Easy Recipes

Spicy Sweet Corn | Green Sweet corn

2013-09-06T10:44:00.004-07:00

This is a spicy sweet baby corn, quick snack for tea time. It can be prepared in just 4 minutes.These are very yummy, and if any of you have ever had Sweet baby corn, you’ll love this recipe. It’s similar, yet it is unique in it’s taste. It is simple, delicious and easy to make. Learn how to make spicy corn.

Preparation Time: 2 Minutes

Cooking Time: 2 Minutes

Ingredients	Quantity
Sweet Baby corn	1 cup
Green Chili	3
Garlic	2 cloves
Coriander Leaves	3 teaspoon
Lemon Juice	2 teaspoon
Salt	To taste
Chat Powder	1/4 teaspoon

Method:

1. Boil Sweet Corn for 2 minutes and then drain the water. Grind green chilies, garlic and coriander leaves together to make smooth paste as shown below. Take a big bowl, add boiled sweet corn, grind paste, lemon juice, chat powder and salt. Mix well and serve hot.

2. Enjoy!!

Matar Chola Recipe | Chola Recipe

2013-09-06T10:42:00.001-07:00

The combination of tomato, onion and green chilli enhances the flavours of this delectable dish. I love all kind of chaat varieties likepani puri, dahi vada, sev chaat, aloo tikki and dahi phulki.chola . It can be prepared just in 10 minutes without more effort and is perfect for bachelor’s. You don’t have to grind any ingredients in it. Follow my easy step by step recipe with pictures.

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

Cooking Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients	Quantity
Chola Matar	2 cup
Onion	1
Tomato	2
Green chilli	3
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder	1 teaspoon
Salt	as needed
Coriander leaves	for garnish
Oil	3 teaspoon

Method:

1.Soak Matar Chola overnight. Take soaked Chola into pressure cooker along with two glass of water and add chopped onion, tomato, green chilli, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garlic paste, oil and salt. Close pressure cooker and cook on high flame for one whistle. Then keep the flame low and cook for about 8-10 minutes.

2. Open pressure cooker and the Cholas will look like this as shown in picture. Then add garam masala powder and mix it well. Garnish with coriander leaves, onion,tomato and lemon. Chola is ready and serve hot

3. Enjoy!!

Liver masala

2013-09-06T10:38:00.002-07:00

Lever masala

Livermasala is quite a popular dish in dhabas and restaurants especially to have with drinks. A mixture of spices and liver together combined and nicely coated to make a nice dry dish.

Liver especially the Goat’s liver is considered to be a good source of Vitamin A and a good remedy for night blindness but for those with cholesterol should reduce liver consumption as its high in cholesterol. As liver is bitter in flavor soak the liver pieces in milk for 30 mins to remove the bitterness.

While cooking the liver you need to be careful that it should not be over cooked. Liver and shrimp have the same quality of meat in a way that they need to be cooked just right. If you over cook then they would become tough and rubbery.

To prepare the Liver masala, firstly soak the liver pieces in milk for 30 mins and then throw away the milk and wash the liver thoroughly and put it in a bowl. To this add red chilli powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, and little oil and mix nicely. Take a nonstick pan and put the marinated liver pieces and sauté for 5 mins till all the moisture dries off and the liver slightly gets a golden color and transfer it to another plate. In the same pan add oil, whole garam masala (cardamom, clove and cinnamon), chopped onions and sauté. Add salt. When the onion turn slightly golden color add ginger garlic paste, pinch of turmeric, chilli pd, coriander pd, coconut pd and mix, add little water and let masala cook on a slow flame for 10 mins. Once done the masala oozes oil then add the liver pieces and mix thoroughly cover and cook for 2 mins. Remove the lid and add garam masala powder, chopped coriander leave and little lemon juice mix and switch off the flame. When you eat a piece of liver masala it should just melt away in your mouth, that’s when the liver masala is perfectly done. It’s a nice spicy dry dish. Liver masala is also popularly called as Kaleji fry (liver fry) in hindi.

Liver is excellent for women during menstrual cycle as liver is a very good source of vitamin A and Goat liver can replenish the blood, tonify the liver and improve eyesight. Lamb liver is a great source of protein. One serving contains 23 g of protein, which is 46 percent of the recommended daily amount. One serving of liver also has 46 percent of your daily recommended amount of iron.

Liver contains a considerable amount of fat. One 4-oz. serving has 6 g of fat, which almost 10 percent of your daily recommended amount of fat. Those who have cholesterol concerns should avoid lamb liver. One serving of lamb liver contains 419 mg of cholesterol, which is 140 percent of your daily recommended allowance of cholesterol.

Stuffed Karela fry

2013-09-06T10:33:00.001-07:00

Stuffed Karela fry is a traditional dish made of Karela also known as Bitter gourd or bitter melon that is slit, stuffed with spicy and tangy mixture and deep fried. Bitter melon if cooked correctly can be very delicious.

