Potato Fry / Alu Fry

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

1. Potato - 2
2. Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
3. Curry leaves - 6
4. Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
6. Turmeric Powder - 1 tablespoon
7. Lemon juice - 1/2 lemon freshly squeezed
8. Salt as required
9. Oil - 2 tablespoons
10. Asofaetida - a pinch
11. Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Method

• Heat the oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds,once they start spluttering, add asofaetida and curry leaves.
• As they are frying, add cut garlic pieces and fry till they turn brown.
• Meanwhile cut the potatoes into quarters and soak them in warm water for 10 minutes,add the potatoes to the fried garlic mixture.
• Close the lid and stir the vegetable every five minutes to prevent from being charred.Once the potatoes become soft, add turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, lemon juice and cook in low flame and closed lid for 3 minutes.

Note : I toss a tea spoon of tomato ketchup at the end to give it a tangy taste, but its purely optional.

Mirchi Bajji/Chilli Bajji

Serves 4
Ingredients

1. Green Hot Peppers - 5
2. Ginger - 10 medium pieces
3. Red Onion - 1/2
4. Cilantro - 1/4 bunch
5. Red chillis - 3 to 4
6. Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
7. Ajwan - 1 table spoon
8. Salt as required
9. Sugar - 1 tablespoon
10. Tamarind - 1/2 tablespoon
11. Besan/Chickpea flour - 1 cup
12. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tablespoon
13. Baking soda - 1 teaspoon (optional)
14. Oil - sufficient to fry

Method

• Heat oil in a saucepan, add onions,ginger and red chillis.
• Fry till the onions turn brown
• Add the above mixture to a grinder along with jeera,ajwan,sugar,salt,tamarind and cilantro
• Grind into a coarse paste.
• Cut the peppers into various pieces finger length as shown in the picture
• Stuff the peppers with the coarse paste
• Take besan/chick pea powder in a bowl, add red chilli powder, baking soda and salt.
• Add water to mix it into a thick paste.
• Heat the oil on a medium flame for a while.
• Immerse the stuffed peppers into besan/chickpea flour mixture and fry in the oil.

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.