"Masala Papad" - Sun Dried Rice Flour Crispies topped with spicy salad

"Masala Papad" is another lovely easy to make starter and served in all Indian restaurants all over the world.
Easy to make, healthy and quick....

Maddur Vada

A drive from Bangalore to Mysore is incomplete without stopping by in the town of Maddur to have the very famous "Maddur Vada".
Maddur Vada is also frequently sold on trains that traverse these two cities.
Maddur vada is a type of vada or snack item which is unique to the state of Karnataka, India.
This snack derives its name from the town of Maddur which is half way between Bangalore and Mysore.
This snack is easy to make, and does not need any prior preparation.
The ingredients used are almost always available in the kitchen.

Grilled Chicken breast with Chilly Cheese Toast and Butter Garlic Corn on the Cob

A simple, healthy and easy to make dinner has always been this dish.
A meal in itself, with Grilled Chicken breast, chilly cheese toast, butter garlic corn on the cob and green peas.

Butter Garlic Corn on the Cob

Butter Garlic Corn on the Cob, is a quick and easy recipe, and a dish which goes well as an accompaniment with any grilled food.
It can also be eaten as it is, My daughter loves this, and so do all of us.

Home made Vanilla Cake served with Strawberry sauce - Poo's creation

Today being Christmas I made Vanilla cake with one of my friend's recipe.. am no expert at making cakes, but because of my friend Sonal Alvares, who is expert at baking and runs a cake business in London, I am able to successfully bake a cake...!

So today's dessert is my daughter's attempt to create something different out of the Vanilla cake I made. She loves strawberries.... so this one is from her...!!

I will publish the Vanilla cake recipe soon, with detailed steps, but this dessert is quite simple.

Crush some fresh strawberries with some castor sugar, and pour it on the vanilla cake pieces just before serving. Top them with more strawberries if you wish..!!
Lightly dust some icing sugar on top...!!

Prawn Biryani - Mangalore Style

Prawn biryani is another of my favorite Rice dish. Last week and the weekend have been hectic, had made lots of cooking plans for Christmas which didnt quite materialize.
So made this simple prawn biryani today to celebrate Christmas.

Dill Vada

Here is the perfect evening snack for winter...
What better way to start the holiday season, than with some hot vadas and tea...
I had some Dill leaves, so thought of making these vadas or deep fried snack....
Dill leaves are called as "Sabsige Soppu" in Kannada, and I was first introduced to this herb in Hassan during my engineering days.
There were several dishes which were made with Dill, like "Sabsige soppina saaru" or "Dill Dal", "Sabsige soppina Chitranna" or "Dill rice" etc, but I loved these vadas the most.
I always thought that this herb was native to that region, since I had never eaten or seen them in Mangalore.
Its only after I started working, and then traveled the world, I got to know that "Dill leaves" are used in various other cuisines like South American, Persian cuisine etc.

Hoisin Stir Fry Vegetables

This dish is a simple Stir fry using Chinese Hoisin sauce...
Goes well with fried rice or noodles...

Sweet Moong dal khichdi - A Konkani delicacy

Sweet Moong Dal Khichdi is a Konkani delicacy that is normally made during festivals.
Its easy to make.... 
The khichdi could be served in bowls or spread on a plate and then cut into cubes.
Best served with ghee...
My Mom is an expert at making this, and recently I learnt from her.

Chicken Salad

Here is a Simple chicken Salad, which is healthy and can be eaten either as a meal or as part of a meal.
Easy and quick to make, and very healthy.

"Rajasthani Laal Maas" or Rajasthani Red Meat Curry

The Rajasthani region almost certainly has the most varied techniques of food in India. Rajasthani cuisine is spicy and most of the delicacies are vegetarian  except for a few delectable and mouth-watering meat dishes like Laal Maas (red meat curry).

Traditionally this dish is not just red in color but also spicy.

However, if you only want the color and not so much spice, you could substitute half the amount of chillies with Kashmiri chillies which give only color and no spice.

Methi Paratha or Indian Bread rolled with Fenugreek leaves

"Methi Paratha" or Indian bread rolled with Fenugreek leaves is a very healthy meal, you could have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner... you will love it... especially when served with butter, green chilly pickle and curds.
Methi or Fenugreek leaves are very good for health, as they are rich in anti-oxidants, iron and fibre.
These parathas are a good way to include them in your daily diet.

