Elbowpasta layered with veggies and white sauce topping.......

I was just not coming to conclusion of what to cook,so after checking my pantry and refrigerator...I was on an experiment of baking my pasta today.It happens with we people to decide each passing day of what to cook?The most difficult question I have to face every day,sometimes hubby helps or sometimes my daughters desire,but usually I have to speed my brain before hunger fuses the top corner.To cook something different and appetising  made me bring out my ingredients on the working table of my lab....

Check out for pasta ,any shape size u prefer.
Check favourite veggies like mushrooms bell pepper,olives,carrots,brocolli,baby corn
Check herbs like oregano,basil
Check fresh ground blackpepper
when u have all this then start your journey through italian dish my style.

First we boil pasta 'aldente' and leave aside while we saute our veggies in a pan.Add herbs and blackpepper as your taste,finally add salt.
Ingredients for White Sauce:
1)Butter one tablespoon
2)Maida(all purpose flour)-one tablespoon
3)Milk 1/2cup
4)Cheese of your preference
First take butter and flour ,mix in pan and let it leave aroma,add milk and keep whisking,dont let it solidify with granules and.bring to saucy consistency. Grate cheese on top of it and switch off heat.Mix the cheese with rest of mix and let it cool

Now comes layering the pasta for bake.Doesnt it remind of lasagne...
Take baking tray.Add layers of pasta with veggies and then finally white cheesy sauce to give final finish
Bake for 20 minutes....Let the top layer go golden...
Dig the dish with hearty spoon...Im sure  u will love it...

Mushroom Methi Malai Matar - Four yummy M's

This week I thought of something veggie and involved all four components which are liked individually by my daughter and hubby.After being a mumma I have learnt to find nutrition in every bite my little one takes and love to extend my recipes for her choices.Being a mother of a fussy toddler I am more in kitchen and coming up with something which I never cooked before.We make them eat while talking of colours or cartoons or any thing that makes them open their much awaited mouth.Thats the biggest joy right now in my life.so we begin our recipe with serving two adults and accompanies well with hot roti.
Ingredients:
1)Mushrooms 250g
2)Onion one medium
3)Tomato paste of two
4)Peas 125 g
5)Kasurimethi 1tablespoon
6)Cream or malai two tablespoon
7)Gingergarlicpaste 1 tablespoon
8)Dry masalas-coriander powder 1 teaspoon,garam masala 1 teaspoon,red chilli powder as per taste,jeera
9)salt to taste
10)Cooking oil
11)Butter for sauting mushroom first
We start  by chopping our veggies.Cut as u like to eat.I cut all in one size,that cooks well evenly.So we saute our mushrooms in butter and keep aside.The saute  is for few minutes as  to let it leave its juices.We take pan and start by pouring oil for frying.Now we add jeera once spluttering then onion and turn them golden brown then ginger garlic paste and further add tomato paste .After they leave oil add coriander powder and garam masala.Now we add peas and then we  stir it for few minutes cover the lid and after 5minutes add kasuri methi and mushrooms sauteed ones,once all this leaves oil add salt and finally cream.We wont cook much after adding cream,just let the mix get cooked evenly,remove from cooktop.Garnish with coriander and enjoy hot veggies with phulkas.Hint of kasurimethi adds wonderful flavour and adds newdimension to this.

Weekend recipe...Mutton Roganjosh

 

