Hot & Sour Soup - Veg

During winter we really look for hot soup bowl. Hot & sour soup is one of my best soup I love. Though it is spicy it creates good appetite and feels warm during winter. It's a special soup for this winter. We can adjust the spiciness and make this healthy soup at home. Combination of more vegetables adds richness to this soup. It is so simple to make and we can really add pungent to this soup by adding chilli sauce & soya sauce. Sour taste we get by adding vinegar.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 nos
Measuring cup (1 cup = 250 ml)

Ingredients:

Onion - 1/4 cup ( Thinly sliced)
Capsicum - 1/4 cup ( julienne sliced)
Carrot - 1/4 cup (julienne sliced)
Beans - 6 nos ( finely chopped)
Red cabbage - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Mushroom - 1/4 cup (thinly sliced)
Celery/ coriander - 1/4 cup (washed, chopped & tightly packed)
Ginger - 1/2 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Garlic -1 teaspoon (finely chopped)
Salt - to taste
Water - 750 ml
Pepper - to taste
Corn flour - 2 tablespoon
Chilli - 1 (finely chopped)
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Palak leaf - 1/4 cup (washed & thinly sliced)
Soya sauce - 3/4 teaspoon
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Chilli sauce - 1/2  teaspoon( optional)

Method:

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables and keep aside.



2. Heat butter in a wok/kadai and add garlic to it. Saute it until it turns golden brown colour. Nice aroma arise out when garlic is saute in butter. Now add ginger, onion and saute until onion turns translucent colour.



3. Add beans, carrot, capsicum, cabbage, mushroom, chilli one by one and saute well until all veggies are half cooked.



4. Meanwhile make corn starch by mixing corn flour in 3-4 tablespoon of water to get thick paste.
5. Once mushroom turns slightly brown colour add celery and palak leaf. Saute it for a min.
6. Add water, salt and soya sauce and allow veggies to boil around 15 mins. Check for salt as soya sauce contains lot of salt.



7. Bring the soup to simmer on a medium flame and add corn starch and mix uniformly such that no lumps are formed.



8. When soup thickens add white pepper/ normal pepper and vinegar. Give a final stir and switch off the flame.



Hot and Sour soup is ready to be served. Serve it by sprinkling coriander/ celery leaf.

Tips:

1. Salt, pepper, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli are adjusted according to the taste. If you don't need the spiciness avoid adding chilli.

Malai Paneer - 15 mins Recipe

Very recent days I have tried so many paneer recipes and one of the most easiest recipe which is more creamy and tasty is Malai Paneer. Kids will love this recipe for sure. Cottage cheese dunked in fresh cream and spices which could be served as starter as well side dish for chappathi/ roti.

Preparation time : 5 mins
Cooking time : 10- 15 mins
Serves : 2 nos

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 (finely chopped, large)
Paneer - 200 gm (diced into cubes)
Ginger garlic paste -2 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Kashmiri red chilli Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Fresh Cream - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder - 1/8 teaspoon
Kasturi methi - 3/4 teaspoon(crushed)
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon of butter in a kadai and add chopped onion. Saute well until onion turns golden brown color.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well, until its raw smell vanish off.
3. In low flame add coriander powder, chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well and make sure, spices doesn't get burnt.



4. In low flame, add paneer cubes and mix well such that paneer is coated with masala.



5. In reduced flame, add fresh cream, such that paneer is coated with cream. Season with salt and stir well for 2-3 min



6. Once oil started oozing out, sprinkle kasturi methi and garam masala and stir well.
7. Switch off the flame and serve Malai paneer by garnishing with coriander leaf/ kasturi methi.

Malai panner is ready to be served. Serve it along with any bread varieties, roti, pulka.

Capsicum Chutney

Capsicum chutney is one my most favourite chutney. I love to have it along with soft and hot idli's or dosa. Below combination of ingredients adds separate flavor to this chutney. Capsicum generally have more nutritious value, contains vitamin c more than orange fruit and vitamin B6. Also it is one of the best anti oxidant.

Ingredients:

Green capsicum -1 no (diced into cubes, large)
Onion -1 (sliced, large)
Garlic cloves - 3 nos
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
Green chilli - 2 nos(slit)
Red chilli - 2nos
Coconut - 1 tablespoon (grated)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander - 1/2 cup
Asafoetida -1 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Tamarind paste - 1 teaspoon

Seasoning:

Oil - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves- few nos
Red chilli -1 no
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal (split)- 1 teaspoon

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in kadai and add garlic, ginger, green chilli, red chilli, onion and capsicum one after other and saute it in medium flame around 5  mins.
2. Add chopped coriander,coconut, curry leaves and tamarind paste and saute well again for 1 minute and switch off the flame.
3. Add  asafoetida and salt to the mixture and allow it to cool completely.
4. Once the above mixture completely cools off, add it to blender and make fine paste. check for salt.
5. In a separate kadai heat 2 teaspoon oil and add red chilli, mustard seeds, once it splutter add urad dal, curry leaf and switch off the flame.
6. Add above seasoning to chutney.

