Pasta in spinach, white sauce

There are roughly 350 different shapes and varieties of dried pasta in Italy, even more counting regional differences. Shapes range from simple tubes to bow ties, to unique shapes like tennis rackets (racchette). By Italian law dried pasta must be made with 100% durum semolina flour and water, a practice that all but the worst quality pasta makers worldwide have since adhered to. 

Ingredients:

Pasta (Nutri-licious Passta from Nestle)    - 2 packets of 64 gms for two people

Spinach – 2 bunches

Milk     - 2 cups

Refined flour  - 2 tbsps

Ghee   - 3 tbsps

Salt

Basil powder

Thyme

Garlic  - 4 flakes

Method:

-          Clean and break the spinach leaves and steam. Cool and make into a puree. - - - Heat 1 tablespoon of ghee in a pan and add crushed garlic, Add the spinach puree and salt. Keep stirring in between and let it cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the basil powder and thyme for flavor.

-          Meanwhile make the white sauce by roasting the refined flour in 2 tbsps of ghee. When it turns light brown, add the milk slowly to avoid lumps. Stir continuously till the flour is cooked and it is thick.

-          Mix the spinach puree to the white sauce.

-          Take three cups of water, add the pasta and one masala packet that comes along with the pasta. Keep stirring in between and let it cook for 10 minutes ( according to the instructions on the packet, it is 5 minutes but I found it less).

-          Mix the cooked pasta to the white sauce, spinach puree mix. It can be served as it is, 

OR,

-          Oil a baking dish and put the pasta mix in it (can top it with cheese). Bake for 10 minutes and serve.

Coconut cake

I had to make a surprise cake for my daughter’s birthday. I really make a wide variety of cakes, so what should I make??? The coconut was lying in front of me, the idea clicked. Let me bake a coconut cake. And here is the recipe for this delicious cake. The sweetness is just enough. If you want a really sweet cake, remember to increase the sugar quantity.

Ingredients:

Maida  - 2cups

Baking powder     - 2 tsps

Sugar   - 1 1/2cups

Refined oil        - 1 cup

Eggs     - 3

Water   -1/2 cup

Grated coconut - 1 ½ cups

Cashew nuts, Kismis     - 1 tbsp each

Cinnamon powder        - 1/2 tsp

Nutmeg powder           - 1/2 tsp

Cardamom powder      1/2 tsp

Method:

- Preheat oven to 180 degrees

- Sieve together maida and baking powder

- In a large bowl, mix together oil and sugar

- Add eggs one by one and mix well

- Keep adding tablespoonfuls of maida and keep mixing

- Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom powders

- Fold in the scraped coconut and cashews and kismis.

- Put in a greased container and bake for about one hour, or when a tooth pick that goes into the cake comes out clean.

Peanut, moth beans sabzi

Your Heart Will Go Nuts for Peanuts. Peanuts are a very good source of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that is emphasized in the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. Studies of diets with a special emphasis on peanuts have shown that this little legume is a big ally for a healthy heart. Those who have pea nuts allergy, however, should not be having this sabzi.

Ingredients:

Raw groundnuts            - ¼ cup soak overnight

Moth beans sprouted                - 1 cup

Oil        - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds              -1/3 tsp

Onion   - 1 finely cut

Curry leaves     - a few

Garlic   - 5, 6 flakes crushed

Tomatoes         - 2 finely cut

Turmeric powder          -1/3 tsp

Chilli powder    - ½ tsp

Coriander powder        - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder              - ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Water   - 1 cup

Method:

- Heat the oil in the pressure cooker, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cut onion and curry leaves.

- Sauté for some time, add the garlic and cut tomatoes. Lower the flame and keep stirring, allowing the tomatoes to cook.

- Add all the masala powders and salt, mix well and add the sprouted moth beans and ground nuts.

- Stir well, add salt and water, keep the flame high and close the pressure cooker. When the whistle comes, lower the flame and cook for two minutes.

Cool, open the cooker and simmer for two minutes. Serve with rotis or rice.

Vazhakkai podi (Raw banana sabzi)

Banana is a store house of minerals, vitamins and carbohydrates. It contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc etc. Vitamins A, B, C, B-6 etc are also available in plenty.

Presence of iron in banana helps to boost the production of haemoglobin. This helps persons who suffer from anemia.

