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.