INSTANT COCONUT LADOO (18-20 PIECES)

I happen to be a big fan of sweets. This is a sweet dish which can be made in under 10 mins. and tastes amazing.

Instant coconut ladoos

INGREDIENTS :-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1/2 can (7 oz) condensed milk
1 cup dried coconut powder
2 tsp cardamom powder
Golden raisins for garnish
1/4 - 1/2 cup dessicated coconut for rolling (optional)

Sweet snowballs

PROCESS :-
~~~~~~~

1.  Take condensed milk and dried coconut powder in a  microwave proof bowl, mix thoroughly.

2.  Cook on high for 1 1/2 - 2 mins. till the mixture starts to thicken. Coconut powder will absorb all the condensed milk and the mixture rises a bit.

3.  Let it cool, now you will be able to form a ball out of it. If you feel the mixture is still damp, cook once more for 30 sec. 

4.  Now add cardamom powder, mix and shape them into small balls. Roll them into dessicated coconut if you like, it will look like a small snowball :) Garnish each ladoo with a raisin.

Sweet ladoos with hints of cardamom and golden raisins

Enjoy your holidays with these instant sweet snowballs. Happy Holidays!!!

 

 

 

HEARTY TOMATO SOUP AND CHEESE-GARLIC TOASTS (Serves 4)

Creamy tomato soup with cheese-garlic toasts

Are there some days when you feel you don't want to cook a full meal and instead cook something quick and light? Today is one of those days for me. Also today being a weekend, I want to make something quick so I can spend time with my family and something hearty as winter has set in. So what is a better way to treat your family on a cold winter day with a hot bowl of creamy tomato soup and cheese-garlic toasts. Now it's up to you whether you want to make it a lunch or a brunch. This recipe takes fewer ingredients and gives a restaurant-style taste.

INGREDIENTS :-
~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (14 oz each) vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salt to season
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp italian herb mix


PROCESS :-
~~~~~~~~

1.  Heat a heavy bottom deep pan to medium-high heat. Add crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth  in  it. Add black pepper, salt and sugar and mix properly.

2.  Let it start to bubble, now lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15-20 mins. Once it starts to thicken, add heavy cream and italian herb mix. Mix gently and puree the soup using an immersion blender. Let it simmer for couple more mins. if necessary. Once the consistency of soup is semi thick, turn the heat off.

3.  Ladle the soup in fancy bowls and enjoy it with cheese garlic toasts (recipe follows)

Creamy tomato soup with hints of italian herbs along with garlic croutons

 

 

 

NOTE :-
~~~~~

1.  If you do not have an immersion blender, let the soup cool and puree it using the mixer/blender otherwise use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes. Keep in mind that tomato puree will not give chunky texture to your soup as it is pureed fine.

2.  We added sugar to the soup which sounds kind of weird but it helps in bringing out the flavor of tomatoes and lessening its tartness.



CHEESE GARLIC TOASTS


INGREDIENTS :-
~~~~~~~~~~~~

White/Wheat bread slices
2-3 garlic cloves
olive oil
Sharp cheddar/ Italian blend cheese


PROCESS  :-
~~~~~~~~

1.  Pre-heat oven to 300 F.

2.  Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle both sides with olive oil. Bake for 5-8  mins till they turn golden turning once.

3.  Cut the top portion of garlic clove in a way that it stands. Now rub it over the hot toast on both sides for a nice garlic flavor.

Rub garlic on the warm toasts

4.  Layer the toasts with cheese of your choice.

Garlic toasts layered with cheddar and italian cheeses

5.  Start the broiler and broil these toasts till cheese is melted and starts bubbling. This step takes under a minute so keep a close eye on it or else it will burn.

Great way to enjoy your winter day!!!

Enjoy these mouth watering cheesy-garlicky toasts with thick creamy tomato soup. This sure is a nice, hearty way to start your cold winter day!

 

 

 

CHEESY, SAUCY PASTA FOR KIDS

Cheesy-saucy pasta

This is a fast, easy pasta dish cooked under 15 minutes, ideal as lunch or mid-afternoon snack for kids. For adults, you can make changes by adding some roasted veggies, lower the amount of  cheese and you are good to go. I have used tricolor rotini, you can use any kind of pasta your kid likes. I think if you add more color to your food, it looks beautiful on the plate and helps stimulate the taste buds.  After all, it is always a challange to make a kid eat good food :)

INGREDIENTS :-
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 cup tricolor rotini pasta
3 tbsp roasted red pepper and garlic sauce
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tbsp pasta water


DIRECTIONS :-
~~~~~~~~~~~

1.  Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to the package instructions. I cooked mine for 8-10 mins.

