A Spoonful of Thought

Ingredients: 2 cup idli rava 2 cup thick whisked curd 1 eno packet - fruit salt water as required salt as required Recipe: 1. In a big mixing bowl  add idli rava.  Next add curd and water as required. Basically will need to get a medium consistency batter. Mix very well and let the batter rest covered for 20 minutes. The rava idli batter is neither thick nor thin in consistency and has a medium consistency. 2. Brush oil on the idli pan moulds.  3. Add 2 to 2.5 cups water to the steamer and heat it till it comes to a boil. 4. Sprinkle 1 eno evenly over the batter. Add 1 tbsp of water. Quickly mix very well. 5. Pour the batter in the idli moulds. Place moulds in the steamer with the hot water. Cover with a lid and steam rava idli for 10 to 12 minutes. 6. To check if it is done insert a toothpick in the rava idli, it should come out clean. Remove the idli plates carefully and let them rest for 3 to 4 minutes.  7. Then with a spoon remove the rava idli from the mould. 8. Serve the hot rava

Ingredients: 300 gms boiled peas 2 small cinnamon sticks 4 green cardamoms 5 cloves 1 tsp soaked poppy seeds 4 big garlic cloves 1 inch ginger piece 200 gms fresh coriander leaves 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves 1/2 cup freshly grated coconut 3-4 green chillies 1 small lemon size tamarind 2 medium onion finely chopped 1 big tomato finely chopped 2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp cumin/jeera seeds 2 tbsp oil 2 cups of water Salt as per taste Recipe: 1. Boil the green peas by adding some salt and keep it aside. 2. For green masala: In a blender add coriander leaves, mint leaves, grated coconut, tamarind,  cinnamon  sticks , cloves, cardamoms, soaked poppy seeds, green chillies, garlic and ginger. 3. Blend together for a min by adding some water.   4. Then add red chilli powder, salt to the blender. Again blend together till form a smooth green paste. 5. In a kadai, heat oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add jeera seeds and chopped onions. Saute till onio

Ingredients: 1/2 cup horsegram 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut 1 tbsp coriander seeds 3-4 dry red chillies 1 small lemon size tamarind 2 tbsp coconut oil Salt as taste Water for grinding For tadka/tempering: 1 tsp mustard seeds Few curry leaves 2 dry red chillies 1 tbsp oil Recipe: 1. In a kadai, dry roast horsegram until they are crispy brown. 2. In the same kadai heat coconut oil. Add coriander seeds and roast/saute till it is auromatic. Remove it in a plate. 3. Now add red chillies and saute them for a min and remove it in the same plate. 4. In a blender add roasted horsegram, coriander seeds, red chillies, grated coconut, tamarind and salt as per taste. Blend to smooth paste by adding water. 5. Remove chutney in a small bowl. 6. In a tadka pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds. 7. Once they splutter, add curry leaves and red chillies. Saute for a min and add this tadka to chutney. Mix well. 8. Healhty Horsegram chutney is ready to serve as side dish with rice or roti.

Ingredients: 200 gms paneer/cottage cheese cut in cubes 1 tsp cumin/jeera seeds 1 bay leaf 1 small cinnamon stick 5 green cardamom 1/2 cup whisked curd 2 tbsp cream / malai 1 cup milk 4 chillies slit lengthwise 1 tsp kewra water 1 tbsp kasuri methi crushed 2 tsp tikhalal red chilli powder 1 tsp black pepper powder 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp oil Salt as per taste few strands of kesar + 1 tbsp warm milk For curry masala paste: 1 big onion roughly chopped 5 garlic crushed 1 inch ginger 4 green cardamom 15 whole cashew 10 blanched almonds/badams 2 tsp poppy seeds/khus khus 1 cup water Recipe: 1. In a large kadai take masala ingredients: onions, garlic cloves, ginger, cardamoms, whole cashews, almonds and poppy seeds. Add 1 cup water, cover and boil for 15 minutes. 2. Cool completely, and blend to smooth paste adding water as required. keep aside. 3. In a same kadai, heat 1 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp oil. Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon and cardamoms. Saute until spices turn aromatic. 4. Now add

Ingredients: 6 bread slices 1/2 cup chiroti rava/ fine suji 1/4 cup curd 3-4 tbsp water 2 tbsp finely chopped green capsicum 1 small onion finely chopped 1 small tomato finely chopped 1/2 tsp red chilli powder 1 tsp black pepper powder 1 tsp italian seasoning salt as per taste butter for roasting Recipe: 1. Dry roast rava, until it changes its color slightly. DO NOT burn the suji to brown color.  2. Remove this roasted suji in a mixing bowl. 3. Add the chopped tomato, onion and capsicum to the suji. 4. Add salt, red chilli powder, black pepper and italian seasoning to the same. 5. Add curd and mix well all the ingredients. Add water and mix well until it becomes thick consistency. The batter should not be dry. 6. Heat the tawa on low -medium flame.  7. Take one slice of bread and apply the suji batter on only one side of the bread. 8. Apply butter on the hot tawa and place the suji side of the bread on the tawa to get roasted. 9. Keep it for a min, then a pply butter on the top side of

