Patatas Bravas

Inspired by Jamie's recipe, here is my take on patatas bravas...very popular spanish spicy appetizer! Patatas bravas are nothing but fried potatoes in a spicy tomato sauce. Ever since I tasted this dish, I was in hunt for a good recipe. Inspired by Jamie oliver's book, I finally made my own patatas bravas and it was perfect for the Friday night by the telly! Enjoy-

What do we need?

4-5 medium sized potatoes- peeled and halved
2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
Fresh rosemary leaves
dash of paprika powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste

For the bravas sauce-
1 onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
red chillies- 3 (deseeded and roughly chopped)
1 carrot (chopped finely)
fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp paprika powder
3 medium sized tomatoes (chopped)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (recipe requires sherry vinegar, couldn't get a hold of it and had to substitute balsamic vinegar- Use sherry vinegar, if possible)
ground black pepper
salt (according to taste)

How did I put together?

Boil the potatoes for 10 to 15 minutes till they start to get tender. Make sure they do not lose their shape. Remove from gas, drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool down. Once the potatoes reach the room temperature, cut them into cubes or chunks. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan. Add the potatoes to the pan (with garlic and rosemary leaves) and cook them till they are golden all over. Transfer the potatoes, garlic and rosemary to a plate. Add a dash of paprika powder, fennel seeds and salt. Toss them all together until well coated.

For the sauce- Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook it for five minutes before adding the chillies, carrot and thyme leaves. Cook them on a low flame for five minutes. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, paprika powder, salt and pepper. Bring it to boil and then turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes. The gravy should start getting thick and rich. Remove from gas, and allow it to cool. Use a mixer to blend the gravy to a smooth consistency sauce.

Serving suggestions-

Pour the sauce over the potatoes and toss them together (like I did). Alternatively, you can serve the sauce in a jug next to the potatoes in a bowl.

Tastes amazing! You know your recipe was a hit when you see an empty dish :) - Have a great weekend 

Patatas Bravas

Hummus

My shopping grocery list always has hummus in it. I love it so much that I decided to make a batch for myself- Pretty easy to make, after all! 

What do we need? 

1 can of chick peas

1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas

4 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp tahini

2 cloves garlic (I put 4 because I love the strong garlic flavor)

salt according to taste

2 tbstp olive oil

What is tahini?

Tahini is a sesame based gravy which you can get ready made in store. However, I couldn't find it and made it by myself. All you need is 3 tablespoon sesame seeds and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Toast the sesame seeds in a pan on a low flame (don't allow it to get brown). After few minutes, blend it in a mixer to a fine paste with olive oil.

Now back to Hummus-

Drain the liquid from chick peas and keep it aside. In a mixer, combine all the ingredients and blend it for few minutes with the liquid from chickpeas. Place in a serving bowl and serve! 

                                                       

Spicy & flavorful rice...

For our team dinner, we went to a fancy restaurant and the food was great. I loved the starter (cucumber salad with dill). For the main course, I ordered a vegetable stir fry with rice. The way they had described it on the menu sounded really exotic. When I received the dish (don't have pictures to show- unfortunately) it was a simple dish where the chef had cooked the vegetables with soya sauce and blended it with basmati rice. I was expecting something complex but received something simple and flavorful! Full marks to the chef :)- Well, this is not a restaurant review- But an explanation of my source of inspiration for my egg plant rice. For my dish, I cooked the eggplant (with Indian flavors, of course) and mixed it with basmati rice to create a simple and a unique eating experience. Enjoy!

Ingredients-

1. Basmati rice (cooked- 2 cups)
2. 1 egg plant (medium sized)
3. onions (sliced- 2 small)
4. one tomatoe (chopped)
5. 3 cloves garlic
6. green chilli (1- chopped fine)
7. salt
8. paprika powder
9. cooking oil

For the Indian flavors- (optional)

1. 3/4 tsp garam masala 
2. corriander leaves chopped fine
3. mustard seeds (1/4 tsp)
4. grated coconut (2 spoons)

Preparation- Cook your basmati rice and keep it separate. Preparing the egg plant is quite simple. In a wok, pop some mustard seeds in cooking oil before adding onion. Saute the onion. Once onion is golden crispy brown, add crushed and chopped garlic, chilli pieces and tomatoes. Don't allow the tomatoes to get mushy. Add egg plant (chopped in cubes) to this and stir fry with a bit of oil. Add paprika powder, salt, garam masala, grated coconut. Give it to a twirl and finally add the corriander leaves. Mix the vegetables with rice and enjoy!

