Medu Vada

Medu Vada is a very popular South Indian snack served with sambar and chutney.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml
Makes: 10 to 12

Ingredients:

1. Urad Dal - 1 cup
2. Ginger (grated) - 1/2 tsp
3. Hing - 1/4 tsp
4. Green chillies (chopped) - 2
5. Rice flour - 2 tbsp (optional)
6. Curry leaves - 5 to 6
7. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
8. Peppercorns - 3 to 4
9. Coconut pieces (small and thin) - 2 tsp
10. Oil - for deep frying
11. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Wash and soak urad dal for at least 5 hrs.
• Drain and grind without water. (Add very little water if necessary)
• In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with ground paste except oil.
• Rest it for 1/2 an hr.
• Transfer the batter into a vada maker.
• Heat oil in a deep frying pan and drop the batter, deep fry on medium flame till golden brown. 
• Serve with Udupi sambar and white coconut chutney.

Tip:

• You may half fry them and keep aside. At the time of serving refry them, this makes them extra crispy. This practise is followed in restaurants.

Raw Mango Surprise

 

Raw mango surprise is a drink with raw mango and apple juice with jellies.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1. Raw mango (peeled and cubed) - 2/3 cup
2. Sugar - 4 tbsp
3. Apple juice (readymade) - 150 ml
4. Jelly bulbs (various flavours) - as per your requirement
5. Water - 350 ml + 2/3 cup for cooking raw mango
6. Ice cubes - as per your requirement
7. Raw mango pieces - for garnishing
8. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Combine raw mango and 2/3 water cup in a saucepan, cook till raw mango softens.
• Add sugar and salt, stir well. Let it cool.
• Blend it with 350 ml.
• Cut the jelly bulbs into small cubes.
• Take a glass and pour 50 ml apple juice.
• Add jelly and ice cubes.
• Top up with 120 ml raw mango juice.
• Garnish with raw mango piece.
• Repeat the procedure for remaining 2 glasses.
• Serve chilled.

Lemon Grape Cooler

Lemon Grape Cooler is a very refreshing drink in summers. Lemon is a very famous commonly available citrus fruit having lots of health benefits and a helps in reducing body heat in summer. Grapes and mint are also summer coolants. Just thought of combining all these and making a wonderful drink.

Makes: 1 glass
Ingredients:

1. Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
2. Grape juice (readymade) - 50 ml
3. Mint leaves - 3 
4. Black Grapes - 4
5. Sugar - 1 heaped tbsp
6. Jaljeera powder - 1/3 tsp
7. Salt - a pinch
8. Ice cubes - 5 to 6
9. Water (normal or cold) - 100 ml

For Garnishing:

1. Mint sprig -1 
2. Black Grapes - 2 
3. Lemon slice - 1 

Procedure:

• Take a glass and drop mint leaves.
• Add grapes and sugar, muddle them.
• Add jaljeera powder, salt and grape juice. 
• Add ice cubes and and top up with water.
• Pierce the grapes with stirrer.
• Garnish with mint sprig and lemon slice.

Sev Batata Puri

Sev Batata Puri is a very popular chaat. Puris are stuffed with potatoes and topped up with onion nylon sev, green chutney, dates and tamarind chutney, corriander leaves and chaat masala.

Measurement: 1Cup = 180 ml

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1. Puris - 21
2. Potato (boiled, peeled & cubed) - 1 1/2 cup
3. Onion (finely chopped) - 1medium
4. Dates & tamarind chutney- 3 to 4 tbsp
5. Green chutney - 2 tbsp
6. Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Nylon sev - 3/4 cup
8. Black salt - 1/4 tsp
9. Roasted corriander seed powder - 1/4 tsp
10. Chaat masala - 1/4 tsp
11. Lemon wedges - 3
12. Corriander leaves for garnishing
13. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Take a mixing bowl; combine potatoes, chilly powder, roasted corriander powder, black salt and little bit of salt.
• Break the puris gently at the centre and place them on a plate.
• Stuff them with sufficient potato mixture.
• Pour dates & tamarind chutney and green chutney over it.
• Sprinkle nylon sev, onion, chaat masala on top.
• Drizzle both the chutneys, squeeze lemon wedges on top.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.
• Serve immediately.

Tip:

• You may use even Red chutney.

