Whats Cooking!!!!

At Haldirams restaurant , I tasted laccha paratha for the first time. Since then I have been a huge fan of it. After moving to US I found the frozen packs of the paratha and it is really delicious and easy. But it had loads of preservatives and oil so I wanted to make a homemade version of it. So here it goes, my version of laccha paratha. Ingredients: Wheat flour:1 cup Ghee:1 tblsp Salt:1/2 tsp Water:As needed Procedure: Mix flour,a tsp of ghee,salt well and then sprinkle water enough to make a smooth dough.   Divide into 4 equal balls. Roll into big circle,as big as our tawa. Then apply a tsp of ghee evenly on the top and spread. Sprinkle a tsp of flour and again spread evenly and start making fleets. After fully done, twist and coil (roll) to make a flat round. Roll carefully, without applying too much pressure to ensure the layers are still there. Heat tawa and drizzle oil and cook in medium flame(with oil drizzled) both sides until golden brown. Use the spa...

When you hear "corn" the first thing that comes to mind is bhutta " corn on the cob grilled over charcoal". Its really yummy  biting into a hot roasted “bhutta” (corn on the cob) on a rainy day. The moisture-laden breeze of a rainy day carries with it mouth-watering aromas of corns being roasted. But its not the only way to enjoy corn. There are many recipes that are prepared with baby corns and corn kernels. Here is on that I recently made. Ingredients: Sweet corn kernels - 1 cup Capsicum - 1, chopped into small piece Onion - 1 medium finely chopped Green chilies - 2, slit length wise Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Kasuri methi - 1 tsp, lightly crushed Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Red chili powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsps Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp Tomatoes - 2, finely chopped Fresh coriander leaves - 2 tbsps, finely chopped Salt to taste Oil - 1 1/2 tbsps Procedure: Heat oil in a kadhai.  Add the onions and saute till transpa...

Guacamole is an avocado-based sauce that originated with the Aztecs in Mexico. In addition to its use in modern Mexican cuisine it has also become part of American cuisine as a dip. Our favorite guacamole is from Chilli's. Every time we go there we can't get enough of it. Ingredients:  Haas ripe avocado: 1 Squeezed lemon juice:6  tablespoons Jalapeno pepper: 1  minced  Shallots : 1  cup small-diced  Garlic:3  large cloves minced  Salt: 2  teaspoons Black Pepper: 2  teaspoons Tomato: 1/2  medium seeded and small-diced   Procedure: Cut the avocado in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the lemon juice, Jalapeno pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and toss well. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and salt and pepper to ta...

Holi is just around the corner and am sure all of you must be preparing in full speed for this beautiful festival of colors. Here is my contribution to the festive preparations.  Kakra as I have mentioned in my earlier post is a very popular dish in Odisha. It is generally prepared plain or with sweet stuffing similar to that of a modak but a little dry. But I wanted to take a different take on it. So rather than giving it a sweet stuffing I went with a savory version. So here is my version of the vegetable stuffed kakara. Ingredients: For the Kakra: Suji : 1 1/2 cup Water: 1 cup Sugar: 1/2cup Salt: a pinch Oil : for deep frying and rolling  For the stuffing: Potatoes: 1 large boiled peeled and chopped into very small cubes Onion: 1 small finely chopped cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp Asafetida : 1 pinch Green chilies: 2 finely chopped coriander powder: 1tsp garam masala: 1/4tsp Red Chilli Powder: 1tsp Chat Masala: 1/4tsp salt: 1 tsp oil: 2 tbsp green ...

As in my earlier posts I have mentioned, besara is an authentic Oriya dish prepare with mustard paste. Yesterday I was about to drive down to my newly discovered farmers market to grab some tomatoes when realized that my car keys were still in Tanmaya's car and he was at work. So I had to figure out a way to cook shrimp without any tomatoes. So I picked up the phone and called my mom for suggestions. She gave me her chingudi besara recipe and I am about to share it with you. Ingredients: Shrimp: 15-20 peeled and deveined Potato: 1 large peeled and cut into 4-6 pieces (depending on the size of the potato) Okra: 5 medium sized Onion: 1 small finely chopped Mustard Paste: 2tbsp ( grind, 2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds and 5-6 cloves of garlic pod) Red Chili Powder: 1 tbsp Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp Green Chili: 2 -3 slit length wise Water : 1 cup Pancha Phutana: 1 tsp Salt as per taste Oil: 2 tbsp Coriander leaves: for garnish Procedure: Wash and pat dry the...

My friend Sunita has a 4 year old daughter. She is the most adorable kid I have ever met. So when they moved into there new home in Fremont, I started missing her a lot as she was no more a 10 min drive away, so a fine morning I decided to go visit her. So me and Aditi drove down to meet Sunita and Akshi. It was a great fun filled day. Apart from spending some adorable time with Akshi, the best part was the lunch. Sunita is a vegetarian and cook real delicious veggie food. Thats where I tasted peas paratha and was very amazed to know that something as simple as peas  can turn out so delicious. So when I was struggling to come up with new lunch ideas for Tanmaya everyday , I gave her a call and asked for the recipe and gave it a try. Tanmaya loved it but I was pretty sure that it was not as good as Sunita's, but still wanted to share the recipe with you all. Ingredients: Dough: Whole Wheat flour: 1 cup Water : 1/2 cup (more as needed) Salt: pinch Filling: Pota...