Cake Pudding

There are variety of puddings which can be made on regular basis and also as per the demand of the loved ones. This one is always loved by children and also the elders alike. Its basically eggless cake which is welcomed by the vegetarians as well.

Cakes are of different varieties. But broadly they can be classified into two basic ones namely with icing and without icing. Certain cakes are for tea times., like carrot and walnut cake, banana and walnut cake, chocolate sponge cake, milk cake to name a few. These are generally made without icing.

The one I am used to making for a pudding is with icing. It is tasty for the palate and also filling. I can assure you that will surely ask for a second helping.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups maida,2 ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp essence, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups curd, 1 ½ cups oil, 1 cup cocoa powder, ½ tsp baking powder, 1 tsp coffee.

Preparation:

1. Sieve maida and cocoa powder separately and keep them ready.
2. In a mixing bowl put all the ingredients one by one and beat thoroughly till it gets bubbly.
3. Prepare the baking dish by greasing and dusting flour and pre heat the oven at 170 degree Celsius.
4. Pour the batter into the cake dish and bake it for 50 minutes.

For icing:

200 g icing sugar, 150 g white butter 1 tsp essence, 2 cups fresh grated coconut and 12 cherries.

1. Beat sugar and butter till light and fluffy.
2. To this add the essence and the grated coconut.
3. Once the cake is done, after cooling a bit, cut the cake evenly along its breadth with help of a sharp knife or a piece of thread.
4. Fill in the icing in the middle and also on the top and decorate it with cherries.

Serve after dinner or any time when you decide.

Lemon and coriander soup

Lemons are a great source vitamins and minerals. They are a must for daily use and storage. During the season or if you happen to have a tree in the kitchen garden, one can plan to make pickle out of them and it stays for months with out any problem. Fresh lime juice is a popular drink these days even with an array of colourful ariated drinks. Also health conscious/ weight conscious people believe in that glass of lemon and honey in the warm water first thing in the morning.

Coriander is also an important ingredient of indian cooking. When we go for shopping for vegetables, as a routine we pick up lemon,fresh and green coriander, green chillis and ginger. All are great appetizers. So this soup is definetly going to enhance our taste buds and also help in the digestion.

Ingredients:

1 carrot, 1 onion, 1 tbsp butter, 1 green chilli, 1 inch piece of ginger, ½ of lime, 2 spoons of chopped green coriander/hara dhania, 4 medium cups of water and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and grate the carrot, finely chop the onion, chilli, ginger and fresh coriander.
2. Heat butter in a small pressure cooker, add chopped onion, chilli, ginger and salt.
3. After frying a little add water and let it simmer till the carrot softens.
4. Finally, add coriander and juice of half lime and put off the flame.

Serve hot on a rainy day or a cold winter night. 

Moong Dal with Tadka

There are times when u don't like to indulge in heavy cuisine and tummy demands some thing light to digest. This tadka dal comes very handy which is very simple to make. For this kind dal you can choose moong dal or chana dal or arhar/toor dal. Ghee ka tadka enhances the taste of the dal and also assissts in digestion.

Ingredients:

100g moong dal and 1 onion

For tempering:

1 tsp ghee, ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp haldi, 2 green chillis and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and keep the dal ready for use. 
2. Chop the onion finely. 
3. Heat ghee in a pressure pan or pressure cooker, put jeera,onion, green chillis, haldi, salt and the dal, fry a little and add 500ml of water. 
4. Leave the dal for 3 whistles and simmer it for another 5 to 7 minutes before putting off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Spinach/palak Dal

This can also be made using arhar/toor dal or masoor dal or chana dal, as per the availability. Palak has to be fresh and with out holes. Only the leaves have to be chosen and the hard twigs can be discarded. It is generally safe to avoid greens during the rainy season unless one grows it in the kitchen garden, where hygiene is taken care of. I put more greens and less dal to gain more on vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients:

100g arhar/toor dal, 300g palak, 3 tomatoes, 1 onion.

For tempering:

1 tsp ghee, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ¼ tsp haldi/turmeric, ½ tsp red chilli powder and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and finely chop the palak and set aside. 
2. Chop onion and tomatoes also finely. 
3. Wash the dal and keep it ready for use. 
4. Heat ghee in a pressure pan or small pressure cooker, put all the tempering ingredients except salt and fry a little. 
5. To this add onions, tomatoes and palak, stir a little and then add the dal and salt. 
6. Finally put 500ml of water and give minimum of 3 whistles, simmer it for another 5 to 7 minutes and put off the flame.

Serve hot  with rice or roti.