Kanagachi Kheer (Sweet Potato Pudding)

Kanagachi kheer is a sweet dish made from sweet potatoes, sabudana (sago), milk and sugar; flavoured with cardamom, cashew nuts and almonds. Another variant is prepared with coconut milk and jaggery, flavoured with turmeric leaf or cardamom. It can be served hot or chilled, as a part of main course or as a dessert. It can even be prepared for fast (upvas).

Measurement: 1Cup = 180 ml

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Sweet potatoes - 1/4 kg
2. Sabudana (sago) - 1/2 cup
3. Milk - 400 ml (for hot kheer) to 500 ml (for chilled kheer)
4. Sugar - 1/3 cup or as per your requirement
5. Ghee - 1 tbsp
6. Green cardamom - 1 to 2
7. Vanilla essence - 2 drops (optional)
8. Cashew nuts and almonds - as per your requirement
9. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Wash and soak sabudana at least for 1 hr.
• Peel and dice sweet potatoes (medium size), immerse them in water to prevent darkening.
• Heat ghee in a pan and sweet potatoes, saute them.
• Add sufficient water (2 cups approx.)
• Add little bit of salt and cook.
• In the meanwhile, boil milk and powder the cardamom with mortar and pestle.
• When sweet potatoes are about to cook, add sabudana, add water if necessary. Stir occasionally.
• When sabudana is done, add cashew nuts and 400 ml milk. Stir well and simmer for 2 min.
• Add sugar and simmer for another 2 min.
• Add vanilla essence and stir well.
• Put off the flame and add cardamom powder.
• Let it cool.
• Refrigerate for 2 hrs.
• Add remaining milk and stir well.
• Garnish with shredded almonds and serve chilled.

Tip:

• If you want thin consistency, then add more milk or use less sabudana.
• If you are preparing it for the fast, then don't use vanilla essence (if you are avoiding artificial products).

Paneer Bhurji

Paneer Bhurji is a popular North Indian dish. It is a quick and easy to make paneer dish. It can be served with roti, chapati and it doesn't taste bad with sliced bread too.

Serves: 3 to 4
Ingredients:

1. Paneer (grated or crumbled) - 300 gm
2. Onion (chopped) - 2 big
3. Tomato (chopped) - 1 to 2
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tsp
5. Green chillies (chopped) - 2
6. Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
7. Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
9. Pepper powder - 1/8 tsp
10. Corriander leaves (chopped) - for garnishing
11. Ghee -  1 1/2 to 2 tbsp
12. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat ghee is a pan and add onion, stir fry till golden brown.
• When onion is slightly done, add ginger garlic paste and green chillies, stir fry.
• When onion turns golden brown, add turmeric powder and chilly powder.
• Add tomato and salt.
• When tomato turns soft; add paneer, cumin powder, pepper powder and little bit of salt. Stir fry for 2 to 3 min.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.
• Serve hot.

Ansaachi Shaak (Goan Pineapple Curry)

Ansachi shaak is an authentic Goan dish. It is a sweet, tangy and mild spicy pineapple curry. It is a no onion no garlic dish. Mangoes can also be added to this dish.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml
Serves : 5 to 6

Ingredients:

1. Ripe Pineapple (peeled and cut into thin triangles) - 5 cups
2. Scrapped coconut - 1 1/4 cup
3. Jaggery (grated) - 4 to 5 tbsp
4. Kashmiri mirchi - 1
5. Byadgi mirchi - 1
6. Corriander seeds - 1 tsp
7. Peppercorns - 6
8. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
10. Hing - 1/3 tsp
11. Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
12. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Dry roast corriander seeds, peppercorns and mirchi.
• Combine roasted ingredients with coconut and grind by adding water to a coarse or fine paste as per your requirement. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, let them crackle.
• Add hing and turmeric powder.
• Add pineapple, toss well.
• Add salt and water.
• When pineapple is cooked, add jaggery and stir well.
• Add ground paste, little bit of salt, water if necessary and stir well.
• Simmer for 2 - 3 min.
• Serve hot with steamed rice and dal.

Tip:

• You may add boiled chana dal while cooking pineapple.
• You may give it a tempering of vaddio.

