Cheesy Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

Bread slices 3

Garlic cloves 3 large

Grated Mozarella Cheese 1.5 sp

Butter 1.5 sp

Green chilli 1

Dried Oregano 3/4th sp

Red chilli flakes 3/4th sp 

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind garlic cloves and green chilli into smooth paste.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except bread to this and mix well and make it into a smooth paste.

3. Pre heat the oven to 200C.

4. Take a bread slice, spread generous amount of this garlic cheese mixture on one side for all the bread slices.

5. Keep the bread slices on a baking tray lined with foil paper by facing the cheese spread side upwards as shown in the pic here.

6. Bake them for around 10 mins.

7. Serve hot for breakfast with some juice or for a meal with any soup.

Jhatpat Paneer Capsicum Sabji

Ingredients:

Paneer 250 gms cubed
Red bell pepper 1 small
Green bell pepper 1 small
Yellow bell pepper 1 small
Onion 1 small diced
Tomatoes deseeded and diced
Ginger 1 inch piece
Garlic cloves 6
Green chillies 2
Red chilli powder 1 sp
Coriander powder 3 sp
Cumin powder 2 sp
Turmeric powder 1/2 sp
Garam masala powder 1/2 sp
Katsuri methi powder crushed 1 sp
Coconut milk 3 sp
Salt to taste
Ghee 1/2 sp
Oil 1 sp

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pan and fry paneer cubes by adding little salt. Keep the paneer cubes in a bowl of warm water.

2. In the same pan, add oil and heat.

3. Make a paste of ginger, garlic cloves and green chillies and add it to the pan and cook for a min.

4. Now add red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, salt and cook for a min.

5. Now add the red, green and yellow peppers and diced onions and cook for 5 mins till the peppers turn little soft.

6. Now add the diced tomatoes and cook for 5 mins.

7. Then add the paneer by draining water, add garam masala powder, crushed Katsuri methi powder, mix well and cook for 2 mins.

8. Now add coconut milk and cook for 2-3 mins and switch off.

9. Serve hot with roti or pulkas.

Lemon Honey Chicken

Hello friends, I was a bit sceptical about this dish before trying as it uses honey and whether it is going to taste sweet. But trust me, the honey and lemon combination in this recipe is so good that honey somehow cuts the tangyness of lemon and blends so well and this recipe turned out so yummy and finger licking good. Try this out and let me know how it turned out for you :)

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks skinless 5

Lemon juice 4 sp

Honey 4 sp

Olive oil 4 sp

Dried Oregano 2.5 sp

Red chilli flakes 2 sp or as per taste

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and clean the drumsticks and make few gashes.

2. Mix all the ingredients mentioned and marinate the drumsticks in it and leave it overnight or at least 2 hours.

3. Pre heat oven to 200C. Line a baking tray with foil, grease some oil and keep the marinated drumsticks in a single layer and bake for 20 mins.

4. Now flip them over to the other side and bake or another 20 mins.

5. Serve hot with some onions.

Vellarai Leaves Pachhadi (Brahmi Leaves Chutney)

Vellarai leaves (Brahmi leaves) have many health benefits like improving memory power, brain health, reducing depression etc. So, try to include these vellarai leaves to your diet at least once in a month. Try out this chutney recipe with vellarai leaves and let me know how it turned out for you.

Ingredients:

Vellarai leaves 2 cups packed
Onion 1 medium chopped

Cumin seeds 1 sp

Channa dal 2 sp

Urad dal 2 sp

Pepper corns whole 1/2 sp

Garlic cloves 6

Dry red chilli 1

Grated fresh coconut 2 sp

Jaggery 1/4th sp

Tamarind paste 1 sp

Salt to taste

Oil 1.5 sp

Method:

1. Heat 1 sp oil in a pan, then add cumin seeds, channa dal, urad dal, pepper corns, dry red chilli and fry in medium flame till they get golden colour.

2. Now take out all of them on to a plate, then add the onions, garlic to the same pan and fry till onions turn slightly browns nod take them onto the plate.

3. Then add 1/2 so oil to the same pan, add the vellarai leaves and cook till the leaves get cooked and all the water in them evaporates.

4. Now add the grated coconut, toss well and keep it aside and cool all of them.

5. Now grind the dals first in the blender then to the same blender, add the onions, garlic and the vellarai leaves, jaggery, salt, tamarind paste and grind again to a coarse texture.

