Wheat flour Pancakes - Sweet

Very simple, quick and easy recipe. Crispy and delicious as well. Good option for snacks and breakfast. Do try it!! 

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour - 1.5 Cups 

Jaggery - 1 Cup (or less to taste)

Milk - 1.5 Cups (to get Dosa consistency)

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Oil - for pan frying

Baking powder - 1 pinch

Procedure:

1. Add baking powder, cardamom powder to wheat flour. Mix well and keep aside.
2. Dissolve Jaggery in the milk. 
3. Add the above milk to the wheat flour (from step 1) and mix well to get a Dosa batter consistency. Make sure there are no lumps. 
4. Heat nonstick pan. Drizzle some oil and add a spoonful of batter on the pan. Spread it in circulation motion outwards.
5. Drizzle some more oil on the pancake. Flip it and allow it to cook well on both sides. 

Enjoy while they are hot!!!!

Note: You can also substitute Jaggery with Sugar

Salmon Cakes

Ooohh.. Salmon Cakes!! never thought I would like fish, but I was wrong! The best and the easiest recipe ever. Best part, it can be made from leftover Salmon. It can be customized to any pallet. I modified the original version a bit and added my Indian twist. Also, you can reduce the amount of butter... this way we get to eat more with our feeling guilty. So, Here we go!

Ingredients:
Cooked Salmon - 250 gms

Boiled potato - 1

Red Onion - 1 Medium

Coriander leaves - just a few springs

Dijon Mustard - 1.5 tsp

Bread crumbs - 1 to 1/2 cup 

Eggs - 2

Garlic - 1 clove (optional)

Olive oil 

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Mayonnaise - 1.5 tbsp

Butter - 2 tbsp 

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp (Indian twist - optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add onions. Fry till they turn transparent. 
2. Take the cooked salmon and separate it in to small chunks using a fork. 
3. In a blender, add chunks of boiled potatoes, onions (from step 1), coriander leaves, Dijon Mustard, Eggs, Garlic, Mayonnaise, butter and blend it in to a coarse mixture. 
4. Add Salmon (from Step 2) to above and mix. Add Salt and pepper to this mixture and adjust the seasoning to your taste at this point. 
5. Take about a handful of the mixture and make them in to small patties of your desired shape.  
6. In a non-stick pan, drizzle some olive oil and shallow fry the patties on both sides till they turn golden brown on both sides. 

Enjoy while they are hot with some dill sauce on the side!!!!

Note: Original recipe calls for Parsley instead of Coriander leaves. 

Omelet with mushroom masala base

For this recipe, all I can say is "Don't go by the looks". Give it a try and you are definitely going to like what you taste. It was not very pretty while preparing as well, but it was gone in no time. I think the egg omelet actually make it look more prettier.  Trick is to keep toasting the omelet till it turns golden brown and slightly crispy.

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms - 250 gms
Medium onion - 1
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Slit green chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - to taste
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Butter - for toasting the omelet
Eggs  - 4

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add slit green chillies and fry for few minutes. Add garlic paste and turmeric powder and fry for few more mins. 
2. Add in the chopped onions and fry till they become translucent.
3. Add in sliced mushrooms and keep mixing till they become soft. 
4. Add chili powder, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder and garma masala and mix well.
5. Cook for 5 more mins. Remove the mixture from the heat and keep it aside. 
6. Add salt and pepper to 4 eggs and beat well. 
7. Heat a nonstick pan and add butter. Add about 2 tbsp of mixture from step 5 and spread it on the pan. 
8. Pour the egg mixture from step 6 on to the above and spread gently using a spatula. You can spread it in to your desired shape. I did mine as shown in the picture. 
9. Toast on both sides, with generous amount of butter, till it turns golden brown. Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy with some ketchup or some salsa on the side!!!

