Masala Pav ( Sandwich)

I was craving to eat some chat last evening and decided to make some masala pav . I had dinner rolls at home , so decided the combination will work really good and it really did. It was very simple and not time consuming at all. It is a very healthy option to the regular Bombay pav bhaji.

You will need :
1  finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped green bell pepper
1 finely chopped tomato
1 medium boiled and grated potato
2 tsp pav bhaji masala (store bought)
1 tsp olive oil
salt to taste

Pav ( dinner rolls ) 

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add in onion, green bell pepper and saute till it is half cooked. To this add in the chopped tomato and cook well. Now add the pav bhaji masala and salt and mix well. Finally add in the boiled grated potato to the mixture and mix well until everything comes together nicely. Add water if necessary.

Lightly toast the dinner rolls and put in the masala mixture in it and enjoy !!!!

Relish the Masala pav !! 

Kale Chips!

I happened to taste Kale for the first time this summer. Then one of my colleague suggested I could try making kale chips and they taste heavenly. So I bought a fresh bunch of Kale, chopped them and baked them in the oven. And since then, Kale has become my weakness and I have been making these kale chips atleast thrice a week. It is very easy and quick to make.

You will need:
A large bunch of kale/ Chopped packaged kale
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of  pepper powder

Method:
Preheat the oven at 350 F.
Chop the Kale into desired size (larger the better) and place them in a mixing bowl. To this add olive oil, chilli powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder and salt and mix well until all the chopped pieces get coated well.
Marinate it for about 5-10 minutes.
Places these marinated chunks in  a baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes. Keep checking to see they don't get burned/charred.

Yummy crispy kale is ready to be relished!!!!

Paneer curry!

This is my first ever try at a Paneer (Indian cheese) dish. Apparently it was paneer makanwala recipe that I tried but called it paneer curry since I did not use butter at all.:) It came out pretty rich and tasty. It was ready in 20 minutes.

You will need:

1 block paneer (store bought/or home made) cut into cubes
1 cup tomato paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves(kasoori methi)
1 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
4 tbsp evaporated milk

Method

Heat oil in pan. Add cumin seeds and ginger garlic paste and mix well. To this add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes until the oil separates from the mixture. Then add chilli powder, turmeric powder, kasoori methi and salt and mix well. Add the paneer cubes and cook for another 2 minutes. Finally add the evaporated milk and stir gently for another 2 minutes. Add water to adjust the consistency.

Paneer curry is ready to be relished!!! It goes well it nan or rotis!!

Dum aloo!!

I recently happened to purchase these very beautiful looking baby potatoes. I decided to try making dum aloo with it. It is a very quick and easy recipe and goes best with rotis.

You will need:

Baby potatoes boiled and pealed
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp fennel powder
A pinch of ginger powder
A pinch of turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp whole spice mix(cinnamon, cardamom and clove powder)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 cup yogurt
salt to taste
1 tsp olive oil

Method:

Take a bowl and mix coriander powder, chilli powder, salt,fennel powder and small amount of water and make into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in pan and add the whole spice powder and stir well. This this add cumin seeds and mix. Add chopped garlic and fry it. Then add the smooth paste mixture and stir well. To this add turmeric powder and finally add the yogurt and mix well. Cook for about 2 minutes until the sauce thickens. At the end add the boiled baby potatoes and mix well.

Dum aloo is ready to be relished!!!

Eggless chocolate cup cakes!!!

It is a great challenge for me to bake eggless cakes. This time for thanksgiving (Nov 2011) I had a bunch of friends who were vegetarians. I decided to try baking eggless cup cakes (Cup cakes I thought would be easier especially since they might hold together easier than the regular round cakes). I searched some online websites for ideas and compiled many ideas and succeeded in baking my first ever eggless cup cakes. I think my friends who tried it can vouch for it:)

You will need:

1.5 cups Pillsbury Unbleached All purpose flour
3 tbsp Baking cocoa (powder)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.25 cups sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp white vinegar

Method:

Preheat the oven at 350 F

Mix the all the above ingredients in a container. Beat it well till it forms a smooth paste without any lumps.

Pour slowly into muffin tray and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool it before decorating it with frosting/icing.

Eggless cup cakes are ready to relish!!

Peach Cobbler!

Peach cobbler is one of the oldest American dessert recipes I think. Summer/Fall happens to be a time where you get the best peaches and I made this last fall (2011) for a small potluck get together with friends where the theme was American Cuisine. I got the recipe from one of my American friend. It was a great dessert and people loved it. It went so well with vanilla ice cream. I made it as less fat free as I probably could.

