No Oil Undhiyu

Whenever we think about undhiyu , it's always had oil running out of the dish, that's the reason when you had undhiyu, you feel very full after that. I just love undhiyu, I don't wait just for makar sankranti day to have it, I  make it year around, Its usually in me in my family who love this dish so  I always have frozen undhiyu mix in my freezer, when feel like it , take it out, make a green sauce or use it in  Undhiyu Pulav or   Achari Undhiyu  and you are done. Undhiyu is a very famous dish from Gujarat , made of mix vegetables and cooked in lot of oil and other spices.

Ingredients :

1 bag of frozen Undhiyu mix  ((Potatoes ,Broad beans , and lilva and papdi dana, Raw bananas  ,Yam ,Baby brinjals, Muthia)

2 cups of fresh coriander leaves
2 green chilies
1 " of ginger
2-3 tbsp. coconut
Lime juice and salt as per taste
Little Sugar
2 tbsp. undhiyu masala powder (ready made)
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander leaves chopped


Method :

Make a paste of coriander leaves, chilies, ginger, lime juice , salt , sugar, little water.
Keep it aside.
Heat a pan, add puree of coriander in it and cook it till its water burn up.
Add frozen undhiyu mix and masala powder and salt to taste and enough water to cook it.
When its done, sprinkle lime juice and fresh chopped coriander leaves and coconut and enjoy it with puri, roti , dal /kadhi , rice.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: Last week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Egg less Cardamom Crescent Cookies

Over the Christmas my sitter brought this cookies along with other cookies. First we thought she brought it from outside but when I asked her she said that she made this with her grandma's recipe. She is from Eastern Europe and it's a traditional Christmas cookies in their region. So I searched and found lot of recipes for this, since it is egg less I was more interested to make this but I didn't has cookies cutter so I borrowed it from my friend and make this since she has bigger cutter my cookies came out big , I was thinking to dip them in chocolate and have it but as it is cookies are very sweet , I didn't wanted to make it more sweeter so trash that idea but in next batch will try with chocolate. Since my kids love it her cookies they like mine too and they helped me cutting shape too. Traditionally it has vanilla but I have added cardamom to give nice floral touch.

So from  my family to yours Happy Easter to you all.

Ingredients :

1 + 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar, plus more for dusting
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1/8 tsp Salt

Method : 

Combine the butter and powdered sugar and whisk until light and creamy.
Add the cardamom powder  and salt to it and mix well.
Add the flour and mix until well combine.
Knead it into a soft dough.

Wrap the prepared dough in a plastic wrap and put it in fridge  for about 40 - 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. 
Line the baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

Remove the dough from the fridge
sprinkle  the kitchen  surface with flour and roll out the dough into 1/4 inch thickness.
If the dough is very stiff to be rolled, let it sit at room temperature for few minutes.
Cut the cookies with a cookie cutter and place them on the prepared baking tray. Re-roll the scraps and repeat.
Bake them in the preheated oven at 350 F  for about 10 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned on edges.
Let them cool slightly.
When the cookies are still warm, sprinkle the powdered sugar on the top of the cookies or dip the warm cookies into the powdered sugar.
Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: Last week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Quick No Yeast Bhature | Fluffy Indian Fried Bread

I don't have time to make the dough and rest it and make bhatura, so when all recipes asked to make dough with yeast and rest it for good 2-3 hours, well it's not suits my schedule. In 2-3 hours my kids will have dinner and go to bed. So when I was looking for no yeast without resting recipe of bhatura, I find nothing. Then I read somewhere to add potatoes in flour and make the dough and you don't need to rest it , so came home, make chole, make khichdi and kadhi for hubby because he wanted to eat light and before that I made dough with potato and I added AP flour and whole wheat flour while the potato was warm so there was no need to add water and dough was soft enough. I boiled potato in the microwave to save some time and it was done in 5 minutes. So in 45 minutes, I made chole bhatura, Khichdi, kadhi and kids had fun eating this. So try it this quick no yeast recipe of bhatura.


Ingredients :

1 big boiled potato
1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
Salt as per taste
2 tbsp. oil
Oil for Frying

Method:

Mesh boiled potatoes nicely, add both the flours, salt, and oil and knead the dough.
Rest it for 5-10 minutes.

