Bread and Butter Pudding

(Image from Google)

This one holds a very special place in my life. On this cold winter night in Delhi - 5th December, 2012 - a day before my planned C-section, I was still not able to believe that the day arrived and so soon the wait was gonna be over...and all the anxiety and planning of those 9 months would not be there ....I could not believe how soon would my life change..Reading "What to expect when expecting" could not prepare me mentally well enough....I was very used to the love and affection frens and family would shower on me for being pregnant...I was very used to the special attention my hubby would give and yes the endless list of Do's and Don'ts which I would receive from aunties, in-laws etc. etc.; just for being pregnant! And now here I was thinking of doing the last bit of what Trayee would love to do before she is no longer a daughter but a mother as well! And what else could it be but  food...good food that I would love to cook! Hence an easy simple recipe, inspired by my Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson's Bread and Butter Pudding was my sole comfort!

Ingredients: 

(very easily available in every household)

Bread (I used whole wheat bread...a plain white bread would also do) Please do not cut the crust of the bread out.

2 Eggs

Milk (I used toned..a full cream is any day better)

Fresh Cream (optional)

Vanilla Essence

Butter (50 gms)

Plain Caster Sugar

Cinnamon powder (completely optional...but i loved this smell when I was expecting :))

Dried fruits (Raisins, prunes, cranberries) (A must - since they provided an interesting sour contrast to the sweet)

Cook It-

Butter the bread slice lightly. Simply tear 6-7 slices of bread in large pieces,you may systematically cut them into 2-inch or so squares or rectangles...but no...this kinda precision was the last thing I had in mind! Now, break two eggs, pour in almost a cup and a half of milk.(You may also use a cup of milk and half a cup of fresh cream instead) And add a few drops of good  vanilla essence. Now whisk the liquid ingredients together, add sugar and whisk again, till the mixture turns a li'l silky in texture. I whisked it manually, a hand blender is easier to use! Butter the baking dish, Just tip in the torn bread pieces, the dry fruits. Cut the butter into a few cubes and randomly place it in the debris of bread and dry fruits and pour the egg and milk mixture over it, make sure all the bread pieces are soaked in the liquid. Then dust a few pinches of cinnamon powder. Do not forget to sprinkle some sugar over, so that it gets a nice caramely crunchy top when it is baked. Let it stand for 8-10 mins. Now put this in a pre-heated oven for 20 mins at 180 degree celsius or 350 degree fahrenheit. 

Baingan Bharta

Baingan is a savior most of the times. Hence, I love to experiment with Brinjal as often as possible. Baingan Bhartha is again one of my favorites and I make it as a side dish for lunches and dinners. Here is my recipe for it.

Ingredients

Large Brinjal 1

Tomatoes 2

Onion 1

Garlic cloves 3

Masala

Cook It

Clean the Brinjal and put in a micro wave dish for 5 min on high heat. After 6 min, turn the Brinjal and put it for another 6 min on high heat. In 12 min, the Brinjal will become soft and half cooked, remove it and allow it to cool.

Take a pan, heat oil and fry garlic cloves, onions and then add tomatoes. after tossing them for 2 min, add little salt and allow them to cook for 3 min. Now add turmeric, sabji masala, little salt and add little water and allow it to cook for another 3 -4 min. 

Take the cooled Brinjal and peel off the skin completely and also remove the stem. Now add the pulp to the tomato curry and mix thoroughly. Mash everything with a masher and allow it to cook for another 3-4 min. Add coriander for taste. 

Yummy Baingan Bhartha is ready. This method varies from chef to chef. I cook it this way and is loved by my friends! 

Pumpkin Halwa

                                      

                   

Desserts are irresistible. Rather than spending money on them, I prefer to make them at home. Its low cost, Hygiene and most of all, Fresh! Pumpkin Halwa is one such regular household dish in our house. Most of the times, I make it with the other half of pumpkin piece that is left behind after being used in Sambar! Hence, Pumpkin halwa is just a regular name in our kitchen. Here is the recipe for you all.

Ingredients

Pumpkin piece

Cashews 5-6

Elaichi 2-3

Ghee 2 Tsp

Sugar 5-6 spoons

Milk- 1 cup

Turmeric- Pinch

Mawa Podwer- 2 Tsp

Cook it

Take a pan and boil milk for 3-4 minutes, Once the milk is hot add pumpkin pieces and let everything boil for 7-8 minutes. In the mean time, fry Cashews and Elaichi in ghee and add it to the pumpkin. Add sugar, mawa powder and pinch of turmeric and little water and mix thoroughly. Let everything boil. Mash Pumpkin using a masher until it mixes completely in the milk. Let it boil for another 4-5 minutes until you smell aroma.

