MOONG DAL

Lentils and beans are the source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
Lentils are very easy to cook.
Normally served as accompaniments to rice or Indian flatbreads, on a cold evening, you can enjoy it instead of soup too.

Ingredients:

1 cup green or yellow gram (moong dal)
2 tbsp vegetable/olive oil
1 large onion - finely chopped
1 green chilli -sliced
1/2 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp grated ginger (optional)
2 cloves of garlic - pounded (optional)
1 tomato - chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)
salt to taste
few slices of lemon


Method:

Wash and soak gram for 1/2 hour to a couple of hours. ( In case there is no time to soak, wash it and go ahead...it will just take a bit longer to cook)

Cook in a large pot with 3 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Then continue to cook on a low heat, covered, until softened. Add more water if necessary.

Heat oil in a small pan. Add cumin seeds . When they splutter, add onions, green chilli and turmeric.
Stir until onions soften.
Add garlic + ginger
Stir again.
Add tomatoes. Stir and then add chilli powder.
stir well , cover and let it cook for a minute or two on low heat.

Add it to the cooked dal. Mix well.

Continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Add salt to taste.

Sprinkle coriander.

Sqeeze lemon to your taste.

How to make Paneer

Paneer is readily available in Indian grocery stores.
Making paneer at home is easy and gives you the choice of using semi - skimmed milk.
Also, its much cheaper to make your own Paneer than buy off the shelf.

Ingredients:
Milk ( whole,semi-skimmed or skimmed) - 1 litre
white vinegar / lemon juice - or yoghurt  3 tbsps

Process:

In a large pot, bring the milk to a boil while stirring occasionally so it doesn't get stuck to the bottom of the pan.

When it boils, lower the heat to a minimum and add vinegar or lemon juice little by little , stirring simultaneously until milk just curdles.

Switch off the heat.

Pour into a colander lined with a kitchen towel or a muslin cloth or just any clean cotton cloth.

Wash the fresh paneer with cold water to remove residues of the vinegar or lemon.

Even out the paneer in the cloth and place weight on it (I usually use the pot I used to boil the milk filled with water)

After 15 minutes or longer , you can cut the paneer in to cubes while still in the cloth and then gently remove the pieces and place in box or on a plate.

This fresh paneer can be used to make matar-paneer, paalak-paneer,kofta , paneer parathas ,rasgullas,sandesh etc.

HUMMUS

Serves 4 portions. Great with Pita bread or as sandwich spread or with salad.
Chick peas- 1 Can ,drained and washed
Lemon juice-few tbsps (to your taste)
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley-washed and minced(optional)

3-4 garlic cloves -chopped(optional)

salt to taste

In a food processor, puree the chick peas,and rest of the ingredients.
Add little bit of water if necessary. Add salt to taste.

Transfer on a plate . Drizzle with some olive oil. Sprinkle some cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin if you like.

Chinese Aubergines(Eggplant/Brinjal)

This recipe has always turned out mouth wateringly delicious. Of course, one must enjoy aubergines in the first place!

Can be served with plain steamed rice or ginger fried rice or stir fried noodles.

Ingredients:

1 large Aubergine ( or 200 Gms. chinese eggplants) cut into cubes.
2 inch piece of ginger (minced)
8-10 cloves of garlic (minced)

Sauce:

1/2 cup Soya Sauce ( equal parts of dark and light soya sauce)

2 tablespoons coconut vinegar (or any white vinegar)

2 tablespoons rice wine (optional)

1 tablespoon sugar

Combine in a small pan ,bring to a boil and simmer for one minute.

Method:

Heat oil in a wok.

Stir fry onions,capsicum and aubergines one by one.Remove and keep aside on a plate.

Fry garlic and then ginger.

Add finely chopped green or red chillies if you desire.

Mix corn flour and water in a small bowl and pour into the wok. Simmer . Add the vegetables whilst stirring simultaneously
till it thickens.

Add the sauce and mix well.


If the sauce becomes too thick, add stir in some water.

Chick pea,Tomato,Cucumber chaat

Chick peas for protein,Tomatoes and cucumber for the goodness of veggies,yogurt for the protein and calcium.

A very satisfying meal in a jiffy.

