MONGOLIAN BEEF AND VEGETABLES

Ingredients

½ kg beef steak, thinly sliced

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp light brown sugar

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

4 cups broccoli florets

½ cup thinly sliced onion

½ cup sliced carrots

½ cup green peas

1 tbsp minced fresh garlic

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger

Method

Place beef steak and corn starch in a bowl, toss to coat. Combine sugar, 3 tablespoons of water, and soy sauce in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, swirl to coat. Add steak to a pan in a single layer, cook for 5 minutes or until done. Remove steak from pan and keep warm. Reduce heat to medium high. Add remaining vegetable oil and sesame oil to pan. Add broccoli, onion, and carrots, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add green peas, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute. Add steak and soy sauce mixture to pan. Bring to a boil. Scrape the pan to loosen browned bits, and serve immediately.

MINT, CORIANDER AND COCONUT MILK RICE

Both mint and coriander have spicy, perky flavours which are balanced very well with sweet, mellow coconut milk in this sumptuous rice delight. The mint, coriander, and coconut milk rice uses minimal spices, as mint and coriander themselves are very aromatic, and the whole dish is ready in minutes, making it ideal for summer day cooking.

Ingredients

¼ cup mint leaves, chopped

¼ cup coriander, chopped

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup aromatic rice, soaked for 15 minutes and drained

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

1 bay leaf

1 tsp green chillies, finely chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a pan, add the rice and sauté on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, bay leaf, salt, green chillies and ¾ cup of water. Cover and cook on low flame for 10-12 minutes or till the rice is cooked. Remove the bay leaf and discard it. Add the coriander and mint leaves and mix well. Serve hot.

BAKED GARLIC CHICKEN

Ingredients

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2/3 cup grated cheese

1 tsp dried basil leaves

½ tsp ground black pepper

Salt to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 350° F and lightly grease a baking dish. In a bowl, blend the olive oil, salt and garlic. In a separate bowl, mix the bread crumbs, cheese, basil, and pepper. Dip each chicken breast in the oil mixture, then in the breadcrumbs mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish, and top with any remaining bread crumbs mixture. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until chicken is tender. Remove from oven and serve.

CHILLI TOFU

Ingredients

250g tofu

1 large green capsicum

1 medium onion

2 tbsp olive oil

10 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

4 green chillies, sliced

1 tbsp red chilli sauce

2 tbsp corn starch

½ cup water

2 stalks spring onion

½ tsp white pepper powder

½ cup vegetable stock

2 tsp vinegar

Salt, to taste

Method

Slice the onion thickly and cut capsicum into strips. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add onion and sauté on high heat. Add garlic and capsicum and continue to sauté. Cut tofu into small cubes and add to the pan. Add dark soy sauce, green chillies and red chilli sauce. Add corn starch to ½ cup water and mix well. Chop spring onion. Add salt, pepper powder and vegetable stock to the pan, and mix everything well. Add 2 tablespoons of corn starch mixture. Mix and cook till the mixture thickens. Add vinegar and mix. Remove from heat and transfer the tofu into a serving dish. Drizzle a little olive oil on the spring onion and mix. Garnish the dish with this and serve hot.

VEGETABLE JALFRAIZE

Ingredients

¼ cup carrots, chopped

¼ cup cauliflower, chopped

¼ cup tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup capsicum, chopped

¼ cup green beans

¼ cup onion, chopped

2 green chillies, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

50g butter

½ tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp black pepper powder

1 pinch kasuri methi (fenugreek)

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 handful coriander leaves for garnishing, chopped

Method

Heat butter in a pan over medium flame. Add ginger and garlic paste along with cumin seeds, and fry for 20 seconds. Once they are cooked, add the chopped vegetables and mix them well. After 30 seconds, add the lemon juice, red chilli powder, cumin powder, salt, pepper powder and kasuri methi in the vegetables. Stir to mix well and cook for another 6-8 minutes or till all the vegetables are cooked. Remove from heat and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve it hot with roti, paratha or rice.

KESARI PHIRNI

Kesari phirni is a traditional dessert recipe that uses saffron and rice to make a delightful traditional sweet dish. It is an ideal celebratory recipe and is ideally suited for festivals such as Eid.

Ingredients

3 tbsp aromatic rice

1 pinch saffron (kesar)

4 cups milk

6 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp cardamom powder

Method

Soak aromatic rice for 30 minutes, then drain the water. In a mixer jar, add soaked rice, and pour 3 tablespoons of milk and coarsely grind. Heat milk in a pan, and let it boil. Add saffron and ground rice mixture. Stir and mix well. Add sugar, cardamom powder, mix well, and stir continuously till the mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Sprinkle grated pistachios, serve hot or chilled.

MANGO TART WITH RABRI

This scorching summer heat calls for gorging on mangoes. Mango tart with rabri in an exotic and delightful recipe that you can try out with the king of fruits. This recipe is extremely delicious and easy to make at home. Kids will certainly love it the most.

Ingredients

250g mango, cut into cubes

½ tsp vanilla essence

¼ cup sugar

1 pinch green cardamom powder

150g butter

1 egg

100g icing sugar

250g all-purpose flour

1 litre milk

Mixed nuts, for garnishing

Method

First, prepare the tart by mixing butter and icing sugar together. Add egg, mix well, and fold the flour into the mixture, add vanilla essence, and make a tart by using tart shell. Bake the tart in a pre-heated oven at 356° F for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and keep aside. Wash and peel the mangos and cut into small cubes. Now to prepare the rubri, take a deep-bottomed pan on medium heat and add sugar and milk to it. Stir the milk along with sugar in the desired consistency and add a little cardamom powder. Then, arrange the mangoes in the tart and pour required quantity of rabri on top. Garnish with mixed nuts, and serve immediately.

Photo: Collected