The Good Food Zone

Spaghetti with broccoli and tomatoes

2015-12-08T22:28:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:

100gms spaghetti cooked as per instructions on pack
100gms broccoli florets
100gms ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1tbsp dry basil
1tbsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp red chilli or paprika flakes
Salt to taste
2tbsp butter (optional)
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper powder - a dash

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When hot add chopped garlic and fry till garlic begins to brown.
Add broccoli florets and saute for 2-3 mins.
Add chopped tomatoes, salt, basil, oregano and chilli flakes. Cover and cook till brocolli is al dente (almost done).
Add in the spaghetti, a dash of black pepper powder and toss well. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
Turn off flame. Add the butter and mix well.
Serve hot with orange juice and fresh salad.

If you prefer this richer, add 2-3tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese on top before serving. This tastes great without any cheese.

South Indian vada curry

2015-04-30T21:57:00.004+05:30

Ingredients:

For the vada
Chana dal/Bengal gram -1 cup, soaked for 4 hours
Whole red chillies - 2, soaked with the dal
Coriander leaves - 3-4 tbsp, finely chopped
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Onion finely chopped - 1/2 cup
Oil for deep frying
Oil - 2 tbsp, for tadka
Bay leaf - 2-3, for tadka
Jeera - 2 tsp, for tadka

For the gravy
Onion -3/4 cup (finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 cups (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup, diluted with another half cup water to a total of 1 1/2 cups

For the masala mix
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp
Green chilli - 3-4, can be adjusted to desired spice level, but it tastes best on the slightly spicier side
Fennel seeds/saunf- 1-1 1/2 tsp. I like to use more as it give amazing flavour
Cloves - 4-5
Green cardamom - 2-3
Grind the above together to a paste with little water

Method:

Drain the water from the dal and rinse it well. Grind the dal+red chillies with salt, turmeric powder with as little water as possible.
Mix chopped onions and coriander leaves with the vada batter.
Heat oil in a kadai, drop tbsp full of batter and deep fry on medium heat till golden brown. Once cool enough to touch, break the vadas into 4-5 pieces and set aside.
For the gravy - Take a couple of tbsp of the hot oil in another kadai or pan, add bay leaf and jeera and saute for few seconds, then add onions and saute until golden brown.
Then add salt and the ground masala and saute for a few more minutes. Then add the chopped tomatoes, and turmeric powder. Cook on medium-high flame till oil separates.
Then add the coconut milk, adjust salt and bring it to boil. Let the raw smell of coconut dissipate, there will be a hefty aroma of the spices and the coconut that will occur in a couple of mins.
Add the vadas and simmer for five minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot either alone as a snack or with south Indian 'parotta' (you can find frozen variety at the grocery store or make your own - which is a lengthy process on its own), or puri.

Homemade bread rolls

2015-03-25T03:15:00.000+05:30

Kavita Sharma shared this lovely recipe for homemade bread. It turns out fluffy and delish!

Ingredients

All purpose flour/maida- 500 gms
Fresh yeast- 1 1/2 tbsp & if dry yeast-3/4 tbsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Milk- 1/2 cup
Eggs- 1 for mixing & 1 for brushing.
Sugar- 4 tsp
Salt- 1 tsp
Poppy seeds- 1tbsp

METHOD :

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water
2. Sift flour and salt together, add the oil and one egg to the flour. Add yeast mixture and enough
warm water to make a soft dough. Knead well.
3. Cover with a wet cloth and leave for 2 hours to prove.
4. Knock back the dough and put it in a loaf dish. Knock down or punching back the dough is very important process and takes about 20 mins of kneading continuously.
5. Brush with beaten egg and keep aside for 10 mins and brush again.
6. Sprinkle poppy seeds.
7. Bake in a hot oven for about 10 mins or till done (will double & golden brown. Temperature 200 to
220 C or 400-425 F

Potato Frittata

2015-03-25T03:09:00.002+05:30

One more tasty dish from Ajita's kitchen!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil (can use regular/olive oil or even butter)
1 medium potato
1 medium onion
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
3 eggs
Handful of coriander
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Grate the potato and onion and keep separate.
2. Heat the oil in a pan. When its hot add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and
saute a bit more.
3. Add the potato and cook until the potatoes are soft. Add the coriander.
4. Spread the mixture across the pan evenly.
5. Break three eggs into the mixture carefully, ensuring the yolks remain intact.
6. Sprinkle salt & pepper and close the lid. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve hot with salad or garlic bread.

