Jal Jeera

I have been posting a lot of drinks since...you know its summer...and you need to drink a lot... :)

Total Time: 20 - 30 min
Serves: 3-4

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Ingredients: 1 raw mango 1/2 tsp black salt 1/2 tsp roasted jeera / cumin powder 8 - 10 Pudina / Mint leaves 1 tsp Lavan-Bhasker Churan 2 glass water, adjust according to consistency

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Method:

1. Boil mango, peel, remove pulp and strain.
2. Mix all the above ingredients, chill and serve.

Pake aam Ka Panna - Ripe Mango Drink

Summer is the season for mangoes. There are so many ways you can eat it - peel it and eat, make a shake, ice-cream, panna etc. Panna is what I have here for you today - last week I posted making panna using raw mango, today its using ripe mango. Both have a different taste and are very easy to make.

Total Time: 15-20 min
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients: 1 ripe mango 1 tblsp sugar 1 cup milk

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Method:

1. Remove pulp of mango and churn in a mixer. Strain it if the mango you are using has a lot of strands.
2. Mix all the ingredients. Cool and serve. Add more milk if you want to thin. You can also adjust sugar according to taste

Kacche Aam Ka Panna

Summer's here and its the season of mangoes. It is also the season of heat. This panna has a cooling effect on the body. So you can avoid getting a sunstroke by drinking this everyday. My mom used to make it almost everyday during summers.

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Total Time: 20-25 min
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients: 1 Kachha (raw) mango 1 tblsp sugar 1 tsp roasted cumin powder 1/4 tsp black salk / rock salt 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp dhaniya powder / cilantro powder 1/4 tsp red chilli powder 1 1/2 cup water

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Method:

1. Boil mango, remove the outer peel and strain it so that you don't have any strands in there. Some people like me don't like strands. :)
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Decorate with a pudina / mint leaf before serving. It tastes good when chilled.

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Icecream

Summer's here!!! Its that time of the year when you are always looking in the freezer to check if there are any sweet treats in that upper compartment there. Well!! Stock up with icecream.

You get a variety of flavors in the store but home-made ice-cream has its own yummy taste. The recipe given here is by my mom whose icecream has been appreciated by all in India. All guests want to know "Which brand is this?" and my mom says "Home-made". "WOW" is what you hear.

This method uses a icecream basic to which you can add whatever flavor you want.

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Ingredients: 1/2 lt whole milk(a little more than 2 cups) 4 tsp GMS powder (Glycerol Mono Sterate - softener) 1/4 tsp CMC powder (carboxymethyl cellulose - prevents ice crystal formation) 2 tblsp milk powder 6 tblsp sugar

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Method:

1. Mix all the above till completely blended.
2. Bring to a boil in a pan. Keep stirring. Boil for 2-3 min and remove.
3. Stir continuously till it cools.
4. Freeze till it gets harder.
5. Remove from freezer and add one of the following to get the flavor you want. Mix well with a hand mixer. It will get softer as you mix. Refreeze and serve.

