All posts tagged: Easy

Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich

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Some days you are just so lazy that the only option to a fulfilling meal = a Maggi. I have no shame in admitting that the choice for a meal for one, when the co-resident is away is to shove my face with the noodles in front of the telly. Their byline does it for me – Ready in 2 minutes. It’s another matter that its 400 calories of zero nutrition! (I still love you though, my darling Maggi Noodles!) What can I say, old habits die hard! One sunny Saturday afternoon (that’s when laziness is at its peak), I reached into the store cupboard for my customary lazy meal when … Gasp! I had run out of Maggi. Now the paramount rule of laziness restricts me from getting dressed to go to the store down the road to buy one. So my brain had to think of an alternative which would be ready in two minutes. That’s when I made my Tuna and Egg Salad Sandwich! (Well technically two minutes for the assembly, as …

Baked Yoghurt with Cinnamon and Orange Compote

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The BBC Good Food magazine finally arrived in India! (Ok, it arrived in November but I’m writing this post now…Sue me!) Like any food fanatic, I was over the moon. Promptly went and subscribed for it and ran around like a headless chicken to get the first edition in my hand. Yes, I do love books with pictures in it… especially food pictures! Got the magazine back home and devoured it from cover to cover! Bliss comes in different ways to different people. I religiously book marked recipes to try and went and did my grocery shopping. Ain’t I the model foodie? But, days turned into weeks and now weeks into a month and I still hadn’t tried anything. The next issue arrived and I was determined to cook something from the first edition atleast! So obviously I picked the recipe that looked the most difficult, the most beautiful, the weirdest, the most challenging, the easiest! This recipe is more about combining ingredients than actual cooking, but it turned out to be quite the dessert! …

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Sandwich

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Why oh why do I gravitate towards recipes with pesto in it? a. What I thought was a chutney couple of years ago is now my favorite condiment. (Apart from Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce – you will always be my first love!). b. It has the most wonderful fresh flavor that can bring summertime running in! This one uses store bought pesto (for small quantities, making a whole batch seems unnecessary), but you can always use my Pesto recipe if you have the ingredients at hand. Sandwiches are looked upon as a snack in India but this one has enough going on for it to make it a light lunch. The co-resident said he would pay good money to eat this at a Deli, so I’m guessing it was good. Actually it WAS that good! So get your grill pan out (I bought a gorgeous one from Bergner… good definition) and start grilling. Yes, I don’t have a BBQ (sob sob) but beggars can’t be choosers or rather apartment dwellers can only dream of …

Garlic Pepper Sliced Pork

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The story started when I decided to take a ride on the Metro from Indiranagar to MG Road. I had already used the metro the day it opened, but that was purely on a touristy whim. This time I wanted to be a commuter with a purpose. The purpose – taking me to the holy grail at the end of the boulevard – The Bangalore Ham shop. After picking up the usual, the owner suggested I try the sliced pork. And there begins my dilemma. The sliced pork looked fantastic – meat and fat in thin slices, almost bacon-ey. I wanted to do something different with it, something special. I combed through the internet but nothing impressed me. I posted a ‘Help me’ on the Foodies in Bangalore page and waited …waited… waited. Finally, I met chef and restaurateur Madhu Menon on Saturday for lunch.  He asked me if it was Korean style sliced pork. I say yes. He asked me if I wanted an authentic recipe? I said I wanted it to taste like …

Easy Stir-Fried Vegetables

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I always believe that good Chinese food can never be replicated at home. Our palate has been assaulted by MSG and extra salt in every Chinese restaurant, that we have now acquired a taste for it! That’s why every time I try Chinese at home; I’ve already resigned myself that the recipe is going to be equivalent to a pirated DVD! My fear of ODing on MSG and Salt has prevented me from achieving greatness in my quest for restaurant Chinese. (By restaurant I don’t me the fancy 5 star’s…am sure they go easy on the MSG). Am I sad? Au contraire… I actually like the fact that I can indulge in dangerous liaisons only once in a while (OK, I actually eat Chinese almost once a week… but you get the drift!). Coming to the point … this Stir-Fried Vegetable recipe is really easy and tasty. (Cross my heart!). It takes care of the mid-week Chinese craving quite well. Toss in some Chicken or shrimp if you fancy and you’ve taken it to another …

Cucumber and Dill Salad

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There is a dish in India called ‘Bheja Fry’ which literally means Brain fry and is also used to denote a situation when you’re head is all messed up! I’ve had Bheja Fry for the past few weeks. And no, its not what I ate! In an exact opposite to Bheja Fry is another synonym – Cool as a Cucumber. With the current state of affairs around me, I wouldn’t mind getting to the cucumber’s state. Coming to the point – Cucumber and Dill salad is as cool as you can get. Soothes the palate as well as the head. Hopefully my mind will unscramble itself soon! Cucumber and Dill Salad Prep time: 10 mins Marinating time: 3 hrs Serves: 4 What you need: 1-2 Cucumbers (regular will do) 1 Tbsp White Vinegar 2 Tbsp Sugar 4 Tbsp Water 1 Tbsp Olive Oil ½ a Handful of Dill Salt and Pepper to taste What to do: Trim and peel the cucumbers. (You can use regular cucumbers here as we marinate them to make them soft. …

Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto

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This one is inspired by the Pasta Salad that I have in Café Max every single time I go there. One rainy day I was craving for it, but the car was out of commission and there’s no way I was going to hail a rickshaw and pay triple! After pacing up and down the hall swinging between ordering something else or hailing the hell ride, I decided to make it myself. I generally have readymade pesto in the fridge for just such emergencies, but today was one of those days. Ok, no problem, I’ll whip up my failsafe Pesto. I opened the fridge to realize I also didn’t have Basil at home. Pesto without basil? Was I going to lose this battle? Necessity is the mother of all inventions. Cilantro looked like a good substitute for Basil (Ok, it was leafy and green, beats using a carrot!). The problem with cilantro though is it reminds me of Chutney. So after I wrestled the idea out of my mind, I finally got mixing. I must …

Masala Fried Fish with Salad Nicoise-ish

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If there is a French person reading this, I apologize for turning a perfectly authentic salad on its head. If there is a person on a diet reading this, I apologize for luring you in here with a salad and then saying it’s topped with ‘fried’ fish. The original recipe calls for tuna, which I replace with fried sear fish. (Go ahead and grill yours, if you want to be on the safe side of the scales). I also omit boiled green beans and add fried croutons instead for crunch. (Blasphemy, I know). At this stage you might understand why I called it ‘Nicoise-ish’. Should I have just called it ‘fusion food’? Or should I have called it ‘things I like to eat’? Like Shakespeare said, ‘a rose by any other name would smell as sweet’. Now, who are we mere mortals to argue with that kinda logic, right? It’s a fantastic meal in one and looks so freaking amazing. That said, I love this version of Salad Nicoise (Nee-sh-wah) more than the original! Gasp …