Bowl Pasta

Hi
This is a quick Sunday dinner...which you want to fix in a jiffy and wanna enjoy the evening with your partner without spending much time in the kitchen.

Ingredients 
Makes : 2 people

Pasta        :   200 gms ( thumb rule 100 gms per head) use spaghetti or fettuccine
Tomato     :   4- 5 Nos Large red ones
Basil leaves:    5-8 Nos fresh ones
Garlic        :    2-3 big pods
Oregano    :     1/2 tsp
Olive oil     :      2-3 tbsp
Sugar         :      1/2 tsp
Salt           :        as per your taste but remember if you are adding cheese just reduce the salt quantity

Cheese         : grated for garnishing
Vegetables of your choice if you want to add ...I prefer broccoli, baby corn and mushroom only.

Method 

Sauce

Slit the top only of the tomato and put it in boiling water. Boil till you see blisters on the skin of the tomatoes
Drain the tomatoes and peel off the skin... Put in the blender along with the garlic, oregano basil leaves sugar and salt . start blending and keep adding the oil through your centre lid. keep the centre lid of the main lid of your blender open since the tomatoes are hot and its better if the heat escapes.
you will see that the colour of your sauce change slightly as you add oil. you can add more oil if you like the flavour.
Now  blanch your broccoli and cool it in cold running water.
In a pan add 1-2 tsp of olive oil and put the heat on high ..add the vegetables and saute them on high heat.
Cook the pasta as per the instruction on your packet and drain  it but keep a cup of the boiled pasta water. We will need it later. Try to time your pasta boiling in such a way that you do not have to drain and \keep . your sauce should be ready by now. and the blanched vegs are sauteed..
Take a big mixing bowl add the drained pasta , sauteed veg and the sauce and stir them together . If it turns out stiff add the pasta water little by little and make it as soft or runny you want. Serve it in the individual bowls and garnish with grated cheese and basil .


PS. If you are Non veg... take 4-5 strands of streaky bacon and fry it in a pan without oil ...it will leave lots of fat, saute your vegetable in this fat and then follow rest of the steps...it gives an excellent flavour to your dish

Enjoy this meal and write back if you have any doubt

Love
Arpita

Express Exotic Daily Tips

Hi
hope you guys liked my yesterday's post...and if you have tried making the same let me know how it was.....
As my blog suggest Express Exotic daily Cooking...I believe in it and live by it...
You can make your cooking express by following few simple tips....
1. keep your fridge well stocked with vegetables, poultry, fish .
2. When you keep chicken , fish in the freezer...make portions you will consume...it thaws faster and the taste of the chicken fish also do not alter after freezing for longer days. ( I always prefer fresh cut so this tips)
3. Try to buy fresh prawns and do not shell them before freezing...It becomes chewy and loses its flavour.
4. Chop onions and store them in air tight container...it stays fresh for 2-3 days( i have been doing it since last 15 yrs)
5. Grind fresh garlic and ginger paste and keep them separately in glass jars ( empty Jam & Jelly Jars).They too stay fresh for a week .
6. Take 4 lemons squeeze the juice and keep it in a glass jar...this saves time and also most of the time if you do not use the lemon for a long time it dries out or turns brown in the refrigerator
7. I buy processed cheese block and grate the whole thing and keep it an air tight box in the chill tray section...its easy to use for sandwich/ pasta , etc

You can make it exotic if you can change your meal daily...I never repeat my meals for a week at least. That makes each dish special and, we all long for it. I also try different cuisines every day.
India is a vast country and every state has different cuisine and flavours and I like to try all of them. I like continental, Chinese, Italian, etc. too. So, variety and my love makes my food exotic. :)

Try out these tips and you will find cooking more enjoyable and express.

I will be posting my Sunday one meal dinner Soon
Love you guys

Arpita

Matchmaker Prawn Curry

Hi All
I am sharing this recipe with you all as I won my man's heart by this recipe. I beleive in the saying " you can win a man's heart through his stomach". Since this is my first post would like to start with this special recipe.

Ingredients

Prawns :  500gms
Onions :  1medium sized
Garlic Paste : 1 tsp
Ginger Paste : 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder : 3/4th tsp
Tomato : 2 medium size
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1 tsp ( or as per your taste)
Sugar : 1/2 tsp
Salt : as per taste
Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp
Oil           : 2-3tbsp
Whole Cumin : 1/2 tsp





Method 

Clean the prawns and devien them.
Chop onion into small  pieces.
In a kadai/wok heat the oil and once the oil is heated add the whole cumin and let it crackle ...add the onions and let it turn slightly brown. I must say the smell is awesome...
Now add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for sometime now add turmeric powder,red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt,sugar and garam masala . while adding these please put your flame on low otherwise it might burn. Since all the ingredients are dry,add the tomato paste. Cover the wok/kadai .let it simmer for sometime. Stir in between, add water if required but few teaspoon only... cover again. You will see oil flaoting on the masala (gravy being cooked), add the prawns now and put the flame on high .(Add water as per your requirement but not too much . Otherwise the gravy will become bland.)  Stir the prawns in the gravy continuosly and once they curl and turn opaque swith the heat off and cover it for 5-10 mins. This is the standing time and the half cooked prawns will cook in the standing heat. Serve it hot but DO NOT garnish it with coriander as this is very standard Indian style...and it does not go with all dishes... Instead you can slit a green chilli and garnish with the same.
This can be eaten with bread, roti, chappati, Paratha or rice

Enjoy cooking over the weekend and win someone's heart!!!

Love Arpita