Chili's Inspired Black bean burger with Ground peppercorn sauce & blue cheese

I used to love going to Chili's ever since that life-changing discovery on one of my early visits.  Their burgers are phenomenal and they can serve  a vegetarian black-bean substitute with all the other toppings, on request. I have been addicted ever since. Shockingly, they do not serve it in any of their locations worldwide outside of US.  I was so addicted to the extent that I wrote to Chili's USA and they responded saying they have logistics issue serving them worldwide as they do not want to compromise on the quality. I hence decided to make them in my kitchen whenever I was craving them. 

Difficulty level- Medium
Preparation time- 15 min
Cooking time- 30 min, for both the sauce & patty together



Ingredients

Cooked black beans- 1/2 cup(refer to my notes on how to cook dry black beans) or 1 14 oz can of black beans
Onion- 1 small
Garlic- 2 cloves crushed or 1/4 tsp minced or powdered garlic
Cajun seasoning- 2 tsp
Bread crumbs- 1/2 cup
Egg-1
Hot sauce- 1/2 to 1 tsp , as desired
Dried herbs- 1/2 tsp
Fresh ground black pepper- 1 tsp
Blue cheese crumbles- 1 tbsp
Salt-to taste
Burger buns, lettuce, tomato, cheese, ketchup- to your liking

For the Ground peppercorn sauce

Butter-35 gms
All purpose flour - 35 gms
Milk- 200 ml( any fat-level will work)
Vegetable stock- 100 ml
Black peppercorns- about 4 tsp
Brandy- optional, 1 tbsp

Preparing the sauce

Crack the black peppercorns in a pestle and mortar (if you don’t have one, put them in a plastic bag, wrap in a tea towel, and hit a few times with a rolling pin) – You want to make sure that the peppercorns are cracked, but do not over-grind otherwise the sauce will lose its intense peppery flavour. In a small saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Once the butter is fully melted, gradually add the flour. After each addition mix well to ensure it is fully combined with the butter. Once all the flour is added you should have a thick smooth paste. Cook the butter and flour mix for a couple of minutes stirring regularly – Cooking the butter and flour mix for a couple of minutes before adding the other ingredients ensures that the flour is cooked. If you skip this step your finished sauce may have an odd floury taste. If you decide to add the brandy, add it at this tage and mix well to combine with the butter and flour – adding the brandy at this stage ensures that the alcohol is cooked off.Gradually add the milk , mixing well after each addition to combine with the butter and flour – I like to switch to using a whisk at this stage as it helps to break down any lumps. Once all the milk is combined, add the chicken stock and black peppercorns and season with salt. Simmer gently until the sauce has reduced to your required consistency.

Making the black bean patty

Drain beans well. Put onion and garlic in food processor and blend until fine. Add beans and blend well until mashed consistency. Place into a mixing bowl and add bread crumbs, egg, hot sauce, parsley, Cajun seasoning, and stir. Mix well and shape 4 patties (I opted to make 3 larger patties). Make a dent in the middle top portion and add some fresh ground pepper and some blue cheese crumbles. Seal the opening well. Place on a well-greased stovetop grill pan like I did or use an outdoor grill. Cook 5-6 minutes on each side. You can also broil in the oven for 10-12 minutes per side on a greased, foil-lined pan. Once thoroughly cooked, spread the remaining blue cheese crumbles on top of the patty. If using a pan, add some water all around the patty and close the lid covering the entire pan , after sprinkling the blue cheese. It creates a steaming effect, and makes the cheese melt beautifully over the patty.
Stack them along with all the accompaniments, to your liking and enjoy..

Note- Soak the dry black beans overnight or 8-9 hrs. Cook in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles.

Chicken Coconut Fry

Coconut is used in every possible way in our neck of the woods. Here I have used it in its raw , grated form. I am always in the lookout for a new way to prepare chicken , which happens to be the most popular meat in my house any way. 

Difficulty level: Medium

Preparation time: 10 min plus 2 hrs for marination

Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients

Chicken- whole, curry cut (roughly 10 pieces)

Lime juice- 1 tbsp

Coriander powder- 3 tbsp

Chilli powder(spicy)- 1 1/2 tbsp

Kashmiri chilli powder- 1 1/2 tbsp

Salt- to taste

Ginger paste- 2 tsp

Garlic paste- 1 tsp

Grated coconut- 1 cup

Crushed red chilly flakes- 1 tsp

Garlic- 4 cloves whole with skin, slightly crushed

Curry leaves- 5 sprigs

Extra virgin coconut oil- 3 tbsp

First, marinate the chicken and keep aside for 2 hrs. Mix together both the chilli powders, coriander, lime juice, ginger paste, garlic paste and salt well and apply uniformly on all the chicken pieces. 