Bitter gourd is one vegetable which is being disliked by many and children just run miles away from the sight of Bitter gourd. “Bitter gourd”, is a vegetable that is highly bitter in taste but is nature’s bountiful gift to mankind. Bitter gourd is popularly known as Karela in India. The Karela is fabulous and is a huge storehouse of home remedies for many common ailments.

Karela is one vegetable not everyone enjoys to eat yet it is widely used in Indian cooking. Karela has lot of medicinal properties and is mainly used as a medicine for diabetics from olden days. It is rich in potassium and other essential vitamins. So it is worth including it into your diet. Karela comes in a diversity of shapes and sizes. It helps to purify blood tissue, enhances digestion and stimulates the liver. Tender bitter gourds which do not have hard seeds are the best for cooking. It is said that by putting the cut pieces in boiled water with salt for 5 minutes would reduce the bitterness of Karela to some extent. But by doing so, you will also be losing its natural properties.

‘Stuffed Karela’ is a famous north Indian dish, nice to eat. Bitter gourd is stuffed with fried onion and dry masala mix. This is only a shallow fry and non-stick pans need even less oil. You don’t get the bitter taste in this. To prepare the Stuffed Karela fry, use the bitter melons that are about 3 inch in size. Scrape the rough edges of the bitter gourd and slit them from one side and remove the seeds and chop them finely. Keep them aside. Add oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and onions. Fry till onions turn golden brown. Add little salt, turmeric, besan flour mix and cook the besan flour till you get a nice aroma from the roasted besan flour. Add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder and the chopped bitter melon seeds. Mix and cook them nicely, add amchur (to give sourness to the dish), sauté in slow flame and add coriander leaves and a little sugar or jaggery. This is to balance the dish with the bitterness of the bitter gourds. Once done, remove from flame and cool the mixture. Stuff this mixture into the slit bitter gourds and tie them intact with a thread. Add mustard oil in a pan, shallow fry the stuffed bitter gourds in low to medium heat changing the sides till well cooked and crispy. Serve with hot rice or rotis.

Surprisingly a variety of mouthwatering dishes are prepared with Karela like the Kakarakaya pulusu,Kakarakaya vepudu and many more. Bitter gourd is eaten in many forms in practically every country.

Consumption of Karela as a vegetable has great health benefits. The bitter gourd has excellent medicinal virtues. It is antidotal, antipyretic tonic, appetizing, stomachic, antibilious and laxative. The bitter gourd is also used in native medicines of Asia and Africa. Bitter gourd being rich in all the essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron, its regular use prevents many complications such as hypertension, eye complications, neuritis and defective metabolism of carbohydrates. It increases body’s resistance against infection.

Karela is rich in iron content contains, two times the beta carotene of broccoli, two times the calcium of spinach, two times the potassium of bananas, outstanding dietary fibre and so on. The juice of Karela stimulates the pancreas, spleen and liver, and maintains insulin level and helps curing Diabetes. The essential vitamins and minerals present in bitter gourd help improve digestion and maintain body temperature. Its bitter taste helps in worm infestation.

Recipe: Stuffed Karela fry

Summary: bittermelon stuffed and shallow fried

Ingredients

amchoor pdr – 1 – tbsp
besan (bengal gram flour) – 1 – tbsp
Bitter gourd – 8 – number
Chilli powder -1 -pinch
coriander leaves – 1 – springs
cumin seeds – 1 – tsp
fennel (optional) – 1 – pinch
Ginger garlic paste – 1 – tbsp
mustard oil – 2 – tbsp
oil – 2 - tbsp
Onions – 1 – number
Salt – 1 – to taste
sugar or jaggery – 1 – to taste
Turmeric – 1 – pinch

Instructions

slit gourds from one side.Remove seeds and chop the seeds.(use small 3inch size karela scrape the rough edges
add oil in a pan , add cumin and add onions fry till golden brown,add turmeric and besan flour cook , till nice flavor of roasted besan
add ginger garlic paste and add chilli pdr and add chopped bitter melon seeds
cook till nicely roasteds add amchoor pdr , saute in slow flame , add coriander leaves and little sugar or jaggery
stuff the bitter melon with the cooked mixture
tie the karela so the mixture is intact inside while cooking
add mustard oil ,shallow fry in medium heat changing the sides till well cooked and crispy
enjaoy the delicasy with vahrehvah.com

Cooking time (duration): 25

Apple milkshake

2013-08-29T10:04:00.003-07:00

Ingredients:

2 apple (seb)
2 glass milk (doodh)
2 tbsp sugar
4 green cardamom (hari elaichi)
ice as required

How to make apple milkshake recipe :

Peel apple and cut in small pieces.
Now blend milk, sugar and apple in a mixer.
Grind elaichi to a powder and mix in the shake.
Now pour shake in the glasses.
Put some crushed ice and serve it chilled.

