I am sending this recipe to Divya for the event hosted at Dil Se here

Corn rice

I had a packet of frozen corn lying in my refrigerator for a long time. I was in no mood to preapre soup as it is already peak of summer. I did not know any other dish either. Finally, I discovered a recipe! Here is the link to the original recipe . I was delighted to find this. I have altered the recipe a little to suit the spices and ingredients that were available with me. To my pleasant surprise it turned out good. This is a simple dish and can be even cooked in the morning to pack up a quick lunch. Thanks to Divya

You will need:

1.5-2 cups cooked rice

1 cup corn, frozen or fresh

1/2 medium onion ,chopped lengthwise

2 spoons pulao masala(Store-bought)

1/2 cup,Grated Cheese

cooking oil for saute

In a skillet, add oil and then add the pulao masala. The pulao masala has a tendency to burn and we need to be quick to keep stirring it into the oil. In the next 2 minutes, add the onions, followed by corn. All the ingredients to get flavored in the oil with the pulao masala,about 3-4 minutes.Switch off the flame. Add the rice and grated cheese. The cheese will melt in the heat and give a wonderful taste to the dish.

Serve with pickle and/or raita.

Watermelon milkshake

This drink is extremely refreshing in hot summers. It makes us feel completely recharged after having it. Apart from this it has many health benefits as well. Watermelons are a good source of anti oxidants and many vitamins. This is a fat-free fruit full of energy.
This smoothie recipe is a very simple one and needs just watermelon,milk and sugar.

Watermelon - 2 cups
Milk - 1 cup
ice cubes - 1
sugar - 2 spoons
Mint leaves - 3 or 4,optional
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend to a smooth consistency. Serve Chilled.

I am sending this recipe to this event hosted at Dil se
and
sizzling summer contest. Here is the link to this event .

Red Capsicum chutney/Red Bell Pepper dip

2 medium sized bell peppers ,chopped
1/2 medium onion,chopped
4-5 red chillies
3 spoons cooking oil
1/2 spoon mustard seeds
1/2 spoon urad dal


In a skillet,add oil and then add the chopped vegetables and red chillies. Cook on oil till the vegetables get soft. This will take about 5 minutes. Once cooked, allow it cool.
Grind it in a blender without water(you will most likely not need any water).
now,make the tempering ready. Heat 1 spoon oil and add mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter and add urad dal. Add this to the ground chutney.Ready to serve!!! It tastes best with dosas. But, can also be had with rice or rotis.

Capsicum Chutney/Thuvaiyal

I just tried this chutney recipe that I got from my mom. It turned out yummy. It is pretty simple and straight forward.

You will need:
1 medium to large green capsicum(Bell pepper),chopped roughly
3 spoons urad dal
3-4 red chillies
Cooking oil
salt to taste

For tempering,
Oil - 1 spoon
mustard seeds -1/2 spoon
a few curry leaves

In a skillet, heat oil and add urad dal. After 2 minutes add the red chillies followed by chopped bell peppers and salt. Saute untill bell peppers are almost cooked. Take care not to over-do it.
Let this cool. Grind this into a smooth paste in a blender/food processor.

Now, make the tempering ready. Again,heat oil and add mustard seeds and allow them to pop. Add curry leaves and switch off the stove. This tempering is added to the paste.

I love to have this chutney with dosas. But, it tastes great as a side to any Indian dish.

Snake Gourd

Snake gourd is a very mild vegetable without much flavor in it. Here is the wiki link to this vegetable,for those who have not heard of it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichosanthes_cucumerina

I like to to prepare snake gourd with coocnut so that the bland taste of the vegetable gets compensated. There are some other ways to cook this vegetable too like kootu(with lentils) http://myrecipesnmore.blogspot.com/2010/05/chayote.html or add it in avial. Recipe for Avial http://myrecipesnmore.blogspot.com/2010/04/avial.html .

