Oven Roasted Vegetables

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F 
2. Cut vegetables into pieces that are uniform in size.
3. Mix olive oil and Italian seasoning, salt, onion, and garlic powder in a large bowl until combined.
4. Add vegetables to the bowl and mix until well-coated.
5. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
6. Spread vegetables evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
7. Roast in the preheated oven until vegetables are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Serve hot.

Chicken Curry

Ingredients-

- 6 skinless chicken drumsticks

- 1 chopped onion

- 2 chopped tomatoes

- 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 2 teaspoons coriander-cumin-garam masala blend

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 2 tablespoons oil

Method-

Heat oil in a pan.

Add onions and gg paste. Saute for 3 mins.

Add the chicken pieces and roast them for 10 mins on medium flame, stirring often.

Add all the spices and salt. Add the tomatoes.

Continue cooking for another 10 mins.

Add a cup of water. Stir and cover and cook for 10 mins on low heat.

Keep checking and stirring a couple of tmes.

Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice if you have any!

Orzo Soup

This is a very Quick and easy soup.
It tastes great with some toasted bread or just by itself.
And you need very few ingredients to make it.
So go ahead and try some!

Ingredients-

4 cups Vegetable/chicken stock or just water will do too.
1 Onion, cut in small dices
1 cup Corn(frozen)
1/2 cup Orzo(rice shaped italian pasta)
1 tsp hot sauce
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 Lime.

Method-

Place all the ingredients, except the limejuice, in the cooker.
Pressure cook till 1 whistle and switch off the gas.
Let the pressure drop on its own.
After you open the cooker, add the limejuice.
And its ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Dahi Vada

Dahi Vada is another tasty snack which can be served at tea-time.
Infact I just love it at any time of the day.
Dahi Vada are fried lentil balls soaked in yoghurt and topped with spices.

To make the vadas you will need-
1 cup Urad Dal (soaked overnight)
1/4th cup Yellow Moong Dal (soaked overnight)
Oil for deep frying.

2 Green Chillies
1"piece Ginger
Salt.

For the Yoghurt sauce you will need-

2 cups plain Yoghurt
2 tbsps Sugar
Black Salt
Cumin pwdr
RedChilli Pwdr
Sweet Chutney

How to Proceed-

After the dals have been soaked overnight, grind them in a mixer, alongwith chillies, ginger and salt. Taking care not to add much water, the batter should be fairly thick and dry.
Keep it for around 2 hrs.
Then deep-fry spoonfuls of the batter in moderately hot oil.
The vadas should be golden brown.
After removing them from the oil, soak them in a bowl filled with cold water for 10 mins.
Then squeeze out the water from each one of them and keep aside.

Meanwhile make the Yogurt Sauce-
Take 2 cups yoghurt, add sugar and whisk it well.

To Assemble-
Take a bowl and arrange 4 vadas on it.
Pour the prepared yoghurt on them.
Garnish with the sweet chutney, cumin pwdr, redchilli pwdr and black salt.
You can serve it immediately or chilled.

The vadas and the yoghurt can be stored in the fridge separately and assembled whenever required.

Lemony Egg Soup

This recipe is again from one of my favourite- Rachel Ray's Kitchen.

My daughter is very fond of soups, so I try to make different varieties of soups for her.

This soup recipe is really very simple and quick and very easy to make.

It needs just a few things which we always have at hand.

So basically it is one of those rainy day recipes.

But definately worth making on any other day too!

Ingredients-

4 Eggs

6 cups Chicken stock/ Vegetable Stock

1 big Lemon

1 Bay Leaf

1 tsp Hot sauce

A pinch of Saffron

Method-

Take the stock in a pan and start heating it.

Add a bayleaf, rind of 1 lemon and a pinch of saffron.

Let it boil.

After it starts boiling, close the Gas and let it steep for 5 minutes.

Take the juice of 1 lemon in a bowl.

Add 2 full eggs and 2 egg yolks to it and beat well.

Add Hot Sauce to it.

