Venpongal

Ingredients
Raw rice 1 cup
Moong dal/pasi paruppu 1/4 cup
Water 4 cups
Salt as needed
Ginger chopped 1 tblsp
Asafoetida 1 pinch
To temper
Ghee 2 tblsp
Pepper 2 tsp
Jeera 2 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Asafoetida 2 pinches

Cashews 5-6

Method
An optional step is to roast the moong dal for extra flavour. Wash rice and dal together. 
Heat a small cooker with a tsp of ghee. Fry ginger and asafoetida for few seconds.Add 4 
cups of water,bring to boil. Add the washed rice,dal,salt and pressure cook for 4 whistles 
in medium flame.Wait until pressure gets released by itself,open & mash.season with the 
items given under to temper table. First add ghee, when hot add pepper and let it start 
splutter and then switch off the flame. Add cashews and fry till it starts golden and then 
lastly add jeera. Add curry leaves and asafoetida lastly. Mix in the heat well and then add 
it to pongal and mix well.pongal is ready to be served

PAV BHAJI

For the pav:

1. pavs -10 (small squares of white bread)
2. butter-4tbsp
3. pav bhaji masala - 1 tspn (optional)

For the bhaji:

1.potatoes- 1/2 cups boiled and mashed
2.cauliflower - 1 cup finely chopped
3.green peas -1/2 cup 
4.carrots -1/2 cup chopped
5.onion - 1 cup chopped
6.capsicum -1/2 cup  finely chopped
7.tomatoes - 1/2 cups chopped
8.turmeric powder -1/2 teaspoon  (haldi)
9.pav bhaji masala- 1 1/2 tablespoons 
10.butter - 4 tablespoons 
11.ginger garlic paste -2 table spoon

For serving

1 large onion, chopped
4 lemon wedges
1 tablespoon chopped coriander

prepare;

For the bhaji
1.
Boil the cauliflower, peas, capsicum and carrots till they are soft.
( with turmeric powder and garam masala powder)Drain out the excess water.

2.
Heat the butter in a large pan, add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. 
Then, add the prepared ginger -garlic paste and sauté till the onion softens.

3.
Add the tomatoes and simmer till the oil separates.

4.
Add the pav bhaji masala, and salt and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

5.
Add the boiled vegetables and potatoes and mash thoroughly using a potato masher, 
adding ½ cup of water if required.

For the pav
1.
Slice each pav into 2 horizontally. Apply a little butter to each side and sprinkle 
with a little pav bhaji masala, if desired.

2.
Heat a large tava and cook the pav on both sides till the pieces are lightly browned.

How to proceed
1.
Serve the hot bhaji on 4 individual plates and top with the onion and coriander.

2.
Serve with the hot pav and lemon wedges.

Tips
Pav bhaji masala is a spice blend which is readily available at most grocery stores.

I am sure even children who don't want to eat vegetables will love to eat this

Biscuit and Mango pudding with Chocolate Garnish

Ingredients
Marie biscuits - 1 pack (crushed)
Mango - 1 big
Sugar - 9 table spoons
Milk maid - 2 x 400 gm
Dry fruits - 3 table spoons (crushed)
Fresh milk - 1/2 litre
China grass - 50 gms (soak it in water for 1/2 an hour)
Caramalised dry fruit ** - 1 table spoon (fry dry fruit and sugar in a pan without oil till the sugar melts and keep it in a tray to cool and crush it in a mixer)

Preparation 
This is a delecious pudding made in layers.
Layer 1 - Spread crushed biscuits in a tray and sprinkle sugar
Layer 2 - Pour 400 gm of milk maid
Layer 3 - Caramalised sugar
Layer 5 - Add crushed dry fruits
Layer 6 - Melt China grass in 1 cup of hot water and add milk into it and stir well till it boils and then add 400 gms of milk maid then add 3 table spoons of sugar.
(Add only 1/2 the quantity and remove 1/2 quantity of the above to add in the next layer)
Layer 7 - Add mango puried with sugar
Layer 8 - add half portion of layer 6 

Garnish with caramalised dry fruit and refrigerate for half an hour to set and serve cool.....

Tender coconut pudding

Tender coconut pudding(elaneer pudding)


Tender Coconut water - of 2 tender coconut
Thin Scrapings of tender coconut -1cup
China Grass -20g
Condensed Milk - 1tin
Milk - 1 ltr
Water - 1cup
Cherries or chocolates for garnishing
Sugar -according to your taste

Method:

In a pan boil milk and condensed milk .Stir well.Add sugar to this.Mean while soak china grass in 1 cup of water and heat on low flame till this completely dissolves.Strain it and pour this to milk mixture.Mix tender coconut water and scrapings to this.Allow to cool and refrigerate.Decorate with chopped cherries.

Cake

Butter cake

Butter - 100 gm
Sugar- 1 cup(powdered)
Maida-1cup(seived with 1 tsp baking pwd)
Eggs-3 seperated
Vanilla essence- 1/2 tsp

Beat together sugar and butter ,
Add in the egg yolk one at a time and continue beating Then add the egg whites also
Add vanilla essence Finally slowly fold in the maida Remove the mix into a greased cooker U will need to cook it approximately for 50 to 55 mins on a very low flame
or till a screwer when pricked comes out clean......

Hariyali Chicken

Hariyali Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb (0.45kg) boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
3 tbl spn chopped mint
3 green chillies
1 tea spn ginger pieces
1 tea spn garlic pieces
4 cloves
1? cinnamon
1/4 tea spn pepper
2 tbl spn very thick yogurt
1 tea spn lemon juice
Salt
Chaat masala

All the ingredient quantities are approximateonly. So increase/decrease to get a thick coating
on chicken.

Method:
Make a paste of coriander-mint leaves, ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, lemon, chillies
to a paste. Do not add water.
Cut chicken into 2 x2 pieces. Add the paste, salt, yogurt to the pieces and mix well. Keep it refrigerated for atleast 4hrs (I left it overnight).

Preheat the oven at 300F for about 10mins.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange the chicken pieces on skewers. Keep the pieces on the sheet.
Cover the sheet with another foil(this is very important, otherwise the pieces get dry). Bake in oven at 300F for about 20mins or till chicken is cooked.Take them out. Remove the covering foil. Bake it again for 2mins. Flip the pieces and then bake again for another 2mins (this helps to get the dry thick coating on top).
While serving, sprinkle chaat masala on top. Serve hot.
Serves : 2-3
Preparation time : 40mins
PS: If you don’t have oven, shallow fry the pieces on tava.

Paneer masala

Paneer Tikka

Ingredients

5 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 green chili, chopped
3 tbsp. chopped coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
salt to taste
250g paneer cut into cubes.
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped in 1-inch long thin slices
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
3-4 tbsp. thick yogurt
½ cup milk

Directions
Mix together lemon juice, ginger, garlic, green chili, half of the coriander, chili powder, salt, and paneer in a bowl . Cover and leave to marinate for an hour.
Heat oil in a pan and cook onions for 3-4 minutes on low flame till transparent. Add turmeric powder, yogurt, milk and the remaining coriander. Stir for a few minutes till the sauce thickens.
Add the paneer mixture in the sauce and cook for 5 minutes on medium flame. Adjust the seasoning.
Serve hot garnished with fresh coriander with your choice of Indian bread or rice.