Tantalising Pachadis & Salads for the weight-watchers

Pineapple Slices - 1 big (850gm) can

Reserve 2 whole & cut the rest into pieces.

Soak in 1 cup pineapple syrup:

Gelatine - 3 tbsp

Sugar - ½ cup

Other ingredients:

Lemon juice - 3 tbsp

Fresh cream - 200gms

Cheese grated - 1 cup

Walnuts chopped - ½ cup

To decorate:

Lettuce leaves

Glace cherries

Warm gelatine mixture & melt it.

Add lemon juice & pineapple pieces.

Keep this in the fridge.

When semi set, remove & mix whipped fresh cream, walnuts & cheese.

Pour into a wet jelly mould & set.

To serve, unmould in a bed of crisp lettuce leaves, arrange 2 pineapple slices, walnuts & cherries decoratively around it.

Vinegar dressing

Place one rounded teaspoon of salt in a mortar with one level teaspoon of whole black peppercorns & crush them all coarsely with the pestle.Then add 2-3 peeled cloves of garlic. Add 1 tsp of mustard powder & work it in , giving it about 20 secs of circilar movements to get it thoroughly blended as this has an emulsifying effect that thickens the dressing & encourages it to coat the salad leaves more effectively. Add 1 tbsp of the vinegar & then add 5 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Switch to a small whisk & give everyhthing a really good , thorough whisk.

Alternate method:

Crush salt, pepper& garlic, put all the above ingredients in a closed bottle & shake vigorously. This preserves well & matures on keeping.

Green dressing:

Hang thick curds in a muslin cloth for 2 hrs. Mix the thick cream with a ground mixture of chopped mint, chopped coriander leaves, green chillies & salt.

Addition of fresh cream makes this rich & suitable for parties.

Honey-lemon dressing:

Mix in a blender ½ cup honey, 2 tbsp lime juice & less than ½ tsp crushed pepper.

Peanut dressing:

Blend ½ cup roasted peanuts, 1 ½ tsp each of tamarind paste & jaggery, ¼ tsp chilli powder, 3 tbsp of water & dalt. This is spicy.
Little sugar can be added to any dressing.

Exotic Dressing:
Mix 1/2 cup mosumbi juice + 2 tbsp lime juice + 1 tbsp olive oil + 1/2 tsp mustard powder + salt + freshly powdered pepper to taste + 1 tbsp honey (more by option) or 1 tbsp powdered sugar.
Mixed Salad with Gado gado dressing

Paneer (grated) - 1 cup

Oranges - 3

Ripe bananas - 3

Grapes - on small bunch

Malai or cream - ½ cup

Lime juice - 2 tsp

Salt, pepper

Skin, peel oranges & separate into small portions.

Peel & cut bananas into slices & sprinkle with 1 tsp lime juice, salt & pepper.

Wash & dry grapes.

Crumble paneer & stir into oranges.

Beat malai (or cream) lightly with a fork, season with salt, pepper & lime juice.

Take an oval dish & arrange the banana slices.

Now place orange segments all around & heap the grapes in the centre.

Pour the milk or cream sauce on top.

Serve chilled.

This is usually made with brinjal & ladies’ finger.

For both, the recipe is the same.

Vegetable cut into 1 cm pieces - 1 cup

Green chillies - 2-3 – chop fine

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)

Jaggery - marble size

Salt, haldi

To temper in 1 tbsp oil:

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Red chilli - 1

Methi (seeds or powder) - ½ tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

Deskin, finely chop tomatoes or liquidise.

Mix tamarind paste with 1 cup water, salt & haldi.

Heat oil, temper the given ingredients & lastly fry the vegetable & chopped green chillies very well.

Then add tomatoes & tamarind water.

Allow to boil to sauce consistency.

You can also thicken slightly by adding 1 tsp rice flour or multipurpose powder in a little water to the vegetable gravy & boiling again.

Add jaggery & remove.

This can be made as spicy as you want.

White Kabul Channa - ½ cup

Tomato - 1 big, chopped

Onion - 1 big, chopped

Green chillies - 3,4 chopped

Ginger - 1” chopped

Anardhana - 2 tbsp (pomegranate seeds, available in shops)

Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp

Garam masala - ½ tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Freshly grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Black salt - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt

Chopped coriander leaves, to decorate - 2 tbsp

Cook channa soft (not mushy), as usual.

Keep the channa in a big plate.

Add chopped tomato & chopped onion.

Sprinkle dhaniya powder, black salt, garam masala, anardhana (lightly fried & powdered as much as possible) & black salt.

Add salt & coconut.

Heat oil, add jeera, ginger, green chillies, chilli powder & pour on channa.

Before serving, heat the whole contents together in a kadai for 2-3 mts.

Serve, garnished with coriander leaves.

Coconut is optional, but it gives a new interesting taste to channa.

Boiled macaroni - 1 cup

Capsicum - 2

Potatoes - 2

Celery chopped - 1 tbsp

Walnuts chopped - 1 tbsp

Chop capsicum.

Boil, peel & cube potatoes.

Toss everything together with salad dressing.

Vinegar dressing suits this best.

This is a very filling salad.

Tomatoes - 2 medium - deskin & chop

Dates - 1/3 cup - deseed & chop

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2 (slit )

To temper in 1 tsp oil:

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - few

Salt, haldi

In a kadai, heat oil & temper, add chopped tomatoes, & slit green chillies & fry well.

Then add tamarind paste mixed with ½ cup of water, salt & haldi.

When it starts boiling, add dates.

Allow the mixture to boil together for a few mts & remove.

Apples - 3

Sugar - ½ cup (or to taste)

Vinegar - 2 tbsp

Salt

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

To temper:

Butter - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

Saunf - ½ tsp

Kalonji (onion seeds) - ½ tsp.

Peel, core & cut whole apple into thin wedges.

Heat butter in a kadai & temper.

When the ingredients are well fried, add apple.

Cook on a medium fire.

After the colour changes, add salt, chilli powder & sugar.

Simmer for a few mts & then add vinegar.

Mix well & remove.

If you do not like vinegar, substitute lime juice – but vinegar gives a characteristic taste.

This goes well with chappathi, puri, adai & bread.

Boiled white channa - 2 cups

Poatoes, boiled & cubed - 2 cups

Masala dressing

To decorate:

Slices of onions & tomatoes

Bright red pomegranate seeds & coriander leaves.

Masala dressing:

Mix 2 tsp jeera powder, 2 tsp chat masala & 2 tsp oil with 3-4 tsp lime juice.

Mix chana & potatoes with masala dressing.

Place in a shallow bowl.

Heap pomegranate seeds in the centre.

Surround with slices of onions & tomatoes decoratively.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

The photo follows.

White onions - 6

Green chillies - 6 (chopped)

Ginger - !/2 “ (chopped)

Curry leaves (to garnish) - few)

White vinegar - 1 tbsp

Thick coconut milk - 1 cup

Salt

Slice the onions into thin rounds.

Add salt & keep aside for ½ an hour.

To the thick coconut milk, add the drained onions & all other ingredients.

Garnish with curry leaves.

Serve with hot rice – it is very delicious !