A Chef's Melody

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...

What you will need Filling: 3/4 cup Moong dal,grind to a coarse powder 1 tsp fennel seeds,crushed 4 tbsp besan 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tbsp coriander-cumin powder 2 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp ginger powder( can be replaced with fresh ginger) 1 tbsp sesame seeds (optional) salt 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp oil 3 tbsp water For the outer cover 2 cup all purpose flour 3/4 cup hot water 1 tbsp ajwain /carom seeds salt 4 tbsp warm ghee Oil for deep frying What you need to do In a bowl,take the all purpose flour,ajwain,salt,and ghee.Rub all the ingredients together until you have a bread crumbs like texture. Add the hot water and make a soft dough with no cracks.Set aside for 30 mins. Heat oil in a pan and add the moong dal powder and roast until it is light golden.Now add the besan and sesame seeds and roast until aromatic,about 2 mins. Add the chili powder,fennel powder,ginger powder,coriander-cumin powder, sugar, salt, water, and lemon juice.Combine...

Kidney beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein. But this is far from all kidney beans have to offer. Kidney beans are an excellent source of the trace mineral, molybdenum, an integral component of the enzyme sulfite oxidase, which is responsible for detoxifying sulfites. Just one cup of cooked kidney beans supplies 177.0% of the daily value for molybdenum. Sulfites are a type of preservative commonly added to prepared foods like delicatessen salads and salad bars. Persons who are sensitive to sulfites in these foods may experience rapid heartbeat, headache or disorientation if sulfites are...

Ingredients For sprout sabzi 1 cup Matki (or moth beans) sprouts 1 large onion 3 large garlic cloves crushed 2 tbsp peanuts soaked for atleast 4 hrs 1 medium potato,boiled and cubed 1 large tomato 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tbsp oil salt according to taste 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro For the hot curry(also called Kat) List 1 1/4 cup grated dry coconut 2" cinnamon stick 3 cloves 4 pepper corns 1 1/4 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 6-7 dry hot red chilis List 2 1 medium onion 4 garlic cloves 1 1/2 inch ginger 2 large tomatoes 1 tbsp tamarind concentrate lime size jaggery salt 4 tbsp oil 1 tbsp cilantro Additional Ingredients while serving 2 cups farsan 1/2 cup fried poha chivda(optional) 1 medium onion chopped finely 1 lemon cilantro for garnishing 6-8 pav Method Pressure cook the sprouted matki  and...

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...

Vermicelli kheer or vermicelli pudding is also called seviya kheer in (north India) and payasam in (south India). It is a very simple to make, healthy dessert. It can be made using low fat milk. This yummy dessert is great for festival cooking and today on account of rang panchami I decided to make this. Ingredients 1 cup thin  vermicelli 4 cups milk 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup water 1/2 tsp cardamon powder 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder few strands of saffron nuts and raisin according to your liking. 1 tsp ghee Method In a pan,add a tsp ghee roast the nuts and raisin keep aside. Now add the broken vermicelli and roast until light golden brown.Keep stiring so that they don't get burned. Pour a cup of water and let the vermicelli cook until they are just soft. Add the milk,sugar,cardamon powder,nuts,raisins and cook it for 7-8 min. Alternatively you can just boil the milk with sugar,cardamon,nuts and raisin till it reduces to 3/4 th of the ...

Holi a festival of colors and fun is celebrated in almost every home in India.In a maharashtrian home it is celebrated with a sweet called puranpoli.Puranpoli has a stuffing made up of lentil and jaggery.This yummy sweet can be served with clarified butter/ flavoured milk or with a spicy curry called katachi aamti. Ingredients For dough 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 cup maida pinch of salt warm water 4-5 tbsp oil For stuffing 1 cup chana dal washed and soaked for 4-5 hrs 1 cup jaggery 1/2 tsp cardamon powder 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder Method Using all the ingredients for the dough make a soft non-sticky dough, cover with a wet kitchen towel and keep aside for 30 mins. Pressure cook the chana dal with 1 cup of water for 2 whistles.Drain the water from the dal.Set the water aside.  Pulse the dal for few secs in the blender. In a pan,add the dal and jaggery and cook on low heat until it becomes a thick mixture. Keep stirring to avoid it from sticking to the bottom...