Spicy Fingerlings / Baby potatoes

These days whenever I cook, I am trying out dishes which are done in a jiffy and everyone is happy about it! :) When in need what's better than potatoes. They are very comforting and easy to make! Don't you all agree??
I try to pick up small fingerlings whenever I get a chance, cos I love cooking with them!
You can try peeling them, but if you think its a pain to peel, then like me, you can just leave the skin on and cook them like that!
This is a quick and easy side dish to make, goes good with daal or with sambar.
This dish can also be made with regular potatoes, cut into bite size pieces.
I boil my fingerlings for couple of minutes in the microwave before roasting them in the pan. Always remember to add salt while boiling, this will let the salt penetrate the potato.

Ingredients:

15-20 fingerlings or baby potatoes
Water with salt for boiling the potatoes

1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp amchoor powder (more or less)
1 tsp chilli powder
salt taste
pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tsp oil
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish


Method:

Wash and boil the potatoes for 3-4 minutes in Microwave or stove top. They shouldn't get mushy.
Heat the oil in an open pan.
Add the boiled potatoes and toss them around.
Add all the powders and give them a good toss to coat all of them.

Cook only for about 5-6 minutes, till they are fully cooked thru.
Add the chopped coriander leaves and toss them again.
Serve hot as a side dish.
Enjoy!!!

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Chepala Pulusu / Fish in tangy, sour and sweet gravy

We make 2 types of 'Chepala Pulusu' in our home. One is my Mom's way and the other is my MIL's way. Both are very delicious and yummy with a side of rice or with chapathis.

Tho both are good, I tend to incline towards my Mom's way since that is what I have grown up with. We tend to make it nice and spicy too. Well any non-veg dishes are very yummy when they are spicy spicy.....yumm!!

Fish pulusu can be made with any kind of hardy fish like salmon, tilapia or catfish and many more. I make it with any which is available. Here I made it with tilapia. Boned fish will be good, but since we don't get them always, I made it with the thick tilapia fillets, cutting them into 2-3 inch pieces.

Well when ever we make pulusu, we tend to make some fish fry too and some hot hot rasam. What can be more wonderful than this??

Ingredients:

2 lb of fish, washed and cut in medium sized pieces (I used Tilapia fillets)

To grind:

1 Onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp jeera
2-3 cloves garlic

For Gravy:

2 small onion, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
4-5 green chillies
1/2 tsp methi seeds, menthulu
few curry leaves
Chopped coriander for garnish
salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp thick tamarind juice, pulp squeezed
Water if needed


Method:

Wash and cut fish and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add methi seeds and curry leaves and let them splutter.
Add the sliced onion and let it cook till translucent.
Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies and the ground onion, jeera, black peppercorn and garlic paste.
Let it cook until the tomatoes are soft and onion paste is cooked.
Add turmeric and chilli powder and let cook for about 5 minutes.
Add the fish pieces and salt. Fry them a bit in the gravy.
When the fish is almost cooked, add the tamarind pulp juice and some water.
Let it cook and come together like thick gravy.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot or warm with rice or rotis.
Enjoy!!!

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Mixed Vegetable Paratha

Busy with a few things going on here....trying to find time to write a post and blog hop, but very rarely getting a chance to do so.
During one such day I made this vegetable paratha. I find stuffed parathas are so easy to make and to get kids to eat it. Also I don't have to worry about cooking any extra curry or if they are getting enough veggies for that meal. At least for this reason I should try making chicken stuffed parathas....I am sure they would be soo yumm!!
I do add some coriander and jeera powder to make them flavorful and enjoyable, and even spicy too. My kids have no problem with the spiciness I make and we also enjoy spicy food. Well if you prefer not so spicy food, add the ingredients accordingly and make it to your taste.

Ingredients:

3 cup of dough, kneaded along with salt and oil with water to make a soft pilable dough.

1 small potato, boiled or baked in microwave, peeled and mashed
half cup broccoli florets, boiled to soft  in MW, mashed
half cup carrots, cooked soft in MW, mashed
half cup peas, cooked soft in MW
You can add any other vegetables if wish, cook to soft and mash.

1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder (more or less)
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
few chopped coriander leaves

oil to fry the paratha.

Method:

Knead dough to a soft pilable dough and keep aside for 20 minutes.

Cook veggies to soft and mash.
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and keep aside.
Make a cup like shape with a small piece of dough, add the filling and close.
Roll out into a round paratha and fry on the tawa until both sides get brown dots. Sprinkle oil on both sides and fry for a few seconds more.
Serve hot with raita, chutney or curry.
Enjoy!!!

