Pasta in white sauce

I can never forget the first time I tried this. I saw this recipe at the back of the pasta wrapper but it was a baking recipe. I was about to start baking and the current went off so went ahead with this recipe and now this has been regular in our weekend menu whenever pasta is in stock.I have made a tomato based pasta but still this is hubbys favourite.

Pasta in white sauce Recipe:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Pasta - 1 cup
• Carrot - 1 chopped lengthwise
• Onion - 1 chopped finely
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp
• Seasoning - 1 tsp (optional) - I used the seasoning sachet that comes with pizza
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp

For the white sauce:

• Cornflour -2 tsp
• Maida - 2 tsp
• Cheese - 1 tbsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Cook pasta in water until soft yet firm enough to bite. Add a tsp of oil and salt while cooking pasta.
2. In a mixing bowl, first mix little milk with cornflour and maida so that there is no lumps , keep aside.
3. In a pan heat olive oil, add onions saute until lightly browned then add carrots and saute until it shrinks and raw smell leaves. Then add the milk-maida-cornflour mixture with remaining milk and mix well.
4. Add the cheese at this stage and allow it to melt.
5. It will start thickening at this stage - Add cooked pasta, required salt, pepper powder,seasoning, chilli flakes. Keep in low flame and cook for 3mins mixing well continuosly. Switch off and serve hot.

My Notes:

• Adding seasoning enhances the flavour if you have just ignore that and go ahead with pepper and chilli flakes, it will still taste good.
• Serve immediately as the white sauce thickens faster when kept for a longer time. If it becomes dry, add little more, heat it and then serve.
• You can include any veggies of your choice.
• Adding cream also makes it more rich and tasty.

The first time I made this, I added cooked peas and carrot. So adding veggies is totally your choice. You can add sweet corn too. Its easy and messfree as there is no grinding part :)

This is easy for breakfast and am sure kids will like it as the combination of milk, cheese and pasta can never go wrong. So what are you waiting for?! Try it out and see

For the spicy lovers, my version of spicy tomato pasta is coming up soon, so stay tuned.

Apple Cinnamon Milkshake / Apple Milkshake

Guess the blogger issue has not resolved fully yet and few of my comments for the last post has been lost hope they are back soon. Okay coming to todays post : This hot weather makes me crave for some chilled drinks and if its with milk its double bonus for me as I like milk in any form. Tried this milkshake from tarladalal site the other day and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Ingredients:

Recipe Source : Tarladalal

Makes 2 cups

• Apples chopped roughly(with skin peeled) - 1 cup
• Sugar - 2 tbsp
• Almonds - 4
• Chilled milk - 2 cups
• Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Method:

1. First blend chopped apple pieces, almonds, sugar in a blender to a smooth paste with little milk say 1/4 cup.
2. Then add the cinnamon powder, remaining milk and blend again.
3. Add icecubes if preferred and Serve chilled. I topped the milkshake with demerara sugar

I know this cannot be called in for a recipe as its so easy but just posted to let you all know that the combination is so flavorful and yummy...And ofcourse for the pics that I clicked :)

The recipe from the site also adds on this : An apple a day keeps the doctor away also proves true for acidity when whipped up as a milkshake, as chilled milk is known to overcome acidity for some people.

My Notes:

• Adding almonds is optional but it thickens up the shake with a nice taste
• Adding chilled milk delays the milkshake from changing its color
• You can make the same with curd too. Just replace milk with curd and follow the same procedure.
• You can skip cinnamon powder and make this as a simple apple milkshake and enjoy.

Jeera Rice(Jeera Pulao) and Punjabi Aloo Amritsari

Heard about this jeera rice/ pulao from my cousin many times but was hesitant to try as I doubted whether hubby will like it or not. But when I asked him , he gave a green signal so called her up to get the recipe, I tweaked it a bit to suit our taste...and here comes the jeera rice/pulao from my kitchen.

Thanks for the lovely bowl Nithi! :)

Jeera Rice / Jeera Pulao Recipe :

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Rice - 1 cup
• Water - 2 and 1/4 cups
• Onion
• Ghee - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt- to taste

To temper:

• Jeera - 2 tsp
• Green chillies - 2 slitted
• Curry leaves - few

Optional items to temper:

• Cloves - 1
• Cinnamom - 1/4 inch piece
• Bayleaf - a small piece

Method:

1. Soak basmati rice for 30mins and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in pan add jeera allow it to crackle then add onions saute until slightly browned then add curry leaves and green chillies, saute for a min. (Add the optional tempering items if you like the flavour)
3. Drain water from rice and add it to the pan, fry and mix well for 2mins. Add 2 and 1/4 cups of water , salt and keep closed. I didnt pressure cook it was a normal sauce pan so just cooked keeping the lid closed. Check after 5-8 mins
4. Stir in between to avoid sticking to the bottom. Once the rice has cooked Add ghee, mix it once and switch off.

