Bread Upma

 

Ok, I have no story behind this dish, except that my mom used to make it for us when we were kids and I would absolutely devour it. Its one of my favorite dishes !

INGREDIENTS:

Bread - 1 big loaf

Onions - 2 (finely chopped or thinly sliced)

Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)

Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)

Turmeric powder - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

For tempering:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 2 tsp

Peanuts - 2 tbsp

Curry leaves (optional)

METHOD:

1. Chop the bread slices into small pieces (or tear them with your hand into irregular pieces). Keep these aside.
   
   
   
   
2. Take oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the peanuts and roast them well.
   
   
   
   
3. Add mustard seeds and wait until they sputter.
4. Add curry leaves if you are using them.
5. Add onions and fry until they change color (become tender and translucent).
   
   
   
   
6. Add tomatoes and fry until they turn soft. Don't wait for them to become mushy.
   
7. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well.
8. Add the chopped bread pieces and mix well.
   
   
   
   
9. Add chopped coriander leaves and mix well once again.
   
   

Bread Upma is now ready to serve. Yumm yumm yumm. 

People who love bread - are gonna love this Indian fusion snack.

Burnt Garlic Rice

 If there's rice at home and you are bored of eating it with sambar, then this is the dish you should make. If I make this dish, then any quantity of rice in our house vanishes in minutes. The kids just love it and the adults are a fan too.

Very simple to make and very quick too. Breakfast, lunch or dinner - perfect comfort dish. Add peanuts and it gets even better. You just need 4 main ingredients - 5 if you count the peanuts.

BTW, I add peanuts to everything 😁😁.

It enhances the taste of anything and everything. You can skip if you dont like them or are allergic.

INGREDIENTS

Garlic cloves - 10 to 15 (more the better)

Cooked / Steamed Rice - 2 cups

Green Chillies (slit lengthwise) - 2

Coriander Leaves - finely chopped - 1 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Tempering

Peanuts (optional) - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp 

Oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD

1. Steam / cook some rice with a little less water than usual. That causes the rice to have separate grains. Run a fork in the cooked rice to make it fluffy and cool down.
2. Take a pan. Add some oil.
3. When the oil is hot, add peanuts and garlic cloves to it. 
4. Let the peanuts turn color and the garlic cloves also start roasting.
5. Add mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter.
6. Add in the green chillies and stir for a few seconds.
7. Add in the steamed rice and salt and mix well.

VOILÀ !! You are done - Yes, its that easy 😉

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot / warm.

Cucumber Dosa

Exotic ain't it ? You thought right. 

Cucumber dosa is super easy to make. It gives out a heavenly aroma while cooking. Not to mention the amazing health benefits :) The recipe is inspired from a Konkani dish "Taushe Bhakri" which is basically Cucumber rotti. Its almost the same batter with a few small changes.

So lets get down to business ? 😀

INGREDIENTS
(makes approx 10 dosas)

For the batter:

Grated cucumber - 1 cup

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Wheat flour - 2 cups

Wheat Rava (any kind / size) - 2 cups 

Green chillies - 4 (maybe more if you want it spicy)

Sugar or jaggery (optional) - 1 tsp

Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (optional)

Salt - as per taste

Method:

1. Take the green chillies and salt into a large vessel (which can hold the batter).
2. Smash the chillies and salt together until its a coarse paste. Add some water and the sugar into it.
3. Add the grated coconut and salt and mix it well. Add a cup of water.
4. Now start adding the wheat flour little by little and mix well. Form a thin batter.
5. In the end, add the rava and mix it well. Since the rava needs to absorb some water, let the batter have a thin consistency. Keep it aside for 10 mins.
6. Batter should be of dosa batter consistency. Add water or flour to even out either ways.
7. Add in coriander leaves if you want and mix well. Cucumber dosa batter is done.

Making the dosas:

1. Heat up a griddle / tava. Use medium heat. (I prefer to use cast iron - the least toxic of all. Also a healthy choice.)
2. Mix the batter well before making each dosa. 
3. Take a ladle of the batter and pour it on the griddle. 
4. Spread the batter in a spiral way, starting from the center and moving outwards.
   
   
   
   
5. Add a few drops of oil around the dosa. Cover and cook for 30 secs.
6. Flip the dosa and cook the other side for 30 secs. 
7. Serve with ghee / butter.

Yummy Tummy Guys !!! 😍😍

Penne in Bechamel Sauce

Who here is a fan of Italian cuisine ?

My favs are Italian and Thai... I know !! - very different from each other, but both of them are soul food or comfort food to me.

I love cooking Italian too... havent tried my hands at Thai yet - sounds so detail-oriented. Italian in comparison is super easy and less time consuming too.

