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
Healthy food

(222)Nomato Sauce

Ingredients

Method

  • 500 gms. Pumpkin.
  • 2 medium size Onions.
  • ½ cup Basil leaves.
  • ¼ cup soft kokum( Garcinia indica)
  • 6 Garlic pods.
  • 3 tbsp. Mixed herbs.
  • 3 tbsp. Virgin olive oil.
  1. Peel pumpkin and wash. Grate or chop in a chopper and keep aside.
  2. Peel and wash onions and garlic pods. Chop in a chopper and keep aside.
  3. Finely chop Basil leaves and keep aside.
  4. Wash the Kokum and make a fine paste of it and keep aside.
  5. In a nonstick pan mix olive oil with all chopped ingredients and salt. Cook on a fast flame.
  6. When chopped vegetables turn tender add mixed herbs and kokum paste. Mix thoroughly and again cook for 5 more minutes and nomato sauce is ready.
  7. To achieve the perfect consistency of nomato sauce grind into coarse paste once it cools.
  8. Taste the sauce and if you want a more tangy taste then mix lemon juice to it when it cools completely.
  9. Enjoy Namato sauce in pizza and pasta when you are allergic to tomatoes.

List of my other recipes.

Categories
salads

(219)Moong Salad

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Moong ( whole Green gram).
  • 4-5 Chopped Spring onions.
  • 1 Tomato ( optional).
  • ¼ cup Pomegranate seeds.
  • 1 tbsp. chopped Coriander leaves.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.
  • 1 tsp. Chat masala.

Method

  1. Wash moong and soak overnight.
  2. Next morning again wash and boil in salted water for 10 minutes.
  3. Strain boiled Moong. Moong water you can consume as it is by adding fresh lemon juice or use for making osaman.
  4. In a mixing bowl mix boiled Moong with remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  5. Enjoy your Moong Salad with roti, paratha, khakhra, bhakhri or as you wish.

List of my other recipes.

Categories
soup

(248)Carrot soup

Ingredients

  • 5 Orange Carrots.
  • 1 small Onion.
  • ½ inch Ginger piece.
  • 8-10 Mint leaves (steam and then removes otherwise colour will change )
  • 3 cup water.
  • 1 tsp.salt.
  • Tempering Ingredients 1 tbsp. Ghee, 1 tsp. cumin seeds, 1 bay leaf, 8-10 Curry leaves, 2 cloves.
  • 1 tsp. Black pepper powder.

Method

  1. In a saucepan add 1 cup water , carrot pieces, onion pieces, ginger, mint leaves, salt and pepper powder and pressure cook up to 2 whistles.
  2. When pressure releases open the lid, blend it with a hand blender.
  3. Strain the content with the strainer and add remaining water.
  4. Heat the ghee in a tempering vessel. Add cumin seeds and wait for crackling sound after that add other tempering Ingredients and give a quick stir to all and pour it in soup.
  5. Boil carrot soup for 2-3 minutes after adding Black pepper powder and serve hot. Serve with love and smile.

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Categories
Breakfast

(245)Ponk Chila.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mix dal coarse flour or batter.
  • 1 ½ cup water or buttermilk.
  • 1 tsp. Salt.
  • ½ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • 1 tsp. Red chilli powder.
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped Coriander leaves ( optional)
  • 2 Green chillies (optional)
  • 1 cup Ponk( tender jowar grains)
  • 1 cup limbu mari ni sev.

Method

  1. Mix all spices and mix dal flour or batter in a sauce pan.
  2. Adjust the consistency by adding water.
  3. Heat non stick tawa and spread 4 to 5 small chilas and sprinkle ponk on it.
  4. Roast in Ghee, Butter or Oil on both sides
  5. Serve hot chila with limbu mari ni sev and enjoy with coconut chutney.
Consistency of the batter
Jowar Ponk
Mix dal chila sprinkle with Jowar ponk.

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Categories
Beauty tips

(208)Hair Nourishing Cream

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. Fenugreek seeds.
  • 1 medium size Aloe vera leaf or 1 tbsp. Aloe vera gel.
  • 2 tbsp. Hibiscus flower powder.
  • 2 tbsp. Heena powder.

