Masala Lemonade

Treat your taste buds this summer with this simple, yet refreshing masala lemonade. You can surprise your guests and friends by serving them this home-made sweet-n-salt lemonade.

You need:

1. Lemon 
2. 7-up/Sprite 
3. Chaat masala
4. Pepper powder
5. Sugar
6. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Put a little quantity of each, chaat masala, pepper powder, salt and sugar into a glass.
2. Add lemon juice and required amount of chilled 7-up/Sprite.

Tips:

1. You can use any soda of your choice to replace 7-up.
2. You can always customize the lemonade according to how you want it to taste.

Easy Egg Roll

Egg roll is a healthy dish, which people of all age groups enjoy having for breakfast and as an evening snack. This roll can be made with simple ingredients available at home.

You need:

1. Eggs
2. Wheat flour
3. Onions
4. Carrots
5. Green chillies
6. Coriander leaves
7. Tomato sauce
8. Pepper powder
9. Oil
10. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Make chapati dough using wheat flour, salt and oil. 
2. Make chapatis.
3. Take a bowl and put chopped onions, grated carrot, salt, pepper powder and coriander leaves. 
4. Add tomato sauce to the above mixture, just enough to make it sticky.
5. Separate the shell of the egg, put the egg white and yolk in a bowl, add salt, finely chopped green chillies and mix well.
6. Take a tawa and make omelette. Put the cooked chapati on the omelette which is on the tawa. 
7. Cook for a minute or two by flipping both the omelette and chapati together.
8. Now spread the onion-carrot mixture on the omelette keeping chapati at the bottom. Roll and serve. 

Tips:

1. You can keep two tawas on the stove and make chapatis, and omelette simultaneously.

2. You can also add chopped green chillies to the onion-carrot mixture if required. 

Aloo Bombay Sagu

This aloo (potato) sagu is mostly known as Bombay sagu in South India. This people's favourite sagu is served with rava idli and poori in the restaurants. However, it is good with chapatis and rotis too.

You need:

1. Potatoes - 4
2. Onions - 2
3. Tomato - 1-2
4. Gram flour/Besan - 2 tbsp (optional)
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Green chillies - 4-5
7. Curry leaves - 7-8
8. Coriander leaves
9. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
10. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
11. Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
12. Oil
13. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Cook Potatoes in a pressure cooker. Mash and keep it aside.
2. Take a pan, put oil, mustard seeds, jeera, chopped ginger and green chillies, curry leaves and onion. Saute well.
3. Add tomatoes, garam masala powder, cooked potatoes, salt and a little water.
4. Now take gram flour in a small bowl and add a little water to make paste. 
5. Add this paste into the pan and boil until you get the required consistency. 
6. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve.

Tips:

1. You can use red chilly powder instead of green chillies. 
2. Gram flour can be added only if you want the sagu to be thick. 

Rava Pongal

Rava pongal is both tasty and a healthy dish that can be made very easily. For all of you who can not include rice in your diet, rava pongal is a substitute for the regular rice pongal. 

You need:

1. Rava/Semolina/Soji - 1 cup
2. Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
3. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
4. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Cashew nuts (optional) - 1 tbsp
6. Ginger - 1 inch
7. Curry leaves - 8-10
8. Dry red chillies - 4-5
9. Black pepper powder - 2 tsp
10. Ghee - 2 tsp
11. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Roast the rava until it starts turning golden brown without using any oil. Keep it aside.
2. Cook the moong dal in a pressure cooker with 1 cup of water.
3. Take a pan, add ghee, mustard seeds, jeera, cashew nuts, dry red chillies, finely chopped ginger and curry leaves.
4. Add the cooked moong dal, black pepper powder and water. Boil it. 
5. As you stir the moong dal add rava simultaneously without making lumps.
6. Add salt and boil until the rava is cooked. Serve.  

Tips:

1. Do not roast the rava too much.
2. You can add additional water if you feel it is required. Just make sure the pongal is not too watery nor too thick. 

Ennegai

Ennegai is a very famous north Karnataka dish made of brinjals/eggplantsand other special ingredients. It is mostly served with Jolada rotti/Corn flour rotti or Chapatis. 