Tomato Dal

For a vegetarian, dal is very important because it is the main source of protein. But we cannot just consume plain dal always. So we need to add some taste to it to make it interesting and also sumptuous. We have a variety of dals/pulses/legumes which can be made in various forms to beat the monotony. For example, adding of green leafy vegetables and various seasonal vegetables will only enhance the taste and also the nutritive value.

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. Tomato dal can be made with arhar/toor dal or masoor dal. Both taste equally good. Tomato is one vegetable we can get round the year and is used in many dishes. There is one desi variety which comes during summer months. This one is ideal for dal and chutney we generally make, the reason being they are little sour than the usual tomatoes we get round the year, we can put any tomatoes as per the availability.

Ingredients:

100g arhar dal and 5/6 medium size tomatoes

For tempering:

1 tsp ghee, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp turmeric/haldi powder, 4 green chillis, pinch of asafoetida/hing,1 twig curry leaves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut each of the tomatoes into four pieces and wash the dal and set aside. 
2. In a pressure pan or small  pressure cooker heat ghee, put all the ingredients except salt. 
3. Fry a little and to this add tomatoes, dal and salt, stir well and add 500ml water and close the lid. 
4. Give minimum of three whistles and simmer it for another 5 to 7 minutes. 
5. So inall dal should be done in 20 to 25 minutes maximum.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Kundru with grated coconut

The main advantage of vegetarian cooking is that we have a variety of vegetables and in that again we have variety of spices to make it interesting. So here is another variety of making kundru.

Ingredients:

500g kundru and 1 small fresh coconut.

For seasoning:

1tsp of oil, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 1 twig curry leaves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and slice the vegetable either lengthwise or breadth wise but as finely as possible, without hurting your fingers. 
2. Break the coconut, grate it and keep it aside. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put mustard seeds, jeera, chillis, curry leaves and once the mustard starts spluttering, add the vegetable and salt, place a lid and let it simmer till soft and done. 
4. Finally  fold in the grated coconut and put off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Vegetable upma

Any dish nutritious and filling should be a welcome to all age groups. As a child making tasty upma was the most challenging, though later in life, it became the simplest thing to make. The main task is to make it lump free.

Ingredients:
100g sooji, 300g mixed vegetables- cauliflower, carrots, broccoli, green peas,beans and onions.

For tempering:
1tbsp oil, 10 cashew nuts, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 4 green chillis, ½ tsp grated ginger, ½ tsp garam masala powder and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Roast the sooji and keep aside till use. 
2. In fact, it is better to roast it before storing this way it can protected from catching worms. 
3. Dice the vegetables and chop the onion. 
4. Heat oil an pan, put mustard seeds, cashew nuts, ginger, green chillis and garam masala powder. 
5. To this add chopped onion fry a little and add the rest of the vegetables and salt. 
6. After sautéing a bit add 500 ml of water and allow it to come to the boiling point. 
7. Now is the time for a little care, the sooji should be blended carefully into the boiling vegetable mix stirring thoroughly so that there is no lumps formation. 
8. Let it simmer for 10 mins and put off the flame.

Serve hot with coconut chutney or sauce.

Spinach and Corn in White sauce

This again goes well with the continental menu. Considerable amounts of starch and fibre makes this dish sumptuous and nutritious. White sauce is the base for this. In fact vegetables like cauliflower, French beans, carrots, and broccoli can be boiled and put in to the white sauce which becomes more palatable to consume with a varieties of breads.

Ingredients:

500g spinach leaves and 200g shelled corn or one full corncob.

For white sauce:

2 finely chopped onions,2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp maida (white flour), 2 cups milk, ½ tsp white pepper powder, a pinch of nutmeg powder and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash spinach and microwave for 8 to 10 minutes and set aside to cool. 
2. Boil the corncob in the pressure cooker and pick out the corn from the cob. 
3. Once the spinach cools down squeeze out the extra water and finely chop the leaves. 
4. Heat butter in a pan, put chopped onions and sauté till it gives glazed look, to this add the flour and fry a little. 
5. Take milk and stir in to the onion flour mixture, see that there are no lumps, this is the main task of the white sauce. 
6. Keep stirring till it cooks to form a smooth and soft paste and to this add white pepper powder, nutmeg powder and salt. 
7. Finally blend in the cooked corn and spinach and bake at 170 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve hot with garlic bread or dinner roles.

Baked Beans

This is a dish made to suit the continental menu. Just as we make rajma /channa with the desi  masalas the westerners make baked beans with whole grains. For this we can use rajma beans or black eyed beans (lobia).