Method

  1. Soak Fenugreek overnight. Strain water and keep aside to make food for hair roots.
  2. Make a fine paste of Fenugreek seeds.
  3. Peel Aloe veera leaf and scrape pulp . Add this pulp in Fenugreek seeds paste and again in the mixture make a smooth paste.
  4. Sieve both the powders with a fine nylon sieve.
  5. Mix thoroughly  the heena powder in the paste .
  6. This is your hair food. Apply this paste in wet hair and keep for 15 minutes.
  7. Wash hair with cold or lukewarm water.
  8. Apply this hair food twice a week after shampoo. You will get shiny manageable hair.
Fenugreek seeds
Soaked Fenugreek seeds
Hibiscus and Heena powder
Fenugreek seeds paste
Paste with fresh aloe veera
Hibiscus and Heena powder mixed in paste.
Paste applied on my hair
Categories
Healthy food

(202)Fada Lapsi

Ingredients

  1. 1 cup Wheat daliya ( broken wheat, Gheu na fada)
  2. 2 tbsp. Ghee.
  3. 1 cup Sugar.
  4. 3 cups Water.
  5. ¼ tsp. Cardamom powder.
  6. 2 tbsp. Sugar powder.

Method

  1. In a non stick pan or a thick bottom pan heat ghee and roast fada or daliya till golden brown.
  2. When grains turns golden brown ghee separates out, this is the time to add water.
  3. Transfer the roasted mixture in pressure cooker container and pressure cook upto 3 whistles.
  4. Once pressure releases, open the lid of pressure cooker and transfer cooked fada mixture in to the nonstick pan.
  5. Roast till the excess water content in cooked fada burns off.
  6. At this time add sugar and again roast till ghee separates out.
  7. Add cardamom powder and mix thoroughly.
  8. Serve hot.
Dalia roast in ghee
Roasted dalia with water
Pressure cook Dalia
Cooked Dalia mix with sugar
Fada Lapsi or Daliya Lapsi

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Categories
Beauty tips

(201)Skin tan removal lotion cubes.

Ingredients

Method

  1. Cut edges and sides of aloe leaf.
  2. Scrap each leaf of aloe.
  3. In mixture jar add sticky pulp of aloe vera leaf, pulp of tomatoes or if you are taking whole tomatoes then chop in to small pieces, turmeric powder, Chick Pea flour or besan and honey. Grind and mix thoroughly.
  4. Smooth pouring liquid like lotion is ready.
  5. Fill each cavity of ice tray, with tan removal mixture.
  6. Keep in refrigerator for 8-10 hours.
  7. After 8-10 hrs unmould cubes and store in ziplock bag.
  8. Everyday scrub this mould on your face and body. Leave for 10 minutes and wash with luke warm water.
  9. Within 10-15 days you can mark the changes.😍
Ingredients for tan removal cubes.
cubes of tan removal lotion

List of my other recipes.

Categories
Healthy food

(200)Palakh Kofta Curry

Ingredients

  • Ingredient for Spinach Puree
  • 2 bunches of Spinach( approx 400 gms.)
  • Ingredients for Onion Gravy
  • 2 medium sized Onions.
  • 2 Garlic pods.
  • ½ inch size Grated Ginger.
  • Paste of 2 Green chillies.
  • ½ cup Curd.
  • 1 tsp. Garam masala.
  • Tempering Ingredients for Onion Gravy
  • 2 tbsp. Oil.
  • ¼ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • ⅛ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • Ingredients for Spinach Kofta
  • 1 bunch of Spinach ( approximately 200 gms.)
  • ½ cup Wheat coarse flour (Jada atta).
  • ¼ cup Chick Pea flour (Besan)
  • 2 tbsp. Oil.
  • ⅛ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • 1 tsp. Sugar.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.
  • 1 tsp. Red chilli powder.
  • 1 tsp. coarse powder of Coriander seeds.
  • ⅒ tsp. Soda bi carb.
  • Oil for frying kofta.
  • Tempering Ingredients for Palakh kofta curry
  • 1 tbsp. Oil.
  • ½ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • 2 whole red chillies.
  • ½ cup Curd.
  • 2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing.

