Simple Veg Pulao ~~~ Quick and Easy Dinner for a Working Day

Back home after a long long day in Office and feel like having something tasty and nutritious but without any extra effort. No kneading atta, and rolling out chappathis and then breaking your head on what dish to pair it up with.
This is it. A substantial filling meal that dances on your taste buds and allows you to freshen up and relax while its cooking.
So simple to make and absolutely yummy.

Ingrediants:

Rice - 1C (I used normal sona masuri. can use Basmati as well)
Onion - 1 chopped finely
Garlic - 5-6 cloves (can use a Tsp of ginger-garlic paste instead . Easier!!!)
Green chillie - 2 chopped finely
Carrot - 1 small
Potatoe - 1/2
Corriander for garnishing
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Saunf Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - a very small piece (roughly 1/2" piece)
Bay Leaf - 1
Cloves - 1-2
Elaichi/Cardamom - 1
Oil - 2 tsp

Soak the rice for 1/2 hour before preparation.
Wash and keep aside.
In a pressure cooker add oil or Ghee for more flavour.
Splutter the cumin and saunf seeds, add bay leaf,cardomom and cloves and fry for a minute. Keep sharp watch as it will heat up quickly and burn.
One they are aromatic add the garlic and chillies and stir.
Add the onions and fry till golden brown.
Put the vegetables and fry for 2-3 minutes
Add the washed rice and fry for a minute or 2.
Add the appropriate amount of water (refer notes) and perssure cook.
Viola serve with a simple raita and some papads and we're done!!
For a lavish weekend meal pair it with some nice side dishes or curries.
These to follow soon!!!

Notes:

Sona Masuri needs twice the measure of rice + 1 cup of water - 4 whistles on high flame
Basmati rice needs 1 1/2 C of water for 1C rice -- 1 whistle on high flame
There are so many variations taht can be achieved with this, you can add sweet corn, capsicum,mushrooms, baby corns anything of your choice and customize!!!!

Veggie Pasta Bake

This one goes out to my lovely Friend A, who had asked for this recipe ages ago.
We started out as colleagues , I still remember when I first saw her I thought she was newly wed bride, with full Mehendi on both her arms and looking gorgeous as ever.
We bonded instantly and were in the same team for only a year sadly after which we were moved to different projects.
But we still  keep in touch and used to meet up over lunch or Breakfast at office.
Now we are in different locations so kep in touch via the phone or chat.
We met up recently and took the ride on Namma Metro :) ... We need to meet up again, its been a while now.
She is such a warm and loving person and makes friends very easily.

Moreover she is a wonderful cook. (One of these days will be knocking on your door with a pen and book in hand to jot them down)
We guessed that from the samples we had from her lunch box, but got the full blast of it when she invited a bunch of us to her home for an Iftar feast during the holy month of Ramzan.
And OMG what a spread she had for us.
It was difficult to believe that she had prepared all that while observing the fast.
I tasted my first faluda that day ....
Every dish was YUMMM...

So here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked pasta (I used spaghetti, cooked as per pack instructions with a pinch of salt and some pepper. Any pasta can be used)
1 onion - medium size
2 tomatoes
7-8 cloves of garlic
3-4 Green chillies (If you can take the heat, else reduce to 1-2)
1TBSP Butter
Salt to taste
3-4 tsp Oregano + little extra for seasoning while baking
2 tsp Chilli Flakes (Avoid if wary of heat)
4 cubes of Cheddar Cheese (40g) - Grated (I used Amul)

For the White Sauce:
The ratio of Plain Flour/Maida:Butter:Milk is 1:1:10
So if your taking one small measure of Flour take the same measure of butter and 10 times milk(can dilute the milk with water as well, i.e. 5 measure of water and 5 measure of milk).
I played around with the ratio for the right consistency and used
2 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP Flour
1C of Liquid (1/2 C of Milk and 1/2 C of water)


Preparation:

White sauce:
Heat the butter in a pan, once its melted add the Flour in small amounts and stir around till the raw smell goes (do not wait for it to brown).
Now add the milk little by little and keep stirring to avoid lumps.

Mix well on low heat and let it come to boil.
Once its nice and smooth, you can add 2 block of grated cheese (Optional) 
Mix it well turn off the heat and remove from the stove top.

