Roasted Vegetable Soup

I generally cook on Sundays as thats when am free and up in the morning last Sunday I had made Soup. All those who know me will tell you Sunday and no chicken...SURPRISE...!!! Well thats a funny little story.

Fudgy Chocolate Brownie

I decided to make something sweet, a sweet way to say sorry to my blog - BUON APPETITO.

Bruleed Lauki Halwa

Cooking can be great fun when we get to enhance our knowledge. Last few weeks thats what I did, I experimented with a lot of ingredients and cusines. I even recreated a few famous dishes from all around the world.Surprisingly the experiments were no failure and I had loads of fun creating all those new dishes.

Black Chicken

Today, I am not sharing anything I tried in Shillong but its a dish I saw in a cookery show called Poh's Kitchen. Well in the show they used some ingredients that I didn't get here and they used beef which I don't eat....so why did I still try out the dish. The answer is in what attracted me....well I was attracted with the name Nasi Kandar aka Black Beef, I mean a black looking dish and appealing...hmmmm.... didn't seem to be very possible at the first shot and I just had to give it a try.

Creamy Egg and Potato Curry

As it has been planned for me, again I am alone with the same routine life and the only real fun time is when I am blogging. As I was alone and not in a very good mood, so I didn't feel like shopping or cooking anything special. So last Sunday was perfect for a easy , simple curry and the Creamy Egg and Potato Curry was part of the menu.

Celebration with Fish in Spinach and Mustard Gravy

The news of my leave being approved is something worth celebrating and today I partied with Fish in Spinach and Mustard Gravy. I consider it to be a very festive dish as its part of my families party food and is created during very special occasions. The last time I had it was when I went to my ancestral home for my aunt's wedding and that was some 10 years back approximately.

Paneer and Pepper Quiche

We all read about food and try to learn new dish for any place avaliable, some recipes sound so interesting that it just gets us thinking....the same happened with me when I read about quiche some years back. My love for eggs is no secret and this dish has eggs as the main ingredient so exciting right . But I didn't know of any place in Bangalore where I could get them and I didn't have oven at that time so I didn't try making it.

Murgh Musallam with Padina Pulav

Since the last 2 weeks the feeling is so intense that I just wanna eat only dishes that remind me of home.. :) . Last weekend I made Bhapa Dim again and this weekend Murgh Musallam. I know that's not a typical Bengali dish but as I have told my mom is a great cook and she makes several types of dishes and this dish is also from her list of creations.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

My liking for broccoli is very recent, in most of the movies they show that no one likes them ; this had an affect on me, I never bought them fearing that I wont like it and it would be a waste.

Florentine Mac and Cheese

My love for pasta is no secret but off late I have been trying out the lighter versions without cheese so today I was up for some indulgence. I baked the dish as I love those crunchy bites of cheese, then it looked very pale and I wanted some color in my plate thats when Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach came into picture.

Orange Cake with Orange Icing

Mangoes mark the start of Summer and Oranges mark the onset of Winter. Shillong has abandace of Oranges, every house has at least 2 orange trees. And in the chill weather, having oranges after lunch is a different feeling all together.

1st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION WITH 'SALAD RICE WITH SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN'

It’s been more than a month that I wrote anything. Did I lose the excitement......No way; rather I was caught in the hands of faith. I met with an accident and was in bed-rest all this time. Sadly I missed a lot of important and fun occasions in the process --- I missed to celebrate my blog's birthday, SORRY BUON APPETITO :( , I missed the new year celebration and I even spent my birthday lying in bed. Well no use crying over spilt milk, today I started cooking and I decided to making something that celebrates my cooking experiments and it’s my way of saying sorry to my blog for missing out on her birthday :)

DHANIA CHICKEN / CHICKEN IN CILANTRO SAUCE

Every dish that we make always have a story associated. Some kindles those childhood memories that gets hidden over years and others are those we picked up over the life from some books or resturants or even television... :) . Restaurants and television are the major places from where I collect my inspirations. The recipe I am sharing today has several stories to it as well.

