Kande Pohe

2 medium Onions
1 big Potato
3 cups of Poha (beaten rice)
2-3 green chillies
1/2 tsp jeera
2 tsp sugar
Turmeric
Salt as per taste
Coconut scrappings
Coriander leaves
Oil

Method
1) Wash the Poha and completely stain the water from it. Add Sugar and Salt to the poha, mix well and keep aside.

2) Chop the onions lengthwise and the potatoes in small thin slices.

3) In a kadhai heat oil. Add Jeera, Green Chillies, Onion and the potatoes. Cover with lid and let it cook.

4) When the onion is properly cooked, add turmeric and poha to the kadhai and mix well. Cover with lid for 2-3 mins.

5) Switch off the flame and add the coriander leaves and coconut scrappings and serve hot.

Suggestions
1) Can also add green peas to the poha instead of potatoes or along with potatoes

2) Can add roasted peanuts to the kadhai just before adding poha

3) For the people who dont want to add onion; In the kadhai heat oil. Add Mustard seeds, Jeera, Green Chillies, Curry leaves, little hing and the potatoes. Rest of the process remains same

Sabudanyachi khichadi

3 cups Sabudane (Sago)
1 big potato
3 green chillies
1/2 tsp Jeera
1 handful of roasted peanuts
Coconut  scrappings
Coriander leaves
2 tsp sugar
salt

Method
1)Wash the Sago overnight and soak them in in water just enough to cover them. Keep it overnight or for 2-3 hrs atleast.

2) Before preparing the khichidi add sugar and salt in the sago and mix well

3) Heat oil in a kadhai. Add jeera, chopped chillies and thin potato slices

4) When the potato is properly fried add the coarsely ground peanuts

5) Add the sago and mix well. cover with a lid.

6) After 2-3 minutes remove the lid and add the coconut scrappings and chopped coriander leaves.

Rawa Dosa

1 cup Rice flour
1 cup Rawa/Sooji
Buttermilk
Jeera
Coconut scrappings
Coriander leaves
2 green Chillies
Salt

Method
1) Take the rice flour and the rawa/ sooji in a bowl. Add salt.

2) Add enough buttermilk to make a very thin consistency batter (almost like milk)

3) Add chopped green chillies, jeera, coconut scrappings and coriander leaves. Can also add cashews and dried grapes.

4) Rest for half an hour.

5) Put thin dosa on the tawa and fry on both the sides

Tastes great with green chutney.

Pasta in Tomato Sauce

2 cups Pasta

1 capsicum

1 onion

1 carrot

5-6 mushroom

2 cubes cheese

3 medium tomatoes

10-12 garlic

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd

1/4 garam masala

salt

Method

1) Boil the pasta in enough water with little salt and a little oil for 8-10 mins. Drain the water. Add cold water and drain again and keep aside. This stops the pasta from cooking further.

2) Take olive oil in a pan. Add garlic, onion and fry a little. Add capsicum, boiled carrots and mushrooms.

3) When the vegetables are nicely done pour in the tomato puree and let it cook. Add the salt, red chilli pwd and the garam masala

4) Add the boiled pasta. Mix well and let it simmer with lid on top.

5) Turn off the heat and when the pasta is still hot shred the cheese cubes and mix with the pasta.

Tomato Omelette

1 medium tomato
1 small onion
5-6 tbs besan
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt
Coriander

Method
1) Chop finely the onion, tomato and g chilli

2) Mix the onion, tomato, g chilies, r chilli pwd, turmeric, coriander and salt in a bowl

3) Add the besan. Mix it with other ingredients.

4) Add enough water to make a smooth batter. Rest it for 15 mins

5) Heat a non stick tawa and put some oil on it.

6) Pour some batter and spread to make a round and thin omelette. Cook on both sides.

Makes nice crispy tomato omlettes to be eaten hot.

Cooking and serving tips:-
1) Tomato omelette takes a long time to cook. Hence keep patience or the core of the omelette will stay raw.

2) Can add cheese or butter on top of the omelette. Adds to the taste

3) Can be served with toast bread

4) 1 Egg can be added to the batter to increase crispiness

Prawns with Potato Masala

10-12 shelled prawns marinated with salt, turmeric pwd and chilli pwd

1 medium potato cut in squares

1 small onion

Pinch of turmeric pwd

3-4 pepper corns

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

Coconut scrappings

Tamarind paste

Salt

Method

1) Put the diced onion, potatoes and prawns in a shallow pan. Put a little water and allow it to cook on low heat.

2) Grind the coconut scrappings, tamarind paste, turmeric, pepper corns and chilli pwd to a coarse paste.

The consistency of this curry can be varied as required.

3) Check whether the prawns and potatoes have cooked well. Once they are cooked put the coconut paste in the pan and bring it to a boil. Taste and put salt as required.

Prawns masala with potatoes is ready. Can be eaten with rice as curry or as a side dish.

Malvani Prawn curry

Very simple and quick prawn curry

10-12 shelled prawns

1/2 cup Coconut scrapings

Haldi

Chilli pwd

4-5 pepper corns

Tamarind paste

Small onion

Coconut oil

Method

1) De-shell the prawns and make sure to remove the black thread running through it. Add salt, haldi and chilli pwd to marinate.

2) Take a small part of the onion (if you take a big portion of onion the curry will smell of onion), coconut scrapings, tamarind paste, pepper corns, chilli pwd and a little haldi in a mixer and make a smooth paste. Dilute it with water to extend u want the curry consistency.

3) Now in a vessel take 2-3 tbsp coconut oil, add the remaining onion which is cut in small pieces and fry. Add the prawns and cook them properly. Prawns cook very fast and turn white. Add the coconut paste to the vessel. Allow to cook for a min and add salt.

4) Taste the curry for the spice. Add tamarind paste, chilli pwd or salt as/if required. When the curry come to a boil remove it and it is ready to serve.

Dont put big prawns in the curry. If the prawns are big make small pieces of 1 inch length.

Dhondas (Cucumber Cake)

Dhondas is one of my moms specialities. It is made from large cucumbers. It made for a healthy evening snack and is also my dads favorites.

Ingredients

1-2 Large Juicy cucumber

Jaggery

Salt

Turmeric

Roasted Peanuts

Coconut scrapping

Roasted Soji

1) Peel the cucumber and shred thinly.

2) Put it in a Kadhai to cook (Cucumber water and all). Put 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, and jaggery as per taste. Let the batter thicken a little and the jaggery melt. Put in 1/4 cup coconut scrapping and the roasted peanuts.

3) Put in soji, just enuf to make it into a thick paste but not very dry. Remove from gas. (Make sure that the before putting the soji the batter is little on the sweeter side as after putting in the soji some of the sweetness disappears). Add little ghee to add flavour

4) Put the batter now in a greased vessel and put it in oven to cook. Cook for 15 minutes.

5) Remove and once little cooled put it on a tawa on low flame. Cover the cake and roast it on both sides applying little ghee...

Bharle Paplet (Stuffed Pomfret)

It was sunday yest and it was a fish day :) Had brought Small Pomfret from the market the earlier day. The fish guy had nicely cut the fish and had made a nice pocket in the pomfret to put in the masala. Marinated the pomfret with salt for 11/2 -2 hrs. Washed the fish and marinated again with turmeric and chilli powder.

Masala to fill.

Coconut scrappings (Optional)

Ginger

Garlic

Salt

Tamrind

Grind the ingredients and stuff the pomfret with the filling.

Cover the pomfret nicely with rawa and fry it on the tawa till it turns nice and crispy.