SamZ can Cook

Chicken Haleem with Oats

2012-07-29T22:35:00.001+05:30

Oats haleem for Iftar today :)

So if you find yourself having left over chicken, what do you do? You make a soup or better yet, oats haleem with it!

Take out the bones from the chicken. If your chicken is in curry form, you don't need the following:

Ginger garlic paste,

Onions,

Red chilli powder

If it's plain chicken, then add the above items and fry till onions turn soft.

If its' curry leftovers, you only need the following:

Lemon juice - to taste

Mint and Coriander leaves - chopped

Green chilli, finely chopped - to taste

Chicken stock - optional

Oats

Put the chicken into a pot, add the green chillies. Add chicken stock or water. One cup per person. Add coriander and mint leaves, lemon juice and salt if required. The chicken stock usually has sufficient salt in it.

Once the liquid boils, add the oats - about 1/2 cup per person, and allow to cook for 10 min. The consistency will be quite thick. Take it out of the stove and allow to cool. Then mash it up a little bit, and you will notice that it becomes a bit sticky in nature, haleem-style.

And thats it. Serve hot with fried onions and a wedge of lemon. Bismillah!

Vegetarian Panna Cotta with home-made Mango Jam

2012-07-29T09:35:00.002+05:30

Most of us know this recipe. The Indian version actually. We actually call it "China Grass" for some reason. And the best part! It's vegetarian!!! I know it is a hassle for many to get hands on halal/kosher/vegetarian gelatin, so use Agar-Agar instead. Very simple. Very easy.

What you need:

500 ml of full cream milk (Half and Half if you can get your hands on it)

250 ml of agar agar (boiled and strained to remove any lumps)

1 cup sugar

2-3 drops of vanilla essence (Vanilla bean if you can get your hands on it)

Warm milk just up-to the point before it starts boiling. You don't want to boil it. Add sugar and dissolve. Add the strained agar agar liquid. Add the vanilla. Pour into molds. Allow to cool. Put it into the fridge for 4-5 hrs to set. Yay! It's done.

I'll put up the recipe for Mango Jam later on. You can serve with any fruit, or caramel, or honey, maple syrup...whatever moves you to tears....

Oh, what are those crystals you say? That is just clear agar agar with sugar and some cardamom powder for flavour. Totally optional. :D

Carrot Coriander Soup

2012-07-20T19:34:00.000+05:30

So here’s a simple recipe that I tried out in just 15 minutes (one of Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipes). Most soups can be made with the same base – garlic, peppercons, bay leaf and any vegetable of your choice. Go on!! Try it!!

Carrot Coriander Soup

You would need a teaspoon of peppercorns and a bay leaf.

Some garlic cloves, 5-6 would suffice.

Around 400 gms of carrots and a medium sized onion.

Chop up the onion and the carrots.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pressure cooker. A heavy bottomed pot would do.

Add the peppercorns, garlic cloves, bay leaf and onions.

Fry till the onions are golden brown. They should be soft by now.
Add the carrots to the pot.

Add a fresh bunch of coriander leaves along with the stems.

Add some water and allow to pressure cook for 10 min.

Allow to cool and then puree everything.

Transfer back to pot, add salt and pepper to taste. Add water to correct the consistency. Allow to boil.

And that’s it! Add a few drops of lemon. Serve hot. Some garlic bread would be nice.
And don’t forget to say Bismillah :D

Carrot Coriander Soup

Quick reference:

1 tbsp butter or ghee
5-6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
5-6 garlic cloves
500 gms carrots
Coriander leaves with stems
Salt to taste
White pepper
Lemon

Method:
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pressure cooker. Add the peppercorns, garlic cloves and bay leaf. Chop up the onion and add it to the pot. Fry till the onions are golden brown. Roughly chop the carrots and add them to the pot. Add a fresh bunch of coriander leaves along with the stems. Add some water and allow to pressure cook for 10 min. Allow to cool and puree everything.

Chocolate Cake

2011-02-03T12:23:00.000+05:30

Two things I have to say, my friends, just two things.

Homemade butter

and

Homemade sour cream

Those are the two awesomest ingredients that went into the awesomest chocolate cake.

It was hence, truly awesome.

Here's what you need:
1 cup plain floor

1 1/2 cups sugar (powdered or castor)
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 eggs
1 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease and flour the baking tin, I used a 19 inch round casserole dish.

