Spring Onion & Herbed Potato Salad

Ingredients :

Potato - 2
Spring onions - 3 sticks (only the greens)
Parsley - few sprigs
Garlic - 3 cloves
Oregano - 1 tsp
Chives -  1 tsp
Chili flakes -1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Crushed black pepper - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Water - 4 cups






Pre Preparation :

1. In a sauce pan add 4 cups of water, season with salt.
2. Add the potatoes, cover with lid and simmer till its tender.
3. Peel the potato skin and keep aside.
4. Finely chop the garlic, spring onion and parsley.

Preparation :

1. In a pan, add olive oil , add garlic and sauté for a min.
2. Add the potatoes, coarsely mash it with a spatula, mix well and  
   cook for a couple of mins.
3. Take out the potatoes in a bowl, add spring onion and parsley.
4. Season with salt, pepper, chili flakes, oregano and chives.

Serving suggestion :

1. Serve it as a starter or use as a side dish.
2. Serve at room temperature.

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Cucumber dip with veggies

               A dip is an accompaniment which not only makes your dish complete but also enhances the flavor of the dish served. It can also be used to balance the taste of the dish. There can be many variations for a dip from a soothing dip for a hot and chilly starter to a fiery hot dip for bland chips or vice-a-versa. Here is one of my favourite dips. Its simple, healthy and full of flavour.

              A low fat and refreshing dip to beat the heat !!!!!

Ingredients :

Cucumber - 1
Hung curd - 4 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Crushed Black Pepper - to taste
Honey - 2 tsp


Veggies :

Green Bell Pepper -1
Red Bell Pepper -1
Yellow Bell Pepper - 1
Baby corns - 8-10
Carrot - 1
Cucumber -1


Pre Prep :

1. Grate the cucumber with the fine end of the grater.
2. Hang the curd in a muslin cloth for 1-2 hrs .
3. In a pan, add 2 cups of water and season it with little bit of salt and blanch the baby corns in it.
4. Cut the rest of the veggies in thin slices.

Preparation:

1. In a bowl , add hung curd , honey and cucumber and mix well.
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins. 

Serving Suggestion :

Garnish with mint or parsley sprig and serve it with fresh veggies.

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Fried Garlic Chicken

I believe men are great cooks as I have seen my father cook awesome non-vegetarian stuff at home since my childhood... non-veg at home meant non-veg cooked by Dad. He loves to cook it in different styles. He always told me to be patient in the kitchen, never cook in a hurry and is very particular about the balance of ingredients in the recipe. Fried Garlic Chicken is one of his recipes that I simply love...The marination in this recipe is the most important aspect to make it yummy .... 

                                                     This one's for u Papa !!!!

Ingredients :

Chicken - 12 pieces (with bone), 900 gms approx.
Garlic Paste - 5 Tbsp
Ginger Paste - 2 Tbsp
Green Chili - 4
Coriander - 15 Sprigs
Dry mango powder - 2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Black Pepper - to taste
Chat Masala (an Indian spice mix) - to taste
Onion - 1
Lemon - 1 wedge
Oil for frying


Pre-Preparation :

1. Make a fine paste of green chilies and coriander with a bit of water, in a blender.
2. Cut the onion into fine rings.
3. Make small slits on the chicken pieces.

For The Marination -

1. In a bowl add chicken, garlic paste, ginger paste, green chili and coriander paste, dry mango powder and season with salt and black pepper.
2. Mix it well and keep it for at least 2-3 hrs (if you keep the marinated chicken overnight in a refrigerator, taste will be greatly enhanced).

  

Preparation :

1. In a wok, add a good amount of oil, so that the chicken can be deep fried.
2. Heat the oil but make sure that it's not smoking hot else chicken would not be cooked properly.
3. Deep fry the chicken on medium heat till it's cooked and golden brown from all sides.

4. Take out the chicken on a kitchen tissue to remove the excess oil.
5. Sprinkle some chat masala on top of the chicken pieces.

Serving Suggestion :

Plate it with onion rings and a lemon wedge, and enjoy it hot!!

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Poached Fish in Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce

Last Sunday evening, when I thought of cooking something new, I came across fish fillets in the freezer, so I tried out this recipe which requires less effort and tastes yummy.....poached fish in lemon butter garlic sauce. Poaching is cooking anything in a boiling or simmering liquid.

Fish is anyways a healthy option and this preparation is really light too...except for the lemon butter garlic sauce :) ...of course we don't mind a bit of butter on Sundays !!! All the spices really enhance the flavor in the fish.
This one was an instant hit with my hubby...hope you folks like it too !!!

