Culinary Adventures

Moving

2006-08-16T05:15:00.000-07:00

I have moved my blog to my website. Raje's Culinary Adventures

Yoghurt with Fruits

2006-06-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

Today’s lunch for Aditya was simple. I gave him yoghurt with rice, some strawberries and a goldfish snack. I don’t expect him to eat much from it today. His school has chicken taquitos for lunch. The breakfast snack was graham crackers and banana. I don’t remember what the evening snack is, but it was ok. No canned stuff today and a much happier Aditya went to school today, with a lunch box he might not have to eat.

I have to admit though, that I preferred when he ate his lunch from his lunch box. It gave me a sense of being more in touch with him and what he eats. I have his school lunch menus but that doesn’t mean I can monitor what he eats. All I would know is what he had been offered for the day.

I will still continue to send his lunch box, but the posts from now on might concentrate more on what I pack for Shilpi and me. I finally got my own lunch box and also the small lunch jars.

Fried Chicken

2006-06-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

There was a garage sale in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and Shilpi found an unused deep fryer for three bucks there. Being gadget crazy as I am; I could not wait to try it out.

This is a very simple recipe and the chicken was de..li...cious !!

Ingredients

Buttermilk – 1 cup
Boneless chicken thighs– 1 lb
All-purpose flour – 1 cup, approx.
Salt to taste
Fresh cracked pepper to taste
Cornflakes – ½ cup, crushed (optional)

Method

Cube the chicken and marinate in the buttermilk overnight.

Heat the fryer to recommended temperature (350 o F, approx.), If you are not using an electric fryer, do still try and use a cooking thermometer to get the oil hot to the right temperature.

Meanwhile season the flour with salt and pepper and add crushed cornflakes for extra crunch. Mix well.

Coat the marinated chicken with the flour mixture and fry in batches.

Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Mac ‘n Cheese

2006-06-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today’s lunch was Mac and cheese for Aditya. He also got some of the banana bread and gold fish. Today’s vegetable was corn and fruits were strawberries and oranges.

We had a major ‘No Lunch Box’ tantrum today. I guess he feels a bit odd as he is one of the few kids who take a lunch box. I am reconsidering how to deal with the situation.

The strict monitoring of his diet for the past week has revealed that though he comes back less hungry from school, he still has bouts of scratch attacks. So it is just not food that is causing his allergies.

I talked to his teachers about this and we have reached an agreement. He gets to eat his lunch same as other kids, except when there is canned stuff. Those days he will be eating out of his lunchbox. I will be packing him fruits and veggies every day though.

No Pictures for today :( .

Breakfast Bread (Banana Oatmeal bread)

2006-06-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

This was supposed to have been a recipe for breakfast bars. The bars turned out to be a bit soft and spongy. So I call it banana bread instead. It’s really tasty, not too sweet and a super grab on the go breakfast for us.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup light sourcream
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3 bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups raw quick-cooking oats

Method

Combine flour, salt, soda and spices and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar and egg until fluffy. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the wish attachment

Add bananas and vanilla beat until smooth.

Gradually stir in flour mixture and oats until well combined. I switched to the paddle attachment here and put in a big spoon of flour and oats alternately.

Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan.

Bake at 425° for about 25 minutes or until golden.

Chicken and Strawberries

2006-06-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

Today I added some vibrant colors to Aditya’s lunchbox. Luscious red strawberries and gorgeous green broccoli compliment each other beautifully. I also added some home fried chicken and pretzels from the local whole foods store. Usually these are all of Aditya’s favorites.

He was a bit unhappy about the lunch box yesterday. “I don’t get snacks” he complained. I guess there was something being given to the kids yesterday for snack, that he really liked. To make up for it I packed all his favorite food today. When I showed him his lunch box this morning, “I don’t like that” he said; pointing at the broccoli. I smiled and replied “ You like the rest” and he nodded in agreement. I hope by lunch time he will have a change of heart.

For Shilpi I packed roti with curry, some strawberries and some salad greens with chicken. He has some extra snacks at work and took along a peach.

Dinner Rolls

2006-06-13T08:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I made some dinner rolls and they were absolutely heavenly. I has substituted light sour cream instead of the butter. I guess that did the trick. There were the best dinner rolls I have ever made.

Ingredients

3/4 cup water
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Yeast

Method

Measure all ingredients into bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Process on dough/manual cycle.

When cycle is complete, remove dough to floured surface. If necessary, knead in additional flour to make dough easy to handle.

If you are not using a bread machine, use warm water ( around 95º to 115ºF) and dissolve the sugar, salt and yeast into the water. Keep aside for 10 min.

Now take a cup of flour in a mixing bowl and mix in the oil and the yeast mixture. Slowly start adding the remaining flour. Knead the dough and put it aside for about 45 min.

Divide dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll them into smooth balls. Place them 2 inches apart on greased large baking sheet; cover. Place large shallow pan on counter; half-fill with boiling water. Place baking sheet on pan; let rolls rise for 20 minutes.

