Paneer sabji (with soup powder)

With my little one, I need to manage my dinner (when mil needs to go to the market..)while she naps, and she naps for just 30 mins.

You need:
100 gms paneer
3 small onions, 4-5 kaju pieces and some ginger - made to a paste in a mixie
Some butter
Some chopped coriander
Haldi powder - 1/4 tsp
Meat masala - 1/2 tsp
Tomato soup powder (Knorr/ Maggi or anything.. ) - 2-3 tbsp
2-3 cloves
4-5 curry leaves (roughly torn)

First, fry some paneer in butter and keep aside
Then heat some butter, add cloves and curry leaves. Then add the onion paste. When browned, add the haldi, meat masala, and tomato soup powder. Cook slightly and add water. Be careful not to get lumps cos of the soup powder. Bring to boil, and add the paneer cubes and chopped coriander leaves! Ready!

P.S: I also added a crushed cheese slice (since I didn't have cubes) which melted away and made the gravy cheesy!!

Pongal

This is one of my most favorite South Indian dish.

I always had south Indian food during my college days in Matunga, a locality in Mumbai which is full of south Indian Restaurants.

The best Pongal I had was on my trip to Tirupati and Chennai and since then was hunting for a recipe.Finally a colleague of mine from Chennai shared a recipe and I modified it a little for my taste buds. It turned out to be successful.Here is it


Ingredients
Moong Daal and Rice (Equal Quantity)
Cumin Seeds
Pepper corns
Pepper Powder
Grated Ginger
Red dried chilly
Curry Leaves
Cashewnuts,Raisins 10-12
Grated Coconut
Ghee
Milk
Salt to taste
Water


Procedure

Cook the rice and moong dal together in a separate utensil

In another pan add ghee add Cumin Seeds,Pepper corns,Pepper Powder,Grated Ginger,
Red dried chilly and Curry Leaves.Let it fry for a while add cashews and raisins.Add salt to taste and grated coconut.Now add the boiled Moong dal+Rice.
Add some milk and water.Once it becomes soft add some ghee.

Serve hot with Sambhar

Chef's Tips:
1)Never Pressure Cook the Rice Moongdal Mixture as it becomes too soft.Cook it in an open utensil.Cook it 75-80% as later when you add it to mixture it gets perfectly cooked
2)When you add cumin and pepper corns to ghee, wait for pepper corns to pop and then add rest of the ingredients
3)You can substitute red chillies with green chillies depending on your taste.I recommend red chillies as it gives a wonderful aroma.
4)You can add coconut milk instead of grated coconut
Bon Appetit
Ash

Zaalouk and Moutabel

We all are fascinated by the Middle East.Their colorful culture,the big barren desert,Oil fields,Hookas and Sheeshas,Camels,belly dances..blah blah.Very little is known about the food.So I made these lovely Middle Eastern Dishes rather Middle Eastern Dips

Naina and Monica have been preparing lovely Moutabel since months and I love it each time they make it.So today I thought trying my hands at it.I made Moutabel and it turned out to be lovely.I tried another dip called "Zaloouk" which is from Morroco and it turned out to be lovely too.Since we already have Moutabel om the blog I thought of sharing Zaalouk recipe with you all

Zaalouk

Ingredients:
Aubergine
Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Garlic
Parsley
Chilly Powder
Salt to taste


Procedure
Roast/Cook the aubergine and smash it well.Add boiled smashed tomatoes.Add a little tomato Ketchup.Add Crushed ground Garlic.Add some Red Chilly powder and Chopped Parsley.Finally add olive oil and salt per taste.Smash it in a huge vessel for about 5-10 minutes till it blends well.

Decorate with Olives and Parsley.Serve with Crusty bread

I served both Zaalouk and Moutabel with Garlic breads and they were too yummy

It was kinda great to have 2 dishes of Aubergine made on teh same day both tasting so different yet so nice

Bon Appetit
Ash

Butter Chicken with Kasoori Methi

My Favorite Recipe from Childhood Days.Once Mum's Kitty Party Friend had made it around 15-20 years ago and since then is a famous one in my household

Ingredients:
Boiled Boneless Chicken
Oil
Chopped Onions
Tomatoe Puree
Milk
Cream
Chicken Stock
Chicken curry Masala
Red Chilly Powder
Kasoori Methi
Salt

Procedure:
Fry Onions in Oil in a Kadhai.Add the Ginger Garlic Paste.Now add Chicken Masala.Normally these Everest/Badshah have good Chicken Gravy Masalas.Pick anyone of your choice.Mix well.Red Chilly Powder.Once the Onions are brown, mix all very well in a blender.Add little water if you want.

Next add Tomato Puree.Let it cook well.Add the Boiled Boneless Chicken.Add Milk and Cream.Finally Add the Chicken Stock and Kasoori Methi.Add Salt as per taste.
Serve Hot with Parathas:)
Enjoyyyy

Chef's Tip:Additionally you can Add Cashew paste to make gravy thicker and tastier

Restaurant Recommendations- From Singapore with Love

Singapore has almost become second Home for me. It’s a Modern and Happening City with a wonderful nightlife,superb brands to shop, warm and friendly people and fantastic places to eat There are some Restaurants you shouldn’t miss from Singapore

