Mushroom Spinach Pizza Topping

Very basic recipe for pizza topping.
Because, missing the woodcutter's pizza from our regular pizza delivery in this lock-down.
If not as topping, this can certainly be served as a side to any main course.

This was for 6 regular, ready- made pizza bread available in Indian grocery stores. We used home made pizza sauce. Will post that recipe another time.

4- 5 large garlic pods,  slivered
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 bunch spinach. torn into medium size leaves, blanched
2 packets mushrooms, chopped
Grated cheese, as required. Any cheese of your choice. I have used Go Cheese Colby
2 tsp Olive oil

Heat oil in a pan and saute the garlic for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and cook till the water it leaves dries out. Add a pinch of salt and cook further til it's totally dried out again. Bring thee pan off the heat and stir in the blanched spinach and onions. Topping ready for pizza. Add cheese as required. We made a vegan version without cheese for dad.

Fish in Lemon Almond Butter Sauce, with side of baby potatoes

Fish:

4 fillets of white fish
Salt and pepper for seasoning Olive Oil for pan frying


Sauce:
6-7 almonds, soaked overnight, skinned and cut in slivers
4-5 large garlic pods, cut in slivers
Juice of 2 lemons
100 gm butter, cut in 4 slabs
1 tsp parsley

Baby potatoes:
200 gm baby potatoes, boiled and peeled
3-4 large garlic pods, cut in slivers
1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
Salt to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Potatoes:

Heat oil in a pan and saute the garlic for a minute. Toss in the potatoes with salt and mixed herbs and cook till well coated. Set aside.

Fish:
Season the fish with salt and pepper an hour before serving. Pan fry the fish on both the sides and set aside on a warm service plate.

Sauce:

Pour lemon and garlic on a hot pan on medium flame and bring it down to half. Incorporate the butter, one slab at a time to the lemon reduction till it's got a shiny glaze. Stir in the almonds and some parsley and cook further for a minute. Pour the sauce over the fish and serve with the potatoes.

Spaghetti in Mung (green gram) sauce

2 cups Mung, soaked overnight
3 small onions, chopped
3 tbsp crushed garlic
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup milk
2 bay leaves
100 gm cottage cheese (optional)
salt, pepper, mixed herbs, as per taste
Olive oil to cook
300 gm spaghetti, boiled

In a pressure cooker boil the mung with one onion, tsp garlic, and some salt till 4 whistles. Once cool, blend it into a paste.

Heat oil in a non- stick pan. Add the bay leaves, and rest of the garlic and onions. Saute till the onions turn white. Add in the tomatoes and cook till soft. Add salt, pepper, mixed herbs, followed by the mung paste.

Mixed in the crumbled cottage cheese. On a high flame, keep adding the milk (cream can also be used) till a smooth paste.
Mix in the pasta, serve with some olive oil and cheese.

Some hacks to modify the recipe.
1. Mushroom / boiled chicken strips can be cooked in garlic butter and tossed in the sauce before adding the spaghetti.
2. Any other pasta can also be used.
3. To make it spicy, chopped dry Kashmiri chili can be added in the seasoning.

Mutton Masoor Pulao

1 kilo Onions, chopped
1/2 kilo Tomatoes, chopped
3 tsp Garlic, crushed
2-3 bay leaves
100 grams Masoor dal, washed and soaked for half an hour
1/2 kilo Rice, washed and soaked for half an hour
1 kilo Mutton, raan portion curry pieces
2 tsp Garam masala
Salt and paprika powder to taste
3 tbsp Vegetable oil


Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add bay leaves and garlic stir for a minute and add the chopped onions. Cook till the onions red. Add the mutton and cook till the water from the mutton dries out. Add salt and cook further till the excess water also dries out.

Add the tomatoes and cook further till soft. Add in the remaining dry masalas, stir for a couple of minutes. Add the masoor dal and rice, add water, cover and cook on a slow heat till the rice is cooked. (approximately 45 minutes to an hour, giving a light stir every 10 minutes.)
Serve hot with pickle or raita.

Air Fried Chicken Kebabs

I recently got a Phillips AirFryer. I love Indian cuisine, so instead of trying typical frozen food, the first thing I made with the Air Fryer was Chicken Kebabs. What turned out was just amazing. Well cooked inside, and a good crunch outside. Here's the recipe.

1/2 kg boneless chicken cut into mince
2 tbsps garlic paste
1 tbsp ginger paste
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 large onion chopped
2 tbsp fresh yoghurt
3 tbsp crushed cashew nuts
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp each of tandoori masala, coriander powder, jeera powder
Salt and red chilly powder, as per taste
2 tsp oil, for brushing

Mix all of the above and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Make Palm size rolls and place them on the basket given with the AirFryer, brush them with a little oil. Preheat the AirFryer for 3 minutes at 200 degrees. Place the basket in the AirFryer and let it cook for 10 minutes. 
I served it with some chutney and bread.

Broccoli Parathas. All the way from LA. :)

This was sent to me by my cousin Aarty in LA. She found the recipe online & modified it. Her husband & baby girl aren't fussy eaters, but like all things nice. A hit with them is worth us sharing. Spreading the joy. Also, do check her blog. Beautiful insights on a new mothers journey: 

http://aartypunjabi.wordpress.com/2013/12/07/what-is-the-deal-with-forgiveness/

Broccoli Paratha

I am always looking for ways to add greens in my toddlers diets. Since she loves paratha’s and I had a big bag of broccoli lying at home, I tried this recipe out. It was a success as both my 18 month old and the hubby loved it.

Ingriedients

 Brocolli – 2 crowns or 5 cups

 Corriander powder – 1 tsp

 Cumin powder – ½ tspn

 Dry Mango Powder (Aamchur) – ½ tspn

 Chaat masala – ½ tspn

 Green Chilli – ½ piece or to taste (Optional)

 Salt – To taste

 Oil – 1 tspn

Dough

Whole Whear flour -2.5 cups

Water – just enough to dough

Oil – 1 tspn

Procedure

For the Dough

Knead the flour with water to form a soft and pliable dough. Spread oil over the dough and store in an air tight container for 20 minutes or until ready to cook.

For the stuffing

Grate the broccoli  or finely chop it in the food processor.  

Chop green chilies very finely.

In a pan, heat oil, once oil is hot add the broccoli and green chillies if using any. Add the dry masalas. Adjust masalas accordingly to make sure that the taste of all the masalas are not overbearing the broccoli.  Adjust accordingly. Stir for 2-3 minutes and take it out to cool.