My version of cooking mutton is to do slow cooking with all ingredients and starting your process early with lots of love for the different aromas at different stages of recipe.Weekends I love being in kitchen and doing up special for my family of three.I decorate the main place as if ready for a cookery show and cut vegetables to shapes to show  my expertise at knife.My hubby is also very good at doing chopping and my inspiration to some extent.Mutton is our favourite and we enjoy eating the dish fondly together.I learnt it after practising it several times and have zeroed on this recipe of mine.
The dish goes well with hot phulkas(chapatti) and is equally enjoyed with steaming basmati rice.The mint chutney goes very well with shreds of fresh onion as a accompaniment.So serve this for three people and have fun!!!!
Ingredients:
1)Mutton 1/2 kg cleaned and fat removed
2)Curd 1cup
3)Onion 2 medium finely chopped
4)Tomato pulp of 3
5)Ginger as paste and juliennes ..(paste is two tablespoon )
6)Garlic as paste three tablespoon
7)Coriander green for garnishing and stems add taste to gravy too
8)Dry masalas-shahi jeera a teaspoon,dry red chilli to taste,coriander powder twospoon.
9)Khada masala(garam whole masala)-4 Green cardomom,2 black cardomom,1 cinnamon,tej patta2,  black pepper and cloves 5 in number
10)Salt to taste
11)Raw papaya paste for softening of redmeat around 1/2 cup
12)Desi ghee or Mustard oil for cooking better
13)Lemon for initial marination of meat
We begin with marinating the meat with lemon juice and salt.keep it aside and begin with heating oil in a thick bottomedpan.Add jeera and khada masala and let them leave aroma.Then add onion make them golden brown.After marination of 15 minutes of lemon then second marination of  whipped curd with little garlic and ginger paste and salt.Its better to marinate the meat before hand around four five hours ahead ,some people do overnight too.
Now when onion are golden brown and leaving oil add rest of ginger and garlic paste.Bhunofy and make it golden too.Now  add meat pieces and mix with masala and again saute for minutes.Let the colour of meat change to darker hue.Let the oil seep around margins and add tomato pulp mix and saute for further minutes.
now add other dry masala powders and mix well.Add salt to taste.Add corainder green to the  whole thing and let it bhunofy for further few minutes.Add all raw papaya paste and finally add water to mix as per your  consistency and cover the lid for almost half an hour.check the mix later and add gingerjuliennes to garnish Enjoy!!!

MastKalandar....Organised Food Retail Chain.

I being a North Indian found a place in Bangalore where the food is served with a menu of precise tastes and combo variety to choose from. Its a quick and easy place to go and spend time with less budget and to the point variety.The place offers festival special menus too  and is spreading its presence all over with 22 chains and are looking for expansion upto 100 outlets all over India.
The founder couple Mr Gaurav Jain and Mrs Pallavi Gupta have left their software jobs to be their own boss.The city saw their first outlet in 2005 and then on there is no looking  back with growing fan following and visibility in three cities.They opened their first outlet on Bannergatta road and with 20lakh rupees.They followed dream and money automatically followed.
The orange and yellow vibrant interiors symbolises energy of Punjab and North. Good, hygienic ,quick, fast food of north was the idea that clicked and touched with lots of immgrants.
Paranthas are  their speciality and they serve lots of combos with veggies and a spread of pickle,curd and curries.They are  serving rajma ,chana and kadhi too with rice combos and  have named them smartly.the place is ideal for working class who needs to eat out frequently with economical mind set.
Eat Happy!!!

PRAWN CURRY WITH COCONUT MILK...BEGINNERS LUCK

We had a friend for lunch and I was on an experimentation mode,why not to try prawns...I went for fresh fish and  prawn shopping to near by 4 block market and got pink and soft my favourite ones in the morning.I collected coconutmilk and tamarind extract and began my culinary journey.We can use this recipe for four adults and works best with hot steaming rice and Nan.Fresh ingredients give away lovley aroma and increase appetite                 

Ingredients:

1)Finely chopped one large onion

2)Pureed two big tomatoes 

3)Fresh ginger and garlic pods for paste of  two tablespoon

4)Green coriander leaves finely chopped

5)Fresh coconutmilk about 1 cup

6)Fresh tamarind extract about 1/2 cup

7)1/2kg prawns cleaned and deveined

8)Dry masala  powders..coriander seeds, jeera seeds, whole red chilli, wholeblackpepper,elaichi seeds.

