My Recipe Flavors

Achari Aloo

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:15:00 +0000

I am not a very big fan of Achaar but got this recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor's video, noted it down and wanted to try it out.... just for trying a new recipe... I finally gave it a shot yesterday... made a few changes to it based on my preferences and it turned out good... a big change from the regular tastes..

Total Time: 25-30 min
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

800 gm baby potatoes - boiled and peeled (about 15-20)
1 onion - finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seedS (methidana)
about 5 dried red chillies
3-4 tblsp mustard oil
1 1/2 tsp Jeera 1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 1/2 tblsp Garlic paste
2 tblsp Ginger paste
salt to taste 1/2 tsp Black salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
5 tsp vinegar

Method:

Grind mustard, fenugreek, fennel and red chillies coarsly.
Heat mustard oil. Add jeera and stir fry onions.
Add ginger and garlic pastes. Add ground masalas, haldi, salt, black salt, sugar, vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Stir fry 1-2 min.
Add potatoes and stir gently(without mashing). Keep on low-high till all water evaporates.

Tips

This is a dry sabji. You might want to accompany it with some othet wet dal/sabji.
I plan to let a little water remain next time to see if this can go by itself.

Tiramisu

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:11:00 +0000

This is one dessert that I loved when I first came to US and wanted to try ever since. Finally this Christmas, I decided to give it a whirl. And it came out very nice...and yummy..

Preparation Time: 20-30 min
Cooking and assembling Time: 30 - 45 min
Serves: about 15

Ingredients:

8 egg yolks
1/2 cup + 2 tblsp sugar
1 1/2 cups Marsala wine
500 ml cream
750 gm mascarpone cheese (you get Tiramisu Mascarpone too)
3 cups espresso coffee
3 tblsp Kahlua
4 pkts lady fingers (2 packets if fingers are thick. I found thin ones)
2-3 tsp coacoa powder
1 hersheys chocolate (optional)

Cream Layer

Carefully break eggs and separate egg yolk from whites. We only need the yolks.
Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar using a beater.
Boil this egg mixture using a double boiler. I boiled this in a bowl on top of another pan of boiling water. The upper bowl should not be immersed in water but kept above it. Keep the heat on medium or else the eggs will start cooking. Keep stirring.
Add 1/2 cup marsala wine during boiling.
Keep stirring till the mixture becomes smooth and creamy with no sugar granules (about 10 min).
When done keep in a pan or sink of cold water for cooling. Keep stirring in between.
Beat cream till thick and heavy peaks form.
Add cold egg mixture to cream. Mix gently.
Take mascarpone chese in a separate bowl and mix gently till smooth.
Add this mascarpone cheese to the cream. Mix well but gently. This is the cream layer.

Assembling

Mix 2 cups espresso coffee, 2 tblsp sugar, 1 cup marsala wine, 3 tblsp Kahlua in a bowl and stir.
Dip ladyfingers in this liquid and make a layer in the 9 X 13 serving tray. The ladyfingers can get very soggy, so dip quickly and layer immediately.
Spread cream layer.
Top it with another layer of ladyfingers and cream.
Cover with aluminium foil and refrigerate overnight.
Dust cocoa pwd using a tea strainer.
Spread a few chocolate shavings on top. To make chocolate shavings, peel the hersheys chocolate with a peeler.

Tips

You can make espresso coffe at home. I was in a hurry and so picked it up from dunkin donuts.

Pongal

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:18:00 +0000

This year for Sankranti I was in a mood to make Pongal... the kind my mom makes. She boils rice in milk instead of water. So I called mom and this is the recipe I got and made. It came out yummy.

Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 60 min
Serves: 5-6

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1/2 cup dhuli moong dal
1 1/2 lt milk
1/4 tsp cardamom
1 1/2 cup gur/jaggery or more if you want it sweeter
1 cup water
little almonds, cashews, raisins (optional)

Method:

Wash rice and moong dal. Add milk to this and boil on slow to medium heat till rice and dal are cooked thoroughly. You want it slightly mushy.
Mash rice and dal a little. Add elaichii.
Boil gur/jaggery with water till melted.
Add this melted gur-water to boiled rice and milk. Do not mix.
Let this cool completely. Mix the mixture well.
Sprinkle almonds/cashews/raisins etc on top.

