D's Special Dosa

D made an interestingly shaped dosa ! I thought this needed a special mention here ! A few pictures below..

Black Bean and Brown Rice Veg Burger

I love the black bean burger but when I came across this recipe that included brown rice and pepper, I have been sticking to it. Its healthy and not that difficult to make since all the ingredients required are usually present in a kitchen.

Inactive Prep Time - 8-9 hours

Active Prep Time - 15 mins

Cooking Time - 20 mins

Ingredients :

For the patty :

Black beans - 6 ounces / 3/4th cup, 

Cooked brown rice - 1/2 cup

Green bell pepper - 1/2 medium, chopped finely

Onions - 1 medium, chopped finely

Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped finely

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Ground pepper - as per taste

Chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup

Salt - as per taste

Oil - 1 tsp + for drizzling ( if shallow frying )

For assembling the burger :

Burger Buns

Lettuce

Tomatoes - cut into slices

Cucumber - cut into slices

Onions - cut into slices

Cheddar cheese 

Tomato Ketchup

Any other ketchup/sauce of your choice

If  you are using dried beans (not canned), soak them overnight and pressure cook till they become soft.

Procedure :

In a small wok, heat oil. Once hot, add onions and garlic, fry till the raw smell goes off. Keep this aside.

Coarsely ground kidney beans and brown rice. Transfer this coarse mixture into a big bowl , add the onion and garlic and other remaining ingredients from the " for the patty section ". Mix properly till all the ingredients get incorporated properly. Form into firm patties and shallow fry with little oil on both sides till they turn golden brown. ( you can even grill/bake /fry as per your convenience). I have tried grilling the patties but I feel they turn out dry sometimes.

  

Toast the burger buns and assemble by placing lettuce on them followed by the patty, cheese ( I melted my cheese in a double boiler), ketchup, tomato, cucumber, onions. You can also choose your own veggies and place them in any order your choice. Make sure the ketchup is not exactly at the top, lest after your first bite you end up with an evil red grin!

I served my burgers with baked sweet potato fries.

Oven Baked Vegetables

D and me wanted to eat something healthy, also a one-meal dish that is easy to make. We thought about making baked vegetables and we came up with a recipe including our own seasonings. The result was extremely tasty and we have been making it two days in a row. The good thing is it can be custom made with your vegetables of choice and you can even add or remove items from our recommended seasoning!

Prep time - less than 5 mins
Baking time - 45 mins

Ingredients :

Vegetables:

Red Potatoes - 4 medium, cut into cubes
Cauliflower - 6-7 , medium size florest
Green bell pepper - 1 medium, cut into 1/2 inch piece
Red onion - 1 medium, cut into thick strips
Sweet corn - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 large, cut into big cubes

Seasoning:

Garlic - 3 medium pods, minced
Paprika - 1 tsp [ or as per taste ]
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Basil (dried) -1 tsp [ or as per taste]
Lime juice - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - 1/2 tsp [ or as per taste]
Salt as per tatse

Procedure :

Whisk together all the ingredients under the "Seasoning" section homogenously.

Wash and cut all the vegetables and keep the vegetables in a colander till all the water drains. Take a big mixing bowl and place all the vegetables in the bowl. Pour the seasoning evenly over the vegetables and mix properly with the help of a wooden spoon. [ we want the vegetables to be properly coated with the seasoning, at the same time vigorous mixing with the spoon might break the cauliflower florets ].

Pre heat the oven at 400 F. Line a baking tray with an aluminium foil and place the vegetables over the foil and bake for 45 mins [ or till the vegetables are fully cooked, I checked this by piercing with a toothpick ]. Once they are cooked, turn on the broil option in your oven for 5 mins to make your veggies crispy and brown.

Plantain Shammi kabab

This is an oil free adaptation of Sanjay Thumma's Shammi Kabab recipe done by baking instead of shallow frying. We liked its taste and specifically enjoyed the addition of pomegranates, one of our favorite fruits! 

