Adhoc Fried Noodles

1. cook spaghetti in boiling water for 12 minutes
2. heat oil in pan
3. put chopped garlic in heated oil
   
4. add chopped onion
5. add pepper (capsicum)
6. any other vegetable which u might find suitable
7. add the spaghetti to all this
8. Italian Passata sauce, or tomato puree with onions and garlic paste
   
9. add salt to taste
10. may be soya sauce, if u wish to
11. garam masala, a little
12. cook well

I have named it adhoc because i didn't go in the kitchen with a mindset of making it. It was just simple spaghetti in sauce which i had in mind, i just happened to chop onions and put oil in the vessel, to try something new ! sometimes, boredom makes me cook awesome dishes.
And i am not putting up a pic of this because its adhoc, u might get a different colour, so don't get dissappointed, its adhoc, off the cuff!!

Carrots and peas Biryani (Spicy/Hot)

This is again made using more or less the same techniques I described before. And although it looks pretty much the same as the previous one, minute changes in the masallas and the addition of a couple of more ingredients have made all the difference in the aroma and the taste of this simple dish .

The main ingredients (exclude the banana)

The white onions u see here is a small experiment I undertook since I usually prefer fresh red onions with intense flavour. The white 1's worked out to be pretty good in the end, the mildness as opposed to the usual pungent flavour of the onioins added a new dimension to the taste.

Main Ingredients:

• Cooking oil - 2 tablespoons (1 Tbsp = 15mL)
• Basmati Rice - 1 hand full
• Tomato - 2 medium sized
• White Onion - small cut in half
• Green Chilli - 3 medium sized (OPTIONAL) - not included here although would have been nice.
  
• Curry Leaves - 4 or 5 (a.k.a Kadi patta)
• Corriander - as much as you like (a.k.a Dhania)
  
• Mustard Seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Rai)
  
• Cumin seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Jeera)
• Turmeric powder - quarter tea spoon (a.k.a. haldi)
  
• Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon (can be varied)
• Ginger and Garlic (or ginger paste) - 1 small piece crushed (or half tea spoon) (OPTIONAL)
• MDH Sabzi (vegetable) masalla- 1.5 tea spoon
• Cloves (Lavang) - 2
  
• Salt - to taste

Ready, Steady.....COOK!!

1. Wash the rice in a bowl once and drain the water away. Refill the bowl, with the amount of water being 3 times the amount if rice. Cook on high flame for 10-12 minuteswith lid on, taking care that the rice does not stick and burn at the bottom of the dish.
   
2. Since the amount of water if high, the rice usually does not stick. After 10 minutes, taste a little bit of rice. If the rice is puffed and soft, its done. Otherwise cook for a little while longer. Using a wire mesh, drain the rice so that the water flows away. Keep this rice covered for use later on.
3. While the rice cooks, chop the tomatos, onion, carrot & green chilli into small pieces to save some time. The logic here is that small pieces of food cook better and the food is enriched with flavours.
4. Transfer the oil in a bowl and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Heat on high flame. Wait untill you see the seeds crackle.
5. Now add the green chillies, onions, ginger(or paste), garlic, cloves and curry leaves. Take care as the oil is hot and the ingredients tend to JUMP initially. Stir now and then to ensure nothing sticks and burns. Wait untill the onions begin to brown.
6. Then, add the tomatoes and turmeric powder. Stir and cook untill the tomatoes are soft.
7. Now, add half a cup of water alongwith the carrots and peas. Also add the red chilli powder and the sabzi masalla. Stir gently.
8. After adding everything, put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes. Its best to remain in the kitchen the first time you make this. After about 5 minutes, lift the lid up and stir to check consistancy. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water. If you want to know whether the vegetables are cooked, use a spoon to slice them in half. Well done vegetables are soft and mushy. This part should not require more than 10-13 minutes.
9. Once everythings cooked, boil away all the extra water. The end result should be like thick gravy. Now, add the rice we cooked before and stir the mixture one final time. Add the chopped corriander at the end as a garnish. Alternatively, add the corriander alongwith the rice and mix it all.

Here is how mine looked like:

Happy cooking!!