Note: be generous with the amount of butter you use. Let the omelet crisp slightly on both sides. Can be had as both snack or with rice

Spiced Chicken

Here comes another experiment. I created the recipe on my own, so had to come up with a new name. The dish is very spicy and full of flavors, I thought of naming it as "Spiced Chicken". Hope you will agree with me after tasting it. Well coming back to the dish - when ever I tried to cook chicken breast meat in the oven, it was always too dry. I tried a different way. This method takes a little longer and you might have to clean more dishes too. But, the end result it totally worth it.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast meat  - 600 gms

Almond powder - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Tandoori chicken masala - 1 tsp (optional)

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Yogurt - 3/4 cup

Chilli powder - 1.5 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Butter - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Cut the meat in to small pieces.
2. In a separate bowl add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, lemon juice, yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala, tandoori chicken masala, 1 tbsp oil and mix well. 
3. Add the chicken pieces from step 1 to the above mixture and mix well. 
4. Add almond powder and mix well. 
5. Cover and leave the marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of about 6 hours. I marinated mine over night. 
6. Heat a non-stick pan and add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, place the marinated chicken pieces and fry for about 3 to 5 mins. Don't cook the meat completely in this step. 
7. Place the above in a oven at max temperature for about 5 to 6 mins. (If you want, the chicken pieces can be stored for about 1 or 2 days after this step)
8. Heat a non-stick pan and add butter. Add chicken pieces from step 6 to the melted butter and fry till the pieces turn in to light brownish color. 
9. Remove in to a bowl and serve.

Enjoy with some chopped onions and ketchup on the side!!!!

Tomato Pappu [Tomatoes cooked with Lentils]

"Tomato pappu" (telugu word)- is nothing but basically tomatoes cooked with Lentils and some spices. This is a very common vegetarian recipe from India. It is popular in both the north and southern parts of India. It is not only tasty but also healthy when cooked the right way. It is great with rice, roti, and yogurt. People make it at least once or twice every week in India. For some families it is a must have every day. Its very easy to make and take less time too if you have the dal cooked already. Since I like spicy food, I made a spicy version of Tomato pappu.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 3
Onions - 2
Precooked Toor dal - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Hing - 1 pinch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Dried Red chillies - 2
Curry leaf - few
Green chilli - 1
Salt - to taste
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chillipowder - to taste

Procedure:

1. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp of Cumin seeds and 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds.
2. Once they start to crackle add the green chilli and ginger garlic paste and let it cook for few seconds.
3. Add chopped onions to the above and let it cook till onions turn translucent.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become soft.  
5. Add in precooked toor dal and mix well. 
6. Add salt and chilli powder and cook for few minutes and adjust the seasoning at this point to your taste.
7. In another pan heat 1 tbsp oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds and let them crackle. 
8. Add turmeric powder, chana dal, urad dal, curry leaf,  red chillies, hing and let them fry for few seconds. This is the tempering used in the recipe.
9. Add this tempering to the curry in step 5. Mix well and serve.

Enjoy with some hot rice or Chapathi on the side!!!!

Navaratan Korma

I bought these cute looking baby carrots from the store the other day. I wanted to try a special recipe using these baby carrots. This is one of the most healthiest recipe that I have tried so far and most importantly delicious too. It still hard for me to believe that a dish can both be tasty and healthy at the same time. But, this recipe proved it to be true. It goes great with any type of rice or roti.

Ingredient:

Baby carrots - 200 gms
Mixed frozen vegetables - 300 gms
Cashew nuts - 1/2 cup
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cloves - 4
Black peppercorns - 4
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cardamom pods - 2
Onion - 4 medium
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Yogur - 1/2 cup
Green chilly paste - 2 tsp (or to taste)
Salt - to taste
Fresh cream - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

1. Soak 1/4 cashew nuts in warm water for 10 mins. Remove them from water and blend in to a fine paste. 
2. Boil the baby carrots till they are done. Defrost the frozen mixed vegetable and keep them aside.
3. Boil onions in water for few mins and then blend them in to smooth paste.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods. Add boiled onion paste once the spices start to crackle. 
5. Cook the onion paste for about 10 mins.
6. Add ginger garlic paste, yogurt and stir well. 
7. Add green chilli paste and cashew nut paste and cook on low heat for about 5 mins. 
8. Add in the defrosted vegetables and baby carrots and cook for about 5 mins. 
9. Add salt and about a cup of water to the above till you get the required consistency. 
10. Bring the above mixture to a boil and add in the fresh cream. 
11. Garnish with remaining cashews and serve.

