Our Favorite, tasty and easy dinner.......

Kichadi with heated garlic, red chillis in the oil. Side dishes - Koshambeer, Palak sabzi and Papad.... Yummy !!!!

Egg Curry

Hi everyone!

This curry is one of my recent favorite recipe which i learnt from my aunty. And for the first time in life i heard about frying boiled egg ??

So lets start preparing it...

Take 6 eggs and boil them with little water in a pan. Keep the flame low and let it boil for 15 minutes.

Once they are done let it cool before removing off the shell.

Meanwhile...

Chop a medium sized onion into small pieces, take handful of groundnuts, half spoon kaskas, 2 spoons grated dry coconut, ginger and garlic pieces, a spoonful of coriander powder, green chillies and salt - to make a paste.

When the paste is ready and the shells are removed off the boiled eggs, place a kadai on stove to heat it. Add the boiled eggs, three at a time or depending upon the size of the kadai and fry till all sides of the egg turn brown. 

Remove the eggs and add mustard and cumin seeds, coriander powder, turmeric powder and immediately add the ground paste to the same kadai. Add water, chilli powder, salt and garam masala and stir the mixture well. Let it boil. 

Make small slits on the fried eggs with a knife on all sides so that the gravy can enter. Now add the eggs to the boiling gravy and let it boil for another 5 minutes. Switch off the burner and garnish the curry with chopped coriander leaves.

The dish is ready ! Serve it with simple paratha. It can even be eaten with rice.

Aloo Gobi sabji..

Beetroot chutney.. One of my favorites....

Bread Omlette

Masala Papad

Top raman curry noodles...

Paruppurandai Kulambu / Channa dal dumplings

Hi All,

This is a tamil recipe. We call it as paruppurandai Kulambu since we make small dumpling of channa dal and use it in the gravy.

First of all, soak 1 cup of channa dal in hot water for 1 hour. Meanwhile soak a half lemon sized piece of tamarind in another bowl of hot water. Also chop 1 big onion, tomato and few 2 green chillis. Also grate little coconut.

Once the dal is soaked drain the water and mix it with little saunf (Sombu in tamil), salt, red chillis and curry leaves, to make a coarse paste in the mixer (without adding water).  Then make small round dumplings out of the dry mix of dal.

Now, steam the dumplings in a idly cooker or else microwave it for 5 minutes. And meanwhile, heat the kadai, add oil, mustard and cumin seeds, onion, green chilli, turmeric powder, chilli / sambar powder, danya powder, salt, tomato, and curry leaves. Add water and let it boil for a while and add the grated coconut and the steamed dumplings along with very little amount of sugar. When it boils again add the tamarind water and let it boil for 5-6 minutes. When its done, switch off the burner and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

The dal dumpling is ready now, which would be delicious with rice and also roti. The katta metha type of taste is something not very common in north india. So people will definitely like this dish a lot.

Gavaar / Kothavarangaai Sabji

Cut the vegetable into one inch pieces, wash and keep it ready.
Take 2 spoonful of groundnut, 2 cloves of garlic, half inch size ginger and small pieces of dry coconut. Grind all these in mixer and keep it aside.

Now heat the kadai, add oil, mustard and when it starts to split add the ground mixer and mix well. Add turmeric powder, coriander and chilli powders, mix well. Add the chopped vegetables and mix well again. Add water and salt and close the lid till the veggie is done.

Makes a tasty side-dish for chapatis.

Aloo mattar

oil, hing, mustard, jeera, onions, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, danya powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix well and add potato cubes and mattar and mix well. Let it boil till potatoes are half done. Then add the tomato-onions-green chillies paste and mix well along with required quantity of water. Once the potatoes are well done, garnish with coriander leaves and keep the lid closed till you serve.

Murukku / Chakkli

4 cups rice, 1 1/2 cups channa dhal, danya seeds, ajvain and jeera - fry everything separately and mix together to grind it into powder.
Once ready Mix it with water and g-g-g paste, salt, turmeric powder, danya powder and chilli powder.
Once its done, put it inside the chakkli maker and make round shapes.
Now fry them in oil. Thats it.. done.

