Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Indo-Chinese Vegetable Noodles


Serves four

Ingredients
  • 1 cup French cut Green Beans
  • 1 cup finely shredded Carrots
  • 1/2 cup thinly slices Capsicum
  • 1 cup chopped Mushrooms
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 big onion cut into rings
  • 250 gms thin noodles - boiled with a little salt and oil and strained
  • Salt to taste
  • Ajinomoto/MSG optional
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 4 tblsp. Soy sauce
  • 2 tblsp. Tomato Ketchup 
  • 1 tblsp. green chili sauce (I prefer Ching's)
  • 2 tablespoon Oil
  • Spring Onions - chopped finely


How to :
  1. In a non stick frying pan put two tablespoons of oil and heat. 
  2. Saute the onion rings for 3-5 minutes till translucent.
  3. Add the beans, capsicum, carrot and mushrooms and stir fry for 10 minutes on medium flame. 
  4. Add the noodles, cabbage, salt, MSG and black pepper and mix thoroughly.
  5. Stir fry for 5 minutes on low flame with a closed lid.
  6. Stir in the Ketchup, Soy and Chili Sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.
  7. Garnish with Spring onions and serve
Tips

  • As Soy Sauce has its own salt go easy on table salt or add it at the end
Serving Suggestion
  • Best eaten with Chilli Paneer or Gobhi Manchurian or Dry Tofu dishes
  • You can serve with finely chopped green chili marinated in vinegar for the spice lovers
  • Top it with soft scrambled eggs just before you serve

Vegetable Chinese Fried Rice


Serves two

Ingredients
  • 2 cups mixed Vegetables : Broccoli, Corn, Beans, Carrots, Capsicum, Mushroom, Peas, Water Chestnuts - finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
  • 3 cups cooked rice - preferably a day old and not too soft
  • 1 tblsp. finely shredded ginger
  • Salt to taste
  • Ajinomoto/MSG optional
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 2 tblsp. Soy sauce
  • 2 tblsp. Chilli Garlic Sauce (I prefer Sriracha)
  • 2 tablespoon Oil
  • Fresh Chinese Basil - chopped finely
  • Spring Onions - chopped finely


How to :
  1. In a non stick frying pan put two tablespoons of oil and heat. 
  2. Add the ginger and onion and saute for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the mixed vegetables and cook for 5 minutes on high flame. 
  4. Add the cooked rice, salt, MSG and black pepper and mix gently till all the rice grains are separated. Cook for 5 minutes on low flame with a closed lid.
  5. Stir in the Soy and Chili Garlic Sauce.
  6. Cook for a few more minutes stirring occasionally
  7. Garnish with Chinese Basil and Spring onions and serve
Tips

  • As Soy Sauce has its own salt go easy on table salt or add it at the end
  • Avoid using over cooked rice for this recipe
Serving Suggestion
  • Best eaten with Chilli Paneer or Gobhi Manchurian or Dry Tofu dishes
  • You can serve with finely chopped green chili marinated in vinegar for the spice lovers

Spicy Egg Curry


Serves four

Ingredients
  • 4 shelled hard boiled eggs
  • 2 medium sized potatoes cut to medium sized cubes
  • Wet Ground Masala
  • One large Onion
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 inch ginger piece
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 4 tablespoon Oil
  • Dried Fenugreek leaves


How to :
  1. In a hot pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and shallow fry the boiled eggs until they are golden red. Keep the eggs aside for now.
  2. Puree all contents under Wet Ground Masala in a blender. 
  3. In a frying pan put two table spoon oil and heat. 
  4. Saute all the potatoes for 5 minutes. 
  5. In a non stick pan put 2 table spoon oil and heat.
  6. Pour the pureed contents into the hot oil and saute for 20 minutes or more on medium flame, stirring frequently till the oil starts to separate out in the pan. 
  7. Add the salt, turmeric and chili powder and cook for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle water when needed to make sure that the spices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  8. Add the dried fenugreek, eggs, curry and 500 ml water to the pan. 
  9. Boil for 10 minutes till the gravy thickens.
Serving Suggestion
 
Best eaten with Roti or Parathas or Rice

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Mixed Vegetable Masala


Serves four

Ingredients
  • Mix Vegetables : Cauliflower, Potato, Beans, Carrots, Capsicum, Mushroom, Peas - chopped to medium sized pieces
  • Wet Ground Masala 
  • One large Onion
  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 1 inch ginger piece
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 4 tablespoon Oil
  • Dried Fenugreek leaves


How to :
  1. Puree all contents under Wet Ground Masala in a blender. 
  2. In a frying pan put two table spoon oil and heat. 
  3. Saute all the vegetables for 5 minutes. 
  4. In a non stick pan put 2 table spoon oil and heat.
  5. Pour the pureed contents into the hot oil and saute for 20 minutes or more on medium flame, stirring frequently till the oil starts to separate out in the pan. 
  6. Add the salt, turmeric and chili powder and cook for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle water when needed to make sure that the spices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  7. Add the dried fenugreek, sauteed vegetables and 500 ml water to the pan. 
  8. Boil for 10 minutes till the gravy thickens.
Serving Suggestion
 
