Quick, easy and healthy Peas Soup

Peas Soup

In continuation to yesterday's chicken soup, my today's recipe is peas soup. This is yet another tasty and healthy recipe which is quick to make taking very little efforts and still great to have. This is a winter recipe since soup is more desirable in winters given the heat of summers and also fresh peas is available only in winters.

The Peas Soup beauty - its simplicity

Although I am giving this recipe with fresh peas, you can prepare this soup using frozen peas as well. The peas soup is a bit light on condiments, so you can add some sides to it like garlic bread etc. as per your choice. This soup can be had as an evening snack and also as part of your dinner.It can be easily made as you do not need much ingredients for it. You can prepare this using your regular home ingredients. If you love the taste of pea, then you are surely going to love this soup as it captures the fresh taste of peas as it is without adding much flavors. The beauty of the soup lies in its simplicity and the fact that it doesn't disturb the taste of the main ingredient which is the pea.

Peas Soup - Everyone's favorite

This soup is great for everyone be it kids, toddlers, their parents or grandparents. It is great for the elderly also since due to their teeth problems, they find difficult to chew on because of which they miss too many food items. Through this peas soup, they can enjoy the taste of peas as well as gain its health benefits too.

Chicken Soup with Egg Whites

Chicken Soup with Egg Whites

 Hi there,  I had been away for sometime now as I was stuck up with some other work. But now I am back to regular blogging. You will be seeing a lot of updates here. So, keep following.

Its winter time now and having something hot helps us to keep the chills away. Tea and coffee are the obvious choices for hot beverages but they have their own negatives. Apart from the fact that having more of tea and coffee is not good for health, this is also true that you do not feel like having them at all points of time especially before or during the meals.

Chicken Soup - All time favorite 

What can be a better choice than soups to this. Soups are healthy, tasty, quick and easy to make. You can have soup to satisfy your hunger between the meals or have them with your meals. And these are great for your kids too be they toddlers or teens. We all know that kids throw tantrums and want variety of tasty foods. And believe me, nothing is easy than preparing a variety of soups for them each day. It gives them the taste what they are looking for and therefore it is easier to feed them. It is healthy and also doesn't require too much of efforts.

So, this season I am going to write plenty about soups and my today's recipe is chicken soup with egg whites. This is derived from the traditional Chinese chicken sweet corn soup which is the favorite of many of us. The only difference is that it is made from all simple ingredients which we have at home and is a lot more healthier.

Kashmiri Dum Aloo Made Easy

 Kashmiri Dum Aloo

INGREDIENTS-

• Baby potatoes-12 *
• Yogurt-3/4 cup
• kashmiri red chili powder- 2.5 tsp
• Khoya/Mawa/solidified milk- 1.5 tbsp(optional)
• Fennel powder/Saunf-4 tsp
• Asafoetida /hing- 1/4 tsp
• Ginger powder/saunth-1.5 tsp
• Coriander powder-2 tsp
• Shahi jeera-1/2 tsp
• Salt-to taste

Tempering-

• Cloves-2
• Green cardamom-4
• Cinnamon-1/2 inch
• Bayleaves-2
• Pure ghee-2 tbsp
• Cooking oil-2 tbsp+to deep fry

PROCEDURE-

1. Wash potatoes and par boil in an open pan ,also add some salt in the water.
2. Peel the potatoes(peeling the skin is optional )and prick them well with a toothpick.this should be done perfectly and properly ,so the potatoes will absorb all the flavours and masalas.
3. Heat enough oil in a wide and deep pan and then add potatoes,and deep fry till golden red in colour.(see note)
4. When the potatoes are done,they will float on the surface of the oil.
5. When done, drain on a tissue paper and keep aside.
6. In a small bowl ,take 1/4 cup water and add kashmiri chili powder and asafoetida,mix(A)
7. Heat ghee and oil in a heavy bottom pan.
8. Add cloves,green cardamom,cinnamon,bay leaves and the chili paste (A)
9. Saute for few seconds and then add whisked yogurt and saute for few seconds
10. Add 3 cups of water,fennel powder,ginger powder,coriander powder and salt and let it boil.keep stirring.
11. When water start boiling add fried potatoes,grated khoya and shahi jeera and mix.
12. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for approx 20 minutes,keep stirring in between.
13. When the gravy thickens and potatoes will absorb almost all the gravy and oil start floating on the sides and top.then its done.
14. Serve with naan,paratha or rice

White Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:

1.  Coconut : 1
2. Mustard seeds : a pinch
3. Curry Leaves : 8 - 10
4. Dried Red Chilly : 1
5. Salt : To taste
6. Oil : 1 tsp
7. Urad daal : a few grains

Method:

• Scrape out the white portion of the coconut and grind it in mixer with little water. The consistency should be as that of a chutney.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the curry leaves, mustard seeds, urad dal and dried red chilly to it. When the mixture starts crackling, switch off the gas and pour it into the coconut.
• Add salt to the above mixture and mix well.
• The chutney can be served with dosas, idlis, uttapams etc.

