Mango & Rocket Salad

" This salad always surprises, people due to amazing flavour combination of a sweet & tangy mango with peppery rocket.From hesitatingly trying it, to devouring every bit is the normal reaction. I also, tend to mix this one up and sometimes add pomegranate seeds for added colour and crunch. Use whatever nuts, you favour, I love the umami flavour of pine nuts. Do give this one a try, its really summery, fresh and fabulous  ..."

Ingredients :

• 1 bunch of mixed greens( rocket, lettuce etc.)
• 1 ripe mango cubed
• 3 tbsp of roasted pine nuts

Dressing :

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepeper to taste

Method :

1. Tear the leaves and layer the bowl
2. Top with mango and cover with cling film and chill till ready to eat 
3. Make dressing by putting all ingredients in an empty bottle and shaking it well
4. Just before eating, dress the salad, mix well, top with pine nuts and devour 

Notes:

• I normally take 1/4th rocket + 3/4th  red leaf lettuce, but you can choose the greens dearest to you, do take some amount of rocket, else you loose the peppery/ sweet/ tangy combination
• Add a handful of pomegranate seeds, for extra pizaaz 

Pesto Fish

"This recipe is part of a collection for my father, who is a heart patient and loves interesting food. So,not only is it really healthy, but as its marinated and grilled with pesto sauce, its a treat which ticks all the right boxes..."

Ingredients:

• 6 white fish fillets (around 300 grams)
• 3 tbsp pesto 
• 6 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 3 tbsp olives (sliced)
• 1 tbsp chilly flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 - 2 tbsp brine from the olives
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients excepting the fish and the brine
2. Add as much brine as is required to make a sticky coating
3. Coat the fish on all sides with pesto mixture, cover the fish with cling film and leave it in the fridge for between 1 - 3 hours.
4. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees C
5.  Lightly oil a baking tray and layer the fish
6. Bake the fish for 10 - 12 minutes till they are brown and crispy ( in the middle shelf)
7. Eat hot sprinkled with some lime juice

Notes:

• Do leave the fish with the pesto coating for at least 1 hour, as then it absorbs all the flavours.
• I use whole wheat bread crumbs, fresh or dried, either will work well.

Layered salad with yogurt dressing

 "I love this cooling salad in the summer months, its yogurt- garlic dressing flavours the entire bowl. Its perfect for when you have guests, as you can make it 2-3 hours before dinner, and just mix and serve when time comes...

Ingredients:

• 1 slice of bread cut into 1 inch size squares for making croutons
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp oregano
• 5 tbsp thick yogurt
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan or pecorino cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic (crushed)
• Lemon juice
• Tobasco 
• Salt
• 1 large or 2 small potatoes
• 50 grams beans (cut into 2 inch pieces)
• 2 handfulls of iceberg lettuce or mixed greens

Method:

1. Croutons - Mix the first 4 ingredients (bread + olive oil + oregano + salt) layer on a baking tray and bake them for 10 minutes, at 200 degrees till they are golden and crispy
2.  Dressing - Mix the next 7 ingredients (yogurt + cheese + oil +garlic + lemon + tobasco + salt) in a transparent glass salad bowl
3. Peel the potato, cut it in thin rounds and boil in salted water
4. Once the potatoes are almost done add the beans and cook for 2-3 minutes till crunchy. Put it under cold water immediately to stop the cooking process
5. Assembling the salad - In the glass bowl, on top of the dressing layer all the potatoes, then the beans.Top with the lettuce or mixed greens
6. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill till it is needed (2-3 hours is fine)
7. At serving time add the croutons and mix the entire salad 

Notes:

• In the dressing, you can use as much tobasco or lemon or garlic as you like
• This salad has to be made ahead so that the dressing ingredients perfume the salad leaves

Steamed fish

" A subtle steam fish recipe, which I make, whenever I am sure that my fish is really really fresh. Its light and the juices are so yummy that we have to portion them out equally to avoid any friction. Best eaten with steamed or boiled rice accompanied with stir fried vegetables"

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg fish whole (or Fillets)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 spring onion (Green and white)
• 1 1/2 inc piece of ginger
• 2 red chillies
• 2 tbsp soya sauce (Dark or light)
• 2 tbsp rice wine

Method: 

1. If you are using whole fish, scour the fish on 1 side making 3 diagonal cuts and a pocket on the other side
2.  Make a marinade of salt, sesame oil and the 2 tbsp of light soya sauce and marinate the fish for 30 minutes
3. Finely shread the spring onion,ginger and the red chilly
4. In the plate which you are going to use for steaming, layer some of the spring onion,ginger and red chilly mixture, place the marinated fish over it
5. Divide the remaining spring onion,ginger and red chilly mixture, stuffing some in the pockets and the balance on top of the fish
6. Mix together the 2 tbsp soya sauce and 2 tbsp rice wine with the left over marinade and pour over the fish
7. Steam the fish on medium heat preferably in a bamboo steamer, for 7-10 minutes till done

Notes:

• Use any small sized fish, so that the fish is flavoured well ( grouper, red snapper, pomfret all work well)
• Make this fish recipe only if you have fresh fish
• You could use 2 bamboo steamers, one on top of the other, if the fish quantity does not fit in one layer. Do switch the steamers, upper one down and vice-versa half way through cooking time

Crunchy noodle salad

"This is my all time favorite salad recipe, got from a friend in the US, couldnt stop eating it then and now also. The crunchy noodle topping and soy based dressing, adds a completely different dimension to a regular salad...  "

Servings = 500 gms salad - enough for 6 - 8 people, make entire dressing amount and use around half for 500 grams salad vegetables

Ingredients: 

 Dressing

• 3/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp soya sauce 

Salad - 1 kg in all as per taste

• cabbage 
• carrot
• broccoli
• red pepper
• green pepper

Topping

• 2 packets Ramen/Maggi noodles
• 75 gms almonds chopped/slivered
• 3 tbsp crushed peanuts
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp oil

Method: 

1. For the dressing, take a non reactive pan ( stainless steel, glass or enamel) and add the oil,sugar and vinegar in cold pan. Boil all together for 1 minute, tills sugar dissolves,take off heat and cool completely
2. Add soya sauce and whisk it till it comes together 
3. For the topping, in a frying pan take the butter and oil, add the smashed raw noodles, almonds, sesame and peanuts.Brown them together on a low flame till they are golden, dry and crunchy
4. Shred all the salad vegetables as thin as possible
5. Mix the salad and dressing ( add some initially and then keep adding and tasting for the perfect balance for you) 
6. Add most of the topping (leaving 1 tbsp for garnish), and 2 drops of chilly oil and sesame oil if available, mix well.
7. Garnish with the remaining topping and serve immediately

Note:

• Dressing and topping ingredients can be made before hand and refrigerated to be used later at food time
• Make dressing amount as specified , as it comes out best, and any leftovers can be refrigerated and used next time when you make it. Its so good that u will want lots of it :)

Pasta and Chickpeas salad

  " I always love salad recipes which I can make ahead and not have to bother about at the last minute. This one, tastes fabulous, with an interesting healthy mix of pasta and chickpea. The trick here is to mix the dressing when the pasta and chickpeas are still warm, as they absorb all the flavours of the dressing, yum ..."

Ingredients:

Dressing

• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 tsp mustard paste ( if you can fresh is the best)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp water
• 1/2 tsp salt (check salt level after adding all the ingredients)
• 1 tsp red chilly flakes

  Salad:

• 100 gms pasta
• 2 tbsp sun dried tomato
• 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese
• 200 grams dry chickpeas (  canned about 440 gms)
• 4 tbsp boiled corn kernels

Method:

1. Blend all dressing ingredients till emulsified
2. Cook the pasta in lots of boiling water till al-dente 
3. Soak the sun dried tomatoes in warm water for 15 min and slice 
4. Chop the mozzarella cheese into bite size peices
5. If the chickpeas are dried, then soak overnight and boil, else use canned chickpeas as per instructions
6. Mix all salad ingredients with the dressing, cover with cling film and chill for 1 hour

Note:

• For best results pasta and chickpea should be still warm when mixed with the dressing

Fresh fruit cheese cake - With yogurt

" Here's a perfect recipe for all cheesecake lovers.It's healthy, with easily available ingredients and no raw egg's. Have been making this one for over 20 years, made almost 6 of them for a special family occasion.They are light, flavorful and as guilt free as cheese cakes can be..."

Servings - 8- 10

Ingredients:

 Base

• 200 gms digestive biscuit
• 50 gms melted butter
• 1 tsp rind of lemon/lime

 Filling

• 400 gms yogurt regular ( or 1 cup thick yogurt)
• 200 gms low fat or single cream
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 200 gms strawberries(mangoes or any other fresh fruit you may want to use)
• 1 tsp vanilla (pod/paste/essence)
• 1 tbsp gelatin
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 tsp lime /lemon juice

Method:

Base

1. Butter a spring-foam pan or a pie dish which has a diameter of 10 inches
2. Crush biscuits coarsely
3. Mix with melted butter and rind
4. Layer the dish with biscuits at the bottom and the sides, pressing firmly (use a flat bottom glass or bowl to help press down as firmly as possible)
5. Refrigerate biscuit base for 1/2 hour

  Filling

1.  Hang regular yogurt in a muslin cloth for 2 hours to remove excess water, balance thick yogurt should amount to 1 cup OR use 1 cup of thick yogurt
2. Soak the gelatin in warm water for 15 minutes, and warm over simmering water till translucent (gelatin bowl should not be touching the water. OR prepare the gelatin as per box instructions
3. Puree the strawberries, leaving 3 whole for decorating purposes
4. In a bowl mix all the filling ingredients - yogurt, cream,strawberry puree, sugar, vanilla, lime,gelatin and beat till smooth
5. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base, wrap with clingfilm and chill overnight
6. Decorate with sliced strawberries and ENJOY

Note:

• Any fresh fruit can be used instead of the strawberries, mangoes work just great
• For a plain lemon cheesecake, remove the fruit adding the juice of one full lime
• Each serving has only 1 tsp butter + 1 tbsp cream as the guilty ingredients