PASTA

Hello!!!
The other day my friends called up and said that they were coming home.I was pretty excited and
wanted to serve them something really tasty and light.The first thought that came to my mind was
pasta with a slight tangy taste!Pasta is great for snacks and pleases my taste buds.The one which I
have made is macroni( a type of pasta) in sweet chilli sauce and let me tell you my friends were
delighted to taste this.The recipe is simple and not time taking either.So here we go!!!

Serves :2

Ingredients:

1.Macroni (a type of pasta)  100 gms(approx)
2.Onions(chopped)  1
3.Tomato(chopped)1
4.Green chilli 1
5.Sweet chilli sauce( from any good brand) 2tbsp
6.Tomato sauce 1/2tsp
7.Oil  2tbsp
8.Peas (boiled ,less than half a cup)
9.Parsely  (to garnish)
10.Cheese 1tbsp
11.Salt to taste


Method:

1.In a vessel take water and put two or three drops of oil in it and a pinch of salt.
 Now put the ( macroni) pasta into this vessel and boil until the pasta is well cooked.

2.Once your pasta is done, drain the pasta in a strainer and put this strainer under cold running
 water for less than a minute.This is done to avoid the sticking together of the pasta.

3.Once you have done this procedure put the past in a plate and keep aside.

4.We now heat oil in a pan and once the oil is well heated we put the chopped onions in to it.
   Cook until the onions turn light pink.Then put the chopped tomato along with the green chilli.

5.Add salt.Once the tomato turns soft add the peas, sweet chilli sauce and the tomato sauce.

6.Cook for five minutes and now put the pasta into this.Toss the pasta well in the pan.

7.Lastly we add cheese,cook for another two minutes and our pasta is done.

8.Garnish with parsley.

9.Serve hot.
 

TIPS:
1.We add oil in the boiling process of the pasta to refrain it from sticking together.
2.Toss the pasta and do not overcook it.


                                                                     ENJOY!!!                

Kadhi (plain)

Hi !
Kadhi is a special north Indian dish.It is a spicy dish and it's thick gravy is based on
chickpea flour. The kadhi I have made is a basic kadhi. There are many varieties of kadhi and
I will be discussing each one of them in future posts.The main ingredient of kadhi is yogurt and
chickpea flour also known as 'besan' in India.Yogurt is very good for health as it contains calcium
and vitamin B-2 and B-12.So let us start with the procedure to make our super tasty and healthy
dish!

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients:

1.Yogurt 250gms
2.Chickpea flour(besan)  4 tbsp
3.Green chiili  2
4.Dry red chill 2
5.Garlic paste 1 tsp
6.Ginger 1/2 inch
7.Ghee or oil  2tsp
8.Cumin seeds 1/2tsp
9.Turmeric powder 1/2tbsp
10.Onions(sliced)  2
11.Tomato (chopped)1
12.Salt to taste



Method:

1.In a mixer grinder put the yogurt,turmeric powder,green chillies,ginger,garlic and
   chickpea flour(besan) and about 1cup water and grind it.

2.The grinded mixture should look like the following image.

3.Now we heat a kadhai or wok and just put this mixture into it.

4.We boil it in high flame for a minute stirring continuously so that lumps do not form.

5.Then reduce the flame and let it cook.We keep stirring it every five minutes.

6.You will observe that the mixture thickens so now we add water (a cup approximately)
   to maintain the consistency as that of any curry.Add water so as to attain the consistency
   you see in the following images.




















7.We now add salt.After around 45min of cooking this mixture in medium flame our kadhi is done.

8.Now we heat a pan and put the ghee(oil) into it.Then we add the cumin seeds and dry red chilli.
   Let the cumin seeds splutter then we add the sliced onions and cook until the onions are pink.

9.Then we add the chopped tomatoes.We fry until tomatoes are just a little soft.

10.We put this mixture of the pan into our kadhi and stir on medium flame for ten minutes.

11.Our kadhi is now ready to be served.

Kadhi tastes best with rice.It tastes pretty well with hot parathas too.