Besan Curry

Heat Oil, add mustard, green chilies, onions, tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt. No need to add danya powder in this. Let it cook till it forms a fine paste of itself and then add little water to it and either sprinkle besan powder on it or add curd-besan paste.

This can be combined with methi , palak and even Mooli ka pattha.

Red Pumpkin Sabji

Chop the red pumpkin to small pieces. Also chop few green chillies, ginger, garlic and grind it into a paste along with few groundnuts. Also grate dry coconut measuring around 2 or 3 spoons.
Once all these are ready heat kadai add oil, aseofodita powder, mustard seeds, the ground mixture, danya powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, grated coconut, mix well and now add the vegetable pieces.



Mix well and cover it with a lid for few minutes. Then add little water, tamarind pulp and a small spoon ful of sugar and cover it again to let it boil well for around ten minutes.
Later, add little more water if necessary and also add coriander leaves and cover it. Turn off the burner after 2 minutes.

Mushroom curry with Kaju

Chop 2 onions and g chillis. Keep ready cloves, cinnamon, cardomom (1 piece each would do) and a half hand full of Kaju. Fry the onions, g chillis and kaju and grind it to a paste. Heat oil, teej patta, mustard and cumin seeds, few onions, gg paste, coriander powd, chilli and turmeric powd, salt and then add the paste, boil it
for few minutes and then add the youghurt. when it all comes to boil, add the mushrooms and boiled green peas. After 5 minutes the dish is done.

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Poori and Channa gravy

Hellos!

Have you soaked the channa overnight? Yes? Good.
Now lets start preparing the channa gravy.


Ingredients:-
Soaked and boiled channa -1 cup
Onions - 3 (large)
Tomatoes - 2 (large)
Green chillies
Bay leaf -1
Ginger-Garlic paste
Turmeric powder
Chilli powder
Coriander powder
Chole masala
Garam masala


So to begin with, chop the onions, green chillies and tomatoes.
           Heat kadai with little oil and fry onions and green chillies, and fry till onions turn brown and their raw smell vanishes. Transfer it to the mixie jar and add tomatoes to the kadai now, to cook for few minutes.
Then transfer it to the jar along with the onions and make a paste of it with little water.
           Once the paste is done, Re-heat the kadai in low flame. Add oil, bay leaf, mustard and cumin seeds and when it splitters add ginger-garlic paste. Also add turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and masalas.
           Cook the paste in the oil and after few minutes add the paste of onions and tomatoes, water and let it boil. Add the boiled channa while the gravy is boiling. Let it boil till the gravy becomes thick and also till the raw smell completely vanishes. It would take 10-15 minutes, if the channa was already well boiled before.

So, once you feel its done, turn off the burner, garnish the gravy with corianer leaves and lemon juice and close the lid.

Pooris:-

I don't think its necessary to post how to prepare Poori's since its so easy and common that even kids may know how to prepare. But still i decided to post it here, just in case a beginner wishes to verify his/her idea of making Pooris... lol.. (I know).
So, take required amount of Atta (wheat flour), enough salt and make a dry dough of it out of water. When its almost made, add little oil and knead it well.
Now the atta is ready.
Make small balls of the dough, apply oil on the chakla and make it flat with the belan. When all the dough is pressed flat into such pieces, we are ready to switch on the burner. Heat the kadai and add oil enough to make pooris. Let the oil get heated. The flame should be in medium, so as to avoid over heating and burning of pooris. When you see small bubbles forming in the oil, start putting the dough pieces one by one in the oil and make pooris. Dont forget to turn the poori once the other side is done. And also dont let it be in the oil for long. Pooris are cooked really fast.


So, Is the dinner ready???????

Masala bhat.. My style

Keep already steamed rice ready and start chopping down a small onion, few green chillies and a small tomato, along with curry leaves.

Now heat the kadai, pour oil, add mustard, cumin seeds, onion, green chilli and fry. Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder(optional), salt and little garam masala. Mix well and add tomato pieces. Let it cook for few minutes and add the rice to it and mix well, turning the flame to high. Keep on mixing it well until you turn off the burner.

