Methi Tadka dahi

This is the dish I make when I'm absolutely lazy to cook. You can cook this dish in matter of minutes and its absolutely delicious! It's a perfect dish for a light dinner or just a great add on as an accompaniment with your other main course dishes.

Bottom line - you can eat it as you like..I prefer it with rice!

Ingredients
3-4Chopped garlic
1 julienne onion
1 green chilli chopped
dry kasuri methi
Curd
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp of tumeric powder
1tbsp of corriander powder
salt to taste
freshly chopped coriander for garnish

In a pan, pour some oil and let it heat, add the julienne onions and cook for 3 minutes till they turn slightly pink, add chopped garlic and chillies and cook for a minute, add tumeric powder, red chilli powder and corriander powder and salt to taste. Then add dry Kasuri methi (readily available in shops) and cook for a minute. Take the pan of the stove and pour few spoons of curd and mix well.

Note: Curd to be poured last and not on hot flame in order to retain its creamy texture and not split.

Serve immediately. Can be eaten with rice or roti.

Breakky special

Breakfast is the  most important meal of the day.  A good breakfast is a good start to the day... When it comes to breakky I like sticking to the classic..eggs,toasts, tea..however I have my own spins on a few classic as well.

I love indulging myself in some heavy Italian eggs with honey glazed bacon on a lazy sunday morning. Here goes the recipe

Ingredients-
Eggs
Chilli flakes
Oregano ( dry)
Cheese (cheddar)
Milk
Oil

In a pan, pour some oil..break 4 eggs (serving 2 portions) and beat well. Pour the beaten eggs into the pan, place on slow heat. Add 50ml of milk into the egg and cook for a minute. Then add the processed cheese and cook for a minute. Once the cheese melts slightly add the oregano and chilli flakes.

Serve hot.

Note - the milk makes the eggs creamy and prevents them from cooking faster. The consistency of this dish has to be like a half cooked scrabbled egg. Trust me it taste delish!

I can have bacon in any form..my honey glazed bacon crisp strips give an extra edge to the Italian eggs making it the perfect complete breakfast.

As the name goes - all you need to make the crispy honey glazed bacon is - bacon strip ( preferably with the fat running down the edge. It's the fat that melts and enhances the flavour of a yet awesome variation of pork).

In a hot pan, put a few drops of oil. Place the bacon on a hot pan and cook till crisp. once the bacon is crisp and brown, glaze the bacon strip with honey. Repeat the process on each side and cook for a minute and remove.

Note- bacon strip to removed off the stove after a minute of adding the honey in order to avoid the honey for burning.

Warning - this dish is not for the weak hearted! ;p

Chicken cutlets

The chicken cutlets I make are very versatile. They can be eaten as a starter with drinks, can be used as a patty for burgers, can be wrapped in tortillas or put into a tomato and onion base curry.

I like them just as a starter.

Ingredients:

Minced chicken
boiled potato
finely chopped chiles, garlic, onions.
Salt to taste
vegetable oil


In  a bowl add the mince chicken, add the boiled potato (mashed). Then add chopped chilies, garlic and onion. Lastly add the salt to taste. Mix well. Take some chicken minced mixture and make round shaped patties of it.

Place in the fridge to rest for 5 minutes. Take a pan, add oil and leave to heat. Then add the patty and cook for 3 minutes on each side till brown in colour.

The same can be made from minced meat.

cheese & spinach stuffed chicken

Cheese & spinach stuffed chicken

Ingredients:
spinach
cheese - cheddar grated
chicken breast
salt to taste
pepper
crushed garlic
vegetable oil


Take a bowl and boil water. Add a pinch of salt in the water. Take spinach and wash till clean. Pour the spinach in the boil water and leave for 4 mins. Remove the spinach from the water and place aside. In a pan, add tsp of oil and add the crushed garlic. Add salt and put the spinach. Cook to 2 mins and leave aside.

Take pieces of chicken breast and cut into square sizes, should be of a decent size to be stuffed and rolled. Beat the chicken square with pestle till flat. Rub the piece with salt and fresh crushed black pepper. Stuff with a spoon of the spinach and add some grated cheese. Roll the piece and place aside. Repeat the process with all the pieces.

Take a pan. Add oil (just about enough for pan frying), take the stuffed chickem pieces and cook on each side for 2 mins till the chicken is cooked and cheese melted. Remove and serve hot.

Nutella bread pudding- absolute fav!

I absolutely love bread pudding...one of my fondest childhood memory is that of sitting on my kitchen platform and waiting whistle after whistle for the pudding to be cooked. My mom used to make the best bread pudding and that too in a pressure cooker!! Very often I couldnt even wait for her to put it in a fridge..always wanted a piece of the eggy breaddy goodness.