Make sure that the ingredients are at room temperature. Combine the dry stuff. Beat the wet stuff. Alternate and fold in the dry and the wet stuff.

Confused?

Oh come on, you guys!

What I mean is: Alternate the egg mixture (eggs, butter) to the flour mixture (flour, sugar, baking powder and soda) and fold in gently to avoid lumps. Okay?

Seriously! *Mumble Mumble.*

Once the batter is nice and smooth, pour into the cake tin in two batches. 25 min each should do it. Add 5 more if not done. Use the toothpick method to check if cake is done. Insert and if there’s no batter sticking to it, it’s done. Allow to cool between the bakes.

You can have the rest of the batter, if you like. No one's looking.
Now, prepare the icing:

The Icing:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
Semi sweet chocolate chips
Hershey’s chocolate syrup
2 tsp cocoa powder
2-3 tbsp sugar

Combine ingredients. Warm a little untill all is dissolved. Keep stirring and remove from flame. Cool. I put it in the refrigerator for a while and it thickened. Once the cake is cool enough, apply a thin layer of icing on the first cake. Use a plate to carefully flip the other cake on top. Pour remaining icing over the cake and use a spatula to even out the surface. Voila!

Allow the icing to set. I had to refrigerate it again for a few min. That’s it. Serve with some extra icing or chocolate sauce. Yum.

The icing will taste sweet, but it’s alright. It will taste just right with the cake.

Those are not my fingers, for your kind information.

Moong dal Halwa

2011-01-02T22:15:00.001+05:30

I had this recipe book in my room since a long time. Never bothered to look through it much before. But recently I wanted to see if I could try something out since it was written by Sanjeev Kapoor(you know, the smiley guy who comes on Zee). :D I tried out two recipes from there so far and both were lip smackin good. Not sure how many of you have heard of moong dal halwa before but it really is quite an interesting sweet to make. I've usually had moong dal as a savoury dish, but this was the first time I had it sweet. Try it out!

What you need:

Moong dal/ Spilt green gram, skinless 1 cup
Sugar 1 cup
Saffron a generous pinch
Milk 1/2 cup
Mawa (khoya) 3/4 cup
Ghee 1 cup
Almonds 10-12

Preparation

Wash and soak the moong dal for six hours. Grind coarsely using very little water.

Prepare one string syrup with sugar and one cup of water.

Soak saffron in some milk.

If you got mawa or half and half with you, then crumble it all into fine granules and keep aside. I made my own mawa by boiling milk for a long long time till it reduced to a thick consistency.

Blanch almonds in boiling hot water for five minutes. Cool, peel and cut them into fine slivers.

Heat Ghee in a thick-bottomed pan and add the ground moong dal.

Keep stirring over a low flame till the dal turns a lovely golden brown. Please dont get tempted to hurry through this.

This will take a while. So please be patient and do not rush through this step.

Dont be too patient please. Keep an eye on it.

Add the sugar syrup and saffron milk, stir till they are thoroughly incorporated and the halwa is of dropping consistency. Add mawa and cook till it dissolves.

Notice how the colour is now a deep golden brown.

Serve hot, garnish with almonds.

Thank you Sanjeev Kapoor.

P.S: it's quite yummy when served hot with roti or poori. Enjoy!

Chocolate Brownie

2010-12-30T12:14:00.001+05:30

Right then, so I had a big smile on my face. Why? I had just bought 3 bars of dark chocolate.

3 bars!!! of Dark Chocolate! You know what that means, don't you?

Brownieeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!!

I was about to make my very first batch of chocolate brownies. I used to dream about this day. Yes yes, my precioussss....my first browniesssss.

So I checked with Jamie Oliver. And went about gathering the ingredients as mentioned in his website. Why Jamie Oliver? Coz he's cute.

Just kiddin, coz that's one of the searches the googleman showed me.

Anyway, so I was too excited to click some pictures of the whole baking process. I had to get the batter into the oven and get my gums into all that lovely stuff asap.

