Better than take-out Chicken Fried Rice | Leftover recipes

We buy the fully cooked rotisserie chicken from walmart(read once a month) whenever we visit the place. I love it on my salads seasoned with some salt, pepper and garlic powder and then I love to make chicken salad with greek yogurt, pecans and cranberries which I have as it is or use it in sandwiches. This fried rice is my new favorite to use up the leftover chicken. Stir fried veggies, eggs, chicken and rice mildy flavored with soy sauce and loads of pepper ~ what more for a wholesome meal. I would recommend you to use sesame oil for the best results cos the nuttiness of the oil enhances the overall flavor of this dish.

Prep time: 20 mins; Cook time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Rotisserie chicken - 1 cup, chopped Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Sesame oil - 2 tbsp Yellow onion - 1, small, chopped Carrots, beans - 1 cup, chopped Frozen peas - 1/4 cup Soy sauce - 2-3 tbsp Eggs - 2, lightly beaten Green onions - 1/8 cup, chopped Salt, pepper How I Made it: Heat sesame oil in a large pan or wok. Add onion and fry till translucent. Add the peas, beans and carrots and fry until tender. Move this to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetables. Add the rice and chicken. Pour and gently combine. Add chopped green onions if desired.

Serve warm!!!

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Sriracha Egg Fried Rice | Easy Lunchbox recipes

Who all loves Sriracha??? Me and the huss are addicted to it these days. Our vegetable fried rice is never complete with a decent dose of hot Sriracha sauce. It all started after we had a take out from a nearby Chinese restaurant and the owner suggested we have it with some Sriracha sauce. Seeing the look on our faces he took the pain to pack us some sauce. The intensity of flavors and the chinese zing was enough for us to fall in love with the sauce and we grabbed our own bottle the next time we went shopping. Since then we have been using it to complete our chinese foods. To those who are not familiar with the sauce, Sriracha is a type of hot sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in the Chonburi Province of Eastern Thailand, where it was possibly first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants.

This time when I was preparing fried rice, I thought of intensifying the flavors by adding a tablespoon of the sauce in the rice itself and both of us loved it to the core. To those who are not in favor of hotness, reduce the sauce per liking.

~*What U Need*~ Cooked basmati rice - 2 cups Onion - 1, finely chopped Carrots - 1, finely chopped Beans - 8-10, finely chopped Green peas - 1/2 cup Eggs - 2 Spring onions - 1/2 bunch Garlic clove - 2, finely chopped Soy sauce - 1 tsp Sriracha sauce - 1 tbsp Salt, Pepper Oil How I made it: Heat oil in a kadai and add the garlic cloves, fry till brown. Add the onions and fry till soft. Add the peas and cook till tender. Next add in the carrots and beans and saute for few mins. Add the soy and sriracha sauce and mix well. In another pan, scramble the eggs with some oil. Meanwhile to the veggies add the cooked rice and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and then add the spring onions and scrambled eggs. Mix well and cook for another 2 mins.

Serve warm...

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Chicken Kheema Matar Aloo | Minced Chicken Curry with Peas and Potato

Its been a long time since I shared a non-veg recipe here. We have been eating, lots to be frank but I make them for dinner to have it as a side for chapathis and then I just can't take decent photos with the sun going down by 4.00 pm itself. Yeah, gone are the days when I chuck whatever I churn out in the kitchen onto a plate and click a picture with the flash on. Now that I know how important natural sunlight is necessary to get a good capture, I just don't have the heart to click a picture at night.

So yesterday when I decided to make this lip smacking kheema curry for our dinner, I made it way ahead and by ahead I mean well before 4.00 pm. Making chapathis at 3.00 pm is so not right and that left me with nothing to keep in the background. I couldn't complete the setup. And the only styling(sorry to call this styling BTW) that I could think of was cleaning up the pan in which I had made the curry and chucking it into the same pan. Have you ever been in this situation??? Do share some tips on how to style food when you don't have the much needed sides... Coming to this recipe, it is lip-smackingly good and the potatoes and peas adds more flavor to the curry.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cooking time: 20 mins; Serves - 2-3 ~*What U Need*~ Chicken Kheema - 1/2 lb(any ground meat)Ingredients: ( serves 3-4 as side) Cardamom - 2 Cloves - 2 Cinnamon - 1 inch stick Dried bayleaf - 1 Onion - 1, large, finely chopped Tomato - 1, medium, finely chopped Potato - 1, cubed Frozen peas - 1/2 cup, thawed Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsps Chilli powder - 1 tsp Coriander powder - 2 tsp Turmeric powder - a pinch Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp Oil, Salt How I Made it: Heat oil in a nonstick pan and temper with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaf. Add the onions and saute till golden brown. Next add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Next add in the tomatoes and fry till soft and mushy. Add the spice powders and cook for 1-2 mins. Now add the chicken mince, potatoes and peas and cook till the chicken releases water. Add one cup of water and cook with closed lid till the chicken and potatoes are done. Cook another 2-3 mins till you see oil separating from the curry. Season with salt and sprinkle coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve hot with parottas or chapathis.

