Mushroom Fried Rice

Fried rice is one of my favorites and I never seem to get my appetite filled with these. I am not sure if its becasue of the lightness of the dish or because it tastes so good..I can keep eating bowls of fried rice before I realize I am full...I often overeat and go "What is things made of?"..Sadly, I do the same thing when I make it!! Can't relate to this?? hmmn...Maybe its just me? 
So, I do try to make a lot of different varieties of fried rice each week..and mushrooms are sooo good for this because of the earthiness, the asian flavor, and the beautiful natural color it gives to the rice.. This version of mushroom fried rice combines mushrooms and celery without overpowering the dish with other veggies..
And thank god this is one of the rare lunch boxes my kids dont bring back home.. :) I am sure there are many moms here who can relate to this!! Come on!! Pls dont tell me your kids finish their lunch boxes! I'll be heart broken :P :)

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Water - 2 1/4 cups
Red Onion - 1 large, thinly diced
Mushrooms, brown/white - 25-30, thinly sliced
Celery - 2 stalks, thinly sliced
Chilli-Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1-2 Tbsps
Pepper - 1 tsp (or to taste)
Salt, to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker with the mentioned amount of water and a tsp of oil and salt. Let it cool and separate the cooked rice gently with a fork.
2. Heat oil in a wok or kadai in a high flame and add onions and saute until golden. 
3. Add mushrooms, celery and salt and let the veggies cook and soften.
4. Now add pepper, chilli-garlic paste and toss together until mixed.
5. Add the cooked rice and gently mix. Adjust salt, pepper to taste. 

Tips:
Adding salt to the veggies makes it cook faster and remember to do this whole thing in high flame so that the veggies dont lose their color and end up looking pale.
I use Kikkoman chilli garlic paste and that's my go to sauce for several dishes. You can try any brand that is your favorite. This paste is optional if you are primarily making the dish for kids as it could make the fried rice a little spicier. 

Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Soups are so comforting on a cold, wet, rainy day... and you will know what I mean when you live in a place like seattle :)
My daughter loves soups and end up getting one everytime we go to a restaurant..So I have always wanted to make her a soup and here's a starter..
Who doesn't like minestrone? Pretty much every likes it...Its healthy, hearty, filling and comforting..Now what more do you need in a food anyway?
I saw this episode of Ina make a winter minestrone soup and immediately wanted to make one..But as usual, I did not have most of the ingredients and waited next week until I could go shopping..
I have never made anything with butternet squash and I really loved it in the soup..
Here's the recipe for Vegetable Minestrone soup adapted from Ina's.

Ingredients:
French Baguette - 1, thinly sliced
Yellow Onion - 1 very large, diced

Carrots - 3 large, diced

Celery - 4 stalks, diced
Garlic - 5-6 cloves, crushed

Butternut squash - 1, diced

Cannelloni beans - 1 can

Tomatoes - 4 ripened/1 can, diced

Small Pasta - 1 cup (cook as per pkg directions)

Vegetable/Chicken stock - 7-8 cups
White wine - 1/2 cup (optional)

Dried thyme - 1/2 tsp

Dried basil - 1/2 tsp

Dried oregano - 1/4 tsp
Bay leaves - 2

Cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp

Paprika - 1/4 tsp 

Black Pepper - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 Tbsp

Olive oil

For Pesto: 

Cilantro/Parsley/Basil leaves - 1 cup

Pine nuts - 2 Tbsp

Parmesan cheese - 1 Tbsp, grated

Olive oil - 2 Tbsp

To add chicken: (optional)

Chicken breast - 1 piece, diced

Cayenne pepper - 1/4 tsp

Paprika - 1/4 tsp 

All purpose seasoning - 1/2 tsp

Salt, to taste

Method:

Pesto:
Process all the ingredients from the list into a food processor and blend until coarse.

Garlic Bread: 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees .
• Thinly slice the baguette to 1/2-1 inch thick pieces and line up on a cookie sheet and bake for about 7-8 minutes until slightly crispy. 
• Once the bread is out of the oven, cut the tip of a garlic clove and rub on each slice of the bread.

