Cilantro Pine Pesto (For Spaghetti)

It all started yesterday night, i was too lazy and breaking my head thinking what to make for dinner, finally i picked a few things and ended up making this refreshing pesto, man oh man! it tasted out of the world. I was in such a hurry to take my final plating picture and can't wait to gobble the spaghetti . Pine nuts gave the pesto a fantastic texture and the crushed pepper flakes gives a nice kick. Also i ground the pesto a bit chunky and loved the crunch of pine nuts here and there in my bites. It hardly took 15 mins of my time to make it. When Senthil came home with his eyes and nose sniffing (as usual) the kitchen, the spaghetti didn't look very appetizing. Once he started eating, i heard mmm, mmm, mmm and lots of mmm. It was really funny when he sounded as if he knew everything in it. When i asked him to guess the ingredients, olive oil was the only one he said that was right. He couldn't believe that cilantro was the star, but trust me, if i hadn't prepared it, i wouldn't have believed it either. Forgot to mention this, today morning he came and asked for any left over spaghetti for breakfast. I gave him the bowl,  in a blink of an eye he cleaned the bowl, without any traces of it. So, you gotta try it and  here goes the recipe,

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Cilantro (tightly packed)

1/4 cup roasted Pine nuts or (Macademia nuts or Walnuts or Almonds)

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

1tbsp Lemon juice

1-2 Garlic pod 

1 piece ginger (1")

1/2tsp crushed Red pepper flakes

Salt

1/2lb Whole grain Spaghetti

1tsp Olive oil

Salt

How to:

• Bring water to a rolling boil in a sauce pan along with salt and olive oil, add the spaghetti, cook for 6-7 mins or until al-dente.

• Drain'em in a colander, saving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

• For Pesto, blend together all the 1st set of ingredients and check salt for taste.

• Mix the saved pasta water and the pesto, pour it over the spaghetti and mix well.

•  Serve warm with roasted brussels sprout.

Tindora Curry

Ingredients:

3/4lb Tindora (thinly sliced)

1 Yellow Onion (thinly sliced)

1 1/2 Tomato (chopped)

4 small green chillies (slit)

1/2 tbsp ginger (minced)

3 garlic pods (minced)

5-6 Curry leaves

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

1/2tbsp Chilli powder

1tbsp Coriander powder

1tsp Garam masala powder

1tsp Cumin seeds

1/2tsp Mustard seeds

1/2tsp Urad dal

1 1/2 cups Water

Cilantro

Salt

Oil

How to:

• Heat oil in a skillet, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add urad dal and cumin seeds.
• Add onion and saute until tender.

• Now add curry leaves, ginger, garlic and green chillies and saute until raw smell disappears.

• Add the turmeric powder and saute for a min.

• Then add tomatoes and cook until completely mashed.

• Now add the coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala powder along with salt and cook for another min.

• Add the tindora, mix well and saute for 2-3 mins.

• Pour the water, reduce the flame and cook with lid closed.

• Stir once or twice after halfway of cooking to prevent any burning at the bottom.

• Cook until tender and check salt for taste.

• Finally, garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Mint - Cilantro Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati rice

1/2 cup Mint leaves

1/2 cup Cilantro

1/2 Yellow onion (Thinly sliced)

4 green chilli (small)

1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1tsp Cumin seeds

2 Cloves

1 inch Cinnamon stick

1 Bay leaf

1 Anistar whole (optional)

1 1/4 cup Water

Salt

3tbsp Oil

How to:

• Soak the rice for 20 mins, drain'em and keep aside.
• Puree the mint, cilantro and green chilli in a blender along with 1/4 cup water and keep it aside.

• Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add cumin seeds through anistar and saute for a min.
• Then add onions, saute until tender and add ginger-garlic paste and cook until raw smell disappears.

• Now add the rice, fry for a min and pour the puree along with the remaining water and salt.

• Close the lid and pressure cook the rice until the first whistle and switch off.

Serve hot with onion raita.

Mushroom Curry

Ingredients:

80z Sliced Mushroom

1 yellow onion (chopped)

2 tomatoes (chopped)

1tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/4tsp Turmeric powder

1 1/2tbsp Chilli powder

2tbsp Coriander powder

1/2tsp Garam masala powder

5 Curry leaves (optional)

1tsp Cumin seeds

1tsp Fennel seeds

2 Cloves

1 inch Cinnamon stick

Salt

3tbsp Oil

How to:

• In a skillet, heat oil, add cumin seeds, when it splutters add fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon.
• Then add onions along with salt and saute until tender.

• Now add turmeric powder, curry leaves and ginger-garlic paste and saute until raw smell disappears.

• When the onion starts browning, add the tomatoes and cook till its all mashed up.

• Now add the chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and cook for 2 mins.

(If you don't like fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon coming in your mouth when eating, then, replace them by adding 1 1/2tsp garam masala powder along with other powders.)

• Add the mushrooms, mix well and cook in a low flame with lid closed.

• Let the mushroom cook in its own water, until tender.

• If the curry starts to dry, add 1/4 cup water and cook for another min.

• Switch off and garnish with cilantro.

Serve hot with steamed rice or chapathi.

Spicy n Tasty!