Apple Milkshake - Quick Milkshake Recipe

2013-08-29T09:51:00.001-07:00

Apple Milkshake - Quick Milkshake Recipe

Apple Milkshake (with almonds & honey) - This is one of the regular shakes I make at home esp for mittu as she loves it. I have already posted apple cinnamon milkshake, this recipe is a simple one which is healthy and tasty at the same time. Trust me I had no plans of clicking and posting apple milkshake...Last week when I was down with cold and very tired too....but was itching to click so made this quick milkshake and clicked to hearts content :) Please check the 'my notes' section for tips to avoid browning of apples.

Apple Milkshake Recipe - Ingredients

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 5 mins | Serves : 2
Recipe Category: Milkshake | Recipe Cuisine: World

For the marinade:

Apple - 1(skin peeled and chopped into cubes)
Chilled Milk - 2 cups
Almonds - 5
Honey - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:

Soak almonds in hot water fro 15mins,set aside.In a mixer add milk, chopped apples,almonds,sugar.

Then add honey and blend it till smooth.

Grind it to smooth paste without adding water,set aside. Heat oil in a pan - temper jeera, let it splutter.Then add the onion tomato paste.

Serve chilled with chopped almonds as garnish.

My Notes:

You can even peel off the skin of almonds before blending.
You can freeze the milk and use frozen milk too or use chilled milk as I have done.
Adding almonds gives it a nice creamy milkshake.
To avoid apples from browning, you can chop them into cubes and add it in cold water with little salt(say 1/2 tsp for 3 cups of water) or dip in lemon juice diluted in water.Or soak them in 7up / Sprite for few mins then pack it in a ziplock.

Milk Shake

2013-08-29T09:50:00.000-07:00

Milkshake is a cold, sweet and refreshing drink made with milk, ice cream and some flavouring. The flavorings could be fresh fruit pieces or fruit puree or fruit syrup or chocolate sauce.
The different milk shakes that can be made are chocolate milk shake, strawberry milk shake, vanilla milk shake, cantaloupe milk shake, grape milk shake, mango milk shake, banana milk shake, apple milk shake, pomegranate milk shake, chikoo milk shake, blueberry milkshake, peach milk shake, guava milk shake, avocado milkshake etc.

Ingredients
Fruit pieces (any fruit) - 1 Cup
Cold Milk- 3/4 cup
Sugar -1 tblsp (or to taste)
Ice cubes -1/4 Cup (or as needed)
Vanilla Icecream - 2 tblsp

Method

1.Clean and peel the fruit that you use and cut into small chunks. Be careful to remove any seeds if present. You can also use store bought fruit puree.
2. Blend the fruit chunks/puree with all the other ingredients until it is smooth and creamy.
2.Pour in a tall glass, top with some whipped cream and serve cold.

Tips
- Instead of fresh fruit/ fruit puree, you can also use other flavourings like chocolate syrup, vanilla escence, strawberry syrup or any other fruit syrup.
- The milk has to be cold. Otherwise if you use citrus fruits like strawberries, it might curdle the milk.

20-Minute Chicken Chili

2013-08-29T09:35:00.004-07:00

This lean and mean chili uses cubed boneless,skinless chicken breast instead of ground chicken. Not only is this quick and easy chili perfect for a family dinner, but it also makes for great leftovers for lunch the next day. Pack some separately with a whole wheat flour tortilla for your child to stuff and roll up into a chicken chili burrito.

Ingredients:

1 lb (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 chopped sweet green pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) chili powder
2 tsp (10 mL) dried oregano
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pepper
1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes
1 can (19 oz/540 mL)black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup (125 mL) corn kernels

Preparation:

Trim any fat from chicken breasts; cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. In large heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook chicken for about 5 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Transfer to plate.

Add onion, green pepper, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper to pan; cook over medium heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened.

Add tomatoes and beans; increase heat and boil, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add corn. Return chicken to pan; heat through.

Potato Fry

2013-08-28T10:31:00.001-07:00

(Aloo Fry, Urulai Kilangu Varuval, Urulakizhangu Mezhukkupuratti)

Potato fry is a very very versatile recipe and there are n number of recipes for the same. You could just add salt and fry the potatoes. Some others like to add salt and chilly powder. Some more daring cooks try too add chicken masala, mutton masala, channa masala etc and make it more interesting. You can also add other ingredients like onion, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, carom seed (ajwain) etc. It all depends on each persons preferences and taste. Here is a basic recipe as a guideline. You can make changes as per your taste.