My version of the bread pudding is simple, fast, absolutely yummy and cooked in a microwave.

Ingredients:
6 slices of bread (white or brown..whatever you prefer).
Chocolate nutella spread
3 eggs
3cups of milk
6 tsp of sugar
butter


Take a bread slice and apply nutella on it..make a sandwich and repeat the process for all the slices.
Cut the nutella bread sandwich into half from between, making triangle shaped sandwiches. Take a bowl and beat 3 eggs in it. Add sugar and beat well till the sugar mixes well. Add milk and beat the mixture for 4 minutes forming a custard

Take a glass bowl and place the nutella sandwiches in a row. Add the egg, sugar and milk mixture. The bread to be soaked in the custard.

Add a few cut pieces of butter in the mix. Cook in microwave for 6-7 minutes. Keep an eye on the same till the egg in the custard looks cooked.

Leave to cool and then place in the fridge. Serve when ready to eat. Can be eaten hot as well but I think it taste even better when cold.

My leftover special..

I love cooking and therefore like to challenge myself when in the kitchen..I feel my creative best in that space. A smart cook is one who knows how to use his/her ingredients and manipulate them into something sinfully delicious. I often like to call myself the 'leftover queen'. Very so often I end up with new recipes by trying an innovation on the exisiting one..Here one good example of the same..

vegetable jewel stir fry and rice..

Ingredients:
Left over rice from previous meal..
Vegetables - absolutely anything you've got in the fridge..
Garlic- finely chopped
Chilies- finely chopped

salt to taste
light soy sauce
a tsp of sugar
sunflower oil

Have the vegetables cut into decent size, incase of onion, carrotts, capsium have them julienne cut.
In a wok, put some oil to heat. Add chopped and chili till cooked through. Then add the chopped vegetables and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Add a pinch of salt, light soya sauce and tsp of sugar.

Warm the rice and serve on a plate. Place the assorted stir fry vegetables on top of the rice.

A little healthy meal with fresh ingredients.

STEAMED GREEN FISH

STEAMED GREEN FISH:

Rub pomfret with vinegar to get rid of the fishy smell and clean with water thoroughly.

Take fresh coriander, mint leaves (pudina), chilli (depending on how spicy you like it), lemon juice, salt, garlic and add some water and blend nicely in a mixer.

Add one spoon of fresh sour curd to the paste and apply the paste onto the fish. Fill the paste in the stomach cut as well.

Either wrap the fish in a foil paper or a banana leaf and leave in to steam in a steam vessel for 8-10mins and serve.

POTATO CUP AND STIR FRY

POTATO CUP AND STIR FRY:

Cut potato in long thin slices (like french fries)

Heat oil in a pan and fry the potatoes till crisp.

For the stir fry:

thinly long cut carrots/cabbage/green chilis/capsium/ onions.

In hot oil out some chopped garlic and ginger.

Add the cut vegetable and let it cook for 3 mins before adding slight salt, soy sauce and sugar.

cook for other 3 mins and remove the vegetables onto a plate.

Take a round bowl and place the french fries in it, in a shape of the bowl. place the vegetables on it and invert the bowl onto a plate forming a potato cup and vegetables within.

Cream cheese and tomato bake

CREAM CHEESE AND TOMATO BAKE

For cream cheese you require the following:

Paneer/feta cheese.

Add chopped green onions, finely chopped garlic, chopped coriander.

Add salt and pepper and add some fresh cream. Mix in a blender to have a smooth cream cheese.

Cut few round tomato slices. Rub with garlic oil.

Place one tomato slice, pour some cream cheese on top and place another tomato slice.

Keep in heat in the oven for 8 mins till the tomato is slightly cooked and serve.

Garlic butter prawns

GARLIC BUTTER PRAWNS- This is the easiest to prepare and yet to delicious.

Fresh prawns shelled.
Take four cut cubes of butter in a pan and heat.
Add chopped garlic and let it release its flavours
add the prawns and let it cook for 4 mins.
add a pinch of salt, fresh crushed pepper and finely chopped coriander.

potato and cheese bread shells

POTATO AND CHEESE BREAD SHELLS

Use full boiled potatoes. Mash and add chopped coriander, garlic, salt, chilli powder and finely chopped onions.

Add grated cheese or paneer (indian cheese) to the mix. You can use any cheese of your choice.

Take a slice of bread and wet the same. Take a handful of the potato and cheese stuffing and put in slightly on the slice and cover the bread completely forming a closed shell like shape.

