Farfalle with Stir Fried Veggies

Hello friends,.,., tonight's dinner is a quite quick dish thats pasta boiled and tossed with stir fried vegetables. For this we can also use penne, spaghetti, fettuccine, elbow macaroni, conchiglie (shell shaped pasta), rotini (spirals) etc.

Ingredients

500 gm pasta
2 medium yellow bell peppers, diced
2 medium red bell peppers, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, again diced
30-40 gms olives
100 gm mushrooms
few pieces of broccoli
salt
1/4 tsp crushed peppercorns
1/4 tsp dry oregano
pinch of red chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil


how how howwwwwwwwww

1. Boil the pasta in salted water, drain out liquid and rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. heat some olive oil in a pan and quick fry the mushrooms and broccoli upto half done.
3. add little bit salt and pepper, add bell peppers and olives. cook for some minutes and keep tossing in between.
4. add pasta and toss again, sprinkle some oregano and red chilli flakes on top.


This way of cooking pasta is quite healthier than the ones we have with sauces, plus you can increase or reduce the quantity of veggies, even meatballs or any sort of cooked/grilled chicken chunks can be added.

Sloppy Tom

Sloppy Tom is the kind of thing i just came to know about yesterday and had today for the first time. Basically its a kind of burger that is filled with mince turkey, but i have used lamb instead coz i cudnt get turkey from the nearby butchery. Its quite easier to cook and takes less time than a typical burger.

Ingredients for Sloppy Toms
250 gm mince meat/turkey/beef
2 medium sized bell peppers, diced
2 medium onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp chilli sauce (more or less according to ur taste-buds)
salt
1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns
1 tbsp oil
4 burger buns

1. Heat oil in a pan and add garlic, followed by onions and bell pepper after some seconds. cook for aprox 3-4 minutes.
2. add mince meat, followed by salt, pepper and few drips of chilli sauce. mix thoroughly, cover the pan and cook for 20-25 minutes on medium flame. Saute on high flame in the end if mixture is soggy as we need it to be dry in order to fill in the burger
3. now toast the buns on griddle or hot plate and brown them slightly.
4. fill the meat between buns and serve with fries or wedges. ENJOY!!!


If you want to cook Sloppy Toms for somebody whos vegetarian then use crushed cottage cheese and soy chunks instead. Still the meat one tastes better but dont tell it to the vegetarians ;)

Pan Seared Sole

I dont think anything taste better than fried fish and creamy sauce after a long tiring n cold day. Personally I prefer chicken and fish over red meat and Sole is my favorite, love it whether its fried or with gravy, cooked thru indian or continental style.

things needed:

For Fishy:

Fish fillet (sole)

4 tsp lemon juice

salt

1 tsp crushed peppercorns

1-2 tbsp oil

50gm baton cut carrots

50 gm beans

2 tsp butter

1 tbsp mustard cream

1/2 cup fresh cream

1 onion, sliced

Sauce:

1. heat 1 tsp butter in a pan and add onions, as they turn pink, add cream, salt, mustard paste, pepper and 1 tsp lemon juice.

2. simmer for some minutes and its ready.

Fishyyyyy:

1. rub some salt, pepper and lemon juice on fish fillets and set aside for some minutes before frying.

2. now heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a frying and cook fish on medium heat. Turn upside down when bottom side is cooked. it will hardly take just couple of minutes.

Veggies:
1. boil carrots and beans in salted water up-to half done, drain out all the water and wash the veggies with cold water.
2. Heat 1 tsp butter in a frying pan and stir fry the veggies, sprinkle some salt and crush peppercorns on top and remove from gas after 2-3 minutes.


Finally put some sauce on top of fish and serve with veggies.

Some people dont like the smell of fish (including myself) so always rub little bit salt and pepper on it and set aside for 5-10 minutes. It reduces the unpleasant smell.

Punjabi Channa Masala

Now when it comes to North Indian vegetarian delights, Punjabi style Channa Masala is something one must try. Boiled chickpeas further cooked in tangy spicy gravy topped with chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes, fresh coriander and butter. Goes perfectly well along with steamed rice, naan, puri or kulcha.

Ingredients

500 gm chickpeas

4 medium onions, chopped (grind half of them)

4 medium tomatoes, chopped (make paste of half tomatoes)

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 tbsp chopped ginger

4-5 chopped green chillies

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped

1 tsp butter

4-5 tbsp fresh cream

1/2 cup curd

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp sugar

1 bay leaf

2 green cardamoms

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2-3 cloves

1" cinnamon stick

salt, to taste

1. Boil the chickpeas in salted water, along with a teabag to give it dark colour.

2. in a thick bottomed pan, heat some oil and add cumin seeds, cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon and bayleaf, when all this stuff start crackling and color starts to change, add chopped garlic and ginger.

3. add onion paste, followed by tomato paste when onion paste turns light brown. when oil starts separating, add cumin powder, coriander powder and salt. sprinkle some water if the mixture sticks at the bottom.

