Time for some kitchen tips:

• Freeze a box of fresh spinach. After it freezes just take a handful, crush it and sprinkle it over your food. Sprinkle it on a pizza, in enchiladas, in sandwiches, pasta, curry or anything else you can think of. The kids won’t even know!

• Make a ginger garlic paste and pour in ice trays. Put these trays in a gallon Ziploc bag and freeze. If your trays are medium sized then each cube of ginger garlic paste is about two Tsp. You will have fresh homemade ginger –garlic paste at your fingertips. You can do the same for green chili, cilantro or mint paste.

• If you plan to use lettuce in your meals, make sure you wash, clean, dry them and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator just before serving. Lettuce will be fresh, cold and crunchy. It will make your salads even better!

• Grind one box of salted roasted peanuts to a coarse powder. Store it in an air tight jar. Crushed peanuts are widely used for garnishing. Very handy protein rich garnish for stir fry’s, salads and a lot more.

• If you are using basmati long grain white rice, soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes before cooking. Add a Tbsp. of olive or vegetable oil for well cooked, non-sticky rice. To add aroma to the rice add very small quantities of any one or all of these spices: fennel seeds, whole black pepper, cloves, cumin, cinnamon stick, cardamom and/or bay leaf.
Enjoy
Sheetal

Tilapia in Coconut Curry

I grew up in a beautiful city called Mumbai. Mumbai was originally a group of seven islands which have now merged to become one of the world’s busiest, glamorous and most sought after cities. It is surrounded by the sea and boasts of one of the finest sea food experience anywhere in the world. I grew up loving Mumbai, loving its culture, its people and obviously the food. My grandmother, who is a great cook, has passed on her knowledge of amazing sea food recipes to the next generations. I crave for her sea food all the time. Although the available cooking means and methods have become way easier than they used to be many years ago, my grandma still loves the old school way of cooking from scratch (and it sure does taste better). Just like the fast paced life, everyone strives to make a fast-paced, but a healthy meal. Here is my take on it…if you plan it well; you can cook a great meal in no time! I am sharing my favorite quick Tilapia in coconut curry recipe that I learnt from my friend. Trust me this mouth –watering curry can be ready in no time.

Tilapia in coconut curry

Ingredients:

1 pound Tilapia fillets cut to 3 inch long pieces
2 Tsp. Ginger paste
1 Tsp. Garlic paste
4 cloves garlic
1 medium can coconut milk (2 cups if you are using fresh coconut milk)
1 cup water
1 Tsp. Red chili powder
¼ Tsp. Turmeric powder
1 Tsp. Garam masala
2 Tsp. Tamarind paste (replace with a Tsp. of lemon juice or 2 kokums if you do not have tamarind paste)
1 Tbsp. oil
Salt
Cilantro for garnishing

In a bowl, mix ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala, 1 Tbsp. of coconut milk. Add tilapia pieces to the mixture and let it marinate for half hour.
Heat oil in a shallow pan. Peel, mash garlic cloves and add to the hot oil. Fry the garlic for a minute till it turns slightly brown. Then gently lay the marinated tilapia pieces in the pan over the oil and garlic and let it cook on medium flame. Tilapia cooks really fast. Do not turn the fish, tilapia is very delicate and flaky and easy to break. Just lift up the pan and give it a good shake. Add the remaining coconut milk and a cup of water. Give the pan one more shake. And let it simmer. Taste the coconut curry after 10 minutes. Add additional spices (this depends the type of coconut milk you use) if you like. Once the curry starts boiling add the tamarind paste or lemon juice. Add salt to taste and lots of chopped fresh cilantro. This curry tastes best when served with white basmati rice.

Super easy, super delicious and super quick fish curry is ready!!!
Enjoy
-Sheetal

Caramel Custard Pudding.

I was taken aback when so many people had asked me the recipe for this super simple, super delicious pudding. My first memory of this pudding is from my childhood. I was probably 10 and my mom made it for us. I still, very clearly, remember even the bowl it was set in. I must have opened the refrigerator at least 10 times to check if it was set. I know my custard pudding doesn't even come close to what that pudding tasted like. Well.. Its a well known fact that however hard you try you can never be even half as good as your mother, especially when it comes to cooking. I was home all day yesterday with one of the twins being sick.After spending the whole day cuddling and reading books, I was craving for something sweet, yummy and obviously something that would be easy to make. Caramel custard pudding is made from a very few basic ingredients which you will definitely have in your kitchen, takes about 15 minutes of prep time, 30-40 minutes of cook time and at least an hour of refrigeration before serving.