Rasam Vegetable Curry

Main Ingredients:

• Cooking oil - 2 tablespoons (1 Tbsp = 15mL)
• Tomato - 2 medium sized
• Red Onion - small cut in half
• Corriander - as much as you like (a.k.a Dhania)
  
• Mustard Seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Rai)
  
• Cumin seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Jeera)
• Turmeric powder - quarter tea spoon (a.k.a. haldi)
  
• Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon (can be varied)
• Garam masala powder - a pinch
  
• Rasam powder- 1 tea spoon
  
• Salt - to taste

The vegetables:

• Carrot - 2.5 inches long sliced into small cubes
• Green Peas - quarter handful

Note:- You will see something else with the peas, nicely chopped. They were called RUNNER BEANS and I am not sure what are they. I got them together with the peas and did not want to throw it out so I just cooked it.

The cooking instructions:

1. As shown, chop the tomatos, onions, carrots and corriander. Keep em aside for now.
2. Transfer the oil in a bowl and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Heat on high flame. Wait untill you see the seeds crackle. Then add the onions.
3. Wait untill the onions are browning and then add the tomatos & turmeric powder. Stir and cook until the tomatos are mushy.
4. Now add 1 cup of water, red chilli powder, rasam powder and garam masala powder as well. Transfer all the vegetables & the corriander and mix well.
5. Add a bit more water and cook with lid on for 10-13 minutes. After, check for consistency. The gravy should be a little on the thicker side. Enjoy!!!

A nice addition at the end is sugar, about 2 tea spoons of it. Makes a very nice curry, gujarati style!!

Vegetable pulao (pilau) rice

Main Ingredients:

• Cooking oil - 2 tablespoons (1 Tbsp = 15mL)
• Basmati Rice - 1 hand full
• Tomato - 2 medium sized
• Red Onion - small cut in half
• Green Chilli - 3 medium sized (OPTIONAL)
• Curry Leaves - 4 or 5 (a.k.a Kadi patta)
• Corriander - as much as you like (a.k.a Dhania)
  
• Mustard Seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Rai)
  
• Cumin seeds - half tea spoon (a.k.a. Jeera)
• Turmeric powder - quarter tea spoon (a.k.a. haldi)
  
• Red chilli powder - 1 tea spoon (can be varied)
• Ginger (or ginger paste) - 1 small piece crushed (or half tea spoon) (OPTIONAL)
• Biriyani masala or chicken curry masala or vegetable curry masala etc - 1 tea spoon
  
• Salt - to taste

The vegetables:

I choose green peas and carrots only. You can add any other vegetables that you like/prefer ranging from potatoes to capsicum (whole peppers).

• Green Peas - half handful (a.k.a muttar)
• Carrot - 2.5 inches long

The cooking instructions:

1. Wash the rice in a bowl once and drain the water away. Refill the bowl, with the amount of water being 3 times the amount if rice. Cook on high flame for 10-12 minuteswith lid on, taking care that the rice does not stick and burn at the bottom of the dish.
   
2. Since the amount of water if high, the rice usually does not stick. After 10 minutes, taste a little bit of rice. If the rice is puffed and soft, its done. Otherwise cook for a little while longer. Using a wire mesh, drain the rice so that the water flows away. Keep this rice covered for use later on.
   
3. While the rice cooks, chop the tomatos, onion, carrot & green chilli into small pieces to save some time. The logic here is that small pieces of food cook better and the food is enriched with flavours.
4. Transfer the oil in a bowl and add the cumin and mustard seeds. Heat on high flame. Wait untill you see the seeds crackle.
5. Now add the green chillies, onions, ginger(or paste) and curry leaves. Take care as the oil is hot and things tend to JUMP initially. Stir now and then to ensure nothing sticks and burns. Wait untill the onions begin to brown.
6. Then, add the tomatoes and turmeric powder. Stir and cook untill the tomatoes are soft.
7. Now, add half a cup of water alongwith the carrots and peas. Also add the red chilli powder. Here's a tip. Its usually a lot better if you can find any other masala powder you find in the market at this stage such as BIRIYANI MASALA or CHICKEN CURRY MASALA etc. There's no harm in experimening I feel, but its not recommended for 1st timers. NOTE:- You may need a bit more water if you add any more vegetables.
   
8. After adding everything, put the lid on and cook for about 10 minutes. Its best to remain in the kitchen the first time you make this. After about 5 minutes, lift the lid up and stir to check consistancy. If the mixture is too thick, add a bit of water. If you want to know whether the vegetables are cooked, use a spoon to slice them in half. Well done vegetables are soft and mushy. This part should not require more than 10-13 minutes.
9. Once everythings cooked, boil away all the extra water. The end result should be like thick gravy. Now, add the rice we cooked before and stir the mixture one final time. Add the chopped corriander at the end as a garnish.
   

