Onion Tomato Raita

Preparation Time : 5 minsIngredients :1 large Tomato1 large Onion2 cups curdBlack salt (according to taste)CorianderMethod :Beat curd. Add Tomato, onion & black salt.Garnish with coriander.Tips :If you do not prefer too much of black salt you can also use a mix black salt + regular salt

Vegetable Biryani

Biryani is originated in Persia and might have taken couple of different routes to become part of Indian Cuisine. Biryani is derived from the Farsi word 'Birian' which means "fried" or "roasted". There are many different kinds of biryanis and each one has its own uniqueness. The moment someone says B-I-R-Y-A-N-I we normally remember the famous Hyderabadi Biryani. Although the recipe below is not for Hyderabadi Biryani, it is equivalently delicious & healthy with lots of vegetables boiled or sautéed instead of fried.

Thai Red Curry Paste

No. of Servings : 6 tbspPreparation Time : 25 minsIngredients :5 dried chillies 1 tbsp Ginger paste5 cloves Garlic 3 tbsp roasted Coriander seeds1 tbsp roasted Cumin seeds 6-7 Peppercorn1 Onion chopped6 stalk of corianderZest of 1 Lemon ¼ tsp SaltMethod :Soak red chillies 15-20 mins in ¼ cup of boiled water. Then drain water, crush red chilliesGrind all the ingredients in the grinder or food processor. Store the paste in the airtight container (approx upto a month) or can freeze it upto 4 monthsTips/Variations :If storing the paste it is recommended to add oil (heated & then cooled) to the pasteOne can also add 3tbsp of chopped lemongrass if available.

Coconut Chutney

It is a great condiment with all South Indian dishes like Dosa, Idli, Uttapa, Upma, etc.No. of Servings : 8-9 personsPreparation Time: 10 mins (once dal is soaked)Ingredients:225 gms or 8oz of Grated coconut½ cup Chana dal2 green chilliesSalt as per tasteFor tempering:1 tsp Mustard seeds1 tsp cumin seeds6 curry leaves1 tbsp oilMethod:Roast Chana dal in 1 tsp oil, till it starts changing its colour.Add water & let it soak for 20 minutes.Grind coconut, dal & chillies in a grinder & blend well.In a pan add oil, mustard seeds & let it splutter.Add udad dal & then cumin seeds followed by curry leavesAdd it to the grinded mixture.Tips/Variations: One can add “Daliya” in place of Chana Dal. But chana dal tastes better.

Vegetable Upma

Upma is a very famous South Indian dish. But nowadays it has become popular in many others parts of India especially as a form of snack & morning breakfast as it is easy to cook. Initially I used to cook the other version (mentioned in variation) which is slightly liquidy. But Kartik always loved South Indian style upma (which is less liquidy), the one which we get at South Indian restaurants in Matunga, Mumbai. So I learnt it from one of my South Indian Friend in my neighborhood. So now I make both alternately.No. of Servings: 3Preparation Time: 20Ingredients:2/3 cup Semolina (Rawa or Sooji)1 Carrot chopped½ cup Frozen peas1 Onion chopped1 tbsp ghee1 tsp Udad dal1 tsp Chana dal½ tsp Mustard seeds½ tsp Cumin seeds5 Curry leaves2/3 cup Water1½ cup fatfree Milk (also see variation)2tbsp Sugar1tsp Lemon juice½ tsp Ginger paste½ tsp chilly paste 5 cashews3 tbsp Coriander Salt as per tasteMethod:Roast rawa on a medium flame for approx 10 mins or till it turns light brown & one get the aroma of roasted rawa.On the other side heat ghee in a pan.Add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add udad dal & chana dal and saute it till they start changing colours.Add cumin, curry leaves and saute for half a minute.Add carrots followed by onion & saute.Add waterThen add ginger paste, chilly paste, salt, sugar & lemon juice to water & let it boil for 1 min.Add Milk, peas and cashews & bring it to boil.Now keep on adding small amounts of rawa while stirring it continuously.After all the rawa is added, keep stirring for an additional ½ minute.Garnish with coriander. Serve hot with Coconut chutneyTips/ Variations:You can also make Upma with Buttermilk instead of Milk. For that there is minor changes as follows :Ingredients:1 cup Semolina (Rawa or Sooji)1½ cup buttermilk in place of milkMethod:The Initial 4 steps are the sameNow add roasted rawa and saute it for 1 min. Add 1½ cup boiled water. Add ginger chilly paste, lemon , sugar and let it boil.Add 1½ cup buttermilk followed by salt and then simmer till cookedAdd cashews.

Palak Paneer

This Indian dish combines fresh spinach and paneer (cottage cheese) in a creamy sauce. I have tried many variations of Palak Paneer and the one below is one of my best. It is a vegetarian dish cooked in an onion-tomato-spinach based green sauce moderately spiced. It is a great accompaniment with rotis, naan or hot steamed rice. This is the healthy recipe for Palak Paneer since the Paneer is not fried but is still soft & tastes good.

No. of Servings: 3-4 persons
Preparation time: 25 mins



Ingredients:
2 bunches of fresh Spinach
300 gms of Paneer (Cottage Cheese)

1 onion
2 tomatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
3 green chillies
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp Kasuri Methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
2 tbsp butter or oil
Method :
Wash Spinach, & boil it in a pan without adding water (i.e. allow it to boil in its own water).

Once spinach is boiled, drain the excess water (don’t throw it) and grind it.
In a pan take ½ tsp butter or oil, add cumin seeds & let them splutter.

Add onion followed by green chillies & tomatoes.

Saute for 2 mins.

Let the mixture cool & grind it.
In a pan add the remaining butter or oil.

Saute the onion-tomato mixture till fully cooked.
Add garlic & ginger paste, followed by garam masala, coriander powder and turmeric. Saute for additional 5 mins.
Now add the pureed Spinach, let it boil (if required add water) followed by Kasuri Methi
Finally add paneer and simmer for additional 5 mins.
One can also garnish it with more butter. Serve hot with Paratha.

Tips / Variations:
One can add more chilli paste as per taste & one’s liking.
To make paneer soft, place paneer cubes in warm water for approx 15 -20 mins.

Pasta Salad

The pasta salad is easy to make, fresh, flavorful, filling as well as healthy. Being a cold salad it is an excellent compliment to the Southern California summer heat. These days it also fits into our summer dishes very well.No. of Servings: 3-4Preparation Time: 15 minsIngredients:For salad:½ cup Wheat Pasta½ Yellow Bell Pepper½ Red Bell Pepper½ Green Bell Pepper¼ cup Cherry Tomatoes1 Carrot4 Spring Onions2/3 cup Lettuce½ Jalapeno (optional)¼ cup Boiled Broccoli5-6 Pitted Olives slicedFor Dressing:1 tbsp Olive oil6 tbsp Vinegar1 tbsp fresh chopped Parley1 tsp fresh chopped Basil 1 tsp dried Oregano½ tsp Italian Seasoning½ tsp Garlic pasteSalt & pepper to tasteMethod :Boil Pasta & let it coolMix all the ingredients of dressing & keep asideCut all Veggies in bite sizeMix veggies & PastaAdd in the dressing & tossKeep it in refrigerator for half atleast ½ hours and let it marinateServe Cold