So enjoy the recipe from Jamie Oliver's website. I skipped all the optional stuff, so you can too. It was brilliant. Warm, chocolatey, gooey, yummy, crispy on the top, soft in the centre. It was perfect. :D

Sniff, *wipes away a tear* :)

Bloomin Brilliant Brownies

Cabbage with yogurt

2010-12-29T22:45:00.001+05:30

So, the other day, when I came across this recipe in the newspaper, I was excited. Excited because I was curious. Curious as to how the yoghurt would go with the cabbage. And I tried it out. This recipe is a must-try. It's meant to be served with roti, but I couldn't help myself guzzling it down by itself. It's so yummy.

And so healthy. I dare all you cabbage-haters to try it.....Go ahead!

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Peanut Oil or Canola oil: 2tbsp

Black mustard seeds: 2 tsp

Urad dal: 2 tsp

or 1 tsp each of urad dal and channa dal

Cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground: 1 1/2 tsp

Dried red chillies: 2

or 1/4 or 1/2 tsp cayenne

Ground coriander seeds: 2 tsp

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Medium onion, cut in half root to stem, then thinly sliced across the grain: 1

Small cabbage cored and shredded: 1

Salt to taste

Grated coconut (to taste): 3-4 tbsp

Plain low-fat yogurt: 1 cup

Method:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a wok or skillet, and add the mustard seeds and dal. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, and the cumin, chillies or cayenne, coriander seeds and turmeric. Stir together, and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring, for one minute, until it begins to wilt. Salt generously ,stir together, cover and the turn the heat to low.

Cook for about eight minutes until the cabbage is just tender. Stir in the coconut, taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm. Place the yogurt in a bowl, and place the bowl in a pot of hot water. Stir until the yogurt is warm. Scrape into the pan with the cabbage and fold in. Serve warm with rice.

Thank you Madhur Jaffrey

Sweet Tamarind chutney

2010-12-15T15:06:00.000+05:30

Right, then. How about you answer one question?

What's the one ingredient that if you find missing in your chats, say dahi puri or samosa ragada, you would go mad, really really mad? Ok not mad, but you know something's missing, right?

Come on! Imli ki chutney! Admit it. You love it with your samosas and bajjies, don't you?

It's actually very simple to make.

Here's what you need:

2 cups of Tamarind pulp - a lime sized ball of tamarind is enough

Sugar - to taste

Chaat masala - 2 tbsp

Dhanya powder/ Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder / Ground cumin - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Start by soaking tamarind in some warm water. Mash it and take out the pulp carefully using more water. Use a sieve to strain out bits. Add sugar and the rest of the masalas and stir well. Taste and tweak accordingly. The consistency will be quite liquid till you bring it to boil. Let it cook for a minute or two. It will begin to thicken. And will start looking dark and syrupy. That's it.

A word of advice. Sugar balances the tamarind. So dont be afraid to put in enough sugar to get the taste right. Also, the colour of the tamarind actually decides the colour of the chutney in the end. If you like, you can add red colour to get the restaurant effect.

Good luck!

Polenta Cookies

2010-12-06T18:51:00.005+05:30

You will need:

Ghee/Butter - 100 gms
Sugar - 100 gms (ground finely)
Salt - a pinch
Maida/Flour - 100 gms
Bombay Rava/Polenta - 100 gms ( ground finely)
Elaichi Powder/Cardamom - 1 tsp
Pistachio nuts - chopped

Cream sugar and ghee till the sugar is dissolved. Add the salt. Add maida, rava and elaichi powder. Knead well, yes, you must. Once it looks like a nice blob of cookie dough, pat yourself on the back. Then roll (not you, the dough silly!) and cut into small lemon sized balls.

Done?

Good.

Now, preheat your oven to a nice 150 C. Grease and flour a baking dish. Place the balls in the baking dish and flatten slightly. Sprinkle chopped pistachio nuts on the top. Lovely.

Pop the tray in, and bake for about 20-25 min until done. They should be slightly soft to touch but once cooled they will become hard. Good job!

Basmati Rice Cooked by Absorption

2009-11-20T07:31:00.008+05:30

Hi All,

I know I've been terribly busy past few months and haven't been able to blog as before. So untill I'm back, I will accept any guest posts that I really like and post them up here. Meanwhile, here's my brother with his blog post. He's the actual cook in the family....and he's good......so Njoy!

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The absorption method involves using exactly the right amount of water so the water is completely used up when the rice is fully cooked. Water quantity is key. The ideal ratio of water to rice is 1.5:1. This method of cooking rice negates the need of draining water from cooked rice. I am proposing a method that removes all need for draining water including draining after washing/soaking. I call it the controlled volumes method.