Ingredients
Potatoes- 2-3
(You can use any type of potato - red, russet, yukon gold, baby potatoes, purple potatoes etc.)
Chilly Powder - 1-3 tsp (to suit your taste)
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2-3 tblsp

Optional Ingredients
Onion - 1/4 (sliced) - You can also use 3-4 whole pearl onions instead
Garlic Powder - 1/4 tsp (or 1 clove garlic crushed)
Crushed Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Crushed Peppercorns - 1/4 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 spring (Chopped)
Cashew nuts - 1-2 tblsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method
1. Wash the potatoes and peel them. You can even leave the skin on.
2. Cut the potatoes into uniform sized pieces. You can cut it into small cubes, long stripes or medium sized chunks.
3. Partially boil the potatoes in the microwave or stovetop. This step is optional but it speeds up the frying process.
4. Take the potato pieces in a bowl and mix the spices with it.
A basic potato fry can be made with just chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. But I like to spice it up with some garam masala, crushed cumin, fennel powder and garlic powder. If you do not have all these spices, you can also add 2-3 tsp of any brand chicken masala powder.
5. Heat oil in a non stick pan or kadai. Splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
6. If you are adding onions and cashew nuts, add it at this time and fry for a minute. If not just proceed.
7. Add the spice rubbed potato pices. Keep the heat on medium high and start frying.
8. Stir fry till all the pieces are completely cooked and the potatoes become little crispy.

Variation
- You can add any chopped vegetable with the partially cooked potatoes and fry it. This not only makes a good side dish for chappattis but is also an interesting way of including unpleasant vegetables into the diet. The addition of potatoes takes the vegetables to a whole new level and makes it very delectable. Some of the combinations that I have tried are potato capsicum fry, potato broccoli fry, potato beans fry, potato corn fry, potato with fenugreek leaves (aloo methi), potato carrot fry, potato radish fry, potato beetroot fry, potato knolkhol fry, potato soya fry, potato mushroom fry, potato turnip fry and potato cauliflower fry. The possibilities are endless.

Serving Suggestions
- This potato fry goes very well with white rice and curries like rasam, sambhar, mor kulambu etc.
- Potato fry is an excellent combination with any variety rice like lemon rice, tomato rice, mint rice, curd rice etc.
- It also goes well with chappattis, phulkas and pooris.
- It can also be used as a stuffing to make puffs, samosas or masala dosa.

Chicken Lollypop (Drums of heaven)

2013-08-28T10:27:00.003-07:00

Ingredients

Chicken Lollypops (Wings deskinned) - 500 gms.

For Marination
cornflour - 2 tblsp.
soya sauce - 2 tblsp.
vinegar - 1 tsp
Red chilli paste - 1 tsp.
Ginger paste - 2 tsp.
Garlic paste - 1 tsp.
Ajinomoto - ¼ tsp.
salt - to taste

For Batter

Maida - 6 tblsp.
Cornflour - 6 tblsp.
Coriander - 1 tblsp.
Garlic - 1 tblsp.
Ginger - 1 tblsp.
Vinegar - 1 tblsp.
Red chilli paste - 1 tblsp.
Egg - 1
Ajinomoto - 1/8 tsp.
Orange red color - 1/8 tsp.
Celery - 1 tsp.
salt - to taste
water - as required

Method

1. First, dry out the chicken pieces on a muslin cloth to remove out excess water. 2. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients under 'for marination' for atleast 2 hours.
3. Mix all the ingredients under "for batter" with enough water to make a thick batter.
4. Dip the lollypops in batter and deep fry.
5. Serve as a starter with Schezuan sauce.

Tip
Keep the lollypops inverted in the frying pan to get a rounded shape.

Tomato Rice

2013-08-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

(Takkali Sadam, Tomato Bath, Tamatar Pulao, Tomato Biriyani, Chitraanna)

Ingredients

Cooked Rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1/2 (chopped)
Ginger garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Tomatoes - 1 (chopped) + 2 (pureed)
Green Chillies - 2 (chopped)
Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - a pinch
Cilantro - for garnish
Salt - as needed

For Tempering

Oil/Ghee - 2 tblsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fennel/Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Channa Dal - 1 tsp (optional)
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Cashews - 1 tblsp
Curry Leaves - 1 spring

Method

1. You can cook the rice or use leftover rice to make tomato rice.
2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds.
3. Add channa dal, urad dal and fennel seeds and fry till it turns reddish brown in colour.
4. Add cashews, green chillies and curry leaves.
5. Add the onions and fry till it turns translucent.
6. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds.
7. Next add the pureed tomatoes and cook till the raw smell vanishes.
8. Add the chopped tomato, salt, garam masala and chilly powder. Cook for a couple of minutes.
9. Now toss the cooked rice with this masala. Check for salt and other seasonings and adjust according to your taste.
10. Finally sprinkle with some chopped cilantro and switch off.

