Desi Zayeka

Handi Kabab...

2012-03-03T12:28:00.003-05:00

Handi Kabab is one of the exotic Mughlai dishes but is not that hard to make like other such dishes. I love this dish and is very common in every non-vegetarian household in Ahemdabad, Gujarat. Made of rich lamb kababs and yogurt curry... works well with rice, khichdi, or roti...

Ingredients:
1. 8-9 lamb kababs (meatballs) - recipe coming soon!
2. One cup beaten yogurt.
3. One medium onion - finely chopped.
4. One medium tomato - finely chopped.
5. Red Masala - 1 tblsp red chili powder, 1 tblsp dhaniya powder, a pinch of tumeric, 1 tblsp of ginger-garlic paste.
6. Salt per taste.
7. Three tblsp oil.
8. One tsp cumin seeds.
9. Chopped coriander for garnishing,

Process:
1. Heat oil in a wok, add cumin seeds.
2. Once seeds splutter, add chopped onions. Fry till golden brown.
3. Add chopped tomatoes. Fry till oil separates.
4. Add red masala and salt. Fry till oil separates.
5. Add in yogurt and mix well.
6. Add in kababs and le tit simmer on low for 10 minutes.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot!

ENJOY!!!

Chili-Garlic Bread/Toast

2012-02-24T17:32:00.001-05:00

Hello all beautiful people out there...

It has been crazy busy with the tax season. I get home at 7-7:30 leave at 8:30 in the morning. Working Saturdays and Sundays!! But, it is much more peaceful, since I am working for myself now! Yes! I am my own boss and it feels so good! Now I always think, why I didn't do this earlier. But anyways, its never too late!

Coming to my quick and easy snack, yes I need a lot of these kind of recipes for the busy season. This is one of the best tea time snack, I have came up with so far. You have to try it to believe me...

Ingredients:
1. Three slices of bread, sides removed.
2. Two tblsp (each)- green, red, and yellow pepper - finely chopped
3. Three cloves of garlic - finely chopped
4. Two tblsp - butter at room temperature
5. Red chili flakes - per your desire (optional)

Process:
1. Mix together all the ingredients from #2 to #5 above.
2. Spread it on the three bread slices.
3. Toast in it mini oven for 5-6 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Mexican Pizza

2012-02-09T17:54:00.000-05:00

Where do I even start with for this delicious, quick, and easy snack item. This has been a life-time saver after Maggie of course! I normally make this pizza when I am really hungry but don't necessarily have enough time to do something fancy. This pizza is very filling and more importantly it is loved by dear Hubby, as well. He doesn't like the American pizzas with melted cheese but he loves Indian Pizza and this Mexican Pizza. Don't ask my why 'cause I am still trying to figure why it is the way he is :)

Ingredients:
1. Plain flour tortilla (I used store bought one).
2. One can of pinto beans (store bought).
3. Three tblsp Salsa (store bought).
4. Guacamole - four to five tblsp.
4. Half green bell pepper - chopped.
5. Mexican four cheese - as much as you need!

Process:
1. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F.
2. Place tortilla on a Pizza Pan, evenly coat tortilla with salsa.
3. Evenly spread guacamole, place pinto beans over salsa and guacamole.
4. Sprinkle chopped green bell pepper and cheese.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or till cheese is melted.
6. Serve hot!!!

ENJOY!!!

Dal - Comfort Food...

2012-01-30T14:59:00.002-05:00

Dal-Chawal is most comfortable food one can ever have. Every time we go to India, family and friends are so eager to have us over to their place for dinner and lunches and what not... They always ask us what is our preference so that they will make sure they cook that, and our answer would be the same each and every single time, Dal-Chawal. People in India (at least in my family) think that its a disgrace to guests if you only serve dal-chawal; but they don't understand our love for "homemade" dal-chawal, specially when our digestive system is about to burst, we are sick like hell, and time difference doesn't contribute to this situation in any good way. So we then say, "Okay, make whatever you want, but make sure you also make dal-chawal".

Sometimes it is so hard for them to understand our love for dal-chawal. Some things are never explained in words, you have to experience it to understand the feelings. Likewise, for this simple homemade dal, you have to experience it to understand my craziness for this.

Ingredients:

One cup toor dal - washed three times
One medium onion - thinly sliced
Three cloves of garlic - finely chopped
One tsp each - cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds
One tblsp each - red chili powder, coriander powder, ginger-garlic paste
A pinch of turmeric powder
Three tblsp oil
One medium tomato - chopped
One tblsp lemon juice
Salt per taste
Three to Four glass of water (your preference)
Fresh coriander leaves - finely chopped for garnishing

Process:

Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add in cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds.
Once splutter, add in sliced onions and chopped garlic.
Once the onion turns slightly brown, add in tomato, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, salt, and ginger-garlic paste.
Mix well, cook till oil separates.
Add in washed toor dal, lemon juice, and three - four glass of water.
Mix well and close the pressure cooker.
Let it cook till five whistles or you think till dal is done (this totally depends on how your pressure cooker works).
Once the pressure comes down, open the pressure cooker and mix well.
Dish out in a bowl and garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice (chawal).

ENJOY!!!

India ka Rs. 8 Wala Pizza

2012-01-19T16:16:00.000-05:00

I cannot tell you how I had felt almost 15 years ago, when I first tasted a pizza in India. Yes, 15 years ago... (I feel old :( :( ) I had a pizza with my cousins in Law Garden of Ahmedabad. It tasted like a hard naan, with ketchup, veggies, and cheese. Then a year later, I came to US and tasted the regular cheese pizza, soft crust, pizza sauce, and "melted" cheese. At that time, I liked Indian Pizza better than US Pizza.

