Chilli Bean Soup

Ingredients

1. Tomatoes - 150 gm
2. Chopped onion - 1/2
3. Chopped capsicum - 1/2
4. Chopped spring onion - 3 or 4
5. Baked beans - 50gm or 1/4 can
6. White sauce or corn flour - 3/4 tbsp (to know about the preparation of white sauce use the search blog option at the top of the page)
   
7. Sugar - 1/2 tsp
8. Green chilli sauce - 1/4 tsp
9. Oil - 1/2 tbsp
10. salt to taste
11. Grated cheese for garnishing

Process:

Keep aside a whole tomato and cut the rest into big pieces - add 1 cup of water and cook. When cooked, strain through a sieve and set aside. Chop the remaining tomato. Heat oil in a vessel and fry the onion for 1 minute or until soft. Add the capsicum and spring onion and fry for a further 2 minutes. Add the soup and boil for 10 minutes. Next add the chopped tomato, baked beans, white sauce or dissolved corn flour, chilli sauce and salt and cook for a few minutes. Serve hot with sprinkled grated cheese.

Cheese Triangle

Ingredients

1. Milk - 500 ml
2. Suji (Semolina) - 1 cup
3. Green Cardamom - 2 crushed
4. Cloves - 2
5. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
6. Onion - 1 (sliced)
7. Black peppercorns - 5-6 crushed
8. Plain Flour - 6 tbsp
9. Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
10. Processed Cheese - 1 cup grated
11. Oil - for deep frying
    

Process:

Heat milk and put in Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon, black peppercorns and onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until onions are soft. Now drain the milk through a sieve. Put the drained milk on heat again and add the semolina in it taking care to avoid formation of lumps, stirring all the time till the mixture becomes thick in consistency like a paste. Now add the cheese and mix well. Spread this paste on a flat surface to form a half inch thick layer and let it cool. Cut this paste into triangles with a kitchen knife. The leftovers can again be kneaded back to shape. Now form a batter by adding water to the flour. Dip the triangles in this batter and coat with bread crumbs. Pat the bread crumbs in by hand lightly so that no loose crumbs are there. Deep fry the triangle in oil till golden brown and take out over a paper napkin to soak excess oil. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.
Note: Salt is not needed in this dish for the cheese but one can add a little bit if required.

Makai Pakora (Corn Fritters)

Ingredients

1. Corn kernels - 500gms - preferably fresh (can use canned if fresh not available) - boiled and drained.
2. Green Chilli paste - 1 tbsp
3. Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
4. Onion (Big) - 1 chopped
5. Besan (Gram flour) - 1/4 cup
6. Salt to taste
7. Coriander leaves - Chopped 2 tbsp
8. Oil for deep frying

Process:

Take 1/4 of the corn and grind them in a food processor. Mix it with the rest of the corn and add all the other ingredients, except the oil, together. Add a little water to make a thick consistency so that round balls can be formed. Heat oil and deep fry the balls till golden brown. If the balls loosen and do not stick together then add a little more besan to the mixture. Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.

Paw Bhaji (A lip-smacking Marathi/Gujarati delicacy of spicy mixed vegetables and bread)

History: Pav bhaji (Marathi: पाव भाजी, also transliterated as pao bhaji and pau bhaji) is a fast food dish native to Maharashtrians and is popular in most metropolitan areas in India, particularly in the Maharashtrian city of Mumbai & Pune. Pav in Marathi means bread, the word Marathi borrowed from portuguese pão (lit., "bread"). Bhaji is a term for a curry and vegetable dish. Pav bhaji consists of the bhaji (a potato-based curry) and the pav, garnished with coriander and chopped onions. Pav is high in carbohydrates and fats (if served with butter), while bhaji, the vegetable-based curry portion, is high in carbohydrates.

Ingredients

1. Paw (Bread Rolls)
2. Butter - 4 tbsp
3. Potatoes - boiled and mashed - 1 & 1/2 cup
4. Green Peas - boiled - 1/2 cup
5. Cauliflower - boiled and chopped - 1/2 cup
6. Onions - chopped - 1 cup
7. Green Capsicum (bell pepper) - chopped 2 & 1/2 cup
8. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Dry red chillies - 3-4
11. Garlic cloves - 4-6
12. Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
13. Coriander leaves - chopped - 2 tbsp
14. Oil - 2 tbsp
15. Paw bhaji masala - 1 & 1/2 tbsp. The paw bhaji masala can be bought from the market or can be prepared as:

    50 grams red chili, 50 grams coriander seeds,

    25 grams cumin seeds, 25 grams black pepper,

    25 grams cinnamon, 25 grams clove,

    4-5 black cardamom, 25 grams dry mango powder,

    10 grams fennel seeds, 1 tbsp. turmeric powder.

    Roast all the ingredients separately. When cool, grind it. Shift them and mix dry mango powder, turmeric powder and fill in the bottle.

Process: Dip the dry red chillies in warm water and make a paste with the garlic. Heat oil and add onions, capsicum and saute for 2 minutes. Put in the chilli-garlic paste - continue sauting. When the onions turns a bit soft add the tomatoes - saute. When the oil separates add the red chilli powder, paw bhaji masala, salt and fry for a while. Next add all the boiled vegetables and blend. Mash the entire blend with a masher while still in the pan. Add 1/2 cup water if required. Cook for a while and add lemon juice and coriander leaves and dollops of the butter. Garnish with coriander leaves. The paw is to be halved from the middle, buttered and roasted on a tawa. Calorie conscious people and plain toast the bread and have it with the bhaji (mixed vegetable)

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.