9)salt to taste

10)Green curry leaves

11)Cookingoil

Begin with dry roasting our masalas on pan waiting for aroma to seep out.Mix with ginger and garlic pods and grind them into paste.Marinate prawns with lemon juice and salt for 15 minutes.Begin curry with frying onion

and curry leaves,add grinded masala .Let it leave oil on sides and then add tomato puree.Mix and fry well and then add salt to taste.Wash marinated prawns and put in masala mix.Cover it nicley all around then add little water.After two minutes of boiling add coconutmilk and stir for fewseconds.Finally add tamarind extract to the curry and then no further stiring.Few more minutes and dish is ready.garnish with corianderleaves and serve hot.

Enjoy mix of malabari and kerala flavours in this unique curry

Happy eating!!!!!!

Robodoc.....New surgeon appointed...

Indian hospitals welcome Da vinci,the $2million four arm robot that performs high precision surgery.It doesnot resemble a human being,four arms,a video like console and a television screen like visual system.Not put together as a composite whole,but spread out in the operating theatre as functional parts.The robot is clearly the star in OT 1 at Manipal hospital in Bangalore.Three handpicked surgeons are extensively trained in robotic surgery and computer assisted surgery are back from USA,practise what learnt.
While operating a sterile polythene garb is carefully pulled over his arms. As the doc moves his joysticks ready for video console the robot mimics the same inside patients body.The robot is lot more accurate and steady.It can move his wrist in any direction ,at any angle.The fact is that limitations of laparoscopy are well evident only makes the shift more desirable.Doctors say that robotic arm feels just like an extension of me.
The success story began with urologic surgery,and has gone on to include gynaecologic,cardiac,thoracic,head and neck and general surgical procedures.Indian hospitals are recently appointing him because of its whopping cost.The first indian robotdoc came to Fortis in 2002.The surgeons are trained for three to six months before they gain confidence to work with new doc.As far as the patient are concerned,best part is they can come back in two three days instead of ten twelve.
So next time any of us goes to white  coat visit....check out if he is human.......

Dum Aloo recipe by my Mother in law..Sure hit

On the occasion of Karvachauth...I was introduced  to a recipe by Ketans mumma which is our favourite family recipe now and it is enjoyed by all of us on the special day with Poori and a Chana daal khicdi which is a tradition being followed for years in our household.
Lets come to the recipe which is I am sure would hit the palates ....
Serving for two adults per meal.Fresh ingredients make the dish tastier.                                                                        


Ingredients:
1)Four medium potatoes
2)Fresh tomato puree of three tomatoes
3)Two medium sized onions
4)Green chillies according to heat tolerant level
5)Ginger and garlic paste
6)Fresh cream or Malai
7)Dry masala-pinch  of turmeric,one and half spoon coriander powder,garam masala,red chilli powde,kasturi methi,jeera .
8)Salt to taste
9)Sunflower oil for cooking or any of your choice
10)Coriander green to garnish
First we will cut potatoes in cube and then would deep fry them in oil at high flame to make them golden brown.For the gravy we would take seperate pan and heat oil for shallow frying, Add jeera when oil is ready then would add finely chopped onion to turn them golden and would add ginger garlic paste.Add green chillies when all mix is brown in colour.Now we would add dry masala powders and tomato puree.Let mix fry to an extent that it leaves oil and one could smell the aroma of all condiments.Add some water to give it thick consisitency and add salt.Once the gravy is cooked add cream to provide richness and colour of royalty.
After adding cream one should not cook it on flame for long,Add kasturi methi for fragrance and add potatoes to the gravy once all done ,five minutes of cooking with gravy and garnishing with coriander greens.
The dish is ready for serving and is enjoyed with poori ,parantha and chapati  as well.
The dish promises to be rich with flavour and calories,so enjoy the weekend and work harder on weekdays.
Best of luck with cooking ....

