Palak pakoda recipe - Spinach pakora recipe

Palak pakoda recipe - Palak pakoda is a deep fried snack prepared with a mixture of spinach, gram flour, chilli powder, ajwain powder, garam masala and lemon juice. Shallow fried version can also be prepared and the same is most suitable for pakoda kadhi. When it is to be served as a snack, it is deep fried till crisp and golden in colour. Preparation of mixture with proper consistency is essential. Mixture with proper consistency absorb less oil.

The spinach itself has enough water content and hence you have to be careful while adding water. Another important point is that you have to fry the pakodas on a low flame, so that the pakoda is cooked well and is crisp from outside. If you fry these pakodas on high flame, the outer layer cooks fast and the inner layer remains raw. It is an easy to prepare snack and goes great with tomato ketchup and any other dipping sauce.

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Bajre ki roti recipe - Pearl millet roti

Bajre ki roti recipe - Bajre ki roti is one of the popular flat breads prepared with pearl millet flour. Roti, chapati, paratha, naan, kulcha etc. are Indian staple food and is served for lunch and dinner. The hot roti goes well with subzis, chutneys, raitas, pickle and yogurt. Pearl millet or bajra has numerous health benefits. Pearl millet is excellent for diabetics.

It has high fiber and complex carbohydrates which helps in keeping full for a longer period and a lower glycaemic index. It is very nutritious and less quantity of the same releases a good amount of energy to keep us active. I often make this roti and serve hot.

There are two ways of making bajra roti. In another method, flour is knead with cold water and then small portion of it is flattened on a rolling board or kitchen platform by using your palm. This is a tedious method. The method given below is the easiest and simplest to follow and you will really enjoy to roll the rotis.

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Kashaya recipe - Herbal drink recipe

Kashaya recipe - As I have mentioned in my previous post kashaya powder recipe, Today I am posting a very popular herbal drink of Coastal Karnataka which is prepared in almost all households with their own version. People in that part prefer to give this kashaya to kids in place of tea or coffee. I personally like to drink it instead of tea and coffee. This is my favorite drink and I make it twice a day for me and consume one cup  in the morning and one in the evening . This drink is very healthy and it has no side effects. Hot kashaya which is very easy to prepare, really goes well with some crispy snacks.

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Kashaya powder recipe - Herbal drink powder recipe

Kashaya powder recipe - Kashaya powder is an aromatic powder used to make herbal drink called kashaya which is a healthy, popular and favorite drink of Coastal Karnataka. People who avoid to drink tea and coffee prefer to consume this kashaya. Some people who suffer from acidity due to excess intake of tea or coffee, replace their drink by kashaya. 

I often make kashaya powder in small quantity and make kashaya out of it. To retain the fresh fragrance of the powder intact, it is better to prepare this powder in small quantity. Roasting some ingredients doesn't take much of a time, so preparing the powder in small quantity is worth an effort. My next post will be how to make kashaya with this powder.

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Palak kadhi recipe - Spinach kadhi

Palak kadhi recipe - Kadhi is a popular signature dish of Gujarat which is usually served with khichdi, rice, and rotis. You can even have it as a soup. Gujarati traditional thali in restaurant is incomplete without kadhi. For the variation, fenugreek leaves (methi leaves) and spinach are used. I have already posted methi kadhi and Gujarati kadhi recipe. This is a healthy dish with all goodness of yogurt, besan and spinach. This is one of the easiest and simplest dishes that can be made in a jiffy. Even if you skip adding spinach if you don't have it, it will be a delicious simple kadhi that you can serve it with any Gujarati main course. While preparing kadhi, always add salt after boiling it to prevent the yogurt from breaking.

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Chana masala recipe - North Indian style chickpea curry recipe

Chana masala North Indian style recipe - Chana masala is a side dish for rotis, parathas and rice. White chickpea or kabuli chana and tomato are the main ingredients of this dish. However, you can adjust the other ingredients according to your taste. This is a simple and easy dish to prepare with instant chana masala powder. Chana masala powder is available in all Indian grocery stores. I have used MDH chana masala and it is very aromatic. Once you pressure cook the chanas, your half the work is done.

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Cabbage capsicum salad recipe

Cabbage capsicum salad recipe - This is a healthy, tasty, crunchy and very easy to prepare salad made from cabbage and capsicum. For the dressing, lemon juice, sugar and salt is used, a simple dish that anyone can make. Cabbage is known as gobi in hindi. kobi in marathi, elekosu in kannada, and capsicum or bell pepper is known as dhobli mirchi in marathi, shima mirch in hindi, donne mensinkayi in kannada and fugge mirsaang in konkani.

