Main course

Red Rice Idli or Dosa Mau **

These pretty pink idlis and dosas are surprisingly tasty, filling and healthy being made of all whole
ingredients. Once you get hooked on these the white ones dont appeal any more. Ingredients

4 cups unpolished red rice

1 cup whole (black) urad dal
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste

Method
Separately soak the red rice and the urad dal for 6-8 hours. Soak 1 teaspoon of fenugreek seeds
either with the rice or dal. Add salt to taste.
Grind the soaked rice in the blender (or idli grinder) till you get a slightly coarse (but almost
smooth) paste. Pour into a large bowl.
Grind the soaked urad dal in the blender till very smooth and mix with the rice paste.
Allow this mixture to ferment for 8-12 hours depending on the room temperature. In summer days 8
hours is sufficient, but on cooler days it takes longer. You can smell it to tell whether it is ready or
not. It should have a slightly sour, fermented smell (I like it a bit more sour so I always keep it out
14 hours).
Pour into an idli steamer to make idlis
Add water so that it is of the consistency of dosa batter (somewhat similar to pancake batter) to
make dosas
Tip:
Dosas can be made on a thick iron dosa tawa without any oil by rubbing it with a chopped potato or
onion before pouring the batter. Or you can use a non stick tawa to do this.
Variation for Dosas
An equal volume or less of finely grated lauki (dudhi) or pumpkin can be mixed with the mixture
along with ginger chilly paste to taste. This makes tasty, slightly thicker dosas which are a big hit
with children and a good way to feed them the vegetables they dont care for.
Serve with sambhar and coconut chutney
Serves 8-10

Jeera Red Rice

Ingredients

1 cup of red rice

1 tsp oil
2 tbsp onions
2 pcs of slit green chillies
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 leaves of bayleaf
1 inch piece of cinnamon
2-3 pcs cloves
2 pcs of cardamom
tsp jeera seeds

Method
Clean, wash and soak red rice in water for 30 minutes. In a pan, heat oil. Add jeera seeds and let
them splutter/pop. Add sliced onions and slit green chillies, and saut till onions are transparent.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry lightly. Add water (3 times the quantity of rice) and salt, and bring
to boil.
Put the rice in the pot of boiling water. Mix thoroughly and bring to boil. Reduce flame and cook
until rice absorbs water.
Add chopped coriander and mint. Seal tightly with a fitting lid and place pot on top of a thick tawa.
(to ensure that rice is cooked well, do not place the pot directly on top of the flame/stove.) When
steam comes out of the sides of the lid, the rice is done.

Snacks
Chickpea masala chaat
Ingredients

100g cooked chickpeas

2 med onions finely chopped
4 tomatoes chopped
3-4 cucumbers finely chopped
2 steamed/ boiled potatoes chopped
4 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
cup sprouts (optional)

For the dressing

juice of 2-3 lemons

1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional)

1 tbsp date paste
black salt
tsp cumin powder

Method
Whisk the dressing ingredients together. Toss with the salad and garnish with coriander.
Serves 6-8

Bread upma
This is an excellent recipe if you have bread which is going hard. Always use whole wheat bread.
Ingredients

4 slices Whole Wheat bread, crumbled

1 medium sized onion
2 medium tomatoes
2 tsp udad daal
tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp grated ginger
1 green chilly chopped
chopped fresh coriander for garnish
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp oil
asafetida
salt to taste

Method
Heat the oil in a pan and temper the udad daal, mustard seeds and asafetida. Add green chillies and
onions and fry. When they begin to brown add tomatoes and ginger and cook a little. Stir in the
bread. Add salt to taste. Turn off the fire and add lime juice and coriander and serve.

Alu tikki

Ingredients
2 large potatoes boiled & peeled
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (aka Kasoori Methi)

2 tbsp roasted peanuts roughly crushed

onion medium, finely chopped
green chilies to taste, finely chopped
salt to taste
tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp chaat masala
tsp dried mango powder (aka Amchur)
2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
bread crumbs as needed for coating tikkis or dry roasted peanut powder

Method
Using a grater, grate boiled potatoes (big shred). Potatoes can also be mashed using potato masher.
Add onions, peanuts, cilantro, green chilies and dried fenugreek leaves. Mix gently. Add salt, chaat
masala, roasted cumin powder and dried mango powder. Mix well. Take a portion of the potato
mixture into your hands. Roll it into a ball and flatten it out gently. Tikki can be rolled small for
appetizers or larger for veggie burgers. Roll out all of the tikkis. Pour out some breadcrumbs or dry
roasted peanut powder on a flat plate and dip and roll the tikkis to coat completely. Heat a non-stick
skillet on medium heat and fry the tikkis without any oil until they are crispy and brown. Both sides
should
be
browned.
Serve hot with mint or coriander chutney and tamarind or amchur chutney.