Make golf size balls and make a circle as per your wish, I made big bhatura so I had it 10 if you wish you can make a small size.
Heat the oil in a big pan.
When the oil is hot, fry bhatura till its brown on one side, flip it and cook on the other side.
Take it out on a paper towel and finish all bhatura.
Serve with chole, pickle, and onion.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: Last week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Cilantro Pesto Pasta

Pesto is a such a versatile dish that you can make it with any greens and it will still taste awesome. I already made it with parsley , kale, spinach of course basil too. But one day didn't had any of this and still wanted to make pesto then I see I have lot of cilantro (coriander leaves) so thought why not to make pesto with this. I added almond and cashews together instead of just almonds and it taste awesome too.

Ingredients :

2 cups washed and just leaves of fresh coriander leaves
1/4 cup almond and cashews
1 clove of garlic peeled
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of one lime
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup EVOO
2 cups boiled penne pasta
1 carrot chopped
1/2 onion chopped
Few black olives
Few chopped artichokes
As per taste salt , pepper and Artichokes hearts
1 tbsp. olive oil


Method:

In a blender,  add cilantro leaves, almond, cashews, garlic, salt and pepper, lime juice and pulse it or puree it.
Add olive oil and make a fine puree or pulse it more.
Take it in bowl and mix it Parmesan cheese.
You can use it for spread or even grill the vegetables , I use it for my pasta.

For Pasta :


In a pan, add oil and add all the vegetables , cook for a minute or two. Add  pesto in it and cook for a minute.

Now add cooked pasta and mix it and season it.

Serve it hot and sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top of it.

The Veg Hog.
Eat your greens

A2K - A Seasonal Veg Table: Eat Your Greens

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop: Last week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Vegetable Sambar & Rice

It was a quick but nice meal so instead of just posting pictures I thought let me put down the recipe so when I share the pictures , people asked for recipe and I don't have to write it down, just post a link. So here is sambar with loads of vegetables and peas rice so you won't miss side vegetable dish.

Rice :

1 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup frozen peas
Salt as per taste
1 tsp. oil
1 tsp. jeera
Few whole black pepper corn

Method:

Heat a medium pan, add oil in it, add jeera and pepper corns , wait till pepper popps and jeera changed the color , add washed and soaked rice and peas , salt and mix it nicely, add enough water to cook , cover and let it cook. When the rice is puffed up and no water left, shut off the flame.

Vegetable Sambar :

1 cup tuvar dal
1 tsp. Fenugreek seeds / methi dana
1 onion
1 tomato, few drumsticks, 1/4 cup pumpkin, 1 small eggplant
1 tbsp. chili, ginger, garlic paste
3 tbsp. sambar powder
salt to taste
1 tsp. Mustard seeds / rai
2 dry red chili
1 tbsp. red chili powder
1 tbsp. turmeric powder
small pea sized ball of tamarind paste
few curry leaves
1 tsp. urad dal
pinch of hing
2 tbsp. oil

Method:

Pressure cook the tuvar dal with fenugreek seeds and all the vegetables in it.
Keep it aside.
Take a big pan, add oil in it.
Add mustard seeds, when its popped, add curry leaves, urad dal , dry red chili , hing.
Add onion , cook it for 2 minutes, add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes until both is soft.
Add all powder masala, both paste and boiled dal.
Add enough water and let it boil.
You need to boil this on low to medium flame for 8-10 minute. The more its boil , the taste will be awesome.
When its done, sprinkle coriander leaves.

Hearth and Soul blog hop March Third week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Choriza Masala & Soya Kheema Masala | Chorizo & Soya Granules with Spices- Two in One recipe

I love the texture and taste of soya granules or chunks, both has such a amazing texture that they can take almost any flavor and make your dish delicious. For vegetarians, its nice way to added protein in their diet and its gives that texture of meat too so non vegetarian turning vegetarian will have that satisfaction too that they are eating meat kind of texture. Otherwise also you can make it anything and everything with soya, from tikkis to sauces , from curries to Indo Chinese. Today I am making Chorizo and soya  granules both  khema style, It's perfect for weeknight dinner and cooks fast and perfect with rice or roti. For better taste always soaked soya granules in milk, water works too but milk is much much better. You can take either chorizo or soya granules and make it, I made it with both ingredients two separate dishes, so sharing here both. Chorizo is a Mexican Sausage , you have to cut it and use the soya part in it , it's heavily flavor with spices and sodium so I didn't add salt when I was making dish with chorizo. Recipe is same for both, only the main ingredients are different. 

