Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna

Vegetable Lasagna - Layered Pasta with vegetables in a delicious
cheese sauce

I have always loved the smell when I bake pasta. The aroma of rich cheese melting in the warmth of the oven fills your home in no time. Lasagna was one recipe that I tried to avoid as it has always seemed too complex. I couldn't resist trying it out after I had it in a Pizza Express when I visited the Cambridge. 

Watched lasagna making videos online on youtube and finally mustered the courage to try out this delicacy at home. I did not want to make it a non-veg pasta and chose vegetables instead. You could easily alter the recipe with chicken or cooked meat instead of the vegetables.

Here is my super easy recipe for lasagna. 

Ingredients

For Bechamel sauce

2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon plain flour
150 ml milk
salt and pepper to taste
spices, if preferred

For the vegetable sauce

2 cups chopped vegetables
1 cup pureed fresh tomatoes 
1 onion chopped
salt and spices to taste


For assembling
Instant lasagna sheets
Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoon
Grated mature cheddar 2 tablespoon


Method:

For lasagna, I made two sauces. One is bechamel sauce and other is a mixed vegetable sauce. The basic steps of making lasagna are:

1. Prepare your sauces
2. Layer them with the lasagna sheets
3. Bake it
4. Relish! 

For bechamel sauce, take a spoon butter in a pan and add one tsp flour, add the milk n let it thicken. Add salt, spices and pepper to taste. I added a pinch of dried basil.

For the vegetable sauce, saute onions n chopped vegetables. I used carrot n  beans but you can add any veggies. Add pureed fresh tomatoes and let it simmer and thicken. when the sauce is thick, add salt and spices. Remove from fire.

Layering:

When you choose a baking pan, choose something that would fit your lasagna sheets without breaking them. I used a loaf pan as I cooked just for the kids. First, apply some butter or oil to make sure that the pasta would not stick to the pan. Add the vegetable sauce and keep the first layer of pasta. Then, add a layer of bechamel sauce and add vegetable sauce over it. Add the grated cheese and cover it again with a pasta layer. Layer it again till the pan is 3/4th full.

Now, top it with a layer of freshly grated cheese. Cover it with foil and bake it for 20 minutes on 180 deg.

After 20 minutes, remove foil and bake it for another 15 minutes to make it bubbly and crisp on top.

Vegetable Lasagna is ready to relish!

Notes:

Many recipes on the internet seem too complex. I have tried to simplify it by making a single sauce with the vegetables and tomatoes. You could even make the sauce a single one by adding cream to it.

If you are concerned about calories, you can substitute butter with oil and milk with fat free milk.

Creamy Mushroom Curry

Yummy Mushrooms Served With Rice

I come from a family where they don't cook mushrooms! My Granny thinks that they are only part of the fungus group that grows in a dirty way! It was funny making her understand that mushrooms were edible and can be cooked into a very tasty dish. I told her my recipe on the phone and she was excited about it.

Here is my recipe for the Creamy Mushroom curry:

Ingredients

Mushroom - 1 Packet

Onions - 1 small, finely chopped

Green Chillies - 3 or 4 (Reduce it if you cannot take spicy food)

Butter - 1 tbsp

Three Cream Pasta Sauce - 2 Tbsp

Oil - To sautee

Oregano, salt and pepper - To Taste


How To Proceed

• On a pan, add oil and heat it to medium
• Add the green chillies and onions. Saute it till they brown at the edges.
• Add the mushrooms (I cut them into two halves, you can chop them into smaller pieces or add them as whole if they are button sized)
• When the mushrooms brown, and water oozes from them, reduce the heat.
• Add 2 tablespoons of Three cream pasta sauce and one tablespoon of butter
• Let it cook till the you get a nice aroma of creamy mushrooms. 
• Add Oregano, salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve it hot with rice or roti or bread of your choice

Note

I love them when they are hot. It tastes very good on a cold winter afternoon. If you do not have the pasta sauce, you can add shredded cheddar cheese and a little milk mixed with cornstarch. It will give you the same taste. If you do not have cornstarch, you can add a little all-purpose flour as well. 

Carrot n cheese muffins

Delicious Carrot and cheese muffins - A great evening snack!

If the smell of baking makes you go crazy, but you do not have a sweet tooth, then this is a perfect recipe for you!

