Methi thepla
Gujarati cuisine is mainly vegetarian and theplas have a special place in it. You can also call them methi parathas. Theplaa is a delicious item and addition of methi or fenugreek leaves make it even more irresistible. Fenugreek leaves have a unique and slightly bitter flavor and they are also rich in Calcium and Magnesium which is anti- ageing. Theplas remain fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature. Stack them one over the other after cooking them. They are both healthy and tasty.
Recipe of Methi Thepla (Paratha)
1 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup besan (gram flour)
1 cup methi (fenugreek leaves) - chopped
2 tsp oil + for shallow frying
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup yogurt (curd)
1/4 tsp fennel powder (saunf)
methi dough
1. Mix together atta, besan, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and fennel powder. Add methi leaves, 2 tsp oil and mix. Add yogurt and knead into stiff dough. Use as little water as possible to knead the dough. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
2. Take a ball (peda) out of the dough and roll out into a 5- 6 inch round tossing it in dry flour while rolling out.
3. Heat a tava (griddle) and cook this round on it from both sides brushing with oil. Cook till light golden brown. Do the same with rest of the dough. These are now called theplas or paranthas. They taste great with green chilli pickle and yogurt.
Methi leaves
Boondi ka raita
Boondi ka raita is the most common raita in Indian homes and even served when entertaining some guests. Bundi raita is served as an accompaniment to meals.
It’s easy and quick to make and tastes great. Readymade boondi is available in any Indian grocery store.
Recipe of Boondi Raita
2 cup curd (yogurt)
½ cup boondi
½ tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) or black pepper powder
Salt to taste
½ tsp cumin seeds- roasted and coarsely ground
Fresh coriander leaves
1.Soak boondi in water for 2-3 minutes. Drain. This step will make the boondis soft as well as drain off some oil from them.
2. Beat curd well with a beater or a mathani. If it is too thick, add some water. Add red chilli powder, salt and roasted cumin seeds. Mix well.
3. Add boondi. Garnish with coriander leaves.
4. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
marinated pieces on skewers
Paneer Tikka is a fancy food which many people think can be made only at restaurants and hotels. Believe me with this simple recipe you can make delectable Paneer tikkas at home and surprise everyone.
Soft chunky pieces of paneer marinated in spiced yogurt and grilled to perfection make it a protein packed low calorie tasty food.
Recipe of Paneer Tikka
250 grams paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
1 medium green capsicum (bell pepper)
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
1 cup thick yogurt (curd/ dahi)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1 tsp chaat masala
2 tsp ginger- garlic paste
2 green chillies- crushed
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
Paneer-Tikka
- Cut paneer, onion, tomato and capsicum into 11/2 inch pieces.
- Mix yogurt, turmeric powder, tandoori masala, chaat masala, ginger- garlic paste, green chillies, salt and oil to a smooth paste.
- Add paneer cubes to this marinade. See that paneer is well coated with it. Keep in refrigerator for 2 hours.
- Soak a few bamboo skewers in water for 20 minutes. Take out, pat dry and grease them with few drops of oil.
- Put onion, tomato and capsicum pieces in the marinade and coat them well. Thread pieces of marinated paneer and veggies one after the other on the skewers.
- Cook on an oiled grill turning the skewers a few times. Or you can set your oven to Broil. Preheat your oven broiler to high. Broil till you see brown- black spots on the paneer and vegetables and paneer is slightly charred on the edges. Or you can also cook on Barbecue. Paneer tikka can also be made in a tandoor.
While cooking paneer tikkas just don’t go anywhere and keep an eye on it so that they don’t get burned. Also don’t over cook it. You can buy Tandoori masala and Chaat masala for this recipe from any Indian grocery store
This Indian vermicelli dessert is really fast to cook and will keep your sweet tooth satisfied. Sweet sevia is very easy to make and since this recipie is made without milk unlike sevai kheer, it’s ok for people with lactose intolerance. It’s simple and an almost instant dessert. I don’t use much ghee to cook it (keeping calories in mind) but you can do that if you want to make it rich.