Serves 1/2/3 depending on how hungry you are!

Ingredients:

A can of chick peas (drained,rinsed)
Tomatoes (1 or 2 washed and cut into cubes)
Cucumber (An 8 inch piece or more if you like -washed,cut into cubes)

Optional-
Onion (1 - peeled and chopped fine)
Boiled potato (1- peeled ,cut into cubes)
Chopped green coriander

1 or 2 Finely chopped green chilli

Yogurt (to your liking)

1-2 tea spoons of a good authentic Chaat Masaala.

Salt to taste


Take a large bowl.
Mix all the ingredients together.

Sit in front of the TV and indulge!

Away from Mom's kitchen!

I am working on designing my blog especially for young students at University with the least possible time to prepare a meal and a flimsy budget.

Living away from home does give our young adults the much desired freedom ,but they lose the luxury of a warm kitchen and an overstuffed refrigerator!

I believe today's students are our future. If their bodies and minds are well nourished, they will definitely achieve better academically and contribute to a brighter future.




I regularly buy fresh vegetables. If left in the fridge for few days, the leaves wilt or the freshness of the vegetable diminishes.

To maintain a healthy diet,its very important to incorporate vegetables in your meals.

Normally,we tend to shop in the supermarkets where even fresh vegetables are sold pre-packaged. So, even though I cook for two people, I end up buying more than I need for one meal.

I will try to make a list of veggies and other ingredients which freeze very well so instead of using some and trashing the rest, you can freeze them and use at a later time when needed. This way you don't have to run to the supermarket often for perishable items.

Ingredient How to freeze it

Green Chillies 
 Wash. Trim the stem off. Slit in half/cut into pieces/chop finely/mince in an electric machine
Freeze in a plastic freezer bag/any freezer safe container/aluminium foil


Coriander 
Select the leaves along with the tender bits of the greens.
Wash in a colander under running cold water.
Chop finely (or coarsely if you are in a rush)
Freezes best in an airtight plastic container.
Or in a freezer bag.


Celery
Use the leaves first in soups or pasta sauces.
Stalks are great to munch as snacks or with dips .

Separate the leaves,tender stalks and stalks.
Wash,chop and freeze separately.
Just one bunch of celery can be incorporated into several meals without having to buy again for weeks.

CORN MAKHANWALA

It was one of those evenings when my husband brought a guest along for dinner . I had to make an additional vegetable in a jiffy and it had to be 'Jain' i.e;without any root vegetables. That's how I made this for the first time and it turned out del-i-cious! Soon, it became a hit amongst the children and their friends.

Its a very easy recipe with most ingredients as 'optional'! Don't hesitate to try...it will be yummy anyways!
In my recipes, optional means if you have it ,use it, if you don't, the recipe can do without it.


INGREDIENTS:

1 can of corn / if you prefer frozen, its fine too

1/2 to 1 packet tomato puree (standard 1 packet is 500 gms.)

2 tbsp vegetable/olive oil

1 tsp cumin/jeera seeds

few fresh/frozen or dry curry leaves(limda) (optional)

1 green chilli, washed,slit lengthwise (optional)

a pinch of asafoetida (hing) powder (optional)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder


1/4 tsp red chilli powder ( less or more according to how spicy you like)


green coriander washed and chopped finely.(optional)

salt to taste

2 tablespoon cream or soya cream ( soya cream tastes the same as cream, is cholesterol free /saturated fat free)


METHOD:

1. Open the can. Rinse the corn in a colander.

2. In a pan, add the oil. on low heat, let it warm up. Add the cumin.Let it crackle or change colour.

3. Add green chilli and curry leaves

4. Add asafoetida and turmeric.

5. Add the corn and stir well

6. Add the chilly powder and coriander+cumin (dhana-jeeru) powder. mix well.

7. Add the tomato puree ( 1/2 to 1 pack depending upon how much gravy you would like)

8. Add salt and coriander leaves. Stir well.

9. Add cream and mix very well.

10. You can eat this with any indian bread , pita bread or rice.
Regular sliced bread is fine too.


VARIATIONS:



If desired , you can add some frozen peas
and/or
frozen spinach
and/or
capsicum (cut into cubes) after step 4