Lauki Thepla

Thanks to my Gujju friend Mital Patel, we were able to make and taste the mouthwatering Theplas :) ..tasty and filling breakfast/dinner recipe .. A must try!!

INGREDIENTS:

Wheat flour - 2 cups

Salt - 1 tsp

Red Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric - 1 pinch

curd - 2 tbsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

1 green chilli + bit of ginger (crushed)

asafoetadia - 1 pinch

(can add kasuri methi, coriander powder also)

Lauki/bottle gourd - 1

Oil

PROCEDURE:

Peel the bottle gourd, grate it and keep aside.  

Now mix the other dry ingredients (without curd). Add the curd and mix. You can add some more salt or chilli powder based on the taste of the mixture, if needed.

Now add the grated bottle gourd and knead the flour well to form a proper dough. Add 1 tbsp of oil and mix well.

Now flatten dough, like making Rotis (thin texture). 

Place it on a heated pan until it forms bubbles. Now turn the side and add a spoon of oil. Turn it again and add some more oil to make it right (brown spots are formed).

You can reduce the amount of oil, if desired.

Tasty Lauki Theplas are ready to be served with pickle.

Guacamole sandwich

In this busy day and life morning preparing a feast of breakfast isnt an easy task. Sandwiches come to rescue there. A healthy sandwich will keep you on your healthy track and also make things easy and quick while running to office..

A healthy snack for kids instead.

This makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:

Avacado - 1

tomato - 1

onion - 2

coriander leaves chopped 2 tbspn

salt a pinch

Bread -4 ( for 2 sandwiches)

Procedure:

Cut the avacado and scoop out the flesh.

Mash the avacado into smooth paste.

Finely chop the onions and tomatoes.

Add the chopped vegetables into avacado paste and add coriander leaves and salt.

Mash the mixture well and keep aside.

Now you have 2 ways of creating the sandwich..

first method:

 toast the sandwiches in toaster or in a flat pan.

apply the guacamole mixture generously on one toast and close with another toast.

Second method:

apply some butter on the bread. and generously spread the guacamole mixture.close the bread and toast it on the pan or in sandwich maker.

Gongura pachadi

"Gongura pachadi" (or pickle) is the most famous food item of Andhra. It is a very tasty pickle made by elders and most of us wonder how it is made. Only after knowing the recipe from my mom, I realized that it is a very simple and easy recipe.

This leafy vegetable is available mostly in southern India. It is sour in taste and supposedly a very good source of Iron.
This pickle can be kept and used for long term (a year or so).

Procedure:
You need to pick the red stemmed Gongura leaves for the pickle. Clean the leaves properly and dry them for a day,
Cut the leaves from the stems and add salt (as required) , turmeric and grind in a mixer. This paste can be saved and used for atleast a year (salt helps for the preserving).

Whenever you want to use it, you take some amount of the Gongura paste aside.
Dry roast 1 spoon each of coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and red chillies. You can add few green chillies also. Grind these in a mixer into a fine powder.
Add the Gongura paste and grind again. Spicy and tangy gongura pachadi is ready to be served.

It is typically consumed with rice, along with raw onion slices to munch with - which is a heavenly combination. It can also be used as chutney for dosa, idli etc.

Greengram Cabbage Vada

     

Another healthy dish from Mrs Kala ...

Looking around for snacks to make at home for kids or when guests arrive. a great and healthy snack cabbage and moongdal.

Ingredients:

green gram - 1 cup
Cabbage - 1/4 chopped  finely
Onions - 1 chopped
garlic- 4 pods chopped
greenchili -2 chopped finely
jeera seeds -1 tspn
curry leaves- a handful chopped
Salt

Procedure:

Soak the green gram for atleast 4 hours.
Keep all the vegetables chopped and ready.
grind the greengram with less water.
Add the chopped cabbage,onion,garlic,chili.
Add jeera seeds and curry leaves and mix it well. 
Add some salt and mix well.Make sure the mixture is not too runny .
Make into small round vada and keep aside
.Take a wok and add oil to it.

Once oil is heated add the vadas and fry them till golden brown.

Beetroot Vermicelli / Beetroot semiya

Beetroot though very good for health isnt used as frequently in many indian meals as it can be. But there are numerous dishes one can make with it, giving the dish exquisite color and great flavor.
If you are frequently searching for breakfast recipes and want to make a different one for kids at home or for yourself try this.. a twist to regular vermicelli dishes.

Ingredients:

Beetroot -1
potato -1
green chillies -3
vermicelli - 1 1/4 cup
water - 2 cups
cumin seeds- 1/2 tspn
mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
channa dal - 1/2 tspn

procedure

roast the vermicelli till it turns golden brown color and keep aside. you can also use unroasted semiya but roasting gives good aroma and taste.

wash and peel the beetroot and potato.
grate the beetroot and cut potato into small cubes.

In the same wok add 2 tspn of oil . add the cumin,mustard seeds and channa dal , after they splutter add the chopped green chillies and fry.
add the beetroot and potato to the wok, add 1/2 tspn of salt and cover the lid and let it cook for 10 mins.
once the veggies are cooked add 2 cups of water . check the salt at this point and add some more if required.
once the water comes to a boil add the vermicelli and mix it well.
keep it with open lid in medium flame for 5-8 mins, till the vermicelli is cooked.

garnish with coriander leafs if required.

Sunnundalu (Urad dal Laddus)

Another recipe from mom's recipe treasury.. The very tasty sweet dish, quick and easy to make - Sunnundalu. The authentic Andhra sweet which is very healthy - very good to cure back pain because of the protien and iron content in the ingredients used. These can be made quickly when there are guests at home, or for evening snacks for kids, or for any special occasion at home which demands something sweet :)

INGREDIENTS
Urad dal (Minappappu) - 1 cup
Jaggery - 200 gms
Ghee (as required)
elaichi (2 pods)

PROCEDURE
Dry roast the urad dal on a pan until they turn brown and nice aroma is felt. Grind it to fine powder after it cools down.
Crush the jaggery to coarse powder and add it to the mixer with the urad dal powder. Add 2 pods of elaichi for taste. Grind it together to get a fine mixture.
Now heat the ghee (liquid state) to form the Laddus. Take the powder into a bowl and make space in the middle. Add some ghee and start slowly mixing the powder with ghee and form laddus such that it stays (will be easy to make).
Tasty and healthy Sunnundalu are ready !!!