Vermicelli Biryani

Ingredients:
Vermicelli – 3 cups
Mixed Vegetables – 1.5 cups
Onions – 1
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Lemon – 1
Oil – 1 tbsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Salt

For Paste:
Cloves – 2 to 3
Cinnamon – 1/2 inch
Ginger – 1/2 inch
Garlic cloves – 5 to 6 cloves
Fennel seeds – 1/2 tbsp
Mint leaves – handful
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Green chillies – 1 to 2

For Garnish:
Roasted cashew nuts
Chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Grind all the ingredients under “For paste” with little water into a smooth paste.

Mixed Vegetables: I took a mix of carrots,french beans,green peas ,boiled potato and capsicum.
Chop all the vegetables and steam them.

Slice the onions lengthwise.

In a large pan, take lots of water and bring it to a rolling boil. Once water starts boiling, add the vermicelli and cook for 5 minutes stirring now and then.
Drain the water using a strainer and wash the vermicelli in cold water.
Add few drops of oil to the cooked and cooled vermicelli and set aside.

In a large pan, heat oil and ghee. Once hot, add Cumin seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering, add sliced onions and fry till they are slightly brown.
Add turmeric powder and cooked vegetables. Mix well and add salt.
Add the ground paste and mix well.
Let the vegetables cook till they are slightly dry.

Add the cooked vermicelli and chopped coriander leaves and cook for few minutes.
Mix the vermicelli well into the vegetable mixture so that it is well coated.

Before removing the pan from the stove, squeeze juice of one lemon into the vermicelli biryani and mix well.

Garnish with fried cashew nuts and coriander leaves.

Mango Icecream

Ingredients:
Alphonso Mango – 2
Whipping Cream – 2.5 cups to 3 cups
Sugar – 3/4 cup to 1 cup
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Hand Mixer
Cling film

Method:

Before beginning the ice cream process, freeze the bowl in which cream needs to be whipped along the hand mixer blades in the freezer overnight. Thaw the whipping cream in the fridge overnight.

Set the freezer temperature to the coldest.

Wash and peel the mangoes. Chop them into small pieces.
In a blender, add the chopped mangoes,sugar and vanilla essence. Make it into a smooth puree.

Take out the chilled bowl and add the whipping cream. Take out the hand mixer blades.
Beat the whipping cream to sharp peaks. Once the peaks are formed, if you invert the bowl, cream should not fall out.

Mix the mango puree into the whipped cream.
Cover the bowl with cling film or aluminium foil and freeze the mixture for 3 to 4 hours.

Take the ice cream out. Whip the mixture again for 5 to 10 minutes till smooth. This is done to prevent ice crystal formation.
This process can be repeated two more times in 3 to 4 hours interval.

After the final whipping , freeze the ice cream for 10 hours.

Serve the ice cream with chopped mangoes and mint .

PS: I have used non dairy whipping cream. Any cream can be used for this ice cream. If you are using amul fresh cream or milky mist dairy cream, please check the you tube videos for whipping of dairy cream.
Dairy whipping creams will form only soft peaks. Over whipping of dairy cream will result in curdling the cream.

Sattu Paratha

Ingredients:
For the dough:
Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
Oil – 1tsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Water
Salt

For the filling:
Sattu powder – 3 to 4 tbsp
Onion – 1 big
Green chilli – 1
Garlic cloves – 2 to 3 cloves
Ginger – 1/2 inch
Coriander leaves – a handful
Pickle oil (optional) – 1 tsp
Lemon – 1/2
Mustard oil – 1 tsp
Ajwain /Carrom seeds – 1/2 tsp
salt

Oil for shallow frying
Wheat flour for rolling parathas

Method:

Dough: In a large bowl, add wheat flour and all the ingredients except water. Mix well. Add water little by little and mix into a tight dough. Set the dough aside for half an hour.

Filling: Make a coarse paste of green chilli,ginger and garlic.
Chop the onion into small pieces.

In a bowl, add all the ingredients for the filling along with greenchilli+ginger+garlic paste and chopped onions.
Mix well and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Adding of salt to the filling mixture will leave out some moisture.
After 15 minutes, try to see if small ball can be made with the filling mixture.
If the filling mixture turns too moist, add a tsp or more of sattu powder,mix well and make small ball of all the mixture and set aside.

