7 Layer Dip

Ingredients:

Refried Beans – 2 cans
Guacamole (Receipe given below or simply get Mix packet which is easily available in market)
Sour Cream mixed with a little Taco Seasoning
Shredded Cheese
chopped Tomatoes
sliced Black Olives
chopped Green (Spring) Onions

Optional Ingredients:
Pickled Jalapenos – sliced (layer after cheese)
Salsa – (layer after beans)

Procedure:

Layer each ingredient (in the order provided) in a deep serving platter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1-2 hours minimum. Can be made one day in advance.

To Prepare Gaucomole :
Avocados – 2
Tomatoes – 1/4 medium, chopped
Onions – 1/4 small, chopped
Jalapeños/Serranos – to taste, chopped
Cilantro – 5-6 sprigs, chopped
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Black Pepper – to taste
Lime Juice -taste

Procedure:

1. Cut and peel the Avocados and take the flesh out in a bowl.
2. With a fork mash it up a little, be careful not to overdo it. It needs to have a little texture.
3. Add in the following: Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapeños, Cilantro.
4. Squeeze some Lime Juice into it and mix.
5. Add in Roasted Cumin Powder, Salt and Black Pepper and mix well.
6. Chill and serve as a dip with some chips or as an accompaniment to a Mexican meal.

Vegetable Quesedilla

Ingredients:

Oil – for sauteing vegetables
Green (Spring) Onions
Tomatoes – diced
Bell Pepper – diced
Green Chilies – finely chopped
Spinach – chopped
Salt – to taste
Garlic Powder – to taste
Red Chili Flakes – to taste
Flour Tortillas
shredded Cheese
Oil – for pan frying

Procedure:

Use as much or as little of the vegetables as you prefer.
Heat Oil in a non-stick pan.
Add all of the vegetables and saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add Salt, Garlic Powder and Red Chili Flakes.
Continue cooking until most of the juices dry up. Keep mixture aside.
Heat Oil in a non-stick skillet
Place one flour tortilla over the oil and immediately flip over.
Cook until light golden brown.
Flip over and spread cheese over the tortilla.
Spread vegetable mixture over the cheese.
Cover with another tortilla.
Spread a little oil over the top of second tortilla and flip over.
Cook until tortilla is light golden brown and cheese is melted.
Cut into quarters and serve hot with salsa, sour cream or Ketchup.

Falooda Icecream

Ingredients:
Whole Milk (aka Full Cream) - 2 cups
Basil Seeds (Tukmaria) – 1/2 tsp
Vanilla Ice Cream – 1/2 cup
Falooda Sev – handful
Rose Syrup – 5 tbsp
Sugar – 1 1/2 tbsp or to taste
Cardamom (Elaichi) Powder - 1 pinch
Pistachios – 1 tsp (corsely ground), for garnish
Vanilla Ice Cream - 2 scoops, for serving

Procedure:

Soak the Basil Seeds (Tukmaria) in water for a minimum of 30 minutes, longer is better.
Meanwhile, heat 2 cups of water in a pan; let it come to a boil.
Add Falooda Sev and let it cook for 3 minutes. Take it off the flame.
Also, heat the Milk and let it come to a boil. Take it off the flame.
Add Cardamom Powder, Sugar and Rose Syrup. Mix.
Strain the Falooda Sev and add it to the Milk.
Allow the milk-mixture to chill in the refrigerator – approximately 3 hours.
Strain the Basil seeds and add to the chilled Milk.
At this time, also add the 1/2-cup of Vanilla Ice Cream and mix it in well.
In a glass, add 1 scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream and then pour the Chilled Milk.
Garnish with the coarsely ground pistachios and serve immediately.

Radish ( Muli ) ka Paratha

Ingredients:

White Radish (Muli/Daikon) – 1 1/2 pounds, peeled and shredded
Salt – to taste
Cilantro/Coriander – 5 sprigs, finely chopped
Green Chilies – to taste, finely chopped
Carom Seeds (Ajwain) – 1/4 tsp

For the dough:
Chapati Flour – 1 1/2 cups
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Warm Water – 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp

Extra Flour – for dusting
Oil – for pan frying

Procedure:

Mix Salt and Oil with Flour and add warm Water. Knead to form semi-firm dough.
Coat dough with few drops of Oil, cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle shredded Radish with Salt, mix well and set aside for 5-10 minutes. The salt will pull out the water from the Radish.
Squeeze out and discard all of the water from the Radish.
Add Cilantro, Green Chilies and Carom Seeds to the Radish. Mix well.
Divide dough into approx 8 balls. Divide Radish mixture into 8 portions.
Roll out one dough ball into a small disc using dry flour to prevent sticking.
Place one portion of Radish mixture in the center of the disc.
Wrap the dough around the Radish mixture to form a ball.
Dip the ball into dry flour once again and roll out the paratha.
Shake off any excess dry flour and place the paratha on a hot skillet or tava.
When bubbles appear, flip the paratha over.
Wait approx 30 – 40 secs and spread a little oil on the top. Flip the paratha back to the other side and gently press to cook.
Spread a little oil onto this side. Continue to flip and press until the appearance of raw dough has gone.
Store paratha in a covered or insulated container until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining dough.
Serve paratha hot with pickle, yogurt or butter.