Rice needs to be washed two or three times before cooking. Some experts also recommend soaking the rice for about 20 minutes prior to cooking. This causes a degree of uncertainty in the final amount of water to be added for cooking. After the rice is washed and/or soaked you can't easily dry it completely in order to add the exact amount of water.

The method is simply to be aware of how much water you've got in the pot at all times. The size of cup used doesn't matter as long as you use the same (volume) cup for rice as you do for water.

Based on a cup of rice:

Add 3 cups of water. Wash.
Do not spill any water while washing.
Remove 2 cups of water.
Add 2 cups of water. Wash.
Remove 2 cups of water.
Add half a cup of water.
Soak.
Cook.

The cooking process is standard: Bring to boil uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer on very low heat for 10 minutes. Leave covered for 5 minutes off the heat. Fluff and serve.

Fooding around in Australia

2009-05-16T21:52:00.008+05:30

No no, worry not. we dint eat that. But it is food, you know. For some people...

We, however, ate this stuff.

And this...

Even the tomatoes had a whole new dimension. They were yummy.

Just look at these. Don't you feel like crying? You don't? Oh well.
Some people just don't have it. Sigh.

Home-made Fattoush

Now tell me you don't feel like crying. COME ON!!

Kulfi!!!

Yummy BBQ Chicken!

Bro got me some of my favorite chocolates. :D

That's it folks. Adios.

Semiya ka Meetha

2008-11-16T17:54:00.009+05:30

Oh Hello there!

Semiya or vermicelli is famous mostly for "Sheer Kurma", the creamy sweet dish we have every Eid. Here's something I discovered as a child in Oman in one of my aunt's place and boy, was it refreshing to have this sweet dish instead of the regular Sheer kurma. Crunchy, chewy and juicy.....sounds delicious right?

Here's what you need:

500gms vermicelli - get wire-thin and pre-toasted vermicelli if you can.
400gms condensed milk - sweetened (I used good 'ol milkmaid with that pretty lady on top of the tin)
150 gms melted butter - you can use ghee (clarified butter) as well, that's what I did.
1/2 tsp cardamom powder (elaichi)

What? No sugar? Nope. Seriously. Trust me.

The sweetened condensed milk will suffice.
Put the vermicelli in a plastic bag and tie a knot. Get your husband/father/son (or whoever is watching TV) to break it all up into little pieces.

Right, get your saucepan out then. Heat the butter and add the vermicelli. Now, on high heat, keep stirring and swishing about the vermicelli in all that lovely butter. Be careful not to leave it alone while frying the vermicelli no matter what. It'll burn pretty quickly if you start daydreaming in the middle. (NO! I DID NOT BURN MINE!!! It's just a warning)

You'll need to continue stirring for at least 10 min until it turns reddish brown in color. Do keep your nostrils alert. We don't want extra toasty (read burnt) vermicelli in this recipe.

Add the cardamom powder to the toasted vermicelli. Carry on stirring. Reduce the heat.

You will notice the butter droplets like this at the bottom of the pan.

Keep the condensed milk ready to pour. Now this is the tricky part. The moment you start pouring the condensed milk into the pan, it's going to get all sticky and gooey. You need to ensure you got your spatula ready with you to give a good stir to the whole mixture when you pour it in.

Go ahead. Pour in the condensed milk and start stirring it immedietly.

Dump the contents on the tray you kept aside a few min ago? What? You dint? DID I NOT TELL YOU TO KEEP IT READY!!! *mumble*mumble*

Flatten it out with a broad spatula and allow to cool for a little while.

Cut into cubes with a large knife. You can cut it into diamonds as well....not a hard based rule, u know. I made laddus out of them too once.

Garnish with nuts - Almonds,pistachios, walnuts, etc (if you have them in stock that is). I personally like them without nuts, but that's just me. Everyone else I know absolutely relishes them with nuts.

Once it's cool, use the spatula to scoop 'em out and serve.
So want to eat Sheer Kurma instead of drinking it? :)
Bon Apetit!

Paneer Veggie Masala

2008-11-07T10:35:00.010+05:30

Paneer, or cottage cheese, is a favorite among many, especially those who are vegetarians. I used only carrots and baby corn for my veggies and it was delicious. You can add tomatoes and/or beans if you like, but from my experience, keeping it simple works best.

