Come cook with me.

Baigan Masala

2008-12-20T07:50:00.003-06:00

Ingredients
15 babyeggplants (small size)
3-4 medium yellow onions (roughly chopped )
2 tbsp of grated coconut, khopra (dried)
5 whole garlic ,grated
2 inch of grated ginger
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
small lump of tamrind
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tsp jeera

Method

1.Take all the ingredients grind it at once in mixer, do not add water.
2.Add 2 tbsp of oil in pan and heat it, put the mixture in the pan.
3.Fry the mixture properly. Take of the pan from stove and let it cool.
4.Take the brinjal slit it in 4, fill the mixture in the brinjal.
5.Pour 2 - 3 tbsp of oil in kadai, heat it and then put the stuffed brinjal,
cook it.
6.Add little water to the brinjal. Put small piece of jaggery to taste if
required.
7.Let it cook for 15-20 minutes.
Your tikha brinjal masala is ready

Chicken Nihari: Muslim recipe of Meat Stew

2008-12-17T15:21:00.012-06:00

DAASTAAN -E- NIHARI

Let me first take you all to the very meaning of the word, "Nihari":

Nihari (Urdu: نہاری) is an extremely popular national dish in Pakistan and also eaten among Muslims in India. The word Nihar (Urdu: نہار) means morning in Urdu and this dish was usually eaten in the late morning. It is one of the very popular breakfast stew specially eaten during the Id festival. Nihari are basic breakfast dishes, but can be eaten for dinner as well, accompanied with dishes such as chicken and mutton dum biryani.

More of a delicacy, it is very popular in Pakistan as well as in India for its unique combination of spices which lends a very good flavour and aroma to the dish. It is usually cooked overnight in a big earthern pots with tight lids, sometimes, even buried underground. Mostly the recipe calls for red meat, like goat and beef, but you can very easily make a easier and quiker version o fit by replacing them with chicken (bone-in) or even vegetables (even Kofta!!)!!

The bhaghaar(Tarkaa) is lightly fried in desi ghee to reduce the heat of red peppers and the "Tarkaa" is an additional oily chilli to spice up the flavour. Cooked brain and bone marrow are served alongside the stew. The Nihari is garnished according to individual tastes with cilantro leaves, crispy fried onions , green chillies, strips of ginger , and lemons . In addition, garam masala, a blend of powdered spices is sprinkled over the stew just before serving.

My enthusiasm for Nihari grew when I saw one of the video online, lol ,I have nothing but time on my hand . After doing much research, here is the ultimate recipe of it.

This is the recipe for 3 lbs of Bone-in Chicken, mostly thigh and drumsticks. If you want to replace it with mutton, buy big chunks with bones.

First step

Take two large yellow onions and slice it very thin.
Fry half of the sliced onion in ghee until crisp brown, as you will do for biryani.
Keep the other half aside for later use in taarka.

Second step:

Reconstructing spice mix: Take each of the spice and roast them one by one in hot tava.
2 tbs. Fennel (Saunf)
½ tsp black pepper (Kali Mirch)
½ tsp. cumin seeds (Zeera)
2 green cardamom (Chhoti Ilaichi) seeds
10 cloves (Laung)
2 black cardamom (Bari Ilaichi)
1 stick of cinnamon (Dalchini)
1 bay leaves (Tezpatta)
¼ tsp. nutmeg (Jaiphal)
and mace (Javitri)
2 tbs. coriander (Dhaniya) seeds
1 stick (Piplee)
1 aniseed flower (Badian)

cool them and grind them to fine powder. Sieve and store in an airtight container until ready to use. This is also a variation of Kashmiri Garam Masala and can be used in various other vegetarian dishes.

Ingredients:-
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp. Kashmiri chili powder
¼ tsp. turmeric (Haldi) powder
1 tbs. coriander (Dhaniya) powder
1 cup melted ghee or oil
3 tbs. all wheat flour
1 tsp ginger (Adrak) paste
½ tsp. garlic (Lehsan) paste

Steps:

Take a heavy bottom deep pan or skillet. I use 6 quarts Dutch Oven.
Pour 3/4 cup of ghee in it.
Heat the ghee on medium heat and then add ginger and garlic paste.
Dissolve 2 heaping Tbsp of the Nihari spice in water, along with , turmeric, chili ,dhaniya and garam masala.
Add this concoction to the skillet and cook for 2 mins.
Add chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes and then add salt.
Cover with tight lid on a very low flame for 20 minutes.
Side-by-side start browning the whole wheat flour. Dissolve this browned flour with water and make a smooth paste. People have used cornflour and maida for thickning the gravy, but the people who browned the whole wheat flour ( regular gehhu ka aata) stand by it anf really i have tried both, authencity is in wheat flour. If you dont dissolve the atta before mixing it in gravy it might form lumps and then the gravy will have a raw chunky lumps.
Open the lid carefully and add this paste to the cooking chicken slowly and stirring it often.
Now close the lid tight for the final time and leave the chicken to cook for another 45 minutes. Make sure the flame is still on very low setting . If you dont have a tight lid then you can use aluminium foil to cover the vessel and then put a lid on it by securing all the sides.
Check for the doneness of chicken after 45 mintues.
To Prepare Tarkaa: Take half of the sliced onion and fry it in ghee until brown. Add 1 tbsp of the nihari spice mix to it with chopped mint and cilantro leaves.
Pour this tarkaa on the cooked chicken gravy and serve hot topped with thinly sliced onions and green chillies and lemon as garnish. I add grated cheese and sour cream to make it milder for my toddler. If you are serving kids just take out their portion before doing the Tarkaa.

Shahi Navratan Korma

2008-11-30T14:18:00.004-06:00

Ingredients Used :

50 g pure ghee

20 g cashew nuts,

chopped 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped green and red bellpeppers mixed

1/2 cup chunks of mushroom

1 cup chopped cauliflower

1 finely chopped carrot

1/2 cup thawed, frozen peas

1/2 cup fresh beans

3 tsp paste of ginger and green chillies

1 cup of fried cubes of Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)

salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon of amchoor powder( dried Mango powder)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (else use half and half or milk for lighter version)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

Procedure :

Heat the ghee in a pan and fry separately (one after another), the cashew nuts, chillies and tomato chunks, drain each, remove and set aside.
Add the chopped onions,cauliflower, bellpeppers, mushrroms, carrot, beans and peas to the remaining ghee in the pan.
Stir and add the ginger chilli pastes and stir-fry till the onions are tender.
Add the tomatoes and cook till the oil separates.
Add the salt, chillies, cream, turmeric and half the chopped coriander and simmer while continuously stirring. Once the cream is well blended, remove from heat and add half the quantity of the cashew nuts and mix well.
Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves and cashew nuts and serve hot.

Authentic Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani

2008-08-14T19:38:00.008-06:00

Mouth Watering Hyderabadi Dum Biryani: a successful attempt to satisfy the exotic palate.

Biryani holds a special place in Mughlai food and is known for its aroma and rich taste.Many have asked me for the recipe of hyderabadi Chicken Biryani. The recipe is very generic and simple, but I would still say that getting a perfect biryani is an art. I agree to this 100% after I started making biryani and perfecting it every time I failed. Authentic hyderabadi Biryani is mainly made from gosht(leg portion of goat meat). There are many videos available online nowadays that give a very detailed and good demo of steps involved in the making to this delicacy. Here is the link that I first read: History of Biryani

My first attempt was to make Hyderabadi Lamb Biryani. It turned out into a gooey mess of rice as my rice was overcooked and also the masala had too much oil in it. In my next attempt, I kept the rice and lamb both uncooked and it turned out to me amazing. This is actually hyderabadi stlye Kachhi Biryani in which both rice and meat are layered uncooked.

Another good tip for making biryani is to use the best of the best basmati rice you can buy for money. Rub the grains of the rice between your palm and you should smell the aroma of rice. I have always used Tilda or any other dehradun basmati rice.

Another trick is to marinate the meat for atleast 8hrs for goat and 4 hrs for Chicken, before you put it in layers with rice. Dont forget to put tenderizer (raw papaya pulp) in the marinate for lamb/goat meat.

Authentic biryani calls for bone-in pieces of meat but if you dont have much time feel free to go for boneless.

Ingredients

Mutton pieces in chunks (avoid shoulder cut) ===2 pounds
authentic Indian Basmati rice ==============2 cups
Salt to taste
2 Bay leaves
10 Green cardamoms
25 Black peppercorns
3, 3 inch Cinnamon sticks
Oil ===1 tablespoon + to deep fry onions
Onions, sliced==5 large
Caraway seeds (shahi jeera)==1/2 teaspoon
10 Cloves
Ginger paste ==2 tablespoon
Garlic paste ===2 tablespoon
Red chilli powder =1 tablespoon
fresh whole milk Yogurt ==1 cup
Fresh coriander leaves, torn==1 cup
Fresh mint leaves, torn=1 cup
Pure ghee ==4 tablespoons
Black cardamoms=2
Saffron (kesar), mix in 1/4 cup lukeworm milk
drops pf rose water and kewara (screwpine) water
fried in ghee dryfruits for garnish

Method
For rice:-
Heat five to six cups of water in a deep pan. Add drained rice, salt, bay leaves, five green cardamoms, seven to eight black peppercorns, one cinnamon stick and cook till three fourth done. Drain and set aside.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep-fry half the onion slices till golden. Drain and place on an absorbent paper.

Grind caraway seeds, one cinnamon stick, remaining black peppercorns, cloves and remaining green cardamoms to a fine powder and set aside.

Take mutton pieces in a bowl. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and salt and mix. Add the spice powder, red chilli powder, half the fried onions crushed, yogurt, coriander leaves, half of the mint leaves and one tablespoon oil and mix. Let it marinate for about two hours or longer (8 hrs max.)in the refrigerator.

Heat two tablespoons ghee in a pan, remaining cinnamon and black cardamoms and sauté till fragrant.

Add remaining onions and sauté till light golden. Add marinated mutton, stir and cook on high heat for three to four minutes. Cover, reduce heat and cook till almost done.

Heat the remaining ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Spread half the rice in a layer. Spread the mutton over the rice. Sprinkle remaining torn mint leaves. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle saffron milk. Cover and cook under dum( very low flame ) till done.

Ramzaan special: Shammi Kebobs

2007-09-18T19:54:00.000-06:00

Finally I got some time to sit and write down something. What inspired me? Well, its the Ramadan's season going on and wherever I go for grocery shopping I can smell the aroma of kebabs. I have been wondering what is so special about these kebabs that everybody gets so attracted to it. I did some research on Internet and found out that it is a north Indian delicacy perfected over the ages. So, I accepted the challenge of making few of these. Here is the best way to make it.

What you need?

For making 30-35 kebabs:-
5 Lb Boneless Goat meat. ( You can also try this with minced meat but my experience tells that the patties are little dry with the minced one, ongoing rate is 3.99/lb)
2 packets Shaan's Shammi Kebabs mix ( Without these I am like oven without power!bg
2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
2 chopped yellow onions
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 cups of soaked channa dal(soaked atleast for 4 hrs.)
5-6 cups of water

Put all the above ingredients in a deep soup vessel/ stock pot and bring to a rapid boil.Put the lid and let it simmer for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let it cool for few hours. In a food processor grind everything after the mix has reached the room temperature. Take:

4 egg whites , whisked
chopped mint (very necessary to balance the heaviness of the meat)
chopped cilantro (no stems at all)
salt (prefer kosher salt)
red chilli powder (Kashmiri)
amchur

and mix it with the mix of meat and channa dal. Make it into patties and shallow fry them in oil. Thats is it!!Enjoy it with pita bread or make a sandwich with green chutney, lettuce , and tomatoes. I promise you will love it:) .Serve these at Iftari or just as an appetizer for parties. You can also make them before hand and just fry them when needed.

Batata Vada

2007-07-29T07:45:00.001-06:00

Spiced Deep Fried Potato Dumplings

Batata(potatoes) Vada (Dumplings) is traditionally a street food. It is also known as "Vada" or "Wada". Its a very popular snack in India, specially Maharashtra. If served with split bread or a roll the dish becomes "Vada Pav" which is a sledgehammer answer to the burger.

Serves 4
3 large potatoes, peeled , boiled , and semi-mashed
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp amchur powder( dry mango powder)
2 green chilies, finely chopped

For the batter:-
Besan Mix:-1/3 cup besan(gram flour) made into a thick batter with enough water
salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 turmeric
For Garnish:-
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tsp lemon juice
oil for deep frying

Method:-
Take oil in a wok or deep skillet. Heat gently on medium heat and add mustard seeds. Add ginger garlic paste, chopped green chilies and fry for 30 sec. Add turmeric powder , salt , black pepper , amchur powder and mashed potatoes. Fry and mix. Keep the mix aside and let it cool.

Meanwhile prepare the dipping batter by mixing salt , turmeric powder and red chili powder to the besan mix. Remove lumps if any. The batter should not be too thick or too watery. It should coat and back of the spoon.

Heat some oil in a pan. To check if oil is properly heated, drop some batter in the oil. If the batter immediately turns solid and float on the surface of the oil, the oil is ready. Also make sure that the oil is not too hot. Otherwise , the vadas become dark from the outside before they are actually done from the inside.

Now dip each potato ball in the batter, letting excess batter drip off and slowly add the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, else the temperature of the oil reduces which in turn slows down the frying process. Like this, deep fry all the vadas until golden brown. Remove on a paper towel and let it drain for at least 5 mins. Batats vadas are ready. Serve it hot with chutney or with tomato ketchup for kids.

Khaman Dhokla

2007-07-29T07:29:00.002-06:00

Steamed chickpea flour pancakes

Serves 4
2 cups chickpea flour (Besan)
1/2 cup plain full fat yogurt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 green chili, chopped
1 inch piece of fresh ginger root , chopped very fine
salt to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon
For Tadka:-
2 tbsps vegetable oil
1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds
few curry leaves
2 whole red dry chilies
To Garnish:-
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut
To serve with:-
Tamarind Chutney
Fresh Mint Coriander Chutney

Another Recipe from my friend , Rajni :-), I bet you will love this too.

Serves 4
Ingredients :-

FOR DHOKLA:-
BESAN--250gms
LEMON JUICE--1/2 BOWL
1 inch piece of GINGER , grated
GREEN CHILLI, finely chpped
SALT
FRESH CORIANDER LEAVES
ENO

FOR TADKA:-
MUSTARD SEEDS--50gms
LEMON JUICE--2 BOWL
SUGAR--1 CUP
CURRY LEAVES
1 CUP WATER
GREEN CHILLI--15-2NOS.(split it into two pieces)
AND VERY LITTLE OIL.

Mix the besan with the yogurt and enough warm water to form a thick batter. Mix in the baking soda and turmeric and leave to ferment for about 1 hour in a warm place.
Using motar and pestle, crush the green chili and ginger to a fine paste. Add to the besan and yogurt mixture. Add salt and lemon juice and mix well.
Grease a shallow cake pan . Pour the batter into the mold and bake at 375F for 10 to 15 minutes. The batter will have risen to about 1 1/2 inches. Leave to cool and cut into large cubes. Arrange on a serving dish.
Heat oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle, pour over the cooked Dhoklas.
Serve garnished with chopped cilantro, grated coconut and the green Chutney.

