Thursday 28 February 2013

Gorikayi Palya/Guwar Subzi/Stirfried Clusterbeans


Ingredients:
Gorikayi/Cluster beans-1/2 kg
Channadal-2tsp
Urad dal-2tsp
Mustard seeds-1tsp
Hing-pinch
Curry leaves-2sprigs
Dry red chillies-2
Fresh coconut-1/4cup
Green chillies-2-3 or to taste
Lemon juice-1tsp or to taste
Salt to taste
Oil -2tsp
Fresh coriander for garnish

Method:
1.Wash,remove the stalks and ends and cut the cluster beans into 1" long pieces.
2.Grind the coconut and green chillies coursly with adding water and keep it aside.
3.Heat oil in a pan,add mustard when they begin to splutter,add dals fry until golden brown then add hing,dry red chillies and curry leaves, sauté for second now add cluster beans and fry for 2 seconds.
4.Now add grinded coconut mixture ,salt and sprinkle little water and close the lid allow to cook on a low flame until the cluster beans becomes tender,keep an eye and stir occasionally making sure not to allow it to stick to the bottom while cooking.
5.Take out of the hob, add lemon juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve hot with chappatis or as a side dish with rice and plain dal.

Note:1.You can prepare this in a pressure cooker if you don't have enough time for that add 1 cup of water and cook for 1 or 2 whistles and after the cooker cools down open the lid and cook uncovered until all the liquid is evaporated.
2.This dish can be prepared with other beans varieties and vegetables like brinjal,ridgegourd,ivygourd etc.

Thursday 21 February 2013

Strawberry Scones





Ingredients:
Self raising flour-200g
Butter-40g
Salt-pinch
Sugar-1tbsp(optional)
Natural yoghurt-125ml
Strawberries-10-12
Milk to glaze

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 220'c/gas 7/425'F,place a ungreased baking sheet to heat up in the oven.
2.Add the flour, salt,sugar and butter in a bowl,mix with hands until the mixture turns into crumbs.Now mix yoghurt gently and make a dough.
3.Chop the strawberries roughly  and keep it aside
4.Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface to make a smooth dough,mix the berries gently into dough,make a free-form balls on a palm.
5.Gently lift the scones onto preheated baking sheet. Brush the tops with milk and bake for 7-10 minutes until the scones are risen and  golden brown on top.
6.Cool on  a wire rack.Serve with Butter or jam.
Note:
1.You can use any fruits of your choice.

Tuesday 19 February 2013

Yoghurt Scones(Eggless)




Ingredients:
Self raising flour-200g
Butter-40g
Salt-pinch
Sugar-1tbsp(optional)
Natural yoghurt-125ml
Milk to glaze

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to 220'c/gas7/425'F,place a ungreased baking sheet to heat up in the oven.
2.Add the flour, salt,sugar and butter in a bowl,mix with hands until the mixture turns into crumbs.Now mix yoghurt and gently knead a dough.
3.Knead the dough lightly on a floured surface to make a smooth dough.Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1inch.
4.Dip a 2.5inch plain cutter in some flour then use it to stamp out 8 rounds of dough.
5.Gently lift the scones onto preheated bakingsheet.Brush the tops
with milk and bake for 7-10 minutes until the scones are risen and  golden brown on top.

6.Cool on  a wire rack
Serve with fresh cream and strawberries or a simple fruit jam.

Saturday 16 February 2013

Fresh Fruit Flapjacks



Ingredients:
Raspberries or Blueberries or other soft fruit-1/2cup/(i have used raspberries)
Wholemeal flour-3tbsp
Caster sugar-2tbsp
Oats-3tbsp
Butter-3tbsp 

Method:
1.Take any soft fruit  squash them lightly on a plate  and keep it aside.
2.Take a bowl mix wheat flour,caster sugar,oats and butter and rub them
 in your finger until it becomes crumbly.
3.Grease a loaf tin,put half of the crumbly mixture into loaf tin and press
 it down firmly,now spread the squashed raspberries evenly.
4.Pour the remaining crumbly mixture on top of raspberries and pat it evenly
all over, nice and hard.
5.Tranfer the flapjack loaf tin  into preheated oven at 180'C for 20 minutes.
6. When it is cooked,leave it to cool flapjack completely before cutting into slices.
Note:1.This dish can be frozen for up to one month.
2.This flapjack is ideal for kids lunch box snack.
3.You can use any soft fruit of your choice.