This salad is low in calories and high in dietary fibers which keeps you satiated for a longer period. It is a perfect dish which can be prepared in a jiffy for lunch or dinner as a side dish. This can even be eaten as a whole meal  if you are on weight loss diet. It is a delicious salad with sweet and sour taste. Prepare this salad at least once in a week and skip adding sugar if you do not like the sweet taste in it. In case you would like to have it spicy you can use green chillies according to your taste and requirement.

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Mawa kesar badam peda recipe - Khoya saffron peda recipe

Mawa kesar badam peda recipe – This is a very delicious peda prepared with mawa, saffrons, almond powder and sugar. Mawa or khawa is one such basic ingredient in all varieties of peda.  

These pedas are easy to prepare and the method of preparation is almost similar to  mango mawa peda which I have posted recently. 

While preparing this peda the mixture is slightly thickened to get a bit harder peda which I like. The texture and taste of this peda is entirely different from the mango peda. If you buy five hundred grams of mawa, you can prepare both varieties of pedas in small quantity. Serve these pedas with crispy savoury snacks.

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Plain sev recipe

Plain sev recipe - Here is  another delicious crispy snack which is made during Deepavali festival. Plain sev is often made with different versions in all over India for regular use as well as festive occasions. There are many variations of sev like potato sev, tomato sev, palak sev, plain sev etc. There are two versions of making plain sev.

In the first version, sev is made using only besan (split bengal gram flour) and in another version it is made by using rice flour in combination with besan. I have adopted the second method. Either way it tastes great. This is a simple and easy snack which requires only few ingredients which is readily available in the kitchen.

Usually, it is served with number of mouthwatering sweets like karanji, dry fruits barfi,  badam barfi, doodh peda, besan ladoo, wheat flour ladoo, rava ladoo and snacks such as khara sev, tikhat shankarpali, sweet shankarpali and chakli. While preparing the dough for plain sev, make sure that it should not be too stiff or too watery. To make a crispy sev, you need to knead the dough to thick and smooth consistency.

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Mango mawa peda recipe - Mango khawa peda recipe

Mango mawa peda recipe - Mango mawa peda is a delicious, melt in mouth and easy to prepare sweet which is available in all sweet (mithai) shops in India. It is made with only three ingredients. Mawa is also known as khawa or khoya and it is used in almost all varieties of peda and halwa. Peda is one such sweet which is distributed and relished during Diwali festival and other special occasions. 

In all varieties of peda, mawa remains the main ingredient and for variations, mango pulp, saffron, cashew nut or almond is added to get the desired flavor and taste. I know this is an off season for mangoes, so getting fresh mango pulp is a bit difficult. I have used peeled frozen alphonso mango pieces which I had stored in my refrigerator during the mango season.

I Made the pulp by using mixer and the flavor was as fresh as taaza mango. If you are making this mango mawa peda during off mango season, you can also use canned mango pulp. When you are using it, reduce the quantity of sugar as the canned pulp already contains lots of sugar. The texture of peda depends upon how much thick the mixture you make. If you would like to have bit harder peda than this soft peda, you can thicken the mixture more than I have thickened.

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Moong dal and chana dal dose - Lentil dosai recipe

Moong dal and chana dal dosa recipe - It is a very healthy, delicious, protein packed very thin pancake prepared with the batter of husked split green grams (moong dal) and split bengal grams (chana dal). Dosa, dosai or dose is one of the most popular breakfast dish of South India. Using rice and split black grams or urad dal is common in dosa. But this dosa is unique wherein rice and urad dal is not used. Making the batter for this dosa is very easy. Once you prepare the batter, spread it on hot pan, cook till golden colour  and the dosa is ready.

If you are bored with your regular pulao, even you can prepare it for your dinner. Once you prepare the batter, your half work is done. You can store it in the refrigerator for two or three days and making a few dosas with this batter is very convenient for you.

When you return from your college or office, you can make this simple dosa within few minutes. So don't think too much and remember to buy a kilogram of moong dal and half a kg. of chana dal  when you shop grocery items next time. Buy some ginger and green chillies when you buy the other vegetables.  Adjust the remaining ingredients as per your choice and try it.

Bachelors  can make it and for them even skipping the addition of ginger and green chillies also doesn't make much of a difference in taste. This dosa goes very well with chutneys like coconut chutney, ginger garlic chutney, capsicum chutney, shenga chutney powder, peanut cilantro chutney etc. If you find the preparation of chutney is difficult and boring, even you can eat this dosa with tomato ketchup.

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