Pear and Walnut Salad

When you have pears and walnuts lying in you refrigerator and noone in the family wants to eat it. You can always turn it into an interesting Salad.
A refreshing Mediterranean summer salad of sweet pear and crunchy walnuts, with a sprinkling of crumbly, salty Feta Cheese.

Ingredients:
For the dressing:
20ml olive oil
2 tsp parsley chopped
60ml vinaigrette
(40ml oil + 20 ml vinegar)

For the Salad:
300g pears
80g fennel
80g walnuts, peeled
120g rocket leaves
150g feta cheese (crumbled)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper powder
15g Parmesan cheese grated (optional)

Procedure:
To make the dressing:

• Whisk the parsley in the olive oil and vinaigrette. Set aside.

To assemble the Salad:

• Cut the pear and fennel into thin wedges.
• Put in a chilled salad mixing bowl.
• Add the walnuts, rocket leaves, crumbled feta cheese and salt and pepper.
• Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

Cinnamon... (Dal chini)

Cinnamon is a spice obtained from inner bark of several trees. It tastes like Sweet and Fragrant.

Uses:

• It is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavoring material.
• It is also used in the preparation of some kinds of desserts, such as apple pie, donuts, and cinnamon buns as well as spicy candies, tea, hot cocoa, and liqueurs.
• In chocolate and milky desserts. it also adds a rich flavour to tajines (Moroccan Stews) and Mexican Dishes.
• Add it to you favourite apple pie recipe or sprinkle some over biryanis, khichdis and korma curries as well.

Pudhina Powder

If you have a ready Pudhina Powder at home, then it will help you in making many dishes... It can be useful in making Raitas, beverages.... etc.
Its very easy to make this one...

Pudhina Powder

Ingredients:
1 bunch of mint leaves

Procedure:

• Take a bunch of mint leaves (pudhina).
• Separate the leaves.
• Wash it well.
• Now keep these leaves under the Sun for 2 days...
• After the pudhina leaves are well dried, grind it in the blender.

Store it in a air-tight container.

Mint Raita... (pudhina)

Raita is great accompaniment with stuffed Parathas or Puloas or Biryanis. Mint Raita is low fat raita is made with fresh mint leaves.



Ingredients
1 cup yoghurt
1 1/2 tbsp Pudhina Powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp water
Fresh coriander and mint leaves



Procedure:

• Take a bowl, add in the curd in it.
• Now add in the pudhina powder + salt + red chilly powder + cumin powder.
• Whisk all these ingredients well.
• Add water to thin the consistency of the Raita.
• Garnish with coriander and mint leaves.
• Serve chilled

Note: to make the pudhina powder, check out my post on making masalas at home.

Konkani Fish Curry..

This one is from the coastal region. Fresh fish in a spicy, tangy coconut gravy.. I am sure you all will love it..

Ingredients:

For the Coconut Paste:
1 onion chopped
2 red chillies
200g coconut grated
10 black peppercorns

For the Curry
1 onion chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
50ml coconut oil
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp chilly powder
150 ml water
550 g Pomfret/ bekti

Procedure:
For the Coconut Paste:

• Grind all the ingredients to make a smooth paste.

For the Curry:

• Take a kadhai, heat oil in it.add in the chopped onions + ginger garlic paste.
• Fry till it changes color.
• Now add tomatoes. cook till it is cooked.
• Add the cumin powder + turmeric powder + coriander powder + salt.
• Saute on low heat for five minutes.
• Add coconut paste and tamarind pulp. cook for 3 minutes. then add water.
• Let it simmer on low heat for another 2 minutes.
• Now add the fish cubes. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot. Garnish with grated coconut.

Tripple layered Bread Pakoda....

Experimenting new things in cooking is what I like..  This pakoda i make when i have coriander and mint chutney lying with me in the refrigerator since a long time. and its not coming into any use.. Try this out its really an excellent pakoda..


Ingredients:
9 slices of bread
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp mint and coriander chutney

For the Besan Mixture:
4 tbsp Besan
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 cumin powder
1 tsp ginger paste
Coriander leaves
2 green chillies chopped
1 tsp amchur
Water to make the batter
Oil to fry

Procedure:

• Take a bowl, add in the besan + salt + red chilly powder + cumin powder + ginger paste + green chillies + amchur + coriander leaves.
• Add in water and mix it well so that no lumps are made.
• Now, take the bread slices, on one slice put butter, on another slice put ketchup. and on the other put chutney.
• Now place the bread slices on top of each other. like butter forms the base then on top of that put ketchup on top of that place the one with the chutney. (chutney side facing down )
• Now cut these in four equal halves.
• Heat the oil for frying.
• Now dip one half in the besan mixture and deep fry it.
• Fry till it changes color. 
• Do the same with remaining slices.
• Serve hot with ketchup and tea..

Onion Rice

I always keep trying different kinds of rice that goes well with the dishes i prepare.. U tend to get bored with same of kind of rice that is prepared everyday.. like the jeera rice or the boiled rice to avoid those extra calories.
Its very simple to make this one..

Ingredients:
1 cup  Basmati rice
1 large onion ( chopped in juliennes)
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water
2 red chillies
2 black cardamoms
2 tej pata
2 tsp ghee

Procedure:

• Take a kadahi, heat ghee in it.
• Add red chillies + black cardamoms + tej pata.
• Add in pinch of sugar.
• Then add in the onions.
• Cook them until it changes colour.
• Add in salt.
• Now add water. After the water starts boiling, Add in the rice.
• Cover the lid and let it cook on low heat.
• Serve the rice hot...