In a frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of  extra virgin coconut oil and add the grated coconut , crushed red chilly flakes, whole garlic cloves, curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Fry them on low flame so as to ensure the coconut  does not get burnt. Don't rush it by increasing the flame, it is very well worth the wait.  Once the coconut turns light brown , remove and keep aside. To the same oil, add the remaining oil and add the chicken pieces . Turn the chicken pieces making sure they are thoroughly cooked. Once they are, add the roasted coconut mixture and mix well for all the flavours to marry together. Roast on a very low flame for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm with rice or chapathi or roti .

Onam Sadhya(ഓണസദ്യ)

The festival season can be a frustrating and tiring time. Trying to make a feast for a small family is no easy task. Here is a compilation of recipes that will make a great feast for a small family.

One of the things that you can do to ease the pressure on the day of the festival, is to pre-make things in the days before and finish the dish on the final day. I have noted below dishes that allow you to do that.

Rice: Well...... I am not going to say more about this.

Sambar: You can never miss with Sambar being the primary accompaniment to rice
http://priyahobbies.blogspot.com/2011/09/sambaar.html

Kaalan: This is one dish that you can prep the day before. You could boil the Yam and leave it overnight and add the yogurt on the next day
http://priyahobbies.blogspot.com/2011/09/kaalan.html

Injithairu: This alone accounts for 101 dishes. Enough said
http://priyahobbies.blogspot.com/2011/09/injithairu.html

Papadam: What is a Sadhya without papadam. If you are in a part of the world where it is difficult to get Kerala pappadam, here is a piece of advise. The north Indian variety of Lijjat pappadam actually deep frys well. I think they generally turn out much better than stale Kerala papadam.

Kondatum: What ever suits your fancy here. You could also do with some Banana chips of if nothing else deep fry some of the Yams after marinating them for 10 -15 mins with chilli powder and salt and a pinch of Turmeric

Uppulittathu(ഉപ്പിലിട്ടത്‌)/ Achar/Pickle: Many people use store bought pickles. But fresh made pickles made at home does make a feast better. You can also make this the previous day.
http://priyahobbies.blogspot.com/2011/09/maanga-uppilittathu-mango-pickle.html

Puleenji (പുളീന്ജി): Many people don't like puleeinji, but I make it with some extra jaggary to make it sweeter for my husband. You can also make this the previous day.
http://priyahobbies.blogspot.com/2011/09/puleenji.html

Yogurt or buttermilk: Your preference

Paal Payasam(പാല്‍പായസം): Very easy and basic to complete the feast

http://priyahobbies.blogspot.com/2011/09/paal-payasam.html


Other things that you can do to enhance the sadhya is to add an Upperi, maybe an Aviyal, Stew, Elisseri, Olan etc.,

Kaalan (കുറുക്കു കാളന്‍ )

This is a very traditional dish. Most feasts in Kerala (especially north Kerala) will have Kallan as an important part. I did not like this as a kid, but it is a favourite of mine now. And I am glad, it is a favourite of my elder son.

Some people consider Kallan is one of those dishes that gets better with "age". A few day old Kallan is considered tastier than fresh made Kallan. But I prefer the fresh variety.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 25 min
Makes: 6-8 servings


Ingredients:
Yam & raw plantain: cut to 1" cubes, 1/2 cup
Yoghurt: 1 1/2 cup + 4 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp (1 tsp, if you like it spicy)
Shredded coconut: 1 cup
Green chillies: 3
Salt: to taste
Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 3/4 tsp
Whole red chillies: 3-4
Curry leaves: leaves of 1 sprig

Cook the yam & plantain pieces in about half cup of water, with turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp pepper powder. Keep covered until completely cooked through (about 10- 15 min), and then allow excess water to evaporate. After this add the 1 1/2 cups yogurt in two batches. Allow all the water to evaporate, and the mixture to thicken between the batches. Switch off the flame and allow to sit on the stove.

In the meantime, grind the rest of the yoghurt, shredded coconut and green chillies to a fine thick (it should not be too watery) paste. Add this to the above thickened paste and mix well. You could turn on the stove to warm the entire dish through, but make sure it does not cook or boil after you add the ground coconut. Transfer to the serving dish.

