Prawn rice: a recipe

I cook so infrequently that I actually feel a great and deep sense of accomplishment on occasions I have managed to cook for two days in a row. So imagine my sense of pride when I realised this is my 8th straight day of cooking regularly. And that means - 1) I've been eating right, 2) I've been sleeping well and 3) I've been spending less. Yay! 

As they say, "success breeds success" and I am so encouraged by these positive changes that I want hope it leads to a lifestyle change! Anyway, this morning my lunch options were last night's dal chawal or bread omelette. Craving for something interesting, I decided to put the leftover rice to use, made super yummy prawn fried rice in less than 20 minutes and skipped off to work. The contents of my lunch box helped me smile through what would have been a morning full of grimaces!

Ingredients

1. Boiled rice, fluffed
2. 1/2 big capsicum cut in cubes
3. 1 small onion, diced
4. 1 spoon olive oil
5. 6-7 peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen
6. Salt
7. Pepper
8. Soya sauce

Prep

Heat the oil for a minute or so on a low flame

On a medium flame, add diced onions and cook till slightly translucent, stir frequently

Add the capsicum and while stirring frequently, make sure it cooks through while staying slightly crunchy

Add the defrosted prawns and mix well 

Add salt and pepper as per your liking

Once prawns are cooked (they cook real fast), add the rice and mix very well

Once every grain seems coated with the oil and seasoning, top off with soya sauce

Mix well and, serve. Or in my case, pack!

Happy, skippy lunch is ready to go :)

Morning rush = no pictures. The only picture was sneaked in under the rather bemused expression of my senior colleague!

What was in your lunch box today? Let me know and I'll try it :)

Two days, two smoothies: Recipes inside

With the cold winds picking up, weekend laziness is setting in. And it's a good thing the husband and I are not averse to a liquid diet. So it's time to bring on the smoothie experiments!

Started the weekend with hot lime water and a fruit, while waiting for the husband to wake up.

And then head to the fridge, scour for fruits and chop-chop, put them in the blender!

Very berry smoothie -
Strawberries, blueberries, black grapes, 1 big apple and coconut water. Whizzzz and drink up!

Fibrous and filling smoothie -
2 apples, 1 big pear, 2 heaping spoons Greek yogurt, 1/4 glass milk. Whizz it.

Two smoothies for two days of the weekend!

Have a great week ahead everybody... And a Happy Diwali!!

Pasta in mushroom sauce: A recipe

What's been cooking?

 

Well, nothing much! Just emerging from a crazy work schedule (which involved eating Korean food in Korea!!), and all set to dive into more of the crazies starting next week. Been keeping the cooking, and definitely the experimenting, to the minimum. The husband's been busier than me and lets accept it, it's really not much fun cooking for one every single day. Thank god for online delivery websites - of which there are aplenty in the 'Kong.

 

Yesterday I made wheat pasta in mushroom sauce. It was fun to make and yum to eat. Here's the recipe for all of you pasta lovers out there!

 

Ingredients -

1. 2 packets mushroom
2. 1 big capsicum 
3. 1 1/2 tomatoes
4. 1 big onion, finely chopped
5. 1 zucchini, thinly cut round slices
6. 7-8 baby corn, cut into small chunks
7. 1 packet rigatoni semolina pasta
8. Salt, pepper, chilli flakes, oregano, basil 
9. 1 tablespoon olive oil
10. 1 cup water 
11. 1 teaspoon butter 
12. Some feta cheese/ parmesan flakes/ grated cheese

Prep -

Boil and drain the pasta as per instructions. Reserve some of the pasta water.

Cut the mushrooms, capsicum and tomato into chunks, add 1 cup water and give it a whir in the blender till it has a purée like consistency 

In a pan, heat the oil and add onions. Sauté. 

Once onions are slightly pinkish, add zucchini, baby corn and all the seasoning 

After zucchini has become slightly soft, add the purée. 

