Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
Frango à Cafreal is a spicychicken preparation consumed widely in the Indian state of Goa. The preparation originated from the Portuguese colonies in the African continent.[1] It was introduced into the Goan cuisine by the Portuguese and the African soldiers serving under the Portuguese.
The generic preparation involves green chillies, fresh coriander leaves, onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, chilli, mace, clove powder and lime juice or vinegar. Chicken Cafreal is always made from whole chicken legs, flavoured with the spices and herbs mentioned and then shallow fried.[2] Chicken Cafreal is usually accompanied by potato wedges and lime wedges. It is a popular dish in the bars and taverns of the state. – Source: Wikipedia
This recipe s inspired by Late Wendell Rodricks
Cafreal – Chicken Cafreal
Ingredients
1.5 kg. Chicken
1 tsp. garam masala powder
1 tsp. black peppercorns
½ tsp. Turmeric powder
1 bunch coriander leaves (about 100 gms)
12 to 15 flakes garlic
2” piece ginger
6 green chillies (or to taste)
10 cashewnuts
2 Onions
4 Tomatoes (deseeded) (Optional)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. Coconut oil
2 tbsp. ghee or as required
Method
Clean and cut the chicken into large pieces.
Wash and set aside to drain.
Grind to a paste the ingredients from garam masala to lemon juice alongwith the salt.
Marinate the chicken with this masala.
Refrigerate overnight.
Heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry the chicken in batches to light brown to seal the juices.
Set chicken aside
Reserve the marinade.
Add the coconut oil to the ghee left over from frying the chicken.
If not add a tbsp of ghee to a vessel, heat and fry the masala paste for 5 minutes till the raw smell disappears and fat leaves the masala.
Add the chicken, salt (if required), 1 cup hot water and cook till chicken is tender and gravy is thick.
Serve hot garnished with onion rings and lemon wedges.
Repeated reheating gives a deeper color and improves the taste and texture of the gravy and the Cafreal just tastes better!
The mother of all biryanis! How to make 5-Star quality Biryani!! You don’t need to go to a five star hotel/restaurant, you can enjoy it at home! The recipe may seem daunting but the result is a foolproof excellent biryani sure to please.
Source : Wikipedia
In a kacchi biryani, layers of raw marinated meat are alternated with layers with wet, pre-soaked, raw rice (which may be treated with different spices as above), and cooked together by baking or medium-to-low direct heat (typically, for at least an hour). Cooking occurs by a process of steaming from the ingredients’ own moisture: the cooking vessel’s lid is sealed (traditionally, with a strip of wheat dough) so that steam cannot escape.
A yoghurt-based marinade at the bottom of the cooking pot provides additional flavor and moisture. Potatoes often comprise the bottom-most layer (a technique also used in Iranian cuisine), because, with their natural moisture content, they brown well with less risk of getting burned accidentally. The lid is not opened until the dish is ready to serve.
Kacchi biryani is technically much more demanding and time-consuming than pakki biryani, for the following reasons:
The different ingredients—meat, rice, potatoes—have different cooking times: tender cuts of meat/chicken can be fully cooked well before the rice is done. To prevent this, many kacchi recipes use parboiled (semi-cooked) rice rather than raw rice.
If direct heat is used, there is a risk that the food layer in contact with the vessel bottom may get burned while the interior’s contents are still raw. This risk is minimized by sustained baking with moderate heat, or very slow cooking on low direct heat. This approach, however, increases cooking time considerably.
One method is cooking the dish “blind”, with the cooking vessel sealed, so one cannot monitor cooking progress—it takes experience to cook a kacchi biryani just right.
Watch the video for tips and information on making the perfect Kacchi Biryani!
Shahi Biryani / Kacchi Biryani
I Meat –
1 Kg. leg and shoulder of mutton
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. yellow color
3” pc. Ginger
15 flakes garlic
5 green chillies, or to taste
1 large bunch coriander leaves
1 ½” x 1 ½” pc. Peeled raw papaya (I sometimes omit this if not available)
2 tsp. white cumin seeds (regular cumin seeds)
8 cloves
6 cardamoms
1” pc. Cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. black cumin
¼ tsp. nutmeg powder
2 blades mace
2 cups beaten curd
1 ½ tsp. salt or to taste
2 tsp. chilli powder or to taste
Clean and cut mutton into large pieces, wash and drain.
Rub in the salt and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Drain out the water completely and apply yellow color.
Powder all the ingredients from cloves to mace.
Mix the masala powder into the mutton and set aside.
Grind all the ingredients from ginger to white cumin seeds to smooth paste.
Marinate the mutton for minimum 30 mns. to 1 hour with the ground paste, curd, chilli powder and salt if required.
At this stage the mutton can be pre-prepared and refrigerated overnight.
II Browing Onions and Potatoes
2 cups ghee
6 to 10 large onions (I have used 10 as I like to use more onion as it does enhance the taste)
6 large potatoes
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
½ tsp. yellow color
10 boiled eggs (optional)
N.B. Don’t be alarmed by the proportion of ghee, its just for frying the onions just about 1/2 cup will be used for the Biryani.
Slice onions.
Heat ghee and fry till rich brown and crisp. This process will take about an hour.
Initially keep the heat high and as it begins browning, lower the heat otherwise the onions could get burnt and impart a bitter taste.
So it is a good idea to start with browning the onions first and as they are frying you can go about preparing the meat, etc.
Drain the onions and keep aside.
Peel and cut potatoes horizontally into half, wash and drain.
Prick lightly with fork and apply yellow color and pinch of salt.
Fry the potatoes in the same ghee as the onions to light brown. Drain and keep aside.
Add about ½ cup of the remaining ghee to the marinating mutton, mix.
Boiled eggs are optional. But as we love the addition of eggs, I have added 10 eggs.
Boil for 3 minutes, switch off and leave in the water for 10 to 15 minutes minutes.
Drain the water and shell under running water so it is easy to peel.
Make a slit on one side of the egg and keep aside.
III Rice –
½ to 1 kg. Basmati (good quality) Rice (I used 1 kg. rice as we prefer the biryani to have more rice)
Sufficient water to cook the rice
6 cloves
4 black cardamoms (use 6 green if you don’t have black on hand)
1/2 “ pc. Cinnamon
2 tsp. salt or to taste
½ tsp. black cumin
¼ cup rose water
1 tsp. saffron
½ cup warm milk
¼ tsp. yellow color
Wash and drain the rice.
Soak for atleast 30 minutes.
Bring water to a boil and add the cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, cumin and salt.
Add rice, cook 5 minutes only, till half done and then drain, but keep aside 1 cup of the drained water.
Heat, crush and soak saffron in the warm milk.
Mix the yellow color in the saffron milk.
IV Assembling the Biryani –
Take a deep thick bottomed vessel wide enough to hold the mutton in a single layer without space in between the mutton pieces.
Spread the mutton with the marinade at the bottom of the pan.
Dot with a little of the remaining ghee and arrange the potatoes and boiled eggs alternating with each other over the mutton.
Sprinkle half the rose water, some of the saffron milk and generously with the fried onions, crushed (save some for garnish).
Over this place the parboiled rice and press slightly.
Sprinkle the rice water all over, then the remaining rose water and dot with the saffron milk and pour the remaining milk in the centre.
Drizzle some of the remaining ghee, if desired.
Cover and seal the vessel. Either use dough made of wheat flour and water to seal the edge of the vessel or use silver foil to seal and cover tightly.
Place the sealed vessel on a high flame for 15 minutes.
Then transfer to a very hot (450 deg F) oven and cook for 1 hour.
Alternately, cook on the stove top on very low flame (after the 15 minutes on high) for 1 hour.
A Quick Stir fried Bhindi (Lady Fingers, Okra) with tips on cutting down on the slime and making them tender and crunchy and tips on how to retain the vibrant green colour. Cooked with a minimum of spices, both healthy and enjoyable! Watch video on youtube for tips.
Ingredients
½ kg. Lady Fingers, Bhindi, Okra
2 medium onions, cut into larges pieces
2 flakes garlic
½ tsp. turmeric powder
½ tsp. pepper powder, or to taste
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. vinegar (helps dissipate the sliminess quicker)
Method
Wash bhindis. Dry with a napkin.
Cut off the head and tail and cut into wedges.
Place in a cooking vessel.
Add the chopped onions, turmeric, pepper powder, oil, salt and vinegar.
Mix thoroughly and keep aside.
Cook just before serving.
To cook, set the vessel on medium high flame and stir fry (keeping the vessel open) till the sliminess in the bhindi disappears.
This happens as soon as the bhindi is cooked and tender.
Do not over cook and don’t close the vessel while cooking or immediately after as the vegetable will lose its vibrant green color.
Serve immediately with rotis or as an side with any main meal.
A good way to add millets to the diet, add some jowar (sorghum) flour to the besan flour for an healthy option. Have for breakfast or as a snack or make a meal of it. For variation, add some finely grated potato and/or zucchini to the batter.
Pancake style – makes 4 to 5 Chilas
Ingredients
1 cup besan (gram flour, chickpea flour)
½ cup jowar (sorghum) flour (or maida, oats, ragi, bajra)
2 green chilies, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
½ tsp. Ajwain (carom seeds)
Small pc ginger, chopped fine
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. baking powder (to make the chilas thick & fluffy like pancakes)
2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
1 tsp. salt or to taste
Oil for greasing the pan
Method
Mix all the above with sufficient water to make a thick batter and keep for 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat a frying pan, smear the pan with ½ tsp. oil and add ½ cup of batter.
Cover the pan and allow to cook on medium till underside is light brown.
Smear the top of the chilla with ½ tsp. oil and turn over to cook the other side to a light brown.
Remove and serve with Green coriander and mint chutney, Masala Bharwa Mirchi and yogurt.
To make Hari Chutney (Green Chutney)
Grind to a paste:
1” pc ginger
2 green chillies
2 flakes garlic
1 to 2 cups fresh coriander leaves
½ cup mint leaves
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
Grind all together to a paste without adding water as far as possible. Serve with chilas, etc.
Delicious Middle Eastern Kabobs – Lebanese style. Superb as appetiser, starter or make a meal of it. And what to say of sandwiches, which are at the heart of middle eastern food and lifestyle. Just slather the pita bread with Toum and pile on the shish taouk kabobs and salads and pickles for a satisfying and delicious snack or meal!
Ingedients
1 Kg. Boneless chicken breasts
6 tbsp. yogurt
1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 small slice of lemon with the peel
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, if available. If not use regular vinegar
6 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. garlic paste
2 tsp. white pepper or black pepper
1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
½ tsp. oregano, crushed
1 tsp. chilli powder or paprika
2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 tsp. tomato paste
Method
Cut the chicken into 1” cubes.
Mix all the ingredients from yogurt to tomato paste and mix well into the chicken cubes.
Marinate for 4 to 6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat the grill.
Skewer the chicken and grill till light brown.
Turn over and brown the other side.
Serve with grilled tomatoes, onion, olives, cucumber, olives, etc.
Serve as a appetizer or accompaniment to any main meal.
Toum (Garlic Sauce) usually used as a dip for grilled chicken, meat, etc. So creamy and fluffy and ah the taste… simply lip-smacking, you can just eat and lick it as it is. You would never believe it is homemade! Serve with Shish Taouk, Souvlaki chicken, Crispy fried chicken and any grilled meats or roasted vegetable. Slather on pita bread sandwiches or serve as a regular dip!
Traditional homemade garlic sauce
Ingredients
1 cup garlic
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup lemon juice
1/2 cup iced water
3 cups oil, like canola, sunflower
Method
Peel garlic and remove the germ if desired (makes the taste less sharp) by cutting in half and scooping out the germ in the centre of the garlic. I skipped this step today due to lack of time.
Place the garlic with salt in a blender and process till garlic is smooth, use the lemon juice at intervals to facilitate movement of the garlic.
Add a little water if the lemon juice is not sufficient. Adding more lemon juice may make it too sour.
Once the garlic becomes a smooth paste, start adding the first cup of oil in a continuous drizzle while the blender is running.
Stop the blender to give it a rest.
Then continue adding the remaining oil alternating with the iced water till all oil and water are incorporated.
The paste should be light and fluffy by now.
If not add one egg white and run the blender for 2 minutes to achieve the fluffy consistency.
Transfer to a sterilized glass jar or a container and refrigerate.
Use for a month, if it lasts that long!
This recipe makes a large quantity of toum. So it would be better to try with half or quarter of the recipe.
But bear in mind that if the toum doesn’t become thick and fluffy, the garlic mixture should not be wasted, use it in cooking where garlic paste (with tartness) is required.
These stuffed chillies can be consumed as a pickle or an accompaniment or loaded into sandwiches or rotis for a snack! Make a large batch and store in the refrigerator for upto a month!
Bharwa Masala Mirchi
Ingredients
6 large long green Chillies
¼ cup sev (fried bhel puri sev)
1 ½ tbsp. fennel seeds (Saunf)
¼ tsp. Ajwain (carom seeds)
½ tsp. turmeric powder
2 tbsp. coriander powder
2 tbsp. Amchur (Dry mango powder)
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. Asafoetida
½ tsp. mustard seeds
4 to 5 tbsp. oil
Wash chillies and wipe dry. Make a slit on the length of the chilli without cutting through. Carefully remove the seeds and the pith with a small spoon or a knife. Leave the stem on.
To prepare filling:-
Powder the sev fine. Grind the fennel and Ajwain to a powder. Mix the sev, fennel, Ajwain, coriander, amchur, turmeric and salt in a bowl and add 2 tbsp. of the oil and mix well.
Stuff the masala powder into the chillies and set aside. Heat the remaining oil and temper with asafoetida and mustard seeds. When the seed pop add the stuffed chillies and fry on medium low heat for 3 to 4 minutes till it changes color and is light brown. Turn and cook other side for 2 minutes. Don’t burn them. When the chillies are soft, switch off flame and cover and keep for 5 minutes.
Serve with besan chillas, rotis or with any meal as pickle or appetiser. Can be preserved for a month in the refrigerator.
The chicken is so amazingly delicious and crispy and crunchy that you just can’t have enough of it. It was just flying off the frying pan. Very simple and easy to make with very few common ingredients. Serve as a starter, appetizer or as an accompaniment with any main meal. Or simply serve as a meal with a green salad and potato fries!
Crispy Fried Chicken
Ingredients
1 Kg. Chicken or Boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1 to 2 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tbsp. coriander powder
½ tsp. garam masala powder
1 tbsp. chilli powder or to taste
1 cup rice flour & 3 tbsp. rawa for coating
Ghee or oil for frying
Clean chicken and cut into large pieces. If using boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes.
Mix the ginger garlic paste with the masala powders, salt and vinegar to a smooth paste. Add a little more vinegar if the paste is too dry.
Apply this mixture to the chicken and allow to marinate for half an hour or can even keep overnight in the refrigerator.
Roll each piece of chicken in rice flour rawa mixture.
Heat enough ghee/oil in a frying pan.
Place the chicken pieces in the pan.
Deep fry, reduce flame to medium, turning occasionally until a delicate brown and tender about 3 to 5minutes each side.
Caldine or Caldinho in Portuguese, is a typical goan curry recipe used to cook, fish, vegetables or shrimp. It’s a light coconut curry and as the consistency is quite thin can easily double up as a spicy soup. It is mildly spiced and considered a “sweet” curry. This combination of shrimp and cauliflower is quite commonly prepared in a caldine and tastes delicious over boiled rice or with some crusty bread or poee or pao used to mop up the runny curry and the juicy morsels devoured with the crunchy cauliflower and luscious shrimp. Keep the shells of the shrimp intact (provided they are fresh) and you will enjoy sucking and relish the juicy caldine that is trapped in the shells!! Make sure the cauliflower has some crunch, so avoid overcooking.
Ingredients
1 cup medium to large prawns
1 medium cauliflower
1 medium onion
3 green chillies
1 medium tomato
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. Salt, or to taste
Grind to a paste
1 cup fresh coconut or 4 tbsp. coconut powder
3 large cloves garlic
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 small marble sized ball tamarind
Method
Shell & devein the prawns. If the prawns are very fresh, keep the shell intact, removing the head and legs.
Wash and drain.
Apply a pinch of salt and turmeric and set aside.
Separate the cauliflower florets and cut into large pieces.
Immerse in salted water for 15 minutes to loosen dirt and kill insects, if any.
Grind the masala to a paste.
Slice the onion, slit the green chilies and chop the tomato.
Heat oil in a vessel,
Add the sliced onion, green chilli and fry till light brown.
Add the tomato and saute till soft.
Add the masala paste with the masala water and additional water for the curry as required,
Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Add cauliflower and cook 5 minutes till almost tender.
Add prawns and cook 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and serve with steamed rice.
Goes well also with Poee, or bread to mop up the delicious gravy
Make a meal of these sandwiches, for brunch, lunch, dinner or simply as a quick snack to satiate you. If you wish to cut down on the carbs, have them as “open sandwiches”, using only one slice of bread. Enjoy these crisp, crunchy sandwiches with various fillings with fresh ingredients that can be adapted to suit your taste. Instead of tomatoes, use cucumbers, jalapenos or gerkins. I am partial to fresh basil and like to use it in everything if I have it on hand. You can substitute basil with parsley or fresh coriander. Feel free to use your preferred sauces like, tomato, mayo, mustard, etc. to suit your taste.
Tapenade and Feta Cheese Sandwich with Zaatar (Wild Thyne or Oregano)
Ingredients – Per Sandwich
2 Slices bread
2 tomato slices
2 tbsp. crumbled Feta cheese
2 to 3 tbsp. Black Olive Tapenade
1 tsp. Zaatar
2 tsp. olive oil
Lettuce, fresh basil and cherry tomatoes for serving
Method
Apply Tapenade to the bread slices. Put one tbsp. olive oil on a hot pan and place the bread slice tapenade side up. Spread the crumble feta cheese, sprinkle the zaatar, drizzle some olive oil and top with the tomato slices. Place the second slice of bread on top of the tomato slices tapenade side down. Apply olive oil to the top of the bread. By now the underside of the sandwich should be brown. Turn over and toast both sides. Serve crisp olive tapenade and feta cheese sandwich with soft succulent centre, with some iceberg lettuce and fresh basil.
2. Grilled Pepperoni Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients – Per sandwich
2 Slices Bread, of your choice
2 slices cheese
8 slices pepperoni
Butter to coat the bread
Dijon Mustard
Method
Butter one side of the bread and place on a skillet or pan, buttered side down. Place 1 slice of cheese and 8 slices of pepperoni on the top of the bread. (You may broil the pepperoni for ½ to 1 minute in the microwave if you wish). Top the pepperoni with a slice of cheese. Cover the open-faced sandwich with a lid. Spread some Dijon mustard on the second slice of bread. When the underside of the open-faced sandwich is brown, top the sandwich with the other slice of bread, mustard side down. Butter the upper side of the bread and turn to brown the other side. The cheese should be melted by now. Remove and serve immediately when brown and crisp on both sides.
3. Grilled Halloumi Tapenade Sandwich
Ingredients – per sandwich
2 slices Bread
3 slices Halloumi Cheese
2 to 3 slices tomato
Iceberg lettuce (or any lettuce you have at hand)
Some fresh basil
2 tbsp. tapenade
Olive oil to brush the bread
Method
Grill the halloumi slices on a hot pan till brown on both sides. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and spread tapenade on the other side of the bread. Place the olive oil side on a hot pan with the tapenade facing up. Top it with the tomato slices, lettuce, basil and halloumi and cover with the second slice of bread, olive oil side facing up. When brown on the underside, flip the sandwich over and toast till brown. Serve immediately, crisp and warm on the outside and crunchy, salty and tangy on the inside!
P.S.: I am partial to fresh basil and use it in everything if I have it at home. Feel free to use any fresh herbs of your choice.
4. Tuna Melts
Ingredients – for one sandwich
1 small tin Canned Tuna (in sunflower oil)
1 small Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. Mayonnaise, or as required
1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp. Sweet relish (optional)
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard (optional)
2 slices of tomato
Fresh Basil
1 slice cheese
Method
Put the tuna alongwith the oil in a bowl, add the chopped onion and green chilli and mash to a paste. Mix with mayonnaise and the sweet relish and mustard, if using. The tuna would taste as good though, without the relish and mustard. But if you love their complex flavors, you would enjoy these additional flavors. Butter one side of the bread and place on a heated griddle, buttered side down. Top with the tuna mayo paste, tomato slices and cheese slice. Add the fresh basil and cover with the second slice of bread, buttered side up. Flip the sandwich over when the underside is brown and toasted. Brown both sides and serve hot and crunchy with the soft juicy delicious tuna filling. Serve with some crisps or potato chips.
For variation: Add gherkins or jalapenos instead of tomatoes
5. Grilled Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients – for one sandwich
2 slices bread
2 eggs
Salt and pepper for the eggs
2 tomato slices
Butter to spread on the bread
Method
N.B: You need to use a large skillet for this recipe so you get enough of the egg omlete to fold over the sandwich.
Grease the skillet with a little butter and add the beaten eggs seasoned with salt and pepper and spread evenly over the pan. Place one slice of bread buttered side up in the centre of the egg omlete. When the egg browns lightly and sets completely, flip over so that the buttered side of the bread is now touching the pan . Fold the egg over the four sides of the bread. Top with tomato slices and fresh basil (or lettuce or baby spinach) and a slice of cheese. Place the second slice buttered side up on top of the cheese slice and turn the sandwich over the brown both sides. Serve hot and crisp with some green salad or sprouts salad if you wish to serve it as an express lunch or dinner!
6. Halloumi Lettuce Wrap
Ingredients – for one wrap
1 tortilla wrap
Mayonnaise or mayo Sriracha, etc as desired to spread over the wrap
3 to 4 Tomato slices, grilled
3 to 4 Grilled Halloumi
Lettuce, fresh basil, (or coriander leaves or mint)
Method
Place the tortilla on a warm pan on low heat. Drizzle mayonnaise as required and place on one end of the tortilla, grilled halloumi slices, tomato slices, lettuce and basil. Fold into half and serve immediately.
(Jowar – Bajra Dosa) (Sorghum – Pearl Millet Dosa)
Ingredients
Makes 8 to 10 Dosas
½ cup Bajra flour (Pearl Millet flour)
½ cup Jowar flour (Sorghum flour)
½ cup Rice flour
¼ cup flaxseeds powder (optional)
1.5 cups thin butter milk (Chaas)
Water as required to make a thin batter
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. green chilli paste
½” pc ginger finely chopped
½ tsp. pepper powder
1 tsp. Salt or to taste
Ghee as required
Mix the flours and combine well, add salt, cumin, green chilli paste, ginger, pepper and mix with butter milk to a pouring think consistency. Add additional water if required and adjust consistency. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
Heat a dosa pan to very hot. Pour a ladle and a half of the batter and cook till brown. Drizzle ghee in the centre and all around. After a minute, flip and fry on the underside for a minute. Remove and serve while crisp and hot with Idli Podi (Gun Powder) or any chutney of your choice. Continue frying the remaining dosas ensuring the batter is thoroughly stirred and mixed before each dosa is put on the pan, as the flours tend to settle to the bottom of the dish. Leftover batter can be stored in the refrigerator and later or the next day.
P.S.: To ensure the bajra and jowar flour remains fresh, store in the freezer.
This easy and quick breakfast is ready in minutes! Enjoy as a snack or for dinner or supper.
For variation, use chapatis or phulkas instead of tortillas.
Quick Breakfast Tortilla Wrap
Ingredients –
To make one wrap – per person
1 Tortilla
2 eggs
2 slices cheese
A handful fresh baby spinach
2 or more slices of cold cuts (beef, pork, chicken ham, smoked turkey, mortadella, etc.)
A pinch Salt & pepper, or to taste
1 tsp. butter
Method
Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper.
Heat a pan, add butter and pour the beaten eggs into the pan.
Immediately place the tortilla over the egg and quickly turn the tortilla over (must use your fingers for this) so it is coated with the egg on both sides.
Now fry for a minute till egg on the underside is light brown.
Flip the tortilla over and place 2 slices of cheese side by side at the end nearer to you.
When cheese melts slightly, top with spinach and 2 or more slices of cold cuts, as per your taste.
Carefully transfer the tortilla to a board and form into a compact roll, beginning from the side with the filling.
Cut diagonally into two halves and serve immediately.
Ketchup, mayonnaise or mustard sauce may be added as per taste.
Makhanas have important benefits. They are rich in nutrients and hence make a great addition to a healthy diet. They are high in antioxidants and help stabilize blood sugar levels and have anti-aging properties and may also promote heart health. They are rich in protein and gluten free.
As makhanas are low in calories they make an excellent snack in between meals to satisfy hunger pangs. For a snack, roast the makhanas, sprinkle with salt and enjoy.
The Makhana kheer is a rich dessert but low in calories. It is an important item on fasting and Navratri menus as regular grains like rice and wheat are not allowed during fasting in India.
Makhane ki Kheer
Ingredients
2 cups Makhane (lotus seeds, fox nuts)
3 cups milk
½ cup sugar
2 to 3 tbsp. ghee
10 nos each almonds, pictachios, raisins, (nuts sliced)
3 cardamoms
A pinch saffron
2 to 3 dried roses for garnish and decoration (optional)
Method
Clean the lotus seeds and lightly roast in ghee till light brown and crisp.
Grind to a coarse powder, you can leave some large pieces.
Heat the milk and when it come to a vigorous boil, add the sugar and stir till dissolved.
Then add the ground makhane. Stir frequently.
Let it simmer for 1/2 hour. Add the nuts, raisins, ground cardamom and saffron and simmer 5 minutes.
If you like a thicker and granular consistency cook for further 20 to 30 minutes and then proceed with adding nuts, etc.
Allow to cool. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Serve cold.
May be served slightly warm if desired.
Crumble the roses and sprinkle over the kheer for garnish and decoration. Use fresh rose petals if available.
Ghee Roast is fiery red, tangy and spicy with a flavor of ghee roasted spices. The advantage of creating traditional dishes at home, is you can adjust the recipe to suit your taste to get maximum satisfaction from the meal. Our spice level is always medium spicy, hence the Prawn Ghee Roast does not have the usual number of chillies. Secondly, Baydagi and Kashmiri chillies are both used, but I have used only Kashmiri as I did not have Baydagi chillies. You may increase the chillies according to your taste.
P.S.: Any leftover ghee roast (if at all any remains of this delicious dishes) can be reinvented the next day. Just add some water when re-heating to make a curry and you have a Kundapur Curry to go with freshly steamed rice!
Ingredients
1 Cup prawns (large), shelled
1 tsp. Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tbsp. yogurt
1tsp. tamarind paste
Salt
4 tsp. brown (fried) onion paste*
1 tbsp. yogurt for fried onion paste
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. coconut oil
2 tbsp. ghee
1 to 2 sprigs curry leaves
To make Kundapur masala (Roast and grind to a powder)
4 to 6 Kashmiri chillis
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
½ tsp. cumin seeds
¼ tsp. fenugreek seeds
¼ tsp. pepper corns
4 flakes garlic
OR use 3 tsp. ready Kundapur masala instead of above
Method
Dry roast the spices from Kashmiri chillies to garlic, cool and grind to a powder. Your ‘Kundapur masala’ is ready.
*To make fried onion paste : Slice two onions and fry in oil on medium heat till dark brown, cool and grind to a paste with a tbsp. of yogurt.
Clean, shell and devein the prawns.
Wash, squeeze out all the water.
Combine tamarind paste, yogurt, salt and kundapur masala and apply to the prawns and mix well. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
Take a shallow pan, add 1 tbsp. of coconut oil, and fry the chopped garlic for a minute.
Add the brown onion paste and sauté for a minute.
Add the prawns with the marinade and stir fry on high flame till the prawns change colour.
P.S.: I have cooked a larger quantity in the video, hence it is much more than the recipe quantities.
The combination of Dal & Palak makes it extremely healthy and nutritious. Split yellow moong dal is rich in vitamins, proteins and essential nutrients and palak (spinach) a rich source of iron.
Tastes delicious with chapatis, puris or any Indian bread. Even goes well with steaming hot rice and a little pickle!!
Enjoy this meal-in-one dish, which is not only delicious and satisfying, but healthy too.
Dal Palak
Ingredients
1 cup moong dal, soaked in water for an hour
1 large bunch spinach, chopped
1 Large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
5 cloves garlic
1” piece ginger
4 green chillies
½ tsp. turmeric powder
½ tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. ghee
Method
Grind garlic, ginger, chillies, onion, turmeric and chilli powder to a paste.
Heat ghee and add cumin seeds, saute for 1/2 a minute,
Then add the masala paste and fry till ghee separates.
Add tomatoes and salt.
Cook till tomatoes turn soft.
Add the soaked dal and 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, cover and cook till dal is tender.
Add chopped spinach, add a cup or two of water if dal is dry and adjust consistency.
Cook 10 minutes, then add some chopped coriander leaves, save some for garnish.
Remove to a serving dish and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves
My Cooking Diaries "CooklikeCecilia.com" 
Recent Comments