Lahsuni Paratha

This layered paratha is made with fresh crushed garlic.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 10-14 pods of garlic crushed (big size)
• 2 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tbsp chat masala or mango powder
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 tbsp mint (pudina) leaves
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil for dough
• 1 cup ghee (clarified butter) or cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method:

• Add 2 tbsp cooking oil and pinch of salt to wheat flour.
• Knead the flour into smooth, firm dough. Keep aside in refrigerator for ½ hour.
• Mix crushed garlic, chopped green chilies, chat masala, chopped cilantro leaves and mint leaves in a bowl. Add little salt and two tbsp cooking oil. Mix well and keep aside for later use.
• Follow Making Paratha - Method II
• Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 6” in diameter.
• Spread 1 tsp of garlic mix over the surface of the circle.

• Now roll it into a finger shaped structure (roll it like carpet). Coil this finger shaped structure into a spiral.
• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the spiral into a flat paratha about 5-6” in diameter.
• Heat a griddle and put a paratha over it. Flip the paratha when you see tiny bubbles rising on the surface of the paratha. Drizzle a bit of ghee/oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again and drizzle some more ghee/oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.
• Serve with Aloo sabji and/or any other side dish.

Do You Know?

Garlic has been used as both food and medicine in many cultures for thousands of years, dating back to when the Egyptian pyramids were built.

In early 18^th -century France, gravediggers drank a concoction of crushed garlic in wine they believed would protect them from the plague that killed many people in Europe.

More recently, during both World Wars I and II, soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene. Today garlic is used to help prevent heart disease, including atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries that can block the flow of blood and possibly lead to heart attack or stroke), high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and to improve the immune system.

Garlic may also protect against cancer.

Amritsari Chhole

Amritsari chhole (a dish of chick peas), is one such dish which is full of 'firing' spices. It is a traditional North Indian cuisine.

As a side dish, it can go well with puri, Paratha or bhature.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Kabuli Chana (Chickpeas)
• 1 teabag or 1 Amla (Gooseberry) dry or fresh
• 2-3 black cardamoms
• Salt to taste
• ¼ tsp black salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger garlic paste
• 1 tomato chopped finely
• 3-4 green chilies finely chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp amchur powder
• 2-3 tsp coriander leaves finely chopped
• 1 tsp ginger Juliennes
• 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
• lemon juice

For Dry Spices

• 6 Cloves
• 1 small Cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp Anardana

Method:

• Soak Kabuli Chana (Chickpeas) overnight in water.
• Take a pressure cooker and put Chana, tea bag or Amla (Indian Gooseberry), black cardamoms, little salt and 4-5 cups of water. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes or until they are just done. Do not overcook the Chana. After cooking discard the teabag.
• In a pan, roast all dry spices and make a coarse powder of these in a grinder. Please note that roasting should be done till they start getting burnt and turn black without using any oil. Keep aside for later use.
• In a separate pan heat oil, add bay leaves and chopped onion. Fry till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till pink.
• Add chopped tomato and cook until tomato is soft and pulpy.
• Add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, amchur, chopped green chilies and fry for a minute.
• Add now all the boiled Chhole (keep water separately) in the pan and mix well for 2-3 minutes.
• Add ground dry spices and black salt.
• Add now water in which Chhole were boiled earlier. Let it bring to a boil and then simmer for 5-7 minutes. If the curry looks too thick then add some water.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves, onion rings, green chili halves and ginger juliennes.
• Squeeze lemon over it and eat as a side dish with curry, raita and onion salad.
  
  

Do You Know?

Amla (Indian Gooseberry) is a valuable remedy for enriching hair growth and pigmentation. The fruit, cut into pieces, is dried preferably in the shade. These pieces are boiled in coconut oil till the solid matter becomes charred. This darkish oil is excellent in preventing graying.

Mirchi Vada

Many varieties of chilies ( mirchi) are found in Rajasthan. Green big sized and long variety of chili peppers are split open and filled with potato mix and deep fried in batter of gram flour to make these yummy vadas.

