Quesadilla

This is a good recipe to utilize the left overs. The extra ingredients required are flour tortillas, cooked rice and shredded cheese.
preparation time: 10 min.
if the stuffing is already present.
Serving size: 3 persons
Ingredients:
Flour tortillas (soft): 2
Cooked rice: 1 cup (not compulsory)
Shredded cheese: 1 cup
Salsa: 3tbsp (optional and if it is at home)
Left overs like cooked beans, any curry from last night's dinner. I have used the stuffing used for black bean sandwich. (The recipe is already present in this blog)
Salt and pepper or any seasoning that is present at home. (optional of course)
Method:
Quesadilla can be prepared in 2 ways by using either 2 tortillas to make a round shaped quesadilla which is shown in the picture or half moon shaped using one tortilla. Stuffing can be placed on half side of the tortilla and the other half is covers the stuffing.
I am explaining the round shaped one.
Place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spread salsa on it.
Spread the left over curry in generous amounts if you want to finish it off but not even too thick.
Spread a layer of rice.
Sprinkle the seasoning.
Spread a thick layer of shredded cheese.
Cover with another tortilla.
Close the edges with the help of cheese.
Grease a pan by using a cooking spray and heat it.
Place the quesadilla.
Cook on both sides until cheese melts.
Cut them into wedges and serve hot.

Plantain (aratikaya) bajji and chat

Whenever I go to my hometown, I always go to 'chat bandi' and eat Mirchi bajji chat, Aratikaya bajji chat and so many other chats. I know that nothing can beat that taste but still I tried to imitate that.

Preparation time: 40 min.

Ingredients:

For bajji:

Plantain: 1

gram flour: 1 cup

Rice flour: 1 cup

Baking soda: pinch

Salt to taste

Red chili powder: 1 tsp

Oil for deep frying

For chat:

Onion: 1 big (finely chopped)

Lime juice: of 2 big lime

Roasted peanuts: 1/2 cup

Tomato: 1 big (finely chopped)

Pepper powder: 1 tsp

Red chili powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Coriander leaves: 1/2 cup (finely copped)

Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

I) Bajji:

Heat oil in pan.

Peel the plantain and cut into thin, round slices.

Mix all of the bajji ingredients except plantain and oil.

Add water to make a semi solid paste.

Add plantain pieces to this paste. Make sure that all the pieces are completely coated with the paste before transferring them into hot oil.

When oil is hot, add the plantain pieces coated with flour paste.

Fry them until they turn golden brown.

Remove from oil.

Keep them aside.

II) Chat:

In a mixing bowl, add all the chat ingredients.

When bajji is cool enough to handle, cut them into 1"x1" pieces.

Add these to the mixing bowl.

Mix well.

Adjust taste.

Serve the dish as a Sunday evening snack

Mutton (lamb) curry

Whoever likes lamb/mutton and spicy food, would just love this recipe. No other explanations needed.
Preparation time: 50 min.
Working time: 30 min.
Cooking in a pressure cooker takes the above time but cooking in a pan takes longer time than this.
Ingredients:
Mutton: 2 lbs
Onion: 1 medium ( finely chopped)
Tomatoes: 2 medium (finely chopped)
Potato: 1 big ( chop into 1"x1" pieces)
Coriander leaves: 6 tbsp
Green chilies: 5 (finely chopped)
Yogurt: 3 tbsp
Lime juice: 4 tbsp
Water: 1 cup
Oil: 4 tbsp
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tbsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
Garam Masala: 1/2 tsp
(available in Indian grocery stores)
Black pepper: 1tsp (freshly ground)
Cinnamon: 3"
Cardamom: 3
Cloves: 5
Garlic: 3 cloves
Ginger: 1/2"
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Bay leaf:1
Method:
Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
Add mustard and cumin seeds.
When the mustard splatters in oil, add onions and green chilies.
Cook until the onions turn golden brown by mixing in between.
Add turmeric, ginger and garlic.
Cook for about 1 min.
Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
Cook for 1 min.
Add tomatoes.
Slightly mash them with a spoon.
Add chili powder, coriander powder, pepper and garam masala.
Mix well.
Add potatoes and mutton.
Stir until mutton turns slightly pale in colour.
Add yogurt, lime juice and salt.
Add water and coriander leaves.
Mix well.
Keep the lid and cook for about 5-6 whistles.
When it is done and pressure is gone, remove the lid and check the taste for salt. If mutton is not cooked well, add more water if needed and cook for 3 more whistles.
Serve with hot rice/ tortillas.

