EASY RECIPES TO MAKE AT HOME DURING LOCKDOWN

Hey friends, just before lockdown I was thinking of going on a food tour in my city and try some authentic food from different parts of India available in my very own city Mumbai. As Mumbai is a city with a diverse population, we have a lot of variety of cuisine to savour here.

But now couldn’t go anywhere, so just tried to cook some delicacies at home which are specialties from different parts of India. These are all very easy recipes to make and all the ingredients will be easily available at home.

Please make the recipes with ingredients available at home. Do not step out of the house unnecessarily. You can always replace or skip an ingredient. STAY HOME STAY SAFE.

I have mentioned some healthy, tasty and easy recipes to make at home during lockdown.

Please wash the vegetables thoroughly before making the food. Also, wash your hands with soap before cooking.

All the below recipes serve 4-5 persons.

1. Matki Usal: Matki usal is a popular dish from Maharashtra State in India. It is a famous snack item in Mumbai as well as in Pune. You can try this at home for dinner as a main course too. It is also very easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Math Beans
• 2 Large Chopped Onions
• 3 Medium-sized Tomatoes
• 1 tsp green-chilli paste
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tsp cumin-coriander powder
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp Garam Masala
• 2 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• Jeera

Method:

For preparation, soak Math beans in water overnight and then remove the water and boil it in the pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles.

1. Put oil in a pan and then add some jeera. Once the jeera starts crackling add Onions, green chilli paste and crushed garlic in it and sauté till the onions are a bit cooked
2. Then make a tomato puree from the tomatoes, add salt to taste and add it in the pan and cook the onions and tomatoes till the oil separates from the gravy.
3. Add the chilli powder, coriander-cumin powder, turmeric powder, and garam masala to it with a dash of water and let it cook for a while.
4. Then add the math beans in it and cook for a while.
5. Then add water as required and can add some coriander leaves at the end for garnishing. Also, add sugar to balance the sour taste of tomatoes.

Your Matki Usal is ready to eat. You can also mix some Farsan available at home and make it a Misal. This is to be eaten with bread and you can also add some chopped raw onions to it for a great taste.

2. Pesarattu Dosa :

Dosa is a South Indian dish that is savoured by the whole of India with love. Pesarattu Dosa is very light and a healthy dish as it is made from Split-Green Mung dal.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Split-Green Mung Dal
• 1 tbsp. rice
• 2 green chillies
• 1 small piece of ginger
• salt to taste

Method

• Soak the split-green Mug dal and rice in a bowl with water for 4-5 hours.
• After 5 hours remove the water and add green chill and ginger and mix it in a mixer grinder.
• Then add salt to taste.
• The batter is ready and now you can make amazing green dosas(Pesarattu Dosa) from it.
• You can have the dosa with coconut chutney. It also tastes amazing with tomato sauce.

1. Dhokla

This is an amazing delicacy from the Gujarat state of India. It is a Gujrati dish savoured by the whole country as a quick snack. I tried the dhokla with a homemade batter and it turned out just perfect.

Ingredients:

· 3 cups Rice (any kind of white rice will do)

· 1 cup urad dal

· 2tbsp chana dal

· 3-4 methi dana (dry fenugreek)

· ½ cup thin poha(flattened rice)

· 1 tsp green chilli paste

· 3 tsps oil

· ½ tsp lime juice

· ½ tsp Food soda

· Hing(asafoetida)

· Salt to taste

Method:

• Mix rice, chana dal, Methi dana, Udad dal in a bowl and soak it with water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
• Then mix the batter in a mixer grinder with some washed poha(flattened) in it. Do not put access water in it. Put some water that may be required for mixing the mixture. The batter should be finely mixed. It will only be a little coarse which is ok.
• You can then put that mixture inside a bowl and leave it aside in a warm place for 8-10 hours to ferment.
• After 8-10 hours, take the mixture and you will see a good amount of air formed in the mixture and it will be an indication of the fermentation of the batter.
• Then add green chilli paste, oil, food soda, salt, hing(asafetida) in the batter and stir it well. You can also add some water as required for the mixture.
• Now take a round plate with corners in it and brush it with oil, then put some batter on the plate and sprinkle some red chilli or pepper on it
• Place the plate inside a pressure cooker with a stand and without a whistle in it and steam it for 15 mins. Then remove the plate later and let it cool. You can then cut it with a knife in a a square shape.
• The dhokla is ready to serve. You can serve them hot with green chutney.

1. Authentic Maharashtrian Style Poha

Poha is an amazing Maharashtrian snack which can also be had in main course as a light dinner. Well, I have tried to make Poha uniquely and it has turned out just amazing. I know this is an easy recipe which many of you might know to make. But, we could not make that perfect poha. Sometimes the poha is not soft or the balance between the sour and sweet is not up to the mark. Well, I have solved all these issues with this recipe. I hope you make it and share the feedback with me.

The Poha should be made in a Non-stick pan as it is very sticky and won’t cook well in a steel pan.

