KESARI BATH/SHEERA/RAVA HALWA

Ingredients:
Chiroti Rava/Bangalore Rava/Sooji - 1 Cup [ I used chiroti rava ]
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Elaichi/Cardamom - 2 or 1/2 tsp powder
Food Color - a pinch
Ghee - 2 Tbsp [ low fat use 1 Tbsp]
Crushed Cashews+Crushed Almonds+Raisins - 2 Tbsp
Water  - 3 Cups [ You can use Milk 1 Cup + Water 2 Cup]
Method Of Preparation:
Keep Water or Milk+Water for boiling in a vessel.

Heat 1 Tbsp of Ghee in a pan on medium heat. When it melts, add dry fruits and fry for a minute.
Add Rava and fry till you get a nice aroma.It will take around 10 minutes.

Add food color and boiling water and mix well making sure there are no lumps. Cook for around 2-3 minutes. Now, add sugar and cardamom powder. Add remaining ghee and mix. Cook again for around 5 minutes.

There it is. Your quick 'under 15 minutes' dessert ready to relish. Enjoy. :)

LOTUS ROOT & POTATO CURRY

I had never heard about 'LOTUS ROOT'. Once, a friend mentioned about it and I got to taste the curry. I loved the crunchiness of this veggie even after it was cooked. Do try this vegetable if you have never tried it.
You can read more about 'Lotus Root' here

Ingredients:
Potato - 2
Lotus Root - 2 Medium size
Tomato - 2
Onion - 1/2
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin-Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Grated Ginger - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp

Method Of Preparation:
Wash & peel potato skin. Chop them into 1 inch cubes.
Wash and chop the ends of Lotus Root. Roughly peel the skin.
Cut into 1/4 inch rounds. [Soak in water until ready to use]

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. When its hot, add Jeera. After they splutter, add Onions and fry for a minute. Add lotus root spirals and potato cubes. Fry for 2 minutes.
Add chopped tomato, grated ginger and all the powders. Mix well. Add 2 cups of water.
Close the lid and pressure cook for one whistle.
Once the pressure is released open the lid and mix the curry well.

Enjoy the curry along with rotis :)

ALOO/POTATO BONDA

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 medium sized
Batter:
Besan/Kadle hittu/Chickpea flour - 1 Cup
Rice flour/Corn flour/Corn starch - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Crushed ajwain - 1 tsp
Coriander cumin powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch [Optional]

Method Of Preparation:
Roughly peel the skin of Potato. Wash it well.
Cut into 1/4 or 1/2 inch round pieces.
Prepare the bonda batter. 

Note: I have noticed that adding soda will give bondas crunchiness. It tastes too good but makes bondas absorb oil.

Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and add 1/4 cup of water and make a paste. Make sure there are no lumps.

Now, add around 1/2 Cup of water and make a thin paste. 

Note: Add water slowly. The thickness should be little thinner than milkshake. It should be thick enough to hold on to the pieces. 

Check for salt and spices. Add more if required. 

Heat oil in a pot for deep-frying.
Dip each piece in bonda batter. Coat well and drop in hot oil carefully. Repeat the same.
Note: Do not over crowd. Less heat and more bondas will absorb oil and won't cook properly.
After a minute or two, turn the bondas around and let them fry for another 2 minutes.

Carefully remove the fried bondas. Place them on a plate lined with tissue to soak up extra oil.
Enjoy. :)

JHATPAT AVALAKKI/POHA SNACK

Ingredients:
Thin Poha/Telu Avalakki - 2 Cups
Temper:
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Onion - 1
Green Chillies - 2
Mustard seeds/sasive - 1/4 tsp
Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Chana Dal - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp
Grated Coconut/Coconut flakes - 1 Tbsp

Method Of Preparation:
Note: Use Thin/Nylon poha only. Do not soak the poha!
Finely chop onions and green chillies.

