Wednesday 15 April 2015

Puff Pastry with Mixed Vegetable Curry.




    Ingredients

Carrots, Potatoes, Peas Cauliflower. Fresh/ Frozen vegetables.
500 gms
Onion
1  big one
Chilli powder
2 tsp
Garam masala( Kitchen king)
2 tsp
Oil
1 tbs
Salt
As per  taste
Pastry Sheets (frozen)
3-4









Method
  1. Boil vegetables with just enough water for 3-4 mins, or steam cook. 
  2. Drain any excess water.(as this curry should be dry).
  3. Chop onions finely. 
  4. Heat oil and fry onions until golden brown. 
  5. Add all the spices and fry another 2 mins and add the vegetables and salt and fry until everything is mixed well. 
  6. Let it cool completely.
  7. Thaw the pastry sheets on the bench top for 5-6 mins.
  8. Cut each sheet into 9 squares (3x3). 
  9. Take each square and fill a spoon of curry and seal all the edges properly. 
  10. Complete all the sheets in the same way and arrange them on the baking tray and cook in the preheated oven on 180 degrees for 10-12 mins. 
  11. Keep checking once it turns golden brown, remove it from the oven.
  12. Serve this hot with green chutney/tomato sauce.


Friday 10 April 2015

Lemon rice with capsicum/peas/carrot



Ingredients
Rice  
2 cups
Lemon
1 big or 2 small
Frozen peas
A handful
Capsicum (Red & Green)
1 each
Carrot (grated)
1 big
Green chillies
2-3
Cashews
10-12
Mustard seeds
½ tsp
Channa dhal
1 tsp
Urid dhal
1 tsp
Turmeric
½ tsp
Hing/Asafoetida
¼ tsp
Curry leaves
1 sprig
Coriander leaves chopped
3 tbsp
Fresh  coconut grated
½ cup
Oil
2 tbspn
Salt
According to taste





















Method
  1. Cook rice and separate it in a bowl, allowing it to cool.
  2. Wash and cut capsicum into long, thin slices.
  3. Heat 1 tbspn of oil and add capsicum and fry for 3-4 minutes. When it is nearly cooked, add the grated carrot and frozen peas and fry until the peas are cooked. If using fresh peas, make sure you boil the peas first before adding.
  4. Cut the lemons and squeeze the juice. Keep it aside.
  5. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, turmeric, channa dhal, urid dhal and cashews. When it is brown, add green chillies, curry leaves, hing, salt and the vegetables and mix well.
  6. Once the rice is separated and cooled, add fresh coconut, lemon juice and the cashew mixture. Mix it thoroughly and sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top.
  7. Serve with pappadams or chips.



Capsicum Rice/ pulao



Ingredients
Basmati Rice
2 cups
Capsicum (Red, Green & Yellow)
2 cups
Tomatoes
2 big ones
Corn kernels
½ cup
Carrot (grated)
1 cup
Onions
1 large
Bay leaves
A few
Ginger/garlic paste
3 tsp
Green chillies
1-2
Garam masala(Kitchen king)
1 tsp
Turmeric powder
2 tspn
Chilli powder
1 tsp
Cashews (broken)
A handful
Cinnamon sticks
2-3 pieces
Cloves
2 nos
Cardamom
2 nos
Coriander leaves chopped
2 tbspn
Oil/ghee
2 tbspn each
Salt
As per taste























Method
  1. Cook basmati rice, spread it in a bowl and allow it to cool.
  2. Slice onions and tomatoes and keep aside.
  3. Wash and cut capsicum (all colours) into long, thin pieces.
  4. Heat oil in a pan, add capsicum and fry for 2-3 mins.  Add corn and grated carrot and fry until they are cooked and keep it aside.
  5. Heat ghee in a pan and add bay leaves, followed by cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. When it turns light brown, add onions, ginger garlic paste and fry until they are translucent.
  6. Add tomatoes and salt and fry for few more minutes until the tomatoes are cooked. Then add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and sauté for 1 minute.
  7. Add the fried capsicums and mix everything and cook for 1 minute.
  8. When it is cool, add the rice to the mixture and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add fried cashews and chopped coriander leaves and serve with raita.

Monday 6 April 2015

Oats Laddu



Ingredients                                        
Oats (Rolled or cooking oats)
2 cups
Sugar
1 ¼ cups
Ghee (melted butter)
¼ cup
Cardamom powder
1 tsp
Cashews (broken) and sultanas
2 tbsp








Method
  1. Heat 1 tbspn of ghee in a heavy bottomed kadai and add oats and roast it until the raw smell goes. Take care not to burn the oats.
  2. Once cool, powder it along with sugar and cardamom into a very fine powder.
  3. Heat the remaining ghee and add broken cashews (preferably very tiny pieces) and sultanas. Fry until light brown and switch off the stove.
  4. Now put the powdered oats and mix everything well.  Shape the mixture into small balls. Please note here that the ghee should be hot as it will melt the sugar and make it easy to shape. If you find that the mixture is very dry, keep adding small amounts of hot ghee.


This recipe is similar to besan laddu.