Broccoli & Chickpea Soup

 

            Broccoli contains a lot of vitamins, minerals and fibre. It also has antioxidants, is good for the heart, improves digestion and also aids in weight loss. Chickpeas, on the other hand, is rich in dietary fiber and calcium, controls sugar level and promotes weight control. So this healthy soup is an ultimate winter treat, is simply divine and very comforting. Garnish well and enjoy it with some croutons or bread sticks for a wholesome one-pot meal / light dinner.

• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup boiled chickpeas
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. butter
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• 1-2 green chilies
• 1 stock cube 
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• salt to taste (opt)
• 2-3 cups water
• pinch of pepper powder
• pinch of red chili flakes
• 1 tbsp. beaten yoghurt 
• 1 tsp. chopped pistachios
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. olive oil

          Heat 1 tsp. oil and sauté the broccoli florets slightly. Keep aside. Heat remaining oil and butter. Temper with cinnamon stick and bay leaves.

          Add the onion, garlic and green chilies. Stir fry for a minute. Add the curry powder, stock cube, salt (opt), boiled chickpeas, sautéed broccoli (keep aside few to garnish) & 2-3 cups water. 

          Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles. Set aside to cool down. Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Blend it and heat again. Adjust the consistency. Add more water if preferred.

          Garnish with pepper powder, red chili flakes, sautéed broccoli, chopped coriander leaves, beaten yoghurt, olive oil & chopped pistachios. 

Mutton Keema Matar Spaghetti

 

            Enjoy this yummy Spicy Mutton Keema Matar Spaghetti - my style. It is just perfect for a light dinner. In fact, it can be enjoyed anytime of the day. It is a non-messy one-pot quick meal and can be had as it is without any accompaniment. 

          You can just add some red chili flakes for some extra spiciness. So dish out this fusion spaghetti dish when you crave for something satisfying apart from the usual stuff you keep having. This comfort meal can do wonders to lift up your spirit. 

• 300 gms. mutton keema / mince, washed well & drained
• 150 gms. spaghetti
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tomato, deseeded & chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1-2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. cumin powder-coriander powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp. mint, chopped

          Boil the spaghetti till al dente as per instructions. Drain and keep aside. (Reserve some of the water). 

          Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion till light brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and all the dry spices mixed with some water. Sauté till the oil separates.

          Now add the keema and combine well. Cook on a high flame for 2-3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Give it a stir and cook, covered till almost dry.

          Add 1 cup water, salt and cook, covered on a low flame till the gravy is thick to a desired consistency.

          To serve, place the strained spaghetti on a serving plate and spoon the prepared keema gravy over it. 

          Garnish with chopped mint and enjoy this great comfort food anytime of the day. 

                

                              

                 

Egg Rice Frittata / Omelette

 

          This is a very easy and a fuss-free egg based recipe. If you have any leftover rice, pulao, biryani, etc. then you can easily prepare this one-dish wonder. I topped it up with some sliced sausages. It is almost similar to Japanese Omurice, but with a twist. It also resembles a pizza, minus the cheese. You may add so if preferred. Kids, especially will simply love this amazing creation. 

        

          You can go ahead and add any toppings of your choice, like boiled & shredded chicken, sautéed prawns, mushroom, any diced veggies, cheese, etc. It is ideal for breakfast and anytime you prefer something light. 

          So enjoy as it is or with tomato sauce / any chutney. I served mine with homemade yoghurt garlic sauce. Check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this fusion treat. 

• 3 eggs, well beaten 
• 1/3 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. salt or to taste 
• pinch of pepper powder
• 2-3 tbsp. oil 
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 chicken sausages, chopped
• chutney or tomato sauce to serve

          To the beaten egg, add cooked rice, chopped parsley, salt and pepper powder. Mix well and keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan and sauté the sausages lightly. Drain and keep aside. In the same oil stir fry garlic and green chilies. Then add the onion and stir fry till light brown. 

          Add the egg mix and top it up with the sausages. Cook on a low flame till it is set on one side. 

          Gently flip it over and cook the other side till done. Serve hot with tomato sauce or any homemade chutney. 

                                 To the beaten egg, add cooked rice,

                                  chopped parsley, 

                                  salt and pepper powder. Mix well and keep aside. 

                         Heat oil in a pan and sauté the sausages lightly. Drain and keep aside.

                                  In the same oil stir fry garlic and green chilies.

                                  Then add the onion and stir fry till light brown. 

                                   Add the egg mix.

                    Top it up with the sausages. Cook on a low flame till it is set on one side. 

                                 Gently flip it over and cook the other side till done.

                                 Yummy Egg Rice Omelette is ready to serve. 

                                 Serve hot with tomato sauce or any homemade chutney. 