2.  Ladle some pasta water for later use. Drain the pasta using a colander. Transfer pasta to the mixing bowl.

3.  Add all other ingredients saving some cheese for garnish. Mix properly with a spatula.

Colorful pasta covered with melted cheese

4.  You can see the cheese and butter getting melted with the heat of pasta. You can hear a peculiar sound when you mix the pasta, this sound somehow makes me hungry.

5.  Garnish with the remaining cheese and enjoy the colorful, cheesy and saucy pasta!!!

          I have used the roasted red pepper and garlic sauce as I like its flavor and color, you can use any sauce you like. Also I used mozzarella cheese as it melts beautifully and parmesan has a nice salty bite to it.




          On a cold winter day, this is a perfect bowl for kids. For adults, as I told earlier make some changes and this dish will definitely satisfy your appetite. Buon Appetito!

 

RAVA BESAN VADI

 



Rava-Besan Vadi

"Happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year!!!" On this auspicious occassion , I thought why not start with something sweet :) The sweet dish I am making today comes from the state of Maharashtra - located on the western part of India.

Black Specks of Cardamom can be seen

Growing up, we had lot of sweet dishes in our house. I learned this from my aai (ie mom - as we call in Marathi). First let me tell you something about her - she is an amazing cook! and as a kid I remember she used to fulfill my wish of every dish I asked for. Even though it was a new recipe, she would make it a point to learn and prepare it for me. Thanks aai!



Rava-Besan Vadi

I love this sweet dish a lot and the best part is if you make a bigger batch, do not worry as it has a good shelf life of around 15-20 days. If you live in a place which has hot climate, I would recommend you to refrigerate it after a couple of days. That way it will stay fresh longer. You need very less number of ingredients for this dish.


Ingredients :-

1 1/2   cup besan (gram flour)
1/2     cup rava
1 3/4   cup sugar
3/4 - 1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom powder
8 (7+1) tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1/4 cup slivered almonds + golden raisins (optional)


Directions :-

1.  Heat 7 tbsp of ghee in a heavy bottom deep pan on   medium heat. Add besan and keep sauteing for 8-10 mins. Besan tends to burn quickly so it is necessary to keep a close eye on it and if needed turn down the heat to low-medium. It will start turning golden and give out a delicious smell.

Besan gets roasted in ghee

2.  Once besan is done, transfer it to a plate to cool. Add 1 tbsp ghee to the pan and add rava sauteing for 7-8 mins. on low-medium heat till it turns golden. Transfer it to the plate.


3.  In a deep pan take sugar and add as much water so that sugar gets submerged. Stir it constantly on low-medium heat so the syrup start getting sticky like honey about 8-10 mins.

Sugar syrup starts to bubble and looks foggy

4.  Now add the roasted rava and besan to the syrup. Remove any lumps and keep stirring for about 6-7 mins. or till the mixture starts to thicken and leaves the sides of the pan.


This stage is kind of tricky - you don't want the mixture to be very thick nor very thin. If you have a doubt,  turn off the gas and let the mixture cool for 10 mins., now check again. Because once the mixture cools it tends to thicken little more.
Once you make it, you will get a hang of it.

The final stage of rava-besan vadi

5.  Turn off the gas, add cardamom powder, dried fruits and mix thoroughly. Transfer it to a greased plate to cool down. After about 7-8 mins. cut it into diamonds and leave it till    it cools completely.



Rava-besan vadi are ready to serve!

6.  Once cooled, remove the diamond vadis with a spatula and store them in an airtight container. This recipe makes around 20 pieces.  Enjoy the sweet moments!!!

 

 

Scrumptious Veggie Wraps

Scrumptious Veggie Wrap!

I like Mexican food because I think that some of the flavors match with Indian style of cooking. Mexican food is spicy and they too use beans, rice and veggies in their food. Even the tortillas are somewhat similar to chapati. So i thought why not use all these ingredients and turn it into a full meal wrap. I have used spinach and herb tortillas for the wrap as it adds nice color and flavor to it. You can use any kind of tortilla you like. Also for mexican rice i have used brown rice, you can very well go with white rice. The reason I used brown rice is that it's more healthy and i love it's flavor - it is kind of rustic. This dish needs some preparations in advance, rest is just assembling and you are ready to go! Here's what you will need.


INGREDIENTS :-
~~~~~~~~~~~

1 packet Garden Spinach Herb wraps

 

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch strips
1 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1 inch strips
1 onion, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1 inch wide strips
2 Jalapenos, cored and cut into strips (optional)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
juice of half a lemon
Sour cream for topping
Hot pepper mexican blend cheese for topping

Guacamole - recipe follows
Mexican rice - recipe follows



DIRECTIONS :-
~~~~~~~~~~

1.  Pre-heat oven to 450 F

2.  On a baking sheet, toss each vegetable with salt, black pepper pwd. and olive oil. Roast  them in separate bunches for about 15 mins. stirring once till veggies turn soft and golden.

