Adai

Ingredients :
Par boiled rice- 2 cups
Red gram dhal- ½ cup
Bengal gram dhal- ½ cup
Green chillies- 6
Grated coconut- 3 tablespoons
Coarsely powdered pepper and cumin -1 teaspoon.
Chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves- 2 tablespoons
Salt to taste - optional
oil- for frying - use sparingly

Makes about 20 Adais

Directions :
Soak rice and dhal together for 2-3 hours. Grind it along with coconut and chillies till it becomes a thick paste. Mix in the other ingredients. Heat a heavy dosa pan and spread little batter on it using the ladle into a thick circular adai. Add a teaspoon of oil around and fry on both sides in medium flame. Serve hot with chutney or tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Aloo Gobi

(Potatoes and Cauliflower)Ingredients :
1 large cauliflower
2 potatoes, boiled & peeled
1 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
1 green chillies
1 onion, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp dhania powder
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp curds
½ tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp oil or ghee

To be ground into paste :
2 tbsp coconut, grated
¼ cup coriander, chopped
3 green chillies
½ tsp ginger grated
1 tsp garlic grated
1 onion
½ tsp wheat flour

Directions :

Break cauliflower into florettes. Simmer in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes.
Drain, keep aside. Chop potatoes into medium chunks.
Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, allow to splutter.
Add onion and green chilli, saute till pink.
Add paste, turmeric powder, dhania powder, saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add curds, stir continuously, till boiling resumes.
Add potatoes, cauliflower, cook till gravy thickens.
Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
When gravy is thick and oil separates, add lemon juice and it is done .
Garnish with coriander, serve hot. Enjoy!
"Why cook Aloo Gobi, when you can Bend It Like Beckham?"

Makkai Roti

Ingredients :
½ kg maize flour
¼ kg wheat flour
4 tbsp plain yogurt
3 cloves garlic, grated
4 green chillies, very finely chopped
1"piece ginger, grated
¼ tsp haldi
¼ tsp chilli powder
1½ tsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying]

Method :
Combine all the ingredients and knead well with a light hand to make a dough. Put a little water if necessary. Divide into equal parts.
Heat a griddle and grease with few drops of oil.
Roll out each ball into a medium sized chapati, and fry till both sides are evenly browned.

Makai Aur Subzi Ki Roti

Ingredients :

1½ teacups makai ka atta
½ teacup cauliflower, grated
½ teacup methi leaves,
finely chopped
½ teacup coriander, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1 potato, boiled
salt to taste


Method :

Sieve the atta, put the cauliflower, methi, green chillies, coriander and salt.
Grate the boiled potato and put in the mixture.
Put some warm and make soft dough.
Divide the dough into 8 to 10 balls. Roll out by apply a little flour and cook on a tava until it becomes soft.
Ready to serve.

Layered Chapaties

Ingredients :

For the chapaties
1½ teacups gehun ka atta
1 tbsp ghee or butter
½ tsp salt

For dipping the chapaties :
½ teacup milk
2 tbsp maida

For the stuffing :
2 potatoes, boiled
2 teacups finely chopped mixed boiled vegetables (French beans, carrots, cauliflower, green peas etc)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp haldi powder
1 tbsp cashewnuts, chopped
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
2 tbsp ghee
salt to taste

Method :

For the chapaties :
Combine all the ingredients together to make a soft dough.
Knead properly and keep aside for ½ hour.
Roll out the dough into thin chapatis about 150 mm (6") in diameter and cook them lightly on a tava.

For the stuffing :
Finely chop the potatoes. Heat the ghee, put the onion and cook for 1 minute.
Put the tomato and green chilli and sauté for 1 minute.
Put the potatoes, mixed vegetables, chilli powder, haldi powder, cashewnuts, coriander and salt.

How to proceed :
Grease a baking dish. Put a chapati in it and spread a little stuffing.
Dip another chapati in the milk and maida mixture and keep it on the top of the stuffing. Spread a little mixture again and continue ending with a dipped chapati.
Pour 2 tsp of melted butter on top and bake in a hot oven at 200ºC (400ºF) for at least 15 minutes.
Cut into slices.

