Pav Bhaji

Ingredients:

1. Onion(chopped finely) - 1 (big)
2. Tomatoes(chopped finely)- 2
3. Capsicum(chopped finely) -1 
4. Potatoes - 2 (big)
5. Carrot,green peas,cauliflower(all chopped)- 1 cup
6. Green chillies(slit) -2
7. Butter - 2 tbsp
8. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
9. Red Chilli powder  -1 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Pav Bhaji masala - 3 tsp
12. Salt
13. Fresh lemon
14. Pav Buns
15. Onion and cilantro(chopped)- To garnish

Method:

1.Pressure cook the potatoes and other chopped veggies(carrot,green peas,cauliflower) for upto 3 whistles with little water

2.Once cool,peel skin of potatoes,chop into pieces.

3.Mash the potatoes and other pressure cooked veggies well and set aside

4.Heat a broad pan,add 2 tbsp butter,green chillies,ginger galic paste and onions.Saute till the onions turn transparent.

5.Add the capsicum and saute for 1-2 minutes till they become tender.

6.Toss in the chopped tomatoes and fry till it loses water and turns mushy.Add salt,turmeric,chilli powder,pav bhaji masala.(I used everest pav bhaji masala)

7.Add all the other mashed veggies and mix well.Mash again  to bring in a smooth texture and to avoid lumps

8.Add a blop of butter on top and keep in low flame.The bhaji needs to be hot till you serve.

9.Garnish with cilantro and chopped onion and a hint of lemon when you serve with the Pav.

10.Toast the Pav buns with little butter on a tava and serve hot with Bhaji!!

Paneer Fried Rice

Ingredients:
1.Basmati rice- 2 cups
2.Paneer cubes-1.5 cups
3.Olive oil- 2 tbsp
4.Capsicum(chopped finely)-2
5.Carrot(chopped finely)-2
6.Sugar 3 tsps
7.Spring onions 1 bunch 
8.Pepper - 3 tsps
9.Salt
10.Soy sauce,chilli sauce,tomato ketchup- 1 tsp each

Method:
1.Chop the green part and white part of spring onions separately
2.Soak basmati rice for 30 minutes and cook it with water ratio 1 : 1 & 1/2 in rice cooker.
3.Allow it to cool and separate the grains. Keep aside.
4.Immerse the paneer cubes in hot water for five minutes.Drain the water and crumble well.
5.Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide non stick pan,add white part of spring onion.Keep in high flame.
6.Then add chopped carrot ,sugar and fry for 1-2 minutes.
7.Next add the capsicum and mix well in high flame.Toss all the veggies now and then to give it a nice smoky flavour
8.Add pepper,1 tsp each of chilli sauce,soy sauce and tomato ketchup and stir.
9.Finally toss in the crumbled paneer pieces.
10.You can either crumble panner finely or in medium sized chunks depending on how you wish.
11.Add needed salt and mix.Toss in the green part of spring onions to garnish.
12.Keep in medium flame.Add cooked rice and mix well.Make sure you do not break the rice.Mix gently
13.Serve hot with ketchup or with Gobi manchurian.Tastes heavenly!!

Pesarattu(Green gram dhal dosa)

Ingredients:
1.Green gram dhal- 1 cup
2.Rice-1/2 cup
3.Green chillies-3 or 4(depending on your spice level)
4.Ginger - a small piece
5.Onion- 1.5( 1 for grinding and 1/2 chopped for garnishing)
6.Jeera- 1 tsp
7.Salt
8.Curry leaves
9.Oil- 1tbsp


Method:
1.Wash and then soak rice & green gram dhal together in water for over 9-10 hours.
2.Drain the water,grind the rice & green gram dhal with onion,ginger,green chillies and salt.Sprinkle some curry leaves.
3.Add water as needed.The consistency of the batter should not be very smooth like dosa batter.It should be little coarse.
4.The pesarattu batter need not ferment.You can make them as soon as the batter is ready.
5.Heat a tawa ,keep in low-medium flame.Once its hot,evenly spread the batter like a thin round layer like dosa.Sprinkle some onion.
6.Drizzle oil around the edges and also a little in the middle so that all sides get evenly cooked and is crispy.
7.Flip side and cook on the other side too.
8.Serve with chutney.I made morkozhambu as a side today and its a very good combination for pesarattu.

