Tindoora and chana dal is a very tasty combination and goes well with hot rice or any rotis.

Ingredients:

1. Tindoora -3cups
2. Chana dal - 1cup
3. Red chillies - 4
4. Cumin seeds - 1tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1stp
6. Garlic - 4 pods
7. Onions - 2(medium)
8. Tomatoes - 1cup
9. Turmeric - 1/2tsp
10. Hing - pinch
11. Corainder pwd - 1tsp
12. Chilli pwd - 1tsp
13. Salt as required
14. Garam masala -1/2tsp(optional)
15. Coriander leaves - 2tsp
16. Curry leaves - few
17. Oil - 3tsp

Method:

• Chop Tindoora into bite size pieces.Chop onions and tomatoes into small pieces.
• Boil  chana dal with very little water ,they shoud be cooked just right not mushy.
• Heat oil in a wide bottomed pan,add redchillies ,mustard seeds,cumin seeds in order.When the mustard starts spluttering add crushed garlic,onions,turmeric,Hing,curry leaves in order.
• Now add chopped tomatoes,chillipowder,coriander pwd,Tindoora and little water(abt 1/4cup),salt. Cook covered in medium heat for 10min till the tomatoes and Tindoora are cooked completely .
• Now add the boiled chana dal,mix well.
• Add garam masala at this stage if u are using.Mix well and cook for another 5 min uncovered.
• Finally garnish with coriander leaves.
• Goes well with rice or any Indian bread.

Tomato rice is a very simple ,quick and easy rice variety to make with a blend of cooked rice,Tomatoes and Indian spices.

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes - 2(large)
2. Rice - 2cups
3. Onion - 1(large)
4. Ginger chopped - 1tsp
5. Green chillies - 3
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Garam Masala - 1/2tsp(optional)
8. Salt - as required
9. Coriander leaves  for garnish
10. Ghee/Clarified butter - 4stp
11. Cashew broken - 3tsp

For tempering:

1. Chana dal - 1tsp
2. Urad dal - 1tsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Hing  -pinch
6. Whole red chillies - 2 

Method:

• Heat 4stp of ghee in a wide bottomed pan,add the tempering ingredients.After the dals are light brown, add cashews,chopped ginger, green chillies,curry leaves and onion chopped in order .To this add salt and fry till  the onions are golden brown.
• To this add a pinch of hing,Tomatoes,red chilli powder and cook till the tomatoes are fully soft and cooked.At this satge add grama masala if you are using.
• Finally to this add the cooked rice.Mix well ,adjust salt and garnish with coriander leaves.
• Goes well with Raita.

 Rava idli ,instant  breakfast variety with a blend of carrots and Indian spices is very easy and quick to make.

Ingredients:

1. Semolina/Rava - 1cup
2. Semya - 1/2cup
3. Carrot grated - 1/2cup
4. Onion - 1(small) [Optional]
5. Curds - 2cups
6. Coriander leaves - 2tsp
7. Curry leaves - few
8. Ginger - small piece
9. Oil - 1tsp
10. Salt to taste

Seasoning ingredients:

1. Urad dal - 1tsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Cumin seeds - 1/4tsp
4. Oil

Method:

• Dry fry semolina till light brown and keep aside.
• Also fry semya in little oil till crispy and keep aside.
• Now add semolina and semya to curds by adding salt and leave it for 30min.
• Just before making idlis add the remaining ingredients along with seasoning and mix well in the batter.
• Cook in the idli cooker as regular idlis and serve hot with any chutney of your choice.
• Besan chutney goes well with Rava idlis.

Note:

These idlis might take approximately 20 min to cook.

Ingredients:

1. Green chillies - 15
2. Tamarind pulp - 1cup
3. Salt to taste
4. Mustard powder - 2tsp
5. Fenugreek seeds pwd - 1 tsp
6. Sesame seeds  pwd - 3tsp
7. Hing - pinch
8. Oil - 4tsp
9. Turmeric pwd - 1tsp

Method:

• Wash and dry the green chillies without any traces of water.Make a slit in all the chillies lengthwise ,by keeping the stalk (do not cut completely as shown in the pic below)

• Heat oil in pan and fry the green chillies for 5min.Remove  from oil and keep aside.
• In the same pan add tamarind pulp, salt,hing,turmeric pwd,mix well cook till the tamarind  pulp thickens.To this add mustard pwd,fenugreek pwd and sesame seeds powder in order .
• Finally add the green chillies fried in oil , close the lid and cook for 3min.
• Let them marinate for 24 hrs and enjoy!
• Tastes good with hot rice and any dal.

