Palak Maharani

Etymology : Palak is spinach and since there are all dals in this one - it borrows Maharani from Dal Maharani which is a mix dal preparation :)-

My kids love this spinach and dal concoction!
It is extremely simple and fast to make .. try this ...
Goes very well with rice or roti - just eat this hot on a monsoon evening watching the rains through your window !
Needless to say - very healthy yet tasty!
Ingredients

• 4 Cups Chopped Spinach
• 1/2 Cup cooked Tur Dal
• 1/2 Cup washed Moong Dal
• 1/2 Cup washed Channa Dal
• 3 Tbsp Ground nuts
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 3 green chillies
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 chopped onion
• 2-3 chopped tomatoes
• Dash of turmeric
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil
• salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix Spinach , all dals and ground nuts in the cooker
2. Add chopped tomatoes, green chillies, chilli powder and salt
3. Add 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook it for only 1 whistle
4. After it cools, add garam masala and boil it for a minute
5. Season with cumin seeds, turmeric, ginger paste and chopped onion

Ready to serve !

RAW TOMATO RELISH

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something."

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Raw (Green) Tomatoes
• 3-4 Green Chillies
• 2 Tbsp Coriander Leaves
• 1 Tsp Cumin seeds
• 2-3 Tbsp White Sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp Ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
• A small lump of Jaggery
• Dash of Turmeric
• Salt to Taste

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add chopped tomatoes
2. Let it cook for 8-10 min and then add chillies and sesame seeds
3. After a couple of minutes add the remaining ingredients
4. Take it off the fire and grind it when it has cooled.
   
5. You can add seasoning of mustard seeds, hing and Curry leaves
6. The relish is ready to be savoured with steamed rice, Rotis or Dosas
   

Mango Mood

No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. -Channing Pollock

Ingredients:

• 1 Tin Mango or
• 3 fresh alphonso cut into small cubes (any fleshy variety of mango) with 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 Carton Cream (300 ml)
• 3 Mango Jelly
• 1 Litre Vanilla Custard Mixture

Method:

1. Prepare jelly as per instruction
2. Add the jelly liquid and other ingredients to 1 litre of vanilla custard mixture.
3. Allow the mixture to set in the fridge
4. Garnish as you wish.

If it’s just for our family I make 1/3 of this recipe and set in separate glass bowls.
For a party you could make this entire recipe- It makes 40 (90-100 ml) cups.

Tip : While mixing this pudding - pour the custard and beaten cream slowly into the jelly liquid. Since the custard and jelly mixture will still be hot you get the best consistency if you mix it on ice. That is, keep the mixing bowl on a tray full of ice.

Fried Gram Chutney Powder

We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are -Adelle Davis

No meal is complete without this in our house!

It goes very well with idli, dosa.It tastes yummy with hot rice and goes equally well with curd rice.

A very simple recipe – make it and store it –it lasts for a month(even without refrigeration).

Ingredients

• 1 cup(Pav) Fried Gram
• 12-14 Red Chillies(Mix of Guntur for Spice and Byadagi for color)
• 1 lemon size Tamarind
• 1 cup shredded dry coconut(copra)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (white)
• Hing
• Jaggery to taste
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Roast Fried gram and sesame seeds lightly. Keep it aside.
2. Roast the chillies , copra and tamarind separately
3. Mix all the ingredients and grind coarsely

Sweetcorn Surprise

This is a healthy snack for children and adults alike ...
It tastes awesome with some tomato-onion chutney on the side !
Try this ...

Ingredients :

• 1/2 cup sweetcorn (boiled)
  
• 1 cup semolina ( medium rava the one you would use for upma)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (capsicum) , carrot
• 1/2 cup curd (sour) - optional
• 1 tsp Eno fruit salt ( the antacid thingie ...)
• 1 tsp sugar
  
• 1 tsp white pepper powder
• salt to taste
• A dash of turmeric
  

Method :

1. Roast the semolina lightly.
2. Add the sweet corn, carrot and capsicum
3. Add curd , salt , turmeric , sugar and pepper powder and keep it aside for 15 mins
4. Add the fruit salt , mix well
5. put the mixture in greased cups or idli plate and steam it for 15-20 mins

Wow ! the sweet corn surprise is ready to be savored !

Tips :
Always keep the cups / plate for steaming once the water starts boiling
Put water in a deep plate and allow the cups to stand for 5 mins before unmoulding - use a plastic knife on the sides

Variation :
You can set this in mini idli plate and serve it as a starter too ...
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Willkommen Sie

Welcome to BhojanaPriya
This is for all those foodies out there
who love to eat and
who live to eat ....

Watch this blog for
- Kids dishes (lunch box) and Party delights
- Old is gold - the mouth watering traditional ones too ..

I sincerely hope you enjoy this culinary journey as much as I do ....
Welcome aboard !