To temper, heat the oil in skillet and add the mustard seeds. Allow it to splutter before adding the red chillies and curry leaves. Pour on top of the dish, close the lid for 2-3 min (so as to allow all the flavour of the tempering  to get into the dish). Mix well and serve warm.

Stuffed Okra/Ladysfinger(വെണ്ടക്കായ )

I used to make this dish all the time. But given the fact that it is difficult to get good fresh okra these days, I pounced on the opportunity when I got some fresh okra from my own vegetable garden.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10min + 30 min
Cooking time: 30 min
Makes: 2-3 servings

Ingredients:


Young tender okra: 8 big
Chilli powder: 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp, heaped
Coriander powder: 2 tsp, heaped
Cuminpowder: 1/2 tsp, heaped
Oil: 1 1/2 tbsp
Onion: 1/2 of a medium, finely chopped
Tomato: 1/4 of a medium, finely chopped
Water: 1 cup
Salt to taste

Carefully make a slit on each okra in the middle, taking care not to cut both the tips apart (you will need this to retain the shape while cooking).

Make a spice mix using all the dry spices (chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt). Mix well until everything is uniformly distributed. Now fill as much as the spice mix into each slit of the okra as possible, without  breaking it apart, and keep aside for at least 30 min (the longer it stays, the better).
Heat the oil in a skillet and put the okra, cut side down. Allow to cook on a medium-low flame until the green colour starts to fade or gets half-cooked, about 4-5 min. Keep aside. To the same oil, add the balance in the spice mix and saute until the raw taste is gone. Add the chopped onion and saute well until light brown, and add the chopped tomato. Saute until the tomato has cooked and the entire mixture has become a thick paste. Add the water and allow to boil. Now slide the half-cooked okra into this, cover and cook on a low flame, until the okra has cooked through (about 10- 15 min). Serve hot with rice or chapathi.

Masala Curry

This is one of my brother's favorite dishes. It is traditionally made with either potatoes or bread-fruit (കടച്ചക്ക) and is a great complement to rice. My husband likes it with chapathis though.           

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10min
Cooking time: 20 min
Makes: 2- 3 servings

Ingredients:


Potato: 1 small, cut into small pieces and half-cooked with some salt & turmeric powder
Shredded coconut: 2 tbsp
Oil: 1 tsp + 1 tsp
Whole red chillies: 4
Asafoetida: 1/8 tsp
Coriander powder: 5 tsp
Turmeric powder: a pinch
For tempering: Green chillies: 2, cut in half, lengthwise
Onion: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Curry leaves: of 1 sprig

Heat 1 tsp oil and roast the coconut until light brown and keep aside. In the same  skillet, saute the red chillies and saute until they turn slightly pale. Add the asafoetida and coriander powder. Continue sauteeing until the raw taste has gone. Cool completely and grind this together with the roasted coconut to make a fine paste.

Transfer the ground paste to a skillet along with the half-cooked potatoes and about 3/4cup water. Cover and cook for 5 min. Allow excess water to evaporate, if needed. Remove from the fire and add the tempering (heat 1 tsp oil and saute the onion, green chillies and curry leaves, until the onion turns light brown) on top. This curry with slightly thick gravy can be served hot with rice or chapathi.

Stuffed Capsicum/ Bell pepper

I have seen this being made in many different ways, with a variety of ingredients. Here is my version.

I used among others, a mixture of corn, edamame, carrots and broccoli for the veggie-stuffing. You can use some of the top part of the capsicum to dice, to be used in the stuffing. Also note that the baking time may vary as each oven is different.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Makes: 3 servings

Ingredients:


Bell peppers/ capsicum: 3
Potatoes: 250 gms, cooked with salt and cut into tiny pieces (You can also grate it), I used purple potatoes to get some contrasting colors
Boiled veggies: 1/2 cup
Onion: 1/2 of a medium, cut into tiny pieces
Capsicum: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil: 2 tbsp+ 2 tbsp
Garam masala: 1 tsp
Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Grated cheese: 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp for topping

Pre-heat oven to 325 degree F.

Cut the capsicum in to halves &  remove the seeds completely. Use only the bottom half for this dish. Place on a baking dish, bottom side up and drizzle 2 tbsp oil uniformly on top. Bake for 15 min.