Add a ladleful of the stock(from the gas) to the eggs and beat well.

Then add this to the stock on the gas.

Keep on medium heat and keep stirring for about 10 mins.

Garnish it with chopped Cilantro.

And serve hot.

To make this soup as a complete meal, you can add cooked orzo or any other kind of pasta in the end and Enjoy!

Tongue-Tickling-Stir-Fried Green Beans

We had been to a sichuanese restuarant some days ago and apart from the other items that we liked, this simple Green beans were excellent.

So I tried to recreate them in my kitchen!

You need-

1 pound Green beans

1 tbsp Sesame seeds

1 tbsp minced Garlic

1 tsp Red chilli flakes

Salt and pepper to taste.

1 tbsp Vinegar

i tsp Soya sauce

1 tbsp Oil

Method-

Remove the stems of the beans and wash them well.

Heat oil in a pan or a wok.

Put in the sesame seeds.

Toast them until they crackle.

Then add the garlic and brown it.

Put in the green beans.

Stir well.

Add vinegar, soya sauce, salt, red chilli flakes and pepper.

Mix well.

Stir fry on high flame for 5-8 mins.

And serve hot as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bittergourd

This is my mom's Recipe.

I know Bittergourd is not a very likeable vegetable...the name says it all.

But still I tend to somehow like it.

And when I make it this way, it really doesn't taste that bitter!

The recipe is quite simple though.

First of all, Cut the bittergourd into thin roundels.

Apply salt and leave them for around half an hour or so.

Then rinse them well in water a couple of times.

This is supposed to remove atleast some of their bitterness.

Then take a skillet.

Heat some oil and shallow fry the bittergourd pieces till golden.

You dont have to deep fry them so the quantity of oil should be quite less.

Remove and drain them on a paper towel.

Then in the same skillet, in the remaining oil, add finely chopped onions.

Also add, lots of finely chopped garlic.

Saute well till the onions turn brown.

Then throw in some finely chopped tomatoes.

Again, cook till the oil seperates.

Then put in all the dry spices like-

Red chilli pwdr, Coriander pwdr, Cumin pwdr, Turmeric, Garam Masala pwdr and Salt and a pinch of sugar.

Again, roast it well.

Finally add the roasted bittergourd pieces.

Garnish it with a lot of Cilantro.

And enjoy it with hot Phulkas.

Spicy Drumsticks(Saragawa)

Drumsticks are green stick like vegetables.
They are tough from outside but soft and fleshy from the inside.
The only portion that is consumed is the inner seeds and soft flesh.
While the outer stem is discarded after properly sucking the juice out of it!

The drumsticks are normally boiled before use so that they turn softer.
This drumsticks dish is a spicy side dish which is loved by my family.

Its easy to make and tastes great too!

You will need -

6-8 Drumsticks, cut into finger-length pieces
You can peel some of the outer hard skin
(you can use the frozen precut variety too)

Oil, 1 tbsp
Salt, to taste

Hing, 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Pwdr, 1 tsp
Turmeric, 1/4 tsp
Coriander Pwdr, 2 tsps
Cumin Pwdr, 1 tsp

Garam Masala Pwdr, 1/2 tsp

Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 tsp Dry Mango Pwdr

Cilantro to garnish.

Method-

Wash, peel, cut and boil the drumsticks for around 10 mins.

Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan.

Add hing and turmeric.

Add the boiled drumsticks.

Put in all the dry masalas and salt.

Mix well.

Roast for around 5 mins.

Add the lime juice.

And Garnish with Cilantro.

And its ready to serve.

A Soup and A Stir-Fry

I often make this combo for a vegetarian Dinner.

It is vegetable Soup and Broccoli Stir-Fry.

The recipe of the soup comes from the kitchen of Rachael ray with slight variations and the broccoli stirfry is just a simple Indian variation for a vegetable that I like very much!

All in all this combo is very healthy and low cal.

