fettucine-alfredo - 1

I had my first Fettuccine Alfredo at Olive garden a lot of years back. It was one of my first meals in the US as we had just landed then. The creamy rich sauce was so comforting to the severely jet-lagged me feeling lost and alone in a far off land. Even the pickiest of eaters will fall for this delightful meal. While the traditional Alfredo sauce is made with cream and cheese, this is a lighter version of the original. I like this version much better as its so delicious and slightly guilt free. Its made with milk, cream cheese and Parmesan. Even though Fettuccine is the preferred type of pasta, you can make it with any shape of pasta. Spaghetti, Penne, linguine etc…

fettucine-alfredo-pasta - 2

Here is how to do it. Bring couple of liters of water to a fast boil. Add in a teaspoon of salt. Add pasta and cook for 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside. This will give you perfectly Al-dente (firm) pasta. You can cook a bit longer to soften it a bit more if that’s what you like. I fall sightly on the softer side. Sorry Mario Batali.

PS – Don’t worry if it looks like there is a lot of sauce. The sauce will coat the pasta and the pasta will absorb all the moisture and thicken in no time.

For cooking pasta

  • 50 - 75 grams Fettuccine pasta
  • 2 liters water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For Alfredo sauce

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried italian herb mixture
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoon cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
  1. Bring couple of liters of water to a fast boil. Add in a teaspoon of salt. Add pasta and cook for 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add in the minced garlic and dried herb mixture. Saute for 10 seconds.
  3. Add in the milk and cream cheese. Boil the mixture for a couple of minutes until foamy and bubbly.
  4. Add in the cooked fettuccine and toss to coat. Add in the salt and Parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta evenly.
  5. Garnish the pasta with chopped parsley. Serve hot!
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Italian
fettucine-alfredo-calories-lite - 3 fettucine-alfredo-pic - 4

For cooking pasta

  • 50 - 75 grams Fettuccine pasta
  • 2 liters water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

For Alfredo sauce

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried italian herb mixture
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoon cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoon parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
  1. Bring couple of liters of water to a fast boil. Add in a teaspoon of salt. Add pasta and cook for 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally. Drain and set aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in a pan and add in the minced garlic and dried herb mixture. Saute for 10 seconds.
  3. Add in the milk and cream cheese. Boil the mixture for a couple of minutes until foamy and bubbly.
  4. Add in the cooked fettuccine and toss to coat. Add in the salt and Parmesan cheese. Toss the pasta mixture over low heat until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta evenly.
  5. Garnish the pasta with chopped parsley. Serve hot!
  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Cuisine: Italian

Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/fettuccine-alfredo-cream-cheese-alfredo/

opos-carrot-beans-poriyal-recipe - 5

Carrot beans poriyal, carrot beans thoran, carrot beans stir-fry. Basic technique and a video demo of flash cooking vegetables for poriyal and thoran. Cook veggies in less than 5 minutes with this technique.

If there is one thing you would want to try from this site, then try flash cooking vegetables. So whats the deal and whats flash cooking anyway? Flash cooking is nothing but cooking at high heat for a very short time. So what happens when you do that??? The veggies cook perfectly and retains all the bright and vibrant colors. Veggies are cooked to perfection without becoming mushy with very less intervention during cooking. There is no sauteing, there is no mess. OK. Kind of interesting. Then? Its easy, its addictive and you will never look at cooking veggies the same way again. Its perfect every time. Every single time. Will the veggies smell raw as we are not sauteing? No. Absolutely not. Its my family approved recipe. Trust me and enjoy the joy of flashing. Will the veggies burn? We add a little water to prevent the veggies from burning. If you use the correct equipment and cook just for 2 whistles, you are gonna be just fine. I dont even add oil to cook veggies these days. Dont believe me. See this video and give it a try.

A little note on equipment. Please use a 2-3 liter cooker only. This recipe was tested several times in a 3 liter prestige stainless steel pressure cooker. Indian cookers whistle. If it does not, have it checked. If using induction stove (recommended), cook the veggies in 1200W until your cooker whistles 2 times. If using gas stove, keep on medium high and cook for two whistles again. Depending on the quantity of veggies used, the timing may range from 5-7 minutes. Go by whistles and not time to get the perfect cooked veggies every single time. When 2 whistles are over, switch off the flame and release the pressure immediately. Do not try to force open the cooker with the pressure inside. Its dangerous.

opos-carrot-beans-poriyal-stirfry - 6
  • 3 teaspoon water
  • 200 grams carrot (about 2 carrots), chopped
  • 100 grams beans ( about 12 - 15 beans), chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon fresh shredded coconut
  1. Take a pressure cooker ( 2 or 3 liters only).
  2. Add in the water to the pan. The little water will help in creating steam and to avoid the veggies from burning.
  3. Layer the veggies in the cooker.
  4. Add in the curry leaves, salt and the coconut.
  5. Cover the cooker and add on the whistle weight on top.
  6. Start the heat on the gas stove or induction stove, whichever you are using.
  7. If using induction stove, cook on 1200 w until the cooker whistles 2 times.
  8. If using gas stove, set the heat to medium high and cook until the cooker whistles 2 times.
  9. In both the methods, it will take about approximately 5-7 minutes. Do not go by time. Go by whistles only.
  10. After exactly 2 whistles, switch off the stove and remove the pressure from the cooker manually. Be careful. Do not at any point in time, force open the cooker without releasing the pressure first.
  11. Stir well and serve.

Notes

I have not used any oil in this recipe. You can cook any veggies using the same technique. Beetroot, cabbage, peas, cauliflower, brocolli, potatoes, spinach etc… can be flashed using the same technique. Cut the veggies into small pieces for even cooking. When cooking mixed veggies, slow cooking veggies need to be cut smaller than quick cooking veggies, to match cooking time.

  • Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 5 mins
  • Category: Side dish
  • Cuisine: Tamilnadu
opos-poriyal - 7

This is one of the most used OPOS – One Pot One Shot techniques. This recipe method of flashing veggies can become a base for infinite OPOS curries. For example, instead of just coconut, if you added coconut-chili-cumin paste and mixed in yogurt after opening, this would be aviyal !

The term OPOS and One Pot One Shot are registered trademarks owned by Mr.Ramakrishnan. The recipes and techniques have been adapted from him. They are used in Kannamma Cooks with prior permission.

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