Sweet n Sour Cucumber (A Microwave Recipe)

This Chinese Cucumber preparation is best taken with Fried Rice,Pulao, noodles and stringhoppers or U can have it alone.This Simple n made easy Sidedish in Microwave, needs 10 mins cooking time and serves 3-4 nos. Try this recipe with baby potato,mixed vegs,baby corn cauliflower,broccoli,carrot,french beans,capsicum,bajji chillies and Mushrooms. This is done semi-dry . if U need it as gravy then add 1 tsp cornflour dissolved in 100 ml water at Step: and Microwave it for 2-3 mins on high. Enjoy Ur Meal with its irrestibly Good Sweet n Sour taste!. Bon Appetit!.

Sweet n Sour Cucumber

Ingredients:
100 gms tender(baby) cucumbers - slice it into bite sized pieces
1 onion - sliced fine
1-2 garlic cloves - chopped fine
1 green chilli - sliced fine
1 tsp vinegar/lemon juice
2 tsp refined oil
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey or 1 1/2 tsp sugar
a pinch of ajinomotto(optional)
1 tbsp chopped spring onions
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1.Heat oil with sliced onions and chopped garlic in a Microwave-safe bowl for 2 mins on high.
2.Add cucumber pieces and 50 ml water.Mix it well. Microwave it for 3 more mins.
3.Add tomato sauce,soy sauce,green chillies, salt,ajinomotto(optional),honey or sugar and vinegar or lemon juice. Mix it well .Microwave this on high for 2-3 mins covered.
4.Finally add spring onions and microwave it on high for a min.

5.Serve it hot with Fried Rice and Noodles. Yummy!.

Masala Bread

Try this yumm and mild-spiced Bread Masala which is best taken with raita or alone as an Evening light Meal/Dinner/ Breakfast. It can be packed for Lunch for kids of all ages.This needs 12 mins Cooking time to serve 3 nos. U can add grated carrot,finely chopped Palak,roasted capsicum slices or oil-roasted potato fries/chops in Step 5 and Serve it hot. Enjoy easy Cookig at home!. Enjoy Ur Meal!. Bonappetit!.

Masala Bread - A delightfully light Meal

Ingredients:
6 - 8 bread slices - Edges removed and chopped ino bite sized pieces
1 big onion - sliced thin or chopped fine
2 medium sized tomatoes - finely chopped
1 green chilly - sliced thin
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tsp refined oil
1-2 tsp ghee

Directions:
1.Heat oil in a non-stick pan and saute sliced onions and ginger-garlic paste till done for 3 mins.
2.Add finely chopped tomatoes,chopped curry leaves,green chilli slices,red chilli powder,garam masala powder and salt.Saute it well till tomato begins to melt.
3.Add 120 ml water and bring it to boil.
4.Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp ghee in a non-stick kadai and ghee-roast bread pieces till it gets done for 2  mins (Turn off the flame b4 the bread pieces change colour).
5.Add this bread pieces and chopped coriander leaves to the Step 3 Masala and mix it well till the masala gets evenly spread over the bread pieces.

6.Serve it hot with Cucumber/Onion Raita as an Evening light Meal/Dinner/Breakfast or pack it for Lunch(Reheat it in M/W Oven and have a Wonderful Light Meal).

Egg Cups for Easter & Egg Pie

I shifted my residence to PalayamKottai,Tirunelveli from Chennai this week and feel happy to settle near my Native place this Festive time - since my H wanted me here to luk after our house . This has kept me out of blogging for nearly a week and happy to C U all back again this Easter Sunday. Wishing U all a Happy and Blessed Easter!.Today I'm happy to have here Dr.Shirley (@'Enriching Your Kid')- Guest-posting here  and I'm doing her the same with 'Comforting Egg Pie'.U can see Egg Cups Pic as soon as I receive it.

I feel honoured to have Dr.Shirley @'Enriching Your Kid' as Guest this Easter for the first time here in my Food space. I still remember Shirley as one among few to befriend the FoodBloggers quickly since she requires no time to reach U back and her ability to shine friendly Good. Her recipes are all innovatively great and Kid's friendly to enrich  Kids greatly immuned and helping them grow healthy. U can sample them in Her adorable Space . She is one of the very few FoodBloggers who won Master-Chef-Indi Blogger Contest as all her entries got selected for the Runnerup spot. My hearty and Blessed Easter Wishes to Her and here is my Guest's recipe!.