For the Vegetable Soup-

You will need-

1 big Onion

2 Tomatoes

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1 cup chopped Celery

2 Carrots

A hanful of Green Peas

A handful of Green Beans

1 Potato

Salt

Black Pepper Pwdr

Poultry Seasoning(optional)

Olive Oil

Method-

Chop all the vegetables roughly.

I normally follow-chop and drop principle.

In a big vessel, heat 1 tbsp Oil.

Saute Onion and Garlic for a while.

Add Celery and Tomatoes.

Mix well.

Add the Carrots,Potato, Green Beans and Peas.

Keep stirring it occasionally.

Add salt and pepper and 1 tbsp poultry seasoning.

Instead of poultry seasoning you can also add Italian seasoning or any other combination of herbs of your choice.

Roast well and then add 2 glasses of water.

You can also add vegetable stock.

Boil well and serve immediately.

You can also add pieces of boneless chicken in the soup if you like.

And instead of vegetable stock you can add chicken stock too.

The Broccoli Stir-Fry is a very easy, quick and healthy dish.

You will need-

1 head of Broccoli chopped into florets

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Red Pepper flakes

Salt and Black Pepper pwdr

1/2 tsp Garam Masala pwdr

1 tbsp Oil

Method-

Heat oil in a skillet.

Splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Add the onion.

Saute till it turns pink.

Add the broccoli florets.

Put in all the spices and salt.

Cook on high flame till all the spices coat the broccoli well and it is just tender,but still has a crunch to it.

Serve immediately just like that or with Rotis or Rice.

Black-Eyed Beans Curry

Ingredients-

1 cup Black-Eyed beas/peans/Chawli(dry)

1 big Onion, finely chopped

2 Tomatoes, finely chopped

1 Green Chilli, chopped

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

2 tsps Coriander Pwdr

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1/2 tsp red Chilli Pwdr

1/2tsp Cumin Pwdr

1/2 tsp Garam Masala pwdr

1/4tsp Dry Mango Pwdr

1/4tsp Turmeric

Salt to taste.

Cilantro to garnish.

Oil.

Method-

Soak the black-eyed peas for around 3-4 hrs in water.

Heat 2 tbsps oil in a Pressure-Cooker.

Splutter the cumin seeds.

Add onion and the ginger-garlic paste.

Saute till the onion is light brown.

Then put in the chopped tomatoes and green chilli.

Add turmeric and salt.

Cook till well blended.

Then put in all the other dry spices and mix well.

Then add the soaked chawli(without the water).

Roast for 5 mins.

Then put in a glass of water.

Close the lid and give 2-3 whistles(till the beans are soft).

Open the lid when the pressure drops and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Serve with Roti or Rice.

Since these beans do not need overnight soaking, ,unlike other beans. you need not plan in advance to make this dish.

This is one of the reasons, apart from its good nutritional value and good taste, I like these beans a lot!

Corn Salad

Asha suggested to me that I must forward this recipe to Hima for her event of What's your Favourite with the theme of Diet Food this month. Thanks Asha.

So this is my contribution for the Diet Food event, Hima.

Corn salad has approximately-
200 calories
2 gms Total Fat
0 mg Cholesterol

Corn Salad is one of the easiest and likeable salad/ side dish/ snack.

It is very nutritious too.

It is also called as Corn Bhel.

I make this salad quite often.

You can make it using fresh corn or the frozen variety.

I always have some corn in my freezer, So I quickly make this as a snack in the evenings often.

To make Corn Salad you will need-

2 cups of frozen or fresh corn kernels

1 Onion

1 Tomato

1 Green Chilli

Juice of half a Lime

Half a cup Cilantro, finely chopped

Salt

1 tsp chaat masala pwdr

Method-

First of all, cook the corn in the microwave on high for 5 minutes.

You can also boil it in the pressure cooker.

For that, fill water in the bottom of the cooker, about an inch and place another vessel in the cooker with corn in it. so that the corn does not become too moist. And pressure cook on high for 5 minutes and then let the pressure drop on its own.

Chop onion, tomato and green chilli.

Mix these chopped veggies in the corn.

Add all the Chaat masala pwdr, salt and lime juice.

