Carrot Halwa

Ingredients:

Carrots: 1 kg (Grated)
Ghee: 1 cup
Milk:1cups
Sugar: 1 cups
milk maid 1/2 cup
Almonds and Cashew nuts as desired
Cardamom powder: for flavoring

Procedure:

Heat 1/2 cup ghee in a pan and first fry almonds and cashew nuts and take them off in to a bowl. In the same ghee fry carrots, when the carrots are fried add milk and cook for 2 minutes and add milk maid and cook till very soft now we can add remaining 1/2 cup ghee. Add sugar, let simmer for a while, till sugar dissolves, and mixture thickens. Add cardamom powder, garnish with fried almonds and cashew nuts. Serve hot or cold as desired.

Ulli Karam

Ingredients:

Onion: one big
Green chillies: two
Dry red chillies: two
Tamarind: size of a lemon
Salt: to taste

Procedure:

Grind all the ingredients in a mixer. But not to a smooth paste.This tastes great when eaten with rice adding some oil.

Kanda Bachali Kura

Ingredients:

Yam: 1/4 kg (peel the skin and cut into 1 inch pieces)
Indian spinach (bachali kura) : 2 bunches (wash and chop it)
Thick tamarind extract: 2 teaspoons
Salt: to taste
Turmeric powder

For tempering:

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon
Black gram Dal: 1 teaspoon
Ground nuts: 1 tablespoon
Bengal gram Dal: 1 teaspoon
Oil: 2 teaspoons
Curry leaves: 10-15

Green chillies: 2 chopped

Ginger: 1 inch piece chopped

Dry red chillies: 2

Ingredients for mustard twist:

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Oil: 1/2 teaspoon

Procedure:

Pour 1 glass of water in a pressure cooker and cook yam, indian spinach upto 1 whistle , when it is done open the cooker and place them in a bowl.

Now heat oil in a pan and add all the tempering ingredients, and add the cooked yam and spinach and stir it,

add salt and turmeric powder.

Now add tamarind extract and stir. When the water is evaporated take the curry in to the serving bowl.

For mustard twist:

Grind mustard seeds into a smooth paste adding some water in a mortar and add 1/2 teaspoon oil to it.

Add this paste to the curry before serving

Gutti Vankaya Kura

Ingredients:

Small brinjals: 1/4 g
Dry red chillies:3
Coriander seeds:1 tablespoon
Black gram Dal: 1 tablespoon
Bengal gram Dal: 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds:1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Oil: 2 tablespoons

Procedure:

Slit Brinjals on 2 ends but not completely, now place them in salt water.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan fry all the ingredients except brinjals to golden brown but not charcoal, add 1 teaspoon salt to it grind it to a fine powder. Now take the brinjals and wipe them carefully with a cloth and stuff the brinjals with grinded powder. Take another pan and heat another teaspoon of oil and when it is hot enough place the stuffed brinjals in the oil and fry them on medium heat turning all the sides when the brinjals are tender add remaining grinded powder and check salt. Now the curry is ready to serve.

Garlic, Chickpea and Spinach Soup

                                 I got this recipe in a recipe book called the best ever vegetarian cook book.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons
Ground coriander
5 cups vegetable stock
250 gms potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
300 gms chickpeas (kaabuli chana, soaked and half cooked)
1 tablespoon corn flour mixed in 1/2 cup water
Cream (2/3 cup milk + 1/4 cup butter melt butter and mix in the milk)
Sesame seeds paste (dry roasted and grinded into a fine paste using some olive oil)
2 cups spinach, shredded

Chili powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the garlic and onion for 5 minutes, until they are softened and golden brown.

Stir in the cumin and coriander powders and cook for another minute.

Pour in the stock and add the chopped potatoes to the pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chickpeas and simmer for 5 minutes more, or until the potatoes and chickpeas are just tender.

Blend together the cornstarch, cream, sesame seeds paste and add the chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the soup with the spinach.bring to a boil stirring, and simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve immediately, sprinkled with little chilli powder.

Fresh Pea Soup

Ingredients:

Butter: 2 tablespoons
Small Onions: 2 or 3 finely chopped
Green Peas: 3 cups (fresh or frozen)
Fresh Cream: 3-4 tablespoons (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Bread croutons, to garnish

Procedure:

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the chopped onions and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add2 cups water and the peas.

Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the peas are tender, ladle them into a blender or mixer with a little of the cooking liquid and process until smooth.

Strain the soup into the saucepan, stir in the cream, if using,  and heat through without boiling. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot, garnished with Bread croutons.

Fresh Tomato, Lentil and Onion soup

Ingredients:

Oil: 2 teaspoons
Onion: 1 large (chopped)
Shajeera: 1 teaspoon
Tomatoes: 2 large (roughly chopped)
Split lentils: 1/2 cup (red gram dal)
Vegetable stock: 3 3/4 cups
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped coriander, to garnish

Procedure:

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and shajeera and cook for 5 minutes, stirring ocasionly.Add the lentils and  cook for 1 minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, stock. cover, bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring ocassionally.

When the lentils are cooked and tender, set the soup aside to cool slightly.

