Cheesy Corn Cutlet

When it comes to evening tea time the taste buds always craves for something nice hot and spicy. I was bored with the usual samosa and chat items, while thinking what-else to cook! This corn cutlet came up and i stuffed in a small piece of mozzarella cheese in it for the twist. This is a super starter for any party!

Ingredients:

Boiled Corn - 1 cup
Boiled potatoes - 1 cup
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Dry Mango powder - 1/4 tsp
Sooji/Semolina - 2 tbsp
Fresh Coriander leaves - few chopped
Bread crumbs - 1/2 Cup
Egg white - 1 [optional]
Mozzarella - 100 gms - cut into small half inch cubes 
Salt - to taste
Oil - to fry

Method:

1.  In a Mixie Jar, Add the boiled corn and grind it coarsely. "Do not make it into a paste"
2. Now in a mixing bowl add corn, mash the boiled potatoes into it, then add ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder. turmeric powder, jeera powder, dry mango powder, sooji, egg white, coriander & salt, combine the mixture well.
3. Now add little bread crumbs to the mixture and mix once again
4. Take a plate and spread the remaining bread crumbs and keep it ready, Place the frying pan, Pour some oil to shallow fry and heat.
5. Apply Few drops of oil in your palm, take some mixture & place a piece of mozzarella cheese in the center and make patties of your desired shape now roll both sides with bread crumbs and fry till golden brown.. Drain excess oil in tissue.

Serve hot with ketchup! 

Egg curry...

There are days when i feel toooo lazy to cook, so i end up with this quick side dish  to pair up with lunch or dinner! 

Prep time: 15 Mins
Cooking time: 10 Mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
Eggs - 4 Hard Boiled
Onion - 2 Finely chopped
Tomato - 2 pureed
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Jeera Powder - 1/2 tbsp
Tumeric Powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - few strands
Green chilly - 1 [optional]
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

1. Boil the egg's for 10 minutes, remove the shell and slice them into halves and keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the curry leaves and let them splutter, add chopped onions and sautee for couple of minutes, add ginger garlic paste and stir well in medium flame.
3. Once the raw smell goes off, add the tomato puree and give it a stir and allow it to cook for few minutes.
4. Now add all the powders mentioned above and mix well and combine, add salt to taste. wait until the oil in the curry oozes out!
5. Now gently add the boiled eggs to the curry **Do not stir too much as the yellow yoke tends to break at times. Jus  coat the egg with the masala & Leave it on heat for 2 mins and switch the flame off.


This will be a great combo for hot piping sambar, rasam, curd rice or even with soft phulkas!

Masala Fusilli Pasta - Desi Style

We love pasta for dinner! This recipe is super easy and suits our Indian taste buds who love spice in every dish. This one does not included any special sauce just the usual masala's we use day to day! So here's the recipe.

Serves: 3
Prep Time: 10 mins Cooking Time: 20 Mins

Ingredients:

Fusilli Pasta - 3/4 cup
Soya chunks [small size] – 1/4 cup [optional]
Onion - 1 Small Chopped finely
Tomato puree - 1 big tomato 
Garlic finely chopped - 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 3 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp
Butter – 1 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
For garnish – shredded Mozzarella cheese & Italian seasoning. 

Method:
- Boil water and cook fusilli pasta with salt until slightly soft.  Drain water and Keep aside. Also in another pot boil water and add soya chunks & 1 tbsp milk and cook, Drain & keep it aside.

- Heat oil and butter in a pan, Add Garlic and sautee till slightly browned and onions and sautee further, Now add the tomato puree and stir and wait until the raw smell goes off.

- Now add all the masala's, Chilli powder,Turmeric powder,Coriander powder & garam masala and also add salt, Mix well.

- Now add cooked soya and pasta into the masala mixture and stir well and combine altogether,Now keep the flame on high & add tomato sauce and give it a good stir for 2 mins and switch it off.

While serving grate some mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some Italian seasoning if you have at home! I bought my Italian seasoning for nuts & spices. 

Enjoy this Quick Low-fat Pasta and let me know!


Note: If you dont like soya chunks, you can very well add veggies of your choice like corn,carrot,peas or any color capsicum, mushroom etc..

Homemade Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese

When ever i have extra packets of milk in the fridge, I quickly boil and curdle it to make paneer! since its our favourite item in our menu! And also making paneer at home falls light on your pocket! :D

So here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
Milk - 1 ltr
Lemon Juice - 3 - 4 tbsp

Equipments needed =D
Strainer
Cheesecloth or any clean cloth for straining
Dinner plate - 1
Heavy weight eg. your motar & pestle

Yup! That's all you need!

Method:
- Boil the milk in a heavy bottom pot, once it lathers slowly add the lemon juice by stirring continuously.. Keep the flame in mediu

m and keep stirring until the whey separates completely
& Switch off the flame.