Garnish it with chopped Cilantro.

Serve it right away or it tastes great chilled too.

Masala Rice

My favourite way of using the leftover rice for a quick and easy and ofcourse tasty lunch.

This rice is made in different ways.

It is called by various names too!

But the end product is somewhat quite similar!

Whenever I make plain rice for dinner, it has to remain!

For I purposely make some extra so I can make masala rice the next day!

What I do to make this Rice is-

Slice an Onion

Slit a couple of green chillies lengthwise

Chop a handful of coriander leaves

Slice a capsicum, if I have one

Heat oil in a pan.

Splutter 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds.

Add 1/4 tsp Hing, 1/4 tsp Turmeric, a few Curry Leaves and the slit Green Chillies.

Then drop in the sliced Onion.

Let it turn pink.

Then put the sliced capsicum.

Add salt.

Saute for around 3-4 minutes.

Then add 2 cups of cooked rice.

Mix well.

Saute for another 5 minutes.

Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Sprinkle juice of half a lime for a tangy taste.

Serve hot with pickle or curd.

It tastes great!

Gobi Paratha

Parathas are an all-time favourite at our home.

So I try to make different kinds of parathas every now and then.

Recently I have been making Gobi -Parathas a lot!

I dont follow any particular recipe, but whatever I feel like adding ..goes in!

So this is just a basic guideline you can alter the ingredients according to your taste.

To make 4 Gobi Parathas, You will need-

2 cups grated Cauliflower

1 green chilli, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 tsp cumin pwdr

1/4 tsp garam masala pwdr

1/4 tsp dry mango pwdr

salt to taste

2 cups of wheat flour

Water

Oil.

First of all knead the dough adding salt and water.

It should neither be too soft nor too hard.

Keep it aside for half an hour.

Take a bowl and put in the grated cauliflower, onion, cilantro and all the dry masalas.

Add salt at the end when you are about to roll out the parathas.

Mix all the ingredients well.

Divide this stuffing into 4 equal parts.

Divide the dough also into 4 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 curd or pickle or sauce.

Enjoy!!

My simple lunch today

Usually for lunch I always have some leftovers from the previous night and I just have to make chappati or rice to go with it.

But at times there are no leftovers or there are days when I feel like making something fresh and simple, even though its for me alone.

Today was one such day!

I decided to make a Gujrati Lunch.

So I made 'Gobhi Sambharo' i.e.cabbage vegetable and 'Gujrati Dal' to go with it.

When I was in school, I often visited my Aunt to spend my vacations with my cousins.

And they were in Gujrat. I enjoyed the train journey from Bombay to Gujrat as much as the stay there. My aunt would make all types of gujrati dishes and farsans like sev tomato, Undhiyo, Carrot sambharo, Khaman Dhoklas, Dhabheli, Kachoris and the list is really endless.Though I was not much interested in cooking then, but I did help her in the kitchen often. And so now I try to recreate those dishes in my way for my family and remember those times!

For the Cabbage Vegetable-

1 small head of cabbage, chopped

2 Green Chillies, slit

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Asafoetida(Hing)

1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwdr

1 tsp Coriander-cumin Pwdr

Salt to taste

Oil

Cilantro to garnish

A pinch of Sugar

Juice of half a lime.

Method-

Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a pan.

Splutter mustard seeds.

Add hing and green chillies.

Put in the chopped cabbage.

Cover and let it simmer till the cabbage is half done.

Keep stirring in between so as it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Then add the coriander-cumin pwdr, salt, sugar, turmeric and mix well.

Cook for a little bit more timetaking care that the cabbage a still crunchy and not over cooked.

Garnish it with cilantro and lime juice.

For making the Dal-

1 cup Yellow Lentils(Toor Daal)

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

5-6 Curry leaves

1 tsp mustard seeds

1tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Asafoetida(Hing)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp red chilli pwdr

Salt to taste

Sugar, a pinch or more according to your taste

Juice of half a lime

Cilantro to garnish

Water

Oil.

