Category Archives: Food

Food

Mouthwatering Monday – Mushroom Matar Makhni

Image August 18, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

Mushroom Matar Makhni By Jyoti Singh — Mushroom Matar Makhni

Mushrooms are not among my favorites, unless they are a part of ‘Mushroom Matar Makhni‘. I love this one. Without much ado, lets now start making the dish, and see how it turns out. 😎

Ingredients –

8 oz / 227 gm Mushrooms. Washed and chopped.
1 cup frozen Peas
1 large Onion
2 big Tomatoes
10-15 Cashews
4 Garlic bulbs
1 inch Ginger
½ tbsp Red Chilli Powder
¼ tbsp turmeric Powder
½ tbsp Coriander Powder
¼ tbsp Garam Masala Powder
2 tbsp Cream
2 tbsp Oil/Butter
Salt as per taste
½ tbsp dry Fenugreek leaves

Method –

Blend Onion, Ginger and Garlic into a smooth paste.
Make a paste of Cashews. Soak them in warm water for 30 minutes to make your task easier. 😀
Make a paste of Tomatoes too.
Heat oil in a pan and saute chopped Mushrooms in it, till they leave their water and become light golden in color.
Remove Mushrooms from the pan and keep them aside.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in pan, and add Ginger Garlic Onion paste to it.
When it’s thoroughly cooked, add tomato paste to it and saute.
Add all the spices and cook them on medium-low heat, till oil leaves from side.
Add cashew paste and let it cook for 2 minutes.
Add salt. Mix water as per desired consistency of gravy.
Add Mushroom, Matar, crushed Fenugreek leaves, and let it cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
Mix cream gently to whole gravy and take it off from heat.
You can use julienne ginger or cilantro for garnishing.
Serve Hot.

It’s damn yummy, but remember this one has lots of calories in it. For the healthier version, use low fat cream, and don’t use cashews 😦 , reduce amount of oil to half and that’s it.

Enjoy!!!

P.S. My cooking is experimental. You will find many similar and different recipes, but the idea is to explore your food and do experiments with it. Enjoy Cooking Experiments and Experiences 🙂

Food

Mouthwatering Monday – Milk Peda

Image August 11, 2014 jcisnowjs 5 Comments

I love Pedas…. actually I love all the sweets (except those made with besan) 😐 Yumm….

Yesterday was Rakhi (Rakshabandhan), a festival where a sister ties a Rakhi, bond of love, to her brother’s wrist. I don’t like the notion that Rakhis are for protection, but I rather think, that they are a gesture of love between siblings. So, in my household, not only Tisha ties Rakhi to her Brothers, Otu & Renne’s hand, but boys too tie a Rakhi to Tisha’s wrist. More power to Love. ❤

I cherish these moments.

I cherish Milk Peda too…. so coming back to the recipe. 😉

Ingredients –

400 gm Condensed Milk
1 ½ cup Milk Powder
1 tbsp Ghee/Butter
½ tbsp Cardamon Powder
1 tbsp milk
5-6 Pistachios for garnishing, cut length wise

Method –

Heat ghee in a pan.
Add condensed milk to it and mix slowly.
When ghee is properly mixed with condensed milk, add Milk powder gently.
Mix well, so that no lumps are formed.
Check for consistency and add some milk if required.
Cook until mixture start leaving the sides (you can use microwave too).
Mix cardamon powder, and let it cool for few minutes.
Grease your hands with ghee or butter and roll the mixture into small balls.
Press in the middle gently and garnish with Pistachios or any other nut of your choice.
All done. 😀

Milk Pedas are done and I am ready for celebrating Rakshabandhan.

Do tell me what is your favorite recipe for festivals? 🙂

P.S. My cooking is experimental. You will find many similar and different recipes, but the idea is to explore your food and do experiments with it. Enjoy Cooking Experiments and Experiences 🙂

Food

Mouthwatering Monday – Boondi Raita

Image August 4, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

So far I have shown you recipes which my kids prefer to eat. Now, just for a change, and for a very special request, my husband’s favorite Raita Recipe – The Boondi Raita.

Boondi Raita is a side dish served with Indian Meal. It can also be used as a dip or salad, or as salad dressing too. Raita can be prepared with different ingredients like, cucumber (my favorite), tomato, onion, pumpkin, mint, pineapple etc… here, I have made one from Boondi, which is a Rajasthani food item, prepared from chickpea flour, with spices added to it before frying.

Let’s go and make ourselves a bowl of Boondi Raita, now.

Ingredients –

1 cup Curd
½ cup Boondi (Khara/Tikha)
½ tbsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
½ tbsp fried Cumin.
¼ tbsp Red Chilli Powder
¼ tbsp Black Pepper Powder
½ tbsp Chaat Masala
1 tbsp chopped Mint Leaves
Salt as per your taste.

