Home made pasta and sauce.

Home made pasta and sauce.

for pasta:

1. cup whole wheat flower or suji
2. 1. egg
3. ¼ t-spoon salt
4. 2-3 t-spoon of water or as needed.

To boil pasta:

large pot of water and 4 t-spoon of salt

Beat egg with salt and 1 t-spoon of water, add flower or suji and kneed into medium soft dough (use more water if needed). Cover and keep a side for 20 minutes.. Uncover and kneed again and make 3 to 4 equal size ball. Now with help of dry flower roll out each dough ball into thin and flat sheet (like roti). Sprinkle some flower on rolled dough and from one edge start to roll it till you get to the other edge, so you can make it into a cigar shape. Make all ball into cigar and keep a side. Cut the cigar shaped rolled dough into very thin strips or to desire thickness. To unroll the dough strips just insert a thin wooden spatula handle or a dull knife in the tube after you are done cutting the dough and simply lift the dough, this method will give you a thin strips of pasta. Sprinkle some dry flower onto cut strips so it does not stick together, and keep them on the side. Meanwhile in a large pot take lots of water and 4 t-spoon of salt; bring it to a rolling boil ( never add oil to water). When all pasta is cut, shake off dry flower from pasta and put them into boiling pot of water. Stir with a ladle otherwise they will stick together and not cook properly. Let it boil again. When pasta floats on water surface then you can remove them from water and add into sauce.

Easy method: buy any shaped ready made pasta and cook according to direction on the pack.

For sauce:

1. 4-5 medium size tomato, cubed, or 1 cup of any store brought pasta sauce.
2. ¼ medium onion, finally chopped
3. ½ medium stalk celery, finally chopped
4. 2 cloves garlic, crushed
5. ½ cup chicken cubed, Boneless and skinless.
6. ½ medium zucchini, small cubed
7. 5 mushroom, cubed,
8. 1/5 cup cubed bell pepper (any color) optional
9. salt ½ t-spoon
10. sugar 1 t spoon or according to taste, only if using fresh tomato (do not use for store bought pasta sauce).
11. black pepper according to taste.
12. 2 table spoon Olive or canola oil.
13. Crushed chili pepper flakes (optional).
14. 1/2 cup water.
15. Cheese according to taste (optional).

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan, add onion, celery and garlic, add salt, black pepper and chili pepper flakes. Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes till little tender, then add chicken and other vegetables except tomato, cook for 3-4 minutes then add tomato and sugar (or add store bought pasta sauce). Add ½ cup of water and mix. Cover and cook on very medium to low heat for 15 more minutes. Now sauce is ready.

Add cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well over medium heat.

For kids who do not like vegetables grind all the vegetables and then just cook little longer with oil, salt, chicken and sugar. Toss the pasta with this sauce and sprinkle some cheese on top. They will not notice vegetables in the sauce. Enjoy.

Aalu (Potato) kee sukhi bhujeea

Ingredients:


Red or yucan-gold Potato or potato of your choice, 1-1/2 lb

Canola oil, 2-table spoon

Fenugreek (methi) or cumin seed 1/3 t-spoon

Dry red chili powder, 2-3 pcs, broken.

Turmeric powder, ½ t-spoon

Salt, 1-1/3 t-spoon or according to taste

Garlic, (optional) 2-3 cloves

Red chili powder (optional), 1/3 t-spoon

Cilantro leaves or garlic chive, ½ bunch chopped.


Method:


1. Cut the potato in half and then slice them thinly. Wash 2-3 times and drain.

2. Heat oil in a wok or skillet on high heat, put Methi or cumin seed and red chili.

3. Add drained potato, turmeric powder and salt. Stir, cover and cook on high heat for 5-7 minutes, then simmer down the heat and cook another 8-10 minutes or till potato is cooked.

4. Uncover and directly grate garlic over the potato; add chili powder and chopped cilantro or garlic chive.

5. Cook uncovered on high till a nice aroma comes out of the bhujeea, and potato’s are little brown after cooking.

6. Take out in a serving dish and serve with paratha/ roti or plain rice.

Bihari Kadhi

Ingredient:

Besan (Gram flower), 1-1/2 cup

Yogurt, 1 cup

Water, 6-7 cups

Canola oil, 3-4 table-spoon

Hing, 1 pinch

Cumin seed, 1/2 t-spoon

Dry red chilies, 4 pc. Broken.