Any whole grain is rich in proteins, minerals, vitamins and fibre which is good for the system. We all know that variety is the spice of life. So the attempt is to make the same rajma or lobia in a different way which can be had with a piece of bread or a dinner role.

Ingredients:

500g black eyed beans, 1chopped onion, 1chopped capsicum, 1tsp yellow mustard, 2 tsp freshly chopped celery 2 tbsp tomato sauce, 200g tomato puree, 2tbsp brown sugar, 1tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak the beans for 4 to 6 hours and drain the water. 
2. Cook the beans with little salt in a pressure cooker till soft which takes about 20 minutes. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put onion and fry a little, to this add capsicum, mustard, celery and little bit of salt. 
4. After frying a little more take it off the flame and cool it. 
5. This has to be grinded in the mixie to a soft paste. 
6. Now add the fine paste along with the other ingredients to the cooked beans and bake it in the oven at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes or simmer it on the gas till soft and blended which takes about another 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve hot with garlic bread or dinner roles.

Fresh celery can be substituted with the dried one, regular mustard seeds can be used in the place of yellow mustard and also care should be taken when adding salt because, we add tomato sauce and puree which are salted.

Stir fried Kundru

In English it is known as ivy gourd. In telugu we call it dondakaya. From inside it looks like cucumber. Always better to cook the tender ones and discard the ripe ones which may appear green from outside but red from inside when cut.

It is been tested that kundru is good for the diabetic patients. When eaten regularly at the onset of diabetes this vegetable controls the bold sugar levels. Many of us do not have any great liking to this vegetable. But it can be made interesting and tastes good when eaten hot.

Ingredients:

500g kundru, 1tbsp oil,3 red chillis, ½ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, twig curry leaves, ¼ tsp haldi powder and salt to taste.

For seasoning:

100g roasted chana dal, 1tbsp jeera, 5-6 red chiilis, 10 garlic cloves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Roast all the seasoning ingredients and make a coarse  powder in the mixie and keep aside. 
2. This can be made when we find time and store in air tight containers until further use. 
3. This in fact can be mixed into hot rice with a little bit of pure ghee, tastes very good on a rainy day.
4. Wash and make thin slices of the vegetable either vertically or horizontally. The pieces have to be evenly sliced for uniform cooking.
5. Heat oil in a pan, put  mustard seeds, jeera, red chillis, curry leaves and the vegetable. 
6. After frying a little add little salt and turmeric powder and fry till soft and done.
7. Finally add 2 tsp of prepared roasted chana powder and put off the flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Gingerale

Ginger is very good for joint pains. It acts as preventive also. It is a digestive root used by us in all the Indian cooking. A combination of lemon and ginger can act as a good appetizer. This can be had at any time of the day. Generally a concentrate is prepared to which water or soda is added according to the individual taste.

Ingredients:

500g sugar, 500g lemon juice concentrate, 250g ginger, little salt and ½ litre water.

Preparation:

1. Wash and grate ginger and keep it aside. 
2. Squeeze out lemons for getting 500g of concentrate. 
3. Mix water and sugar and bring it to boil. 
4. To this add the lime juice and grated ginger and put off the flame. 
5. Stain the concentrate but do not squeeze the ginger lest it will leave too pungent a taste. 
6. The end product comes out into a light pink with a soothing taste. 
7. The reaction between lime and ginger gives us the pink color. 

Serve chilled with soda or water.

Chichinda (snake gourd) Raita

This is another variety of gourd which is considered to be very light on the tummy and also good for a healthy heart. Even this vegetable can be made in different ways.

Ingredients:

500g chichinda, 500g curds, 25g butter, ½ tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi and salt to taste

For tempering:

½ tsp rai, ½ jeera, pinch of hing, one twig kadi patta 1 tsp oil

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut the vegetable into small pieces. 
2. Heat butter in a pan and put the vegetable and fry for a while. 
3. Add a little salt, haldi and chilli powder and keep frying till golden brown and set aside to cool. 
4. Beat the curds with a little salt and to this add the fried vegetable. 
5. Heat oil in a pan and put jeera, rai, hing and kadi patta, once the rai starts spluttering take it off the flame and add this to the curds.

Serve with biryani or rumali/tandoori roti.

Palak Do Pyaza

As the name suggests there are only two main ingredients in this recipe. They are palak(spinach)and pyaz(onion). Greens are a must in our every day diet plan. This recipe will be a change from usual paneer(cottage cheese)based recipes. This is a fat free dish with very little oil. Easy to cook and takes very little time.

