Garlic flavoured Roasted Paneer & Vegetable Pasta

Everyone in my house is Pasta-lover, especially my daughter. I have to make pasta at least once a week and now she is having holidays in school, almost every other day she will ask me to make pasta.
Last week, when I was visiting Soma's space(Ecurry), I saw she is hosting a great event : Hay Hay It's Donna Day where she chose Chicken and roasted capsicum pasta. I usually make my pasta with lots of vegetables , but never tried roasting the veges. This time I followed her way with few little additions as per the event rules, one can personalize a little.


Here is my version...............

Ingredients :
Pasta of any type...I used Macaroni
Capsicum, Broccoli, corn & cherry tomatoes : 1/3 cup each
Paneer(Indian cottage cheese) or Tofu : 1/2 cup
Onion : 1(medium)
Garlic paste : 2 tblsp.
Tomato paste : 2 tblsp.
Black Pepper as per taste
Salt to taste
Oil : 2 tblsp.
Roasted Peanut : 1/3 cup
Dried Oregano & Thyme : 2 tsp. each
Fresh cilantro for garnishing

Method :

• Cook Macaroni or any type of pasta in salted water with a drizzle of oil(to avoild sticking pasta with one another) until done. Rinse under cold water, drain & keep aside.
• Cut capsicum lengthwise, broccolis in medium size pieces, and tomatoes in half. Sprinkle little salt and black pepper. I roasted them on a Tawa( flat pan). Spray little cooking oil on tawa and roast them in medium heat until brown and done.
• I fried the paneer pieces on tawa using little oil. Dry roast the peanuts and keep aside.
• Take a heavy bottomed pan, add 2 tblsp. oil. Add sliced onion. Stir fry a little, then add garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes, then add cooked pasta, salt and black pepper to taste. Now add all the herbs, mix well with pasta.
  
• Then add Roasted veges, paneer and peanuts. Toss well and serve hot garnishing fresh cilantro over each plate.

So sending this most easiest and yummiest pasta dish to Soma for her event "Hay Hay It's Donna day where Bron is the facilitator.

Coconut Laddoo and shower of awards

It's raining heavy day and night in Singapore...and in the other side my blogger freinds are showering their love on me with so many touching awards....I don't mind this kind of shower at all. It feels so good when people show their affection and love without knowing you much.....I am really touched, Meera. Meera of Enjoy Indian Food, is the most active food blogger I know. She just keeps posting her beautiful, mouth watering recipes almost every day..... I love to visit her blog and wonder how she does this. She showered me with these awards.............

The award states that:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement (? big word, lol). Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I would love to pass all those awards to all these lovely ladies......... to some more freinds, may be some other time

Soma, Sharmila, Arundhuti, Sandeepa, Priya, hemabalaji, Chithra, Gayathri, LG, Priyanka, Purnima, Alka, Sowmya, Rashmi

Congrats all and Meera, thanks a lot for considering me in your freind circle.... this platterful of Coconut Laddoo is for you..................


Now the recipe for Coconut Laddoo (Narkel Naru) needs :

Shredded coconut(fresh or dessicated) : 2 and 1/2 cups
Condensed Milk : 1/3 of 12 oz. tin(as per your sweet tooth)
Green cardamom Powder : 3 tsp. (take out the seeds and crush them with a roolling pin)

Method :

• take a pan, add coconut and stir for 2-3 minutes. Then add condensed milk little by little and mix well with the coconut. Stir continuously(to avoid sticking and burning) in medium flame until mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
  
• The above process takes about 10-12 minutes depends on your quantity. To check if it is doen, take a little mixture on your palm and roll with the other palm very gently and if you can form a ball without breaking it, then you are done.
• Then take the pan out of heat and sprinkle cardamom powder. Mix well with the mixture.
• Spread on a wide plate and let it cool a little. Then form into small balls same way as before. Roll them into coconut powder if you wish and serve.
  

Tips : You can store them for at least 2 weeks if refrigerated ans satisfy your sweet tooth now and then.

Sending them to Lakshmi's event SWC: Meals on Wheels.