Tofu n corn stuffed roti

Cooking is therapeutic...After a long day at the office, you just need to unwind- I pity people, who think cooking is a waste of time. My kitchen is my world and I simply love trying out new combinations just for the fun of it. One such combination is the tofu and sweet corn stuffed parantha/roti (Indian flat bread). Got to admit, I loved this combo and if you are looking for something different, then this is worth a shot!

What do we need? 


For stuffing-

• crumbled tofu (1 cup)
• 1/2 cup canned sweet corn
• salt
• garam masala (1/2 tsp)
• chilli powder (1/4 tsp)
• oil for mixing
• chopped corriander leaves
• chopped green chillies (optional)

For base/making rotis-

• wheat flour 
• water
• salt 

How did I put together?

In a bowl, mix wheat flour, water and salt. Knead it to a smooth dough and keep it aside. Use oil to make the dough silky and smooth. Combine all the ingredients listed above for filling. Just ensure that the filling is not soggy or too greasy otherwise it becomes difficult when you make the rotis. Take a small ball of dough and flatten it with a rolling pin. Place around 2 spoons of filling in the middle. Fold the sides with the filling in middle so that it appears as a small pouch. Flatten this pouch to a round shape- 

Need visual description?

In a pan, fry the paranthas till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with pickle/sauce.

Lime n lemony rice for a lazy afternoon!

There comes a time when you simply don't feel like entering the kitchen. One quick-fix and delicious recipe for all the rice eaters, is lemon rice. If you cook Indian food then I am sure you must have cooked this or heard about this recipe from somewhere. I love lemon rice for its simplicity and of course the minimum time it takes to cook this up! If you have a blog about Indian food then lemon rice is an absolute must. The only effort required in this recipe is the rice, rest is easy....


Alternatively, if you have left over cooked (plain) rice, then this recipe is all the more comfortable to make. I had left-over cooked basmati rice from previous night and this is what I did with it. 

In a wok, I added a bit of oil and allowed it to heat. Tossed in some mustard seeds, cumin seeds, broken pieces of dried red chilli and split chickpeas without seedcoat (also called Bengal gram). As the mustard seeds started sputtering, I added some ground nuts, cashew nuts (optional) and fried them a bit. As the nuts started turning golden brown, added turmeric powder (1/2 tsp) and garam masala powder (1/2 tsp). Original recipe does not call for garam masala. I add the garam masala to get that extra flavor (it is completely optional). Cooked on a low flame for a second. Tossed the cooked rice to this mixture and mixed well till the rice turned yellow and blended with spices. Added salt, 1 and 1/2 tsp lemon juice and chopped curry leaves to make this dish sumptuous! Took flat ten minutes to get this on table (took more than half an hour to put up this blog though…phew) - Enjoy :)

Cottage cheese bean wrap

Full credit for this recipe goes to my favorite chef Jamie Oliver. I love his recipes and the ease with which he creates culinary magic. Being a vegetarian, I hardly get to cook most of his recipes, but I do get my inspiration from his recipes. One of my friends tried his cool mexican bean wrap and recommended that I should give it a shot. The recipe is pretty simple and I did not follow Jamie's recipe by the book. I tried to add a bit of creativity on my own and here is the verdict- YUM...

Ingredients-

1 onion (sliced)
1 cup sliced bell peppers (red and green)
2 cloves garlics (crushed and chopped)
1/2 tsp chilli powder (if you want it less spicy add only 1/2 or a dash)
1 tsp tomato puree
1 small canned tin of red kidney beans (drained and washed)
4 tortillas
1 cup cottage cheese/ paneer (cubed)
1 fresh tomato chopped
dash of crushed black pepper
salt (according to taste)

For the filling-
Saute onions in oil for 7-8 minutes. As they turn golden brown, add garlic, chilli powder, dash of black pepper and fry them for a minute. Add the chopped tomato, tomato puree and kidney beans. Cook them for 10 minutes till the juice has reduced. Add salt according to taste. Take half of this mixture and using a hand blender/mixie grind it to a paste. This becomes our spread on the tortilla. Set aside.
In a separate frying pan, saute bell peppers and cottage cheese. As they turn light golden brown, toss in the other half of the mixture (not used for the bean paste) and fry them for 3 minutes. This is our stuffing.

Final step-
Spread the bean paste on the tortilla. Add around 2 spoons of the filling. Sprinkle some grated cheese (original recipe calls for this, but I omitted it). Roll the tortilla and place them in a pre heated oven (200 degree celsius) and cook them for 15-20 minutes. Serve them with garlic sauce.

Fridge clean-up!