Barbie Doll Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:58:00 +0000

My daughter is a big fan of barbie and I came across this Betty Crocker's Doll cake which would be just perfect for her upcoming 5th birthday. So I followed the directions as mentioned at their site and the cake turned out amazing. My daughter was very excited to have a barbie cake and it was a big hit at the party. The link also has a video showing the making of the cake which helps. The picture below is of my cake.

Preparation Time: 20 min
Cooking Time: 35 min
Serves: about 30

Ingredients:

2 boxes Betty Crocker cake mix
oil/unsalted Butter as per box
water/milk as per box
eggs as per box
4 containers Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
Red food color
1 barbie doll
Betty Crocker star-shaped candy decors

Method:

Mix the cakes according to instructions on the box. Both the cakes can be made at the same time. I use butter instead of oil and milk instead of water.
Divide the batter equally among the 3 8-inch pans and pyrex 1 1/2 qt baking bowl. The bowl will have a little more batter than the pans.
Bake the cakes as per instructions. The pyrex bowl cake takes about 15 min more than the cake pans.You can check its completion by inserting a toothpick that would come out clean when done. Cool a little and then remove the cakes carefully. Place on a cooling rack to cool.
Once the cakes are completely cooled, cut the rounded top dome of the cake using a serrated knife to flatten it. Cut bowl cake into half horizontally.
Cut a 2-inch-diameter hole in the center of all 5 cakes. You can use a round cookie cutter or a serrated knife. Ensure that all cake centers line up when layered.
Take frosting into large bowl. Carefully add 7-8 drops of red food color until desired pink is obtained. Place one 8-inch cake on serving plate. Spread frosting over the flat top. Layer the second cake and spread frosting on top. Layer the 3rd 8 inch cake, spread frosting. Layer with the flat cake of the bowl cake and spread frosting. Top with the bowl cake upside down. This complete structure is the dress of the doll.
Spread thin layer of frosting all over side and top of layered cake.
Wrap barbie doll from under arms with cling wrap. Insert wrapped doll into the center of cake.
Starting at the waist of the doll, spread frosting liberally all over. Use a knife to make random swirls on the dress. Use a star tip in an icing bag and make the dolls top. Gently press star decors into frosting to decorate dress.

Tips

Make a wand with a tooth pick..
I mixed 2 containers of frosting at a time. used about 3-4 drops red color for each.

Baghara Baingan

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:54:00 +0000

I have never been able to make a typical south indian Baghara baingan using peanuts... The curry is so different than what we north indians are used to. I always wanted to learn this curry base. And one of our friends makes this soooo well and we eat frequently at their place. So I had to learn it. It came close, though not exact... which can never happen. Even if you use the same ingredients and the same method, the cooking hand makes slight differences... But it was yummy...

Preparation Time: 5 min
Cooking Time: 30-45 min
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

Baby eggplant – 8-10
Onion – 1 large chopped
Peanuts – ½ cup
White sesame seeds – ¼ cup
Ginger- garlic paste – 1½ tsp
Coriander pwd – 1½ tsp
Coconut flakes – 2 tblsp
Cumin pwd – 1 tsp
Cinnamon – 1” stick
Tamarind concentrate – 2 tsp
Haldi – ½ tsp
Jaggery – small 1" piece, powdered
Oil
Red chilli pwd - to taste
Garam masala – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 2-3 cups

Method:

Wash eggplants and slit them both ways without removing stems. Put in a microwave plate and sprinkle 1-2 tsp oil on them and cook for 4-5 min or until they get almost 3/4th cooked and set aside. OR you can cook them in a pan with little oil till tender.
In a non-stick pan, dry roast peanuts and set aside. Add sesame and roast till light golden and set aside. Add in coconut flakes and roast and set aside.
In the same pan, add 2 tblsp oil and stir fry onions. Add haldi, salt, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ginger-garlic paste and cook for 3-4 min. Add roasted peanuts, sesame, coconut. Mix and take off the flame. Add tamarind and about 1 cup water and blend to a smooth paste.
In the same pan, take a little oil and splutter mustard. Add the ground paste, red chilli pwd and garam masala. Cook for a min. Add jaggery and about 1 cup water.
Add eggplants and mix gently. Cover and let cook for 10-15 min on low-medium heat. Stir gently inbetween.
Serve with roti/parantha. Goes very well with Biryani.

