Creamy Cold Coffee - tips

I am sure you know how to make cold coffee, however I thought of sharing a couple of tips if you like your coffee frothy and creamy.

1. Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream for each serving.
2. Churn with crushed ice for more froth rather than only chilled milk or cubes. This applies for all shakes.

Ideas for Coolers for Summer

Kanji [drink made from small mustard seeds]

• Grind 2 heaped tb sp of rai [mustard] 
• 2-3 Black/Purple Carrots cut lenght-wise into 2 inch pieces.
• 1/2 tbsp of red chilli powder
• 1 tb sp salt, add more later according to taste

1. Stir in all the above ingredients into 3 ltrs. of water and keep in preferably an air tight glass jar [or a foodgrade quality plastic container].
2. Place this jar in the sun for 3-5 days to allow the mustard to ferment. Remember to stir the contents about thrice a day. Thats the only difficult bit!
3. After 3 days check for sourness. If ready,check for seasoning.
4. Serve chilled.
    

Onion 'n capsicum in gramflour (a spicy side dish)

This super quick recipe was given by my friend Neha. Its made in rajasthan (west india). Its yummily spicy, very easy to prepare and can be served with parantha or as an accompaniment with a curry/dal.

Ingredients:- a)

• 1/4 cup          gram flour(besan)
• 1 tb sp           oil/ghee
• 1 1/2 cup       water

Ingredients:- b)

• 1                 onion(big) sliced length wise
• 1                 capsicum sliced length wise
• 2-3              green chillies finely chopped
• 1 tsp           coriander powder
• 1 tsp           red chilli powder
• to taste       salt
• 1tb sp         oil

Prepration:-

1. Heat a tb spoonful of oil, add onions and capsicum and stir cook till light brown and soft.
2. Add the corinder powder, chilli powder, salt . Mix well and turn off the heat.
3. While the onion and capsicum is cooking, heat oil in a separate small wok.
4. Lower the heat , mix in the gram flour stirring continuously and cook till dark brown.
5. When the oil separates and the flour is roasted to a rich brown, add water and stir-cook for another 2 min. to a thick paste consistency.
6. Add this to the onion 'n capsicum . Check for seasonings.
7. Its ready to be served!

Bitter gourd [Karela] stuffed

This bittergourd (karela) recipe is healthy and will keep for a long time in a fridge. I use mustard oil for shallow frying the gourd, mustard oil is 60% monosaturated fats, has detoxifying and anti- bacterial properties. (Do not worry about the pungent smell of the oil , see the tip at the end of this recipe)

Ingredients:-

• 7-8pc.               med. sized gourds
• 4                       med. onions
• 2 tb sp              oil for cooking onion masala
• extra oil            for shallow frying
• 1/4 tsp             turmeric powder
• 3/4 tsp             chilli powder
• 1 tsp(heaped)   coriander powder
• 2 tsp                mango pickle masala or dry mango powder
• to taste            salt

Preparing the gourd for stuffing-

1. Wash ,dry, peal the bitter gourds.
2. Slit open (do NOT cut into half)each piece length wise, scoop out any mature seeds. (leave the pulp intact, its healthy and gives the gourd its flavour)
3. Sprinkle all the pieces generously with salt, put on a flat plate.
4. Keep the plate with one side slightly higher than the other (small elevated angle)
5. Keep aside the gourds for 1/2 hr. This is to drain out some of the bitter tasting juices.
6. After 1/2 hr you,ll notice a small quantity of water collected on one side of the plate. Carefully pick each piece and press firmly between the palms of your hands to squeeze out any remaining liquid. Now the gourd pcs. are ready for stuffing.

Onion masala-

1. Grind all onions to a fine paste.
2. Heat oil* and add the paste. Cook till deep brown and the oil separates.
3. Add turmeric, chilli , coriander powder, mango pickle masala and salt. Check and adjust seasoning.
4. The masala is ready! Let it cool down a little .

Shallow frying-

1. Stuff each gourd with the onion masala.
2. Secure each piece with a white thread.
3. Heat oil* in a flat pan and place all the pieces in.
4. Cover and cook on med. flame, remember to rotate the gourds every few minutes to cook evenly on all sides.
5. Its ready!

Tip-
*Bring oil to a smoking point and add a pinch of common salt , then procced. This rids the oil of its distinct odour which many dont like.

Pasta in cheese 'n tomato sauce

Hi Shubhra!
Thankyou for the encouragement. Here's another recipe for Pasta- hope you'll like it.

