Food Served with Love and Calories!!

Double Chocolate Brownies

2013-05-19T11:28:00.000+01:00

Chocolate! Chocolate!! Chocolate!!! I can never get over it...This C word is, was and always will be my weakness and the reason for my weight gain (oops..I shouldn't have told you that). You can ask me to diet if only the menu included a generous piece of Dairy Milk or a Chocolate Mud Cake....oooh! A big thank you to whoever thought of converting those lovely cocoa beans to soft, chewy, rich, smooth and delicious chocolate. So coming to my double chocolate brownies, I baked them two weeks back on a Friday night after coming from work. I was tired, exhausted and wanted to just crash on my couch and watch something nice on TV and welcome weekend. One of the channels were showing Johnny Depp and Juliett Binoche starrer 'CHOCOLAT" ...Oh my God I thought...I loved this movie and immediately went up to check my pantry to see whether I got all the ingredients to bake some brownies. For the chocolate lover that I am, I had everything ready to be baked up.

I quickly baked some brownies as I watched the movie. (For all the chocolate lovers, I recommend watching this movie once at least)...It took me just half an hour and the brownies were ready to be gobbled up. I observed one thing that day, that whenever I craved for chocolate, I became "Po" the Panda of the movie Kunfu Panda...:) All my tiredness and exhaustion could go off the roof and I was ever ready to cook up or bake off to satisfy my chocolate addiction!!

I packed the remaining brownies and took it to work.... Obviously they loved it!! :)

Ingredients:

80 gm butter (plus extra for greasing)
40 gm unsweetened cocoa powder
145 gm caster sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
60 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100 gm chocolate chips
pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius and grease a shallow baking tin with butter.
Melt the butter in a saucepan or microwave. Stir in the cocoa and sugar to the butter and gently mix with a balloon whisk until the sugar has melted.
Now add the eggs to the stirred mixture. Whisk it gently to combine.
Sift the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt to the mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until flour is fully combined. Now add the chocolate chips and stir again.
Pour the mixture into the greased baking tin and level it up with a spatula so the mixture is baked evenly.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a skewer when inserted in the centre comes out clean.
The chocolate chips would have melted and give that gooey texture inside.
Remove the tin and allow it to cool before cutting into slices.
Serve brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on the sides!! How easy is that!

Potato Rosti

2013-04-27T23:49:00.002+01:00

The first time I came across this dish was on our honeymoon in Switzerland. The country was beautiful as expected, the cuisine too didn't disappoint us. Since this picturesque country shares its border with Germany, Italy, Austria and France, its cuisine too has a large influence of these countries as you go towards the respective borders. We enjoyed the famous cheese fondue, Swiss Cheese and Chocolates, Swiss meringue with cream and last but not the least our favourite breakfast item....POTATO ROSTI!! During our week long stay, Rosti dominated our breakfast plates.

It was way back in 2007 when I experienced the dangling sound of metal Cow Bells hanging around the necks of the cows, the beautiful alpine meadows, the charming old houses decorated with coloured flowers, the diplomatic capital of the World Geneva where we visited the United Nations office, Jungfraujoch - my first snowy experience at the top most point of Europe and more....everything still remains fresh in my memory!!

Ingredients:

4 large starchy potatoes (which are used for baking and roasting)
1 large spanish onion (those white ones)!! (But I used the regular red ones as I ran short of the whites)
Your favourite herbs (Thyme, rosemary & Oregano preferably)
salt & pepper to season
Butter for shallow frying

Method:

Peel and grate the potatoes coarsely with hand. Do not use the food processor as this will make the potatoes more wet.
Put the grated potatoes in a muslin cloth and nicely squeeze it to take out all the water. Keep aside.
Finely chop the onions and mix with the grated potatoes.
Now season them with salt and pepper. Also add lavish pinch of all your favourite herbs. Mix well.
Heat some butter in the frying pan. Take a portion of the potato mixture and make a round ball.
With the help of a round cookie cutter or a food ring, place the ball inside the ring and gently flatten it like a round fish cake. Take out the ring.
Repeat the same with other remaining potato mixture.
Fry the rosti for approx 4-5 minutes on each side on a low heat. Since the potato is raw, it will take time to cook till inside, so you keep the fire low.
When its golden both sides, remove from the pan and place it on a kitchen towel to take off the excee oil.
Serve hot potato rostis with toasts, eggs and beans.