You need:

1. Brinjals/Eggplants - 1/2 kg
2. Tomato - 1
3. Onions - 2
4. Groundnut powder - 2 tbsp
5. Red chilly powder - 2 tsp
6. Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
7. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
8. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Curry leaves
11. Uchellu/Niger seeds powder - 2 tsp (optional)
12. Oil
13. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Slit the brinjals from the bottom without cutting or discarding the stem. Keep it aside. 
2. Grind tomato and onions. Keep it aside.
3. In a pan put 3 tbsp of oil, mustard seeds, jeera, turmeric powder, curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste, tomato-onion mixture, red chilly powder, groundnut powder, brinjals, salt and little water. Boil until the brinjals are cooked well. 
4. Add uchellu or niger seeds powder at the end before turning the stove off. Serve.

Tips:

1. You can add Uchellu/Niger seeds powder only if it is available in the market.
2. Try not to add a lot of water as this dish needs to be thick. 

Sabudana Vada

Sabudana or Tapioca is used in India to make several dishes starting from desserts to snacks. This sabudana vada is crispy from the outside and juicy from inside.

You need: 

1. Sabudana/Tapioca - 1 cup
2. Curd - 1 cup
3. Rice flour - 2 cups
4. Onions - 3-4
5. Green chillies - 6-7
6. Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
7. Oil to fry
8. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Soak sabudana in curd and water for 4-5 hours OR overnight.
2. In a bowl, take rice flour, soaked sabudana, green chilly paste, salt, finely chopped onions and coriander leaves. Mix well.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
4. Put the above mixture using spoon and deep fry it till golden brown. Serve hot. 

Tips:

1. You can ask for either regular or nylon sabudana in the store.
2. You can also use finely chopped green chillies instead of chilly paste. 

Shavige (vermicelli) Payasa/Porridge

Shavige/Sevai payasa/pordrige is an all time favourite dessert for the kids. They will enjoy the combination of milk, sugar and dry fruits in this dessert. 

You need:

1. Shavige/Vermicelli - 100 g 
2. Milk - 1 ltr
3. Sugar - 150 g
4. Elachi/Cardamom powder - 2 pinches
5. Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp
6. Dry grapes/Raisins - 2 tbsp
7. Ghee

All you need to do is:

1. Roast the plain and dry vermicelli for 5 minutes. Keep it aside.
2. Take some water in a vessel, add the vermicelli and wait for it to cook.
3. Now add milk and sugar, and keep stirring for 10-15 minutes. Add cardamom powder and put the stove off once the milk is boiled.
4. Fry the cut cashew nuts in a small container with 2 tsp ghee. After the cashew nuts start turning brownish, add raisins, allow them to bloat and put the stove off.
5. Add the fried nuts and raisins to the porridge. Serve. 

Tips:

1. The quantity of milk and water can be decided by you depending on how thick you want the porridge to be. 
2. If the porridge becomes too thick after sometime, you can add extra milk or water and boil it before serving. 

Tomato Pappu

Andhra Pradesh is always known for a variety of delicacies. The famous tomato pappu is one among them and has always been a rice lover's favourite. 

You need:

1. Toor Dal (pigeon peas) - 1 cup
2. Riped tomotoes - 4
3. Green chillies - 5-6
4. Dry red chillies - 2
5. Curry leaves - 8-10
6. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Asafoetida/Hing - 1 pinch
9. Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
10. Garlic - 6 cloves
11. Chilly powder
12. Oil
13. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Cook toor dal with salt in a pressure cooker until 5-6 whistles. Let it cool.
2. Take a frying pan, put oil, mustard seeds, hing, turmeric powder, jeera, dry red chillies, finely chopped garlic, green chillies, curry leaves and finely chopped tomatoes.
3. Add a little water and let the tomatoes cook well.
4. Now add the cooked toor dal, chilly powder, salt and mix well. Let it boil for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with rice. 

Tips:

1. You can also add ginger with garlic if required. 

Vegetable Momo (steamed)

Vegetable momo is a healthy dish originated in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan borders. This is the easiest and tastiest dumpling to be made. 

You need:

1. Flour/Maida - 1 cup
2. Spring onions
3. Carrot
4. Cabbage
5. Pepper powder
6. Soy sauce - 2tsp
7. Garlic
8. Oil
9. Sugar
10. Salt

All you need to do is:

For the dough:

1. Take maida flour, add salt, 2 tsp of oil and mix well using water to make it like a poori dough.
2. Cover the dough and leave it aside for an hour.

