Sugar cookies

I can cook but baking cookies is my nemesis...I have tried and tried again. Either they turn to be very crunchy...which I do not like, or turn to be cake like. I want a chewy cookie not a cake EEEKKK!!!

But today I hit the jackpot. Finally found the recipe which makes the delicious chewy cookies I love love love.

So...I must tell you, I have never baked a sugar cookie. So I missed one BIG detail about baking it. I should have left them like a ball and with enough space between each of them. So :(  they spread out and touched each other...so no round nice looking cookies. But for the first time baker, the taste is fantastic. Anyone trying to bake a cookie for the first time should start with this recipe.

This recipe makes about 30-32 cookies.

Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies

Ingredients:

1. 2-3/4 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 teaspoon baking soda
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt
4. 1 cup (8oz) butter melted
5. 2 cups sugar divided into 1-3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
6. 2 teaspoons vanilla
7. 2 eggs

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until  fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just blended. Roll the dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar ( I used the different colored sugars I had) . Place cookies 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheets and flatten slightly.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned at the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with coffee or as is :)

How to freeze sugar cookie dough

 Place the cookie dough after rolling them in the sugar on to a cookie sheet and freeze them. So once you need some sugar fix, thaw as many as you want and bake and enjoy 

eggnog pancakes

Eggnog is one of my favorites during Christmas time. Its super sweet and loaded with calories. What else could be wrong with it LOLLLLL. No Matter, I just luuuuuuuuuuvvvvveee it. I have one of the recipes for cooked eggnog. I make it when I have a hunkering for something sweet and creamy and its not December

So, once I found the eggnog in the markets, I got it. Ofcourse, there is only so much you can drink. And I was trying to find a good breakfast for Christmas. Ofcourse I made it before Christmas because I had to try it :) and boy oh boy it is sooo delicious. DO try.

Eggnog Pancakes

Eggnog Pancakes

Banana and Raspberry cane 

Ingredients:

1. 11/2 cup all purpose flour
2. 1 tablespoon sugar
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1 cup eggnog
5. 1 tablespoon melted butter
6. 1 egg
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt 

Beat together the butter egg and eggnog. In another dish sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour and add water little by little until you get the pancake consistency batter.

Heat a griddle and add some butter to it and add a ladle of batter. Cook until you start seeing bubbles and flip the pancake and cook for 2 more minutes.

For more festivity set the fruits...banana and raspberry or strawberry in the form of a candy cane and enjoy with syrup or without

dosakaya pulusu

Dosakaya is the Telugu name for the Yellow Cucumber. They look super cute. The only recipe I know how to make with this yellow cucumber is like a chutney. But today I made khatta...meaning the yellow cucumber in tamarind based thin gravy.
Khatta literally translated to sour...and in Urdu we use "khatta" to represent sour tamarind based gravy

So here is the recipe

Dosakaya Pulusu (Yellow cucumber in tamarind based gravy)

Dosakaya pulusu

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium  Yellow Cucumber peeled and cubed
2. 1 Tomato, chopped
3. ½ teaspoon each of  Chili Powder, Turmeric Powder, salt
4. golf ball sized Tamarind soaked in 3 cups of water
5. ½ teaspoon each of  Mustard Seeds and Cumin
6. 2 teaspoons Oil
7. Few Curry Leaves
8. 2 teaspoons Rice Flour (to thicken)

In a pressure cooker add 1 teaspoon oil and add chopped tomatoes and cucumber and fry for 5 minutes. Add turmeric, salt and chilli powder and stir to combine. Add the tamarind juice and close the cooker and cook for 3-4 whistles. Let the steam escape. 

In a pan heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and fry the mustard and cumin along with curry leaves and a red chilli till they start spluttering. Cut the heat and add the tempering to the cooker. Mix about 2 tablespoons of oil to the rice flour and add it to the cooker and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed rice

Mysoor Bajji

When I was little there used to be a vendor who used to make these little fried flour balls and served them curry leaf powder and I loved them. It costed us 5 cents in those days in India. Mmmm nostalgia.

Anyway, here is the recipe for those yummy fried flour balls. But the difference here is, I have this dish 

This dish helps me make these yummy balls shallow fried, instead of deep frying them.

