SWEET AND SOUR MANGO PICKLE WITHOUT OIL

Mango season is on and mouth is watering when I see mangoes in the market.  Recently I bought a kg of mangoes for making vadu mangai.  Since they  do not allow us to select, there were uneven size small, medium and bigger ones.  Normally, we get the mangoes almost in same size but now a days, it is very difficult to get them.  We had to really hunt for it.  I checked with Thane and Mulund market and finally got it from Mani shop that too only one kg.

During this season, every one is busy making various kinds of pickles.

Coming back to the recipe, there were bigger ones in the lot so I decided to make sweet and sour mango pickle with it.  The idea was given to me by one of my colleagues when I shared the instant mango pickle with them.  She told me to add jaggery in it but I added some other ingredients too in it and it was awesome.

Let us look at the recipe now:

MANGO MASTANI

Mango mastani is a drink with a dollop of ice cream and chopped nuts which is quite filling.  During mango season, do not miss this drink as you would love to make it again and again.  

Infact, this post is lying in my draft for the past one year and some how I could not publish it.  Now the mango season is on,  and the heat also, a drink like this is awesome to satisfy/quench your thirst and hunger.

As I was going through the draft, I saw this today and decided to publish it.

Let us look at the recipe now:

MURINGAELAI UTTAPPAM

Muringa elai or drumstick leaves are very good for health.  Muringa elai (drumstick leaves) is a good source of vitamins and iron.  I always include this  in our menu whenever I get a chance to pluck the leaves from the garden or from my friends place or from the office.  In our office, we have a big tree and the gardener always used to give me the leaves.

I have posted  muringa elai adai.  This is the favourite dish my father and me too love this  made out of  plain boiled rice.   Here I am posting the Uttappam made out of this leaves.

Let us look at the recipe now:

MURINGA ELAI UTTAPPAM

DAL PALAK

Palak - vitamins and minerals available abundantly in this.  Green leafy vegetables are always  required to be included in the menu once in a week.

Dal made out of this can be served with rice and chapti, phulka etc.  I like this dal along withe curd rice very much.  I used to make this along with Moongdal, however, my friend makes it with chana dal.  Ofcourse, you can select the dals according to your choice.

Let us look at the recipe now:

DAL PALAK

HORSEGRAM SHARBAT

Today I had cooked the kulith sprouts for making pani poori.  Instead of the normal ragda or moong sprouts or white watana, I tried the kulith sprouts and it tasted good.

After cooking the sprouts, I had 1/4 cup of stock of the same which I did not want to throw away.  So I made sharbat out of it and it tasted good.

Since the summer is on and it is very hot, this drinks is quite good for health.

Horsegram is or kulith or muthira it is called, is  rich in B-complex vitamins,  proteine and  highly nutritious. 
It is  commonly prescribed in ayurvedic medicine for conditions like difficult breathing, cough, gastric problems, ulcers, worm infections and excessive perspiration. Some alternative medicine experts even consider horse gram as a good remedy to control joints pain. It can be also used as a natural health tonic.    It tones up the digestive system and prevents acidity and flatulence. 
People suffering from spleen enlargement, colic and weak liver can also benefit from this plants medicinal properties. People with kidney stones, hypertension, gall stones also benefit from its intake.   


  Let us have a look at the recipe now

 

HORSEGRAM SHARBAT

TAVA PULAO

My daughter wants to eat rice but not with sambhar or dal.  I had some cooked rice with me and thought of making Tava Pulao.  

Tava pulao is very easy to make, tasty and can be served hot with papad, raita.  I prefer, onion raita along with this.  Mostly the vegetables for this are available at home hence it will not be difficult for you to make it. Even if  you have two or three vegetables, it is sufficient enough to make this pulao.  A Mumbai  street food which you must  enjoy when you visit Mumbai.

It is quite filling  and can be served for two persons.

Let us look at the recipe now:

ALOE VERA ALOO SUBZI

Aloe vera has got many medicinal values.  I had already shared a recipe with methi sprouts and tender coconut with www.simpleindianrecipes.com.   I have shared around 100 recipes with her which you can see in User's recipe in Raji Ramakrishnan's recipe.  

 Today I prepared the  aloe vera with aloo and capsicum and was  good with phulka.

Now a days aloe vera is grown in balcony.  So it will not be difficult for you to get the same.  Aloo is always available at home and the onions.  Hence making this subzi is very easy.

Let us look at the recipe now:

PUDINA SHIKANJI

Few minutes back I posted Nimbu Pani  or Nimbu Sharbat which we make very often especially after coming home from hot sun. I added few mint leaves, ginger and subja in it to get more cooling effect as it was very hot today.  

Mint leaves I always have fresh one at home which I grow in my balcony garden.  So whenever I want I pluck it from the pot freshly.  Dried pudina also used for culinary purpose.  We can make paratha, chutney etc with pudina.

Since summer is set now and it is very hot, all are advised to hydrate themselves with lots of water, coconut water, nimbu pani etc.  Ofcourse, do remember to keep a pot of water in the balcony for the birds.

