Simple Garlic Pasta

Author	:	Anusree
Prep Time	:	10 Min
Cook Time	:	15 Min
Serve	:	4

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Ingredients:

Dried Pasta	-	500 gm
Garlic	-	10-12 large clove, finely chopped
Parmesan Cheese	-	3/4 Cup, grated
Olive Oil	-	2 Tablespoon
Butter	-	1 Tablespoon
Red Chilli Flakes/crushed	-	1/2 Tablespoon
Salt	-	very little

Method:

Boil pasta as directed in a box or packet of pasta. Drain and keep it aside. In a pan add Olive oil and butter. Once it is hot add garlic and saute till the raw smell goes away and it starts turning brown. Now add pasta and give a stir. Add half  of the parmesan cheese and mix it. Now add remaining of the parmesan cheese and red chilli flakes and mix it well. Taste the pasta before adding salt. If you feel salt is required then only add salt and give a stir. Pasta is ready, serve hot.

Notes and Tips:

This is very simple, quick and one of the favorite dish of my family. You can always adjust the red chili as per you and your family's taste. Usually, I don't put red chilli when I prepare for my kids and sprinkle on my and my husband's plate.

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Dum Aloo - Bengali Style

Author	:	Anusree
Prep Time	:	20 Min
Cook Time	:	30 Min
Serve	:	4 people

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Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes	-	8-9
Tomatoes	-	2
Ginger Paste	-	2 Tablespoon
Cumin Seed	-	1 Teaspoon
Bay Leaves	-	2
Cumin Powder	-	1.5 Tablespoon
Coriander Powder	-	1/2 Tablespoon
Turmeric Powder	-	1 Teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder	-	1/2 - 1 Teaspoon
Cooking Oil	-	1/4 Cup
Salt	-	to taste
Sugar	-	1/2 Teaspoon
Cilantro/Coriander leaves	-	1/4 finely chopped
Special Garam Masala	-	1/2 Teaspoon ( Click here for full recipe)

Method:

Wash the baby potatoes and boil them in microwave or in pressure cooker. Don't overcook them otherwise they will crack and will not be in good round shape. Meanwhile prepare all the ingredients and make the puree of tomatoes. In a small bowl add ginger paste, cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder and mix them well with little water. Once the potatoes are boiled, cool them under water and carefully take off the skin. Carefully prick the boiled potatoes with fork at 2-3 places. Put 1/4 cup of oil in a pan or karahi. Put little salt in it and fry the potatoes till it turns golden brown. Take out the potatoes in a plate. From same pan/karahi take out excess oil and leave almost 2 Tablespoon of oil in it. Add cumin seeds and bay leaves. Bring down the heat to medium. Add the mixture of ginger paste and all the masala which you have prepared in step 3. Keep stiring till the raw smell of ginger and masala are gone. The color of the mixture will turn little brown. Add tomatoes and salt saute it for few mins. When the mixture starts leaving oil add fried potatoes and give a stir. Now add 1 cup of water,sugar and cover the pan/karahi with lid. Bring a gravy to a boil. Once the gravy starts boiling reduce the heat to medium, add special garam masala and let it cook for few mins. Once the gravy is thick turn off the gas and Dum Aloo is ready. Garnish the Dum Aloo with clinatro/coriander leaves and serve hot with puri.

Note and Tips:

I used baby red potatoes. You can always add red chilli powder as per you and your family's taste. If you can plan making of Dum Aloo one day ahead then you can boil the potatoes and keep them in refrigerator. Next day you can peel off the skin and start cooking. By doing this you can avoid cracking of potatoes.

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Special Garam Masala

Author	:	Anusree
Prep Time	:	5 Min
Cook Time	:	15 Min

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Ingredients:

Small Cardamom	-	10
Clove	-	12
Cinnamon stick	-	1.5 inch
Cumin Seed	-	1 teaspoon
Black Peppercorn	-	12-14
Big/Black Cardamom	-	2

Method:

Dry roast all the ingredients in a pan. Let it cool. Grind it in a mixer into fine powder and sieve the masala. Keep it in a small jar.