Snake Gourd - cut to small cubic pieces - I used about 2 snake gourds

Grated coconut(fresh or frozen) - for garnish

Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon

Curry leaves - a few

Cooking oil - 1-2 spoons

Chilli powder - to taste

Salt - to taste

In a skillet, heat oil and add mustard seeds and curry leaves once hot. Next, add the chopped snake gourd pieces and give it a good stir. Let it cook on a medium flame uncovered, stir ocassionally. The snake gourd will start to wilt. Allow it to cook completely(wilt completely). This will take about 10 minutes on medium flame. Once, it has cooked add salt and chilli powder. Mix well and switch off the stove. Add the coconut and serve. I had this with rice and dal. Goes well with rotis too.

Chayote

Chayote is a mild tasting Squash variety. This is the same family as Cucumbers.

Here is link from Wikipaedia that gives more information about Chayote http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote

I used Chayote today to make a tamil(South Indian) dish called Chow-Chow kootu. Chow chow is the Indian word for Chayote. This dish is made of chayote and lentils and coconut gives a rich flavor.
Here is the Ingredient list:

1 Chayote,chopped
2-3 spoons,shredded coconut
2-3 Red chillies
Moong Dal,1 cup(Split Green bean)
1/2 small onion,chopped finely
Curry leaves,few
1/2 spoon, mustard seeds
1/4 spooon,jeera
Turmeric powder,1/8 spoon
Asafoetida, a pinch
Salt,to taste and Cooking oil for the seasoning
Corriander leaves/Cilantro,garnishing

Boil the lentils in water till it is cooked well. I used a pressure cooker and swtiched it off after 2 whistles. In a separate pan, boil chayote pieces for about 3-4 minutes in water or milk. I used milk as it gives a unique richness to this dish. Keep aside. In the meanwhile, coarsely grind coconut with red chillies and jeera. Again, take a pan and add the dal(lentils) and the chayote. Let it come to a boil. Add the ground coconut paste. Again,let it boil so that the coconut paste mixes well into the dish. Now,in a skillet, add cooking oil,about 1 spoon and when it is hot add the seasoning ingredients: mustard seeds, turmeric powder, asafoetida and curry leaves.Finally, add onion and saute for 2-3 minutes. This seasoning is to be added to the boiling chayote gravy. Switch off the stove and garnish with cilantro/corriander leaves.

I served this with Spinach parathas and raita. Dinner is complete.

Vegetable Upma

Vegetable upma is a very healthy and easy to prepare recipe. This dish is great for break fast but I know quite a few people who have it for dinner too. If not a meal, you could make it in a jiffy and enjoy as a snack.

Ingredients
2 cups, semolina/rava/sooji
4 cups water
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 cup ,chopped,carrots and peas(optional)
Lime juice for garnish(optional)
Cilantro/corriander leaves for garnish
Salt to taste

For the tempering:
1/2 spoon,mustard seeds
4-5 green chillies,slit vertically
turmeric powder, a pinch
a few curry leaves
2 spoons,cooking oil

Heat 1 spoon of cooking oil in a skillet and add semolina to it. Mix well so that semolina gets a little cooked and it coated with oil too. This will take about 2 minutes. Switch off the stove and keep the roasted semolina separately. Again, heat the remaining 1 spoon oil in the same skillet and once the oil is hot add the tempering ingredients followed my chopped onions. After about 3 minutes the onions would have cooked ,now add the other vegetables(if using) and saute for a couple of minutes more. Next,add water and let it start to boil. Add salt.At this point, also,add the roasted semolina slowly mixing it well as you keep adding it. Mis well till semoina gets absorbed well into the water. Cook on a low flame for some time(I cook for about 2 minutes) and switch off the stove. Add lemon juice and cilantro. Serve hot or warm. Upma can be enjoyed with any dip like chutney,sauce or with sugar,pickle etc.

Tomato Rasam #2

I have already posted a recipe for tomato rasam. Here is another variation to the taste and preparation. Again, the main ingredient is tomato.