Take a small ball of the dough. Roll into a small disc. In the center, keep the filling ball,cover the filling with the dough fully.
Roll into large disc adding required wheat flour as and when required.

Heat a griddle .Once it hot, cook the parathas on both sides well by smearing little oil.

Serve the parathas with white butter or curd.

Mango Sago Payasam

Ingredients:
Milk – 1/2 Litre
Sago Pearls – 1/2 cup
Alphonso Mango – 2
Sugar – 1/2 cup or more
Cardamom powder – 1/4 tsp
Saffron threads – 2 to 3
Cashewnuts – 8 to 10
Ghee – 1/4 tsp

Method:

Boil milk and set aside.
Wash sago pearls 3 to 4 times in lot of water and soak in little water for half an hour till it swells.

Wash and peel the mangoes.
Puree one mango into a smooth paste. Chop the remaining mango into small pieces.

Crush the saffron threads with little hot milk.

In a large pan, take some water and add sago pearls .Cook the sago pearls till they become transparent.
Once sago is cooked well, add milk and thicken the payasam a little.
Add saffron milk mixture ,sugar and cardamom and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
Set aside the Payasam to cool completely.

In a small pan, heat ghee.Once ghee is hot, fry the cashews till light brown. Pour over the Payasam.

Once the Payasam is cooled completely, add mango puree and mix well.
Add the chopped mango pieces.
Serve the Payasam chilled .

Radish Leaves Salad

Ingredients:
Radish leaves – Big Bunch
Pomegranate seeds – one cup
Onion – 1 Big size
Sesame seeds – 1 Tbsp
Lemon – 1
Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves – 1 Big
Olive oil – 1 Tbsp
Salt

Method:

Clean ,wash radish leaves and chop it fine. Chop onions also into small pieces.

Crush garlic clove into a coarse paste.

In a large bowl, add oil,pepper powder,garlic clove,salt .Squeeze juice of one lemon in it.
Beat well.
Add chopped leaves, onion and pomegranate seeds. Mix well.

Rest the salad for half an hour in refrigerator.
Just before serving, roast sesame seeds and garnish the salad with sesame seeds.

Sattu Buttermilk

This is a refreshing drink for these Hot Hot bangalore summers. It prevents dehydration and reduces body heat.

Ingredients:
Sattu powder – 2 big tsp
Curd/Plain Yogurt – 3 tbsp
Chilled water – 2 cups
Ice cubes (optional) – 3 to 4
Black pepper powder – a pinch
Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Kala Namak/Rock Salt – 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice – 1 to 2 tsp
Salt

For Garnish:
Finely chopped coriander leaves and mint leaves

Method:

In a big bowl, add Sattu powder and curd. Beat well. Add  rest of the ingredients and beat well.
Pour into large glasses. Garnish with chopped coriander and mint leaves.

Have immediately .

PS: Sattu powder tends to settle at bottom of the glass if kept for some time. Hence, mix well.

White Pumpkin Poriyal

Ingredients:
White Pumpkin – 500gms
Channa dal – 1/4 cup
Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Green chilli – 1 sliced long
Salt

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Channa dal – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – handful
Coconut oil – 1 to 2 tsp

Method:

Wash and soak Channa dal for 1 hour. Drain and rinse well. Cook the channa dal either directly or in pressure cooker with little water till it is soft but not mushy.
Drain the water and reserve the water.

Wash ,peel the core and skin of white pumpkin and chop it into small pieces.

In a large pan, heat oil. Once oil is hot add Mustard seeds, Channa dal, Cumin seeds,Asafoetida,Curry leaves and turmeric powder one by one and fry for few seconds.
Add chopped pumpkin pieces and salt. Mix well. Add the reserved Channa dal water ,cover and cook till pumpkin is cooked well.
Ensure that pumpkin is soft but retains its shape.

Once pumpkin is cooked well, add the boiled Channa dal and mix well.Cook for few minutes till salt gets incorporated into the dal. Take the pan off the heat.

Garnish with grated coconut.

Serve this as side dish for rotis and rice.

