Roasted Corn Basil

INGREDIENTS

• Corn Cob
• 1 Tbspn Butter, at room temperature
• A handful of Basil Leaves

METHOD

• Chop the basil leaves finely. Add it to the butter and mix well.
• Roast the corn on a low flame. 
• Apply the basil butter generously on the corn, as soon as it is roasted.
• Serve immediately.

Baked Eggplant Tomato

Eggplant and tomato - Their match seems to be, as they say, one made in heaven !!
The soft and mushy eggplant with the little tangy tomato, tingling their way through the taste buds. Be it the Indian baigan ka bharta or its Italian cousin Eggplant Parmigiana , they sure have made their stand.
Adding one more to the list - Baked Eggplant & Tomato !

INGREDIENTS

• Eggplant/ Aubergine/ Brinjal/ Baigan
• Firm & Ripe Tomato
• Cheese, preferably Mozzarella
• Oregano, dried
• Freshly ground Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Salt

METHOD

• Cut the eggplant into 1/2" thick roundels. Grease the pieces with olive oil.
• Place on a baking tray in single layer. Sprinkle oregano, shredded cheese, salt and black pepper.
• Place a tomato slice on top and sprinkle the spices again. Sprinkle a drop or two of olive oil on each too.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven of 200C for 40minutes or until soft and wrinkly.  
• Enjoy it while it is hot.

Dal Fry

Get into any Indian restaurant, and probably one of the most common dish accompanying rice and phulkas will be the Dal Fry. As the name suggests, it's main ingredients include lentils with a dash of spices.

Usually made with a ghee tempering, the dry spices are first lightly fried resulting in a heavenly aroma. This follows the onion-ginger garlic-tomato sauteing, which further enhances the plain lentils. Have it with plain rice or phulkas, either ways it leaves any Dal-lover refreshed.

A humble yet heavenly soul-food !

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 Cup Toor Dal/ Arhar Dal
• 1/2 Cup Chana Dal
• 1 Large Tomato, chopped
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 4-5 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 Tspn Ginger, crushed
• 1-2 Green Chilly, slit length-wise
• 1 Tspn Kasuri Methi, crushed
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• 1-2 Dry Red Chilly
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/2 Tspn Cinnamon Powder
• 1Tspn Sugar
• 1Tspn Turmeric Powder
• 2-3 Sprigs of Coriander Leaves
• 1 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1 Tspn Mustard Seeds
• Ghee or Oil, for tempering
• Red Chilly Powder, as per taste
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Soak the lentils in water for about an hour. Rinse well and pressure cook with salt and turmeric till soft.
• Heat ghee/ oil in a pan. Add dry red chilly, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, bay leaf and asafoetida. As they begin to crackle, add the chopped onions and saute till translucent.
• Add the garlic and ginger. Saute.
• Add chopped tomato and saute till soft and pulpy. Add sugar, chilly powder, cinnamon powder and crushed kasuri methi. Mix well.
• Add the boiled lentils. Add appropriate quantity of water if a thinner consistency is desired. Let it come to a boil, after which let it simmer for about 5 minutes, before switching off flame.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or phulkas. 
• Happy gobbling :P !

Potato Wedges

Being a big fan of potatoes, I have always been an ardent admirer of 'potato wedges'. It was while living in the UK that I got introduced to these little chunks of roasted potato, and ever since have remained its ever faithful follower :P .

Prepare it for a quite luncheon at home or include it your barbecue party menu... It sure will be the hit.

An easy-peasy chop, toss and bake dish !

INGREDIENTS

• 4-5 Medium Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Dried Oregano
• Salt 

METHOD

• Soak the potatoes for a couple of minutes, so as to dislodge any dirt/mud stuck to the skin. Wash properly.
• Cut the potatoes into wedge shapes.
• Grease a tray. Pour in the wedged potatoes. Pour in a about a tbspn of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of the all the other spices. Toss well. Place the wedges in a single layer.
• Place in a pre-heated oven of 200C for 40 minutes till the wedges turn golden and crispy. 

Jamun Ice Cream

Jamun or Black Plum is a typical summer fruit and a limited one at that. Gone summer and so are these little berries.
Packed with medicinal benefits, these sure do make their presence felt on a pharmaceuticals shelf, although in the form of juice and tablets. Candies, jams and jellies too have their fair share with jamuns. Adding one more to the list... fresh Jamun Ice Cream, of course without any preservative :D !!