2-3 cups,dal Water
1/4 spoon,tamarind paste or 1 cup tamarind water
1 medium tomato,chopped
a few curry leaves
1 spoon,Rasam powder
salt to taste
cilantro for garnishing

For the tempering,
1/2 spoon mustard seeds
1/4 spoon turmeric powder
a pinch of asafoetida
1/2 spoon,cooking oil
3-4 green chillies,slit or chopped finely


The trick to preparing this rasam is using Dal water. Dal water is the extra water that is available when dal is cooked. Boil dal in a pressure cooker or any vessel and use the water. Decant this water and this is what is used in Rasam.
Note.:This Dal water can be prepared earlier in the day or the previous day too. But, using dal water more than 1 day old would make the rasam lose a lot of flavor.

Take a pan and add dal water and salt. Add in tomatoes and curry leaves. Once it starts to boil add the tamarind paste,rasam powder and some more water,if needed.

In the meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet and all the tempering ingredients.

After 4-5 minutes, add the tempered ingredients to the boiling rasam and switch off the stove. Add cilantro and Serve hot with rice and your vegetable side.

Tomato Rasam #1

Tomato Rasam is a dish that I make almost twice or thrice a week owing to its wonderful taste and ease of preparation. It can be made easily with just tomatoes and some other basic spices that one would generally stock in the pantry. I make tomato rasam in two different ways and both taste similar. Here is the first recipe .

2 medium tomatoes,chopped
2-3 cups,water
1 spoon,Rasam powder
1/4 spoon tamarind paste or 1 cup tamarind water
1/4 spoon,Pepper powder
2 garlic pods,crushed(optional)
a few curry leaves
salt to taste
Corriander leaves/Cilantro for the garnish
For the tempering,
1/2 spoon,mustard seeds
1/4 spoon,turmeric powder
3-4 green chillies,slit or chopped finely
1/2 spoon, cooking oil( Note that extra oil spoils the taste of the rasam)

Grind the chopped tomatoes to a coarse paste in a blender. In a pan,add this paste followed by water ,salt and curry leaves and turn on the stove.
In the meanwhile, prepare the tempering in a separate skillet. Heat oil, and throw in mustard seeds, turmeric powder and green chillies.
Once the tomato paste comes to a boil, add the tamarind paste/water ,rasam powder, crushed garlic and pepper powder. You may add another cup of water now if you want to adjust the consistency.
After 1-2 minutes, add the tempered ingredients and switch off the stove. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot. Rasam can be had with white steamed rice and a vegetable side. My favorite side for rasam is potato masala.Rasam can be enjoyed as it is too in the form of a soup.

Did you notice that the entire cooking time on the stove was just about 5-6 minutes?Yes, it is that simple. And, getting the rest of the ingredients ready will not take you more than 5 minutes. This means your tomato rasam can be made in just 10 minutes!!!

Cold Coffee

This is a simple and refreshing drink for those hot days. The recipe of this Cold Coffee was shared to me by my sister who knows tons of such beverage recipes.
For the cold coffee:
2 Cups ice cream (Vanilla or chocolate)
1 Cup Chilled Milk
2 spoons Sugar
1/2 spoon Coffe powder

Blend all the ingrdients together in a blender for about a minute.
Serving Suggestion: Add some whipped cream on top just before serving(If you do not care about the calories)

Sweet Lassi

Summer is round the corner and this beverage will do good for your health as well as the hot climate. It is basically a yoghurt based drink and those who detest yoghurt would be better off keeping away from it.

For the Lassi,
2 parts - yoghurt,plain
1 part - ice
sugar - to taste

In a blender jar,add the ingredients and blend till smooth. Your Lassi is ready. Serve chilled or immediately after blending.
For a variation,try adding some juice just before serving. I added orange juice and it gave me lassi a twist that I enjoyed

Avial

Here's a dish from Southern India that is full of vegetables and rich in taste. Not only is this a versaltile dishes(you could mix and match your own veggies) , it consumes less time as well for preparation.
The origin of Avial dates back to the state of kerala in Southern India. I have tasted many variations of Avial and I still do not know the authentic one and neither have I done any research on this. If any of you probably know,then do post it here for me and others to get educated. This is one dish you will love to cook over and over again.