Chicken Pickle (Pachadi)

I love chicken, shrimp and mutton pickles. I have tasted them only twice in my entire life. From then onwards, I am trying to get those recipes and taste. Now I got a recipe for chicken pickle. Even though it didn't taste as I had tasted in my college days but it has got good taste too. I have added very little amount of oil so it looks dry.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Skinless and boneless chicken: 2 lbs
Ginger - 2" fresh root (blend into as soft as possible)
Garlic - 4 cloves
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice: 4 tbsp
Chili powder: 4 tbsp
Salt to taste (approx. 3 tsp)
Oil: 1 cup
Seasoning:
Fenugreek seeds: 1 tsp
(Do not add too much of fenugreek as it would give a bitter taste)
Coriander seeds: 2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 2 tsp
Black pepper: 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon : 1"
Cloves: 7
Method:
Clean and cut chicken into 0.5"x1" pieces.
Heat oil in pan. Add chicken to it. Saute until the pieces become light brown in colour. That takes approximately 10 min. When they are done, remove from pan and keep aside.
Roast the ingredients listed in Seasoning.
Remove from heat when they are done. When they are cool, grind them into a fine powder.
To the same pan that is used for chicken, add ginger and saute till it is done.
Remove the pan from heat.
Add chili powder, garlic, salt, turmeric and ground seasoning powder.
Mix well.
Add lime juice and chicken.
When this mixture become cool, transfer it into a bottle and refrigerate it.
It would be ready to eat from 2nd day onwards.
I think it would stay fresh for 2 weeks. It has been a week I made this dish and it is still fresh.

Pav Bhaji

The picture is not indicative of the actual dish as I haven't used all the ingredients given in the list. I made this dish with whatever I have at home.

Preparation time: 30 min.

Ingredients:

Serving size: 10 persons

Onions: 2 big (finely chop)

Tomatoes: 3

Potatoes: 6

Carrots : 4

Cauliflower: 1/2- 3/4th

Green peas: 1 cup

Capsicum:2

Cumin: 1 tsp

Mustard: 1 tsp

Red chili pwd: 1 and 1/2 tsp

Pav Bhaji masala: 4 tsp

(available in Indian groceries)

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Water: 1 cup

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Cinnamon stick: 2"

Cardamom: 3-4

Cloves: 5-6

Garnishing:

Cilantro, Lemon, Onion

Method:

Making Bhaji:

Pressure cook all the vegetables except tomatoes.

Drain the vegetables & mash.

Heat oil in pan.

Add cumin, mustard, turmeric, onions. Saute until the onions turn golden brown.

Add coriander powder.

Add ginger-garlic, tomatoes, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

Mix well.

Add pav bhaji masala, chili pwd, salt and butter.

Cook till the gravy is thick.

Add mashed vegetables.

Keep stirring and mashing the pieces.

Add lemon juice and stir well.

Garnish with cilantro.

Pav:

Heat a pan.

Make a horizontal slit in the pav bread.

Apply butter to the pav and roast till it becomes hot and the surface becomes crisp on both sides.

Serve with onions and lemon.

Plantain (aratikaya) chips

I have spoiled the picture again by adding chili powder. I cannot live without chili powder. If only salt is added it gives a beautiful yellow colour.
Preparation time: 20 min.

Ingredients:

Plantain- 2

Red chili powder or pepper: 1 tsp (optional)

Cumin powder: 1 tsp

Oil for deep frying

Salt to taste

Method:

Clean & peel the plantain.

Cut them into round pieces.

Add chili pd, cumin pd and salt to a mixing bowl and place a lid on it.

Heat oil in pan.

Deep fry the plantain pieces.

Once they are done, fry them again for some more time until they become crisp.

After removing them from pan, immediately add these chips to the mixing bowl. Keep the lid and shake the bowl well. Salt and pepper will be well coated to the chips.

This step is important. There should not be any lapse in adding the chips to the bowl.

Ratatoullie

Patient : In my dreams, rats play foot ball every night. Doctor : Then take this medicine tonight. Patient : Can I start from tomorrow. B'coz tonight is final match.

