ROASTED BELL PEPPER AND TOMATO SOUP

Tomato soup is easiest and tasty soup to make that too with fried bread pieces yum yum .. bored of regular tomato soup.. Here is Tomato soup with a twist.

         

I roasted red bell pepper,onion...i used red colour to maintain red color of the soup.. if we want to add more flavor we can roast garlic also..

I directly roasted on the stove top.. if we want we can roast on oven also..

Ingredients:

1. Tomato - 2 no
2. Onion - 1 no
3. Red bell pepper - 1/2
4. garlic
5. Celery
6. Italian herbs
7. Olive oil
8. Salt to taste
9. Pepper

Procedure:

1. Roast the onion and bell pepper and then peel off outer burnt skin...
2. Cut them into small pieces
3. In a sauce pan ,add garlic and celery saute well..
4. Then add roasted bell pepper and onion.. now chopped tomatoes saute well
5. Add salt to taste and Italian herbs..Add required water/vegetable stock
6. Then puree them and strain it 
7. Cook for few mins
8. Yummy soup ready...Serve hot

BISI BELA BATH

Bisi bela bath is a famous Karnataka dish.. Bisi bela bath is literally means " hot lentil rice''..Actually its a sambar rice...each state as its own version of sambar...

   

Bisi bela bath has different stages of cooking... pressure cooking lentils and rice separately..then comes important part preparing bisi bela bath masala..In a original masala ,they put cinnamon,cloves with other ingredients (red chillies, coriander seeds, methi seeds, cumin seeds, pepper corns,)

In my recipe i made very simple .. i did everything in one pot(pressure cooker)..usually they make masala powder.. instead i made into paste..

its a very tasty and healthy dish with lot of vegetables  (carrot,  beans,snowbeans,potatoes,drumsticks,okra ..)

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Toor daal - 1/2 cup
3. Vegetables of your choices
4. Onion - 1 no(small onion gives great taste)
5. Tomato - 1 no
6. chilli powder - 1/2tsp
7. Tumeric powder -- 1/2tsp
8. salt to taste
9. Musturd seeds - 1 tsp
10. Asofoetida
11. Curry leaves

Dry roast Masala:

1. Grated coconut - 3 tbsp
2. Dry red chilli - 4 no
3. Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
5. Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Pepper - 1 tsp
7. Channa daal - 2 tbsp
8. Urad daal - 1 tbsp

Procedure:

1. Dry roast all masala ingredients and grind them to smooth paste
2. In a pressure cooker, add oil with musturd seeds,curry leaves, asofoetida 
3. Add onion and tomato ,saute well then add tumeric powder, chilli powder and salt
4. Add vegetables and saute for few mins
5. Now add masala paste and then add rice and toor daal..
6. Here for one cup of rice and half cup of daal ,i added 5 cups of water
7. Pressure cook for 3 whistles
8. Mix well and add some ghee (optional)
9. Serve hot with papa

PASTA STUFFED BELL PEPPER

Bell pepper is one of my favorite vegetable..usually i use it in egg sandwich or as pizza toppings..but, this time i tried stuffing bell pepper/capsicum with pasta

       

Its simple and easy to make..use more different bell peppers..these colours bring life to dish....

INGREDIENTS:

1. BELL PEPPER - 2NO
2. BOILED PASTA
3. WHITE SAUCE
4. VEGETABLES OF YOUR CHOICE
5. MIXED ITALIAN HERBS
6. CHILLI FLAKES
7. GRATED CHEESE

PROCEDURE:

Pasta stuffing:

Step 1:

white sauce : 

          In a sauce pan,add butter and one tsp of maida..roast them in very low flame ..then add cold milk mix well so that no lumps ..the sauce will become thick we can add herbs ,salt to taste, pepper..mix well.. now sauce is ready

Step 2:

           In a pan,add olive oil ,garlic ,onion ..saute well, then add vegetables cook them well.. add salt ,   herbs ,chilli flakes..add boiled pasta  and mix well

Now add white sauce mix well..stuffing is ready

Preparation of bell pepper:

1. Cut the top portion of bell pepper and deseed it...coat with salt and pepper..
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius for 10 mins
3. Stuff the bell pepper with pasta
4. Top it with cheese
5. bake it oven at 180 degree Celsius for 15 - 20 mins or bell pepper is well cooked

KERRAI MASIYAL / BABY SPINACH MASIYAL

Keerai masiyal:

Keerai masiyal is simple ,easy to go dish with rice...This is my mummy recipe...it tastes so yummy with only few ingredients....i made this keerai masiyal using baby spinach..

Ingredients:

1. Baby spinach - a bunch
2. Garlic - 6 cloves
3. Onion - 1 no
4. Tomato - 1 no
5. Tamarind - pearl size
6. Dry red chilli - 2-3no
7. Musturd seeds - 1 tsp
8. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
9. Asofoetida

Procedure:

1. Wash the baby spinach and chop them finely..
2. In a sauce pan ,add oil saute garlic ,onion , tomato ,saute well
3. Then add chopped spinach saute well and add tamarind ,salt 
4. Add little water . In Low flame ,let them cook well..
5. Mash it with potato masher..
6. Tamper with cumin seeds, mustard seeds,curry leaves, garlic ,red chili  ,asofoetida 

PANEER KOFTA CURRY

PANEER KOFTA CURRY

Kofta is usually mean meat loaf /meat ball...But ,In India , they were usually make with vegetables (potato,bottle guard ,cabbage...)..it also made with paneer...