Enjoy with some hot rice or roti on the side!!!

Spiced Carrot fry

Very very quick, easy and tasty recipe ever. I had a ton of carrots in my refrigerator and dint know what to do with them. I was particularly not in the mood to make any fancy recipe and so went ahead and tried this simple and easy recipe. Goes very well with rice, roti, bread or even just yogurt. In fact it tastes wonderful as it is with out any side dish. It requires a little prep work. Carrots have to be sliced in to thin strips as shown in the picture.

Ingredients:

Carrots - 2
Oil - 1.5 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Red chilli powder - to taste
Curry masala - 1/2 tsp

Preparation:

1. Peel and chop the carrots as shown in the picture. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped carrots. Let the carrots cook on high flame for a few minutes. 
3. Keep tossing the carrots in between till they turn golden brown as shown in the picture.
4. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder to the above and mix well. 
5. Sprinkle curry masala and mix well and serve. 

Enjoy with some hot rice on the side!!!!

Note: Cook the carrots a little longer till they turn in to golden brown color. Feel free to add in any spice powder [like garam masala etc.] instead of curry masala.

Bisibelebath

Bisibelabath stands for Bisi (hot) Bele (Lentil) Bath (Rice). Very famous dish from the southern part of India. This is the first time I tried this dish and I knew from then on that I will make this dish at least once every 15 days. Very healthy and delicious too. Lot of ingredients go in to this dish. Yet, its easy to prepare this dish if you have all the ingredients readily available at home. 

Ingredients:

Precooked rice - 1 cup
Pre cooked lentils - 1/2 cup (toor dal)
Carrots - 1/4 cup
Hing - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - to taste
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Tamarind paste - 3 tsp
curry leaves - 2 springs
Green chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Procedure:

1. Heat 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seed, cumin seeds, chana dal and urad dal and fry them for few seconds.
2. Add green chillies and curry leaves and fry them for few seconds. Add hing powder and cook.
3. Add grated carrots and cook for few mins. 
4. Add salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and mix. 
5. Add in the tamarind paste along with some water and bring it to boil. 
6. Add pre cooked and pureed lentil paste, and sambar powder to the above and mix well.
7. Add precooked rice to the above and mix well and bring it to boil. 
8. Add 1 tbsp butter and cook it for few seconds. 
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Enjoy while it is hot with some crispy papad on the side!!!!

Note: You can use ghee instead of butter. Also, this dish tastes great with lots of veggies like beans, potatoes, cauliflower etc..

Spring Onion pancake (Indian version)

Today, I decided to make some thing with fewer ingredients and at the same time it should taste delicious. In simple words I wanted to make something that is very very easy to prepare. Well, I found one. I made like 10 of these for two people and believe me they were not sufficient. Takes less then 10 mins to prepare and less than 1 min to be consumed. So.. with out any further delay here comes my special recipe.

Ingredients:

Chickpea flour - 1 cup

Semolina - 2 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 pinch

Salt - to taste

Yogurt - 1/4 cup

Water - 1 cup

Ginger (grated) - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 2 

Spring onions - 4 

Cilantro - 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 1 pinch

Oil - 1 tsp for each pancake

Preparation:

1. Mix chickpea flour, semolina, cumin seeds, rice flour, turmeric powder, salt, yogurt, grated ginger, chopped green chillies in a bowl.
2. Add water to the above and keep mixing till it forms in to a light batter. 
3. Add chopped spring onions and chopped cilantro to the above and mix well.
4. Add in the baking powder just before making the pancakes and mix well. 
5. Heat a nonstick pan and drizzle few drops of oil. Add about a quarter cup of the above batter on the pan and spread it evenly. Add few more drop of oil on the surface of the pancake. 
6. Cook till the pancake turns golden brown [as shown in the pic] on the bottom side and then flip it to the other side. Let it cook on the other side for about a min and then remove from the pan. 

Enjoy with some ketchup on the side..!!!!

