Yummy Mixed Veggies!!

This is one of my easiest !

I have been making this mixed vegetable for a while now.. the reason why it came into existence is because my friends sometimes just like to drop in unannounced and of course we chat and then its almost dinner time! So here is something that has a lot of veggies, is good for health and the taste buds love it! and yes! its super quick!!

I must thank all my friends who have appreciated this recipe over time and have asked me for the recipe about a million times.. it is your persuasion that has helped me put this up on the blog. Enjoy!

PS - this is also going to be part of my "ONE-PAN" Recipe series.

INGREDIENTS:

Onion - 1 medium, fine chopped (Opional)

Tomato - 1 medium, fine chopped (Optional)

Green Chilli - 1 small,chopped

Milk/ Creme- 1-2 cup, depending on how thick you want the gravy.

Bag of Mixed Veggies

Fresh Coriander - small bunch, chopped

Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 1 tsp 

Asafoetida (Hing) - a pinch

Turmeric (Haldi)- 1 tsp

Kitchen King Masala - 1.5 tsp (I use MDH brand)

Shah Jeera (Caraway Seeds) - 1 tsp (optional)

Ghee - 1 tsp (optional)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

OPTIONAL: Before you serve, add tadka with ghee and shah jeera

COOKING TIME: 20 mins

SERVING: Serves 4.

METHOD:

1. Pour oil in a pan, heat it. 

2. Add Cumin seeds, let them splutter.

3. Add Asafoetida and Turmeric powder, move the oil mix. 

4. Add Onion and fry till golden. Add tomatoes and cook till oil separates. (If you are in a real hurry, you can omit the onion and tomatoes and it will still taste great!)

5. Add the bag of veggies and cook covered till done. Make sure the heat is low to medium.

6. Add Kitchen King Masala. Mix in, cook for 3-4 mins. Add Green Chillis.

7. Add milk or if you want it thicker and richer, add creme. Mix well. Remove from fire. (You can add as much milk/creme as you want, to make gravy. I add just enough to move the masala, so mine is like a dry preparation.)

8. Add Salt to taste. Garnish with fresh coriander.

9. To Serve: Add tadka with Shah Jeera spluttered in hot Ghee.

Let me know what you think !!!

Mathra (Dried Peas Recipe) Chaat !

Mathra is a very popular North Indian "Chaat". It is made of Dried Yellow Peas. [Matar means Peas in Hindi, Mathra is made of peas.] It is a coveted item on the Menu list in Weddings and Celebrations across North India. I love it spicy and tangy, just the way it is sold by the local chaat-wala (usually street hawkers) in the bazaar!

It is eaten with a number of accompaniments or sometimes its good all by itself. This could very well be a distant cousin of Ghugni, which is a Bengali favorite (a preparation from the Eastern part of India). This is a simple recipe which is very easy to prepare, takes very little time and is always appreciated.

INGREDIENTS:

Yellow Peas - 2 cups, soaked overnight
Cloves - 3 to 4
Black Pepper - 3 to 4
Haldi (Turmeric) - 1/2 tsp
Bhoona Jeera Powder(Roasted Cumin) - 3 tsp
Chaat Masala - 4 tsp OR according to taste
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 medium, chopped finely
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped finely
Green Chilli - 1 medium,chopped finely
Ginger - 1/2 inch cube, chopped finely
Fresh Coriander Leaves - a small bunch, chopped
Water - 1 cup
Salt to Taste


COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

SERVING: Serves 6

METHOD:

1. Soak the dried peas overnight.
2. Place the soaked peas in a Pressure Cooker, add clove, turmeric and black pepper. Pressure cook the peas till they are soft.
3. Once done, remove lid and add Bhoona Jeera Powder and Chaat Masala to taste.
4. Add the lemon juice.
5. Add salt, if needed.

To Serve -
6. Add chopped Onion, Tomato, Green Chilli, Ginger and Fresh Coriander leaves as Garnish.
7. Serve with bread or puffed rice or Bhel !