Then I stayed here in US for 14 years and started to develop a taste American Pizza and started liking this over Indian Pizza, but my recent trip to India changed it all over again. I know I sound like I am all over the place... but I have this thing with Pizza, I only like certain types, certain combos, etc...

So, what's up with Rs 8 in my post title. Well this time when I went to India, I kept tell my hubby's sister (didi) that I want to eat "Rs. 8 wala Pizza" and she kept telling me that there is no such pizza. I told her that I had it in Law Garden 15 years ago, so she took me there but all pizzas over there now had melted cheese and they all had started using a mini oven to make pizzas. I kept describing it to her that the cheese should not be melted and crust has to be kinda hard. We went to almost five different vendors at different places with no success in finding my Rs. 8 wala Pizza.

So, then one day, we went shopping and we were shopping for over 5 hours and we both started to feel hungry. She took me to a small cart in the shopping area which served sandwiches, chaat, and lots of other stuff. The cart menu (on the cart itself) said that they served Pizza as well. I was going to come back to US in less than a week. So I told her I will get a Pizza, she insisted that I get something else otherwise I will be disheartened again. I said no I will have a Pizza. And GUESS what, it was my Rs. 8 wala Pizza. When the guy came with the plate, I jumped with so much excitement that he thought I have lost it and kept staring at me instead of serving me :)...

I told Didi that this is what I have been looking for. She gave me the strangest expression and goes, "THIS pizza". I go, "Yeah". She goes, "Oh this we get it at all these carts, not at a regular food place, you should have told me earlier; and you kept saying Rs. 8, Rs. 8, this Pizza is now Rs. 40". My Oh My.. time did change Big TIME!!!!

So here is to old memories and new ones that I will be making with this dear Pizza of mine...

Ingredients:

7 inch Pizza Crust (available at any super market)
One tblsp Ketchup
Two tblsp Salsa
Three tblsp - chopped onions, coriander, green bell peppers
Shredded Pizza Cheese (your choice & amount)
Chat Masala - One tsp

Process:

Spread ketchup and salsa over pizza crust.
Add onions, coriander, and greed bell peppers.
Heat mini oven and bake for 5-7 minutes on 350 F.
Take out Pizza and sprinkle shredded cheese as much as you like.
Sprinkle chaat masala over it.
Serve hot.

This was loved by all at home and I am sure you will love it too. Whenever I eat this, I get a feeling for India or Nostalgic Feeling :)

ENJOY!!!

Tandoori Aloo

2012-01-18T09:26:00.001-05:00

I came across this recipe on KhanaPakana.com (http://www.khanapakana.com/cooking-video/c8a7cf39-49c1-459e-b972-e33cd44d5668/parathay-green-malai-tikka-and-tandoori-aloo). It’s a cooking show video and pretty long at that. But I am GLAD that I came across this recipe, because it is so easy to make, looks exotic, and tastes heavenly!!!

I made some changes to the original recipe. Since the day I came across this recipe, I have already made it 4 times, two of which were in a gathering. It was loved by my dear hubby the first time I made it, and then loved by every single one of them who tasted it. It is a must try!

Ingredients:

1. Baby potatoes – 10 to 15 – boiled and peeled
2. One cup yogurt
3. Three tblsp Shaan Tandoori Chicken BBQ Mix
4. One tblsp lime juice
5. Three tblsp cooking oil
6. Salt per taste
7. Red food color (optional)
8. One tsp cumin seeds
9. One tsp mustard seeds
10. Three dry red chilies
11. Two green chilies – chopped
12. Two tblsp Ginger – cut in long strips
13. Fresh coriander for garnishing

Process:

1. In a bowl mix together yogurt, Shaan Tandoori Masala, lime juice, salt, and red food color; keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan; add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and dry red chilies.
3. Once seeds splutter, add in yogurt mixture (step 1).
4. Stir well; add boiled baby potatoes, green chilies, and ginger.
5. Mix well; let it cook for 15 minutes on low heat.
6. Dish out in a serving bowl, garnish with coriander.
7. Serve hot with Roti or Dal-Chawal.

ENJOY!!!

My 100th Post & Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T11:48:00.001-05:00

I had never thought that I would reach such a milestone in blogging world. My motivational support and push is each and every one of you who visits my blog, leaves me encouraging comments, “Like” my Facebook page, and last but not least visits me through “Google Image Search”. I would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you in helping me reach such a milestone!

Since there are two celebrations in this post – my achievement and New Year 2012, I would like to celebrate it with some mouthwatering chocolate dipped strawberries and delicious chocolate truffles. So, without further ado, here we go:

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries:

Ingredients:
1. 40-45 fresh strawberries washed and completely dried.
2. Two full size chocolate of your favorite flavor, I used Lindt Milk Chocolate.
3. Four bites of Lindt White Chocolate.

Process:
1. Make sure that the strawberries are completely dried, if it has tiny bits of moisture in it, the chocolate coating will fall off.
2. Melt the milk chocolate in microwave for a minute and half or till it melts.
3. Dip each strawberry, one by one, in the melted chocolate and place it on the foil paper.
4. Once all strawberries are done, place them in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate and place it in the corner of small zip bag.
6. Take out chocolate dipped strawberries, and sprinkle white chocolate through zip bag.
7. Place the strawberries back in refrigerator till you are ready to serve.

Notes:
• Using dark chocolate will give you a better result. It will stand out. We are all milk chocolate lovers so I had to use this.