Prep Time - 25 mins
Cooking time - 40 mins

Ingredients :

Plantain / Raw banana - 1, medium
Chana dal - 1/2 cup
Onion - half of a medium sized, finely chopped
Green chillies - 3 [ or as per taste ], finely chopped
Ginger - garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Mint leaves - 8-9 leaves, finely chopped
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp [ or as per taste ]
Cilantro - 3-4 sprigs, finely chopped
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - as per taste

For the filling :

Paneer - 1/3 cup , crumbled                                                                                          
Cilantro - 2 -3 sprigs, finely chopped
Onion - 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Pomegranate - 2 -3 tbsp [ or as per taste]
Chaat masala as per taste
Red chilli powder as per taste

Procedure :

Pressure cook the chana dal and plaintain seperately .
Mash the plaintain and keep aside.

In a medium sized wok, heat oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Add finely chopped onions and stir till they turn transparent. Now add green chillies, ginger garlic paste and turmenric. Stir till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes off. Now add mint leaves, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder. Give it a good mix and then add the chana dal. Again give a good mix and add the mashed plaintain and chopped cilantro leaves. Mix properly. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a while and mash the plaintain - chana dal mix till you get a homogenous texture ( like a dough ) [ I did this with hands, you can also use a masher ] . Set aside.

Filling :

Mix all the items under " for the filling " section and keep aside.

Assembling the kabab :

Divide the chana dal -plaintain dough into golf  ball size . Smear some water on your palms and flatten each portion into a disc. Place about 1-2 tsp of paneer filling at the center of the disc, close and seal the edges and make into a patty.
[ If the dough feels very tight or cracks develop, dip your finger into water and apply on the cracks and keep working in the same way till you get a smooth surface ]

Preheat the oven at 350 F and grease a baking sheet with oil. Place the kabab on the baking sheet.

Bake for 10 mins [ or until one side turns brown on top ] and flip and bake for another 10 mins till the other side becomes brown in color.

Serve hot with your favorite chutney!

Garlic Bread

I have always tried and wanted to make restaurant style garlic bread. Even though I have made it a number of times, the results were not very satisfactory. D suggested we make it the way described below, apparently he had  tasted something quite similar during a recent trip. This one turned out very much like what we had thought of and we enjoyed it a lot. 

A crispy edge and a warm soft, buttery and cheesy centre - it is this quality of garlic bread that I have been trying to make and it became a success this time. Traditionally a garlic bread is made from French bread / Italian bread, but we prefer Vienna bread which has a crispy crust on the outside and a very soft inside, which turns out to be perfect for garlic bread! Also one of the other important things while making a garlic bread is that the oven in which you plan to bake your garlic bread needs to be really hot, so its better that you preheat your oven 15- 20 mins before you plan to bake it. 

Prep time - 10 -15 mins
Cooking time - 10 - 12 mins

Ingredients :

Vienna bread  loaf- 1 medium sized loaf ( You can also use French / Italian bread loaf )
Garlic pods - 5-6 medium sized pods, minced or very finely chopped
Butter - 1/3 cup [ or more as per taste ]
Mozzarella cheese - 1/2 cup grated [ or more as per taste ]
Dried basil leaves - 1 tsp [ or as per taste ]
Salt - as per taste

For veggie Garlic bread :

Onions - finely chooped
Tomatoes - finely chopped

Procedure :

Pre heat the oven at 400 F.

Take the Vienna bread and carefully slice it into half lengthwise.

Now cut these halves into two half pieces and slit each piece as shown in the picture below , without cutting the edges below. Melt the butter and apply generously over each piece like in the pic below. Place the bread pieces on cookie sheet.

For plain garlic bread :

Spread the mozzarella cheese over the bread  and top it off with minced garlic, salt and basil leaves.

For veggie garlic bread :

Spread a little amount of mozzarella cheese over the bread. Add the chopped tomatoes and onion and sprinkle more cheese generously. Top it off with minced garlic, salt and basil leaves.