1 medium sized onion
3 carrots
5-6 baby corn
2 chillies
200g paneer(cottage cheese)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)
1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder (dhanya ka aata)
1 tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of garam masala (optional)

Chop up the onions and halve the chillies.

Add 2 tbsp oil in a pan (I used a pressure cooker as it was getting late for lunch, but a pan is good enough). Add the onions and chillies and fry them till the onions turn soft.

While you fry those onions, smell the lovely aroma of it all and get down to chopping up those lovely carrots and baby corn.

Salt is a wonderful thing, ain't it? Whatever would we do without it. As you can see, I'm experimenting using macro shots with my digicam. So don't be horrified of the extra close up shots of my ingredients. I'm still learning.

Anyway, let's continue. Add 1 tsp of salt in the pan.

Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder. Stir the onions around a bit.

Next add 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste for the flavor of this curry. Fry it some more.

Now, you can go ahead and dump those carrots and corn you chopped up a while ago.

Simmer to low flame, cover with lid and allow to cook for 15 min untill the carrot is soft to touch. Add half a cup of water if necessary.

Once your carrots are cooked, add 1 tsp of red chilli powder.

And a tsp of coriander powder. Garam masala has already been mixed into my coriander powder. So add a pinch if you wish. Stir nicely and cover with lid.

Next, we shall focus on the paneer. I had a frozen packet of these babies already cubed. Remove the small bits and prepare to deep fry them.

Prepare a small frying pan and heat the oil. We want the paneer to sizzle as soon as it touches the oil.

While you're waiting, nibble on a carrot. It's good for you. Your name is written on it. Mine was :P

Go ahead and fry the paneer on a medium-low flame. Turn them over after a couple of minutes. Careful while doing so, as they go soft quickly and it's a little tricky to turn them over without breaking them up.

As soon the paneer turn this color, quickly remove them from the pan and dump them in a strainer. Pour a glass of cold water all over the paneer. This ensures that the paneer does not turn stiff. You want it to be soft and chewy, not hard and crunchy for this recipe.

Add the paneer to the vegetables and stir it around a bit. Allow to cook for five minutes more and that's it.

Serve in a pretty dish along with rice or chapatti. Bon apetit!

Pancakes anyone?

2008-11-01T16:19:00.007+05:30

Did I ever mention I love pancakes? Well...... I LOVE PANCAKES!!!

Here's what we need:

2 cups all purpose flour (maida)
1.5 cups milk
1/4rth cup oil or butter
8 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
Few drops of vanilla essence

For garnish, take your pick.
Pancakes tastes awesome with any or a combination of one or more of these.

Pineapple/Strawberry Jam
Maple syrup
Fruits (Bananas, Strawberries)
Strawberry syrup
Ice cream
Honey

First, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar in a bowl and keep aside. Now take the eggs, break them open and admire their beauty. :P

Add the milk and whisk them up. You can do it manually or use an electric mixer. Whatever makes you feel like a pro.

Beat the egg and milk mixture for a few minutes and add the vanilla essence. Next fold in the flour mixture a little at a time and keep stirring to avoid any lump formation. Add the oil and our pancake batter is done.

Heat a heavy skillet or a pan. Put a nice dollop of the batter on the hot pan and spread it evenly. Let it cook on a low flame until you see tiny bubbles emerging on the pancake.

Check the underside and see if the pancake has turned a lovely golden brown color. If so, flip it over and allow to cook for a few minutes. Enjoy the aroma of the beautiful pancakes while you are at it.

Serve them hot with an assortment of fruits or jams. I dint have any maple syrup with me, but I did try it with honey and ooooooh, are they lovely. Yes, they are. Here's my first pancake with pineapple jam. I had three. No kidding!

Trifle Pudding

2008-10-12T19:39:00.003+05:30

Right....all those who were waiting for my trifle pudding, this is for you, ok? So here goes.

All you need for the trifle is : Jelly, Custard and Sponge cake. These are going to be your beautifully coloured three layers.

For garnish:
A can of tinned pineapple slices
Candied cherries
Whipped cream (optional)
Chocolate flakes (optional)

So lets make the Jelly first, shall we?

