Avoli Curry | Pomfret Fish Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Avoli/Pomfret - 6-7 pieces
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Tomato - 1 medium
4. Ginger minced - 1 teaspoon
5. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Green chillies - 2 or as per spice level
8. Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized piece
9. Coconut grated - 1 cup
10.Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
11. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
12. Curry leaves - few
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak tamarind in 1 cup water and extract pulp and keep it aside.

2. Clean and wash the fish. Grind coconut with little water into a fine paste and keep it aside.

3. In a pan preferably mann chatti/earthen pot, add tamarind extract, finely chopped onions, chopped tomato, minced ginger, slit green chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.

4. Bring it to boil and cook until onions turn soft and translucent.

5. Now add fish and cook until fish is well done.

6. Add coconut paste and bring it to boil and turn off the stove.

7. For seasoning, heat a small pan and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves to it. Add this to curry and serve hot with steam rice.

Netholi Curry | Anchovy Fish Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Netholi/Anchovy - 250 gms
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Tomato - 1 medium
4. Ginger minced - 1 teaspoon
5. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Green chillies - 2 or as per spice level
8. Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized piece
9. Coconut grated - 1 cup
10.Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon
11. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
12. Curry leaves - few
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak tamarind in 1 cup water and extract pulp and keep it aside.

2. Clean and wash the fish. Grind coconut with little water into a fine paste and keep it aside.

3. In a pan preferably mann chatti/earthen pot, add tamarind extract, finely chopped onions, chopped tomato, minced ginger, slit green chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.

4. Bring it to boil and cook until onions turn soft and translucent.

5. Now add fish and cook until fish is well done.

6. Add coconut paste and bring it to boil and turn off the stove.

7. For seasoning, heat a small pan and add a tablespoon of coconut oil. Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves to it. Add this to curry and serve hot with steam rice.

Ayala Mulakittathu | Mackerel Fish Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Ayala meen/Mackerel - 2 medium sized
2. Onion - 1 small
3. Tomato - 1 small
4. Garlic - 4-5 cloves
5. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
7. Fenugreek powder - 2 pinches
8. Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized piece
9. Coconut oil - 3 teaspoon
10. Curry leaves - few
11. Green chillies - 1-2
11. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak tamarind in 1 cup water and extract pulp and keep it aside.

2. Clean and wash the fishes and cut into pieces.

3. In a pan preferably mann chatti/earthen pot, add tamarind extract, finely chopped onions, tomato, slit green chillies, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste.

4. Bring it to boil and cook until onions turn soft and translucent.

5. Now add fish pieces and cook until fish is well done.

6. Add fenugreek powder, curry leaves, crushed garlic and coconut oil and turn off the stove.

7. Cover and keep for 5 minutes before serving.

Lemon Pound Cake

Recipe Source: onceuponachef.com

Ingredients:
9x5 Loaf pan

For the cake:
1. All purpose flour - 1.5 cup
2. Baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon
3.Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Buttermilk - 1/2 cup
5. Butter unsalted at room temperature - 1/2 cup
6. Egg - 1
7. Sugar - 1 cup
8. Lemon zest grated - 2 teaspoon
9. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

For the syrup:
1. Sugar - 1/4 cup
2. Water - 1/4 cup
3. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon

For the glaze:
1. Confectioners' sugar - 1/2 cup
2. Butter(unsalted) - 1 teaspoon
3. Lemon juice - 2 teaspoon
4. Water - 1 tablespoon

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg F and grease the loaf pan with butter and sprinkle little flour over it.

2. Sift flour, salt and baking soda and keep them aside.

3. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice and keep it aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar and butter using a hand mixer until light and fluffy(medium speed for 5 minutes). Add the egg and beat again.

5. Change the mixer speed to low and add 1/3 of the flour and 1/3 of the buttermilk mixture and mix well.  Repeat with rest of the flour and buttermilk mixture by adding only 1/3rd of the portion each time. Do not overmix the batter lest the cake becomes dense.

6. Carefully spoon the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

7. While the cake is baking, make the syrup by boiling 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup sugar. After the sugar melts, turn off the stove and add a tablespoon of lemon juice.

8. Once the cake is out of oven, place it on a wire rack and pour the sugar syrup all over. Let it cool completely before we apply icing on the cake.

