One Day At A Time

A Konkani style fish curry made of coconut and few roasted spices. This type of gravy called as Kande Ambat in Konkani is used for cooking both veggies and sea food. Today I cooked this Mashli (Fish) Ambat with a local fish Tilapia and it turned out great. Ingredients: Fish - about 1 pound Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 cup Coriander Seeds/Dhane - 1 tbsp Dry Red Chilies (Byadagi variety) - 5 Tamarind/Chincham - about 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Onion - 1 small Green Chili - 1 or 2 Salt Oil How to cook Konkani Mashli Ambat: Finely chop onions and slit the green chili lengthwise. Roast coriander seeds in about 1 tsp oil until they slightly darken and turn aromatic. Roast the dry red chilies too till they turn crisp. Grind roasted coriander seeds, roasted red chilies, tamarind, turmeric and coconut to a fine paste. Add about 1 cup water while grinding. Heat about 2 tsp oil in a kadhai/wok.  Add onions and green chili. Sauté until onions s...

Every time I bake a cake or muffins, I look for low calorie options. Today's fruity vanilla muffins are made of milk and not butter. Also, oats and whole wheat flour make it healthier and nutritious. Ingredients: Apples - 2 Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Whole Wheat Flour - 1 1/4 cups Quick Oats - 1 cup Light Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup Milk - 1 cup Olive Oil - 1/4 cup Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp Cinnamon/Dalchini Powder - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract - 2 tsp Nuts - 2 tbsp How to bake Eggless Oats and Apple Muffins: In a big bowl, add about 5 cups water and lemon juice. Peel the apple skin and dice it into small pieces. Add the diced apples to the water so that the apples  don't  turn brown. In a mixing bowl, mix all the dry ingredients - whole wheat flour, quick oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and ground cinnamon. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Line a 12 muffin baking tray with cupcake liners or grease it with cooking spray. In another big mixi...

Roti Sabzi is what I most commonly cook for our lunches. My favorites are curries with a variety of mixed vegetables. Kadhai Vegetables is one such colorful medley of different veggies. Ingredients: Green/French Beans/Farasbi - 1/2 cup Carrots/Gajar - 1/2 cup Green Peas/Matar - 1/2 cup Lima Beans (Frozen) - 1/2 cup (optional) Bell Pepper/Capsicum - about 1/2 cup Potato/Aloo - 1 small Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - about 1/4 cup Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Bay Leaf/Tejpata/Tamalpatra - 1 Onion - 1 small Tomato - 1 big Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp Coriander/Dhaniya Powder - 1/2 tsp Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Garam Masala or any spice mix - 1/2 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur - 1/2 tsp Dry Red Chilies - 5 Salt Oil How to cook Veg Kadhai: Medium chop green beans, carrots, bell pepper and potato. I used half yellow bell pepper for this recipe. You can use cauliflower, broccoli too. I used about 4 cups of veggies. Finely chop onion...

Undi or Oondi is a popular Konkani breakfast recipe of steamed rice dumplings. This recipe is somewhat similar to Idlis , but takes lesser time and needs no fermentation. I generally prepare Undis for lunch and serve it with a spicy curry or chutney. While I was in Mangalore, I came across its Tulu name - Pundi Gatti . Ingredients: Idli Rava/Cream of Rice/Rice Rava - 1 cup Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Curry Leaves/Kadipata/Karbeo - a sprig (optional) Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 tsp Oil preferably Coconut Oil Salt How to prepare steamed Undi: Finely chop cilantro leaves and pat the curry leaves dry. Heat about 2 tsp oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, methi seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds splutter, add 3 cups water.  Add salt to taste. When water starts boiling, add idli rava gradually and stir simultaneously. Cook it covered at low heat for 2 ...

Every fried appetizer can be baked in an oven, reducing the calories and without compromising its taste. These crisp Garlic and Herb Potato wedges are a healthy variation of the most loved French Fries or Potato Fries. Ingredients: Potatoes - 4 medium Oil preferably Olive Oil - 2 tbsp Vinegar - 1 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Flakes - 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder - 1 tsp Onion Powder - 1/2 tsp Italian Herb Seasoning - 1 tsp Orange Peel/Zest - 1/2 tsp (optional) Salt How to bake Crisp Potato Wedges: In a big mixing bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, fresh ground black pepper, chilli flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, orange zest and dry Italian herb (rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, savory, basil) seasoning. Mix all the ingredients well.    Wash/scrub the potatoes well. Soaking potatoes in warm water for about 20 minutes will make cleaning the potatoes easier. Pat the potatoes dry. Dice each potato lengthwise into half. Cut e...