Puree in a blender or mixer until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, return to the sauce pan and reheat. Ladle into soup bowls to serve and garnish each with chopped coriander.

Semiya Payasam

Ghee: 3/4 cup
Vermicelli: 3/4  cup
Hot milk: 6 cups
Sugar: 3/4 cups
Green caradamoms: 6 (peeled and powdered)
Cashew nuts: 1/3 cup
Raisins: 1/3 cup

Procedure:

Heat 1/2 cup ghee in cooker for about 2 minutes. Add vermicelli. Stir fry till golden brown (approximately 2 minutes). Add milk and sugar. Till sugar is dissolved.

Close cooker. Bring to full pressure on medium heat. Reduce heat and cook for 1 minute.

Remove Cooker from heat. Reduce pressure by pressure by placing cooker in a basin of cold water for about 2 minutes.

Open cooker. Add caradamom powder.

Place cooker on high heat. Cook till payasam is slightly thickened (approximately 5 minutes), stirring constantly.

In a pan, Heat remaining 1/4 cup ghee for about 2 minutes. Add cahew nuts. Stir fry till golden brown. Add raisins. Stir for a few seconds and pour over payasam. Stir. Serve hot.

Aloo Subji

Ingrediants:

Potato: 500 gms
Bay leaves: 2
Cloves: 4
Cinnamon pieces: 3-4
Cumin: 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Hing: a little
Curry leaves: 4-5
Chopped green chillies: 2
Chilli powder: 2 teaspoons
Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Curd: 1 cup

Procedure:

Boil the potatoes.
Peal them and cut into pieces.
Heat oil in a flat utensil and fry mustard seeds for a minute.
Add biryanileaves,cloves, cinnamon pieces,cumin,hing,green chilliesand curry leaves.
Fry them for 2-4 minutes.
Add potato pieces in it and stir.
Add chilly powder,coriander powder,turmeric powder,salt and 1/2 cup of water.
Stir and cook it for some time.
Beat curd and mix in it, stir and cook it for further few minutes.
Serve hot. Sprinkle chopped green coriander on it for decoration and taste.

Bhagare Baingan

Ingredients:

Quatered brinjals: ¼ kg
Thick tamarind water: ½ cup
Curry leaves: 10
Chilli powder: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ¼ teaspoon
Oil:  ½ cup
Green chillies: 4 (slit in center)
Ginger paste: 1 teaspoon
Garlic paste: 1 teaspoon
Chopped coriander leaves: 2 tablespoons

Ingredients for masala:

Coriander seeds: 1½ teaspoons
Poppy seeds: 1½ tablespoons
Sesame seeds: 1½ tablespoons
Cumin seeds: ½ teaspoons
Peanuts: 1 tablespoon
Grated dry coconut: ½ cup
Onion:1 large


Procedure:

Take ingrediants for masala.
Roast and grind this till fine paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan fry brinjals and remove from oil when light brown.
In same oil fry curry leaves, ground masala, ginger, garlic, turmeric, chilli powder till well browned.
Then add tamarind water, ½ cup hot water, brinjals and green chillies in it.
Add salt to taste.
Stir well cover and simmer till  masala gets thick Remove from fire, stir in the  chopped coriander leaves, Serve hot with chapaties, rice etc.

Navaratan Korma

Ingrediants:

Paneer: 150 gms
Boiled vegetables: 3 cups (potatoes, green peas, freanch beans, cucumber, carrot, cauliflower)
Tomatoes: 4
Onions: 3
Ginger & garlic paste: 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder: ½ teaspoon
Coriander powder: 2 teaspoons
Chilly powder: 2 teaspoons
Garam masala: 1½ teaspoons
Milk: ½ cup
Fresh cream: 4 teaspoons
Ghee: 3 tablespoons
Salt to taste

Procedure:

Now chop the onions, put pototoes in boiling water for 10 minutes,remove skin and cut them.
Make small pieces of paneer, fry it in ghee.
Fry onions separately in ghee for few minutes.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry them for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder,chilly powder, garam masala and salt to taste.
Fry for 4 to 6 minutes on low flame.
Add boiled vegetables, milk and fried paneer pieces and cook them for few minutes on low heat.
"Serve-hot"  with roti, pulov, veg-biryani etc.

Chinese samosa (My style)

Ingrediants for dough:

Maida: 1 full cup+1 tablespoon

Salt : 1/2 teaspoon

Oil: 2 teaspoons

Oil for deep frying

Ingredients for stuffing:

Chopped carrot: 1 cup

Chopped cabbage: 1 cup

American sweet corn: 1/2 cup (boiled in water for 2 minutes)

Soya sauce: 1 teaspoon

Chille sauce: 1 teaspoon

Tomato sauce: 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper: to taste

Ajinamoto: 1/4 teaspoon

Oil: 2 tablespoons

Procedure for  preparing stuffing:

Heat oil in a pan, add cabbege, carrot and sweet corn and fry till they are soft.

Now add salt,ajinamoto and mix.

Now add the sauces, now the stuffing for samosa is ready.

Procedure for preparing dough:

Mix maida, salt, oil.

Add a little water at a time.

