A Chef's Melody

What do you need  2 cup Besan/Chickpea flour 1 tbsp oil 1 tbsp ginger-green chili paste 1 1/2 tsp citric acid 2 cup water 2 1/2 tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp Eno fruit salt(flavorless/plain version) For tempering 1 tbsp mustard seeds 2 spring curry leaves 2 sliced green chilies 1 tbsp white sesame seeds 6 tbsp sugar 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp asafoetida/hing 1 cup water 1/8 cup finely chopped cilantro(for garnishing) 3 tbsp lemon juice(optional) What you need to do Sift the besan into a bowl. In another bowl,add water,oil,citric acid,sugar,salt and mix well until the sugar is dissolved. Add the besan in batches and mix simultaneously with a whisk to avoid lumps. Add the ginger-green chili paste. Put water is the steamer,let it boil. Add soda and eno to the batter.Mix well and transfer to a grease 9" thali. Steam in the steamer for 15 mins on high and 10 mins on simmer. Remove the plate from the steamer.Let the dhokla cool for 5 mins. Hear a tadka pan,add oil.When the oil is hot,a...

What you will need 1 cup cold homemade curd/dahi 10 strands saffron 2 tbsp milk 2 tbsp sugar 1/8 tsp cardamom powder 1 tsp crushed pistachios and almonds What you have to do Warm the milk for 10 secs in the microwave and add the saffron strands to it.Set aside for 10 mins. In a mixer/blender jar,add all the ingredients except nuts and whip for 30 secs. Pour in a glass and garnish with nuts

What do you need 1 cup white quinoa,washed and soaked for 1 hour 1/4 cup thick poha,washed and soaked for 30 mins 2 green chilies 1 inch ginger 10 sprig cilantro 2 Persian cucumbers,washed,peeled and grated salt oil  What you need to do Drain the quinoa and grind it to a smooth paste.Add couple of tbsp of water if needed. Now add the remaining ingredients and blend to a smooth paste. Remove this batter in a bowl. Heat a skillet.When hot grease the skillet with a tbsp of oil. Add 2 dollops of batter to the skillet and spread it evenly.Cover and cook for 2 mins on medium-high heat. Remove the cover,flip and cook the other side. Serve hot  with coconut chutney. Makes:10 dosas

What do you need 1 3/4 cups self-rising flour 1 cup full fat Greek yogurt 1 tbsp butter 1 tbsp white sesame seeds 1 tbsp black poppy seeds What you need to do Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl,take the flour and yogurt and combine until this mix forms a ball. Place this dough on a lightly floured kitchen counter and knead the dough for 5 mins. Divide the dough in 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log and join the ends to form a bagel and place it on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the bagels with butter and sprinkle the seeds. Bake for 20 mins or until golden brown.Remove from the oven. Enjoy a warm bagel with cheese/butter.

What you need 2 cups All purpose flour ¼ cup sugar 4 tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 1 1/3 cup milk ½ cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips What you need to do Preheat the oven to 325 Deg F. Dust the chocolate chips with a tbsp of flour and set aside. Mix the baking soda,salt, and flour and sift this mixture. In a large bowl,add the milk,sugar,and peanut butter and mix well to form a lump free batter. Add the flour mix and fold gently.Add in the chocolate chips and gently fold once again. Scrape into a greased loaf tin and bake for 55-60 mins(1 hr). Let the cool down completely before slicing. Serving ideas: You could toast a slice with a little jam or jelly, spread with Nutella,topped with sliced bananas or add a drizzle of honey.

