Sausage Pepper Rice

Some new delicious dishes have been added our kitchen from the time Sheetal has come into our lives. Sharing another one of her recipes. A very tasty rice with chicken sausages. Here goes the recipe....

Ingredients

2 cups of rice cooked in a vessel with little extra water, once par boiled take it in a colander, drain off extra water, run some cold water over it so the grains remain separate

5 sausages chopped into roundels

1 cup corn kernels boiled till soft

1 cup cabbage roughly chopped

1 onion chopped fine

1 green bell pepper chopped into small squares

Salt and pepper as per need

2 eggs scrambled without salt

Method

In  pan take some oil, add the chopped onions let them turn golden, add the bell pepper, cook till done, add the chopped cabbage, corn, now add the sausages, cook well, add salt, pepper powder and mix well, add the rice and mix well. Last step would be to scramble two eggs and dress the rice with the scrambled eggs. Now the rice is ready to be savoured, with a sauce of your choice. 

 

                                                                          

                                                                           Corn Bhel

Hi friends, I am back here after a long hiatus. There is an addition to my family, my sweet  daughter-in- law Sheetal. She makes amazing dishes and I am learning new dishes from her. This is one of them. Sharing the recipe with all of you here...

Ingredients

2 corn cobs pressure cooked to four whistles, kernels separated

3 potatoes boiled and peeled chopped into small squares

3 eggs boiled peeled and made into thin roundels

1 large onion finely chopped

2 tomatoes finely chopped

Salt to taste

Chilli powder to taste

A small spoon of turmeric powder

2 tspoons of cumin powder

Some pepper powder for dressing 

Some curry leaves

Method

In a pan take some butter, once heated add curry leaves, turmeric powder, onions, saute the onions till golden in colour, add the tomatoes, salt, cumin powder, chilli powder, cook till mushy and now add the potatoes, mix well, add the corn kernels, mix well and then top it with egg roundels, drizzle some pepper powder for dressing. The dish now is ready to savour.  

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                                                                   Raw Papaya Paratha

Paratha is a dish which all of us love and the variations that can be brought in this are numerous. Here goes one of my experi- mental ones!!

Ingredients

Wheat flour as per need

1 medium sized raw papaya grated

Salt as per taste

1 tspn of grated ginger

1 /4 cup of grated raw mango

2 tspns of pounded green chilli

1 tspn of cumin powder

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander

2 tspns of oil

Method

In a mixing bowl or a paraat take all ingredients except wheat flour and mix well, now start adding the wheat flour and make dough till you get a nice paratha dough. Just drizzle a little oil and keep to rest for about ten minutes. Heat a tawa, make equal sized balls of the dough, roll out into parathas, roast on the tawa drizzled with oil till golden on both the sides. Relish with a bowl of yogurt, pickle and dal.

 Paneer Poori

An Indian fried flat bread made with cottage cheese and some spices.

Ingredients

2 cups of wheat flour

1/4th cup of semolina

Crumbled cottage cheese

Some salt

A little oil

2 tspns of kasuri methi or dried fenugreek leaves

Chilli powder as per taste

Oil for frying

Method

In a mixing bowl or a paraat take all the ingredients except the cotrage cheese, mix well and now start adding the crumbled cottage cheese bit by bit to make a dough for pooris. Once ready you can make equal sized balls, roll out and fry in oil on a medium flame to make this awesome plate of puffed pooris. Eat as is or with sauce, chutney, curd...you make a choice.

                                                                          Bread Upma

Bread Upma as we call it, is a very easy and tasty breakfast or evening snack preparation. Made normally when bread remains for the next day. It tastes good when made with stale bread because fresh bread is not easy to make into small pieces and makes the dish sticky. So try this next time the bread or pavs are left over. The recipe for you ....

