The 'I've No Time To Cook' Book Launch Video

After months of writing, collating recipes finally the day arrived and The 'I've No Time To Cook' Book was launched by my dear friend and popularly known as The Foodie, Kunal Vijayakar! Kunal kept the evening engaged by his quirky comments and interesting food escapades. Also Mini Menon Author and Journalist, Lara Balsara Vajifdar Exec -Director Madison World graced the occasion and shared their own experiences juggling between busy corporate lives and kitchen demands. You can catch the entire event on the link given below.

Link to the event : https://youtu.be/ddJV1pENDsA

I would like to thank every one of you for your continuous support so far and look forward to bringing new, tasty, quick and healthy recipes to the table.

You can follow the updates on the book on my website : www.ihavenotimetocook.com

The Book is Available on

Flipkart : http://www.flipkart.com/i-ve-no-time-co…/p/itmedgc7bgfbbkag…,

Amazon http://www.amazon.in/Ive-time-Cook…/…/9384315176/ref=sr_1_1…

The 'I've No Time To Cook Book' Launch !!!

After many months of writing, cooking, taking pictures and giving life to the I've No Time To Cook book , the Day has finally arrived to present the final result for all my readers. It has been a roller coaster ride putting the book together but the support shown by all my family, friends, colleagues and my readers kept me going to put everything together.

All excited to launch my The ' I've No Time To Cook' Book on December 4, 2015  by my dear friend - The renowned Foodie- Kunal Vijayakar at Title Waves, Bandra West, Mumbai

The Book is now available at 

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.in/Ive-time-Cook-book/dp/9384315176/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449197470&sr=8-1&keywords=veena+gidwani

Also to follow the updates on the book, visit : http://www.ihavenotimetocook.com/

Looking forward to your continued love and support! Happy Cooking :)

Quick 2 Minute substitute for Maggi !!

With Maggie Noodles being off the shelves for some months, people have been looking for 2 - minute snacking ideas that are tasty and filling. Here's one that I love:

Buy a packet of plain khakras from any food store. Sprinkle each khakras with finely chopped onion, capsicum, tomato and coriander leaves and a liberal amount of grated cheese. You can also sprinkle chilly flakes or crushed pepper if you want to spice it up.

A glass of lassi, milkshake or fresh lime makes a satisfying accompaniment.

Gearing up for Diwali !!!

Diwali Week is just around the corner and all of us will have family and friends visiting at different times of the day. It's a good idea to stock up a few sweets and savories that can be served in minutes.
Here is what I'm planning :
In addition to the Mithai and chocolates which will of course be received and bought,

• Will make a large bowl of wheat flour halwa... It's yummy and takes around 20 minutes to make 
• I'm also going to have a couple of packets of canapes and two-three types of filling : corn capsicum onion-tomato, boondi aloo with sweet and tangy chutney, sprouted moong etc
• My kitchen will also have bhel mix and puris for dahi batata puri
• In addition there will always be a jug full of fresh water melon juice and/or fresh lime
• I also plan to make a large quantity of veg biryani which I can serve with raita and kebabs

I am looking forward to having many guests over... a lot of conversations and memorable moments.

Lemon Vermicelli Upma

Sharing a recipe for breakfast or mid meal snacking

Lemon Vermicelli Upma

Ingredients
1 Bowl of thick vermicelli
1 small onion finely chopped
2 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped
6-8 curry leaves
1 tsp chana dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp charoli
1 tbsp roasted peanuts
Few coriander leaves finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
2-3 Oil

Method
Boil 2-3 cups of water, put vermicelli into it, boil for a minute and drain out excess water through a sieve. Heat oil in a kadhai. When hot, add mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add chana dal, charoli, pea nuts and chillies, ginger and curry leaves. Saute for a couple of minute. Now add onion and saute till soft and translucent. Put in the drained vermicelli, add turmeric and salt and cover with lid and cook for 3-4 minutes on a low flame. Add lemon juice, coriander leaves, mix well and serve in a glass bowl with coconut chutney.