Ingredients:

500g palak,200g onion,1tsp jeera,1tsp amchur powder,1tsp rice flour or corn(makka) flour, ½ tsp chilli powder,1 tsp of oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and finely chop the palak and set aside. 
2. Finely chop the onions, heat oil in a pan, put jeera and onions and fry till golden brown. 
3. Add a little salt while frying the onions, this helps in browning the onions faster. 
4. To this add the chopped palak, little more salt, amchur powder and chilli powder and cook well. No need to add water since palak itself would leave some water and gets cooked. 
5. Once it is soft and done add the flour for binding,cook for two more minutes and put off the flame. 
6. The subtle tangy taste of amchur is very encouraging to have more of this nutritious palak.

Serve hot with rice or roti. 

Cabbage Raita

Raita is a combination of vegetable and curds. Any vegetable added to the curds not only looks sumptuous but also tastes better. But generally a few vegetables go well with the curds and cabbage is one of them.

Ingredients:

500g cabbage, ½ a litre curds, 1 tsp butter,1 tsp yellow mustard 3 red chillies 1 tsp sugar and salt to taste.

For tempering:

½ tsp mustard seeds(rai),½ tsp cumin(jeera), a pinch of hing(asafoetida) one twig of curry leaves and 1 tsp oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Soak the yellow mustard and the chillies in a little of water. 
2. Wash and grate the cabbage and rub a little of salt to the vegetable. 
3. Heat the butter in a pan and put cabbage and cook till it is soft and done. 
4. In the mean time grind the soaked mustard and chillies along with a little of salt and sugar. 
5. Beat the curds and to this add the cooked vegetable, mustard paste and blend well. 
6. Heat  oil in a pan, put rai, jeera, curry leaves and hing, once the mustard seeds start spluttering,put off the flame and add the tempering to the blended curd and vegetable.

Serve at room temperature or a little chilled , both tastes good, with rice or roti.

Cabbage with Coconut

Cabbage is nothing but a set of tightly packed leaves. One should be careful in choosing this vegetable. Any sign of holes in the outer layer is to be avoided since it is sure to have worms. It is best avoided in the summer months and never eat raw cabbage, I mean, in the salad form, it is not advisable. Thoroughly washed and well cooked is the best bet.

Ingredients:

500g cabbage and ½ a kernel of freshly grated coconut.

For tempering:

1 tsp oil,½ tsp urad dal, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin (jeera seeds), two red chillies, one twig of curry leaves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and grate the cabbage or chop finely and rub some salt to the vegetable and keep it aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and put all the ingredients of tempering one by one. 
3. Once the mustard starts spluttering add the cabbage and cook it on low flame. 
4. If the cabbage is fresh, it will not need any water to get cooked. 
5. Once it is soft and done put off the flame and add the freshly grated coconut.

Serve hot or cold with rice or roti. But never re heat once coconut is added. It is more like salad and tastes good by itself.

Cucumber Raita

They say, stay as cool as, cucumber. That's the reason why we get this in plenty during summers. There are varieties in this also. One is dark green , one is light green , for these we need to peel off the skin. There is another variety for which we do not need to remove the skin and that also comes in dark color. These are used by cosmetic industry in a variety of face packs , face washes and et al. in the southern part of the country we get  a little roundish cucumber which is yellow in color and also a variegated variety. These are put dal  and tastes good in chutney  form also. While using this vegetable we should check for the bitter taste which we can come to know only after cutting it.

This does not require any cooking.So even children can make it.

Ingredients:

500 g cucumber, 500 g fresh curds, 2 green chillies, ½  a cup finely chopped coriander salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and grate the cucumbers.
2. Wash, slit and finely chop the green chillies.
3. Take the curds in a wide bowl, add the ingredients one by one and blend well with a ladle.

Store it in the refrigerator and serve with palak pulao or vegetable biryani.  

Palak pakoda.

Pakoda is a snack that can be had anytime and enjoyed more on a rainy day. There are a variety of vegetables used for the pakodas. Palak is one of them. It comes out tasty and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

500g palak, 2 onions, 1 cup besan (gram flour), 2 green chillis, ¼ tsp eno salt, ½ tsp ajwain seeds (oregano), ½ tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste and oil for deep frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and microwave palak for 10 minutes, drain the excess water and finely chop.
2. Make thin slices of onions and add to the chopped palak.
3. Now add flour, chillis, ajwain, chilli powder,salt and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and drop the batter into the oil and fry till crisp. 

