Carrot and Oats Appe Pops

Appe is the one of the popular dish in whole South India. They are known different different names. Here I am trying to give healthy and attractive twist to Appe.

Ingredients: 
Grated carrot – 1 cup
Fine Samolina (Suji/rawa) – ½ cup
Quick oats - ½ cup
Curd – 3 to 4 tbsp
Green chilies – 3 or as per like
Ginger- 1 inch piece
Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Hing – 1 pinch
Chopped coriander - ¼ cup
Baking soda- ½ tsp
Water- 1 cup
Veg. oil or butter - as required


Procedure: 
Combine suji and oats in a bowl. Add curd and water, mix well. The consistency is like Idali batter. 
Keep this mixture for minimum 20 minutes for soaking . 
Crush chilies along with ginger and cumin seeds.
Then add carrot, chili crush, hing, coriander, salt, soda. Mix well.

Heat the non-stick 'Appe' pan. Pour or spray  little oil in the rounds.

Pour the above mixture in the pan. Cover and cook for few minutes.

Fry both sides until it will be cooked & became golden brown.

Make the pops with using the toothpicks.
Serve hot with black raisins chuteny or tomato ketchup.

They rock in  "Baccha Party". I submitted this recipe for Simply Tadka’s 2nd Blog-iversary Celebration with Giveaway.

These appe is very good for breakfast, tiffin or as snacks.

You may make uttapa/pancake from this same batter.

Black raisins chutney: Combine and grind : Black raisins, kokam (optional), red chilli powder, Rock salt, sugar

This recipe "Carrot Appe” has been selected as the winner for Recipe of the month (Feb 2012) Contest ‘Carrot Carnival’ on www.sanjeevkapoor.com

Methi Muthiya

Actually these muthiya have been made for Undhiyu. But I think, these are good snacks itself. It is very healthy in the winter. 

Ingredients:
Fenugreek (methi) leaves, chopped- 1 cup
Wheat flour- ½ cup
Gram flour (besan)- ¼ cup
Sorghum (jawar)or rice flour-  2 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
Coriander powder- ½ tsp
Hing- ¼ tsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tsp
Lemon juice-half portion of lemon
Sugar- 1 ½ tsp
Salt- to taste
Soda-bi-carb- ½ tsp
Oil- 1 tsp
Water- ¼ cup
Oil for deep frying- as required


Method:
Wash and cut methi leaves. Combine all ingredients except oil. Make stiff dough. 
Add 1 tsp of oil and knead again. 

Make small oval, dumplings and deep fry them. Fry on low to medium flame, otherwise they remain raw inside. You may steam them.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or any type of chutney.


For Undhiyu recipe: click here.

Eggless Tutti Frutti Cake

Ingredients: 

All Purpose Flour (maida)- ½ cup and 2 tbsp 
Baking powder- ¾ tsp
Baking Soda- ¼ tsp
Condensed milk, sweetened- ½ cup
Buttermilk-  ¼ cup
Veg. oil or melted butter- 3 tbsp
Pineapple essence- ½ tsp

Lemon yellow colour- 1 pinch (optional)
Tutti frutti-   ¼ cup (+ mix with ½ tbsp maida)
Oil or butter- ½ tsp for greasing

Method:

Sieve the flour, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl and Keep aside. Mix ½  tbsp of flour with ¼ cup tutti frutti and keep aside.
Combine condensed milk, buttermilk, oil, colour and pineapple essence in another bowl and beat well. Keep aside.
Add the flour mixture to the condensed milk mixture and mix gently using a spatula.
Make a batter of dropping consistency. If necessary and some little buttermilk and mix well.
Add tutti frutti and gently stir. Pour the mixture into a  greased and dusted cake mold.
Sprinkle some of tutti-frutti evenly over it and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 25 to 30 minutes.

Note:

This is a basic recipe. You may cut the upper crust of cake and decorate with any icing or any other things. 

Omit tutti frutti and use vanilla essence instead of pineapple essence, then this cake will become eggless sponge cake.  

How to Preserve/Store Fresh Mushrooms

Many times we buy mushrooms, but we don't want to use immediately. They have only 2 days shelf life and also become blackish in refrigerator. So here is a solution..... 

Wash the mushrooms properly. (Sprinkle some All Purpose Flour/Maida on the Mushrooms generously. Now wash them under running water.) 