In the meantime,  heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet. Saute the chopped onion and capsicum until the onion turns light brown. Add the spices and veggies and mix well, until the raw taste of the spices have gone. Switch off the flame and keep aside. After it is slightly cool, mix in the grated cheese.

Fill the roasted capsicum halves with the stuffing and add some grated cheese on top. Transfer the baking tray back to the oven. Bake for 10- 12 min, until the capsicum is completely cooked.

Variation: You can press down the filling, add a layer of bread crumbs and then sprinkle some gated cheese before you bake it for the second time. This can be served as an appetizer.

Crispy Fried Bell Pepper / Capsicum

I forget where I got this recipe from. But since I looove bell pepper/ capsicum, I decided to make it when I came across it. It is a dry dish and so was extra-excited seeing this.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min+ 1 hr. for marinating
Cooking time: 45-50 min
Makes: 4- 5 servings

Ingredients:


Bell pepper/ capsicum: 2 big
Chick pea flour (besan): 1 cup
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Oil: 1 tbsp+ for deep frying
Garam masala: 3/4 tsp
Pepper powder: 3/4 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water: 4-5 tbsp
Onion: 2  big, grated

Cut the bell peppers into 1" square pieces. Make a thick paste with the chickpea flour and ginger-garlic paste, adding enough water. Add in the pieces of bell peppers and mix well. Leave it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hr.

Deep fry the pieces of bell peppers like you would make a pakoda and keep aside. Add 1 tbsp oil from the same oil to a skillet. Fry the grated onion until golden brown. Keep some aside to garnish. To the rest of the onion, add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, garam masala and salt. Add 2 tbsp water and cook the masala. Now put the fried bell pepper pieces and mix well, taking care not to break them. Add a little water, cover and cook for 2 min. Stir-fry until the water evaporates completely.

Garnish and serve hot with parathas.

Tomato curry

This is my version of a dish that I used to love as a student. My friend, Bindu, used to share this with me for lunch. We were very close and used to be together pretty much all the time. I had contact with her until a few years ago, but now I don't know where she is but every time I make this dish, I think of her and the great times we used to have.

I forget when I tried to make this dish for the first time, but it continues to be a favourite dish of mine. Some of my friends here too like it and I used to make it for them when they were not feeling well.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Makes: 5-6 servings

Ingredients:


Tomato: 3 medium, cut into tiny pieces
Onion:1 small, cut into thin slices
Ginger- garlic paste: 2 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Meat masala: 3 tbsp
Coriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Green chillies; 3, cut in half length-wise
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Salt: to taste

Heat the oil and saute the onion and ginger-garlic paste, until the onions turn light brown. Add the dry spice powders and saute for 2 min. Add the leaves of a sprig of curry leaves and saute well. Add the green chillies and tomato pieces and saute. Add a cup of water, cover and cook for 10 min. Remove the lid and allow excess water to evaporate until it gets to the desired consistency.

Serve hot with vellayappam, noolputtu, chapathi or naan. I like it with rice, though.

Spicy chicken (dry) curry

I'm always on the look out for newer ways to cook chicken, as I am sure many of you are. Here is the result of one of my experiments. Judging by how quickly the dish was consumed, it turned out really well.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 45-50 min
Makes: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:


Chicken: 750 gms, cut into very small pieces (about 1- 1 1/2" in size)
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 1/2 tbsp
Onion: 1 medium, thinly sliced
Oil: 2 tbsp + 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Meat masala: 6 heaped tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Sri Racha chilli paste: 5 tsp

Heat 2 tbsp oil and saute the ginger-garlic paste and onion, along with a dash of salt. Once the onion is light brown, add the turmeric powder and meat masala. Saute for a min and add the leaves of a sprig of curry leaves. Add salt and mix well, cover and cook until done. Remove the cover and allow excess water to evaporate. Make a small 'well' in the middle. Add 2 tsp oil and add the chilli paste and saute. Now mix it with the rest of the chicken so as get the chilli paste coated uniformly on all the pieces. Cook on a low flame until brown and crispy, stiriing occassionally. Serve garnished with curry leaves.

Goes well with chapathi, rice or any other bread.

