For the recipe... send me mail at dhritiman.lahiri@gmail.com 

How to make 2 minutes noodles in 20 minutes !!!

1) Chop Vegetables (Cabbage, Carrot, Mushrooms)... You can add, peas, corn, Capsicum too.

2) Add 3 cups of water in a cooking pot and bring to boil

3) Add a spoon of veg oil, 2 pinches of salt, and noodles taste maker.

4) Add chopped veggies into the boiling water and cook for 7/8 minutes.

5) Add the noodles to cooking pot

6) Stir after 2/3 minutes (depends on what noodles you take)

7) Now eat it yaar... and have fun

PS: Yes yes this the soupy variety, the kinds you get more around the hills ( Like Changu, sandakphu etc )

Hyderabadi "Tamata Chatni"

Hyderabadi "Tamata Chatni" Named as such cause we Hyderabadi's do not call it "Tomato" but call it "Tamata" - A very "Old City" lingo.

This is typically your Monday/Weekday morning Quick Fix. Shall be more useful if you are a Roti/Chapati/Partha eater and not a rice kind person. Takes about 12-15 minutes to prepare in all including Chopping, Cooking, Storage.

Ingredients

1. 5/6 Tomato's' - Chopped into 8/16 pieces each.
2. 8-10 Curry leaves ( a.k.a Curry Patta )
3. 1 Spoon Ginger+Garlic Paste ( yes you can use the ready mix available in stores)
4. 1 spoon mustard seed ( sarsoon )
5. 3/4 Dry Red chillies ( Lal Mirch )
6. 1 pinch of "Hing" (Asfoetida)
7. 1 teaspoon of salt ( flat measure is recommended)
8. 1/2 finger length of dry tamarind ( Emli ), Dissolve in 2 table spoon water.
9. 4 Table spoons of cooking/refined oil

How to make it

• Heat the oil in a kadai
• Add Red Chilly, then the curry leaves, then Mustard seeds.
• When the curry leaves turn whitish due to frying add the ginger garlic paste.
• Allow a minute, ans then add the chopped tomatoes and cook for about 5/7 minutes.
• When the oil starts to get separated from the mass of tomatoes add the tamarind juice & hing, followed by Salt.

Hints for cooking.

1. As this is express ready stuff, you may keep your gas burner on high flame.
2. Make sure if you do this that you are stirring this as often required
3. While stirring use a flat based stirrer to mass the tomatoes as you keep doing this so that it becomes a smooth paste.
4. Last and most important do not leave this item in any iron container, use Steel/Microwave stuff for storage.

Saves time every time!! "Happy Chatni - ing"

* Thanks to my mom who taught this to me to tide over the "Crunch times"

Chicken 65 - Hyderabadi Style

There are 2 components that go in to make this item The chicken foundation & The saucing or the flavouring.

Stuff you'll need to make this

1. Chicken bone less - preferably the breast portion ( See pic ) - 200 grams


2. Cornflour 2 teaspoon heaped in measure


3. Maida 1 teaspoon heaped in measure


4. Egg 1.

Strain any water from the chicken and cut into cubes ( may refer to the photo's ). Add the cornflour and Maida into a mixing bowl and mix well with the egg into a fine smooth paste. Add a pinch of salt. Put the chicken into the batter.

Deep fry the chicken cubes until they are light golden. Make sure you do not fry them for long, else may take away the tender feel of the chicken.

Now for the the flavouring:

1. 15/20 pieces of Garlic - Finely chopped


2. 2/4 green chillies- Finely chopped


3. 6/8 leaves of Curry leaves ( what we call as Curry patta )


4. Four teaspoons of curd


5. 1/2 teaspoon of corn flour


6. Chicken colour ( food color - Bush brand is reliable "Orange Red" )


7. 1 teaspoon of tomato & chilly sauce


8. 8/10 drops of vinegar & soy sauce


9. Ajin-moto (MSG as widely know) - you may avoid if children would join us

Base Sauce: Add four spoons of curd in a mixing bowl, to this add half spoon of cornflour, chicken color, tomato & chilly sauce and stir well. Add salt to taste here in the base itself. Note; You may want to add 1/2 cup of water if the curd is thick.

Cooking : In a wok (Kadai), take 2 tablespoons of refined oil and heat it up. First the chillies followed by Curry leaves and then by the Garlic. Wait until the aroma of Garlic sets off ( you may chose to wait till golden or light golden color). To this add the fried chicken cubes and stir well. Add Vinegar and soy sauce and then add the base sauce which we have made and kept ready. Stir until even coating of the color/base happen on the chicken cubes.

Set up on a serving plate and for the food feel add freshly chopped Dhaniya leaves.

Have fun and enjoy and do let me know your feedback.