1)Crystal Jade: Authentic Chinese/Cantonese Cuisine
The Food and Ambience is Mind blowing.This is a Chain of Restauarants spread all over Singapore and serve authentic Chinese food.I never used to like the Chinese food that restaurants in India serve.But the kind of food they serve here changed my psysche about Chinese food. Don’t Miss the Dimsums.I tried both the Pork and the vegeterian ones.The Noodles and Fried rice were superb too.The starers were great although I don’t remember the Chinese names.Most important,they serve fantastic Chinese tea to sip in between meals. I tried eating with Chopsticks and believe me it was fun.The Chinese staff was happy to see an Indian woman like me savouring the cuisine the traditional way

2)Thai Express:Thai Cuisine
I go to this place each time I go to Singapore.The food is very nice. Right from Tom Yum Soup,Fried Prawns,Phad Thai(traditional Noodles),to Thai Curry and Rice the food rocks.Also,don’t miss the Tender Coconut Water which they serve with the Coconut itself.The taste is a little different from what we get in Bombay or Goa

3)Original Sin: at Holland Village. Mediteraanean Cuisine
This one is for all the Vegeterians.it is located in the quiet and yet posh area of Holland Village.Among the very few Restauarnts serving vegetarian food They have Greek ,Italian and other typical Mediterrrainean Food. I tried the Pumpkin Soup,Vege Platterr and Risoto.Also they serve greek dips like Tchachiki etc You can always ask the staff to describe the contenst of all food and then chose what you want as per your specifications

4)Marakkesh ,at Clarke Quay ,Moroccan and Arabic Cuisine
It’s a Moroccan Lounge bar at one of the most happening locations,Clarke Quay.The Ambience makes you feel you are in the Middle East.They have Arabic style seating and also have swinging seats.Also they play the Arabic Music in background and there are Sheeshas and Hookas all over too. The Platter which we ordered was nice.We ordered for 3 dips hummus,moutabel and Zaalouk, some falafel type tikkis and some Pita bread The food was good,so many new things.I don’t remember the exact names but you can always ask the staff to serve you authentic food as per your choice

5)Tratorria : at Orchard Road , Italian Cuisine
This one has the traditional Italian food and since Italian food is my personal favourite I had everything in the course from Soup,Starters,Salads,Main Course of Lasagna and Tiramisu. Its straight Italian food and superbly tasty

6)Komalas,at Little India, South Indian Cuisine
This one will be very useful for you once you are tired of eating the Chinese,thai,Italian blah blah. The restaurant is located in little India Area very close to the famous Mustafa Shopping Centre and is the low priced high quality South Indian food place.You get everything from Dosas,Idlis,uthappa .I guess I need not recommend what to eat as all the food is equally great.

7)The Soup Spoon, at Raffles Place, Soups ,Dips, Sandwiches and Salads
It’s a restaurant specilising in soups, and delis.It has outlets all over Singapore but I have been to the only place in Raffles Place.Raffles Place is the Office are and everyone is looking for quick bites here. Though its soup, one set meal will make u really full. The mushroom soup is thick and the best.Tomato soup and Pumpkin soup are next..Also they have good sandwiches and wraps.Try the Sandwich in Focacia bread.One of the best things to try is the Caeser Salad which is one of the best I had till date.I also tried the Ice tea which was good too

Prawns in Okhra Gravy South Indian Style(Courtsey:Masterchef Australia)

I have off late been addicted to Masterchef Australia on StarWorld big time.I love the way they make those dishes and also the way they give small tips.
Last week when famous chef Kumar Mahadevan gave this recipe,I really found it interesting.I have not yet tried,but it looks so intesting ,that I thought I should record it somewhere before I forget and share with all of you.

Ingredients:
Oil
Okhra
Prawns
Grated Coconut
Chopped Onion
Chopped Tomato
Mustard,Cumin,Fenugreek and Dhaniya Seeds
Red Chilly powder
Turmeric Powder
Chana Dal Roasted
Curry Leaves

Heat oil in a Pan.Add Mustard,Cumin and Fenugreek.Now add Chopped Onions.Add Dhaniya Powder ,Red Chilly Powder Turmeric and the Okhras (Ladyfingers) with its top chopped.Let tehm Fry well.Once fried ,remove the Okhras.
Now add Tomatoes,Green chilly and Water.Add the Prawns now.Add Curry Leaves and let it Simmer a while.
Separately mix grated coconut and roasted chana dal in a mixer,add water and make a paste and add it to the above.Re add Okhras and Serve hot

(Courtsey:Masterchef Australia)

Celebration Time

We had so many reasons to celebrate as September witnesses 3 Le-Bouffe Member Birthdays..

It was Palak,Monica and Suzanne's Birthdays..
Monica actually baked a Cake for Suzaane and we got some Yummy Cakes for Palak and Monica as well.
We at Le-bouffe Team wish that all the 3 gals ..fondly called as Mini,Mo and Sue have superb year ahead .May God fulfill all their desires and give them a long and beautiful life..
Please join me in wishing them a wonderful wish fulfilling year ahead !!
Time to Raise some Toast..
Cheers
Ash

Cabbage in Tomato Base

I am not particularly fond of Cabbage.But this is something Novel and interesting
Also, Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It also contains significant amounts of glutamine, an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory properties.