 Egg Cups for Easter:
Wishing a Blessed Easter to all of Christy's readers! I am truly honoured to be guest at Christy's blog. An egg is synonymous with Easter because it symbolizes new life.  Presenting to you a very unconventional way of preparing your eggs on an Easter morning. Simple, healthy and fun. You will need an Aebleskiver or paniyaram pan to prepare your egg cups.

Egg Cups for Easter

Ingredients:
3 small eggs
Olive oil

Directions:
1.Heat the aebleskiver/ paniyaram pan. Lightly grease it with oil.
2.Break the eggs one by one very gently into the cups.
3.Keep the flame minimum and cover with a lid.
4.When the egg is fully cooked, slowly release it with a spoon from the edges.
5.Season with salt and pepper and serve hot with toasts.

A blessed Easter to you!

with regards,
Shirley P.Stev

This is my Guest post for her Space this Easter Sunday.
I deem great pleasure to Guest Post Dr.Shirley's Blog 'Enriching Your Kids' this Easter for the first time as a FoodBlogger. As we all know, Egg is seen by Christians as a symbol of resurrection (Christ's Ressurection from Death is celebrated as Easter) as it contains a new life(of unborn chick) sealed within it.

Easter Eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime and the hard shell of the egg symbolizes the sealed Tomb of Christ — the cracking of which symbolizes His Resurrection from the dead.The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs but now tea Eggs or chocolate eggs or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans are being used. These eggs can be hidden for children to find on Easter morning and they would be told as being left by the Easter Bunny. They will be put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw to resemble a bird's nest.In some Mediterranean countries like Lebanon, hard-boiled Eggs are decorated by dye or painting - on Easter Day, young kids would carry them saying 'Christ is resurrected, Indeed He is', breaking and eating them.Easter eggs are blessed by the priest at the end of the Paschal Vigil (Holy Saturday) and distributed to the Believers.
Information Source: Wikipedia

This recipe states U a comforting Pie done with hard-boiled Eggs to fill Easter Dinner /Breakfast Table in  45 mins to serve 6 nos. U can even try a sweeter Dessert Version of it. Both the filling and pastry can be made upto 24 hours in advance  and be kept refrigerated in the Fridge to cut-short time. Here is the recipe:

Comforting Egg Pie

Ingredients:
1 tbsp butter
1 medium-sized onion - chopped fine
1/2 tsp corn flour - dissolved in 1 tbsp water
1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp tikka or kebab masala
1 tbsp tomato sauce or puree
3 hard-boiled Eggs - deshelled and chopped fine
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
a pinch of salt

For the Pastry:
180 - 200 gms refined flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black sesame seeds
1 beaten egg
needed lukewarm water - to knead the flour

Directions:
1.Heat butter in a non-stick pan.
2.Soften the onion and saute ginger garlic paste for 2-3 mins in the butter and stir in the dissolved cornflour and then Worcestershire sauce,kebab masala,tomato sauce or puree and stir it for a min -adding little salt.
3.Finally, add chopped Eggs and gently fold in till the masala is evenly spread and turn off the flame in 40 secs.Allow it to cool.

For the Pastry:
1.Pre-heat oven to 160 C for 10-12 mins.
2.Whizz the flour with salt adding 1 tbsp water at a time ,till there are no lumps.Keep it running till the pastry starts to blend together or kneaded into a fine dough.
3.Roll out half the pastry to line a 20-22 cm pie dish.
4.Now add the curried Egg filling with the sauce over it.
5.Roll out the remaining pastry to cover the pie and trim the edge with a small fork or knife to seal them correctly.
6.Brush top of the pie with beaten Egg(or melted butter) and sprinkle black sesame seeds over it.
7.Bake it for 30- 40 mins at the centre rack position(3-5 mins less the time if U use Small OTG Oven) till
the pie top luks golden brown and softly crisp.
8.Serve it along with Ur Planned Easter Breakfast or Dinner.

An Alternate Sweeter Egg Pie:
U can try a Sweet Egg Pie to serve it as a Dessert for the Lunch.
Ingredients for the pie-filling:
2 scrambled Eggs
2 tbsp lowfat cream
2-3 tbsp + 2 tbsp honey
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce(optional)
2 seedless dates - chopped fine
2 tsp butter

Directions:
1.Heat butter and stir in Worcestershire Sauce(optional),scrambled eggs quickly for 40 - 50 secs.
2.Add cream and stir in for a min.
3.Stir in honey and chopped dates for 30 secs till evenly spread and turn off the flame.
4.Add 2 tbsp honey again and mix this well and stuff this fillings to the pastry.
5.Glaze it with 2 tsp honey after done with baking before serving.

Wishing U a very Joyful and Blessed Easter!.