Sweet Salad in Creamy Yogurt Sauce

Summer call with little rain here and there. Bell peppers are my favorite with their endless health benefits needless to say about other vegetables though, Bell peppers still top my chart during this weather.

This is another quick easy salads of mine with yogurt after the cucumber salad. You can make your own twist to this and make the salad interesting.

I have used apple and grapes in the salad, with some sweetness in the yogurt sauce.

For Salad : Use vegetables and fruits of your choice.

For Sauce :
1 - cup yogurt/curd
Chopped mint leaves
Crushed cumin - to taste
Crushed pepper - to taste
Lemon Juice - 1/2 t.spn
Orange Juice - 3-4 tb.spn
Sugar - to taste
Salt - 1 pinch
Sesame Oil - 1 tb.spn (Optional)
Chat Masala - 1 t.spn (optional)

Preparation:

1. Take yogurt, if thick add water bring to a creamy pouring consistency using a whisker.
2. Add all other ingredients, mix well. Check seasoning.
3. Refrigerate the Sauce. 

Just before serving, in a mixing bowl add the vegetables, pour the sauce over it, toss well. 

This tastes best when chilled. Do not mix it and store. If you are to carry for lunch or snack pack these to separate and mix just before having.

Banana Ice Cream Smoothie - Perfect breakfast for Indian Summer

Now who does not love smoothie ;) I am up for it anytime. This smoothie is full of nutrients filled with dates, yogurt, almonds, banana and milk. Doesn't sound like a real good breakfast over cereals.

It's all upto you on how you mix and match the ingredients to enhance the flavour. Ice cream is optional tough ;)

I prefer the smoothie to be thick, if you like like watery you can add more milk.

Ingredients:

1. Chilled banana of your choice - 2 to 4 sliced
2. Boiled cold Milk 
3. Ice cubes or crushed
4. Finely chopped Almonds
5. De-seeded and chopped dates
6. Yogurt (Curd)
7. Ice cream (optional) any flavour
8. Sugar to taste (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a blender (Juicer) add all ingredients blend it to form a smooth paste. 
2. You can add more milk if needed and run it once
3. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate or serve on chilled glass, top with a scoop of ice cream
4. You can add some coffee , if you prefer coffee flavor.

Now tell me if you dislike what you prepared !

Summer Delight - Quick Salad with creamy yogurt, mint dressing

Summer ...here I come ! First vegetable that comes to our mind and available in market during Indian Summer is Cucumber. It's also consumed during other seasons, but we see vendors selling all over the country during this time.

If you are tried of having the regular plain cucumber for salad we have a yummy, yet easy to prepare salad, filled with the richness of yogurt and the sweetness of mint.

Here is what you need:

• Diced cucumber as shown in picture. 
• Whisked yogurt - ensure you add little water whisk and bring to a creamy pour-able consistency
• Chopped mint leaves
• Crushed cumin - 1/2 t.spn
• Crushed pepper - 1/2 t.spn
• Chat masala - 1/2 t.spn (optional)
• Lemon juice - 1 t.spn
• Sugar - 1 - 2 tb.spn
• A pinch of Salt

In a bowl add all ingredients except cucumber, whisk well and taste for seasoning. Add anything if required. Finally add the dressing to cucumber and toss well. Refrigerate and serve. It's very refreshing and filling.

You may add little olive oil or add in olives or other seasoning as per your taste.

Let me know how you liked this, and suggest other alternate for this.

You may also try this summer delight recipe, with rice / curd / cucumber / carrot.

Red spinach potato Stuffed paratha

Parathas are very popular these days in southern part of India too. It's not rocket science you just need to know how to roll out a stuffed paratha. You can use any stuffing ensure it's dry. This paratha is made from spinach and potato. For people who dislike eating spinach you can make paratha.

Preparing the stuffing:

Wash and clean the spinach, chop finely. Boil potatoes, peel and smash well. Dry roast the spinach in a pan lightly and add in the potato, coriander leaves, chopped green chili. Mix well turn off the heat. Wait the mixture cools and then add salt, mix with hand set aside.

You may use any spinach you have. You may also use seasoning / masala powder as per your taste.

For the paratha:
Add some ajwain (carom seeds / omam / imothagam) to the flour, little salt, oil mix well. Knead the dough by mixing water. Prepare the dough and keep aside for 15 - 30 minutes.

Roll out the parathas with stuffing. Spread oil on  a hot tawa place the paratha, cook on each side with little oil till golden brown. Serve with butter spread on it, or curd. Refer to this recipe for the pictures on how to do the stuffing. Below is the steps for another method.

Bitter Gourd Fry (Pavakkai Pagarkai poriyal)

Bitter gourd is used in making lot of Indian cuisines. It has lot of nutrients in it and prepared as side dish as fry or gravy or in stuffed form. This recipe is a dry dish which can be used with sambar rice or curd rice.

Bitter gourd is usually bitter and we would remove some of the juices with salt turmeric marination. You can also wash it to remove the bitterness further.

