Oatmeal and whole wheat pancakes.

Pancakes are a huge breakfast favourite. They can be dressed up or down according to your mood and time available. But they are so easy to make. A pancake drizzled with some honey or jam or maple syrup just makes breakfast look exotic and fancy.

1 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup quick oats 

1 cup milk

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 egg whites

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon 

2 tblsp sugar ( I prefer using raw sugar)a pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional : 1/2 cup of berries/ chocolate chips/ dried fruit or 1/4 cup sliced nuts. 

Mix together flour, oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon powder. Separately whisk together milk , sugar and vanilla essence, then add in the yoghurt. Whisk egg whites and slowly add to the milk mixture. Gradually blend in the milk-egg mixture into the flour-oats mixture. Stir lightly so as to just about mix it. Do not beat or whisk together or the pancakes will not be fluffy and light. Sprinkle your favourite optional ingredients and give a quick light mix.

Heat a tawa or a non stick pan . brush with butter or oil. Spoon out 2 tablespoonfuls of the batter and gently spread in a thick circle. Cook till the sides look light brown , then flip over . 

Soupy Noodles

Ever wondered what to cook when you are not particularly hungry , dont have much choice, have to meats or even vegetables and cant be bothered to go out and shop for some? Here is how a pack of instant noodles can work for you.

1 pack of instant noodles. Any vegetable scraps, 1 tablespoon of instant soup powder ( mushroom, vegetable, chicken, asparagus, oriental veg, sweet corn soup) , 1 stock cube, 1 tablespoon ketchup or worcestershire sauce . ( Here i have used leftover noodles half a pack of egg noodles and half plain)

Boil water according to the instant noodles packet instructions, add an extra half measure of water to it first. Add in the stock cube , sauces and vegetables. Mix the soup powder in 2 tblsp water. Add to the boiling water. Break the noodles and add. Switch off the heat when the noodles are just about done. Cover and keep for 2 mins. Serve garnished with grated cheese or a fried egg, boiled chicken or anything handy really.

Celery Soup

Celery. Its an excellent source of Vitamin C , folic acid, potassium, vitamins and fibre,  but most important , everyone loves the tangy fresh taste of celery. Here is a quick and easy way to serve celery.

A bunch of celery ,  use only the leaves and the top stem which is still delicate. Finely chop the leaves and stalks. 1 onion finely chopped, 5-6 garlic cloves finely chopped, 1 tblsp flour , 1/4 cup milk , 1 tblsp oilve oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil, saute the onion till light brown and translucent, saute garlic. Add in the celery , cover and cook. Cool and blend in a mixer and return to the pan. Blend the flour with the milk , add 1 cup of water.  lower the flame and add the flour, milk and water . Stir continuously till it thickens. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches or with a hearty  pasta salad.

Fish Cutlets - Mackarel

Mackarel is a part of the oily fish family. A rich source of Omega 3 oil. Often looked down by the new fish eaters, Mackarel or Bangda as it is popularly known is actually amongst the most nutritious fishes. Its my personal favourite and a mackarel curry with unpolished rice is a meal a goans dreams are made of :) .
Here is a fancy starter that is nutritious, filling and a change from the usual fish tikkas. This cutlet or kabab is made with Mackarel , but one can use any other fish with lesser bones or with fillets of white fish. However this is by far tastier. Here goes

4 whole Mackarel ( Bangda) , steamed, de boned and flaked. 1 large onion chopped  and sauted till light brown, 1 green chilli finely chopped, a few sprigs of coriander  finely chopped, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste,  2 slices of bread , soaked , squeezed and crumbled, 1/4 tsp each of  red chilli powder and  garam masala . 1/2 a lime , salt to taste.1 egg white

Mix together the fish flakes, sauteed onions, chillies, coriander,ginger garlic paste ,  salt, spices, and lemon juice. Mix in the bread crumble and egg white. Mix well , but lightly with a fork. Divide the mixture into small balls and flatten lightly. Grease a non stick pan and place the cutlets/ kababs on it. Fry on each side till golden or dark brown.
Serve with a mint or coriander chutney .

