Chana Masala

This recipe was given to me by a colleague at work on our way back home in the cab while wondering what to do with my leftover soaked chickpeas (from the hommous and falafel I made the other day).
Its very simple to prepare and oh so tasty!

Ingredients:

Chana/chickpeas - 1 cup soaked in water overnight for 10-12 hrs.
Onion - 1 medium / Shallots - 5 or 6
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 1 large
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
Lime juice - from half a lime
Coconut milk - 2 tbsp (optional)
Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp

For tempering:
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

In a pressure cooking vessel, heat oil and add chopped onions. Saute till its turning golden. Add ginger garlic paste and chopped tomatoes. Fry till the oil starts to separate. Add the powders and fry till the raw smell goes. Add salt and chickpeas. Combine well for about 2 minutes. Add water till the same level of the chickpeas and pressure cook to about 5 or 6 whistles. Cool and open. Add coriander leaves and lime juice. Mix well. If you think that the gravy is not thick enough, add coconut milk and mix well.
In a pan, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and fry. Add this tempering to the chana masala and mix well. Serve with chappathis or buttered bread toast.

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Buttered fish fry in white sauce - The Julia Child Way

My sister was craving to eat fish fillets the French style. So we looked for a recipe in the great Julia Child's cookbook "Mastering the art of French cooking" and the video from her show "The whole fish story". Its very easy to make and my mom made this for us during our vacation in Riyadh and it tasted like restaurant food! Simply awesome!

Ingredients:

For the buttered fish fry:
Fish fillets: 4
Salt
All purpose flour Flour to sprinkle
Butter - 5-6 tbsp

For the white sauce (Bechamel sauce):
Butter: 4 tbsp
Flour: 2 tbsp
Milk: 1 cup
Pepper powder: 1 tsp
Chopped parsley for garnish
Fresh cream - 1 tbsp (optional)
Cheese - 1 tbp (optional)

Method:

For buttered fish fry:
Sprinkle salt and flour over both sides of the fish fillets. Heat butter in a pan over a medium flame. When its hot, fry the fish fillets for about 5 minutes on each side.
Heat milk in a saucepan. In another pan, heat butter. Be careful not to burn it. Add flour to it and allow it to froth. This is called the roux Turn off heat and once frothing stops, add hot milk to the roux and mix with a spatula till its thickens. Add pepper powder to this. If required, you can add fresh cream and/or cheese as enrichments. Even butter is added as an enrichment just before serving.

White sauce:
Boil 1/2 a cup of rice. In a kadai, heat some butter and add boiled rice to it. Add defrosted green peas to it. Add some salt as well and combine well.
In a plate, add the rice and peas, place fish fillets on it and pour the white sauce on top. Garnish with chopped parsley. Bon appetit!

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Fluffy Omelette

I tried this recipe from the Kairali channel's Magic Kitchen show. I like Lekshmi Nair because of her presentation skills and enthusiasm for cooking on this show. She does a good attempt at bringing modern cooking to the typical malayalee. Its amazing how she cooks with so much of jewellery on her lol! Especially those bangles and rings.  And shez got lovely manicured polished long nails. Simply amazing! All the same, shez sweet and chirpy!

Ingredients:

Ingredients (for 1 large omelette):
For the omelette:
Eggs - 4 nos.
Milk - 1/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Butter: 1 1/2 tbsp
Salt

For the filling:
Sausages : 4 long pieces sliced into medium thickness
Onions : 2 medium (I used half a white onion) chopped
Oregano - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt
Chilly garlic sauce/Sweet chilli sauce : 1 tbsp
Cheese slices: 2 (or grated mozzarella)

Method:

For the stuffing:
Heat butter in a pan. Add onions to it and saute till it becomes translucent. To this, add sliced sausages. Fry them for about 2-3 minutes. Now add pepper powder, oregano and salt to it and mix well. Add chilli garlic sauce to this mixture and saute for another minute. Keep this filling aside in a bowl.

For the fluffy omelette:
Separate the eggs. Yolks in a bowl and whites in another.  Make sure the bowl into which you are adding the whites is completely dry as even the slightest bit of moisture will not allow the whites to froth when beaten.
Take the bowl containing the yolks, add whisk lightly with a fork. Now add milk to it and mix again. Add baking powder and whisk once again.
Now whisk the egg whites vigorously to form a thick froth (so thick its tough to get it off the bowl when tilted) using an egg beater or with ur hands and a whisk. Add a bit of salt in between. Once beaten fully, heat butter in a pan. Now you need to start acting quickly because once the egg whites will start to lose its froth if you let it stand (Just like how froth of soap will lose its volume in time). While the pan is getting hot, add the egg yolk mixture into the whites and combine gently with a fork.
Now add this mixture onto the pan and even it out with a spatula so that its spread out on the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and let cook on a very low flame for about 10 minutes. In between, open to check the cooking of the insides of the omelette. Make a few slashes on the omelette to allow the insides to cook well. Once omelette is cooked, add the sausage stuffing on one half of the omelette. Now place the cheese slices on top of this stuffing. Once the cheese starts to melt, switch off the flame of the stove. Slide this open face omelette onto the serving plate. Let it rest for a minute. Fold the omelette in half. Cut it into quarters and serve 1 half for each portion. Serve with buttered bread toast. Yum!

