Pasta in White Sauce With Mushrooms Tomato and Capsicum

This pasta was a part of our lunch last week. For all who are regular here definitely know by now how the pasta in all its varied flavours and tastes(a little soft corner for the pasta in white sauce thought) is a favourite with the daughter and so the endeavour to try out new variations each time. Dal rice two days in a stretch and the happiness quotient coming to the table seems to be dipping at a fast pace and so a meal like this which is sheer happiness and polished off in no time is a great idea both for her and me. Fast to cook and good to eat with veggies and nutrition thrown in keeps me happy and she is thrilled at finding pasta on the lunch menu. It is a total win-win situation. This has come to be favourite. Here is my pasta in white sauce with mushrooms tomato and capsicum. For those who want to make a few more additions, you may add strips of chicken and corn too.

Ingredients
For the White Sauce :
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp maida/all purpose flour
2 cups milk

For the Pasta :
Pasta - 100 gms (boiled and strained)
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped into small pieces
Capsicum - 1 medium chopped into small pieces
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1tsp
Garlic - 1 tsp (minced)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Oregano (dried) - 1/2 tsp
Mushrooms - 5 to 6 chopped fine or to the size of your choice

Method:
1- Boil Pasta in enough water with some salt. When done strain and wash thoroughly under cold running water. Keep aside.
2- Take a pan and add the butter and oil. Add the minced garlic and saute for a minute till the raw smell of garlic disappears. Now add the chopped tomato and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chopped capsicum amd mushrooms and saute till all the water content of the mushrooms dry up completely.
3- Now add the 2 tbsp of maida and saute for a minute or two. Add the milk little by little and keep stirring. Make sure to add the milk little by little or else you may have lumps forming that will spoil the complete texture of your white sauce.
4- Add in the oregano, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning. Let boil till the white sauce thickens and is of the desired consistency. Do not let it thicken too much as white sauce will thicken on its own too as it rests.
Switch off gas and transfer to a serving dish. Serve hot. You may add your choice of sides to add to your meal.

Sweet corn on hot dog buns

The holidays have truly been a roller coaster ride with my daughter not sparing one moment and making the most of it. On the beach, the basketball court, in the corridors its been play time for her all the way. With all the play, fun and frolic come the hunger pangs. These are special hunger pangs and cannot be satisfied with just about anything, they definitely need a little extra effort and are a test for Mom's cooking skills. "Something Nice" that's what it should be - has to fill the tummy and also appeal to the craving taste buds. My regular readers know by now that my blog is all about satisfying the strong taste buds of daughter and hubby:)

This sweet corn on hot dog buns has been a saviour on many such occasions. Sweet corn with garlic, cheese and butter baked in the oven...yummy and gooey. In fact, several times have been guilty myself of using my daughter as an excuse for enjoying these crispy gooey bites. An easy to make recipe (as usual), this sweet corn recipe does not require much time nor preparation.

Sweet corn is also referred to as the sugar corn or the Indian corn. The sweet corn is the result of natural recessive mutation and unlike the other varieties of corn is harvested before it completely matures. As the corn is not fully mature it cannot be stored for long and thus, best eaten fresh, tinned or canned or in the frozen form. It is known for its high nutritional and antioxidant value and thus, reduces the risk of cancer and other ailments.

Ingredients for sweet corn on hot dog buns:
Hot dog Buns - 2 (cut into two)
Butter - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp (you can use 2 to 3 cloves of freshly grated garlic instead)
Capsicum - 1 (small)(finely chopped)
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Tomato ketchup - 4 to 5 tsp
Oregano - 1 tsp
Sweet corn - 100 gms (I used tinned corn)
Cheese - 1 cup (approximately 6 tbsp)
Salt to taste

Method for sweet corn on hot dog buns:
1- Slit the hot dog buns into two and lay them on a baking tray.
2- Take a pan, and add the butter and oil. Add in the chopped onions and saute till soft and translucent. Add the chopped capsicum and salt(adjust as per taste, do remember to keep in mind as to how salty your cheese is). Saute.
3- Add in the sweet corn and cook for 2-3 minutes. Keep aside.
4- For layering, spread a tbsp of tomato ketchup on each of the pieces of the hot dog bun. Spread the corn mixture and top it with cheese. Sprinkle oregano and bake for approximately 10 minutes at 180 degrees C or on Gas mark 4.
5- Serve hot. They make delicious appetizers as well and can be cut into 3 and served.

