Naan

Naans are leavened Indian bread. I never ever imagined I could make naan at home. I followed the recipe from vahchef and my naans turned out just perfect.

The leavening agent used in this recipe is instant active dry yeast. Since these are instant, you don't need to have any resting time for dough. These are baked under broil settings for 2-3 minutes.

Naan can be served with vegetable kurma or chicken curry or any paneer dish.

Black Eyed Peas and Pumpkin Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Black eyed peas- 1/2 cup
2. Pumpkin - 2 cups chopped
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
5. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Dried whole red chillies - 2-3
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Oil - 1 teaspoon
10. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak black eyed peas in water for 4-5 hours.

2. Pressure cook soaked black eyed peas, cut pumpkin, turmeric powder, slit green chillies and salt to taste for upto 5 whistles.

3. Grind coconut and cumin seeds into fine paste. Add this to cooked black eyed peas.

4. Boil the black eyed peas and pumpkin for 10 more minutes. Take off the stove.

5. For tempering, heat a teaspoon of oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chillies and transfer the tempering to curry and mix well.

Serve with rice/chapathi.

Vanpayar Mathan Erissery | Red Cow Peas & Pumpkin Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Vanpayar/ Red Cow Peas - 1/2 cup
2. Pumpkin - 2 cups chopped
3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
4. Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
5. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Dried whole red chillies - 2-3
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
9. Oil - 1 teaspoon
10. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak vanpayar in water for 5-8 hours.

2. Pressure cook soaked vanpayar, cut pumpkin, turmeric powder, slit green chillies and salt to taste for upto 5 whistles.

3. Grind coconut and cumin seeds into fine paste. Add this to cooked vanpayar.

4. Boil the vanpayar and pumpkin for 10 more minutes. Take off the stove.

5. For tempering, heat a teaspoon of oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add dried red chillies and transfer the tempering to curry and mix well.

Beetroot Stir Fry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Beetroot - 2 medium sized
2. Green chillies - 2
3. Garlic - 2 cloves
4. Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
5. Salt to taste

Method:
1. In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil and grated beetroot.

2. Add slit green chillies, crushed garlic and salt to taste. Cook covered on medium flame for around 10 minutes.

This is the simplest way to cook beetroot. Serve as a side dish for rice.

Palak Paneer

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1. Palak/Spinach - 1 bunch
2. Paneer cubes - 1 cup
3. Tomato - 2 medium sized
4. Onion - 1 medium sized
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
6. Green chillies - 1 no.
7. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
8. Bay leaf - 1
9. Garam masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon
10. Oil - 1 tablespoon
11. Salt to taste

Paneer cubes

Method:
1. Heat 1 cup of water and add spinach, cubed tomatoes, chopped onions and green chillies. Boil for 5-7 minutes until tomatoes turn soft.

2. Allow it cool for sometime and make a puree in a blender.

3. Heat oil in a saucepan and add bay leaf and cumin seeds. Fry for a minute and then add ginger garlic paste. Once they turn light brown in color, add the palak puree.

4. Add garam masala powder and salt to taste. Cook on medium flame for 10-12 minutes.

5. Finally add paneer cubes and turn off the flame.

Aloo Bonda | Potato Bonda

Ingredients:

For batter:

1. Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup
2. Rice flour - 1 tablespoon
3. Ajwain/Carom seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
4. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Asafoetida/hing - 2-3 pinches
6. Salt to taste

For filling:
1. Potatoes - 3 medium sized
2. Onion - 1
3. Green chillies - 2 -4
4. Coriander leaves - chopped - 3 tablespoon
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
7. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
8. Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
7. Garam masala - 1/8 teaspoon
8. Dry mango powder/Chaat masala - 1/4 teaspoon - optional
9. Asafoetida/hing - 2-3 pinches
10. Oil - 1 tablespoon
11. Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying bonda

Method:
Filling:
1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. Mash the boiled potatoes and keep it aside.

2. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

3. Add asafoetida, finely chopped onion, curry leaves and green chillies. Saute until onions turn light brown in color.

4. Add turmeric powder, garam masala and dry mango powder/chaat masala.

5. Add mashed potatoes and salt to taste. Mix well and switch off flame after 5 minutes.

6. Add finely chopped coriander leaves. Allow the mix to cool down. Then make lemon sized balls and keep them aside.

Batter:
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients listed for making batter.

2. Add water little by little to make a thick batter.

Assembly:
1. Heat oil for deep frying on medium flame.

2. Dip each of the potato balls in batter and deep fry until golden brown.

3. Drain off excess oil on a tissue paper.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Ghee Rice | Ney Choru

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Jeera rice/Basmati rice - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 large
3. Cashews - 20 count
4. Raisins - handful
5. Ghee - 2-3 tablespoon
6. Cloves - 4-5
7. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
8. Cardamom - 2
9. Bay leaf - 1
10. Coriander leaves for garnishing - optional
11. Boiling water - 2 cups
12. Salt to taste

Method:
1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon on ghee. Add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaf. Fry for a minute.

2. Add washed rice and saute for 10-12 minutes on medium flame.

3. Add 2 cups of boiling water and salt to taste. Cook on low flame until all the water evaporates.

4. Meanwhile in a different pan, heat 2 tablespoon of ghee and fry cashews and raisins. Once they turn light brown in color, remove from pan and keep them aside.

5. In the same pan, fry thinly sliced onions until they turn dark brown in color.

6. Once the rice is cooked add the fried raisins, cashews and onions and mix well.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with your favorite curry of your choice.

