Friday, February 12, 2010

Idli fry

Sometimes ot happens that u have leftover idlis from morning but they don't taste as fresh to eat with sambar/chutney, so here is one easy recipe to make with the leftover idlis.

Ingredients---
Leftover idlis 8/10 broken into small pieces
1 onion finely cut,
1 med tomato cut.
2 dry red chillies broken
curry leaves 8/10
for tempering mustard seeds,cumin seeds ,hing, turmeric powder,
2 tbsp oil,
salt,sugar to taste
5/6 cashews (optional)
chopped coriander for garnish.

How to---
Break the idlis and keep them aside. In a pan heat oil add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,hing ,curry leaves, and red chillies. If you want add broken cashews before curry leaves and fry a bit.
Add onion and fry till soft,then add tomato and fry for 1 min. Now add idli pieces and stir well.
Add salt and a little bit sugar to taste. Put a lid and let it cook on low flame for 5 mins.
Granish with coriander and serve hot.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Palak paneer

Palak paneer is one of the dishes that's favourite with everyone. I love it for its creamy texture,color,taste and ofcourse nutrition value.Here is the dish for you.

Ingredients---

Spinach 1 bunch
Onion 1 med
tomato 1 med
ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
green chillies 2 cut finely
fresh paneer cubes 200 gms
kasoori methi 1 tsp crushed
turmeric 1/4 tsp
garam masala 1 tsp
coriander-cumin powder 1tsp
oil 2/3 tsp
cream 2 tbsp
salt to taste

How to---
Wash the spinach leaves and put them in boiling water to blanch for 2 mins. Remove immediately and put them in icecold water. This way they will maintain a fresh green colour.
Grind them into fine paste with little water.
In a pan heat the oil and add cumin seeds. Add finely chopped onion and fry till golden brown.

Then add green chilly and ginger garlic paste fry for a minute.
Add finely chopped tomato(or u can add 2 tsp of canned puree) and fry till oil starts separating.
Now add turmeric powder. Add the spinach paste and stir for a while.Now add garam masala, coriander-cumin powder and kasoori methi.Add salt as per taste.

when its cooked a bit add the paneer cubes and put a lid to cook it for 5/7 mins. Remove in a serving bowl and pour fresh cream over it. Ready to serve.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Couscous

Couscous is a kind of food that can be made in many ways, its very easy to prepare and fast too.
This is an indian variant of the couscous recipe and favourite with my husband and daughter.
Ingredients--
Couscous 1/2 cup
water 1 cup
salt to taste
2tbsp olive oil
1 capsicum cut into squares
4/5 babycorns cut into thin strips
1 med onion cut lengthwise
3/4 garlic pods cut into small pieces
garam masala 1 tsp
coriander for garnish.

How to---
In a vessel put the water for boiling, when it starts boiling add 1/2 tsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt to it. Put the gas off. (You can add salt according to your taste as this is the only way u can put the salty taste into the couscous).
In a large bowl take the couscous and pour the boiled water over it .Put a lid on it and let it soak for 20/25 mins.
The couscous will soak all the water ,puff it with a fork.
In a pan take 2 tbsp olive oil . Fry the onions till translucent add the garlic.
Add capsicum and babycorns and fry for 2 mins. Now add the puffed couscous to it and stir well. Let it steam with a lid on for 5 mins on low flame.
Remove the lid and add garam masala to it. Stir again and steam for another 2 mins.
Remove from the gas and garnish with coriander. Serve hot.

This is very easy to prepare, healthy as it is made from wheat semolina, and it tastes yummy.

tomato soup

Tomato soup-- restaurant style----

5/6 tomatoes
2 med onions
4/5 garlic pods
1 inch ginger
1tbsp ghee + 3/4 tbsp for frying bread croutons
2tsp wheat flour/corn flour
bread 1 day old
salt,sugar ,black pepper to taste.

How to---
Cut the tomatoes ,onions in large pieces .Put them with garlic and ginger in a pressure cooker with 1/2 cup of water. Cook till 2/3 whistles.
Remove from the pressure cooker , let it cool a bit.
puree it in the blender. In a deep pan put 1 tbsp ghee for melting on low flame. Add wheat flour and roast it until the raw smell is gone .
Strain the pureed tomato onion mixture in another pot.
Add it to the pan slowly stirring for a while so that no lumps are formed.
Let it start boiling, add salt and sugar to taste.
Add some water if its too thick ,but don't make it too thin either.
Let it simmer for 6/8 mins.
Add a little black pepper powder when u put the gas off.

Make small squares of the bread and fry in some ghee/olive oil on low flame til they turn golden brown.
Serve the soup hot with bread croutons and some fresh pepper powder.

Friday, February 5, 2010

puranpoli.

This is my first post so lets start with something sweet...

Puranpoli is the best sweet that maharashtra has to offer and its my most favourite too.

Ingredients:-

1 cup chana dal,

1 cup jaggery(for me 1/2cup jaggery and 1/2 cup sugar works best)

nutmeg freshly grated

a few strands of saffron,

powdered cardamom,

wheat flour,

salt pinch,

water,

pinch turmeric powder,

oil.

How to:-

Take a big vessel, put water for boiling. Once it starts boiling add chana dal and a pinch of turmeric powder and 1 tsp oil. Let it boil until it turns soft enough to be easily broken with fingers.

Put it on strainer with a vessel under it to take all the extra water out(this can be used for making katachi amati.)

Once all the water is strained add sugar/jaggery to it and grind it on the mixer until it forms a paste,there should be no lumps. Put it in a kadai for heating again on a low flame. keep stirring .

Cook the mixture until a white line starts forming around the edges of the kadai. and the spoon stands straight in the mixture. Turn the gas off add saffron,cardamom and nutmeg powders. let it cool a bit. The puran is ready.

Meanwhile knead the wheat flour a bit loose than usual rotis. mix 2 sp oil and salt and add it to the kneaded flour and mix it well to loosen the atta.

take a small ball of the atta make a round pouch of it with your fingers,just like you make for stuffed paratha. Stuff the puran in it. Roll it out thin like poli ( not thick like paratha).

Roast it on a tawa until both sides are golden brown. Serve them hot with lots of ghee and/or milk(make special milk for puranpoli by adding saffron,nutmeg,cardamom to it.)

Enjoy the best sweet dish on the earth...

welcome

Hello, Welcome all to my blog. I am inspired by all those recipe blogs that I always have taken help from while cooking. So I can't say that I am doing something new,but I can promise you that the recipes on my blog will be yummy and you will never be disappointed. So... let's start cooking.