Bhel puri
Ingredients

1 cup puffed brown rice

cup onions, chopped fine
4 tomatoes, chopped fine
2 small cucumbers, chopped fine
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped fine
Roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
1 tbsp lime juice or date and tamarind paste
Black salt to taste

Method
Toss all ingredient together and garnish with a little coriander and crushed peanuts
Serves 4

Corn bhel
Ingredients

1/2 cup steamed american corn kernels

1/3 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped boiled potatoes
2 tbsp finely chopped capsicum
1/3 cup chopped cucumber
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander

1/2 tbsp date tamarind chutney

1/2 tbsp spicy chutney
pinch of roasted cumin seeds
rock salt to taste
chopped coriander for garnish

Method
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to taste. Garnish just before serving.

Dhokla
Ingredients

Crushed

1
1 tbsp grated coconut

cup
tbsp

1
tsp

lime

tsp

ginger

and
tsp
tsp
few

1
tsp

green
mustard
sesame
curry
green
raisin

chili

besan
semolina
juice
Eno
Salt
paste
seeds
seeds
leaves
chili
paste

Method
Mix besan, semolina, lime juice, water, Eno, salt and crushed ginger and green chili paste
thoroughly
and
steam
this
batter.
Make a seasoning of mustard seeds, sesame seeds, curry leaves, green chilies, raisin paste and when
ready
add
2
cups
water
to
this
seasoning
and
boil.
Now
pour
the
boiling
water
over
the
steamed
dhoklas.
Can also add little grated coconut.
Serves 2

Grain free papdi chaat

Ingredients

250 gm yam or sweet potatoes

2 medium potatoes
1 med tomato finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
dash of black pepper
1 lime juice
salt to taste

Ingredients for tamarind chutney

cup tamarind paste
3-4 soaked or soft dates

 black salt to taste

tsp roasted cumin seeds
10-12 mint leaves finely chopped
Ingredients for coriander chutney

100g coriander leaves

5-6 spinach leaves
1 tbsp raw peanuts
tsp green chilly
tsp cumin seeds
lemon/ lime
1 tbsp water
salt to taste

Method
Chop
the
yam
or
potatoes
into
Cut potatoes into two halves and steam the yam and potatoes together
Take one potato and mash with all the yam, pepper, coriander and
Peel
and
slice
the
other
potato
into
thin
In a plate arrange the potato slices like paapdi and top
Garnish with chopped tomatoes and the two chutneys.

small
pieces
for 10-12 minutes
salt to mix well.
round
slices.
with the mash.

Tamarind Chutney
If raw, soak tamarind and dates in hot water for 20 mins. Keep the water and remove the seeds from
dates
and
tamarind.
To this pulp add chopped mint and grind to a fine paste in blender
Pour
this
paste
into
a
pan
and
mix
in
all
the
spices.
If you like, you can cook this for 5 mins or use it raw. The consistency should be like honey.
Coriander Chutney
Mix all ingredients and grind in blender to a fine paste. Squeeze half a lemon juice in the paste and
mix in.
Serves 2-3

Masala idli with spicy dahi

Ingredients for masala idli

1 cup urad dal (skinless), washed, rinsed

1 cup moong dal (skinless), washed and rinsed
cup of shredded carrots
2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander leaves.
tsp ginger & green chili paste
tsp of fenugreek seed
sea salt to taste

Ingredients for spicy dahi

2 cups soy curd

2 cups water
1 tsp mustard seed
3 to 4 whole dry round red chillies
tsp asafetida (hing)
8 10 curry leaves
green chilly sliced in 2 longitudinally with the seeds removed
tsp sea salt
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tbsp stevia powder or maple syrup
tsp of coarsely roasted jeera powder

