All posts filed under: Main Course

Baked Beans and Pasta Hot Pot

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I am always trying out new recipes that I fish out of the internet or my gazillion new cookbooks. I almost forgot how much I love the good ole recipes of yore. No, I’m not talking about the medieval times, just rewinding to school. One of my first cookbooks was one that I stole from mom. The free cookbook that came along with the Preett Pressure Cooker! It had a ‘how to use a pressure cooker guide’ as well as ‘101 recipes from India and Elsewhere’. (with pictures!!) I was hooked. J I came across it, while cleaning my bookshelf last week. Yellowing, tattered along the edges, a few pages coming loose of the thread binding – but there it was, waiting to exhale. I picked it up gingerly and spent an hour reading it cover to cover. (Yes, I read cookbooks.. . how many times do I have to say it?). I zeroed in on the Baked Beans Pasta recipe. It was considered very international in those days. I know… we were easily impressed! …

The world’s best Hot Wings!

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I know people exaggerate when they say something is the world’s best. You’re thinking, a.Their world is really small or b. They have false ideas of grandeur. I have fallen prey to both statements many many times, but (and this is a big BUT) Not this time!!! Firstly, I can say with conviction that if there is a restaurant I have visited and they list hot wings on the menu – I have tried it. And I eat out very often. So my world of hot wings is not small. Secondly, I am in no way partial to any food, so if something blows my mind – it firmly earns it’s place in my heart and taste buds! As these Hot Wings satisfy the above criteria – they are, according to me (and my entire clique of hungry friends and family) The World’s Best Hot Wings!  Hot Wings/ Buffalo Wings Prep + Marinating time: 1 hour Cooking time: 20 mins Makes: 20 wings What you need: 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour 1 tsp Salt ½ …

Penne with Bell Peppers Roman Style

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I had two lovely yellow bell peppers in my fridge. After four days of racking my brains to come up with a mind blowing recipe, I chickened out. I could not see them go to waste for my lack of creative genius. Thanks to the gazillion cook books I own, (yes, I am cookbook cuckoo!) finding a recipe was a breeze. I would like you to believe that I put in considerable amount of effort picking and choosing just the right recipe, but the truth is I like a good gamble. So I closed my eyes and put my finger on the peppers list in the index! I give you here – Pasta with Peppers Roman Style. The Roman bit is because I had a crush on Julius Caesar. Ok, am playing with you now! Traditionally, tiny black wrinkled olives grown in the Lazio region of Italy are used in this roman dish. But I used Spanish olives. Oops! Don’t declare a war till you’ve tried it. iBuen Apetito! Penne with Peppers Roman Style Prep …

Spaghetti Alla Carbonara

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Here’s a tricky one. The recipe uses raw eggs. Don’t freak out, I’ve been relishing carbonara for many years and I still live to tell the tale. The reason I said it was tricky is because of the technique. You need to keep everything hot, so that when you add the eggs at the end, they just cook in the residual heat but do not scramble. Otherwise we would have scrambled eggs with spaghetti – not the best combo! That said, it’s the quickest and yummiest thing you can have with pasta. Also when the final result tastes like restaurant goodness in under ten minutes, your guests are sure going to sing praises of your effortless magic. Shall we say Nigella style? (It helps if you wear lipstick! Wink wink 😉 Spaghetti Alla Carbonara Prep time: 10 mins Cooking time: 10 mins Serves: 4 What you need: 450gms Spaghetti 1 Tbsp Olive oil 225gms rindless pancetta or lean bacon, chopped 4 Eggs 5 Tbsp light Cream 3 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese Salt and freshly …

Chili Chicken – Indian Chinese Style

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This recipe might not be understood by everyone. I say that with confidence, because to understand this recipe, you needed to have eaten Indian-Chinese Cuisine. You probably won’t find it listed even if you look hard in the dictionary. Fact is, its not got much of Chinese in it other than the soy sauce and stir fry technique. But as a nation we love this so much, that we’ve given it a top three slot in our hearts. 80% of our everyday restaurants will list themselves as, ”Serving Indian, Mughlai and Chinese”! And that my friends, is the ONLY way to stay in business! The most popular dish of this marvelous collaboration is of course the ubiquitous Chicken Manchurian. (And its vegetarian cousins – Gobi Manchurian and Paneer Manchurian). However another post shall sing its glory, but for today it’s the Chilli Chicken’s place in the sun! Chilli Chicken – Indian Chinese Style Cooking time: 25 mins Marination time: 2 hrs Serves: 4 What you need: 500 gms of Boneless Chicken cubes For the marinade: …

Macaroni with Spicy Sausage Meat

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So I bought some spicy sausage when I bought my bacon. It’s always the same routine. The co-resident will throw a fit if he knew that I came back from the deli one without the other. This sausage is really special, most likely not found outside Bangalore. It’s called the green masala sausage at the ‘Ham Shop’ on M.G. Road. The man’s been in business for decades and trust me he knows how to turn this one out to perfection. I’m pretty sure the sausage has coriander, chilies and pepper. And I’ve decided to not boggle my brains with deciphering the rest of the mix. You can substitute any other sausage for this recipe, but if you can head down to the Ham Shop nothing like it. (P.S. No, he did not pay me to write for him and No and I don’t think he needs any more publicity!) Macaroni with Spicy Sausage Meat Cooking time: 25 mins Prep time: 15 mins Serves: 4 What you need: 400 gms Pasta 1 Tbsp Olive oil 1 …

Ghee Rice Mummy Style

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My mum is a fantastic cook. So is my mom-in-law. Whatever I make falls two spots short of whatever they churn out, by just chucking random ingredients into the pan. Life’s not fair is it?! I always console myself thinking that they had 8 hours a day for the last 30 years to practice their art while I’ve just had weekends. Score settled. Anyway, they’ve always been more than willing to share their gems of wisdom with me, which I reverently jot down in a little notebook to ‘try’ replicating at home. Alas, it’s always a not quite. Am sure the wily women are not disclosing the magic ingredient! How else would they get me to come home often? So here is my mum’s Ghee Rice. It’s the most amazing accompaniment to any curry/ gravy. And don’t worry, even without her secret ingredient (shall we be soppy and say ‘love’) it still rocks my boat! Ghee Rice Prep time: 20 mins Cooking time: 10 mins Serves: 4-6 What you need: 3 cups Jeera Rice (or …

Chicken Lasagna

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Lasagna was always one of those things on the menu that I was in awe of. Considering I dint know how to pronounce it when I looked at the spelling!  Oh puleez, stop raising your eyebrows and shaking your head in disbelief. That was eons ago! I know how to say it now ‘La-zan-ya’. There. Can we move past this now? Layers of pasta, cheese, meat and sauce – looked complicated! (Ok Ok … NOW I know its nothing but assembly line work). If you have all the components in place you really just need to stand there and go into a trance like state where you slop on pasta, meat, white sauce and cheese in a never-ending sequence. (Again I exaggerate – till you have reached the top of the baking dish is more like it). It does give you a very satisfying feeling at the end of it … mindless repetitive work always takes me into zen mode. (Ask me more about that meditative technique later). For the time being it’s safe to …