- Very healthy recipes from the kitchen to the table in minutes

Though I am open to most cuisines, I still have reservations about flavors. I was not into Thai food as most people are because of the le...

Though I am open to most cuisines, I still have reservations about flavors. I was not into Thai food as most people are because of the lemon grass flavor. Lemon grass oil is used in India to keep mosquito's away and I did not enjoy that flavor in food. But all that changed a while ago when my brother-in-law Shaker prepared the spiciest and lemon grass flavor free red Thai curry and served it to us. I really started liking the curry and have been making it often.The secret to it was Thai Kitchen's Red Curry Paste. Most red curry pastes have anchovies in them but this brand that I found at Henry's Market Place came without it.




Gadgets:


Cutting board
Knife
Sauce pan
Wok
Spatula
Bowl

Ingredients:

Onion - 1
Broccoli - 1/2 cup
Carrot Slices - 1 cup
Zucchini slices - 1/2 cup
Coconut Milk - 1 tin
Bell Pepper - 1/2 cup
Thai Curry Paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic- 3 cloves
Ginger- 1 inch
Basil leaves
Salt
Pepper
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Pepper - a dash
Oil - 1 tsp for every veggie




Preparation:


1. In a sauce pan add the coconut milk and Thai curry paste and allow to simmer.

2. Heat the wok on high and add the 1 tsp of oil. Saute the ginger garlic and onions without salt to keep it crunchy but get it cooked. When the color of the onions change transfer to a bowl.

3. Add another tsp of oil and cook the carrot, transfer it to the bowl and do the same with zucchini, broccoli and bell pepper.

4. Now add the veggies back to wok and add the coconut milk mixture to it along with turmeric powder, a dash of black pepper and salt.

5. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, add basil leaves and serve it hot with sticky rice.

Happy Deepavali! Inspired by Lavi's cashew katli recipe I decided to prepare it for Deepavali but, I let the cashew katli sit on the...

Happy Deepavali! Inspired by Lavi's cashew katli recipe I decided to prepare it for Deepavali but, I let the cashew katli sit on the stove a little longer because my tray was not ready and hence lost the play dough consistency. Not very happy with my end result I decided to give it a try again. This time I used her recipe as the base and substituted pistachios for cashews.I have to mention that though I powdered the pistachios well they were not fine enough to give a smooth katli. But, I really liked the course texture that I ended up with. It was such a breeze to make this katli and this time I remembered to have my tray ready before I started making the katli.





Gadgets:

Wok or heavy bottom vessel
Spatula
Greased tray
Knife
Food processor or Mixier
Plate

Ingredients:

Pistachios - 1 cup ( powdered)
Saffron - a pinch
Cardamon- 2
Camphor- a tiny bit
Ghee - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 4 to 5 tbsp or enough to cover the sugar




Preparation:

1. Blend together nuts, saffron, cardamon, camphor into a powder.

2. Heat the wok with sugar and water and allow the sugar to melt.

3. Keep dipping the spatula in the sugar and drop the liquid sugar syrup on the plate and tilt it to see if it flows. Keep doing this until you see the drop is stagnant.

4. Stir in the nut mixture well and remove the vessel from heat and pour into the prepared tray. Spread it out uniform with the back of a flat bottom bowl and cut into diamonds.

Note: Once I added the nut mixture it was like a play dough and it was easy to spread it out. So I think your mixture should resemble a dough.


If you have been following my blog for long you would know that I like Oranges. Among all jams I have always relished Marmalade. The bitte...

If you have been following my blog for long you would know that I like Oranges. Among all jams I have always relished Marmalade. The bitter sweet taste with a slight tang makes it a very unique jam. I always buy Dundee brand marmalade jam from Trader Joe's, but I have not ever since I decided to make them myself. To my liking Ina Graten of Barefoot Contessa's show featured a wonderful marmalade jam that was her friend Ann's recipe. I followed her recipe but substituted limes instead of lemons. The sugar was also something I adjusted. It is a process but if you have the patience to go with it you will have some delicious marmalade in your pantry for a couple of month.