The ancient Chinese and Vedic writings include details of healing properties of Banana consumed either as a vegetable or as a fruit. Most beneficial uses of banana include its uses as a mild laxative, healer of the intestine lesions, and destroyer of worms.

This preparation with raw banana (plantain , actually) is a delicious accompaniment for rice.

Ingredients:

Raw banana     - 1

Mustard (or any other ) oil        -1 tbsp

Mustard seeds  - ½ tsp

Asafoetida        - a pinch

Curry leaves     - a few

Turmeric powder          - 1/3 tsp

Chilli powder    - ½ tsp

Coriander powder        -1 tsp

Dry mango powder       - ½ tsp

Garam masala powder  -1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Coconut scrapings (optional)     - 1 tbsp

Method:

-         Pressure cook the raw banana for 2 minutes.

-         Cool, open the cooker, peel and grate the banana.

-         Add salt and all the masala powders to the grated banana and mix well.

-         Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida and curry leaves.

-         Put the banana into the pan and mix well for a few seconds. Remove from the fire and garnish with coconut scrapings.

Sabudana (sago) khichdi

This is considered to be a dish during fasting days, so I don’t add onion, though I make another version with onion too.

Ingredients:

Sabudana         - 1 cup

Warter  - 1 cup

Potato  - 1, peel and cut into thin squares (optional)

Oil        - 2 tbsps

Mustard seeds  - 1/ tsp

Peanut powdered roughly   - 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

Sugar   - 2 tsps

Moth bean sprouts (optional)   - 2 tbsps

Coconut scrapings        - 2 tbsps

Method:

-      Take the sabudana in a pan, pour one cup water along the sides and over it. Leave it undisturbed overnight. In the morning, all the water will be absorbed and the sabudana will be bigger in size.

-         Heat oil in  a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the potato pieces and let them cook, stirring in between.

-         Add the sprouts and let it cook for a while.

-         Now add the soaked sabudana ,salt, sugar, and peanut powder. Stir. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

-         Add the coconut scrapings, mix and serve.

Courtesy: To Dr. Anisha Goel for giving me the exact proportion and method to soak sabudana for consistent result.

Lemon Sweet pickle

This pickle is very easy to make, a boon for the working wife. It is ready to be consumed in a month’s time. 

Ingredients: 

Lemons            - 1 kg

Fenugreek seeds, lightly roasted and powdered             - 1 heaped tbsp

Turmeric powder          - 1 tbsp

Chilli powder    - 1 tbsp

Salt      - 1 ½ tbsps

Sugar   - 1 cup ( 250 gms)

Method:

-         Wash the lemons, dry them thoroughly and cut into eight pieces.

-         The fenugreek seeds should be roughly ground, don’t make it into a fine powder.

-         Mix all the ingredients with the cut lemon and put in a dry bottle. Keep in a cool dry place.

-         After two days stir the contents or shake thoroughly.

-         It is ready to be eaten after one month

Corn (Maize) pulao

 This is a nice dish to cook up for friends during the season when corn is available. You don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen so that you can spend time with them too!

Ingredients:

Rice     - 1 cup

Corn    - ¾ cup

Water   - 2 1/2cups

Salt to taste

Oil        - 1 tbsp

Jeera    - 1/ tsp

Onion cut         - 2 tbsps

Ginger cut fine  - ½ tsp -

Turmeric powder          - 1/3 tsp

Chilli powder    - ½ tsp

Coriander powder        - 1 tsp

Garam masala   - ½ tsp

Method:

- Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add jeera, then the cut onion, ginger and sauté them.

- Keep the flame low and add the corn, keep stirring. After half a inute, add all the masala powders and washed rice (if you can soak the rice for ten minutes, it is good), and salt.

- Pressure cook for 5 minutes. Cool and open the cooker.

-Serve with raita, papad and pickle.

Vermicelli (Semiya) Upma

I love having different breakfast items day after day. Even as a working mom, I could make a variety of dishes for breakfast, lunch, evening snack and dinner for my family. It gave me immense satisfaction to see my kids’ gleaming faces on being served dishes from all over the world.

