Turai Sabzi (Beerakaya Kura)

This is one of my favourite vegetables, very simple to make and the flavour is amazing when cooked with garlic. So for all the garlic lovers, this is a treat! Imagine hot rice and a side of this vegetable.. its just mouth watering !;)

Ingredients(serves 2-3):
2 long Turai peeled off and cut into small pieces (save the skins for beerakaya thokky pachadi - yummy!)
1/2 medium sized red onion chopped
5 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
2 green chilles
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Chonk/Popu for seasoning (Mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, urad dal)

Preparation:
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp of peanut oil/vegetable oil.
Add the chonk ingredients, garlic and onions.
Stir until onions are light-brown.
Mix in the Turai, turmeric powder and cumin powder.
Stir until the turai is rid of all water and is very slightly browned.

Serve with hot rice and enjoy!

Breakfast Taco

Austin is THE place for some amazing breakfast spots.. and living in Texas, one cannot avoid tex-mex food. Mahesh and I sometimes just love to drive to Taco deli and get a breakfast taco with their Salsa Dona as the sauce.
When we don't feel like driving first thing in the morning, this is how we make it at home.

Ingredients (serves 4):
3 eggs scrambled
1 can of black beans mashed
1 small packet of instant garlic mashed potatoes
Salsa (medium hot or hot - your preference)
Flour tortillas

Preparation:
Empty the contents of beans on a hot pan, add a pinch of paprika
Optional: 1 tsp cayenne pepper to add some spice
Stir until hot, may need to add 2-3 tbsp of water
Prepare the garlic mashed potatoes according to the packet instructions

Heat a tortilla on a pan on both sides.
Add a layer of beans, potatoes and eggs.
Add salsa and enjoy your yummy taco!

Garlic Herb Pasta with Chicken and Shrimp

After coming back from work, sometimes I just don't feel like reaching out for the cutting board and start chopping.. And that's when I reach out for the IQF(Individual Quick Freeze) based frozen goods. One issue to solve though is to cook them in a manner that just gives it a made fresh from scratch taste and suits our respective taste buds. Mine and my husband's taste preferences are lots of flavour and spice, so my recipes are all full of both elements ;)
This is one of my favourites!

Ingredients:
1 packet of frozen "Penne pasta with chicken, shrimp and garlic herb sauce" (The brand I like is 'Viola' however go down the isle of frozen meals and pick up any packet that refers to a pasta meal with garlic herb sauce and if you follow the instructions below, you will most certainly get good results.)
1 chicken breast cooked & seasoned (again - look for this in the frozen foods, this is one thing you can very quickly get used to, and will love it forever!)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp lemon-pepper
salt
1 chicken bullion
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup penne pasta or garden rotini

Preparation:
Sprinkle 2 tbsp of water on the frozen chicken breast and heat for 1.5 minutes in the microwave. Allow it to cool down
Cut in half and slice it into thin strips
Optional step: Saute the chicken strips on a pan with some lemon pepper and crushed red pepper
In a deep dish, cook the garden rotini/penne pasta until done, drain and set aside
On medium heat, in a separate cooking pan, add 1 tsp olive oil
Add the thyme, rosemary and crushed red pepper
Now follow instructions to cook the frozen pasta on the stove
Once the frozen pasta is half thawed on stove, add a chicken bullion cube to the mix and 1/4 cup water
Add the lemon pepper and cook until the sauce, pasta is completely thawed and almost done.
Add the additional pasta that you just boiled and set aside with the rest of the frozen pasta mix.
Add chicken to the pasta and mix
Serve hot!

Serving suggestion:
Garnish with some fresh parmesan cheese and chopped parsley

Vegetable Pulao

This is one of the things I absolutely love as it's so easy to make, tastes delicious and is a meal on its own!


Ingredients (serves 4):
1 cup rice
2 bay leaves
12-15 long green beans
1 red onion sliced in long wedges
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp vegetable oil or ghee
2 green chillies
Salt to taste
Pulao Masala:
4 cloves
2 cardamoms
2 small sticks of cinnamon
1 tbsp cumin
Vegetables:
Mixed vegetables( peas, lima beans, corn, carrots)
Cauliflower cut into bite size pieces (optional)
Potatoes cut into cubes (optional)


Preparation:
Heat a cooking pan on medium heat, and add the oil.
Add onions, green chillies and ginger garlic paste, bay leaves, stir till onions turn brown.
Grind the pulao masala ingredients in a coffee grinder to a fine powder.
Add to the cooking pan, stir for a 1 min.
Add the vegetables mentioned above and stir till the water from the vegetables evaporates.
Wash the rice under water, drain and add to the cooking pan with the rest of the ingredients.
Stir for 3-4 minutes under medium-high heat.
Add salt, mix.

