Noodle wrapped prawn fry

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Preparation Time : 25 minutes + 1 hour for marination

Cooking Time : 3 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Noodle wrapped prawn fry. There is a restaurant here at my place called capsi,where they serve awesome tasting food. I had a dish called crispy fried chicken which they had wrapped chicken stripes with noodles and deep fried it, then sauteed in a combination of some sauces and garnished with spring onions. It was so very yummy.Wanted to try it at home. Then thought why not try it with prawns. To my surprise came across a recipe with noodles wrapped in prawn. Wolla , took note but made few changes and worked spot on. It’s become a regular dish at home now.

Ingredients for marination

Ingredients
Quantity
Cleaned prawns with tail15 pieces
Chilli flakes1 teaspoon
Pepper1/4 teaspoon
Soya sauce1/4 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Ajinomoto a pinch ( optional )
Limea squeeze

Other Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Egg noodles300 grams , boiled in salted water and drained
Cornflour1 tablespoon
Maida1 tablespoon
Saltto taste
Oil300 ml
Sauces of your choice to serve as dips

Method

  1. Marinate prawns with all the marinate ingredients together for one hour .
  2. Mix cornflour , maida and salt to taste and spread the mixture on a flat tray . Dredge the marinated prawn pieces over the cornflour mixture making sure they are coated well all around .
  3. Then wrap the egg noodles all over the prawns . Hold the wrapped prawns in between your palms and fingers and press gently making sure the noodles stick on to the prawns .
  4. You can follow the recipe till this stage and keep the prawns in the fridge and fry them when required .
  5. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the prawns in hot oil for 1 minute and on medium heat for 2 minutes , again on high heat for 30 seconds until golden brown .
  6. Drain and serve hot immediately with sauces of your choice .

Lemon Honey glazed salad

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saladlemon

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : nil

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Lemon honey glazed salad. A very simple salad which is very healthy lightly flavored and very tasty. Salads are always a great healthy eating options but to make them tasty as well is a challenge . These sort of recipes everyone can make even beginners to children. This salad is sure a treat for health fanatics. I ,myself have started working on salads very recently . I have succeeded to a certain level that 30 percent of my experiments in salad end up tasting good. This salad is so colorful and appealing to the eyes. I was so very excited about the results when i tasted it finally.

Ingredients for Glazed Salad

Ingredients
Quantity
Onion1 chopped
Tomato1 chopped
Capsicum1/2 chopped
Red pepper ( capsicum ) 1/2 chopped
Yellow pepper ( capsicum )1/2 chopped
Baby corn2 sliced thinly
Pomegranate kernels1/4 cup
Carrot1 medium size cut into small bite size cubes
Coriander leaves 1 tablespoon chopped

Ingredients for dressing

Ingredients
Quantity
Olive oil
1 tablespoon
Honey2 tablespoon
Lime juice1 1/2 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Pepperto taste

Method

  1. Mix the dressing ingredients together well . Mix all the salad ingredients together .
  2. Mix the dressing into the salad ingredients . toss well , making sure the dressing has coated the salad ingredients all over .
  3. Keep in the refrigerator and serve cold .

 

Chicken 65

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chicken65

Preparation Time : 30 minutes + 4 hours for marination

Cooking Time : 10 minutes for each batch deep fried

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Chicken 65. A regular dish at home. Any special occasion or have guests coming home chicken 65 is a must in the table. chicken 65 is the best combination for Biriyani , ghee rice , plain rice with sambar , rasam , curd and even with parota , idiappam , appam .Actually it’s good with antyhing and every thing. Though have eaten chicken 65 from my childhood days never knew how to prepare this dish . When i was newly married was invited to my aunt shajithas (my mom’s 3rd sister)place in Salem for a grand feast . As we had 2 more newly married couples (my hubby’s cousin)along with us, was helping my aunt in the kitchen. Took note of her deep frying the chicken 65 and the chicken was raw marinated in masala. I told her the chicken is not cooked and how will it get cooked by just deep frying . She told me it will get cooked and this is the speciality of chicken 65 as it gets cooked in hot oil. I was really surprised to know this fact then.