Cracked Wheat Kichdi

Cracked wheat is a very healthy food for growing toddlers.It carries a great amount of nutrition and fiber.

Ingredients:
Cracked Wheat (Daliya) – 1/2 cup (Wash and rinse using a colander to remove any impurities)
Moong Dhal – 1/2 cup, rinse well and drain the water
Ghee  – 2 tsp
Grated ginger – 1/4 tsp
Minced Garlic – 1/4 tsp
Veggies of your choice(Peas/carrots/beans/potatoes/broccoli) – 1 cup all together
Turmeric Powder 
Asafoetida (Hing)
Water – 3 cups
Salt

Method:
1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel.
2. Once the ghee warms up,add the cracked Wheat (Daliya) and saute for 2 minutes until you get a nice aroma.
3. Add the moong dhal,water,veggies(I added beans,Peas and Carrots),garlic,ginger,salt,pinch of turmeric and asafoetida.Add little chopped cilantro to give a nice fresh taste and flavour.
4. Mix well and transfer it to a pressure cooker.Cook for 4 whistles, turn off stove and allow the pressure to go down by itself completely.
5. Serve with plain yogurt or top it with a little ghee.

Gujarati Thepla

Ingredients:(Makes 12 theplas)

1. Wheat Flour– 3 cups
2. Dried Kasoori methi/Fresh fenugreek Leaves – 2 tbsp
3. Oil – 1 tbsp
4. Thick Curd – 1 cup
5. Salt – 2 tsp
6. Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
7. Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Minced Garlic – 1 tbsp
9. Coriander/cumin Powder – 1 tsp
10. Chopped cilantro – 1/4 cup, packed
11. Warm Water – 1/4 cup

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix wheat Flour and oil and mix it well together
2. In another bowl, mix the following ingredients: 
Curd,Fenugreek/methi Leaves, Cilantro.turmeric Powder, salt,Red Chilli Powder and minced Garlic.Taste it to check salt.If needed add more as per your taste
3. Add the above mixture into the flour and slowly knead.
4. Add additional Warm Water if needed little by little. 
5.Knead to form a ball of dough.Check if the bowl and hands are dry and not sticky.If so,you have made the dough right!!
6. Drizzle a few drops of Oil, smear on the dough, cover it with a lid and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
7. Heat a tawa on medium flame.
8. Make balls of the dough and start rolling just like you do for roti. Whenever needed use dry flour to dust.Do not use too much dry flour which will make the thepla hard
9. Place on the hot Tawa and cook.
10. Once it starts to change color, flip and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side.
11. Drizzle a drop of oil and smear and flip once again.
12. Press gently with a spatula and allow to cook till you see few bubbles.
13. Take off the tawa and serve hot with pickle/raita.

Thepa is tasty by itself because of the masalas added in the dough.Usually eaten as a snack.Doesn't need a special sidedish.

Bhindi Masala gravy

Ingredients:
1.Lady's Finger/Okra- 15
2.Tomatoes- 4 (medium size chopped lengthwise)
3.Yogurt/curd- 2 tbsp
4.Chopped green chillies-2
5.Grated ginger- 2 tsp
6.Garam masala- 2 tsp
7.Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
8.Hing
9.Red chilli powder- 2 tsp
10.Salt
11.Oil- 5 tbsp
12.Cilantro
13.Jeera/cumin seeds- 2 tsps

To dry roast and grind to a fine powder:
1. Fenugreek seeds- 1 tsp
2.Fennel seeds- 2 tsp
3.Coriander seeds/dhania- 3 tsp

Method:
1.Cut each lady's finger into 2 inch pieces.Make a small slit in each and fry in 4 tbsp oil. Allow it to fry for 10 minutes till they turn light brown and lose the bright green colour.
2.Dry roast the above listed 3 items till they turn golden brown and burst and grind in mixie without adding water.
3.In a pan add 1 tbsp oil,jeera,green chillies and ginger.Slowly toss in the chopped tomatoes.
4.Add salt,turmeric,hing,chilli powder and garam masala.Allow the tomatoes to cook well for 6-8 minutes.
5.Keep stove in low,add the curd.Slowly you will notice that oil separates.Now add the ground powder and mix well.Remember to keep in low flame while adding and after adding curd, else the curd would disintegrate into the gravy.
6.Finally add the fried lady's finger/okra after draining the oil to the gravy.
7.Garnish with cilantro.
8.Don't keep mixing after adding the bhindi pieces as they would break.
9.Serve with roti/paratha of your choice.