Moong Dal Idli

           

          Idli, a South Indian delicacy is a healthy breakfast option. It is relished with coconut chutney and sambar for a nice wholesome meal. Traditionally, it is made of split urad dal (black gram) and rice. But it can also be made of split green gram. So just replace rice with moong dal and they come out just like any regular idli, nice, soft and fluffy. So enjoy this great variation for breakfast, lunch of dinner. They can also be packed for a lunch box meal too.

• 1/2 cup moong dal (split green gram)
• 1/2 cup urad dal (split black gram)
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp. eno fruit salt
• oil to grease the idli moulds

          Wash both the lentils well and soak overnight along with the fenugreek seeds. Then grind into a smooth batter by adding very little water. The batter should not be too thin or too thick. 

           Add salt and mix well. Cover and keep aside in a warm place for 8-10 hours to ferment. Add eno fruit salt and 1 tbsp. of water. 

           Give it a quick stir and spoon the batter into greased idli moulds. Steam for 15-20 minutes. Demould when it cools down slightly. Serve hot with coconut chutney and sambar.

          

Brown Rice Mutton Biryani

          This is a perfect one pot meal for a lazy weekend lunch. I substituted white rice with brown basmati rice to dish out this yummy mutton biryani. It was my first try and it came out perfect. The spices were the basic ones that is generally used but I added potatoes to it, a la Bong style. You may skip it if you wish.

          I followed the layering method, where I cooked the mutton and the rice separately. Then I layered them by adding few toppings over it to be cooked in the dum style. You can relish with  some raita, sliced onion, boiled egg and lime wedges as accompaniments. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this great comfort food.

Marination - 

• 500 gms. mutton with bones
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• 1 tbsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 small onion, ground
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp. mustard oil

Rice - 

• 1 cup brown Basmati rice, soaked for an hour
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 2 cups water
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 2-3 green cardamoms
• 4-5 cloves
• 2 bay leaves

Other Ingredients -

• 1-2 tbsp. oil
• 2 small potatoes
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1" cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cardamoms 
• 4 cloves
• 1/2 mace

Toppings - 

• pinch of saffron soaked in 2 tbsp. milk
• 2 tsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. kewra water
• 1 tsp. dry rose petals
• 2 tbsp. chopped mint-coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. chopped pistachios
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• 8-10 almonds
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder

         Mutton Curry - Marinate the mutton with all the mentioned ingredients for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.

         Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion till golden brown in colour. Drain and keep aside. In the same oil fry the potatoes too till golden brown. Keep aside.

         Heat 1 tbsp. ghee and temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves, mace and star anise. 

          Add the marinated mutton and cook, covered till the moisture evaporates. Keep stirring at intervals. 

          Add 1 cup water and the fried potatoes. Pressure cook for 15-20 minutes or till tender. When done, simmer till the gravy turns thick. 

         Rice - Heat ghee in a pan and temper with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise and bay leaf. Add the soaked rice and sauté for 2 minutes. Keep aside. 

          Add water and cook for 20 minutes on a low to medium flame. Then switch off the flame and keep it covered for 15 minutes. The rice will be done by now. Fluff it up and keep it aside.

         In a pressure cooker or any heavy bottomed pan, spread the cooked mutton followed by the cooked rice. 

          Garnish with all the mentioned ingredients and cover tightly with a lid or an aluminum foil.

         Cook for 8-10 minutes on a very low flame. When done, keep it covered for 10 minutes more. Serve with raita for a great comfort meal.

       

                        Marinate mutton with all the ingredients for 2-3 hours or overnight.

                               Heat oil & fry onion till golden brown in colour. Keep aside.

                              In the same oil fry potatoes too till golden brown. Keep aside.

                     Heat 1 tbsp. ghee & temper with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamoms, cloves,
                     mace and star anise. 

                       Add marinated mutton & cook, covered till the moisture evaporates. 
                  

                           Add 1 cup water & fried potatoes. Pressure cook for 15-20 minutes.

                                  The cooked mutton.

                                  Simmer till the gravy turns thick. 

                         Heat ghee & temper with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, star anise 
                         and bay leaf. 

                                 Add soaked rice & sauté for 2 minutes. Keep aside. 

                   Add water & cook for 20 minutes on a low to medium flame. Then switch off
                   the flame & keep it covered for 15 minutes.

                                 The rice will be done by now. Fluff it up and keep it aside.

                    In a pressure cooker or any heavy bottomed pan, spread cooked mutton.

                               ...... followed by the cooked rice. 

                    Garnish with all the ingredients & cover tightly with a lid or a foil. Cook 
                    for 8-10 minutes on very low flame. When done, cover for 10 min. more. 

                   Serve with raita for a great comfort meal.