:

Ingredients :

Fish Fillet - 1 (I have used a frozen Basa fish)

For the Poaching Liquid :
Star Anise - 2
Bay Leaf - 2
Black Peppercorns - 6-8
Mace (Javitri) - 1/2 flower
Cinnamon (Dalchini) - 1 inch stick
Garlic - 3 cloves
Green Coriander Stems - 6
Onion - 1 small sized
Water - 6 cups
Salt - to taste

For the Sauce :
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Garlic - 4 cloves
Lemon juice - 1 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste
Parsley - few sprigs

Pre-Preparation :

For the Poaching Liquid :
1. Finely slice the onion.
2. Remove leaves from coriander stem

For the Sauce :
1. Finely chop the garlic.

Preparation :

1. In a pan, add water and bring it to boil.
2. Throw in the spices, garlic, onion, coriander stems and cover the pan with a lid.
3. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
4. Season with salt.

5. Reduce the heat to low, add fish fillet, cover the pan and cook till the fish is well done. Remember that fish cooks really fast, so keep a check on it. Do not overcook the fish.

6. In another pan, add butter and garlic and sauté for a min , or till the garlic turns golden brown.
7. Now, add the fish fillet and cook it on both sides so that it's properly coated with the butter garlic sauce.

8. Season with salt and freshly crushed pepper.
9. Add lemon juice and switch off the heat.

Serving suggestion :

1. Garnish with parsley.
2. Put a Star Anise on top to make it look nicer.
3. Serve it with a drink of your choice. 
4. Enjoy !!!!

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Egg Mayo Tramezzini

Tramezzini is a popular Italian snack, traditionally made out of white bread stuffed with all sort of things and cut into triangles.  I tried a healthier option using egg and whole meal bread.....though it has some mayo and butter as well :)

Feel free to leave your comment and suggestions, if you like it !!!!!

 Ingredients :

        Egg - 2
        Mayonnaise - 2 Tbsp
        Green Bell pepper - 1/4
        Yellow bell pepper - 1/4
        Red bell pepper - 1/4
        Lettuce - 4 leaves
        Carrot - 1/2
        Green Olives - 5-6
        Parsley - few sprigs
        Whole meal / Brown Bread - 6 slices
        Butter - 2 tsp
        Oregano - 1 tsp
        Salt - to taste
        Pepper - to taste





        Pre-Preparation:

       i.  Hard boil the eggs and dice them.
       ii. Finely chop the bell peppers, carrot, olives and parsley.
       iii. Apply butter evenly on the bread slices.











Preparation :

      i. In a bowl, add eggs, veggies, olives, parsley and mayonnaise.
      ii. Season it with salt, freshly crushed black pepper and oregano.
      iii. Mix all the ingredients well.
      iv. On one side of the bread, place a lettuce leaf and spread the mayonnaise mixture on top of it.
      v. Cover it with another slice of bread.
      vi. Cut it in small triangles .

Serving suggestion :

      Serve the tramezzini with french fries and tomato ketchup or a dip of your choice. 

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Sunny Side Up in a Cup

Adelle Davis once said : " Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper ". This well known saying is really effective too.. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and in this fast paced life we often neglect it....  It's a challenge to prepare breakfast which is quick, simple, nutritious and delicious. Once watching Sanjeev Kapoor's show, I was inspired to make this mouthwatering and lovely looking recipe.

On my first attempt itself, we loved it .... and I am pretty sure that you and your family will love it too :) 

                                                Enjoy My Sunny Side UP in a CUP!!!!!!!!

Ingredients :

   Egg - 2
   Onion - 1
   Tomato - 1
   Green Bell Pepper - 1/2
   Mozzarella cheese - 3 Tbsp diced cheese
   Olive oil - 3 tsp
   Green Chili - 1
   Fresh Coriander leaves - few sprigs
   Salt -  to taste
   Black Pepper - to taste
   Chicken Sausage - 1 (optional)

Pre- Prep :
  
   i. Roughly chop the onion and tomato.
   ii. Finely chop the green bell pepper , coriander and the green chillies.
   iii. Saute the chicken sausage and dice it.
   iv. Dice the mozzarella cheese.

Preparation :

 

   i.  In a pan, add 1 tsp Olive oil , add Onion and saute it for a min.

   ii.  Add tomatoes and saute for a couple of mins or until the tomatoes are soft.

   iii. Add the green chillies and coriander.

   iv. Season with salt and freshly crushed black pepper.

   v.  Mix well and switch off the heat.

   vi. In a serving cup/bowl , put 2 Tbsp of the mixture, add some cheese cubes and 

         bell pepper.

   vii.  Add the chicken sausages. (optional)

   viii. Break an egg top of on  it.

 ix. Add some more cheese, bell pepper and 1 tsp olive oil.

    x.   Sprinkle some salt and  black pepper.  
xi.  Microwave it for a min if you like your egg soft otherwise microwave for 2 mins and let it rest for a min.

PS: Do not overcook the egg.


Serving suggestion :

    i. Garnish it with a sprig of coriander or parsley.

 

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  Sending it to

  cook-like-celebrity-chef-5

  Breakfast Club for local eats.

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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