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Palak (spinach) pulao

Palak is very nutritious but any has to be consumed in moderation. A variety of dishes can be made with palak. It goes well with Indian and also continental. It is easy to cook and tastes good.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice,500g palak, 150g tomato puree, 2 onions, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste,1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 3 green chillis, ½ cup chopped hara dhania (coriander),2 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cook rice with enough water and keep aside. 
2. Wash and microwave palak for 10 min and drain off the water, chop finely and keep aside.
3. Chop onions finely. 
4. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions and fry till golden brown, and to this, add all the spices. 
5. After frying for a while, add tomato puree and fry till it leaves sides. 
6. Now add palak and cooked rice and cook for a little while or microwave for 10 min.

Serve hot with plain curds or cucumber raita.

Bitter gourd Finger chips

Anything deep fried is always tasty. French fries, kurkure bhindi, potato wafers are all very popular with all age groups. Bitter gourd can also be brought in this category.

Ingredients:

500g bitter gourd, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp dhania powder, 1 tsp amchur, 1 tsp red chilli powder,1/2 tsp chat masala, 2 tsp corn flour/gram flour(besan), salt to taste and oil for deep frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut bitter gourd into thin round slices or long fingerchips -like.
2. To this, add all the dry spices and sprinkle the corn flour and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and fry the spiced up bitter gourd till crisp.

This can be served as a snack or with rice.

Sweet and sour bitter gourd

This preparation is very common in Andhra Pradesh villages where they are to use farm fresh gur (jaggery) in everyday cuisine. Simple to make and also comes out tasty.

Ingredients:

500g tender bitter gourd, 3tbsp tamarind pulp, 3 tbsp jaggery

For tempering:

 2 tsp oi, ½ tsp urad dal, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut bitter gourd into thin round slices.
2. Boil water in a deep vessel, put 1 tsp salt and put the vegetable and boil for another few minutes. Note: You need to put only that much water required for the vegetable to cook so that the nutrients remain intact and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and put urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillis. 
4. Once the mustard starts spluttering, put curry leaves and bitter gourd. 
5. After frying a little, add haldi powder, tamarind pulp, gur and salt. 

Cook till soft and serve hot with rice.

Spicy Bitter gourd

This is one vegetable which can never be forced down anyone's throat. Its natural bitterness is considered to be very good for the stomach because it can sorts out the harmful germs. But still, it is the same bitterness that keeps people off it. Bitter gourd juice, if had, first thing in the morning is very good for a diabetic. With a little effort we can make it interesting. But the one who likes it, relishes it in any form.

Ingredients:

500g fresh medium sized bitter gourd, 3 onions, 100g tomato puree, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste,1 tsp dhania (coriander powder), 1 tsp jeera powder, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder), 1 tsp red chilli powder,1/4tsp garam masala powder and salt to taste, oil for shallow frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and smoothen the rough surface of the vegetable using peeler or knife.
2. Make a slit in each of the pieces and scoop out a little of flesh and keep aside.
3. Chop onions finely and keep aside, heat oil in a pan and fry onions till golden brown, add ginger paste, garlic paste, dhania powder, jeera powder, haldi, red chilli powder, salt and fry a little.
4. To this add tomato puree and fry till the oil leaves sides.
5. Once the filling is thick and soft, add the peeled and scooped out flesh into the filling and cook for five more minutes.
6. Spoon the filling into the vegetable and shallow fry in oil till done.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Stuffed bhindi

Any variety of stuffing can be put into the bhindi and goes perfectly with all kinds of Indian menu. The stuffing can be dry or wet.

Ingredients:

500g bhindi, 1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp amchur (dry mango) powder, ¼ tsp haldi, 1 tsp red chilli powder,1/4 tsp garam masala  powder,salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry the vegetable. 
2. Give a single slit to the each of the bhindi and keep aside. 
3. Mix all the dry masalas (spices) well and stuff carefully into the bhindis. 
4. Heat oil in a pan; fry the stuffed bhindi till soft and done on a low flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Spicy Stuffed Bhindi

This one is stuffed with wet masala (spices), though a little long drawn tastes better for sure.

Ingredients:

500 g fresh bhindi, 3 onions, 100 g tomato puree, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp kasuri methi, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi, salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash, dry and give a slit to each of the bhindis and keep aside. 
2. Chop the onions finely, heat oil in a pan; put the onions and fry till golden brown. 
3. To this, add one by one ginger, garlic pastes and other dry spices, tomato puree and fry till the oil leaves sides. 
4. Once the stuffing is little dry and done, stuff the same into all the bhindis and fry till soft.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Kurkure Bhindi (lady’s finger) (okhra)

This vegetable is generally loved by all age groups, and it is said to the children that one gets brainy eating bhindi. This can be made in different variations and all of them taste good. The first lot of vegetable for the season whether summer or winter tastes the best. The smaller variety of bhindi is always better for they would be tender, cooks faster and tastes better.