Ingredients for Main dish

Ingredients
Quantity
Cleaned chicken1/2 kg ( cut into bite size pieces )
Ginger garlic paste1 teaspoon each
Chilli powder1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Curd1/4 cup
Cinnamon1 inch piece
Cloves 2
Cardamom1
Pepper powder1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice1/2 lime
Vinegar1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Orange Red food colour a pinch
Cornflour1 tablespoon
Maida1 tablespoon
Egg1
Oilto deep fry

Ingredients to Garnish

Ingredients
Quantity
Capsicum1 cubed
Onion1 cubed
Curry leavesfew
Green chillies2 cut into long stripes

Method

  1. Grind all the ingredients together except for the chicken to a smooth paste . Marinate chicken in the masala paste for 3 or more hours .
  2. Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed pan . Fry chicken pieces in batches 6 to 8 pieces at a time for 8 to 10 minutes .
  3. First 2 minutes on high heat and then on medium heat for 5 minutes and another 2 minutes on high again . This way you get a crisp out side and a soft , moist cooked flesh inside .
  4. Once all the chicken pieces are fried and drained . Deep fry the garnish items for 30 seconds in hot oil . Drain .
  5. Garnish over the chicken 65 and serve hot with lemon wedges .

 

Spaghetti pricked sausages in Alfredo sauce

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spaghetti

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

A genius idea to serve spaghetti that I got to see in a picture in the world wide net . Gave it a try but with my twist of serving it with Alfredo sauce . It taste Devine and now a staple at home. .

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Spaghetti1/2 packet
Sausages 6 cut into 2
Olive oil 2 tablespoons
Garlic1 crushed
Onion1 chopped
Flour1 tablespoon
Milk2 cups
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese slice2
Dried basil , oregano , chilli flakesto taste
Grated cheeseto garnish

Method

  1. Prick spegati into sausage bits . Boil in salted water and drain and set aside .
  2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil, add 1 crushed garlic and 1 chopped onion . Saute to golden brown , add 1 tablespoon maida fry for a minute with out burning .
  3. Add 2 cups milk , season with salt and pepper . Keep stirring .add 2 cheese slices and melt them .
  4. Garnish with dried basil , oregano and chilli flakes . Add the boiled spaghetti .
  5. Serve hot with grated cheese.

Carrot pudding

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Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Carrot Pudding . I got this recipe from my aunt Thasneem (moms last sister) long back and tried it once immediately back then. But didn’t like it much as the baking part kept me uncomfortable with this dish. Now that i have come out of the fear of baking its ok. I felt the pudding alone to be served seemed bland so i have added a carrot custard sauce to be served along. Which really lifted the pudding to another level. Everyone at home liked the pudding a lot. Making desserts with vegetables is one great idea to get children and every one to eat vegetables.

Ingredients for carrot pudding

Ingredients
Quantity
Carrot2 big grated
Butter2 tablespoons + to grease
Bread slices8
Milk 1 cup
Cinnamon2.5 cm
Cardamom2
Cloves1
Eggs2
Sugar powder1/2 cup
Ginger1/4 teaspoon grated
Vanilla essence 1/2 teaspoon
Salta pinch

Method for carrot pudding

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius . Cook butter and carrots together on high flame for a minute . ( I microwaved for a minute ) .
  2. Trim the crusts of the bread slices . Soak the trimmed bread slices in milk . Powder the spices together . Beat eggs , sugar , vanilla essence , ginger , salt and spice powders together .
  3. Stir in cooked carrots and soaked bread mixture and mix in altogether .
  4. Pour into a greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until cooked through , when inserted with a tooth pick in the Center comes out clean .
  5. Serve hot or cold with carrot custard sauce .

Ingredients for Carrot custard sauce

Ingredients
Quantity
Carrot juice2 cups
Sugarto taste
Custard powder3 tablespoons
Butter1 teaspoon

Method for Carrot custard sauce

  1. Mix all ingredients together and heat over a medium flame in a non stick pan .
  2. Stirring continuously till you get a thick flowing consistency custard which is mild orange coloured .
  3. Remove and serve poured over the carrot pudding hot or cold .