Ingredients:

• 6 large green chili peppers or banana peppers

• Oil for frying

For Filling:

• 2 large potatoes
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 tbsp cilantro leaves finely chopped
• 1 tsp chat masala
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste

For Batter:

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• Pinch of asafetida (hing)
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Boil and skin potato. Mash and mix in it all other ingredients required for filling.
• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add potato mix in it and fry for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside.
• Put the gram flour in a large mixing bowl with the ingredients required for the batter. Add warm water, a little at a time; use a whisk to blend all together. The resulting batter should be like thick pancake batter. Keep aside.
• Wash and pat dry all the chili peppers. Make one slit along the length of the chilies from just under the stem to just above the end of the chili. If you are using the hot chilies, you can reduce some of the heat by removing the seeds. For this insert the knife tip and pluck the thick white vein in the middle along with the seeds.

• Now fill the slit in the chili with the potato mix.

• Heat the oil for deep frying on a medium flame.
• When the oil is ready for frying, dip one chili in the gram flour batter to coat well on all sides. Put it into the oil and fry till golden all over turning occasionally.
• Remove and drain on paper towels. Fry remaining chilies in the same way.
• Serve hot with Chutney.

Do you know?

There are several remedies for the effects of eating a pepper that is too hot for you.

• Eventually, you can build up tolerance to the heat of peppers, and will be able to eat hotter and hotter chilies without having to resort to the cures.
• Many people recommend drinking tomato juice or eating a fresh lemon or lime, the theory being that the acid counteracts the alkalinity of the capsaicin.
• Some people won't begin eating hot peppers without a pitcher of cold water handy, though this is not the best idea. The capsaicin, which is oil, does not mix with the water but is instead distributed to more parts of the mouth.
• More useful solutions include drinking milk (rinsing the mouth with it as you sip) or eating rice or bread, which absorb the capsaicin.

Chana Dal with Spring Onion

Chana dal goes very well with spring onion. Serve it with hot rotis and curry of your choice.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup chana dal
• 2-3 Spring onions
• 2 dry red chili (broken into pieces)
• 2 green chilies chopped fine
• ½ tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 cloves
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak chana dal overnight.
• Wash and clean onions. Cut crosswise in thin slices.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat, add mustard seeds and cloves.
• When seeds stop spluttering, add ginger garlic paste. Fry for a minute.
• Add soaked chana dal, chopped spring onion, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Add ¼ cup of water and cook covered over low heat till dal is just tender. It should not be soft and mushy.
• If any water is left, cook it without lid till dal is completely dry.
• Add lemon juice and serve with roti and curry of your choice.

Do You Know?

Scallions, sometimes called spring onions or green onions are a popular salad ingredient. They are just small onions intended to be harvested young. They are cold hardy vegetables and come in purple, red and white. Nutritionally, they are high in vitamins A, C and K, with lots of potassium, calcium and iron.

Tofu Matar

Tofu has very little flavor or smell of its own, it readily takes on the flavor of the spices in which it is cooked. So gravy can be made as hot or mild as you like.

Here a mild curry is prepared combining peas with tofu.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed and sliced into triangles
• ½ cup green peas
• 6-7 curry leaves (optional)
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 2 chopped green chilies
• ½ cup tomato chunks
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 6 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Sautee tofu in two tablespoons of cooking oil until tofu is lightly crisp.
• In a separate large skillet or a wok, heat the other tablespoon of cooking oil.
• Stir in curry leaves, sliced onion, chopped green chilies, grated ginger and cook until tender.
• Add peas and fry for 2-3 minutes.
• Add tomato chunks, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Do not add extra water. Let them cook in their own juice.
• Add tofu pieces and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Mix lemon juice and garam masala.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with paratha.

Do You Know?

Tofu is low in calories, contains beneficial amounts of iron (especially important for women of child-bearing age) and has no saturated fat or cholesterol.

Depending on the coagulant used in manufacturing, the tofu may also be high in calcium (important for bone development and maintenance), and magnesium (especially important for athletes).

Paneer Bhurji

It is simple and quick recipe. Bhurji is prepared from fresh homemade paneer and green peas.

Ingredients:

• ½ gallon 2% milk
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1 big onion chopped
• 2 medium Tomatoes chopped
• 1 " long piece Ginger grated
• 2-3 green chilies chopped
• ½ tsp Red Chili Powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

• Make Paneer. Keep aside for later use.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in chopped onion, green chilies, ginger and cook until tender.
• Add chopped tomato, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook till tomato is soft and mushy.
• Add now peas and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add paneer, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Do not add water. Let them cook in their own juice.
• Mix lemon juice and garam masala.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and serve hot with paratha.

