A complete meal! A perfect combination of all nutrients contributed by the vegetables and starch from the noodles.

Chow mein is a style of preparing noodles separately and then topping them with a choice of ingredients. Here we have used carrots, capsicum and cabbage.

Though these I have made using spaghetti rather then normal noodles. You can alter it as per choice.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

For the noodles

200 gms Spaghetti

1 tsp oil

For the vegetables

1 Large onion, sliced

1 tsp ginger (adrak) sliced

1 tsp chopped celery

1 carrot, cut into thin strips

¼ cup baby corn, cut into 4, lengthwise (optional)

1 Capsicum Sliced

A handful of Cabbage shredded

2 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Chilli sauce to taste

Vinegar 1 tsp

Soy Sauce ½ tsp

Tomato Sauce (optional)

Method

For the noodles

Boil sufficient water and once starts boiling add spaghetti/noodles. And 1 tsp of oil. Boil them till they are done. Strain with cold water and keep aside.

For the vegetables

1. Heat the oil over a high flame and sauté the onions, ginger and celery for a few seconds.

2. Add the carrots, baby corn, capsicum and salt and sauté for 2 minutes till the vegetables soften. Add cabbage.

3. Add all the sauce and stir fry till vegetables are tender.

4. Carefully turn in the noodles and mix them with the vegetables, keeping in mind that the noodles do not break. Cook over a slow flame for 2 minutes and then slide them on a serving plate.

Serve immediately topped with the vegetables.

Chocolate mousse is a great dessert for entertaining guest and delight yourself. There is no fighting for extra share as every gets their individual serving and it tastes great. It was my first attempt and it came out pretty well.

Ingredients :

Gelatine 4tsp

Water 4 tbsp

Egg 4

Plain chocolate 120 gms or cocoa powder 4tbsp + water 8tbsp

Castor sugar 70-100 gms ( as per liking)

Cream whipped 300gms

Brandy optional 1tsp

Vanilla essence few drops.

Toppings

Chocolate grated and cream whipped

Method :

Soak the gelatin in 4 tbsp of water. Separate egg yolk and white. Chop the chocolate roughly, put it in a double boiler and stir over hot water until melted. Or, make a paste of cocoa powder with water and cook in double boiler till well-blended. Add the soaked gelatin.

Remove from heat and cool a little. Blend in the egg yolk and sugar. Beat until the mixture is smooth and thick.

When quite cool, fold in the whipped cream (leave a little aside for topping), brandy, vanilla essence, then stiffly beaten egg white.

Spoon into individual serving bowls/dishes and refrigerate until firm.

Serve topped with cream and grated chocolate.

Kachori or Kachauri or Kachodi is a spicy snack popular in various parts India and Pakistan. It is very tasty and deep fried snack, hence comes with lot of calories, but for a yummy snack like this, anyone  can compromise on that part and can go for a run after having these.

Ingredients :

For the dough:

All purpose flour – 1 cup

Ghee – 2 Tbsp

Salt – to taste

Water – to knead

Oil – for deep frying

For the filling:

Fresh peas or frozen ones  - 1 cup

Fennel seeds – ½ tsp

Green chilli – 1

Ginger – ½ inch piece

Red chilli powder – as per taste

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Garam masala powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – ½ tsp

Anardanna powder – ½ tbsp

Hing – a pinch

Oil – 2 tsp

Method:

For the dough :  Add salt to the flour and mix it well. Then add ghee to the flour and crumble it well so that it mixes with the flour well. Add water little by little to the flour and knead into dough. The dough should be tight and keep it closed with a damp cloth at all times and let it rest for ½ hour.

For the filling:  Boil the peas and grind peas, add roasted fennel seeds, green chilli and ginger . In a kadai heat oil and add hing to it. Now add the ground peas mixture, red chilli powder, coriander leaves, salt and cook for a 2 minutes or more till the raw smell disappears. Let it cool.

How to proceed:

Knead the dough once more. Make puri size balls of them and flatten them with your hand to make a cup.

Put around 1 to 1 ½ tsp of the filling into it and close it slowly around the edges to make into a ball again. Take the excess dough out and flatten them lightly against your palm.

Slip them slowly into the hot oil and deep fry till they float on top and the sizzling of the oil reduces. You can cook 2 kachoris at a time. Drain on an absorbent paper.

Serve hot with coriander and mint chutney/ Emli ki chutney or top them with thick fresh curd and sprinkle chat masala on top of them.

Store in an air tight container for later use.

Gajar ka halwa (Carrot Dessert) is a very delicious and popular dessert of India. Usually made in winters, I tried my hand on it before the season for carrots end.