Mysoor Bajji (Savory deep fried fermented flour balls)

Mysoor Bajji

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup all-purpose flour 
2. 1/4 cup rice flour
3. 1/2  teaspoon each of salt, baking soda, cumin 
4. 1/2 cup plain yogurt 
5. 3/4 cups of water
6. 1 teaspoon each of  finely chopped ginger, fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, finely chopped green chilis, dessicated coconut
7. 1 tablespoons  finely chopped cilantro
8. Oil for either deep frying or to apply to the above pan (if you have it)

Mix  together, all-purpose flour, rice flour, salt, baking soda,  cumin and coconut. Add yogurt and mix it well add the water to make thick batter. Add remaining ingredients and set aside for about 15-20 minutes. 
Heat the oil in a pan,  Add 1 tablespoon of batter into the oil. Fry the bajjis until golden-brown all around. This should take about 3-4 minutes.
Mysore bonda should be crispy from outside and should be soft inside.
Serve them with coconut Chutney. or with Curry leaf powder

corn confetti salad

Sometimes I want to eat different kind of vegetable salad then just lettuce and everything else added to it. This is one of those days and this is super colorful super delicious and filling salad.

Corn Confetti Salad

Corn Confetti Salad

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup corn
2. 1 red bell pepper cubed 1 cm
3. 1 medium carrot cubed 1 cm
4. 1 medium small zucchini and 1 medium small yellow squash cubed 1 cm
5. 1/2 cup chopped red onion
6. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
7. 1/4 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro or parsley (whichever you like me) I used Tarragon, which is one of my favorite fresh spices
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, cumin powder, coriander powder, cayenne powder or lemon pepper

Heat a pan to high temp and add zucchini and squash and roast for 5 minutes. Add oil and add the rest of the vegetables for 5-7 minutes. Add all the spices and mix together. Add the cilantro or tarragon and serve/enjoy warm

Salmon burger

I cook Indian food devotedly Monday through Thursday but by Friday I am tired of it and I want to eat something else. Mostly I am just too tired on Fridays to cook anything elaborate and I just heat and eat

The salmon burger I made today was super delicious. And it is pretty easy to make also. So here you go
Salmon Burger

Salmon Burger

Ingredients

1. 12-15 oz salmon fillet
2. 1 teaspoon each of mustard (I use my fav Boars' head white wine and horseradish delicatessen style mustard), mayo, lemon juice
3. 1/2 teaspoon salt, chilli flakes, pepper
4. panko
5. 1 tablespoon finely chopped onions and cilantro
6. oil for frying

Ground 1/3 of the salmon into paste. The rest should be chopped into 1 cm cubes. Mix all the ingredients and divide it into four parts.Make them into patties with wet palms and put it on a wax paper and into the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a plate spread panko and press the patties into panko on both side

Heat an iron skillet or non stick skillet and fry the patties on high heat for a minute and cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and fry on medium high heat for 2 minutes.

Toast your bun (or not if you don't like it...but toasted buns are super delicious). Spread mustard and mayo or cilantro sour cream, add the salmon patty, top with lettuce, red onion slices and tomato slices and serve with potato chips :)

Baingan bharta rice

In this world there are two types of people: who love eggplant and those who hate eggplant. Me and my Big B used to be the people in the second group, but one day mom sent us to buy eggplants and that was the day we tried it and shifted to the first group.

So basically I love eggplant

This rice dish with eggplant is one of those dishes which will warm you up from inside. This is a great dish when it is cold and gloomy outside

Baingan bharta rice (creamy Rice with roasted eggplant and tomatoes)

Baingan bharta rice

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium sized American eggplant
2. 2 cups rice
3. 2 medium large tomatoes chopped
4. 1 cup chopped onion
5. 1 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam masala
7. 1 tablespoon oil

Cut the eggplant into half length wise. Roast it over the stove flame (if your stove is gas) until the skin starts to wilt. Else roast in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Scrape the flesh of the roasted eggplant once it cools down.