Minestrone Soup:

• Heat 1-2 Tbsps of oil in a large pot or pan and add all the vegetables - onions, celery, butternut squash, carrots, crushed garlic, basil, thyme, bay leaves, oregano and salt. Adding salt makes the veggies cook faster.
• Once the veggies are soft and cooked, add tomatoes, vegetable/chicken stock, pepper, cayenne and paprika, mix well and let it come to a boil.
• Once the liquid starts boiling, simmer and let it cook for about 25-30 minutes until it reduces down.
• Now add the spinach, pesto, cooked pasta, beans and white wine (if using) and let it cook for about 5 minutes until the spinach is cooked and shrinks to a dark green color.
• Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve with a garlic bread

Tips:

• You can peel and cut all the vegetables ahead of time. I did this one day in advance as this could eat up your time.
• You could always use any store bought pesto. I did not have pesto, so I made my own version.I used cilantro as I did not have other herbs. I would have used basil preferably, but was surprised that cilantro tasted just as good in the soup. 
• While toasting the bread, if you prefer it less crispy (like my husband), remove it earlier around 5/6 minutes or simply cut the baguette and dip into soup and enjoy.
• If the soup is too thick always feel free to add more stock and let the whole pot come to a boil.
• If you're adding chicken, mix the chicken well with all the spices and saute in a pan with olive oil until well cooked and add to the soup along with the pasta.

Spinach chicken pasta

It's been so long since I wrote my last post and I've been missing blogging so much since a few weeks..and then today I realized that if I wait for a perfectly planned cooking and photography session, it's never going to work.. So, why not use my phone to take a few decent pictures and use the app to blog..

Even though it was not as easy I thought it was, becasue I had to switch between my computer and my phone for editing :( , here I am writing my first post with help of my iphone! Not bad huh! 

                               

Spinach chicken pasta is a simple and hearty dish that your entire family will like and will also make a good lunchbox meal for the kids! 

Ingredients:

Olive oil - 2 Tbsp

Butter - 1/2 Tbsp (optional)

Garlic - 4 cloves, minced

Cheese, any kind - 1/4 cup, grated

Spinach - 1 bunch, chopped

Chicken - 1lb, cut into thin strips

Pasta, any kind - 1/2 lb

White wine - 1/4 cup

Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp

Tomatoes - 1 can

Dried basil - 1-2 tsp

All purpose seasoning 1-2 tsp

Pepper 

Salt

Method:

1. Heat olive oil and butter (if using) in a slightly deeper pan
2. Add the minced garlic and onions and saute until golden.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, basil, all purpose seasoning, salt and pepper.
4. Add the chicken, lemon juice and saute until the chicken is all cooked.
5. Now add the white wine and mix well and let it cook for a few minutes.
6. Add pasta, spinach and let the spinach cook down.
7. Now add the cheese and mix well and remove from heat.

I tried to take as many pictures to give you an idea of all the steps..I hope it helps!!

You can make the same pasta without chicken and add any other vegetable instead, For eg, Mushroom would be a good choice here..Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!!

Chocolate Rolls

Phyllo sheets can be used to make lots of delicious dishes.. Here is a quick and tasty dessert.
I made these rolls for my friends and they loved it :) :)

Things Needed:
6 phyllo sheets (or more if you want more rolls)
Melted unsalted butter - half stick
Chocolate chips - half pack

Method:
Cut the phyllo sheets into 3 rectangles. Each rectangle will look like the picture below.

Take one piece and brush melted butter on the sheet and fold once to form a square.

 Place chocolate chips along the center of the square and fold once to form a triangle.

Then roll and place in a baking tray. Repeat for each piece of phyllo.









Bake at 275 for 15 mins or till the rolls turn a pleasant brown and smell like delicious pastry.

Cool and serve.. My friends loved it and I'm sure it will be a crowd pleaser. 

Salmon Cakes with Aioli dip

We recently went to the REI members event where they had a few finger foods and one of them were these yummy looking tiny crab cakes that were out of the world..So I came back home totally wanting to make something similar..I dint have crab at home but had some left over salmon from making fish puttu the other day. So I decided to make salmon cakes instead..
This is a healthy and utterly delicious recipe that just will make your taste buds very happy!!

