Masala peanuts.

I attended microwave cooking demo class this week.The chef taught masala peanuts .It was simply amazing as this recipes makes no use of oil.And as far as I know ,this is deep fried snack.I knew that I had to try this.

I tweaked the recipe as the chef had used water .I used chaas,The chef had omitted use of ajwain or carom seeds.I added that as well.

Ingredients : 1 cup peanuts, 1/4 cup besan ,1/4 cup chaas ( not very thin ) ,1/4 tsp ajwain ,1/2 tsp red chilli powder,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.

Method : Mix all ingredients nicely.If you feel the mix is too dry,add some more chaas or drop by drop water.Mix.

Take a microwaveable vessel.Put the mix in that.Turn on the microwave at full power.Put timer for 5 minutes.Keep the microwaveable vessel with mix in microwave.Turn on microwave.After 1 minute,press pause button.Take out the vessel & with aspoon try to seperate out all peanuts from each other.They would be sticking in bunches.Again keep in microwave for 1 minute.Puase.Take out & try to separate out bunches.Repeat this till 5 minutes get over .By the end of this ,the vessel will be in & out 5 times.Put off microwave.Take out the vessel.Let it cool for 5 minutes.Take a peanut & taste.It will be crisp & crunchy.If it i soft ,keep vessel in microwave on full power for 1 more minute.Put off microwave.

The snack was just apt for my consumption .My mom who eats less salt now said it was a tad bit salty.My friend said that more red chilli & ajwain could have been added.Accordingly ,more chilli powder n ajwain can be added.Same for salt.

Sprouted masoor curry

I came across this interesting masoor recipe @ http://sindhirasoi.com/2008/08/25/masoor-daal/I made some changes.I soaked whole masoor overnight.Next day ,I threw the water.I covered the masoor with a plate & let it sprout.The next day.,Masoor had sprouted roots.

Ingredients : 1/4 cup sprouted masoor, 1/4 tsp ajwain, 1/4 inch ginger,1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 green chilli, 1 sprig of curry leaves, 1 tsp garam masala powder,1tbsp oil,1/2 tsp haldi ,1/4 tsp hing, salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook sprouted masoor.Keep aside.

Chop tomato ,onion ,green chillies & ginger.Add curry leaves.Grind all the veggies -tomato ,onion,green chilly,ginger & curry leaves into  a paste in the mixer.

Take a kadhai.Add oil.Warm the oil.Add garam masala .Now add the ground paste of tomato onion,curry leaves,green chilyginger to the kadhai.Mix nicely.Now add haldi,hing & slat.Add the cooked sprouted masoor to the kadhai .Add ajwain & salt .Mix.Put off the gas.

Now take another vessel & pour this mixture in it.Pressure cook for two whistles.After the cooker has cooled,the masoor can be relished.

Healthy bread pakoras.

My kid is always yearning for pakoras.. Potato & bread pakoras are her favourites .I am petrified of frying & so I avoid making pakoras.I came across this shallow frying of bread pakoras at Priya's versatile recipes.I tried it & my kid just loved it.I made some changes.

Ingredients :1 cup besan,1/2 cup dahi,4 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp red chilli powder,1/2 tsp ajwain,1/4 tsp hing,1/4 tsp haldi,salt to taste,a pinch of baking soda,1 tbsp rava or sooji, 1tsp flaxseed powder ( optional ) , 4 bread slices,water to make batter consistency appropriate.

Method : I used brown bread slices.Even white bread can be used.Cut each bread slice diagonally into 4.Keep aside all  cut bread slices.

Take besan .Add sooji, flaxseed powder , red chilli powder,ajwain ,haldi,hing ,salt & mix .Now add dahi to make batter.If batter is not drop down consistency,more water or dahi can be added.Mix batter nicely till no lumps remain.

Take a shallow tawa or non stick tawa & put oil on it.Spread the oil on the tawa so that the whole surface of tawa gets coated with oil.Heat the tawa with oil in it.As the oil gets heated up ,dip bread slices in the besan mix & put them on the tawa.Fry the slice on one side.Turn it upside down after some time & fry the reverse side.Take it off from the tawa.Repeat with other bread slices.

Serve with tomato ketchup  or any chutni.

Palak paratha

I make palak parathas so that my kid will eat palak in paratha form.

Palak is an excellent source of iron . Spinach or palak is also rich in manganese, magnesium, & vitamins like A, C, K & folic acid.

Ingredients: Half a bunch of palak leaves,1 cup  atta,1 tbsp besan, 3-4 tbsp oil,1 tsp lal mirch powder,1/2 tsp haldi,1/2 tsp powdered hing,1 tsp ajwain,1 tsp til( seasame seeds), 1/2 cup chaas  & salt to taste.

Method :Wash palak leaves thoroughly by soaking them in a large bowl of water for 10-15 minutes .Next drain the dirty water after removing the palak leaves on to a sieve. Pressure cook the plak leaves for 1 whistle. Let the cooker cool. Take out the cooked palak leaves & make a puree in the mixer .

Take atta , add all the lal mirchi powder,haldi, besan,ajwain,til,hing & mix .

Add the palak puree to  the atta spice mixture .Add little water or dahi or chaas if palak puree is insufficient to mke soft dough. Chaas or dahi is to give a tangy taste.

Now make lemon sized bowls of this mixed dough & roll into chapatis.Heat a tawa & put the chapati on that.Apply oil on the uncooked side.After the chapati changes color, turn it over & again apply oil on the side which is cooked.After the chapati becomes yellowish brown ,take it off from the tawa.

Repeat with other lemon sized balls & make remaining parathas.

Ajwain is to control flatulence & til provides calcium as also iron  . Besan to add protein content & make the parathas tastier ! Palak parathas can be served with dahi & achar.

This is another recipe for #livoenironchef entry for the Iron Chef contest on IndiBlogger.