Bittergourd StirFry

Ingredients:
Bitter gourd – 200 gms
Onion – 1 medium size
Tamarind water – 3 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Dill seeds/Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Asafoetida – a pinch
Curry leaves – handful
Coriander leaves – handful
Jaggery – 1 tbsp
Salt
Oil – 2 tbsp

For Masala:
Cinnamon – 1/4 inch
Cloves – 2
Cardamom – 2
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp
Fennel seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies – 2

Method:

Heat a small pan. Dry roast all the ingredients under “For Masala”.Once cool, powder in a mixer and set aside.

Slice the onions and keep aside.

Wash and peel the Bittergourd lightly.Cut into roundels. Apply salt and turmeric powder and set aside for half an hour. Bittergourd will leave out water.
Wash and squeeze out the water from the Bittergourd .

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan. Once oil is hot, add the Bittergourd and fry well till they are cooked and browned a bit. It takes around 10 minutes or more .
Keep the gas on a low flame while frying the vegetable else there are chances of it getting burned.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Once hot, add Cumin or dill seeds and fry for a few seconds. Add curry leaves and asafoetida , add sliced onions and fry till they are brown.

Add the roasted Bittergourd,turmeric powder,salt and sprinkle 1/2 tbsp of the ground masala and mix well.

Add the tamarind water and jaggery and mix well.

Cook for few minutes till the vegetable becomes dry.

Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as a side dish for rotis and rice.

Bonda Soup

Ingredients:

For Soup:
Masoor Dal – 1/4 cup
Moong Dal – 1/4 cup
Tomatoes – 2 medium size
Green chilli – 1
Ginger – 1 inch
Pepper powder – 1 tsp
asafoetida – a pinch
Fenugreek seeds powder – 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – handful
Coriander leaves – handful
Grated coconut (optional) – 1 tsp
Salt
Ghee – 1 tsp
Lemon – 1/2

For Bonda:
Udad dal – 1 cup
Green chilli – 1
Ginger – 1/2 inch
Pepper – 5 to 6
Curry leaves – 3 to 4
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Coconut pieces – 1 tsp
Rice flour – 1 tsp
Baking soda – a pinch
Salt
Oil for frying

Method:

For Bonda:
Wash and Soak Udad dal for 4 hours. Drain the water and add the dal into a mixer jar.
Along with dal, add pepper,chopped green chilli,chopped ginger and curry leaves.
Grind to a smooth paste .Try to grind without adding water. If water is required, add a tsp of water .

Take the ground paste in a bowl. Add rice flour,coconut pieces and salt.
The batter for bonda can be made in advance and refrigerated.

Before frying the bonda, add baking soda and mix well.

Bonda can be fried in two ways:
Deep drying: Heat lots of oil in a frying pan. Once oil is hot, take spoonful of the batter and add them to the oil carefully without spilling. Fry till the bonda is brown and cooked from inside.

Shallow frying: This is a much healthier version . Heat Appe pan with 1 tsp of oil in all the holes.Once oil is hot, add a spoonful of the batter and cover for few minutes.Flip the bondas once the bottom is cooked. Again cover for few minutes.
Without a pointed wooden stick, poke a hole inside the vada and cook for few more seconds.Take the bondas into a plate and repeat the same for the rest of the batter.

For Soup: Wash and pressure cook both the dals together. If masoor dal is not there, we can use 1/2 cup of moong dal.

Finely chop ginger,green chilli,tomatoes and coriander leaves.

In a large pan, heat ghee. Once ghee is hot, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
Fry for few seconds. Add asafoetida,curry leaves,chopped green chilli and chopped ginger.Fry for few seconds.

Add chopped tomatoes,turmeric powder and salt. Cover and cook till tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Add cooked dal, pepper powder and fenugreek seeds powder. Add 2 cups of water .Cover and cook till the entire mixtures comes to a rolling boil.

Garnish with grated coconut and coriander leaves.

Once the soup is cooled for few minutes, add juice of half a lemon.

Assembling bonda soup:

Take a soup bowl. Add few bondas and pour hot soup over it. Garnish with few coriander leaves and serve hot.

This is a very healthy breakfast or evening snack.