Mango Pickle with ginger garlic paste

Ingredients:
Sour Raw medium sized mangoes: 5 No’s
Ground mustard seeds powder: 1 cup
Home made Ginger Garlic paste: 1 cup
1Tsp: Zeera
1Tsp: Mustardseeds
½ tsp: Methi seeds
Red Chilli Powder: 1 cup (Use the chilli powder specially used for pickles, which gives you good colour and spice. We use three mangoes brand)
Salt: 1 Cup
1 ½ cup: Groundnut oil/ Sesame oil.

METHOD
Wash the mangoes and wipe them dry with a cloth (We can have the mango cut for pickles by the vendors during the mango season) they cut the mangoes keeping the wedges with inner shell intact. One’s dry; remove the thin layer formed over the inner shell. Make sure to do this, else the pickle might spoil. Ensure that all the mango pieces are completely. Now spread the mango pieces over a dry cloth, while you get the spices readied for the mango pickle.
We get peeled garlic cloves and cleant ginger, so all I need to do is, to let them dry, ensuring no moisture in them. Now cut the ginger. Wipe them properly and grind equal quantity of ginger and garlic to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel still fuming hot and then turn off the flame.

In another pan heat oil and temper it with few mustard seeds, when it crackles, add methi and zeera. Keep aside.
Grind one cup of mustard seeds to a fine powder. In a big vessel, mix the mustard powder, chilli powder and salt well, to that add ginger garlic paste. Mix well, now add the mango pieces. Mix them with your hand instead of a ladle. Make sure the mixture is well applied over all the mangoes. By now the tempered oil has cooled down , add it to the mango mixture and mix well. Rest of the heated oil can now be added to the mixture. Now mix the whole thing properly with a ladle, ensure that the masala coats the mangoes well. Cover it with a lid and keep aside for 3 days. On the third day check if oil is floating to a height of ½ inch above the pickle, otherwise add some more oil. Mix with a clean and dry ladle. Now you can store them in sterilized air tight containers. The pickle stays good for a year.

Prawns Fry

500 gms - Prawns
2 Medium sized onions finely chopped
1tsp Ginger garlic paste
1tsp- coriander powder
½ tsp- cumin powder
2tsp- Red chilli powder
1/4th tsp- Turmeric powder
Garam masala as per taste
Oil as required
Salt to taste
Finely chopped coriander leaves
1 sprig – curry leaves

For Marination:
1 tsp Ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
Apinch of salt
½ tsp- coriander powder
½ tsp- cumin powder
½ tsp turmeric powder    

METHOD :
Peel off the skin, clean and devein the prawns. Now marinate the prawns with all the ingredients mentioned
Heat oil in a pan; add the chopped onions, curry leaves, one’s onions turn translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and cook there is no raw smell. Now add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, salt and garam masala and mix. Add 2 to 3 tbsp water to prevent spice powders from burning and cook for a minute. Now add the marinated prawns and cook until they are done, you can add 1/4th cup of water and cover the pan and let it cook on a low flame.check out for the consistency. One’s done, dish it out and garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Dates or Kahjoor Laddoo

Dates/Kahjoor are very nutritious, high in fiber, promotes brain health, good in diabetic management.

 

Here is a healthy laddoo preparation 

Take a cup of seedless dates/ Khajoor, blend it in a blender coarsely, and please don’t add water. Now set it aside. In a large saucepan add 1 tsp of Ghee add, ½ cup almonds, ½ cup cashews, , roast on low flame for 3-5 minutes, till the nuts turn crunchy. To this add 1 tsp of Poppy seeds/ Khus khus and roast for a minute. Add the crushed dates and mix well. Let this mixture cook on a medium flame. Keep mashing the date. Now you’ll find the dates releasing oil. At this minute, turn off the flame and allow the mixture to cool for a while, say about 5 minutes. Now immediately start making laddoos. If the mixture gets cool completely, you’ll not be able to make the laddoos. Can eat it right there or/and can be stored in air tight containers for a month at least. You can use nuts of your choice, like Almonds, Pista, peanuts, cashews etc and if you want the Laddoos to taste sweeter, add some more dates. You can roll them in desiccated coconut or roasted Sesame.

