Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with garlic, olive oil and chili peppers)

We love Italian cuisine . When we were in Singapore, we loved grabbing a quick meal at 'Pastamania', specially during my shopping wkends :) ... My husband tried different sauces but the choice of pasta was always Spaghetti.

His love for spaghetti encouraged me to try this recipe. It's a simple, quick, healthy yet delicious preparation....hope the pasta lovers out there like it too... Cheers !!!

Ingredients:

Whole wheat Spaghetti -  4 oz
Olive oil - 1 1/2 Tbsp
Garlic - 6-8 large cloves
Red chili flakes - 1 tsp
Parsley - 2 tsp
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Basil - 1/2 tsp
Green Bell Pepper - 1
Green Olives - 10-15
Salt - to taste


Pre-Prep: 

i. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 Tbsp of salt and 1 tsp oil to the water. Add Spaghetti and cook till al-dente .
ii. Set aside 1/2 cup of water before draining the Spaghetti.
iii. Strain the Spaghetti, run it through cold water and keep aside.
iv.Thinly slice the garlic and green bell pepper.

Preparations:

i. In a wok, add olive oil and saute the garlic until it begins to turn golden brown.
ii. Add the bell pepper and saute for 1 min.
iii. Add the Spaghetti, season with salt, parsley, basil , oregano , chili flakes and mix well.
iv. Add water (strained from Spaghetti) if required .

Serving Suggestion:

Serve it in a pasta dish, garnish with olives and fresh parsley and enjoy !!

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Kesariya Kheer (Saffron Rice Pudding)

According to an Indian tradition , the new bride needs to cook something special for her new family. About 3 yrs ago , when I faced the same situation the first thing that crossed my mind was Kheer..... It is something that my mom makes and everyone loves it ...

I shared the idea with my Mother-in-law and she liked it. I went ahead with the preparation and it was much appreciated .... and also became richer by few thousand bucks. :)

Starting this blog on the same sweet note with my version of the Kheer...

Ingredients:

Milk (preferably full cream) - 2 litres
Rice - 3/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Saffron - 15-20 strands
Cardamom powder - 2 tsp
Raisins - 10-15
Pistachios (unsalted) - 5
Almonds - 5 
Cashew - 5

  

Pre-prep:

i. Soak the rice in water for half an hr and strain.
ii. Soak the saffron strands in 2 Tbsp milk.
iii.Thinly slice the almonds,cashew and pistachios.


Preparation:

i. In a pan, add milk and sugar and bring it to boil.
ii.Add the rice and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, till the rice is cooked and the milk reduces to about half the quantity.
iii. Add cardamom powder, saffron and mix and let it simmer for another 7-10 mins .
iv. Once the desired consistency is reached, switch off the heat and add raisins and few nuts.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve it chilled in earthen pots or glasses and garnish with pistachios, almonds, cashew and saffron.

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