Garnish with Coriander leaves and also can squeeze few drops of lemon on the rice and cover it with a lid, until you serve. This will smell wonderful when you open the lid just before serving.

Baigan Bartha

I prepared this recipe for the second time now and it has already become one of my favorite baigan recipes. When i went shopping vegetables today morning and i decided i will prepare baigan bartha today, as and when i saw it at the shop. Its usually rare to see at that shop and it had been like 5 months since i tried it for the first time and it had really come very well.

So gals, there is the way to cook.
First of all, buy one big baigan (for 2-3 people), wash and dry it. Apply oil all over the baigan and place it over medium flame burner. keep turning sides so that all sides get equally roasted. The outer skin will shrink and may even get cracked but just continue by making sure that you dont over burn it.
Once you feel its done, just put it inside a bowl of water to cool.
Meanwhile, Chop onions, green chillis, tomatoes, curry leaves and keep ready coriander leaves.
Also keep ready - Garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder, Coriander powder/Cumin powder and salt.






Heat the kadai, pour needed quantity oil and add mustard and cumin seeds and let it sputter. Now add the chopped onions, green chillis and curry leaves. Let it fry for a while and add turmeric powder, chilli powder, all other masalas and salt. Mix it and let it mix and get fried well. Now add tomatoes and continue boiling it till the tomatoes get smooth and mashed. Meanwhile try to cut the baigan which will be coming out in half mashed state.
Once tomatoes are done well, add baigan and mix it well. Add water to let it boil and cover the kadai. After few minutes check once and try to mash the content with a smasher. It will confirm whether the bartha is cooked well. If yes, let it be on the burner in high flame for few minutes, so as to remove any extra water, while mixing it well and taking care the masala doesn't stick to the bottom.

Now its done and all we have to do is transfer it to a beautiful Serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves.

Beans sabji

Wash and chop beans into small pieces.

Heat kadai, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder. Now add the chopped beans, salt and mix well. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for few minutes. Add little water enough for cooking the beans, if needed. Turn off the burner when the beans are well cooked.

Egg Bonda / Pakora

I made this egg pakora today evening, for the first time and it had come out better than i expected. It really tasted good with tomato sauce. Its especially prepared on rainy days by my mom at home so i had tried it today, as it was raining the whole day.
It is really easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients:-
Boiled eggs - 6
Besan - 4 tablespoon full
Rice flour - 3 tablespoon full
Salt
Chilli powder
turmeric powder
Coriander leaves


First of all Cut the boiled eggs into 4 pieces each.
Mix the besan, rice flour, salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder along with coriander leaves and little quantity of water, to make a loose batter of the ingredients. Take care not to add more water. The consistency needed for making pakoras should be maintained.
Now when the batter is ready, heat a kadai and add needed quantity of oil for frying.

When oil is hot enough, take each piece of egg, cover it with the batter and drop it slowly in the oil. Fry both sides till it turns golden brown and remove from the oil.

Care should be taken while covering the eggs with batter because the yellow part of the egg tends to break and fall off the egg white. So i use to keep a piece of egg on the batter and pour the batter on the yellow part with my hands so that its not disturbed much.

Try this out and add ur comments.

Masala Chai

I recently learnt how to prepare Masala Chai.

My Aunt had powdered the ingredients for me now and i prepare Masala Tea daily.

Its quite simple. Take few Cardamom, Cinnamon and small pieces of dry ginger and powder it in the mixer. Now use very little, a pinch of this dry powder while the tea boils. This will give a special flavour and taste to the tea.

I shall post few more varieties of tea as well, which i learnt from my North Indian friend.

Tasty Cucumber salad with tadka

Hey friendz, i learnt this simple yet tasty salad from my aunty. I wasnt much of salad lover but after tasting this salad i myself started preparing this very frquently.

Its known as Koshambeer in Marathi.

Requirements are:
Cucumber - 1
Small sized onion - 1
Small sized tomato - 1
Coriander leaves
Salt
Chilli powder
Coriander powder
Chat masala (Optional)
oil, mustard and jeera for tadka.

Cube the cucumber, tomato and onions into small pieces. Add coriander leaves to it and sprinkle little salt, coriander powder and chilli powder. Mix well.
Heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds when it begans cracking add it to the salad.
This can be also be eaten with roti.