Ready to serve.

Green Peas Parathas

Ingredients :
For the stuffing :
2 teacups boiled green peas
5 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp jeera
1 tbsp ghee
salt to taste
For the dough :
3 teacups whole meal flour
2 tbsp ghee
½ tsp salt
For the parathas :
Ghee for frying

Method :

For the stuffing :
Mash the boiled green peas. Heat the ghee in a vessel and sauté the jeera.
Put the green chillies, sauté for 1 minute and then put the mashed peas and salt. Cook for 1 minute and allow the mixture to cool.

For the dough
Sieve the flour with the salt. Apply ghee to the flour.
Use water and make into small parts.
Knead properly and divide into 10 to 12 parts.

How to proceed
Take a small part of the dough, flatten a little and put 1 tbsp of the green peas mixture in the center.
Cover the mixture by drawing up the edges towards the center.
Press on a floured board and roll out into a round as large as saucer.
Put the paratha on a hot tava (griddle). Cook for a minute or two and turn once. After 1 minute, put a little ghee around the edges, turn again and fry the other side. When brown patches appear on both sides, the paratha is ready.
Repeat the same procedure for the rest of the dough.
Ready to serve hot.

Cooker Naan

Ingredients :

500 grams maida
1½ tsp sugar
20 grams fresh yeast or 2 tsp dry yeast
2 tbsp fresh curds
25 grams ghee or margarine or butter
1 tsp salt



Method :

Sieve the flour properly.
Put the sugar and yeast in 1 teacup of warm water and mix till the yeast dissolves. Cover and wait for 5 to 7 minutes until the mixture is full of froth.
Put this liquid along with the curds, ghee and salt to the flour and make soft dough by using some more warm water.
Knead the dough for at least 6 to 7 minutes.
Keep the dough under a wet cloth for 30 minutes. Knead again for 1 minute.
Divide the dough into 20 small parts and shape into naans.
Grease a pressure cooker very lightly with oil. Take out the lid from the pressure cooker and heat it upside down.
Take each naan, apply a little water on one side and stick the wet side around the inside of the pressure cooker till brown spots appear. Continue the same procedure for the remaining naans. (One at a time you can apply 3 to 4 naans inside the walls of a pressure cooker).
Take out and apply butter.
Ready to serve.

Chapati

Ingredients :

Wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ghee



Method :
Prepare dough by mixing together ½ cup of water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ghee and just enough wheat flour.
Knead well. Let the dough be a little softer than that of puri.
Keep aside for an hour.
Then shape parts of dough into balls bigger than the ones fit for puris.
Dust with wheat flour.
Roll into chapatis on a rolling board.
Smear chapati tawa with ghee. Keep on flame.
Roast both sides of chapati on the tawa moderately.
Ready to serve.

Bhaturas

Ingredients :

500 grams maida
1½ tsp sugar
20 grams fresh yeast or 2 tsp dry yeast
2 tbsp fresh curds
25 grams ghee or margarine or butter
1 tsp salt

Other ingredients :
Oil for deep frying

Method :
Sieve the flour properly.
Put the sugar and yeast in 1 teacup of warm water and mix till the yeast gets dissolves. Cover and leave for 5 to 7 minutes till the mixture is full of froth.
Put this liquid along with the curds, ghee and salt to the flour. Put some warm water to make a soft dough.
Knead the dough for 6 to 7 minutes.
Keep the dough in a wet cloth for 30 minutes. Knead for 1 minute.
Divide the dough into 20 parts. Apply a little ghee and roll out puris.
Deep fry the puris in oil.
Ready to serve.

Aloo Ki Puri

Ingredients :

2 teacups maida
2 potatoes, boiled
2 pinches pepper powder
½ teacup milk
2 pinches saffron
2 tbsp melted ghee
½ tsp salt
ghee for deep frying

Method :

Peel and grate the potatoes and make a fine paste.
Mix the flour, pepper, ghee and salt properly.
Put the saffron in the milk and mix with the flour. If you want, put a little saffron colour in the milk.
Knead and dough properly. Leave aside for 1 hour.
Roll into small puris and deep fry in hot ghee till they puff up.
Ready to serve.