Gadgets:

Heavy Bottom Stock Pot
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Cups
Ladle
Spatula
Candy Thermometer

Ingredients:

Oranges - 6 smaller ones
Sugar - 6 cups
Water - 6 cups
Limes - 1
Lemon - 1



Preparation:

1. Cut the oranges, limes and lemons in half and make half moon slices(very think slices).

2. Add water and cook it to a boil.Then add sugar and allow to dissolve.Cover and let this sit over night.

3. Next day place it back on stove and cook until the liquid starts to boil, then reduce and turn the heat to low and allow to simmer for 2 hours.

4. Cook until the jam reaches a 220 degree F and then turn off the heat.

5. Store in sterilized bottles and enjoy it over a slice of toast.


A recipe that really is a few minute wonder. I know I must have posted this one 2 days ago to help all of you prepare valle cheedai for Kr...

A recipe that really is a few minute wonder. I know I must have posted this one 2 days ago to help all of you prepare valle cheedai for Krishna's birthday. Though preparation is super fast its the documentation that is time consuming. This recipe is from Mrs. Radha Viswanath a good friend of my sisters. I think it tastes like the cheedai that our moms used to slog to prepare. It takes 5 ingredients to prepare and its as simple as mixing and deep frying. I was so thrilled with this recipe that I wanted to share with all of you and make life easy.




Gadgets:

Bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Wok
Spatula
Paper Towel
Collander

Ingredients: Makes 20-25 cheedais.

Rice flour (store bought) - 1 cup
Udad dhal roasted and powdered - 1/8th tsp
Butter- 1 tsp
Brown sugar - 1 cup
Elachi - 2 pods powdered
Water to form a dough ( a few sprinkles)
Oil to deep fry




Preparation:


1. Heat the oil in the wok to medium. This is very important step.If you keep it on high they will disintegrate.

2. In a bowl add all of the dry ingredients and form the dough( not a wet dough for sure).It might for small cracks but that is fine. It helps them cook well.

3. Make small balls and deep fry.

Masala or Curry are popular terms used in reference to Indian cuisine. Every household has its own ways of preparing the basic gravy. The b...

Masala or Curry are popular terms used in reference to Indian cuisine. Every household has its own ways of preparing the basic gravy. The basis of the gravy is how onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes are incorporated with a bunch of spices. Some like to cook the raw paste of these veggies in oil while another method is to cook them and then make a paste. Once the gravy is made any vegetable or paneer can be added to bring out different flavors. One basic and easy gravy that I often prepare is the one I have presented below.





Gadgets:

Blender
Wok
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring spoons

Ingredients:

Veggies:Red Onions - 1, Roma Tomatoes - 1, Ginger - 1/2 inch, Garlic Powder - 2 tsp, Kasthuri Methi - 1 tbs, Green Chilli - 1 (without seeds for less spice), Veggies ( used bell pepper mixed colors - 1 cup)

Whole Spices:
Shah Jeera - 1 tsp, Cardamon- 1 pod, Cinnamon - 1 inch stick, Cloves - 2
Powdered Spices:Turmeric - 1/2 tsp, Cumin Powder - 1 tsp, Coriander Powder - 1 tsp, Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp, Pepper

salt to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Sliced almonds for garnish - 1/4th cup



Preparation:

1. Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a wok and add the whole spices to it except the shah jeera or cumin to it. In 20 seconds add garlic powder, onions, green chilli and onions to it and cook it until the onions are translucent.

2. Add tomatoes and cook for 4 minutes or until the tomatoes are well incorporated with the onion. Add all the powders and cook it for 4 minutes. Transfer this mix into a blender jar and blend into a paste.