Place the cookie tray in the oven and bake till the cheese melts and the top layer turns golden brown. This would take 10-12 mins approx.

I did not add oregano and chilli flakes while baking. You can add both the seasonings before serving. Serve hot.





Gobi 65 with Peppered Rice

Here is a scrumptious dish that I cook every once in a while. Though it is an appetizer, we like to have it with buttered peppered rice.

Also, instead of deep frying the gobi, I pan fry it with little oil. Though it takes time to cook it this way, the end dish is less oily.

Prep Time - 10 mins
Cooking time -  20 mins

Ingredients :

For Gobi 65:

Cauliflower - 1 large sized, cut into small florets
Bell pepper / Capsicum - 1 medium , cut into long thin strips
Onion - 1 medium , cut nto long thin strips
Oil - 4 tbsp
Corn flour - 3 tbsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp or as per taste
Tomato sauce - 3 tbsp
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp [ or as per taste ]
Chilli sauce - 1 tsp [ or 1/4 tsp of chilli powder ]
Salt as per taste

For rice :

Cooked rice - 2 cups
Pepper - 1 tsp or as per taste
Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Procedure :

For Gobi 65:

Wash the cauliflower florets and soak them in hot water for 5- 7 mins. Drain the water and transfer the florets into a big plate. Sprinkle the corn flour, red chilli powder and salt, mix them with your hands. [ To cover the cauliflower florets with the corn flour evenly, I also sprinkled some water ]

In a medium sized wok, heat oil on medium heat and add the florets and pan fry till they get golden brown in color. Take out the florets and keep aside. In the same oil pan fry the onions and bell peppers / capsicum till the onions turn transparent. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In the same pan add tomato sauce, soy sauce and chilli sauce ( or chilli powder ) and give a quick mix. Add the onions, bell peppers and florets and mix properly. Check for salt and serve with peppered rice.

For rice :

Heat a pan [ medium heat ] and melt butter. Fluff up the rice with a fork and add into the melted butter. Add salt and pepper and mix properly.

Serve hot.

Sundal - Navratri Special

Golu and Sundal are synonymous with each other. This year I managed to go all the way and make a different  one each day. Some were made following expert recommendations (meaning mom's) and a few were my own creations. In this post I will try to detail the recipes for these 8 tasty sundals.

I made sundal in three different ways-

Method 1 or M1: With ground masala (D's mom shared this method with me )

Method 2 or M2: With tenga- manga (coconut and raw mango)

Method 3 or M3: With regular seasoning and coconut.

Top Row:         White peas (M2), Kidney beans(M3), Peanuts(M2)

Middle Row:     Chana dal(M3), Lima beans(M1), Moong dal(M3)

Bottom Row:   Black eyed peas(M3), Chick peas(M3)

Inactive prep time - 8-9 hours
Active prep and cooking time - 5-10 mins

Note 1-

            All the pulses except moong dal,  chana dal and peanuts need to be pre-soaked in water for 8-9 hours. If you miss this step, you can also soak them for 4-5 hours in hot water.

           Also I cooked all my pulses except peanuts and chickpeas in microwave, as they might turn mushy sometimes when we pressure cook. By microwaving I had more control and I often checked and saw that they don't turn mushy.

Ingredients-

Pulse of your choice

Oil - 1-2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

For Sundal with ground masala(M1):

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Udat dal - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 4-5

Green chilli - 1, chopped (optional)

Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp

To grind  :

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Red chilli - 2 or as per taste

Coconut - 1 tbsp

For tenga-manga sundal ( coconut and raw mango )(M2):

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Udat dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
Raw mango - 1 tbsp, grated

To grind:

Coconut - 1 -2 tbsp, grated

Green chilies - 2 or as per taste

For regular sundal(M3):

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Udat dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5
Red chillies - 2 or as per taste, broken into 2-3 pieces
Asafoetida - 1/8 tsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp, grated

Procedure :

Pressure cook or microwave and cook your pulses with salt and turmeric. Drain and keep aside.
 