Chocolate Truffles:

Ingredients for Truffles:
1. Three tblsp Nutella
2. Half of full sized milk chocolate
3. One tblsp Ghee (Clarified Butter)
4. Two tblsp Honey

Ingredients for coating:
1. Chopped pistachio
2. Unsweetened cocoa powder
3. Confectioners’ sugar
4. 5-6 bites of milk chocolate, melted.

Process:
1. Mix together all the ingredients for truffles in a microwaveable bowl.
2. Microwave the mixture for about a minute and half or till chocolate melts.
3. Remove the bowl from microwave and stir the mixture till smooth.
4. As the mixture cools down it will begin to come away from the bowl easily like soft dough.
5. Place the mixture in refrigerator for at least an hour.
6. Once chilled, remove the mixture and make walnut sized balls; I got 15 out of the mixture.
7. Now, take some truffles, and roll them into cocoa powder.
8. Take some truffles and roll them into confectioners’ sugar.
9. Dip some truffles into melted chocolate, place them on foil paper, and top it will chopped pistachio. Let it sit on the foil paper for 5 minutes, till the excess chocolate drips off. Chill before serving.
10. I placed these truffles in mini muffin cases.

ENJOY!!!

Nargis Kababs!!!!

2011-12-29T15:41:00.001-05:00

So remember my Shami Kababs and Chicken Shami Kababs, well this Nargis Kababs are made using the exact same process, except, you put an egg in between patties, merge them, and deep fry. They are super-duper easy to make and are very filling! One or two nargis kabab will be more than enough for someone like me. It is a great appetizer to serve when you have a big party.

Ingredients:
1. Two chicken breast or One pound ground goat meat or beef
2. Half cup Chana dal – soaked in water for 3-4 hours
3. One medium potato – boiled
4. One medium onion – sliced
5. One tblsp garlic-ginger paste
6. One tblsp green chilies paste
7. Three cloves
8. Three black peppers
9. One cinnamon stick
10. A pinch of turmeric powder
11. Salt to taste
12. Half glass of water
13. A bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
14. A bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
15. Five hard boiled eggs
16. One beaten egg for coating
17. Oil for fry

Process:
1. In a pressure cooker, add in water, chicken, chana dal, garlic-ginger, green chilies, onion, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon stick, turmeric powder and salt.
2. Let it cook for 15 minutes or till you think the dal is cooked.
3. Take out the boiled/cooked mash from pressure cooker into a bowl.
4. If there is excess water, carefully take it out with spoon or whichever way is best for you.
5. Take out all the whole spices from the mash – cloves, black pepper & cinnamon stick.
6. Add boiled potato, coriander and mint to the mash and mix up everything with hand till it becomes a smooth mixture.
7. Divide the mixture into 10 portions and make flat patties out of the mixture.
8. Take one Pattie in hand, place the hard-boiled egg, and place another Pattie on top of it.
9. This will make an oval shaped kebab; cover the egg with the Pattie mixture in a way that you don’t see the egg.
10. Coat each Kebab with beaten eggs and deep fry in heated oil.
11. Serve hot!

ENJOY!!!

Moli De Parathe

2011-12-26T17:01:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas…

Moli de Parathe. I have never tried these parathas before, but dear hubby loves Moli. He likes to eat it with Pulao or Sabzi Roti that I normally make as an everyday food. He also likes Moli ki Bhaji. I haven’t developed a taste bud for the bhaji yet but he loves it. Back home the Moli that we get are so tiny, but here they are all processed and hybrid, as a result they are giant Molis. Given that I am not a fan of Moli and dear hubby can only eat so much of it, I had a whole bunch of it left and I had no idea what to do with it.

One Sunday morning, I was fasting, so I made these parathas for dear hubby, and he loved it. So I thought of sharing the recipe with you. It is simple, easy, and healthy!

Ingredients:
1. Two cups Moli – finely chopped
2. Three cups wheat flour (atta)
3. Three to four green chilies – finely chopped
4. Three tblsp oil
5. One cup warm water
6. One tblsp cumin seeds – crushed
7. Salt per taste.

Process:
1. Mix together all the ingredients above and make soft dough.
2. Let it sit for five minutes. Divide the mixture into five golf size balls.
3. With the help of rolling pin, roll the balls into parathas.
4. Cook both sides on a frying pan with little oil.
5. Once cooked on both sides, remove on a serving dish and put a dollop of ghee.
6. Serve hot with cold sweet yogurt.

ENJOY!!!

Sherbat - Mohram Special

2011-12-22T13:17:00.003-05:00

This is the second special for the month of Mohram. This drink is made is distributed to everyone at Mosques, on roadside by kids, to your neighbors and relatives, etc. on the two days that we are supposed to fast, the 9th and the 10th of Mohram. It is so easy to make and is delicious! I am sure you will fall in love with this drink.

Ingredients:

1. Two glasses of cold water
2. Eight tblsp sugar – four for each glass of water
3. Two tblsp poppy seeds – one for each glass of water
4. Three tblsp shredded coconut – one and half for each glass of water
5. Two or three crushed cardamom
6. Yellow or orange food color

Process:
Mix all the ingredients above. Mix well till sugar is dissolved. Serve cold!

That’s it. Do give it a try, you will love it!

ENJOY!!!

Maleeda - Mohram Special

2011-12-19T21:08:00.000-05:00

Mohram is the first month of Islamic Calendar (Our New Year)! It is one of the four sacred months of the year in which fighting is forbidden. Most muslims fast during the 9th and 10th day of Mohram. A lot of Muslims make something sweet and break their fast with it.