Alternative 1: In a rice cooker, add this mix from the pan, 3.5 cups water(Tip for good Pulav/Biryani is to always add less water than usual to give a dry consistency to the finished rice). Add 2 drops of Kewra water.
Cook until done.

Alternative 2: This is handy when you have left over rice. Once the vegetables & spice mix is done, mix the rice in and stir for 2-3 minutes until well mixed.

Serving suggestion:
Serve hot With yogurt raita

Chinese vegetable fried rice

You know what sometimes just waters my mouth is a delicious fried rice full of savoury vegetables and just enough spice !;)

Ingredients
[For 4 people]
2 cups cooked rice (better if its left over as the moisture in the rice is either evaporated or lost in refrigeration giving it a dry consistency, which is key). If you are preparing the rice fresh, once cooked lay it out on a open dish so the heat and vapor is gone.
5-6 garlic cloves
Broccoli cut into medium size pieces
10-12 Green beans chopped
5 carrots diced
12 white button mushrooms chopped
6-7 snow peas
1 bell pepper cut in thin long wedges
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tsp white pepper
3 dried red chillies
3 eggs
1 onion (1 big or 2 small)
Green peas
Spring Onions for garnish

Process
In a wok, heat some oil (You can add butter to give it a richer taste)
Add 5-6 garlic cloves finely cut TIP: shouldn't let them brown too much otherwise they will give a bitter taste
when they just about start to turn yellow, add onions(one big, or 2 small) finely cut - can be largely cut if you like to see them.
add 1 tsp black pepper
add some red pepper flakes and red chillies. You can also add green chillies instead
once onions are fried, add the vegetables except bell peppers, salt to taste; about 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
Let the veggies let go of the water in them - might take up to 3-5 minutes
Add bell peppers, mix, push it to the side of the pan
Break open 3 eggs - scramble them on the wok
once the eggs are cooked, mix with rice and stir
Add 2 tsp white pepper.
1 tsp black pepper again
check the taste to see if more soy sauce is needed
add spring onions if you have, else its fine
toss it, and serve.

Idli

Ingredients (serves 6)
1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Idli Rawa
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Soak the Urad Dal for 3-4 hours.
Grind dal in a blender to a smooth consistency (make sure the dough is not too think or too thin)
Add the idli rawa to this mix.
Transfer into a container such that the dough only takes up a third of the room inside, you would need the additional room to give space for the fermented dough - you will know what I mean when you try this out, otherwise you may just wake up to a surprise ;)
Leave it overnight or by a window that gets sufficient sunlight during the day.
When you see the dough rise to twice its height inside the container, your dosa dough is ready!
Once fermented, mix the dough properly, add 1 tbsp salt. You may need to add some water depending upon how you blended the dough in the first place.
Once caution is the batter needs to be thick as though you are making a cake.

For cooking idlis, you would need a idli container/maker
Sprinkle a drop of oil or spray some oil onto the cups made to hold the batter.
Pour the dough so it occupies half the space available.
Cook in a pressure cooker or the idli maker.
It typically takes 12-15 minutes for a 16 size idli maker.
When done, allow the vapour to go away and idlis to cool down just slightly before you scoop them out.

Serve with besan chutney/coconut chutney/peanut chutney.

** The key thing with dosas and idlis is fermentation process without which they just don't taste right. So make sure you plan in advance.

Dosas with Rice Flour

Grinding rice to a smooth consistency is not easy.. those who have done will know what I am talking about. Blending dal is way easier and quicker. So replacing rice with rice flour was suggested by my mother-in-law, I always thank her for this tip as it makes preparing the dough so much easier! This post is just a tad bit simpler process to making dosas.. Enjoy!

Ingrediants (serves 6)
1 cup Urad Dal
2 cups Rice Flour
1 tsp methi(fenugreek) seeds (optional)

Preparation:
Soak the Urad Dal and Methi for 3-4 hours.
Grind them in a blender to an extra smooth consistency (make sure the dough is not too think or too thin)
Add the rice flour to this mix.
Transfer into a container such that the dough only takes up a third of the room inside, you would need the additional room to give space for the fermented dough - you will know what I mean when you try this out, otherwise you may just wake up to a surprise ;)
Leave it overnight or by a window that gets sufficient sunlight during the day.
When you see the dough rise to twice its height inside the container, your dosa dough is ready!

Before pouring the batter onto a dosa pan, mix the dough and add some salt and a 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds.
Heat a circular flat pan until it's heated to medium-high heat.
You may sprinkle a drop of oil or spray some before pouring out the first dosa.
You would need a spatula with a circular mouth that can contain the dough as well as can be used in spreading it evenly in circles to occupy most of the pan's surface area.
Let the dosa brown, cook on both sides.

Serve with besan chutney/coconut chutney/peanut chutney.

** The key thing with dosas and idlis is fermentation process without which they just dont taste right. So make sure you plan in advance if you want to make dosas.