You will need:

4 cups of pealed sliced peaches
2 cups sugar
1/4 stick butter
1.5 cups of self raising flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
All spice mix (optional

Method:

First add in the sliced peaches, water and 1 cup sugar in a pan, bring it to boil and simmer it for 5 minutes, remove from heat and keep it aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a container, mix the self raising flour, milk and 1 cup sugar and stir it slowly and make sure there are no clumps.

Melt the butter in baking dish and spread it across the dish.

Pour the flour mixture slowly onto the melted butter. Make sure not to stir. Slowly with the help of spoon place the cooked peaches with sugar syrup on top of the flour mixture. Sprinkle small amount of all spice mixture on top if needed.

Bake it for 45 to 50 minutes.

Peach cobbler is ready to be relished. Scoop the peach cobbler with a spatula and serve it with vanilla ice cream. :)

Yummy spinach dip!!!

My friend made this dip as a part of a surprise lunch party for me. It was so delicious that I borrowed the recipe from her and tried it out. I must say it is a very easy and tasty option if you want to include spinach in your diet.

You will need:

1 packet frozen spinach
2 tbsp reduced fat sour cream
1 tbsp mayonnaise

Method:

Thaw the frozen spinach under warm water and then squeeze the water completely from it. To this add the sour cream and mayonnaise and keep it in the refregerator for about 3 hours to marinate.

After 3 hours take it out of the refregerator and relish the spinach dip. It serves as a great side dish too.!!!!

Quick colourful pasta salad!!!!

For those of you who love pasta this is a very healthy and a quick recipe. I had exhausted all the veggies from my refregirator when I relaized I had some pasta and could make delicious salad with it.

You will need:

1 cup of tri color spiral pasta
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes (I used the regular roma tomatoes)
Some chopped basil
Some chopped parsley
pepper
1 tsp italian salad dressing

Method:

Boil 3 cups water. Add the pasta and cook for about 1o minues until it is done. Drain the water and keep aside

Take the cooked pasta in a bowl and add cherry tomatoes, olives, basil, parsley and italian dressing and toss it well. Add pepper to taste.

The simple colorful pasta salad is ready to be relished!!!

Zucchini and cherry tomatoes stir fry!!!!

Zucchini is my current favortie vegetable. It needs a little bit of sauteing and it tastes heavenly. I found this recipe in one of the calenders and tried it. It came out really tasty. It can be served as a side dish.

You will need:
1 tsp olive oil
2 medium sliced zucchini
2 clove garlic /finely chopped
3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Heat olive oil in a pan. To this add the sliced zucchini and cook until lightly browned. Add the chopped garlic and mix well. Now add the cut cherry tomatoes and stir until softened for a minute or so.To this add the dried basil, salt and pepper to taste.

The Zucchini and Cherry tomatoes stir fry is ready to be relished!!!!!

Sabu Dana (Sago Grain ) Kichdi!!!

This is a very easy and quick recipe from Sago grains. In India it is mostly eaten during the days people do fasting for religious reasons. However it is a wonderful evening snack too. I used to love my grandmom's sago grains kichdi while growing up.

You will need:

1 cup sago grains( sabu dana)
3 cups water
1 sliced green chilli
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 chopped medium sized potato
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup crushed peanuts
salt to taste

Method:

Soak the sago grains in water for a minimun of three hours. Add 1 tsp of lemon juice while soaking.

Drain the water from sago grains after 3 hours and keep it aside.

Take a pan and add 2 tsp olive oil and heat it. Once the oil is hot add cumin seeds, green chilli, chopped potatoes and salt and cook till the potatoes get tender ( soft and cooked).Add the crushed peanuts and roast for about a minute. To this add the soaked sago grains and mix well. Add salt if needed.

Sago grain kichdi is ready to be relished!!!!

Biscuit Ambado (Magalore bajji)

My aunty used to prepare wonderful mangalore bajjis for us during our holidays at grandmom's place. I had a friend over for lunch the other day and she requested some konkani cuisine. So I decided to make this bajji for her.

You will need:

1 cup urad dal
2 tbsp fresh coconut/ frozen coconut
1/4 cup finely chopped ginger
2 green chillies finely chopped
salt to taste

Method:

Soak urad dal in water for about 2 hours and grind it into a paste with as little water as possible.
To this paste add chopped green chillis, coconut, ginger and salt and mix well.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Using a spoon drop small amounts of the flour misture into hot oil. Fry it till it turns golden yellow and drop it on to a tissue paper to soak extra oil.

Biscuit ambado is ready to be relished. It goes well with ginger chutney.

Ginger chutney:

1/2 inch fresh ginger chunk
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup grated coconut
salt to taste

Grind all the incredients in a blender.

Masala Aloo!!!

