Monday, December 30, 2019

Coriander Pesto Pasta | Cilantro Pesto Pasta

Coriander/ Cilantro Pesto Pasta , a delicious pasta made from coriander leaves pesto. Pesto is a sauce originated from Italy and it's usually made with basil leaves. In today's recipe, i have used the same concept but instead of basil leaves, i used my favorite coriander/cilantro leaves. 

If you have followed by blog or in Instagram for a while, you might knew by now that how much i like coriander leaves. At least once in a week, i make coriander chutney as side dish for my idli or dosa or whenever i make pizza at home, it would be mostly coriander pesto pizza, so why not pasta with coriander pesto? I must say it's so delicious, if you like me who are crazy about coriander/cilantro flavor, you must try this recipe.
When i had shared coriander pesto pizza on instagram, got few dms about the recipe. Though i make coriander pesto frequently, it would be for dinner mostly, so i didn't take any pictures to share the recipe here instantly, so send the recipe as private dms to those who asked. Last week when ST went to team lunch with his office mates, i prepared this coriander pesto pasta as lunch for myself. Luckily it was sunny, so took the step by step pictures too.

Here in today's recipe, i have added some broccoli along with the pasta to make a complete meal, but you can make this without any veggies too. That's it for this year, friends. Over all, it's been a very low year for blogging, compared to last five years, this year has only half the number of posts.But i'm glad that i can post atleast this much regardless of how hard it was!!! And i would like to finish off this year post with my favorite quotes
"You might have lost some major battles, but you survived and you're still here "
"Fight for your dreams and your dreams will fight for you"
 by Paulo Coelho. 
Now let's check out the recipe and will see you all with new post on New Year !!!


Coriander Pesto Pasta | Cilantro Pesto Pasta

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Pasta | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Coriander pesto, Cilantro Pesto, Pesto Pasta, Coriander/ Cilantro Pesto Pasta , a delicious pasta made from coriander leaves pesto. Pesto is a sauce originated from Italy and it's usually made with basil leaves.
Ingredients
Pasta - 1/2 cup
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Broccoli - 1/2 cup
For Pesto
Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch
Cashew nuts - 1 tsp
Walnut - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 cloves
Green chili - 1 
Parmesan - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Procedure
First let's prepare pesto, clean the coriander leaves and keep it ready. In a mixie/blender jar, add the nuts,garlic & green chili and grind into coarse mixture.
Next add the coriander leaves, cheese & salt.
Finally add the olive oil and grind into smooth paste. That's it, coriander pesto is ready.Now for the pasta, bring the pot of water into boil.
Add the pasta & salt and cook as per the packet instructions and drain it.
In a kadai, add a tsp of olive oil, add the broccoli & saute until it's tender and develop slight color.
Keep the flame in low, then add the cooked pasta & pesto. Mix it all well together.
Remove from the flame and if needed add more cheese on top. Cilantro/Coriander Pesto Pasta is ready to serve. 


Notes:
  • You can make this pesto ahead of time and use as whenever needed.
  • Ideal to pack for lunch boxes. 
  • Coriander pesto stays well in refrigerator for 3 days.
  • I personally like to make fresh pesto.
  • You can used this pesto as sauce for your pizza, my another favorite way of using coriander pesto.