Ingredients:

Milk 2 cups
Eggs 2
Sugar 1cup
Vanilla essence 1/4th tsp
Nutmeg powder 1/4th tsp (optional)
Butter/ baking spray

Heat two cups of milk and keep aside. Do not boil the milk.

Caramelize sugar in a light colored pan. Using a light colored pan helps track the exact color of the caramelized sugar that you need. Caramelizing is a science and the sugar can turn very bitter if not watched closely. For caramelizing, heat 1/2 cup sugar in the pan and watch closely as the sugar melts. Heat it to a point where the sugar melts and changes it's color and state, which means it starts becoming brown and melts to a liquid state. This mixture is very hot, so be careful while handling this.If you think you have overheated the sugar you can put the pan in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process instantly. Prepare a pan or a container that fits well in the pressure cooker by buttering it or with a baking spray. Pour the caramelized sugar in the pan and swirl gently to coat the pan with this mixture and set aside.

Whisk two eggs and the remaining sugar in a bowl till all the sugar has melted. Add the milk after it has cooled down a bit. Add the vanilla essence and nutmeg powder and mix well. Pour the milk and eggs mixture in the caramel coated pan. Add some water to the pressure cooker and place this pan . The pan will need to sit on a ring or an elevated plate. Steam cook for 30-40 minutes or till done. Let the pudding cool before you put it in the refrigerator. To serve, place a plate over the pan and turn the pan very carefully. The caramelized sugar will have turned into a runny rich sauce, so you have to be careful when you turn it over . Drizzle some extra sauce when you serve it.
Enjoy the treat!
-Sheetal

Cheese & Veggie Quesadillas - Kids Special

I love the challenges of being a mom. It’s like reliving your childhood; it's great that you can do it at this age, because if you have missed out on anything then this is the best time to make up for it. I love reading my kids’ books – to them and for myself too! I always loved books and my mom got us the best books that we could ever ask for. Now when I see both my kids sharing the same love for books I understand what my mother must be feeling then and why she would save money and go out of her way to exhibitions and book shops to buy us books.

Talking about the challenges of being a mom, the biggest thing in my entire day is to make sure my kids eat well, at least at dinner. They love fruits, bread, curries and anything else that I make. The hardest thing in the entire world is to have them eat some vegetables. Every single day I have to sneak in at least one portion of veggies in their diet. I have started experimenting with various recipes that include veggies but still manage to taste yummy!

Cheese & Vegetable Quesadillas:

Ingredients:

Corn Quesadillas
Shredded cheese (any variety that you have handy)
Finely chopped spinach
Finely grated carrots
Tomato ketchup
Olive oil or butter
Salt
Pepper
Crushed peanuts

Heat a griddle, add a few drops of olive oil or butter and start cooking a tortilla. Cook for about a minute on each side and set aside. Cook another tortilla in a similar way and place the well-cooked Side looking at you. Add cheese, veggies, ketchup, peanuts, salt and pepper. Place the first tortilla on the top of this and press with a flat wide spatula. Let one side cook well, and then flip to the other side. Let it cook till subtly crunchy. Make small sections and serve. Trust me, kids love this stuff. It’s a wholesome meal - grains, veggies, protein. Be creative - add sliced grapes or pomegranate, cooked shredded chicken, grated broccoli, finely chopped hardboiled eggs are just a few examples. Try your hand at this; you will be surprised how creative you can really get when it comes to having your kids eat a really healthy hearty meal!
Remember to eat your veggies today!
-Sheetal

Chicken Lettuce wraps

My husband and I have been big fans of these wraps available at two of our favorite restaurants. I always wondered what went into these to make them so perfectly pleasing for the taste buds. I decided to give it a shot, I had to try and make in a very short time (as always) to make it a quick recipe, without compromising on the yummy factor. So this is what I came up with and I think it worked pretty well!

For preparing the Lettuce:
1 Head lettuce
1/4 cup Vinegar
1 bowl water

Separate leaves from the core and clean with water. Add vinegar to a large bowl of water. Immerse the leaves in this bowl and swish in the mixture. Drain and rinse with cold water. Pat dry the leaves and refrigerate in an airtight container. If you have time, an hour in the refrigerator makes the lettuce cold and crisp and perfectly ready to go with the hot chicken. 15 minutes does wonders too!