I wanted to make something Mexican..But realized I had no Bell Peppers or Jalapenos or chilly flakes.So decided to make Indian and was happy that this turned out to be nice.Everyone in office seemed to like it too

Ingredients:

Oil
Tomato Ketchup
Ginger Garlic Paste
Cabbage
Vermicelli
Milk/Cream
Chopped Corriander
Kitchen King Masala
Red Chilly Powder
Turmeric

Procedure:
Toss oil in a Pan/Kadhai.Add tomato ketchup to form gravy base.Add ginger garlic paste and let this cook for a while.Add Kitchen King masala,chilly powder and Turmeric.
Now add half -boiled Chopped Cabbage
Add Vermicelli and let it cook for a while
Season with Milk and cream and Corriander leaves
Serve With Roti/ Jeera Rice

Chefs Tips:
Cabbage if not cooked well may give a peculiar smell.See to it that when you half boil, add a little bit of salt and pepper
It hardly takes 7-8 mins to cook.Its good to cook when you are in a hurry and have to rush to work or When you have least ingredients at home
I have not added salt to the gravy as Ketchup already has salt in it.You can add depending on your choice
You can Substitute boiled cabbage with Boiled Sweet corn or Baby Corn or Even Half Boiled Mushrooms
Never tried it with Boiled Chicken though. but guess that should be tasty too

Bon Appétit
Ash

Modified Caesar Salad

I had Caesar Salad in Singapore when my sister introduced it to me and since then have become a huge fan .I tried again after coming in India and then tried my hands at making it. Now even have got my family and friends addicted to it
The salad's creation is generally attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini (an Italian-born Mexican). Most times they add bacon, parmesan cheese and anchovies which I have dropped I this recipe
I have modified it with my own creativity and more specifically with all the available vegetables

Ingredients:

Iceberg Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Bread Cut into small square Pieces
Olives
Cherry Tomatoes
Boiled Eggs
Mustard sauce
Olive Oil
Garlic
Herbs like Parsley,Oregano,Basil,Thyme

Take a huge bowl.Tear both Iceberg and Romaine Lettuce with your hands(do not cut as they turn black if they contact a knife).Take a huge Bowl and layer the Lettuce,olives and Cherry tomatoes one after the other.Put a little bit olive Oil and Vinegar mixed with salt, pepper and herbs.Toss the salad.Now put a little mustard sauce and toss it again.
For the Croutons.Toss some olive oil in a pan.Add the garlic and herbs.Now add Bread crumbs.
OR
Alternatively if you are calorie conscious.Just roast the bread pieces in oven.Rub Garlic against it and add herbs
Put Croutons over the salad.Garnish with boiled eggs slices and add the herbs
Serve in a bowl.

As they say.Caesar Salad goes very well with the finest wines.
Here too I didn’t go by the conventionl norms of serving with sparkling white wine. Instead clubbed it with my personal favorite Pinot Noir from Burgundy

So Enjoy!!

Bon Appetit
Ash

Seyal bread

Mo - this ones specially for you.. You love the Seyal bread my mom makes na, so here's the recipe :)

1 bunch of Rs 5. coriander
10-12 garlic
5-6 green chillies
Small piece of ginger
1/2 onion (optional)
Make a paste of all these in a mixie

Heat some oil in a pan, add the masala and cook a bit till oil separates. Then add water, 1 tbsp tamarind pulp and bring to boil. Finally add enough bread pieces to make a nice snack!

Enjoy
-Naina

Black Dal

Saw this recipe on Discovery Channels Rhodes across India.. An amazing show! Here's the link. Will try it out after a couple of months, as I'm not supposed to have these kind of heavy dals while my baby is so small!

The recipe in short:
Take 1 cup washed black dal, add 4 cups water, some chopped onion, chopped ginger, garlic, some mustard oil and boil
Later, add some curd mixed with salt and red chilli powder
Add a tempering of only hing in ghee
Later, add some dried plums
Then add another tempering in ghee of onion, ginger and red chilli powder

Also, want to try this recipe of potatoes

Lets hope I come around to trying these soon!
-Naina

Some masala pastes

Picked up these masala pastes from tv and my mom's cook..
1. Make a Paste of cooked onion, ginger, garlic, dry coconut powder and whole red chillies. Cook some onions, add to it the masala paste, one tomato, dhania powder, red chilli powder, haldi and garam masala powder!
2. Make a paste of onion, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and loads of khus khus and fennel seeds

White Sauce

I really need to clean up the blog, its been a long time, and I guess I'll happily be a passive blogger for another couple of months, with my little baby!
Anyways, just learnt the tips and tricks of making proper white sauce from my mom.

You need
6 cups milk
6 tbsp maida
6 tbsp butter (or less)
Salt
Black pepper
Italian herbs
Grated cheese

Cook the Maida and butter, like sheera, till it gives an aroma, doesn't burn, but the fat kind of starts to separate. Takes around 10 mins
Then, remove from gas, and for the 1st cup of milk, add one spoon at a time and keep mixing, so that no lumps form. Then add the remaining milk slowly, so that no lumps are formed. Return to the gas, bring to a boil and keep stirring. Cook till the desired consistency of thickness.
Finally add the salt, pepper, herbs and cheese! Done. Its yummy!

Burnt Onion n Baby corn Sweet Corn Soup

Simple Soup on a Rainy day

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Sliced onion
Garlic flakes
Oregano
Basil leaves
Sliced Babycorn(boiled)
Boiled Sweet corn
Salt to taste
Cream



Procedure
Fry onions in olive oil.Add garlic and oregano.Let it burn a little.Add salt and some water.Now put it in blender till it becomes completely blended.Bring it to boil.Add boiled corns n baby corns.
Top with cream and basil leaf

Serve hot

Bon Appetit
Ash

Post delivery recipes :)

Thanks Ash! That was the reason I had reduced my online activity. They say its not good to spend too much time on the comp during pregnancy :)
Baby's doing good, and I'm well too, thats why I'm blogging away while the baby's just 15 days.
Some quick recipes I need to document -

Kaada

To grind
1 kaju
1 badam
1 apricot
1 sauth / dry ginger
1 chwara / dry dates
1/2 tsp charoli
1/2 tsp ajwain
5-6 brown raisins

Other
1 tbsp dry khopra powdered
1 pinch haldi
ghee for tempering
1 tbsp atta
1/2 tsp jeera

Grind all in 1 cup water. Leave aside for 1/2 hour. Again grind with khopra, haldi and atta to smooth paste. Heat ghee, add jeera and then the paste. Cook for 10 mins and thicken a bit.

