Elbow Pasta in White Sauce

I have always wanted to try and create a nice white sauce pasta and spice it up. My adventure began with a number of clicks on recipes and some friends blogs. I rarely follow the recipes to the dot and always go with my instincts which so far have not let me down. Now this is how i went about doing it.

Ingredients for Bechamel Sauce

Flour (Maida) 2 tbsp

Butter 21/2 tbsp

Warm Milk 1/2 cup

Water 2-3 cups

Cheese Cubes 2 ( i used amul processed cheese)

Oregano 1 tsp

Chilli Flakes 1 tsp

Pepper powder 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp

Egg 1 no

Making the Sauce

In a pan, heat the butter till it melts and add flour to it and mix well so that no lumps are formed. Cook until the mixture turns  light yellow in color and now add in the warm milk (neither cold nor hot). Keep stirring and it will thicken and bubbles will pop up.Now add oregano, pepper and chilli powder and mix well, the sauce will thicken further. Thin it down with some water a and keep stirring it, now grate in 1 cheese cube and mix until cheese integrates into the sauce.  Now add the chilli flakes and salt, turn the heat off.

Cooking the Pasta

Now most of us know that we need to have a pot of boiling water to cook pasta. During one of my searched i came across another technique which uses least amount of water. In a flat pan add the pasta, cover it with cold water just enough to immerse the pasta, add salt and oil and put it on the stove. You will have to stir them initially so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. After that let them cook through until they are cooked enough. One can also use the residual water to the sauce.

Now that we have the pasta cooked, just add the sauce to it and mix well under low flame. Turn off the heat and add one beaten egg to the pasta and stirring  it continuously so that it mixes well. Voila garnish it with cheese gratings and enjoy it.

I got my 6yr old niece who doesn't like pastas to taste it and she finished a bowl full saying it was good. 

Spicy Mutton Gravy

I love mutton more than chicken, purely because in my opinion Mutton can infuse a definitive flavor and soak up the marinade so well. On a rainy cold day, something spice always lifts your spirits, this sure did for me and hence the blog post immediately after having it

Ingredients for Marinade

Mutton 250 grams

Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp

Garlic Paste 1 tsp

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder 11/2 tsp

Curry chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp

Curd 1/2 cup
Rock salt

Ingredients for Gravy Paste

Onions 2 nos

Tomatoes 2 nos

Green Chillies 6-7 nos
Coriander 1 small cup
Garam Masala 1/2 tsp

Oil 1/2 tbsp

Ingredients

Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp

Garlic Paste 1 tsp

Curd 1/2 cup

Water  1 cup

Oil 1 tbsp
Cinnamon Stick 1 small piece
Bayleaf 1 small leaf
Cloves 2-3
Star Anise 1
Saunf 1/2 tsp
Jeera 1/2 tsp
Coriander for garnish

Salt to taste

Making the Marinade

Mix all the ingredients and massage it well over the mutton and place it in the fridge for  minimum of 30 mins.

Making  the Gravy Paste
Heat oil in a deep pan add garam masala followed by diced onions, chillies, chopped coriander and diced tomatoes and cook them for 2-3 mins or until they are just cooked. Turn the heat off, transfer them to mixer and grind them to a smooth paste.  Ensure that you let the mixture cook before you grind them.

In the same pan, heat oil add saunf, jeera, cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick and bayleaf and fry till their aromas are released. Add ginger and garlic paste, saute for few mins and then add the marinating mutton. Fry until the pieces start to brown a bit, now add the gravy paste and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover and simmer down for 5-10 mins. By this time, oil would have separated, now add half cup of well beaten curd into it and mix well. Check the texture of the mutton and also taste for salt. Now cover and cook further for another 10-15 min. Turn the heat off and garnish with chopped coriander, serve it hot with rice, chappathi, idly, dosa.

Mutton Gravy

I also broke two eggs at the end just before turning the heat off, and letting it cook in the heat. Don't stir after dropping the eggs.

Mushroom Gravy

It was one of those nights where i was little interested in having takeaway. Had mushrooms in the fridge and thought of making a gravy as a side for bread.

Ingredients

Mushroom one pack (diced)

Onions 3 nos

Tomatoes 2 nos

Green Chillies 3-4 nos

Ginger Paste 1/2 tsp

Garlic Paste 1 tsp

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder 1/4 tsp

Red Chilli Powder 1 tsp

Garam Masala 1/2 tsp

Curd 11/2 tbsp

Water 1 1/2 cup

Oil 1 tbsp

1/2 Lemon Juice

Salt to taste

Making the Gravy

Dice the mushroom into thick cubes and put it in boiling water for 2-3 mins to remove any dirt. If you are using fresh and clean ones just dice them and saute them in olive oil for about 2 mins and keep aside.

Take 2 onions, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and grind them into a paste. Similarly grind the tomatoes and keep them aside.

Heat oil in a pan, add 1/4 garam masala, add to this the remaining onion (chopped).  Saute until they turn translucent and now add the ground onion paste and cook further. Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder and cook till the raw smell goes away. Now add the mushroom to it and add 1/2 cup of water. Cook for about 2 mins, now add ground tomatoes and mix well cooking for further 2 mins. Add 1/4 garam masala and simmer, add salt. When the oil separates add whisked curd into it and add water for a thin gravy. let it simmer for another 5 mins, if it tastes bitter add lemon juice after taking the curry from the stove.

Goes well with Dosa, Chapathi, Bread