Semiya Upma/ Vermicelli

Ingredients:

1 Cup- Vermicelli (semiya)

1 tsp- Ghee

1 1/2 - 2 cups- water

1 tsp- mustard seeds

1tsp- channa dal

1/ 2 tsp- urud dal

4-5- curry leaves

4- finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp- chopped ginger

1- small tomato

1 cup- mixed vegetables (optional)

1/2 tsp- turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Servings- 2

Process:

1. Heat the ghee and add the vermicelli and fry them in medium heat until they turn into light brown in color and keep them aside.

2. Heat oil in another pan and crackle mustard seeds, add curry leaves, channa dal and urud dal and saute them until they turn pink. Then add ginger and chopped green chillies and sute them for a minute more. 

3. Add diced tomatoes, turmeric and salt and saute them until tomatoes turn soft. 

4. To increase the nutrition value, add some mixed veggies like french beans, peas, carrots etc and fry them until they are cooked. (This step is optional)

5. Now add water to this and allow it to boil. 

6. Once the water starts boiling, add the fried vermicelli bit by bit with your right hand and simultaneously stir the mixture with your left hand.

7. If you think the water is all gone and vermicelli is still uncooked, add more water accordingly.

8. Give it good stir until the vermicelli is cooked completely.

Serve it hot with coconut or coriander chutney.

Spicy Kadala Curry/ black chickpea curry

Ingredients:

1 cup- Black Chickpeas soaked overnight or for minimum 8 hours

1 tsp- Turmeric powder

1 1/2 tsp- Red chilli powder

2 tsp- Coriander powder

1/2 tsp- Garam masala

1 tsp- shredded ginger

4- Green chili

1 tsp- jeera

1/2 cup- shredded coconut

2 - Dried red chilli

2- medium size tomatoes

1/2 tsp- hing/ asafoetida 

1 tbsp- oil

Salt to taste

Finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnishing

Servings- 5

Process:

1. Pressure cook black chickpeas in 2 cups of water along with the first 6 ingredients, 2 green chillies and salt for 5 whistles and allow the pressure to go down on its own.

2. Meanwhile dry roast coconut and dried red chillies and blend them into a smooth paste in a mixer.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add hing and jeera, after jeera crackles, add the remaining green chillies and cut tomatoes and saute them until tomatoes turn soft and it starts leaving oil.
4. Now add the entire cooked black chickpeas and the coconut paste.
5. Add salt. cover and cook the gravy for 5-6 mins.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve it with roti, rice or any other kerala food like dosa and puttu. 

Chapati/ roti

It's unleavened flat bread made out of wheat flour called atta, an integral part of the Indian cuisine which is normally had with cooked vegetables or curries. It can also be used to make sandwich wraps. Delicious yet healthy!


Things you will require:

Chapati tawa- an iron conclave griddle of 10-12inch diameter.

Rolling pin

Tongs


Ingredients:

2.5 cups- Wheat flour

1/2 tsp- salt

1 cup- wheat flour- for dusting the dough while rolling

1cup- warm water or as required.





Pictorial                                                            

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a small well in the middle of the flour and pour the water in it bit by bit with your left hand and mix the flour and water with your right hand. Continue kneading the dough until the mixture cleans the side of the bowl and has become non sticky. Knead it into a moist and soft dough. Cover and rest the dough for 15- 20 mins.

After resting the dough, knead the dough well once again and divide in into a little bigger than golf size balls.

On a slightly dusted surface, flatten each ball of dough with your hand and dust it once again in the wheat flour and start rolling it out.

Roll out the dough with the help of  a rolling pin into a thin round patty- 5 inch in diameter. Roll it from the center and dust it once in while to avoid it sticking to the surface. Make the edges thinner than the center.

Pre-heat the chapati tawa over medium heat and flip the rolled out dough on to the tawa. When the bubbles start to appear, turn it over.

When both the sides are done, press the edges with a clean cloth to puff up the rotis.

Serve it hot either dry or topped with butter. 

Kerala Sambhar (Vegetable and lentil soup)

Ingredients:
2 cup- vegetables of your choice (brinjal, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin, okra etc)
1 cup- toor dal
1 tsp- asafoetida
1 tsp- turmeric powder
1tsp- red chilli powder
1 tsp- coriander powder
1tsp- tamarind paste/ soaked tamarind water (lemon size)
4- 5 cups- water
salt to taste

Sambhar Masala:
3tbsp- Coriander seeds
3 tsp- channa dal
1 tsp- fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
5-6 - dried red chilli
7-8- curry leaves
1/4 cup- shredded coconut

Seasoning:
2 tsp- oil
1 tsp- mustard seeds
4-5 - curry leaves

Servings: 6-8

Process:
1. Pressure cook toor dal in 3 cups of water with pinch of asafoetida (hing), turmeric and salt added to it, approx for 4-5 whistles. Let the pressure go on its own and give the boiled dal a good mix.
2. Cut the vegetables bite size and boil them them in 2-3 cups of water with turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder and salt until they get soft.
3. Meanwhile in another pan, pour a bit of oil to fry all the masala ingredients. Once oil is hot, add the ingredients one by one and sauté them for couple of mins. Add the coconut to the end and fry them until they turn brown. After its cooled down, blend them pouring enough water to make it into a fine paste.
4. Pour dal and the sambhar masala paste to the vegetables and allow it to simmer for couple of mins.
5. Add tamarind paste/ soaked tamarind water, cover and cook for another 2-3 mins and switch off the stove.
6. Separately in another pan, heat oil, splutter mustard and then add curry leaves and asafoetida (hing) .Add this seasoning to the sambhar.