9. For the icing, mix together the ingredients specified in icing section and apply on top of cake.

Italian Biscotti

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour - 1.5 cup

2. Sugar - 1/2 cup

3. Egg - 1 medium

4. Oil - 1/4 cup

5. Baking powder - 1/2 tablespoon

6. Almond extract - 2 teaspoon

7. Almond slices - 1/4 cup (optional)

8. Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F and grease a cookie sheet or line them with parchment paper.

2. Combine all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and keep them aside.

3. In a bowl, add egg, oil, sugar and almond extract and beat well using a hand mixer. To this add the flour mixture and almond slices and knead into a dough.

4. Divide the dough into two and roll them lengthwise along the cookie sheet with 1/2 inch thickness(see figure 2 below). 

5. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until the surface turns golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on wire rack for around 10 minutes. Slice the cookie widthwise into 1 inch slices. Place the slices back into cookie sheet with cut side facing up and bake for 5 minutes on each side.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy with a cup of tea.

Figure 2- Before baking

Shrimp Roast | Chemmeen Roast

Ingredients:
1. Shrimp/Chemmeen/Prawns (shelled and deveined) - 250 gms
2. Onion - 1
3. Curry leaves - 2 twigs
4. Grated coconut - 1 cup
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
6. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or as per spice level
7. Coconut oil - 2 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash the shelled and deveined shrimp in water and keep it aside.

2. Take 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan and turn on the stove. Add finely chopped onions and saute until they turn soft and translucent.

3. Add shrimp, salt to taste, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and fry until shrimp is well cooked.

4. Add curry leaves and grated coconut, mix well and turn off the stove.

Banana Halwa - Kerala Style

Ingredients:

1. Nenthra pazham / Kerala banana - 2 large well-ripened 

2. Ghee - 1/4 cup

3. Sugar - 1/2 cup

4. Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method: 

1. Take a heavy bottomed vessel and add sugar and 1/4 cup of water. Turn on the stove on medium flame.

2. Once the sugar melts, add finely chopped bananas and cook until bananas are soft. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom of vessel. This takes around 15 minutes. 

3. Add ghee and mix well. Cook on medium flame and stir continuously. Cook until bananas turn dark brown in color and the ghee starts to separate from halwa. It takes around 45 minutes to get to this stage. 

4. Add cardamom powder, mix well and turn off the flame.

5. Transfer the halwa on a greased cookie sheet or similar container, level the halwa and allow it to set for around 1 hr. Cut into desired shape and serve.

Stir fried Capsicum with Coconut

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Capsicum - 1 large
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Tomato -1 small
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or to taste
6. Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup packed
8. Oil - 1 tablespoon
9. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
10. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds.

2. Add finely chopped onion and saute until they turn light brown in color.

3. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder. red chilli powder and salt to taste and fry for a minute.

4. Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute until tomatoes are soft. Cut capsicum into 1 inch squares and add to the onion-tomato gravy. Cover and cook until capsicum is well done.

5. Just before turning off the flame, add grated coconut and mix well. 

Ari Unda | Rice Ladoo

Ingredients:

1. Red rice/Parboiled rice - 1 cup

2. Coconut grated - 1/2 cup packed

3. Jaggery - 2 cubes or 1/2 cup grated

Method:

1. Wash the rice and drain the water completely. Spread them on a kitchen towel and allow it to dry for 1 hour.

2. Take a heavy bottomed pan and dry roast the rice on medium flame until they turn crisp. It takes around half and hour to roast the rice.

3. Powder the rice into coarse powder(just like puttu podi).

4. Mix rice powder, grated coconut and grated jaggery and pulse in a blender for few seconds.

5. Shape them into lemon sized balls and enjoy.

Mulaku Bajji | Chilli Bajji

Ingredients:
1. Bajji Mulaku/Banana Peppers - 5 nos.
2. Besan/Chickpea flour - 1 cup
3. Carom seeds/Ajwain - 1 teaspoon
4. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
6. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
7. Rice flour - 1 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. Wash and give a slit to the peppers lengthwise. Remove the seeds if you need the bajjis to be less spicy.

2. Mix all the ingredients except peppers and oil into a thick batter.

3. Heat oil for deep frying on medium heat.

4. When the oil is hot, dip each of the peppers in batter and carefully drop in oil. Fry on medium flame until bajjis turn golden brown in colour. Drain off excess oil on a paper towel.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup. 