Kaddhu (bottle gourd) and Moong dhal (bengal gram) recipe

This is one of our favorite dishes now. This can be made instead of the normal toor dhal which we make daily. This goes well with roti as well as rice.
So let me tell you how i prepared this recipe. We need to soak moong dhal for this preparation to be quick and perfect.
Other ingredients are:
Kaddhu - small cubed pieces
Onion - 1 chopped
Tomato - 1 chopped
turmeric powder
coriander powder
chilli powder
garam masala
salt
Oil, mustard and cumin seeds
Curry and coriander leaves.



Take enough length of kaddhu, peel off the skin and cube it into small pieces. Transfer these pieces to the cooker with 2 cups of water. Also add one cup of washed and overnight soaked moong dhal to it, along with turmeric powder, chilli poder and corainder powder. Close the lid and leave the cooker on flame till 5-6 whistles. The dhal and kaddhu have to be well cooked, can say little over cooked as well. Once done remove it from the flame and mash the contents with a masher. It should be half mashed and half not. Keep it aside.

Now take a vessel, heat it, add oil, mustard and cumin seeds, chopped onions, curry leaves and tomatoes. When onions are brown, add the mashed contents of dhal and vegetable. Add enough salt and water. I added little more Chilli powder (home made, along with few spices, which gives a different taste and flavor). We may also add little garam masala or jeera masala for adding up the flavour. Let it boil for few minutes, before turning off the burner.
Garnish with corainder leaves and over it with a lid.

Simple Masoor dhal recipe

Take a cup of masoor dhal, wash it and keep it in the cooker for 3-4 whistles.
Once done, mash the dhal and keep it aside.
Chop few green chillies and keep curry leaves and corainder leaves ready.

Place a vessel on the stove and heat it. Pour little oil and when its hot add cumin seeds.
When it splitters, add the chopped chilli, curry leaves, turmeric powder, corainder powder, chilli powder and mix well.

Now add the mashed dhal into the vessel.
Add needed quantity of water, salt and let it boil for few minutes.

Garnish with corainder leaves, close the vessel with a lid and switch off the burner.

Aloo Metthi

Hi this is again a very simple and tasty recipe which i prepared for the first time yesterday. I will tell you how i prepared it.

First of all, i peeled and sliced the potatoes into round pieces. I took little water in a vessel, added the potato pieces and metthi leaves ( i had kasuri metthi) along with little salt and let it boil till the potatoes are more than half cooked. Once done, drain the water and keep it aside.

Heat the kadai, add 2 tsp butter and fry the potatoes well, then add the cooked metthi as well, along with salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and garam masala. Keep stirring till you feel the exact flavor has come up and turn off the burner. Though its so simple to cook with less ingredients, it tastes well with chapathi. Enjoy!

Aloo and kaddhu ki sabji

Wash and peel both kaddhu and potatos into medium size cubes.Also chop onions and tomatoes and keep it ready.

Heat kadai add oil and when it will warm enough add mustard and cumin seeds as usual. Now add onions and ginger garlic paste and cook till the aroma changes. Then add tomatoes, turmeric powder, salt, chilli powder, corainder powder, cumin powder and garam masala and mix well. now add the vegetables and water and let it cook well. Thats it.

Kaddhu Dhal (Bottle gaurd with lentils)

Take equal quantities of Masoor dhal and Toor dhal, wash it with water 3 times and keep aside to soak for a while. Meanwhile chop the onion, kaddhu and tomato, and keep the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, salt, chilli powder, corainder powder and chilli powder ready.

Now add the dhals in a cooker with 2 cups of water, salt and turmeric powder and leave it for 3-4 whistles so that the it gets cooked well and mashed. Then keep it aside. Now heat oil in a kadai and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, onion, tomato and fry well adding salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and corainder powder. Mix well and add the kaddhu pieces, water and let it cook well. When cooked well, add the boiled dhal and leave it to boil. Add little tamarind water and leave it to boil again before switching off the burner.

Tasty dhal is ready to be enjoyed with rice.