De-seed the jamuns. Roughly chop and squash them up.

Whisk condensed milk, whipped cream, sugar (optional) and vanilla essence (again optional).

Whisk till smooth.

Add the chopped and crushed jamuns. Mix well. 

Pour the mix into a container, cover and let freeze for at least 3-4 hours.

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 Cup De-seeded Black Jamuns
• 3/4 Cup Condensed Milk
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• Sugar as per taste
• Vanilla Essence (optional)

METHOD

• Blend/ Whip all the ingredients except the black jamuns.
• Roughly chop the jamuns into small pieces.
• Add the chopped jamuns with the milk base. Mix well.
• Pour into a container, cover with a lid and let it freeze for at least 3-4 hours.

Mango Shake

Mango Shake - One of the most popular Indian summer drinks !

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Ripe Mango
• 1 Cup Chilled Milk
• 1 Tbspn Sugar, or as per taste
• 1 Tspn Cardamom Powder (optional)

METHOD

• Peel the mango and roughly chop it.
• Blend the mango pieces with sugar, cardamom powder and chilled milk, till smooth. Add water accordingly for a thinner consistency.
• Pour into serving glass. Sip and let out an Ahh...yum :D !!

Mooli Paratha

High blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and asthma sure have one thing in common - a common enemy - Mr.Radish !!

Rich in fiber, folate, potassium and other nutrients, this root is certainly a must-include in one's diet. It's high vitamin C content further helps in keeping the skin young and rejuvenated. 

Munch on it as a snack or toss into your favorite salad. Make a curry out of it or the famous ... mooli ke paranthe !

Shred the radish and onion, finely. 

Squeeze out the moisture content. Do not discard this water. Use it for preparing the dough.

Prepare the dough. Cover and let it rest while making the stuffing.

Heat a pan and add oil, add the shredded radish and onion. Saute till moisture content evaporates.

Add in the salt, a pinch of turmeric, garam masala and chat powder. Mix well. Saute till all the dry spices are well mixed. Add finely chopped coriander. Switch off flame and let it cool. 

Pinch out small portions of the dough. Roll into small discs. Place small portions of the radish stuffing and close it to form a ball. Roll it out again, using flour for dusting.
Heat a griddle and place the rolled out mooli parantha. Flip and cook on both sides. Smear a little ghee or butter for that extra crispy roasted rich parantha taste.

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 Medium Sized Mooli/ Radish, shredded
• 1 Medium Onion (optional), shredded
• 1 Tspn Chat Masala
• 1 Tspn Garam Masala
• 1 -2 Sprig Coriander Leaves
• 1.5 Cups Wheat Flour
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Shred the radish and onion, finely.
• Heat a pan and add oil, add the shredded radish and onion. Saute till moisture content evaporates. Add in the salt, a pinch of turmeric, garam masala and chat powder. Mix well. Saute till all the dry spices are well mixed. Add finely chopped coriander. Switch off flame and let it cool.
• Meanwhile, prepare the dough by kneading the wheat flour with required amount of water. Cover and let it rest for around 5 minutes.
• Pinch out small portions of the dough. Roll into small discs. Place small portions of the radish stuffing and close it to form a ball. Roll it out again, using flour for dusting.
• Heat a griddle and place the rolled out mooli parantha. Flip and cook on both sides. Smear a little ghee or butter for that extra crispy roasted rich parantha taste.
• Serve hot, straight from the pan ;) .

Moong Dal Puri

Moong dal puri !! Ahh... The mere mention of which is capable enough to make one drool :D :D .

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Cups Wheat Flour/ Atta
• 3/4 Cup Moong Dal
• 1 Tbspn Curd
• 1/2 Tspn Carom Seeds/ Ajwain
• 1 Tspn Ginger paste
• 1-2 Green Chilly or as per taste
• 3-4 Sprigs of Coriander Leaves, chopped
• Salt, as per taste

 METHOD

• Wash and soak the Dal for about an hour.
• Blend the soaked dal with ginger and green chilly, to a fine paste.
• Add the dal paste to the wheat flour along with the rest of the ingredients. Knead to form a soft dough. Cover and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
• Pinch out small portions and roll out to make small disc shapes. Fry in hot oil. As the puri puff up, turn and let it cook on the other side as well. Fry till it turns golden brown.