Spicy pepper chicken curry ~ peas pulao

I love everything about autumn. Dazzling colors, cold nights, the smell of apple spice, pumpkin lattes and drizzly days like the one we have since morning. Its just the right weather to crave for a spicy yet comforting food. So, sipping a cup of hot coffee in my comfy couch I started digging my recipe files trying to decide what to make for lunch and look what I found? A simple spicy and aromatic dish that is sure to comfort your soul on days like this. Serve it with peas pulao or roti, it equally tastes delicious. Here’s how to make it….

Ingredients for the curry: (Serves 2-4 persons)

1 lb boneless chicken - cut into chunks

6-7 tbsps cooking oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

5-6 fresh curry leaves

2 bay leaves

3 cloves (lavangalu)

2 elaichi

1 ” cinnamon stick (dalchini)

6 green chillies (slit into halves)

1 large onion - finely chopped (about 1 cup of finely chopped onions)

pinch of turmeric

salt to taste

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

½ fennel seed powder (saunf powder)

3 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)

1 tsp kashmir chilli powder

1 tsp coarsely ground pepper powder

chopped cilantro

How to :

• In a deep skillet, heat oil on medium.
• Add cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, elaichi, and saute for a few seconds
• Add green chillies, curry leaves, chopped onions, turmeric, salt and saute for about 5-7 minutes on medium flame until the onions turn golden brown in color
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute until the rawness disappears.
• Add chopped tomatoes, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder and fennel seed powder. combine. let it cook on medium flame until all the tomatoes turn soft and resemble a thick gravy.
• Add diced chicken pieces and mix well with the gravy.
• Cover and cook on medium flame until the chicken is cooked.
• Remove the lid and add ground pepper powder. combine and add freshly chopped cilantro. Turn off the flame.
• Serve  hot with peas pulao (recipe follows) and/or roti.

Peas pulao

Ingredients for peas pulao: (Serves 2-4 persons)

1 cup basmati rice

½ cup fresh green peas

1 tbsp cooking oil

1 tsp shahi jeera

2 bay leafs

1 tsp ginger - garlic paste

salt to taste

How To:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a deep sauce pan.
• Add shahi jeera, and bay leaf. saute for a few seconds until a nice aroma comes out.
• Add fresh green peas and saute for about 2 - 3 minutes on medium high
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for about a minute until the rawness disappears.
• Add basmati rice and stir gently for about a minute.
• Add 1.5 cups of water, salt to taste. Do the taste test. If the water is salty it would have the right amount of salt by the time the pulao is cooked.
• Cover with a lid and cook until 2 whistles on high flame or if cooking in a sauce pan cook on medium flame until all the water evaporates and the rice is cooked thru.
• Remove the lid after the pressure goes off if cooking in a pressure cooker and serve hot with spicy chicken curry

Paneer kati roll ~ For lunch today

My love for kati roll’s started after tasting the first one in new york city. Chunks of paneer or chicken cooked in spices arranged on a bed of lettuce, and wrapped in warm tortilas/rotis is a delectable feast to the eyes and palate too. Today’s recipe is a quick version of kati roll that is spicy, tangy and sure to tickle your taste buds at the first bite. Here’s how to make it….

Ingredients for the filling : (Makes 2 kati rolls)

1 cup paneer chunks

½ red bell pepper - thinly sliced

½ red onion - thinly slicced

½ cup boiled green peas

1 tbsp cooking oil

salt to taste

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp tomato ketch up

½ tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your spice levels)

½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp shahi paneer masala

pinch of kasoori methi

½ tsp lemon juice

2 tbsps freshly chopped cilantro

Ingredients for the wrap :

2 whole wheat tortillas ( I used fresh store bought ones)

1 cup of shredded lettuce

few thinly sliced red onions

freshly chopped cilantro

How to cook the filling:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a skillet on high heat.
• Add paneer chunks, and saute them for a minute until the edges are brown.
• Add sliced onions, red bell pepper, green peas, salt to taste and saute on high heat for about 2 minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but slightly crunchy. Now add tomato paste, and tomato ketch up. Toss for a minute on medium heat. Add red chilli powder,shahi paneer masala, kasoori methi and coriander powder.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry for 2 mts on medium flame. Add red chilli powder, and chaat masala powder. combine and saute for another minute.
• Sprinkle a few drops of water, and toss on high heat.
• Turn off the flame, sprinkle lemon juice and freshly chopped cilantro.

