Barley Water
This water mixture is excellent for cooling the body during summer. Add a dash of lime to this drink to make it absolutely irresisitble!!
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp cracked barley or barley flour
2 pinch salt
4 cups water
Method:
Combine above ingredients and cook for about 15 minutes so that it is some what overcooked. Use a filter or strainer to obtain barley water.
If you use cracked barley instead of barley flour, you will need to place the mixture in a blender for a few minutes prior to straining.
Jaggery Tea
Ingredients
Jaggery
Lemon
Salt
Method:
Boil jaggery with water. Add some salt and squeeze lemon into it.
Sweet Corn Soup
Ingredients:
1 cup Tinned sweet corn
1 tbsp Maida
1 tbsp Ghee
1½ tsp Milk
2 tbsp Cornflower
A pinch of salt, Ajinomoto
Method:
Pressure-cook the tinned sweet corn with 1½-cup water for two minutes.
Heat the ghee, put maida stir when smell comes, add milk. Add cooked sweet corn, sugar and pinch of salt and Ajinomoto bring to boil, add the cornflower dissolved in ½ cup water simmer, when thickens, remove from fire.
Spinach Soup
Ingredients
2 cups Spinach leaves, washed, chopped
1½ tsp Cream
Water
Salt
Pepper
A blob of Butter
Method
Microwave spinach leaves and chopped garlic with 3 tsp water for 4 min.
Open, cool, liquidize, add cream, salt, liquidize again, adding sufficient water.
Heat on medium flame, stirring continuously.
Serve with pepper and butter.
Note: Little cornflakes dissolved in water may be added and cooked
Cole Slaw
Ingredients
4 cups of grated cabbage
1 cup of grated carrot
½ cup of diced dates/raisins
½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup milk
1 tsp sugar
Method:
Mix cabbage, carrot and dates/ raisins.
Mix mayonnaise, milk and sugar.
Mix the two combinations and serve cold.
Good with potato salad and potato fry.
Curd Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
2 cups Curds tied in a thin cloth, and drained for 6 hours.
1 small Onion
Tomato
Cucumber
Capsicum
Method
Cut into small pieces above item.
Beat the curd cheese, add the cut vegetables, pepper powder and mix together.
Apply on bread slices to prepare sandwich.
Bread Pizza
This is my favourite 2-minute snack whenever I'm hungry and want something nice!
Ingredients:
4 Slices of bread
4 Tbsp Tomato sauce
4 Tbsp Grated cheese
Optional toppings:
1 Onion sliced
1 Capsicum sliced
1 Tomato sliced
Cabbage shredded
Method:
Smear the tomato sauce over the bread slice and place the optional toppings on it. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Toast or microwave for some time and you have your snack ready
Tomato Omelette
Ingredients
1 cups Besan
1 Onion finely cut
1 Tomato finely cut
1 Tomato sliced
¼ tsp Water baking soda
3 tsp Oil
Turmeric powder
Chili powder
Bread slices
Salt
Method
Take besan, add tomato, onion, turmeric powder, chilly powder, oil, salt, baking soda and water.
Mix into a very thick batter.
Heat tava, add oil spread the thick batter to a thickness of ¼ inch, and press down a round tomato slice in the centre.
When cooked, pour oil over it and turn it. Cook till done and serve with tomato sauce and toasted bread.
Gobi Manchurian
Ingredients:
¼ cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cauliflower broken into big florettes
1 small bunch spring onion, finely chopped
2 Tsp Ginger finely chopped
2 Tsp Garlic finely chopped
2 Green Chilies finely chopped
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Black pepper
Onion, Bell pepper and Cabbage cut into long pieces
Method:
Mix the all purpose flour, beaten egg and salt to make a paste. Add the cauliflower to the paste and leave it for 45 minutes.
Heat some oil in a pan and deep fry the coated cauliflower pieces.
Heat a little oil in a pan and saute the onions, bell pepper, cabbage and spring onion ginger and garlic pieces.
Add the soy sauce the fried cauliflower pieces. Garnish with green chillies and spring onions
For Manchurian with Gravy: Dissolve 2 Tbsp Corn Flour in 2 cups of water and add to the saute'ed vegetables just before adding the manchurian, and wait till thick.
Note: The Egg is optional and may be substituted with water instead.
