PEANUTS AND POTATO CHATPATA SALAD ( FAST SPECIAL)

Hello everyone

Auspicious Navratri days are continued and many of us are fasting these days. We too observe fast during every Navratri , on very first day and ashtami . There are many people who used to perform fast all over Navratri period. So the fast special meal we take these days matters a lot. Generally people go for deep fried snacks and ghee laden high calorie dishes while fasting, which is completely wrong and adversely affect their health. We should try to consume lots of fibre and nutrient rich food and let our digestive system rest a bit. So instead of having lots of fried and high calories fast special treats go for some healthy yet filling alternative.

Today I am sharing such a very healthy ,quick , delicious as well as filling recipe with you. Do try and let me know your experience.

PEANUTS AND POTATO CHATPATA SALAD ( FAST SPECIAL)

Serves: 2 big servings
Time: 10 mins max.

Ingredients

1 medium cucumber, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
2 potatoes, boiled and finely chopped
1/2 apple, finely chopped ( optional but adds extra crunch and flavor, of course)
Black pepper powder, as per taste
Sendha namak ( rock salt) , as per taste
Lemon juice , as per taste
1 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
2-3 green chilies , finely chopped( as per taste)
1/2 cup peanuts, roasted

Method

Mix well everything together in a big bowl, except peanuts. Adjust seasoning as per your taste.
Add peanuts only when ready to serve , to maintain crunch .

* You can also use carrots, sweet potato or any other fruit or veggie of your choice.

* Don't add peanuts too early otherwise they will turn soft and soggy.

This can also be consumed on our regular routine as a healthy snacks or breakfast substitute. If having on regular day then can also use some chaat masala to give extra flavour to it.

* If you are a health conscious and weight watcher fellow then can have it as a meal replacement too.

It's just not a fast special dish but a full nutrition packed healthy meal for anyone anytime.

Not only healthy but it gives just burst of flavours in your mouth and leave you fully filled and satisfied , even on a fasting day .

Hope you all will love this healthy cum delicious fasting treat and  definitely give it a try. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

LEMON RICE

Hello everyone

South Indian flavours are my all time favorite. That's why I often used to prepare South Indian delicacies at my home and everyone loves it a lot. Today I was not in mood of cooking but some thing must be needed for our dinner. Then idea strikes to make lemon rice as I had lots of cooked rice from lunch and these will be perfect for preparing lemon rice in no time. As everyone have their own way of preparing the same dish, so here is mine version of lemon rice which never let me down in flavours. I can relish on these lemonish beauty any time.
Recipe is given below, hope you all will love to try it.

LEMON RICE

Serves: 3-4
Time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients

3- 4 cups cooked rice
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)
1 tbsp Chana dal
1 tbsp urad dal
1/4 cup peanuts ( optional)
2-3 springs curry leaves
3-4 dry red chilies
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder ( completely optional, I added to spice up)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice ( adjust as per taste)
Salt to taste
Oil


Method:

Heat oil in a wok, add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let it crackle then add peanuts and fry for 2-3 mins. Then add Chana dal and fry till light golden . Add urad dal and saute for few seconds, till light golden. Now add both chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a minute then add turmeric powder. Just stir for a second and lemon juice followed by rice, black pepper and salt. Mix everything well and saute for 2-3 minutes to incorporate all the flavours in rice. Serve hot with any raita or as it is. It needs nothing to accompany as is full of aroma and flavour.

** Always try to add pre cooked rice ,  cooked atleast 3-4 hrs earlier. This will give nice fluffy rice.

* Don't add both dal together to fry as urad dal burns quickly. So follow the steps religiously.

* After adding lemon juice, immediately add rice as cooking of lemon juice may turn it little bitter.

* Adjust chilies and lemon juice as per taste.

Enjoy this super easy rice dish and satisfy your hunger in a yummy way. This will be best for lunch, dinner, breakfast or even for tiffin too.

Do try this simplest recipe and let me know your experience. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

SPROUTED MOONG AND PEANUTS KACHUMBAR SALAD

Hello everyone

Almost 9-10 years back, I tasted kachumbar salad for very first time in a restaurant and from that day I became a die hard fan of it. I frequently prepare it at my home and everyone loves it. But the day my doctor told me of hypothyroid and elevated cholesterol level , I decided to replace atleast some of my meal with some zero oil healthy version. And the first name came to my mind was kachumbar salad. Then I started to wonder , how I can add some more health and taste to my regular salad to make it more delicious as well as healthy too. I never liked sprouts but when I added moong sprouts in my salad then it really tasted far better or you can say much delicious to resist it. From that very day, this became a meal replacement for me in a healthy and yummy way.

