Tip of the Day

Add lemon juice or vinegar while cooking rice, to make nice rice pulao. Rice will be separated so nicely. Even Microwave rice will be cooked very nicely.Try it today.

Fresh Winter Salad

Avoid buying salad’s, instead make this at your home for you and carry it along with you. Enjoy fresh chilled salad in your lunch time in cool winter afternoon.

Ingredients

1. 1 Orange peeled and separated in individual slices

2. 2 carrot peeled and cubed

3. 2 small guava’s cubed

4. 1 cup of lettuce leaves chopped roughly

5. 1 cucumber peeled and cubed

6. Juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp of lemon zest

7. Pinch of salt and pepper

8. Pinch of crushed dry mint leaves

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in one bowl

2. Sprinkle Salt and pepper and dry mint leaves.

3. Pour lemon juice all over. Toss it well.

4. Serve in serving tray garnishing with lemon zest.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

By adding 2-3 drops of oil in pressure cook while cooking daal or anything. You will be saving gas, it will be cooked soon and no water or daal will come out while cooking.

Achaari Aloo

 

I noticed in my pantry that Mango Aachar / Pickle was finished and bottle had some oil left with all masala inside which I never wanted too waste it. So I use this oil to cook aachari aloo. I am sharing this recipe hope you like it.

Ingredients

1. 2 medium potatoes / aloo chopped in 1 inch cubes

2. 1 tsp zeera / cumin seeds

3. 2 green chilies

4. 1 tbsp of leftover sarso oil from aachar bottle

5. Salt and red Chili powder to taste (keep in mind Oil already has chili and salt)

6. 1 tbsp of chopped cilantro / dhaniya leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil in a non stick pan. When it turns hot add cumin seeds and green chilies.

2. When cumin /zeera seeds splutter add potatoes / aloo in the pan.

3. Let them cook as well turn into golden brown. Now add salt and red chili powder if you think it is required.

4. Turn down the heat. Sprinkle cilantro / dhania leaves.

5. Serve with hot roti’s and parantha’s.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

For making heart healthy pulao, always strain out the starch from boiled rice after it is 3/4 way cooked , then heat little oil and do the pulao process and keep it over low flame. This reduces 1/2 the fat in your pulao.

Shrimp Curry Penne Pasta

 

Ingredients

1. 1 big onion chopped

2. 1 large apple, peeled and cubed

3. 30 g of butter

4. 3 garlic cloves minced

5. 2 tsp of thai curry powder

6. 100 ml of dry marsala

7. 100 ml low sodium chicken stock

8. 2 tsp of fish sauce

9. 2 tsp of thai red curry paste

10. 300 ml canned unsweetened coconut milk

11. 500 gms of whole wheat penne pasta

12. 500 gms shrimp deveined

13. 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. In a non stick pan melt butter with one tsp of olive oil ( so that butter does not burn).

2. Add onion and garlic, when they turn little pink add apples.

3. Sauté until they turn little soft about 4-5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile boil 5-6 glass of water for pasta, add 1 tsp of salt. When water starts boiling add pasta.

5. Stir in curry powder and add marsala.

6. Boil until liquid is slightly reduced and thickened.

7. Add stock, fish sauce and red curry paste.

8. Simmer until liquid is slightly reduced about 5 minutes.

9. Add coconut milk. Simmer until slightly thickened and add shrimps, cook about 3 minutes.

10. Drain the pasta and add in into the sauce pan.

11. Add salt and pepper to taste.

12. Transfer into the serving tray and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

Fresh Green Chilies :- Store green chilies without stems in the plastic zip lock bag or box in freezer. It can be stored for few days, it will stay fresh and green.

Shahi Rice Pulao

Ingredients

1. 2 cups of Rice soaked in water for 30 minutes

2. 2 small diced carrots

3. 1 cup of fresh green peas

4. 2 cloves / long (in Hindi)

5. 1 stick of cinnamon/dal chini stick

6. 1 bay leaf / tej pata

7. 1 tsp of cumin / zeera seeds

8. 2 tsp of oil

9. 3 cups of Water

10. Salt to taste

11. 1 tbsp of lemon juice

Directions

1. In a non stick deep dish pan add little oil.

2. On a low medium heat add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cloves, dalchini.

3. When the oil is infused with all dry spices. Add carrots and peas.

4. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add rice to the pan and add salt.

6. Add water to the pan with tbsp of lemon juice.

7. Let the rice cook for 10 to 12 minutes.

8. Enjoy the shahi pulao. Serve them on rice plate but take out the tej pata and cinnamon stick before serving.

Lemon is key ingredient here, it gives little citrusy flavor to the rice and protects rice to stick to the pan. Cinnamon and tej pata gives so much of flavor and fragrance to the rice that you will remember the special rice you eat in fancy restaurants. Neighbors will be dropping in anytime :)

-Chitra

Tip of the Day

While frying something in a pan, to check the temperature of oil, use back side of wooden stick, if it sizzles then Oil is ready to deep fry the food.

Matki Misthi Dahi / Sweet Curd / Yoghurt

Ingredients

1. 1 liter milk

2. 2 tbsp of curd / dahi

3. 2 tbsp of sugar

Directions

1. Warm the milk with sugar.

2. Pour them in matki / mud vessel.

3. Add 2 tbsp of curd / dahi and sugar . Stir slowly.

4. Cover the vessel with foil or mud plate. Leave it in warm place overnight.

5. In morning, keep the vessel in refrigerator.

- Chitra