Method –

Soak Boondi in warm water for 15 -20 Minutes.
Drain the Boondi gently, without mashing them. Keep aside.
Whisk curd in a bowl. Add water if desired for the desired consistency.
Add all the spices along with chopped Mint leaves.
Mix well.
Add Boondi to curd mixture. Mix it gently.
Sprinkle with fried Cumin.
Garnish with Mint Leaves, and serve cold.

Best thing about Boondi Raita, or for the matter any other kind of Raita is that, it’s ingredients can be replaced with so many available variations.

Like, you can use Coriander leaves instead of Mint, or you can use green chilli instead of red chilli powder, black salt instead of normal sea salt. You can totally ditch Cumin if you are not a fan. Even chaat masala is upto your taste buds. So, even if you will just have curd and Boondi mixed together, with some salt, you will have a Boondi Raita. 😀

That’s easy, right???

P.S. My cooking is experimental. You will find many similar and different recipes, but the idea is to explore your food and do experiments with it. Enjoy Cooking Experiments and Experiences 🙂

Food, Health

Mouthwatering Monday – Tortilla / Spanish Omelet

Image July 28, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

Omelets are ‘The Best’ when you want to eat, something tasty, healthy and which is quick to make too. I have made Omelets many times and with many different combinations, but so far, Spanish Omelet or shall I say Tortilla is the best, that I have tasted.

It’s mostly known as Tortilla, and in English as Spanish Omelet, just to avoid confusion with the normal Egg Omelet.

Spanish Tortilla is made with Potatoes and Eggs. Onions are a modern addition to this traditional Spanish dish. What makes it stand out from the rest, is its juicy taste, which was missing in normal Omelet.

Enough writing about it, now it’s time to make and eat. So, here we go with the recipe of Tortilla / Spanish Omelet. 😆

Ingredients:

6 Eggs
2 Potatoes, cut into finger shape
1 big Onion, chopped
1 Green/Red Pepper, finely chopped
2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
Salt, as per taste
¼ tbsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp oil/butter

Method:

Saute Onions in the pan.
Whisk eggs in a bowl till they are fluffy. Add salt and pepper.
Add sautéed onions, green pepper, green chillies to eggs. Mix well.
Cook Potatoes in a pan with oil/butter, until they are tender.
Pour egg mixture over the cooked potatoes.
Cook for few minutes on a low-medium heat, until golden brown.
Flip and cook from the other side too.
Cut into triangle/pizza like slices, and serve.

Remember, Egg and Potatoes are the main ingredients, rest is your taste and imagination. You can also use Mushrooms and Peas. It can be eaten hot or cold, and thus it can be a good picnic dish too. 😎

P.S. My cooking is experimental. You will find many similar and different recipes, but the idea is to explore your food and do experiments with it. Enjoy Cooking Experiments and Experiences 🙂

Food

Mouthwatering Monday – Mango Almond Smoothie

Image July 21, 2014 jcisnowjs Leave a comment

I know. I know, only last week I have posted a Mango Recipe – Aamras, but this is Mango season, and I should be allowed to post more than one. Right??

Also, I am a little biased towards Mangoes. Because, I LOVEEEE them. 🙂

For all the mothers out there, you will agree how hard it is to feed your little ones healthy food. They may eat some of the healthy foods, but not all. Same is with my kids. When it comes to nuts (all of the healthy nuts family), my kids only prefer to eat Cashews, Pistachio and Black Raisins. They can eat cashews with their hands full, but no walnuts and certainly no Almonds. They hate Almonds. :@

So, how to feed them Almonds???

Voila!!!!

Lets blend them with some other delicious food item.

Yes!!!! That is what exactly I did. I made a delicious Mango Smoothie, with Almonds. A Mango Almond Smoothie. All is well now, in this World. 😀

Here is the recipe for Mango Almond Smoothie.

Ingredients:

2 Mangoes – chopped (I have used Alphonso)
20 Almonds (I soaked them in milk overnight with skin peeled off)
2-3 tbsp Sugar (as per the sweetness desired; also depends on the sweetness of mango you have chosen)
¼ tbsp Cardamon Powder
½ cup ice cubes (as desired by you)

Method:

Blend Mangoes, Sugar, Cardamon, and Almonds in a blender, till smooth.
Add Ice cubes and blend further.
Pour them in glasses and serve cold.
For garnishing you can use almonds, mango pieces, or even mint leaves.

That’s it and Mango Almond Smoothie is ready. You have a tasty and healthy fruit smoothie in your hand in less than 10 minutes.

Kids will be happy to oblige you by finishing up the last drop of this smoothie, and you will be more than happy to see their smiles, stretched from one ear to another. 🙂

Enjoy!!!

P.S. My cooking is experimental. You will find many similar and different recipes, but the idea is to explore your food and do experiments with it. Enjoy Cooking Experiments and Experiences 🙂