Anytime Noodles

Suddenly there has been this flurry of activity in my life. Sadly, blogging is what took the back seat. I plan to rectify that now and will make sure I try and post more recipes soon.

Maggie was a novelty and a treat to us when we were growing up. I still slurp away on a bowl full of soupy Maggie when nostalgia strikes and I miss home a lot.

My kids love Maggie. They often ask for it, so I add a whole bunch of veggies into it to make it a meal for us. This recipe does not have any measurements. Just add what you have on hand, adjust the spices to your taste and its done.

You need:

• Spring onions - finely chopped, greens and onions separated 
• Baby corn - small cubes
• Carrots - small cubes
• Capsicum - small cubes
• Snow Peas - string them and cut into 3 pieces
• Beans - small cubes
• Sweet corn
• Bean Sprouts
• Garlic - finely chopped
• Ginger - optional - finely chopped
• Tomato - optional - small cubes
• Soya Sauce
• 3 packets of Maggie Masala noodles
• Light soya sauce
• 4-5 drops of Dark soya sauce
• Chili sauce
• Salt - optional
• Fresh coriander - for garnishing

Steps:

• In a large wok take 2 tbsps of oilve oil. When medium hot, add the garlic and the ginger (if using) and stir for a few seconds till fragrant. Then add the onions and stir for about a minute. 
• Add the beans first and stir for a few minutes, then add the baby corn. A few minutes later add the rest of the veggies and stir around till slightly cooked. Make sure the veggies still retain their crunch.
• In a small bowl, mix together the masala pouches, the soya sauces and the chili sauce. Use just 4-5 drops of the dark soya sauce and keep it ready.
• Boil the noodles, when cooked, drain well and stir into the veggies and add the sauce and mix well.
• Check salt.
• Garnish with corriander and serve hot.

Notes:

• Add finely chopped green chillies if you like it spicy.
• Be cautious with the amount of salt you add as the masala packets already have some salt in them.
• You can saute the veggies and keep them ready. Add the cooked noodles just before serving.
• Use regular soya sauce if you do not have light/dark soya sauce.
• Use what vegetables you have on hand and according to your taste.

Pancakes

I am back finally after a really long break. Too many mundane everyday chores have kept me busy. Shrugging off all the laziness, I decided to do a post on our current favourite breakfast at home - Pancakes.

I have never been a cereal person for breakfasts. I like hot breakfasts. What I love more is a dish that gets done in minutes.  This recipe is super easy and once you have your ingredients set out, it's ready in a jiffy.

Both my kids love it, and finally, we can stop running to McDonalds for our weekend quota of pancakes :)

You need:

• 1 cup all purpose flour, leveled
• 3 tbsps fine sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• Few drops vegetable oil

Steps:

• Set aside all the dry ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a larger bowl. 
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until it comes together. If there are a few small lumps, let them be.
• Heat a non stick pan / girdle over a medium low flame. Spread a few drops of oil in the center of the pan.
• When the pan is hot, pour a small ladle full of batter and let it spread to a round.

• Cook till you can see bubbles on the top, about 1-2 minutes, let a few bubbles burst. Flip the pancake gently and let it cook on the other side for another 1-2 minutes.

• Stack them in an aluminum foil and cover them so that they remain warm.

• Serve hot with chocolate sauce, honey, maple syrup, butter or just sprinkled with some icing sugar.

• This recipe makes about 13-15 pancakes.

Notes:

• Omit the vanilla essence for plain flavored pancakes.
• Add chopped berries to the batter for a more filling meal.
• The pancakes can be kept warm in the oven covered in the foil at the lowest setting of the oven.
• I needed to use only 3 drops of oil before I made the first pancake. The rest came off the pan easily without having to use any more oil.

Nutella Layered Cake

I discovered the sinful magic of Nutella only a few years ago. I very shamelessly sneak a spoon or two when no one is watching to indulge myself.

This recipe got me completely drooling when I saw it for the first time. I could almost inhale the aroma as I was reading about it. And I finally made it a few days back. 