Pineapple Lemonade

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Fresh Pineapple pieces - 1 cup

2. Lemon juice - 2 tablespoon

3. Sugar - 4 tablespoon or adjust according to taste

4. Cold water - 1.5 cup 

Method:

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Serve chilled.

Oatmeal with Chia Seeds

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

1. Rolled oats - 1/2 cup

2. Chia seeds - 1 tablespoon

3. Milk - 1 cup

4. Brown sugar/Honey - 1 tablespoon

5. Cinnamon powder - 2-3 pinch

6. Banana - 1 (optional)

Method:

1. Take oats, chia seeds and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 3-4 minutes on high power until oats is well cooked. 

2. Add in brown sugar/honey and cinnamon powder and mix well.

Serve with slices of banana.

Wild Rice Pulao

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Wild rice - 1/4 cup
2. Basmati rice - 3/4 cup
3. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
4. Green chilli paste - 1 teaspoon
5. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
6. Cloves - 4-5
7. Cardamom - 1
8. Carrots, beans, green peas - 1 cup
9. Onion - 1 medium
10. Cilantro - a handful
11. Mint leaves chopped - 1 tablespoon
12. Oil - 1 tablespoon
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak wild rice in water for at least 10 hours. This will reduce the cooking time.

2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pan and add cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. Fry for few seconds and add thinly sliced onion. Saute until onions turn translucent.

3. Add ginger-garlic and green chilli paste and saute for few more seconds.

4. Add chopped vegetable mix, 1.5 cup of water and salt to taste.

5. When the water starts to boil, add washed basmati rice and wild rice. Cook on low flame until all the water evaporates.

Serve with yogurt and cucumber slices.

Wild Rice

Thai Chicken Fried Rice

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Jasmine rice/ short grained rice - 1 cup

2. Chicken boneless pieces - 1 cup 

3. Spring onions - 4-5 sprigs

4. Vegetable mix - (carrots, green peas) - 1/2 cup each

5. Eggs - 2

6. Garlic - 3 cloves

7. Soy sauce - 1 tablespoon

8. Oil - 2 tablespoon

9. Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon

10. Salt to taste

11. Pepper to taste

12. Cucumber slices and lemon wedges for garnishing

Method:

1. Wash and cook rice with 2 cups of water and set aside.

2. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan and add chicken pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook until chicken is well done.

3. Move the chicken to one side of the pan and add another tablespoon of oil. Add minced garlic and fry for a minute. Add eggs and scrambled for couple of minutes. Then add thinly sliced green onions, carrots and peas. Mix the veggies with chicken and eggs and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add soy sauce, sugar and cooked rice and mix well together. Check for salt and add if required.

5. Cook for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame.

Serve with cucumber slices and lemon wedges.

Egg Omelette with Cottage Cheese

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Eggs - 2 

2. Cottage Cheese - 1/2 cup

3. Onion - 1 medium

4. Green chillies - 1 

5. Oil - 1 tablespoon

6. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Take eggs, finely chopped onion, green chillies, salt and cottage cheese in a mixing bowl.

2. Beat everything together.

3. Heat a pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.

4, When the oil is hot, add the egg mixture. Cover and cook on both sides until well done.

Learn about the nutritional benefits of cottage cheese at wikipedia. 

Banana Chips

Ingredients:

1. Raw Banana/Plantain - 2 

2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

3. Salt to taste - around 1.5 teaspoon

4. Oil for deep frying

5. Water at room temperature - around 3 cups

Method:

1. Take water in a large bowl and add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well to dissolve the salt.

2. Wash and remove the skin from bananas. 

3. Using a slicer, make thin slices of banana and put the slices in salted water.

4. Leave the banana slices in water for 30 minutes.

5. After 30 minutes, drain off the water and place the slices on paper towel/kitchen towel and allow it dry for 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile heat oil for deep frying on medium flame.

7. When the oil is hot, drop the banana slices and fry until they turn crisp. Always maintain the flame on low-medium. Each batch should take around 20 minutes.

8. Once they are done, place them on paper towel to drain excess oil. Check for salt and if you think it is less, sprinkle little salt while it is still hot.