Ingredients:

500g bhindi, 2 tsp besan (gram flour), ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder), ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1/2 tsp amchur/ dry mango powder, 1/2tsp garam masala powder salt to taste and oil for deep frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash, dry and make thin vertical slices of bhindi after discarding both ends. 
2. This vegetable should never be cut into the water because it would leave strings. 
3. Mix besan with all the other spices and sprinkle the same on the bhindi slices. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan, mix gently bhindi with besan and drop little by little into the oil and deep fry till crisp and golden brown.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Raw vegetable banana with moong dal (green gram)

Mixing a little dal with the suitable vegetable will enhance the taste and combined effects of nutritive values. And any variation can only beat the monotony.

Ingredients:

4 raw vegetable bananas, 50 g moong dal

For tempering:

 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds,2 red chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp oil and salt to taste. 

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak moong dal. 
2. Wash, peel and cut bananas into small and even sized pieces. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, red chillis and fry, once mustard starts spluttering put curry leaves, cut vegetable, salt and moong dal. 
4. Mix it well and place a lid and cook till soft.

When it is soft and done mix it with lemon juice and serve hot with rice. 

Raw vegetable banana pakoda

Certain vegetables add good taste to the pakodas along with usual onion.  In the south it is a very common feature of having variety of vegetables in pakodas like bhindi, potato, raw banana, baingan etc.

Ingredients:

2 Raw bananas, 2 green chillis, 1 onion, ½ tsp ajwain seeds (oregano), ½ cup besan (gram flour) salt to taste, ½ cup chopped coriander and a pinch of baking soda and oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and make very thin slices of the bananas. 
2. Chop the onion and chillis finely. 
3. In a bowl put flour, chopped onion, chopped coriander, chillis, ajwain, baking soda, salt and little water to make a thin paste. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan and dip each of the banana slices first into the flour batter and then drop into the oil and fry till golden brown.

Serve hot and crisp with sauce/chutney.

Raw vegetable banana sweet and sour curry

This preparation is the simplest of this vegetable and comes out very tasty with very little effort.

Ingredients:

4 raw bananas, 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 twigs curry leaves, 1 pinch hing (asafoetida), 2 tbsp gur (jaggery) 2 red chillis, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric), ½ tsp red chilli powder and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and cut vegetable into even sized cubes. 
2. Heat oil in a pan, put urad dal, jeera, mustard, red chillis, and fry till golden brown, after this add curry leaves, hing, the cut vegetable and salt and place the lid. 
3. Once the vegetable becomes a little soft put haldi , chilli powder, tamarind pulp and jaggery  and cook till soft and done.

Serve hot with rice.

Raw vegetable banana fried

This again like coconut, the people of the southern part make the best use of this vegetable. Like potato, raw banana is also full of starch. One can make interesting varieties with this vegetable. And it is definitely not like bitter gourd for anyone to develop taste or some such thing. Anything eaten hot is worth the vegetables' nutritive values. So, one can always try new stuff for the simple reason that one gets wider range to choose from.

Ingredients:

4 raw bananas, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp dhania powder, ¼ tps haldi, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp amchur (dry mango powder), salt to taste, 1 tsp kasuri methi and 3 tbsp oil.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and make fine slices or small even sized pieces of each of the banana. 
2. Like brinjal,  cut banana, is to be put in water till used. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, drain off the water and put the vegetable in to the oil and fry a little. 
4. After a while add all the masalas one by one and mix well and place lid. 
5. This vegetable again cooks very fast so let it not get burnt at the bottom.

Once it is done well serve hot with rice or roti.

Torai with jeera masala

This method is further simple and sometimes comes handy after days of heavy menus. With all its vitamins and minerals intact this variation can only enhance the taste. There are actually two varieties of torai and either of them could be used. 

Ingredients:

500g torai, 2 green chillis, 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp oil, ½ cup chopped coriander and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash peel and cut torai into 2 inch long pieces. 
2. Crush hara dhania, green chillis and jeera coarsely in the mixer. 
3. Heat oil in pan, put mustard seeds, torai and crushed masala and mix it well and place the lid. 
4. It will be ready in about 10-12 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Torai chutney

 In English torai is called ridge gourd for the simple reason that it has ridges on it but you will also find another variety without them that is with smooth skin and a little dark in color.In Telugu it is called neti beerakai.This is a very simple preparation which also tastes good and different.While peeling only the ridges need to be removed and the rest can stay and for the one with out the ridges it can be cut directly.

