Sev

Sev step by step instructions:

Besan (gram flour) sev is an Indian snack; found in almost every Indian home. I think we all love this crispy snack in some or other flavor.

It is very simple to prepare sev. All you need is one sev maker and a tit bit of patience.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Gram flour (besan): 1 cup
Water: 3 tbsp (lukewarm)
Carom seeds (ajwain): 1 tsp (finely ground)
Asafetida: 2 pinches
Cloves (laung): 3 (finely ground)
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Oil: 2 tbsp
Oil for frying
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Sieve gram flour in a big plate.

2. Sieve carom seeds, red chili powder, and cloves turn by turn.

3. Add salt and asafetida. Add oil.

4. Mix well. Now add water and knead into smooth dough. It will be soft. With the help of your palm knead for around 5-6 minutes.

5. Take a sev maker.

6. Wet your hands and take the entire dough and put it into the sev maker.

7. Heat oil. It should be moderately hot.
8. Now keep the sev maker above the oil and twist the maker so that the sev starts coming out of it. Try to move the maker in circular motion over the kadai so that we get rounds of sev.

9. Fry from both sides until the oil stops sizzling and the colour of the sev changes.

10. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.
11. Serve it as a tea time snack or use in any chaat, bhel etc.
12. Crispy Indian Sev is ready.

Tips:
1. Don’t keep the flame on too high otherwise the sev will burn. And on low flame the sev will absorb more oil.
2. The sev maker comes with a number of perforated plates. The thickness of the sev depends upon the type of plate you are using.
3. Kneading the flour with the palms helps in achieving crispier sev.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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Chaas Vada

Chaas Vada step by step instructions:

Chaas vada are just amazing! Generally, “dahi vada” are very popular but chaas vada is that one delicacy which is less found in restaurants’ menu.
Prepare these at home and I am sure you will love these chaas vada.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
For the vadas
Urad dal: 1 cup (washed and soaked for 4-5 hours)
Water as required
Salt as per taste

For the chaas
Curd: 1 cup
Water: 3 cups
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 8-10
Green chili: 1 (deseeded and finely chopped)
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Urad dal: 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Oil for frying

Method:
For the chaas:
1. In a pan heat oil. Add urad dal, mustard seeds, curry leaves and cumin seeds. Fry until the dal turns golden brown.

2. Take the pan off heat and add curd. Stir well.

3. Add water and salt. Whisk well.
4. Now add green chili and coriander leaves.

For the vadas:
1. Grind urad dal into a paste with the help of very little water.

2. Take out the batter on a plate. Add salt and with the help of your palms mix nicely for around 4-5 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a kadai.
4. Drop spoonful of batter in the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Make sure the flame is on medium to low only. Make all the vadas in the same manner.

5. Take out the vadas on a plate and then put them into the chaas.

6. Yummylicious chaas vadas are ready. Serve them chilled

Tips:
1. Make sure the consistency of the vada batter is perfect. If thin then the vadas will absorb oil and if thick the vadas will be hard.
2. Quantity of the vadas can be increased or decreased as per your choice.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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Baby Corn Do Pyaaza

Baby Corn Do Pyaaza step by step instructions:

“Do Pyaza”, as we all know, is double the onions. These “do pyaza” veggies turn out to be super yummy always. They are easy to make and are a perfect option for your lunch or dinner party.

You can find my “Paneer Do Pyaza” recipe here.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Baby Corn: 8-9 (slit into half, cut into big pieces, and boiled)
Onion: 2
Tomato: 3 medium
Green Chili: 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger: 1 tsp
Garlic: 1 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Bay leaf: 1
Cardamom: 1
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Asafetida: 1 pinch
Red chili powder: ½ tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves): 1 tsp
Fresh cream: 2 tbsp
Sugar: ½ tsp
Clarified Butter (Ghee): 2 tbsp
Fresh coriander: 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Finely chop 1 onion and 1 tomato.
2. Make puree from 2 tomatoes.
3. Cut 1 inch pieces of another onion.

4. In a pan heat ½ tbsp. of ghee.
5. Add the onion inch pieces.

6. Saute till they turn slight brown. Remember we have to keep them crunchy only. Take them out on a plate.
7. Now add the remaining 1-1/2 tbsp ghee to the pan. Add cumin seeds and asafetida. Let the cumin seeds fry for a few seconds.
8. Add green chili, bay leaf, cardamom and cinnamon stick. Fry till they impart fragrance.
9. Now add ginger and garlic. Fry until the raw smell has gone.