Hills, Chills and a Bit of Welsh Sunshine gone into baking a "Madeira Cake"

2013-04-15T21:21:00.004+01:00

It was a chilly yet Sunny Sunday morning in the countryside called Newtown in Wales where I had gone to spend a weekend at my Best friend Meghana's place. Though she never gives a damn about this place, I get a sense of serenity, tranquility and at peace whenever I come here. (May be because, I live in a city and I don't get to see those meadows, sheep and mountains anymore). Sunday was well spent as we made some hot masala chai, poured it in a flask, took some crisps and drove to a tourist spot in Mid Wales called Llanidloes (Don't take effort to pronounce it, its Welsh...and the spellings have no connection with the pronunciation..:P). We stopped at a beautiful man made reservoir called the Llani Lake and what a sight it was. The river Severn was locked inside the dam and tinge of snow covered hills surrounded it. I could only imagine, how beautiful it would be in peak summer. The picture below will give you an idea of how postcardish view it was.

We spent some time there and drove back home and my friend was in a mood to bake something in her oven. She has never baked in her life and she wanted to start from somewhere. I, a cooking enthusiast was waiting for a push. I immediately took out my baking bible (I carry it anywhere, everywhere...;P) from my suitcase and suggested her that we bake a MADEIRA Cake....Simple, Spongy and a first Start at Baking!!

(view from Meghana's Balcony)

The Cake came out perfect as expected and what delighted us was that we used our hands and muscles instead of an electric beater. Our hard work paid off and the result was just YUMMY Yum!!

Ingredients:

180 gm unsalted butter (room temperature)
185 gm caster sugar (plus 2 tsp extra)
165 gm self-raising flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tsp lemon juice
icing sugar to dust (powder the caster sugar in a blender)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160 Degree Celsius. Grease and flour a deep 18 cm round cake tin.
Beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until pale and creamy. Add the eggs gradually, one by one, beating well after each addition.
Fold in the flour, lemon zest and lemon juice until combined.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and level it with a spatula. Sprinkle the extra caster sugar on top of the mixture.
Bake for one hour.
Remove the cake from the oven and insert a skewer to check whether the cake is done. If it comes out clean, the cake is well done.
Allow the cake to cool for fifteen minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.
Sprinkle the icing sugar on top of the cake before slicing them.

Hot Cross Buns

2013-03-24T09:18:00.000Z

"Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns,
One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns,
Give them to your daughters, Give them to your sons
One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns,

Hot Cross Buns, Hot Cross Buns!!"

Remember this nursery rhyme? Oh sure you do!! And how I wished in my school days, that a real Hot Cross Bun vendor should come knocking on my door and I run with a penny or two in hand to buy those delicious looking Hot soft buns...mmmm!! Then the realization strikes, that these rhymes cannot apply in India, girl! You can only run with a 50 paisa to get a delicious Vada pav or a samosa, not Hot Cross Buns!! And how I used to envy the children living in the British land. But only after coming here I knew that these were just a thing of the past. There are no Hot Cross Bun Vendors shouting on the streets any more, You just go buy a pack of machine made buns in a superstore and break your fast in the busy mornings when you just don't get time to cook.

But when I read about the origin of these soft and spicy buns, I came to know that Hot Cross Buns were made during the time of Easter and the Cross on the buns depicted the crucifixion of the Christ. People used to eat these buns on a Good Friday and considered them to be auspicious. Some believed it will strengthen the friendship between the two people who share the bun equally dividing the buns across the cross. There's so much more stories behind these little round glozzy squidgy cross buns. So I decided to bake some Homemade Hot Cross Buns this Easter to mark the end of this depressing winter (well at least psychologically)...!!

Ingredients:

450 gm strong white flour (plus extra for dusting)
2 x 7 gm sachets easy-blend yeast
50 gm caster sugar
150 ml warm milk
1 egg, beaten
50 gm unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp all spice / mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
100 gm raisins (or currants)
1 tsp salt

For the Cross:

4 tbsp plain flour
little water (to make a thick paste of the flour)

For Glazing:

2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp water

Method:

Put the flour, yeast, caster sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl with the spices and the raisins and mix well.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the warm milk, 50 ml warm water, the beaten egg and melted butter. Mix everything together to form a dough with a wooden spoon. After mixing knead properly with your hands. Just add more flour or water if the dough is too wet or dry.
Knead the dough until soft. Transfer the dough into a clean bowl and cover it with a wet tea towel. Leave it in a warm place for a minimum of one hour until it rises in double.
Tip the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knock the dough with your hands and knead again.
Roll the dough into a long log shape, then quarter it and divide each quarter into 3 pieces. Shape each portion into a smooth round and place on a baking sheet greased with butter, leaving some room between each bun for it to rise.
Use a small, sharp knife to score a cross on the top of each bun, then cover again with a wet cloth and keep them again in a warm place to prove for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile heat oven to 200 Degree Celsius.
For the Cross, mix the plain flour with just enough water to give you a thick paste. Pipe or spoon a white cross with the paste on the cross marked on top of the buns.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the buns are golden and sound hollow when tapped at the bottom.
While still warm, melt the granulated sugar with 1 tbsp water in a small pan, then brush over the buns. Yummy Yummy Hot Cross Buns are ready!!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis

2013-03-17T22:19:00.000Z

Oooh!! PANNA COTTA...This name gives you the feeling that it is the most intricate, sophisticated and "Oh boy, we can't cook those at home" type of a dessert. Well, atleast that's what I thought until I tried to make it at home. Panna Cotta or "The cooked cream" in Italian is one of the easiest desserts one can make anytime at home. Less time, Less ingredients, Less hassle, No oven (That's a relief), No Egg, Voila....a great looking rich restaurant dish is cooked up!!

Panna Cotta, originally from Italy, is a jelly like, rich, wobbly custard made up of cooked cream, vanilla and sugar with a little gelatine to thicken it up. Along with it, I have made a Strawberry coulis to top it off. The silky smoothness of the cream with the tanginess of the berry sauce will make your palate go all wohoooo about it. Make this when your guests come home and earn some brownie points, I say!! ;P

Ingredients:

500 ml double cream
5 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla pod
4 sheets of clear gelatine
15-20 fresh strawberries
3 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

Cut the vanilla pod length ways and scrape out the seeds. Pour the cream into a saucepan, add the vanilla pod and seeds and bring to a boil over a medium heat.
Stir in the sugar an simmer away for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water for about 10 minutes, then drain or press the liquid from the gelatine.
Pour the hot cream through a sieve into a bowl, then dissolve the gelatine in it.
Take out your souffle dishes or ramekins and fill with the cream. Chill for about 6-8 hours in the refrigerator.
For the coulis, The strawberries need to be washed first. Cook the straberries in a saucepan along with the icing sugar until pulpy thick.
While hot, press the berries through a sieve into a bowl and allow it to cool.
At the time you serve, turn out the souffle dishes onto the serving dish. Just release the panna cotta from the sides of the dish with a help of a knife before inverting it. It will wobble and slide off easily.
Top with the strawberry coulis and relish.

Hyderabadi Murgh Biriyani (Chicken Biriyani)

2013-02-17T21:27:00.000Z

Well the recipe of "Panna Cotta and Strawberry Coulis" will have to wait for some time because the King of all Rice Dishes..."Biriyani" suddenly agreed to honour my blog page. Now who can say no to a "Biriyani"? :) I was in a mood to make a lavish Chicken Biriyani this weekend so I dedicated my entire Sunday for it in spite of my runny nose and sore throat. Long time back I had posted the recipe of "Prawn Biriyani" and slowly I thought of sharing the recipes of all the types of Biriyani made in various parts of the sub-continent. The Awadhi Mutton Biriyani of Lucknow, My very own native's Malabari Biriyani, Sindhi Biryani, Lahori Biriyani and various other lip-smacking varieties of it. Today I tried one of the delicious and my very confident recipe of "Hyderabadi Murgh Biriyani" straight from the City of the Pearls "Hyderabad".

You will get a ten on ten with this recipe. It has never gone wrong for me even once, only just that you have to stick to the exact measurement of all the spices and other main ingredients. So here's "Hyderabadi Murgh Biriyani" for you, a real Gastronomical delight!!

Ingredients:

600 gm chicken ( with bone, washed & cut into bite size chunks, legs can be included with the pieces)
300 gm basmati or any long grain rice (soaked in water for a minimum of 30 minutes)
3 large red onions (very finely sliced)
3 large tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 cup yoghurt
6-7 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
4 inch of ginger (finely chopped)
5-6 whole cardamom
8-10 cloves
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks ( 1 inch long each)
1 star anise
1 black cardamom
1 tbsp coriander powder
3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup fried onions (you get it in any super store or you can make it at home by deep frying 2 finely sized medium onions until golden and crisp)
2 cups freshly chopped coriander leaves & mint leaves
1/2 cup milk
generous pinch of saffron threads
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
salt to taste

Method:

Take a big bowl & put the chicken pieces to it. Now add the yoghurt, half of the chopped garlic, half of the chopped ginger, one and a half tsp red chilli powder & 1 tsp salt to the chicken. Mix everything with hands till the yoghurt mixture has completely coated with the chicken pieces.Cover and let it marinate for at least an hour.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the Biriyani rice. Boil 4 cups of water in a big sauce pan. Add 3 cardamoms, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, i black cardamom and 5 cloves to the water along with a tsp of salt. Drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan of boiling water. Cook the rice till its 80% done. Drain immediately and set the rice aside in a flat plate which will help the grains not stick to each other.
Heat the oil in a deep based pan.Add the remaining cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon to it. Add the chopped onions & saute till its golden brown.
Now add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, coriander powder, remaining red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and required amount of salt to the onions. Saute for 30 seconds. Now add the chopped tomatoes and allow it to cook till they release oil on the sides.
After 5 minutes, add the marinated chicken and cook with the tomato gravy for 5 minutes. Add half cup of water(100 ml) to it and let the chicken cook in low heat for another 15 minutes. Make sure the gravy has less water after the chicken is cooked. It shouldn't be too runny. Do not close with a lid.
The chicken will be cooked by now. At this stage add 1 cup of the mint and coriander leaves and stir well. Switch off the heat.
Spread the earlier cooked rice evenly on the chicken. So the bottom layer would be chicken and the top layer would be rice.
Warm the milk in a microwave for 30 seconds with the saffron threads in it.
Sprinkle the warm saffron milk on top of the rice along with the remaining cup of the chopped mint and coriander leaves. Sprinkle the fried onions over the rice and lastly dob some ghee all over it.
Cover the pan with a tight lid so that the steam doesn't escape from the sides. Some people seal the sides with a string of atta dough but if the lid is tight, you can avoid sealing it.
Place a flat tawa or a griddle on a low heat and place the pan on top of the tawa. Cook in a medium heat for 10-12 minutes till the rice is fully cooked.
The Biriyani is ready to be relished. You can either mix the rice and chicken together with a large fork or serve as a layer itself. Anyway, its going to be super delish! A Raita would go very well any Biriyani. Also boil an egg for each person and place it on top of the Biriyani while serving.

PS: Click "Prawn Biriyani" to get the delicious recipe. :)

Peppered Lamb Steaks with Asparagus in Herb Butter

2013-02-10T23:20:00.001Z

Aah! Its so good to be back to my favourite place..My Blog!! Its my ultimate comfort place. I didn't realize it is more than three months now after my last blog post. I had been on a two month long, relaxing vacation with my family and friends in India and what a fine Holiday it was. The three Fs...Friends, Family and Food blended well each and every day of the ninety days I spent In India. I gorged on to some of the delectable delicacies of my native land made by my mom, my mom-in-law and my aunt. Also, I explored the new food joints which had come up in the last two years.

Coming back to the usual routine was a little tough as I still had my Holiday Hangover, but aye...I managed to cope with it and here I am with a brand new post and have started my 2013 with a Bang!! I hope to post recipes frequently as i was doing it before.

I bought some lamb steak the other day from Tesco and tried my hands on making a quick dinner for two. Dinner was ready in less than fifteen minutes and it has a a French touch to it. I have always heard of cooking a meat rare, medium rare or well done. Well, in this recipe, I cooked the meat medium-rare so the steak still had a reddish tint in the center. The dessert that night was equally interesting and pretty quick to make. The recipe of "Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis" will soon follow. Till then, Bon Apetit!

Ingredients:

3 tbsp black peppercorns
2 lamb steaks (2cm thick)
2 tbsp olive oil
20 asparagus spears
8-10 lettuce leaves
50 gm unsalted butter
1/2 tsp chopped parsley (can use dried parsley)
1/2 tsp chopped basil leaves (can use dried basil)

Method:

Crush the peppercorns lightly, using a pestle and mortar. Spread the crushed peppercorns onto a wide plate and press both sides of the lamb steaks onto the peppercorns to coat. Sprinkle some salt over the steaks.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Add the lamb steaks and fry over a high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side, turning just once.
Remove from the pan and leave it to rest for 5 minutes while you dress up your asparagus.
Bring a pan of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus to the boiling water and blanch for exactly 2 minutes and no more. Drain and keep aside.
For the herb butter, beat the softened butter with the chopped butter and season with some salt and pepper.
Just spoon some butter over the asparagus.
At the time of serving, Take a wide plate and lay the lettuce leaves on the base. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Then place the asparagus with the rest of the herb butter on the sides. Thickly slice the medium rare cooked lamb steaks length wise and place it on top of the lettuce leaves.

