Rasam | Charu | Saaru | How to Make Rasam

Rasam is a well known South Indian dish & without it the meal is never complete. This is a comforting simple dish which is healthy, appetizing & helps with good digestion.
Rasam has many variations, based on the region & state. I'm sharing my mom's rasam recipe, which is little sweeter & tangier. Curry leaves & Coriander leaves or any one these leaves will add a lovely flavor to the dish. 
Rasam powder is the main ingredient in this dish. This powder is packed with flavors from different herbs & which are released in to rasam when it is added. Adding rasam powder at initial stage will make this much flavorful. 
Other rasam dishes
- Pappu Charu | Toor Dal Rasam
- Ulava Charu | Horse Gram Rasam | Hurali Saaru | Kollu Rasam

Prep Time-5mins | Cook Time-30mins | Serves-3people
Ingredients
2Tomatoes finely chopped
3Cups water 
2Tsp rasam powder
2Tsp tamarind pulp / Small ball of tamarind {adjust as needed}
1/4Tsp turmeric
2Tsp jaggery powder / 1Tsp sugar {adjust as needed}
Few curry leaves 
Salt to taste
Seasoning 
1Tsp mustard 
1Tsp jeera
Few methi seeds
1Tbs butter/oil
1/2Tsp hing {Asafetida} 
2Garlic cloves chopped
Directions 
- Take a vessel with water & to that add tamarind pulp & dissolve it completely. 
- If using the tamarind as itself, wash with little water & them soak it in 1cup of water for 30mins or till it gets soft. Squeeze water out of tamarind & use it part of 3cups water. Adjust the flavor as needed.  
- To that add turmeric, curry leaves & chopped tomatoes. 
- Add salt, rasam powder & bring to boil. Cook till tomatoes are soft & perfect. 
- Now add sugar & adjust salt if needed. {Don't switch off heat}
- Heat pan with butter. 
- Add mustard, jeera & methi seeds to pan. 
- Once the mustard starts jumping add hing & garlic. 
- Switch off heat mix it to boiling rasam. 
- Switch off heat to rasam.
- Serve with rice & dollop of ghee. 
Note
- You can add both curry & cilantro leaves to the boiling rasam. 
- Don't over boil the rasam. 
- Once the tomatoes are done, it means rasam is ready.
- You can add tomato puree instead of sliced tomatoes.

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Pav | How to make Pav

Pav is Indian yeasted bread. The most famous snacks include pav bhaji, Vada pav, misal pav, masala pav etc..

Origin - This bread “Pao” was introduced by Portuguese when they ruled Goa {India} in 15^th century. Later in migration it this bread was brought to Mumbai & it became famous over there. {Sources: Holiday Goa}

Recipe - The recipe is simple & doesn't involves eggs. I used milk in this recipe instead of water & kneaded it for 10mins before & after rising. Making small dough balls will allow the bread to be soft & smooth after it was baked.

Prep Time-3hrs | Cook Time-30mins | Serves-3people | Yields-7pav's

Ingredients
1&1/2Cups all purpose flour {unbleached}
1/2Cup + 2Tbs milk { add as needed}
2Tsp instant yeast
1/4Tsp salt
1Tbs +2Tsp sugar
1Tbs butter melted
1Tbs flour for dusting
1Tsp butter {baking pan}
1Tsp olive oil {rising bread}
1Tsp milk {brushing on the pav}
Directions
Making Dough
- Grease a bowl with olive oil & set aside.
- In a bowl add flour, yeast, salt, sugar & butter.
- To that add milk little by little & mix well.
- Knead dough for 10mins.
- Form a dough & place the dough in greased bowl.
- Cover up & keep it in a warm place.
- Allow it to raise for 1&1/2 hrs.
Make Pav
- Grease a baking pan with butter.
- Dust a wooden board with flour & place the risen dough.
- Punch out all the air & knead dough for 5mins.
- Divide the dough into equal size small balls.
- Place them in the baking sheet leaving a little space in between.
- Cover up & allow the bread to rise for 1&1/2hr.
Baking
- Pre heat oven @350degrees for 10mins.
- Brush dough with milk & place them in oven.
- Bake @350degrees for 30mins or till the pav are brown on top.
- Remove from oven & brush some butter to them.
- Allow them to cool before serving.
- Serve as you like.
Note
- Use a bigger bowl for rising dough.
- If dough comes out sticky add some flour & knead the dough. 
- If the place is too warm the risen dough will smell like yeast. 
- Don't exceed the rising time of bread, or it will smell like yeast.

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Grissini - Italian Breadsticks | How to Make Grissini

Grissini is an Italian bread, which look thin, Long & crispy to bite. These breadsticks can be served as appetizer & will go perfect by them selves. You can mix & match with your favorite dips when serving.

