Bhindi Aaloo

Bhindi Aaloo is one of the very simple recipe that we can include in our day to day meal. Best to be served in lunch or dinner or for tiffins. Some people hate bhindi but you going to love this one.

Ingredients

Bhindi (Lady’s Finger)  – ½ kg

Potatoes (aaloo) diced - 250 grams

Onions finely sliced - 100 grams

Tomatoes chopped - 100 grams

Oil  - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder  - ¼ teaspoon

Red chili powder  - ½ teaspoon

Salt  - to taste

Method

Heat oil and add onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Add turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix and add ½ cup of water. Allow the spices to get cooked. It will take 2-3 minutes.

Add bhindi and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes on low heat. Now add tomatoes.  Cook for 3 minutes and add ½ glass of water. Now cover and cook on low flame for 7-8 minutes.

Check whether all vegetables are perfectly cooked or not. If they are not well cooked, cook further 3 minutes.

Serve hot with rotis or white rice.

P.S.- You can use tomatoes puree also. To make tomato puree, roughly chop tomatoes and blend it and then sieve it.

Oats chilla

Oats chilla is just a twist to normal chilla. We prepare it with making atta of oats.  It’s very healthy and easy to prepare. Best for breakfast and tiffins.

Ingredients

Oats  - 1 cup

Semolina/suji/rawa  - 2 teaspoon

Wheat flour  - 2 teaspoon

Onion - ½ chopped

Green chilli(finely chopped)  - 2 pieces

Oil to fry

Salt  - to taste

Method

Dry roast oats and then blend it in a blender. Add semolina, wheat flour and salt.

Add onions and red chillies. Add water to make a consistent batter.

The batter should neither be very thick nor it should be very loose, but can easily be spread.

Heat a non stick pan, add a little oil and pour 2-3 tablespoon batter and spread it in a circular motion.

Allow it to cook from one side at medium flame for 7-8 minutes, then flip it and cook on another side for 7-8 minutes.

Make more chillas from the remaining batter.

Serve hot with any chutney or sauce.

P.S.- Semolina is added to make it crisp. If you like crisp you can slightly increase the amount of semolina and if you like it soft you can slightly decrease its amount also. You can always add chilli according to your preference.

Chicken Noodles

Chicken Noodles are Chinese food and are widely accepted across the world. Chinese cuisines have found great place in India and we Indians really love it. You can find street stalls selling Chinese food everywhere in India and almost every restaurant in India serve Chinese food. We Indian love Chinese food with an Indian touch. This is one such recipe in which noodles are cooked with chicken, egg and few vegetables. Children love it and surely everyone else will.

Ingredients:

Noodles  - 200 grams

Chicken (boneless and diced) - 100 grams

Egg  - 3 pieces

Onion (finely chopped)  - 2 medium

Tomato chopped  - 200 grams

Bell peppers  - 2 pieces (you can use of all the three colors, but remember the total amount should not be more than 2).

Carrot  - 1 medium size

Cabbage  -  ½ small

French beans (chopped)  - 12-14 pieces

Green chilies(finely chopped)  - 3 pieces

Garlic (finely chopped)  - 4 cloves

Red chili powder  - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder  - ½ teaspoon

Tomato ketchup  - 1 table spoon

Soya sauce  - 1 teaspoon

Green chili sauce  - ½ tablespoon

Oil 2 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Mustard oil 1 tablespoon (optional)

Method:

Heat enough water. Add salt and noodles in it. Cook for 8-10 minutes or till the noodles are perfectly cooked. Take out one strand and check if it is cooked or not. Add one tablespoon oil in boiling noodles. Mix and drain excess water. Run through cold water to avoid over cooking of noodles.

Add a tablespoon of mustard oil in a pan. When it is enough hot and you can smell the oil then add onions. Add salt and cook for a minute. Add a handful of chopped green bell pepper. Cook for 3 minutes and then add eggs. Cook for 4-5 minutes and keep stirring. When eggs are cooked take it out and keep aside.

Put oil in a pan and add finely chopped garlic cloves. Saute for a minute. Add chicken, green chilies and salt and cook for 5-7 minutes.

Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or till it becomes transparent. Add red chili powder and turmeric powder. Cook for 2 minutes.

Now add all the vegetables (bell pepper, carrot, French beans and cabbage). Mix and cook for 5 minutes. Add water and cook for 10 minutes on slow heat.

Now add tomato ketchup, green chili sauce and soya sauce. Add cooked eggs and mix. Cook for 2 minutes and add a teaspoon of sugar and Cook for another minute.

Add cooked noodles. Now cook for 2 minutes on slow heat.

Serve hot.

P.S.-I had used mustard oil because it balances the pungent smell of eggs. Instead of that you can use refined vegetable oil as well.

Mysore pak

Mysore pak is a dessert originated from the royal palace of Mysore. It’s a simple sweet which can be preserved for a week without any heavy care. Just put it in an air tight container and you can use it even after a week.

Ingredients

Besan 1 cup

Sugar 2 cup

Oil 2 ½ cup

Water 1 cup

Method:

In a heavy bottomed pan heat water, when it is hot, add sugar to make sugar syrup.

In the meantime mix besan in 1 ½ cup of oil so that there is no lumps in the mixture.

Now when the sugar syrup is boiling put the heat to low and add the mixture of besan and oil slowly into the sugar syrup and continuously stirring it.

Now continuously stir this mixture and add remaining oil in slowly time to time(at every 2-3 minutes), but keep in mind, you should continuously stir this mixture.

When you had added another cup of oil then after few minutes the mixture will suddenly rise and some net like consistency will appear. This is the most important thing to notice.

Most important step, now at this time you should switch off the heat and immediately transfer the mixture in a prepared greased mold or anything you want. Cut it into squares and allow it to cool.

P.S.-The two most important things are continuously stirring and switching the heat off at the right time.