One Day At A Time!

Good Morning Foodies! Nice pleasant weather in my part of the world. After noodles, curry and cutlets, how about a gluten free Sabudana (Sago) recipe. Traditionally for Indian Vrat or Upavas, Sabudana Khichdi/Pilaf is made with potatoes and crushed peanuts. Today's Colorful Sago Khichdi is a No Onion Garlic recipe, but with lots of different vegetables. Do try this and let me know. Ingredients: Sabudana/Sago - 1 cup Crushed/Powdered Roasted Peanuts - about 1 cup Sliced Red Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Sliced Yellow Bell Peppers - about 1/2 cup Sliced Carrots - about 1/2 cup Sliced Potato - about 1/2 cup  Sliced Sweet Potato - about 1/2 cup Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 5 Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 5 sprigs Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional) Oil or Ghee or Butter - 1 1/2 tbsp How to cook Sabudana Khichdi with Vegetables: Wash sago twice and drain the water. Add water just enough to form a thin layer on sago. Ke...

Hello everyone! My first post in 2021. Wish you all a happy and blessed 2021!  Recently, I blogged about an air fryer recipe. Some of my vegetarian friends asked if I could share a vegetarian dish cooked in an air fryer. One of my favorites is Sabudana Wada (Sago Cutlets) . Hope you all enjoy this healthier, low fat recipe. Ingredients: Sago/Sabudana - 1 cup Potatoes - 2 medium Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1/2 cup Green Chilies - 4 Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Cooking Spray or Oil How to make Sabudana Wade: Wash Sago twice and drain the water. Add water just enough to form a thin layer on sago. Keep it covered for 5 - 6 hours or overnight. Overnight works well for me. Boil the potatoes and dry roast the peanuts.  After cooling, grind the peanuts to a coarse powder. Sago must turn almost double in size and soft to touch. If not, sprinkle some more water. Mix sago, boiled potatoes, roasted peanut powder, cumin seeds, chopped ...

Its been ages I cooked Roti Sabji in my kitchen. Its either no fuss pastas or one pot meals. Well, today I made an easy Aloo Baingan Masala to go with soft phulkas. A simple and homey no onion garlic meal with very few ingredients. Ingredients: Potatoes - 2 big Brinjal/Eggplant/Baingan - 6 small Tomatoes - 2 medium Cilantro/Coriander/Dhania Leaves - few sprigs Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook No Onion Garlic Aloo Baingan: Peel the potatoes and dice it into bite size cubes. Place them in a bowl of water. Next, discard the stems of the eggplants and chop them into bite size pieces. Add the eggplants too in another bowl of water. Heat oil in a pan. Add the potatoes and sauté for about a minute. Next, add eggplants and saute for about 2 minutes. Now add 2 cups of water and cook it covered until both veggies are cooked. Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes into bite size pieces. If you are not a fan of toma...

Fall 2014 is here with chilly weather and beautiful colors. Well, its time for cheesy, fried goodness. Paneer cutlets with colorful veggies are the perfect snack for such wintry days.  Any kind of cheese is comfort food, but Indian Cottage Cheese is one of our family favorites. 

Its been ages I cooked Dal Rice in our kitchen. Tadka Dal with a simple sabzi, Vegetable Raita is comfort food for me. Today's menu had Lauki, also known as Bottle Gourd. I like to cook Lauki with either Chana Dal or Cashews. You guys might have read about the Chana Dal version. Let me tell you about the nutty cashew recipe today. Ingredients: Lauki/Bottle Gourd - about 3 cups Raw Cashews/Kaju - 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 6 Green Chilies - 2 or 3 Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1/2 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to cook Lauki Kaju Sookhi Sabji: Soak cashews (halved) in a bowl of water for about an hour. Peel the bottle gourd and discard the seeds. Chop the gourd into bite size pieces. Add the chopped gourd to a big bowl of water to avoid its blackening. Finely chop cilantro. Slit the chilies lengthwise.  Pat the curry leaves dry.  Just before cooking, discard the water and add the c...

This weekend I picked a nice fresh bunch of Methi (Fenugreek) leaves at our local Indian store. And I knew I had to make a creamy Paneer Makhani to go with aromatic Methi Thepla . That's one of the combos I like to cook. Why? Its both healthy and tasty. But today's Paneer curry recipe is without any onions and garlic.

Instant Rava Idli with Veggies Mornings are the busiest in every household. Our home is no different. A bowl of whole grain cereal is the easiest option for me. But on weekends, I don't mind cooking something traditional. This Karnataka style Rava Idli with carrots and peas is one of them. Unlike other South Indian breakfasts which require an elaborate process of soaking, grinding, fermenting, this Sooji Idli is a quick one. Plus, healthy! Ingredients: Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 cup Yogurt/Curds/Dahi - 1 cup Grated Carrots/Gajar - 1/2 cup Green Peas (frozen) - 1/2 cup Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Cashews/Kaju - 3 tbsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 6 Oil or Ghee - 3 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt How to make Instant Rava Idli with veggies: Heat a pan and dry roast semolina at low heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Roast until semolina color changes slightly and turns aromatic. Do not let...

