When I first started cooking, I didn’t even know how to make rice. The only way it would turn out right was if I made it in a pressure cooker. Then came the Instant Pot, to make things even better. I set it to the ‘Rice’ mode and forget about it. I don’t have to watch or time the pressure cooker whistles and all of that. When I first got the Instant Pot, I had to google how to get it right. This post is for those of you. Ever since I got the Instant Pot, I’ve only been making rice in this.

Notes:

1. Use a 1:2 Rice to Water ratio for basmati rice.
2. I use a little less than 2 cups because after washing the rice and draining it, there would be a little remaining.
3. Wash & rinse until water is clear.
   

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup
Water – 2 cups (a little less than 2 cups)

Step 1: Add rice to Instant Pot. Wash and rinse twice. Drain water.

Step 2: Add a little less than 2 cups water.

Step 3: Close lid. Select ‘Rice’ mode and wait till it completes. Set the Pressure Release Valve to ‘sealing’.

Step 4: Let the pressure release and then open the lid. Enjoy!

Who doesn’t love a good & hearty bowl of ramen? I keep craving ramen every now and then, and this is my go-to recipe. So easy, and something you can quickly make with the ingredients you most likely already have.

Ingredients:
Serves: 1

Coconut oil – 1-2 tsp
Sausage – 1 (chopped)
Crushed pepper – as per taste
Mushroom (stems & pieces) – 2 tbsp
Ramen – 1 block
Water – as needed
Soy sauce – 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Ginger powder – 1/2 tsp
Boiled egg – 1 (cut into halves)
Chopped Scallions – a handful
Lemon juice – a tsp (optional)

Step 1: Heat some coconut oil in a pan. Add in chopped sausages + crushed pepper. Sauté until it starts to brown a little. Transfer to a bowl.

Step 2: Add in about 2 tbsp mushroom stems & pieces. I’ve used the canned kind. Sauté until dehydrated / cooked to your liking.

Step 3: Add in a block of ramen and water depending on how soupy you like it.

Step 4: Add in the flavor sachet that comes with it, chilli powder, soy sauce & ginger powder. Mix well & cook until done.

Step 5: Transfer ramen into serving bowl. Add in sausages, mushrooms, boiled egg & chopped scallions. Drizzle some lemon juice (optional.)

Enjoy! 🙂

Notes:

1. You can any kind of meat / fish / veggies. I either use sausage or left over kababs / similar takeout leftovers.
2. Instead of lemon juice, you can add lemon halves in your bowl.

Happy Easter everyone!!!

My Mom always made Appam & Stew for Easter and that’s exactly what we did this year 🙂

This stew recipe is soooo easy! The fact that there is no onion sautéing is what makes me happiest as that always takes the longest lol.

Ingredients:

Star Anise – 1
Cinnamon stick – 1-2 inch
Cloves – 3
Cardamom pods – 2 (crushed)
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Green chillies – 3 (slit + chopped)
Baby Carrots – 0.5 lb (chopped)
Potatoes – 2 (cubed)
Beef – 1 lb (stew meat) // You can use chicken / beef / mutton or even skip meat and just have it veg 🙂
Water – as needed
Salt – as per taste
Cocunut milk – 1-2 cups (as per desired thickness)
Coriander powder – 1.5 tbsp
Ground Pepper – 1 tbsp
Garam masala – 1/2 tsp

Tempering:

Whole dry red chilli – 3
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – a handful

Step 1: In a pressure cooker / Instant pot, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil. Then add in the whole spices.

Step 2: Toss in the green chillies, followed by carrots, potatoes & meat.

Step 3: Add water, until the level of meat & veggies. Pressure cook for 20 mins.

Step 4: Once done, add in 1-2 cups coconut milk. I added about 1.5 cups to achieve desired thickness & taste. Add coriander powder, ground pepper & adjust salt.

Step 5: For tempering, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil and add dry red chilli, mustard seeds & curry leaves. Turn off the flame after.

(I forgot to buy curry leaves and had to use the tiny bit I had left, for this recipe) 🙂

Step 6: I used a large pan to prepare the tempering so I just transferred the stew once done into that pan.