3. Reheat the wok add oil and add shah jeera and kasthuri methi and allow them to mix in the oil for 20 seconds and then add bell pepper. Add a little salt and cook the peppers.When they are well cooked and slightly toasted add the paste and 1/2 - 1 cup of water and allow it to simmer covered for 5 minutes and serve it hot with rice or roti.



It has been a while since I checked on blogs or blogged. Been busy packing up boxes to move. There are some recipes that I had intended on...

It has been a while since I checked on blogs or blogged. Been busy packing up boxes to move. There are some recipes that I had intended on posting last month but somehow it has been pushed to this month. One evening I wanted to cook something very fast to go with roti and I set out to prepare aloo gobi. This is a little different from the traditional method. I broiled the potatoes and cauliflower which came out very crunchy. I saved a lot of time by cooking the masala separate and the veggies separate. Not kidding the whole thing was done in less than 20 minutes.



Gadgets:

Heavy Wok
Spatula
Baking Trays
Cutting Board
Knife
Peeler


Ingredients:

Red Potato - 4
Cauliflower heads - 2 cups
Green Chili - 1
Red Onion - 1
Tomato- 3
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Kasthuri Methi - 1 tbsp crushed
Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Salt
Pepper
Oil - 3 tbsp



Preparation:

1. Peal the potato and cut into big cubes. Mix the cauliflower, oil, salt and pepper and broil in the oven for 15 minutes making sure to toss them in between.

2. Heat the wok and add oil to it.When that heats up at cumin seeds and allow it to pop and add green chilli's.

3. Add onions, garlic, ginger, salt and cook. When that is well cooked add tomato and cook it well with the onions.

4. Add the powders and cook until the tomato and onions are well mixed.

5. When the potatoes are well cooked add them to the mix in the wok and coat it well. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of water to allow the flavours to get absorbed.

6. Garnish with kasthuri methi and cilantro and serve it hot with roti or rice.



One of the best snacks to prepare is vadai. Its so common to south Indian cuisine and is often served for celebrations, offerings and snac...

One of the best snacks to prepare is vadai. Its so common to south Indian cuisine and is often served for celebrations, offerings and snacks. To most people it is very simple to make vadai's but for me it has been a big struggle. For years I have tried many recipes and instead of making mini doughnut shaped vadais I would often make mini balls out of them. Apart from the shape the texture and taste was another thing I struggled with. The reason being,I wanted to recreate a particular taste and texture. My appa used to buy us some out of the world vadai's, bonda's and baji's from the guy who sold it next to Cross cut road Canadra Bank in Coimbatore. Its easily the best medhu vadai's I have ever tasted.


Justify Full
Gadgets:

Food Processor
Wok
Spatula
Measuring Spoons and Cups
Platter
Paper Towel


Ingredients:

Udad Dhal (I used the broken one) - 1 cup
Rice Flour - 1 - 2 tsp
Asafoetida - a few shakes
Salt
Pepper - Crushed
Green chillis - 2 sliced
Red Onions - 1/3 cup
Water for soaking and grinding - 5 cups
Cilantro - a bunch



Preparation:

1. Soak the udad dhal in water for over 2 - 3 hours.

2. Place the udad dhal in the food processor and blend it adding maybe 1tbsp water at a time. The dough has to be thick and not watery so that is why the food processor helps. Allow the dough to fluff up and double.

3. Add sliced green chillis, onions, asafoetida, cilantro salt, powdered pepper and rice flour to the dough and mix well. Mix the dough with your hands well for about 25 times to allow air to move well through the dough.

4. As per grandma's tip drop a small ball of dough into water and see if it floats. If it does them you can start making vadai's.

5. Coat your hands with water and take half a golf ball size dough in your hands. Pat it with your tumb and make a hole in the center. Slide the dough into oil that has been heated for frying.

6. Fry on both sides until golden brown.Transfer into a paper towel and serve hot.


This bhel is some thing that I wanted to recreate from memory. My uncle used to treat my sister and me to the healthy version of bhel from...