For the filling:

1. Finely chop all the vegetables and keep it aside. 
2. Take a frying pan, add oil, garlic, chopped vegetables, sugar, pepper powder and salt.
3. Fry until the vegetables are cooked. Add soy sauce, mix and put the stove off.

To steam:

1. Make the dough flat and round like pooris. 
2. Take the above mixture and place it in the center of the poori.
3. Cover it from all sides so that it looks like in the above picture or better. ;)
4. Steam the momos in a pressure cooker for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Tips:

1. Garlic and tomato dip is a great combination with momo.
2. You can make the momo in any shape as per your wish. 

Vetha Kolumbu

Vetha Kolumbu is a Tamil Nadu specialty recipe. It was my grandparents' favorite dish. When mixed with rice, the great combination of tamarind and jaggery gives a tangy taste to your taste buds. 

You need:

1. Tamarind - Size of an orange
2. Jaggery 
3. Small sambar onions - 250 g
4. Rice flour - 1 and 1/2 tbsp (optional)
5. Curry leaves
6. Dry red chillies
7. Mustard seeds - 3 tsp
8. Urd Dal - 2 tsp
9. Fenugreek/Methi seeds - 1 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Asafoetida (Hing) - 1/2 tsp
12. Sambar powder - 2 tsp
13. Oil
14. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Soak tamarind in water for half an hour. Make it a paste while you remove seeds, if any. 
2. Take a frying pan, put 3 tbsp of oil and heat for half a minute. Add mustard seeds, hing, turmeric powder, urd dal, methi seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter. 
3. Add small onions. Fry until golden brown. 
4. Now add, tamarind extract, sambar powder, salt and jaggery as per your taste. Add a little water and let it boil. 
5. Boil the vetha kolumbu until the quantity reduces to a 3/4th. 
6. Add rice flour if you want the vetha kolumbu to be thick. Serve hot. 

Tips:

1. You can use tamarind paste/extract available in the market instead of manually extracting it. Decide the quantity depending on how strong the paste is.  
2. You can substitute any other vegetable for onion, which does not require to be cooked in a pressure cooker.
3. Vetha kolumbu should be taken in small quantities with rice as it has a sour and tangy taste. 

Aloo (Potato) Bonda

Aloo Bonda is a South Indian evening snack and everybody's favorite. It can be made with the ingredients which are mostly available at home.

You need:

1. Potatoes - 5-6
2. Gram flour - 250 g
3. Rice flour - 50 g
4. Turmeric powder
5. Red chilly powder
6. Baking soda (optional)
7. Green chillies
8. Coriander leaves
9. Ginger - 1 inch
10. Mustard for seasoning
11. Lemon - 1 big
12. Oil to fry
13. Salt

All you need to do is: 

For the filling:

1. Cook the potatoes with salt in a pressure cooker.
2. Mash the cooked potatoes and keep it aside. 
3. Take a pan, put a little oil, add turmeric powder, mustard seeds, finely chopped ginger and green chillies, fry for a minute. Add the mashed potato and mix well.
4. Put the flame off, add coriander leaves, lemon juice and mix. 

Batter:

1. Take gram flour and rice flour in a bowl, add water, salt, red chilly powder, baking soda and mix well without forming lumps. 
2. The mixture should be thick enough to stick to the filling. 

To fry:

1. Take a frying pan and heat oil to deep fry. 
2. Make the cooked potato into small balls and dip it in the batter and put them in the oil.
3. Deep fry the bondas until they turn golden brown. Serve hot. 

Tips:

1. Serve the aloo bonda with coriander chutney. 
2. Use tissue paper in order to remove the excess oil from the bonda. 

Moong Dal Masala

Moong Dal Masala is a very simple and tangy chaat which can be easily made by anyone. Kids will enjoy making this snack as it does not require the usage of stove or oven. 

You need:

1. Fried Moong Dal (split green gram) (available in the market) - 250 g
2. Onions - 2
3. Tomato - 1
4. Carrots - 2
5. Coriander leaves 
6. Green chillies 
7. Chaat masala powder
8. Lemon - 1 big
9. Black pepper powder (optional)
10. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Take the fried moong dal in a bowl, add grated carrot, chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and green chillies.
2.  Mix well and add salt, chaat masala, pepper powder and lemon juice. Mix well and Serve. 

Tips:

1. This snack should be served immediately after it is made, as the dal might become soggy. 
2. You can also deep fry the moong dal at home.

