Masala Lassi

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. Yoghurt or Curd - 1 cup
2. Water - 2 cups
3. Ginger - 6 small pieces
4. Green chilli - 1
5. Salt - 1/2 tea spoon
6. Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
7. Cilantro or Corinader - 1/4 bunch
8. Asoefatida - a pinch

Method

• Blend all the above ingredients until the drink becomes frothy.
• A quick and easy way to relisha a healthy drink rich in calcium.
• Its renowned for its health benefits such as easy digestion, Proteins, B-complex as per Ayurveda.

Beerakaya Koora / Ridgegourd curry

Ingredients

1. Ridge gourd - 2
2. Onion - 1
3. Green chilly - 1
4. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoons
6. Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
7. Asoefatida - a pinch
8. Turmeric - 1 tea spoon
9. Salt as needed
10. Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon
11. Milk - 1/2 cup
12. Oil - 2 tablespoons
13. Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Method

• Peel the skin of ridge gourd and wash them thouroughly.
• Cut them into pieces and have them aside.
• Chop onions and green chillies.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard, cumin and urad dal.
• Fry them till they splutter.
• Add a pinch of asoefatida and saute the mixture.
• Add onions and greenchillies and fry till the onions turn brown.
• Add the ridge gourd pieces and saute with the mixture.
• Add a spoon of oil if needed.
• Close the lid and cook the vegetable in steam on a medium flame.
• Saute the mixture every 5 minutes to ensure that vegetable doesn't get charred.
• Once the vegetable is half cooked, add milk and cook again with closed lid.
• Keep sauting in between and once the vegetable is totally cooked add turmeric and salt.
• If you need the curry a little spicy, add a teaspoon of red chilly powder at this stage.
• Saute the entire mixture for a minute, add a table spoon of sugar, mix and cook for half a minute with closed lid.
• Switch off the flame, place the pan with the closed lid aside.
• Serve after 10 minutes to enjoy the aroma and taste.

Avalakki Oggarane/ Flattened Rice fry/ Atukula Pulihora/ Poha Pulihora

Needed

1. Flattened Rice - 2 cups
2. Capscicum - 1/2
3. Onion - 1
4. Green chillies - 1 or 2
5. Ginger - a small piece
6. Cashew - 5
7. Raisins - 8
8. Almonds - 2
9. Coriander/Cilantro - 1/4 bunch
10. Curry leaves - 5
11. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
12. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
13. Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon
14. Red gram - 1/2 teaspoon
15. Lemon - 1/2
16. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
17. Oil - 2 tablespoons
18. Salt as needed

Method

• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard, cumin, urad dal and red gram.
• Fry till they splutter.
• Add almonds, cashew, raisins, curry leaves and fry for few minutes.
• Add ginger, green chillies and onion and fry for few minutes.
• This order of frying is crucial to ensure that none of the ingredients get charred.
• Add turmeric and capscicum and fry for few minutes.
• Wash the flattened rice and keep it aside for just a minute.
• I use the medium flattened rice to have the crispy texture.
• Add the flattened rice to the pan and saute it.
• Add salt, lemon juice and coriander leaves, saute the mixture.
• Minimze the heat and place a lid on the pan.
• After a minute, saute it again, switch of the heat.
• Keep the pan away from the heat with a closed lid.
• Serve it after 5 minutes to enjoy the aroma and taste.

Flattened Rice Fry can be prepared with carrots, beans , peas, cauliflower and many other vegetables as per the taste. I use capscicum as it takes less time to cook and gives a kick start for a busy morning.

Banana Milk Shake

Serves 4

Needed

1. Spotted Bananas - 2
2. Cold Milk - 4 cups
3. Almonds - 4
4. MTR Badamfeast - 2 tablespoons
5. Vanilla ice cream - 1 scoop

Method

• Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy it without sugar.
• A healthy drink with Potassium, Calcium and Vitamin E, cool way to pamper your tastebuds.

Gawar Beans Curry / Goru Chikkudukaya Koora

(Serves 2)
Ingredients

1. Gawar Beans - 1/2 kg
2. Water - 1 cup
3. Green chilly - 1
4. Coconut - 2 table spoons
5. Mustard Seeds - 1 table spoon
6. Jeera - 1 table spoon
7. Oil - 2 table spoons
8. Salt as needed

Method

• Wash the Gawar beans thoroughly and cut them into small pieces.
• Heat the oil in a pan.
• Add mustard seeds and jeera.
• Once they start spluttering, add cut green chilly.
• Once the chilli is fried, add the cut gawar beans.
• Add 1/2 cup water, stir and cook with a closed lid.
• After 5 minutes, stir again and add another 1/2 cup water.
• Close the lid and let it cook for a while.
• Keep stirring in between to avoid the vegetable from being charred.
• Once cooked, add coconut, salt and stir for a while.
• This curry is easy to cook and highly rich in fiber.

Bottle Gourd Curry / Sorakaya Koora

(Serves 2)
Ingredients

1. Bottle Gourd - 1/2
2. Turmeric - 1 table spoon
3. Red Chilli Powder - 1 table spoon
4. Salt as needed
5. Besan or Gram flour - 3 table spoons
6. Jaggery - 2 tablespoons
7. Oil - 2 tablespoons
8. Mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon
9. Jeera - 1 table spoon
10. Water - 1/2 cup

Method

• Heat the oil in a pan
• Add mustard seeds and jeera seeds
• Once they start spluttering, add the cut bottle gourd pieces
• Boil the vegetable with a closed lid.
• Keep stirring to avoid the pan base from getting charred.
• Once the vegetable is cooked, add turmeric, red chilli powder, jaggery and salt.
• Let it cook for a while with closed lid.
• Mix the besan or gram flour in 1/2 cup of water.
• Add this water to the cooked vegetable and stir till a consistency is achieved.
• This curry is easy to prepare and tastes very good with roti/rice.

Brinjal Tomato chutney

(Serves two)

Ingredients

1. Smal round brinjal - 3
2. Tomato -1
3. Tamarind Paste - 1 tablespoon
4. Salt as needed
5. Coriander - 1/4 bunch
6. Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoons
8. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
9. Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
10. Green Chillies - 1
11. Asofaetida - a pinch

Method

• Heat the oil in a sauce pan.
• Add mustard,jeera and asofaetida and fry till they splutter.
• Fry the green chillies in the same oil.
• Add tomato pieces and fry till the tomato gets half cooked.
• Add brinjal pieces and cook till they get soft.
• Tamarind paste has to be added and mixed with the veggies.
• Transfer the entire content into a grinder.
• Add salt, coriander and grind into coarse paste.