Gobi Manchurian

This can be made dry or with gravy.

Ingredients 1 Green bell pepper, cut into big dices 1 Green chilli, minced 1 tsp Ginger garlic , minced ¼ cup Scallions/Spring onion, finely chopped 1 tsp Dark soy sauce 4 tsp Tomato ketchup ¼ tsp Salt to taste 3 tsp Oil for sauteing 2 cup Oil for deep frying 2 tsp Maggi Chilli Garlic Sauce For Frying 4 cup Cauliflower , cut into florets 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste 3 tbsp All purpose flour 2 tsp Corn flour 1 tsp Red chilli powder 1/4 tsp White pepper powder ½ tsp Salt 2 pinch Orange red food colour 1 tsp Soy sauce ½ tsp Vinegar 1 pinch Ajinomoto (optional)

Method Wash the cauliflower florets; cook with salt water for few minutes. Drain the water completely; pat dry with a kitchen towel. Mix these items all purpose flour, corn flour, salt, red chilli powder, white pepper powder, ginger garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, food color and ajinomoto. Make fine paste ; toss cauliflower in and coat it with the paste. Heat 2 cups of oil; fry the cauliflower florets; keep it aside. Heat 3 tsp. of oil in a pan, saute green peppers, ginger garlic, green chilli for 1 to 2 minutes, once they turned tender, add the fried cauliflower with soy sauce, tomato ketchup, chilli garlic sauce and salt. Mix everything for few minutes till masala becomes dry. Add scallion and saute for 2 to 3 min. Garnish with Scallions.

Peas Pulav

We can make this pulav very easily. Ideal for any potluck /parties.

Ingredients 2 cups Basmati rice 1 cup Green peas 1/2 cup Onion, sliced lengthwise 1 Green chilli 1 tsp Fennel seeds 3 count Cardamom 3 count Cloves 1 inch size Cinnamon stick 1or 2 Bay leaf 1 clove of whole Garlic, minced 1 tsp GingerGarlic Paste Cilantro, Mint leaves 3 1/2 cups Water 1 Tblsp Oil Salt to taste

Method In a pan, add oil; add whole spices(Jeera, Mint leaves, Cilantro,Curry leaves,Greenchillies, Garlic);saute well. Add onions; saute well till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste at this stage and saute till the raw smell disappears. Add green peas and mix well. Add salt and pour 1 and a half cup of water. Add the rice; mix well; cook them in a rice cooker. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve hot with raita and chicken/vegetable gravy.

Easy Vegetable Pasta

This is kind of very easy to make pasta. overall cooking time comes less than 15 min.You can make your own variations with your favorite vegetables.

Ingredients 3 cups Rotini pasta, uncooked 31/2 cups Water 3 cups Spaghetti sauce 1 cup Carrots, chopped 1 cup Asparagus, chopped 1 cup Broccoli, cleaned

Method Cook all  vegetables; keep it aside. Cook pasta in boiling water as per package directions.  Mix together cooked vegetables and pasta; mix spaghetti sauce if desired.

Note For variations,  add each cup of sliced mushroom, chopped red pepper. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese before serve.

How to make Sprouts?

Making Sprouts as easy as 1.2..3…

I like sprouts if someone made.I never tried myself. After I spoke to my friend Sharmila,I was thinking of make myself.But, I didn’t take care of that much.

When I read Sprouted Moong Bhel recipe from chutney’s I made myself promise I’m going to soak it tonight. I asked steps from my friend;I bugged her lot with so many silly questions…I don’t know why I didn’t google it….I made sprouts finally!!!

After written this post, I found other blogs.How to make & freeze sprouts &What if I freeze the sprouts? answers here…

One word of caution: some beans such as kidney beans should not be eaten raw as they contain enzymes and need to be cooked well in order to make them safe.more…

Ingredients 1cup Whole Green Moong Dall Water for soaking

Method 1.Wash and soak moong for overnight. 2. Next night drain the water; keep them in a bowl for overnight. 3.Nextday we can see sprouts looks like above.

Note You can keep one more night if you want more sprout. store it freezer bags and store them in the refrigerator.

Palak(Spinach) Paneer Recipe

Palak Paneer is spinach with paneer (indian home made paneer).I like creamy texture of spinach but my son likes paste kind of stuff…So I used to make like this without heavy cream.

Ingredients 4 cups Spinach 1/3 lb Paneer 1 medium Tomatoe 1 tsp chopped Ginger 1 tsp Coriander powder (dhania) 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder (haldi) 1/2 tsp Red chili powder 1 Tbsp. Oil 1 tsp. Cumin seed (jeera) Pinch of Asafetida (hing) 1/2 teaspoon Salt, or to taste

Method: Cut off the thick stems of the spinach and discard. Clean the spinach by filling up your sink with water and soaking the spinach to loosen any sand/dirt. Drain the spinach and then repeat soaking and draining. Add Spinach,onion,tomatoe,(1/2 tsp)cumin,ginger in blender; Grind it like a paste .(If you want creamy texture blend it for a minute). Cube the paneer in half inch pieces and deep fry them on medium high heat for few minutes; note, paneer become very light gold in color. Heat the oil in a saucepan;Add hing and cumin seed. After cumin seeds crack, add grounded paste, and let it cook for a few minutes.Keep it covered to avoid splatter. Add turmeric,chili & coariander powder; let it cook on low medium heat for 10 minutes covered. Add paneer and fold it gently with spinach and let it simmer for a 2-3 minutes. Pan should remain covered until the cooking is finished, otherwise the spinach will splatter.