Lady's finger/ Okra gravy

This is another simple gravy and for this we need Lady's finger chopped into 1 inch pieces and splits made at sides, 2 onions, 1 big tomato and green chillis chopped, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and corainder powder.

Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard and cumin seeds, let them splitter. Add onions, chillis, ginger garlic paste and cook till the smell changes, add tomato, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, corainder powder and let it all blend well and get cooked well. Add little water to prevent sticking to the kadai. Now add the lady's finger pieces and mix well till the masala covers the whole of the vegetable pieces. Now leave the burner in medium flame till the vegetable get cooked. Keep stirring inbetween. Bindi masala gravy is ready to have with roti or rice.

Cauliflower Sabji

Hi friends...


Have been bit busy last week to the extend of not cooking at home at all. So today I went out shopping and now i m so happy to say that my kitchen is not lacking anything for cooking tasty food. Thus i prepared Cauliflower sabji and chapathi.

Sabji came out very well as usual but i m still waiting for the perfection in making soft soft chapathis, fulkas, paratha, etc., I usually prepare these only in weekends due to time constraints. Working days goes with rice recipies for quick cooking. The important thing is that, i tried it with sabji masala for the first time and it was better than expected. Alright so let me now write how i prepared the simple but tasty sabji today.


First, cut the cauliflower into florets and let it cook well in boiling water with salt and turmeric powder. Meanwhile, chop the onions and green chillies. Now drain water and keep the florets aside.



Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and green chillies and fry till onions start turning brown. Now add the already cooked florets, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder and sabji masala. Add little water to prevent sticking and close it with a lid and let the masalas blend well with the vegetable. Keep stirring occasionally till its well cooked.

The sabji is now ready.

Microwave Oven

I am looking forward to adjust between the budget and purchase the best Microwave oven. That may help in experimenting cooking in a much broader way with many options. Suggest me which one's best.

My mom use to prepare cakes in a cake oven on stove. I love cakes. I cud smell the aroma of the baking cake whenever i think of it. But since i have very less Kitchen Utensils here and also as i have just started learning to cook i am unable to try everything i come across. So i m seriously thinking of buying a oven and also a nice dinner set for my kitchen next month. Hope it works out...

I just visited the newly opened D-mart in Hinjewadi, which is just a week old. It is yet to be stuffed with items on all the racks and shelves in the first floor. But the Ground floor which has everything related to the Kitchen, food and cooking and was too crowded. To all our joy, the D-mart is just few minutes, walkable distance from our flat. The colourful utensils in Melamine and Glass tempted me and i m now planning for the great purchase for my kitchen soon. I also saw a Sandwich maker, a Mini-Mixer, etc, all for a very reasonable price. I m very tempted by all i saw but lets see how it goes further. Me, living in a shared flat with friends, very far away from home, planning to purchase all the accessories for a perfect kitchen is not a perfect idea. What you say friends.. should i wait till i get to the proper place?

Cauliflower Chilli & Cauliflower manchurian

Cauliflower Chilli

This is one of the my all time favourite dish, which i wished to learn since so long. Recently while browsing i found a very simple method of preparing it which really turned out tasty and crispy.

Cut cauliflowers to make florets of medium size and boil it in water for 5 mins along with salt and turmeric powder. Usually we do this for cauliflower but i kept it little longer so that the vegetable gets more than half cooked. Drain the water and keep the florets aside in a plate.

Take equal amounts of Maida(all purpose flour) and corn flour in a vessel, add chilli powder, salt, permitted food colourant(orange color) and chopped pieces of ginger in it(just for flavor) and make batter of it with water. Not too much of water, the consistency should be thick, like how you make it for bajji/ bonda or pakoras.

Now as both the batter and boiled cauliflower are ready, heat kadai and add oil to it. When the oil is heated enough, take few florets and mix it with the batter till they are fully covered and put it in the oil and fry all sides equally and keep aside. Its done.

Note: Mix the florets with the batter just before frying it every time. Dont mix the florets in the batter before starting to fry, as it wont turn out well.