You need:

• 1.5 cups of all purpose flour, more for dusting
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup heaped sugar
• 4 eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 8 tbsps Nutella

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160degrees C. Prepare a 9x5 inch loaf pan by brushing melted butter in the bottom of the pan and the sides well. Add flour and make sure all the sides of the pan are well coated. You can also layer the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a bowl add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk well and keep aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter well for about 3 minutes till fluffy on a medium high speed.

• Then reduce the speed slightly and add an egg and beat till well incorporated. Add the remaining eggs in the same way.

• Add in the vanilla extract.

• Add the flour mixture in three batches. Beat the mixture on a low speed with well combined before you add the next batch of flour. Finally beat for about 30 seconds.

• Pour 1/3rd of the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
• Add 4 tbsps of the Nutella over the cake batter and spread it evenly.

• Then add another 1/3rd of the cake batter and spread it evenly over the Nutella.
• Add the remaining Nutella over the cake batter and top off with the remaining cake batter.
• Make a slight cut with a butter knife. Do not over mix.

• Bake the cake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Check by inserting a tooth pick in the centre. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.
• Let it cool for 15 minutes. Then invert the cake on a wire rack and turn it right side up. Give it two hours to cool completely.

• Cut the cake into slices and serve.

My daughter loved the cake. My friend's son polished off a few pieces and told me it was superb :) M, your son made my day !!!

Creamy Cheesy Pasta

Pasta is a meal I usually make when I am totally not in the mood to cook. "White Pasta" was the choice of the day. I wanted to make sure it had some veggies to make the mother in me happy.

A little bit of chopping and some bit of stirring and this yummy dish is all ready. What makes it special is the addition of roasted vegetables. And the biggest plus - my kids absolutely loved it and polished off their plates :)

For the calorie conscious, please keep yourself miles away from this dish !!!

You need:

• 1 small head broccoli cut into flowerets
• I medium carrot small diced
• 4 baby corns quartered lengthwise and cut into 1" pieces
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1/2 small capsicum small diced (I used green and red capsicum)
• 1 pod garlic finely chopped or grated
• 1/2 cup packed grated cheese (I used processed cheese)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 cups boiled pasta of your choice
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C.
• Toss the broccoli, baby corn and carrots in a baking tray with 1 tbsp olive oil and a little bit of salt. Place it in the middle rack of the oven and roast it for about 25-30 minutes.
• In a pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Add the garlic and stir for about 20-30 seconds. Add the onions and stir till slightly brown. Add the capsicum and stir for about 2 minutes. 
• Add the milk and cheese and stir well till the cheese melts.
• Season with pepper and add the roasted vegetables.
• Add the boiled pasta and mix well.
• Serve warm.

Notes:

• You can stir fry the veggies in the pan before adding the milk and cheese.
• You can add a handful of peas and sweet corn along with the capsicum.
• I did not need to add any additional salt as the cheese was salty enough.
• You can use any pasta of your choice.
• You can substitute the milk with 1/2 cup cream and 1/4 cup milk for a richer and creamier taste.
• Add some dried herbs of your choice if your children like it.

Carrot Walnut Cake

I ate this cake for the first time at my friend, Sanjivni’s home. Sanjivni actually writes an excellent blog called “Experiments in the Kitchen” and I am a big fan of her desserts. Sanjivni’s carrot cake came with a yummy cream cheese frosting. What I loved best about the cake was that it had loads of carrots in it without you actually knowing it was there. What a great way to fool my kids and get them to eat the good !!!! That was the first thought that came to me :)

My kids are very kind to me. They like plain cakes and reject any cake that has any kind of frosting on it. Makes life very simple for me.

I have made this cake numerous times and it truly sells like hot cakes ;)

You need:

• 1 cup walnuts - roasted and coarsely chopped
• 2.5 cups firmly packed finely grated carrots
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tsps pure vanilla extract

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180degrees C. Butter a large cake pan 10" x 2.5" size. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon powder.
• Beat the eggs until frothy, for about a minute, in a stant mixer or with a hand mixer. Add the sugar in slowly and beat for about 3-4 minutes till it is thick and light colored.