Maleeda is one of those dish that we make during Mohram. I still remember, every Mohram, we used to go to our Grandma's (Dadi - Paternal) house, and she would make this for us. I have eaten this dish made by my mom and aunts and Grandma, but the best one is only my Grandma's! I will never forget it, and I am not sure if I will be ever make it like hers. But anyways, for now, here it goes:

Ingredients:

Two cups whole wheat flour
One and half tblsp Ghee - Clarified Butter
Half cup warm water
Five tblsp sugar
Five tblsp shredded dry coconut
Ghee for deep frying

Three-four cardamom - crushed

Process:

Mix wheat flour, ghee, and warm water - make a stiff dough.
Make six-seven oval shaped patties.
Deep fry in ghee till golden brown.
Keep the fried patties aside and let them cool down.
Once cool, grind the patties till fine mixture.
Place them in a mixing bowl, add sugar, coconut, and cardamom.
Mix them well and serve!

It is so easy to make and is so healthy and delicious. Do give it a try, I am sure you will love it!!

ENJOY!!!

Shami Kabab

2011-12-16T15:34:00.000-05:00

Hello my fellow bloggers...

Hope you are all dwelling into the Christmas spirits around you. Whereever you see, you see a combination of red and green. Christmas songs are playing at each and every stores you go to. The streets are fully lighted by our good old City people! And, it gets dark by 4 in the evening. And, to top it all, every blog entry in the blogsphere has to do with cakes, cookies, pastries, and all the delicious Christmas goodies that you can think of. Don't we just love this season! This Holiday Season!!

This post/recipe has nothing to with Christmas but I just wanted to mention what I was feeling. Alright, now coming to the recipe. Remember my Chicken Shami Kabab. Well this is the exact same thing, except replace the chicken with ground goat meat. This too is as delicious as the chicken shami kabab. You can also use ground beef for this dish. So here it goes:

Ingredients:
1. Half a pound ground goat meat
2. Half cup Chana dal – soaked in water overnight or 3-4 hours

3. One medium potato – boiled

4. One medium onion – sliced

5. One tsp garlic-ginger paste

6. One tsp green chilies paste

7. Two or three cloves

8. Two or three black peppers

9. One cinnamon stick

10. A pinch of turmeric powder

11. Salt to taste

12. One glass of water

13. A bunch of fresh coriander

14. A bunch of fresh mint

15. One beated egg for coating

16. Oil for fry

Process:
1. In a pressure cooker, add in water, ground meat, chana dal, garlic-ginger, green chilies, onion, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon stick, turmeric powder and salt.

2. Let it cook for 15 minutes or till you think the dal is cooked.

3. Take out the boiled/cooked mash from pressure cooker into a bowl.

4. If there is excess water, carefully take it out with spoon or whichever way is best for you

5. Take out all the whole spices from the mash – cloves, black pepper & cinnamon stick.

6. Add boiled potato, coriander and mint to the mash and mix up everything with hand till it becomes a smooth mixture.

7. Divide the mixture into 25 portions and make flat patties out of the mixture.

8. Coat each pattie with beated eggs and shallow fry in heated oil.

9. Serve hot with ketchup.

ENJOY!!!

Corn Chaat

2011-12-05T15:59:00.001-05:00

Corn Chaat is such an amazing and tempting delicacy. It will make you drool like crazy while you are prepping for it. No kidding… I WAS drooling so bad!  I first had this in India, obviously, when I went to get married five year ago. Yes, five years anniversary is on December 8th! So I and my hubby went for a walk at Kankaria Lake in Ahmedabad and I happen to saw this cart that was so crowded and the only thing it had said on it was Corn Chaat/Makai Chaat. I asked my hubby, if he had tried this before and he hadn’t. So, both of us went to the cart and got our corn chaats in small ice-cream styled cups, with a little plastic spoon. The look of the chaat was so colorful and it smelled heavenly. I cleaned up the little ice-cream cups in a matter of few seconds and went back for another one. I had three servings of corn chaats that day! Yes, I am a chaat maniac.

Since that day, I always kept thinking to make this at home but never did. Don’t have a valid reason for not trying but you know how it is. Before my trip to India, my mom had done a Barbeque party at her place and had invited me over. Along with the regular barbequed items, she also bought a lot of corn cobs. However, by the end of the barbeque we were all so full and did not had the corn cobs. So my mom gave me couple of corn cobs to take home with me (Moms are so cute and caring when it comes to food & daughters). The cobs were thrown in to the fridge for about a week, and were forgotten about. One day, I came home early from work and was trying to decide what to make, when I saw those corn cobs and decided to make this chaat. Yes, unbelievable, it took me almost four and half years to make this chaat at home. I am sure we all have one of those lingering dishes that we want to try but never do, can you tell me yours?

Heading to the recipe now:

Ingredients:

1. Two cobs of corn – boiled and the corn kernels removed. You can also use the frozen ones.

2. One medium potato – boiled and finely chopped.

3. One small green bell pepper – finely chopped.

4. One small onion – finely chopped.

5. One small tomato – finely chopped.

6. A bunch of fresh coriander – finely chopped.

7. One cup sweetened yogurt.

8. One tblsp chaat masala (store bought).

9. Salt per taste.

10. Two or three tblsp coriander chutney (I used store bought SWAD brand).

11. Half cup thin sev (store bought).

Process:

1. In a bowl, mix together corn kernels, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, coriander, chaat masala, and salt.

2. Place the corn mixture in serving bowls.

3. Place a dollop of sweetened yogurt, followed by coriander chutney, followed by sev.

4. Serve immediately.

ENJOY!!!

Mehendi Designs from India!!

2011-11-16T15:38:00.001-05:00

As you all know, I went to India on a break and had an awesome time there.. I attended two weddings, lots of shopping, lots of eating out, it was GREAT! Oh.. I miss it so much! Here are some pictures of Mehendi Designs that I and my cousins got done while I was in India...