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Thursday, December 26, 2019

Pomegranate Raita | Pomegranate Yogurt | Raita Recipe

Pomegranate Raita, a refreshing and delicious yogurt/curd with pomegranate.More than a recipe this post is just a idea for making delicious yogurt. All you need to do is put everything together and your delicious yogurt is ready in minutes. It can be served as room temperature or as chilled, both way it tastes amazing. Coming to pomegranate, here it's bit difficult to get the good quality pomegranate. Mostly they are too sour and doesn't suit to our taste. But fortunately for the last few times, we got good pomegranate from the local store here.  Apart from eating as it is, i have been adding pomegranate seeds in raita, fruits salad & curd rice. My personal favorite is raita/yogurt, the mild pink color is really inviting and the yogurt is mildly sweet with fantastic pomegranate flavor. If you like pomegranate and have the habit of eating curd/yogurt, do give it a try!!
I didn't grew up eating curd/yogurt as it is, in our home we used to have it with rice, mostly curd rice is the way to end our meal. If there would be more curd/yogurt left after the meal, then we sprinkled some sugar on it and had it. I got introduced to all those fruit flavored yogurt when we were in US especially from the hotel breakfast. When i was new in the foreign land, apart  from the cereal & bread, the fruit flavored yogurt was my savior in the hotel breakfast menu especially when we travel and stayed in hotel. It was yummy and really liked them a lot. So after that i used to make flavored curd at home, but instead of adding awful lot of sugar like the commercial ones, i would make them without sugar like Indian Raita recipes., the natural sugar in the fruits in just enough for us. Similar to this pomegranate raita/curd, strawberry , raspberry raita can also be made, that too tastes good. It's definitely a healthy choice for dessert !!! But today, i have served this raita along with our meal. Now let's checkout on how to make this simple yet delicious raita.  

Pomegranate Raita | Pomegranate Curd

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 0 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Raita | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Curd, Healthy, Pomegranate Raita, Raita, Fruit Yogurt, Pomegranate Raita, a refreshing and delicious yogurt/curd with pomegranate.
Ingredients
Curd - 1/2 cup
Pomegranate seeds - 1/2 cup
Salt - a pinch.

Procedure
Take the curd in a bowl, add the salt and whisk it smooth without lumps.Take the pomegranate seed, gently mash half of the pomegranate with hand motor & pestle.Add the mashed pomegranate into the curd, mix well and then add the remaining pomegranate as it is.Tasty Pomegranate Raita is ready to serve. 
Notes:
  • I have used the juice and seeds from the mashed pomegranate, if you don't like the seeds, you can discard that and add juice alone.
  • Adding pinch of salt helps to balance the taste.
  • If you want more flavor, you can add a pinch of chat masala or garam masala powder.
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Friday, December 20, 2019

Christmas Fruit Cake | Christmas Plum Cake

Christmas Fruit Cake/Christmas Plum Cake, a delicious and super easy cake to bake on this festival season. Few years back, i shared the eggless christmas fruit cake recipe , instead of eggs, i had used buttermilk in it. Do give it a check if you're looking for eggless one. I had been searching for Christmas plum cake recipe with eggs at the same time without the dominant egg flavor like the one we get in the Indian bakery in the name of Christmas cake/Plum cake/Kerala Plum cake and finally my search end with this recipe. The recipe is super easy, no need to soak the nuts & fruits, alcoholic free and it can be made in a hour, what more we need, right? The basic recipe is from joyofbaking but i have tweaked a little bit with the flavoring that suits to our taste. If you're looking for a Christmas plum cake /fruit cake recipe that the indian bakery sells during the christmas time, then you must try this recipe, even i couldn't believe how perfect they were when i had baked it for the first time. I have been baking this cake for a while now and it turns out perfect every "SINGLE" time. 
Baking is not the method of preparing food when i grew up, so i highly relay on the recipe available online, but the thing is every recipe(there are few exception) available online is for whole loaf or full cake, so i couldn't bake as much as like because if it turned out good, it takes days to finish and if not, the whole thing went to trash. Then i found the solution and invested it in mini baking dishes(because if you baked  the reduced quantity in the full pan, the result won't be the same) like the loaf pan i have used here, similarly i have few other basic baking dishes in the mini size. So now, either i have halved or sometimes quartered the recipe available online and work around with the mini baking dishes i have.  If you're new in baking, don't buy all those big baking dishes impulsively unless you really need it. Start with small one first until you get confident in baking :-) A little something that i had learned while learning baking myself.
Now come to today's recipe, the dried fruits and nuts i have used in the recipe are my favorites.You can add any types of candied peel, tutti fruits and the nuts you like. Make sure to cut the nuts and dried fruits into small pieces such that it get evenly distributed in the cake. Next the spices, i have used equal amount of ginger, cinnamon & cloves, if you don't like any one of these, leave that out and add the others more. And lastly this cake taste best from the day after baking, so give it a rest for one day to the flavor gets intensified. Now let's check out the recipe for this delicious cake. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all whose who celebrate.

