Blue Tea / Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

Butterfly pea flower tea also known as blue tea with butterfly pea flower is a herbal medicine rich in natural antioxidants. Drinking blue tea is very good for hair and skin and also good for weight loss.Blue tea is made using butterfly pea flowers (shankupushpam), lemon juice and honey. Butterfly pea flower commonly known as shankupushpam which is considered to be a sacred flower and it's scientific name is clitoria ternatea.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Blue tea / Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

Ingredients:-

Butterfly pea flowers. - 10
Lemon juice.               -1tbsp
Honey.                         - 2tbsp
Ice cubes.                     - few
Water.                           -1 cup

Instruction:-

Pluck 10 fresh butterfly pea flowers from the butterfly pea plant.

Butterfly Pea Plant with flowers.

Method:-

1). Boil 1cup of water in a vessel. Add butterfly pea flowers into the boiling water and switch off the flame. After few minutes the water becomes blue in colour.

2). Remove the butterfly pea flower from water.

3). Transfer the boiled water in a serving glass.

4). Add 2 tbsp of lemon juice into the water and mix well. The blue water turns into pink in colour.

5). Add 2 tbsp of honey in the serving glass and mix well.

6). Add few ice cubes on the top of the blue tea in the serving glass and sip the healthy blue tea chilled one hour before or after meal.

Green Moong Curry (Green Gram Tomato Curry)

Green Moong Curry / Green Gram Tomato Curry is a delicious gravy dish made with whole green gram, tomato, onion and spices adding lemon juice and goes well with rice.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Green Moong Curry/ Green Gram Tomato Curry.

Ingredients:-

Green gram (Moong). -2 cup
Tomato.                       -2
Onion.                         -1
Garlic.                          -5 cloves
Hing powder.               -1/2tsp
Mustard seeds.             -1tsp
Cumin seeds.               -1tsp
Red chilly powder.       - 3/4 tsp
Coriander powder.        -1tsp
Turmeric powder.          -1/4 tsp
Garam masala powder.  -1/2tsp
Curry leaves.                  -1spring
Salt.                                - to taste
Lemon juice.                  - from a lemon
Coriander leaves.           - few
Coconut oil.                   -2 tsp

Instructions:-

1). Soak green gram in water overnight and pressure cook adding sufficient water for 3 whistles and keep aside.

2). Peel, wash and finely chop onion and keep aside.

3). Peel and chop garlic into very small pieces and keep aside.

4). Wash and chop tomato into small pieces and keep aside.

5). Clean, wash and finely chop few coriander leaves and keep aside

Method:-

1). Heat oil in a wide bottom pan and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds and saute well. Add curry leaves and saute well in oil for a second.Add hing powder and saute well.

2). Add chopped garlic into the pan and saute well.

3). Add chopped onion and little salt and saute well till it turns translucent.

4). Add chopped tomato pieces and saute well.

5). Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and saute well.

6). Add 1 cup of water and mix well. Boil and cook till the tomato pieces become mushy.

7). Add cooked green gram and mix with the onion tomato pieces.

8). Add required salt into the pan. Mix well and cook on low flame for 3 minutes and switch off the flame.

9). Add lemon juice and few finely chopped coriander leaves into the curry and mix well.

10). Transfer the green moong curry to a serving plate.

A very tasty Green Moong Curry / Green gram Tomato Curry is ready to serve hot with rice.

Watermelon Rind Curry.

Watermelon Rind Curry is a tasty curry made with the rinds of watermelon, onion, tomato and spices.Watermelon rind curry goes well as a delicious side dish with rice or chapati. Watermelon Rind Curry recipe is explained with step by step method and photos.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Watermelon Rind Curry.

Ingredients:-

Water melon.                -1
Onion.                           -1
Tomato.                         -2 medium
Green chilly.                   -1
Curry leaves.                  -1spring
Red chilly powder.         -1tsp
Turmeric powder.          -1/4 tsp
Coriander powder.        -2 tsp
Garam masala powder. -1tsp
Mustard seeds.             -1tsp
Oil.                                - 2tsp
Salt.                               - to taste

Instructions:-

Chop a medium size watermelon and collect the rinds of watermelon. Remove the outer green skin of the rinds and wash well. Chop the rinds into small pieces and keep aside.

Method:-

1). Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds and saute well. Add half slit green chilly, finally chopped onion, curry leaves and required salt into the pan and saute well till the onion pieces become translucent.

2). Add chopped watermelon rinds into the pan and saute well. Cover and cook on low flame.

3). Add chopped tomatoes into the pan and saute well till the tomato pieces become mushy.

4). Add red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder into the pan and mix well.

