Fried Rice

Who does not like fried rice??

This Chinese dish is a staple at all restaurants. And you can easily make it at home too.

White rice - 1 cup

Garlic - 3 or 4 cloves

Red chillies flakes - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 big , chopped 

Carrot - 1 big, chopped

Beans - 8 , cut into thin rings

Cabbage - 2 cups after shredding

Capsicum - 1, cut into small cubes

salt

pepper - 1 tsp

sugar - 1 tbsp

Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp

Celery - 1 stalk

Spring onion - 1

Soak rice in water for 10 minutes. 

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy bottomed pan with a tight lid.

Fry the drained rice till it starts to pop. 

Add a tsp of salt. 

Boil 2 cups of water in a separate vessel.

Now add the boiling water to the fried rice.

Cover the vessel and reduce flame.

Cook for exactly 10 minutes. Do not open in between. And no peeking even after the 10 minutes. Keep closed for a further 20 minutes. Then fluff up the rice with a fork.

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Cut all the vegetables.

Heat the 2 tbsp oil till it shimmers.

and add the minced garlic. 

When it starts turning colour add the red chilli flakes.

Next add onions.

Next add the carrot, cabbage and beans.

Add salt. Be careful as the rice is cooked with salt and the soya sauce ( which we will add later) is salty. 

Mix well and cook covered for 1 minute.

Next add the capsicum.

Mix and cook for 1 min.

Make a well in the centre of the vegetables.

Add the sugar in the middle so that it starts to caramelize. This might take upto 2 minutes. Reduce flame. But don't stir the vegetables. 

Mix the vegetables with the caramelised sugar.

Add the pepper. Mix well.

Make a well again and add the soya sauce.

Mix everything well. 

Next is the rice.

Mix well and fry on high flame for 1 minute.

Decorate with celery and spring onion.

Note - The rice can be cooked a day in advance and kept in the fridge.

Easy fruit Puddings

EASY EASY DESSERT!
During the month of Ramadan , my friend - Safeena Harris usually serves a pudding for her Iftar party. It is so easy to make and can be made much ahead. It tastes good without the cream and cake. How easy is that!

Milk - 1/2 liter

Sugar - 2tbsp

Condensed sweetened milk - 2tbsp

Custard powder - 3 tbsp heaped

(opt) Cake - vanilla/banana/chocolate- crumbled 5tbsp

Banana / Apple - ripe - cut into small pieces - 1 cup

(opt) Toasted almonds/pistachio - cut into slivers - 5tsp

(opt) Whipped cream made from 50ml cream

Mix 1 cup milk with the custard powder and keep aside.

Boil the rest of the milk with the sugar and condensed sweetened milk.

Add the custard syrup and mix well.

Continue cooking for 1 more minute, stirring continuously.

Arrange the serving dish with the cake and Banana.

Pour the hot custard on top.

Decorate with the nuts.

Let cool to room temperature and pour cream on top.

Refridgerate until serving time.

Variations:

This pudding can be made with all non-citrus fruits other than banana like apple and mango.

If using Pineapple, use cooked pineapple and pineapple cake.

Vegetables Schezwan style

Cabbage - 1 cup, cut into big cubes

Onion - 1 small, diced

Zucchini - 1, cut into big cubes

Carrot - 1 large, cut into rounds, parboiled

Broccoli / cauliflower - 2 cups, parboiled

Capsicum - 1 small, cut into big cubes

Schezwan sauce - 4 tbsp , reduce / increase as necessary

Cornflour - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2tbsp

Salt

Sugar - pinch

Heat oil and add the cabbage with 1/2 cup of water. heat until water evaporates.

Add the onion. Fry for 1 minute.

Add the zucchini and fry for a minute.

Add the rest of the vegetables and salt.

Add the sauce and mix well.

Add 1 cup water and the sugar.

Mix the flour with some water and add to the vegetables.

Cook till the gravy thickens.

