Gooseberry/Amla salad

This is simple yoghurt based salad,can be used as a dip for chicken fries and paratas or just serve as a salad for lunch or dinner.This is very healthy salad as it rich in vitamin C and very refreshing dip too. Gooseberry juice has a great strength to replenish your lost energy source.This small fruit amla/gooseberry has the same food value has two oranges,which is anti-scorbutic .It is also used to cure problems like, diabetes, cerebral gastro and cardiovascular illness, low libido and many more.

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 5mins
Total time: 10 mins
Ingredients

• 5 Amla/avala
• 2 cups Thick yoghurt
• 2-3 Green chillies( finely chopped)
• 2tsp olive /sunflower oil
• 1/2tsp Mustard
• 1 big pinch Hing/asafoetida
• 1spring Curry leaves
• 1/2tsp Sugar
• 2 Dried red chillies( cut into pieces)

Cooking Directions

1. Boil amla in enough water till soft.
2. Now grate or finely chop amla and add it to beaten yoghurt along with finely chopped green chillies,salt and sugar.Mix it well
3. Prepare tempering by heating oil in a pan,when it is hot add mustard,let it crackle,drop in red chillies,curry leaves and hing and pour this over yoghurt salad and serve
4. You can use some freshly chopped coriander for garnishing .

Kooka Masala/ GSB Konkani style chinese potato

Kooka( chinese potato) Masala

There is nothing like fresh fruit and vegetables at their seasonal best. There is something so good about eating food when its just been picked. It tastes better, it is better value and it is a better deal for the planet.Winter is the month you really enjoy so many vegetables specially root vegetables and these" Chinese potatoes" popularly known as kook in south canara and kooraka in kerala, harvested from spring through fall, and are an excellent storage vegetable to hold through winter. Here i have one typical konkani style dish featuring such potato which is enjoyed specially during the hindu month" karthik".It is aslo available in some parts of kerala. Few days back i got my stock from my mom from Mangalore and i prepared 2 types of dishes which is my all time favourite Kooka upkari and Kooka masala. Kooka masala is a spicy dish which i love to have it with plain rice and simple  dalithoy(GSB style dal)

Prep time: 60 mins
Cook time: 60 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg Chinese potato/kook
• 1/2 Grated coconut
• 1tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1/2tsp Methi/ Fenugreek
• 10-12 Whole dried red chillies
• 1 Lemon sized ball of tamarind
• 4 Onion ( chopped)
• 2tbsp coconut oil
• 1 spring Curry leaves

Cooking Directions

1. Wash kook thoroughly in plenty of water and pressure cook for 20-25 mins or till 2 whistles.
2. Peel off the skin and cut into 4 pieces each depending on the size of the potato and  keep aside.

For masala paste:

1. Heat 2-3 tsp of coconut oil in a pan,add red chilles ,roast on low flame till it changes color to darkish red,drain out and keep aside.
2. In the same oil add coriander seeds and roast till it changes to almost most darker in color,add in methi/fenugreek and fry again for a couple of seconds  or until it well roasted and changes to light brown color.
3. Now add all the roasted ingredients to grated coconut ,along with tamarind and ground to paste.The masala should be little coarse.
4. Once the masala is done,heat a big kadai,add in remaining oil and add chopped onion and few curry leaves ,fry till it changes to light brown color.
5. Add in ground masala and stir for a second.
6. Now add cooked and peeled Chinese potato/kook and salt to taste and mix it well.
7. Add a glass of water and cover it with a lid and cook on low flame the dish is semi dry.
8. serve hot with rice and Dal

Baked fish stuffed with eggs

A quick and simple baked fish served with stir fried veggies.I have baked this fish with little mustard oil and coated with bread- corn flakes crumbs..a healthier way to get crispy tasty fish. I have used mostly mild white fish like Pomfret with great results. Don't be scared by the number of ingredients it is mostly vegetables and herbs. Please adjust the spices, especially salt, to your taste. I have tried to post a balanced blend here but feel free to adjust mild, spicy, lower sodium etc...

Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 30-40 mins

Calories per serving: 256.8
Fat per serving: 3.2 g

Ingredients

• 2 Medium sized Pomfret or any flat fish
• 3 Hard boiled eggs
• 1tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2-3 tsp Chilly powder
• 1tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Lemon juice
• 2tsp Mustard oil
• 1/2tsp Turmeric powder
• 1tsp Crushed black pepper
• 3tsp Finely chopped coriander leaves

For stir fried vegetables

• 2 Potato (cubed)
• 1 Carrot ( cubed)
• 10 Shallots
• 4 Spring onion bulbs
• 1 Green capsicum( diced)
• 1 Red capsicum ( diced)
• 1tsp Light soy sauce
• 1tsp Pepper
• 2tsp Olive oil

Cooking Directions

1. Scale and clean the fish.The fish is served whole, so trim the fins and the tail portions first.
2. Slit the stomach horizontally, carefully clean the stomach contents from the cavity,wash it thoroughly.
3. Marinate the fish with turmeric,salt,lime juice and Mustard oil. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
4. After 2 hours,make the second marinade by mixing ginger-garlic paste,chilly powder and garam masala powder.
5. Now apply this marinade to the the fish and leave it for 30 mins.
6. In the meantime boil cubed potato,carrots and shallots till half done with little salt and keep aside.
7. Preheat oven at 180 C/350 F" .
8. Slice eggs and season it with pepper and salt.Sprinkle some fresh coriander and our stuffing is ready.
9. Now Stuff the Pomfret with boiled egg slices
10. Mix whole wheat bread crumbs with corn flakes crumbs
11. Brush the fish with lightly beaten eggs and then sprinkle some white
12. flour/maida, Dredge fillets in crumb mixture and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
13. Bake for 35 minutes or until fish is golden brown and the fins come off easily when pulled,its done. This will take 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the fish.
14. Toss red and green capsicum , spring onion bulbs and boiled vegetables with olive oil and soy sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
15. Serve fish together with the vegetables.

Quick Sweet Beaten rice "Pachakajjaya"

Panchakajjaya is a must for every south indian puja.It is offered to god and then distributed among devotees.This beaten rice and popped rice panchakajjaya is splecialy prepared during Gana homa and during karthik masa in every temples.My amma(mother) used to prepare this on tulsipuja . If you are someone with an isstiable craving for sweets you definitely won't need a reason to cram down those calorie-rich sweet dishes.Your fitness regimen and low cal diet notwithstanding! As a teenager,i often embarked on culinary expeditions, whipping up those sweet items that required micro efforts,but gave macro gastronomical pleasure.So here is my all time favourite sweet dish kallailo povu ..sweet beaten rice.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 0
Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 2 cups Beaten rice/avalakki/poha ( thin)
• 1 cup Popped rice/layi/aralu
• 1 cup Jaggery
• 1 1/2 cup Grated coconut
• 1/2tsp Black sesame seeds/thil
• 1/2tsp Cardamom powder
• 2tsp Ghee ( optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Roast black thil over low flame till you get nice aroma.
2. Take a vessel add jaggery ,ghee and coconut,blend it well with your hand until jaggery melts completely and mixture becomes sticky add in all the remaining ingredients and serve.

Caramelized Banana

Children and adults alike love sweet, nutritious bananas. Since bananas come neatly packed in their own wrapper, they are very portable. They may be eaten in their whole form, sliced into fruit salad or mashed and added to muffin and bread recipes.Caramelized bananas goes well with any kind of desserts or pancakes . Bananas are easy to digest. When you're sick with a virus or indigestion, bananas can be an appealing way to get some important nutrients into your system without upsetting your stomach. Mashed bananas are also often used as an introduction to solid foods for babies. Your body uses carbohydrates as a primary source of energy. Eat a banana after a workout to refuel. A banana with breakfast will start your day off right and will give you the energy to make it through to lunch without snacking. Bananas also deliver small amounts of other vitamins and minerals. A banana provides some iron, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus as well as vitamins A and E, foliate, carotene and choline. Bananas also contain trace amounts of many amino acids. Bananas are known for their high potassium content, with over 400 mg potassium in a single medium-size banana

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 4-5 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• 3 Bananas
• 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
• 2tbsp Butter

Cooking Directions

1. Slice bananas into thick coins or lengthwise strips, depending on your preference.
2. Add butter into a medium size non-stick pan, and heat over medium high heat. Add bananas and sugar.
3. Cook bananas until light to golden brown underneath, about 4-5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook or burn them (if you smell them browning, or see color in the pan, flip them right away). Keep in mind these times will vary, depending on your stove.
4. Gently flip bananas over to brown other side, turning heat down to medium. The second side will brown in about one minute.
5. Transfer to a plate that has been coated with butter (otherwise they may stick - they are gooey and sticky!) and serve. Alternately, slide them right onto your ice cream, pancakes or  plain whipped cream and Enjoy !