MTR-Visiting History with Sumptous Meal

A brand which i am sure everyone would have shopped,eaten,cooked and loved.A place which speaks lot more than what it offers,A humbling experience of food with same sincerity and taste as it was way back in 1924 when  it was started by two brothers Mr Yajnanarayana Maiya and Mr Ganappayaa maiya.The name MTR is so engraved in my mind that I forget its a short name for Mavalli Tiffin Rooms.Our stay at Bangalore made us visit this old world place at Lalbaughroad after a good healthy walk at Lalbaugh gardens.

My husbands love for south indian delicacies made the wait worth for.We have had two trips till then and have enjoyed both breakfast and lunch spread. The invention of delicious Rava idli goes back to Worldwar-2 when rice shortage led to an experiment with semolina and now is one of the favourite breakfast for lot of us.The restaurant boasts of immaculate hygiene measures and authentic recipes.It had been a lipsmacking experience and we loved it to the core.Soft idlis with pure ghee (i know it means morecalorie burn )lovely spread of  dosas,bisibhelebhath,curdrice,pickle,rasam,sambhar and unique Chandrahara.

I would suggest all foodies to go and have food what our ancestors also enjoyed......same earthy feel and down to earth service!!!!

MAGGI-2 MINUTES - Childhood buddy

Few things on which we have grown...I want to thank this nestle product-Maggi. for this long growing eating association. Now when my daughter is growing and i look for things which can fix her up ,this takes me years behind when i was and still  fixed by my own maggi.

I was hardly six when tasted it  first and it became my real quick fix snack and  till now it takes care of my hunger pangs, my hand goes to yellow coloured packet and i am nearly full of satisfaction once i gobble up my bowl .

I owe a lot to this product as it was the first cooking lesson I learnt when I was in kitchen to play with pans.Lots of flavours came and went' Maggi Masala 'remains my favourite.I have come  out with lovely recipes which makes it healthier and in turn lots of fans for my quick noodles.

Tips for a change with this regular one-

Add butter while cooking makes it yummier

Add lots of veggies like carrots,peas,cabbage,bellpepper

Garnish with chopped coriander

Add raw small chunks of tomato and onion after cooking makes it bhelpuri style

Make pakoras/spring rolls out of left over

Trying it chinese style with spring onion , garlic and chilli sauce

Try your favourite chutney with the noodles and sprinkle sev too
Try it out with pasta sauce or white sauce if fond of italian
Try soupy versions if like soups
Try upma style roasting it and tempering with mustard and curry leaf

and how about adding scrambled eggs. 

25 years of celebrating maggi in our house!!!!May be my two year old daughter in future carries my taste palate forward and hoping that the company makes it more nutritous for coming years

Bon Appetit....Taj Sats The Airline Caterers..

On my journey last month I saw this big Taj Sats hoarding and it drew my curious attention,I have several times had airline food and have not usually appreciated the stuff .Why not explore what goes inside and learn the different way of cooking for people at higher altitudes.The executive chef heads 300 people -a strong team who works  round the clock to prepare 18000 meals-everyday for several airlines,indian and foreign.The hygiene protocol equates with hospital ICU.From preparation to presetting it is a  seven hour long process.It is very unlike a restaurant.
The presetting room has a temperature of 17 degrees and entire food lot has to be set within 45 minutes.Then again trays go into the coldsoak below freezing point.The trolleys are loaded into temperature controlled trucks and eventually at meal time hotovens warm the food which should be consumed in matter of minutes.
Indian cuisine is the most challenging of all to be served right up there,curries and chutneys are to be served minimizing spillage.Lots of stress and hardwork goes behind to serve hygienic and healthy meal for passengers.
Next time when i would fly i would be more appreciative of the meals served and also of the toil that goes behind it in bringing it to me at 30000 ft height.