Cut the mushrooms into slices or quarters.

Then put them directly into a pot of boiling water for 1 minute.

Wash the mushrooms in cold water to stop the cooking process and drain.

Place them in plastic freezer containers. Seal and freeze. You can store them for 2 months.
See these frozen mushrooms after a week,  they still maintain their colour and texture.

Cooking Tip #1

Do not hold any spice powder packets directly on the dish while cooking, the hot vapors get into the packet and spoil the powder. 

Take out the required amount of powder on a spoon and then add it to the dish.

Fresh Turmeric And Ginger Pickle

An unusual and beneficial recipe of pickle.....must try!
Fresh turmeric root can provide enough nutrients to help you keep away from anaemia, neuritis, memory disorders and offer protection against cancers, infectious diseases, high blood pressure and strokes.
Ayurveda gives ginger the status of a virtual medicine chest. That’s because this wonder spice has time-tested digestion-friendly properties, in addition to its numerous other health benefits.

Fresh Turmeric roots:

Ingredients: 

• Fresh Turmeric root, chopped- 1 ½ cup 
• Ginger, chopped- 1 cup 
• Green chilies, cut- ½ cup 
• Juice of lemon- 3 to 4
• Salt- 4 tsp 
• Fenugreek seeds- 8 to 10 kernels 
• Mustard seeds- ½ cup 
• Asafoetida (Hing)- 1 tsp 
• Oil- 1 cup or as required

Method:

• Wash, pat dry and peel the turmeric roots and ginger, chop into small chunks. Wash and cut green chilies.

• Combine turmeric, ginger and green chilies chunks. Add lemon juice, salt, mix well and keep it covered for overnight. 
• Dry roast mustard seeds till feel a nice aroma. Do not burn, otherwise they tastes bitter in pickle. Let it cool and crush or grind coarsely. 
• Add crushed mustard seeds next day and give a nice stir. 
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in small pan, add fenugreek seeds and saute a while. Switch off the gas and add hing. Pour this on pickle and mix all nicely. 
• Heat oil till it smokes. Switch off the gas. When oil come to room temperature, add this oil in pickle mixture bowl and mix well.
• Transfer the pickle into clean, sterilise, dry and airtight glass jar. 
• Pickle needs sufficient oil on the top, means pickle fully covered with oil. If required, add more oil. Never add raw oil directly. 
• Marinate this pickle for approx 1 month. Stir pickle in between, once in a day. 

Tips:

• Sometimes I use both types of Turmeric i.e. turmeric and White Turmeric/Mango Ginger. White Turmeric/Mango Ginger or Amba Haldi/Aambe Halad is nice and sour in taste. But sometimes mango ginger is bitter, so taste it before use.
• My version of this pickle is not too spicy. I want to feel the real taste of turmeric and ginger. But you may make it more spicy. Add more chillies upto 1½ cup. 
• If you do not want more oil in pickle. Once it marinated well, strain oil from pickle with fine plastic strainer and refrigerate. Pickle with less oil will stay fresh for long time in refrigerator. (This remaining oil can be used in other pickle or in making aachari subji or other aachari recipes.) 
• According to your preference you can grate the turmeric and ginger, instead of chopping. 
• You can use rock salt (saindhav namak) instead of regular salt. 
• I bought 250 gm turmeric roots but I got 1 ½ cup chopped chunks from them after peeling and removing messy part of roots. You may be get more than or less than from 250 gm turmeric roots. It's depend upon turmeric root quality. 

ओली हळद आणि आल्याचे लोणचे

साहित्य: 

• ओली हळद व आंबे हळद, बारीक चिरून- १ १/२ कप 
• आले, बारीक चिरून- १ कप 
• हिरव्या मिरच्या, बारीक चिरून- १/२ कप 
• मीठ- ४ टीस्पून किंवा चवीनुसार 
• लिंब- ३ ते ४
• मेथी दाणे- ८ ते १० दाणे 
• मोहोरी- १/२ कप 
• तेल- १ कप किंवा  गरजेनुसार 
• हिंग- १ टीस्पून

कृती: 