Prepare a 250ml packet of cherry/strawberry/rasberry flavoured Jelly (whatever takes your fancy) according to the instructions. Add 2 cups of hot water first. Dissolve the gelatin mixture and then add 2 cups of cold water. Chill until firm.

Well....yeah. That's me. In my very cute apron. My mom gave it to me :)

Next prepare the custard. Take 500ml milk and heat it. Reduce heat and add sugar. We want a nice and thick consistency so we will be adding more custard powder than usual. I added around 5 tsp of custard powder in a bowl and dissolved it in cold water.

Add it to the milk, stirring it continuously until it thickens significantly. A drop of vanilla essence would really enhance the flavour so go ahead and add it. Remove from heat and chill until firm.

Next, we prepare the cake. You might as well buy it from your local bakery. I had loads of time on my hands apparently so I prepared my cake from scratch. :)

Pour the batter into a well greased and floured cake tin. Just love the cake batter left over in the bowl :) Go ahead and enjoy it while you bake your cake. :P

Here's my custard cooling down and the cake ready to be baked.

So you got all your trifles layers ready and chilled. Bring it all together!!! Top the jelly with 1-2 cm thick slices of the sponge cake (which I know you will buy from the store, call it my sixth sense). Pour the custard on top of the cake. Chop up bite-sized canned pineapple slices and/or candied cherries. Arrange them on top of the custard. Sprinkle chocolate flakes and whipped cream on top if you got some ready in your refrigerator.

And Voila! We're done. Chill for an hour or two before your guests arrive. Serve carefully with all three layers in bowl. Dig in!

Tabouleh

2008-09-24T11:52:00.004+05:30

Growing up in the middle east has taught me to love the arab palate. I simply love arab salads like Tabouleh, a crunchy salad and Fatoosh served with fried Qubz. I love Shawarmas, Shish Tawook and Hareeth (similar to Haleem we get in hyderabad). And how about those heavenly lebanese Labneh pastries made from cream cheese. My favourite snacks would be a simple arab bread dipped in Hommus - so filling and so yum. And grilled chicken with garlic mayonise - Taum!! That's the all-time favourite. My mom and myself can guzzle down taum with qubz anytime. Just bring it on!

So anyway, this salad is quite addictive in nature, let me warn you. A spoon of this goes in and you won't be able to stop. So lets make Tabouleh? That's right! I love Tabouleh. In fact I love everything associated with parsley. Loads of parsley. We don't get parsley easily where I live now, but if I ever find it, you know the first thing I would do with it, don't you?

Parsley, 1 bunch
Mint leaves, 1/2 bunch
Coriander leaves, 1 bunch (optional)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 Cucumber, chopped
Lettuce, a quarter portion, or 1 cup, chopped
3-4 spring onions, chopped fine
Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
Lemon juice, 1 tbsp
Salt
Burgul - 1 cup

And the main ingredient which makes Tabouleh awesome - Burgul wheat. You'll need a cup of this. Soak for a few minutes while you chop the rest of the stuff. Grind it well.

Mix it all together in a large bowl. Season with olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

Lovely.

Fruit Chat

2008-09-19T12:21:00.002+05:30

Lets get down to business. Fruit chat is pretty much the simplest thing on earth. Just chop 'em up and mix 'em up. So lets go get the fruit basket.

I chopped up 5 bananas, 3 apples, seeds of 1 pomegranate, and 2 oranges. Take half a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice and pour it in. This will ensure your fruits don't turn brown. You can add strawberries, kiwis, dates, etc. The more, the merrier!

Add 4 tbsp sugar, a pinch of salt and a pinch of either black pepper or fruit chat masala. I used fruit chat masala. And that's it. Mix well. Chill and serve.

The Essential 'Masalas'

2008-09-18T12:21:00.025+05:30

These three items you see here - constitute the very heart of our hyderabadi cuisine. These three are required in almost every curry dish we make. Passed on to me by my mother in law, who happens to be one of THE BEST cooks EVER, MashAllah!!!!! Therefore, I hold the compositions of these masalas very dear to me. Even my mom uses these very masalas to make some special curries. We prepare them in advance and store them for about a month.

These are Red Chilli Masala (the red stuff obviously), Ginger-Garlic paste (the yellow stuff) and Coriander-garam masala (the brown stuff).