GAJAR HALWA KA PATISHAPTA / SWEET EGGLESS CREPES STUFFED WITH CARROT PUDDING

Diwali is very special for me - I get to be a kid for a day . It’s been 7-8 years that I celebrate Diwali away from my family and with my friends. Although I miss my family but I always enjoy this festival. I start planning from morning, there is shopping for lights to be done and the last minute cracker to purchase. I love decorating my house with diyas and lighting and this is something I do every year, these small diyas always bring a lot of smile.

NUTTY MUTTON AND CRISPY FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH RICE

Anyways let get back to the dish , for my final course I decided to make a lamb dish. Every family has some tradition going on for ever and so do we. Since my childhood I have heard that on the Dashmi day , we should not have chicken and we have to make meat(lamb/mutton) only. Although my dad cannot eat meat(lamb/mutton) due to his health condition this tradition is still followed , and so I thought of sticking to it.

CILANTRO RICE WITH TANGY GRAVY AND SPICY FRIED FISH

People say Bengali cuisine is generally related to fish and sweet---actually they are not wrong :D . Being from a Bengali Family, we ate fish everyday. Infact my Baba(daddy) cannot enjoy his food without it even if there are 5-6 courses still he would need a fish dish :) .

MULLIGATAWNY SOUP WITH TOASTED BREAD AND PEA PESTO

OCTOBER.....this is the most festive month of the year. There are endless number for festival from all around the world and I have decided to celebrate them all-----HOW??? With food for sure. :) .

VANILLA SOAKED FRENCH TOAST WITH POACHED PLUMS

All my life the one meal I have skipped is Breakfast....I know it the most important meal of the day and all, but somehow I rarely feel like eating in the morning. One glass of milk is more than enough for me. I have been advised against this by so many people but somehow I just could not .

SPAGHETTI IN SOYABALL SAUCE

Pasta is an ingredient which is always available in my kitchen. Although I have quite recently (4 years now) started making pasta , I immensely enjoy it. A little effort that can bring total satisfaction :) .

CHEESY CAKE

Has it ever happened to you that even after a good dinner your sleep is disturbed late night due to the huge craving for something sweet.....hehehe.....this happened to me last Sunday..... :D

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

SPAGHETTI IN SOYABALL SAUCE


Pasta is an ingredient which is always available in my kitchen. Although I have quite recently (4 years now) started making pasta , I immensely enjoy it. A little effort that can bring total satisfaction :)  . 

In the beginning I could never imagine pasta without cheese.....my pasta would be hidden under the blanket of cheese...but since a year I have moved out to different lighter alternatives. Every time a new variation that brings a smile and now I feel cheese is not so important after all :) 

                                                                                       pic from NYDailyNews

The first time I had seen the dish "Spaghetti in Meatball sauce" was some 5-6 years back in a Disney movie---remember 'Lady and the Tramp'.....so cute ..... :D .  Of course at that time I didn't know anything about the dish, I learned about it from some cookery show a few years back and have been thinking of trying it but I was a bit hesitant cause I was not sure of the Pasta and tomato sauce combination.....was doubtful about my liking , and I am strictly against waste food :) . However 2 weeks earlier all the cookery show I saw made the various versions of "Spaghetti in Meatball sauce" and you can say that brought back all the hidden desires, finally this Monday I decided to create my own version of the same dish. 


Monday is the only day that I become a total vegetarian......no not even eggs. I know its very weird that I decided to make this pasta dish on my veggie day :) .....but cooking comes to me like a craze... the moment I decide to make something I have to make it instantly else I get so restless....hehehe...!!!!! :) . Anyhow, I had to try this pasta dish on Monday itself, so I substituted meat for soya chunks....Although I still don't know how "Spaghetti in Meatball sauce" tastes I can assure you "Spaghetti in Soyaball sauce" did taste good too :D .