Paneer Paratha

Ingredients:
For the dough:
Chapati Flour – 1 1/2 cups
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi) – 1 Tbsp
Warm Water – 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp

For the stuffing:
Paneer – 14 oz, grated
Salt – to taste
Chaat Masala – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Green Chilies – to taste, finely chopped
Cilantro/Coriander – 5 sprigs, finely chopped
Oil – for pan frying

Method:

1. Mix Flour, Salt, Oil and Fenugreek Leaves until Oil is incorporated into the dry flour.
2. Add warm water and form a firm dough.
3. Coat the dough lightly with few drops of oil, cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
4. To the grated Paneer, add Salt, Chaat Masala, Roasted Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder, Green Chilies and Cilantro/Coriander. Mix well.
5. Divide dough and paneer mixture into 8 portions.
6. Using a little dry flour, roll out one dough ball into a small disc.
7. Place one portion of the paneer mixture on the disc and pull up sides of the disc around the paneer.
8. Pinch the dough at the top to seal the ball.
9. Flatten the stuffed dough and dip into dry flour to coat all sides.
10. Roll out into a larger disc – continuing to dip into dry flour to prevent sticking.
11. Place paratha on a hot tava/skillet and cook until bubbles start to appear on the top.
12. Flip the paratha over and cook for 30 secs.
13. Drizzle a little Oil on the paratha and spread to coat evenly.
14. Flip the paratha over and press gently with a spatula.
15. Lightly drizzle Oil on this side and spread to coat evenly.
16. Flip paratha over and again press gently.
17. Cook paratha until the appearance of raw dough is gone.
18. Remove paratha from the tava and place in a covered/insulated container. Continue with remaining parathas.
19. Serve hot with yogurt/curd, raita or pickle.

Capsicum Fry

Ingredients:
2 big Capsicum cut into strips
1 1/4 tsp Coriander pwd
1/2 tsp Cumin pwd
1 big Onion cut lengthwise
1 tsp Red Chilli pwd
2 tbsp Roasted Peanut coarse pwd
1 tsp Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Turmeric

Procedure:

Heat oil in a kadai.
Once hot add capsicum slices, fry for couple of mins.
Then add onion slices, fry for till they become translucent.
Add all the masalas. Fry for 2mins, then add about 1/4cup of water and mix.
Cover and cook for about 5mins.
Your yummy capsicum is ready.
You can alter the taste of salt, sugar and r.chiili according to your taste. I like it hot!

Serve hot with Chapatis.

Szechuan Rice

Ingredients :

20 Dry red chillies , 6 cloves of garlic ,
1 inch ginger finely chopped , 2 tbspn finely chopped onion ,
1 green chilly , salt to taste , 1 tbspn white vinegar ,
2 tbspn sugar , 1/4 tspn all purpose flour.

Procedure :
Soak dry red chillies for minimum 8 hours.
Grind he chillies with ginger , garlic and green chilly to form fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan cook the onion on medium heat. Add the all purpose flour and stir well till the flour looses its raw flavor. Flour is used as a thickening agent in this sauce. Then add red chilly paste , salt , sugar let it come to a boil. (You may add water to get required consistency). Add white vinegar. The sauce is ready to use or to be frozen for future use.

Heat oil in a pan and add coarsely chopped veggies as you may like (e.g carrot , green beans , cabbage , green peas) . Once the veggies are half cooked add well cooked rice and stir well. (Cooking the veggies half way through gets the crunch to the dish which many enjoy) . Add the szechuan sauce , salt to taste , a tspn vinegar. Cover the pan so that rice can absorb all the flavors. Rice is ready to serve hot.

Vegetable Manchurian

Ingredients :

For the Dumpling :
1 cup finely chopped Cabbage , 2 tbspn finely chopped capsicum ,
1.5 tbspn Corn Starch, Salt to taste , Oil to fry.

For the Gravy :
1 tbspn oil , finely chopped Garlic and ginger 1 tspn each,
1/4th cup finely chopped onion , 2 tbspn finely chopped capsicum ,
2 tbspn finely chopped spring onion, 1/4th tspn finely choped green chillies
1 Cup water , Salt to taste , 2 tspn Soy Sauce , 3/4th tspn vinegar
1 tbspn Corn Starch.

Procedure :
Mix finely chopped cabbage , capsicum , salt and corn starch together and rub it well with hands so that the moisture from the veggies dampens the corn starch enought to bind them all together . Make small size dumplings and deepfry till they are dark in color. Fry them on medium heat so that they cook well in the center.

Heat oil in a wok . Cook garlic , onion , capsicum for about 2 mins. Add water , salt , ginger , green chillies and let it boil for about 3-5 minutes . (You may use Vegetable stock instead of water). This helps to extract the flavors from the ingredients. Add corn starch dissolved in little water , vinegar and spring onions . Garnish with Cilantro and spring onion.
Veg Manchurian is ready to serve.