Bake them at 400ºF for 12 to 15 minutes or until done. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Sandwich with oatmeal bread

2006-06-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

There were enough leftover yesterday and I decide to work on Aditya’s lunch box item’s instead. I baked some dinner rolls and set out to make some oatmeal breakfast bars. It turned out more like a cake, So I just call it bread instead. Aditya loved it, so it is a hit and a keeper. I’ll post the recipe later.

For lunch today he got a dinner roll sandwich. I spread some of my sour cream spread and put in a slice of veggie ham. Some of the oatmeal and banana bread for a snack. For fruit today he got mango and orange. I added the goldfish too as an alternative.

Shilpi had liked yesterday’s lunch a lot so I decided to give him the same setup i.e. he got the seitan curry and yoghurt. His fruit and snack was the same as Aditya’s.

Paneer Cutlets

2006-06-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is a super easy recipe and makes for a great snack.

Ingredients

Paneer – ½ lb
Bisquick baking mix – ½ cup
Buttermilk – ¼ cup

Method

Preheat the oven to 375⁰.

Cut the paneer into slices about half a centimeter in thickness. You could also cut them into sticks.

Make a batter by mixing the bisquick and buttermilk. It should be reasonably thick.

Coat the paneer slices with the batter and arrange on a pregreased baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for about 8 min. The batter should be set firm by now. Brush the cutlets with oil on top and bake for another 5 min. This gives them a nice golden brown color. You could also use spray on the oil or used flavored butter.

Remove and cool slightly before serving.

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Seitan

2006-06-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

It is also called wheat meat. It is one of the varieties of fake meat that you can get these days. Seitan is made from wheat gluten. A lot of recipes of seitan are also available on the web. This was my first attempt of making it at home. It turned out pretty well. It does sound a bit difficult and the process might seem lengthy, but with the right tools it can be pretty easy. I used my kitchen aid mixer and it was reasonably easy with this. It might be a little more strenuous if one had to make it by hand.

As it was my very first attempt, I am not posting the recipe yet. I did try a combination of a couple of recipes and intend to make some more changes the next time. Once I am satisfied with how it turns out I will post the recipe.

When it comes to taste I have to admit I did not notice much difference in taste between seitan and soy nuggets. I guess both are tasteless and take on the flavors that one puts in them while cooking.

Seitan and Yoghurt

2006-06-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

I made some Seitan over the weekend and made a curry from it. For today’s lunch Shilpi took the Seitan Curry with rice and Yoghurt with rice. He also got half an orange for fruit and cucumber slices and sticks for salad.

Aditya’s box had the yoghurt and rice but not the seitan curry. He got orange and banana slices for fruit. Cucumber and cheese sticks for salad and also goldfish.

Cucumber Sandwhich and Paneer Cutlets

2006-06-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

For today’s lunch I packed cucumber sandwiches. Shilpi’s sandwiches have tomatoes in them, but I omitted those for Aditya. He is allergic to raw tomatoes. Also the sandwiches have a sour cream spread in them instead of mayo. Again Aditya is allergic to raw eggs. The paneer cutlets are nothing but slices of paneer coated with a mixture of bisquick and buttermilk and baked in an oven. I will post the recipe later. I decided to keep the fruit and treat the same i.e. watermelon and cake. The bread for the sandwiches was baked at home yesterday evening and that recipe will be posted later.

The extra small container in shilpi’s box contains ketchup to go with his paneer cutlets. Aditya is again allergic to something in the ketchup. No he is not allergic to tomatoes in all forms. I have given him cooked tomatoes and he is fine with that. Same goes with cooked eggs. It is peanuts that he is allergic to in any form. That is because peanuts really do not undergo any chemical changes when cooked, but tomatoes and eggs do undergo chemical changes when cooked and hence the difference in allergic reactions to cooked and raw foods.

I also added two string cheese sticks for Aditya. I am still not too sure if he is going tolike his lunch today and have played it safe by adding the cheese. I know he likes it and it is pretty filling. I am hoping the paneer cutlets will satisfy shilpi’s wish for something heavy and filling.

Aditya’s Lunchbox

2006-06-07T23:34:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start packing lunches for Aditya too. His meals are all provded for at school, but I am not too happy with that due to two reasons. One is because of his allergies. He has a lot of them and it gets difficult to keep track of what he is eating at school. The other issue is I am never sure if he ate his meals properly at school or not.

I got the new laptop lunch boxes and was intending to use them for Shilpi and me. But for now they will be for Aditya and Shilpi.

Below is a picture of the lunch I packed for Aditya for tomorrow. He had fun helping me pack it and also helped me pack Shilpi’s lunch.

I have given him two roti’s and curry for lunch. He also needs two snacks. In his pre-school they have a snack at 9:00 am and one at 3:00 pm.

I also added two string cheese sticks to his lunch box after taking this picture. He has watermelon in the yellow box with the lid and some homemade cake in the purple container. I have decided to let the school staff to decide how to distribute the food between the snacks. I am hoping this covers all his meals properly. It might need a few adjustments before I can figure out what is exactly right for him. Let’s see how it goes.

Shilpi’s lunch box was similar, except that he had three roti’s in his box instead of two.

Lunch Update.

Shilpi was happy with his lunch, but wanted something more heavy or filling. He suggested adding a few chicken pieces.