Shrimp Pasta

2011-11-15T13:04:00.001-05:00

Shrimp Pasta is my hubby's all time favorite pasta dish. I try to stay away from Shrimps, except the barbecued ones served at Legal Sea Food. :) - I know, I know. I am very picky when it comes to seafood. This dish is definitely mouth watering (pictures can speak a lot at times!), you can add any type of meat as you like. Dear Hubby likes it with Shrimp, I like it with Chicken; but it can be served as it, with broccoli. That is, if you like broccoli :).

Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

One full box of Prince Pasta - I took a combination of Rotini and Ziti with Lines.
Two 15 ounces bottle of Bertolli's Alfredo Sauce.
Seven cloves of garlic - finely chopped
Handful of broccoli - cut in florets.
Two tblsp crushed red peppers.
One tblsp crushed black peppers.
Shrimp (half cooked & cleaned) - One cup; or cubed boneless chicken.
Three tblsp oil.

Method:

Boil pasta according to the package direction, drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok, add chopped garlic.
When garlic turns golden brown, add in shrimp or chicken, and broccoli.
Stir well and let it cook for about 5-6 minutes.
Add in Alfredo sauce and mix well.
Add in red and black crushed peppers, along with boiled pasta.
Mix well and let it cook on low flame for about 15 minutes.
Serve hot.

ENJOY!!!

Chicken Pakora

2011-11-09T15:26:00.004-05:00

During my childhood years, I had never imagined that I would be eating chicken pakoras in my adult years. As we were growing up, onion pakoras, mirchi pakoras, bread pakoras, aloo pakoras were the only pakoras that we would eat. Never imagined a non-vegetarian pakoras!! Time has changed, and so has the cooking. Things are being mixed and matched, creating more fusion food than ever before.

I first had chicken pakoras at one of our family friend's house and I so fell in love with it. It is fairly simple to make and tastes so good. It is a must try!

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken - half a pound - cut in small cubes
Tempura Batter Mix
Fresh coriander - a bunch - finely chopped
One medium onion - finely chopped
4-5 green chilies - finely chopped
Oil for deep frying

Process:

Mix all the ingredients, except oil, using a warm water.
The batter should be of medium consistency - not too thick, not too thin.
Keep marinated for about an hour.
Heat oil in a wok, and deep fry pakoras till golden brown.
Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup.

ENJOY!!!

Shrikhand - Sweet Indianized Greek Yogurt

2011-10-31T20:20:00.001-04:00

Hello all of my friends out there…

It’s been a while… a long while… and a good while… since I have been blogging. I was on a break, a much needed break for seven weeks. I was in INDIA for 7 weeks. Since the last time I have been to India in July 2009, I have never had a real time off from work. It was getting very tough to keep myself sane with all the work and I needed this break so bad. I feel fresh, rejuvenated, and pampered!!!

My cousin was getting married in India; my bua’s daughter. We, basically, grew up together. We shared laughter and sorrows, played and studied together. She was my bride’s maid at my wedding so I had to attend her wedding at any cost. It was a good excuse for my much needed break. How I got 7 weeks off from work, you may ask. Well, I am now an entrepreneur! I have started my practice and will be working on a contract basis with my current employer. I am so looking forward to all the challenges that the entrepreneurship has to bring!

If you are an NRI, I don’t have to tell you how much fun it is to go back home. See all of your relatives, enjoy weddings, parties, and family re-unions, and munch on all the chatakedaar (tasty) and masaledaar (spicy) food. Pani-Puri tops the list, hands down.

This time round, I spent all of my time with my mother-in-law and learned a lot of things from her. I will be posting those recipes as I make them.

Coming to today’s recipe – Shrikhand. It is a must have in a Gujarati meal. It is also, sometimes, served as a sweet dish in Gujarati Thali. I basically call it a Sweet-Indianized Greek Yogurt. It is so easy to make and makes a really great sweet dish.

Ingredients

1. 4 pounds plain natural yogurt
2. 1 pound sour cream
3. one and half cup sugar
4. ½ tsp ground green cardamom seeds
5. 2-3 tbsp coarsely ground pistachios

Process

1. Place the yogurt and sour cream into a clean muslin cloth and tie it up tightly with a piece of string right above the top of the yogurt so that the water can drip away.

2. Tie the muslin somewhere where it can hang with a large bowl underneath to catch the water and leave it for 24 hours. Keep tipping away the water as the bowl fills up.

3. Remove the yogurt from the muslin and place it in a large bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.

4. Press the yogurt and sugar mixture through a fine-holed sieve to remove any lumps.

5. Mix in the cardamom powder, and half of the pistachios. Reserve some pistachios for garnishing later. Chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

ENJOY!!!

Eid Mubarak!!

2011-08-31T09:26:00.000-04:00

Eid Mubarak to all of my blogger friends!!!

I am also leaving for India for a MUCH needed break and to attend my cousin's wedding!!

I will blog more when I get there...

Lots of love...

Pav Bhaji

2011-08-25T20:14:00.000-04:00

Pav Bhaji is a native dish of the state of Maharashtra but is very well known through out India and Indian households overseas! The Pav means bread and Bhaji means a mixed vegetable thick curry. It is served as a fast food in many of Indian restaurants and is also a big time street food in many Indian cities as well. I made this on a beautiful sunny day this summer. Me and my hubby then packed up everything in our picnic basket and went off to Charles River. Since it was a weekday, there weren't that many people on the banks of the river. We found a nice spot near the river, spread out, and munched on this Indian, spiced up, healthy delicacy!