Christmas Fruit Cake | Plum Cake

Preparation Time : 15 mins | Cooking Time : 35 minsServes : 2 mini loaf  
Recipe Category: Cake | Recipe Cuisine: India
keywords Christmas Fruit/Plum Cake, a delicious and super easy cake to bake on this festival season.
Ingredients
All purpose flour - 3/4 cup
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Dates & Dried Plums- 1/3 cup(chopped)
Orange zest - 1 tsp
Lemon zest - 1/2 tsp
Dried Nuts - 1/3 cup(i have used pecan, walnuts & almonds)
Light brown sugar - 1/2 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Cloves powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Egg -1 
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp

Procedure
Preheat the oven at 325 F. In a sauce add the raisins, dates & plums, then add butter, spice powder (cinnamon, cloves & ginger powder) ,salt & brown sugar.
Finally add the water and put it on the flame, let it bring into boil and let is simmer for 3 mins. Switch off the flame and let it cool.
Raisins would be puffed up after boiling. Crack open the egg in a bowl, add vanilla extract and beat it smoothly.
In the fruit- sugar mixture, shift the flour and baking soda, then add the egg mixture.
Next add the nuts ,orange & lemon zest. Mix it all together until it's combined. 
Butter the pan and line it with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan and bake it for 30-40 mins or until the tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Keep it in the counter for few mins, then gently flip the cake on the wire rack on remove the parchment paper.
Let it cool completely on the wire rack. Slice and store in air tight container.
Tasty Christmas Fruit Cake/Christmas Plum Cake is ready.
Notes:
  • Using sharp knife to cut the cake.
  • I have used my mini loaf pan. The dimension is  5.75 x 3
  • Make sure the raisins are puffed up in the sugar syrup before adding other ingredients.
  • Adjust the spice level according to your side, the given quantity has mild flavor.
  • You can double the recipe and use the regular size loaf pan to bake.

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Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Chicken Kabab in Oven | Chicken Kabob recipe

Chicken Kabab, a delicious chicken dish made from the marinated chicken, thread into the skewer and cook it on the oven/ grill. In today's recipe, i will be sharing the recipe to cook in the oven. As winter is in peak here, i always find reason to turn on my oven, in addition to the sweet treats, i'm making this kind of kabab frequently now. Not only it's delicious, it's easy to put it together. You can marinate the chicken and keep it in refrigerator over night,  the next day, bring it to room temperature, thread into the skewer and it's ready to go into the oven.It can be served as starter or as side dish for rice or even you can stuff inside your flat breads and make it as roll. 
If you have been following me on Instagram, you might knew about the cauliflower kabab that i had shared recently, since i got few dms on how to make it,the same day, i shared the written recipe alone in that post, will post detail step by step instructions soon, in the mean time, you can keep this as reference and make the cauliflower kabab too. Now coming back to today's recipe, make sure to cut the chicken into equal size to ensure even cooking. Next, if you're making kabab in the oven for first time, keep an eye on the chicken after 18-20 mins since every oven is little different and the time may varies in your oven.That's it, now let's check out on how to make this chicken kabab.



Chicken Kabab in Oven

Preparation Time : 2 hrs | Cooking Time : 25 minsServes : 2 to 3  
Recipe Category: Chicken | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Chicken,kabab,oven,starter, Chicken Kabab, a delicious chicken dish made from the marinated chicken, thread into the skewer and cook it on the oven/ grill.
Ingredients
Boneless Chicken - 1/2 lb
Curd -1/4 cup
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Red food color - few drops(optional)
Dried kasturi methi - 1 tsp
Capsicum - 1/4 cup (cubed)
Onion - 1/4 cup(cubed)

