Plain Boondi

Ingredients

Gram Flour - ½ cup

Water - 75 ml
Oil - For frying

Method

Step 1: Sieve gram flour in a mixing bowl. It is necessary to avoid lumps. Add water little by little and mix together.

Step 2: To make a perfect batter of boondi, beat the batter rigorously for 3-4 minutes.

Step 3: Cover and keep aside to set for 4-5 minutes.

Step 4: Add 1 tsp oil to the batter, which will make the boondi crispy and soft.

Step 5: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a kadhai or wok, on medium flame.

Step 6: Beat the batter again. It is very necessary otherwise boondi will become hard.

Step 7: Pour a luttle drop of batter into the oil to check if the oil is hot enough to cook. If the batter turns solid with bubbles and rises up to the surface, then the oil is ready.

Step 8: Take a frying spoon or any spoon with small holes and pour batter on it. Slowly tap the spoon on the kadhai/wok to make sure the drops of batter fall into oil.

Step 9: Do not over crowd the boondi in oil.

Step 10: Stir occasionally and fry until golden colour. Take out and drain over kitchen paper. Repeat the process for all of the batter.

Step 11: Crispy and golden boondi are ready. Cool completely and store in air-tight container.

Tip - If boondi is long ins shape i.e. not round, it means that the batter is think. Then add a little water and beat again.

Tip - Oil should be medium hot, neither too hot nor too cool.

Vegetables Semolina Uttapam

Ingredients

Semolina (Sooji) - 1 cup
Curd - ½ cup
Water - ½ cup or as required
Onion - 1 medium
Carrot - ¼ cup
Capsicum - ¼ cup
Tomato - ¼ cup
Beans - 2 tbsp
Green chilli - 1-2
Coriander - 2 Tbsp + 2 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp or as per taste
Black Pepper Powder - ½ tsp
Oil - for cooking

Method

Step 1: Finely chop all vegetables

Step 2: In a mixing bowl add semolina, curd and mix it well. Add salt. Then add water little by little and mix well while adjusting consistency. It should make a think batter, not very runny.

Step 3: Keep aside to rest for 20-30 minutes or until the rawa absorbs the water well. Check the consistency if required and add some water, as appropriate.

Step 4: After 20 minutes add all veggies to the batter. Add black pepper powder and 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

Step 5: At this time check the salt and add some if needed.

Step 6: Heat the tawa on medium heat and grease with some oil.

Step 7: Pour a ladle full batter into small uttapam and sprinkle some coriander over it. Pour 1 tsp oil around the uttapam.

Step 8: Turn the heat to low and cook for a minute or until the base is cooked well.

Step 9: Flip the uttapam and cook well both sides.

Serve uttapam with tomato sauce or green chutney

Oats Cheela

Ingredients

Plain Oats - 1 cup
Semolina (Fine Rawa, Durum Wheat) - ½ cup
Wheat Flour - 2-3 tbsp
Curd - ½ cup
Grated Carrot - ½ cup
Finely Chopped Onion - ½ cup
Finely Chopped Tomato - ½ cup
Finely Chopped Coriander - 2-3 tbsp
Chopped Green Chilli - 2-3
Water - 2 cup
Oil - for cooking
Salt - as per taste
Black Pepper - 1-2 tsp

Method

Step 1: In a blending jar, add 1 cup of instant oats. Blend it into a fine powder.

Step 2: Transfer the powdered oats into a bowl. Add wheat flour, semolina, curd and salt as per taste. Mix it well.

Step 3: After that, add all veggies and black pepper. Add water a little at a time and make a lump-free batter by continuously mixing it. The batter should not be too thin and the consistency should be slightly thick.

Step 4: Heat the tawa and brush oil on it. Take a ladle of batter and drop it in the centre. Spread it in a round shape.

Step 5: Smear oil on all the corners and on the cheela. Cook the cheela for a few min, until the bottom side gets cooked well or gets light golden in colour. Flip the cheela and cook the other side too until it is cooked well too. Flip again until both sides become golden colour.

Serve it with green chutney and a cup of hot tea.

Sweet Lime Pickle

Ingredients

Lemon – ½ kg (pick the lemons that are blemish free and have thin skin)

Sugar – ½ kg

White salt – 35 gms

Black salt – 35 gms

Red chili powder – ½ tsp

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Black pepper – ½ tsp

Carom seeds – 1 tsp

Method

Step 1: Wash all the lemons and pat dry them using a clean towel/cloth. Cut these lemons into 4 halves and squeeze half of these slices and leave half juicy. (keep the juice aside, do not throw away)

Step 2: Mix both white and black salt to the sliced lemons and transfer them to a washed/sterilized jar. Add the lemon juice kept aside into this jar.

Step 3: Close the jar tightly and keep it in a sunlight for 2 to 3 hours daily and then move it inside. Repeat the process for a month until the lemon skin gets softer. Keep shaking the jar now and then to mix well.

Step 4: After a month transfer the lemons into a big bowl add sugar and all the spices in this. Taste and adjust the salt as required.

Step 5: Close the jar tightly again and keep the jar in sunlight for 2-3 hrs. daily and repeating the same process for 15 days. Keep shaking the jar occasionally to keep it mixed.

The pickle is ready to enjoy with meals…!!

Indian Style Fried Rice

Ingredients

Basmati Rice (boiled) – 1 cup

Spring onion greens – 1/4^th cup

Carrot – ½ cup

Beans – ½ cup

Bell pepper (green)– ½ cup

Cabbage – ½ cup

Red Onion – ½ cup

Garlic – 3-4 cloves

Ginger – 1 inch

Soya Sauce – 3-4 tsp

Vinegar – 1tbsp

Green chili sauce – 1tsp

Black pepper powder – 1tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tbsp

Ajinomoto – 1 pinch

Method

Step 1: Rinse the rise in running water couple of times to clean the extra starch. Keep the rice soaked for 30 mins in a bowl.

Step 2: Chop all the vegetables in the ingredients finely.

Step 3: In a big pan boil some water and add 1tsp oil, now add the rice in this and boil until it becomes soft. Remove the rice and strain the water and keep aside.
Try always using rice from previous day as it makes good fried rice, for making steamed rice go to this post for detailed steps.

Step 4: Heat oil in a wok (kadahi) and add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chili and sauté this for 1 minute on high flame.

Step 5: Add the chopped onion, sauté for 1 minute and don’t cook more, add all the chopped vegetables and stir on medium-high flame for 5-7 minutes so vegetables are cooked thoroughly.

Step 6: Add the soya sauce, salt, black pepper, green chili sauce and check the salt before adding salt separately and add as needed.

Step 7: Add the boiled rice and stir quickly to mix the rice with all the vegetable and spices/sauces until the rice is fully coated.

Step 8: Transfer to a serving bowl and add spring onion greens on top for garnishing.