Brinjal / Eggplant Chops

 Very light and delicious snacks that take a few minutes to prepare and is a delight to serve and relish. The most common of veggie with a simple and obvious dish that would make the kids eat what they would never otherwise 🙂 . They’ll use a lot of cherry tomato ketchup though !!

Brinjal / Eggplant Chops

Eggplant / Brinjal Chops

….we need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 2 adults or 3 kids
• Preparation time : 15 minutes
• Serving size : 1 brinjal each with 5 slices

….and we need (ingredients)

• Brinjals (eggplants) 2 medium size :
• 1 teaspoon oil :
• Tomatoes chopped 1 medium :
• Onions chopped 1 medium :
• Rock salt 2 pinches :

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instruction)

• Wash well and dry the brinjals well. Then slice them into half inches thick slices.
• Now heat the oil in a pan such that it greases well but does not get absorbed in the slices while frying.
• Now pan fry the slices of brinjals for 5 to 8 minutes on high flame but not getting them soggy. I like them crispier so I charred them a bit. Set aside.
• Saute’ the chopped onion in the pan till golden brown. Add tomatoes to it and evaporate all water.
• Take off when well done and dress the brinjal slices.
• Sprinkle some rock salt or chaat masala to top it and serve proudly.

Storage : Surely not applicable 🙂

Missing Something ? : There’s hardly anything you need in this. What can you probably miss ??

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Fried Snapper in Tamarind Sauce

Introducing an amazing treat is a treat in itself. Do not be taken aback by the list of ingredients used, these are all readily available in any urban kitchen and certain tough ones can be supplemented too. Tamarind is a hit flavor and compliments the fish amazingly. Red snapper also cooks up a great flavor of mixed sweetness with cinnamon and sugar. All the time is worth it. Great evening snack. Go ahead, cook on !!

Ingredients of Snapper in Tamarind Sauce

Fresh marinated whole red snapper

Frying the whole red snapper

Tamarind and spice coated whole red snapper

Fried Snapper in Tamarind Sauce

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 2 to 3.
• Preparation time : 20 minutes of cooking + 3 hours of marinate .
• Serving size : 1 fish each.

….and we need (ingredients)

• Red snapper (small) 250 gms : Red snapper is high on omega 3 fatty acids and helps heart and blood pressure. It has a sweet and firm texture hence holds well during cooking.
• Salt 1/3 rd tablespoon : Do not use more than required. It’ll make the dish edible. Little salt gives sufficient sodium, magnesium and hydration to the body.
• Olive oil 8 teaspoons : Keep the oil light so as not to interfere with the flavor of your dish either in odour or in taste.
• Garlic chopped clove 4 : Besides the medicinal benefits of being anti inflammatory, antipyretic etc., garlic brings in the required pungency in the dish.
• Leek 1 handful chopped : Leek is a sweet onion family vegetable. I use it because it does not interfere with the garlic flavor in the dish and has high level of folic acid, calcium, potassium and Vitamin C, hence great nutritional value for kids. Also, it grows very easily in my kitchen garden.
• Sugar 1 tablespoon : This balances the pungency and the chilli strength.
• Oyster sauce 1/2 tablespoon : This has high sodium content and is sweet, salty and has a deep savory flavor.
• Water 1/3rd cup : Used just to make the paste out of spices.
• Tamarind 1 tablespoon : This is the real tangy flavor in the dish. It also has beneficial effects like easing stomach ache, helping in digestion, fever etc.
• Turmeric 1/4th teaspoon : The healer in a pungent dish. Host of medicinal benefits here normalizes the other mixed flavor in this dish.
• Paprika 1/2 teaspoon : Light and bitter with good amount of vitamin e and a strong antioxidant.
• Lemon juice 1 teaspoon : Sour component in this dish also makes this dish easily digestible and fragrant.
• Vinegar 1 tablespoon : Takes the sour deep inside the fish and makes it better digestible. Gives an amazing fragrance too. Regulates blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure etc.
• Cinnamon 1/2 inch : This brings in the sweet sour blend in the dish also adding benefits like skin health, blood sugar and pressure control etc.
• Cloves 2 in number : This is also a pungent, sweet, bitter spice with an astringent flavor with cures of toothache, inflammation and respiratory infections too.