Ingredients 3/4 cup whole wheat flour(see note) 1/2 cup instant oats 1/4 cup butter,melted 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 tsp powdered cinnamon 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp baking powder 1-2 tbsp milk What you need to do Sift the whole wheat flour,baking soda,cinnamon and baking soda.Add the oats. In a large bowl,cream the butter and sugar. Slowly fold in the flour mixture the creamed butter. Add the milk as required so that the mixture comes together and can be rolled in ball. Take 1 tbsp of the mixture and roll it between your palms to make a ball and slightly flatten it. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 deg F for 18-20 mins. Let it cool for atleast 15 mins before you handle it for either serving or storing. Note: I have used Indian atta to make these cookies. Cooking time will vary as per the thickness of the cookies. Variation: Add chocolate chips  to the cookies to make them instant hit among k...

Ingredients 5 slices of white sandwich bread 2 large eggs,at room temperature 1 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tsp chilli powder 1 tbsp cilantro,finely chopped 1/4 tsp garam masala 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 3-4 tbsp of oil salt to taste What you need to do  Cut each bread in 4 equal squares. In a bowl,lightly beat the eggs.Add the ginger-garlic paste,turmeric,cilantro,garam masala,salt and mix well. Heat a skillet,brush it with a tbsp of oil. Dip each bread square in the egg batter one at a time so that it is coated well from all sides with the egg batter and place it on the skillet.Do not overcrowd the pan.Place the squares 1 inch apart. Let it cook on one side for 2 mins.Then flip it and cook the other side for another 2 mins.Cook on medium low heat.Use oil as necessary. Serve hot with ketchup. Variation Add finely chopped onion to the egg batter. Substitute chilli powder with green chilli paste.

Ingredients 1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat flour ( I used Indian Atta ) 1 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp cardamom powder 1/4 tsp ground clove 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup oil 1 1/4 cup pureed pumpkin( Homemade works best ) 2 tbsp flax seeds 2 large eggs( at room temperature ) For eggless version refer note. What you need to do Position the baking rack at the center and preheat the oven to 350 deg F.Grease a loaf pan. Sift wheat flour,baking soda,salt,nutmeg powder,cinnamon powder,cardamom powder and ground clove in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl,combine oil and sugar and using hand mixer mix it for a minute. Add an egg at a time and beat the mixture for another minute. Pour in the pumpkin puree and ginger and mix well. Fold in the dry ingredients until incorporated. Drop the batter in the loaf pan and sprinkle the top with flax seeds. Pat the pan couple of times on the counter to remove ...

Ingredients 1 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour/Atta 1/2 cup+1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 medium carrots,grated 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/4 tsp cinnamon(optional) 1/4 cup oil 3/4 cup plain yogurt 1/4 cup milk 1/8 tsp salt 2 tbsp chopped walnuts,coated lightly with 1/2 tsp of plain flour/maida What you need to do Preheat the oven to 350 deg F and line the muffin pan with cupcake liners. Dry mix -Sift the wheat flour,baking powder,baking soda,salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl,add yogurt,milk,sugar,vanilla and oil and mix until smooth. Slowly incorporate the dry mix to form a lump-free batter. Gently fold in the carrots. Spoon the batter in the liners until 3/4th full. Garnish each muffin with some walnuts. Pat the muffin tray couple of times to release air bubbles,if any. Bake for 20 mins. Switch off the oven and let it stand for another 2 mins. Remove and cool on the wire rack. Stays good in a air tight container at room temperature for ...

Ingredients: For batter: 3/4 cup Chora dal 1 Tbsp Besan/Chickpea flour 1 tbsp oil 1 green chilies 1 tsp  ginger-garlic paste 1/2 tsp tumeric powder 1 tsp eno fruit salt 1 tsp lemon juice salt to taste For tempering: a pinch of hing 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp white sesame seeds 1 green chili,finely chopped 5-6 fresh curry leaves 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1/8 tsp salt 1 tsp finely chopped cilantro What you need to do Soak the chora dal for 3-4 hours and grind it to a smooth batter along with green chili using not more than 1/4 cup of water. Add besan,ginger-garlic paste,turmeric,oil and salt.Mix well to avoid lumps. Grease a 7-8 inch deep thali/cake tin and get the streamer ready by setting it on fire with enough water. Mix lemon juice and eno fruit salt and add this bubbling mixture to the batter.Mix and pour this batter in the thali/cake tin and immediately set it to steam for 12-15 mins or until the toothpick comes out clean when inserted at the cent...