Achari Paratha

Achari Paratha makes most flavorful, colorful, delightful, 2-in 1 picnic food, which can be served in the form of rolls stuffed with dry aloo sabji. Instead of eating achar (pickle) with paratha, you eat achar in paratha.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• ¼ cup gram flour (Besan)
• Pickle masala (Only masala from the readymade pickles, homemade or branded which are available in Indian Grocery Stores e.g. Priya Mango Pickle)
• Cooking oil to pan-fry parathas

Method:

• Mix the wheat flour and besan.
• Knead the flours into smooth, firm dough; keep aside for ½ hour.
• Divide the dough into equal sized 6-8 balls.
• Flour a clean surface and roll each ball out into a circle about 5” in diameter.

• Spread achari masala evenly on the flattened surface.

• Roll it now into a cylinder shaped structure.

• Coil this cylinder into a spiral.

• Flour the rolling surface lightly and very gently roll out the spiral into a flat circle about 5-6” in diameter.

• Heat a griddle and put a paratha over it. Flip the paratha when you see tiny bubbles rising on the surface of the paratha. Drizzle a bit of oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again and drizzle some more oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

• Serve with Aloo sabji and/or any other side dish.

Do You Know?

Indian pickles come in a wide variety of flavors due to differences in spices and process.

Homemade pickles are prepared in the summer and kept in the sun during daytime to speed fermentation before use. They are stored in porcelain or glass jars with airtight lids. The acidic nature of the marinade retards bacterial growth, and oil acts as a preservative.

Many commercially produced pickles use preservatives like citric acid and and sodium benzoate.

Pan Fried Dondakaya

In Hyderabad, India, Ivy gourd is called as Dondakaya. It is quite popular there. It tastes great with hot parathas (pan-fried Indian flatbread).

Ingredients:

• 1 pound green dondakaya
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Pinch of asafetida
• 1 dry whole red chili (broken into pieces)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp amchur powder (raw mango powder)
• 1 green chili finely chopped
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Wash dondakaya and cut longitudinally into wedges.You can cut transversely into slices also.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add asafetida, whole dry red chilies and cumin seeds.
• When the seeds begin to splutter add dondakaya wedges and fry for a minute. Add salt, chili powder, turmeric powder, and stir to mix well.
• Add chopped green chilies and cook covered on low heat till vegetable is cooked. Mix in amchur powder and garam masala; and fry it for one minute. Fresh dondakaya usually is cooked in its own juice, it does not require additional water to get cooked.
• Remove in a dish and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with paratha and Dal of your choice.

Do you know?

Pan frying is a form of frying characterized by the use of minimal cooking oil. As a form of frying, pan frying relies on oil as the heat transfer medium and on correct temperature to retain the moisture in the food. The exposed topside allows some moisture loss and contact with the pan bottom creates greater browning on the contact surface. Because of the partial coverage, the food must be flipped to cook both sides.

Chana Dal Masala

Make it for lunch or dinner; it would surely grab the attention of everyone at home or party. It goes well with chapati/roti or paratha.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chana dal
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 2 bay leaves
• 5-6 cloves
• 3-4 green cardamoms
• 2 dry red chilies ( broken into small pieces)
• ¼ tsp asafetida
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 8-10 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1"piece of ginger julienned
• 1 medium tomato chopped fine
• 2-3 green chilies chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tsp chat masala or amchur powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• To the washed dal, add 3 cups of water, cooking oil, turmeric powder, salt to taste and cook in a pressure cooker or a deep pan. Boil till the lentils are soft but not mushy. Take out in a dish. Mix chat masala and lemon juice.
• Meanwhile prepare seasoning. In a small pan, heat the ghee, add bay leaves, cloves, green cardamoms, cumin seeds. When cumin stop sizzling add the garlic and dry red chilies and fry till the garlic is light brown. Add red chili powder, chopped tomato, chopped green chilies and ginger juliennes; and cook till tomato is soft and mushy. Now add the asafetida and turn off the fire.
• Add this ghee and spice mixture to the boiled dal. Do not stir. Cover the dish and keep it in an oven at 200 degree for about 30 minutes so that the flavors from spices are infused into the dal.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Do you know?

