huanying ni lai Zhongua...!

Ni hao..! Chi fan le mei you? 

You must be wondering.. what am I talking? Well to start with my todays title -

'huanying ni lai Zhongua...!' meaning 'Welcome to China..!'  Yes I'm talking chinese.. :)

Chinese don't typically ask "how are you?" as a follow up to "hello." Their pleasantries are usually "hello" followed by "have you eaten?" (if it is near a mealtime). So as I mentioned in the start of this post
Ni hao means hello 

Chi fan le mei you? means have you eaten?

Yes, you are thinking right.. today Im going to give you a super fast Chinese recipe.

Chinese cuisine is loved by people in all countries and all walks of life. People appreciate Chinese food for its combination of superb taste & afford-ability. It is no longer a foreign food that is difficult to understand & cook. Infact chinese cuisine is easy, fast & convenient to make at the comfort of ones home. 

One more tempting fact about this cuisine is that it brings a flavor to the table for everyone. From sweet n sour to spicy & tangy.. it has all..!

Not to forget that colour, aroma & flavor are not the only key elements of chinese cooking; nutrition is also a priority. 

Hence, it is a full package of taste n health with a minimum of cooking time..! 

Also its my Hubby's favourite cuisine.. He can have it every single day! :) And here is one such basic main course in Chinese & his fav. dish that I cook

Spicy Vegetable with Noodles

(I genrally use Ching's Secret sauces & mixes which is like instant mix for various chinese dishes

Ingredients :

Long & thin cut carrots, capsicum, french beans

cube cut cabbage

Choopeed Spinach

broccoli

Mushrooms (optional)

Boiled Noodles

3 tbsp Ching's All In One Sauce

1 tsp Ching's Soya Sauce

1tbsp of Ching's Shezwan Sauce

1tsp chilli vinegar

1tbsp cornflour

pich of white pepper & salt

water

Method :

Put the pan onto the heat. Add 2 tbsp of oil. Cover the pan with the oil. The pan needs to be really hot so that the noodles do not get stuck to the pan. 

Blanch the broccoli add to the pan. Stir. 

Then add some capsicum, carrots, some french beans, then add the cabbage. Stir fry the vegetables but not overdone. Then add spinach. Mix with the other veggies. Add 3 tbsp of all in one sauce, 1tsp of soya sauce, 1tbsp of shezwan sauce. Mix well. Each piece of vegetable needs to get coated with the sauces. Add Mushrooms & chilli vinegar. Add some water. Let the sauce boil. n the meanwhile make a batter of cornflour(1tbsp) & water(2tbsp). As soon as the sauce starts boiling, add the cornflour paste n mix well. Simmer for a while. Let the sauce thicken a little.

Add the boiled noodles & mix well..! Serve immediately. Garnish with spring onions.

And there you are... 

It was a super-hit when I had cooked this for a house a party at my place for 15 of my friends..!

Let me know what your mates have to say about it.

Khichdi Kadhi Delicacy...!

As I mentioned in my last post about attending weddings this weekend... aaah... I had quite an extended weekend of attending those and other social do abouts. Must say its quite boring and tiring after a while. Especially in this scorching heat..! I think Marriages in open space (ground) should be banned in the month of April & May...What say? They are a real torture..!
For the last 3 days I have been having food outside... loaded with calories..!
Hence thought of cooking something light, healthy & simple last night for dinner.. Another reason for this kind of menu was.. that I also had a meeting scheduled.. So coming back home & making something which is quick n can give me time to chill was on my mind. Without thinking any further, decided on making our famous gujju meal - Khichdi Kadhi...!
Khichadi (also Khichdi, khichdee, khichuri, khichari and many other variants) is an Indian dish that contains a combination of rice and lentils. Khichdi, a complete one-pot meal. The rice provides the carbohydrates, lentils provide the protein, the vegetables - vitamins, minerals & fiber, ghee - the right amount of calories and fat. In India, there are as many recipes for Khichadi. It can be spicy or plain, made with a combination of 2-5 lentils or single lentil.

Traditionally, khichdi is eaten with kadhi, a savoury curry made with a yoghurt base, but it works well with anything that is strongly flavoured or spicy as the khichdi itself is mild. 

Khichadi 

There are, of course, variations to this dish. However, the recipe below is the basic one & that is how its made at my house.

1 cup rice

1/2 cup moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

4 cups of water

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1. Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 10 minutes. Drain.

2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they turn darker, add hing.

3. Add rice, dal, salt, both the spice powders and water. Mix and close the lid of the cooker.

4. Pressure cook to 3 whistles and let the pressure drop down naturally before opening the lid. Serve khichdi hot with ghee on top and kadhi on the side.

