Middle Eastern Saffron Rice

Tags

30 minutes or less, Blogging Marathon, Middle Eastern, Rice Recipes

This Middle Eastern Saffron Rice is a flavoured rice from the Middle East. Saffron and other spices with lots of butter can be served with Za’atar spiced cauliflower or meat.

Sending this recipe over to our Blogging Marathon #110, week 3, day 1 under “Let’s pack to the Middle East” theme.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Cook Time : 30 minutes

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients:

Butter : 4 tablespoons

Onion : 1 medium diced

Garlic : 3 cloves minced

Basmati Rice : 1 1/2 cups

Cumin : 1 teaspoon

Saffron : 10 strands

Ground Cinnamon : 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt : 1 1/2 teaspoons

Ground black pepper : 1/2 teaspoon

Water : 2 1/2 cups

Method:

Take rice in a bowl and wash it 4-5 times until most of the starch is gone.

Heat butter in a pan, add onions and sauté for 3 minutes until they are translucent.

Add garlic, all spices, rice and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add water, stir, close lid and cook for 20 minutes until the rice is completely cooked. Turn off the stove and let it rest for 5 minutes before fluffing it and serving.

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#110

Spinach and Feta Omelette

Tags

eggs

This omelette is filled with the goodness of fresh spinach, feta cheese, parsley and onions. It makes a healthy breakfast and is really filling.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time : 10 minutes

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Baby Spinach : 1 cup

Parsley : 1/2 cup finely chopped

Onion : 1 medium finely chopped

Garlic : 2 cloves minced

Extra virgin olive oil : 1 teaspoon

Eggs : 3

Feta Cheese: 1/2 cup crumbled

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Add listed ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.

Heat oil in a frying pan, pour half the egg mixture and cook until golden brown on both sides. Repeat same with rest of the mixture.

Serve immediately.

Andhra Vankaya Fry/Eggplant Fry

Tags

30 minutes or less, Andhra Recipes, Veg Curries

This Vankaya Fry is my grandma’s recipe. Fresh, small long Vankaya is used to make this dish. Being in US for all these years, I could never get my hands on them. Now, that I’m in India, I got fresh veggies from my farm and was so trilled to see these vankayalu. The fry is made with simple ingredients.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 15 minutes

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients :

Eggplant / Vankaya : 1/2 kg

Onion : 1 large sliced

Green chillies : 3 slit

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Ginger garlic paste : 1 teaspoon

Turmeric : 1/2 teaspoon

Iguru Karam : 2 teaspoons

Coriander powder : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Roasted Peanuts : 1/2 cup crushed

For Tempering:

 Chana dal : 1 teaspoon

Urad dal : 1 teaspoon

Cumin : 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chilli: 1 broken

Method:

Cut the eggplant into 2 inch pieces and put them in salt water.

Heat oil in a pan add all ingredients listed under for tempering and fry until the dals turn golden brown.

Add curry leaves, onions, green chillies and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for 30 seconds.

Add eggplant, turmeric, salt, stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes. Add crushed peanuts, stir to combine, close lid and cook for another 5 minutes.

Take the lid off, add Iguru Karam, coriander powder, stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the eggplant is completely cooked.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

 

Almond Bajra Poori

Tags

Andhra Recipes, Breakfast dishes, Tiffins

Poori is an Indian bread that is deep fried and normally served as breakfast or light meal. It is served with a curry. This Almond Bajra Poori is made with Almond flour, Bajra flour and Gluten free flour. This poori puffs up really nice like the ones with wheat flour but much healthier. It takes very less oil to cook so you can eat poori guilt free.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 2 minutes per poori

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients :

Almond Flour : 1/2 cup

Bajra Flour : 1/2 cup

Gluten free flour : 1/2 cup

Salt : 1 teaspoon

Method:

Take all the ingredients in a bowl, gradually add water and knead it into a firm yet pliable dough. Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.

Heat oil for deep frying.

Make a golf ball sized balls from the dough. Roll them into thin disks and slowly drop one disk at a time in the oil.

Cook the poori until it turns golden brown on both sides. Take the poori and place it on a plate lined with paper towel.

Serve hot with your choice of curry.

I – Iced Golden Drink

Tags

30 minutes or less, Blogging Marathon, drinks

This Iced Golden Drink is inspired by the Starbucks new drinks that were launched as part of their annual spring menu. Looking at the ingredient list of the “Iced Golden Ginger Drink”, I loved turmeric being added. It’s a natural anti-biotic and so many more health benefits. So, I made the drink guessing the measurements and kids loved it. Now, I can’t wait to taste the Starbucks drink.

So, I kept aside the post I made for letter I and posting this delicious drink that has so many health benefits especially with all the sickness that’s going around.

Sending this recipe over to our Blogging Marathon #110, week 1 day 3 under A to Z 30 minutes or less recipes.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Making Time : 2 minutes

Serves : 2

 Ingredients :

Coconut milk : 400 ml (1 can)

Pineapple puree : 3 tablespoons

Maple syrup : 2 tablespoons

Vanilla extract: 1/2 teaspoon

Ground cinnamon : 1/2 teaspoon

Ground Ginger : 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric : 1 1/2 teaspoons

Method :

Take 2 glasses, add ice and pour 1/4 cup of coconut milk in each glass.