Semiya Upma for MBP: Snacks

I recently came across this nice blog, "Sunanda's Kitchen" . While I was going through her post, I found the recipe for "Semiya Upma (veg vermicelli upma)". I love upma and make it for breakfast often, but I never used vermicelli for upma. I always used sooji(rawa). I liked the idea of using vericelli and I tried it. It really taste great. Thanks Sunanda for this nice recipe.


I followed most of her recipe but need to change a little as per my taste. Use any vegetable available. I followed her 1st step of recipe. In the 2nd step, I tempered the oil, with red chilli, curry leaves, 1 tsp. of chana dal(bengal gram) and Urad dal each and mustard seeds. I added chopped green chillies in it. Rest I did the same way.

It's a lovely,delicious and easy to cook breakfast recipe....anyone will fall in love once tried.

So I am sending this mouth watering recipe to
MBP : Snacks & savouries hosted by
Aswini's Spicy Cuisine. MBP is a brainchild
of Coffee of Spice Cafe.

Sajne Data O Aloo Posto (Drumstick N Potato in poppy seed paste)

Sajne Data, in Bengali is popularly known as drumstick all over India. The reason they got the name may be they do resemble the musical drumstick. It is exceptionally nutritious vegetable tree. Considered one of the World's most useful trees, as almost every part of this tree can be used for food, or has some other benfinicial medicinal property.

The fruit of this tree, i.e. Drumsticks is widely used in Indian and other Asian countries. 

Drumsticks are green hard skinned, stick like vegetable. Even though, the skin looks hard from 

outside, surprisingly it is very soft and fleshy inside. It's a very easy to cook vegetable. The 

triangular pea sized seeds are surrounded by soft white flesh inside. If you want to get

the real taste of drumstick, you have to chew the sticks. It taste very sweet.

Drumstick & the seeds

I was just surprised when I saw this in Wiki, "The leaves are highly nutritious, being a significant source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. In addition to being used fresh as a substitute for spinach, its leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder, and used in soups and sauces. Murungakai as it is locally known in Tamil Nadu and Kerala is used in Siddha medicine. Its leaves are full of medicinal properties. The tree is a good source for calcium and phosphorus. In Siddha medicine, the drumstick seeds are used as a sexual virility drug for treating erectile dysfunction in men and also in women for prolonging sexual activity. Moringa leaves contain more Vitamin A than carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more Vitamin C than oranges, and more potassium than bananas." The flowers whih is known as "Sajne Ful" in Bengal, also cooked as a delicacy, especially early spring. Another popular delicacy with drumstick is "Sajne Data O Aloo Posto" (drumstick & potato in poppy seed paste), which I am going to share with you today........try & you won't regret it..It's just a simple pleasure............

Ingredients :

Drumstick : few sticks

Potato : 1 or 2

Poppy seeds : 2 tblsp.(tablespoon)

Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.

Green chilli/red chilli powder : 2

Salt to taste

Oil : 2 tblsp.

Method :

• Peeling drumstick is an art. You should know before you think of cooking drumstick. Cut one side of the drumstick at least ½ inch from the side. Then with sharp knife peel the skin little by little from all sides and make about 2 inch pieces.
• Cut the potatoes in medium size. Make a paste of poppy seeds and green chillies in dry grinder(coffee grinder). If you can't tolerate green chillies, use little red chilli powder.
• Heat oil in a pan. Now add potatoes and drumsticks on oil. Fry them for few minutes with a pinch of salt. Add turmeric powder and poppy seed paste. Pour 2 tblsp. Water and mix the paste well with the vegetables. Stir for 3-4 minutes.
• Then pour enough water to cook the veges. If you peel properly, drumstick cooks very quick. Just add enough water to cook the potatoes. Adjust the salt and when all moisture evaporates and veges are done, take it out of stove.
• You can make it dry or semi-thick gravy, as you like. In any form, it’s just delicious with hot plain rice....just simple pleasure of life

Tips : Do not overcook drumstick and don't stir too often, as drumstick can break very easily.