Print Page
FOR SPAGHETTI
Spaghetti pasta 1/4 a packet 
Chopped garlic clove 2 number
Salt As per taste
Oil 1 tablespoon


FOR SOYABALLS 
Soya chunks 2 cups
Breadcrumbs 1 cup
Dried Parsley 1 tablespoon
Chilly Flakes1 tablespoon
Milk1/4 cup (max)
Salt As per taste
Oil 2-3 tablespoons


FOR SAUCE 
Red Onion 1 number
Garlic cloves 3 numbers
Tomatoes 1 number
Tomato puree1/2 packet
Dried Basil1 tablespoon
Cayenne Powder1/2 tablespoon
Sugar A pinch
Salt As per taste
Oil 1 tablespoons



  SOYABALLS:-
  1. Soak the soya chunks in cold water for about 15 or till they soften.
  2. Squeeze the water out off the soften soya chunks and place it in a big bowl. No water should be left in the chunks
  3. Add the breadcrumbs,dried parsley, chilly flakes and salt to the soya chunk and mix it. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time till the mixture can hold its shape.
  4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the soyaballs till they turn golden brown on all sides.
  5. Remove the balls from the pan and keep it warm so that it maintains its crunchiness. 
  SAUCE:-
  1. Chop the onion and tomatoes very finely and mince the garlic cloves. 
  2. Heat oil in the same pan used for frying the soyaballs, add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Fry the onion till it turns translucent. 
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and fry it for 3 min. Add salt and sugar to it and let it cook.
  4. When the tomatoes are partially cooked, add  cayenne pepper powder and dried basil stir in and let it cook for 2 min.
  5. Then add the tomato puree and water and let the sauce cook for a while. 
  6. Finally add the fried soyaballs to the pan. Let the simmer for 15 min in low heat.
          SPAGHETTI & ASSEMBLING:-
    1. Start the spaghetti preparation when the sauce in simmering so that everything is ready in time. 
    2. Boil water in a large pan and add the spaghetti pasta with salt and a bit of oil. And let it cook till the pasta soften. 
    3. Drain out the pasta and let it run under cold water for a min.
    4. Heat oil in a wok ,add the garlic cloves and fry the cloves till it turns golden brown.
    5. Add the spaghetti to the wok and stir slightly and salt and stir again for 1 min.
    6. Remove the spaghetti in a plate and top it with the soyaball sauce.
                         
      The hint of the golden garlic adds to the taste...It turned out to be a good veggie dinner idea :)       

      Priyanka







      Monday, August 22, 2011

      CHEESY CAKE


      Has it ever happened to you that even after a good dinner your sleep is disturbed late night due to the huge craving for something sweet.....hehehe.....this happened to me last Sunday..... :D

      This Sunday I had decided to go back to my roots so I had prepared some bengali dishes --- Dal , brinjal fry and definately Fish. Well the dinner was totally filling and I enjoyed every bit of it. All happy and pleased I went off to sleep, and I was having one of my bakin dreams again...well by now you know that I keep getting such dreams :) . Anyhow this time the craving for some cake was so intense that my sleep was disrupted. I tried to control myself in all the possible ways ---- thinking about work and how unhealthy it is to just eat and sleep etc..... Inspite of all this I could not restrict myself beyond 1:00am, I had to make a cake..for a peaceful sleep later :) .Finally at 1:00am I had to hear my heart and forget about all the logics....I started making a cake


      I love experimenting with foods and specially cakes, but we need to have the ingredients to experiment right???...unfortunately I didnt have the basic ingredents also. No eggs, no chocolate or vanilla and definately no fruits or vegetable :( ....at one point I thought lets leave the plan for now and would try something on Monday.....but as we all know "the heart wants what the heart wants" so it had to be done. I started hunting in my refrigerator and I saw cheese and cream...and thats what resulted in the creation of my Cheesy Cake

      One slice of this cake had made me so happy and I did have a very relaxing sleep after that....

      Shared my recipe with Slightly Indulgent Tuesday held by Amy. 

      Print Page
      FOR CHESSY CAKE
      Cream 250 gm
      Cheese grated  1/2 cup
      Flour 1 and quarter cup
      Baking Powder 2 teaspoon
      Baking Soda 1/2 teaspoon
      Sugar 1 cup
      Nutmeg A pinch
      Salt A pinch
      Oil 2 tablespoons



         CHEESY CAKE:-
      1. Blend together the cream and cheese till it turn smooth. 
      2. Add sugar and salt to the mixture and blend it again till it mixes properly.
      3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and grated nutmeg separately in a large bowl. 
      4. Add the oil to the sweet creamy mixture and blend it again so that everything is thoroughly mixed.
      5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and fold them till its smooth. 
      6. Coat the baking bowl with slight oil and then add the batter in the baking dish.
      7. Bake the mixture in the oven for 40 min at 200 degree celcius.
      8. Remove it and then let it cool.