Maswadi Recipe

 

Though I am a bong, I am posting this authentic Maharashtrian recipe on my blog as it is one of my favorites. I first ate it at my husband's native place. My husband is marathi and we had gone to his village on the first diwali after our marriage. There, at one of our relative's place, we were served with this. I liked it very much. Typical, to my attitude, I try to cook whatever I like eating. Then, I tried to search for its recipe. But, to my surprise, I found that at that time, there was only one recipe available on the internet that too in marathi. There were no recipes available in english.

Then with some assistance from my in-laws and that marathi recipe, I prepared maswadi which I am sharing with you all. I hope that with this recipe in english, it would be of great help to those who love maswadi and like to cook it but cannot read or write marathi script.

Do share with me that how you found this recipe and also you can send me your suggestions to improvise on this.


To Serve: 2

Ingredients:

For Stuffing:

1. 2 tbsp Sesame Seeds
2. 1/4 cup Dry coconut, grated
3. 1/2 cup peanuts
4. 2 tsp Poppy seeds (optional)
5. 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
6. 1 medium onion, finely chopped
7. 1/2 tsp garam masala
8. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
9. 1/8 tsp hing
10. 2 green chilies
11. Oil as required
12. salt to taste

For Cover:

1. 1 cup Chickpea flour (Besan)
2. 2 tbsp oil
3. 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1/8 tsp hing, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4. 2 tsp garlic paste
5. salt to taste

For Garnishing:

1. 1/2 Cup Fresh coconut grated
2. 1/4 Cup chopped coriander leaves

Method:

• Dry roast sesame seeds, peanuts, grated coconut and poppy seeds separately. 
• Heat oil into a kadai. Add hing, turmeric powder. Then add onion and garlic. Fry the onions till golden brown. 
• Add the fried onions into a blender alongwith the roasted peanuts, sesame seeds, grated dry coconut, poppy seeds, green chillies, garam masala and salt and coarsely grind the mixture.
• Keep aside the above mixture for stuffing.
• Now start making the cover. Heat oil into a kadai. Add cumin seeds, hing, turmeric powder and garlic paste. As soon as garlic is cooked, add 1 cup water and salt. 
• Once the water starts boiling, add the besan and stir vigorously to avoid lumps. Turn heat to medium.
• Cover the pan and steam-cook for 4-5 minutes. To check the doneness, taste a pea-size portion. If it's not cooked then cover and cook for a few more minutes.
• Once the dough for cover is well cooked, place it on a clean damp cloth and pat the dough on it evenly (approx 1/2 cm). 
• Place the stuffing at the center and press it with your hands to make a cylindrical structure. 
• Bring together the two sides of the dough towards the center along with the cloth to cover the stuffing and press gently so that the ends stick together completely covering the stuffing from the top.
• Once the dough has acquired the shape, remove the cloth.
• Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and grated coconut.
• Cut the roll into 1 inch pieces.

Note : The above can be served as it is or with gravy prepared with the remaining mixture of the stuffing.

Quick and easy recipe for soft and fluffy idlis

To Serve : 3 - 4

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice : 1 cup
Dhuli Urad dal : 1/4 cup
Poha : A handfull
Salt : To taste

Method:

1. Wash the rice, dal and poha thoroughly with water. 
2. Soak them in water for six hours.
3. Grind them together to a smooth paste in a mixer. The mixture should not be too thick or too thin.
4. Transfer the mixture to a vessel which can accommodate about the double the quantity and allow it to stand for about ten hours.The mixture will get fermented during this time and expands due to which we need to keep it in a large vessel, otherwise it may spill out.
5. Add salt to the mixture and mix well.
6. Pour the mixture into a idli cooker and steam it for twenty minutes.
7. Serve hot with chutney and sambar.

Note : The above proportion makes 16 small idlis. The fermentation time may vary depending upon weather. In hot weather, it may take less time whereas in cold weather, it may take more time.

You may also like to visit my chutney and sambar  recipes.

