Cooking is an art that can be interpreted by every individual differently. This blog is my interpretation of different recipes that I have come across. It could be a new or an improvised version of an already established one.
In a nutshell , its a collection of easy, simple to do vegetarian recipes right from Appetizers to Desserts.
Hi all, This recipe comes from my sister-in-law's kitchen in Mumbai. She is an amazing cook and uses cooking as a stress buster. This one's a Mumbai special and she excels in whatever she does so this one was no exception. She agreed to share the recipe with me, so here it goes BATATA VADA INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING
Potatoes: 2 medium/large boiled and nicely mashed Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli paste about 1 Tbsp Turmeric powder: 1/8th Tsp Asafoetida ( Hing): 1/8th Tsp Salt as required Fresh coriander leaves Curry leaves FOR THE BATTER Besan: 1 cup Salt as required Oil Hing ( Asafoetida): 1/8th Tsp Red Chilli powder: 1/2 Tsp Turmeric powder: a pinch for colour Baking Soda: 1/4th Tsp 1/3rd cup water ( to get the right consistency)
BATATA VADA
MAKING Start with the filling, Take some oil in a Kadai, after the oil is heated up, add the ginger-garlic-green chilli paste. Once the raw smell goes away, add the curry leaves, turmeric and hing powder. Add in the boiled mashed potatoes, add the required salt. It's best to not add water as you need the filling to be dry. After the potatoes are fully mixed in with the spices, allow it to cook for a few minutes. Switch off the gas and add in freshly chopped coriander leaves and set it aside. Make medium-sized balls or flatten it like a vada. You could add lemon juice and sugar if needed. For the crust, add little by little water to the dry ingredients mix. Continue to whisk to avoid lumps. Make a medium thick batter. Take a Kadai, add oil enough for deep frying. Once the oil is hot, dip the potato vada/ball in the besan batter and deep fry in medium flame until golden brown. Delicious Batata Vada is ready to eat. Serve it as it is or place it between butter-toasted buns.
Hi all, life teaches you a lot of things in troubled times. I have learned so many new recipes during this time, it allows you to dig deep into your creative side, explore different ways to make a recipe using the limited ingredients you have at home. This recipe is from my sister-in-law's who are both amazing cooks, they have been making some amazing dishes, that needs to be posted. Today, the recipe I am sharing are two versions of the SALNA, that could be used as a side dish to Rice and Rotis. Salna is predominantly famous in the south. It's a gravy which is made as a side to parotta or dosa etc SALNA (1st version) INGREDIENTS Onion: 1 large Tomatoes: 2 medium Ginger: 1 Tbsp chopped Garlic: 1 Tbsp chopped Green Chilli's: 2 Turmeric: 1/4th Tsp Red Chilli Powder: 1/s Tsp Jeera-Dhania powder: 1 Tsp Coconut Milk: 3-4 Tbsp SEASONING Fennel seeds: 1/2 tsp Cardamom: 2 Cloves: 2 Cinnamon stick: 1 small Bay leaves: 1 small Oil: 1 Tbsp Salt as required Sugar: 1 Tsp Curry leaves
SALNA
MAKING Saute the Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Tomatoes, Green Chilli's along with turmeric, Red Chilli powder and Jeera-Dhania powder. Saute until the raw smell of the onions are gone and the spices are well mixed in. Grind it into a fine paste with coconut milk. In oil, season the fennel seeds, Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. Pour the ground mixture and cook again with salt and sugar. Delicious Salna is ready to be served. SALNA ( VERSION 2)
INGREDIENTS Small Onions: Handful Green Chillies: 2 Tomato: 1 small Grated Coconut: 2 Tbsp Whole Spices: Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, fennel seeds Ginger-Garlic paste: 1 tbsp Mint and Coriander leaves. Salt and Oil as required
SALNA ( 2nd version)
MAKING In a Kadai, add some oil, add the whole spices. When they turn aromatic, add in the small red onions and saute until translucent. Also add the green Chilli's, Ginger-garlic paste and saute until the raw smell leaves. Then add the grated coconut, mint and coriander leaves and fry well until everything turns golden brown. Switch off the gas, allow it to cool down and grind everything into a fine paste. In the same Kadai, add oil, cut thinly sliced onion and fry until translucent followed by tomato, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and keep sauteing. Add the ground mixture, some water and salt as required and let it all come together. Finally, garnish it with coriander and mint leaves. Delicious Salna is ready to be served.