Ingredients:

1. Bitter Gourd - 1 ; slice , deseed and marinate with little salt and turmeric
2. Cumin seeds - 1 t.spn
3. Urad dal - 1 t.spn
4. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
5. green chili - 2 slit
6. Onion - 1 large , sliced
7. ginger garlic paste - 1 tspn
8. turmeric - 1/2 tspn
9. Red chili powder - 1 tb.spn
10. Coriander powder - 1.tspn
11. Sugar - 1 - 2 tbspn
12. Oil for frying
13. Salt to taste

Preparation:
1. Squeeze the juice off the marinated bitter gourd and keep aside
2. In a flat pan / kadai heat oil and add cumin seeds, urad dal. Wait till they splutter.
3. Add curry leaves, green chili, turmeric saute for 30 sec.
4. Add in the onion and salt, saute for a minute
5. Add ginger garlic paste, continue sauteing for couple of min.
6. Now add bitter gourd , mix well saute for 2 min
7. Add rest of the masala powder, mix well. Cover and cook for 5 min
8. Check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Continue to cook for another 5 min or so without cover. Stir in between.
9. As the last step add sugar as required and saute, in lowest heat. Cook till the veg turns light brown. Turn off the heat.
10. Serve with rice. Tastes divine with curd rice or simple sambar rice.

Note:
- Cook this dish in medium to low heat throughout
- As this is a dry dish, I didn't use any water or jaggery
- If you need you may sprinkle little tamarind & Jaggery juice, remember this is a dry dish.

How to make soft spongy Kerala Appam with yeast (without appa podi)

I have posted a recipe of making appam with appam podi and kappi. Click here for Recipe. This is from freshly ground batter. We use raw rice, called pacha arisi / ari for appam. This is how I have seen my grandmother making the batter only difference is my mother use mixer / grinder to make the batter. Lets see the ingredients.

Ingredients:

For Batter

1. Pacha Arisi (Raw Rice) - 2 cup - soak it for about 3 - 5 hours
2. Grated coconut - 1 cup
3. Small banana - 2 (yellow kind called palayamkodan) optional
4. Cooked rice - less than a handful
5. Water as required

Activating Yeast 

1. Dry Yeast - 1/4 t spn, (looks like small granules slightly larger than mustard seed, color is beige)
2. Sugar 1 tsp
3. Water 2 tb sp

Preparation:

Step - 1 Prepare the batter

Step 2 - Activate yeast and mix with batter

Step 3 - Prepare appam from the nicely fermented batter

1. In a grinder or mixer add the batter ingredients except cooked rice and blend well
2. Add water little by little and get a smooth paste.  Add the cooked rice and blend again.
3. The consistency of the batter to be watery, how ever it would be slightly thick. Not like dosa/idli batter
4. Transfer the batter to a vessel, its now ready have the yeast mixed.

To Activate Yeast - follow the below steps:

1. Heat the water, luke warm. you should be able to insert your finger comfortably so it should not be too hot.
2. Pour the water in a bowl , add sugar and dry yeast.
3. Stir vigorously, and set it aside for 10 - 15 min
4. If the yeast is activated you would see froth on top, mix this and add to the batter. Mix well.

Let the batter sit for 8 - 12 hours. Overnight would be best. 

After this set time, the batter would have raised and looks like double the quantity. When you stir it would all go down. Mix salt and make appam as desired. Serve with sweetened coconut milk or stew or chutney or meat curry. Anything you like :)

There are lot of tips you might have to keep in mind.

Note:

• Test your yeast before hand, so that your batter is not wasted to avoid hard stoney appams. If the yeast is not activated either its expired / bad quality or the water temperature is not correct
• Try to keep the batter in a bigger utensil as the batter raises and might over flow, if the vessel / container is small.
• With yeast you will have 110% soft lacey like spongy appam
• I don't use baking soda while using yeast.

Hot and Spicy Pepper Rasam for Cold/Cough/Flu/Fever / Sore Throat

I have been sick due to bad runny nose and sore throat this week. The weather in down south is bad, too chilly in the morning and extremely hot during the day. I got tired of using Vicks inhaler and halls. Thought of drinking something healthy and good. So made this rasam loaded with spices and pulse. Yes , pulse - lentils - are you reading ? Ok , I am just smiling :) You do not need rasam powder for this.

While having this, the body gets warmed up and it was soothing for my throat. I didn't find it burning or eyes watering. I warmed the rasam and had a bowlful as soup at night.

Ingredients:

1. Boiled toor dal - a handful
2. Tomato - 1 finely chopped
3. Coriander leaves - finely chopped a bunch
4. Tamarind juice
5. Oil for tempering - 1 t.spn
6. Mustard and Cumin Seed - 1 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Masala - We will dry roast and then use the coarse powder

1. Dried Chili - 2
2. Garlic with skin - 8 - 10 pods
3. Pepper - 1 tsp
4. Coriander seed - 1 tsp
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
6. Fenu greek seed (Venthayam) - 8 - 10
7. Asafoetida / Kayam / Hing - a small piece or 1/2 tsp powder
8. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp (do not roast)

Preparation:

1. Dry roast all masala items except for turmeric in low - medium heat for about 5 min. Do not let the ingredients burn. You will get nice aroma.
2. Cool down the masala and then grind in a mixer to a coarse powder by adding the turmeric. Do not have to be fine like my picture it can be rough as well. 
3. In a kadai or utensil, heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds
4. Once the seeds crackle, add  curry leaves . a pinch of asafoetida and the ground masala powder. Stir well. Cook in medium flame
5. After 1 - 2 minutes add tomato and coriander leaves stir for another couple of minutes.
6. Add in the mashed dal and add tamarind juice. 
7. Add Salt and water, bring this to a boil.
8. Taste for salt and seasoning and add anything if needed
9. Simmer it for 10 - 12 minutes, and switch off heat
10. Serve with steamed white rice, or have as it is.

