Chicken Noodle Soup!

Enjoying the maternity leave with our new addition to the family..and having luxury of (10 minutes tops :-) ) blogging my favorite recipes!! I love soups.. but as a tint.. I add green chili or red chili powder to the soups.. just to pamper my Indian taste buds!!

Time to have some Chicken noodle soup and it is a pretty quick recipe to follow..and to slurp & gulp :-)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

Chicken Broth - 3 cups (Organic Chicken broth got from Wholefoods)

Cooked noodles – 2 cups

Mixed vegetables of your choice - 2 cups (Got frozen vegetables from   Costco)

Water - 1 cup

Bay leaves (optional) – 1

Green Chilli - 1 (slitted) (OPTIONAL)

Garlic Cloves - 2

Butter - melted 1 table spoon

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Preparation:

•  In a  pan melt the butter & add the crushed garlic & bay leaf.
• Add the vegetables, green chili and stir for a minute.

Chicken Noodle Soup

• Next add in chicken broth, water, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the soup comes to boil add the cooked noodles, stir once and turn off and the soup is ready to serve!
• Enjoy the bowl of soup and relax!

Orange Pound Cake!

After a much needed break taken from blogging my recipes…back with a Fragrant, moist and soft Orange Pound Cake recipe flavored with freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. Though, this is the first time, I ever tried this.. still it turned out to be perfect & yummy ! 

Orange Pound cake

Ingredients:

Large orange (juice + zest) - 1 large orange (juice + zest)

Eggs - 3

Unsalted butter - ⅔ cup (melted)

Sugar - ¾ cup

All-purpose flour - 1⅓ cup

Baking powder - ½ tsp

Pecans / Walnuts –fistful (OPTIONAL)

Preparation:

1.       Preheat the oven to 450 F (180 C) and grease a loaf pan.

2.    In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until fluffy.

3.    Sift in the flour with the baking powder, stir well.

4.    Melt the butter in a saucepan and pour it into the batter.

5.    Juice and zest the fresh orange and mix in to the batter.

6.    Fold in some pecans / walnuts into the batter…. but this is totally optional!

Orange Pound Cake

6.    Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 40 minutes.

7.    Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.

Orange Pound Cake

Scrambled Fish Fry !

This scrambled fish fry recipes is my way to incorporate omega3 fatty acids in to our everyday meal and a checkmate to fish smell which you don’t want to spread during your lunch hours @work & the fry stays tasty and good for the whole week J Well, what else when a busy bee wants to create a healthy lunch menu !!!

Scrambled fish fry

Ingredients:

Fish Fillets – 4 to 5

Ginger & Garlic paste – 1 table spoon

Red Chilli powder – 1 table spoon

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tea spoon

Coriander powder – 1 table spoon

Cumin powder – 1/2 table spoon

Cumin seeds – 1 tea spoon

Dry Red Chilli – 3 to 4

Garam Masala powder – ¼ tea spoon

Salt – As per the taste

Curry Leaves – 6 to 7

Oil – 3 to 4 table spoons

Preparation:

-        Clean the fish fillets (I used Tilapia) and apply little salt and place them on shallow pan, cover the pan with a lid and cook under low heat.

-        Turn the fillets on to the other side after few minutes…let fillets be steam cooked under low heat.

-        Once done, take them on to a plate..let them come to room temperature and then..just scramble the cooked fillets.

Fish pottu fry

-         Heat the oil in the pan, add cumin seeds, dry red chilli and curry leaves..fry them for few seconds and slowly start adding rest of the powder EXCEPT garam masala powder. Fry these under low heat until you feel the nice aroma..

Fish Fry

-        Add the steam cooked and scrambles fish sillets to the pan..give it a nice stir..& adjust the salt, add the garam masala powder.

Scrambled Fish fry

-        Cover the pan with a lid..let it cook for 2 to 3 3 minutes and turn off the heat.

and…….that’s it…scrambled fish fry is all ready and good to go for the whole week !!

Nuts & Poppy Seeds Kheer !