Hi all, I hope all of you are doing fine in such troubled times. The recipe I share today is from my mother's kitchen. This recipe has very few steps but the end result is restaurant-style masala curry. Let's get straight to it. INGREDIENTS FOR GRAVY Tomatoes: 2 medium Fresh Coriander ( Cilantro): 1/2 cup chopped or half a bunch washed Ginger: About quarter-sized Dhania seeds ( Coriander seeds): 1 Tsp Cashews: 5-10 soaked in water for 10 minutes Red Chilli: 1-2 Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp Salt: 1/4th tsp VEGETABLESVegetables needed to be boiled with 1/4th salt: Carrots, cauliflower, Potatoes, Peas, Green pepper if needed, Paneer if available OTHERS Oil, Butter, Cumin seeds (1 tsp), Turmeric powder( 1/4th Tsp), Dhania-jeera powder (1 tsp), Water: 1/2 cup and salt.
VEG MASALA CURRY
MAKING Boil the vegetables with salt and set aside, Grind the ingredients mentioned above under "For Gravy" and set aside. In a pan, add 1 Tbsp oil, add cumin seeds, then add the gravy, saute for 3-4 minutes in low flame before adding in the boiled vegetables. Saute for a few minutes, then add the Dhania-Jeera powder, salt, and water. Close the lid and allow the masala to cook for about 4-5 minutes in medium flame. That is it, garnish it with a dollop of butter on top, delicious veg masala curry is ready. Believe me, it tastes delicious and it's very quick to make. TIPS/VARIATIONS You could add 1/2 Tsp Garam Masala powder in the end if needed, you could add garlic to the gravy ingredients, I usually don't. The cashews make sure the gravy is balanced and you could a good texture.
Hi All, I hope all of you are hanging in there. Hope, positivity, and family are the true lifelines at this time. This is my go-to recipe whenever I feel down or I crave to have something sweet and yummy. This one's greasy, sweet but delicious and healthy. I did it with whatever I had, nothing fancy, no special garnishing or anything. Spreading some cheer around, here it goes. The recipe is called ALMOND SLICE INGREDIENTS ALMOND FLOUR: 1/2 CUP MILK POWDER (MAWA) or Khoya: 1 and 1/2 CUP SUGAR: 1 CUP UNSALTED BUTTER: 1 STICK melted 1/2 CUP EGGS: 3 LARGE
ALMOND SLICE
VARIATIONS You could double the measurements and bake it in a 7-11 inch ovenproof shallow pan for a bigger batch. if you do not want to add so much butter and sugar, substitute it with oil or milk, like I added half cup oil and butter. You could add 1/2 cup milk and butter, melted butter gives you added flavor but also makes it heavy and greasy. Basically, you need to get a batter consistency, not too thick or thin just like a dosa batter or cake batter. Instead of 1 cup sugar, you could make it 3/4th cup sugar or 1/2 cup sugar.
I used store-bought almond powder. You could try making it with Almond Flour. You could also add 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and a pinch salt. Don't whisk the eggs too much, just use a fork to whisk it well so it's well blended. Melt the butter before adding to the dry mix. MAKING Preheat the oven to 325 F Mix all the dry ingredients. Now pour the melted butter and whisked eggs into the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into a 7-9 inch ovenproof shallow dish/pan. Place it into the oven and bake at 325 F for 55 minutes. Oven heat varies so keep checking. Poke it with a knife, if it comes out clean then it's well baked. Once taken out, allow it to cool. Flip it and take the Almond cake out, cut it into slices and serve. Garnish it with toasted pecans or walnuts or slivered almonds. Delicious Almond slice is ready to eat. I love it chilled but you could serve it warm too with whipped cream or eat it just as it is. It lasts for several days and tastes absolutely divine. Very healthy as it has almonds.