4. Add boiled chickpeas along with its juice and stir thoroughly. Add whisked curd and stir well.

5. cook on medium flame for 25-30 minutes and keep stirring in between.

6. Add cream, followed by sugar and lemon juice after short while.

7. Add chopped green chillies, rest of the onions and tomatoes. (spare little bit for garnish)

8. Its ready when the gravy is somewhat thick. Add some chopped onions, green chillies, tomatoes, ginger, coriander leaves and butter on top and serve hot.

No Punjabi platter is complete without butter, raw onions and green chillies. During old times people used to bang a full onion with their fist and used to eat it along with green chillies and homemade white butter in the meal. These days our health does not allow all that in huge quantity but we can have it as garnish to enjoy some of the authenticity. Also if you want some kick, try using green chillies instead of red chilli powder.

Murgh Kebab

Ingredients

1/2 kg mince chicken

1 cup chopped mint-coriander leaves

1 onion, finely chopped

2-3 chopped green chillies (add more for more kick)

1-2 fresh red chillies

salt, to taste

1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns

few drops of rose water

pinch of green cardamom powder and cinnamon powder each

2-3 tbsp refined flour

1. mix all the ingredients

2. form into any easy shape and dust with refined flour gently.

3. deep fry on medium-high flame till the pieces are golden brown.

4. serve hot with mint chutney

Spaghetti à la sauce rouge

Pasta as we all know is a famous Italian delicacy, usually enjoyed with or without sauce and there are more than 101 ways to cook pasta. The one i really love is with red sauce, has tangy spicy taste and its pretty easy to cook.

ingredients pour le sauce rouge ;)

2 kg tomatoes (blanched, peeled and finely chopped)

2-3 garlic cloves, roughly crushed

2-3 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp dry oregano

1/4 tsp dry thyme

1/4 tsp red chilli flakes

salt, to taste

1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1. in a dutch oven heat some oil, add garlic and take it out when there is beautiful aroma of garlic.

2. add all other ingredients and cook on medium flame for about an hour, keep stirring in between.

For Spaghetti:

1. boil spaghetti and drain all the water

2. heat 1 tbsp oil, add some spaghetti and 2-3 tbsp sauce, toss well and sprinkle some oregano.

3. add some stir fried vegetables and toss carefully.

Guess what?? PASTA IS READY :)

Sewiyan

Usually im not a dessert person so its rare for me to cook any dessert, but i love Sewiyan (sweet caramelized vermicelli) :) night before yesterday I was watching World Cafe Middle East n my favourite guy Bobby Chan was roaming through the streets of a beautiful middle eastern city and tasting their food. When he entered an ice cream parlor they also showed some sweets. At that time my sis n I had huge urge to eat something sweet so we cooked these Sewiyan together.. Btw we cooked at around 11.30 pm so I wanted to hurry up and cudnt take photos.

Ingredientssss

250 gm vermicelli

1-2 tbsp clarified butter(ghee)

250 ml water

150 gm sugar

few drops of rosewater

roasted almonds, raisins, pistachio, cashews

1. Heat ghee in a kadhai and roast vermicelli for couple of minutes until it gets golden brown.

2. Add water and cook on medium heat for a lil while.

3. Add sugar when only little bit of water is left and keep stirring gently.

4. Remove the kadhai from burner when vermicelli is almost dry.

5. Add rosewater and dry fruits. Serve hot and enjoy!!!

Aloo Shorba

Aloo Shorba is a quick dish, combines both North and South Indian taste. Diced potatoes cooked in tangy curd mixture. 

Here we go.....

Ingredients

1 tbsp gram flour

1 cup curd

500 gm diced potatoes

salt to taste

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

pinch of asafetida powder

1-2 tbsp coconut oil

1-2 bunch curry leaves

3-4 medium onions, roughly chopped

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp chopped ginger

3-4 chopped green chillies

1. in a bowl, mix curd, gram flour, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder, set it aside.

2. in a deep pan heat some oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, ginger and curry leaves, all one by one, by the gap of few seconds.

3. Add curd n gram flour mixture and cook for couple of minutes.

4. Add potatoes and mix gently. Cover with the lid and cook on low flame till its ready.

5. Fry the onions separately till they r pinkish brown, sieve and add them to the potatoes.

6. Add some chopped green chillies and serve hot with paratha/flat bread..

Gosht Dopyaza

dear buddies, this beautiful dish we gonna have now is followed by a short but quite interesting story, and personally i love such mistakes that lead to beautiful results. well the story is once Emperor Akbar's Shahi Khansama (royal chef) was cooking Gosht (meat curry) for the Emperor and his family. When the dish was in its final stage the khansama accidently put some cooked onions in the vessel. It got him worried but it was impossible to prepare the dish again at such short notice so the Gosht was served in the royal dining as it was. While eating, Emperor Akbar realised there was some difference in the Gosht than its usual taste but actually liked it. The Khansama was quite relieved at positive feedback and since then he was told to cook it quite frequently.