Vermicelli upma is easy and fast to make and can be taken with or without plantain. Vermicelli is made out of maida (refined flour)

Ingredients:

Vermicelli (Semiya)       - 1 cup

Ghee    - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds  - ½ tsp

Udad dal          - ½ tsp

Cashew nuts     - 1  tbsp

Onion cut- 1 tbsp

Green chilli cut  - 1/tsp

Ginger cut fine - ½ tsp

Curry leaves a few

Salt to taste

Hot or boiling water      - 1 cup

Coconut scrapings (optional) – 2 tbsps

Method:

Heat ghee in a pan, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the udad dal and cashew nuts. When they brown a bit, add the cut onion, green chilli, ginger, and curry leaves. Saute for some time and add the vermicelli and roast till they change color a bit.

 Now add the salt and hot water, cover and cook.

Open in between and check whether the vermicelli is cooked. Add the coconut scrapings, close with a lid and remove from fire. You need to allow it to sit for at least fie minutes so that the vermicelli swells up and stay separated. Then open, mix well and serve hot.

21February 2020
Today I made Ragi semiya upma, which was also delicious. It needs less water than needed for vermicelli upma.

25 March 2020
This is Rice semiya upma. This needs boiling water to completely cover the semiya.

Matar Palak with gravy (Spinach, green peas in gravy)

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves cleaned and cut - 6 cups

Green peas       - 1 cup

Onion   - 1 large sliced

Garlic   - 6 flakes

Tomatoes         - 2 chopped

Salt to taste

Oil        - 2 tbsps

Cumin  - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder          - 1/3 tsp

Chilli powder    -1/2 tsp

Coriander powder        - 1 tsp

Cloves  - 4

Cinnamon         - 2 small pieces

Method:

- Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan and add ½ teaspoon cumin when the oil is hot. Add the cut onion and sauté for a while. Add the cut garlic and then the tomatoes. Stir and let it cook for a while.

- Add all the masala powders, stir well and add the spinach leaves and salt. Stir, add about ½ cup water and cover, let it cook for ten minutes.

- Cook the green peas

- When the spinach is cooled, grind it in mixi. Add the cooked peas to this.

- Heat one tablespoon of oil in the pan, add ½ tsp cumin, cloves and cinnamon pieces and stir. Add the spinach green peas mix into this and simmer for a few seconds. Serve with the Yorkshire pudding.

Yorkshire pudding

Yorkshire Pudding, also known as batter pudding, is an English dish made from batter and usually served with roast meat and gravy. The Yorkshire pudding is a staple of the British Sunday lunch and in some cases, is eaten as a separate course prior to the main meat dish. Traditionally, though less so now, the Yorkshire Pudding could be served as a sweet, with sugar or even with orange juice as a sauce.

I always make the salty version, and it has been part of my menu since about 1988. My kids used to look forward to the ‘Palak paneer and Yorkshire pudding’ dinners so eagerly!

Ingredients:

Wheat flour      - 150 gms

Milk     - 200 ml

Water   - ½ cup

Egg      - 1

Salt to taste

Butter or ghee   - 2 tbsps

Method:

- Take the flour into a large bowl with the salt. Combine the milk and water.

- Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the egg. Beat the egg and combine with some flour around it.

- Pour in a little milk and water, and then whisk the lot together to make a smooth batter. - Mix in the rest of the liquid, until you have a batter the consistency of pan cake batter.

-  Leave at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

- Preheat the oven to 250 degrees C and keep a baking pan with 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee in it.

- When the ghee starts smoking, take the pan out and carefully pour in the batter.

- Keep the pan with the batter in the oven and after 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 200 degrees C. Bake for another 20 minutes when the top looks golden brown.

- Serve immediately with palak paneer or matar palak.

14 April 2020
Today with aloo palak (Spinach potato) I wanted to have Yorkshire pudding and my husband wanted makke ki roti (Maize flat bread). I went for a short cut to make the Yorkshire pudding in a kadai, and was surprised to see that there was no compromise on taste! I used 40 gms of wheat flour, 1/3 of an egg after beating it (fried the remaining portion separately), salt, 70 ml milk and 1 tbsp ghee. The kadai should be on high flame while pouring the batter, then keep it on lowest flame and cover the batter. After about five minutes, turn it upside down and cover again. In five minutes, it is ready.

Broken wheat breakfast dish

This is a cross between dalia and  upma and I couldn’t think of a proper name for it. If any of you reading this can suggest a name, you are most welcome J

This is a great comfort food for me. It peps you up, lightens your mood and increases your energy, don’t ask me how. And it is very easy to prepare. 

