Mujaddara Arabic Lentil Rice with Brown Onions served with Laban

Mujaddara is a Arabic Lentil Rice very similar to our Indian Masoor Palau and it is served with Laban again very similar to Indian Raita. I have used very less oil and cooked this in a cooker, but this can be cooked in a pot.
Mujaddara  Arabic Lentil Rice with Brown Onions
Ingredients
1 cup Brown Lentil
1 cup Basmati Rice
2 Big Size Onions sliced
4 Garlic Cloves minced
1 stick Cinnamon
1 Green Cardomon
2 Cloves
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
Rock salt to taste
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
Olive oil spray

Method
Take the Rice and the Lentil separately wash it and soak it for 30 minutes. Take a cooker add 1 1/2 cup water,  the lentil and some salt to taste and give just 2 whistles. The lentil should cook at the same time should not be mashy. After the pressure releases remove the lentils and drain the water out.
Keep it aside. Take the same pressure cooker, add 1/2 tsp oil, heat it up. Add the cumin seeds, cloves, cardomon and cinnamon. Let it crackle. Add the garlic and 1/4 of the sliced onions. Sauté it till the onions changes it's colour. Remove the water from the rice. Add the rice in the cooker. Stir the rice for 2 minutes, add 2 cups of water, salt to taste, cumin powder and pepper powder, close the lid and give just one whistle. Let the pressure release, open the cooker and add the cooked lentils. Very gently mix the rice with the lentil. Now just cover and cook till the rice is done. Now take the remaining onions, and spread them on a oil sprayed baking tin. Spray oil on the onions too. In a pre heated oven at 200 degrees Celsius brown the sliced onions for 10 minutes. Take it out from the oven and stir the onions once, put it back in the oven for another 10 minutes.. Repeat the process till golden brown in colour.
OR
Take a non stick pan, spray the oil and sauté the onions on a low flame until brown in colour, if required then spray oil once more in between the process.
Put the Mujaddara into a serving dish and spread the brown onions on the top. Serve with Yogurt Cucumber Salad called Laban.

Cucumber Laban
Ingredients
2 cups Curd made from skimmed Milk
2 cups Cucumber Grated
1 Garlic cloves grated
1/4 tsp Lime juice
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
Rock Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Dried Mint

Method
Take a mixing bowl, add curd, salt, pepper powder and lime juice. Whisk the curd well. Add the cucumber and garlic and whisk it again. Add the dried mint from top and serve it with the Rice.

Vegetable Chops a Healthy Treat for your Taste Buds and Soul...

Vegetable Chops a Healthy Treat for your Taste Buds and Soul...
Few days remaining for Durga Puja celebration. In Bengal and other parts of the country Durga Puja is celebrated by Bengalis in a huge scale. Debi Puja and Pet Puja that is Prayer to the Goddess and Offering to the stomach goes hand in hand... Some people fast but many like me wait to eat, specially   the Prabasi Bengalis. People go Pandal hoping to pray to the Goddess and there after celebrate the festival by eating in the Pandals. There are food stalls put up in the Pandals. Morning people eat the Prasad in the Pandals like Khichadi, Labra, Payesh, Chutney and in the evening dishes like Muglai Paratha with Kosha Mangsho, Luchi Aloordum, Kosha Chicken, Mach Bhat, Mochar Chop, Vegetable Chop, Mutton Cutlet, Fish Fry, Mutton Biriyani, Rasogulla, Misthi Dai, Jhal Muri, Tele Bhaja are sold in the Pandals. This year no Pandal food for me as on Diet, but why deprive my soul of good food...
Made 100 % Healthy Vegetable chops which are not fried but baked.... And it is served with vegetable salad and home made healthy Kasundi.