Tips:

1.Put salt towards the end so as to prevent curdling.
2.Stir the kadhi continuously as lumps may form.
3.Remember to maintain consistency as that of a curry.
4.Kadhi tastes even better the next day so you can refrigerate and keep it for the following day also.
5.It is very cooling for the summer season.

Hope all of you try this tasty kadhi and please let me know if
 you liked it!!!

Chicken Fry

Hi everyone...this is one of my favourite chicken recipes!I make this chicken fry almost every
fortnight and it makes my day so so special!!!So let us begin here.

Serves:2-3

Ingredients:
1.Chicken  500 gms
2.Dark soya sauce  2tbsp
3.Cornflour  2tbsp
4.Ginger paste  2tbsp
5.Garlic paste   2tbsp
6.Egg               1
7.Green chilli  3
8.Onion  to garnish
9.Sugar        a pinch
10.Lemon juice   1/2  tbsp
11.Oil(to fry)
12.Salt to taste



Method:
1.Wash the chicken properly.
2.Beat the egg properly and keep in a bowl.
3.Now crush two green chillies and mix well with the ginger and garlic paste.
4.This paste should be added to the egg and we mix well.
5.Then we add sugar,cornflour,dark soya sauce and salt to it.
6.We now marinate the chicken with the above mixture for say about 3-4 hours.
7.In a pan we heat oil.
8.When the oil is well heated we put the marinated chicken in the oil to fry.
9.Fry the pieces of chicken on medium flame until it loses its pink color and turns brown.
10.We place the fried chicken on tissue paper for five minutes so that it absorbs the extra oil.
11.Then take a plate and place the fried pieces of chicken on it.
12.Sprinkle the lemon juice on it.
13.Garnish with onions cut in ring shapes and a slit green chilli.


Tip:
1.Put less of salt as soya sauce already has salt in it.

Your delicious chicken fry is ready!!!You can enjoy it as a starter too.

CHANA DAL

Hi friends!
I was longing to have some spicy Chana dal for lunch today..and I rushed into the kitchen and made this simple yet healthy and tasty dal (also called pulses)! I keep in mind that dal should be consumed on a daily basis as it is rich in protein.

Serves:3

Ingredients:

1.Chana dal -1 and 1/2cups
2.Jeera -1/2tsp
3.Jeera powder-1/2tsp
4.Dhaniya powder -1/2tsp
5.Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
6.Ghee(oil)-1tbsp
7.Green chillies-2
8.Onions (chopped) -2
9.Tomato(chopped)-1  
10.Cinnamon stick-1
11.Coriander leaves (to garnish)
12.Ginger paste-1/2tsp
13.Garlic paste-1tsp
14.Salt to taste


Method:

1.Wash the pulses (chana dal)in running water and soak it in water for about 1hour.
2.After an hour drain the pulses.
3.Boil the pulses along with 3 cups water ,salt and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Ensure the lid is tightly closed. After four whistles the pulses should be done.
4.Let the pressure cooker cool and only then open the lid.
5.Heat a pan and put ghee(oil) in it.
6.Add the jeera and let it splutter. Further add cinnamon stick, green chilles and onions and let it cook.
7.When you see the onions turn pink put the garlic paste and the tomato. Cook until the tomato becomes soft.Then add ginger paste along with jeera powder and coriander powder.
8. Cook for about 4 minutes.
9.The pressure cooker gets cool by now, so we can now open the lid and put this mixture of the pan into the cooker. Boil it for 10 mins more (dont close the lid this time so that excess water evaporates).
11.You can now serve the Chana Dal in a pretty bowl and squeeze some lemon for a tangy taste.
12.Garnish it with coriander leaves and green chilles.



Tips:

1.Soak the pulses(chana dal)for about an hour so that it gets cooked easily.
2.After we boil the pulses in the cooker do not open the lid of the cooker until the cooker cools down.

You can serve the chana dal with parathas or pulao !

ENJOY!

Bhindi Masala

Hi people...!!! Bhindi also known as Lady's finger is one of  my favorite veggies. I love giving it a tangy taste.