Note If using frozen spinach thaw and blend it for a minute so spinach has a creamy texture without becoming pasty. Mix 2Tbsp. whole-wheat flour with 1/3 cup heavy cream and set aside.Add heavy cream mixture before add paneer and let this cook another 4 to 5 minutes. You can replace heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups of milk.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Noodle Soup Recipe

Especially when I feel lazy, just use my slow cooker and forget it. This soup freezes very well, so freeze any leftovers or make a double batch to have plenty on hand. Also, I used to stir in some cooked chicken for another meal.

Ingredients 2 Tbsp. Olive oil 12 oz uncooked Eggless/Egg Noodles 1 medium Onion, chopped 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped 2 stalks of Celery, chopped 1 14.5-ounce can diced Tomatoes 3 14.5-ounce cans fat free Vegetable Broth 1 1/2 cups Water 1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried Basil salt and freshly ground black Pepper to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh Parsley for garnish

Method Prepare vegetables and place all ingredients(except noodles) in slow cooker. Cover slow cooker and turn on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Cook noodles according to package directions.Drain and set aside. When soup is finished, mix in your noodles. Season to taste. Here is the another method wiht out slowcooker Sauté onion in a small amount of the vegetable broth until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and celery and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add more broth if necessary. Add tomatoes and their juice, broth, water, oregano, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 30 minutes. While soup is simmering cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside. After soup has simmered for 30 minutes, add noodles. Season to taste & Serve Hot. Note Serve with crunchy hard rolls or fresh hot French bread.

Easy Vegetable Biryani

While there’s nothing better than a fresh herbs and spices using as a biryani ingredients, a good biryani mix can take it place when you have no time to cook.There are good biryani mix available in the market.They can still use some doctoring. Here are few tricks I use to turn a biryani mix into something that’s just a little bit more interesting.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Vegetable (Carrots,Beans,Peas,Broad bean,Soy chunks) – can use frozen vegetables
• 1 cup Onion, cut lengthwise
• 1/2 cup Tomato ,finely chopped or crushed (or) 1/4 cup canned, Tomato paste
• 1(3.5 oz) packet of Biryani mix/powder
• 1 tsp. Ginger Garlic paste
• 2 cups Basmati rice
• 3 Tbsp. Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Clarified Butter/Ghee
• 1/2 cup Yogurt/curd dilute with water to make 1 cup
• 21/2 cups Water
• 3 nos Bay leaf
• 2 nos Cinnamon
• 5 nos Cloves
• 3 nos Cardamoms
• 10 nos Cashew nuts
• 2 1/2 tsp. Salt or to taste
• 6 stks Coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing

Method

• Heat pan with 1 tsp oil add 2 cups of basmati rice;sauté till the aroma comes;keep them aside.
• In a heavy deep pan heat oil and ghee together; add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, cashew nuts; fry for 30 secs;add onions while sauté them.
• When onions turn slightly brown and crispy add ginger garlic paste, tomatoes fry for a minute.
• Add biryani mix/powder and stir continuously, note do not allow the ingredients to stick in the vessel.if so, immediately add diluted 1 cup of yogurt. then add vegetables.
• Sauté everything until it thicken to a gravy consistency;cook for 3 to 4 min.
• While the gravy is still simmering, add 2 cups of basmati rice.
• Add the gravy to the rice along with 21/2 cups of water add salt; mix well.
• Check for salt; cook them in a rice cooker.
• If using a regular pressure cooker allow 1 whistle (for electric stove)/2 whistles(for gas stove); switch off.
• Garnish with coriander leaves; mix carefully without breaking the rice.

Note:
If you have separately cooked rice,prepare a gravy with vegetables from above method; mix with rice;garnish with coriander.

Vegetable Biryani

Ingredients 1 lb. Vegetable (Carrots,Beans,Peas,Broad/double beans,Soy chunks) – can use frozen vegetables 1 cup Onion, cut lengthwise 1/2 cup Tomato ,finely chopped or crushed 1 tsp. Ginger Garlic paste 8 stks. Coriander leaves, chopped 4 stks. Mint leaves, chopped 2 cups Basmati rice 3 Tbsp. Oil 2 Tbsp. Clarified Butter/Ghee 3 nos Bay leaf 2 nos Cinnamon 5 nos Cloves 3 nos Cardamoms 10 nos Cashewnuts(optional) 2 1/2 tsp. Salt or to taste 2 tsp. Chili powder 3 tsp Coriander powder 1/4tsp Turmeric powder 6 stks Coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing 2 tsp Ghee 1 pinch Orange red food color(optional) 1/4 tsp Salt 1/2 cup Yogurt/curd dilute with water to make 1 cup 31/2 cups Water 3 tsp Lemon juice (optional)

Method Heat pan with 1 tsp oil add 2 cups of basmati rice;sauté till the aroma comes;keep them aside. In a heavy deep pan heat oil and ghee together; add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardomoms, cashewnuts; fry for 30 secs;add chopped green chilli, chopped corrainder and mint leaves;slowly add onions while sauté them. When onions turn slightly brown and crispy add ginger garlic paste, tomatoes , marinated vegetables along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder and salt. Sauté everything until it thicken to a gravy consistency. While the gravy is still simmering;add 2 cups of basmati rice. Now add the gravy to the rice along with 21/2 cups of water and diluted 1 cup of yogurt ;mix well. Add 3 tsp lemon juice; check for salt;cook them in a rice cooker. If using a regular pressure cooker allow 2 whistles and swtich off. Once done sprinkle food colour and add 2 teaspoons of ghee along with coriander leaves; mix carefully without breaking the rice. Serve hot with raita.