Ingredients

· 3 cups of thin Poha (thin flattened rice)

· 3 long-cut green chillies

· ½ lemon

· 4 tsp sugar

· coriander leaves for garnishing

· salt to taste

· 3-4 curry leaves

· 1 tsp rai-jeera

· 1 chopped small potato

· 2 chopped medium Onions

· ½ tsp. turmeric

· 3 tbsp. oil

Method

• Soak the thin Poha(flattened rice) in a bowl with water till the level of Poha for 3-4 mins only. This will make the Poha soft.
• Then strain the poha(flattened rice) in a strainer and let it dry for 30 mins.
• Put oil in a pan, then add rai-jeera. Once the jeera crackles, add green chillies, curry leaves and a few onions for tempering. After a few seconds add the rest of the onions and potatoes. Then cover the lid of the pan and wait for a few minutes for the potatoes and onions to get cooked.
• Once the onions and potatoes are fully cooked, add turmeric powder. Then switch off the gas and add the dried poha(flattened rice), sugar, lemon, salt, coriander leaves and mix it well. Then switch on the gas again and let it cook for a few mins.

Serve the Poha hot. You can also add some sev and chivda on Poha for garnishing.

5. Dosa

      Dosa is a well-known South-Indian delicacy popular in the whole of India. Though it is mainly served as a morning breakfast, it can also be served as a main course. It is served with coconut chutney and sambhar.

The dosa batter can be easily made at home and the dosas taste delicious. They turn crispy and brown similar to what we eat in the restaurants.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Rice(any kind of rice)
• 1 cup Udad dal
• 2 tbsp chana dal
• 3-4 methi dana(dry fenugreek)
• Salt to Taste

Method

• Mix rice, chana dal, Methi dana, Udad dal in a bowl and soak it with water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
• Then mix the batter in a mixer grinder with some washed poha(flattened rice) in it. Do not put access water in it. Put some water that may be required for mixing the mixture. The batter should be finely mixed. It will only be a little coarse which is ok.
• You can then put that mixture inside a bowl and leave it aside in a warm place for 8-10 hours to ferment.

· After 8-10 hours, take the mixture and you will see a good amount of air formed in the mixture and it will be an indication of the fermentation of the batter. Then add salt in the batter and some water as required.

• Then sprinkle some oil in a flat non-stick pan and make a circle of the batter with a ladle.

Serve hot dosa with fresh coconut chutney and sambhar.

You can also serve mini uttappams with the same batter for kids. I have a special pan for it. But, you can also form small circles in a normal pan and prepare it.

6. Authentic Maharashtrian Sabudana Khichdi

This is again a popular Maharashtrian dish popular in the whole of India. We mainly have this dish while fasting. But it can also be relished in Breakfast and a main course for a light dinner. This is a recipe for an authentic Maharashtrian Sabudana Khichdi.

Sabudana Khichdi should be prepared in a non-stick pan as the sabudana is a bit sticky and cannot be cooked well in a steel pan.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Sabudana
• 3 tbsp Peanuts
• 3 green chillies
• 4-5 curry leaves
• 1 Medium Potato
• 2 tsp jeera
• 4 tsp sugar
• ½ lemon
• salt to taste
• 3 tsp oil
• coriander leaves for garnishing

Method 

· Soak the Sabudana for 5-6 hours in a bowl with water with a level little above the sabudana.

· Roast the peanuts in a non-stick pan till they turn a little black. Then grind it in a mixer grinder.

· Add oil in a pan and then add some jeera in it. Once the Jeera crackles, add the green chillies, curry leaves. 

· After a few seconds, add the chopped potatoes.

· Once the potatoes are cooked, add sabudana, sugar, salt, lime juice and mix it well. Then cover the lid and let it cook with a simmer gas till the sabudana turns translucent. 

· Then add the roasted peanuts powder in it and mix it.

· Then add coriander leaves for garnishing.

Serve hot Sabudana Khichdi with Dahi(yogurt).

Chutneys

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

· 2 tbsp Dalia

· 1tsp.jeera

· 1 cup diced coconut

· salt to taste

· 3-4 green chillies

For tempering

1 tbsp.oil

1 tsp. jeera(cumin)

1 tsp urad dal

1 tsp mustard seeds and cumin (rai-jeera)

4-5 curry leaves

Method

· Add Dalia in a mixer grinder and mix it into a powder.

· Then add the coconut, jeera, salt, and green chillies and some water.

· Mix all the ingredients into a fine paste.

· Then remove the mixture in a bowl,

· Then in a tempering bowl add oil and rai-jeera. Once it crackles, add curry leaves and urad dal. After a few seconds switch off the gas and put the tempering in the mixture and mix it well. Then cover the lid. Put the chutney in a refrigerator and remove it while serving.

· The coconut chutney has to be made fresh. It will not stay for more than 1 day even in the refrigerator.

Green Chutney

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped coriander leaves
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 tbsp peanuts
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ lemon
• 1 tsp jeera
• salt to taste

Method

· Add peanuts in a mixer grinder and make a fine powder of it

· Then add the coriander leaves, green chillies, lemon juice, salt, jeera, and some water. Mix the ingredients into a fine paste.

So, guys try out these delicious recipes at home and relish them. I have cooked each dish and it has turned out to be delicious. All these recipes are healthy and easy to make. Also, they consume less of your time to prepare the food.

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