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they start turning brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and all the spices, stir to combine. Cover and cook till the tomatoes got pulpy. Add the roasted eggplant pulp and stir well. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add rice and cover and coo for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Mexican dinner

The other day I found "Chilli's Margarita Lime chicken" sauce and I got it. I have been meaning to make this chicken but couldn't get to it till today. Today was the best day because I had all the ingredients for it and also I was craving beans...yes beans :)

So today's dinner menu is Lime cilantro rice, black beans with vegetables and Chilli's Margarita Lime Chicken

Cilantro lime Rice with Black beans with vegetables and Chilli's Margarita lime chicken

Lime C

 

Lime Cilantro rice with beans

Ingredients:
For Lime Cilantro Rice:

1. 2 cups rice
2. 1 cup cilantro chopped super fine
3. Juice from a lime
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 2 teaspoons salt
6. 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
7. 1 pod garlic minced

In a rice cooker or a pot heat the oil and fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add rice and stir. Add 3-3.5 cups of water and salt and cook till the rice is done. Mix the cilantro and lime juice and serve

For Black Beans with vegetables:

1. 1 can black beans rinsed
2. 2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
3. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
4. 1 celery stack chopped fine
5. 1 medium large carrot chopped fine
6. 1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped fine
7. 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
8. 1 cup chicken broth
9. 1/2 teaspoon each of coriander powder, cumin powder, chilli powder.

Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onions for a couple of minutes. Add all the other vegies and fry for a few minutes. Add tomatoes beans and chicken broth with all the spices and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes or until the thicken is to your liking. Serve over cilantro lime rice or with tortilla chips

For Chilli's Margarita Lime Chicken:

1. 1 lb chicken marinated with 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper , 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt
2. 1 medium small onion sliced
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1 package Chilli's Margarita lime sauce

Heat the oil and fry the chicken and onions for 5-7 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer for 3-4 minutes.Give a taste test and add salt and pepper as needed and serve with rice and beans or with warm tortillas or over tortilla chips

Achari paneer 2

I was making butter Paneer for kids and I did not want to eat it. So I saved some paneer for myself and I made some super quick achari paneer for myself. There are different ways of making achari paneer and is here is one

The recipe today I used is super fast, and it is super delicious and the fresher the spices are the fresher and better the whole dish tastes

Achari Paneer (Indian cottage cheese in Indian pickling spices)

Achari Paneer

Ingredients:

1. 4oz paneer cut in ½ inch cubes 
2. 1/3 teaspoon salt
3. 1/8 teaspoon turmeric 
4. 1 tablespoon plain yogurt 
5. 1 teaspoon olive oil
6. 1/4 teaspoon each of kalonji (onion seeds),fenugreek seeds,  fennel seeds , cumin urad dal, methi
7. 2 red chillies
8. 1 teaspoons coriander seeds 

Mix paneer, yogurt, turmeric and salt. Set aside.
In a frying pan over medium heat, dry roast nigella, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and black pepper for 1-2 minutes until seeds become a little dark.
Crush the roasted seeds using a mortar or rolling pin.  Set aside.
Add oil to the same pan, at low-medium heat. Break the red chillies into pieces and fry them.
 Add cumin and urad dal and fry for a minute. Add paneer mixture.  Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated.  Do not overcook the paneer. Turn off the heat.

Add all the dry spices and mix well.
Serve warm achari paneer .

Potato Mushroom Curry

Everyone has some curries which are their go to when they are short of time and ingredients. This is one of such curries. This is super easy to make. Add mushrooms if you have them else it just turns out to be a simple potato curry. Serve with rice or frozen roti and dinner is ready

Potato Mushroom Curry (Potatoes and Mushrooms with Indian spices)

Potato Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

1. 2 medium large potatoes peeled and cubed
2. 12 oz mushrooms cleaned and sliced
3. 1 large tomato chopped
4. 1 medium small onion chopped
5. 1/2 tablespoon oil
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder

In a pan heat the oil and add the onions and fry till they become translucent. Add potatoes and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir to combine. Add the rest of the ingredients stir to combine and cover and cook for 10 minutes. If it gets too dry add some water and cook till potatoes are done. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Mushroom Egg Scramble

Egg scramble is one of the most easiest dishes to be made . I have been trying to make scrambled egg with different vegetables lately to increase the nutrition value + add fiber into it. Recently the kids have been liking Mushrooms, hence mushroom scrambled egg and  it just flew off the plate :)

Mushroom Egg Scramble

Mushroom scrambled egg

Ingredients:

1. 6 eggs lightly beaten
2. 1 medium onion chopped
3. 12 oz mushrooms chopped
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder, turmeric, minced garlic
6. 1 tablespoon oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and fry for 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and stir well and fry for 1 minute. 

salt and chilli powder and turmeric and stir to combine, Reduce the heat to medium and add egg and stir. Cover and let cook for minutes. Stir again and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with Cilantro and enjoy with plain rice and dal or with roti.

