Tomato Celery Soup

What I used:

Tomatoes : 3
Celery Stick : 1 (chopped into cubes)
Onion : 1/4 (chopped)
Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp
Garlic cloves : 3
Ginger piece : 1/2" piece
Salt : as required
Sugar : 1 tsp
Pepper Powder : 1/4 tsp or as per your spice level
Green Chillies : 1
Bay leaf : 1
Sour cream : 3 to 4 tbsp
Olive oil : 1 tbsp

How I did:

• Blanch the tomatoes and peel off the skin.  
• In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add cumin, chopped onion and chopped celery and cook till the onions are done.
• When cooled take all the cooked ingredients, peeled tomatoes, garlic, ginger and green chilli in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Strain the puree through a strainer into a saucepan.  Add water as required to make it thinner.
• Add bay leaf and boil the soup on low to medium heat.  Add salt, sugar, pepper powder and sour cream.  Let it boil for 5 to 7 minutes.  Check the consistency in between.
• Serve hot.

Phool Makhana Laddoo

What I used:

Phool Makhana : 1 cup
Whole wheat flour : 1 cup
Powdered sugar : 3/4 cup or as u need
Ghee : 6 to 7 tbsp

How I did:

• Roast the phool makhana on low to medium flame for about 5 minutes which will make them crisp.  Transfer them to a mixing bowl.
• In the same pan, roast whole wheat flour for 5 minutes. Pour into the phool makhana.  
• Add powdered sugar and combine well.
• Add melted ghee and shape them into laddoos.

Spinach Garelu (Spinach and Urad dal fritters)

What I used:

Urad dal : 2 cups

Spinach : 3 fistfuls or more (chopped finely)

green chillies : 5 (very finely chopped)

Onion : 1/2 (finely chopped)

Salt : as required

ginger : one inch piece (very finely chopped)

Oil : for frying

How to:

• Grind urad dal and salt to a thick paste without adding water. (Can sprinkle some water in between but try to avoid that.)
• Mix chopped onion, chopped spinach, chopped chillies and chopped ginger to the batter.
• Using oil/water shape the thick paste in the form of donut, make a hole in the center and deep fry.
• When they turn golden brown on both sides transfer them to paper napkin which absorbs excess oil. 
• Serve hot with allam chutney or any other chutney.

Idli Manchurian

What I used:

Cooked Idlis : 8
Onion : 1/2 (chopped)
Green Chillies : 1 or 2 (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste : 1/4 tsp
Garlic pods : 3 to 4 (finely diced)
Tomato ketchup : 3 to 4 tbsp
Sri Racha hot sauce : as needed
Soy sauce : 1 tsp
Salt : as required
Chopped coriander : 2 tbsp

How I did:

• Cut each idli into 4 pieces. Take a tbsp of oil in a pan and roast the idli pieces until light brown on all sides and transfer to a plate.
• Take 1 more tbsp of oil add onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add ginger garlic paste, chopped garlic and green chillies and saute for few seconds.
• Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup, sri racha sauce and salt. Mix well.
• Bring to a boil and add the idlis and mix so as to coat them well with the sauce.
• Serve hot garnished with coriander.

Thai Fried Rice with Basil

What I used:

Cooked rice : 2 cups
Garlic : 3 cloves (finely chopped)
Thai red chillies : 5 to 6 (sliced vertically)
Red Onion : 1/2 (sliced thinly)
Beans : 10 to 12 (cut into 1" pieces)
Carrots : 1/2 (julienned)
Button mushrooms : 12 to 15 (chopped)
Cooking oil : 2 tbsp
Soy sauce : 3 tbsp
Lime juice : 1 tbsp
Ground white pepper : 1/2 tsp
Salt : as required
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Roasted peanuts : for garnish
Basil leaves : 20 to 25

How I did:

• In a wok, heat oil over medium heat and fry chopped garlic and thai red chillies until garlic is light brown. 
• Add onions, beans, carrot, and mushrooms and stir. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until all the veggies are done and add rice. Stir to combine and fry 1 minute. 
• Add soy sauce, lime juice, white pepper powder, salt and sugar and stir until evenly distributed. 
• Add basil leaves, stir, and remove from heat. Garnish with a few basil leaves and roasted peanuts and serve hot.

Diamond Kajalu

What I used:

All purpose flour(Maida) : 1 cup
Green chillies : 3 to 4
Cumin seeds : 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Water : 1/2 cup
Oil : for frying

How I did:

• In a food processor, grind green chillies and cumin seeds to a smooth paste.
• Mix all purpose flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add chilli paste and water and knead till it turns into firm and soft dough.
• Take a large lemon sized ball of the dough and roll into a flat chapatis flouring in between. While doing this cover the remaining dough with a moist cloth.  Cut the chapati into small diamonds using a knife.  Finish the rest of the dough.
• Heat oil in kadai on medium flame and deep fry the diamonds in oil till golden brown on both sides.