Soya - Kheema mutter (Vegetarian version)

Soy chunks are easily available now a days. Very healthy and a good substitution for meat. In fact if you can get the recipe right then it tastes much better than meat. 

Ingredients:

• Soy Chunks - 2 cups
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cardamom pods - 2
• Cinnamon stick - 1"
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Tomatoes - 2
• Onion - 2
• Green Chillies - 3
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
• Salt - to taste
• Chilli powder - to taste
• Green peas - 3/4 cup
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - few springs

Procedure:

Soya Chunks Kheema: (A)

• Add hot water to Soy chunks and keep it aside for 10 to 15 mins till all the water is absorbed. 
• Once the water is soaked completely, blend the chunks in to tiny chunks as shown in the picture. At this point it looks like cooked minced meat.

Kheema mutter:

• Heat oil in a pan. Add cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. 
• Once you get the aroma go ahead and add chopped onions, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and mix well. Cook till the onions turn translucent. 
• Add the Soy Chunks kheema from (A) and mix well. 
• Add chopped tomatoes, salt and chilli powder and cook for a few minutes. 
• Add yogurt, green chillies, frozen peas. Mix well and cook for for about 3 to 5 mins. 
• Add cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well.
• Add fresh coriander leaves and remove from heat. 

Enjoy with hot rice and yogurt on the side.

Small Jalebi

I love sweets. India is one country which has thousands of varieties of sweets. We have some special sweet for every occasion. I can eat them at any time of the day or I can say I eat sweets all the time. I have been trying to make different varieties and here comes one of my experiments. Well it is very very sweet.. and of course delicious! This recipe is for all the sweet lovers.

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 cup 

Corn Flour - 2 or 3 tbsp

Yogurt   - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp 

Orange food color - pinch 

Oil/ Ghee - to deep fry

Sugar - 2 cups 

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp 

Procedure:

1. Add flour, corn flour, baking powder in a bowl and mix. Add yogurt and mix well. 
2. Dissolve food color in about 1 tbsp water and add it to the above. At this point add enough water to the mixture to get a thick and smooth batter. 
3. Let this batter ferment over night. Then take this batter in to a piping bag and keep it aside.
4. Add sugar, cardamom powder and sugar in a pan and heat till we get a string consistency. (roughly for about 10 to 15 minutes)
5. In a separate pan add 1" layer of oil. 
6. Reduce the heat to low and at this point. Pipe the batter (from step 2) in circles as shown in the picture. Make sure to cross the circle to hold the shape. 
7. Turn the Jalebis when they are firm and fry them till they are golden brown. 
8. Remove from the oil and soak them in moderately warm sugar syrup (from step 3) for about 2 or 3 mins. 

Serve hot!!

Note: Crispiness of the Jalebis depend on the Cornflour. The more cornflour you add, the more crispier they become. 

Simple masala rice with Veggies

This is probably one of the most easiest and delicious recipe that I have tried. Its especially convenient to make when you have guests at home. I like to add what ever veggies I find in my refrigerator. So, its also the best way to finish all the leftover veggies. I have a 5 liter rice cooker at home and it makes it much more easier to cook this dish.

Ingredients:

Veggies - chopped 1.5 cups {I used carrots, peas, potatoes}

Onion - 1 chopped

Butter - 1 tbsp

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch

Bay leaf - 1 

Cloves - 5

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp 

Chilli powder - to taste

Uncooked rice - 1.5 cups 

Water - 3 cups [depends on the type of rice you use] 

Fresh coriander leaves - handfull

Procedure:

1. Add butter in to a rice cook and let it melt. Add cardamoms, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves and mix well. After few seconds add ginger garlic paste and cook for a few seconds. 
2. Add chopped onion to the above and cook till they become translucent. 
3. Add in the veggies and cook till they become soft. 
4. Add rice to the above and mix well. Pour in the water and stir. 
5. Add coriander powder, salt and chilli powder and mix. Add freshly chopped coriander leaves and mix well. 
6. Close the lid and let it cook. Stir once or twice before the rice is completely done.

Serve with raitha or some curry on the side!!!!

