Bharwan Karela

Many people often resist Karela/ bitter melon because of its taste. But here I have a few suggestions that'll help you finish off with its bitterness and enhance its taste. All of us know that to keep karela in salt for few hours will lower its bitterness to an extent but not completely. So, in order to completely finish the bitterness, try my few tips. Do not peel the skin off, just make a gash and fill it with salt. Refrigerate it overnight. Make sure to cover it with a lid else its smell will spoil the other food materials kept in the refrigerator.
The next day wash it with fresh water and make sure that you extract the water completely out of each piece. Repeat this thrice. The more water that comes out of each piece the less bitter it would be. So the trick is to completely extract the water out.

Now your bitterless karela is ready to be made. Here's my recipe for tasty and delicious bharwan karela.

Ingredients:


Karela - 1/2 kg
Medium Size Onion Paste - 3-4 nos.
Panchkuta( mix of fennel seeds, cumin seeds, chironji, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds)
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tspn
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:


We'll make this dish in a pressure cooker. Put a little oil in the cooker and add panchkuta to it when the oil heats up. When the panchkuta splutters add karela to it and fry it for 5 mins on low flame. Now, add onion paste and red chilli powder, turmeric powder ans salt. Mix it well. Now pressure cook it and let only one whistle to come, as the karela often tenders in a single whistle. After the whole pressure is released, saute it for 8 to 10 mins or till the karelas turn brown in color and the aroma is released.

Serve hot and enjoy!!!

TIPS:

To make karela tasty , you may choose to add a little more oil.

Lauki Ke Kofte

My family's favourite dish is "Lauki Ke Kofte" which I usually make once in every 3 weeks. So here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

For Kofte

Grated Lauki (water extracted) - 1 kg

Roasted gram flour/ besan- 2 tbspn

Onions finely chopped - 2nos.
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tspn

Corriander Powder - 1/2 tspn

Amchoor Powder - 1/2 tspn

Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tspn

Asafoetida - 2 pinches

Anaardana/roasted kaaju badaam (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

For Gravy

Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn

Asafoetida - a pinch

Onions finely chopped - 4 medium nos.

Fresh Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tblspn

Green Chillies finely chopped - 2 nos.

Tomato (Medium) Puree - 3 to 4 nos

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn
Red Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tspn

Corriander Powder - 2 tspn

Salt to taste

Water as required

Garam Masala - 1 tspn

For Garnish

Finely chopped Corriander Leaves

Fresh Cream - 1 tblspn

Method:

For Kofte

First grate lauki and extract all the water in it. Keep it aside for later use. Now roast the gram flour or besan till it becomes light brown, add this flour to lauki. Now add finely chopped onions, red chilli powder, corriander powder, amchoor powder, roasted cumin powder, asafoetida and salt to this mixture. Make small balls and add anaardana or roasted kaaju badaam in between. Now deep fry the balls till it becomes dark golden brown and keep it aside.

For Curry

Put 2 tblspn oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds, allow it to splutter. Now add asafoetida. Add finely chopped onions and saute it for 3-4 mins. Now add fresh ginger and garlic paste and saute it for another 2mins or till it turns light golden brown. Now add finely chopped green chillies and tomato puree. Now add the paste of red chilli powder, turmeric powder, corriander powder and salt with a little water. Keep it on slow flame and allow it to simmer till the oil gets separated. Now add the lauki water to the curry and check for its consistency, if required, add a little more water and allow it to boil for a few minutes. Finally add garam masala and kofte to curry. Garnish it with corriander leaves and fresh cream on the top.

Serve hot and enjoy!!!

Tasty and Delicious Moong Dal Pakoda

Hi,
I always like to cook easy but delicious recipes when my husband comes back from work. So keeping in mind the time limit, I always manage to cook simple yet tasty and delicious snacks.
This time I would like to share with you all "moong dal pakoda" which is my husband's fav.

INGREDIENTS:


Moong Dal 1 cup
Boiled and mashed potato 1
Finely chopped onions (medium) 2 nos.
Finely chopped green chillies 2
Ginger 1/2" piece
Cumin seed powder 1/2 tspn
Red chilli powder 1/2 tspn or less
Amchoor powder 1/2 tspn
Cooking Soda or Soda Bi Carbonate A pinch
Salt to taste
Water for thick consistency of the batter
Oil to fry

METHOD:


First soak moong dal for 3-4 hours. Later, wash this dal with fresh water and grind it finely by adding enough water to make it into a smooth paste. Now, add boiled potato and ginger and grind well until the ginger is well mixed. Add water, if required, to make a smooth paste.
To this paste, add finely chopped onions, cumin powder, red chilli powder, amchoor powder and salt to taste.
Finally add finely chopped green chillies and cooking soda.
Now heat oil in a thick bottom pan on high flame and make pakodas.

Serve it with tomato sauce or green chutney and enjoy!!

My first cake ever!!!

It was the first party I was throwing at my place after my marriage to my love, Robin. So, I had to do some preparations in advance so as to reduce the burden. So, a day before, I thought of making an eggless cake as the guests were pure vegetarian.

So, I made this cake and guess what.... the aroma and the taste, it all was so good and delicious.
So here's how I made it.

Ingredients:


Maida - 2 cups
Baking Powder - 2 tspns
Baking Soda - 2 tspns
Peeled and grated apples - 2
Castor/Powdered Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup
Milkmaid - 6-8 Tblspn
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tspn
Nuts (Walnut, Almond, Cashewnuts, Kishmish, Tutti Frutti) - as required


Method:


First, sieve maida, baking powder and baking soda twice and keep it aside.
Mix nuts with 1/2 a tspn of maida and keep it aside.
Peel and grate apples and keep it aside.
Then in a microwave, (I have Godrej's microwave), soften or melt the butter at Hi for 30 secs.
Mix this butter with castor sugar and beat it well for about 5 mins to make a smooth paste.
Mix the grated apples into the above mixture and continue to beat it well for other 2 minutes.
Add milkmaid to it and again, beat it for 2 more minutes.
Now, add spoon-by-spoon, the maida, baking powder and baking soda mix, to the batter and make sure that                  
no lumps should form. Be careful with that.
Last but very important, mix all the nuts to the batter and mix well.
Oil a microwave proof dish with butter and sprinkle and spread (without using fingers or any other equipment) a little maida on it.
Pour the batter and remember not to spread it with the spatula as the batter would settle down by itself.

Now, keep the dish into the microwave set on Hi for 10 mins and check it with the knife or the skewer, weather the cake is done.

Enjoy your eggless apple cake..... Trust me it would be a delight.