Pasta in white sauce.

An all time favourite with children and adults alike, this pasta in white sauce is extremely easy to make and ready in no time. See that you cook the pasta and chop the vegetables side by side to get it ready in just fifteen minutes.

Ingredients:

200 gms pasta

Half of a red, yellow and green bell pepper cut into cubes

A small head of Broccoli

100 gms boiled sweet corn

1 large onion cut into petals

3 tbsps of garlic finely chopped

5 tbsps of butter

3 tbsps of maida/ all purpose flour

2 glasses/ 500 ml of milk

Pepper, salt, chilly flakes and mixed herbs as per taste.

4 tbsps grated cheese

Salt

1/2 tsp oil.

Method:

Boil two litres of water. Add a heaped tsp of salt and then drop the pasta into the boiling water. Always bring the water to a boil before adding pasta and use salt while cooking it so that it gets infused. Lower heat and keep boiling for around ten minutes. It is to be cooked al dente that is 85 percent cooked. It gets cooked in the sauce too later. Drain the water and immediately wash with cold water to stop further cooking. Drain thoroughly in a colander and drizzle with half a tsp of oil to prevent clumping. Toss and keep aside. Heat two tbsps of butter in a pan. Drop in the finely chopped garlic and roast to a golden yellow. Add the onions and toss for a couple of seconds. Drop in the cubed bell peppers, brocolli and the boiled sweet corn. Add salt and pepper and keep tossing on a high flame. The vegetables should cook but retain their crunch. Tip them into a plate. Heat the remaining butter in the same pan and add the maida to it. Roast on a very gentle flame for about two to three minutes till it loses its rawness. Drop in the milk and keep stirring to avoid lumps. Once it comes to a boil drop in the vegetables, the pasta and sprinkle the chilly flakes, mixed herbs and pepper. Check for salt. Do remember that you have added salt while cooking the pasta. Drop in the cheese.. Simmer for a minute or two and serve hot.

Copyright © 2022 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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Abu Bakar

The name is very deceptive, but this long forgotten Konkani recipe used to be extremely popular about seven decades ago. It was prepared when people fasted as it contains no cereals. It is normally accompanied by fresh home made butter.

Ingredients:

250 gms urad dal/ split black gram

8 green chillies

2 inch piece of ginger

A kidney bean sized piece of Hing/ asafoetida

Salt

Oil to roast.

Method:

Wash and soak the urad dal for five hours. Grind to a smooth and fluffy batter in the wet grinder. This may take about twenty five to thirty minutes. Tip the batter into a vessel, add salt, mix thoroughly and allow to ferment overnight…. The next morning crush the green chillies, ginger and asafoetida and add it to the batter. Mix well. Heat a tava/ skillet. Pour a ladleful of batter, drizzle with oil (preferably coconut oil) and cover and roast on a medium to low flame. Flip. Roast on the other side too. Serve hot with home made butter.

Note:

You can make Abu Bakar without fermenting the batter as well.. Just grind, add the chilly, ginger and asafoetida mixture and make them.

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Onion / Pyaz Paratha

Paratha is the most preferred breakfast of the North Indians. These parathas can be made with a variety of fillings depending upon family preference. The most popular ones are with a filling of potato. Today posting a paratha which is stuffed with finely sliced onions. Parathas are normally served with curd and pickle or with a raita.

Ingredients:

500 gms wheat flour

2 large onions sliced fine

1 tbsp Kashmiri Lal chilly powder

1tbsp Coriander powder

1tsp Cumin powder

1tbsp Amchur/ raw mango powder

1tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

A pinch of garam masala

A level tsp carom seeds/ ajwain rubbed lightly between the palms.

Salt

3 tsps oil.

Method:

Take the wheat flour in a bowl. Add required amount of salt and the carom seeds. Mix well. Add hot water a little at a time and bind into a soft dough. Add the oil and keep kneading for another ten minutes. This helps in forming the gluten. Cover and keep aside for half an hour. In the meanwhile slice the onions fine. Add the chilly, coriander, cumin, garam masala, raw mango powders and mix well. Add the finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix, cover and keep aside. Salt is to be added only when you are ready to make the parathas or else the onions will release water making the filling soggy.

After the dough has rested for half an hour, knead it again for a couple of minutes and pinch balls out of it. I usually make 12 parathas out of the proportion mentioned. Add salt to the onions. Mix. Divide into 12 portions. Take a ball of dough and roll it out into a circle of three inch diameter. Place the filling in the centre, bring the sides of the dough together taking care to see that the filling is covered from all sides. Similarly finish off with the remaining balls. Dust the stuffed ball with flour and roll out to a thick six inch diameter sized paratha. Finish off similarly with the remaining balls. Heat a skillet/ tava. Place a paratha on the heated tava and dry roast both sides of the Paratha till you see bubbles appearing on the surface. Brush with ghee/ clarified butter and roast till it turns a rich golden brown on both sides. Serve topped with a blob of butter with curd, raita or even pickle.

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Bittergourd subzi

You can find any number of recipes of preparations of Bittergourd on this website. I had totally forgotten to upload this one which the children loved when they were young. My son who is still working from home, reminded me about it today and I realised that I had not made it ever since the children have left home. This subzi is not just easy to make but also goes well with both chapati and dal rice. I enjoy eating it with curd rice as well.

Ingredients:

2 medium sized Bittergourd cut into thin slices

2 tomatoes chopped fine

2 medium sized onions sliced thinly

1 tbsp Sambhar powder

1 tbsp Kashmiri Lal chilly powder

Salt

Oil to fry the bittergourd.

Method:

Sprinkle a little salt on the bittergourd. Mix and immediately fry in hot oil till crisp. Those who want to tone down the bitterness can wait for the bittergourd to release water. Squeeze and then fry. I prefer not to wait as most vitamins are lost if the bittergourd is squeezed.

Heat the oil in which you have fried the bittergourd and drop in the sliced onions. Roast till translucent. Add salt and the chilly powder. Toss and drop in the tomatoes. Roast on a gentle flame till the tomatoes start releasing water. Add the Sambhar masala and keep roasting till the tomatoes turn mushy. Drop in the fried Bittergourd pieces, mix well , cover and cook for a couple of minutes. Switch off. Set aside for about fifteen minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. Serve hot.

Note: Use oil just enough to cover the bittergourd while frying to prevent wastage. The remaining oil can be used while seasoning the subzi.

Copyright © 2022 by Vinaya Prabhu. All rights reserved.

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