Savory muffins are one of my favorite breakfast options as they are liked by all, especially the man of my house who doesn't enjoy a baked treat, would be happy to indulge on these lovely muffins.

If you are bored of the usual sweety and gooey muffins, give these lovely muffins a try. You will sure impress!

It will in no time become a family favorite!

These Muffins can be had both hot and cold, and can even be stored for a few days too. Try them out and do let me know!

Ingredients:

For making 6 medium Muffins

Cake flour/Maida - 1 cup (makes 6 medium muffins)

Grated carrot - 3 tbsp

Grated cheese - 3 tbsp

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Milk - 2 tbsp
Curd - 2 tbsp
Sugar - A pinch

How to Proceed:

• First take 2 bowls, in the first bowl, measure 1 cup maida or all purpose flour
• Add baking powder and salt and sugar
• Add grated carrot and Cheese and gently mix
• In the second bowl, add Oil, Milk, Curd and Sugar
• Mix well until it is frothy, use a hand blender for best results
• Now, add the liquid mix into the dry mix
• Mix gently to combine, a spatula will help
• Grease Muffin trays or place parchment paper in the muffin tray
• Fill out 2/3rds of the muffin holder
• Preheat the oven to 200 C for 15 min
• Bake on a preheated oven for 15min or until done
• Serve after it has cooled down a bit

Notes:

You can add any vegetables or even cooked meat while you make them. Broccoli, cooked peas or even nuts of your choice can be added.
Goes well with a hot cuppa chai on a rainy evening!

Peas Pulav

Peas Pulav - Basmathi rice cooked in coconut milk and flavored with spices and cashewnuts

Peas Pulav is one of the easiest and quickest rice dish that anyone would love! It tastes great with Chicken or any spicy vegetable curry. My mom used to make it regularly for my lunch when i was in college and school.. It is always fun to eat a tasty lunch box!!!

Instead of Peas, we can add vegetables of our choice and make it too.. Do try and enjoy!!!


Ingredients: 

For 2 people 

Basmathi rice - 1 cup (presoak for about half n hour in water before cooking)
Onion - 1 (sliced into lengthwise pieces) 
Green chillies - 6 (slit lengthwise, I usually add 2 or 3 more, add less if you prefer it less spicy) 
Peas - 1 cup full (if using vegetables add carrots, beans, cauliflower, brocolli, capsicum, babycorn etc diced into small chunks, 1 cup full)
Cashewnuts - 1 handful (add more for nut lovers!!!)
Cooking oil - 3 tablespoons
Ghee or butter - 5 tablespoons
Jeera - 1tsp
Pattai - 1 small piece (cinnamon stick)
Brinji leaf - 1
Green cardamom - 2 pods
Cloves - 1 or 2 
Mint leaves - 1 tablesppon (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
Coconut milk - half a cup (thick milk) (u can substitute with full fresh cream or even milk, but the flavor would be different for each)
Salt - per taste
Lemon - to taste

How to Proceed:

• Add cooking oil in a pressure cooker pan and add Pattai, Brinji leaf, Green cardamom, cloves and Jeera
• Add sliced onions and green chillies and fry till the onions turn glassy (do not let the colour change)
• Add ginger garlic paste and chopped mint leaves and saute well.
• Add the peas and let it mix well, do not let the peas cook! (if your adding vegetables, add them and do not let them cook either!)
• Add the Basmathi rice draining all the water. Mix well
• Add half a cup coconut milk (or fresh cream or plain milk) and add salt and squeeze half a lemon
• Add 1 and half cups water and check for salt (it should be a little salty as rice cooks, it will be perfect)
• Add a tablespoon of Ghee or butter before closing the lid (will make sure the rice doesn't stick)
• Let it cook for only one whistle
• Add ghee or butter in a pan and roast the cashewnuts, add to rice once pressure is released (if your lazy, saute the cashews while you add spices itself, but the cashews will be cooked lightly in the pulav! Its tasty either way)
• voila! your Peas pulav is ready

Notes:

I usually add 2 cups of water for 1 cup of Basmathi rice, so make sure the water to rice ratio is correct, that is count coconut milk also as water (so for 1 cup rice its 1 n half cup water : Half cup coconut milk) 

When your cooking for 2 cups rice, add one cup coconut milk and 3 cups water.
Serve hot with a spicy gravy and plain raitha!