Punjabi Aloo Amritsari Recipe

Recipe Source : TV Show

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• Potato - 3 medium sized
• Curd - 2 tbsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
• Salt - to taste

To make a thin paste:

• Ginger garlic paste
• Besan - 2 tbsp
• Ajwain seeds(omam) -1/2 tsp
• Salt - to taste

To grind:

• Onion - 1
• Green chillies - 1
• Garlic - 5
• Cashews - 5

Method:

1. Pressure cook potatoes(upto 4 whistles) until soft but firm enough, peel of skin and cube them into squares.
2. Make a thin batter of besan, salt, ginger-garlic paste, ajwain seeds adding little water. Marinate potato cubes in the batter for 15mins.Deep fry them or toast them in a dosa tawa until slightly crispy, keep aside
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the grinded paste and fry till raw smell leaves.Add salt (toasted potato has salt already so add accordingly), turmeric, chilli and garam masala powders and fry well. Then add the toasted potatoes and mix.
4. Then add curd, mix well and simmer for 2mins. Switch off.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves.

My Notes:

• Adding curd is purely optional the cook said but luved the addition of it
• Deep frying or toasting is left to ur choice and yes as u guessed I chose the latter :)
• It is a semi dry gravy and goes well with rice or rotis.
• Jeera rice is a easy one pot meal but is very mild so need a flavourful curry as sidedish.

Mango Milkshake

I have been waiting for the mango season....No no not that I am crazy after mangoes but I wanted to fill in Sharmis Passions with mango recipes :) I do like mangoes but I m very choosy as I like only banganapalli variety and have restrictions like the mango shouldnt very ripe and the color should be lemon yellow only.... yeah yeah too much right?! thats what my mother says too :)

As I have said earlier, if I am not comfortable with any fruit then I have it in the form of shakes, juices or smoothies. Mango milkshakes are always my favourite so wanted to give a try at home. My mother loves mangoes be it any variety she can have it night and day even skipping lunch and dinner :) So this is for 'amma', the word has added more meaning after me becoming a mother :) Happy Mothers day!!

Ingredients:

• Mango - 1 cup
• Milk - 2 cups
• Sugar - 3 tsp
• Elachi powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Ice crushed - 2 small cubes

Method:

1. Peel of the skin of mangoes and chop the mangoes roughly.
2. Add 1/2 cup milk with mango cubes, sugar and crushed ice and blend it in a mixer until smooth for 10 seconds then add remaining milk and blend again until smooth.
3. Add elachi powder, mix well. Your mango milkshake is ready in minutes.

My Notes:

• I like my milkshake to be thick, if you want it to be little runny then add 1/2 cup of milk more.
• Adding elachi powder gives a good flavour , but its purely optional.
• Adjust sugar according to the sweetness of the mango variety.

Mixed Vegetable Paratha

Paratha or roti is my all time favourite esp the ones with veggies in it. You dont need any side dish at all just raita is enough to finish off the dinner or meal. At the same time its wholesome and healthy with all the veggies.I'm sure kids who hesitate to eat veggies will like this paratha with pickle and raita.

Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 2 cups
• Turmeric powder -a pinch
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp (optional)
• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
• Onion - 1
• Cabbage - 1/2 cup
• Carrots - 2 medium sized
• Capsicum - 1/2 medium sized
• Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
• Salt - to taste
• Water - as required
• Oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Chop/grate the vegetables as finely as possible using a chopper/ food processor and keep aside.
2. Heat a tsp of oil and saute the veggies with a pinch of turmeric powder till raw smell leaves completely.
3. Then add this is to the wheat flour and add chilli,garam masala powder, jeera and coriander leaves and mix well.Make this like a chapathi dough consistency.Leave aside for 3omins.
4. Pinch a lemon sized ball, roll it into thin/thick parathas of your choice.
5. Heat oil in a tawa, and cook the parathas on both the sides. Serve hot with curd and pickle.

My Notes:

• You can alternatively pressure cook the veggies until soft, mash it and then add it to the wheat flour and follow the same procedure. But it depends on the veggies you use..... If using capsicum add it raw and pressure cook the other veggies.
• For 2 cups of flour see to it that your sauted veggies comes to 1 cup atleast.
• Veggies is totally of your choice, you can even use green peas, beans,paneer also etc

Almond Oats Cookies

Cookies are always my favorite slightly crunchy and soft making it perfect to pair with a cup of coffee. I've already made oats cookies and this is a total different version I tried from Litebite long back. I like these cookies for its simplicity and easiness to make......

