Recipes by Rashmi

SWEET AND SOUR PAPAYA DRINK
Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Papaya is a healthy and nutritious fruit which is ignored by people. Papaya helps people who are suffering from constipation. It also provides relief from piles and has anti-cancer properties. It prevents urinary stones and helps to lower down the cholesterol level. I am sharing this papaya drink recipe, which can help to prevent constipation and piles. You can also enjoy this chilled papaya drink in summer.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Ripe papaya cube – 1 ½ cup
2. Lime juice – 4-5 tbsp
3. Black pepper – 1tsp
4. Rock salt – 1 tsp
5. Salt – ½ tsp
6. Sugar – 3-4 tbsp or Splenda (sugar free sweetener)– 3-4 tbsp
7. Chilled water - 1- 1 ½ cup
8. Crushed ice

METHOD:

Take a blender and put all ingredients except ice. Blend them into a smooth puree.
Now, take a glass and put some crushed ice. After that pour blended papaya mixture over crushed ice and chilled papaya drink is ready.

Labels: Drinks, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 12:41 PM, ,

CHICKPEAS BURGER

Here is another veggie burger recipe which my son loves.

Cooking Time: 15 min

Serves: 5

INGREDIENTS:

1. Boiled chickpeas – 1 ½ cup or chickpeas - 1 can
2. Boiled potatoes – 2(medium size)
3. Spring onions – 3-4(chopped)
4. Green chili – 1-2(chopped)(optional)
5. Ginger grated – 1 tbsp
6. Sesame seeds – 3-4 tbsp
7. All purpose flour (maida) – 2 tbsp
8. Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp
9. White pepper – 1tsp
10. Black pepper – 1tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Lettuce leaves -2 (cut into small pieces)
13. Tomato ketchup
14. Mustard sauce
15. Onion dip (optional)
16. Burger buns – 5
17. Oil for greasing

METHOD:

1. Take a bowl and mix boiled chickpeas, potato, spring onion, green chili, ginger, all purpose flour, salt, black & white pepper. Make smooth dough and divide this dough in 5 equal portions. Now make 5 flat patties and wrap up in sesame seeds.
2. Now heat a flat greased pan and put 2-3 patties on heated pan in one time. Cook them on medium heat for 5-6 min or until bottom side gets golden brown. Now turn the other side and cook another 5-6 min or until this side also turns golden brown. Repeat this procedure for remaining portions.
3. Now heat the burger buns on pan. Now take bottom piece of bun and put onion dip prepared patty, lettuce, mustard sauce. Cover it with other half of the bun. Now, put some tomato ketchup on the top of burger. Chickpeas Burger is ready to serve.

Labels: Breakfast and Brunch, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 12:18 PM, ,

TAMARIND CHUTNEY
Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Cooking time – 20-30 min

INGREDIENTS:

1. Tamarind pulp – 4 tbsp

2. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

3. Fennel seeds – 1 tsp

4. Cardamom powder – 1 tsp

5. Salt to taste

6. Sugar – 4-5 tbsp

7. Jaggery pieces – 1-2 (1 inch)

8. Cooking oil – 1 tbsp

9. 1 ½ -2 cup water

METHOD:

Mix tamarind pulp with water. Now heat a deep vessel with oil. Add cumin and fennel seeds. When they crackle, add tamarind water and keep stirring. Bring it to boil. Now reduce the heat to medium low heat and add salt and sugar. Mix them well. Let it cook for 10-15 min on medium low heat. After that add jaggery pieces and turn off the stove. Let it cool for 2-3 hr and mix them well. Tamarind chutney is ready.

We can store this chutney for 1-2 months in refrigerator. Use this chutney with kachori ,dahi vada, chaat etc.

Labels: Sauces and Dips, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 4:02 PM, ,

VEGETABLE NARGISI KOFTA

Nargisi kofta is an exotic Awadhi dish (Uttar Pradesh in India). It’s not as difficult as it looks or sounds. It is very easy to prepare and we really don’t need too many ingredients for this dish. All these ingredients would be easily available in your kitchen. I prepare this NARGISI KOFTA with all kinds of vegetables or with chicken & eggs.

Cooking Time: 45 min

Serves: 4-5

INGRDIENTS:

For Kofta

1. Boiled vegetables (potato, cauliflower, green peas, carrots) – 1 ½ cup
2. Paneer ( grated) – 1/2cup
3. Grated ginger – 1 tbsp
4. Black pepper – 1 tbsp
5. White pepper – 1 tbsp
6. Maida (all purpose flour) – 3-4 tbsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil for deep frying

For Gravy

1. 1 medium size boiled onion paste
2. 3-4 tbsp tomato puree or 1 medium size tomato (chopped)
3. Canola/olive/vegetable oil – 2-3 tbsp
4. Bay leaves – 2
5. Ginger paste – 1 tbsp
6. Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
7. Red chili powder – 1tsp
8. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
9. Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
10. Garam masala powder – 1tsp
11. Milk – ½ cup
12. Fresh cream – 2 tbsp
13. Salt to taste

METHOD:

For kofta

1. Take a bowl and mix all ingredients of kofta except oil. Make small kofta balls from this mixture.
2. Heat oil on high in deep frying pan and deep fry all koftas until they turn to golden brown. (While frying if you find balls are splattering then add little more maida into this mixture.) Drain all koftas on absorbent paper to absorb extra oil and keep them aside.

