Moong Dal Poha

Moong Dal poha.....reminds me of my childhood. On every Monday mornings, from the age of 8 yrs, my dad used to keep a fast for Lord Shiva, and he still keeps it till date, and my mom use to make this poha for all of us for breakfast and we (me and my brother) also used to take it to school for lunch time snack. Oh! what a wonderful good old days.

After getting married, today for the first time in 2 yrs, I cooked this for my husband and he was so happy to have it. You know what he said....., "Nidhi, its very healthy and tasty at the same time", and asked me to share it with you all. So here I am presenting you with a recipe good for breatfast or evening snack. Enjoy...

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Yellow Moong Dal Split (1 Cup, soaked for 1 hr)
Peas (1/2, Boiled)
Sweet Onion (1/2 Cup, Finely Chopped)
Tomato (1, Finely Chopped)
Green chilli (1 Finely Chopped, Optional)
Ginger (1/2 Tsp, Finely Chopped)
Corriander Leaves (1/4 Cup)
Curry Leaves (5-7, Finely Chopped)
Sugar (A pinch)
Oil (1/2 Tsp)

Spices:
Black Mustard Seeds (1/2 Tsp)
Red Chilli Powder (1/4 Tsp, Optional)
Turmeric (1/4 Tsp, Optional)
Salt (To taste)

Method:

1. Boil peas in a small bowl with 1 1/2 cups of water, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste, in the microwave for 2-4 mins.
2. Now wash dal and add 2 cups of water and salt to it and boil it in a microwave rice-cooker for about 12 mins.
3. Heat oil in pan, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Now add ginger and green chilli and cook for 1/2 min.
4. Add curry leaves and all the other spices and fry for 1/2 min.
5. Now add dal and peas and mix well.
6. In a large bowl mix corriander leaves, onion and tomatoes.
7. Now add prepared dal into the onion mixture.
8. Serve hot garnished with curry leaves.

Kadhi

Hey, today its kadhi time on my blog....people also call it buttermilk soup. "Kadhi" the name speaks for itself, it means something which is simmered for hours and hours together. A fine tasting kadhi will be the one that has been cooked for at least 3-6 hours on a low flame. For me its my favourite food when I don't want to cook anything or I am being lazy.

In India, right in front of my home, there is a Lord Rama, Shiva and Krishana Temple. Even though its a small one, but Janmashtami (birth day of Lord Krishana) is celebrated on a very large scale. After 5 days of the birth of Lord Krishana, on the 6th day again there is a celebration which is called "CHATHI" and every year on this day my grandmom makes this Kadhi and rice in a large quantity, to be distributed as Prasaad (Holy Food) to everyone who so ever comes to the temple. Before marriage I use to help her in cooking it and thats how I learned it. So lets start cooking this wonderful Kadhi....which simple to make and authentic in taste..

Makes 4-5 Servings

Ingredients:
Buttermilk (3 Cups)
Besan (3 Tbsp)
Turmeric Powder (1 Tsp)
Salt (To taste)
Water (2 Cups)

Spices:
Cumin Seeds (1 Tsp)
Methi Seeds (1 Tsp)
Corriander Powder (1 Tsp)
Hing (a pinch)
Curry Leaves (8-10)

Oil (2 Tsp)

For Tadka:

Ghee (1 Tsp)

Red chilli Powder (1/2 Tsp)

Cumin Seeds (1/4 Tsp)

Hing (a pinch)

Method:

1. Mix Besan, turmeric powder and salt, keep aside. Also mix butter milk and water.
2. Slowly pour buttermilk and water mixter into besan mixture and keep stirring with help of a spatula. Be careful, no lumps should be formed.
3. Heat oil in a large pan and cracle cumin seeds, methi seeds, hing, curry leaves and corriander powder.
4. Now slowly pour the buttermilk and besan mixture into the pan and keep on stirring it till comes to a boil, otherwise it will burn immediately.
5. Now, on a low flame, let it cook for 4-5 hours.

For Tadka:

1. Heat Ghee in a very small pan and put all the spices. Let the roast for 1 min.
2. Garnish the prepared kadhi with red chilli powder tadka
3. Serve hot with chapatis and jeera (cumin) rice.

Tips:

1. If lumps are formed in the buttermilk and besan mixture, seieve it while pouring it in the pan.
2. People gererally add besan pakoras in it, which is very tasty but, since the pakoras are deep fried, its not a healthy alternative. If you really want that pakora kind of a taste, add boondi to it and it will be as good.
3. To enhance it nutritional value, add baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped, at the time of cooking.

Chocolate-Vanilla Medley Cookies

The recipe that I am repsenting today is very close to my heart. When I was a kid and used to live in India with my parents, there was bakery nearby and my dad always used to bring a cookie which had two flavours - Chocolate & Vanilla (two of my most favourite foods). I always used to wonder that how do they make two separate flavours in a single cookie (they call it biscuit instead of cookie, in India). But now I have figured out the secret and would like to share it with you all. I hope you will like it...