Spicy Samosa

2007-06-03T08:48:00.000-06:00

TO MAKE the DOUGH:
2 cups maida or all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Ajwain seeds

TO Make the pastry, sift maida and salt into a bowl, then rub in ghee (Khasta style) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add Ajwain seeds. Add warm water, a little at a time, to make a stiff but pliable dough. Knead for another 5 minutes and leave covered with wet cloth for 20 to 30 minutes.

TO MAKE the filling:

4 large russet potatoes, boiled and smashed
1/2 cup peas
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, dry roasted and grind
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, dry roasted and grind
3 tablespoon of canola oil
1 large vadilla onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paste of ginger, garlic and green chillies
2 teaspoon salt for seasoning
1 teaspoon amchur powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

oil for deep frying

TO make the filling heat the oil in a deep skillet and fry onions until light brown. Stir in the paste of ginger, garlic and chillies. Fry for another couple of minutes. Add all the dry masala .Add potatoes, lemon juice, and garam masala. Salt to taste and leave to cool.

ON a floured surface, roll out the pastry to 12 inch circle and then cut it in halves with the help of a pizza cutter. Take one piece and form a hollow cone by folding the dough in half and sealing the two edges with water. fill in with the potato mix. Seal the top edges, then pinch to give a fluted finish. Repeat the same with remaining dough and filling.
Fill a karahi upto 3/4 full with oil and heat to 350F. Deep fry all the samosas till golden brown. Drain them in wire rack and keep warm in an oven.

GULAB JAMUN

2007-05-31T09:08:00.001-06:00

Literally translated to mean rose-flavoured plum, it is an extremely popular sweet in India. Its made by soaking chenna balls in sugar syrup. The syrup itself is flavoured by rose water and saffron. A pinch of ground cardamom is also added to the dough as well as syrup to give it extra kick.

Syrup:
2 cups sugar
3 cups of water
5 drops of rose water
a pinch of saffron
a pinch of ground cardamom

Gulabjamuns:

1 cup of powdered milk
2 tablespoons of self rising flour
2 teaspoon fine semolina( sooji)
2 tablespoons ghee
4 tablespoons milk, to mix
few pistachio
canola oil for deep frying

TO MAKE the syrup , put the sugar in a large heavy-based saucepan with water. Stir over low eat to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat and bring it to rolling boil and boil for 3 more minutes. Stir in rose water, saffron and cardamom powder and remove from heat.

TO MAKE the gulab jamuns, mix powdered milk,flour, semolina and ghee in a bowl. Add enough milk to make soft non stick dough. mix until smooth, then divide into 24 equal portioned balls. Fill a karahi or deep saucepan with oil. Heat it to 300F .Don't heat too much because this will burn you jamuns and inside will remain uncooked. Fry the balls in batches over low heat until golden brown all over. Keep stirring them while frying for getting even color. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel for 1 minute. Transfer to lukewarm syrup. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Palak Pakodi Kadhi

2007-04-30T13:24:00.000-06:00

Fried Spinach(palak) Dumplings(Pakodi) simmered in a mildly spiced yogurt curry!!
Prep Tim : 20 min
Cooking time: 10 min
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
For Palak Pakodis
1 cup of chopped spinach leaves
1/4 cup Besan( Bengal Gram flour)
1/2 teaspoon chilli and coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
a pinch of soda bi-carbonate( Baking soda)
salt to taste

For the Kadhi:
1 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons besan
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)
1 small onion , chopped
1 large or two medium garlic , chopped finely
salt to taste

For Tadka:
1 tablespoon oil
5-6 curry leaves
1 red chilli
a pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon methi seeds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

METHOD:
For frying palak Pakodis:

Mix everything except oil in a bowl, using a little water to make a soft dough.
Divide into 12-14 equal portion by ice cream scoop or measuring spoon. Shap into even sized rounds using wet hands.
Deep fry until golden brown and drain on paper towel. Keep aside .

For the Kadhi:

Yogurt Mix:: Mix yogurt and besan in a bowl. Add turmeric to it and keep aside.
In a deep skillet take 2 tbsp of oil and fry onions and garlic until fragrant.
Add Yogurt mix to it and add enough water to increase the volume by 2.5 times. Boil for 5 min until besan gets cooked. Turn the gas to low heat and let it simmer for 12 minutes. Stir every 3 minutes. Add salt and sugar.
For Tadka: In a small wok , heat oil on high heat . Add all the seeds and let them crackle. Add chill powder and curry leaves. Take off from flame and pour it over the Kadhi.
Add the pakodis to the kadhi and serve hot with steamed rice to chappati.

Chicken Pineapple rice

2007-04-30T13:12:00.000-06:00

ingredients:

2 1/2 cups long-grain white rice or Basmati
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
3 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger
5 scallions (white and pale green parts separated from greens), finely chopped
1 red bell pepper , diced into cubes
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 chilli sauce
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup diced (1/4 inch) cored peeled fresh pineapple
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon MSG (optional)

preparation

Rinse rice in several changes of cold water in a large bowl until water runs clear. Drain in a colander.

Transfer rice to a 4-quart heavy saucepan, then add water (3 1/3 cups) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until steam holes appear on surface and water is absorbed, about 13 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, tightly covered and undisturbed, 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and spread in a large shallow baking pan to cool quickly, about 45 minutes. Chill, covered with plastic wrap, at least 4 hours.

Heat a wok or heavy skillet over moderate heat .Pour oil around side of wok, then tilt wok to swirl oil, coating side. When oil just begins to smoke, stir-fry ginger, white and pale green parts of scallions, and salt until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken and MSG .Add both soy sauce and chilli sauce and stir fry for a minut. Crumble rice into wok and stir-fry until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat, then add scallion greens, Red bell pepper, pineapple, and sesame oil, tossing to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Tips:

Trick to Chinese cooking in chopping all the ingredients ahead and making an assembly ready.
Plain rice can be chilled up to 1 day. If you make it fresh, wash it with running cold water after cooking in a colander and then spread evenly on a tray.

Sheer Khurma...classic Muslim dessert

2007-04-21T13:59:00.000-06:00

The favorite sweet dish, the traditional sheer khurma, is prepared in almost every Muslim household.Hint of Kewara water and Saffron makes it an out of this world lip smacking dessert. When someone mentions dessert, I always think first about sheer khurma. This is the recipe given to me by my mother-in-law.

1 gallon of whole milk
1 cup sugar
8 dried dates
6-8 whole cardamoms
1\4 cup ghee
7 seeds of cardamom (crushed).
1 cup of vermicelli (savaiya)
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried coconut
1/2 cup chopped almond
1/4 cup raisins
1tsp kewera essence, diluted or 1\4 tsp., if concentrated
little saffron for garnish

Soak 3 dried dates and coconut in water for 1hour, until soft. then thinly slice them.
In a pot add milk, water, 5 dried dates and cardamoms and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or until about 3/4 th of the milk is left. Strain milk through a fine sieve. Discard the dates and cardamoms and reserve milk.
Heat ghee in pan add crushed cardamom seeds, when they pop and splutter add vermicelli and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add pistachios, coconut, almond, raisins and dates and fry for 2 more minutes.
Add warm milk to it, bring to boil and cook for 5-8 minutes, until cooked through.
Add sugar and cook until sugar has completely dissolved. Just before removing from heat add kevera essence and garnish with saffron.

Gajjar Halwa ( Carrot pudding)..a classic!!

2007-04-21T13:37:00.000-06:00

1 lb Organic Carrots
1 gallon Organic whole Milk
1/2 sweet condensed full milk
1 teaspoon Cardamom seeds,crushed
3 tablespoons Ghee
2 tablespoons Raisins
2 tablespoons Almonds
2 tablespoons Pistachios
few cashews
2 Tbsp sugar

Wash and grate the carrots. Using a food processor makes it much easier. But people like me who don't have it, can use box grater. It only takes 15 minutes. But be careful , don't lose any flesh!! Keep aside for later use. You can also do this a day ahead and keep it covered in Ice box.
Take milk and reduce it to its half the volume by boiling and stirring it constantly.
Take a deep skillet, use aluminium if you have one. Heat Ghee in it and fry carrots until they become soft, usually take 7 to 8 minutes.
Add the the reduced milk and condensed milk. Cook on a low flame for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sugar, mix well and cook till the sugar has dissolved and all the milk has been absorbed.
Add a little ghee and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the slightly crushed cardamoms and the raisins. Mix well.
Remove the gajjar halwa from heat and arrange in a serving dish. Garnish with almonds and pistachios. Serve cold, hot or at room temperature.

Taste even better with Falooda Ice cream or full flavoured vanilla ice cream.

Malai Kofta..Cheese dumplings in rich Cashew

2007-04-16T15:54:00.000-06:00

A very versatile Muglai Style Malai Kofta only made to please the palates of kings in ancient times. Nowadays , its made all the time whenever you are expecting special guest or it is a festival season. At my home it was made during "Rakhi" , a festival, and was so tasty that I don't remember having any leftovers. After making this I think that this can be a very good entry for Nupur's Blog Event!!

For Kofta or Cheese Dumplings:
Boiled potatoes 2 no.
Paneer 1 cup.
Chopped green chilies 1 tsp.
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Oil for deep frying -
Salt As per taste

For Gravy
Boiled onion paste 1 cup
Green chili(chopped) ½ tsp.
Garlic paste 1 tbsp.
Ginger paste 1 tbsp.
Fresh cream ½ cup
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp.
Garam Masala powder 1 tsp.
Tomato puree ½ cup
Puree of 4-5 large soaked Cashews(optional)
Red chili powder 1 tsp.
Oil 2 tbsp.
Salt As per taste

Method:
1.Peel and grate boiled potatoes and paneer. Add everything from chopped green chilies to cream and salt. Mix well.
2.Divide into 16 equal sized balls. Stuff raisins into them. Deep fry in hot oil until slightly colored. Keep aside. Or just microwave it on high for 45 minutes.
3.Heat oil in a kadai or skillet. Add boiled onion paste and cook for 5 minutes.
4.Add ginger and garlic paste, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for a minute. Add tomato puree and red chili powder and cook on a medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Add garam masala powder.
5.OPTIONAL STEP: Add puree of cashew. Bring it to boil and simmer for 5 minutes on low heat.
6.Put koftas in a serving dish and pour hot gravy on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Note: In this malai kofta receipe , the koftas should be put in just before eating the dish or else they will turn soggy.One may alter both malai and chillies as per taste and calories allowed, to make it as bland or hot as per individual preference.

Doi Maach (Fish in light mustard yogurt sauce)

2007-04-14T12:02:00.000-06:00

Doi (Yogurt in Bengali) and Maach (Fish , Bengali) is a very staple main course from Bengali cuisine. Its a very light recipe and can be even eaten daily. We all know that fish is good for us , right? It requires minimum spices and also the sauce is very mild. Growing up in Bengali culture, we used to eat fish every other day. But they were all fresh water fishes and always caught wild. Nothing can be compared to the sweet, juicy and heavenly taste of those fishes. I had a hard time adjusting with the taste of the fishes here in States. I therefore always prefer cooking with wild-caught Buffalo fish , which is very abundant in Minnesota.

All we need::
Ingredients..
3 fresh tilapia or catfish fillets cut into pieces, even Mahimahi works great!!
Spices to marinate fish in: 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp each of turmeric, red chili powder,and salt

Marinate the sliced pieces of fish in above mix for 15-20 minutes. Don't over-marinate as lemon juice will start cooking the fish raw.

For Sauce:
3-4 Tbsp of mustard oil
1/2 Kalunji or Nigella seeds
1/2 cup grated red onion
1/2 cup grated tomato
1 tbsp each of finely chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup yogurt beaten with 1 tbsp ground mustard paste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Fry the fish in mustard oil until partially done (but not fully cooked). Remove and keep aside. In the same oil add nigella seeds. Wait until they crackle. Add onion, green chillies, garlic and ginger. Fry until oil separates. Add tomato and stir for a minute. Add salt, turmeric and coriander powder. Add yogurt and cover tightly with a lid. Simmer of 3 minutes. Gravy should be light , if its not add water until it reaches the consistency of a soup. Add fish and simmer covered. Just before serving top with sliced green chillies and lots of cilantro.

Dahi Bhindi (Okra in mild yogurt gravy)

2007-04-13T15:18:00.000-06:00

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp Ajwain seeds (Carom)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium size red onion, sliced lengthwise
20-25 good fresh Okra, Ladyfinger or Bhindi (Hindi)
1 vine ripe tomato , seeded and sliced lengthwise
1/2 inch ginger, ground into paste
2 cloves of garlic , ground into paste
1/2 tbsp each of turmeric, coriander powder
2 fresh green chillies, diced
2 tbsp thick plain yogurt, whisked
1/2 cup thick plain yogurt whisked with water until the consistency of buttermilk
1/2 tsp paprika
few drops of lemon juice
fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in deep skillet and add Ajwain and cumin seeds. After they start to crackle add onion and stir until translucent. Add Okra , ginger, and tomato. Cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Add garlic, turmeric and coriander powder. stir for a minute. Stir in whisked yogurt(2 tbsp) and cook covered for 3 minutes until Okra gets cooked.
In different pan Take 1/2 cup yogurt whisked with water , heat until there are no lumps. Stir in chopped cilantro and paprika. Stir this yogurt gravy over the Okra and stir in few drops of lemon juice.

Lobiya aur Aloo ki Chaat..Yumoo!!

2007-04-12T07:47:00.000-06:00

Made for participating in Nupur's Blogevent: "L is for.........."
Lobiya is also known as Chawli or Jhurga, in Hindi. Here we call it Black Eyed Peas. Its one of the most versatile variety in beans. It can be just eaten with salt ,pepper and lemon juice. In south its mostly used for making soups, gumbos, and cakes. Chat is like nachoes of Indian food. Its a very popular street food of India. This particular chat recipe was given to me by my Mother in Law. I also add diced apples, chopped red grapes ,and pomegranate seeds to it. You will be surprised by how good it taste.

Ingredients:

Black eyed peas, 1 cup, soaked overnight and boiled until tender, drain and keep aside
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped very fine
2 medium sized roma tomato, deseeded and chopped
1 red onion , diced
1 boiled potatoe chopped
1 cup yogurt spiced with 1 tsp black salt and 1 tsp chat masala and lemon juice
Varities of namkeens like Haldirram's Aloo sev , Katha metha , Doritoes (crumbled)
1 pack of Kurkure
few pieces of Papdi
2 Tbsp of lemon juice
chopped cilantro and mint
For Tamarind Chutney:We also get them at ethnic stores or regular grocery stores. Maggi's Tamarind Sauce can also be substituted.
1 cup Cleaned Tamarind,soaked in hot water for 30 minutes.
1/2 cup dates, deseeded and chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp black salt (kala namak)
salt to taste
3/4 cup jaggery

1. Add 5 cups of water to tamarind. Cook on a high flame to bring it to a boil.
Simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pass it through a soup strainer and mix roasted cumin powder, black salt, dry
ginger powder, red chili powder, Garam Masala Powder, jaggery and salt.
3. Bring it back to a medium heat and simmer on a slow flame for about 10
minutes till jaggery completely dissolves and the sauce gets a semi thick liquid
consistency.

