You will need:

For the Pav:

Pav bread – 8 nos

Butter – 4 tblsps

Method: ( this step needs to be done finally)

1. Slit the pav horizontally, leaving about a cm sealed on one side.

2. Toss well with butter in a pan on both sides until it softens well and looks shiny and then add a little bhaji inside.

For Bhaji:

Boiled fresh veggies like Potatoes, Green peppers, Carrots,Cauliflower,Green peas, Tomatoes – about 4 cups

(Whoohoo!!! so many veggies!!! a perfect nutritious snack, i wud say!!!)

Onions – 1cup finely chopped

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder – 1/4 tsp (i use it for the colour)

Good quality Pav Bhaji masala powder – 1 1/2 tblsp

Black salt – 1/2 tsp

Butter – 4 tblsps

Method:

1. Heat butter ( i actually use olive oil to make it more healthy, but definetely butter gives a rich taste. Your choice!!!) in a pan, and add onions and fry well, then add green peppers and saute for 3 more minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, until water evaporates and oil seperates.

3. Then add turmeric, chilli powders, pav bhaji masala, black salt and salt and let it sit for 2-3 mins. Please make sure the masala does not brown. You may sprinkle water.

4. Then, add the remaining veggies, 2 cups water and allow to boil well. With the help of potato masher, mash the veggies well. This will thicken the bhaji. Remove from fire after 5-7 mins.

Serving:

1. Serve a laddle full of bhaji in a plate, topped with onions and coriander leaves along with the pav!!!

ENJOY AND HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

For serving:

Onions – 2 nos, chopped fine

Lemon – 1

coriander leaves

Well for this you will need:

Good quality tamarind – lemon size ball (soak in warm water for about 10 mins and extract juice)

Toor dhal – 1/4 cup (pressure cooked in plenty of water. When done take the dhal seperately and mash well which forms a thick dhal paste and retain the dhal water seperately).

Ripe Tomatoes – 2 (cubed)

Green chillies – 1

Rasam powder – 1 tblsp

Curry leaves – 1 spring

salt, to taste

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Ghee – 1 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Method:

1. In a narrow neck pot, place the extracted tamarind water and crush the tomatoes well and add green chillies and curry leaves.

2.Place this on stove on medium heat and bring to boil.

3. When the raw smell of tamaring disappears, add 2 tablespoons of good quality rasam powder ans salt.

4. When it froths up, simmer for 2 mins and add the dhal paste first. Stir and let it boil for another 5 mins. Next add the dhal water and keep on low flame for 3-4 mins and remove from stove.

5. Crack mustard seeds in ghee, add asafoetida and pour over the Rasam.

6. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and keep the pot closed for 5 mins and serve hot!

This recipe combines the folic acid rich tomatoes and sweet corn with vitamin C rich red peppers.

Note: 1 Red pepper has 4 times more vitamin C than an orange!!!

For this recipe you will need:

Boiled sweet corn kernals – 1 cup

Red peppers (cubed) – 1/2 cup

Onions (chopped fine) – 1/2 cup

Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Tomatoes – 2

1/4 tsp corn flour mixed with 1/4 cup low fat milk

a pinch of sugar

salt to taste

Coriander leaves – for garnish

Method:

1. Blanch tomatoes and blend to a smooth puree. (you can do it conventionally by boiling a pot of water and adding tomatoes and then purring it after few minutes by removing the skin and blending in mixie or a quicker way would be to microwave on high heat for 4 mins by placing the tomatoes in 1/4 cup water and then peeling the skin).

2. Heat 1/2 tsp oil and add the peppers and saute for a while. keep aside.

3. In the same pan add little oil and saute the onions till they brown well.

4. Add Ginger-Garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala and fry for about a minute. Sprinkle little water to prevent the masalas from burning.

5. Add the tomato puree and cook for another 4 minutes.

6. Add the corn,sauteed peppers, corn flour-milk mixture, sugar, salt and mix well. Simmer and let the gravy thicken.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

It goes well with steaming basmati rice or phulkas.

You will need :

Urad dhal – 1 1/2 cups

Ginger – a small piece

curry leaves – few

green chillies – 5 nos

asafoetida – a pinch

Method:

Soak ural dhal in water for about 5 hrs. You can also leave it overnight. Then grind it with the above ingredients except curry leaves to a smooth paste. Do not add any water while grinding it. Then add curry leaves to the batter.

Take a greased thick polythene film and place a small ball of the batter. With the help of your finger make a decent size hole in the middle and immediately transfer from the film to the hot oil. Fry until golden.

I am sorry for posting this recipe towards the end of the day…I was busy running around arranging things for the festival…

Probably this recipe might be useful for people in a different time zone ( :

The recipe turned out excellent and I even distributed to my friends and everyone loved it!!!

You will need:

Rice – 1 cup

Moong Dhal – 1/2 cup

Jaggery (small lumps) – 1 1/4 cup

water – 1/2 cup

Milk – 1 1/2 cups

For garnishing:

cardamon powder – little

Cashews chopped- few

Raisins – few

Ghee – 2 Tblsps

Method:

1) Cook rice and dhal together in a pressure cooker until it is mushy.