Recipe of Sweet Sevai
½ cup Sevai (Sevia/Vermicelli)
2 cup water
4 tsp sugar
1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)
2 tsp cashew nuts- broken
2 tsp raisins
1. Heat ghee in a pan and roast cashew pieces in it till golden. Take them out of the pan and keep aside. Now roast vermicelli in the same pan without adding any more ghee. Roast them on medium heat stirring all the time, till golden.
2. Add water and cook covered. Stir in between.
3. When about ½ cup water remains in the pan, add sugar, cashew nuts and raisins. Cook uncovered, mixing it till all water gets evaporated. Turn off heat and serve hot.
Pav- bhaji
Pav- bhaji or pao- bhajee is a popular Indian street food which originated from Mumbai but is now eaten all over India and also outside India. Pav means bread and bhaji is a term used for vegetable and curry dish. You can add other veggies like turnip, carrots to bhaji to make it healthier. Although lots of butter is added to bhajee, I have reduced it in my recipe keeping in mind, the calories. You can add more butter if you like it richer. The pau bhaji masala used in this recipe is a special blend of spices. You can get it from any Indian grocery store.
Recipe of pav bhaji
3 medium potatoes
½ small cauliflower
1 medium capsicum
¼ cup shelled green peas
2 medium onions- minced
4 medium tomatoes- pureed
3 green chillies- crushed
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp oil + 1 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
2 tsp Pav bhaji masala
1 tbsp tomato sauce
Butter to toast the pav
8 pav buns
Chopped onion and coriander leaves to garnish
2 lemons- cut into wedges
1. Put roughly chopped potato pieces in a food processor to get very small pieces. Do the same with cauliflower. Deseed and chop capsicum finely.
2. Place potato, cauliflower, capsicum and green peas in a pressure cooker with ½ cup water and salt. Let 1 whistle come, then simmer on low heat for 10 minutes. Open the cooker when pressure drops and mash the boiled veggies with the potato masher.
3. Heat oil and butter in a non- stick pan and add minced onion and green chillies. Sauté till light golden.
4. Add ginger- garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute. Add Pao- bhajee masala and cook on medium heat for 1 minute.
5. Add tomato puree and tomato sauce. Cook on medium heat for few minutes stirring constantly.
6. Now add mashed vegetables and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes stirring in between. Turn off heat and garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves.
7. Slice each pav bun horizontally into 2 and toast in butter and a little pav bhaji masala. Toast on both sides on a griddle (tava) till crisp and golden.
8. Serve pav with bhaji and lemon wedges. Serve hot.
This is a popular Maharashtrian dish which you can make as Sunday breakfast or brunch. I am sure your kids will love it.
Sevai upma
Vermicelli upma is a healthy, low calorie breakfast and you can make it anytime you want to make one pot meal. I use Bambino sevai made of hard wheat and semolina (sooji). You can add any number of vegetables to this upma to make it more nutritious. By using pre- roasted vermicelli, you can cut back on the quantity of oil used plus your labor.
Recipe of sevai upma
½ cup sevai (vermicelli)
1 tsp chana dal (Bengal gram)
1 tsp dhuli urad dal (split black gram)
½ tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp peanuts
2 tsp cashew nuts- broken
1 onion- chopped
2 green chillies- chopped
Vegetables like green peas and carrot (diced)
2 cup water
4 tsp oil
Salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric powder
1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non- stick pan and roast sevai till golden. Take out sevia from the pan.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chana dal and after 2-3 seconds, add urad dal, peanuts and broken cashews. Roast till light brown. See to it that they don’t get burned.
3. Add onion and green chillies. Sauté for few seconds and add turmeric powder. Cook for 2 seconds.
4. Add vegetables, salt and water. Cook covered till vegetables are tender.
5. Add sevai or semiya (vermicelli), mix and cook covered on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Make sure there is some water left in the pan after the vegetables are cooked otherwise add some because vermicelli needs water in which to be cooked.
6. Turn off the heat and let it stand covered for few more minutes. Let all water evaporate and get absorbed. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Healthy Bytes- 100 grams of vermicelli (sevai, sevia, semiya) contains 361 k calories, 10.5gram Protein, 77.5grams Total Carbohydrates, 2gram fiber, 1gram Total Fat, 2mg Calcium and 2mg Iron.