For my version of Avial, here is what you will need:

Vegetables:

Any of the following(atleast 3-4)

2 medium carrots

3-4 string beans

1/2 of a cucumber

1 medium potato

2-3 Drumsticks

2-3 pieces of cubed brinjal
a few pieces of chooped snake gourd pieces

a handful of peas(frozen or fresh)

Grated Cocunut,about 1 cup(A little more or less is fine)

2-3 spoons,Coconut Oil(I used parachute oil)

a few curry leaves

greenchillies,3-4 or to taste

cumin seeds, 1 spoon

2-3 spoons of plain yoghurt

turmeric,1/4 of a spoon (optional)

Salt to taste

Chop all the veggies that you will be using length wise and keep aside.

Heat a skillet and add a spoon of coconut oil. Add the turmeric and then the veggies. Toss it lightly and then add a little water.Water should be just enough to cover the veggies. Throw in the curry leaves. Cover it and cook for about 10 minutes.Let is come to a boil. The vegetables need to get tender and soft.

In the meanwhile, grind together the grated coconut,green chillies and cumin seeds adding little water.

Once the veggies have cooked, add this coconut paste to it and mix well. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes.Now,switch off the stove. Drizzle the remaining coconut oil on top of this.

Add yoghurt just before serving. This is a very good side to rotis as well as rice.

Spinach and potato stuffed parathas

I love spinach and had a bunch with me today. In the mood to experiment? Try these spinach-potato stuffed parathas.

You will need:
1/2 bunch spinach - chopped roughly
2 medium potatoes - boiled and shredded
Wheat Flour/Chappati Flour - 1.5 to 2 cups and a little extra for dusting
Green chillies - finely chopped,to taste
Garam masala - optional,to taste
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste
cooking oil, 1 spoon
water for the dough,about 1 cup

In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except water and shredded potatoes. Mix it well. Slowly,add water till it forms a dough consistency that is used for parathas. Let the dough stand for about 20 minutes atleast. Next,make small balls of the shredded potato and keep aside. Using a rolling pin and your kitchen counter top, start to roll out the parathas half-way. Stuff it with the potato filling and again roll it to an even shape.
In the meanwhile, heat a skillet on low flame. Place the parathas on the skillet and let it get cooked for about 30 seconds. Then,flip the side. After 3o seconds,smear both sides with oil and take it off the skillet. The cooking time may take a little longer than 30 seconds too,depending on the flame.
Enjoy with Onion raita and pickle or any gravy side.

Tiramisu - The eternal Italian desert

This is an absolutely heavenly treat. Chances are that you would more than agree with me,if you have tasted this and if you have never tasted this, then here's a recipe that you could try it. This post is dedicated to my cousin ,Pam, who is a big fan of Tiramisu. Pam,I hope you like this :)

8 oz,Mascarpone cheese

4 tbsp, Powdered Sugar

Instant coffee powder,about 2 spoons

1 cup heavy whipped cream

Cocoa Powder(unsweetened),for dusting/serving

Water for making coffee,about 1-1.5 cups

1 packet,lady finger biscuits (image at the side)

2-3 tbsp of Rum(optional)

Boil some water and dissolve the coffee powder in it(no milk). Let it cool to room temperature. Add rum now,if using.

In the meanwhile, take a mixing bowl, stir together the Cheese and 2 tbsp of sugar. Add a little of the coffee into this,about 3 tbsp. Now, fold in the Whipping cream and additional 2 tbsp of sugar.Mix well. You may use an electric mixer for a faster process. If you are using hand,then will take you about 4-5 mins to get the mixure completely blended.

