Mac n cheese balls

This recipe is excellent if you have left over mac n cheese. Kids will love it. I sometimes make extra mac n cheese as this recipe is my kids favourite. Try it!

Ingredients

Macroni pasta 1 cup made according to package instructions

For Bechamel  sauce

2 tsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter
1 cup milk
1 cup grated strong cheddar
Salt n pepper as per taste

For mac n cheese

2 eggs beaten
1 cup breadcrumbs
Salt to taste

Method
Boil the macroni as per package instruction and keep it aside.
Heat butter in a non stick pan. Add 2 tsp flour and saute till light brown. Be careful at this step as the flour might get brunt if the heat is too high. Bechamel sauce is made on a medium heat.
Add milk and let the sauce thicken. Once the sauce is thick add cheese. Check for salt and add pepper.

Now mix the sauce with macroni. Serve hot.

For macroni cheese balls

Cool down the mac n cheese. Mash it with hand and make balls. Dip the balls in egg mixture and then on the bread crumbs.

Deep fry till done. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Tip...you can add veggies like finely chopped carrot, peas while making the balls. Finely chopped sausages can also be added to give it extra flavour.

Fish Biryani

Being a fish lover, fish biryani is an integral part of my menu. I cook it once a month. I use prawns and surmai (king fush) or pompfret to make the biryani. And mind you after eating fish biryani you will forget chicken n mutton biryani😊. Here's the recipe guys😉. The recipe credit goes to my mom❤

Ingredients
3 Medium sized pompfret/5 pieces medium
Sized surmai or 1/2 kg large prawns
3 tsp cornflour
1/2 kg  onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic green chilli paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
3-4  slit green chillies
3 tbsp curd
1 small tomato
1 lemon squeezed
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 cup chopped coriander
2.5 cups rice
1/2 cup oil
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 cloves
1 inch cinnamon
Salt to taste

Method
Step 1
First apply sea salt to fish and keep it aside for 15 min
In the meantime chopped the onions and fry them till light pink.
Wash the fish nicely with water and apply salt and little turmeric and keep aside for 10 min

Step 2

Apply cornflour to the fish and pan fry it in 3 tbsp oil for 3 min each side on medium heat.
Take it out and keep aside.

Step 3
In already fried onions include ginger garlic green chilli paste, all dry masala, curd and bhuno well, add tomatoes n saute for 2 min add green chillies and chopped coriander and fish keep it aside.

In a deep vessel boil 1 lite water with salt, cloves, bay leaves and  cinnamon. Add rice and boil till half done..strain well.

Assemble
Assemble rice on top of the fish..Add little water to the fish masala in case if it's too thick. Sqeeze lemon juice and put it on the rice layer. Drizzle some oil and keep on dum for 15 min.

Batata wada with home made paav

Who wouldn't love the Mumbai burger, yes the poor man's snack, batata wada. The forever on the go mumbaikar's on the go snack. Here's the recipe for you to enjoy!!!

Ingredients (Wada)
3-4 medium sized potatoes
1 tbsp garlic crushed
2-3 green chillies chopped
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder(optional)
Chopped coriander leaves( handful)
Few sprigs curry leaves
Salt to taste
For Batter
1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp carrom seed
Salt to taste
Oil for tadka
Oil for deep frying

Method
Boil and mash the potatoes. Heat 3tsp oil in a pan. Add crushed garlic and saute till fragrant. Add cumin and curry leaves. Add turmeric and salt here. Now add the mashed potatoes and salt and  saute it well. Add chopped coriander leaves and keep aside to cool.

For the batter
Mix all the ingredients except oil, add little water at a time and make a batter. It should not be too thin. Keep it aside for 15min.

For home made paav

Ingredients
2 cup white flour(maida)
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup hot water to knead the dough
Oil for kneading

Method
Mix yeast in flour and mix well. Add salt. In some hot water add sugar and stir well. Add oil in the water. Knead the dough with hot water. The water should be hot not boiling. The temperature should be more than warm. Keep it aside to rise.
After 1 hour it will be double in size. If the room temp is cold keep it for one more hour.
Shape the dough in bun shape and keep it to rise for 15 min.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 deg celcius for 20min.

Assemble the paav with batata wada, red chutney and green chutney.
Enjoy hot.

Serves 4

Pesto pasta

I chanced upon some fresh Italian basil in the supermarket. What better way to use it than make a pesto. Combine it with pasta and you can never go wrong with this combination. Here's the recipe folks!!!

Ingredients

1 cup packed basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts/ walnuts
1/ 2 cup parmesan( finely grated)
Coarse salt to taste

Method
In a chopper incude fresh basil leaves, pine nuts/ walnut and coarse salt. Blend till coarse. Drizzle olive oil in a stream  and keep blending. Once the mixture is smooth include finely grated parmesan cheese.
For pasta

Make spaghetti as per package instruction. Now drain water when done. Reserve some water. Include pesto in the spaghetti. For 200 gms Spaghetti you will need 1/2 cup of pesto. Keep checking. Add the reserved water and check for consistency. Enjoy your pesto pasta..it will taste yummy for sure

Note instead of chopper I went the traditional way and used mortar and pestle. See the amazing colour it got and the flavour is just too good.

Pastry puffs

This recipe is very easy to make. You should get the pastry sheets handy. One can give lot of twists to this recipe by experimenting with the stuffing. This is one of the stuffing to use when in a hurry😊

Ingredients

3-4  puff pastry sheets
4 chicken sausages
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 medium onion sliced
1 tsp pepper powder (optional)
2 tsp oil
1 egg yolk for brushing

Method

Use the pastry puff instruction on the pack.
On the other hand heat the oil in a pan. Cut the sausages in bite size pieces. Include onion in pan till translucent. Include tomato ketchup and pepper powder and saute for a few seconds.
Add sausages and saute for 2 min. That's it. Cool the mixture and fill in the pastry puffs giving them desired shape. Glaze them with egg yolk.
Bake them on 180 deg celcius for 20 min

Serves 4

Nargisi Kofte(Scotch eggs)

This delicacy is must have during the month of fast. In Mumbai at the famous Mohammed Ali road you will find different kinds of snacks lined up during the fasting month and this one is one of them.

Nargisi Kofte

Ingredients

500 gms mutton mince
3 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 medium onion chopped finely
3 tbsp cream
3 chillies
1/2 cup roughly chopped coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp cashew
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup chickpea flour ( dry roasted)
2 eggs beaten
4 eggs boiled
1/ 2 cup bread crumbs
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method
Marinate first four ingredients for 4-5 hours. Cook the marinate in the cooker. Evaporate any water left in the mince.
Include chillies, cashew, chopped coriander, garam masala, sesame seeds, roasted chickpea flour in warm minced mix. Adjust salt. Mix it all and pass it on through grinder in small batches.
Mix well and make flat patties. Wrap around the whole egg. Keep refrigeratored for half n hour.
Heat oil. Roll  the kofta in egg batter and then breadcrumbs and deep fry on medium heat till brown.
Enjoy hot with chutney of your choice.
Makes 4 kofte