Cauliflower manchurian

 This is made with the same cauliflower chilli. Heat a seperate kadai add oil, chopped onions/spring onions, ginger garlic paste and cook it till the smell changes, add chopped capsicum, salt, leave it for a while and add tomato sauce, soya sauce and green chilli sauce and mix well till it comes to a boil. Now add the cauliflower chilli and mix well till it gets covered fully by the sauce mixture.

Serve hot... lol

Egg Rice... My style...

I experimented this way and it turned out really well....

First steam the rice with required quantity water, salt and soya sauce. when done keep it aside.

Now heat the deep pan add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, onions, ginger garlic paste wait till the flavor of the ginger and garlic changes and then add green chilli sauce, tomato sauce, chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala and mix well... can even add little water to it to avoid more oil (i did). Now when its mixed well and starts boiling, break the eggs into it and start mixing immediately. once mixed well with the remaining ingredients, add already prepared rice and mix well. Rice should be added when the egg content still remains liquidy so that it spreads well with the rice and keep mixing well till eggs are nicely cooked along with the rice. You will come to know its done with its raising flavor itself.

I have blended the recipe for egg fried rice and egg biryani together so calling it as Egg rice.. lol

Masoor dhal

Hi i prepared masoor dhal by refering to another cooking blog. It has really come very well. So i thought i will share it in my blog, so as to preserve it.

Wash the red lentils (masoor dhal) and add water to it. Now cut a tomato and add to the dhal and water along with salt, chilli powder and turmeric powder. Let it soak.

Meanwhile, chop onions, green chillis, ginger and keep ready coriander powder and aseofotida powder.

Heat the pan, add oil, cumin and mustard seeds. Let them start splittering. Then add g chilli and ginger pieces, wait for a minute and add the onion. Saute for few mins and then add coriander powder and aseofotida powder and add this whole preparation into the soaking dhal and put it on the stove in a pressure cooker. Leave for 5-6 whistles till it becomes thick yellow liquid and the dhal is done!!

Pepper chicken

I boiled 1/2 kg boneless chicken with salt, water and turmeric powder in a cooker for 2 whistles. Kept aside to cool down. Slice onions, tomatoes, g chillies and keep ginger garlic paste and all masalas ready including the main ingredient - pepper powder.

Heat kadai, add oil, mustard and cumin seeds as usual, g chilli, onions, ginger garlic paste and saute well until it turnes brown. I do add little water when the ginger garlic paste sticks to the kadai and starts getting burnt. Add turmeric powder, salt and garam masala. Also chilli powder if necessary. Mix well along with cumin powder, coriander powder and mainly the pepper powder. If you wish, can also add chicken masala. After adding all the masalas add tomatoes and let it boil for few mins. Now, at last, add boiled chicken pieces, coriander leaves, required quantity water and let it boil for 5 mins before you turn it off. 

Chilli Paneer (dry)

I prepared this 2 days ago and dint find time to blog it. So it comes today...

To begin with, mix 2 tbsp of maida(all-purpose flour) and cornflour alog with little salt. Add little water and mix it to make thick batter. Now take paneer(cottage cheese) cubes and coat all sides with the batter. Then deep fry the paneer pieces in oil. Keep them aside.

Heat kadai, add oil, add crushed garlic pieces, green chilli, sliced onions, capsicum, soya sauce, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, pepper powder,salt and mix well.

Then add the fried paneer pieces, lemon juice and coriander leaves. Saute for few mins and its done!!

Beans and potato sabji

Make small pieces of beans and potatoes. We can also add carrots, cauliflower or any other vegetable along. Also chop onions, slit green chillies and keep it ready. Now add oil in the kadai, mustard and cumin seeds as usual and then onions, green chillies and curry leaves. saute for a min and add the vegetables, add salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder(if u want it spicy), khandha lesoon masala and water. Let it boil untill the vegetables are cooked well.

Serve hot with chapatis and rotis. Can also be mixed with rice.

Rasam

Soak tamarind for 10-15 mins. Squeeze the juice out and keep the plain tamarind water. Mash a medium sized tomato into the tamarind water. Add pepper and cumin powder (2-3 tbs each) and salt. keep it aside.