Ingredients:
Salmon, cooked, shredded - 1 lb
Onion, large, finely chopped - 1/2 no
Bell Pepper, finely chopped - 1/2 no
Eggs, slightly beaten - 2
Garlic powder - 1tsp
Worcestershire sauce - 1Tbsp
Hot sauce - 1/2 Tbsp (or to taste)
Old bay seasoning - 1/2 Tbsp
All purpose seasoning - 2 tsp (opt)
Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup
Pepper - 2-3tsp
Mayo - 2 Tbsp
Butter - 1/2 Tbsp
Olive oil -
Salt, to taste

For Garlic Lemon Aioli Dip:
Garlic pods, crushed - 2
Mayo - 1/2 cup
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Salt - 1 pinch
Pepper - 1 pinch
Capers - 1 Tbsp (optional)

 

Method:

1. Roast salmon in very little oil in a flat pan until completely cooked and slightly golden on both sides. Remove from pan, cool and shred into small pieces once cooled.
2. In the same pan, add butter, 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions and bell peppers, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder and all the seasonings, salt, pepper and let it cook until soft and slightly golden. Once done, remove from heat and let cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, mix together salmon, onion mixture, beaten eggs, bread crumbs and Mayo. Adjust seasonings per taste if need be. 
4. Heat in low flame about a tbsp of olive oil in a flat pan or griddle.
5. Take equal amounts of the mixture (I used an ice cream scoop for this) and make them into balls and then flatten them out a little like biscuits about 3-4 inches in diameter and place them in the oil one by one. 
6. Slowly brown both sides of the cake until completely firm and well done. 
7. Remove from heat and serve hot with garlic lemon aioli dip or tartar sauce. 
8. For the dip, mix all the ingredients together and adjust seasoning.

P.S : I used leftover salmon in this case. You can precook and refrigerate the fish for more than a week and use it when you need it. You can prepare the mixture and store it for a few days ahead before making the cakes as well.
Breadcrumbs substitute:  If you dont have breadcrumbs, you can use ritz crackers or any salt crackers or toasted bread to bind the ingredients together.

Curried Egg puffs

Puffs are my favorite snack of all times..You can make them in so many varieties..And thanks to the ready to cook puff pastry shells..the job's even easier!! I dont know what sort of curry they usually add to egg  puffs in India..But I've seen some with green chutneys as base too..but I tried my simple version of onion masala curry with boiled eggs and it turned out really good...

P.S: Dont forget to learn the chinese alphabet on the last pic :)

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry Sheets - 2, thawed
Eggs - 4, boiled and cut in half
Onion - 3 Large, cut thin long
Olive Oil to stir fry
Chilli powder, to taste
Coriander powder - 1tsp
Curry powder - 2tsp
Garam Masala - 1tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
Salt, to taste

For Egg Wash:
Egg - 1, slightly beaten with 2 tsp of water

  

Method:

1. Cut each pastry sheet into four squares and let it thaw at room temperature at least for 30mins to an hour until flexible.
2. Boil the eggs, cut them in half and keep aside. 
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
4. In a small pan, add olive oil and add the onions, ginger garlic paste and all the masalas and stir fry until the onions are caramelized and keep aside.
5. Take each square sheet, apply a spoonful of the onion curry paste on the bottom and place an egg half cut side facing down.
6. Wrap the four corners of the sheet and seal. Stuff and seal all the sheets similarly.
7. Apply the egg wash on each puff to get a golden brown color.
8. Spray some Pam on a baking sheet and place the puffs with atleast an inch of space between them. 
9. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
10. Serve with ketchup or hot sauce.

 

P.S : That was my attempt of a smiley face with ketchup :)

Prawn/Shrimp masala

This is the most common way of making prawns. I tried to make them in a hurry one weekend, so I called my aunt and she gave me the recipe. 

Things Needed:

Small packet shrimp – tail removed
2 medium sized onions – chopped
5 tomatoes or one 12 oz can diced tomatoes
A pinch turmeric powder (manjal podi/ Pasuppu dhummu)
2 tsp garlic – chopped
2 tsp red chilly powder (milagai podi/ mirrapa dhummu)
1 tsp salt

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadai and add a spoon of oil.
• Then add onions and garlic and sauté till the onion is a little brown.
• Then add tomatoes, turmeric and chilly powder. Keep on medium heat and make sure the curry doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• When the raw smell of the chilly powder has gone – might take upto half hour or more, add salt and taste.
• If it tastes ok, then add shrimp and mix with the curry. Cover for 6-7 minutes.  Thokku is done - Enjoy

Tons of Veggies Pasta

Finally after a long time I'm back!..with the pregnancy and the moving to Seattle, things have been really busy...I never got time to post anything..I always feel cooking is just a small part...writing up and posting the recipe is most of the part.. :)
Anyways, here's a simple pasta recipe I put together with a lot of veggies and mascarpone cheese..Its rich and yummy!