Once you get used to cooking in this way, the total cooking time would be about 25 minutes. The image you see at the top does not potray the right quantity, its about 3 times as whats shown. It smelled so good I could not resist, :-D.

With experience, you will know how to vary the amount of spices and what variations will be better. What I have described is pretty basic, but then I do not have the patience to cook for an hour for something that takes about a quarter of an hour to gobble up.....:-P. Enjoy and do share your experience.

Spicy Dal Fry

Main Ingredients (To serve 1):

• Cooking oil - 2 to 3 tablespoons (1 Tbsp = 15mL)
  
• Toor (Toovar) dal a.k.a. Yellow Lentils - 1 handful
• Medium sized green chillies - 3 or 4 - chopped into pieces
  
• Small tomato - 1 - chopped into small pieces
• Red onion - 1 - chopped into small pieces (Optional Ingredient)
• Harra Dhania a.k.a Corriander - As many as you like - Finely chopped
• Red chilli powder - half to 3/4ths of a tea spoon.
• Haldi a.k.a. Turmeric powder - a quarter tea spoon
• Rai a.k.a Mustard Seeds - variable
• Whole jeera a.k.a. Cumin Seeds - variable
• Ginger (or ginger paste) - 1 small pieces (or half tea spoon) (Optional Ingredient)
  
• Kadi Patta a.k.a Curry leaves - 4-6 leaves washed and chopped in half
• Salt
  

Cooking Method:

Ideally you should be using a pressure cooker to do all the cooking here. Its faster.

1. Wash the dal with normal water and keep it drowned in water for about 10 minutes in a small dish. The water level should not be more than 2 times the amount of dal.
   
2. Heat oil in a deep pan. Add rai and jeera. Wait untill u see the rai crackling and jumping around.
3. (NOTE:- The oil is very hot so take care when you add green chillies etc..)Add the green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and stir ocassionaly but not too vigourously.
   
4. Now add haldi, tomatoes and red chilli powder. Stir gently and mix well. If you can see stuff sticking to the base of the pan, add a little amount of water to increase liquidity.
5. Now add dal alongwith the water. Mix.
6. Add salt to taste.
   
7. Close the lid of the cooker safely. Now wait untill the cooker goes of atleast 3 times and switch the gas off. (For all those on electric cookers, switch off the power and shift the cooker to a colder coil). Wait untill all the pressure has resided and open the lid.
8. Now adding more water at this stage totally depends on how thick or thin you want your dal to be. Add water if it seems necessary. You can also choose to crush the dal if you like it that way.
9. Otherwise you can just choose to eat it as it is. Just stir it after opening the lid, add the corriander and stir again before you serve.
   

Best enjoyed with any type of rice and/or bread.

Gajar Ka Halwa

Ingredients:

Carrot (grated) 1 kg

Condensed milk 2 cups

Sugar 250 gm

Ghee 2 tbsp

Whole dried milk (mawa) 100 gm

Cardamom ½ tsp

Dry fruits (almonds, cashew nuts, raisin)

Method:

• Heat ghee in non stick deep pan n fry grated carrot for 2 mins on medium flame. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Put condensed milk and stir till it evaporates.
• Put sugar and continue to stir until the mixture becomes slightly thick (around 10-15 mins)
• Put mawa and stir properly.
• At the end put cardamom, saffron soaked in milk and dry fruits and mix well.

Decorate with dry fruits and silver leaf.

Ready to serve.

Instant Pizza

This one is too simple, here it goes

Ingredients:
Onions
Capsicums
Tomatoes
Tomato ketchup
Pizza base (usually available at cake shops, I get it from the Merwans cake shop in Mumbai, India)
Cheese (preferably mozzarella)
Black Salt Powder
Black Pepper Powder
Cumin seed Powder

Method:
Spread the tomato ketchup on the pizza base
Spread chopped onions and capsicums on the base
Spread Black Salt, Black Pepper, Cumin seed Powders, for taste (Indian Style!!)
Next, spread grated cheese
for the garnish, place 3-4 tomatoes in top (not seen in pic)
Bake in an oven or microwave (Oven temperatures: 200°C, for 5 minutes approximately, or keep observing and stop baking as you find the thing done ;-) !!)
Cut the pie as required!!

Will be putting up a glossary for readers very soon, it will have the English name, the Hindi name and the botanical name(in some cases) too, look out for the address (URL) in the right hand side space.