Lasagna Soya Cupcakes

          This is a great kids party / kitty party / any in-house party recipe. Easy and simple to prepare, it takes very less time to dish out. You can make them both in the veg. and non-veg. version, Here in this recipe I have used soya granules to make these yummy veg. treats. So enjoy them as appetizers with any type of sauce or green chutney and impress your loved ones with this delicacy. 

Soya Curry - 

• 1/4 cup soya granules
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger & garlic, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped (opt)
• 2 tbsp. fresh grated coconut
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp. peanuts
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. ghee
• 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

Cup Cakes - 

• 6 lasagna / wonton sheets
• 1 cup cooked soya curry
• tomato ketchup as required
• grated mozzarella cheese as required
• 1-2 pinches of oregano 
• pinch of pepper powder (opt)
• oil to grease 

          Soya Curry - Soak the soya granules in hot water for 10 minutes. Then squeeze out the water and keep aside. 

          Dry roast coconut, peanuts and sesame till light golden in colour. Grind after it cools down and keep aside. 

          Heat oil in a pan / kadai and sauté the onion, ginger, garlic and green chilies till light brown. Add the drained soya granules, ground coconut and all the dry spices.

          Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer, covered till dry. When done, add ghee and coriander leaves and toss well. Keep aside to cool.

          Cup Cakes - Grease a muffin tray and first lay the lasagna / wonton sheets and press them into the cups. 

          Add the cooked soya curry in each of the muffin cups, followed by some sauce and then cheese. Sprinkle oregano and pepper powder.

          Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C. for 18-20 minutes or till the edges are nicely browned. Cool for sometime and then demould the cupcakes. Kids can enjoy them as a party snack. 

Ilish Macher Tel Jhaal (Bengali Style Hilsa Fish Curry)

          An all time favourite of mine and most of the Bengali crowd, this is a very simple and an easy Hilsa Fish in mustard oil gravy. It has minimum of ingredients. The base of the gravy has only turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt cooked with a tempering of nigella seeds in mustard oil. 

          So less effort but the end product is just mouth watering with a drizzle of some raw mustard oil. To sum up it is pure divine and a must try recipe. It is best enjoyed with only plain steamed rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this Bong delicacy. 

• 2-3 pieces of Hilsa fish, cleaned
• 2 tbsp. mustard oil 
• 1/2 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 2-3 green chilies, slit
• 1 tsp. raw mustard oil
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Marinate the fish pieces with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder for 10 minutes. Make a paste with the turmeric powder, red chili powder and 1/2 cup water. Keep aside.

          Heat 2 tbsp. oil and fry the fish pieces slightly on both sides. Drain and keep aside. Temper the same oil with nigella seeds. Sauté for a few seconds. Add the paste and salt. Bring it to a boil.

          Add the fried fish pieces and green chilies. Simmer on a medium flame for 2 minutes. Add the raw mustard oil and switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain steamed rice.

                     Make a paste with turmeric powder, red chili powder & 1/2 cup water. 
                   

                   Marinate fish pieces with a pinch of salt & turmeric powder for 10 min. 

                  Heat 2 tbsp. oil & fry fish slightly on both sides. Drain & keep aside. 

                                Temper same oil with nigella seeds. Sauté for a few seconds.

                                 Add the paste and salt. Bring it to a boil.

                         Add fried fish & green chilies. Simmer on med. flame for 2 minutes. 

Add raw mustard oil and switch off the flame. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with plain steamed rice.

                               

Black Grapes & Gooseberry Rasam

           Experimented with a new combination of black grapes and gooseberry to make this amazing rasam. It turned out real lip smacking with a slight hint of sweetness and tanginess mixed together. You can go easy in the use of pepper to make it equally spicy too. Well, you can relish it with plain steamed rice for a great comfort meal or can enjoy as a piping hot soup, especially during a cold winter night.  

• 8-10 black grapes, pureed
• 2-3 tbsp. gooseberry puree
• 1 tbsp. ghee / oil 
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1 sprig curry leaves 
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• salt to taste 
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds 
• 1/2 tsp. whole peppercorns 
• 2-3 garlic
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 green chilies, slit (opt)
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Grind the cumin seeds, peppercorns, garlic and some water into a smooth paste. 

          Heat ghee / oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the curry leaves and asafoetida. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Add the ground paste and sauté till the oil separates. Add water, pureed grapes, pureed gooseberries, salt and green chilies. Bring it to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. 

          Switch off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Enjoy with plain steamed rice or as a soup. 

