Healthy and Tasty Khandavi

Its an amazing dish. Super easy to make and healthy too. Its almost no oil except for the small amount used for the ‘tadka’, which you can omit if you wish. But the tadka is like the feather in the cap so I would go for it, using very small quantity of vegetable oil or substitute it with a good quality olive pomace oil. Khandavi is an Indian Gujarati dish made with besan (chick pea flour) and curd. Both of these are very healthy ingredients. The best thing I like about it is that it can be made ahead for any small get together with a couple of friends and is best enjoyed at room temperature (Store in fridge if you intend to use it next day). Further it can serve as an anytime snack or food. Hey , it should be an ideal snack for the festival of ‘Holi’! O.K. so enough of talking for now. I’m sure you’re getting a wee bit impatient. Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients for Khandavi:
1 cup besan
1 cup curd
2 cups water
1 level tsp salt
1/4 level tsp turmeric
1 pinch asafoetida (hing) which is optional
Paste of 1/2 inch piece ginger and one large green chilli

Ingredients for tempering (tadka) and garnish:
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
10- 12 curry leaves
chopped coriander leaves
1 to 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut or paneer (optional)

Method:
Mix together all the ingredients for the khandvi into a smooth paste. There should be no lumps. Pour this mixture into a heavy bottom sauce pan or wok and cook stirring continuously on low to medium heat till the mixture thickens but is still spreadable. This should take about 10 to 12 minutes. Taste a little to check that the rawness of the besan is not there. Take about 2 ladle fulls of the batter and spread evenly into a thin layer (approximately 4 mm thick) onto the back of a large steel tray, or baking tray or even kitchen counter. You may need several plates depending on their size. Let cool for 5 to 6 minutes. Meanwhile prepare tempering by spluttering the mustard seeds in the hot oil. Add the roughly chopped curry leaves and switch off the gas. Now using knife cut the khandavi layer into equal sized strips (about 1and 1/2 inch width) and loosen the edge with knife. Roll starting from one end and arrange into serving dish. Garnish with the tadka and grated coconut or paneer (cottage cheese). I like to add a dash of red chilly powder too. Enjoy the healthy almost no oil and gluten free Khandvi.

Note: 1. In first attempt, usually the layers turn out a bit thick.
2. If curd is not sour,add 1 tbsp lemon juice, for better flavour.

Source: Healthy and Tasty Khandavi

Awesome Chef- Dream Meals at Your Dinner Table

Have you ever dreamed of being an awesome chef? Desired to be able to rustle up perfect meals that are fresh and awesome, straight from your kitchen to the dining table? How one yearns to earn that well deserved praise from spouse, children, relatives and friends!

Well, the time has now come to help you fulfill that long cherished wish, and that too with minimum fuss! You can be an ‘awesome chef’ with the launch of a new brand called ‘Awesome chef‘ by Awesome Cuisine Pvt. Ltd. The “Ready-to-cook Meal Kit”  food delivery service, was launched by the company in Chennai recently in February, 2016. Since this launch there has been no looking back. My friends in Chennai have been singing praises of this service and sharing pictures of their awesome home cooked dishes like Kung pao potatoes and Spirelli in mushroom sauce! So delicious and mouth watering, you would wish to cook these and more everyday. With the ready to cook meal kit this is possible.

Kung Pao Potatoes

According to the Co-Founder & Head of Operations of Awesome Cuisine (also winner of the 2015 “Best Chennai Blog” award), over the past few years, there has been an increase in home-cooks, thanks to amazing programs like MasterChef or shows featuring famous chefs like Chef Venkatesh Bhat or Chef Damu. The “Art of Cooking” these days, has surpassed the gender divide and we see amazing chefs in husbands, dads and kids. Living in a hectic world there is either less time to shop or a challenge to source the right ingredients. Awesome Chef fills this need by providing all the requisite ingredients along with the set of instructions to cook the dishes one sees on their site.

The Chief Culinary Officer explains that they are thrilled to be able to help people avoid waiting in queues, offering the best ingredients with no harmful chemicals and giving families more precious time with each other. All Awesome Chef “ready-to-cook” kits are packed with the freshest and finest pre-measured ingredients that can serve 2 to 3 people.

These efforts are in deed laudable. Safe, pure, hygienically cooked home food, that’s chef inspired with the exact recipe and really so tasty that it is nonpareil. To top it all, commitment to excellent customer care is the feather in the cap. You can experience Awesome Chef at https://www.AwesomeChef.in and give your taste buds a real treat! This is such a novel idea that it can revolutionize  the way the world cooks. We all look forward to having Awesome Chef dream meals on our dinner table everyday!

 

 

Comforting Fig and Corn Salad with Basil

What could be a better start to the evening than a comforting and wholesome fig and corn salad garnished with fresh basil leaves. My sister has a farm close to chandigarh and I had to visit her today for some work. She insisted that I pick some figs to take back home. I really must thank her, because the figs were beautifully ripe, succulent and juicy, and immensely inviting in their deep purple colour. Along with these I also plucked some fresh basil leaves and the idea to make a tasty salad had already popped in my head. The result was just as I expected- worthy of sharing the recipe! God bless my sister.

The dictionary defines a salad as something that is served cold. But over a period of time the concept of a salad seems to have evolved and we can have salads that can be devoured warm as well as cold. This particular salad tastes great when it is warm! Besides being tasty and super quick to make its very healthy and packed with nutrition. Its a delicious salad to perk up your summer evening. So, here goes the recipe!

Warm Fig and Corn Salad with Basil  (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion chopped into small pieces
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic chopped
•  4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 and 1/2 cup of juicy corn kernels
• 1 large carrot peeled and cut into small pieces
• 5 figs, halved or quartered ( or more if you like)
• About ten to fifteen basil leaves
• Fresh coriander leaves
• 2 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• salt and black pepper to taste
• Balsamic vinegar

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a pan, but don’t let it overheat. add the garlic

Comforting fig and corn salad with basil

and saute for half a minute. Now add the chopped onion and continue to stir fry till they become translucent and just begin to caramelize. Add carrots and corn kernels (The corn kernels can be pre- cooked in a microwave with 2 tsp water on high for about 1 minute). Stir fry  for about 1 minute more. Transfer the veggies  to the serving plate. Now place the halved figs flat side down in the same pan. Add a few more drops of olive oil. cook for 1 minute and turn the sides and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer to serving plate. Drizzle some honey over the figs. Garnish with fresh basil and balsamic  vinegar. Enjoy!