Decorate with spring onion.

Chocolate Brownie

This is one of the first chocolate cakes I baked in my oven. It is a no-fail easy recipe and I vouch by it.

You can easily double the recipe, but you might want to reduce the sugar, as it can get too sweet.
Powder your sugar, then measure it.
Measure the other ingredients and keep them ready.

If you do not have cocoa powder, do not worry, make a Blondie instead of a brownie!

When I bake the below quantity of ingredients, I use a loaf tin. And when I double the recipe, I use a square tin. As both my tins are non-stick, I just grease the tins. If you are using Aluminium tins, then you MUST line the tin with butter paper and grease it again. Keep the tins also ready.
Preheat the oven for 10 minutes at 180 C.
By the time the 10 minutes are up, the batter will be ready.

Ingredients:
Sugar - 1 cup, powdered (can be reduced to 3/4 cup)

Fat (vegetable oil / butter at room temperature) - 1/2 cup

Cocoa powder - 1/3 cup

Eggs - 2

Vanilla / bourbon essence - 1 tsp

Flour - 2/3 cup

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Chopped almonds / walnuts - 1/2 cup (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven at 180 C for 10 minutes.
Sieve together flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Mix in the some or all the chopped nuts and keep aside.

Beat the butter / oil and sugar until creamy and add eggs one at a time. Beat well.

Add the essence and mix well.
Add the sieved powders and fold well into the mixture. Do not beat.

Pour into the greased tray and decorate with any left over nuts.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 180C.

Cool for 30 minutes, un-mould, cut into slices and dust with some powdered sugar or glaze with chocolate syrup.

Tastes great when served warm with vanilla ice-cream.
Great as an afternoon treat too.

Easy Pasta

There are some recipes you can always fall back on.
This recipe is one of those. Easy to make and very tasty. I usually pack this in my kids lunch box. But there have been days when I served it for dinner too.
This recipe is an adaptation of Sanjeev Kapoor's. He had written in some magazine years ago promoting some salt brand.

Ingredients:
Pasta - 2 cups

Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped fine

Onion - 1 medium, chopped fine

Capsicum - 1/2, diced

Tomato - 1 big, diced fine

Salt to taste

Chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Mixed dried herbs - 1 tsp (optional)

Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Cheese grated - 5 tbsp

opt: Sweet corn kernels / green peas / mushroom - 3 tbsp

Method:

Cook the pasta 'al dente'.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic.
When the onion becomes transparent add the chilli flakes.

After a minute add the capsicum, tomato and any other vegetable, if using, with the salt.

Saute and cook covered, if necessary.
Add the drained pasta and mix well.
Serve with Cheese on top.

Butter Paneer

There are many recipes for making Paneer dishes and paneer butter masala is the most famous. This recipe is NOT Paneer butter masala, but the taste is very similar to it.
You may / may not want to add the orange/ sunset yellow food color.

Ingredients:
Onion - 1 large

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Tomato - 2, ground

Paneer - 200 gms cut into cubes

Salt

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Jeera (cumin seed) powder - 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tbsp

Milk - 1/4 cup

Cashew nuts / almonds - 10 ground

Kasuri methi / dry fenugreek leaves - 1 healthy pinch

Orange / sunset yellow food color - 1 drop

Butter - 2 tbsp

Green chilli - 2 slit

Coriander leaf for garnish

Method:

Heat butter and add the onion ginger garlic paste.
Saute for about 2 minutes and add the garam masala , coriander powder and cumin powder. Mix well and fry for another 1 minute.

Add sugar , salt , chilli powder and Kasuri methi.

Mix well and add the tomato puree.

Fry till the raw smell disappears.

Now add the milk, cashew/almond paste , food color (if using) and Paneer.

If the dish has not got enough gravy add a mixture of milk and water.

Add the green chilly and coriander leaf.

Cook for a minute and it is ready to serve.