For Green Chutney:We also get them at ethnic stores or regular grocery stores.I always keep this particular chutney handy, Swad Mint Chutney
Mint or spearmintleaves, 1/2 cup
Green coriander leaves, 1/2 cup
Green chili 5 no.
Lemon juice 1 tbsp.
Onion 3 nos.
Anardana powder 2 tbsp.
Salt As per taste
Mix everything and blend it in a blender.
Assembly of chat::
Take a deep pie plate and mix together Lobiya, onions, tomatoes , green chillies, and yogurt.
Top with all varieties of namkeens and papdi. Sprinkle with chat masala, little salt and lemon juice.Garnish with cilantro, remaining onions , tomatoes and mint. Dash with mint chutney and Tamarind sauce.

Crunchy Palak Paneer..well almost!!

2007-04-09T18:51:00.000-06:00

You must be interested to know why is it almost crunchy. I had this recipe for quite a long while but wasn't getting around to make it. Last night I went to an Indian Grocery store where a friend of mine suggested me to buy ready made paneer of this particular brand, he claimed that it almost homemade. Well I never buy paneer from store, I think that milk products are never ever fresh and original if they are frozen. It hardly takes few hours for making paneer from scratch at home , so why risk eating milk product with artificial binders like Xanthum Gum in them!! But thats just me.

To make paneer crunchy I followed the recipe but didn't like it that much. I guess the coating they are asking for is bit out of taste. I would rather just fry the pieces without coating in few Tbsp of oil. I had few uncoated pieces of paneer left so I added them as well!! Meanwhile crunchy fried pieces made good garnish for the dish. My 11 month old also loved eating paneer. Its just melts like ice cream in mouth and it has so much flavour too.

Ingredients for the Sauce:
3 tbsp canola oil or any vegetable oil
whole spices:
1/2 cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
2 green cardamom
1 bay leaf

1 large red onion , finely diced
2 cloves of garlic , minced
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tbsp of tomato paste or puree of 1 large tomato
1/2 tsp sugar
Dry Ground Spices:
1 tsp coriander powder
11/2 tsp kashmiri lal mirch powder or paprika
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt

1lb fresh spinach, washed and chopped or 1 frozen pack of chopped spinach
3 tbsp of heavy cream
few tbsp of water

For Paneer:
Homemade Paneer from 1 gallon of organic whole milk or use 6~7 oz of frozen pack
Oil for frying
1 tbsp semolina (sooji)
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt

small handful coriander leaves, finely chopped, to garnish
1 tsp lemon juice

1. For the sauce, heat the oil in a pan, add whole spices and onion and cook for about three minutes until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for a minute.
2. Add the all the dry ground spices. Stir over the heat to release the flavours of the spices.
3. Add the tomato paste and sugar and simmer for ten minutes.
4. Meanwhile, for the paneer, place the garam masala, salt and pepper, and semolina in a large bowl and mix well.
5. Place the cubed paneer into the bowl and coat well with the spiced semolina.
6. Pour the vegetable oil into a deep frying pan to a depth of about ½in. When hot, add the coated paneer and fry until crisp and golden.
7. Add the thawed chopped spinach and two tablespoons of water to the tomato sauce, stir in and cook until the spinach wilts. Cook for 6-7 minutes and then add cream to it.
8. Fold the paneer into the sauce.
9. To serve, garnish with the coriander and squeeze over the lemon juice.

Hariyali Egg Curry

2007-04-04T17:02:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

6 eggs(boiled, peeled, and halved)
1 pack of frozen spinach
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf

Grind together:"Masala"
1 red onions chopped roughly
1/2 inch of ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 green chillies ,chopped
1 roma tomatoes sliced

4 tbs oil
salt to taste

Dry Spices:
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 red chilli powder
1/2 coriander powder
1/2 nutmeg powder

Method:

Microwave spinach and squeeze out all the water in a colander or you can also use "viva" brand paper towels for it. Grind spinach to a very fine paste and keep aside.

Heat oil in a deep skillet and add bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add cumin seeds. After they crackle add the masala and fry until golden brown.Add all the dry spices and salt. Add spinach paste, and check for seasoning. Fry until the paste separates from oil. Add a little chicken stock or water to dilute the gravy. Cover and simmer for few minutes.

Just before serving cut all eggs with serrated knife(the kind you use for cakes) into halves and add to the gravy. Garnish with chopped cilantro . For variation you can also drizzle some room temperature cream. It is important to add eggs at the very last moment otherwise yolks become soggy and don't hold well.

Tomato chicken

2007-04-03T16:16:00.000-06:00

Tomato Chicken masala is a rich creamy chicken recipe which is favorite in my family. Takes very less time to cook and taste reminds of dhaba stlye chicken dish from India. I have been cooking this recipe for years and is also in very high demand among my friends.

Marinate 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast pieces with 1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder, 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 3 Tbsp of yogurt, and salt. Keep aside for at least one hour.
Take a deep skillet and heat 5 Tbsp canola oil and heat it over medium high heat. Add 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick ,3 green cardamom and 3 cloves to it. Fry till they leave aroma. Take care not to burn bay leaf. To this add 1 large finely chopped onions. Fry till crisp. Add finely chopped 2 green chillies, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp coriander powder, and 3 tsp chicken masala powder. Fry for few minutes and then add marinated chicken and 2 Tbsp tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered. Add water as required and cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and sprinkle lemon juice. Serve with naan or jeera rice.

Puran Poli

2007-04-02T16:26:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

For Sweet Filling:
2 cups Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal)
2 cups grated Jaggery
1 tsp powdered Cardamom
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
few strands of saffron

For Dough
1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour (maida)
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup oil
and water as required

Procedure:
Make a soft dough with flour , oil ,salt and water. Cover with damp cloth and keep aside. Boil Bengal gram in plenty of water until tender. Drain the water and return it back to the stove .Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, and jaggery to it. Cook over medium heat until the jaggery melts. Stir it o make sure that it is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mixture leaves the side of the vessel.
Remove from heat and grind it in a mixer or blender. Add saffron and "Puran " is ready.
Make round balls (about 2 inch. diameter) of this dough. Roll one ball a little bit and make a flat disc. Place some puran (about twice the quantity of outer dough) in the center of this flat disc.Seal the ball tightly. Roll again to make thin puran polis of 6 to 7 inch. diameter. Use flour for smooth rolling. Heat a flat griddle. On a medium flame, roast one side. Flip it and roast another side. Do not flip the sides over and over. Roast till golden brown.
Serve with Pure Ghee (clarified butter) smeared on top. I love to eat it with Instant homemade punjabi pickle( a trick I picked from eating at Gurudwara Langar) and mint yogurt.

Quiche with Cheddar and Parmesan

2007-03-27T14:24:00.000-06:00

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup cooked stir-fried vegetables(scallions, broccoli, red bell pepper, peas, corns, and mushrooms)
2 water chestnuts ,chopped
1 cup ricotta cheese or use homemade paneer
3/4 cup grated Extra Sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup milk
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon dried oregano or Herb de Provence(careful, dry herbs are lot stronger than fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan

1 Pie-pan or tart pan

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Press pie crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan (or 9-inch pie pan).
In a large bowl, combine spinach, stir-fried vegetables and place on top of uncooked crust.
In another bowl combine ricotta, cheddar, milk, eggs, herb de provence, salt, and black pepper. Mix well. Spoon cheese mixture on top of vegetable mixture in prepared pie crust and top with Parmesan.
Bake 20 minutes, until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean and crust is golden brown.

Chicken Pot Pie..Ultimate Comfort Food

2007-03-27T07:45:00.000-06:00

Sometimes you just need to have a one pot hearty dish. Yesterday I was grocery shopping in the afternoon. For some reason I just didn't get time for lunch before going out. While I was browsing freezer section for frozen vegetables, my eyes caught "Chicken Pot Pie" ..so I thought why don't I buy this handy pie for lunch. All I had to do was to pop that in microwave for 2 minutes. I have always been a chicken pot pie lover. I rushed home and first thing I did was to microwave it . When I ate the first bite....hummmmmm. I was utterly disappointed. The crust was very bland and soggy. Not to mention seasoning was almost nill in the filling. So I decided to have it my way.

This pie is silky and rich, but I've streamlined it by substituting little milk for most part of the heavy cream in the velouté sauce and sautéing the vegetables oil first instead of butter. But it's still very satisfying!! This pot pie is especially quick when you top it with store-bought puff pastry, it makes my life easier!! Adding curry powder and coriander powder gives it a very Indian twist.

For Crust: Pillsbury's Pie Crust ,one sheet , thawed and rolled on a floured surface.

Chicken Filling:

4 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
3/4 pound white button mushrooms, quartered if very large or buy the chopped onces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
16 fresh pearl onions, peeled and blanched for 5 minutes in boiling water, or 16 frozen pearl onions, thawed
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup water chestnuts (buy the small can and drain out the liquid)
1 pound poached chicken breasts or boneless leftover chicken, cut into chunks (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup of "mashed potatoes or cauliflower"

Butter, for preparing the baking dish
2 tablespoons egg wash
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or paprika
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Serves 6

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a simmer,add Thyme, and simmer for 4 minutes. Strain the stock into a heatproof jug and set aside. Remove and discard the thyme.

In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and sauté the onion and the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, or until they are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add salt and pepper to taste, remove from the heat and set aside. Take care not to add salt before all the liquid from mushroom has evaporated.

In a different saucepan add the butter and heat it over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour to make a thick paste. Return the pan to the heat and stir the flour roux until it is bubbling but not brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Gradually add the reserved chicken stock all at once, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Add the milk and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes, or until it is thickened, stirring occasionally to keep the sauce at the bottom of the pan from scorching. Remove from the heat and stir in the carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions, parsley, chicken, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter the bottom and sides but not the top edge of a round or oval ceramic baking dish, about 1 1/2-quart capacity, and set it aside.

Quickly roll out the dough between 2 large sheets of plastic wrap to a size that will fit over your baking dish.

Turn the chicken filling into the baking dish and brush the top edge of the dish with some of the milk. Layer the top with garlicky mashed potatoes and then with water chestnuts. Trust me, you will not regret adding water chestnuts. They give the dish a wonderful body and adds crunch to every bite.

Gently invert the dough over the baking dish, using the plastic to transfer it, then peel away the remaining plastic. Gently press the edges with the fork to secure them to the dish. With a sharp knife, cut 2 steam vents in the top, then brush the top of the dough lightly with milk or egg wash. Sprinkle cayenne pepper and Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake the pie for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300°F. Continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until the crust is shiny and golden. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Mashed Cauliflower, a Low carb option

2007-03-21T11:30:00.000-06:00

I don't claim that I have started on a low-carb diet, but sometimes I do like to have them specially when I am sharing the plate with my 10 month baby! She loves mashed potatoes like anything. Thought of experimenting on her with cauliflower, guess she loved it even more!! I like the texture of it as its more smashed than mashed. I boil the whole head of the cauliflower in water that makes it less soggy.
I played around with the basic recipe as per my taste. I added lots of scallions and red bell peppers to it. Also by adding garlic powder I don't even feel like I am missing on potatoes!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 head cauliflower, leaves removed
2 Tablespoons (or more) unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
a good pinch of garlic powder
1/2 cup scallions, only greens
1/4 cup diced red bell peppers
1/4 heavy cream
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 hot sauce
1/4 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

You can cook the cauliflower by either boiling it in water or in the microwave.

1. To boil: Separate the cauliflower into florets. Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the whole head of cauliflower and cover and cook about 12 minutes or until fork tender.To microwave: Completely remove the leaves and trim the stem. Rinse and wrap in plastic wrap. Microwave for about 10 minutes or until soft.
2.Smash the cauliflower with a fork and add the above ingredients. You are free to cut on butter and replace it by EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil).
3. Sprinkle with extra scallions and peppers . Adding cheddar cheese and Parmesan in optional but I don't skip on Parmesan at all!! serve as a side with chicken..

Chicken Haripyaaza (chicken with green herbs)

2007-03-20T16:57:00.000-06:00

When you cook certain recipes, mainly Indian, you got to have three main ingredients very handy in the kitchen. These are, at least in mine, tomatoes, Onions, and garlic. Well what do I cook without onion and garlic! I can fairly manage without tomatoes as ,through my cooking experiences, I have learned to replace it with other similar canned products. This recipe is an outcome one such mishap. I was counting on an only tomato that I had in my pantry. Well when I picked it up it turned out to be already gone bad. Well how do I make my chicken gravy without it? Hummm...never to worry..Just go and open up your refrigerator. I had good fresh herbs, which I always store in a breathable long plastic containers with little water in it. I got scallions, cilantro and mint..Thanks to the new Thai Store that is just a block away from my place. They have amazing selection of fresh herbs like scallions, various varieties of squash (karela and Lauki), cilantro, chives and sweet Basil. I didnt know what to name this recipe , but had to come up with something . SO here it is ..Chicken Haripyaaza( lots of scallions).

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp of canola oil
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup green parts of scallion
1 cup diced chunks of red bell pepper
good chefs pinch of Kasuri Methi ( Dried Fenugreek leaves,Optional)

Puree together:
1 cup cilantro
1/2 scallion , only white and light green parts
1/2 fresh mint
2 cloves of garlic
3-4 leaves of sweet basil
1 large green jalapeno pepper

3 pounds of diced pieces of uncooked chicken breast( I prefer thighs over breast)
1/2 cup Heavy cream or yogurt
Dry Spices:
3/4 Tbsp of kosher salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
a pinch of sugar

In a deep skillet, take oil and heat it on medium high. Add cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add Onions and stir till translucent. Add the puree and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken and all the dry spices. Add chopped scallions. Stir till oil starts separating from the sides. Add little water to it and turn the heat to medium low . Cover the skillet and let the chicken simmer in that sauce for 10 minutes. Your nose and neighbours will know that you are cooking something special today!Just after chicken is well cooked stir in the cream and heat it further for 2 minutes. Add little dried Fenugreek leaves(kasuri methi) to it and serve hot with naan , paratha, or rice. Don't forget to garnish with lots of scallions.

Lotsa garlic Eggplant Dip

2007-03-19T12:50:00.000-06:00

1 1/2 pound Eggplants
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 finely chopped fresh green chilies
1 roma tomato, seeded and finely diced
3/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chopped scallions( only green part)
1 Tbsp key lime juice or lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil(EVOO)

Place the whole eggplants (rubbed with little oil) under a preheated broiler and broil for 30 minutes until the skin is black and the flesh is still soft and pulp. remove from broiler and let cool for few minutes. Peel the skin off and mash the pulp with a fork or potato masher.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the eggplants and stir well. Garnish with Lemon rind or scallions .Serve with hot naan or chips.

Chicken Ring Cake_a very antique recipe

2007-03-13T16:26:00.000-06:00

Created for Meeta's Monthly Mingle# 8

When we talk about savory cakes , its very hard to think something that might stand out.. First I thought of making cake with roasted vegetable layer filled with gelatin soup. But then it was lot of work for me. So when I was searching for some shortcuts, this recipe rescued me.

Its rather a splashy entree for luncheon or a buffet supper. It is a traditional dish in the Middles west and the West, where the tendency to be fancy with the dishes is prevalent. When I saw the recipe in my very old cookbook ,given to me by aunt, I thought that its just another bland dish. Any how I had to try it out and the roundup was near. I got all the ingredients and rolled mt sleeves up for and adventure. Yeah, cake of chicken!! Original recipe calls for tongue(lamb) to be blended with the dark meat. But I skipped and rather added my original twist to it, Ooh ya...lots of extra sharp cheddar and hot jalapeno peppers. It surprisingly turned out to be very good.