Winter vegetable soup

2015-03-25T03:03:00.001+05:30

This yummy recipe has been shared by my buddy Ajita! Thanks, Aji!

Ingredients:

1 whole beet root

2 carrots

1 tomato

1 small onion

Water 1.5 cups (can substitute with vegetable stock)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Clean and grate all veggies and chop tomatoes finely.

2. Put them all in an open pan to boil. Once the color of the boiling liquid changes remove the pulp and mash it.

3. Add a dash of salt and pepper and the mashed pulp to the boiled liquid and add half a lemon. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Voila! Hearty healthy winter soup is ready! This will be a little sweet tasting.

Pongal Recipes

2015-01-14T21:53:00.002+05:30

So its Pongal today, the harvest festival - one of the very important festivals especially in South India. Sitting here in the US, I do miss home and all the festivities that go with Pongal. This day is also celebrated as Makar Sankranti in the rest of the country and is marked by fun, good food, friends and family and the hope for a bountiful year ahead. So here are the Pongal dishes we make at home.

We make two types of Pongal: Venn Pongal - a savoury variety and Sakkarai Pongal - a sweet dish. Traditionally, pongal is cooked in a clay or brass pot (vengala paanai/pot) that is decorated with flowers and is used specifically for this purpose. These are accompanied by aviyal and vadai.

Pongal
The basic preparation for both the varieties is the same. This is my variation of pongal where I use more daal than usual because I like the taste and consistency.

Ingredients:
New rice (any variety) - 2 cups
Moong daal - half cup
Tuver daal - half cup
Milk - 4 tbsp
Water - 5 cups

Method:
1. Wash the rice and daals together a few times. Add the washed rice/daal mixture, 4 cups of water, and the milk to the decorated pot. If you don't have a pot handy (like me :)) use any large stockpot.
2. Put this on the stove and bring to boil. Traditionally when making pongal on the festival day the stove is cleaned, rangoli applied to it, the pot is decorated with tilak/kumkum, and flowers and the food is cooked outside. The exact Sankranti time is noted and the pot is put on the stove a few minutes before this time to allow the water is to boil over. At the moment the water boils over, the family gets together in front of the stove and bangs steel plates and shouts 'Pongal-o-pongal' and a prayer is offered to the Sun God.
3. Once the water boils over, the pot can be covered and left to simmer or if you're impatient like me, transfer the mix to a pressure cooker and cook on medium for 3 whistles.

VennPongal ingredients:
Half cup ghee
Half cup or more of cashew nuts
2 tsps black pepper
Few curry leaves
Salt to taste
Jeera - 2 tsp for tempering

1. Once the cooker cools down, take out a third of the cooked rice for sweet or sakkarai pongal.
2. While the cooker cools, chop up half a cup of cashew nuts...more if you like it and fry them in the ghee. Add the curry leaves and jeera when the cashews turn golden and remove from heat.
3. Add salt and coarsely crushed black pepper to the remaining rice mixture. Add the hot ghee and cashews and mix well. Serve piping hot with aviyal.

Sakkarai/sweet pongal ingredients:
Jaggery - half cup
Brown sugar - quarter cup
Cashews - half cup
Raisins - quarter cup
Ghee - quarter cup
Cardamom/elaichi powder - half tsp
Water - 3/4 cup

1. Heat the water and melt the jaggery and brown sugar in it till they dissolve completely.
2. Add the rice, cardamom powder and mix thoroughly ensuring that all the rice is thoroughly mashed.
3. Fry the cashews in ghee till golden, add the raisins and fry for a few seconds. Add this to the rice/jaggery mixture and stir till thoroughly incorporated. Enjoy hot.

