There are times when you want to cook something other than your regular food but don’t have enough time or energy to prepare something that is time-consuming or tedious in process (such as when you have a surprise guest that too after a long tiring day). You need a recipe that doesn’t require exclusive ingredients or extensive cooking efforts. Today’s recipe “Instant Onion Rava Dosa” comes to rescue in such situations. It’s quick, easy and can be made with ingredients commonly available in your kitchen. Despite its instant nature, it gives a crispy and yummylicious flavour. It can be served with Sambar, coconut chutney or with any other chutney of your choice. If you are a Dosa-lover but not an ardent cook then this should be your go-to recipe whenever you crave for a Dosa next time.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup – Semolina (Rava/Sooji)
• ½ cup – Rice flour (Chawal ka Atta)
• ¼ cup – All purpose flour ( Maida)
• 1 cup – Finely chopped onion ( Bareek kati hui Pyaz)
• ½ cup – Finely chopped fresh coriander ( Bareek kata hua hara Dhaniya)
• 2 to 3 – Finely chopped Green chillies (Bareek kati hui hari Mirch)
• 1 tablespoon – Chopped Kadi Patta
• 1 tablespoon – Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1 teaspoon – Black pepper powder (Kali Mirch powder)
• Salt (as per taste)
• Water (as per requirement)
• Oil/Ghee for roasting

Method:

• Take Rava, chawal ka atta, maida, black pepper powder, cumin seeds, chopped coriander, chopped green chillies, chopped Kadi patta and salt in a big bowl and mix everything together.
• Slowly add water in the dry mixture and make a watery/runny consistency like “Chaas” (keep stirring while adding water to avoid lumps)
• Keep the batter for 10 minutes to rest.
• Heat a flat tawa /non-stick pan and brush some oil on it.
• Sprinkle some chopped onion and pour batter all over the tawa and brush some oil over it.
• Let it cook on medium-high heat until the base becomes golden and crispy.
• Flip the dosa and cook the other side for a minute.
• Your crispy onion dosa is ready to enjoy.
• Serve hot with Sambar, chutney or sauce.

Note: If don’t like onion you can exclude it and it will still be crispy and tasty “Rava Dosa”.

Kadhi is yet another most common side dish which is made in almost every Indian kitchen and liked by most. The usual Kadhi is made of Yogurt and Besan (Gram flour) also it has many variations e.g. Saadi (Plain) Kadhi, Kadhi Pakoda, Mutter Kadhi, Bathua Kadhi etc.Sindhi Kadhi, on the other hand, uses Imli (Tamarind) paste or Amchur (dry mango) powder instead of yogurt for the tangy flavour. This popular Sindhi recipe has a unique flavourful taste thanks to the mix of roasted besan, assorted vegetables and spices. You can add as many vegetables as you like e.g. Cauliflower, Drumstick etc. It is generally served with rice and/or roti/chapati. Alternatively, it can also be used as a soup. So, go ahead and try this fantastic variation of Kadhi and add a new option to your dining table.

Ingredients:

• ½ Cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1- Medium sized Potato (Aloo)
• 2- Tomatoes (Tamatar)
• 6 to 8- Okra/ Ladyfingers (Bhindi)
• 6 to 8- Green Beans
• 2 to 3- Small sized Eggplant (Chaukor Kate hue Baingan)
• ½ inch- Grated Ginger (kisi Hui Adrak)
• 1- Medium sized Onion (optional)
• 1½ teaspoons- Red Chilli powder (Lal Mirch powder)
• 1 teaspoon- Turmeric powder (Haldi)
• 1½ tablespoons- Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
• 1 table spoon- Cumin powder (Jeera powder)
• 2 teaspoons- Mustard seeds (Rai)
• ½ teaspoon- Fenugreek seeds (Methi Dana)
• 1 pinch- Asafoetida (Hing)
• 1½ tablespoon- Dry mango powder (Aamchur) or 1 table spoon- tamarind paste ( Imli paste)
• Dry red chilli (Sukhi Mirchi)
• Salt (as per taste)
• ¼ cup- oil
• 5 to 6 Cups- Water

