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

Veg Hot n Sour Soup with Crispy Bread sticks

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients
For the Soup
Capsicum(Chopped) - 1
Spring Onions(chopped) - 1
Carrot (chopped/ grated) - 1
Cabbage (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup
Chilies- 3 (fine paste)
Tomato Sauce - 2 tbsp
Corn Flour / Corn Starch - 1 1/2 tbsp
Soy Sauce- 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 1/2 tbsp
Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
Ginger- 1/2 inch (fine paste)
Sugar- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
4 cups Water

For the Bread sticks

Wheat flour - 1/2 cup

All Purpose flour (Maida) - 1/4 cup

Sesame Seeds - 2 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Oil- 1/2tbsp

Salt to taste

Sugar- 1/2 tsp

Oil for frying

Preparation (Soup)

• Grind the chilies and ginger in to a smooth paste
• Add Soya sauce, Vinegar, Tomato sauce, black pepper powder, sugar and salt to it mix thoroughly
• Take 4 cups of water in a heavy bottom vessel and add the above mixture to it and bring it to a boil
• Now add the half boiled vegetables to the mixture and cook for 2 minutes
• Dissolve the corn flour/starch in 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and add to the mixture slowly while you stir
• As the soup stats to get thick, lower the flame and cook for about 3 minutes
• Garnish  with  spring onions and serve this  hot, spicy and tangy soup with bread sticks

Tip:   1)You can use the vegetable stock from the half cooked vegetables, instead of water, it kind of adds more flavours.
2) You can add your choice of vegetables, you can also use peas, babycorn, mushrooms


Preparation (Bread Sticks)

• Mix all the contents in a bowl expect  water
• Now add the water slowly while mixing the flour and knead it in to a smooth dough
• Make equal portions of the dough (6-8 ) and roll them in to 3-4 inch long sticks
• Now gently  twist the sticks a little so that the marks show on them (do not bend them completely)
• Heat oil in a pan and fry the sticks until light brown.
• Serve them with hot soup.