Pesarattu and ginger chutney (allam pachadi)

I tasted the pesarattu with the ginger chutney when we visited a friend, and learned that this one is an authentic Andhra dish. Pesarattu is made of moong dal which is nutritious and easy to digest, and ginger has its own medicinal values. So this is a complete healthy meal for a dinner or breakfast.

Things you'll need:

For the batter:
Moong dal (whole) - 1/2 cup
Rice - 3/4 cup
salt - as required

For the chutney:
Chana dal - 1/4 cup
Urad dal - 1/4 cup
Red chillis - 5 or 6
Ginger (skinned and cubed) - 1/2 cup
Jaggery- 1/2 cup (or more if you want want it too hot)
Curry leaves - a handful
Tamarind extract - 2 tbsp
salt - a pinch
oil - 1 tbsp

Yield - approx. 15 pieces

Method:

Step1:
Soak the moong dal and rice overnight or at least 8 hours. Grind them to a coarse batter adding required amount of water. You can add a small piece of ginger and one green chilli while grinding to give the pesarattu an extra flavor. There is no need to ferment the batter. So add some salt and it is ready for use immediately.

Step2:
For the chutney, fry the chillis, chana dal, urad dal, ginger,  tamarind extract and curry leaves, in the oil, cool them and grind together with  the jaggery and salt.

You can prepare the pesarattu and serve them hot with the ginger chutney.

Sending it out to Vardhini's  Dish it out event

 

Chicken tikka masala

This is one of my favorite dishes with chicken. But I haven't tried it at home for a long time since I thought it was a time consuming process. But when I was checking for chicken recipes sometime back I stumbled upon this dish at vahrevah.com. That recipe mentioned in the website was a very easy one and did not seem to take much time. So I decided to try it for dinner on a Friday evening.  It came out so well and became an instant  hit with my daughter and my husband.

Things you'll need:

Chicken - 1/2 lb
Onion - 2 (1 minced, 1 cubed)
Tomato - 1
Tomato paste - 1 tbsp
Bell pepper - 2 (mixed colors or just green, cubed)
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
cumin powder - 1 tbsp
yogurt  or curd - 1/2 cup
Kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - 1tbsp
turmeric powder -  2 tsp
lemon juice - 2 tsp
whole garam masala (cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf) - as required
Salt - as per taste
heavy or light cream - 1/2 cup (optional)
wooden skewers - 4 or 5 (optional)

Yield -  4 Servings

Method:

Step1:
Clean the chicken and cut into cubes (breast meat would be good for this recipe). Cut 1 onion and the bell peppers into cubes. Soak the wooden skewers in water for few minutes to avoid breaking while cooking the tikkas. Set the oven to 450 degrees.

Step2:
Prepare the marinade using half of the spices (chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, ginger garlic paste, kasoori methi, turmeric powder), yogurt and some oil. Marinate the chicken and vegetable cubes for 5-10 mins. Arrange them alternately in the wooden skewers and place the skewers in a baking sheet. Bake the tikkas for about thirty mins turning the skewers every  10 mins. You can even grill the chicken and vegetables directly on a grill pan.











Step3:
While the tikkas are cooking, heat a little oil in a pan, add the whole garam masala and some cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds crackle, fry the onions, add ginger garlic paste, tomatoes and tomato paste (instead of tomato paste you can make puree of one tomato and add it). Add the remaining spices and a little water to avoid burning of the spices.

Step4:
When the spices are well cooked, add 1/2 cup of water and bring it to a boil. Add salt, cover the pan and allow it to cook in a slow flame for few minutes. Add the tikkas from the skewers (you can save some tikkas for yourself to snack while cooking), and cook the tikka masala for 10 more mins, and your chicken tikka masala is ready. You can add some cream at this stage to further thicken the tikka masala. Garnish with some coriander leaves if u prefer.

Serve them with rotis or naan...enjoy!!