Procedure
Cut the chicken into bite size, clean the chicken well and pat dry with paper towel, in a bowl add curd, spices(red chili, turmeric, coriander & garam masala powder),ginger garlic paste & salt.Mix it well together.Next add oil, lemon juice, food color(if using) & kasthuri methi and mix it well.Add chicken, onion & capsicum into the marination and mix it well together. Cover it with lid and let it marinate for minimum 2 hrs.Preheat the oven at 425 F. Place a parchment/ foil paper on the bottom of the baking tray, thread chicken, onion & capsicum alternatively on to the skewers and place it on the baking tray without touching the bottom of the tray.Bake it in the preheated oven for 20- 35 mins. Rotate the tray twice in between the baking time for even cooking.Delicious Chicken Kabab is ready to serve. Serve it with mint chutney & some lemon wedges.
Notes:
  • You can marinate the chicken previous night itself and keep it in the refrigerator.
  • Make sure that the baking tray has enough depth and keep the skewers on the rim of the tray so that the chicken doesn't touch the tray.
  • If you're using bamboo skewers, soak them in the water for 20 mins before baking to ensure that it doesn't get caught fire while baking.
  • Lining the tray with foil/parchment paper to capture the dripping and also it helps to clean the tray easily.
  • Cooking at high temperature helps to retain the moisture.
  • Instead of oven cooking, it can be grilled or pan fried too.
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Monday, December 16, 2019

Brinji Rice with Coconut Milk | Brinji Rice

Brinji Rice, a delicious and flavorful one pot rice made with coconut milk. In tamil, bay leaf is known as "Brinji Elai", as this rice uses bay leaf as one of the flavoring spice, it got its name as "Brinji Rice". 

In today's recipe, i have made this rice plain without any vegetables, but you can add any veggies that can be used in vegetable biryani like carrot, peas, potato & so on. I like the mild flavor of this rice, you can serve this with simple ratia and/or with any spicy curry/korma. My personal favorite to have with rice is either chicken/mutton kulambu, both taste heavenly with brinji rice. 
I packed this rice a couple of times for ST's lunch box along with simple curry. One day, after lunch he called me and said how delicious the rice was and he had a really hearty meal. Do i need to say more about this rice?? It tastes best when it rests for 1 or 2 hrs, so that the flavor becomes intense and tastes delicious. 
Amma always says that the one pot rice like Kootan choruUlunthu Choru & Nei Choru all taste even better when you had at night, because in the afternoon, we have it immediately once it has been prepared and the flavor doesn't  get intensified in short span of time.


I didn't realise or even paid attention to that detail before because I like to have my food(even the sweets) hot. After i started to pack lunchbox, i was more aware of this and understood how the flavor gets intense with time and this rice is one among them and tastes best for lunch box. Now let's move on to the recipe!!
Related : How to make Chettinad Mushroom Biryani


Brinji Rice with Coconut Milk

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Rice | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Brinji Rice, Coconut milk rice, Bay leaf rice Brinji Rice, a delicious and flavorful one pot rice made with coconut milk. In tamil, bay leaf is known as "Brinji Elai", as this rice use bay leaf as one of the flavoring spice, it got its name as "Brinji Rice".
Ingredients
Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Water -1 cup
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 spring
Mint - a handful
Coriander leaves - a handful
Green chili - 2
Onion(medium) - 1/2
Tomato(medium) - 1/2
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
Cloves - 3
Cardamom - 2
Bay leaf - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp

Procedure
Soak the basmati rice in water for 20 mins. First cut the onion into thin slices, tomato into small pieces, slit the green chili and keep other ingredients ready.
Heat the pressure cooker with oil, add cinnamon,cloves,cardamom & bay leaves, let it fry in oil for 30 secs.
Add the onions with pinch of salt, then add the curry leaves and green chili.
Saute till the onions are translucent, then add the mint, coriander leaves and ginger garlic paste.
Saute till it's aromatic, then add the tomatoes, give a quick stir and add coconut milk.
Next add the water, give a good mix, then add the turmeric powder.
Add enough salt, mix well and bring into boil.
Drain the water from the soaked rice and add into the pressure cooker, give a gentle mix and finally add the ghee. 
Close the pressure cooker with lid and cook it for 2 whistle. Let the pressure release by itself and open the pressure cooker and transfer the rice into another bowl to avoid further cooking of the rice.
Delicious Brinji Rice is ready to serve.

Notes:

  • For the given quantity of green chili, the rice has very mildly spice
  • For a cup of rice, it needs 2 cups of liquid, so you can add more or less coconut milk and use water for the remaining.
  • No need to cook the tomato until it's mushy like other pulao or biryani.
  • For more coconut flavor, you can use coconut oil instead of flavorless oil.
  • If you're using can coconut milk, make sure that it's pure coconut milk without any gum.




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