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Slit clean the snappers.
• Rub salt, turmeric and lemon juice and keep aside for 2 hours. A good way to set aside it would be to cover and refrigerate.
• Meanwhile grind the cloves and cinnamon coarsely.
• Now normalize the fish and shallow fry the same for 5 minutes and keep aside.
• Heat a pan. Saute the chopped leek in some oil (1 teaspoon would be good enough) till they turn golden brown.
• Add chopped garlic and stir further for 2 minutes.
• Add to this, oyster sauce, sugar, tamarind, paprika, vinegar, ground spices (cinnamon and cloves) and add 2 tablespoon water to it all. Cook this all for 3 to 4 minutes and then take it off the flame and cool off.
• Take the fish and coat it inside out with this cooked blended spice paste and keep aside for further 1 hour.
• Deep fry the fish now and serve immediately with saute’d vegetables like pak choi and broccoli florets.

Storage : Are you kidding 🙂

Missing Something ? : Can supplement cloves and cinnamon with all spice of the same quantity. Also paprika can be replaced with red pepper powder for similar results. Anything else, i don’t suggest that you change. How about making this a better served dish by sauteing some pak choi and some broccoli florets harvested right from your kitchen garden.

Bhavnagri Bharwa Mirch ka Achaar

This is a classic recipe for all seasons. Bhavnagri mirch ka achaar goes amazingly well with a “Parantha” breakfast or with a rice meal dinner. It goes well with regular breads and chapatis too. Its amazing sweet chilli taste can be iterated as per liking of the age groups and also individual tastes by increasing the sugar and vinegar or by adding more mustard and some thin green chillies. 20 minutes of easily spent time and several yummy meals. Enjoy !!

Bhavnagri Bharwa Mirchi ka Achaar

Bhavnagri Bharwa Mirchi ka Achaar

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 10 per helping
• Preparation time : 20 minutes
• Serving size : 2 chilli pickles per helping

….and we need (ingredient)

• Bhavnagri green chillies 20 in numbers (will be around 600 to 700 gms) : Super sweet exclusive chillies. Can be fried for pakoras and stuff fried for mirchi vada. Mellowed chilli taste makes it a favorite of all ages. I pluck them off my garden, also easily caught up at local stores.
• Ground mustard powder 8 tablespoons : Mustard enhances the pungency of the pickle. Mustard has good amount of potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tablespoon : When you eat anything pungent, it is generally complimented with a pinch of turmeric in Indian cooking. That’s because it neutralises and reaction if at all. It is and anti inflammatory and high antioxidant spice.
• Vinegar 1 tablespoon : It’s great in controlling weight, cholesterol, skin disorders and blood pressure and providers the sour angle.
• Mustard oil 1/2 cup : As with mustard, this is coarse and brings out the pungency of the pickle. Also is a natural preservative.
• Sugar 2 tablespoon : Sweetness makes this pickle friendly for all age groups.
• Salt 6 tablespoons : Do not alter the quantity here. May alter the sour level.
• Green chillies split 10 (regular slim ones) : Only added optional to add a sharp bitterness to the pickle.

….time to cook ‘n roll cooking instructions)

• Wash and dry the big chillies well. Then slit them up. I let 1/2 inch of stalk to remain since I like to munch of them pickled too.
• Mix the mustard powder, turmeric, mustard oil and salt.
• Now heat a small pan and add vinegar to it. After 30 seconds add the sugar and mix well on medium flame till the sugar dissolves well.
• Take this off the flame and cool mildly and naturally (i.e. do not refrigerate to hurry it up)
• Take the big green chillies which you have split and stuff the mixed spices (turmeric, mustard powder, mustard oil and salt) in each chilli well.
• Place them in a sterilized jar.
• Now pour the vinegar and sugar over the chillies in the jar.
• Keep it in sunlight for 7 to 10 days and you have your pickle ready. I take off the sun in 4 to 5 days  flat because i like my chillies crunchy. You can choose your textures as you want to enjoy.

Storage : Room temperature, any climate. this pickle last for an year if you are not tempted to finish it off in the 1st 2 months !

Missing Something ? : I also add split 8 to 10 thin green chillies to the pickle before adding the vinegar syrup. This gives me sharper “Xing” which I absolutely love.

