BEETROOT PULAO

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati Rice
1 cup Onion thinly sliced
1 slit    Green chilli 
1 tsp gingergarlic paste
1 Tomato chopped
1 cup Grated Beetroot 
fistful Mint leaves 
2 tbsp   Coriander leaves  chopped
1 tsp   Biryani masala
1 tsp sambhar powder
Salt as  needed
2 cups  Water
 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon juice 

For the seasoning
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp  Fennel seeds
1  Bay leaf  
2  Cloves 
1"  Cinnamon -1 inch piece
1 Cardamom 

Method 

Wash and soak basmati rice for 20 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.

Wash, peel the skin and grate or finely chop beetroot.

Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, when it splutters, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf.

Saute for a few seconds, then add thinly sliced onions, slit green chilli and cook until onions turn transparent.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a few more minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Add beetroot, coriander leaves, mint leaves, biryani masala, sambar powder and salt needed.

Mix well, add 2 cups of water and lemon juice. When water starts boiling, add soaked and drained basmati rice. Mix well and check for salt by tasting the water, if the water is slightly salty, it will become perfect once the rice is cooked. Lower the heat and cook covered until rice is done. You can pressure cook rice or cook rice in a pan with lid or use the rice cooker.

Once done, fluff it with a fork, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or papads.

Add water according to the quality of your rice.(1 cup of basmati rice needs appoximately - 1 1/2 -2 cups of water. The rice I used needed 2 cups of water, moreover I like my rice to be soft.)

KOOTU CURRY

Ingredients

1/2 cup Brown chickpeas cooked
1/2 cup Raw plantain peeld and cubed
1/2 cup Elephant yam cubed
1/4 cup Kashmiri chili powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/3 cup Grated coconut
Salt to taste
Water- as required

To grind
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 cloves garlic
1-2 nos green chillies
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder

For tempering

1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 nos Dried red chilli
few Curry leaves
Oil

Method

Grind together all the ingredients listed under ' to grid ' to form a coarse paste.Keep aside.
Dry roast 1/3 cup grated coconut over medium flame,stirring continuously until it turns brown.Keep aside.
In a pan,combine together cubed plantain, elephant yam ,chili powder,turmeric powder and  water.Cook until it is tender and water is almost absorbed.Add cooked chickpeas ,prepared coconut paste and salt .Mix well and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.Remove from heat.
Add the roasted coconut and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds,let it splutter.Add red chilies and curry leaves,fry for few seconds and pour it over the curry.
Serve with rice.

NYLON KHAMAN DHOKLA

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups besan
1  1/2 tbs rava
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp ginger-green chili paste
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fruit salt (eno)
pinch asafoetida
few curry leaves
1 tsp chopped green chillies
coriander leaves for garnishing
green chutney to serve
salt to taste

Method

Combine besan, rava, sugar, ginger-green chili paste, lemon juice, salt with 3/4 cup water in a deep bowl and mix well using a whisk to get a smooth batter
Just before steaming, add fruit salt and mix lightly.
Pour the mixture immediately to a greased thali and spread by rotating the thali clockwise.
Steam in a steamer for 10-12 minutes or till dhokla are cooked. Keep aside.
Heat oil  in a nonstick pan and add mustard seeds.
When seeds crackle, add asafoetida, curry leaves, green chillies and saute on medium flame for 30 minutes.
Remove from flame , add 1/2 cup water and mix well.
Pour the tempering over prepared dhoklas and spread it evenly.
Cut into pieces, and garnish with coriander leaves and serve with green chutney.

CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

2 (8 oz) cream cheese (can use the less fat kind too)
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
10-20 chocalate graham crackers

1/4 cup butter

 pinch cinnamon powder
topping of your choice

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Crush chocolate graham crackers, combined with a bit of melted butter and a dash of cinnamon and press into bottom of foil or cupcake liner.

Beat cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and lemon juice. 

Pour batter into tins, bake 12-15 minutes. 

Let cool, and then refrigerate for a couple of hours. 