Paneer Roast

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Paneer/Cottage Cheese cubes - 1 cup
2. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
3. Turmeric powder - 1/8 teaspoon
4. Garam masala powder - 1/8 teaspoon
5. Oil - 1 tablespoon
6. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Take paneer in a mixing bowl and add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to taste. Mix well and set aside for atleast 10 minutes.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the marinated paneer. Cover and cook on low-medium flame until paneer turns brown in color.

This can be enjoyed as a snack for tea or can be served as a side dish for rice/chapathi. 

Egg Bonda

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1. Boiled eggs - 6
2. Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup
3. Corn flour or rice flour - 1 tablespoon
4. Ajwain/Carom seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Asafoetida/hing - 2-3 pinches
7. Salt to taste
8. Oil for deep frying

Method:
1. Cut the hard boiled eggs into 2 and keep them aside.

2. Heat oil for deep frying.

3. In a large mixing bowl, make a thick batter using gram flour, corn flour/rice flour, ajwain, red chilli powder, asafoetida, salt and 1/2 cup water. Add water little by little and check for the consistency. The batter should be thick enough to give a nice coating for eggs.

3. Dip each of the egg halves in batter and drop them in hot oil. Fry until the outer covering turn golden brown.

4. Drain off excess oil on a tissue paper.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Potato Brinjal Sabzi

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

1. Potato - 2 medium sized 

2. Brinjal - 4 small sized

3. Ginger grated - 1 teaspoon

4. Onion - 1 medium sized

5. Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon

6. Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon

7. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon 

8. Green chillies - 1-2

9. Curry leaves - 2-3 sprigs

10. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

11. Oil - 3 teaspoon

12. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and peel the potatoes and pressure cook for upto 2 whistles. Cut into small cubes and keep it aside.

2. In a large pan, heat 2 teaspoon of oil and add sliced brinjal. Sprinkle little salt and saute on medium flame for around 10-12 minutes with occasional stirring. 

3. Add grated ginger and slit green chillies and saute for a minute. 

4. Add thinly sliced onion and saute until onions turn translucent. 

5. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and pepper powder and fry for a minute.

6. Add boiled potatoes and curry leaves. Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.

7. Finally for tempering, heat a small pan and add the remaining teaspoon of oil and splutter seeds and few curry leaves. Transfer the tempering into sabzi.

Serve with chapathi. 

Turnip Greens Stir Fry

Of late I have been trying new varieties of greens in market. I bought the superfood Kale and sauteed with little coconut. Then I tried Swiss Chard and made stir fry and added them to dal.

Now is the turn for Turnip Greens. This is a simple recipe of sauteeing the greens in a Kerala style way. It can be eaten as a side dish for rice.

Turnip Greens

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Turnip Greens - 1 bunch

2. Garlic - 2-3 cloves

3. Coconut - handful grated

4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

5. Oil - 1 teaspoon

6. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and finely chop the greens.

2. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large pan and splutter mustard seeds.

3. Add crushed garlic and chopped greens. 

4. Add salt to taste and mix well. Saute for 4-5 minutes and turn off the heat.

5. Add grated coconut and mix well. Serve as a side dish for rice.

Tomato Broccoli Soup

Soups are always a comfort food during winter. It started snowing at my place and the temperature is as low as -10 deg C. There is nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of soup on a cold evening.

This is a winner recipe because my DH loved it and asked me for a second helping.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Tomato - 2 medium sized
2. Broccoli - 1 cup florets
3. Onion - 1 small
4. Bay leaf - 1
5. Butter - 2 teaspoon
6. Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method:
1. Heat 2 teaspoon of butter in a saucepan and add the bay leaf.

2. Add roughly chopped onion, broccoli, tomatoes and 1 cup of water.

3. Cook until tomatoes turn soft.

4. Turn off the heat and allow the veggies to cool down.

5. Discard the bay leaf and blend the veggies in a blender.

6. Strain the puree and transfer into the same saucepan and cook for around 5 minutes.

7. Season with salt and pepper powder and serve hot.

Submitting this recipe to Priya's "Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge" event. Viji from Viruntu Unna Vaanga challenged me with two ingredients namely broccoli and tomatoes and I decided to make this Tomato Broccoli Soup.

Beetroot Milkshake

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Beetroot grated - 1 cup
2. Cold Milk - 1 cup
3. Water - 1/2 cup
4. Cardamom - 4 pods
5. Sugar/Honey - 2 tablespoon

Method:
1. Blend all the ingredients in a blender.

2. If required strain the milkshake to remove any pieces of grated beetroot.

Refrigerate for atleast half and hour. Tastes best when served cold.

Egg Omelette

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Eggs - 3
2. Onion - 1 large
3. Green chillies - 1-2
4. Curry leaves - few
5. Oil - 1 teaspoon
6. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl.

2. Add finely chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves and salt to taste. Mix well.

3. Heat a large pan and add a teaspoon of oil.

4. Add the egg mixture and cook covered on both sides on low-medium flame.

Enjoy these very basic and easy to make egg omelette for breakfast or as a side dish for rice.

Egg Volcano

Egg Volcano is an interesting dish which kids will surely love to eat. These are easy to make with very basic ingredients like eggs, bread and some seasoning. 

Recipe Source: One Pot Chef

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1. Eggs - 2

2. Bread - 2 slices

3. Pepper and Salt for seasoning as per taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 deg F.

2.  Separate egg yolk from egg white.

3. Use a hand mixer or whisk and beat the egg white until white and foamy. 

4. Cut the edges of bread and place a large scoop of egg white on bread slice. 

5. Make a small dent in the center of egg white using a spoon and careful drop the egg yolk.

6. Sprinkle little salt and pepper for seasoning.

7. Place them in preheated oven for 12 minutes.