Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup step by step instructions:

Soups are always heart-warming. A bowl of hot soup is all we require on a cold evening.
You can find zucchini in yellow and green colors. It is highly nutritious and trust me, the soup made out of it is equally tasty.
Do try my “Zucchini Pizza” recipe also.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Zucchini: 6 inch piece (peeled and chopped, I used half the Zucchini I took)
Onion: 1 medium (chopped)
Garlic: 2 cloves (chopped)
Water: 1 cup
Black Pepper powder: ½ tsp
Cumin seeds powder: ½ tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Butter or Ghee: 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Heat butter in a pressure cooker. Add cumin seeds and fry for few seconds. Add garlic and fry until the raw smell has gone.

2. Add onions and fry till translucent.
3. Add the zucchini. Add water.

4. Close the cooker lid and cook on high flame for one whistle and on low flame for two whistles. Switch off the flame. Let the pressure release by itself.
5. Open the lid and let the mixture cool.

6. Grind it and then boil it once.

7. Garnish with black pepper powder and cumin seeds powder. Serve hot.
8. Healthy “Zucchini Soup” is ready.

Tips:
1. I have taken deep yellow zucchini. You can take any colored zucchini available.
2. If required you can keep the skin of the zucchini. It gives a very minute bitter aftertaste.
3. If soup made with the skin on, the soup will be bit thicker. So adjust water quantity as required.

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

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Khaman Dhokla

Khaman Dhokla step by step instructions:

Khaman dhokla is a Gujarati delicacy. Moist and a bit sweet and tangy, it is a perfect tea time snack. Khaman is very easy to prepare; you just have to be perfect with the measurements.
You can check my “khandvi” recipe which is also a very tasty Gujarati snack.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Gram flour (Besan): 1 cup
Water: 1 cup
Semolina (Sooji): 1 ½ tbsp.
Ginger: 1 tsp (grated and crushed)
Green chili: 2 (crushed and made into a paste)
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp.
Sugar: 1 tbsp
Eno: 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

For the tempering
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds: 2 tbsp
Water: 1 tbsp
Green Chili: 1-2 (slit vertically and cut into half)
Curry leaves: 7-8

For garnishing
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
Coconut: 2 tbsp (grated)

Method:
1. In a bowl mix besan, sooji, sugar, ginger, green chili, lemon juice, and salt.

2. Add water and make a smooth paste.

3. Keep this batter for 1-2 hours. Fermentation helps in making soft and spongy khaman.
4. Prepare a steamer. Grease a plate in which khaman will be made.
5. Add eno and mix well. You will see that the batter has risen up.

(How nicely it has risen)
6. Pour this batter onto the plate.

7. Keep this plate in the steamer and cook on high flame for 8-9 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, prepare the tempering. Heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Let the seeds crackle. Add sesame seeds and fry for a few seconds. Add the green chili and curry leaves and fry for some time. Add water and bring it to a boil.

9. Insert a skewer and check if the khaman is ready or not. If not then keep for some more time.

10. Pour the tempering upon it. Keep it like this for 5-6 minutes.

11. Now make cut marks, garnish with coriander leaves and coconut. Take out on a plate.

12. Serve with ketchup, green chutney.
13. Yummy and moist “Khaman Dhokla” is ready.

Tips:
1. Make sure no lumps remain in the batter.
2. You can use half water and half curd.
3. Let the khaman cool a bit before making cuts in it.
4. If you don’t have lemon juice you can add nimbu sat also.
5. Don't overcook the khaman, else they will turn stiff.

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

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Condensed Milk Toffee

Condensed Milk Toffee step by step instructions:

Toffees and chocolates always steal the show. Since my childhood, I always liked toffees more than the chocolates. Whether it be a coffee bite, parle-g, melody, eclairs, etc. I love all of them. Hence today thought of making toffees.
Today let us see a very simple method of making toffees from condensed milk. It just takes 15 minutes and you are with the tastiest toffees ever.
These toffees are chewy. The toffees can be hard or soft depending upon the time you cook the condensed milk. If less cooked they will be soft and if over-cooked they will be hard as a rock.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Condensed Milk: ½ can (200 gm)
Butter: ½ tbsp.
Vanilla essence: few drops

Method:
1. In a non-stick pan heat butter. Keep the flame on low always.