Ingredients
1 cup grated Beetroot
1 cup grated Carrots
2 grated Boiled Potatoes
1 or 2 chopped Green Chillies
1/2 tsp grated Ginger
1 tbsp Raisins
1/2 tsp broken Cashewnuts or Almonds
Rock Salt to taste
1 tsp Bhaja Masala powder ( 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds, 1/2 Coriander seeds and 1 dry red chillies - Roast it and grind it in a grinder)
1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Bay leaf
1/2 tsp Melted Ghee
2 tbsp Wheat flour + 1/4 cup or little more Water mix to make a thin batter
Oil spray
1 cup Roti crumbs

Method
For the Roti crumbs, take 6 rotis made without oil and salt.Roast it in a microwave till crisp. Break into pieces. Grind the crisp roti pieces in a grinder to make a fine powder. Keep it aside. This can be stored in the fridge for further use. Take a pan, add ghee in the pan. Let it heat. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves, let the cumin seeds crackle. Add the ginger and sauté for few seconds. Add the beetroot, carrot and the boil potatoes, stir it and cover the pan, cook for 5 minutes on a low flame stirring it occasionally. Add the garam masala, salt, Bhaja masala, raisins and broken cashewnuts or almonds. Mix it and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. The mixture will start to bind together, till then cook the vegetables. Take it off the gas and cook the vegetables. Spray oil on a baking tin. Divided the vegetable mixture into equal lemon size balls, shape the balls  into oval shape.  Take the whole wheat water mix. Take the roti crumbs in a plate, take each oval shape balls and roll it in the crumbs once. Now take each vegetable chop and dip it in the whole wheat thin batter and roll it on the roti crumbs again. Now place the vegetables chop on the baking tin. Spray the oil on the chop ones. Bake the chops for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celcicus for 15 minutes, then turn and bake again for 15 minutes. Check if the vegetables have become brown in colour. If not repeat the process for 5 minutes to 10 minutes till brown in colour. Serve it hot with salad and home Kasundi

Salad
Ingredients
1 Cucumber cut into strips
1 Boil Beetroot cut into strips
1 boiled Carrot cut into strips
1 Tomato cut into half and the seeds removed and cut into strips
1 Onion sliced
Rock Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Lime juice

Method
Mix all the above ingredients and serve it with vegetable chops.

Kasundi
Ingredients
1 small Raw Green Mango pieces
3 Green chillies
3 Garlic cloves (optional)
1tbsp Black Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Yellow Mustard seeds
Rock Salt to taste
Pinch of Turmeric Powder
1 tbsp of Mustard Oil

Method
Blend all the ingredients in a blender except for the mustard oil into a paste. Add little water to get a thick paste and blend it again. Now add mustard oil little at a time while blending. Store it into a glass bottle in the fridge. Let it stand for a day. Serve it with Chops, Mughlai, Cutlets....

Pani Puris Healthy Treats for your taste buds and Soul

Pani Puris
Healthy Treats for your taste buds and Soul... Why deprive yourself from having chats while on a diet. Here is a quick recipe for you. Who does not love Pani puri... We all do... So eat it guilty free. Usually Pani puri is made with puris which is deep fried, but now a days you get the Puri padas which can be made in the microwave and roasted. The Green Pani puri water traditionally is made from tamarind pulp and mint leaves with roasted cumin powder. Here I have used raw mango to give it a twist. Similarly the  tamarind chutney is made traditionally from tamarind pulp and Jaggary with roasted cumin powder. Here again I have made it with fruit juice and date pulp. The stuffing is made with mix sprouted beans with potatoes which can be replaced with boiled mashed raw banana instead of the potatoes. 

If you are on a restricted diet and not allowed to have certain ingredients please contact your dietician and you can replace or substitute the ingredients. Add salt according to your required measurement. 

Sweet Chutney
Ingredients
1/2 cup Fresh Pomegranate or any Tangy sweet juicy fruits like Pineapple, strawberry, sweet lime, orange, kiwi... If you want more tangy add more juice while blending. 
1 cup seedless Dates chopped
Rock Salt to taste
Black Salt to taste
1 /2 tsp Roasted Cumin seed powder

Method
Take a small pan. Add 1/2 cup water. Add the dates and cook well till pulpy. Add the pomegranate juice and date pulp in a blender and blend it. Add salt and roasted cumin seed powder. Add l/2 cup or more water to make liquid sweet chutney. Keep it in the fridge to cool it.