Ingredients:
Butter (1/2 Cup, Softened)
Sugar (1/2 Cup)
Eggs (1, Room temperature)
Vanilla Essence (3/4 Tsp)
Semi-sweet Chocolate chips (1/2 ounce, melted)
All-Purpose Flour (1 1/2 Cups)
Baking Soda (1/4 Tsp)
Salt (1/4 Tsp)

Method:

1. Sieve Flour with baking soda and salt. Keep aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with the help of a hand blender, until they are well incorporated.
3. Now add egg and beat. Add the vanilla essence and mix well.
4. With the help of a rubber spatula, fold in the sieved flour mixture, making sure that nothing is left on the sides of the bowl.
5. Divide the prepared dough in half and stir in the melted chocolate in one half of the dough. Now chill the dough for 4-6 hrs in the refrigerator.
6. With the help of a cookies scooper, from both the dough, take one scoop each and place on a cutting board. Cut the scoops into halves.
7. Now exchage the halves. Place one chocolate half with one vanilla half and roll them to make a small ball (which is one side vanilla nd one side chocolate).
8. Flaten the ball, a little bit, with your fingers and place on an ungreased cookies sheet.
9. Bake for about 12-15 mins on 350F (they will start looking golden brown and firmer).

Tip: Substitute All-purpose flour with wheat flour to make them more healthy and they will taste as good as ever.

Kaju-Pista Tealight

Kaju Katli, Pista roll....Oh we need a change. We need something more elegant and sophisticated, something different from the regular stuff. I generally make Kaju Katli at home but on this Diwali, I thought of giving it a different look. My Kaju-Pista tealight is a twist on Kaju-Pista roll... I added pista filling to Kaju burfi and rolled it in a dice shape. Made the base with the same pista filling and added an almond on top. Garnished with silver foil(varq) and served in muffin cups. These tealights made my diwali celebration more colorful and bright...

Gulab Jamun

Gulab Jamun, the name itself, makes you feel of a festive environment or some special occasion; if they are home-made, then nothing like it. Here is my recipe for making Gulab Jamun at home and celebrating each day like a festival...

Makes 50 Pc
Serving Size 2

Ingredients:
Mava (1 Kg)
All-Purpose Flour (250 gm)
Refind Oil (25 ml)

Soda (5 gm)
Cardamom (1 Tsp, Powdered)
Water (1/2 Cup)
Oil (for frying)

For Sugar Syrup:
Sugar (2 Kg)
Water (2 lt)

Method:

1. For making Sugar syrup: Heat water and sugar together, and bring it to a boil. Keep aside.
2. Combine water and soda in a small bowl and then mix it with rest of the ingredients. Make small balls with it (little smaller then a ping-pong ball, because they will increase in size after putting them in sugar syrup). Keep covered with a wet kitchen towel.
3. Heat oil in a kadhai or a deep bottom pan. After it hot, put the flame on low and fry the balls made previously. Remember to stir them constantly otherwise they will burn very quickly.
4. Directly from the pan or kadhai, put them in the sugar syrup for at least 1 hr.
5. Serve them hot, garnishes with pista and silver foil (varq).

If you want, you can stuff them with dry-fruits (cashews, pista and chironji), kesar, Yellow food color and mishri mixed in 3 tbsp of mava. Just put a little bit of this mixture in the centre of each ball.

If mava is not available easily, make paneer and when its soft and most of the water is squeezed out from it, heat a pan, put prepared paneer in it and keep on stirring it until its dry and starts to leave a little bit of oil. Let it cool and use as required.

Bread Pizza

The recipe I am presenting to you today is very close to my heart. Its one of those recipes, that me and my brother used to cook together, when we were quite young and learning how to cook. Its a snack, good with evening tea or can be served in breakfast. So lets get cooking, the snack of my childhood...

Makes 10 servings
Serving size 2 Bread slices

Ingredients:
Onion (1 medium, finely chopped)
Tomato (2, finely chopped)
Bell Pepper (1 small, finely chopped)
Ginger (1 tbsp, grated)
Green chilli (2, finely chopped)
Corriender Leaves (2 tbsp, finely chopped)
Sooji (250 grams)
Cream (Malai, half cup)

Spices:
Ajwayan (1 tsp)
Red Chilli Pwd (1/2 tsp)
Salt (to taste)
Bread (1 loaf)
Oil or butter for frying

Method:

1. In a medium bowl mix all the above ingredients and spices, and make a thick paste. Now take one bread slice and spread the paste on it with the help of a spoon or knife and sprinkle few drops of oil on it.
2. Heat a non-stick pan or tava and place the slice on it with the paste side down. Reduce the heat and again sprinkle few drops of oil on the other side. Flip over and cook untill golden brown on both sides.
3. Repeat the above process for all the bread slices and serve hot with Corriander chutney or ketchup.

(Cream can be substituted by warm milk (1/2- 3/4 th cup) to make it more healthy.)