Tomato Baath

Ingredients:

Rice - 2 small cups
Tomatoes - 4 big finely chopped
Onions - 1 big finely chopped
Coriander Leaves - 1/ 4 cup finely chopped
Pulav masala - 2 Cinnamon sticks, 2 cloves, 3-4 bay leaves, a few fennel seeds, 1 Marati Moggu, 1 cardamom
Curry Leaves - 10-11 leaves
Salt to taste
Oil - tsps

For the Masala:

Onions - 1 big finely chopped
Red chillies - 5-6
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 1 whole (medium sized)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon sticks - 2
cloves - 4
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 1/ 4 cup finely chopped
Oil - 6 tsps

Heat 2 tsps of oil in a wok and add red chillies and 1 onion finely chopped.Saute on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Remove from heat, cool and grind to a paste with the other ingredients.Keep this aside.

Now heat 4 tsps of oil in a cooker, add all the pulav masala, add chopped onions with the curry leaves, saute until done and then add chopped tomatoes, saute for 5-6 mins in medium heat, now add the ground masala paste, heat it for a 2 mins and then add washed rice.Add water as required(usually double the quantity of rice), i usually add a little less (than i normally do) for pulav made in cooker, so that the rice is not sticky. Cook until done, i usually turn off after two whistles usually about 10 mins. Dish it and decorate it with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with papads and raitha.

Cream of mushroom soup

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms - 250gms
Onion - 1/2 or 1 small finely chopped
Cornflour - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 cups
Pepper powder -to taste
Salt to taste
Bay Leaves - 3
Cloves - 3
Onion shoot - 2 shoots finely chopped
Coriander - finely chopped

Method of Preparation:

Saute the cornflour in butter/olive oil, make sure not to burn it.Then add milk and water as required, add bay leaves, cloves,pepper powder,salt and bring to boil, remove the bay leaves and cloves and set aside. Heat some olive oil in a pot and saute the chopped onions and once they are soft add the mushrooms and half the quantity of chopped coriander and saute them until cooked, now take 1/3 of this mixture and grind coarsely. Add this ground mixture to the milk along with the sauteed mushrooms and chopped onion shoots and bring to boil until it thickens.Now garnish with remaining chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with garlic bread or toast.

Apple and Peach Cake

Ingredients:

Cake Flour - 250 gms
Castor sugar - 250 gms
Eggs - 4
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Vanilla essence - 1tsp

For dressing:

Peaches - peeled and chopped finely
Apples - 1 big peeled and chopped finely
Fresh cream - whipped
Orange juice + Sugar water - water boiled with 1tsp of icing sugar
Grated chocolate (optional)
Bottled cherries

Method of Preparation:

Mix Cake flour with baking powder and vanilla essence, take another bowl and whisk together eggs and sugar, whisk thoroughly and mix the cake flour mixture into it, fold it in and whisk such that the air does not escape.

Now grease a baking tray and pour the above mixture and put it in a pre heated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 30-35 mins. Prick using a knife to check if the cake sticks and bake until it does not.

Now cut the cake into two portions. Moist one portion of the cake with some orange juice mixture. Spread a layer of whipped cream. Over that sprinkle the chopped fruits and sprinkle some grated chocolate if you like. Over this keep the other moist slice and layer it similar.Sprinkle with grated chocolate and finally place bottled cherries on top for decoration.

Vegetable Bake

This is one of the recipes i found on another blog, i have lost the link to it. This is a modified version of the same according to our tastes.

Serves : 3-4 people

Ingredients:

Carrots - 2 big
Beans - 1/4 kilo
Brocolli - 1 big
Cauliflower - 1 big
Peas - 150 grams
Mushrooms - 200 grams
Red/Green Peppers - 2 big
Onion - 1 Big
Mozzarella Cheese - grated according to taste and preference
Oil - 2 tsps

White Sauce Ingredients:

Milk - 2 cups
Pepper - to taste
salt - to taste
Plain Flour - 2 big spoonful
Butter/Olive oil - 2 tsps

Method of Preparation:

Chop all veggies, steam all veggies with salt except onions, Green/Red Peppers, Mushrooms. Keep it aside. Now to prepare the white sauce, mix the plain flour with milk with no lumps and then take a pot and heat some butter, add milk mixture and boil for a few mins, then add salt and pepper. Boil until the sauce thickens.

