Yellow dal

Cooking Time Required: 20 mins
Cost of preparation: 10-15 rupees

Ingredients: Toor dal ( 1 cup), garlic pods ( 4-5 nos), green chilli ( 1 no), mustard seeds ( 1/3 tsp ), coriander seeds (1/4 seeds), fennel seeds (1/4 tsp), red chilli powder (1/5 tsp, optional), finely cut coriander leaves ( 2 tsp), turmeric, oil ( 1 tsp), salt to taste.

Preparation: Wash and soak the daal in warm water for 2-3 hours.

Cooking: Add the dal to a pressure-cooker along with salt and turmeric. Add about one and half cups of water. Close the lid and put on the stove. Allow for two whistles. Remove from the fire and keep aide to cool. Once the steam escapes, open the lid and mash the dal .

Chop the garlic into small pieces. The chilli should be diced into 3-4 pieces along its length.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. When it starts smoking, add the mustard, coriander and fennel seeds, followed by the garlic pieces and red chilli powder. Also add the green Chilli. Stir for 20-30 secs and pour over the dal along with half cup warm water . Sprinkle the coriander leaves over the dal and close the lid. This will help the dal to absord the flavours of the tadka.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Enjoying a hard earned meal : Rice with Yellow dal and tomatao-badi curry.

Soya Chilli

Cooking Time Required: 20-25 mins
Cost of preparation: 15-20 rupees

Ingredients: Nutrela Soyabean chunks ( 2 cups), frozen green peas ( 1/2 cup), onion ( 1 medium ), green chilli ( 1-2 nos), ginger (1 inch long), ginger-garlic paste (1/2 tsp), cumin powder (1/3 tsp), tomato sauce ( 2 tsp), maida ( 1 tsp), cornflour ( 1 tsp), oil for frying, salt.

Cooking: Wash the soya chunks and put in a pressure coooker. Add 1-2 cups water and salt. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from stove and keep aside to cool.

Squeeze out the water from the soya chunks, add ginger-garlic paste, cumin powder, maida , cornflour and a pinch of salt. Mix well. Heat oil in a deep kadai (wok). Add the soya chunks and fry till they turn reddish brown. Keep aside.

Cut the onion, green chilli and ginger into thin long pieces. Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick pan. Add the ginger,chilli and onion pieces and fry till the onion turns pinkish. Add the soya chunks and green peas. Stir fry for about 3-4 mins. Drizzle the tomato sauce over the pan and fry for a minute. Remove from fire and serve hot with rice/roti/puri.



One can also add spring onions and yellow/red peppers to this preparation.

Jhal Mudhi

Cooking Time Required: 10 minutes
Cost of preparation: 10-15 rupees

Ingredients: Mudhi (also known as muri or bhel) (100 gms), boiled bengal gram ( 1/3 cup), roasted/fried peanuts ( 1/3 cup), mixture (20 gm),onion ( 1 small), green chilli ( 2 nos), lemon juice(1/2 tsp), mustard oil (1/2 tsp), red chilli powder (1/4 tsp), coriander leaves, salt.


Preparation: Cut the onion, chilli and coriander into fine pieces.

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Consume immediately before the mudhi gets soggy.

The mixture used should be of the spicy and fiery variety. One can also add small bits of boiled potatoes to the mudhi.

Methi saga bhaja

Cooking Time Required : 15 mins
Cost of preparation: 10-12 rupees

Ingredients: Methi (fenugreek) leaves ( 2 bunches), potato ( 1 small), garlic pods ( 2-3 nos), green chilli/red chilli ( 1 no), mustard seeds (1/5 tsp), oil ( 2 tsp), salt.

Preparation: Wash the fenugreek leaves thoroughly and cut into fine pieces. The potato should also be cut into very small pieces. Crush the garlic pods.

Cooking: Heat a wok (kadai). Add the oil. When it starts smoking, add the mustard seeds, crushed garlic pods and chilli. Add the potato pieces to the spluttering seeds and stir for about 3-4 minutes. Lastly add the fenugreek leaves and salt.

Alternately stir fry and cook the with the lid covered till both the potato and fenugreek leaves are done.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Tip: Methi leaves are aromatic but leave a bitter taste in the mouth. Adding potato pieces or coarsely broken dal (toor or moong) helps to balance out the bitterness.