I was told that everything went well for lunch at Aditya’s pre-school; So no problems at that front. He had eaten the roti with the string cheese inside, all the potato curry and most of the watermelon. He had but nibbled at the cake. He ate the cake on the way home. He told me “I don’t like orange potato.” Deciphered – I don’t like orange capsicum. Ok so I expected that. But he seemed happy with his lunch otherwise.

Potato Curry with Capsicum

2006-06-07T23:06:00.000-07:00

Another simple potato recipe

Ingredients

Potatoes – 3 medium, boiled and chopped
Onions – 2 medium, chopped
Capsicum – 2 medium, chopped
Rai (mustard seeds) – ½ teaspoon
Ajwain – ¼ tsp
Jeera (cumin seeds) – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – a big pinch
Salt to taste
Oil – 4 tbsp
Cilantro for garnish

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add the seasonings ( rai, jeera and ajwain). After a few seconds add the onions and sauté till the onions are translucent in color. Season with salt and turmeric.

Add the capsicum next and cook on a medium flame till they soften. Then add the potatoes and mix well. Cook for a few more minutes. Stir in some chopped cilantro a minute before removing from the flame.

Garnish with a few extra sprigs or chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes:

I used orange capsicum in this curry.
I also did not add any green chillies in the curry as Aditya was also going to eat it.

Paneer Paratha

2006-06-01T23:43:00.000-07:00

I love Paratha and roti. This was an experiment which turned out pretty good.

Ingredients

Atta – 2 cups
Oil – 2 tbsp
Paneer – ¾ cup
Green chilli – 2
Water – 1 cup approx.
Salt to taste

Method

Make dough with the atta. Add a table spoon of oil while making the dough. Add water a little at a time to make sure it the dough does not get sticky. Also do not forget to add salt. Let the dough rest for at least 15 min before proceeding to make the paratha.

Put the paneer and green chillies in a chopper and mince them. Season with salt.

Make the dough into walnut sized balls.

Roll out a ball into a circle about 2 inches in diameter. Place a table spoon of the paneer mixture in the center. Fold in from all sides and cover the paneer completely. Make a ball again and roll it out into a paratha. ( about 4 inches in diameter).

Cook on a hot tava or girdle, greasing lightly on both sides with oil.

Serve hot with curry and yoghurt.

Tadka Dhal

2006-06-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

This is a real simple recipe and nothing could be easier. This is actually a recipe by Shilpi. He always kept telling me about the tadka dhal made by a friend of his, during his school days in Canada. ( until I finally made it ;) )
Ingredients

Toor dhal – 1 cup
Water – 2 ½ cups
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Garlic – 1 clove crushed
Red chilli – 1
Tomato – 1 medium, diced
Oil – 2tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander chopped for garnish

Method

Cook the dhal in a pressure cooker. When done mash and stir well with a heavy ladle. Return to heat.

In a separate pan heat the oil and add the seasonings i.e. cumin, mustard garlic and red chilli. Add the hot seasoned oil to the dhal. Add salt. Finally add the chopped tomato and cook for 5 more min.

Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti.

Potato Curry

2006-06-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

This is an easy recipe but slightly time intensive. I used baked potatoes, ok actually semi baked potatoes. I was making corn bread and decided to bake some potatoes too along with it.

Ingredients

Russet potatoes – 4 medium
Onions – 2 medium diced
Dried red chilli – 1
Garlic clove – 1 crushed
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Oil – 4 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

Bake the potatoes in the oven at 400^o for about 25 min. Peel and dice them when cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic, chilli, cumin seeds and mustard seeds. After a few seconds add the onions and sauté till they become translucent.

Next add the turmeric powder, salt, potatoes and toss well. Pour about a cup of water and let simmer for 20 min, covered and stirring occasionally.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or roti.

Notes
The curry was delicious and worth the trouble. Even I liked it, and I am not too fond of potatoes. The potatoes did not become mushy and retained their shape.

Slow Cooker Mutton Curry (goat meat curry)

2006-05-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

This turned out pretty good and is going to become permanent in my repertoire of recipes. I used a shoulder chop.

Ingredients

Mutton - 3 ½ pounds
Onions – 3 large, chopped
Cloves – 5
Cinnamon stick – 2 pieces, inch long
Bay leaf – 1, small
Curd – ¾ cup
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Turmeric – ½ tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Chili powder – to taste
Salt – to taste

Method

Marinate the mutton overnight in yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, salt, turmeric, and chili powder.

Heat oil in a pan add the cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf. After a few seconds add the onions and sauté till translucent. Transfer them to the slow cooker.

In the same pan add mutton and cook for a few min. Transfer to the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker to the 10 hour setting.

When done garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

2006-05-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

We decided to go for an impromptu barbecue picnic today. So after coming home from work I grabbed some already defrosted chicken drumsticks and marinated them. At the park we ate the chicken with some focaccia bread. Dessert was grilled apples with syrup.

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks – 8, skinned
Garlic cloves – 2, minced
Oil – 1 tbsp
Chicken rub – 2 tsp
Jalapeno mustard – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste.

