Modak(Modhagam)

Paneer & Peppers in Creamy Sauce

Ingredients

Paneer - 1 small block
Jalapeno - 5
Banana peppers -2
Bell Pepper -2
Onion -1
Garlic Ginger Paste 1 tbs
Cumin Seeds -1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbs
Chili Powder - 1/2 tbs
Coriander Leaves (Cilantro) for Garnishing
Tava Fry Masala - 1 tsp
Heavy Cream - 2 tbs
Salt


Method.

Julienne the onions, Paneer and Peppers. Keep the kadai and pour some oil. Put some cumin seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add julienned peppers and sauté for sometime. Then add the Paneer strips, masalas (chili powder, coriander powder and Tava fry masala) and salt. Mix the pepper and paneer strips so that it’s all coated with the masala. Cover it with lid and cook till the vegetables becomes soft. Add some heavy cream and give a turn or two till the cream gets absorbed well. Turn off the heat . Garnish with finely cut Cilantro.
Serve with Roti and Raita.

Micro Bow Tie Pasta

I made this dish for my sister who wanted pasta with the flavor of India without cheese. I came up with this recipe using micro pasta as I had more of them in the pantry. I usually make soup or egg dish with small pastas. This time I made with vegetables and Indian masala.


Ingredients
Micro Bowtie Pasta : 1 Packet
Cut Mixed Vegetables : 2 cups (Broccolli,Cauliflower,Carrots,Zuccini..)
Red Chilli Flakes : 1 tbs
Kitchen King Masala : 1 tbs
Green Chillies : 2 cut in rounds
Onions : 2 medium (chopped)
Grape Tomatoes : 5-8 nos
Corriander Leaves : 2 tbs finely chopped
Garlic Cloves : 2
Cream : 2 tbs

Method

Cook Pasta according to the package directions. Microwave all the cut vegetables with little water.
In a large skillet, over medium heat, saute the garlic pieces with a teaspoon of olive oil till they become tender. Don't brown them. Add the chopped Green Chilies and Onions and saute it for 2-3 mts. Add the vegetables to the pan followed by Chilli flakes,chopped corriander leaves and masala. Add in the grape tomatoes. Now gently toss in the cooked pasta so that the pasta would get coated with the masalas. Finaly add cream and give a nice toss and switch off the heat.

Note: Adding Cream to the recipe is optional.

Verdict :

It was super duper dish and everybody liked it.

Kashayam

My mom would make this medicinal drink/kashayam whenever anybody at my home feels sick. I asked my mom to get all the goodies from INDIA that she would add along with sukku in the Kashayam.

Ingredients

Sukku/Dry Ginger
Arathai (The Lesser Galanga)
Sittharathai (Galangal/Alpinia speciosa)
narukumalam
kiradakodi
saranaver
Milagu/Pepper
Corriander seeds
Karupatti

Method :
Pound all the ingredients coarsely using mortar and pestle. Boil water in a saucepan. Add all the ground ingredients once the water comes to a boil. Let the water get reduced in quantity. Strain it and have the Kashayam with or without milk.

Corriander Chutney

Whenever I shop for vegetables, I buy 2-3 bunches of corrainder leaves (whatever the deal is) just to bring them home, leave it in the refrigerator, hardly use a few for seasoning and return to the trash making space for the forthcoming. I never want to waste but those poor little bunches don't get the priority with my busy schedule. Nowadays, none of them go waste, thanks to my mom (who is here with us). She cleans and cuts them as soon as they reach home. So it becomes easy for me to just saute it and make it into mothwatering Corriander Chutney .

Here is the Corriander Chutney recipe.

Ingredients

Corriander Leaves - 1 bunch (Washed/Rinsed well with water to remove the mud/soil)
Red Chillies -7
Tamarind -1 small gooseberry size
Mustard&Urad Dhal-1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Method.

Cut the Corriander Leaves. Keep oil in a kadai. Add mustard & urad dhal and once it splutters, take it from the kadai and keep it aside.Saute the Red Chillies and Corriander Leaves. Grind both in a mixer along with tamarind and salt. Add the Mustard and urad dhal mix to the chutney and give a quick pulse. Chutney is ready to be paired with Dosas or with Bread.

Notes:
Usually I don't measure the ingredients when I cook. Quantity that I use to make any item is out of my 'andaasaa'. My mom does the same thing. There are two disadvantages with that. You don't get the same consistency every time. you can't give the exact measurements to people who ask for the recipe. So I am practising now to measure the ingredients first and then cook.

Pasta with Vegetables

Everyone loves pasta in my family and my son especially adores pasta. He can eat pasta in any form or in any shape.
When he started going to daycare, it was a nightmare for me every night as to what I should cook for him for lunch . My great option by then was Pasta that is not only nutritious but can be eaten cold too and the Lunch box came empty if and only if it was pasta. Since then at any time, there would be atleast ten differnt kinds of pasta in my pantry. Until he was seven years old, he always preferred Pasta either with Alfredo Sauce or with Chedder Cheese. I boil the Pasta according to the Package Instructions and mix with any of these two sauces (only the Raghu Brand). As easy it is!

Nowadays, I usually make pasta with Vegetables and sauces, hoping he will get some veggies. I make either baked or pan sauteed pasta. Once served, he gobbles up all the pastas leaving the vegetables blinking behind on the plate sadly. I am working hard on making him to eat veggies.

The one I am going to write is very easy pasta recipe with Vegetables. You can use any kind of tubular pasta (Penne, Tubini, Rigatoni..) for this recipe.


Ingredients


Barilla Pasta - 1/2 packet
Frozen Vegetables - 2 cups (Italian Blend)
Ragu Chunky Pasta Sauce
Mushroom & Green Pepper - 1/2 cup
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese -1/2 cup
Red Pepper Flakes -2 teaspoon
Garlic -2 Cloves
Olive oil


Method

Boil the Pasta according to the Package Instructions. Once you drain the Pasta in the colendar , give the pasta a nice toss with a tablespoon of olive oil . This prevents the the pasta from drying. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sautee chopped garlic for a minute. Add the vegetables. Cook the vegetables until it begins to soften. Add the Pasta Sauce and the Chilli flakes and mix it well with the vegetables. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir it gently . Finally add the Shredded Mozzarralla Cheese to it and mix it well till the cheese melts.
Season with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and fresh Sage leaves .

Serve Pasta for adults with a glass of Pinot Noir (In wine there is health (In vino sanitas)-Roman Quote) and voilà!— An exquisite dinner is ready to be served.

P.s. I faked the wine glass with Cranberry Juice for the photo shoot. Hehee!

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), A daily glass of light cranberry juice cocktail promotes healthy blood flow and protects the heart-with fewer calories than red wine-and is a delicious option the whole family can enjoy.
Source: HealthNewsDigest

Onion - Tomato Chutney

Here is one version of onion Chutney that I make for dosas. This chutney can be made in a jiffy and it is really tasty.

Onion -Tomato Chutney

Onion - 1 Big
Tomatoes - 3 small
Corriander
leaves - handful
Red Chillies - 10
Mustard Seeds&
Urad Dhal -1/2 teaspoon
Curry Leaves for seasoning
Hing a pinch
Salt to taste

Method

Cut the onions and tomatoes. Heat oil in a kadai . Saute the ingredients in the following order red chillies, onions ,Tomatoes, Corriander leaves. Saute till the onion turns golden , tomatoes softened and coriander leaves gets wilted. Grind together in a mixer with salt. Meanwhile keep oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds . Once it splutters add curry leaves and hing and return the chutney to the kadai and switch off the stove.