Last friday, my friends and I went to an Indian restaurant for dinner and we happened to order masala aloo from their menu. It tasted heavenly with roti. I decided to try it for weekend lunch at home. I tried giving my own twist to it and it came out delicious.


You will need:

3 medium sized potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mango powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste

Method:

Dice the potatoes into small cubes with the skin intact and keep them aside.

Heat oil in pan. To this add cumin seeds and asafoetida powder. Lower the flame and add coriander powder, cumin powder, mango powder and saute it well. Add the diced potatoes and mix well. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, chilli flakes and fennel seeds and saute it well. Add salt to taste and mix well. Sprinkle some water and cover the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Keep sprinkling water to avoid the potatoes from getting burnt. Once the potatoes become tender , remove from the stove and serve hot.

Masala aloo is ready to be relished . It goes well as a side dish with rice and also with roti.!!!

Aloo Gobi!!!

I am sure everyone loves potatoes. This weekend I happened to buy two huge bags of potatoes. I have tried aloo gobi a lot of times but never got the restaurant taste. But this time I tired the recipe from internet and I must say the sauce really tasted like a restaurant one. So I decided to put it in my blog and share the recipe with you all.

You will need:

3 mediun sized potatoes
1 fresh cauliflower
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 medium red onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup finely chopped green chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste

Method:

Dice the potatoes into small cubes with the skin intact and place them in a bowl immersed in water. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and keep it aside.

Heat a pot with 3 tbsp olive oil.Once the oil gets hot, add the chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste and saute it. To this add the finely choped onions and salt and saute it till the oinions turn golden brown. Then add the finely chopped tomoatoes,turmeric and red chilli powder and cook till the tomatoes get tender. To this add coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder and mix well. Now add the diced potatoes and cauliflower pieces and mix well. Coat them properly with the masala. Add 1 cup water and close the lid and cook for 15 minutes till the veggies become tender. ( keep checking to avoid overcooking) Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Aloo Gobi is ready to be relished . It goes best with chapati or roti!!!

Khara (spicy) Pongal !!!!

This year for Shankranti (January 15 2011) I made til laddus like last year. I happened to be chatting with my best friend Ramya when we discussed about this dish called Pongal. I was also reminded about the spicy pongal that my aunty used to cook. I got the recipe from my friend and though I didn't have a lot of ingredients she had mentioned to add , it came out tasty. So basically, cooking is all about customizing!!!

You will need:

1 cup rice
1 cup moong dal (split green gram)
3 cups water
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp pepper powder( usually they use 1/2 tsp peppercorns)
2 small chopped green chillies
1 tsp chooped ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
a few curry leaves( optional)
salt to taste.

Method:

Add the rice, moong dal and water and pressure cook it and keep aside.

In a pot heat 1 tsp ghee ( I substituted with olive oil). To this add the cumin seeds ,ginger , turmeric, peppercorns( or pepperpowder ) and curry leaves. Once the peppercorns start to splutter mix the cooked rice/dal mixture into the pot.Add salt to taste. Add 2 cups water and stir well. Heat it for anout 2 to 3 minutes.

Spicy Pongal is ready to be relished!!!!!

There is a sweet version of pongal which I will be trying next year on the auspicious day of Makara Shankranti!!!

Vegetable Saagu!!!

This a very famous South Indian dish served with pooris in most of the restaurants. We have grown up eating poori saagu at my granny's place for breakfast. I decided to make this saagu for my husband birthday (jan 8, 2011) which was a surprise one , had some friends over. Everyone loved it.

You will need:

chopped vegetables like carrots, potatoes, beans, peas ,cauliflower
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 Curry leaves
1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
a pinch of hing
a pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

For the masala

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 inch cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
3-4 Black Peppercorns
small piece of ginger
1/2 chooped onion
3 tsp roasted chana dal
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 small green chilies

Method:

First boil the vegetables and keep aside.( You could pressure cook the vegetables too). Then for the masala, grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste adding water. Heat oil in pot and add mustard, hing, turmeric , curry leaves. To this add finely chopped oinions and saute till it is cooked. Add the masala paste and cook till it starts to boil , Then finally add the vegetables and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add water to get the required consistency.

Vegetable saagu is ready to be relished.
It is best eaten with pooris, but can be served with chapatis or rice!!!!

Thai green curry with jasmine rice!!!

Thai food is the only cuisine I love after Indian.Finally I succeeded in making the exact same thai green curry they serve in the restaurant. I used the store baught thai green curry paste to make it.

You will need:

1 cup jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp thai green curry paste(store baught come in a small bottle)
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup snow peas
1/2 cup brocolli florets
1 cup cubed extra firm tofu.