Try the other kind of scrambled egg recipes also

Cabbage scrambled egg

Regular Scrambled egg

Different style Scrambled egg

apple chips

A couple of weeks ago we went apple picking. After eating fresh apples, after eating two batches of yummy apple pie a few apples were still sitting there and I did not want to make apple pie ago, cause it is getting close to pumpkin pie time. So I made apple chips, my kids favorite. And super easy to make and yummy to eat

Apple Chips

Apple chips

Ingredients

1. 3 apples peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch or thinner circles
2. 1 tablespoon white sugar
3. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Lay the apple chips in a single row and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mix. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool a bit and enjoy

bell pepper chutney

The family has been asking for Idli and Dosa quite often these days. And so I have been searching for more and more recipes for Chutneys because I am the one who is getting bored. SO today my chutney is made with capsicum ...red capsicum to be specific because I like red. But I also like yellow and orange. So go ahead make this chutney with different colored capsicum for colorful and healthy chutneys

Red Capsicum Chutney (Spicy dipping sauce with capsicum)

Capsicum chutney

Red bellpepper chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 red or your favorite colored bell pepper
2. 1/2 cup thick tamarind juice
3. 2 tablespoons each of chana dal, grated coconut
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of urad dal, cumin, salt
5. 2 dried green chillies
6. 1/2 inch ginger, 1 medium garlic pod

Soak the chana dal in water for atleast 10 minutes.

In a pan heat the oil and fry the urad dal , cumin and dried chillies for 2 minutes. Add chana dal and fry for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside. In the same pan add a little more oil and add the chopped bell pepper an ginger and garlic and fry for 5 minutes. Let it cool. Grind to a smooth paste along with the tamarind juice and salt. 

Serve as is or heat some oil in a pan and fry 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal and mustard seeds. Add a dried chilli and few curry leaves. When they start to splutter add it to the chutney and serve

Kaleji rogan josh aur Hara Roti

Kaleji or goat liver is very high in iron content .  It has been recommended to me a number of times but after my pregnancy I had to take it more seriously.  I was a regular Red Cross blood donor but after I had my baby I could no longer donate blood.
When you go to donate blood for Red Cross they first check your blood for iron content and if it is less than a certain level they won't let you donate.  After I had my baby...after 1 yr and 2 and 3 yrs also my iron level wouldn't even register on their scale 😢
Anyway, if you are not a vegetarian and your iron levels are low do include liver in your diet and here is a yummy recipe

Kaleji Rogan Josh ( goat liver in tangy spicy gravy)

Kaleji Rogan Josh

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb lamb liver (kaleji)
2. 1 medium onion chopped fine
3. 3 medium tomatoes
4. 1 tablespoon oil
5. 2 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves, 1 cardamom
6. 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder
7. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, salt
8. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
9. 1/2 cup plain yogurt well beaten

In a pan heat the oil and add the spices and fry for a minute. Add onions and fry till they start becoming brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the kaleji and fry covered for 20 minutes. Add some oil if it starts to stick. Grind the tomatoes to a fine paste and add it to the pan and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Stir well. Reduce the heat to low and add yogurt and stir well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Enjoy with plain or green (Hara) roti or Beet Roti 

Hara Roti (Indian wheat bread with Spinach)

Spinach roti

Ingredients:

1. 4 cups wheat flour
2. 1 cup canned spinach ground to paste
3. 1/2 cup milk
4. Water as needed
5. 3/4 teaspoon salt
6. Oil for frying roti

Mix the flour with salt and spinach paste and water. Add water little by little until the dough comes together. Set aside for 20 minutes. Divide the dough into 10-12 parts and flatten each piece on a clean countertop with the rolling pin with some flour. Heat a griddle and fry the roti till dark brown spots start appearing. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil on each side and fry for 30 more seconds and serve with Kaleji Rogan Josh 

Cheese Corn balls

I was surfing on the web and I found this random post about corn cheese balls and they looked so super delicious that I had to try them. And I had that page open on my phone for the longest of times and finally I got a chance to make it. but ofcourse I had to change the whole recipe and make it my own.