Method:

• First of all Wash/ Clean vegetables.
• Cut potatoes and eggplants into small dices, slice okra into half and then chop into ½ inch pieces, chop beans into ½ inch pieces, slice onions lengthwise and chop tomatoes into small pieces. Keep chopped vegetables aside for later use.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Splutter fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds into oil.
• Add gram flour and stir continuously on low heat till it roast and colour changes to light brown (Do not overcook).
• Add dry red chilli (whole), turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and dry mango powder/tamarind paste and roast this masala mix for a minute on low heat. Then slowly add water and keep stirring to avoid lumps. (Consistency should be running)
• Let it boil for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat and then add all the chopped vegetables and mix well.
• Pressure cook for a whistle. Leave it on low heat for 2-3 minutes and then turn off the heat. Once the pressure of the cooker releases, open the lid of the pressure cooker and transfer in a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.
• Serve hot with rice and chapati as a side dish or enjoy it as soup.

India is home of many delicious authentic recipes. Every region of India has its own delicacies and Rajasthan is no exception. Baati (a.k.a. Bati, Daal-Baati, Batti) is probably the most popular Rajasthan dish and liked nationwide. Originally it was cooked on charcoal (BBQ style) in open area however with the growing metro culture it’s hard to find open cooking areas which makes it difficult to make Baatis. The good news is that you can still make Baatis at home using electric or Tandoor oven. These mouth watering dumplings soaked in ghee are mostly served with Daal, Baingan Bharta, chutney, salad and Choorma (sweet). In Rajasthan the Daal is usually a mix of five kinds a.k.a. Panchmel Daal (mix of 5 type of pulses, I will post the recipe soon) but in other areas like Malwa region it’s just the Toor Daal (Pigeon Pea). This is great combination and once you taste it you can’t resist yourself from falling in love with its flavour. The process of making Baati is much easier than most people think and its fun!! And honestly speaking, it’s totally worth it. Here is the recipe for this great dish…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup- Whole wheat flour (Gehun ka atta)
• 1/2 cup- Gram flour (Besan)
• 1 table spoon- Fine semolina (Fine Suji/Rava)
• 1-1/2 tea spoons- Ajwain (or as per taste)
• 1-2 table spoon- Oil (for moyan)
• 2-3 tea spoons- Salt (as per taste)
• A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
• Water for kneading
• Ghee to soak Baati

Method :

• Take whole wheat flour, Besan, Rava, Ajwain, salt and oil in a big bowl and mix all together.
• Add water in the flour mixture, knead into tight dough like we do for poori.
• Cover the dough with damp towel and let it rest for at least half an hour.
• Preheat oven at 245 degree Celsius/ 475 Fahrenheit for 10 mins.
• Divide the dough in small portions, roll them like round balls. Push the balls gently with palms to make it slightly flat like Pattie
• Depress the center of the Baati (dough Pattie) with your thumb. ( The depression will flatten while baking and this practice will help you to know that your Baatis are perfectly baked from inside as well) once the Baatis are fully baked from inside the depressed portion will flatten up.
• Place the Baatis in the oven and bake them for 30-40 minutes or till they turn golden brown. Flip the Baatis upside down in between to make sure that your Baatis are done from both the sides.
• Meanwhile, heat some ghee in a deep bowl/pan until ghee is fully melted.
• Once baked, carefully take the Baatis Out of the oven as the Baatis will be very hot. Now using a clean cloth slightly squeeze the Baatis so that the top part of it cracks and opens the shell.
• Now dip the Baatis in melted ghee from the open side so that Baatis can absorb the ghee.
• Serve hot with Daal, Baingan ka Bharta, Chutney and salad.