Assembling the wrap :

• Warm the tortilla/rotiss on a dosa pan/skillet.
• Take one tortilla. Arrange it with lettuce in the center and spread about 2 tbsps of paneer filling on it, then garnish with sliced onions, and chopped cilantro then roll up tightly.
• Roll them up tightly and cut into center or wrap in aluminium foil and carry for lunch.

A classic Indian street style spicy sandwich that needs no introduction. But for those who are not familiar, its a sandwich with a spicy filling made with mixed vegetables and spread on a whole wheat toast. Next time if you want to quick fix a picnic lunch or feed a picky kid try this and you’ll be not be surprised if they ask for another serving. Here’s how I make it….

Note: I used fresh vegetables that I picked from our garden but you are free to add in your own veggies of choice.

Ingredients :

4 slices whole wheat bread

2 tbsps melter butter (for brushing the bread)

2 tbsps cooking oil

1 small onion - finely chopped

1 small green bell pepper (capsicum) - diced

1 small tomato - diced

1 carrot - diced

5 green chillies - finely chopped (adjust to suit your spice levels)

a few sprigs of cilantro - finely chopped

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp chaat masala powder

2 tbsps maggi masala chilli sauce/chatpata sauce

salt to taste

How To make the sandwich:

• Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat
• Add green chillies, chopped onions, salt to taste and fry for 2-3 mts until the onions turn soft on medium flame.
• Add the carrots, capsicum, and cilantro. Fry for 3-5 mts or until they turn soft on medium flame.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry for 2 mts on medium flame.
• Add red chilli powder, and chaat masala powder. combine. Add the masala chilli sauce and saute for another minute. Turn off the flame and set aside.
• Heat another non-stick pan on medium. Once hot turn it to a little lower setting than medium.
• Now assemble the sandwich as follows. Take a slice of bread, and place about 2 tbsps of mixture on one slice. Then top it off with another slice of bread.
• Now brush the outside of each slice with butter on both sides
• Place the assembled sandwich on the pan and grill for 2 mts on each side or until the crust is golden brown.
• Remove and serve with orange juice or cup of soup.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Sandwich

In the midst of making visits to the doctors, juggling with work and taking care of a our little one who is sick at home, I was able to find a few minutes to fix a simple comforting lunch for us with leftovers from the pantry. A grilled cheese sandwich with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, red onions and cheese, I must say it was heavenly! After making the sandwiches you will still have left over pesto that can be refrigerated. Now to the recipe…

Ingredients for sun-dried tomato pesto

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes

5-6 basil leaves (chopped)

1 clove of garlic - sliced thinly

2 tbsps chopped walnuts

3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp black pepper powder

2 tbsps grated parmesan cheese

salt to taste

Ingredients for the sandwich

2 slices Whole Wheat Bread

1 tbsp melted butter (for brushing the bread)

2 slices mozarella cheese

2 tbsps sun-dried tomato pesto

few sliced red onions

How to make the Pesto:

• Grind all the ingredients for pesto in a blender to a paste and set aside.

How To make the sandwich:

• Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat
• Meanwhile assemble the sandwich as follows. Apply the tomato pesto on the bread, arrange with sliced onion and top it off with mozzarella slices. Then cover it with another slice of bread.
• Now brush the outside of each slice with butter on both sides
• Once the pan is medium hot, reduce the flame to a little lower than medium and place the assembled sandwich on it.
• Grill for 2 mts on each side or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
• Remove and serve it  with tomato soup.

