Thursday, February 28, 2008

Potato Curry, Aloo Bonda and Masala Dosa

Potato Curry, Aloo Bonda and Masala Dosa

Potato curry is used for aloo bonda as well as making masala dosa.

1. How to make potato curry

Ingredients Per serving

Main Ingredient

Potatoes - 2 big ones or 3 small

Grated coconut (optional) 2 tsp

Curry Powder - 1 tsp

Cooking oil - 1 tbs

"Tadka" - Special Garnishing

(It is possible to do the garnishing only with mustard seeds. All the other ingredients add flavour and nutrition but it is possible to do without them.)

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

chickpea dal - 1/2 tsp

White lentil dal - 1/2 tsp

red chilly - 1

Green chilly - 1

Curry leaves - 3

Coriander leaves - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - one pinch

There are two ways of making potato curry.

1. You can peel and cut the potatoes in thin slices and make the curry.

2. You can cook the whole potatoes in pressure cooker or micro oven and then make the curry.

1. Potatoes chopped

- Take a deep frying pan, place it on the stove over medium heat.

- Add a tbs of cooking oil.

- When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds.

- When the mustard seeds start popping, add the chick pea and white lentil dal as well as the red and green chillies.

- Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves.

- Add the chopped potatoes and mix well.

- Keep stirring the potato and cook it over medium heat.

(Alternatively you can do part of this process in the micro oven. After the mustard seeds pop up, you add the chopped potatoes, mix well and then keep it in micro oven for 10 minutes.)

- Add a tsp of curry powder. (you get this curry powder free with instant dosa mix)

You can also add garam masala powder if you do not have the curry powder.

- Add salt to taste.

- Add grated coconut (optional)

- Cook until the potato is soft and well cooked. You can stick a fork into it and check if it has turned soft. The fork will pass through easily when potato is well cooked.

Transfer the potato curry to a serving bowl. Decorate with coriander leaves and curry leaves.

2. Potatoes cooked whole

Cook the potatoes whole along with the skin in a pressure cooker or micro oven.

If you are cooking it in a pressure cooker you may need to wait for three or four whistles.

If you are cooking in micro oven you need to keep it at high for 10 minutes.

Peel the skin of the potatoes. If you are peeling the potato when the potatoes are hot, you may need to use cold water to cool the potatoes.

- Take a deep frying pan, place it on the stove over medium heat.

- Add a tbs of cooking oil.

- When the oil is warm add the mustard seeds.

- When the mustard seeds start popping, add the chick pea and white lentil dal as well as the red and green chillies.

- Add the curry leaves and coriander leaves.

- Add the chopped potatoes and mix well.

- Add a tsp of curry powder and salt to taste.

You can add more or less curry powder depending on how spicy you want the potato curry to be.

Cook for a minute, constantly stirring till the curry powder and the potato get mixed well.

Transfer to a serving bowl and decorate with coriander and curry leaves.

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Aloo Bonda

Potato is called Aloo in Hindi.

Ingredients to make Aloo Bonda

Potato curry - 1 cup

Chickpea flour - 2cups

Water - 1/2 cup

Cooking oil - 1/2 ltr (for frying the aloo bonda

curry powder - 1/2 tsp

lemon juice - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

- Roll potato curry in small balls (a small lemon size)

- Take the chickpea flour in a bowl, add curry powder and salt

(curry powder is free with instant dosa mix)

Alternatively you can add garam masala or chillie powder.

- Add water little by little and mix the chickpea into a smooth paste.

- Add a pinch of cooking soda (optional)

- Add the lemon juice and mix well (optional)

- Warm the cooking oil over medium heat in a deep frying pan.

- Take a potato ball, dip it in chickpea paste and roll it so as to cover it completely with chickpea paste.

- Gently drop the potato balls, dipped in chickpea paste, one by one, into the warm oil.

- Deep fry the potato balls in warm oil. At a time you can fry five or six balls together.

- Roll the balls in oil so that all sides are evenly friend.

- When well fried the bondas will turn golden brown.

You can eat the aloo bondas with tomato sauce or mustard paste.

You can also eat the bondas with coconut chutney (free with instant dosa mix)

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Masala Dosa

Ingredients

Instant Dosa Mix 1 cup

Water 2 cups

Potato curry - 2 tbs

Cooking oil - 2 tsp

Take the dosa mix in a small bowl, add water little by little.

Mix well to get dosa batter without knots.