Ingredients:

1. Raw Banana - 2
2. Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
3. Tomatoes - 2
4. Onions - 2(medium)
5. Garam masala - 1tsp(optional)
6. Turmeric pwd - 1/2 tsp
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Red chilli powder - 1tsp
9. Besan - 2stp
10. Oil for deep frying
11. Salt to taste
12. Coriander leaves - 2tsp(finely chopped)

For tempering /tadka:

1. Chana dal - 1/2tsp
2. Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Oil - 1tsp

Method:

• Cut, boil, peel  and smash the raw banana pieces.
• To this add salt,ginger garlic paste(1/2tsp),garam masala,coriander leaves,besan and mix well.Make round balls of the mix and deep fry in oil till golden brown.Keep  them aside.
• Heat  a tsp oil in a separate pan,add the ingredients for tempering, after the mustard splutters,add finely chopped onions,green chillies,remaining  1/2 tsp of ginger garlic paste,tomatoes,turmeric pwd,salt and chilli powder one after another.Add little water and cook covered for 10 min.
• Now finally add the fried banana dumplings to the above gravy.
• Adjust salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
• This goes well with chapathis and rice as well.

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour - 1cup
2. Fried chana dal (putani) - 1/4cup
3. Chana dal (soaked for 30 min) - 1 tsp
4. Green chillies  - 3
5. Salt to taste
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Ajwain - 1tsp
8. Butter - 1tsp

Method:

• Grind the green chillies into a fine paste.
• Grind  the fried chana dal into a smooth powder.
• Mix all the above ingredients along with the green chilli paste into a thick dough by adding water.The consistency should be like shown in the picture  below (not too watery).

• Make small round balls of the dough and press them on a greased plastic sheet with your fingers ,make small round sized puris(need not worry about the shape).
• Deep fry in oil on medium flame till golden brown.

 Dum Aloo Gobi curry, a blend of two versatile vegetables (Baby potato and Cauliflower) is an easy one which goes well with any Indian bread or even rice too.

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower florets(boiled) - 1cup
2. Baby potatoes - 4
3. Onion - 1(medium)
4. Curds - 1cup
5. Turmeric pwd - 1tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Ginger pieces - 2tsp(slit length wise)
8. Coriander powder - 1tsp
9. Cumin powder - 1tsp
10. Red chilli powder - 1tsp
11. Tomato puree - 1cup
12. Oil - 2tsp
13. Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

• Half boil potatoes and cauliflower and keep aside.

 For gravy:

• Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan , add ginger pieces .Saute them till light brown color,add  finely chopped onionsand fry till translusent.
• Now add cumin powder,corainder powder,Red chilli powder,salt and mix well.
• To this add Tomato puree and cook till the oil separates.
• Now add the half- boiled vegetables and cook till the vegetables are fully cooked with gravy.
• Finally add the curds and cook for another 2min and remove from stove.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Goes well with any Indian bread.

Ingredients:

1. Karela - 8(medium size)
2. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Onion - 2(Large)
4. Salt to taste
5. Turmeric pwd - 1/4tsp
6. Besan - 2tsp
7. Ginger garlic paste - 1tsp
8. Seeds removed from the Karelas
9. Red chilli powder - 1 to 2tsp
10. Amchur powder - 1tsp
11. Chopped Coriander leaves - 2tsp
12. Sugar - 1tsp
13. Oil - 2tsp( for stuffing)
14. Oil - 3tsp( for frying the Karelas)

Method: 

1. Remove the outer skin of Karela and make a slit  lenthwise and remove 3/4th of the seeds. 
2. Chop Onions into fine pieces.

For stuffing:

• Heat oil in a pan , add all the ingredients in order except Karela (from 2 - 12) mentioned above and cook till the onions are soft and cooked.
• Cool this mixture.

• Now stuff the karela with the above mixture and tie them with a thread so that the stuff doesn’t come off when cooking.
• Heat 3 tsp of oil in a pan and add the stuffed Karelas and cook on medium to low heat and turn them gently  so that all the sides are cooked evenly.
• Goes well with hot rice.

This is my all time favourite Indian  sweet and also my  first time to try this at home and it came out excellent. Give it a try, its easy when u try in small amounts the first time.

Ingredients:

1. Besan - 1cup
2. Sugar - 2.5cups
3. Ghee - 3 cups
4. Water - 1cup
5. Elaichi pwd - 1tsp

Method:

• Mix besan with a tsp of ghee without any lumps.
• In a heavy bottomed pan, mix sugar and water  on a low flame till the sugar melts .
•  After the sugar melts completely,add  little ghee and besan and keep stirring.
• Keep the flame in medium to low and keep stirring all the while and also keep adding ghee every 2 min.
• This way cook the mixture till it all the ghee comes up.This indicates that the besan is well cooked and done.
• You can add elaichi powder at this stage.
• Now pour the mixture onto a greased plate and let it cool .
• After 5 min  u can cut them into  desired shape u like and enjoy!