Ingredients:
Wheat penne pasta - 1/2 lb
Onion, diced - 1 medium
Zucchini, cut into thin small pieces - 2
Squash, cut into thin small pieces - 2
Green Peas & carrots, diced - 1/2 cup
Green Pepper, diced - 1/2 no
Garlic, crushed - 2 medium cloves
Mascarpone Cheese - 4oz
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Parsley, chopped - 1-2 Tbsp
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
Chives (Fresh/dried) - 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Method:

1. Cook pasta in enough boiling water and salt for about 8-10 minutes until cooked.
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onions and sauté until soft. Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute. Now, add all the remaining veggies and sauté until cooked and soft. 
3. Add all the seasonings: salt, pepper, lemon juice, chives and italian seasoning. 
4. Now add the mascarpone, parmesan cheeses and parsley and mix. 
5. Toss the pasta and cook for a minute until everything gets coated evenly. 

Baked Ravioli

I looked at ravioli in costco refrigerator and fell in love instantly. Is this love at first sight?
I was constantly thinking about it and how I would do sweet sweet things to it :)
Then like with any relationship it sat in the fridge for sometime until I realized it is being abused.
Or more like I had nothing else to do so I gave it a shot;)
Pics speak a thousand words they say:

Recipe:

Easy peasy Costco spinach cheese filled ravioli
mozzarella
Prego sauce (regular)

Boil the frozen ravioli for 5 mins be careful not to over boil it. Take a baking dish and pour the prego sprinkle lil mozzarella then add this boiled ravioli sprinkle more cheese on top.
Pre-heat at 400 degress and place this tray in the oven for 30 mins. Viola golden brown and ready to devour.

Grilled Shimp Tacos

Mexican foods is one of my favorites and was craving for tacos since long time and finally decided to make it last nite...
These days, my husband and I have been eating at our own convenient times and we have mostly forgotten about sitting and having dinner together...and the tacos brought us back together at the dinner table :P (mainly coz he was excited abt the tacos i guess..)

So here's the recipe for a simple grilled shrimp tacos and homemade guacamole. If you're too lazy to make guacamole yourself you can buy store-bought ones too..

Ingredients:
Corn Tortillas - 6-8
Shrimp, large size - 15-18 nos
Cabbage, shredded - 1/2 cup
Cilantro, chopped - 1/2 cup
Red Onions, cut thin and long - 1/2 cup
Sour cream - 1/4 cup
Cheese, shredded - 1/4 cup
Chipotle Chillies in Adobo sauce, to taste

Shrimp Marinade:
Old Bay seasoning - 1/2 Tbsp
Paprika - 1 Tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Buttermilk - 2 Tbsp
Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
Cumin/Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Brown Sugar - 1 tsp
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Adobo Sauce, to taste
Tandoori BBQ Mix - 1 Tbsp (optional)

Guacamole Recipe:
Avocado - 3 nos
Red onion, diced - 1/2 medium
Tomato, diced - 1 medium
Lemon Juice - 3 Tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/8 tsp
Garlic, minced - 1-2 cloves
Salt, to taste

Method:

Prep Work:

1. Scoop the inside of the avocados and and mix everything from the list to prepare the guacamole.
2. Marinate shrimp with the marinade from above for about 20-30 mins
3. Cut all the veggies and set everything ready in a plate.
4. Grill the marinated shrimp in a grill for about 2-3 minutes each side until slightly browned. If  you're using an oven, heat at 400 degrees for about 4-5 minutes until browned. Adjust time based on your oven and do not overcook as it might make the shrimp hard. Remove from heat and set aside. 
5. Take the chipotle chillies from the adobo sauce and crush them to a paste or mince them and keep aside.
6. Warm up the corn tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds, again do not heat for more than a few seconds since this might make the tortillas soggy. 