Hey everyone!  Thanks for all the emails and the sweet messages. I missed you guys too.  Hope you all had a great start in 2014. We are in the middle of severe winter weather and as the news readers say "Winter Wonderland". As far as new year resolutions, mine are still the same as last year... eat healthy, eat high calorie food in moderation and stay fit. Talking of healthy, let me tell you about a quick 20 minutes Oats dosa I made this weekend.

February is here and hope everyone had a great first month. My resolution for 2013 was to blog more about whole grain recipes, include more vegetables in our diet. One day at a time and everything in moderation. That takes me to our today's breakfast - healthy Oats twist to a South Indian Idli, with colorful carrots and bell peppers. Ingredients: Quick Oats - 1 cup Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup Carrots (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Capsicum/Bell Pepper (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt How to cook Instant Oats Idli with vegetables: Heat a pan and roast oats at low heat for 4 - 5 minutes. Set it aside on a plate to cool. After cooling, grind the roasted oats to a fine powder. Now roast semolina at low heat for 4 - 5 minutes or until it slightly changes color and turns aromatic. Let it cool. In a big mixing bowl, add finely chopped carrots, capsicum, ci...

A simple stir fry of mixed vegetables with a mild coconut flavor and the natural sweetness of carrots. This stir fry does not require much oil and can be relished as a substitute for salad as well. Ingredients: Green Cabbage/Kobi/Pata Gobi - about 3 cups Carrots/Gajar - 2 big Green Peas/Matar - about 1 1/2 cups Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Dry Red Chillies - 2 Green Chillies - 4 Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to cook Simple Stir fry with multiple vegetables: Thinly slice cabbage and carrots. Finely chop cilantro leaves and slit the green chilies lengthwise. Heat 1 - 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, asafetida, curry leaves and dry red chilies. When mustard seeds pop, add carrots and green peas. Sauté for about 2 minutes. Now add cabbage and cook the vegetables covered for about 2 minutes. Add green chillies, turme...

Upkari is a Konkani recipe of stir fry veggies like Green Beans , Ridge Gourd , Pumpkin  with a coconut flavor and a couple of spices. Tendli Bibbe Upkari is unique as it is made of raw tender cashew nuts called as Bibbe in Konkani and Ole Kaju in Marathi, available only during monsoon season. This stir fry when made solely with cashews is called as Bibbe Upkari . Nowadays, I prepare this by soaking dry unroasted Cashews and it tastes awesome too. This no onion garlic delicacy is especially made on festive occasions. Ingredients: Ivy Gourd/Tendle/Tindora - about 400 gm Cashews/Kajubi/Kaju - about 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - about 1/2 cup Dry Red Chillies - 2 Curry Leaves/Karbeo/Kadipata - a sprig (optional) Mustard Seeds/Saasam - 1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Green Chillies - 2 (optional) Jaggery/Gud/Gul - about 1/2 tsp Salt Oil   How to cook Tendli Bibbe Upkari: Soak dry cashews for 5 - 6 hours. Raw, unroasted cashews would be the bes...

Shallow fried Vegetarian or Vegan Cutlets made of potatoes and leafy green Spinach. Ingredients: Boiled Potatoes (Russet) - 2 big Baby Spinach/Palak - about 3 cups Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds/Saunf/Badishep - 1/2 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala or any spice mix - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil Corn Starch - 1/4 cup Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup How to make Aloo Palak Cutlets: Microwave washed spinach leaves for 3 - 4 minutes so that the leaves wilt and lose moisture. Let it cool. You can rough chop the leaves if you like.  Any other greens like Fenugreek/Methi, Spring Mix can be used. Crush the fenel seeds in a mortar pestle to a coarse powder. In a mixing bowl, add mashed potatoes, spinach, coriander, cumin, fennel, chat masala, garam masala and salt. Make sure that the potatoes are cooled completely before mashing and not overcooked. I prefer Russet Potatoes for cutlets. Divide the cutlet mix into  8 - 10 parts. Fl...

Samosa, the most loved Indian appetizer with a crisp crust and savory potato stuffing. When you make such fried fast food at home, you get to make some changes to make it healthy.  Here are some Whole Wheat Aloo Matar Samosas for you to try at home and savor them as much as we did. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 1 cup Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1 tsp Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1/2 tbsp (optional) Olive Oil or any other Oil - 1/2 tbsp Potatoes (Russet) - 2 medium Green Peas/Matar - 1/2 cup Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Ginger (grated) - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Green Chilli - 1 Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Salt Oil for frying How to make Indian Samosa: Making Samosa Crust:  In a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, carom seeds and little salt. Heat ghee and olive oil in a small pan. Add this hot (not warm) ghee and oil to the wheat flour and mix...

