Nasuha Blog

A healthy and nutritious fish sticks would be a perfect tea time snacks or after-school snacks. As kids would be hungry by evening, these fish sticks would be a great option to make as it would take very less time. A crispy outside with a moist inside fish stick is what everybody will love to dig in. These would make a perfect party appetizer.


My daughter will be very hungry after her swimming classes and every day I make sure she eats a healthy snack after an hour-long swimming.


I find it very easy to make these fish sticks as this requires fish fillet which can be thawed very quickly. Once you try making them at home, you won't buy the prepackaged frozen sticks again.
Strips of fish are covered in spiced bread crumbs and baked to perfection. You can have oven roasted veggies along with these fish sticks, which will make a perfect dinner. Hope you all will try this and let me know


Ingredients:

1. Cod Fish Fillet- 1/2 pound (cut into strips)
2. All Purpose Flour- 1/4 cup
3. Bread Crumbs- 1/2 Cup
4. Dried Herb Mix- 2 tbsp
5. Smoked Paprika Powder- 1/2 Tsp
6. Salt- as required
7. Pepper Powder- 1 Tsp
8. Garlic Powder- 1/2 tbsp
9. Egg- 1 no

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the bread crumbs with dried herbs, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place the flour and egg in separate shallow bowls.
2. Take the fish strips, dip it in the all-purpose flour, shake off the excess. Dip that in the egg and then in the bread crumb mixture. Place them on a lined baking tray. When all the fish strips are done coating, arrange them on a baking tray and bake for about 10-12 minutes. When done, enjoy the fish sticks with ranch or tartar sauce.

These biscuits are popular snacks which can be found in almost all the bakeries in Kerala. As a small kid, I used to eat these often whenever we go to Kerala for vacations. While coming back to Andhra, my mom used to bring big packets of these and always a big jar in my house is filled with these cute little bakes. These biscuits never lasted in my house for too long. These are devoured in no time.


These are mostly available in the shape of coins. That is why they are also called coin biscuits. These are also known as bean biscuits as some of them are in the shape of a bean.
The process of making the batter, piping them evenly in the same shape and baking them perfectly is an art. These melt in mouth delicacies are simple and an easy to make snack which will be loved by all and can munch at any time. Hope you all will try this out and please let me know.


Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour- 3/4 Cup
2. Sugar- 1/2 Cup
3. Eggs- 2 Cups
4. Vanilla Essence- 1 tbsp
5. Butter- 1 tbsp
6. Baking Powder- 1/2 tsp
7. Yellow Food Color- 1 Tsp

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat the eggs along with sugar, vanilla essence, yellow food color and melted butter.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder together and add this in batches to the above egg mixture. 
4. Pour the batter into the piping bag or ziplock cover and squeeze small drops of batter onto a lined baking tray.
5. Bake for about 20- 22 minutes. Let it cool completely before removing from the tray. Enjoy delicious biscuits.

Those who have been in Bangalore might know about the popular "Empire Restaurant". Their chicken kebabs are to die for. Every year, during fasting my uncle used to bring a big pack of these kebabs, which I finished off within no time. They are my all time favorites fried kebabs. As a family, we are a big fan of these.


Mostly the kebabs are grilled but these are deep fried with a crusty outside and juicy inside.
This time during fasting these kebabs were on my wishlist. Normal days I would have never tried making these oil fried kebabs, but now as we are fasting, I thought of giving it a try. Here it is today on my blog to all of you, who wants to try their favorite kebabs and to those who never tried before. These are such lip-smacking ones, you don't want to miss them.


