Gujarati Kichadi With Kadhi

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Gujarati cuisine is termed as "the haute cuisine of vegetarianism". I love gujarati cuisine but never prepared at home so I wanted to start with a very simple n delicious combo. I choose gujarathi kichadi and kadhi.

Gujarati kichadi is rice & lentil cooked in a porridge style and kadhi is a yogurt based soup that goes well with it ..It had a soothing unique flavor n also a complete meal by itself.

Gujarati Kichadi

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup mung dal
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• pinch of hing
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp whole black pepper
• 2 green chilli
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 6 cups water
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure:

Soak rice n dal together for 15 min. Boil the six cups water in a deep bottom pan.

Heat ghee in a pan, add cumin seeds,cinnamon stick n black pepper fry for a min then add hing, chopped green chilli, ginger fry for 30 sec. Add soaked rice n dal stir for 1 min.

Now shift all the above mixture to the boiling water,add salt n turmeric powder n cook on a medium flame, stir occasionally till the rice is cooked.

Gujarati Kadhi

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Ingredients

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 3 cups water
• 3 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 2 chopped green chilli
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

For tempering

• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 dry red chilli
• 2 tbsp coriander/cilantro leaves
• 1 spring curry leaves
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure:

Take a deep bottom pan n mix all the ingredients except tempering to a smooth paste n heat on medium flame till it boils.

Prepare the tempering with 1 tsp oil in a frying pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and fry till it splutter.Then add red chilli,curry leaf n fry for 30 sec. Add this tempering to the above mixture n let it cook on medium flame for ten min.Add salt to taste n chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with kichadi.

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Tags: Gujarati Cuisine, Gujarati kichadi, gujarati kadhi

Roasted Bell Pepper Hummus

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Mediterranean food is a favourite at home nowdays, earlier I had posted homemade pita bread n falafel with tahini sauce, however no mediterranean cuisine is complete without hummus the classic dip which can be had with fresh carrots,celery,broccoli or fresh pita bread.

Forget store bought hummus that's been sitting on the shelf for weeks. It's laden with preservatives which is very unhealthy too. There are many variation of hummus n using red bell pepper is my favourite. Adding roasted bell pepper gives it a nice smoky flavor. Here is the recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight)
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped onions
• 2 tbsp tahini sauce
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp paprika or 1/4 red chilli flakes
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 10 olives

Cooking Procedure:

Pressure cook the chickpeas with cup water, after 1 whistle switch it off n let it cool.

Roast the red bell pepper greased with oil on medium flame or in a oven for 15 min at 400 F. Peel the skin off n wash nicely if roasted on flame.

Grind all the ingredients with chickpeas n bell pepper except olive oil to a smooth paste.

Garnish with a topping of green olives n olive oil and serve with pita bread.

I am sending this roasted bell pepper hummus to

A.W.E.D.MENU hosted by niloufer started by DK

CWF: LB - Chickpeas hosted by Nithu and started by Kiran

MLLA 27 an event by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook.

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Tags: Mediterranean, Dip, Chutney, Chickpea

Creamy Cottage Cheese Curry with Cilantro Pilaf

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Cilantro is one of my favourite herbs n I love to add it to almost most of my dishes as it gives a intense tasty flavor. Cilantro is also know as dhania(hindi) or coriander in India and an all time favourite in Indian households.

The creamy cottage cheese curry is prepared with a base of curd n milk for its creaminess and blended with a rich flavor of cilantro n cardamom. When I saw this cottage cheese recipe on Paris blog, I was immediately hooked to prepare it. And another aromatic dish cilantro pilaf recently shared by Sayantani, this rice is infused with the flavor of cilantro n indian spices with some veggies. I was really tempted to try both these cilantro based dishes.

Thanks to Sayantani n Pari for sharing these wonderful dishes which are very easy to prepare n a superb combination.

Paneer Dhania (Cottage Cheese with Cilantro)

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced paneer
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup curd
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
• 3 chopped green chillies
• 2 tbsp (ghee) clarified butter
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Heat butter in a pan, add cardamom powder n stir for 30 sec, now add ginger

garlic

paste n fry till light golden brown, now add onions n green chillies n fry till onion is translucent.

Now add the cottage cheese n fry gently for a min.Then add salt,black pepper,cilantro leaves stir for 2 more min. Now mix the curd with corn flour (this will prevent the curd to break apart) n pour this mixture into the pan n mix nicely. Now add milk, let it boil for a few min on low flame. You paneer dhania is ready.

Garnish with cilantro n serve with rice or roti.

Cilantro Vegetable Pulao

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice
• 2-3 cup diced vegetables ( carrot, potato, cauliflower, beans, green peas )
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 3/4 diced tomato
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 3-4 green chilli
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tbsp ghee ( clarified butter )
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cardamom
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Soak rice with 1.5 cup water for 20 min then cook it in a pressure cooker with the addition of 1/2 tsp oil in the water. ( Tip: Adding oil helps to make the rice less sticky n separate). If it is a rice cooker use 2.5 cup water. And keep aside.

Make a nice paste of cilantro, tomatos, ginger, garlic n green chilli with min water n keep aside.

Heat oil n butter in a pan n add cinnamon stick,cardamom n black pepper n fry for a min. Add onions n fry till it become translucent. Add the above grinded paste to this n fry for another 2-3 min. Now add all the veggies to it n stir nicely to blend all the ingredients. Cover n cook in medium flame till the veggies become soft.

