Mixed Vegetable Paratha Using Preethi Zodiac Mixer Grinder

Recently I got Preethi zodiac mixer grinder for product review.  As Preethi Kitchen appliances is one of my favorite brands, I agreed to do it. They make the best mixer grinder in India.

In this post, I have shared my opinion after using it for 10 days. I have also shared the recipe of an easy vegetable paratha made using Preethi Zodiac chopper and atta kneader.

Preethi Zodiac offers a wide range of user friendly options like grinding, atta kneading, juicing, grating, slicing, chopping and citrus juice press. Its more than a mixer grinder for sure but less than a proper food processor. It has a powerful 750w motor which is ideal for grinding dosa batter as well. I have tried all these options and shared my opinion about the same. Read on..

Preethi Zodiac MG 218 750-Watt Mixer Grinder 

SPECIFICATIONS (As mentioned in the product)

• Model No.: Zodiac - MG 218
• Voltage: 230V AC ~ 50 Hz
• Power Consumption: 750 Watt
• Motor: Universal 750 Watt High Power Motor
• Material of Body: A.B.S
• Material of Jars: Stainless Steel and Transparent Plastic
• Blade Assemblies: Stainless Steel, Machine Ground and Polished
• Speed Controls: Rotary Switch with 3 Speeds and incher
• Flex Cord: PVC insulated 3 Core, Flexi cord with Plugtop and earthing
• Country of Origin: INDIA

Preethi Zodiac looks awesome and attracts us by its first look especially the shiny black colored body and the steel rim combination makes it a real winner. Its Package is so neat. Every part was well wrapped and kept inside a cardboard so that it would be safe while shipping.
Its instruction manual is very small but its crisp with all the details. So I din't have any difficulties in assembling the jars and bottom. Before using the jars, I washed them individually using soapy water to remove the plastic smell.

PROS & CONS

PROS

• Zodiac has a wide bottom with rubber holders. So it is stable while running and vibrates less.
• It has a powerful 750w motor. So grinding job gets done quickly.
• It has two blue light indicators.One at the speed knob and other at the bottom of the machine. The bottom light turns red to indicate overload conditions.
• Master chef jar and its accessories are too good. But the slicing blade is sharp. Please be careful while handling them.
• I loved the Atta kneader more than other attachments.
• Juicer, extractor is also equally good. Spout in the juicer is a good idea.
• Grater and slicer is doing its job perfectly.
• Small Chutney Jar is quite helpful to grind very small quantity. Its handle is very strong and sturdy. Its lids are also interchangeable.
• Medium and Big jars are useful for grinding Vada batter and Idli,dosa batter. Everything comes out great. 

CONS

• Too noisy. This is the first thing that irritated & scared me. Even though its noise level is mentioned as permissible in the specifications in AMAZON, I felt its high when compared with the other Preethi mixers I had used.
• Other than grinding jars, all the accessories and atta kneading jars are plastic. So I am not sure about its life. It may break if heavily loaded or fallen down. But Preethi service center is available all over India.So getting the spare parts may not be difficult.
• There is no coconut grater. Zodiac would become a complete food processor if its available. But you can extract coconut milk using the extractor. 
• Citrus juicer is Okay I feel. 
• Slicer has one size. It is not adjustable. So you cannot make very thin slices of vegetables for making chips. Similarly grater has one size.
• Though the cleaning is easier, there are too many small parts. This mixer parts are not dish washer friendly.

Overall, I liked this product and felt worthy for its features. It would have been much better and secured 5 star rating if the noise is less. If you're looking for a good mixer grinder with multi-functions, you can go for it.

You can buy this product online in PREETHI Website Or in AMAZON, FLIPKART  at a lesser price.

Now lets see how to make an easy mixed vegetable paratha using Preethi zodiac chopper and atta kneader. It does the job quickly and easily.

Preethi Zodiac mixer grinder 

Easy mixed vegetable paratha recipe

How to make vegetable paratha recipe easily using Preethi Zodiac.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Paratha Recipes

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 5 Minutes

Total time: 10 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Wheat flour / Atta - 2 cups **Mixed vegetables - 1 cup ( chopped finely) Ajwain - 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Salt - as needed Water - Little ( I used around 1/2 cup) Cooking oil or ghee - to drizzle **Mixed vegetables : I used 1 small carrot, 1 big piece of cauliflower, 2 leaves of cabbage, 1/4 capsicum, 1 big onion, 1 green chilli, 2 tbsp coriander leaves)

HOW TO MAKE MIXED VEG PARATHA USING PREETHI ZODIAC

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables into 2 inch size to chop in Preethi zodiac.
2. Take the master chef jar and put the chopping blade.
3. Chop the vegetables finely. Remove the chopping blade and replace with atta kneader.
4. Add wheat flour, spice powders, salt and oil. Grind to mix well.
5. Add water little by little while the mixer runs. Dough will be kneaded in few minutes.
6. Remove and make shapes. Cook paratha on both the sides drizzling oil or ghee.
7. Serve with onion raita and pickle.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and chop all the vegetables into 2 inch size. Place the master chef jar and put the chopping blade with the coupler. Drop all the vegetables and coriander leaves. Grind to very fine pieces. Wipe the sides whenever needed.

 

• Now remove the chopping blade and replace with atta kneader. Add in wheat flour, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt, ajwain and cooking oil.

Grind well to mix them evenly. Wipe the sides of jar using the spatula. Now add water gradually to make a non-sticky dough. Remember this dough needs less water. So add it carefully.

Pulse the mixer in speed one and grind till it becomes a smooth dough. It takes just few minutes. Check the dough if its non-sticky and smooth. If its too sticky, add some more wheat flour and knead again in the mixer.

Dough will come out easily without sticking to the walls of the jar. Remove the dough and make balls of uniform size.

Roll into thin or thick paratha by dusting in wheat flour. Roll it as you wish. I make slightly thick paratha. Heat dosa tawa and cook paratha on both the sides by drizzling and greasing oil on the paratha. Cook till you find brown spots all over the paratha. Cook in medium flame for better results. Remove and serve hot immediately with onion raita and pickle.

Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of spice powders as you like. If you have added more water while kneading, you can add more wheat flour and knead to make smooth, non-sticky dough. You can add up to 3 cups of atta for kneading the dough. For variations, you can make masala using chopping vegetables and spice powders and then stuff it in the dough while rolling.

Do try this easy, yummy vegetable paratha using Preethi Zodiac.It makes your job done quickly and easily without any hassles !

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Bread Rasmalai Recipe - How To Make Instant Rasmalai With Bread

 

Bread Rasmalai is an easy to make, instant rasmalai recipe. Even though its taste and texture cannot be compared with the authentic, traditional rasmalai prepared with rasgulla, it can satisfy our sweet cravings quickly. It takes very less time to prepare. Also it an yummy sweeet recipe that can be prepared using leftover bread slices. Kids would love it for sure.

Last week I made it using some left over dry bread slices at home. As I had already shared an instant rasmalai recipe using store bought rasgolla and condensed milk, I did not use condensed milk in this recipe. I just used sugar, nuts and prepared rabri in its usual method. This bread rasmalai tastes the best when served chilled. Friends, you can try this easy rasmalai recipe with bread for your kids and family to serve a quick dessert for an occasion or weekends. Ok, lets see how to make bread rasmalai recipe with step by step pictures and video.

Check out my gulab jamun and shahi tukda.

Bread Rasmalai Recipe

Easy, instant rasmalai recipe with bread

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 6-7 nos

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Bread Slices - 6 nos Full Fat Milk - 1/2 litre ( 2 cups) Sugar – 2 to 3 tbsp (adjust based on your taste) Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Saffron threads - Few Chopped nuts - 2 tbsp (Cashews & Badam)

METHOD

1. Take milk in a wide pan and boil till it reduces to 1.5 cups.
2. Add sugar, chopped nuts, cardamom, saffron.
3. Boil till it reduces to 1 cup. Rabri is ready. Switch off and keep aside.
4. Take bread slices and cut into round shape using a lid.
5. Dip the bread in rasmalai. Remove in a plate and garnish with nuts.
6. Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled for best taste.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Heat 2 cups of milk in a wide kadai. Boil till it reduces to 1.5 cups. Scrape the sides, collect the skin and add it back to the kadai while the milk boils. Stir at regular intervals to avoid over flowing. After the milk is reduced, add sugar, chopped nuts, saffron threads and cardamom powder.Mix well, .Boil till milk reduces to 1 cup. So total milk should be half the quantity of original measure. Now check the taste. Add more sugar if needed and mix well. When you pour the milk, it should be slightly thick. Remove from the flame and let it become warm. Milk becomes thicker when it cools down.So do not reduce it too much. Now take the bread slices. Cut into round shape with a lid.Remove the sides. Dip the bread slice in thickened milk. Pour some thick milk over the bread. Remove in a plate. Garnish with chopped nuts.Refrigerate for an hour and serve chilled. Enjoy !

Note

Do not use very dry and old bread.Using fresh bread is also not advisable because it may dissolve in milk due to its softness. Use 2 days old bread for best taste. Adjust the quantity of sugar as per taste. You can also add at the end before dipping bread slices to increase the sweetness.

Try this easy, instant bread rasmalai and enjoy a quick dessert at home !

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Moong Dal Halwa – Quick Moong Dal Sheera Recipe

This is an easy and quick version of moong dal halwa / moong dal sheera. I followed this recipe from Tarla Dalal’s website. Usually moong dal halwa takes more time to cook. But this is a quick recipe that can be prepared under 30 minutes. As it is prepared without khoya, I tried it immediately. It came out very well. 

I have tasted moong dal halwa in many North Indian Lunch buffet. I love its coarse texture and softness. When I prepared this recipe, I was very happy that I could make a similar one at home easily. Friends, do try this quick moong dal halwa recipe without khoya. You will love it for sure.  I took a video for this recipe. I will try to add it tomorrow. Now lets check out the recipe with step by step pictures.

Do check out my easy atta halwa / wheat flour halwa, Corn flour halwa/ Karachi halwa,  Badam halwa, easy beetroot halwa !

I have a happy news to share with you all. Chitra’s Food Book has been selected under Top 100 Vegetarian Blogs in feedspot.  Thank you Anuj !

​

Moong dal halwa at room temperature

Moong Dal Halwa - How To Make Quick Moong Dal Halwa Recipe

Quick and easy moong dal halwa recipe without khoya

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 3-4

Prep time: 120 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 140 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Yellow moong dal - 1/2 cup Boiled milk - 1/2 cup Water - 1/2 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp ( actual recipe used 1/2 cup)  Melted ghee - 1/2 cup Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Kesar / saffron thread - 1/2 tsp (soak in 1 tbsp water) Cashews, badam - 2 tbsp ( chopped)

METHOD

1. Wash and soak moong dal in hot water for 2 hours.
2. Drain the water completely and dry grind the dal to a paste without adding water.
3. Strain the ground paste through a thin cloth. Squeeze the water content.
4. Heat ghee in a kadai. Add ground paste and saute in medium flame till it becomes golden brown.
5. Add milk + Water and cook till thick. Add sugar, mix well.
6. Cover and Cook for 5 minutes in low flame. Mix well.Add cardamom powder, saffron.
7. When the halwa starts to leave the sides of pan, remove and garnish with nuts. Serve warm.

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak moong dal in hot water for 2 to 3 hours.Drain the water completely. Grind to a slightly coarse paste without adding water.Set aside. Chop the nuts finely. Soak saffron in 1 tbsp warm water.Keep aside. Take a thin cloth and put the ground paste.Squeeze it well and remove the water content. Now the paste looks dry without moisture. Heat ghee in a kadai. Keep the flame low and add the paste. Mix well till it spreads well with ghee. Cook in medium flame for 12 to 15 minutes till it becomes golden brown and crumbly. Add milk and water. Mix well till 3/4 th of the milk + water is absorbed by the moong dal paste. After it becomes slightly thick, add sugar and mix well. Mixture becomes a semi liquid. Cover and cook in very low flame for 5 minutes. Open and  mix well. When it starts to leave the sides of pan, add cardamom powder. saffron thread soaked in little water ( soak 1/2 tsp saffron in 1 tbsp water).Mix well. Halwa becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of kadai with traces of ghee, switch off the flame. No need to wait for the ghee to release. If you stir more, halwa becomes hard after cool down. Remove the halwa in a bowl and garnish with chopped nuts.  When the halwa becomes warm, it becomes non-sticky and well set. Enjoy when warm for best taste.  You can store this halwa upto 3 days in refrigerator. You can reheat it in a kadai , microwave or dosa tawa adding 1 tsp ghee to serve it fresh everytime.

Note

You can skip milk and use water completely. Do not reduce the quantity of ghee. Halwa becomes hard. Do not cook the halwa for more time after adding sugar. Sugar caramelizes and hardens the halwa. Remove the halwa as soon as it starts to leave the sides of pan. Straining the ground moong dal paste in cloth helps to remove the water content. Hence it cooks quickly.

Try this easy, yummy Moong dal halwa and enjoy !

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Carrot Halwa With Khoya In Pressure Cooker–Gajar Ka Halwa With Khoya

Yesterday I prepared carrot halwa with khoya in pressure cooker (Gajar Ka Halwa With Khoya) without using milk/condensed milk for the first time. I made it for my Thursday Guru Pooja prasad. It came out very well. As I made in pressure cooker, I made it very quickly and easily. Carrot halwa is my favorite dessert in restaurant. 

My Lunch buffet in restaurants would be incomplete without tasting hot carrot halwa with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream. Its a divine combo. Long back I had shared carrot halwa (Gajar halwa in Hindi) recipe without khoya in pressure cooker. In that recipe, I used milk to cook carrot. But here I made it without milk as we are adding khoya in it. I used water instead of milk. So the color of my halwa came out bright in color.It tasted like the one we get in sweet shops and hotels. I was very happy with the results. You too give this recipe a try and share your feedback with me. 

I have also shared some tips and variations in the method with step by step pictures section for better understanding. Hope beginners would try this carrot halwa recipe and make it easily. So, lets see how to make Carrot halwa/Gajar ka halwa with khoya in a pressure cooker.

 

Also check out my easy beetroot halwa in a pressure cooker which is a super hit recipe in this website. If you want make carrot halwa in a kadai instead of cooker, you can looks at THIS RECIPE.

Carrot halwa with khoya in pressure cooker - Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe

How to make carrot halwa with khoya / Gajar halwa with khoya in pressure cooker

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Grated carrot - 2 cups ( I used 4 medium sized carrots) Sugar - 1/3 cup (Granulated crystal sugar) Grated or crumbled khoya - 1/3 cup  ( I used milky mist brand) Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp Water - 5 tbsp ( You can also use boiled milk) Ghee - 2 tbsp Cashews - Few

HOW TO MAKE CARROT HALWA WITH KHOYA

1. Crumble or grate khoya, set aside. 
2. Wash,peel skin and grate carrot in big holed grater.
3. Heat ghee in pressure cooker base and roast cashews. Saute carrot till raw smell goes off.
4. Add water and cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Carrot cook well and becomes soft.
5. Add sugar and mix till halwa starts to leaves the sides. Add khoya,cardamom powder. Switch off the flame immediately.
6. Mix well till Khoya combines with carrot. Remove and let it cool down.
7. Halwa becomes non-sticky when it becomes warm. Serve warm & enjoy with ice cream. 

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Grate or crumble khoya. Set aside. Wash and peel the skin of carrot. Grate it using a big holed grater. Keep it aside. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker base.Roast cashews till golden. Add grated carrot and saute well for 5 to 7 minutes in medium flame till raw smell vanishes completely. Carrot turns pale orange in color. If you don’t saute properly, halwa smells raw. Add water(If you want dark colored halwa) Or milk and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Remove the lid after steam is released completely. Carrot becomes soft and cook well. If you find any moisture content or water in the cooked carrot, saute well in high flame till it becomes dry. Add sugar and mix in medium flame.Sugar melts and halwa becomes watery. Keep mixing in medium flame till halwa starts to become slightly thick and leave the sides of cooker. Do not wait for it to become too thick. Lower the flame completely. Add cardamom powder, crumbled khoya. Mix well and Switch off the flame immediately. Mix till khoya spreads with carrot in off fire. Heat of the carrot is sufficient to partially melt & mix the khoya. No need to mix till khoya melts completely. Khoya should be visible here and there just like the ones served in hotels & sweet shops. Halwa may look sticky when its hot. But when it turns warm, it becomes non-sticky and comes to right texture. You can reheat in microwave oven for 1 minute in high power and serve hot if you like OR enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This halwa stays good for one day without refrigeration and up to 3 days with refrigeration. If you refrigerate the halwa, you can reheat it at the time of serving. Enjoy !

Note

If you want carrot to be visible in the halwa,you must use a grater with big sized holes. Carrot halwa smells raw if you don’t saute it well. By the time you saute, carrot gets half cooked. Pressure cooking helps carrot to cook quickly. I added little water to cook carrot as I wanted bright colored halwa. Adding milk makes the halwa pale orange in color. As we are adding khoya,there is no need to add milk for cooking carrot. But cooking in milk makes the halwa more rich. Do not add more khoya than the mentioned quantity. It makes the halwa sticky.   Do not add less sugar. It makes the halwa smell raw. Do not stir the halwa for long time after adding sugar. Sugar caramelizes and halwa becomes chewy.

Try this easy, yummy Carrot halwa with khoya and enjoy with ice cream!

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How To Make Chole For Bhature & Puri – Chole Recipe Video

Chole Recipe/ Chole ki sabji also known as Black chana masala is the perfect side dish for Bhature/ bhatura and puri. Chole bhatura is the one of the popular breakfast & lunch combo in North India. Its originated from Punjab. Authentic Punjabi chole recipe calls for using fresh Chole masala powder. Today I have shared an easy chole recipe I got from a cookbook by Nita Mehta.

In this recipe, I have used store bought chana masala powder. It came out really well and tasty. We enjoyed it with bhature for our weekend lunch. To make black colored chole, we need to add tea bags or dried amla powder while cooking kabuli chana. Also we have to use Anardhana powder ( Pomegranate seeds powder) , dhania powder, chole masala powder and roasted cumin powder in the masala. I was able to achieve its color to some extent as I used less tea powder. This is one of the easy chole recipe as it has no grinding works. If you are looking for chole recipe with homemade chole masala powder, please check my Punjabi lunch menu post in which I had shared an authentic chole recipe. Soon I will try to make a separate post. I will share the bhatura recipe in this week. Now lets see how to make Chole recipe for Bhatura with step by step pictures and video !

Do check out my easy chana masala using pressure cooker and Chola poori recipe 

Chole Recipe / How to make Chole for Bhatura

Chole recipe - How to make chole for bhatura and puri.

Cuisine: North Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 hours

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 10H20 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

To pressure cook (1 cup - 250ml) Kabuli chana/ White chana - 1 cup Baking soda - 1/4 tsp Tea powder - 2 tsp ( tie in a cloth ) OR 2 teabags Cinnamom - 2 inch Cardamom - 2 nos ( Use black cardamom if you have) Cloves - 2 nos ( Optional) Water - 2.5 to 3 cups To Saute & Cook Cooking oil - 4 tbsp Big onion - 2 no ( finely chopped) Ripe tomato - 5 nos ( Medium sized, finely chopped) Green chilli - 2 nos ( finely chopped) Ginger - 2 inch piece (Finely chopped or julienned) Anardhana powder/ Dried Pomegranate seeds powder – 1.5 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Dhania powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp Chana masala powder - 2 tsp ( I used MDH brand) Sugar - 1/4 tsp (Optional) Salt - as needed

HOW TO MAKE CHOLE RECIPE

1. Wash and soak Chana overnight or 10 hours in required water.
2. Pressure cook Chana adding tea bags, whole spices and baking soda.
3. Cook for 2 whistles in low flame. Remove the tea bag after its cooked.
4. Heat oil in a kadai. Saute onion adding anardhana till brown. Add tomato,chilli & ginger.
5. Saute till mushy. Add spice powders, cook till oil separates.
6. Lastly add cooked chana with water, simmer gravy for 10 minutes. Serve with bhatura !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

Wash and soak kabuli chana (white chana) for 10 hours or overnight. Chana becomes more than doubled in quantity after its soaked. I got around 2.5 cups. Drain the soaked water. In a pressure cooker base, take soaked chana, baking soda, 2 tea bags or 2 tsp tea powder tied in a thin cotton cloth, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add 2.5 to 3 cups of water. Pressure cook in very low flame for 2 to 3 whistles. Chana cooks soft and becomes black in color. Remove and squeeze the tea bag slightly. Discard it. Keep the cooker aside. Heat oil in a kadai. Saute onions till transparent. Add anardhana powder and saute till onions turn brown in color without burning.  Now add finely chopped tomato, ginger and green chilli. Add required salt and saute till tomato becomes mushy Then add red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder, sugar and cumin powder. Saute till onion separates from the gravy. It takes 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cooked chana along with black water and whole spices added in the cooker. Mix well and add chana masala powder/chole masala powder. Mix well and check for taste. Add more salt & spice powders if needed. Boil the gravy for 10 minutes in medium flame till it comes to desired consistency. I made it thick. You can make it slightly watery if you like. Switch off the flame and serve hot with bhatura or puri. Enjoy !

Note

Addition of tea bags is essential to get black colored chana after cooking. So do not skip it. Adding Anardhana powder is for flavor and to get dark colored chole masala. You can also use store bought chole masala powder instead of chana masala powder. Adjust the quantity of spice powders as per your taste.

Try this easy, yummy Chole masala recipe at home. Enjoy with bhatura !

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