Method-

Pressure cook the dal in 2 cups of water till its done.

Then mash it with a wooden churner or hand blender.

Heat oil in a pan.

Splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Add the curry leaves,hing, tomatoes and green chillies.

Saute for a while.

Then add turmeric, red chilli pwdr, salt and sugar.

Put in the mashed dal.

Mix well.

Add water for the desired consistency and let it boil well.

Garnish it with cilantro and lemon juice in the end.

I had my dal and vegetable with chappatis for a nice, simple and satisfying lunch!

Chicken Cigars

One of my favourite hosts on Food Network is Rachael Ray.
I like the way she cooks and talks!
This recipe comes straight from her kitchen.

It is usually served as an appetiser.
But in our home it is not uncommon to make a meal out of appetisers.

So we had this for one of our quick night dinners!

The only changes that I made were-
Substituting Parsley with Cilantro.
And Grilled Seasoning with chicken tandoori masala.

I used Athens Phyllo dough Pastry sheets.

To make a vegetarian version of this dish I think Soya granules would be a nice choice and also grated paneer would go well.

For making these you will need-

1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons black pepper pwdr
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons Red chilli powder
2 teaspoons Chicken Tandoori Masala
2 tablespoons chopped Cilantro
4 sheets phyllo dough
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt

Method-

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place chicken in a bowl and mix with spices and Cilantro and salt.
Place a piece of phyllo on a nonstick cookie sheet, butter it and top with a second sheet.
Divide the chicken in half.
Form a 1-inch thick log the length of the long side of the phyllo dough.
Roll the log in phyllo tightly.
Cut the chicken filled phyllo into 4 "cigars" and brush with a dab more butter.
Repeat to make a total of 8 chicken and phyllo roll-ups.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden.
And its ready to serve.

I served it with Thai Sweet Red Chilli Sauce.

And now its time for the Awards-

Archana of TriedandTested Recipes was really very kind in forwarding these awards to me-

The Power of Schmooze Award is for bloggers who “effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.

“The Rocking Girl Blogger Award is for bloggers who “are girls or women who blog and who Rock!!!“

I dont think that I really deserve these Awards but nevertheless they are a great source of encouragement.

Thanks Archana for being so thoughtful.

And Now I would like to pass on these Awards to all those bloggers in the blogosphere who have not received them yet!

Enjoy!!

Kaale chane ki chaat

Grams and Pulses are so very nutritious and healthy to eat. So I try to incorporate them in various forms, to suit the taste buds of my hubby dear. One such recipe is that of Black grams in a spicy and tangy form called 'Chatpate Kaale Chane'. They remind of my favourite Mumbai Street Food. Though this one is not so popular, but I just love it. And it is so easy to make too.
So whenever I soak Black grams to make 'Rasewale Kale chane ', I surely make it a point to soak a little extra for making this chaat for an evening snack or morning breakfast.

For making Kaale chane ki chaat,
You will need-
2 cups boiled kaala chana(Bengal Grams)
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1 Tomato, finely chopped
1 Green chilli, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp Chaat masala
1/4 tsp Black pepper pwdr
1/4 tsp Red chilli pwdr
Cilantro to Garnish
Juice of a lime.

I usually soak the grams in the night and then the following evening I boil them in the pressure cooker with a good amount of water till they are nice and soft. Dont worry even if you cook them for longer time because they really can never get mushy!

To make the chaat, take the boiled grams in a big bowl.Put in the chopped onion, tomato and green chillies.Add all the dry spices and salt.
Sprinkle lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro.

And I bet you cant resist yourself from digging a spoon into it to get the nice tangy-spicy taste.

Peas Pulao with Sai Bhaji

'Sai Bhaji' is a traditional sindhi dish that is made with Spinach, yellow split peas(chana dal) and a combination of everyday vegetables like onions, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bottle gourd and so on. We love to have this dish with Peas pulao.

This dish is also very easy and quick to make if you have the vegetables at hand. And when I am not in the mood of making chapatis and I have spinach at hand, I quickly dish out this healthy combo.

