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Aloo Capsicum is one the popular north Indian dishes. Unfortunately till date there is only one person's aloo capsicum I really loved and that is my friend Bhagya's. Back in good old HCL days we used to work together and she would bring this yummy dish and even though I am not a capsicum fan I would hog it down :).... I tried to make this dish but could not achieve what she used to. I hope she reads this one and lets me know how she used to do it :) Ingredients: Capsium : 2 large chopped Potato: 1 large chopped Tomato: 1 medium chopped Onion: 1 large chopped Peas: 1/4 cup Chilli Powder: 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds: 1/4 tsp Shahi Zeera: 1/4tsp OIl: 3tsp Coriander leaves for garnish Salt : as per taste Procedure: In a pan heat oil and add shahi zeera and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering add the potatoes. Cook till the potatoes are tender. Add the green peas and cook with the cover for 3-4 minutes Add...

Boondi is a fried Rajasthani sweet snack made from chickpea flour(Besan). A savory version of Boondi called Khara is also made. Being very sweet, it can be stored for a week or so. Due to the need for preserving food in arid regions of Rajasthan, boondi laadu are preferred. It is a great, mouth watering snack-time dessert and is a must have at all special occasions all over India.  Ingredients: Gram flour (besan): 1cup Water: 1 1/2 cup  Sugar: 1 1/2 cup 1 tablespoon sliced almonds 6 green cardamom pods (ilaichi) Oil to deep fry food color: few drops preferably orange (but I used red ;) go crazy and use whatever u have ) Optional Boondis are very small, round deep fried balls that have been soaked in fragrant sugar syrup. After soaking, the syrup is drained and the syrup infused boondi are formed into balls (ladoos).The critical part of boondi making is to use the right kind of utensil for the batter to drop through the holes into the hot oil to fo...

Shrimp is one popular seafood choice that really packs a powerful protein punch and is great for dieters because it is so low in calories.  With each individual shrimp coming in at only 3-10 calories depending on the size, these are extremely easy to add into any diet. It is my brothers favorite seafood. There are a variety of ways one can prepare shrimp and it mostly depends on the type of shrimp. The smaller ones are generally cooked with mixed vegetables. Large ones can be cooked with mustard paste or ginger garlic gravy.  I prepared the following recipe at my in-laws during my stay in India this Christmas. Ingredients: Shrimp (Large Ones) : 1 pound Potato: 1large cut into wedges Cauliflower: Few florets (optional) Onion: 1 medium finely chopped Ginger garlic Paste: 3 tsp Coriander Powder: 1 tsp Cumin Powder: 1 tsp Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp  Tomato: 1 large  Sugar: 1/2 tsp Salt: as per taste Oil : for cooking a...

Its no surprise that after a whole month of being vegetarian Tanmaya wanted to enjoy as much non-veg he can, so  he decided to have traditional style chicken, the way he used to enjoy as a kid. I generally prepare the chicken little dry and make it real spicy, but Tanmaya likes it with lots of gravy and little sober so here we go.... Ingredients: Chicken: 1 kg (cut into small pieces) Potato: 2 medium cut into 4 piece each Onion: 2 medium ground into a fine paste Ginger : 2 inch Garlic: 1 whole head Whole red Chili: 2-4 Red Chili Powder: 2 tbsp Turmeric Powder: 2 tbsp Tomato: 2 medium finely chopped CuminPowder: 2tbsp Coriander Powder: 2Tbsp Bay Leave: 1 whole garam masala: 4 cardamon, 2 cloves, 2 inch cinnamon  Oil: 4 tbsp Salt to taste Procedure: Marinate the chicken with 1tbsp red chili powder, 1tbsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp oil and about 1tsp salt (keep in mind the amount of salt you add at this point, so that you can adjust salt in the masala). Let i...

Egg Paratha is a famous street food in Northen India and to be even more specific Delhi & Noida. I first tasted it during late night dine outs with my office colleagues. First I was superised, how did the guy managed to stuff raw egg onto a paratha, then I went and stood next to him to see the whole thing live. Since then I have been preparing this recipe and its real quick and yummy. Ingredients: Wheat Flour: 2 cup Warm Water: 1/2 cup Salt: 1/2 tsp oil: 4tsp Egg: 1 for each paratha Onion: 1 medium finely chopped Green Chili: 2-4 finely choped Tomato: 1 small finely chopped Cilantro: finely chopped as required Salt: as per taste Procedure: To prepare the dough mix wheat flour with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 oil and using warm water knead it into a soft dough. Beat the eggs along with chopped onion, green chili, tomato, cilantro and salt. Take a medium size ball of dough and roll into a thick circle. Brush little oil and fold into half. brush some more oil and fold it i...

During my stay in Hongkong there were only few things I could of to pass time as Tanmaya  was real busy. Apart from loads of shopping the only other thing I did was watch TV thats when I got hang of "How I met Your Mother" and also got lucky to watch a series by Nigella Lawson "Nigella Express". The show is ll about quick recipes. My favorite was instant chocolate mousse. This weekend I tried it out and it turned out to be pretty yummy. Ingredients: Butter: 1/4 cup Mini Marshmallow : 150 gm  Dark Chocolate : 250 gm (I used Ghiradelli) Whipping Cream: 1 tub Hot water: 60 ml Procedure: Put all the ingredients except whipping cream into a pan. Put the pan over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt the contents, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whip the cream until thick, and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until we have a smooth mixture.  Pour into 4 glasses or 6 smaller ones, and chill until you want to ...

As scary as the name sounds this cake is equally delicious. The easiest way to prepare a cake is to buy the mix follow the instructions and your are done unless you have restrictions like cannot use egg. Its a biggest turn off when it comes to baking.  Like happened with me , I wanted to bake a nice cake for my dear friend Shanta on her birthday but as I have mentioned earlier we all are vegetarian for the month of Kartik and egg was not a option. So I prepared the devils food cake with out cake and it turned out to very delicious. So decided to share the success with all of you. Ingredients: Devils Food Mix : 1 pack ( I used the one from Pillsbury) Milk: 1/2 cup Curd: 1/3 cup Vegetable oil: 2/3 cup Coke: 1/4 cup Procedure: Preheat the oven at 350 F. In a bowl mix the milk yogurt and vegetable oil. Slowly add the cake mix and mix in order to avoid lumps. As you keep add the mix the batter gets thicker.  Add the coke and keep mixing, till yo...