Sevai Kheer

Ingredients:
1) Sevai / Vermicelli 1 cup2)1/4 cup Sugar 

Generally for 1L milk, add 1 big wati sugar. 
3) 1/4 cup grated khoya
4) 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
5) 4 tsp ghee
6) chopped Almond
7) chopped Cashew nuts
8) Raisins
Method:
1) Add 4 tsp oil in a pan on a medium high. Once ghee melts down add sevai and roast till gets nice golden color.
2) Add dry fruits and saute for a minute.
3) Add milk and boil till sevai gets cooked.
4) Add sugar and khoya, mix and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Allow the milk to boil on medium flame for 10-15 mins.
5) Add saffron and cardamom powder.
6) Serve hot or chilled!

Note : You can also add 2-3 tsp of custard powder in a small quantity of milk. Stir it nicely, no lumps. Now add this custard mix in kheer. It will thicken faster on cooling. 

Kashmiri Dum Aloo

Ingredients:
1) 250gms peeled baby potatoes
2) 1 cup tomato juice
3) Masala preparation as mentioned in masala chole & garlic naan
4) 2 tbsp vegetable oil
5) 5-10 sprigs of coriander
6) Salt to tatse
7) Lemon juice to taste

Method:
1) In a nonstick container, heat the oil.
2) Add the masala & tomato juice.
3) Allow the mixture to boil for 2 mins on a medium flame.
4) Add the baby potatoes in the above mixture. If required, add 1/2 cup water.
5) Cook the potatoes until they are tender.
6) Add salt & lemon juice to taste.
7) Garnish the kashmiri dum aloo with freshly chopped coriander.

Undhiyu Shruti style

Ingredients: Vegetables

1) 1/2 cup surti papdi,stringed,whole

2) 1 or 2 chopped raw banana, peeled

3) 1 chopped yam, peeled

4) 2 medium size brinjals

5) 2 medium size chopped onions

6) 2 medium size chopped potatoes

7) 2 medium size chopped green capsicum

8) 1/2 bowl green peas

9) 1/2 bowl corn

10) 1/2 bowl chopped french beans

11) 2 bowls chopped cauliflower

12) 100 gms finely chopped methi leaves

13) 1/2 cup pavta seeds
14) 2-3 chopped carrots

Ingredients: Masala

1) 4-5 green chillies

2) 1-2 tsp grated ginger

3) 5-6 chopped garlic

4) 1/4 tsp asafoetida

5) 1 tsp turmeric powder

6) 2 tsp ajwain seeds

7) 4-5 tsp red chili powder (Add more, if you like spicy)

8) 4-5 tsp garam masala (Add more, if you like spicy)

9) 4-5 tsp dhania powder

10)1 tbsp grated coconut

11) 4-5 curry leaves

12) 1-2 dry bay leaves

13) 1/2 tbsp sugar

14) Salt to taste

15) Lemon juice to taste

16) 1 tbsp oil

17) 1/2 cup besan flour
18) 1 cup whole wheat flour

19) Sugar or jaggery to taste
20) Sesame or teel seeds for tadka

Method: Methi ghatta

1) In a bowl, mix methi, besan, wheat flour, 1 tsp red chili powder, turmeric powder & salt to taste.

2) Add water & make it a stiff dough.

3) Heat the required quantity of oil & deep fry the dumplings for 2 mins.

4) Remove from oil. Keep it aside.

To Proceed:

1) In a large non-stick container, add 2 tbsp oil.

2) Into the hot oil, add ajwain seeds, curry leaves, red & green chilies, ginger paste, garlic, bay leaves, dhanai powder, turmeric powder. Saute it for 1 min.

3) Now, in the container form a layer of hard to cook vegetables (yam, potato, raw banana).

4) Add the desired quantity of red chili powder, garam masala & little oil.

5) Next, prepare a layer of brinjal, surti papdi, french beans)

6) Again add the desired quantity of red chili powder, garam masala & little oil.

7) Next, prepare a layer of cauliflower, onions, green peas, corn, green capsicum.

8) Again, prepare another layer of red chili powder, garam masala & little oil.

9) Cook the vegetables on a medium flame for 10 mins. After 10 mins, stir the contents.

10) Add oil, red chili powder, garam masala if required. Cook the vegetables in oil.

11) Finally, add salt, sugar & lemon juice to taste. 

12) Add methi ghatta & hot water just before serving. Stir all the contents properly.

13) Decorate the dish with chopeed coriander & grated coconut.

Add little extra oil for cooking than regular.