      The Cheesy Cake was a perfect savior for the Late-Night cravings... :)       

      Priyanka

      Saturday, August 13, 2011

      MUSHROOMY CHICKEN


      I don't know how and when I fell in love with cooking, but it just happened and its magical. As we all know, there is nothing more pleasing then knowing that someone had tried out our dishes and loved it. Its even more wonderful when they think that our dishes are good enough to be part of their big occasions.....when a few of my friends told me that they had recreated my dishes for some parties and it was a hit....I was so pleased and honored, not sure how to express the feeling. However I can now realized how pleased a chef must be at the end of the day,because he could not only satisfy so many people but bring a smile to their faces.

      It has been my family tradition, I still cannot imagine Sunday's without Chicken.... wont say I don't enjoy it during the other days of the week but Sunday makes it really special. Whenever I make something special the 2 true tasters I miss most ---- Baba and My sister. I miss Baba cause he has a sweet smile whenever he eats anything made my me and he would never ever complain :) . I miss my sister coz of all those funny activities she would do-----she would close her eyes and analyse each and every bit of her first bite and then comment, the very next thing she would say "Please make it again" and she would say this even before she has emptied her plate......hehehe :D. 

      Anyways when I had woke up last Sunday with a huge craving for food---something new and different and yummy and Chicken :) . I started thinking of something new to try and that's when I remembered, a long time back I had a lamb dish in somewhere...frankly I don't remember the place or the name of the dish but the dish itself was so wonderful that I still recall its tasted YUUUMMMYYY...!!!!! I am not a fan of mushrooms but this dish had changed my opinion , so last Sunday I tried to recreated the same dish with Chicken.....lamb was definitely good but my version was pleasing to me and I enjoyed myself. I called my dish Mushroomy Chicken....!!!!!


      Print Page
      FOR CHICKEN
      Chicken breast 1 medium sized 
      Egg 1 number
      Flour 1/2 cup
      Breadcrumbs
      1 cup
      Chilly Flakes 1 teaspoon
      Dried Parsley 1 teaspoon
      Salt As per taste
      Oil 1 tablespoon


      FOR MUSHROOM SAUCE 
      Mushroom (Agaricus) 250 grms
      Flour 1 tablespoon
      Milk 250 ltr
      Worcestershire Sauce1 teaspoon
      Salt As per taste
      Oil 1 tablespoons
      Butter 1/2 tablespoons





        CHICKEN:-
      1. Flatten chicken to 1/4" thickness between 2 sheets of plastic wrap.
      2. Beat the egg in a bowl with a pinch of salt. And spread out the flour in a plate.
      3. Place the breadcrumbs in a different plate. Add salt,chilly flakes and dried parsley to the crumbs and mix them properly.
      4. Coat the chicken with flour. then dip it in the egg and coat it.
      5. Finally coat the egg dipped chicken breast in the breadcrumb mixture and press slightly so that the crumbs stick to the chicken.
      6. Heat oil in a pan and cook the chicken in the oven for 20 min at 200 degree. 


        MUSHROOM SAUCE:-
      1. Cut the mushrooms into halves.
      2. Heat butter in a pan and fry the mushrooms for 3-4 min only.
      3. In a separate pan heat the oil and add crushed garlic. Add flour to the pan and stir till the floury smell is removed.
      4. Add milk to the pan while stirring the same so that the lumping of flour is prevented.The sauce needs to cook till the it become a smooth and creamy.
      5. Finally add the Worcestershire sauce and salt. Let the sauce cook for 2 min and then add the buttery mushrooms. 
      6. Place the cooked chicken in plate and dress it with the creamy mushroom sauce.
                           

        Now put on a wonderful movie and just enjoy the dish, that's what I did .. :)      












        Priyanka

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