For Gravy

1. Now heat a vessel with oil and add bay leaves. After that add onion, ginger and garlic paste. Reduce the heat to medium and fry this mixture until it turns translucent and oil starts to separate.
2. Now add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt in this mixture. Mix well and cook it for another 5 min on medium heat
3. Add milk and little water into this mixture to make gravy. Bring it to boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add fresh cream and garam masala powder. Mix it well and cover this vessel with a lid. Cook this gravy for another 3-4 min on medium low heat. Now turn off the stove.
4. Add koftas into this prepared Gravy and serve hot with rice or chapatti. (Remember one thing; add koftas to gravy only 5-6min before serving otherwise kofta would break.)

Labels: Mughlai, Side Dish, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 3:40 PM, ,

CORIANDER/CILANTRO MINT CHUTNEY
Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Here is the coriander mint chutney recipe. It goes well with any veg or non-veg snacks. We can serve it with stuffed parathas.

Preparation time – 10 min

INGREDIENTS:

1. Coriander/Cilantro leaves – 2 bunches
2. Green chilies – 4-5
3. Ginger piece (about 1”)
4. Mint leaves – 1 cup
5. Salt to taste
6. Lime juice – 4-5 tbsp
7. Mustard oil – 1 tbsp

METHOD:

Wash carefully all coriander & mint leaves under running water. Chop all leaves, chilies & ginger and place all these ingredients in processor. Add salt in it and grind them to make a smooth paste. If required then add little water and make a smooth paste. Now place this chutney in bowl and add lime juice & mustard oil. Mix them well and serve with kebabs, samosa, fritters, cheela etc.

We can store this chutney for 7-8 days in refrigerator. Keep this chutney in air tight container or bottle and store for a week.

Labels: Sauces and Dips, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 9:01 AM, ,

DAHI VADA (BLACK GRAM LENTIL FRITTER IN YOGURT)

Dahi vada is a kind of chat which is prepared by soaked Urad daal (black gram) fritter in thick spicy yogurt. This is a very famous dish in all over India and each part of India has its own taste & recipe. In North India we serve this dish by garnishing with tamarind chutney and in Southern part, it is seasoned with mustard seeds, chilies & curry leaves. During Holi in North India this is a very popular snacks.

Serves: 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

For Vada

1. 1 cup black gram lentil (urad dal) soaked in water for 2-3 hr
2. 2” piece of ginger
3. Black pepper -7-8
4. Salt to taste
5. Raisins
6. Oil for deep frying

For Dahi mixture

1. Yogurt (curd) – 2 cup
2. Chat masala -2-3 tbsp
3. Rock salt -1-2tbsp
4. Tamarind chutney – 5-6 tbsp
5. Roasted cumin seeds powder – 2-3 tbsp
6. Red chili powder – 2 tsp

METHOD:

1. Grind soaked black gram lentil (urad daal) with ginger & black pepper in a food processor by using little water and make smooth paste. Now mix salt to taste.
2. Now heat deep frying pan with oil. Make small round shaped vadas from the paste you made in the last step. Deep fry them in hot oil until vada turns to golden brown. Drain all vadas on absorbent paper and keep them aside to cool on room temperature.
3. After cooling vada , add these vadas in hot water for 2-3 min. Take them out from water and squeeze extra water from vadas. Now take one raisin and stuff in center of vada by pressing it with your finger. Repeat this procedure for remaining vadas. Keep them aside.
4. Now blend the yogurt (curd) with rock salt to taste and little water.
5. Place all vadas in shallow serving dish and pour blended yogurt mixture over vadas. Keep this dish in refrigerator for 1-2 hr to soak vadas in yogurt mixture and get chilled.
6. Take out chilled and soaked vada from refrigerator. Now sprinkle red chilli powder, roasted cumin powder over vadas and add little tamarind chutney on each vada.
7. Serve chilled dahi vada in snacks, starter or as side dish.

Labels: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snacks, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 8:56 AM, ,

PEARL SAGO PUDDING (SABUDANA KHEER)
Sunday, April 13, 2008

There is always a debate on whether pearl sago is heathy for diabetic people. Some say it’s good for them while others say it gives lots of carbohydrates which is not healthy for people having diabetes. So this is not good for diabetic people.

Let’s don’t indulge in this controversy. My mom says pearl sago is good for growing age of children and specially new moms. They need more & more energy and sago is good source of energy. 100 gm of pearl sago yields 100 calories, including approx 94 gm carbohydrate and very less amount of protein, fiber, fat.

Sago is kind of dry fruit and in India this is especially used during festive occasion like Navratri, Janamashtami…. Some other dishes prepared using sago are PEARL SAGO KHICHADI, PEARL SAGO PUDDING etc. Sago kheer/pudding is served to patients to help recover faster by gaining energy. The kheer/pudding is also served in dessert.

We were celebrating Navratri festival last week and used to prepare pearl sago pudding/sabudana kheer twice a day. This prompted me to share the recipe of this pudding.

Cooking Time: 30 min

Serves: 3-4

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 cup of pearl sago
2. ½ -1 cup of sugar/sugar free (SPLENDA)
3. 3 cup of whole milk
4. Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
5. Pinch of saffron
6. Chopped nuts (cashew, almonds, pistachio)

METHOD:

1. Wash the pearl sago and drain out all the water. Keep them aside for 1 hr to set.
2. Now heat milk in heavy bottomed vessel until it reaches to boiling state . Reduce the heat and add washed pearl sago. Mix them well and keep stirring otherwise sago will stick to the bottom surface. Continue cooking on medium heat until sago turns soft and translucent.
3. Add sugar/sugar free and chopped nuts. Mix them well and turn off the heat. Pearl sago pudding is ready, but serve chilled pudding. (Remember one thing while cooking this pudding should not be very thick otherwise pudding would be hard and sticky after 2-3 hours of cooking of this pudding.)
   

Labels: Dessert, Healthy Recipe, Healthy Recipes, Traditional Indian, Vegetarian

posted by Rashmi @ 4:09 PM, ,