If you are looking for a diet recipe with deliciousness at the same time then this is for you. Just try it , you will love it to have anytime without any second thought.

Recipe is given below, do try and don't forget to tell your experience with me.

SPROUTED MOONG AND PEANUTS KACHUMBAR SALAD

Serves: 2 ( big)

Time: 10 mins

Ingredients 

1 cup sprouted moong

2 medium cucumber, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

2 slices Apple, finely chopped ( optional)

1-2 green chiles, finely chopped

1 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped

Black pepper powder, as per taste

1/4 tsp Black salt

Chaat masala, as per taste

Lemon juice, as per taste

Salt , as per taste

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

Method:

First of all steam sprouted moong till semi cooked or microwave with some water for 4-5 minutes. Drain all water from sprout and let it cool.

Now add all ingredients together and mix well. Adjust seasoning according to your taste.

While serving ,add peanuts and serve immedietly. Your super yum and healthy dish is ready to fill you .

You can have it with evening tea/ breakfast or replace your dinner or lunch with it. If you are willing to loose some extra pounds then this is best meal replacement for you. So delicious yet healthy and zero oil dish , you can prepare in minutes.

** Don't add peanuts too early, otherwise they will get soggy and will not taste as good as you want.

So always add peanuts while serving.

** You can also add onions, capsicum , spring onions etc as per your taste to make your salad more personalized to your taste buds.

Do try this delicious treat and share your experience with me. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot.

Happy cooking....

MIX VEG PANEER PALAK FRNKIE ROLL

Hello everyone

Serving nutritious, healthy cum delicious food to their family is every homemakers dream. And this dream becomes more challenging when you have fussy eaters at your home, just like mine. My younger one demand more attention , when I have to prepare lunch box for him. He is too picky to like regular meals, so I have to invent new forms of daily meals to lure him. Today I added some spinach, mix veggies and paneer to kids lunch box in some innovative way without telling them. Who doesn't know the nutritional values of green leafy veggies , which our kids totally deny. Generally kids are fond of paneer dishes, so I took advantage of this weakness of them and added some more nutrition in my way. Hope you will find it more interesting way to feed your child some more nutrients without more fuss. 

Recipe is given below, do try and see your kids having healthy snacks in delicious way.

MIX VEG PANEER PALAK FRANKIE ROLL

Serves: 8-10

Time: 30 mins 

Ingredients 

For filling:

1 cup cottage cheese ( paneer), cubed

4 cups thinly sliced mix veggies ( carrots, cabbage, beans, capsicum etc)

2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes, sliced

1 cup spinach , roughly chopped 

2-3 green chilies

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp curry powder ( optional)

1/2 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder

1/2 tsp lemon juice ( optional)

Salt to taste

Oil

For rolls:

8-10 tortilla wraps/ round parathas/ khubus 

Some salad

Sauce of your choice

Method:

First of all make smooth paste of spinach, green chilies and some water. Keep aside for later use. 

Heat some oil in a wok , add cumin seeds. Let it crackle and add sliced onions.

 Let it cook till transparent, add ginger garlic paste and prepared spinach puree followed by turmeric powder, cumin powder,curry powder and garam masala powder, fry till every thing is nicely cooked and starts leaving oil.

  Now add mix veggies and saute for 3-4 mins. 

Add some salt and cover to cook but still remain crisp. Now add sliced tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are cooked and soft .

Now add paneer cubes and saute for 2 mins and add chaat masala powder. 

Adjust salt and our filling is ready. 

Now either prepare round paratha or take ready made wraps and put required amount of above filling , topped with some salad and sauce. 

Roll it to give cylindrical shape and wrap in an aluminum foil if giving in lunch box , to retain its shape and softness.

 Or cut it in desired size and serve hot with any sauce or as it it. I used khubus this time.

*You can add other vegetables too as per your choice and availability.

* Paneer can also be replaced with any other veggie option or meat products as per your choice.