TIP:
For the Jain version, avoid onion and ginger.
The Garnish items can be used all together or even singularly, as preferred.

Pineapple Tart

Hey Everyone !

I'm back !! My vacation almost turned into a sabbatical.. it was fun traveling and learning new things. I found some resting time as well... and now I am back to my experiments in the kitchen.

Beginning the New Year with something sweet.. :-)

PINEAPPLE TART

This recipe is a mix of my Mom's biscotto and my cheese cake recipes. It is a low fat version for all calorie counters. I was inspired to create something different for our Jain friends who dont eat any animal products / derivatives. Pineapple was just the thing.. nailed it !
Here goes...

INGREDIENTS:
Miniature Muffin Tray - 1

Tart Base:
All Purpose Flour - 1 cup
Sugar (powdered) - 4 tbsp
OR
Sugar Substitute (Glenda/Equate etc.)- 4 tsp
Olive Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp
Vanilla Flavoring - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch

Pineapple Filling:
Fresh Pineapple(chopped into cubes) - 1 cup
Cream Cheese Lite - 4 Oz.
Whipping Cream Lite - 4 Oz.
Sugar (powdered) - 2 tbsp
OR
Sugar Substitute (Glenda/Equate etc.)- 2 tsp
Pineapple Flavoring - 1 tsp


COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

SERVING: Serves 10 to 12

METHOD:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. For the Tart Base: Mix in the All Purpose Flour, Sugar OR Sugar Substitute and Olive Oil.
3. Add Vanilla Flavoring and Salt. Mix in well to make into dough.
4. Apply slight Olive oil or Spray the Miniature Muffin Tray with a thin coat of Oil.
5. Use the dough to make base for each cup of the Miniature Muffin Tray.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes, until slightly browned.
7. When done, remove the tray from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. When cool, remove the Tart Base from the tray. You can now put in a second batch for baking, if needed.
8. For the Filling: Mix cubed Pineapple, Cream Cheese, Whipping Cream, Sugar OR Sugar Substitute, Pineapple Flavoring and blend. (I use my hand mixer)
9. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. (Sometimes I freeze it overnight, beware coz Pineapple turns bitter too.)
10. To serve, fill up the Tart Base with the filling.
11. Top the Pineapple Tarts with fresh cut fruits - Peach, Strawberry, Raspberry, Blackberry, Grapes or even Pineapple.. whichever you like.

Enjoy !!

Don't forget to write me your feedback !

TIP:
In Step 5, to make even sized cups, I used a smaller cup to press in the dough. Makes the task so much easier and faster.

Moong Pudina Wali Bharva Shimla Mirch (Bellpeppers stuffed with Green Gram and Mint)

This is the Second in the series of stuffed bell peppers. The stuffing for this one is made of a paste of Green Gram and Mint Leaves. The mix of these flavors is very unique and a dash of lime juice at the end gives it a real spike !



This is surely a dish to inspire. Be sure to hear about it from your guests !!
The dish goes well with Pulao, Biryani and all kinds of Rotis. Adding a simple curry to the mix of dishes makes it a complete dinner extravagance! Hope you like it !

INGREDIENTS:

Green Bell Peppers - 4 medium
Moong Daal (Green Gram) - 1 cup
Fresh Mint Leaves - small bunch
Green Chilli - 1 or 2 small
Lime Juice - a dash
Ginger or Ginger Powder - 1/2 inch cube grated (optional)
Jeera Powder (Cumin Powder) - 2 tsp
Dhania Powder (Coriander Powder) - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Pam Oil Spray
Water - 1 cup
Salt to taste

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

SERVING: Serves 4 to 6

METHOD:

