Category: Starter

Ingredients 

• One  cup – moong dal soaked for at least 4  hours
• 100 grams – Paneer
• Two – Green chili chopped 
• Salt to taste
• Any other spices according to your liking (chili powder,amchur powder,dhania powder ect)
•  One teaspoon – Chaat masala
• Onion rings (for garnish)
• One teaspoon –  Lemon juice (for garnish)
• One- fourth cup – Besan

Method

•  Mix all the ingredients and mash it with your hands to make a bindable mixture.
•  Form small circular tikkis and spray a pan with some ghee/ oil and cook from both the sides until golden and crispy.
• Drizzle lemon juice and chaat masala and serve hot with your favorite chutneys or curd! 

I was overwhelmed with the response I got on my post of Tangy Methi Amla. What made me happy that lot of people tried it and came back to me on the taste. It feels nice . Continuing with the healthy recipe trend, I am sharing the recipe of Grilled Bottle Gourd (yes that’s the humble lauki). This is very popular in our parties and guests love it. I do not disclose that it’s lauki till they have eaten it and no one can believe it!!

My kiddos love the lauki in this form and no yucky words come. Bottle gourd as you know is rich in vitamins and minerals and good for the stomach.  So here you go.

Ingredients

• 1/2 Kg of Bottle Gourd (lauki)
• 4 tbsp bread crumbs made from fresh bread. (Grind the bread in mixie)
• 4 tsp yogurt
• 6 tsp roasted channa flour (Grind Roasted Channa)
• Oil – 1tbsp
• 1 tsp chaat masala to sprinkle
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

1. Peel and cut the gourd into round slices about 1 inch thick
2. In a pan heat oil and saute roundels with salt till they are tender
3. Remove from pan to a bowl
4. In a bowl mix breadcrumbs, channa flour and yogurt (dahi). Mix well
5. Dip the roundels in this mixture
6. Grill on greased Grill pan, till they are golden brown
7. Serve hot . Garnish with chaat masala and onion rings

This humble vegetable really tastes yum in this form.  You can replace the bottle gourd with zucchini or paneer or you can mix n match for an assorted platter.

It has been a long time since i wrote on the blog but something or the other kept happening even if wrote i forgot to upload and then the mood changed and i did not like my article. Thanks for my family , friends and customers who kept following up with me for a fresh post.

Finally i am writing & it feels nice to be doing it . Here comes a winter soup recipe my favorite Pumpkin Soup. After tomato, this is my most favorite soups. It is extremely low on calories and yet is a very filling soup. Works wonders for losing weight. So here goes –

Ingredients

• 1/2 Kg yellow Pumpkin, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion cut in slices
• 4-5 pods of Garlic
• 1 tbsp of olive oil or any oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 tbsp Cream (optional)
• 1 tsp Cornflour (optional)
• 3-4 cups water

Method

1. Saute garlic, onion and pumpkin in olive oil for 3-4 min. Add salt to the vegetables.
2. Add water and let it boil for some time till pumpkin becomes soft and mash-able.
3. Sieve out the water in a pan and mash the pumpkin or grind it in the mixer ( by grinding in mixer u can have the thicker soup without cornflour)
4. Add the pumpkin paste to the stock and add milk . If adding cornflour please mix in milk and add the same.
5. Give the soup a boil and it is ready to serve. If you find it bland please add pepper and any other seasoning as per your taste
6. For garnishing u can add cream and some basil leaves

Enjoy the soup and do share your version of the same. My kids also love the same –  I did not tell them it is pumpkin soup and they loved it. Now with Halloween so famous in India it is called the Halloween Soup in our house!!

A lesson I learnt from my mother who was an army wife that you  should be prepared to make something quick and with basic ingredients to entertain sudden guests . Also lot of time army cantonments used to be cut off from the main city and you had to do what you had with you at home. The basic rule that one follows is not to run off potatoes and onions at home.

This is simple recipe of Baby potato starter. It is big hit in our house and I get loads of complements on the same. It is easy to pack in kids tiffin also.

Method

• Soak about 20 baby potatoes with skin. This step helps to clean the dirt nicely
• Wash them nicely so that there are no traces of dust
• Boil them in pressure cooker with one whistle and slow flame for 5-7 min or boil in a pan with water for 15 min. Please note this step is crucial as you cannot over cook the potatoes or have the skin peeling off

• Let them cool for 5- 10 min .
• Pick each potato and press them between palms to make it a flat structure as shown in the pic below. Please note the skin should be intact

• Shallow fry or sauté them with olive oil till crisp

• Remove from fire and sprinkle lemon juice, salt, chilli powder, chat masala and amchur powder

They are ready to be served. Simple and easy.

Serving tip you can keep the potatoes boiled and pressed and sauté them hot when you want to serve. If you do not want to stand in-front of the gas during the party then grill them in the oven for 10-15 min.