Cookies and cream Cookies

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Baked Foods

We were at a grocery store and my daughter saw this cookies and cream cookie dough in the cooler. Her immediate reaction was, OMG!!! They must taste so good, can you make them for me… 

So, I used the regular cookie recipe and added the oreo cookies to make it. She loved it. My son ate a half a dozen saying he was just tasting them…

So, here is the recipe…

Preparation Time: 15 minutes 

Bake Time: 18 minutes 

Makes : 18 cookies 

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 1 cup 

Brown sugar: 1/2 cup 

White sugar : 1/4 cup 

Unsalted butter: 8 tbsp or 1 stick (Room temperature)

Baking soda: 1/2 tsp 

Egg : 1

Oreos : 8

Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp 

Salt : 1/2 tsp 

Method:

Take the butter in a bowl and beat it well. Add both sugars and beat it till it’s light and fluffy.

Add egg and mix well. Add vanilla extract, salt, baking soda and flour and mix well.

Open the Oreos, take the cream out and crush the cookies in a mortal and pestal. With hands, press and break the cream into pieces and fold everything into the dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place a parachment paper in a baking sheet and spoon cookie dough onto to the sheet.

Bake for 18 minutes, take it off and cool for 10 minutes.

Hash Brown Bake

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Baked Foods

I always ate the deep fried hash browns and even though they taste yummy, the amount of oil they absorb is alarming. So, I tried to use the same ingredients and bake it like a casserole and family loved the cheesy, crispy hash browns that are more healthy. So, we have an option now.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes 

Bake Time: 30 minutes 

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 3 large 

Shallot : 1 chopped finely 

Cilantro: 1/4 cup chopped finely 

Egg : 1

Shredded Cheddar cheese: 1/4 cup

Black pepper: 2 tbsp 

Salt to taste 

Method:

Wash, peel and grate the potatoes. Add some salt and mix well for 1 minute. Let it rest for 10 minutes. 

Pre heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Drain all the water from that came from the potatoes.

Add all the ingredients and mix well.

Spoon the mixture into a baking pan, 9×9 and press it down tight. 

Bake for 30 minutes.

Take it out, cut into desired pieces and serve with ketchup.

Mixed Dal Muruku

My Peddamma makes these delicious Muruku using mixed dals/pulses. It’s both healthy and delicious.

When I first taste these, I fell in love with them and probably ate way more than what I should eat.

Since we cook the dals prior, it doesn’t absorb oil while frying the Muruku.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes 

Cook Time: 3-4 minutes per batch 

Makes : 60 Murukus approximately 

Ingredients:

Dals to be cooked:

Urad dal /Minappappu: 1/4 cup 

Bengal gram/ Senaga pappu: 1/4 cup

Moong dal / Pesarapappu: 1/4 cup 

Green chilies: 5

Other :

Rice flour : 4 cups

Ajwain/ Vaamu : 1 tbsp 

Butter : 1/4 cup 

Water : 3/4 cup 

Baking soda: a pinch

Salt to taste 

Method:

Take the dals and green chilies, add 1 1/4 cup of water and cook in the pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes and turn off the stove.

Take the butter, put it into the rice flour and work it into the flour till its smooth.

Take the ajwain and grind them in a mortar pestal and add them to the rice flour. 

Take the cooked dals into a blender, add 1/4 cup of water and make into a paste.

Add the paste, salt, baking soda to the flour. By adding water slowly, make into a firm dough.

Take the Muruku press, oil it and while wetting the dough, put inside the press.

Heat oil for deep frying, press the Muruku into the oil or back of the spatula as shown in the picture and reverse the spatula into the oil and it will easily drop off.

Cook until the Muruku is golden brown.

Store in a air tigh container for upto 3 weeks.

Vegetable Fried Rice-Indo Chinese Style

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Fried Rice

Indo-Chinese style foods are my favorite because of the spices used in them. Family loves them too. So, I make a lot of  foods mixing these spices and it never fails.

Vegetable fried rice is a very simple dish yet filled with nutrients for the kids. So, I make it a lot. 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 10 minutes 

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients:

Rice : 1.5 cups

Beans : 1/4 cup cut into 1″ pieces 

Carrot: 1 cut into small pieces 

Capsicum/ green pepper: 1 chopped into small pieces 

Peas : 1/2 cup 

Garlic: 2 cloves minced

Scallions/ green onions: 2 chopped 

Soy sauce: 2 tsp 

Rice vinegar or white vinegar:1 tsp 

Chili garlic sauce: 2 tsp (optional)

Green chili: 1 slit

Ground pepper: 2 tsp 

Salt to taste 

Method:

Cook rice and let it cool off a little bit.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok and add garlic and green chili and sauté for 1 minute. Add veggies and sauté on high heat for 5 minutes.

