WHAT DO I MAKE...

Post # 15 Serving Size: 2-3 Posted by: Anu Ingredients: Hakka Veg Noodles - 1 packet (the Ching's Secret packet you get in the Indian grocery store) Vegetable(s) - 1 cup (any combination of beans, cabbage, carrot, bell peppers) Ginger (optional) - 2" (thinly sliced) Scallions - 6 (chopped) Red onion - 1 medium (thinly sliced) Soy sauce - 2-3 tsbp Salt - (if required) Schezwan sauce - 6-10tsbp Cooking oil - 3-4 tbsp Boil water in a large pot, drop the noodles and cook al dente . Drain the noodles and sprinkle some oil and toss so the noodles don't stick to each other. Heat oil in a wok (set it above medium), add 3 scallions (white and green part), onion, vegetable(s) and stir fry (make sure you don't overcook, the dish tastes better with crispy/crunchy vegetables!) . Add the sauces, saute for a about 2 minutes and fold in the noodles. Stir gently for another 2 minutes and you are done!! Garnish with the remaining scallions (just the greens this time!...

  Post # 14 Posted by: Anu Here's a wonderful cheesecake recipe I borrowed from a baking buddy. The occasion was Archana's birthday and after 2 days of going-crazy-with-cake options, Anusha and I decided on this recipe. Tried, tested and relished - this is a must try!! For all you "weight watchers", this recipe uses "low fat" cream cheese and "light" sour cream but it certainly doesn't compromise on taste!! Notes: I arranged some sliced fresh strawberries on the cheesecake before serving, for the visual appeal, it certainly adds to the taste too!! Ready made graham cracker pie crusts are available in the grocery store. It's a very good shortcut for making a crust pan from scratch!!! For this recipe, we used two 9" pans. Btw, save this project for a leisurely weekend!! You have to be patient while "mixing" the ingredients, we took turns (pleasures of combined cooking!) and also with the "cooling", the cake ...

  Post # 13 Serving Size: Posted by: Nitika I tried this recipe in February of 2008 and it came out unexpectedly good. I am not sure if you will dig this 'non-masala' dish as much as I do, but I assure you it is a pleasant change from the regular way of making beans. Here's the recipe: Ingredients : ginger garlic green chillies red pepper a can of red kidney beans shredded carrots 1 big tomato cilantro (driedflakes) cumin seeds salt turmeric olive oil In olive oil, saute cumin seeds, garlic, green chillies (cut length-wise in 1 inch strips), ginger - in that order. Add turmeric and salt. Then add shredded carrots. Cover the pan for a few minutes (5-7) and then add beans and red pepper and tomato (both tomato and pepper cut lengthwise). After stirring a bit, cover the pan and let it cook for another 8-10 minutes. Add cilantro in the end. The dish looks so colorful - deep red from beans, bright red from pepper, green from chillies and that orange-is...

Post # 1 2 Serving Size: 3-4 Posted by: Anu Ingredients: Rava/sooji - 1 cup Maida/all purpose flour - 1/2 cup Rice flour - 1/2 cup Water - 2.5 cups Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped) Small Indian green chilis - 3 (thinly sliced) Curry leaves - 1 sprig Heeng powder - 1 pinch Salt - to taste Mix ingredients 1-3, add water (rava dosa is usually thin and crispy so more water is good!) and the remaining ingredients. The batter is ready, pour the desired amount on a pre-heated tava (set on medium), you don't have to spread the batter for a rava dosa, the procedure is kinda reversed here, you pour about 1-2 ladles starting from the outside making sure it all comes together into one round (or whatever shape it is that you like!!) piece!!! Notes: Here's a video of a "chef" making rava dosa. Yeah, that's how runny the batter can be but I try to keep it a tad bit thicker than this so I don't really have to use my hands to make the dosa!!! (am sure y...

Post # 11 Serving Size: 3-4 Posted by: Anu For those who have no clue of what an "Adai" is, it's like a Dosa but much easier to make since it does not involve fine grinding or more importantly it does not involve fermenting the batter! It's a Tamilian version of the Persarattu ("my dear golt friends" - rings a bell Ms. Kalia??) Ingredients: Raw Rice - 1 cup Channa daal+Tuvar daal+Urad daal (3:2:1 ratio) - 1 cup Long Red Chilis - 8-10 (this really depends on the chilis you are using and of course your own tolerance to spice!) Onion - 1 medium (finely chopped) Curry leaves - 1 sprig Salt - to taste Soak the rice and daal (together) for 2-3 hours.  3:2:1 of channa dal, tuvar dal and urad dal Drain the water and grind coarsely (do not fine grind it like the dosa batter) along with the red chilis, salt and some water (see note below). Transfer it to a dish, mix in fresh curry leaves and onion, your batter is ready! Start making the ...

