HEALTHY CORN AND MORINGA SOUP / CORN SOUP WITH MORINGA LEAVES

 This is a very light and healthy soup made with corn and moringa leaves. Very few ingredients are added to flavour it. It is perfect for brunch on Mondays after a heavy indulgence during the weekends.

If you wish to make it spicier you can add some Masala Magic spice mix to it which is available in small sachets. You may also use basil or any other herbs for flavouring.

Ingredients:

Frozen corn kernels .............. 1 cup

Moringa leaves .................... handful

Corn starch ....................... 2 tsps

Crushed black pepper ...... 2 -3 pinches

Roasted cumin powder ..... 2-3 pinches

Salt .................................. to taste

Method:

1. Grind the corn with 1 cup of water to a slightly coarser texture.

2. In a pot take 1 cup of water and add moringa leaves and little salt.

3. Boil for few minutes.

4. Add the ground corn paste to it.

5. Keep stirring intermittently.

6. Now dilute the corn starch with water and add it to the soup.

7. Add salt to taste and one pinch of black pepper saving the rest for garnishing.

8. Check salt and adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking.

9. Serve it into individual bowls and sprinkle little black pepper and cumin powder on top.

10. You can enjoy it with some toasted bread / cheese toast / bread sticks

Check out the video

About the group:

Shhhhh Cooking Secretly is a monthly challenge in a facebook group where we are paired with a different partner every month. Two secret ingredients are  chosen by each partner for the other one and we prepare any dish with those ingredients based on the selected theme of the month which was Healthy Recipes 

This month I am paired with Sujata Roy who gave me the secret ingredients - Moringa leaves and Black Pepper. I made this light soup using them.

My ingredients for her were Cardamoms and Star anise and she made a healthy pulao with Kodo Millets. It is a recipe worth trying. Do check it out.

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You may also like:

Minty Green Pea Soup

Vegetable and Barley Soup

Celery Soup

MUSHROOM JALFREZI / KHUMB KI SABZI

 

This is a very easy mushroom recipe made effortlessly and yet it tastes so good. It is perfect one for bachelors and beginners to try out. You can use any variety of mushrooms available. I have used button mushrooms. 

Ingredients:

Mushrooms .......... 250 gms

Onions ............... 5 (smaller ones)

Tomato ............ 1 large

Green chillies .... 1 or 2

Coriander leaves .. a small bunch about 1/2 cup

Garlic .................. 1 tbsp (crushed)

Ginger ............... 1' piece (grated)

Coriander powder .. 1 tsp

Cumin powder ...... 1/2 tsp

Garam masala ...... 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder ... 1/4 tsp

Salt ....................... to taste

Kasoori methi .....1 tbsp

Oil ..................... 3 tbsps

Method:

1. Wash the mushrooms well and cut them into big pieces. (quarters if big, halves if small)

2. Peel the onions and cut into cubes.

3. Cut the tomato into cubes.

4. Chop the green chillies or crush them coarsely.

5. Heat oil in a pan. Add the ginger garlic and saute a bit.

6. Add green chillies followed by the spice powders, salt and kasoori methi.

7. Stir on low flame and tip in the onion chunks.

8. Toss them until the spices are well coated on them.

9. Now add the mushrooms and tomato chunks.

10. Stir fry a bit and add coriander leaves. Save some for later.

11. Cover and cook for 3 minutes on medium flame stirring intermittently.

12. Check the salt and doneness of the mushrooms.

13. Now reduce the flame to low and simmer for 2 minutes covering the lid.

14. Do not overcook them. They should be slightly crunchy.

15. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis or khichdi.

Check out the video

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Mushroom Kabab

Burnt Garlic Mushroom Fried Rice

Palak Mushrooms

SOUR CREAM CUCUMBER SALAD / ONION AND CUCUMBER SALAD

 

This is a simple and quick salad made with cucumbers and onions which we usually have in our kitchens. The dressing is made with sour cream, honey, salt and pepper.

