Tuna Tikki

Vegetarians can make this Tikki with stir fried vegetables instead of the meat used here. Just stir fry together finely chopped french beans, some peas and finely chopped carrots/cabbage.
Use all these fried veggies in place of the meat. The vegetarian tikkis taste yummy as well.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of Tuna fish.
1 Boiled Potato
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
2 tbspn of fresh finely chopped coriander
Oil (for shallow frying)
1 Slice of bread (white bread or whole wheat bread)

SPICES:
1 small green chilly (finely chopped)
1/2 tspn garam masala
1/2 tbspn of lemon juice
1 tspn red chilly powder
Salt

METHOD:
Wash the tuna fish with water and drain out all the water. Mix the tuna and boiled potato together.

Add onions.

Soak 1 slice of bread in water and squeeze immediately with both hands to remove all the water from the bread. Now break the bread into pieces and add it into the bowl with rest of the ingredients.

Add garam masala.

Add finely chopped coriander and salt.

Mix and mash all ingredients together with hand.

Add lemon juice.

Add red chilly powder and finely chopped green chilly and mix well.

Heat oil in a non stick pan.

Make round flat shapes from the Tuna dough you have prepared. Once the oil is hot turn the flame on medium and put the tikkis (cutlets) into the pan.

Flip, so the other side can cook.

Both the sides should be cooked well and the color should be a nice brown one.

Serve hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup. You can also use other meats like chicken mince or beef mince. This recipe remains same with any other meat you use, however I wash the chicken/beef mince with water, then steam the meat and then follow the steps in this recipe.


“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.” ~Doug Larson

Hummus

Humus is made from chickpeas. I have used the ready canned chickpeas. However, if you plan in advance then you can soak the chickpeas overnight, boil or pressure cook the next morning and then prepare the humus. If its a last minute decision then you can always use the canned chickpeas.

INGREDIENTS:
Chickpeas (its 340 gms in the can)

1 heaped tbspn Tahini (which is a sesame seed and olive oil paste. I have used the ready made one available in my local store).

3-4 medium garlic cloves or 3 big cloves.

Juice from half a (big) lemon.

Salt as per taste.
1 tbspn of olive oil.
Red chilly powder (for garnishing)
olives (for garnishing)

METHOD:
Soak chickpeas overnight and boil or pressure cook next morning. I have used the canned ones here. Wash the canned ones well before you put them into the grinder.
Put all the chickpeas in the grinder.

Add chopped garlic.

Add tahini.

Add salt.

Squeeze in the lemon juice (remove the seeds from the lemon).

Add just enough (drinking) water for the grinding to start. (Do not use water directly from the tap since there is no cooking involved here).

Keep grinding till it becomes a smooth paste. The humus should be thick so take care not to add too much of water.

Pour into a bowl from the grinder.

Mix 1/2 tbspn of olive oil into the humus.

Garnish with some red chilly powder. (This is optional. I just like doing some garnishing on top of the humus with some red chilly powder).

Garnish with some olives. (Again this is optional...Just looks nice when you are serving it..)

Finally add 1/2 tbspn of olive oil on top of the humus, red chilly and olives that you may have used.

Humus is ready. You can have it with Pita bread, falafel and salad or you can even have it like a dip with ready bread sticks.

****There has to be a balance between the lemon(little more may be), salt(add the right amount as per your taste) and garlic(not too strong) used in this recipe. You should be able to taste the sour flavor of the lemon in the humus. If you cannot taste that, then you need to squeeze in some more. When you dip a pita into the humus your taste buds should be able to get that lemony flavor.



“Time And health are two precious assets that we don’t recognize and appreciate until they have been depleted.” ~Denis Waitley

Spinach Lentil

INGREDIENS:
1/2 cup Toor daal(split pigeon peas) and yellow moong daal (both in equal quantities)

1 tbspn Chana daal (Yellow split Bengal Gram)

1 cup Spinach (washed well and finely chopped)

1 medium sized onion (finally chopped)
1 medium sized tomato (finally chopped)
1 tspn finely chopped garlic
1 tspn finely chopped ginger
1-2 red or green chillies.
1 -2 tbspn oil.

SPICES:
1 clove
1/4 tspn hing (aesfotida)
11/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tspn turmeric powder
Pinch cinnamon
1/2 tspn red chilly powder
1 tspn dry mango powder

1/2 tspn garam masala
1/2 tspn kitchen king masala
Salt as per taste.

METHOD:
STEP 1: Prepare the lentils.
I have pressure cooked the lentils. You can mix all the lentils together, wash them well and soak them overnight or for 4-5 hours. Boil in an open container till they become soft or pressure cook.

Add salt.

Add turmeric powder.

I have pressure cooked the lentils.

After about 4 whistles the lentils should have become soft. Open the pressure cooker 10 minutes after switching off the gas.

Beat/blend the lentil to get a creamy texture. The lentils are now ready to go into the spinach mix that you will make in STEP 2.

STEP 2: Prepare the spinach with onions and tomatoes.
Heat oil.

Once the oil becomes hot keep the flame on low and add the clove.

Add hing.

Add Jeera.

Add ginger, garlic and the chilly either chopped or whole (whichever way you prefer).

Once they sizzle add the finely chopped onions.

Stir fry on a medium to low flame and cook the onions till they are slightly brown.

Add the spinach.

Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes or till the spinach is soft.

Add tomatoes.

Stir well.

Add coriander powder.

Add turmeric powder.

Add Salt.

A dash of cinnamon

Mix well.

Pour the lentil prepared in STEP 1 into the spinach mixture.

Rinse the pressure cooker or the container which you used for boiling the lentils with water and add the water into the lentil spinach mixture.

Mix well and let the lentil come to a boil on a high flame.

Once it boils, lower the flame and add dry mango powder.

Add red chilly powder.

Add garam masala.

Add kitchen king powder.

Mix well so that all the spices blend with the lentils. Boil on low flame for about 5 minutes after the addition of all the spices. Switch off the flame after the lentil has boiled with the spices for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot with Rice or Roti/Paratha.

“From the bitterness of disease, man learns the sweetness of health.” ~Catalan Proverb