Elevating the usual lunch and dinner menu

ALOO SABZI

Aloo sabzi is an all-time favourite. It is a simple recipe made with basic ingredients available at home. This potato recipe goes well mainly rooti, paratha or rice.

Ingredients

1 kg boiled potatoes

1 large onion

1½ cups tomatoes

1 tbsp ginger

1 tbsp garlic

Salt to taste

1 tsp cumin seed

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander powder

1 tsp all spices

1 tbsp kasori methi

1 cup fresh green coriander

Method

Heat 3 tbsp oil, add cumin seed, onions, and salt. When onion turns golden brown, add ginger-garlic paste, sauté 2 minutes. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and tomatoes puree. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add kasori methi. Now add boiled mash potatoes. Mash the potatoes and mix them well. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves and turn off the flame.

LEMON STEAMED FISH

Ingredients

4 thick slices of fish (boneless)

3 tbsp Lemon juice

Salt to taste

1 inch ginger piece

4 cloves garlic

2 pieces spring onion

½ medium stalk celery

1 lemon

½ cup white wine (optional)

10-12 pepper corns

2 bay leaves

Method

Clean and wash fish fillets. Marinate with one teaspoon of lemon juice and salt to taste and keep aside. Peel ginger, wash and thinly slice. Peel and wash garlic. Wash and trim spring onion, cut into round slice.

Separate onion rings. Wash and cut celery into small dices. Wash and slice lemon into roundels. Mix white wine with sliced ginger, whole garlic, peppercorns, diced celery, spring onion roundels, bay leaves, lemon slices, salt and half a cup of water. Soak fish slice in this marinade and refrigerate for half an hour. Transfer fish slices gently into a flat oven proof dish and pour the marinade over this. Cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminium foil.

Cook in a preheated oven at 220°C for twelve to fifteen minutes until the fish slices are cooked. Alternatively, it can be cooked in a steam pot for ten to twelve minutes or microwave over for four minutes on HIGH (100 percent). Serve immediately with the cooking liquor, garnished with shredded cabbage, tomato and capsicum.

SOFT AND JUICY SODA MEAT BALL

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic

1 onion

500g ground beef

4 tbsp breadcrumbs

1 tsp mint

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp red pepper powder

5 g baking powder (baking powder)

2 tsp salt

5 tbsp mineral water

1 tbsp 10ml of vegetable oil

Method

Chop onion and garlic, squeeze them to remove excess water. In a bowl add minced meat, add chopped onion and garlic, bread crumbs, chopped mint, crushed black pepper, thyme, cumin, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, water. Mix them well. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 1.5 hours. Make hands wet. Shape them in the size of an egg and press a little. Lay parchment paper on the tray, transfer the meat ball into the tray, and some tomatoes cube and green chilli.  Brush oil on vegetables. Preheat the oven 220 degree Celsius on the top shelf of the oven. Cook for 7 minutes. Let's turn the other side. Cook for 7 minutes more. Serve immediately and enjoy.

CHICKEN WRAP

Ingredients

Tzatziki Sauce —

300g Greek yoghurt

1 cucumber

1 tbs salt

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Dill

Chicken filling —

600g chicken thighs

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 tbsp smoked paprika

½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 clove garlic

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of ½ lemon

60 ml olive oil

Sandwich wrap and salad —

½ onion

1 tomato

2 leaves of lettuce

2 flat bread

Method

Peel and grate the cucumber. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoon vinegar, mix well, and leave for 10 minutes. In a bowl add Greek yoghurt, ¼ tsp salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Blend 1 clove garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil and add them into yoghurt and mix well with spoon. Squeeze the liquid from grated cucumber. Then add the cucumber into yoghurt mixture. Mix them well. Chop the dill and add it into the yoghurt mixture. Keep aside.

Cut thin slice of chicken thighs. Marinate the chicken with crush coriander seed, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, dried thyme, and 1 garlic clove minced, 1 lemon zest, half of lemon juice, and olive oil.

In a fry pan, fry the chicken pieces without oil. Fry them perfectly. Take two flat naans, spread Tzatziki sauce over the bread, add lettuce, chop onion, sliced tomatoes, and half of chicken pieces. Assemble the filling inside the bread and wrap them nicely.

Enjoy this delicious chicken wrap. 

Photo: Collected