I am using some home grown microgreens also in this salad as they add to the nutrition. They can be easily grown at home using a mixture of seeds like flax seeds, chia seeds, mustard seeds, sesame seeds or grains like jowar, bajra, wheat. You also get them in the stores easily these days.

Ingredients:

Cucumbers .......... 1

Onion ....................1

Micro greens ....... handful

Sour cream ......... 2 tbsps

White vinegar ..... 1 tbsp

Honey ................ 1 tsp

Crushed black pepper .... 2-3 pinches

Salt ..................... as needed

Method:

1. Peel the cucumber and cut into round slices. You may use unpeeled one if you like.

2. Peel the onion, cut into round slices and separate them into rings. Select a small onion for this.

3. Marinate the onion rings with little salt and vinegar for few minutes.

4. Mix the cucumber and onion in a platter. Add some microgreens.

5. Make the dressing by mixing the sour cream, honey and little black pepper. Add a spoon of water to make it smooth and creamy.

6. Mix the dressing with the onion, cucumber and microgreens just before serving.

7. Dish it out into a serving bowl or plate and sprinkle little black pepper on top.

8. Garnish with microgreens.

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You may also like:

Sour Cream Potato Salad

Daikon Salad

Cucumber and Kiwi Salad

MORINGA PARATHAS / DRUMSTICK LEAVES PARATHAS

 Try out these healthy power packed parathas with the goodness and nutrition of moringa leaves. You can serve them with yogurt and pickle for breakfast or with some saag / dal for lunch. They are so delicious and filling.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour ....... 1 & 1/2 cups (or as needed)

Besan / gram flour .... 1 tbsp

Moringa leaves ......... 1 cup

Green chillies .......... 1 tbsp (crushed or finely chopped)

Onion .................. 1/4 cup (finely chopped)

Coriander seeds ... 1 tbsp (crushed coarsely)

Cumin seeds ........ 1 tsp

Turmeric powder ... 1/2 tsp

Salt ........................ to taste

Ghee or oil .......... as needed 

Method:

1. Take the flour and besan in a large platter for kneading.

2. Mix all the ingredients and 1 tbsp of ghee or oil.

3. Knead into a soft and pliable dough. Cover and rest it for 10 minutes.

4. Take out a small portion and roll it out.

5. Brush some ghee and sprinkle little flour on it.

6. Fold it into a square shaped parcel.

7. Roll it out again into a square shaped paratha. 

8. Roast it on a griddle / tawa spooning some ghee or oil flipping it until it gets nice and crispy.

9. Serve it hot with some yogurt and pickle. 

10. For lunch you can also pair it with some tadka dal or saag.

Check out the video

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Radish Parathas / Mooli Ke Parathe

Healthy Greens Roti

Methi Theplas

SOUR CREAM POTATO SALAD

 

This is a very quick and easy salad with just few ingredients. You can relish it like a snack or serve it as an accompaniment with grilled meats.

Ingredients:

Boiled potatoes ..... 250 gms. (about 3 or 4 medium sized)

Sour cream .......... 1/4 cup

Water or milk ...... 1 tbsp

Garlic powder ..... 1/8 tsp

Salt ..................... to taste

Crushed black pepper ..1/4 tsp

Chives or green garlic .... 2-3 tbsps

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes. Peel them and cut into cubes.

2. In a bowl mix the sour cream, milk or water, garlic powder, salt and little crushed black pepper to make the dressing.

3. Mix the dressing with the potatoes.

4. Add the chopped chives or garlic greens.

5. Dish it out and garnish with some chives / garlic greens.

6. Sprinkle some black pepper on top. 

Check out the video

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You may also like:

Potato Parsley Salad

Veg Russian Salad

Cucumber Kiwi Salad

MORINGA DAL / TOOR DAL WITH DRUMSTICK LEAVES

 This is a very healthy dal preparation with the addition of moringa leaves in South Indian style. Moringa leaves have a great nutritional properties and should be added to our diet in some form or the other.