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Aloo Palak - Bengali Style

Prep Time	:	10 Min
Cook Time	:	15 Min
Serve	:	3-4

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Ingredients:

Spinach/Palak	-	2 Bunches
Potato/Aloo	-	1 Medium, cut into big pieces
Green Chilli	-	2 Slit into halves
Ginger	-	1 inch, grated
Onion Seed/Kalonji	-	1 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder	-	1/8 Teaspoon
Cooking Oil	-	2.5 Tablespoon
Salt	-	to taste

Method:

Wash spinach thoroughly, drain and cut into small pieces. In a pan add cooking oil, once its hot add Onion seed/kalonji, green chilli and potatoes. Saute it for few mins. Add spinach/palak, turmeric powder, ginger and salt. Mix well and cover it with lid. Let it cook on medium heat. Spinach/palak will leave lot of water, let it cook in that water.  Give the spinach/palak a stir in between to avoid getting burnt. Once the spinach/palak and potatoes are cooked and if water is still there then increase the heat and dry off the excess water. Keep stirring the spinach/palak otherwise it will burn. Serve hot with roti or dal-rice

Note:

You can increase or decrease the number of green chilies as per your taste. You can also use little bit of red chilli powder instead of green chilli.

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Tuvar Dal Lasooni

Prep Time	:	15 Min
Cook Time	:	10 Min
Serve	:	2

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Ingredients:

Tuvar/Arhar Dal	-	1/2 Cup
Tomato	-	1 Medium size finely chopped
Green Chilli	-	1 cut into half
Turmeric powder	-	1/2 Teaspoon
Salt	-	to taste
For Tadka
Ghee	-	2 Tablespoon
Whole Red Chilli	-	1
Cumin Seed	-	1 Tablespoon
Garlic	-	5-6 Cloves finely chopped

Method:

In a pressure cook add Tuvar/Arhar Dal, tomato, green chilli, turmeric powder, salt, sufficient water and cook it. Once the pressure of pressure cooker is released open the lid and keep it aside. In a tadka pan or in a small pan, add ghee. When ghee is hot add cumin seeds and garlic. Wait till the raw smell of garlic is gone and garlic turns little red. Now break the whole red chilli in two and add it into the ghee. Transfer the tadka into the dal. Bring the dal onto the stove and boil the daal a little so that the tadka gets mixed well. If you feel that dal is too thick then add little water and bring it to a boil. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Note:

This is one of the favorite dal of my family and friends. The volume of the cup which I used was -- 1/2 Cup = 120 ML.

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Besan Ladoo

Prep Time	:	10 Min
Cook Time	:	60 Min
Serve	:	20

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Ingredients:

Besan	-	500 gm
Sugar	-	500 gm
Ghee	-	250 gm

Method:

In a non-stick wok/karahi, add ghee. When ghee is little warm add besan and saute it on medium heat Saute the besan regularly till it starts turning brown. Once the besan is done. Take off the karahi from heat and let it cool until the temperature reaches the room temperature. When the besan is cool add sugar and mix it thouroughly. Now take little besan on your palm and start making the ladoo. If you think that ladoo are not binding then you can add little ghee in besan mixture and  start making the ladoos.(Do not add lot of ghee otherwise the mixture will be very loose) Make the ladoos carefully and keep them on a plate or tray. Let it be on plate for 5-6 hrs so it will hold the shape. After that you can store them in any container.

Note:

Laddoos can stay in container at room temperature for 4-5 days easily. Please keep the laddoos in cool and dry place.