Friday calls for something special. And a special menu comes with a dessert. Today's mithai is a microwave recipe of Milk Fudge made of condensed milk and milk powder. This Doodh Pedha is instant with a cooking time of just 5 minutes. Ingredients: Sweetened Condensed Milk - 396 gm/14 oz Milk Powder - 1 1/2 cups Unsalted Butter - 4 tbsp Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Saffron/Kesar - few strands (optional) Charoli/Chironji or any nuts How to cook Dudh Peda in a microwave: Add butter to a dry microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute so that the butter melts. To the melted butter, add milk powder and condensed milk. Mix well with a spoon. Microwave for 3 minutes and mix after every minute. Now add ground cardamom and/or saffron and mix again. Microwave again for 1 minute and let the peda mix cool. The cooking time in a microwave may vary. So keep checking and do not let the pedha mix turn too dry. When it turns cold enough to handle, grease your hands with butter ...

Our afternoon lunches are generally Roti Sabji, either a simple stir fry or a gravy curry. Whenever I cook a simple veggie stir fry like  Green Beans Upkari , Bhendi Fry , I also add a dal or a gravy based recipe like Shev Bhaji to our menu. A vegan curry of fried chickpea flour noodles called shev in a spicy gravy.

Cooking restaurant style food at home has its own advantages. You get to eat tasty treats and cut down the calories as well.  Today's recipe is a low calorie baked version of the popular Indo Chinese Chicken Manchurian. If you guys liked my earlier post  Prawn Manchurian , you will definitely love this one too. Ingredients: Boneless Chicken - 1/2 pound Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste - 4 tsp Red Onion (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Spring/Green Onions/Scallions - 8 Capsicum/Bell Pepper - about 1/2 cup Tomato - 1 medium Dry Red Chilies - 3 Soy Sauce - 2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Whole Wheat Flour - 1/4 cup Corn Starch - 1 tbsp Salt Oil How to cook Chicken Manchurian: In a mixing bowl, add lemon juice, cayenne pepper, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix all the ingredients we...

Whenever I don't have much time, I go for some semi homemade meals. Sandwiches or Tacos with any vegetables I have. Today's meal is with Vegetable and Black Bean Tacos with store bought Tortillas. Mexican Tacos are quite similar to Indian Vegetable Frankie or Kathi Roll .  Grilled veggies, cheese and lettuce make these wraps delicious and healthy. Ingredients: Tortillas - 6 Dry Black Beans - 1 cup Zucchini Squash - about 2 cups Tomato - 1 medium Lettuce - about 1 cup Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese - 1/2 cup each Chipotle Seasoning - 2 tsp Garlic - 2 big cloves Cumin/Jeera Powder - 1/2 tsp Coriander/Dhaniya Powder - 1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to make Veggie Tacos: Cook black beans with 2 cups water until they turn soft. Add more water if required. I used a pressure cooker for cooking beans.  Add 1 1/2 tsp Chipotle Seasoning, cumin, coriander and salt. Continue cooking the beans until all the water is lost. Meanwhile, medi...

Every weekend when we go for our weekly grocery shopping, I go on a hunt for new kitchen gadgets, local vegetables and spice mixes, salad dressings and stuff. So far, Cajun seasoning and Chipotle were my favorites. My new favorite is Garlic and Herb Seasoning. I make sure I pick the spice mixes with No MSG. I love these spice mixes for simple stir fry vegetables like Asparagus , zucchini and bell peppers .   The restaurant style crispy chicken sandwiches are generally deep fried. When I make it at home, I go for a low calorie baked version which is equally tasty. Ingredients: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - 2 All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1/2 cup Garlic Herb Seasoning - 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp Egg - 1 Milk - 1/2 cup Olive Oil - 2 tbsp Salt Chipotle Mayonnaise Sliced Bread or Buns Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions Salt How to cook Cajun Chicken Sandwich: In a small mixing bowl, ad...

Chickpeas are an excellent source of proteins for vegans and vegetarians. Today's protein rich bean salad with the natural sweetness of carrots and a tangy lemon dressing is quite refreshing. You need not worry about calories here as this salad is oil free and cheese free. This salad is popular as Chana Chaat all over India. Ingredients: Dry Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans/Kabuli Chana - 1/2 cup Grated Carrots - about 1/2 cup Tomato - 1 medium Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp Chat Masala - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp Coriander/Cilantro/Dhania Leaves - few sprigs Red Onions (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp Salt How to prepare Chickpea Carrot Salad: Soak chickpeas overnight. After soaking, 1/2 cup chickpeas will turn to 1 cup. Cook them in about 2 cups water until soft. Add more water if required. Add salt and bring it to a boil. You can use canned chickpeas or any other beans of your choice. Discard the seeds and the soft pulp of the tomat...