Rice, Noodles, Breads

Lasagna – a quick meal & New Year resolutions.!

January 5, 2012

A lasagna makes for a simple yet classic meal on any day of the week – a delight for kids and adults alike. Enjoy..! . . Lasagna is a classic Italian dish that has gained immense popularity and fan following over time. It is made out of Lasagna noodles (flat rectangle pieces of pasta) combined with a classic bechamel sauce and a tomato based meat or vegetarian gravy. This is one of my daughters favorite dishes, and mine too. We do not make this at home too often because it is a bit heavy on the calories and definitely not a diet food as…

Malabar Mutton Dum Biryani

October 31, 2011

A plate of rich, aromatic ghee rice, delicious pieces of mutton and the occasional crunch of a well roasted cashew nut, a Malabar style Mutton dum biryani is an explosive dish. Eid is just around the corner and it is the perfect time for delicious, tummy filling good. This mutton biryani is all that and more. The masala is perfect and it combines with rice to make a perfect main dish for a party or a celebration. It is not a dish that needs too much preparation time as it requires no marination of meat with curd and definitely no fine chopping and mincing. It makes…

Ney Pathiri / Ney Pathal

October 10, 2011

Boiled rice, fennel seeds, shallots and coconut join hands to make this delicious fried bread called Ney Pathiri. I had a very weird experience during the initial days of my married life. We were invited for tea to one of my in laws best friends house, who happened to be this gorgeous muslim woman, as fair and elegant as a a Barbie princess. I was struck by her expressions and her charm. We were escorted to the dinner table which was set with beautiful cakes, kinnathappam, unnakaya and .. a plate of egg omlette..?? Ahem.. I did not see any chappatis…

Thalassery Chicken Dum Biryani

June 27, 2011

A pot of spicy chicken, baked (dum) with aromatic basmati rice, adorned with fried cashews and raisins with a sprinkle of saffron and a splash of rose water – heavenly biryani..! Thalassery, also known as Tellicherry, is a city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, in South India. this small city is reknown for its vast heritage. It is believed that this city has been the emergent place of numerous cuisines and delicacies like biryani,kalumaka nirachathu, Kakkarotti , puzhungappathil, kozhi nirachathu and kalumaka porichathu. Thalassery is at times referred to as the city of cricket, cakes and circuses. It…

Kappa Beef Biryani – Tapioca Beef Biryani

June 3, 2011

Kappa Biryani / Tapioca Beef Biryani is a medley of spices, carbs and beef – that leaves one licking fingers and wanting more..!! Kappa Beef biryani … oh.. that does bring back memories..!! This is one of the most delicious thattukada specials that sets the mouth watering and the taste-buds tingling. I did my studies staying in a Vegetarian hostel. We were served vegetarian food day in and day out. Being a non vegetarian I really missed that piece of pepper chicken fry, fish curry or beef roast. These were all delicacies reserved for those days that we went home. However my…

Chicken Supreme Pizza – Pizza party at home today..!!

February 22, 2011

A very easy to make pizza recipe, one that will make ordering out seem like a big task and homemade pizza a regular..!! Today I have my entire battalion home - no work, no school. After a morning spent cleaning and dusting, and preparing a complete sides included “healthy meal”, the prospect of cooking again in the evening or dinner is quite daunting. So I have decided that we are gonna have a PIZZA PARTY today. OH OH..! I am in serious doubt whether I have anything for the topping… lets see… Off to the refrigerator and lots of hunting and tossing…

Pressure Cooker Chicken Biryani – Chettinad style

February 19, 2011

A very easy, fuss free, immensely satisfying one pot chicken biryani..!! Today we had another quickie meal. By now you might have realized that more often than not I tend to find ways to make the most elaborate meals “quickie meals”. Well this is one such meal. Chettinad is a region of the Sivaganga district of southern Tamil Nadu , India. Chettinad is famous for its culinary delicacies and temples. In fact this place is most famous for its spicy food – an area which has become known throughout the world by the travelers moving out of the region for work. Today I have prepared one such…

Roasted chicken rice – a memorable meal …

February 15, 2011

A chicken and Rice combo -a meal complete in itself, one for a busy weekday..!! The first place I visited outside of India after marriage was Malaysia. And we spent a long 5 years there. The Chicken Rice shop was the first place I went to eat after I got there. It was in the mall right next to Endah Villa and a very short walk form our beautiful apartment there. Oh .. was I nervous or what?? Even after having been born and brought up in Oman, the sight of a new place and the entire idea of getting…

Chicken Pasta Supreme – a quick fix meal..!!

January 31, 2011

A medley of pasta, veggie and chicken – this is a pasta for kids..!! My son has an aversion to colored foodstuff … more specifically, he hates anything which is not white in color. For instance , when faced with a plate loaded with rice, spinach, chicken and curd… he would say ” Please give me some white, but I will not eat green, gimme some brown without the black(mustard) on it”. Well, this pasta is a quick fix, time saver and fuss free meal option, one I can feed my kid without facing a color war at the table. It is…