It is very delicious cum healthy breakfast/ tiffin snacks provides maximum nutrition in one go, and is very easy to prepare too.

 You can also prepare it for dinner/lunch/breakfast or whenever you want  as it is a complete meal and filling too.

Hope you all will definitely give it a try and don't forget to share your experience with me. 

Happy cooking....

DHABA STYLE PINDI CHHOLE

Hello everyone

Chhole is a very well known dish to everyone and is stapled with Punjabi cuisine. Though it is made in whole north India and also in other parts of India and world, but Punjabi flavours are known best in all. I always dream to make perfect pindi chhole dome day but never got that level of satisfaction from my recipes. One day while going though one of group posts , I saw one members post claiming it's authentic recipe given by a Dhaba man. As I am a big admirer of Dhaba food, thought to give it a try with some of my twists in it, as per my taste. And viola it turned out so yummy and satisfied my best recipe craving.

Thanks to Saurabh singh for sharing that recipe. Hope you all will love to try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience with me.

Step wise recipe is given below.

DHABA STYLE PINDI CHHOLE

Serves: 5-6

Time : 1 hr ( leaving soaking time)

Ingredients 

2 cup dry chick peas , soak it overnight or at least for 5-6 hrs

1-2 tea bags

3 big onions, thinly sliced 

2-3 green chilies, broken in half

2 big tomatoes, finely chopped 

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 1/2 tbsp gram flour ( besan)

1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds 

1 tsp carom seeds( ajwain)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 1/2 tbsp cumin powder

1 1/2 tbsp coriander powder

2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder 

3 tbsp chana/ Chhole masala

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 - 1  tsp chaat masala powder ( as per taste)

2 tsp kasoori methi , crushed between palms

1/4 cup green coriander leaves, finely chopped 

Lemon juice as per taste

Salt to taste

Oil

For tempering:

4 green cardamom

1 black cardamom

1 bay leaf

For final tempering:

1 tbsp ghee ( you can use more if not much calorie conscious ☺️)

1 small onion, finely chopped 

1 tsp ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp garlic , finely 

2-3 dry red chilies 

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp carom seeds( ajwain)

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp asafetida ( heeng)

Method: 

First of all cook chick peas with little salt and tea bags in a pressure cooker till they become fully cooked and tender. Now remove tea bag from it and keep aside for later use.

Meanwhile dry roast 1 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds till nice aromatic and golden brown. Let it cool and pound it to coarse powder. Keep aside for later use.

Heat oil in a wok, add first tempering spices and Saute till it become aromatic. 

Now add onions and green chilies, saute for 2-3 minutes and add carom seeds. Now fry it till onions become nice golden. 

Add pounded coriander powder and saute for a minute. 

Now add gram flour and saute for a minute.

Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 3-4 minutes or till its raw smell goes off. 

Add chopped tomatoes followed by coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, Chana masala and some salt. 

Now saute it till tomatoes are nicely cooked ,mushy and started leaving oil. It will take good 6-7 minutes or more. So fry it with patience for best outcome.

Now add chickpeas along with its water and mix well. Adjust salt and bring to a boil. Now simmer it for 10-15 minutes. Now add garam masala powder and chaat masala. 

Simmer for another 1-2 minutes and add kasoori methi. Mix well and switch off the flame.

Now heat ghee in tadka pan . Add asafetida ( heeng) followed by cumin, coriander and carom seeds. Let it fry for 1 min then add all other ingredients.

 Fry till onions become golden. Now add this tempering to prepared chhole and mix well. 

Finally add a dash of lemon juice to it as per taste and garnish with coriander leaves.

Your super tempting Dhaba style pindi chhole is ready to be served with kulcha/naan/ bhature or pulao.

** For more darker color of chhole add two tea bags, I used only one as ran out of stock.

This is really authentic flavours of Dhaba and you will never regret , trying this. If you are a chhole fan then it is a must try recipe for you.

Hope you all will love this recipe and do share your experience with me here. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions, they meant a lot to me.

Happy cooking....