Baingan (a.k.a Eggplant or Brinjal) is an ordinary vegetable however when used creatively, it can create mouth watering wonders. “Baingan Bharta” is one such wonderful recipe. This is usually served as the side dish with Roti, Naan, Parantha or even Daal-Baati. Some people also call it vegetarian’s grilling substitute for chicken. The magic of “Baingan Bharta” lies in its roasted smokey flavor which originally came from the clay ovens (a.k.a. “Tandoors”) used in old times. Though the new style homes usually don’t have these clay ovens anymore but the good news is that you can still make this delicious dish using the common electric oven or even on the regular gas stove burners. As usual, I did some experimenting with the traditional recipe by adding peanuts to give it a crunchy (rather than usual soggy) texture. This is very popular among my friends and I am certain you will enjoy it too. So what are you waiting for…..Go and give it a shot!!

• 1 medium sized eggplant (Baingan)
• 2 medium sized onions
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 2 small green chills
• 1 small piece of ginger
• 4-5 table spoon- cooking oil
• 1 tea spoon- turmeric
• 1 table spoon- coriander powder
• 1 tea spoon- red chili powder
• 1 tea spoon- Garam masala (optional)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 cup- Peanut (Moongfali)

Method:
Baking/ Roasting:

• Make a hole on the top of the Baigan (as shown in the first picture above).
• Fill 4-5 garlic cloves in the hole and reseal it.
• Grease the baingan with little oil.
• Place the baingan in the oven @ 475 degree Fahrenheit for 30-45 mins or over the flame (whichever available)
• Let it cool down for 5-10 minutes.
• After cooling remove the skin and mash it finely. Now Keep it aside for later use.

Preparation of Masala:

• Grind onion, garlic, ginger and green chilis all together to make a paste.
• Now take tomatoes in a grinder separately and make a purée, keep both of them aside.
• Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry peanuts.
• After cooling, grind fried peanuts into a coarsed powder. Keep it for garnishing.
• Add the paste (onion, garlic, ginger and green chili) into the remaining oil in the pan used earlier and sauté till they turn golden brown.
• Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt. Mix well.
• Add tomato purée, mix and cook until the oil starts separating from gravy.

Putting it altogether:

• Mix the mashed baingan (eggplant) into the gravy. Stir well.
• Cover the pan with a lid and let the mixture cook for 10-15 mins on a low heat. This way, mashed baingan absorbs all the flavors of masala.
• Take out in a serving bowl, garnish with coarsed groundnuts and fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve hot as a side dish.

As the saying goes, “We are what we eat”……then I say “we all should eat lot of sweets”. Eating some sweets is probably the best way to conclude a meal. Today I am going to present a sweet which is mouth-watering just upon calling the name that is “Choorma Laddoo”. This recipe finds its roots in Rajasthan (an Indian state) and usually prepared with “Daal-Baati” (another popular specialty from that area) but it can be a great snack just by itself. These laddoos are rich in nutrition and irresistibly delicious at the same time. Therefore, it could be a perfect option for moms who have hard time convincing their kids who keep running away from the regular food. Moreover, once prepared they last for quite a few days if stored properly. In fact, the taste keeps getting better with time as the Ghee gets absorbed into the other ingredients. I learnt this recipe from my grandma and tweaked the method a bit to fit it in the modern kitchens. So, are you ready to get indulged in some wonderful sweet?

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
• 4 table spoon ghee
• ghee for deep-frying
• 3/4 cup sugar powder
• Dry fruits (cashew nut (kaju), Almond (badam), Buchanania lanzan (chiroli/chironji) & raisin (kishmish))
• Cardamom powder (Elaichi powder)

Method :

• Mix the wheat flour, ghee and ½ cup of water in a deep bowl and knead into stiff dough.
• Divide the dough into equal portions and shape each portion into the shape of your fist.
• Heat the ghee in a deep pan and deep-fry fist shaped dough on  medium flame till they turn golden brown in colour from all the sides. Drain on an absorbent paper and allow them to cool down.
• Once cooled, break them into small pieces and grind in a mixer to a coarse powder (choorma). Keep aside.
• Add the choorma, powdered sugar, little amount of ghee (helps in binding), chopped dry fruits (sautéed in ghee) and powdered cardamom in a deep bowl and mix very well. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.
• Shape each portion into a round ball (laddoo).
• Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container.