And here is the recipe for corn cheese balls

Corn Cheese Balls (Fried fritters made for corn and cheese)

Corn Cheese balls

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 can creamed corn
2. 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend
3. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
4. 1 tablespoon corn starch
5. 1/2 teaspoon each salt, fresh ground black pepper.
6. 1 cup bread crumbs or upma ravva
7. Oil for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients except the bread crumbs/upma ravva. Make into gold ball sized balls. Heat the oil in a pan. Roll the balls in bread crumbs or upma ravva and fry till golden brown. Drain and serve with ketchup. 

Don't serve them immediately. Let them cool a bit and serve else the cheese is very hot and the kids will burn themselves

Chicken Chick Peas and Purple Rice

If you are a Costco member then you know black rice...the Chinese Forbidden Black Rice. I love the black rice and when you cook the regular white rice with the black rice the whole dish gets a purple color. I am assuming the black rice are actually really really dark purple colored rice.

I was looking for recipes with Chicken and Chickpeas together but I did not find any. So I made my own and yum yum yum, the family just gobbled it up.

Chicken with Chick Peas (Chicken with Garbanzo beans and Indian Spices)

Purple rice with Chicken and Chickpeas

Ingredients

1. 1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
2. 1/2 can garbanzo beans 
3. 1 cup chopped onions
4. 3/4 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder
5. 1 teaspoon each of chat masala, ginger-garlic powder
6. 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, oil

Marinate the chicken pieces with all the powder ingredients and lemon juice and set aside.
In a pressure cookie heat the oil and add the chopped onions and fry till they start becoming brown. Add ginger garlic paste an fry for a minute until the raw smell goes away. Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and cook for 2-3 whistles. After the steam escapes, open the cooker and add the garbanzo beans and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes and garnish with cilantro and serve with Purple or pulao

Purple Rice (While and black rice cooked with vegetables)

Purple rice with Vegetables

Ingredients:

1. 11/2 cup white rice
2. 1/2 cup each of purple rice, chopped carrots, peas, green beans
3. 1/2 tablespoon oil
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 4 cups water

In a rice cooker put all the ingredients and do its thing and enjoy.

If you do not own a rice cooker the here is how to cook the above rice dish

In a deep bottomed pan add the oil and add all the vegetables and fry for 5 minutes. Add 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Add salt and black rice and cover an cook for 10 minutes on medium low flame. Add white rice and cook for 20 minutes on low rice or until rice is tender. Enjoy

Apple Pie to go

Pie making is always difficult..time consuming...hard physical labor...But when people finally appreciate the result, then it all comes together and it all is worth. BUT...if the people who you are tiring away in the kitchen do not appreciate it, even the yummy pie losses it taste.

With that note...if you are ready for some hard work and enjoy the fruits of labor, come join me in making the yummy pie, which is ready to go where you are going :)

The first pie I ever made was an apple pie...this was long before I started blogging and I made two pies, because one of my best friend/co workers was diabetic and I wanted to make a sugar free pie for her and then I made another pie with regular sugar. She was so happy because she hadn't eaten a pie in ages, because she couldn't handle the sugars. It was sooooo worth it for me.

Today I made the pies to go...because ...I wanted to walk around the house eating a pie LOL

Apple Pie To Go

Apple hand pie

Pie crust Ingredients

1. 21/2 cup all purpose flour
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
4. 11/2 cup chilled butter (put the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes before use)
5. 1/2 cup chilled water

Mix the flour with salt and sugar and stir in chilled butter. Add 1 teaspoon water at a time and mix the dough till it comes together. make it into a ball and wrap in a plastic sheet and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.