Yummy Pumpkin Halwa is ready. It is very easy to make and can save your lunches or dinners most of the times. 

Stuffed Brinjal

             

Tell me who doesn't like Brinjal? It is definitely one of those rare vegetables which is available in different shapes and is most experimental friendly. Recently I tried stuffed brinjal and we gulped every piece in just minutes. Now let me give you my recipe so that you can try it at your home! 

Ingredients

Small Brinjal 7-8

Peanuts- 1 cup

fenugreek- 1/3 cup

Red mirchi 2-3

Tamarind Extract 1 tea spoon

Coriander

Dhania powder

Masala powder

Cook it-

Slit brinjal across with the stem on. Essential cut it in the base. Soak the cut brinjals in Salt water for 20 minutes. 

Now heat a small pan and fry peanuts. Add fenugreek and red mirchi and fry until they turn little brown. Add this mix into a blender. Add little salt, tamarind extract and very little water to make it into a gravy. blend it to form into a thick paste. 

Now, using a knife, add the this paste into brinjals carefully. Heat a pan and add 2 tea spoons of oil. Fry brinjals holding stems until the brinjals are fried lightly. Place the brinjals in a microwave bowl and cook them for 10 minutes. Turn the brinjals after 5 minutes so that they are cooked equally in all sides.

Now heat 1-2 tea spoons oil in pan and add remaining mix from the blender and add brinjals from microwave. Let them cook for 5-7 minutes. Slowly keep toppling brinjals so that they get cooked evenly and don't break. Add coriander and serve with hot Rice.

Isn't it yummy?????

Guacamole

(Image from Google)

Who doesn't love Mexican food. Especially when you are living abroad, Mexican food is the only savior. The kind of cooking, rice, burritos- everything gives you a feeling of complete India Thali. So, each time I visit a mexican restaurant, Guacamole is one sure shot dish that I relish. When I realised how easy it is to make it, I could not stop from trying it. 

Ingredients-

Avocados- 1-2

Onion- sliced half

Lemon- half

Salt- accordingly

Green chillies- 1-2- mashed

Coriander- cut into pieces

Tomato salsa (optional)

Cook it- 

Peel avocados and remove seed. Mash them and make a paste.  Add lemon juice, coriander, salt, onions, chilli paste and mix well. You can add tomato salsa if you like. I like it without salsa. Let it stand for some time. Guacamole is ready! 

Yummy. Now make it and let me know. 

Sweet Corn Soup

(Image from google)

Sweet corn soup...hmm - cant imagine a dinner date without it. sometimes, it is more than an appetizer and fills your stomach! so, I tried this at home and scored another dish in my menu :). This is how I made it..

Ingredients

Corn 

Carrots

Beans

Cornflour

Vinegar

Soy sauce

Ginger garlic paste

Black pepper

Procedure

Boil/microwave corn, carrot pieces and beans for 5 minutes. You can add broccoli and lettuce if you have! Mix cornflour in a small cup and put it aside. Now take 2 cups of water (serves 2 people) and heat in a wok on medium flame, add all the boiled veggies, and 2 spoons of vinegar, 1 spoon soy sauce and pinch of ginger-garlic paste and stir it. Let the mixture boil for 5-7 minutes. Once the bubbles start appearing, add 4 spoons of the corn flour mixture and stir again for 2-3 minutes.  You can add pinch of salt and little black-pepper. That's it. The appetizer is ready to relish! 

Yummy yummy delicious :)

Repaired Roti

(Image from Google)

Left over, but not rotten, food is always a head ache. you can neither eat it nor throw it away. But there are ways to repair it and eat in different forms! This is a dish which I used to make during my work days when I had to rush to office sans breakfast. usually we have rotis from the dinner that are left over. Try this dish with those left over rotis and let me know how it tastes. 

Ingredients

onion- half

tomato- one

stuff for tadka

green chillis

Procedure

Chop onion and tomato into small pieces. Take a wok, heat it and put tadka and fry onions and add tomatoes. Let it heat for 1 minute. Now cut rotis into small pieces with finger. try to make them into as small as you can. Add the roti pieces to the tomato mix and stir it for sometime. add some salt and turmeric and stir it throughly and let it heat for 2 minutes. 

So, this dish, with cut rotis, is ready and it tastes yummy unlike the usual roti-subji stuff. This is easy to make and you will be guilt free!

