During navratri and janmashtmi
 fasts many food items, especially many seeds and spices are not 
allowed to be eaten. Many people
 eat carom seeds (ajwain) whereas others do not. I researched and 
came to know that carom seeds 
are actually not seeds but fruits
 of ajwain plant, and can be thus consumed during fast. Please
 check with your family elders 
as to what can be taken and what cannot be taken during fast, and 
tweak the recipe accordingly.

Method : 

 Heat oil & ghee together, fry chopped cashew nuts to a golden brown. Set aside. 
 Add mustard seeds, the pulses, asafoetida, curry leaves and chopped green chili. 
 After it is well sautéed, add rawa. 
 Roast well on a low flame till light pink. 
 Add salt, soda-bicarb, coriander leaves, grated coconut, salt and fried cashew nuts. 
 Cool. 
 Mix in beaten curd to make idli batter.
 Divide the batter between 12 greased idli moulds. 
 Boil water in a steamer/cooker, put the stand in the steamer and steam on a high flame for 15 – 20 minutes. 
 Serve hot with sambhar and coconut chutney. 

Method : 

 Wash the dal and boil it in the cooker with the turmeric powder, salt and a little oil. 
 Cut all the vegetables into small pieces and chop the onion into medium sized pieces. 
 In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds. 

 When they splutter, add all the vegetables, red chilies, leaves and sambar masala. 
 Cook for 2-3 minutes. 
 In the meantime beat the cooked dal properly and evenly. 
 Now add the cooked dal (you may add some water if the dal is too thick). 
 Strain the water in which the tamarind is soaked. 
 Boil the sambar for 5-10 minutes. 
 Serve hot with dosa or boiled rice. 

Method : 

 Wash urad dal and soak it for 5 – 6 hours. 
 Wash again, remove excess water and grind to a smooth paste in the mixer. 
 Empty paste in a bowl, add salt and beat the batter well till light. 
 Heat oil to smoking point, and then reduce heat. 
 Take some batter in a wet spoon, make a hole in the centre and gently dip the batter into hot oil 
 Fry on a medium flame till golden brown. 
 Serve either with sambar and coconut chutney or soak in Rassam as Rassam Wada. 

Method : 


 Grind the ingredients except the curd in the mixture to a paste. 
 After grinding, add the curd and mix properly. 
 For the tempering, heat the oil in a pan. 
 Add the mustard seeds. 
 As the seeds start spluttering, lower the flame. 
 Add all the other ingredients and let them splutter for a few seconds. 
 Temper the grinded chutney with this. 
 Cool it in the refrigerator a bit. 

 Serve with any South-Indian dish. 

Method : 

 Heat oil or melt butter in a pan. 
 Add cumin seeds and let them crackle. 
 Add onions and fry them till light brown in colour. 
 Add capsicum and cook for a minute. 
 Add tomatoes and corn and then cook for a minute. 
 Add the seasonings. Mix well. 
 Serve or pack, garnished with coriander leaves and cheese. 

Method : 

 Grind the biscuit and sugar into a very fine powder together. 
 Sieve them through a fine sieve along with cocoa powder and drinking chocolate. 
 Mix in the grated chocolate. 
 Bind into a dough with the milk into a pliable dough. 
 Grease your palms a bit and apply the greasing on the dough just to give it a shine. 
 Refrigerate the dough for 10-15 minutes. 
 In the meantime, mix the remaining ingredients together evenly. 
 Take the dough and divide into equal parts. 
 Now roll them on a plastic sheet or a greased inverted steel plate into ½" thick round. 
 Apply the cream mixture evenly over the rounds. Roll them with light hands. 
 Repeat the same procedure with other dough parts. 
 Press the ends with light hands for a good finishing. 
 Wrap with a clean wrap and refrigerate for 5-6 hours. 
 Take them out and cut into 1" thick rolls. 
 Serve them 

 Shelf life : 4 - 5 days. 

Method : 

 Boil milk and add lime juice to it. 
 Strain in a muslin cloth after 2-3 minutes. 
 After all the whey is strained, add maida and baking powder to cottage cheese. 
 Knead properly to make a soft and smooth paste. 
 Divide into equal portions and make 18-24 rounds or half the size of rosgollas as desired. 
 Now make sugar syrup with water and sugar in a clean pressure cooker. 
 As soon as sugar dissolves, add the rounds to it and pressure cook for 1 whistle. 
 Put off the flame and let it cool. 

 Add rose water and chill. Serve hot or cold. 

Method : 

 Sieve wheat flour. Add semolina and 2 tbsp of ghee. 
 Add ½ cup water and knead a hard dough. 
 Heat a frying pan. 
 Divide the dough into 5 - 6 rounds and roll them with a roller pin. 
 Roll thick chapattis of around 4" diameter and ½ " thick. 
 Now roast them on low flame, cooking both the sides properly. 
 Take care that it does not remain uncooked on any portion. 
 Now crush them into tiny pieces and sieve through a thick strand sieve, preferably a metallic one. 
 Grind the remaining pieces in a grinder and sieve both the powders with a flour sieve. Grind again if required and add the nuts and cardamom powder and keep aside. 
 Now heat the remaining ghee. 
 Add jaggery and let it melt on low flame for 1-2 minutes. Do not let it caramelize. 
 Add this ghee to the flour mixture. 
 Mix properly and divide it into 12 portions. 
 Roll them into ladoo form while warm. 
 Let them cool and then serve. 

Method : 

 In an oven-proof dish, bring the water, salt and oil to a boil, using the boiling mode or at 750W for 8 minutes. This procedure takes 8 minutes. Add the macaroni to the boiling water and cook partially covered for 7 minutes at HIGH mode.
   
 Drain the macaroni, retaining the boiling liquid. Refresh the macaroni in cold water to stop any further cooking. Place the macaroni in a sieve or a colander and keep aside. 

For the cheese sauce: 

 Mix together the boiling liquid along with the milk, refined flour and salt till no lumps remain. Cook in the MICROWAVE mode for 3 minutes and 30 seconds at 750W. 
 Add the cheese, herbs and pepper to the sauce. Mix well. Add the reserved macaroni and stir gently till the cheese sauce coats the macaroni evenly. 
 Put the macaroni into a greased baking dish and sprinkle the grated cheese and butter on the top. Bake in the CRISP mode for 3 minutes and serve hot. 

Method : 

 Combine all the dry ingredients and sift in a bowl. 
 Mix the cumin seeds, chopped onion, green chilies, garlic and ghee into the flour mixture. Gradually add the water to knead into stiff dough. Divide into equal sized portions and shape into balls. 

 NOTE: The dough for the baati is not very smooth dough, even while shaping into balls the surface will not be extremely smooth. The cracks that form while shaping the dough are characteristic of traditional baati. 
 Cover with a damp cloth till they are ready to go into the oven, so as to prevent the outer surface from drying. 
 Preheat the CRISP plate using the CRISP mode for2 minutes. 
 Place the baatis on the CRISP plate and bake in the FORCED AIR mode for 10 minutes at 175°C. 
 To complete the baking switch to the CRISP mode for 3 minutes. 
 Take the baatis out of the oven and dip them into melted ghee for 2-3 minutes and serve hot with dal.