Strawberry lassi

My wife buys strawberries in large amount in winters and stored them in the freezer. With these strawberries she made strawberry lassi in summer, which is very easy to make.

Ingredients

2 Cup Curd/yogurt

4 medium size frozen strawberries

1 tablespoon castor sugar

3-4 Ice cubes

Method

Put frozen strawberries, castor sugar and ice cubes in a blender.

Grind to make a puree’.

Add curd/yogurt.

Again grind to make it smooth.

Pour in a glass.

Serve chilled

Chana Masala

Ingredients

1 cup Kale chane (Black chickpea/whole Bengal gram)

2 Onion finely chopped

½ cup tomato puree

1 teaspoon ginger paste

½  teaspoon garlic paste

2 green chilli, finely chopped

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

2 leaves of tejpatta (Bay leaf)

2 cloves

A small piece of cinnamon

1 cardamom

½ teaspoon of red chilli

1 tea spoon Chole masala

1tablespoon Chopped coriander leaves

1 tea spoon roasted and grounded cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Soak chane overnight.

Take chane to pressure cooker

Add salt and turmeric to chane.

boil the chane  with2 cups of  water in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes in high flame, after that reduce the heat to a slow flame for the next 10-15 minutes.

Let the pressure cooker cool by itself.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add ginger, garlic paste in it. Cook for 2 minutes.

Now add chopped onions, green chilies.  Stir it. Cook it till golden brown.

Now add tomato puree to it. Keep stirring.

Cook till the oil separates.

Add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, garam masala, coriander powder, chole masala,  red chilli powder,  cumin powder and salt to taste, and stir it well.

Add boiled chole to it and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour in a serving bowl and garnish with lemon slice and coriander leaves.

Serve while hot with parantha.

Stuffed Potatoes

Yesterday at an Italian Restaurant I had ordered stuffed baked potatoes and found them very tasty.  My wife tried to make something similar to it at home and I think it turned out really well, much better than the ones I had at the restaurant. Try them yourselves and do let me know how you feel about it.

Ingredients

4 medium sized potatoes cut in half (don’t peel)

1 tablespoon finely chopped onions

1 tablespoon finely chopped tomatoes (without seeds)

1 tablespoon finely chopped green capsicum

½ cup mozzarella cheese

½ tablespoon tomato ketchup

½ teaspoon pepper powder

2 teaspoon butter

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoon olive oil

Method

Put the potatoes in a plastic bag and keep it in a microwave.

Microwave the potatoes for about 5 minutes.

Take the potatoes out of the microwave.

Scoop out the potatoes from the center so that a thick outer shell remains.

(These scooped-out potato mash can be used for making Aloo Parantha)

On the skin (outer shell) of the scooped-out potatoes, rub butter, salt and pepper.

Apply butter and  tomato ketchup inside the scooped potatoes.

Now arrange small slices of mozzarella cheese over the tomato ketchup.

Mix chopped onion, tomatoes and capsicum and fill it in the scooped potatoes.

Sprinkle oregano and salt over the potatoes.

Take the remaining mozzarella cheese, grate it and sprinkle over potatoes.

Pour little olive oil over the potatoes.

Microwave on high power for 7-8 minutes.

Serve while hot as a starter or a snack.

Palak Paneer Rolls (Spinach Cottage Cheese Rolls)

Ingredients

For dough

2 cup all purpose flour/Maida

2tablespoon oil (for dough)

Salt to taste

For filling

1 cup finely chopped and blanched spinach leaves

½ cup grated cottage cheese

½ cup boiled and mashed potatoes
2 teaspoon tomato ketchup

1 green finely chopped chili

½ teaspoon ginger paste

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon red chili powder

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

Take Maida/all purpose flour in a bowl and add 2 tablespoon oil and salt to it and mix it well with your fingers.

Make a little stiff dough with the help of little water, cover it and keep it aside

In a bowl mix spinach leaves, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, tomato ketchup, green chili, ginger paste, garam masala, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt together.

Mix it well.  Make 8-10 balls out of this filling

Out of the dough make 8-10 small balls.

Roll out each ball to 4” diameter pancake.

Place 1 ball of filling in each pancake and spread it over the pancake so that it will form a thick layer over the pancake.

Now tightly roll the pancake like a Swiss roll.

Cut each roll into 4 small rolls.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Fry all the rolls over medium heat to golden.

Turn occasionally so that all rolls are uniformly fried from all sides.

Remove the rolls from oil.

Serve while hot with tea or as a starter.

Palak ke Snacks (Spinach Snacks)

Palak ke Snacks is a perfect snacks to serve with  evening tea.

Ingredients

2 cup Spinach, chopped and boiled

2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoon oil for dough

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon ajwain (thymol seeds)

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon black pepper powder

¼ teaspoon castor sugar

Oil for frying

Method

Liquidize the boiled spinach in a blender

Sift flour. 

Make a depression in the center of the flour.

Add 2 tablespoon oil in the depression.

Mix the flour with oil with your fingers so that the flour looks like bread crumbs.

Add salt, thymol seeds, coriander powder, pepper powder and castor sugar to the flour.

Mix it well.

Add spinach puree’ to the flour and knead a stiff dough.

(If required, little water can be added)

Keep the dough in a bowl and cover it.  Keep it aside of 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Make small balls out of the dough.

Roll them into a thin pancake of 4” diameter.

With the help of knife make 6-7 lengthwise cuts in the center of pancake.  Don’t cut the edges off the pancake.

Roll them so that they become like a bitter-gourd  (karela) in shape.

Prepare all snacks like this.

Now fry all of the snacks in a slow flame till golden.

Turn occasionally so that the snacks are uniformly fried from all sides.

Remove from oil and cool at room temperature.

These snacks can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for about 5-6 weeks.

Aloo Pyaz ki Bhaji (Spring onion potatoes)

Ingredients

5-6 Spring onions, finely chop green part and white part separately

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in cubes

2 finely chopped green chilies

1” finely chopped ginger

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Method

Heat oil in a Kadhai/Wok

Add cumin seeds

Add ginger and green chilies

Add finely chopped green part of spring onions and stir fry it till golden.

Add turmeric powder.

Add potatoes, green part of spring onion and salt.  Mix it well.

Cover the Kadhai with a lid and cook it over a slow flame till potatoes get cooked.

Open the lid. Add garam masala, cumin powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.  Mix it well.

Again cover the Kadhai with a lid and cook for 4-5 minutes over slow flame.

Remove from stove.

Pour the sabzi in a serving dish.

Serve while hot with Parantha.