Prep Time-15mins + 1hr {Making dough + Dough rising} | Cook Time-20mins | Yields - 14sticks | Serves- 2people
Adapted from : The Kitchn
Ingredients
3/4Cup all purpose flour
1/4Cup + 1Tbs warm milk
1Tsp instant yeast
1Tbs sugar
1/4Tsp salt
2Tbs butter {@room temperature}
2Tbs sesame seeds for coating
Some oil to grease bowl
Some all purpose flour for dusting
Directions:
Making the dough
- Grease a bowl with oil & keep aside.
- In another bowl mix take flour, yeast, sugar, salt, butter & last add warm milk.
- Using a wooden spoon mix all the ingredients to a smooth dough.
- Dust the wooden board with some flour & knead dough for 10mins.
- Now put the dough in the greased bowl & coat the dough with oil.
- Wrap it with a cloth & keep it in a warm place.
- Allow the dough to rise for 1hr or double it's size.
Baking the sticks
- Preheat oven @350 degrees.
- Prep the cookie sheet with a parchment paper.
- Dust the wooden board with flour & place the risen dough.
- Knead it for few seconds & divide the dough in to 20 small balls.
- Take one ball of dough & roll it into straight, thin stick using your hand.
- Now roll it in sesame seeds & lay on the cookie sheet.
- Repeat the same with rest of the dough balls.
- Now lay them equally on the cookie sheet & allow them to rise for 20mins.
- Bake them @350 degrees for 10mins or till they turn light brown.
- Remove from oven & cool them.
- Serve them with your choice of dip & enjoy.
Note
- I used instant yeast so there was no rising ceremony for it.
- If using active yeast follow the packaged instructions.
- I ended up having a little fat bread sticks after the bread rose.. So roll them little more thinner for sleek sticks.
- I haven't added any flavor to dough. Feel free to customize the dough.
- This recipe was perfect for two.

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Mango Strawberry Punch

Mango's aren't my favorite fruit. Back home, while growing up at my parents's place we were surrounded by mango trees. But I never liked them to heart & never felt the urge to have this fruit.
So to reduce my unlikeliness towards this fruit I blend it with other fruits, which are much sweeter & can balance the taste of this fruit. The drink I'm sharing is well balanced with flavors & also energy boosting. 
Enjoy the drink !!!

Prep Time-10mins | Serves - 3-4people
Ingredients 
3Cups mango juice
12Strawberries {frozen or fresh}
3Oranges juiced 
2Tbs honey /agave {optional}
Directions
- Blend all the above other then honey. 
- Flavor up with honey if needed.
- Chill & serve {or} add few ice cubes & serve right away.
Note
- I used store bought mango juice. 
- Quantity might change if used mangoes.
- I haven't used honey in my drink. 

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Cantaloupe Ginger Mocktail

  

Cantaloupe Mocktail  is a blend of fruit juice along with ginger syrup & lemon juice. This mocktail twisty in flavor & refreshing. 

Prep Time -30mins | Serves - 3to4people
Ingredients
1Cantaloupe / 3&1/2Cups juice
Big piece of chopped or minced ginger / 4Tbs big chunks of ginger 
1/2Cup water
2Tbs lemon juice
2Tbs sugar
Few mint leaves for garnish

Directions 

- Boil water along with sugar & ginger.

- Dissolve sugar completely & switch off heat. 

- Allow it to cool completely & filter out ginger from syrup. 

- Now stir in cantaloupe juice with lemon juice & sugar syrup. 

- Chill & serve with garnish or serve right away with few ice cubes. 
Note
- I used minced ginger & loved the flavor it gave to the mocktail. 

You might also like
- Watermelon Mocarita | Watermelon Mocktail
- Lemonade | Nimbu Pani
- Apple Milkshake with Almond Milk
- Mango Lassi | Mango Smoothie

- Mexican Hot Chocolate
- Banana Nutella Milkshake
- Iced Orange Tea

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Watermelon Mocarita | Watermelon Mocktail

Mock-tails are non- alcoholic drinks that are made of mixing different juices. You can modify many cocktails in to mocktails by omitting alcohol from them.

Watermelon Mocarita is a mocktail, which is somewhat similar to non-alcoholic blend of margarita. In this drink I mixed watermelon juice with lemon juice & flavored it with salt. You can replace salt with sugar but for me it was perfect & refreshing with salt.

Enjoy the drink!!!

Prep Time - 45mins {cooling + making} | Serve - 3 - 4people 

Ingredients
3Cups watermelon / 6Cups cubed watermelons 
1/2Cup water {optional}                                       
2Tbs lemon juice
1/2Tsp salt
Few small watermelon pieces to garnish

Directions

- Extract juice of watermelon cubes using a juicer. 

