CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Ingredients:

8-10 finely chopped mushrooms
2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1-2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
2 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup fresh cream
1/2 cup milk
4 cups water or vegetable stock or chicken stock
salt 1 tsp or to taste
1/4 tsp white or black pepper
a pinch or nutmeg powder

Method:

1. Melt butter in a pan and add onion, garlic and mushrooms an stir for 2-3 minutes.
2. Now add water and wait till it starts boiling.
3. Add cornflour dissolved in 1/2 a cup of water and stir continuously and cook for 4-5 minutes till the cornflour is cooked .
4. Add milk,salt,pepper powder , nutmeg powder and cream and cook for a minute.
5. Serve hot garnishing it with coriander or spring onions and fresh cream. 

PASTA DHOKLANA

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time 15-20 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

For pasta

1/2 cup wheat flour

2 tbsp besan  (chick pea flour)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric powder (optional)

2 tsp refined oil

For sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pizza pasta sauce
1-2 tbsp Amul cheese spread(preferably) or you can use any other processed cheese (as per taste)
1/4 tbsp mixed herbs
2 tsp tomato ketchup
2 medium onions cut into cubes
1 cup red,yellow,green capsicum cut into cubes
2 florets broccoli (blanched) and cut into small pieces (optional)
2 -2 baby corn  (blanched) and chopped or corn kernels which ever is available
2-3 olives black/green or both sliced
10-12 french beans chopped
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper or as per taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients of pasta in a bowl. Add water little by little and knead soft dough as we knead for making chapattis. Cover the dough and keep it aside for 10-15 minutes on rest.
2. Divide the dough in three equal parts, greese then with little oil or dust them with some flour and roll out in to a circular disk taking one at a time. 
3.  Now cut chapati in desired shape either long strips or small rectangles or triangles. do the same with rest of the chapatis and keep aside. 
4. Boil 4 cups of water in a big vessel,add 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tbsp refined oil.
5. Add pasta when the water is boiling hot and boil for 5 minutes.When it is done drain out extra water and put the pasta in cold water.
6. When the pasta becomes completely cool,drain out the cold water as well and keep the pasta aside.
7. Heat olive oil in a pan add diced onions,capsicum ,broccoli ,baby corn or corn,french beans and salt to taste and black pepper and cook for a minute or two.
8. Add pizza pasta sauce,tomato ketchup,1/2 cup water and Amul cheese spread to it and mix well. Cook further for 2 minutes.
9. Now add boiled pasta to the above mixture and cook for 2 minutes.
10. Add mixed herbs and mix well.
11. Now the pasta dhoklana is ready to be served.

TOMATO SOUP

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes                                                          

1 onion roughly chopped

1 potato
1 inch piece of ginger
4 cloves of garlic
1 carrot
100 gms bottle guard (ghiya)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
1 tsp sugar (optional)
2 tsp cornflour desolved in 1/2 cup water
few drops of fresh cream and coriander for garnisning


Method:
1. Pressure cook tomatoes,onion,potato,ginger garlic,carrot and ghiya with 6 cups of water till 3-4 whistles.
2. When the pressure releases mash the pressure cooked vegetables in a mixer or with a blender.
3. Strain the soup.
4. Add salt.sugar and black pepper and cornflour desolved in water and boil the soup for 5 to 10 minutes.
5. Serve hot and garnish with few drops of cream and chopped coriander.



Notes:
1.You can cut the bread slices into cubes and toast them in an oven or in a frying pan to make croutons and put them in the soup while serving soup.
2. You can add tempering of one tablespoon heated oil with 1/4 tsp cumin seeds to the soup if you like spicy soup.

SWEET CORN SOUP

Ingredients:

1/2 cup corn kernels

4-5 french beans very thinly sliced

1/2 carrot finely chopped

2-3 finely chopped florets of cauliflower
2 tbsp cornflour
4-5 cups water
1/4 tsp white/black pepper powder
1 tbsp white or yellow butter

Method:

1. Take butter in a pan and stir fry corn along with all the vegetables for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add water and wait till it starts boiling.
3. Dissolve cornflour in 1/2 cup of water and add this to the boiling water stirring constantly.
4. Keep stirring and let the mixture boil for 4-5 minutes till the cornflour is cooked.
5. Add salt and pepper and mix well.
6. Garnish with spring onions and coriander leaves.
7. Serve hot with Chinese sauces.

Note:

1. If you want to have a thick soup you can take 1/2 a cup more of corn kernels churn them in a mixer and add along water. 
2. Adding vegetables is optional you can add more (peas , finely chopped cabbage, onion or garlic) or less of vegetables as per your choice.
3. To make it richer you can use milk or a mixture of milk and water instead of  water only.

STUFFED CAPSICUM , BHARWAN SHIMLA MIRCH

Preparation time : 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 small or medium sized capcicums
3-4 boiled and mashed potates
2 tbsp grated cottage cheese
1 small onion chopped, finely chopped
1 green chili, chopped
1/4 tsp degi mirch powder
1/4 tsp dry mango powder/amchur powder
1/2 tsp catch sabzi masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 or 1.5 tbsp oil for sauteing the capsicum
salt to taste

Method:

1. Slice off the tops of the capsicums and remove the seeds.wash them and keep aside.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl accept oil and capsicums and make a filling.
3. Stuff the potato mixture in the cavity of capsicums with the help of a spoon.
4. If baking, then brush some oil outside the bell peppers, before you stuff them with the spiced mashed potatoes.
5. Heat oil in a pan or kadai/wok and place the stuffed capsicum in the pan.
6. Cover the pan and allow the stuffed capsicum to cook on a low flame.
7. Check after every 5 to 6 mins and keep on changing the sides of the capsicums, so that all sides are cooked well. check, turn the sides and cover the pan again.
8. You also have to place the open potato side touching the pan. the capsicum will get golden and wrinkled. It may take about 25 mins to cook these on a low flame.
9. If baking then preheat your oven to 200 degrees C. and place the stuffed capsicum on a greased baking tray and bake at 200 degrees C for 20 to 30 mins or till the capsicums become golden and wrinkled.
10. Garnish with coriander or mint leaves and serve these potato stuffed bell peppers hot or warm with rotis, bread or as a side dish.

MOONG DAAL PAKORE

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup moong dhuli daal
1 onion finely chopped
1/2" ginger finely chopped
1-2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp catch sabzi masala
1/2 tsp dhania powder
1/4 tsp degi mirch powder or red chili or black pepper powder
1/4 tsp amchoor powder / dry mango powder
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak moong daal for 2-4 hours or over night.
2. Drain out all the water and coarsely grind the daal in a mixer add very littile water if required. Stir the batter with a spoon for few minutes to aerate.
3. Add rest of the ingredients and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a kadahi and drop spoonfuls of the moong daal batter in medium hot oil and fry till crisp and golden brown in color.
5. Drain the moong daal pakoras on paper napkins or kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
6. Serve moong dal pakoras hot with coriander chutney, tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.