For Sundal with ground masala

In a small pan roast ( on medium heat ) all the items under the "to grind" section until golden brown. Cool and grind into a coarse powder and keep aside.

In a medium sized pan heat oil ( on medium heat ). Once hot add in the mustard seeds and wait till they splutter, then add udal dal and asafoetida till udal dat becomes slight golden in color. Add curry leaves and green chillies ( if using ) and give a quick stir. At this stage turn the heat to low and add in the pulses and the ground masala. Mix slowly and properly.

Serve hot.

For tenga mangai sundal ( coconut and raw mango )

In a food processor blend coconut and green chillies to a fine paste and keep aside.

In a medium sized pan heat oil ( on medium heat ). Once hot add in the mustard seeds and wait till they splutter, then add udal dal and asafoetida till udal dat becomes slight golden in color. Add curry leaves  and  give a quick stir. At this stage turn the heat from medium to low and add in the pulses, ground chilli and coconut and mix slowly and properly. Sprinkle the grated raw mango and mix again.

Serve hot.

For regular sundal :

In a medium sized pan heat oil ( on medium heat ). Once hot add in the mustard seeds and wait till they splutter, then add udal dal and asafoetida till udal dat becomes slight golden in color. Add curry leave, red chillies and give a quick stir. At this stage turn the heat from medium to low and add in the pulses and coconut. Mix slowly and mix properly.

Serve hot.
 
Note 2-
             You can also use other pulses like soy beans, pigeon peas , split green gram and even green peas. You can choose from any of the three methods and make your sundal.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

This is a super simple recipe, I made it last night. This was really good and very useful for those nights when you really don't have a clue as to what to make !

I made my own pesto sauce. You could also use the store bought sauce, I have tried both and I prefer the home made one because the store bought one has preservatives.

The recipe is as follows :

Prep Time - 5 mins
Cooking time - 20 mins

Ingredients :

For pesto sauce :

Fresh basil - 1 cup
Pine nuts - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 4 medium sized pods
Asiago cheese - 1/2 cup, grated , ( I bought 6 months aged cheese )
Extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

For alfredo sauce :

Butter - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup + ( optional )1/4 cup
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Asiago cheese - 1/2 cup, shredded

Pasta - I used ribbed penne , you can also use capellini or farfalle
Carrot - 1 medium sized, shredded length wise

Procedure :

Cook your pasta al dente and keep aside.

Also Asiago cheese can be replaced by parmesan cheese , as the aged asiago cheese tastes similar to parmesan. But next time I would prefer using fresher asiago cheese over the aged one ( due to its pungent odor ).

Pesto sauce :

In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, and cheese into a fine paste. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Add salt and pepper and stir.

Alfredo sauce :

In a medium sized pan melt butter on medium heat. Add in the flour and stir with a whisk to prevent lumps from forming. Slowly add milk , whisking constantly and cook till it starts too thicken (Let the sauce thicken to your liking, I cooked it till it had the consistency of say condensed milk). Add cheese and mix properly and now your alfredo sauce is done.

Turn the heat to low and add in the required amount of pesto sauce. I added about 4-5 tbsp of pesto sauce. Mix properly.

 

Pour this sauce over hot pasta, add the shredded carrots and mix. Serve with Italian bread or French baguette.

Aval Puttu / Poha Puttu

Navratri can never be complete without Puttu which is considered to be a very auspicious sweet dish and is served along with sundal.
Though I have tasted rice puttu , I found aval puttu interesting as it seemed quite easy to make ( as compared to rice puttu ofcourse!). Also it did not require the puttu maker . So the recipe for aval puttu is as follows:

Inactive prep time - 30 mins

Active prep time - 5 mins

Cooking time - 30 mins

Ingredients :

Aval / poha - 1 cup, thick

Jaggery- 1/2 cup , roughly crushed

Coconut - 1/4 cup, shredded

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Cashew nuts - 1-2 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Salt - a pinch

Other things required:

A clean cotton cloth or a clean men's handkerchief

Procedure :

Soak the jaggery in 1/4 cup of water half an hour prior to cooking.