 

Mutter paneer

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mp

Preparation time : 15 minutes

Cooking time : 20 minutes

Serves : 6 members

Description

Mutter paneer . A pure vegetarian dish i have been waiting to post for a very long time , my cousin brother Shabu’s (Ahamed shah) wife Zarina (baby as well we call her) called me one day asking for a recipe with paneer.Mentioned this recipe and she made it with out the green peas. My cousin liked it so much that he had the left over in the morning along with dosa the next day . She did send me pictures as well. The original recipe demanded cashew nut paste but as she was out of stock of the ingredient. I asked her to substitute it with coconut paste.She asked another doubt about her paneer pieces being hard always. I asked her what she does to the paneer . Her reply was i soak it in water, cut into cubes and then fry it . I told her you have to first fry it and then soak it in salted water till required to use in the dish. This helps the paneer to stay moist and don’t waste the soaked water. Use it for the matter paneer dish which adds a lot more flavour than adding just water. These small things make a great difference to the dish.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Paneer1 cup cut into cubes , fried in 1 teaspoon oil or ghee and soaked in salted water
Green peas shelled and boiled 1 cup
Onions 2 sliced fried in 1 teaspoon oil to translucent and ground to a smooth paste
Tomato3 big ground
Saltto taste
Onion - 1 chopped
Cumin seeds1 teaspoon
Chilli powder1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder1 tablespoon
Cashew nuts1 tablespoon
Poppy seeds1 tablespoons ,( kasa kasa )
Fennel seeds1/2 teaspoon
Sugar1/4 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste1/2 teaspoon each
Garam masala powder1/4 teaspoon
Fresh cream1 tablespoon
Coriander leavesfew chopped
Oil4 tablespoons

Method

  1. Grind cashew nut , poppy seeds , fennel seeds together to a smooth paste . Heat a kadai with oil .
  2. Add cumin seeds . Once they crackle top with chopped onions and fry to brown . Add ginger garlic paste and fry to crisp .
  3. Pour the ground tomato purée . Saute till oil floats and raw smell has gone . Top with ground onion paste and fry for 3 to 4 minutes .
  4. Top with chilli powder , turmeric powder , coriander powder , garam masala powder and salt to taste .
  5. Fry for a minute and pour enough water to get a thick consistency gravy and boil till all the flavours infuse together and raw smell vanishes .
  6. Add the boiled green peas and the cashew nut , poppy seed paste and mix well . Bring to boil . Add sugar , fried paneer and mix well . taste and adjust seasoning and add more water If Required .
  7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and fresh cream . Serve hot with chapatis , pulkas , paratha s , rotis etc.

 

Home made pizza

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Preparation Time : 50 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Pizza . One among the international dishes i got to know as a kid . During our holidays my brother and myself were given pocket money of 15 rupees each every day . Which was used for 2 movie video tapes and a pizza or a burger from J.M English bakery in Coimbatore. So most of pizza eating was done with J.M Bakery’s pizza’s.The word pizza brings another hilarious thing that happened when i had an outing with my childhood friend alamu and her sisters. We went out to an eat out place to have a brunch.All were busy ordering whatever wanted. One of us ordered a pizza.While we were waiting for our order to come, we just went through once again as what each of us had ordered. Some one told pizza’s as 2 of us ordered pizza. My friend alamus little sister meena started crying out loud. We not knowing why she is crying started consoling her.Then meena told i am scared of pisasu (meaning ghost in tamil)she thought pizza’s were pisasu.We all burst out laughing and till date we call Meena pisasu. While in roam on a holiday my first thing to do in my list was to eat a pizza.Went to a small place where they had huge trays on one side of the store filled with trays of different flavoured pizza’s. Being on the safer side asked for a vegetarian pizza.The lady asked me how many centimetres ? I was like centimetres ?????? sounded wired but that’s how pizza’s are sold in italy as they bake huge trays of pizza and each person gets their share in centimetres.

Ingredients for Pizza

Ingredients
Quantity
Yeast 1 tablespoon ( good quality must for good results )
Oil 1/4 cup
Maida 1 1/2 cup
Warm water 1 tablespoon
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Egg 1
Sugar30 grams
Milk 1/4 cup

Method for Pizza

  1. Dissolve yeast in warm water with 1/4 teaspoon sugar and 1/4 teaspoon maida .
  2. Keep covered with a wet cloth for 10 minutes to ferment . Beat egg , oil , sugar and salt together in a bowl .
  3. Pour milk at boiling point to the bowl (of egg , oil , sugar and salt ) and mix well with a wooden spoon till sugar dissolves .Seive maida .
  4. Add maida in small quantities to the milk egg mixture along with fermented yeast mix and knead to a smooth dough .
  5. Don’t have to add all the maida , when the dough is soft , stop adding maida . Knead well . Place the dough in an oiled bowl .
  6. Cover with a wet cloth and set aside for proving for 30 -40 minutes . Roll out into big circles on a greased tray .
  7. Keep aside for another 5 minutes and then bake till light brown at 200 degree Celsius . Take out . Cool to room temperature .
  8. Spread the filling and put bake for baking for another 5 – 10 minutes till cheese melts .

