Dolder inspired Scones

Tell me how many times it has happened to you that when you  have tried something somewhere in a nice Resturant and immediately want to try it out at home. It happens to me all the time. This time of the year there are nice goodies everywhere. This last weekend R picked me after work, then we met M and just spontaneously we decided to go to Dolder for a drink. People from downtown Zürich all know Dolder. It is one special Hotel and it has a great view. They do high tea and they have an amazing spread of little sandwiches, scones, patassiere and of course the best Darjelling tea. 

Matar Pulav (Rice with Peas)

Basmati rice is the most loved rice in the north of India. On one hand its a very simple rice to cook but at the same time a delicate one too. Here I am giving you a simple recipe of Rice with sweet Peas and whole spices.

Ingredients: for 4 people 

- 300 gms of Basmati Rice
- 50 gms of frozen peas (if available fresh shelled ones)
- 1 tbsp Ghee/Butter/Oil
- 4-5 bay leaves
- 3-4 black big cardamom
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3-4 cloves
- salt to taste
- 550 ml of water

Hummus

Hummus  is super simple to make and its really healthy and delicious. You can make it from the scratch by soaking the chic peas and cooking them or you could very well use a can (but trust me doing by scratch is worth it) 

Apple, Plum and Fig Chutney

Chutney is a very versatile side condiment which was mostly famous on an Indian plate. But now-a-days you see the use of Chutney in multiple ways. Of course on an Indian plate but these little condiments full of flavour acts as a great sandwich spread too and they make lovely edible gifts too. You can be flexible and use the fruits of your choice. 

Samosas by Batto Bua

Who doesn't know the good old Samosa. There are different ways to make Samosas and with different fillings too. My aunt (Bua in Hindi) gave her recipe on my facebook page and now I am posting it here on the blog. I tried it too and they are delicious. In our joint family all the cousins grew up together and I still remember when I was a teenager once she taught me how to make Palak-Tamater (Spinach with tomatoes) and I still remember one of her tips while cooking Spinach, she said to use less salt while cooking palak, because, spinach is a bit saltish, you can always taste and add it later, not sure if she remembers.

Summer Pasta

Pasta is such a versatile meal. There are days when you don't have much time then you can fix this simple yet flavourful dish in minutes. Here I made with Cherry tomatoes. Bur you can very well use any kinds of tomatoes. You can take normal ones or you can take those dark red, yellow and orange ones too. Of course summer is the best time for tomatoes but we get them through out the year.  Last weekend I made a simple Capelline with Cherry tomatoes and everyone loved it. 

Tomatoe Rasam/ Simple Tomato Soup

A clear tomato soup or Indian rasam. They are quite similar. Rasam is a very thin tomato soup which is tempered with Indian spices and its a must in every south indian kitchen. It is eaten with while fluffy rice. There are many ways you can make rasam. Some with a bit of tamarind, some people add a bit of cooked yellow split pea daal to it. My girls love this very simple one which I make. I serve it with any kind of meal. Its very comforting especially on a rainy day. 

Street Food, Migros Oerlikon

A few glimpses of the Indian street food at Klubschule Oerlikon. 

 

   

 

  

 

 

    

 

 

Green Asparagus Soup

Its the Asparagus season and every where you see, from the fresh markets to the malls you can find beautiful and crunchy ones. Although many people fancy the white Asparagus but my favourite ones are the fine green crunchy ones. In the green ones there are also two varieties, the fat ones and the thin ones. I used the thin ones here, in that case you don't have to peel them a lot, just the ends but if you are using the fat ones, then they have a lot of peel and it has to be peeled fine. I use them in different ways, just a quick stir fry, on the pizza and as a very comforting soup.

Warm Pasta Salad

There are sometimes those lazy rainy days when you don't feel like cooking anything but you and your family are super hungry. That's what happened to me yesterday :( I and we all were hungry. I finally got up and was hunting the fridge, I wanted to cook something delicious, easy and super simple. I found a tub of small cherry tomatoes, a Zucchini, some fresh baby spinach and of course, M`s idea was to incorporate some feta cheese too. So we topped it with crumbled feta and chili oil, it turned to be quite a treat for us and we enjoyed it watching IPL.