To make Sai Bhaji, I used-

1 bunch of fresh Spinach

1 cup Yellow Split Peas(chana dal), soaked for 1/2 an hr in water

1 big Onion, chopped

2 Tomatoes, chopped

1 big Potato, chopped

1 cup chopped Bottle Gourd

2 Green chillies, chopped

1/2 tsp grated Ginger

1 tsp chopped Garlic

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwdr

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Pwdr

1 tsp Coriander Pwdr

1/2 tsp Cumin Pwdr

1/2 tsp Garam Masala Pwdr

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Method-

First of all clean the spinach, remove the stalks and wash well and then chop it and keep aside.

(You can also add methi leaves and dill leaves if you have them. Wash and chop them and add with the spinach.)

Heat Oil in a Pressure Cooker. Add the cumin seeds.

After they splutter add ginger, garlic and green chillies.

Then put in the onions and saute well.

Add the tomatoes next.

Also add salt, turmeric and all the powdered masalas at this stage.

Do not overcook the tomatoes.

Put in the potatoes and bottle gourd.

(Sometimes I use potatoes only. As we are not very fond of bottle gourd and eggplant. But you can also add carrots and green beans)

Also add the chana dal at this point.

After roasting all the veggies and the dal for sometime, put in the spinach.

Saute for a couple of mins and add 1/2 a glass of water and put the lid of the cooker and pressure cook it for 2 whistles.

Let the pressure drop on its own.

Then open the lid and churn the vegetable with a wooden churner, till the vegetable is well blended.

And its ready to serve.

For the Peas Pulav-

1 cup Basmati Rice

1/2 cup Green peas, selled and rinsed.

2 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of Turmeric

Pick and rinse the rice and soak it in water for 1/2 an hour.

Heat Oil in a pan. Splutter the cumin seeds. Add turmeric.

Put in the green peas. Saute.

Drain the water from the rice.

Add the rice to the pan and saute well for 5 mins.

Then add water and salt.

Let the rice cook on medium flame till it is nice and fluffy.

Serve it hot with Sai Bhaji.

A Grilled Platter

In India, summer is like any other season. It is not a season that we wait for. But here in the US, summer is something to be excited about! Oh, how everybody waits for this season here is not surprising. After all those cold snowy months comes out the sun, bright and shining, and so come out the grills and the barbeques and the parties!

I had never grilled in India, So I was so excited about this whole grilling affair!

First was the difficult question of what type of grill I want...After much thinking and research I settled on an indoor grill pan rather than an outdoor one. The main reason for me was that if I have a stove top grill then I can grill anytime no matter what the season, rain or shine!

Then the next challenge was the recipes , since this would be my first experience in grilling I didn't want to fail at the first shot. So I brought a couple of good grilling cookbooks from the local library and started going through them.

The most important thing that I learned was that it is a common misconception that high heat would somehow speedup your grilling. It will just damage your grillpan. What is important is that you heat your grill pan over medium heat until very hot.To do this place your grillpan on the stove on medium heat and leave it undisturbed for atleast 5 mins.

The next important thing is that the food that you put on the grill pan should be at room temperature. This is particularly important with poultry, meat and seafood.

And always keep in mind that you dont have to turn food on the grill more than once. Let it rest and cook nicely, dont be in a hurry to turn it. This is very important for all those impatient souls ou there like me!

And the last but not the least is the cleaning of the pan itself. Because of all the ridges that it has, the most effective tool for cleaning the grill pan is a hard nylon scrubber, which allows you to reach between those ridges.

This was enough of that grilling gyan, now lets get to cooking, oops I mean grilling!

I used Boneless chicken thighs and an assortment of veggies that I had at hand, like onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.

Also an important step in grilling is the marination, particularly of poultry and meats.

I marinated the chicken in the morning and kept it in the fridge. While the vegetables were coated with the marinade towards evening, just a while before I started grilling.