Creating a rough Tomato sauce:

Saute the garlic and onions in 2 TSP of butter till they turn transparent (do not allow it brown)
Now add the chopped tomatoes and mix everything together.
Close the lid and let it simmer for 5-6 minutes till the tomatoes are nice and tender. Keep checking to avoid burning.
Once the tomatoes are done add the chili flakes and oregano. Salt to taste

Grease an oven proof dish (Used borosil) with some butter on all sides and the bottom.
Layer the tomato sauce first.
Place a portion of the cooked pasta.
Top with white sauce.
Repeat this till you've used up all the elements.
The top most layer should be the white sauce, enough to cover the pasta on all the corners.
Sprinkle 2-3 cubes of grated cheddar cheese if you wish

Bake in a pre - heated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes or till the top turns golden brown.

Veggie Pasta Bake

That's the cheese on the top as I felt lazy to grate it, I just tore it up to small bits and spread over the top.

I came across some Lasagna sheets recently during our monthly grocery shopping, cant wait to try it out .

Gobi Manchurian ....M@nju Shtyle!!!

Gobi Manchurian:

Gobi Manchurian is in-arguably the most devoured dish in India (though it passes off as a Chinese dish , I seriously doubt if the Chinese even know of its existence.)
I am very much addicted to Food channels on TV and undoubtedly TLC was my favourite.
I love watching Nigella, Rachel Allen, Kylie Kwong and others preparing and presenting their dishes.
In all of Kylies shows that I have followed ,never once have I seen or heard her prepare anything manchurian (did I miss it , if anyone out there has please let me know).
But authentic chineese or not this dish has captured the heart of every Indian, and we were no exceptions.

Now Sundays are generally meant to be feasting days as its a holiday and as S assumes that I have rested enough on Saturdays(as if!! Is there any rest for a working mom of a 2 year old???  Not exactly but yeah i do manage to get my beauty sleep :D).
So on Sundays I usually prepare some Biryani/Fried rice and a curry to with it (If im up to it) .
After looking here and there and everywhere and not finding any recipe suited to our tastes(was looking for eggless, as I have seen many using egg whites) i dicided to do an experiment on my own after some basic lessons on it from some shows on TV.

Gobhi --- 1 . Cut into florets and cleaned. Keep the size small as its easier to handle and looks aesthetic
Onion -- 2 . finely chopped
Ginger/Garlic -- finely chopped/or paste (I prefer freshly chopped/ground than the packets) -- 5-6 tsp
I love garlic so i tend to go overboard with it .. you can use 2-3 tsp for a mild flavor.
Spring Onions  -- 1/2 bunch
Capsicum -- diced - 1 (i used a small one as I'm not a fan)
Soy Sauce -- 3 tsp
Green Chilly sause -- 2 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tsp (optional)
Tomato sauce - 2-3 tsp

For the Batter:
 1/4 C Maida  (I mostly use Besan/Kadala Maavu to avoid maida, it wont be as crisp but we don't mind)
2-3 tbsp Cornflour
2 tsp Chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt according to taste
Water as needed

Chop the white and green part of the spring onion separately.
Mix all the ingrediants for the batter till there are no lumps and its a thick paste, which just coats the back of the spoon,
Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry till golden brown. Keep aside.
In kadai (non-stick or otherwise) heat about 1 tbsp of oil.

Add the ginger garlic and spring onion whites, saute for one minute , do not brown.
Add the chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes on mediam flame, till they turn transparent and are just about to brown.
Stir in the capsicum pieces and saute for anthr 3 minutes.
I like to add half of the spring onion greens at this stage and reserve the other half for garnish.
Now time to add the sauces.
First reduce the flame to low (we dont want to burn the sauces do we).
Now in goes the soy, mix well.
Next comes the chilly, followed by the tomato sauce.
Mix everything together, taste and then add salt accordingly as soy is salty.
If you feel it needs a little more chilly kick feel free to add anthr tsp of it.
Keep tasting it and adjust the sauces to your taste.
Now if  you want a dry manchurian just put the fried floret at this stage and mix well till it coats the pieces.
Else mix 2tsp of cornflour in about 1/4 C of water and dissolve completely.
Add this to the kadai to form a semi gravy and let it come to a boil.
once its nice and thick (about 1-2 mins) we are done!
You can either add the fried florets now or only at serving time.

I prefer to add it now coz then it soaks the gravy up which makes it yum.
But it will make it a little soggy though so if your serving guests better mix just before serving.
And dont forget to garnish with the remaining spring onion greens!! 
Now this is an Indo-Chinese Twist..Or so I call it!

Njoi.