Hyderabadi Veg Dum Biryani

I enjoy eating & preparing spicy, slightly sweet veg biryani.

Ingredients: Vegetables

1) 1 big onion

2) 1 big potato

3) 1/2 cauliflower

4) 1/4 kg fresh french beans

5) 1 small bowl green peas

6) 1 small bowl corn

7) 1 big capsicum

8) 2 medium size carrots

9) 8-10 sprigs of corriander
10) 15-20 pudina leaves

Masala:

1) 2-3 tsp mustard seeds

2) 2-3 tsp dhania powder

3) 2-3 tsp turmeric powder

4) 3-4 tbsp chili powder (I added more, i like spicy)

5) 3-4 tbsp garam masala/goda masala/biryani masala (u can also add whole garam masala)

6) 1/2 inch ginger

7) 4-5 garlic cloves

8) 2-3 fresh curry leaves

9) 2 dried bay leaves

10) 3-4 green chilies

11) 3 tbsp dessicated coconut

12) Refined vegetable oil/Pure ghee (Quantity of your choice. I added 4-5 tbsp, to make biryani delicious. You can add less also.)
13) 2-3 oil fried onions 

Dryfruits:

1) 10-12 fried cashewnuts

2) 1 tsp kesar mixed in milk
3) 10-12 kismiss

Grains & General Items:

1) 2 cups of basmati rice (Add 3 1/2 cups water to cook rice)

2) Sugar to taste

3) Salt to taste

4) 1 tbsp milk
5) 1 cup curd

6) Water

Method:

1) Chop all the vegetables finely & wash the rice thoroughly.

2) Heat the oil/ghee in a large frying pan/a large non-stick container. Add all the masala, cashewnuts, onion. Saute it for 5 mins on low flame.

3) Add all the vegetables.Cook the vegetables in oil/ghee. Once the vegetables are half cooked, add the curd. Cook the vegetables. In another container, cook the rice by adding desired quantity of water & salt. Cook everything on low-medium flame. Once the rice is done, pour the rice in a plate & separate the rice with a fork before it cools.

4) Once the rice & vegetables are properly cooked, mix them properly.

5) If required, add oil/ghee & red chili powder (oily & spicy biryani tastes good.)

6) Mix kesar in a small quantity of milk. Add this milk in biryani.

7) Add sugar, salt, coriander & pudina leaves to taste. Now, keep tawa on a low flame. Cover the container with silver foil.
Keep the container on hot tawa for 30-35 mins. Once, you see the steam coming, switch off the flame.

8) Remove the biryani in a serving plate & decorate it with dessicated coconut, deep fried onion, finely chopped corriander & pudina leaves. Serve it with raita.

(For egg biryani, the recipe will be the same. Instead, of vegetables add boiled eggs).

Spanish Veg Paella

Spanish Veg Paella is one of my favorite spanish dish. It is very easy to make & it tastes very yummy.

Ingredients:

1) 1/4 cup olive oil

2) 4-5 chopped garlic cloves

3) 1 bowl chopped onion

4) 1/2 bowl chopped green capsicum

5) 1/2 bowl chopped tomatoes

6) 1/2 bowl corn

7) 1/2 bowl green peas

8) 4 cups vegetable broth

9) 2 cups rice

10) Salt to taste

11) 10-12 sprigs of coriander

Method:

1) Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan & saute the onion & garlic, until the onion is translucent.

2 Add all the vegetables, rice & broth. Cook everything on a medium flame for 20 mins. or until the rice is properly cooked.

3) Add salt to taste. Spanish veg paella is ready. Serve the paella garnished with chopped coriander.

Masala Chole With Garlic Naan

Masala chole is one of my favorite vegetable dish in Indian cuisine. You can havechana masala with puri, bhatura or naan.

Ingredients: For Garlic Naan

1) 2 1/2 bowls maida

2) 1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

3) 1/2 cup milk

4) 5-6 chopped garlic cloves

5) 2 tsp curd

6) 1/2 tsp baking soda

7) Sugar to taste

For Masala Chole

1) 3 cups cooked chickpeas

2) 2 medium size onions

3) 2 small chopped tomatoes

4) 3-4 dry red chilies

5) 1 bowl dry coconut powder

6) 1 tsp cumin seeds

7) 1 tsp coriander seeds

8) 1 tsp mustard seeds

9) 1 tsp ajwain

10) 2-3 cardamom

11) 2-3 cloves

12) 2-3 black pepper

13) 1/2 cinnamon stick
14) 1 bay leaf

15) 2 tsp turmeric powder

16) 3 tsp tamarind juice

17) 4-5 chopped garlic cloves

18) 1/2 inch chopped ginger

19) A pinch of asafoetida

20) 4-5 tbsp vegetable oil

21) Jaggery to taste (optional)

22) Salt to taste

23) 10-12 sprigs coriander

Method: For Garlic Naan

1) Mix maida with garlic, sugar, baking soda & curd.