• मी काही वेळा हळद व आंबे हळद अश्या दोन प्रकारची हळद वापरून सुद्धा हे लोणचे केले आहे. आंबे हळदीने छान आंबट चव येते, पण चाखून पाहावी लागते आधी कारण आंबे हळद कधीकधी कडू असते. 
• मोहोरी मंद आचेवर भाजून घ्यावी. करपवू नये अन्यथा कडवट होते. खलबत्त्यात कुटून घ्यावी. खलबत्ता नसेल तर मिक्सरवर भरड दळावी. 
• ओली हळद व आले स्वच्छ धुवून सोलावे, कोरडी करून चिरून घ्यावे. हिरव्या मिरच्या बारीक चिरून घ्याव्यात. 
• एका वाडग्यात चिरलेली हळद, चिरलेले आले, चिरलेल्या हिरव्या मिरच्या, लिंबाचा रस व मीठ असे सर्व एकत्र करावे. छान मिक्स करावे. रात्रभर किंव्हा ५-६ तास तसेच ठेवावे. 
• दुसऱ्या दिवशी त्यात कुटलेली मोहोरी टाकून मिक्स करावे. 
• कढल्यात १ टेबलस्पून गरम करून त्यात मेथी दाणे परतून घ्यावेत. गॅस बंद करून हिंग टाकावी. हिंग फुलला पाहिजे. हि फोडणी लोणच्यावर ओतून  छान मिक्स करावे. 
• स्वच्छ, सुक्या व हवाबंद काचेच्या बरणीत भरून ठेवावे.
• छोट्या पातेल्यात तेल वाफ/धूर येईपर्यंत गरम करावे. तेल पूर्ण थंड झाल्यावर लोणच्याच्या बरणीत ओतून खाली-वर हलवावे.  
•  लोणचे बरणीत भरल्यावर वर तेलाचा थर हवा नाहीतर बुरशी येते. (तेल कमी पडल्यास तेल वाढवावे. कच्चे तेल लोणच्यात कधीही घालू नये. तेल गरम करून थंड झाल्यावरच लोणच्यात टाकावे.) 
• हे लोणचे मुरायला जरा जास्त वेळ लागतो. अंदाजे १ ते दीड महिना लागेल, नाहीतर कडू लागत. 

टीपा :

• हळद व आले सोलून किसून घेतली तरी चालते. मग मिरच्याही अगदी बारीकच चिराव्यात. 
• मी तयार केलेले हे लोणचे फार तिखट नाही. कारण मला हळदीचा व आल्याचा खरा स्वाद अनुभवायाचा होता. पण ज्यांना तिखट आवडत असेल तर त्यांनी मिरच्यांचे प्रमाण वाढवायला हरकत नाही.  
• तुम्हाला जर लोणच्यात जास्त तेल आवडत नसेल तर लोणचे मुरल्यावर वरचे तेल बारीक (चहासाठी वापरतो ती) प्लास्टिकच्या गाळणीने गाळुन काढावे. पण मग हे लोणचे फ्रीझमध्येच ठेवावे लागेल. (हे तेल आचारी प्रकारच्या भाज्या बनवण्यास वापरू शकता.) 
• आपल्या नेहमीच्या मीठाऐवजी सेन्देलोण (सैन्धव मीठ ) वापरू शकता. 
• मी २५० ग्रॅम ओली हळद आणली होती. साले काढल्यावर व खराब झालेला भाग काढून टाकल्यावर मला १ १/२ कप हळदीचे तुकडे मिळाले. कदाचित तुम्हाला यापेक्षा जास्त किंव्हा कमी चांगले तुकडे मिळू शकतात, तुम्हाला कशी हळद मिळते यावर ते अवलंबून आहे. 

Sevai (Vermicelli) Kheer

This kheer is the most easiest but yummiest, anyone can prepare. :) It requires just few minutes. 

हि पाककृती मराठीतून वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.  
Ingredients:

• Readymade short Vermicelli/ sevai- 1 cup
• Clarified butter (Pure/desi ghee)- 1 tbsp
• Water- ½ cup
• Milk with cream- 1½ to 2 cup
• Sugar- 5 to 6 tbsp (or as your like) 
• Cardamom powder- ½ tsp
• Raisins (Kishmish)- 2 tbsp
• Almonds- 6
• Cashew nuts- 6
• Saffron (keshar)- 1 pinch (optional) 

Method:

• Slice or chop almonds and cashew nuts coarsely.
• Heat ghee in a nonstick pan. Add vermicelli and roast on low heat until color changes to light brown. Don't burn, stir continuously. 
• Add slices of almonds and cashew nuts. Roast them for a minute along with vermicelli.
• Add water (you may use totally milk instead of water), cover and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. 
• Add sugar, saffron and milk. Once milk comes to boil, add cardamom powder and raisins.
• Let the vermicelli cook on low heat. Stir in between, otherwise milk and vermicelli can stick to the bottom of the pan. 
• Garnish with almond slices and saffron. Serve hot or chilled.