Dal Pakwan is one of our summer vacation memories when we used to visit our Mavshi (maternal Aunt) in Ulhasnagar. No school, kids of our age to play with, fun movies and lots of pampering. My Aunt used to treat us with many delicacies, both savory and sweet. Ulhasnagar is known for its Sindhi regional cuisine. Our favorites were the local ice creams, mithai and savory Dal Pakwan. Now what is Dal Pakwan? A Sindhi breakfast, similar to Punjabi Chole Bhature. Flat crisp Ajwain Puris served with savory, spiced chana Dal. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 1 cup Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1/2 tsp Ghee/Clarified Butter - 1/2 tbsp (optional) Olive Oil or any other oil - 1/2 tbsp Chana Dal/Split Bengal Gram/Split Chickpeas - 1 1/2 cups Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 1/2 tsp Ginger Paste - 1 tsp Green Chili Paste - 1/2 tsp Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves (optional) - 1 tbsp Chat Masala - 1 tsp Tamarind Paste/Imli/Chinch - 1 tsp Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp ...

Sabudana Khichdi is a snack made during Hindu religious fast/upaas. Today I prepared sago khichdi with a sweet potato twist.  Ingredients: Sago/Sabudana - 1/2 cup Sweet Potato/Ratali - 1 medium Raw Peanuts/Groundnuts/Shenga - 1/2 cup Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder/Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Sugar or Jaggery - 1/2 tsp Ghee/Clarified Butter or Oil Salt How to cook Sabudana Khichdi: Wash sago twice and drain the water.  Add about 2 tbsp water. Cover and keep it aside for about 6 hours. Dry roast the peanuts till they slightly darken and skin starts coming off. Let the peanuts cool. Grind the peanuts to a coarse powder. I added the peanut skin too. After soaking, sago will turn almost double in size and soft to touch. Add salt, sugar, turmeric, red chili  powder, black pepper powder and peanut po...

We Konkanis love coconut, be it breakfast like GoDa Phovu or a curry like this one. The mild flavor of Udid Methi , as said in Konkani is the highlight of this eggplant curry. This no onion garlic recipe is a tasty delight for both vegans and vegetarians.

Undhiyu or Oondhiyo is a Gujarati mixed vegetable curry. Fresh winter vegetables make this delicacy highly nutritious. Thanks to the frozen vegetables, Undhiyu can be relished all year round. Preparing Undhiyo involves three major steps - making Methi Muthiyas, chopping vegetables and making gravy/sauce. To save some time, you can use store bought Muthiyas and frozen chopped vegetables . Some Indian grocery stores have all mixed veggies with muthiyas together known as 'Surati Undhiyu Mix' . Ingredients: Fenugreek/Methi Leaves - about 1 cup Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour/Besan - about 1/2 cup Green Chillies (minced) - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - about 1 cup Grated/Shredded Coconut - 1 cup Roasted Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds/Dhane/Dhania - 1 tbsp Ginger (minced) - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp Jaggery or Sugar - 1 tsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala - 1...

We all talk about traditional authentic recipes, but there is no yardstick to measure authenticity. For me, my family recipes are traditional. This Konkani Sambar recipe is my paternal Grandma's, passed on to me by my mother.

A Konkani recipe of mixed vegetables with coconut and lentils (tur dal).  A varied mix of fresh veggies like pumpkin, green beans, drumsticks along with corn cob make this coconut curry a relish. Based on the veggies available, you can also add ridge gourd, snake gourd, potatoes, sweet potatoes, arum root, etc. This no onion garlic delicacy is more common among North Canara households during festivities like Ganesh Chaturthi. I personally don't like certain vegetables for this curry - cauliflower, radish, cabbage which have a peculiar aroma. Pumpkin and corn are my favorites.

Boiled Potatoes in yogurt or curd sauce.  Less spicy, easy recipe for potato lovers. Ingredients: Potatoes - 2 big (Russet) Yogurt/Curd - about 1 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Green Chillies - 4 Chat Masala - 1/8 tsp (optional) Salt Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Dry Red Chillies - 1 Oil Method: 1. Boil and peel the potatoes.  Dice them into bite size pieces.  Medium chop green chillies. 2. Blend curds, chat masala, salt and cilantro leaves in a blender/mixer for few seconds.  3. Chat Masala adds sourness, so skip if you dont want the curds gravy to be too tangy.  You can add little sugar or jaggery as well.  And if you like it hot, blend the green chillies with yogurt.  Substitute yogurt with buttermilk for lesser calories. 3. In a mixing bowl, add yogurt, chopped green chillies and diced potatoes.  Mix well. 4. For tempering/tadka, heat 1 - 2...