Cherry Tomato Jam with Pinenuts

This recipe will make people take note for sure. There’s no ingredient tough to catch. While the pine nuts are a pain to individually sort, they are worth their bit in the marmalade. The candy orange rinds only need throwaway orange peels and little of your effort. You don’t normally get this marmalade in the stores so they stand out well. As always, jams and marmalades make the kids at all those cereals and breads which they normally wouldn’t. It’s an assured hit recipe !

Cherry Tomato Jam with Pinenuts

Cherry Tomato Jam with Pinenuts

Cherry Tomatoes in Orange Rinds

Cherry Tomato Orange Marmalade with Pinenuts

Cherry Tomatoes in Orange Rinds

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : It’s a jam, go ahead spread as much sweetness as you can !!
• Preparation time : 45 minutes
• Serving size : Big dollops of sweetness

….and we need (ingredient)

• Cherry tomatoes 25 in numbers : Has high sugar concentration so is very sweet and cute to look at too. I grow them in pots and in my garden, but they are easily available at stores as well. Packed with powerful nutrients like Vitamin A, C and K and potassium. 
• Pinenuts (Chilgoza), peeled, washed, dried 2 tablespoons : Little pine nuts are good energy boosters and have anti ageing antioxidants. They are a must on many sweets too due to their mild crunch woody flavor.
• Sugar 2 and 1/2 cups : Use white sugar only, else the texture of the jam will be spoilt. 
• Cinnamon stick 2 inches : Natural earthly sweetner and a great antioxidant. Fights diabetes and heart diseases too.
• Orange rinds 2 tablespoons : Check out my recipe of Orange rinds to know how this is made. It is a fabulous candy in many marmalades, custard and other puddings.
• Lemon juice 1 tablespoon : The prime citrus is used in 70% of the dishes that I make. Great for Vitamin C, hydration, skin quality, weight loss and digestion. As everytime, lemon juice adds the ‘Xing’ in the dish.
• Cloves 8 : Again a master spice with strong astringent and a sweet bitter flavor, clove is great toothache, infections, inflammations and tissue wear & tear.

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Peeling the tomatoes by blanching : Boil 2 cups water. Take off flame. Do regular blanching of the tomatoes by making them have alternate dips in the boiling water and cold water 3 times each alternatively and then setting aside. Put small cuts on top of the tomatoes. Squeeze out the seeds and the inner pulp and skin off the small tomatoes too.
• Now heat 1 and 1/2 cup water in a pan. at it’s boil, add sugar and cook for 4 minutes.
• Coarsely grind cloves and cinnamon and add to the sugar syrup. Stir well.
• Add lemon juice and stir further for a minute.
• Add orange rinds to it and stir more for 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes to it and cook for 10 minutes further on medium flame. Reduce the flame occasionally to not excessively reduce the syrup.
• Add the pine nuts and switch off the flame and allow the jam to cool.
• On cooling put all the jam into a sterilized jar and plan for many happy treats for many months to come !

Storage : 18 months with preservative. You can add 1 teaspoon sodium benzoate (available at common supermarts) mixed well with water.

Missing Something ? : You can supplement pine nuts with moistened and peeled almonds each broken into 4.

Beetroot Celery Mutton Soup

Any chef would tell you that mutton as a main component and galangal as a spice component are the hardiest ingredients to cook with. This mutton stock is absolutely different. It uses unique flavors and herbs and even comes out with a fascinating bold red color. This recipe uses almost half the ingredients otherwise used in a conventional mutton stock. An amazing evening appetizer with needless to announce the massive health benefits. An MCMH G-man original recipe. Cook on !!

How to make good mutton stock

Healthy and tasty mutton soup recipe

Beetroot Celery Mutton Stock

Beetroot Celery Mutton Soup

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 2
• Preparation time : 60 to 75 minutes

….and we need (ingredients)

• Mutton cubes 100 to 150 gms : Healthiest broth is prepared with mutton. It builds bones and is abundant in calcium.
• Beetroot cubes 1 cup : High in fibre, Vitamin C and manganese to help in immunity, bones, liver, kidney etc. Beet gives a bright and cheerful color to this stock.
• Celery chopped 1 cup : One of the healthiest foliage & excellent antioxidant. It gives good bitter pungency to the stock.
• Galangal chopped 1 teaspoon : Again an antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal spice. It tastes earthy and citrus.
• Leek shoots chopped 1/2 cup : Onion fragrance without the strong pungency. Good source of fibre and antioxidants.
• Garlic chives chopped 1 teaspoon : Milder than garlic but with full immunity building, disease fighting benefits.
• Butter 1 tablespoon : Greasing agent in this soup. Probably the healthiest form of fat known.
• Salt to taste : Ideally 3/4th teaspoon should be good