This dish is very simple and doesn't take much of your time. Just mix all the marinade ingredients and fry in oil, within minutes mouthwatering kebabs will be ready. These kebabs taste exactly like the restaurant ones. Don't forget to give it a try.
Adapted From Savory and Sweet Food
Ingredients:

1. Chicken- 2 Pounds
2. All-Purpose Flour- 4 tbsp
3. Corn Flour- 2 Tsp
4. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tbsp
5. Lemon Juice- 1
6. Cumin Powder- 1 Tsp
7. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
8. Ginger- Garlic Paste- 2 tbsp
9. Eggs- 2 nos
10. Coriander Powder- 1/2 tbsp
11. Food Colour- 2 drops
12. Rice Flour- 2 tbsp
13. Oil- Deep frying

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients( except the chicken, rice flour, and oil), along with little salt and water.
2. Mix using a whisk till it forms a thick batter, add the chicken pieces. Coat well. Let it sit for about 3-4 hours.
3. Heat oil on high heat in a deep vessel, before frying, add the rice flour, mix and drop the well-coated chicken pieces in hot oil. Fry till done and everything gets finished.
4. Drain on kitchen towel. serve along with lime wedges.

Capsicum- egg rice is one of the easiest, delicious lunch box item, which the kids will like to have daily. This is one of the super simple rice dishes which can be prepared in less time.


Nowadays my daughter likes egg whites rather than having the whole egg. But they will get the required nutrition if they eat both the whites and the yolks. Scrambling the egg and mixing it with the rice is a smart way to make your kid eat the whole egg.


You can add your kids favorite veggies to this rice. This will taste better if we are using the leftover rice. It is a wholesome and nutritious dish. This quick and easy rice is so flavorful and a perfect one for kids lunchbox. Hope you all like this dish. Try this out and let me know.
My son after seeing my colorful dish he bought all his legos and started decorating.....
Ingredients:

1. Cooked rice- 2 Cups
2. Oil- 2 tbsp
3. Eggs- 2 nos
4. Onions(chopped)- 1 no
5. Green chillis (chopped)- 1 no
6. Red capsicum (cubed)- 1 no
7. Red Chilli Sauce- 1 Tsp
8. Soy sauce- 1 Tsp
9. Pepper powder- 1 Tsp
10. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan, saute the onions, cubed capsicum and green chilies for about 5- 10 minutes on a low flame. Break the eggs into the onion mixture and mix well using a beater till it gets cooked.
2. Add the red chili sauce, soy sauce, and pepper powder gradually along with the egg. Add the cooked rice, adjust the salt accordingly and enjoy this rice as it is or along with pickle. 

Kerala egg roast is the popular and a delicious gravy which we can have with almost all the breakfast items. An easy and a tasty dish which can be prepared within no time.
Hard-boiled eggs simmered in the coconut milk along with onion- tomato gravy which is well blended with all the spices. A perfect side dish for appams, idiyappams, puttu and also with vegetable pulav and rotis.


In almost all the Kerala household, this dish is prepared in their own different ways. My mom and MIL make their own version, without adding coconut milk, which I posted long time back. I have added coconut milk to reduce the spice level of red chili powder. Coconut milk gives a unique taste and also enhances the flavors. Here in this recipe, I have used the coconut milk powder. If you don't want the eggs, just skip them and add your choice of vegetables and enjoy.


Ingredients:

1. Eggs- 5 nos
2. Onions (sliced)- 2 nos
3. Tomatoes( sliced)- 1 no
4. Green Chillies(slit)- 3 nos
5. Ginger and Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
6. Red Chilli Powder- 2 tbsp
7. Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
8. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tbsp
9. Garam Masala- 1tsp
10. Coconut Milk- 1 Cup
11. Oil- 1 Tsp
12. Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
13. Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
14. Curry Leaves- few
15. Salt- as required

1. Hard boil the eggs till done, de-shell them and keep this aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and curry leaves.
3. Saute the onions until translucent, add the sliced tomatoes, ginger- garlic paste, and green chilies. Stir till it turns mushy.
4. Once they turn soft, add all the powders, mix until the raw smell of the powders disappears.
5. Add the coconut milk to the above masala along with required amount of salt. Mix it well.
6. Add the prepared hard boiled eggs in the above-made gravy and let it cook for 5-8 minutes. Once the gravy thickens and has the desired consistency, switch off the flame and enjoy this delicacy along with idiyappams, chapatis or appams.