Turmeric powder, 1 t-spoon

Salt, 2- t-spoon, or according to taste.



For Baghar:



Ghee, 1 t-spoon

Cumin seed, ½ t-spoon

Black mustard seed, ½ t-spoon

Curry leaves- 10.

Red chilly powder, ¼ t-spoon, (optional).



Method:



1. In a deep mixing pot put all besan and little less then ½ cup of water. Mix it with hand. At this point if batter is too stiff and hard to mix then a spoon of water can be added (be careful not to add too much of water otherwise it will go runny and you will need to add more besan into it), and beat it using hand (alternatively use food presser or hand better), beat it for approximately for 10 minutes until besan and water form a very thick and very light weight batter (thicker then pancake batter). To make sure the batter is light enough, take a glass of water and add few drops of batter into it; if batter drops floats on the water surface then batters is ready and no further mixing needed, if not, then mix it again and do the same testing till batter floats on the surface.

2. Once besan is light and fluffy, add ½ t-spoon salt and ½ t-spoon turmeric and mix all together once more for a minute.

3. In one shallow skillet or wok heat 1 tablespoon of the oil on high heat. Wet your fingers and take some batter in your fingers. Slowly slide small marble sized besan wadi in the shallow oil. At this point you do not need lots of oil in the pan or wadis will not be fully submerged in the oil. Be careful not to put your finger in the hot oil. When small holes appear on the wadis flip them and cook them from other side also. Add more oil as needed. Take them out in a plate. Make 25-30 wadis. Do not use up all the batter.

4. Add rest of the water, and yogurt in the left over batter, mix it well with hand or hand mixer scrapping the bottom also, so there is no lump of yogurt or besan is left.

5. In a deep skillet heat 1 t-spoon of oil, when hot add hing, cumin and broken chilies. Let is fry till brown; do not burned. Add rest of turmeric, wait 15 second and add besan-water mix to it. Mix it with ladle, and bring it to a boil. Add salt. Turn down the heat and boil it on slow heat for 20 minutes. Now add wadis to it add boil it once again for additional 10 minutes.

6. Kadhi will become thick enough to coat a spoon. Check for proper thickness of Kadhi by putting a spoon in the Kadhi. If Kadhi coats the spoon then thickness is right, if not then it need to cook for little longer. Sometime if Kadhi become too thick then some hot water can be added to it.

7. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.

8. Heat the ghee in a ladle; add the cumin and mustard seeds. When crackled, turn off the heat and add curry leaves and red chilly powder. Immediately submerge the hot ladle in to hot Kadhi and put the cover on pot for 10-15 minutes.

9. Open the lid and mix the Kadhi.

10. Serve with cooked white rice and aaloo kee sukhi bhujeea.

Chuda (flatten rice) poha

Ingredients:



Thick chuda (flatten rice), 4 cups,

Onion large, 1, finally chopped

Ginger, peeled and minced, 1”

Green chili, chopped, 2

Tomato medium, chopped, 2

Fresh or defrosted peas, 1 cup

Red bell pepper, ½ finally chopped

Coriander leaves 4-5 strings, chopped

Limejuice, 2 t-spoon

Cumin seed, 12/2 t-spoon

Black mustered seed, ½ t-spoon

Curry leaves, fresh or dry, 10 leaves

Turmeric powder, 1 t-spoon

Salt1-1/2 t-spoon

Hing, 1 pinch

Canola oil, 4-table spoon,



Method:



1. Wash chuda 3-4 times in the water. Drain out the water and keep chuda aside to make it soften, till you prepare other things. Poha may get 20-30 minutes to get soft.

2. Heat oil on high heat in a thick bottom wok or skillet.

3. Add mustard and cumin seed and let it crackled in oil, now add curry leaves and hing in the pan. Fry for 30 seconds.

4. Add onion, ginger and green chilies. Fry until translucent and softened, 5-7 minutes.

5. Now add fresh or thawed peas, salt and turmeric powder. Mix and cover. Cook for another 5-7 minutes; stir in between.

6. At this point add tomato and bell pepper. Mix and cook for 4-5 minutes.

7. Now add washed and softened chuda in the pan and mix it with everything. Cover and cook on high heat for 4-5 minutes, to bring everything on same temperature.