If you are vegetarian, I gaurantee it that you will instantly fall in love with this dish and not just that if you have all the ingredients available, it can be made in a jiffy, unlike other Indian curries.

Ingredients:

One cauliflower - cubed.
Two potatoes - cubed.
One cup green peas - I used frozen.
One tomato - finely chopped.
One and half tsp red chili powder (or per your taste).
One tsp dhaniya powder
Salt per taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
One tblsp lemon juice
One tblsp sugar.
Three tblsp cooking oil
1/4 tblsp mustard seeds
Two or three curry leaves
Finely chopped onions - for garnishing
Finely chopped tomatoes - for garnishing
Chopped coriander - for garnishing
6-8 buns

Process:

In a pressure cooker, add in two glasses of water, add cubed cauliflower, potatoes, and green peas. Let it cook till 4-5 whistles or 12-15 minutes.
Drain all the water and in a bowl mash up all the veggies.
In a wok, heat cooking oil, add in mustard seeds and curry leaves, and let it splutter.
Now, add chopped tomatoes and mix well till oil separates.
Now, add red chili powder, dhaniya powder, salt, turmeric powder and mix well till oil separates.
Add in the mashed veggies and mix well.
Add in sugar and lemon juice, mix well and let it cook for 15 minutes. Stirring in the mean while.
Dish out in a serving plate and garnish with chopped onions, tomatoes, and coriander.
Serve hot with toasted pavs.

Notes: You can add various types of veggies if you like, just make sure you mash them all up.

Here are some snaps of our mini-picnic.

ENJOY!!!

Masala Dosa

2011-08-19T12:42:00.000-04:00

Masala Dosa – Oh Gosh! You have no idea how many memories are attached with this particular dish. My fast friend in my school in India was South Indian, her lunch would always have different kinds of dosas and my lunch would be the same roti with various curries. We always used to switch our lunches as I loved her dosas and she loved my rotis. :). Oh those good old days!

Also, being from Gujarat, this dish was a luxurious meal for us. Every time we go out to eat, Masala Dosa would be the only thing I would order just like my other cousins. Keep in mind, that in 1990s Indian-Chinese was still unheard of and people normally just cooked food at home rather than go out to eat because whatever you find at restaurants over there you could easily cook at home. With an exception to masala dosa, hence this became a luxurious meal for us. Mom used to make masala dosas in summer vacation time every year and that day would be like Eid for us! I can go on and on about my love for masala dosas but I think I should stop here and focus on the recipe since it’s quite lengthy.

But, before I jump on to the recipe, I want to give you some briefs about dosas. Dosas are fermented crepes made from rice and urad dal. Its origination is from South India but is very well known all around India. It is available in almost all Indian Restaurants in United States.

Ingredients:

For Batter:

Three cups uncooked rice
Two cups urad dal (split and husked black gram)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste

For the potato filling:

Three medium potatoes, boiled and cut into 1 cm cubes
One large onion, thinly sliced
Half cup green peas
Half tomato, chopped
3-4 large, hot green chillies, slit in half
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tblsp ginger, minced
1 tblsp lemon juice
salt per taste
3-4 curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
2 tblsp cooking oil
Handful of chopped coriander

For the coconut and coriander chutney:

5 large hot green chillies
1 small clove garlic
1 tsp ginger
A bunch of coriander, including stalks
5 tblsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 tblsp lemon juice
Salt per taste
3 tblsp sugar

Process:

For the potato filling:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to pop, and then add the curry leaves, onions, chilies, turmeric and ginger.

2. Allow to cook on a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the salt, sugar, lemon, tomato, peas and potatoes. Mix well.

3. Let it cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring in between.

4. Once done, garnish with chopped coriander and mix well.

For the coriander chutney:

1. Blend together all ingredients using a food processor.

For the batter:

1. Wash rice and urad dal separately in cold water for up to 5-6 times.

2. Place them in two separate large bowls and cover with warm water overnight. In the urad dal bowl add in fenugreek seeds.

3. After the soaking period discard the soaking water, reserving about two cups.

4. Place the soaked rice and urad dal in a blender and blend to a thick paste. Add salt and mix well.

5. The consistency of the batter should be just so that it covers the back of a spoon.

6. Add a little bit of the reserved soaking water to help with the blending process.

7. Blend the batter to a degree where it's grainy – this is what's going to make your dosas crispy.

8. Place the dosa batter in an extra-large bowl. Cover loosely and ferment overnight in a warm place.

To make the dosas:

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan, take a small paper towel, dip it lightly into the oil and grease the pan.

2. Take a ladle-full of the batter and spread a larger pancake.

3. Spread the batter in a circular motion, starting from the inside swiftly.

4. When the top becomes dry, take about a ¼ tsp of oil and spread it gently over the dosa with the back of a spoon or spatula.

5. When the back of the dosa turns golden some of the potato mixture into the middle of the pancake and fold the dosa from each sides.

6. Take the dosa off the pan place on a plate and serve with coconut chutney.

I have this step by step instruction for you to use as a guide, but trust me making the dosa is one of the easiest thing to do.

For all my Indian readers, this dish must not be new to you but I am sure it is one of your favorites! For non-Indian readers, you have to try this!! SOON!

You might have some leftover dosa batter after you are done feeding 4 people. You can freeze the batter for later use or make these delicious dosa cakes or uttapam as breakfast item or tea-time snack to munch on.

ENJOY!!!