Serving Suggestions

- Tomato Rice tastes excellent with some potato chips and raita.
- It can also be served with some chicken or potato sidedishes for some party.
- It is a very good dish for lunch box, for train travel and for picnics.

Tips
- The tempering is absolutely optional. It adds a nice crunch to the rice dish. I personally like to add tempering when I have tomato rice as a simple meal with some papad, boiled egg or raita. But when I make tomato rice with some rich sidedish like chicken curry or potato kurma, I like to make it plain without tempering. You can name this variation as 'Tomato Biriyani'.
- Another variation is to make it a one pot meal. Make the masala as above and cook the rice along with the masala. This is a good option when you are in a hurry.

Chicken Fry

2013-08-28T10:23:00.002-07:00

(Bhuna Murg, Kerala Roast, Kozhi Varuval)

Ingredients
Whole Chicken - 1 medium sized (cut into 20-25 pieces with bones in)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tblsp
Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
Paprika - 1 tblsp (This gives a nice colour without increasing the spice)
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp (optional)
Lemon Juice - 2 tblsp
Salt - as needed
Curry Leaves - 2-3 springs (keep the leaves whole or tear it with hands)
Oil - for deep frying

Method
1. Cut the chicken into lemon sized pieces and wash it nicely.
2. Mix the chicken with lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, salt and pepper powder.
3. Let this rest and marinate for atleast half an hour. Overnight marination will be good.
4. In a seperate bowl mix together the chilly powder, paprika, garam masala and turmeric powder.
5. Add some lemon juice/ water with this powder and make a nice paste.
6. Rub this paste nicely over all the chicken pieces. Also mix in the curry leaves with the chicken pieces.
7. In the meantime, heat oil in a kadai for deep frying.
8. Deep fry the chicken pieces in batches until it is completely cooked. It may take 10-12 minutes for each batch.
9. Remove and drain the excess oil in paper towel. Serve with biriyani or any variety rice.

Potato Pulav

2013-08-28T10:14:00.002-07:00

Ingredients
Rice-2 cups(160 ml electric rice cooker cup)
onion-1 1/2
potato (red potato look good) - 5 nos(small size chopped in small pieces)
ginger-1.5" piece (grated)
cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
cumin pwdr - 2 tsp
garam masala -2 tsp
green chillies - 3 (you could also use Jalapeno peppers)
lemon juice - juice from 1 & 1/2 lemons
Cilantro - handful
Curry leaves - 2-3 strands

Method

1. Cook the rice seperately and keep it aside.

2. Heat oil in a wide vessel and splutter some cumin seeds.

3. Saute the onions, green chillies & ginger.

4. Add finely chopped cilantro & curry leaves.

5. Add chopped potato, mix it, cover and cook.

6. After the potato is well cooked, mix the cooked rice and garam masala.

7. Add salt and lemon juice.

8. Atlast add finely chopped cilantro & green chilly.

Tips

     - Instead of cooked rice, you could add thick poha (aval) and make

aval upma (batata powa) and serve with mint chutney for a quick breakfast, brunch or dinner.

     - You could also add some peanuts for some added crunch.

Tikki

2013-08-28T09:58:00.003-07:00

These potato dumplings served with tangy chutneys is an anytime treat. -

Ingredients

	Potatoes,boiled	4 large

	Split green gram skinless (dhuli moong dal)	1 cup

	Salt	to taste

	Oil	2 tablespoons + to shallow fry

	Asafoetida	a pinch

	Green chillies,chopped	3

	Powdered sugar	2 tablespoons

	Yogurt	2 cups

	Green chutney	as required

	Sweet chutney	as required

	Roasted cumin powder	1 teaspoon

	Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon

Method
Coarsely grind the moong dal. Grate the boiled potatoes into a bowl. Add salt and mix. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add asafoetida and the ground moong dal. Stir and sauté. Sprinkle some water if it begins to stick to the pan and continue to sauté. Add a little more oil if required. Add salt and green chillies, mix and cook till dry. Set aside peethi to cool. Add powdered sugar and a pinch of salt to the yogurt and mix well. Pass it through a muslin cloth to get a smooth mixture. Set aside. Heat oil on a tawa. Grease your palm, spread a portion of potatoes on it. Place a portion of the peethi in the centre and gather the edges and shape into a tikki. Place the tikkis on the hot tawa and fry. When one side is golden turn over and cook the other side till it becomes golden too. Drain and place the tikkis on a leaf plate. Drizzle green chutney, sweetened yogurt, sweet chutney, green chutney again. Sprinkle roasted cumin powder and red chilli powder and serve immediately.