Ingredients:

Toor dal ......... 3/4 cup

Moringa leaves .... 1 cup

Tamarind ............. lemon sized (soak in water)

Turmeric powder ... 1/2 tsp

Salt ............... to taste

Ingredients for roasting:

Raw rice .... 1 tbsp

Red chillies .. 1 or 2

Cumin seeds .... 1/2 tbsp

Coriander seeds . 1 tbsp

Grated coconut .... 3 tbsps

Ingredients for tempering:

Cumin seeds ......... 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds ...... 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves ....... few

Asafoetida ......... 2 pinches

Oil ................... 1 tbsp

Sambar powder .... 1 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Soak dal for 2-3 hours.

2. Dry roast the raw rice, red chillies, cumin and coriander seeds first, push them aside and add grated coconut.

3. When the moisture of the coconut is gone mix everything together and roast them a bit until they give out a nice aroma.

4. Cool the mixture and grind adding little water as required.

5. Pressure cook toor dal with little salt and turmeric powder.

6. In a pan take one cup of water and boil the moringa leaves adding little salt and turmeric powder.

7. After 4-5 minutes stir in the ground masala paste and tamarind water as per your taste. 

8. Cook them for a minute or two and add the boiled dal without mashing it. 

9. Give it a gentle stir and check the salt. 

10. Now in a small pan fry the tempering ingredients, switch off the flame and add sambar powder.

11. Stir it into the prepared dal. The texture of dal will thicken on keeping. So adjust it accordingly.

12. Serve it with plain rice, any poriyal and appalams.

Check out the video:

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Check out some Poriyal Recipes to serve as an accompaniment:

Raw Banana Poriyal 

Mixed Veg Poriyal 

Beans Poriyal . 

SOOKHE FALSE KE BISCUIT (COOKIES) / MARTHA STEWART'S LEMON CURRANT COOKIES

 

Try out these delicious lemon currant cookies from Martha Stewart's collection. Her recipes always come out perfect if you follow the exact measurements. These cookies have a softer texture inside but are nice and firm on the outside. They taste Divine with sweet and tangy flavours blended together. 

If you want to make an eggless version skip the egg and add little more baking powder and 2 tbsps of milk. 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour / maida ......  3/4 cup

Unsalted butter ...................... 1/4 cup

Icing sugar  .........................  1/2 cup

Sour cream ......................... 1/8 cup

Egg ...................................... 1

Baking powder ................... 1/8 tsp

Salt ..................................... 1/8 tsp

Dried currants ..................... 1/4 cup

Lemon zest ........................ 1 tsp

( all ingredients at room temperature)

Method:

1. Sift the flour, salt and baking powder.

2. In a large bowl beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.

3. Add the sour cream and egg. Beat them until well blended.

4. Now spoon in the sifted flour little by little and continue beating until all the flour is used up.

5. Mix the lemon zest and black currants.

6. Put a large nozzle into a piping bag and transfer the cookie mixture into it. 

7. Pre-heat the oven.

8. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and grease it well with butter.

9. Pipe out the cookies leaving 1 and 1/2 inch space between them as they will flatten on baking.

10. Bake @ 180 C for 12 to 15 minutes. Keep a check after 10 minutes. The time may vary a bit depending on the type of the oven and the size of the cookies.

11. When you see the edge becoming brownish they are done. Let them cool well before removing from the tray.

12. These cookies have a softer texture inside but are nice and firm on top.

Yield : 3 dozen cookies of medium size or 2 dozen larger size. 

Recipe Courtesy - Martha Stewart

Watch the video

This recipe is made for the event - A-Z Recipe Challenge. 

Season 1 - We have completed the first season making the recipes alphabetically with ingredients with English names. ( eg. A - Apple, Artichoke, Asparagus ..)

