Pasta in Desi Style

Ingredients:

For Dough:

1/2 cup Wheat Flour
1/4 cup Rice Flour
Salt to taste
Water

For Masala ( Sauce ):

2 1/2 TSP oil
1/2 TSP Mustard Seeds
1 Green Chilli finely chopped
1/2 TSP Garlic chopped
1/2 TSP Ginger chopped
1 medium sized Onion finely chopped
1/2 TSP Chilli Powder
1/2 TSP Turmeric Powder
1/2 TSP Kitchen King Masala
1/2 TSP Pepper Powder
2 Tomato's Puree ( Grind the Tomatoes)
Salt to taste
Coriander Leaves handful chopped

Method:

Step 1: Making Dough: Put all the dry ingredients of dough and make a hard dough by adding little water at a time.

Step 2: Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Take out small portions of dough and make balls as shown in the picture.

Step 4: Press the centre of the ball and make an impression like this.

Step 5: Prepare all the Pastas and keep it ready to boil.

Step 6: To the boiling water add 1/2 TSP of oil and prepared Pasta. Allow it to cook in the medium flame. It may take 20-25 minutes to cook completely. Break the Pasta and check if it is done, else continue to boil for few more minutes.

Step 7: Drain off the water from the pasta and keep it aside.

Step 8: To prepare Pasta Sauce take a pan add 2 TSP oil and mustard seeds, allow it to splutter.

Step 9: Add Green Chilli, Ginger and Garlic, saute well. Add Onions and saute them till they turn golden brown.

Step 10: Add Chilli powder, Kitchen King Masala and Turmeric powder, mix it well. Add Tomato Puree to it and saute well till the masala releases oil. Add little salt and mix.

Step 11: Add boiled Pasta to it and add Pepper Powder. Add little water and give it a good mix. Do not break Pasta.

Step 12: Garnish with Coriander Leaves and serve.

Ridge Gourd Curry

Ingredients:

1 cup Ridge Gourd
1/4 cup soaked Channa Dal
1 Green Chilli slit length wise
1 medium Onion finely chopped
3 TSP Oil
1 TSP Coriander Powder
1/2 TSP Turmeric Powder
1/2 TSP Kitchen King Masala
1/2 TSP Cumin Powder
1 TSP Mustard Seeds
Salt as per your taste
Coriander leaves finely chopped

Method:

Step 1: Take a pan, add oil to it and let it become hot. Now it is time to add Mustard Seeds and allow it to splutter.

Step 2: Add in Green Chilli, Onion and soaked Channa Dal. Fry it in the low flame till it is cooked well.

Step 3: Add Ridge Gourd and Salt. Mix well cover it and cook in medium flame. No need to add water as this vegetable releases water. Keep stirring in between. Cook it well.

Step 4: Add in all the Masalas and cook it for few minutes. Finally add Coriander Leaves and give it a good mix.

Step 5: Curry is ready to be served with Chapatis or Rice.

Masala Moong / Masala Green Gram

Ingredients:

1 cup Boiled Moong ( Boil Moong with salt )
1 Onion finely Chopped
1 Green Chilli slit lengthwise
1/2 TSP Cumin Seeds
1/2 TSP Mustard Seeds
Handful of Coriander Leaves
1/4 TSP Turmeric Powder
2 TSP Oil

Method:

Step 1: Put oil, Mustard Seeds and Cumin Seeds in a pan and allow it to splutter.

Step 2: Add Green Chilli and onions, saute it till it is cooked well. Add Turmeric Powder and saute.

Step 3: Now it is time to add Moong and give it a good mix.

Step 4: Add Coriander Leaves and Mix Mix Mix. Masala Moong is ready to be served.

Masala Methi Chapati / Thepla

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat Flour
3/4 cup Chopped Methi Leaves / Fenugreek Leaves
1/4 TSP Turmeric Powder
1/2 TSP Chilli Powder
1 TSP Coriander Powder
1/2 TSP Cumin Powder
4 TSP Oil
1/2 TSP Ginger Garlic Paste
Water to Knead the Dough
Oil to make Chapatis
Salt as per taste

Method:

Step 1: Knead the dough using all the above ingredients. Make this dough like Chapati dough. Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Take a small ball sized dough and roll it like Chapati.