Method

Put all ingredients in a container and mix well. Marinate for half an hour at least.
Grill for 5 min on one side and 3 min on other side approx.
Squeeze some lemon juice over the drumsticks just before serving.

Simple Focaccia

2006-05-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Focassia is an Italian flat bread. It also has toppings like the pizza, but lacks the sauce that usually goes over it. Also it is generally thicker than the pizza crust and is also used to make sandwiches.

This recipe is similar to the Pizza recipe. So the Ingredients and quantities stay the same. For the sake of convenience I will list them again. The rest is pretty simple. Add some simple topping and bake.

Ingredients

Flour - 3 1/2 cups
water - 1 cup
yeast - 2 tbsp
honey - 2 tbsp
olive oil - 1/4 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp

Method

Put all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by the manual and select the dough option. That’s all to it.If you are using a food processor/ stand mixer / doing it by hand, make sure the water is warm(approx 95^oto 115^o). Mix the salt and honey in the water and then mix in the yeast. Let it stand for 5 to 10 min.

I have used sugar instead of honey.Take a cup of flour in a mixing bowl and mix in the oil and the yeast mixture. Slowly start adding the remaining flour. Knead the dough a little and put it aside for about 45 min.

Roll out the dough to fit in a jelly roll pan. You can also spread the dough out with your hand as is traditionally done. I use a combination of both. First roll it out a bit and then put it in a lightly greased jelly roll pan and pull and spread gently with hand to fill in the pan completely.

Next make indents with your fingers all over the dough. Brush with oil and add your favourite toppings to it.

I had brused the dough with garlic oil (just add a minced garlic clove to a little oil). Then I sprinkled some dried onion pieces on the dough.

Let it sit in a warm place for about 20 min and then bake for about 25 min in a preheated oven at 375^o.

Remove from pan and let it cool on a rack before serving.

You can cut it into small strips for serving as an appetizer; or cut larger squares, split in the middle and add your favorite sandwich fillings to make some delicious sandwiches.

Home Made Yoghurt

2006-05-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

I love to make yoghurt at home and prefer it any day to the store bought one. I had lost my culture during the winter and had been depending on the store brand all winter. I did try to begin my own batch during the winter, but without success. Two days ago I gave it another shot and was successful this time.

I used the Powells brand yoghurt to start my own batch with. This is usually available in Henrey’s Market Place, also known as Wild Oats in other parts of the country I think. Any yoghurt with a live culture should generally work.

Ingredients

Milk – ¼ gallon
Yoghurt with live culture – 1 tbsp

Method

Put the milk in a microwave safe container and bring it to a boil. I usually put the milk in a fairly large container to prevent it from boiling over.
Let the milk cool down to until it is warm. Not hot but warmer than room temperature. I have never used a food thermometer to date, but if you want to know the exact temperature; I’d say approx. 115-120o F. For me my finger has been my thermometer. Eventually one can easily tell by touch if the temperature is just right or not.

Now add the culture to the milk and stir well. Cover and let it sit in a warm place like near the stove or in the oven if it is not in use. One thing I like to do it wrap the container in foil, especially if it is plastic. Some of the heat is conserved in this manner.

Notes

I have made yoghurt even in winters before, though I could not succeed this winter. During winters I would usually wrap the bowl in a kitchen towel and a sweater. This was a trick I had learnt from my Mother. She would wrap the bowl in a sweater and put it in a hot case, during the cold winters of northern India. I hope I will be able to maintain a good culture from now on into the next winter too.

Homemade Pizza

2006-04-25T16:03:00.000-07:00

Last night my son decided he wanted pizza at 11:30 pm. I think I still need to figure out how to make him eat a proper meal before sleeping. Most days he eats reasonably well, but occasionally he refuses to eat anything I suggest. This had been one of those days. Anyway, here he is awake, cranky and demanding pizza in the middle of the night. I know the solution. If I want him to sleep without fuss the best thing is give him his pizza. It made me wonder if a 2 year old could also have midnight cravings. Obviously they can. Well I trudge downstairs with him to figure out what to do. I do know that the bread pizza tactic is not going to work. He wants the real thing this time.

Luckily I had made pizza dough and stored it in the fridge over the weekend instead of the freezer. What would I do with out my bread machine? The rest was easy. Just spread some pasta sauce on a rolled out base and sprinkle with grated cheese. 10 min later pizza is ready. Phew!! A relief.

Pizza dough

Ingredients

Flour - 3 1/2 cups
water - 1 cup
yeast - 2 tbsp
honey - 2 tbsp
olive oil - 1/4 cup
salt - 1/2 tsp

Method

Put all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order suggested by the manual and select the dough option. That’s all to it.

If you are using a food processor/ stand mixer / doing it by hand, make sure the water is warm( approx 95^oto 115^o). Mix the salt and honey in the water and then mix in the yeast. Let it stand for 5 to 10 min.

Now take a cup of flour in a mixing bowl and mix in the oil and the yeast mixture. Slowly start adding the remaining flour. Knead the dough a little and put it aside for about 45 min.