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• Chocolate - When making basic icecream, add 1 tblsp Chocolate powder, 2 tsp Cocoa powder or 35 gms Chocolate.
• Vanilla - Add 100gm cream and 2 tsp Vanilla essence to the freezed basic icecream.
• Pineapple - Add 1 tsp choppped pineapple pieces and 1 tsp Pineapple essence to the freezed basic icecream.
• Orange - Add 100gm cream, 1 tsp Orange essence and 1 tsp Orange food color to the freezed basic icecream.
• Butter Scotch - Add 100gm cream, 1/2 tsp Butter Scotch essence and 1 tsp yellow color to the freezed basic icecream.
• Strawberry - Add 100gm cream, 3 tblsp crushed strawberry and 1/2 tsp Strawberry color to the freezed basic icecream. You can substiture strawberry with strawberry essence.
• Mango - Make mango pulp by heating 1 cup chopped mango pieces and 1 tblsp sugar in a pan. When all water evaporates, cool and puree. Add 100gm cream, prepared mango pulp, 1/2 tsp Mango essence and 1 tsp yellow color to the freezed basic icecream.
• Roasted Almonds - Add 100gm cream, 2 tblsp Almond paste and 1 tsp yellow color to the freezed basic icecream. Add 50 gm finely chopped almonds in the final churn.
• Kesar Pista - Add 100gm cream, 7-8 Saffron strands and 1 tsp yellow color to the freezed basic icecream. Add 50 gms chopped pistachios in the final churn.
• Anjeer / Fig - Soak 10-12 Anjeer in water for 7-8 hours and then mix in mixie. Add 100gm cream and Anjeer paste to the freezed basic icecream.
• Black Currant - Add 100gm cream, 1/2 tsp Black Currant or Mixed fruit essence and 1 tsp purple color to the freezed basic icecream. Add black kismis and finely chopped black grapes in the final churn.
• Cheeku / Sapodilla - Make Cheeku pulp by boiling 1 cup chopped cheeku with 1 tblsp sugar till all water evaporates. Mix in mixie. Add Cheeku pulp, 100gm cream and 1/2 tsp Mixed fruit essence to the freezed basic icecream. You can use other fruits in the same manner.
• Kasata - Take a freezing pan and layer vanilla cake or bread pieces at the bottom. Add chopped dry fruits like pista, almonds, cashews on top of this. Top this with Vanilla icecream. Freeze for 1 hr. Add chocolate icecream layer. Freeeze for 1-2 hrs. Top it with strawberry icecream layer and freeze. Cut into slices when serving.
• Chocobar - Freeze vanilla icecream in bar molds. Take 1 tblsp butter and 50 gms chocolate in a small pan. Put this in a bigger pan of hot water to liquify. Take out the frozen icecream bars and dip them in this chocolate syrup. Tightly wrap the bar in butter paper and freeze.
• Pista - Add 100gm cream, 1/2 tsp Pista essence and 1/2 tsp green color to the freezed basic icecream.

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is an all time favorite, healthy dish. You can make it for parties or any day at home. When making at home, I don't use cream.

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients: 1/2 kg Spinach 100 gms Paneer, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 medium Onion 6 cloves Garlic (I use 1/2 tsp Garlic paste) 2 inch Ginger (I use 1/2 tsp Ginger paste) 2-3 tsp Green chillies (to taste) 2 medium tomatoes 1/2 cup Fresh Cream 1 tsp Cumin seeds Salt to taste 1 tsp Garam Masala Powder Vegetable oil as required

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Method:

1. Pressure cook spinach for about 7-8 minutes (just before the first whistle). Drain and grind to a fine paste. I microwave it.
2. Grind together onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies to a fine paste.
3. Grind tomato to a fine paste.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add paneer blocks. Fry these pieces on both sides till they turn golden, and place them in a bowl of water while you prepare the gravy. I normally don't fry the paneer and use them as is.
5. Heat 2 tblsp oil. Saute onion paste till transluscent.
6. Add salt and garam masala. Stir well.
7. Add tomato puree and cook well.
8. Add paneer and cooked ground spinach. Mix well.
9. Decorate with fresh cream and serve.

Baingan Ka Bharta

Well!!! Who likes baingan???? Not me!!! :)))

I never liked baingan but this is the first dish I tried, and liked, and decided to give baingan one more chance, and I am glad I did. I am not saying that there are not many other tasty dishes using baingan, but for me this was the one that developed my taste for baingan. :)

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients: 1 big Baingan / Eggplant 1 onion paste 1 tomato, pureed 1 inch ginger, chopped fine 1 tsp Jeera / cumin seeds 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1/4 tsp garam masala salt to taste 1 tblsp oil chopped dhaniya / cilantro, for garnish

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Method:

1. Roast eggplant over direct flame, rotating in between to ensure the eggplant gets charred evenly. The skin turns black. This gives it a nice smoky flavor. I broil it on high in an oven for about 20 min, turning once in between to char both sides.
2. Let it cool a bit and then remove the charred skin. Mash the inside contents well. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and ginger and let it crackle.
4. Saute onions till transluscent.
5. Add turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Fry for another 30 sec.
6. Add tomatoes and fry well.
7. Add mashed eggplant and garam masala. Cook for another 5 min mixing well to blend it with the masala.
8. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with roti.

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Tips Add Pav Bhaji masala instead of garam masala for a different flavor and this can be eaten as bhaji along with pav.