Methi Ladu
300 gm methi - roasted and powdered
1/4 k sukha khopra roasted in ghee
750 gms wheat - roasted till pops a bit and ground - not fried in ghee
150 gms almonds fried in ghee
100 gms khus khus
100 gms haleem roasted
100 gms dink / gond fried in ghee
1/4 kg kharik / dry dates - powdered
warm ghee for binding
jaggery to taste - approx. 1 kg

Dry Fruit Powder to have in milk
Almonds - 250 gms - ground
Pista - 250 gms -ground
Saunth powder < 100 gms
Ganthoda / Pipri powder < 100 gms
Gond - fried in ghee <100 gms
Magaztari - roasted to change color <100 gms
Little ghee if needed to mix all


Enjoy :)

Naina has become a proud Mum

It gives me immense pleasure to tell you all that Naina has been blessed with a little baby girl on 15th of July:))Its been a celebration for all of the Le bouffe members..

Please join me and Le bouffe team in Congratulating Naina and showering our blessings and best wishes on our little angel!

Cheers
Ash

150 posts already!!

Its a pleasure that we at Le-Bouffe have crossed 150 posts mark too.
3 cheers to the Le bouffe team girls esp dear Naina whose contribution has made this Blog a huge Success.

And a very special thanks to all our readers,follower and fans for the support,suggestions and feedback to us.Also a big thanks to the dear friends who gave some awards making us feel special

We will continue to post more and will not let you a down

Enjoy life,enjoy food

Bon Appetit
Ash

Mushroom Jhatpat Masala

Sorry.. this one got eaten away before I could think of taking a pic..
Here's the recipe, specially for all those of my friends who tasted it on the lunch table today in office -

1 packet mushrooms (nicely cleaned and chopped into small cubes)
3 medium onions (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
2 tbsp curd
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 heaped tsp Meat masala (I used Everest)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Heat some oil (used olive oil here) in a kadhai, add jeera. When it changes color, add onions, and cook till almost brown. Add the masalas, ginger garlic paste, and saute for a minute. Add the curd and mix well. Then add the mushrooms, salt and cover and cook for 10 mins or until done, stirring every 2-3 minutes. Finally, garnish with coriander leaves.
Enjoy!

Dim Dal Fry

This one's one of my favourites, and my mil likes it a lot too..

Pressure cook 1 cup of whole moong dal, with a pinch of turmeric.
In a vessel, heat some ghee. For tempering add garlic, ginger, jeera, hing, red chillies, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes and coriander powder. Add the dal, enough water and bring to boil. Finally add salt, lemon juice / amchur to taste (optional), and chopped coriander leaves.
Enjoy
-Naina

Gajar Halwa!

Just a pic of some lovely Gajar Halwa made at home (by mom in law) a while ago!



Enjoy
-Naina

Ram Navmi Offerings

The Prayer Arrangement -

The Goddess -

The Offering!!

This has puris, curd, medu wada, bhajiyas (made of soaked and ground chana dal), whole soaked chanas, atte ka halwa, and some deep fried sweet made of wheat flour

:)

Mushroom Starters

This is one of my favorite.I had tried it in a nice italian restaurant and tried preparing at home


Its very easy and quick to prepare.

Ingredients
Button Mushrooms
Cheese
Olive Oil
Oregano
Basil leaves


Clean the mushrooms and remove its stem/stipe.
Take a pan and roast it on olive oil for not more than 1 minute and add oregano on it.

Remove it from the flame and stuff cheese inside it.Roast in Microwave till cheese melts..It looks like this:)



Decorate with basil leaf and serve hot

Bon Appetit
Ash

Dum Murg ki Kacchi Biriyani

Saw this Lucknowi style Biryani recipe on NDTV Good Times & immediately thought of trying my hand at it. Firstly my sincere apologies that i could not click any pics as i wasn't sure how it would turn out.... But amazingly it came out really yum!!!!! So, thought of sharing this with you darlings!!!
______________________________________________________________________

Ingredients:
½ kg basmati rice
1 kg chicken
2 onions - sliced long
½ tsp saffron
1 cup milk
juice of 1 lemon
fresh green coriander - chopped
2 green chillies - chopped (optional)
1 tbsp oil

Ingredients for the marinade:
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 ½ cup curd
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

Spices for chicken:
4 cloves
1” cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
½ tsp cumin seeds

Whole spices for rice:
2 cloves
½ “cinnamon
2 green cardamoms
salt - to taste

For the Dum:
Dough made of wheat atta & water

METHOD:

Marinate the chicken with curd, turmeric, salt, chilly powder and ginger-garlic paste. Coarsely grind all the spices for the chicken & add to the marinade. Leave the chicken to marinate for an hour minimum or overnight.

Heat two tbsp of oil in a pan. Sauté the onions, till they turn golden brown. Keep aside.
Put the rice into the cooking vessel & add the requisite amount of water. Add the whole spices and the salt. Cover and let it cook till the water is absorbed.