To Make a Taco:

1. Place each tortilla, spread some chipotle chilli paste with adobo sauce based on your spice level. 
2. Arrange 3-4 shrimps on the center of each.
3. Add some cabbage, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, cilantro one on top of each other and close.
4. And finally, take a bite of the yumminess!! :)

I was going to make traditional mexican rice and also add refried beans as sides. But I didn't have enough time or energy to make those..so I bought these awesome stuff called Old El Paso's tortilla stuffers..they have different varieties of rice and personally I love the mesquite chicken rice. It's an amazing side dish..and the whole meal came together perfectly!! I hope you enjoy..

Grilled Salmon

This amazing grilled salmon recipe is from one of our best friends Mahesh. He's great at the grill and I've been to one of their barbecue evenings before and loved it! I wish my husband can get a few grilling lessons from him :P
He was kind enough to share his salmon recipe "inspired by the oriental kitchen"

Ingredients:
Salmon - 2 lbs

Mahesh's Magic Sauce:

Soy sauce - 1/2 cup

Sesame oil - 3 Tbsp

Freshly ground garlic - 2 Tbsp

Finely Chopped cilantro - 1/ cup

Peeled and grated ginger - 2 Tbsp

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Sugar, to taste

Salt, to taste

Crushed red pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Mix everything from the sauce list above to create the marinade.
2. Marinate the fish with the mainade and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 mins.
3. While the marinade is doing its job, prep the grill and my fish grate.
4. Now, place the marinated fish in the fish grate and grill until slighly browned for an amazing asian grilled fish! 

Kothamalli/Cilantro Rice

Mixed variety rice has always been one of my favorites..I used to exchange my lunch sometimes with one of my buddies in college and her mom makes the best variety rice I've ever tasted! Today my trial was with cilantro as I got a bunch of it from Devon Street over the weekend.

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice
3 cups Water
2 medium Onions
2 Cinnamon sticks
4 Cloves
2 Star Anise
2 Bay leaves
1/2 Tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 Tbsp Lemon juice
2 Tbsps Ghee
2 Tbsp Oil

To Grind:
2 cups Cilantro, packed
4 Cashews
8 Green Chillies
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1/4 cup Coconut, shredded

Method:

1. Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes. 
2. Grind everything from the "To Grind" list into a fine paste without adding much water. You may add a few drops if needed. 
3. Heat oil with ghee in a pressure cooker. Add cinnamon, cloves, anise, bay leaves and saute for a min.
4. Add onions and saute until slightly golden. Add turmeric powder, corriander powder, the ground paste, salt and lemon juice and saute for 3-4 mins. 
5. Add 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil.  Now add the soaked rice and cover and pressure cook for a whistle in medium flame.  
6. Reduce the flame to low and let it cook for about 8-10 minutes and switch off.  Once the pressure goes off, remove the lid and mix gently without breaking the rice. 

Serve with raitha..

Ginger Okra (or Fish) Masala

This is quick ginger based dish which can be a perfect side dish for Chappati or any rice dish. You can substitue okra with fish

Ingredients:
Okra - 1 lb or Fish (Tilapia)-1 lb
Onion - 1 large half
Ginger - 1 cup of grated or sliced or small cut
Cilantro - 1 bunch
Cumin seeds - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 3 tbsp
TUmeric powde - 1 tpsp
Bread Crumbs - 1 tbsp or 2 tbsp depending on crispyness you need
Oil


Method:
1-Slice okra and cut cilantro
2-Add ginger, cilantro,chilli powder,coriander powder, Tumeric powder, bread crumbs, oil to sliced Okra or Fish (Tilapia).
3-Heat Oil.Add cumin seeds and onion and saute until golden.
4-Add the mix from step #2

5-Constantly stir every 2 or 3  minutes
6-Close cook for 8-12 minutes
7-Open cook for 8-12 minutes
8-Garnish with Coriander leaves

Kadai Chicken

This is a yummy kadai chicken recipe shared by a good friend of mine Upendra..Thanks Uppu for sharing this wonderful recipe. I am definitely trying this soon!