Ingredients: 1/2 cup semaiya/vermicelli 1 tbsp sabudana(optional) 1.5 lit full cream milk few strands of saffron 2/3 cup sugar 2 tbsp custard powder (vanilla/pista/strawberry) +  1/2 cup milk 1 tbsp ghee Garnish with: 1/2 cup chopped dry nuts(almonds/cashews/pista/raisins) 1/4 cup tutti-frutti 2 tbsp chia seeds/ sabja (soaked in water for an hr) few cherries chopped fruits(pomegranate, apples, mango, papaya) Recipe: 1. Rinse and clean sabudana thrice to remove extra starch. Soak sabudana in 3/4 cup water for 6 hrs. 2. Later on in a pan add ghee and roast the vermicelli on low flame until it turns golden brown. Keep it aside. 3. In a large thick bottom sauce pan, heat 1 lit full cream milk. Let it simmer for a while and then add kesar/saffron to it. 4. Bring the milk to boil. Keep stirring. 5. Add the soaked sabudana and mix well. Let the milk simmer for 5-7 mins till sabudana is cooked well. 6. Then add roasted vermicelli to the milk and mix well.  7. Add sugar and mix well.  8. Let th

Ingredients: 5-6 medium purple brinjal/eggplants 2-3 medium potatoes 2 medium tomatoes roughly chopped 1 green chillies 2 medium onions finely chopped 1 inch ginger chopped in juliennes 4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped 1 tsp jeera seeds 1 tsp saunf seeds 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp Tikhalal red chilli powder 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp jeera powder 1 tsp garam masala 1/2 tsp haldi 1/2 cup water Salt as per taste 2 tbsp Oil Garnish with: chopped coriander leaves Recipe: 1. Clean and chop the brinjals to small cubes. Also peel, clean and chop the potatoes too into small cub

Ingredients: 300 gms sweet potato 1 cup milk powder 1/2 cup maida  2 tsp crushed green cardamom powder 2 tsp ghee 2 pinch of baking soda 1/4 cup milk oil for frying For Sugar Syrup: 3 cup sugar 6 cup water 3-4 whole green cardamom few strands of saffron 1 tsp rose water 1 tsp lemon juice Recipe: 1. Peel and boil the sweet potatoes. DO NOT over boil the potatoes.  2. In a big mixing bowl grate the boiled potatoes. Add milk powder, maida and green cardamom powder. Mix well. 3. Add baking soda. Knead the jamun dough using milk.  4. Add ghee while kneading the dough. Knead a soft and tight dough. 5. Cover and keep it aside for 10 mins. 6. Make small marble size balls from the jamun dough and keep it aside. 7. Heat oil for frying gulab jamun.  8. In a thick bottom sauce pan, add sugar and water. Add whole cardamom and saffron strands. Keep this on another gas for boiling. 9. Once this syrup starts to simmer, add rose water. Bring the sugar syrup to boil. Let it boil for 4 mins.  10. Add lem

Ingredients: 3 maggies 1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds 2 tbsp sweet corn 2 tbsp green peas  1 big grated carrot 1 medium finely chopped onion 1 green chilli finely chopped  2 tbsp finely chopped green capsicum 2 pack of maggi masala 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder 3 tbsp oil salt as per taste Water Recipe: 1. Soak the maggi in hot water for 5 mins to make it soft. 2. In a kadai heat oil. Add jeera seeds. Then add onions and green chillies. Saute till the onions are soft.  3. Add capsicum and saute till capsicum leaves water and become soft. 4. Add carrots, sweet corn and peas. Mix well. Cover and let it all cook for 2-3 mins. 5. Then add haldi, red chilli powder and maggi masala. Mix well. Add salt as per taste. 6. Add soaked maggi along with its water. Mix well. Cover and cook the maggi for 2-3 mins more.  7. Stir the maggi, if the water content is more then simmer for more 2 mins. Else switch off the gas and remove the maggi in plates. 8. Enjoy your favourite m

Ingredients: 2 tbsp fresh cream 2 tbsp cashews paste 1 cinnamon sticks  2 bay leaves 3-4 green cardamom 5-6 cloves 6-7 black peppercorns 2 big onions finely chopped  2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste  2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp Tikhalal red chilli powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp chicken masala 1 tbsp kasuri methi 1/2 tsp haldi 3 tbsp oil 2 tbsp ghee salt as per taste Water For Marination: 1.5 kg chicken 1 cup thick curd 1 egg 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 1/2 tsp haldi 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp Tikhalal red chilli powder 1 tsp garam masala Salt as per taste For Grounded Powder: 2 tsp jeera seeds 1 tsp saunf seeds 1 cinnamon stick 4-5 green cardamom 5-6 cloves 8-10 black peppercorns Recipe: 1. Clean the chicken and keep it aside. 2. In a big mixing bowl add thick curd, salt, haldi, red chilli powders, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste and egg. Mix well.  3. Add chicken pieces and marinate for 2-3 hours. 4.  After 2 hrs , i n a kadai add oil to heat. Add onions in batches