Add the saffron to warm/tepid milk & stir till the milk takes on the colour of saffron. Keep aside.

Crumple half the burnt onions & add it to the marinated chicken. Put back in fridge for half an hour.

TO LAYER THE BIRYANI:

In a handi put 1 tbsp oil & heat. Add the chicken & cook on high heat till chicken takes on a light brown colour & is half cooked & add the lemon juice.

Lower the flame; flatten the chicken to form a layer. Put chopped coriander & green chillies (optional) on top.

Put all the rice on top of this layer, add the remaining fried onions & smoothen out. Pour in the saffron milk over the rice.

Cover the vessel & make long snake off the dough by rolling in on the counter & use it to seal the top of the cooking vessel. (Note: if you don't want to use atta you can tie the vessel tightly with a cloth instead)

Let the biryani cook on a very slow fire till the seal is hard & the rice looks fully cooked.

Serve hot.



Love Akki!

Black current Sqaush

There is nothing very special about this.
I just crushed the black grapes in the juicer ,added salt-sugar,water,ice cubes and served chilled..Its simple n yummy

Ruby Splash

Yet another drink..just put it in the wine glasses for some fun.It reminds me of Ruby in a ring..so the name:))

Simple and easy to prepare

Ingredients
Strawberry squash
Ginger lemon Squash
Ice
Water
Salt -sugar


Put all the ingredients in the blender.Serve chilled :)

Cheers
Ash

Lawn Teaser

Yet another one of my favorite drinks..Named it lawn teaser because the color reminds me of a fresh green lawn

Kiwi Crush
Lemon Juice
7up/Sprite
Ice cubes
Salt and Sugar
Lemon wedge for decoration

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve in a glass.Decorate with a Lime Wedge and serve chilled

Cheers
Ash

Blue Lagoon

It was a long weekend and my Didi and Jijaji had come over..I decided to make this suave looking drink for the evening.Its on the lines of Martini but its non alcoholic cousin

Ingredients
Blue Curacao Syrup
Tender Coconut Water
Coconut cream
Mint leaves
Water
Ice
Tinge of lemon
Green grapes(instead of the olives)
Sugar
Salt


Mix all the ingredients except the grapes in the blender.
Take a martini glass and put the blended mocktail.Add 1 grape to each glass..Serve chilled


Chef's Tips
1)Before you pour the drink in the glass, put lot of salt in a tray/plate.Wet the upper rim of the glass in water.Now turn the glass upside down and put salt on the upper most edge by dipping the glass in the salt
2)Never put Ice in this type of drinks.Just crush it and blend it well.
3)Its better if you chill the martini glasses too
4)Traditionally ,Martini consists of Olives.We are putting grapes instead to give it a chic look and the taste goes very well too

Cheers!!
Ash

Quick Moong dal Rasam

I saw this lovely Dal Sandwich recipe on Sindhi Rasoi yesterday, and surprisingly, I just wished to have the dal.. like a thin soup or rasam..
So, took 1/4 cup of moong dal, and boiled it in water with a pinch of turmeric and salt. Boiled till it was done..
Then heated some ghee for tempering, added to it 1/3 tsp of our home made mixture of red chilli and garam masala. When it gave a nice aroma, added a nice tsp full of coriander powder. Poured this into the dal, added water (as I wanted it thin and watery) and Amchur / dry mango powder to the dal as per taste and simmered it.
Didn't look great, since I didn't garnish it, so didn't take a pic! But tastes yummm
Very quick and simple too..
-Naina

More Awards!

Thanks a lot to Devi, for passing on these awards to us!!

Thanks a ton for this..





Rules for accepting this award:


1. Thank the person who gave you the award


2. Pass it on to your blogger friends



Thanks for this one too!!

And for this one too!



Rules for accepting this award
Thank the person who gave you the award.
Copy the award to your blog.
Place a link to their blog.
Name 7 things people don't know about you.
Nominate 7 bloggers.
Place a link to those bloggers.
Place a comment letting those bloggers know about the award.

So, we'd like to share this (Kreativ Blogger) award with

Easy Cooking

Faiza Ali's Kitchen

Samayalarai's Blog

Joy of Cooking

Kitchen Gossip

Viki's Kitchen

Zesty South Indian Kitchen

And the other 2 awards (Thank You and smart Food Blogger) with these 7 and

Bombay Foodie

Desi Soccer Mom

The Chef and her Kitchen

Thanks a ton again Devi for this!!

And here's 7 things people don't know about us (i.e. Ash, Monica, Naina, Kanchan, Palak ,Suzie and Akki ):

We are a group of office friends!
We're from different departments, but on the same floor!
We are all from Mumbai (born and staying here!)
We're all different girls with different personalities, but yet so alike!
We've all got silly nick names for each other
We've got code names for others too!!
We love to get together for lunches / snacks and laugh our heads off!

Enjoy!!

Cream dip

Mom in law made some veg hot dog roll yesterday, trying to replicate something she'd tasted a while ago...