Ingredients 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour 1 TBSP Cocoa powder 4 overripe bananas,mashed 1/3 C white sugar 1/3 cup oil 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/8 cup raisins 1/4 cup walnuts,chopped 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 1/8 tsp all spice(optional) 1 TBSP rolled oats 2 TBSP Flax seeds What you need to do Grease a loaf pan (9"X 5") and set the oven to preheat at 350 deg F. In a mixing bowl,add the mashed bananas,sugar,oil,vanilla extract and all spice.Combine well. Sift all the dry ingredients-Wheat flour,cocoa,baking soda and baking powder. In a bowl combine raisins,walnuts and 1 tsbp flax seeds.Add 1 tbsp of the dry ingredients to this all combine well.This will prevent the raisins and walnuts from sinking in the cake. Add the dry ingredients in batches into the banana mixture.Fold gently. Once done,add the raisin-walnut mix and give it a gentle fold. Pour this batter in the loaf pan and give it a gentle tap to release all the air bubbles in the ...

A great way to serve couscous to your kids.Quick and easy one pot dish.Ready to be served under 15 mins. Ingredients 2/3 C Couscous 2 tbsp white/brown sugar (or adjust to taste) 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp vanilla 2 tbsp silvered almonds 1 tsp unsalted butter/clarified butter 1/8 C  mixture of nuts and dry fruits of your choice.(optional) 1 1/8 C Water What you need to do Place the water,sugar and cinnamon in a saucepan and bring it to boil.If you would like to add nuts and dry fruits,add them to the water before it come to a boil. Drop in the couscous and butter. Mix well and remove the saucepan off the heat. Cover and let it rest for 5-10 minutes so that all the water get absorbed by the couscous. Lightly fluff it with a fork.Garnish with almonds and serve. Variation: Replace water with orange juice and cinnamon with orange zest for a yummy orange flavored c...

Ingredients 1 cup yellow moong dal 1 inch ginger 2 green chillis (adjust as per your taste) 3 tbsp curd/plain yogurt -preferrably sour 1 tbsp sugar 1/4 tsp turmeric salt to taste 1 1/2 tsp eno fruit sat For tempering: 1 tbsp mustard seeds 1 tbsp sesame seeds 1/8 tsp hing 7-8 curry leaves 1 green chilli,finely chopped 1 tbsp oil 2 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro for ganishing What you need to do: Soak the dal in 4 cups for water for 4-5 hours. Drain and grind in along with the ginger,chillis and curd to a smooth batter ans set aside for 5-6 hours, preferably over night to ferment. Pour water in the steamer ,close the lid and let the water come to a rolling boil. Grease an 8 inch deep plate/thali with a tsp of oil. Add turmeric,salt and sugar to the batter and mix. When the steamer is ready ,add a mixture of 1 tbsp of water and eno to the batter and mix gently. Pour the batter in the thali. Place a wired rack or inverted plate at the...

Our family is vegetarian so we have very few option to explore.My husband's current project is in Dallas and a Mediterranean  lunch buffet place called "Galilee Grill" in downtown dallas attracts him a lot. This place has a wonderful buffet under $10 and you will be amazed to see how crowed it is during the weekdays lunch hours.I too love middle eastern food as it is quite spicy. As my DH and son are a fan of falafel there are times when I cooked it very often.Just to make it  healthy I  add either mix vegetables or spinach or soya chunks to these and believe me the addition of these ingredients made them more tasty. Originally falafel was made of fava beans but later as it migrated outside Egypt fava beans were replaced  by chickpeas.Falafel grew to become a common form of street food or fast food in the Middle East. During Ramadan, falafel balls are sometimes eaten as part of the iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast after sunset Falafel became s...