2) In a bowl, mix yeast with milk. Add this mixture into the maida & make it into a dough.

3) Place a wet cloth on dough & keep the dough in a warm place for atleast 2 hours for fermentation.

4) After 2 hours, knead the dough with oil for 5 mins.

5) Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf balls. Roll of the balls into either triangular or circular shape like chapati.

6) Now, place the uncooked naan on a hot frying pan.

7) Cook until both sides of naan are brownish in color. Apply butter if required on both sides.

8) Hot naan is ready.

For Masala Chole

1) Soak chickpeas in water for overnight. On next day, add desired quantity of water to chickpeas & cook them in a pressure cooker until they become tender.

2) To prepare chole masala, take a nonstick container & add oil (1/2 tsp) in it.

3) Add onions & saute it until they are reddish brown. Shallow fry all the spices on a medium flame.

4) Keep the onions aside. Now, add 1/2 tsp oil in a nonstick container & shallow fry the red chilies for 2mins.

5) Keep the red chilies aside. Now, again add 1/2 tsp oil in a nonstick container & shallow fry the dry coconut powder for 2 mins.

6) Keep the dry coconut aside. Add 1/2 tsp oil in a nonstick container & shallow fry the remaining spices together namely, cumin seeds, ajwain, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, corriander seeds, black pepper.

7) Now mix all the spices in a plate namely onions, red chilies, coconut, ajwain, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves, corriander seeds, black pepper, garlic, ginger. Allow it to cool for 5-10 mins.

8) Add all the above spices & desired quantity of water in a mixer blender. Blend all the spices until it is semi-liquid & soft in texture.

9) Heat 5-6 tbsp oil in a nonstick container. Add bay leaf, mustard seeds, a pinch of asafoetida, turmeric & above masala. Allow it to cook for 15mins on a medium flame.

10) Add cooked chickpeas, tamarind juice, jaggery, salt & chopped tomatoes in the above masala. Allow it to cook for 15mins on a low flame.

11) Masala chole is ready. Garnish it with chopped coriander.

Veg Pasta in Pesto Sauce

The most famous varieties & recipes of pasta comes from Italy. There are hundreds of different shapes of pasta. My favorite pastas are penne rigata, farfalle, fusilli, conchiglle (shells),spaghetti etc. You can cook pasta in any sauce such as pesto sauce, marinara sauce, alfredo sauce etc.

Ingredients: For Pesto Sauce

1) 4 cups washed, torned, stems removed spinach leaves

2) 4 chopped garlic cloves

3) 1 tsp ginger paste

4) 4 chopped green chilies

5) Salt to taste

For Veg Pasta

1) 1/2 bowl chopped onion

2) 1/2 bowl chopped potato

3) 1/2 bowl chopped green capsicum

4) 1/2 bowl chopped carrot

5) 1/2 bowl chopped cauliflower

6) 1/2 bowl chopped cabbage

7) 1/2 bowl chopped cucumber (optional)

8) 1 bowl chopped tomato

9) 1/4 bowl green peas

10) 1/4 bowl corn

11) 1/2 bowl chopped mushrooms

12) 500gm pasta (I used farfalle pasta)

13) 2 tbsp red chili powder (optional)

14) 2 tbsp shreeded parmesan cheese

15) 2 tbsp Olive oil

Method: For Pesto Sauce

1) Place the spinach leaves, garlic, ginger, green chilies, salt in a blender or food processor container.

2) Cover & puree until spinach leaves look crushed.

3) Once the spinach puree is formed, add salt to taste. Pesto sauce is ready. (If the sauce seems too thick, add little water)

For Veg Pasta:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions; drain in colander. Allow it to cool for 10 mins.

2) In a non-stick container, heat 2 tbsp Oilve oil & add onion. Saute it for 2 mins.

3) Add all the vegetables & cook them for 10-12mins on a medium flame.

4) Mix pasta, pesto sauce, red chili powder, & salt with the above vegetable mixture. Cook the entire mixture for 10mins. on a medium flame.

5) If veg pasta in pesto sauce seems too thick, add little water.

6) Serve the delicious hot veg pasta in pesto sauce with parmesan cheese.