Cooking made Easy

Refreshing Green Mango Salad

2009-05-14T00:33:00.000-07:00

Beat the heat with this refreshing and easy ready to make green mango salad. Ready in minutes and savour for as long as you want!

Ingredients:

2 Green mangoes peeled and grated

1 Cucumber grated peeled and grated

1 Onion finely chopped

1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 1 green chilly chopped

Any salad dressing or Juice of 1 lemon mixed with 1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Procedure:

Mix all ingredients together and put in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Fish with Mustard paste--Bengali style

2009-04-27T03:56:00.000-07:00

Ever heard of the famous Macher Jhol from Bengal. It is one of the delicacies of Bengal and Macher Jhol with Mustard paste is one mouth lickering dish.

Ingredients:
Rohu/Hilsa/Pabda/any fish fillet 750 gms
Mustard seeds 4 tsp soaked for one hour and then made into a paste
Garlic 5-6 cloves finely chopped
Tomato 1 made into a paste (try and use fresh tomato paste). Else use finely chopped tomatoes.
Turmeric powder 2 tsp
Green chillies 3
Corainder leaves finely chopped for garnishing
Salt to taste
Oil for frying the fish and preparing thereafter
Water 2 1/2 cups

Procedure:
Wash and take the fish fillets in a plate and sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder. Set aside for half hour. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the fishes one by one. In a separate pan, heat the remaining oil and add garlic. Stir for 2-3 mins and add the tomato paste. Keep strring till the paste and the garlic get mixed well and oil starts leaving from the side. Add turmeric powder and salt and mix well. Add split green chillies and the water slowly from the side. Keep stirring so that all ingredients mix well.

After one boil, add the fish and cook in a low flame for sometime till some of the water evaporates. Add the mustard paste and keep stirring so that the paste gets evenly mixed with the gravy. Add the coriander leaves and cook in a low flame for 5 mins. Remove from flame and serve hot with rice.

Vegetable Bake

2009-04-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

Boiled vegetables have never been so interesting to eat....try this simple and easy way to relish those otherwise uninteresting boiled vegetables!
Ingredients:
1 cup diced vegetables--this can include vegetables of your choice (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage)
1 large onion finely sliced
2 large potatoes boiled and mashed
2 cup boiled noodles
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp oil

For white sauce
3 tbsp refined flour
2 tbsp butter or margarine
Salt to taste
1 tsp white pepper powder
1/2 cup milk

Making the sauce: Heat butter in a pan and add the refined flour. Keep stirring continuously to avoid getting it burnt. Keep manipulating the heat. Once all the flour has been mixed with the butter, remove from flame and slow add milk. Keep stirring to ensure no lumps are formed. Make an even paste. Put back in flame and add salt and pepper. If you need a little light consistency, add some more milk. Remove from flame. While adding salt be careful not to add in excess since other ingredients will have added salt as well.

Procedure:
Heat the oil in a pan. Put in the onions and fry till they are translucent. Add the vegetables and stir fry for sometime. Cook in low flame and keep the cover on so that the vegetables are partially cooked. Add salt.

Grease a square baking dish and put a layer of half the mashed potatoes after mixing in salt and black pepper powder. Next put in the vegetables after removing from flame. Make sure that the layers are evenly spread out. Noodles are the next thing to go in. Cut the noodles a little with a pair of scissors to ensure there are no big tails. Complete the layer by adding in the remaning mashed potato. Pour in the white sauce prepared earlier and top it with the grated cheese. You can use some seasoning like oregano and basil for enhanced taste. Bake for 10 mins or until the top layer turns slightly brown.

N.B.: Instead of vegetables, the same can be tried with fish and meat. However, both fish/meat will have to be boiled before frying.

Bread Poha

2009-04-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Tired of eating the same bread, butter, jam in your breakfast? Keep aside the butter and jam and try this quick and easy recipe made with bread and make your breakfast interesting!

Ingredients:
Brown bread 6-7 slices cut into small square cubes with the sides discarded. Each slice should yield 12 cubes.
1 large onion finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped. You can add other vegetables as well as per your taste and liking
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1" ginger finely chopped
Few curry patta leaves
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp oil

Procedure:
Heat oil in a pan and splutter the mustard seeds. Add curry patta, onion, ginger and green chillies. Keep strring for sometime until the onion turns translucent. Add carrot and other vegetables as per liking. Stir for few more minutes till the carrot gets tender. Add salt and turmeric power and mix well. Add the bread cubes and mix all ingredients well. Lower the flame and keep stirring occasionally till the bread cubes get slightly roasted. Add the sugar and mix well. Remove from flame after 5 mins. Serve hot!

Beans and Carrot Fry

2009-04-20T01:08:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (sarso)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 large onion finely sliced
3 dry red chillies coarsely chopped
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (meethi seeds)
Coriander leaves finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ground turmeric (fresh turmeric will give utmost taste; powder can also be used if fresh turmeric is not available)
1 tsp ground roasted cumin
275 g carrots cut into bean size
275 g French beans cut
Salt to taste

Procedure:
Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds. Next add the fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds, ground red chillies and onion and keep stirring for 4-5 mins. Add coriander leaves and turmeric and fry for another minute. Add carrots,beans and salt and keep stirring until all ingredients are mixed well. Cover the pan and cook on lowest heat until the carrots and beans are cooked while stirring occasionally. Finally, add the cumin powder and stir for another 5 mins. Remove from heat. Serve hot!