The batter should be thin enough to easily spread.

Place a flat pan over medium heat.

Smear the pan with a little oil. (You can roll a tissue paper into a tiny ball, dip it in oil and smear the pan)

Take a ladle full of dosa batter and spread it in a circular shape on the flat pan.

Add a tsp of cooking oil around the corners of the dosa.

Cook for a minute.

Take a spatula, pass it around the corner of the dosa.

Slightly lift a corner and check if it has turned golden brown.

Spread potato curry on one half of the dosa.

Fold the other half to cover the potato curry.

Flip the dosa.

Add a tsp of oil and cook for a minute.

Now masala dosa is ready to eat.

You can eat it with chutney, dal or any other side dish such as Tomato sauce or mustard paste.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Healthy Yogurt soup

Yogurt soup by Diba

My friend Diba has sent me this healthy recipe. Yogurt is something South Indians use in idli and Gujaratis use in Srikand.

Idli and Dosa are South Indian dishes but very popular in all parts of India as well as in many parts of the world.

Diba's healthy Yogurt soup requires the following ingredients:

ingredients:

- 2 cups plain yogurt

- 1/2 cup flour

- 8 cups water

- 1 cup cooked chickpeas

- 1/2 cup cooked rice

- 2 cups chopped coriander

- salt ,black pepper

- one minced garlic clove

Have you got all the ingredients ready?

Now we can start making healthy Yogurt soup and think of Diba when we relish it.

Mix yogurt and flour well, add water and salt , bring to the boil.

Boil for 10 minutes stirring frequently.

Take the peas and rice, add one cup of water.

Blend coarsely peas, rice and water in a blender.

Add to yogurt soup and boil for 5 more minutes.

Remember to keep stirring :)

Add garlic and coriander. Boil for 5 minutes.

Add pepper and salt.

yogurt-soup2.JPGDiba says, "You can add any spice you like to this plain soup. But take care coriander must not be overcooked or it will lose the flavor".

Well that reminds me...

You can add curry powder that comes with Instant Dosa Mix to this soup. That will add an exotic taste to Diba's healthy Yogurt Soup.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Diba's Healthy Tomato Soup

Here is another great recipe from Diba, my friend :)

Tomato Soup

You Need:

- 5OO gm Tomato, coarsely chopped

- 250 gm Onion,

- 1 clove of garlic

- 3 tb spoons of Olive Oil

- Salt to taste

- Black Pepper

- crushed dry Marjoram

- 8 cups of water

This is how you make it

Take three tb spoons of oil in a large pan and warm it over medium heat.

Add chopped onion and tomato and stir well.

Add water and bring it to a boil.

Simmer for half an hour.

Blend in a blender.

Strain from a colander.

Bring it to boil again.

Add salt to taste.

Boil for a few more minutes.

Add freshly ground black pepper and dry Marjoram.

Serve with Crutons.

Make this today and share with Diba and me your experience :)

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Diba's Healthy Cheese Whey Recipes

This healthy recipe is sent by my friend Diba.

You can make cheese at home and use the whey water for another recipe. Whey is very healthy.

How to make cheese?

To make unprocessed cheese at home you need milk and rennet.

[Vegetarians add a tea spoon of lemon juice to boiling milk to make cheese.]

Diba says:

I warm the milk to 38-40 c , mix rennet with a little water , mix with milk, stir for a minute and then remove from heat.

When set and cool, I transfer the milk to the fridge, let stay for 12 hours and then strain in a cheesecloth.

I get around 1 1/2 litre whey.

I add salt after straining. You can add caraway, if u like.

[Rennet is the additive which sets the cheese , curdles milk. You can also add 1/4 cup yoghurt and keep on fire for 1 miute and stir , but rennet is better.]

I always make cheese at home and use the whey water in cakes, breads.

How do you use Whey to make bread?

Diba made paneer (cheese) for her guests and used the whey to make her bread.

Take 1 litre of Whey.

Add 1 tb spoon of salt.

Add 1 tb spoon of yeast.

Stir well.

Add 2 cups of bran.

Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour.

Leave it for 3 hours, let it rise.

Grease 30 x 40cm x 3cm pan.

Spread the wheat flour mixture with a spoon.

Let it rise for 15 mts.

Bake at 180 C in the oven.

You will see it turn wonderfully light :)

You can also add dried aromatic herbs.

Diba says, "This bread is mixed with spoon only, no knead, that's why i invented it !!!"