2. Add condensed milk and stir continuously. You will observe that the condensed milk starts to become thick.

3. After 2-3 minutes add vanilla essence.

4. Cook for about 2 more minutes; overall 5-6 minutes. You can see a color change in the mixture. Switch off the flame.

5. Put the toffee mixture on a plate and give the mixture a shape while it is semi-hot.

6. I have flattened the mixture and put cut marks after few minutes.

7. Let the toffees cool and then break them on the cut marks.
8. Store them in an air-tight container and indulge whenever you feel like.

9. Delicious “Condensed Milk Toffee” is ready.

Tips:
1. Always keep the flame on low and stir continuously as condensed milk tends to get burnt very fast.
2. Prefer taking a non-stick pan to avoid wastage.
3. If you cook for more time, your toffee will be very hard and mind it you won’t be able to bite it.
4. Give whatever shape you want to the toffee while the mixture is hot enough to be handled by hands.
5. If you want to make cut marks then do it while the toffee mixture is warm.

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

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Masala Ratalu Sabji

Masala Ratalu step by step instructions:

Ratalu or yam cooked with spices tastes yum. There are many ways of having yam and for dinner or lunch, this “Masala Ratalu” curry is perfect. We can make a variety of chaats, tikki, patties, puris, and many more.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Ratalu: 1 piece (peeled and cut into small pieces)
Onion: 1 medium
Tomato: 1 medium
Ginger: 1 inch piece
Garlic: 2 cloves (peeled)
Cooking oil: 1 tbsp
Asafetida: 1 pinch
Mustard seeds: ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Curry leaves: 4-5
Red chili powder: ½ tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Water: ½ -3/4 cup
Salt as per taste

Method:
1. Grind together onion, garlic, and ginger.

2. In a pressure cooker heat oil.
3. Add asafetida and mustard seeds. Let the seeds crackle.
4. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds.
5. Add the onion paste to it. Cook until the onion changes color.

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

7. Grind tomato. Add tomato puree the above. Cook until the tomatoes release oil.

8. Add the ratalu pieces and mix well.

9. Add water and close the lid. Let the pressure cooker take one whistle on high and 2 on low flame. Let the pressure release by itself. Check the water consistency and add accordingly.
10. Garnish with coriander and serve hot with roti, paratha etc.
11. Healthy “Masala Ratalu” sabji is ready.

Tips:
1. Make sure the yam is cooked properly. If required let it cook for one-two whistles more in the pressure cooker.
2. Instead of making curry you can keep the vegetable dry also. Adjust the water quantity accordingly and yes, the spices even.

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

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Lauki Thepla

Lauki Tthepla step by step instructions:

Bottle gourd (lauki/doodhi) thepla or paratha are fast to make. There are days when I am very confused about cooking, I make lauki theplas. They taste great with curd, tomato soup, and pickle.
Do check here my onion paratha and onion stuffed bottle gourd paratha recipe.

Let us start cooking!!!

Ingredients:
Bottle gourd: 4-5 inch long piece (peeled and grated)
Multigrain Whole wheat flour: 1 cup
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: ½ tp
Asafetida: a pinch
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Ginger: small piece (grated)
Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves): 1 tsp (crushed)
Fennel seeds powder: 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Clarified butter (Ghee): 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste
Curd: as required for kneading the flour
Whole wheat flour: for dusting

Method:
1. In a big plate mix all of the ingredients except curd. Knead well.

2. If you feel that the flour is not coming together then mix curd spoon by spoon.
3. The dough should be on the stiffer side as lauki tends to lose water after some time. Hence the dough will become a bit soft after some time.

4. Let it rest for half an hour.
5. Make 6 equal balls from the dough.
6. Take one ball. Wrap it in dry flour and roll it around 3-4 inches in diameter.

7. Again dust some dry flour and roll into a big thin circle.

8. Heat griddle/tawa. It must be very hot.
9. Apply ghee on the tawa.
10. Now put the paratha on it and let it cook on low flame for 1 minute.

11. See if some brown dots have appeared, if yes, then flip the paratha.
12. Now let it cook on the other side on high flame for around 1 minute again.

(Look how beautifully it has puffed up)
13. Apply ghee on the top side and flip it and cook.
14. Similarly, apply ghee on the other side and cook.
15. Yummy lauki thepla is ready.
16. Serve hot with chutneys, curd, soup etc.

Tips:
1. Lauki tends to lose water, so make sure you have kneaded a stiff dough.
2. If the dough has become very soft add some dry flour and adjust the masalas accordingly. Or you can keep the dough in the fridge and when you want to make the theplas, take the dough out at that time.

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

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