Kesari phirni
Phirni is a type of kheer (rice pudding). In kheer, you add whole grains of rice to the milk whereas in phirni, ground rice or rice flour is used to make this Indian dessert. Phirni is much quicker to make as compared to kheer but tastes equally good.
Recipe of Phirni
½ cup rice
1 liter milk
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp green cardamom powder
10 pistachios (unsalted)
8 almonds
7-8 strands of saffron
1. Soak rice for ½ an hour. Grind to a coarse paste.
2. Blanch pistachios and almonds in hot water. Remove skin and slice. Dissolve saffron in a little hot milk.
3. Boil milk. Dissolve rice paste in a little cold milk and add this to the boiling milk.
4. Stir continuously till the rice is cooked completely. Stirring constantly is important otherwise thick lumps will form which will stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add sugar, cardamom powder and saffron. Cook till sugar dissolves. Pour phirnee into earthen bowls and decorate with sliced pistachio and almonds.
6. Refrigerate phirni and serve chilled.
aloo ki puri
There is another way of making aloo ki puri besides the method given below. It is by stuffing aloo mixture in the puri. The recipe which I am sharing is much easier to make and absorbs much less oil than by stuffing. So, give it a try.
Recipe of aloo ki puri
1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
2 medium potatoes (aloo) - boiled, peeled and mashed well
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil + to deep fry
1. Mix atta, potatoes, cumin powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and 2 tsp oil. Knead into medium stiff dough. Use as little water as possible. Use boiled aloo to knead the dough.
2. Keep aside for 20 minutes covered with a damp cloth.
3. Heat oil in heavy bottomed vessel (kadhai).
4. Take a small ball (peda) out of the dough and roll out like a puri. Deep fry poori on both sides on medium heat. Fry till golden. Serve hot aloo ki puri with pickle of your choice.
aloo ki poori
Onion Raita
Onion raita or pyaz ka raita is very easy to make and tastes good when chilled. If you do not like green chilly pieces coming in your mouth, then you can put white pepper powder or red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) for spiciness.
Recipe of onion raita or pyaaz ka raita
2 cup curd
1 big onion- chopped finely
1 green chilly- chopped finely
Black salt (kaala namak) - to taste
¼ tsp small mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp oil
1. Beat curd with a beater.
2. Add onion, green chilly and black salt.
3. Heat oil in a big spoon (karchhi) and add small mustard seeds. When they pop, add them to the curd.
4. Mix everything well and serve onion raita cold.
Raitas are generally considered good in summer season as an accompaniment to meals. Besides onion raita, there are numerous vegetables you can make raita with like cucumber raita etc.
palak paneer
Palak paneer is really yumm…I like the subtle hint of sweetness in the dish. When I was a kid, I never liked palak. My mom always used to tell me “Eat it, it’s good for you”. Later in adult life when I realized its goodness, I began liking spinach. I now try to have it in various forms like Palak parantha, Dal palak and aloo palak.
Palak- paneer is a very popular dish from North Indian cuisine. Its popularity reaches North America where it is known as Saag- paneer. Indian cottage cheese in a rich, creamy spinach curry makes this dish, a gastronomical delight.
Recipe of Palak paneer
200 gm Paneer (cottage cheese)
500 gm Palak (spinach)
5 cloves garlic
2 medium onions
1 inch ginger piece
2 green chillies
2 tomatoes- pureed
4 tsp oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp coriander powder
¼ cup malai (cream of milk)
Salt to taste
1. Cut stems of palak and wash thoroughly in running water. Blanch palak leaves in salted, boiling water for 2 minutes. Refresh them in cold water.
2. Puree the palak leaves along with green chillies.
3. Mince onions, ginger and garlic in a blender.
4. Cut paneer into pieces and shallow fry them in 2 tsp oil in a non- stick pan till golden.
5. Heat 2 tsp oil in a separate pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add onion paste. Sauté till light brown.
6. Add coriander powder. After 2 seconds, add tomato puree. Stir in salt and garam masala. Cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
7. Add palak and a little hot water (you can use the water in which spinach was blanched keeping in mind that it contains salt). Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.
8. Add paneer pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes.
9. Stir in malai and cook palak paneer further on low heat for 2 minutes. Serve hot.
Palak paneer
