Arancini

This is an Italian rice ball recipe but it is easy and hassle free because you can use leftover rice .
I would’nt go for any particular measurement because it is for you to decide the size of the balls and also how much quantity of rice you have. Look for some vegetables like carrots, beans, cabbage, coriander leaves,green chillies, coloured peppers .Chop the veggies very fine and if you want to add sausages and salami,chop them really fine. Combine rice and veggies ,salt to taste, Italian spice mix and tomato sauce. Make rice balls and stuff small cheese squares in the centre. Dip them in egg batter and coat the balls with bread crumbs. Deep fry and serve with salad of your choice. Ideally mint raita or even tomato salsa really goes well. It is time to try Italian rice balls with Indian mint raita and Mexican salsa and make it an international recipe. You can make it totally vegetarian by omitting egg batter and replacing it with refined flour batter.

Caviar on Crackers

This is a very easy snack and my family’s favourite. I had crackers with me but toasted bread also works well. I made the creamy white layer by beating hung curd with a whisk and added salt and white pepper powder. I chopped an onion, a tomato and coriander leaves for the topping. I had two types of caviar : red and black. I layered the crackers with hung curd, topped it with caviar and chopped veggies. It tastes heavenly.

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Crabmeat Filling for Sandwiches, Wraps and Canapes

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In these rationing and trying days, my pantry gives me the pleasure of my lifetime. I found some crabmeat in my freezer and I had fresh bread with me.

And here was the heavenly combination that I made earlier and had made wraps and canapes also. Actually speaking, this is just a filling or can work as a dip with nachos or fries.

Makes 10 sandwiches

Ingredients

1/2 a cup of crabmeat

2 tbsps of mayonnaise

2 tbsps of cream cheese

Few sprigs of herb of your choice. I used finely chopped coriander leaves.

1/2 of an onion finely chopped

1/4 of a tomato (seeds removed) finely chopped

1/2 if a spring onion green chopped

1 tsp each of mustard sauce, tomato sauce, any hot sauce

A squirt of wasabi paste (optional)

1/4 tsp of black pepper powder

Salt to taste

1 tsp of olive oil.

Procedure

Combine all the ingredients except onion, tomatoes, spring onion green and olive oil.

Mix it well and keep it aside.

Take olive oil in a small shallow pan and once hot, add onion and fry till translucent. Then add tomatoes and saute. Now add spring onion greens and turn off the flame.

Add this to the mixture in the bowl. Mix well and store it in a box. Use it when required. Spread it on a slice of bread and cover it with another slice.

Or let a dollop of it sit on a cracker or canape. This looks very decorative as a snack on a platter.

Or spread it on a tortilla and make a wrap. Let your imagination run wild.

Schezwann Chicken Strips

This recipe is one of my favourites and that’s probably because of its taste and versatility. You can feed an army of people within budget and most importantly multiple dishes can be made with the leftovers (if any).

Steamed Fish Squares

Steaming is one of the healthiest options in cooking and various   steamed recipes made with rice, veggies, momos, fish, paneer, chicken, tofu and many more have been cherished by people worldwide. If you are on an oil-free diet, having steamed food is the best option. This is one of my experimental recipes but it turned out pretty well.  

Asian Chicken Wings

This recipe is my favourite and most  importantly,  a show stopper. Whenever my family’s meal lacks the usual lustre,  I make this and nobody cares how many vegetables I have managed to sneak in through other dishes. They are busy trying to find out how many more wings they can have. 

Frothy Mushroom soup

The rainy season, at its peak, brings down the temperature in the otherwise very hot Mumbai and the residents demand something piping hot to eat. The fitness freaks can swear by this recipe. It is high in protein with the power of minerals from the carrots and calcium from the milk. 

Easy Peasy Macaroni

Holidays are almost over and if you’ve fallen short of new recipes, this is the one.

It is not necessary that you put in all the ingredients that I used in this recipe. For non vegetarians the choices are unlimited, vegetarians can make this by just avoiding sausages. I put veggies and soya chunks to make it a complete meal. This can be made ahead and children at home can have it when they feel hungry.

Juicy Meatballs

The humble meatball is a versatile dish and has its variety worldwide. Some say it came from Persia,  but since it is found in almost all cuisines, its origin is debatable. Basic spices and aromatics remain the same everywhere, a few ingredients vary though, depending on the local produce and geography. It can be made from any type of meat but, I have used chicken mince in this recipe. You can use mutton or lamb instead but the cooking time has to be increased depending on the meat. This is my favourite recipe and this evolved over years under my experimentation, failure and success. Its simplicity and taste and its ability to satiate from one person to a crowd makes this recipe very close to my heart. Earlier I used to coat the meatballs in egg and then in bread crumbs and then fry them.  You can try it that way but, the healthier version is dearer to me. 

Veggies and Fruits with Black Rice

 

This is my idea of an ideal weekend lunch during summer. Black rice, which was also known as forbidden rice, has won the hearts of a whole lot of rice eating population because of its nutitional value. This rice is native to China. 

According to legend, black rice was thought to be so rare, delicious and nutritious, that it could only be eaten by emperors. While this rice is now being brought to the masses around the world, its nutritional content has still remained high. It provides a satisfying nutty flavor, making it a great addition to a number of different dishes. 

It usually takes a bit longer to be completely cooked than traditional white or even wild rice. Due to its high fibre content it keeps you feeling full for a longer period of time, making it a favourite for weight watchers. This recipe combines the health benefits of rice, fruits, veggies and healthy oil . I usually make it on saturdays for lunch because everyone is at home and I want to feed then something really healthy.

Serves 4