Ingredients

8 slices of bread or pavs, broken into tiny pieces by hand (brown bread also)

3 onions chopped into mediem sized pieces

4 green chillies chopped

few curry leaves

2 tspns of split black gram lentil

1 tomato chopped into small pieces

2 tspns of lime juice

Salt to taste

2 tspns of sugar

A ladle of milk just to sprinkle on top

Chopped coriander for garnishing

Freshly scraped coconut for garnishing

Method

 In a a pan take some coconut oil or any oil of your choice, add mustard seeds, let them splutter add turmeric powder and asafoetida, add the lentil make it golden, add the curry leaves, the chillies, saute a bit, add the chopped onions, stir till light brown, add tomato, cook till a bit mushy. Now add the bread, salt, sugar, lime juice, sprinkle the milk over, mix well and cook for sometime till everything gets mixed well. Here milk helps the dish to get little moist. Add little of the coriander and coconut and mix. Take it off the fire, transfer to a serving bowl and serve garnished with coconut and coriander. 

        

                                                                   Palak Matar Pulao

A spicy rice dish which all in my family enjoy and hoping that you people enjoy it too. When the spinach in the market is so tempting and fresh you must try this one!! here comes my recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups of long grain basmati or any rice of your choice

200 gms of fresh green peas

A small bunch of spinach, 3 green chillies, blanched and pureed

2 onions finely chopped

2 tspns of roughly pound ginger garlic

Juice of half a lime

Salt to taste

A pinch of turmeric powder

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method

In a pressure cooker take some oil, add the onions, saute till golden, add turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, saute till raw smell disappears. now add the spinach puree, a handful of chopped coriander, saute till cooked well, add the peas, the washed rice, salt and lime juice. Mix well, add 4 cups of water, this rice need not be too dry, in the sense that it tastes good when it retains moisture. Mix and cook it to 2 whistles. Tranfer to a serving bowl, garnish with coriander leaves and serve. No accompaniment is needed with this dish! A bowl of yogurt will suffice. 

 

 

 

                                     

                                          Warm Pasta Salad....Feta, Mushrooms And Spinach

This is a very delicious warm pasta salad which can be eaten at any time of the day. Very satiating and tasty on the palette. Recipe video shared by my daughter Ashwini. My version of it goes here for you.

Ingredients

200 gms of mushrooms freshly chopped into medium sized pieces

2 large onions chopped into thick long pieces

6 garlic cloves

A block of feta cheese as shown in the picture

Few sprigs of  fresh Thyme

Salt

Olive oil

1 cup pasta boiled and ready

Few  baby spinach leaves

Black pepper powder

Method

Line a baking tray with butter paper, keep the feta block in the centre, spread the onions, mushrooms and the garlic evenly, sprinkle salt, olive oil, some torn thyme leaves, pepper powder and put the tray in the pre heated oven for 10 minutes on 180 degrees. Remove stir and crush the half cooked garilc cloves and the feta, mix roughly. keep it back for another few minutes, remove and now mix everything well. let it go in again for a few minutes till you see that all the ingredients are well cooked. Remove from the oven, add the baby spinach, the pasta and mix well and eat it warm with or without bread.

 

                                                                

                                                                         Sweet Puri

A nice sweet  tea time snack. Fried, fruity and flavourful too. Can be had at llunch with some mango or lime pickle. here goes my experi-mental recipe.

Ingrdients

1 ripe banana mashed

1 chickoo mashed

2 tbsp of coconut milk

1/4 tspn of cinnamon powder

A dash of salt

1 tspn clarified butter

Wheat flour as required

2 tbsp of semolina

Method

In a mixing bowl take all the above ingredients except the wheat flour, mix well now add the wheat flour bit by bit and see that you make a dough for puris, neither too soft, nor too hard. Apply some clarified butter and rest the dough for 15 minutes. 

Keep oil to heat, in the meanwhile make small balls, Roll them out and fry them on medium heat, should become light golden in colour,  transfer them to a tissue for absorbing extra oil. They can be now eaten hot hot.

  

                                                            

                                                                      Raw Mango Rice

A very simple recipe, people usually make this when rice remains for the next day and it needs to be finished.  I like to plan and make it as a fresh dish since all of us enjoy eating it. The rice has two versions, it is made with lime juice and when the mango season comes, raw mangoes are used which give it  tangy yummy taste. The recipe belongs to Chef Sanjeev Kapoor. He is the first person I remember who made cooking a passion and not a duty. He taught us to enjoy cooking and share with each other the methods of cooking. Here goes his recipe.....