CORN AND CARROT POHE

Hello everyone

Before marriage I was not a very big admirer of poha. As in our family,only my youngest brother loves it, so mom used to make it rarely. But after marriage found that hubby is die hard fan of pohe. He can have it everyday in breakfast without getting bore. But as per my interest I started making twist and turns in basic recipe of poha . And now I too love to have it any time but still not everyday😜. Today I planned to prepare poha for breakfast but peas were finished. But I was not in mood of preparing anything else so gave my twist and added some sweet corn and carrots. Viola It too was so yummy and delicious to resist. Though it was not planned to share its recipe here in my blog , so didn't clicked stepwise pics, but be sure to get elaborated stepwise recipe. As it's so simple and easy to prepare that  first timer can also prepare perfectly.

Recipe is given below. Hope you all will like it and do share your experience with me here.

CORN AND CARROT POHE

Serves: 2-3

Time : 20 mins

Ingredients 

1 cup flattened rice ( pohe) thick ones

1/2 cup sweet corn kernels ( you can also use peas)

1/2 carrot, grated

2 medium onions, thinly sliced 

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 

2-3 green chilies, finely chopped ( as per taste)

1 medium tomato, finely chopped 

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder ( optional)

2 tbsp green coriander leaves, finely chopped 

Salt to taste

Oil

Handful of roasted peanuts or any savory mixture, for garnishing 

Method:

First of all wash flattened rice ( pohe)  and drain all the water. Keep it aside for later use.

Now heat some oil in a wok , add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let them crackle then add onion and chilies. Saute till onions get transparent. 

Now add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add corn and carrot followed by turmeric powder and some salt. Saute for a minute and cover to cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Now add chopped tomatoes and again cover to cook till tomatoes get mushy. Add coriander leaves and mix well. Now add flattened rice ( pohe), black pepper powder , chaat masala and salt . 

Mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes. Serve in individual bowls and garnish with some peanuts or mixture. 

Your delicious breakfast is ready to serve hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

** You can also add some other veggies too, like capsicum, beans, peas, potatoes etc. keep changing ingredients and enjoy new flavor every time.

** You can increase quantity of onions as per your taste. As I like too many onions in my poha, it leads to poha' taste to another level.

You can prepare it for morning breakfast or for evening snacks. It's not only yummy but filling too.

Hope you all will love to try this simple yet delicious breakfast and don't forget to share your experience with me. Please pour your valuable comments and suggestions here, they meant a lot...

Happy cooking....

FOUR DIFFERENT BREADS FROM SAME GARLIC HERB DOUGH AND PANEER ZATAAR FILLING

Hello everyone

I had some thick water drained from my biryani rice and don't want to throw it as was full of aroma and flavour. So thought to bake some bread and use this in kneading my dough as it was long I baked any bread. But then I thought why not to give it some artistic twist and bake some more flavours and designs of bread from this perfect dough. I saw some patterned bread pictures few days back, on Internet . Keeping that in my mind , I tried to make these four types of breads, which are loved by everyone in both taste and look. So here is the technique and tips with step wise pics for baking these cuties. Hope you all will definitely give it a try and come up with your feedback too.

FOUR DIFFERENT BREADS FROM SAME GARLIC HERB DOUGH AND PANEER ZATAAR FILLING

Serves: 3-4 ( each bread)

Time: 1 1/2 hr ( leaving proofing and resting time)

Ingredients

For dough :

4 cup all purpose flour / whole wheat flour/ chapatti flour
1 tsp active dry yeast 
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp oregano 

2 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic

1/2 tsp thyme leaves(optional)

1/2 tsp rosemary leaves ( optional)
2 -3 tbsp oil 

1 cup warm water to knead dough ( I used drained water from biryani rice)

Milk to brush

Ghee or butter for final brushing 

For filling:

1 cup crumbled cottage cheese ( paneer)

1/2 cup Zataar mix

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/4 tsp chaat masala powder

Salt to taste

*** You can use any filling of your choice ( potato filling, paneer filling, Nutella filling etc)

Method: 

For dough:

Add sugar in warm water and then mix yeast in it and let it rest for 10-15 mins or till it become frothy.

Add salt, garlic powder or garlic, oregano, thyme , rosemary leaves and oil in flour and knead with yeast and warm water till it become soft, shiny and nonsticky dough. 

It may seem very sticky at the beginning but will become manageable after 6-7 mins of kneading. 

It will take 8 to 10 mins or even more ,to get perfect dough . apply some oil on it and cover with damp cloth, let it rest for 2 -3 hrs in a warm place like in closed microwave/oven or till it doubles it volume. 