Mosaru Kodubale (Curd Kodubale)

After thoroughly enjoying the Karnataka's snack Kodubale, this is your time to try  a variant of the same. This tasty and mouth-watering crispy snack can be made for your guests to surprise them.

You need:

1. Curd - 2 cups
2. Rice flour - 1 cup
3. Green chilly paste
4. Coriander leaves
5. Oil to fry 
6. Salt

All you need to do is:

1. Take the curd in a vessel, add salt, chilly paste and coriander leaves. Keep it on the flame.
2. After boiling it for 5 - 8 minutes, put off the flame, add rice flour and knead well while it is still hot. 
3. Make kodubales from the mixture (as shown in the pic.) and deep fry them. Serve hot.

Tips:

1. If the mixture is very hot, you can put it into a plastic cover and then knead. 
2. Mosaru Kodubale can be served best with Coriander & Onion chutney. 

Pudina Onion Pakora

One of the most famous evening snacks of South India, hot and crispy pakoras are loved by all. Here's one of the most simple and easy to cook evening snack.

You need:

1. Pudina (mint) - 1 bunch
2. Onions - 3-4
3. Green Chillies - 4-5
4. Coriander Leaves
5. Curry Leaves (optional)

Batter:

1. Gram Flour - 2 cups
2. Rice Flour - 1/2 cup
3. Chilly Powder
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Baking Soda (optional) - 1 pinch
8. Salt
9. Cooking Oil 

All you need to do is:

1. Chop Onions thin and long and separate mint leaves from the stock. Chop coriander, curry leaves and green chillies finely. Keep them aside.
2. For the batter take gram flour, rice flour, baking soda, chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, 1 tbsp of hot cooking oil and salt. Add water little by little and mix well to make it a fine batter neither too sticky nor too watery.
3. Put the onions, mint leaves, green chillies, curry leaves to the batter.
4. Heat oil and put the pakora mixture in spoon. Fry until it turns golden brown. Serve hot.

Tips:

• Serve the pakoras hot with tomato sauce or mint leaves chutney.
• Use tissue paper to put the fried pakoras so that it absorbs excess oil. 

Vegetable Masala Rice

This is definitely a self invented recipe. Anyone can create their own recipe by just adding the perfect ingredients to make it tasty and healthy. This rice variety is easy to prepare especially because it does not need any grinding.

You need:

1. Basmati Rice - 2 cups
2. Onions - 2
3. Tomato - 1
4. Beans - 100 g
5. Carrot - 100 g
6. Green Peas - 100 g
7. Garlic - 6 cloves
8. Ginger - 1 inch
9. Green Chillies
10. Coriander leaves
11. Mustard
12. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
13. Clove
14. Cinnamon 
15. Garam Masala
16. Turmeric Powder
17. Salt
18. Oil

All you need to do is:

1. Cook rice and vegetables (beans, peas and carrots) in a pressure cooker or an electric cooker. Keep it aside.
2. Take a huge pan, put oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric powder, crushed ginger-garlic, finely chopped green chillies and chopped onions. Saute it well.
3. To the same pan, add chopped tomato, garam masala, and salt.
4. Once the tomato is cooked well, add the cooked vegetables. Saute it for 2 mins and add the cooked rice. Mix well and serve hot. 

Tips:

• Do not make the rice very sticky. 
• Can be served with Raita. 

Hot Garlic Sauce

Hot Garlic Sauce goes good with all the Chinese Rice and Noodles. According to me, it is the tastiest and easiest sauce ever to prepare.

You need:

1. Garlic - 1-2
2. Dry Red Chillies
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch
4. Spring onions
5. Soy Sauce
6. Salt
7. Oil

All you need to do is:

1. Take a pan, add oil, finely chopped garlic, crushed ginger, finely chopped dry red chillies, finely chopped spring onions and saute it well.
2. Add soy sauce, salt and boil for 3-4 minutes. Put off the stove. 

Tips: 

1. You can also add more veggies with this sauce to make it healthier. 
2. Do not add a lot of soy sauce. It might turn your sauce black in colour. 

Chilli Garlic Fried Rice

Chilli and Garlic make a great combination in most of the Asian dishes. Especially when mixed with rice, it gives a lingering aroma treating your taste buds.