Ingredients:-

• 2 cups           uncooked pasta
• 1 med           onion finely chopped
• 1tsp              garlic finely chopped
• 3 tbsp           tomato puree
• 2 cups          grated cheddar
• 2 cups          milk
• olive oil/ butter for cooking
• salt and pepper for seasoning

1. Boil the pasta in lots of salted water. Drain and keep aside.
2. Heat oil/butter and saute onion.
3. Add garlic, cook for a minute.
4. Stir in the puree.
5. After a while add the grated cheese and milk, keep stirring continuously. The cheese will melt, let it simmer for a minute.
6. Add salt 'n pepper and the boiled pasta. Mix well.Its done!

Garlic Bread

We love garlic bread and its so ez to make-
All you need is-

• Crushed garlic
• Butter
• Bread

For ease of preparation I follow the ratio of 1:1:1! For 1 slice of bread you need 1 small flake of garlic and 1 small cube of butter(the amount normally used on a toast).

1. Mix crushed garlic into softened butter.
2. Spread on one side of bread.
3. Heat the griddle [tava] and cook each slice from both sides till crisp. 

Pasta [Dry]

Hi,
We eat pasta for dinner atleast once a week, its become our maggi! I prepare pasta in two ways- the 1st recipe is my sis-in-law's. It was voted as the best dish by the kids at an informal gathering at a friends house!

Ingredients:-

• 1 1/2cups          Uncooked pasta*
• 1                       Onion sliced thinly
• 1 small              Capsicum sliced lengthwise
• 7-8 pcs.            Baby corn sliced diagonally
• 2 small              Tomatoes chopped
• 1tsp                  Red chilli flakes
• to taste             Salt
• 1tbsp               Olive oil or any other
• 1/2 cup            Cheddar cheese grated

1. Boil the pasta in lots of salted water, strain it, apply a little oil to keep it from sticking and put aside.
2. Heat the oil, put in the onions, capsicum and cook for a minute. Add the baby corn and let cook till a light brown.
3. Add tomato and cook till nicely blended.
4. Mix in the boiled pasta, red chilli flakes and salt.
5. Transfer half of it into a serving bowl,  put a layer of grated cheese on top of the pasta covering the entire surface. Spread out evenly the remaining half of the pasta and put another layer of grated cheese.
6. Microwave for atleast 1 min. before serving, to melt the cheese.

* For this recipe I try to use smaller sized pasta so it gets wrapped nicely with the dry masala.

Serving suggestion: Garlic Bread goes great with pasta and makes it a fulfilling meal.
[Recipe for home made garlic bread is also given]

Pinwheels

Hallo,
 Pinwheels taste just like any other sandwich, its more about the presentation or the look of the sandwich! The normal sandwich bread or a full loaf can be used, just make sure its not dry and crumbly.

How to prepare the bread for a pinwheel:-

• Put some water in a pan and keep a flat strainer on the pan.
• When the water starts to simmer place the bread slices on the strainer for only a few seconds. The idea is to moisten the bread a little with the steam. [Alternatively cover the bread with a damp cloth.]
• One slice at a time flatten it out with rolling pin.
• Spread a stuffing* of your choice. 
• Starting from one side roll the slice as tightly as you can.
• Cut the rolls into 2 and trim off the edges for a neat look.

*Ideas for spreads for pinwheels:-

1. Combine some softened butter and ketchup. It may sound too simple, but believe you me - its very tasty.
2. If you love cheese then sprinkle grated cheddar on top of the spread [no. 1]
3. a)Mix butter, crushed garlic, red chilli flakes and spread it on the bread.  b) Put grated cheese. c)Make pinwheels.d)Refrigerate them for 15-20min. e) Either bake these rolls or toast them on the griddle[tava]
4. Peanut butter and jam pinwheels.
5. Create your own and do share with me!

Cucumber and Carrot Sandwich

I picked up this recipe from my mother in law's cook.Its great with the evening cold coffee. I am listing the quantity of each ingredient according to how I mostly use it- feel free to experiment to suit your taste or availability.
For 5 sandwiches:

• 1 med.      carrot grated
• 1/2            cucumber grated
• 2 tbsp       mayonnaise
• 1tbsp        fresh cream [malai] optional
• 1tsp          coriander chutney
• 1/2 tsp      black pepper powder
• 1 tsp app. salt
• white/brown bread

1. After grating the cucumber lightly squeeze out the excess liquid.
2. Mix all the ingrediends.
3. Chill the mix for 20 min.
4. Trim the bread slices from all sides.
5. Spread the mix on the bread and your sandwich is ready!

Tip: Cut each sandwich into 4 neat squares/ tiangles for a dainty look.
       Its good as a grilled sandwich too.

Veggies in White sauce

This is another ez and quite healthy sandwich for dinner or anytime you wanna grab a bite. Its also a good option for a picnic basket because its a cold sandwich.
The ingredients are:

• 2small         carrots diced
• 2-3 florets   cauliflower cut into small pcs.
• 12-15         french beens cut into small pcs.
• 4 loaves      6" bread

Boil the veggies for a minute till they become soft but are a litttle firm.  You can steam them in the microwave for 4min on high.

For white sauce:

• 1 1/2tbsp   butter
• 1 1/2tbsp   maida [refined flour]
• 2cups         milk
• 1                onion cut into 4
• 1                bayleaf
• 2                cloves
• white pepper powder and salt for seasoning

1. Heat a pan ,put butter, add maida and stir cook continously for 2-3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and keep aside.
3. In a saucepan bring the milk to a boil with the onion,cloves and bayleaf and let simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Strain the milk and while it is still boiling hot  pour the milk into the butter- maida mix while stirring continuously [to avoid formation of lumps].
5. Put the pan back on heat , allow to simmer for another 2 min. ,add seasoning and a pinch of sugar.
6. Mix in the boiled vegetables and turn off the burner.
7. Slice each bread loaf horizontally.
8. Spoon out the white sauce mix onto the bread and enjoy!

Tip: Prepare this sandwich a little in advance to allow the bread to soak in the flavour.For later consumption wrap each piece in cling film.

Sandwich Unlimited - Onion and Capsicum

Hey,
This month I am going to post some very ez sandwich recipies. I love bread-  buttered, garlic bread, with dhal, subzi, chutney, even plain bread I can chew on. In hostel a friend of mine and I used to spread green chilli pickle on bread and devour it! So a lot of my breakfasts consist of sandwiches and mostly those that  can be quickly prepared with ingredients commonly stocked in the fridge.
The first recipe is Onion and capsicum sandwich. It can be done with either cheese or only butter.
Ingredients:

• 1             Onion finely chopped
• 1/2          Capsicum finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp     Black/White pepper powder
• to taste    Salt
• 1/4 tsp    Dry mango powder[amchur]
• butter  or cheese slices or grated processed cheddar

1. Mix the onion and capsicum and season it with salt,pepper, amchur.
2. If you are using only butter then spread it on one side of  the bread slice.
3. Put the onion capsicum mix on the buttered side and cover it with a second slice.
4. For making a 'cheesy' sandwich instead of butter keep a cheeese slice or the grated cheddar on the bread.
5. Grill it till crisp.

You now have a yummy sandwich!!
Health Tip: Use Brown bread (whole grain)

Making Paneer [Cottage Cheese]

Hi ,
The reason why I thought of sharing this simple way of making paneer is because many of us find it easier to pick it off the shelf. I did too... But now 8 out of 10 times I use home made paneer  primarily because its healthier, more hygienic. And we eat quite a bit of paneer in our meals so thats important for me. Also it is a great source of protein [for the health conscious]. Believe me , its really ez and once you've tried it a couple of times its a breeze!
One thing you need is a small muslin bag so that the process becomes really ez and non-messy. If you dont then a muslin/ thin cotton cloth will suffice.
Here goes...

•  2 1/2 litres of milk
• 1 tsp of citric acid or juice of two lemons

Bring the milk to a boil. Turn the burner knob to sim. Stir in either the powdered citric acid or the lemon juice. As soon as the milk curdles, turn off the gas. Transfer this into the bag and pour some cold[room temprature] water on it. Tighten the bag and keep it on a flat surface. Now place a weighty object for eg. your tava[griddle] or chakla on it for about 1 hr to press out the remaining water and get a neat slab of paneer.

Adding a Cocktail twist- To the curdled milk add some chopped onion, chopped tomato. red chilli or black pepper powder.  Then follow the same procedure. Once the paneer is set, cut it into cubes. You can dot each peice with coriander/mint chutney/ketchup and serve it for breakfast or with the evening drinks. Enjoy it.

Yoghurt Discs

Hey All,
Staying true to my URL 'ezcooking' here's one more of a real quick 'n ez recipe. Use it for brekka or tea-time or any time you need a filler.Its also great for kids.
For the Yoghurt Discs you need:

• 
  
  1/2cup         Hung youghurt*
• 
  
  1/2           Capsicum finely chopped
• 
  
  1              Onion finely chopped
• 
  
  1 tb sp     Fresh cream [malai]
• 
  
  1 1/2 tsp  Roasted semolina [suji]
• 
  
  1/2 tsp     Black Pepper
• 
  
  to taste    Salt
• 
  
  1/4cup     Paneer [optional]
• 
  
  8 slices    Bread
• 
  
  a few      Curry leaves chopped
• 
  
  1tsp        Mustard seeds[rai] for sprinkling

1. Mix all the ingrediants from curd to paneer.
2. Take each bread slice and cut out neat roundels/discs using a sharp edged steel tumbler or a small bowl. Put the slice on a chopping board or any flat surface, then holding the glass upside down press into the bread slice. 
3. Spread out the yoghurt mix on one side of each bread disc.
4. Garnish with slivers of curry leaves and mustard seeds. 
5. Heat a griddle [tava] and spread a little bit of ghee or butter.
6. Put each slice on the tava , first with the spread side down . Cook both sides tll crisp and brown.
7. Serve with coriander chutney.

