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.

Sattu Paratha

INGREDIENTS

For the Stuffing

• 1 Cup Sattu
• 2 Medium Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tspn Ginger & Garlic, finely minced
• 1 Green Chilly
• 2-3 Spigs of Coriander, finely chopped
• 2 Tspn Mango/Garlic Pickle 
• 1/2 Tspn Cumin Seeds
• 1/2 Tspn Ajwain Seeds 
• Salt, as per taste

 For the Dough

• 1 and 1/2 Cup Wheat Flour 
• Salt, as per taste

• Ghee, for shallow fry (optional)

METHOD

• Combine all the stuffing ingredients well to form a sticking dough-like mix. Mash the pickle so that it mixes well. 
• Knead the whole wheat with water. Cover and let it rest for a few minutes.
• Pinch out medium sized balls of the whole wheat dough. Roll out into small discs. Place a small portion of the stuffing and close it so as to form a ball again. Roll it out into discs.
• Place on a hot tawa and let it cook on both sides. Flip occasionally. Smear ghee on both sides for an extra roasted taste.

Chickpea Pasta Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 Cup Pasta (cooked till al-dente)
• 1 Cup Chickpeas/ Garbanzo Beans/ Chana(soaked overnight & boiled)
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 Cup Corn Kernels, boiled
• 1/4 Capsicum, chopped
• 1/4 Carrot, chopped
• 2-3 Sprigs of Coriander Leaves
• 1 Green Chilly, minced (optional)
• 1 Tbspn Lemon Juice (optional)
• 1 Tspn Freshly Ground Pepper
• Salt, as per taste

METHOD

• Boil the pasta in salted water till al-dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. After draining out the cold water, add a few drops of olive oil and toss. The coating of olive oil on cooked pasta ensures that it does not stick to each other. 
• Boil chickpeas (soaked overnight). 
• Combine all the ingredients well and Voila!... A super healthy pasta salad is ready :D.