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food

Day 8 of Lockdown: menu with simple recipes to cook at home using simple ingredients 

It feels like a really tough task to decide what to cook every single day. So, we have come up with a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu to make your job easier. We incorporated simple recipes that you can make using the ingredients easily available at your home. The menu includes wheat pancakes for breakfast, Aloo gobhi ki sabzi with chapattis for lunch and Rajma Chawal in Dinner. 
 
Breakfast meal - Wheat pancakes
 
Wheat Pancakes are simple to make and best for breakfast. These light and fluffy pancakes are made using whole wheat flour.
 
Wheat Pancakes Recipe:

Preparation time: 15 minutes 
Cooking time: 15 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS NEEDED

  1. 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  2. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  3. 2 tbsp sugar
  4. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  5. 1 tbsp baking powder
  6. 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  7. 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups milk
  8. 1 large egg
  9. 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  10. 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
 
INSTRUCTIONS
 
- To make the batter:
 
  1. Whisk the flours, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and the salt in a bowl and keep aside.
  2. Warm milk until it is lukewarm. Make sure that it is not hot. Whisk the milk, butter, egg, and the vanilla together properly.
  3. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir it using a fork until it is mixed properly and there are only small clumps of flour left. Make sure that you don't over mix it. 
  4. If the batter is very thick, add a little milk.
 
 - To cook the pancakes:
 
  1. Heat a large tawa and brush it with a little butter. Spoon 1/4th cup of the batter and put on the tawa.
  2. Spread it in a circle. When the edges start to look a little dry and bubbles appear on it, turn over the pancake.
  3. Cook the other side for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it is light brown in colour. 
  4. Make sure it is cooked in the middle. Serve it warm along with syrups, bananas or any other topping of your choice.
 
Lunch Meal - Aloo gobhi
 
Aloo gobi sabzi is a flavourful Indian dish made with spices mainly ginger, red chilli powder and garam masala.
 
Aloo gobhi Recipe:

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS NEEDED

  1. 1 medium-sized cauliflower, florets removed and rinsed
  2. 5 to 6 medium-size potatoes, sliced
  3. 1.5 to 2 inches ginger, chopped 
  4. ½ tsp turmeric powder
  5. 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
  6. ½ tsp garam masala powder
  7. A few coriander leaves for garnish
  8. 4 tbsp oil or ghee
  9. salt to taste
 
INSTRUCTIONS
 
  1. Chop the cauliflower in medium-sized florets. Rinse it with water. Boil water and add salt in it. Then, add the florets. 
 
  1. Cover the bowl and let it blanch in the hot water. 
 
  1. Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into wedges. After about 15 to 20 minutes, drain the cauliflower and set aside. 
 
  1. Heat oil or ghee in a Kadai at a low flame. Then, add the potatoes to it. Saute on low flame for about 6 to 7 minutes. Stir it occasionally.
 
  1. Drain the cauliflower and add them to Kadai. Saute it for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in between.
 
  1. Then add chopped ginger and stir. Put the spices including turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Stir again making sure that the veggies are coated in masala evenly.
 
  1. Now Cover the pan and let it simmer for about 18 to 20 minutes on a low flame. Occasionally, remove the lid and stir it well. 
 
  1. Don't add any water to it. Once the veggies are cooked properly, sprinkle garam masala powder and mix it well.
 
  1. Serve it with rotis or parathas and curd. Garnish with coriander leaves.
 
Dinner Meal - Rajma chawal
 
Rajma Chawal is comfort food for many people. It is a tasty Punjabi curry made using kidney beans, onions, tomatoes and spices.
 
Rajma Recipe:

Preparation time: 9 hours
Cooking time: 45 minutes
 
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
 
- To pressure cook the rajma

  1. 1 cup rajma (kidney beans) - any variety
  2. 3.5 to 4 cups water for pressure cooking
  3. enough water for soaking rajma
 
- To make rajma masala curry

  1. 1 large onion, finely chopped
  2. 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
  3. 1 tbsp ginger garlic- green chilli paste.
  4. 1 tsp coriander powder
  5. ¼ - ½ tsp red chilli powder
  6. ¼ tsp turmeric powder 
  7. 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
  8. ¼ - ½ tsp garam masala powder
  9. ½ tsp cumin seeds
  10. 1 tsp crushed Kasuri methi 
  11. 2 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil
  12. 2 to 3 tbsp cream
  13. 1.5 to 2 cups of rajma stock (the water used to cook the rajma) 
  14. Salt to taste 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 1. Rinse and soak the rajma in enough water for about 8-9 hours. Drain the rajma and rinse them again.

 2. Take a pressure cooker and add rajma and 4 cups of water to it. Let it Pressure cook on a medium flame for about 15 to 20 minutes.

 3. Meanwhile, chop the vegetables including onions, tomatoes etc.

 4. Open the lid of the cooker once the pressure settles. Check if it is cooked or not. You will get to know that after pressing a bean. If it is not cooked properly, then pressure cook again for a few minutes.

 5. Heat oil in a pan and crackle the cumin seeds first. Then, add the onions and saute them till they turn golden brown in colour.

 6. Make sure that they don't get burnt. Now add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and saute for about 5-10 seconds on a low flame.

 7. Now, add the tomatoes and saute for about 2 to 3 minutes till the tomatoes turn soft.

 8. Add all the spices including turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, asafoetida (hing) and garam masala powder. Stir it well.

 9. Use a strainer to remove the beans from the stock and add them to the masala. Now add 1.5 to 2 cups of the stock and add to the rajma.

 10. Then add salt and stir the curry. Let it simmer without cover for about 10-12 minutes or more. Make sure the curry thickens a little.

 11. Mash some rajma beans using a spoon. When you achieve the consistency you desire, add the Cream and Kasuri methi. 

 12. Stir and let it simmer for a minute. Switch off the flame. Serve hot with basmati rice, jeera rice or naan.