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Cheela / Pesarattu

Making this is very easy and its a healthy one too. I call it "green dosa" for my daughters who like dosas ;) .... My daughters do love these dosas although they prefere it topped with grated cheese and not paneer which I am ok with.

We in north India call it Cheela and eat it with dahi (with salt, red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder). When we came to south India, I came to know a new name for it - pesarattu. So Cheela or Pesarattu .... whatever .... its a great breakfast or lunch or dinner.

Plus...any leftovers can be used to make "mangodi". Add finely chopped onions to the batter and deep fry small balls in oil. Serve with Imli Chutney.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min (not including overnight soaking)
Cooking Time: 20-30 min
Serves: 2-3

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Ingredients: 1 cup Split Moong dal, soaked overnight 2-3 green chilli 2-inch ginger salt to taste finely chopped onion / grated paneer for topping

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Method:

1. Grind all the ingredients to a paste. Add water if its too thick. It has to be of dosa consistency.

2. Spread it on a hot griddle. Take a big scoop of mixture, place it in the center of the pan and spread it in a circular fashion on the whole pan.

3. Sprinkle chopped onions / paneer on top. Let it cook for 2-3 min till you can see it lightly browning.

4. Remove carefully and serve with Yoghurt / Chutney.

Shahi Rabdi

Making Rabdi has never been easy. I never made rabdi at home. But after I got this recipe from another recipe book, I did make and was truly amazed by its results. And its so quick. "Microwave is an amazing invention."

Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 6 min
Serves: 4

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Ingredients: 1 cup milk 1/2 cup condensed milk 1 cup grated paneer / cottage cheese 1/4 tsp elaichii / cardamom powder 2-3 strands of saffron - optional

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Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 6 min. Take a wide deep bowl ensuring only 1/4 of the bowl is full or the milk will spill in the microwave.

Layered Mexican Dip

We have all eaten doritos and tortillas with salsa. This creates a very nice variation of the dip and it is super easy to make. Plus any leftovers can be used the next day for a quick Taco lunch or any other Mexican dish.

Total Time: 30 min
Makes 1 medium bowl

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Ingredients: 2 tsp taco seasoning mix 1 can refried beans 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened 1 cup sour cream 1-2 guacamole, mashed thoroughly 1 cup tomatoes, green peppers and onions, chopped fine 1 jar salsa 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Black olives/Black beans - for garnish - optional

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Method:

Layer in the following order and microwave for 1 min till cheese melts.

1. Layer 1 - Refriend beans mixed with taco seasoning
2. Layer 2 - Sour cream mixed with cream cheese
3. Layer 3 - Guacamole
4. Layer 4 - Tomatoes, green peppers, onion mixture
5. Layer 5 - Salsa
6. Layer 6 - Cheddar cheese
7. Layer 7 - Garnish with your choice of black olives / black beans. (optional)

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Pav Bhaji

Total Time: 40-50 min
Serves: 5-6

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Ingredients: For Bhaji 5 big Potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces 5 medium onions, chopped ( 1 1/2 for boiling, 1/2 for seasoning and 3 for decoration) 5 medium Tomatoes 2 large Carrots, chopped 12-15 beans, chopped 1 Cauliflower, chopped 1 cup green peas 1/2 cup Dhaniya Leaves, chopped fine 1 tsp oil 1/2 tsp Turmeric 2 1/2 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala 2 lemon juice Pav / Buns to eat the bhaji with

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Method:

Bhaji

1. Pressure cook all vegetables along with salt and turmeric. Tomatoes need not be cut. They can be placed whole. The boiling has to be longer, about 30-35 min.

2. Heat oil in a pan, saute 1/2 chopped onion till transluscent.

3. Remove the peel of the boiled tomatoes and add it to the pan. Mash properly.

4. Add rest of the boiled vegetables and mash properly.

5. Add water (according to consistency) and let it boil.

6. Add dhaniya leaves, pav bhaju masala and lemon juice.

Pav

1. Split each pav into 2 pieces. Apply butter on the inner side of each pav.

2. Place them on a heated flat-bottomed pan and fry both sides till lightly brown.

3. Serve with Bhaji.