Tips

I just add jaggery as a piece. By the time everything boils, its melted. You need to make sure to mix it well though.
Once you know how to make the curry any vegetables can be added. Mirchi ka salan is the same gravy with mirchi instead of eggplant.
I use pre-roasted peanuts you get in the grocery store. I am sure there are cooks who swear the taste is better if you roast peanuts yourself. but for me these small steps are time-savers.
I pre-roast sesame and keep. So I don't have to roast when I use it.

Safari Crunchies

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:38:00 +0000

We had this at my friends place some time back.. VERY YUMMY... I had it written down, never posted it as never tried it... But am finally posting it so that it shows up in my list of "To Try".

Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
Serves:

Ingredients:

2 cups oats
1 cup flour
1 cup coconut
1 cup brown sugar
250 gm margarine
1 tblsp vanilla syrup
1 tsp soda

Method:

Mix oats, flour, sugar and coconut.
Melt margarine and syrup and then add soda.
Mix margarine and flour mixtures
Pat mixture into greased tray.
Bake at 350 F for about 15-20 min until golden brown.
Cut into squares while still hot and then allow to cool

Alfredo Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:27:00 +0000

My "To Try" List...

Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
Serves:

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 cup Heavy cream
Parmesan cheese - as much or as little
white pepper to taste
a pinch nutmeg

Method:

Melt a stick of butter in a small saucepan over low to medium heat.
Add a cup of heavy cream. Stir until the cream is warm.
Begin adding grated parmesan, a little at a time, stirring constantly until it melts and is incorporated in the butter and cream. Keep adding and tasting and stirring until you like the flavor.
Add some white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
Increase heat to medium and continue to stir till you have the right consistency.

Tips

Make sure to heat the bowl you combine the ingredients in, then add the pasta TO the sauce in the bowl, not vice versa.

Quick Vegetable Quesadilla

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:31:00 +0000

This is one of my kids favorite lunch recipes. Its quick... I make it in the morning when packing lunch. Well...I use frozen veggies. You can use fresh vegetables...it would take a little longer or you can make the veggie mixture the night before ...

Preparation Time: 0
Cooking Time: 10 min
Serves: 1-2

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen veggies - I normally use the mixed vegetable pack which has broccoli, carrots, zucchini, cucumber etc
salt to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper to taste
2 flour/wheat tortillas
cheese - whichever you prefer - mozarella, cheddar or a mix

Method:

Microwave the frozen veggies with 1/2 cup water for about 5 min till soft.
Drain and add salt, black pepper and garlic powder
Heat a griddle. Place a tortilla on the heated griddle. Sprinkle a little cheese on half the tortilla. Add a layer of vegetables. Sprinkle some more cheese on top. Fold the tortilla into "D" shape. Cook both sides till crispy and cheese is melted. Ensure that the tortilla is not too brown. Monitor the heat.
Cut like pizza slices using a pizza cutter or knife.
Serve with sour cream and salsa

Tips

You can increase cheese quantity based on preferences.
You can make a plain cheese quesadilla if you want.

Adai

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Everyone in my house loves dosas and idlis. This creates a nice variation. It can be a one dish meal (which is very important to me as it saves a lot of time) and is healthy enough to not need anything else. My kids like it as they don't see any veggies anywhere. So all in all a good healthy dish which can be made every other day.

Preparation Time: 5-6 hours (includes soaking time)
Cooking Time: 5 min
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1/2 cup Channa dal
1/2 cup Tuar dal
1/2 cup Urad Dal
1/2 cup Moong Dal
1 onion
8-10 curry leaves
4-5 Cilantro sprigs
1 pinch Hing
1/2 " ginger
green chillies to taste
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds (optional)
salt to taste
oil for pan frying

Method:

Soak all the dals and rice together for about 5-6 hours
Cut all the vegetables coarsly.
Grind all of the above in a grinder with a little water. Do not add too much water. The consistency is a little thicker than dosa.
Spread a ladle of batter on a heated pan. Sprinkle a little oil all around the sides and little on it. Flip it once to cook the other side. Note: I like to spread them a little thick as it comes out soft.
Servce with chutneys or pickle or curd.

Tips

You can add more veggies like carrots and spinach when grinding to make it healthier.
You can add grated coconut to the batter for a little variation.

Muruku

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:24:00 +0000

My friend had made these murukus this year for Diwali. They were so soft and crunchy... I just had to learn how to make them. This is the recipe from my friend. I still have to try them out.