That’s it! Enjoy with some pal-appams like we did! 🙂

Sabudana khichadi is an Indian dish made from soaked sabudana (tapioca pearls). It is typically prepared in Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. In major towns like Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Bhopal, Jaipur and Nagpur, it is available as street food and is widely eaten throughout the year. It is the dish of choice when an individual observes a “fast” during Shivratri, Navratri, or a similar Hindu religious occasion. Sabudana Khichdi is one of the most popular comfort foods in India. It is often served with crunchy roasted peanuts and sautéed with potatoes using spices with generous squeeze of lemon.

I tried this for the first time at one of my Maharashtrian friend’s place and fell in love. It has a hint of spice, tanginess and of course some peanut-y crunch.

Ingredients:

Sabudana: 3/4 cup
Potato: 1 (boiled & chopped)
Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
Green chilli – 2 (finely chopped)
Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Red chilli powder – a pinch
Coarsely ground Peanuts – 2-3 tbsp
Salt – as per tasteSalt – as per taste
Asafoetida – a pinch
Lemon juice – 1 tbsp
Cilantro – a handful (chopped)

Prep:
1. Soak sabudana seeds in water for 5-6 hours or overnight. I use a 1:1 ratio. Rinse and drain before using.
2. Boil the potato until 90% done. Chop into small cubes.

Step 1: Heat some oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds.

Step 2: Once the seeds splutter, add chopped potato & green chilli. Season with a pinch of turmeric & red chilli powder. Mix well. Also add a dash of asafoteida.

Step 3: In goes the soaked and rinsed sadudana. Combine with the potato mix.

Step 4: On one side of the pan, add the ground peanuts and roast for a few. Once roasted, mix everything together.

Step 5: Add salt, lemon juice and cilantro. Mix & serve hot! 🙂

Merry Christmas y’all!!!

I am not a big pancake fan because I cannot eat it unless I overload it with syrup or whipped cream. Like I need them to be soaked.

For Christmas brunch, I decided to make a healthier alternative for a festive feel. 🙂 These crepes are super healthy and delicious.

Ingredients:

Oats – 1/4 cup
Eggs – 2
Banana – 1
Salt – a pinch
Cinnamon Powder – a dash
Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp
Butter – as needed (optional)
Blueberries – as needed (optional)

Step 1: Blend the oats, eggs, banana, cinnamon powder and vanilla essence.

Step 2: Heat a non-stick pan. Add butter if you’d like. I like the added taste, but you can totally skip it. Will turn out just as good without.

Step 3: Ladle in some of the batter and spread around to make a crepe. Heat until done. Flip and let it brown.

Step 4: Make as many crepes as needed. I could make 4 using above quantity.

Step 5: Enjoy hot with some blueberries like I did! 🙂

Ever since I’ve been working from home, I’ve gained some weight and realized it was high time i shed those extra pounds. Decided to try keto, and one thing that’s been working for me is eating the same kind of food as my family (Currently visiting my in-laws 🙂 ). For example, today they’re eating rice, beetroot & chicken curry, I just replaced beetroot (root-vegetable not allowed in Keto) with asparagus and basmati rice with riced cauliflower. You can just grab some regular cauliflower and pulse it in the food processor. I enjoyed the cauliflower rice and asparagus with some regular chicken curry.

Basically, whatever the others are eating, I’ll just swap the non-keto items to something keto friendly.

Ingredients:

Asparagus spears- 7-8
Ghee – 1/2 tsp
Salt & Pepper – as per taste
Garlic powder – 1 tsp
Cauliflower rice – 7 tbsp
Chicken curry – 3/4 cup

Step 1: Heat some ghee and the asparagus spears in a pan. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder and mix well.

Step 2: Sauté until done. Move the asparagus to serving plate.

Step 3: In the same pan, heat the cauliflower rice on low flame until it starts to brown.

Enjoy with some chicken curry like I did. 🙂

Its been over a week since I started taking collagen and I’m hooked. Two things I’ve already noticed is that my nails are growing super fast and that my energy has shot up like crazy. Using all of that to get some work done 🙂

Matcha Collagen (I’m using Vital Proteins) when used to make this latte tastes literally like the matcha latte from Starbucks. So good!