Easy Mac'n' cheese

This is a very simple recipe that can be made in minutes. It had saved me a lot of times when I couldn't think of anything for my daughter's lunchbox, or if I get up late and just have time to get my daughter ready for school. It is rich in calcium as it has loads of milk and cheese. It can be made more fibre rich by preparing this with whole grain macaroni.

Things you'll need:
Macaroni - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 tbsp
Cheddar cheese - 1/2 cup shredded
salt - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - as required (optional)

Yield - 1 Serving

Method:

Step1:
Boil 4 cups of water in a pan, add 1 tsp of salt and the macaroni. Cook the macaroni to desired consistency and drain the excess water.

Step2:
Melt the butter in a pan, add the milk and mix. When the milk heats up, mix the cheese. After the cheese is completely melted, switch off the stove, add the salt, pepper (optional) , and the macaroni. Mix well, pack in a lunchbox or serve.

Lasagna!!!!

I remember the first time we went to an Italian restaurant and I looked upon the menu and asked what's lasagna? My husband looked me with a teasing smile, not because I didn't know what lasagna is but because I pronounced it as lasag-na and not lasan-ya. But when I actually saw it, I wondered , How could I eat this without messing up..still couldn't find a way to eat it without a mess. Since it is loaded with cheese, I resist myself from having it often. Only once did we try this at home..It does take a lot of time and effort, but it definitely is worth the effort.
I have posted the recipe of chicken lasagna.You can substitute with a vegetable of your choice or use your favorite pasta sauce.

Things you'll need:
Lasagna noodles - 8 oz (1/2 pack)
ground chicken - 1/2 lb
Olive oil - 1tbsp
Spaghetti sauce or your favorite pasta sauce - 2 cups
Ricotta cheese - 8 oz
Parsley - 1 cup finely chopped  (you can also chop and add some spinach leaves)
Mozzarella cheese - 4 cups, shredded
salt - as required
Ground black pepper - as per taste

Yield - 4 Servings

Method:

Step1:
Boil water in a large pot enough to fit the lasagna noodles (if you don't have a big pot you can evenly break the noodles into two). Add some salt and the noodles. Cook the noodles according to package directions. They will take approx. 8 to 10 mins to cook.

Step2:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl mix the ricotta cheese and the parsley with a couple of pinches of salt.  In a heated pan pour the olive oil and when the is hot add the ground chicken with some salt and pepper. Cook the chicken while separating them with a spatula. When the chicken is almost done, add the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes until the mixture is thick.


















Step3:
Take a baking pan, preferably of 13x9 dimension, spread half of the chicken-sauce mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan, then arrange half of the cooked noodles flat on the mixture. Spread half of the ricotta cheese on the noodles. Sprinkle half  of the mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat this by arranging chicken- sauce mixture, noodles, ricotta cheese and mozzarella.

Step4:
Cover the baking pan with aluminium foil, so that steam doesn't escape. Bake the lasagna for 30 mins, then uncover the pan and bake for another 10 or 15 mins. Viola!! Lasagna!!

Burrito bowl

Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites since it resembles Indian flavors and it is rich in protein and carbs. The burrito bowl is an excellent idea for lunch box or a quick meal for an unexpected guest. This can either be had as it is or can be filled into a tortilla to make a delicious burrito. I have searched different websites and have come up with this version.

Things you'll need:

For Guacamole:
Avocado - 1
Tomato - 1/2 minced
salt - as needed
lemon juice - 1tsp

For pico de Gallo:
Tomato - 1 big, finely chopped
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Jalapeno - 1 finely chopped
salt  - as needed
lemon juice - 1 tsp
cilantro - two or three sprigs, finely chopped

For rice:
cooked rice - 2 cups
cilantro - 2 or three sprigs finely chopped
oil - 1 tbsp
salt - as needed

For beans :
Kidney beans - 1 can or 1 cup of dried beans which can be soaked and cooked ( you can also use white kidney beans or dark red for variety of colors)
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
salt - as needed (canned kidney beans contains salt)

Sour cream - as per taste

Yield  - 2 Servings

Method:

Step1:
Wash and cook the rice. Mix the oil, cilantro, salt and few drops of lemon juice and keep aside. Finely chop the items for pico de Gallo (tomato,onion,cilantro & Jalapeno). Mix them with lemon juice and salt.













