Sudharas (Lemon Syrup)

Many, today, may not have heard of this sweet dish which was very commonly done about 2-3 decade back. It's a very simple dish with just 2 main ingredients i.e. sugar & lemon juice & cardamom or kesar for flavour. Though it seems to be very simple, one can be unsuccessful (as I was the first time I made it), if the syrup consistency & the proportion of lemon juice to syrup is not proper. This was the first dish I independently tried prepared independently which was a failure. But as said, practice makes the man perfect, now I am the expert in this.

Ingredients:

1. Sugar - 1 cup
2. Lemon Juice - 1/3 cup ( can be varied as per taste)
3. Cardamom(elaichi) Powder - 1 tsp
4. Saffron(Kesar) - pinchful (optional)

Directions:

1. Take the sugar in a pot. Add water till the sugar is well soaked. Keep the pot on medium flame gas stove. Stir from time to time. When the sugar melts & the solution starts boiling, check the consistency. To do this, lift the spoon & hold it above the pot. Let the syrup in the spoon drain off to the last drop. when the last drop that falls down is extended with the thread like structure, then this is the right consistency. Put off the flame.
2. Add the lemon juice to the syrup & stir well.  Add cardamom powder & kesar to it. Let the Sudharas cool. 
3. Store Sudharas in clean, dry bottle.

I am sure kids will relish sudharas.

Tasty All In One Chutney

Ingredients:

1. Date Seeds - 10 to 15
2. Green Chillis - 7 to 8
3. Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves
4. Ginger - 2 inch piece
5. Tamarind Paste - 1 small cup
6. Jaggery - 5 to 6 medium pieces
7. Coriander Seeds Powder - 1tblsp
8. Cumin Seeds Powder - 1tblsp
9. Mint Leaves - 1tblsp
10. Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 small cup
11. Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Soak the date seeds in luke warm water for 1/2 hr. & then pressure cook the seeds. When the dates cool, remove the seeds.
2. Take a big pot of mixy & add cooked dates to it. Add all the other ingredients given above one by one. Add some water & grind to fine paste.
3. Store in air tight container. This chutney can be used for chat items, bhel, shevpuri, panipuri & even good to spread on bread for sandwich.
4. It lasts good for about a month in fridge.

Dal Dhokli (Aamtitle Shankarpale)

Ingredient for Dal:

1. Toor(Arhar)dal - 1/2 cup
2. Methi(fenugreek) seeds - 1tsp
3. Tamarind Paste(thick) - 1tblsp
4. Garlic freshly smashed - 1tblsp
5. Jaggery - 3 to 4 medium pieces
6. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
7. Haldi powder - 1/2tsp
8. Asafoetida(hing) powder - 1/2tsp
9. Red chilli powder - 1tsp
10. Goda masala / Garam masala - 2tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Chopped coriander leaves

 Ingredients for Dhokli:

1. Wheat flour - 1cup
2. Besan - 1tblsp
3. Oil - 1tblsp
4. Haldi powder - 1/4tsp
5. Hing powder - 1/4tsp
6. Red chilli powder - 1/2rsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Water for mixing

Ingedients for Tadka:

1. Oil - 4 to 5 tblsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
3. Haldi powder - 1/2tsp
4. Hing powder - 1/2rsp
5. Chopped garlic - 6 to 7 cloves

Directions:

1. Wash & soak Toor dal & Methi seeds for 1hr. 
2. Mix all the ingredients given for dhokli & knead the dough as for roti. 
3. Pressure cook dal. Whisk the dal until smooth.
4. Take cooking oil in a medium size vessel & keep for heating. Add mustard seeds. When the seeds start cracking, add Hing & Haldi powder to oil. Add smashed garlic. Fry for a minute.
5. Pour the cooked toor dal. Mix well. Add 3 cups of water. Allow it to boil. Add chilli powder, goda masala / garam masala, tamarind paste, jaggery & salt. Allow dal to boil. Keep on low flame gas stove.
6. Divide the dough in 4 - 5 equal parts. Roll each part into roti & cut it into diamond shaped pieces(dhoklis) & add them to the boiling dal. After you finish adding all the dhoklis to the dal, add 1/2 cup water to dal, keep the lid & let the dhoklis cook for 5 minutes. Put off the gas after 5 mins
7. Prepare tadka(vaghaar) by heating 4 to 5 tblspof oil in tadka pan, add mustard seeds, haldi powder & hing powder to it. Also add chopped garlic & fry till garlic turns brown.
8. Serve hot in a bowl pouring some garlic tadka & chopped coriander leaves on it.