"Surnali" or Sweet Dosa/Pancakes - A Konkani Breakfast delicacy

"Surnali" or Sweet Dosa/Pancakes is a very popular Konkani Breakfast delicacy.
Easy to make and loved by all!

Prawn Stir fry with Tri-Color Peppers & Cashewnuts

This is a starter which I created just now as we were feeling hungry and cold and all we wanted was some warm food to eat.
Had some prawns and some peppers (capsicum) in different colors, so just thought of putting these together and making a quick starter... used some chinese ingredients which were in my kitchen.. and there you have "Prawn Stir fry with Tri-Color Peppers and Cashewnuts"... you could say this is a Chinese inspired dish....
Quick to make.. and yummy to taste...!!

Southern Fried Chicken

Southern Fried Chicken is a mouth watering starter which is very popular all over the world.
This dish is very simple to make, but yes the ingredients may not be available in all grocery shops in India, you may have to go to big Supermarket to find the Creole seasoning and tarragon. But even without using these 2 ingredients the fried chicken still tastes yum!
You could however replace the Creole seasoning with 1 tbsp each of dried oregano and 1 tbsp of dried thyme.
Here is the recipe for the same..!!

Shepherd's Pie ( Minced Lamb baked with Mashed Potatoes)

"Shepherd's Pie" is an English dish, traditionally made with mince lamb/mutton with a crust of mashed potato.
Its very easy to make, but yes the baking time is anywhere between 25-35 minutes, but trust me its worth the wait, 'cause this pie is most mouth watering and comforting and perfect for dinner on a cold winter evening.

Mutton or Lamb Cutlets

Just the thought of having "Mutton Cutlets" in India Coffee House on MG Road in Bangalore, makes my mouth water.
Such is the taste of the mutton cutlets there, and if you have not had these cutlets you sure have missed something...!
The memories of having these mutton cutlets dates back to my childhood when we would come here on vacation, and on one day come to MG Road just to have a hot coffee and Mutton/Veg cutlets and then walk down brigade road...
There is nothing that can beat the Breakfast there with bread butter toast, Mutton/ Veg cutlet, omelette, scrambled egg, and coffee... Its "the" perfect start of the day......
The tradition of having this breakfast continued during my college days when I would come to Bangalore with my friends for project work, and then after my wedding and then with my lil one.
Although this place was closed for sometime and now moved elsewhere...., the memories of those days and the taste of these mutton cutlets will linger on in my mind forever...
These cutlets may not be exactly the same, but nevertheless they are mouthwatering....

"Aloo Methi" or Stir fried Potatoes and Fenugreek leaves

Fenugreek leaves are basically a kind of green leafy vegetables. So they will give you all the goodness associated with green vegetables. 

The fresh leaves of the Methi plant have a slightly bitter under taste and can be cooked just like we cook spinach. It is a very good source of iron. That is why fenugreek, both its seeds and leaves are considered medicinal for curing anemia. 

Fenugreek could give competition to Spinach as a rich source of vitamin K. Commonly spinach is the traditional answer to all your vitamin K needs but fenugreek has almost as much or more of this vital nutrient. It will fulfill your body's fibre requirements abundantly. Surprisingly, fenugreek is also a great source of protein and nicotinic acid. 

Inspite of so many benefits people sometimes don't prefer to eat fenugreek because of its bitterness.

The solution is to either eat it fresh or add the dried leaves to foods like dals, curries or mix it or knead the flour to make tasty methi parathas.

Here is a simple side-dish "Aloo Methi" which my Mom regularly makes, and over the years I too make it often for its health benefits.

This dish goes very well with Rotis/Chapatis.

Tandoori Mushroom Tikka or Grilled Mushrooms

Mushrooms provide you with lean proteins as they have zero cholesterol, fats and very low carbohydrates. The fiber and certain enzymes in them also help lower cholesterol level. Moreover, the high lean protein content in mushrooms helps burn cholesterol when they are digested.Tandoori Mushroom Tikka or Grilled Mushrooms, is a very delicious vegetarian starter.
There are many ways to make Tandoori Mushroom Tikka but this is my way of making mushroom tikka in the fastest possible way.
I have used a gas barbeque to grill the paneer.
But you can you use any kind of barbeque or grill.
The ingredients however remain the same.
You could grill capsicum, tomatoes or even pineapple chunks along with the mushrooms if you like.
I mostly make it as a late evening snack, rather than a meal starter.

