Author: Rajeshree Gandhi

Life is a journey of evolving roles, each with its own beauty and wisdom. From the structured world of academia to the ever-evolving realm of homemaking, I have embraced each phase with passion and grace. When my children settled into their own lives, I found myself with a renewed sense of purpose—to document and share the wealth of knowledge I have gathered over the years.

During the lockdown, I realized that my experiences in cooking, home remedies, and life’s simple yet profound lessons could serve as a source of inspiration for others. Meticulously and with great concern for the palate, gut health, overall well-being, and the emotional gratification of savoring each preparation, I began crafting a collection of love-filled, cherished recipes, time-tested remedies, and stories woven with warmth and wisdom.

I write under the name "Rajeshree's Kitchen", where I share detailed recipes—the kind that provide exact measurements for ingredients like salt and water, which are often left to personal interpretation in most other kitchen blogs. Additionally, I include practical tips with clear reasons behind them, ensuring that every piece of advice is rooted in understanding and experience. My aim is to make cooking approachable yet precise, helping readers not just recreate dishes but truly connect with the joy of cooking.

This endeavor is my way of preserving traditions, sharing insights, and connecting with those who seek both knowledge and comfort in life's everyday moments.

Categories
Faral

(264)Phudina Sabudana

Ingredients

  • 25-30 Phudina leaves.
  • ¼ cup Finely chopped Coriander leaves.
  • ½ cup Sabudana.
  • ¼ cup coarse peanut powder.
  • ½ cup Tender Coconut.
  • ¼ tsp Salt.
  • ¼ tsp. Black pepper powder.
  • 1 whole green chilli.
  • 2 tbsp. Oil
  • ½ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • 1 tsp. Lemon juice.

Method

  1. Wash Sabudana 2 times and soak overnight or 6-8 hours in ½ cup of water. When you soak sabudana with an equal quantity of water then the final result will always be dry and soft sabudana  otherwise more water results in sticky sabudana.
  2. Pluck phudina leaves from its stalks. Wash and keep aside.
  3. Pluck Coriander leaves and chops finely. Wash and keep aside.
  4. In an electric chopper chop tender coconut, phudina leaves, coriander leaves and green chilli together.Keep aside.
  5. Heat oil in a nonstick pan, add Cumin seeds and wait for a crackling sound. Now add curry leaves and then Sabudana and salt. Stir continuously otherwise sabudana will stick with each other.
  6. After 4-5 minutes you will see the sabudana becomes translucent. At this time add content of the chopper jar and mix thoroughly.
  7. Cook for one more minute and switch off the flame and mix lemon juice.
  8. Serve hot with curd . Serve with love and smile.

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Categories
Faral Gluten free roti

(262)Farali Paratha

Ingredients

  • 1 cup home made farali flour
  • OR
  • ½ cup Rajgira flour or whole.
  • ¼ cup Moraiya flour or whole.
  • ¼ cup Sabudana flour or whole.
  • ½ cup Kutti Dara flour or whole.
  • 1 tbsp. Ghee.
  • ½ cup Curd.
  • ¼ cup finely chopped Coriander leaves.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.
  • ½ tsp. Black pepper powder.
  • 1 tsp. Cumin seeds.

Method

  1. Dry roast all four grains on slow flame for 5 minutes. keep aside.
  2. Dry roast Cumin seeds and keep aside.
  3. Once cool, grind all together with cumin and black pepper into coarse flour.
  4. Add ghee, curd, salt and coriander leaves in one cup of flour and knead soft dough with the required quantity of water.
  5. OR you can also use marinated grated bottle guard or cucumber for kneading the dough instead of water.
  6. Divide the dough into 6 equal parts.
  7. Each dough ball rolls into 3 to 4 mm. thick paratha and roast it in ghee.
  8. Serve hot paratha with Green chutney and farali Dahi bataka nu shak or as you wish.
Farali paratha

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Categories
Healthy food

(261)Ragi Chila

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Ragi flour.
  • ½ cup Udad dal flour.
  • 2  Carrots.
  • 1 Medium size Onion.
  • 2 tsp. Coriander leaves.
  • 1½ tsp. Salt.
  • 1 Green chilli
  • ½ tsp. Black pepper powder.
  • 7-8 Brocolli florets.
  • 1 ½ cup water.
  • Black Sesame seeds.
  • Ghee

Method

  1. Wash Brocolli florets and chop the upper green layer of broccoli and keep aside.
  2. Wash, peel and chop carrots as well as Onion into small pieces and add in the mixture jar.
  3. Add Green chilli, Salt and black pepper powder in the jar.
  4. Now make a smooth paste and both the flour  in this jar .
  5. Add water and mix all these in a jar by churning so that no lumps will form and you will get a smooth batter.
  6. Add chopped Coriander leaves in the batter and keep aside for 2 hours for better results but if you are in a hurry you can make chila  immediately but then add 1 or 2 tbsp. more water. So you will get soft chila.
  7. Heat non stick tawa, pour and  spread the batter evenly in a circular manner. Drizzle ghee and sprinkle Broccoli and black sesame seeds spread evenly on chila.
  8. Cook on a slow flame. It will take 4-5 minutes.
  9. Serve hot with Carrot Soup or tomato soup and Golkeri pickle.
Ragi Chila Batter

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Categories
Healthy food

(260)Jowar Chila

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Sorghum flour (Jowar).
  • 1 cup finely chopped Ajwain leaves Carom leaves.
  • Sesame seeds.
  • oil.
  • 1 tsp salt.
  • 1 tsp. Green chilli paste.

