Sabz - E - Bahaar

The other day I decided to make chapathis for dinner and I wanted to try something new for side dish. My refrigerator was stocked with vegetables and I was all the more eager to use most of them. I have a recipe book with me and thought of finding a new recipe from that. Sabz - E - Bahaar caught my attention. The name was fabulous. I realized that I had all the needed ingredients for this recipe and started out immediately. The side dish was awesome. Its too good an accompaniment for chapathis.

Ingredients:
Onions - 100 grams (2 small)
Potatoes - 100 grams (2 small)
Carrots - 75 grams (1 big)
Cauliflower - 100 grams (1/2 cup of florets)
Beans - 50 grams ( handful of beans)
Capsicum - 50 grams ( 1 small)
Tomatoes - 30 grams ( 1 small)
ginger/garlic paste - 15 grams (1 tbsp)
Coriander powder - 10 grams ( 1 tsp)
Garam Masala Powder - 10 grams ( 1 tsp)
Chilly powder - 20 grams ( 2 tsp)
Kasuri Methi - 20 grams ( 2 tbsp)
Aamchoor Powder - 5 grams ( 1 tsp)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 30 grams ( 6 tbsp)

Method:

• Chop all the vegetables into equal sized cubes.
• Heat a kadai. Pour Oil and add the onions. Fry until the onions turn translucent. 
• Add the ginger/garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off.
• Now add the chopped vegetables, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, beans, capsicum, tomatoes. Add salt. Pour 1/2 glass of water. Cover and cook until the vegetables are almost cooked. This took about 7-8 minutes.
• Now add the coriander powder, garam masala powder and chilly powder. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.
• At the end add the kasuri methi and aamchoor powder. Mix well. Switch off the stove and server after 5 minutes.

Sabz - E - Bahaar is ready!!! Serve with chapathis / Rotis / Naan / Phulka .....

Ragi Dosa

I came across this recipe in Raks Kitchen. Thought of immediately trying this. I believe this would be an apt recipe for people who are thinking of losing that extra flabs and also for people affected with diabetes since ragi (finger millet) has more fibrous content. I have seen ragi flour being given for small kids of 6-8 months. They make kanji (porridge) out of this and give it to the kids. My first attemp with ragi was ragi puttu which all of us liked. This is my second trial and it was an instant hit.



Ingredients:
Ragi flour - 75 grams (1/2 cup)
wheat flour - 35 grams (1/4 cup)
rice flour - 10 grams (2 tbsp)
Onion - 50 grams (1 no)
Green Chilly - 10 grams (3 nos)
curry leaves - few
Salt - to taste
Buttermilk - 20 grams (4 tbsp)
Oil - to grease

Method:

• Take ragi,wheat flour, chopped onions,green chilli, torn curry leaves, salt in a bowl and add enough butter milk or water to make thin batter.
• Heat dosa pan, drizzle with oil and pour as we do for rava dosa,drizzle some more oil and cook both sides in medium flame.

Serve hot with your favourite chutney! Tangy,hot or simply coconut chutney or milagai podi!

Pacha Thakkali Koottu

I got introduced to this recipe from my MIL. Since she grows tomatoes in her backyard, she gets nice green colour unripe tomatoes often. Recently when we went on a long drive, we went past acres and acres of land growing tomatoes. I loved the sight. We managed to buy a lot of tomatoes, I dunno the exact weight but I guess probably 20 kgs... So I got a mix of unripe and ripe tomatoes, fresh from the garden. And in summer tomatoes are found in abundance. Is a good time to make pickles using tomatoes.

We have a famous "thakkali thokku" in the southern region. I am planning to prepare the same with the ripen tomatoes and will post the recipe soon. So with the green unripen tomatoes I prepared this pacha thakkali koottu. Its a delicious tangy tasted koottu which goes well with rice or chapathis.



Ingredients:
Pacha thakkali - 500 grams
coconut (grated) - 150 grams
cumin - 3 grams ( 1tsp)
red chillies - 10 grams (3 nos big)
salt - to taste
turmeric powder - 1 tsp

To Temper:
Oil - 25 grams (5 tsp)
mustard - 3 grams (1 tsp)
Curry leaves - few

Method:

• Wash and chop the unripe tomatoes.
• Grind coconut, red chillies, cumin into a coarse paste.
• In a kadai, pour oil and add the mustard seeds. Once mustard splutters add the curry leaves.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, needed salt and turmeric powder. Stir well, cover and cook until the tomatoes are cooked.
• We need not add water since the tomatoes will have water.
• In about 5-7 minutes the tomatoes will get cooked. Now add the ground coconut paste.
• Stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.

Pacha thakkali Koottu is ready!!!  Serve this with rice and dal.

Linking this to celebrate summer hosted by nivedhan's