Garnish with your desired topping.

BRINJAL CHUTNEY

Ingredients

2 Brinjal 
1 Big Onion chopped 
1 Tomato chopped 
2" Ginger chopped piece
4 cloves Garlic chopped
1 or 2 (you can add red chillies instead)
Green chillies chopped 
3-4 Cashewnuts 
1 tbsp Roasted Bengal gram 
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 
Salt to taste
1/2 to 1 tsp Tamarind paste- (adjust to suit your taste) 
2 tbsp Oil 
For tempering 
1 tsp Oil 
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds 
few Curry leaves
 pinch Asafoetida- 
1 Dried red chilli broken into pieces 

Method

Slice and deep fry the brinjal pieces to golden brown. Drain onto absorbent paper and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the cashewnuts and roasted bengal gram and saute for a few seconds. 
Add the chopped onion and saute till pink in colour. 
Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute till a nice aroma comes. 
Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till oil separates. 
Add the fried brinjal pieces and salt and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for 5 minutes or till well blended. Switch off heat and let cool. 
Add tamarind paste and grind the mixture to a fine, smooth paste. 
In another pan, heat oil. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. When they start to splutter, add the asafoetida and stir for 3 seconds. Now add the red chilli pieces and curry leaves and stir for a few seconds. 
Switch off heat and pour this over the chutney. Serve with rice or Idli or Dosa. 

DOSA BATTER PAKODA

Ingredients

1 cup leftover dosa batter

1-2 tbsp flour

1 small onion finely chopped

3-6 green chillies finely chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

Few coriander leaves finely chopped

few curry leaves finely chopped

salt as per taste

pinch baking soda

Oil for frying

Method

Combine all the above ingredients in a  vessel and mix well.

Check salt and you can reduce or add chillies according to your spice level.

Heat a kadai with oil for deep frying the pakodas.

The batter should be little looser than pakoda batter.

Drop small portions of batter in the oil and fry in medium flame till light golden in colour and serve it hot with coconut chutney .

BABY CORN 65

Ingredients

Baby corns (sliced into half) – 12 to 15 ( I used can baby corn )

1 bunch Coriander leaves
2 sprigs Curry leaves
2 Green chili finely chopped
Ginger  small piece finely chopped
5-8 Garlic cloves
Salt as per taste
1/2 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder  (You can use any red chili powder. But to give more color, we are using Kashmiri red chili powder instead of an artificial food color).
1/4 cup Rice Flour
1 tbsp All-purpose Flour
1 tbsp Corn Flour
1tsp  Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Curd
 Cooking oil for deep frying.

Method

First, boil the baby corns by adding some water into a pan.
When the water is boiling, add a pinch of salt and then I’m going to add the sliced baby corns into hot water and I’ll boil them for two to three minutes.When the baby corns are boiled, keep them aside.
Next, prepare the batter for frying the baby corns. 
Add coriander leaves, curry leaves, one green chili , ginger and garlic. If you want more spiciness, you can add more of green chilies.
Blend them together and make into a rough grounded paste.
Add the paste to a mixing bowl, add garam masala powder, add ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder. You can always adjust your spice level. Again, you can use any red chili powder. But to give more colour, we are going to use Kashmiri red chili powder because I don’t like to add food colour.
Add rice flour, add all-purpose flour, add salt as per taste and mix them all.
Add lemon juice, add 1 tablespoon of curd and mix all ingredients to make it a nice thick smooth batter. 
You may have to add little bit of water as well because the batter shouldn’t be neither too thin nor thick. 
Drop all the babycorn pieces into the batter. 
Pour cooking oil on a pan and heat it on a medium flame.
When the oil is hot enough, add the babycorn mixed with batter into the hot oil.
Fry them for at least two to three minutes until they are brown colour. Don’t try to flip them around as soon you put them into the hot oil, because they masala batter may come off.
The fried babycorns are ready. Keep them aside.
Your BabyCorn 65 is ready.
Enjoy this crispy and crunchy recipe.