I'd bought the hot dog rolls from the market, we have cheese and hot sauce at home. No one at home is fond of mustard sauce, so that's ruled out.
She make the veg kebabs of gram flour, methi (fenugreek) leaves and lots of spices for seasoning, and deep fried them.. something like Muthiya
What was missing was the mayonnaise... and being a Tuesday (veg day), I couldn't attempt the egg version..
So, made do with whatever I had... (sorry.. forgot to take pics!)
Took a 4 tbsps of fresh cream (really thick), added to it a tbsp of olive oil, a tsp of milk powder (all that was there with me), and whipped it up with a fork! It became nice and creamy. I had to add a little milk as it was too thick. Then added salt to taste, some ground pepper and some crushed dried mint leaves for flavor. In the end, added 2-3 drops of vinegar and mixed it all up. Didn't whip it too hard, cos may be the vinegar could curdle the milk.. not sure..
Using this in the hot dog sandwich made up for the mayonnaise! Yippee.
(Btw - Didn't add sugar, as my hubby hates it in dips, and didn't dare make a dip with hung curd, as he may not like it!)

She then put the sauces (cream dip and hot sauce) in the bread, then the muthiya, and topped it with cheese, and heated it in the microwave for 30 secs, for the cheese to melt and taste lovely!

-Naina

Spinach Soup

Always wanted to try this out, so saw a few recipes, and taking clues from them all, came up with this...

I used:
1 1/2 bunches of roughly chopped palak leaves
1 large sliced onion (used white onion, since I had it with me)
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
4-5 pepper corns
1 tsp butter
3 cups water
1/2 cup milk
Salt to taste

Heat butter in a pan and add peppers. Then add onion and cook untill light gold. Then add the ginger garlic paste, salt and spinach, and cover and cook for say 5 mins, untill done.

After cooling, blend in a mixie with some water. Take a vessel and pour this mixture, remaining water and milk, and bring to boil. Let it simmer for 2 minutes, and serve hot.
I added a few lemon drops to my bowl, and my mom in law added some tomato chilli sauce to hers! Either way, it tasted good. You could add cream, sugar, or croutons! Very healthy too

-Naina

Pasta in Pumpkin Sauce with Peppers and Olives

Pasta in Pumpkin Sauce with Peppers and Olives


A little different recipe which I experimented and it turned out to be very tasty.Pasta has always been my favorite and this turned out to be much better than expectation.

Ingredients
Olive oil
Onions Finely chopped
Potatoes peeled ,cut and half boiled
Pumpkin peeled ,cut and half boiled
Ginger Garlic paste
Finely chopped Bell Pepper
Black olives
Salt
Oregano,
Ground Pepper Powder
Chilly flakes
Salt to taste
Pasta (cooked in water al dente), Would recommend Fussilli pasta here
Milk/Cream
Cheese grated


Take a Deep pan on a flame and put the olive oil on it.Add Onions,Oregano and Ginger Garlicg Paste.Let it cook till translucent.Add Pepper Powder and chilly flakes.
Now Add the boiled Potatoes and boiled Pumpkin. Let it cook for a while.Add some cream and milk..Put the whole thing in blender till it becomes smooth paste.

Now roast the bell peppers for some toime.Cut them finely.Also chop the black olives add to this paste.

Cook Fussili pasta in water.Add a little salt and oil to it to prevent from sticking at the base of the vessel.Once its cooked al dente,drain the water.Add it to the Sauce+veges

Add grated cheese and roast in Microwave for 5 mins.Season with herbs

Serve hot..its really yummy..

Bon Appetit

Rice Phirni

Saw this on Bombay Foodie , and decided, that I just had to make this to taste it!

Followed her recipe.. but increased the proportions..
Mixed 2 tbsp of rice flour with some milk to form a paste. Boiled 500 ml milk with 4 tbsp sugar. Took it off the heat and poured into it the rice paste and whisked until it was smooth, the rice completely mixed in. Then returned the milk to the stove and simmered for 10-15 minutes till thick, while constantly whisking the milk to avoid clumps. Once done, cooled it, sprinkled pistachios and badams, and let it chill.
Yummy custard

-Naina

Blue Fusion Delight

The colour blue has always attracted me.Be it the blue sky,the blue sea or the gem Sapphire..blue always holds a special place in my heart.It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and i decided to make this simple mocktail.
Ingredients:
Blue Curacao Syrup(Mapro's Brand is readily available )
Salt
Jaljeera powder(Badshah /Everest)
Water

Procedure:
Add the Blue Curacao syrup.Add to it salt.Add the Jaljeera powder and water(Ideally Curacao to Water should be 1:5 in proportion).Stir well.Else put it in a Shaker and shake well.
Now use a drainer or a soft handkerchief to drain the sediments of Jaljeera.Do not use a tea/coffee drainer ans sediments might not get eliminated.
Freeze in the refrigerator(never deep freeze) and serve in a Pinacolada glass

The reason why named it as Fusion was it takes both the Indian and Caribbean Flavors and merges so well that you get an amazing flavour.

Jaljeera("Jal" means water and "Jeera" means cumin)is ideally a Indian drink used as a digestive,appetizer as well as a coolant especially in Summer considering the tropical Climate of India..One of the main ingredients is black salt or rock salt which acts as a digestive

Blue Curaçao is a classic, sweet and slightly bitter syrup originally made with the dried peel of oranges or dried peel of the laraha citrus fruit, grown on the island of Curaçao a Caribbean island.The syrup is traditionally used to impart a hint of Caribbean blue color in several cocktails.Most Curacaos which we get in India use the Syrup of Sweet lime and Orange Combined with artificial colorants to give the blue colour.

So ideally now when climate has started getting warmer its great to have this drink..Enjoy

Ash

Tasty Corn Sandwich

Wow..Just the thought of this Sandwich gets my mouth watering.Frankly speaking,I had tasted this on a local stall when I used to work in Vashi and gradually had gotten addicted to it.Later when I changed my workplace,i started making this at home.Its very simple.