Beetroot Roti
Ingredients:
Beet root – 1 small
Wheat flour – 2 cups (for 6 rotis)
Method:
Peel and grate beet root, grind in a mixer, squeeze and extract the juice.
Mix this juice with wheat flour, add water to make dough for roti.
Keep aside for ½ hr and then roll out and make rotis or parathas. Fried Rice
Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 cup Beans chopped
1 cup Spring Onions chopped
1/2 cup Carrot chopped
1/2 cup Mushrooms (optional)
8 cups cooked, long grain (basmati) rice
3 tablespoons thin soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Salt to taste
Method:
It is recommended that you use one day old rice so that the rice can soak up the flavors better.
In a wok, add 2 tablespoons of oil and stir-fry garlic and ginger.
Add the vegetables and mushroom and saute. Add soy sauce and salt.
Add rice and mix thoroughly. Add white pepper.
Serve immediately.
Tamarind Rice
Ingredients
1½ cups Rice
A small ball of Tamarind
Curry leaves
Asafetida
1½ tsp Mustard oil
Salt
A few Peppercorns
A small piece Ginger
A pinch of Mustard
¾ cup Water for tamarind
2 tsp Groundnut roasted
50 gm Split black gram
50 gm Split Bengal gram
2 Red chilies
Method
Cook the rice in rice cooker with salt.
Cool slightly, soak tamarind in water and extract juice.
Roast black gram, Bengal gram and red chilies separately and coarse grind it.
Heat oil, add asafetida, mustard peppercorns, ground nut finely cut ginger and curry leaves.
When mustard burst, add tamarind extract, powdered splices and salt and cook till all water thickens.
Mix the tamarind mixture thoroughly with the rice, cover and serve hot.
Makke ka Pulao (Maize Pulao)
Ingredients
2 cups Tender maize scraped
2 cups Rice
2 tsp Ghee
2 small Onion
Ginger
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp chili powder
¾ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
Water
Salt
Method
Pulao should be made with very tender maize only. Scrape them from the stem.
Heat oil, fry finely chopped onion and ginger brown, add the masala powders, scraped maize, stir, put in the washed rice and salt.
Pour the water, cook in pressure cooker for 5 min. Cool and open.
Mixed Vegetable Noodles
Ingredients
Butter or oil
Chopped garlic
Spring onion
Cream
Cheese
Noodles
Coriander leaves
Sun-dried tomatoes
Pepper powder
Method
Put oil, chopped garlic and spring onion, sauté.
Add cream, cheese and simmer.
Add noodles (cooked already) coriander leaves, sun-dried tomatoes.
Mix and add pepper.
Pasta in White Sauce
Ingredients
1 packet pasta
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
2 tsp corn flour or refined flour
1 cube of cheese
1 tsp oregano and thyme
Red chili flakes
1 cob of sweet corn boiled
3 florets of broccoli
1 tbsp butter
4 big cloves garlic, grated
2 cups milk
Salt, black pepper
Method:
Boil peppers, sweet corns and broccoli together with little salt. Don’t over boil the vegetables. It has to be crunchy.
Boil the pasta as per the instruction in the packet. Strain the water, add some olive oil, toss lightly and keep aside White sauce
Heat butter in a pan. Add the grated garlic and sauté for a minute. Once its done add the corn flour sauté for a second let it not turn brown. Add milk and stir it continuously to avoid lumps. Once the mixture starts thickening add oregano, thyme, salt, pepper powder and red chili flakes.
Add grated cheese. Keep this sauce aside.
To serve, heat the sauce, add all the vegetables and pasta. Add a dash of cheese. Serve hot.
Raw Mango Pickle
Ingredients:
2 cups raw mango cut into small pieces with skin
3 tsp Oil
1/3 tsp Mustard
1/5 tsp Asafetida
¼ tsp Methi
5 cloves Garlic cut into small pieces
1/3 tsp Chili powder
½ tsp Table salt
Method:
Mangoes should be washed, wiped dry and cut.
Heat oil and when mustard splulters, add asafetida cut garlic, methi, Chili powder and table salt.
Toss in mango pieces, stir for a minute and remove from fire.
When cool, store in a dry bottle. Start using after 3-4 days.
