This is one of the most simple recipes of curry I have made. My mom-in-law taught me this recipe. She told me, she used to make it often when in a hurry to go to University (where she taught). As a working woman, I too find it tough to prepare elaborate curries in the morning. So I too started making this one.

‘Ridge gourd’ is known by different names in different regions of India. In Hindi it is called ‘Toree’ or ‘Turai’, in Marathi ‘Dodka’ or ‘Shirale’, in Kannada ‘Heeraikai’ and ‘Peerkangai’ in Tamil.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo ridge gourd; washed, peeled (do not throw away the peel, use to make ridge gourd peels chutney) and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices,

2 onions; halved and sliced,

2 tomatoes; halved and sliced,

1/2 tsp jeera (cumin seeds),

1/2 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp red chilli powder,

Salt to taste,

Oil for tempering.

Method:

Heat 4-5 tbsp oil in a kadhai. Add jeera and let it splutter. Then add sliced onions and sauté until they become translucent. Then add turmeric and red chilli powder. Fry for a minute and then add tomatoes. Cook covered until tomatoes soften. Then add sliced ridge gourd, stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetable has cooked. Not need to add water while cooking as ridge gourd tends to leave a lot of water while cooking. Lastly season with salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

I had got these frozen chicken meat balls some time back. Usually I fry them and we have it as a snack. This time I thought of preparing a sauce for meatballs and serve it over rice. The sauce is sweet and sour tomato sauce with a distinct flavor of rosemary and parsley. A very simple recipe ready in 10-12 minutes.

Ingredients:

250grams (9 ounces) frozen meatballs (could be chicken or meat), (Or make your own by following this recipe of Meat Balls)

1 small red onion, finely chopped,

300ml tomato puree or 10 ounces of tomato paste,

1/2 tsp dry rosemary,

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley,

1/2 tsp paprika or chilli flakes (adjust as per taste),

Salt and pepper to taste,

1/2 tsp sugar,

Chicken stock or water as required,

Olive oil.

For the rice -

1 cup uncooked long grain rice,

2 cups water,

Salt to taste.

Method:

Thaw the meat balls. In a wok heat some olive oil. Add onion and sauté until soft.

Then add tomato puree/paste and cook stirring occasionally for few minutes.

Then add rosemary and parsley and give it a nice stir.

Cook until the sauce starts leaving oil from the sides of the wok. Then add enough chicken stock/water for a gravy like consistency and bring to boil. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, sugar and mix well. Now add thawed meatballs, cover and cook for a few minutes.

For the rice -

Wash rice and set it aside. In a deep pot, boil 2 cups of water with salt. Then add rice to it. Stir nicely and let it cook for about 7-8 minutes. Time of cooking may vary according to the rice.

Serve meatballs over rice.

I love to have a bowl of creamy tomato soup after coming back from work specially in winters. It keeps me full until I prepare dinner and is always an healthy option to munching some oily snacks. Here is a very simple recipe of tomato soup that uses only few ingredients.

Ingredients: (Serves 2-3)

1/2 kilo of fresh ripe tomatoes; washed,

Salt, sugar and pepper to taste,

Few leaves of mint; freshly chopped, (optional)

Cream to garnish and Croutons to serve.

Method:

You can remove the skin of tomatoes and then cook them or cook them and then peel them. To remove the skin before cooking the tomatoes, place tomatoes into boiling water for 3-4 minutes and then drop them into cold water. Let them stand for 2 minutes. Then remove and de-skin them. Else cook them and then de-skin the tomatoes. For both the methods follow the same recipe from here onwards.

Place the tomatoes in a pressure cooker along with 2 cups of water and cook up to 2 whistles. Remove from flame and take them out once pressure drops. Take them off and peel them if not done earlier. Let them cool down a bit. Then roughly chop them and place them in a mixer grinder. Grind them to a smooth puree. Strain the pulp if you wish so. But I use it as it to retain all the nutrition. Transfer the puree in a saucepan and put it on medium flame. Add more water if required. Season with salt, sugar, pepper and some mint leaves and bring to boil. Transfer to serving bowls, garnish with cream and serve hot with croutons.

I have eaten different versions of Spanish Omelet and what I had in Seattle was not exactly what I had in London. Since I haven’t had the chance to visit Spain, I am sure the recipe served there would be the authentic one. Well when I wanted to prepare one at home, I surfed the internet and found plenty of recipes. I think the original one uses only eggs and potatoes. But I decided to come up with my version using the common ingredients.

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)

6 eggs,

2 large potatoes; washed, peeled and thinly sliced,

2 onions; cut into halves and thinly sliced,

1-2 tomatoes; cut into halves and thinly sliced,

Salt to taste,

Butter or Olive oil.

Method:

Heat a pan and heat generous amount of oil. Add sliced potatoes and cook them from both the sides until they begin to brown. Season with some salt. Drain and transfer to a dish.

In the same pan add onions and sauté on medium flame until they begin to soften. Remove from flame.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and whisk until frothy. Season with salt. Add sautéed onions, fried potatoes and sliced tomatoes to the whisked egg. Give it a nice stir till the mixture is well combined.

You can prepare the omelet on a heavy-bottomed pan or in a Microwave oven. I prepared this recipe in the Microwave oven, but I will explain both the methods.

Pan fried omelet – Heat a heavy-bottomed pan and smear it with butter to coat the entire pan properly. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the pan. Tilt the pan to spread the mixture all over evenly. Remember the Spanish omelet is thicker than our regular omelet. So the pan should be medium sized. Let the omelet cook on a low-medium flame. You can also cover the pan with a lid for some time. We are not flipping the omelet, so make sure it cooks from the top as well.

Microwave method – Smear Olive oil/melted butter to a microwave safe dish. Pour the egg mixture slowly into the dish. Place it in the oven and bake it for 8-10 minutes on MEDIUM setting of your microwave. Let it stand in the microwave for a while before you take it out.

Later cut into slices and serve hot.

TIPS:

You can add mushrooms and peppers to your omelet and season it with some herbs too.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 kg doodhi (bottlegourd),

250 gms khoya; crumbled,

300 gms sugar,

1/2 cup ghee,

8-10 elaichi (green cardamom) powdered,

A handful of dry fruits as per your choice,

Few drops of green food color (optional).

Method:

Peel and grate doodhi, then hold between your palms and press to drain out excess liquid. (Use this liquid is any vegetable or dal recipes as a replacement of water). Melt ghee in a pan and then add the grated doodhi and roast for few minutes on low flame. Cover and cook on low-medium flame till it is soft. Stir occasionally. Then add sugar and keep stirring till the mixture thickens.
Heat another pan and roast the khoya till it is fragrant and light brown in color. Then add to the dudhi mixture. Also add elaichi powder, green food color and dry fruits. Mix well, cover and cook for a minute and serve hot or chilled.