Pea & tomato curry

2013-08-27T10:30:00.004-07:00

Ingredients

250g paneer (indian cheese), cut into chunks
4 very ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped and whizzed to a purée with a thumb sized piece of ginger and clove of garlic
300g frozen peas, defrosted
oil

Method
1. Fry the paneer in 2 tbsp of oil until golden brown. Scoop out. Fry the onion mix until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the spices, then the tomatoes and stock, and simmer for 10 mins until thickened. Add the paneer and peas and cook for 5 minutes.
spice mix made from 2 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp turmeric and a pinch cayenne
300ml vegetable stock or water

Thai prawn fried rice

2013-08-27T10:25:00.003-07:00

Ingredients

2 tsp vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 tbsp red Thai curry paste
800g leftover cooked rice (275g uncooked)
300g frozen peeled prawns, defrosted
175g frozen sliced green beans, defrosted
juice 1 lime, plus extra wedges to serve
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce, plus extra to serve
shredded cucumber, sliced red chilli and coriander leaves, to garnish (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan on a medium heat. Pour in the egg, tilt the pan so it forms a thin omelette and cook for about 1 min until set. Tip out onto a chopping board, roll up, then slice into ribbons. Set aside.
Heat the curry paste with 1 tbsp water until hot, then tip in the rice, stir to break up and toss to coat.
Add the prawns and beans, and heat through. Add the lime juice and fish sauce, then stir though the egg strips. Serve the fried rice in bowls with extra lime wedges and fish sauce. Scatter with some sliced cucumber, chilli and coriander leaves, if you like.

Speedy prawn fried rice

2013-08-27T10:23:00.004-07:00

Ingredients

1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 red onion
200g pack mixed vegetable medley
200g pack large prawns, raw or cooked, defrosted if frozen
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
500g cooked, rice, use home-cooked or Tilda Rizazz basmati rice
chopped coriander and soy sauce, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the red onion and vegetables, then stir-fry for 2 mins until starting to wilt. Throw in the prawns, garlic and fish sauce and cook everything together for 3-4 mins until the prawns change colour and cook through. (If using cooked prawns, you just need to stir them into the rice to warm through before serving.)
Scatter in the rice, then carry on cooking for 3-4 mins until the rice is piping hot. Serve scattered with coriander and pass round the soy sauce bottle for those who want it.

15-minute prawn curry

2013-08-27T10:21:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

390g can coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
2 tsp sugar
small bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stalks
400g bag frozen, cooked, peeled tiger prawns, defrosted
100g baby spinach leaves
juice 1 lime
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

Method

Open the coconut milk, pour the thin milk into a jug, keeping back any thick coconut cream. Scoop the coconut cream into a blender. Add 2-3 tbsp of the coconut milk plus curry paste, sugar and coriander stalks and blend to a smooth paste. Heat a wok, tip in the paste, stir fry for 1-2 mins, then pour in the remaining milk from the jug.
Bring to a simmer, then add the prawns and spinach. Cook until the prawns are heated through and spinach has wilted. Add lime juice and fish sauce, then spoon into bowls. Scatter over coriander leaves and serve with plain rice or noodles.

Basic Sauteed Chicken

2013-08-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Prep Time 15 minutesCook Time 15 minutes

Properly sauteéd chicken breasts are completely excellent, and I'm going to offer you a tutorial here for just that. You can do what you like with them when they're done: make the simple pan sauce and eat them as is, or slice them up to top a salad or pasta or to fill sandwiches or burritos. Try combining this recipe with a side of easy sauteéd mushroomsas they go very well with chicken. Buttered egg noodles make a great accompaniment, since the delicious juices seep over on the plate and season them perfectly.

by Catherine Newman

What you'll need

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup dry white wine, or just use 1 cup chicken broth or another tasty liquid of your choosing if the wine is going to be too wine-y for your kids
1 handful fresh chopped parsley

Helpful Tip:

-Thick breasts take too long to cook, and the middle insists on remaining bland. Use very small chicken breasts, cut each one in half to make 2 skinnier breasts, or pound them using a meat tenderizer. -In a non-stick pan, the chicken may be disinclined to brown correctly, and the brown is where the flavor is here. Try to use a non-non-stick pan. -Don't be afraid of heat. You want to brown the chicken very well, and you want to do this before the inside turns to quilt batting. The chicken will seem, at first, like it's sticking, but once it's properly browned it will loosen itself as if by magic. -Slice each breast up crosswise before serving: this allows the sauce to get inside, making it more appealing to eat.