2 Poached Chickens of up to 4 pounds
1/2 cup pecans
1 jalapeno pepper
1 cup shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese
5 water chestnuts
4 eggs , separated and beaten
1 cup light cream
1 pound mushrooms sauteed in 3 tbsp each of butter and oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced finely

Sauce:
3 tbsp butter 3 tbsp flour
1 cup full flavoured chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry powder or "garam masala"
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/3 cup Madeira
Extra: 8 cup ring mould or even bundt pan will do

Poaching Chicken

Homemade Chicken Broth: residue of poached chicken

Always start with a cold liquid. Starting with hot liquid will cause proteins in the meat to coagulate and starches in the vegetable to gelatinize too quickly, which will reduce the flavour. Generally chicken broth take 2-3 hours to get cooked properly. Place the chicken and water in a large pot, enough water to cover the chicken.
Bring water to a boil , skim any foam from the surface. Adjust the heat to simmer.
Add onions, celery ,carrots, parsnip ,whole black peppercorn , 4 parsley stems, 2 bay leaves, and coarse sea salt.
Cover partially and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove chicken from the liquid and let it cool. Dice or shred the meat. Discard the skin and the bone.
Strain the broth through a fine sieve and discard the solids.

Separate dark meat (meat from thighs and legs) and white meat ( meat from breast).
Grind dark meat with pecans and water chestnuts.
Add beaten egg yolks and light cream , and blend well. Add finely diced pepper and cheese.
Fold in the whites, beaten until stiff but not dry, they should hold firm peaks.
Butter ring mold well and pour the mixture into the mold.
Set ring mold in a pan of hot water and bake at 350 degrees approx. for 45 minutes, or until puffy and rather firm to touch.
While the ring is baking, saute a mushrooms and onions in butter and oil, and cut the White meat of the chicken into cubes.
Prepare the Sauce: Melt the butter over medium heat, blend in flour, and cook a minute or two . Add the broth , stir until nicely thickened, then add the cream. Add all other dry spices.Combine with chicken white meat and mushrooms, correct the seasoning , add Madeira, and cook for few more minutes.
To Serve: Invert the ring on a platter, fill the center with chicken-mushroom mixture and garnish with chopped Parsley. I served it on a bed of rice sauteed with green peas and corn and drizzled it with hot sauce and pickeled peppers. On side goes veggie crisp of tomato and spinach. Other variation:: Served with Saffron rice and watermelon pickle.

We are just two of us, so had lots of leftover. I tried to be even more creative the next day. I cut my cake into huge cubes and refried them in canola oil to very crisp. Along side I made some salad and had Pudina Chutney for dipping. It tasted very good..just like fried Paneer.....non vegetarian though!!

Homemade Pizza with Pizzaz...Its so easy!!

2007-03-08T23:47:00.000-06:00

Inspired by the ongoing event at ‘MBP (current month) 2007′

So lets Roll..some Pizza, for which you really don't need a rolling pin!!

When is a pizza not a pizza? When its a focaccia( pizza bread), or a calzone (stuffed pizza) , or any one of the delicious members of the extended family . But we will start here by making basic pizza crust which can be later altered to make calzone or cheese sticks. There are also different variations on the style of making pizza. The big daddy of the whole clan is Chicago-style pizza, which is multi-layered and deep dish.

Making pizza from scratch is very easy and fun. The dough can be made by hand , or by food processor, or heavy duty mixer to mix it up.

Dough
1 envelope active dry yeast ( 1/4 oz. )
1 cup warm water (100-110F water temp)
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon olive oil (EVOO) plus extra for brushing.
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon white cornmeal
A rolling pin dusted with flour

Topping can be of your choice. I had mushrooms, onions, broccoli, green bell peppers, and tomato. For cheese I used Italian six cheese blend plus extra Parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Sprinkle yeast over water in a measuring cup. Add sugar to it. Let it stand for 5 minutes until slightly creamy. Stir until yeast dissolves.

In a large bowl combine flour, salt. Add the yeast water and oil slowly and stir until it forms a soft dough. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Dust your hand with flour and knead until dough is smooth and springs back when pinched, about 10 minutes, adding little bit more flour as necessary to prevent it from sticking.

Oil the surface of another bowl and and also the top surface of the dough.Place the dough into that bowl and cover with damp cheesecloth. Let it stand for 45 minutes at room temp. It will get doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven to 400 F .Lightly oil a round pizza pan and sprinkle with white cornmeal.

After 45 min, divide the dough into two equal parts and roll out with a floured rolling pin on a floured surface. Gently stretch and flatten out the dough to a 12 inch circle. Cover and let rise it for the second time for 20 minutes. Pierce dough at intervals with a fork. This will make sure that all the carbon released by yeast doesn't gets trapped in the dough.

Just before putting it in the oven , brush it liberally with EVOO and bake for 6 min or until it gets light brown in color. Take it out and let it cool. At this point you can either freeze(for upto 2 months) it or can use it immediately with your favourite store bought pizza sauce and toppings.

Gazpacho, cold spanish soup

2007-03-08T09:59:00.000-06:00

Cold vegetable soups are often popular hot-weather offering around the world. These soups range in texture from the appealing coarseness of a gazpacho to the variety smoothness of a chilled melon soup. This tangy blend of tomato, cucumber, pepper, and onion is my all time summer favorite. This soup has a very short shelf life, because the tomatoes sour very quickly.

3 medium ripe tomatoes, peeled , seeded and diced, reserve juices (about 3 cups)
2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and finely diced(abt 2 cups)
1 medium onions, finely diced (1 1/4 cups) , optional , or can also use shallots (much milder)
1 medium red bell pepper, finely diced
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsps tomato paste
2 Tbsps EVOO
2 Tbsps minced parsley

3 cups canned tomato juice (Sacramento Tomato or V-8)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup croutons
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

Reserve 2 Tbsp each of tomato, cucumber, onion, and pepper, for garnish.
Puree the remaining tomato, cucumber, onion, and pepper in a blender along with garlic, tomato paste, olive oil, and herbs until smooth, but not to smooth.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the tomato juice along with the red-wine vinegar, lemon juice, salt and cayenne to taste. Cover and chill thoroughly, at least 3 hrs, or overnight.

After chilling , check seasoning. Serve in chilled bowls, garnished with the reserved vegetables, croutons, and chives.

* Didn't get to take any picture for display as I was in hurry to leave for my spring vacation, a winter getaway in other words, to Lanesboro.

Weekend cookie bakeoff__Sugar Saucers

2007-03-04T14:21:00.000-06:00

As the name suggests, I bake these cookies as big as saucers. Its a variation on traditional sugar cookies, very crisp on the outside and super tender on the inside. As other cookies its not very sweet. You decide how big you want these cookies to be. Just remember, bigger they are, longer they bake. For variation you can add almond paste and pure almond extract and top off with a blanched almonds. Other variation would be to make them with lemon zest and juice in place of vanilla.

Along with them I also made Oatmeal chocolate cookies. We all know that oatmeal is good for health, right? It also makes me less guilty of eating so much chocolate.

For my chocolate craving I decorated my sugar cookies with morsels.

Yields: 1 dozen 4-inch cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature

1/2 cup good canola oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 large egg at room temp

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

a pinch of kosher salt

In a mixing bowl, beat butter for 1 minute until light yellow in color.
One ingredient at a time , add oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla, beating on medium speed after each addition.
Stir in flour , baking soda, ans salt all at once and mix with spatula on low speed. Besting too much will develop the gluten in flour and it will make the cookies heavy instead of light and fluffy.
Refrigerate the dough about 1 hr or freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to handle.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.
Using ice cream scoop drop the dough into the prepared baking sheet. Each cookie should be at least 2 inches apart. Press the dough evenly by gently pressing with your fingers or palm to flatten it.
Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges turn golden.
Let them rest on sheet for at least 10 minutes and then transfer them to the cooling rack .
Sprinkle with powdered sugar . The cookies can be kept fresh for 4 days at room temperature. It can also be freezon for upto to 1 month.

'F' for 'Fenugreek" -- Gobhi Methi Ka Tuk

2007-03-03T08:47:00.000-06:00

Cauliflower or "Gobhi"

For Nupur's Blog event:

This is another entry for series, "F". Most of the ingredients can be found at local supermarkets. But for methi or fenugreek you will have to look for some ethnic stores , mostly Asians. You can also replace methi with spinach and it tastes very good. My P doesn't prefer potatoes with gobhi, so I totally skip that. I take it as another way of reducing carbs. I buy organic cauliflower to get a real good indian taste.

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes with skin
200 g fenugreek fresh or frozen
Salt to taste
5 tbs canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
1 medium cauliflower, cut into medium sized flowerettes
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp amchur powder
1/2 tsp cummin powder
A generous pinch of kasuri methi
For the garnishing: cilantro

Quarter the potatoes and then halve each quarter lengthwise. Blanch in salted boiling water until al dente (almost cooked, but not soft and squishy). Drain and keep aside.

Wash fenugreek in running water, drain and keep aside. Heat oil in a kadai and season with mustard seeds. When they crackle, add curry leaves. Stir for some time.

Add the ginger paste garlic paste. Stir-fry until the moisture evaporates. Then add fenugreek and stir for a few seconds. Add cauliflower, chilli powder and salt. Stir well. Lower the heat. Cover and cook until al dente. Uncover and increase to medium heat. Add potatoes and stir-fry
for five minutes.

Sprinkle amchur powder, cummin powder, pepper powder and kasuri methi. Stir well. Check the seasoning and remove from heat.

To serve:Remove to a serving dish, garnish with cilantro and serve with paratha or puri.

"F" for Fuzzy Melon ki Sabzzi

2007-03-03T08:07:00.000-06:00

For Nupur's Blog event: Another fun weekend to play with letter, "F". Here I submit my two recipes starring ingredient , "Fenugreek " and "Fuzzy squash". I am making Fuzzy squash sabzzi, kinda stir-fry with onions and tomatoes, of course with lots of garlic in it. "Fenugreek" is another bittersweet vegetable. My dish , "Kashmiri Aloo Gobhi Methi ka Tuk ", is inspired by gobhi aloo ki sabzi which my mom used to make. I hope that I wont let her down.

This squash or melon is of Chinese origin, its a cylindrical melon that has a medium green skin covered with fine, hairlike fuzz. Its creamy-colored, medium-firm flesh is mildly flavored and has a tendency to take on the flavor of whatever food it's cooked with. Fuzzy melons — also called hairy melons and fuzzy squash — can be purchased in Asian markets and some specialty produce markets. . Fuzzy melons must be peeled before using. They're a popular addition to Chinese soups. But today I will use it for making one of our traditional Indian recipe . Dont get confused this squash with Opo squash, which is "Lauki" in hindi.

Chopping board is all ready to go

Fuzzy Squash

Ingredients:

Fuzzy squash , 1, peeled, and then diced into bite size cubes

1 large yellow Onion, diced

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced, juice reserved

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 " ginger , crushed

2 serreno peppers, chopped fine

Spices:1 tbsp cumin seeds

2 bay leaves

1 stick cinnamon

2 tsp salt

1 tsp each of turmeric , red chili powder, coriander powder , and garam masala

juice of lemon and cilantro to garnish

1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil

Method:

Heat oil on medium -high and add cumin, allow to splutter.

Add green chili , ginger , and garlic.
Allow to fry for 30 sec and then add onions. Fry until translucent.
Add squash , salt and all other spices. Mix with wooden spatula and cover with lid for 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes stir and check for tenderness of squash. Add tomatoes and cover again.
When squash is fork tender and tomatoes are soft to touch , turn off the gas , sprinkle lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.

"Chole"-Garbanzo Beans in Spicy gravy -

2007-03-02T17:58:00.000-06:00

My Dad, who has a punjabi( of course!!) background, loves this recipe. We used to eat this has a brunch on Sunday's. Its a very traditional recipe from Punjab, usually eaten with Bature( fried bread) and sweet Lassi. Garbanzo beans are very native to northern India, were we call it Chana. Its so versatile that it has found it way through so many generations and has survived to be the number one favorite of all ages. Whenever I open my pantry, these beans call to me.. .So you will always find it on my dinner menu at least twice a week. They are also very popular with my friends. Whenever there is a get together the first request is of "Chole".

"Chole" is a spicy dish and is highly recommended. One can change the consistency of it by adding more or less water, but I really like it not too watery. Adding potatoes into it is also a nice variation , especially if kids are for dinner. The starch from potatoes gives it a nice flavor.

To Pressure Cook:

Chick pea or Garbanzo Beans (Kabuli chanas) 2 cups, soaked overnight and drained
Boiled black tea water 2 cups or use bagged tea leaves.

1 Large Yellow Onions, roughly chopped

1 Bay leaves

1 Black Cardamom

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Puree together:
Tomatoes roughly chopped 2 nos.

1 medium yellow onion

2 Serrano peppers

1 " roughly chopped ginger

2 garlic cloves

Spices:
Coriander powder- 1 tbsp.
Red Chili powder -1 tbsp. (if possible use Kashmiri Laal mirch or Deggi mirch)
Chole powder/ Chana Masala- 1 tbsp ( look for it at Indian ethnic stores)
Turmeric powder- 1tbsp

Ghee 4 tbsp. or 5 tbsp canola oil
Salt To taste

1 tbsp strained tamarind(Imli) pulp

Cilantro, tomatoes, and lemon juice for garnishing

5 Quartz pressure cooker or stock pot is recommended

Method:-

Soak the beans for at least six hours ( in hot water) or overnight ( in cold water). Drain. Next morning in take 3 cups tap water plus 2 cups of black tea , salt and all other ingredients in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook until 2 whistles. Take care that the beans do not get mashed. Let it cool.

Clean, wash and chop coriander leaves. Wash and slit the green chilies. Dice tomato. Reserve for garnishing.

Heat the ghee in a deep vessel and add the puree. Fry until it starts leaving oil from the edges.
Add all the dry spices and fry again. Add the boiled beans ,or chana , and tamarind pulp.Taste for seasoning , and add salt accordingly. Pressure cook just for one whistle.

Before serving garnish with chopped coriander leaves, slit green chilies, and slices of tomatoes. Drizzle with lots of lemon juice.

Chicken Corn Chowder

2007-02-26T08:37:00.000-06:00

I first tasted a chowder in Boston in some Tavern. At that time American cooking was like a stranger to me. It was long time back. Slowly I began to develop likeness to it. I usually like Clam chowder and Seafood Chowder, but after visiting Alanna's blog , I think I am gonna experiment with basic chowder recipe and make Chicken Corn chowder. I hope this qualifies me for her soup fest!!

This thick and creamy chowder is packed with chicken and corn ( Gosh! I put corn in everything!) .The use of cream makes it a New England kind chowder. Round out the salad with green salad and crusty garlic bread , and a bottle of dry white wine to make a meal. Don't forget the crunchy crackers. This is a real crowd pleaser and goes well for game night suppers.

You will notice that I didn't add bacon, it so because I don't eat anything but chicken, eggs , and fish. Feel free to put it in yours. You can also add peas, bell peppers, and beans to it.