5). Sprinkle 2tbsp of water into the pan. Cover and cook on low flame till the water evaporates. Saute in between and switch off the flame.

6). Transfer the watermelon rind curry to a serving plate.

A tasty and delicious Watermelon Rind Curry is ready to serve as a side dish with rice or chapati. 

Mushroom Bell Pepper Curry

Mushroom Bell Pepper Curry/ Mushroom Capsicum Masala/ Mushroom Pepper Masala is a delicious side dish made with button mushroom, green bell pepper (capsicum), onion and garlic,  goes well with chapati, rice or with fried rice. Mushroom Bell Pepper Curry recipe is explained with step by step method and photos.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Mushroom Bell Pepper Curry.

Ingredients:-

Button mushroom. - 250 gm
Green Bell pepper.  -1
Onion.                     -1
Garlic.                      - 6 cloves
Green chilly.            -2
Pepper powder.      -1 and 1/2 tsp
Tomato sauce.        -1tbsp
Soya sauce.             -1tsp
Chilly sauce.            -1/2 tsp
Corn flour.               -2 tbsp
Salt.                         - to taste
Oil.                           -2 tsp

Instructions:-

1). Wash the button mushrooms and wipe with a clean cloth and chop into thin slices and keep aside.

2). Wash and cut green bell pepper and remove the seeds. Chop into big cubes and keep aside.

3). Peel, wash and chop onion into big pieces and keep aside.

4). Peel and finely chop garlic and keep aside.

5). Wash and slit green chillies and keep aside.

6). Mix 2 tbsp of corn flour in little water and mix well. Keep aside.

Method:-

1). Heat oil in a cooking pan on medium flame and add finely chopped garlic and saute well for a minute. Add sliced mushrooms and slit green chillies into the pan and saute well for 2 minutes. Cover and cook the mushroom slices till half done.

2). Add chopped onion and salt into the pan and saute well for a minute.

3). Add chopped bell pepper pieces into the pan and mix with the mushroom slices. Saute well till the mushroom slices are cooked well and bell pepper pieces are almost cooked but not become soft.

4). Add tomato sauce, soya sauce, chilly sauce and 2 tbsp of water into the pan and mix well.

5). Add pepper powder into the pan and mix well.

6). Add corn flour mix with water into the pan and saute well until the curry thickens on low flame and switch off the flame.

7). Transfer the mushroom bell pepper curry to a serving plate.

A very tasty Mushroom Bell Pepper Curry is ready to serve hot with chapati or rice.

Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake / Dalgona Coffee Cake is a simple tea time snack with the flavour of coffee. No butter and no ghee in this recipe.Coffee Cake recipe is explained with step by step method and photos.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Coffee Cake / Dalgona Coffee Cake.

Ingredients:-

All purpose flour.     -1 and 2/3 cup + 2tbsp
Baking soda.             -1/4 tsp
Baking powder.         - 2 tsp
Egg.                           - 2
Sugar.                         - 3/4 cup
Sunflower oil.             - 1/2 cup +1tbsp
Vanilla essence.          -2 tsp
Hot water.                   -1/2 cup
Instant Coffee powder.- 2 tbsp

For frosting the Coffee Cake:-

Instant coffee powder. - 2tbsp
Hot water.                    - 2tbsp
Sugar.                           - 2tbsp

Instruction:-

Grease a baking pan with 1tbsp of oil and sprinkle 2 tbsp of all purpose flour all over the baking pan.

Method:-

1). Powder the sugar in a mixer grinder. In a mixing bowl add the powdered sugar, egg, oil and vanilla essence. Mix all together with a hand mixer until it becomes a thick mixture. (instead of egg you can use curd or milk).Mix the instant coffee powder in hot water and pour the prepared coffee above the thick mixture in the mixing bowl and mix with a spoon.

2). Sieve all purpose flour (maida), baking soda and baking powder together.Pour the sieved all purpose flour mixture into the mixing bowl.

3). Combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl in single direction using a spoon.

4). Pour the cake batter into the greased baking pan and gently tap to remove the air bubbles.

5). Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree C.

6). Place the baking pan into the pre heated oven.

7). Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

8). Once done take out the baking pan from oven and let it cool.

9). Once cooled transfer the coffee cake to a plate.

10). For frosting the coffee cake:- 

In a bowl add instant coffee powder, sugar and hot water and combine all using a hand mixer until it becomes a creamy, frothy and whipped mixture.

11). Apply the creamy whipped mixture over the coffee cake and decorate it on the top of the cake according to your choice.

Coffee Cake /Dalgona Coffee Cake is ready.Cut the coffee cake into desired shape and serve as a tea time snack.