Mixed Vegetable Masala Pasta(Indian Style)

My kiddo loves pasta,but he doesn't like to it for lunch box if it is loaded with cheese and pasta sauce.When it comes to lunch box he prefers this one and I make it for our dinner whenever I feel lazy to cook.Here goes my recipe for Indian style masala pasta....................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Pasta	1cup
Onion(sliced)	1no.
Tomato(finely chopped)	1no.
Mixed veggies(carrot,beans,capsicum)	1cup(cut into strips)
Ginger&garlic paste	1tsp
Green Chilly(chopped)	2nos.
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2tbs
Red chilly powder	1/4tsp
Coriander powder	1/4tsp
Garam masala powder	1/8tsp
Turmeric powder	1/8tsp
Tomato Ketchup	1tbs
Salt	to taste
Olive Oil	1tbs

Method

                         Cook the pasta in a boiling water till it gets soft and cooked.Drain the excess water and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil,saute the onion and green chillies till the onion becomes transparent,add the ginger and garlic paste.

Then goes in the veggies.Stir it well until the veggies become tender,now add the tomato cook it mushy.

Add in all the powders and salt,give it a mix.Now add 2 tbs of water cook it covered partially.Once it becomes thick add the cooked pasta and mix it well,keep it in a medium flame for a minute or two.

Finally add the coriander leaves and tomato ketchup and mix it.

Yummy Masala Pasta is ready.

Enjoy....................................

• Here I used the fusilli pasta you can use any shape.
• Adding tomato ketchup is purely optional,I add this one only for my kiddo.
• The amount of red chilly powder can be increased according to preference.

Click here to check my blogger buddies recipe for Blogging Marathon#24.
Linking this to Kid's Delight-Lunch box recipes hosted by PJ of Seduce your Taste Buds,started by Srivalli.



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Green Peas and Potato Pulao

This is a simple yet quick to make one pot meal which is a milder version suits for kids lunch box doesn't need of much masala.
My boy doesn't like rice varieties much for his lunch box so weekly once only takes either this rice or carrot rice along with some potato chips and veggie chips.Here is my version of delicious rice.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Basmathi rice/Ponni raw rice	1cup
Onion(finely chopped)	1no.(medium size)
Potato(small cubes)	1no.(medium size)
Green peas(frozen/fresh)	1/2cup
Green chilly	2nos.
Red chilly powder	1/2tsp
Garam masala powder	1/4tsp
Coriander leaves(chopped)	2tbs
Cashews	5-6nos.(optional)
Salt	to taste
Oil	1tbs

For Tempering 

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves/Lavangam	4nos.
Cinnamom/pattai	1 inch piece
Cardamom/ellakai	1no.
Bay leaf	1no.
Star anise	1no.
Cumin seeds	1/2tsp

Method
Wash the rice and cook it in a pressure cooker or electric cooker with a pinch of salt and a tsp of oil.Once it is done separate the grains and keep it aside.
Heat a pan with oil and splutter the cumin seeds and add the whole garam masala.Then add the green chillies and cashews,fry it for a minute,saute the onion till transparent.

Now add the cubed potato,green peas and give it a mix.Add the powders,salt and sprinkle some water and cook it for 2-3 minutes or till the potato is cooked.

Finally add the coriander leaves and stir it,turn off the flame.To this mixture add the cooked rice and mix it well gently till everything gets blend well.

Rice is ready.
Serve it with a vegetable fry and chips or onion raita.

Enjoy........................................

• The rice can be cooked separately or it can be add to the masal and cook it in the pressure cooker for a whistle.
• As I ran out of frozen peas I used the soaked dried peas and cook it in the pressure cooker for a whistle.

Click here to check my blogger buddies participating in Blogging Marathon #24.
Linking this to Kid's Delight-Lunch box recipes hosted by PJ of Seduce your Taste Buds,started by Srivalli.
Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Spinach and Paneer/Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha-Easy Kid's Lunch box Recipe

Today is the first day of Blogging Marathon #24 for week 4 and the theme I chose is Kids Lunch Box recipe.Being a mom of 7 years old picky eater,packing a nutritious lunch box which suits for his taste buds is really challenging for me.He always wants his lunch box to be mess free and it should be a fusion recipe.
Recently found out he has a liking towards paneer and spinach stuffed samosas,so wanted to try this combo.One such thing he loves to take for lunch box is stuffed paratha smeared with tomato ketchup.So I experimented the stuffing with his favorite paratha and the end result was a super hit.He surprised me with an empty lunch box and said that it was so delicious.Here goes the recipe...............  

Ingredients

For the outer covering

Ingredient	Quantity
Wheat flour	2cups
Oil	1tbs
Salt	3/4tsp
Water	to knead
Oil or ghee	for brushing the parathas

For the stuffing

Ingredient	Quantity
Spinach/palak(finely chopped)	2cups (tightly packed)
Paneer(grated/crumbled)	1/2cup
Ginger(grated)	1tsp
Red chilly powder	1/2tsp
Garam masala powder	1/4tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp
Aamchur powder	1tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/2tsp
Coriander leaves/cilantro	2tbs(finely chopped)
Salt	to taste
Oil	2tsp

Method

• Mix in wheat flour,salt and oil in a bowl,slowly add the water and knead into a stiff dough.Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the stuffing,heat a skillet with oil and crackle the cumin seeds,add the grated ginger and add the finely chopped spinach and saute it for a minute.Drain the excess water in the cooking process. Now add the powders,salt and mix it well so that everything gets blend and cook it for a minute or two.
• Finally add the paneer and coriander leaves and put off the flame.Set it aside,let it cool completely.
• After cooling divide into equal portions and also divide the dough into equal portions.
• Flatten the dough into 3' disc and keep the stuffing and seal it.On a floured surface roll it into 6-7 inch paratha of desired thickness.
• Cook it on a hot griddle both sides till golden color and spots appear,brush it with oil or butter or ghee according to your preference.
• Serve it raitha,pickle,ketchup or curry of your choice.