Carrot thayir pachadi(Carrot in seasoned yogurt)

Ingredients:
1.Grated carrot-1
2.Thick curd/yogurt- 1 cup
3.Green chilly- 1 small
4.Salt
5.Oil- 2 tsp
6.Cilantro
7.Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
8.Asafoetida- a pinch

Method:
1.Add the grated carrot to the curd.
2.Add salt and asafoetida and mix.
3.Heat oil,add mustard seeds and chopped green chilly.Add to curd+carrot mix once mustard splutters.
4.Garnish with Cilantro
5.You can also grind little coconut+1 green chilly with little water in mixie and add to give extra taste.
6.Replace cucumber instead of carrot for cucumber thayir pachadi.

Carrot Rice (Chettinad style)

Ingredients:
1.Grated carrot- 2(1 cup)
2.Basmati Rice- 1 cup
3.Chopped onion-1/2 
4.Cloves-2
5.Cinnamon- 1 small stick
6.Jeera/Saunf- 1 tsp
7.Oil/Butter- 2 tbsp
8.Cilantro- handful
9.Green chilly-1
10.Salt
11.Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

To grind without adding water:
1.Chopped tomato-1
2.Red chillies- 1-2(as per taste)
3.Grated coconut- 2 tbsp
4.Chopped onion-1/2

Method:
1.Soak basmati rice in water for 20 minutes
2.Cook with 1.5 cups of water in rice cooker. Do not overcook rice.
3.Heat oil in a pan, add jeera/saunf,cloves,cinnamom,green chilly and when jeera splutters add chopped onion and saute till they become golden brown.
4.Toss in the grated carrots,add little butter,salt and turmeric and cook for 5-8 minutes in low-medium flame sauteing now and then so that the carrots don't get burnt.
5.Set aside the carrot+onion mixture.
6.Add oil/butter to the same pan and empty the ground paste to it. Cook for 10 minutes in medium flame sauteing inbetween till the raw smell of onion fades away.
7.Add the carrot+onion mixture,mix,sprinkle little water and cook for 5 minutes.
8.Add this to the cooked basmati rice and  mix gently without mashing the rice.
9.Garnish with cilantro
10.Serve with raita

P.S:For people who don't like the flavour of clove/cinnamon,skip that or you can add a clove and cinnamon stick while cooking rice to get the masala flavour and remove it while mixing so that you don't bite into it.Or use a pinch on any garam masala when you saute carrots+onions.

Ashoka Halwa

Ingredients:
Use the same CUP for all measurements.

1. Moong dhal- 1 cup
2. Wheat flour- 1 cup
3. Sugar- 2 cups
4. Cardamom powder- 2 tsp
5. Cashews- 10-15
6. Saffron strands soaked in milk
7. Kesari powder/food color- a pinch( optional)
8. Ghee- 8 tbsp

Method:

1.Dry fry the moong dhal till it turns golden brown.

2.Pressure cook it well for 5-6 whistles with little water.Once it cools,mash it well to a thick paste after draining out all the water.You can also pressure cook the dhal directly.But frying a little will give us a nice aroma and also to get rid of the raw smell of dhal.

3.Heat 2 tsp ghee in a non stick pan.Roast the cashews till golden brown.Set aside.

4.In the same pan add the wheat flour and fry till golden brown.Keep aside

5.Making Sugar syrup: Add 1/2 cup water and then 2 cups sugar.Keep stirring till you get a string like consistency.This would take about 7-10 minutes.

6.Slowly add the wheat flour and keep stirring. 

7.In 3 minutes add the mashed moong dhal paste and keep stirring without any lumps.Add 3 tbsp ghee.

8.The main thing to remember is never stop stirring and keep the stove on medium flame.

9.Add the kesari powder & saffron with milk.Whenever you feel the halwa sticks to the vessel,add ghee and continue to stir.

10.The halwa will take around 15-20 minutes to cook.Wait till the ghee oozes out and you are able to get a nice ball like consistency.

11.Add the cashews and the remaining ghee.

12. The yummy halwa is ready to serve:)