Coconut/nariyal as in hindi/narkel as in bengali/naal as in konkani is a fruit/nut which is used in every Indian and typical Goan homes in some form or the other.It has a lot of medicinal benefits but today I shall not go into those details and restrict my post to coconut ladoos.These ladoos are a hot favourite in our home and they just disappear in no time.A very good alternative to sweet if you dont want to have those ready-made sweets/mithais.These are a must-have ladoos in every bengali home during Durga Puja.They are called as "narkel narus" in bengali.We love to have it in any season..:)So here goes the recipe..
Ingredients-
coconut
sugar
jaggery/gur
kalakand/sandesh(optional)
Method -
Grate the coconut.
Adjust the amount of sweet as per your preference.Typically same amount of sugar/jaggery as the amount of grated coconut.
Generally we use half sugar and half jaggery.
This is how we love it in our house.
You can use only sugar or only jaggery.
Mix the mixture of coconut,sugar and jaggery with your hand well.
You can also add some mashed sweets like kalakand or sandesh if you wish.This is optional.
Now transfer this mixture into a kadai and put it on sim flame.
Stir it continuously till a whole lump is formed.
Remember this step is really important so that you can make perfect ladoos.
Once done, remove the mixture from flame and make round ladoos.
Thats it..lovely delicious ladoos are ready to be had anytime:)
With the onset of winter who would not love to have a bowl of healthy yummy hot soup!! This soup is really simple and easy to prepare.It can be done in a very short time.In the steps below I have fried the veggies in oil, but this step can be skipped and you can directly pressure cook.I have not included any spice/chillies in the preparation so that it can be comfortably served to kids with no worries..and my fellow simply loved it :P
Ingredients-
tomato (500gm)
carrot (2medium)
onion (1big)
garlic (5-6cloves)
salt
oil
butter
black pepper powder
water
Method -
Roughly chop the onions and garlic cloves.
Chop the tomatoes and carrots in cubes.
Heat 1 table spoon oil in a non-stick pan.
Fry the onion and garlic for 2min.
Next put in the chopped tomatoes and carrots.
Add salt as per taste.
After another 5min, add sufficient water and transfer the stuff into a pressure cooker and cook till the veggies get soft.
Once done, strain the soup with the help of a strainer.
Now add the seasoning before serving.
Add salt, butter and black pepper powder.
Serve this yummy hot tomato-carrot soup with bread toast or sip it as is.. :)
This dish gives a lovely banana flavor to the typical malpuas.The preparation is simple, but frying takes time as you have to be patient to fry the malpuas one by one so that they get soft from inside and crispy from outside.The banana malpuas come out so delicious that you will worth the time spent on them.. :)
Ingredients-
banana
all purpose fluor/maida(1/4cup)
wheat fluor/atta(1/2cup)
sooji(1/2cup)
sugar(1/4cup)
salt
freshly grated coconut
milk
fennel seeds/saunf
black pepper
oil/ghee for frying
Method -
Mash a banana into a large bowl.
Add atta,maida,sooji,pinch of salt,sugar,coconut to it.
Mix well.
Then add milk to make a consistent batter.
The quantity of milk can vary, as you can add more as and when it gets soaked.
The quantity of sugar can also be adjusted.The measure given here doesn't make it too sweet.
Once the batter is ready add half table spoon saunf and 4-5 crushed black peppercorns.
You must be wondering why black pepper in this sweet dish, but believe me it tastes amazing.
Heat some oil in a kadhai. I mixed some 3-4table spoon ghee with the oil.
Pour a laddle full of batter into the oil.
Fry on medium heat on both sides till brownish.
The above quantity made around 20-22 malpuas and got vanished in a couple of days :)
This is a very simple dish which can be had as a quick snack.The beauty of it is it requires bare minimum ingredients which are almost always part of your pantry(bread and potatoes).So please go ahead and try these bread rolls at home.. :)
Ingredients-
potatoes
onion
ginger
garlic
bread
green chillies
turmeric/haldi powder
red chilli/mirchi powder
cumin/jeera powder
coriander leaves/dhaniya patta
salt
bread slices
water
oil
Method -
Boil the potatoes with skin till soft.
Peel off the skin and mash them.Add salt.
Make a paste of ginger and garlic.
Chop the onions,green chillies and coriander leaves.
Heat oil in a non stick pan.
Put in the ginger and garlic.
Fry for a while and then add chopped onions.
Let it fry for sometime.Add the chillies.
Add salt,haldi,red chilli and jeera powder.
Mix well and add freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Spread out this mixture on a plate to cool down.
Take a slice of bread.Cut off the edges.
Dip it lightly in water.
Squeeze out the water from it as much as possible.
Now take some potato mixture and place it in the center of the bread.
Fold the edges of the bread to make a roll.
Cover it as much as possible and give the shape.
Heat oil for frying.
Once the oil is hot, deep fry the roll into it.