Take a big wok and dry roast the aval / poha on medium to high heat, stirring constantly till it turns golden brown. Make sure that you don't burn it.

Once they change color , transfer into a big plate and cool. Once cool transfer it into the blender and grind it coarsely (rava-like). 

Transfer into the same plate and add a pinch of salt. Simultaneously bring about 1/4 cup of water to boil.

Take a tea spoon and add about 2-3 measures of water into the powdered coarse aval/poha and mix with your finger tips. Repeat this process till the powdered aval/poha resembles bread crumbs (refer the picture above). At this stage you should be able to make a ball with the aval in your palms. And it should seperate and fall loosely when you try to disintegrate it. [ i.e your poha should not stay lumpy but should have just enough moisture to be able to hold it in a ball initially. It took me 9-10 tsp of water to get the desired texture].

Keep this aval/poha-water  mix covered for about 5-10 mins . Transfer it into a clean cloth and steam it for 15 mins approx. [ I steamed it in a pressure cooker ]

Now once cooked transfer it into a plate. Add cardomom powder and coconut to the poha and mix with your finger tips properly.[ I used frozen coconut, so I thawed before adding to the poha . Alternatively ( and to enhance the taste ) pan fry coconut in a tsp of ghee till it slightly changes color and then add to the poha ]

Filter the jaggery along with the water in a tea strainer and remove all the impurities. In a wok heat the jaggery till it thickens. [Keep a small bowl with cold water next to you to test the thickness]. Once the jaggery comes into boil start testing the thickness by dropping a tsp of jaggery into cold water.If it forms a lump without disintegrating then the syrup or paagu is ready. [ If it disintegrates then you need to boil it more ].

Turn of the heat once you get the right syrup, pour it over the aval - coconut mixture and mix properly with your fingers without any lumps.

In a wok heat ghee. Add in the cashews and fry. Once they turn golden brown add in the raisins and fry till the raisins puff up.  At ths stage add in the puttu / aval- coconut -jaggery mix and toss it for few seconds and serve.
 [ If you feel that your puttu has lot of moisture toss it in ghee for few more mins ]. The color of puttu depends on the jaggery used.

Banana Rye Bread

Banana Rye Bread can be a pleasant change from our regular cereals and breads. Along with the health benefits , this bread tastes good too!

I followed the same recipe of Banana bread and just replaced the all purpose flour with the rye flour. Also I reduced the 1 cup of sugar to approx 3/4th cup of sugar. I felt that I could have reduced the 3 bananas to 2 to get a more rye flavor (thats right, more taste of the rye flour and not of the bananas). If you don't like the rye taste you might want to go ahead with 3 bananas. 

Another important thing to note is the baking time. It took me approx 1 hour and 35 mins to bake this bread so it is strongly recommended that you use a dark bread pan as it will absorb more heat and bake faster.

Uthappam

I usually make Uthappam with the leftoer idli / dosai batter. Though they come out well, I find that they turn hard and dry, as they cool down. My mom suggested I try and make uthappam with a different batter and I tried the same. This is the traditional and conventional recipe! This time they turned out to be real soft and still firm and didn't dry out like before.

Decorating Uthappam is the fun part, you can use carrots, tomatoes, onions, green chillies, cilantro and any other vegetables of your choice! ( the ones that taste good even when they are raw) . D's maternal Paati  gave me a very interesting serving tip; she suggested that I try out bite size uthappams. These can be served as an appetizer or as fun food for kids or even adults. Bite size uthappams were a super hit and both me and D loved them.

