A simple baked starter for parties. Easy to cook and full of flavor.



Method
1. Clean and par boil baby potatoes in salty water till they are about 50% cooked. Remember to take care that the potato skin should not shrivel. Strain the potatoes and keep aside to cool
2. Make a mixture of 2 tbsp olive oil with 5-6 pods of crushed garlic, rosemary, pepper, sea salt and chilli flakes.
3. Preheat an oven for 15 mins at 160 degress Celsius. 
4. Add the potatoes to a baking dish. Add the marinade on top and then bake it in the oven for around 30 mins. Midway through stir/rotate the potatoes so that they are evenly cooked. Check with a fork at the around 20 mins and adjust the timings of the oven accordingly.
5. Remove the potatoes from the oven when golden in colour and tender


A very good step by step approach is given here 

Wanted to try out different fruit cake recipes and decided to try this orange and chocolate cake recipe that I saw on Nigella's website. I have modified it heavily though the inspiration is from this page.

Here is my recipe with liberal chocolate gratings which is not part of the original recipe. The moistness in this cake makes it yumm!

Method

1. Preheat the over at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 mins.
2. In the meantime, add  250 gms flour, 200 gms powdered sugar,  100 gms butter, 2 eggs,  and 50 gms of Hung curd and mix well. 
3. Add around 2 tsp of powdered orange rind, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract ,100 ml orange juice (I used canned juice but fresh orange juice will taste better), 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda into the mixture  bowl and mix well.
4. Mix till you get a a smooth, thick batter. In case the batter is very thick you can add some milk to get it to the right consistency.
5. Prepare a baking tin with butter and sprinkle flour on it.
6. Add the cake mixture in one thin 1 cm layer in the baking tin. Grate some chocolate on the batter and then spread the next layer of orange batter.Grate some more chocolate on the cake and put it into the oven.
7. Bake it in the oven for 40 mins, but start checking at 30 mins.You can check the centre of the cake with a tester. The cake is ready when the tester comes out clean.
8. Remove the cake to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tin
9. As the cake is baking, boil 100 ml of orange juice with 2 tsps sugar till the juice thickens. Keeps aside to cool. 
10. When the cake is out, prick it with a toothpick in multiple places and then pour the orange juice. The juice will soak up immediately to give you the moist orange cake.The orange juice mixture gives the cake a good glazing.

Your delicious orange cake is ready to be devoured!

Have always been a fan of the Maharashtrian misal. Today we tried cooking the matki misal. The sweet and sour taste of this dish is balanced well by the chilli to give a healthy lentil soup. Ideal for breakfast or evening snacks. This can also be eaten with a pav to make it more filling.




Method
1. For matki sprouts,  Soak 100 gms of matki(moth beans) in water overnight. Drain the water the next morning and tie this in a fine muslin cloth so that it starts sprouting,
2. Soak some 2 small marble sized  tamarind in water and then squeeze it well to make 2 tbsp of tamarind water and keep aside
3. In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil . When hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add handful of curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida. To this add 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder and a pinch of haldi and saute for a few minutes on a low flame.
4.  Add the matki sprouts and water to get a gravy with very thin consistency, Add 1 small marble sized ball of jaggery (or according to taste) and the tamarind water. Add salt according to taste. Bring it to a good boil and then turn of the flame.
5. Serve with farsan and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Tried this awesome Chicken with dried red chillies in Singapore and decided to recreate it.This is my own version which is a mish mash of a few recipes I found online.



Method

1. Marinate 500 gms of chicken with bones with 2 tsp soya sauce, 3 garlic cloves peeled and grated, 1 tsp red chilli sauce, 1 tsp vinegar, 1 tsp pepper powder 1 tsp honey and salt and keep aside for an hour.
2. Take 2 tsbp olive oil in a pan and heat it. When hot, deep fry 10 dried red chillies and keep aside. In the same oil deep fry 1 inch ginger which is cut into long thin slices and keep aside. Fry handful of peanuts and keep aside
3. In the same oil, sear the chicken in batches along with the marinade till they are almost cooked. 
4. Make a mixture of 1 tsp soya sauce, 1/2 tsp red chilli sauce, pepper, 1/2 tsp honey and 1/2 tsp vinegar or according to your taste, add 1 tsp of cornflour and keep it aside. 
5. Add back the chillies, ginger and peanuts and the above marinade. Mix well and stir fry for 5 more minutes. Garnish with spring onions cut into long thin slices.