Preparation Time:
Cooking Time:
Serves:

Ingredients:

1 can Progresson/Goya Garbanzo beans
3 tblsp melted butter
1 tsp ajwain
1 tsp sesame seeds
red chilli powder to taste
salt to taste
1 1/2 cup rice flour
oil for deep frying

Method:

Blend beans with the water in the can.
Add melted butter, sesame seeds, red chilli powder, ajwain and salt to the bean paste.
Add rice flour and knead to a soft dough. This should happen effortlessly and quickly.
Put some of it in the muruku mold and extrude in oil to deep fry. Give it the shape of a spiral as you extrude. Ensure that the heat is medium high and not too high.

Papdi Chaat

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:54:00 +0000

Preparation Time: 1/2 - 1 hr
Cooking Time: 15-20 min
Serves:

Ingredients:

Papdi
3 boiled potatoes
1 cup boiled chana or 1 can Garbanzo beans
1/2 cup chopped Onion
1/4 cup chopped Coriander Leaves
2 chopped Green Chilli - optional
salt to taste
2 tsp Chaat masala

6 tblsp sweetened curd
6 tblsp Tamarind Chutney
6 tblsp Coriander and Mint Chutney
1/2 cup Sev

Method:

You can either make papdi or use store bought ones.
Break potatoes into small pieces coarsly with hand. Do not mash.
Mix potatoes, Garbanzo beans, onion, green chilli, coriander leaves, salt and chaat masala.
Arrange papdi in a plate.
Top it with potato mixture, a drop of mint chautney, a drop of curd, a drop of tamarind chutney and 1/4 tsp sev.

Malai Kofta

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 15:32:00 +0000

This is one dish that I always ordered when we went out dining back in India. We knew which restaurants served good Malai Kofta and we would always go to those only because if this dish is good there, then other dishes ought to be good.

I never thought I could make restaurant style Malai Koftas at home. Then I came across this recipe and my mom gave me some suggestions for modifying it. I made a lot of changes based on my experience, and it turned out amazing. I agree it takes time to make this one, but once in a while its worth it.

Preparation Time: 25-30 min
Cooking Time: 40-45 min
Serves: 4-5 (makes 12 Koftas)

Ingredients:

For Koftas: Makes about 8-10 koftas
2 large Potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 slice bread crumbs - for binding (you can take a bread slice and churn it for 1-2sec in a mixer)
2-3 tblsp grated Khoya
1 tblsp Cashews, chopped into small pieces - optional
1 tblsp Raisins - optional
Oil for deep frying
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste

For Gravy

Khas-khas Paste
1 tsp Khas-khas, soaked for 4-5 hrs
1 tblsp Cashews

Onion Paste
1 large Onion, chopped into 4
1 inch ginger
3-4 Garlic Cloves

Tomato Paste
2-3 Tomatoes, chopped into 4

1 tbsp Oil/Ghee
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
milk as per consistency
Grated paneer for garnish
1 tsp Cream for decoration

Method:

Make Koftas

Mix potatoes, bread crumbs, garam masala and salt to make a uniform mixture. Make a small ball and deep fry it to check if it stays together. If not, add some more bread crumbs. Remember not to add too much bread as the koftas will get hard.
Take some cashew, 1 raisin along with a little khoya and make small round balls with this.
Make small balls with the potato mixture. Flatten it a little and place the khoya ball within it, and roll the potato mixture all over it. Basically you are making a khoya ball wrapped with potato mixture. Shape it into an oval. Press it tight.
Deep fry these balls on medium-high heat till golden brown. They get brown very quickly...so keep a watch so as not to burn. Put only 4-5 koftas in one time. Do not put too many as if they stick to one another, then they tend to break.
Transfer fried koftas onto a paper towel to drain excess oil.

Make Gravy

Make onion, tomato and Khas-khas pastes.
Heat oil/ghee in a pan and fry the onion paste for 5-7 min.
Add Khas-khas paste and fry for another 2-3 min.
Add tomato paste and fry for 5-7 min till the ghee separates.
Add turmeric, salt and garam masala and let it cook for another 5 min. If the gravy is thick add whole milk slowly till desired consistency is achieved.

Serve

When serving, place koftas in the serving tray in a single layer, pour hot gravy over the koftas. Garnish with grated paneer and a little cream. Serve with paranthas / naan / kulcha.

Punjabi Kadhi

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:32:00 +0000

This is Punjabi Kadhi with a spicy twist. I ate this Kadhi at my friends home and it was very yummy. My husband went on and on about how yummy it was and asking me to make it. So I finally got down to taking the recipe from her and making it. It turned out equally yummy.... so give it a try...