Heat oil in a vessel. when its hot, add mustard and cumin seeds. After they splutter, add chana dal and urad dal. Fry for 10 seconds.
Add chopped onions and green chillies and salt. Saute well.
Add thin poha and sugar. Mix everything. Fry for 3 minutes.
Add coconut and lemon juice. Poha will crumble and become soft. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Enjoy this as a quick snack along with tea. It tastes very good with curd/yogurt. Try this combination. You'll love it. :)

UNDE KADUBU

Ingredients:
Rice Rava/Idli Rava - 1 Cup
Salt - 1 tsp

Method of Preparation:
Rice Rava:
You can use store bought idli rava.
OR
To make it at home.
Wash one cup of rice and spread it on a cloth to dry out for at least 6 hours. I keep it over night.
Grind the rice to grainy texture like rava.

Unde Kadubu:
Heat 2 Cups of water in a vessel. Add Salt. When its hot, add rava and mix well.
Keep stirring. It will start to thicken.
Let it cook on medium heat for at least 10 minutes.
Switch off the stove.

Let it cool for at least 15-30 minutes. When its warm enough to handle make small balls.
Heat water in a pressure cooker or steamer for steaming the kadubus.
Keep the kadubus in a vessel and steam cook for 13-15 minutes. [In pressure cooker without the whistle]. Let them cool for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with Chutney or Sambhar.
Note: check for detailed procedure here

MASALA UNDE KADUBU

Ingredients:
Rice Rava/Idli Rava - 1 Cup
Salt - 1 tsp
Red chilli - 1
Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp

Method of Preparation:
Rice Rava:
You can use store bought idli rava.
OR
To make it at home.
Wash one cup of rice and spread it on a cloth to dry out for at least 6 hours. I keep it over night.
Grind the rice to grainy texture like rava.

Unde Kadubu:
Heat oil in a vessel. When its hot, add mustard seeds. After they splutter, add urad dal and red chillies. Fry for a minute.
Add 2 Cups of water and salt. When its hot, add rava and mix well. Keep stirring. It will start to thicken.

Let it cook on medium heat for at least 10 minutes.
Switch off the stove.

Let it cool for at least 15-30 minutes. When its warm enough to handle make small balls.
Heat water in a pressure cooker or steamer for steaming the kadubus.

Keep the kadubus in a vessel and steam cook for 13-15 minutes. [In pressure cooker without the whistle]. Let them cool for 5 minutes.

 Serve hot with Chutney or Sambhar.

THAI STYLE VEGETABLE CURRY

Ingredients:
Thai style vegetables [Baby Corn, Water Chestnuts, capsicum, red pepper, onions, snow peas, carrots, bamboo shoots, broccoli, green beans, etc ]
Canola Oil - 1 Tbsp

Grind:
Coconut - 1 cup [ replaced for coconut milk]
Onion - 1/2 [ replaced for shallots]
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch [ replaced for galangal]
Lemon/Lime peel - 1 tsp [ replaced for lemon grass]
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Tomato Puree - 2 Tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 Tbsp [ replaced for fish/oyster sauce]
Til/Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp
Dry Red chillies - 3-4 [ increase or decrease according to your spice level]
Salt - 1 1/2 tsp
Basil powder - 1 tsp [ You can use basil leaves]
Coriander leaves stem - 1/4 bunch [ Remove the leaves and just use the stem]
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Masala Sauce - 1 tsp
Honey/Brown Sugar - 1 Tbsp
Coconut Water - 2 cups [ I used store bought variety. Used this to grind the mix instead of water. You can replace this with water]

Method Of Preparation:
Heat oil in a vessel.When its hot, add all the vegetables and fry for a minute.

Now, add ground masala and mix well. Check for Salt and spice level.

Cook it covered for at least 20 minutes. Keep checking in between. Do not over cook the vegetables. Serve with Rice.

BALEKAYI/PLANTAIN BONDA

Ingredients:
Balekayi/Plaintain - 1 medium sized
Batter:
Besan/Kadle hittu/Chickpea flour - 1 Cup
Rice flour/Corn flour/Corn starch - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Crushed ajwain - 1 tsp
Coriander cumin powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch [Optional]
hing - a pinch [Optional]
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp [Optional]


Method Of Preparation:
Roughly scrape the skin of balekayi. Wash it well.
Cut into your desired shape. [Round/Rectangle]. Make sure the pieces are not more than 1/2 inch in thickness.

Soak the pieces in salt water till you are ready to fry them. At least for 15 minutes, this allows them to soak up flavour. 