5 Must Haves in you refrigerator to beat the sweltering October heat

1. A big jug of Fresh Lime water - Sweet with sugar/honey to which you can add a pince of salt just before you want to have it
2. A large bowl of freshly made dahi/spinach raita : Nutritious and great for the stomach
3. A big bowl of watermelon/oranges/sweet lime cut into pieces or blended into juice
4. Peel fresh cucumbers with chaat masala and lime juice
5. A bowl/platter of assorted dhoklas to satisfy the hunger pans

Always eating out... Now eat in!!

More and more restaurants, food stalls and online food service options, but does the busy city professional end up with a satisfying meal? Not always! Delayed deliveries, messed up orders or spicy and oily food? How does one get around it?

Ever thought of attempting to cook... Perhaps just a couple of times a week. Watch out for this space interesting ideas !!!

It's Time for Pasta Canopes !!

Had a few unexpected guests drop in yesterday. Looked into my fridge to see what I could serve them, and found a bowl of corn cheese pasta ready. Did some quick thinking and pulled out a packet of canopes. Warmed up the pasta, filled each canopy with the pasta and topped it up with a liberal amount of bhel sev. Served this with tea and biscuits. My impromptu decision to serve canopes turned out to be great as the guests loved the canopes and asked for more.

Udad Dal Wadis - An easy to make and light tea-time snack!

Yesterday my friend Komala served us an interesting snack while we played bridge which we all enjoyed greatly. I went into her kitchen to find out how exactly it was made and I am sharing her special recipe with you.

Ingredients:

1 cup udad dal

1 tsp chana dal

2 green chillies

1/2 inch piece of ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp grated coconut

oil for frying

salt to taste 

Procedure:

Soak udad dal and chana dal in separate bowls of of water for 3 to 4 hours. Grind udad dal with a little water and ginger to a smooth paste. Empty out contents in a bowl. Add soaked chana dal (after draining out water), green chillies, cumin seeds, coconut and salt. Mix the batter well

Heat a non stick frying pan with 2-3 tbsps of oil and lower flame. Put 1 tbsp of the batter on the pan as shown in the picture. Put 4-6 wadis at a time. Lower flame and cover the pan with a lid and allow the wadis to fry. After few minutes turn the wadis over and repeat the process till both the sides are golden brown, crisp and well done. 

Serve them on a plate with coriander mint chutney or coconut garlic chutney.

Crispy Palak and Kabuli Chana Chaat

It's been almost a month that I wrote on the blog. Was away in the U.S. travelling to both the East Coast and West Coast. Ate at many interesting places and also did a lot of cooking for my family... who relished their all time favourite recipes. We had an interesting meal at an Indian restaurant in Rochester and I particularly loved the Crispy Palak and Kabuli Chana Chaat starter. I liked the chaat so much that a few days later I tried making it at home and it turned out just as nice! Here's how you can make it.

Ingredients
1 bowl boiled kabuli chana

1 bowl palak leaves separated and kept in fridge 

A few half slices of tomato

A few slices of cucumber

A few strips of bell peppers

A few strips  of onion

2 - 3 tbsps of blended dahi

1- 2 tbsps  of tamarind chutney

1-2 tbsps of bhel sev
1/2 tspn chaat masala (optional)

Keep all ingredients chilled in the refrigerator. Before serving mix all veggies well the chutney. Put blended dahi on top, garnish with bhel sev and serve immediately.

Our Sunday Morning Breakfast Today !!

Methi Parathas with achar, dahi and papad.

Ingredients for Parathas

2 cups wheat flour
1/2 cup washed and finely chopped methi leaves
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
1/4 tspn or less  of turmeric powder
2 tblspn Oil
Salt to taste
A few spoons of oil for frying the parathas

Method

Put flour in a large thali/bowl. Add methi leaves, chilli powder, turmeric, salt and oil and knead dough with warm water to chapati consistency. Divide dough into 4-6 portions. Make round ball of each and roll out into a thick chapati. Heat tawa/non-stick pan on high flame. When really hot , reduce flame and place chapati over it.Cook on low flame, gently turning around till both sides are well covered with brown specks. Add one teaspoon of oil and fry till each side is crisp. Serve hot with accompaniments.