2)Melt jaggary in water and then add the mashed rice-dhal mixture.

3) Let the mixture thicken and then add milk and allow to absorb.

4)Finally add the garnishings after roasting in ghee.

Tip: Don’t let the moisture evaporate too much. As the pongal would thicken after sometime.

you will need:

small potatoes/baby potatoes – 12 -15 boiled with skin on

boiled green peas – 3/4 cup

For the gravy:

chopped tomatoes – 3 cups

chopped onions – 1/2 cup

Garlic – 2 large (chopped)

Ginger – 1/2” piece (chopped)

2 cloves

1″ piece Cinnamon

cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Kasturi Methi – 1/4 tsp

red chilli powder – 1 tsp

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp corn flour mixed with 1/2 cup low fat milk

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

1. Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, cloves, cinnamon with 3/4 cup water and cook on a slow flame till the veggies are soft. Allow to cool completely and remove the cloves and cinnamon and grind to a smooth paste.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, when they splutter, add kasturi methi, red chilli powder, boiled potatoes and peas and saute for a few minutes

3. Add the ground mixture, sugar, salt and bring to boil

4. Then finally add corn flour and milk mixture and simmer for few minutes till the gravy thickens.

Serve hot, garnished with corinader leaves.

It is absolutely yummy and tastes yummy with hot phulkas…

I’m sure you are gonna love it!!!

Green peas ( boiled) – 2 cups

To be ground into a paste

Chopped coriander – 2 cups

1” piece ginger

4 cloves Garlic

Green chillies, chopped – 3

Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Other ingredients:

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Kalonji ( Nigella seeds) – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Low fat milk – 1/4 cup

Low fat paneer – 1/4 cup (you can see the recipe to prepare this)

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil and add the cumin seeds, when they crackle add nigella seeds and asafoetida and stir for a minute

2. Add boiled peas and saute for 3-4 mins

3. Then add the prepared paste and salt and cook for another 2-3 mins

4. Then add milk and mix well.

5. Finally just before serving add the paneer and mix well.

Serve hot…

Chow Chow (Chayote) – 2 nos

Channa dhal – 2 tsps ( soaked in water for 10 mins)

Water – 4-5 cups

To be ground to coarse paste:

Coconut : 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds : 2 tsps

Red chillies – 1 long

Rice – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

For tempering:

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dhal – 2 tsps

Red chillies – 2 nos

Curry leaves – few

Coconut oil – 2 tsps

Method:

1. Chop the chow chow into small cubes and add to the boiling water.

2. Then thow in the soaked Chana dhal and allow to cook well. Do not over cook the chow chow.

3. Then add the ground coconut paste and keep on fire for about 6-8 mins.

4. Do not boil for a long time and remove from fire once the froth tends to appear on the vessel.

5. Heat coconut oil in a tempering vessel, allow mustard seeds to splutter, add red chillies, urad dhal and curry leaves. Then pour over  the kootu.

Water can be added at a later stage depending on the required consistancy.

Enjoy and serve hot with steaming rice.

The end result depends very much on the flour you use and may vary from one brand to another.

I use freshly pounded whole wheat for preparing this and you may as well use other well known brands…

Here we go…

Whole wheat atta – 2 cups

salt – little

luke warm water – enough to knead into a dough

oil – 2 drops

Fresh yoghurt – 1 tbl.spn

Method:

1. Place the chapatti flour in a colander and add two drops of ghee to the flour. Mix it thoroughly with the dough.

2. Add salt, yoghurt and mix well with your finger tips.

3. Then add the luke warm water little by littleuntil it forms a soft pliable dough.

Do not add too much of water in the beginning, because it might become too moist. Hence water should be added in stages to see how much it really absorbs. The dough should not be sticky and your fingers need to feel dry. Please take care to get the right proportion and I agree it all goes by experience and practice.

4. Once your done with the dough, take a moist muslin cloth and wrap the dough and keep for about 10-15 mins.

5. Then , take medium lemon sized balls, pat in the flour and roll into thin chapattis.

A lot of people pat with too much of flour over the chapatti, which should be avoided. This would make the flour stick to the chapatti and would make it very dry.

To avoid this and to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling board, you may throw some flour on the board rather on the chapatti. Never pat the flour directly on the chapatti.

6. Also when rolling, a circular motion needs to be maintained and this is really an art and when you move the rolling pin, the chapatti should rotate in a circle. This will ensure even thickness of the chapatti.

7. Also do it one at the time and never pile up the freshly rolled chapatti. This will allow the moisture to escape, which again will make it very dry.

8. When the tawa is slightly warm, place the chapatti on the pan. After 3-4 mins , small bubble tend to appear on its surface. Then turn and place on its other side. Nver use any kitchen equipment to press on the chapatti. You can use a soft cloth to press on it.

9. When the other side is also done, remove the pan and toss on the flame. You can also use a Iron grill on the stove.

The chapatti will puff as the picture below. Turn and place on the other side as well.

10. Apply little ghee and serve hot.