Fry it on a medium flame on both sides till light brown.
Similarly make rolls out of other bread slices.
Crispy bread rolls are ready to serve with ketchup and salad :)
Note-If you wish to have pure veg rolls, just avoid the onion and garlic in the above process.
This chicken dish is very simple in the literal sense.There is no much hazard in the cooking process and gets done within no time actually :P It is cooked with very less oil, as the curd marination helps.So there is no much oil or masala,which in turn makes it very healthy too.Do give it a try..
Ingredients-
chicken
curd
ginger garlic paste
black pepper powder
onion
green chillies
kasturi methi leaves
salt
oil
Method -
Wash the chicken well and marinate it for 1-2 hours with the following -curd,ginger-garlic paste,salt and black pepper powder.
I generally make fresh paste of ginger-garlic,but you can use the ready made ones also.
Wash the methi leaves and soak them in water for around 15-20min.
Heat little oil in a pan.
Put in the chopped onion and chillies.
Saute for a while.
Add the marinated chicken.
Adjust salt as per taste.
Sprinkle in the methi leaves and let it cook till the chicken gets tender.
Serve hot kasturi chicken with roti/phulkas :)
This dish is generally prepared with left over idlis.Whenever I prepare idlis I make a huge batch so that the first day we have it with sambhar and the next day is masala idly.. :)This is a very quick and delicious recipe..worth giving it a try.
Ingredients-
idly
onion
tomato
green chillies
mustard seeds/sarson
curry leaves/kadi patta
sambhar masala/sambhar
water
salt
coriander leaves
oil
Method -
Heat a non-stick pan and fry the left over idlis in some ghee.
Once they turn light brown on both sides,chop them roughly into big cubes.
Chop the onion, chillies and tomato finely.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.Let them splutter.
Add the chopped onion and chillies.
Once onion gets fried add tomatoes.
Let it cook for sometime.Add salt as per taste.
Put in the fried idly pieces.
Mix well.
Add some sambar powder,sprinkle little water and cook.
You can also add left over sambhar if there is any.
Adjust the salt as per taste.
Add freshly chopped coriander leaves.
Delicious masala idly is ready to serve.
Rajma is a dish prepared with red kidney beans in a thick gravy.It is a famous delicacy from north India which is typically served with steamed rice.Kidney beans are a rich source of carbohydrate,protein and fat,hence making it very healthy among the lentils.
Ingredients-
red kidney beans/razma-200gm
onion-1big
ginger
garlic cloves
tomato-2
green chillies
garam masala-elaichi,dalchini,laung
fresh coriander leaves
salt
oil
Method -
Wash and soak the rajma in water for 10-12hours or overnight.
Chop roughly onion,ginger,garlic,chillies and tomatoes.
Puree the tomatoes to a fine paste.
Separately make a paste of the following-onions,ginger,garlic,chillies and garam masala.Add little water if required.
Heat oil in a non-stick kadhai.
Add the onion paste and fry for sometime.
After a while add the tomato paste.
Once the oil separates out,add salt as per taste and also ass haldi,chilly,dhaniya jeera powder.
Cook for another 5-7min.
Add the soaked rajma and mix well.
Finally transfer the rajma into a pressure cooker,add sufficient water and let it cook for 7-8 whistles till rajma is soft and mushy.
Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves.
Serve hot rajma masala with steamed rice or phulkas.
I am back from a hiatus..was really occupied for the last few months with various issues and could not post in my blog.Really sorry for that..:( Coming to today's recipe..Dosas are really healthy and all of us love them.But many a times we dont attempt to prepare because of the long process..the fermentation part.Actually we forget to soak the ingredients and then its no more an option to have.. :) This happens with many of us.This dosa recipe does not require fermentation and it does not have rice in it.So it is a good breakfast option for people who do not want to have carbohydrates or otherwise.There are various types of dals in it which makes it a protein rich dosa.Here you go..
Ingredients-
Arhar/tur dal(1/2 cup)
Masur dal(1/2 cup)
Moong dal(1/2 cup)
Chana dal(1/2 cup)
Urad dal(1/2 cup)
Sooji/Rava(1/4cup)
ginger
green chillies
salt
oil
Method -
Wash and soak all the dals for 7-8hours or overnight.
Next day grind tha dals with some ginger and green chillies.
Add some sooji/rava to it and salt a sper taste.
Let the mixture stand for around 15min.
Heat a non-stick pan.
Drizzle some oil on it.
Pour a laddle full of batter and make circular dosas.
Cook on medium flame till light brown.
Crispy dosas are ready to server with sambar/chutney.
We normally prepare the lucknowi style biryani at home.But always wanted to try out the hyderabi style.In this the chicken is cooked along with the rice.Hence it is also sometimes called as Kachhi biryani.This recipe is quite simple only with some preparation for the marinade.Rest you don't need to do anything,just the dum cooking does it all..:)
Ingredients -
chicken
ginger garlic paste
curd
garam masala
coriander/dhaniya powder
cumin/jeera powder
turmeric/haldi powder
red chilly/mirchi powder
salt
coriander leaves/dhaniya patta
mint leaves/pudina
oil
onion
basmati rice
Method -
Wash the chicken.