Ingredients:

Hot Water- 100 ml (a little over 1/4 cup)
Vital Proteins Matcha Collagen – 1 scoop
Milk – 200 ml (a little over 1/2 the serving cup)
Sugar – 1 tbsp (as & if needed)

Step 1: Add 1 scoop matcha collagen to 100 ml hot water. Mix/froth.

Step 2: Measure a little over 1/2 the serving cup of milk. Bring to a boil.

Step 3: Pour over matcha mix. Add sugar if needed. Froth.

Step 4: Pour into serving cup. Sprinkle some matcha on top & enjoy 🙂

Love me some ‘Toum‘. This version of Garlic sauce is way easier to make in my opinion and I absolutely loved the end result. Reminded me of the “garlic sauce” we would get with everything back in Saudi.

Ingredients:

Water- 1.5 cups
Corn starch – 6 tbsp
Garlic cloves – 8
Lemon juice – 6 tsp
Olive Oil – 1/2 cup
Salt – as per taste

Step 1: Blend the water and corn starch together until smooth. Heat on low flame until gel like consistency is achieved. Let it cool.

Step 2: Once cooled, add to a blender with garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and salt until smooth.

Step 3: Add more (if needed)
Olive oil – to make it creamier
Garlic cloves – to make it more garlicky
Lemon juice – to make it tangier
Salt – as per taste
Water- to make the sauce thinner

Hummus is definitely one of my favorite dips and I like it garlicky and slightly spicy. This is so easy to make and left-overs can always be used to accompany some carrot sticks. 🙂

Ingredients:

Cooked chickpeas- 1/2 cup
Olive oil – 1/4 cup + 1 tsp
Lemon Juice – 2 tsp + 2 tsp
Tahini – 2 tsp + 2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp (as needed)
Cajun – 1/2 tsp (as needed)
Cumin – 1/4 tsp
Garlic cloves – 2-3

Step 1: Add chick peas and 1/4 cup olive oil to blender along with 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tsp tahini. Blend.

Step 2: Add salt, cajun, cumin, garlic, 1 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp each of lemon juice & tahini. Blend until smooth. Taste to adjust salt and cajun spice as needed.

Note: You can use paprika or chilli powder instead of cajun, or even skip it if you don’t want it spicy.

Kung Pao is one of my favorite Chinese stir-fry dishes because its slightly sweet, slightly tangy and I absolutely love the added chilli. The below recipe is so easy to make and the gravy is super easy to adjust based on what you’re going to pair it with, i.e. rice or noodles. If I’m pairing it with rice, I don’t let it simmer for too long so I have sufficient gravy. In this case, I paired it with noodles so I let it simmer longer.

Ingredients:
(Servers: 4-5)

Sauce Mix:
Soy sauce – 6 tsp
Apple Cider Vinegar – 8 tsp
Honey – 1 heaping tsp
Corn Starch – 1 tsp
Water – 75 ml
Maggi Magic Cubes (Chicken stock) -2

Oil – 1 tsp
Dried red chillies – 7-8 (chopped)
Pepper – 1 tbsp
Chicken Breasts – 3 (cut into strips)
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp
Red Bell Peppers – 2 (diced)
Scallions (Spring onion) – 1 cup (chopped)
Salt – as/ if needed
Red chilli flakes – as/if needed

Step 1: Add all the ingredients for the sauce mix into a bowl. Mix well.

Step 2: Marinate the chicken with some of this sauce mix.

Step 2: Heat some oil. Once the oil is hot, add red chillies and pepper.

Step 3: Toss in the marinated chicken. Add ginger-garlic paste in a few.

Step 4: Once the chicken is almost done, toss in some of the diced red bell peppers.

Step 5: Pour in the remaining sauce mix.

Step 6: Let it simmer until desired consistency is achieved.

Step 7: Add in a cup of roasted peanuts and the chopped scallions.

Step 8: Top with chilli flakes if you like it spicy. Add and adjust salt as and if needed.

Enjoy with some noodles and extra chilli flakes like we did. 🙂