On this Maha Shivratri day, to offer as prasadam.. I decided to go with super quick & easy ' Nuts & Poppy Seeds milk / Kheer 'which is enhanced with Rose water...

Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer !

Ingredients:

Milk - about 1 & 1/2 cup
Sugar - 2 table spoons

Almonds - 7 to 8

Pistachios - 7 to 8
Cashews - 6 to 7
Poppy Seeds - 1 table spoon
Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
Saffron strands - a pinch
Rose Water - 1 tea spoon (OPTIONAL)

Preparation:

• Soak all the almonds, pistachios, poppy seeds & cashews in water for at least two hours. Grind it to a coarser(preferably) or smooth paste adding the required water.         

Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer !

• In the luke-warm milk (2 table spoons of milk) soak the saffron strands & keep it aside.

Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer !

• Boil the milk ,add sugar, add the ground paste to the milk and boil for 3-4 minutes in medium flame.

          

Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer !

• Add the saffron soaked milk & rose water along with cardamom powder and boil the milk for another 2 to 3 minutes under low flame.         

Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer !

• Turn off the heat & let it cool down well.After it completely cools down,strain the milk and discard the residue ( I prefer not to strain ).

Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer !

• If you prefer to serve Nuts & Poppy seeds kheer chilled, refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.

Banana & Vanilla Blizzard !!

This Banana & Vanilla Ice cream blizzard is inspired from my favorite Dairy Queen's - Banana Split Blizzard… ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤…….. 

Banana split Blizzard

Ingredients :

Banana - 1

Pineapple chunks - 1/4 cup

Milk - 1/4 cup

Shredded coconut - 2 table spoons

Strawberry preserves / jam - 2 table spoons

Vanilla Ice Cream - 2 scoops

Preparation :

- In a mixing bowl add sliced banana , pineapple chunks, shredded coconut, strawberry preserve & milk, mix them together..

- Fold in the Vanilla Ice cream, and serve …. ..itzz that simple..enjoy the blizzard !!

Banana & Vanilla Blizzard

Fish Curry !!

Spicy..Tangy…South Indian Style Fish curry….during winter time…simply….delicious !!!
Usually, I buy Red Snapper or Bass for gravy recipes & and Tilapia fillets for fry…This time I got Salmon Steaks….must say..It is worth 'the try'…

Fish pulusu

Ingredients:

Salmon Steaks - 2 (Large Steaks)
Red Chilli Powder - 2 table spoons
Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
Whole Black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon
Grated Coconut - 2 to 3 table spoons
White Poppy seeds / gasagasalu - 1 tea spoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Tamarind extract - 1 to 2 table spoons
Chopped Tomato - 1/2 cup
Chopped Onions - 1/2 cup
Green chilli - 2
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 table spoon
Curry Leaves - 4
Saunf / Fennel seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
Water - 2 to 3 cups
Oil - 2 table spoons
Salt As Per the taste

Preparation:

- Wash the fish steaks thoroughly in the running water and make sure no scales & apply little turmeric & salt and keep them aside.

Andhra Fish curry

- Grind all the masala ingredients into fine paste : coconut, poppy seeds, whole black pepper, red chili powder, cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste and keep it aside.

South Indian fish curry

- Heat the oil in the pan and add chopped onions, fry until onion turns translucent & then add fenugreek powder.

fish pulusu

- Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook for some time.

Andhra Fish curry

- Once the seasoning is cooked enough, add the ground masala paste, tamarind extract & curry leaves, turmeric powder, salt, slitted green chilli to the gravy and mix well.

- Add some water as per the thickness of the gravy you wish to,  let the gravy be cooked under medium heat and bring it to boil.

South Indian fish pulusu

- Once the gravy comes to boil slowly add the fish steaks to the gravy,

- Add some water, so that gravy won't be dried up and add the saunf / fennel seeds to the gravy and cook under low to medium heat.

Chepala pulusu

- Gently stir the gravy so that fish steaks are covered evenly with the gravy.

Fish curry

Fish, hardly takes 5 minutes to be cooked…

Once, done turn off the heat and let the curry come to the room temperature & Fish Pulusu curry is ready !!!