Grape and Plum Summer Drink

I like fresh fruits as they are good source of energy. Summer has already started and I thought of making something from the fruits I have....I checked out my refrigerator and found that I have some fruits and then I thought of making a fresh summer drink.

To make Grape and Plum Summer Drink you will need :-

1 cup green grapes

2-3 plums roughly chopped

Salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Pinch of black pepper

Pinch of cumin powder

1 cup water

Grind grape and plum to mixer and blend it. Take it out and with the help of strainer strain all the pulp out of it. Then add cold water, salt, sugar, black pepper and cumin powder and mix well. Serve chilled.

You can make it ahead of time for say about 1 or 2 hours and keep in refrigerator when your guest are going to come. 

Mooli Paratha (Easy)

I try to keep my lunch light. I tried with mooli paratha, it turned out great and taste too good with yogurt.

To make Mooli Paratha you will need :-

1-2 medium size radish grated

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon chilly flakes

Oil for roasting

1 teaspoon oil

Mix all the ingredients except water. Add water slowly and make a paratha type dough. Roll it and roast on skillet. Roast both sides till golden brown spots are seen or it is cooked properly. Serve hot.

Methi (Fenugreek) Poori

I love Indian snacks and I go on trying with the ingredients which are my favorite. I thought let's make something different. I tried with methi poori.

To make methi poori you will need :-

1/2 cup dried methi leaves

1 cup semolina

1-1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup oil

Salt to taste

2 teaspoon carom seeds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1-2 cups water

Pinch of turmeric

Oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients except water. Add water slowly and make a tough dough. Allow it to rest for an hour or so. Make small balls of dough and roll in round shape. Prick with the knife or fork so they do not puff up. Fry them at medium heat when oil gets hot. Fry till golden brown color is seen. 

Store in airtight container after it gets cooled off for 15-20 days.

Healthy Grape Salad

Rather than having my full Indian meal in afternoon, sometimes I prefer to have a light salad with one fruit of my choice added in it. 

To make Healthy Grape Salad you will need :-

1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup green grapes
4-5 medium size diced radish
1/2 roughly chopped lettuce
1/2 cup cucumber sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and add salt and lemon juice as per your requirement. Sometimes you would love to have such lunch. Try it.

To make Plum Salad you will need :-

1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced plums
1/2 rougly chopped luttuce
1/2 rougly chopped brocolli
1/2 cup cucumber sliced
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste

Mix well all the things well. Adding any one fruit in the salad will make a so difference.

Healthy Sandwich

Sometimes I like to get simple in my diet. I thought of making healthy sandwich for my lunch. It is great to have some green raw vegetables in your diet.

To make Healthy Sandwich you will need :-

1 cup Julian cut bell peppers (red, yellow, green, orange)

2-3 tablespoon green onion chopped

Salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste

2 Pita Pocket

Take a bowl and add bell peppers and onion to it. Add salt and lemon juice as per your taste. Mix well. Fill in the warm pita pocket and enjoy. 

For more flavors you can add ketchup, mayonnaise and vegetables of your choice.

Pillsbury Indian Roti and Paratha variety available at.. (other than Indian Grocery Store)

Last weekend I had gone to Walmart and to my surprise what I found in frozen section? I found Pillsbury Indian Roti and Paratha variety over there. There was huge variety of Roti and Paratha at Walmart and I was so delighted to see this because if I need it sometime I do not have to rush to Indian Grocery Store to buy it.

Pillsbury Variety available at Walmart is :-

1.  Spring Onion Paratha

2. Paneer Paratha

3. Aloo  Masaledar NaanParatha

4. Paneer Naan

5. Micorwable Roti (Wheat)

6. Mooli Paratha

7. Plain Naan

8. Microwable Multigrain Roti

9. Ready to Puff Roti

10. Plain Paratha

11. Malabar Paratha

Enjoy now beacause all this good stuff is available nearer to you.

Grapes Pickle

I like to make my recipes simple and tasty. I try to make with few ingredients and make your work simple. This recipe is quick option to accompany with your meal or when you want to increase your menu count when guest are at your door.

To make Grapes Pickle you will need :-

1 cup green grapes

1 teaspoon pickle masala (sour- easily available in Indian Grocery Store)

1/2 teaspoon oil

Wash all the grapes properly. Pat dry them. Add pickle masala and oil to it and mix well. Cover it with airtight container and keep in refrigerator for getting it chilled. It taste good when it is chilled. You can also serve at room temperature. Always keep this pickle in refrigerator otherwise it will perish. It is made in no time and with less ingredients.

It taste so good that you will go on making again and again..........

Herbed Bread

I like to do lot of variation with my daily food.  Yesterday I was hungry and I went and checked out my refrigerator and I found out white bread. I thought of making something new out of it. I quickly checked my spice section and immediately flavor pop in my mind. I made it!!! and it tasted also really good.

To make Herbed Bread you will need :-

2 bread slice

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon red chilly flakes

1/4 teaspoon mixed herbs

3-4 tablespoon butter

Take a bowl  and add softened butter to it and mix all the spices with butter. Apply butter herbed mixture on both the sides of bread. Put it on the skillet and cook it till it get golden brown spots on it. Serve with soup or ketchup. It goes really good as side dish with pasta.

Sabudana and Potato Chakri-Vrat Recipe

I like to do fast. My mother prepares various stuff on day of my fast. One of them is Sabudana and Potato Chakri. It is made and dried in sunlight and can be stored for a year. When needed we can fry them in oil and can enjoy.