Never get tired of paneer dishes. Was looking for something new to cook today when I came across this dish on VahreVah.com...Simple to cook and goes well with rotis.

Method

1. Take 2 tbsp oil in a pressure cooker. When hot, add 2 finely chopped onions and saute it till light pink. To this add 2 finely chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp chilly powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder. Mix it well put the lid on and let it cook for 15 mins in a slow flame (2-3 whistles) till cooked well. This paste can be used as a base for your gravies. You can store this in the fridge for future use.
2.  Heat 2 tsp butter in a pan. When hot, add 1 tsp of nicely crushed kasoori methi. Saute it for a minute. Add 1 cup bell peppers (red , yellow) and 1/4 kg paneer cut into cubes.
3. Add onion florets to this mixture and saute well in the butter till the capsicum is cooked. 
4. Now add 2 tbsp of the above onion gravy and saute well. Add some water and put the lid on and cook till the gravy reaches a boil.
5. Add 1 tbsp cream to the gravy and mix well.Cook for a few mins and then turn off the flame.
6. Garnish with coriander and Serve with hot rotis.

Though Yash and me are both GSBs, I am amazed at how recipes and the food we eat differ so significantly even though the distance between our hometowns must be less than 200 kms. 
Puli Koddel is one such dish which we had never cooked at our home but is a delicacy for Yash's family. So I decided to learn this one and cooked it the other day. Turned out pretty much like it is cooked at Yash's home in Dakshin Kanara.

Method

1. Roast 3 tsp coriander seeds, 3 tsp till seeds,  2 tsps black gram dal, 2 tsps bengal gram dal, pinch of turmeric, pinch of asafoetida (hing), 1 tsp raw rice, 3 tbsp grated cocounut, 8 dried  red chillies with a little oil till brown.
2. Grind all ingredients with 1 marble sized tamarind to a coarse paste
3. In a vessel, boil deskinned ash gourd(I used about 1/4 of an ash gourd)  cut into 1 inch pieces with sufficient water. Add 1 lime sized jaggery while boiling.
4. Now when the ash gourd is sufficiently soft, add the ground masala. Adjust the salt and bring it to boil.
5. Remove from flame.
6. In a small pan, give tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add it to the koddel and cover for the flavors to assimilate in the curry.
7. Eat with hot rice.

Just realised how life becomes easy thanks to technology...earlier I used to click photos with my camera and then download them, enhance them on my laptop and then write posts. the whole process was such a time taker that posting  became a cumbersome affair. Now with my new Nexus 5, I can click pics, enhance them and then blog from the comfort of my phone or also laptop...much easier..
Yes the quality of the pics may go down a bit but then it you need to give some to get some...





Method

1. Take 3 cups of maida and 1 tbsp of rawa. To this add 2 tbsp grated coconut, salt, 2 very finely chopped green chillies and mix 2 cups of water.
2. Take a tempering pan, add coconut oil and 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds and 1 sprig of curry leaves. Add this to the maida batter.
3. Adjust the water to get a watery consistency
4. Place tawa on flame. Smear with oil and spread the batter thinly  when the pan is hot. Once a side looks cooked (you can figure this out when the edges turn brownish), flip the dosa and cook the other side.
The rawa gives an added crispiness to this dosa. The seasoning is so good that you dont need chutney with this dosa. 

It is difficult to get fresh seafish here in Hyderabad. However got some really good pomfret the other day at Matsya darshini which is on Road no 10, Bajara Hills. Cooked a variation of the normal Konkani fish fry with slightly added south indian flavors from Kadipatta and garlic. 
We liked this variation over my normal fish fry...

Method

1. Crush handful of curry leaves and 3-4 garlic pods using a mortar and pestle. Add pinch of turmeric, 1/2 tsp of jeera powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder,1 tsp tamarind extract and salt according to taste. I applied this paste to approximately 1 kg(before cleaning) of fish.
2. Marinate thinly cut slices of black pomfret with this paste.
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan. Mix 2 tbsp of Rawa (sooji) and 1 -2 tsp rice powder in a  plate. Roll the fish pieces in this powder and then deep fry till crispy brown.
4. Serve hot!