Shrikhand

Shrikand is a famous Dessert from the Central part of India and its also quite famous in Gujarat, unlike other Indian Desserts its super simple to make. You just have to start the preparation early. Its based on natural yoghurt, the water of the yoghurt is drained out and then its almost ready after sweetning it up and adding nuts, saffron etc. 

This makes a super good dessert for calorie freak people and for everyone else too. I love to eat it on my toast in the morning, thats why when I make it I always make a big quantity. 

Vegetarian Smörgåstårta (Swedish)

This star dish is from our cooking club: Chüchikästchli!  

Vegetarian Smörgåstårta: Its a Swedish speciality and Anne-li showed us how to make it in our cooking club. It is served as a main course. It was phenomenal. I loved it so much that I really have no words to express myself. It was very refreshing, fresh, delicious dish and the combination of the ingredients was incredible. I cant thank Anne-li enough for that.

Paneer Korma

Paneer is The only Indian Cheese which has been used in the Indian kitchen for ever be it in a rich and creamy vegetable, be it Paneer kebabs, Paneer Bhurgi or even the most famous Rosogulla (Bengali Sweet)

I have never a big fan or Paneer while growing up but now I love it and the same happened with the girls too. M cant have enough of Paneer. It is very rich in Protein, tastes great and very easy to cook and even make at home from scratch.

Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice is a famous dish from the central India. It is mostly made with leftover rice from the previous day. This way you can pep up the rice and the dish comes out better with one day old rice. If you are going to make this dish with fresh rice then make sure you dont cook it too soft.  

Event: Chüchichastchli

Coming up soon: the recipes from our cooking club, Indian cooking event!


  

   
                                                                     

 

Bruschetta

La Bruschetta

Who doesn't know Bruschetta, its a very well know, simple yet aromatic small Italian dish which is famous in the whole world. Actually when I got to know more about this I found out that Bruschetta was made with the left over bread from the previous days and till date if you make it with an old bread, it comes out better and crispier. You can take any bread of your choice. Here is the Recipe from Rosy who comes from Tessin (South of Switzerland) and she showed us how to prepare the typical lecker Bruschetta. 

Here is what you will need: 

Ingredients: (as you need)

- Cherry tomatoes

- Basil & Oregano

- Salt, Pepper and Garlic

- Bread and Olive Oil

Green Asparagus with Tomatoes

This dish is a side vegetable dish which you can serve with any European meal. I have served it with Bulgar burgers but it can very well served with a pasta too. Now I am not a big fan of white Asparagus but I love the crunchy green ones.

Here is what you will need :

Ingredients:

- 500 g green Asparagus
- about a dozen of cherry tomatoes or a bit more
- 2 cloves of pressed garlic
- 1 green chili, slit lengthwise
- salt to taste
- black pepper
- a big pinch of red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- a bit of lime juice.

Ebly with Spinach

Ebly is a whole wheat grain or some people also call it wheat berries. It came out in the market a few years ago and me being a fan of whole grain and all bought it to try and everyone loved it at home. The recipe I am posting here I once posted in a Wettbewerb (a competition) and I got a price, now me bashful :) of four movie tickets which I took the family to watch Shrek, so now its a joke at home whenever I cook this we remember Shrek and the co-incidence is my recipe was based on Spinach and DA: Shrek...........Ja green in Colour! Funny ! right. So here it goes:

For 4 People:

Ingredients:

- 250 gms Ebly
- 250 gms frozen Spinach
- 1 big red onion, finely chopped
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 green chili, finely chopped
- an inch piece of ginger, finely grated
- 2 heaped tablespoons of can tomatoes, or you can take 2 fresh tomatoes, cubed
- 6 pieces of cherry tomatoes
- salt to taste
- black pepper, a few shakes
- 1/2 tsp of red chili flakes
- 1 tbsp of olive oil