Pat and knead well for several times into a soft pilable dough

Cover it with a lid and keep aside for 15 minutes.

Main procedure:

Make small rolls of dough  and roll it into 4 -5 inches diameter circles.

Cut into two parts lie semicircle.

Now take a chapati pan and heat it, now keep the semicircles on hot tawa for 2 seconds. (dont make it like a chapati)

Mix 1 table spoon maida in half cup of water and use it as a glue.

Now  take 1 semi circle and apply maida glue on the edges and roll it like a cone.

Place a spoon of  filling in the cone and seal the third side make all the samosas like this and deep fry them until golden brown.

Serve them with any chutney or sauce as your wish.

Sambar

Ingredients:

Red gram: 1 cup

Tamarind: 50 grams (size of a lemon) (soak tamarind in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes and extract pulp)

Water:  1 liter

Salt:  as per taste

Mixed vegetables:  2 cups (radish, ash gourd, bottle gourd, drum stick, lady finger)

Green chilies:  four

Turmeric:  a pinch

Onions: two big

Curry leaves and coriander:  as you wish

Tomato: one

Ingredients for sambar masala:

Coriander seeds:  1 tablespoon

Black pepper corns:  1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds:  1 teaspoon

Asafetida:  a pinch

Rice:  1 tablespoon

Dry red chillies:  three

 Grated coconut:  Two table spoons

Oil: one tablespoon

Tomatoes:  two small

Procedure:

First, prepare the masala for sambar.  Take a pan and heat it, heat oil in it and fry all the ingredients given for 

sambar masala except tomatoes and coconut. Now grind all the ingredients adding coconut and tomatoes into paste.

Boil red gram dal, radish, green chillies, and tomato together.

Now take a deep-bottomed pan, add the boiled dal and tamarind pulp mixed vegetables, turmeric, salt and water as specified, and bring to boil.

When the vegetables are tender add the ground masala paste and cook for another five minutes.

Now add coriander leaves, curry leaves, and dish out the sambar

Kandipappu patchadi with vankaya patchi pulusu

                                                          
Ingredients for kandipappu patchadi:

Red gram dal: 1 cup

Dry red chillies: three

Salt: as per your taste

Cumin seeds: 1 teaspoon

Garlic cloves: 5-6

Water: 2 cups

Ingredients for tempering:

Oil: 1 table spoon

Dry red chillies: one cut into pieces

Black gram dal: one teaspoon

Mustard seeds: ½-tea spoon

Cumin seeds: ½ teaspoon

Curry leaves: 5-6

Procedure:

Fry red gram dal until it turns to red. Now grind the fried dal, dry red chillies, salt adding water occasionally, now add cumin seeds and garlic cloves and grind for another minute. Now dish out the chutney and temper

Procedure for tempering:

Heat oil in a pan, fry all the ingredients specified for tempering, and add to the chutney.

Ingredients for vankaya patchi pulusu:

White eggplants: big 1/2kg

Onions:  two medium (chopped)

Green chillies:  four

Tamarind: size of a lemon (soak in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes and extract the pulp)

Salt: as per taste

Turmeric: a pinch

Dry red chilly powder: 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds: ½ teaspoon

Mustard seeds: ½ teaspoon

Oil: one tablespoon

Dry red chillies: One cut into pieces

Procedure:

Wash the eggplants and wipe them with a dry cloth, put holes using a fork and place them on the flame and burn the eggplants until it turns into black but not burnt. Now place the eggplant in a bowl containing cold water and peel off the skin add check carefully it may have any internal damages and place the eggplants in a serving bowl.

Now mash the eggplants using hand add salt to taste, chilly powder and tamarind pulp and a half liter of water.

Now heat a pan add one tablespoon oil, when the oil is hot add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chilly pieces and fry for 1 minute, now add chopped onions and fry till transparent and add a pinch of turmeric  and stir switch off the stove and add this to the eggplants mixture. Vankaya patchi pulusu is ready to serve. the combination of  Kandipappu patchadi with vankaya patchi pulusu will be very very delicious.

Beans coconut masala curry

Ingredients:

Beans:1/4 kg(cut into 1 inch pieces and half cooked)

Onion:1 small(chopped into small pieces)

Curry leaves:10

Turmeric a pinch

Coriander leaves some to garnish

Oil:3 tea spoons

Ingredients for dry masala:

Urad dal:1teaspoon

Chana dal:1teaspoon 

Coriander seeds: 1teaspoon 

Mustard seeds:1teaspoon

Jeera: 1teaspoon  

Dry red chilles: 2 

Procedure:

Dry roast all the above ingredients and powder them

Ingredients for wet masala:

Grated coconut: 1/2 cup 

Ginger: 1 inch piece

Garlic  cloves:4-5

Green chilles:3

Procedure:

Grind all the above ingredients into paste adding some water.

Main procedure:

Heat a pan add some oil, when the oil is heat enough add curry leaves and chopped onions.

When  the onions are transparent add a pinch of turmeric. 

Now add the dry and wet masalas.

Now add some water and half cooked beans now simmer the flame and cover the pan and cook till the beans are tender.

Now dish out the curry and sprinkle some coriander leaves.