Coconut-Carrot Rice

Ah such a comforting meal we just shared with Dad who is in town. This recipe came out from two recipes, one from my sis-in-law Bhavna and the other from the Thai Coconut rice that I had shared. I tweaked the latter a bit more with the toasted coconut gratings. It was amazing. Just goes to show that if you put a little bit of love in the cook, it comes out unexpectedly amazing. The rice was nice and fluffy too. I am sure that Mum would have loved it and plus the texture was exactly as she enjoys it -not mushy at all.

You need:

• 1 cup of fresh coconut gratings or 1 cup of coconut cream
• Salt to taste
• 2 cups of basmati rice / long grained rice, cleaned and set aside in bowl with water to soak
• 2 cups of boiling hot water
• 3-4 large carrots, grated
• 1 tbsp of butter (optional)
• 2 drizzles of oil

The Make:
Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes | Serves 3 adults

1. Grind the coconut to take the first milk and second milk (Refer Coconut Milk recipe here). Set aside the gratings from milk extracted coconut.
2. In a large wok, drizzle some oil and saute the residual coconut gratings until lightly browned. Set aside.
3. In the same wok, add a little oil and fry the carrot gratings on medium-low heat. Sprinkle some salt to taste. Saute for 5-10 minutes.
4. Add a tbsp of butter and then lower heat. Add in the second extraction of the coconut milk and the boiling hot water to the wok.
5. Once the water reaches boil point, add the cleaned rice from the soaking bowl, a fistful at a time.
6. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the first milk. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Check in between to see if the rice is not sticking to the wok. In the last few minutes before turning off the heat, top with the toasted coconut gratings.
7. Fluff the rice with a fork a and transfer to a serving bowl once cooked.

Serve hot with your favourite gravy. For us it was Pepper Chicken Drumstick in a light tomato gravy and Cucumber Raitha.

Bon Appetit! "This is what's for dinner tonight folks!"

Roasted beef chunks with baked potatoes and buttered steamed veggies

Post #Lent the #Beef #recipe creations were the first to come out! I felt like cooking up something English. British do enjoy their beef and potatoes and is so uniquely prepared as well. Perhaps they have left some flavours of their cuisine on our genetic taste buds before leaving India. We thoroughly enjoy beef and potatoes if cooked/baked or roasted well. It just leaves a sublime appealing flavour on the palatte.

To enjoy this recipe, do make sure you get a fresh and clean cut of tender beef from your local butcher otherwise you would find yourself chewing at the pieces all day long.

This can make for a good supper when you want to keep it light and/or free of carbs.

You need:

• 500 gms of beef, cleaned well and cut into 1" cubes
• 2 large potatoes, sliced thinly
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
• Drizzle of Worcestershire sauce
• Black Pepper powder -  as required
• Salt to taste
• Rosemary - 2-3 sprigs
• Thyme leaves - 2 sprigs
• 1-2 small tomatoes, diced (optional)
• Oil
• 1 tbsp Duck fat (optional, I had some duck fat from the duck roast that I strained and refrigerated. I will share the duck roast recipe soon.)

The Make:

Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hr | Serves 2 adults

1. In a pan, drizzle some oil, add the garlic and beef along with a little salt and pepper.

2. Brown the beef cubes on all sides. Add the Worcestershire sauce and toss well.

3. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

4. In a roasting pan, add the beef, tomatoes (optional) along with remaining salt and pepper and the rosemary leaves.

5. Layer the potato slices on top and add some thyme leaves on top. Add a drizzle of oil on top or the duck fat.

6. Cover the roasting pan with a tin foil and place in the oven. 

7. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked tender.

8.  Serve with a side of Steamed Buttered Veggies.

Serve hot. You could also serve with a choice of your favourite dinner rolls.

Bon Appetit!

Chow Chow/Chayote and Spinach in Homemade Marinara Sauce

Aah, this is a recipe that can be coupled either with an Italian counterpart such as Pasta or an Indian staple rice variation such as Pulav or just a steaming bowl of rice. I made this combination of veggies a couple of times now simply because the Vitamin C rich Chow Chow combined with the Iron rich spinach  helps to absorb the iron much better. This time I went slightly  Italian although I have never seen an Italian dish made with Chayote or Chow Chow as we call it in India.