Ingredients:

500g torai, 3 green chillis, 3 red chillis, 1 tsp channa dal (Bengal gram), 1 tsp urad dal (black gram), 1 tsp methi seeds ( fenugreek), 1 tsp jeera, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 25g  seedless tamarind, 2 tbsp oil, 2 pinches hing (asafoetida), ½ cup chopped hara dhania (fresh coriander) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and cut torai into even pieces. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and put channa dal, urad dal, methi, jeera, mustard seeds, red chillis and hing and fry till golden brown. 
3. Once the mustard starts spluttering, put hara dhania, green chillis, torai, salt and tamarind. 
4. Mix all the ingredients well and place lid till it is done  a little soft. 
5. It cooks very fast so it is needed to check in between. 
6. After it is done, cool it for a while, in winters it cools down faster and in summers may be one needs to place under the fan. 
7. So when it is cool, put it into the mixer and mix it well for about 1 -2 minutes. 
8. This can be stored in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days comfortably.

Serve with hot rice, roti or sandwich bread. While having with rice, a little of pure ghee is sure to enhance the taste. 

Bottle gourd in tomato gravy

This is another variation of lauki made interesting for having with roti. Lauki is easily digestible and hence most suited for small children, elderly people and also convalescing people.

Ingredients:

500g lauki, 250g tomato or 100g tomato puree, 3 onions, ½ cup chopped hara dhania, ½ tsp garlic paste, ½ tsp ginger paste, ½ tsp dhania powder, ½ tsp jeera powder, ¼ tsp haldi powder, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 2tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash peel and cut finely the lauki. 
2. Wash and chop finely tomatoes. 
3. And lastly peel and chop onions finely and keep side. 
4. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions, ginger paste, garlic paste and fry till golden brown. 
5. To this add jeera powder dhaniya powder, haldi powder, chilli powder and fry a little. 
6. Now add tomatoes and mix well and simmer it till the oil leaves sides. 
7. Finally add lauki and little water and cook till soft and done.

Garnish with hara dhania and serve hot with rice or roti. 

Lauki kofta curry

This is another variation of lauki preparation. Unlike the other preparations which are less spicy, this one can take a little extra spice.

Ingredients:

500g lauki, 100g tomato puree', 2 onions, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp dhania powder, 1 tbsp kasuri methi (dried herbs of fenugreek), ½ tsp haldi (turmeric), 1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tbsp corn flour, 3 tbsp oil, separate oil for deep frying koftas, salt to taste and hara dhania for garnishing.

Preparation:

1. Wash, Peel and grate lauki and squeeze off and discard the water. 
2. To this add a little salt, haldi, red chilli powder and corn flour. 
3. Heat oil in deep frying pan, make small balls of grated lauki mixture and fry till golden brown and set aside.
4. Peel and chop the onions finely. 
5. For the gravy, heat oil in a pan, put the chopped onions, ginger paste, garlic paste and fry till golden brown, to this add jeera powder, dhaniya powder, haldi, mirchi, salt and kasoori methi and fry a little. 
6. Now add tomato puree and fry till the gravy leaves sides. 
7. Put the kofta balls into this and also a little water and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with roti or rice. 

Bottle gourd with coconut

The use of coconut is predominant in the southern states, especially Kerala. Coconut gives a sweet taste to the dish. Its fibre content is also good for the system. Anything in moderation will not harm the system at all.

Ingredients:

½ kg bottle gourd, ½ cup grated fresh coconut

For  seasoning:

 ½ tsp black gram, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 1 twig curry leaves, 2 red chillis, 2 tsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut lauki into small pieces. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the dal and spices. 
3. Fry till golden brown and add the lauki and ½ cup water and cover with the lid. 
4. Once it is done soft, fold in the coconut to the vegetable and remove from fire.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Bottle gourd with Masoor Dal

Another variety of dal which can be combined with lauki is masoor dal which is orange in colour but after cooking it turns yellow. This is called mysore dal in south india.

Ingredients:

½ kg lauki, 100g masoor dal

For  tempering:
 ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 1 twig curry leaves, 2 tsp oil, a pinch of asafetida, one fresh lime and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut lauki into 1 ½ inch cubes.
2. In a small pressure cooker put dal and lauki with enough water and salt and give maximum 2 whistles.
3. When the dal is done soft,  in oil, fry  jeera, mustard, curry leaves, hing (asafoetida) and red chillis and put in the dal.
4. Finally sqeeze one fresh lime in to the dal.

Serve with rice or roti.

