Potato and herb salad

Introduction:

This potato salad will give you the feel of international taste while sitting at your home dining table. It is made up of simple ingredients but tastes delicious. Try this salad as a variant for your dinner table.

Ingredients:

Baby potatotes: 8 (boiled and peeled)

Hung curd: 1 cup

Dry pudina powder: 1 tsp

Chopped green chillies: 2

Chopped coriander: ½ cup

Chopped mint leaves: ½ cup

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Black pepper powder: ½ tsp

Mayonnise: 2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 1 tsp

White sesame seeds: 1 tsp

Method:

Peel the boiled potatoes and with help of a fork, poke all the potatoes. In a bowl, take hung curd. Add dry pudina powder, black pepper , salt and lemon juice to it and mix well. Add potatoes to it and mix well. Let it rest for 3-4 mins. Now mix chopped coriander, mint leaves and mayonnise to it and mix well. In a pan, heat oil. Add white sesame seeds to it. When they starts spluttering, add this dressing all over the salad. Serve immediately.

Tips:

This salad taste much good if the potatoes are a little warm. So try to make the salad with freshly boiled potatoes to retain the warmness.

You can add spring onions and any other herb of your choice to this salad.

Khoya Matar

Introduction:

This recipe is yet another addition to party dishes. It is excellent for main course and contains the sweetness of green peas with the richness of cashew and evaporated milk.

So try this tasty recipe in this winter season.

Ingredients:

Khoya/Mawa: 1 cup

Green peas (peeled and shelled): 3 cup

Tomatoes(Medium sized): 3-4

Green chillies: 2

Cashew nuts: ½ cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: ¾ tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Fenel seeds powder (saunf): 1 tsp

Garam masala powder: ¾ tsp

Sugar: ¼ tsp

Bay leafs: 2 (optional)

Oil: 4-5 tsp

Salt: to taste

Chopped coriander: for garnishing

Coconut powder: for garnishing

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Method:

Wash all the vegetables. Boil water in a pan and add tomatoes and green peas into it. Let them boil for 5 mins without covering. Strain the vegetables. Peel off the skin of the tomatoes and make a smooth paste of it with green chillies.

Heat oil in a pan and add bay leafs to it (if using). When they splutter, Add mawa to it and simmer the flame. Keep stirring and cook the mawa till it changes color and starts becoming granular. Now add all the dry spices to it and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the peas and tomato paste to it. Give a nice stir to the mixture and cover it with lid. Let the mixture to cook on sim to medium flame for 5-8 mins. Adjust the seasoning and add half broken cashew nuts and sugar to it. Cook again till a thin layer of oil comes over the mixture(5-6 mins). Put off the flame.

Garnish it with chopped fresh coriander and coconut powder. Serve hot with chapatis or Paranthas.

 

Palak ke Pakode

Introduction: Pakoras and with hot Tea is an ultimate combination for any evening. especially in rainy and cold days. There are lots of varieties of pakoras . As this season, palak(spinach) is freshly availble, so let's make palak pakoda for this evening.

Ingredients:
Spinach: 200gm

Besan: 2 Cups

Onions: 1 medium sized
Green chillies: 2
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp(optional)
Salt: to taste
Oil : for frying
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Method:
Wash and cut the stem of spinach leaves. Keep the spinach aside for drying. Cut the onions in long thin slices. chop the green chillies. finely chop the spinach. Take besan in a bowl.Add all the dry spices. Add 1 cup of water and make a thick paste without any dumplings. Add chopped spinach, onions and green chillies to it and mix well. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is sufficiently heated, Take a laddle full of mixture and drop in the oil and fry it. Similary add more pakoras to oil for frying. Fre the pakoras from both sides till golden brown.Remove them on a kitchen towl to soak excess oil. Serve the hot pakoras with tomatoe ketchup and green chutney and ofcourse Hot tea.

Apple Jam

Introduction:
 "Apple" is an iron rich fruit and as said an apple a day keeps doctor away. But I don't like apples much. So I always try to find new ways to have apples. Apple jam is a very good recipe in this view. It's eay to make and delicious for your daily breakfast. So why to buy jam for market. Make it your at home.

Ingredients:

Apple: 2 (Medium sized)
Sugar: 1.5 cup
Water: 1 Cup
Elaichi powder: 1.5 tsp
Saffron or edible color: 4-5 strands or 2 drops
Lime juice: 1 tsp

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Method:
Wash and peel apples. Grate the apples. Remove the seeds of the apples. Now heat a non stick pan. Add water and sugar to it and let it come to a boil. Then add apples to it and let it cook over medium flame . Stirr occasionaly to avoid sticking. After 5 mins, add saffron or color and elacihi powder. Cook the mixture till the apple softens and mixture starts drying. Add lim juice to it and cook for 5 more minutes. Put off the flame and let the jam cools. When the jam is cooled, fill it in a sterlized glass bottle and save in fridge. Enjoy the delicious jam daily over your breakfast table with toast, bread or paranthas.

Coconut burfi

Introduction: "Coconut burfi" is a very easy to make sweets. The recipes made by cocnut are mostly popular in southern part of india but cocnut burfi is popular in all the parts of india. There are many ways of making cocnut burfi but i'm telling you the easiest way to cook it at home any time in a jiffy.