The seasoning is what makes the dal come alive. Dal is fat free and nature has designed it to absorb various combinations of seasonings and spices.

The standard ingredients of seasoning are mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida, red chilies or chili powder, onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, curry leaves.

The fat of choice is ghee in the dal.

Dals are commonly garnished with fresh chopped coriander and served hot.

Cut Mirchi

It is another common Hyderabadi snack which is served as a starter. Stuffed, batter covered green peppers are deep fried and then cut into pieces. These cut pieces are again deep fried in oil.

Ingredients:

• 5 straight, plump, green chilies
• Oil for frying

For Filling:

• 1 tbsp Sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp Tamarind juice

For Batter:

• 1 cup besan (gram flour)
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• ½ tsp baking powder
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Dry roast sesame seeds, coriander seeds to pale gold color. Grind them in a blender with tamarind juice and salt (without adding water). It should be like paste.
• Put the gram flour in a large mixing bowl with the ingredients required for the batter. Adding water, prepare medium thick batter (like pancake batter). Keep aside.
• Wash and pat dry all the chilies. Make one slit along the length of the chilies from just under the stem to just above the end of the chili. Insert the knife at the tip of chili and pluck the thick white vein in the middle along with the seeds.
• Now fill the slit in the chili with the sesame filling evenly one by one and keep them aside on a plate.
• Heat the oil on medium high. One by one dip the stuffed chilies in batter and gently drop from the sides of Frying pan or Kadhai into hot oil and deep fry until golden. Remove to a paper towel covered plate.
• Now cut each chili pakoda into pieces about 1”long and refry them in hot oil till they are brown and crispy.
• Sprinkle chat masala powder and serve as starter.

Note: To make tamarind juice, put a ball of tamarind in a bowl and cover with very hot water. After 15 minutes, when the tamarind has softened, with the help of fingers mash it and squeeze out the pulp. Do this till all pulp has been removed. Strain pulp through a sieve before the use.

Do you know?

Chat Masala is a tangy condiment that perks up the flavors of salads, lentils, fruits, grilled potatoes and vegetables.

Dishes salted with Chat Masala will develop a deliciously authentic flavor and fragrance.

Readymade chat masalas are available in Indian stores which are quite good. You can make your own chat masala by mixing different constituents in right proportion.

Cantaloupe Milk Shake

Cool down on a hot summer day with this refreshing drink.

Ingredients:

• 2 cup cantaloupe cubes
• 1 cup cold milk
• 2 tbsp strawberry nectar
• 2 cups crushed ice

Method:

• Blend cantaloupe, milk, strawberry nectar and crushed ice together in a blender until crushed properly into a smooth paste.
• Serve chilled in glasses topped with ice cream.

Do You Know?

It has been reported that Cantaloupe contains the most beta-carotene out of all melons. Beta- carotene is an essential nutrient for aiding excellent vision. Cantaloupe melon is a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, folate, Niacin, and potassium

Kabuli Chana Dry

Kabuli Chana is a one of the favorite dishes in Northern India. Dry Kabuli chana is a side dish and goes well with puri, chapati/roti .

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Kabuli Chana (Chickpeas)
• 1 teabag or 1 Amla dry or fresh (Gooseberry)
• 2-3 brown cardamoms
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp black salt
• 3-4 green chilies finely chopped
• 2-3 tsp coriander leaves finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp fresh ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp ground anardana
• ½ tsp roasted ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp ginger Juliennes

Method:

• Soak Kabuli Chana (Chickpeas) overnight in water.
• Take a pressure cooker and put Chana, tea bag or Amla , black cardamoms, little salt and 3 cups of water. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not overcook the chana. After cooking discard the teabag.
• In a separate pan heat oil, add bay leaves and ginger garlic paste. Fry till golden brown.
• Add red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, chopped green chilies, anardana, half of the chopped coriander leaves, roasted ground cumin and black salt.
• Add the boiled chana along with the water (in which it was boiled) and simmer uncovered until all water is evaporated and chana is almost dry.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and ginger juliennes.
• Squeeze lemon over it and eat as a side dish with curry, raita and onion salad.