Healthy Poha

Ingredients:
1 cup poha (rice flakes)(washed in water and kept for 10 mins.)
1 tsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp. peanuts
1 small onion(chopped)
5 curry leaves
1 tsp. green chilly (chopped)
1 cup of beans+carrot+peas
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. chilly powder
1 tbsp. grated coconut( optional) for garnish
1 tbsp. coriander leaves (chopped)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp.sugar
salt to taste

Method:
Take oil in a non stick pan, put the peanuts and stir them till done.Add mustard seeds and rest of the ingredients one by one till chilly powder. Cook the vegetables till almost done, then add the soaked poha, sugar and salt. Cover and cook for 5 mins.Add the lemon juice, coriander leaves and coconut.Serve. 

Peshawari Paneer(Cottage cheese curry with capsicum in cashew nut gravy)

Ingredients:
 1 tsp. oil
300 gms. paneer(cottage cheese)
1 onion (cubed)
1 capsicum (cubed)
1 tomato(cubed)
For Curry :
Ingredients:
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. cumin
1 onion(paste)
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1 tomato(paste)
1 tsp. coriander powder
1 green chilly chopped
a pinch turmeric powder
1/2 tsp. garam masala
salt and sugar to taste
1 tsp. butter
2 tbsp. cashew nut soaked in milk and ground to paste
1 tsp. kasoori methi leaves(dry fenugreek leaves)
Method:Take 1 tsp. oil in a non-stick pan, lightly fry the paneer till golden but soft. In the same pan add the cubed onion and capsicum, add a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cubed tomato and cook for another minute, take it out of the pan.
For the curry,take oil in the same pan,add the cumin,then all the ingredients in order till salt and sugar, cook the masala properly till it leaves oil. Put the paneer and cooked onion,capsicum and tomato mixture. Add the cashew nut paste, butter and kasoori methi. Cook for some time till oil from the gravy separates.

Alu Gobhi Sukha(Potato and Cauliflower Dry Preparation)

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower(broken into florets)

1 large potato (peeled and cubed)

1 medium onion(paste)

½ inch ginger and 3 cloves garlic or2 tsp. ready to use ginger-garlic (paste)

1 bay leaf

½ tsp. cumin

1 tomato(cubed)

½ tsp. turmeric powder

1 tsp.coriander powder

½ tsp. cumin powder

½ tsp. chilly powder

½ tsp. garam masala powder

2 tbsp. coriander leaves

2 tsp. oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Put the oil in a non stick pan, add the bay leaf and whole cumin. Let it fry for a minute, then add the ginger garlic paste,coriander and cumin powder,turmeric and chilly powder mixed with a little water.Fry this till the raw smell is gone,then add the onion paste , and mix well. Fry this for a couple of minutes then add the parboiled cauliflower and potato and tomato. Sprinkle some  salt and 2tbsp. of water , cover and cook on low flame for 15 mins. checking once in a while so that it doesn’t burn. Add garam masala power and sprinkle with coriander leaves and serve.

Chana Dal Vada (Fritters)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup chana dal(bengal gram)

1 small onion(chopped fine)

1/2 inch ginger (chopped fine)

1/2 tsp. cumin

5-6 curry leaves(chopped)

1 green chilly(chopped fine)

1 tbsp. coriander leaves(chopped)

1/4 tsp. baking powder

salt to taste

1 tsp. oil 

Cooking Process:

Soak the chana dal in water for 1 hr.Grind the chanadal coarsely adding a little water if required. Add rest of the ingredients till baking powder. Take a non stick flat pan/ tava, put the oil and coat the pan completely. Make small flat fritters using your hand, cover and cook on both sides. Can be served with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.

Hummus

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chickpea( soaked overnight and pressure cooked in a cup of water for 3 whistles)

2 tbsp. tahini paste

2 garlic cloves

1 lemon(juice)

salt

Garnish:

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. flat leaf parsley

a pinch paprika/ kashmiri red chilly powder

1 tbsp. boiled chickpea

Cooking Process:

Grind all the ingredients from boiled and strained chickpea till salt. Spoon the mixture in a bowl, make a slight dent in the middlle, pour the olive oil and sprinkle the pepper and parsley and the boiled chickpea.

Falafel

 

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpea(kabuli chana)(soaked overnight in 2 cups of water)

1 onion( chopped)

2 cloves garlic(crushed)

2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley(coriander can be used though it doesnt taste the same)

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 green chilly(chopped fine)

salt

1 tsp oil

Cooking Process:

Grind the chickpea coarsely with a little water.  Add rest of the ingredients except oil and grind to a finer paste. Make walnut sized patties. and flatten them slightly. Take oil in a non stick pan and lightly fry them till brown on all sides. Falafels are originally deep fried so if you wish to have a crispy exterior deep fry them.Serve with hummus as a starter or stuffed inside pita bread and tomato salad to make a meal.