Beetroot Kheer

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup grated beetroot

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tbsp cardamom powder

1 tbsp ghee

5 almonds, chopped

5 cashews

5 raisins

How to Prepare:

Heat ghee in a pan and fry cashews, raisins and almonds. Now add grated beetroot and fry it for 5 minutes.

In a heavy bottomed vessel pour milk, bring to boil. Add carrot,  roasted cashews, raisins  and almonds, boil on medium flame untill carrot is cooked or untill milk is slightly thickened.

Add sugar and cardamom powder and boil it for another 5 minutes. Now let it cool for sometime. Refrigerate it for cold serving. Serve cold.

Mushrooms in Green Chilli, Mint & Coriander Sauce

Recipe Ingredients:

500 gm mushrooms

50 gm fresh coriander leaves

25 gm fresh mint leaves

25 gm green chillies

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

85 gm natural yogurt

1 onion finely chopped

4 tbsp oil

1 tbsp turmeric

salt according to taste

How to Prepare:

Place coriander, chillies,  mint, 1/2 tbsp of lime and 1 tbsp of salt in a food processor or blender and process to a smooth puree. Add little water, if necessary, to facilitate blade movement in blender. Remove and set aside.

Whisk the yogurt untill smooth and set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onions for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly untill soft.

Add ginger garlic paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add mushrooms and stir fry over a medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, untill mushrooms turn opaque. Add turmeric and salt , stir fry for further 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium and add half of the yogurt, then continue cooking over a medium heat untill the yogurt resembles a thick batter and oil is visible.

Add the pureed ingredients and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Cover the lid and allow to cook untill done. Finally add remaining yogurt and remove from the heat and serve.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice.

Tomato Dal

Recipe Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal

1 cup chopped tomato's 

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

4 green chillies finely chopped

1 tbsp turmeric powder

1/2 tbsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

10 curry leaves

2 dry red chillies, broken into two

4 tbsp oil

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Wash dal untill water runs clear and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Pressure cook toor dal, tomato's, 3/4 of the chopped onions (reserve the remaining chopped onions) turmeric, salt, red chilli powder and green chillies with 3 cups of water and cook for 40 minutes or untill 3 whistles. Mash toor dal into smooth paste with the laddel.

Heat oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat, when hot add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. As as the mustard seeds pop add dry red chillies, reserved chopped onions, chopped garlic and curry leaves. Let the seasonings sizzle untill dry red chillies have ligtly darken in colour.

Pour the contents of seasoning over the tomato dal, scraping off every bit from the saucepan. Turn off the heat and keep the saucepan covered untill you are ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Tamarind & Lemon Rice

Recipe Ingredients:

225 gm rice

450 ml water

4 tbsp sunflower oil

1/2 tbsp mustard seeds

1/2 tbsp split black gram

1/2 tbsp split golden gram

1/2 tbsp bengal gram

1/2 tbsp cashew nuts

1/2 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp turmeric powder

2 green chillies, slit into two (length wise)

2 dried red chillies

10-12 curry leaves

1 tbsp salt, or to taste

1/4 cup tamarind puree

1 juice of lime

How to Prepare:

Wash the rice in several changes of cold water untill the water runs clear. Leave to soak in fresh cold water for 20 min, then drain the water. Cook rice by adding 500 ml water for 20-30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat. When hot, but not smoking, add the mustard seeds, cumin, split black gram, split golden gram, split bengal gram, followed by the curry leaves, dried red chillies and green chillies.

Stir in the turmeric, quickly followed by adding cooked rice and salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, now add tamarind puree & lime juice. Mix well to combine. Serve immediately.

Spinach in Milk

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups chopped spinach leaves, washed

1 onion, finely chopped

4 green chillies, finely chopped

1 tbsp red chilli powder

1 cup milk

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp turmeric

2 dry red chillies, broken into two

salt (according to taste)

How to Prepare:

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds when the mustard seeds start crackling add chopped onions dry red chillies and green chillies. Cook for a minute and add salt.

Add chopped spinach leaves and cook for 2-5 minutes, mix well and cover with lid, cook untill the spinach leaves turns little soft. Add red chilli powder and milk, stir well and close the lid.

Cook for about 30 minutes or untill most of the milk is absorbed by the spinach leaves. Serve hot.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve with rice.