Jammu Style Rajma

2014-11-28T20:40:00.002+05:30

This recipe is also courtesy of my lovely friend Kavita Sharma! Girl, your dishes are super yum!

Ingredients:

Rajma - 1 cup
Tomatoes - 2 large, finely chopped
Onions - 2 medium, finely chopped
Masala paste - grind together 2 inch piece of peeled ginger, green chillies to taste
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Ghee or clarified butter - 2 tbsp
Oil (anything except canola or olive oil) - 2 tbsp
Turmeric (haldi) powder - 1 tsp
Dhaniya (coriander) powder - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - 2 pinches
Bay leaf - 2
Cloves - 3
Kashmiri red chilli powder - to taste (remember you're also adding green chillies, so go easy!)
Black salt - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste (remember you're using black salt! so go easy!)
Water - 4-5 cups

Method:

1. Soak the rajma over night or for a minimum of 6 hours.
2. Pressure cook the rajma with salt, 1 inch stick of cinnamon and around 4 cups of water for 4-5 whistles on a medium flame. This should take around 15-20 mins.
3. Take oil and desi ghee both. When it is hot, add cumin seeds, hing, bay leaf, cloves and finely chopped onions.
4. Cook stirring occasionally. When it turns red add ginger chilli paste. Saute for a minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, haldi, dhaniya powdr, kashmiri lal mirch and garam masala.
5. When the gravy it starts leaving oil from the sides add cooked rajma.
6. Cook over slow flame for 15 mins.
7. Add 1/2 tsp black salt
8. Finally garnish with green coriander
9. Serve hot with rice or naan! Add a dollop of butter before serving if desired.

Caramelised sugar

2014-11-28T20:25:00.003+05:30

Ingredients:

Sugar - 1 cup

Water - 1/4 cup

Method

1. Combine sugar and water over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Add a couple of drops of lemon juice to the mixture and bring it to a boil stirring continuously.
3. Once the mixture starts boiling DO NOT stir or the sugar will crystalize.
4. Let the mixture simmer till it starts turning amber coloured.
5. Remove from flame and immerse the bottom of the pan in ice cold water to stop the caramelization process. If it crosses amber and turns darker, the sugar will burn.
6. Use immediately in recipe of your choice! Pour over ice cream, toss roasted nuts and dry fruits and use that as condiment, coat apples...caramel can be enjoyed in many ways!

Ginger Ale

2014-11-28T20:17:00.001+05:30

This recipe is courtesy of my good friend Kavita Sharma! Thanks, Kavi!

Ingredients :
-Ginger - 300 gms (peeled and grated )
-Sugar - 1kg
-Whole red chillies - 10 to 12
-Cinnamon - 3 to 4 sticks
-Cloves - 10 to 12
-Nutmeg - 2 to 3
-Citric Acid - 20gms
-Sodium Benzoate - 2 pinch
-Water - 3750ml

Method :
1. Put nutmeg in a white cloth, tie it up and crush it. Now add it with all the above ingredients except sugar, citric acid and Sodium Benzoate in water.

2. Cover and boil it for 45 mins. Turn off the gas. Let it cool for 15 mins.

3. Add 1kg sugar (keeping aside 1 cup of both sugar and water). Mix it well.

4. Use 1 cup boiled water and 1 cup sugar and caramelise it.

5. Add the caramelised sugar and citric acid (not to be cooked) to the water.
6. Next day add Sodium Benzoate. Strain and store. Remember to store it in clean sterlized bottles!