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Heat the butter in a pressure cooker over medium flame till it fully melts. Will take 60 to 90 seconds max.
• Add chopped leeks and stir saute’ for 3 to 4 minutes. By now the onions would be reddish-brown
• Add the garlic chives and galangal and stir for further 4 to 5 minutes till they are soft and soggy. Galangal is very hardy, if it requires further cooking then do so.
• Add salt and beetroot now and cook for further 5 to 8 minutes. Cook till the entire filler is soft and soggy and cuts with the side press of a spoon easily. Should look mushy and pulpy.
• Add the mutton pieces to it. Mutton should always be added when at room temperature for proper cooking. Keep it under running tap to normalize if it’s been taken off the freezer. Cook for 25 minutes. Stir frequently.
• Add 5 cups of water and chopped celery in it. Mix well.
• Close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on high flame for 10 to 12 minutes till it sounds 4 whistles.
• Lower the flame to low and now cook for 6 whistles, whatever time it takes. Then switch off the gas flame and let the pressure normalize for 15 minutes before opening the lid of the cooker.
• The mutton pieces should be well split, the spices should have dissolved and the celery marginalized by now.
• Serve steaming and let the flavor float throughout the house. People will come asking for sure !!

Storage : 1 week refrigeration allowed in this.

Missing Something ? : You can replace chives for garlic cloves, galangal for ginger and leek shoots for green onion shoots. These would work though the flavors will deepen a bit.

Beet Stalk Fries

Got kids waiting. Need quick healthy snacks. Need to impress guests with something unique. Believe me, you can use this absolutely unexpected piece of grub in your refrigerator to generate as many WOWs as possible only by a smart piece of cookery. You are a smart chef, party popper in around 10 minutes ! It’s an MCMH G-man original recipe. Read on

Beets in a tub

Cut beetroot stalks

Chopped parsley

Sauteing beetroot stalks

Beetroot stalks fries

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 3 kids or 2 adults can enjoy this
• Preparation time : 12 minutes

….and we need (ingredients)

• Beetroot stalks 1 handful or 250 gms : Amazing earthly tasting veggie with high level of immunity boosting Vitamin C and with other benefits to bones, liver, kidneys etc. So what are the stalks that i use here. Pluck a beetroot plant off the ground. Most popularly used is the bulbous root, then there are the leaves which are a great alternative to spinach. Finally there are 1/4th to 1/2 inch thick stems which may vary from 4 to 7 inches in length which lie between the root and the leaves. I am using that here. I know we use to throw them away forever long back as we knew. But it is the healthiest and tastiest part of the plant as i have discovered.
• Parsley chopped 3 teaspoons : Bitter and popular garnish. Great antioxidant and helps people with kidney or gall stones.
• Oil 1 teaspoon : Can use a seed oil like canola, sunflower etc.
• Salt a pinch only : good sodium and magnesium provider. Also aids in digestion and dissolution of food particles.

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Chop the beetroot stalks in 2 inch sections.
• Heat oil in a non stick pan. Keep on high flame for 2 minutes
• While the oil is almost gone put in the beetroot stalks. Medium the flame at this point and add salt.
• Stir fry for 6 to 7 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid charring.
• Take off flame onto a platter. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• Serve hot always

Storage : Please do not even think about it. Fry only as much as you need.

Missing Something ? : You can replace parsley by coriander. Coriander would have a sweeter milder flavor.

Cherry Tomato Ketchup in Basil

Now this is a long recipe. But as they say, enjoy the journey. Won’t it be weird to find a household in the lands where you would not find ketchup. And what a pleasure it would be if you could manage to harvest all major ingredients from you own kitchen garden. Tomato sauce is a very low-calorie dip against others like mayo and actually cuts cholesterol levels improving eyesight too. As per Nat Geo, ketchup originated in Vietnam & China as being a sauce made from fermented fish. This was over 400 years back. In 1812, the ketchup made of tomatoes had its recipe first published by James Mease, who called tomatoes as love apples. Go through the below given steps. Do not miss the ingredients and/or the steps. Take full-time and care. A ketchup well made will make you enjoy for very long.

