Semi Homemade - Indian Recipes

Happy Holidays to you ! Hope you have a wonderful, bright and beautiful New Year !

Being a mom of a playful 1 yr old, putting together a nice meal is all about planning well. Its only since past few months that I have really started appreciating the Semi Home Made approach to cooking. A little help from the grocery store does not hurt. Getting something premade for you, like beans that dont need to be cooked or chopped fruit and veggies, or even cake mixes , pizza doughs, etc ...etc...just make life so simpler.

So here I am, announcing the Semi Home Made recipes event. The guidelines are as follows:

Cook anything from pizza to dimsum, shawarma to soups, cookies to kababs, using Indian spices or give it an indian twist, ( for e.g. Tandoori Lasagna , Tomato Rice). You can also cook any authentic Indian recipe the semi home made way.

• Blog about it from Dec 24- Feb 24 and link back to this announcement. Using the logo below will be appreciated.

• Email me the link to your post, recipe title, blog title, your name and a picture of your dish at bloglazzat@gmail.com


• Non-bloggers may send in their entries with or without a picture to the above email id and I will include it in the roundup.


• Old/archived posts can also be sent provided they are reprinted using the logo / link to the announcement.
  
• A winner will recive a badge of honor :)


• The round up will be posted on the following weekend.

Looking forward to all your creative entries, enjoy your holidays and stay warm !

Sweet Potato Soup

Nothing is more comforting than a warm bowl of soup on a cold, snowy, wintry night. Soups are not only very quick and easy to put together, but are also very healthy and satisfying.

Ingredients:(Serves 2)

3 tbsp. olive oil,

4 tbsp. onion, chopped,

2 C sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed,

2 C vegetable stock,

1/2 tsp garlic paste,

salt and pepper, to taste.

Method:
Heat oil, add onions, let them fry for a min . Add sweet potatoes, garlic paste and saute. Season it with salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock let it all cook for a few mins. until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, let it cool slightly and puree it in a blender or food processor.

Serve hot or at room temperature with toasted baguette.

This is the most basic recipe, you can definitely spice it up, flavor your soup with chicken stock, beef stock, curry powder, coriander powder, roasted fennel powder, tandoori masala, possibilities are endless as this soup is very versatile. Fresh mint also adds a wonderful flavor.

I like my soups to be thick , it just makes it easy to feed my 1 yr old, but you can make it less thick by adding more broth/stock.

This soup is being sent to Monthly Mingle event hosted this month by Sunshine Mom.

Tangdi Kabab

This is one of my favourites when it comes to Chicken. For this particular recipe I always deep fry the chicken but you can choose to bake it or grill it. If you don't have Greek yogurt handy you can use plain yogurt, just make sure to drain all the excess water overnight, so its really thick n creamy. One thing I like about this recipe is , it makes a great finger food and is ideal for entertaining, coz once you marinate the chicken, all you have to do is fry it.

Ingredients:
(all measurements are approximate, please feel free to suit your taste)

6 chicken drumsticks,
1 (5.3 oz) container plain Greek yogurt, (I used Oikos)
1 tbsp.ginger paste,
1 tbsp. garlic paste,
1 tsp. chili pdr, or as per your taste,
1/4 tsp. garam masala powder,
2 tbsp. tandoori chicken masala,
salt, to taste,
few drops red food coloring,
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice,
2-3 tbsp. cornstarch/ white corn flour.
chaat masala , for garnishing (optional)

Method:


Make a few deep slits in the chicken drumsticks and keep aside.


Its very important that the marinate is thick and not runny, so even if I use Greek yogurt I drain it for some time in a colander with paper towel. Now to the thick yogurt add ginger , garlic pastes, all the spices and lemon juice and mix well. Now add the chicken drumsticks n toss them so as to coat them with the marinate. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hrs. or overnight for best results.

Bring it to room temperature, sprinkle cornstarch, mix well before you deep fry or bake or grill them until nice and crispy. Serve with a lemon wedge. You could also garnish it with some chaat masala.



Enjoy !