Ingredients:
1lb Chicken

1 Onion, medium (preferably red onion)

1 Tbsp coriander seeds

1 Tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 Tbsp whole black pepper (depends on your spicyness)

2 Tomatoes, medium

1/4 Bell pepper

Ginger garlic paste, to taste
Red chilli powder, to taste
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Cut chicken into medium pieces and marinate with turmeric powder and little bit of ginger garlic paste (we will be using more gingergarlic paste in teh masala)
2. Fry coriander seeds, cumin seeds till very light brown color and they start to give out the masala smell.
3. Grind these 2 seeds along with the black pepper. Do not make a fine powder. Keep it granular.this is the masala that we will be using. and the main ingredient of taste
4. Pour  oil in kadai (important that its a kadai to get that ultimate taste and more the oil more the taste). Put the chopped onions. Saute till very light brown.
5. Add a tea spoon of masala, ginger garlic paste and tea spoon of red chilli powder  and little bit of salt(remember not to put a lot of masala, salt and red chilli as we will put more of this later)
6. add finely chopped tomatos.
7. Mix all these well and put a lid on the kadai and let it cook on medium heat. after about 2-3 minutes check if tomatos start oozing juice. Once the tomatos are cooked, add chopped capsicum (do not chop it finely, let it be a bit big pieces. size of a dice).
8. Fry them for about 1-2 mins.
9. Now, add chicken, add the masala, red chilli powder (you can add according to your spicy limits) and salt according to the taste
10. Mix well and put the lid back. after about 3-4 minutes check if water starts to ooze. At this point pour some water (as required for the gravy)
11. Put the lid back and let the chicken cook. After 4-5 minutes remove the lid and cook the rest with out a lid till the gravy thickens.

Have it with chapatis or naans...yummy kadai chicken ready!!!!

Simple Masala Eggs

This is a nice way to spice up your boiled eggs..they can just be eaten as a snack!!

Ingredients:

Eggs - 10

Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Boil eggs in water with some added salt and remove the shells and let them cool for a few minutes.
2. Heat some oil and add all the masalas and salt and after a minute add all the eggs and mix. 

Chicken Kurma

This chicken kurma is a perfect side dish for paratas or chapatis and even rice.

Ingredients:
Chicken thighs/breasts - 1 1/2 lbs
Onion, diced - 1 large
Tomato, diced - 1 large
Coconut, shredded - 1/3 cup
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick - 2 nos
Cloves - 4
Cardamom - 1
Ginger Garlic, paste - 1 Tbsp
Cilantro, chopped - 1 Tbsp
Chilli powder -  1/2 Tbsp
Coriander Powder -  1/2 Tbsp
Tamarind paste - 1/2 Tbsp
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add the onions and sauté until golden and add the ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw smell goes away.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for a few minutes. Add the chilli and coriander powders and salt and sauté for a minute and then add the chicken and let it cook for a few minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of water and cover and cook for 2 whistles and switch off.
4. Meanwhile grind the coconut and the fennel seeds to a fine paste.
5. Remove the lid once the pressure goes off, switch on flame again and add the coconut paste and tamarind paste and let it all boil until it forms a loose gravy like consistency.

Serve with chapatti or rice

Pepper Chicken

I am so sorry for slacking on new posts..As many of you already know, my parents are in town!! yay! So, I was busy eating all the dishes my mom was making, that I had no time to post them! :P
Finished them off before we could take any pictures...
My mom's an amazing cook and she is my inspiration for my cooking adventures..
I am starting off with my most favorite chicken dish!! My mom's pepper chicken..OMG! I just cannot stop eating this..Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:
Chicken Thighs, Boneless & skinless - 1 1/2lbs
Ginger Garlic, paste - 1/2 Tbsp
Onion, chopped - 2 Large
Tomato,chopped - 2 medium
Pepper powder - 1/2 Tbsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 Tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/4 Tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 Tbsp
Cilantro, chopped - 1 Tbsp
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan and add onions and saute until golden and add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes away. Now, add the chopped tomatoes and saute for a few minutes.
2. Add the chicken, chilli and coriander powders, salt and cook in medium flame for 30 minutes and stirring every 5 minutes until it reaches a thick gravy like consistency.
3. In a small saute pan, heat a Tbsp of oil and add the jeera and pepper powders and curry leaves and add this mixture to the gravy pan. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Top with chopped cilantro.

Eggs Cocotte

A healthy breakfast to get your veggies and eggs in! These can be totally customized with any kind of veggies or meat you have..

Ingredients:
Eggs: 4
Spinach, chopped -  1/2 cup
Onions, chopped - 1/2 cup
Garlic, grated - 4 cloves
Chilli Paste (like Sriracha) - 1/8 tsp
Milk - 2 Tbsp
Crushed Red Pepper - 1 tsp
Parmesan - 1/4 cup
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Divide the onions, spinach and garlic between the ramekins. Add salt, pepper, chilli paste in each and mix.
3. Add one egg in each ramekin and top with 1/2 Tbsp of milk in each.
4. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and parmesan or gruyere cheese. 
5. Pop in the oven for about 6 mins for half cooked and 15 mins for fully cooked egg. 

You can top it with crumbled crispy bacon or chicken to get an extra crunch!

Turkey Meatballs w/ Angel Hair Pasta

Lately, I've been watching a lot of cooking episodes where they used ground beef, ground chicken, turkey in some form and I thought it's been such a long time since I made meatballs..and this time I wanted to try turkey! These meatballs can be served in several different ways..As an appetizer, curry, in sliders, pitas or traditionally with pasta..I am so bored of having spaghetti now that I wanted to try angel hair pasta..I loved this version sooo much better..coz of the lightness of the angel hair..

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta - 1 lb
Salt, to taste
Olive oil - 1/2 Tbsp

For the Meatballs:
Ground Turkey - 1 lb
Onion - 1/2 medium
Garlic, minced - 3 cloves
Egg, beaten - 1
Tomato paste - 1 Tbsp
Chilly Paste (I used Sriracha) - 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 Tbsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Curry Powder - 1 tsp
Salt free All purpose seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Breadcrumbs, seasoned - 1/4 cup
Wheat bread - 2 slices
Milk - 1/4 cup
Parmesan cheese,grated - 1/4 cup
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

For the Sauce:
Onion, diced - 1 medium
Fire roasted Tomatoes - 1 can
Stewed Tomatoes - 1 can
Garlic, crushed - 3 cloves
Crushed red pepper - 1 tsp
Red Cooking wine - 1/2 cup
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry powder - 1/2 tsp
Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Parmesan, grated - 1/4 cup
Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Soak the bread in milk for a minute. 
3. Add everything from the Ingredients list and the soaked up bread and mix. Make 1- 1 1/2 inch balls and line on a baking tray and spray some cooking spray on the top of each meatball and bake for 20 minutes. Turn the meatballs halfway so that it doesn't get too brown on one side. 
4. Cook pasta as per packaging directions in enough boiling water with salt and olive oil and drain. 
5. For the sauce, heat oil in a pan and add crushed garlic and sauté until slightly browned.
6. Add onions and sauté until golden. Now add the tomatoes, wine and let it simmer for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
7. Add everything else from the sauce list and bring to a boil and add the meatballs and remove from flame. 
8. Serve meatballs marinara with the cooked angel hair pasta and sprinkle some parmesan on top and enjoy! 

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

This is a delicious and garlicky shrimp pasta that'll make the whole house fragrant just while cooking!!

Ingredients:
Shrimp - 1/2 lb
Garlic, minced - 5 cloves
Red Onion, diced -1/4
Stewed tomatoes- 1/3 cup
White wine - 1/3 cup
Marsala wine -1/3 cup
Pasta water - 1/2 cup
Whole wheat Linguine/spaghetti - 1/2 lb
Crushed red pepper - 1tsp
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Parmesan, grated - 1/4 cup
Bread crumbs, seasoned - 1/4 cup
Olive Oil - 3-4 Tbsp
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water with enough salt and some olive oil for about 8-10 minutes until al dente. 
2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add crushed garlic and sauté until slightly browned and add onions and sauté until golden. 
3. Add the stewed tomatoes, white and the marsala wines and let it simmer. 
4. Add pasta water, lemon juice and the shrimp and let it cook for a few minutes until the shrimp is all curled up and pink. 
5. Add crushed pepper, salt & pepper, parmesan, breadcrumbs, pasta and chopped parsley and mix it in the heat for a few minutes and remove.