Momos/dimsum

Chicken momos/dim sum with hot chilly sauce

Momos are basically the unofficial national dish of Tibet,it is also knows as dim sum or dumplings in different parts of Asia . Every family has a slightly different momo recipe, with various theories on how to make them the most juicy and delicious, or how to keep the dough skins to the desired delicate thinness.The variations are endless momos can be meat, vegetarian, steamed (the most popular), fried, and cooked in soup. 

                    Momos are undoubtedly an innovative low calorie snack! flour wrappers are filled with a healthy filling of chicken and mixed veggies like carrot,cabbage,capsicum (red and green) and spring onions and steamed to make an appetizing snack.In this recipe i have used only 2tsp of oil just to glaze the momos. In this momos i have used chicken breast mince ,which is a great source of protein. One 6 oz. serving of chicken contains 48 g of protein.It is also rich in potassium, calcium and contains no carbohydrates. The nutritional make-up of chicken makes it a healthy, filling food option. By eating healthy cuts of chicken, you'll consume only a small amount of calories and your stomach will stay full for hours. This decreases your likelihood of snacking on unhealthy foods later in the day .Along with chicken i have used 3 "C" carrot,cabbage and capsicum. 

In short Momos are bundle of vitamin C, a range of B vitamins ,beta carotene and rich source of protein.

Prep time: 60 mins
Cook time: 10-15 mins

Yield: 25
Cooking Directions
For the Dough:

• 3 cups Maida/all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup water for kneading

• Mix the flour and water very well by hand and keep adding water until you make a pretty smooth ball of dough.
• Then knead the dough very well until the dough is flexible.
• Now leave your do
  ugh in the pot with the lid on while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.You should not let the dough dry out, or it will be hard to work with.

For themomo filling:

• 2 Onions
• 2 inch Ginger
• 7 - 8 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 bunch of coriander
• 1 cup cabbage chopped finely
• 500 Grams Chicken breast
• 1 each Red and Green capsicum
• 1 carrot
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
•  Salt to taste

1. Chop all the following ingredients into very, very small pieces:
2. mince the chicken and then put all of the ingredients in a pot or big bowl,and then add two tablespoons of soy sauce.
3. Mix everything together very well.
4. Then use your food processor to blend all the ingredients ,now our filling is ready.

Shaping the Momos

1. When your dough and filling are both ready, it is time for the tricky part of making the dumpling shapes.For this, place the dough on a chopping board and use a rolling pin to roll it out quite thinly.small ball of dough and rolling each ball in your palms until you have a smooth ball of dough.
2. Then, you can use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough into a circle, making the edges more thin than the middle. Now that you have a small, flat, circular piece of dough, you are ready to add the filling and make the momo shapes.
3. The half-moon momo is very pretty.
4. For this style, you begin the same as with the round momo style, holding the flat circular dough in your left hand and putting a tablespoon of filling in the middle of the dough.
5. Then you have to fold your circle of dough in half, covering over the filling.
6. Now press together the two edges of the half circle so that there is no open edge in your half circle, and the filling is completely enclosed in the dough.
7. You will now have the basic half-moon shape, and you can make your momo pretty by pinching and folding along the curved edge of the half circle.
8. Start at one tip of the half-moon, and fold over a very small piece of dough, pinching it down.
9. Continue folding and pinching from the starting point, moving along the edge until you reach the other tip of the half-moon.
10. You can experiment with different folds and pinches to find the way that is easiest and nicest for you.
11. I have prepared 3 different shapes half moon,boat shape and round shape which i have used in my soup
12. You can lay the momos in the lightly-greased steamer and keep the lid on them, or you can lay them on wax paper and cover them with the damp cloth.

