Wednesday 31 August 2011

finger licking babycorn and paneer jhalphrezi !

Sometimes you get bored of eating the usual aloo matar,shahi paneer,gobhi masala and bhindi....same happened with me...so I thought of trying something different..I tried this wonderful combination of paneer and babycorn which turned out to be amazing ... 
So if you wanna try this finger licking dish  follow the recipe:



Ingredients 

 10 babycorns boiled (sliced into 2)
10-12 paneer strips
1/4 tsp zeera
1 pinch asafoetida
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 spring oinions slices
1 onion sliced
1 tomato finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi
1tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp cream
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Method

 Heat oil in a pan and  add cumin seeds and asafoetida.When they crackleadd ginger-garlic paste,spring onions ,onions and saute for 2 minutes.Add babycorn,turmeric powder,chilli powder,black pepper powder,garam masala,tomatoes and salt.Cook it for 5-6 minutes.Toast paneer strips on a pan and keep aside.Add kasuri methi and cream to babycorn.Add paneer and mix it.Add coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis.
It not only turned out to be delicious but the onions,baby corn and tomato made it a visual treat as well.

Tuesday 30 August 2011

spicy rice

Well one of the side effects of hosting a lunch/dinner is how to get rid of  the leftovers.........and one of the most common leftover is rice
I have tried lemon rice,curd rice,fried rice ...
SO this time I tried something different .....spicy rice
The best thing is that I have used very simple ingredients which are always available in the kitchen!!
main ingredients

Ingredients
2 cups Boiled rice
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Tomato finely chopped
1/2 cup peas
1/2 tsp zeera
1 tbsp pav bhaji masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves 
Oil

Method :

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds .Add the onion and saute till lightly browned. Add tomatoes and saute till tomatoes become soft. Add green peas pav bhaji masala, red chilli and a little water. Mix and cook for two to three minutes. Add the rice and mix. Add salt, coriander leaves and lemon juice and mix well. Cook on high heat for a couple of minutes. Serve hot.




Hope you liked this new version of rice..Happy cooking !!!!!!!

Wednesday 24 August 2011

On popular demand :Babycorn Cigars !!

On popular demand I present this recipe of Babycorn cigars for all of you.I made this for the first time three months back and hubby and I just loved it...posted the picture on Facebook and everyone liked it...few friends called for the recipe ,I mailed them and they found it great..Recently one of my friend  asked for  the recipe,so now that I have a platform then why not  share this  with everyone . 




Ingredients:

Babycorns (boiled) : 20
Ginger paste:1 tsp
Garlic paste: 1tsp
Red chilli :1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Chaat masala:1/2 tsp
Oil
Maida: 2tbsp
Cornflour: 2tbsp

Method:

In a bowl, marinate the boiled baby corns in ginger & garlic paste, red chilli powder, salt and chaat masala for fifteen minutes. Set aside. 
To prepare a batter, mix refined flour, corn flour, red chilli powder and salt in a bowl. Add sufficient water and whisk to make a batter of coating consistency. Set aside. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Dip the marinated baby corns one by one in the batter and deep fry till golden and crisp. Serve hot with the tomato ketchup or green chutney. 
This is a perfect snack for evenings and  is a sure shot winner!! 
 


Monday 22 August 2011

yummy scrummy apple crumble !!!!!

This friday was our movie night...not the usual stuff of going to a cinema  but creating the same atmosphere at home......
hubby was getting fajita wraps for dinner..i made some popcorns and iced coffee and what about dessert??
I tried apple crumble for the first time and it turned out really well...just  perfect for our movie night...




Here is the recipe for you :


Ingredients :
3 apples
1 cup Brown sugar(You can even use normal sugar)
1/4 cup Butter
3/4 cup Flour
Chopped almonds or nut of your choice
1/4 tsp cinammon

Method
In a pan mix together chopped apples,half of the sugar and cinnamon.Add 1 tbsp of water .Let it simmer for 2-3 mins and then turn off the gas.
For the crumble mixture rub flour with butter using your finger tips Add sugar and mix together till it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Grease the baking dish and add the apples mixture.Top it with the crumble mix and chopped almonds.
Bake it in pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 30 mins or until the top is golden and crisp.

You would just love the smell of apple crumble....it makes the whole house smell yummy!! 
hubby asked  what 's cooking that is smelling so delicious?
This is what we had during the interval:  apple crumble with popcorn


Till we meet next enjoy cooking !!!!!!!







happy janmashtmi !!



Fasting for Lord Krishna's birthday !!


vrat wale aloo,roasted peanuts,apple,lassi and balloons !!

Wednesday 17 August 2011

bon voyage with theplas !!

Remember those childhood days of train journeys when we used to enjoy puri-aloo and aam ka achaar(pickle)...!!!!
As we were heading for the paris trip I was just wondering what all eating stuff to pack for our journey...knowing that for three days we will be surviving on sandwiches/burgers/pizzas and all junky stuff....i wanted something indian ,easy to snack and tasty too...so  I tried this gujju dish called THEPLA!