Cherry Tomatoes

Sweet Basil

Basil & Cherry Tomato Ketchup

Basil & Cherry Tomato Ketchup

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : with these ingredients we can have 4 medium-sized ketchup bottles. Fantasize the number of treats !!
• Preparation time : 1 hour 15 minutes

….and we need (ingredients)

• Sweet basil 3 cups full : Basil is the king of the herbs. It’s a good king as well since it is very easily grown. Be it opal (purple basil), lime, cinnamon or holy (tulsi) basil, it grows super easy with cuttings or seeds. Check out my blog regarding propagation of basil by punching in basil in the search box. Sweet basil is an amazing seasoning besides having a host of health benefits like healing qualities, anti stress, anti inflammation, analgesic (pain-killer), antipyretic (anti fever), cancer fighter etc.
• Cherry tomatoes 2.5 kgs : Super tasty, very sweet and loved by all kids, cherry tomatoes grow easily in containers. Check out how to grow them by punching “cherry tomatoes” in the search box. They add a great color to the ketchup besides ketchup being high on potassium content and keeping your calories under control
• Sugar 2 cups : Discounting high energy that it provides, the sugar here acts as sweetening agent in the ketchup. Just use common white sugar available at any store.
• Chillies 1 cup : Chillies have good Vitamin A, E and K and are good for eyes, skin and digestion. Here we use them for the tongue cutting Xing. I pluck them from my terrace garden in need, can also be picked round the year at grocers.
• Salt 2 tablespoon : Most foods are not complete without salt. They maintain the electrolyte balance with suitable amounts of magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium. Do not vary the quantity in this one. Just trust the G-man on this.
• Preservative 2 teaspoon : Add some sodium benzoate and that’ll increase the shelf life of your ketchup to 18 months.
• Ginger 1 and 1/2 teaspoon : Probably the most famous Asian spice ginger is also famous in Oceania and Caribbean and brings out the woody and pungent aroma. Benefits of ginger accrue from relieving throat infections, pain and nausea.
• Onions 3/4th cup : Strong, acidic and bitter. That’s what a good red onion is supposed to be. They are also good sources of Vitamin C and Iron and are good for hair, skin and help in weight-loss.
• Cinnamon 3 inch : A sweet, fragrant and spicy taste enhancer. Cinnamon is a good antioxidant, anti inflammatory, controls blood sugar and enhances brain function.
• Cloves 6-7 : Tastes pungent, sweet, strong, bitter and astringent, cloves aid in respiration, reduces pain and inflammation and fights infections. There’s no mart in south Asia that wouldn’t have cloves and cinnamon.
• Black pepper 2 teaspoon : Pepper improves respiration, digestion and cognitive functions of the brain. It brings sharp, pungent flavor to our ketchup.
• Garlic 4 teaspoon : Chopped garlic would bring a sharp, hot and pungent taste here along with the cold fighting, disease curing, cholesterol and blood pressure controlling properties.
• Cumin 1 and 1/2 teaspoon : One of the most popular musky and earthy spices, cumin also enhances respiration, immunity, diabetes control and has anti viral, anti bacterial properties.
• Cardamom green 3 : Minty and tropical flavor of cardamom is accompanied by benefits like gastrointestinal protection, cholesterol protection and blood circulation control in the body. Always break and grind pepper, cumin and cardamom for best flavors.