The dough should have doubled by now. Now knock down the dough and roll it out into pizza bases. You can make thick or thin base and also mini pizza bases. The choice is yours. Also prick the base with a fork to prevent it from puffing up in the oven.
Pile with your favorite toppings and bake in oven at 375^ofor 10 -15 minutes. Longer if the base is a little thicker. I usually prefer a thin crust.

A Question about copy rights and other stuff

2006-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

I just found out that a person by the name Sarabjit Singh was using these posts of mine and posting them as thier own on another site. almost all the posts done here are present there. How do I prevent this person from literally copying and pasting my stuff. I do plan to put up a copyright notice. Any other info will also be helpful.

The link where this person has been posting is

http://www.whereincity.com/contributions/recipes/1969

Website

2006-04-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I finally have a basic website up and ready. It needs a lot more work which will be a contiuning effort. The site is Gastronomical Adventures . Do check it out and give me feedback in the GA Forums .

Spinach and Chicken Breakfast Muffins

2006-04-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

This is a great wholesome breakfast to grab and go. It is also pretty easy to make.

Ingredients

Bisquick – 3 cups
Milk – 1 cup
Cooked chicken – ½ cup ( I used fully cooked chicken sausage, cut into little cubes)
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
Spinach – ½ bunch or 2 handfulls chopped fine.
Ginger and garlic – ½ tsp minced
Eggs – 2
Cheese – ¼ cup shredded, your favourite ( hard or semi soft variety preferable)

Method

Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the ginger and garlic. Reduce to low heat and add the spinach after a few seconds. Cook until the spinach just about wilted.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and fill into pre- greased muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees in a preheated over for 15-20 min.

Remove immediately and serve warm. They can also be refrigerated after they have cooled down completely. Reheat in a microwave oven for 15- 20 seconds before serving.

Makes approx 18 muffins.

Mushroom Curry

2006-04-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

The website got delayed so I decided to put up a couple of recipes here instead. This recipe is my grandmother’s recipe. It is really delicious and many non mushroom eaters have gotten converted after trying this dish out.

Ingredients

Mushrooms – 2 lb
Onions – 2 medium, chopped
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Garlic paste – ½ tsp
Cloves – 4
Milk – ¼ cup
Garam masala – ¼ tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add the cloves and cinnamon. When the cloves start crackling add the onions and sauté till they become translucent in color.

Next add the ginger garlic paste and cook for another minute. Now add the mushrooms and cook on low heat for 5 min.

Then add milk and let it cook for another few minutes. Make sure the heat is on low or the milk will start to curdle.

Finally add the garam masala and cook for another minute.

Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Just a Note

2006-03-31T17:08:00.000-08:00

Thanks to every one who has been visiting my blog and leaving comments. I have had a couple of people request me for pictures too. I really would love to; and am working on it.

I have been a bit busy at work these days and hence no posts on my part. Hopefully next week I will have some good recipes to share. I also am working on a website. This site will be more than just a recipe website. My intent is discovering culture and regions through food.

I hope you will all visit it. I will have it up by Monday. It will be a work under progress thing. And the only way I will be able to succeed is if I have a lot of inputs from all of you. I plan to set up a forum too on my site where all of you can post and share your views.

I will post the name of the site on Monday.

Bread Pizza

2006-03-22T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is a dish I used to make even as a kid in India. When I was growing up pizza was not as easily available in India as it is now. To satisfy my pizza cravings I would pile up some toppings on a slice of bread; sprinkle with cheese and bake in the oven for a few minutes. Voila! my very own personalized pizza was ready. I made it last night and it was a hit.

Ingredients

Bread slices – 4, crust removed
Cooked sausage – 1, chopped
Mushrooms – ½ cup, chopped
Tomato – 1, chopped
Cheese grated – ¼ cup
Butter

Method

Butter the bread and arrange the toppings as desired. Sprinkle with cheese and bake in a preheated oven at 375O for 5 min.

Notes

I used homemade brown bread. The bread was a little dense and holds up well when piled with toppings. If using sandwich bread I would suggest using one which is a couple of days old. It would have less moisture in it than fresh bread.

I sliced the bread fairly thin to create a thin crust feel. It was nice and crunchy.

For toppings you can use just about anything you like. I used to use leftover curries too as toppings on my pizza.

It is a nice way to use leftovers and fun for the kids to assemble their own special pizza. Lay out all the ingredients in an assembly line and let everyone choose their toppings. My 2 year old loves to help me in the kitchen and he had fun last night putting together his pizza.

Quick and Easy Strawberry Jam

2006-03-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

My son loves bread and jam (or jelly as he calls it) for breakfast or a snack. Strawberries are in season right now and there is nothing like fresh homemade jam. I really don’t like the store bought variety as I find them too sweet for my taste. Those who like their jam a little sweeter can increase the amount of sugar used.

Ingredients

Strawberries – 2 ½ cups (approx.)
Juice of one lemon
Sugar – ¾ cup

Method

Crush the strawberries or chop them fine. I usually put them in my mini food chopper.
Put the strawberries and the lemon juice in a pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for about 5 min.

Add the sugar and stir constantly until dissolved. You can do a taste test at this stage and add more sugar if you like it a little sweeter. Once the sugar is dissolved bring to a boil and cook for another 15 min on low heat, without stirring.

