Chicken Stew(without oil)

This is a popular dish usually eaten when healthy food is needed.. or just for light eating. It's filling , wholesome and can be eaten anytime.

Preparation time- 5 minutes
Cooking time- 10 minutes
Serve- 2 or 3 people

Ingredients-
Chicken- 250 gms
Baby potato - 6/7
Large carrot - 1 (Sliced)
French beans- 150 gms (Sliced)
Onion- 1 large(Sliced)
Garlic - 6/ 7 cloves(Crushed)
Ginger- 2 inches (Crushed)
Bay leaves- 2
Green papaya - 1, small(sliced)
Yogurt- half cup
Lemon - 1
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves- 4/5
Black peppercorn- 10 or 12(whole)
Salt- As per taste.

Lets cook! :)
1) Heat the pressure cooker for a minute.
2) Add all the ingredients one by one.
3) Add 3 large glasses of water into it.
4) Pressure cook for 10 minutes.

To garnish- Put sliced lemon and chopped coriander leaves on top of it
You can also add butter to enhance the taste(Optional)

Saabudana upma(Tapioca Sago)

This is a snack dish I prepare during fasting days or for light eating. Good, healthy and very tasty. Definitely a must try for all! :)

Preparation time- 5 minutes(Excluding one hour of pre-soaking the sago)
Cooking time- 7 minutes
Serves- 4

Ingredients-
Saabudana, big pearls(Tapioca Sago)- 200 gms
Onions- 2 large
Garlic- 4 cloves(finely chopped)
Ginger- 1 inch(finely chopped)
Cumin - 1/2 tea spoon
Potato- 1, boiled(cut in cubes)
Curry leaves- handful
Green chilies- 2(chopped)
Peanuts- handful
Lemon- 1, cut in half
Cooking oil- 3 table spoons
Salt- As per taste

Cook away!!
1) Heat oil in a pan/ wok.
2) Add the cumin and curry leaves. After few seconds, add the onion, garlic, ginger and green chilies. Saute for a minute
3) After the onions appear transparent, Add the potato. Saute for 2 minutes
4) Add the salt and the sago. Fry for some time. Sprinkle some water if needed.
5) Switch off the heat, squeeze half a lemon over it  and serve it hot.

To garnish- Add a stem of curry leaf, any fruit, one half of the lemon.
Also, Fry some peanuts in oil and add it on the top. Peanuts enhance the taste of sago.

Optional- You can also use, Carrots, French beans, Spinach, Cauliflower, Zucchini Etc.
Can also be cooked without garlic.

Noodles with a twist(Low Cal)

Noodles is one of the easiest food items that I cook. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, any time of the day is perfect for it. I add some more things to it, for a twist. Always experimenting! Tastes Yumm and looks awesome.. always!

Preparation time- 10 minutes
Cooking time- 10 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients-
Noodles- 200 gms
Spring onion- 4 sticks(Green, chopped, and white portion, sliced,  kept separately)
Carrot- 1 medium sized(chopped)
French beans- 6 or 7(chopped)
Pointed gourd- 2(chopped)
Boiled potato- 1 small(chopped)
Eggs- 4(scrambled)
Meatballs/Meat kebab/ minced meat- According to your choice
Ginger- 1 inch(finely chopped)
Garlic cloves- 6 or 7(chopped)
Yellow, red and green bell pepper- 1/2 each(sliced)
Green chili- 1 chopped(Or as per your taste)
Red chili flakes- 1/2 teaspoon
Cabbage- 1/3rd (Shredded)
Black pepper powder- 1/2 tea spoon
Soy sauce- 2 table spoon
Chili sauce-3 table spoon
Sweet tomato sauce- 4 tablespoon
White vinegar- 2 tea spoon
Olive oil- 5 table spoon
Peanuts- handful
Salt- as per taste


Lets cook! :D
1) Heat 4 table spoon of oil in a wok or pan. Add the garlic immediately.
2) Add the ginger and green chilies after few seconds.
3) Add the chopped carrot, french beans, pointed gourds, potato and white portions of the spring onions. Saute for 2/3 minutes till half fried.
4) Add the soy sauce and vinegar, Saute again for 2/3 minutes.
5) Add the boiled noodles. Mix. Add tomato sauce, green chili sauce, black pepper powder and chili flakes. Mix it well for a minute.
6)Heat a table spoon of oil in another pan/wok. add the peanuts and saute for 2 minutes. Keep them aside.
7) Add sliced cabbage, 3 kinds of bell pepper, scrambled eggs and meat. Mix well.
8) Garnish with green portions of spring onion and the fried peanuts and serve hot!

Tips
- After boiling the noodles and straining them, Put them in chilled water in a large bowl to avoid the noodles sticking to each other. Avoid oil.
- You can also add prawns(shrimps), fish, cottage cheese or soy nuggets.
- Ajinomoto is optional.
- Baby corn and sweet corns can be added as well.

Turai curry(Ridged gourd curry)

Hi! This is a simple recipe which can be consumed anytime. Very good for summers. Can be consumed both for lunch and dinner.

Enjoy! :D

Preparation time- 10 minutes
Cooking time- 10 minutes
Serves - 6

Ingredients-
Turai(Ridged gourd)- 700 gms
Medium sized potato(boiled)- 1
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tea spoon
Kashmiri red chili powder- 1/2 tea spoon
Coriander and cumin powder(mixed)- 1 teas spoon
Whole cumin seeds- 1/3rd tea spoon
Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Cooking oil- 2 table spoon
Bay leaf- 1
Salt- as per taste

Lets cook!
1) Cut the gourd and potatoes into small pieces.
2)Heat oil in a pan/wok. Add the bay leaf and whole cumin seeds. When you hear a crackling sound after few seconds, add the turai(Ridged gourd).
3)Saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the ginger garlic paste, red chili powder, coriander & cumin powder(mixed), Turmeric powder and salt.
4) Saute for about 2 minutes and add the potatoes.
5) Cover the pan and let it cook for 5 minutes.
6) Serve Hot.