You can make a meal out of it by serving it with fried potato wedges , salad and garlic bread.

American Chop Suey

While Chop Suey is the mnemonic for Chinese cooking , the American Chop Suey is a concoction made up by the Americans. When the railroad tracks were being laid in San Francisco, the chinese migrant cooks served up a chopsuey made with vegetables, beans , chicken/pork and noodles. The Americans, used to eating every thing with ketchup, would add ketchup to this chopsuey. This was hence known as the American Chop Suey.

American Chop Suey
¼ cup each of julienned carrots, capsicum, mushrooms, spring onions, cabbage
4 tbsp bean sprouts,
2 tbsp oil, 200 ml tomato puree, 4 tbsp tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste,
2 tbsp corn starch blended with water
fresh cut noodles, deep fried.
Heat oil, stir fry all the veggies for 2 mins, Mis tomato puree, ketchup , soy sauce, salt , pepper and add to the veggies. As soon as the mixture bubbles, add the cornflour till sauce thickens.
In a dish place fried noodles, serve veggies over it . Top with a fried egg.

For a non vegetarian version , you can add thinly sliced marinated chicken ( for 200 gms chicken beat 1 egg and 2 tbsp cornflour and salt pepper to taste. Keep covered for 10 minutes and strir fry.)or mince or prawns. All all of it . Just stirfry the chicken / prawns before adding the vegetables. Cook till almost done, before adding the sauces.



You will find the recipe for fresh noodles in this blog.

Dried Shrimp Kismur

A delectable Goan delicacy, Kismur is practically a salad. Vegetarians can substitute the dried shrimp with roasted red chilli papads , crushed. A brilliant side dish with hot phulkas.

1 cup dried shrimp, 4 tbsp dessicated coconut, 1 chopped white onion, 1 chopped green chilli, 1 tsp tamarind, 1/2 tsp salt.
mix the tamarind paste with a little water. Mix with the onions, coconut and salt.
Dry roast the dried shrimp on a low heat, stirring every few seconds so as to not burn them.
Mix the shrimp with the coconut-onion mixture. Enjoy the kismur with rotis. Another spicier option is to temper the kismur . Heat a tsp oil , add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the onion and red chilli powder. take off heat immediately , add coconut, tamarind paste, salt and shrimps. You can substitute the shrimp with dry roasted , crumbled mackerel, bombay duck or prawns. Vegetarians try the spicy red chilli papad , roasted & crushed.

Hearty Corn and Peppers Soup

A Rainy Stormy night.... Tired and cold. I am in no mood to cook or eat a regular meal. Just a soup should be great. But the kids will be back from the club , hungry and eager for a hearty meal. Here is just the right dish to suit us all.

Hearty corn and peppers soup

1 tsp olive oil ; 1 tbsp chopped garlic , half cup red onion diced ; half cup potatoes diced; half cup red peppers diced ; 1 cup sweet corn , 2 cups milk , 1 cup water , 1 vegetable stock cube,1 tbsp whole wheat flour, salt and pepper to taste. Corriander to garnish.

Heat oil , add onions , saute till soft. Add garlic , potatoes and peppers. Cook on low flame for 2-3 mins.
Add flour and sautee on low heat. Add milk , water, stock cube and corn. Cover and cook till vegetables are tender.
Add salt n pepper to taste. Garnish with Corriander.
Served with bread, makes it a hearty dinner. Happy Meal :)

Spinach Soup

How often do we feel like a light non fussy yet filling supper? A quick soup which feels like a gourmet treat.

4 tblsp spinach paste, 1 tblsp olive oil,2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 heaped tsp flour, 4 tblsp milk, 1 cup water, salt & pepper to taste.
Heat oil, fry garlic, add flour. Fry. take off heat , add water. Mix, add milk.Mix.Add spinach puree and put it back on the stove.simmer till well heated. Add salt and pepper. Put in your preferred topping and drizzle 2 tblsp milk over it. ENJOY.

Topping:
Croutons, cream crackers grilled with paneer/ cheese, garlic bread slices, roasted pine nuts ( chilgoza),sliced almonds.

Cooked and Presented by: Mandira Mehra