- Filter the juice to remove pulp. 

- Stir in water, lemon juice & salt. If needed adjust them as you like.
- Chill & serve with few watermelons on top or you can serve right away with few ice cubes. 

Note
- I diluted watermelon as I'm not a big fan of the taste. 
- You can omit water if you don't want to.

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Shorshe Dharosh

Shorshe Dharosh or Okra in Mustard sauce is a deliciously tasting dish with interesting flavors. This bengali dish is made of fried okra cooked in mustard sauce to a thick gravy. This is a simple gravy curry easy to make for your busy days.

Prep Time-30mins | Cook Time-10mins | Serves-3 to 4 people 
Adapted : A Mad Tea Party
Ingredients 
15Okra's {cut them into half if they are too long}
1/4Cup water 
1Tsp red chili powder {optional}
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
For gravy
2Tbs mustard seeds
1Tbs poppy seeds
4Tbs grated coconut
1/4Tsp turmeric
2Green chili's
2Tbs yogurt
2Tbs water 
Seasoning
1Tsp fenugreek seeds
1Tsp nigella seeds
Few curry leaves
1Tbs oil 
Directions
- Soak mustard & poppy seeds for 20mins. 
- Grin all the ingredients under gravy to a smooth paste. You can use use a mortar & pestle or your grinder to make the paste. 
- Wash & pat dry okras. Cut them to half if they are too long.
- Heat pan with oil. Add the seasoning to pan & after few seconds of frying them add okra to pan.
- Fry them for 2mins. Add the gravy paste & red chili powder to pan along with water.
- Cook with a closed lid for 5mins on a medium heat. Okra will be cooked perfect by now.
- Add salt & sugar to pan. Balance the flavor if needed. 
- Cook for 1mins & switch off heat.
- Serve with rice or roti. 
Note
- You can reduce mustard to 1Tbs & increase poppy seeds to 2tbs to reduce the mustard taste.
- Red chili powder is optional. If you green chili's aren't hot enough then use red chili powder. 

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Aloo Tamatar ka Jhol

Aloo Tamatar ka Jhol is a traditional Uttaranchal dish. This dish is very simple & easy to make for busy days. Other than the main ingredients this dish is cooked using ghee & tempered with methi seeds. This is suppose to be a gravy dish but I made it a dry one.

Cooking Details
Prep Time-10mins 
Cook Time-20mins 
Serves-2people
Ingredients 
2Potatoes cubed
2Tomatoes chopped
1Small onion sliced
1Tsp ginger chopped
2Garlic chopped
1Tsp chili powder
1/4Tsp turmeric 
1/2 Tsp garam masala
1Tsp cumin
1/4Tsp fenugreek seeds
1Tbs ghee {oil}
Few coriander branches for garnish
Directions 
- Heat pan with oil. Add jeera to pan & fry it till changes to light brown.
- Now add chopped garlic & ginger pieces. Fry them for few seconds & add onion's to pan. 
- Fry them till they are translucent.
- Add tomatoes to pan. Add turmeric, red chili powder & salt to pan. 
- Add cut potatoes to pan & close pan with a lid. 
- Cook till potatoes are soft & done with a closed lid.
- Add garam masala to pan & fry for 2mins. Adjust salt & chili powder if needed.
- Garnish with coriander & switch off heat. 
- Serve warm with rice & roti. 
Note
- Instead of ghee use oil if you like. 
- To make it a gravy add 2cups water before adding potatoes to pan. 

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Mosdeng

Mosdeng is a chatni made of grinding red chili in to paste along with vegetables & fish. Being a vegetarian I omitted fish from the dish & customized it. So this dish tasted very good & was also easy to make.

Cooking Details
Prep Time - 20mins 
Cook time - 10mins 
Serves - 2people
Adapted From : Tripura Society
Ingredients
2Tomatoes chopped
1Garlic chopped 
1Small onion chopped
6Red chili's
1Tbs oil
Salt to taste
Few coriander bunches for garnish 
Directions
- Soak red chili's with enough water for 10mins or more if needed. Grind it to smooth paste by adding needed water & keep aside.
- Heat pan with oil. Add chopped onion & garlic to pan & fry it translucent. 
- To the pan add chili paste & fry till the water evaporates. 
- Next add chopped tomatoes & salt to pan. Cook them soft with a closed lid. 
- Once the tomatoes are soft switch off heat & garnish with coriander leaves. 
- Serve with rice with a dollop of ghee.
Note
- You can replace red chili's with green chili's. 

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