Rajma (Kidnney bean) Kabab

It all started out with a whim to create something new from kidney beans (Rajma), because it seems like a very versatile ingredient to me. So i took it up this morning as i had saved some of the boiled rajma from last night's dinner. So i settled on the idea of making a kabab from it, and oh! what a delicious whim it turned out to be!! Serve it with a dahi (yougurt) dip or use it as a burger patty, its a healthier option to the normal potato patties as kidney beans are a rich source of protein. 

Ingredients: 

Rajma (Kidney beans) (boiled) (2 cups)

Shepu or sowa (Dill) (1 small bunch)

Kothmir (Coriander) (1 small bunch)

Lehsun (Garlic) (6 cloves)

Bhuna zeera powder (Roasted Cumin powder ) (1 tbsp)

Red chilli powder (2 tbsp)

lemon juice (1 tbsp)

Bread slice (1) (dipped in water)

corn flour (3 tbsp)

oil (for frying)

salt to taste

Method:

1. In a mixture jar or a small food processor put the kidney beans,dill,coriander,garlic,cumin powder,red chilli powder,lemon juice,bread and salt. Grind it all together.
2. you want a thick consistency not a puree, do not add any water at all. The mix has to be thick so that you can shape the kababs easily.
3. Set the mix aside for 5 mins before moulding into flat circular kababs.
4. Dust each kabab nicely with corn flour and shallow fry them.
5. Serve with a smoked yougurt dip or use as a patty in your burger. you decide! enjoy:)

Green chilli chicken

This is one of my mom's recipe that I like to keep original because its already perfect. This recipe has a lot of fond memories attached to it, its the type of masaledaar (spicy) stuff you expect from Indian food. you can serve this as a starter, a side dish or a main course its completely your choice . Hope you like it as much as I do:)

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken (small pieces) (1/2 kg)

Turmeric powder (1/2 tbsp)

Dalchini (Cinnamon) (3 medium sized pieces)

Kali miri (Black pepper) (12-15 peppers)

Zeera (Cumin)(1 tbsp)

Green chillies (6-8)

Lehsun (Garlic cloves) (9 cloves)

Kothmir (Coriander) (1 big bunch)

Oil (1 big spoon)

Salt to tate

Method:

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly.
2. In a deep vessel or a kadai put the chicken and add half a cup of water, turmeric powder and salt.
3. Turn the gas on and cook on high flame with the lid on.
4. Keep stirring the chicken every two minutes or so, till all the water evaporates.
5. At this point add half the amount oil to the chicken and lower the flame.
6. cook on low flame till the oil starts separating.
7. In the meanwhile grind together coriander, green chilli, garlic and cumin.
8. Once the oil starts separating from the chicken, add rest of the oil. (you may add more or less oil depending on your liking)
9. After adding the oil the second time, add the coriander paste to the chicken and mix well.
10. Give the chicken a nice stir, and cover with the lid again but keep stirring every 2 minutes.
11. Cook till the chicken is completely cooked and gets a slight reddish color.
12. Serve with a few onion slices and lemon:) enjoy:)

Kejrival toast

Now that Maggi is banned in India we need some new quick and yumm recipes for the late night hungers and the early morning rush. So here is one really quick and simple snack ''the Kejrival toast''. N no! it has nothing to do with Mr.Arivind Kejrival, this is in fact a famous street food available in Mumbai at the local 'anda pav (egg and bread) stalls''. this dish comes from another Mr. Kejrival who was not allowed non veg at home so he would eat it outside and in his time at the Wellington club came up with this brilliant dish. Here is my twist to this perfect mumbaiyaa dish.

Ingredients:

eggs (2)

cheese (2 cubes)

bread (4 slices)

butter (1 tbsp.)

green chilli (2)(finely chopped)

red chilli flakes (1tsp)

black pepper (freshly crushed)

coriander power (1 tsp.)

salt.

Method:

1.  Heat a little butter in a pan and toast the bread slices till nicely crispy.you may use your toaster to do this even faster, i just like bread toasted like this better. keep the bread slices aside.
2. Beat two eggs in a bowl and, add a pinch of salt to it and keep aside.
3. Now, heat 1 tbsp of butter in the pan again, and add the eggs to it and scramble them.
4.  Place a little bit of egg on each bread, break the cheese cube into small pieces with your hand and add it on top of the eggs.
5. Sprinkle a little salt,red chilli flakes, black pepper, coriander powder and a nice amount chopped green chillies.(only add as much chilli as you can handle because they can be really hot.)
6. Enjoy hot:)

Orecchiette

Here’s a very interesting recipe, a home-made pasta recipe. When you hear home-made pasta I am sure u think there must be a lot of hard work involved but d rule I follow with my recipes is simple one: easy to make and yum to eat. So this one too follows trait I have named the recipe orecchiette after the ear shaped pasta that comes from south of Italy. The pasta gets it name from its shape ear shaped, although I dint keep the shape similar to the ear, it looks more like a flower to me but the recipe is similar so the name. Anyway ear or no ear this recipe is sure to keep you asking for more!!