Daab Chingri

To Serve: 2

Ingredients:

Tender green coconut (Daab) : 1
Shrimps : 250g
Onions : 2 medium
Coconut : 1/2
Panch phoron : A pinch
Turmeric powder : A pinch
Green chilly : 1 or 2 as per taste
Ginger garlic paste : 1 tsp
Oil : 1 tsp
Salt : As per taste
Lemon : 1/4th
Wholewheat flour dough as required

Method:

1. Clean and de vein the shrimps.
2. Add luke warm water along with lime juice and  salt to the shrimps and keep the shrimps soaked in it for a while.
3. Take out the water from the tender coconut and keep aside. Cut the top of the tender coconut to make a round opening and scrape out the soft coconut flesh from inside.
4. Chop the onions and the green chillies.
5. Scrape the white portion of the coconut.
6. Heat the oil in a pan and add the panch phoron to it. Switch of the gas when it starts crackling.
7. Take out the shrimps from the water into a bowl. Add the chopped onions, chillies, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, scraped coconut, the soft coconut flesh, panch phoron to the shrimps. Mix all the ingredients well.
8. Stuff the green coconut with this mixture and seal the top using the wheat flour dough.
9. Place it in the microwave and cook at high for about 50 minutes.
10. Open the seal just before serving.

Note : Panch phoron is a bengali spice mix use to season dishes. It is a blend of five spices namely Cumin seeds (jeera), Fennel seeds (saunf), Nigella seeds (kalonji), Fenugreek seeds (methi) and mustard seeds in equal quantities.

Easy Chivda Recipe for Diwali

Ingredients:

• Bhajki Pohe - 1 Kg
• Peanuts - 250g
• Roasted Chana dal - 100g
• Cashewnuts - 150g
• Raisins - 150g
• Curry leaves - 1 sprig
• Dry coconut - half vati
• Green chillies - 10 - 15
• Fennel seeds - 50g
• Mustard seeds - a few
• Castor sugar - 3 Tbsp
• Rambandhu Chivda masala - 1 Pkt
• Sev and papdi - 250g
• Salt - To taste
• Oil - 1 small bowl

Method:

• Sift the poha in batches to remove any powdered flakes.
• Microwave the poha on high for 30 seconds in batches. If your poha is not very crisp, you can increase the time.
• Put all the poha on a large sheet of paper and allow it to cool.
• Fry the peanuts and dry coconut individually in one Tbsp of oil.
• Then individually roast the cashewnuts, chana dal and fennel seeds.
• Cut the green chillies into medium pieces and fry till it loses all the moisture.
• Heat the remaining oil and allow it to cool.
• Once the oil has cooled, mix the Rambandhu chivda masala into it.
• Heat about one tsp of oil and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves to it. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, put the flame off and keep for cooling.
• Once all the ingredients have cooled, first mix all the dry ingredients together except the sev and papdi.
• Then add the mixture of oil and masala to it along with the mustard seeds and curry leaves and mix well till the whole mixture is evenly coated with the masala.
• Then mix in the sev and papdi.
• Lastly add salt and sugar as per your taste and mix well.
• Box it in an air-tight container and Chivda is ready to serve/ share.

Easy Mawa Gujiya

Ingredients :

For outer covering,

• Maida : 4 cups
• Ghee : 8 Tbsp
• Salt : 1 tsp

For filling,

• Khoya : 500g
• Desiccated coconut : 6 Tbsp
• Cashewnuts,chopped : 20
• Almonds,blanched and chopped : 20
• Raisins : 40
• Green cardamom powder : 1/2 tsp
• Powdered sugar : 300g
• Drinking Chocolate : 1 cup

Method :

• For preparing the covering, sift refined flour and rub in the ghee and salt. Add cold water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover it with a damp cloth and set aside. 
• Roast the khoya slightly till it turns pink. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
• Add desiccated coconut, cashewnuts, almonds, raisins, and green cardamom powder to khoya (reduced milk) and mix well.
• Add powdered sugar and grated chocolate and mix properly.
• With oiled hands divide dough into small balls.
• Grease the gujiya mould. Roll out dough balls into small puris (flat roundels), put it on the mould and press lightly.
• Place the stuffing in the hollow portion. Apply a little water on the edges, close mould and press firmly. Open mould and remove extra dough.
• Keep gujiyas covered with a damp cloth.
• Similarly use up all the dough and stuffing.
• If you do not have a mould, gujiyas can still be prepared. Roll out puris, cut with a katori (metal bowl of four-five inch diameter) to get a proper round shape.
• Place stuffing on one half, lightly dampen edges and fold the other half over the stuffing and press edges firmly using a fork.
• Heat sufficient oil in a kadai (wok) and deep-fry gujiyas on medium heat till golden brown. Drain and place on an absorbent paper. Let them cool slightly before serving, as the stuffing inside may be very hot.   

Quick and Easy French Toast

To Serve : 4

Ingredients :

1. Eggs              : 5
2. Milk              : 4 Tbsp
3. Bread            : 8 slices
4. Onion            : 1
5. Green chillies : 3
6. Salt                : To taste
7. Oil                 : To fry