  

Inactive prep time - 12-18 hrs

Active prep time - 5-8 mins per uthappam

Ingredients :

For the batter :

Boiled rice - 3 cups

Udat dal - 1 cup

Tuvar dal - 1/2 cup

Fenugreek / methi seeds - 1 tbsp

Salt- 2 and 1/2 tsp salt

For Garnishing :

Onion - cut into 1 inch strips

Tomato - cut into 1 inch strips

Green chillies - as per taste

Cilantro - chopped

Procedure :

Wash and soak all the ingredients under the " for the batter " section for 7-8 hours and grind into a fine and thick batter by adding very little water.

Cover and let the batter to ferment for about 8-10 hours.

Take a griddle on medium heat, pour few drops of oil over it and spread using a tissue or wooden spatula.

Once hot, pour the batter in the centre of the griddle with a large spoon according to your prefered thickness. Let the batter spread and settle into a circular shape. Now, pour little oil on the sides of the uthappam and garnish with the vegetables, cilantro and green chillies. Cook under medium-to-low heat otherwise the insides of the uthappam might not get cooked. Once the lower side turns golden brown in color, then flip the uthappam carefully and let the other side also get cooked. Wait till this side also turns golden brown.

For the bite size uthappams pour the batter over the griddle with a small spoon and garnish with your choice of vegetables. Cook till both the sides are done.

Serve hot with sambar ot chutney.

Authentic Kuzhi paniyaram and 25th post!

 Ever wondered like me, why homemade kuzhi paniyarams dont taste like ones served in hotels??? Read on to find out what is to be done !

    

Inactive prep - 24 hours

Active prep - 10-15 mins

Ingredients :

For the batter :

Boiled rice - 1 cup

Raw rice - 1 cup

Urad dal - 1 cup

Sabudaana / Javvarisi - 1 cup

Semolina / Rava - 1 cup

For garnishing :

Cilantro / coriander chopped

Onions chopped

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds

Urad dal

Oil

Procedure :

Soak all the ingredients under "for the batter " section for 10- 12 hours .

Grind it to a smooth paste. Add salt. Cover and allow it to ferment ( it should take around 6-7 hours for the batter to rise ).

Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the urad dal and stir till it turns golden brown. Turn off the heat and pour this mixture over the batter , also add the chopped cilantro and onions.

Add about one and a half tsp of oil in the paniyaram griddle holes (or kuzhis!), when hot, add the batter and cook till both the sides turn golden brown .

Serve hot with chutney and sambaar.

Keerai Vadai

Soaking time - 2 to 3 hours
Prep time - 10 mins
Cooking time - 20 - 25 mins

Ingredients :

Chana Dal - 1 cup
Udat dal - 1/2 cup
Spinach ( or any green ) - 2 cups, finely chopped
Dried red chillis - 3 to 4
Black pepper - 1 tsp
Saunf / sombu / fennel seeds - 1 tsp
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped [ I didn't use onions this time ]
Salt - as per taste
Oil - for deep frying

Procedure :

Wash and soak chana dal and Udat dal for 2-3 hours.

Grind the soaked dals along with pepper, red chillis and salt coarsely.

Add the chopped spinach, fennel seeds and onion ( if using ) to the ground dal and mix properly.

In a large wok , heat oil on medium.Make a small lemon sized ball from the dough and press between your palms gently and deep fry in the oil on medium heat till golden brown on both the sides.

Pav Bhaji

Prep Time - 10 mins
Cooking time - 15 mins

Ingredients :

For the Bhaji:

Chopped vegetables ( like Potatoes, cauliflower, peas, cabbage, carrots, beans, capsicum etc.) - 3 cups
Onion - 1 medium chopped
Tomato - 2 medium chopped
Ginger- Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Pav Bhaji Masala - 2-3 tbsp [ I used Everest Pav Bhaji Masala ]
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Chili Powder - 1 tsp [ or as per your taste ]
Jeera - 1 tsp
Saunf/ Sombu / Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 3-4 tbsp
Kasoori Methi - 1 tsp
Salt [ as per your taste ]

Note : The Pav Bhaji Masala already has Cumin powder, Coriander powder and Fennel seeds powder. You can avoid adding these while cooking if you want it less spicy.
 