You Need:

1. Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup
2. Regular Rice - 1/2 cup
3. Spring Onions 
4. Green Chillies - 5-6
5. Dry Red Chillies - 4-5
6. Garlic - 1- 2
7. Ginger - 2 inches
8. Soya Sauce
9. Salt
10. Oil

All you need to do is:

1. Mix and cook both the rice together without making it sticky. Keep it aside.
2. Take a huge pan, add oil, crushed ginger/garlic, green chilli paste, finely chopped red chillies and spring onions, add soya sauce and salt. Saute it well. Reduce the flame. 
3. Take the cooked rice and add it to the same pan and mix well. Serve hot.

Tips:

1. By adding more oil, you can prevent the rice from becoming dry. 
2. You can also finely chop the green chillies instead of making a paste.

Potato Cheese Balls

There are in fact, many ways to make these potato cheese balls. However made, it is always tasty with the combination of world's favorite vegetable 'Potato' and of course! Cheese. All you diet conscious people can try this out and prepare to run for an extra lap ;-)

You need:

1. Potato - 3-4
2. Cheese - 200 g
3. Corn Flour - 1-2 tbsp
4. Bread Crumbs- 1 cup
5. Chilli Powder
6. Garam Masala 
7. Green Chillies
8. Ginger - 1 inch
9.  Salt
10. Oil to fry

All you need to do is:

• Cook the potato in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles. After cooling, mash.

Mixture: 

• Take a bowl, add some part of mashed potato, grated cheese,  finely chopped green chillies, crushed ginger, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and mix well.

Dough:

• Take a bowl, add the remaining mashed potato, corn flour, bread crumbs, chilli powder, salt and make a dough with Chapati consistency.

To fry:

1. Take the dough, make small balls, flatten them to make circles.
2. Add 2tsp of the mixture into each circle and cover it to make balls.
3. Take a Kadai (pan), put oil and deep fry the potato cheese balls until golden brown. Serve hot.

Tips:

1. Do not add water while making the dough. 
2. Put the deep fried balls on a tissue paper, so that extra oil will be absorbed.
3. Potato cheese balls taste the best with tomato sauce and mayonnaise.  

Paneer Tikka

Paneer tikka is an India's preferred cuisine of all the paneer (cottage cheese) lovers. The combination of marinated and grilled, vegetables and paneer becomes mouth drooling with pudina (mint leaves) chutney. 

You need:

1.  Paneer - 200 g
2. Onion - 1
3. Capsicum -1
4. Tomato - 1
5. Thick Curd (Yogurt) - 300 g
6. Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tbsp
7. Ajwain (Carom seeds) - 1 tsp
8. Red chilli powder - 2-3 tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
11. Cumin seeds powder - 1 tsp
12. Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
13. Aam Chur (Dry Mango powder) - 1 tsp
14. Chat masala powder - 1 tsp
15. Black Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
16. Lemon - 1
17. Cooking Oil
18. Salt to taste

All you need to do is:

1. Chop the paneer and vegetables like dices (big enough to be skewered).
2. Mix all the other ingredients together.
3. Marinate (soak) the paneer and the vegetables with the mixture for 2-3 hours. 
4. After marination, arrange the paneer and the vegetables in the skewer (as shown in the picture).
5. Put the skewer on the grill and roast until it cooks. Serve with onions, lemon and mint chutney.

Tips: 

•  Longer the marination, tastier the dish. 
• If you do not have a grill, use microwave. Use wooden skewers in the microwave, and not the metal ones.
• If you neither have a grill, microwave or skewer, you can roast using a tawa (pan).

Brinjal (Eggplant) Curry

Brinjal or Eggplant is used to make a lot of dishes in South India. This brinjal curry can be eaten with rice, rotis or any other form of Indian bread.

You need:

1. Brinjal (Eggplant) - 500 g
2. Onions - 2 
3. Coconut (grated) - 1 tbsp
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
6. Channa Dal - 1 tsp
7. Urd Dal - 1 tsp
8. Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Rasam Powder
10. Curry Leaves
11. Coriander Leaves
12. Cooking Oil
13. Salt

 All you need to do is:

1. Take a pan. Put 3 tsp oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, urd dal, turmeric powder, curry leaves and sliced onions.
2. Fry the onions until it becomes translucent, add the chopped brinjal and fry for a minute.
3. Add water, rasam powder, grated coconut and salt.
4. Once the brinjals are cooked, add coriander leaves and serve.   

Tip: As you chop brinjals, put the cut pieces into the water to prevent the brinjals from turning black.