8. KHICHDI- VER 01 (MOONG CHHILKA DAAL)

INGREDIENTS
1. Rice ... 1 cup
2. Moong Daal Chhilka ( Green).... 1/2 cup
3. Salt 1 tsp
4. Turmeric (Haldi) Powder... 1/2 tsp
5. Long (Clove)-3 
6. Saunf Moti -1tsp
7. For Seasoning (Tadka)

• Ghee (Clarified butter)...4 tbsp
• Jeera (Cumin seeds) ...1 tsp
• Red Chilly Powder...1/2 tsp (as tolerated)

METHOD
1. Wash Rice and daal well and soak them for at least half an hour.
2. Put rice, daal and 3 cups of water in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add salt, turmeric powder, cloves, Saunf and 1tsp ghee and bring to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to the minimum, cover with a lid and let it simmer, stirring it once in a while till the water dries up and daal and rice are tender
3. In a small fry pan, heat ghee, add jeera and red chilly powder and pour on top of the khichdi. 
4. Alternatively, put dollops of unmelted ghee in the centre of the plate, provided of course your calorie budget permits it. 
While eating, keep mixing ghee in the khichdi as it keep melting. 

USEFUL TIPS
1. The basic proportion for dry pulao like Khichri is Daal:Rice:Water 1:2:6 but if you want your khichri soft and mushy double the quantity of water and use a pressure cooker. 
2. Recommended accompaniments are ghee, curd, pickle, chutney and papad.

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7. EGG SMILEYS (OIL-FREE SNACK)

INGREDIENTS
1. Eggs-06
2. Amul cheese grated- 1/2 cup
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
5. Mustard Sauce 2 tbs 
6. Peppercorns whole 1 tsp 
7. Tomato sliced finely- 01 

METHOD
1. Boil eggs well. Shell them and cut them into halves vertically so as to make them into 12 long oval shape pieces.
2. Scoop the yolk portion out and mix it with grated cheese, salt, pepper powder and mustard sauce in a separate dish. If you find Mustard Sauce too pungent, you may instead use milk.
3. Divide the mix into 12 equal portions and roll them into balls.
4. Place the balls one each in the scooped portion of eggs and softly press them so that they get fitted in nicely.
5. Decorate them with 2 peppercorns each and a small tomato lip to make them look like smileys.  : ) 

USEFUL TIPS
1. These Smileys can be prepared in advance and placed in the fridge and can be taken out straightaway at the time of serving. No heating required.
2. If you want the eggs spicier, you can add minced/chopped green chillies or Paparika Sauce too in the mix.

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6. DAHI MUTTON (OIL- FREE)

INGREDIENTS
1. Goat Meat (Mutton) uniform size pieces...500 gms
2. Salt 1 tsp ( or more as per taste)
3. Crushed pepper 1 tsp 
4. Cinnamon Stick 1 
5. Bay Leaf 1
6. Curd 3 cups beaten with a spoon 

METHOD
1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Marinade by keeping in the fridge (30 minutes to 24 hours)
3. Place in a pressure cooker and let it cook for about 20 minutes on low heat. 
4. Release pressure. If some water still remains, dry it up. In case, all water has dried up and it is about to burn, add 3-4 tbs of water, stir slowly. This may give a brownish tint to mutton. Let the liquid evaporate before you serve it.

Serve hot. 

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5. CHUTNEY POWDER AKA GUN POWDER (MOLAGAPPODI)

INGREDIENTS 
1. Urad Daal (white) .... 1 cup
2. Chana daal ............. 1/2 cup
3. White Sesame (Til) seeds....1/3 cup
4. Asafoetida (Heeng) Powder....2 to 3 tsp
5. Curry Leaves...... a bunch
6. Salt to taste

METHOD

1. Roast each item separately in a karhai.
2. Powder them all together coarsely in a dry grinder.
3. Keep in an air-tight bottle.

USEFUL TIP
This powder can add a lot of taste to any bland item, eg, idly, rice, aloo paratha, plain dosa, chilla etc.

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4. TOMATO RICE

INGREDIENTS

1. Left over boiled rice - 2 cups
2. 2 large tomatoes pureed in a blender
3. Salt as per taste
4. Oil- 1 tbs
5. Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
6. Chana Daal washed and drained - 1 tbs
7. Curry patta chopped
8. Hing - a pinch
9. Red chilly powder - 1/8th tsp

METHOD
1. In a small karhai or a fry-pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil.
2. Add Chana Daal and fry till it becomes golden brown.
3. Add Mustard seeds, heeng, red chilly powder and curry patta. 
4. Add pureed tomatoes and salt and stir till it changes colour.
5. Add rice and mix well. Reduce the heat to minimum and let it remain for 5 minutes or until it becomes dry and tomatoes change colour.

