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Usal is a protein rich Marathi curry made of bean sprouts.  Misal , a popular street food of Mumbai is a similar recipe made of variety of beans. Today's Usal recipe is of mixed 15 beans - chickpeas, red kidney beans, black beans, split peas and so on. These are available as dry 15 Beans or 16 Beans Soup. Ingredients: Mixed 15 Beans - 1 cup Onion - 1 medium Potato - 1 medium (optional) Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp Chat Masala - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Dhania Powder - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Salt Oil How to cook Usal using 15 Beans: Soak the mixed beans 4 - 5 hours. Soaking will help the beans cook well. Wash the soaked beans well. Finely chop onions and cilantro. Dice the peeled potato into medium slices. Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions and sauté until onions soften. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for anoth...

Roasted chicken drumsticks flavored with garlic and dry rosemary. Rosemary, an aromatic woody herb is quite commonly used in roasting chicken and other meats. This culinary herb is considered to improve memory. Ingredients: Chicken Drumsticks - 8 Garlic - 4 big cloves Onion (finely chopped) - about 1/2 cup Dry Rosemary - 1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp Orange Zest - 1/2 tsp Unsalted Butter - 1 tbsp Olive Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to cook Garlic and Rosemary Chicken: Sprinkle salt and black pepper powder on the chicken drumsticks. Finely chop onions and garlic. Preheat the oven at 400 degree F. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Heat butter and oil in a skillet. Add onions and sauté for a minute. Add the chicken and sauté at high flame until chicken turns slightly brown. Add garlic, cayenne pepper and orange zest. Sauté for another minute. Arrange the browned chicken on the baking tray. Bake the chicken for ab...

Mexican Cuisine has some similarities to Indian food in terms of spice.  You all have read my previous posts of Quesadillas and Tacos . I love to try Mexican recipes with a few twists of my own. There are some who don't like raw onions in their food. For them, here is my take on the classic Avocado Guacamole with tangy mango. This turned out to be a great hit with both kids and grown ups. Ingredients: Avocados - 2 Raw Mango - 2 tbsp Olives - 1 tbsp Pickled Jalapenos - 1 tbsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to prepare Guacamole:   Dice the avocados in halves. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Dice the flesh into small pieces or mash it. In a mixing bowl, add finely chopped mango, olives, jalapenos, lime juice and salt. Add avocados and mix all the ingredients well. Garnish with cilantro leaves. No hard and fast rule about the proportion of ingredients. Add more or less to suit your taste. Serve Guaca...

South Indian Dosa or Crepes made of whole mung beans, rice and oats. Mung Bean with its skin on is highly nutritious and provides more fiber. Ingredients: Oats - 1/2 cup Idli Rice or Medium Grain Rice - 1/2 cup Mung Bean/Mung/Moog - 1/4 cup Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 1 tbsp Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1 tsp Salt Oil How to prepare Oats and Mung Dosa: Soak rice, mung beans, toor dal and methi seeds in water for 5 - 6 hours. Aromatic methi seeds impart a nice golden brown color to the dosas. Wash the soaked rice and lentils well. Grind soaked rice, lentils and oats to a smooth paste. I used Quick Oats. No need to soak oats. Cover and let the batter ferment overnight. You can also add 1/8 tsp baking soda if you like. Add salt to the batter and mix when you are ready to make dosas. Heat a pan and grease the pan with few drops of oil or cooking spray. Do not add too much oil or else the dosas wont be thin. Spread a ladle full of batter evenly as thin as possible. Roast both sides ...

Once a week, I prepare either a sweet or a deep fried snack. Today's deep fried snack is savory North Indian Mathri which is quite similar to Shankarpali .  These fenugreek and carom seeds flavored Mathris turn more flaky with all purpose flour/maida. But I prefer healthy and fiber rich whole wheat flour. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 1 cup Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 2 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dry Fenugreek Leaves - 2 tbsp Carom Seeds/Ajwain/Owa - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Sugar - 1/4 tsp Baking Soda - 1/8 tsp Oil - 3 tbsp Salt How to prepare Whole Wheat Methi Ajwain Mathri: In a mixing bowl, add whole wheat flour, semolina, carom seeds, fresh ground black pepper, salt, sugar and baking soda. Crush kasuri methi leaves between palms and add it to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients well. You can use all purpose flour/maida as well. Add oil and mix well. The dough will turn crumbly. Oil will make the mathris flaky. Now add water, little at a time to ...

Spicy hot sauce flavored Chicken Wraps with veggies, pickled olives, jalapenos and fresh guacamole. Ingredients: Tortillas - 6 Boneless Chicken - 1 pound (453 gm) Hot Wings Sauce - 2 tbsp Spanish Paprika - 1 tsp Garlic and Herb Seasoning - 2 tsp Lettuce - about 1 cup Mini Bell Pepper - 1 Green Onions/Scallions - about 1 cup Pickled Olives - 1/2 cup Pickled Jalapeno Peppers - 1/2 cup Avocados - 2 Lime Juice - 2 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Sour Cream Salt Oil     How to prepare Chicken Wraps with Veggies: Guacamole:   Cut the ripe avocado lengthwise around the seed which is at the center. Gently twist the two halves. Scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon. Discard the seed and the outer skin. Add lemon juice, little salt, chopped cilantro and black pepper powder. Mix and roughly mash the avocado flesh. Set this guacamole aside. Dice chicken into bite size pieces. In a mixing bowl, add c...

Along with rice and wheat, Jowar or Sorghum is also a staple in some regions of India. Jwari Bhakri or Jolada Roti is a popular flatbread in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Thalipeeth is similar to a pancake and is made of a variety of flours. Ingredients: Jowar/Sorghum/Jwari/Jola Flour - 1 cup Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Green Onions/Scallions/Kandyachi Path - about 1 cup Green Chili Paste - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt  Oil How to cook Marathi Jwari Thaalipeeth: Finely chop green onions, both white and green parts. Finely chop green chilies or use green chili paste. You can use red onions instead of green onions. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except oil. Add water, little at a time and mix to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into 5 round balls. Grease a plastic wrap with oil or cooking spray. Place a dough ball in the center  of the plastic sheet. Using your fingers, spread the dough ball into a round pancake. Heat a...