Corn Methi Pulao

There was a time when I only made rice for lunch. Pasta at times maybe. But no rotis. S didn't have a microwave at work and so couldn't heat his lunch. I only made stuff that would taste good at room temperature. Ever since his office got a microwave, I started saving rice for our weekend meals. But I found that these pulaos were almost forgotten. Rice on the weekend meant a full meal that we didn't have time for during the week. Now, I make a pulao at lease once a week to take to work.

1 cup Basmati Rice, washed, soaked and drained

5-6 Peppercorns

1" tick Cinnamon

2 Cloves

2 pods Cardamom

2 Onions, sliced

1 cup Fenugreek Leaves, chopped

1/2 cup Corn

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pressure pan. Add the pepper, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add the onions and fry for 2 minutes. Add the fenugreek leaves, corn and turmeric powder and saute for a few minutes. Add the rice, salt and 2 cups of hot water. Pressure cook for 8 minutes or 2 whistles. When done, fluff with a fork.

This is a relatively bland pulao and I serve it with any sort of spicy raita. This is a great party dish and also makes for a lazy Sunday lunch.

Yam Fritters

Yam. It was the one vegetable my brother really hated. Or rather claimed he was allergic to. One day Amma made yam cutlets that he gorged on. Ever since, I always tell him to just say he doesn't like the vegetable. The allergy tstory doesn't make the cut. I, on the other hand, have been rather indifferent to this. I'd be lying if I said I loved it. And I definitely don't hate it. Amma makes a vadakkal with it and I really like it.

I'd not known yam fritters. My senior from University treated me to this when I visited her a few years ago. I relished it. I bought some yam and called her just to find out how it was made. She told me to marinate the yam pieces and then dry them in the sun. I didn't have that much time. So I baked them in my oven and then shalow fried them.

(One point to note is that shallow or deep fried yam tends to smell like fish!)

1/4 cup Yam slices

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Mix the turmeric powder, chilli powder, asafoetida and salt. Apply this to the yam slices. Bake in a moderately hot oven (325F) for 35-40 minutes.

Heat a skillet or a frying pan and shallow fry the yam pieces using a little oil. Cook evenly on both sides.

I had this with some rice and dal at her place the first time I had it. I made it to go with some rice and sambar for a Sunday lunch. Perfectly spicy, perfectly crunchy. Just what you need to make your meal complete!

Mushroom-Garlic Souffle

Souffles. I've always been drawn to them. I've liked both savoury and sweet versions. I made these mushroom-garlic individual souffles sometime ago. Light and fluffy, these little beauties are perfect appetizers. I haven't made these for any big party. But they're perfect for that small intimate diner for two!

4 tbsp Butter

1 cup Mushrooms, chopped

2 tsp Lime Juice

2 cloves Garlic, crushed

2 tbsp Mixed Herbs

2 tbsp Flour

1 cup Milk

2 Eggs, separated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Grease 4 ramekin cups with a little butter.

Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic and the lime juice and fry for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a different bowl. Stir in the mixed herbs.

Melt the remaining butter in a pan and add the flour and fry for a minute. Stir in the milk and boil until it thickens. Mix this white sauce into the mushroom mixture. Add the egg yolks, salt and pepper and beat well.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form peaks and stir this into the mushroom mixture. Mix well.

Divide this mixture into the ramekin cups and bake for 10 minutes at 400F. Do not overbake the souffles are they may turn rubbery. The souffles are done when a skewer inserted into them comes out clean. Serve immediately or they may tend to go flat.

Mixed Bean Soup

I've talked about how I'm on my way to soon becoming Ms. Bean! One of the things that I made recently was this: Bean Cutlets. I had some mixed beans leftover from this exercise and decided to try out this soup. It tasted more like a not-so-spicy Indian bean dish than a soup. But we had it with some toast and it felt like a full meal for S and like a soup for me!

1 1/2 cups Mixed Beans, soaked and cooked

1 tbsp Oil

1 Onion, sliced

1/2 cup Potato, diced

1 Carrot, chopped

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1 tsp Garlic Paste

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

3 cups Water

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pan. add the onion, potato and carrot and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chilli and garlic pastes and cook for another minute. Add the coriander powder, chilli powder and the water. Bring this mixture to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the mixed beans and season with salt and pepper.

My beans were mashed earlier and I think this soup is likely to taste much better with the cooked beans left whole.

Masala Tendli-Vangi Bhat

I can eat any amount of Brinjal. And I think I can safely say that S can eat any amount of Ivy Gourd(Tendli/Dondekai/Kovakkai/Kundru). Fortunately, it is not as though we dislike what the other adores. And this recipe is a perfect lunchbox item for the two of us. Little treats for both of us, and just one item to make and pack.

I don't even remember where I got this recipe from. I've been making this in summer as it is a nice variation from the usual roti-sabzi routine.

1 cup Basmati Rice, washed and soaked

1/2 cup Brinjal, diced

1/2 cup Ivy Gourd, sliced

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

2 Medium Onions, chopped

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Clove Powder

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pressure pan and add the asafotida, ginger paste, turmeric powder and cumin seeds. When the cumin sees crackle, add the onions and green chilli paste and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the ivy gourd and the brinjal pieces. Drain the rice and add this to the vegetable mixture. Add the cumin coriander powder, pepper and the clove powder along with the salt. Add 2 cups of hot water and pressure cook for 10 minutes or 3 whistles.

Serve with some curd or raita on the side.

This makes for a great Sunday lunch too. Not too much effort, but a great resultant dish. What more can one ask for?

Garlic Bread

One of the things I love about dining in at Pizza Hut is the garlic bread that they serve. I don't like it when it is delivered. It tends to get a litle soggy by the time it arrives. The only time I eat it is when we eat at the restaurant (which isn' often). Now, when I want to eat garlic bread, I make it at home.

8 slices of a Baguette, lightly toasted
3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp Garlic Paste
2 tsp Red Chilli Flakes
1 tbsp Mixed Herbs
2 tbsp Cheese Powder
Salt to taste

Mix the red chilli flakes, garlic paste, salt and mixed herbs with the olive oil and keep aside for 5-10 minutes. Brush the toasted slices with the olive oil mixture and sprinkle the cheese powder over them. Bake in a hot oven (450F) for 10 minutes.

I made this garlic bread to go with the corn and vegetable chowder. It tastes great with the soup, but I also like this with pasta or on its own, as a snack.

Vegetable and Corn Chowder

I love soups. At my parents' place, soup and crackers or soup and toast was a dinner staple. My friends and colleagues have mde fun of me endlessly for eating a bowl of soup for dinner. I make soups very rarely here as S is also not for soup alone for dinner. So this is an occasional indulgence. This soup sort of walks the middle path. It is soup, but it is chunky. It pleases both of us.

I found this recipe in the same book (Favorite Vegetarian Dishes) that I found Grilled Garlic Potato Wedges, Garlic And Sage Bread, Pumpkin Soup, Middle Eastern Salad, Potato Mushroom Cakes and Punjabi Kadhi Pakoda. I had to modify it as I didn't have everything the recipe called for.

1 tbsp Oil

1 Onion, chopped

1 Red Pepper, chopped

2-3 cloves Garlic, crushed

1 Potato, diced

2 tbsp Flour

2 cups Milk

1 cup Water

8-10 Broccoli florets

1 cup Corn

1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion, red pepper, garlic and potato. Saute for 2-3 minutes over a low flame. Add the flour and fry for about a minute. Add he milk and water along with the broccoli and corn. Bring this mixture to a boil and then coninue to cook for aout 15-20 minutes. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper.

I served this with some chunky garlic bread. Recipe coming up very soon.