Season 2 - We decided to make the recipes alphabetically with Hindi names. ( A - Anar, Adrak Aloo ... )

This month the Alphabet is "F"- I chose False (Dried Currants) and made these cookies with them.

Recipe List of A-Z Challenge (Season 2)

A - Adraki Aloo  (Baby Potatoes with ginger and spice powders)

B - Begun Bhaja  ( Bengali style fried Brinjals)

C - Chukandar Ke Parathe  (Stuffed Beetroot Parathas)

D - Farali Dahi Chawal ( Barnyard Millet Curd Rice / Samak ke Dahi Chawal )

E - Elaichi Cup Cakes ( Cardamom flavoured cup cakes )

F - False ke Biscuits ( Lemon Currant Cookies )

G - Gud Wale Pohe ( Flattened Rice Flakes with Jaggery)

H - Hare Dhaniye ki Sabzi (Fresh coriander stir fry)

I - Imli Gosht ( Tangy Mutton curry )

J - Jowar ke Phulke (Sorghum Flour Flatbreads)

K - Karele ki Bhurji ( Diced Bitter Gourd Stir fry)

L - Lehsun Ka Achar ( Garlic Pickle)

M - Moong Dal with Sarson ka Saag ( Moong dal with Mustard Greens)

N - Neembu Gud ki Shikanji (Indian summer drink with herbs and spices)

O - Oal / Jimikand Ka Keema ( yam mince curry)

P - Kadai Paneer ( Paneer / Cottage cheese curry )

Q - Qeema Pav (Mutton Mince served with Pav Bread)

R - Rajma Dhoklas (fusion dhoklas with rajma)

S - Semolina Vadas ( Sooji ke vade )

T - Tendli Bhat ( Ivy Gourd Pilaf )

U - Urad Dal Palak (Black lentils cooked with spinach)

Pin for later

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Healthy Ragi Cookies (eggless)

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ELAICHI CUP CAKES / CARDAMOM FLAVOURED CUP CAKES

 Cardamom is often referred to as "Queen of Spices" and you can imagine how flavourful these cupcakes can be. We have used a generous amount of cardamom powder in the recipe. They make a great tea time snack. I like them plain without any frosting. However you may garnish them any way you like with your favourite frosting. 

Ingredients:

APF / Maida ............. 1 & 1/4 cup

Cardamom powder ..... 2 tsps

Baking powder ........... 3/4 tsp

Baking soda ................ 1/2 tsp

Salt .............................. 1/2 tsp

Olive oil or Canola ...... 1/2 cup

Icing sugar .................. 3/4 c

Eggs ........................... 2

Milk .......................... 1/3 cup

Sour cream or yogurt ... 1/3 cup

Vanilla essence ............ 1  tsp

Method:

1. Sift the flour with baking powder and baking soda.

2. Sift the icing sugar to remove the lumps.

3. Transfer the icing sugar in a large bowl.

4. Add the oil and beat them together.

5. Add the eggs one by one and continue beating.

6. Next tip in the cardamom powder and salt. Beat them well.

7. Stir in the milk, yogurt and vanilla essence and beat them together until well blended.

8. Now spoon the flour little by little and continue beating until everything is added.

9. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and blend the mixture well.

10. Preheat the oven.

11. Spoon the mixture into the cup cake paper moulds or silicone moulds. Fill them three fourths.

12. Bake them at 180 C for 15 to 17 minutes or until done. 

13. The baking time may vary a bit depending on the size of the cup cakes and type of the oven you are using.

14. Check by inserting a toothpick. 

15. Cool them well before storing them in a container.

Watch the video

This recipe is made for the event - A-Z Recipe Challenge. 

Season 1 - We have completed the first season making the recipes alphabetically with ingredients with English names. ( eg. A - Apple, Artichoke, Asparagus ..)

Season 2 - We decided to make the recipes alphabetically with Hindi names. ( A - Anar, Adrak Aloo ... )

This month the Alphabet is "E" and I chose elaichi as my ingredient and made - Elaichi Cup Cakes.