• In a steady stream add the oil and then the vanilla extract.
• Add the flour mixture and beat till just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Fold in the grated carrots and chopped nuts with the help of a rubber spatula.

• Pour the batter into the prepared bowl and bake for about 40 mins in the middle rack of the oven. Check with skewer inserted in the centre to know if the cake is done.

• Remove from the oven and allow to cool. After about 10-15 minutes, invert the cake onto a wire rack and allow to cool.

Notes:

• You can toast the walnuts for about 8 minutes in the oven until slightly brown and fragrant. Allow it to cool well and then chop coarsely.
• I used a bundt pan (9" x 3.5") to bake the cake. I got approximately 25 slices.
• For details on how to frost this cake, please refer to the original recipe here on the joyofbaking.com website.
• I have also halved the recipe and baked the cake for about 25 minutes and it was equally perfect.
• If you like your cake a little sweeter, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of sugar, as mentioned in the original recipe. We do not like our cakes very sweet, I have therefore reduced the amount of sugar in my recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

My dear friend was coming to the country for just a day. I wanted to give her something to take back for her kids. I decided to bake her cookies, something that I had always told her I would. I found this recipe at joyofbaking. The cookies turned out absolute perfect, and now I am scrambling to save them for my friend as my kids and hubby are gobbling them up faster than I can say cookie!

You need:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup heaped firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg - I used a regular egg, that's what I had at home
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 heaped cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts - I used walnuts, pistachios, cashew nuts and almonds

Steps:

• In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt.
• In a separate bowl, with a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat the butter till smooth and creamy. Add the white and brown sugar and beat for approximately 2 mins till fluffy.
• Add the egg and beat well. Add vanilla and beat till incorporated. Scrape the sides down as required.
• Add the dry ingredients to the egg and beat till well mixed. Mid way add the chocolate chips and the nuts.
• In case the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate between 30 minutes to 2 hours until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 190degrees C. 
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place spoonfuls of the dough at about 1.5inch gaps.
• Bake for about 10-14 minutes till the edges are golden brown. Mine got done in about 13 minutes.
• Cool completely on a wire rack.

Notes:

• The original recipe mentioned walnuts or pecans. I used assorted nuts.
• I have halved the original recipe. I made approximately 50 cookies of 1.5" - 2" size with this amount of dough.
• If you like your cookies a tad sweeter, add 2 tbsps extra sugar.
• The original recipe mentions that you can make balls and freeze them by placing them on a parchment paper. Once frozen place the balls in a plastic cover, seal and freeze. When you want to bake them, just place the dough balls on a lined baking tray and let them bake for a few more minutes.

Quick Bread Pizza

There are few meals that my son will eat in 20-30 mins flat. For the rest, I spend 20-30 minutes reminding him to eat !!!

Pizza is usually a planned affair at home. I make the base from scratch and we all enjoy yummy thin crust pizzas. But for those instances when I have to make an impromptu pizza, I rely on the faithful loaf of bread.

You need:

• 8 slices of bread
• 1 medium onion, small diced
• 1 small capsicum - diced
• 1/4 cup corn
• Few olives sliced
• Few jalapeños chopped fine
• Less 1/4 cup pasta / pizza sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce / ketchup
• 1 tbsp Ching's Secret chili sauce
• Butter
• Grated Cheese

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200degrees C. In a bowl, mix the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and the pasta / pizza sauce together.
• Spread out the slices of bread. Butter them slightly. Then evenly distribute the sauce mixture on all the slices.
• Evenly spread out all the vegetables on top.
• Top up with the grated cheese.
• Place on a baking tray and bake for about 8-10 minutes till the cheese melts and the bread has browned from the sides.
• Cut into triangles. Serve hot with ketchup.

Notes:

• Skip the jalapeños while making for kids.
• You can use whole meal or the regular white bread. I used the regular one as my son does not like whole meal bread.
• You can also use baby corn, zucchini, mushrooms or pineapples as toppings.
• It is fun to get the kids to make their own pizzas. They love to add their own toppings and that way you can be sure they will eat their veggies.
• Cut into tiny triangles or squares and you have the perfect starter ready for your parties.

