Mushroom Bhaaji

Ingredients-

1 packet button mushrooms, cut in halves.

2 onions, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cumin pwdr

1/2 tsp red chilli pwdr

salt to taste

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Method-

Heat oil in a pan and saute onions and ginger-garlic paste till golden brown.

Add tomato, garam masala, salt, red chilli pwdr, cumin pwdr and saute for sometime.

Add mushroom and sprinkle some water.

Cook till the mushrooms are tender.

Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Tip-

Do not wash the mushrooms. It will make them soggy. Instead just wipe them with a damp kitchen towel.

Radish parathas

Paratha is a food item that is popular in most of the Indian homes.

Delicious Stuffed Parathas make a wonderful breakfast or brunch.

But I am yet to master the art of making a perfect Paratha!

This is one of my attempts at making a Paratha.

And this is my 'R' entry for Nupur of One hot stove's, Indian vegetable series.

Ingredients-

For the dough-

3 cups wheat flour

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

water

For the stuffing-

1 big radish, grated

1 tsp ajwain

1 tsp ginger, grated

2 green chillies, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 tsp mango powder(aamchoor)

1/4 tsp garam masala

salt

Method-

Mix the flour,salt and oil and knead the dough using water.

Keep it aside for half an hour.

Add a little salt to the grated radish and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Then squeeze out the water nicely till it is completely dry.

(I used the squeezed out water from the radish for kneading the dough)

Then add the cilantro,chillies,ginger,mango pwdr,garammasala,ajwain,salt and mix well.

Divide the stuffing into 6-8 equal parts.

Divide the dough also into 6-8 parts.

Make a ball of one part and roll out a little.

Fill it with stuffing in the centre and roll out again to make a paratha.

Cook on a hot griddle putting oil or ghee on both the sides.

Serve hot with pickle or chutney.

I like to eat mine with curd. It tastes awesome.

Quick Quesadillas

My recipe for Nupur's 'Q' of Indian vegetables is Quick Quesadilla.

Quesadilla is a dish in Mexican cuisine that involves a cheese filling inside a corn or wheat tortilla.

I have given this dish the name 'Quick' Quesadilla as this recipe involves minimum preparation and can be made quickly when you are in a hurry. But I was not in a hurry though! So I made the tortillas at home.

Cheese and Baked beans really make a great filling for quesadillas

For making the tortillas,
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour(maida)
2 tsps oil
salt

Method:
Mix the above ingredients to make a soft dough by adding enough water.
Knead the dough well.
Divide the dough into 10 portions.
Roll each portion into a thin round.
Cook lightly on a griddle and keep aside.

Now for the filling,
Ingredients:
1 can of chili beans(you can use any baked beans of your choice)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsps chopped cilantro

How to Proceed:-
Mix the above ingredients for the filling together.
Divide the filling into 5 portions.
Spread one portion of the filling on a tortilla.
Cover with another tortilla.
Repeat the same with the remaining tortillas and filling to make 4 more quesadillas.
Heat a griddle and using a little butter, cook the prepared quasadillas on both the sides until golden brown in colour.
Serve hot with salsa.

For making salsa,
1 Jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 fresh tomato
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp vinegar
salt
pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Blend all the ingredients together into a sauce.

Variations:
For the filling you can also use minced meat or scrambled eggs instead of the baked beans.
Alongwith the baked beans you can also put some finely chopped onions and capsicum, it will add a nice crunch to the quesadillas.

Carrot Spinach Rice

This is a very easy, colourful and tasty dish for kids but the grown ups would love it too!!

You will need:-

2 cups of cooked Rice

2 cups of chopped Spinach
2 carrots, grated
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 big onion, sliced
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tbsps ghee or oil

1 maggi seasoning cube(optional)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:-

Heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds.

When they crackle, add the onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots and Spinach and saute for another 3 minutes.

Add the cooked rice, seasoning cube, salt and pepper and mix well.

Cook on a low flame for 5 minutes or till the moisture evaporates.

Serve hot with curd or just like that!

Palak Paneer

There are many recipes of palak that I make often.Peas Palak, Aloo Palak, Spinach salad but I had never tried Palak Paneer until recently.
One fine day when I opened my Refrigerator(which is usually overflowing with meats and vegetables) I only found a bunch of spinach and some paneer staring at me. So I immediately decided to try my hand at Palak Paneer.
So I scurried through my recipe books to find a quick recipe for Palak Paneer.
And I was successful! The book of Nita Mehta came to my rescue and the dish was ready in less than 30 minutes!!