Tres Leches cake is a Mexican cake which is super moist, delicious and melts in mouth kind. I have seen in almost all the blogs, that this tres leches is a single sheet cake which is soaked in 3 types of milk and topped with whipped cream. I had my doubts regarding making this into a birthday cake as by soaking the cake in the milk mixture will make it pretty heavy and dense. All my doubts got cleared by the outcome of the cake.


I made the sponge cake, layered, soaked with tres leches, filled with frosting over which the sliced strawberries were spread, topped with another half of the soaked cake and covered with whipped cream frosting. At last, I decorated the cake with chocolate covered strawberries. Everything was done within no time. This cake seemed very easy and will take very less time to prepare. It worked out beautifully and would make an excellent cake for any occasion. Kids will enjoy this a lot.


I baked this cake for the first time. Many of my friends have described me about the richness and deliciousness of the scrumptious cake but I never got a chance to taste this before. This time for my husband's birthday I planned to bake this and it came out perfectly.


While whipping the cream, freeze the mixing bowl and the whisk attachments. Instead of whipped cream frosting, you can also use cool whip which is used in no-bake desserts. Try this cake and let me know.
Ingredients:
For the Cake Batter:

1. All-Purpose Cake- 1 1/2 Cups
2. Baking Powder- 1 tbsp
3. Eggs- 4 nos
4. Milk- 1/2 Cup
5. Sugar- 1 cup
6. Vanilla Essence- 2 tsp

1. Separate the egg whites and yolks in a dry glass bowl.
2. Beat the egg whites till stiff peaks form and keep this aside.
3. In a glass bowl add sugar along with the yolks and beat till well blended. Add the vanilla essence.
4. Drop the milk little by little alternating with the flour and baking powder till it gets finished.
5. In the above batter, gently fold the egg whites until just combined and pour this into the greased baking pan, bake for about 20 minutes. Let it completely cool.

1. Condensed Milk- 1/2 Cup
2. Evaporated Milk- 1/2 Cup
3. Whole Milk- 1/4 Cup

• Mix together all the ingredients and keep this aside.

For the Whipped Cream Frosting:

1. Whipping Cream- 2 Cups
2. Sugar- 3/4 cup

Method:

• Beat the cold whipping cream along with sugar on high speed until thick. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembling the cake:

• Sliced Strawberries

Method

1. Cut the cooled cake in half. Place one half on a cake platter, poke the whole cake with a fork, going all the way to the edges and poke through the depth of the cake. Pour half of the milk mixture on the cake till it absorbs completely.
2. Spread 2- 4 tbsp of whipped frosting on the cake, arrange the sliced strawberries over the top of the frosting.
3. Before placing the other cake half, poke the whole cake with the fork and place the poked cake on top of the sliced strawberries.
4. our the remaining milk mixture on top of the cake and let the cake sit for some time, till it absorbs all the liquid.
5. Frost the top and sides of the cake using a spatula and smooth out. Decorate with sliced strawberries as desired, enjoy.

Spaghetti with meatballs make a perfect weekend dinner. We first tasted this when we went to IKEA. We ate the Swedish veggie balls and my daughter insisted me to make the meatballs and so here it is on my blog. This one is completely different from the Swedish veggie balls. I made the meatballs using chicken.

Fried meatballs

The Ground meat is shaped in balls and shallow fried till done. The fried meatballs are simmered in easy Italian tomato sauce and mixed with cooked spaghetti and enjoyed. This will be enjoyed by all at a get-together. Mostly the kids.

Fried meatballs in sauce

This is an easy and a simple dish if you make the sauce and meatballs in advance. This classic recipe makes a big batch and is an amazing dish which will be more appreciated by the guests.