So, here I am, left with a stack of bread (white bread) with no one in mood for any kind of sandwich. I hate wastage of any kind- especially food :( - I put on my thinking hat and whip up something really flavorful which just vanished within seconds. Check out!

Ingredients-

• 6-7 bread slices
• 1/2 cup bell peppers (red and yellow)
• green peas (1/4 cup)
• chopped corriander leaves
• curry leaves (5-6 leaves-chopped)
• 2 green chillies ( chopped)
• one medium sized onion (sliced)
• 1/4 cup grated coconut
• groundnuts
• salt (according to taste)
• paprika powder- 1/2 tsp
• turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• garam masala/curry masala powder-1/2 tsp
• cumin seeds

Preparation-
Cut the bread slices into small squares or shred them into tiny pieces and keep aside. In a wok, add butter or cooking oil and allow it to heat. Add the cumin seeds and wait for it to sputter. Saute onions, chillies, groundnuts, bell peppers and peas. Throw in the spices- paprika powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder/curry masala powder with salt. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes before adding the bread pieces. Add the grated coconut and curry leaves. Allow the bread pieces to take in the flavor and turn golden brown. I will leave the wok partially covered and put the gas on a low flame to ensure that the bread turns golden brown with the flavor. Of course, my signature to any dish is the chopped corriander leaves. Just finished eating and all I can say is BURP :)

Stuffed Bell peppers

If you are a vegetarian, the first question everyone will ask you is- where do you get your proteins from? – Answer is simple: Tofu, of course! I was not a huge fan of tofu- because it tastes like rubber and practically has no flavor at all. Slowly, I started experimenting and discovered new exciting ways to make tofu fun! This is another one of my experimental recipe and turned out pretty well- As it is an experimental recipe, you can be super creative and have a little fun of your own! Enjoy J

For the stuffing you need crumbled tofu (around 2 cups), 2 small onions chopped, 1 big tomato chopped, 2 green chillies chopped, ¾ tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp garlic and ginger paste (alternatively, you can use crushed garlic and grated ginger) and salt according to your taste.

Ofcourse, for the base you need 4-5 paprika/bell peppers, with the top cut off and de- seeded-

To prepare the stuffing- you need to sauté chopped onions, crushed and chopped garlic, grated ginger and chopped chillies in a frying pan with liberal dose of cooking oil/butter- As they start to become golden brown add the tomatoes. Fry for 2-3 minutes. Add tofu, paprika powder and salt. Fry them till tofu blends well and gets the flavor. If you are fond of garlic like me, then add 5 big pieces (crushed and chopped) otherwise, go easy on garlic. To make it spicy, add up to one tsp of paprika powder. Finishing touch will be the chopped coriander leaves.

Once the stuffing is done, all we need to do is quote our bell peppers with butter and fill them with the stuffing. Grill them in an oven for 20-30 minutes till they are cooked and become golden brown. You can add mozzarella cheese on top for that extra zing! Enjoy with hot chilli sauce J

Nutty, lemony fidelini!

Vermicelli or fidelini is a kind of pasta that is thinner than spaghetti and looks like little worms :)
You can be super creative with fidelini and whip up something fast and tasty. This is my creative version of fidelini - of course with an Indian touch.




Ingredients-

• 2 cups fidelini/vermicelli
• 1 cup chopped red and green bell peppers
• 1/2 cup canned sweet corn
• 1 onion sliced
• 1/2 cup green peas
• peanuts
• crushed black pepper (1/2 tsp)
• cashew nuts
• lime juice (1&1/2 tsp)
• chopped corriander leaves
• turmeric powder
• mustard seeds
• chopped chilli pieces (1 big red chilli)
• garam masala (3/4 tsp)
• salt (according to taste)
• cooking oil

Preparation- Boil fidelini till they are soft. Rinse it in cold water to remove any starch. Make sure that the noodles don't stick to each other. In a wok, pour around three tablespoons of cooking oil. As it gets hot, toss in the mustard seeds and allow them to sputter. Add cashew nuts, ground nuts and fry them till golden brown. Put in the onions and fry them till they are translucent. Add green chillies, bell peppers, peas, corn and fry them till they are crispier. Toss in the turmeric powder, crushed pepper, garam masala and salt. As the vegetables take in the spice add the fidelini and cook them all together. Before serving add lemon juice and chopped corriander leaves- Enjoy!