Method

  1. Pluck leaves from the stalk. Wash each leaf carefully and dry on the kitchen towel for 5 minutes. Chop finely and keep aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix jowar flour, salt, chilli paste and ajwain leaves together with the help of the hand. Knead the mixture before adding water so that aromatic oil from leaves will mix with flour which enhances the taste.
  3. Now by adding water make the required consistency of the batter(see video).
  4. Heat nonstick tawa, pour batter and spread the batter in a circular manner. Drizzle oil and sprinkle Sesame seeds, cook on a slow flame. It will take 3-4 minutes.
  5. Serve hot with either Coconut chutney or Golkeri pickle or Tomato ketchup or as you wish.
Consistency of Jowar Chila batter

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Categories
Health Drinks Home remedies Hot Drinks Winter tonic food

(259)Ukalo

Milk Kadha

Ingredients

Method

  1. Wash and pluck holy basil leaves and mint leaves from its stalk and keep aside.
  2. Wash lemongrass leaf and cut it into small pieces and keep aside.
  3. Wash and grate ginger and keep aside.
  4. In mortar mortar and pestle break all dry ingredients into small pieces.
  5. In a saucepan boil water with dry as well as green ingredients for 5 minutes on slow flame. If you have ukalo ready mix powder then use 1 tsp. ready mix powder in 2 cups along with green ingredients like Basil, Lemongrass and Phudina and do not use ginger with ready mix as it contains Ginger powder.
  6. After 5 minutes add milk and sugar and again give 4- 5 boils on slow flame.
  7. Serve hot with dry snacks like namakpare, sakkarpara or as you wish

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Categories
Health Drinks Quick Cooking Tips

(258) Ukalo Ready Mix

Dry spices powder for ukalo

Ingredients

Method

  1. In mortar and pestle break each dry spice separately into small particles. keep aside.
  2. cut bay leaves into small pieces.
  3. Please do not remove the skin of the cardamom.
  4. Now in the jar of mixture grind all the spices together into fine  powder.
  5. Strain with the strainer and store in an air tight glass jar. Please do not store it in a plastic jar as  aromatic oil from condiments and plasticiser in plastic containers are found to react with each other.
  6. Ideally use 1 tsp. of spice mix in 2 cups of liquid but if you like strong aroma and taste then you can use more.

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Categories
Quick Cooking Tips

(257) Masala milk Powder

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup Almond.
  • ¼ cup Pistachio.
  • ¼ cup Cashews
  • ½ tsp. Nutmeg.
  • 1 tbsp. Poppy seeds.
  • 30 Cardamom.
  • ½ tsp. Saffron strands.
  • 2 tbsp. Sugar.
  • 2 tbsp. Milk powder.

Method

  1. Heat nonstick pan. Dry roast all nuts in a nonstick pan on a slow flame for 2 minutes only. Keep aside to cool.
  2. Switch off the flame. Now iQn the same hot pan adds saffron strains, quickly stir and remove in another plate. Pinch all strands with your fingers, which are now crispy and break into small small fragments. keep aside.
  3. With the help of Mortar and pestle break Nutmeg into half and then into small pieces.
  4. In a mixture grinder grind Cardamom with its skin(Skin enhances the flavour),  Nutmeg pieces and 1 spoon sugar (helps in making fine powder). After grinding to fine powder if you see fibers of Cardamom skin then strain the powder with tea strainer. Keep aside.
  5. Now in a mixture grinder, grind all nuts together with one spoon of sugar in pulse mode and make coarse powder. Sugar helps to absorb moisture for making dry powder and grinding in pulse mode helps to reduce oil extraction from nuts during grinding.
  6. Now in a grinding jar along with nuts powder add Saffron fragments, Nutmeg and Cardamom powder, milk powder. Grind all together in pulse mode for 1 or 2 times so that all ingredients will mix well.
  7. Store in a dry glass jar in a cool dry region or in the refrigerator.
  8. Use one tbsp. powder for 1 cup hot or cold milk.
Masala Milk

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Categories
Healthy food

(256) Dashmi

Sweet Bhakhri

Ingredients

  • 2 cup Wheat flour.
  • 4 tbsp. Ghee.
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • 150 ml. milk.
  • 6 tsp. Sugar.