So here we go. Things you need handy:

3 cups chicken meat, cubed (use dark meat for more flavour)

1/4 stick of butter

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

2 fresh flat leaf parsley stems, chopped

1/2 tbsp dill

2 yellow onions, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 cup white mushrooms , diced

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 large yellow or white waxy potatoes

1 cup corn( buy frozen to make your life so much easier)

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add butter to pot; melt over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and mushroom. Sauté until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add flour; stir 2 minutes. Mix in milk, then, potatoes, and thyme; bring to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes. Add corn, and cream. Simmer until corn is tender, about 10 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Add chicken, dill and parsley; simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle chowder into bowls; sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Serve it with some corn bread and green salad.

I am also going to try seafood chowder sometime soon, hope that my P also likes it. It was in forecast that another winter storm is on its way so I better stock up on soups. Its been 4 years and I am still not used to winters of Midwest. When I came to US , it was March and was the wildest week of winter season. Christmas is only charm that gets me through it. But this year it wasn't that bad. Talk about global warming!

Vegetable Soup

2007-02-25T09:30:00.000-06:00

This clear soup burst with flavours of fresh vegetables. Best part about this soup is that it can easily be varied by different combinations of vegetables, herbs, and spices. There are also couple of variation of this particular recipe, which I will mention below. Most of the vegetables are easily available at the freezer section of supermarkets.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Olive oil or canola oil
8 cups organic vegetable broth(dark brown low sodium)
1 yellow Onion, diced
1/2 leek, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup diced cabbage
1/2 cup turnip (secret ingredient)
2 roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup potatoes
1/2 lima beans or any beans of your choice
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste( SnP)
1 spice sachet( tie in a cheesecloth: 6 cracked peppercorns, 4 parsley stems, 1 sprig fresh Thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme, and 1 bay leaf) *

Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, leeks, carrots, celery, cabbage, and turnip and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 15 minutes.

Add the broth and sachet. bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, potatoes, lima beans, and corn. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender, 30-35 minutes.

Remove and discard the spice sachet . Add parsley . Taste and season with SnP.

*Add or substitute other spices to compliment the flavours in a specific dish.

Indian Eggplant Empanada

2007-02-24T19:12:00.000-06:00

This is very popular pie in Cuba, Australia, and in South American countries. Its made in shell shaped or even like a stuffed pizza. Chicken and Pork are the two most popular filling in it , which makes it a hearty meal. Traditional eggplant filling is very bland so I tried it with Bhurta (Eggplant Pate) .Hope you will like it too!!

*Pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup butter
5-6 Tbsp cold water

*You can buy it from the frozen section of the supermarket , but they are costly. Try making one at home. Otherwise use puff pastry. If you decide to use puff pastry then don't fry, just bake.

For the pastry:

Combine well the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a bowl.
Cut in butter to the flour mixture with pastry cutter or two butter knives until particles are pea-sized.
Add water a tablespoon at a time while tossing the flour mixture with a fork until all the flour is moistened and can be formed into a ball. Press the dough ball while turning a few times to incorporate all the flour in.
Wrap in plastic cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling: Make "Baigan ka Bharta" from one 1 pound Eggplant. Make sure that it is very dry.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 400F. Remove cling film from the dough and flatten with a rolling pin on a floured table or surface and shape into a log. Cut a piece and form into a ball about the size of a golf ball (1-inch in diameter).
Flatten on the surface and roll out thinly into more or less a round shape.
Put a heaping tablespoon of the filling mixture on the rolled out dough . Pull one end or half of the dough over the other forming a half-circle shape.
Seal edges by pinching by hand or with the tines of fork while cutting excess dough in the process. Repeat with the rest of the dough and fillings.
Arrange empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet and brush tops with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tsp milk).
Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove and serve warm or cold.

*Note: You may also deep-fry the empanadas instead of baking

"Begun Bhaja", Spicy Eggplant Fritters.

2007-02-23T12:13:00.000-06:00

Nupur at One Hot Stove is now compiling an A-Z of Indian vegetable dishes. She has invited all blogger to participate. This is a very good opportunity for me to come up with something very creative. Ongoing series is all about letter, "E". Its a very hard series I must say, but not to mention that I love challenge. First I thought about an Eggplant. Everybody will be thinking of it , right? Why not Endive? But again, I don't think there is any Indian recipe for it. We don't find endives growing in India. Not that we cant, but it needs a different climatic condition.

So here are my two different versions of Eggplant, Stuffed Eggplants and Eggplant Empanada. Then I couldn't resist from Endive recipe, so I made Endive a la Meuniere. You will see that just by changing few spices we can create all together a different dish. First I will start with this basic and simple recipe.

I come from a Bengali background and so is this recipe of mine. " Begun " is a Bengali word for Eggplant or Aubergine . Whereas " Bhaja" stands for anything fried in oil. It's a traditional starter dish of Bengali's' (fleshy slices of deep-fried egg-plant made piquant by the wonderfully pungent aroma of mustard oil). I still remember my childhood days,specially kindergarten. All the kids from my class used to jump at my lunch box when they knew I have Begun bhaja and luuchi ( Pooris) for lunch.

In India, We hardly had to go to a real "haat" (Farmers Market) to get our produce. There were so many street vendors who use to know my grandmother and mom that all of them used to check with them everyday. Sometimes, we ate fresh spinach and Okra that were just plucked few hours ago. I remember there was this old lady , who is still our regular vegetable supplier, was abandoned by her sons long back and made her living by farming. Still when I go to India I buy good woolen stuff for her. She brings us fresh cilantro, Okra, brinjal, cauliflower and drumsticks. Whenever I buy brinjals from her , there is only one thing in my mind, to make Begun Bhaja , asap.

I
A trick to buy a good Eggplant was taught to me by my grandma. Always buy Brinjal that has a shiny waxy skin with no holes or soft spots. Always check the green crown or cap. If its rotten then don't buy that stuff at all. The size of it should be even and without any discoloration. If its too huge then there are more chances of having mature seeds. Also try flipping it in air and weigh , if its heavy , its a matured one.

There are too many varieties of Eggplant in the market nowadays. This recipe calls for good medium size Eggplant.

Eggplant(Brinjal) Fitters:
1 1-pound eggplant
1 cup mustard oil or may use Canola oil
3 whole garlic cloves, gently smashed by the back of your knife.

Spice mix:
2 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 sugar (for caramelizing)

Cut off and discard stem and bottom end of the eggplant. Cut 1 inch round slices of it and immediately soak them in salted water. Take them out after 20 minutes and set them in a colander. Sprinkle some salt and toss. Let them stand covered for another 45 minutes. Run them under cold water and wipe dry with paper towels. Press to soak out all the moisture in them.

Mix all the spices in a small bowl and then rub each piece with the spice mix. Heat oil in a deep skillet . Add whole garlics to it. On a medium low flame let them sweat in mustard oil until it infuses it with its aroma. Fish them out before they get burned. If they do get burnt , start all over again and throw that oil.

Turn up the heat on medium-high and fry them in batches, until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each sides. Take care not to turn them too much otherwise they fall apart. Use a large pancake style spoon to flip them. If you feel that it requires more oil than add more. Remove from the pan with a spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Taste it, if it requires more salt then season with salt.

Serve it with rice or "Khichudi" and Chana dal along with sweet tomato-date chutney. You can also try same recipe with potatoes ( "Aloo Bhaja"), Parwal ("Potool Bhaja"), even flowers of Zucchini ( batter is required ).

All these "bhaja" talk is making nostalgic for Durga Poojo. Well I hope to carry forward these good traditional recipes and specially this one is going in for my daughters cookbook.

Roasted Eggplant Stuffed with Curried Lentils

2007-02-23T11:59:00.000-06:00

1/2 cup chana dal or brown lentils
2 cups vegetable broth or just water
2 medium size Eggplants
! Tbsp Olive Oil plus more for greasing pan
1/2 cup minced yellow Onion
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup diced mushroom
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp curry powder or use Garam masala
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
freshly ground pepper

Bring the lentils and broth to a boil in a pot . Cover and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer until the lentils are tender to the bite, 30-35 minutes. remove from the heat and let it stand. Don't discard the liquid as lentil will continue absorbing it.

Preheat the oven to 350 F . Grease baking pan.
Halve the Eggplants lengthwise and scoop out some of the flesh, leaving a 1/2~ 3/4 inch "wall". This is very important and be careful while you are scooping out. We are making a container here that will get stuffed. Mince the scooped flesh and set aside. Transfer the eggplants halves to the Prepared baking pan, skin side down. Cover it with moist towel to prevent it from browning.

Heat a skillet over medium-heat. Add in oil , then add the onions, garlic and ginger. Saute, stirring occasionally until onion is golden brown. Add minced eggplant , mushroom, salt ,lemon zest, curry, cinnamon, turmeric and both the peppers. Cook over medium heat until mushroom begin to release some moisture.

Drain the lentils, reserving the liquid, and add lentils to eggplant and mushroom mixture. Add enough of the cooking liquid to moisten the vegetables, then simmer until the liquid is reduced, 8 minutes.
Fill the hollowed eggplant halves with the lentil mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with lemon rice.

Endives à la Meunière

2007-02-22T21:43:00.000-06:00

4 heads Belgian Endives

2 tsp sugar

salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 cup whole milk or as needed at room temperature

All-purpose flour for dredging

1/4 cup oil

For Butter Sauce:

1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (divided use)

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

2Tbsp minced flat leaf parsley

** Makes 4 servings

Preparation:

Split each endive in half lengthwise and remove any bruised or damaged leaves.
Next, we have to take out bitterness from Endives. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp of lemon juice. Add Endives and boil , covered, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to colander and drain, cut side down. When just cool enough to handle , press and drain on absorbent towels.
Transfer the Endives to a cutting board and flatten each piece by palm. Season with salt and pepper.
Put milk and flour in separate bowls. Dip each endive in milk and then dredge in flour coasting evenly.
heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the endives , in batches , and fry on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to serving dish and cover to keep warm.
Pour off any excess oil from the pan and wipe out the browned flour with paper towel. Add the butter for 30 seconds . Add lemon juice and the parsley and swirl it until the mixture thicken lightly. Pour the pan sauce over endives and serve it immediately . Goes very well with baked chicken/ fish and mashed potatoes.

Lentil Spinach Soup ( Dal Palak)

2007-02-22T21:39:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:

1 Cup Chana Dal (washed and soaked in water for 1 hour)

1 Cup Tuar/ Arhar Dal

2-3 Cups /1 pack of frozen Spinach(thawed)

1 Big yellow Onion chopped

2 Roma Tomatoes

2 green chillies minced

1 tsp ground Ginger
1 tsp ground Garlic

Spices:

1 long stick of Cinnamon

2 dry Bay leaves

2 cloves

1 tsp cumin (Jeera) seeds

2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp Kashmiri red Chilli Powder

1 Tbsp Salt
Little sugar

For Tadka:

2 Tbsp Ghee

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

2 Dry Red Chillies

1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder

Extra: Half a juice of lemon(secret)

Method:

In a pressure cooker or any deep pot heat oil. When its hot enough add bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, chopped Onions and fry for few minutes until it turns translucent.
Add garlic, ginger, and green chilli.After 2 minutes add all the dry spices along with tomatoes,salt and sugar , cook until pasty.
Put in spinach, cover and cook till soft.
Add in both dals with 4 cups of water , and pressure cook it for three whistle.
Let it sit and cool for few minutes and then open the cooker and mash everything with hand blender or with " mathani" .
For Tadka, heat 2 Tbsp of ghee in a small skillet .When its hot add mustard seeds, dry red chilli and kashmiri powder. When the seeds starts to splutter take it off the gas and spread it on the top of your Dal Palak.
Serve hot with Jeera Rice or just with Plain naan. Dont forget to sprinkle lemon juice before serving.

Dhan-Saak Rice

2007-02-20T08:22:00.000-06:00

A traditional Parsi dish for dinner. This is a vegetarian version of Mutton Dhan saak, which I make frequently. Combination of varities of dals (Dhan) and vegetables (Saak) perked up with so many spices gives this dish a mouth watering taste.

For Dhan-Saak:

1c toovar( arhar) dal
1c moong dal
1c masoor dal
1 Tbsp urad dal

1 large russet potatoes
1 medium size eggplant
2 Roma tomatoes
1 cup fresh methi bhaji
4 scallions
few cubes of yellow organic squash

3 Tbsp Tamarind juice
4 Tbsp ghee or oil
1 chopped large yellow Onion

salt to taste
Mint leaves for garnishing

To be ground into paste: (or use readymade Motilal powder)
4 green chillies
5 dry red chillies
10 cloves garlic
1" ginger
2 sticks of cinnamon
3 cloves
3 peppercorns
3 cardamoms
4 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
few sprigs of cilantro

Extra: Good quality Rajwadi garam masala

Preparations:

Mix the dals and wash them for three to four times in running cold tap water. Soak them for 1 hr minimum.
Cut the vegetables into bite size pieces.
Mix the dals and vegetables, add 7 cups of cold water and cook in pressure cooker for 3 or 4 whistle.
Mix with "mathani" and Sieve the puree, if thick add more water or vegetable stock.
Heat Kadhai and add ghee/oil to it. Fry Onions and add ground paste. Again fry for few more minutes until it starts to leave oil from the sides.
Add the dal puree and salt and boil for 30-35 minutes on medium high.
Add Tamarind water and garam masala and cook for few more minutes.
serve hot with Dhan Saak Rice**

Serve this traditional Parsi dish with fried Papad, chutney or Raita.

**For Dhan Saak Rice

3 cups of basmati rice

2 chopped Onions

2 stick cinnamon, 2 cloves, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tsp sugar , 2 tsp ghee , 1/2 tsp salt

Heat ghee and fry onions. Add all the cinnamon, cloves, and garlic. Fry . Add rice, salt and enough water to cook the rice. Cook the sugar mixed with 1 tsp water in a slow flame and when it becomes brown add it to the rice when it is cooking. Instead , you can add sugar to the ghee and let it brown first and then add onions.

Death by Chocolate

2007-02-20T08:10:00.000-06:00

Valentine day cake

My first venture into the baking world turned out to be good, surprisingly. When it comes to cooking I hate to measure. I had always followed my instincts and allowed my palm to do all the work of a measuring cup. I am a part of a very big social group for women called MDW ( Minnesota Desi Women) and we had a past valentines day party on 17th. This inspired me more to get into my baking gears and do something different. I did it by baking by what I call, Death by Chocolate cake. Its a pound cake with tons of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate and with Chocolate Honey Glaze. Center of the cake was piped in with homemade Espresso Vanilla whipping cream with Raspberry Collie layered on top. A fitting finale to our evening.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

2007-02-09T15:55:00.002-06:00

Yogurt in cake? huh , very interesting. Its not summer yet but its awful cold outside. So I keep myself and my little baby home most of the time. Kitchen is the best place to spend time with her playing with spoons and rolling pins. I made this cake for the first time few days back and believe me , its one of my favourites now. I got the recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa. I made some changes in the actual amount of ingredients used. It came out so good that this is the only piece that I could salvage for my photo session. Use cake flour instead of All purpose and 1 2/3 cup of sugar instead of just a cup. Using more yogurt(organic one) than oil is also good for making it a lower fat cake. I skipped on whole glaze thing as it makes it too lemony for me. My next dessert destination, Kolaches. Here I comel Texas!!

