Today's menu... BHINDI DHAHI, CHEERA THORAN AND SALAD WITH MAYONNAISE

    Trying to decide what to eat can be the most difficult decision of the day! Here is a menu for today's lunch. Easy to make vegetarian side dishes. Goes well with rice. If you are a non vegetarian you can add a fish fry also.

Bhindi Dahi

Ingredients

• Ladies finger(okra or bhindi) : 250 gms
• Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal: 1/2 tsp
• Red chilies: 2 whole
• Curry leaves: 6
• Onion chopped: 1 small
• Tomato chopped: 1 
• Chilly powder: 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
• Yogurt: 2 tbsp
• Oil: 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste

To be ground into a paste

• Coconut scrapped : 4 or 5 tbsp
• Cashew nuts : 1 tbsp

Method

• Cut the bhindi (okra) into 1 1/2 pieces.
• Deep fry in oil until crisp.
• Remove from oil, add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and urad dal and fry. After a while add the red chilies and curry leaves and cook again until the seeds begin to crackle.
• Add the onions and saute until brown.
• Add the tomatoes, chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Add the coconut paste and fry until oil separates.
• Add 1 cup of water into the yogurt and churn. Add to the mixture then add okra and cook for a few minutes. Serve hot.

Cheera (spinach) thoran

Ingredients

• Cheera (Spinach) leaves: 3 cups
• Coconut (scrapped): 3 tbsp
• Green chilies: 2 nos
• Shallots: 2 nos
• Garlic cloves: 2
• Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
• Coconut oil: 2 tbsp

Method

• Clean the leaves well and chop it finely
• Grind together coconut, green chilies and shallots into a coarse form. Do not add water while grinding.
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and add chopped garlic. When garlic turns brown add chopped spinach and saute for few minutes.
• Add coconut mixture and saute for 2 minutes. Do not cover the pan.
• Healthy and nutritious cheera thoran is now ready to serve. Make sure you don't overcook it.

Salad with mayonnaise

Ingredients

• Cucumber: 2 small
• Apple: 1 
• Tomato: 1
• Capsicum: 1 small
• Black olives: 7 or 8
• Parsley leaves: 2 tbsp (optional)

For the dressing

• Mayonnaise: 1 tbsp
• Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Olive oil: 1 tbsp
• Chaat masala: 1 tsp
• Pepper powder: 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Method

• Chop all the ingredients finely except olives
• Add whole olives into it
• Make the dressing by mixing all the ingredients( for the dressing )
• Combine all with a spatula
• Garnish with apple and olive

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