Jumbo Choco-Chip Cookies

Yum yum is all I can say. Who doesn’t like choco-chip cookies. These taste awesome and super easy to make. Do try them.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour(maida)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup butter softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cup choco chips
• 1 cup nuts of your choice chopped(almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc)

Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Keep aside. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla together in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one by one beating well.

Next gradually add flour mix beating well. Stir in chips and nuts with a spoon. The mixture will become quite hard to stir by now so it is gonna take some effort to stir it. Drop by rounded tsp onto ungreased cookie sheet or greased oven tray. The cookies are going to spread while baking so keep distance between individual cookies.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges start turning brown. Cool slightly. Remove on a wire rack and cool completely. Store in a dry and airtight container in a cool place.

Enjoy with cold milk.

Spicy Egg Fried Rice

This dish is so easy and is a meal in itself. Try it on a lazy afternoon.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 red chillies(deseeded) finely chopped
• ½ bulb garlic peeled and crushed
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 1 small Chinese cabbage(or normal cabbage) finely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers diced
• 2 egg whites lightly beaten
• 2 spring onions sliced
• ½ cup peas cooked
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Cook the rice in 4 cups of water. You can even use leftover steamed rice. Grind the chilies and garlic into a paste along with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok on a high heat and stir fry the carrots for 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and chili-garlic paste and cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so that veggies don’t burn. Add the cooked rice, simmer and give it a mix and let it cook for 2 minutes.

Now push the rice to one end of the wok, add the eggs in the cleared space and scramble until set. Mix them with the rice. Add onions and peas mix well. Add the soy sauce and salt. Mix and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on high heat.

Serve hot either alone or with raita or gravy of your choice. Enjoy!!!

Raan - e - Murg

I got this recipe from my mom's recipe book. Its a dry chicken dish without gravy and tastes awesome.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marination time: 30 minutes at least
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For marination

• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic  minced

For the dish

• 7-8 chicken drumsticks
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 cup onion paste
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• salt to taste
• red chili powder as per taste
• 1 chopped green chili
• 2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves
• pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp warm milk
• 1 tsp almonds(skin peeled and slivered)
• 3 tbsp oil
• cream to garnish

Mix all the ingredients for the marinate. Make small incisions(to let the marinate seep into the chicken) on the drumsticks and properly rub the marinate all over the drumsticks. Let them marinate for 30 minutes or more.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil and stir fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes. Now cover and simmer till done stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken and add rest of the oil to the same wok and brown the garlic mince. Add the onion paste. Cook till brown and add coriander powder, salt and chili powder. Add a tbsp of water to prevent the masala from getting burnt.

Add the tomato puree. Mix well and add green chili. Cook till oil separates and tomato is done. Now add the chicken. Mix well and add chopped coriander. Mix well and add the pinch of saffron dissolved in milk. Add the almonds. Give it a nice stir.

Garnish with coriander and cream. Serve hot. Enjoy!!!

Carrot Rice

Carrot Rice is a south Indian recipe ideal with sambhar or dahi raita. It is on the spicier side due to the usage of dry red chilies. You can use Kashmiri red chilies for a milder version.

Preparation time:15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coriander seeds
• 1/2 cup bengal gram dal
• 10-12 whole dry red chilies
• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 3/4 tsp urad dal
• 1 cup chopped onions(3 onions)
• 1 cup grated carrots(3-4 carrots)
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
• 3 tbsp oil

Cook the rice with water, salt and a tsp of oil. Powder coriander seeds, gram dal and chilies together in a grinder. Set aside. This powder will be more than you need so keep the rest in an airtight container for future use.

In a wok, heat rest of the oil, splutter mustard seeds and urad dal. Saute onions till they start turning brown and add the carrots and the curry leaves. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes and add 7-8 tsps of previously prepared powder, along with turmeric powder.

Cook for another 3-4 minutes or till the raw smell of the powder disappears. Now lower the flame and mix in the cooked rice.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or sambhar.  Enjoy!!!

Hummus

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 cup white chickpeas(kabuli channe) soaked overnight and pressure cooked
• 1 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• Salt as per taste
• Red chilli powder as per taste
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp parsley or coriander leaves

Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan until the color changes to light brown. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender to form a smooth paste. Check for seasoning and your hummus is ready.

It can stored in an air tight jar in refrigerator for a week. Serve as a dip or use as a spread. Enjoy!!!