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Tomato Peas Rice | Easy Lunchbox Recipes

Deciding what to make for hubby's lunch box is becoming a big headache for me these days. Its like cooking for a kid. He needs variety it seems. I make paruppu, rasam, sambar, curd rice and then any kinda variety rice for the week in that order, but he comes back in the evening complaining about the food. Says he can easily predict what will be in the dabba for the day... That being said, on days when I wake up late in the morning, I go for some easy variety rice option like this tomato peas rice. And for side I keep some potato chips which is a pantry staple in my household. Its easy to make and the lunch can be packed in half an hours time.

~*What U Need*~ Onion - 1, large Tomato - 2, medium Coriander powder - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dhal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Peas - 1 /2 cup, cooked and drained Cooked Rice - 2 cups Salt, Oil How I Made it: Cook the peas for 1 whistle and drain it, set aside. In a kadai, heat oil, temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dhal. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add the sliced onions and saute till brown. Add the tomatoes and cook till mushy. Add the spice powders and cook well. Now add in the drained peas and season with salt. Add the coriander leaves and remove from flame. Now add the cooked rice and mix till evenly combined.

Serve warm with side dish of choice!!!

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Vegetable Kuruma | Vegetable Korma | Side dish for Dosa/chapathis

I have been getting requests for some easy side dishes for dosas or chapathis. I know that my blog is lacking some basic Indian dishes and I am trying my best to fill them up here. The problem is these dishes have been etched in me that it comes as a flow and to pick up the camera to click step by step pictorials is just not happening. I chop, I fry and then I season, thats it job done. And to break that flow is something that never comes to me.

But I am coming out of my shell, slowly and that is how I clicked this vegetable kuruma. Its simple and tastes great with dosas/chapathis/parottas and is my go-to-dish when I am out of ideas for that night's dinner. I always have dosa batter in my fridge and so this kuruma makes for a simple and lip-smacking dinner. And if you are a bachelor, stack some frozen parottas or chapathis and make this kuruma whenever you need a comforting home-cooked meal, atleast the side-dish part ;)

You could use a mix of veggies like carrots, beans, peas and cauliflower or keep it simple with carrot, beans and potato. But keep in mind that if you are using cauliflower, donot pressure cook it. Add them raw when you are adding the steam-cooked veggies to the masala and boil till tender. That way the cauliflower will not disintegrate.

Serves - 4; Prepping time - 15 mins; Cooking time - 20 mins ~*What U Need*~ To grind: Onion - 1/2, cubed Grated coconut - 1/4 cup Cashews - 4to5 Green chilli - 1 Roasted channa dhal - 2 tsp To pressure cook: Mixed vegetables - 1 1/2 cups, diced For the gravy: Onion - 1/2, finely chopped Tomato - 1, finely chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp, chopped Bay leaf - 1 Cloves - 2 Cardamom - 2 Cinnamon - 1" Salt, Oil How I Made it: In a kadai, add 1/2 tsp oil, add the cubed onions and fry till pale. Add the coconut and saute for 2 mins. Once cooled, add this to the blender along with the rest of the ingredients to be ground and grind to a smooth paste. Set aside. Meanwhile steam cook the vegetables for 1 whistle or par-boil the vegetables. In a kadai, add 1 tsp oil, add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and saute till brown. Add the chopped onions and saute till golden. Next add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell leaves. Add the chopped tomatoes and when soft, add the spices and saute till oil separates. Next add the par-boiled veggies and mix well. Add the ground masala with some water and allow to boil till you see oil separating. Season with salt. Add the chopped coriander leaves and remove from flame.

Serve with parathas or chapathis!!!

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Oats Aloo Tikki | Oats Recipes

Life is never fair and I am not here to complain about it. Life has its own share of reasons on why it is like that. Some recent happenings has changed me, right at the core. My belief on what or who god is has never been the same. And I blame noone but me. At times I think that everything that happens around or to me is influenced by "me" and I won't or can't blame someone who is there just hypothetically. And then there is another part of me which crops up some times and firmly believes that "God exists". That power by which this galaxy was created or which brought about "The Big Bang" is there and that is "God". And when that ME comes out, I am regular to the temple. Fridays and Saturdays whatever be it, I go and get my peace of mind.

