Spicy Peas Pulao

This yummy rice dish is my take on the regular peas pulao. Here the recipe..

Spicy Peas Pulao Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garam masala or all spice
3 cups water
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp butter or Ghee
1/2 tsp ginger- garlic paste
3-4 green chillies slit
salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak the rice.
2. Heat the oil in the dutch oven (handi with well-fitting lid) and the cumin seeds.
3. When the cumin crackles, add the onions and bay leaf. Fry until soft.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste, slit chillies and fry for a minute.
5. Now add the garam masala and salt, fry for a minute
6. Now add the peas. Drain the rice and stir slowly.
7. When the rice and peas are well coated with oil, pour in the water.
8. Bring to boil and then simmer the heat. Cover partially and cook until almost all the water content evaporates.
9. Cover fully and cook for another 10 minutes, on very low heat.
10. Turn off the heat, stir once or twice with a fork and serve with raita.

Beany Surprise

At our regular restaurant, we usually order this dish, and it vanishes within minutes. Me and my hubby dear love it so much. I tried to make it at home n it turned out really good. So now I am sharing this recipe.

Beany Surprise Recipe:

Ingredients:
300g french beans, stringed and blanched
300g lean minced beef or chicken
6-7 shallots finely chopped
2 garlic pods finely chopped
2-3 dried red chilis finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. In a wok, heat the oil and fry the shallots, garlic and dried chillies.
2. Add the mince and stir fry until done. Season with salt, pepper and soy sauce.
3. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Now add the blanched beans, stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, turn off the heat.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Note : All the cooking must be done on a med- high flame.

Watching Titanic

I watched Titanic the movie, in the morning, right after my tea. i did not move from the couch until noon. I did not cook lunch and offered my hubby an instant breakfast. The point is that I was so engrossed in the movie that nothing else mattered for the next 3 1/2 hours. Just so you know I have watched Titanic umpteen number of times and every time is like the first. Each time I am awestruck by the grandeur of the ship itself, the detailed costumes, the tragic love-story and the flamboyant Jack Dawson .

This time though, was different. I realized, through the movie that no matter what ones social status is, we all want to be alive. Money has no value when it comes down to a breadth for a few more seconds. We all, be it rich or poor, young or old are afraid of the unknown and hence of death. Though admitting this fear or dealing with it is different from person to person.

So, like Jack from the movie made Rose promise to live life to its fullest, we all should do the same. Make every moment count.............Happy Living!

Mini Corn- Spinach Pies

Remember, almost a month ago I promised to do a few tweaks on the Spinach-Corn Delight and make it even more interesting.Well the time has finally come for me to share the tricks.
So, I start with Mini Corn Spinach Pies...

Mini Corn Spinach Pies:
Ingredients:
1 sheet ready to use puff pasrty
1/2 cup flour for dusting
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese (any melting cheese)
cup cake tray or small ramekins

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree.
2. Roll out the pastry sheets, on a well dusted surface and cut them into 12 squares, approx. 2"x 2".
3. Place each square in the each ramekin.
4. Fill it with  spoonful of spinach corn mixture(earlier blog).
5. Season with salt and pepper and top with the cheese.
6. Bake n the hot oven for 20-25 minutes.
5.

A New Enterprise

I have been busy, busy and more busy these past few months. To begin with , my house help had vanished for almost an entire month. But more importantly I had been making handbags, lots of them. What began as a hobby, ended up in an exhibition, at a crafts bazaar. And my dear friends supported me hugely. Thanks a ton girls...........love you all. Now is the time to share my creations with the rest of you. I have uploaded the pictures of some of my pieces, of course, the best ones are taken.....already.

There is more to come................I take orders for custom made bags too.