Serve hot with rice and ghee.

                                                        

Soy Chunks Masala

Soy Chunks is a versatile substance made from defatted Soy flour. It's quick to cook and full of proteins and contains no fat.

 Ingredients:
1 Cup- Soya chunks (Soak it in warm water for 30 mins )
1- Large Potato
1- Medium size green pepper (Capsicum)
2- medium size tomatoes
1 tsp- red chilli powder
1 tsp- cumin powder
1/2 tsp- turmeric powder
1tsp- jeera
1/2  tsp- asafoetida (hing)
1 tbsp- Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasoori methi)
1tsp- garam masala
1/2 a cup milk or fresh cream (Vegans can use plain soy milk)
1 tbsp- oil
1 tsp- lemon juice (optional)

Servings: 4-5

Process:
1. After the soy chunks are soaked in water, squeeze out the excess water from them.
2. Cut the potatoes and pepper bite size.
3. Heat the oil, add asafoetida (hing) and jeera.
4. After jeera crackles, add the tomatoes and the spice powders- turmeric, cumin, red chilli and salt.
5. Add the potatoes after the tomatoes get thoroughly cooked in the spice powders.
6.Cover and cook the potatoes.
7. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the green peppers, cover and cook it again until the peppers turn soft.
8. Now add the dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) and garam masala.
9 Pour water according to desired consistency of the gravy and allow it to simmer for couple of mins.
10. Pour milk and cook for another 2 mins or until the gravy thickens.

Add lemon juice if required. Serve it with roti or any indian bread or rice.

Vegan Banana Muffins

They are incredibly easy to make with just handful of ingredients required and a great healthy breakfast to go.

Ingredients:

1. 3- Ripe bananas
2. 2 ½ cup- Whole wheat flour
3. 1 tsp- salt
4. 1 tsp- baking soda
5. ½ a cup-Canola oil

Servings- 10-12 Muffins

Process:

1. Blend together the sugar, thee bananas and the canola oil. (Blend them one by one if its not a powerful blender). The mixture should be smooth and nice without any lumps.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl- salt, baking soda and flour. Mix them without any lumps.
3. Now, pour the banana mixture into the dry ingredients.
4. The consistency of the mixture should not be too thick or thin.
5. 
   Now transfer them into muffin tin. Line it with paper liners.
6. Take a spoonful of the mixture into each case of the tin and fill it up.
7. Preheat the oven at 370 and keep it ready.
8. Place the muffin tin in the oven and check them after 15 – 20 mins.
9. Insert a tooth pic in the middle of couple of muffins and it should come out clean.
10. Simple and delicious muffins are ready.   
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Sabudhana Kichidi

Ingredients:

1 cup- Sabudhana

1cup- water

1tsp- turmeric powder

1 tsp- jeera

2 tbsp- Roasted and powdered peanut powder

4- slit green chillies

Servings- 3-4

Process:

1. Soak the Sabudhana overnight or for minimum 5 hours in water
2. After that, pour the excess water if any
3. Heat oil, then add the jeera.
4. After the jeera crackles, add the curry leaves, slit green chillies and saute it for 30 seconds
5. Add the soaked sabudhana and tumeric powder and fry the sabudhana until they turn pearly in texture.
6. Sprinkle water if required.
7. Add the roasted peanut powder and salt andgive it a good mix
8. Add the lemon juice.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves

Baked plantain/ vazhakai

Ingredients:

1. 3- Raw Plantain
2. 1 tsp- Red chilli powder
3. 1 tsp- salt
4. ½ a tsp- turmeric powder
5. 1 tbsp- oil

Process:

1. Slice the plantains thin after peeling the skin
2. Add turmeric, red chilli, salt and a teaspoon of oil on to the sliced plantains and coat them well with the spices.
3. Meanwhile, preheat your oven at 370 and spray oil on the baking dish.
4. Place the plantain slices on the baking dish and bake it in the oven to 20-30 mins (This time entirely depends from oven to oven) The idea is to bake the plantain slices until they are crispy yet soft.

   

   After getting baked

   A traditional way of cooking them would be deep frying the plantain slices in oil instead of baking them. Can be eaten as sacks or with yogurt and rice.

Indian Cucumber and Yogurt Curry (Vellarika Moorukootan)

Indian Cucumber

Also known as Khera, these white vegetables are crisp and tender with the aroma and taste of cucumbers. 