Heat the pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, crushed garlic flakes, curry leaves, red chillis, few pieces of crushed small onions. After sauting it for few mins add the tamarind juice in it and add asafoetida powder for th aroma and keep watching the rasam, so as to not let it boil. The moment you see it starts boiling switch off the burner. Simple rasam is now ready!

Cauliflower and Soya chunks Gravy

Hi.. I tried this for the first time today as i dint had any other vegetable at home and i m too lazy to go shopping for vegetables in the morning. And thus goes the simple recipe... which tasted good and different from usual.

Cut cauliflower into small pieces, add water and boil it along with soya chunks (10 mins).

Remove that and heat the pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds first. When they start bursting add chopped onions and green chilli. saute for a while.
Add boiled cauliflower and soya chunks, along with turmeric powder and salt and mix well along with needed quantity of water.
Add 2 tbp Khandha-lesoon masala (Onion-garlic powder) and i always add little cumin powder and coriander powder along because i like the flavour in their mixture. But if you dont have khandha-lesoon masala you can simply just add cumin powder and coriander powder, along with chilli powder, according to your taste levels.
Mix well, cover and let it boil for 5-10 mins.
Add little garam masala and switch off the burner after 2 mins.

The gravy is ready to taste! Serve hot with rice or chapathis, if you prepare it dry.

Chole with Soya gravy

I prepared Chole (Chick peas) with Soya (Meal maker) today, as i had soaked chole the previous day itself.

I just had one onion and few green chillis, as i dint had time for shopping. So I pressure cooker boiled both chole and soya with salt and turmeric powder. I had chopped onions and green chillies and few dry curry leaves ready when it was done. So heated the oil in the pan, mustard and cumin seeds as usual, onions, g chilli, curry leaves, saute for a while till onions turn brownish. Then add the boiled stuff along with its water, chole masala, little chilli powder, cumin powder, corainder powder, mix well and let it boil well for 5 mins. At last, add garam masala and switch off the burner after 2 mins. Thats it, the gravy is done and it tasted so good with rice. My friend S, who said "not hungry now", was having lunch along with me, saying wow it smells and tastes so good that i had to eat. Lol.

Dhal(lentils) with carrot

I was kinda confused what to prepare when i woke up at 10:30 am. I have to reach office by 2 pm. I searched my kitchen and found one carrot and onions. So only choice was dhal and carrot.

I boiled dhal (masoor dhal) with chopped carrot and turmeric powder.
Heat pan, add oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, sliced onions, green chillies and curry leaves. 2 flakes of garlic(optional). saute till brown.
Add the boiled dhal and carrot, salt and chilli powder.
Let it boil well for few mins and its done! Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Can add little coriander powder for flavour, if you like.
I dont mention the quantity coz it depends of you, how much quantity you like to prepare and in what consistency and taste you like.

This was my second recipe in the blog and i would like to type the recipies for everything i prepare daily. That will be first helpful for my further reference and also others sometime. Tomorrow is Sunday so would try something new. C ya.......

Jeera Rice

I am sure many people dont know about this simple yet yummy rice variety, coz i hadn't even heard about it before coming to Pune. So here goes my first recipe in the blog.

Boil the rice as usual. I use 1:1 ratio of rice and water to boil the rice. Let it cool down or we can also use leftover rice from the previous cooking. Heat the kadai (Pan). Add 2 tbs cooking oil, 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter). Add  Jeera (Cumin seeds), green chilli, fried onions and curry leaves (optional), salt and saute for few seconds. Add the rice and keep mixing the rice, so as to avoid sticking of rice to the pan. Do this till you find all the ingredients have mixed properly with the rice and also you can smell the favour now.

Can serve Jeera rice with dhal (boiled cereals), any gravy and also few like to have it with tomato ketup.

I Welcome... myself

I finally started blogging today, which was in my mind since more then an year now. And today i suddenly decided to do it right away, after getting inspired by a movie related to blogging (I dont even know the movie's name).

I work and live with my friend S, in Pune, far away from my home town. Well, to tell about myself, i am ambitious, independent, love travelling, adventure, photography, cooking, trying new things, etc etc., and wish to enjoy every moment of my life. Apart from our wishes, worries and problems are also parts of everyone's life. And i wish to write everything that i encounter each day in my life and share it with friends.