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Wash and mash the tomatoes. Then grind them finely into a puree
• Potli : Make a pouch or a potli (in hindi) of a fine sieving muslin cloth. Should be fine porous enough for flavors to completely pass through holding back just the bigger particles. Grind cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and pepper and tie this mixture in the potli.
• Heat a skillet on medium heat and after 2 minutes add the tomato puree. Cook this puree for 5 minutes and then drop in the potli in this to mix well.
• Now add Onions, ginger, garlic and basil along with 1/3rd sugar (i.e. 1/3rd of 2 cups). Mix well and cook stirring for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Now add salt and chillies and cook till the ketchup reduces to half. Cook on medium flame. The time for this would vary from 20 to 25 minutes.
• Now add the rest of the sugar and cook till the water dries up and separates completely. To check this stage, you can conduct a simple kitchen trick called the plate slide test.
• Plate Slide Test : In this drop half a spoon of ketchup at the center of the plate. Now tilt the plate to 45 degrees. If the water flows out of the same, it needs further cooking. If the ketchup sticks together, then we are through with the cooking and can move on.
• Now take it off the flame and squeeze all possible flavor from the potli to the ketchup and discard the potli.
• Allow the ketchup to cool now. Bring it at room temperature. Do not hurry up by refrigerating.
• Meanwhile, add the sodium benzoate (the preservative) to some water to form a mild solution and add this solution to the now cooled down sauce.
• Sterilize some bottles properly and wash dry them amply. Now fill the ketchup in them to use and store.
• Finally : Dip ! Lick ! Slurp !!

Storage : 2 years easily.

Missing Something ? : Do not shuffle any ingredient in this please.

Basa fillet in Orange Sauce

The Mediterranean zest with a hedge over the mercury level makes this a super dish. The color speaks sunshine in itself. A typical Indian kitchen would hardly ever cook fresh juice. But that’s what makes this dish stand out. It’s light, very healthy, needs just 5-6 basic ingredients and hey ! it’s even colored of sunshine. Enjoy !!

Basa filet in orange sauce

Preparing basa fillet in orange sauce

Basa in Orange Sauce

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : 2
• Preparation time : 25 minutes

….and we need (ingredients)

• Basa fish fillet (preferably river bass) 2. Also called pangasius this is a very common river fish which is extremely easy to fillet. It is not very nutritious but the great thing about it is that bass is safe for all ages and does not have high mercury levels as in some other popular fishes. 
• Orange juice 2 cups. Besides the amazing Mediterranean citrus zest that the it brings to this dish, the orange juice is also a source of major benefits like immunity boost, anti ageing, reduction in cholesterol and inflammation. It is one of the healthiest beverages on this planet. Make it fresh at home for best results.
• Lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon. Host of benefits like hydration, Vitamin C, weight loss, skin improvement etc. However, lemon juice here is just to add sourly zest.
• Orange rinds 1 tablespoon. I have never found them at the stores so i decided to make these myself. Look through my post on making orange rinds.
• Parsley chopped 1 teaspoon. It is the best garnish to neutralize the fish stench.
• Oil 2 teaspoon. Try to use a light vegetable oil with no flavor or fragrance of its own.
• Salt to taste. Obviously 

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Heat oil in a non stick pan. Heat for 2 minutes.
• Lay down the fillets and put the gas flame on medium. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add lemon juice, orange rinds and 6 tablespoons of water.
• Now cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn twice mid way and then take off the flame and keep aside.
• In a separate pan cook orange juice and salt on medium flame till it reduces to half. May take from 7 to 10 minutes for that.
• Now pour this over the cooked fillet.
• Garnish with chopped parsley and serve hot.

Storage : This can be refrigerated for around 1 week. But would you seriously want to hold something so yummy for re-cooking later ??

Missing Something ? : You can replace orange rinds with lemon rinds. That’s the most liberty I can allow in this one 🙂

Baby Corn Zimmer Kebabs

If you have kids coming over or if you want to give an evening delight to your kid/s, this is an extremely quick and easy snack to prepare. The color would fascinate the kids. The ingredients are always available in your kitchen. Goes well with any sauce. It is oil free and a healthy tiffin for all ages. An MCMH G-man original recipe !!

How to make baby corn zimmer kebab

How to prepare baby corn zimmer kebabs

Baby Corn Zimmer Kebabs

Beet harvest

….need to know (food details) 

• Number of people served : 2
• Preparation time : 25 minutes cooking + 1 hour of refrigeration
• Serving size : 3 corns each

….and we need (ingredients)