Ingredients:

Indian Cucumber

1- Indian Cucumber small or medium size

1tsp- Red chilli powder

½ a tsp- turmeric powder

3 cups- Water

salt to taste

½ a cup- Dried or fresh grated coconut

3- green chillies

2 tsp- jeera

2 tsp- raw rice

½ a tsp- mustard seeds

½ a cup- yogurt

For seasoning:

1 tbsp- oil

1 tsp- mustard seeds

4-5- curry leaves

Servings- 5-6

Process:

1. Cut the cucumbers into bite size after peeling the skin and removing the seeds.
2. Boil them in water with turmeric, red chilli powder and salt.
3. Meanwhile make a fine paste of coconut, jeera, green chillies, raw rice and mustard using a half a cup of water.
4. Once the cucumbers have boiled, add the paste and allow it cook for couple of mins covered.
5. Beat the yogurt in a blender for 2 seconds and add it to the cucumber.
6. Switch off the stove after a minute.
7. Heat oil in a another pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow the mustard seeds to crackle before pouring on to the gravy.

Serve hot with rice.

Ginger and Spring Onion Fried rice

Ingredients:

1 cup- long grain/ jasmine or basmati rice
½ a cup grated ginger
1 cup- cut spring onions
Vegetables (optional)- carrots, green peppers, cabbage, french beans
2 tbsp- Soy Sauce
2 tbsp- All purpose/ stir fry sauce
1 tsp- chilli sauce
1 tsp- vinegar (optional)
1tsp- black pepper powder
1 tsp- Salt
2 cups- water
4 tbsp- olive/ vegetable oil

Servings- 2-3

Process:
1.Boil rice with a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of oil.
2.Refrigerate the rice for a minimum of 5-6 hours or the best would be overnight.
3.Pour remaining amount of oil in a heavy bottomed pan and heat it until it starts leaving smoke.
4.Add ginger and saute them for about 30 seconds, Add the veggies and saute them for another 2 mins.
5.Break the refrigerated rice, fluff them up and add it to the pan.
6.Pour all the sauces, salt and pepper. Give it a good mix.
7.Fry the rice for about 3 mins.
8.Add the spring onions and mix them well.

Easy Cauliflower (Gobi) Manchurian

Ingredients:

½ a medium size cauliflower
5 tbsp- All purpose flour (Maida)
1 tbsp- powdered bread crumbs
½ tsp- black pepper powder
½ tsp- salt
Oil to deep fry
water

Sauce:
1 green pepper (Capsicum)
1 red pepper
½ a bunch spring onion
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp- Soy Sauce
2tbsp- tomato ketchup
2 tbsp- Stir fry sauce
½ a tsp- white vinegar
½ a tsp- salt
1 tsp- black pepper powder
1 cup- water
3 tbsp- oil

Servings: 4-5

Process:

Step 1: Sauce

1.Cut the peppers cube size.
2.Heat oil, add the grated ginger and saute them for a minute, add the cut peppers and cook them covered till they turn soft but crunchy.
3.Add all the sauces except vinegar.
4.Add salt, pepper and water and cook them covered for 3-4 mins.
5.Adjust water according to the consistency required.
6.Add vinegar and some chopped spring onions.

Step 2: cauliflower fry

1.Cut the cauliflower into medium size florets. Wash and pat them dry.
2.Make a paste of the all purpose flour, powdered bread crumbs,salt and pepper.
3.Add water enough to make a smooth paste.
4.Heat oil in medium flame.
5.Once oil is hot enough, dip each floret into the paste, coat it well and deep fry them in oil untl they are golden brown in color.
Step 3: Add the fried cauliflower into the sauce and coat them well with the sauce. Garnish with rest of the spring onions.

Serve it with noodles or fried rice.

Beetroot Poori/ Pink Poori's

Ingredients:
½ cup- Wheat flour (atta)
½ cup- All purpose flour (Maida)
¼ tsp- Salt
3 tbsp- Juice out of the grated beetroot
Warm water
Oil to fry

Servings- 6-7 poori's

Process:

1.Mix all the above ingredients except oil.
2.Pour sufficient warm water to knead it into a firm dough.
3. Smear a a tablespoon of oil on the dough and let it sit covered for about 30- 45 mins
4. Once again knead the dough with a bit of oil for 2-3 mins
5.Make small balls (golf ball size) and roll them out with medium thickness
6.Heat oil in Medium high flame and once the oil is hot enough, Fry the poori's to a golden brown color.

Serve the attractive pink pooris with paneer or vegetable curry.

Methi Poori

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup – All purpose flour (maida)
½ a cup- Semolina (Rava/ Sooji)
2 Tbps- Dried Methi leaves (Kasoori Methi)
½ tsp – Ajwain
¼ tsp – Salt
1 ¼ cup warm Water
Oil to deep fry

Servings: 10 poori's

Process:

1.Mix all the above ingredients except oil
2.Pour the warm water and knead it into a firm dough
3.Smear a a tablespoon of oil on the dough and let it sit covered for about 30- 45 mins
4.Once again knead the dough with a bit of oil for 2-3 mins
5.Make small balls (golf ball size) and roll them out with medium thickness
6.Heat oil in Medium high flame and once the oil is hot enough, Fry the poori's to a golden brown colour.

Place them on a tissue paper to soak out the excess oil. Serve hot with Dal or Vegetable curry.