*For hung yoghurt : Put the curd in a muslin cloth and let hang till all the water content is separated.

Potato n Cheese Bites

Hallo again!
This is another very easy recipe for a cocktail or tea snack. You can prepare the bite-sized cutlets in advance and keep them refrigerated for even upto a day.
Ingredients:

• 3big           boiled potatoes
• 3cubes       processed cheddar cheese grated
• 1/2 small    capsicum chopped finely 
• 1 tsp          cornflour
• 4 tbsp        bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp       black pepper powder
• 1-1 1/2tsp  salt
•                   oil for deep frying

1.Grate the potatoes.
2. Add the cornflour,2 tbsp. of bread crumbs, the seasoning and mix well.
3.Divide the mix into about 20 equal portions.
4.Take each portion in your palm and flatten into small disc.
5.Place some grated cheese and a bit of the chopped capsicum in the centre and close it. Now pat it into a neat cutlet [of any shape you like] and roll it in the remaining bread crumbs.
Its ready for deep frying.
If you wish to use it later then grease a container, place the cutlets in it and refrigerate.

Gift for a newborn

Hi,
My neighbours were blessed with a baby boy last month. I was looking for an appropriate gift so I went to 'Vividha' bangalore. Its a great store for little kids-they have some lovely really colourful stuff .... baby sheets, bags for toys, stationary items etc. I picked up a baby wrap with a matching diaper stacker[I just made up that word , dont know whats it actually called].The store is now my first stop everytime I need something for a little one.
P.S. This is NOT a promotional article, only my personal view.

Mixed Veg Paranthas[ witout using oil for frying]

Hallo everybody,
Today I am going to share a super healthy AND yummy parantha recipe. My sister in law came up with this for her kids.  I am listing the ingredients quantity according to how much I use- feel free to add or reduce, to suit your own taste.

• 1 medium      onion
• 1medium       carrot
• 2 florets        cauliflower
• 1 bunch         fresh methi [fenugreek leaves]
• 1 big piece    ginger [about 1 1/2 inch]
• 1                   green chilli
• 1/2 tsp          black pepper powder
• 1 tsp/to taste salt
• 2 cups          flour[wholegrain]

1. Use a chopper to coarsely grind the veggies. Put them in the mixing bowl or the bowl you use for kneading dough. 
2. Mix in  the salt and pepper and let it rest for 5 minutes 
3. Add the flour and make soft dough for your paranthas. 

If you have a food processor then you can put all the ingredients except flour in the processor bowl and after mincing the vegetables gradually keep adding the flour till the dough is of the right consistency.

The USP of this recipe is that it uses no water for making dough, only veggies!

Variations:a) Methi can be substituted with palak leaves[spinach].
                b)Roughly mashed cottage paneer , boiled potatoes can also be added.

As for paranthas without oil- try this the next time you soooo want to eat aloo or gobhi or mixed veg. or any parantha but the thought of all the oil and calories stops you - DO NOT FRY IT which is how it is usually done.  Instead let it cook on medium heat till nicely crisp and brown. Go on and take that pat of butter with your non-fried parantha!

Ez and best-- Paneer babycorn sabzi (vegetable)

This is my First BLOG post so I'll start with my favourite because this recepie can be used for a formal dinner or when you are in a hurry and also when you are in no mood for cooking!  Eat it with roti [indian bread],  bread or just as a snack.
                             
What you need is

1. 150gm.       paneer [cottage cheese]   cubed
2. 150gm.       fresh baycorn sliced diagonally
3. 1big            onion diced
4. 1                capsicum  diced
5. 1tbsp          red chilli sauce
6. 2tbsp          tomato ketchup
7. 2tsp            soy sauce[optional, I use it according to the colour I want on that day]
8. 1tsp            slightly heaped coriander powder
9. 1/2tsp            red chilli flakes / red chilli powder / black pepper powder[use whichever is u'r [ favourite]
10.                   salt  
11. 1 1/2tbsp    refined oil /ghee / olive oil     

Heat oil in pan , add onions. After a quick stir add capsicum and babycorn.  Keep the flame on medium [ not too slow basically ] .  Let it cook till babycorn  is slightly crunchy. Then stir in the spices and the sauces and paneer at the last.  Guess what , cooking over, your meal is ready!

Variations:  a)   for adding even more colour you can use red, yellow capsicum.
                    b)   paneer can be separately sauted and then added.
This recipe is for two people.

Hope you enjoy it.
New blogger.
Meera