Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Upma

Serves: 4
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients & Recipe:

1) On medium heat, roast 1 cup coarse rava (semolina) in 2 tbsp of ghee until the rava turns light cream/golden in color.
2) In a pan, heat a tbsp of ghee/oil and let a tsp of mustard seeds splutter in the same.
3) Saute 1 roughly chopped red onion, in the pan, until it turn pinkish. Then, add 2 sliced cloves of garlic, 5 tbsp of green peas and 1 sliced green chilli and saute the mix together for around 5-10 minutes. Then, add in 2 tsp of salt & 2 tsp of sugar.
4) Next add the roasted rava to the pan and mix all the ingredients well.
5) Add 2 cups of boiling water to the mixture and keeping mixing all the ingredients together until the water completely evaporates from the pan.
6) At this point, the rava should be soft enough. If it feels too grainy, add a little more boiled water and once again mix the contents until the water completely evaporates.
7) Garnish the upma with some grated coconut & finely chopped cilantro and enjoy this hot, delish snack with a piping hot cuppa tea!

Monday, June 8, 2009

Indian-chinese fried rice

I will admit that my recipe is not as yummy as the chinese food they sell in the Indo-chinese restaurants in Bombay..However, its pretty close..

Serves: 4
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients & Recipe:

1) On high heat, saute one sliced medium onion, 1 thin & veritically-sliced carrot, 1 chopped bunch of green onions and 1 sliced green chilli on 2 tbsp of oil for around 10 minutes.
2) Add 3 tbsp of soya sauce, 2 tbsp of vinegar and continue to saute the ingredients together for another 2 minutes.
3) In a wok, take 2 cups of cooked* rice and add 2 tbsp of soya sauce and a 2 tbsp of vinegar to the same. Cook for 2 minutes as you mix the soya sauce & vinegar in the rice.
4) Now add all the ingredients from Step 2 to the rice and mix well.
5) Garnish with some chopped green onions and get ready to enjoy yummy home-cooked Indo-chinese fried rice.

Note: You can add chopped green bell peppers to the ingredients in step 2.
* -- Ensure that the rice is cooked with less water so that it does not turn out to be too soft.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Creamy cauliflower sabzi

Serves 4
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients & Recipe:
1) In a saucepan, heat oil and add some mustard, asafoetida & cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add, 1 finely chopped red onion and fry it till its light pink.

2) Add, 2 tsp of salt, 2 tbsp chilli powder, 2 tbsp kashmiri mirchi powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp dhaniya-jeera powder.

3) Next, add a cup of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of milk and bring it to a boil.

4) Add 1 cup of cauliflower florets to the saucepan and let the florets cook on low heat in the mushroom soup for 20 minutes.

5) Next, time to enjoy the sabzi with hot chapatis!

P.S : You can replace the cauliflower by peas, mixed vegetables, shrimps, etc.
P.S.S: Thanks Zohra for the brilliant cream of mushroom soup idea!

Red Egg Curry

Serves 4
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients & Recipe:
1) In a saucepan, heat oil and add some mustard, asafoetida & cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add, 1 finely chopped red onion and fry it till its light pink.

2) Add 1 tomato & let it cook. Then add, 2 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp chilli powder, 1 tbsp kashmiri mirchi powder, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp dhaniya-jeera powder.

3) Next, add a cup of coconut milk and boil for ~10 minutes. Mix a raw egg in the same and cook for 2 minutes.

4) Now, add 4 halved, boiled eggs and cook for another couple minutes.

5) Forget the garnish, just enjoy with hot fulkas or rice.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Green chana sprouts w/kasuri methi

Serves 6
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients & Recipe:

1) Take a cup of fresh, green chana sprouts and a green chilli and grind them to make a smooth paste/puree.

2) In a saucepan, heat 2 tbsp of oil with 1 tbsp of ghee and splutter some cumin seeds with curry leaves.

3) Saute a finely chopped onion until light pink. Add 3 tsp of kasuri methi, 2 minced garlic cloves & 1 tbsp minced ginger and saute for another 2 minutes.

4) Then add, diced tomato, pureed chana, cup of fresh, green chana sprouts, 2 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tbsp red chilli powder, 1 tbsp dhaniya-jeera powder, 1 tbsp garam masala, 4 tsp salt, 4 tsp sugar and 1 cup of water and cook all the ingredients on medium heat until the whole chana softens.

5) When ready, garnish with grated coconut and serve with rice/tortilla.

Green egg curry

Serves 6
Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients & Recipe:
1) Take 5 tbsp sesame seeds, 2 green chillies, some water and grind to get a pasty consistency.

2) In a saucepan, heat oil and add some mustard & cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add, 1 finely chopped red onion and fry it till its turn light pink.

3) Then add the sesame & chilli paste and lightly fry it for 5-6 mins.

4) Next, add a cup of milk and 2 tsp salt. Then, add slightly-slit 4 boiled eggs and let the ingredients in the sauce pan cook for ~10 minutes.

5) Next, add 1 tsp garam masala, dhaniya-jeera powder and cook to boil.

6) Garnish with sliced almonds and serve with chapati/tortilla/roti.

NOTE: Some of the recipes on my blog are courtesy online recipe websites. While I continue to experiment with recipes from different sources or my own creations, I only post the ones for which I get a stamp of approval from my husband/family.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Tomato Soup

Serves: 4
Cook time: 10-15 mins


Ingredients & Recipe:

1) In a saucepan, mix 1 cup water, 1 can of chicken broth, 2 tbsp of butter, 4 peppercorns (whole pepper), 1 bay leaf, 1/2 stick cinnamon stick, 1 tsp crushed pepper, 2 tbsp red chilli powder, salt to taste.

2) Then add 4 tbsp plain tomato paste (canned or fresh), 2 tbsp diced tomatoes (canned or fresh) and bring all the ingredients to a boil.

3) Once the contents, above, start to boil, add 1 tbsp curshed oregano, and 1 tbsp cornstarch and let all this boil in together for another couple minutes.

4) Take the saucepan off the heat and strain all the ingredients. You may need to squeeze out the diced tomatoes to get the flavor out into the strained soup.

5) Garnish with a leaf of cilantro & croutons. Nnjoy during a chilly winter day or as an appetizer!