Bring it to a boil adding some of the pasta water if the sauce is too thick 

 

 

Just before adding the pasta, pop in some cheese (but not too much as the pasta water would already make it slightly creamy) and 1 teaspoon butter. Mix well. 

Add the pasta and coat it well with the sauce, cook for 2-3 minutes. 

Serve.

Make sure you enjoy the thick, creamy chunky sauce! :D

Recipe: Colourful salad

When you have a call with the US (exactly 12 hours away) looming large over your evening and a few 1000 errors to run before the said call, a cheerful face is all you need to see. And when the one face you want to really see is working the night away at his office desk, this colourful, fresh and healthy 20-min salad is maybe the next best thing!


Ingredients

1. 2 corn ears
2. 1 big bell pepper
3. 1 small boiled potato
4. Salad leaves
5. Hung curd
6. Balsamic vinegar
7. Dried parsley and basil herbs
8. Olive oil
9. Salt and pepper

Prep

Hull corn ears and steam
Cut bell peppers in half and roast in oven till they start charring
Cut the bell pepper in bite sized slices
Once cooled, remove kernels from corn
In a zip lock bag, place corn kernels and bellpeppers
Add a dash of olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Shake well but gently and let sit for atleast 15 mins.
In the meantime, cut the potato into cubes, add salt and pepper, dried parsley, dash of olive oil and mix well. Let sit for minimum 5 mins.
Wash and place all the salad greens in a salad bowl, tip the corn bag on it and top with the potatoes

 

Serve with a few tea spoons of hung curd on top and enjoy the freshness!

Recipe: Carrot purée mashed potatoes

What do you do when you are hungry on a Sunday (=grocery re-stocking day) morning and raid the fridge only to find bunny carrots, 1 small potato, cheese slice, chillies, garlic and bread? As you stand and stare, dimaag ki batti goes on, what you find seems to be enough to get something on the table.

But what if your diet doesn't allow you aloo? You substitute - make a spicy carrot puree and use the one chota sa aloo to add bulk and volume. And what if your husband doesn't want a teekha start to the day? Bland aloo and cheese helps balance the fiery punch of the carrot puree.

This is what I came up with and maybe this is something you can do with #whatwasleftinthefridge.

Carrot purée -
Chopped carrots
Sliced chillies
1/2 garlic pod
Pinch of mustard seeds
Pinch of cumin seeds
Salt
2 spoons water
1 teaspoon olive oil
Blend in mixie

Mashed potatoes -
Mash 3/4 medium boiled potato
Add 1/2 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pepper
Parsley herb
Oregano
Add 3/4 carrot purée and mix well

Capsicum -
Slice 1 capsicum
Slivered garlic
Put in oven till cooked and slightly crunchy

Cut bread slice in half
Place 1/2 cheese slice
Top with carrot mashed potatoes
Top with capsicum and slivered garlic
Bake till cheese melts
Serve with remaining carrot purée as a punchy sauce on the side

If you try it and like it or if you try it and don't like it or if you try it and improve it, please do let me know! 

Recipe: Fiery yogurt dip

Saturdays are for recovering from the excesses of Friday. And for testing your 'healthy resolve' by watching the latest season of Masterchef all day while snacking on carrots and olives! So, in keeping with the 'challenge accepted' mood, here's a recipe for a yummilicious dip worthy of accompanying mouth-watering Masterchef episodes. In the words of Matt Preston, this spicy dip left my 'mouth awash'. ;)

Ingredients -

• Dahi/ yogurt
• Garlic slivers
• Finely sliced red chillies
• Salt
• Coarsely ground pepper 
• Dash of mustard
• Olives 
• Onion powder (or finely chopped slices of onion)
• Feta cheese (purely optional)

Mix dahi well till fluffy and smooth

Add salt, most of the garlic, mustard sauce, half of the red chillies and feta. Mix well. 

Top with remaining sliced red chillies, remaining garlic pepper and olive

Serve with carrots, olives on the side, cucumbers sticks, celery stalks, nachos, whatever you please!

If you try it, do let me know!