Step 3: Put it on hot tava and cook it both the sides by flipping and applying oil.

Step 4: Thepla is now ready to be served with Tea. ( I have added little cheese on it. It is totally optional and can be avoided. )

Jeera Rice and Dal Fry

Aromatic Rice with thick lentil soup, A yummy combination one should try. Here is the procedure for it.

Jeera Rice

Ingredients: 

1 cup cooked Rice (Soak Basmati Rice in water for half an hour, cook it in the usual way by adding little salt and ghee)

1 inch Cinnamon

1 Bay Leaf

2 - 3 Pods of Cardamom 

2 - 3 Pods of Clove

3 TBS Jeera / Cumin

1 Green Chilli slit lengthwise

1 Medium Onion chopped lengthwise

1 TBS Jeera Powder

1 TSP Kitchen King Masala

Salt to Taste

3 TBS Oil

20 Cashews Chopped

Handful Coriander Leaves

Method:

Step 1: Add oil in a pan. Shallow fry Cashews till the turns little golden brown.

Step 2: To the same oil add Cumin seeds, Cinnamon, Cardamom, Bay Leaf, Clove and allow the cumin seeds to splutter. 

Step 3: Add Green Chilli followed by onions. Saute it till it turns golden brown.   

Step 4: Add Jeera Powder, Salt and Kitchen King Masala. Saute well for 1 Minute.

Step 5: Add Cooled rice, Cashews and mix well. Finally add Coriander Leaves and mix well.

Dal Fry

Ingredients:

1 Cup Toor Dal

1 Green Chilli

1 TSP Jeera

2 TSP Oil

4 Garlic pods finely Chopped

1/2 Onion finely Chopped

1/2 Tomato finely Chopped

1/4 TSP Turmeric

1/4 TSP Red Chilli Powder

1/2 TSP Garam Masala

1 Cup water

Salt to taste

A pinch of Asafoetida

Handful of Coriander Leaves

Method:

Step 1: Rinse the Dal and Pressure cook it until 5 whistles by adding Green Chilli, salt and 1 cup of water.

Step 2: Open the cooker and whisk it well. Dal should be mashed completely. Adjust the consistency by adding some more water if required.

Step 3: Take a pan, put Oil and Jeera allow it to splutter. Add Asafoetida.

Step 4: Add Garlic, saute it till it turns golden brown. Add Onions, saute it till it turns translucent. Add Tomatoes, saute it till it turns mushy.

Step 5: Add all the dry ingredients, saute it for 1 Minute. Add the cooked Dal to the mixture. Add Salt. Bring dal to boil.

Step 6: Add Coriander leaves and the Dal is ready to be served.

The wonderful duo: Jeera Rice and Dal Fry is ready to be served.

Bun / Pav

I was thinking that making bun is very difficult, that too not possible without oven. I was 100% wrong.

Here is the simple recipe of making Bun.

Ingredients:

2 cups Maida/ All purpose flour
1 cup Luke warm Milk
2 TBS Sugar
2 TSP Yeast ( Powdered Yeast )
1/2 TSP Salt
1 TBS Butter
Some Milk for Brushing

Method:

Step 1: Mix Luke warm Milk, Sugar and Yeast in a bowl. Cover it and keep it aside for 5 Minutes. ( This procedure will activate the Yeast )

Step 2: Put 2 cups of Maida, salt and make a soft dough. Add butter and knead for sometime. (Approximately 2-3 Minutes)

Step 3: Tuck the dough, cover it and keep it in the warm place for 1 Hour. ( Dough will be raised)

Step 4: Punch the dough and knead it again for few minutes. Make 8 equal parts of the dough and make balls out of it.

Step 5: Prepare a tray by brushing oil/butter into the bottom and sides of the tray. Place butter paper and brush oil/butter on it again.  ( I did not have square tray so, I put aluminium foil and made it square. You can use round tray also )

Step 6: Pre heat a Pan(cover it) in low flame for 7-10 minutes.

