Bread Uppma

Ingredients

Onions - 1 chopped

Tomato - 2 chopped
Coriander - 1/2 a bunch chopped
Bread - 5-6 slices cut into squares
chilli powder - 1 ans 1/2 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp (optional)
salt - to taste
oil - 2 Tbl

To season:
Jeera - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1tsp 

Method
1. Add the oil to a kadai.
2. when the oil becomes hot enough, add jeera and urad dal.
3. Once urad dal turns brown, add the chopped coriander and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add onions and fry till it turns golden brown.
5. Add tomatoes and fry till its cooked.
6. Add the spice powders and salt and fry for a about 4-5 min.
7. Turn of the burner. Now add the pieces of bread and mix well.
8. Serve hot with any tomato based sauce.

Butternut Squash And Corn Soup

Ingredients

Butternut Squash - 2 cups ( chopped)

Onion - 1  big

Corn - 1 can

Carrot - 1

Coconut Milk - 1/4  can

Lemon juice - 2 Tbl

Vegetable broth - 3 cups

Butter - 2 Tbl

Powders

Salt - as required

Pepper - as required

Chilli  powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp 

Coriander powder -1/4 tsp

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp

Method 

1. Heat the saucepan. Add the butter and allow it to melt.
2. Add the onion. Fry till turns transparent.
3. Add the squash pieces ,corn and carrot.
4. Saute for about 10 min.
5. Add the spice powders ( except pepper) and a pinch of salt.
6. Saute for about 4 min.
7. Now add the vegetable broth, cover the pan and allow it to cook till the vegetables are tender.
8. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
9. Heat the saucepan and add the puree.
10. Add salt, pepper  and coconut milk.
11. Bring to boil.
12. Remove from heat.
13. Add the lime juice.
14. Serve hot.

Mashed and Super Creamy Potatos

Ingredients

Potatoes - 5 large

Garlic - 10 cloves ( peel the skin)

Milk - 1 and 1/2 cup

Cream Cheese - 1/2 cup

Margarine - 2 Tbl

Spices ( dried)

Basil  - 1 tsp

Oregano - 1 tsp

Rosemary - 1 tsp

Powders

Salt - as required

Method

1. Cut the potatoes into large pieces.  Add it to a pot of boiling water. Cook till the potatoes are completely done. Drain the water and peel the skin. Add it to a vessel and mash.
2. Heat a skillet and  add the margarine. Once it meltes, add the spices.
3. Fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the garlic cloves ( whole).
5. Fry till they turn light brown.
6. Remove the cloves  alone from the skillet. Grate it into the vessel containing potatoes.
7. Heat the skillet with its contents again.
8. Add the milk and cream cheese.
9. Bring it to a boil.
10. Add the milk mixture to the potatoes and mix well using a mixer.
11. Now whip using an electric mixer with the whipper attachment.
12. Whip till the mixture turns creamy and soft.
13. Add the required salt and Serve lukewarm.

Get Well Soon Soup

I was in the kitchen today trying hard to think of someway to make a soup for my poor hubby who had all his 4 wisdom teeth pulled out. With a little inspiration from Mansi's blog,  I decided to make my own soup.

Ingredients

Carrots - 3 chopped into big pieces

Peas - 1 1/2 cups

Onion - 1  big

Garlic - 5 cloves minced

Milk - 1 cup 

Lemon juice - 2 Tbl

Vegetable broth - 3 cups

Butter - 2 Tbl

Cloves - 4

Powders

Salt - as required

Pepper - as required

Chilli  powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp 

Coriander powder -1/4 tsp

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp

Aam Chur - 1/4 tsp

Method 

1. Heat the saucepan. Add the butter and allow it to melt.
2. Add the minced garlic. Fry till it turns light brown.
3. Add the onion. Fry till turns transparent.
4. Add the peas, carrots,cloves and all the powders ( except salt and pepper)
5. Fry for another 4 minutes.
6. Now add the vegetable broth, cover the pan and allow it to cook till the vegetables are tender.
7. Remove from heat and allow it to cool.
8. Remove the cloves and puree the  mixture in blender .
9. Heat the saucepan and add the puree.
10. Add salt, pepper  and milk.
11. Bring to boil.
12. Remove from heat.
13. Add the lime juice.
14. Serve hot.