Bread Slices
Cheese
Sweet Corn Boiled
Mushrooms Boiled
Capsicum Finely chopped
Onion Finely chopped
Tomato finely chopped
Salt /Pepper if needed

Just put all ingredients together and grill the sandwich.

Enjoy the molten cheese and corns:)..pure addiction

Bon Appétit
Ash

Awards

Thanks a ton to Jayasri for passing us these lovely awards! Our first!

Lapsi Rawa Dosa

Dosas of all types are adorable.. so, made some for dinner yesterday. I just took some inspiration from lots of other blogs, and added my own stuff!



You need:
1 cup Lapsi (thick rawa)
1/3 cup rice flour
1 chopped onion
Chopped coriander leaves
1 chopped green chilli
5-6 curry leaves chopped
1/4 tsp jeera
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp curd
Salt to taste

Mix all the above ingredients with enough water to form a dosa type batter. Leave aside for atleast 15 mins. Since this is not the normal rawa dosa, it'll be a bit different from that.
Then, heat a tsp oil in a non stick pan, pour a laddle of the batter. I cooked on high flame, and since my non stick tawa is totally worn out, some of my dosas kept tearing off! But nevertheless, they were yumm!

I served them with green coconut chutney. Spicy food is simply awesome!
You need to churn these in the mixie:
1/2 a fresh coconut - (the one we use to make coconut milk)
Bunch of fresh coriander leaves
2-3 green chillies (deseeded preferably)
Salt to taste
Lemon juice to taste

I sure had lots of these dosas and chutney!

-Naina

Simple Pasta

Since it was just me and hubby at home for dinner, I decided to make pasta. Simple and quick, not too many ingredients though. Hubby just doesn't like the sweetness of tomatoes, so I couldn't make any red sauce, and was too tired to make white sauce. So, just make it like a Pulao :)

200 gms packet of pasta - boiled and kept aside

Grated cheese (for garnishing)

1 large capsicum (sliced)

1 large carrot (sliced)

2 onions (sliced) - I used white onions here

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp oregano powder

Salt to taste

Olive oil to cook

Heat oil in a pan, and add the ginger garlic paste. Once the aroma starts coming, add onions and cook until transparent. Add the remaining veggies and all the other ingredients (except pasta), and cover and cook until the veggies are done to your liking. I keep it semi done, for the slight crispiness.

Then add the pasta, stir well, cover and cook for 2 mins.

While serving, I garnished the pasta with lots of grated cheese and heated in the microwave for 1/2 a minute. This really made up for the lack of sauce in the pasta!

Enjoy

-Naina

Caffè Mocha

Caffe Mocha essentially is cofee combined with chocolate and milk.There are various ways of making this cofee at different places right from Starbucks to the local CCD.
Both things as such are highly addictive so we thought we can make a simple recipe for this to make it at home
Ingredients
Instant Cofee Powder(Bru /Nescafe)
Coco powder
White chocolate bar/Dark chocolate bar or both
Water
Sugar
Warm Milk
Whipped Cream(Sweetened)

Put the Coffee powder in the Mug and add very little coco powder.Add sugar and very little(about 1 tablespoon) of boiling water.Stir vigorously .
Take some warm milk and add teh mixtiure.Mix it well in the blender.
Now pour this mixture in the mug.Now grate the chocolate bar in the mixture.Keep this mixture in microwave till chocolate melts
Add whipped cream..

Your Caffè Mocha is ready

Lapsi Upma

Woke up hungry Sunday morning, and wanted to have something hot, steaming and spicy.
There was a pouch of Lapsi Rawa (the thicker rawa, used to make porridge) lying around.
So, heated oil in a pan, added mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a chopped green chilli. Then, added a large chopped onion. Cooked till light golden. Then, added turmeric powder, enough water to soak the rawa kept aside, salt to taste, and since I was making 2 servings of the upma, added 2 maggi magic cubes. Then, added the rawa (which was already dry roasted) and covered and cooked untill done. (Kept added a bit of water, till it was done)
As simple as instant noodles! And definitely very healthy. Lapsi rawa is a very good source of calcium too. Perfect breakfast!!
-Naina

Quick Chicken Curry

Posting after really long! Cooked after a long time too! Churned up a quick, simple Chicken Curry yesterday for dinner. It was good, since there was not even a speck on gravy remaining..

You need
2 small cups boneless chicken
1 tsp curd
1 pouch chicken masala (I used some Everest chicken masala)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 medium onions (ground to paste)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt to taste

Clean and marinate the chicken in curd, chicken masala and giner garlic paste for a few hours. I kept it in the fridge.
Heat some oil in a kadhai, add any spice (like a clove or 2), add the onion paste and cook till oil seperates. Then add the marinated chicken, turmeric, salt and mix well. Add water, and cover and cook until done. Very easy and yummy.
Alternativerly, you can make a dry preparation (i.e. dont add water), and have it as a snack, or as a filling in yr sandwiches.

Tip: to make Ginger Garlic paste at home, use equal quantities of ginger and garlic, and grind to a fine paste using oil. Don't add water, use just the required quantity of oil to make a fine paste. Store in refridgerator. This way, its stays fresh longer

-Naina

Bon Appetit..the way we Indians say that

Till date we always have been saying Bon Appetit,before we begin.When I was a kid my grandpa taught me a certain chant to say before one begins their food .It has much Similar implications of Bon Appetit but much deeper meaning and much higher emphasis on food as a part of god:)
We used to always say it when we were kids.Gradually with quick lifestyle,we lost teh emphasis.But still during Ganesh Chaturthi , Weddings an Functions it is still chanted and is considered very auspicious.

