Chocolate Chip Cookies - Homestyle recipe - No sophistication

Mix 200 gms flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Sieve it.

In a bowl, soften 100 gm butter and mix 80 gm powdered sugar. When done add 1 egg and mix well. Add 1 tsp Vanilla extract. To this add the flour mix and 100 to 150 gm home chopped chocolate bits or store bought chocolate chips. Mix well. It will be dry and tough. No problem. Take a tablespoon each and shape it into balls. Place in a greased baking tray or in a butter paper over tray.

Preheat oven at 180C for 5 minutes. Place the shaped cookies bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Please be patient enough to let the cookies cool and then eat....:)

I know this is a crude writing and recipe....very lazy to write.....ha ha....it would taste great though!

Focaccia

So its quarantine days around the world and its become a little difficult to find things to cook while maintaining the spirit of all at home. The best way is to prepare something interesting with available ingredients. So here we go....

250 gms of flour
200 ml water- a tea cup approximate
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/6 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/6 tsp chilly powder
2 cloves garlic,  grated
1 tbsp oil (vegetable or olive)
Mixed Italian herbs 1 tbsp - optional
Onion rings
Capsicum rings- optional

Heat the water till lukewarm. Add yeast and sugar. Leave it to rise - 10 minutes.

In a mixing bowl,  mix the flour, salt, pepper, chilly powder, garlic and half of spices.

Add the yeast to the dry ingredients and mix well. The consistency should be between a dough and a  batter. Slightly runny. Set aside overnight or for 12 hours.

Grease a baking tray with oil and sprinkle with 1 tbsp flour. Pour the leavened mix and let it stand for 1 to 2 hours to rise again. Decorate with onion and capsicum and sprinkle remaining herbs. Bake at 180C for  20 to 25 minutes. Once done brush the bread with butter. Serve hot as such or with tomato sauce and a hot cuppa.

Boiled Beetroot and Onion Salad

This salad has been on my to-try list for a long time now. So tried it when I had the time for experimentation. This salad used to be a part of the first course of the Anglo Indian dishes alongside the many meat  served like pork vindaloo and beef  chops. Though I have not seen this in recent times. I ordered this to our caterer for my son's First Holy Communion,  the taste was there but they made it into serrated strips instead of the circles and the onion rings. Here the beets are round and the onions are not. But it tasted good.

I used 1 boiled beetroot (pressure cooked for 2 whistle), 3/4 of onion, 1 clove garlic grated, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp vinegar,  salt and pepper to taste.

Whisk the oil and vinegar for few minutes and then add the salt. Cut the Beetroot into thin round slices. In a mixing bowl or plate , place the Beetroot and  finely sliced onion,  grated garlic, oil-vinegar mix and mix well with a spoon or by hand. Sprinkle pepper powder. Refrigerate for half an hour and then serve.

Calamari & Macaroni Pasta

Ingredients

Calamari / Squid - 2 medium size
Macaroni - 2 tea cup
Onion - 2 large, thinly sliced
Garlic - 4 cloves, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1
Salt and Pepper - to taste
Milk - 1 cup
Grated Cheese - 2 tbsp (optional)

Method

Clean the squid and cut it into strips. Shallow fry them for about a minute and set aside.

Meanwhile boil adequate water with salt and then add the macaroni. Cook for about 6 minutes or as per directions for use. It should be just cooked, please do not overcook. Drain the water.

Heat a pan at medium flame. Add the onion and garlic. Saute till translucent, and then add tomato and the excess oil from the sauteed squid. Add pepper and then add the cooked macaroni.  Add milk and cheese. Stir well and check for salt. Add the shallow fried squid. Once the liquid is fully absorbed turn off heat. Garnish with basil or coriander or parsley leaves and serve.

Chettinad Prawn Masala

I like spicy dishes especially when it is raining and this Chettinad Prawn Masala definitely makes me happy. It is not just eating but the making process too because it is kind of meditative and involves a little bit of time in making the masala, leaving it marinated and the final preparation. So you need not think about anything else, but just think how the dish is going to turn out.....As in all Chettinad non-veg preparation, i have used small onions. The recipe also has a special Garam Masala using Stone Flower (Kalpasi) and Kapok buds (Marathi Moggu). These two ingredients are a refreshing change to the usual garam masala. It can be stored and used for other spicy dishes.

Tilapia and Mango Curry

Cat fish curry