Ingredients for the pasta:

Wheat flour (1 medium sized bowl)

Water (as per needed)

Salt (to taste)

Ingredients for the sauce:

Butter (3 tbspn)

Garlic (2-3 cloves)(thinly sliced)

Fresh Red or green chilli (2) (thinly sliced)

Carrot (1 medium sized)(shredded)

Coriander (finely chopped)

Lemon juice (2-3 drops)(optional)

Dry oregano (1tspn)

Carum seeds (ajwain seeds)(1/2 tspn)

Cheese (I used 2 types of cheeses, the white britania one and the yellow amul cheese slices.)(2 slices and 1 cube) (grated)

Salt (to taste)

Method:

1. Heat a litre of water in a deep bottom vessel, add 2 tbsp of salt to this water and bring to boil.
2. In the while that the water comes to boil make a firm dough with the wheat adding required amount of water and a pinch of salt.
3. Roll the dough into a long rope like shape, with a knife cut small portions of the dough and place in dry dough to save them from sticking to each other.
4. Apply a little oil to your hand and shape the pasta with your thumb into a small ear shaped.
5. Put all the freshly made pasta to the boiling water and cook till the pasta starts floating in the water. Cook for another 2 mins and turn the flame off.
6. In another non-stick pan heat the butter and add the garlic and sauté.
7. Add the chillies, carrots, thyme, oregano, salt and coriander to this and sauté for two minutes.
8. Add the pasta to this add toss well. Add the cheese to the pasta and mix well.
9. Add the lemon juice and serve hot!! 

Schezuan paneer and vegetables!!

Here's another Indo-Chinese recipe. It goes very well with fried rice, hakka noodles or garlic burnt rice!! Although I don’t mind hogging it up, by itself.you decide how you want to eat it!!:)

Ingredients:

Paneer (200gms) (cut in small cubes)

Capsicum(1 big) (cut in small cubes)

Cabbage (½ cup ) (grated)

Carrot (1 small) (thinly sliced)

French beans (5-6 beans) (roughly chopped)

Spring onion (5-7 along with the leaves ) (chopped)

Corn (boiled) (¼ cup)     

Corn flour (1tsp mixed with 2tbspn of water)                                                                

Ching’s schezuan sauce (2tbsp)

Ginger (3-4 cloves)(finely chopped)

Garlic paste (1tsp)

Soya sauce (1tbsp)

Vinegar (1tbsp)

Tomato ketchup (2 tbsp)

Black pepper powder (to taste)
Sugar (1tsp)

Salt (to taste)

Oil (for cooking)

Water (2 ½ cups)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok on high flame.  Add the garlic to the oil and cook till golden.
2.  Add the vegetables to the oil and cook for 5 mins.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except for water, corn flour mixture and paneer.
4. Mix well and cook for 5 -7 minutes.
5.  Add the paneer and mix well.  Add the water and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the corn flour mixture and cook for more 5-6 mins.
7. Serve hot!!!

Veg Tawa Masala

Ingredients:

Onion (2) (pureed)
Tomato (2 small) (pureed)
Paneer (1 small bowl)
Capsicum (1) (roughly chopped)
Potato (1) (roughly chopped)
Cabbage (1 small bowl) (roughly chopped)
Green Peas (1 small bowl) (roughly chopped)
Cauliflower (1 small bowl) (roughly chopped)
Ginger garlic paste (2tbsp)
Red chilli powder (2tbsp)
Turmeric powder (½tsp)
Coriander powder (1tbsp)
Garam masala (½tsp)
Coriander (for garnish)
Salt (for taste)
Oil (3 tbsp)

Method:

1. Steam all the vegetables for 10 mins before cooking.
2. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a wok.
3. Add the onion and tomato puree and turmeric powder sauté for 5 mins.
4. Add the Ginger garlic paste, Red chilli, Turmeric powder, Coriander powder, Garam masala, little Coriander and Salt. Cook well till the oil starts separating.
5. Add the vegetables and mix well.
6. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 mins, check the vegetables should be well cooked. Remove the lid and cook on high flame for 2 mins to get the crispiness. Don’t cook for long on high flame or you might get a charred flavour.
7. Garnish with some Coriander.
8. Serve hot with paratha or roti!!

Vegetable Rockers

Ingredients:
brinjal (bada baigan)(1 big)
Capsicum (1) 
Potatoes (2 medium) (boiled and grated)
Paneer(grated)(100 gms)
Green chillies (6-7)
Roasted cumin powder (zeera powder) (1 tbsp)
Red chilli powder (1 tbsp)
Chaat masala (1 tbsp) 
white sesame seeds (Til) (2 tbsp)
Coriander (finely chopped) (1 tbsp)
Lemon juice (2 tbsp)
Oil 
Salt
  
Method:

1. Cut the brinjal and capsicum (you may use any other vegetable of your choice such as cucumber or torayi) in slices and remove the central part. (as shown in d picture). 
2. Apply some red chilli powder and chaat masala to the vegetable and keep aside.
3. Mix the potatoes, paneer, green chillies , zeera powder, sesame seeds, coriander, lemon juice, salt, chaat masala and red chilli powder.
4. Fill in the vegetables with the potato and paneer mixture. Drizzle some oil on a non-stick pan and fry the vegetable rockers on both side till crispy brown on both sides.
5. After pan frying bake in the oven for 5-6 mins.
6. Serve hot with a cold dahi dip or with a tomato chutney.