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 .

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 Flakes	1 tablespoon
Milk	1/4 cup (max)
Salt	As per taste
Oil	2-3 tablespoons

FOR SAUCE
Red Onion	1 number
Garlic cloves	3 numbers
Tomatoes	1 number
Tomato puree	1/2 packet
Dried Basil	1 tablespoon
Cayenne Powder	1/2 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 :)       

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.

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... :)       

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....!!!!!

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 Sauce	1 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 .. :)