        Paneer is a cottage cheese ,it is widely used in North Indian cooking....In usual procedure kofta are made by deep frying ...As i decided to do with less oil..I used appa pan/appa kadai

In appa non-stick pan,we can made many recipe with a drop of oil ... so its healthy..but if we want we can deep fry too.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE KOFTA:

1. PANEER - 250G
2. BROWN BREAD - 2 NO
3. CORN FLOUR - 2 TSP
4. SALT TO TASTE 
5. CORIANDER LEAVES

FOR THE CURRY:

1. ONION - 2 NO
2. TOMATO - 2 NO
3. COCONUT GRATED - 1/2CUP
4. CHILLI POWDER - 2TSP
5. CORIANDER POWDER - 1TSP
6. GARAM MASALA - 1TSP
7. GINGER GARLIC PASTE - 2TSP
8. SALT TO TASTE
9. CORIANDER LEAVES

PROCEDURE:

Koftas in the appa pan:

1. Take the bread cut the corners,add little water and soak the bread.. then squeeze the water from the bread and crumble it.
2. In a bowl grate the paneer ,add crumbled bread , corn fllour ,finely chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste.
3. Mix them well and make a dough
4. Make small balls out of dough
5. Heat the appa pan,apply the oil using brush
6. Now keep the kofta ball in each round..cook them until its brown  and crispy on each side

For the curry:

1. In a saucepan, saute onion ,ginger-garlic paste and then chopped tomatoes 
2. Add chilli powder,corriander powder,salt  and garam masala cook well until raw smell disappears
3. Add grated coconut and saute well..switch off  the stove..let them cool
4. Grind them to smooth paste
5. In a sauce pan ,add this paste and water,cook for few mins
6. Now add koftas and cook for a minute..
7. If we want additional richness to curry add cream and butter
8. Sprinkle coriander leaves
9. Delicious paneer kofta curry ready

MUSHROOM CELERY SOUP

MUSHROOM CELERY SOUP 

Every time when we go to restaurant our first order will be soup ... In that my favorite choice..cream of mushroom soup....  i have cooked this many times..

           

        The secret behind soups is celery and vegetable/chicken stock .. we can prepare your own stock or buy a ready made one.. In India, celery is not available easily..In that case , we can use dry celery ...

          If we didn't get both the ingredients it will work with water too.. but,little taste differs...

INGREDIENTS:

1. ONION - 1 NO
2. GARLIC - 3 NO
3. CELERY - A BUNCH
4. MUSHROOMS
5. MIXED ITALIAN HERBS
6. VEGETABLE OR CHICKEN STOCK
7. SALT TO TASTE
8. PEPPER POWDER

PROCEDURE:

1. In a sauce pan,add oil and saute the onion and garlic..cook until it softens
2. Then add mushroom and celery saute well
3. Add mixed Italian herbs,stock and salt ..saute well
4. Let it cook for 10 -15 mins in very low flame
5. Then switch off the stove ..let it cool..
6. Fish out the mushroom alone grind it to smooth paste
7. Add this paste back to the soup..
8. Switch on the heat..let it cook for 5 mins
9. Yummy mushroom celery soup ready

WHEAT BREAD

WHEAT BREAD

       Its my long time wait to buy OTG OVEN ... HURRAH! I got my oven.. i missed it so much.. thought of many things..but, i have only baking tray with me... so thought making bread.

        I went to my kitchen and found out i have no all purpose flour ..so sad..then i saw this magic ingredient wheat flour.. lets give a shot..

         My son went to school,so its my turn to make my kitchen mess... i warmed up the water for Mr.Yeast... I then add Mr.Yeast to warm water...and sweet sugar for him to eat..

      then comes the interesting  messy part kneading , in a bowl wheat flour ,salt,curd,oil mix well..now Mr.yeast water ..knead well .. now its a time to grow Mr.Yeast..Mr.yeast has grown doubles its volume....

       kick boxing time ,think of your worst enemy and punch the dough .. actually it works well...it makes you so calm..punch it until all air out.. knead well ..its time to rest after hard punches...

    Baking time....enjoy the fresh aroma of bread all around your house... open the windows so that others can also enjoy it... after 25 mins..Hola! yummy baked wheat ready..

WHEAT BREAD RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

1. Wheat flour - 2 cups
2. Active dry yeast
3. Salt to taste
4. Sugar - 1 tsp
5. Oil/butter - 2 tsp
6. Water 

PROCEDURE:

• Warm one cup of water add active dry yeast and sugar ..mix well .. cover it let it sit for 10 - 15 mins
• In a bowl add all the ingredients...mix well ..now add yeast water little by little..and make very sticky dough..
• Knead well until your not sticky .. let it sit for 30 - 40mins..
• The dough will double in size..punch the dough so that all air comes out...
• Knead again ... you keep in loaf pan or just in tray...let it rest for 40 mins
• Pre-heat the oven 220 degree celsius
• Cook the dough for 20 - 25 mins
• Yummy wheat bread ready