Let us look at the recipe now

NIMBU SHARBAT, SHIKANJI

The health benefits of lime include weight loss, skin care, improved digestion, relief from constipation, eye care, and treatment of scurvy, piles, peptic ulcer, respiratory disorders, gout, gums, urinary disorders, etc.  It is a wonderful source of antioxidants & detoxifiers (vitamin-C & Flavonoids) which reduce the number of free radicals as well as detoxifying the body.

When you come home during the day in  summer or if you are tired or your BP is low, a glass of nimbu sharbat keeps you hydrated as well as energetic.  My children always prefer to drink this during the summer.  This is also known as Shikanji in North India.

I always add a bit of black salt,  cumin powder, black pepper powder  in addition to the sugar   but some people prefer to drink this with sugar and salt only.

It is a very simple preparation and can be served at room temperature or chilled as you wish or can add ice and serve.

MIX VEG IN WHITE GRAVY

Mix veg in white gravy goes well with paratha, naan, roti, phulka etc.  can be served with rice too.  Since I had very little different vegetables in the fridge, I decided to put the same together and decided to make this subzi.  

When you blanch and saute the veggies in oil before adding the gravy, it tastes better.  This was shared with me by one of the Sindhi lady, I forgot her name now when I was hospitalised for some operation.  Our discussion was the fussy made by children to eat the food and their choices.

When you talk, you share,when you share, you acquire knowledge.  This was happened exactly after our discussion.  Since then I started by making the subzis the way she explained to me.  Thanks to her for sharing.

Now coming back to the recipe when children are fussy about eating vegetables, best way to make pav bhaji or mix veg subzi with all the vegetables you want to put in and feed them.

Now let us look at the recipe:

MIX VEG IN WHITE GRAVY

MOONGDAL KHANDVI

Khandvi is a Gujarati Snack dish basically made with Besan or gram flour.  I tried the same with moongdal and that too came out well.  Preparation method is the same as like the gram flour and easy to prepare.

MOONGDAL KHANDVI

Let us look at the recipe now:

MANATHAKALI THEEYAL

Theeyal is a Kerala dish.  It is somewhat similar to Sambar, another popular dish of South India.  Theeyal can be prepared with mix  vegetables or a particular vegetable like pavakka, bitter gourd or Ulli (known as kunjulli or shallots, potato, egg plant, bhindi, raw mango etc.

This dish is made with the mixture of spices  like roasted coconut, coriander seeds, dried red chillies, fenugreek etc. and tamarind pulp is also used.

Theeyal means "burnt dish" here the coconut is roasted till golden brown in colour  as good as burnt the same.  This dish goes well with rice and included in a traditional sadya menu too.

But I am using the fresh Manathakali which I plucked from my balcony garden.  Let us look at the recipe now:

MANATHAKALI THEEYAL

IDLI RAVA NOMBU ADAI

Karadayan nombu adai is made for the Nombu by South Indians.  Normally, it is made with roasted rice flour  both  sweet and savory.  I tried the same with ragi  both savory and sweet and was quite good. 

Recently, one of my friend gave me the savory version  made with coarse ground rice.  It was quite tasty and hence I thought of trying with the idli rava.  I had a packet of rava lying in my fridge so I took the opportunity to try the same.  Since I did not have the stock of Karamani, I made it without that and was quite tasty.

Shall post the photographs after making the same with karamani (black eyed pea, lobia) shortly but presently posting the photo without that.  The preparation is very simple.

Let us look at the recipe now:

idli rava nombu adai

DRUMSTICK SOUP

The market is flooded with lots of drumstick and I happened to buy this for trying various dishes.  Today I tried the soup and liked it hence I am sharing with you all since it has got lots of health benefits.

The drumstick plant is also known by its scientific name moringa oleifera or by its name the horseradish tree, or, has been known to have many health benefits. The Health benefits of drumstick flowers and leaves and other parts of the tree are use in traditional medicine, various culinary applications, use for cleaning dirty water and its extraordinary nutritional value. There are many benefits that come from this tree and these are obtained from its flowers, leaves, juice and seeds.

 The main health benefits of drumstick flowers and leaves are in the nutritional quality of these parts of the plant as well as the seeds. These parts of the plant are rich in Vitamin B1, B2, B3, Vitamin A, and vitamin C. There are also the minerals calcium, iron, phosphorus and magnesium to be found in these parts of the tree as well. The juice is highly nutritious and an ounce of it is said to contain the same quantity of calcium as 4 glasses of milk, the vitamin C of 7 oranges and the potassium of seven bananas, and a reasonable level of iron. Added to a glass of milk it may help promote energy, strengthen children's bones, aid in purifying the blood and adds to the nutrition of pregnant women.

SEV KHAMANI

Sev Khamani is a popular  dish from Surat hence the name Surti Sev Khamani.  It is a popular Gujarati dish which can be served as a snack or as a breakfast. 

Basically, it is made out of chana dal.  But  I have used the moongdal for making this dish. I have made it very simple so that you can also follow the same method for making it easily at home.

It takes a lot of time (for soaking the chana dal for 4 to 5 hours), grind it,steam it and then cook it with tempering.  But the hard work is fruitful as you would love to eat again and again.

Now let us look at the recipe with the Moongdal.  Shall post the recipe with chana dal soon.

Surti Sev Khamani