Ingredients: 3 cups wheat flour 1/2 cup maida(optional) 1 tbsp oil salt to taste water to knead dough ghee to rub on paratha Egg Stuffings: 4 eggs 2 tsp black pepper 1 medium onion finely chopped 2 green chillies 1/2 tsp haldi 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp tikhalal red chilli powder 2 tbsp oil 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves salt as per taste Serve with: butter cube pieces tomato sauce green mint chutney Recipe: 1. Knead wheat flour to tight and smooth dough. Cover and Keep it aside for 10-15 mins. 2. In a mixing bowl, break and take eggs. Add black pepper and salt to it. Beat the eggs and keep it aside. 3. In a pan heat oil. Add green chillies and onions. Saute till onions are soft.  4. Add haldi, garam masala, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and saute for 2 mins. 5. To this add the beaten eggs. Mix well and saute till the egg is cooked well. 6. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Stuffing is ready, keep it aside to cool down a bit. 7. Make the 8-10 balls out of the dough. Rol

Ingredients: 250 gms boneless chicken 100 gms cream cheese OR 1/2 cup cashew paste 2 tbsp thick fresh cream 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 2 tsp ginger-green chilli paste 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 2 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp kasuri methi salt as per taste Recipe: 1. Clean the chicken pieces and cut into small cubes and keep it aside to drain water. 2. In a big mixing bowl, take. cream cheese, cream, ginger-garlic paste, ginger-chilli paste. Add salt, chilli powder, black pepper powder and kasuri methi. MIx well to combine all ingredients. 3. Add chicken cubes to the batter. Mix well to coat the cubes with the batter. Marinate chicken for an hr at least. Can be kept marinated for overnight too. 4. After an hr, insert chicken pieces into skewers and keep it aside. 5. Take a grill pan and brush oil and heat it. Place the skewers with chicken on the hot grill pan. Lower the flame. 6. Grill from all sides, rotate the kabab every 5 mins to the raw or undone side. Chicken will take little mo

Ingredients: 12 dry red chillies 4 tbsp coriander seeds 1.5 tsp black peppercorns 2 tbsp jeera seeds 2 tbsp toor dal 2 tbsp chana dal 1/4 tsp methi seeds 1 tsp mustard seeds 12-15 curry leaves 1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder/hing Recipe: 1. Dry Roast red chillies first till they are crispy. 2. Then add coriander seeds, peppercorns, jeera seeds, methi, mustard seeds. Roast till they turn crispy.  3. Now to this add curry leaves and roast for a minute more. 4. Then add haldi and hing. Mix well and saute for one more minute. Add this to a blender. 5. Dry roast both the dals till they turn color and add this too to the blender. 6. Blend all together to smooth powder. 7. Home Made Rasam Powder is ready to use.

Ingredients: 250 gms paneer cut into cubes or lengthwise 1/2 cup green and red capsicum chopped into cubes 1/2 cup onion chopped into cubes 2 tbsp carrots chopped into small cubes 1-2 tbsp grated cabbage (optional) 2 tbsp garlic cloves finely chopped 1 tsp ginger finely chopped 2-3 green chillies finely chopped 1 tbsp spring onions white finely chopped 1 tbsp onion finely chopped 2 tbsp spring onions green 1/4 cup maida  2 tbsp corn flour  2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp sugar  2 tbsp tomato sauce 1 tbsp soya sauce 3 tbsp oil salt as per taste Recipe: 1. In a big mixing bowl, take maida. Add corn flour, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well. 2. Add water and make a semi thick batter. Add paneer cubes to the batter. Mix well to coat the cubes with the batter. Marinate paneer for 15-20 mins. 3. After 20 mins, take a pan and add oil for deep frying. Fry the paneer cubes till they turn golden brown. Remove the panner to absorbent kitchen tissues and keep it aside.

Ingredients: 3/4 cup yellow moong dal 2 roughly chopped green chillies 1 inch ginger piece 2 tbsp sugar a pinch of hing 1 tbsp oil 1/2 tsp haldi 1 tbsp besan/gram flour 2 tbsp curd 1 eno packet salt as per taste Water For Tempering/Tadka: 2 tbsp oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tbsp sesame seeds a pinch of hing few curry leaves 2-3 green chillies chopped lengthwise Garnish with: 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 1 tbsp freshly grated coconut (optional) Recipe: 1. Rub and clean the dal. Then soak the yellow moong dal in enough water for 30 minutes. After 30 mins drain the water well from dal and keep it aside. 2. Combine the yellow moong dal, green chillies and ginger piece in a blender. Blend all together using 1/2 cup water to make a smooth paste of pouring consistency. 3. Transfer the dal paste to a deep and big mixing bowl. Add salt as per the requirements. Add sugar, hing, oil, haldi and besan flour. Mix well into the dal paste. 4. Add curd, this will make the dhoklas fluffy and soft. 5. Be