An evening with Foodies !!!

Spent a lovely evening on 15th July at the IFN (India Food Network) office, meeting other chefs, food bloggers and experts. So impressed with the super achievements of this young team in such a short time! Relaxed ambiance, great company, wine, cheese and yummy snacks and this beautiful hamper as take away!

Interesting Soup Bowls!!

Spent the weekend in Goa attending a family wedding at Radison Blu. Over the three days enjoyed different cuisines and elaborate buffet meals. One of the interesting soups served with dinner was a delicious cream of mushroom served innovatively in bread bowls. I added a pinch of pepper and a dash of lemon juice to give my soup an additional zing. The piping hot soup tasted yummy and slowly some of it got absorbed in the bread, which we all ate after finishing the soup. It was crunchy on the outside and soft and delicious inside.

Quick ’n’ tastyy Eggs

Easy to make healthy and delicious breakfast to enjoy on the weekend .

Ingredients

2 eggs

1 medium-sized tomato, finely chopped

1-2 green chillies, finely chopped

4 tbsp milk

Few coriander leaves, chopped

1 tsp butter or pure ghee

Salt to taste

Procedure

Melt butter/ghee in a non-stick frying pan or kadai on low flame. When hot, add green chillies and then chopped tomatoes. Mix and cover. Cook on low flame for a couple of minutes. When tomatoes are soft, break the eggs over them. Now pour the milk all around, sprinkle salt, add half the coriander leaves and cover. Cook on low flame for two to three minutes mixing occasionally till the eggs are soft but firm. Remove on a flat serving dish, sprinkle remaining coriander leaves on top and serve hot with toast or fresh bread.

Tasty Fish Cutlets

A yummy Sunday snacks/meal. Most of us like to have a light snack or meals on Sunday evenings. Fish cutlets with salad fit the bill perfectly.

Ingredients

• 4 slices of a medium-sized surmai or rawas fish
• 2 medium-sized potatoes
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1-inch piece ginger
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 4 slices bread
• Oil for frying
• Few coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Salt to taste

Procedure

Wash the fish pieces well. Boil fish in a little water for about five minutes till done. When cool, remove from water, debone and mash. In a pressure cooker place the potatoes, add two cups of water and boil for 10 minutes on low flame after the first whistle. Remove from cooker after a few minutes, peel and mash while still warm. Add mashed potatoes, ginger, green chillies and ground spices and salt to the mashed fish. Soak bread in water for a minute or two. Squeeze out water and add to fish mixture. Mix well into a smooth dough. Take a little oil on your palms and smoothen the dough.

Make 10 to 12 portions and flatten each into a oval shaped cutlet. In a non-stick pan, heat three to

four tsp of oil. Fry four cutlets at a time on medium flame, till both sides are golden brown. Serve hot

with tomato ketchup and chopped onions.

Kala chana, anar and aloo chaat

A Healthy Summer special...

Ingredients
1 cup black chana soaked in a bowl of water for 5-6 hours
2 medium sized potatoes boiled , peeled and cut into small pieces
1 large pomegranate peeled and de-seeded
Salt, pepper, chaat masala to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tblspn olive oil
a few mint leaves for garnish


Method
Boil the soaked chana in a pressure cooker with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes. After the first whistle on low flame. When t he cooker cools, drain out any excess water. In a salad bowl, put boiled gram, boiled potatoes and pomegranate. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lime juice and spices and pour over the salad in the bowl. Mix well and garnish with a few mint leaves and serve.

Kothambir Wadi

Kothambir wadi is a yummy and easy to make snack that goes well with drinks, at  tea time and as a side dish with a meal.

