Beetroot Hummus

Beetroot  Hummus

Ingredients

Chickpeas (kabuli chana) soaked overnight, boiled 1 cup
Beetroot boiled and grated 1 tablespoon
Garlic 1 clove
Tahini 1 1/2 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons
Lemon juice 4 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Parsley 5-6 sprigs


Method

Put the chickpeas into a hand blender jar. Crush garlic clove and add. Add tahini
 and 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil and blend.

Add 3 tsps lemon juice and blend again. Add a little salt and blend.
Add grated beetroot, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil and blend
till smooth.

Finely chop parsley. Transfer the hummus into a serving bowl, drizzle remaining
olive oil, arrange parsley along the edge of the bowl. Serve

Tadka Dahi

Tadka Dahi

Ingredients

3 cup hung curd
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped tomato
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Few curry leaves
2 tsp chopped green chillies
3 tsp chopped coriander
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp whole coriander seeds crushed
1 tsp crushed black pepper corn
2 whole red chilli, a pinch
Kasoori methi powder
Salt to taste

Method

Hang curd in a muslin cloth or in a fine strainer to drain water from it, for at least 4 hours.

For Masala Gravy

Prepare masala gravy separately. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and temper.
Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala, kasoori methi powder and cook for a minute.
Add chopped onion, tomato, green chilli, chopped ginger, chopped coriander and crushed whole spices.
Saute till masala gets dry and thick.
Add hung curd and mix well.
Garnish with chopped curry leaves, fresh coriander and fried whole red chillies.
Serve luke warm with rice or roti.

Green Papaya Salad

Green Papaya Salad

Ingredients

Raw papaya grated 2 cups
Bird’s eye chillies 2
Roasted peanuts 2 tbsps + for garnishing
Cherry tomatoes 10-12
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Sugar 1 teaspoon
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Bean sprouts 1 cup

Method

Crush the chillies in a mortar and pestle. Add 2 tbsps peanuts and pound further. Halve 6-8 cherry tomatoes, add to the mixture and pound to make a coarse mixture.
Transfer the mixture into a bowl. Add soya sauce, sugar, lemon juice, salt and mix well.
Add papaya, bean sprouts and mix well. Transfer into a serving bowl.
Halve the remaining cherry tomatoes. Garnish salad with the tomatoes and a few peanuts and serve.

Schezwan Sauce

Schezwan  Sauce

Ingredients

8- 10 cloves garlic paste
1 inch ginger paste
A pinch of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried kashmiri red chilli paste
1 tsp red chilli sauce (store bought)
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp red orange color
2 tsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok or pan.
2. Add cumin seeds, ginger and garlic paste, saute for a minute.
3. Add red chilli paste and salt. Stir continuously.
4. Add red chilli sauce and sugar.
5. Cook on high flame for 2 minutes.
6. Keep stirring until spices gets cooked properly.
7. Add water to make a thick sauce consistency. Mix thoroughly.
8. Add vinegar and food color, cook for one more minute.
9. Transfer to an air tight container and use whenever required.

Tips-

1. While making Schezwan sauce, check the consistency and seasoning and add the water accordingly.
2. You can store schezwan sauce for one week in the refrigerator and use whenever required for making other Indo Chinese recipes, such as Veg Schezwan Fried Rice , Crispy Paneer in Schezwan Sauce , Stir Fried Vegetables in Schezwan Sauce , etc.
3. For making red chilli paste, you just need to soak the whole red chillies in to the water for 15-20 minutes, remove stems and grind into a smooth paste. Use little amount of water to make a fine paste.
4. Whole dried kashmiri red chilli paste also can be preserved for a week in the refrigerator.

Dhaniya Pudina Chutney

 Dhaniya Pudina Chutney

Ingredients

1 cup of chopped coriander leaves
1 cup chopped mint leaves
½ cup curry leaves
1/4 cup peanuts or almonds
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 green chillies
1 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt to taste

Method

To make the Green Coriander and Mint Chutney recipe, combine all the ingredients and grind to a smooth paste in a blender, adding very little water.
The addition of lemon juice enhances the flavours of mint and coriander and prevents discolouration of the greens.
Transfer the Dhania Pudina Chutney | Green Coriander and Mint Chutney to a bowl and use it as a spread along with bread to make a sandwich or along with a Parathas and or tea time snacks like Samosas, Dhoklas, Vada Pavs and Bhel .
Refrigerate the Green Coriander and Mint Chutney to store for a couple of days.

