Aloo Muttar

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
Potatoes (medium size) - 4
Fresh Green Peas - 3/4 cup
Curd  - 1/2 cup
Green chilies - 4
Onion (big)- 1
Tomatoes (finely chopped) - 3
Ginger  - 1 inch
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Salt To Taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fresh coriander (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp

Method

• Boil the potatoes and peas. Cut the potatoes in to 1 inch cubes
• Grind onions, chilies, ginger and tomatoes with little water to fine paste.
• Heat oil, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and once they pop up and the ground paste and fry until its done
• Add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and mix well.
• Add the boiled potatoes, peas, one cup of water. Cover and cook for few minutes.
• Add the beaten curd and cook on slow flame until a thick gravy is formed.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis/parathas.

Cabbage-Peas Poriyal (Cabbage-Peas Kobbari Kura)

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
Cabbage - 1 medium size (finely chopped)
Grated Coconut - 1 cup
Green chilies - 3
Fresh green peas - 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida -a pinch
Curry leaves - 10-15
Salt to taste

Method

• Boil/ steam cook the cabbage with a little salt
• If you chose to boil it, strain the water after boiling and set aside (preserve the stock)
• Take a teaspoon of oil in a pan and heat it. Add mustard seeds, when they begin to splutter add the cumin seeds, asafoetida,curry leaves , green chilies to it.
• Add cabbage, fresh green peas and mix well.
• Cook on low flame for 5-6 minutes till the peas are cooked.
• Switch off the heat ,add the grated coconut mix well, adjust the salt
• Serve with hot rice or with roti.

Note: you can make soup/rasam with the stock 

Palak Chana Dal

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Spinach/ Palak (chopped) - 2cups
Soaked chana dal (split bengal gram) - 1cup
Turmeric - 1tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Green chili paste - 1tsp
Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
Chopped onions - 3/4 cup
Chilli powder - 1tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
salt to taste
ghee as per required

Method

• Blanch the  chopped spinach and keep aside.
• Soak the dal for 2 hours, add the salt and turmeric powder, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistle or till done.
• Heat the ghee in a kadai, add the cumin seeds.
• When the seeds splutter add the green chili paste, ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.
• Add the onions, and saute till it turns to golden brown in colour.
• Add the spinach , chilli powder, cooked dal, water as per required, garam masala, salt, mix well and simmer for 5-8 minutes.
• Serve hot with rice/rotis

Methi Paratha/Thepla

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 2 cups
Methi leaves (chopped) - 2 cups
Green Chilies (finely chopped) - 4
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Carom seeds(ajwain ) - 1tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Cumin powder - 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil as needed

Method

• Take the wheat flour in a bowl.
• Mix all the ingredients in it including the methi (fenugreek) leaves
• Add 2 tsp oil and knead it in to a firm dough using water . Let it stay for 15 minutes.
• Then make even size small balls of the dough. Roll them separately with a rolling pin into a round shape.
• Heat the griddle and roast each of the rolled out theplas just like you roast chapathi/roti
• Then put 1/2 tsp oil on the turned side and again it upside down.
• Repeat the same with the other side.When evenly roasted remove it from griddle.
• Serve them hot with Butter/Chutney/Raitha/Plain Curd.

Tabbouleh (fresh and tasty sprouts salad)

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingerdients
Mung Beans (sprouted) -  1 cup
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Green Chilies (finely chopped) - 3
Coriander (finely chopped) - 2 cups
Mint (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup
Medium tomatoes(diced)- 2
Cucumber(diced) - 1/2
Fresh lemon juice - 3 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper (crushed) - 1/4 tsp

Method

• Mix together all the above ingredients with 2 tbsp oil in a salad bowl, then cover bowl tightly with plastic cling wrap/aluminium foil and let stand 5 minutes. 
• Add the remaining oil and mix well.
• Tabbouleh is an arabic dish, generally served in blanched cabbage/lettuce leaves
• You can introduce your own variations by serving it with roti/phulka.
• You can also use it as a stuffing for a vegetarian frankie.

Amti (light and tasty Dal)

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins


Ingredients
Toor Dal - 1 cup
Goda masala - 1 tsp
(this is a common and essential masala in any maharashtrian household...if you do not have this you can use normal garam masala and add a mixture of grounded sesame seeds and dry coconut (1:1)
Tamarind pulp - 1tsp
Tomato (diced) - 1
Freshly grated coconut - 2 tbsp
Freshly chopped coriander - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Jaggery to taste (a must since you are adding tamarind)

For tempering
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
a pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tsp fenugreek/methi seeds (optional)
3 green chilies-chopped

Preparation

• Boil the toor dal in the pressure cooker. Blend it lightly and set aside
•  Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the fenugreek seeds, turmeric, asafoetida and chilies.
• Saute for 3 minutes till the tomato is tender and add the boiled dal.
•  Add 4 cups of water or more as required (the consistency of the dal should be very thin- a little thicker than rasam)
•  Add the rest of the ingredients except the coconut and coriander and continue to boil for 10 minutes.
• Garnish with coriander and coconut and serve with rice and chapatis.

Batata vada- Vada Pav

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
Potatoes (large) - 2
Onion (large) - 1
Green chilies - 3
Ginger - 1/2 inch stick
Coriander(chopped) - 2 tbsp
Garlic (chopped) - 3 cloves
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
For batter:
Besan (Gram flour) - 1 cup
Turmeric - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch
Baking soda - a pinch
Salt to taste
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Water - 1cup
Oil for frying

Method

• Boil, peel and mash potatoes.
• Saute the onion until soft
• Mix potatoes,onion and all the other ingredients into a dough.
• Roll them in to 1 inch balls and set aside.
• Mix  Besan, turmeric and all the batter ingredients with 2 tsp of very hot oil and later make in to a thick batter with sufficient water
• Heat oil in a wok, dip the potato balls in the batter and deep fry.
• Serve sizzling hot with any chutney sweet/tangy/hot  and Pav