Ingredients For idli 2 cups sona masoori rice 1 cup urad gota 1/8 tsp methi seeds 3/4 cup thick poha For Sambhar 1 cup toovar dal soaked for an hour in 3 cups of water 1 red onion finely chopped/7-8 pearl onions 2 medium tomatoes veggies of your choice: I used french beans,carrots,pumpkin cubed 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp chilli powder 2 tbsp sambhar powder ,recipe here salt 1 tsp oil a small ball of jaggery fistful cilantro finely chopped For tempering : 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds pinch of hing 10 curry leaves 1 red chili slit 1/4 tsp methi seeds 1 1/2 cups chilled water(optional-helps if you are using a blender to make the batter) Method For idlis Wash and soak rice,urad gota,and methi seeds together in 6 cups of water for 6-7 hrs or overnight. Wash the poha well and add them to the soaked rice, dal mixture 30 mins before grinding. Grind the ingredients in batches with en...

I had half pineapple sitting in my fridge for couple of days and I wanted to use in up before my fridge cleaning schedule.I couldn't think of any recipe to add it to except  navratan korma and pineapple sheera .So I made both this week and it was the first time I made a pineapple sheera and my son loved it. Ingredients !/2 cup fresh pineapple chopped into small cubes 1/2 cup sooji 1 tbsp ghee 1/4 cup sugar (you can add more according to your taste) 1/2 tsp cardamon powder nuts and raisins according your liking Few strands of saffron 1 cup water 1 tbsp warm milk Method Boil the pineapple pieces in 1 cup water until they are soft. In a pan, add ghee roast the nuts and raisins.Keep aside. In the same pan, add sooji and roast until light golden brown, Remove the tender pineapple pieces from the boiling water and add the water to the sooji .Stir well. Sooji will absorb water and thicken.Mash half of the boiled pineapple pieces.Now add su...

US is one of the top producers of strawberries.One cup (144 g) of strawberries constitutes approximately 45 calories (188 kJ) and is an excellent source of Vitamin C and flavonoids. Great breakfast and kid's favorite. Ingredients 6 large strawberries cut lengthwise 1 1/4 cups cold milk 6 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp light cream/plain yogurt (optional) Method Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend for 20 seconds, or until smooth. Serve immediately.Make 2 servings. Note:The addition of cream/yogurt will add thickness to the milkshake. You could add a ripe banana to this recipe to make strawberry banana milkshake.

What you need 1 ¼ cup Whole wheat flour /Atta ½ cup melted clarified butter / ghee 1/2 cup sugar ½ tsp cardamom soda 1 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1/2 tsp oil Almonds/pistachios/cashew nuts for garnishing Method Preheat the oven to 350 deg F.Grease a cookie sheet lightly with oil. Sift the atta,salt, and baking soda together. Cream the ghee,sugar and cardamom powder.Add sifted mixture little by little to form a soft dough ball(you will need to knead it for a while to make a dough). Make small balls of the dough and lightly press them between your palms.Place these cookies on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Garnish them with nuts and bake them in the preheated oven for 20-22 mins or until they are light golden brown.

Sago is a starch extracted from the pith of sago palm stems.Sago flour is nearly pure carbohydrate and has very little protein, vitamins, or minerals. However, as sago palms are typically found in areas unsuited for other forms of agriculture, sago cultivation is often the most ecologically appropriate form of land-use, and the nutritional deficiencies of the food can often be compensated for with other readily available foods. In Indonesia and Malaysia, sago is used in making noodles and white bread. Globally, its principal use is in the form of pearls. Pearl sago, a commercial product, closely resembles pearl tapioca Both typically are small (about 2 mm diameter) dry, opaque balls. Both may be white (if very pure) or colored naturally grey, brown or black, or artificially pink, yellow, green, etc. When soaked and cooked, both become much larger, translucent, soft and spongy. Both are widely used in South Asian cuisine, in a variety of dishes. In India, pearl sago is called sabud...