Final step...steaming

1. Finally, you should boil water in a large steamer.
2. Oil the steamer surface lightly before putting the momos in, so they won�t stick to the metal, then place as many as you can without touching each other.
3. Add the momos after the water is already boiling.
4. Steam the momos for about 10 minutes, then serve them hot, with hot sauce to dip them in.

Hot Chilly sauce:

1. 10-red hot chillies soaked in vinegar for 2days (1/2 cup vinegar)
2. 10 - garlic cloves( crushed)
3. 1tbsp-tomato puree
4. 1-shallot
5. 1tsp - Worcestershire sauce
6. salt and sugar or to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients into one pot,simmered gently for 10-15 mins then whirled into a puree in a blender.
2. your sweet, fresh, acidic and tangy garlic-chilly sauce is ready to relish!

Variations:

• Vegetarians can try this with soya granules or paneer /cottage cheese or tofu as a chicken substitute in your favorite dimsum recipe.

Herbal tea for common cold

Are cold symptoms making you feel miserable? Here is one simple home remedy you can use right now -- at home -- to feel better.
Making herbal tea is absolutely the simplest form of medicine! All you need is desired herb, boiling water and a sauce pan
 For medicinal herbal tea to be effective, it should be administered in small amounts several times a day. You can easily make a whole quart-full and store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20-25 mins
Yield: 2-2 1/2 cups

  

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Fresh sambar balli /cuban oregano leaves
• 1tsp Black pepper corns ( crushed)
• 1/2 tsp Ajwain
• 1/2tsp Ginger powder
• 8-10 Garlic cloves ( crushed)
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1tbsp Honey

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and clean sambar balli leaves,roughly chop and keep aside.
2. Take a pan,dry roast garlic and ajwain for a Min.
3. Now take 5 cups of water in a sauce pan and add all the ingredients except lemon and honey.
4. Continue boiling till it reduces to half,about 2-21/2 glass.It will take about 20 mins on low flame.
5. Now strain the decoction and serve hot with honey and lemon juice.
6. Store unused portions in the refrigerator for later use

Banana Pancake with caramelized banana and caramel sauce

Banana pancakes are a firm favourite with one and all ,from the kids to the oldies.The real beauty of banana pancakes truly are an uncomplicated, versatile, quick and easy to make nutritious dish that can be enjoyed any time of the day,Specially if it is served with caramelized banana and caramel sauce. Furthermore; even those over-ripe bananas, which would otherwise be thrown into the trash can be used in the production of banana pancakes. This is something we are all going to have to come to terms with in these economically difficult times.Let us start with a basic banana pancake recipe and then move on to making some changes and additions to give your banana pancakes that something special; the personal touch. Get the basics right and own the dish

Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 40-45 Mins
Yield: 15
Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup All purpose flour/maida
• 11/2tsp Baking powder
• 1/2tsp Baking soda
• 1/2 cup Butter melted
• 1/2tsp vanilla essence
• 3 Egg whites
• 2 Egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup Caramel sauce 
• Caramelized Banana  for topping

Cooking Directions

1. First task is to thoroughly mash two of the bananas in a mixing bowl and then thinly slice the third banana into the same bowl. Note that over ripe bananas are ideally suited to being mashed.
2. Next select a large mixing bowl and combine all of the flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Do make sure that you mix these ingredients thoroughly so that your mixture is an even blend. Once done set aside both bowl and mix.
3. combine the egg yolks, vanilla, melted butter and buttermilk and mashed banana and prepare smooth paste using your blender. Once again make sure that you mix these ingredients thoroughly.
4. Now add this mixture to Flour mixture,stirring all the while you do so. It is important that both mixtures are combined by gradually adding the flour mixture to the egg mixture and not vice versa.
5. Now beat egg whites and slowly add sugar and beat well.
6. Now gently fold in the the egg whites into the flour mixture, slowly incorporating the flour.
7. Continue stirring until the mixture is just blended. Take care not to over-mix the combined mixture.Rest the batter for 10 minutes.
8. Heat a large well-seasoned cast-iron skillet or favourite griddle over medium-high heat. Swirl the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet (or use oil to coat the griddle) and immediately pour in 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. When bubbles rise to the surface, flip the pancakes, slightly reduce the heat, and cook until the bottoms are golden and the centres are cooked, about 1 minute.
9. Now carefully turn pancakes over,cook for 1 more minute or until bottom is well browned.
10. Top with Caramelized Banana and serve with warm Caramel sauce 

 banana pancake,Caramelized Banana,Caramel sauce 

Variations:

Use honey, Maple syrup,butterscotch and fresh fruits of your choice  in place of the caramel sauce.

