Vegetable Upama

Ingredients

1. Semolina (Sooji) - 2 cups
2. Green Chillies - 8-10 (chopped)
3. Curry leaves - 10-12
4. Onion - 1 (diced)
5. Carrot - 1/4 cup (diced)
6. Capsicum - 1/4 cup (diced)
7. Potato - 1/4 cup (diced)
8. Green Peas - 1/4 cup (diced)
9. Oil - 3 tbsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Lemon juice - 4 tsp
12. Sugar - 2 tsp

Process: First dry roast the semolina in a kadai/wok for a few minutes taking care not to brown it. Set aside. Heat oil and add green chillies, curry leaves, onions, capsicum, potatoes, carrot and green peas. Add salt and fry for a while. When the vegetables are cooked add the roasted semolina, lemon juice, sugar, salt and 2 cups of warm water. Mix and cook till the water is absorbed and the semolina is soft (add more warm water if required). Serve hot immediately.

Kachumber Sandwich (Diced vegetable grilled sandwich)

Don't shy away from this recipe, as I know many would, I myself was a culprit too, for this seemingly drab recipe would leave you craving for more and a bit of caution for the mothers - children just love it and be prepared to dole out second helpings.

Ingredients

1. Sandwich bread - 8 slices
2. Butter - for spreading
3. Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
4. Capsicum - 1 (chopped)
5. Onion - 1 (chopped)
6. Corn Kernels - Boiled (1/4 cup) - (Optional)
   
7. Tomato Ketchup - 2-3 tbsp
8. Green Chilli Sauce - 1/2 tbsp
9. Grated Cheese - 1/2 cup
10. Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Process:

Take a bowl and mix tomatoes, capsicum, onion, corn, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and pepper powder. Butter the bread slices. (I prefer a generous helping - but calorie conscious people can go lean on it). Spread the mixture from the bowl over 4 of the bread slices and put grated cheese over it. Cover with the remaining 4 slices and grill in a sandwich maker. It would be prudent to butter/grease the insides of the griller before placing the sandwich. The crust of the sandwich should be crispy, golden brown and should be served immediately.

Vegetable Au Gratin

Ingredients

1. Mixed boiled vegetables - 1/2 cup (carrot, french beans, green peas and potatoes)
2. White sauce - 3/4 cup
3. Grated cooking cheese - 25gms
4. Butter 1 tbsp
5. Salt and pepper to taste

For the white sauce:

1. White sauce - 1 cup (250ml milk, 1 tbsp flour, 10 gms grated cheese, 1 tsp butter)

White sauce: Melt the butter in a sauce pan and fry the flour in it taking care not to brown the flour. Remove from heat. Let cool and then add milk, little by little, constantly stirring to avoid formation of any lumps. Put over low heat and cook till it thickens in consistency. Remove from fire and allow it to cool. Mix the grated cheese and keep aside. Process: Add salt and pepper to white sauce and mix well. Add half of the grated cheese and mix further. Now add the mixed vegetables and blend. Grease a baking dish and add the mixture in it. Cover with remaining cheese and dot with butter. Bake in a hot oven (400 degree fahrenheit) for about 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.