"Duddhe Go'd Upkari" or Hot n Sweet Pumpkin - A Konkani side-dish

Pumpkin fruit is one of the widely grown vegetables that is incredibly rich in vital antioxidants, and vitamins. This humble backyard low calorie vegetable contains vitamin A, it is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

Here is a simple Pumpkin Stir fry recipe, which I love!

Its a konkani side-dish that goes well with rice and dal as well as Rotis or puris.

"Mooga Ghashi" or Moong Beans in seasoned coconut gravy - A Konkani dish

Moong beans are highly recommended not only as a rich source of nutrients but also as medication. Moong beans can help to clear heat and toxins from the body, balance the organs and skin. Mung beans also improve circulation throughout the body.

Here is a simple side-dish using Moong beans.

The seasoning is of mustard and curry leaves so it can be prepared on festival days when onion and garlic cannot be used.

Mushroom and Leek Quiche - A Classic French baked Savory dish

The word 'Quiche' comes from French. A pie made primarily of eggs and cream in a pastry crust. Other ingredients such as chopped meat or vegetables are often added to the eggs before the quiche is baked.
Although quiche is now a classic dish of French cuisine, quiche actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake.
The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. Add onions and you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust.
Quiche became popular in England sometime after the Second World War, and in the U.S. during the 1950's. Because of its primarily vegetarian ingredients, it was considered a somehow ‘unmanly’ dish, -“real men don’t eat quiche.” Today, one can find many varieties of quiche, from the original quiche Lorraine, to ones with broccoli, mushrooms, ham and/or seafood (primarily shellfish). Quiche can be served as an entrée, for lunch, breakfast or an evening snack.
I used to buy a slice of quiche almost everyday for dinner when I was deputed to Germany during my work days...
But now a freshly baked quiche, is the perfect comfort food...
I love to have quiche for an early dinner.... its filling, healthy and yet so delicious..!
I have made the pastry base at home, and for that you need to follow the exact measurements I have given, but the filling is as per my palate, so you could make it the way you want.....

"Mavinkai Chitranna" or Seasoned Raw Mango Rice - A Kannadiga delicacy

"Mavinkai Chitranna" is a famous rice dish from Karnataka, India. The main ingredient of this rice dish is Raw Mango.
Yesterday, while shopping I found raw mangoes in the vegetable section, and could not resist picking it up...
Raw Mangoes are normally available from the month of March when summer starts setting in most states of India, but nowadays raw mangoes are available almost through out the year..
Raw Mango or green mangoes have plenty of health benefits which are different from ripe mangoes. Green Mango is full of lots of vitamin C, and they are great for warding off anemia. 
Green mangoes also enhances memory, guess that's why most women have better memory power since most women love green or raw mangoes.
Green Mango juice is also good for relieving sore throats. Unripe green mangoes are beneficial in the treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders. Mix one chopped raw mango with honey and salt. Consuming this mixture is very much effective in curing for summer diarrhoea, dysentery, piles, morning sickness, chronic dyspepsia, indigestion and constipation.
The main ingredient of this rice dish is Raw Mango.
This rice dish has the perfect balance of spice and tang...!
Just thinking about this rice dish makes my mouth water... 
Trying making this....you'll love it!

Grilled Pepper Chicken

This starter which I call "Grilled Pepper Chicken" is my own creation, lovely dish for this winter...
You could use chicken pieces with or without bone, but from experience I have realized that grilling chicken pieces with bone is quicker, and the chicken still remains juicy and succulent.
The chicken can be grilled in an OTG or charcoal grill or a barbeque grill, either ways this is one starter I love to eat during cold winter evenings.

"Batate Vaagu" - A Konkani delicacy or Potatoes in Fiery Tomato Gravy

"Vaagu" means "Tiger" in Konkani, and just like the Tiger this dish is fiery and ferocious, but yet as elegant and majestic as the tiger...the taste of this dish is simply devine...
I make this dish quite often at home as its not just tasty, but also easy to make and requires very less ingredients, also these ingredients are almost always available in the kitchen.
"Batate Vaagu" is a spicy side-dish that goes well with Rice and dal, as well as Rotis/Chapatis.
This dish is normally made during festival or fast days in the Konkani community when  onion and garlic are not used in cooking.
This version of "Batate Vaagu" is very old, my granny learnt from someone in the mid 60s and she passed it on to her children and so on.
Now of course there are several versions of this dish adding coconut, coriander seeds etc..
But this version is the one we make most frequently at home without any prior preparation.