• Baby corns (medium-sized) 6 in number : Baby corn is a great balancer of blood sugar and blood pressure. It’s good for digestion and gives a glow to the skin.
• Beetroot 1 in count : I grow beetroot at home (check out my blog regarding growing beetroot at home in tubs), but they are an easy vegetable to lay hands at the local market. Beets will give a mild sweet taste to the kebab. Health-wise beetroot lowers blood pressure, boosts stamina, is a good detox and provides good roughage (fiber)
• Paprika powder 1/4 teaspoon : Besides being an obvious Xing provider in the kebab, paprika is also excellent for eyes.
• Oregano flakes 1/4 teaspoon : Oregano is quite like the carom in flavor and in usefulness too. Do check out the “ajwain ki chutney” blog to unravel its benefits.
• Lemon 1/2 unit’s juice : Lemon has several skin and digestion benefits, but here its utility is to provide the sour effect in the kebab.
• Salt to taste : As always 🙂

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Wash and pat dry the corns well. There should be no moisture on it apart from its inner natural wetness.
• Grind the beetroot into a fine paste. Do not add any water in the paste. The beet will shed its own water and that would be enough
• Add paprika, oregano and salt to the paste and mix well.
• Marinate the baby corns with this paste and keep aside for 1 hour. A great way to marinate would be to keep them in an airtight container and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
• Now put them over skewers and grill in the microwave for 17 to 20 minutes. You can check after 12 minutes to gauge the cooking of the kebab. If they seem crispy and slightly brittle, though not completely dry and hard, bring them out even if they have spent less than 15 minutes inside your oven.
• Squeeze a few drops of lemon and serve with mustard sauce while hot.

Storage : Do not attempt to store. They’ll get soggy. If unsure, then prepare less units.

Missing Something ? : You can replace the paprika with dried chilli flakes or ground red pepper. Will give similar results.

Ajwain Ki Chutney

Chutney is the dip which is a undenying part of an Indian table. Indian chutneys are not just taste based, they are a concoction of healthy and hard tasting ingredients. They are generally high in spice quotient and is a mandatory accompaniment with all fritters and pakoras. In fact we Indians would supplement all the ketchup in the world for a few dips in any chutney. Read on and enjoy this simple and quick treat…. 

Ajwain (carom) leaves

Ajwain ki chutney

….need to know (food details)

• Number of people served : It’s a dip, as many people who can enjoy it, can be served.
• Preparation time : 5 minutes of grinding + 5 minutes of cooking.

….and we need (ingredients)

• Ajwain leaves (carom seeds’ leaves) 125 gms. Carom seeds are a common spice in Indian kitchens. Here we use the carom plant’s leaves for this chutney. Easy to grow and has a tremendous oregano like flavor. Carom is an excellent digestive, pain reliever, antiseptic and cure of common cold.
• Chana daal (split chickpeas) 1 tablespoon. Commonly available cereal, forms the flavor equating mass of the chutney.
• Garlic cloves 7 – 8. Brings out the pungency in the dip. Is an excellent detox, fights common cold and reduces BP levels.
• Jeera (cumin seeds) 1/2 teaspoon. Favorite Indian seasoning with benefits of curing insomnia, BP levels, digestion level etc.
• Green chilies 2. Can’t do without the Xing in any chutney.
• Dhania powder (coriander seed’s powder) 1 teaspoon. Balances digestion. Another popular seasoning.
• Oil 1/2 teaspoon. Try to use a light vegetable oil.
• Rai (black mustard seeds) 1/4 teaspoon. The sour in the chutney is this, has major skin, hair and other health benefits.
• Curry patta leaves 8 – 10. Lowers graying of hair, cholesterol level and is a natural preservative for the foods.
• Imli paste (Tamarind) 1/2 teaspoon. Helps in weight loss and prevents constipation.
• Asafoetida (hing powder) 1 pinch. Hugely popular Indian flavor that helps in maintaining BP, blood sugar and soothes asthma.
• Salt to taste. Obviously 🙂 

….time to cook ‘n roll (cooking instructions)

• Dry roast chana daal, jeera and dhania for 1 minutes.
• Cool this and then powder it.
• Add ajwain leaves, salt, tamarind, garlic to this powder and grind again.
• Add 2 to 4 tablespoon water while grinding.
• Now heat the oil in a pan and saute the curry leaves on medium flame for 2 minutes.
• Now add heeng and, mustard seeds and chilli and stir for 2 more minutes.
• Now mix the earlier prepared paste to this.
• Finally enjoy

Storage : This can be refrigerated for around 6 weeks easily. But I’ll be disappointed if you do not gobble it in the 1st week itself.

Missing Something ? : You can replace tamarind with raw mango powder (amchoor) or anaardana.