Step 7: Place the prepared balls in the tray .

Step 8: Keep it aside for 15-20 Minutes in the warm place ( Dough will be raised again). Brush the balls with some milk.

Step 9: Place the tray in the pan, cover it and and cook it in the low flame for 25 minutes. ( Check with tooth pick, if it comes out clean bun is ready else continue cooking for few more minutes )

Step 9: Brush some butter on it, Cover it with a towel till it is cooled down then de mould it. Super soft Bun is ready to be served. ( I added some herbs on it, it tasted awesome)

Stuffed Potato Sooji Pancakes.

Ingredients:

For Batter:

1 cup Sooji
1/2 cup Curd
Salt to taste
Water as required
oil

Potato Stuffing:

2-3 boiled and mashed Potatoes
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder
1 Green Chilli finely chopped
Handful of Coriander Leaves chopped
2 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Kitchen King Masala
Salt to taste
oil

Method:

Step 1: Mix Sooji, Curd, salt and water together to make dosa batter consistency batter and keep it aside for 15 - 20 minutes.

Step 2: To prepare Potato Stuffing, Take a pan add little oil, Ginger Garlic paste and saute for few seconds.

Step 3: Add Potatoes and all the dry ingredients and mix well for few minutes and put off the flame.

Step 4: Let it cool down completely and take a ball size stuffing and make tikkis as show in the picture.

Step 5: The batter might be raised a little now and it might be little thick. Use little water to get it to the required consistency.

Step 6: Take a non stick pan and put some oil, wipe off the excess with tissue paper. Put some batter on it and place a Potato Tikki on it.

Step 7: Cover Potato Tikki with little batter.

Step 8: Cook both the sides with little oil, till it gets crispy.

Step 9: Stuffed Potato pancakes are ready to serve with Mint Chutney or Tomato Sauce.

Bottle Gourd Chilla / Lauki ka Chilla / Dudhi ka Chilla

This recipe is similar to normal besan chilla with a slight twist.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Besan / Chickpea flour
1 Tomato finely Chopped
1 Onion finely Chopped
1 Green Chilli finely Chopped
Handful of Coriander finely Chopped
2 TBS Curd
Salt according to taste
1 Cup Grated Bottle Gourd
Oil to make chilla
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder ( optional )
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Ajwain / Trachyspermum ammi
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
A pinch of Hing / Asafoetida
Water

Method:

Step 1: Squeeze the grated Bottle Gourd and remove excess water from it.

Step 2: Take a bowl and add Tomatoes, Onions, Chilli and Coriander leaves.

Step 3: Add squeezed Bottle Gourd, Besan and all the dry ingredients to the bowl.

Step 4: Now add curd and whisk it well.

Step 5:Further, add more water and get the batter to dosa batter consistency.

Step 6: Spread oil on non stick pan and wipe off the excess with the tissue paper. Put a ladder full of batter on it and spread gently with soft hands. Spread softly, else chilla can break.

Step 7: Put little oil and cook it in the medium low flame for at least 3-4 minutes.

Step 8: Turn it and put oil and follow the same procedure of cooking. Press the chilla little if you like it crispy and the chilla is ready to serve.

Cucumber Cooler

This is one of my favourites. I beat summer heat with this Cooler.
So simple but tastes yummy.

Ingredients:

1 Cucumber
Handful of Mint Leaves
1 Lemon juice
Salt according to taste ( I used pink salt )
1 tsp Sugar
Pinch of Black Salt ( Optional )
1 cup Water

Method:

Step 1: Rinse Cucumber and Mint leaves in running water. Remove the skin of Cucumber and chop it.

Step 2: Put all the ingredients in the blender along with the water and run it till everything is combined and forms juice like consistency.

Step 3: Strain it and if you find the residue pulpy you can repeat the step 2 again with the pulp.

Step 4: Cucumber Cooler is now ready to serve.

Note:

If you like more sweet, you can add more sugar and less salt. Either ways, it tastes yummy.