Balsamic Chicken Medley with Wild Rice

2007-02-09T15:55:00.001-06:00

Prep Time: 5 min, if you are as fast as me:)
Cooking Time: 30 ( includes baking time)

Another of my experimental creation.. Chunky pieces of chicken stir fried with Balsamic vinegar and then mixed with parboiled wild rice and vegetables. Its a perfect casserole dish, if you may call.

It calls for wild rice but I usually buy the mix of white rice and wild rice. Wild rice is kinda of the pricey side and I suggest using that for salads only.

I start with chopping all kinds of vegetables *, starting from portobella mushrooms, onions, celery stems and leaves, red and green bell peppers and carrots. I also use good quality frozen spinach and corns, just one box of each should do it. Fry all the vegetables first in little EVOO with SnP and redpepper flakes.

Separately fry cubed chicken in little oil and add balsamic vinegar (2 tablespoons). Dont forget to season chicken with salt and pepper. Trick to good cooking is to flavour eack element and every layer of the dish. Now add little All purpose flour to it and fry for another couples of minutes constantly stirring so that you don't burn the flour. Now add heavy whipping cream and a little milk to it . We are making a sauce here that will bind the whole dish together. Other option would be to use canned cream of mushroom or cream of chicken. But they are very high in sodium so I thought of making my own glue.

After the sauce thickens add all the vegetables and parboiled rice. Mix well and take it out in a casserole dish, seal with foil and bake it in the preheated 350 degree oven for another 10 minutes.

Serve hot with garden salad on side and garnish with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley and little chedder cheese (optional).

*After buying your produce try to wash them and then stack it in icebox. This saves lot of time when you are in a rush.

Party Food in Jiffy

2007-02-09T15:55:00.000-06:00

These are few Party food that is sure to please everyone. They are easy to make and with few minutes of chopping and marinating and you are done. I made all three of them yesterday for my friends and I hope they all liked it. I'm very much into Indo -Chinese cooking and whenever I have to make a quick fix meals I always escape with Chinese dishes. Full of my fresh and nutritious vegetables, they are fun to cook and at the same time I can make my family eat their veggies too!! Besides just providing beautiful spring color to the dish , Red Bell Peppers contains as much as vitamin C as an Orange, so I try using it very often. Beware its also very rich in sugar. My spread for tea sandwhich mainly is a mix of cheese spread and butter , but I also added little lemon zest and juice to give it a fresh taste . I also added scallions and chives to it and then topped the sandwhich with cucumbers and radish. It looks preety good when garnished with olives and sprig of celery leaf.

Indo Chinese Hakka Noodles

Platter of Boneless Tandoori Chicken

Tea Sandwiches with Lemon n Dill Cheese spread

Scrambled Egg Biscuit Sandwiches

2007-02-04T18:41:00.001-06:00

Another 17 min breakfast/ Brunch fix for all new moms....Super moist Creamy scrambled eggs garnished with scallions and hot sauce inside fresh baked Buttermilk Biscuit. Who won't like it!!

Hot n Spicy Buffalo Wild Wings

2007-02-04T18:41:00.000-06:00

Spice up your super bowl!!

Its Sunday and also a Super Bowl day. Who wants to let it get waste without tasting some blaring hot buffalo wings. Well, it was my inspiration for making hot wings for the first time. I made it good and it also had a good Indian twist to it. I added 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and also a pinch of garam masala to my dry mix. I enjoy eating celery sticks more than my wings and its healthy too. Makes me less guilty of eating fried oily food. We called it a night by sipping a cup of hot cappuccino and chocolate pound cake loaded with cream and strawberries. How bad that can be!!

I also packed the leftovers in ziploc bags for further use.

Poultry Safety: I have a 8 month baby and so I have to follow these chicken rules around my house always. I always deal with raw chicken when she is asleep or else I put her in her swing. I am also allergic to chicken fat therefore I have to wear gloves. Poultry is one of those meats that requires very careful handling to avoid foodborne illness. Use fresh poultry within two days of purchase or freeze immediately. Thaw poultry in the refrigerator or microwave, never on the counter. Wash all poultry before using and pat dry with paper towels. It's the skin that carries most of the dangerous microbes. Also be sure to thoroughly wash all surfaces that have come in contact with the poultry, including sinks and cutting boards. Do not touch other foods after handling poultry without washing your hands and/or the utensils used. Refrigerate leftovers immediately and do not let them sit at room temperature more than 45 minutes.

Chocolate Pound Cake

2007-02-01T18:33:00.001-06:00

The Creamed Ingredient:
8 oz. (2 sticks) Unsalted butter (softened)
21 oz (3 cups) Sugar

The Eggs Ingredient:
5 large Eggs, beaten, at room temp.
1/3 oz (2 teaspoons) PureVanilla extract

The Dry Goods Ingredient:
14 ½ oz (3 cups) All-purpose flour
5/8 oz (6 tablespoons) Cocoa powder
1/8 oz (1/2 teaspoon) Baking powder
1/8 oz (1/8 teaspoon) Salt

The Liquid Ingredient:
8 oz (1 cup) milk
The Extras:
Baker's Joy or AB's Kustom Kitchen Lube for the pan

Directions:

Place an oven rack in position B (2nd from top) and preheat the over to 325 degrees F.
Prep a 10-inch tube pan and set aside.
Assemble the batter via the Creaming Method*, alternating additions of the flour/cocoa mixture with the milk. Given the amounts involved, start with dry and end with dry.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes until the internal temperature hits 212 degrees F, or the cake leaves the sides of the pan.
Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool 15 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a rack to cool thoroughly.
It will keep, tightly wrapped at room temperature, for 1 week.
Yield One 10-inch cake

*Here's how the Creaming Method works:

Sift together the Dry Goods.

That means any and all flours, your chemical leavening, salt and other dry spices – basically, everything but sugar.
Cream the solid fat and sugar(s), preferably with a stand mixer using the paddle attachment on medium speed, until light and fluffy. Here's when to stop: when you're no longer able to see sugar granules, but you can still feel them if you rub a bit of the creamed fat between your fingers. Although you can overcream (and you'll know that you have when your mixture moves from a smooth and homogeneous mixture to something akin to curdled milk), inadequate aeration (i.e. undercreaming) is far more common. As a rule of thumb, I like to see the volume of the fat increase by a third.
Add the eggs slowly. Many recipes call for adding eggs one at a time. I think that's kinda silly, because in most cases that means adding water (in the form of egg whites) directly to the fat. Since fats and water don't get along very well, batters mixed this way tend to come together slowly. To get around this, mix the eggs together first so that the water in the egg whites can hook up with the emulsifiers in the yolks. Add them in aj steady stream and the eggs will be absorbed in no time.
Drop the mixer speed to low and add the dry goods slowly, alternating the addition of the dry goods with any other liquid ingredients. Then stir in any bits and pieces like chocolate chips at the end.
Depending on the amount of liquid involved, the mixture produced may be a pourable batter (a cake) or a thick paste (a chocolate chip cookie). So your final step would be to pour the batter into or "drop" the cookies onto a pan and bake.
Excerpted from 'I'm Just Here for More Food,' 2004.

Deviled Eggs

2007-02-01T18:33:00.000-06:00

6 hard-cooked large eggs, peeled

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon of Veggie Dip mix

2 tablespoons minced celery

1 tablespoon minced dill

2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or scallions

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

few rounds from pepper mill

Dash of hot sauce or Paprika

Halve the eggs lengthwise and pop the yolks from the whites.

Set the whites aside, rounded side up on a plate.

Mix the yolks with the mayonnaise and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl until the mixture is smooth and light. Add the celery, pickle, parsley, and season with the salt and hot sauce.
Spoon the yolk mixture back into the whites and sprinkle with paprika. Garnish with black pepper, hot sauce, and scallions ( or Parsley).

Serve now or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pickled Pita Pocket

2007-01-30T15:14:00.001-06:00

Being a mother of 8 month baby I always have to find out my easiest way out of the kitchen.Yesterday I was very tired and wasn't in a mood to cook. As the clock started to tick towards dinner time, I got little restless thinking hard about what to fix for dinner. Well, I followed step 1 of cooking. Open your refrigerator and look what all you have in hand. I had couple of roasted thighs of chicken, a packet of salad, and few pita breads. Wow!! Chicken Salad...Yummy!

In a bowl mixed Mayo ( Original one ), Mustard, Cubed English Cucumber( my best friend!!), few drops of balsamic vinegar, few pieces of Indian pickle ( i had mango), Boiled garbanzo beans (leftover), Tomato Ketchup, salt and pepper. Drizzle juice of one lime and good amount of hot sauce......ssssssspice it up!!

Add Shredded chicken, chopped cilantro and cubed red onions, add it to the mayo mix. Grill pita pockets on high until soft. Fill with salad , spoon in the chicken mix, drizzle some good quality EVOO and Enjoy!!

I made four of them and only got to it half..my husband just couldn't resist eating them..Well I had to quench myself with a hot cup of coffee.

Aloo Paratha ( Indian Potato stuffed flatbread )

2007-01-30T15:14:00.000-06:00

Just two words: Aloo Paratha.

When someone asks me about my favourite breakfast, the answer is obviously "aloo paratha" with some plain yogurt. This is a common street food in Delhi and other northern parts of India, and believe me , it is the street food at its best. And, unless, you are on anti-carb diet you are bound to love it.Try it ans you are bound to get hooked forever!!

What is Aloo Paratha? Before that what is Paratha?

"Paratha" is Hindi for Pan fried India bread.

"Aloo Paratha" is spicy, potatoey flat-bread things that you can make loads of, freeze, then whack one in the microwave and eat with mixed pickle and plain yogurt ("raita" in Hindi) when you can’t be bothered to cook properly. For stuffing a paratha, other vegetables or dals can also be used, but aloo(potatoes) are the most popular.

Yes, like everything, they’re better fresh, but they get away with the microwave treatment quite well. Freshly cooked crisp aloo parathas are usually eaten for breakfast, crispy hot, as the cook takes them off the griddle.

Here is how I have been making this:-

What will you need for Dough:
4 cups of organic Durum whole wheat flour
Enough water to make a dough
a pinch of Ajwain or Carom seeds
a little vegetable oil for frying, you can also use Ghee(clarified butter)

Take the Wheat flour in a mixing bowl and add Ajwain seeds to it. Take cold water and mix it with hand into the dough, in small amounts. Continue doing it until the dough is wet enough to form a soft dough. Take little oil in your hand and apply it all around the dough.This will prevent it from forming hard crust. Cover with moist cloth and keep aside until use.Let it sit for a while before you knead it again with little more oil. Kneading it with an oily hand prevents the dough from sticking to your hands. Its all ready for the work now.

For the Filling:
4 medium sized russet potatoes
4 green chillies, finely chopped
finely chopped cilantro,
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1/4 cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon garam masala (Indian allspice)

Cut potatoes into halves (with skin on) and boil it in double the water until tender.Insert fork to check.Let them cool just a bit and then peel off the skin. Use hand or potato masher to mash it to the powdery texture. Add all the other spices and ingredients for the filling to the mashed potato mix. Mix should be dry.

Potato Filling

Save 2 tablespoons of dry flour on a plate, for dusting while rolling out parathas.

Rolling out parathas:
Take roughly a tablespoon of the filling and spread out in the centre of one circle, and gently press the edges to seal.

Break dough into approximately little bigger than golf size balls.Then roll out, 4 inches size. Now you have a stuffed circle, with the filling. Heat the griddle or tawa on medium heat. Dip the stuffed circle in dusting flour on both sides and roll out gently, to approximately 20 cm. in size. Roll from centre outwards, so that the edges are thinner than the centre. You will need to dust it with dry flour a couple of times during the rolling out process.

Fry it on both sides until crisp. Cut them into wedges and serve with raita or pickle.

Tawa chicken

2007-01-25T15:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I bought these cute little eggplants from Indian grocery store and was so excited to make Masala Baigan ( " Baigan" is for eggplant in Hindi). I was preparing dry masala mix for it and something hit me and I thought of slicing eggplants. It wasn't my lucky day , all the eggplants were already gone bad from inside. Well, what else could I you do. Hummmm.....I had no choice than to throw them away. Next what I did was, took chicken and marinated it with some buttermilk and the masala that I made for my eggplants. After 15 minutes I seared them on very hot Tava ( any flat griddle) and cooked it in preheated oven at 400 F for another 20. Whatever came out, we loved it. I guess it goes very well with naan . I made it even richer by drizzling good amount of cream just when they were out of the oven. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, Onions , and cilantro they are just delish.

Cornion Fritters

2007-01-22T11:50:00.000-06:00

When I have lot of time in hand and very well know how to kill it , I cook!! Same was the case today. As it was Monday , one of my practising vegetarian day, I was in a mood for some fast lunch fix. I made some "Begun bhaja" and "Cornion Fritters". Begun bhaja is a nothing but fried Eggplant which has been smeared with lots of Indian spices and fried in mustard oil. Once you make it you will love it . Frying it with mustard oil gives it an authentic Bengali touch which I crave a lot. Cornion Fritters comes from my mix and match pantry items experiment. Instead of using regular flour or besan, I made it with Pancake mix and rice flour.

"Begun Bhaja"

Cornion Fritters

My husband is coming for lunch and I hope he likes it!! How bad that can be:)

Tuscan White Bean Soup

2007-01-16T08:15:00.001-06:00

An Entry to Soup's On!
Thanks Alanna for hosting such a fabulous and hearty event .

There is nothing quite as satisfying as a bowl of rich , hearty soup. Soups are eaten in almost every corner of the world and over the years certain soups have become associated with particular countries. From Italy I bring the best of their soups,my take to Tuscan White bean soup.

The White bean soup of Tuscan is unforgettable,....white bean in rich , thick chicken broth laden with the taste of organic vegetables like carrots, broccoli peas, zucchini, and garlic. I made this soup for the first time for Christmas dinner and it was an instant hit. Its a classic soup.

People today eat soup for different reasons than they did yester years. Once considered an inexpensive meal for the poor, soup has become popular among the health conscious people. There is a saying about soups in Southern Italy that states, " Settle cose fa la zuppa." which translate to , "Soups does seven things.It relieves your hunger, quenches your thirst , fills your tummy, cleans your teeth, makes you sleep , helps you digest and colors your cheeks." Give it a try and you will this saying will prove itself right.

Buon Appetito!!

Serves 6
For the beans:
1 pound dried cannelloni or navy beans, store bought cooked can is also good, 1 can of it.
1 cup cooked cubed chicken (omit if you are vegetarian)
1/2 cup of Pasta or your choice, smaller the better.
1/4 cup wild rice, washed thrice in running cold water
1 quart chicken stock (I use Organic with less sodium,can also use vegetarian broth)
1 can of Rotel (found in pasta sauce section), my kick to the original version
1 tablespoon of Mexican chili mix, my kick to the original version

Now come Veggies:
1 small yellow onion or shallot
1 celery rib,
1 carrot
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 crown of broccoli chopped into small bite size pieces.
3 scallions ,chopped
1 small green bell pepper or any sweet pepper.
2 bay leaf(prefer a fresh one,otherwise dry one is also good)

Spices:
Finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt or kosher
1 teaspoon soy sauce(my kick)
1 teaspoon hot sauce(my kick)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
ground black pepper
1/4 tablespoon of garlic powder(whats Italian without garlic!!)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves for garnish
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Precook the beans: Soak the beans in hot water for couple of hours. Place the beans in a saucepan and add cold water to cover by 2 inches.