As we progress and I show you scrumptious meals in the future, I will be referring to these very masalas in my recipes. As of now, what you need to know is what these are:

Khas-khas (poppy seeds)

Methi, Zeera, Rai
(fenugreek, cummin, mustard seeds)

Here's the coriander powder with khas khas freshly grounded, looks more like martian land though. :) Would't it be nice to have a mini buggy ride here for fun? Yeah, we have to be the size of a pea for that. Crazy!

Anyway, it's not as complex as it seems. When we come down to making meals, I'll guide you as to how to make them as tasty as the way my mother in law makes it. (who happens to be, yes, one of the BEST cooks ever!) . We use a combination of these ingredients and some other stuff to grind up the masalas. However, there is no way to beat freshly ground masalas and add them to the dishes as and when you are cooking, and THAT is the method I will, InshAllah, incorporate into the cooking procedures that I will share with you in the future. So look forward to some seriously finger-licking recipes coming your way.

Sabudana Kheer

2008-09-18T12:21:00.010+05:30

Sabudana, also known as Sago, is used extensively in puddings and Indian kheers. Very good for digestion and very refreshing to have when cold. I remember having roti with either sabudana kheer or rice kheer for sehri in ramadhan while growing up, so I made it for this ramadhan as well. :) Yeah I know, very nostalgic and I derive some reassuring comfort when I make meals similar to the ones I had a child. *grins*

So anyway, what does sago look like?

Like this...but you can't just eat it right now. (No matter how tempted you may be. Trust me, I tried). You need to soak it till it doubles in size, turns soft and pearly white, almost translucent.

Ingredients required:

1 litre milk
1 cup, sabudana or sago, soaked for a few hours
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp cardamom powder, freshly ground

For the garnish,

1 tbsp cashew nuts
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp ghee

Fry the nuts and raisins in ghee for a few minutes and keep it aside. Take a heavy pan, add a cup of milk and water to the sago and boil until it thickens. Add sugar and stir continuously. Cook for 10 minutes or until the sabudana is soft and transparent. You may taste it now, it will be slightly chewy. (Chewy's a word, right?)

Add the remaining milk, cardamom powder and stir. Now add the nuts and raisins. Very exciting to watch the ghee sputter on the contact with the milk. Try it.

Give it a good stir and we're done. Allow to cool and serve.

Caramel Pudding

2008-09-14T23:08:00.004+05:30

Would you believe me if I told you that making caramel pudding is extremely easy? Well....IT IS!!!! I tried it a couple of days ago and it was just perfect :)

Sadly I din't have my digicam with me...so a picture from the internet will have to suffice. However...the point is, caramel pudding is simply delicious, an alltime favourite of many and you don't need any of those instant pudding mixes at all. All you need is:

For the pudding:

3 eggs
2 cups milk
1 tsp custard powder
4 tbsp sugar
vanilla essence - a drop

For the caramel:

2 tsp sugar
2 tsp water, lukewarm

Beat all the ingredients together and strain it using a tea strainer. Pour the mixture into a double boiler. I used an idli cooker. You can use a normal pressure cooker as well, but without the whistle. Simply use a small vessel which will hold the pudding. Put 1/2 cup of water into the cooker and place a barrier, like an upside down container inside. Place the vessel containing the pudding.over this. Cook for 20 min. That's it!

Now, for the caramel. This might be the only tricky part. Take an aluminum vessel, and add sugar in it. Sprinkle some water in it and heat very patiently up to 10 minutes on low flame. When it reaches the melting point, the sugar will slowly turn an amber color and a texture like honey. As soon as this happens, wait till the sides of the pot are covered with this liquid and turn off the heat. Stay clear (it might sputter) and quickly add 2 tsp of water into this and stir to remove any lumps. Your caramel is ready.

Pour the caramel in a dish. Turn pudding upside down into this dish and serve cold.

P.S: Making caramel for the first time was the most exciting part of the whole process. It was simply thrilling to watch sugar crystals melt into this beautiful liquid.

Fruits in Custard

2008-09-13T15:19:00.002+05:30

Well its Ramadhan time...and we love our fruits at Iftar time. Here's fruit custard with a twist. Ever tried it with almonds and dates? It is simply awesome. A little crunchy. A little chewy.