Preparation Time: 5-15 min
Cooking Time: 30-40 min
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

For Pakora
1 cup besan
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp Ajwain
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Red Chilli powder to taste
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
Salt to taste

For Kadhi
2 cups yoghurt
4-5 cups water
1 cup besan
1 Onion, chopped fine
1 Tomato, chopped fine
1 tsp Tamarind Paste, mixed with 1/2 cup water
6-7 curry leaves
1 tsp Rai / Mustard
1 tsp Jeera / Cumin seeds
1 tsp Dhaniya powder
3 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Fenugreek powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Red Chilli powder to taste
salt to taste
For Tempering
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp jeera
1/4 tsp Red chilli powder

Method:

Make Pakoras

Mix all ingredients under Pakora along with a little water to make a very thick batter. Pour water very slowly as it thins quickly.
Make small pakoras with hand and deep fry them till crispy. Keep aside.

Make Kadhi

Mix yoghurt, besan, water, a pinch Turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well to form a smooth mixture. Ensure there are no lumps. Leaving it for around 1/2 hour breaks the smaller lumps. Keep aside.
Heat 1 tblsp oil in a deep pan. Add jeera and rai and let it crackle.
Add curry leaves and red chilli powder to the above. Add onions and fry till golden brown.
Add tomato and fry for 4-5 min.
Add tamarind paste to the pan and let it boil for 4-5 min.
Add turmeric powder, dhaniya powder, garam masala and salt and fry for a few minutes.
Add the yoghurt mixture made earlier and let it boil for 15-18 min. Keep stirring to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
If you feel the kadhi is too thick, add some more water.
Add pakoras and fenugreek powder and let it boil for another 5 min.
Just before serving, temper it with a spoon of ghee, jeera and red chilli powder.
Serve with Rice and papad.

Bambino

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:32:00 +0000

Preparation Time: 5-15 min
Cooking Time: 10-15 min
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

3 cups Bambino
3 cups water
1 cup vegetables (depending on taste - peas, beans, carrots, corn etc)
1 Onion, chopped fine
1 tsp Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Jeera
1/2 tsp rai
1 tblsp Oil

Method:

Shallow fry bambino till it turns light brown. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and rai and let it crackle.
Saute onions till transluscent. Add Garlic paste and fry for 1-2 min.
Add vegetables and cook till soft.
Add bambino and mix.
Heat water in a separate pan and add it to bambino mixture. Let it boil stirring in between.
Serve hot.

Tips

I use frozen mixed vegetables. It saves time in cutting vegetables.

Thai Red Curry

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:22:00 +0000

Cooking Thai is becoming a weekly affair at my home. My husband likes Thai, my daughters love Tofu and I love this nice variation which is also yummy. Cooking Thai is very much like cooking Indian food, the only difference is using Thai curry pastes instead of the Indian spices. It has vegetables in a coconut base with Thai spices that are already added to the pastes. You can either make your own paste or use tore bought ones. The spices used in the paste give it a subtle hot and salty, sweet and sour taste. The consistency of its sauce varies with the amount of coconut milk used. The coconut milk also aids in reducing the spice. So if you like less spicy - add more coconut milk and vice-versa.

Preparation Time: 5-15 min
Cooking Time: 10-15 min
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1-2 tblsp Thai Red Curry Paste - Add slowly based on taste
3-4 cups mixed vegetables (tomato, white thai eggplant, red and yellow bell pepper, tofu, sweet potato - optional)
2 shallots or 1 small onion, cut fine
3-4 kaffir lime leaves - optional
1/4 cup fresh Thai basil leaves/regular basil leaves - optional
2-3 tblsp soy sauce
1-2 cans coconut milk - depending on how mild you like your curry, or how much sauce you prefer
2 tblsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in pan and add shallots/onion and red curry paste and fry on medium heat till fragrant - about 3-4 min.

2. Add veggies, tofu and let cook on slow heat till done. Add coconut milk, and bring to a boil.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except basil and red peppers. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Keep stirring occassionally.

3. Adjust seasoning. If not salty enough, add up to 2 tblsp more soy sauce or sea salt. If not spicy enough, add more red chilli paste OR 1-2 tsp Thai chilli sauce. If too salty, add up to 2 tblsp lime juice. If too spicy, add a little more coconut milk (yogurt will work too if you are non-vegan) and stir well.