Best eaten with Roti or Parathas

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Malai Kofta

Ingredients

For Koftas
  • Paneer - 250 gms
  • 4 medium sized potatoes - boiled
  • 2 table spoon cornflour
  • Broken cashew pieces
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper 1/4 tsp
  • Oil to deep fry
For Gravy
  • 3 medium sized onions - boiled and pureed 
  • 4 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste
  • 4 cups tomato puree
  • 2 tablespoom Kasuri Methi
  • Salt to taste
  • Turmeric - half tsp
  • Corrander pwdr - 1 tsp
  • Cumin pwdr - 1 tsp
  • Red Chilli pwdr - 1 tsp
  • Garam Masala - 1 tsp
  • Oil to cook - 2 tbsps
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
Method

Kofta : 
  1. Grate the paneer finely and mash it together with the boiled potatoes. 
  2. Add the cornflour and make a smooth mix with no lumps.
  3. Add the salt and pepper to and mix the dough
  4. Make small balls of this dough and put a small piece of cashew in the center.
  5. Deep fry these paneer balls till golden brown.
Gravy : 
  1. In a  non-stick deep pan put 2 tablespoons of oil and heat
  2. Pour the pureed onion and cook on medium flame till the moisture is gone and starts to turn light brown
  3. Add the ground ginger-garlic and fry for another 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the tomato puree and fry for 10 more minutes stirring occasionally
  5. Now add the all the powdered spices and Kasuri Methi and fry for 5 more minutes.
  6. Add 2 cups of water and boil for 15 minutes
  7. Stir in the cream and cook for 5 more minutes on a medium flame.
  8. Drop the koftas when u r ready to serve.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Pecan Banana Bread

Ingredients
  • 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour 
  • Handful of pecans/walnuts
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt

Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
  2. Mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. 
  3. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. 
  4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. 
  5. Mix in the flour and pecans (save a few for step 7). 
  6. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. 
  7. Sprinkle a few more pecans on the top.
  8. Bake for 1 hour rotating once in between after half an hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Baigan (Eggplant) Chakka

Courtesy Anjana Kumar (aka Mommy)


Serves four


Ingredients

  • Chinese Eggplants
  • Spice mix
    • 2 table spoons ginger garlic paste
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 tsp red chili powder
    • 1 tsp cumin powder 
    • 1 tsp coriander powder 
    • 1 tsp Aamchur powder or 1 tablespoon lemon juice 
    • 1 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 2 tablespoons oil



How to :
  1. Mix all contents under Spice mix in a bowl and add 2 tablespoon  water to make a thick paste. 
  2. Cut the eggplants into 1-2 inches thick circular wheels 
  3. Fork the eggplant slices or poke with tooth pick.
  4. Drizzle oil generously in a non-stick shallow pan and heat.
  5. Dip the eggplant slices in the spice mix and coat on both sides. 
  6. Place the slices on the heated pan surface in a single layer with enough space to ease flipping. If all the slices do not fit on the pan, cook in batches.
  7. Cover the pan and cook on reduced flame for 10 minutes till one side is reddish brown. 
  8. Drizzle oil on top of eggplant slices before flipping over.
  9. Repeat step 7. Before removing the eggplants from the pan you can cook uncovered to remove excess water if any.
Tip:


You can cut thick slices of onions, potatoes or green peppers and dip in any leftover spice mix and saute in the same pan to serve with the eggplants.


Serving Suggestion
 

Lauki Raita

Serves Six

Ingredients

  • 1 small lauki/doodhi (Image)
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • Salt to Taste
  • 1 tea spoon dry roasted cumin powder
  • two pinches crushed black pepper
  • 2 green chillies - chopped finely
  • 1 teaspoon oil 
  • 2 cups beaten yogurt
How to :
  1. Chop the lauki/doodhi very finely or alternatively thick grate it.
  2. In a non-stick deep pot - add the oil and let the cumin and mustard seeds sputter.
  3. Add the chopped lauki, salt, pepper and cumin powder and cover on low flame for 15 minutes till the lauki is soft or mushy.
  4. Remove from fire and let it cool. 
  5. Add the lauki into the beaten yogurt and mix well. Keep refrigerated.


Serving Suggestion :


Serve with stuffed parathas, naan, or just as accompaniment to any meal

Cracked Wheat (Daliya) Upma


Serves Two

Ingredients
  • Curry leaves
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp Mustard seeds
  • Potato - 1 medium, chopped into small pieces
  • 1 big Onion - chopped
  • 1 big Tomato - chopped
  • 3 green chillies - chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • Small piece of ginger chopped finely
  • Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1 and 1/2 cup cracked wheat -dry roasted five minutes till it turns reddish
  • 3 cups hot water
  • 20 Peanuts - roasted and crushed coarsely
  • 1/2 cup chopped Coriander

How to :
  1. In a non-stick deep pot - add the oil and let the cumin, mustard oil and curry leaves sputter.
  2. Add the potatoes and cook till the potatoes are golden red.
  3. Add the chopped onions and ginger now and cook and cover till the potatoes are soft and onions are translucent.
  4. Now add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies, peas and salt and cook covered for 5 minutes till the tomatoes are mushy.
  5. Add the pepper powder and cook for two more minutes.
  6. Add the roasted wheat to this and stir it in with the rest of the ingredients.
  7. Now add the hot water and mix the contents.
  8. Cook covered on a medium to low flame for 15 minutes, stirring once in a while
  9. Now add the crushed peanuts and coriander and mix.
  10. Cook till it is slightly dry.
Serving Suggestion