Sesame Peanut Spaghetti

I enjoy watching Ina Gartin’s Barefoot Contessa.She comes up with fine cuisine,great tips,mouth-watering and scrumptious food. It gets too tempting to eat what she makes.The other day, I was watching her make “Crunchy Noodle Salad” were she used Spaghetti,Snap Peas,Olive Oil,Sesame Oil,Sesame seeds,Scallion,Garlic and few other ingredients to make a lovely salad. You can look for her salad here - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/crunchy-noodle-salad-recipe/index.html

I like experimenting with things from time to time. Since am not a salad eater, I tried using most of the ingredients that was used in the original recipe along with few additions as per my choice and made my own “Sesame Peanut Spaghetti “.Yes, I gave it a different name as it was not a salad and not even close to the original one. After I was done with the dish, I felt I could add could something more…How about some roasted eggplant ,tofu???? Ummmm, I will probably keep these for my next experiment and for now here it is…



Ingredients:-

Spaghetti – ½ pound (thin) – cook as per instructions
Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp(toasted/roasted)
Peanuts - 3 tbsp (roasted and crushed)
Snap Peas – ½ cup (cook in salted water for 5mins until tender)
Bell pepper(any color) – 1 cored and seeded, thinly sliced
Onion – ½ cup (roughly chopped)
Scallions – ¼ cup (chopped) (optional)
Honey – 2 tsp
Parsley/Cilantro – for garnishing
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green Chillies – 4 nos(crushed)
Soy Sauce – 3 tbsp
Vegetable Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt – as per taste

Method –
1.In a large wok, heat Oil, add ginger garlic paste , Green chilies and Onions. Sauté until translucent.
2.Add the Bell Pepper and cook till tender.
3.Add Soy sauce and sauté for about 2-3 minutes and add honey, snap peas & scallions.
4.Gently toss the Spaghetti along with the mixture. Add salt.
5.Ensure all the ingredients are mixed well. In the end add the peanuts and roasted sesame seeds and mix it slowly. Garnish with Parsley/Cilantro. Serve hot.



Instead of Spaghetti,even Hakka Noodles can be used.

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Stuffed Capsicum Gravy

It is the cold time of the year.I’ve always waited for it and now that am witnessing it I feel why the “hell”???.Winter is jes not about snowfall; it’s much more than that. Its white and white everywhere which makes it beautiful but darn painful. Driving gets difficult, I don’t get to go out as often as I used to,severe cold & so on.Today is the worst day,the coldest winter where in temperature dropped to -21 F ie.,-26 C. Huh, we went out for Dinner and in spite of the layers and layers of clothes it was terrible.

Winter is the time for comfort ,for good food and warmth,for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire;it’s the time for home – Edith Sitwell.

And to enjoy the comforts of good food we hosted a Dinner and laid a feast to few very good friends. I tried out “Stuffed Capsicum Gravy” for the first time and it was surely a “hit”.It ended up a l’il spicy but then I toned the spice down by adding cream and it made the dish all the more rich,creamy and tasty!

Ingredients :-

For the stuffing:

Capsicum – 3 (smaller the better)
Potato – 2 boiled and mashed
Frozen Peas – ¼ cup(optional) – cook as per instructions
Chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera powder – 1 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt – as per taste

Gravy:

Onion – 1 (finely chopped)
Tomato – 5 (pureed)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Cumin/Jeera seeds – 1 tsp
Kitchen King Masala – 2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1tsp
Kasoori Methi – 2 tbsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Chilli Powder – 2 tsp
Cream – ½ cup
Cashewnut Powder – 2 tbsp
Crumbled Paneer – for garnishing(optional)
Cilantro/coriander leaves – for garnishing
Salt – as per taste

Method:

1.Mix all the stuffing ingredients except for the Capsicum and set aside.
2.Cut the Capsicum into two halves, deseed and cut the stalk .Stuff the above Potato mixture inside the capsicum.
3.Apply oil around it and bake it for 250F until it gets soft (You’ll see the wrinkles).Let it cool.It took me about 25 mins,am sure the timings completely depends on each oven used so it may vary.



4.Heat oil in a kadai,temper jeera,once it starts crackling add ginger garlic paste, onions and sauté until translucent.
5.Add the Tomato paste,salt,chilli powder,turmeric powder,coriander and jeera powder. Add water (1 ½ - 2 cups).
6.Onc e the raw smell disappears add Kitchen King Masala,Cashewnut powder and Kasoori Methi.
7.Stir well,add cream and switch of the flame.You’ll end up with a tangy thick gravy.

Before serving,place the Stuffed Capsicum in the serving bowl and pour the gravy on top of it.Garnish with cilantro and crumbled Paneer.



The Capsicum's that I used were large so i had to cut the halves again,the smaller the better. Depending on the requirement,use more Bell Peppers/Capsicum.I wanted to make it rich,hence added Paneer and cashewnut powder,these can be avoided too.Also, more water can be added to get the gravy consistency.

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Carrot Milk/Carrot Kheer

There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last - Robert Louis Stevenson.