Cheese Puffs

Its funny why I decided to cook this recipe. I had 3 egg and cheese left in my refrigerator, looked up on the internet and bumped in to this recipe. It sounded and looked Yummy, so I decided to go for it. Very simple recipe and if you also happen to have some cheese and eggs then do try it. It tastes best when hot.. so try not to leave it for the next day!

Ingredients:

Butter - 100 gms
Grated Cheddar cheese - 1 cup
Eggs - 4
Flour - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1 pinch
Water - 3/4 cup

Procedure:

1. Add water in a hot pan, add butter and salt and stir till the butter melts. 
2. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Once the butter melts stir in the flour. 
3. Add eggs to the above and mix well. Add cheese to the above and mix well. 
4. Turn off the heat and transfer the mixture in to another bowl. 
5. Once the mixture cools, scoop the mixture on to a baking pan.
6. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 25 mins. 

Enjoy while they are hot!!!!

Tandoori Chicken

Yummy!!!! well since my description of this recipe already began with the word yummy it must be easy to guess that this is my favorite dish. In fact it is the favorite dish for most of the meat lovers in India. Not that complicate to make if you know the right ingredients. Back in India this dish is made in the hot clay ovens. But, my halogen oven works just fine - of course you will miss out on the charred flavor that comes from the clay oven. I prefer to make this dish using chicken thighs but feel free to experiment with what ever you like. This dish definitely lights up your day - so best option would be to make it on a moody day :)) or if you are in the mood to get some compliments!!!. You can have it with rice or chapathi or normal toasted bread. We like to have it as a snack with some type of sauce [either tomato sauce or garlic sauce] on the side.

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs - 4 to 6

Onion - 1

Oil - 2 tbsp 

Salt - to taste

Chilli powder - to taste

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp 

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp 

Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp 

Tandoori masala - 2 to 3 tsp 

Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Cashew nut powder - 2 to 3 tbsp 

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp  (optional)

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Procedure:

1. Clean the chicken thighs. Make 1/4 inch slits on the meat. 
2. In a bowl add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, lemon juice, tandoori masala, coriander powder, cumin powder, 1 tbsp oil, yogurt and mix well.
3. Add the chicken pieces from step 1 to the above and mix well. 
4. Let them sit for 10 mins. Add cashew nut powder and mix well.
5. Let the chicken marinate for at least 4 to 5 hours. I usually let it sit over night in the fridge. 
6. Just before baking add chopped onion to the marinate chicken and mix well.
7. Grease the backing pan slighlty and place the marinated chicken pieces on it. 
8. Carefully add few drops of oil on each piece. You can just sprinkle some chopped onion at this point [optional].
9. Bake them in a halogen on high for 7 to 10 mins. Turn on the other side and repeat the same for 7 to 10 mins.

Serve with some onions and lime wedges on the side!!!!!!

Spinach stuffed Chapathi

This recipe is an experiment from leftovers of [ Aloo Palak & Chapathi] from. Spinach was never my favorite food, but this recipe turned out to be the best way for intake of spinach. Well, it turned out to be tasty as well. We had these Spinach chapatis with Alu fry and Raitha on the side and totally loved the combo. 

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup
Water - 1/3 cup
Salt - 1 pinch
Yogurt - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1/2 tsp for each chapati

Spinach - 1 /2 cup [left over from Aloo Palak]

Procedure:

1. Add all the ingredients except oil, in to a food processor and blend it in to a stiff dough. [or you can always use your hand]
2. Let this dough sit for about 1 or 2 hours. 
3. Knead the dough once again just before rolling the chapathis. 
4. Divide the dough in to lemon size balls and roll them in to a round chapathi. (if you are trying for the first time then don't bother about the shape :))
5. Heat a pan and place the rolled chapathi on to it. let if fry on one side and then turn it to the other side and let it fry for some more time. At this point the chapathi will start to puffup.
6. Then add a little oil and fry it on both sides for some more time. 

Enjoy with some curry and raitha on the side!!!!!


Note: Incase you don't have any leftover spinach curry, just boil the spinach with very little water and salt. Blend it in to a fine paste and use it instead.