My family and I somehow liked this combination. This simple to make dish can be herbed up to combine well with your favourite pasta or can be spiced up with your favourite Indian spices. Like I mentioned, this time I went the Italian 'Marinara' way. The next time I will share the Indian 'Masaledar' way :)

Hope you enjoy!

You need:

• 3-4 medium size Chow Chow / Chayote, finely diced
• 2 medium sized bunches of green spinach, finely diced

For the Marinara Sauce:

• 5 medium fully ripened tomatoes, crushed (you can also use the canned variety)
• 1/2 a pod of large cloved garlic, chopped finely
• 1 large onion (white), chopped finely
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 cup of Olive Oil
• 3-4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (or 2-3 tbsp of dried basil)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 cup of drinking water

The Make:

For the Marinara Sauce:
1. In a large saucepan , add the oil and saute the onions and garlic and cook until lightly brown over medium heat. Shake the pan intermittently to allow even cooking and avoid burning. (The shaking/tossing action is preferred to sauteing with a spatula).
2. Add the crushed tomatoes with their juices, the water, salt and oregano and bring to a boil.
3. Then lower the heat and simmer to cook in the covered saucepan for about 20 minutes or until thickened.
4. Uncover and add the basil and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to rest. (You can even bottle the marinara sauce once cooled and refrigerate and use as required).

5. In a deep-bottomed non-stick pot, add the oil and saute the Chow Chow.
6. Next toss in spinach and saute well. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
7. Next add in all the Marinara sauce and cover and combine for 5 minutes.

Serve hot with your favourite choice of pasta. Shave some Parmesan cheese or I even liked Gruyere cheese on top once served.

Comfy Beef Stew Soup

Still post the celebratory weeks of Christmas, New Year, weddings and more,coupled with a cool weather calls for more simple, warm, homemade comfort food. This one stems from such a moment in the recent past. Hope you can enjoy this bowl of comfy goodness with your family. Add some crusty bread loaf and you have a perfect meal! You can try this one with the Crunchy homemade soda bread recipe I posted yesterday.

For my vegetarian friends, please note you can substitute the beef with 200 gms of mushrooms and need only 20-30 minutes to cook this dish when cooked in the pressure cooker. You can also add beans of your choice about 100 gms.

You need:

• 1/2 kg of fresh beef meat, cut into 1" cubes
• 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced finely
• 1 cup of tomato puree
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp of pepper powder
• 1/4 cup of plain flour
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 1/2 tbsp parsley leaves, finely diced 
• Lime leaves or cilantro for garnish (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Drinking water as required
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 1 cup of red wine (optional)
• 1 cup of Guinness (optional)

The Make

Serves 4 adults | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 45-60 minutes

Note: This recipe is best made in a slow cooker however if you do not have the time or a slow cooker, you could opt for the faster option as below. In a slow cooker, this recipe would require a minimum of 6 hours.

1. In a large pressure cooker, combine the beef, garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Saute on medium-low heat. 

2. Pour in the puree and season with Worcestershire (optional),bay leaf, parsley and pepper. 

3. Stir the flour and beef stock together in a separate bowl and add into the beef mix. Stir well. Add the optional Guinness and wine.

4. Cover and cook for 45 minutes or for 4 whistles on medium-high and 4 whistles on low heat.

5. Once the pressure has settled, uncover and do a salt check and add salt as required. Check also if you have sufficient liquid for your soup, else add more as required. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Garnish if required with cilantro or lime leaves.

Serve hot with a side of Crunchy Rosemary and honey soda bread ! Bon appetit!

Kadai Paneer - Cottage Cheese in a spiced gravy

Paneer is actually made of strained curdled milk. Dry curd Cottage Cheese is actually made of cultured milk and is often salted.

You can make Paneer from scratch at home and is usually made of split milk and is quite easy to make. All you would need is a liter of milk and half a cup of curd or buttermilk or even 1/2 cup of lemon. I have also heard of people use white vinegar.

Kadai refers to an Indian wok and Kadai Paneer refers to the way in which the Paneer is cooked with dry roasted spices.

