Navratra special

As navratra is going on, so do the fasting. Although I am not on fasting or let me say fasting ever since :) diet fast. No potatoes No fast.

However would like to share one very hit recipe back at home called 'vrat wali puri'. Mash the boiled potatoes in singhara atta with sendha salt, red chili powder, green chilis, coriander leaves, few drops of oil and water; make nice dough out of it. From this dough make the crispy puri's.
Enjoy these puri's with raita (curd with crushed peanuts) or even the plain curd also goes very well.

Sweets & Nuts

One of my best best best friend's birthday is today. She recently got married and now enjoying a very happy married life with her loving husband. On her wedding we were very happy too, to celebrate we prepared some sweets and nuts decorated in a very royal way. I even got a chance to attend her wedding in India. I am really missing her alot today. Let me share the picture of what I have prepared, its besan ladoo and nuts. Will soon add the recipe of besan ladoo too on the blog; For now cheers to my friend on her birthday!!!

Fruit Cream Fruit Cream!!!!

Was invited at my friends place this weekend for lunch, had lots of fun & masti. Got a chance to play with her very cute little daughter and to prepare fruit cream for everyone, as that's the best i can think of 'A colorful chilled dessert made with fruits and cream' on a very nice sunny day.
Again a very simple recipe. mix cream, sugar and fruits that's it. Believe me that's it. :)
Take the cream, i use the liquid slagroom from albert heijn,

you can use any fresh cream. whipped it with powdered sugar very gently and slowly (don't whipped too much otherwise it will form into a butter). Now fold the fruits (small fine pieces) in the cream i used banana, mango (lot of mango), apple, strawberry and grapes. You can also add your favourite fruits usually pineapple, kiwi, peaches, sapodilla (chikoo) also goes well in fruit cream. In nuts you can add crushed unsalted walnuts, almonds and raisins (if you like). Garnish it with strawberries.

Enjoy fruit cream this spring!!!

My favourite salad# 1

I love salads, this one is what i tried at home which really came out very well i could say.

Again a very easy and quick one!!!

For salad grill some round shaped pieces of zucchini, square shaped pieces of eggplant (if you like), and full, yes full capsicum all colors. Once done remove the skin of the grilled capsicum and cut nicely in whatever share you like :). Mix it with lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes. If you want you can add some fresh goat cheese, or grilled marinated tofu. In fruits add grapes.

For dressing: in a two table spoon of olive oil, add 1/2 a spoon of sunflower oil. Squeeze one full lemon. Add salt, pepper, basil or oregano. Stir it well and mix it with your salad.

I am pretty sure you will like it... Happy Weekend!!!!

Turkish Delight

Recently one of my very good friend bought baklava for us from Istanbul. Baklava is a very famous Turkish desert, sweet pastry filled with nuts dipped in honey or sugar.

It reminds me of my days in Middle East when i used to enjoy baklava in a shop called 'Gulf Pastry' and also the one made by my friend's mother at home, that one is just simply mouth watering. Well this time i have to resist as i am on diet and had to control my temptations once again. However rest everyone else really enjoyed the baklava that too with pistachio nuts.

Rajma Chawal

Again a very famous north indian cuisine: 'Rajma Chawal' requested by one of my friend in states to post this recipe tonight itself. Rajma Chawal is in her menu tomorrow :-) I had a picture too as coincidentally last night i also cooked rajma only.

Rajma (Red Kidney beans), boil them nicely in a pressure cooker, or buy a can of boiled red kidney beans from super market. In a pan, add oil to saute green chili, finely chopped onions, home made fresh ginger garlic paste, tomato puree. In spices you can add cumin powder, garam masala, coriander powder, i usually won't add turmeric powder as i want my rajma to be pure red in color. Once its done mix it well with boiled rajma and let it be boiled once again for few mins. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Enjoy your Rajma with chawal(rice) or even with garma garm parantha.

Quickest snack - Haldiram Bhelpuri

Whenever we have party at home, this is the most famous, demanding starter and the quickest one for us. Thanks to Haldiram, I still miss sometime the one in chandni chowk, if u ever get a chance I recommend you to go there once, its really crowded but worth the effort for a good indian snack and sweet corner.

So here we go!
Open the packet and follow the instructions :) that's it and you are done. Basically mix the ingrediants from the packet with finely chopped onions, tomatoes, cucumber, boiled potatoes and its just ready.
I usually decorate the serving dish with grapes, it will just add a bit of juicy taste to your bhelpuri.

Try it out hopefully you or your guests will enjoy this too.

Tofu for dinner

Lazy Sunday evening me and my friends had only one question what to eat for dinner?

Want to eat something different, quick and spicy. The only thing I found in my fridge was tofu. So here we go. Tofu in chili sauce.
In a wok pan with a 2-3 spoon of olive oil, sauté the diced square size onions, capsicum (green/red/yellow), garlic cloves, green chili and red chili flakes once kind of done within 2-3 mins add salt, black pepper, red chili sauce to be bit more spicy, ketchup, dark soya sauce, a drop of vinegar or lemon. Finally add tofu. Then add a glass of water and let it be boiled nicely for few mins.
Lastly add an all purpose flour paste (2 spoons of flour or cornstarch mixed well with water to a smooth white paste) to make it bit condense.

Let it boil and then serve hot with boiled/steamed rice... Everyone enjoyed it.. So it was nice Sunday special dinner for us.

Suji Halwa

Suji Halwa
(Sweet Semolina Pudding)

Very famous Indian Punjabi tradition, bride has to cook the first thing in the kitchen after wedding is suji halwa :). And often used in pooja’s as well for bhog to Prabhu.

This is my famous, very easy recipe ever, inspired by my mom. So in short i am quite set for my first meal to cook after wedding ;)

Suji (semoline, not that fine one), Tip: with one cup of suji, i usually take, 1 cup of sugar, half a cup of ghee, little more than 2.5 cups of water, cardamom and nuts (unsalted cashew, almonds, rasins or whatever you like).

so now roast suji in the ghee on medium flame and in parallel boil water with sugar & cardamom. Once the suji is roasted well with little brownish in color add very slowly the boiled water prepared. Keep stirring, once done add nuts of your own choice..

Enjoy its really yummy when serve hot!!!

My first blog on food

I love Food :-) although in parallel trying to reduce weight!!! Its really tough.
Tough Tough Tough!!!!

I love cooking and keep on experimenting different things. Just trying to be creative sometimes!!!

Many of my friends are married or getting married so to please their better halves they usually call and ask for the recipes so this blog is dedicated to all my friends who keep me wondering "I really cook well it seems" :-)