Egg roast

Though I am a vegetarian, I do eat eggs and a spicy egg roast is a favorite dish of mine.  It is easy to make but may be a bit spicy for kids. Also the dish is not for you if you prefer gravy with your dishes

Dfficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Makes: 1 serving

Ingredients:


Eggs: 2, boiled
Onion: 2 big, thinly sliced
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil: 1 1/2 tbsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Hard boil eggs, remove the shell and score them. Heat the oil in a pan and add the hard boiled eggs. Saute until the eggs turn light brown all around, stirring continuously so as to make sure it doesn't burn. Keep aside.

Saute the onions along with a pinch of salt (so that it will brown on you faster) until it turns dark brown (caramelises). Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and the curry leaves. Mix well and saute until the raw taste is gone. Add the sauteed eggs and mix well until the masala gets coated on the eggs. Form a small hill of the onion on the eggs and cook on the lowest setting for 2 min.
Garnish and dig in. It can be served with rice or chapathi.

Paneer & sprouts katti roll

On returning from a trip to NYC, my husband told me about a katti roll place he had been to. I thought I should see if I can make a vegetarian katti roll at home. I added some sprouts to make it healthier. I used moong dal sprouts (home-made), but you could use any other type you have in hand.

You can add some onion slices too if you like on top of the paneer pieces too, before you roll it. Also try to make the chappathis and omlettes to pretty much the same size so that it will look more beautiful.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 40 min
Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

Chapathi: 5, half-cooked
Paneer: 200 gms, cut into 1/2" cubes
Moong dal sprouts: 1/4 cup
Onion: half of 1 medium, cut into 1/2" pieces
Soy sauce: 1 tbsp
Chilli sauce: 1 tsp
Coriander/ cilantro chutney: 5 tsp
Yoghurt: 2 tbsp
Eggs: 5
Turmeric paste: 1 tsp  (divide among the eggs equally)
Chilli powder: 1 1/2tsp (divide among the eggs equally)
Oil: 2 tbsp + 5 tsp for eggs
Cilantro: 1/4 cup, chopped
Salt to taste

Mix the cilantro chutney and yoghurt well and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil and add the paneer pieces. Fry until it turns light brown. Keep aside. In the same oil, saute the onions until light pink. Add the sprouts, salt to taste, soy sauce and chilli sauce. Mix well, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro, remove from fire.

Crack one egg at a time, add turmeric powder and chilli powder (divided equally) and make an omlette. Put the half-cooked chapati on top and flip the double-decker  and allow to cook.

Put the egg side up, on a sheet of wax paper. Put some of the paneer filling and drizzle 1 1/2  tsp of cilantro chutney & yoghurt mix on top. Now roll everything tightly. Roll again in wax paper. Serve warm with cilantro chutney.

     

Prawns dry fry(ചെമ്മീന്‍ പൊരിച്ചത് )

I had never cooked shrimp or prawns before. So wanted to make it for my kids. Initially I thought I would make it the same way my mother-in-law makes it. But then I decided to make a few changes to it, keeping my husband's likes and dislikes in mind. And it came out nice and both my kids and husband loved it.

If you can keep the prawns marinated for 6-8 hrs, it would be ideal. The longer it sits, the better the masalas will penetrate into the fish and the more tastier it is. So keep it for at least 1 hr before you cook it.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 10 min + 1 hr. minimum
Cooking time: 20 min
Makes: 1 serving

Ingredients


Medium sized Shrimp: cleaned and de-veined, 16
Shredded coconut: 3 tbsp
Fish masala: 1 tbsp
Cumin: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: a dash
Chopped cilantro: 2 tbsp
Oil: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Make a fine paste with all the ingredients except oil (and shrimp, of course), using the minimum water. Mix the shrimp with ground masala paste and keep aside in the refrigerator for atleast  1 hr (as I said earlier, I kept it for 6-8 hrs).

Heat oil in a skillet and transfer the whole thing into it (including whatever marinade is at the bottom). On a medium-low flame, cook it until it turns pink and starts to curl, flipping them every now and then. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for another 4-5 minutes, flipping them once in between (so as to get them lightly browned).

It can be served warm, with rice.

Edamame upperi

Edamame or soy beans is a good source of protein, heart healthy and high in fiber. While it is not common in Indian cooking, we use it in our house regularly. Usually, I just boil it and add salt. Our whole family, including the kids, likes it this way. I wanted to see if I can do something else.

If you don't get the shelled soy-beans, you can buy the ones in the shell. Just cook it according to the directions on the package and then shell it.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 15 min
Makes: 4-5 servings

Ingredients:


Edamame: 3 cups(about 12 oz or 400 gms)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Chilli powder: 1 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Boil water and add some salt.  Add the soy beans and cook for about 5-6 min.

