Fattoush

 

Zesty Lebanese Salad made from toasted pita / Arabic bread combined with mix vegetables and herbs is a perfect starter for your meal. It’s super healthy and refreshingly delicious. Try it today.

Ingredients

1. 2-3 tomatoes chopped in cube size

2. 1 cucumber chopped in cube size (quartered lengthwise and chopped)

3. 1 green pepper seeded and diced

4. 4 scallions / green onions chopped roughly

5. 1 cup of romaine lettuce chopped

6. 2 tbsp of parsley chopped

7. 1 tsp of dried mint

8. 1 cup of cilantro / dhaniya/ coriander chopped

9. 2 pita bread toasted and cut into cubes

10. ½ cup of oilive oil

11. Salt and pepper to taste

12. ½ cup of lemon juice

Directions

1. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, lettuce and herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley) in a bowl.

2. Whisk oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper and add to the bowl. Toss.

3. Put the toasted, baked pita bread cubed already at the top and serve.

-Chitra

Chilled Mediterranean Hummus Salad

Ingredients

1. 2 cans of hummus / chick peas / garbanzo beans

2. 2 tbsp of sliced Spanish olives

3. 2 tbsp of chopped pickled vegetables

(See my Recipe for Pickled Vegetables)

4. Salt and Pepper to taste

5. 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro / dhaniya

6. 1 lemon, juiced

7. 1 tsp of red hot sauce

Directions

1. Drain out the chick peas and rinse it under running water in a strainer.

2. Take a large bowl add all the ingredients and stir it well.

3. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let it chill for some time.

4. Serve this on hot sunny day to your family. It is full of nutrients and protein.

-Chitra

Spicy Butter Paneer Masala

Ingredients

1. 300 gms Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese

2. 3 medium tomatoes or two small diced tomato can

3. 1 cup tomato ketchup

4. 2 big onions puree

5. 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

6. 3 tbsp butter

7. 3 tbsp fresh cream

8. Salt to taste

9. 1 tsp red chilli powder

10. 3 tbsp cashewnut paste

11. ½ tsp turmeric powder

12. 1 tsp dhania / corriander powder

13. ½ tsp kasuri methi / fenugreek

14. 2 tsp garam masala powder

15. 1 bay leaf dry or fresh

16. 2 cloves

17. 1 tsp of vegetable oil

Directions

1. Puree the Tomatoes in a blender and cut the paneer in triangle pieces.

2. In a non stick pan heat the vegetable oil with butter. (If you will heat the butter alone it tends to burn soon).

3. Add the bay leaf and cloves.

4. When they change little color add ginger garlic paste. Let the garlic cook for two minutes.

5. Add Onion paste and sauté till light brown.

6. Add salt and chili powder.

7. Add tomato puree, tomato ketchup, crushed kasuri methi, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala.

8. Now add the cashew paste and fry for two minutes.

9. Add a small cup of water and let it cook on medium heat till you get the desired curry consistency.

10. Stir and let it simmer for some time with closed lid.

11. Add the paneer and simmer for 2-4 minutes on low heat.

12. Garnish with fresh cream.

13. Serve the Butter Paneer Masala with Naan (Indian flat bread) or zeera / steamed rice.

Tip of the Day :-

To puree the onions for tadka, Skin the onions and blanch them in hot water for 3 - 4 mins then puree them to form a paste.

-Chitra

Meethi Sewaiyaan

Ingredients

1. 4 cups of fat free (optional) Milk

2. 1 ½ cup of wheat sewaiyaan toasted ones (vermicelli noodles)

3. 1 cup of sugar

4. 1 tsp of cardamom powder / 2-3 whole cardamom

5. 1 tsp of nutmeg powder

6. Splash of Kewra water

Directions

1. Heat milk in a non stick pan on low medium heat

2. When the milk is hot and little thick add sugar.

3. If you are using cardamom powder add that, but if you are using whole cardamom break it open before throwing in milk.

4. Now add the sewaiyaan.

5. When the sewaiyaan turn soft add nutmeg powder. Mix it well.

6. Serve hot or cold in an individual dishes with some drops of kewra water on top.

-Chitra

Mint Lemonade

Ingredients

1. 5 large lemons

2. 2 thinly sliced lemon slices

3. 5 cups water

4. 1/2 cup sugar

5. 1/2 cup finely chopped mint leaves

Directions

1. First Juice all the lemons

2. In a large mixing bowl add water, lemon juice, sugar and mint leaves.

3. Now stir it well, with a hand mixer until it is blend well.

4. Make it ready before the party and serve in individual glasses with lemon slices and mint leaves.

5. This serves around 2 liters. It’s a refreshing drink to quench your thirst on a hot summer day.

-Chitra

Happy Valentine’s Day

A sweet treat for all of you :)

Some of my dessert Recipes for your Valentine’s evening. Share with you loved ones and have a pleasant evening.

Strawberry Sorbet ; Walnut Coffee Biscotti with Orange Chocolate drizzled ; Firni; Tiramisu; Rabri Faluda

Enjoy Chitra

Panjiri

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of whole wheat flour

2. 1 cup of desi ghee ( clarified butter) / oil

3. 2 cups of almonds and cashew nuts chopped roughly

4. 1 cup of sugar or use sugar free - then ½ cup

5. ½ cup of raisins

Directions

1. In a non stick pan add clarified butter / desi ghee / oil

2. Add the Whole wheat flour when the oil becomes little hot

3. Keep heat on low flame.

4. Keep on stirring the wheat flour until it turns golden brown.

5. When the color changes to golden brown that means it is ready. Remove it from the flame

6. Add almonds and cashews to the mixture and stir it.

7. Let the mixture cool down and serve.

8. This dish is very nutritious for pregnant woman and kids. You can serve otherwise also.

-Chitra

Pickled Vegetables

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of your choice of diced vegetables

(Red Reddish, Beetroot, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Red bell pepper)

2. 1 ½ cup of Vinegar

3. 2 cups of water

4. ½ tsp of salt

5. ½ tsp of sugar

6. Sterilized jar

Directions

1. Boil water with vinegar, salt and sugar. When it is reduced very little remove from the flame.

2. Fill in the jar with vegetables until they are full packed.

3. Now cool down the water till the temperature changes to hot to warm.

4. Pour the syrup to jar but leave little space.

5. Close the lid and store in warm place. In about 3-4 days pickle will be ready.

6. Use Pickle vegetable with anything Wraps, Pasta, Salads.

-Chitra

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-Chitra

Jaggery Peanut Brittle/Gur ki Gajak

 

Ingredients

1. 200 gms of jaggery / gur

2. 3 tbsp of saunf / fennel seeds

3. 2 cups of roasted peanuts

4. 3 tbsp of oil

Directions

1. In a non stick pan add 3 tbsp of oil.

2. Add Gur / Jaggery; keep the heat on slow flame.

3. Now let the gur melt until it is golden brown.

4. Add saunf / fennel seeds to the mixture along with peanuts.

5. On a foil paper spray oil and lay it down on the flat surface.

6. Remove it from heat and pour the mixture on foil paper and spread it well.

7. Cool down the mixture, until it is hard.

8. Break it down into pieces with some hard thing.

9. Enjoy in cool winters.

-Chitra