Maanga (raw mango) vatha kuzhambu

2014-06-20T20:40:00.002+05:30

Ingredients:
One medium size raw mango cut into long strips
Marble sized ball of tamarind - about 1 tsp tamarind paste
2-3 green chillies, slit vertically
1 tsp Sambhar powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
Marble sized ball of jaggery (gud)
2 tbsp oil
2 1/2 cups water
Few curry leaves

Method:
1. In a kadhai or pan add the oil. When it is hot, add the methi and mustard and when they crackle add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.
2. Add the raw mango pieces and sambhar powder, green chillies, hing and fry for 2 mins.
3. Add water and all the other ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce flame to simmer and cover and let boil till mango pieces become soft and water reduces by a third. Serve with hot rice and potato fry.
4. The kuzhambu us supposed to have a tangy and spicy taste with just a hint of sweetness from the jaggery. You can adjust the amount of sourness by reducing the tamarind paste or using raw mango that is slightly tangy rather than really sour.

Deviled Eggs

2014-06-20T20:25:00.003+05:30

Ingredients:
6 hard boiled eggs
3 tbsp finely chopped olives in brine
3 tbsp pickled jalapeños, finely chopped
2 tbsp powdered Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp oregano seasoning
1/4 tsp dried parsley
2-3 tbsp whole milk OR half and half OR cream
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Vertically cut the eggs into halves and remove yolk. Put the egg whites into the fridge to chill.
2. Mash the yolks and add all the other ingredients except salt and milk or cream.
3. Mix well and add just enough milk or cream to make the mixture moist.
4. DO NOT add salt before tasting the mixture. Since cheese, jalapeños and olives will all have salt, taste the mixture first and of needed add salt.
5. Spoon a heaped tbsp of the yolk mixture into the hollow of the egg white. Serve chilled.
6. There are many variations for the filling. The yolk is the only constant and you can experiment with combinations like finely chopped onions, deseeded and finely chopped green chillies for a Desi twist; add mayonnaise and chopped green onions. These are great as a snack or starter.

Portobello Taquito

2013-09-12T22:14:00.002+05:30

I know its been a long time since I posted a recipe to this blog, but I've been held up with tons of things happening, including a move from India to the US. One thing that I am certainly enjoying here is the massive variety of fruits and vegetables that are available year round :-). I have been letting the cook inside have a lot of fun, experimenting with different cuisines, making my own salad dressings and pasta sauces et al. Here is my version of a Portobello Taquito.

Ingredients:
3 large portobello mushrooms, chopped coarsely
1 small onion chopped finely
4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp jalapeno in brine
1/4 tsp cumin/jeera powder
1/2 cup crumbled paneer (can be replaced with mozzarella cheese if you want it to be richer)
salt and red chilli powder to taste
5 tbsp olive oil
leftover phulkas or tortillas

Method:
* Pre-heat oven to 425F alternately
1. Heat a kadhai, add 3 tbsp olive oil.
2. Add minced garlic and fry for a few mins, then add chopped onions and cook till onions start turning golden.
3. Add jeera powder, jalapenos, mushrooms, salt and red chilli powder. Cook till all the water from the mushrooms evaporates.
4. Add the paneer and cook for about 2 more mins.
5. Put a generous helping of the mushrooms on a phulka or tortilla and roll it up. Brush the outside with olive oil and bake in preheated oven for about 12 mins till outer shell turns crispy. Serve with salsa and a salad on the side.

Note: If you do not have an oven, you can apply oil to the roti and roast it on a tawa till it turns golden and crispy. Then add the stuffing and roll it up before serving. Traditional taquitos require that the roti or tortilla be deep fried, but I like to avoid anything deep fried, so roasting makes good sense :-)

GopalKala (Janmastami Special)

2012-08-10T12:02:00.000+05:30

Lord Krisna took all the lunchboxs of his friends and mix them together to make this Prasada called 'GopalKala'.