Pasta with spinach-nut pesto

” Spinach? Yuck! who wants to eat it? ” was my expression at the table everytime it was served. Even popeye failed to convince me that spinach was indeed tasty! Now I try hard to recollect when exactly did I start liking this vegetable that I include in almost anything I can. Today’s lunch was pasta with spinach nut pesto. A flavorful puree of spinach, garlic, nuts and lemon juice tossed with fresh cherry tomatoes, pasta and Voila! you have a healthy delightful dish for anytime whether its lunch, dinner or a picnic.  Here’s how I cook it…..

Ingredients:

1 cup Whole Wheat Rotini

4 cups water

½ cup cherry tomatoes (halved)

2 tbsps roasted walnuts/pecans or use a mix of both - chopped

1 clove garlic

zest of ½ lemon and squeeze the juice out of it

1 ½ cups spinach - remove the tough stems

5-6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp black pepper powder

salt to taste

How To:

• In a pot bring water to boil. Add salt, and pasta. cook the pasta Al dente. (about 10-12 mts). Drain and set aside.
• Grind the nuts, garlic, spinach, black pepper powder, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil to a smooth paste.
• Heat a pan, add the cooked pasta, spinach pesto, tomatoes, and toss it on medium flame for about 3-5  mts. Adjust salt.
• Top it with more roasted and chopped nuts then serve it warm or cold.

As much as I used to dread settling down to school routine after a long summer break, going back to school has always remained fun. There was something special about new school bags, the fresh smell from the notebook covers and the funky labels on them, new pens, geometry boxes and what not. I guess I’ll never outgrow them! September is lunch box recipes @ mommyscuisine and I would be blogging in a handful of quick and easy to pack lunch recipes that are healthy too.  Today’s recipe is wheat rava pongal and here’s how we cook it …………….

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat rava

½ cup moong dal (pesarapappu)

2 tbsps cashew nuts (broken to pieces)

1 tsp cumin seeds

¼ tsp hing (asofetida)

5-6 green chillies (slit into halves ) - adjust according to your spice levels

1″ piece of ginger (grated finely)

5-6 curry leaves

½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper powder

4 tbsps ghee (clarified butter)

3.5 cups water

Salt to taste

Note: For recipes like upma, and pongal I always add salt then taste the water. If the water is salty then my dish would have the perfect amount of salt by the time it is cooked.

How To:

• In a pressure cooker, heat ghee and add cumin seeds, green chillies , ginger, and curry leaves . saute for a minute.
• Add moong dal, black pepper powder, hing(asofetida) and cashew nuts then fry for about 5 minutes on medium flame or until the moong dal turns light golden brown. By this time you can smell a nice aroma from the moong dal.
• Add wheat rava and saute for 2 minutes on medium flame.
• Add water, salt to taste gently mix. Cover the pressure cooker with the lid and cook until 3 whistles
• Serve hot with coconut-dalia chutney and sambhar

Note:

If you are not using a pressure cooker for this recipe then follow the below steps :

Yoghurt Blueberry Muffins ~ A summer time treat

Our summers are never complete without a trip to the nearest pick your own farms. I picked some fresh blueberries over last weekend and set to make these low fat blueberry muffins using yoghurt. I was a little skeptical while adding yoghurt but was delighted to see them turn out delicious. Lightly sweet and soft these muffins would make a nice accompaniment with your morning coffee or as a dessert. If you are looking for a homemade treat that your kids would love then you gotta try this. Don’t believe me? Try these and you’ll agree with me for sure. Here goes the recipe……..

Ingredients:

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

1 egg (at room temparature)

1 cup plain low fat yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups blueberries

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 385F degrees.
• Line a muffin pan with muffin liners. If baking without liners, brush the pan with melted butter or use cooking spray.
• Measure the all purpose flour and set aside. Make sure you fluff the flour with a fork before measuring it out. After fluffing, scoop with the measuring cup and level it off with a knife for accurate measurement. I used a measuring cup to do this. When it comes to baking measuring accurately pays off at the end.
• Take about 2 tbsps of flour from above, toss the blueberries and set aside. Why toss? This would help the berries not to sink down while baking.