So basically in Gosht Dopyaza we put onions in two lots, one in the start and the other while the dish is in its ending stage. What most people do is either chop or slice all the onions and divide them into two batches, but the wise thing to do is chop 2/3 and slice 1/3 of the onions, or make it half-half if you like.

Ingredients..

500 gm lamb pieces

1 cup curd

5 medium onions (2 sliced and 3 finely chopped)

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

salt to taste

1/4 tsp crushed black pepper

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp meat masala

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 green cardamoms

2-3 cloves

1" cinnamon stick

little bit mace

4-5 tbsp ghee/oil

1. first of all mix 1/2 cup curd, lil salt, black pepper and 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste in a bowl and marinate lamb pieces in it, for 4-6 hours.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a deep pan/vessel and fry the sliced onions. Remove them from the pan when they are done and set aside for later use.

 

3. in same pan put little more oil and add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon and mace.

4. Add lamb pieces and cook them for around 10 minutes on high flame. Set them aside as well.

5. again in same pan, add some more oil and add ginger garlic paste and chopped onions. Cook on medium/high flame till they are somewhat brown.

6. Add some salt, cumin powder and red chilli powder, followed by 1/2 cup curd. now while putting curd be careful and add spoon by spoon and keep mixing thoroughly.

7. Add 1/2 cup water and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

8. Add lamb pieces and cook for about one hour on low flame, covered with a lid.

9. now add some garam masala and meat masala. Add fried onions and 1/2 cup water and cook for another 5 minutes, uncovered. add some fresh coriander leaves before serving. it usually goes well with flat bread/naan but if serving with rice, add some extra water and cook for about 5-10 minutes more.

Methi Murgh

so yep for dinner tonight ive made Methi Murgh (Chicken cooked with fenugreek leaves), well the similar dish i cooked earlier had some differences, this time ive put fresh fenugreek leaves and curd instead of cream which makes it quite health friendly :) 

Usually when we think of any Methi dish we imagine all dark green stuff but most people dont appreciate it due to its slight bitterness so here ive reduced the amount of methi and increased onions and tomatoes instead. Now one thing you gotta be careful about is DO NOT put onion paste and tomato puree, instead use chopped onions and tomatoes as it brings out tangy n slightly sweet taste which is 'heavenly' :) also if ur not much worried about gaining weight then put some cream instead of curd, it will taste even better..

Ingredients

1/2 kg boneless chicken

1 bunch fresh fenugreek leaves

4-5 medium onions, sliced or chopped

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp chopped ginger

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 cup curd

1-2 bay leaves

2 cardamoms

2-3 cloves

2" cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

2-3 tbsp oil/ghee

1-2 tbsp oil/ghee (for chicken)

For marination:

1 egg

salt

pinch of black pepper

pinch of turmeric

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1. first of all marinate the chicken pieces with above written stuff and set aside for an hour.

2. meanwhile heat some oil in a kadhai and add cumin seeds.

3. Add bay leaves, cloves, cardamoms n cinnamon and wait till they crackle 

4. Add chopped ginger and garlic. Followed by onions and tomatoes after some seconds. Mix it well to soften the mixture.

5. Add salt, red chilli powder(optional), turmeric, cumin powder and garam masala. sprinkle some water if its sticking at the bottom and cook till oil starts separating.

6. Now add chopped fenugreek leaves.

7. Mix well and add curd to the mixture. here you can add cream instead if you want.

8. in a separate wok, heat 1-2 tbsp oil and cook the chicken pieces upto 90% done.

9. Add chicken pieces into the mixture and cook on low flame for another 5 mins. serve hot with naan/flat bread/paratha.. ENJOY!!

Murgh Hari Mirch

Hi guys,, well now im back home after almost 3 months, was in Delhi n worked as part of catering team at CWG Athletes' Village. It was quite challenging job n we all had lotsa fun n now im back to updating this tiny blog of mine :) so yeah tonight ive cooked Murgh Hari Mirch aka Chicken marinated n cooked in green chillies n spices, its hot n goes perfectly well with naan or parathas..

Stuff needed for this beautiful dish::

1 kg chicken pieces (either boneless or with bones)

couple of green chillies

2-3 medium size onions

2 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

pinch of turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

2-3 tbsp ghee or oil

1. now first of all grind n make paste of 3-4 green chillies, onions, ginger garlic and coriander leaves.

2. rub the paste on chicken pieces and set aside for an hour

3. Heat oil in a wok/kadhai and add cumin seeds, add turmeric powder when cumin seeds start crackling.

4. add chicken pieces along with juices and mix well.

5. Add 5-6 chillies after a while.

6. Add some cumin powder and garam masala.

7. Mix well and cover with lid.

8. Cook on low flame until the pieces are tender.