Ingredients

• 2 tbspn Oil
• 1 bunch Spinach, finely chopped
• 1 Potato
• Eggplant 
• Peas 1/2 cup
• Cilantro 1/4 cup cleaned
• 5-6 pieces Garlic
• 3 Green chilies (small size)
• 4 Tomatoes (medium size) - puree or finely chopped.
• Salt to taste

• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

• Heat oil and cook spinach in the oil until it becomes soft, it will take few minutes. Grind cilantro, garlic and green chilies, and add them spinach, let it cook 2 minutes.
• Put the tomato puree and let it cook  for 5 minutes on medium flame. Add the veggies & spices to gravy.
• Cover veggies and let it cook on medium flame until done completely.

Note: Choice and quantity of the veggies can be changed as need . Chop vegetables in 1 inch pieces. You can add protein if you like.

Try with Naan or Chappati!

Chikki is like sugar candy made during festival specially on Makar Sankranti (14 Jan) every year. There are many kinds of chikkis like peanut, Cashews, almonds, coconut etc. I decided to make sesame seed here. I called my mom this year on Makar Sankranti and was casually chatting thats when she gave me chikki recipe. I must say I had complex that I won't be able to make chikki ever but it came out amazing. I was so proud of my self :)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup white sesame seed. Roast them quicky on low flame.
• 1 cup Sugar
• little oil to grease surface.

Direction:

• Grease a plain surface very well with little oil where you can work with this candy mix. grease rolling pin also.
• Heat a pan little bit. Add sugar and stir it continouly on medium flame.
• As soon as sugar dissolves turn off gas and mix sesame seed very well.
• Pour this mix over greased surface and roll it with rolling pin.
• You can break into desired pieces.

Note: Always keep in mind if you boil sugar more, harder chikki will be. so it is necessary to turn off as soon as sugar dissolves.

Sure you can Enjoy this sweetie treat!!

I never imagined I would be able to replicate this until my mom suggested me to try it on Diwali. Pretty much everyone one lovessss besan ladoo. Absolutely divine!!

Ingredients

• 2 cup Besan ladoo flour - besan ladoo flour is little nutty as compared to regular besan flour. I will never make this ladoo without besan ladoo flour because this makes lot of difference.
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 cup ghee

Direction

• Heat ghee in pan.
• Add Besan and saute on low flame. Keep stirring it. This may take 15-20 minutes, do this until you smell nice nutty aroma.
• Turn off flame and add sugar and cardamom powder. Mix well.
• Shape into small ladoos/balls. Devour !! see below them in middle tier.

P.S. I will try this out in microwave and post receipe soon. First pic is from Diwali 2010, middle rack is besan ladoo :)

Hmm Finally I overcomed my so called "Naan Complex" last night by created delicious Gralic Naan!!! some reason I thought I won't be able to make Naan at home. Goes good with almost all Indian currys specially daal makhani.  It is usually cooked in Tandoor but I made it work with conventional oven.

Direction

• 2 cup all purpose flour/maida
• pinch of salt and sugar
• 2 tsp of oil
• 2 tbsp curd/yogurt
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 1/2 cup luke warm water.
• pinch of baking soda - optional
• 4 Cloves of garlic finely chopped. No Garlic paste plz!
  

Direction

• In luke warm water put yeast and keep it aside for 10 minutes.
• Mix all purpose flour, soda, salt and sugar very well.
• Add oil, garlic and curd and mix it properly. This will make Naan flaky.
• Now with the help of yeast mix, knead dough very well. Add extra water if needed or extra flour if its too soft for you.
• After dough is kneaded "VERY WELL", cover it and keep it in warm place for few hrs may take upto 3 hrs or more. dough will rise and double in volume.
• Heat oven at 500 Degree for 30 minutes. Keep Pizza stone in it , if you have one or cover baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Divide dough into 6 equal parts. We can usually roll 2 pieces at a time since conventional ovens are same.
• Roll 2 pieces of Naan and put it on baking sheet or pizza stone. It will take 2-3 minutes to cook Naan. cook Naan on Middle rack of oven.
• Finish rest of pieces and you can butter Naans if you like once they are cooked.

Enjoy!!! 

One hell of Rice Dish which will start symphony in your mouth. It is very common in Sindhi household. It is also know "Bhugal Chavar" or "Dhaag Pachal Chavar".

