Zucchini

Ingredients
Zucchini - 3 medium sized
Onion - 1 small (chopped into small cubes)
Ginger - 1/2 inch - cut into small pieces/grated
Tomato - 1 small (chopped into small cubes)
Coriander leaves chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder (haldi)
Jeera powder (Cumin powder)
Oil
Cumin seeds

Method
Wash zucchini and remove the top and tail part. Peel off the skin. Chop into medium cubes. Take oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, once it splutters, add ginger. Now add chopped onion and saute till it becomes transparent. Now add chopped tomatoes, salt, tumeric powder, jeera powder and stir till it leaves the oil. Now add zucchini and cook it on slow flame till it is well done. You can close the pan with a lid and if required add little water. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Goes well with roti or rice.

Shahi Lauki/Kaddu Kofta

We had been to a party at friend's place. There she had made shahi paneer. The gravy was very tasty. I love kofta, but the gravy that I used to make never tasted that good. So one day in the evening I was wondering what do I cook for dinner. Just then I thought why not try lauki kofta in shahi paneer gravy. It turned out very tasty

Ingredients:
For Kofta
Lauki/Kaddu small
Paneer 50 gms
Khoya/Mawa - 25 grams
Boiled Potato 1
Besan - 2 table spoon
Salt
Red chilli powder
Ajwain - 1 tsp
Almond (Badam) pieces(optional) - 1tsp
Cashew pieces(optional) - 1tsp
Oil for frying

For Gravy
Onion - 1 big
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Garlic - 2 cloves
Tomato Puree (optional) - 2 teaspoon
Salt
Shahi Paneer Masala (MDH or any other brand) - 2 teaspoon
Tumeric powder (Haldi) - 1 teaspoon
Sour Cream (optional) - 2 teaspoon
Whipped Cream (optional) - 2 teaspoon
Oil
Coriander leaves

Method:
For Kofta
Wash and peel the skin of the lauki. Grate it and remove the water by pressing lauki between your palms. Mash the paneer and the mawa. Mix all the ingredients for kofta together. Make small balls, pat it lightly on your palm and deep fry.

For Gravy
Pressure cook Onion, ginger and garlic in cooker by adding little water, one whistle is good. Boil the tomato separately in microwave or in a pan by adding water till the skin starts peeling. Grind the onion, garlic, ginger by removing the water. Take oil in a pan, add the onion paste and keep stirring till it becomes brown and water dries out. Now grind the tomato by removing the skin and water. Add the tomato paste and stir till it leaves oil. Add shahi paneer masala, salt, haldi and stir for 2 minutes. Add little water to get the required consistency.

Just before serving mix kofta in a bowl and add the gravy, garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Tips:
Shahi Paneer
Make the same gravy as above and instead of kofta add paneer pieces and mix well.

Bharleli Bhindi

Ingredients:
Bhindi (Okra) -Ladies Finger
Oil
Jeera (Cumin seeds) 1 tea spoon

For Stuffing
Besan - 2 table spoon
Dry coconut powder - 2 table spoon
Rasam powder - 2 spoon
Salt
Red chilli powder
Haldi (Turmeric powder)


Method:
Wash and dry the bhindi. Cut off the top and tail. Slit from the top to 1/4 inch before the tip so that the bhindi remains intact. Mix all the stuffing incredients and stuff 1/2 tea spoon in each bhindi. Take oil in a pan, add jeera till it spluters. Now gently add the bhindi and stir fry it in low flame. You can close the pan with a lid for few seconds, taking care that it does not moist the bhindi. Keep stirring until the bhindi is well done on both sides. If you have extra dry stuffing add it to the bhindi and stir for 2 minutes. Serve with roti or rice .