Ingredients for apple pie filling

1. 4-5 medium large apples (2 granny smith and 2 pink lady or fuji- makes for different texture and crunchiness). Peeled and cored and diced
2. 1 cup super
3. 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Cook the apples on medium flame with the sugar and spices covered for 5 minutes. Stir well and uncover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Let cool.

Divide the dough into 12-14 parts and roll into 1/8 inch circles or cur using 6 inch circular cookie cutter. Add 1 tablespoon of filling. Apply water to the edges of the circle and make a semi circle and press the edges together using a fork. Snip the top to vent.

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes. And enjoy warm

Instant Idli

Idli used to be my favorite breakfast and my mom used to make it but she was never happy when I would ask her to make it. Now...after becoming a mom myself I am also not very crazy when the request for idli comes around once in a a while, without  my prior planning.

I know there are lots of recipes for instant idlis and this time around I had to make some instant idlis...well instant is not the correct word cause idlis do take some time to get made. Anyway...

Here is the recipe I made my "instant" idlis with. No Eno salt. But with baking soda and baking powder.

Instant Idli (Steamed rice buns wiwhout 2 days of preparation)

Instant Idli

Ingredients

1. 1/2 cup poha (flatenned rice)
2. 2 cups rice flour
3. 1 cup urad dal flour
4. 1 teaspoon fenugreek powder 
5. 1 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon citric acid
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
9. 1 tablespoon plain yogurt (optional)
10. 3-4 cups of water

Mix all the ingredients together and set it aside for 10 minutes.

Apply oil to the idli molds, add batter to them and steam them for 18-20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve with your favorite chutney. Here are some suggestions :)

Coconut chutney

Tomato Chutney

Ridge gourd Peel chutney

Eggplant chutney

Peanut chutney

Carrot Chutney 

Turai Pulao

I was searching for something different o make with rice because I was bored with plain ol' rice. And when I started searching there were a million recipes you could make with vegetables and rice. SInce I had Turai on hand I made my own recipe and it was great. I served it with Kakoda Fry

Turai Rice ( Rice cooked with Ridge Gourd)

Turai Pulao

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup chana dal
2. 2 medium turai or ridge gourd peeled and chopped
3. 2 green chillies
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal, salt, coriander powder
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1/2 cup sliced onions
7. 1 teaspoon sambar powder
8. few curry leaves
9. 2 pods garlic minced
10.  2 cups rice

In a flat bottomed pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds and urad dal and curry leaves for a minute. Add onions and green chillies and fry until the onions start getting brown. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add chopped turai and salt and coriander powder and cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 2 cups rice and cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is done. Add sambar powder and coriander leaves and enjoy hot hot on a cold autumn evening

Coconut green bean chicken

So for the dal with coconut I opened a can of coconut milk and used about half. So I had half a can of coconut milk which I had to use. When I have coconut milk and chicken I usually make Thai coconut chicken curry but this time I made a Kerala curry

And when I was looking for this recipe it called for green beans. I have never made curry with green beans and it is super delicious and good for you too

Green bean chicken in coconut sauce

Chicken with Green beans in Coconut sauce

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces
2. 1 1/2 cup coconut milk
3. 1 tablespoon oil
4. 1 cup sliced onions
5. 1 cup green bean
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin, mustard seeds, fennel seeds
7. Few curry leaves

In a pan heat the oil and add the seeds. When they start to splutter add curry leaves and dry for a minute. Add onions and fry till they become translucent. Add 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste. Add chicken and green beans and all the powders and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add coconut milk and simmer for 10 more minutes . Garnish with cilantro and gram masala if you like and enjoy

Coconut Masoor Dal

I wanted not to cook today, especially any meat. I wanted to just eat dal on hot bed of steamed rice...yum yum yum. Simple pleasures of life.
Masoor dal or the red lentils are one of my favorite lentils. My mom did not cook them very often.

Anyway, the dal I made today is super delicious creamy dal with coconut milk. Enjoy with hot steamed rice or your favorite roti

Khopra Masoor Dal (Red lentils in coconut milk)

Coconut Masoor dal

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup masoor dal
2. 2 ripe tomatoes chopped fine
3. 1 medium small onion chopped fine
4. 2 large garlic cloves
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 1 cup coconut milk
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds, hing, salt, chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric
8. 3 dried red chillies, few curry leave

In a pressure cooker cook the dal with 2 cups water add turmeric for 4-6 whistles. Let the steam escape.