9. Cool them completely before you store in an airtight container.

Chickpea flour and Wheat flour burfi

Ingredients:

1. Chickpea flour/Besan - 1/2 cup

2. Wheat flour - 1/4 cup

3. Fine rava/semolina - 2 tablespoon

4. Butter - 4 tablespoon

5. Brown sugar - 4-5 tablespoon 

6. Salt - a pinch

7. Cardamom - 2 

8. Milk - 1-2 tablespoon

9. Oil - 1 teaspoon for greasing pan

Method:

1. Grease a plate/baking tray with oil and keep it aside.

2. Heat butter in a pan on medium heat and add chickpea flour, wheat flour and semolina. Stir continuously and fry until the flour turns light brown in color. Check if you get the bitterness of chickpea flour. If yes, continue roasting for few more minutes. Uncooked chickpea flour tastes bitter.

3. Once the flour is well roasted, add a pinch of salt, brown sugar, powdered cardamom and a tablespoon of milk. Mix well and check for sugar. Once the sugar melts, the flour mixture turns into a thick paste. 

4. Transfer this mixture into a greased plate and let it cool completely. 

5. Slice the burfi into desired shape and serve. 

Black Beans and Avocado Burger

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Black beans - 1/2 cup
2. Avocado - 1
3. Hamburger buns - 4
4. Onion - 1 medium sized
5. Garlic - 2-3 cloves
6. Pepper powder/Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak black beans in water for around 8 hours.

2. Add around 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles until well done.

3. Strain the water and separate the beans. This water can be used while making curries or rasam.

4. Allow the beans to cool completely and put it in blender for 30-40 seconds to make a course paste. Alternately you can even mash them with a fork.

5. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and saute minced garlic and finely chopped onions until they turn translucent. Take a large mixing bowl and add bean paste, sauteed onions, salt and pepper powder. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Take a handful of this mixture, pat it into disc and set aside.

6. Heat a skillet on medium flame, place these patties and drizzle little oil over them. Reduce the flame to low-medium.

7. Cook for 4 minutes, flip carefully and cook for another 4 minutes.

8. Slice the avocado and keep it ready.

9. Now it is the time to assemble the burger. Take a bun, open the top half, place a bean patty, few slices of avocado and place back the top half. Serve immediately.

If you wish to eat after a while, you can add lime juice on avocado slices to prevent them from browning.

These bean patties can be made in bulk and stored in freezer. Whenever needed you just need to defrost it by heating on skillet/microwave oven.

Also try a different version of this burger made with red kidney beans/rajma.

Scrambled Eggs with Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese is fresh cheese curd. It is drained and not pressed, so some whey remains and individual curds remain loose. These are different from Indian Cottage cheese/paneer which is pressed to remove most of the whey.

Cottage cheese comes in three major varieties: small-curd, medium-curd and large-curd. Curd size is the size of chunks in cottage cheese.

These are excellent source of proteins. Each 1/2 cup of cottage cheese contains 12g of protein (source: wikipedia).

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Eggs - 2
2. Cottage cheese - 4 tablespoon
3. Butter/Oil - 1 teaspoon
4. Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Break eggs into a mixing bowl and add cottage cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

2. Heat a pan on medium heat and add butter/oil.

3. Add the egg-cottage cheese mixture and scramble until the eggs are thoroughly cooked and some of the whey in cottage cheese evaporates. 

Stuffed Brinjal/Eggplant Curry - Andhra Style

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Indian Eggplants/ Brinjals - 5 small sized

2. Onion - 1 medium

3. Oil - 3 tablespoon

4. Chana dal - 1 teaspoon

5. Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

6. Curry leaves - few

7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

8. Jaggery grated - 1 teaspoon

9. Tamarind - small lemon sized, extract pulp

10. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

11. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or as per spice level

12.  Salt to taste

To dry roast, you need:

1. Peanuts - 2 tablespoon

2. Dried red chillies - 3-4 

3. Coriander seeds - 1 teaspoon

4. Sesame seeds - 1 tablespoon

5. Fenugreek seeds/ Methi - 1/4 teaspoon

6. Coconut grated - 3-4 tablespoon

7. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

8. Cloves - 3 

9. Cumin seeds/ Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon

10. Garlic - 3-4 cloves

Indian Eggplants

Method:

1. Wash the eggplants and make a slit diagonally with the stalk intact.

2. Heat 2 tablespoon of oil and fry these eggplants for around 5-7 minutes until the skin slightly softens.Keep them aside.  

3. Take an another pan, heat it on medium flame and dry roast peanuts until the skin turns brown color. 

4. In the same pan, add rest of the ingredients mentioned in "To dry roast" section and roast for around 10 minutes. Turn off the flame and allow the ingredients to cool down.