Green Chutney
Ingredients
1 small Raw Mango cut into pieces
1/4 cup Fresh Mint leave
2 tbsp Coriander leaves
1 small Green Chilli
1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp Roasted powder Masala
Rock Salt to taste
Black Salt to taste
Few Mint leaves for garnish

Method
Blend the mango, mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chilli in a blender into paste. Add the Chutney in a bowl, add salt and the roasted masala in the chutney... Add 1/2 cup water or more to make a tangy liquid green chutney. Add few mint leaves for garnishing. Keep it in the fridge to cool.

P. S. After adding water to the sweet and green  chutney taste and adjust the salt and roasted masala powder accordingly...

Pani Puri stuffing
Ingredients
1 cup Sprouted Mix Beans Boiled
1 Big Potato Boiled and Mashed
1 Green Chilli minced
Rock Salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp Roasted Masala powder
1/4 tsp Tamarind pulp
Few Mint and Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Mix all the above ingredients together.

Roasted Masala powder
Ingredients
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
2 Red Dry Chillies

Method
Roast all the above ingredients and cool it. Add the ingredients in a grinder and grind it to make a powder.

Pani Puri Puris
Ingredients
Puri Papads

It is readily available in the market. 

Method
Take 4 to 5 papads at a time. Microwave it for 30 seconds to a minute. The puris are ready..

To make pani puri. Take a puri prick from the centre and make a hole. Add a spoon of stuffing. Dip in sweet water and green chutney water a enjoy.

Parse Macher Aloo Diye Radhuni Batar Jhol Mullet and Potatoes cooked with Celery seed paste to make a Gravy

Parse Macher Aloo Diye Radhuni Batar Jhol
Mullet and Potatoes cooked with Celery seed paste to make a Gravy
Ingredients 
8 to10 whole Parse Fish cleaned
2 Potatoes cut lengthwise
2 tbsp Onion paste
4 tbsp Tomato paste
1/2 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
2 to 3 Green chillies slit
Salt to taste
1 tsp Tumeric powder
1/4 tsp Chilli powder
For the paste grind (1 tsp Radhuni (Celery seed),  1 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds)
1/4 tsp Nigella (Kalonji) seeds
1/2 cup Mustard oil for fry                  

Method
Apply 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt to the fish and keep it aside for 5 minutes. Heat the mustard oil in a wok. Fry the fishes till light brown on both sides. Keep the fish aside. Let 3 tbsp oil remain in the wok and take rest of the oil out. Add the Kalonji seeds and green chillies. Add the onion paste, garlic and ginger paste. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste, salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, chilli powder, ground paste. On a low flame, stir, cover and cook for 2 minutes, stir in between. Add the potatoes and cook for another minute. Add 2 to 4 cups of water depending on the gravy wanted. Cover the lid and cook till the potatoes are done. Add the fish. Simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes.. Serve hot with hot steaming rice.

Egg White Omelette stuffed with Stir Fried Mix Beans Sprout Salad

Egg White Omelette stuffed with Stir Fried Mix Beans Sprout Salad
Ingredients
2 Egg Whites
1/4 cup Mix Sprouted Beans
1/4 cup Salad ( Mix of chopped Vegetables - Boiled Beetroot, Tomato, Red Cabbage, Tomato, Cucumber)
2 Garlic chopped
1 Green Chilli chopped
Rock Salt to taste
Pinch of Pepper powder
1/4 tsp Melted Butter

Method
Take a small pan. Brush butter in the pan. Add the garlic and the chopped chilli. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the sprouts and salt, stir it and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. For the salad, mix all the chopped vegetables and the stirred fried sprouts together with a pinch of salt and pepper in the mixing bowl. Take the egg whites, add pinch of salt and beat it. Take a skillet and brush butter on the skillet. Spread the egg white on the skillet. Cook for  few seconds, add the salad on one side of the omelette. Fold the other side over the salad  and serve hot... It is filling and healthy.