1. Boil the Moong Daal and keep aside. Let it cool.
2. After the daal is cooled to room temperature, make it into a paste in a blender. Please read the notes below on how to get the daal to the required consistency.
3. Cut the Bell Peppers into halves or just cut the top and scoop out the seeds and pulp from inside, as you prefer. Keep aside.
4. Make a paste of the Mint leaves, Ginger (optional) and Green Chilli in a mixer.
5. In a pot, add the Moong daal paste, cook it on flame, while adding little water to prevent it from getting burnt at the bottom.
6. Add Jeera Powder, Dhania Powder and Salt. Cook for a bit.
7. Add the Mint-Ginger-Green Chilli paste, cook till the paste blends into the daal mixture. Add Garam Masala.
8. Cook on medium to high flame to let most of the water evaporate to bring to a consistency of a thick paste. Cool the mixture. The stuffing is ready !
9. Spray and thinly coat the Green Bell Peppers with Pam Oil Spray.
10. Prepare a tray for the oven - Cover the tray with aluminium sheet, spray some Pam Oil Spray on.
11. Use the stuffing to fill the Bell Peppers. Put them on the prepped tray, ready to bake.
12. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the stuffed bell peppers for 30 to 35 mins.
13. When done, garnish the stuffed bell peppers with mint leaves or coriander leaves, as you prefer.
14. Add a dash of Lime Juice when you serve.

Serve with Curry, Rice or Roti.
Enjoy !!!

NOTES:

The Moong Daal needs to be boiled in indirect flame -  place the daal in a container and add water in the ratio of 2:1. So, for 1 cup of daal, use 2 cups of water. Place this container inside a cooker with a little water at the bottom of the cooker. Steam the Daal like you would normally do in the cooker. What comes out is daal thats cooked, but has very little water. The advantage of using indirect flame is that it prevents the dall from burning at the bottom and you get a thick consistency of daal that could be used to make the stuffing.

Masala Shimla Mirch (Bellpeppers stuffed with Spicy Mix)

I wanted to create some stuffing for bell-peppers that would be different from all the regular ones that I have tried... and after experimenting with quite a few... I finally settled on these. This will be a series of posts.. coz I dont think all the recipes will fit in one.. so watch out for more.
Hope you will like them all !



MASALA SHIMLA MIRCH

INGREDIENTS:

Green Bell Peppers - 4 medium
Tomato - 1 medium (for Garnish)
Grated fresh Coconut - 3 tbsp
Roasted Peanut Powder - 3 tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1tsp
Hing (Asafoetida) - 1/2 tsp
Haldi Powder (Turmeric) - 1 tsp
Jeera Powder (Cumin) - 1 tsp
Dhania Powder (Coriander) - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Jaggery - 1 inch cube
Chopped fresh Dhania (Cilantro) - 1/2 a bunch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste


COOKING TIME: 30 - 35 minutes

PREPARATION TIME: 5 - 7 minutes

SERVING: Serves 4

METHOD:

1. Mix the Grated fresh Coconut, Roasted Peanut Powder, Sesame Seeds, Jeera Powder, Dhania Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Garam Masala, Jaggery, Cilantro and Salt in a mixer to make paste.
2. Heat Oil in a small pan. Add Mustard Seeds, let them splutter.
3. After the spluttering stops, add Hing and Haldi. Remove from fire, Tadka made.
4. Add the tadka to the mixture. Mix well, the stuffing is ready.
5. Cut the Bell Peppers into halves or just cut the top and scoop out the seeds and pulp from inside, as you prefer. Keep aside.
6. Spray and thinly coat the Green Bell Peppers with Pam Oil Spray.
7. Prepare a tray for the oven - Cover the tray with aluminium sheet, spray some Pam Oil Spray on.
8. Use the stuffing to fill the Bell Peppers. Put them on the prepped tray, ready to bake.
9. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Bake the stuffed bell peppers for 30 to 35 mins.
10. When done, garnish the stuffed bell peppers with chopped or sliced tomatoes. This makes for an interesting blend of flavors.

Serve with Curry Vegetables, Rice or Roti.
Enjoy !!!