5. Grind the dry roasted ingredients along with tamarind pulp and salt(around 1/2 teaspoon) into a fine paste.

6. Stuff this paste into each of the eggplants and keep them aside. 

7. Take 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add chana dal and urad dal and fry until they turn golden brown in color. Add curry leaves and finely sliced onions. Saute until onions turn translucent. Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix well. 

8. Add stuffed eggplants, any remaining masala paste, around 1 cup of water, grated jaggery and check for salt. Cover and cook on low- medium flame until the eggplants are well done. Check by piercing the eggplants with a fork.

Serve this curry with chapathi/rice.

Avocado Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Avocado (sliced and frozen)- 1 

2. Banana (sliced and frozen)- 1 

3. Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 tablespoon

4. Cold Milk - 1 cup

5. Brown sugar - 3 tablespoon

Method:

1.Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

2. Pour it in serving glass, sprinkle little cocoa powder and serve.

Bitter Gourd Curry | Haagalkayi Gojju

This is a Karnataka cuisine which I learnt from my friend Nivedita. 'Haagalkayi' means bitter gourd in Kannada and 'gojju' means curry. This is a coconut based gravy with a burst of different flavors: tanginess, sweet, spicy and no doubt bitter. This dish tastes best when eaten with hot rice and ghee.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Bitter Gourd - 2 medium sized
2. Urad dal - 1 tablespoon
3. Chana dal - 1 tablespoon
4. Sesame seeds - 1 teaspoon
5. Coconut grated - handful
6. Garlic cloves - 2
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Jaggery grated - 1 teaspoon
9. Tamarind pulp - 1/2 cup
10. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Sambar powder(any brand) - 1/4 teaspoon
12. Oil - 1 tablespoon
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Dry roast urad dal, chana dal and sesame seeds till they turn light brown in color. Keep them aside and dry roast coconut, garlic cloves and curry leaves for 5-7 minutes. Allow the dals and coconut mixture to cool down. Grind them along with sambar powder into a fine paste by adding little water. Keep the ground paste aside.

2. In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and add finely chopped bitter gourd. Fry for around 15 minutes on medium flame until they turn brown and crisp.

3. Add red chilli powder, grated jaggery, tamarind pulp and ground paste. Mix well and add salt to taste.

4. Let it cook for 5 minutes and then turn off the flame.

Bitter Gourd curry is ready to serve.

Chickpea Biriyani

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Chickpea/Kabuli Chana - 1/3 cup

2. Basmati rice - 1 cup

3. Onion - 1 large

4. Tomato - 2 medium sized

5. Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon

6. Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

7. Green chilli - 2-3

8. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

9. Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

10. Coriander leaves/Cilantro chopped- handful

11. Mint leaves/Pudina chopped - 2 tablespoon

12. Oil - 2 tablespoon

13. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and soak chickpea in water for 6-8 hours.

2. Pressure cook with enough water and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for 5-6 whistles until well done.

3. Strain the water and keep the chickpea aside. Save the water to use it later while cooking rice. 

4. Heat oil in a large pan and splutter cumin seeds. Add thinly sliced onion and fry until they become translucent.

5. Add ginger garlic paste and slit green chillies and fry for a minute.

6. Add sliced tomatoes and cook covered until tomatoes turn mushy.

7. Add red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Be careful while adding salt because chickpeas were cooked with salt. 

8. Add cooked chickpea, chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Meanwhile wash the rice and drain off the water.

10. In a rice cooker, add rice, chickpea gravy and 1 cup of water reserved from cooking chickpea. Check for salt and cook until rice is done. You can even cook it in open vessel instead of rice cooker. 

Serve with yogurt and salad. 

Red Kidney Beans and Avocado Burger

These are one of the best burgers I have ever had. They are very filling and are best for breakfast. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Red Kidney beans/Rajma - 1/4 cup
2. Avocado - 1
3. Hamburger buns - 4
4. Onion - 1 medium sized
5. Garlic - 2-3 cloves
6. Pepper powder/Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Oil - 2 tablespoon
8. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak kidney beans in water for around 8 hours.