Well, Im sure most of you people in India are aware of this recipe. So you must be thinking, what is new that I'm sharing with you..??? I used to hate having this khichdi... especially the kadhi which is soo plain & boring. (the way it was made at my place) until once, when in college for a project we all gurls had stayed over at a frnds place. Next day for lunch my frnds masi (aunty - mothers sister) had cooked roti (indian bread) with kadhi n aloo sabzi (potato vegetable). All my friends could not stop praising the kadhi which I thought I should try then. That day I realised...a little variation in the recipe can make something taste so different. It was amazing.. I fell in love with that kadhi...! 

Since then, whenever I am bored with the usual roti, sabzi, dal, etc. I cook my self this kadhi delicacy..! So here is the recipe that I would like to share with you. 

Gujrati Kadhi

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Yogurt – 1 cup, beaten
Water – 3 cups
Chickpea Flour (Besan) – 4 Tbsp
Salt – 3/4 tsp (or to taste)
Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp
Ginger - 1/2 tsp & Garlic –  2 to 3 cloves both grated
Green chilies – 1 to 2 (to taste), finely chopped

Sugar / Jaggery – 1 tsp or as per your taste

For Vaghar (seasoning):

Oil – 2 tsp
Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tsp
Whole red chili – 1
Cloves – 4
Cinnamon – 1 small piece
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) – 10 seeds
Asafoetida (Hing) – 1/8 tsp
Curry leaves – 1 sprig
Cilantro / Coriander – 5 sprigs, chopped

Method:

1. In a pot, mix together Yogurt, Water and Chickpea Flour well until there are no lumps.
2. Add Salt, Sugar, Turmeric Powder, Ginger, Garlic and Green Chilies.
3. Bring mixture to a boil on medium flame, stirring continuously.
4. Reduce flame to low.
5. In a separate small pan, heat Oil and Ghee.
6. Add Whole Red Chili, Cloves, Cinnamon, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds and Fenugreek Seeds – allow them to splutter.
7. Turn off flame and add Asafoetida, Curry Leaves and Cilantro – mix well to coat leaves with oil.
8. Immediately, add the seasoning to the boiled yogurt mixture and allow it to boil once more.

Tips:

1. To prevent yogurt from separating when heated, don’t forget to stir CONTINUOUSLY until mixture boils.
2. To make thicker Kadhi, add more besan.
3. If your yogurt is too sour, replace part of the water with milk

I hope you enjoy this variation of kadhi they way I do. Do write me how did u like it.. Till then let me now get back to my loads & loads of pending work.. :)

Quick - Fix recipe for your skin..!

In India, a domestic help is of utmost importance. Compared to the West, our houses in India are not sealed and needs dusting & cleaning everyday. Hence, maids play an important  role in our daily lives.
The availability of an appropriate and a reliable maid rules our social life and several other facets of our life. 
Considering erratic working hours and untimely emergencies, maids assume a central role.
Over the period of time, I have realized that their (maids) social lives are much bigger than ours..!!
Mondays & Thursday they would want to visit some mandir in titwala, Mumbai. hence we got to wind up before she wants to leave... Tuesdays, she is fasting... so no extra work..! and the list goes on..
Patience, Tolerance & Forgiving nature has become an important part of my nature when it comes to dealing with them. lols..! And then a day comes that she is not well...! and I have a meeting scheduled.. or a social gathering to attend.. God..! It really drives you crazy.. trust me.
One such day was yesterday. First half of my day is gone in all the maids work.. most of the 2nd half gone in taking  nap after working hard.. :)
And now today I got to attend a wedding in the morning.. where is the time to go to the parlour and get yourself a fix.?
Well, this is not only my story but most of you out there have a similar one..
So here are a few quick fix tips on home facials to give you that glowing skin in a wink!


Banana facial Mask- Mash 1/2 banana and add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons sour cream. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth or wash it off with lukewarm water.


Honey facial Mask - Take 1½ tbsp. honey, 1 egg white, 2 tsp. glycerin, 1/3 cup flour and Whisk the honey, egg white and glycerin, and then add the flour. The result should be a thick paste. Apply to face and rinse after 15 minutes this mask effectively moisturizes and tightens the skin, making it smooth and soft.


Heavy Cream Easy-To-Use Facial Mask

Ingredients :

 • Heavy Cream ( Milk Cream )...................... 1 Tablespoon

• Honey ....................................................... 1 Tablespoon

• Baking Soda ............................................. 1 gram

Method : - Mix the baking soda with the cream until it acquires the consistency of men's shaving foam - Add honey and mix, smooth the skin of face and neck for 20 minutes

This is the quickest mask to prepare it has also the quickest effect, since it contains medium chain fatty acids in the free form, sugars, vitamins (specially vitamin A), minerals and trace elements. It will leave your skin very smooth.