Strawberry Rasam

          Rasam is an integral part of a South Indian Platter. It can be enjoyed as a soup or with rice. Both ways it just tastes awesome. Rasam is my personal favorite and I like experimenting. So today let me share a fruit based rasam made out of strawberries. It turned out surprisingly real yummy and lip smacking. 

          As the strawberries that I used were sour, the rasam came out real tangy just the way I like it. You may add some sugar / jaggery if preferred. So do give it a try and surprise your loved ones with this new fusion recipe. 

• 8-10 strawberries, pureed
• 2 cups water
• 1-2 tbsp. oil / ghee
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp. rasam powder
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder

          Heat oil / ghee in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Sauté for a few seconds. 

          Add the strawberry puree, water, salt, chili powder and rasam powder. Mix everything well and bring it to a boil.

          Simmer for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. Serve with hot steamed rice or as a soup / appetizer.

Bitter Gourd (Karela) Chutney

          All Bitter Gourd lovers will simply love this amazing chutney. It was my first try and I really fell in love with this side dish. A very easy recipe, it simply tastes yummy with hot steamed rice and a drizzle of some extra ghee. It is lip smacking with all the flavours in it - spicy, tangy, sweet and a slight hint of bitterness. You may also relish it with chapati, curd rice, idli or dosa. It is definitely a must try recipe.

• 4 long bitter gourd, seeds discarded & sliced
• 8-10 dry red chilies 
• 1 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp. split black gram (urad dal)
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1-2 tsp. tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp. jaggery / sugar to taste
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1-2 sprigs curry leaves

          Add some salt and turmeric powder to the sliced bitter gourd and leave aside for 30 minutes. Then rinse well and squeeze properly. 

          Heat 1 tbsp. oil and fry the bitter gourd, turmeric powder and salt to taste on a low flame till golden brown in colour. Keep aside to cool.

          Heat remaining oil and fry the other ingredients starting from - dry red chilies to black gram. Keep aside to cool.

          Dry roast the coconut till golden in colour and set aside to cool.

          Grind into a paste all the stir fried ingredients along with tamarind, jaggery, salt to taste and required quantity of water.

         Heat ghee in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add the curry leaves and asafoetida. 

          Sauté for a few seconds and switch off the flame. Pour this tempering over the chutney and relish with plain steamed rice or chapatti. 

Pasta Biryani

          This easy and quick one pot meal is yummy and can be made replacing rice with pasta. I have added some veggies like assorted bell peppers, capsicum, green peas and beans. You may add any other veggies of your choice. This is a kid friendly dish and goes best with some raita and fryums / papad. 

          It is an ideal after school snack or a lunch box meal. Adults may relish it as breakfast / brunch or as a lunch box meal too. For a vegetarian version, omit the omelette and you are done with a healthy no-frills meal in no time. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 1 cup pasta, boiled al dente
• 2 tbsp. ghee
• 2 bay leaves
• 1" cinnamon stick 
• 2 green cardamoms
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds 
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1-2 green chilies, slit 
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1-2 tsp. biryani masala
• 1 cup colored bell peppers and capsicum, sliced 
• 2 tbsp. chopped beans, blanched
• 2 tbsp. frozen green peas
• 2 tbsp. mixed dry fruits, chopped
• 1 egg, well beaten with a pinch of salt and pepper powder
• 1 tsp. oil 
• 1 tbsp. mint & coriander leaves, chopped

          Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan and make an omelette with the beaten egg. When done, cut into small pieces and keep aside. 

          Heat ghee and temper with cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon and cardamoms. Sauté for a few seconds.

          Add the onion and sauté till transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and turmeric powder. Stir fry for few more seconds. 

          Add the veggies and biryani masala. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or till it turns soft. Now add the boiled paste, nuts, green chilies and salt. Mix everything well and stir fry for 2 minutes.

          Switch off the flame and add the coriander-mint leaves and the omelette pieces. Give it a toss and serve with raita and fryums / papad. 

                     Heat ghee & temper with cumin seeds, bay leaves, cinnamon & cardamoms. 
                     Sauté for a few seconds.

                        Add the onion and sauté till transparent. 

                      Add ginger-garlic paste & turmeric powder. Sauté for few more seconds. 

                     Add veggies & biryani masala. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or till it turns soft.

                     Add boiled paste, nuts, green chilies & salt. Mix well & sauté for 2 min.

                        Add coriander-mint leaves & the omelette pieces. Give it a toss.

                                  Serve with raita and fryums / papad.