4. Stir in red peppers and basil leaves.

5. Serve this curry with Thai jasmine-scented rice, Thai brown rice, Basmati rice, or your choice of noodles.

Tips

• You can use yoghurt instead of coconut milk.

• You can shallow fry tofu if thats how you like it.

• You can use paneer instead of tofu - if you don't like tofu.

• If running short on coconut milk, to increase gravy you can add water.

Vegetable Lasagna

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:21:00 +0000

I have always loved Stouffers's Vegetable Lasagna. I have tried other brands when I didn't find this, but nothing compares to this. Sadly, I don't find it in the grocery store whenever I look for it. So I had to find a recipe to make it and I found one sometime back. It has been lying on my Kitchen shelf for some days now. I finally gave it a try yesterday. It turned out very well. I did make a few changes to it based on my taste buds.

Preparation Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 40-45 min
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

about 5 cups White Sauce
     3 tblsp Butter
     1 cup All purpose flour
     6 cups milk
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
8 lasagna noodles, cooked
8 oz Cottage Cheese
16 oz Ricotta cheese
1 cup mozarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 small bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 Green pepper, chopped
1 Red pepper, chopped
2 Broccoli heads, chopped
2 carrots, sliced in circles
1 large Onion, chopped
2 tblsp minced Garlic
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp Olive Oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Prepare white sauce. Towards the end, add spinach, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix and keep aside.
Stir fry the vegetables in a little oil. Add parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper. Keep aside.
Mix cottage and Ricotta cheeses in a bowl. Keep aside.
Spread 1 1/2 cup white sauce mixture in a 9 X 13 baking pan.
Layer noodles, ricotta mixture, veggies, 1 1/2 cup white sauce mixture and mozzarella cheese, ending with noodles.
Top with left over white sauce mixture.
Spread bread crumbs on top.
Bake uncovered for about 40-45 min till the top starts to brown a little. Cool for about 10 min before serving.

Tips

Try various veggies like zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms based on your taste buds.
Increase or decrease spices based on taste.
Increase or decrease cheese based on choice.

Cheesy Creamy Pasta Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:33:00 +0000

I am always on a hunt to find things that can be made quickly plus something that would appease my daugters. My older one is a picky eater. Well she loved this .... maybe because I didn't add any veggies to it or maybe because show likes cheesy stuff....Whatever.... I got another recipe that can be packed for school lunch.

Preparation Time: 0
Cooking Time: 5-10 min
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

2 tblsp butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tsp dried basil
4 cloves garlic flakes, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat butter in a non-stick pan.
Add garlic, cheeses and basil to blend well. Keep stirring.
Add cream, salt and pepper and blend well.
Toss over your favorite pasta.

Mooli ki besan ki sabzi

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:35:00 +0000

I like this version of mooli(white radish) but my husband in general doesn't like mooli. So I have never made it. Now I had a mooli in my fridge and I didn't want to make mooli ke parantha as always, so I made this yesterday and wow!!!! I once again remembered how yum this tasted when my mom made it.

Preparation Time: 15 min
Cooking Time: 15-20 min
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

1-2 mooli, grated
1 pinch hing
1 tsp jeera
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric
1 tsp amchur/mango powder
2 tblsp oil
2 tsp ghee
2 tblsp besan/gram flour
salt to taste

Method:

Roast besan in ghee till light brown. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a frypan and add hing and jeera. Let it splutter. Add haldi and amchur.
Add the grated mooli and let it cook till all the water evaporates and mooli looks dry.
Add roasted besan and fry 3-4 min. Done!!!

Puram Puri / Puran Poli

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:30:00 +0000

Well!!! What can I say about Puram Puri. I just love them. I always make extra stuffing so that its left over and I can eat later on. :))))

Preparation Time: 40-50 min
Cooking Time: 30 min
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup Chana Dal
3 cups water
1 tblsp Ghee
1 cup sugar
1 tsp elaiichi powder
2 cups Atta / Whole Wheat flour

Method:

Chana Dal sweet stuffing

Pressure cook Chana dal with water for about 20-25 minutes.
Strain the dal.
Heat ghee in a pan and add cooked dal.
Mash well. Fry till desired consistency is achieved. It should be dry enough so that it doesn't come out when rolling.
Add sugar and fry till all the extra water due to sugar has evaporated. Add elaiichii. Mix well and keep aside.