How to make it

Begin by trimming the chicken breasts if they need trimming. I use my beloved kitchen scissors and snip off any shaggy bits of fat or gristle.
Pat them dry with paper towels (to helps them brown) and sprinkle them with some kosher salt.
Heat a very large pan over medium-high heat and add the butter, which should melt and foam, and the olive oil, which should stop the butter from burning. When the fat is all very hot but not turning black (recipes say "when the foam subsides"), add the chicken breasts in one layer. Now leave them alone for 5 or so minutes while the bottom gets nice and crusty and brown.
Use tongs or a spatula to flip them over as they brown, and then cook another 4 or so minutes until the bottom is very brown and the chicken is cooked through. You may want to cut a piece open to check, but pressing a cooked breast with your fingertip will give you a feel for its doneness, which will develop over time into the skill of knowing when it's done without cutting it.
Pile the chicken on a heat-proof plate and pop it into a 200ºF heated oven while you "deglaze" the pan. Pour the wine in and scrape with a spatula to dissolve all the yummy browned bits while the wine bubbles and boils furiously in the hot pan.
When the wine has cooked down about halfway, add the broth, turn the heat to high, and cook until the sauce seems syrupy and delicious. Taste it for salt, then drizzle it over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. Sometimes, if the chicken has browned but doesn't seem quite cooked through, I leave it in the pan while I make the sauce so that it can simmer in there a bit longer.

Chicken Tikka Kebab

2013-08-26T10:36:00.002-07:00

Ingredients

Chicken Breast/ Boneless Chicken -1 lb(cut into bite size pieces)
Onion, Coloured Bell Peppers,Tomato (diced) - 1 cup (optional)
Salt - 1 tsp
Cayenne pepper - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Yogurt - 1 Cup
Cashew nuts - 2 tbsp (crushed)
Lemon -1/2 (juiced)
Cilantro (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Red color - few drops(optional)
Oil - 1 tblsp
Chicken Tikka

Method

1.Mix all the ingredients under marination except chicken and veggies to form a paste.
2.Now add the marination to the chicken pieces and veggies to coat it .
3.Let it marinate for atleast 3 hours in refrigerator (increased marination time gives soft chicken with all masala taste).
4.Take bamboo skewers and soak in water for 1/2 hour.
5.Preheat oven to 300F.
6.Grease a baking dish with few drops of olive oil and spread the marinate chicken pieces and veggie pieces on it.
7.Bake it for 10 minutes and flip the chicken pieces and again bake for 10 minutes(to evenly cook the chicken)
8.Now take the baking dish out from oven and place the chicken and veggies in skewers(use paper towel to handle chicken if its very hot).
9.Now place the skewers in the oven at 350F for another 10 minutes(this gives the flavor and taste like in tandoori).
10.Now serve the yummy tikka by sprinkling few drops of lemon juice as a snack.

Tips
- You can also grill the tikka on a stove top griddle if you do not have oven.
- If you dont have skewers just place it in a baking sheet in the rack above heating rod (check that it does not get burnt)

Khuska Biriyani

2013-08-26T10:35:00.001-07:00

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups (soaked for atleast 10 minutes and drained)
Onions - 2 (chopped)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Green Chillies - 5-6 (chopped)
Ginger garlic Paste - 1 tblsp
Coconut Milk diluted with water - 1.5 cups
Chicken Stock - 1.5 cup
Yogurt - 1/2 cup
Mint Leaves (Pudhina) - handful
Cilantro (Corriander Leaves) - handful
Whole Garam Masala - (2 Bay Leaf, 4 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 Cardamom, 1 Star Anise)
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp (crushed)
Saffron Strands - 2 pinches (you could also use kesari powder or orange food colour instead)
Butter/Ghee/Oil - 2-3 tblsp
Salt - as needed

Method

1. Heat the oil/butter/ghee in a pan and add the whole garam masala to it.
2. Splutter the cumin seeds and fennel seeds.
3. Saute the onions and green chillies for 10 minutes followed by ginger garlic paste for another 1 minute.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, finely chopped cilantro and mint leaves and cook for few minutes.
5. Add the yogurt, coconut milk, chicken stock and salt and bring it to a boil.
6. Add the soaked rice and bring it to a boil once again.
7. Reduce the flame to low, cover and cook till the rice is completely done.(app. 25 minutes)
8. Soak the saffron strands in 1 tblsp of milk and drizzle it over the cooked rice.
9. Fluff up the rice with a fork, garnish with cilantro, fried onions or chopped nuts.
10.Serve with some spicy curry and raita. This dish infact goes well with any kind of sidedish.