Think of Deserts…ummmm my mouth is watering!

There are a lot of restaurants that I like only for their desert section.In Bangalore(India) one such amazing place is “Frescos” in Cunningham Road. A friend of mine took me there and I fell in love with their deserts. This place has a separate room…yes a room only for deserts:P Variety of deserts are displayed,You gota go there and then make your choice. Once done,they serve it with a great combination of sauce/nuts. The way it is served/presented is a treat for the eyes and makes it all the more tempting.

I’ve always ended up making Halwa’s, Jamuns,pastries or Kheer for deserts.I had enough carrots at home, used a few of them for making Pulao and the rest for making Carrot milk or call it Carrot kheer….its a rich,tasty and a perfect drink!



As a kid, I hated carrots. Somehow the concept of eating raw vegetables never appealed to me. I know eating raw veggies such as Raddish,Beetroot,Cabbage etc are healthy, but I am not a great fan of it!

Ingredients:

Carrot – 6
Cardamom powder – a pinch
Milk – 3 cups
Sugar – ¾ cup(increase it as per ur taste)
Cashew Powder – 2tbsp(Plain Cashews coarsely grounded)
Cream – ½ cup

Method :-

1.Peel the carrots ,pressure cook/boil them in water until soft and grind to a fine paste.
2.Bring milk to boil,add the carrot paste,sugar and cardamom powder.
3. Add Cashewnut powder & allow it to boil for about 8-10mins, stirring it occasionally.
4. The milk would thicken a li’l,add the cream and switch of the flame.
Serve it hot/cold.



Personally I like it cold. You can also add chopped Pistachios/Almond or even Kesar.P has a very sweet tooth,so I always make it extra sweet.You can increase/decrease based on your liking.



This will be definetly loved by kids,hence sending this one for Preety's Cooking for Kids(milk/milk products) originally started by Sharmi from Neivedyam

This goes to Varsha's Recipes for the rest of us - Desert event originaly started by Ramki of One Page cookbook.

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Scandinavian Pecan Cookies

I wanted to bake some cookies that was easy and found this “Scandinavian Pecan Cookies”. I had picked this book “Taste of Home” few months back and took the recipe from there. While making it, I added few ingredients and also increased the quantity as per my choice .



Scandinavia is in Europe,Northern Europe to be precise.Denmark,Sweden & Norway are a part of Scandinavia.Heard about “Danish cookies”???? Yes - they are world famous.Danes are internationally known for their Pastries,cookies etc. We had my husband’s relative visiting us few months back, the things he mentioned about Norway totally surprised us.I believe they only have few hours of sunlight(might be during winter not sure though) which means complete darkness otherwise. Huh…even here the sunsets by 16:45hrs,but definitely better than Norway. I landed here during Summer and I remember Sun used to set only after 2100hrs.I was zapped! . In India, I have read about the four seasons in the books but never got to see them . The best thing about this place is I get to see all the four seasons distinctively .Of all the seasons "Fall" is beautiful.

Anyways coming to this, I made the Pecan cookies yesterday.I ran out of Pecans in between,so I also used cashewnuts to coat few cookies.

Ingredients:-

All Purpose flour/Maida – 2 cups
Brown Sugar – 1 cup
Egg – 1 separated
Butter – 1 cup (softened)
Pecans – 1 cup( finely chopped)
Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
Cardamon Powder – a pinch(optional)

Method :

1.Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.Add Vanilla essence and Egg yolk.Beat well.
2.Add the flour,cardamon and mix well.
3.Shape into small balls,flatten a li’l and dip them onto the egg white(beat it before use) and roll in pecans.
4.Bake at 375F for about 10-12mins or until edges are slightly brown.
5.Cool it well before use.



Once done,it might appear to be soft,allow it to cool and you’ll see the difference.

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Spinach Rice

I am very fussy when it comes to food.My Mom always says that its too difficult to please me:-D Am lucky to marry someone who is just the opposite to me. My Husband doesn’t mind anything I cook,so I don’t bother asking him what he likes to have,what to make etc. I had some green Onions at home and the first thing that came to my mind was “Fried Rice”.Since I had frozen Spinach also,I wanted to come up with something new. I tried making “Spinach Rice” and it turned out well. This is also a healthy dish, coz Spinach is rich in Iron & Calcium

Ingredients:-

Frozen Spinach – 1 cup
Onions – 1 small(chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1tsp
Green Chillies – 4-5 (crushed)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
Green Onions – 1/2 cup chopped
Basmati Rice – 2 cups(cooked)
Salt – As per taste

1.Cook the Frozen Spinach as per the insturctions mentioned in the packet. Squeeze excess water and set aside.
2.Heat Oil in a wok,add ginger garlic paste,Green chillies & Onions one after the other
3.When the Onions turn translucent add the Soy Sauce and Stir for a min or two.
4.Drop the chopped green Onions and spinach.
4.Allow it to cook for about 5mins and add rice. Add salt and mix well.

Serve Hot!



