Bhurji Paav!! - Tapri Style

Filling, scrumptious, tasty and lip smacking! This is an any time snack and meal by itself.
Ingredients -

• Finely Chopped Onion - 1 no
• Eggs -3 nos
• Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
• Dhania Powder (Coriander Seed Powder) - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
• Salt to Taste
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Finely Chopped Coriander to garnish

Procedure

• Heat some oil in a pan
• Add the chopped onions and lightly saute them
• Add the Red chilli powder, Dhania powder, garlic paste and salt to the onions and fry for about 2 mins
• Beat the eggs and add them to the onions on low flame. Keep briskly whipping the mixture in the pan with a fork
• Once the mixture starts leaving the pan, its done
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot with Paav and ketchup.

Grilled Potato Sandwiches

Heres a quick recipe for a brunch on the go.
Ingredients-

• Potatoes -2-3 nos
• Bread(Brown/White) - 4 slices
• Pepper - 1 tsp
• Finely chopped coriander - 1tbsp
• Garlic paste- 1/2 tsp
• Table Butter
• Grated/slice Cheese(optional)
• Salt to taste

Procedure -

• Boil and peel the potatoes
• Mash them and add the pepper, garlic paste, salt, coriander and mix well
• Spread some butter on the bread
• put the mashed potato mixture between two slices and the cheese
• Grill in the sandwich in a equity sandwich griller
• Alternatively if you dont have a sandwich maker/griller, heat a tava and put the sandwich on it and cover it with another pan or vessel and heat on low flame till the bread turns to a golden brown.
• Serve hot with ketchup, fresh slices of tomatoes and onion rings with lime.

Pasta Deepti è deliziosa ricetta)! : The Fast recipe for Pasta

This is si quick si way to make se pasta. Hope you like it!

Ingredients (serves 2) :

• Penne Pasta - 100gm
• Tomato-1 nos - Cut into small cubes
• Onions - 1 nos- Cut into thin long slices 
• Capsicum - 1 nos- Cut into thin long slices
• Table Butter - 2 tsp
• Cheddar Cheese - 1/2 cup grated
• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
• Apple Cider Vinegar(or any other Vinegar) - 1 tsp- This is optional.
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp 
• Salt to taste
• Red Chilli Sauce - 1-2 tsp
• Green Chilli Sauce - 1-2 tsp
• Garlic Paste - 1 tsp 
• Pasta Sauce - 2 tsp

Procedure

• Boil the penne pasts with a pinch of salt for 10 mins. Drain the water and keep the pasta aside
• Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onions and fry till golden brown. 
• Add the tomatoes, capsicum, garlic paste, red chilli sauce, green chilli sauce and pasta sauce and lightly saute for 2 mins 
• Add the vinegar(this step is optional) 
• Add the pasta, pepper and salt
• Add the cheese and butter and simmer the whole thing for 2 mins with the lid on 
• Garnish with Parsley or Coriander and serve hot with toasted butter bread.

So(u)l Chutney - Soothes the Soul

This is a chutney to beat all chutneys. I discovered this one quite by chance while (trying) to make Sol Kadhi.
Ingredients :

• Fresh Coconut - 1/2 no
• Amsul(dried Kokum) - 8-10 nos(depending on how sour you want it.)
• Garlic Cloves - 10-12 peeled flakes
• Salt to taste
• Jeera Powder (Cumin Seeds Powder) - 1/2 tsp 
• Water - 2 tbsp
• Coriander to granish

Procedure - 

• Cut the coconut flesh(the white edible part ) into small pieces
• Put the amsul, coconut pieces, salt, jeera powder, salt, garlic flakes and water into a grinder
• Grind to a fine paste
• Garnish with coriander and serve chilled

Apple Crumble Pie-Short Cut to Sweetness!

This is a shortcut recipe for the original Apply Crumble Pie. This one also uses up all those leftover biscuits that you have.

Ingredients:

• Apples- 1-2Nos
• Biscuits 15-20nos- Preferably Marie biscuits and a few glucose biscuits are ok.
• 1-2 tbsp honey 
• 2-3 tsp of sugar
• Cinnamon(dalchini) powder -2 pinches
• Butter(salted/unsalted) -2 tbsp or alternatively you can use ghee

Procedure :

• Peel and cut the Apples into small cubes
• Take a baking dish or microwave dish and spread some butter/ghee into it 
• Crumble the biscuits into small pieces (now you see where it gets the name)
• Put the apples pieces at the bottom of the dish 
• Now mix the crumbled biscuits, honey, sugar, cinnamon powder and the remaining butter/ghee
• Put this over the Apples and microwave for about 10-15 mins
• And voila, you have hot scrumptious Apple Crumble Pie that literally crumbles and melts in your mouth.

Spice it up!