Chane ki Dal

2011-08-17T12:46:00.000-04:00

For the past few months, I have been hardly trying to be friends with Mr. Yeast but it seems like he just doesn't like me :(... Multiple times in the past few months, I have tried to bake French Bread, Italian bread, and just a simple little bread with no success. Dear hubby wanted to try the French Bread so bad that one day he ended up buying the entire loaf for the two of us, obviously he couldn't keep waiting on me for another mistrials :)...

We got the French Bread, the entire loaf, but weren't quite sure how exactly to serve it. Hubby had it with butter once or twice but he didn't really liked it or rather he wanted something spicy instead of just bread and butter. That's when I decided to make this Chana Dal. We had it for breakfast and it was one of the best combo that we have had. This is a must try if you like french bread with something spicy with it.

Ingredients:

Two cups Chana Dal - soaked in water overnight.
One medium onion - thinly sliced
One medium tomato - chopped
One and a half tblsp red chili powder
One tblsp dhaniya powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
One tblsp ginger-garlic paste
Salt per taste
Cumin seeds - Half tsp
Oil - Two tblsp
Lime juice - half tsp.
One glass warm water

Process:

In a medium sized pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds.
Add in onions and let it cook till golden brown.
Add in chopped tomatoes, and mix well.
Let it cook till oil separates.
Add in chili powder, dhaniya powder, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and turmeric powder.
Mix well and let it cook till oil separates.
Now, add in chana dal, mix well.
Add in half a glass of water and let it cook on medium heat, stirring in between.
If needed, add the remaining water and cook till the dal is done.
Serve hot with French Bread.

Chane ki dal is one of my favorite lentils, you can basically just cook it with anything. Here are some more recipes related to chana dal that I have previously posted:

Chana Dal Lauki

Chana Dal Lauki Tikki

Chana Dal Chicken

Chana Dal Chicken-Tikki

ENJOY!!!!

Nihari - Ramadaan Special

2011-08-12T20:22:00.000-04:00

The month of Ramadan is almost half way through. Time flies… I feel like it was just yesterday that Ramadan had begun. Our daily lives are much fastened up with the month of Ramadan. The fact that this is the first year that it has fallen under the full summer cycle, and also the day-light saving time hasn’t kicked in yet and won’t kick in until after Ramadan ends, I was so scared thinking I might not be able to fulfill my fasting. How wrong was I! That’s why they say, if you have faith, nothing is impossible.

Our daily routine now is to wake up at 3:20 in the morning. I cook a meal, normally roti and omelet; and we always have leftover food from previous night. We eat till 4:00 AM. We then do our morning prayers and go back to bed by 4:30. I then get up at 7:30, get ready for work and leave. I normally come back from work at 6:30 or so. I then cook a meal, normally chicken, meat, or shrimp along with roti and make food for Iftari (fast breaking). Iftari always consists of dates, fresh fruits, milkshake or lemonade, and some savory snacks like pakoras, bhajiyas, dahi-bade, etc. We then break our fast at 8:00 PM. After breaking our fast, we normally do our prayers and then have dinner. After dinner, dear hubby goes for prayers at masjid and I do my night prayers at home along with some Quran recitations. Normally go back to bed at 11:30 or so. As you can see, the timing and schedule is pretty tied up. If we were to do this same routine in any other month but Ramadan, we won’t be able to do. It is only Allah (swt) who helps us get through the day and gives us enough courage to keep fasting! Thank you Allah (swt) for your countless blessings!!

Coming to today’s recipe - Nihari. I had never heard of this dish until few years ago when a really good family friend from Pakistan, asked my mom to make this dish for him. My mom had no idea and told him about it. He was so shocked that we have never had nihari before. Few months later his mother came to US from Pakistan and he had his mom make nihari and invited all of us for dinner. That day and today, it is everyone’s favorite now. When I first heard the recipe, I was like, there is no way I will be able to make this dish! But like I said earlier, if you have faith, nothing is impossible. So this one fine Sunday morning I tried and it came out perfect! Do give it a try I am sure you will instantly fall in love with this dish. This is also one of the main dishes served in Ramadan in Pakistan.

Ingredients:

Lamb Nihari meat (without bones) – three pounds
One medium onion – thinly sliced
Oil – five tblsp
Cumin seeds – half tsp
Red chili powder – four tblsp or per taste
Dhaniya powder – three tblsp
Ginger-garlic paste – three tblsp
Turmeric powder – half tblsp
Salt per taste
Shaan Nihari Curry Masala – three tblsp (available in any Indian store).
Lemon juice – one tblsp
Warm water – 8 glasses
Corn flour – three tblsp
Small fresh ginger – thinly slices for garnishing
A bunch of coriander – finely chopped for garnishing

Process:

Clean nihari meat and run it under cold water for about 15 minutes.
In a big pot, heat oil and add cumin seeds.
Add in lamb meat and mix well. Make sure all meat is well coated with oil.
At this point, after 5-7 minutes, the meat will turn whitish/pinkish.
At this point, add in all the water and onion.
Let it simmer for about 20 minutes; stirring every now and then.
Add in red chili powder, dhaniya powder, turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste, salt and Shaan nihari curry masala. Mix well.
Cover the pot and let it cook over low heat for 2 hours, stirring in between.
Check the meat; you should be able to break it out with your fingers. The meat should be well done at this point. If not, then keep cooking till it’s well done.
Add in lemon juice and mix well.
In a small bowl, add corn flour and 5 tblsp of warm water. Mix well without any lumps.
Mix the corn flour paste with nihari and cooking on low heat for another half an hour.
Nihari should have a lot of gravy along with chunks of meat, just like a lamb stew.

Granish with ginger slices and chopped coriander, serve hot with roti.

ENJOY!!!!