6. This chutney doesn't need any tempering. It goes well with hot rice with ghee or dosa and idlis.

Rava Kesari

This rava kesari is generally made for Naivedyam during festivals. I made this today for Dasara. Try this out and let me know how it turned out for you.

Ingredients:

Coarse Rawa (Semolina Grits) 1 cup (Makes around 4 cups rava kesari when cooked)

Ghee 1 cup

Dry fruits (cashew nuts, badam, pista, sultana) 3/4th cup

Milk 3.5 cup

Sugar 80% in the cup

Cardamom powder 1/2 sp

Ripe Banana 1 chopped

Method:

1. Heat 1/2 cup ghee in a nonstick pan and add the dry fruits and fry them till they turn golden colour and then take them out.

2. To the remaining ghee in the pan, add the semolina grits and fry till it turns light golden colour and take out the rava.

3. Now to the same pan, add the remaining half cup ghee and when it melts, add the milk and let it boil. Do not over heat the ghee before adding milk as the milk will splutter if ghee is too hot.

4. When the milk is boiling, add the cardamom powder.

5. Now add the rava slowly little by little and keep mixing to avoid formation of lumps.

6. Keep stirring continuously.

7. When the rava absorbs all the milk and looks dry, add the sugar and cook till the ghee starts oozing out from the rava.

8. Then add the dry fruits, banana pieces, mix well and switch off.

9. This can be used as Naivedyam or can be eaten as a desert as well.

Chilli Chicken

This chilli chicken recipe doesn't need to deep fry the chicken and uses very less oil. So it is healthy and yummy too. Try it out and let me know how it turned out for you :)

Ingredients:

Chicken boneless 1/2 kg

Pepper corns 1 sp

Corn flour 2 sp

Ginger finely chopped 1 sp

Garlic finely chopped 1 sp

Green chilli 1 slit

Red chilli 1 cut

Onion diced 1 small

Green capsicum 1 small diced

Red capsicum 1 small diced

Yellow capsicum 1 small diced

Soya sauce 3 sp

Chilli sauce 1 sp

Venegar 1 sp

Spring onions finely chopped 1 sp

Oil 3 sp

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut boneless chicken into bite size pieces, add coarsest crushed black pepper corns, salt, corn flour, mix well and let it marinate for 20 mins.

2. Heat 1.5 sp oil in a nonstick pan, add the marinated chicken and cook on uncovered on medium heat till the chicken is fully cooked. Keep stirring once in a while. Don't let the chicken to get burnt as it becomes sticky due to corn flour.

3. Take out the chicken pieces, and add the remaining oil in the same pan and heat.

4. Add the cut red chillies and cook for few seconds.

5. Now add the ginger, garlic, green chillies and cook for a minute.

6. Then add the onions, all the capsicum and cook for 2 mins.

7. Now add soya sauce, chilli sauce,vinegar and little salt if required and cook for a minute.

8. Then add the chicken, toss well so that the sauces nicely coat the chicken and let it cook for 2 mins.

9. Lastly add the spring onions, toss well and serve as a starter with noodles or fried rice or any pulao. We had it with Peas Pulao .

Peas Pulao

Ingredients:

Rice 1 cup soaked in water for 20mins
Peas 1 cup
Onions 1 large thinly sliced

Ginger garlic paste 1 sp

Green chillies 2

Whole garam masala (Cinnamon stick 1/4 inch, cloves 1, bay leaf 1, star anise 1, green cardamom 3, black cardamom 1)

Oil 1 sp

Ghee 1 sp

Cumin seeds 1 sp

Mint leaves fistful chopped

Fresh Coriander leaves fistful chopped

Coconut milk 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, add cumin seeds and all the sole spices and let them cook for 1 min.

2. Now add the onions and cook till they turn light brown and then add ginger garlic paste and cook afpoe a min.

3. Then add the green chillies slit, mint leaves and coriander leaves and cook for 2 mins.

4. Now add the peas, add salt and cook for 5 mins.

5. Add the rice by draining the water, mix well and cook for 3 mins.

6. Now add coconut milk, 1.5 cup water, mix well, adjust salt if required.

7. Cook for 3 whistles and wil till all the vapor goes away.

8. Now open the pressure cooker and fluff up the rice with a fork.

9. Serve hot with any gravy curry of your choice or with raitha. We had it with Chilli Chicken.