Mushrooms are very handy and i pick them from the grocery when i find fresh ones.They are low in fat and packed with nutrients.Clean mushrooms well before cooking.Wash them in clear running water and gently rub the top to remove the dirt and trim the base of the stem.The most favourite dish at home is Kadai mushroom.Its perfectly seasoned and hence irresistibly tasty.
Ingredients :
Button Mushroom - 1 packet (Spilt into halves)
Onions - 2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
Capsicum - 1 (chopped into chunks)
Ginger & Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Dried Red chillies - 2 nos
Coriander seeds - 1 tsp (crushed)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Cloves - 2
Cinnamon - 1
Bay leaf- 1
Kasuri methi - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method :
1.In a pan, heat oil and add Cloves,Cinnamon,Bay leaf,Red chillies and crushed coriander seeds.
2.Add the Chopped Onions and saute till golden brown.
3.Add Ginger garlic paste and fry till brown.
4.To it add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they become mushy.
5.Add Red chilli powder,coriander powder and salt to taste.
6.Saute till oil seperates.Add mushrooms and capsicum.(Mushrooms can be sauteed in a tsp of oil earlier)
7.Cook for few minutes.
8.Garnish with kasuri methi and coriander leaves.
Alterations:
1.Paneer or Chicken can be added instead of mushroom.
2.You can add a dallop of fresh cream to make the dish more richer.
Methi leaves(Fenugreek leaves/Vendhaya keerai) has tons of health benefits.Try including methi leaves atleast once a week.Though not a fan of greens i try to include them for its nutritional content.I grow my own methi plants at home.You just need a pot,soil,methi seeds,sunshine & water..your humble greens are there...
Ingredients:
Whole Wheat flour - 2 cups
Methi leaves - 2 small bunch
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch (optional)
Cumin powder/seeds - 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Method:
1.Clean Methi leaves and chop it and wash it thoroughly.
2.Add together Wheat flour,Red chilli powder,cumin,methi leaves,1 tsp of oil and water as needed.
3.Make a soft dough and now add the remaining oil so that the dough blends well.Cover it with a wet cloth and let it sit for an hour.
4.Roll out equally sized balls and make thin slices of rotis.
5.Heat a nonstick tawa and toast the rotis.
6.Serve with fresh curd and pickle.
Alterations :
1.Methi leaves can be sauted for a minute with 1/2 tsp oil and later can be added to the flour.
2.You can also use buttermilk to knead the dough
Rava kesari is a quick fix when you need something sweet either after a complete meal or as a tea time snack.Adding pineapple to it gives a rich aroma and exotic flavour.Pineapple Kesari Bhath is one of the most famous sweet dish of Karnataka and its yummy.
Ingredients:
Rava - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 cup (Powder after measurement)
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Pineapple - 1/2 cup (chopped,pick out the juicy part)
Saffron - a pinch (soak the saffron in the 2 tsp of hot milk.)
Yellow food colour - 1/4 tsp
Ghee 1/2 cup
Cashews - 10 nos (spilt)
Raisins - 10 nos
Cardamons - 2 pods (Powder along with sugar)
A pinch of salt
Method:
1.Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a pan, add cashews & raisins and fry till golden brown. Remove and keep aside.
2.In the same pan, add 1 cup rava and fry till light brown.remove from stove.
3.In a wide non-stick pan add water and milk and bring to boil.
4.Add pineapple pieces,saffron milk,salt and cook for few mins till soft and simmer.
5.When rolling boil occurs ,add rava slowly and mix well in same direction(avoid lumps)
6.Keep Stirring and let it cook for few minutes, add powdered sugar and the remaining ghee (the consistency will loosen up).Adjust sugar to taste.
7.Turn off the stove and transfer into ghee coated bowl.
8.Garnish with cashews & raisins.
Alteration:
1.You can use 2 1/2 cups water and 2 tsp of condensed milk(optional )
2.Pineapple puree can be added instead of chopped pieces.
Rasmalai is my all time favourite sweet.Its quite easy to make and absolutely heavenly!The method seems to be quite lengthy but the end result knocks off the pain.
Ingredients:
Whole Milk – 8 cups
Water – 4 cups
Condensed milk - 3 tsp
Lemon Juice – 2 tsp
Sugar – 1 cup
Saffron – a pinch
Cardamom Powder – 1/4 tsp
Pista & Almonds (chopped)– 2 tbsp
Method:
1.Boil 4 cups of milk in a pan and add 2 tsp of lemon juice slowly when it comes to rolling boil.
2.Stir continuously till whey water seperates out.
3.When the milk curdles (paneer) remove it from the stove and strain using a fine muslin cloth and tie it up.
4.Run the muslin cloth bag under cold tap water for 2 mins so that the flavor of lemon gets washed out from the paneer.
5.Keep aside for 1/2 hr and let it drain completely.Make sure all water comes out.
6.Now you have to knead it into a smooth dough (You can also use a food processor to knead ).
7.Make 12 equally sized small balls and flatten it out gently.
8.In a pressure cooker add 4 cups of water and dissolve 1 cup sugar in it.
9.Add paneer balls into the cooker.After a whistle,switch off the stove.It would have become double its size by now.
10.After the pressure is released,remove the paneer balls and gently flatten it to remove the excess sugar syrup.
Preparing the Ras:
1.Boil remaining 4 cups milk in medium flame till it has reduced half its quantity.Later add saffron dissolved in 2 tsp of hot milk and cardamom powder.
2.Add 3 tsp of condensed milk(For thicker consistency) and sugar to taste for the rasmalai.
3.Add the cooked paneer balls slowly into the boiling malai.
4.Let it stand for another 5 mins which makes the paneer balls to absorb the milk.Remove from stove.
5.Garnish it with chopped pista,almonds.
6.Chill before serving.It taste delicious when refrigerated overnight.