Tomato Pickle

Tomato pickle is most popular in south India. Making of tomato pickle is very easy.  You will experience the sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors in the pickle.

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes- 250 gm
• Salt- 2 tbsp (or to taste)
• Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
• Mustard seeds-1 tbsp + ¼ tsp
• Fenugreek seeds- ¼ tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- ¼ tsp
• Sugar- 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder- 1~2 tbsp (as per like)
• Oil- ¼ cup

Method:

• Dry roast 1 tbsp mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds till feel a nice aroma. Let it cool and grind into powder.
• Wash the tomatoes and pat dry, then cut them into little chunks.
• Heat the oil in a pan, add ¼ tsp mustard seeds once it splutter add hing make the flame to low, now add tomato chunks, turmeric powder, sugar and salt.
• Cook on low heat and stir occasionally till all ingredients blend together and tomatoes become a soft lump and oil will discharge on the sides. It will take about 15 min.
• After switching off the flame , let it cool .Once it cools completely add the mustard fenugreek powder, chilli powder and mix nicely and shift it to a dry jar.
• You can store this pickle for 20 days to and if you refrigerator  it will last for 3 months.
• Enjoy with your any type of paratha or dosa.

Paneer Tikka

Every lavish Indian dinner party is sure to have some tikkas .....




Ingredients:

• Paneer/cottage cheese, cubed- 150 gm
• Onion- 1 large size
• Capsicum- 1
• Tomato- 1

For Marinade:

• Hung curd (chakka)- ½ cup
• Homemade butter/ butter- 1 tbsp
• Tikka/tandoori masala- 2 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Cumin (jeera) powder- 1 tsp
• Chaat masala- 2 tsp
• Black pepper powder- ½ tsp
• Red chili Powder- 1 tsp or to taste
• Red food colour- a pinch (optional)
• Rock salt/ Salt- to taste

Salad For Tikka:

• Onion, Julienne- 1 cup
• Tomato, deseeded and julienne- ½ cup
• Capsicum, julienne- ¼ cup
• Cabbage, julienne- ¼ cup
• Carrot, julienne- ¼ cup
• Chat masala, lemon juice, chilli powder, black salt/salt- to taste

Mix together all these ingredients.

Method:
Mix all ingredients for marinade and keep aside. Cut paneer into approx. ½″ thick cubes.
Marinate paneer cubes for min. 1 hour. If you want to keep them for extra more time, then keep them in the refrigerator.



Remove the seeds of tomato. Cut all vegetables into cubes. Rub salt and pepper on them, keep aside.

Put all vegetables cubes in the marinade. Thread the marinated paneer and vegetables onto seekhs / skewers in a combination of your choice. Grill on gas tandoor or any type of tandoor/barbeque or even in a pan.



Or you can use this roasting net.....



Or.... Preheat your grill on medium. Put the paneer skewers on it and brush with a little cooking oil. Grill till paneer is light golden and the veggies soft.
Do not overcook the paneer will become rubbery.

Place on a plate and sprinkle with Chaat Masala.
Serve with lemon wedges, salad and mint chutney. 
Serve piping hot as a starter!

Mint Coriander Chutney (Pudina Chutney For Tikka/Kebab)

This type of mint chutney is usually served with tandoori/grilled snacks like kebabs and tikkas, be it veg or non veg. But you may serve it with other snacks also. 

ही पाककृती वाचा मराठीतून …. इथे क्लिक करा. 

Ingredients:
Mint leaves- ¾ to 1 cup
Fresh coriander leaves- ½ cup
Onion, chopped- ¼ cup
Green chilli- 2
Curd- 1 tbsp
Rock salt or normal salt- to taste
Sugar- a pinch

Method:
Grind together all above ingredients into fine paste.
Serve this mint chutney with any tandoori snack or starter.