Ingredients for Filling

Ingredients
Quantity
Tomato1/2 kg ( blanched , peeled and blended )
Capsicum 2 chopped , ( green 1 , red 1 )
Onion 2 chopped
Egg 1
Celery 2 stalks chopped
Spring onion2 chopped
Baby corn 1/4 cup cut into thin circles
Olives 1 tablespoon sliced
Garlic 8 flakes ground
Ginger 1 inch piece ground
Chilli powder1 teaspoon
Sugar1 teaspoon
Oregano 2 teaspoons
Cheese grated 100 grams
Butter1 teaspoon
Tomato sauce 1 tablespoon
Sausage , chicken , mutton or paneer
1 cup shredded ( optional )
Tomato puree1/4 cup
Chilli flakes to taste
Egg white1 seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and beaten ,
Olive oil2 tablespoon

Method for Filling

  1. Heat olive oil add onion and fry for a minute , top with ginger and garlic paste .
  2. Once crisp add capsicum , celery , spring onion , salt , oregano and baby corn and sauté for a minute . Remove from flame and set aside .
  3. Heat the blended tomato , chilli powder , sugar ,salt and tomato purée together to get a thick sauce . Add tomato sauce and cool down completely to to room temperature .
  4. Add a beaten egg and mix well . Taste and adjust . Spread this sauce over the pizza base .
  5. Sprinkle with 3/4 of the cheese , spread the onion , capsicum mixture over . Top with sliced olives and sausages , mutton , chicken or paneer of your choice .
  6. Sprinkle remaining cheese over . Dot with butter and brush with egg white and bake in a preheated oven for 5 – 6 minutes .
  7. When cheese melts , remove , cut into wedges and serve hot garnished with oregano and chilli flakes .

 

Mutton kola urundai

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Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving :4 members

Description

Kola urundai . A deep fried round ball with a crispy outside and a moist mass of delicious meaty inside that is an authentic dish very own to the chattiyar communityof the chettinad region . All Though I grew up with a lot of friends from the chettinad region , never have I heard or tasted these mighty Devine balls . Once on our way to Coimbatore had lunch at venu biriyani hotel in Dindugal . Our table was lined with a variety of dishes but my favourite was the kola urundai . I could not stop with 2 and shamelessly had a couple more ( don’t want to mention the exact number and boo myself here ) . From then on any chance to gobble up the kola urundais in venu biriyani hotel , I will never give it a miss . Wanted to make these at home tried my best with so many versions but nothing as close as the venu biriyani kolas . The trappings of authentic recipes are painful for sure . Finally one try that I experimented for my son – in – laws birthday feast worked pitch perfect . The beauty of this recipe is in its multitude of textures , soft , crisp and moist . my son – in – law being a native of Dindugal had his eye brows raised while his first try of the kola urundais . Happy me as what a way to please my son – in – law for his birthday through his roots .

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Mutton keema ( boneless mutton mince ) 150 grams
whole dry red chillies2
roasted gram/Pottu kadalai/varu kadalai
1 tablespoon
cashewnuts 4
fennel seeds1 tablespoon
grated coconut2 tablespoons
small onions/Shallots 6
garlic flakes 3
grated ginger
2 tablespoons
cardamom1
cinnamon 1/2 inch
clove 1
curry leavesfew
egg1
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry

Method

  1. Heat oil add cinnamon,cardamom,clove and curry leaves.once they crackle add ginger and Saute . top with garlic,small onions and saute for a few seconds .
  2. Add the green,red chillies,cashew and saute till the ingredients get roasted well.Then add fennel seeds and saute until a good aroma arises .
  3. Add coconut,saute it.
  4. Finally add roasted gram and give a slight roast.set aside and cool completely. Heat little oil and
  5. saute the minced mutton for 5 – 8 minutes.
  6. See to it that it gets half cooked and water gets dries up completely. Cool the minced mutton . Grind all the roasted ingredients together except for minced mutton with out adding water .
  7. Then add mutton and salt.Grind to get a thick smooth dough like mass of mixture . Add egg to the ground mixture and mix well .Make small round smooth lemon sized balls with no cracks .
  8. Heat oil to deep fry in medium flame.Deep fry the mutton kola urundais to a dark golden brown colour . Drain and serve hot as it is .