Almond Oats Cookies Recipe

Recipe Reference : Litebite

Ingredients:

• Almond powdered - 1/4 cup
• Oats - 1 cup
• Wheat flour - 1/4 cup
• Honey - 1/4 cup
• Curd - 2 tbsp
• Vanilla/Almond essence - 1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Powder the almonds using a mixer to a coarse powder and keep aside. Then powder oats to a fine powder.
2. In a wide bowl, mix oats with wheat flour, powdered almonds, honey and essence. Add curd little by little to make a soft dough which should hold together easily. If 2tbsp isnt enough add little more till it forms a dough.
3. Cover the dough with a plastic wrapper and refrigerate for 1hr.
4. Pinch small sized balls , make them into smooth balls then flatten them a little with your palm and then press with a fork to flatten a little more and to get the lines
5. Arrange them in a baking tray lined wit butter paper/cookie sheet such that there is atleast 2 inches gap between each cookie
6. 
   Preheat oven at 180 deg C for 10mins and bake them for 15-20mins. Check after 15mins, the bottom and the sides turns slightly browned.
7. The cookies at this stage is softer but dont overbake them it will harden after cooling down. The cookies are slightly crispy and more crunchier in texture.

My Notes:

• Adjust adding curd , add it little by little till it forms a dough. Honey with almonds and oats gives a nice flavour to the cookies
• Do not be tempted to overbake the cookies seeing the texture once removed from the oven. Just confirm by checking the sides and bottom. If you overbake then the cookies will be hard
• The orginal recipe called for almond meal which can be prepared by washing them, drying them and then powdering to a coarse powder in a blender.
• You can use powdered sugar replacing honey, but sure honey gives an extra flavour
• You can flatten the cookies even more thinner and bake them for a little lower time say 12-15mins

Since I baked these cookies, its been regular as its low in fat and mainly very easy to fold in all the ingredients....tada you are done with your cookies. Perfect with a cup of coffee as its mildy sweet.

Lookwise its a bit crumbly but I powdered my oats and almonds to a little powdery form so my cookies were smooth.

Baking cookies always cheer me up as the first baked item in my oven was cookies and the first thing I messed up was the same cookies :) So whenever I get them right I feel proud and happy :)

Maanga Thokku / Raw Mango Pickle

After 6 months of unplanned break, I am joining back work tomorrow. I have the same feeling of a kid going to school reopening for the first day. New people, environment, duties am kind of excited at the same time tensed too. I have enjoyed this 6months completely and have done all those things which I've loved to do. Especially for sharmis passions I have stocked up with drafts so guess that will keep this space occupied for the months to come:)

Since the mango season has started, I am experimenting on them...Will you believe this space has no mango recipes so far?! So more mango recipes to come......Maanga thooku is hubys fav as he says for thokku homemade tastes best...Now to the maanga thokku recipe:

Ingredients:

• Raw Mango - 2
• Chilli powder - 2 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds (Venthayam) - 1/4 tsp
• Powdered Jaggery -1/2 tsp (optional)
• Salt - to taste
• Oil - 1 tbsp

To temper:

• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds - 1tsp
• Curry leaves - 6
• Hing- a generous pinch

Method:

1. Peel of the skin of mangoes and grate them finely and keep aside.
2. Dry roast fenugreek, powder it and keep aside.
3. First heat oil in a pan and add grated mango and saute until the moisture leaves completely It may take 7-10mins. Then add chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
4. Keep in low flame and fry for 5-7mins. Add fenugreek powder and powdered jaggery and mix well.
5. Meanwhile in another kadai heat oil and temper the items listed one by one mustard seeds, hing followed by curry leaves and then transfer this tempered items to the mango thokku in the pan and mix well.
6. Fry for 2mins, by now oil will start oozing out at this stage, switch off.
7. Cool down completely and then transfer to airtight container. Keep refrigerated and use clean spoon everytime.

My Notes:

• You can add the tempering items in the beginning itself and then add raw mango to it.
• Sauting and frying well in low flame is very important for the mango thokku to keep well for long else it will get spoiled soon.
• Adding jaggery is purely optional, you can skip that if you dont like ur thokku to be sweet.

Being mango season you can make this and store this for a month(refrigerated). This tastes yummy with curd rice or even chapathis. It has the tangy flavour from the raw mango and the sweetness from jaggery apt to lick as such too :)

If you feel grating difficult, you can cut the raw mango into tiny cut pieces and use the same recipe for thokku.

Raw mango with salt and chilli powder is my favourite and brings back school childhood memories. Add required salt and chilli powder to eat the raw mangoes as such yum!!

Raw maangoes in sambar or any curry gives a very nice flavour to the curry with the tangy taste. Maanga pachadi is my fav too, am waiting to make it next time to post it here....