Method

  1. Boil milk after adding sugar in it. Keep aside to cool down.
  2. In a mixing bowl mix wheat flour, salt and ghee thoroughly and check the moin by making fist with flour. If flour holds the shape it means the moin of ghee is perfect for the flour.
  3. Start kneading the dough of Dashmi with sweet milk and adjust the consistency by adding 1-2 spoons of milk. Keep aside for 10 minutes to set.
  4. After 10 minutes knead more and make a smooth dough.
  5. Divide dough into 12 to 14 equal parts.
  6. Take one part , make a smooth ball and roll into 2-3 mm thick Dashmi.
  7. Heat nonstick tawa roast both the sides with drizzling ghee.
  8. Serve with Herbal tea, Masala tea, Masala milk, Turmeric milk or Immunity booster tea. Accompanied with Golkeri, Amla murabba, Amla Gunda pickle or as you wish.

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Categories
Quick Cooking Tips

(255) Curry Leaves Dry Chutney

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh Curry leaves.
  • ½ cup Peanuts.
  • ⅓ cup White sesame seeds.
  • 1 tbsp. Cumin seeds.
  • 1 tsp. Dry Mango powder (Aamchur).
  • ½ tsp. Mustard seeds.
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • 6-8 whole Dry Green chillies.
  • 1 tbsp. Oil.

Method

  1. Pluck curry leaves from the stalks. Wash and dry for 10 to 15 minutes on the kitchen towel.
  2. Heat oil in nonstick kadhai and add Mustard seeds in it. Wait for the crackling sound and then add Asafoetida powder and dry green chillies. Stir and now add Sesame seeds and Peanuts. Saute for 1 minute and add Curry leaves. Saute on medium flame and stir continuously till all leaves turn crispy.
  3. Switch off the flame and add Dry Mango powder.
  4. When cool completely, grind in a grinder and make a coarse powder.
  5. Serve Curry leaves chutney with Rice, Idli, Dosa or as you wish.
Dry Chutney

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Categories
Healthy food

(253)Khow suey

Ingredients

  • Ingredients for Spice mix:- ⅛ cup Coriander seeds, 1 tbsp. Cumin seeds, ¼ cup Poppy seeds, 12-15 Cashews, Ginger ½ inch size piece, 1 tsp. Black pepper, 4-5 whole red chillies, 4-5 cloves of Garlic, 1 tsp. Turmeric powder, 1 cup fresh tender coconut.
  • Vegetables :- 1 cup Cauliflower florets, ½ cup Carrot pieces, ¼ cup French beans, ¼ cup Beans, ¼ cup Green Peas (optional).
  • Ingredients for making Gravy :- 2-3 Medium size Onions, 2 Medium size Tomatoes OR 4-5 soft Kokum ( I used Kokum), 5 tetra packets of Coconut milk or 1 liter Coconut milk from dehydrated coconut powder.
  • 4-5 Bay leaves.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • 2 tbsp. Oil.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.
  • 2 tsp. Red chilli powder.
  • Ingredients for Garnishing :- 1 cup Peanuts, ½ cup finely chopped Coriander leaves, ¼ cup Garlic slices. 1 cup Noodles, ½ cup Onion slices, fresh Lemon juice.

Method

  1. Dry roast Coriander seeds,Cumin seeds, Black pepper and Whole Red chillies, Cashews, Poppy seeds. Keep aside for cooling.
  2. Grind all roasted spices into fine powder and keep aside.
  3. Grind fresh tender Coconut, Garlic and Ginger and Turmeric powder into a fine paste and keep aside.
  4. Grind onion and kokum into a fine paste and keep aside.
  5. Simultaneously heat 2 cups of water and boil all the vegetables. Add salt while boiling. Once the vegetables cook, switch off the flame and keep aside.
  6. Heat oil in a big sauce pan. Add Bay leaves and Curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds and add Onion Kokum paste.
  7. Saute onion paste till it separates oil. Now add dry spice powder and saute for one or two minutes till it separates oil.
  8. Add tender coconut paste and cooked vegetables with water . Stir continuously otherwise coconut paste starts curdling .
  9. After 2-3 boils add coconut milk and give 1-2 boils . Don’t forget to stir continuously till you switch off the flame.
  10. Khowsuey is ready.
  11. Deep fry peanuts on slow flame and keep aside.
  12. Deep fry noodles on medium heat and keep aside.
  13. Deep fry Onions and Garlic on medium flame and keep aside.
  14. Serving Suggestion :- In a deep plate, serve noodles and pour khowsuey curry over it. Sprinkle all deep fried ingredients over it one by one and lastly garnish with coriander leaves.
  15. Enjoy
Ingredients of Spice mix.
Ingredients of Grevy and boiled vegetables.