Simple to make,easy to eat and good to taste!!

Here's the recipe :

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup curd
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1 tsp kasuri methi
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Method
  1. Mix all the ingredients together and knead into a soft dough using water only if required.
  2. Knead the dough till it is smooth and divide into equal portions.
  3. Using a rolling pin, roll out each portion into rounds.
  4. Cook each round on both the sides on a tava, smearing a little oil on both sides until brown spots appear on the surface.
  5. Theplas are ready


See how my hubby is enjoying thepla !!
So next time you are travelling/going for a picnic  or wanna try some snacking variety go gujju and try Theplas !!

Tuesday 9 August 2011

win-win pasta

You  might be thinking what kinda pasta is this...well I call it win win pasta coz there is a reason to it...!!
My hubby loves cheesy pasta and I am a fan of Arrabiata style...so I thought why not try out something which is an amalgamation of both and  would satisfy our taste buds ...that's  how  I came up with this recipe...



To make this yummylicious pasta you need :


1 cup of tricolour fussili(you can even use penne or your choice of pasta)
1 finely  chopped tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion chopped
4 babycorn
1 small carrot
2 cloves of garlic(chopped)
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Boil pasta and run through cold water.Stir fry carrots and babycorn and keep it aside.In a pan saute some garlic in oil,add onions and fry them till golden brown.Now add tomato paste and chopped tomato.Let it cook for a while.Add oregano and basil when the tomatoes are cooked through.Add pasta and mix.Add mayonnaise, salt ,pepper and chilli flakes.Let it cook for 1-2 mins.
Your  WIN-WIN PASTA is ready...!!!!!!!
You can use your choice of veggies like capsicum,mushrooms,corn etc...
So try this and lemme know how do you like this new version of pasta !
Until we meet next HAPPY COOKING !!!!!!!

Saturday 6 August 2011

The Chickpeas Magic:Falafel balls

What will you do when you realize that you have soaked too much of chickpeas.....isn't it too late to realize? ...no its not!!! 
YOU CAN DO SOME MAGIC !!
Even after taking out your two portions of chhole bhature and chhole chawal...you can do something different with your leftover chickpeas...you can try hummus...or even falafel...!!

Falafel is very popular in the Middle East as a fast food.  As a main dish, it is served with pita bread. In Egypt, McDonald's has their version of a falafel sandwich.
The other day i had  a falafel burger at Gourmet Burger kitchen(i'll cover this in one of my post soon)
 



 

So here's how you can make falafel balls !!!!!!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiled and  dried chickpeas
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped(you can even use garlic paste)
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp dhaniya zeera powder
  • 2 tablespoons maida
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Oil for frying

Steps:

Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, dhaniya zeera, salt and pepper (to taste) in medium bowl. Add flour.Mash chickpeas, ensuring to mix ingredients together.
Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Fry  until golden brown.

Serve hot and njoy it with tea or coffee!!!
So the next time when you have some leftover boiled chickpeas, don't just throw them in the bin or make the usual boring chickpeas salad...try THE CHICKPEAS  MAGIC !!!!!!

Tuesday 2 August 2011

shubharambh !!



Remember this ? Cadbury’s always comes up with some of the most memorable ads like this …
So there has to be something sweet for  shubharambh right?
I would start my tiny step in this blogging world  with something sweet. :) COCONUT LADDUS

Coconut laddus remind me of coconut burfis..and to talk about burfi if you ever happen to visit the holy city of Allahabad don't forget to try heera halwai's coconut burfi...dats simply delectable..one of my all time favourites.Just melt in your mouth ones!!!
So presenting a simple and sweet recipe of coconut laddus…


Half a tin (200gms) Condensed Milk
1 cup Dessicated coconut flakes
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
1 tsp Ghee
1/2 cup Milk

In a pan pour the condensed milk .Add milk and let it simmer for 2-3 mins .Once it starts to boil add dessicated coconut(reserve a little bit for rolling the balls)and cardamom powder.Stir it properly.Add ghee and stir till the mixture gets reduced...good enough to make balls.
Let the mixture cool down and then make  laddus.Roll the laddus with the remaining coconut.
Yes they are ready ....your laddus are ready to melt in your mouth..!!



So make these laddus for your loves ones and sing along "Kuch meetha ho jaye"!!!!!!!


Monday 1 August 2011

Welcome to my Blog !!!!

 

Welcome to my blog "I'm a foodie !!!"

To say i love food  would be an understatement for apart from my experiments in kitchen there is so much to food that i am passionate about...
I have this weird habit of reading a restaurant menu for hours...love watching  cookery shows since childhood...and can  spend hours waiting at railways station/airport reading cookery books....yes i am that crazy!!!
 

 
Food is such an exciting and  interesting subject which is why i thought of starting this blog  to share with you not only my experiments but also my experiences,thoughts and some interesting stories about food.


There is so much to food that needs to be explored so come, join me in my journey .............
Will you ??