Marinate the chicken with the following for around 3-4 hours-hung curd,ginger garlic paste,garam masala powder,haldi,mirchi,dhaniya,jeera powder,dhaniya patta and pudina.
Cook the basmati rice half done with some whole garam masala(elaichi,dalchini,laung).
Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
Fry some chopped onion till brown.
Once done remove the onion and keep them aside.
Now layer the half done rice,fried onions,then the marinated chicken,again the rice and so on.
You can add whole slited green chillies in between.
On the top layer add a lemon wedge.This gives a nice tangy taste.
Cover the pan and cook it on sim for around 45min.
Cut through the layers and serve hot biryani with raita :)
My toddler loves pancakes.One morning when I served him bread for breakfast,he said he wanted pancakes.I tried to make him understand that I would prepare them some other day, but was in vain.I did not want to prepare the normal pancakes as I already had bread.So I thought of using the bread, and the pancakes made out of bread turned out so yummy that everyone just loved them and they are a hot favourite in my house now :)
Ingredients -
bread slices-2
milk-1/2cup
egg-1
water
sugar
oil/butter for frying
Method -
Cut the edges off the bread slices.
Dip them in water till soft and squeeze out the water.
whisk 1 egg in a bowl.
Add milk,the softened bread slices and sugar to it.
Adjust the sugar quantity as per your need.
Mix well.
Heat a non-stick pan.
Add few drops of oil/butter to it.
Pour one laddle full of the batter.
Cook till the pancake turns light brown and then flip and cook on the other side.
Soft pancakes are ready to serve :-)
This quantity makes 3 pancakes.
This recipe is easy as compared to the normal uttapam as in you do not need to plan the previous day and soak the ingredients.You can prepare instant yummy uttapams whenever you feel like.If you have not tried this one, please do, as this is a delicious variation :)
Ingredients -
sooji/rava - 1cup
all purpose flour/maida - 2tspn
water
salt
onion
tomato
green chillies
capsicum
coriander leaves
Method -
Soak the sooji and maida in water for about half an hour.
Chop the vegetables finely - onion,tomato, chillies and capsicum.
Add salt in the batter.
If required add more water to the batter to get the desired pouring consistency.
Heat a non-stick pan.
Drizzle few drops of oil.
Pour a laddle full of batter.Sprinkle the vegetables over it.
Let it cook on a medium flame till it gets light brown on the edges.
The cooking time is a little longer than a normal uttapam.
Serve hot rava uttapam with sambar or chutney of your choice :-)
These biscuits are made up of whole wheat flour or atta.Needless to mention that they are healthy.If you are wondering how might atta biscuits taste, let me tell you that they were just delicious and my toddler just loved them and I was satisfied and happy with the fact that he was munching on some healthy home made stuff :)
Ingredients -
wheat flour/atta - 1.5cup
all purpose flour/maida - 0.5cup
powdered sugar - 1cup
baking powder - 2tspn
ghee - 3/4th cup
milk - 2-3tbspn
Method -
Mix the atta, maida and baking powder.
Beat the sugar and ghee well.
Now put in the atta little by little into the sugar-ghee mixture.
Mix it till a dough is formed.Add some milk for kneading it.
Keep this dough aside for about 30min.
Preheat the microwave to 180deg.
Take some dough, roll it with the help of a rolling pin.
Now cut them into desired shaped cookies.
Grease the glass plate with ghee and place the cookies keeping some distance between each of them.
Set the convection option of microwave for about 10min.After 10min, turn over the cookies so that they get baked on the other side for another 10min.
Once done you will notice that the cookies get a light brown colour.
Let them cool and then store in an air-tight container.
Enjoy home made healthy cookies at tea time :-)
You might also like Nankhatais
This is a cake which contains sooji and not maida.So it is rest assured that its a healthier version of cake which you can prepare at home.Its a perfect snack or tiffin which is filling and healthy both.Don't go by the thought that how can you bake a cake without maida, please give it a try and know for yourself :-)
Ingredients -
sooji-rava (2 cups)
baking powder (1 tspn)
eggs (2)
sugar (1.5 cups)
oil (1/2 cup)
vanilla essence
Method -
Beat the eggs together.Add sugar to the eggs and mix well.Powdered sugar is preferable since it will
take less time.Or else you can blend the egg-sugar mixture.
Mix the sooji and baking powder.
Start adding oil little by little and knead the dough simultaneously.
Now add this dough to the egg-sugar mix.
Mix it well so that the batter is consistent and smooth.
Preheat the oven.
Grease a baking dish and bake it in microwave(convection option) for 40min.
Yummy rava cake is ready :)