All the Gops (Krishna/Kanha's friends were called Gops) were shy share their food with Kanha. Some one got just beaten rice, some body just curd, everyone some thing which was available at home and packed by their mother. Kanha, the beloved son of Yashoda use to get nice food every day. Kanha noticed that his friends never share or show what they get in lunch, so one day he insisted them to show what they got. With lot of hesitation finally Gops show him what they got with them. Kanha took every thing and mixed together. He equally divided it among all and made this wonderful meal called "Gopal kala". This story of Lord Krishna emulates - sharing, caring and bonding among friends.

GapalKala

Ingredients
Beaten Rice (Poha/Avalaki) - 1 cup
Puffed Rice (Murmure) - 1 cup
Curd - 1 1/2 cup
Finely chopped Cucumber - 1 medium size
Finely chopped Coriander - 1/2 cup
Freshly Grated coconut - 1 cup
Soaked Gram Dal (Channa dal) - 1 cup)
Salt - 1/2 spoon
Sugar - 1-2 spoon ( asper your taste)
Green chillies - 1-2
Ginger
Ghee - 1 spoon
Jeera - 1 spoon

Method
1. Soak Beaten rice for some time and drain the water.
2. Mix Beaten rice, puffed rice, curd, cucumber, chopped corriender, soaked channa dal, grated coconut, salt, sugar in a bowl.
3. Heat ghee in a pan, give takda of jeera and grated ginger and green chillies.
4. Mix this takda in the bowl.
5. Its ready to serve.

Veg steamed Momo's

2012-05-10T14:59:00.004+05:30

Believe me, this time when I made momo's it was fun. A nice recreational activity at home :) with my husband and kids, who helped in chopping veggies and doing the table arrangement. So I can not call it just my recipe... :) Easy and yummy with minimal ingredients requirement. Try this one.

Ingredients:

All purpose floor - 2 cups.

Water

Finely chopped cabbage - 2 cups

Grated Carrot - 1 cup

Ginger garlic paste - 1 table spoon
Finely chopped french beans - 1/2 cup (bit blanched in salted water)
Salt - as per taste
Black Pepper - as per taste.
Sesame oil - 2 table spoon

Method:

1. Nead dough of all purpose floor (Maida) with water and keep it aside.

2. Heat Sesame oil in pan, saute ginger garlic paste for 1 minute.

3. Add all the vegetables into it, sprinkle salt and black pepper and mix it well.
4. Keep lid on the pan and give one steam for the veggies to get cooked.
5. Turn off the heat and let this stuffing get cool for some time.

6. Roll thin rotis' (pan cake) of 5' diameter. Take it in hand and fill the stuffing and cover it from one side to other, like a semicircle, press the sides properly. Now take the two edges of it and join them.

7. keep these momo's in steamer and steam it for 5-10 minutes.
8. Place them into serving plate, and serve it with tomato or chilli sauce.

Kesar-Elaichi kulfi with caramelised walnuts

2012-04-09T11:45:00.000+05:30

I need to thank my brother for buying me this awesome Kenwood icecream maker from UK. Unlike the ones available in India, this one has a bowl that can be frozen ahead of time, then used to churn the icecream, washed and then reused. No more having to freeze tons of ice and messing around with ice-salt concoctions :) I've been making my own icecream for the past couple of years and have got a few recipes that I have perfected and can share :)

Ingredients:

200 ml milk
200 ml Amul fresh cream
3 egg yolks
100 gms sugar
50 gms walnuts, chopped
50 gms raisins (optional)
10-12 strands of kesar (saffron) Can use essence and color if kesar is not available
1/2 tsp elaichi (cardamom) powder

Method:

1. Soak the kesar in warm milk for 15-20 mins before you begin.
2. Whisk the egg yolks nicely with half of the sugar. Add the milk and cook on simmer, stirring continuously, till the custard begins to thicken. DO NOT BOIL!!! If you boil it, the egg yolk will cook and the milk will spoil.
3. Add the kesar, half the elaichi powder to the custard and blend well with belnder or mixer.
4. Let this mixture cool to room temperature and then freeze for 1 hour.
5. While the custard is setting in the fridge, let's get the walnuts ready. For this, add the remaining sugar and walnuts into a saucepan an sprinkle 1tsp water. Once the sugar melts, turn the heat down and keep cooking till the sugar turns brown (caramelizes). Add the rest of the elaichi powder and remove from flame. Set this aside and once cool, break it up into raisin size bits. Refrigerate.
6. Chop the raisins coarsely and refrigerate.
7. Once the custard is really cold (begins to set at the edges) we need to churn it in the icecream maker. Churn for about 30-35 mins or until the mixture resembles whipped cream.
8. Add in the walnuts and raisins by the spoonful while the machine is still churning. Let it mix well for about 10 more minutes. Once done, transfer the contents into kulfi molds and freeze for 5hrs or more until it becomes solid. Alternatively, you can freeze this in a plastic container for 3-4 hours till it becomes firm but still scoop-able :)

Have fun beating the heat with this delicious home-made kulfi!

Cauliflower Stifaldo

2012-01-09T13:34:00.000+05:30

Ingredients:

1 large cauliflower, chopped into large pieces
2 medium red onions chopped into rings
5 large garlic cloves julienned
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups tomato puree
4 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley and 1 tbsp olive oil for garnish

Method:
1. Clean and chop the cauliflower. Steam it in the microwave on high for about 6 mins.
2. In a large wok or kadhai add the oil and fry the onions till they start turning golden. Add the garlic and fry for a minute.
3. Add the tomato puree, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add the cauliflower and mix well so that it is completely covered in the sauce. Add a little water if needed.
5. Cover and cook the cauliflower till all the gravy is absorbed and oil starts coming off on the sides. The cauliflower should be breaking into smaller pieces but not become mashed.
6. Once done, transfer to serving bowl and pour the olive oil over the stifaldo. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot with toasted garlic bread.

Greek Salad

2012-01-09T13:26:00.001+05:30

Ingredients:

1 head of iceberg lettuce or Romaine lettuce
2 medium sized cucumbers peeled and cut into half moon shape
2 medium tomatoes, chopped into quarters with seeds removed
1 big yellow bell pepper, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 medium capsicum, chopped into 1/2" pieces (optional as the capsicum flavor overpowers the salad)
3 tbsp each of chopped black and green olives
200 gms Feta cheese crumbled or cut into 1/2" pieces

For the dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Mix all the dressing ingredients and whisk together with an egg beater till sugar dissolves completely.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the salad ingredients (except Feta) and refrigerate for an hour.
3. Just before serving, add the feta and the dressing, toss well and serve.
4. Pls note that both the olives and feta are quite salty in taste, so adjust the salt in the seasoning accordingly.
5. Always take only the amount of salad that is to be consumed immediately and add the dressing only to that. Keep the remaining dressing in a tightly sealed container in the fridge and mix with the veggies just before serving.

Mushroom Stroganoff with cooked broken wheat

2011-11-30T12:28:00.001+05:30

Of late I've been on a health-food streak and have discovered a few things that I felt like sharing here. The one main ingredient that I've 'discovered' as a superb substitute for rice is 'daliya' or broken wheat!! It seriously solves the craving that most rice-eaters get when on a diet that restricts rice consumption and when people are faced with rotis for lunch and dinner :). I highly recommend substituting daliya for rice in dishes like pulao, khichidi, etc. It tastes delicious, is more filling than rice, and results in less carb cravings as it has a lower GI value. Here is a recipe for some mouthwatering mushroom stroganoff with cooked daliya.

