Spinach Roti

After a long time...back to blogging:)...
Was thinking about a dish with spinach and my Taste buds said a big "No" to anything with rice for  today...
Got in to the whole wheat mode!
A very simple yet healthy meal I chose to eat for lunch .To marry the fiber ,I made a good protein equivalent "soya chunks " quick fry.

What I had:

• Spinach - 1/4 cup 
• Whole wheat flour -1.5 cups
• Warm water-3/4 cups
• Oil- 2 tsp 
• Mustard -a few 
• Cumin seeds-1/2tsp
• Garlic -1 (chopped)
• Green chilly-1/2 
• Chilly powder -a pinch 
• Salt to taste 

How I made:
Preparation of Spinach & Dough:

1. Wash and cut the spinach leaves. Heat a small pan, add 1 tsp. of oil , mustard, cumin seeds, garlic and sauté for few seconds. Add spinach , a little bit of salt per your taste ( we will add some more to the wheat flour as well).
2. Sauté the mixture for 5 minutes till the spinach gets cooked well.. Allow the mixture to cool for another 5-8 minutes and then blend it coarsely in  a hand blender or mortar & pestle.
3. Sift the flour  and 1 tsp of salt using a hand  sifter to remove any large particles or clumps in the flour. This way the flour texture is all even .
4. To the dry ingredients ,add spinach mixture,remaining 1 tsp of oil, and start to knead  the dough usinb clean hands by adding little bit of water  periodically .Repeat the process over and over again till you find a smooth non -sticky dough. Let the dough rest in an air tight container for 10-15 minutes . It makes the dough even smoother.

Preparation of  Roti:

1. Take the dough and make small lime size balls out of it and flatten it to make a pattie.
2. Take. Wooden board,spread a thin layer of dry flour, place the patties and start to roll using the rolling pin  to get a  thin round pancake
3. Heat another pan with  a little bit of oil  , place the roti on the pan and fry until it turns slight brown /till you see small brown blister  like pops on the top of the roti.

Serve hot with any curry, raita.

Grilled Chicken

You need:
Chicken Breast -1
To Mix:
Green Chillies-2
Ginger -Garlic Paste-1 tsp
Onion- 1/4 cup
Chopped cilantro&mint leaves-1/4 cup
cumin-corainder powder-1/2 tsp each
Crushed Black Pepper-1/2 tsp
Hing Powder-1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice -1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2tsp or to taste.
Do:
Wash the chicken breast in running water, slice it in to pieces,
Add all the above mentioned mixing ingredients along with the chopped chicken peices and ground it in to fine paste using a blender for about a min.Transfer it to a cup and you will find a grounded paste (more like the consistency of ground meat)as shown below.

Heat the Grilling Pan/Skillet ,Spray the Oil over the Grill, Once it is hot ,Start making small -medium sized Patties out of the grounded meat.( You can either have a bamboo skewer and make kebab patties over it or can just make the patties and grill it in the pan.
Sprinkle Oil in drops over the chicken on both the sides.
Grill both the sides for about 10 minutes , once you get the cooked flavour of this spiced chicken..

Remove it from the Grill and serve it crushed peppers or lemon juice...Great with Tahini Sauce, Bread or juz as such:))))

Njoy !

Almond Ladoo

Almond Ladoo, I think this is one of the desserts you can prepare within 30 minutes.
Almond Goodness, almost known to all. Recipe Goodness:),I assure that when you make one of these:):).Ofcourse, this doesn’t call for a big sauce pan or any huge list of rare ingredients.I wanted to keep it simple that would bring out the true richness of almond.


You need :
1.Almonds (Skin removed)- ½ cup
2.Warm Water -1 cup
3.Warm Milk-1/4 cup
4.Ghee-4 -5tsp
5.Cardamom powder -1 tsp
6.Saffron Threads- 3-4
7.Yellow food color-1-2 drops
8.Sugar -2 tsp ( you can even skip it as almond has it ‘s own sweetness ; you can add more if you like it more savory)

How did I do
1.Soak Almonds in warm water for 15 minutes.You might find the almonds soft enough ,if not prolong for another 5-10 minutes.