#soyachorizo

Ingredients

1 cup soya granules soaked in milk  or Chroizo

1 chopped onion

2 tomatoes chopped to 2-3 tbsp. tomato puree
1 Potato cut in  big chunks

1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp. green chili paste

Salt to taste

2 tbsp. Red chili powder or as per taste

1 tbsp. cumin coriander powder

1 tbsp. Turmeric powder

1 tbsp. Garam masala powder

¼ cup Peas (optional)

2 tbsp. oil

Lime juice and chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Heat oil in pan, add onion and cook till its brown, add tomato or puree along with ginger garlic and chili paste. Cook till raw smells disappear. Add all powder masala.

Squeezed soya from milk / water  or chorizo and add to the pan, mix it nicely. If you want to add peas and potatoes add it this time.  Add salt in it. Add little water to cook this for 5 minutes on medium to slow flame with the cover till potatoes are cook

When it’s done, sprinkle some lime juice and freshly chopped coriander leaves and enjoy hot with roti or rice. 

Hearth and Soul blog hop March Third week - Zesty South Indian Kitchen

No Knead Bread

My kids loves fresh baked bread , they don;t like regular bread but when we go to Italian restuarant they are more interested in bread then dinner, they fill up their tummy with bread , we have to control them so they can eat their dinner. So when I saw Bread and Soup – Homemade | Story of Cooks by Dolphia , I couldn't control myself and I research all no knead bread recipes out there. It seems easy but two  points was bothering me, first you need heavy covered pot which I don't have and second , you need to put hot water in another container to give nice crust. I have two kids and they are very active and I didn't wanted to take that chance, hot oven (450F) and hot boiling water and two kids running around. So I was looking for some  jugad (easy Solution). So instead of hot covered pot, I take out my trusty silicon circle pan, and for  boiling water, I took rectangle aluminium tray and I heat it up oven  and add boiling water in the tray and instructed my kids not to come in the kitchen, it was very hard since I told them that I am baking bread, it was very hard for them not to see what's mumma's making and how it works. Nothing happened , everything went fine, hubby and kids could not control them to cool off bread and half was done and my son told me I just love this bread, when are you making next one? so I said maybe next weekend. so will see , now I got the idea so will play with the ingredients too.

Ingredients :

3 cups All Purpose flour, more for dusting
1/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 and half cups of water

Method :

Step 1 : 

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt . Add one cup water first, mix it and then add 1/2 cup more and stir with wooden spoon. Dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours. More is better but 12 is good, at warm room temperature.

Step 2 : 

Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Sprinkle flour at work surface and put the dough on it. Wet your hands and take the dough and take out all the air and make it smaller in size again. fold it once or twice, remember its no knead so don't knead too much. Gently move the dough to the parchment paper. You can use kitchen towel too. But believe me, parchment works wonder. Cover and let it rise again for hour or so.

Step 3 : 

Preheat the oven at 450 F. Now if you have  Le Creuset Enameled cast iron ,You can use that. But I didn't so I put loaf with parchment in my silicon pan. Meantime boil one cup of water in pan. And put my aluminium rectangle dish in oven so it gets warm up too. When my oven reached at 450, I slide my pan in the middle rack and take out my aluminium dish along with rack little out and pour that boiling water in it We need to create moisture in oven so it gets nice crust. Be very careful when you do this , keep kids out and cover the glass of oven with kitchen towel so if by mistake water drops on it , you don't burn yourself. 

Bake it for 30 minutes or till you get nice brown  on it. Remove and let it cool on wire rack. Till then you have to wait but if you can not wait hey its your bread you can do whatever you want to do . Enjoy with delicious homemade white butter or your favorite butter or olive oil or dip in soup.