Note:

• For pressure cooking the dal, ensure you just keep water level 1 inch above the dal. We do not want it to be watery.
• Use ripe tomato

Sweet Refreshing Salad - with fruit & veggies

This is a nice recipe to try for people who do not like salad. This is colorful carry a lot of nutrients, refreshing and tasty. You can mix and match with vegetables of your choice and dressing. This is a simple salad with the ingredients available in our kitchen.

Ingredients:

1. Grated Vegetables (Carrot, Beetroot, Chinese Cabbage ). you may use regular cabbage or iceberg lettuce etc.
2. Chopped Dates - optional
3. Grated apple - half

For Dressing:

1. Honey - 2 - 3 tb spn or as desired
2. Lemon juice - 1/2
3. Salt and pepper as desired
4. finely grated ginger less than 1 t.spn

Preparation:

1. Mix the dressing ingredients together and taste it, add if anything is required.
2. Add all the copped items of salad in a large bowl.
3. Add the seasoning and mix well
4. Taste, sprinkle salt or pepper or add honey if needed.
5. Serve or pack in a box box for lunch
6. You may also refrigerate and serve when needed.

Mixed vegetable paratha - quick and easy

Now who does not love paratha, even though you are in dieting. My mouth always water when I have the craving to eat paratha though I want to lose weight.

You can make parathas with any any of the vegetables you like such as Carrot, beetroot, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Onion, Radish, Spinach, Potato, Cottage cheese (Paneer), Peas, raw banana capsicum etc.  In this recipe I am using Chinese cabbage, carrot and radish.

Grate these vegetables and dry roast them slightly to loose the moisture. Do this in lowest heat for 2 - 3 minutes. Do not cook, as these vegetables can be consumed raw we just need to reduce the moisture so rolling out parathas would be easy.

Ingredients:

1. Radish (Red or white), Carrot, Cabbage - grated
2. Green chili - finely chopped - as per taste
3. Ginger - little finely chopped (optional)
4. Coriander leaves a bunch - finely chopped
5. Crushed Cumin - Optional 1/4 to 1/2 tb spn
6. Asafoetida - less than 1/4 t spn
7. You may add red chili pwder / garam masala / chaat masala - little if required
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for paratha
10. Wheat atta for making the dough
11. Ajwain - carom seeds / ommam / imothagam (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl add ajwain to atta, little sal and few drops of oil if required mix well
2. Add water little by little and knead the flour and keep aside, covered for 15 - 30 min
3. In the meantime prepare the stuffing. 
4. Dry roast the vegetables for 3 - 5 min in lowest heat, add chili at last. Let is cool down
5. Add coriander leaves, and spice powders.
6. Mix all the ingredients for stuffing in a bowl and add salt at last just before making parathas.
7. Roll out paratha with stuffing, cook on medium heat on both sides till golden brown with little oil.
8. Enjoy the parathas with butter spread and cold yogurt(curd)

Radish stuffed Paratha - Mooli ka paratha

Paratha is widely eaten as breakfast in Northern part of India, which has become very popular in down south as well. It;s available and served as Breakfast or Lunch or dinner in most of the restaurants. Parathas are usually stuffed and there are a variety of kinds. One such type is made with Radish, referred as Mooli in Hindi.

There are different ways stuffing can be set in the dough before rolling out as paratha.  You can Google and will get lot of images. I usually follow a much easier method most of the time, Like the picture I have given below.

Ingredients:

1. Radish Grated - 1 (Red or white)
2. Green chili - finely chopped - as per taste
3. Ginger - little finely chopped
4. Coriander leaves a bunch - finely chopped
5. Crushed Cumin - Optional 1/4 to 1/2 tb spn
6. Asafoetida - less than 1/4 t spn
7. You may add red chili pwder / garam masala / chaat masala - little if required
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for paratha
10. Wheat atta for making the dough
11. Ajwain - carom seeds (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large bowl add ajwain to atta, little sal and few drops of oil if required mix well
2. Add water little by little and knead the flour and keep aside, covered for 15 - 30 min
3. In the meantime prepare the stuffing. 
4. Take a handful of grated radish and squeeze out the water, alternatively you may also dry roast this for 2 min in low heat (If dry roasted wait for it to cool down)
5. Mix all the ingredients for stuffing in a bowl and add salt at last just before making parathas.
6. Roll out paratha with stuffing, cook on medium heat on both sides till golden brown with little oil.
7. Enjoy the parathas with butter spread and cold yogurt(curd)