PS: It got its name courtesy my hubby who absolutely loved this soup. 

Quick Pal Khoa

I found this recipe in Saki's blog  when I was looking for a quick and easy recipe to make on 

Tamil New Year's day. I made a few slight changes to enhance the taste.

Ingredients 

Condensed milk - 1 tin

2 % Milk - 4 Tbl

Curd - 2 Tbl

Butter - 1 or 2 Tbl ( unsalted)

Method:

1. Add all the ingredients except the butter to large microwave vessel.
2. Mix well and allow to cook in microwave for 5 min. Stirring every two minutes.
3. Now add the butter , mix well and allow to cook for another 4 min. Stirring every 2 min.
4. Serve hot.

PS:

1.  The large vessel is used to keep the contents from spilling out when cooking. 

2. It might harden when allowed to cool, so heat it in the microwave for 30 sec with a few tsps of milk.

 

Cabbage And Capsicum Rice

It happened to be one of my  "No Way Am I Cooking"  or NWAIC days. The day when I refuse to cook and my hubby does all of it. But this  particular NWAIC day , he had to work and I was left with no choice but to cook, to satisfy my rumbling stomach.  I had shredded cabbage and one capsicum left in my fridge and was really happy when i found this quick and easy recipe ( courtesy :vahrehvah.com) with just these two as the main ingredients. I didn't realise a recipe this simple could taste this good.

Ingredients :

Basmathi Rice - 1 and 1/4 cup

Cabbage  -  2 cups (shredded)

Capscicum - 1 ( julienned)

Ghee - 1 Tbl

Olive oil - 2 Tbl

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Powders :

Salt - to taste

Pav Bhaji masala - 2 or 3 tsp

Turmeric - 1 and 1/2 tsp

Method :

1. Wash and soak rice for 5-10 min.
2. Drain the water and fry the rice for a few min in ghee .  
3. Cook the rice and set aside
4. In a kadai, add  the olive oil.
5.  After a few min add the cumin and turmeric.
6.  A minute later add the cabbage, capsicum and salt, stir and close with lid.
7. Cook till the veggies are tender , stirring every two min.
8. Now add the pav bhaji masala. Stir well.
9. Allow it to cook about 3-4 min.
10. Remove from heat.
11. Mix well with rice and serve.

Sabudhana (Jevvarisi) Kichadi

I had it for the first time in a (marathi)friend's house for breakfast. It looked really unappetizing and I was quite suprised when it tasted good. Its like all my other recipes  really simple to make but awesome to taste. It can be had practically at any time of the day though its great for  breakfast or brunch.

Sabudhana - 1cup

Buttermilk -1/3 cup

Green chilles - 2 minced

Coriander - 1/4 bunch chopped

Mustad Seeds - 1tsp

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Peanut - 1/3 cup (dry roasted and coarsely grounded)

Vegetable oil - 1Tbl

Powders:

Salt - to taste

How to:

1. Wash and drain the sabudhana. Mix with buttermilk and keep aside for 5 hours. Then drain the sabudhana for excess buttermilk. Add enough salt mix and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a kadai.
3. Add the mustard and jeera and allow it to splitter.
4. Add the green chillies and coriander. Fry for few minutes.
5. Now Add the sabudhana. Mix it well and allow it to cook.
6. This will take about 6-7 min. Do  not stir constantly.
7. Now remove from fire and mix in the peanut powder.
8. Serve hot.
   

Variations :

1. Add chopped onions and fry along with the green chillies.
2. Add boiled and chopped potates when frying the green chillies. Just add a pinch of salt for the potatoes.
3. Add whole or halved(dry roasted) peanuts along with peanut powder for a better crunch.
4. The buttermilk will make the sabudhana a little more stickier than usual. If you don't like this consistancy , just soak it in plain water for 8 hours or overnight.
5. Complete till step 4 and add the contents of the kadai and sabudhana to a microwave vessel . Cook for 5 min. Stir after 2:30 minutes.

PS: If you use a kadai some part of the sabudhana might melt and stick to the bottom. Its easy to clean as the sabudhana is almost has a glue like consistancy , you can simple peel it off the bottom of the kadai before you begin to clean the vessel.