Ingredients:

Broken wheat   - 100 gm (1 cup)

Water   - 2 cups

Jaggery syrup   - 1/3 to ½ cup, according to taste

Milk (optional)  - ¼ cup

Ghee    - 1 tbsp

Saunf (Fennel)              - ½ tbsp

Cashews, broken)        -1 tbsp

Kismis              - ½ tbsp

Method:

Soak the broken wheat for about half hour. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker, add the saunf, stir, add the cashews and let it brown a bit.

Now add the soaked broken wheat, stir for a few seconds, add the water and pressure cook for 3 minutes.

Cool and open the cooker. Keep it on low flame; add the jaggery syrup and the milk.

Stir for one or two minutes and remove from fire.

While serving, you can pour a teaspoon of ghee over it to enhance the taste.

Note:

Since the jaggery contains some impurities, I make jaggery syrup by keeping jaggery with some water on fire and letting it dissolve. It is then sieved and poured into a container, cooled and stored in the refrigerator. It comes in handy for so many dishes, and saves time too.

Mango kheer

This is a very yummy sweet. I have to make it at least once every mango season.

 Ingredients:

Half ripe mango – 1, skinned and grated

Milk     - ¾ litre

Sugar   - 1 cup

Cardamoms      -3

Grated coconut -1/2 cup

Method:

Boil the milk and simmer it till it becomes quite thick, and cool it.

Powder the sugar with cardamom in mixi, add the cooled thickened milk and run the mixi again.

Take this out, add the grated mango and 1/2 cup grated coconut and mix well.

Refrigerate before serving.

Beans chorchori

Chorchori is a Bengali dish in which the flavoring agent is a blend of five spices called Panch Phoron. It is a great accompaniment for rice.

Ingredients:

Beans, stringed and cut into small pieces            - 1cup

Salt      - to taste

Mustard oil       - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds  - ¼ tsp

Jeera (cumin)    -  ¼ tsp

Onoin seeds (kalaunji)  -  ¼ tsp

Fenugreed seeds           -  ¼ tsp

Black sesame seeds      - ¼ tsp

Turmeric powder          -1/3 tsp

Chilli powder    - 1/3 tsp

Garam masala powder  - 1/3 tsp

Method:

Heat the mustard oil in a pan and add all the five seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the beans and stir for some time on high flame. Add salt and sprinkle a little water, cover and cook. Add the masala powders, stir for a few seconds and remove from the fire.

Lady's finger (okra) mezhukkupuratti

Mezhukkupuratti is a traditional Kerala dish that can be made with lady's finger, beans, cabbage and a variety of other vegetables. It is very easy to make and since no spices are used, the flavor of the vegetable is totally retained.

Ingredients:

Lady's finger, split in the middle and cut into one inch long pieces           - 1 cup

Onion   - 1 cut into small pieces

Green chilli       - 1 cut into long pieces

Salt      -to taste

Oil        - 1 tbsp

Mustard           - 4 tsp

Curry leaves     - a few

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cut onion, curry leaves, and green chilli. Stir for a few seconds and add the lady's finger and salt. Stir for a few seconds on high flame and cover and cook on low flame. Open in between and stir. It has to be cooked in its own juice. Taste will be compromised if you add water. 

Cucumber Carrot Kosambari

The traditional name used for salads in Karnataka is ‘Kosambari’. It is an integral part of all special occasions like wedding, festivals and gatherings. I just love it!

Ingredients:

Cucumber peeled and cut into small pieces        - 1 cup

Carrot peeled and cut into small pieces (or grated)        - 1/2 cup

Tomato            - 1 big cut into small pieces

Ground nut roasted, skinned and powdered      - 2 tbsp

Coconut scrapings        -1 tbsp

Curds   - 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

To season:

Oil        - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds  - ½ tsp

Method:

Mix all he ingredients together and season it

Corn flour bread

Sweet corn became a staple food in the diets of Mayans by 2,000 to 1,500 BC. They held it in great reverence and it was a part of their daily rituals and took on a religious significance.