Making life easy-Online grocery store named At my door steps.com

Life has changed to an extent that I now realise that biggest invention of this century 'Internet' has become our friend in several ways.We are living in world of passwords and spending more hours with laptop than any real person.                                                                                                                                                                              To me the idea of grocery reminds me of days when I used to visit shops with papa and give lists to the shopkeeper and he would give us all packs right there,then time changed and telephonically order was made to save waiting time , further things were delievered to our place by a man employed by shops.Now with all retail boom and cash and carry outlets we enjoy the feel and choice of  products.Finally i am ordering online and things are delivered with no added cost.Life is easy and saves me all time from going out to coming back with big bags all on my own.
My neighbour and founder of this online store Mr.Junnarkar an IIM ahmedabad graduate is  selling 1200 daily use products online which everyone needs to pick every month on a regular basis.The brands are all good known ones and website is having virtual cart  to add to.The products are cheaper to buy online since saving on store costs, inventories,staffing and other expenditure.The store is buying the products from wholesalers to give advantage to consumer.So this time why not groceries at a click?

Weekend Foodie....stir fry your favourites

My days in Houston reminded me of a Mongolian restaurant....Weekends are full of food,shopping and fun and that drives us to anywhere in the city.How about picking your own ingredients and watching them cooked right  in front of u through a glass wall!!!!!

The ambience is simple, pick and choose kind for families and youngsters.It invites people for fun and informal dining.You are asked to pick a big bowl which is for all and then select ingredients in your personal bowl from veggies,seafood,eggs,meats and even fruits....colourful sight and interactive kitchen....then go for picking sauces  dressings,vinegar and pickles.finally choosing rice,noodles(flat,thin or rice).we hand over all this to the chef and
then the mystery unfolds as he stirs all this right infront of u on high flame on a flat heating cooking tables.
Yummy dish is ready to eat!!!!

I have had it and its sheer fun to explore the world with so much diversity and enjoy the new culture with its uniqueness...looking forward to go again and may be new experiment this time...

Indian in a box....The plateless restaurant chain

What an idea of having a plateless restaurant with quick, value for money, exciting food preperations and effective customer service.The first restaurant came up in Pune in 2008 with an idea brought out by founder and CEO Ashish Sondhi.

One of the USP of the chain is ecofriendly  , biodegradable  and microwave friendly boxes approved by FDA of USA.It claims to be a low price model with no use of preservatives or clarified butter and its' khushi' value meal starts at 29 rupees only.Food is cooked fresh daily and goes straight into the boxes . The food is categorised in spice quotient and goes for customers satisfaction.60% of sales comes from homedelievery and office lunches.
They have three outlets and have bigger plans to open in other cities.
The winner of TATA NEN hottest startups in 2008 Mr sondhi from humble punjabi background respects Customers as Queen' which is indeed very catchy and interesting.

Finding caterpillars-emerging as butterflies...dance your heart out!!!

A therapy for anyone-Dance is a physical form of enjoyment as I define.What if the patients are helped by way of dancing or depressed people are made to do salsa!!!!The idea of bringing a form of art into lives of people and healing the internal soul was something that struck me and I wanted to know what has been happening around in this area.....so its called Dance Movement Therapy(dmt).it  is  used to treat emotional,psychological and physical impairments.It helps to fight with inner conflicts.The therapy dates back to 1940s when the dance forms were included in medical world to treat diseased like Parkinsons,Chronic backpain,Alzehmiers and even handicapped patients

Workshops are being held in Himalaya India,where there are trained therapists. Cities like Bangalore and Chennai  also have trained therapists who help people heal though dance.The classes are held in group for the sake of unity and sharing of joy.

MIRAKLE COURIERS......DELIVERING POSSIBILITIES!!!

A new day and an article hit me on a courier service, which is different, it works with deaf employees....i am amazed with the idea and  feel that this is what is needed from our gennext...Truly inspiring....we all  feel the need of helping people but such a way of respectful and motivating way has made me appreciate  a young man Dhruv Lakhra for his social enterpreneurship.

It started in january 2009 and over the last  two years has grown to be operating from 2 branches and employing 70 employees with 65000 shipments in a month.Winner of  many awards and most prestigious national award for empowerment of disability...

The primary langauge used is ISL(indian sign langauge).. the employees themselves communicate through english sms service viaphone.they have clients like mahindra and mahindra,aditya birlagroup,jsw group.....