Best Face Mask to Refresh the Skin

 Ingredients :

• Apple ...........................................  1/4

• Peach ..........................................  1/2

• Tomato ........................................  1/2

• Milk ..............................................  1/4 Cup

• Almond Oil ...................................  1 Tablespoon

 Method :

- Peel all the fruits and mash them

- Add the milk and oil to the mashed fruits and use moderate heat with stirring, untill the mixture acquires the consistency of of a cream

- Leave to cool

- Apply a thick layer to the skin and leave for 30 minutes

Turmeric Facial Mask

This is the traditional mask, also used for a bride, seven days in advance of marriage.Take in a cup half a cup of besan (gram flour), 2 tsp of turmeric powder, 2 tsp of sandal wood powder, 2 tsp of ghee or almond oil, add some water to make a paste. Apply to face and whole body and leave for 5-10 minutes. Rub with pressure with both palms and fingers to remove all the paste.

Dry Skin Mask
Mix 1 tsp of butter in 1 tsp of water. Apply it thoroughly into all the dry areas and leave for 15 - 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water.

For a quick-fix facial mask for your dry skin, mix 2 tbsp of honey with 2 tbsp of milk. apply this sticky mixture to your face and leave it for 10 to 15 mins. Rinse off with warm water.

For Oily Skin

Keep calamine power and sandalwood powder at home. They have extremely good agents to reduce oiliness from the skin. By adding other ingredients to them we can make many face masks for the good of the skin.  

Take two spoonful of calamine powder in a bowl and add rose water to it. Make a paste and apply it on the skin. When it dries, remove it with a sponge and then wash off. Don't laugh and talk when this paste is applied on your skin. It removes the greasiness from the skin and tones it up.

Take a spoonful of calamine powder, one spoonful of sandalwood powder, add few drops of lemon juice to it. If you want, you can add cucumber juice to it. Make a paste and apply it on the skin. Wash it off when dries. It clears the complexion, diminishes the blemishes from the skin and reduces oil.

You can rub a lemon peel on the skin to reduce the oiliness and grease from the face.

Honey and lemon paste if applied on the skin reduces the tan and oil from the skin.

I guess these covered all skin types.. Try these quick in a wink facials that suit your skin type & let me know what your skin talks about you..!

More quick-fix tips  to save your money & time at parlours coming soon... Follow Me...! :) 

Indo Italian - Pav Bhaji Pizza

We all have heard of Pav Bhaji as the most relishing fast food in Mumbai. Noone makes pav bhaji as tasty as the hotels here in Mumbai. My favorites being 'Sardar Pav Bhaji' at Grant Road, Mumbai (he apparently was the one who invented the concept of pav bhaji). 

'Amul' butter should award him as their 'Best Consumer'. You will know why when you try a dish there. :)

Cooking pav bhaji at home is quite a task though when it comes to cutting veggies and the preparation time for bhaji.. Hence I decided to try something which is quick and in the process invented a new dish!

Bored of trying out the usual toppings on pizza.. I thought, why not combine the two cuisines.

Check what I made last nite for dinner.

Indo Pizza (Pav Bhaji Pizza)

Ingredients : 

2 Boiled & half mashed potatoes

Boiled small size cauliflower

Boiled Half of small cabbage

1 big grated onion

1 big grated tomato

1 medium capsicum chopped

5 to 6 crushed garlic cloves

1 tbsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp pav bhaji masala

Vegetable oil

Pizza Sauce

Pizza base

Cheese

Method :

• In a bowl mix all the mentioned ingredients till pav bhaji masala.
• On a pizza base spread 1tsp oil.
• Spread the pizza sauce (I used Smith & Jones Pizza Sauce)
• Spread the prepared mixture of veggies.
• Grate the cheese on top & bake it as you would bake the usual pizza.

Voila..! its ready to eat. My hubby loved the new combination. 

Do write me the ooh aah..s ..! from your dear ones after you try this.

Quick & Delicious

One thing which you just cannot get away with after marriage is.... to cook a meal..!

Especially when you are working, you always want a quick fix. 

After working all day, when the dinner time approaches, I need to pull out an easy recipe that I can make in my sleep. Thats when I started looking out for quick & delicious recipes. A few learned.. few invented.

In the past 3 yrs, I have managed to make a collection of easy, quick & delicious recipes which I would like to share with you on my this blog. 

You will see here all various kinds of cuisines... Starting with the quickest of all 

Instant Vegetable Paneer Dosa

Ingredients :

1/2 cup - sooji/rava 
2 tbsp - rice flour 
Asafoetida/hing, a pinch 
1 - green chilli, chopped 
1 tsp - coriander leaves, chopped 
1 tsp - cumin/jeera 
1/3 cup - grated paneer 
1 tbsp - finely chopped spinach 
1 tbsp - very finely chopped cabbage 
1 tsp - grated carrot 
Pepper powder, a pinch 
Water, to make batter 
Salt 

Method :

Mix sooji & rice flour together & soak in 1 cup of water for half an hour.

Add all the other ingredients in the mix.

The batter should be of dosa batter consistency.

Prepare dosas the usual way.

Serve with podi/chutney/sambar.

Its a real light, healthy & delicious dinner which is filling too. Try it!

Keep looking for more quick tips here. I'll be back in Quick as Wink ;)