Kolhapuri prawns curry

Ingredients:

Prawns – 250 grams

Dry coconut (grated) – ½ cup

Onion – 2 medium

Cumin – ½ tablespoon

Sesame seeds – ½ tablespoon

Star anise – 1

Green cardamom – 3

Black cardamom – 1

Black pepper – 7 to 8

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Cloves – 3 to 4

Ginger – ½ inch

Garlic – 3 to 4

Onion garlic masala – 2 teaspoon

Kashmiri red chilly powder – 2 teaspoon

Turmeric – ¼ teaspoon

Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon

Coriander – ¼ cup

Oil – 2 tablespoon

Salt

Recipe:

• Wash the prawns and de-vein.
• Marinate prawns with turmeric, salt and lemon juice.
• Heat ½ teaspoon oil in a pan and fry 1 sliced onion till it is nice brown.
• Take out the onion in a plate.
• Now in the same pan dry roast all the dry spices along with coconut, till the coconut is slightly brown.
• Grind coconut along with fried onion, ginger, garlic and coriander. Make a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a pan. Add 1 finely chopped onion.
• Saute onion until it gets nice brown color.
• Now add coconut, onion paste and saute for 5 mins.
• Add onion garlic masala and red chilly powder and saute till the time oil starts to separate.
• Now add marinated prawns and mix everything well.
• Adjust the consistency by adding water.
• Finely add salt and cook for 10-15 mins.
• Serve hot with rice or chapati.

Rose coconut Ladoo

 Ingredients:

Desiccated Coconut – 2 cups

Sweetened Condensed Milk – 1 cup

Rose syrup/ Roohafza - 2 tablespoon

Cardamom Powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Recipe:

• Into a thick bottomed pan add desiccated coconut and sweetened condensed milk.
• Heat the mixture, stirring constantly.
• Cook till the time mixture starts leaving the sides of pan (approximately 5 minutes)
• Add rose syrup and cardamom powder. Mix it well.
• Remove in a plate and let it cool down.
• Take a small portion and press into ball/ladoo shape.
• In another plate take desiccated coconut.
• Roll the ladoo with dry coconut all over, if required slight roll again to shape it.  

*It stays good for around 2-3 days in room temperature. If you want to keep for longer,then refrigerate.

Ragi Idli

Ingredients:

Idli Rice – 1 cup

Flattened rice – ½ cup

Urad dal/ split black gram – ½cup

Ragi flour/Finger millet flour – 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds – ½ teaspoon

Salt

Oil

Recipe:

• Rinse and soak rice and flattened rice for 4-5 hours.
• In a separate bowl rinse and soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds for 4-5 hours.
• Now drain the water and grind urad dal and methi seeds to smooth paste.
• Grind rice and flattened rice to smooth paste.
• Now in a deep bowl mix together urad dal and rice batter, ragi flour and salt.
• Mix well so that no lumps remain.
• Cover and ferment in a warm place for overnight.
• Grease the idli mould.
• Pour the batter in idli mould and steam idlis for 10-12 mins.
• Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

Pepper chicken.

Ingredients:

Chicken – 250 grams

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 1 medium

Black pepper powder – ½ tablespoon

Red chilly powder – 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon

Garam masala powder – ½ teaspoon

Ginger garlic paste – ½ tablespoon

Coriander powder – ½ teaspoon

Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon

Yogurt – 1 tablespoon

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Fresh coriander leaves

Salt

Recipe:

• Clean and cut chicken into small pieces.
• Marinate chicken with yogurt, salt, black pepper powder (half of quantity), red chilly powder, turmeric powder.
• Heat oil in a non-stick pan.
• Add finely chopped onion and saute until they turn golden brown.
• Now add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes away.
• Add finely chopped or mashed tomatoes and cook for 3-4 mins.
• Once tomatoes are soft ,add cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, garam masala powder and mix everything well.
• Saute till oil separates.
• Now add marinated chicken pieces , mix well.
• Cover with lid and cook for 10-15 mins or until chicken turns tender, keep stirring in between.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve hot with roti or rice.

Rice idli

Ingredients:

Idli Rice  – 2 ½ cups

Whole Urad dal– 1 cup

Rice flakes/ thick poha – 1 cup

Fenugreek seeds – 1 teaspoon

Oil/Ghee – 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Water

Recipe:

• Wash and soak urad dal with fenugreek seeds.
• Wash and soak rice in a separate bowl.
• Cover with lid and keep it aside to soak for 4-5 hours / overnight.
• Wash and soak poha for about 30 mins before blending.
• Drain the water of lentils and blend in a mixer to a smooth paste, add just enough water while grinding.
• Urad dal batter has to be soft, light and fluffy.
• Transfer urad dal batter to a large bowl.
• Blend rice and poha in a mixer.
• Transfer this to urad dal batter.
• Add salt and mix very well with your clean hands.
• The batter should not be too thick or too thin, it should be of pouring consistency. 
• Cover with a lid and keep aside to ferment in a warm place for 8-9 hours or till well fermented.
• Once fermented, mix batter well.
• Grease the idli mould with some oil/ ghee.
• Now pour spoonful of mixture into idli mould .
• Steam in an idli steamer for about 10 mins on medium flame.
• Serve hot with sambar or coconut chutney.

*I use this same batter to make Dosa, Appe and Uttapam.

*In winters ,keep the batter in the oven with the light on or preheat the oven for about 2-3 mins and then keep the batter inside.

Moong Dal Khichdi / मूगतांदूळाची खिचडी

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup

Moong Dal/ spilt green gram skinless – ½ cup

Potato – 1 medium

Onion – 1 medium

Tomato – 1 small

Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon

Green chilly – 4 to 5

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Asafoetida  – 1 pinch

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Curry leaves – 6 to 7  

Water – 2 ½ cups

coriander leaves - 1/4 cup

Salt

Recipe:

• Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida.
• When it sizzles, add curry leaves and sliced onion.
• Saute till onions are translucent.
• Now add chopped green chillies, chopped tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft.
• Drain rice and moong dal and add to the pressure cooker.
• Now add cubed potatoes, coriander leaves and mix everything well.
• Finally add water and salt.
• Close the lid and cook till 3 whistles.
• Serve hot with pickle or papad.

whole masoor dry sabji

Ingredients:

Whole Masoor/ Red lentils – ½ cup

Onion – 1

Curry leaves –  5 to 6

Oil – 1 tablespoon

Coriander leaves – ¼ cup

Kokum – 3 to 4

Freshly grated coconut – ¼ cup

Red chilly powder – 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon

Salt

Water

Recipe:

• Wash and soak the lentils for 2-3 hours.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add curry leaves and finely chopped onion.
• Saute till the onion becomes translucent.
• Now add red chilly powder, turmeric powder and saute for about a minute.
• Add soaked lentils and mix well.
• Add ½ cup water, cover the pan and cook on slow flame for about 10 mins.
• Once lentils are almost cooked add kokum, salt, coriander leaves and grated coconut.
• Mix everything well and simmer for about 5 mins on low flame.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with dal- rice, roti or bhakari.

*If kokam is not available, you can use tomato.

*You can sprout lentils and prepare the sabji.