Kerala Style Prawn/Shrimp Fry

Prawns Fry
Prawns have been on the agenda for quite a few days now. With only frozen prawns available here I was a little skeptical about how the dish would turn out (not really a fan of frozen prawns). However, these were a real delight and hubby too (who is not very fond of seafood) gave the prawns fry a thumbs up.

Ingredients for Kerala style prawn/shrimp fry
Prawns - 10 (big)
Onion - 1 (small)
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 to 1 tsp (as per taste)
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Dessicated coconut - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Water – ½ cup

Method for Kerala style prawn/shrimp fry
1- Deshell, de-vein, wash and clean prawns. Keep aside.
2- Take a non-stick pan and add a tbsp of oil. Add the onions and saute till they turn soft and translucent. Add the turmeric powder, kashmiri chilli powder, garlic, curry leaves and saute.
3- Add in the coriander powder, jeera powder and garam masala powder. Sauté. At this stage it is important to cook on medium heat or else you would end up with burnt masala for your shrimps. Cook till the oil starts separating.
4- Now it is time to add in the prawns and ½ cup of water. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Open.
5- Add in the dessicated coconut, the remaining tbsp of oil and slowly let fry on medium heat. Stir in between. It will take about 3-5 minutes. Serve.
Accompaniment: Steamed Rice

Hash Browns - a potato delight

Hash Browns
This is another recipe that got me going for my little darling's sake. She loved the hash browns at Mc Donald's and then came the request that "Amma you should try making it at home one day". This is the grated potato version, you can also make it by boiling and mashing potatoes and then crumbing it for that cutlet kind of smooth finish. However, I loved this texture and they disappeared like hot cakes. An easy to make quick snack that has no age bar (everyone in the family is sure to love this one). A good snack for the tiffin too.

Ingredients for Hash Browns
Potatoes - a medium sized(grated raw)
pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Maida or all purpose flour - 1 tsp
Oil - for deep frying

Method for making hash browns:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
1- Grate the washed and peeled raw potato into a bowl. Let rest for 10 minutes.
2- Squeeze out all the water from the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients. Make into small bite sized balls. The potatoes bind well and with the all purpose flour you would not need anything else to keep everything together.
3- Take oil in a pan enough to deep fry the has browns. Place the has browns one after the other and fry till crisp and golden brown on both sides.
Serve with tomato sauce or a dip of your choice.

You may like my other potato recipes:
Potato Capsicum stir fry
Dahi Wale Aloo

Pepper Chicken Fry

This Pepper chicken Recipe is a easy and tasty recipe and can be made with everyday ingredients available in your pantry. A chicken recipe that can be served with rotis or rice and if you decide to make it with boneless chicken you can use it as stuffing for your dosa or buns or even as topping for your pizza.

The absence from the blogging world this time has been a little too long. Blame it on housework, social commitments, a few hobbies, a beautiful short vacation and the summer vacations. Back now:) and with my daughter's vacations having started there is going to be a lot of cooking happening in the days to come. Playing the whole day long definitely gets kids hungrrrrry(I am sure many mom's are nodding from their respective kitchens:). With the right mix of health and taste to be ensured Mamas sure are going to be kept really busy this vacation.

Chicken is a favorite at my place as my regular readers know by now. The search for different ways to cook chicken is an ongoing process. One of the searches got me to this tempting pepper chicken by Cool Lassi(e)at Pan Gravy Kadai Curry and ....I could resist no longer. Going through the list of ingredients I had it all in my pantry including a packet of chicken legs waiting to be cooked. This delicious looking chicken was just the thing I needed to turn the regular fare into one that both hubby and daughter would love. And yes, they did, have already made this dish thrice. A simple, flavourful quick recipe, the entire dish was polished off for lunch itself. Thanks Cool Lassi(e) for sharing the yummy recipe.