Ambula Raee

Cooking Time Required: 10 minutes
Cost of preparation: 10-12 rupees

Ingredients: Ambula (4-5 pieces), mustard seeds ( 1 tsp), garlic pods ( 5-6 nos), green chilli (2 nos), mustard oil ( 1 tsp), sugar ( 1 tsp), salt.

Preparation: Soak the ambula for 3-4 hours in a cup of water. Grind the mustard seeds and half of the garlic pods into a fine paste. Cut the chilli into small pieces.

Cooking: Mix all the ingredients except for sugar in a kadai . Add another cup of water.Put on the stove and bring to a boil. Keep it on the fire till the quantity reduces to half. Add the sugar and boil for another 2-3 minutes.

Cool it. Relish with rice.

Mansa Kasa (Mutton kasa)

Cooking Time Required: 1 hour (will vary with the quality of mutton)

Ingredients: Mutton ( 500 gm), onion ( 2 nos, medium), potato ( 1 large ), tomato ( 1
medium), green chilli ( 2 nos ), ginger garlic paste ( 2 tsp), cumin-mustard seeds ( 1/3 tsp), coriander powder ( 2/3 tsp), cumin powder (1/3 tsp), chilli powder (1/3 tsp), garam masala ( 1/4 tsp), mustard oil ( 2 tsp ), oil (5-6 tsp), turmeric, salt to taste.

Preparation: Wash the mutton thouroughly. Drain excess water . Add salt, turmeric and one tsp mustard oil. Keep aside to marinate for one hour.

Cut the potato along its length into four pieces. Heat a pan. Add one tsp oil and the potato pieces. Fry till the potato turns light brown.

Grate half an onion and cut the rest into small pieces.

Cooking: Heat 4 tsp oil in a kadai (wok). When it starts smoking, add the green chilli, cumin and mustard seeds. When the seeds start spluttering, add the grated onion. Stir fry for two minutes, and add the onion pieces. When the onion turns pinkish red, add the ginger garlic paste. Stir till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away. Then add the mutton fat (charbi) and cook for 5 minutes.

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and add to the wok along with coriander and cumin powder. Stir for 2-3 minutes and then add the mutton. Cook for another 20 minutes while stirring at regular intervals. The mutton should start to darken in color. Transfer the contents of the wok into a pressure cooker along with the fried potatoes and add garam masala. Add about 1/4 cup water. Cook for 10-15 minutes on low flame.

Remove from fire and allow steam to escape. The mutton should be tender. In case it is still not done, cook for another 5 minutes with the lid closed.

Enjoy hot with rice or rotis.

Paneer Curry

Cooking Time Required: 30 mins
Cost of Preparation: 50-60 rupees

Ingredients: Paneer (cottage cheese, 200 gm), potato ( 1 no, medium), tomato ( 1 no, large), onion ( 2 nos, medium ), green chilli ( 1 no ), ginger garlic paste ( 1 tsp), maggie bhuna masala ( 1 tbs ), cumin-fennel-methi seeds (1/3 tsp), cumin powder (1/3 tsp), coriander powder (1/3 tsp), garam masala (1/4 tsp), kasuri methi ( 1 tsp), turmeric , ghee ( 1 tsp), oil ( 3-4 tsp), salt to taste.


Cooking: Peel the onions and cut into two. Put in a pressure cooker along with the tomato, add 1 cup water, cover the lid and put on the stove. Keep it on for two whistles, then remove and keep aside to cool. Once cool, drain excess water and mash the boiled onion and tomato. Cut the paneer into medium sized cubes and keep aside. Cut the potato into four pieces along its length and keep aside. Soak the kasuri methi in a cup with some warm water.


Heat the ghee in a pan. When it becomes hot, add the paneer pieces. At the same time, take water in a pan and put on the stove. Add salt and turmeric to the water and bring to a boil.
Stir fry the paneer till the colour changes from white to light golden brown. Remove from the pan and add to the boiling water. Boil for 2 mins and keep aside.


Heat the oil in a kadai (wok). When it becomes hot, add the potato pieces. Fry for 5-6 mins, remove and keep aside. Then add the fennel-methi-cumin seeds along with the green chilli. Add the mashed tomato-onion paste to the spluttering seeds. Stir fry for 2-3 mins. Then add the ginger-garlic paste along with some salt. Stir fry till the paste darkens slightly. Add the cumin and coriander powder. Stir for about a minute, and add the maggie bhuna masala. Stir another two mins and add 2-3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add the potato and paneer pieces. Boil for 10 minutes. Add the kasuri methi and garam masala. Boil for another 2-3 minutes and remove from the stove. Tastes equally good with rice, roti or puri.