Khajur Imli Chutney

Khajur Imli Chutney

Ingredients

2 cups dates (khajur), deseeded
1/4 cup tamarind (imli), deseeded
1 cup grated jaggery (gur)
1 tsp chilli powder
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
salt to taste

Method

1. Wash the dates and tamarind and place them in a saucepan.
2. Add the jaggery, chilli powder, asafoetida,
salt and 4 cups of water and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Cool and strain the mixture through a sieve.
4. Use as required. Store refrigerated.

Tips

1. You can also purée the chutney in a food processor and then strain it.

Hummus

Hummus

  Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz can of chickpeas or garbanzo beans
• 1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
• 3-5 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on taste)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Drain chickpeas and set aside liquid from can. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and smooth. Place in serving bowl, and create a shallow well in the center of the hummus.
Add a small amount (1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil in the well. Garnish with parsley (optional).

Serve immediately with fresh, warm or toasted pita bread, or cover and refrigerate.

Variations

For a spicier hummus, add a sliced red chile or a dash of cayenne pepper.

Gol-Kaanda Keri

Gol-Kaanda Keri / Tangy raw mango,onion, jaggery mix.

Ingredients

1 large raw mango

1 large onion chopped/grated

1/2 cup/bowl grated or crushed jaggery/gur

1/2 spoon red chilli pd

salt as per taste

tadka of mustard (opt)

Method:

Grate a medium-sized raw mango and a large onion. The onions I used were too small, so I chopped them. You can either chop or grate onions, but the original recipe calls for grating. Take about 2-3 large cubes of jaggery and using a knife, flake it in the bowl you will prepare the chutney.Add grated mango, onion, salt to taste and a generous amount of red-chilli powder. This mix tends to water a lot and in less than five minutes, you will be able to mix all the ingredients well in the small glass  bowl. Do not go less on the jaggery, sweet and sour tastes must be in perfect balance, if not more on the sweetish side. This is meant for taste as well as climate, but I think it is very interesting due to its mix of ingredients. Give it a try sometime.

**Note;

The ingredients are a combination believed to safeguard from sunstroke and dehydration.HAPPY COOKING.

PESTO SAUCE.

PESTO SAUCE.

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1 dash salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated

　METHOD :-

Start by adding basil, garlic, salt, and pine nuts to the mixer and grinding them to a paste. Add in the cheese. Finally whisk in the olive  oil until you have the desired consistency.

MANGO SALSA

MANGO SALSA

Ingredients:

 1 large ripe yet firm mango
 1 medium red , green, yellow bell pepper, diced into small pieces
 1/2 tomato, diced into small pieces,
 1 small red onion, diced finely, about 1/4 cup
 1 -2 tbsp lemon/lime juice ( +/- depending on your taste )
 Salt to taste little sugar to sprinkle if your mangoes are not sweet enough
 Few sprigs of cilantro, chopped few mint leaves (optional)

Method 
Chop all and mix in bowl . Serve chilled.
Garnish with few sprigs of cilantro and chopped few mint leaves.

Tri Color Raita

Tri Color Raita

Ingredients

Thick yogurt chilled 1 1/2 cups
Carrot 1 medium
Potato boiled and peeled 1 medium
Cucumber peeled 1 small
Spring onion bulbs 1
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder a pinch
Black pepper powder 2 pinches
Spinach leaves (palak) blanched and chopped
1 medium bunch
Milk chilled 1/4 cup

Method
Roughly cut carrot, put into a chopper and chop. Cut potato into small
cubes. Cut cucumber into small cubes. Chop spring onion bulb. Reserve a
little carrot, potato and spinach for garnishing.
Mix spring onion and potato in a bowl. Put carrot in a 2nd bowl and
cucumber in a 3rd bowl. Add salt to all three bowls. Add red chilli powder
to carrot, pepper powder to cucumber and potato. Add palak to cucumber
and mix.
Whisk yogurt, add milk and whisk till smooth. Put equal amount of yogurt
into the three bowls and mix well. Put all three in individual shot glasses.
Garnish carrot raita with reserved carrot, potato raita with reservd
potato and palak raita with reserved palak.
Chill and serve.