Serving : 4 (one serving per head)

INGREDIENTS :

Carrots  – 1kg

Pure ghee – 3 tablespoons

Green cardamom powder  – 1/4 teaspoon

Sugar  – 1 cup – 1.5 Cup ( as per sweetness required)

Milk – 500 ml + 1 cup water.

Nuts – as per choice.

Khoya/mawa, grated  – 150gms.

METHOD :

Wash, Peel and grate the carrots.

Now take a heavy bottom pan/kadai and heat the ghee. Put in the grated carrots and fry them for about 5-6 mins. Add cardamom powder.

Add milk to it and let it simmer on low heat till the whole milk dries up. This should take around 20-25mins. You should stir the halwa occasionally to prevent any sticking.

Add sugar and again cook for another 6-10mins or so. Now add mawa/khoya and mix it in properly.

Add the nuts as per choice and taste.

Decorate the halwa with dry fruits or silver vark.

Enjoy eating!

Curried Meatballs are one of the most tastiest recipes i have ever made.

Ingredients

Servings: 4

Mince Meat – 400gms

Onion – 3 Finely chopped

Tomatoes – 3 (pureed)

Plain Yogurt/Dahi – 1 cup

Ginger/Garlic  paste – 1 tbsp

Garlic Cloves/ fresh ginger  - 2, chopped

Salt – as per taste

Black pepper – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder – as per taste

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1tsp

Tumeric powder – 1/2tsp

Coriander powder – 1tsp

Chilli powder – as per taste

Oil for frying and gravy.

Method :

1. In a bowl mix in the ginger/garlic paste , chili powder, salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, garam masala powder and 1 tsp of oil with the ground meat. Also add 1 finely chopped onion. Mix in the ingredients well with the meat.

2. Form the meat mixture into round balls, the recipe should yield about 15-16 balls. Cover them with a plastic wrap and chill for at least 1/2 hour to 2 hours.

3. Now heat oil in the kadai/pan, and deep fry the meatballs. (Alternate way of doing it is by cooking the meat balls in boiled water)

3. When ready to cook, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep base pan, add jeera/cumin seeds 1 tsp and garlic and ginger finely chopped. Fry for 40secs and add 2 finely chopped onions. Sauté till the onions turn brown on the edges. Add chilli powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder. Now add 1 tbsp of hot water and mix.

4. Add the tomato puree and sauté for about 5-6 min. Add the sugar. Stir to combine till its done to form a paste.

5. Remove the pan from top of the heat and stir in the yogurt/dahi. If you add the yogurt to the pan while keeping it on heat, the yogurt will break.

6. Return the pan to the heat. Add 1 cup of hot water. Let it simmer for 1min and then take the meatballs and gently place each onto the sauce.

7. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15-20mins. Stirring occasionally to avoid burning at the bottom. The final gravy will be thick and rich.

This curried meatballs can be served with boiled rice/ salad or flat Indian bread like naan, roti or parantha.

One can also try them with noodles.

Besan ke laddu are the most famous laddus made in India. Usually prepared and enjoyed on festivals and households occasions such as weddings. Kirtan, pooja etc. They are very simple to make and are delicious.

Ingredients :

Besan (Gram flour) – 2 cups

Ghee – 1 cup or 3/4 cup(as desired)

Sugar – 2 cups

Roasted Cashew nuts – 15 – 20 nos (chopped into small pieces)

Raisins – 10-15 nos (optional)

Pista (Pistachios) – 15 –20 nos (chopped into smaller pieces)

Method:

Take a heavy bottomed pan. Add besan. Stir the besan on low heat for 3 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat the ghee until it melts. Then add the melted ghee into the pan containing the besan.

On low heat, stir the mixture continuously until you get the typical aroma. This should take about 10-12 minutes.

Take the pan off the heat and allow the besan and ghee mixture to cool to room temperature.

Take the sugar in a blender and make it into powder. Then add the powdered sugar, chopped cashew nuts, pista and mix well.

Now you can take small lumps of the mixture and shape them into ladoos as shown in the pictures.

TIP : Incase, your mixture is too soft because of more ghee added to it, keep it in fridge for 10mins nd then try to make laddoo.

Bhature are served with Chole. They are easy to make just like puri’s. Try out this recipe and let me know how did you find them.

Serves: 4

Time Taken: 15-20mins for frying + time taken for to set the dough i.e 2-4 hours.

