Flour Laddoos - Makai & Wheat

It is healthy & very very easy to make. It is made of Corn Flour not Corn Starch. Please do not use the corn flour which actually is the starch of the maize grain used to bind food products. Corn Flour is the powdered form of Corn.

Ingredients:

• Makai Atta (Corn Flour) - 3 cups
• Wheat Flour - 1.5 cup
• Jaggery - 250 gms
• Ghee - 2 tbsps
• Chopped Cashew Nuts - 1/3rd cup
• Chopped Almonds - 1/3rd cup
• Raisins - 1/3rd cup
• Powdered Cardamom - 1 tsp
• Ginger Powder (Saunth) - 1 tsp
• Cloves - 8 

Method:
Take a pan & pour 2 tsps ghee & fry the cashews, almonds, raisins & cloves. Take out & keep aside. Now, put the jaggery with some water & let it dissolve. Now, Add the corn flour, wheat flour & ghee & stir till the ingredients are completely mixed & becomes smooth. Add the powdered cardamom, ginger powder & the fried dryfruits & cloves. Mix well. Put off the flame. Before it cools take small quantity & make round shaped laddoos with the help of your hand. If required you can grease your hand with some ghee to help you get perfect round shapes. Cool & keep in air tight containers. It can be stored for a few days.

Note:
1. You can increase or decrease the amount of dry fruits according to your liking
2. The same can be made with only wheat flour
3. It's a quick snack

Smoked Tandoori Veggies

You think you need a tandoor for this preparation? 
NO! Keep reading :)

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower Florets - 2 cups
• Onions - 2 Medium sized
• Capsicum - 2 Medium sized
• Baby Potatoes - 10
• Cottage Cheese (Paneer) - 250 gms
• Coriander - For Garnishing
• Lemon - 1
• Salt - As per taste
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Chaat Masala - As per taste

For Marination:

• Curd - 1/2 kg
• Gramflour (Besan) - 2 tsps
• Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsps
• Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp
• Salt - As per taste
• Edible Red Color - 2 pinches

Special Ingredients:
Coal - 1 medium sized
Oil - 2 tsps

Method:
In a pressure cooker cook the baby potatoes on medium flame & put it off right after the first whistle. After the steam is out take out the baby potatoes & cool them. Peel off the skin carefully without breaking the potatoes. It should be intact. Poke holes carefully in the potatoes with the help of a fork or a toothpick. Next dice the cottage cheese. Parboil the cauliflower & takeout of the water to cool it.
Prepare the marination paste by mixing all the ingredients together. Now, put the baby potatoes & the cauliflower florets & the cottage cheese in the paste & cover them completely with the coating & leave for an hour.
Meanwhile heat a non-stick pan & add oil. When ready add the diced onions & after 2 minutes add the diced capsicum. Saute till they turn translucent. Now add the cauliflower florets & the baby potatoes with the marination. Saute for another 3 minutes. Now, add the cottage cheese. Cover & cook & continue to saute every second minute for another 10 minutes. When they are done put off the flame & turn them into a bowl & keep aside. Heat the coal on an open flame to ignite it & then transfer it into a bowl. Carefully lift the bowl with the help of tongs & place it on top of the vegetables. Be ready with a lid to cover the larger bowl containing the vegetables. Pour the oil on the coal & immediately cover it with the lid. Leave it for 5 minutes. Then take out the smaller bowl & throw the coal. This is called Smoking which helps us in getting the tandoori like taste. Garnish with coriander & serve hot with chutney. Add the lemon extract & sprinkle some chaat masala for a tang.

Note:
1. You can use ghee instead of oil when smoking
2. You can try making just a tandoori paneer, tandoori gobhi or a tandoori aaloo
3. Best to make for evening snack or as a starter

Wow Poha!

Quite a snack! A very healthy, tasty, easy & time saving snack. Once I got it to the office & all my colleagues loved it. Since then I have started bringing it for them at least once a month for breakfast. There are various variations made by Indians depending on their taste as well as the state they belong to. 

The recipe to make it the WOW way (my way) is...

Ingredients:
Poha (Beaten Rice) - 1/2 kg
Onions - 3 medium size (Thin sliced)
Tomatoes - 3 medium size (Thin sliced)
Potato - 1 medium size (Chopped)
Capsicum - 1 medium size (Chopped)
Green Peas - 1 cup
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Cashew Nuts - 1/4th cup (Chopped)
Green Chillies - 3 (chopped)
Whole Red Chillies - 2
Mustard Seeds - 2 tsps
Urad Dal - 3 tsps
Curry Leaves - 15 (Chopped)
Lemon - 1
Salt - As per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 2 tsps
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsps


Method:
Wash the poha & drain out the water. You could use a colander. Now add the lemon extract, chopped green chillies, curry leaves & some salt in it. Mix it & keep aside. It will help the poha absorb them.
Now take a pan & pour oil. When it is hot put the oeanuts & saute till it is done. Take them out & keep aside. Lower the flame & fry the cashew. Be careful as it will change color very fast. Take out & keep aside with the peanuts. Now, add mustard seeds to the oil & let it crackle. Then add the urad dal & saute. When it changes color to light brown add the whole red chillies to it & then put the chopped onions to it. When the onions turn pink & translucent add turmeric powder, red chilli powder & salt. Now, add the tomatoes & cover the pan. Let it cook till it becomes puree like. Keep checking as it might get burnt when covered. Now, add the Capsicum, Potatoes & the Green Peas. Cover & cook it is done. Keep checking & stirring the vegetables. When the vegetables are well cooked then put in all the poha & mix in the vegetables properly. Add the peanuts & cashews & mix them again. Now, cover the pan & leave for 2 minutes. Take off the cover & stir again. Check for salt & lemon. If required add & mix again. Your healthy & scrumptious breakfast is ready to be served.


Note:
1. Instead of frying you could even roast the nuts & add to your poha
2. You could add other nuts like almonds & pistas too
3. It will also taste good without vegetables
4. I sometimes make it with onions, tomatoes & nuts only & it tastes awesome!