 Post # 10 Posted by: Anu Serving Size: 6-8 Ingredients: Canned black beans - 1 can Canned corn kernels - 1 can Onion - 1, big (finely chopped) Cherry tomatoes - 1/2 pound (cut each tomato into 8 small pieces) Fresh Jalapeno - 2 (finely chopped) EVOO - 3 tbsp Lemon juice - 3 tbsp Salt, pepper (to taste) Fresh cilantro for garnish ing Empty the canned beans and corn in a colander, rinse, drain and add to a mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss. The salsa is better served chilled!! Notes: This can be served with scoop chips An Indian (chaat) version of the salsa - fill the chips with black beans, finely chopped onions and tomatoes. Top with sweet and sour chutney, finely chopped cilantro and sprinkle some sev and chaat masala. A tsp of curd or sour cream won't hurt either!!

 Post # 9   Posted by: Nitika I should thank my friend Anita here. She introduced me to Ragu sauce (specifically, the Traditional sauce with Chunky Tomatoes, Onions & Garlic) and I use it in all things that need a gravy base, so much so that my husband asks me to make 'chana w/ ragu' or 'rajma w/ ragu' etc., and if he doesn't like a particular curry someday, the first question he asks is, "Did you not add ragu to this?" In this recipe, the one thing that makes it different from your mom's chana is the addition of jaggery in the end. It just takes one magic ingredient to make a world of difference in taste in a dish and I have found it to be gur in this recipe. Anyway, the recipe is as follows. Ingredients: Ragu sauce (traditional-tomato-onion-and- garlic-smooth-pasta-sauce) - 1 cup or more as you like Onion - 1 big red onion tomato -1/2 (optional) green chillies - 3 long ones or several short ones cilantro flakes - 2 tsp basi...

 Post # 8 Posted by: Nitika Anu and I were talking one day and I told her that I tried making pizza for the first time ever and that it was like THE best pizza ever (I will save the recipe for another post). She suggested a twist to my recipe and her 'recipe' made it to my Quick 101 dinner list!! Ingredients : Hamburger buns, fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, pesto sauce, oregano flakes, cheese, salt and pepper, Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) Optional : cilantro, green chilies 1) Pre-heat oven in bake mode at 475 degF 2) Prepare the mushrooms (can add cherry tomatoes) - in a bowl add mushrooms and tomatoes and EVOO and toss. Then put it on a baking sheet and bake. It sizzles. 3) T ake buns, put butter and toast them on tava. 4) On the toasted bread, spread pesto, put the grilled mushrooms, tomatoes (fresh or grilled), sprinkle oregano and cheese and bake at 375 till cheese melts. 6) You can repeat the same with other cheese mixes...shredded cheese, green chilies, dhania...

Post # 7 Serving Size: 3-4 Posted by: Anu Ingredients: Plain Curd - 3 cups Fresh spinach, chopped - 1 cup Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tbsp Salt, pepper Boil water and add the spinach. When it is cooked, strain it and squeeze all the water out (really well). In the serving bowl, add the curd and beat it to remove lumps and slowly mix in the spinach separating the leaves from each other. In a roasting pan, dry roast the cumin seeds till they turn dark brown and you start to smell the seeds. When they are done, hand crush them in a mortal pestle. Add this to the curd-spinach mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. Note: You can also add finely chopped onions and/or finely chopped tomatoes.

Post # 6 Posted by: Anu Serving Size: 3-4 RICE+DAAL Rice – 1.5cups Tuvar daal - 1 cup Pressure cook rice and dal (together) with about 5 – 5.5 cups of water for upto 3 or 4 whistles. When done, take it out and semi mash it. VEGETABLES Cauliflower, carrots, potatoes – cubed or cut according to your preference Onion – ½ of one big thinly sliced Tomato – 1 big cubed Frozen peas – ½ cup MASALA (13 items here.. 13 is definitely my lucky number, with the bisi bele at least!!) Chana daal – 2 tbsp Urad daal – 2 tbsp Raw rice – 2 tbsp Coriander seeds – 2 tbsp Cumin seeds – 2 tbsp Fennel seeds (saunf) - 1 tbsp Methi seeds – ½ tbsp Cloves – 4-5 Cinnamon – 3-4 ½ inch sticks Cardamom – 3-4 Whole pepper – 1 tsp Curry leaves – 1-2 sprigs Red chilis - 6-8 (depends on the spice level) Roast the above in 1tsp of oil, let it cool and grind coarsely OTHERS Tamarind water – 1 medium lemon sized Ghee Cilantro In a big non stick kadhai, heat about 1tbsp of oil and sauté the onion. Once done,...