-  Now place the cheescloth in the strainer, make sure the cloth is big enough to tie it up. pour in the curdled milk into it carefully wash the mixture once while keeping the cloth into the strainer itself. now gather the corners of the cloth to center and tie it tightly.

- Hang it to the sink tap or where ever you find it feasible, allow the excess water to drain completely, this might take around 30 to 40 mins.

- Now Open the cloth and place it on a dinner plate, flatten the mixture using your hand and make it into a circle or square shape, again wrap it with the same cloth and place any weight on top of it i used my motar & pestle and allow it to set for 2-3 hours untouched.

- Final step!  after few hours remove the cloth and cut them in cubes and store it air tight containers or ziplock, and refrigerate. use them within 2-3 days, 

** Dont freeze the paneer.

 

Vermicelli Kheer

This is a quick fix dessert when you are running out of time while concentrating on the elaborate cooking during festive days! Yes! Just limited ingredients needed to prepare this full filling Kheer.. 

So here's the recipe!

Serves: 5 - 7
Prep time: 10 Mins
Cooking time: 15 Mins

Ingredients:
Vermicelli/Semiya - 400 gms
Sweetened Condensed Milk - 400 gms [i.e. 1 tin, I used Milkmaid]
Boiled Milk - 1 liter
Elachi powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 4 Tbsp
Dry Fruits [ Cashews, dry grapes, pista] - As per choice

Method:

- Heat ghee in a pan add the cashews and dry grapes and fry till golden brown, drain and   Keep it aside, 
- Now add the vermicelli and fry it golden brown, You can skip this step if you are using roasted vermicelli.
- Once vermicelli gets the golden color pour in the boiled milk and stir to soak the vermicelli completely.
- Add condensed milk and keep stirring. Sprinkle the elachi powder.
- Allow to cook in medium flame by stirring occasionally, Make sure it doesn't gets burnt.
- Add in half quantity of the fried nuts to the kheer & stir, Save the rest for garnish while serving.
- Once the vermicelli is cooked switch off the flame.

Note: While serving if you find the kheer to be very thick, add in warm milk or warm water to loose.

Tastes best when served chilled! :)  Enjoy!

Agar Agar Pudding

During Ramadan, Agar Agar Pudding is a Must-have dish for iftar, because it adds goodness of fiber to the empty stomach.  Agar agar has no calories, no carbs, no sugar, no fat and is loaded with fiber & it’s free from preservatives.

Amazing isn't it! And for those who've not come cross agar agar you can see those white dried sea weeds in the above picture.

So Here's the recipe!

Prep & Cooking time: 30 Mins
To set: 1 hr

Ingredients:
Agar Agar/China grass - 20 gms
Milk - 1 cup
Badam paste - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 3-4 tbsp
Rose milk essence - few drops [or any essence of your choice]
Water - 1/4 cup

Method:

- Soak some badams in warm water and peel the skin and grind it to smooth paste & keep it aside.

- Boil the milk add the badam paste and mix well and allow it to boil once, add sugar stir further & switch off the flame.

- Boil water add agar agar to it and stir it occasionally until it dissolves and switch off.

- Add few drops of essence of your choice to the milk i added rose milk flavour; also pour in the agar agar mixture that has been dissolved in water to the milk and stir well.

- Now pour the mixture in a flat square dish and allow it to cool, by the time it sets completely, pop it into the freezer to set further, Because it tastes best when served chill.

After an hour Agar Agar pudding is ready to relish! cut them into diamond shapes and refrigerate them in air tight box, This has to be consumed within 2-3 days.

Note:
You can also add vanilla essence and add any food color of your liking to make it more colorful to attract kids. As you know it's rich source of fiber & an easy way to make kids eat! :)

Spicy Prawn Curry

Here comes the super side dish to accompany your piping hot rasam/sambar rice or even plain ghee rice. Also hubby's favo dish. =)

Ingredients:

Prawn - 1/2 kg - Cleaned & de-viened 
Onion - Medium 2 - chopped
Tomato - 3 - finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves - a handful
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 4 tbsp
Lime juice - half lime - [optional]

For masala: [ Dry roast & Grind]
Peppercorns - 8-10
Jeera - 1 tsp
Saunf - 1 tsp
Dry chillies - 6-8
Shredded coconut - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and devien the prawns clean and keep it aside.

2. Heat a pan, keep the flame in medium and add all the above ingredients one by one mentioned "ForMasala". Dry roast and transfer them into plate and cool before grinding.

2. Grind all the ingredients into coarse powder without adding water. 

3. Now, Heat the pan, add oil, add the curry leaves, onions and sautee well. once it turns golden brown add ginger garlic paste and fry, add garam masala now add the chopped tomatoes and sautee further.

4. Add the ground coarse powder to it and stir well.

5. Now add the clean prawns, add salt mix once and close with lid and sim the flame.

After 3-5 mins the dish will be ready to serve. Off the flame and add lime juice and garnish with coriander.

Notes:

Do not over-cook the prawns more than 5 - 7 Minutes this will make the prawn rubbery.