Method
For masala idli
Soak urad and moong dal separately for 2 hours (Its better to use half and half the first time till you
get
a
feel
for
it).
Grind the soaked udad and moong dal in the blender till you get a slightly coarse (but almost
smooth) paste, pour into a large bowl and add fenugreek seeds. Allow this mixture to ferment for 812 hours depending on the room temperature. In summer days 8 hours is sufficient, but on cooler
days it takes longer. You can smell it to tell whether it is ready or not. It should have a slightly sour,
fermented smell. Add water so that it is of the consistency of dhosa batter (somewhat similar to
pancake batter). Add carrots, chopped fresh coriander, ginger-green chilli paste and sea salt.
Steam in an idli steamer and serve hot with cold spicy dahi.
For spicy dahi
Mix soy curd with water well, preferably with a hand blender to make a liquid consistency. Heat a
pot on medium flame and add mustard seeds, and when they begin sputter, add asafetida, curry
leaves, red and green chillies. Within seconds, as soon as the leaves and chillies are slightly cooked
turn down the flame and add to the curd liquid. Add sea salt, crushed ginger, coarsely roasted jeera
powder, stevia powder and mix well. Refrigerate and serve cold over hot idlis.

Moong chaat
Ingredients

2 cups sprouted moong beans

tsp turmeric
1 potato steamed and cubed
1 tomato diced
1 cucumber diced
1 onion chopped fine (optional)
lemon Juice
red chili powder
coriander leaves chopped fine
amchur Powder
chaat masala
1 finely chopped onion (optional)

Method
Steam the moong beans with some turmeric for about 15 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients
and serve.

Oil free pakoras**

Want to be healthy and still eat Pakoras? Well now you can have your pakora and eat it too!
Ingredients
1 cup mixed chopped vegetables (you can use cabbage, onions, carrots or any vegetables of
your choice)
cup besan
spices of your choice ginger, garlic, chillies, red chilly powder, whole dhania
tsp turmeric
salt to taste
minced fresh coriander
water as needed to make the blend thick and sticky just slightly thicker than normally used
for pakoras
pinch of soda
Method
Mix all the ingredients and make small 1 inch balls and put in a steamer. Steam till done (if you put
a fork in, it will come off clean or the pakora does not stick to the steamer and can be easily moved)
Take them out of the steamer and pop them in the oven at 200C for a short time till outer crust is
brown.
Variation
If you want to impress people you could brush the outer surface with a slight bit of oil to make them
more crispy before putting them in the oven.

Onion bhajjia
Ingredients

4 medium onions slices long and medium fine

4 heaped tbsp besan flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chillt powder
1/4 tsp haldi powder
ginger chilly paste to taste
ajwain to taste

Method
Mix all the ingredients together and let stand for about 2 minutes. The onions will release water
which will help bind the ingredients. Place these on a (greased) baking tray in little blobs of about 1
tsp. (Depending on the type of tray, it may have to be greased slightly), and allow to bake in a
preheated oven at 190 C till it begins to brown. Serve hot with chutney.
Serves 4

Ragda patties

Ingredients

250g white vatana (dried white peas)

500g potatoes
2 tbsp cornflour
1 green chilli
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
10 Curry leaves (kadhi patta)
2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric (haldi)
1 tbsp oil to fry
salt as per taste

Method
Soak vatana in water for about six hours and boil with haldi till done. Add salt, mash a little. Boil
potatoes, peel & mash them, add corn flour, finely cut green chilies and salt. To make the pattice,
make small balls of the potato mix and then apply slight pressure to flatten it evenly.
Heat the tava, put a little oil on it just to avoid sticking & cook the pattice gently on both sides on
slow or medium heat. Keep aside. Heat 1 tbsp. of oil, lightly fry jeera, kadhi patta, chili powder and
garam masala Powder to make vaghar. Add the peas to this. Just before serving, take pattice and
pour ragda on it.
Serve hot with tamarind chutney and sliced onions, and garnish with coriander.

Tofu cutlets

Ingredients

1 packet freezed tofu

3 medium potatoes boiled
1 small beetroot boiled
2 carrots boiled
cup diced green beans or peas boiled
1 tsp green chilly & ginger paste
salt to taste
bread crumbs
oil for pan frying

Method
Take the tofu from the packet, pour out the water and squeeze. The texture of the tofu will have
changed due to freezing. Crumble this and mash with the vegetables and salt and ginger-chilly paste
and form into the shape desired. Roll in bread crumbs and pan fry.