Ingredients:
Scraped dry coconut powder: 4 cup
Full cream milk: 3 cup
sugar: 2 cups
Desi Ghee: 1/2 cup

Green cardamon powder: 1/2 tsp

Grated dryfruits: for garnishing

Cooking time: 20 mins

Method: 

Take the grated cocnut in a pan. Add milk in it. cook the mixture on medium flame. when the milk starts to boil, add sugar and ghee in it. Let the mixture cook till it gets dry. Stirr occasionaly. Add green cardamon powder to it and mix well. When  the mixture will be cooked, it will be get almost dry and leave the surface of the pan. Place the mixture in a greesed plate and let it set. Decorate with the grated dryfruits and cut into desired shapes. Enjoy the delicious sweet burfi.

TIPS:
1. You can add colors and essence to give the burfi a differentt taste.
2. To grate the coconut, you can directly grind the dry cocnut. It will save a lot of time.
3. This burfi remains fresh for at least 15 days.

Kadhai Paneer

Introduction:

"Kadhai paneer" is an ultimate combination of capsicum and cottage cheese. This curry is really good for those who avoid to eat a lot of gravy dishes. This is so easy to prepare and delicious for day to day servings. I'm telling you the recipe for kadhai paneer without onions and garlic but if you like, you can add onions and garlic to the dish.

Ingredients:

Green Capsicum: 250 gm

Cottage cheese: 150 gm

Tomatoes: 4-5 medium sized

Giner: 1 inch piece

Green chillies: 2 (finely chopped)
Curd:1/2 cup
Fresh cream/malai: 4 tsp
Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
Bay leaf-4
cloves-4
Black peppercorn: 4
Cinamon stick: 1/2 inch piece
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1/4 tsp
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 5 tsp
Green corriander: for garnishing
Fresh cream: for garnishing

Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Serves for : 4 Persons

Method:

Wash all the vegetables. Soak the paneer in water so that it will get soft. Cut the stem and Deseed the capsicum. cut the capsicum in suitable size square pieces. Finely chop the tomatoes. chop the green chillies. Peel and grate the ginger.

Heat oil in kadhai. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, cinamon and black peppercorn to it. Fry till it starts spluttering. Now add chopped tomatoes, green chillies and ginger to the oil and let it cook till the tomatoes get mushy and leaves oil on surface. It will take approximately 3 minute on medium flame. Now add chopped capsicum to it and mix well. Add all the powdered spices and cover the kadhai with lid. let it cook for 5 minuts on slow flame. Open the lid and check that the capsicums are soft. Now add The beaten curd with malai to the kadhai and mix well.Cook for 2 minutes. The mixture will turn into a rich colorful gravy.

Take the paneer out of the water. Cut the paneer into square pieces and add to the gravy. Mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes or till the paneer is perfectly mixed in gravy. Put off the flame.

Garnish the recipe with chopped green corriander and whipped fresh cream. Serve it with hot chapatis, paranthas and naan.

TIPS:
1. Sugar is added to cut the sourness of curd.
2. You can also make a smooth paste of tomatoes and grren chillies. But the chopped version of tomatoes make it more delicious.
3. Capsicums and paneer can also be deep fried before adding it to the recipes. This will make the curry more quickly, as we do not need to cook till the capsicums are soft but it will result in a more oily dish.
4. Onions and garlic can aslo be added. Add the chopped onions and garlic before adding tomatoes and cook them till it turns golden brown. Then follow the recipes as mentioned above.

Banana Bread

Introduction:

"Banana bread" is an another yumilicious dish in the baking category and that too, is eggless. It's a wonderful use of fully riped bananas and a joyful accompaniment to any tea party. You can easily make this bread and can use it upto 3 days.

Ingredients:

Refined flour: 2 cups

Powdered sugar: 1 and 3/4 cups

Riped Bananas: 3

Butter: 50 gm

Fresh Malai/cream: 1/2 cup

Baking powder: 1 tsp

Baking soda: 1/8 tsp

Elaichi powder: 1/2 tsp

Milk: 1/4 cup

Vanilla essence: 7-8 drops

Preparation time: 35-40 mins

Cooking time: 35 mins-40 mins

Method:

Take the butter and let it get soft at room temeperature. Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda together 3-4 times. Sieve the sugar. Peel the bananas and mesh them properly with help of spatulla. Mesh them to get a smooth paste. Beat butter, cream and sugar together to get a smooth paste for 10 mins. Now mix the meshed bananas into it.Beat the mixture again. Add elaichi powder into it. Now mix the flour mixture into it adding little by little at a time. Keep beating the mixture to avoid lumps. Add vanilla essence into it. Add the milk and beat again for 10 mins. You will get a thick paste. The mixture required for making bread is thicker then we have for cake. Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 10 mins. Now place the bread mixture into a greesed bread/cake tin. Put it in the oven and bake it at 165 deg C for 40 mins.

You can also use the conventional pressure cooker method for baking the bread. Bake it for 35 mins, if using pressure cooker.

Remove the baked bread out of the tin after getting completely cooled by turning the tin upside down. Cut it into square slices and Enjoy the delicious homemade banana bread.

TIPS:

1. You can add dryfruits, nuts and chocolates to the bread.

2. This bread remains fresh upto 3 days.

3. If you don't have Malai, then use butter instead or vice-versa.

4. Do not keep the mixture out for too long. Bake immediately as soon as the mixture is ready otherwise it will reduce the sponginess of the bread.