Remove from heat and remove any scum that may have formed. You could put this into a sterilized can at this stage. But I usually let it cool and put it in a plastic container for storing it in the fridge.

Note:
If you do wish to make larger quantities I would suggest canning it using proper canning techniques.
Here is a link about canning. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5338.html

Quick Chicken Stir Fry

2006-03-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

I came across the marinade in another recipe and decided to personalize it a little. The garlic is my addition and increased the cumin used. I did not use the spicy Indian chili powder I usually use. Instead used the one which came in my spice rack. It was delicious and even my two year old son loved it.

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken thighs – ½ lb
Soy sauce – 3 tbsp
Water – 3 tbsp
Cornstarch – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Ground cumin – ½ tsp
Napa cabbage – 2 cups sliced
Carrots – 1 cup, sliced very thin
Red bell pepper – 1 small, chopped

Method

Partially freeze the chicken. Slice it thinly into bite-size strips. Place the chicken in a heavy plastic bag.

For marinade, combine soy sauce, garlic, water and cornstarch; pour half the marinade over chicken. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes; reserve the remaining marinade.

Preheat nonstick skillet over high heat; add vegetable oil, chili powder and cumin. Stir-fry the chicken until browned; remove.

Add carrots and red pepper to wok; stir-fry 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add the napa cabbage and stir- fry for another minute.

Add the chicken and the reserved marinade; stir-fry 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

Coconut flavored Veggie Pulao

2006-03-13T10:47:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe which a lot of people have inquired about. I only make this when having people over for a meal or special occasions. A couple of things are the flavor and the color, which everyone inquires about. The flavor secret here is coconut milk and the color secret is the onions fried to a nice caramelized color.

Ingredients

Basmati Rice – 3 cups
Onions – 2 large, sliced thin
Green chili peppers – 4, sliced long
Frozen carrots and peas – 2 ½ cups
Coconut milk – 2 cans
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Bay leaf – 1
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Garlic paste – ½ tsp
Cloves – 5
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Oil – 2 tbsp
Water as needed
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the basmati rice in water for at least half an hour.

Heat oil in a pan and add the dry seasonings. Oil should be hot enough that the seasonings start spluttering immediately. After a few seconds add the onions. Cook on high heat until the onions have a nice brown caramelized color.

Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for a minute

Next add the green chilli, carrots and peas. Cook for a few minutes until the carrots and peas are thawed.

Add the basmati rice and cook for another few minutes.

Move everything to an electric rice cooker and now add the coconut milk and water. The measure that I use is 1 ½ cups of water (or liquid) for every cup of basmati rice. But as we are using coconut milk, I usually measure the coconut milk while pouring it in and add the remaining water. Here we would need about 4 ½ cups of liquid.

Serve with raita.

Scrambled Fish Curry (Chepala Porutu)

2006-03-11T21:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I was in a hurry to put something quick on the table for dinner. And all I really had was catfish and eggplant in the fridge. I decided fish would be quicker to cook. I had to defrost it of-course, but it still would be faster. I defrosted it in the microwave and actually cooked it a little too.
Now all I had to do was fry it up with onions and serve it as fried fish is what I hoped. Well it turned out a little different. The pieces started falling apart and so finally served it as scrambled fish.
I had heard of that dish before but neither eaten it or read any recipes about it. Later that day I was talking to my Mom and mentioned my creation. She told me that I had made in essence a dish that was my paternal grand father’s favorite. Except they would first steam the fish and then crumble it up by hand to remove all the bones and finally proceed the way I had.
Hmmm. Not bad and it was actually very tasty. . A really good dish and so easy to make.
Ingredients
Catfish – 2 lb
Onions – 2 large, diced
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Garlic paste – ½ tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric - ½ tsp
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Cloves – 5
Oil – 4 tbsp
Salt to taste
Cilantro - handful
Method
Defrost the fish and cook it in the microwave for 3 – 4 min. Chop it up into reasonably big chunks. Lightly coat it with salt, turmeric and chilli powder.
Heat oil in a pan and add the seasonings. Add onions and fry till they start to caramelize in color. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute more.
Next add the fish and keep stirring frequently, till the fish is cooked. This breaks down the fish and sort of creates a scrambled look. You can also smash the pieces with a spoon. I left a few chunks in on purpose.
Just before removing it from heat stir in finely chopped fresh cilantro.
Serve with rice.

Cauliflower Masala

2006-03-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is an easy spicy cauliflower dish with potatoes and tomatoes. Though I’d rather not have potatoes, but I decided to include them for Shilpi. He loved the dish. So I will be adding it to my emergency recipe list( for when I am out of ideas or my brain decides to take a break).

Ingredients

Cauliflower – ½ medium, cut into small pieces
Potatoes – 2 medium
Tomato – 1 large, diced
Onion – 1 medium, diced
Green chilies – 4, cut long
Cinnamon stick – 1 inch piece
Cloves – 5
Ginger paste – ½ tsp
Garlic paste – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water – ½ cup or as needed
Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and add the cinnamon and cloves. After half a min add the onions and cook till translucent.

Meanwhile bake the potatoes in the microwave, peel and dice.

