Strawberry Yogurt Smoothy

Regularly having juices or smoothies in the morning for your breakfast is a very healthy habit .

Yogurt provides you with the much needed probiotic bacteria and strawberries are a good source of Vit - C .
And when combined they are a hit giving you a yummy, delicious drink . 

Moreover it hardly takes few minutes to get this delicious smoothy ready . 

Ingredients :

5 to 6 - fresh ripe strawberries
2 cups - greek yogurt ( can use homemade curd also ) 
2 tbps - sugar ( optional ) 

Method :

Blend everything in a blender .

You can dilute it with little milk if you want.

Serve chilled.

Bhindi Aloo Sabji ( Lady Finger Vegetable)

 This simple yet delicious sabji is relished by even those who usually don't like bhindi ( Lady finger) . 

Frying bhindi till it is crisp enhances the taste of bhindi and make it more tasty . 

Ingredients - 

1/2 kg - Bhindi ( lady's fingers ) 

2 - potatoes 

2 - onions 

2 - tomatoes 

1 tsp - cumin coriander powder 

1 tsp - chilly powder 

1/2 tsp - garam masala 

1/4 tsp - turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp - mustard seeds

pinch of hing ( asefoetida )

5/6 tbsp - oil 

salt to taste 

Method - 

Wash the bhindi and wipe it with a cloth . 

Spread it on a clean dry towel and let it dry for 10/15 minutes . 

Cut the head and tail part and cut bhindi in long pieces . 

Peel the potatoes and cut them too in long pieces like for french fries . 

Cut tomatoes also in long pieces and slice onions and keep aside . 

In a non stick pan put some oil and saute potatoes till golden n crisp . 

In the same oil fry bhindi till almost crisp . 

Now in the remaining oil splutter mustart seeds and add a pinch of hing . 

Add to it sliced onions and saute till the are soft .

Add tomatoes and stir fry for 5 to 10 minutes . 

Now add fried bhindi and potatoes and all other masalas . 

Add salt as per taste and adjust water as per your liking . 

Cover the pan with lid and cook for 10 minutes . 

Serve this sabji hot with chapatis or daal rice . 

Tomato chutney (Bengali style)

This sweet sour and spicy tomato chutney is very easy to make and eqally tasty . 

It goes well with almost anything . 

Rice , khichdi , roti , puries or even bread . 

Just try it and enjoy it . 

Ingredients - 

half kg - tomatoes 

8/10 - dates (seeded & chopped) 

2 tbsp - black currants 

10/12 pieces - aam papad / ambe saath ( dried mango pulp will also do ) 

1 tsp each - mustard seeds , cumin , fenugreek seeds , kalounji , fennel seeds ( this is called paanchphoran )

1 tbsp - chilly powder 

1 & 1/2 cup - jaggery 

2 tbsp - oil 

salt to taste 

Method - 

Cut tomatoes into big pieces . 

Heat oil in a pan and add the paanchphoran masala into it . 

When the seeds splutter add cut tomato pieces and stir well . 

Cover with lid and half cook for 5 minutes . 

Now add black currents , chopped dates and aam papad , chilly powder , jaggery and salt .

 

Mix everything well and add a cup of water .

Cook till mixture starts becoming semi-thick . 

Switch off the gas as when cooled the chutney becomes thick . 

When chutney completely cools down fill it in a glass bottle and store in fridge .

This chutney stays well for almost two months if stored properly . 

Pav Bhaji ( पाव भाजी )

Ingredients : 

1/4 kg ...................... potatoes ( boiled , peeled n chopped )
1/4 kg ...................... tomatoes ( finely chopped )
1/4 kg ...................... capsicum ( finely chopped )
1 small .....................beetroot ( boiled , peeled n chopped )
2 cups .................... fresh green peas ( shelled n roughly ground )
4   ....................... onions ( chopped finely )
2 tbsp ...................... ginger garlic paste
8/10  .......................dry red chillies
2 tbsp .................... pav bhaji masala
4 to 5 tbsp ........... oil ( amul butter gives an excellent taste )
salt
3 to 4 ladi pav per person for serving

Method :


Soak the dry red chillies in 1/2 cup warm water for half an hour .

Grind the chopped beetroot in a mixer .

Also separately grind the soaked red chillies .

Now heat oil in kadhai and add onions . Saute till transparent and add ginger garlic paste and saute for 5 minutes .

Now put the ground paste of dry chillies and stir for 2 minutes .

Add chopped tomatoes and saute till raw smell evaporates .

Then add capsicum , potatoes , roughly ground peas n beet pulp .

Mix everything properly ,  add salt ,  pav bhaji masala .

Cover the kadhai with a lid and let the bhaji cook .

Keep on stirring in between and mash the bhaji with a masher.



Tips : 

Smear ladi pav with butter on both inside and outside
Heat them on a tawa pressing both the sides .
Serve hot pavbhaji with chopped raw onion , lemon and buttered hot ladi pav .