Bean and Rice Burritos

Here is my take on bean and rice burritos made from stuff lying around at home. Took me 1 hour to make everything, so doable for dinner

You need

For the tortillas

• Wheat Flour - 1 cup
• Olive oil - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/ 2 tsp
• Water

For the rice

• Brown rice (not red rice) - 3 handfuls - boiled well
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Yellow bell pepper - 1/2 - finely chopped
• Red bell pepper - 1/2 - finely chopped
• Spring onions - 2-3 - finely chopped
• Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp
• Chilli vinegar - 1 tsp 
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp

For the bean filling

• Black or red beans (Rajma) - 1 cup - soaked overnight and boiled (drain out all water)
• Onion - 1 - chopped
• Garlic - 4-5 cloves
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Olive oil - 1 tsp
• Salsa sauce - readymade - 1 tbsp
• Jalapenos - I used 4-5 slices from a bottle and chopped them finely

For the guacamole (more like yogurt guacamole. I didn't have sour cream for a separate topping so I added yogurt to the guacamole and it turned out fine)

• Avocado - 1 ripe - peeled and chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Curd/ yogurt - 1 tbsp (must be thick, of a dip consistency)
• 2 tbsp chopped onion
• 2 tbsp chopped tomato
• salt to taste

For the garnish

• Cheese slices - 4 (this is what I had, if you have better cheese, use that)
• finely chopped tomato
• finely chopped green onion
• Readymade salsa sauce
• coriander leaves

How to

Bean filling

1. Heat olive oil in a pan
2. Fry onions till translucent
3. Add garlic and fry some more
4. Add the beans and mash them really well. Add some water if necessary to make a loose pasty consistency
5. Add salt, salsa sauce and jalapenos and mix well
6. Keep aside

Rice

1. Heat olive oil in a pan
2. Add the chopped peppers and stir fry
3. Add the rest of the ingredients except rice and stir fry 
4. Finally add the rice and toss well
5. Keep aside

Guacamole

1. Toss everything in a mixer and give a quick churn to make a chunky sauce

Tortillas

1. Mix everything and knead into a tight dough
2. Divide in to 4 equal portions and roll out thin tortillas
3. Heat a griddle and cook till lightly brown on both sides

Assembling

1. While the tortilla is still hot on the pan, add a slice of cheese to melt it slightly
2. Take off from the flame and in to a plate.
3. Spread the guacamole in one long line
4. Then spread the rice along the same line
5. Add the bean filling on top of the rice following the line
6. Top it up with rest of the garnishing 
7. Fold the tortilla tightly to make the burrito 
8. Serve hot with some additional guacamole and rice

Fried Idlis

Since I've moved to Bangalore I've been making a lot of Idlis and Dosas. I especially love mini-idlis with hot sambar. But often, inevitably some idlis are left over. And well, you can't really have the same breakfast twice. So I've found a snack that works best for me with my evening chai (or coffee if you prefer). It's quite simple really.

You'll need:

• Leftover idlies - 4 if they are mini, 2 if they are regular
• 1 medium onion - julienne
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 green chilli - sliced long
• 1 tbsp oil 
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp sambar powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh grated coconut (you can also use dry grated powder that is readily available)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• A pinch of sugar (optional)

How to

• Cut the idlis in to bite size pieces
• In a bowl, mix chilli powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and the grated coconut. If you are using sugar add that too. Mix well. 
• Add idlis to this bowl and rub the spice mix over them. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan (preferably non stick). When hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilli, green chilli and the chopped onion. Stir well and fry till onion turns golden brown.
• Add the spiced idlis and mix well. Cover and cook on a simmer for 1 min. Keep stirring in between to ensure that the spices are getting cooked well and do not burn
• Turn off the flame. Add lemon juice and mix well
• Serve hot. You can garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and grated coconut

Spaghetti in cheese & cream sauce

So this one is a real quick fix and doesn't really need any fancy ingredients. It's quite a flexible recipe and very easy to play around with depending on what you have at home. I made it for dinner today and munched on it with a can of happiness (read Coke).

For one person you definitely need:

• Spaghetti - A handful ( I just grabbed enough to fit my fist and it was just a slightly bigger portion that what I usually can eat)
• Cheese - Any kind really except mozzarella/ stringy cheese. It should basically melt in the sauce. I had 2 cubes of processed cheese and a few smallish (1/2" inch) chunks of cheddar. And I like my pasta cheesy so I put it all in. You can cut down on cheese a bit if you want
• Italian seasoning - Use anything really. I had some leftover oregano and chilli flakes from a pizza I ordered yesterday. So in went 1 small pack (abt 1 tsp) of oregano and a similar portion of chilli flakes
• Olive oil/ butter - 1 tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup with some cream in it
• Onion - 1 small - finely chopped
• Salt - to taste

How to make it:

1. Heat a large pan of water and add spaghetti to it once it comes to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes approx. Check often to see how much you want it cooked. Some want it al-dente and some like it slightly softer. 
2. Drain spaghetti and put in a pan of cold water.  
3. Meanwhile, heat oil/butter & fry the onion till translucent
4. Add milk and cheeses and cook till the cheese melts
5. Add oregano, chilli flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. 
6. Add spaghetti and toss well
7. Serve hot with a slice of garlic toast

Tips to make it better

If you have some more ingredients you can mix and match and make it better

• Got any garlic? Crush and fry it with the onion (step 3 above)
• Fresh coriander? I feel it really goes well with pasta. Give it a quick whirl in the blender, without water. Add to the sauce in step 5 above
• You can use black olives as garnish while serving

Imli ki Chutney

Had a few friends over for dinner and wanted to make some chaat. Figured out my stock of mom's chutney is over so had to whip this up myself.

You need:
- Imli (Tamarind) - 1 cup (soak for 2 hours)
- Gud (Jaggery) - 1 cup (or less if you want it more sour)
- Salt - to taste
- Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
- Raisins - a handful - soaked
- Dry ginger - 1 tsp
- Jira (cumin seeds) - 1 tsp - roasted

How to:
- Sieve the pulp from the tamarind in a pan, add as much water as needed to make it soupy in consistency.
- Add jaggery and bring to a boil.
- Add everything else and cook on low flame till the chutney thickens.
- Taste and adjust spices if needed

Tip - leave a chutney slightly runny as it will thicken when cold

Poached pears in red wine

I think I need classes in food photography, this looked much better than it does in the picture.

Anyway, for those of you who need a guilt free dessert, poached pears to the rescue. And it's quite simple too.

You need:

1. 2 pears
2. 1 cup dry red wine
3. 1/2 cup orange juice
4. 1/4 cup sugar (adjust according to taste)
5. A small stick of cinnamon

How to:

1. Take a deep pan and add the wine, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon.
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 minutes
3. Peel the pears without removing the step
4. Remove some portion from the bottom to make it flat so that the pear can stand
5. Put the pears in the simmer liquid. Cover and cook till the pears are cooked but firm. Turn the pears from time to time to ensure even cooking
6. When cooked, remove from flame and let the pears rest in the liquid. When cool, put in the fridge to chill. 
7. Before serving, bring the pear to room temperature, thicken the sauce on a flame if needed. Serve the pear with a spoonful of the sauce.