Garlic Bread with Cheese and Herbs

The kids have their two week break. The days seems so long and also flying by at the same time. Trying to pack lots of activities into the day to make it fun for them - Lego building, drawing and painting, play dough time, out door activities..... Phew !!!! It's tough keeping up with their energy levels sometimes :)

In the midst of all the fun, I am also trying to cook up some fun food. I saw this recipe while reading through some food blogs and I thought the kids would love it.

You need:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1.5 cups flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup cheese

Steps:

• In a bowl, add warm 1/2 cup water to the sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 5 minutes till it gets activated.
• Add 1 cup flour, 1 tbsp oil and mix well. Leave it covered to rise for about 45-60 minutes.
• After it has doubled, punch it down and add the remaining flour, garlic salt and mix well.
• Knead well for 5 minutes on a stand mixer or for about 10 minutes by hand.
• Leave the dough in a well oiled bowl covered by cling wrap to rise for about an hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200degrees C.
• Punch the dough down and place it on a floured surface. Roll it into a circle of about 1 cm thickness.
• Top with grated cheese. Fold it into a semi-circle.

• Cut it into 1 inch or lesser strips. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on the top and sprinkle the seasonings over it.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes till light brown in colour.
• Enjoy warm with soup or any dip.

Notes:

• You can use 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp minced garlic if you don't have garlic salt.
• You could add finely chopped capsicum and corn with the cheese as a filling.
• Please excuse the lack of pictures. With two children around my feet, its tough to click pictures as I am cooking. I will update the pictures the next time I make it, which will for sure, be soon :)

Thai Pineapple Rice - Vegetarian

Thai food has always been a favorite. More so for me because it has a good vegetarian spread. I ate this rice many years ago and just loved the flavours. Finally, one day I searched the net, read many recipes, wrote my vegetarian version of it and tried it out. 

Though the recipe looks long and complicated, it is quite easy to make. Once you have set out your ingredients, it gets made quite fast.

You need:

• 1.5 cups fresh pineapple chunks
• 3 cups cooked rice
• 2 medium size onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 to 3/4 tsp chillie flakes
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup roasted unsalted whole cashews
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander chopped
• 3 tbsp oil

For the Sauce:

• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp curry powder - I used Everest - Kitchen King Masala
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Steps:

• In a cup, stir the soy sauce together with the curry powder and sugar.

• In a large wok, take 3 tbsp oil and heat. Add onions, garlic, and chili. Stir fry until fragrant for 1 minute.
• Add the carrot and peas. Stir for about 2 minutes.

• Now add the rice, pineapple chunks, raisins and cashews. Season with salt.
• Slowly add the sauce over it and gently stir-fry to combine over medium-high to high heat for about 5 to 8 minutes.
• Check salt / soy sauce and adjust.
• Garnish with spring onion greens and coriander leaves.
• Serve hot.

Notes:

• Old cooked rice is best. If you are cooking fresh rice, spread it out on a large plate to cool. That keeps the grains separate.
• I cut the pineapple to small pieces as I like a piece of pineapple with every spoonful of the rice.
• I also chop the cashew-nuts to small pieces for the same reason.
• Season with salt carefully as the soy sauce is also salty.
• I usually take a small portion of the rice separately before adding the sauce. I then add a tiny amount of the sauce in it just for flavour so that my kids do not find the pineapple rice spicy.

Green Peas Crisps

As the snack search continues, I remembered this yummy snack that a friend had made for us just before we left London. I still vividly remember the taste, spicy, crunchy and delicious. We just could not stop at one :)

A few weeks back I wrote to her asking for the recipe. Finally I made it last week with a few changes.


You need:

• 1 cup green peas
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat flour
• A pinch turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 1/4 tsp chillie powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp oil + extra for deep frying
• Water for kneading the dough
• Salt

Steps:

• Wash the green peas and grind to a paste in the blender. Do not add any water.
• In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil and add the cumin seeds. When it splutters, add the green peas paste and the rest of the spices and stir well.
• Stir for about 5-7 minutes till the mixture becomes dry. Allow it to cool.

