Shahi Paneer

I just randomly saw few recipes and formed my own recipe out of it. Some of you might be already making it. More pictures... Shahi Paneer
Recipe:
* Light sauted paneer cubes, cashew powder, thick curd, tomato (ground),
   fine paste of onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies.
* And masala powders of your taste.
* Add oil to tava and add jeera and any other seasoning like bay leaf
* Then add the ground onion paste, cook for few mins and then add the tomato paste
* Cook for few minutes, add the masala powders, salt
* Add the cashew powder and thick curd, stir well and cook for few mins.
* Turn off and server hot with rotis/naan/rice.
Enjoy your spring break/weather!!!!

Pavakkai Chips (Bitter Gourd Chips)

Long time pending post...this is a oven baked/broiled chips and it is not really equivalent to deep fried pavakkai chips, but does have a different kind of crispness. More pictures...Pavakkai Chips
Simple recipe
* Slice (thinner the better) bitter gourd like 8 or so if you are using big oven.
* Add few spoons olive oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt.
* Mix well and arrange it in a baking tray with aluminium foil on the tray.
* Preheat oven to 350F and then bake for 20 to 25mins
* Then turn to broil mode at 400F and broil for 2 or 3mins, keeping an eye, turns brown soon.
* Let it cool and save it in tight container
* Yummy with curd rice/koottu.

Masala Kadalai (Peanuts)

One of the most easiest deep fry! Thanks to my friend Alamu for the recipe.
Here is the quick recipe:
* You could use roasted salted/unsalted peanuts from the regular grocery stores or
   use the raw peanuts from the Indian stores.
* Just dip them in water for a minute or 2. Then drain the water.
* Add few spoons besan to coat it and add salt
* Fine grind  few red chillies + big jeera and add it to the above, mix all well.
* Then deep fry till golden brown and let it cool, store it in tight container.
Note: When adding it into the oil, try to split the peanuts by hand (not inside the oil :-))
and also after you take it out from oil, it will not be crispy initially. It gets crispy as it gets cold.

Thattai

One of the most popular south Indian snack item. More pictures..Thattai
I tried 2 versions of it and both turned out good, but tastewise I prefer roasted gram version of it. Depending on your preference you could use either one of the combos

Roasted Gram Version Ingredients:
* Roasted gram powder < half cup, 3 cups rice floor, chilli powder, asafoetida,
   < 1 spoon salt, 3 spoons ghee or butter, one handful channa dhaal
Urad Dhaal Version Ingredients:
* Roasted urad flour - 1/4 cup, 2 cups rice floor, chilli powder, asafoetida, 3/4 spoon salt,
   white sesame seed 2 spoons, hand crushed jeera - 1 spoon, 6 spoons butter or ghee,
   one handful channa dhaal
Recipe :
* For  both versions, recipe is the same.
* Soak Channa dhaal for one or 2 hrs.
* Mix all the ingredients and make a thick dough using water.
* Make tiny round balls and flatten in a greased plastic bag.
* Deep fry and let it cold and store in tight container.

Capscium Paneer Bhurji

One of the easiest dry veggie to make...most of you might be cooking this already. Rest of you, here is the recipe and it tastes yummy too!!!
* Grate 7Oz paneer
* Half Onion, One big capscium/bell pepper - diced smaller
* Add oil to tava, add seasoning of your taste and then saute onions
* After few minutes add bell peppers and your fav masala powders and salt.
* The powders I added - turmeric, chilli, dhania, jeera powders
* Saute for few minutes, add paneer, saute few mins, turn off!

Bitter Gourd/Potato fry (Pavakkai Aloo porial!)

Recipe from Hetal's mom...More pictures...Pavakkai Aloo Dry Veggie
I havent used bitter gourd in my cooking often, just exploring it in the recent days. I liked this one very much. Here is the recipe..
* Diced potatoes (2), onions(1). Sliced Bitter gourd (3)
* Turmeric, chilli, dhania, jeera powders or your fav masala powders
* 3spoons jaggery, salt to taste
* Add oil to tava, add cummin seeds and then potatoes, cook for few mins.
* Then add onion, pavakkai and dry masalas and salt. Cook for few mins.
* Then add jaggery, cook for a min and turn off.

How to include 6 tastes...

How do we include 6 tastes without stressing ourselves too much!
* Start your meal with sweet in your plate - just one or 2 pieces of any one of these
    - panaggal kandu (rock sugar I guess), dates, dry figs, chikku, raisins, jaggery, etc
* Salt, Spicy tastes are in most of the Indian meals, try including more black pepper
* Sour
   - Amla or big nellikkai - has both thuvarppu and sour
   - Tamarind, Mavathhal - dry mango, Raw Mango from Indian store
* Bitter - when I said few recipes on bitter gourd, people think I am eating pavakkai all the time
   - Try bitter gourd once or twice a week
   - soaked methi seeds
   - Methi or most leafy greens
   - Dry vathals from India like the manathakkali vathal, sundaikkai vathal
   - Easiest for people in US is Grapefruit, like 3times a week,
      not sure what it is called in India

From   http://www.mapi.com/ayurveda_health_care/newsletters/newsfood-bitter.html
*Bitter Taste:
    bitter melon and gourd, Japanese eggplant,turmeric
    fenugreek seeds, leafy greens, barley, basil
    nettle, jicama, lettuce, aloe vera

*Astringent Taste:
    apple,  pear, pomegranate (tastes sour on the tongue but is both astringent and bitter)
    quinoa, legumes, tofu, sprouts, beans, lentils

Note, you dont have to cook 6 items for 6 tastes, just try to get used to the easiest ones
or try mixing 2 or 3 tastes in one. Like the pavakkai aloo porial had - sweet, spicy, salt, bitter taste in one item!
        