8. Uncover and stir the pot; cover and simmer the heat for another 7-8 minutes. Stir in between.

9. Uncover the pot, turn off the heat and add the coriander and limejuice.

10. Mix everything together well and serve for breakfast or evening snack.

Shrimp-Vegetable stir-fry

Ingredients:



Shrimp, 1 lb, vain and shell removed and washed (do not remove tail).

Snow peas 2 cup, string removed.

Red onion, ½, thinly sliced

Carrot ½ cup, sliced

Button mushroom, 1 cup, sliced

Red or yellow bell peppers, ½ cup, thinly sliced

Green scallion 4 stems, thinly sliced

Canola oil 2 table spoon

Cornstarch, 1 t-spoon dissolved in 3 t-spoon of water

Black pepper powder, ¼ t-spoon

Salt, ½ t-spoon or according to taste

Soy sauce, 2 large tablespoons

Ginger, 1” skin removed and finally minced

Garlic, 4, clove finally minced

Green chili, 2, chopped

Red dry chili, 4, whole (optional)


Method:


1. In a wok heat ½ t-spoon oil and cook the shrimp on high heat, when turn light pink and all water is evaporated take them out in a plate.

2. Now, quickly and very lightly cook the carrot, snow peas, and mushroom on very high heat, and take them out in the same plate with shrimp. No need to fry the bell peppers, or scallions.

3. In the same wok, heat the rest of the oil, and add whole red chili, chopped ginger, garlic and green chili, fry for a minute then add sliced red onion, fry for 2 minutes. Add black pepper, salt, and spy sauce to it.

4. Now add dissolved cornstarch, and boil it for 2-3 minutes to make thick gravy.

5. Transfer shrimp and other vegetable from the plate into wok; also add bell peppers of your choice and chopped scallion.

6. Mix every thing and bring it to a boil and to make gravy little thick.

7. Serve with white or fried rice.

Paneer with bell peppers

Ingredients:

1. Paneer, 1 lb
2. Red and green bell peppers, ¼ of each, thinly sliced into 1” sticks.
3. Milk, 1-1/2 cup.
4. Canola oil, 1-1/2 tablespoons
5. Onion- 1 peeled and thickly cut.
6. Ginger, 1” skin removed and crushed.
7. Garlic, 2-3 pc. Peeled.
8. Coriander powder, ½ t-spoon.
9. Red chili powder, ½ t-spoon
10. Turmeric, ½ t-spoon.
11. Garam masala, 1/3 t-spoon.
12. Salt ¾ t-spoon or according to taste.

Method:


1. In a cold pressure cooker, put add ingredients from 4-12, along with 2 t-spoon water. Cook on high heat till 1 whistle, then turn down heat and cook on 10 minutes on low heat. When presser is out from cooker then open the lid, and on high heat cook it until oil comes out of the masala. (To make my life easy and cooking go-fast, I always use this method of preparing masala, which I learned from years of cooking. I thought to give you this tip to make your life & cooking easy.)
2. When masala is fried properly, add paneer and stir all gently to mix it up. Cook for 5 minutes. Add milk and let everything boil for 3-4 more minutes.
3. Turn off the heat, and now add bell peppers to keep the crispness and vibrant color.
4. Take it out in a serving dish.
5. Serve with chapatis.

Zucchini with cumin

Ingredients:

Zucchini squash, 3, slit from middle and sliced thinly.
Onion, 1- medium, peeled and sliced thinly.
Cumin seed, ½ t-spoon
Green or dry red chili, 2, cut in to half.
Canola oil, 1 tablespoon.
Salt, ¾ of t-spoon or according to taste.
Turmeric powder, ½ t-spoon (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oil in skillet on high heat.
2. When very hot add cumin and sliced chili, then sliced onion.
3. Fry for 2-3 minutes, and add sliced zucchini, salt and turmeric.
4. Cover and cook on high heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir it gently 1-2 time.
5. Take out the cover and cook furthermore on high till water dry out.
6. Take out in a bowl.
7. Serve it with chapatti.
8. Enjoy.