Method

  1. Recipe for kofta
  2. Pluck Spinach leaves. Wash thoroughly and finely chop one bunch of Spinach.
  3. In big mixing bowl marinate chopped spinach with salt and sugar. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
  4. Mix coarse wheat flour and Chick pea flour and oil thoroughly. The flour should hold the shape of fist. It means oil is perfect for kofta.
  5. Add all dry ingredients in flour and mix thoroughly.
  6. Mix flour with marinated spinach . knead dough in marinated spinach liquid. No need to add water for kneading kofta dough.
  7. Deep fry kofta and keep aside.
  8. Recipe for Spinach puree.
  9. Pluck Spinach leaves from remaining 2 bunches of spinach. Wash thoroughly all leaves
  10. Boil water in big sauce pan. Blanch all Spinach leaves and immediately after removing from boiling water place in ice water. Chilled water restrict further cooking of leaves and retain colour and flavour.
  11. Strain chilled water and grind spinach leaves into smooth puree without adding water. Keep aside Spinach puree.
  12. Recipe for Onion gravy
  13. Heat oil in nonstick pan . Add Cumin seeds. Wait for crackling sound and add Asafoetida powder, Sliced onions. Saute till it becomes translucent. Now add Garlic pods saute and add dry masala and freshly chopped Coriander leaves.Saute for 1 minutes . Switch off the flame and make a paste when it cools.
  14. Heat again non stick pan with Oil. Add Cumin seeds, whole chillies and Curry leaves. Add onion gravy, Palakh puree and mix thoroughly. Add curd . Quickly stir and simmer till oil separates. Stir continuously otherwise curd will separates.
  15. Now add kofta . Close the lid and simmer for 5 minutes on slow flame.
  16. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves.
  17. Serve hot with steamed rice and Fulka roti or Bhakhri or Jower roti or Bajra roti or Paratha or as you wish.

Instead of chickpea flour you can also use either green moong dal flour or yellow moong dal flour.

Blanch Spinach (Palakh)
Palakh paste in Onion gravy.
Kofta Dough
Making of Palakh Kofta
Palakh Kofta
Palakh Kofta Curry

List of my other recipes.

Categories
Healthy food

(199)Vegetable Cutlet

Ingredients

  • 7 medium size Potatoes.
  • ¼ cup Green Peas.
  • 1 cup grated Carrots.
  • 1 cup grated Cabbage.
  • ¼ cup grated Beetroot.
  • ¼ cup chopped french beans.
  • 2 tbsp. green chilli paste.
  • 2 tbsp. Ginger paste.
  • 1 tbsp. Garam masala.
  • Salt to taste.
  • 1 tbsp. Lemon juice.
  • ¼ cup finely chopped Coriander leaves.
  • Tampering ingredients: 2 tbsp. oil, ½ tsp. Cumin seeds, ¼ tsp. Asafoetida powder. 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • 2 tbsp. All purpose flour batter in 3 tbsp water and little salt
  • 1 cup Rawa or bread crumbs.
  • Oil for deep frying or shallow frying.
  • Green chutney.
  • Tomato ketchup.

Method

  1. Pressure cook Potatoes, remove the skin and mash it. Add salt, mix thoroughly. Keep aside.
  2. Finely chopped French Beans and grate Carrot, Beet root and Cabbage. Keep aside.
  3. Boil Green peas in 1 cup Water, Salt and ½ tsp. Sugar till it becomes tender. Strain the water and keep aside.
  4. Make a paste of Ginger and Green Chilli and keep aside.
  5. Heat oil in nonstick pan and add Cumin seeds. Wait for crackling sound and add Asafoetida powder Curry leaves, Ginger paste and chili paste. Give quick stir and add French beans and saute for 2 minutes.
  6. Add Cabbage in same pan and saute for 2 minutes.
  7. Add Carrots in same pan and saute for 2 minutes
  8. Now add Beet root and boiled Green peas and saute for 2 minutes. At this stage mix all spices. Saute for 1 minute.
  9. After 1 minutes add mashed potatoes and mix it thoroughly with all vegetables. Saute for 2 minute.
  10. Switch off the flame. Transfer ready mixture of cutlet in another pan and add Lemon juice and Coriander leaves. Mix thoroughly. keep aside.
  11. Divide cutlet mixture in to a tennis ball size portions.
  12. Press gently each ball to flatten and form 1 cm. thick round cutlet.
  13. Dip each cutlet in liquid batter and then coat it in bread crumbs.
  14. After completing coating of each cutlet, keep aside for 10 minutes in refrigerator.
  15. After 10 minutes remove from the refrigerator and either deep fry or shallow fry till golden brown and your cutlets are ready.
  16. Serving Instructions .
  17. Either you serve hot cutlets with green chutney and tomato ketchup. or with burger bread or slice breads.
Categories
Healthy food