Bottle gourd with moong dal (green gram)

Bottle gourd is available during the summer months generally. But these days many of the vegetables are seen throughout the year for a little extra price. This vegetable has a soothing effect.  Also medicinal value, when had its juice first thing in the morning.

Ingredients:

½ kg bottle gourd (lauki), 50g moong dal,salt to taste.

For tempering:

 ½ tsp urad dal, ¼ tsp jeera, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 1 twig curry leaves, 2 red chillis, 2 tsp oil.

Preparation:

1. Soak moong dal in little water. 
2. Peel and cut lauki into small pieces. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put the tempering ingredients and fry a little, to this add the vegetable and soaked dal and salt.  Put ½ cup water and place the lid. 
4. The vegetable will be done in 10 to 12 mins.

Serve with plain rice or roti.

Grated coconut Rice

Ingredients:

 2 cups rice, 1 grated coconut and salt to taste.

For tempering:
 2 tbsp oil, 1 tsp chana dal 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp black pepper corns, 4 red chillis, 2 green chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves.

Preparation:

1. Boil the rice with enough water and keep aside. 
2. Break the coconut and grate the kernels. 
3. Heat oil in a pan put dals and other spices. 
4. After frying till golden brown put off the flame and fold in the cooked rice and  grated coconut, mix well.

Can be had plain and also with mixed vegetable korma.

Coconut rice

This can be made in two different ways. One is made with coconut milk and the other with grated coconut. The latter one can be had plain but the one with coconut milk need be eaten with gravy vegetable or korma. Coconut milk can be extracted from the fresh coconut or can be bought readymade.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice or any small grain rice, 1 coconut, 1 onion, 3 green chillis, 5 elaichi (cardamom), 5 laung (cloves), ½ tsp black pepper corns, tej patta, 2 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Break the coconut , take out the coconut pieces put in the mixer with water and grind it. 
2. Stain the stuff for milk and discard the coconut roughage. 
3. Wash the rice and keep ready for use. 
4. Slice the onion finely. 
5. Heat oil in a pan put the spices and sliced onion, fry a little, add the rice, salt and coconut milk. the ratio is 2:3, that is 2 rice and 3 coconut milk. 
6. Transfer the ingredients into the rice cooker and cook till done. 

Serve hot with mixed vegetable korma

Vegetable Biryani

This one is made in almost every household and very simple to make and also loved by all. This can take sumptuous vegetables and becomes a wholesome meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice, ¼ kg french beans, 2 carrots, 2 potatoes, 2 onions, 2 tbsp khus khus, 3 green chillis, 1 inch ginger piece, 6 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon piece, 3 green elaichi (cardamom), 1 pinch grated jaiphal, 3 bits javitri, 3 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Soak khus khus in a little water along with 7/8garlic cloves, green chillies and ginger. 
2. Wash the rice and keep aside. 
3. Peel the potatoes and carrots. 
4. Slice onions finely and cut all vegetables into even size so that they get cooked uniformly. 
5. Grind khus khus with the other spices into a fine paste. 
6. Heat oil in a  big heavy bottomed kadhai/ pan, put tej patta/bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, elaichi, javitri, jaiphal and fry, to this add sliced onion , fry till brown, add the vegetables and stir fry a little and add the washed rice, stir for a while and put off the gas. 
7. Take a small pan and heat a little oil, add the khus khus paste and fry well. 
8. Once the oil starts leaving the sices add this to rice and vegetable mix. 
9. Heat 31/2 cups of water in the electric rice cooker and to this add the prepared rice and vegetable mix.

Cook till  done and  serve hot with bagara baingan and raita. 

Spicy rice

This recipe is very simple and goes well with continental menu. In Chinese  menu we have fried rice likewise spicy rice can be made for continental menu. It is encouraging for the rice eaters.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice,4 cups tomato puree, 2 onions, 2 capsicums, 1 tsp garlic paste, ½  cup chopped parsley, 2 tbsp olive oil,2 pinches of grated jaiphal (nutmeg) 1 tsp of red chilli powder 100 g cheddar cheese and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Boil rice till soft and keep aside. 
2. Finely chop onions and capsicum keep ready for use. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions and fry till golden brown. 
4. To this add garlic paste and fry a little, now add  capsicum and tomato puree and keep stirring. 
5. After cooking for a while, add jaiphal, chilli powder, salt and parsley. 
6. Once the gravy starts leaving sides fold in the soft boiled rice to the gravy. 
7. Transfer the rice into a microwave dish, cover it up with grated cheese and heat it for 8 minutes or till the cheese melts.

Serve hot!!