Parupu Kolambhu

Parupu kolambhu- a must in every authentic Parakai meal!

Parupu kolambhu - a usual dhal gravy with an unusual twist with coconut paste.. I believe my native cooking cannot exist without coconuts! No need to worry on calories, really doesn't affect you when you have these cooking combinations.. Do try and enjoy!!!

Ingredients: 

For 2 people 

Moong dhal - 1 cup (dry roast in a pan for about 2min until raw smell goes before cooking)

To temper

Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1tsp

Curry leaves few

Red chilly - 1

To grind

Jeera - 1tsp

Dry red chilli 3 or 4 per taste

Coconut - half a cup

A pinch turmeric

A pinch of Hing

Salt - per taste

How to Proceed:

• Pressure cook the moong dhal with sufficient water
• Put all the ingredients under to grind in a mixer and make it into a paste. It should be a mild coarse paste and not very smooth.
• Mash up the moong dhal once it is cooked with the back of the ladle.
• Add the ground mixture to this
• Bring this to boil and keep stirring occasionally
• Once it starts to boil up, turn off the stove
• In a Kadai, temper mustard seeds and curry leaves with one red chilli in a little oil 
• Add the tempering into the dhal gravy
• It is ready. Serve Hot

Notes:

Parupu kolambu- It goes best with a dollop of ghee and a murumuru crispy Papad. Usually, this is served first in every wedding meal. It is a loved dish at home. Kids just love the flavour!

Do try and let me know!

Potato and peas masala

Peas and potato masala is one of my family's favorite recipe. It goes well with almost any dish. Be it calorie conscious chapathis or flavor rich pulav. Even with plain sambhar or curd rice this dish tastes divine! 

Now being season for fresh green peas it can easily make your day..

Do try out!

Ingredients:

Potato or baby potato - 250gms 

Onion - 1 big chopped

Tomatoes - 1 big chopped

Green chilli - 2 or 3 slit 

Chilli powder - 1tsp

Turmeric - 1tsp

Coriander powder - 1tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1tbsp

Mustard -1tsp

Jeera- 1tsp

Curry leaves few

Coriander leaves to garnish

How to proceed:

Boil potatoes and peel them. We can add baby potatoes as whole and big ones can be mashed up lightly to make small pieces.

In a wide pan or kadai add cooking oil and temper mustard and jeera and add few curry leaves

Saute onion and green chillies until glassy onion is glassy

 Add tomato and green peas and cook until tomatoes get soft

Now add all powders, viz chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt

when raw smell of chilli powder changes add boiled and peeled potatoes

Mix well and let it cook for few min

Garnish with coriander leaves

Notes:

A little amchur or chat powder can be added for extra zing

When fresh peas are not available soaked up dry peas can be used.

Happy cooking and eating!

Mutaikose thovaram

Muttaikose Thovaram - Mildly spiced Cabbage with coconut , a great accompaniment with rice.

As a child, I really hated cabbage. I did not like the bland taste of Cabbage.. But today I often cook cabbage. This recipe was adapted from my MIL, the usual way of cooking in my native, Nagercoil. It did surprise my city friends too, just like how it surprised me.. Its a try worthy recipe.

This goes well with Sambhar rice or any south Indian gravy with rice.

Ingredients:

Cabbage - 2 cups, cut into thin strips
Fresh Coconut - 3 or 4 tbs
Jeera - 1 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Moong Dhal - 1 Tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt to taste

Oil - to saute

Method:

To Grind:

In a small Mixer, grind together coconut, green chillies and Jeera. Do not add water while grinding and grind only until a coarse mixture is formed

To Proceed:

• Pressure cook the cabbage with 1/4 cups water for one whistle. (Instead, we can cook it on stove top also, but it will be more time consuming)
• In a kadai, saute moong dhal and mustard in oil until they splutter and add curry leaves, once it becomes crisp
• Now add the cooked cabbage from the cooker and cook until the water gets reduced. 
• Add the ground coconut mixture and fry a little until the raw smell goes.
• Serve hot.

Note:

Even after the food gets cold, its tasty, so its a perfect lunch box recipe.

You can Substitute cabbage with any vegetable like carrot, beans, broad beans etc..

Enjoy and do let me know how it worked for you!!!