Ingredients:
For the Meat Balls:

1. Ground Chicken- 2 Cups
2. Bread Crumbs- 3 tbsp
3. Oregano- 1 tsp
4. Ginger (grated)- 2 Tsp
5. Egg- 1 no
6. Salt- as required
7. Pepper Powder- 1 Tsp
8. Oil- 1/2 Cup (for frying)

1. Drop all the ingredients except oil in a food processor and blend well till everything gets incorporated.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Meanwhile, roll the meat mixture into equal small balls and keep this aside. If you feel the meat mixture is moist, add little more breadcrumbs.
3. Drop the small balls one by one in medium heat oil and fry till it turns golden brown from all the sides.

1. Tomatoes- 3 nos
2. Dried Basil- 1 tbsp
3. Grated Garlic- 2 tbsp
4. Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Red Chili Flakes- 2 Tsp
7. Oregano- 1 tsp
8. Fresh Chopped Parsley- 1 tbsp

1. Blend the tomatoes along with garlic in a food processor till done.
2. Heat a large pot with olive oil, add the crushed tomato mixture along with dried basil, parsley, red chili flake, and salt.
3. Let it cook on slow flame for about 10- 15 minutes.
4. Add the lightly fried meatballs in the sauce and let it cook well for another 10 minutes till the sauce is simmered until thickened.
5. Switch off the flame and the sauce is ready.

1. Spaghetti- 1 pound
2. Salt- as required
3. Olive Oil- 1 tbsp

1. Place a large pot of water to boil. Add the spaghetti along with salt and olive oil and cook to al dente.
2. Drain the spaghetti and add cold water so that it will stop cooking.
3. Assembling:
4.  Place the Spaghetti in a plate and pour the meatballs along with sauce in the middle and enjoy a scrumptious plate.

In India, by evening the bakeries are filled with a different variety of hot puffs. Though I am not a big fan of these puffs, my family loves them a lot.


Here in the US as we get them very rarely, I bake them once in a while for my puffs loving daughter and husband. Now as my in-laws are here, I make sure they eat fresh homemade snack along with their evening tea and puffs have become a common one.



I usually bake egg puffs and paneer puffs. These chicken puffs, I made for the first time and is a huge hit. This is a perfect snack for guests. Make the chicken filling and fold it in the pastry sheet. Arrange them on a baking tray and when needed just bake and serve hot puffs.
Enjoy them as it is, or douse them generously with ketchup and bite into this splendid treat.


Ingredients:

1. Puff pastry Sheets- 10 square sheets
2. Boneless Chicken Pieces- 1 Cup
3. Green Chillies (chopped)- 2 tbsp
4. Pepper Powder- 1 Tsp
5. Red Chilli Powder- 1 Tsp
6. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 Tsp
7. Salt- as required
8. Tomato Sauce- 1 tbsp
9. Garam Masala- 1tsp
10. Fennel Powder- 1/2 Tsp
11. Onions (chopped)- 1 no
12. Ginger and Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
13. Oil- 1 tbsp
14. Egg- 1 no

1. Depending upon the instructions on the pack of puff pastry sheets, thaw them for some time. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Chop the washed and drained chicken pieces into small cubes. Keep this aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions, green chilies. Stir till they turn translucent. Add the ginger- garlic paste, fry for about 1 minute.
4. Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, fennel powder. Stir till the raw smell disappears. Add the tomato sauce along with salt.
5. Saute well, add the chopped chicken pieces and cook until done. If any moisture is left cook till the gravy becomes dry. 
6. Take one squared pastry sheet and place a tbsp of chicken masala in the middle of the sheet and fold in the desired shape.
7. Repeat with the remaining till the sheets and chicken masala is finished. Beat the egg and do the egg wash on top of the folded puffs for a shiny finish.
8. Arrange on a lined tray and bake for about 15- 20 minutes. The top will turn golden brown color.
9. Serve them along with hot tea or coffee.