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice, cooked in such a way that the grains are separate 

1/2 cup raw mango grated, can be as per need depending on the sourness

1 tspn of split black gram 

1 tspn of bengal gram dal

10 curry leaves

4 green chillies chopped

2 tspns of sugar

Oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for tempering

Coriander chopped for garnishing

Method

In a pan take some oil, add mustard seeds, wait till they splutter, add asafoetida, turmeric powder, add both the dals now, let them become golden and crisp. add chillies, curry leaves, now add the raw mango and mix well, you can add salt, sugar and mix again, lastly add the rice and give it a good mix. This needs to be taken off the fire soon since the rice is already cooked. Transfer to a bowl, garnish with coriander and serve. Hot or cold, both ways it tastes great.  

 

                                                                

                                                                         Gajar  Halwa

A very typically Indian sweet dish which is an all time preparation of mothers in our very own Hindi films. My it be any good ocasion the halwa has to be there. I was tempted to make it today and here goes my version..... 

Ingredients

250 gms of washed, peeled freshly grated winter special carrots

3 cups of milk

1 cup of sugar (as per taste)

3 tbsps of clarified butter

Few strands of saffron

5 cashews, 5 almonds, 8 pistachios (I normally soak them for about half an hour and chop them)

10 raisins

Method

In pan take the clarified butter and add the grated carrots, cook the till soft, add the milk and  the saffron, wait till it loses most of its moisture, add sugar, the dry fruits, raisins,  now cook till it becomes a nice semi moist solid. This can be served topped with more sauteed dry fruits or as is. Hot or cold both taste great. It tastes good with hot hot puris too.

 

                                            Cottage Cheese Curry With A Southern Touch

An experi-mental dish again, a very tasty, nutty creamy, spicy curry to go wth rotis and pulao.A must try for paneer lovers, here goes my recipe...

Ingredients

250 gms of paneer/cottage cheese cut into cubes

For roasting and making into a fine powder

1/2 tspn shahi jeera

1 tspn cumin seeds

1 tspn coriander seeds

6 white pepper corns

6 black pepper corns

10 curry leaves

1 inch ginger roughly chopped

8 garlic cloves

1/4 cup dry grated coconut

Roast the above in very little oil, grind and keep ready

Ingredients for curry

2 onions finely chopped

 2 onions thinly juliened

2 tomatoes finely chopped

Juice of half a lime

1 tetra pack of coconut milk

1 tspn kitchen king masala

1 tspn chilli powder

1 tspn kasuri methi

Salt to taste

Freshly chopped coriander for garnishing

Method

 In a pan take some oil, add the finely chopped onions, saute till golden, add the chopped tomatoes, fry well till done, now add the ground masala, mix well, add the juliened onion, fry well, add the tomato puree, lime juice and all the spices, mix well and cook, now add the paneer and saute for about three to four minutes, add coconut milk and mix well,  you can slit a couple of chillies, fry them and add at the end(optional) do not cook for too long else the milk may curdle. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh coriander.

 

                                                                        

                                                                         Tomato Bhat

A simple, yummy recipe I learnt from a friend by name Prabha who was my neighbour. Many years ago we lost touch since she shifted from there, she will always be my friend wherever she is and this rice always will keep her in my memory. Thanks Prabha and here goes my recipe...

Ingredients

2 cups of long grained rice, I used Basmati

2 large onions finely chopped

3 tomatoes finely chopped

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder as per your taste

 2 tspns of Saar masala or Sambar masala

Juice of half a lime

Oil, mustard seeds, turmeric powder and asafoetida for tempering

In a pressure cooker take oil as per requirement, add mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder, now add the chopped onions, a chopped chilli if you like, saute till golden, add the tomatoes and all the rest of the ingredients, cook till mushy. Now add the rice and mix well, add 4 cups of water, cover and cook to 2 whistles. Transfer to a serving bowl and then serve garnished with chopped coriander.

 

                                                          

                                                          Prawn Rice With Coconut Milk

An easy rice preparation which would be a treat for prawn lovers like my son Nidhi who taught me this preparation, the hit of the pepper and the awesome nutty flavour of the coconut milk which makes the rice moist and soft, will be very satiating on the palette. The recipe is here for you....