Tips
- You could also transfer the ingredients to a pressure cooker(2 whistles) or rice cooker and cook it

Prawns Masala

2013-08-26T10:34:00.002-07:00

(Eral Thokku, Shrimp Curry)

Ingredients

Prawns (or Shrimp) - 1 lb (about 1/2 kg)
Onion - 2 (chopped)
Ginger - 1" piece (minced)
Garlic - 5 cloves (minced)
Tomato - 1 big (or 2 small chopped)
Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 or 2 tsp (adjust according to your taste)
Corriander Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Lemon Juice - few drops
Oil - 1 tblsp
Salt - to taste
Corriander Leaves (Cilantro) and Lemon wedge - for garnish

Method

1. Clean the shrimp (or prawns) and devein them. Add little salt, pepper powder and lemon juice. Let this rest and marinate till you prepare the other stuff.
2. Take a frying pan and add oil to it. Splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
3. Add the onions and saute till it turns golden brown. Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic.
4. Add the chopped (or pureed) tomato. Cook till the tomatoes are cooked.
5. Mix the dry spice powder - turmeric powder, red chilly powder, corriander powder and garam masala.
6. Let it cook till oil seperates from the masala.
7. Add the prawns and mix for 2 minutes so that all the prawns will coated with the masala.
8. Add very little water and required salt. You can made a dry prawns (or shrimp) masala by cooking on low heat without adding any water. Adjust the water as per your requirement.
9. Cover and let it cook for about 10 minutes till all the prawns curls up into a 'c' or 'O' shape. This is an indication that it is done.
10. Garnish with cilantro and a lemon wedge and switch off.

Serving Suggestion
- You can serve this with fried rice, biriyani, naan, chappatti, idli, noodles or semiya biriyani.

Shrimp Biriyani

2013-08-26T10:32:00.001-07:00

(Prawns Biriyani, Erra Biriyani, Jhinga Pulav)

Ingredients
Shrimps(Prawns) - 1 lb
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Onion - 1(thinly sliced)
Green Chilly - 2 (minced)
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 2 ( crished/finely diced)
Lemon - 1
Coriander leaves - handful
Mint leaves - handful (optional)
Chilly powder - 2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Curd - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon stick - 1 piece
Cardamom - 2 pods
Bay leaf - 1
Star anise - 1
Ghee - 2 tblsp
Oil - 2 tblsp

Method
1.Devein and clean the shrimps and rinse with water thoroughly.
2.Add 1 tsp of chilly powder, 1/2 tsp of coriander powder, a pinch of turmeric powder, 1 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste, curd and salt.Toss everything together and keep it aside.
3.Heat ghee and oil in a deep pan and add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise and cloves.
4.Add onions and fry till it becomes golden brown. Add the remaining ginger-garlic paste and green chilly and fry for 2-3 mins, until the raw smell disappears.
5.Add the tomatoes along with the rest of the chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and fry till a nice spicy paste is formed.
6.Add part of the chopped coriander leaves saving a part for garnishing. Add chopped mint leaves and fry for another minute.
7.Add the shrimp mixture to this paste and fry for 2 minutes. Overcooking the shrimp will make it rubbery.
8.Put this mixture into a rice cooker along with rice and 3 cups water.Pour the juice of a whole lemon on top.
9.Once the biriyani is done, put it into an oven safe tray. Heat it for 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven to remove the excess liquid.(optional)
10.Grnish with cilantro and fried shrimp and serve with some raita

Mooli Moong Besan

2013-08-26T10:30:00.002-07:00

Ingredients

•	White radish,peeled and cut into cubes	2-3

•	Split green gram skinless (dhuli moong dal) ,soaked for 1 hour	1/2 cup

•	Gram flour (besan)	3 teaspoons

•	Oil	3 tablespoons

•	Dried red chillies	5

•	Ginger,chopped	1 teaspoon

•	Asafoetida	1/4 teaspoon

•	Radish leaves,chopped	1 cup

•	Salt	to taste

•	Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon

•	Coriander powder	1 teaspoon

Method
Heat 1 tbsp oil in one non stick pan, and the remaining oil in another non stick pan.
Cut red chillies into small pieces and add to the second pan. Toss and add ginger and asafoetida. Mix and sauté for 2 minutes.

Add radish pieces and mix, cook for a minute and add radish greens and salt. Mix well and add turmeric powder and mix well.

Add moong dal to the first pan and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add coriander powder and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add besan and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and mix.

Add the mixture in the first pan to the second pan and mix well. Cook till dry.
Serve hot.

Rawa Idli Recipe

2013-08-25T09:26:00.004-07:00

Here's a delicious, appetizing idli recipe out of rawa and is easy to make. Learn how to make rawa (semolina) idli.

Ingredients:

2 cup semolina (rawa/suji)
1 cup sour curd (khatta dahi)
1 tsp salt (namak)
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
10-12 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 tsp meetha soda
1 tbsp oil

How to make rawa idli:

Mix salt and dahi in suji and make a thick batter using water.
Cover it and leave for 1 hour.
Now heat oil in a pan and crackle rai in it.
Then add sugar and meetha soda.
Add this to the idli mixture.
Now grease idli mould with oil and put the above mixture in it.
Boil 2 glass water in a pressure cooker and place idli mould in it.
Cover it and let it whistle.
Cook at high flame for 10 minutes and then remove it from the flame.
Open it and take out idli mould after 2 minutes.
Serve hot idlis with coconut chutney and sambhar.