Spaghetti With Pesto.

Spaghetti With Pesto. This is such a easy recipe which can be cooked in 10minutes, if you have a pesto ready, all you have to do is just boil the spaghetti and add pesto with some Parmesan and your lunch or dinner is ready with some fresh salad. I have used store bought pesto. But pesto can be made easily at home and store for couple of weeks and will surely post a recipe for pesto also shortly.

Ingredient's.

500g pack spaghetti

3 tbsp pesto (home made or store bought)

50g Parmesan grated or other cheese.

Cooking Method.

Boil spaghetti in a large pan according to pack instructions. Drain well, then return to the pan with the pesto and half the Parmesan. Toss well, then add it to the serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

Chicken Dum Pulao/ Chicken Pulao.

Chicken Dum Pulao. I cook chicken dum briyani very often and everybody loves it and this time for a change I cooked this pulao with very less ingredients and it tasted awesome like briyani only. This is very easy to cook dish and can be cooked as dum or even in pressure cooker too. Actually this pulao tastes better when it cooked 5 to 6 hours before and served with chilled onion raita..

Ingredients.

1/2 kg rice or Basmati rice 

Chicken 1/2 kg

1/2cup green peas

2 big size onion

3 green chilly (chopped) 

4 to 5tbsp of chopped coriander and mint leafs

2tbsp Ginger, garlic paste

1/2tsp turmeric, 1tbsp coriander powder, 1tbsp garam masala 

1/2cup curd, 2tbsp lemon juice

2 bay leafs, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamom

2 cloves, 1 big black cardamom, 2 star anise

1tbsp shah jeera

Salt as per taste

Oil as per your requirment.

Cooking method.

Wash and soak the rice in enough water for 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat the deep frying pan add oil, when oil is hot, add shah jeera, bay leaves, cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, star anise and leave till it become's brown. 

Then add onion, ginger garlic paste fry for till the onion becomes lite golden brown, then add chicken, turmeric, and salt, fry it till the chicken starts leaving oil. 

After that add coriander powder and garam masala, give a quick stir, then add curd, lemon, green chilly, green peas and mix well, then add 2tbsp of mint and coriander leafs and mix it well.

Half boil the rice in a seprate pan. add water in to rice as per it required's. drain the water from rice and then add the half boiled rice into the chicken pan and give gentle stir. Then sprinkle from top left over mint and coriander leafs. (you can make as layers also like dum briyani , but I have made it together like pulao). Cover the lid and cook till the rice is completely cooked in a medium flame.

Serve hot hot with Raita.

Grilled Veggie Panini/ Grilled Vegetable Sandwich.

Grilled Veggie Panini is a grilled sandwich made from bread other than sliced bread. You can add any vegetables and salami of your choice or sausage also can be used. This will make a ideal breakfast or dinner sandwich along with some chips, as this has all the goodness of veggies, cheese and meat which will make a complete meal by itself and it is very easy to make and delicious to eat. I don't have grilled pan so I used tava and the sandwich came out well. Do try and enjoy this yummy sandwich.

Ingredient's.

4 Thick Slices of Sourdough Bread

4 slices of chicken salami

4 thinly sliced Zucchini

2 Portobello Mushrooms, cleaned and sliced on a diagonal 

1/2cup shredded cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar

2tbsp of Pesto or garlic mayo

Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Cooking Process.

Preheat a grill pan or Tava over medium-high heat.

Drizzle the mushrooms and zucchini with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

Grill the veggies for a few minutes on each side on the hot grill pan or until they develop some grill marks and have softened. Remove to a plate and drizzle some balsamic vinegar on top, set aside. 

Spread 1tbsp of pesto or garlic mayo on one piece of the bread (the bottom piece) and place some shredded cheese on top. Start layering veggies and salami on top of the cheese, and top the veggies with one more of cheese, put the top bun on.

Brush both sides of the outside of the bread with a little oil and grill them either on the grill pan or in a panini press until the cheese is fully melted and the outside is nice and crunchy.

Serve hot with some potato chips.

Spicy Madras Egg Curry.(Pressure Cooker Version)

Spicy Madras Egg Curry. Here in Britain, Madras curries are so common that you'll find in each and every Indian restaurant. According to the local people it is very hot and spicy, but for me it was very bland and after trying in few restaurant I was so much in mood to cook my own version of spicy madras curries. I have tried in chicken, mutton and egg too, but this is the curry most loved by my husband. I have tried making the madras curry masala at home and it taste better then the store bought one and will be posting the recipe for masala also in next post. This gravy taste better if it is little thin but you can make gravy according to your choice thin or thick. Do try this spicy curry at home and enjoy with your family.

Ingredient's.

4 hard boiled eggs

2 medium size onion, 2 green chilly, 2 medium size tomato (finely chopped)

1tsp madras curry masala

1/2tsp turmeric, 1tsp coriander powder

1tsp red chilly powder, 1tsp garam masala

1tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2tsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

2 dry red chillies

1tsp kasoori meethi

3tbsp oil + 1tbsp for frying eggs

Salt as per taste.

Cooking Method.

In a non-stick pan, add 1tbsp oil and fry the eggs to golden brown and keep it aside.

In a pressure cooker add oil, cumin, bay leaves, dry red chillies, when they splutter, add onion and chilly fry till it become’s golden brown, add all the masala powder and ½ cup water, fry till it starts leaving oil, add tomato and cook till all the masala has come together, that will take about 5 to 6 minutes.

Then add fried eggs, kasoori meethi, salt and mix. Add another 2cups of water, cover the lid and cook for 2 whistle (1 in high flame and 2 in low flame). Allow the pressure to go completely before you open the cooker.

Garnish with coriander leafs

Serve with Ghee Rice, Plain Rice or Jeera Rice and Roti.

Adai/Lentil Dosa

Adai is a very famous South Indian dish which is made out of mix lentils and rice. You can add your choice of green leaves or veggies to make it more healthier and It is usually prepared for breakfast, but I even prefer to eat any time of the day. It is very simple to prepare and does not need much planning as for dosa and the good thing about this adai is, it does not need fermentation and you can prepare in no time. All you have to do just soak the rice and mix lentils for about 2 to 3hours. Then grind it to paste and make adai. Adai is usually little thicker then the dosa. It goes well with avial, coconut chutney or as it is.

Ingredient's.

1cup rice

1/2cup mix lentils(toor dal, urad dal, channa dal)

5 to 6 dry red chillis

10 curry leaves

1/2tsp finely chopped ginger

1/4tsp asafoetida/hing

Salt to taste

Oil for making adai.

Cooking Method.

Soak rice and dal together for 2- 3 hours.

Grind it to smooth paste along with red chilli, curry leaves, ginger, hing and salt. The batter should not be thick nor watery.

Heat a griddle or a non stick tawa and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it in circular motion. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the adai. Let it get cooked. Once cooked remove from tawa.

Serve it hot with coconut chutney, avial or as it is.