Rainbow In and Out

Rainbow Mix-vegetable


HAPPY HOLI to all my visitors and fellow bloggers and to their families...May all the colours of Rainbow fills your life with happiness in this Holi and forever............
On the occassion of this colourful festival, I would like to share this colorful dish which I 've learnt from my mom. She is very creative in cooking and everyone's beloved cook. She used to make this sabji in winter time where we consumed almost all the winter vegetables in one palatte. I love this sabji, it's easy to cook and takes very less time to make. My daughter calls this, "Rainbow vegetable" and she loves it. This dish is very nutritious and delicious at the same time.


While I was making this dish on a cloudy, gloomy day, I found this amazing dual rainbow outside of my window. So rainbow in and out of my kitchen.

Ingredients :
Beet : 1/2 cup(cubed)
Carrot : 1/2 cup(cubed)
Green Beans : 1/2 cup(cubed)
Potato : 1/2 cup (cubed)
Ladies finger/okra/Bhindi : 1/2 cup
Cauliflower : 1/2 cup (cut in small florets)
Green/red/yellow Capsicum : 1/2 cup(cubed)
Green peas : 1/3 cup
Corn : 1/3 cup
Dry red chilli : 1 (break into 2)
Mustard seeds : 2 tsp.
Urad dal : 2 tsp.
Chana dal : 2 tsp.
Curry leaves : 10 nos.
Greeb chillies : 2 (chopped)
Tomato : 1(small-chopped)
Onion : 1 (medium-chopped)
Garlic : 3 cloves (minced)
Turmeric powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp.
Oil: 2 tbsp.
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing

Method :

• Cut all the vegetables in small cube like pieces. Boil first 4 vegetables together until tender not mushy. Drain and keep aside.
  
• In a pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil, fry cauliflower, okra and capsicum until done with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• In the same pan, heat rest of the oil in full flame. Oil should be real hot. Temper with dry red chilli, curryleaves, urad & chana dal and mustard seeds. After you temper, make the flame to medium. Don't let them burn, when seeds crackle, add onions , garlic, green chilli and tomato.
• stir it for 2-3 minutes, make a paste of it. Add turmeric and chilli powder and all boiled and fried vegetables. Mix everything well, season with salt. Lastly add green peas and corn (if you're using frozen one, if using fresh boil with other veges).
  
• Mix well and stir for another 2-3 minutes and you're done. Serve in a bowl and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

It's a dry preperation. So no water added. Goes well with roti, puri, paratha and it's a good filling for Dosa(rice & lentil pancake)..........

HAVE A COLORFUL AND MASTIFUL HOLI............ENJOY

Masala dal & Broccoli N Potato in black pepper sauce

I am sure like me you also are in search for some simple and easy to cook recipes to make our daily meals something enjoyable. Today I would like to share with you some simple, easy to cook recipes which make your meal simply divine. Masala Dal and Broccoli N Potato in Black pepper sauce with chapati, a comfort food for anybody............
This masala dal recipe, I tried from this cooking site(Daawat) and I just fell in love with this dal.



Ingredients for Masala Dal :

Toor dal (split gram) : 1 cup
Onions : 2 (medium)
Garlic : 3-4 cloves
Ginger : 1 "
Tomato : 2 (medium)
Green chilli : 1 ( chopped)
Turmeric Powder : 2 tsp.
Red chilli powder : 2 tsp.
Coriander powder : 2 tsp.
Cumin powder : 1 tsp.
Butter or Oil : 2 tblsp.(tablespoon)
Cardamoms & cloves : 3 of each
Cinnamon : 1 (1")
Salt to taste
A bunch of coriander leaves

Method :

• Soak the dal in hot water for about 30-45 minutes. Boil it in the pressure cooker for only two whistles. It should be just boiled and not too soft. In the blender, grind together 1 onion, garlic, ginger, green chilli, coriander leaves and tomatoes. Set aside.
• Heat oil or butter in a pan, add cinnamon, cardamom & cloves, wait till they turn brown, then add the other onion sliced in it. Fry till brown, add grounded masala, adding all the powdered spices in it and salt. Stir fry well adding little water. The trick to get this dal very tasty, fry the masala well in low flame for about 5-7 minutes.
  