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Baked Garlic Chicken stuffed with Spinach

Prep Time	:	20 Min
Cook Time	:	50 Min
Serve	:	2

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Ingredients:

Chicken	-	2 breast
Spinach	-	10-12 leaves
Onion	-	1/2 Cup Finely Chopped
Garlic	-	5-6 cloves crushed
Cheese	-	1/2 Cup grated
Bread Crumbs	-	1/2 Cup
Parmesan Cheese	-	1/2 Cup grated
Black Pepper Powder	-	1 teaspoon
Olive Oil	-	1/4 Cup
Salt	-	very little

Method:

Carefully slit the chicken into halves but do not cut it completely. In a pan, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot add garlic and saute it. Take out the oil and garlic in a plate. Chop 5-6 spinach leaves. Pre-heat oven at 425 degree F. In a same pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Then add onion and saute it. Add chopped spinach leaves and saute. Take out the mix in a plate and let it cool. Once it is cold, add grated cheese and little salt and mix. In another plate take bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and mix them well. Take chicken breast, open the slit carefully and place the whole spinach leaves on both the side Spread the onion-spinach mixture on chicken evenly. Close the chicken breast with the other half of chicken. Take a oven safe plate and keep a wire rack on top of it. Carefully take the stuffed chicken breast, dip it in garlic and oil mix on both the side then carefully dip it in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese mix from both the side. Place the chicken on wire rack which is kept on oven safe plate so the water of chicken will drip into the plate and chicken will come out nice dry and crisp. Repeat the same step to stuff the other chicken breast. Keep the oven safe plate with chicken in oven. Bake it for 30-35 mins or the chicken is fully cooked or till the internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degree F. Once the chicken is fully cooked take out from the oven and serve.

Note:

I used Fat Free Sharp Cheddar cheese. To check the internal temperature of chicken, I used cooking thermometer.

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Basil Fried Rice with Shrimp

Prep Time	:	10 Min
Cook Time	:	30 Min
Serve	:	2

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Ingredients:

Shrimp	-	10-12
Basmati Rice	-	1 Cup
Onion	-	1/2 Cup Finely Chopped
Carrot	-	1 chopped in small size
Beans	-	8-10 chopped in small size
Cabbage	-	1 Cup chopped
Dried Basil Leaves	-	1 1/2 Tablespoon
Black Pepper Powder	-	1 Teaspoon
Red Chilli crushed/Flakes	-	1/2 Teaspoon
Garlic	-	3-4 Cloves
Cooking Oil	-	4 Tablespoon
Salt	-	to taste

Method:

In a big vessel cook Basmati Rice with lots of water. Drain it and keep the rice for cooling. Once the rice comes to the room temperature keep them in a refrigerator for 10-15 mins. OR you can use leftover rice. Clean and deveine Shrimp/Prawns. If you are using frozen shrimp then thaw it before using them. Chop the garlics into small pieces. In a pan add 2 tablespoon oil. Once the oil is warm add garlic and saute it till the raw smell of garlic goes away. Add crushed red chilli, shrimp and little salt. Saute it till the shrimp is cooked. Take them out in a plate and keep aside. In a same pan add 2 tablespoon oil. Add onions saute it till it is about to turn red. Add carrots, beans and salt to taste. Saute them for sometime. Don't overcook them otherwise it will loose its crunch. Now add cabbage and saute it. Again don't overcook them. Add black pepper powder and dried basil leaves and mix. Take out rice from the refrigerator and add them into the pan. Mix well. Now add shrimp into the rice and mix well carefully. Basil Fried Rice with shrimp is ready to eat.

Note:

Vegetarians can leave the shrimp and leave from the step 2 to step 5. Please follow the rest of the recipe from step 6 to step 8 and vegetarian fried rice also come out very good. I used frozen shrimps. From my experience I learnt that fried rice comes out really good if you make them with cold rice. So if you have leftover rice then you can use that or if you are making with fresh rice then keep them in refrigerator for sometime before using them for fried rice. For fried rice, always fry vegetables in high heat to maintain its crunch and keep tossing to avoid getting burnt.

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