Ingredients:-

1 bunch spinach(palak)
200 gms paneer-cut into cubes
1 medium onion-finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger-chopped
5 flakes garlic-chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
a pinch of asafoetida(hing)
1 tbsp ghee
salt

Method:-

Boil the spinach leaves for 5 minutes in 1/2 cup of water.
Cool. Blend in a mixer to a puree.
Heat ghee in a pan.Add Hing,Chopped ginger and garlic.
Saute for sometime and then add the finely chopped onion to it.
Reduce flame and fry onion till light brown.
Add tomato puree and mix well.
Then add the diced paneer.
Increase the flame and fry for 2 minutes.
Then add the palak paste to it.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame.
Remove from fire and serve hot with Chappati or rice.

TIP:-You can also add 1 tbsp fresh cream in the end before serving.

And this is my entry for Nupur's A-Z of Indian Vegetables.

Chilli Chicken with Fried Rice and Asparagus

Oh how we love chinese food! I mean the Indian chinese food!!
So I try to make chinese food often at home.
I had started with fried rice and noodles. Then went on to make manchurian which turned out pretty well.
This week I tried my hand at Chilli Chicken. It was really delicious. And I served it with vegetable fried rice and Asparagus.

Chilli Chicken

You need:-
2 Chicken Breasts(boneless,skinless)-cut into bite sized pieces
1 large green bell pepper - cut in quarters
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp All Purpose Flour(Maida)
soya sauce
vinegar
1 tbsp Tomato ketchup
1 egg
A dash of salt and black pepper powder
Oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 pod of garlic finely chopped
1 bunch of scallions(green onions)
2 small green chillies-finely chopped
Cilantro to garnish

Method:-
First marinate the chicken chunks with cornflour,maida,1 egg,1 tbsp soyasauce,1 tsp vinegar,salt and black pepper powder.Keep aside in the fridge for atleast half an hour.
Take a generous amount of oil in a pan and fry the marinated chicken pieces till they are golden brown in colour. Remove from the pan and keep them on a tissue paper to drain out the excess oil.
In the same pan, add chopped garlic,ginger and saute for sometime. Then put in the finely chopped scallions leaving aside the green part for putting in the end.
After 3 mins or so put in the bell pepper and green chillies.
Then add the fried chicken pieces. Mix well.
Add a tsp of soya sauce and vinegar.And 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup.
Then add salt and pepper to taste.
And garnish it with green part of the scallions and finely chopped cilantro.

This would be dry chicken chilli. If you wish to make it with a little gravy then add a tsp of cornflour in a cup of water and add it in the pan and bring it to the desired consistency.

Fried Rice

You need:-
2 cups cooked Rice(not fully cooked but almost 3/4th done)
2 carrots finely chopped
1/2 a cup of green peas(fresh or frozen)
a cup of finely chopped green beans
a pod of garlic finely chopped
1 large onion sliced
oil
salt and black pepper powder
soya sauce
chilli sauce
vinegar

Method:-

Take 2 tbsps of oil in a pan. Put finely chopped garlic and sliced onion.

Roast it for a while on high flame and then put in the carrots,peas and green beans.

Saute well for around 5 mins.

Then add a tbsp of soya sauce and chilli sauce and vinegar.

Then sprinkle salt and pepper.

Then add the cooked rice and mix well.

And its ready to go!!

Asparagus

I simply trimmed off the hard ends of the asparagus and immersed them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Then removed them from the water and sprinkled salt and black pepper on them. Believe me they taste awesome!!

Recipes from the Net

During the week I made Rasam, Missi Roti and Gujarati Batata Bhaji ! It was a great blend of various regional Indian cuisines !

I found the recipes from the net and had fun trying them out !

Stir Fry Vegetables

To make Stir fried vegetables you will need:-


10 florets of cauliflower
10 florets of brocolli
10 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots, cut lengthwise
1 big onion sliced
1 pod of garlic cut into slivers
2 green chillies cut into slivers
half a cup of sweet corn kernels
a cup of baby spinach
Slivered peppers(green,red,yellow, all or whichever is available)
1 tbsp stir fry sauce (optional)
1 tbsp soya sauce
1 tsp chilli sauce
1 tsp vinegar
a dash of salt and pepper
Olive oil or vegetable oil.


Method:-

Heat oil in a wok. Add garlic and roast it well, be careful not to brown it.
Add the sliced onions and chillies and fry them.
Keep the flame of the stove on high.
Then add the cauliflower florets and carrots.
Stir fry for sometime and then put in the brocolli,spinach,corn kernels and peppers.
Now add all the sauces, vinegar, salt and pepper.
And its ready to serve!!