2. Add around 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 5-6 whistles until well done.

3. Strain the water and separate the beans. This cooked water can be used while making curries or rasam.

4. Allow the beans to cool completely and put it in blender for 30-40 seconds to make a course paste.

5.Heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and saute minced garlic and finely chopped onions until onions turn translucent. Take a large mixing bowl and add bean paste, sauteed onions, salt and pepper powder. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Take a handful of this mixture, pat it into disc and set aside.

6. Heat a skillet on medium flame, place these patties and drizzle little oil over them. Reduce the flame to low-medium.

7. Cook for 4 minutes, flip carefully and cook for another 4 minutes.

8. Slice the avocado and keep it ready.

9. Now it is the time to assemble the burger. Take a bun, open the top half, place a bean patty, few slices of avocado and place back the top half. Serve immediately.

If you wish to eat after a while, you can add lime juice on avocado slices to prevent them from browning.

These bean patties can be made in bulk and stored in freezer. Whenever needed you just need to defrost it by heating on skillet/microwave oven.

Strawberry Sauce

Delicious and simple sauce recipe. This sauce can be

• poured over pancakes
• mixed with milk to make strawberry milkshake
• mixed with yogurt to make homemade strawberry yogurt
• sauce for icecream
• eaten as it is - my fav way

Ingredients: 

1. Strawberries - 1 cup

2. Sugar - 1-2 tablespoon (adjust according to the sourness of strawberries)

Method:

1. Combine strawberries and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. 

2. For storing, place in an air tight container and refrigerate.

Dates Pickle

Ingredients:

1. Dates (pit removed) - 1 cup

2. Green chilli - 2-3 

3. Tamarind pulp(thick) - 1 tablespoon

4. Jaggery(grated) - 1 tablespoon

5. Grated ginger - 1 teaspoon

6. Crushed garlic - 1 tablespoon

7. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

8. Curry leaves - few 

9. Asafoetida powder/Hing - 1/8 teaspoon

10. Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon or as per spice level

11. Fenugreek powder - 1 pinch

12. Oil - 2 tablespoon

13. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak dates in warm water for 5 minutes. Drain off the water and pat dry on a paper towel. Cut them into small pieces and keep it aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. 

3. Add asafoetida powder, grated ginger, crushed garlic, finely chopped green chilli and curry leaves. Fry for couple of minutes. 

4. Add chopped dates, chilli powder, salt to taste, grated jaggery and tamarind pulp. Mix well and cook for around 10-12 minutes on medium flame.

5. Just before turning off the flame add a pinch of fenugreek powder. 

Allow it to cool completely before storing in a air tight container. 

Potato Fry with Yogurt

This is good side dish for chapathi/rice. The sourness of yogurt makes this dish different from the regular potato fry.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Potato - 2 medium sized
2. Yogurt - 2 tablespoon
3. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Curry leaves - few
5. Green Chilli - 1-2
6. Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Asafoetida/Hing - 2 pinch
10. Oil - 2 teaspoon
11. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash  and pressure cook potatoes for 2-3 whistles.

2. After potatoes cool down, remove the skin and cut into cubes.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.

4. Add asafoetida, ginger paste, curry leaves and slit green chilli. Fry for a minute and add cubed potatoes.

5. Add salt to taste, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Mix well and cook on medium flame for 5 minutes.

6. Add 2 tablespoon yogurt and give it a good mix. Let it simmer for 5 more minutes and then it is ready to serve.

Peanut Ladoo

Peanut ladoo is one of the easiest snacks to make. It contains only 2 ingredients: peanut and jaggery. Jaggery is a good source of Iron and Calcium. Peanuts are good source of protein. This healthy dish can be prepared in less than 15 minutes.

Serving: Makes 1 dozen ladoos

Ingredients:
1. Roasted Peanuts - 1 cup
2. Jaggery grated - 1/3 cup

Method:
1. Peanuts can be roasted on stovetop or in microwave. For stovetop method, take a heavy bottom pan and heat on medium flame. Add the peanuts and keep stirring until you see dark brown spots. This method takes around 15-20 minutes. Roasting in microwave oven is quick and easy. The steps are mentioned in my other post: Roasting Peanuts in Microwave.

2. Add roasted peanuts(I prefer to add skin as well) and grated jaggery in a blender and make a fine powder.

2. Take a handful of powder and shape into balls. The moisture content in jaggery and oil in peanuts is sufficient to make ladoo and there is no need to add additional water/milk/ghee.

These ladoos stay fresh for a week when stored in a airtight container under normal temperature.