MEXICAN QUINOA

Wonderfully light, healthy and nutirious. And its so easy to make - even quinoa is cooked right in the pan.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa

1 cup vegetable broth or water

1 can blach beans , drained and rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels

1 tsp chilli powder

a tsp cumin powder

salt and pepper as per taste

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 avocado , halved, seeded and diced

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp fresh cilantro

Method

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, jalapeno and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in quinoa, broth, beand and tomatoes, corn , chili powder, cumin powder, salt and pepper. 

Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until quinoa is cooked through, about 20 minutes. 

Stir in avocado, lime juice and cilantro.

Serve immediately.

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CABBAGE MUTHIA

Ingredients

4 cups very fine shredded cabbage
1 cup gram flour
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons chopped fenugreek leaves (can be substitute with 2 tablespoons of dry fenugreek leaves or kastoori mathi) fenugreek can also be replaced with chopped cilantro 

1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon citric acid
2 chopped green chili (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin seed 
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt as per taste
2 tablespoons oil

Seasoning

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon sesame seeds 
4 whole red chili
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro 

Method

Combine gram flour, whole wheat flour, fenugreek, cumin seed, turmeric, green chili, sugar, citric acid, oil, and salt in a bowl.
Add the cabbage to the flour mixture and mix well to make soft dough. Add water if needed .
Grease your fingers and divide the mixture into 14 pieces. Drop slowly onto the steamer and steam, covered, 18 to 20 minutes. Test by inserting a knife; blade should come out clean.
Let the muthias cool.  Cut each one into two pieces off and then slice them in two pieces.

Making Seasoning

Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds. Once they crack, add the sesame seeds and red chili and stir-fry the mixture a few seconds.
Add muthias and stir-fry them for three  to four minutes until they are light brown.Garnish them with chopped cilantro.
Serve them hot or at room temperature.

Additional Notes:

Steam immediately after preparing the mixture. If you allow it to sit, it will be too soft. If you have more than one batch, hold the salt and add it one batch at a time or it will be too soft.
Muthias can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.
Muthias can be frozen before seasoning. When ready to serve, thaw the frozen muthias and season them.

Muthias are great with coriander chutney.

WATERMELON RIND CURRY

We eat the sweet red part of a watermelon and throw away the rind, But if we make a dish using the rind of a watermelon then it tastes delicious. 

Ingredients 

1 kg Watermelon rind
1 tsp Ginger paste
3 nos Green chilly chopped
pinch Asafetida
1 tsp Cumin seeds 
1/2 - 1tsp Red chili powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Dried mango powder  
1 tbsp Coriander powder
Salt as per taste 

3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

2-3 tbsp oil

Method 
Remove the dark green part from the top of the watermelon rind. Cut the thick green pulp into small pieces. 
Add oil to a pan and let it heat. 

Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds ,add asafetida, ginger paste, green chilli, turmeric powder and coriander powder to it and roast. 

Now add the pieces of watermelon rind to it. Add salt and red chilly powder as well. 

Cook the watermelon pieces along with all the spices for about 2 minutes. Make sure the coating of all the spices comes on top of the watermelon pieces. Add ¼ cup water to it. Cover the dish and let it cook for 5-6 minutes on low flame. 
Make sure to keep checking the dish after every 5 minutes. Once the watermelon pieces become soft, add garam masala, dried mango powder and coriander leaves to it and mix well. The watermelon rind curry will be ready in 25 minutes. 
Take out the sabzi in a bowl and garnish it using coriander leaves. Watermelon rind curry can be served along with chapati, paratha or rice. 

CHOCOLATE CAKE USING SOUR CREAM

One day I was searching for chocolate cake recipes and found this one. This cake uses sour cream and I had sour cream in my fridge , so thought of giving it a try. It was a hit , soft and moist . 

Ingredients

200 gms flour

200 gsm Castor sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

40 gms cocoa powder

175 gms soft unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

150 ml sour cream

Method

Take everything out of fridge so that all the ingredients are ta room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Now mix all the in ingredients into a food processor until you have a smooth thick batter.

Pour this batter in the greased cake tin and bake in for 35 minutes or until skewer inserted comes out clean.

Remove the cake, to a wire rack and let it cool for 10 minutes before turning out. 

Spoon any icing of your choice on the cake after its cooled down completely.

GRAPES RAITA

This raita tastes a lot different from all other raitas. I felt, it did taste like a chaat,due to the addition of dry roasted cumin seeds. There's something so addictive about this one because there's sweet & salty along with the heat from the red chili powder. You have to try it to believe me.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, dry roasted
1/2 pound green and red seedless grapes,sliced in half
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Method:

Whisk together yogurt,salt & red chili powder.Add the dry roasted cumin seeds along with the grapes and cilantro and fold it in. Serve chilled.
This raita will keep in the refrigerator,covered,for up to 5 days.

BOTTLEGUORD CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 small bottleguord cut into Small cubes

1 tsp cumin seeds

5-8 green chillies

4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

curry leaves

salt as per taste

2  dry chilli 

Method

In a hot pan add sesame seeds and dry roast it. 

Switch off the flame and transfer it in a blender to make powder.

Now in the same pan ass oil and cumin seeds, green chillies, garlic, bottleguordpieces, turmeric powder and saute it . 

Cook on low flame until soft. Add tamarind paste and saute for 2minutes.

Switch off flame and after it cools down , put in ablender and make paste.

Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry chillies. 

Add this to the chutney and mix it properly and serve.

MILLET DOSA

Ingredient

1 cup Foxtail Millet 

1 cup Idli rice

1/4 cup poha

1/2 cup ural dal

1/2 tsp methi seeds

salt to taste  

Method

Wash Millet, rice, urad dal, poha and methi seeds and soak millet, urad dal separately and rice and poha together in a bowl and soak for 2-3 hour.

After that In a grinder bowl or mixer jar, first grind foxtail millet then to it add rice, poha, urad dal, methi seeds and grind everything to a fine coarse batter using little water for 25-30 in grinder.

Then transfer the ground batter to a big bowl or container add enough salt mix altogether and allow to ferment for 8-10 hours or overnight.

After 8-10 hours of fermentation you will see the volume of the batter is little raised, stir the batter gently, if its properly fermented the batter will be so light, airy and fluffy.

The next day, stir the fermented batter once again and that's it the batter is ready to make soft idlis and crispy dosa.

Notes-

If using idli rice the adding poha is optional.

If using sona masoori the adding poha is must.

This batter gets sour soon, so grind with 1-2 cups and noit more than that.