Now take some oil in a pan and saute the onions, peppers and mushrooms until soft.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees centigrade, grease the baking tray with butter/olive oil and place the steamed veggies, layer it with half the sauce, now place all the sauteed veggies and layer it with the remaining sauce. Finally top it with as much cheese as you like and leave it in the oven for about 15 mins or until the cheese melts. Now that's a yummy bake.

This is a favourite in our home since my hubby loves it and it is nutritious for my son since it has all veggies with cheese and of course my fav since its a quickie and makes my life easy!

Hope you enjoy this dish. Let me know if any of try this.

P.S. - For people who would like some chicken, you could add some pre-cooked chicken to this and adjust the quantity of veggies accordingly.

Methi Rice

Ingredients:

Methi leaves- 1 Big Bunch
Garlic - 1 Whole medium sized
Ginger - 1 inch
Cloves - 5-6
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch 4 sticks
Fresh grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Rice - 2 cups (medium sized cups)
Onions - 2 Big and 1 small chopped finely
Green chillies - 5-6
Pudina/Mint Leaves - 4-5 strands
Other pulav masala - few fennel seeds, 1-2 Cardamom, 2 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks

Method of Preparation:

Grind 1 small chopped onion , green chillies, 2 Cinnamon sticks, 3 cloves,Ginger, Garlic, Pudina, Coconut, Coriander leaves and keep aside.

Now heat some oil in the cooker and add mustard seeds, once they splatter add 2 onions finely chopped now add pulav masala like cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves etc.Saute till onions are transparent and then add methi leaves and the ground masala. Now add washed rice and saute for a min/two and then add water and close the lid and cook till rice is done.

Serve hot with raitha.

Note: This is real tempting and you might end up over eating....me n my hubby do that most times, so i make it only once in a while.

Yanagayi/Stuffed Brinjal Curry

Yanagayi yet another magical recipe from my mom's kitchen.The thought of it just makes my mouth water and how i wish i could ask my mom to post it for me all the way to UK...ummmmmm....

I have had so many requests for this recipe from my friends and hence i decided to post it on my blog.

Ingredients:

For the filling:
2 red chillies ( can increase/decrease based on how hot you would like it)
1/2 cup grated fresh coconut(you could use cut pieces of fresh coconut)
1 tsp sambar powder
2 medium sized onions chopped
1 tsp roasted dhania/coriander powder
1/4 bunch coriander Leaves
salt to taste

Fry the copped onions and red chillies in oil. Now take this and add the rest of ingredients listed and grind it to coarse paste with a little water.

For the Curry:
8 small brinjals
2 medium Onions chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
2 strings of curry leaves
3 big spoons of Oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

Now slit the bringals into four without cutting it open. Stuff the ground masala into it.Take a pan and heat oil, once hot add mustard seeds wait for it to splutter, now add curry leaves and onions.Saute it till onions are translucent and then add tomatoes.Now add the stuffed brinjals and fry until half cooked.Now add the rest of the ground masala and fry for a min/two.Now add water as required. Now reduce heat and close the lid and wait for it to cook for 10mins. Add salt (please watch the amount of salt since we have already added it to the stuffing) and cook until the brinjals are done.Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice/chapati.This tastes yummy with rice and ghee!

Spicy Chicken Fry

Ingredients :

Chicken - 1 kg - boil in water with 2 bay leaves, 1 garlic pod, turmeric and salt.(Use this to make soup, refer to the link Chicken Soup)
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 1 whole (big)
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped finely
Pepper corns - 20 corns(you can increase the quantity if you like it hot)
Clove - 2
Cinnamon stick - 1
Oil - 5 tsp
Onions - 1 big finely chopped
Salt - to taste
Red chillies - 2

To grind :

Grind ginger, garlic, 2 dry chillies, clove, cinnamon stick, pepper corns, coriander leaves and grind into a fine paste.

Method of Preparation:

Heat oil and add mustard seeds.Now add onions and saute them , add the cooked chicken pieces and add the ground mixture and coriander leaves, now close the lid and keep it on low flame.Check if salt is required since it was already added to the cooked chicken. Now cook until done and decorate it with coriander leaves and serve hot. Can be eater with roti/rice or just as a starter.