Recipe List of A-Z Challenge (Season 2)

A - Adraki Aloo  (Baby Potatoes with ginger and spice powders)

B - Begun Bhaja  ( Bengali style fried Brinjals)

C - Chukandar Ke Parathe  (Stuffed Beetroot Parathas)

D - Farali Dahi Chawal ( Barnyard Millet Curd Rice / Samak ke Dahi Chawal )

E - Elaichi Cup Cakes ( Cardamom flavoured cup cakes )

F - Sookhe False ke Biscuit ( Black Currant Cookies )

G - Gud Wale Pohe ( Flattened Rice Flakes with Jaggery )

H - Hare Dhaniye ki Sabzi (Fresh coriander Stir fry)

I - Imli Gosht (Tangy Mutton Curry)

J - Jowar ke Phulke (Sorghum Flour Flatbreads)

K - Karele ki Bhurji ( Diced Bitter Gourd Stir fry)

L - Lehsun Ka Achar ( Garlic Pickle)

M - Moong Dal with Sarson ka Saag ( Moong dal with Mustard Greens)

N - Neembu Gud ki Shikanji (Indian summer drink with herbs and spices)

O - Oal / Jimikand Ka Keema ( yam mince curry)

P - Kadai Paneer ( Paneer / Cottage cheese curry )

Q - Qeema Pav (Mutton Mince served with Pav Bread)

R - Rajma Dhoklas (fusion dhoklas with rajma)

S - Semolina Vadas ( Sooji ke vade )

T - Tendli Bhat ( Ivy Gourd Pilaf )

U - Urad Dal Palak (Black lentils cooked with spinach)

Pin for later

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WHOLE DRY FRUIT LADDOOS / DIWALI SPECIAL

 

Here is an easy recipe of making whole dry fruit laddoos. You can make them on any festive occasion and enjoy with your family and friends. This is a perfect sweet to distribute to your friends and relatives during Diwali festival. You can pack them in a beautiful box. 

Ingredients:

Assorted dry fruits (unsalted)  ......... 1 cup  (Almonds, cashews & Pistachios)

Sugar .............................. 1 cup

Poppy seeds .................... 1 tbsp

Saffron ..................... 2-3 pinches

Crushed cardamom seeds .. 1/2 tbsp

Wheat flour ...................... 2 tbsps

Dried rose petals .............. 1 tbsp

Ghee / clarified butter ......  2 tbsps

Milk or water ................... 1/4 cup

Silver varq ................... for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Dry roast the poppy seeds lightly and set aside.

2. Fry the wheat flour with 1 tbsp of ghee until it gives out a nice aroma. Set aside.

3. Roast the dry fruits until they get a crispy texture. 

4. In a thick bottomed pan melt the sugar adjusting the flame.

5. Half way through add 1 tbsps of ghee, saffron and crushed cardamom seeds. 

6. Continue stirring until the sugar is melted and there are no lumps.

7. Now add the poppy seeds, rose petals and dry fruits.

8. Finally add the fried wheat flour and mix well. 

9. Now add the milk or water and continue stirring until the mixture gathers and leaves the sides.

10. Cool it a bit and when you are able to handle it make the laddoos or balls of the desired size.

11. Garnish them with dried rose petals and silver varq if you like.

About the group:

Shhhhh Cooking Secretly is a monthly challenge in a facebook group where we are paired with a different partner every month. Two secret ingredients are  chosen by each partner for the other one and we prepare any dish with those ingredients based on the selected theme of the month which was Diwali 

This month I am paired with Poonam Bachhav who selected "cardamom powder" and "ghee" as my secret ingredients and I made these dry fruit laddoos. I chose "ajwain" and "oil" as the secret ingredients for her as she opted out for a savoury dish. She made tasty and irresistible Instant Rice Chaklis. 

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Mawa Gujiyas 

Mysore Pak

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