Summer Time: Aamras

Its that time of the year when you get Mangoes in abundance everywhere. Streets are filled with hawkers selling the King of fruits. In Chennai, you get so many varieties of mangoes which i have never heard of.
Eating mangoes sometimes becomes little messy so Aamras is a great idea to have this irresistible fruit
This dish is popular among the people of Gujarat, Rajhasthan. Gujarati's love having this wid hot Pooris.
Aamras can be both eaten as a dessert or as a main course dish.

Aamras

Ingredients:
3 Ripe mangoes
3tbsp sugar (depends on how sweet the mango is)
1/2cup milk
1cup water
Saffron (optional)

Procedure:

• Peel the mangoes.
• Dice them removing it from the seed.
• Take a blender, add in the chopped mangoes + milk + water + sugar.
• Blend it well.
• The consistency should be thin. if required add water.
• Keep it in the refrigerator.
• Can be stored for 3 days.

Thai Salad :Pineapple & Cucumber Salad

Toss it, dress it, season it, eat it. Things cant get simpler than this. Salads are one of kitchen's little miracles that pack taste and health in equal measures.
So everyday I try to incorporate something new in my salads which can easily break away the monotony.
So i used two of the most refreshing ingredients of summers cucumber & pineapple.

Pineapple & Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
1cup Pineapple (Diced)
1cup Cucumber(Diced)
1/2 cup Red Bell Peppers(Diced)
10gms Groundnut (Roasted)

For the dressing:
1tbsp Olive Oil
Few springs of fresh mint
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste

Procedure:

• Take a bowl add in the diced pineapple and cucumber.
• Toast the groundnuts before adding into the salad.
• In another bowl prepare the dressing. 
• Add in olive oil + salt + mint + black pepper + lime juice.
• Mix well.
• Toss in the dressing into it.
• Serve cold or at room temperature.

Apple & Pomegranate Salad with Toasted Walnuts

In summers u always wish to eat something light especially in the evenings after a long day of work and heat. So salads are good for your appetite and makes u feel fresh and energetic. Pomegranate is a fruit which is little time consuming when it comes to peeling. But when it is done it tastes great. It is sometimes boring to eat the pomegranate just like that so I incorporated this fruit in a salad and it tasted superb.

Its a simple recipe which just require few major ingredients.

Apple & Pomegranate Salad wid Toasted Walnuts

Ingredients:

1 large Apple

1 Pomegranate (deseeded)

4-5  Iceberg Lettuce leaves (roughly chopped)

6-7 Walnuts (roughly chopped)

 For the Dressing:

1tbsp Olive oil

Salt to taste

Black Pepper to taste

Lime juice

1tsp Honey

Apple & Pomegranate Salad wid Toasted Walnuts

Procedure:

• Take a bowl, add Apples+ Pomegranate seeds + Lettuce.
• Take another bowl prepare the dressing by adding Olive oil + Honey + Lime juice+ Salt + Pepper.
• Mix well
• Now add in the dressing in the bowl of fruits.
• Toss in well.
• Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tips:

• To serve cold keep the fruit bowl in the refrigerator.
• Toss in the dressing only when you have to serve it.
• Dry toast the walnuts before putting in the salad. (This is optional you can add them without toasting also)

Vada Pav

Whenever I  make Vada pav at home, it makes me remember those days when we had gone to Mahablaeshwar from Mumbai by road. The road journey was great as the express highway made the time less and more pleasurable. On our way we had stopped on this eating joint which serve awesome vada pavs. Vada pavs are the staple food of the people of Maharashtra as it is available in every gali of any city and it is sold by all the street hawkers as well some posh eating joints. It is served with a chutney made up of garlic, shredded coconut, tamarind pulp. its a dry chutney.

Vada Pav

Ingredients:
6 Pav Bun

For the Vada (Batata)
4 medium-sized boiled Potato
2 Green Chilies
1tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
Salt to taste
1tsp Cumin powder
1tsp Coriander powder
1tbsp Turmeric powder
Fresh coriander

For the tempering:
1tsp oil
1tbsp Rai (Mustard Seeds)
5-6 curry leaves (Finely chopped)

For the Gram Flour paste:
4tbsp Gram flour (Besan)
Salt to taste (be careful as u will add salt bath in potato and besan mixture)
Fresh coriander leaves
1tsp red chilly powder
Water to make a paste
Oil to fry

Procedure:

• Take a bowl, mash in the potatoes in it.
• Now add in ginger-garlic paste + salt + cumin powder + coriander powder + turmeric powder + fresh coriander.
• Mix all this well.
• Now heat 1tbsp oil in a pan, add in rai  + curry leaves.
• When it starts to tempering switch off the gas.
• Add this into the potato mixture.
• Mix in well
• In another bowl make a paste of gram flour with water + salt + fresh coriander + red chilly powder.
• Mix all this well and make sure no lumps are made.
• Make a thick paste.
• Now divide the potato mixture into balls.
• Heat the oil.
• Dip each ball into the gram flour mixture and fry till it turns red.