This is a recipe of old and a rather simple one to make as well.


To make this simple recipe,

You need:

• 500 gms of Paneer (Cottage Cheese), cut into 1" cubes
• 1 large onion, diced finely
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 2-3 tbsp of ginger-garlic paste
• 2 green chilies, diced finely
• 1 tbsp Butter or oil Oil (you can add more if you wish)
• 1 crushed bay leaf 
• 2 tbsp Homemade Garam Masala (Homemade Indian spice powder)
• 1 tbsp of coriander powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp of Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
• 3-4 medium tomatoes, diced finely
• 1-11/2 cups of drinking water
• Salt to taste
• 1 sprig coriander leaves, diced finely or florets used to garnish

The Make:

Preparation Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Serves 4 adults

1. Heat the oil/butter a non-stick pan and add the cumin seeds. Toss for a few seconds.

2. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Toss in bay leaves and green chilies and saute for a minute.

3. Next add the ginger-garlic paste and saute for a minute.

4. Add the tomatoes, chili powder, garam masala(homemade is best), coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt and cover and cook for a minute.

5. Add 1-11/2 cup water  depending on how much gravy you need. Then add the paneer cubes, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

6. Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Serve hot with rotis, pulav or flatbread or rice of your choice.

Bon Appetit!

Tangy Three Pea (Black Eyed Peas, Cowpeas and Pigeon-Pea) in Sofrito (Spanish Tomato sauce)

It has been a while since my last post. This is because I am on vacation and also because I have been experimenting with some of my older recipes in a modern light and with a few new adventurous recipes inspired by some of my favourite popular chefs. That will follow in posts to come. I have had quite a few requests for international vegetarian cuisine. Today I have for you a Spanish inspired dish that I served with white long grained rice and brown rice. You can also accompany it with Spanish Rice.

Tangy Three Pea in Sofrito served with Rice

I chose the Black Eyed Pea, CowPea and Split Pigeon Pea as I thought it would make for a very good combination and I was right it did! Black Eyed Pea is commonly made over New Year's. It is said to ward of 'Bad Eye' and helps kick start the New Year on a clean slate!

You need:

• 2 bell peppers - finely diced
• 2 cups Homemade Tomato puree or 1 cup crushed tomatoes *Note if using commercial tomato puree, you can add just one can
• 2 cups Black Eyed Peas
• 2 cups Cowpeas or Red Lobia
• 11/2 cups Split Pigeon-Pea or Toor Dal
• 1 tbsp ground pepper 
• 1 tbsp paprika (optional - additional 1 tbsp if you like it spicy)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 large onions diced small
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup vegetable stock (or beef or chicken stock. You can also add  2 cups of sliced chorizo if you are opting for the non-veg option)
• 1 bay leaf
• Optional - 1 tsp Asafoetida powder
• 1 bunch cilantro finely diced
• 1-2 dried red chilies

The make:

Preparation time: 8 hrs, Cooking Time: 1 hour, Serves 4-6 adults

Last stir in



Showing off my 3-pea magic



1. Clean and soak the Black Eyed Peas and Cowpeas overnight with at least 2-3 cups more water than the quantity of peas. Drain off before use.
2. Make a sofrito of the tomato puree, bell peppers, paprika, garlic and salt. Sofrito is a basic tomato sauce that is used commonly all over Spain. I have not mentioned this separately in another recipe as I did not make the traditional one made with crushed tomatoes this time. I basically used my Homemade Tomato Puree along with the above mentioned ingredients. To make the Sofrito, heat 1 tbsp of Olive oil and saute the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the bell peppers and saute for another 5 mins. Lower the heat to avoid the veggies from burning and add the tomato puree or crushed tomatoes. Season with salt and paprika. Saute for another 5-10 minutes. Set aside
3. Cook the peas in a deep bottomed pot or pressure cook for 10-15 minutes with Asafoetida(optional) and ground pepper.
4. Saute the dried red chilis in Olive Oil for a minute and add the sofrito. Add the cooked peas to the sofrito and top with cilantro. Serve hot with Spanish Rice or white long grain rice.

Served up!