 

Guava Pickle

Guava helps in regulating blood pressure, strengthens, immune and digestive system, helps in weight loss..... I prepared some guava pickle, which was crunchy , sweet and spicy... check this out :-)
Tasty and nutritious Guava Pickle

Ingredients
2medium sized, medium ripe guavas
2tbsp Red chilly powder -
1 tbsp freshly ground mustard powder
2sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Vinegar or fresh lime
1tbsp Sesame oil
4-5 chopped Green chillies
5-6garluc cloves
1medium sized carrot very finely sliced (julienne)optional
Mustard seeds
 
Preparation:
Clean and cut the guava into small cubes. Wipe it dry. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard, one's it splutters add chopped Green chillies, and garlic cloves, now add sliced carrots, curry leaves, asefotida red chilli powder, mustard powder.Mix well. Add guava pieces. Add vinegar or lime juice,salt and stir well. Remove from flame. and your guava pickle is ready :-)

Soya Chunks Pulav

1/4th Kg- Basmati Rice
20-25 Soya Chunks
1 medium sized onion finely sliced
½ cup – Fresh green peas
3/4th Tbsp- Thick curd
½ cup- carrot cut into cubes
One Large tomato chopped finely
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1 ½ tsp- Red chilli powder1/12 tsp- Ginger garlic paste
Oil/Ghee as required
Salt to taste
1 ½ “ cinnamon piece
1 Bay leaf
2 cloves, 2 cardamoms

Method

Wash Basmati rice in luke warm water and for 30 minutes. Boil water and add little salt to it cook the soya chunks on a medium flame for about 10 minutes,put off the flame, rinse the chunks with fresh running water, sqeeze dry and set aside. You can retain the chunk as it is or cut it to two pieces.
Boil 4-5 cups of water and add the soaked rice. Add Salt to taste
1 ½ “ cinnamon piece1 Bay leaf 2 cloves, 2 cardamoms Let it cook till almost done. Strain the water and now add ghee and mint leaves to it. Spread it out on a wide plate.
In a cooker add ghee/oil, add onions, one’s they are slightly fried, add ginger garlic paste, wait till the raw smell goes away. To this add tomatoes, one’s they turn mushy add, red chilli powder, green chilli and turmeric. Add curd, remaining mint leaves and fry for 2 more minutes, when the mixture becomes thick, add 1/4 cup wate, add green peas and carrots and cook it in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Add the soya chunks to the mixture and stir, let it cook for about two minutes
Now take a wide vessel, drizzle ghee/oil Add the cooked rice and mix evenly. Now cover with a lid, place something heavy on it and let it cook on a low flame for 5 -8 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Dum Aloo

INGREDIENTS
½ kg potatoes or 20 baby potatoes
4 cups of water to boil the potatoes
¼ tsp salt

For the gravy
3 tsp kashmiri red chili powder and 2tbsp water
½ tbsp ginger powder
1 tbsp saunf powder
1 tsp shah jeera
Garam Masala (grind 3 cloves, 1 Black cardamoms, 3-4 cloves, 5 black pepper)
½ cup of full fat curd, whisked till smooth
Water as required
5tbsp mustard oil for frying potatoes
salt as required

METHOD:
Wash the potatoes. Add water in a pan and add the potatoes, boil them on a medium flame
Till the potatoes are half cooked. (I pressure cooked them for two whistles), drain the water and peel the potatoes when cool. Now with a fork or a tooth pick poke holes in the potatoes all over, half them or keep them whole if they are small. Whisk the fresh full fat curd or yogurt till smooth and keep it aside, and in a small bowl add the kashmiri red chili powder and water, mix and stir well till you get a smooth paste. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan, add the parboiled peeled potatoes and fry them on a low flame, turn them over when they turn golden, remove and place them on a tissue paper. In the same pan remove the extra oil let 2 tbsp oil remain. Add asafoetida, stir well, add the red chilli and water solution, then add the beaten curd. Make sure that you stir or whisk continuously while adding the curd, to ensure that the curd does not split. Add water and continue to stir. Mix well. Now add the saunf powder. Add the ground garam masala, ginger powder and season with salt. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Dum Aloo most often comes with thick gravy, but you can increase the water depending on the consistency that you want. Your dum aloo is ready. Have it with roti/Naan or rice

Yakhni Lauki/ Bottle gourd with Yougurt based gravy

Ingredients
1 Bottle gourd /Lauki/Doodhi
1 small onion
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
2-3 Cardamom pods
½ tsp caraway seeds/ Shahjeera
2-3 cloves
1/2tsp Dry ginger powder
1 teaspoon Fennel/ Saunf Powder
1/4th TSp coriander powder
½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
Pinch of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (hing)
150gms Curd (Yougurt)
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the bottlegourd into small cubes, now in a pan add 1tbsp of oil and heat, add pieces of bottle gourd and fry them till they turn tender and brown, now remove and set them on a kitchen tissue. In the same pan add little oil/Ghee and add cloves, cinnamon stick, caraway seeds and saute until nice aroma comes out of it. Add finely sliced onions and fry till they turn translucent. Now add , coriander powder, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add water and bring it to a boil, add pieces of bottle gourd, dry ginger powder, fennel powder, hing and mix well. Add whisked yougurt and add it to the bottle gourd and combine them well. Cook it on medium flame and cook till you get the desired consistency. Add salt as required and simmer for a while. Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Goes well with rice and roti

Tip : In case the curry turns very sour, add little cream or a pinch of sugar.