To serve Vada Pav:

• Cut the pav bun into halves.
• Place the vada in between the pav.
• Serve hot with green chutney.

Cheese & Vegetables Quesadillas

My interest in cooking is making me try different recipes everyday. My husband has to bear the brunt always but he enjoys it the most.. (I think so).  I just yearn for the compliments that he gives me after every dish.  He is my best Critic.

So one evening wanted to experiment some thing with Tortilla wrap that I purchased from a local Grocery store.
After thinking a lot I came up with this superb recipe of Quesadillas which is a Mexican dish made with cheese and vegetables. You can even add Ur favourite Chicken into it.
Instead of using the ready made wrap you can make the same at home also.

Cheese& Vegetables Quesadillas 

Ingredients:
2 Tortillas
Olive Oil to Roast the Quesadillas

For the Filling:
1medium-sized Onion
1medium-sized Tomato
1medium sized Capsicum
1cup mix of Red nd Yellow Bell Pepper
1medium-sized Carrot
1tbsp Garlic paste
1Green Chilly
Salt to taste
1tbsp Oregano to taste
2tbsp Chilly Flakes to taste or as you like it
1tsp Basil
1tbsp Olive Oil
Mozzarella (depends on how sinful you want to get with this)

Procedure:

• Heat oil in a pan, add in garlic paste and green chilly.
• Then add in the chopped onion.
• Let it cook for 5 minutes then add in the chopped tomatoes.
• Add in salt to quicken the cooking process of the tomatoes.
• After the tomatoes are well cooked add in the chopped carrot.
• Add in capsicum and bell peppers.
• Add in all the seasonings.
• Cook all this for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.
• Do not overcook the vegetables.
• Remove from stove.

To make the Quesadillas:

• Take a tawa.
• Put one tortillas over it.
• When it is cooked from below spread the filling evenly over it.
• Now grade a considerable amount of mozzarella cheese over it.
• Place another tortilla over it.
• Reverse it on the other side.
• Put some oil so that it changes color
• Do all this on medium flame
• Remove from stove.
• Cut the Quesadillas into 4 with the help of a Pizza cutter.
• Serve hot with ketchup.

Potato Salad with tangy mint & coriander dressing (dhaniya wale aaloo)

Whenever I go on a wedding or on a party  the first thing I hog on are the different varieties of salads. The whole salad corner entices me with the blend of colors, freshness. So today I am posting the most simple and favourite recipe of Potato Salad.

Potato Salad with Tangy Mint & Coriander Dressing...!!

Ingredients:
4 Boiled Potatoes
1cup Fresh Mint leaves
1/2cup Fresh Coriander Leaves
2 Green chilies
1tsp Ginger paste
1tsp Garlic paste
1tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste
1tsp Chaat masala powder
1tsp Olive Oil
1tsp Cumin seeds

Procedure:

• Blend together mint leaves + coriander leaves + green chilies+ ginger paste + garlic + salt + lime juice.
• Make it into a fine paste.
• Now heat oil in pan, add in cumin seeds.
• Ad in cubed potatoes.
• Mix well.
• After 5 minutes, add in coriander and mint paste into it.
• Mix well.
• Remove from the stove.
• Serve hot or cold.

Chickpea Salad

Monday evening, and I was still unaware as to what to make for my husband for quick and easy starter along with the drinks. I fiddled in my refrigerator to find out that magical ingredient tat will solve my purpose. and here i came across the most versatile and healthy bean :"chickpea" or most commonly known as safed chole in the Indian Household. Rich in protein and tastes wonderful.
I decided on to make a salad out of it, which is both healthy and tasty and will surely be a perfect starter too...
The recipe made up of fresh ingredients and requires no cooking at all.

Chickpea Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup Boiled Chickpea
1/2cup Bell Pepper (Red and Yellow) (Diced)
1 large Tomato (Diced)
1 large Onion (Diced)
1/2 cup Green capsicum (Diced)

For mint and olive oil dressing:
1/2 cup Fresh Mint Leaves (Finely chopped)
1tbsp Olive Oil
1tpsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Chaat masala (optional)

Procedure:

• In a bowl, add in mint leaves + olive oil + lime juice + salt + pepper + chaat masala.
• Mix all this well.
• Now take another boil add in boiled chickpeas + tomato + bell pepper + capsicum + onion
• Mix all this well
• Salad is ready to serve. 

Tips:

Mint should be very finely chopped.

You can even serve it warm. but tastes great when served cold.