Recipe: Mushroom subzi

Made mushroom sabzi yesterday. Liked it enough to want to share the recipe. So here goes!

Ingredients -

• 2 packets mushrooms, chopped into chunks
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 big onion, cubed
• Sliced garlic
• Thinly sliced ginger
• Salt and pepper
• Finely chopped green chillies
• Red chilli powder
• Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon butter 
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder

Preparation
In a skillet, heat the oil and once hot, add ginger, garlic and green chillies

Once the ginger-garlic become soft, add the onions and saute till golden

To this, add tomatoes and cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and allow tomato to cook through and become soft and juicy. Add water if required.

Once ready, add the mushrooms, mix well and let cook. And your sabzi is ready!

Hope you liked the recipe and will try making it! It's quick, it's easy and it's yum with hot hot rotis!!

Birthday without cake

What's a birthday without a cake? And what's a cake without baking powder?

So, with no cake and no clue that baking powder is essential to cake making, I fretted and frowned on Vishal's birthday eve. Then inspiration in the guise of my mother's voice struck - make caramel custard - it's sweet, it's festive, it's cake like appearance wise, it's easy!

So last night, an hour after midnight, the husband cut his birthday cake flan!

And boy, did the custard not let me down. Was so so proud of it. Honestly didn't expect it to set  - having finally taken it off the heat at 11:15pm.

But set it did and we had ourselves a happy birthday song and candle blowing ceremony.

Correction, we had the entire custard cake and ate it too!

Flan for all reasons and for all seasons!

Happy Birthday!!

Smoothie surprise: A recipe

Simple, instant, filling, nutritious, delightful, breakfast in a glass.

That's a smoothie for you!

Ingredients

• Grapes
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• 1/2 apple cut into cubes
• Honey
• Yogurt
• Milk
• Cinnamon stick

Preparation

Chop the fruits into chunks. Place in a blender.

Add honey

Add yogurt

Add milk

Add cinnamon stick broken into several pieces. Blend!

 

Breakfast in a glass... all good things!

 

French toast with berries: A recipe

I enjoy experimenting with various flavours and today a serving of french toast with a side of berry puree, as part of my spring themed brunch, did take me by surprise! If you want to try this slightly unconventional combination, here goes the recipe!

Ingredients

• Bread sliced into small cubes - I used brown bread with sunflower seeds but any bread would do
• Olive oil
• Eggs - I used eggs 4 for 2 people
• Salt and pepper
• Grated parmesan cheese
• Strawberries and berries
• Sugar

Preparation
Break the eggs, add salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and grated cheese. Whisk well.

One by one, dip the bread slices in the egg and let them soak in the egg mix.

On a low flame, heat some olive oil on a non-stick pan and place 3-4 pieces of bread.

Once the egg is firm, nice and brown, flip the bread slices.

Take off the heat once the egg is cooked on both sides. You don't need to keep adding oil to the pan every time you put in the bread if using a non-stick pan.

Serve with berry puree as a dip. Recipe here. Or with honey or maple syrup or just plain!

I would love to hear about the quirky combinations you enjoy. Do let me know!

Berry green tea: A recipe

So refreshing. So good. So simple. A simple twist to the boring green tea - a glass of berry green tea on a spring day!

Ingredients

• Green tea bags
• Water
• Sugar
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Lemon juice

Preparation

Boil the water. Place the tea bags in a pitcher and pour the boiling water into it.

While the tea steeps, wash the berries by putting them in a bow of water and gently swishing them so that the dirt settles on the bottom. 

Scoop them out one by one once clean and put them on a kitchen towel. Hull the strawberries.

Put the berries in a blender jar along with sugar and lemon juice. I did not add too much sugar as I wanted to balance the drink with the berry dip for the french toast but you can be as liberal with the sugar as you want!

Blend the berries till smooth with some strawberry chunks in it.

Remove the tea bags and pour the berry puree into the green tea pitcher.

Mix well.

Serve immediately or chilled!