This bhel is some thing that I wanted to recreate from memory. My uncle used to treat my sister and me to the healthy version of bhel from street vendor. The way he had the ingredients arranged in his cart is something that I still remember. It contained veggies, puffed rice, some magic powder ( mixed spices) ,sauces, crunchy stuff like chips and nuts. He would mix all these ingredients skillfully in his steel bowl and parcel it off into paper cones. What a delight I used to experience when I took a mouthful of the bhel. After big discussion with my sister we decided on the possible ingredients he would have used. Too bad he no longer sells this in my neighborhood to verify. But I made it 3 days in a row and in the end got it close to the vendor.



Gadgets:

My chopper
Cutting Board
Knife
Measuring Cups and Spoons
Steel Bowl
Spatula
Wok


Ingredients:

Puffed Rice - 2 cups
Tomato - 3 roma
Cucumber - 2
Red Onion - 1/4 cup
Spring Onion - 2
Pepper - 1 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Chat Masala - 1 tsp
Sweet Sauce - 3 tbsp
Green Chilli Sauce - 3 Tbsp
Salt
Cilantro - 1/4 cup
Chips - 1/2 cup
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup
Any other crunchy snack like mixture.


Preparation:




1. Cut the veggies into smaller pieces and place it in the chopper to make it into even pieces.







2. Heat the wok and roast the puffed rice if it has a smell to it or if you want to make it crunchy.






3. In the steel bowl add the puffed rice, the crunchy mixture and 1/2 the powders.








4. Add the chopped veggies and remaining powders to it.










5. Mix the veggies and puffed rice when you are ready to serve.











6. Add the sauces and crunched peanuts, chips and cilantro and serve.

As promised here is the post with the left over orange peel syrup. I had an option of using the orange syrup as a topping for pancakes or ...

As promised here is the post with the left over orange peel syrup. I had an option of using the orange syrup as a topping for pancakes or waffles. Instead I decided to bake a cake. Before I write down my recipe I have to tell you all that I might have baked many cakes in the past but none turned out like this one. The texture is what I am talking about. It was very soft and moist and melted in my mouth. I am wondering as what caused this. Was it the use of kitchen aid mixer or the sugar syrup. If anyone can give me an explanation I would understand maybe the science behind the formation of this cake.



Gadgets:

Measuring cups and spoons
Oven
Muffin pans
Muffin pan liners
Electrical mixer

Ingredients:

APF - 3/4 cup
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour- 1/4 cup
Baking Powder- 1 tsp
White Chocolate - 4 ounces
Sour Cream - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Eggs - 2
Orange peel melted syrup - whatever is filtered
(please refer to point 4 in Candied Orange Peel )


Preparation:

1. Add the sugar, butter and sour cream to a bowl and mix well with an electrical mixer.

2. Add eggs one at a time and incorporate well.

3. Melt chocolate in the microwave with 1 tbsp of butter, cool and add to mixture.

4. Add dry ingredients in 2 batches. Pour the batter into prepared muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

5. Garnish with candied orange peel and serve.


A few weeks ago my sister gave me a bag of home grown oranges from her backyard. It has been sitting on my counter for weeks. Inspired by ...

A few weeks ago my sister gave me a bag of home grown oranges from her backyard. It has been sitting on my counter for weeks. Inspired by Cooking Light magazine's recipe on how to prepare candied orange peel, I made optimum use of the fruit by making orange juice and using the skin to make candied orange peel. The orange peel is wonderful to use as a garnish or as an ingredient in desserts. On this Earth Day I thought it would be appropriate to post on ways an orange can be used. After extracting the juice and using the skin to make candied orange peel, the remains were put into the sink disposal to clean and act as an air freshener.





