Spinach Daal

Ingredients:
Spinach
Arhar Daal

Preparation:
If using frozen spinach, warm it up in microwave with one cup of water.
Heat oil in cooker.
Add mustard seeds, haldi, red chillies.
Add daal, spinach, water (twice the amount of daal)
Add garam masala, Red Chili Powder, Salt
Cook till one whistle.

Peas

Ingredients:
Onion
Green Chillies
Peas
Garlic or Garlic-paste

Preparation:
Grind Onion, Garlic, Green Chillies, coriander, few peas.
Heat oil in pan and add Jeera, Kadipatta.
Add the paste.
Add Red Chili Powder.
Fry till oil leaves water.
Add peas, water, salt and cook it covered.
Add coriander for garnishing.

Allo Mutter

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsps vegetable/sunflower/canola oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 green chillies slit
• 1 large onion diced
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 2 large tomatoes diced
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp dry mango powder
• 5-6 large potatoes peeled cut into 8-10 pieces each
• 1 cup shelled peas (you can use frozen peas as well)
• 1 tsp garam masala
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsps of finely chopped coriander to garnish

Preparation:

• In a wok/pressure cooker heat the oil and add the cumin seeds to it when hot. They will sizzle and soon turn slightly darker.
• Add the green chillies and when they stop sluttering add the onions.
• Sauté the onions till they turn soft. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and sauté for another minute.
• Add the tomatoes, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric, red chilli and raw mango powders and sauté for a minute.
• Last of all add the potatoes and peas and half a cup of water. Add salt to taste.
• Cover the pan and cook till the potatoes are soft.
• When the potatoes are cooked, turn off the fire, sprinkle the garam masala over the dish and cover immediately.
• In a few minutes open, garnish with the finely chopped coriander leaves and serve.
• If you are using a pressure cooker, time the cooking such that the potatoes do not get mashed.

Thanks to http://indianfood.about.com/od/vegetarianrecipes/r/aaloomutter.htm

Complicated way of making Chole!!!

Ingredients

• Chole (Garbanzo Beans)
• Onions - 2
• Tomato - 2

Process

• Boil 2 tsp of tea in a cup of water.
• Separate the tea water and tea leaves.
• Put chole + salt + tea water in cooker and take 6-7 whistles.
• Chop/grind onions+ red chilli powder and tomatoes separately.
• Take oil in a pan, add jeera, add chopped/ground onion + red chili powder. Add little bit of ginger.
• Fry for 5-10 mins.
• Add chopped/ground tomatos + haldi + little mirch + one spoon for chole masala
• Fry for another 5-10 mins.
• Check the chole in cooker by taking in hand if it can be pressed easily. If yes add it to pan else take another 4-5 whistles.

Phew!!!!

Upma

Ingredients
Suji
Kadi Patta
Green Chilies
Cashew Nuts (crushed), Raisins.
Roasted Peanuts (crushed).

Process
Heat up and stir Suji in Frying Pan till it becomes golden.
Take the suji out.
Heat ghee in the pan.
Add Rai (Mustard Seeds), Kadi Patta, Green Chilies.
Add cashew nuts, raisins and peanuts.
Add Suji and mix everything well.
Heat water separately.
Add water and mix well.
Add salt.

Bharwa Bhindi

Ingredients
Bhindi -- Cut the ends and slit it vertically
Curd
Spices
Process
Mix Turmeric Powder, Red Chilli Powder, Coriander Powder, Amchur, Salt, Cumin Powder + Curd
Now fill bhindis with the mixture.

Heat oil in Kadai.
Put Mustard seeds and Methi Dana. Wait till mustard seeds start to putter.
Add filled bhindis, mix them well in Kadai.
Cover the Kadai and cook on low flame.

Nimboo Ka Raita

Water + Lemon + Salt + Jeera + Boondi

So refreshing!!

Papad ki Sabji

1. Heat Ghee
2. Put Zeera + Haldi + Red Chilli Powder
3. Add Water and Salt and bring to boil.
4. Add small pieces of papad.

Tadka Daal

- Put 1 cup daal + 2 cups of water in pressure cooker.
- Wait for certain number of whistles. (Number of whistles depends on the cooker and type of daal --I know I hate that too. Why can't there be a table to follow. Lol. I have been told that you learn from experience on this one. In my experience, two whistles are generally enough for most of the daals).

Tadka
Ingredients: Ghee + Green Chillies + Jeera + Mustard Seeds + Heeng + Tomato + Methi Dana (only in Arhar) + Haldi + Red Mirchi
In a small frying pan, heat ghee and then add all the above ingredients.

Add Tadka to the daal and bring it to boil.
Add Dhaniya to garnish.

Allo Capsicum Curry

Ingredients
2 potatoes -- chopped in small cubes
2 capsicums -- chopped in small cubes

Process
Heat oil in Kadai.
Add Zeera and Sauf.
Add Potatoes and Capsicum
Add Haldi, Mirchi, Dhaniya.
Add salt to taste
Cook on slow heat.

My Experiments with Cooking

If I can cook, anyone can. :)

As my friends and ex-roommates would tell you, I am one of the worst cooks out there. But I love cooking food. And it is sort of therapeutic too.

Over the years, I have learned quite a few simple recipes from my friends. The key word here is "simple". Simple enough for me to remember and follow. :) This is my attempt to list down some delicious, healthy and easy-to-cook recipes.

I would like to thank my dear friends Gaurav and Tripti for their patience in teaching me some of their recipes during my stay at their place. The idea of writing this blog originated in one of those cooking lessons. More than anything else, this blog will let me store all these nice recipes at one place. Thanks guys!!