Broccoli Paratha

Ingredients:

2 cups florets of brocolli

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1-2 tsp Rice flour

1 tsp Cumin Seeds,

1 tsp ajwain

1tsp Coriander seed powder.

4 tea spoons Turmeric powder

1 tea spoon Garlic paste

1 tsp spoon Finely chopped green Chilies

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Blend together cumin seeds, ajwain and coriander seed to powder.

2. Boil broccoli florets in water for about 5 minutes. Grind it into paste if required add water. Mix together - broccoli paste, wheat flour, rice flour and blended coriander seed powder, chopped chilies, salt, turmeric and garlic paste.

3. Using your hands, knead the dough well while adding water as required. Don’t add water at once. Go slowly. You can even use a food processor to knead the dough. If the dough is too sticky add flour as needed or if it’s dry add water. Once the dough is ready, coat it with one tsp of oil.

4. Make medium-size ball of dough lightly into a disc about 10 inches in diameter but not too thin. Roll out into parathas.

5. Heat tavva (flat pan) on medium flame. Fry with a little oil on a tava or griddle.

6. Serve it with sweet mango/lemon pickle and delicious homemade ghee (clarified butter).

Methi Paratha

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped fenugreek(methi) leaves

3 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1-2 tsp Rice flour

1 tsp Cumin Seeds,

1 tsp ajwain

1tsp Coriander seed powder.

4 tea spoons Turmeric powder

1 tea spoon Garlic paste

1 tsp spoon Finely chopped green Chilies

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Blend together cumin seeds, ajwain and coriander seed to powder.

2. Clean, wash, and chop methi leaves. Mix together - methi leaves, wheat flour, rice flour and blended coriander seed powder, chopped chilies, salt, turmeric and garlic paste.

3. Using your hands, knead the dough well while adding water as required. Don’t add water at once. Go slowly. You can even use a food processor to knead the dough. If the dough is too sticky add flour as needed or if it’s dry add water. Once the dough is ready, coat it with one tsp of oil.

4. Make medium-size ball of dough lightly into a disc about 10 inches in diameter but not too thin. Roll out into parathas

5. Heat tavva (flat pan) on medium flame. Fry with a little oil on a tava or griddle.

6. Serve it with sweet mango/lemon pickle and delicious homemade ghee (clarified butter).

Note:

1. You can replace green chilies with red chili powder as per taste.

2. For more authentic taste you can replace water by milk while kneading.

Brocolli Cabbage Tikki

Eating different vegetable give you wide range of vitamins and health benefits. Also there are some vegetables which are high in vitamins and less in calories like broccoli. But eating broccoli is like a nightmare for some people. Specially kids doesn't like to eat broccoli.

My Hubby Raj also doesn't like many vegetables, sadly broccoli is also one of them. But I try to make some or the other recipes so that he eats them without knowing the fact "He is actually having Brooocoli". While making I didn't even specify that I am making out of broccoli(or any vegetable he doesn't like). And after he loved it and finish the whole course then I burst the secret. he he he :-D. Anything for keeping your loved ones healthy .. Yuppie !

Ingredients:

1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup Cabbage grated
2-3 tbsp caned chickpeas
1/2 cup Shallots chopped
1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp dhana jeera powder

1 tsp red chili powder

pinch of turmeric powder

1/2 -1 cup whole wheat flour(Approximate)
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:

1. In a frying pan heat 1 tbsp oil. Add shallots onions and saute till golden brown.

2. Further add garlic paste, garam masala powder,turmeric powder, red chili powder and saute them for few minutes.

3. Then add broccoli,cabbage,chickpeas and salt. Mix well. Cook for few minutes till broccoli is tender. Now add dhana jeera powder and mix well.

4. Remove from heat and let it cool. In blender blend cooked broccoli mixture to a smooth paste

5. Knead broccoli paste and wheat flour to consistent dough. Add wheat flour little by little(Do not add too much). Make tikki like shapes .

6. Heat a non stick pan with 1 tbsp of oil and cook the tikkis. Let one side turn brown then the other.

7. Serve them hot with hot sauce,tomato ketchup or mint chutney or green chutney as per choice.

Note:

1.You can make variations to the recipe. Like by making a thick chickpea flour paste and dipping the broccoli balls in it and then frying them. Although this method takes in much oil.

2. You can make using boiled potato as it will act as binding agent and deepen in suji or breadcrumbs and shallow fry it.

For more Information visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli

Idli - Sambar

Having soft puffy idlis is just mouth watering. In restaurant, I can't resist to eat only one plate. Instead if you cook at home then you can make a lot and have it with your family and friends. For preparing idlis have to start 1 day before as it is a step by step procedure.

First, soak the urad dal in warm water on a day before morning, Soak at least 4 to 6 hours for them to soften. Then grind them into smooth, silky smooth batter. Then remove the batter into a big vessel and mix up with store bought rava idli. Then keep it covered overnight for fermentation. By morning, the batter will be fermented and changed in looks and consistency. After stirring in salt and little bit of baking soda, pour it idli stand and steam cook them. And enjoy puffy steamy idlis with your choice of sambar ,chutney.

Ingredients:

2 cups Idli Rice Rava(coarse Rice powder)
1 cup Urad Daal (white)
1 1/2 tblsp Salt
A pinch of Baking Soda
Oil for greasing

Utensils

Blender/wet grinder

Idly stand with idly plates

a vessel with tight lid (suitable to fit idly stand)

Method:

1. Pick, wash and soak the Urad daal overnight or for 8 hours in warm water. Drain the water and keep the drained water aside.

2. Grind the daal into a smooth paste.To get the medium tight consistency, add the drained water, as needed to the batter,while grinding. Remove the batter in a vessel.

3. Now mix the rice rava and daal together thoroughly without any lumps.

4. Set aside in a warm place for 8-9 hours or overnight for fermenting. Idlis are ready to be cooked when the batter is well fermented.

5. By morning, the batter will be doubled in volume. Stir in salt and baking soda. Consistency of batter must be medium, not too tight or too watery. Add water if necessary.

6.In a big vessel (fit to idly stand) with tight lid, add about half to one glass of water and bring to a boil. Grease the idle holder or pan well and fill each of them with 3/4th full of batter.

7.Fill all the plates with idly batter and place these filled idly plates, back on the stand. Place this idly stand with filled plates in the vessel with boiling water. Cover it tightly and cook them on steam.

8. Steam cook idlis on medium flame for about 10-15 minutes or until done. After about 15 to 20 minutes, the batter will be hardened and when touched, won’t stick to your fingers like a wet batter does.

9. Turn off the heat and remove the idli stand from the vessel. Run a spoon under each idli to separate steamed idlies from the plate. Remove them all like this and get ready to steam the next batch of idlis.

10. Serve them with sambhar or coriander-mint chutney, coconut chutney for Indian breakfast, snack,lunch or dinner.

Note:

1. I soak the urad dal in just enough water and while grinding I add this drained water. This tip works only in cold climate to aid the fermentation.
2. While grinding adding one or two teaspoons of soaked fenugreek seeds will improve the taste and fermentation.
3. Rice rava- I use store bought. You can use Rice too. In that case, soak rice in warm water in another vessel along with urad dal. In morning make a paste out of it.
4. Fermentation- In winter set the oven on to minimum (lowest setting/warm) for about 5 minutes, then turn it off. place batter in warm oven. If you dont have oven then soak urad dal in warm water. While grinding add warm drained water to make smooth paste.