2.Drain out the water (completely) and transfer to a blender, add 3 tsp of milk or as required and make it in to a thick,fine paste.
3.In a Sauce pan, add 4 tsp of Ghee.Once it is melted,add the almond paste, sugar per your requirement and stir continuously .Now,add the remaining milk and keep stirring.Next , add an additional spoon of ghee, drops of food color, cardamom powder and continue stirring process for around 8-10 minutes(watch out not to burn it)
4.When you find a non-stickly, soft almond paste. Remove it from the burner, add saffron threads, give a quick mix and spread it on the plate,if you want to make squares.
5.All I did is :let it cool for 5 minutes in the sauce pan and made ladoo(s) by partioning the paste to 12 small portions and decorated with Raisins.

Enjoy the semi-sweet dessert cold/warm /jus do a cold milk dressing over the Ladoo.

Boiled/Steamed Plantain

Plantain(s)...A firmer and Low Sugar Banana...A Very Popular Plantation in Southern Africa, India and Caribbean Islands.

You can make Tons of Recipes with this Divine Fruit,,,My Choice is a Lazy yet Healthy one....Who would say no to wat a whole chunk of Fiber and calcium in the early morning...

You can eat these plantains any time .But My preference is to eat in the morning..(Trust me; you will feel the difference...yummy :))



What and how did I do
I had one Over ripe Plantain :),

•Cut in to pieces by discarding the tail, wash and keep aside.
•You can Steam it in cooker for 15 minutes until the mild yellow turn out to be dark spotted yellow orIn a Medium Sauce Pan, Pour 2 cups of water and add these plantain pieces.
•Close the Lid of the pan and cook until you find the center portion of the plantain turning out to be dark yellow.
•Remove the skin ( It falls apart if you juz open it with spoon) and juz have those butterscotch Yellow Plantains:)

Tasty Goodness cannot be expressed: D:D
If you like Plantain, am sure you will love it

But again for more added flavors, sprinkle sugar /cinnamon /salt /pepper

Fish Curry

This is my favorite dish …
I know almost everyone is an expert in this curry..They are unique..
Bottom line: Whoever cooks it –have their own style and secret ingredients and spl touch to bring out the best taste .Well, my style of this curry differs from my mom’s…: D:D
I feel both are good….I would like to share mine...as far I get this in some form…
All I had is:
Catfish-8-10 pieces (cut)
(Wash the fish with turmeric and lemon juice .Make sure to run through cold water until you feel it is clean)
Red Onions-1 cup (more, the tastier)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Chili powder-1 -2 tsp
Green chillies-2 -3
Fenugreek seeds-1 tsp
Garlic -3 cloves
Curry leaves-1 spring ( This adds a spl taste for sure)
Tamarind juice-1 cup( can use any form I used the Kerala tamarind called” Kodam Puli”)
Basically it needs to be soaked in warm water; some add the tamarind directly to the curry when it does the magic-shhhhhhhhh am telling you this tamarind has a very strong smoky flavor.
Coconut Milk-1 Cup
Oil as per your req
Salt to taste
How I made
1)In a bowl, add 1 tsp of chili powder, ½ tsp of turmeric powder,1/2 tsp of salt ,and make a paste ,apply a thin coat on the fish and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.
2)In a flat pan, pour 1 tsp of oil, jus shallow fry the fish on the both the sides so that the spices get inside the fish to some extent( 1 min at each side should do) and also fish fillet getz a thin texture outside that prevents it from fall apart when you over cook it.
3)In another deep bottomed pan, Add 2 tsp of oil – add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds,chillies,curry leaves, and fry till you smell the aroma of the curry leaves
4)Now add the garlic, onions and remaining chili paste and fry till the onions turn slightly golden brown
5)Add tamarind directly in to the mixture or the tamarind juice (1 cup).if you are using Kodam puli you will need only 3 pieces of it to go in to pan out here. if the regular tamarind, take a thick extract .
6)Try to close with the lid and allow it to cook so that sourness from the tamarind ll get along with the rest of the ingredients…(probably it ll take 10 minutes)
7)Now add the coconut milk (1 cup)-fresh extract is preferred.
8)Mix it well, once it comes to first boil-Add the fried fish fillets (one by one) in to pan…
9)Close with the lid and rest is a magic :):))
10)Check every 5 minutes…It took exactly 12 minutes for the fish to cook..in the mixture…( it differs)
11)You will find oil from the mixture and fish border up the pan – yes it is almost done…
12)Make sure not to overcook that makes the fish dissolve/Fall part in the curry…

Garnish with Cilantro leaves…

Serve with: Rice and Fish Fry and thz what is called a festive day and best feast !

