Tomato chutney

A tangy and sweet chutney which can be served with any stuffed paratha, plain rice and Sambar-dosa.

Tomato chutney

Time taken : 10 min
Serves 4


Ingredients:


2 chopped tomatoes (juicy)
1/2 sliced red onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
1 chopped green chili (optional)
5-6 curry leaves 
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil
Pinch of asafoteida
Salt to taste


Directions:

• In a pan heat oil,to it add asafoteida,cumin seeds and mustard seeds.Let them splutter.
• Then add onion,ginger,garlic,curry leaves and green chili.
• Cover it for 1-2 min till onions get tender.Keep mixing in between.
• To it add chopped tomatoes,red chili powder and salt .
• Cover it and let it cook till tender.
• Turn off the gas and coriander leaves and brown sugar.Mix it well.
• Let the mixture cool down. Blend it to the desired consistency.
• Serve it as a side dish with any paratha or rice of your choice.

* If you like it chunky,then don't blend it but chop the vegetables very fine.

Coconut /Nariyal chutney

An easy and quick to prepared coconut based chutney,accompanies any South Indian dish.

Time: 5 min
Serves: 4-6


Ingredients:


For chutney:
1 cup grated coconut
2 chopped green chillies
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tbsp roasted chana dal (daria)
1 tbsp cashewnut (optional)
2 tsp tamarind paste/small piece of tamarind
Chopped coriander (optional)
Water
Salt to taste


For tampering:
1 tbsp oil
2 whole dry red chili
2 tsp split urad dal (optional)
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 curry leaves.
Pinch of asafoteida


Directions:

• Put all the dry ingredients for chutney in blender with little water and grind it till smooth.
• Heat oil in a pan,add asafoteida and mustard seeds,urad dal, red chilli and dry leaves.Stir till mustard seeds crackle.
• Pour the tampering on chutney.
• Refrigerate and serve.

Khaman Dhokla

             An awesome,nutritious evening snack prepared with gram flour (besan). 

Idli shaped dhokla

Prep time 2-3 hours
Cooking time 20 min
Serves 4


Ingredients:
2 cups Besan (gram flour) 
1 cup Sour Curd/yogurt 
1 tsp Baking soda 
1 tsp citric acid or 2 tsp lemon juice
 Green chili and ginger paste to taste
Water
For tampering:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 lengthwise slit green chilies
1/2 cup warm water
Garnishing:
Coriander leaves


Directions:

• To gram flour add whisked yogurt and water little at a time.Whisk well in order to avoid any lumps.Mix it to get a thick consistency batter.
• Add salt and let it ferment for 3-4 hours.
• To the fermented mixture add turmeric,green chili and ginger paste.
• Heat the water in steamer and grease the mold big enough to hold all the batter.
• If the mold is small divide the mixture and go ahead.
• Just when the the steamer is ready to use add 1 tsp oil,dbaking soda and lemon juice to the batter and give a good mix. (adjust the quantities if divided the mixture)
• Pour the batter into the mold.
• Cover the steamer and let it steam for 10-12 min.
• Cook till done.Check by inserting a knife or toothpick,it should come out clean.
• When its slightly cooled,cut it into desired pieces.

Tampering:

• Heat remaining oil in a pan.Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.To it add slit green chilies.
• Pour it in warm water,mix.
• Sprinkle the mixture over dhokla and let it sit for 5-7 min till dhokla absorb some moisture.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve either with tamarind or green chutney or both.

* You can also add 1 tsp of sugar in warm water if you want dhokla to be on sweeter side.

* For garnishing scraped coconut can also be used.

* For dhokla chat try adding bhujia/sev at the top.

* If you dont have steamer,heat water in a wide,shallow pan,put 1 or 2 bowls in it  upside down to balance the shallow cake tin or thali with batter.

* You can also use idli mold to make dhoklas like i did,and you'll get idli shaped dhoklas.

Water

Now this is the easiest but an essential nutrient our body needs...WATER.We all know water is!! And we know how much do we drink it without reading labels.

Water has no calories, no fat, no carbohydrates, no sugar.


The body cannot store water and must have fresh supplies every day to perform virtually every metabolic process.The body is made up of 55–75 per cent water. Water forms the basis of blood, digestive juices, urine and perspiration and is contained in lean muscle, fat and bones.

Warning: Although rare, it is possible to drink too much water leading to "water intoxication"

* Most mature adults lose about 2.5–3 litres of water per day.
* Foods provide about one litre of fluid and the remainder must be obtained from drinks
.* Most foods, even those that look hard and dry, contain water. The body can get about half of its water needs from food alone
* Dehydration occurs when the water content of the body is too low.
 * If you regularly don’t drink enough water there is some increased risk of kidney stones and, in women, urinary tract infections
* Sweet drinks should be limited because they add calories without nutrient value. 
*  More than eight glasses may be needed for physically active people, children, people in hot or humid environments, and breastfeeding women
* Dark urine is an indication that your body needs more fluid.