Ingredients

1 bunch coriander leaves removed from stem, washed and finely chopped
1 small bowl of gram flour/ besan
1 tblspn ginger, garlic, green chilli paste
1/2 tspn jeera/ cummin seed  powder
1/4 tspn turmeric/ haldi powder
Salt to taste
few tbspns oil for frying

Method

In a deep bowl / tray, mix wet coriander leaves with all the other spices. Slowly add the gram flour and mix well to make a dough. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Flatten each into a roll of about 2 inches diameter. Place the rolls in a large sieve and put the sieve on a pan of boiling water. Cover the sieve and let the rolls steam for 10-15 minutes on medium flame till they are cooked. To check if done put a knife through one roll. If it comes out smooth, it is done. Turn off flame, allow the rolls to cool and cut into slices of 1 cm thickness. Heat 2 tblspn of oil in a non stick pan and put around 6-8 slices and fry till both the sides are golden brown. Serve hot with coriander mint chutney, coconut chutney or ketchup.

Chilled Dahi Aloo chaat

In the sweltering May heat, Dahi aloo chaat makes a great meal accompaniment as well as an in between meals and tea time snack.

Ingredients

2 cups chilled blended yogurt
1-2  potatoes boiled peeled and cut into small pieces
1 small bowl of fresh pomegranate seeds
Salt, pepper/ red chilli powder and chaat masala to taste
few strands of coriander leaves

Method

In a bowl put boiled potatoes. add all dry spices and chilled yogurt. Mix well. Now pour out the contents in a glass serving dish. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves and serve chilled.

New Flavour for Ice cream lovers !!

Ice cream Lovers are always experimenting with new flavors, either based on seasonal fruits or other exotic ingredients. While April and May are months when Alphonso mango ice cream is the favorite with young and old , I was surprised when a few days ago I got a gift of a tub of fresh jackfruit ice cream. Not being fond of jackfruit, I opened the tub a bit apprehensive about what lay in store, but was pleasantly surprised at the unique and delicious flavour of the ice cream. So next time you're looking for an original flavour think of Jackfruit!

Banana and Chikoo Shake !!

With the heat and humidity of Mumbai, one loses appetite for big meals and heavy food.  A wholesome fruit milkshake, had along with a few almonds/walnuts can be healthy and filling breakfast.

Method

Peel and cut 1 Banana/ Chikoo/ small mango. Put in a blender with 1 glass of chilled milk with 1/2 tspn of sugar (optional). Blend well. Serve chilled in a tall glass. Have it with 2 -3 walnut pieces and 5 almonds.

Left overs to Nothing Left .. !!

Most housewives are always confronted with the problem of storing  small quantities of left overs which no one feels like eating the next day. An easy way to make left over dry vegetables like potato bhaaji, aloo mattar, paneer bhurji etc interesting,  is to convert them to yummy filling  for toasts, Add one finely chopped onion, 1 to 2 green chilli, ginger, a little salt and pepper, 1 finely chopped tomato and a few chopped coriander leaves. Mix well. You may also add some grated cheese and and your filling is now ready. Place it between buttered slices of bread and grill/toast. Serve hot with chatni, ketchup, fries, chips, salad and it can become a full meal.

Turnip and Mint (Shalgam-Pudina) Soup

Ingredients
4-5 medium size turnips
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tspn butter
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tblspn lemon juice


Method

Peel wash and cut the turnips in small pieces. Add finely chopped onion, mint leaves to it and blend to form a smooth thick paste. Add 1 tspn to a pan and heat the pan on a medium flame. Pour the blended mixture in the pan and allow it to boil. add salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture is too thick dilute it with water to the required consistency. Add lemon juice to taste. Serve hot with bread sticks.

Summertime Salad

We are in the thick of summer, so time to share something cool and light on the stomach. Cool Summer salad fits the bill. You can make a meal of it along with a bowl of chilled watermelon/marsh melon or a glass of chilled watermelon juice.