Step2:
Prepare guacamole by cutting and scooping out the avocado pulp, and making a puree of the pulp in a food processor, with tomato and salt. Mix few drops of lemon juice to the guacamole to prevent oxidation (changing of color)

Step3:
Wash and cook the kidney beans (just wash thoroughly if using canned beans). Saute the beans in little oil with minced garlic, cumin powder and salt. You could add some stock to make a thick gravy.

Step4:

Take a bowl, arrange the rice, beans, guacamole, pico de Gallo and sour cream in whichever order you like, scoop it from top to bottom to get the taste of all the ingredients in every bite.

Note:

If you couldn't find or dosen't like sour cream just substitute with plain yoghurt. The taste does not change.

Bombay halwa or Karachi halwa

This is a very simple sweet I saw in vahrevah.com 's video. It has few ingredients and can be made in minutes. This is made with corn flour, but also can be substituted with wheat flour.

Things you'll need:
corn flour - 1/4 cup
water - for mixing corn flour, less than 1/4 cup
sugar - 1/2 cup
cashew nuts - few, broken
Ghee - 3tbsp

Yield : 12 to 15 pieces


Method:
Step1:
Make sugar syrup by mixing the sugar in 1/4 cup water. The consistency of the syrup should be watery. You can switch off the stove couple of minutes after the sugar starts boiling and you see vigorous bubbles.

Step2:
Mix the corn flour and water. Add 1tbsp of ghee to a pan without switching on the stove and add the corn flour mixture. Mix well. Now switch on the stove and stir the corn flour and ghee mixture until it starts to thicken. Switch of the stove.

Step 3:
 Add the hot syrup one tablespoon at a time to the corn flour mixture and stir well. The mixture should be like batter. You can taste it and stop adding the syrup if u find it too sweet for you.

Step4:
Switch on the stove. Stir the mixture continuously until it turns glassy and leaves the sides of the pan. It should look like a jelly. Add the remaining ghee and mix it well. Switch off the stove, add the broken cashew nuts and spread it in a plate. Cut it to pieces once slightly cooled.

Enjoy!!

Ennai kathirikkai (spicy sauteed brinjal curry)

This is one of the most favorite south indian side dishes. This is a spicy and tangy gravy that goes well with either plain rice or mixed rice. This is a bit on the higher side of the calorie count since it has peanuts, sesame seeds, and coconut all in one dish. Since the nuts and coconut only give extra richness to the dish you can also reduce their amount and increase spice level.

Things you'll need:
Brinjals - 4 if medium sized and 6 if small
tamarind  - lemon sized
curry leaves - few
salt - as needed
oil - 1/4 cup
mustard seeds - 1tsp

things to roast and grind:
red chillies - 4
urad dal - 1 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
black pepper - 1/2 tsp
cloves - 2
coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
peanuts - 1 tbsp
sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
coconut - 1/4 cup grated

Yield : 3 or 4 servings


Method:
Step 1:
Dry roast peanuts and sesame seeds and keep aside. Add 1 tsp oil and roast the rest of the 'to roast and grind' ingredients one by one. Make a coarse powder of the roasted ingredients with the grated coconut.

Step 2:
Wash and cut the stalk from the brinjals. Make two slits in each brinjal to divide it into four sections. Take care not to cut them fully. Fill the brinjals with the half of the masala powder and keep them aside. Reserve the left over masala powder.

Step 3:
Pour the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to crackle, add the curry leaves and the brinjals and fry them in low heat. When the brinjals are almost cooked, add the tamarind extract and the masala powder. Add salt and allow it to cook for 10 mins in medium heat.

The spicy and tangy Ennai Kathirikai is ready to be served with your choice of pulao or plain rice.