Do note that this recipe has been modified to the ingredients available commonly in India :)

Ingredients:
500 gms button mushrooms washed and quartered
1 large onion finely chopped
2 heads spring onions/leeks chopped
2 tbsp oil
4-5 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp dried OR half cup fresh parsley
40ml vodka (unflavoured)
1/2 tsp lemon juice
half cup malai from curd OR take half cup Amul fresh cream and add 2 tsps of curd to it and leave for a few hrs. It should not be too sour, but should have a slightly sour taste
1 1/2 cups water
salt, red chilli flakes/powder and black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat the oil and fry the onions and garlic till soft and pink.
2. Add the leek/spring onion and fry for few more minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and chili flakes and fry till mushrooms start changing colour to light brown.
4. Add parsley, vodka and lemon juice. Cook for a few moments and then add the water. Let it boil till the water reduces to about 1/3rd.
5. Add the sour cream, salt and pepper and let it just start bubbling. DO NOT BOIL. Serve immediately with cooked broken wheat made.
6. For cooking the wheat, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan, add 1 1/2 cups wheat and roast till it becomes light and gives off a nice fragrance. Add 3 1/2 cups water and cook in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles. If the wheat is not roasted, it will become gooey.

Vegetable stew - mediterranean style

2011-10-14T15:09:00.000+05:30

This stew goes beautifully with pita bread and chickpea salad.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
Choice of vegetable - 4 cups (i prefer mushrooms, zucchini, peas, broccoli and baby corn)
2 large garlic cloves, crushed (can add more garlic if you prefer)
1 pack of tomato puree about 200ml
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
1 tbsp each of dried rosemary and parsley
Salt, red chili powder to taste

Method:
1. Heat the oil and fry the chopped onions till they start turning golden. Add garlic and fry for few seconds.
2. Add all the vegetables and cook for a few minutes
3. Add the tomato puree, olives and rosemary and parsley. Add salt and chili powder to taste. Cover and cook for about 15 mins till all the vegetables are cooked.
4. Serve hot with pita or toasted garlic bread.

Baked spinach macaroni

2011-10-06T00:19:00.001+05:30

Ingredients:
200 gms macaroni or pasta
3 medium bunches spinach, washed and coarsely chopped
3 cubes Amul cheese
1 200ml pack tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
1tbsp dried basil
3tbsp butter

Method:
Cook the macaroni or pasta al dente and set aside.
In a pan, heat half the butter and when it melts, add the tomato puree. Cook for a minute, then add the spinach, basil, salt and pepper. Cook covered till spinach wilts. Add the macaroni and mix well.
Crumble the bread and add the rest of the butter to it and mix well. Grate the cheese.
Grease a casserole and pour in the macaroni. Layer the bread on top and finally sprinkle the grated cheese.
Pre-heat oven to 250°C and bake the macaroni for about 30-35 minutes till the bread turns nice and crisp.
Serve hot with sour cream or tomato sauce and cold orange juice or a glass of champagne.

Chocolate pots de cream

2011-09-19T15:10:00.000+05:30

This is a very simple, easy to make and delicious dessert!

Ingredients:
Dark chocolate - 200 gms (unsweetened or semi sweet)
White chocolate - 200 gms ( unsweetened or semisweet)
Amuk cream - 400 ml
Milk - 200 ml
Sugar - 1/2 cups if choc is sweetened/semi sweet 1.5 cups if unsweetened
eggs - 4

Method
1. Melt the white and dark chocolates separately in a double broiler.
2. In a pan mix the milk and cream and heat till it almost boils, add sugar and mix till it melts.
3. Using a blender or food processor, finely blend, cream with eggs. Split this into two and add dark chocolate to one half and white to the other. Beat again till well blended.
4. Let cool. Pour into shot glasses or small cups and chill in the milk tray or freezer for about 3-4 hrs. Serve garnished with choc sprinkles or silver balls.