Here's the recipe for the Pepper chicken:
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
4 Tbsp Thick Yogurt
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/8 Tsp Salt

Other ingredients:
250 gms chicken
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Crushed Canned/Fresh Tomatoes, Pureed ( I used 2 tsp of tomato paste)
1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Crushed Pepper
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Olive Oil for browning the chicken
Salt as needed

Method:
1- Mix all the ingredients given under the heading marinade in a bowl. Marinate the chicken in the mixture and keep aside. Making slits in the pieces would help soak in the flavours quickly.
2- Take a pan and add in 2 tbsp of oil. Add the chopped onions and ginger-garlic paste. Saute till the onions are soft and translucent. Add in the tomato paste and saute.
3- When the oil starts to separate, add the coriander and pepper powder.
4- Mix well. Do not add water, let the chicken cook in its own moisture. Cover and cook till the chicken pieces are done.
4- Open the lid and add a tbsp of oil. Cook on medium heat till the chickhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifen pieces are nicely browned and coated with the masala.
5- Serve with plain rice, as an appetiser or with hot chapatis. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Notes:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
1- I was racing against time and so decided to use a tbsp of Dabur's Ginger- Garlic Paste instead of the fresh ginger and garlic. I added 1/2 tsp of ginger-ghttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifarlic paste in the masala too.
2- I didn't have a cast iron pan and so had to make it in my non-stick kadai.
3- Make sure to brown the chicken on medium heat so that it has a nice brown coating and does not get burnt.

You may also like some of my other chicken recipes
Chicken Lollipop
Chicken Tandoori
Chicken Manchurian
Soya Chicken

Hakka Noodles –ready in minutes

Have been dying to make a post here for so many days now, however, my daughter’s exams, guests at home and other domestic commitments has been holding me back for quite long now. A lot of cooking has been happening in the last few days but sitting down to actually write a post somehow has not worked out. What I have realized over the last few days is that I truly miss the bonding with other foodies with this blog. Blogging sure has become a part of my daily life that I truly look forward to. So finally today I decided that all things aside for some time and will just sit down and pen down my latest first thing this morning.

This is a hakka noodles recipe that is ideal for the lazy Sunday when you really don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen yet want to feed your family something delicious. Chinese cuisine is one that I love and yes thank fully all at home do agree with me. So this hakka noodles combined with a Chicken Manchurian or a sweet and sour is one that we all enjoy. It is a regular at my table. This dish also works wonders in getting my daughter to eat vegetables without fussing.

Ingredients
1 packet egg or veg noodles
1 bell pepper(sliced thin)
1 onion (sliced thin)
1 carrot (juliennes)
2 spring onions (chopped fine)
1 stalk celery (chopped fine)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ketchup
½ tsp vinegar

Method:
Take a pan. Add water and salt to it. Add the noodles and cook till done. Strain the excess water and rinse under cold water. Add a tsp of cooking oil. Mix and keep aside.
In a wok, add 2 tbsp cooking oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, carrot, half the celery and spring onions. Stir fry for a minute or two. Add the cooked noodles and stir. Add the soy sauce, ketchup and vinegar. Stir. Garnish with the remaining spring onions and celery. Serve.

French Toast - a complete breakfast

Breakfast is a very important meal at my place. I guess that is the way it should be. The first meal of the day after the long gap must be wholesome. You must ensure that it is the right combination of carbohydrates, proteins and meets your nutritional requirements adequately. Several studies go to show that children and adults who do not have a healthy and complete breakfast remain grumpy throughout the day (rightly so as they do not have the energy to do all that they want to). Without a good breakfast you are unable to perform your best both physically and mentally.

This is a complete breakfast that would ensure that you are smiling all day long. For more on the french toast, check out wikipedia. You could add a bowl of cut fruit or juice of your choice for that little extra. This is a very quick and easy breakfast option you would enjoy.

I am forwarding this recipe to Mansi of Fun and Food as an entry for "WBB#20 Balanced Breakfast Meal".


Ingredients for the French Toast
Bread – 2 slices
Milk – 1 cup
Sugar – 2 tsp
Butter – 1 cube
Egg-1
Vanilla essence – 2 drops (optional)

Method for making French Toast:
1-Beat the milk, egg and sugar well in a bowl.
2-Soak the slices of bread in this mixture for 5 minutes.
3-Take a pan, grease with butter and add the soaked slices. Add a little more of butter while it is being cooked.
4-Sprinkle a little sugar on both sides of the slices before turning it over (I like the glazed look that the sugar gives). Golden brown and its ready to serve.Enjoy!!