Note

  1. Make sure to use the exact quantity of ingredients mentioned or else the kola will not taste or turn out good .
  2. While grinding the mixture don’t add water. Or else it will absorb more oil.
  3. Heat oil in medium flame to deep fry . If fried in high flame the outer layer becomes dark soon but it will not get cooked inside.
  4. You can reserve some ground mixture in the fridge and make it the next day .
  5. Make even lemon size balls with out cracks . Bigger sized balls have a problem of not getting cooked inside and cracks make the kola look terrible .
  6. You can follow the same to do chicken kola urundai .

 

Egg pulao

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Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Egg pulao . A recipe i got from one of my Telugu speaking friend. Followed the recipe as she mentioned. Turned out well but was extremely spicy. I did forget that this is an Andhra Pradesh Dish. Next time i was careful with the spice and worked out perfect. Egg is one ingredient that i never have at Home stored as my hubby is very fussy about eggs. My boy Afzar loves eggs. Any restaurant we go to his regular instant order would be egg fried rice. Egg is one magical ingredient that works wonders with sweet and savory dishes . I remember as a kid i used to hate to eat the yolk of eggs. Mom used to force and feed me and results i would throw up. Wonder why now a days there is nothing as such that i don’t like. Gosh how can i forget this connection that i have with an egg. Well i was nick named egg in school. The reason i don’t know till date.

Ingredients for egg pulao

Ingredients
Quantity
Basmati rice
2 cups , ( soaked in water for 10 minutes )
Eggs2 + 4 boiled
Cloves 4
Cinnamon 1 inch piece
Salt to taste
Onion 1 big sliced
Bay leaf 1
Pepper corns 1/2 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste 1 teaspoon each
Oil 2 tablespoons
Green chillies 4 slit ( the original recipe demanded 10 green chillies , was extremely hot )
Pulao masala1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves chopped few
Lime1/2

Method for egg pulao

  1. Heat oil and add whole spices , after a few seconds add onion , green chillies , ginger garlic paste .
  2. Fry to brown and crisp . Break in 2 eggs and scramble .
  3. Add drained soaked rice and fry or a minute . Add salt to taste , boiled eggs and pour water ( 4 cups ) .
  4. Cover and cook till the rice is half done . Stir in pulao masala and a squeeze of lime juice . Mix gently .
  5. Cover and cook till water evaporates and rice is cooked through . Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with onion raita .

Ingredients for Masala powder

Ingredients
Quantity
Cumin seeds 5 grams
Pepper corns 5 grams
Cinnamon5 grams
Cardamom5 grams
Cloves 5 grams
Bay leaf 5 grams

Method for Masala powder

  1. Dry roast all the ingredients separately and powder together to a smooth powder .
  2. Preserve in an air tight container and use whenever required .

 

10 minute itsy bitsy clear soup

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10m

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

10 minute itsy bitsy soup. A soup i learnt as a teenager initially when i started cooking (a married teenager). At moms place i don’t remember being served a soup at all except for the paaya soup (aatukkal soup) served with arusi maavu rotti. The same at my in-laws place to. I prefer watery soups to creamy soups.But my hubby and my kids like creamy soups. So very rarely do i make watery soups at home. Maybe once in 4 times of creamy soups, a watery soup will be prepared.Usually i don’t garnish my soups at home as i serve my soups with a sandwich or a starter which is more than enough. I like the concept of having a hot home style soup before a meal as your food intake gets reduced to a certain level and is great healthy eating option. The nutritional boost of these watery soups will make them your go to food to beat the calorie count.

Ingredients

Ingredients
Quantity
Mixed vegetables2 cups ( carrots , beans , cabbage , capsicum , mushroom , ) - Cut into thin long strips
Water 4 cups
Vegetable or chicken stock cubes2 ( I used maggi )
Garlic2 flakes crushed
Onion1 sliced
Butter
-1 teaspoon , ( optional )
Celery1 stalk with stem and leaves
Pepper to taste

Method

  1. Pressure cook all the ingredients together except for butter , stock cubes , pepper and garnish items for 3 whistles .
  2. Add the stock cubes , pepper to taste and butter . Bring to boil . Taste and adjust .
  3. Do not add salt to the soup as the stock cube contains a lot of salt . Remove the celery stalk .
  4. Serve hot with any garnish of your choice .