Take the rest of the ingredients in a small blender along with a 1/2 cup of ice and pulse few times to mix the ingredients.

Pour the drink into the glasses and serve immediately as the spices will slowly settle down to the bottom.

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#110

Chicken Fajita Roll-ups

Tags

Baked Foods, Chicken Recipes

Chicken Fajita Roll-ups are made with skinless boneless thighs, bells peppers and flavourful spices. Simply serve it along with any salad of your choice.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 10 minutes

Bake Time : 10 minutes

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken Thighs : 5

Red bell pepper : 1 sliced

Yellow bell pepper : 1 sliced

Green bell pepper : 1 sliced

Dressing:

Extra virgin olive oil : 2 tablespoons

Dried Oregano : 1 teaspoon

Red chilli flakes : 1 teaspoon

Ground cumin : 1 teaspoon

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, add the ingredients listed under dressing and mix well.

Take the chicken pieces, brush the dressing on the inner thigh, place the peppers and roll it up. Secure the chicken with a toothpick.

Heat oil in a pan, place the chicken pieces seam side down, brush the chicken with the dressing and cook on med-high heat for 5 minutes until it’s golden brown. Turn the chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the chicken turns golden brown.

Place the cooked chicken pieces in a oven safe pan and bake it for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with any salad. I served with a simple salad.

 

Hummus

Tags

Blogging Marathon, dips, spreads

Hummus is a dip or spread made with cooked and mashed chickpeas, garlic, cumin seeds, lemon juice and Tahini. It’s a popular Middle East and Mediterranean dish but is famous internationally.

Sending this dish over to our BM #109, week 4, day 2 under Dips and Spreads category.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time : 10 minutes (if using dried chickpeas)

Makes : 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients :

Soaked and cooked chickpeas : 1 1/2 cups

Garlic Cloves : 3 minced

Tahini : 2 tablespoons

Olive oil : 1/4 cup

Lemon : 1 juiced

Cumin : 1 teaspoon

Chickpea liquid : 1/3 cup

Salt : 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Add all the listed ingredients in a food processor or blender jar and blend till smooth.

Serve with pita chips or fresh veggies. Hummus can be refrigerated for upto a week in a airtight container.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#109

Guacamole

Tags

Blogging Marathon, dips, spreads

Guacamole is an avocado based dip, spread or salad originates from Mexico. It has become a popular dish in International and American cuisine apart from Mexican cuisine.

Made this dish as part of our BM # 109, week 4 day 1 under Dips and spreads category.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Makes : 1 cup

Ingredients:

Ripe Avocados : 2 peeled, pitted and mashed

Lime : 1 small juiced

Salt : 3/4 teaspoon

Garlic : 2 cloves minced

Tomatoes : 2 small chopped finely

Onion : 1/2 cup finely chopped

Cilantro/ Coriander : 2 tablespoons finely chopped

Method:

In a medium sized bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well to combine.

Serve with some tortillas and refrigerate the left over in an air tight container for upto 2 days.

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#109

Paneer Salad

Tags

paneer, Salads

This Paneer Salad is a simple salad. Just a handful of fresh vegetables and pan fried marinated paneer. The salad is a refreshing and the spicy paneer adds a little kick to the salad.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cook Time : 5 minutes

Serves : 2-3

Ingredients:

Romaine Lettuce : 2 cups washed and chopped

Cucumber : 1 diced

Tomatoes : 2 medium diced

Onion : 1 medium sliced

Salt to taste

To marinade:

Paneer: 250 grams

Ginger garlic paste : 2 teaspoons

Yogurt : 1/4 cup

Red chilli powder : 1 teaspoon

Garam Masala : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Method :

In a medium sized bowl, add all the ingredients listed under for marinade and toss well to coat.

In an another medium sized bowl, add all the veggies, salt and toss well.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the the marinated paneer for 5 minutes tossing them.

Add paneer to the salad and serve with any salad dressing of your choice.

 

Homemade Paneer

Tags

paneer

Paneer is super easy to make at home and the fresh paneer tastes much better than the store bought one. I’ve been making panner for several years now and this is a fool proof recipe.

I made paneer from fresh buffalo milk, cow milk and Amul milk. Cow milk yields a little less panner but all will give good panner.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Makes : 250 grams

Ingredients:

Milk : 1 litre

Lemon : 1 medium juiced

Vinegar : 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Pour the milk in a pan and bring it to a boil. Add lemon juice, vinegar and stir. You should see milk curdled in big chunks and water separated.

Take a thin cloth or cheese cloth and strain the curdled milk. Be careful as it’s really hot. Save the whey water for later. Squeeze the paneer a little and place the cloth with panner under a heavy object(I used chapati stone).

All the water is out of the paneer. Transfer paneer into a plate and cut into desired pieces.

Enjoy this fresh paneer in kebabs, curries or any other dish you like.