61. Chipotle Fajita Burrito

Final Outcome: Love it!

        It is very difficult to get the authentic taste by recreating restaurant dish, however I have tried my best without using any store bought items. A few things can be purchased without making them at home like Salsa and sour cream.

Recipe:
Ingredients & Method

1. Salsa: (Can be store bought)
Tomato: 4 finely chopped
Onion: 1 finely chopped
Garlic cloves: 4-5 finely chopped
Fresh Coriander: 1 tbsp finely chopped
Jalapeno or green chili: 1 finely chopped
Salt
Method: Soak chopped onion and Garlic in 2 cups of warm water for 10 mins. Drain out the water and mix all the ingredients together.Set aside

2. Guacamole:
Avocado: 2
Tomato: 1/2 finely chopped
Lemon juice: 2 tsp
Coriander: 1 tbsp finely chopped
Salt
Method: Cut Avocado into half. Scoop Avocado flesh out of skin. Mash avocado using a fork. Mix rest of the ingredients. Set aside.

3. Mix veggies 1
Corn Kernels: 1 cup
Salt
Lemon Juice: 2 tsp
Coriander : 1/2 tbsp finely  chopped
Method: Cook Corn kernels until soft.Mix rest of the ingredients and set aside

4. Mix veggies 2
Onion: 2 Chopped length wise into thin strips
Capsicum: 1 chopped length wise into thin strips
Salt
Oil: 1/2 tbsp
Method: Heat oil in a pan. Add onion and fry. Add capsicum and fry till both onion and capsicum are soft. Set aside.

5.Tortilla: Note: it is made 100% using Maida (all purpose flour) However I mainly used wheat flour.
Wheat flour: 1 cup
Maida: 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil: 2-3 tsp
Water as required.
Method: Kneed the dough. Make small round balls Roll out and fry like chapatis. Set aside.

6.Cooked Basmati/ Jasmin rice: 1 cup

7. Sour cream: I used hung curd instead of sour cream

Fajita Burrito:
Place Tortilla on a plate.  Add all the prepared ingredients one by one. (quantities mentioned below)
Salsa: 1 tbsp
Guacamole: 1 tbsp
Mix veggies 1 + 2: 1 tbsp
Cooked Basmati rice: 1 tbsp
Sour cream; 2 tsp

Roll the tortilla and enjoy!

60. Spinach Salad (Palak Koshimbir/Salad)

Final Outcome: Healthy and yummy!

        My mom has a very old hand written note book which contains innumerable recipes. These recipes are a mixture of various cuisines collected over more than 30 years. There are a lot of extremely unique recipes. Menthe Kadbu is one such recipe which I have posted here. I plan to make many more unique dishes and post.
        Getting back to Spinach salad: This is again one of my mom's recipe. It is a very simple and very healthy salad. I think even kids who are picky eaters will love it.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Spinach leaves: 1 bunch/ 2 hand full
Curd/Yogurt: 1 cup
Onion: 1/4th onion chopped
Tomato: 1 small chopped
Salt to taste
Sugar: 1/2 tsp
Black pepper: 1 tsp crushed

Method:
1. Heat 3 cups of water in a pan. When water comes to a boil take off heat. Soak spinach into this water and leave for 3-4 mins.Drain out the water and set aside.  Note: This step is midway between blanched and cooked. Spinach should lose is crunchiness but should not be cooked. 
2. In a bowl add curd, chopped onion, tomato, and spinach from step 1.
3. Add salt and sugar.
4. Add crushed pepper and mix well before serving.

59. Green Tomato Chutney

Final Outcome: Good
 
        This is my husband's favorite chutney. This is another recipe which I could not try since we rarely find green tomatoes in this city. Luckily we found some in early morning vegetable haul :-)

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Green tomatoes: 4-5 roughly chopped
Sesame seeds: 1 tbsp
Green Chili: 1
Sugar: 4 tsp
Salt to taste
Roasted groundnut powder: 1 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Dry roast sesame seeds till they turn golden.
2. In a mixer add chopped tomatoes, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and groundnut powder. Grind into a fine paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is very hot add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Once this seasoning cools down add it to the tomato paste.
4. This chutney can be refrigerated and used for 2-3 days

I did not find time to take a picture of this chutney. I plan to make it again and upload the picture.