Stir fried veggies with baked paneer and brown rice

2011-09-19T15:02:00.002+05:30

Ingredients:
Brown rice (basically unpolished rice) - 2 cups
Assorted vegetables - 4 cups (I prefer Broccoli, red and yellow capsicum, baby corn, zuchhini, yellow squash, or a combination of these)
Sundried tomatoes - 1/2 cup, either with our without oil
Salt - to taste
Italian seasoning - you can get this at any big grocery store. In case you dont find this then mix one tsp each of red chilli flakes, oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley.
Paneer/cottage cheese - 400 gms cut into shape of your choice. I prefer square or circle. Approx 100 gms per person
Black pepper powder - to taste
Olive oil - 3 tbsps

Method:
1. Put the brown rice with 4 cups water in a cooker and cook for 2 whistles. Once the cooker cools, drain excess water and keep rice aside.
2. While rice is cooking, cut all veggies in approx 1.5 inch pieces.
3. Heat the olive oil, add the veggies, seasoning, sun dried tomatoes (if using the one with oil, reduce 1.5 tbsp from the frying oil) and stir fry till capsicum is soft.
4. Pre-heat oven to 200C, wrap paneer in aluminum foil and bake for 20 mins.
5. Now in a plate, serve a cup of brown rice topped with a dollop of salted butter, a large helping of veggies and a paneer piece topped with barbecue sauce. Serve hot!

Upma of Leftover Chappati’s (Roti/ wheat pancakes)

2011-07-22T11:50:00.003+05:30

Wasting food is a sin. We can try out new ways to remodify the leftover's and discover a new recipe. Here is a one which i would like to share with you to make a tasty breakfast out of my left over chappati's of last night.
Ingredients
5-6 leftover chappati’s
2 onions
1 small tomato (optional)
Chopped green coriander for garnishing
2-3 green chillies
2 tbsp cooking oil
1tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
Salt (as per taste)
1-2 tbsp sugar
Mustard seeds (for the tadka)

Method
Crumb the chappati’s in a bowl. Add sugar and salt to this and keep it aside.
In a pan, heat the oil and splutter mustard seeds, sauté onions until it turns light brown. Add chopped green chillies, coriander powder and turmeric powder to this. If you want u can add one small chopped tomato to give a tangy taste. Don’t cook the tomato too much as this will make the upma watery. After this add the chaptti crumb mixture to this and mix it well. Keep the flame low and put the lid on the pan for 3-4 minutes to steam once. Uncover the upma, turn off the stove and transfer the upma in a serving bowl. Garnish it with green chopped coriander and serve hot with pickle.

Dhania Corn (Corn Coriander)

2011-07-22T11:29:00.003+05:30

Dhania Corn (Corn Coriander) can be made as side dish, starter or one more addition in your main course. Try this out.... :)

Ingredients
1 cup sweet corn
3 medium tomatoes cut into cubes
1 medium tomato grated
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1/4 tea spoon chopped garlic
1/4 tea spoon chilli powder
1/4 tea spoon garam masala Salt to taste
1/4 tea spoon sugar
2 table spoons chopped coriander
Oil for cooking

Preparing the Corn
Heat two teaspoons of oil in a pan, add the corn, cook for a minute and remove.
Method
Heat 1 table spoon of oil in the pan and add onions, ginger, garlic and sauté till light pink in colour. Now, add the chilli powder and mix well, add the cut tomatoes and grated tomatoes and cook for a minute. Add the corn, salt, sugar and garam masala and cook for two minutes or until semi thick. Sprinkle coriander and serve hot.

Sesame Gold Triangles - Breakfast

2011-07-22T11:22:00.002+05:30

Guys, I tried this recipe ' Sesame Glod Trangles' yesterday and could not resist to share with you, its easy to make and yummm to have... enjoy!!

Ingredients
8 slices of bread
2 tablespoons chopped spring onions
2 tablespoons chopped carrot
2 tablespoons chopped beans
1 tablespoon chopped capsicum
2 medium boiled potatoes
1 teaspoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon red chilli sauce Salt to taste Oil for shallow frying
2 tablespoons maida
1 - 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method
Peel and grate the potatoes and mix it with the vegetables, soya sauce, chilli sauce and salt. Spread a little bit of the vegetable mix on each bread slice. Make a paste of maida with water and apply this over the vegetables. Sprinkle sesame seeds over this and shallow fry in hot oil till light golden brown. Cut into triangular pieces and serve hot.