In the mean time heat oil in a pan and add cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillies and curry leaves and fry till they start to splutter. Add finely chopped garlic and hing and fry for 30 minutes. Add the rest of the powder ingredients and mix well. Add onions and fry till they become brown. Add tomatoes and cook for 5-7 minutes. Open the cooker after the steam has escaped and add it to the pan and mix well. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and add coconut milk and simmer further for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy hot hot :)

Father's day Pecan Pancakes

So, this was the father's day. And my babies wanted to make something for their dear father. And since Pecans are his fav and we had some at hand...My babies are growing up. With a little help, they made it by themselves and the end result topped with love was extravagant and super delicious. The recipe was found on cooking.nytimes.com website

And it became my fav recipe too. You should try it for yourself.

Father's Day Pecan Pancakes

Whole Wheat Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients

1. 1 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1 tablespoon almonds ground to powder/paste
3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1 teaspoon baking soda
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 2 eggs
7. 11/2 cup buttermilk (since I did not have butter milk, I used 3/4 cup plain yogurt and 3/4 cup water and churned them up to make butter milk)
8. 2 tablespoons canola oil
9. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10. 1/3 cup chopped pecans
11. Butter for cooking pancakes

Stir together wheat flour, almond powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl mix the eggs with the butter milk, oil and vanilla extract. Mix this into the flour mix and add the pecans and mix. Don't mix too much else the pancakes will become tough.

Heat a griddle and  add a little butter. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of batter and cook for 3-4 minutes or till you see bubbles. Flip the pancakes and cook for a minute with some butter. serve with maple syrup or whipped cream with cherry on top for your fav people

Coconut Vegetable Quinoa

The other day I was searching for a side dish for Shrimp Kabobs. My Hubby got these Jumbo Shrimp from costco and what is a better way than to make kabobs out of those Jumbo Shrimp. So the menu for dinner was Shrimp Kababs with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Onions with Mediterranean rice and Potatoes and the Coconut Vegetable Quinoa. The dinner was a hit. My daughter just loved the Quinoa and so did I and here is the recipe.

Coconut Vegetable Quinoa (Quinoa with different vegetables in coconut milk)

Coconut Vegetable Quinoa

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup Quinoa
2. 1 cup fresh Broccoli chopped
3. 1/4 cup corn
4. 1 large carrot chopped
5. 1/4 cup black beans (optional)
6. 1 cup coconut milk
7. 1 cup chicken broth
8. Salt if needed
9. a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Wash the quinoa under running water. In a pan bring the broth and coconut milk to a boil. Add the Quinoa and cook for 1/2 the time the cooking instructions say (mine said 12 min, so after 6 minutes...) add the vegetables and mix. Cover and continue cooking. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy

Sweet and Spicy Mushroom Fry

I can't believe I did not post this yet. This has become one of my favorite mushroom currys' from the time I made it a few months ago. It is super delicious, spicy and sweet and you could serve with rice and dal or with roti. So here you go

Sweet and Spicy Mushroom Fry (Mushrooms in spicy and sweet onion tomato paste)

Sweet and Spicy Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

1. 12 oz Mushrooms sliced
2. 1 teaspoon each of cashew pieces and paneer (optional)
3. few curry leaves
4. 1 medium small onion 
5. 1/2 teaspoon  ginger garlic paste
6. 3/4-1 cup of tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato paste
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric,
8. 3/4-1 teaspoon salt
9. 1 teaspoon nigella seeds (onion seeds, kalonji)
10. 2 tablespoons oil

In a pan heat the oil and add nagella seeds and fry for a minute. Add the onion paste and fry for 10 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and mix well and cook with salt and other spices. Add sliced mushrooms and cashew and paneer if available and mix to combine. Cook for 10 more minutes. Add little water if needed. Garnish with cilantro and serve with Tomato Dal and rice or with Roti

Lamb in Biryani Gravy

One of my most popular recipes on this blog is Gravy for Biryani. It has the most peple visiting my blog.