Tomato Rice Noodles/Tomato Rice Sevai

After a long gap…am back again…
Time constraint ...

I am seeking the level of patience that makes me write about cooking…
Anyway...whatz spl 2011 ---Welcoming Summer…
Food Days Passed with Quick Wick Receipes…
Having a few to add in for now…
More to follow..
Straight to the Point now…
As I told before, I love tomatoes:)
Tried to make this one...
YES TOMATO RICE NOOODLES:):)
I remember my mom and aunt making these rice noodles from the scratch...

Busy days and week +utensils stopped me from making any bigger:)

This dish...
Way simple to define, it goes by its name…
You get Rice Noodles in any Asian Market Place (more like the Angel Hair Pasta)
Rice noodles pack-1
Mustard Seeds-1 tsp
Cumin Seeds-1 tsp
Urad /Channa Dal-1 tsp
Red onions-1/2 cup
Red/Green chillies-4
Chopped Garlic-1 tsp
Crushed Ginger-1 tsp
Tomatoes-2 (small /medium)
Diced Tomatoes (Canned)-1/4 can
Turmeric Powder- a pinch
Chili Powder-1/2tsp
Lemon juice-4 tsp
OIl as per your req
Salt to Taste
Curry leaves and cilantro to garnish….

Get set ready…
1)Separate out the dry noodles from the packet .
2)In a large pot ,boil the water with a pinch of salt and a ½ tsp of oil
3)More like how we boil the pasta!
4)Soak it in the boiling water for 5 minutes and be careful not to overcook the noodles which would make it like a paste….
5)Remove the noodles from the boiling water using a tong and filter out the extra water using the colander and run it in cold water for few seconds..
6)You will see the noodles are soft and you can separate it in layers.
7)In a sauce pan,pour 2tsp of olive oil and once the oil is hot,add mustard seeds,urad dal,cury leaves and allow it to splutter
8)Now add green chillies, onions, ginger,garlic,a pinch of salt and toss it once and allow it cook till onions become transparent
9)Add the tomatoes, pinch of turmeric powder, chilly powder,salt and mix all the ingredients so that it turns out to be a good chunk of tomato gravy
10)Once it attains “ gravy consistency “ add the cooked noodles and toss it in the mixture in such a way that the noodles absorbs it ,evenly.
11)All done!!!..Last step sprinkle some lemon juice for a refreshing taste and garnish with cilantro…
Good to Go!!!
Serve with Plain Yogurt /Chutney/Any Curried Soups.

Blueberry Bread

Another Bread from my kitchen….My all-time favorite blueberry bread!
Strikingly attractive flavor ,credit goes to the "Interesting Berries"
I made this for my friends on a fall day morning for breakfast!

All you need is
All Purpose Flour-2 ½ Cups
White sugar -1 cup
Salt- ¼ tsp
Baking Soda-1 tsp
Milk-1 cup
Fresh Blueberries 1 cup
Eggs(beaten)-2
Vegetable Oil-4 tsp
Vanilla Essence-1 tsp
Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios -1/2 cup

To Do:
1.Beat the eggs and Sugar together
2.Now add milk, essence and oil ;mix it again
3.As usual, Stiff the flour, baking soda, salt and mix with a spatula till well-blended.
4.Combine the blackberries with this mixture slowly such that the berries are smashed in the flour mixture. Add the nuts as well.
5.Carefully fold in fresh or frozen blueberries and broken walnut pieces.
6.Pour into 9 x 4 inch loaf pan with greased parchment paper. Add some sliced almonds (my fav nut) on the top of the mixture
7.Bake at 350 deg F for 60 minutes. Check if it fully baked by inserting a fork or tooth pic in to the bread;it should come out clean!
8.Allow the bread to cool down in the pan.


9.Slice in to desired pieces.