Serves:3

Ingredients:

1.Lady's finger 1/2 kg
2.Onions4 (medium sized)
3.Tomato puree 2tbsp
4.Jeera 1/2 tsp
5.Oil  2tsp
6.Green chillies (chopped) 2
7.Coriander powder  1/2 tbsp
8.Garlic cloves(chopped)  3
9.Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
10.Salt to taste

Method:

1.Wash the lady's finger and let it dry. Then Slice the lady's finger.(about the size of 1inch).
2.Slice the onions.
3.Heat oil in a pan and put jeera.Let it turn splutter. Then put the tomato puree and the
green chillies into the pan.
4.Then add the chopped garlic and let it fry until the oil separates.This ensures that it is properly cooked.
5.Now we can add the sliced onions and fry until it turns pink.
6.Add the coriander powder and the turmeric powder.
7. Now add the Lady's finger into the pan and let it cook for 8 minutes.
8. Finish by adding salt.

Tips:

• Lady's finger should be absolutely dry before you start to cook, otherwise it will get sticky
• Dont add salt in the beginning, chances are that the Ladys finger will ooze more water and get gooey.
• You can serve it with hot chapattis.

Hope all of you relish it! 

CHOCOLATE SHAKE: Summer Special

 

Hi everyone!

My summer mornings start with chilled chocolate shake.Chocolate not only tastes heavenly, it gives instant energy too. It is said that drinking a cup of milk along with chocolate keeps us healthy and enhances our memory power! It also helps us against irritable mood swings. At the same time I would suggest that since it contains sugar we should not go overboard with it and also remember to exercise regularly.
This shake is super easy to make!


Ingredients:

• 1 cup Chilled milk (preboiled)
• 2 spoons Chocolate powder
• 1/2 tsp Sugar(optional)

Method:

1.In a mixer grinder take the milk, put sugar and chocolate powder and grind it for five minutes.We do this to create froth.
2.After this, pour the shake into a glass and sprinkle some chocolate powder on it.

 Tips:

1.Do not boil milk too much, it loses its nutrition.
2.Chocolate powder already contains sugar so you can skip using sugar.                            


                            Your simple and yummy chilled chocolate shake is ready!!!

RED BEAN CURRY (rajma)

 When we talk of  the famous cuisines of North India, Rajma (red bean curry) immediately comes into
 our mind! It is one of their famous dishes and I, personally love rajma too.

 So here I am , ready to cook rajma for you!!!

Serves:4

Ingredients:

1. Rajma(kidney beans)                         250 gms
2.Onions                                               4(Large)
3.Green chillies                                      2
4.Tomato (make puree)                         2  
5.Cinnamon stick                                   1
6.Bay leaf                                              1
7.Garlic                                                 4
8.Ginger                                                1 inch  
9 Rajma masala(any renowned brand)    2tbsp
10.Jeera                                                 1/2tsp
11.Red chilli powder                              1/4tsp
12.Milk                                                  2tbsp
13.Sugar                                                1/4tsp
14.Oil                                                     2tsp
15.Coriander leaves (to garnish)
16.Salt to taste




Method:

1.Soak about 250gms of rajma overnight.

2.Drain the rajma and keep aside in the morning when you are about to cook.

3.Make a paste of the onions.

4.In a cooker heat the oil and put the jeera ,the bay leaf and the cinnamon stick. Let the jeera and the cinnamon stick and bay leaf sputter, then add the onion paste.

 5.Once you see the onion paste start to change its color put the green chillies,red chilli powder,
     ginger and the garlic ,rajma masala,tomato puree and sugar.

6.Now we can put the kidney beans or rajma into this masala and fry for ten minutes.Add salt.

7.After this we add sufficient water so as to immerse the kidney beans.

8.After 6 to 7 whistles of the cooker we can see the rajma cooked and we get a beautiful aroma.

9.Add milk.

10.Garnish with coriander leaves.

11.Serve hot with steamed rice and raita.

              The combination of Rajma ,rice and raita generally lists as a top favorite of North Indians.

Hope all of you relish this aromatic rajma!!!


Tips:

1.If you are cooking one cup of rajma then put two and a half cups of water in the cooker.

2.If you feel the gravy is less add a little more water into it.

3.In case you want a thick gravy take some of the cooked rajma in a bowl, mash it and again put it into the cooker and heat the curry.

4.You can use cream instead of milk.