Anyway, so today I made a lamb curry with this gravy and it is super delicious and I served it with pulao.

Lamb in Biryani Gravy (Lamb in gravy made of tomato and Coconut

Lamb in Biryani Gravy

Ingredients

1. 1 lb lamb cubed
2. 1 cup sliced onions
3. 2 medium tomatos cut into quarters
4. 1 tablespoons oil
5. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
6. 1 cup coconut milk

Ingredients for marinade

1. 1 teaspoon chili powder
2. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder/coriander powder, garam masala
4. 1/2 cup plain yogurt

Ingredients for paste

1. 2-3 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2. 1 teaspoon khus khus (poppy seeds)
3. 1 teaspoon broken cashew 

Marinnade the lamb cubes with all the ingredients in the marinade for a minimum of 15 minutes. After that add the yogurt and mix and let rest for atleast 15 minutes.

Dry roast the ingredients for paste and let them cool. Grind it to a smooth paste . (I used coffee grinder)

In a pressure cooker heat the oil and fry the onions till translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute or two . Add tomato quarters, and marinated lamb and fry for a few minutes . Cook with 1/2 cup water for 3-4 whistles. Cut the heat and let the steam escape. Open the cooker and add the ground paste and the coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with Peas Pulao or just Pulao

Bengali shrimp with eggplants

The traffic has been getting worse by the day and today it took me 11/2 hours to get home. Anyway either it takes me 10 minutes or 100 minutes I have hungry mouths to feed and yummy shrimp dish is for dinner

Bengali shrimp with eggplant (Shrimp with eggplant in sweet and spicy mix)

Bengali Shrimp with Egg Plant

Ingredient 

1. 1 large egg plant cut into medium cubes
2. 1 large onion thinly sliced
3. 1 tsp. garlic paste
4. 4,5 green chilies slit lengthwise 
5. 1 medium tomato coarsely chopped
6. 15-20 medium sized prawns cleaned
7. 1 tsp. turmeric powder
8. 1 tbsp red chili powder
9. 1 tsp. nigella seeds
10. Coriander leaves
11. Salt
12. Sugar
13. 11/2 tablespoons oil

Mix the prawns with turmeric powder, salt and keep marinated for 15 mins. Heat oil in a pan and fry prawns till they turn golden. Do not over fry the prawns.Otherwise they will turn rubbery. Remove and keep it reserved for later use. 
Take half of the fried prawns and make a coarse paste of it.
Temper the same oil with kalonji and wait till it splutters. Add sliced onions and green chilies to it. Fry on medium high heat till they turn light brown. Add turmeric and chili powder to it. 
Add garlic paste and saute for a while. Throw the eggplant cubes into the pan and mix well with spices. Add chopped tomato to it. Sprinkle salt and sugar to your taste and mix them well. 
Cook it covered till the eggplants become soft but not mushy and then add fried prawns along with the prawn paste and mix it well. Wait till the oil starts oozing out from the sides. Remove from heat and finish it off with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Iranian jeweled rice

In Los Angeles there used to be a Persian restaurant which was my husband's favorite favorite favorite. 

Today for some reason I got thinking about its lentil rice which was my favorite with lamb shanks. 

I cooked similar rice with lots of dry fruits and chicken drumsticks 

Persian jeweled rice ( rice with lots of dry fruits)

Ingredients 

1. 6-8 chicken drumsticks 

2. 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and canola oil

3. 1 medium large red onion chopped fine

4. 1 teaspoon grated garlic

5. 1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste, saffron 

6. 1 tablespoon each of chopped walnuts, dates, cranberries, raisins, almond, chopped mint

7. 1 large carrot cut into match sticks

8. 1 lemon squeezed for juice

9. 1/2 cup lentils

10. 2 1/2 cup basmati rice

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions on low flame for 10 minutes. Add ginger and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add drumsticks and fry for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup hot rice and cover and cook for 30 minutes

Add 1 cup hot water to lentils

After do minutes take the chicken out of the pan and add the rest of the ingredients and cover and cook for 20-30 minutes. Until the rice is cooked. Add the chicken back to the pot and enjoy.