Method:

Cook the jasmine rice with 1 1/2 cup water in a rice cooker. Keep it aside.

In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil and slightly fry the cubed tofu till they turn golden brown. Keep it aside. Heat 3 cups water in a pan and add the sliced carrots , brocolli and snow peas and oil then for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.

In a pot , add 1 can coconut milk and bring it to boil. To this add the 2 tbsp of thai green curry paste and mix well. Add 1 tsp brown sugar and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Into this add the fried tofu and the boiled veggies and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Add more green curry paste depending on your spice level.

Serve it hot with Jasmine rice!

Thai green curry is ready to be relished!!!!

Spicy Tomato Rice!

Tomato rice was the only dish I could cook well when I came to this country. Every other day it was tomato rice for lunch. I realized after I started getting better at cooking I never made this rice since the year 2007.. I decided to retry it again today and see how it tasted after some years of cooking experience. And yes , it tasted a lot better than what it used to three years back. :)

You will need:

2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onions
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard and cumin for tampering
1 tsp chana dal and urad dal
1 chopped green chilli
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp grated ginger
salt to taste

Method:

First cook the rice in rice cooker and keep it aside for it to cool.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pot and add the red chillies and then add mustard and cumin . Allow it to splutter then add the chana dal and urad dal and stir till they turn brownish in colour. To this add chopped ginger, chopped green chilli and chopped onions , salt and cook till the onions get transparent. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook it till it is half done , then add the garam masala powder and mix well. Finally mix in the cooked rice . Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Spicy tomato rice is ready to be relished!!! It can be eaten as it is or can be eaten with raita or yogurt!

Capsicum sabzi with gram flour!!!!

This is supposed to a very famous mangalore dish. I tried it at one of my Konkani friend's house. I had invited a friend over last Sunday for lunch when I decided to try making this. I was nervous as I was making it for the first time and I was cooking for someone other than for myself and my husband. But it came out real good, my friend loved it !!!

You will need:
4 Capsicums ( bell peppers- mix the different colored peppers)
3/4 cup gram flour( basan)
2 green chillies
Mustard and jeera for tampering
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
Salt to taste
1 tsp
Red chilli powder if you prefer more spice

Method:
Chop the capsicum into small pieces and keep it aside.
In a pan , heat one tsp oil and add mustard and jeera( cumin) . When they start to splutter add the chopped onions and cook till it gets transparent. To this add the chopped capsicum and cook till about half done. ( cook at low flame for 5 minutes. ) once it is half cooked add the gram flour and mix it well so that all the capsicum pieces get coated well. Cook for another 5 to 6 minutes till the flour gets cooked.

Capsicum sabzi is ready to be relished!!!! Goes best with rotis..

Potato and peas curry!!!

This is a delicious dish that my aunt used to cook back home. I thought of trying it out. She gave me the recipe over phone. It was very easy and took merely half hour to prepare it.

You will need:
4 medium sized potatoes
2 cups fresh green peas
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 medium sized tomatoes chopped
1 cup grated coconut
2 small tamarind pieces
4 -6 red chillies
2 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 cardomoms
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Method:
First boil and peel the potatoes and chop it into small pieces . Keep it aside.
Make a paste by grinding grated coconut, red chillies,tamarind ,turmeric, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and salt

Heat one tsp oil in a pan.. Sauté the chopped onions until transparent and add the chopped tomatoes and cook well. To this add the ground paste and add 2 cups water and cook for about 5 min . To this add the fresh green peas and cook for another 5 minutes.once the green peas get cooked add the boiled potatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Add cilantro and stir well. Add salt if required.

Potato peas curry is ready to be relished!!!it goes best with white rice or even can be eaten with rotis.

Egg rolls!!!

Although it is a deep fried dish I have a weakness for spring rolls and egg rolls! I think it is fine to eat it occasionally to treat yourself. So this thanksgiving as we were at home all by ourselves, I decided to try making these egg rolls. Very simple recipe and comes out delicious .

You will need:
Egg roll wraps( store bought) / you could use spring roll wraps instead too!
Oil for frying

For the filling:

1 pack extra firm tofu cut into very small cubes
1 cup grated cabbage
1 cup jullian cut carrots
1 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp salt
(you could add any finely chopped veggies)

Method:

In a pan stir fry the tofu untild it turns slightly golden brown, then add all the grated veggies along with some pepper and salt and cook well. Keep it aside.


Now take one egg roll wrap and place the filling as in the pic diagonally. Fold the wrap and seal the ends by brushing little water to the edges.

Deep fry this wraps in oil till they turn golden brown all over.
Remove and place then on a tissue to soak excess oil.

Relish the egg rolls along with tomato ketchup or any hot suace!!!!