Corriander Salad

                                    

Coriander Salad

A fresh & colourful salad to brighten up the dull weather. Takes less then 10 minutes to prepare. Very filling & healthy too, enjoy :)

Ingredients 

1 cucumber diced

1 tomato chopped

1 cup cubed cottage cheese

1/2 cup steamed sweet corn

1 cup chopped Arugula leaves

2 cups fresh coriander chopped

1 cup red/green/yellow bell pepper cubed

1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs

1/2 tsp paprika (optional)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Method

Toss all vegetables together & refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Season & serve chilled.

Tips

* Vegetables should be fresh.

* You can replace mixed herbs with just oregano.

* In place of apple cider & olive oil, you can use ready made italian salad dressing.

* Don’t season until just before serving.

Stuffed Ladyfingers

                                                

Yet another way of making Okra or Ladyfinger or bhindi. Recipe is from Nishamadhulika Ji's blog, with lil bit changes from me. 

Ingredients 

250 gm medium sized Ladyfinger

1 tbsp Gram flour 

2 tbsp oil

2 tsp Saunf Dhaniya powder

1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp  Amchoor powder

Pinch of garam masala

Pinch of heeng

1/2 tsp jeera 

Salt according to taste 

Method

Wash & dry the ladyfingers.

Cut the stem of the ladyfingers & part it lengthwise so that it remain joined from the one side.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan & tamper cumin seeds & add heeng.

Add gram flour & roast it well.

Put all the spices & fry the masala for 1 minute & turn off the flame. 

Stuff this masala equally into the ladyfingers. 

Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in the pan & put the stuffed lady fingers into it. 

Stir them with light hands 2-3 times & cover it for 5 minutes on a medium flame. Open the lid & flip the ladyfingers. Cook it for an another 2-3 minutes with covered lid on a low flame. 

Open the lid, flip & cook it for 2-3 minutes on high flame.

Serve it with hot paranthas, chapatis and naan.

Tips

* Ladyfingers should be fresh.

* I used very less oil so it took few minutes extra to cook.

* Keep eyes on it as it can burn easily.

Aam-Papad

                                                

Aam papad or Amawat or Mamidi Tandra or Aamsotto is a traditional Indian snack. It is a fruit leather made out of mango pulp mixed with concentrated sugar solution and sun dried. It is a part of the South Indian and North Indian cuisine and is available is numerous varieties all over North India.

So here is the simple recipe of something that reminds us of our childhood  

Ingredients
2 Ripe Mangos
2 tbsp Sugar
2 Cardamom (Peeled)

Method
Wash & peel the mangoes & cut into pieces & blend into purée.
Now sieve the mango paste & mix sugar & ground cardamom.
Take puree in a pan & heat it till it comes to a boil, reduce it a little to semi thickness.
Pour in a greased plate to form a thin layer.
Now keep it in sunlight for 1-2 days. If the day is too sunny then it will be ready in a day otherwise it'll take 2 days.
If it's not ready in a day then you can keep under fan at night, covered with a thin cloth or net.
With the help of a sharp knife try to remove it after it is dry. If you are still not able to remove then it means it's not completely dry & you have to give it some more time.
Once ready you can cut into squares or your desired shape.
Keep it in a air tight container.
But I'm sure after tasting it you cannot stop eating it & finish it very soon 

Variations
Replace cardamom with any of the following combinations-
1) Kala Namak + Kali Mirchi + Ginger powder.
2) Kala Namak + Kali Mirchi + Jeera Powder.
3) Kala Namak + Jeera Powder + Chaat Masala.

Tips
* Adding more kala namak can alter the golden colour of aam papad, you can replace it with white salt.
* If you want to make layers of aam papad like you get in market then, just keep adding layers on dried one & let it dry well in sun. This type will take more time to dry than single layer.
* You can cheat & make layers by just folding the dried sheet in multiple layers.
* If well dried, it can be preserved for months. Depending you can save it from your family 

Blueberry Custard With Blueberry Sauce

Everyone in my home loves dessert after each meal & I love simple & quick to make desserts. This one took me just half an hour & loved by all. Going to make it with mango next :)

Ingredients (serves 4)

For Custard

1 tbsp custard powder

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup white chocolate chopped (or use chips)

1 1/2 tbsp blueberry sauce 

For Blueberry Sauce

1/2 cup blueberry 

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Method

For Custard

In a small saucepan combine the custard powder with a little of the milk to form a smooth paste. Add remaining milk.

Stir over a medium heat until the custard begins to thicken, reduce the heat & simmer for 1 minute stirring continually.

Remove from the heat & stir in the white chocolate until all the pieces have melted.

Keep aside to cool.

For Blueberry Sauce

Combine sugar & berries & cook on slow flame while stirring continuously.

Mash berries while cooking.

Add lemon juice.

Remove from flame & keep aside to cool completely.

How To Proceed

Add blueberry sauce to cool custard & mix well.

Take shot glasses or small bowls & fill them with custard, leaving space for sauce.

Keep in refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes.

Take out & layer blueberry sauce.

Garnish with grated white chocolate.

Refrigerate for an hour.

Serve chilled.

Tips

* If there are lumps in your custard then just sieve it.

* No sugar has been added to custard, as it's already there in chocolate & sauce, but if you feel the need then add 2 tsp sugar while cooking.

* Can use strawberry in place of blueberry.

* You can replace the white chocolate for milk chocolate or dark chocolate but the colour will blend with blueberry.

* You can just make custard without fruits & serve with Danish pastries, puddings or pies or add cut fruits to get a yummy fruit custard.

* You can make strawberry sauce too in same way. Keep extra sauce in freezer for later use.