Add salt and sauces, mix well and add rice. Add pepper and toss well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and garnish with scallions.

Serve hot with gravy or curry.

I normally serve with Chicken 65 or Manchurian dishes.

Mumbai Vegetable Biryani

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Biryani

The way the veggies are cooked for the Mumbai Style Vegetable Biryani brings a different flavor to the dish.

Of course cashews, fried onions and the masalas add more flavors.

Cauliflower is normally used in the dish but I didn’t use it as hubby is not a big fan of Gobi in biryani or Pulav.

I added Bajji Mirchi as it brings a spicy kick to the biryani.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 30 minutes 

Serves : 4-5

Ingredients:

Rice:

Basmati rice: 2 cups 

Cloves : 5

Elachi: 2

Cinnamon: 1″ stick 

Bay leaf: 1

Vegetables:

Carrot: 1 large cut into 1″ pieces 

Peas : 1 cup

Potato: 1 large peeled and chopped 

Bajji Mirchi : 1 deseeded and cut in circles

Capsicum/green pepper: 1 sliced

Dry masalas:

Garam masala: 1 tsp 

Cumin coriander powder: 1 tsp 

Red chili powder: 1 tsp 

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp 

Hing : 1/2 tsp 

Salt to taste 

To make a corse paste:

Ginger : 2″ piece 

Garlic : 8 cloves

Green chilies: 4

Salt : 1/4 tsp 

Others:

Onion : 2 sliced ( 1 for fried onions )

Tomato: 1 puréed 

Cashews : 1 tbsp (make a paste)

Curd/ Yogurt: 2 tbsp 

Method:

Cook rice separately add all the ingredients listed with a lot of water and drain it off.

Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and fry all the veggies until they are completely cooked. It should take 5-7 minutes. Take them into a bowl.

Add 1 tbsp of ghee to the same pan and sauté onion till translucent. Add the green chili paste and fry for one minute. Add the dry masala powders, salt and mix well. Add the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes. Add curd, cashews paste and mix well. Cook for 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water and cook until the gravy is thick.

Take a heavy bottomed vessel pan and layer with rice first, masala, coriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onions. Do the same layering one more time, add food coloring if using, close lid and keep it on the stove on simmer for  10 minutes.

Turn off the stove, let it rest for 5 minutes before opening the lid.

Garnish with more fried onions before serving.

Chettinad Pepper Chicken Curry

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Chicken Recipes

Chettinad Pepper Chicken Curry has a nice kick from the fresh ground spices. The flavor of pepper stands out of the other spices. 

The dish goes great with biryani, pulav or roti.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients:

To Marinate:

Chicken: 500 gms

Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp 

Fresh ground pepper: 1/2 tsp 

Lime or Lemon juice : 1/4 tsp 

Salt : 1/2 tsp 

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp 

Spices to grind:

Coconut powder: 1/4 cup

Fresh ground pepper: 1/2 tsp 

Coriander seeds: 2 tbsp 

Elachi/Green cardamom: 2

Cinnamon: 2″ stick 

Cumin seeds/ jeera: 1 tsp 

Fennel seeds/ Saunf : 1 tsp 

Dry red chili: 1

For the wet masala:

Onion : 1 chopped 

Tomato: 1 chopped 

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp 

Cilantro/coriander leaves: 1/4 cup chopped 

Mint leaves/Pudina: 2 tbsp 

Turmeric: 1/4 tsp 

Fresh ground pepper: 1/2 tsp 

Salt to taste 

Method:

Take all the ingredients listed under to marinate, mix well and marinate for 30-40 minutes.

Take all the ingredients listed under spices to grind except coconut powder and pepper and fry for 3 minutes. Now add both the ingredients mix and fry 1 minute. Turn off the stove and let them cool. Grind into a smooth powder.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry onions until they turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy, add cilantro and mint leaves, cook for 1 minute. 

Add the marinated chicken and fry for 3 minutes, add the grinded masala, salt and mix well. Fry for 2 minutes close lid, open lid and add 1 1/4 cup of water mix well and close lid. Cook for 7-8 minutes. 

Open lid, add 1/2 tsp of pepper mix well and turn off the stove.

Serve hot with biryani, Pulav or roti.

Stuffed Capsicum/Green pepper- Andhra Style

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Veg Curries

Capsicum/Green Pepper can be stuffed using several different mixed like potato stuffing, ground meat stuffing, but in Andhra, the stuffing is made with onion and puffed Bengal gram as the base. It tastes yummy with rice, roti or eat them by itself as some of my work friends do.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 20 minutes 

Serves: 2

Ingredients: 

Small capsicum/green bell pepper: 6

Onion : 1 medium chopped 

Putnalu/Puffed Bengal gram: 1 cup

Senaga karam: 4 tsp 

Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp 

Coconut powder: 1/4 cup

Cumin coriander powder: 1 tbsp 

Salt to taste 

Method:

Take the Putnalu into a grinder and make them into a coarse powder.