58. Ambadi bhaji

Final Outcome: Good

        This leafy veggi has a sour taste so it needs a lot of jaggery to sweeten it. There are a lot of ways to cook it. I have cooked it in a typical kannadiga style. It is not easily available here, hence I had never prepared it earlier.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Ambadi: 1 bunch washed and chopped
Chana dal: 1 tbsp
Rice: 2 tsp
Raw groundnut: 2tsp
Jaggery: 2 tbsp
Oil
Asafoetida: a pinch
Turmeric: a pinch
Mustard: 1 tsp
Garlic cloves: 5-6
Salt to taste
Red chilies : 2 

Method:
1.Soak Chana Dal, Rice and Raw groundnuts in a cup of water for about 30 mins.
2. In a pressure pan add Chopped Ambadi, and soaked items from step 1. Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.
3. After the pressure is released pour out the excess water to reduce its sourness. 
4. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard. When it begins to splutter add asafoetida, red chilies, garlic cloves and turmeric. Add this seasoning to the cooked curry.
5. Place the pressure pan on heat. Add Jaggery and salt. Bring it to a boil and take off heat. Serve hot.

57. Sabudana Wada

Final Outcome: Lovely!

        It is a yummy dish but involves deep frying. My family does not like (for health reasons) oily foods. But sometimes such unhealthy food is comforting:-). Me and my mom made a small batch of wada's. It was sufficient for 2 people. Given recipe is for about 6-7 wada's.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Sabudana: 1 cup (soaked for 2-3 hours)
Potato: 1 boiled, peeled, and mashed.
Green Chile: 1 finely chopped
Red Chili powder: 1 tsp
Fresh coriander: 1tbsp chopped
Roasted groundnut powder: 1 tbsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: for deep frying

Method:
1. Mix together all the ingredients except oil. It should not be too mushy. If the sabudana is too dry dip your hand into water and then mix the ingredients.
2. Make small round balls on your palms and then flatten the wada by pressing both palms together.
3. Heat oil in a deep pan. Keep on medium heat and deep fry the wada till it turns golden brown.

        Today is "Ta's" first day of school. She is going by school bus. Poor kid needs to travel so long. Just wish we could move to a different place.

56. Avocado Salad/Butter fruit Salad

Final Outcome: Tasty and healthy
 
       When I tasted avocado (also known as butter fruit) for the the first time it was really a very weird and different to taste but I loved it! It is supposed to be a very healthy fruit. To check if avocado is ripe the general rule is that shake the avocado, its seed must make a hollow sound since it is loose. 
This salad was my husband's idea. We made it in two versions. Recipe is for version 1. I have mentioned version 2 alternate at the end.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
Avocado: 2 peel and de seed
Onion: 1/4th chopped
Tomato: 1 chopped
Capsicum: 1/4th chopped
Lemon juice: 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander: 2 tbsp chopped
Salt to taste
Crushed Pepper to taste

Method:
Mash Avocado pulp (or finely chop it). Add Onion, Tomato, Capsicum, Lemon Juice, Fresh coriander, salt and pepper.
Mix well and serve.

For version 2: prepare a seasoning of 1 tbsp ghee, a pinch of cumin seeds and asafoetida. Add it to the version 1salad.
Note: I loved version 1 :-).

55. Chole Bhature

Final Outcome: Good
     
        This was on my list for a long time. It is such a common dish and I cannot believe I never cooked it in so many years! I did not make normal size bhature, but made small puri sized bhature.

Recipe:
Ingredients:
For Bhatura:
Maida: 1 cup
Curd: 1 tbsp
Potato: 1/2 potato baked and smashed
Salt to taste
Water as required
Baking soda: a pinch
Oil: 1 tsp

For Chole:
Chole: soaked overnight and pressure cooked 2 cups
Onion: 1 large chopped
Tomato: 1/2 chopped
Everest chole masala: 1 tbsp
Ginger: 1 inch (crushed or finely chopped. I added crushed ginger)
Red Chili powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 2 tsp
Fresh coriander chopped: 1tbsp
Salt
Oil: 1 tbsp

Method:
Bhatura: Kneed dough for bhatura adding all the ingredients. It should be soft. Cover it with a wet cloth and leave for 1/2 hour. Roll and deep fry till golden brown.
Chole:
1. Mash about 1/2 tbsp of cooked chole. This gives the curry a nice thick consistency.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add Onion and fry till it turns light brown.
3. Add Tomato, ginger, 1/2 of Chole masala, red chile powder, coriander powder and fry till tomatoes are mushy.
4.Add cooked chole, salt, rest of Chole masala and a little water. Cook till gravy thickens. 
5. Serve garnished with fresh coriander.