Ingredients

300 gms of prawns, shelled, deveined, marinated in salt, turmeric powder and 2 tspns of garam masala

2 cups of basmati rice soaked for about half an hour

2 tspns ghee

2 bay leaves

1 tspn of whole pepper corns

2 cups of  coconut milk

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander for garnishing

Method

Take deep pan, add the ghee, add the bay leaves and the peppercorns, once they release an aroma add the prawns, salt and stir a bit, then add the rice, 2 cups of water and 2 cups of coconut milk. Mix well, leave it to cook covered till done. Once done garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

 

Dal Vada With Coconut Chutney

Dal Vada the quintessential snack which any South Indian would swear by!! I love the crunchy from outside, tasty, spicy and soft from inside vada, would have it at anytime of the day. Specially great with a cup of strong filter coffee. My recipe goes here for you...

Ingredients

1 cup chana (Bengal gram) dal soaked for about four hours

An inch of grated ginger

2 onions chopped fine

3 green chillies

10 curry laves chopped fine

Some freshly pounded black pepper corns

Fresh chopped coriander

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method

Drain the soaked dal and take it in a mixi jar, add the ginger, coriander, green chillies, and grind it to a coarse mix. Add a bit of water if needed, transfer to a mixing bowl and mix the chopped onions, curry leaves, coriander, salt, the pepper corn. Make equal sized balls and press between palms to flatten them. heat oil in a pan and fry the vadas on medium heat so they get done from inside but do not burn from outside. Fry to a crisp golden brown colour, spread them on a tissue for absorbing any extra oil. Enjoy them with coconut chutney or any sauce of your choice. 

 

                                              

                                                                   Honey Cheese Toast

A favourite dessert which we had at a mall in Bangkok, Thailand!! What a dish, the warm crisp toast, the honey and the combination of the salty cheese and the chilled ice cream!! mmm,  so tasty and so palatable that, so long after the trip none of us have forgotten it. The heavy rain, the walk through the rain and then this yummy treat.  A must try... my daughter Ashwini made it and passed on the recipe to me, here goes my version of it.

Ingredients

Brioche bread, you need to cut it into thick slices

Vanilla ice cream

Honey

Butter

Cheese, I used kraft cheese (grated)

Method

On a skillet keep the bread slice and toast it to a crisp golden colour with butter on it, transfer to a plate, first drizzle honey as per your taste, keep a scoop of ice cream, then again drizzle some honey, now grate cheese on it, as much as you want and have it warm to get the best taste.

             

                                                                      Sweet Sour Okra

A dish that is very much popular in North Karnataka, it is called Gojju in Kannada and Kayras in Marathi. Sweet, sour, spicy and tasty to go with either rice or chapatis. My recipe....

Ingredients

250 gms of okra washed, wiped and chopped into medium sized pieces

1/4 cup of powder made of roasted peanuts

1/4 cup powder made of roasted sesame seeds

2 tbsp of tamarind pulp

2 tspns of jaggery powder

1 tbsp of saar masala or sambar masala

1 tspn of chilli powder

Salt to taste

Coriander for garnishing

Method

First in a kadhai take some oil, make a tempering of mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder, add the chopped okra and cook till almost done, now add the powders, the tamarind and the jaggery. Add water enough to mix all the ingredients well, a little to a curry consistency. Bring this to a boil on slow flame. Once done add more water if needed or adjust as you would like to have, whether with rice or roti. Transfer to a serving bowl once done, garnish with some fresh coriander and savour it.

 

  Mushroom Gravy With Cream Cheese And Thousand Island Sauce

This is an experi-mental dish which was so amazingly delicious that I would recommend as a must try. Awesome with phulkas and rotis. Here goes my recipe.....

Ingredients

250 gms of mushrooms washed and chopped to medium sized pieces

2 large onions chopped fine

2 large tomatoes chopped fine

8 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger pounded

2 tspns of thousand island sauce

1 tbsp of cream cheese (garlic cilantro)

2 tspns of kashmiri chilli powder

!/2 cup chopped coriander

Salt to taste, use wisely since the sauces have salt in them

Method

First of all in a pan with olive oil saute mushrooms till they are cooked and change colour. Keep aside. In the same pan add some olive oil, saute the onions to a golden brown colour, add the ginger garlic, cook well, add the tomatoes cook till mushy,  add the chilli powder,the sauces mentioned, the coriander and salt to taste, mix well and now add the mushrooms and cook till they get well mixed. Your dish is ready to serve.