Caramel sauce

This is simple caramel sauce goes well with any kind of desserts,pancakes or even with your plain vanilla ice cream.

Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Heavy cream
• 3tbsp Butter
• 11/2 tbsp Corn flour/starch
• 1/4tsp Orange zest
• 3 - 4 tbsp Water

Cooking Directions

1. Prepare corn starch by mixing corn flour with little water to make smooth paste.
2. Place the sugar, water and corn paste in a pan and bring to a slow boil, keep stirring until it changes to light brown in colour.Take off heat.
3. Add cream and fold in.Place back on heat and mix thoroughly, add butter and zest and remove from heat immediately and stir.
4. Let stand for 10-15 mins.

Dry fruit stuffed Gulab Jamun

    

We Indians are fond of sweets. Many varieties of sweets are prepared, served and tasted all over India. Indian Festivals and marriage parties cannot be completed without sweet dishes. People in India serve and offer sweets as part and parcel of every celebration, Indian delicious sweets are famous all over the world for their variety. 

             India is a country of sweets, and Indians, if they can afford, would like to have sweets with almost every meal. Each region has its own specialties; even each Indian festival has its own traditional sweets. The Indian festival sweets have a charm of their own. Basically, various regional recipes are only different forms of rice puddings, milk puddings, vegetables & fruits dipped in sweet syrup. Besides, there are a variety of milk-based Barfis and pastries. These are decorated with raisins, almonds, pistachio and like,various combinations of all the above delicacies offer hundreds of varieties of our Indian sweets. 

                       i am here with one of the famous sweet of India specially prepared on the eve of  Diwali, "Gulab Jamun" rich ghee fried khoya balls stuffed with nuts and soaked in Sugar syrup.

Prep time: 40mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 60 mins
Yield: 12-15
Ingredients

• 250 gms Khoya/mava
• 3 tbsp Maida/All purpose flour
• 200 gms Sugar
• 1/2 litre Water
• 1/4tsp Cardamom powder
• 1 pinch Soda(Optional )
• For stuffing : Cashew nut,raisins and almonds( 2tbsp ,Crushed )

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl add khoya and maida,mix both together to form a soft dough ,you can use your food processor for better result and keep a side.
2. Meanwhile Prepare sugar syrup with sugar and 1/2 litre water. Add little saffron to it.
3. Now start making jamuns. Knead the dough again and make about 12-15 medium sized balls from this mixture small marble sized balls and stuff each balls with dry fruits and nuts mixture .For making balls take sufficient dough and press between palms. Then rub the pressed dough in circular motion to get a smooth round shaped ball then start stuffing the jamuns.
4. Heat a pan and add oil to it. To test the right hotness of oil take a small piece of dough and put it into the oil. The dough first sits at the bottom of the pan and then slowly rises to the top�that is the right temperature at which we have to fry the Jamuns. If the dough rises fast from the bottom of the pan, it indicates the oil is overheated. You need to switch off the stove and wait for a while.
5. Take a slotted spoon and turn the oil to make whirls.
6. When they are dark golden brown in color remove from oil. Keep the Jamuns aside for 3 to 5 minutes before adding them to the warm syrup. Switch off the stove as the temperature of the oil will be more to fry the next round of Jamuns. After 5 minutes add the fried Jamuns to the warm syrup. Stir the cooked Jamuns in intervals.
7. Now again switch on the stove and make seven more balls. Test the heat of the oil before adding the powdered sugar coated Jamuns. Fry them as mentioned earlier.In this way you can fry 4-5 jamuns in each batch
8. Do not crowd the oil pan by adding more balls to the oil while frying. As the balls become double in size ensure free space for the balls to move around. Even if you are left with little dough for the last batch, do not add more balls to the oil. Fry the Jamuns and soak them in warm syrup for at least 1 hour before serving .

