Handvo

Handvo is a delicious gujrati snacks. It is considered to be a low fat healthy diet and often taken as an evening snacks and also eaten while on long drive. Handvo is favourite dish at my home so I often make it for dinner. You all will love it too, I am pretty much sure.

Ingredients:
Handva flour - 2 cups
buttermilk - 3 cups
Bottle gourd - 1/2 cup
Carrot shredded - 3 tsp
spinach leaves - 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 2 finely chopped
Garlic cloves - 4 to 5
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Fruit salt - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp

For Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Channa Dal - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
Take a handva flour in a large vessel add salt, soda (fruit salt), buttermilk and mix well. Cover the vessel and set aside for 6 to 7 hours for fermentation.

Grate the bottle gourd (you can use zucchini or cabbage instead of bottle gourd) and squeeze out all excess water. Do this after the fermentation is done. Now add all the vegetables, spices and green chillies to the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a pan, add urad & channa dals, mustard seeds and half of sesame seeds allow to splutter, then pour half of it into the batter and mix thoroughly.

Backing:
Put in a greased oven proof deep container. Pour remaining seasoning and sesame seeds on the top. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degree F for 10 mins. Then reduce to 300 and bake for another 30 mins until done. Check by inserting a toothpick, which should come out clean. Slice into wedges and serve hot with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

Bitter gourd with lentils

Bitter gourd has a good medical benefits and hence I prefer this dish for a healthy diet. Also Lentils (Dal) is good source of protein. Bitter gourd has proven medical benefits for diabetic patients and I would suggest all to eat this dish atleast in a week to remain healthy.

Ingredients:
Bitter gourd(karela) - 100 gm
Tur dal - 100 gm
Tomatoes - 2 big size
Green chillies - 8 to 9 (acc. to taste)
Oil - 3 tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
pinch of Asafoetida (hing)
Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
Sugar or Jaggery - 2 tbsp (optional)
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak the tur dal for 1 hour, after that microwave for 5 to 6 mins on high so it becomes soft but not like smooth dal and keep aside. Peel and cut the bitter gourd into long slices and remove the seeds. Soak into salted water for 1/2 hour for reducing the bitterness.

Drain the excess water from the bitter gourd and place over the tissue paper. Split the chillies, cut the tomatoes into medium size pieces and keep aside. Heat the oil into a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing. Now add small green chillies and fry for 1 min, after that add dry bitter gourd slices in it, cook into medium flame for 5 mins and add turmeric powder. When bitter gourd slices become crispy then add red chilli powder and salt in it. After that add cook tur dal in it and mix it, cook into low flame for 3 mins. Now add chopped tomatoes and garam masala in it. Cook on medium flame until tomatoes mix with curry very well. Now add sugar or jaggery alongwith lemon juice, mix it well and then turn off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with hot chapati and banana or serve with dal and rice.

Enjoy your meal !!!

Palak Paneer

Palak Paneer is one of most popular north Indian dish and I am presenting this dish with my modification to add further taste. Palak (Spinach) is a good source of iron which helps in cleaning the blood. It is one of the healthy food items. I hope you all will like it.



Ingredients:
Spinach(Palak) - 1 bunch - chopped along with the stem
Onion - 1 big - chopped
Tomato - 1 big - chopped
Ginger - Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Green Chillies -3
Butter - 1 tbsp
Paneer in pieces - as desired
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Half & half or milk - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Fry onion, ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes one after the other in a little oil for a few mins. Now add the red chilli, turmeric and garam masala powder and fry for another min. Cool and blend it nicely to a smooth paste. Meanwhile fry the chopped spinach with a tbsp of water and little salt sprinkled on it. I usually don't cover and cook spinach here to avoid sweating.

Now mix the onion - tomato paste in the cooked spinach and add milk and some water and cook on high flame for about 5 mins uncovered. Now reduce the flame and cook for another 2 mins. The gravy nicely thickens up by this time and is ready for to add paneer. Fry paneer in about 1 tbsp of butter until lightly browned on both sides and pop up them into the gravy and cook alongwith gravy for 2 mins.

Serve hot with plain Chapatis/Parathas or Jeera rice.

Sukhdi (Gor Papdi)

This item is sweet by its name. It is very popular Gujrati non-milk sweet. In Gujrat every single home has this sweet. You will just love it, Yummy Yummy...

Gor Papdi

Ingredients:
Wheat Flour - 2 cup
Grated Jaggery - 1 cup
Ghee - 1 cup
Poppy seeds - 1 tbsp (optional for garnish)

Method:
Heat the ghee in pan then add wheat flour on medium heat, mix well and roast until it becomes pinkish brown. Tame on the flame and jaggery to it. Mix this mixture quickly and throughly & pour it in a plate. Spread very well and sprinkle the poppy seeds and cut it into pieces.

Isn't that simple and easy ? :-) Whenever you want a sweet taste in your mouth grab one and place in your mouth, you will feel good.

Eggless Banana Bread

I like to eat banana and always have it in either lunch or dinner atleast twice in a week. But one day the banana riped fully so I got an innovative idea to use this banana and create banana bread. I am pretty sure you will love this item. Here's the recipe.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:
All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 and 1/2 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp (if you want to have sweet bread then use 1/4 tsp)
Brown Sugar - 1 cup
Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup (room temperature)
Ripe Banana - 3 large
Milk - 1 tbsp
Walnuts - 3 tbsp
Poppy seeds (Khus khus) - 1 tbsp

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Spread butter in 9 x 9 inch cake pan and place aside. Mix unsalted butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Now smash banana in another bowl with the fork and add milk. In another bowl , mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, poppy seeds and walnuts. You can also add almonds in the mixture if you like it. Add the banana to the creamed sugar mixture and stir until combined. Add the dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour the batter into prepared cake pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 15 mins. Cut the slices and bread is ready to eat. Enjoy !!!