 

                                 
                                                          Bhindi Kurkuri/Crispy Okra

An extremely tasty starter, okra crisp fried to perfection can be a delight on the palette. Made it after my son saw the fresh green bhindi sent to us by Sahyadri Farms. First try was an awesome success. Hope you enjoy making this in your kitchens too. I made it this way....

Ingredinets
1/4 kg okra washed wiped and left spread to dry on a cloth
For marination
1/2 cup chick pea flour
Salt to taste
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn chilli powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn dry mango powder
1 tspn chaat masala
1 tspn garam masala

Oil for frying

Method 
Once dry, chop each okra into four pieces length wise, spread in a large bowl, add all the ingredients given for marination, give them a nice mix and leave this for about 5 to 7 minutes, now keep the oil for frying them, you need to separate and fry the pieces, a long process... yes, but you want to eat tasty food then you need patience!! So, fry them in small batches, keep on a plate with tissue paper, to absorb excess oil, and also, they don't release water and all you efforts go waste. After frying all the ladies finger, you can eat them as they are or with dal rice, rolled in rotis, as you wish.

Pictures of how to chop and marinate.

                             
                                                          Bhel, The Bombay Street Food

Bhel is one of the most relished of the Bomay street food varieties. An asli Bambaiyya would surely vouch for the taste and satiating quality of this dish. It is an anytime dish. I learnt this way of making this from my Mother-In-Law. She loved it and all the family loves it. I don't know if I can make like her, the original is gone with her!!  Here goes my recipe...

Ingredients
A pack of lighter variety of the puffed rice(Kurmura)
Sev, I prefer the sev a little thicker than the nylon variety
Onions chopped finely
Tomatoes chopped finely
A coarse paste of  green chillies made in the mixi jar with a bit of salt
Tamarind paste
Boiled and mashed potatoes
Finely chopped coriander

For those who like the sweet chutney
 Grind together 4 dates soaked in water, seeds removed and water drained, 3 tspns of tamarind paste, some cumin powder, salt to taste, two teaspoons of jaggery. Make a little thick pouring consistency.

Method
In a mixing bowl, take the required amount of puffed rice, sev, add the onions, tomatoes, chilli, salt, tamarind paste and a little coriander, add all the ingredients in proportion with the puffed rice or as per your taste. We prefer it without the sweet chutney, but those who like it sweet can add the chutney to according to your taste,give this a good mix with your hands, this way it tastes the best. Now serve in a serving bowl topped with more sev and coriander, as you wish. Enjoy this dish for breakfast, lunch, teatime or dinner. It can be had at all times!!

                               
                                                            Tamilian Omlette Curry

Came across this Tamilian Omlette curry which is super if you love eggs, the recipe credit goes to 
Chef Zac. Was first introduced to this by my niece Shruti. Loved making it and more so loved eating it. Helped by my son Nidhi, who has more patience than me!! You can make this with chicken or, potatoes. Chicken made for my son and husband, omelette for me. So here I am sharing the recipe with you.....

Ingredients
3 large onions chopped into not very thin long pieces
3 tomatoes chopped in the same way
3 tspns of tamarind pulp
3 tspns of ground garlic, green chillies and ginger
2 cups of coconut milk
1 tspn chilli powder
1 tspn cumin powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn black pepper powder
1/2 tspn turmeric powder
A few curry leaves
2 green chillies cut into halves
Salt to taste
Coriander for garnishing
Clarified butter as needed

An omelette made of four eggs in the traditional way, I folded it and made it, kept ready for adding later

Method

In a pan take some clarified butter, add the onions cook till they are caramelized, add tomatoes, cook till mushy, keep adding salt bit by bit to help the curry to be moist, add the ginger, garlic, chilli paste, cook till done, add turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, mix well, add little water to mix it well, now add the coconut milk, salt and the tamarind paste, stir a bit, in another pan make a tempering of clarified butter, mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves, add this to the curry. Now add the omelette cut into pieces as shown in my picture. Tate check the salt and add only if need be. Mix well and your curry is ready. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander and serve hot with roti or steaming hot white rice.