1/2 litre milk
2 tsp custard powder
1 cup sugar
A drop of vanilla essence
2 bananas
1 apple
1 orange, seeds removed
pomegranate seeds
10 almonds, skinned and chopped
6 dates, seeds removed and chopped
2-3 slices of plain vanilla cake or sponge cake

Prepare custard according to directions. Heat milk to boiling point. Dissolve custard powder in a little water to make a paste. Reduce heat and add sugar to the milk. Add the custard paste stirring continuously. Add vanilla essence. Allow to cool and refrigerate.

Dice the fruits and add the orange bits preferably without the skin. Add the chopped almonds and dates. Mash the sponge cake with fingers and sprinkle into the custard. Mix well and serve cold.

Tip: Custard not your thing? Make Fruit Chat instead. Leave out the custard and the cake. Add orange juice to the diced fruits, a pinch of salt, 4 tsp sugar and some black pepper. You can use fruit chat masala available in deli counters as well. Ramadhan Kareem.

Green tea with Mint and Lemon

2008-09-13T15:06:00.007+05:30

Here's a recipe to refresh your tastebuds. All you need to know is how to brew green tea in the proper manner and you are on your way to enjoy the most beneficial of teas you may find:

Green Tea - 1 tea bag / 1 teaspoon (loose tea)
Sugar - to taste
Mint (Pudina) - 4 or 5 leaves
Lemon - few drops

Boil water until it starts bubbling. Add mint leaves and keep a lid ready. Switch off the stove, throw in the tea bag and quickly cover with a lid. Let the tea infuse in this manner for 2 minutes. Add lemon and sugar. Serve.

Kashmiri Kehwa

2008-09-13T14:59:00.010+05:30

This is my most favorite of teas. I fell in love with it when I was in college and had a very sweet kashmiri roommate. She would make this tea for us while we would be up all night studying and I remember how refreshed we would get immediately.

Last summer, when we went to Kashmir for a visit and stayed at an aunt's place, I learnt how to make the perfect kehwa from her. I brought back a huge bag of kahmiri green tea from there when I returned. :) It's quite simple to brew actually...

Green tea - 2 tsp
1 cinnamon stick, 3 cm long
4 cardamom pods, split open partially
1 pinch saffron
6-7 almonds

Boil 4 cups of water, add the cardamom, cinnamon and almonds. Allow it to reach boiling point and add the saffron and green tea. Remove from stove and cover. The aroma and flavour of the saffron and tea gets released when the water is at the right temperature, which is just below boiling point. Let the tea infuse for a minute and turn off the stove. Strain the tea, quickly skin the almonds, chop them up and add them to the tea cups. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Spicy Veggie Soup

2008-09-13T05:04:00.005+05:30

For vegetable soup, you can use pretty much anything you have in stock. Carrots, beans, cauliflower, celery, cabbage...anything...mix and match, be creative. Here's what I used and it turned out great.

250 gms gourd (Kaddu or Lauki)
250 gms cabbage
1 medium sized carrot
Mint leaves - a bunch, chopped
coriander leaves, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped finely
Black pepper or chat masala
1 chicken stock cube
Salt to taste
Lemon juice, 2 tbsp (or half a medium sized lemon)

Dice the vegetables, add salt and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and puree the vegetables in a blender.

Prepare chicken stock in half a litre of water. Add salt to taste, mint leaves, coriander leaves green chillies, black pepper, chat masala and bring to boil. Reduce heat and add the vegetable puree. Add lemon juice and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Tip: Soups taste great with garlic bread or something crunchy on the side. If you got chips with you (we get boondi and kurkure in India, which works well), crush them and sprinkle on the soup just before serving.

Banana and Date Cake

2008-09-12T23:14:00.004+05:30

2 3/4 cups cake flour (maida)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Microwave ½ cup of dates on high for 10 minutes and puree. Mash the bananas with buttermilk and add it to the puree and keep aside.

Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and soda, salt together and keep aside.

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and eggs until peaks form when you lift the whisks. Add vanilla essence. Carefully fold in the flour taking care to avoid lump formation. At low speed, beat in flour mixture and the mashed banana and date mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Add chopped dates and walnuts. (I used some candied cherries as well)

Prepare a cake tin with butter and dust flour over it. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tests done. Insert a clean knife carefully and if it comes out clean without any cake mixture sticking to it, your cake’s done! Cool for 15 minutes and then turn it upside down and cool completely. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve.