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Thursday, August 31, 2017

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie

Pumpkin Banana Smoothie step by step instructions:

This smoothie is filled with nutrients and hence is very healthy. Various spices added to it give the smoothie a wonderful flavor. The dry roasted oats give the smoothie a perfect texture.
I have used cow milk which can easily be replaced by almond milk or any other milk of your choice.

Do try this recipe and share your feedback!

Let us start cooking!!!


Ingredients:
Pumpkin: 125 gms (skin removed and chopped)
Banana: 1 (peeled and chopped)
Yogurt (Curd): 1/3 cup
Milk: 1 cup
Oats: 1 tbsp. (toasted and ground)
Sugar: ½ tbsp.
Cinnamon powder: 1/8 tsp
Ginger powder (saunth): 1/8 tsp
Nutmeg powder: a pinch
Cloves powder: 1/8 tsp
Vanilla essence: 2-3 drops
Salt: a pinch
Ice cream for topping, optional

Method:
1. Boil the pumpkin and let cool. Then grind it into a smooth paste.





2. Keep this puree and banana in the freezer to freeze.
3. Dry roast the oats in a pan/tawa for about five minutes. Make sure you stir it continuously so that it doesn’t burn.



4. Let it cool and then grind into fine powder.


5. Add frozen banana, pumpkin, yogurt, sugar, oats, vanilla essence, cinnamon powder, ginger powder, nutmeg powder, cloves powder, salt, and milk to a blender and blend until smooth.



6. Top with ice cream and serve immediately.
7. Healthy “Pumpkin Banana Smoothie” is ready!


Tips:
1. The smoothie will be better if the pumpkin and banana are frozen.
2. Sugar can be replaced with honey, jaggery or any other syrup.

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

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Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Cream of Pumpkin Soup step by step instructions:

Pumpkin is such a delicious veggie. There are a number of things which can be made with pumpkin.
Soup made from the pumpkin is super delicious. I simply love the taste of this soup. It is super creamy and rich in texture. You can add a dash of cinnamon to enhance its flavor.
Instead of boiling the pumpkin I prefer to sauté it in little oil. This gives a great flavor to the soup. This soup is very simple to make and with very few ingredients.

Do try this recipe and share your feedback!

Let us start cooking!!!


Ingredients:
Yellow Pumpkin: 150 gms (skin removed and chopped)
Onion: 1 medium (70 gms, peeled and chopped)
Garlic: 2-3 cloves (peeled and chopped)
Ghee: 1 tbsp
Water: 1 cup
Fresh cream: 2-3 tbsp.
Black pepper as per taste
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Heat ghee in a pan and add garlic. Fry until the raw smell has gone.



2. Add the onions and fry till translucent.



3. Add the pumpkin pieces and mix well. Add salt and black pepper. Mix well and cook until tender.






4. Let cool and then grind into a smooth paste.



5. Take the paste in a pan and add water and cream. Whisk well. Boil once.




6. Garnish with cream and coriander leaves. Serve hot.
7. Healthy “Cream of Pumpkin Soup” is ready!


Tips:
1. I did not add water while cooking the pumpkin. Boiled pumpkin gives a different taste than the one roasted.
2. Vegetable stock can be replaced with water.
3. The consistency of the soup can be kept as per one’s choice.

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

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Aloo Samosa

Aloo Samosa step by step instructions:

Samosas need no introduction, crispy outside, and super tasty filling. Enjoy these with your favorite chutneys: green, tamarind, and garlic chutneys.
They are loved by almost every person as they can be fried or baked, the filling can be savory or sweet; hence, to sum they all it can be customized as per one’s taste.
In this post, I will show you how to make basic potato samosa. To make the outer covering of the samosa crispy the dough must be properly made. If there is an excess of shortening in the dough the samosa will be very oily and if it is less, then the covering will be hard and not crisp. The dough, if soft, will also make the samosas oily.

Do try this recipe and share your feedback!

Let us start cooking!!!


