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.