I always grind Green Chillies in abundance and refrigerate it,its easy to use it as & when required. I believe adding salt to it helps to keep it for longer.

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Matar Paneer

Flavour/Flavor is determined by taste and smell.One main ingredient that gives flavor to my cooking is the “Kitchen King Masala”, this gives an extra zing to all my north Indian recipes.I would call it my secret ingredient too….Shhhh!

Not many use this in their cooking,I got to know about this thru my husband’s Aunt.She had invited us home for dinner,we feasted on Cutlet,Bisibelebath,Poori,Dum Aloo(this one was a lil different,as the tomato base was cleary seen and made it very tangy) and so on…Oops not to forget the yummy desert - Aam Ras.She actually mentioned abt Kitchen King Masala to me and that’s how I even got to know about it.

This powder contains cumin seeds,Pepper,Coriander seeds,Chillies,Turmeric,Garlic,Dry ginger,Cardamom,Fenugreek,Poppyseed,Clove,Nutmeg,Asafoetida,Dry Fenugreek leaves(Kasuri Methi) etc…..Isn’t this enuf to be a good ingredient? While the usual Garam Masala does have a few ingredients mentioned above but not all.So the “Kitchen King Masala” is definetly the “King” of all masalas:-P

In one of my earlier posts, I had mentioned about some easy North Indian recipes. Another one to the list would be “Matar Paneer”. I had a lot of Frozen Peas & Paneer lying in the refrigerator for long and I kept thinking as to what to make using them. I was in a mood of easy cooking and started off…

Ingredients :

Frozen Peas – 1 ½ cup
Paneer – 1 cup (cut into cubes)
Red Onion – 1(finely chopped)
Tomatoes – 3(pureed)
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 2-3 chopped & crushed-(Optional)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp
Kitchen King Masala – 1 tbsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp(optional)
Turmeric Powder – 1/2tsp
Red Chilli powder – 1tsp(increase as per individuals spice levels)
Cilantro – for garnishing
Salt – as per taste

Method:-

1.Heat oil in a Kadai, add cumin seeds ,Ginger garlic paste,Green Chillies(optional) &Onion. Saute till the Onions turn translucent.
2.Add the tomato puree ,Turmeric Powder,Red Chilli powder and cook till you see the oil disappearing from the sides.
3.Now add the Frozen Peas and little water to let it cook.Cover it with a lid.
4.Once done,add Kitchen King Masala and Garam Masala(optional).Saute for about 5-7mins
5.In the end, add the Paneer ,mix gently.Close the lid for few minutes and garnish with Cilantro. This goes well with any Indian Bread/Rice.




I grinded the green chilles along with the Tomato Puree,as it is better to grind than to crush.Not many use Green chillies in Aloo Matar as Red Chilli powder does the job.I have also seen people adding both the masalas(kitchen king & garam masala) so I've mentioned it above too.

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Mixed Rice Noodles

It has been days since I’ve written anything. Before I hit the bed, I keep thinking of all the things that I did during the day and there is nothing much I cud think off, coz “I did nothing”. I’ve been procrastinating blogging for days. I shouldn’t be saying that I was extremely busy and had absolutely no time for blogging…..this isn’t right as I have/had all the time in the world….its jes that “ I’ve become tooooo lazy” these days.

The winter here is killing me,temperature is like 0F…its horribly cold. Probably it’s the weather that’s making me lazy. However things go, the time I spend in Kitchen doesn’t change. I still enjoy cooking, my husband ends up being the guinea pig most times.:-P

I remember eating Noodles and Rice together in a Chinese Restaurant in India, I seldom remember the name. I came up with my own recipe by just keeping the taste in mind.

Anyways,I call this Mixed Rice Noodles.

Ingredients:-

Chinese Noodles – 1/2 pkt (I picked up the Veg Hakka Noodles from the Indian Grocery)
Basmati Rice – ½ cup cooked
Capsicum – ½ cup(sliced)
Cabbage – ½ cup(thinly sliced)
French Beans & Carrots – ½ cup ( thinly sliced)
Onions – 1 cup (diced)
Ginger Garlic and Green chillies paste – 1tbsp
Crushed peanuts – ¼ cup (optional)
Spring Onions – ¼ cup(finely chopped)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce – 2 tsp
Salt – as per taste

Method:-

1.Cook the noodles as per the instructions in the cover.
2.Heat oil in a large wok,drop in the ginger garlic and green chilli paste(I grinded all the three together)and saute the chopped Onions and Capsicum till they turn soft and glazed.Add the veggies on to it.
3.Once they are done, add the soy sauce. Saute it for about 2mins and add the noodles.Toss well.Peanuts can be added before adding the noodles(this is optional)
4.Now add the rice and salt.Sauté for about 5-6mins & garnish it with spring onions and serve hot.



This goes well with Gobi/Veg Manchoorian or any other gravy(chinese cuisine)!Ensure the cooked rice doesn't stick to each other.Instead of Basmati Rice,regular rice can also be used.



This is off to Trupti's Winter Treat Event.

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