Friday 15 February 2013

Tomato Omelette


Ingredients:
Besan-1 cup
Rice flour-1/4cup
Jeera/Cumin seeds-1/2tsp
Onion-1 small,finely chopped
Tomatoes-2,finely chopped
Green chilli-1,finely chopped
Ginger-1tsp(grated)
Fresh coriander-1tbsp,finely chopped
Salt to taste
Soda bicarb-pinch
Oil for frying
Method:
1.In a bowl mix all the ingredients except oil, with water to dosa batter consistency.
2.Heat a pan or tawa,pour spoonfull of batter on tawa and spread evenly and sprinkle oil on the sides,cook evenly on both sides until golden brown.

3.Serve hot with any chutney or sauce.
Note:1.For kids you can skip chillies.
2.Tomatoes can be grinded and mixed into mixture but you will have to add less water according if needed.
3.Ideal for kids lunch box.

Wednesday 13 February 2013

Masala Stuffed Pepper Fry




Ingredients:
Banana peppers-4
Roasted peanuts-1cup(roughly chopped)
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Coriander powder-1tsp
Dry mango powder/Amchur-1tsp
Red chilli powder to taste
Lemon juice-1tsp
Oil-1tbsp


Method:
1.Wash,wipe the whole peppers and make a slit in the middle,remove the seeds.
2.In a bowl mix all the ingredients except oil,stuff spoonful of mixture to
peppers through slits.
3.In a pan heat a little oil,place all the peppers on tawa shallow fry stuffed peppers on both sides until it gets char-grilled colour.
Serve as side dish with rice and dal or rasam.
Note:If you like to eat very hot and spicy,use hot variety chillies.

Monday 11 February 2013

Mirch Ka Salan




Ingredients:
Pepper(mild or hot variety)-10-15
Onion-1
Roasted peanuts-1/2cup
Toasted sesame seeds-1/4cup
Tamarind concentrate-1tsp
Ginger-1" piece
Garlic- 3cloves
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder-1tsp
Jaggery to taste
Cloves-2
Dry red chilli-1
Cinnamon-1"stick
Cumin seeds-1tsp
Coriander seeds-1tsp
Oil-2tsp

Method:
1.Dry roast cloves,redchillies,cinnamon,cumin seeds and coriander seeds.
2.In a same pan add 1tsp of oil,add onions and fry until golden brown and take out.
3.In a blender,add fried onions,roasted spices,sesame seeds,ginger, garlic,tamarind paste toasted peanuts and 1 cup of water little at a time.
4.For preparing pepper,take whole chillies or pepper make slit in the middle,if you  don't want hot remove the seeds in hot varierties.
4.In a same pan add little oil and fry the  peppers until brown,add blended paste and little water,turmeric,salt,red chilli powder and jaggery mix well,cover the lid and cook on a  low flame 10 -12minutes.
Serve hot with biryani,pulao,any rice varieties,chappatis or rotis.
Note:This gravy may burn or stick to the bottom of the vessel very quickly due to addition of peanuts and sesame paste so make sure that to cook on a low flame.




Thursday 7 February 2013

Strawberry Cake


Ingredients:
Plain flour-200gms
Caster sugar-150gms
Oil-100ml
Yoghurt-1/2cup
Eggs-2
Strawberries-10-12
Baking powder-2tsp
Vanilla essence-1tsp



Method:
1.Wash and squash the strawberries roughly and keep it aside.
2.Sift baking powder and flour and keep it aside.
3.In a bowl mix oil,sugar and eggs with vanilla essence and beat nicely.
4.Now add  yoghurt and  mix throughly with wooden spatula or hand mixer.
5.Add flour part by part and mix gently with wooden spatula or hand mixer.
6.Now add squashed berries and mix gently into the mixture.
7.Transfer the mixture to greased and dusted square cake tin and bake in a
preheated oven at 180'c for 30-35 minutes.Take out and cool and cut into square's.
Note:To check whether the cake is done,insert tooth pic or knife into cake, if the knife comes out clean then the cake is done if not bake for another 5-10minutes.

You can use the same batter to make muffins,instead of cake tin use muffin tin,line the muffin case and pour the batter into each case and bake as normal but time may vary so first keep it for 10minutes then you can increase further 5-10 minutes until muffins are done.