Gadgets:


Heavy Bottom pan
Spatula
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Sieve
Peeler
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:

Oranges - 2
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 2 tbsp


Preparation:





1. Using a peeler, peel only the zest of the orange carefully and cut into think strips.







2. Heat 1/4 cup of sugar and water and allow the sugar to dissolve completely.

3. Add the orange zest to the sugar liquid and allow it to cook for a few minutes.

4. Pass this mixture through a sieve and drain the zest.

Note: Do not throw the syrup away. Please wait for my next post to see what I created with it.




5. Spread the candied zest on to a parchment paper taking care to see that each zest is separated and allowed to air dry for some time ( took me over night to dry them, it all depends on the weather).










6. Toss the dried zests with 1/4 cup of sugar and store in air tight container and use it for desserts.

Cilantro paneer is the perfect side dish for someone who likes the taste of cilantro. I have been pondering over how to incorporate cilant...

Cilantro paneer is the perfect side dish for someone who likes the taste of cilantro. I have been pondering over how to incorporate cilantro into preparing something interesting. I had a purpose to make this for lunch instead of any other paneer dish.The reason being that Cilantro is hosting JFI event with Cilantro as the theme ingredient. I must say it came out better than I expected. Personally, I would have enjoyed it without toasting the paneer but everyone other than me liked it toasted. My entry to WYF side dish event hosted by Simple Indian Food.



Gadgets:

Heavy bottom pan
Blender
Bowl
Spatula
Cutting Board
Knife
Colander

Ingredients:

Paneer - 350 gms
Cilantro - 3 bunches ( only the leaves)
Onion - 1
Garlic - 4 pods
Tomato paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 3 chopped
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chilli - 1
Salt
Kasthuri Methi- 1tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Water - 3/4 cup

Preparation:






1. Heat the heavy bottom pan with 2 tbsp of oil and toast the paneer cubes. Transfer into a bowl.





2. In a blender add onion, garlic, cilantro, ginger and water and blend into a fine paste.


3. Heat the pan again with 1 tbsp of oil add chillis and roast them a bit and then add the paste. Allow it to cook for 15 minutes covered.

4. Check to see if the raw smell of onion and garlic disappeared. Then add the powders, tomato paste and tomato and cook for 5 minutes.





5. Add milk and sugar and cook for 5 minutes.


6. Add roasted paneer and cook for 4 minutes. Garnish with kasthuri methi and serve it hot with roti or naan.






7. Voila! Cilantro Paneer

A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all. For new years I decided on making Kesari. Served on a banana leaf hot it is an ou...

A very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all.

For new years I decided on making Kesari. Served on a banana leaf hot it is an out of the world sweet to enjoy. Its something I really look forward to having at weddings where they focus on taste than health benefits and use a lot more ghee than I would use in my kitchen. Another reason why this sweet is very popular in my household is that my daughter loves it and calls it prasadham and does not need to be pushed to consume it.I think its the easiest sweet for me to prepare as it would be done in less than 10 minutes. I must confess that I make it milder so that I can eat a lot more. So if one is a true sweet lover please add 1/4 cup or more sugar to this recipe.



Gadgets:

Heavy bottom pan or wok
Kettle or saucepan with hot water
Spatula
Measuring cups and spoons

Ingredients:

Rava/Cream of Wheat - 1 cup
Sugar- 1 1/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cups
Water - 3 cups
Camphor - less than a pinch
Saffron - 1/2 tsp
Cardamon - 2 pods
Kesari Color ( optional)
Cashew Nut - 1/4 cup broken
Raisins - 1/4 cup


Preparation:

1. Boil the water in the kettle or saucepan.

2. Heat the heavy bottom pan and melt the butter.

3. As soon as the butter is melted and bubbles start to form toss in the dry fruit and nuts an roast it on medium high and drain them and keep it aside in a plate.

4. Add rava and roast it until all the raw smell leaves about 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add water and cook the rava. The water will get absorbed.

6. Add sugar and mix well and allow it to get from melted form to thicker consistency.

7. Add saffron, cardamon, camphor and kesari powder and mix well.

8. Garnish with nuts and dry fruits and serve them hot.