One advice to the new moms out there would be to always – 'keep it simple.'

Let me give you another piece of advice, any sort of red sauce is always a bonus, especially if its PRAN Sauce!

Everything else will fall into place.

SPICY SEMOLINA DELIGHT

Ingredients

1 cup sooji (semolina) 

125ml yoghurt

½ cup water

1 small carrot, grated

¼ cup peas, boiled

¼ cup green beans, chopped

1 green chilli, chopped

1 inch ginger, finely grated

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp coriander, chopped

1 tsp mustard seed

½ tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sesame seeds

¾ tbsp baking soda

Salt to taste

PRAN Hot Tomato Sauce,

as required

Method

Preheat the oven to 300° F. Then,

grease a loaf pan with olive oil. In a medium sized bowl, add in semolina, yoghurt, all the fresh vegetables, ginger, chilli, coriander, spices, water and salt. A soft dough with medium consistency should be formed.  In a separate pan, add in 1 tablespoon of oil and heat it. Pour in the mustard seeds, the sesame seeds and the cumin seeds. When the mustard begin to pop, take off the pan from the heat. Then add the freshly prepared seasoning to the batter and mix well. Add in the baking soda and set aside for 5 minutes. Pour the final mixture into the baking tray – the loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes. Let the savoury dessert cool off first. Serve it a little later with PRAN Hot Tomato Sauce.

CHICKEN DHAMAKA TIKKA

Ingredients

For the marinade

3 boneless chicken, skinned and cut into 6-8 pieces

1 cup yoghurt, unsweetened

1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

2 tsp black pepper

2 dry red chillies

2 tbsp garlic paste

1 tbsp ginger paste

3-4 tbsp garam masala

Salt to taste

1 tsp PRAN Soya Sauce

Note — you will also need 4 to 6 long skewers

Method

Take the boneless chicken pieces in a large plastic bowl. Marinate lightly with PRAN Soya Sauce. This is in fact a secret ingredient for the slight salty and sour taste.

Add in all the other ingredients for marination including yoghurt, and mix well.

With a knife, make small cuts on the flesh of the chicken. This will make sure the juices of the mixture are absorbed properly. Place the chicken in a zip-lock bag and refrigerate for 1 hour, at least. The longer you marinate, the better the taste becomes! An overnight process does wonders. Once done, take out from the fridge, remember to defrost first. Pre-heat the grill on high heat. Lightly oil the grill with olive oil. Thread in the chicken pieces onto the skewers and grill until the juices run clear. And viola! You are done with the ever-popular Chicken Tikka, which you can serve hot with onion rings and plain naan.

LASAGNA

Ingredients

For sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

½ kg beef, minced

½ onion, diced, about ¾ cup

½ large bell pepper (green, red, or yellow), stem and core removed, diced, about ¾ cup

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4-5 large tomatoes sliced (to add a little zing to the recipe, 3 tablespoons of PRAN Hot Tomato Sauce can be added)

3 ounces tomato puree

2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried oregano

¼ cup chopped parsley fresh or packed

1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional)

1 tbsp vinegar

Salt

For lasagna

½ lb dry lasagna noodles (requires 9 lasagna noodles - unbroken)

15 ounces Ricotta cheese

1½ lb mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced

¼ lb freshly grated parmesan cheese

Method

Put pasta water to boil. In a pan, heat oil, garlic, onion and the minced beef. Stir till the beef turns brown. In a separate pan, cook the bell pepper, onions, garlic, and add the prepared beef to this pan.

Transfer to medium sized pot; add sliced tomatoes, PRAN Hot Tomato Sauce and puree to build the sauce. Meanwhile, boil and drain the lasagna noodles.

Assemble the lasagna alternately with cheese, beef and sauce. Sprinkle a layer of a third of the grated mozzarella on top of the lasagna sauce. Add half of the ricotta cheese and bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Food prepared by Mehrin