So, let me present to you Pasta Bechamel  - what is commonly known in India as White Sauce Pasta... (Remember, this is my version of the basic bechamel sauce. So please any suggestions are welcome to improve it and make it more authentic)

INGREDIENTS

(serves 4)

For Bechamel Sauce:

All-purpose flour - 4 tbsp

Milk - 1 ltr

Oregano - 1 tsp

Chilli Flakes - 1 tbsp

Garlic (chopped) - 2 tbsp

Butter / Olive oil - 5 tbsp

Cheddar cheese (shredded) - 100 gms

Mozzarella cheese (shredded) - 100 gms

Salt as per taste

Other fresh / dried italian herbs (optional - as per your likes)

For Pasta:

For my pasta, I cooked some penne, but you can use any kind of pasta (fusilli, spaghetti, macaroni, farfalle). Just the cooking times of each of these pastas will be different. Just follow the instructions on the packet. In addition to those instructions, I add 2 tsp of olive oil into the water when boiling the pasta, that helps the pasta to not stick to each other. I also add some salt.

Method:

Cook the pasta al-dente, that is only until they are 80% cooked. When you break the cooked pasta, the innermost part should not yet be cooked. Drain the pasta and keep it aside. Don't waste the water. I generally use it in the sauce, if it gets too thick.

1. Take a large saucepan (which can hold both pasta and sauce). Add 1 tbsp olive oil / butter to it.
2. When the oil / butter is hot, add the chopped garlic. Let it roast for a while. Remove it and keep it aside.
3. To the same pan, add the rest of the oil / butter. And once its hot, add the flour and stir well.
4. Roast it until the raw smell goes away.
5. Add the milk - little by little and keep stirring. Dont add all the milk at once, 'coz that can cause lumps.
6. When all the milk has been added, allow it to boil. 
   
   
   
   
   
7. Add the roasted garlic, chilli flakes, the fresh / dried herbs and allow it to boil well to infuse the flavors into the sauce. Also add salt.
8. If you find the sauce too thick, add the pasta stock that you have kept aside.
9. When the sauce starts boiling, add the shredded cheese and boil for another 30 secs.
10. Add in the cooked and drained pasta, and give it a stir. Cover and switch off the flame.

Pasta Bechamel is ready !!!

Aloo Mazedar

Today I'll introduce you all to an awesome fried potatoes dish, which is my husband's favourite curry. 

He likes it so much that whenever we visit a restaurant, my husband asks for this dish there. Of course it's not available in restaurants, because this is a recipe I picked up from the late Tarla Dalal, the famous Indian food writer and chef. I used to love watching her cooking shows. Unfortunately she passed away in 2013 following a heart attack.

Anyways, Without further ado, heres the recipe for all of you.

Also heres how to reach her website - TarlaDalal.com

Homemade Garlic Butter

Has there ever been a person who hates garlic bread ? I cant think of anyone such.

Garlic Bread is my heavenly comfort food, next to .... nothing I guess ! I think you buy me a few slice of garlic bread and I would forgive your gravest mistake !! Aaah, now the secret is out :)

So since I really really love garlic bread, I wanted to try making it at home. Since store bought butter is highly processed and then if you have garlic butter, you can use it with anything else too. So I set about finding out how to make garlic butter. Turns out it is the simplest thing to make - EVER !!! 

You need just butter, garlic and salt !! Wow that's it ? Lets go learn how.

INGREDIENTS

(Makes 1 cup of garlic butter)

Homemade Butter - 1 cup (unsalted) OR Store-bought butter (salted or unsalted)

            P.S - Will soon put up a recipe on how to make butter at home.

Herbs (optional) - 2 tsps - you can add any herbs for the flavor that you like.

            (Mint, Oregano, Coriander, Thyme, Rosemary etc., etc.,)

Garlic - 10 pods / cloves (If you love the taste of garlic, then add more)

            P.S: Raw Garlic gives out a pungent flavor - so dont add too much.

Salt as per taste (dont add if you are using store bought salted butter)

METHOD:

1. Add the garlic pods into a mixer jar and crush them coarsely.
2. If you are using fresh herbs, add along with the garlic and crush them along. If you are using dried powdered herbs, then skip this step.
3. Melt the butter slightly. Just make it soft and add it to the ground garlic paste. Grind it a bit more.
4. Remove into a bowl. Your garlic butter is now ready to use.
5. Spread on bread and toast it for wonderful tasting garlic bread.
6. Slightly soften it and use it as a dip for your veggie sticks or anything else that you want to dip in it.
7. Use it on your naans or even on your chapathis. It goes with anything and everything.