For the Chicken:
2 Tsp. Oil
1 Tsp. minced garlic
1 Tsp. minced or grated ginger
1 pound ground chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped medium onion
1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup Chicken broth
1 Tsp. Vinegar
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Teriyaki Sauce
2 Tbs. Peanut Sauce (or 1Tbs.Peanut Butter)
1 Tbs. Chili sauce (I use the Sriracha brand - you can add more or less per your preference of spice)
Salt
Pepper


Heat oil in a pan on a medium flame. Add ginger, garlic and onions. Cook for a few minutes or till the onions turn pale. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally. While this is cooking, mix all other ingredients in a bowl, whisk well and keep aside. Add the ground chicken to the onions and mushrooms and mix well. Add the sauce mixture to the chicken and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook uncovered on medium flame, stirring occasionally, till chicken is well cooked.

For garnish:
Crushed roasted peanuts.

Tip: I always keep some roasted crushed peanuts handy. It’s a great way to add a yummy protein rich garnish to the food. It goes with any preparation of chicken, tofu or even stir fry veggies. Kids love it! (Please confirm for peanut allergies before adding it so someone’s meal) I also add this in a variety of salads I make. I will share those with you very soon.

Cook well! Eat well!
Sheetal

Ginger Garlic Chicken - Healthy High Protein/ No Carb

After the kids went to bed last night I had about an hour dish out a protein rich, healthy dinner for my husband before he got back from school. Earlier in the day he had mentioned that if possible, he would like to follow a strict protein rich, no carb diet all week. So it had to be either chicken, fish or eggs. I decided to go ahead with my quick Ginger -garlic chicken recipe with a side of steamed asparagus and peanut sauce.

Ginger Garlic chicken:

For the marinade:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tsp. ginger garlic paste
¼ Tsp. Turmeric powder
¼ Tsp. Red chili powder or paprika
2 Tsp. Plain Yoghurt
½ Tsp. Tandoori Masala (optional)
¼ Tsp. Butter
Salt
Pepper

For cooking:
½” finely chopped ginger
4 peeled, crushed garlic cloves
Olive oil

Take the chicken breasts in a mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients for the marinade and coat the chicken with it. Use a fork to pierce the chicken several times. This is a good old way for marinade to get absorbed quickly into the chicken. Set aside for at least 15 minutes, about an hour would be great. In a non-stick pan heat 1 Tsp. of olive oil, add the chopped ginger and crushed garlic cloves. Sauté for two minutes or till the garlic turns slightly brown. Gently add the marinated chicken and any remaining marinade from the bowl. Cook on each side for 10 minutes or till completely cooked. Add a few drops of olive oil as needed while cooking.

Peanut Sauce:
For a quick peanut sauce, in a bowl mix together the following ingredients and a yummy sauce is ready in 5 minutes.
2-3 Tbs. unsweetened peanut butter,
2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
½ Tsp Hot Chili Sauce
1 Tsp. sugar
1 Tsp. garlic paste
2-3 Tbs. water
Salt

Steamed Asparagus:
Steam asparagus for 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper and its ready to go! If you want to make it yummier heat 1 Tsp of butter in a pan and sauté the steamed asparagus on high flame for 2 minutes, then add salt and pepper.

Plate it well – I think plating food in a creative manner does justice to the food, the cook and also the lucky person who gets to relish it! I will be sharing a few quick plating tips in my future posts.

Remember to eat well!
-Sheetal

Cook well! Eat better! Live Healthy!

As I gear up to venture into a foodie blog, I can’t help but think about all the things that have made me a food lover with a passion for cooking. I do not have too many childhood or teenage memories of cooking, but I have some excellent memories of enjoying some of the best food all my life! Thanks to my mom who is a wonder of a cook, my dad who is a cooking enthusiast and my mother-in-law who taught me to eat well and follow a healthy staple diet by making the best use of ingredients you have at hand. So I consider myself a blessed student. I am not a chef, I did not go to a culinary school but I am a daughter, a wife, a friend and above all a mom who cooks with all her heart to give her loved ones a healthy wholesome meal. With this blog, I hope more for fulfillment and contentment than success.
Cook well! Eat better! Live Healthy!
-Sheetal