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Basmati Rice.
• 1 big onion chopped lengthwise
• 1 potatoe chopped in small cubes - optional
• Salt
• Oil 1 tbsp
• Chilli powder 1 tsp  or as per taste
• Garam masala 1/2 tsp
• Cumin powder 1 tsp
• Coriander powder 1tsp
• 2 cloves
• 1 black cardamom
• Bay leaves 1 tsp

Direction

• Wash rice and keep it aside soaked for few minutes.
• Heat cooking vessel, heat oil. Add bay leaves, cloves and cardamom.
• Add onion and cook until they are browned.
• Add Chilli powder, garam masala, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt , rice and potatoes and saute for few minutes.
• Add proportionate water and let it cook until rice is cooked properly.
• Serve hot with Dahi/curd. 

Koki means Bread, It's a sindhi special bread specially for Breakfast. So delicious and flaky...u will love it :)

Love it Love it Love it....Its yummy even though not so good for tummy. Perfect side dish or snack, delicious potatoes and spicy and tangy masala is good for all occasion :)

Ingredients

• Boiled Potatoes 5-6 Medium
• Oil for pan fry
  
• lal mirch / Red chilli powder 1 tsp
• Amchoor / Dry mango powder 1 tsp.
• Jeera / cumin powder 1 tsp.
  
• Coriander powder 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• 1 green chilli chopped finely - optional
• Few strands of Coriander chopped finely
• 1 cup peas crushed

Direction

• Mash boiled Potatoes , mix all ingredients except oil, very well into dough .
• You can adjust taste as per your preference.
• Make small balls of the mixture by placing in between your palms, then press it to flatten a bit.
• Heat a non-sick pan or iron skillet and drizzle some oil. Place the patti and cook it on medium flame.
• Once golden brown, flip it to cook on the other side till its done. 

Serve hot with Green Chutney!! 

This is most widely sabzi in Maharashtra  State of India. I usually use sprouted Moth Beans but you can use without sprouted as well. Here is link to provide more information onn sprouting.

Ingredients

• 1 cup moth beans or soaked overnight in water
• 2 medium sized tomatoes chopped finely
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powde
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• oil for cooking
• salt as per taste
  

Direction

• Heat oil in a wide pan, fry onion till light brown.
• Add ginger and garlic paste, fry for 1 more min.
• Add all other spices and fry for 2 minute
  
• Now add moth beans and little water. Stir it well and close the lid, Let it cook for few minutes.
• Now add tomatoes cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add water to desired consistency and let it cook until seeds it cooked properly.
• Add lemon juice , just before removing from the heat.
  

 Enoy!! Serve hot with Chapati!

This is a quickest tea time delicous snack. If you are making this during festival season, you can add some cashews/kaju and raisins/kismis

Ingredients

• 3 cups thin beaten rice (patla poha)
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
• 1 to 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 4 to 6 curry leaves
• 1 tablespoon unsalted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons roasted chana dal (daria)
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1 teaspoon powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• salt to taste

Direction

• Place the poha in a shallow microwave safe dish and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Keep aside.
• In another microwave safe bowl, combine the oil and mustard seeds and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes.
• Add the green chillies, curry leaves, unsalted peanuts, roasted chana dal and turmeric powder and microwave on HIGH for 1 more minute.
• Add this to the poha. Mix well and microwave on HIGH for 1 more minute.
• Add the sugar, salt and mix well.
  

Idli is most famous and common food consumed is South India. I can solely survive by eating just idli :) To make them fluffy my friend "Sowmya" gave me a tip to include 1 cup boiled rice, you can include leftover rice as well. Also we need idli mould , which you can buy from any indian store. I often keep idli batter ready in my refrigeratorso I can use it as quick fix when I am lazy. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  cup  raw Rice
• 1 cup Urad Daal
• 1 cup cooked rice
• salt to taste

Direction

• Mix raw rice and urad daal and soak in water for 5-6 hrs.
• Drain water fromsoaked rice and daal. Grind it into smooth mixture , While grinding add water as required.
• Grind cooked rice. Mix all Grinded mixture and make sure its thick smooth batter.
• Add salt and keep it covered for 15 hr to ferment in dark place specially if you live in cold place like Chicago.
• After fermentation you will see batter will rise a little. Add some salt to it. You can add some thinly sliced green chillis to make it spicy.
  
• Grease idli mould with non stick spray or oil. 
• Pour some batter and steam it for about 15 minutes.
• Enjoy idlis with Sambar or Chutney!!!