Nice Get-together planned. You plan to watch the game with your gang. You got the drinks, chips, munchies etc etc. But theres something missing! A dip to go with the chip. Heres a quick Pudina Dip to add an exciting spice. It goes wonderfully with anything. You can even use it on your boring toast, as chutney for lunch or as a ready made gravy paste.

Ingredients:

• Pudina (Mint Leaves) - half a bunch 
• Coriander - 1 cup 
• Green Chillies -6-10 nos (depending on how spicy you want it)
• Sugar - 1tsp
• Jeera (Cumin Seed ) Powder -1tsp
• Garlic  - 10-12 petals peeled
• Dhania (Coriander Seeds) powder
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste

Procedure

• Separate the pudina leaves from the stalks. (Tip :If you are fond of gardening, you can plant the stalks. Put them in the soil lengthwise.  Soon you will have homegrown Pudina:) )
• Wash the Leaves and the coriander 
• Cut the dates off the green chillies. The number of chillies you use depends on how spicy you want it. 6 chillies-mild, 8- medium and 10 -spicy
• Put the pudina, coriander, lime juice, garlic, green chillies, sugar, salt, jeera powder, dhania powder in a mixer(the one you use to make paste) and grind it to a fine paste
• Serve Chilled

A New Way to Make Good 'Ol Maggie

Well first of all before you get all riled up, I absolutely love Maggie Noodles the way they are! Absolutely love them. But, just ever so once in a while, I wish the reliable taste would be a bit different. Not that theres anything wrong with it the way it is, but just a tad bit different. Well heres a way to enhance, and i mean enhance, NOT change the way Maggie tastes...:)
Ingredients :

• 1 pack Maggie noodles (any flavor will do, I prefer Masala)
• Amul Butter - 2 tsp
• 1 onion chopped in long thin slices
• Coriander finely chopped
• Pepper - 2 pinches
• 1 slice Cheese (optional)

Procedure (Serves 1 person) :

• Boil the noodles as you normally would with the taste maker(for the novice maggie cooks, refer the instructions on the packet)
• While its boiling, add the coriander and pepper to the noodles and stop boiling after the water has reduced to half. Leave some water in with the noodles
• In a pan, heat the butter and add the onions. Fry them till they are Golden brown
• Add the boiled noodles to that and simmer on low flame with a lid on for like 2 minutes
• Garnish with coriander and the slice of cheese
• Serve steaming hot with tomato ketchup

Chicken Biryani

Continuing with the Chicken Recipes. This is a yummy dish for any occasion.

Ingredients :

Chicken - 1kg
Basmati Rice - 3-4 katoris
Dahi (curds) - 200gm
Garlic - 1no crushed to a paste
Dhania Powder(Coriander seed powder) - 4tsp
Onion - 3nos, medium sized
Star Aniseed -3-4nos
Jeera Powder (Cumin Seed Powder) - 2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 3-4 tsp
Haldi(Turmeric Powder) -2-3tsp
Lemons-1-2nos
Oil - 3tbsp
Coriander - Finely chopped to garnish
Salt to taste
Ghee - 4-5 tsp

Procedure :

• Boil the rice with a tsp of salt and keep aside
• Make smallcuts on the chicken with a knife and apply haldi powder, juice of 1 lemon and keep aside
• Mix the Garlic paste, dhania powder, chilli powder, dahi, jeera powder, little bit of coriander and salt 
• Marinate the chicken in the above paste for 20-30 mins
• Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan/container, preferably a large one(pressure cooker/cook-n-server)
• Add the  paste of 1 onion to it and fry till golden brown.
• Add the star aniseed, cloves and cardamom to the fried onion
• Add the chicken and cook for 20 mins
• Next add the rice on top of the chicken, spread the ghee on the rice and simmer for about 20 mins with the lid on. Note: Do not mix or stir the rice
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in another pan and add the onions, cut into thin long slices, and fry till golden brown to brown
• Garnish the biryani with coriander and fried onion slices/rings and server hot

Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry!:)

Finally a recipe for Chicken for all the chicken fans! :)

What you need :

• 1kg Chicken
• Curds - 200 gm
• Dhania Powder (Coriander Seed Powder) - 4 tsps
• Garlic - 1 entire no, peeled
• Star Aniseed - 2 nos
• Badi Elaichi(Big Cardamom ) - 2 nos 
• Lavang (cloves) - 3-4 nos
  
• Red Chilli Powder - 3-4 tsp
• Haldi (Turmeric Powder) -2 tsp
• Onion - 1 no finely chopped or ground to a paste
• Coriander - 1/2 a bunch
• Jeera Powder (Cumin Seed Powder) - 1tsp
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tbsp
  

Procedure:

Served!