Roasted zucchini and summer squash

Roasted onions and Jalapenos

Roasted red bell peppers

 

3.  Prepare the gaucamole and rice. Let the rice cool before filling.

4.  Toss the black beans with salt, lemon juice and black pepper pwd.

5.  Warm the wrap on a skillet for a couple of seconds turning on both sides or in microwave for 8-10 sec. Place it on the plate for assembling.

6.  Spread a spoonful of guacamole on the wrap. Next, spread 3-4 strips of each vegetable on the wrap, do not overstuff the wrap.

 

 

 7.  Spread a spoonful of rice and beans.

8.  Top it with a dollop of sour cream and cheese.

9.  Fold it from two sides then roll it up from the bottom into a perfect roll.

10. Cut diagonally and enjoy the juicy, mouth-watering veggie wraps!!!

Beautiful layers of veggies, black beans and rice in a juicy wrap!

GUACAMOLE :-
~~~~~~~~~~

Guacamole

 

2 avocados, peeled, chopped & mashed with fork
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Handful of cilantro chopped


Mix the above ingredients properly and set aside.



MEXICAN RICE :-
~~~~~~~~~~~

Mexican rice

1 cup brown rice, washed and soaked for 30 mins, then drained
2 cups water
1 garlic clove
1 small tomato
1 small onion
2 jalapenos
1 1/2 tbsp oil
2-3 squirts of lemon juice
salt
handful of cilantro, chopped


1.  Grind garlic, tomato, onion and jalapenos into a fine paste.

2.  Note that brown rice takes more time to cook than white rice.

3.  Heat oil in a pressure cooker on medium heat, add rice and fry it for 3-4 mins stirring continuously.

4.  Add the blended paste, stir for a minute then add salt and water. Stir it for one more  time, close the lid and pressure cook with 4-5 whistles till the rice is soft and fluffy.

If using a pan instead of a cooker, cook for 20-25 mins. till rice is soft and tender.

 
5.  Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander.

Specks of black beans and veggies can be seen

 

Cabbage and Carrot paratha

Cabbage-carrot paratha, this will surely put a smile on your face

A paratha/parantha/parauntha is an Indian flat-bread that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta which literally means layers of cooked dough.  I also came to know that in Burma, it is known as palata while it is known as farata in the Maldives.


It is one of the most popular unleavened flat-breads in Indian cuisine. It is made by pan frying rolled whole wheat dough on a tava or flat surface griddle. Parathas are usually stuffed with vegetables and/or Paneer (Indian cheese). You need to be very careful while rolling these parathas as you do not want the stuffing to come out. There is one more style of parathas popular in western part of India in which vegetables are finely grated or chopped and are mixed with dough and spices. This way the rolling becomes little easier. But again, this works with specific kind of vegetables like carrots, cabbage, spinach, methi leaves, coriander, dudhi (bottle gourd) or muli (white radish) etc.

Sizzling hot paratha with a chunk of butter on top

Whichever way you make, parathas are all time favorites. They are good as snack or light lunch. You can serve it with ketchup, chutney, Indian style pickles or roll it and eat it along with tea or coffee. I think this is the best way to feed different veggies to kids.  Kids love it with a dollop of butter or with generous amount of ghee on top. (Ghee is widely used in Indian cooking, it is also called clarified butter) This is a healthy dish for breakfast and a lot filling too. Vegetable parathas can be made in advance and stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temp. Paneer parathas maybe will stay for a day outside then need to be refrigerated.

Specks of green and white can be seen on the golden-brown parathas

Today we are making cabbage and carrot parathas. This recipe will make around 12-13 parathas.


Ingredients :-

1/2 cup cabbage, grated fine
1    carrot, grated fine
4-5 cloves garlic
3-4 green chillies (or acc. to taste)
1 inch piece of ginger
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped fine (optional)
Salt (acc. to taste)
1 - 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp gram flour or besan
2 tbsp rice flour
3 tbsp plain yogurt or dahi
Oil/butter/ghee for shallow frying

Process :-

1.  Make a fine paste using green chillies, garlic and ginger. You can also use store bought paste but i encourage on using fresh ingredients and believe me it takes just a couple of mins. of your time and the food tastes excellent.

Cabbage, carrots and green-chillies, ginger and garlic paste

2.  Mix the rest of the ingredients except oil to make a soft pliable dough. You must have noticed that we substituted yogurt instead of oil while making the dough. The reason is yogurt is a healthy ingredient and it does the same task as oil - keeping the parathas soft. The dough has specks of orange, green and white due to the veggies.