How To:

• Make sure the oven is preheated to the required temperature as mentioned above.
• In a bowl, Sift all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder,salt and set aside.
• In another bowl, add sugar, vegetable oil, egg, yoghurt and whisk until combined.
• Add the yoghurt mixture to the sifted flour mixture and mix until combined. Do not overmix. Its ok even if there are a few lumps.
• Add the bluerberries and fold in gently. Do not overmix else the berries would turn mushy.
• Fill in the muffin cups/pan with the above mixture until 3/4th full. Bake for about 20 - 25 mts or until a tooth pick inserted inside the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown in color. Oven temperatures differ. Keep an eye by checking at about 20 mts and continue baking if required accordingly.
• Cool 10 minutes in the pan on a rack, then remove the muffins from the pan and let it cool completely.
• Serve with hot coffee or with a dollop of butter on top.

Banana Bread

Are you one of those who is never tired of collecting recipes? I don’t know about you, but I am one of those who gets excited at recipes in magazine and newspapers even while sitting at the docs office :). With hundreds of recipes piled up everywhere in my bookcase, in the midst of my cookbooks that I have been collecting in years, every once in a while I’d love to sit with a cup of coffee and dig in my treasures, pick one then set to try it out. Such is the case with this banana bread. Moist, not too sweet, and baked to golden with a nutty crunch inside, what else could I ask for on a warm spring day. Wanna try? Then hop on to the recipe…..It’s quick and easy too.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup All Purpose Flour

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp nutmeg powder

¾ cup chopped walnuts ( you can use almonds, pecans or any nut of your choice)

¼ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup golden raisins

¼ cup rolled oats

¼ cup sweetened shredded coconut

2 eggs (at room temperature)

½ cup vegetable oil (use melted butter if you prefer the buttery taste. Who wouldn’t love that!)

½ cup plain yoghurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mashed banana (I used 2 large ripened bananas)

Preparation:

• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. I baked at 325F since I used a non stick pan that is dark. If you are using one of those aluminum ones then increase your temp to 350F.
• Brush a loaf pan with melted butter and set aside. I used a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan
• Measure the all purpose flour and set aside. Make sure you fluff the flour with a fork before measuring it out. After fluffing, scoop with the measuring cup and level it off with a knife for accurate measurement. I used a measuring cup to do this. When it comes to baking measuring accurately pays off at the end.

How To:

• Make sure the oven is preheated to the required temperature as mentioned above.
• In a bowl, mix all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon powder, nutmeg powder, walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, oats and sweetened shredded coconut so they combine well. Set aside.
• In another bowl, whisk eggs, vegetable oil, yoghurt, vanilla extract, and mashed banana so they combine well. Add the flour, spice and nut mixture above to this and gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 55 - 60 mts or until a tooth pick inserted inside the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown in color. Oven temperatures differ. Keep an eye on the loaf by checking at about 40 mts and continue baking if required accordingly. It took about an hour for me at 325 F but might take a little longer or less than that depending on the pan, temp of your oven.
• Cool 30 minutes in the pan on a rack, then turn on to the rack to let it cool completely.
• Serve with hot coffee or with a dollop of butter on top and warm milk on the side.

Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Our Christmas morning Treats

Will you bake some chocolate chip cookies for me please! my friend’s eight year old daughter pleaded.  Since its holiday time and no christmas is complete without chocolate chip cookies I decided to bake some for all of us. She was super excited and helped me through out the process. The result, are these warm delicious cookies that tasted yummy when dunked in a glass of milk.  Would you love to try some? Then you’ve got to try these. Here’s how …..