Pedvya upkari/ Kerala style spicy sardines

one of my favorite childhood memories are my mother's kerala style fish curries,cooked over the little cast iron chatti/kadai or in earthen pots .My most vivid memory of them was the time I was recovering from chicken fox ,hadn't eaten anything for 2 weeks, and was allowed for the first time to relish this spicy sardine dish along with Pej/kanji ( boiled rice with starch ). I can still smell them now. There was nothing I wanted more in the world at that moment than those red hot curried sardines.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients

• 1/2 kg Medium sized sardines
• 10 Red chillies
• 1tbsp Coriander seeds
• 1/4tsp Methi/ Fenugreek
• 1tsp Pepper corns
• 7-8 Garlic cloves
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 2 Marble sized ball of tamarind
• 1/4tsp Mustard
• 1tbsp Coconut oil
• 1/4tsp Turmeric powder

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and clean sardines,apply salt and turmeric powder and keep aside.
2. Roast Red chillies,coriander seeds and garlic in tsp of coconut oil,till it changes to light brown and transfer it to a plate.
3. In the same pan roast Pepper corns, methi and mustard till it crackles.
4. First grind roasted chillies ,coriander and garlic along with tamarind to smooth paste with 1 cup of water.
5. In that add roasted Pepper,methi and mustard and grind coarse paste adding 1/2 cup of water.
6. Heat remaining oil in a kadai,add ground masala and bring it to boil.
7. Now drop sardines,curry leaves and little salt ( do check the seasoning as we have used salt while marinating) and boil till the masala is dry .
8. Serve hot with Red boiled rice for extra punch

Jeere -meere kadi

Spices and herbs we use everyday have great medicinal value.So next time you have minor illnesses such as respiratory problems or if you want to give your immune system a boost during the cold season,reach for the spices in your kitchen cabinet.

              Today i am here with an authentic Konkani dish "Jeere - meere kadi" .Jeere means cumin and meere means pepper in konkani.This kadi is very beneficial especially in winter,when we easily infected by common cold,throat and chest infections,joint pains.So this kadi makes expulsion of phlegm easier as it contain cumin and pepper which is believed to be very good disinfectant that can kill thed common cold and virus.Cummin seeds,or jeera,being a rich source fo iron enhances the functioning of the immune system to fight against contagious diseases and pepper ,more than just a spice it has been shown to improve digestion and stimulate the secretion from the taste buds,a great way to combat digestive problems.Some times we develop conditions like,poor digestion ,heatburn or symtoms of indigetion,then this kadi really help maximise the function of the digestive system.

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 7-8 mins
Ingredients

• 2 cups Grated coconut
• 4-5 Red chilli
• 1 Tamarind (marble sized ball )
• 1 tsp Cumin/jeera
• 1/2 tsp Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp Coconut oil
• 8-10 Garlic cloves

Cooking Directions

1. Heat 2 tsp of oil in small pan,roast cumin and pepper till it cumin changes to light brown colour.
2. Now in the same oil roast red chillies till its crisp
3. Grind all the ingredients except garlic and salt to smooth paste using 2 cups of water.
4. Now adjust the consistency of the kadi by adding water if needed.
5. Add salt and bring to boil.Once done prepare garlic seasoning.
6. Heat remaining oil in a small pan,add crushed garlic with skin and roast till it becomes golden brown.
7. Add this to kadi and serve hot with rice.

Spicy Andhra style chicken roast

This is an easy to cook chicken roast which calls for very few common ingredients. This is one of our family favorites too, and I assure you that its finger licking good.. i got this from one of my old collection.

