PASTA WITH HOMEMADE WHITE SAUCE

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Prepared this in monsoon and writing the post now.

Pasta, being an Italian dish, is also the  most favorite food of Indians. Kids love pasta in any form. And I love the colors and shapes of Pasta.  Even we Indians make pasta since many years. If you are from North Karnataka, you must be knowing about "GULAGI", "PARADI", "SAVATE BEEJA" and our own "SHAAVIGE(SEVIYAN)". We use these to prepare sweet dishes. These are our Indian Pasta.

Coming to today's recipe, It's the most easiest, quickest and yummiest  food to serve when you are in a hurry and hungry both. My elder daughter loves Pasta. I always make Pasta Masala- Indian style.  But don't know why I never tried this white sauce with pasta. Last month I bought a ready sauce packet and prepared. Though it tasted great, I was not happy. As you know me, I avoid processed food as much as possible. Other day  when my daughter demanded to prepare pasta, I thought of making the white sauce at home.

I was so happy as it tasted exactly the same what we get in the restaurants. I used ready pizza herb mix for the flavor.

Now, coming to the recipe,

Serves 2

For Pasta :

Pasta of any shape and size - 2 cups

Cook  the pasta by following the instructions given on the packet. And keep it ready after draining the water.

For white sauce :

All purpose flour (maida) 2 tbsp

Butter - 5 tbsp

Cold or room temperature Milk -  1 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Use less salt if your butter is salted one.

Black pepper powder 1 TSP or less. 

Mixed herb - 1 TSP

Method :

Take thick bottomed pan and keep it on the stove. Add the butter when hot. Keep on a medium flame. When butter melts add the APF flour slowly and mix it properly. Remove the lumps and wait till the raw smell goes. Now add the milk slowly in batches. Keep in stirring to avoid any lumps. Very important step. And be sure to boil it on slow flame. Add salt and pepper. Mix and boil till you get the thick sauce consistency. Keep it aside. 

Take the boiled pasta in a vessel. Add the sauce to it and mix gently. Boil it on low flame for a minute or till you see the bubbles. Add herbs and serve immediately.

This tastes good only when hot. This is My plain white sauce pasta which my elder daughter loves anytime. 

Keep smiling,

Pasta masala, Indian style

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Sometimes, we forget many important tasks to do!!! It shows the poor memory, which I feel I always suffer from. And some times, it is just out of mind. You might be thinking, what I am trying to say about!!! Yes, today when I was checking my blog after one month, I realised that after I posted "Breakfast in Photo"(http://niveditaskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/breakfast-in-photo.html#links) for Divya's event, I totally forgot to post the recipes for the same.
I am very sorry and in future, I will make it sure, not to repeat the mistake!

My next three postings will be the recipe for the photos.

Now coming to this one, till I was in India, I never heard of Pasta or Macaroni or even Italian food. As I am from small town, and 12 years back, it was not grown up city, we were restricted to local foods and to the maximum, we used to get North Indian food in hotels. And my mom never liked going out to have food, as she always tried most of the foods at home only. So 12 years back, when I went to UAE(Abu Dhabi), first time I saw the pasta packets. I used to wonder, how they can eat these, as they looked like worms to me. (So ignorant I was!!!! ) (Even though I used to eat noodles, and I had seen the pasta recipe photos in the magazines, but when I saw it physically, these looked different,).

Then one day I bought a packet, and thought of trying it. But as I did not know the Italian way, I thought of trying it Indian way, as how we prepare poha!!! And came out this recipe. As the time went, I started trying in different ways to make pasta and I loved it every time. But as this was my first try, I want to share the same recipe here.

And when I checked for pasta recipes in many blogs(After the blogging is born), I came to know that many, prepare it this way only!! I was little disappointed, as I used to think it is my invention!!! How funny!!!

Coming to the recipe,

Pasta - 100 gms(Take any shape, but smaller the size, easy to cook !!)

Onion - 1 big chopped

Tomato - 1 big chopped or

ready tomato paste - 1/4 cup (Available in supermarket)

curry leaves - few

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Ginger - 1 inch, chopped

Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp

Green chilly - 1 chopped

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Curry powder - 1 tsp

Dhania Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Fresh coriander to garnish

Boil the pasta as per given instructions on the packet. Always add 1 tsp oil when boiling. Drain it and pour cold water. Keep it aside.

Add oil in thick bottomed kadai. When hot, add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and ginger. Saute for a while. Now add green chilly and onion. Let it cook till transparent. Then goes tomato, and all other dry powders except salt. Let it cook till the raw smell of tomato goes. It takes at least 5 minutes. Keep on stirring. Now add salt and boiled pasta. Sprinkle lime juice and add sugar. Mix it properly. Garnish with fresh coriander. Close with the lid and cook for few minutes.

Pasta masala is ready to serve for breakfast or anytime!!!

Wait for my next post for Mix veg poha!

Keep smiling,