10. Add the finely chopped onions.
11. Fry till translucent.
12. Add red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and salt.

13. Mix well.
14. Now add the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree.
15. Fry until the tomatoes release the oil.

16. Now add baby corn and fried onion pieces. Mix well.

17. Add kasuri methi, sugar, and fresh cream. Mix.

18. Garnish with fresh coriander.
19. Serve hot with roti.
20. Scrumptious "Baby Corn Do Pyaaza" is ready.

Tips:
1. If required, add water to achieve the desired consistency.
2. Cloves and black peppercorns can also be added.
3. Instead of boiling the baby corn you can cook them covered in the gravy, just for a few minutes. I like the baby corn to be crunchy.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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Chatpati Alsi

Chatpati Alsi step by step instructions:

Alsi (Flax Seeds) benefits are well known to everyone. Including it in our daily life is very good for our health. There are many ways of including it in our diet: add alsi powder in dals/curries, flour, buttermilk, lassi, cakes, cookies and many more.

I generally take one spoonful of powdered Alsi along with water in the morning.

After having our meals we often eat “Mukhwas” for digestive aid and today I made a mukhwas from alsi.
Do give it a try. Its chatpata taste will definitely win your heart.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Flax seeds (Alsi): 200 gms
Cumin seeds powder: 2 tsp
Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Black Salt as per taste
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Heat a heavy bottomed pan.
2. Put the flax seeds into it.

3. Stir or toss continuously for 5 minutes.
4. Then add lemon juice, salt, black salt, black pepper powder, and cumin seeds powder.

5. Mix well. Always keep the flame on low only.
6. Cook for other 12-15 minutes while stirring/tossing continuously. Or cook until you find no moisture in the seeds.
7. Switch off the flame and take out the seeds on a big plate and let them cool down.

8. Store in an air-tight container.
9. Have it whenever you want.
10. Yummy “Chatpati Alsi” is ready!

Tips:
1. Make sure you do not burn the Alsi so always stir the seeds.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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Tutti Frutti

Tutti Frutti step by step instructions:

Tutti Frutti is everyone’s favorite and I and my husband are no exceptions ;-)

Last year, one of the cousins came home and got a packet of tutti frutti from the market along with her. I remember, in just two days, my husband finished the entire 250 gms box of tutti frutti. Since that day I had been thinking to make them at home but always something or other happened.
Two days back when I went to the market, I saw raw papaya and tutti frutti came to my mind. I immediately purchased it and the first thing which I did after reaching home was to start with the preparation of tutti frutti.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Raw papaya: 1 small (palm size)
Water for blanching the papaya: 3 cups
Red food color: 2 drops
Blue food color: 2 drops
Green food color: 2 drops
Yellow food color: 2 drops
For sugar syrup
Sugar: 2 cups
Water: 2 1/2 cups
Vanilla essence: 3-4 drops

Method:
1. Wash and wipe dry the papaya.

2. Remove the out green skin, seeds, and white part.

3. Chop the papaya into small pieces. It will yield about 2 cups.

4. Boil 3 cups of water and put the chopped papaya pieces into it.
5. Boil the pieces for 2-3 minutes. Switch off the gas and let the pieces remain in hot water for other 4-5 minutes. (This process is called blanching)

6. Drain the water and collect the papaya pieces in a sieve.
7. Meanwhile, boil sugar and water in another pan. When the boil comes add the papaya pieces.

8. Keep the flame on low only and let the papaya cook for approximately 23-25 minutes.
9. Switch off the flame and add vanilla essence. Mix well.

10. Add red, yellow and green color in the bowls. Divide equally, the papaya pieces and syrup, into the 4 bowls. Mix well.

11. Let the bowl rest for around 20 hours.
12. Take out the papaya pieces from syrup and spread on a flat sieve. Keep a plate below the sieve so that the water drains out.

13. Let these dry for a day.

14. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use whenever required like in cakes, ice-cream, cookies etc.
15. Yummy “Tutti Frutti” is ready!

Tips:
1. Make sure you use different spoons for each bowl.
2. By pressing the tutti frutti pieces you can identify whether they have dried up or not. If liquid comes out then they need to be dried more.
3. You can use any colors of your choice.
4. Always use a sieve for drying the tutti frutti.

See you soon with a new recipe till then Happy Cooking!!!

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