Quick and simple chicken soup

With winters numbing us, we need a good dose of soups. Here's a quick refreshing soup which won't take much time and is totally worth the trouble.

Chicken pieces: 2-3
ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp
Black pepper powder: 1 tsp
salt: a pinch
onion: 1/4th chopped
a few corriander leaves
vinegar: 1tsp
Cornflour: 2 tbsp
Maggie chicken stock: 3 blocks
Optional
some green peas
some green chillies chopped
some boiled noodles
some orange carrot chopped
some sweet corns

In a pan full of water add chicken pieces, onion, ginger-garlic paste, black pepper. Boil till the chicken is cooked.
Drain the water into another pan using a sieve. Shred the chicken pieces with hand. Throw the remaining ginger garlic onion paste.
In the other pan which has the boiled water, put in the chicken stock and let it boil.
You can add veggies and noodles at this point if you want to make the soup a little fulsome. Taste the salt at this level. Since the stock already has some salt in it, I put in just a pinch more. Add some water to suit the quantity you desire.
Dissolve the cornflour in a cup of water. Pour it into the pan. The soup will thicken. Add vinegar and a little more pepper powder. Serve hot!

Lemon - Mint Rice

Lemon-mint rice

A light-hearted quick recipe

Rice: 2 cups basmati/ sela basmati saoaked in water for 20mins.
Mint leaves (fresh or dried): 1/2 cup
Lemon slices: 4-5
Lemon juice/vinegar: 1 tbsp
zeera: 1 pinch
Butter: 1 tbsp
olive oil for cooking
Olives: sliced, for garnishing
Salt to taste
Slit green chillies: 2-3 (optional)

In a kadhai, heat oil first and then add butter; sizzle zeera. Add Rice in layers: first put some rice, some mint leaves and lemon wedges. Repeat it till the entire rice is in the kadhai. Add enough water to cover the rice.Add salt and chillies. Cover and cook for about 15 min or till the water is absorbed. When the rice is about to be done sprinkle lemon juice/vinegar. Garnish with olives!

beans keema

Beans Keema

Here is another recipe which is mouth-watering. A combination of veg, and non-veg.

Beef/Mutton Keema: 500gms
Beans chopped: 250gms
onion chopped: 1 small
garlic paste: 1 tsp
tomato puree: 2 tbsp
salt to taste
turmeric paste: 1tsp
garam masala: 1/2 tbsp
dhania powder: 1-1 1/2 tbsp
pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
kuti lal mirch: 2tbsp
vinegar: 1 tbsp
dalchini powder: 1tsp
kalonji: 1/2 tsp

Heat oil in a kadhai. fry the onions and garlic. Add keema, mirch, turmeric, garam masala, dhania, dalchini powder. Fry the keema. Let it cook for 5-7 mins.

Now add beans to it and salt. Add a little water. Cover it and cook for 10 mins.

After that add tomato puree and kalonji. Saute for 5 mins mins. Add vinegar. Add a little water. Cover and cook for 10 more mins or till the beans is fully cooked. add pepper powder.
Serve hot. 

Aloo-Mint Raita

Raita is a part of our daily diet. It is so much more fun when you can make it in a variety of ways. This one is quick, tastes well and a variation of our standard purani dilli raita.

1 cup curd
1 small potato boiled and mashed [you can even pick some from the left-over vegetable]
1 tsp dried crushed mint
1/4 tsp zeera
1 tbsp refined/ olive oil
salt to taste
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/4 cup milk/water to beat along the curd for consistency

Beat the curd along with water or milk. Add mint. Add potatoes and salt. Pepper powder. Mix it. In a wok heat oil, put some zeera as the oil heats up. Let them sizzle a bit and pour on top of the raita.

It is yummy!

Cooking is all about doing it your way. There is nothing called 'authentic cuisine'.

Fiery Cheesy Dip

Fiery Cheesy Dip

In my earlier post on Tangy Springee Potatoes, I mentioned that it is best served with a fiery cheesy dip. So here is the recipe..


Full cream Feta Cheese: 100 gms
Laban (thick buttermilk)/ Thick curd (full cream) cuddled: about 30 gms
Green Chillies: 5-6 or Lal kuti mirch: 2 tbsps
Garlic: 1 
Salt to taste

1. Put all ingredients in a mixer and blend.
2. You'll get a creamy Cheesy dip.

Have it with Chips, Fried Potatoes, French fries, Fried Chicken, Garlic bread, Sandwiches and almost everything!
Enjoy.

There are a variety of cheesy dips that you can make with different ingredients. 


Cooking is all about doing it your way. There is nothing called "authentic cuisine".

tangy springee potatoes

Tangy Springee Potatoes

I love potatoes, most Indians do..The best thing about potatoes is that you can cook them in a thousand ways!
so here's a new recipe..not extraordinary but sure tastes better than that!

Potatoes: 2 big and 2 small, cut into pieces
Oil: about 3 tbsps 
garam masala: 2 tblsps
dhania powder: 4 tblsps
lal mirch powder: 1 1/2-2 tblsps
amchoor powder: 2 tbsps
ginger paste: 2 tbsps
garlic paste: 3 tblsps
Salt to taste
Spring Onions: a bunch, chopped

1. Heat oil in a kadhai. Put in ginger and garlic paste. Let it get golden brown.
2. Put in potatoes.
3. Turn the potatoes after 5-7 minutes.
4. Stir in all the spices. Mix well.
5. Let it fry for 10 mins.
6. Transfer the contents into a baking tray.
7. Add a little olive oil if you think the oil is less. Add a little water, about half a cup.
8. Set the oven to 220 C for 30 mins.
9. After 30 mins, garnish with Spring onions (alternatively, you can use white onions/cherry tomatoes/olives/jalapenos /capsicum)
10. Bake it for another 15 mins at 200 C.

The Food is ready!
You can have it with roti or plain. The best way to have it is with a fiery cheesy dip!
Fried potatoes are not new but the baked burnt taste of spring potatoes gives you so much of joy!


Cooking is about doing it your way. There is nothing called "authentic cuisine".

About

Hi

This blog is for people who just love the idea of being. The idea behind this blog is to share views, photographs, perceptions and recipes-- anything that makes me interested in life.