Hyderabadi Mixed Vegetable

A nice blend of veggies, tasty with yoghurt and spices..
Ingredients

Vegetables needed :

1 cup beans
1 cup carrots
1 cup potatoes (peeled)
(above 3 items to be sliced in to thin strips (like Avial veggies)
1/2 cup long aubergines - cut in to round
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 small cup green peas
1 finely chopped onion
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
Half a lemon
salt to taste

Spices

1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp clove powder

Oil for deep frying
1 cup of thick yogurt
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Ghee for tadka

1. Microwave (Steam) the potatoes in a closed bowl for 3 minutes.
2. Along with the potatoes (After 3 mins), you may add the green peas and microwave for a minute.
3. Let it cool and keep it separately.
4. Heat the oil to the right temperature and quickly deep fry cauliflower, carrots and beans. ALL SEPARATELY, because the cooking temperatures are different for these veggies. Keep it aside.
5. Heat the Kadai, add 2 tsp of ghee, add garlic and ginger paste. Add the onions and fry it till golden brown.
6. Add the cup of yogurt, little turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder. Stir quickly for 2 minutes so that you get the creamy masala.
7. Add all the vegetables, stir well.
8. Add salt, juice of half a lemon.
9. Lower the flame and finish off with 1 tsp cardamom powder, 1 tsp cinnamon powder and 1 tsp clover powder.

Watch the spices giving off the yummy flavour.. Can be served as an accompaniment to Jeera Pulao or Phulkas.. Enjoy!

Mango Coconut Ladoo

Here's a cool recipe.. with a subtle blend of ripe mangoes, dessicated coconut and milkmaid..

Ingredients

Mango Puree - 1 cup
Milkmaid - 1/2 tin
Dessicated dry coconut - 1 pkt (200 gms)
10 elements Muesli from Naturally Auroville - 1 cup ( This muesli has lot of dry fruits and tastes yum).. You could replace it with muesli with fruits and nuts too..


There is no cooking involved! Sounds great, no?

1.Make a smooth puree with sweet mangoes, add the milkmaid to it. Mix well and keep aside.

2. To this, add the muesli and the dry coconut powder, so that it becomes semi-solid, just in the consistency to roll up in to small ladoos.

3. Roll over in dessicated coconut to give that extra punch. Refrigerate.

Watch the ladoos literally melt in your mouth!
Variation : Apple Puree and it would be Apple Ladoo.. Want to try?

Quick Lemon Pie (Eggless)

Chewy lemon pie made in a jiffy! The use of fresh lemons gives the fresh tang and you just need marie biscuits for the base. I am sure your guests would enjoy this dessert option..


Ingredients

10 Marie Biscuits
20 gm butter
2 tsp Demerrara sugar

For the topping

Equal amounts of Condensed milk and chilled cream (Amul Cream)
Juice of 2 small lemons


Powder the biscuits by crushing them with a rolling pin. Heat the butter, add this to the biscuits along with the sugar. Knead well and line this in a baking dish, press well and bake for 5 minutes. By then the top of the crust would become golden brown.

In another bowl, whip the cold cream, add the condensed milk. Lastly add the lemon juice and mix well. Pour this topping on the crust, chill for 2-3 hours. For the first hour you can put this is the freezer and later on transfer to the regular chiller in the fridge.

Cut in to squares and serve. Watch the lemon pie melting in your mouth..

Kashmiri Pulao

A fruity and sweet tinge to our normal pulao – with aroma of saffron, green cardamom in ghee! Mouthwatering, no?



I made this last week and served it with Hyderabadi Mixed Vegetable..

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
½ cup milk
Saffron – ¼ tsp, soaked in 1 tsp of warm milk
2 tsp sugar
Salt – a pinch to balance the taste
Green cardamom powder – 1 tsp
Bay leaf - 1
Ghee – 3 tablespoon
1 cup chopped fruits – apple, pineapple, pomegranate seeds
Broken cashew nuts (fried in ghee) and raisins – a handful.
Tutti Fruti – a handful
If needed you can add some pistachos, almonds, and finely pitted dates.

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 10 minutes.
Cook it with equal amount of water – 2 cups of water – with one whistle. Add a little ghee while cooking the rice. Each grain should be cooked but separate. Cool it.
Heat Ghee in a pan, in low heat, add bayleaf, chopped fruits, fried cashew nuts, raisins and tutti fruit.
Mix the saffron and milk to the rice. Gently mix in with the fruits, add a pinch of salt and 2 tsp of sugar. Finally add the green cardamom powder.
If you need some spice, you can slit a green chilli and add to the rice.

Green Sundakkai Kootu

Sundakkai is a round pebble like fruit, green in color. The fresh and green ones are a little bitter, but have amazing medicinal value.. These are available regularly at all the Surya vegetable outlets, so good for us!



It is a good antidote for curing ulcers and worms in the stomach. Tamizh Nattu Vaidhyam prescribes Sundakkai as a medical supplement for controlling BP, diabetes and for disorders of kidney and liver.. It is also good for skin ailments, relieves colds and helps to increase the appetite.

Traditionally to cut down the bitterness, it is soaked in butter bilk and salt and dried, and consumed as Sundakkai Vattrals - These vattrals can then be fried in ghee (and mixed with white rice), or added in Vattral Kuzhambu..




Ingredients:

Green Sundakkai – 1 medium cup
Tamarind water – Thick water extracted from a lemon sized ball of tamarind
Toor dal (pressure cooked) – 2 cups
Salt and little jaggery for taste

Mustard Seeds & round red chillies - 2 for tempering
Gingelly oil – 3 tsp
Sambar Powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder
Grated fresh coconut – 2 tablespoons
Curry leaves
Asafetida


1. Wash the green sundakkai, and using a small “mathu” or a hammer, you can smash the bunch of pods. Smear a little salt and leave it for 5 minutes. This helps to reduce the bitterness.
2. Heat 2 tsp of gingelly oil, and sauté the green sundakkai on a low flame. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the tamarind water, salt, turmeric powder, (and little water, if required) and let it cook well for 3 minutes.
4. Add the cooked toor dhal, add the sambar powder, salt and jaggery.
5. In a separate pan, make the seasoning. In the remaining oil, temper mustard seeds and red chillies. Add asafetida, curry leaves and sauté with fresh grated coconut on low flame. Transfer this seasoning to the kootu.