Cabbage curry

The compliment I got from my father-in-law for this dish is, " I never eat cabbage except the cabbage fry. This is the first time I ate a second dish of cabbage and actually liked it"
Preparation time: 45min.
Working time: 20 min.
Ingredients:
Cabbage: 1 small (fine chop)
Green peas: 1/2 cup
( Cook them along with water in microwave for 15 min if dry green peas are being used)
Onion: 1 small (fine chop)
Green chilies: 2 (fine chop)
Split gram : 1 tbsp
(Chana Dal)
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp
Oil: 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Seasoning;
Mustard: 1/2 tsp
Cumin: 1/2 tsp
Split black gram: 1/2 tsp
(Urad Dal)
Red chili: 1
Curry leaves: 4
Method:
Boil water in a pan
Add cabbage, peas, Chana Dal.
Cook for 15 min on medium heat or until they become soft.
When they are done, drain the water and squeeze them to take out the remaining water.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add seasoning in the same order.
Add green chili and onion.
Saute until they turn golden brown.
Add salt, turmeric and squeezed vegetables.
Mix well.
Add grated coconut.
Cook for 2 more minutes.

Paalu- anapakaya (Bottle gourd curry)

In the dish I have shown, I have added water and red chili powder in addition to the ingredients I have listed below. So the picture is not indicative of the actual recipe. I prefer all my curries to be spicy and hot. So most of my pictures would be red in colour. But I have modified the ingredients so that they are not too spicy.
Preparation time: 45 min.
Working time: 20 min.
Ingredients:
Bottle gourd: 1 medium (peeled and cut into small cubes)
Onion: 1 medium ( finely chop)
Green chilies: 3-4
Milk: 1/3 cup
Cilantro for garnishing
Salt to taste
Oil: 1 tsp
Seasoning:
Turmeric: 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-5
Method:
Heat oil in a pan/ pressure cooker.
Add Mustard, cumin, curry leaves i the same order.
After 1 min, add onions and green chilies.
When onions turn golden brown, add ginger-garlic paste. Cook until the raw smell is gone.
Add bottle gourd. Cover with the lid.
Cook until the bottle gourd pieces become soft.
If it is pressure cooker, cook until 2 whistles.
When the pressure is gone, open the lid.
Add coriander powder, milk and cook for 2 min.
Add salt and turmeric.
Cook until the milk is absorbed.
Garnish with cilantro and serve with hot rice/ roti.

Yogurt

I came to know that many people buy yogurt because they don't know how to make it. It is actually very easy to make and home made yogurt is always better than store bought one as it does not contain preservatives. I was surprised to see the recipe of yogurt on food channel. So I thought of posting it in my blog too. The recipe I am describing is what I make at my home. But making of yogurt also depends on the room temperature. If it is too low, fermentation of milk becomes difficult.
For the beginners, try with Vit.D milk. Later on this can be switched to 2% milk. It is very difficult to make yogurt with 1% milk.
Preparation time: 12-24 hrs.
Working time: 5 min.
Ingredients:
Milk: 250ml
Yogurt: 2 tbsp
(Buy a small pack of yogurt for the first time. From next time onwards, use the home made yogurt)
Method:
Heat milk in a microwave on medium heat until it starts boiling. That would take approximately 10- 15 min. depending on the microwave. After it starts boiling, heat the milk for 2 more minutes. Take care not to spill the milk in microwave.
If this is not comfortable milk can always be heated on stove. But there is a danger of forgetting about it once we come out of the kitchen and it spills all over the stove.
After the milk is done, let it cool.
When it is lukewarm ( if it is not lukewarm and became cool, heat the milk again) add 2 tbsp of yogurt.
Cover it with an air tight lid or aluminium wrap or plastic wrap.
Keep this in the oven.
If the room temperature is low (in 40-50F) keep the light in the oven on and add 1 more tbsp of yogurt.
Keep this for 12 hrs. ( overnight).
Move the vessel a little, if the milk does not move and became thick , then fermentation is complete.
If not, keep it in the oven for 3 more hours.
When it is done, keep it in the refrigerator. This can be used for 15-20 days.
For the next time, keep 3 tbsp of yogurt aside before cleaning the vessel.
I told this recipe to my friends. They stopped buying yogurt.
I hope this recipe helps whoever reads this post.