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Quick Stir Fry Noodles

This is my own recipe. :)
I used to make this when I lived alone. Filling, tasty and super easy. Except the time spent on cutting the vegetables.

Ingredients:

Ching's Secret Vegetable/Egg Hakka Noodles
Carrot - 1
Capsicum - 1
French Beans - 4
Mushroom Soy Sauce - 2 tablespoon
Oregano - 2 tsp
Pepper - 1 tsp
Sweet chilli sauce - optional
Salt to taste
Oil

Method:

Wash all vegetables and peel carrots. Cut all vegetables in julienne size. The Julienne cut for dummies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julienning & http://www.ehow.com/how_13876_julienne-vegetables.html
Boil water in a saucepan and add the noodles to it. After about 2-3 mins, the noodles will be cooked. Drain and add a few drops of oil to it and mix, to prevent them from sticking to each other.
In a kadhai (indian wok), heat some oil and add all the vegetables into it. Stir fry them for about 5 minutes. Add pepper, oregano and mushroom soy sauce to it and mix. Add a little salt to this (do not add too much as the soy sauce already contains salt). Add the noodles little by little tossing in between. If all noodles do not catch the color of soy sauce after mixing them around, you may choose to add some more soy sauce, oregano and pepper. If you have sweet chilli sauce, you can add that to this and mix. After its tossed well, you can take it off the heat and serve. If you want to add ketchup, you may do that as well. Bon appetit!

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Sausages with Onions and Capsicum - A Bachelor's Delight

Now this is a very simple snack that we used to order whenever we visit a really cosy place in Indiranagar, called the Ant's Cafe. They make lovely French toasts and omelettes too, their Masala omelette is popular but I specially loved their Spinach Frittatas (should try making it at home someday). Another favourite from the cafe were chocolate pancakes which I have already tried at home :) Then of course there is this very simple Sausages with Onions & Capsicum. Such is its simplicity that any bachelor looking for a tasty quick snack that goes well with beer will be delighted. Its a rooftop cafe, very airy and just lovely to be there on a lazy Sunday morning.

Ingredients:

Sausages - 4-5
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Capsicum - half, chopped
Pepper - as per taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

Slice the sausages in medium thickness. Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry them till they start changing color. Now add the capsicum and mix for another minute. Add the sausages. Toss them around so that the sausages change color on both sides. Sprinkle pepper over them and keep tossing it. Once you feel that your sausages are done, take them off the heat and serve. Goes well with chilled beer! Cheers!

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Pavakka Fry - Fried Bitter Gourd

This is a recipe I found from somewhere but now can't find the source. Since I remember it, as it is so easy, I'm just writing it down here.

Ingredients:

1. Pavakka (Bitter-gourd) - 2
2. Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
3. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Oil for frying

Method:

Wash bitter gourd well and cut them into medium thick slices. Put them in a bowl and add sprinkle salt, turmeric powder and red chilli powder over them. Mix them by hand to coat all over the pavakka pieces. Leave it to marinate for about half an hour to 1 hour.
Heat oil in a pan and once the oil is hot, put in the pavakka pieces and saute until cooked to your taste. More you cook, lesser the bitterness, more the crispiness but lesser the nutrients. :)
Good accompaniment with rice.

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Egg Rice

The credit of this recipe will go solely to my dad, who used to cook this on a hot afternoon in Riyadh after picking me and my sis from school, and when my mom is on duty. When the curries are few or very boring to me and my sis, this rice and some curd was more than enough. Some pickle or left over chicken curry also goes really well with it. Its so easy to make, it can be done in just 1 minute!

Ingredients:

Cooked Rice - as required
Eggs - 1 for each person
Butter - 1 - 1.5 tablespoon - if not very health conscious, add as per your liking.
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder (optional)

Method:

Heat a pan over medium heat and add butter to it. Break eggs into the pan and move it around to form a scramble. Once it just starts to thicken, add the rice and mix. Sprinkle some salt and if required, a pinch of red chilli powder. Mix well and serve. Bon Appetit!

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