Aloo fry

One thing is for sure- Potato dishes are popular in every corner of this earth. That is one vegetable which is a hit with everyone. Imagine a lazy saturday afternoon with a dish that is smeared with spices and has been fried to a perfection with corriander leaves... here we go with Aloo (potato) fry dish- Requires minimal effort with maximized guarantee of satisfaction :)

  

Ingredients-

• Potoatoes (1/2 Kilo)
• Cumin seeds
• Green chillies (2) chopped finely
• Paprika powder (3/4 tsp) 
• Corriander powder (3/4 tsp)
• Salt (according to taste)
• Chat masala/garam masala/tandoori masala (1/2 tsp) - I used tandoori masala for my dish, but you can also use chat masala or garam masala or avoid using any masala altogether.
• Chopped corriander leaves

Preparation-

Boil potatoes and peel the skin. Cut them in cubes. In a wok, add oil (liberal dose) and as it gets hot put in the cumin seeds. As the cumin seeds start sputtering, put the chopped green chillies, boiled potatoes and give it a good toss. Let's shake this up with our spices- add paprika powder, corriander powder, tandoori masala/garam masala and salt. Pour some oil and allow the potatoes to fry with the masala. Just ensure potatoes don't stick to the bottom and keep tossing the potatoes so that it turns golden brown. Leave the potatoes to fry on a low flame for around 15 minutes. Finishing touch is our corriander leaves- sprinkle and enjoy! Makes a great starter :)

                                                                                                           

    

Grilled cottage cheese

When it comes to Indian starters, we always think of deep fried brown objects (samosa, pakoda)- I call them UFO's (Unidentified Fried Objects). A simple starter will be grilled paneer or cottage cheese cubes. My simplified version on a very famous north Indian starter- Paneer tikka masala (Grill em and dig in)-

  Ingredients- 

1 cup paneer/cottage cheese (cut them in cubes)

1/4 cup thick yoghurt

1 tsp red chilli powder (paprika powder)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp corriander powder and 1 tsp garam masala (salt to taste)

Preparation- 

In a bowl mix yoghurt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, ginger n garlic paste, corriander powder, garam masala and salt- it must be mixed to a smooth paste. Put the paneer cubes in this paste along with chopped corriander leaves and mix them thoroughly. Cover and keep it in fridge for marination. After a couple of hours, put the paneer on skewers and grill till golden brown. Enjoy them with hot chilli sauce!

Summer Barbeque

Being a vegetarian is pretty tough (especially when you have people eating meat all around you). The entire process of barbeque is always focussed on meat- Being vegetarian doesn't have to be boring and here is the proof-  I grilled vegetables with herbs and it turned out really cool- Grab bell peppers, zucchini, tofu or paneer (cottage cheese), cherry tomatoes, mushrooms- cut them in blocks or chunks. Dab the vegetables with herbs (oregano, rosemary, basil)- olive oil and salt- put them on a skewer and grill on.... I also dabbed a bit of butter and salt on some corn cob and grilled them with the vegetables- Yum!                                     

The best part is these grilled vegetables make a great sandwich! Put them on a toasted bread and enjoy a different kind of sandwich. And it doesn't take much time to make either! 

Mushroom Pulav

You can do so much with rice-  I have lost count of the varieties that I keep making.... You can mix and match different spices, vegetables and come up with something special- I got way too many mushrooms on sale  and my fridge was literally bursting with them :(

The problem with mushrooms is they don't have shelf life and you have to use them as soon as possible- So, I cooked rice with mushrooms, bell peppers, peas, corn with spices. Try it out for a good lunch time!

Ingredients- Mushroom (diced), Bell peppers (red and yellow variety- use green if you have), peas, sweet corn, uncooked rice (washed and soaked in water for half an hour)-

Spices- corriander seeds (1/2 teaspoon), cumin seeds (1/2 teaspoon), green cardamom (3 pieces), dash of Ajwain seeds- crush them and keep it aside-

Apart from that keep crushed garlic, bay leaf, chopped ginger, cinnamon stick, dash of nutmeg ready!

Preparation- We need to cook the rice first- In a wok, add liberal dose of oil. Once the oil is hot,  add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, one bay leaf, green chillies, crushed garlic and ginger. Allow the oil to absorb the garlic and ginger. Toss in the rice with two cups of water and allow the rice to cook (for one  cup of rice you need two cups of water). You need to cook the rice first on a high flame and as the water starts evaporating reduce the flame. Allow the rice to cook on a low flame for five minutes.

In a separate wok, pour in oil and stir fry mushrooms with bell peppers, corn and peas. Add the crushed spices, salt and stir fry the vegetables till they become tender and not mushy. Add the stir fried mushrooms to the cooked rice. Garnish it with fried cashew nuts and chopped coriander leaves to enjoy a good meal! Serve it with papads and raita for a great experience :)