TIPs & TRICKs
You may like to chop onions, ginger, tomatoes etc., whenever you have time, and put them in the freezer in a Ziploc bag or an air-tight vessel. You can take them out whenever you need them without wasting time.

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3. LEMON RICE

INGREDIENTS

1. Left over boiled rice - 2 cups
2. Lemon - 01 
3. Salt - as per taste
4. Oil- 1 tbsp
5. Chana daal  - 1 tsp washed and drained
6. Curry patta leaves - 10-12 washed and drained
7. 2 Green Chillies - slit into two long pieces
8. Black Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Haldi (Turmeric powder)- ¼ tsp
10. Heeng - a pinch

METHOD

1. Mix boiled rice, lemon juice and salt well and set aside in a bowl.
2. In a fry pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add 1 tsp chana daal and stir till it becomes golden.
3. Add black mustard seeds, curry patta leaves & green chillies and stir them. Add haldi powder and a pinch of heeng and stir quickly for two second.
4. Add mixture of rice, lemon & salt and  mix well. Keep on very low heat for 5 minutes covered with a lid till haldi gets a cooked colour on the rice. 

TIPs & TRICKs
To get best results while squeezing the lemon, first cut into two and squeeze it. Then dip the two halves in ¼ cup of water and squeeze again to bring out full juice.

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2. CURD RICE

INGREDIENTS

1. Boiled rice cold - 2 cups (One may use left-over rice) 
2. Curd- 1.5 cups beaten with a spoon
3. Milk-1/4 cup
4. Salt - 1 tsp (as per taste)
5. Oil - 1 tsp
6. Dry Red Chillies - 2
7. Chana Daal 1tbs washed and drained
8. Black Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
9. Curry patta leaves - 10-12 washed and chopped
10. Green Chillies - 2 cut into small pieces
11. Ginger (Adrak) - 1 tsp cut into small pieces 
12. Asafoetida (Heeng) - a pinch

METHOD

1. In a bowl, mix curd, boiled rice and salt. Add milk to ensure the desired consistency.
2. For the seasoning, heat 1 tsp of oil in a fry pan. Add dry red chillies and fry them till they become dark in colour. Take them out and keep aside.
3. In the remaining oil, put washed and drained daal and stir till it becomes golden. Add mustard seeds till they splutter. Add chopped ginger, green chillies  &  curry patta leaves and stir them. Add a pinch of heeng and quickly transfer the seasoning to the bowl. Mix with a spoon. 
4. Decorate with the already fried red chillies. 

HELPFUL TIPS

1. You may also add chopped cucumber to make it taste different and healthier.
2. Try adding 1 tbsp of raw grated mango to make it sour and taste different. 
3. Boil rice with plenty of water in a vessel (not cooker). Once it is done, turn it over in a soup strainer and keep till all the water is drained out. Keep this rice ready in the fridge for a quick-fix meal. 
4. Always keep a few packs of curd, preferably low-fat /pro-biotic curd, in the fridge.
5. It is advisable to have a curry patta plant in a pot in your garden/ balcony. Next best alternative is to keep a few leaves in your fridge. It can easily last up to 10-15 days if kept in a Ziplock. Last option is to keep curry patta in the freezer. Wash and freeze in a Ziplock. 

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1. HUNGER FIXER MEAL FOR TWO

SOUP-VEGGIES-GRILLED FISH-CHEESE TOAST

1.TOMATO-LENTIL SOUP 
1. Pressure cook for 10 minutes, 4 large tomatoes cut into large chunks, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1 tbsp daal (malka masoor or moong dhuli), 1/4 tsp salt, and 1.5 glasses of water. Mash with a ladle.
2. Sieve through a soup strainer.
3. Boil the stock for 5 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved. Check for salt. Serve with baked croutons. 

2. VEGETABLE SALAD
1. Check your fridge for Cucumber, celery sticks, celery leaves, onions, peas/ cauliflower /broccoli florets/diced carrots, apples, grapes, boiled potatoes, goat cheese, paneer chunks, olives etc. Let the imagination run wild. You may use any of these or a combo of different items depending upon whatever is available in your fridge. 
2. Add ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp crushed pepper, 2 tbsp roasted and crushed groundnuts/walnuts/mixed nuts & berries, one tablespoon of virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar.
3. Cover and toss together.  

3. GRILLED FISH
1. Mix together 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp lemon juice and apply on 4 pieces of fish fillet.
2. Heat a non-stick pan. Spread 1/2 tsp oil and place the fish pieces on it. Cover with the lid and reduce the heat.
3. Flip over after a few minutes. Cook from both sides till done and serve hot.


4. CHEESE TOAST
1. Put low fat cheese slices on Multi-Grain or Brown bread slices. Sprinkle salt and pepper and
2. Place them on a flat tawa or a non-stick pan  at very low heat and cover with the lid. Wait till one side becomes nice and crisp and cheese melts.

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