For the Pav:

Pav/ Bread
Butter


For Garnishing (quantity as per requirements):

Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Onions
Butter
Lime Juice


Procedure :


Pressure cook all the vegetables till one whistle. Drain the water and keep it aside.

Take a large pan on medium heat and add a tbsp of butter. When hot put the Jeera and Fennel seeds and wait till they splutter. Now add the onions and stir till they turn golden brown , then add in the Turmeric and Ginger Garlic paste. Stir till the raw smell of Ginger Garlic paste goes off.
Now add the chopped tomatoes Salt, Pav Bhaji Masala, Coriander powder, Cumin Powder, Chili Powder, Kasoori Methi and the half a cup of drained water which we had kept aside. [ First add in 2 tbsp of Pav Bhaji Masala. If you'd like it more spicy you can add in more masala after you add the vegetables]

Keep Stirring till the Tomatoes get cooked and also the raw smell of the masala goes off. Add in the vegetables and water as required. [The bhaji should have a semi-solid consistency; so pour in water whenever you feel the bhaji is drying out]. Mash the vegetables properly. Once properly mixed add in the remaining butter and cook on low flame till serving.
Take a hot griddle and pour in enough butter for Pan Frying the Pav/ Butter. You can avoid this step and just dry roast your Pav but using butter adds to the taste. You can also sprinkle a pinch of Pav Bhaji masala over your Pav to make it spicy.

Serving recommendations :

Take the hot Bhaji in a serving plate and add lime juice and garnish it with a dollop of butter chopped onions and cilantro and serve it with the hot Pav.

Sabudana Khichdi / Javvarisi Upma

 A light and simple breakfast or dinner option, Sabudana Khichdi or Javvarisi Upma's recipe is as follows:

Soaking time- 4-6 hours
Prep time- 10 mins
Cooking time-10 mins


Ingredients:

Sabudana/ Javvarisi - 2 cups
Potato- 1 medium sized, finely cut
Peas- half cup
Peanuts (roasted and roughly grounded)- 3/4th cup
Whole peanuts(raw)- 2 Tbsp
Water- 1/2 cup
Oil- 1 Tbsp
Jeera/ Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Green Chillies- to taste, finely chopped (I used 3)
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- To taste ( I added 2 tsp)
Sugar- 1 tsp ( I prefer Salt : sugar at 2:1 proportion)
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp
Coconut (shredded)-  3 tbsp
Cilantro or Coriander- for garnishing ( I used 7 sprigs)


Procedure:

Wash Sabudana twice with water, drain off all the water and soak it  in half cup of water and keep it covered for atleast 4-6 hours.Toss the Sabudana with spoon occasionally to prevent it from sticking.

Add salt, sugar and the roasted and ground peanuts to the soaked Sabudana before cooking and mix properly.

In a pan heat oil (on medium heat ) .When the oil is hot add the cumin seeds or jeera and let it splutter, then add the green chillies and whole raw peanuts and saute it for about few seconds. Now add the finely cut potatoes and peas, turmeric and sprinkle salt ( we have already added salt to the Sabudana so just sprinkle salt for potatoes and peas only!). Keep stirring till the potatoes get cooked.This should take less than five minutes as the potatoes are finely cut.

Add the Sabudana and peanut mixture into the potatoes and mix it properly . Now turn the heat to low and cook it covered for a minute.
Now add the coconut and coriander/ cilantro into the Sabudana, mix well and cook it covered and keep stirring after every 1-2  minutes (to prevent it from sticking) till the Sabudana gets cooked. Sabudana is done when it becomes translucent, this should take approx 8-10 minutes.
Sprinkle water if you feel that the Sabudana is drying out.


Once cooked turn off the heat and add lemon juice and give it a final mix.

To be served hot.

 [ I have followed this recipe from showmethecurry.com]