Ragda Pattice

Ingredients:
For Ragda:
Yellow Peas (Vatana) (Soaked in water)
Fresh grated Coconut
Tamarind - 1 small lemon size
Rasam powder/Garam masala
Jaggery (Gud) - optional
Salt
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds (Jeera)

Pattice:
Potatoes - 3-4
Green Peas
Vegetables like Carrot, French beans, Corn ---- (optional)
Bread slices
Salt
Green Chillies Paste
Coriander leaves chopped
Semolina (rawa) - optional

For Serving:
Onion - cut into small cubes
Thin Sev (Lenthil noodle snack)

Method:
Ragda:
Make a smooth paste of coconut, tamarind, rasam powder. Pressure cook the soaked yellow peas. Mix the paste with the boiled yellow peas. Add salt, add jaggery if desired. Add water as per the thickness desired. Boil till all is mixed well. Season with mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Pattice:
Boil and smash potatoes. Boil green peas. Boil vegetables like Carrot, French beans, Corn if desired. Take 2 to 3 slices of bread, remove the sides. Dip the bread in water and squeeze and remove the water. Mix the bread with the smashed potatoes, boiled green peas and the rest of the vegetables. Add salt, green chilli paste (grinded or cut small) and coriander leaves. Mash well till smooth. Take 2 bread slices and powder it in a mixer to make bread crumbs. Make small balls out of the potato mix and press it in your palm to flatten a little. Dip the pattice (flatten potato mix) in the bread crumbs or semolina and shallow fry it on a pan by adding little oil. You can also deep fry. Shallow fry till it is light brown on both sides.

Serving Method:
Take a small bowl, add 2 pattice, cover it with ragda. Garnish with the thin sev and chopped onions.

Masala dosa Potato curry

Ingredients:
Potato - 3-4
Green chilli - 3-4
Turmeric powder (haldi)
Mustard seeds
Onion - 1 (cut into small pieces)
Oil
Salt

Method:
Boil and smash the potatoes. Take oil in a pan, add mustard seeds. When it splutters add green chilli and onions. When the onion becomes translucent add turmeric powder. Add smashes potatoes, salt. Mix it well for 5 minutes. The filling for masala dosa is ready.

This will go well with puri also.

Sambhar

Ingredients

Towar dal 1/2 cup
Tamarind - small lemon size
Turmeric powder (Haldi) - 1
Asafoetida - 1/4 spoon
Onion (small whole onions taste good) - cut into slight big pieces
Tomato - 1 (cut into slight big cube)
Potato - 1
Cauliflower - few florets
Brinjal (egg plant) - 2 small
Carrot - 1 (cut in small length wise)
Capsicum - 1 (cut in small length wise)

For Paste
Coriander seeds - 1 spoon
Chana dal - 1/2 spoon
Methi seeds - 1/4 spoon
Fresh Coconut grated 1/2 cup
Red chillies whole - 2
Oil

For the seasoning
Cilantro (Coriander leaves) - chopped small
Curry leaves
Mustard seeds
Ghee (optional)

Method:

Paste:
Fry coriander seeds, chana dal, methi seeds, red chilli whole in oil. Grind all this along with fresh coconut till it is smooth paste by adding some water.

Pressure cook towar dal and potato. Cut the boiled potato into cubes. Prepare tamarind pulp by soaking it in hot water for 10 minutes. Take tamarind pulp in a vessel, add turmeric powder, salt, hing and vegetables and boil until cooked. Add potato, paste and cooked dal. Boil for few minutes till all is mixed well.
Take oil/ghee in a small vessel for seasoning, add mustard seeds and when it splutters, add curry leaves. Pour this seasoning in sambhar. Add chopped coriander leaves.

This goes well with plain rice or idli and dosa.

Variations
1. Sambhar without coconut:
Follow the same procedure above, instead of adding the paste, add MTR Sambhar masala (or any other brand) in the begining to the tamarind pulp and vegetables while cooking.
2. You can make sambhar with only drumstick (vegetable).

Coconut Green Chutney

Ingredients

Fresh/frozen fresh grated coconut – 1 cup

Green chillies – 3-4

Cilantro (Coriander leaves) – ½ cup

Ginger – ¼ inch

Yogurt (Curd) – 1 tsp

Salt (as per taste)

Sugar – 1 tsp (optional)

For seasoning

Oil – 1 table spoon

Mustard seeds

Red whole chillies 2 (optional)

Method:

Grind all the ingredients by adding little water (as per the consistency you like) to a smooth mix/paste. Take oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and when it splutters add whole red chillies if desired. Pour the seasoning over the chutney. It is ready to seve.

Variations:

1. You can add few ground nuts

2. Instead of adding coriander and ginger you can add phutana dal (roasted chana dal)