Guava Chutney
Ingredients:
10 Ripened guavas
2 tsp Ghee
¼ tsp Cumin
1/8 tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Chili powder
½ tsp Coriander powder
½ tsp Salt
2½ cups Water
3 tsp Sugar
Method:
Wash cut guava into small cubes (remove seeds).
Heat ghee, add cumin followed by the remaining masalas, add guava pieces and fry for a while.
Add salt and water and cook until done.
Add sugar, simmer for two minutes.
Cabbage Raita
Ingredients:
2 cups Cabbage (grated or cut into very small pieces)
½ tsp Mustard
Coriander leaves
Salt
3 cups Curds
1/6 tsp Chili powder
Asafetida pinch
Method:
Boil 4 cups water; add cabbage, cook and drain.
Mix curd and salt, put cooked cabbage, Chili powder and coriander leaves.
Mustard is soaked in water for ½ hr, grind it with a pinch of Chili powder and oil and asafetida (instead, powdered mustard and asafetida can be added to curd) keep for ½ hr before serving
Tomato Rasam
Ingredients:
1 cup Sambar dal - Soaked for 12 hrs
4 big Tomatoes cut into small pieces
¼ tsp Turmeric powder
¼ tsp Pepper
6 Small onions
5 pods of Garlic
Curry leaves
Asafetida
Tamarind
Salt to taste
Oil
Water
Method:
Pressure-cook sambar dal for 10 mts with oil with turmeric powder and pepper.
Heat oil, put onion, garlic (cut) curry leaves, when they brown, add cooked dal and water, put cut tomatoes.
Pour tamarind water and asafetida add salt let the tomatoes get cooked simmer for 7 mts. Remove and serve.
Dahi Ki Aloo
Ingredients:
3 medium sized potatoes Boiled
½ cup Curds
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp chili powder
½ tsp coriander powder
Salt
2 tsp ghee
¼ tsp jeera
1½ cup water
Method:
Heat ghee in a pan, add jeera, masalas, salt, pealed and cut potatoes, add water and cook for 5 min.
Add beaten curds, simmer for 2 min and remove.
Finely cut coriander leaves may be added to garnish.
Creamed Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 lb cauliflower
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2/3 tsp salt
½ cup milk
1½ tsp corn flour mixed with 1 tbsp water
A few parsley sprigs
Method:
Divide clusters of lower birds of cauliflower.
Bring 4 cups of water to but and add 1 tsp salt.
Cook cauliflower for 5 mts. Drain heat oil and sauté cauliflower over medium heat for 2 mts.
Cook for 3 mts, adding salt and milk, add cornstorch mixture.
Stir for 1 or 2 mts remove to plate and garnish wih parley.
Baked Vegetable
Ingredients:
For white Sauce:
1 Tbsp Flour
1 tbsp Butter
1 cup Milk
1 cup Beans chopped
1 cup Carrots chopped
1 cup Potato chopped
1 cup Cauliflower chopped
2 Boiled eggs sliced (Optional)
1 Tomato sliced
Salt and pepper
For White Sauce:
Cream flour and butter until thoroughly mixed, add milk, cream or white stock, and cook until thickened, stirring until the flour and butter are well mixed. Season with salt and pepper.
Method: Mix salt and pepper with the white sauce. Microwave the vegetables. Add white sauce to vegetables,
put in a greased container, arrange sliced boiled eggs and tomato on the top and bake for 10 min at 180o C.
Pineapple Soufflé
Ingredients
Lime juice of 4 lemons
3 to 4 slices Pineapple
Milkmaid
2½ tsp Gelatin
1¼ cup Whipped cream
1¾ cup Milk
Method:
In ½ cup of hot water dissolve gelatin by stirring.
Put milkmaid and all other ingredients and milk (except whipped cream) pour in geltin.
Put in the whipped cream.
Mix well pour into serving dish and refrigerate.
Vermicelli-dry sweet
Ingredients:
2 cups Finely broken vermicelli
1/3 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Milk
2 tbsp Fat
Cardamom powder
Cashew nuts, raisins
Method:
Roast vermicelli in fat, add water and open cook. When it is cooked and the water has dried up, add sugar and stir in cardamom pd, cashew nuts and raisins. Remove from fire. Pour the milk over it, mix and serve immediately.