Ingredients:

For salad dressing: ½ kg Curd
1 cup fresh cream

1” piece ginger

½ tsp citric acid or juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1 medium sized cabbage

2 large carrots

2 onions/Spring onion
few slices of Tomato and Capsicum for 

Procedure:

Put curds in a muslin cloth and hang for about 2 hours.  Drain out all water.  Add fresh cream, ginger, salt pepper and lemon juice well.  Grate vegetables and mix well with dressing arrange in a salad dish and decorate with sliced tomatoes / capsicum etc.   

Melon Basil Smoothie

With the mercury rising there is a yearning for cool drinks that are healthy and wholesome as many of us don't feel hungry enough specially for lunch. Melon Basil Smoothie is to whip up in a minute, very refreshing and healthy!

Ingredients
1 medium size Marsh Melon peeled and cut into pieces
1 cup chilled yogurt
1/4 cup washed basil leaves
1/2 cup crushed ice


Method 
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend to a smoothie. If too thick, dilute with a little chilled water. Serve in a tall glass. You can add finely chopped pieces of marsh melon. You can also add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream if you feel like having a more sumptuous drink.

Chatpati Mathris

Exam Season is here and with it comes the need for late night snacking with hot cups of tea and coffee! Chatpati Mathris are the perfect savory snack for tea time, breakfast on the go or late night exam preparation. This is how you can make them.

Ingredients
1 cup wheat flour 
3/4 cup Maida
2 tblspn Ghee

For the filling
3/4 cup besan/gram flour
1/2 tspn red chilli powder
1/2 tspn ground ajwain
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method

Mix wheat flour, maida, ghee and salt to taste in a bowl and knead with warm water into a chapati like dough. Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a smaller bowl with just 1 tspn of oil and keep aside. Make small balls of the dough. Flatten each ball on your palm with fingers and place quarter tspn of the filling in the center. Close from all sides and gently roll with rolling pin to about 3  inch diameter size. Roll all mathris similarly. Heat Oil in a kadhai. When hot gently put in mathris 3-4 at a time and fry on low to medium flame till evenly golden brown. Drain out the excess oil and place on a tissue. allow to cool and store in an air-tight container. Serve with tea, pickle, yogurt or dip as convenient.

Tasty and Cooling Raita !!

Summer will soon be upon us and time to look for cool and light dishes that are easy on the stomach and ready in minutes. Dahi or yogurt is highly recommended in different forms : plain, lassi, a variety of raitas, dahi wada, dahi papdi chaat etc. A nutritious and tasty raita that is not very common is the cabbage and carrot raita!

Ingredients

1/2 cup of grated cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrot

2 cups yogurt

Salt and red chilli powder to taste

1 tblspn Oil

1/4 tspn mustard seeds

few curry leaves

Method

Blend the yogurt in a bowl. Add grated vegetables, salt and chilli powder. Mix well.

Heat oil in a small kadhai. When hot add mustard seeds and curry leaves and allow to splutter. Mix hot oil with the dahi and serve chilled.

Dal Khichdi - Mouthwatering and Healthy !!

Ingredients:

1 cup Rice (preferably Basmati)
1/4 cup yellow moong dal or mixture of moong and tur daal
1 cup very finely chopped vegetables (carrot, beans, cauliflower, green peas, potato, dudhi etc)
(You can take any vegetables of your choice)
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1-2 green chillies finely chopped
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped
few coriander leaves finely chopped
3-4 table spoons of pure ghee/oil
1/2 tspn jeera seeds
1 tspn coriander powder
1/4 tspn turmeric
Salt to taste

Method

Soak rice and dal in a bowl of water for 20-30 mins. Heat ghee/oil in a pressure cooker. when hot, add jeera seeds and let them crackle. Add ginger, green chilli, onion and saute for a couple of minutes on low flame. When translucent add chopped vegetables. Mix well and add dhania and turmeric and chopped tomato and stir for a couple of minutes. Drain out water from rice and dal and add to the vegetables. Add Salt and 3 to 4 cups of water and pressure cook for 10 minutes after first whistle. Turn off flame. Open cooker when cool and blend with a hand blender to a thick puree like consistency. Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves and accompanied with bowl of dahi/yogurt, roasted papad and pickle.