Add a handful of salt like you would do with pasta. You need quite a bit of salt to get the flavor all the way to the center of the beans. Bring to a boil, cover, cook until texture is almost tender and remove from the heat. Let stand for 1 hour, then drain. Otherwise just use the canned bean from the grocery store. Careful to drain the liquid before adding it to the soup.

In a sauce pan ( I use versatile 5Q chilli pot for everything) reduce a chicken broth to 50% of its quantity ( reducing gives it an intense flavour) .

In it add Beans, Wild rice, Chicken , Pasta , Rotel and Chilli Mix , all the spices and chopped vegetables. **(Tip: Chop all the vegetable in one size so that they all cook at the same time)

Add salt with enough water to cover the soup by 2 inches. Slowly simmer for good 20 minutes.

Take out 1 cup of the cooked soup and puree it in a blender or food processor( optional step). Then add this puree back into the remaining soup and stir. This will give your soup some texture instead of big rustic look. You can also do this by adding any thickening agent.

To serve, ladle the hot soup into bowl. Float any kind of toasted bread or garlic sticks on top of each bowl. Garnish with a sprinkling of cheese, which I omit due to calories. This soup loves to be made the day before. Reheat slowly and add water if too thick.

Paneer (Indian tofu) Sizzler

2007-01-15T18:07:00.001-06:00

Another creation from my kitchen

Sunday's Must Eat "Pooha"

2007-01-15T18:07:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
2 cups of poha (thick variety)
1 medium yellow onion
1 medium idaho potatoe,skinned and cubed
1 cup frozen peas
2 green chilies
2 tsp turmeric powder*
1 tsp mustard seeds*
1 tsp fennel seeds*
1 tsp Ajwain seeds*
juice of 1 lime and zest
a few sprigs of curry leaves
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tbsp fresh/frozen shredded coconut
1 small tomato,deseeded and juiced out and then chopped into cubes
a handful of cilantro leaves

Method:

Wash the poha well in several changes of water. Be careful not to soak it in lot of water.If you are scared of wetting it ,use colander for the purpose.Set aside for 30 mins and then fluff it with fork.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan .Fry peanuts till you sense the aroma coming out ,drain it in paper towel and set aside.
In the same oil Add all the seeds and when they pop add the curry leaves, chopped onions,chopped potatoes and chopped green chillies. Saute till potatoes become soft in texture.Add frozen peas and stir for few more seconds.Season with little salt and pepper(S&P).
Pooha Mix :: In a wide bowl take the soaked poha and Add the salt, sugar,tomato,cilantro,dry coconut flakes,lime, lime zest , and fried peanuts .Stir well.
Add this Pooha mix to the vegetables and cover the pan with a lid and let pooha steam for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a little water if it seems to burn at the bottom.

* If you dont have tumeric or any of the Ethnic Indian Spices, substitute Mrs.Dash Extra Spicy Mix
To serve, garnish with fresh chopped tomatoes, grated coconut and cilantro leaves.Try Haldiram Aloo bhujiya or spicy Doritoes for garnishing.Enjoy with hot cup of tea or even with some onion fritters.

Jiffy fried rice

2007-01-13T20:18:00.000-06:00

Today I woke up and my husband announced that he has to rush for his school. At the same time my 8 month daughter woke up and was hungry for solid. So I had no choice than to jump start myself from only 5 hrs of sleep. What should I make for lunch that cooks in 5 min? Huh,well I had some left over rice and my pantry is full of sauces and icebox full of veggies. Of course , lets do jiffy fried rice. The one thing that I love about leftovers is that you can mould it into anything and it will still taste good, specially rice! Its also the best way to get perfect amount of vegetable serving for picky eaters, like my husband, Pankaj.

I threw in all the produce that I had in my icebox,some sauces and Mrs.Dash spice mix and voilà. I was just holding my breath to see his reaction because mushrooms and broccoli are the two things that Pankaj cant stand. But see I chopped mushroom very finely so that they camouflage with cubed potatoes and I finely chopped the broccoli in the food processor. If it was for me I would have also added scrambled egg to it , but its a big "NO" when it come to Pankaj.

He finally said.."I love it!!"

Signature homemade Garam Masala

2007-01-12T12:41:00.004-06:00

An aromatic mixture of ground spices used as a base for many Indian dishes ('masala' means spice). The proportion of spices changes according to the dish being cooked but the basic ingredients are cumin, coriander, cardamom, black peppercorns and cinnamon. The mixture can include other spices (such as caraway, nutmeg or bayleaves), depending on whether the dish includes meat, vegetables or fish. It's usually added towards the end of cooking.

Store in an airtight container.

1 teaspoon green cardamom pods
2 big black cardamom pods
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 stick cinnamon
1/2 whole nutmeg

Toast all spices for garam masala in a sauté pan, over medium heat,about 5 minutes until fragrant. Allow to cool in the pan. Transfer contents to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.

Tandoori Makani

2007-01-12T12:41:00.003-06:00

Chicken Breast ,4 large pieces cut into bite sized cubes

number of wooden skewers soaked in water for atleast 30 mins.

Salt To taste

Marination::

Curd (Yogurt) 1/2 cup.

heavy cream 1/2 cup

Ginger garlic and green chillie paste 2 tbsps

Tandoori Masala powder 1/2 tsp.

Kashmiri Red chili powder 1 tsp.

Lime juice 2 tbsps

EVOO (olive oil) 2 tsps.

Salt To taste,I prefer Kosher

Makhani Sauce:

Whole garam masala ( cinnamon,cardamom,cloves,bayleaves,etc.) 1 tbsp.

Tomato puree 4 tbsps.

Sugar/Honey 1 tbsps.

Ginger paste 1 tbsp.

Garlic paste 1 tbsp.

Red chili powder 1 tbsp.

Garam masala powder ½ tsp.

Cream 1cup.

Kasoori methi ½ tsp.

Chopped green chilies 1 tsp.

Butter 1 tbsp

Salt To taste

How to prepare:

1. clean the chicken and cut them into 2" cubes.Keep aside.

2. Apply a mixture of red chilli powder, lemon juice and salt to the chicken and leave aside for half an hour.

3. In the yogurt Add red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice,Tandoori masala powder and mustard oil.

4. Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.

5 Put the chicken onto a skewer and cook in a moderately preheated oven (200 degrees celsius) for 10-12 minutes or until almost done.Baste it with butter and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove and keep aside.

6. Heat butter in a pan. Add whole garam masala. Let it crackle. Then addginger-garlic paste and chopped green chillies. Cook for 2 minutes.

7. Add tomato puree, red chilli powder, garam masala powder, salt and one cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add sugar orhoney and powdered kasoori methi.

8. Add cooked tandoori chicken pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add freshcream.

9. Serve hot with naan or parantha.

Thai Hot-and-Sour Soup

2007-01-12T12:41:00.002-06:00

An Entry to Soup's On! Thanks Alanna for hosting such a fabulous and hearty event.
Some of the ingredients in this soup might require a trip to an Asian store. Once you have all your ingredients assembled , the soup comes together quickly.

Chicken ( or fish) broth 4 cups
Soy sauce 1 tbsp.
Fish sauce 3/4 tsp.
ground white Pepper 1 tsp.
Vinegar 2 tbsps.
Sugar 1/2 tsp.
Ajinomoto, a pinch

vegetables required:

Chopped spring onion 1/4 cup

1 stalk lemongrass
Chopped baby corn, optional 1/4 cup
Chopped bok choy cabbage 1/4 cup
chopped carrot 1/4 cup(opt)

1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
Chopped bell pepper 1/4 cup(opt)
Chopped or whole canned mushrooms 1/4 cup or even try dry Chinese mushrooms

Shredded cooked chicken 1/4cup or 1/4 lb small shrimp, peeled , butterflied and deviened and then cooked in boiling water

Chili oil (optional) 1/2 tsp.
Cornflour mixed with water 3 tbsp. + 1 cup
Egg 1 no.

1 cup sliced Tofu

For the Garnish

Finely chopped cilantro leaves 1/4 cup
Spicy chili oil 1 tsp. or sesame seed oil
Salt To taste

Method

1. Combine the broth, Soya sauce, fish sauce, pepper, vinegar, lemongrass, sugar, ajinomoto and salt.

2. Bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered for 1 minute.

3. Add the vegetables and Tofu. Simmer uncovered for 1 minute.

4. Add the chicken.

5. Add the cornflour mixed with water and stir continuously, so that the soup becomes thick. Remove from heat.

.6. Beat the egg lightly and pour into the soup slowly in thin stream, stirring continuously with a fork.

7. Garnish with cilantro leaves and spicy chili oil.

8. Serve very hot over cooked rice noodles.

Punjabi Egg Curry

2007-01-12T12:41:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:

6hard boiled eggs, cut in half

1 green bell pepper, cut into cubes

1 cup green peas

1 tbsp of organic yogurt
2 tbsp hwc(heavy whipping cream)
1 tbsp Kasoori meethi
Salt to taste

Puree:

1 large yellow onion, cut in cubes

2 medium roma tomatoes

1 cup sliced coconut pieces or use frozen grated coconut

2 green chilli

3 garlic

1/2 " piece ginger

Few pepper corns

1 long stick cinnamon

3-4 cloves

2 green cardamoms

Dry Spices:

Kashmiri red chillies powder

1 Tbsp Chicken Masala or Pav bhaji masala

2 bay leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 star anise (optional)

Cooking Steps:

In a deep skillet add oil and heat it enough on medium high. When the oil gets hot give a tadka of cumin, bay leaves, star anise.
When the seeds starts to splurter add the puree away from yourself, be careful as the oil is hot. Add Salt.
Stir it frequently until it leaves oil from the sides.
Add peas and bellpeppers.
Add all the spices to it and fry it for few more minutes until yogurt and cream blend evenly and vegetables are tender.
Just before serving add Kasuri Methi. Serve hot with Jeera Rice.

Spicy Homemade Mango Salsa

2007-01-12T12:41:00.000-06:00

1 medium ripe organic mango, diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno
2 teaspoons finely chopped roma tomatoes
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice and zest
1 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro, plus cilantro sprigs for garnish

Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. Season to taste with salt.

Tandoori Chicken

2006-12-17T07:46:00.001-06:00

5 chicken thigh pieces
Tandoori Spice Rub:

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Tandoori Sauce:

6 tablespoons plain yogurt

7 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 tablespoons ginger paste

2 1/2 tablespoons garlic paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon garam masala powder*

1 teaspoon saffron

For garnish:

1/2 pound mixed salad greens

1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

1 small onion, sliced
4 tablespoons melted butter, for basting
*Garam Masala can be found at specialty Indian markets

To prepare each chicken:

Rinse under cold water and remove all the skin.

With a sharp knife, make 3 deep incisions in each thigh.

To prepare the spice rub:

In a small bowl, combine the salt, Kashmiri chili powder and lime juice to make a thick paste. Rub the paste evenly over the thighs. Set the chicken aside for 15 minutes to let the flavors absorb.

To prepare the tandoori sauce:

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, heavy cream, ginger paste, garlic paste, green chilli paste,cumin, tandoori masala and saffron. Whisk everything together until it is well mixed. Rub the sauce evenly over the chicken thighs, thoroughly covering the chicken. Cover and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 4 hours.
Preheat an oven or charcoal grill to 450 degrees F.
Remove the chicken from the refrigeratorand let it come back to the room temperature.If cooking the chicken in an oven, place the chicken in a shallow roasting pan lined with foil to catch the drippings.Roast for 10 minutes, then remove and baste with the melted butter and drippings from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken back to the heat and roast for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork, basting a couple more times during cooking.

Twisted Double ka Meetha

2006-12-17T07:46:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
few(may be 7)slices of white bread

1cup of whole milk

1cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon of custard powder

1/2 stick butter

7 chopped cashewnuts

few slivered almonds and raisins

a good pinch saffron

2 cardamoms, powdered

Method:
Cut each bread slice into four pieces. Fry them in butter till golden brown on both sides. You will be suprised to see all the butter disappear in those bread pieces.
Make a sugar syrup by adding 1cup of water to the sugar and boil it for 15 minutes till it becomes thick and starts bubbling.

Add the powdered cardamom , the saffron and custard powder dissolved in cold milk to the sugar syrup.

Boil the syrup until it is thickened.

Now add heavy whipping cream
Arrange the fried bread pieces on a flat platter.
Pour the whole syrup over the bread pieces while they are still hot. add more cream.
Refrigerate and serve as dessert garnished with cashews , almonds and raisins.
If you really have time and want to be fancy youcan also use pound cake instead of bread and top it all off with whipped whipping cream and decorate with strawberries.

Eggetarian American Chopsuey

2006-12-11T17:13:00.000-06:00

Vegetarian noodles( i got mine from Thai store) ....................1/2 pac(serves two )
Chili ,ginger and garlic paste ...2 tbsp.

2 large eggs

shredded carrots........................1/2 cup

White button mushrooms,chopped...5

Green Bell peppers........................1/2 slices thinly
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)..........½ tsp.(optional)
Honey ........................................½ tbsp.
Spring onions............................2 nos..
Sesame Oil.................................2 tsp.
Soya sauce..................................1 tbsp.
Oil .................................................2 tbsp.
Oil to deep fry
Salt.................................................As per taste

Boil the noodles as per package instruction.Drain in colander and rinse under cold water, toss with seasame oil and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok.Fry egg with some S&P and take out and drain on papertowel.

in the same oil fry boiled noodles in small batches and drain them on papertowel.

I n the same wok add the paste and sliced mushrooms.

Add capsicum after you see the mushrooms have lost all the water and turned almost brown.

add soy sauce,rice wine vinegar,honey , chilli sauce and MSG.

add the fried noodles and mix them well.

taste and add salt accordingly.

Zesty Orange Chicken

2006-12-03T09:23:00.004-06:00

Few days back I went to Panda Express and ordered Orange Chicken.I'm not much into citrus flavour but was feeling adventerous that day.Well well well....the minute I ate it I loved it.It was delish! Crispy on the outside, but still tender and juicy on the inside chicken pieces coated in perfectly balanced sweet and spicy citrus sauce..Yummoooo!!

All the way back home I couldnt stop myself from thinking about the medely of flavours in that simple Orange chicken.I took a turn and went to the grocery store and got all the indgredients required for the recipe.Couple of days later i tried to experiment with it.With my Indian background it is difficult for me to keep myself away from using lots of spicy flavours.So decided to give it a indochinese approach.
Its optional to add brocolli but i love the crunch and crispyness of brocoolli and it really gives an extra punch to the dish....plus you have got fibers..isnt it healthy?

Ingred:

3 Pieces of skinless chicken breast ,cubed into bite size pieces(no icky bits of tendon or gristle)

1 crown of brocolli

2 bunches of scallions

1 tbsp paste of fresh ginger

1/2 tbsp paste of fresh garlic(if not handy use garlic powder)

1tbsp paste of green chillies

1 orange zested,reserve zest separately

3tbsp cornstarch

4 tbsp flour

1 egg

Oil for frying

1 tbsp seasame oil

chinese mustard(optional)

soy sauce

rice vinegar

rice cooking wine

sugar

salt and pepper

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

few drops of lime juice(gives extra kick to the sauce)

pinch of MSG (optional)

Method:

In a small bowl, combine orange zest, orange juice, water, soy sauce, and sugar,rice wine ,vinegar,salt ; set aside.