As I said, some recent "very bad" happenings has brought about the god-believer me and I made quite a few vows with HIM. And one among that is I will give up eating potatoes through out my existence. And that brings me to stop eating anything from outside. Tell me one good restaurant dish which has no aloo in it. I am still browsing for one. But, again, thanks be to God I have been by my vow till date. I don't eat aloo with my knowledge. And the family is following steps with me. We don't by burgers, shawarmas and we don't even shop potatoes these days.

When I went grocery shopping sometime back, I found few burger buns that were pillowy soft and wholewheat too. I grabbed one immediately with a pretext to make some healthy burgers for amma and appa (okay get it, this is one among the many that I made for appa when I was back in India) and I just couldn't come up with a tikki recipe that has no aloo in it. Finally gave up, made some 2-min noodles for me and made these healthy oats aloo tikkis to slide between their burger buns. You can serve these on burger buns or bread or have it for tea.

Serves - 2 Makes - 6-8 medium sized tikkis Prep time - 20 mins Cooking time - 5 mins ~*What U Need*~ Potato - 1 medium Oats - 1 cup Wheat or white bread slice - 2 Onion - 1, finely chopped Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Carrot - 1, grated Peas - 1/4 cup Green chilli - 1, finely chopped Garam masala - 1/2 tsp Water - to sprinkle Oil, Salt How I Made it: Boil and mash the potato. Dip the bread slice in water and squeeze excess water. Put this in a mixing bowl. Dry roast the oats till you get a nutty aroma. Heat oil in a kadai, add green chilli followed by onion and saute till golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off. Add the grated carrot and peas and cook. Add the garam masala and fry. Now add the oats and sprinkle enough water to cook it. It will form a mass. Once cooked and cooled, add this to the potato and bread and mix well. Form tikkis and shallow fry till crisp on both sides.

Serve between burger buns or with bread or as such for tea!!!

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Methi Malai Matar | Methi Matar Malai

Saturdays are meant for sambhar and aviyal at my place. Its falls in the comfort food category for us. And we have never complained eating it week after week. In fact we get that Saturday feel only when it is the duo. But lately I have been experimenting and its mostly on Saturdays. And so sambar and aviyal has taken a back seat. We make kaarakulambus, we make vegetable pulaos but of everything we make soft fluffy pooris and some delicious side dishes like this methi malai matar to go with the pooris.

Remember the homemade frozen peas that I did sometime back. Well, I podded them, stored them and then I had a solid 2 kg pack. I have been using fresh(...frozen) peas wherever I can. I add them to my tomato rice, my broken wheat upma, my vermicelli biryani and it completes the dish. And then there is this creamy methi malai matar. I have been making this for quite sometime now and we totally love it with pooris.

On a happier note, Munchkins is learning things faster. He has started uttering words, it was his own name the other day and 'baby' yesterday. Not that he hasn't talked anything till date. He says appa(father), amma(mother), thata(grandfather), nana(don't need) and kaaka(crow) but his own name, this was the first time. He is quite a learner. He knows how to hold a pen and has started scribbling around on papers. Whenever he gets a pen, he searches for a paper, yeah he knows that papers are meant for pens. I am making notes of everything and have saved his very first 'writing'.

~*What U Need*~ Peas - 1 cup Dried Kasoori methi - 3 tbsp Onion - 1,chopped finely Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Green chilli - 1, chopped finely Milk - 1 cup Cashews - 5 Cream - 2 tbsp(optional) Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt - as required

How I Made it:
Soak cashews in milk for 15 mins and then grind the cashews to a smooth paste, keep aside. Boil peas until soft and keep aside.

Heat oil, add cumin, ginger garlic paste, green chillies and fry for a minute.

Then add onions and fry till slightly browned. Add the cashew paste and fry it for 2 mins. Add the spice powders, salt and mix well. Add the milk and cook till u see bubbles by the side.

Add the cream and allow to boil. At this stage the gravy will start thickening. Add boiled green peas. Crush the kasoori methi leaves with ur hands. Adjust gravy consistency by adding water, simmer for some time and remove from flame.

Serve hot with naans/chapathis/rotis/pooris.

** My Notes:
** You can use dried peas too. Just pressure cook till soft.
** If you want the gravy to be super rich then use half cream and half milk.
** You can also grind the onions and use.

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