Capsicum chutney is ready to be served.

Aloo Gobi Pulao with Bhurani Raita

Aloo gobi pulao is simple and much easy to make when all ingredients are kept ready. Similar to variety rice, this pulao can be made. Aloo and gobi is a best in combination cooking. Children loves both aloo and gobi and I am sure its a best lunchbox recipe. Simple ingredients required to make this pulao. I used homemade pulao masala for making this recipe. We can also use pulao masala readily available over shops. Aloo and gobi fried in oil adds crunchiness to the dish. Serve this dish with Bhurani Raita which adds additional flavour and punch to this dish.

Preparation time : 30 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 nos

Ingredients:

Boiled Aloo (potato) - 2 nos
Cauliflower - 15 florets
Turmeric - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Oil - for deep fry
Basmathi rice - 1 cup
Water - 2 cup
Pulao Masala - 2 teaspoon
Bayleaf - 2nos
Cloves - 2 nos
Cardamom - 2 nos
Cinnamon stick (patta) - 2 nos
Ghee - 2 teaspoon
Coriander - 1 tablespoon(chopped, optional)

Method:

1. Boil potatoes by adding little salt and allow them to cool off. Cut them into small cubes along with skin.



2. Separate whole cauliflower into florets, clean them by washing it under running water. In a bowl add water, turmeric, salt and soak washed cauliflower in it for 10 minutes.



3. Wash and soak basmathi rice for 20 mins and pressure cook for 3 whistle by adding little oil and salt.
4. Spread cooked rice in a large plate using fork and allow them to cool off.
5. Deep fry cubed potatoes in oil until they turn golden brown in colour and keep them aside.
6. Similarly deep fry soaked cauliflower in oil, until it turns golden brown in colour. Cauliflower will have nice crunchy texture.



7. Heat 2 teaspoon ghee in a kadai, add spice (cardamom, bayleaf, cinnamon stick and cloves) and saute it for 2 mins.
8. Add fried potatoes and cauliflower into kadai and sprinkle lavish amount of pulao masala to it. Add cooked rice, salt and toss well until each rice is coated with pulao masala. Toss it over low flame for 5 mins.
9. Finally add chopped coriander.

Serve this Aloo Gobi pulao with Bhurani Raita. For Bhurani Raita recipe, click the link.

Pulao masala

Pulao masala gives different aroma to the dish. We can easily make this masala at home. To make simple pulao we can make use of this masala. Various masala are used in Indian cuisine for cooking. It is always good to have different spice powder that too prepared at home.

Ingredients:

Coriander seeds - 3 tablespoon
Black pepper - 1/2 tablespoon
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds (perunjeeragam)- 3 tablespoon
Bay leaf (brinji ilai) - 5 nos
Cinnamon sticks (pattai) - 3 nos
Cloves (lavangam) - 12 nos
Cardamom - 15 nos
Red chilli - 4 nos
Mace (Jathi poo) - 1 tablespoon
Nutmeg (Jathikai) - 1 no

Method:

1.Dry roast all the above ingredients in a pan and adding one by one.



2. Allow them to cool off before blending.



3. In a mixture, blend the above dried ingredients into fine powder.

Tips:

1. This powder can be used for pulao and briyani as well.

Bhurani Raita

A different variety of raita which add's compliment to the main course is "Bhurani Raita". Bhurani mean Garlic in hindi. Raita prepared with garlic and spice powder that adds flavour to briyani or pulao .

Ingredients:

Garlic cloves - 10 nos
Thick yogurt - 1 cup
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - 2 pinch

Method:

1. Finely chop garlic cloves.
2. Heat oil in a small pan and add garlic to it. Saute it until it turns golden brown in colour.
3. Whisk thick curd in a cup by adding needed salt.
4. Add saute garlic to the whipped curd and mix well.
5. Finally add 2 pinch of red chilli powder and serve it.

Brinjal Chutney

I learnt this recipe from my co-sister, she made it for me one fine evening with soft idli's. I loved it so much and learned what ingredients she used to make this chutney. I am just sharing this post for chutney lovers and especially for mom's who loves to make variety of chutney. This chutney goes well with dosa, idli and oothapam.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Serves: 2 Nos

Ingredients:

Purple brinjal - 10 nos( small size)
Onion - 1 (roughly chopped, medium size)
Green chilli - 3 nos
Curry leaves - hand full
Garlic cloves - 4 nos
Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 4 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Ginger - 1 inch (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and remove head of brinjal and cut each of them roughly into 4 halves.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry onion,garlic. Once it is half cooked, add brinjal and saute well until, brinjal turns soft.



3. Add curry leaves, green chilli and asafoetida into the pan one by one and saute well.



4. Transfer all the ingredients to a plate and allow them to cool off.
5. Add this mixture to blender and grind it to fine paste by adding little salt and sprinkle water if required.
6. Heat oil in a separate pan, add mustard seeds, once mustard splutter add red chilli, urad dal, curry leaves and saute it until urad dal turns golden brown colour. Add this tempering mixture to chutney and serve.