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Kasoori Methi Chicken

When you feel like eating methi chicken and when you are out of Methi at home, then what do u do??? Use Kasuri Methi!!!
Its Methi of course, but since its a dried form, its has more flavor than the regular fresh methi leaves.
Well I was getting bored of eating the regular chicken curry, and was thinking what to make....thought of methi chicken...but no methi at home, so decided to make with kasoori methi.
It was quick and easy to make and ended up with no fuss from the kids....everyone enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken breast, washed and cut into small cubes (I used boneless, but you can use chicken of your choice)
2 onions, sliced
2 tomatoes chopped small
4 green chillis
3/4 cup yogurt, beaten
some water, as required
salt as required
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1-2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup kasoori methi
1 tsp lemon juice
bunch of coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Wash and cut chicken. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan.
Saute onions, till translucent.
Add the ginger garlic paste and saute again for 30 sec.
Add the chopped tomatoes and green chillies and cook until they are soft and mushy.
Add salt as required.
Add all the powders and saute for another 30 sec.
Add the beaten yogurt and mix well.
Add the chicken pieces and cook until they are well cooked. Add some water if necessary, so that the gravy doesn't become too thick. Add more salt if required.
After the chicken gets cooked, add the kasoori methi, lightly crushed in hand.
Add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves in the end.
Serve with rotis, chapathis or rice. Its yummy with any base.
Enjoy!!!

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Anapakaya Pulusu / Bottle gourd in a sweet tangy tamarind gravy

Days are just flying by without me doing anything much...all I am doing is thinking and thinking and a whole lot of thinking! :)
Tho weather is getting better, I don't feel any enthusiasm in doing anything much. Even cooking...I wish it that it would get over fast so that I can be done with it!
I hope my mood would get better soon and I will feel happy yet again! :)
My only reason for being sane are my friends and my blog, well my kids too...

I made this anapakaya pulusu just recently. I feel pulusu is a heartwarming and feel happy dish, also very comforting. The sweet tangyness uplifts my mood surely.

It an easy to make dish and you can surely make it with different kinds of veggies like, eggplant, drumstick, sweet potato, okra etc.,., or you can combine all of them together too.
I think pulusu goes well with brown rice just like any type of dal. I think its a best combination.

Ingredients:

1 small anapakaya or 1/2 of a big one, peeled and cut into half rounds
1 onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes
4 green chillies

1 tsp methi seeds, menthulu, dry roasted and powdered
1/4 tsp urad daal
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera
2-3 dry red chillies
few curry leaves

tamarind, little larger than a marble size, pulp squeezed
pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tsp red chilli powder (or less)
1/4 tsp turmeric
chopped coriander leaves for garnish
water, as required
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


Method:

Dry Roast the methi seeds to brown and powder them when cooled.
Heat oil in a pot.
Add the urad daal, mustard seeds and jeera. Let them splutter.
Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves.
Add the onion and green chillies. Saute for about 5 min.
Add the tomato and let it cook until they become soft.
Add the anapakaya or bottle gourd pieces along with some salt.
Cook till the pieces become soft. Add little water if needed
Add the chilli powder and turmeric and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the tamarind pulp juice. Add sugar if needed.
Cook for another 5 minutes and add the methi powder. The gravy should get thickened by the methi powder and tomatoes.
Remove when thickened from heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with rice or roti!
Enjoy!!!

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Cinamon Sugar Twists, Sweet Puff Pastry Twists

Hi Everyone!...Its been a long time I wrote something...almost nearly 2 weeks. Missed it....Though I wanted to....I was just overwhelmed with lot of things going on, decisions to make, couldn't concentrate!
Today I just wanted to write something and decided I will do it! :)

That was the not so good news, but here is the good news....finding some of my old college mates and talking to each one of them was a very good feeling! It always so nice to revive old memories and it surely would be a good if we get to relive them....but unfortunately since we cannot...at least we can talk about them and revive them! It always is fun talking to all my friends....Thanks guys for being there! :)

So to toast to these sweet memories, I wanted to post something sweet.....and since I haven't really cooked anything special or something new in the past few days....I am posting something from my drafts. I made this when I made Spinach and cheese Pinwheels the along with another snack, which I will post in a few days

This is a simple, kid friendly snack, which I also obviously love to eat, only because of the flavor brown sugar imparts to the dish and also when this is baked, the sugar melts and leaks out making the bottom of the twist, crunchy with goodness! If you like that burnt or almost burnt brown sugar with Cinnamon...you should really try this. You can take it out before it gets burnt and the twists will be awesome for sure!

I made these small, for easy handling, but you can surely make them as long as you want! :)

Ingredients:

1 pack of puff pastry sheets (2 sheets in a pack)

Brown sugar
ground Cinnamon

egg wash (beat egg with 1 tbsp of water or milk)
(egg wash can be substituted with only milk)


Method:

Thaw the puff pastry sheets according to the directions on the pack.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degree F.

Lay out one sheet on a floured base.
Sprinkle brown sugar on the whole sheet.
Sprinkle ground Cinnamon next all over.

Now If you want to make them small (half of the sheet size), then fold over the sheet top to bottom.
If you want to make full size, then lay the other sheet on the top.

Cut into thin strips, twist and lay on the baking tray lined with either parchment paper or foil.

Brush with egg wash or milk.
Bake @ 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until they brown.
Remove and let cool before serving!
Enjoy!!!

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