To make Sabudana and Potato Chakri you will need :-

1 cup sabudana soaked in water

1 cup grated potato (boiled)

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon ginger chilly paste

1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

Pinch of baking soda

Oil as needed

Take a bowl and soak sabudana with water till all the sabudana are soaked properly. Use lukewarm water. Cover it with lid. Allow it to rest for about 8-10 hours. After that take this sabudana to big vessel and mix well till it get little lumpy. Add grated boiled potato to it. Add all the spices and mix well till it gets cooked properly and everything comes together and make a lumpy mixture. Allow it to cool down little bit. 

Take chakri mixture to the sev making vessel and make a round ring out of it. Dry down all the chakri completely in sunlight. Then you can store it in airtight container and then use as needed.

Note :- The image of chakri I have shown is after it has got dried in sunlight.

Potato Peas nu rasadar shaak

Indian cooking is fun and we can try with lot more variation in our daily food. I like potato too much and go on trying it with different other vegetables. Today I am sharing you one of my favorite shaak i.e. potato peas.

To make potato peas nu rasadar shaak you will need :-

2 medium size potato pealed and cut into small pieces

3-4 tablespoon frozen peas

Salt to taste

1 small tomato chopped

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Sugar to taste

1 teaspoon Lemon juice (optional)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 tablespoon coriander cumin powder

1/4 tablespoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon red chilly powder

1-1/2 cup water

2-3 tablespoon oil

2-3 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Take a pot and and oil to it. When oil gets heated add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add cumin seeds thereafter. Add diced potatoes and peas mix well. Add water and salt and cover it with lid. Allow it to cook till vegetables get tender. Add all the spices and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and simmer it for 1-2 minutes. Before serving top it up with chopped cilantro.

Rice Flour Sev

I had a great vacation in India. There I learned from my mother to prepare Rice Flour Sev. This sev is to be made first and then to be dried in sunlight and then we can fry and eat. It taste too good. 

Basically it is made like Khichu(already shared recipe), the change in this is that no lumps should be there and we have to add little bit fruit salt so that it can be soft and rise little bit.

To make Rice Flour Sev you will need :-

Khichu (already shared recipe)

Pinch of fruit salt while making batter for khichu or you can mix with the rice flour and then make khichu.

After it get cooled down little bit. Put it in the sev making tin (available in India). Cover it with lid and then roll it and make a sev. Plastic sheet to be used and it should be properly greased with oil. Then make sev on it and allow it to dry in sunlight till it gets hard. It will take 7-8 hours or more.

Put it aside in open vessel for 1 day and allow it to dry completely. You can store this sev in airtight container for about a year. Whenever you need then just fry the sev in oil and enjoy.........

Muthiya & Surti Papadi Subji

This recipe is made in my house since long. Earlier I did not like it but now I have started liking this dish. It can be eaten alone or with Bhakari.

To make Muthiya & Surti Papadi Subji you will need :-
1 cup surati papadi
10-11 raw muthiya dumplings (already shared recipe)
2-3 cups water
Sugar to taste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon coriander cumin powder
1 teaspoon ginger chilly paste
1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder
Salt to taste
3-4 kokam
3-4 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Take a pot and add oil to it. Add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. Add surti papadi and water and allow it to cook well. Add all the spices except kokam. Allow water to gets boiled. When water gets boiled add 10-11 dumplings of muthiya and cook well. Do not stir too much otherwise it will break. Remove from the stove after it gets cooked and makes a thick gravy out of it. Serve hot.

Fenugreek (Methi) Muthiya

Fenugreek can be used in many forms. It gives a specific aroma/smell when it gets cooked. I and my husband love fenugreek. Today I thought of making fried muthiya out of it.

To make Fenugreek Muthiya you will need :-

1/2 cup handva flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 teaspoon ginger and chilly paste

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon yogurt

Sugar to taste

Pinch of turmeric powder

Pinch of red chilly powder

1/4 teaspoon carrom seeds

Oil for frying

3-4 tablespoon water if needed

Take a bowl and all the ingredients except oil. Mix well. Make a hard dumplings out of it. If required add 3-4 tablespoon water if needed. Keep it aside. Heat up oil and fry these dumpling on low heat. Fry till it gets cooked and get little brown color. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Poha Fried Chevda

I like chevda too much. This is my one of favorite snack. This homemade chevda is fried and although I have make sure that most of the oil is drained out.

To make Poha Fried Chevda you will need :-

2 cups of poha

Salt to taste

4-5 tablespoon raw peanuts

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon red chilly powder

1/2 tablespoon sugar

Oil for frying

Take a scooped shaped frying stick and add poha to it and fry well. Put in the plate. Add spices to it. Fry peanuts till it get golden brown. Add to chevda and mix well. Transfer this chevda on kitchen towel and keep it for some time till oil is absorbed by kitchen towel. Store in airtight container. It stays good for 15-20 days.

Ladoo (Atta Ka Ladoo)

Ladoo is very traditional recipe which is made in every Indian houses in different form and with different ingredients. I am sharing you today the recipe of ladoo which is taught by my mother. 

To make Ladoo you will need :-

1-1/2 cup bhakari flour

1 cup ghee (unsalted butter)

3/4 cup sugar (adjust to your taste)

Pinch of cardamom powder

Poppy seeds for garnishing

Oil for frying

3-4 tablespoon water

Take a plate and add flour and add 4-5 tablespoon ghee and mix well. Add little water at time and make a hard dough. Make small dumplings and fry at medium heat. Fry these dumplings till it get cooked and light brown in color. Allow it to cool down completely. Break this dumplings and churn them in mixture. Now add the left over ghee, sugar, cardamom powder and make small balls out of it. Top it up with poppy seeds. 

This stays good for 5-6 days at room temperature. Enjoy with your meal.