In the meantime, thinly slice onion. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the onion until light brown. Add the spices and saute until the raw taste has gone. Add the cooked edamame and mix well. Simmer on a very low flame for 2 min.

Serve warm with rice or chapathi.

Masala egg

This is just a different take on the ordinary scrambled eggs. This tastier version is so easy to make, that you will not want to make the ordinary scrambled eggs any more.

Difficulty level: Easy
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 10 min

Ingredients:

Eggs: 2
Onion: 1/2 of 1 medium
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Oil: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Curry leaves: leaves of 1 sprig

Heat oil in a skillet and saute thinly sliced onion. In the meantime, crack the eggs and beat slightly. When the onion starts to get light brown, add the spices and salt. Saute well and add the curry leaves. Mix in the slightly beaten egg after a minute. Scramble the mix until you get to your desired consistency. Garnish and serve warm. This goes well with rice, chapathi or even with bread.

Corn Pulao

Looking through my collection of recipes, I came across this one that was published in one of the weekend editions of The Hindu newspaper in 1991. You may ask, what am I doing with a 20 year old newspaper? I used to collect recipes from newspapers, especially the weekend editions ever since I was a child. A bit nerdy perhaps but then there is a nerd in every one of us.

This is a variation of the Pulao. It could be a bit spicy for the kids, so you may want to go a bit light on that. This can be a filling, healthy meal to go with them to school.

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 40 min
Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:


For grinding masala paste:
Coconut: 1/4 cup, grated
Onion: 1 small
Garlic: 2-3 cloves
Ginger: 1" cube
Green chillies: 2-3
Poppy seeds(khas khas): 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

For rice:
Basmati rice: 1 1/2 cup
Yoghurt: 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Corn: 1/2 cup, cooked
Ghee: 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

Heat ghee and saute the ground masala paste for few minutes. I waited until the ghee separated. Add the washed rice and saute for 2 minutes. Add two cups of hot water, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Cook till done. Mix in  beaten yoghurt and corn just before removing from the fire.

Serve hot with plain yoghurt and/or pickle.

Mixed Hakka Noodles

This is one of the most versatile of noodles. So every time I make it, I use different veggies. Here I've used chicken and eggs in addition to the vegetables I had in hand. You can use mushrooms, cabbage(red or green), kale, celery, asparagus, corn, bell peppers(Shimla peppers/capsicum), sprouts, nuts, other meats like prawns, mutton, beef etc. in addition to the usual carrots, beans we use while preparing noodles. Just be creative!

Difficulty level: Medium
Preparation time: 15min(plus 1-2 hrs for marinating meat)
Cooking time:  30 min

Ingredients

Chow mein noddles- 100 gms,cooked according to package directions
Chicken- 4 breast tenderloins(about 250gms)
Corn kernels- 5 tbsp
Edamame(shelled soy beans)- 5 tbsp
Celery- half of a stalk, cut into thin slices or about 5 tbsp
Asparagus- 3 stalks, cut into 2 " length or about 5 tbsp
Whole red chillies- 2 nos.
White pepper powder(or coarse ground black pepper powder)- 1/8 tsp+ a pinch
Turmeric powder- a pinch
Oil- 2 tbsp
Red chilli paste- 2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste:1 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce: 2 tbsp+3/4 tsp
Eggs- 2
Salt- to taste


Marinate the chicken(cut into long thin strips) in 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, salt, 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste and 3/4 tsp soy sauce. Keep aside for 1-2 hrs. You can do the rest of the meat separately  in a similar way.

Scramble the eggs with salt and a pinch of  coarse ground black pepper and keep aside.
Deep fry or shallow fry the chicken pieces  and keep aside. I used 1 tbsp oil and cooked the chicken pieces- a healthier option. Cook the vegetables in boiled salt water for 4 min and keep aside. If you like to bite into the raw vegetable pieces, you can skip this.

In a skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and add the whole red chillies, along with 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste. Saute until the raw taste of the ginger-garlic paste has gone. Add the onion and saute until it turns light brown. Add the chilli paste and white pepper(or black pepper) powder and saute for a while. Add the cooked vegetables and mix well. Add the scrambled eggs and fried chicken. Mix well. Add the 2 tbsp soy sauce and mix well. Add the cooked & drained noodles. Toss well using two wooden spatulas. Serve warm topped with spring onions/ green onions.