Enjoy.....................................................

• Do not cook the stuffing for a long time after adding the paneer.
• It is necessary to drain the water while cooking the spinach otherwise the stuffing would be watery.
• If the stuffing is watery add a tbs of thin poha(rice flakes) to absorb the moisture.
• Try to use the fresh spinach as the frozen spinach tends to leave lot of water.
• As I made it for my kid,didn't use green chillies if you want you can add finley chopped chilly along with ginger.

Check out fellow bloggers participating in Blogging Marathon#24.


Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Tomato Chutney-Side Dish For Idly and Dosa

Today's recipe is a simple spicy and tangy chutney,a good accompaniment for idly and dosa which is one of my favorite.The juicy tomatoes are sauteed along with green chillies for spicy and flavored with garlic makes the chutney delicious.
As the weather is cold day by day here,especially since monday it is terrible cold(14 F) not feeling to cook anything special,but the taste buds wanted something spicy and hot.
To satisfy the cravings I made this chutney and enjoyed along with the idly for breakfast.Here goes the recipe....  

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Tomato	3nos.(medium size)
Green Chilly	6-7nos.
Garlic/poondu	3 clove
Tamarind(optional)	blueberry size
Salt	11/2tsp
Oil	1tbs

For the Tempering

Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Urad dhal/Uluttham Paruppu	1tsp
Curry leaves(chopped)	few leaves
Oil	1tbs

Method 

                Finely chop the tomatoes and garlic,slit the green chillies.Start by heating the pan with oil and saute the green chillies and garlic.Then add the tomatoes.

Cook it till the tomatoes get mushy.Once it turned mushy and cooked well turn off the flame and add the tamarind if you are using.Let it cool down completely. Blend it well in blender along with salt to a fine paste.Heat a pan with oil and do the tempering and add the ground chutney to it.No need to cook.

Spicy and tangy tomato chutney is ready.

Serve it with fluffy idly or dosa.

Enjoy.............................................

• The chutney will be in the spicy side as we like to have it spicy with idly.
• Use of green chillies and garlic makes the chutney more flavorful,do not use the red chilly.
• Adding the tamarind is purely optional if the tomatoes are sour enough then no need of it.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com

Gulab Jamun - My 200th Post

This is my 200th post and want to share our family's favorite sweet Gulab jamun.Before getting into the recipe I would like to thank ally readers and friends for the constant support and encouragement.
Originally gulab jamun is made with fresh khoya by condensing the milk to a solid consistency.After that a considerable amount of all purpose flour is mixed to form a soft dough.The dough is made into cute ball and deep fried in the ghee then dunked into cardamom or rose flavored sugar syrup.After soaking an hour or two delicious juicy gulab jamuns will be ready to dig in.It can be eaten as such or served it along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it more tasty.
But these days so many ready made mix for gulab jamun is available in the market to make the job easier.I also used to buy the readily available mix till I met a friend 3years back.She made this yummy sweet in a scratch with the milk powder.When I asked for the recipe she humbly shared this recipe. Today I made this exotic sweet with the dry non fat milk powder and it came out very delicious and spongy.As I had to take the picture in the natural light I couldn't wait till the balls get soaked.After soaking for two hours the jamuns were almost double in size.Now on to the recipe.........................

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Milk Powder	1cup
All purpose flour/maida	2tbs
Ghee/clarified butter/nei	2tbs
Cooking Soda	a generous pinch
Milk(to knead)	as needed
Sugar	13/4-2cups
Cardamom/ellaki powder	1/2tsp
Water	11/2cups
Oil/ghee	for frying

Method
                    Heat the sugar in a pan with 11/2 cups of water and stir it,keep in a medium flame till it becomes thick(no need of string consistency).Add the cardamom powder and keep it aside.

Take the milk powder,all purpose flour,ghee,cooking soda and mix it till crumbly.

Now slowly add the milk and knead it gently to a soft dough,keep it aside for 5 minutes.If it is too thick then add little more milk and knead it well.Pinch a small gooseberry size ball and roll into a smooth ball without giving too much of pressure.

Heat the pan with oil and gheein a medium flame and drop 6-7 and rotate the pan so that all sides of the ball gets cooked evenly.

Once it is cooked to golden brown color drain it  from the oil and drop it in the  sugar syrup.

Soak it in the sugar syrup frt atleast two hours.

Enjoy........................ 

• If the dough is too thick the jamuns will be hard. 
• While making the balls do not give too much of pressure to get the smooth finish. 
• The oil should be in a low to medium flame otherwise the jamuns turn brown without cooking. 
• Grease the palms to make the balls smooth without cracks.

Sumber http://www.naliniscooking.com