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Now add the cooked rice to the veggies and stir nicely and let it be on flame for 2 more min. Serve hot with the curry or raitha.

I am posting this paneer dhani and pulao to

Vegetarian Foodie Friday event

Combo Meal Hosted by Chaitrali

Hearth 'n Soul

And the cilantro vegetable pilaf to Akila "Festive Rice"

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Tags : cilantro , dhani , paneer , cottage cheese , vegetable pilaf, paneer curry , vegetable pulao

Tempting Corn Chaat In Crispy Cups

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Horaaay ... today is my 100th post!! ... I cannot believe it ... but its true ... and my dear friends this can happen only because of your loving support n encouragement. My hearthy thanks to all of you. As a chaat lover I want to celebrate this moment with this tangy corn chaat in cups, I adopted this recipe from one of my favorite bloggers Pari. No need for any introduction about her amazing collection of recipes. So everybody enjoy this wonderful chaat ... Love you all

Preparing the cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup warm water for kneading

Procedure:

Mix all the above ingredients except water, then slowly add water n knead into a firm dough. Cover it with a damp cloth for 1/2 hr.Divide into 10 balls n shape with a rolling pin into a round shape as thin as possible approx 10 cm in diameter.

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Prick it with fork, this will avoid it to puffing while baking.

Preheat the oven at 350 F.Grease the muffin cups and place these thin puris into it.

Fold it on the sides against the wall of the cups and press it properly at the bottom too so that there are no air spaces.Bake for 20 min till light golden brown.

Stuffing Preparation

Ingredients

• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup green peas (boiled)
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 2 green chillies
• 1/ tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 1/2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

In a blender put 1/2 cup corn, green peas,green chilli,ginger and coarse paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add the remaining 1/2 cup corn n this paste n fry for a min, then all the powders with salt n stir nicely for one more min. Your stuffing is ready.

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Assembling the corn chaat in cups

• 10 cups
• 1 cup stuffing mixture
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1/4 cup tamarind chutney or 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 1/2 tbsp chat masala
• 1/2 cup sev

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Take a cup put 1 tsp stuffing,add 1 tsp curd,1/2 tsp tamarind chutney, sprinkle some onion , tomato , sev n drizzle some chat masala, And you corn chaat is ready.

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I am sending this recipe to the following wonderful events

Only-Low oil or Low Calorie hosted by Priya n Started by Pari

A visual treat hosted by Sanyukta

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Tags: Chaat, Corn, Corn Chat, Corn Chat in Cups

Delightful Tosha

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Tosha is a Indian sweet which looks like gulab jamun but easier to make n very tasty too. It was really a lovely experience to make this wonderful sweet as I have childhood memories with toshas...my mom used to take me to temple and there we would buy tosha for prasad to offer to the lord...After 15 yrs I again got a chance to eat this. There was a event in Niveditas blog last week n she gave this recipe. I made this but due to some reason I did not post it. But thanks to Nivedita for the wonderful dessert.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup curd

For the Syrup

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup water

Cooking Procedure

Sieve the plain flour, salt n soda together. Now alternatively add a spoonful of oil and curd into the mixture and knead into a stiff dough. Make long thin rolls of 1.5 inch long. Deep fry these rolls in medium flame till honey brown

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For the syrup,dissolve the sugar in water and boil the syrup till it to a thick consistency(two thread consistency). Put 4 to 5 toshas at a time into the vessel and stir the syrup. Remove the toshas n let it cool then store in airtight containers.

I am sending this tosha to

Bookmarked Recipe Every Tuesday hosted by Priya n Aipi

Hearth 'n Soul

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Tags:Tosha, Indian Sweet, Dessert

Exotic Champagne Grape Muffins

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Recently while I was doing my grocery shopping I bought these grapes. Champagne grapes have an incredibly sweet taste, and burst with flavor.Yesterday I was craving for something sweet n suddenly realized I could use these grapes for muffins as they are small in size and got a unique taste.This is my first muffin too!!

Preparation Time: 20 min

Baking Time: 30 min

Makes : 9 muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup champagne grapes + some for garnishing
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour(Atta)
• 1 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter at room temp
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• pinch of salt

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Cooking Procedure:

Wash the grapes n pat it dry n keep aside. Preheat the oven at 350 F

Take a large bowl sieve the whole wheat flour,all purpose flour, baking power , baking soda , cinnamon and salt all together.

In another bowl beat the eggs and sugar for 3 min with a hand blender with medium speed till it become fluffy.Then add butter,canola oil,milk,lemon zest and again blend till it all mix nicely.

Take the flour and slowly add to the above egg mixture and stir till it blends properly .This can done with hand blender or even with a spatula.

Now add all the grapes to the above mixture and stir softly with spatula.Take nine muffin cups, spray some oil n pour 3/4 batter each cup.Then place this tray in the middle rack of the oven and let it bake for 30 min.

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After 20 minutes pull out the tray and arrange one grapes on each muffin n bake for another 10 min.You muffin is ready to be served after it cools.

I am sending this champagne grape muffin to

Champa's Bake off event

Hearth 'n Soul

EFM - Bakes and Cakes Series hosted by Srilekha

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Tags: Champagne Grape, Muffins, Exotic Champagne Grape Muffins, Baking