Dough ready to get rolled

3.  Heat the tava or flat surface griddle on medium high heat.

4.  As this dough is soft, you need to be careful while rolling it. Use a lot of flour on the rolling pin as well as on the surface. Divide the dough into 12 or 13 equal parts and shape them into balls. Take one ball and roll it gently into a 6-7 inch diameter.

Paratha ready to hit the hot griddle

5.  Place the paratha on the tava. After 15-20 secs. u will see bubbles forming on it, turn the paratha using a spatula and smear it with a tsp of oil/butter/ghee. Turn the paratha again and let the buttered side cook for 1-2 mins. till golden brown spots start appearing. Meanwhile smear a tsp of oil/butter/ghee on the other side and repeat the process. Serve them sizzling hot with a dollop of butter/ghee on top.

Golden brown spots appear on the paratha, get ready to plate it

Isn't this a fabulous way to start your day :)

Chhunda (Sweet, tangy and slightly spicy Mango pickle)

Chhunda

It's summer again!!! And it's time for MANGOES! Chhunda is a pickle made from raw mangoes and it has mixed flavors like sweet, tangy and little bit spicy. This pickle comes from western part of India, from a state called "Gujarat". 

Growing up, i remember the kitchen shelf filled with 10-15 different varieties of mango pickles - sweet memories :) Thanks Aai!

Traditionally, this pickle is prepared using heat of the sun. It may sound weird but it is really very flavorful this way. Here's how it is done,  first of all the ingredients are properly mixed in a big stainless steel bowl. Then it is covered with a muslin cloth (cheese cloth) and left in the sun for a couple of days, typically 10-15 days. Every night it is brought in the house and next morning the cloth is removed and mixed thoroughly with a big spoon and again covered and left in the sun. What happens here is, slowly all the ingredients mingle properly and the raw mango starts cooking with the sun's heat and after a couple of days you can see that the pickle is ready. It is stored in an air-tight jar for the whole year. And believe me it tastes yummy and needs no artificial preservatives at all. Isn't this something great - the preparation and preservation of pickles. 

Chhunda

I made this pickle using a stove top, no doubt there is slight  taste change - the one with the above recipe is a lot tastier but trust me this too is worth making.  For this you will need raw green mangoes, press and make sure the mango is firm. The most important thing for this pickle is the mango should be tangy, it shouldn't have a bland taste, else it is not at all right for the pickle. You will need a couple more spices, i have listed them below. I have used 1 medium sized mango and it makes a small bottle of pickle (around 13 oz)

Ingredients :-

1 medium sized raw green mango
1/4 tsp methi (dried fenugreek) seeds
2 1/2 tbsp oil
5-6 cloves whole
7-8 black pepper whole
4-5 dried red chillies, broken into half
1 inch cinnamon stick, broken into half
1 tsp red chilli pwd
Salt (acc. to taste)
3/4 cup - 1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder


Process :-

Raw mango

1.  Peel the mango and grate using a thick grater. This way when we cook it, the pickle won't turn mushy and we will be able to see the mango shreds.

Grated mango

2.  Measure the grated mango using a measuring cup. Taste the mango, the quantity of sugar depends on how tangy it is. If the mango is extremely tangy then you will needed equal quantity of sugar else reduce the amount of sugar. See if the following helps,

If mango extreme tangy :
            1 cup shredded mango = 1 cup sugar
If mango less tangy        :
           1 cup shredded mango = 3/4 cup sugar

3.  In a saucepan, heat the oil to medium heat, add the spices (cloves, black pepper, red chillies, cinnamon stick and fenugreek seeds).

Mango and spices getting cooked

4.  Now add the grated mango, salt and mix everything with a spatula and let it cook covered for 5-10 mins, it should not turn to a mush.

This tip is for beginners, just take a piece between your thumb and fore finger and press it, if it gets pressed without effort it means it is cooked.

5.  Add sugar, mix properly  and let it cook uncovered for 10-15 mins on medium heat. Now the sugar will melt and start to thicken, keep an eye on it. When the syrup becomes the consistency as that of  "honey", add cinnamon powder and turn off the heat.

The final result should be thick like a jam, it should have syrup. Keep this in mind, once the chhunda starts cooling, it is going to thicken. So keep a close watch during this process.

Sugar getting melted

6.  After 2-3 mins, add red chilli powder and mix. If we add it during the above process, red chilli pwd. can burn or change color. We want our pickle to be red, the color of chilli pwd and so we add it once the heat is turned off.

Red chilli pwd. added to chhunda

7.  Once chhunda is cooled, store it in an airtight container. Stays good on shelf for months. It can be used as a spread for chappatis or tortillas, also eaten along with chappati and sabji. As this pickle also has a sweet taste, it is a favourite with kids, this is a good way to add mango to their diet.

Chhunda - ready to enjoy!