• Wash the chicken and make small cuts with a knife on each piece. This ensures better marination
• Add the haldi and lime juice to the chicken and keep it aside
• Now grind the Dhania Powder, Jeera Powder, Garlic Cloves, Curds, Red chilli Powder, half of the coriander leaves  together in a mixer till it is a fine paste
• Add this paste to the Chicken with the salt and keep aside for marination
• Heat some oil in a pan
• Add the star aniseed, cloves, and open the pods of the badi elaichi and add to the oil
• Add the onion paste and fry till it is a golden brown
• Add the marinated chicken and cover the pan and keep on low flame
• Cook for about 10-15 mins on low flame and then add some water to get required quantity of gravy
• Now simmer on low flame for 10-15 more mins ti the chicken is cooked
• Garnish with coriander and Serve Hot  with bread or chapati or rice. 

Thepla

This is a traditional authentic gujju recipe shared with me by one of my friends. I totally love it. But, it does depend on your skill to make thin chappatis with the belan! ;)


Thepla Recipe

(Serves four)

Ingredients:

• ½ kg wheat flour
• 1 tea spoon red chili powder
• ½ tea spoon turmeric powder
• Salt as per taste
• Til – 1 tea spoon
• 1 garlic
• Oil – 1 tea spoon to be added to the flour
• Methi – half (to be cut it fine)

Preparation:

1. Add red chili powder, turmeric, salt, til, garlic and oil to wheat flour and mix it well.
2. Then add the finely chopped methi leaves to the mixture and add water and knead it well to prepare the dough.
3. Then make even size small balls of the dough.
4. Roll them separately with a rolling pin into a round shape.
5. Heat the tava and roast each of the rolled out theplas one by one.
6. First roast one side, turn it upside down.
7. Then put 1/2 tsp oil on the turned side and again it upside down.
8. Repeat the same with the other side.
9. When evenly roasted remove it from tava.
10. Repeat this for all the balls.
11. Serve them hot with butter or chutney or curd or chhunda or pickle.

Cheese Chilly Toast

Just wonderful for those cold winter days!!
Ingredients:

• 6-8 BreadSlices -White or Brown
• Cheese(Amul/Britania) - 1 cup Grated
• Butter
• Half a Capsicum - Finley Chopped
• Green Chillies - 1-2 nos finely chopped
• Garlic Cloves - 1-2 cloves finely chopped
• Coriander - finely chopped
• Pepper - half a tsp
• Red Chili powder - half a tsp
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

•  Mix the chopped capsicum, chillies, salt, pepper, cheese, sugar(a pinch if you like)
• Take a slice of bread and put some butter on it.
• Put some of the mixture that we made in step 1 on the bread 
• Heat a pan (tawa)
• Put the bread slice with the mixture on it and toast it on medium flame for around 5 mins till it becomes a golden brown. You can cover the bread with a lid to achieve uniform cooking
• Repeat for all the slices and server hot with a garnishing of coriander

A Spicy-Sweet Corn Affair

Ingredients:

• Sweet Corn - 2 cups (boiled or raw)
• Finely chopped onion -1no
• Finely chopped green chillies - 1no
• Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
• Garlic Cloves - 5-6 cloves finely chopped
• Finely Chopped Coriander 
• 1-2 tsp oil
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

• Heat the oil in a pan and lightly saute the onion
• Add the garlic and green chillies
• Next add the sweet corn grains. Optionally you can boil the corn and then add
• Add the red chilli powder and salt and stir fry for around 5 mins
• Serve hot with garnishing of coriander

Lets Get the Party Starte(d)r

This is one for those impromptu parties. Fast, efficient and tastes good!


Ingredients :

• Paneer - 200gm   Optionally use all or any of the below :
• Onion -2no
• Tomato -2no
• Capsicum - 2no
• Potato -2 nos
• Red Chilli powder - 1tsp
• Curd - 3 tsp
• Dhania Powder(coriander seed powder) - 1 tsp
• Jeera powder(cumin seed powder) - 1tsp
• Garlic paste - 1tsp
• Salt to taste
• Finely Chopped Coriander
• 1 lemon

Procedure:

• Cut the paneer into thin slices 
• Optionally, cut the onion, capsicum, potato, tomato into thin long slices
• Mix the Curd, chilli powder, salt, Dhania Powder, Garlic paste, Jeera powder and coriander
• Add the paneer and the vegetables and marinate for 10-15 mins 
• For the paneer : Put each individual piece on a microwavable plate and microwave for around 2.5 mins at 800  degrees C
• For the Veggies : Microwave for about 5-6 mins at 800 degrees C. Check if the potato is cooked by slicing with a spoon. If it goes through easily, its done.
• Alternatively you can use a gas/electric tandoor 
• Serve Hot garnished with coriander and lime juice

Preparing for the compliments follows next :) 

Aubergine Salad

This is another  jhatpat recipe that tastes very fresh and is simple to prepare.