Shakkar Para

Did I say white sugar shouldnt be used? Forgive me, I had to try this with white sugar this time!!!! Will find an alternative next time. More pictures...Shakkar Para
Recipe:
* 3 cups maida, half cup each - milk, sugar, ghee
* Melt ghee, add milk and sugar, melt well, turn off, let it cool.
* Mix maida with the above and make the soft dough.
* Flatten like thick roti and make shapes either squares or whatever U like.
* Deep fry to golden brown, let it cool and serve.
   It was melting, though not my cup of tea!!!

Broccoli Corn Fritters

Since I had the sprout paste additional, made this one with corn and broccoli. It tastes similar to corn fritters in the restaurants but more Indian flavor. More pictures..Broccoli Corn Fritters
Recipe:
* Green Moong sprout paste, similar to the previous post
* Fine chopped g.chillies, cilantro. Medium size copped Broccoli, Onions
* Grated ginger. Corn, 3 spoon besan, 1 spoon rice flour and salt.
* Mix all of the above and make vadas.
* Deep fry and serve hot!!! I loved it!!!!

Green Moong-Pavakkai Usili

Made this similar to any other usili you would make, but tried with green moong sprout and pavakkai. As expected it would be bitter, but I wanted that taste so decided not to supress the taste of it. More pictures...Green Moong-Pavakkai Usili

* Sprout green moong
* Grind with red chillies, big and small jeera
* Coarse grind the above, I prefer food processor for even grinding.
* Add the above ground paste to steam basket and steam cook for 10mins.
* Add oil to tava, add seasoning and then chopped onions.
* Then after few mins add chopped pavakkai and few spoons water
* Close lid and cook for 5mins, then add salt, open cook for few mins
* Then add the cooked g.moong and split it well with the laddle.
* Roast well and serve hot!!!

Are we eating right?

All these years we have been thinking on what to eat, healthy foods, organic foods and so on….you will be surprised to know it is extremely important how/when we eat rather than what you eat. You can eat anything and everything except white sugar.  Try following these simple tips and let me know if you feel very light and fresh in few weeks! And it does have lot more health benefits too.

 

How to eat?
No diversion whatsoever…no TV, no Phone, no iPad while eating.

100% concentration into food, no talking…no swallowing of air.

Closed mouth chewing, chew at least 6 to 10times and no water while eating.

No water for half hour before or after meal

Whenever possible, fold legs and sit straight and eat.

Include all 6 tastes at least once per day. What are the 6 tastes?

When to eat?
Eat only when you are hungry, drink water only when you are thirsty.
Stop eating when you burp and eat again whenever you are hungry.
Some days we might end up overeating, it is ok. But next time you eat, eat only when you are hungry.
No eating for 45minutes after a shower. Water is ok.
No shower for 2.5hrs after eating. Water is ok. 

Mango Dhaal

A quick and yummy recipe made out of raw mango from Indian store. If U like sweet flavor, you can always pick the hard ripe one as we do for our peanut salad. More pictures..Mango Dhaal. I was planning to add all 6 tastes to our food on a daily basis and surprisingly this morning it turned out to be all 6 (as it appears in the above picture).
Recipe:
* Half cup toor dhaal, Raw Mango (but ripen a bit at home) diced
* Chopped half onion, little garlic, half tomato
* 2 red and 2 green chillies
* Pressure cook - dhaal, mango, turmeric and salt
* Add ghee to tava, and then add mustard and jeera
* Then add onion, garlic, chillies, saute for few mins and then add tomato.
* Saute for few mins and add the cooked dhaal mango mixture.
* Boil 2 mins and turn off. Yummy dhaal is ready!!!
Note: Since I tried both sour and sweet mango dhaals, next time I am planning to mix half of each mango.

Veggie Egg Dosa

Interesting recipe from my friend, I liked with onion, tomato fry as side. You could try with coconut chutney or kurma. More pictures...Egg Dosa
Recipe :
* 3 eggs, but I trash 2 yolks
* Crushed black pepper, fine chopped onions, g.chilli, beans
   or spinach (sauted a bit, so it shrinks)
* Grated coconut, carrots. Mix all of the above well with little salt.
* Make small round dosas and top with the egg mixture.
* Cook well on both sides and serve hot!
Note: If you dont like crunchy veggies, then saute the veggies in few spoons oil and let it cool. Then add it to egg. And also you could add other veggies like cabbage, beets according to your taste.