For Marination I used-

Chicken tandoori masala(Everest brand)

Salt

Black pepper pwdr

Ginger-Garlic paste

Red chilli pwdr

Lime Juice

This is just a basic outline you can determine the quantity of ingredients according to your requirements.

Preheat the grillpan well before you start.

Then place the chicken pieces on the pan and do not turn them for atleast 5 to 8 mins.

Drizzle them with some oil.

When the flesh is ready to be turned it will lift off the pan easily.

Turn and cook them on the other side and again pour some oil.

Remove them from the pan when they are fully cooked and tender.

Similarly grill the vegetables, but they wont require as much time as the meats.

You can use Paneer, mushrooms and potatoes too.

Serve hot with lemon wedges.

My First MeMe

When good friend Archana of Tried and Tested Recipes tagged me for a meme, I was hesitant to write about myself. But after reading all the memes of fellow bloggers, I thought why not try writing one myself too! When it comes to talking about myself, which I seldom do infront of others, I find it easy to jot it down and let others read it! So here goes my list of 7 Random Facts about myself-

• The first and the most important fact of my life is that I am extremely God Fearing and I cant stop thanking God enough for all the blessings He has showered upon me. I start and end my day with thanksgiving to God. I try to love God above all things and be obedient to Him in all that I say, hear and do.I read my Bible everyday and never leave an oppurtunity to testify infront of others.I love to pray for my family, friends and relatives.
• I am a very family person. I love to spend as much time as I can with my hubby and my daughter. I simply adore my daughter and cant imagine her getting married and going away from me one day!
• I love to cook and more so to eat! I like to watch cookery shows, read cookery books(like novels) and eat home-cooked healthy food and also eating out! I ofcourse love visiting food blogs and trying out new recipes.
• I am extremely fond of sleeping and can sleep for as long as possible! Once (ofcourse before marriage) I slept for 15 hrs at a stretch! I dont like to be waken up in the morning by anybody and I hate to get up early !
• I am a very slow eater and keep chewing on my food! When evrybody in the family has finished their dinner and also their dessert, I would be still found gnawing at my food! I believe in drinking my food and eating my milk:). I love to drink milk and coffee but dislike tea anytime, anywhere!
• I love to read all sorts of Books, Novels, Magazines and especially The Bible and anything under the sun regarding cooking!
• I love to shop. And I can go on shopping (and ofcourse window shopping) without getting tired or bored for hours on end. I love travelling too. The mere idea of packing and going out makes me excited!
• The last but not the least I want to do some social service in my life and be of help to people who are not in a position to return the favour.

I really enjoyed writing this meme and thanks Archana for giving me an oppurtunity to do so! I hope everyone would enjoy reading it too and if you feel like sharing your life facts with others then consider yourself tagged!

Fish Curry with Rice

This is a very easy recipe for making fish curry. And it can be quickly made in a jiffy.

This recipe doesn't need coconut so it is different from the usual Fish curry.

This was the first time I made this recipe, usually I make it with coconut, but it was a nice change from the usual.

Ingredients-

2 Sliced Onions

4 Slit Green Chillies

1"piece Ginger

5 cloves of Garlic

2 Tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 glass Water

4 tsps Fish Curry Masala(store-bought)

1 pound Fish Fillets(I used Tillapia)

Salt

Method-

Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan.

Fry the onions, chillies, ginger and garlic well.

Then add the tomatoes.

Saute for sometime.

Then add a glass of water and boil well.

Add Salt to taste.

When the gravy is boiling add the fish pieces.

Reduce the flame and cook for 5-10 mins, till the fish is properly cooked.

Now your Fish Curry is ready to serve.

You can make this Fish Curry using any fish you like.

I used 'Bon Puli Munchi Masala', but you can use any other brand of fish curry masala too.

And if you dont have fish curry masala, then add-chilli pwdr, coriander pwdr, black pepper pwdr and cumin pwdr, it will still taste lovely.

I served this Fish curry with plain white rice.

To make Rice-

1 cup White Rice

2 cups Water

Wash the rice well.

Put it in the pressure cooker with water.

Give 2 whistles and its ready to serve.