Pudina rice

A quick lunch option for all those busy bees around

Ingredients

Mint leaves                  : 2 cups

Coriander leaves       : 1 cup

Onions                           : 2 big

Green chillies             : 4-5 nos

Ginger garlic paste   : 1 tbsp

Shahi jeera                   : 1 tsp

Bay leaf                          : 2 nos

Garam masala            : 2 tsps

Salt                                  : to taste

Oil                                    : 2-3 tbsps

Method

In a pan heat oil and add chopped onions fry until translucent, in the same pan add mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies fry for 5-8 mins. Blend and make a smooth paste of onion and mint mixture.

In a pan add oil, shahi jeera, bay leaf then add ginger garlic paste, fry for 2 mins then add onion and mint paste fry until it leaves oil, finally add garam masala powder and adjust salt to taste.

This paste can be stored and mix with rice when desired.

Momos with tomato chutney

Momos are from Tibetan cuisine, these momos are Nepali version I learnt from a friend.

For base

All purpose flour : 2 cups

Water : as required

Salt : to taste

For Stuffing

Minced chicken : 1 cup

Onions : 1 medium

Coriander powder : 2 tsps

Ginger garlic paste : 2 tsps

Salt : to taste

Green chillies : 2 nos

Coriander leaves : handful

Mint leaves : few

Tomato chutney

Oil : 1 tsp

Tomatoes : 4 medium

Green chillies : 2 nos

Garlic pods : 3

Salt : to taste

Coriander leaves

Method

Combine flour and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add enough water and knead into soft dough and keep aside.

Combine minced chicken, finely chopped onions, finely chopped green chillies, ginger garlic paste, chopped coriander leaves and mint leave, salt and coriander powder and keep aside.

Divide the dough into small balls and roll them out thinly, put a teaspoon of filling in the middle. Bring all the edges together to the centre making small pleats, pinch and twist the pleats to ensure momo is tightly closed. Steam them for 15-20mins in a steamer or grease idli stand plates with oil and place one momo in each plate and steam in a pressure cooker for 15-20mins without a whistle.

For tomato chutney: In a pan heat oil and add ripe tomatoes, green chillies, garlic pods, salt and cook until tomatoes are soft, blend them with coriander leaves.

Paneer pulao

My mom loves paneer and I cant stop myself enjoying a paneer dish, this dish is a frequent guest at our home...

Ingredients

Basmati rice : 250 gms

Paneer/Indian cheese : 150 gms

Bay leaves : 2 nos

Star anise : 1 

Mace/javitri : 1 

Cloves : 4 nos

Cinnamon stick : 2 (1" stick)

Green cardamom : 2 (powder the seeds)

Shahi jeera : 1 tsp

Onion : 1 medium

Ginger garlic paste : 1/2 tbsp

Mint leaves : fistful

Coriander leaves : few

Green chillies : 2 nos (adjust to taste)

Salt : to taste

Oil/butter : 1 tbsp

Method

Rinse and soak basmati rice for 30 mins. Drain the rice and keep it aside. 

In a pan add oil when hot add bay leaves, shahi jeera, star anise, mace/javitri, cloves, cinnamon stick, green cardamom and fry for a minute. Then add finely chopped onion, chopped green chillies, ginger garlic paste fry till onions are golden brown. In a non-stick pan add oil and slightly fry paneer and keep them aside.

Add water (I added 250 ml water, 1;1 ratio water for soaked basmati rice). when water starts boiling add drained rice, salt, mint leaves and stir well, cook on low flame until rice is cooked. Turn off the flame and add paneer pieces gently stir. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with salan or raita.

*I use electric rice cooker to cook pulao and biryani which makes my job much easier.

Turkish Chicken stoofpot with turkish bread

A friend of mine suggested me to try this recipe at a Turkish restaurant during my stay in Belgium, even with very few ingredients this dish was lip smacking. Instantly I got the recipe from my turkish friend's mom, tried it at home and the result was very close to the original dish. Enjoy.

