Recipes From My Kitchen

Being an avid baker myself, I must confess, I have never tried making doughnuts at home. So when  Lubna from Yummy Food told me that she was going to do a product review for MOD - Mad Over Donuts and asked me to join her, I was super excited as this was the first time I was going to do a product review for doughnuts. Singaporean gourmet doughnut brand Mad Over Donuts announced the completion of 5 successful years in India.  As part of their promotional strategy, they invited food bloggers to come and do a product review at their newly opened store in Koramangala.  As part of the celebrations, they have a line-up of exciting Anniversary Special Deals and activities in-store for their guests.  This week-long celebration across Mad Over Donuts stores is from the 20 th  to the 26 th  of March 2013. The biggest USP of MOD is that their bakes are 100% eggless, which makes them an obvious choice for vegetarians. They automatically becom...

Paneer is an eternal favorite for me. I love any version of paneer. Paneer Butter Masala or PBM is something which I had for the first time in Delhi about 10 years ago. Its a classic street dish served in most road side eateries. It is the vegetarian version of Butter Chicken.  This dish is really quick to make and goes very well with rotis, parathas, puris of rice. Ingredients: 200 gms paneer , cut in cubes, 2 onions , finely chopped, 1-1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste , 1 tsp red chilli powder , 1/2 cup tomato puree , 1 tsp sugar , 3 tbsp butter , 1/2 cup cream , (Amul fresh cream) 2 tsp oil , 1 tsp kasuri methi , 1 tbsp coriander leaves , finely chopped. Salt to taste Method: Heat oil and butter in a pan. Add onions and fry till it becomes light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for another 2 mins. Add chilli powder and fry for another minute. Now add tomato puree and sugar and cook for 3-4 mins. Add 1 cup of water to this mixture. Cook...

As the name suggest, it is a hara kabab, which means most of the ingredients are green. I find this as the best way to include spinach for a non-spinach loving family. This is a great starter and if you have most of the ingredients at home, this is very quick and easy to make. The kabab has many ingredients which are very nutritious however, I have deep fried it. If you prefer low calorie, you could just shallow fry it on a frying pan. Ingredients: 8-10 spinach leaves , 1/2 cup fenugreek leaves , 1/2 cup green peas , boiled, mashed, 3 medium sized  potatoes , boiled, grated, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese , grated, 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves , finely chopped, 8-10 fresh mint leaves , finely chopped, 2-3 green chillies , finely chopped, Salt to taste, Lemon juices as per taste, Powdered bread crumbs  for binding, Oil for deep frying Method: Blanch the spinach leaves in hot water for 2 mins and immediately put it in cold water. Chop finely and set as...

Somedays, I don't feel like cooking. And I don't prefer to order food from outside. Its just something light and filling that I want, maybe like a sandwich or a salad. I made this salad a few weeks ago, totally inspired by the Subway salad. It is so easy and quick and absolutely delicious. This also helps to keep my weight loss goals :-) Ingredients: 7-8  cherry tomatoes , 1 cup iceberg lettuce , 2 tbsp olives (black or green), chopped, 2 tbsp gherkins , chopped, 1/4 cup paneer or boiled chicken , cut into pieces, 2 tbsp of onions , (I have not used here) 8-10 cucumber slices, thinly cut  roundels, For the dressing: 1 tbsp honey , 1 tsp olive oil , 1 tsp lemon juice , Salt  to taste, Pepper to taste. Method: In a small bowl, add the ingredients for the dressing. Mix well and set it aside. In another big bowl, tear the lettuce leaves. Cut the cherry tomatoes into half, and add the rest of the ingredients.  Give it a very light ...

I Love Dal Makhani. Period. It is my favorite amongst all the dals. . I can gorge on it anytime and everytime :-). I think its very earthy and rustic in taste and thats what I really love.  Here's how I make it.  Ingredients: 3/4 cup whole urad (whole black lentil), 2 tbsp rajma ,  3 tbsp butter , 1 tsp jeera , 2 green chillies , cut lengthwise, 1" stick of cinnamon , 2 cloves , 3 cardamoms , 1/2 cup  onions , finely chopped , 1/2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp chilli powder , 1/4 tsp turmeric powder , 1 1/2 cups fresh tomato puree , 1/2 cup fresh cream , 2 tbsp chopped coriander , 1 tbsp fresh cream for the garnish, Salt to taste Method: Clean, wash and soak the whole urad and rajma overnight. Drain, add 2 cups of water and salt and pressure cook for 7 whistles or till the dals are overcooked. Allow the steam to escape before opening the lid. Whisk till the dal is almost mashed. Keep aside. For the...

Jeera rice always reminds me of dhaba's where it is made so well in the deep kadhai's that they have. Yes they are the overused kadhai's which not sure if its washed also or not :-) Ok well, yes they are washed regularly (so I choose to believe). Its difficult to recreate the same dhaba style taste at home, because the authentic taste comes from that fact that they use charcoal or wood fire where the smoke really adds to the whole flavour of the rice.  Here is my version, recreated at home on a pressure cooker, but its worth it :-) Ingerdients: 2 cups rice , washed, 1 onion , cut into thin long slices, 2 green chillies , slit length wise, 1 tbsp jeera , 2 tbsp ghee , 1 tsp oil , 1/2 tsp sugar , Salt to taste Method: Wash the rice and drain out the water. Set aside for 15 mins. In the cooker, put ghee and oil. Add the jeera and allow it to splutter. Add the green chilles and onions and fry until onions turn golden brown. Stir in the rice an...

Up until now, I've have had ready made sundried tomatoes bought from supermarkets. They do taste good and I'm a great fan of them. However, recently I realized that the same could be tried out in an oven if you do not have great sunlight in the place you live. They are the same sundried tomatoes except that they are made in the oven and save a lot more time and effort. Recently I got the desi tomatoes which were absolutely fresh. The desi version has a lot of juice and a lot more flavor than the English variety. I added some fresh garlic to the tomatoes as it just enhances the flavor of the roasted tomatoes. Ingredients: 2kg, fresh ripe tomatoes, Coarse sea salt, Fresh garlic, Olive oil, plain or extra virgin. Method: Preheat the oven to the lowest heat setting. Depending on how big you’d like them, either slice the tomatoes, or halve them (the bigger they are, the longer they will take to dry up). Scoop out the seeds and drain out ...