In a bowl, mix together chicken, egg, salt, and pepper; set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and flour. Fold in chicken mixture until coated well.

In small batches, drop coated chicken pieces into hot oil and deep-fry for 3 – 4 minutes, then remove from oil and drain on papertowels. keep warm.

From the same wok ,remove extra oil in a bowl.Just save enough oil to stirfry vegetables.

Add paste of ginger,garlic and chillies.stir for 30 sec.

Add scallions and stir for 30 sec

Add brocolli and stir fry for 90 sec

Add orange sauce to it and bring to a boil.

Mix 1 Tbls. cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water

Add to the orange sauce as it is boiling.

Add cooked chicken and sesame oil to wok, stir to coat.

Add red pepper flakes and serve with rice or noodles.

Szechwan Chicken Fried Rice

2006-12-03T09:23:00.003-06:00

cooked rice 2 cups
Ginger, chopped finely1 tsp.
Green chilies, chopped finely1 tsp.

Coriander ,finely chopped ..1 tsp
Spring onion, round slices 3/4 cup
Cooked chicken, shredded3/4 cup
Spring onion tops, chopped diagonally ..1 cup

Brocolli ..1 head

White button Mushroom..7~8 nos.

Shredded carrots..1/2 cup

Shredded napa cabbage..1/2 cup

Green Bell pepper...1..thinly sliced
Ajinomoto......A pinch (optional,can be substituted by sugar)
White pepper.....1 tsp.

Szechwan sauce ...3tbsps
Soya sauce......3 tbsps.(Light one )
Egg..1

Peanut Oil ....3 tbsps
Seasame Oil... 2 tbsps.

Chilli oil ....1 tbsp

Rice vinegar(can use white vinegar) 2tbsp

Lime Zest ..1/3 tbsp
SaltTo taste

Method:

In a wok or deep skillet take peanut or canola oil and heat.Scramble the egg with added salt and pepper.Take out.
In the same oil and finely chopped ginger,white part of scallions and green chillies.fry for few seconds.
Add onions,brocolli,bell pepper and mushrooms.Make sure to not to lower the heat.Chinese preparation is all about cooking in high heat.Stir for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add salt .white pepper,rice vinegar,soy sauce and chilli sauce.If its too much you can just add premade szechwan sauce.
Now add cooked rice shredded carrots,shredded cabbage and lime zest.
Stir and then add cooked shredded chicken and scrambled eggs.
Stir good amount of seasme oil and chilli oil.
finish off with cashews and lemon juice.

Provence Style Chicken with Walnut Salad

2006-11-29T19:50:00.001-06:00

4 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 tablespoons lemonade concentrate or lemon juice
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or use regular red wine vineger
2 tablespoons herbs de Provence
a drop of red food color
1 tablespoon citrus herb seasoning

In a small bowl mix together remaining ingredients. Pour marinade mixture into large zip-top bag and add chicken. Squeeze out air and place in refrigerator 1 to 2 hours.
Set up indoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking. Remove chicken from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place chicken on hot oiled grill and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until you get beautiful grill marks and the trick to get grill mark is not to touch it for a minute. Now preheat the oven to 375 F and put the chicken in it to cook further for another 20 min.
Serve it with salad, excellent side dish for Swedish apple walnut salad.

Apple Walnut Salad
1 cup whole walnut halves
1 heart celery with greens, wiped clean and chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup red seedless grapes, split
2 Gala apples, seeded and chopped
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons honey, eyeball it
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, eyeball it
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 to 3 tablespoons cream, eyeball it Salt and pepper
1 head Bibb lettuce or butter lettuce

Toast nuts in a small skillet over moderate heat in a small pan until aroma develops and nuts crisp a bit, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Combine walnuts, celery, onion, grapes and apples in a medium bowl. Whisk lemon juice, honey, vinegar, cardamom, dill and mustead, then whisk in extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. When oil becomes incorporated stream in cream, then season the dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.
Dress salad and adjust salt and pepper, to taste. Use 2 large lettuce leaves per serving to form a bed for the salad.

Chicken Sheesh Kebab

2006-11-29T19:50:00.000-06:00

1kg - fresh minced chicken,
onion rings, for garnishing

For Marinade:
2 - eggs
2 tbsp - garlic paste
2 tbsp - ginger paste
2 - medium potatoes, boiled
2 - onions, ground to paste
2 tbsp - paste of fresh mint leaves
2 - lime (juice)
salt to taste
For Dry Masala:1 tbsp - coriander seeds
1 tbsp - whole jeera (cumin)
5 to 6 - whole red chillies

Grind all the dry masalas together. Keep aside.
Combine all ingredients for the marinate, the ground dry masalas and the minced chicken.
Mix well, marinate for aleast one hour.
Heat water in a large pan.
Mould the sheesh kebabs on wooden sticks.
Slowly remove the kebabs from the sticks by gently sliding them out and into the pan of boiling water.
Do this with all the kebabs.
Boil until kebabs look cooked on both the side s.
Do not stir the kebabs too early as they will break easily.
Just before serving, heat oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the kebabs till browned.
Sprinkle lime juice and chat masala over the sheesh kebabs.
Garnish with onion rings lemon slices coriander and serve with mint yoghurt chutney.

Mattar Paneer Masala :a must-try recipe

2006-11-29T17:50:00.002-06:00

Here is one of my favorite recipes green peas and paneer - the mattar paneer masala.

Ingredients:

Frozen Green peas("Mattar" )– 1 cup

Sugar – a pinch

Lemon juice – 1 teaspoon
Salt – 1 teaspoon or as per taste

Homemade Paneer – 2 cups ,cubed into bite size pieces (refer to my homemade paneer recipe),if you don't have paneer you can replace it with Tofu.

Oil – 3 teaspoon

Ghee – 1 teaspoon

For Puree:

Cinnamon – 1 stick

Cloves – 3

Cardamom – 2

Cumin seeds – 1-1/2 teaspoon,

whole Black peppercorns – 8-10,

yellow Onions – 2, medium size, finely sliced

Ginger – ½-inch piece, roughly chopped

Garlic – 3 cloves peeled whole

Green chillies– 3, medium size jalapeno pepper

Roma Tomatoes – 2, medium size

Spices:

Red chili powder – ½ teaspoon or to taste
Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Cilantro leaves – chopped for garnishing

Method

In a deep skillet fry sliced onions till deep brown.Drain them on a paper towel and let them cool.

Grind green chillies.ginger,garlic,cardamom,cinnamon .cloves,cumin red chillies and black pepper corn in a grinder along with fried onions.Add little water to puree it smooth.

In the same skillet fry paneer pieces till golden brown on both sides,take out and drain on paper towel.Sprinkle little salt on it.Its really splatters so don't wear your best clothes while doing it.Some people prefer not frying it.But frying gives it a distinct crispy flavour on the side and kinda melting texture from inside.

Continuing furthur in the same skillet fry masala puree until it starts leaving oil from the edges.Add salt , turmeric, coriander powder, and redchilli powder.

Add diced tomatoes and peas. also add few drops of lemon juice and pinch of sugar. Stir for another 5 mins or so.

Add paneer and heavy cream.

Simmer for few minutes

Serve hot with jeera fried rice or naan.

Homemade Paneer

2006-11-29T17:50:00.001-06:00

Paneer is an Indian cottage cheese. It is used in some mouth-watering Indian dishes.,mostly north indian dishes.I have always been Paneer fanatic.Dont get confused with Tofu,which is of thicker consistency as it is made from soy milk and often used in chinese recipes.

I love paneer so much that i can eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner.My mom used to joke that you should marry a Paneerwala,which wasnt that appetizing i guess.So i tested and tested this recipe to perfection so that i dont have to marry a paneerwala and at the same time enjoy the same taste from home.If you make homemade paneer my way , i bet you will never buy the one out there from grocery store. Use Kemps/LandOlakes whole milk,Organic milk is even better .If you expect that you will get the same result by using 1% milk,believe me you dont want that.

Take heavy bottom vessel or sauce pan that can heat the milk without burning it.

First add little water to the vessel and then add milk .

Bring it to a serious boil by constantly stirring it.Dont go anywhere as milk is very dodging.The
minute you walk away from it it will over boil and falls off.

For making curd you can either use lemon juice (no seeds) or white vinegar.But first dilute it in water and stir it into milk in installments.Keep the milk on rolling high.

After you done with adding acid to it boil it for few more seconds and take it off the stove and let it rest.You will see curd separating.If not, try adding little more acid
to it and boiling it again.

Then strain it in cheese cloth( you get that in Cubs or Rainbow).Run cold tap water and rinse it to wash off any extra acidic taste.

Tie the cloth and put heavy weight on top of it and put it on a flat plate and keep it inside the fridge atleast for 1 hr or overnight.Make sure that you drain the water from the plate
every 20 minutes until you see no more.

As simple as that..I hope if you practise you will master the art.
For extra kick you can add basil leaves and sundried tomatoes in the
milk before you add acid to it.
Cut it into cubes the next day and fry it.Use it instantly or can be
stored in a freezer bag for weeks.
Have fun
Pinki

Sago(saboodana) Khichdi

2006-11-29T17:50:00.000-06:00

1 cup Sabudana/sago (from Indian store and dont get confused with Tapioca)

3-4 tbsp Roasted skin removed coarsely powdered peanuts

1 tbsp roasted almond powder

2-3 Green Chillies slitted vertically or chopped fine

1 whole Red dry chilli

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 red chilli powder(optional)

1-2 raw Potatoes diced into small squares

1 Lemon

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp grated coconut (optional)

Coriander chopped finely for garnishing

4 tbsp Oil or Ghee( i usually use ghee)

Method

Wash sago gently. Remove excess water. Keep aside for 1 hour. Loosen the sago and break lumps with figures. Sprinkle a handful of water. Keep aside for 1 hour. Loosen as before. If you got time on hand soak it overnight.

Heat oil or ghee in a non-stick sauce pan ,add cumin seeds and whole red chilli.

After cumin starts to splutter, add potatoes and stir fry till tender.

Add green chillies and stir.

Add the peanuts and almond powder,salt and crushed blackpepper.Stir for few seconds.

Add sago and stir gently till uniformly mixed.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes on very low flame, frequently stir in between.

When the sago grains become transparent and soft, add coriander,grated coconut, sugar and lime juice and mix.

BANARASI BHARWAN ALOO

2006-11-29T11:55:00.001-06:00

Ingredients

Potatoes(medium sized) 500 gms
Cottage cheese (paneer)(grated) 100 gms
Fennel seeds
1 tspOil 2+ to deep fry tbsps
Fresh coriander leaves(chopped)
2 tbspsGreen chillies (finely chopped)
4 Raisins
1 tbspCashewnuts(chopped)
Salt to taste
Asafoetida a pinch
Cumin seeds
1 tspGinger(grated)
Tomato puree 2 cups
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp 1 tbsps
Dry mango powder (amchur) 1/2 tsp
Jaggery (grated) 1 cup
Fresh cream 2 tbsps

Method of preparation
1. Peel and halve potatoes. Wipe dry. Dry roast fennel seeds and crush slightly.
2. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep-fry potatoes till they are golden brown. Drain onto an
absorbent paper and set aside to cool.
3. Scoop out the middle of each half potato. Chop the scooped out portion of the potatoes. 4. Add paneer, coriander leaves, green chillies, raisins, cashewnuts and salt. Mix well.
5. Stuffed the scooped out potato halves with this filling.
6. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a kadai. Add asafoetida, roasted fennel seeds, cumin seeds, ginger
and sauté. Add tomato puree and mix well.
7. Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Add half a cup of water and cook for three to four
minutes.
8. Add tamarind pulp and stir. Add amchur powder, grated jaggery and salt to taste.
9. Add stuffed potatoes to this gravy and cook on low heat for three to four minutes.
10. Add fresh cream and stir gently. Cook till the gravy is reduced slightly.
Serve hot with garnish of Coriander and a dollop of cream.

Pinky's Muglai Chicken Biryani

2006-11-29T11:55:00.000-06:00

1 lb Boneless Skinless Chicken breast(cut into large pieces) or skinless thighs
3 cups Basmati Rice
1 large Red Onions (thinly sliced) ,3 large red onions chopped very fine
A bunch of Mint Leaves (chopped)
A bunch of Fresh Coriander/Cilantro Leaves (chopped)
2 tsp. Ginger Paste ,2 tsp. Garlic Paste ,4 green chilies paste (Hara masala)
11/2 cups Plain Yogurt
3 tsp. Coriander Powder
1 tsp. Turmeric Powder
2 tsp. Red Chili Powder, also 1 tbsp deggi mirch powder
1 tsp. Cumin Powder
A pinch of Nutmeg powder
5 Green Chilies (more or less may be used depending on spice preference)
10 Cloves
6 small Cardamoms
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 tbsp garam masala powder
Fresh Lime Juice or Fresh Lemon Juice of a large lemon(to taste)
Salt (to taste) ,use kosher salt if available
A few strands of Saffron (optional)
4 tbsp. Whole Milk (optional)

For garnishing
Few whole mint leaves, Green long slit chilies, 10 Cashew Nuts, 20 Raisins, 2 tbsp slivered almonds, 4 Eggs (hardboiled and halved), 3-4 tbsp of ghee,

Directions
Marinate:
Beat the plain yogurt well. Marinate chicken with the yogurt, hara masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder, shajeera powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder, chili powders, little bit of tomato puree and kosher salt. If you want you can also add mint and coriander paste. Let it marinate for about 3-4 hour in refrigerator. I usually do it overnight.

Prep work:
Meanwhile, slice onions very thinly, and deep fry in oil mixed with ¼ cup of ghee or any other cooking oil until crisp. Be careful not to burn it as we are just looking for golden fried onions. After this fry cashews and raisins in the same oil, drain and set aside. Fry halved potatoes and keep aside.
Clean and wash the rice, drain, and set aside.
Clean and chop the mint leaves and coriander leaves. Slice few wedges of lemon and squeeze the lemon juice from rest of it.
Heat milk (don’t boil, just lukewarm) and let saffron steep in it for few minutes.

Cooking Rice:
Semi cooks the rice separately with bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, few pods of cardamoms and lemon juice. Start cooking rice halfway through the recipe otherwise if they get too cooled off before you mix chicken masala they won’t absorb the flavor at all and will taste like “pulao”.
Cooking Chicken Masala:

In the same oil in which you fried everything, now add whole garam masala and fry them a little until they infuse the oil with their aroma. Next add finely chopped onions and fry them of a minute or so. Next add hara masala and fry for another couple of minutes or until onion just starts turning golden in color.
Add all the powders and then add marinated chicken. Cook until it is no longer pink in the center, add little curd and coconut. Simmer it for 10 minutes.
Assembly

1. In a deep baking dish or casserole layer the semi cooked basmati rice.
2. For next layer sprinkle chopped mint, coriander, fried onions, saffron liquid and lemon juice. Now layer with the cooked chicken.
3. Repeat step 1 and 2 twice or thrice.
4. After final layer sprinkle some ghee, rose water and kewara water.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and keep it in the 250-275 degree preheated oven for 2-3 hours or so.

While serving garnish it with cashews, raisins, almonds and Eggs.