Mix all dry ingredients together to make your stuffing.

Heat oil in a pan, add onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the powder and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Cut the tops of the capsicum, take all the seeds out, and save the lid.

Spoon the filling into the capsicum and close the lid. 

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry the capsicum making sure all sides are soft and brown in color. This should take about 15 minutes on low flame and keep closing the lid.

Turn off the stove and enjoy the stuffed capsicum with rice or roti.

Indian Style Egg Fried Rice

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Fried Rice

My family likes spicy food and when I came across this recipe on Foodvedam, I instantly wanted give it a try and I have to say the taste is just amazing.

I adjusted the spices to our taste and changed the recipe a little.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 15 minutes 

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

To cook Rice:

Basmati Rice : 1.5 cups 

Water : 2 1/4 cups

Oil : 2 tsp

Spices to be mixed in Rice:

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp 

Red chili powder: 1 tsp 

Oil : 1 tsp

Garam masala: 1 tbsp 

Others:

Onion: 1 thinly sliced 

Green chilies: 5 slit 

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp 

Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp 

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp 

Cumin coriander powder: 1 tbsp 

Garam masala: 1 tsp 

Eggs : 3

Cilantro/ Coriander leaves: 1/2 cup 

Mint leaves: 2 tbsp 

Scallions: To garnish (optional)

Salt to taste 

Method:

Soak the rice for 20 minutes.

Cook rice with oil and take the lid out. Let it cool a little for 5-7 minutes. Add the ingredients listed to be mixed to the rice gently and keep aside with a close lid.

Heat a wok, add 3 tbsp of oil and add onions and green chilies. Sauté them till onions are translucent. 

Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 1 minute. Add all the dry masalas and salt, mix well. 

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add them to wok. Cook for 3-4 minutes turn the other side and cut into pieces. Add cilantro and mint, mix well.

Add rice and toss gently but make sure the masala get coated well.

Cook for 2 minutes and turn off the heat.

Serve hot garnished with scallions.

Goan Chicken Curry/Chicken Vindaloo

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Chicken Recipes

This Goan chicken curry has a nice blend of spices and the gravy tastes amazing with Pulav /Biryani or even roti.

As the spices are freshly grounded, the aroma and the color of the curry is simply superb.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Vindaloo paste:

Dry Red chilies : 4-5

Coriander seeds: 2 tbsp 

Cloves : 5

Cinnamon: 1″stick 

Cardamom/Elachi: 2

Bay leaf : 1

Shahi jeera : 1 tsp 

Ground Black pepper : 1 tsp 

Turmeric: 1 tsp 

Water : 1/4 cup 

For curry:

Chicken: 500 gms 

Onion : 1 sliced thinly

Tomato: 1 chopped 

Tamarind paste : 1/2 tsp

Vinegar: 1/2 tsp 

Sugar : 1 tsp

Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp 

Salt to taste 

Method:

Take all ingredients listed under to make the paste except water and dry roast them for 2 minutes. Cook them off and make a paste adding water.

Heat oil in a pan and add onions, sauté till they turn translucent. Add Ginger garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add the paste and fry for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until they are mushy. Add the chicken, salt and fry for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup water, tamarind paste and sugar, mix well and close lid. Cook for 7 minutes. Open lid, add vinegar mix well and cook for 5 minutes or until curry is done.

Garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with Pulav, Biryani or Roti.

Cheese Tartlets

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Baked Foods

When I came across Tartlets, I looked at several recipes with different combinations. But I always wanted to ricotta cheese as a base and mozzarella cheese.

So, I made them when I had friends visiting as a starter and It became an instant hit.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes 

Bake Time: 12 minutes + 2 minutes 

Ingredients:

White or wheat bread : 6 slices

To make the filling:

Ricotta cheese: 1/4 cup 

Onion powder: 1 tsp 

Ground Black pepper: 1 tsp 

Dry spearmint: 1 tsp 

Others :

Mozzarella cheese: 6 pieces 

Tomato: 1 small diced

Method:

Cut the edges of the bread slices and roll them very thinly.

Put them into the muffin pan gently folding for tartlets as shown in the picture.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix all the ingredients listed for the filling and spoon it into the bread.

Bake for 12 minutes. Turn off the oven.

Take the tartlets out, place the mozzarella cheese and put the tray back in the oven for 2 minutes.

Take it out and garnish with tomato pieces.