A few things to keep in mind :  

• Use softened butter. Leave the butter on the counter top overnight if you are baking the next morning. The idea is to bring the butter to room temparature before mixing it with other ingredients.
• When measuring flour, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup and level it off with a spatula or a knife. 
• This recipe calls for brown sugar. Measure brown sugar by tightly packing it into the measuring cup
• Baking soda should be mixed with dry ingredients before any liquids  are added.
• Do not overmix the dough because they make the cookies tough
• Preheat oven while you measure your ingredients. That way you have the right temparature before you place the cookies in the oven
• Line the cookie sheet with parchment paper to help cookies come out easily and it makes cleanup easy too.
• I baked one sheet at a time to provide the best circulation  in the oven.
• cool the cookie sheets between baking each batch.

Ingredients (Makes about 20 large cookies):

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp  salt

1 cup butter, softened

¾ cup packed light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated white sugar (regular sugar)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

 2 eggs

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips or semi sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup chopped walnuts

How To:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and set it aside
• In another large bowl, combine butter, light brown sugar, granulated white sugar and vanilla extract. Beat at medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add in eggs and mix till combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed till a soft dough forms. Do not overbeat/mix
• Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts and mix until just combined.
• Drop the dough using a scoop or by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet 2 inches apart.
• Bake for about 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and place the sheet on a cooling rack for a minute then gently lift with a spatula and place on a cooling rack. Allow them to completely cool off.
• Store in an airtight container. Serve them with warm milk.

Spicy Egg Masala

When its the end of the week and there’s nothing that I could find in the refrigerator, I’m sure most of you rely on eggs just like me . That’s one thing surely available in the pantry for quick-fix days when I run out of all other options. Browsing through my recipe file, I realised I have’nt blogged this favorite egg recipe so far. It could be served as an appetizer with sliced red onions and lemon wedges on the side or eat it along with hot rice and dal, no matter what you choose the taste is delicious. Now, to the recipe…..

Ingredients:

5 Eggs

1 cup of chopped onions (about 1 Large Onion)

1 Medium tomato - chopped

10-12 fresh curry leaves

½ tsp shahi jeera

5 Cloves (lavangalu)

1″ Cinnamon stick (dalchini)

½ tbsp whole coriander seeds (dhaniyalu)

3-4 pepper corns (reduce to suit your spice levels)

2-3 tbsps cashew nuts

¼ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chill powder

½ tsp ginger & garlic paste

3 tbsps cooking oil

Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish.

Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Bring water to boil in a deep sauce pan and slowly place the raw eggs with a slotted spoon. Allow to cook for about 10-12 mts. Turn off the stove. Let it cool until you can handle. Peel off the shell and set the boiled eggs aside.
• Alternatively you can place the raw eggs in a pressure cooker with a cup of water and cook for 1 whistle. Allow the pressure to go off, remove the lid and when cool enough to handle peel the shell off.

How To:

• Heat 2 tbsps oil in a pan, and on medium flame add curry leaves. Let it splutter then add shahi jeera, cloves, cinnamon, coriander seeds, pepper corns and cashew nuts. Fry them for about 2 mts or until the cashews start turning golden brown. Take care not to burn the spices. Adjust the flame according to your stove.
• Add chopped onions, salt and turmeric powder. Fry until the onions turn golden brown and soft (about 8 - 10 mts on medium flame)
• Add ginger & garlic paste, chopped tomatoes and cook covered for about 3-4 mts until the tomatoes turn soft. Add chilli powder and combine. Turn off the flame and allow to cool then grind into paste without adding any water.
• Now take the eggs, add a pinch of turmeric and apply on all of them then make a slit on the top of each egg just like you do for gutti vankaya (brinjal curry) recipe (4 cuts on the top). Arrange them all on a plate then gently using your fingers stuff the paste inside each egg as much as you can. Set aside the remaining paste.
• Heat remaining oil in a pan, and gently slide in the stuffed eggs into the pan. Add remaining paste if any and allow the eggs to fry on medium heat until the eggs start browning or turning crispy on the outside. Adjust salt if required. Add freshly chopped coriander leaves just before turning off the flame.
• Serve it with hot rice and dal or as an appetizer with sliced red onions and lemon wedges.