Borscht (veg version)

Borscht
- Sangita Kalarickal
Ukrainian beet soup, veg version
1 head cabbage, chopped
Two three beets, peeled and chopped
Large onion, chopped
Two three carrots, chopped
Tomato paste
Potatoes
Garlic, finely minced (optional)
Sour cream or yogurt
Vegetable stock

Heat some oil and add the onion, when its soft, add tomatoes, and cook. Then add the beets, carrots and vegetable stock and cook until they are soft, add potatoes and cook (I microwave them till they are tender) Add cabbage and cook well. Add salt and pepper. If adding garlic, then add at the end, turn off the heat and cover.
Serve with sour cream.

Madras kakdi pickle

Madras Kakdi Pickle
- Aparna Rao

Masala - 1 cup rai powder, 1 cup red chilli powder, 3/4 cup salt, a spoonful of haldi, methi seeds and some hing. Mix these up properly without lumps. Chop 3 Madras Kakdi -
Round madras kakdi...  Should be raw, remove all seeds. In a container, put in pieces, add proportionate amount of masala. The masala should cover all pieces properly. Add in oil such that the mixture gets mixed well but need not float in oil. Done in 15 minutes 😋😋😋
Cucumber absorbs salt so salt  should be less than the chilli and rai powders

Kolam fish curry

Kolam fish curry
- Bindu Mohanan

Karimeen, surmai, black pomphert, white pomphert

Deep vessel....pour oil .one tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter put a tsp of fenugreek seeds. One onion sliced.....sauté till light brown add garlic pods little.mashed and ginger mashed kadi patta. Saute it for a while. Now add the dry pwds. Corriander pwd. If u HV fish curry masala.. Red chilly pwd. Haldi pwd. All 1 1/2 tsp and saute it well now add water according to the pieces of fish and kokam. Let it boil. Add salt and let it boil now add the fish pieces and boil it until the fish is done..now add some coconut oil.on top for smell.and taste. Curry ready.😋😋😋😋😋😋

Jhatpat haraa lasoon gaajar achaar

Jhatpat haraa lasoon gaajar achaar 

- Shobha Tuliani
Ingr: green garlic one bunch, 4 to5 fresh red  carrots thin ones preferable,   Mustard seeds approx 2 tbl spns.  red chilli powder, 1 teapoon turmeric powder, salt. Apple cider vinegar- 1 teaspoon
Coarsely grind mustard seeds.  Slit carrots 1 inch  long. Grind green garlic with ltl water. Chutney consistency. Mix all these v well. Add salt turmeric powder.  As per spice taste add red chilli powder. i like this achaar red n hot so am generous in adding mirchi powder.  Mix v well. Store in glass jar in sunlight. Keep shaking the barni well. Lasts outside fridge for a week. Enjoy with paratha. Sabzi rot, thepla etc 😊

Tilachi vadi

Tilachi vadi -   
Vaishali Damle

2 vati roasted and crushed sesame seeds, 1/2 vati roasted and crushed groundnuts, 1 vati or slightly more jaggery. Cardamom pwd for taste.
In a kadai melt jaggery with 1-2tbsp water. When it just starts boiling add the mixture of sesame seeds  and groundnuts and stir till a big lump(gola ) is formed. When hot immediately pour on a thali on which little ghee is applied and flatten it quickly till you get the required thickness of vadi or barfi. Mark the pieces with knife when hot and cut them accordingly.

Tips: egg substitute in baked goods

Substitute one banana or
1/4 cup applesauce for each egg in a recipes for baked goods. Bananas are very flavorful so make sure that the flavor goes well in that particular dessert.
From: http://www.peta.org/

Banana cake

Banana Cake:
- Shabana
( recipe by my friend shaista)
- 1 medium Ripe banana
- 1 and 1/4th cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4th cup oil and/or butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla easence
( opt: i added some raisins, chopped walnuts and 1/4 tsp cinnamon pdr)
- In a vessel combine the dry ingredients ( flour, baking pdr cinnamon pdr except sugar)
- in another bowl peel and mash the banana with a fork
- add sugar and beat it
- add egg and keep beating as u keep adding the butter/ oil; vanilla essence once all the mixture is mixed well
- start incorporating dry into the wet slowly and gradually ( stirring continously)
- when all the mixture becomes homogenous, add the dry fruits if desired
- give another mix
- preheat oven at 350F
- Grease and pour the mixture in the tray
- bake for about 30-40 mins( after 30 mins, do the dip stick check)
- remove on cooling rack
- when almost cool cut into desired pcs and enjoy
( this time happy with my result, the cake turned out really spongy)

Fried chicken: Variant 2

Chicken 🍗 fry...instant with egg coating - Farzana Shaikh
wash and rinse chicken pieces...add garam masala powder...chilly powder..turmeric...coriander powder..salt..ginger garlic paste....add curd...beaten egg...and mix well ....keep the marinated chicken for five mins...till the oil becomes hot in the frying pan......shallow fry  the pieces .....close the lid for five mins..then turn the chicken pieces other side fry in the same manner.......in low flame....fried chicken ready...in ten mins.....yummy...eat with butter naan..n salad...😋😋😋

Fried chicken: Variant 1

Another version of fried chicken - Shabana
- wash and pat dry chicken
- add ginger garlic paste( opt- use dried ginger garlic pdr- better to use)
- add dried red chiili pdr, salt, some lemon juice and egg, mix well and keep marinated ( the more time, the better it is for the masala to be absorbed by the chicken
- beat egg in a dish wz salt and red chiili pdr( as per taste)
- spread corn flour in a plate
- heat oil on high flame and reduce it to med
- coat each pc with egg mixture and roll in the corn flour ( for more crispiness, repeat the coating again)
- fry till the top turns light golden and chicken cooked from inside ( adjust the heat as required)
- enjoy wz tomato ketchup or hot sauce fries and bun
😊😊😊😊

Spring Onion Chutney

Spring Onion  Chutney
- Aparna Rao-
Chop 4 spring onions with green parts, 2 or 3 tomatoes. 2 spoonful oil, put in tomatoes and onions, a pinch of haldi, salt, cook on low flame. It will cook together and let off an aroma. For seasoning 1 spoon udad dal, rai, jeera, methi, akhi mirchi, green mirchis, hing, kadi patta- after frying, add a small spoon of tamarind paste and stir. Grind the seasoning  coarse. Add in tomato spring onions, and grind in with the seasoning. Coarse grind. Should not be fine paste. Mix fresh coriander leaves

Quick boneless chicken

Quick recipe for boneless chicken
- Sujata Maselkar -
cut boneless chicken into small pieces. Add salt. Black pepper , shezwan sauce and garlic paste. I always collect sauces which you get with chinese food. Mix well and marinate for some time. Add one beaten egg coat with breadcrumbs and either deep fry or shallow fry. Jhatpat recipe and tasty.