(197)Fusion Grill Sandwich

Ingredients

  • Sandwich Bread packet or Grill Sandwich Bread packet.
  • Butter packet.
  • Green chutney.
  • Tomato ketchup.
  • Filling for Exotic vegetables
  • Baby corn.( optional)
  • red bell pepper.
  • yellow bell pepper.
  • Mushroom.
  • 1 tbsp. Oil or Butter
  • ½ tsp. Salt…
  • 1 tsp. Mixed herbs.
  • 1 tsp. red chilli powder.
  • Filling of sweet corn
  • 1 cup Sweet corns.
  • 1 tbsp. butter.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.
  • ½ tsp. Black pepper powder.
  • Filling of Cheese
  • 200 gms. Cheese block.
  • Filling of onion and potato
  • 2 medium size Potatoes.
  • 1 medium size Onion.
  • 2 Garlic pods paste.
  • 1 medium size Tomato.
  • 1 tbsp. Oil.
  • ½ tsp. Mustard seeds.
  • ⅓ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • 8-10 Curry leaves.
  • ½ tsp. Salt.
  • ½ inch size grated Ginger.
  • 1 tsp. Red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • ½ tsp. Cumin Coriander powder.
  • 1 tsp. Garam masala.
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped Coriander leaves.
  • Filling of Paneer.
  • 100 gms. fresh or cold storage Paneer.
  • 1 medium size Onion.
  • 1 medium size Tomato.
  • 1 tsp. garam masala.
  • 1 tsp. red chilli powder.
  • ½ tsp. Coriander Cumin powder.
  • ½ tsp. Turmeric powder.
  • 1 tsp. salt.
  • 1 tsp. Oil.
  • ½ tsp. Cumin seeds.
  • ⅓ tsp. Asafoetida powder.
  • 1 tbsp. finely chopped Coriander.

Method

  • Filling of Exotic vegetables.
  • Wash and cut all the vegetables into small pieces.
  • Heat oil or butter in nonstick pan or thick bottom pan.
  • Saute all cut vegetables on medium flame and stir continuously. Sufficiently saute so it is cooked but crunchy.
  • Mix thoroughly after adding salt, mixed herbs powder and red chilli powder .Keep aside.
  • Filling of Sweet corns.
  • Wash sweet corns and pressure cook upto 2 whistles.
  • Strain cooked corns immediately when pressure is releases and transfer into bowl.
  • Add butter, salt and black pepper powder in warm sweet corns.
  • Mix thoroughly and keep aside.
  • Filling of Cheese.
  • Grate cheese and keep aside.
  • Filling of Onion and Potato.
  • Wash and cook potatoes upto 2 whistles. When pressure is released open the lid and take out boiled potatoes. Remove skin and mash potatoes with potato masher. Mix half quantity of salt and keep aside.
  • Finely chop onions and keep aside.
  • Finely chop tomato and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in nonstick pan and add Mustard seeds.
  • Wait for crackling sound and add Asafoetida powder Curry leaves.
  • Add chopped onions. Saute till it becomes translucent.
  • Now add chopped tomato and saute till it becomes tender.
  • Mix salt, grated Ginger, Garlic paste thoroughly and now mix mashed potatoes and all other spices.
  • Close the lid and cook on slow flame for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally and filling is ready. Taste it and keep aside.
  • Filling of Paneer.
  • Grate paneer and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in nonstick pan and add Cumin seeds. Wait for crackling sound and add Asafoetida powder
  • Add finely chopped Onions. Saute till it becomes translucent and then add finely chopped Tomatoes. Saute till it becomes tender.Add all dry spices. Saute for 1 minute and mix grated Panner in it . Saute for one more minute and mix finely chopped Coriander leaves thoroughly. Keep aside.
  • All 5 fillings are now ready so arrange in one big plate so it will become easy to fill everything at a time.
  • Layering the each filling on bread
  • Grab 2 slices of bread. Cut all 4 borders of slices. ( Use these borders as a soup sticks after deep frying or roasting in oven ) Apply butter generously on one side of each slice and then Green chutney over it.
  • On one slice make a thin layer of potato onion filling.
  • Spread second layer of exotic vegetables.
  • Third layer of Sweet Corns.
  • Fourth layer of Paneer filling and final fifth layer of Cheese over it.
  • With the help of second slice cover the fillings.
  • Preheat the griller . Place the sandwich over it after greasing both the griller plate.
  • Check after every minute so no chances of burning the sandwich.
  • After 3- 4 minutes your Fusion Grill Sandwich will be ready for serving.
  • Serving of Fusion Grill Sandwich.
  • In serving plate serve green chutney and tomato ketchup ( both optional)
  • Fusion Grill Sandwich cut diagonally .
  • Enjoy home made Fusion Grill Sandwich with chilled home made squash.
Exotic vegetables with mixed herbs and Chilli powder
Onion Tomato
Paneer Filling
Onion-potato filling.
Filling for Fusion Grill Sandwich 1- grated cheese. 2-Onion Potato filling. 3- Paneer filling. 4- Boiled Sweet corns. 5- Exotic vegetables with mixed herbs.
Fusion Grill Sandwich on Griller plate
Fusion Grill Sandwich

List of my other recipes.