RAW PAPAYA SALAD

U need:
Raw papaya : 1/2
Raw mango: 1/4
Ripe mango: 1/4
Peanuts: 2 tsps
Salad or olive oil: 2 tsp
Honey 1 tsp
salt and pepper to taste
 Method:
1. Scrape the skin of the papaya lightly and cut to thin slice.You can also grate it.
2.Grate the raw mango with skin
3.Dice the ripe mango.In a bowl add all the three ingredients.
4. Now add oil,honey,peanuts, salt and pepper and toss gently.


A summery nourishingcooling salad. Bon Apetite!!!!

EGG CURRY

 U need:
Eggs: 4
green chillies : 4
ginger julienne: 2 tsp
capsicum: 1
coconut milk: 1 and 1/2 cups
dhaniya jeera powder: 1 tsp
pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
oil : 2 table sp
coriander leaves: 2 tsp
lemon juice: 1tsp(optional)


Method:
1. Boil the eggs.Shell them and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a kadai.Fry the boiled eggs till golden brown.Remove and cut into two.
3. In the remaining oil fry the diced capsicum.Saute .Add 1 tsp ginger julienne and dhaniyajeera powder.
4. Add 1 cup water,salt ,slit green chillies and simmer for a few mins. Now add the fried eggs and simmer further.
5. Add the coconut milk and simmer for few mins. Add coriander leaves and pepper powder. Cover with a lid,switching off the gas. Before serving add the lemon juice and ginger juliene.
6. Serve hot with rice and pappad.


Note: A quick fix delicious egg curry.The lemon juice adds a zing to the dish.
Bon Apetite!!!!!!!!!!!!

MOTI KHEER

 U need:
Sago( Sabudana): 50 gms
Fresh milk: 1/2 liter
Palm sugar or Jaggery: 50 gms
Coconut milk:1 cup + 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder: 1/2 tsp
Cashew: 1 tsp
Kismis: 1/2 tsp


Method:
1. Break a coconut.Scrape it and extract milk .Or use readymade coconut milk available in the market.
2.Soak the sabudana for 15 to 20 mins.Drain the the water. Set aside.
3. Heat the milk in a vessal and allow to simmer .Add the sabudana  and stir.
Add 1/2 cup coconut milk ,continue simmering till the sabudana is cooked.If needed another 1/4 cup milk can be added at this stage.
4.Add the palm sugar/jaggery and stir well. Add 1 cup coconut milk.Mix well and switch off the gas.
5.Mix in the cardamom powder.Cover with a lid.
6. Heat 1 tsp ghee.When hot,add the cashew and kismis and fry for a few seconds.Add to the kheer.
7. Serve hot or cool.
A kheer with a difference.
This kheer tastes yummy and the time taken is not more than 20 to 25 mins.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH CURRY

U need:
Butternut squash(red pumpkin): 2 cups
boiled chick peas:1/2 cup
ginger paste: 2 tsp
bay leaf:1
panchporon: 1/2 tsp
dhaniyajeera powder: 1 tsp
turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
salt and sugar to taste
oil: 2 tablesp
garam masala: 1/2 tsp


Method:
Dice red pumpkin into medium size chunks.
Heat oil in a kadai,add the bay leaf and panchporon.Saute for a minute and add 3 green chillies.
Add the pumpkin chunks and ginger paste.fry well on medium heat.Sprinkle a little water to prevent the pumpkin from sticking to the bottom of the kadai.
After 6 mins add turmeric powder,dhaniyajeera powder and stir well.Add salt and sugar to taste.Add 1/2 cup water.Cover and cook till veg is done.
Remove lid.Add the cooked chick peas and stir well.Add garam masala and coriander leaves.
Stir well once again.
Serve hot with puris or rotis.

Chocolate Melting Moments

Try these simple and easy to bake at home cookies 

Ingredients:

250 gms unsalted butter (soft)

250 gms plain flour (sifted)

60 gms of icing sugar

60 gms of corn flour (sifted)

1 tsp vanilla essence

Baking tray lined with parchment paper

For the chocolate coating 

few slabs of dark cooking chocolate 

2 tbsp of icing sugar

Method:

1. Take a large clean bowl and mix butter with icing sugar. Beat it till it mixes well and fluffy. Add vanilla essence and mix for few minutes (You can use an electrical beater if you want)

2. Add flour little by little and mix well. Then add the cornflour till you get a nice smooth buttery dough consistency

3. Take the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make small flat balls and place them on the tray. You can take a fork and press on them to give them a design. Alternatively, you can use an piping bag, fill it with the dough and pipe designs on the baking tray, this will create cute designer cookies :)

4. Place them in the fridge for 10 minutes and pre heat oven at 180 deg C

5. Bake the cookies for roughly 15 minutes or till golden brown

6. Meanwhile, melt chocolate and whisk it with icing sugar

7. Once cookies have cooled down, dip one side into the chocolate or just take a spoon and spread the chocolate mixture

8. After 10 minutes the chocolate would have set it well and cookies are ready to be eaten

Tips - You can create any spread for the cookies. Maybe even fill chocolate / strawberry cream between two cookies and sandwich them.

Home made Fresh Strawberry Jam

500 gms - Fresh Strawberries
350 gms - Caster Sugar
1 cup lemon juice
25gms - Unsalted butter

Method:
1. Cut the strawberries in half (be sure to remove the ones that have soft patches. The jam lasts longer if the strawberries are a bit under ripe) and drop them into a clean bowl.
2. Add 1/2 the caster sugar to the strawberries and mix them well
3. Cover with a cling film and keep it overnight in the fridge
4. When you take it out the next day the strawberries will be floating in a lovely juice (as the sugar melts and blends well with the strawberries)
5. Take a saucepan and add these strawberries to it with the juice. Add the remaining sugar and lemon juice and keep stirring (on low flame)
6. In about 30 mins you will find the jam slowly starting to set and forming a lovely texture (if you like it to be nice and spreadable switch it off immediately or else keep it a bit longer to form a more jelly like texture)
7. Add the butter to give it a glossy texture
8. Store the yummy jam in sterilised jam jars

You can make this with Apricots as well

Tip - You can always use extra jam to make 'Jam filled biscuits' - Just take 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar beat them well. Add 1 cup plain flour and mix well to form a nice smooth dough. Pre-heat oven to 180 deg C. Take an oven tray, line with parchment paper / baking paper. Make dough into small flat biscuit shapes and make a small hole on top of these shapes. Fill it with the jam and bake this for 15 mins or until golden brown.

Orange mango kadi

You need:
Ripe mango puree : 1 cup               Curry leaves : few
Orange juice: 1/2 cup                      salt and sugar to taste
Besan: 2 tablesp                              hing : pinch
Curd(beaten well) : 1 cup                finely sliced onions : 2 tsps
Red chillies : 2(broken)                    oil : 2 tablesp
jeera : 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp


Method:
Beat together besan and curd in a bowl.
Heat oil in a kadai, Season with hing and curry leaves. Now add the mustard seeds and jeera.Saute.Add the broken red chillies and the onions. Fry well till the onions are well browned. Add the mango puree.Simmer for 2 mins.Add the besan curd mix and continue simmering till the kadi starts to thicken.
Add salt and sugar and stir well.Add the orange juice and off the gas.Cover for few mins.
Just before serving add some coriander leaves and some ore curry leaves.
Serve hot with puris and rotlis.