• In a deep vessel add both flours and the cooled green peas mixture along with salt and mix well.
• Add water slowly, a little at a time as required, and knead to a firm dough.
• Heat a few inches of oil in a deep frying pan till medium hot. 
• Make small balls of the dough and roll into circles. Prick with a fork a few times.

• Deep fry in the oil for about 1-2 minutes each side till slightly brown.
• Allow it to cool well.
• Enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Notes:

• I used 3/4 peas while making it. I felt 1 cup peas would give more flavour.
• The quantity would give you about 25-30 medium size crisps.
• If it is for adult consumption, add chopped chillies. It tastes amazing with that extra hint of spice. I skipped it as I was making it for my kids.
• My son enjoyed having it with tomato ketchup.

Raw Banana Cutlets

I try to think of ways and means to get my kids eat vegetables without having to deal with a tantrum at meal times.

Cutlets, as a snack, are loaded with veggies, easy to make and a filling meal for children along with being guilt-free indulgence for adults if not deep-fried.

You Need:

• 1 medium raw banana
• 1 carrot grated fine
• 2 flowerets cauliflower grated
• A handful green peas
• A handful corn
• Half capsicum chopped fine (I used green and red capsicum)
• 4-5 beans chopped fine
• 1/4 tsp cumin + coriander powder / jeera + dhaniya powder
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala
• 1/4 tsp red chillie powder
• Juice of 1/2 small lime
• A large handful chopped corriander leaves
• A few chopped mint leaves
• 4 tbsps + extra Bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp corn flour dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• Salt
• Oil

Steps:

• Wash and pressure cook the raw banana for one whistle. It should be neither too hard, nor too soft.
• Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and sauté the chopped beans for a few mins. Then add the rest of the vegetables and sauté till the vegetable loose their moisture. Allow it to cool.
• Peel and grate the cooked raw banana in a bowl. Add the spices, chopped coriander and mint leaves, salt and cooled vegetable mixture to it. Mix well.
• Add 4 tbsps of bread crumbs to bind the mixture. Check seasonings and adjust as per taste.
• Make cutlets of your desired shape.
• Dip them slightly in the corn flour water mix and then roll then in bread crumbs.
• Deep fry or shallow fry them.
• Serve hot with chutney or sauce.

Notes:

• I added less than 1/2 tsp oil per cutlet and fried it on a non-stick girdle / tawa on low heat. They turned out crisp on the crust and were delicious.
• You can also use these cutlets as a burger patty. Make them as per the size of your burger bun.
• Adjust the proportion of vegetables as per your taste. You can also substitute the raw banana with boiled potatoes.
• Use fine chopped green chillies for added heat.
• Add a handful of grated cheese to the cooled vegetable mixture for added taste before adding it to the grated raw banana.

Paneer Potato Cutlets

Sometimes you are just left with extra cooked veggies that you have no mood to eat and at the same time don't have the heart to bin it.

This recipe came out of one such situation. I had made Paneer Bhurji and had a cup full left over after dinner. No one wanted to eat it the next day. I was in no mood to make parathas out of it.

And then a bright idea struck. The experiment was a success, the son loved it :)

You Need:

• 1 cup Paneer Bhurji
• 1 boiled potato grated
• 1/2 tsp chaat masala
• 2 tbsps bread crumbs
• A few coriander leaves chopped
• Rice flour
• Oil for frying

Steps:

• Sauté the Paneer Bhurji till there is no moisture left in it.
• When it cools, add to it the grated potato, chat masala, bread crumbs, and coriander leaves.
• Mix well. Check if you need salt. I did not need to add any more salt.
• Make oblong shaped cutlets.
• Roll it in the rice flour. Dust it off well.
• Heat oil in a deep pan. Fry the cutlets in batches of 3 or 4.

 

 

Serve hot with sauce or green chutney.


Notes:

• You can also roll the cutlets in breadcrumbs after first dipping them in some cornflour mixed in water.
• You can make any shape of the cutlets you find comfortable.
• Add a few chopped green chillies it you like it spicy.