It goes this way
"Vadani kaval gheta nam ghya shree hariche.
Sahaj havan hote, nam gheta phukache
Jeevan kari jivitva anna he poornabrahma
Udarbharan nohe janije yadnya karma"
Jai Jai Raghuvir Samarth

Meaning is as follows(I am not sure of the exact meaning,but tried to apply my own and also have seeked some research on this.Please forgive me if i have said anything wrong)

While taking a mouthful of food, chant the name of God
The food is easily offered as a offering to god when his name is said
The food gives life to us as it is completes God Principle
Having food is not just filling the stomach but is a type of fire-sacrifice (Yajna)

Ash:)

Mushroom Masala (dry)

This was specially on Kanchan's request as she loved it a lot:))This too is my Mum's recipe since my Dad and me are perpetual fans of mushrooms.
Here it goes Kanchi.. for you

Ingredients
Chopped Onion
Chopped Mushrooms
Coriander leaves
Grated coconut
Red chilly paste (dry)
Garam Masala
Turmeric
Ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Fry the Onions in oil in a Kadhai till golden brown.Add Ginger Garlic paste,Red chilly paste and Turmeric.Now add chopped Mushrooms.Add Garam Masala and let it cook for a while.Once its well cooked add chopped dhaniya leaves and coconut.Add salt as per taste

Its ready to serve

Bon Appétit
Ash

Restaurant Recommendation-Indigo Cafe

I had been to this place around a month ago actually because of the hype and found out that the place is very much up to its expectations.Located in Andheri near Lokhandwala Complex ,It has a prime location and is one of the places where you would bump into the celebrities..the local ones of course(so chances of bumping into Hugh Grant or Mel Gibson is just meager)
As we reached there we found the tables well kept beautifully and decorated with white lilys .They served Food & Beverages in very good dinnerware and Stemware

Firstly we had special white wine with chopped apples in it.Basically the concept of mixing anything with white wine will hurt any Frenchman or Wine Connoisseur for that matter,but surprisingly it turned out to be simply mind blowing

We tried the roasted Mushroom with goat cheese and pine nuts as a starter which was simply amazing.The Pine nuts were so tasty as if from Mediterranean Region just picked up a few minutes ago.We also had a fish starter which was great too
The Main course was decently good wherein we tried Chicken and Fish varieties,from which I would recommend the lobster which my friend had as it was much tastier than the chicken which i had ordered.

The Dessert was the best just like a love story with an happy ending:).We took a Tiramisu and a Molten Chocolate Cake which pampered our tastebuds.
The food was tasty ,differenta nd had a taste of its own.The Ambience was Semi formal ,relaxed (it being a Sunday) and very very classy
Good place to go with your partner or for a small afternoon lunch with close friends and ideally also to give your parents a surprise on their Anniversary
I would definitely recommend this place..

Bon Appétit
Ash

Quick Sandwich

This is a wonderful and super tasty sandwich which usually my mom makes for breakfast.
Ingredients
Bread
Butter
Cheese Slice
Fresh olives
Finely chopped bell peppers
Red chilly powder(dry)

Procedure
Put the cheese slice in bread.Add Oi lives and chopped bell peppers.Sprinkle red chilly powder.
Apply butter on the outer edges of the bread and grill it
Now grill the bread and fillings.Serve hot with Tomato Ketchup

Bon Appétit
Ash

Samosa Chat

This one is quick and is highly appreciated by people of all ages

Ingredients
Punjabi Samosas
Tamarind Chutney
Chopped Onions,Tomatoes,Dhaniya leaves
Sev
Chat Masala.

Take the samosas and remove their top cover(Chop almost the top part of samosa so that we get the broad centre of samosa to put the other ingredients

Add Chopped onions,Tomato,on it,Add tamarind chutney on the Samosa.
Now put the chat Masala, Sev ,Dhaniya leaves and serve

Bon Appétit
Ash

Risotto

Risotto or the traditional Italian Rice is one of the most tasty rices of all:)
Here is a easy to make recipe which I modified a little bit from the traditional version

Ingredients
Semi Cooked rice(Al dente ie almost 75-80% cooked)
Olive oil
Onions
Garlic Cloves
Herbs of your choice like Parsley,Oregano,Basil
Vegetables of your choice like Broccoli,Mushroom,Corn,Babycorn,Zucchini,Bell Pepper
Stock/Veg Stock
White Wine
Salt
Cheese
Butter
Milk

Take a huge pan ,heat olive oil in it and cook the Onions .Now add the Garlic Cloves and Saute till Brown.Add herbs.Put all the chopped Vegetables in it.Let it cook well.Add salt.You can add the stock now and cook till it becomes dry.Add about a teaspoon of White wine(this is optional depending on your tastes/preference etc)

Add the cooked rice.Top it again with dried herbs.Add some Milk and Cheese.
Your Risotto is ready

Once it blends together..Serve hot.


Bon Appétit
Ash

Thanks all!!

First of all.. thanks EC for giving us space in your Budding blogger series.. check it out here..
And thanks to all the lovely people for leaving tons of encouraging comments... I can't wait to head back to the kitchen..
Have been on a short .. or may be longish break for the past few weeks.. Hope to get back soon!!

Thanks all once again!
Naina