Next,arrange half the packet of the lady fingers on your kitchen platform. Take a bowl/baking dish or any casserole where two layers of the ladyfingers can fit in as seen in the picture. Carefully, dip the ladyfingers into the coffee and keep it in a dish one next to another.

Note: Do not dip the fingers in coffee for too long, you need to dip just for a second ,otherwise they will fall apart.

Apply an even layer of the cheese and cream mix to this. Dust some cocoa on top of this layer. Use a sifter for doing so.

Next,place another layer of coffee dipped lady fingers and again apply another layer of cream and cheese followed by sifting cocoa.

Cover and refrigerate(NOT FREEZE) for 3-4 hours. Overnight refrigeration would be great.

Tiramisu is now ready to serve. Sprinkle a little more of cocoa and sugar,when you serve.

White Raddish/Daikon Curry

How about using Raddish in cooking today?Never given a thought to Raddish as a curry? It is definitely one of those vegetables which does not have a tolerable odour.But,Raddish is rich in Vitamin C and is also known to posses cancer-protective poperties. It is also good for diabetes patients.

Mooli paratha is a satisying meal on its own. But,as a curry too raddish is tasty. Do give this one a try!

What you will need

1 cup white raddish/daikon-finely shredded
1 small onion-finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds - 1/2 spoon
urad dal - 1/2 spoon
asafoetida - 1 pinch
curry leaves - 4-5 in no.
ginger-garlic paste - 1 spoon
Corriander /dhaniya powder - about 1 spoon
Kitchen king masala - 1/2 spoon(optional)
Chilli powder - as per taste
Salt to taste
Oil for stir-frying
Cilantro/corriander leaves for the garnish
Lemon juice - 2 tsp(or to taste) - optional

Heat oil in a skillet/kadai and splutter mustard seeds. Once done,add cumin seeds,urad dal followed by asafoetida and curry leaves.

Next add the onions and saute for 2-3 mins.Add ginger garlic paste.Let it cook for 1-2 mins more.
Now,added the shredded raddish.Let it cook for about 5 mins. Raddish releases water while cooking so may take some time to cook. After about 5 mins ,add all the dry spices and mix well. Continue cooking it until all the water is absorbed . This might take about 3-5 mins.
Switch off the stove and garnish with cilantro.
Add lemon juice before serving(optional). Enjoyed best with rice and dal/sambhar. It goes well with rotis too.

Spinach Dal

Spinach and lentils together is one dish packed with protein and iron. This is unique combination and a great dish for rotis as well as rice. This dish is a super-fast dish. the only job involved is chopping spinach;so use frozen spinach(16 oz packet) if you wish!!!

What you will need:

Spinach - 1/2 bunch,chopped

Moong dal - 1/2 cup(Toor dal can be used as well)

Onion - 1 small,finely chopped

Mustard seeds - 1/2 spoon

Cumin Seeds - 1/2 spoon

garlic - 2 pods,crushed

dry Red Chilli - 1

curry leaves - to taste

asafoetida - 1 pinch

tamarind paste(1/4 spoon) or 1/2 cup tamarind water

Salt to taste

Chilli powder - According to taste

Sambhar powder - 1 spoon (optional)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cook dal with 1 cup(or a little more) of water using a pressure cooker or any vessel. If using a pressure cooker,allow two whistles on medium flame. If not using pressure cooker,then dal will take 10-15 mins to boil on stove-top.

Once this is ready,heat oil in a skillet/kadai. As it heats up add the mustard seeds and allow to splutter followed by cumin seeds,red chilly,curry leaves, garlic, onion. Saute for 2-3 mins till the onions turn golden brown.

Next ,add chopped spinach leaves and saute till it wilts(about 2 mins). Now add the cooked dal and mix well. Allow it to come to a boil. Add salt,Chilli powder,Sambar powder and tamarind paste.

Switch off the stove and serve hot.