Sweet corn chaat and coriander lemon soup

We all love chaat don't we? But to make a delicious chaat with available vegetables with less masala and less oil is not an easy task, especially when all you want is a bowl of steaming hot soup!

But then yesterday I ended up chopping a lot of vegetables and added garlic and ginger to it, started to cook it in the pan, while cooking the aroma of just tender vegetables and sweet corn was something which Aru and I loved, so we have decided not to add water to the veggies, instead tried crushed pepper to the cooked vegetables. And we had it as a chaat!

Sweet corn chaat 

Ingredients 

1 sweet corn, cut and remove kernels 

1 carrot

1 zucchini 

7 to 8 french beans

1 onion

6 to 7 garlic pods

1/2 inch ginger peeled and crushed 

1 green chilli chopped 

Olive oil /peanut oil 2 tablespoon 

Method 

*Wash, peel and chop all vegetables into small cubes, remove corn kernels from the cob. Keep aside. 

*In a pan or pressure cooker, pour oil, saute ginger, garlic, green chilli and rest of the vegetables, add salt and cook in medium to low flame, it takes about 10 minutes for all the vegetables to cook, add crushed pepper and serve as a chaat in bowls. 

*You can add lemon extract if you like towards the end or just before serving. 

*I have added basil and oregano and few homegrown tomatoes. It's yum. Do try! 

Coriander lemon soup

For the soup which we were craving, we had coriander, ginger, lemon grass and just one green chilli, boiled and strained the clear soup, added 1 tablespoon if lemon extract just before serving, it was flavourful. 

When we realize how we can incorporate a few ingredients and create a dish which provides all the flavours and textures perfect for an evening snack, chaats are such life savers. 

Kosmali (moong dal salad)

An easy salad made with few ingredients for feast in Karnataka, it's called Kosmali

Ingredients 

3 tablespoon soaked moong dal

2 small raddish(grated)

1 carrot grated

1 cucumber grated

1 lemon extract

1 green chilli chopped 

1 tablespoon grated coconut 

1 tablespoon coriander chopped

Salt as required 

Method 

* wash and soak moong dal for about 30 minutes, drain excess water keep aside.

* In a mixing bowl add all grated vegetables, coconut, chilli,  salt add soaked moong dal, give a toss, finally and lemon extract, serve as a side dish.

I have it as mid evening salad.

Watermelon mojito

A refreshing glass of mojito is the best thing in the morning post workout.

I have blended a few interesting ingredients and it's just the perfect blend 

Ingredients 

A few slices of watermelon 

A cup of chopped muskmelon 

Few pudina leaves

1 lemon extract

1/2 inch ginger

1 green chilli 

1 cup  water you can add soda but I prefer plain water

Method 

Add all the ingredients except lemon juice and blend, once done add lemon juice and mix with a spoon, you can add chat masala, salt or sugar if you wish, I drink it plain as I love the natural flavors of ginger, chilli and mint, serve in glass. 

Ragi porridge (Finger millet)

Ragi or finger millet, is quite an interesting grain, I used to make ragi for my kids when they were very young.

I sometimes make it with whole ragi soaked overnight, grind and cook it with a little salt or jaggery.  It's filling and delicious. Post workout or walking it's done in a jiffy. So what I generally do is make the porridge and leave to cool. After my workout and walking it's a treat! 

Ingredients 

1 cup whole ragi(pre soaked for 12 hours) 

2 cups water

A little salt 

One small piece jaggery 

Method 

*In a bowl take a cup of whole ragi add water, wash three to four times. Pour just enough water and soak it overnight or 12 hours. 

* Strain the water, in a mixer add ragi little water and grind to a smooth paste. 

* In a large bowl, add ragi, two cups of water, salt and mix well, cook it on stove top, reduce the flame into medium to low, cook it till it's done. 

* Now pour a teaspoon of ghee and blend it. Allow the porridge to reach room temperature or just warm. 

*Serve  with buttermilk and sliced onions. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.healthifyme.com/blog/why-ragi-should-be-a-part-of-your-diet/amp/