Best tastes with turkish bread. 

Ingredients

Boneless chicken : 500 gms (cut in 1" cubes)
Thick tomato puree : 2 tbsps
Red bell pepper/ capsicum : 1 nos 
Yellow bell pepper : 1/2 
Green bell pepper : 1/2
Onion : 1 medium
Garlic : 2 pods
Chillie sauce/ any hot sauce : 2 tsps (adjust to taste
Cheese : 1 cup
Dried parsley : 2 tsps
Oil : 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste

Method

Preheat oven at 200 degrees C. In a pan add oil, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped onion, cook until onions are soft, add tomato puree, hot sauce, cubed chicken, salt cook for 3 mins, add finely chopped red, yellow, green peppers, cook for 7 mins.

In a medium sized baking dish add the cooked chicken with veggies and sprinkle dried parsley and generous amount of cheese, bake for 15-20 mins or until cheese melts and slightly starts browning at the edges. 

Turkish bread

Chicken drumsticks in buttermilk

I found this recipe on 'Laura in the kitchen' for my chicketarian friends and guess what they came back for 2nd and 3rd servings.

Ingredients

Chicken drumsticks with skin/ Breast pieces : 1 kg
Buttermilk : 2 cups
Sirarcha : 3 tbsps (adjust to taste) or any hot sauce
Salt and Pepper : to taste
Paprika powder : 1 tbsp
Salt free barbeque spices :  1 tbsp
All purpose flour : 2 and  1/2 cups
Onion powder : 1 tbspGarlic powder/ finely chopped garlic : 1 tbsp

Method

In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce, paprika, salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, pour the buttermilk mixture all over the top, cover with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for 2-3 hrs or if possible overnight. Take the chicken out about 45 minutes before getting ready to cook it so it can come to room temperature. Place a cooling rack on a large baking sheet. 

In a shallow bowl, mix together the flour, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Take each chicken piece out of the buttermilk and shake as much of the buttermilk off as you can. Dredge each piece well in the flour mixture and place it on the baking rack topped baking sheet. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes. 

Heat enough oil for deep frying chicken (about 160 degrees C).  Add a few pieces of chicken at a time (skin side down) and let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy, meanwhile, make sure to preheat your oven to 190 degrees C. 

Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and place the cooked chicken right on top. Pop them in the oven and let them cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until fully cooked through. 

Mug cake

When my late night chocolate addiction kicks in, I run to make this 2 minute cake

Ingredients

All purpose flour : 2 tbsps
Sugar : 2 tbsps
Baking powder : 1/4 tsp
Unsweetened cocoa powder : 2 tsps
Milk : 4 tbsps or more (to make paste)
Oil : 1 tbsp
Salt : pinch
Vanilla essence : 1/4 tsp
Chocolate chips : use as much as you like

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients except chocolate chips in a coffee mug and add the wet ingredients and mix well. Sprinkle chocolate chips. Microwave on 600 W for 1 minute and then turn the microwave on highest power (max 1000 W) and microwave for 1 minute.  

Its ready, dense chocolate cake. top it with ice cream or just cream. 

Cauliflower and potato curry

Less ingredients but tasty outcome.

Ingredients

Cauliflower : 2 cups
Potato : 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste : 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Mustard seeds : 1 tsp
Yoghurt/curd : 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp
Chillie powder : 1 tsp (adjust to taste)
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala powder : pinch
Salt : to taste
Oil : 1 tbsp
Asafoetida : pinch (optional)
Coriander leaves : to garnish

Method

Heat oil in a pan add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, asafoetida when they splutter add ginger garlic paste fry for a minute then add cauliflower florets and cubed potato, salt, turmeric powder, curd and cook on low flame until the veggies are soft. Lastly finish it off with coriander powder, chillie powder, garam masala, few drops of lemon juice (optional) and garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve with roti.