Tandoori Chicken

2011-08-03T12:29:00.000-04:00

If you are a non-veg, then you know that no Indian party meal, or an Indian website, or an Indian Blog runs without a mention of this dish, and yet it took me so long to post this recipe. Tandoori Chicken is very much famous with Non-Indians as well. At least in Boston, if you talk to someone about India, food would be the first thing that they will mention; and the most famous/favorite item is Tandoori Chicken and Samosas. I still remember my English teacher in high school who was originally from Russia would go crazy about samosas. My mom made some home-made samosas for her at my last day of school. I wonder if she still thinks samosas are the best Indian food she had ever came across. If she does, then she has to try these tandoori chicken, I bet she will go gaga over this!

I recently made these for a dinner party that I held for a close family friend. Without a doubt these were a hit. It was also my first time cooking the entire dinner for 14 people on my own! I must tell you it was a great experience, not that I never cooked for these many people before, I have, but under mom’s supervision. This was my first time on my own and everything came out perfect. By the end of the dinner, I was quite surprised by myself, but was way too tired to figure out how the hell I was able to do all this.

Ingredients:

One Chicken – cut in small pieces (at the meat shot that I regularly visit, they have standard sizes for small, regular, and BBQ pieces, I normally get the small ones).
One cup yogurt
Red chili powder – three tblsp (adjust it according to your taste)
Dhaniya powder – two tblsp
Ginger-Garlic paste – two tblsp
Lime juice – four tsp
Turmeric powder – half tblsp
Salt – per taste
Red food color (if desire)
Cooking oil spray

Process:

Mix and marinate ingredients 1 through 9.
Marinate it overnight, if you can. If not, then at least marinate it for 3-4 hours.
Preheat oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spray cooking oil on baking tray.
Arrange chicken pieces on the baking tray; spray another coat of cooking oil over the chicken.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, flipping the chicken at an interval of 10 minutes, till the chicken is fully cooked.
Serve hot over a salad.

NOTES: alternatively, you can also deep fry the chicken. Adjust spices and baking time according to your taste and oven, respectively.

ENJOY!!!

Raspberry Lemonade

2011-07-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

Last week, I went to Haymarket to get some fresh veggies and fruits. Haymarket is an open-air fruit and vegetable market conveniently located in North End near Government Center. The fruits and veggies that you get from here are so fresh and reasonably priced too! If you ever visit Boston, you do have to visit this market. Being an Indian origin, this place reminds me of generic Indian Subzi-Mandi (Vegetable-Market). Sometimes, when I suffer from Nastolgic moments, I visit this place! The market goes on only on Fridays and Saturdays. Almost everything is sold out by Saturday afternoon. Here are some snaps of the market.

I got some fresh raspberries, but never got a chance to make something out of it. After a week, it started losing hope on me, so I made this Raspberry Lemonade and it came out so good. I am always scared of mixing two things to create a new taste, but this was a good invention, I must say.

Ingredients: One cup fresh raspberries, Freshly squeezed lemon juice of two lemons, 1/4 tblsp crushed black peppers, 1/4 tblsp black salt, two glass of cold water, four ice cubes.

Process: Grind everything for about 10 minutes. Sieve it through to take out raspberry seeds. Pour in a wine glass to give it a classy look. Serve chilled.

I am sending this recipe to Iftar Moments Event hosted by Sister Ayeesha of Taste of Peral City, What's Everyone Having for Iftar Event hosted by Sister Roha of Hydrabadi Cuisine Recipes, and to Iftar Nights event hosted by Sister Jabeen of Jabeen's Corner.

So you might ask, what's up with serving everything (lemonade & Mango Milkshake) in a wine glass to give it a classy look. Well, I religiously follow a blog 1000 Awesome Things to keep my stress in control and appreciate little things that we tend to forget in our daily hectic lives. Well, one of the awesome thing that is mentioned by Neil here is to Drink Anything Out of Wine Glass is totally awesome. And, I totally agree with this statement. Do check out his blog, you won't be disappointed.

ENJOY!!!

Mango Milkshake

2011-07-26T11:47:00.000-04:00

How do I tell you about my love for mangos?! It all started when I had came to my senses and I tasted this delicious, sweet n tangy fruit. I had instantly fallen in love with it, and I am sure that is the case with most of you out there. Remember all those nastolgic moments of getting on the mango tree on hot afternoons to pick up raw mangos! Using blades to cut raw mango and eating with salt and red chili combination in the middle of a class. Remember squeezing the mango pulp right into your mouth directly from a ripe mango! Remember mom along with other neighboring aunties made those delicious "Aam ka Achara" (Mango Pickle) and "Chunda" (Sweet Mango Pickle)!

I can go on forever with all those nastolgic moments. Though being a thousand miles away from home, this fruit still brings back those good old memories and never ever disappoints me. In fact, it is one of my stress-buster during summer time!!

Mango milkshake is perfect for the 100+ degree weather that New England is facing right now. Not that I am complaining, I love this weather and I would prefer this any day than freezing temperatures that we have most of the time. The drink is also perfect fit for Iftar (breaking the fast).

I am sending this recipe to Iftar Moments event hosted by Sister Ayeesha of Taste of Pearl City and to What's everyone Having for Iftar event hosted by Sister Roha of Hyderabadi Cuisine Recipes. I am also sending this recipe to Mango Recipe event hosted by Dr. Sameena of My Culinary Creations.

Ingredients: Two ripe mangos cut in cubes, Two cups of chilled milk, Sugar (only if your mangos are not sweet, I didn't use any 'cause the mangos were very sweet!), four ice cubes.

Process: Grind everything for 10 minutes. It should thick in consistency. Serve in wine glass to give it a classy look. Serve cold.

ENJOY!!!