Prepare the bonda batter. 

Note: Plantains produce gas. I added ajwain and hing b'coz of this reason. You can leave them out. Read Here.

Note: I have noticed that adding soda will give bondas crunchiness. It tastes too good but makes bondas absorb oil.

Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and add 1/4 cup of water and make a paste. Make sure there are no lumps.

Now, add 1/2 Cup of water and make a thin paste. 

Note: Add water slowly. The thickness should be little thinner than milkshake. It should be thick enough to hold on to the pieces. Check for salt and spices. Add more if required. 

Heat oil in a pot for deep-frying.

Take out plantain pieces required for one batch from soaked water. Make sure you strain the water off from the pieces.

Dip each piece in bonda batter. Coat well and drop in hot oil carefully. Repeat the same.

Note: Do not over crowd. Less heat and more bondas will absorb oil and won't cook properly.

After a minute or two, turn the bondas around and let them fry for another 2 minutes.

Carefully remove the fried bondas. Place them on a plate lined with tissue to soak up extra oil.

Enjoy. :)

MENASINAKAYI/CHILLI/MIRCHI BONDA

Ingredients:
Bonda Menasinakyi - 2
Batter:
Besan/Kadle hittu/Chickpea flour - 1 Cup
Rice flour/Corn flour/Corn starch - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Crushed ajwain - 1 tsp
Coriander cumin powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch [Optional]


Method Of Preparation:
Wash chillies well. 

As the chillies were too big, I did not want to deep fry the whole chillies as in traditional way. I chopped them into half inch round pieces to use less oil. You can go ahead and prepare in the usual way.

Prepare the bonda batter. 

Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and add 1/4 cup of water and make a paste. Make sure there are no lumps. Now, add around 1/2 Cup of water and make a thin paste. 

Check for salt and spices. Add more if required. 

Note: Add water slowly. The thickness should be little thinner than milkshake. It should be thick enough to hold on to the pieces. 
Note: I have noticed that adding soda will give bondas crunchiness. It tastes too good but makes bondas absorb oil.

Heat oil in a pot for deep-frying.

Dip each chilli piece in bonda batter. Coat well and drop in hot oil carefully. Repeat the same.

Note: Do not over crowd. Less heat and more bondas will absorb oil and won't cook properly.

After a minute or two, turn bondas around and let them fry for another 2 minutes.

Carefully remove the fried bondas. Place them on a plate lined with tissue to soak up extra oil.

Enjoy. :)

Note: Mandakki tindi and menasinakayi bonda combination is very famous in karnataka.
If you ever go to Davanagere or Basavanagudi in Bangalore, don't forget to enjoy this combination.

HEEREKAYI/RIDGE GOURD MASALA PALYA

Ingredients:
Heerekayi - 2
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Masala:
Onion - 1/4
Red Chillies - 2
Coconut - 1 Tbsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Chana Dal - 1 tsp
Tamarind pulp - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1/2 tsp

Method Of Preparation:
Wash ridge gourd well. Roughly peel off the skin. [no need to peel the skin for tender ones]

Chop into 1 inch pieces.

Dry roast urad dal, channa dal and onion. When you switch off the stove add Jeera and red chillies to roast.

Grind dry roasted items, salt, turmeric powder and tamarind pulp together.
Heat oil in a vessel. When its hot, add mustard seeds. After they splutter, add ridge gourd pieces and fry for a minute.
Add the ground paste and washed water. Mix well.

Let it cook for 30 minutes. Keep stirring in between. cook till done. Serve along with chapatis or as a side dish.

METHI ONION PAKODAS

Ingredients:
Menthe soppu/Methi leaves - 1/2 bunch
Onion - 1
Green Chillies - 2
Ajwain seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
hing/Asafoetida - a pinch
Coriander Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Corn Starch/Rice Flour - 1 Tbsp
Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1/2 Cup

Method of Preparation:
Wash and chop Methi Leaves. Chop Onions & Green Chillies. Mix them well. Add Salt and leave aside for 5 -10 mins.
Add rest of the ingredients and mix. Do not add water. If required just sprinkle water.

Heat oil. When the oil is hot, drop pakoda mix and fry till they are golden brown.