Try this and let me know if you have any questions. I will get you the answers from Diba.

Thanks Diba for the great recipe!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Instant Dosa Recipes

There are a number of types of Instant Dosa Mix and you can cook a variety of healthy Instant Dosa Recipes.

For example, here are a few of the Instant Dosa Powders:

1. Plain Dosa Mix

2. Masala Dosa - Plain Dosa Mix can be used for this too

3. Adai Dosa - Lentil Dosa

4. Wheat Dosa

5. Rava Dosa

If you take any one of these a variety of Instant Dosa Recipes can be prepared.

Let us take Adai Mix. This mix has rice and all the pulses in different proportions to make a nice blend and help us prepare delicious "adai".

Take one cup of Adai Mix and add two cups of water - your batter is ready. Everything else including salt and spices are added to the mix.

Now using this Instant Adai Dosa Mix you can prepare...

1. Plain Adai

Just take a ladle full of adai batter, make a circular shape on a flat pan, cook over medium heat, add two tea spoons of cooking oil, flip and cook for haf a minute - and you are done!

2. Onion Adai

Take a ladle full of adai batter, make a circular shape on a flat pan, cook over medium heat, add two tea spoons of cooking oil, sprinkle finely chopped onion on the adai, flip and cook for a minute - and you are done! The onion will get roasted and the adai will get cooked - and the smell will make you hungry :)

3. Carrot Adai

Make adai in the same way as before. This time sprinkle grated carrot before flipping the dosa. This is a healthy nutritious food and good for children and old people too.

4. Cheese Adai

Grate cheese over the adai cooking over medium heat. Fold the dosa before flipping.

5. Green Adai

Take green vegetables such as peas, spinach, curry leaves, coriander, etc. Add them to the adai mix along with the water. Mix well, take a ladle full and make adai as before.

6. Mixed Vegetable Adai

You can add finely chopped pieces of your favorite vegetables to the adai mix along with water and make the adai.

Alternatively you can cook these vegetables with the curry powder and then prepare a sandwich by keeping it between two adais.

Using your imagination and creativity you can churn out a variety of dishes using the plain dosa mix or the adai mix. By adding vegetables we improve the nutritious value of the dish and it becomes a complete meal.

The curry powder adds an exotic taste to the vegetables. The chutney powder is a very tasty side dish that goes with the dosa perfectly.

Try out these instant dosa recipes and send me your questions, clarifications or feedback.

And don't forget we have a variety of instant mixes for Indian Recipes.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Ragi Health Drink - Finger Millet Recipes

Ragi or finger millet is known for its nutritious qualities.

Ragi Dosa tastes different from Masala Dosa or Plain Dosa made with rice and dal.

A variety of tasty dishes are made out of Ragi. ragi recipes or finger millet recipes are supposed to be good for diabetic patients.

You can check out a special Ragi Health Drink on this site.

Radha Deep's Ragi Recipe


Ingredients:


Two cups of ragi; 2 cups of wheat; one cup of sprouted green gram (moong dal in India); two tablespoons of almond; 2 tablespoon of fried gram, one tablespoon of peanuts, a pinch of saffron; 5 cardamoms


Method:


Roast all ingredients, except fried gram, cardamom and saffron. (Roast peanuts separately and remove the outer skin.) Add these two to the roasted mix and grind to a fine flour. Add one tablespoon of the malt thus obtained to 1 cup of warm milk. Add sugar/ sugar substitute or honey as sweetener, for a delicious and healthy beverage.


Cardamom and saffron are storehouses of nutrition containing ample proteins. Minerals like calcium and iron, and Vitamin C. Saffron also contains vitamin A. Besides, the carbohydrates, minerals and fiber of the various grains are counterbalanced by the proteins provided by the green gram lentil and the almonds. Adding fruits and milk to the malt provides essential vitamins and antioxidants. All in all, a fully balanced meal that is delicious and easy to prepare.









The ragi malt thus prepared is also called huri hittu in Kannada. (Huri-roast, hittu – floor) here are a few one-minute recipes for huri hittu.





  • Add milk, honey and fruits to two tablespoons of huri hittu, to get custard like consistency. It makes a great snack, high on nutrition

  • Add a tablespoon of huri hittu to a cup of milk for a great health drink. Honey or sugar is optional.

  • Prepare jaggery syrup and add the huri hittu to it with a spoon of ghee (clarified butter) and knead to make small balls. Ideal for a between meal snack for children.