Ingredients:
For the filling
Potatoes: 2 medium (225 gms)
Onion: 1 (85 gms, finely chopped)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Asafetida: 1/8 tsp
Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Fennel seeds powder: 1 tsp
Ginger: 1 tsp (grated)
Green chili: 1 (finely chopped)
Whole black peppercorn (kali-mirch): 4-5 (crushed)
Cloves (laung): 2-3 (crushed)
Red chili powder: ½ tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Salt as per taste
For the dough:
All-purpose flour (Maida): 1 cup (100 gms)
Water: ¼ cup
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Oil for frying the samosas

Method:
For the dough:
1. In a bowl take maida. Add salt and oil to it. Mix well. When you take flour in your hands and press it, the flour must be tightly packed.




2. Add water and knead into a medium stiff dough.


3. Cover and let it rest for half an hour.

For the stuffing:
4. Boil the potatoes in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles.


5. Peel the skin and then mash them.


6. In a kadai heat oil. Add asafetida, and mustard seeds. Let the seeds crackle.
7. Add cumin seeds, fennel seeds powder, ginger, green chili, black peppercorn, and cloves. Fry for a few seconds.


8. Add onions and fry till translucent.


9. Add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well.


10. Add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Switch off the flame.



11. Add lemon juice and mix well. Let it cool down completely.
12. Stuffing is ready!

Prepare the samosa:
13. Take the prepared dough and apply some oil and knead well.
14. Make small balls from the dough.
15. Take one ball and roll it into a circle of 1 mm thickness.



16. Cut into half and apply water on both the cut sides.


17. Take one part and fold as shown in the shape of a cone.




18. Fill it with the stuffing. Apply water on the edges and seal the samosa.



19. Similarly, prepare samosa from the other part too.
20. Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is moderately hot slide in the samosa. Let it fry on slow flame. Flip when it turns golden brown in color. Let fry from the other side also.




21. Take out on an absorbent paper.
22. Similarly, fry the other samosa.
23. Continue the procedure with the entire dough. The number of samosas to be fried at a time depends upon the quantity of oil taken. (I prefer taking less oil)
24. Serve hot with green chutney, tamarind chutney, etc.
25. Delicious “Aloo Samosa” is ready!


Tips:
1. Don’t make the covering of the samosa very thin or very thick.
2. Make sure the samosa is sealed well by applying water on the edges otherwise the samosa may open up while frying.
3. The dough must neither be too soft nor too stiff.
4. Don’t add an excess of oil while kneading the flour. It may result in oily samosas.
5. Don’t fry too many samosas at a time if the oil is less.

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

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Monday, August 28, 2017

Tamatar ki Kadhi

Tamatar ki Kadhi step by step instructions:

Tamatar ki kadhi or tomato kadhi is a very delicious kadhi. It is tangy in taste with full flavors of tomato infused in it. It is made very quickly.
Enjoy this kadhi with rice, roti etc.

Do try this recipe and share your feedback!

Let us start cooking!!!


Ingredients:
Tomatoes: 2 (180 gms)
Ginger: a small piece
Green chili: 1 (broken into pieces)
Curry leaves: 4-5
Water: 1 ¼ cups
Besan (gram flour): 1 ½ tbsp.
Ghee: 1 tbsp.
Asafetida: a pinch
Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Fenugreek seeds powder (methi-dana powder): ¼ tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: ¼ tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Grind together tomatoes and ginger into a smooth paste.



2. Heat ghee in a pan. Add asafetida and mustard seeds and let the seeds crackle.
3. Add cumin seeds and methi-dana powder and fry for a few seconds.
4. Add curry leaves, green chili, coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix well.


5. Add the tomato and ginger puree. Mix well.


6. In a separate bowl mix together besan and little water. Add this mixture to the tomato puree. Add the remaining water. Stir continuously until a boil comes. Then let it cook for about 10-12 minutes more on low flame.



7. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot with paratha, roti, rice, etc.
9. Tangy “Tamatar ki Kadhi” is ready!


Tips:
1. Instead of methi-dana powder, whole methi-dana seeds can also be used.
2. The consistency of the kadhi can be adjusted as per one’s choice.
3. Sometimes green chilies are too spicy. Hence use red chili powder judiciously.

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

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