Season with salt and add the cauliflower and chilies.

Cook for a few minutes and add the tomato. Also add the water to just about cover the cauliflower. Cover and simmer for about 10 min.

Season with cumin and coriander powder and stir to mix well.

Cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat.

Serve with hot rice or roti.

Veggie Stew with Dumplings

2006-03-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe for today when I cam across a Veggie Cassoulet recipe. I decided to substitute the beans for some veggies instead, and added an Indian twist to the recipe by adding garam masala.

Ingredients

Frozen TVP crumbles – 12 Oz
Chicken broth – 1 can
Oregano – ½ tsp.
Basil – ½ tsp.
Garlic – 2 cloves (pressed)
Frozen carrot and peas – 1 ½ cups
Onion – 1 medium, diced
Zucchini – 1 medium, diced
Water – 1 cup
Garam masala – ½ tsp.
Bisquick baking mix – 2 ¼ cups
Milk – 2/3 cup
Oil – 2 tbsp.
Salt to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Cook the TVP until lightly browned. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Next add the frozen carrot and peas and cook until thawed.
Finally add the zucchini, water, stock, and the spices. Bring it to a boil
Meanwhile mix the bisquick mix and milk to form a dough. Slowly drop spoonful’s of the dough on to the boiling mixture in the pot in an even layer all over the pot.
Cook uncovered for 10 min on low and another 10 min covered.
Serve hot.

Easy Fried Okra ( Bendakai Koora)

2006-03-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

The quantities mentioned here are again approximates. I never really measure precisely.

Ingredients

Okra – 3 pounds
Onion – 1 large/ 2 medium
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Dry red chilli – 1
Garlic clove – 1 crushed lightly
Salt to taste
Chilli powder – ½ tsp or to taste

Oil for frying

Method

If using fresh okra, trim both ends on okra and discard. Cut into pieces about a centimeter wide.

If you are using frozen okra, choose the cut frozen and not the whole frozen okra. You may remove the ends or leave them in.

Put the okra in a microwaveable dish, cover with a loose fitting lid and microwave on high for about 10 min. ( follow directions on packet for the frozen okra)

Heat the oil in a pan and add the seasonings, i.e. cumin mustard, dry red chilli and garlic.

After about half a min add the curry leaves. Now add the onions and fry them till they start caramelizing a little.

Add the microwave cooked okra .

Season with salt and chilli powder.

Cook okra for 5 min or more depending on your preference.

Serve garnished with cilantro.

Notes:

I usually use about 4-5 tablespoons of oil. Because the okra is already cooked in the microwave, it really does not take long to get cooked and slightly crisp.

If you like it really crisp you could use more oil.

Healthy Idli's

2006-03-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Well it’s been a while since I posted and today I am craving something healthy. Not a surprise. I have been really neglecting my diet in general. So here’s a recipe that actually makes you feel a little good about your diet.

Ingredients

Urad Dhal – 1 cup
Moong Dhal – 1 cup

Method

Soak the dhal’s for at least one hour in sufficient water to cover them completely.
Grind to a paste in a blender with sufficient water. The batter should be reasonably thick like cake batter.

Pour the batter into a deep bowls or dish and keep it in a warm place covered loosely with a lid. Leave it overnight to rise. It might take longer in the colder regions.

Once it has doubled in size, slowly stir it down with a spoon and refrigerate the batter.

To prepare the idli’s, take about half the batter and add a little salt and water. Just enough water to be able pour the batter easily.

Grease the idli moulds with ghee or oil and pour the batter in the moulds to just below the rim of the moulds. Steam the idlis in the cooker for 5 min.

Remove and serve immediately with coconut chutney.

Notes:
Quantity of batter used will depend on the size of the moulds.

Cauliflower Manchurian

2005-12-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that it looks like a dish that takes a lot of time to prepare. It can be done pretty fast.

Ingredients

Cauliflower - 1 medium
all purpose flour - ½ cup
ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
spring onion greens – 1 bunch
soy sauce – 2 tbsp
chilli sauce- 4 tbsp
corn flour – 2 tbsp
water – 3 cups approx
salt and paprika
oil for frying

Method

Cut up the cauliflower into bite size florets.
In a bowl add the flour, along with salt paprika and a tsp of ginger-garlic paste.
Add about ¾ cup of water and mix well. If required add more water. It should make a batter which is neither too runny nor too thick.
Heat the oil in a wok or pan.
Put the cauliflower florets into the batter a handful at a time and coat well.
Fry them in the oil and drain on paper towels.
In another pan add a table spoon of oil.
Add finely chopped spring onion greens and the remaining ginger garlic paste.
Fry for a minute and add the soy sauce.
After another minute add two cups of water and bring it to a boil.
Add the chilli sauce and also stir in the corn flour mixed in a little cold water.
Once the gravy begins to thicken remove from heat an set aside.
When ready to serve, warm up the gravy and add the fried cauliflower.
Garnish with chopped spring onion greens before serving.

Notes
If the gravy gets too thick add a little water when warm and stir well to thin it out.
Salt will not be required in the gravy as soy sauce usually has enough in it, but do check to make sure it is enough.