You can eat it along with Rice, Bread, Roti Etc.

Tips
-You can add prawns too. Tastes well. Add it with the potatoes.
-Onions can also be added. Must be added with the whole cumin seeds.

Stuffed pointed gourd(Green potato/Parwal)

This is a very delicious dish from West Bengal, India. We call it "potoler dorma" or bharwa parwal(in Hindi). Takes effort but it's all worth it.. :)

Preparation time- 30 minutes
Cooking time- 10 minute
Serves- 4


Ingredients-
Pointed gourds- 10 minimum
Vegetable oil- 1 big cup.
Ginger garlic paste-1 table spoon
Green chili(chopped)- 2
Any boneless fish- 200 gms( Can also use bone fish, but after boiling the fish and removing the bones)
Onions(chopped)- 2
Kashmiri red chili powder- 1/2 teas spoon(optional)
Turmeric powder- 1 pinch(optional)
Cumin powder- 1 tea spoon
Garam masala- 1 tea spoon

Get set go..
1) Take a fork and punch holes all over the gourd's body. Cut them few cms from both ends.
2) Slice off from tops of the gourds and remove the seeds to make them hollow. Keep the seeds aside.
3) Using your finger to rub some salt inside the gourd's body.
4) Boil the fish and after that mash it well.
5) Heat oil in a pan. Fry the prepared hollow gourds till half fried. Keep them aside.
6) Heat oil in another pan, add a pinch of garam masala. Also, Add the onions and green chilies. saute till onions turn pink.
7) Add the ginger garlic paste, kashmiri red chili powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and the seeds(2). Saute it well for 2 or 3 minutes.
8) Add the mashed fish(4). Fry it till light brown. Add the rest of the garam masala. Take it off the pan. Let the mixture cool down.
9) Stuff the fried gourds with the mixture(8) till full.
10) Heat the gourds once again before serving.

Tip- You can also use minced meat, prawns, cottage cheese or soya granules instead of  fish.
Can be eaten as a starter or even in a tomato gravy.

Konkani prawns(White gravy)

This dish is a part of a very popular South Indian and Goan(western India) cuisine-

Preperation time- 10 minutes
Cooking time- 10 minutes
Serves- 4

Ingrediants-
Prawns(Shrimps)- 1/2 kg
Cocunut powder- 10 table spoon
Or
Coconut milk- 2 large cups
Vegetable Oil- 4 table spoon
Mustard seeds- 1 tea spoon
Cumin - 1/2 tea spoon
Dry red chili(whole)- 2
Onion(chopped) - 1 large
Green chili(slit)-2/3
Milk cream- 4 table spoon
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 table spoon
Curry leaves - Handful
Salt- as per taste

Garnish-
Red chili powder- 1 pinch (optional)
Coriander leaves- handful

Lets cook!
1) Heat the oil in a pan or a wok.
2) Add the mustard seeds, Cumin, dried red chili(broken in half) and half of the curry leaves.
3) After few seconds, add the chopped onion and Saute it well for 3 minutes till the onions turn light pink'ish.
4) Add the prawns(shrimps), stir for 2/3 minutes.
5) Add the ginger garlic paste. Mix it well for another 2/3 minutes.
6) Add salt as per taste.
7) Add the coconut milk or mix the coconut powder in warm water to make it  medium dense milk, and add.
8)Add the slit green chilies.
9)Boil it for 2/3 minutes.
10) Add the milk cream.
11) Boil it for another minute before turning off the heat.
12) Serve hot in a bowl.

Garnish
Add a pinch of red chili over it.
Add chopped coriander leaves.
Also add the rest of the curry leaves, as per your wish.

Tip- For vegetarians, use cottage cheese, soya nuggets or eggs.

Watermelon mojito

Summers are here.. and what can be better than a refreshing mojito! That too a watermelon mojito! :D

Preparation time- 10 minutes(excluding 1 hour of freezing of watermelon pieces.)
Cooking time- 5 minutes
Serves- 6/10(Depending on serving quantity)

Ingredients
Water melon- 2 Kg
Black salt- 1 tea spoon
Ice cubes- 10/12 pieces(preferably)
Lemon- 1

Garnish-
Salt
Sugar
Chaat masala - As per taste
Mint leaves with stem.
Crushed ice- optional
Garnishing umbrella

Let's beat the summers :D
1) Cut the water melon in medium pieces and freeze them for an hour.
2) Take them out of the freezer, half soft, half frozen.
3) Grind it in a mixer along with the black salt and ice cubes.
4) Take the mixture out in a big bowl and add lemon juice in it.
5)  Filter it with the help of a colander, with fine holes.
6) Pour it in a fine tall glass(or as you like)
7) Serve chilled

Garnish
1) Keep the empty glasses in freezer for 10 minutes(to get moist).
2) Mix the crushed salt and sugar(not powdered) and spread it on a plate.
3) Take those chilled glasses and place them upside down on the plate, for the brim to get coated with the mixture.
4) Drop some shredded mint leaves in the empty glass.
5)After pouring the juice in those glasses, sprinkle some chaat masala over it.
6)Add a stem of mint, a straw to drink from and a pretty umbrella if you have those..

Voila ... You have got some refreshing stuff to drink.. :D