By S

Chinese Fried Noodles

(Image from Google)

Chinese is one of my favourite cuisines. I never miss a chance to have chinese noodles or fried rice. Any veg mixed chinese dish tempts me! So, last week we tried chinese fried noodles at home and damn! Tt turned out to be yummy yummy. Here is the recipe

Ingredients
Hakka Noodles/or any form of noodles

Oinion-1

Scallions-2

Ginger garlic paste

Tomato

Cabbage 2-3 leaves

Soy sauce

Cook it

Boil or heat water and put hakka noodles in the hot water for 5 minutes. In the mean time, heat a wok, add 2-3 tbs oil. Add onions, scallion pieces, tomato and cabbage and mix well for 2-3 minutes. Now add ginger garlic paste (pinch) and salt and little turmeric. Add soy sauce 3-4 spoons. You can use the soy packets that you got from 'take away' food, its much easier lol. Saute everything for a minute. Now take out the noodles from the bowl and drain the water by squeezing them. Add noodles to the wok and mix and fry everything for 2-3 minutes. There you go! Chinese fried noodles are ready in less than a minute! Don't you think this one is much better than the one that we order from outside??

Try it out...

Methi Rice

Its valentine's day and my hubby has too much work and there are no groceries at home! what a gift! huh. So I was left with minimal things and had to manage with the stuff. I was too ambitious to cook something really good and surprise my hubby. But annoyingly the leftover leaves of methi, and some "ready to perish" tomatoes and potatoes are laughing at my state! But I was not going to give up. Thanks to basmati rice that stocked up since long. I pulled out the bag and thought of making methi rice. Here goes the recipe..


ingredients
Rice- plain or basmati
Methi leaves
Tomato-1
Onion-1
Spices for tadka


procedure 
Put tadka and fry onions. Add tomato and mix and mash it so that it becomes like paste. Now add methi leaves and mix the stuff till the leaves start to disappear. Now add rice and mix the whole stuff. You can add some pepper powder, or any masala powder for taste -along with salt and turmeric. Let it fry for 2-3 minutes. Now put the whole stuff in a cooker (pressure or electric). Add water accordingly and let it boil. 

Yummy methi rice is ready!


my hubby cleaned the whole bowl and asked for some more! ahem ahem i prepared very little and promised that i will cook again :). you can have the dish with raita or just by itself! either ways, its yummy....

Chicken Jalfrezi

This Friday like every other Friday was making my expectations very high.....How would I enjoy the weekend and how I was determined that this weekend will be different from other weeknds in the sense, that I will do something very constructive, enjoyable and will not just laze around......So for me its the Friday dinner which sets the note of the weekend.....But but but....a hard day at my school left me with no energy for preparing special dishes in the evening......Yet to satisfy my expectations I had to churn out something delightful for the Friday drinks and dinner....So here it was Chicken Jalfrezi....sounds good....hmmm...restaurant like ...right???

 Ingredients:

500 gms of chicken breast (skin removed), well washed and cut into bite sized pieces

2-3 medium sized onion, cut into long pieces, not very thin

1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/2 inch ginger, thinly sliced

Spices and other stuff :

Garam Masala (2 tsp)

Jeera (Cumin) powder (1 tsp)

Corriander powder (1.5 tsp)

Salt according to taste

Pinch of sugar

Red chilly powder according to taste

Turmeric (1/2 tsp)

Chicken stock powder (optional)

Cook It- 

Marination ...Now marinating is not very important for this dish, however since I find the chicken breast very fibrous, I marinate the chicken here with oil, 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste, chilly  powder and salt. Marinate it for about half an hour or so.

To start with we add oil in the pan, as the oil heats, I throw in the onion and the garlic, a pinch of salt, to sweat the onions fast, after the onions become translucent add a pinch of sugar to caramelize the onions. Now we add in 3/4 th of the chopped ginger, and the bell peppers. We let the bell peppers ooze some of the water out. At this stage, we add the powdered spices except the Garam Masala. Mix it well. Once the oil starts oozing out of the onion and peppers, add the marinated chicken . Now since this chicken is boneless it is gonna get cooked fast. So we toss the chicken well with the spices. After this we add in the sliced tomato.(You may add tomato puree also, depending on your convenience. But tomato ketchup is something which you may avoid adding, given the smell of vinegar.) Now we let the tomatoes cook. The chicken becomes tender with the juices from the tomatoes .You may add half a cup of water for slight gravy. We may mix the chicken stock powder in warm water (optional) and then add it instead of plain water. Cover the pan with a lid, put the stove on medium flame.  Once we see the chicken oozing out the oil, we check with a fork whether the chicken is cooked. Lastly spread the garam masala. Cover the lid and let the chicken stand and the fragrance of garam masala should sink in the chicken. Turn off the stove. Garnish your chicken with corriander, the rest of the ginger and a wedge of lemon.

Serve your Chicken Jalfrezi with Chapattis or Naan. Also goes well with Fried Rice. 

A perfectly colourful Friday night fast dinner! Bon Appetit!