Beetroot Sabzi

Beets seem to be one of those vegetables you either love or hate. Earlier I belonged to latter group and hence always preferred staying as far as possible from it till the time my mom came up with this amazing Beetroot Sabzi. Since then, beet has been a regular dish at home.

The rich maroon flesh of beetroot is naturally sweet and nutritious. Not only does it clean the kidneys and gall bladder but is also extremely useful in the treatment of anaemia.

If you stay away from beetroot mainly because of the mess it would create while cooking then try adding 1/4 tsp sugar while cooking and the colour will spread less.

Ingredients:

Beetroot - 1 cup diced or grated (I personally prefer grated, since you can cook it directly unliked diced which u need to pre cook)

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp

Curry Leaves 5-6

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Hing (Asafoetida) - a pinch

Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Coconut - 1/2 cup grated (frozen or fresh)

Oil for cooking

Salt to taste

Method:

- Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and urad dal.

- Add in the beets and saute well. Add salt and other masalas and let the beet cook well. In case the beets have been pre cooked then all you need to do is saute well.

- Garnish with coconut and serve with rice or rotis.

Kothimbir Wadi

Kothimbir Wadi is a typical Maharashtrian starter snack. The main ingredients being ... well you guessed it "Kothimbir (Cilantro)". All my maharashtrian friends swear by it and whenever i make it I remember my friends mom's words "Khaoon tar paha" which means atleast try it ...

Ingredients:

Cilantro - 5 bunches

Besan (Chickpea Flour) - 1 1/2 cup

Semolina - 1/2 cup

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 1/2 tsp or less depending on your spice level (You can also use green chillie paste)

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Hing - a pinch

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method:

- Mix together all the ingredients and make a dough by adding little water at a time. (Too much water will turn the dough soggy)

- Divide the dough in 2 - 3 parts and make elongated logs. You can also spread the entire dough on a greased pan (not more than 2" thick).

- Steam the dough like you would steam idlis. Usually it takes 5- 10 mins to steam well. You can also pressure cook the dough like you cook dal/rice.

- Let the dough cool for sometime. Once it cools completely cut it into slices and then you can deep fry or shallow fry the Wadis. (I usually freeze the slices of dough ina ziplock and fry them only when i need)

- Garnish with cilantro and coconut and serve with chutney.

Tip: You can replace the corriander with methi leaves or shredded cabbage. All the wadis taste equally divine.

Instant Lemon Pickle

Usually preparing pickles is to mix all the ingredients and keeping it in the sun for 15 days in the jar and shaking it daily. Well being a big pickle fan but a lazy girl, the minute I came acroos this recipe of Instant Lemon Pickle on a website i tried it and trust me it tastes delicious. Surely worth trying.

Ingredients:

Lemon - 1 Big sized

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tspn

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt

Hing

Method:

- Dice the lemon and pressure cook (without adding water) for just few minutes. Set aside in a mixing bowl.

- When it cools completely, mix in the Salt, Red chilli powder and Hing. Mix well.

- Heat Oil and spatter the Mustard seeds. Pour this over the pickle and mix well. .

- Instant lemon pickle is ready. Serve with curd rice or rotis. Store in air tight glass container and refrigerate.

Courtesy: www.paajaka.com

Dry Egg Masala

This is one of mom’s egg preparations that I love. I know the tastes of mom’s dishes are so very special. I try to get as close there but there's always nothing to match the love and affection that goes into a mom's cooking.

Dry Egg Masala is a very simple dish you can pull off with just a few ingredients (Yeah the best part of this dish is you don’t need to plan it ahead)

Ingredients:

Eggs 3

Onions 4-5 medium sized

Chilli powder - 1 tsp or depending on your spice level

Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp

Corriander Powder – 1 tsp

Tomatoes – 1-2 medium sized

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp

Curry leaves - a handful

Cooking oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Method:

- Boil the eggs, de-shell and keep aside.

- Take oil in a pan. Add the onions and saute till golden brown

- Now add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute well.

- Add in the tomatoes and sauté well. Add the boiled eggs and cook for 5 minutes or till the gravy thickens, rather almost dry.

- Add in some fresh curry leaves and serve with rice or rotis.

Mushroom Matar Masala

Mushrooms are supposedly the only fruit or vegetable with natural vitamin D. Researchs suggest that mushrooms or substances in mushrooms actually aid the immune system.

Since I learnt all this, Mushroom has been an integral part of my cooking. Mushrooms complement almost any everyday meal. They are easy to sauté and add savory flavor, texture, appetite appeal and nutrients to just about anything. I like it in my omlettes, salad, soups and the most favorite being the spicy Mushroom Matar Masala.

Ingredients:

Mushroom - 200gms

Green Peas - 1 cup (frozen or fresh)

Onions - 1 medium sized

Tomatoes - 1 medium sized (you can also use tomato paste)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbsp

1 tbsp - Chilli powder or less depending on your spice level

1 tbsp - Coriander powder

1 tsp - Turmeric

1 tsp - Garam masala powder

1/2 cup - Cashewnut paste

Oil for cooking

Salt To Taste

Cilatro for garnishing

Method:

- Clean, wash and cut the mushrooms into medium pieces. and chop onions finely.Saute the mushroom slices till they turn light brown in a greased pan and keep aside.

- Heat oil in pan. Saute onions till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and cook for 1/2 a minute.

- Add tomatoes and cook till oil leaves the sides.

- Add chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala, salt and cook for 2 minutes. (I have also tried adding 1 tbsp chicken masala and it sure does taste great)

- Lastly dissolve the cashewnut paste in one cup of water and mix well and add it to the pan and bring it to boil. Add water as per the required consistency.

- Now add the green peas and mushrooms and cook till the peas are fully cooked. I usually add the peas first, in case they are frozen and then the mushrooms.

- Garnish with cilantro and serve the mushroom matar masala with rice or rotis.

Tip: You can also add 3 tbsp yoghurt to make the gravy more rich and thick.