Chicken and Veggie Casserole

2005-11-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

I decide to make a casserole yesterday for a change in menu. Will also be a nice weekday lunch to take to work. It is usually made with broccoli, but I did not have any last night. So I substituted it with carrots and beans. Aditya loves his veggies, but last nigh he was hogging on the chicken.

Ingredients

Carrots – 1 ½ cup diced
Beans – 1 ½ cup diced
Mushrooms – 1 cup cut in small pieces
Chicken - 2 lb, boneless cut into small pieces.
Garlic – 1 clove, minced
Spring onions – 1 bunch, diced
Stuffing mix – 1 8oz packet ( or ½ 16 oz packet)
Cream of mushroom soup – 1 can
Chicken broth – 1 can
Butter – 4 tbsp, melted
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

Method.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Sauté it with mushrooms and onions until no longer pink.
Add the carrots and beans and the can of mushroom soup and mix well.
Spread it out evenly in a 2 qrt casserole dish.
Mix the stuffing with the butter and broth and spread it out evenly over the chicken and veggie mix.
Bake in the over at 350 F for 45 min.

Potato and Sago Cutlets

2005-11-13T09:25:00.000-08:00

I am not a potato lover and would not mind if it were eliminated from my diet totally. But the potato lovers, which seem to be everyone on this planet but me, either get upset or are shocked that there could exist a person who actually does not like potatoes. I still cook them once in a while because I do have a husband who loves potato anything.
These cutlets are something which I do like a little and eat. They are my staple during the navrathri fast, along with lots of yoghurt, fruits and milk. I haven’t kept the fast for a few years now and had decided last week to just fast and clean up my system a little. I made these little cutlets and assumed they would last me for 3 days. I just forgot one tiny little detail. I have a potato lover in the house. I normally eat four of these little cutlets with about 2 cups of yoghurt for a meal. I made these in the morning but did not have enough by dinner time.

Ingredients

Potatoes – 2 big or 4 small
Sago – 1 cup soaked in water for a few hours.
Salt to taste
Oil

Method
Cook the potatoes in the microwave. I use the baked potatoes setting or about 8 min I think.
Cool, peel and mash them up in a food processor. Add salt before mashing. I use a little chopper I have.
Now mix in the sago. I usually take a small handful of it and squeeze out the water from the sago. Then I mix it in with my hands at this stage.
Shape it into small balls and deep fry. (Smaller than a table tennis ball.) I usually flatten them out and fry them in very little oil in a non-stick pan.

Quick Fried Rice

2005-11-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is again one of my dinner in a hurry recipes. Very easy and quick to make using leftover rice. I usually serve this with one of my quick whip up chicken dishes and yoghurt. My two year old son loves it. And I am happy that he is eating his veggies too this way.

Ingredients.
Cooked Rice – 4 cups
Frozen carrots and peas – 2 cups
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Onion soup mix – 1 pkt
Dry onion flakes – 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil

Method
Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add the ginger-garlic paste, onion flakes and the onion soup mix.
Sauté for a minute and add the carrots and peas.
Let it cook for around 5 -10 min or until the carrots are tender. Check if salt is required around now. Remember the soup mix has salt in it already. If required add some now.
Add the rice and mix well.

Basic White cake ( Bread Machine)

2005-11-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

I have a Zojirushi bread machine that produces 2 pound loves of bread. But this recipe should work with most other machines too. You might have to scale the ingredients based on the loaf size.

Ingredients

Eggs - 3 medium
Oil – 2/3 cup
Bread flour – 1 cup
Bisquick – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 cup
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Baking soda – 1 tsp
Vanilla extract – 2 tsp

Method
Proceed according to bread machine directions for cake.

Notes
I usually don’t let it bake for the full time in the machine. I check for doneness about 45 min before the bake cycle ends by inserting in a clean plastic knife or a wooden skewer. If it comes out clean without any batter or light clumps on it. The cake is done and you can stop the machine. This way you get a more moist loaf. Otherwise it gets a little too dry for my liking.

Mustard Chicken (Aava Petina chicken)

2005-11-10T21:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of my on the fly invented recipes. My husband loved it the first time I made it and it has been a hit among friends too.

measurements are all approx. because I never cook by exact amounts, except ofcourse while baking.

Ingredients

Chicken - 2 Lb
onion - 1 large
horseraddish
mustard - 1 tbsp
cloves - 4
cinnamon
stick - 1
red chilli
powder - 4 tsp
ginger garlic
paste - 2 tsp
turmeric - 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
oil

Method

marinate the chicken with the ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, mustard, salt and turmeric.
heat oil in a pan and add the cloves and cinnamon.
when the start spluttering add the onions and fry until almost carmalized.
add the chicken and fry till done. about 15 - 20 min.

Note: if you don't like it spicy you can reduce the chilli powder to 1/2 a tsp. and also cut down on the cloves, cinnamon and ginger garlic paste. just dont eliminate anything or the flavour changes. I would recomend cutting down on the chilli powder for sure.

Also you can substitue different kinds of mustard too. To cut down on the spice you could use honey dijon mustard. I have used plain mustard powder too when i had no prepared mustard at home.