Corn contains some of the B-complex vitamins, making it good for hair, skin, the digestion, heart and brain. It also contains vitamins C, A and K along with amino acids, flavonoids, and large amounts of beta-carotene and a fair amount of selenium which improves the functions of the thyroid gland and plays a role in the proper functioning of the immune system. It possesses potent antioxidant properties which help to protect the body from the ravages of free radicals which can damage the cells and cause cancer.

Corn flour bread tastes awesome and I wanted to bake it at home. When I searched for a recipe, all of them had egg as an ingredient. I wanted to make it without egg and experimented. Voila! It turned out to be successful. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

Corn flour         - 1 cup (100 gms)

Maida  - 1 cup (100gms)

Salt      - ½ tsp

Baking soda     - ¼ tsp

Refined oil        - ¾ cup

Buttermilk         - 1 cup

Sugar   - ½ cup (50 gms)
Pumpkin seeds (optional) - 1tbsp

Method:

Pre heat oven to 175 degrees C (375 degrees F).

Mix oil and sugar.

Add baking soda to the buttermilk.  

Combine corn flour, maida and salt.

Pour the buttermilk to the oil sugar mix and stir well.

Add this to the corn flour maida mix and knead lightly. Take care not to knead too much.Mix in the pumpkin seeds.

Pour into a greased 6 inch square baking vessel and bake for about 35- 45 minutes, or until the toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Tastes awesome with butter or jam.

Cucumber pachadi

To the routine question to my dental patients whether they are suffering from any systemic disease, from the past five or six years I find that many ladies are taking tablets for thyroid diseases. Even young girls of 25 years! Imagine taking allopathic medicine for all the remaining years of their lives.

It is advisable that a person afflicted with thyroid malfunctioning should go for salads made out of sprouts, cucumber and carrot. Cucumber is very effective for patients diagnosed with goiter- a disease resulting from hypothyroidism.

Pachadi is a Kerala preparation that is so soothing. It is made with the Kerala variety of cucumber.

Ingredients:

Cucumber, pealed and cut into small elongated pieces – 2 cups

Curry leaves    - a few

Curds     - ½ cup

Salt to taste

To grind ;

Scraped coconut            -1/2 cup

Cut onion (shallots preferable)    - 1 tsp

Coriander or coriander powder  - ½ tsp

Mustard seeds-  ½ tsp

Method:

Cover the cut cucumber with sufficient water, add curry leaves, salt and cook till done (they will look transparent when cooked).  

Meanwhile, grind coconut, cut onion and coriander with a little water. When it is smoothly ground, add the mustard seed and just run the mixi once so that the mustard seeds are just broken down, not ground to paste. Add the ground coconut paste to the cooked cucumber, stir and cook for a few seconds. Now add the beaten curd and stir well. Remove from fire. Goes well with rice. 

Venpongal

Green gram or moong dal is a favored food of sadhus because it is very sattwic. And I love it! I keep making different preparations with green gram so that I can have it more often. Once cooked, the green gram is sweet and soft in texture, and it is easily digested, so it doesn't produce flatulence like many other legumes. Because of the high amount of fiber, green gram is considered low-glycemic. It digests slowly and gradually releases glucose into your bloodstream, stabilizing your blood sugar. 

The green gram is popular as the perfect food for reducing weight. It is recommended as a food replacement in many slimming programs, as it has a very low fat content. It is a rich source of protein and fiber, which helps one to lower the high cholesterol level in the blood system.  It has been used for detoxifying purposes for thousands of years in both Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese medicine.

Ingredients:

Rice     - 100 gms

Moong dal        -50 gms

Water   -3 ½ cups

Salt to taste

Ghee    - 2 tbsps

Jeera, roughly powdered           -1 tsp

Black pepper, roughly ground   - ½ tsp

Ginger finely cut            - 2 tsp

Cashew nuts     - 1 tbsp

 Method:

The moong dal has to be roasted in one tablespoon ghee. So I wash the dal and spread out on a plate for about half hour to let it dry. Pour one tablespoon of ghee into the pressure cooker, add the moong dal and roast it for some time. Add the washed rice, water, salt and pressure cook for six minutes. Cool and open the cooker.

Heat a tablespoon of ghee, add the cut ginger. After about half a minute, add the cashews, when they slightly brown, add the jeera and pepper powders. Stir, and pour over the cooked rice dal mixture. Mix well and serve with pickle, papad and curds.