Now punch the dough, again knead for 4-5 mins and cut in four equal parts.

Till then mix all the filling ingredients together . Keep aside for later use.

Cut the dough in four equal parts for four breads.

**** While making one bread , keep rest of dough covered.

SUNFLOWER BREAD:

First of all take 1 part dough and cut it in two equal size dough. Roll a little thick chapatti from it , place it on a baking tray lined with butter paper and spread paneer zataar filling on it evenly , leaving edges. 

Press it firmly to stick on the dough.Now make another thick chapatti from another part of dough and place it over filling, covering it fully. 

Now press the edges to seal. Using a big round bowl you can cut it to get perfect round shape flower.

 Now Place a small round cookie cutter or bowl at the center and make cuts on the dough as shown in pic.

Now twist each cut part as shown . Sprinkle some sesame seeds all over it and cover . Place at some warm place for second rise for at least 30 - 40 mins . 

Till then prepare for another bread.

Now brush it with some milk and bake for 15-20 mins at 220 degree C in a preheated oven or till desired colour it acquired. 

Remove from oven and brush some butter or ghee to get nice shiny finish and soft bread for long time.

Enjoy warm with hot cup of tea or coffee.

You can prepare this for any b'day party or in evening snacks or for kids tiffin too, they will love to relish on these beautiful paneer filled breads.

ROSE BREAD:

Now take 1 part of dough and cut it in gooseberry size small doughs. Take one dough and roll it to round chapatti and using a 3-4 inch diameter cookie cutter or bowl, cut round shape. Now make four equal size cuts on it as shown in pic. 

Place 1 tsp filling at the center and fold cuts as shown in pic. Your rose shape is ready. Place it on a baking tray lined with butter paper. Similarly make all the roses and sprinkle some sesame seeds on it.

*** Always keep prepared roses at some distance during second rise ,to avoid sticking on rising and baking. Otherwise it will ruin the shape of roses.

Now cover it and let it rest for 30-40 mins at a warm place. Now brush it with milk and bake at 220C for 15 -20 mins or till desired colour is acquired.

Remove from oven and brush with some ghee or butter.

 Now let it out and cool on a wire rack.

 Your savory yummy rose bread is ready to be served with a cup of tea or coffee. 

Kids will also enjoy it with some sauce . You can prepare it for your kitty party or for tiffin snacks too.

STAR BREAD:

Take 1 part of the dough and cut in two equal halves. Roll one part to a thick round chapatti , place on a baking tray lined with butter paper and spread filling on it evenly, leaving edges. Press it firmly to stick on dough. Now roll another half of dough to thick round chapatti of same size and place on filling, covering it completely. Press the edges to seal. Now place a small round cookie cutter or bowl at the center and make cuts as shown in pic.

Now hold two cut strips in both hands and twist them in opposite directions. Now stick their edges together. Similarly do with all the strips. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on it.

Now cover it and let it rest for 30-40 mins. Then brush it with milk and bake it at 220 degreeC for 15 -20 mins.

Remove from oven and brush with some butter or ghee.

 Now let it cool on a wire rack and your star bread is ready to be served to your kids.

Enjoy this lovely bread with your tea or coffee..

BRAIDED BREAD:

Take the last piece of dough and any left over from other doughs, cut in four equal parts. Now roll each dough in long ropes. 

Now tuck one end of each rope together and make braid as shown in pic. Place on a baking tray lined with butter paper. Sprinkle some sesame seed all over it. 

*** If you are not comfortable with four rope then go with three. And make braid as we do with hair.

Now cover it and let it rest for 30-40 mins then brush it with some milk and bake at 220 degree C in a preheated oven for 15-20 mins or till it become nice golden.

Now remove from oven and brush it with some ghee or butter.

Let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, to get neat slices.

Your yummy garlic herbed slices are ready to be served with butter or to be toasted.

Enjoy with hot tea or coffee.

**** Never divide bread dough by stretching,other wise the gluten formed during kneading will damage, just use knife or dough cutter to cut dough in pieces.

So bake these cuties and please your kids and family with your creativity. I tried to explain all the tips and tricks but if any thing left then please let me know by dropping down your queries and suggestions in comment box below. Your comments and suggestions meant a lot.

Happy cooking....