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour

7-8 tbsp yogurt

Salt to taste

1/4 cup water (warm)

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp oil

Method :

Knead a dough out of all the ingredient well to make a very soft dough and let it set for at least 2 hours, but the longer you keep, the softer bhature you get.

Make the bhatura’s at the time of serving. Make small balls from the dough and roll them into circles of any shape and size, as you like, as the dough is a bit sticky.

Deep fry them. To make sure they do not soak much oil, make sure u have let the dough set for 2 hours at least.

Serve hot with Chole.

Serves : 4

Time Taken : 30 mins for pressure cook + 25mins for preparation.

Ingredients for Pressure Cooking:

Channa Dal/Chole (Chick peas or Garbanzo Peas) Soaked 6 to 8 hrs – 2 Cups

Big Cardamom – 4

Cinnamon – 2 inch Stick

Tea water – made with 2 cups of water with 2 teaspoons of tea.

Salt to taste (half black salt+half white salt)

For the Masala :

Oil – 4 Tablespoons

Onions- 2 (chopped Finely)

Pomegranate Seed Powder – 3 teaspoons

Big Tomatoes- 2 (puree)

Ginger – 2 inch piece (Chopped finely)

Garam Masala – 1 Teaspoon

Dhania (Coriander Seed, or Cilantro Seed) Powder – 2 Teaspoons

Chole Masala Powder – 1 Teaspoon

Salt and Red Chili powder to taste

Fresh coriander or Cilantro for Garnish

Method :

Soak Channa Dal/Chole overnight for 6 to 8 hours.

Wash Channas with fresh water and add the tea water, Big Cardamoms, Cinnamon Sticks and enough water to make sure channas are covered fully. I added javitri 2 along with these ingredients to give extra flavor and aroma to the chole.

Pressure Cook to give one whistle and after the first whistle, keep on low flame for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the water out of it and retain it for cooking purpose.

Heat the oil in a kadai/pan, add the onions and sauté till transparent.

Add tomato puree, Ginger and Green Chili. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes. Add Anardana powder, Dhania powder, Chili Powder and Garam Masala. Let it get cooked till oil separates.

Now add the pressure cooked channa after removing the cardamon,cinnamon sticks etc if you don’t like to keep it.

Add the drained water of chole to it as per the desired thickness of the gravy for chole. If you wish to make it dry pindi chole, add only 3/4 cup of drained water. Mix well, add salt as per taste and Chole Masala powder (optional).

Cook for 15-20 minutes on medium heat till the liquid dries up a little.

Serve garnished with onion rings and hara dhaniya. Pindi Chole can be served with Bhature.

Click here for the recipe of Bhature.

Coriander Puri’s are snacks which one can have during Tea Time or can be given to children as finger snacks. Try this simple recipe of making coriander puris.

Ingredients for making coriander mixture:

3 cups fresh coriander leaves
9-10 long fresh green chillies
3 big size lemons (½ cup lemon juice)
1 Tbsp turmeric powder
3 Tbsp sugar
Salt to taste

Method :

Wash all the coriander leaves and cut the green chillies. Make a smooth paste by combining all the ingredients together in a mixer.

Ingredients for making puri:

2 cup wheat flour
1 cup semolina (Rava/ Suji)
6 Tbsp oil
Oil for deep fry the puri

Method:

Mix the wheat flour and suji together with 6 Tbsp of oil.

Add the mixture of coriander leaves and green chillies.

Knead slightly a stiff dough and add a little water if needed.

Also note if the dough seems to be a little wet, add wheat flour and little suji in the same portion as given. Dont forget to add the little oil as well.

Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for 5 minutes.

Knead again and divided into equal portions.

Roll into a big round shaped puri by applying a little oil on the surface so that the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.

Cut into small round shaped puri’s with help of round shaped cutter.

Make small Slits with the tip of the knife on top of the puris.

Deep fry the puri’s in the hot oil until they are golden brown on both side.

Take out on a kitchen issue paper to drain excess oil and store in a air tight box once they are cool.

Aam ki chutney or launji whatever you call it, its the same thing. Try out this yummy chutney which we can have in summers as raw mangoes have that cooling affect on our body system. It can be served during afternoon or dinner time with the main course meal.

Preparation Time : 5 mins.
Cooking Time : 10 mins.

Serves - 4.

Ingredients :

1 cup raw mango, peeled and cubed
½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
¼ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1 tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method :

Heat the oil in a pan, add the fennel seeds, nigella seeds and mango pieces and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add the coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, sugar and salt with 4 tablespoons of water. Stir and simmer till the sugar has dissolved.

Allow to cool completely and serve. Can be stored refrigerated for up to 4 days.