Make puris or rotis

Knead atta with ghee and water to make a soft dough.
You can either make puris or rotis(poli). When making puris, roll 2 puris, place 1 puri flat and place a little stuffing in the center, cover with the second puri and seal the ends. Deep fry this in hot oil.
When making roti (poli), take a little dough, flatten it a little with hand, place a little stuffing in the center and seal all the ends together bringing them on top of the stuffing like a parantha. Fry it in a pan using a little oil/ghee.

Tips

When making for guests, prepare dough by mixing Wheat flour and All purpose flour in the ratio of 1:2. This will make the puris crispier.

Gobhi Manchurian

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:56:00 +0000

Its surprising that I never made this till now. I always made vegetable manchurian, never gobhi. But it turned out out pretty tasty.

Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 20-30-min
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 small gobhi / cauliflower florets
oil for deep frying

Batter for dipping
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tblsp cornflour
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
salt to taste

Final tempering
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
2 tblsp soy sauce
1 tblsp green chilli sauce
3 tblsp tomato ketchup
2 tblsp oil
finely chopped dhaniya/cilantro leaves
salt to taste

Method:

Mix all ingredients under batter along with water to make a thick batter.
Dip gobhi/cauliflower florets in this batter and deep fry till golden brown. Keep aside.
Heat 2 tblsp oil in a stir-fry pan and saute onions. Add ginger-garlic paste.
Fry for 1-2 min and add soysauce, chilli sauce, tomato ketchup and salt. Fry for another 2 min.
Add fried gobhi florets. Mix well. Garnish with dhaniya leaves. Serve hot with veg soft noodles or chinese fried rice.

Tips

To make manchurian in a gravy, add 1 tblsp cornflour mixed with 1 1/2 cup water during tempering. Boil well till the gravy becomes transparent. Add the fried florets now.

Stuffed Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Making Stuffed tomatoes is the same as Stuffed Peppers. You decide the filling, stuff it in a tomato and cook it till tender. Thats it!!! I normally make stuffed pepper and tomotoes as one dish - creates color in a platter when serving.

Ingredients:

2-3 hard tomotoes(not old ones that get softer)
1 tsp Jeera
1 Onion, chopped fine
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Amchur / Dry Mango powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
4 tblsp Tomato Sauce
Salt to taste

For Stuffing
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Dhaniya Powder
2 tsp Sof / Fennel Powder
1 tsp Amchur / Dry Mango powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Roasted Besan / Gram Flour
2-3 medium Potatoes, boiled and mashed coarsly
1 cup Paneer, grated Salt to taste

Method:

Make Stuffing

1. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let it splutter. Saute onions till transluscent.

2. Add dhaniya powder, sof, amchur, garam masala and besan. Fry till besan turns golden.

3. Add salt, potatoes and grated paneer. Mix well. This is the stuffing.

For Tomatoes

1. Cut the tops of the tomatoes in circle to remove it as a cap. Carefully remove all the pulp. I use a combination of knife and a sharp spoon to scoop everything out. The pulp that you remove can be used instead of Tomato sauce later on.

2. Stuff them with the stuffing made earlier. You can cover them with their caps and make them whole. I normally stuff tightly and then cut them in half so serving is easy.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let it splutter. Saute onions till transluscent.

4. Add turmeric, amchur and garam masala. Fry for 30-40 sec.

5. Add Tomato Sauce (pulp from tomatoes) and 2 tblsp water.

6. Put the stuffed tomatoes carefully in the pan and roll them a little to coat with the masala prepared.

7. Transfer the stuffed tomatoes to an oven-safe baking dish and bake at 375 F for about 10-15 min till the tomato softens. When baking cover the dish with an aluminium foil so that the heat remains instead and they cook faster.

Stuffed Bell Pepper / Capsicum / Bharwan Shimla Mirch

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:33:00 +0000

Capsicum / Bell Peppers / Shimla Mirch stuffing has a lot of options - potatoes, besan, paneer etc. I love paneer, so I use that almost always. You can try new stuffings based on your liking.

Ingredients:

2-3 Green Pepper / Capsicum
1 tsp Jeera
1 Onion, chopped fine
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Amchur / Dry Mango powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
4 tblsp Tomato Sauce
Salt to taste

For Stuffing
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Dhaniya Powder
2 tsp Sof / Fennel Powder
1 tsp Amchur / Dry Mango powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
2 tsp Roasted Besan / Gram Flour
2-3 medium Potatoes, boiled and mashed coarsly
1 cup Paneer, grated Salt to taste

Method:

Make Stuffing

1. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let it splutter. Saute onions till transluscent.

2. Add dhaniya powder, sof, amchur, garam masala and besan. Fry till besan turns golden.

3. Add salt, potatoes and grated paneer. Mix well. This is the stuffing.

For Peppers

1. Cut the tops of the peppers in circle to remove it as a cap. Remove any seeds from inside.

2. Stuff them with the stuffing made earlier. You can cover them with their caps and make them whole. I normally stuff tightly and then cut them in half so serving is easy.

3. Heat oil in a pan, add jeera and let it splutter. Saute onions till transluscent.

4. Add turmeric, amchur and garam masala. Fry for 30-40 sec.

5. Add Tomato Sauce and 2 tblsp water.

6. Put the stuffed peppers carefully in the pan and roll them a little to coat with the masala prepared.

7. Transfer the stuffed peppers to a bowl that will fit inside a pressure cooker. Put this inside the cooker and cover with a lid. Pressure cook for 5-7 min on slow.

or

7. You can transfer the stuffed peppers to an oven-safe baking dish and bake at 375 F for about 40-50 min till the pepper softens. When baking cover the dish with an aluminium foil so that the heat remains instead and they cook faster.

Tips

• If you don't want to pressure cook, you can cook in the pan itself on heat. But you need to keep turning the peppers so that they cook evenly.

• Whenever I make Stuffed peppers, I add a couple of Stuffed tomatoes along with them as it adds color. The stuffing is the same. Bake them to ensure that the tomatoes don't get mushy.

Tomato Ketchup

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Back in India, my mom always made tomato ketchup at home. She always made 10-15 bottles which lasted us the whole year. We used to eat it as a side to everything. After my wedding, my mom started making it for me too and I never had to worry about it. When we came to US, I didn't have as much patience and I started to buy ketchup but will always miss my mom's ketchup. I am posting my mom's recipe here so I don't misplace it and it will be there in case I decide to make it some day. :)

Ingredients:

10 kg Ripe Red tomatoes
700 gm sugar
200 gm salt
50 gm Garlic
100 gm jeera / cumin seeds
20 gm Red Chilli powder
8 - 10 Badi Elaichii powder
250 gm Ginger, grated
250 gm onions, peeled and grated
30 gm Black pepper, powdered
15-16 laung, powdered
3 tsp Glacial Acetic Acid
1 tsp Sodium Benzoate

Method:

Wash tomatoes and wipe dry.
Grind tomatoes, onion, garlic and ginger to a fine paste. Pass it thru a sieve to remove any seeds.
Start boiling this paste in a heavy-bottomed pan along with 1/2 the sugar. Keep stirring in between. It should not stick to the bottom.
When it reduces to almost half in quantity, add salt, jeera/cumin powder, chili powder, elachii powder, black pepper, laung and all powdered spices.
When it becomes a little more thick, add the rest of the sugar.
Take a little ketchup on a plate and slant the plate. If no water separates and flows away - this is an indication that its done. Switch off heat.
Take a little ketchup in a bowl and add glacial acetic acid and sodium benzote and mix well. Mix this with the rest of the ketchup well.
Pour into clean bottles using a funnel. Cork tightly. Remember to put the bottles on wooden counter when pouring hot ketchup or else hot ketchup can break the bottle. If you want, pour a little wax on the sides of the cork to seal it completely.

Onion Chutney

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Its been a long time since I posted something. From when I am at home since my last project, I have gotten very lazy. :) Finally today I decided that I need to post. So here I am with a very different kind of chutney which goes very well with paranthas.

Total Time: 10-15 min
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

1 kachhi kari / raw mago - peeled and cut
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp Red Chilli powder
salt to taste

Method:

Grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste. This goes well with paranthas.

Jal Jeera

noreply@blogger.com (Ekta) — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:30:00 +0000

I have been posting a lot of drinks since...you know its summer...and you need to drink a lot... :)

Total Time: 20 - 30 min
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 raw mango
1/2 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp roasted jeera / cumin powder
8 - 10 Pudina / Mint leaves
1 tsp Lavan-Bhasker Churan
2 glass water, adjust according to consistency

Method:

Boil mango, peel, remove pulp and strain.
Mix all the above ingredients, chill and serve.