Rajma

I love rajma ( kidney beans ) .I opt for the dark red ones called sharmilee The buff colored ones with spots are also available.

Ingredients : 1 / 2 cup rajma beans -soaked overnight,2  small  onions, 2 small  tomatoes, 1 small carrot Grated),1' inch ginger ( grated ),2/3 - hari mirchi, 1/2 tsp jeera, 1-2 bay leaves,  1 tbsp oil, salt to taste.

Method : Pressure cook the soaked rajma by adding  a little salt to the rajma.Let it cook for two whistles,then lower the heat & let it cook for 18-20 minutes. Now,put off the gas.

Chop onions., Puree them in mixer.Pureeing is optional.I puree them as I want my teen to eat some gravy as well.My chopping of onions is not fine & my teen simply skips eating onions. Finely chop green chillies & grate ginger. The chilli-ginger mix can be pureeed as well .Chop tomatoes & carrot.Puree tomato carrot mix as well.Keep aside all mixes seperately in 3 bowls.

Take a kadhai & add oil.Heat the kadhai.Add cumin seeds. When they splutter add chopped onions. Fry them till smell of raw onions  goes away. add bay leaves. Next add green chilli ginger mix. to kadhai.Mix nicely with onions& bay leaves.After 4-5  minutes, add tomato carrot purree to kadhai. Mix nicely.After 5 minutes , add little salt so that chopped tomatoes will get cooked more.Remember that salt has been added to rajma while being pressure cooked.So add little salt to cook tomatoes more.Mix nicely.

Add cooked rajma. Mix nicely.Simmer on gas for 10-15 minutes  Garnish rajma with fresh finely chopped coriander.

Tips :
I pressure cook for rajma with onion tomato carrot gravy up to 2 whistles  as I have top cook rice in pressure cooker & so I can cook the cooked rajma beans with veggie gravy along with rice.

Those of you who are off onions simply skip adding onions as I skip adding garlic. 

Needless to add that I have learnt to cook great rajma from Sangeeta Khanna's blog 

Raita dosa / uttappa

This is again an attempt at making use of leftover dosa atta.I had this dosa atta ( 10 days old ).I added last night's leftover raita ( cucumber,onions,tomatoes,green mirchi &  salt in curd) to the atta. I then made uttappas out of this batter

Ingredients : Left over dosa atta,1 bowl of raita ( leftover or fresh - 1 cucumber ,1 onion,1 tomatao ,1 hari mirch finely chopped -add 2tbsp curd & salt to taste),add 1/2 inch grated ginger ,add chopped curry leaves.2tbsp oil.

Method: Mix the dosa atta,raita,grated ginger & curry leaves nicely in a big bowl.Take a non stick tawa & heat it.Now spread  1 tbsp of the dosa batter on the tawa being heated.It won't spread easily as a sada dosa as it has veggies.It will be more like uttapa -thicker than dosa.Cover the dosa with a lid.After 1-2 minutes,remove lid apply  a little oil on uncooked side & reverse the dosa on tawa.After a minute or two ,take out dosa from tawa .Now you are ready to eat it with dry chutney powder & seasame ( til oil) or coconut chutney.Repeat same method for more uttappas.

Doodhi raita

This is a dish often served by my mom.It has delighted many guests.

Ingredients : 1 doodhi,1 katori dahi,1 hari mirchi,1 sukhi lal mirch, a sprig of curry leaves, 1 tsp oil,1/4 tsp mustard,1/4 tsp jeera,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.

Method : Peel the doodhi & remove the seeds.Cut it into 1/2 inch pieces & pressure cook the diced pieces .After the pieces have cooled,take 1/4 of the same & put it in a blender or mixie .Add dahi,one hari mirchi,curry leaves,hing & salt.Blend all into a puree.Pour over the 3/4 remaining pieces of diced doodhi.
Prepare the seasoning by taking the oil & spluttering mustard & jeera & lal mirch in the oil.Pour over the raita.

Hara dhania can be used as a garnish or added while blending in the dahi.

Mixed veggie raagi uttapa

This is again a recipe to make use of leftover batter -idli batter.

Ingredients : Left over idli batter-1 cup,raagi flour 1 cup,1/4 tsp hing,1/2 inch piece adrak ( grated),1 medium carrot ( grated),1 medium onion ( finely cut),curry leaves & coriander -finely cut & salt to taste.A small bowl of oil to apply on the uttapas whilst being cooked.If you like it spicy,also add finely cut green chillies to the batter.

Method : Mix all the veggies in the idli batter along with the raagi flour & hing.Add enough batter so that it has the consistency thicker than dosa batter.Keep it for 2-3 hours so that the raagi flour gets soaked.Now add salt-remember that idli batter already had salt.

Take a non stick tawa  & heat it on the gas. Spread a little of this batter from a ladle on the tawa.Don't try to spread it -it may break.Cover the tawa  with a lid & let it cook for a minute.Take out the lid .Spread a little oil on the uncooked side & turn it over.Again cover with lid.After a minute -take out the lid.If the uttapa is fully cooked,it will have a  milky coffee color.Take it off  from the tawa.Serve the uttapa with coconut chutni or chutni podi .

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.

Sweet Potato snack

This is also known as ratalu khees in Marathi.It can be eaten during upvaas.Sweet potato has lot of fibre -hence it is very healthy.

Ingredients :3 medium sized sweet potatoes,one medium bowl  roasted peanut powder, 1 tsp jeera,1 green chilli,curry leaves,1/2 inch piece of adrak,some sprigs of coriander for garnishing, 1/4 tsp hing,one tbsp oil & salt to taste.

Method :Wash the sweet potatoes to remove the dirt.Then peel off the skin.Now grate it.Take oil in kadhai.Put jeera & hing.After jeera have spluttered,add the grated sweet potato,the green chilli,curry leaves & grated adrak .Close the kadhai with a lid.After a minute,add the roasted peanut powder to the kadhai & mix all. Close the kadhai -the snack is ready.Just add the salt & agin mix all.Close the kadhai.Put off the gas.

Garnish with coriander & squeeze a lemon  if you want a tangy taste.

Tip: Sweet potato gets cooked very fast-so you have to be very careful.Otherwise,it may get struck to the kadhai.

Kadhai Gobhi

I had sent in this recipe to HT cafe & it was in the weekly column "Ghar Ka Khana" on 16th April,2009.

Ingredients:250gm cauliflower cut into medium sized florets,2 carrots diced,6 beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces,1 small bowl of peas,1 large capsicum diced,1 medium sized tomato diced,1/2 inch ginger grated,1 large green chilli cut into 1/2 inch pieces,1 tbsp dhania powder,1 /2 tsp pepper powder,1 tbsp oil for cooking,1/2 tsp turmeric,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.
Method : Heat oil in the kadhai & add grated ginger & green chilli pieces.Then add cauliflower florets,carrots,beans & peas.Add turmeric & hing.Keep a plate filled with water on the kadhai whilst the veggies are getting cooked.Add a little water to the veggies in the kadhai to cook the veggies after 5-10 minutes of cooking.Once the veggies are tender,add capsicum.After 2-3 minutes add tomatoes followed by dhania powder,pepper& salt.After 5 minutes ,put off the gas.Garnish with coriander.

This is a sabzi wherein you can add aloos  & pyaaz also if you wish.