• When all the water evaporates and oil seperates from the masala, pour boiled dal in it and 1/2 cup hot water to make gravy. Add salt to taste. Boil for a while to get your required consistency. Masala dal is ready..........

Serve hot with roti, paratha, or plain rice and papad. I prefer this delicious dal with some spicy vegetable dish. I will share that, too. This is my mom's one of the unique recipes which I learnt from her and still couldn't forget the yummy taste of it.
Broccoli N Potato in black pepper sauce
My mom used to make this with potato only, but I like to add some green vegetable with it. I am a green vege fan :-)


Ingredients :
Baby potatoes or plain potato : 7-10 pieces
Broccoli : few florets (big pieces0
Black pepper powder : 4-5 tblsp.(tablespoon)
Ginger paste : 2 tblsp.
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp.(teaspoon)
Salt to taste
Oil : 3 tblsp.

Method :

• If you're using baby potatoes, then use as whole, otherwise cut in medium size pieces. Boil them until tender not too soft. Cut the broccoli florets in big chunks and cook in microwave until nearly done. It takes about 5-7 minutes in High.
  
• Heat Oil in a pan, add ginger paste and turmeric powder. Stir fry for a minute and then add black pepper powder mixed with 1/4 cup hot water. Cook for 4-5 minutes until oil seperates. Then add potatoes and broccoli florets. Mix well with the masala paste, add salt to taste.
  
• Cook in low flame uncovered for 2-3 minutes. You are done.

Wasn't it easy to cook and something different..............I am sure you all will love this.
I am sure these easy to follow recipes are just perfect for this
nice event "Recieps for rest of us : Dinner" at
Siri's Corner, which is initiated by Ramki
Of One page Cookbook. So sending them to you, Siri...........





And only Broccoli n Potato in black pepper sauce goes to "Think spice : Think Pepper" event hosted
this month by Divya Vikram of Dil Se. This nice event was originally started by Sunita of Sunita's World.

Jhatpat Murgi ( Easy Breezy Chicken Curry)

For making chicken it doesn't have to be always an elaborate process. Today I would like to share a very easy recipe of chicken curry which anyone even a 10 year old can also follow. It takes very less time and you will get the real taste of chicken.


Ingredients :
Whole chicken : 700-800 gms.
Potato : 2 (medium)
Onion : 3 (medium)
Ginger-garlic paste : 3 tblsp.(tablespoon)
Tomato : 2 (medium)
Green Chilli : 2-3 nos.
Turmeric powder : 3 tsp.(teaspoon)
Coriander Powder : 3 tsp.
Red Chilli powder : 2-3 tsp.( as per taste)
Yoghurt : 1/2 cup
Cardamom : 4 nos.
Cinnamon stick : 2 (1")
Cloves : 4 nos.
Bay leaves : 2
Salt to taste
White/canola/Mustard oil : 3 tblsp.

Method :

• Cut the potatoes in big chunks. Slice the onions into thin slices. Make a smooth paste of ginger and garlic and green chillies. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.
• Clean the whole chicken and cut into desired sized pieces. Place in a big bowl. Add sliced onion, tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, yoghurt, salt and all powdered spices and 1 tblsp. oil. Mix all the ingredients with chicken with your hand squeezing onions and tomatoes as much as possible for 5-7 minutes. Marinate it for at least 1/2 an hour or more.
  
• Heat oil in a pan, fry the potato pieces light brown with little salt and turmeric and set aside. In the same oil, put bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom & cloves. When you get the flavour, add marinated chicken and cook in medium flame stirring it occasionally for about 12-15 minutes.
  
• When oil seperates from the masala, add the potatoes and mix well with the chicken. Now add about 1 cup hot water. Check the seasoning, cover the lid and let it cook in medium flame until chicken gets tender.
• Take the pan out of flame when you have your desired gravy and serve hot with plain rice, pulao or chapati, paratha.

Isn't it easy, breezy..................try it and let me know if you liked it or not.