Deep fry in oil till the bread crust is golden brown.

The same can be tried with kheema (minced meat) and potatoes for the non-vegetarians.

BOILED EGG BURJI

This is a must try...

BOILED EGG BURJI
finely chopped onions to be pan fried in oil till brown.
Add finely chopped garlic and ginger to the same.
add fresh tomato puree and cook for 5 mins.
Add salt, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala (7 spice mix)
Add some sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.

Cook till the oil in the masala is released.

Hard boiled eggs to be shelled and cut into pieces and well mixed with the onion and tomato masala.
To be eaten for breakfast with bread or as a late night meal.

Honey and mustard chicken wrap

My short cut recipes:

HONEY AND MUSTARD CHICKEN WRAP:

Cut a chicken breast into decent size pieces.
Marinate in paste of ready made mustard sauce and honey with salt.
Leave for the chicken pieces to marinate for half and hour.
Heat some oil in a pan and cook the chicken pan fried till tender.

Have some julienne cut onions. Add some lemon juice and chilli powder to it.

Similar have some additional sauce prepared separately by mixing mustard sauce and honey.

Take a flat wrap bread (pita bread), place the mustard honey chicken in the center, add the onions and dress with some additional mustard honey sauce and wrap the bread to enjoy a fulfilling snack or meal for some.

A classic egg and mayo sandwich!!

I love mayonnaise! I can create 30 different styles of dishes using mayo but my absolute favorite is a classic egg and mayo sandwich.

Boil egg to hard boil and cut into pieces.
Take any flavored mayo of your choice and mix it with the egg.
Add some pepper to give the added flavor.

If you like some crunch, you can add some chopped cabbage in the egg and mayo mix.
I like mine just like that between two slices of brown bread.

It's perfect start to a perfect day!

cheese melt mushroom buttons

I must admit this is not exactly my own creation but a variation on the original.

CHEESE MELT MUSHROOM BUTTONS
Take full mushrooms and remove the stem from the button of the shroom.
Fill the mushroom button with grated cheese/finely chopped coriander and pepper.

Prepare a smooth batter by mixing flour(maida) with water. The consistency should be slightly thick so that the mushroom is easily coated with it. Add pinch of salt to the batter.

Coat the cheese stuffed mushrooms in the batter and deep fry.
Remove to have the mushroom fried with its head down and leave it for cooking for just a minute or so till the batter coating is cooked.

Remove and sprinkle some chat masala on top and enjoy the cheesy surprise within!

Butter mushroom toast

My second most favorite 'easy to prepare' dish:

BUTTER MUSHROOM TOAST:
chop mushroom into little pieces.
crush garlic and chop finely
finely chopped coriander and crushed pepper cones
put two small cut cubes of butter in a pan and let the butter melt a little
add the chopped garlic and let it cook for half a minute till it releases its aroma and flavours.
Add the mushrooms and let them cook for 5 mins, add the coriander.

Take your choice of bread and toast. Cut the toast into long rectangular shape and top it up with the buttered mushroom.
Sprinkle a little of the crushed pepper to give it the added kick.

Tomato Salsa toast

Ok I must admit that I am no blogger. In fact I am not too confident of my writing skills either. However, I am a self confessed foodie! I love food..its what defines me. It's the passion that drives me. (Wow that rhymed!).
I find nothing more therapeutic then spending time in my kitchen. Unfortunately my busy schedule doesn't allow me to spend much time there. However, when I am simply bored on a lazy Sunday afternoon nothing gives me more pleasure than cooking up a few of my own dishes. My kitchen then becomes my laboratory where I combine various ingredients and bring different flavours to create a successful gastronomic formula.

I often cook just for myself and believe that I am a decent cook. Now I have decided to take this a step forward and shave decided to blog my little recipes (few influenced from what I have eaten and few jlt from somewhere in my mind.I must admit I am slightly nervous. I would love for you all to try these simple dishes at home and let me know what you though of them. Remember these are dishes I try and make from my regular stocked up ingredients in my fridge. Nothing fancy. So here goes nothing.

My first dish is -

TOMATO SALSA TOAST:
chop a tomato into nice square pieces
Take a clove of garlic and crush it with the back of our knife and then chop it finely
Take some fresh coriander and finely chop
Mix the above in a bowl.
add a squeeze of lemon juice
add few grains of sugar
mix well and then add finely crushed black pepper-cone powder (pepper)

Take a bread of your choice. I prefer brown bread and toast well.
Cut the bread into long rectangular shape and add the fresh tomato salsa on top and serve.

It's fresh, fast and healthy!