Garden Vegetable and Bean soup - Indian Style

Ingredients:

Soak overnight
chick pea - 1 table spoon
red beans - 1 table spoon
rajma or kidney beans - 1 table spoon (any beans you want to add)

1 onion - finely chopped
1 small carrot - cut into large chunks or cubes
1/2 capsicum
1 pod garlic - crushed
1 inch ginger - crushed
2 green chillies - slit
3 large tomatoes - cut or can of crushed tomatoes

some pasta - either spaghetti or linguine anything just for starch
half potato for starch (not required)

Garnish:
cilantro finely chopped
grated parmesan cheese or powdered parmesan cheese

Spices:
Salt to taste
red chili powder (I even used little sambar powder :) )
coriander powder
oregano
pepper


Prep:

Add oil in a pressure cooker and add the onion, garlic and ginger. Saute until transparent and cooked. Then add the capsicum and saute them and add tomatoes and let it cook for a bit. Add all the spices and salt to taste except for the oregano and pepper. Until all the tomatoes cook, then add the vegetables, the pasta and the soaked beans. For how many ever cups of beans add 3 times the measure of water. Mix them all and check taste and if required at this time you can adjust the salt and spice according to your needs. Pressure cook them all.

Serve them in a bowl and sprinkle pepper and oregano to your taste. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and cilantro. Have it with a bread toast.

Healthy tasty food down your tummy.

Spring Rolls and Momos

Veg Momos/ Spring Rolls

Things Required:

Spring Roll wraps. You get it in many grocery shops. You should find it somewhere near the tofu and/or salad section.

1/4 Cabbage
1 Carrot
1 small Onion or 1/2 big onion - I prefer red onions
2 small Chillies
1 Garlic
1 inch Ginger

All these need to be very finely chopped. I grated the carrot in the big sized grater.

Spices:
1) Coriander powder - 1/4th to 1/2 tea spoon
2) Pepper powder - to taste
3) Turmeric powder - 2 pinch
4) Chilli powder - to taste
5) Salt to taste
6) Lemon juice

Mix all the veggies and spices together.

For the Momos:
Place a small portion of the mix on the middle of the wrap. Moist the 4 ends with little water and fold them to the center and make it like a kozhukattai.
Use the idli plates and steam them. Done!

For the spring rolls:
Place a small portion on the wrap and moist one side of the wrap. Roll it like a letter and stick them. Fold the other open sides and stick them with water. Place them in a greased oven tray. Grease them on top. (I used the oil spray.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F and then time it to 35 mins. After 20 mins flip the spring rolls over and place for another 10 to 15 mins until it all turns golden brown. Done!

Enjoy Momos and spring rolls with chilli and soy sauce. I liked them with Maggi hot and sweet sauce. :)

Oats Dosa - A healthy alternative.

Things required:

3 cups - plain oats (I used Quaker oats)
1/2 cup - wheat flour
1/2 cup - all purpose flour
2 or 3 - teaspoons Jeera or Cumin seeds
1 or 2 - teaspoons Crushed black pepper.
1/2 cup - Butter milk or curd
Salt to taste


Preparation:

1) Soak oats for around 1 hour until it gets soft.
2) Grind all ingredients listed above along with the soaked oats in a blender.
3) Make into a nice batter, not too thick or loose. Consistency like a dosa batter.
4) Pour batter in hot greased tava and make the dosas.
5) Have it with your favorite chutney or dosai molagai podi. Enjoy!



Variations: Add finely chopped onions and green chillis to make like uthappam. :)

Tip: Do not try to make the first dosa thin. Once the first dosa is made, you can make thin crispy dosas thereafter.