Ingredients

• 1kg Chicken ( cut into medium size pieces)
• 8-10 Red chilli (dry)
• 1 tsp Pepper corns
• 1/4tsp Turmeric powder
• 2( 1 inch pieces) Cinnamom
• 7-8 Cloves
• 1 Garlic ( big pod)
• 2tbsp Ghee/ oil
• 2 tsp Chopped ginger
• 2 Tomato
• 3 onion (sliced)
• 2spring Curry leaves/kari bevu
• 2tsp Lemon juice

Cooking Directions

1. Clean chicken, wash it in enough water,strain and keep aside.
2. Apply lemon juice, turmeric powder and salt to taste, let it stand until our marinade is ready.
3. Now grind red chillies , peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon,turmeric ,ginger,garlic and tomato to smooth paste.
4. Apply this marinade to chicken and let it stand for 1 hour.
5. Heat ghee in a pan and saute onion slices till golden brown.
6. Mix in marinated chicken and Curry leaves and cover and cook until the gravy thicken(overturn chicken when one side is done well).
8. Serve it with Chapatti/Nan or anything of your choice

Oats- coconut burfi

Last week schools announced 10 days holiday for Dusshera and my kids really enjoyed the festival and their winter camp with full enthusiasm without any worries.My daughter and I decided to make some home made burfis. We ended up making our own version of oat burfies inspired by the recipe we found in the "Quaker oats"cook book . As usual we had to get creative and make our version of the recipe. It took us a only 10 minutes . It was a very fun morning for both of us with all the spills and diwali cleaning as there are only 2 weeks left. Altogether it was fun filled holiday.

Ingredients

• 11/2 cups Quick cooking oats
• 1cup Sugar
• 1/4 cup Dessicated coconut
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Butter
• 1tbsp Cocoa powder or bournvita powder
• 1tsp Vanilla essence

Cooking Directions

1. Add milk,butter,sugar and cocoa powder to heavy bottomed sauce pan.
2. Bring to a boil until sugar dissolves completely and it the mixture becomes sticky.
3. At this stage add vanilla essence.stir it well and switch off the fire.
4. Immediately add desiccated coconut and oatmeal ,mix it well until it absorbs all the syrup
5. Transfer it to a greased plate or mould ,let it cool till it sets, then cut into desired shape and serve.

Zero oil thali ( cauliflower -peas kurma,stir fried cauliflower,snake gourd upkari ,peas parata and onion salad

1.Cauliflower-peas kurma

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cauliflower Florets
• 1 cup Peas- fresh or frozen )
• 2 Tomato (finely chopped )
• 2 Onion-( ground to paste)
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• 2 tsp Garam masala
• 1 tsp Chilly powder
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp Peanuts-( crushed)

Cooking Directions

1. Pressure cook,ground onion paste, chopped tomato,chilly powder,garam masala powder,ginger- garlic paste , turmeric powder and salt to taste.Take one whistle and let the cooker to cool completely before adding rest of the ingredients.
2. Now add both the vegetable and crushed peanuts ,add a cup of water and mix it well ,again take 1 -2 whistle and its ready to serve.

2.Stir fried cauliflower ( cauliflower upkari)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cauliflower Florets
• 1-2 Red chilli (cut into pieces)
• 1/2tsp Mustard

Cooking Directions

1. Heat Nonstick kadai/pan,add mustard and let it crackle,add chilly pieces and roast till it changes its colour.
2. Now add washed cauliflower florets and salt.Cover and cook on low flame till done .It will take only 7-10 mins to cook the florets and requires no water as Cauliflower florets containing 95% water.
3. Serve hot with rice and dal

3.Snake gourd upkari

Ingredients

• 2 cups snake gourd (sliced thin)
• 1-2 Green Or dry red chilly ( roughly chopped)
• 1/4tsp Mustard seeds
• 1tbsp Coconut (freshly grated)

Cooking Directions

1. Heat kadai, put mustard seeds and let it crackle.
2. Then add red or green chillies saute it till it turns light brown in color.
3. Add in snake gourd slices and salt to taste,cover and cook over low flame till done.
4. Garnish with grated coconut and serve hot with rice and dal.
5. When I cook it with slow heat I don't add water. When you mix it with salt, gourd pieces yields enough water to cook it.So i always cook my veggies in slow flame without adding any water.

4 Onion- curd raita

Ingredients

• 1/2cup curd
• 1 onion finely chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Mix onion,salt and curd ,serve chilled.
2. you can add chopped cucumber ,tomato and coriander to make little bit more interesting.