Moong Dal and Cabbage salad

Most of us like to have a salad with our meals , but most often end up serving a fresh vegetable salad with the regular vegetables like carrot, cucumber, onion , beetroot, tomato etc The fresh green salad is  easy to make , but gets monotonous and we look for refreshing ideas for a change,

I recently had a Moong dal salad which was tasty and very healthy. Here's how you can make it.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup moong dal  soaked in a bowl of water for 1 to 2 hours

1/2 cup finely grated cabbage

2 tbsps grated coconut

1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled & finely chopped

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp oil

 1 to 2 tsps lemon juice, and a few finely chopped coriander leaves ( optional) 

Procedure:

Drain out the water from the Moong dal and put in a bowl. Add cabbage, coconut, ginger and mix well. In a fodni kadai , heat oil . When hot, add mustard seeds  and allow to splutter. Turn off flame and pour oil with mustard seeds  on the dal mixture. Stir well and add lemon juice  if you would like to. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Baked Bean Mexican Starter

Had an absolutely yummy and great looking starter a friend's place over the weekend and just have to share it with all because it is ohh so simple to make, healthy and a great appetizer. 

Looks best when served in a small transparent goblet accompanied with a small spoon. Can also be served in a taco shell or pani puri.

Ingredients 
Baked Beans
Finely chopped bell peppers
Finely chopped ice berg lettuce
Grated cheese
Few nachos/tacos

Method
At the base of the goblet or puri, put a layer of baked beans, over it a layer of chopped bell peppers and over that a layer of chopped lettuce.
Next liberally add grated cheese and top it up with finely crushed tacos/nachos to give it that fresh and crunchy texture.
You can also mix up all the ingredients and serve it as a bruschetta topping.

Delicious and Healthy Bread Upma

I recently tried out a Bread Upma that took just 5 minutes to make.. was yummy and a perfect breakfast  when you have yesterdays bread left over. This is how I made it.

  

Quick and Yummy Bread Upma

Ingredients:

4 to 6 slices of previous day's or fresh bread.

2 cups salted  lassi or buttermilk

1 medium sized onion finely cut into vertical slices

2 green chillies finely chopped

1/2 piece ginger ground finely

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

8 to 10 curry leaves
pinch of turmeric/haldi

1 to 3 tbsps oil

salt to taste

A few coriander leaves fine chopped.

Method

Heat oil in a kadai. Lower flame and add mustard seeds, chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Allow seeds to splutter. Then add chopped onion and saute till translucent. 

In a wide bowl pour the lassi/buttermilk, add haldi to it and mix well 

Soak each slice of the bread in the buttermilk and quickly squeeze out the excess and keep aside. Add all the soaked slices to the cooked onion mixture. 

Stir well and add  a pinch of  salt to taste. Cover kadai and steam for a minute. 

Turn off flame. Serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves. 

TilGul Ghya ... !!!

Today is Makar Sankranti , a festival celebrated almost  across the  country on the same day every year, with different names like Lohri in Punjab , Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Uttarayan in Gujurat and Rajasthan. It is the day when the sun begins it's movement  away from the tropic of Capricorn and signifies that we should turn away from the darkness of delusion in our lives  and begin to enjoy a new life of brightness and joy.    Each Festival in India has a distinctive type of celebration with  food that  is specially made on that day of the year. Just as Modaks are an integral part of Ganesh  Chaturthi, Bhang and Ghevar a must at Holi, Til ( sesame) ladoos and other sweets  made of sesame seeds like Gajak and Revaris  are made ,  eaten  and served as prasad on Makar Snkranti!

The cool weather on this day  makes eating these delicacies fun !

Hope you are all having your fill of til ladoos and other goodies!