Potala Alu Bhaja (Aloo Parwal Bhaji)

Cooking Time Required: 15 mins
Cost of preparation: 20-25 rupees

Ingredients: Potato (1 large), potala ( 5-6 nos), pancha phutana (1/3 tsp), chilli-cumin powder (1/4 tsp) oil ( 2 tsp), turmeric ( 1/5 tsp), salt to taste.

Cooking: Cut the potato into long pieces. Lightly scrape the outer covering of the potala and cut into four pieces along the length.

Heat a pan. Add two teaspoon oil. When it starts smoking, add the turmeric and pancha phutana. When the seeds start spluttering, add the potato and potola pieces. Stir fry for 3-4 mins. Then add salt and sprinkle little amount of water. Cover the pan with a lid. Remove the lid and stir at regular intervals till the vegetables are just cooked. Sprinkle some more water if it becomes too dry and the vegetables are still raw.

Add the cumin-chilli powder and mix 1-2 minutes before removing the pan from the fire. Serve with rice or roti. A tasty and low calorie side dish.

Dahi Aloo (Potato and curd raita)

Cooking Time Required: 10 mins
Cost of preparation: 10-15 rupees

Ingredients: Curd ( 1/2 cup), Potato (1 large), green chilli (1 nos), onion ( 1 small), coriander-mustard seeds (1/4 tsp), chilli-cumin powder (1/4 tsp) oil ( 1 tsp), salt to taste.

Cooking: Boil the potato and keep aside to cool. Cut the onion and chilli into small pieces.

Pour the curd into a mixing bowl, add salt and chilli-cumin powder. Mix well.

Peel the potatao, cut into small cubes and add to the mixing bowl along with the onion and green chilli.

Heat a pan. Put one teaspoon oil, add the coriander and mustard seeds. When the seeds start spluttering, pour into the mixing bowl. Serve with rice or roti.


Tips: Cool the potato before adding the curd. Otherwise the heat will turn the curd into paneer (cheese).

Meetha Suji (Suji ka Halwa)

Meetha Suji. I kind of grew up eating this version of 'Suji halwa' as it is popularly known in most parts of the country . Seasoned with bay leaves and just the right amount of ghee, it was the answer to every Odia kid's 4 o' clock hunger pangs. 

Cooking Time Required : 10-15 minutes

Ingredients -

• 1 cup Suji/semolina
• 4-5 tsp sugar 
• 1/4 cup ghee
• dry fruits (raisins and cashews, i skipped as my kid does not like )
• 2-3 nos bay leaves
• 1 pinch salt

Cooking: Heat a pan. Put 1 tsp of ghee on it. Add the suji and stir periodically till it darkens a few shades(light brown). Remove from fire and keep aside. Fry the cashews and keep aside.

Pour 2 cups of water into a deep vessel (kadai) and put on the stove. Bring to a boil. Add the roasted suji and mix it continuously to prevent lumps formation. When the suji starts solidifying, add the sugar, cardamon and ghee. Mix it till the sugar almost dissolves, add the cashews and raisins, and remove from the stove. Keep it covered for 5 mins. Serve it hot.

An old of mine with lots of added raisins and cashews :) :) !!

Aloo Posta (Potato and Khuskhus curry)

Cooking Time Required: 15-20 mins
Cost of preparation: 30-40 rupees

Ingredients: Potato (1 large), green chilli (1 nos), posto(khus-khus) ( 4 tbs), garlic (2-3 pods), red chilli (1 no.), mustard-cumin seed (1/4 tsp), mustard oil 2 tsp), turmeric powder (1/4 tsp), salt to taste.


Cooking: Cut the potato into fine pieces. Heat a tawa, add 1 tsp oil and the potatoes. Fry lightly and keep aside.

Grind the posto, garlic pods and green chilli into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a deep vessel. When it starts smoking, add the mustard-cumin seeds and red chilli. Fry till the red chilli darkens. Add the posto-chili-garlic paste along with a cup of water. Bring to a boil. Then add the fried potato pieces. Cook for 8-10 mins. Remove from fire and serve with either rice or roti.


Tip: Grind the dry posto seeds. Then add garlic ,green chilli and water and grind again. The paste will be much more fine.