Sweet Melon and Pineapple Juice with Strawberry Crush

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml

Makes: 1 Glass

Ingredients:

1. Sweet melon (peeled and cubed) - 1 1/2 cups
2. Pineapple (diced) - 3/4 cup
3. Water - 1/4 cup
4. Sugar - as per your requirement
5. Strawberry crush - 2 tbsp
6. Ice cubes - 5 to 6

Procedure:

• Combine ingredients numbering 1 to 4 and blend them.
• Strain the pulp.
• Take a glass and add strawberry crush. 
• Add ice cubes and top up with sweet melon and pineapple juice.
• Serve chilled.

Kokum & Gulkand Sharbat

Kokum (Garcinia Indica) is a fruit which looks like plum and has lots of health benefits. It is very popular in Goa and locally called 'bhinna'. It is a seasonal fruit. The outer cover of the fruit is dried in the sun to obtain 'solaan', which are used in making 'sol kadi' and certain other Goan curries. The fresh fruit is used for making sharbat and 'futti kadi'. Kokum syrup is readily available in the market, but the dried petals can also be used for making sharbat in the absence of fresh fruit.

Gulkand is a sweet preserve of rose petals and it has summer cooling properties. It is readily available at general stores and certain pharmacies.

I have prepared this sharbat by combining kokum and gulkand and the outcome is very refreshing.

Makes : 1 Glass

Ingredients:

1. Dried kokum petals - 8 to10
2. Gulkand - 2 tsp
3. Sugar - 3 tsp
4. Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp 
5. Lukewarm water - 50 ml
6. Cold water - 200 ml
7. Salt to taste
8. Ice cubes - 5 (optional)

Procedure:

• Soak kokum petals in 50 ml lukewarm water for 30 min.
• Now, discard the petals.
• Add gulkand, sugar, cumin powder and salt.
• Add water and stir well.
• Strain it in a glass and add ice cubes.
• Serve chilled.

Tip:

• You may adjust the quantity of water and sugar as per your requirement.

Masala Chaas

Masala Chaas or spiced buttermilk is a natural summer coolant and the best Indian beverage in summers.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml
Makes:  1 glass

Ingredients:

1. Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
2. Cold water - 1 cup
3. Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
4. Black salt - 1/4 tsp
5. Pepper powder - a pinch
6. Hing - a pinch
7. Pudina (mint) leaves (chopped) - 3 to 5
8. Corriander leaves (chopped) - 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Dry roast cumin seeds and powder them with a mortar and pestle.
• Combine all the ingredients in a juicer jar and blend.
• Pour in a a glass.
• Serve.

Tip:

• Green chilly and ginger can also be added to suit your taste.

Sprouts and Tofu Soup

Sprouts and tofu soup is a protein rich soup. Tofu is also called bean curd, it is prepared from soy milk and is considered to be a good source of proteins. Sprouts curries are commonly prepared, but I just thought of trying something new with these protein rich sources.

Measurement: 1 Cup = 180 ml
Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1. Sprouted green grams (moong) - 1/4 cup
2. Sprouted moth beans (matki) - 1/4 cup
3. Tofu (cubes or strips) - 1/2 cup
4. Onion (chopped) - 1 small
5. Garlic cloves (chopped) - 3 to 4
6. Ginger (grated) - 1/4 tsp
7. Soya sauce - 1 tsp
8. Tomato ketchup - 1 tsp
9. Chilly vinegar - 1 tsp
10. Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
11. Butter - 1/2 tsp
12. Oil - 1/2 tsp
13. Corn flour - 1 heaped tbsp
14. Water - 500 to 600 ml
15. Corriander leaves (chopped) - for garnishing
16. Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat a frying pan, drizzle oil and stir fry tofu, keep aside.
• Melt butter in a sauce pan and add onion, stir fry for a min.
• Add ginger and garlic, stir fry for 5 seconds.
• Add sprouted green grams and moth beans, stir fry for a min.
• Add water and bring it to boil.
• Combine corn flour with 2 tbsp water and keep aside.
• When the sprouts are half cooked, add salt and corn flour paste.
• Add soya sauce, tomato ketchup and chilly vinegar, stir well.
• Add tofu and pepper powder, simmer for a min.
• Garnish with corriander leaves. 
• Serve hot.

Tip:

• If you want it to be spicy, then add crushed green chilly along with ginger and garlic.
• The sprouts should be half cooked, do not overcook them because overcooking affects nutritional quality.