Kachhya Kelyachi Bhaji (Raw Banana Sabji)

Ingredients:

1. Kachhi keli (Raw bananas) - 2
2. Toor(Arhar) Dal - 1/4 cup
3. Methi(fenugreek) seeds - 1tblsp
4. Jaggery - 2 to 3 medium size pieces
5. Red chilli powder - 1tsp or as per taste
6. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
7. Asafoetida(Hing) powder - 1/2tsp
8. Haldi powder - 1/2tsp
9. Coriandor leaves - finely chopped
10. Grated coconut (optional)
11. Cooking oil - 1tblsp

Directions:

1. Wash & soak toor dal & methi seeds for 2 hrs
2. In a pot, take cooking oil & put on the gas stove for heating. Add mustard seeds. As the seeds start crackling, add Hing & haldi powder. Add the soaked toor dal & methi seeds along with the water.
3. Allow the dal to cook. Do not put the lid. The water in the dal overflows if the lid is put on the pot. Let the dal cook on low flame. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for dal to cook.
4. Cut the row bananas lengthwise first & then in to medium size pieces. Wash them & add to the cooked dal. Mix & now you can put the lid on the pot. The bananas cook quickly, in 5-6 mins.
5. As the banana is cooked add red chilli powder, salt & jaggery. Mix well & cook for 5 mins. Add water as per requirement.
6. Serve in bowl & garnish with chopped coriandor leaves & grated coconut.

Chatpata Cauliflower Pakoda

Ingredients: 

1. Florets of Cauliflower - 10 to 15(medium size) 
2. Chilli-Garlic-Ginger Paste(fine) - 3 tblsps
3. Besan(coarse) - 1 small cup
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil to deep fry

Directions:

1. Boil some water, add 1 tsp salt, Put the florets of cauliflower in boiling water. Put off the gas. Put lid on the container. Keep the florets in the hot water till just tender (5-7 mins). Drain out the water from the flowers well.
2. Add little salt to chilli-garlic-ginger paste, mix well & marinate the tendered florets with this paste properly & keep aside for at least 1/2 an hr.
3. Mix the coarse besan with water to form the medium thick, smooth batter. Add salt as per test(take into account the salt added to the chilli-garlic-ginger paste) & 1 tblsp of hot oil. Mix well.
4. Heat the oil in a kadai over medium high heat.
5. Coat the marinated florets of cauliflower with the besan batter & fry them until golden brown.
6. Drain the pakodas on paper towel before serving hot with tomato sauce.

Poha Chivda

Ingredients:

1. Poha(beaten rice)-thin variety - 1/2kg
2. Split roasted chanas(dala) - 1cup
3. Roasted groundnuts - 1/4cup
4. Green Chilli paste - 2tsps
5. Finely chopped Curry leaves(kadhipatta) - as per liking
6. Mustard seeds - 2tsps
7. Asafoetida powder - 1tsp
8. Haldi powder - 1tsp
9. Ground sugar - 2tsps
10. Salt to taste

Ingredients for Chivda Masala:

   i) Coriander seeds - 5 to 6 tsps,
     Cumin seeds(jira) - 5 to 6 tsps,
     6-8 cloves & 6-7 black pepper

           OR

  ii) Cumin seeds - 6 to 7 tsps,
    Fennel seeds(Sauf) - 6 to 7 tsps
    Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Direction for Masala: 
Roast all the ingredients of (i) or (ii), grind to fine powder & keep aside. You can make masala & store it in air tight container.

Directions for Chivda:

1. Dry roast the Poha on low flame till they become crispy. 
2. Take oil  in kadai, keep on the gas stove. In hot oil, add mustard seeds, asafoedita, haldi powder. Then add green chilli paste, stir for a minute. Add   finely chopped curry leaves, stir for a minute. Add roasted ground nuts & dala, fry for some time. Add masala powder, ground sugar & salt. Mix & put off the gas. 
3. Add roasted poha & mix well. 
4. Let it cool, do not keep the kadai under the fan. Store the Chivda in an air tight container.

Note:

One can also add puffed rice flecks(kurmura) to the Chivda. Proportion as per ones liking. Poha, Ground nuts, Dala can be roasted in microwave oven.

Baked Vegetables

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower - 1 cup (cut in medium size pieces)
2. Carrot - 0.5 cup (cut in medium size pieces)
3. Simla Mirch (Green Peppers) - 1 (cut in square pieces)
4. Green Peas - 0.5 cup
5. Mashrooms - 15
6. Paneer - 100 gm (cut in square pieces)
7. Potato - 1 (big-boiled)
8. Green chilli-Garlic Paste - 2 tsps (as per taste)
9. Black pepper powder - 2 tsps
10. White Vinegar - 1 tblsp
11. Corn flour - 2 tsps
12. Oil - 2 tsps
13. Cheese - 1 bowl (grated)
14. Salt - To taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in the fry pan. Add chilli-garlic paste. Cook for a minute, add all vegetables except paneer.  Stir well, put lid & allow to half cook. 
2. Cut paneer to square pieces, sprinkle some pepper powder & salt, mix well. Fry a little on hot tawa & add  to vegetables. Mix well.
3. Add pepper powder, white vinegar & mix.
4. Mix corn flour in 1/4th cup of water to make smooth paste & pour on  the vegetables, mix well.
5. Take a greassed container. Pour 1/2 the volume in the container. Spread thin layer of grated cheese. Pour the remaining vegetables. Cover with layer of remaining grated cheese.
6. Preheat oven at 200 °C. Bake at 200 °C for about 15 (till the cheese layer turns golden brown).

Note:
Vegetable quantity can be changed as per liking or availability.