Upma
Ingredients

2 tbsp urad dal

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch asafetida
1/2 cup rawa
1/2 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped tomato
cup chopped steamed carrots
cup chopped steamed french beans
finely chopped ginger and chillies or ginger chilly paste
few curry leaves
sea salt to taste
fresh coriander for garnishing
lemon juice for garnishing
1 cups boiling water

Method
On a low fire, in a thick kadhai, put the urad dal and begin to stir. After a minute add in the mustard

seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop the urad dal will be turning golden. Add asafoetida,
curry leaves, and then immediately add onions. Keep stirring till onions go translucent. Add rawa,
chillies, and ginger or ginger chilli paste and salt and stir till the rawa starts changing color. Add
tomatoes and stir till they are half cooked. Add steamed beans and carrots. Add boiling / hot water,
1/2 cup at a time while going on stirring till the rawa expands and you get the desired consistency.
All the water may not be used.
Garnish with coriander and lemon juice and serve hot.
Variations
Use ground maize, bajra sevai or wheat dalia instead of rawa. Use finely chopped, steamed french
beans and carrots instead of tomatoes. Serve with Green Coriander & Mint Chutney or Coconut
Chutney.

Vegetable cutlets

Ingredients

8 medium size potatoes

200g carrots
200g french beans
2 finely chopped onions
1/2 cup finely chopped corriander
1/2 cup finely chopped mint
ginger chilli paste to taste
salt to taste
lime juice to taste
peanut powder

Method
Boil potatoes, carrots, and French beans. Dice the carrots and French beans into 1/2 cm peices.
Mash the potatoes.
Add finely chopped onions, finely chopped mint and finely chopped coriander. Add ginger chilli
paste and salt and lime juice to taste.
Mix the ingredients and shape into 2 inch diameter cutlets. Cover lightly with peanut powder and
cook over a slow fire on a thick iron tawa on both sides. Serve with coriander chutney/ date
chutney.
Variations

Add boiled beetroot and well drained tofu to the mixture. Other vegetables like peas also taste good.

Salads
Asian cucumber salad
Ingredients

1 small cucumber
2 small carrots
2 apples
2 spring onions
4 sprigs of mint and 4 sprigs of coriander
4 tbsp sprouts
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 lemon juice
salt, freshly ground pepper

Method
Mix
the
soy
sauce,
and
lemon
juice.
Add
salt
and
pepper.
Wash the cucumber and cut into thin slices. Wash the apples and cut into thin sticks. Peel and grate
the carrots. Slice the spring onions. Chop the mint and coriander. Wash the sprouts and put all the
ingredients in a salad bowl, add the vinaigrette and mix together.

Cabbage rolls **

Ingredients

1 large cabbage
1/2 kg carrots
1/2 kg beetroot
1 grated fresh coconut
salt to taste
ginger chilli paste to taste

Method
Take off the cabbage leaves one by one, keeping them whole.Boil water in a large pot. Turn off the
heat and dip the leaves in the water and leave them for a few minutes.
Wash and grate the carrots, and beets. Grate the coconut. Mix all these ingredients and add salt and

ginger chilli paste to taste.

Flatten the cabbage leaves and cut off any hard stems. Spread the carrot beetroot mixture over the
cabbage leaves and roll tightly. Cut into 2 inch pieces and serve.
Serves 10- 15

Cabbage salad **
Ingredients

1/2 kg cabbage shredded fine

1/2 cup roasted peanuts ground coarsely
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 green chilli (optional)
sea salt to taste
coriander leaves

Method
Mix all ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate. Add salt and coriander leaves to garnish just before
serving.
Serves 6-8.

Corn Kosambri
Ingredients
1 cup of steamed corn kernels
4 tbsp grated coconut
4 tbsp steamed moong sprouts
Grated carrot
Lime juice
Salt
1 green chili, finely cut
Finely chopped corriander leaves
Method
Mix all the ingredients and season with mustard and curry leaves.
Serves 2

Cucumber & tomato salad

Ingredients

1/2 white onion

1 bunch of fresh parsley
4 tomatoes
3 cucumbers
2 spring onions or shallots
1/2 bunch of mint leaves

Ingredients for the dressing

juice of 1 lemon
dash of olive oil (optional)

 salt
black pepper
Method
Finely chop and mix the ingredients well. Prepare the dressing with your taste in salt, and then pour
it over the salad.

Cucumber / tomato salad with peanuts and coconut

Ingredients

4 unpeeled cucumbers chopped into tiny cubes

cup grated coconut
cup roasted crushed peanuts
juice of 1 lime
salt to taste
green chilies, finely chopped
dash of jaggery
chopped fresh coriander for garnishing

Method
Mix all the ingredients together. Adjust the salt, jaggery and lime juice to taste. Garnish with
coriander and serve.
Serves 8-10

Fenugreek, cabbage & capsicum salad

Ingredients

1 cup fresh fenugreek (methi) leaves smaller the better

1/2 tsp jaggery (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 green chilli slit lengthwise
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup fresh spinach, washed, dried and chopped
1/4 cup green coriander chopped
1 tbsp peanut powder
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Method
Add salt, garlic, chilli and lemon juice to the jaggery until it dissolves. Wash and dry all the greens.
Add the dressing, peanut powder and roasted sesame to the greens. Serve immediately.