Ingredients

• Aubergine(Eggplant)/Bhartache Vaanga
  
• Onion - 1no
• Green Chillies - 2nos
• Salt to tast

Procedure:

•  Roast the Aubergine on direct fire for around 10-15 mins till it becomes soft and steam starts coming out of the skin. Be sure to roast it evenly from all sides.
• Remove the peel of the aubergine
• Mash the pulp with a fork
• Add finely chopped onions, chillies and the coriander and mix well
• Serve hot or cool
  

Stuffed Mushroom Sandwich

Heres a really nice recipe to break your breakfast boredom or just have
 a quick filling snack. Its really easy to make and absolutely sumptuous.

Ingredients:

• Mushroom - 200 gm
• Bread -6-8 slices
• Green Capsicum - 1 no(you can use any color capsicums)
• Amul Butter
• Onion -1no
• Coriander to garnish
• Black Grounded pepper- half tsp
• Salt to taste

Procedure:

To prepare the stuffing:

• Cut the mushrooms length wise into medium thin slices
• Cut the Capsicum and onion into thin long slices
• Heat some butter in a pan
• Add the onion and the capsicum and lightly saute for 4-5 mins on medium flame till the onions are a light golden color and capsicum is partially cooked
• Sprinkle some pepper and add the mushrooms
• Mix well and stir fry for 5 mins
• Now add the salt and mix well
• Garnish with coriander
• The stuffing is ready

Toast some bread slices and spread butter on them. Put the stuffing into them and serve hot with tomato sauce. Alternatively if you have a sandwich maker or equity toaster, you can grill the sandwich.
Sink your teeth into the sandwich and enjoy the flavor of the mushrooms and capsicum with the crunchy onions.

Bombay Duck

Contrary to what the name suggests, bombay duck refers to a fish. Now personally, I never really liked this fish, until I finally got the recipe right. Its a damn tasty fish. I am writing the recipe for you here, hope you all love it as much I did! :)

Ingredients:

• Bombil(Bombay Duck) - around 4-5 nos
• Fine powdered rice flour
• Red Chilli powder - 1-2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste-1-2 tsp
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Oil to fry
• Salt to taste - typically 1tsp
• Finely chopped coriander for garnish

Procedure:

• Wash and clean the fish. Cut off the pointy scales and teeth with a scissor
• Now this is an important step. Put all the fish is a flat dish, put another flat dish on it and then put a heavy weight (something like close to 5-6kg) on it. Also put the dish at an angle so that the water drains off. Leave the fish like this for around 30 mins 
• Mix the lime juice, Chilli powder, Ginger garlic paste, salt with the fish
• Take the rice flour in a flat dish
• Heat some oil in a frying pan
• Coat each fish with rice flour and fry it for around 5mins
• Serve hot garnished with coriander and lemon

Tandoor Prawns

This recipe is one of my favorites. Its easy to prepare, fast and tastes delicious plus is healthy(as healthy as prawns ca get that is :P) 

Ingredients:

• Prawns(shelled and deveined) -200gm
• Garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Juice of 2-3 limes 
• Finely chopped coriander - 1 small bowl
• salt to taste - approx 1 tsp
• Red Chilly powder - depending on how spicy you want. Generally 2 tsp
• Dhania powder (Coriander Seed powder ) - 2 tsp
• Haldi (turmeric powder) -1 tsp

Preparation:

• Mix the turmeric powder and the lime juice with the prawns with the salt and keep aside 
• Now to  prepare the marinade:
• Mix the Red chilly powder, garlic paste, corriander, Dhania powder
• Add this to the prawns that we had prepare in earlier step
• Keep aside for marination
• Now preheat the gas tandoor(alternativly an electric tandoor) for 5 mins 
• Put the prawns on skewers or grill(your choice) and cook then on low flame in the tandoor for 15 mins
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot(serves 2)

Let me know your comments on the recipe. Happy Cooking!

Crispy Green Salad

What you need :

• Shredded Cabbage -medium sized half
• Lettuce Leaf(Iceberg, Common, any of these and more or a mixture of all)
• Tomatoes -1-2 nos
• Cucumber - 1-2 nos
• Pomegranate -one small bowl full
• Orange - 1 nos peeled and seeds removed

For the Seasoning

• 1 lemon
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• Cumin seed powder - 1 pinch
• Salt - half a teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 1-2 nos 
• 1/4th Teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Coriander-finely chopped

Procedure :

• Cut the tomatoes into elongated pieces
• Cut the cucumber into cubes 
• Cut the garlic into fine pieces and the chillies along their length
• Mix the lime juice, garlic, chiliies, olive oil , salt, sugar, cumin powder and add a dash of corriander
• Mix all the salad ingredients together and toss the salad
• Add the seasoning with the salad and toss well.
• Serve chilled

Serves :2-3 people