Miscellaneous not to be missed !

Paneer-Coriander Paratha - very soft and very easy to make!

Serve this with any sabji, dhal or pickle.

Wheat flour - 1 cup

Finely chopped coriander leaves - ½ cup

Grated paneer - ½ cup

Green chilli-ginger paste - 2 tsp

Salt

Oil - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Oil - to shallow fry

Heat 2 tsp oil & temper jeera.

Add coriander leaves & fry on low fire till they shrink.

Cool, add with paneer, green chilli-ginger paste, salt & wheat flour.

Add enough water to make a dough.

Rest for one hour & make parathas, the usual way.

This is good for packed lunch.

 

Pasta and Vegetable Casserole - very sumptuous, very pleasing visually as well !

For the cheese sauce:

Butter - 2 tbsp

Maida - 1 tbsp

Milk - 2 cups

Grated cheese - 4 tbsp (I used Cheddar)

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Heat the butter in a pan; add flour & saute for a minute.

Add milk, stiring continuously so that lumps do not form.

Bring to boil & add cheese, salt & pepper.

Pasta:

Cooked pasta - 2 cups

Minced garlic - 2 tsp

Salt, freshly ground pepper

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Heat oliveoil in a pan, add garlic & saute for a few secs.

Add pasta, sat, pepper & 1/4 of the cheese sauce.

Roasted vegetables:

Blanched, peeled & quartered tomatoes - 2 cups

Capsicum cubes - 1cup ( I used 3 colours)

Onion cubes - 1/2 cup

Oregano - 2 tsp

Oliveoil - 3 tsp

Salt & sugar

Combine all the ingredients in a baking tray and toss well.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 deg C for 10-15 mts, stirring once in between.

To serve:

Put the pasta in the centre of a serving plate.

Surround with roasted veetables.

Spread the remaining sauce on top of the pasta.

 

Hanumar Kovil Vadai to be used for Anjaneyar prasadam.

Wash & soak urad dhal for 30 mtes or so. Drain & grind, coarse & thick, adding minimum water and only pepper & little salt. Roll tiny balls and make very thin vadais on a small thick plastic sheet & deep fry in hot oil till noise stops. After you fry , say 3 batches, fry again the first 2 batches of removed vadais together on very low heat to get them very crisp. Repeat till all vadais become crisp. Do not forget to put a hole in the middle to string & make a garland !
For 1 cup urad dhal use 1 tsp pepper & it makes about 25 small vadais. This is an approximate measurement since you can make it as small & thin as you possibly can.

 

Strawberry Shrikant - elegant & lovely; ofcourse delicious !

This goes with puri and stuffed parathas best.

Use fresh well set curds.

Hang in a muslin cloth, preferably in the fridge, to prevent it from becoming sour.

Hung curds - 1` cup

Strawberry pulp - 1 cup

Sugar - ½ cup (or to taste)

Cardamom powder - ½ tsp

Strawberry slices - to garnish

Blend pulp, sugar, hung curds & cardamom powder.

Chill & serve garnished with strawberry segments

 

Carrot Milk Shake - try with fresh, juicy carrots.

This makes a good breakfast drink.

Grated carrots - 2 cup

Milk powder - 2 tbsp

Brown sugar - 3 tbsp

Water - 2 cups

Blend in a liquidizer very well.

Can be served without straining by preference.

 

Carrot-Coriander Juice - Colourful & healthy!

Select fresh, tender, bright coloured blemishless carrot. Peel lightly & grate.

Grated carrot - 1 cup

Water - 1 cup

Salt

Lime juice - ½ tsp

Honey or Brown sugar - optional, to taste

Crushed ice cubes

Coriander leaves - to garnish

Liquidise & serve fresh with garnishing & ice cubes.

From the roughage point of view, it is better not to strain it. But those who prefer, can strain it.

For best taste, drink it freshly made.

 

Papaya – Pineapple Smoothie - an unusual combination.

Ideal on a hot day – makes almost a mini-meal.

Papaya cubes - 2 cups

Pineapple cubes - 1 cup

Water - ½ cup

Honey - to taste

Ice cubes - few

Blend all ingredients, except ice to a puree.

Serve after adding crushed ice.

 

Black Grape-Banana Slush - a filling drink!

Black Seedless grapes - 1 cup

Ripe Banana - 1 big

Black salt - ¼ tsp

Roasted jeera powder - ½ tsp

Brown sugar or powdered sugar - 1 tbsp (optional)

Crushed ice cubes

Liquidise together & serve.

 

Apple & Tomato Cocktail - An instant “pick-me-up” drink.

Chopped tomatoes - 1 cup

Chopped apples - ½ cup

Water - 1 cup

Honey - to taste

Ice cubes

Deskin the tomatoes & chop.

Add chopped apples, honey, water & liquidize.

It is not necessary to strain.

Add crushed ice & serve.

 

Horse Gram Thogayal - Low-cholestrol recipe, please!


This goes with white rce, chappathis, as a soread for bread & as a side-dish for mulakootal.

Horse gram - ½ cup

Onions chopped - ½ cup (small onions, preferable & if available)

Red chillies - 4 (more or less to taste)

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Tamarind paste - 3 tsp


Oil - 2 tsp

Salt, curry leaves

In a dry kadai, roast horse gram till nicely browned.

Remove & keep aside.

Heat oil & fry red chillies & hing.Next add onions & curry leaves.

Saute till onions lose their raw smell.

Remove, cool & add salt.

Grind this with tamarind paste & roasted horse gram , adding water to a thogayal consistency.