Garden salad
Ingredients for the salad
Steamed carrots, beans, broccoli
Lettuce
Tomatoes

Cucumber
Black Olives
Celery leaves
Baby spinach
Chopped gherkins
Cherry tomatoes
Avocado

Ingredients for the dressing

Lemon juice
Mustard
Salt and pepper
Above are some suggestions for this very attractive Garden Salad. Use whatever is available and
pour the dressing over it just before serving. Dressing can also be made to taste.

Kosumbri
Ingredients

grated carrot
grated cabbage
soaked yellow moong dal
salt
lemon juice
grated coconut
mustard seeds
kadi patha

Method
Dry roast the mustard seeds, kadi patha and grated coconut. Add it to the rest of the ingredients with
lemon juice and salt.

Soups
Tomato, coriander & garlic soup
Ingredients

500g tomatoes
A bunch of fresh coriander leaves (dhania)
3 garlic pods
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Steam the tomatoes till the skin breaks. This takes 10 mins. Cool and peel the tomatoes, as the skin
is sometimes irritating in the mouth. If you dont mind then leave the skin on. You can also de-seed
the tomatoes. Chop and blend till the right consistency for you smooth or chunky. Add a 1/2 glass
water in a pan and boil with the heavy stalks of coriander at the bottom of the bunch. Crush and add
the garlic. Boil till this thickens and releases a fragrance.
Serves 6

Tomato mint soup

Ingredients

1 tsp oil
2 tsp jeera (cumin) seeds
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped green chillies
2 tsp chopped mint
8 tsp roughly chopped tomatoes
4 cups vegetable stock or dal water
salt to taste

Method
Heat oil. Add jeera seeds and let them splutter/pop. Add chopped garlic and saut till light brown.
Add chopped green chillies and saut. Add roughly chopped tomatoes and saut. Add vegetable
stock or dal water, and bring to a boil. Add salt. Simmer until tomatoes are cooked and strain.
Check for taste. Add seasoning if needed. Serve hot. Garnish with dices of deseeded tomatoes and
chopped mint.
Serves 4.

Sweet corn soup

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole sweet corn kernels

3/4 cup sweet corn, grated
5 cups clear vegetable stock
3 tbsp corn flour mixed with cup water
salt to taste

Method
Put the stock in a pan and add the sweet corn kernels. Cover and cook on a low flame for
approximately 10 minutes till corn is tender. Add the grated corn and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Add the corn flour paste and simmer again. Add salt.
Serve hot with chillies in vinegar, soy sauce and chilli sauce.
Serves 4.

Palak soup
Ingredients

2 bunches palak
steamed onion and kaju paste
some tomatoes chopped
green chilli paste
black salt
2 tbs soy yogurt
vinegar (optional)

Method

Heat the onion kaju paste stirring it for 5 mins. Add the chopped tomatoes and the palak. Let the
palak cook till it is well done. Add the soy yogurt and black salt along with the green chilli paste.
Add water to make thickness of your choice. Let it boil for few minutes. Add vinegar to taste if
desired.

Mushroom soup

Ingredients

3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup soy milk/coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth/water
2 tbsp flour
salt and pepper to taste

Method
In a large soup or stockpot, saut the mushrooms, onion and garlic for 3 5 minutes, until onions
are soft. Reduce heat to medium low and add the vegetable broth. Cover and allow to simmer for at
least 45 minutes. Add the flour, and soy milk or coconut milk, stirring well to combine. Allow to
simmer another 20 30 minutes, or until soup has thickened. Season generously with salt and
pepper before serving.
Serves 4

Carrot and ginger soup

Ingredients

1 onion chopped
750 gms carrots, peeled and diced
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp coriander seeds crushed
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
fresh coriander or parsley to garnish
1/4 cup coconut milk

Method
Saute the onions in a hot pan for about 5 minutes until transparent. If they stick, add a little water.

Add the carrots, ginger, and crushed coriander seeds and stir on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Add the stock or water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook until the carrots are tender.
Pure the soup in a blender and then strain through a sieve.
Reheat the soup and season with salt and pepper, ladle into bowls, and place a spoonful of coconut
cream on each bowl and garnish with coriander or parsley. Serve with bread.
Serves 6 8