Mathri (Fried Crackers)

2012-11-09T09:15:00.004Z

"Deepak ki roshni, Patako ki awaz, Suraj ki kirane, Khushiyon ki bauchaar, Chandan ki khusboo, Apno ka pyar, Mubarak ho apko.... Diwali ka tyohar" (The Bright lights emitted from the oil lit lamps, Those fiery sounds of the fire crackers, rays of sunshine which showers happiness throughout, the fragrance of sandalwood & the love of our dear ones....I Wish you all these and much more on this joyous occasion called DIWALI! Wish you all a very Happy & safe Diwali. Eat, Drink & Be Merry!!

The festive season is here again and am so fortunate to experience the whole Diwali atmosphere all around me. London, like Mumbai embraces all the cultures of the world & celebrating Diwali is no exception here. The whole Desi Community are busy buying new clothes, Diyas, fire crackers & Mithais. I make it a point to go to these Desi inhabited towns regularly, to experience the hustle bustle during the Indian festive season. I do not miss anything here, except for my family and friends...they cannot be substituted with anything, anywhere. :(

The overflow of Mithai and savoury recipes have already bugun in almost all the cookery blogs. Thought, why should I be left behind. I decided to make some Mithais & Savouries at home and got a brilliant idea to make them, pack them in a nice sweet box & send it to my 2 best friends who live here in the UK, but will not be able to meet up this Diwali. I have already couriered them some Mathris, ShakkarPara, Milk Pedas, Besan Laddoos & Coconut Barfi. It will be a total surprise for them and am expecting a "Thank You" call soon, while I write this post. Today am sharing the recipe of a popular North Indian namkeen (savoury) called "Mathri" , with all of you. It's a popular snack at Indian homes and almost all the Hindustani naris (Indian Ladies) are pretty good at making these crackers. But this recipe is for those first timers who are trying their hands on Mithai-namkeen making, this Diwali. Munch on....:)

Ingredients:

1 cup plain flour (maida)
1 cup wheat flour (atta)
2 tbsp ghee (clarfied butter)
1 tbsp ajwain (carom seeds)
water to knead
1 tsp salt
oil for deep frying

Method:

In a big bowl, sieve the plain flour, wheat flour & salt. Then add the ajwain & ghee to it. Use your hands to mix everything.
Use a little water to knead into a tight dough.
Divide the dough into lemon size balls. Roll each ball into flat round chapathis.
Now take a fork and prick the flattened round chapathi all over. This is done to avoid puffing up of mathris when deep frying.
Take a round cookie cutter and cut round circles.
Heat oil for deep frying. The oil should not be too hot. Fry these little circles slowly until they are golden and cooked well.
Remove and enjoy these mathris with pickles on side or just as it is with your evening tea.
You can store these mathris in an air tight container and will last for days.

Alternatively, you can make mathris in a triangular shape as well. Take a lime sized dough ball and roll them into a size of a poori. Fold them into half as shown in the image below & bring the two ends together to form a triangle, Prick both sides of the triangle with a fork and deep fry them.

Click here, to get the recipe of Milk Pedas.

Keema Matar (Minced Lamb with Peas)

2012-11-02T11:13:00.000Z

Now this is one dish which was in a queue for a long long time to be posted in my blog. I absolutely forgot about it and it was shelved away for almost a year. Until recently, one of our friends asked about an Indian minced lamb recipe, I recollected that I have the recipe with me with all the photos taken stage by stage. My, My...How did I forget to share this wonderful recipe with all of you.

Minced lamb has quite a strong flavour of its own and it has to be well camouflaged with some other good ingredients which will balance everything, only to give a fantastic dish in the end. What better than Indian spices. A good balance of these spices when combined with meat and cooked well, will give you a classy Meat dish.

Ingredients:

500 gms minced meat (lamb or mutton)
1 cup of fresh/frozen peas (boil and keep aside)
2 large onion (finely chopped)
4 large tomatoes (blend to make puree)
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 &1/2 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to your level of spiciness)
1 tsp garam masala
2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
3 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste

Method:

Wash the minced meat in water and drain to avoid any lumps while cooking. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a deep based pan (Kadai) and the cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
Now add the finely chopped onion to it. Saute well till it turns light golden. Then add the ginger-garlic paste. Its best, when you make fresh ginger-garlic paste by grinding 8-10 fresh cloves of garlic with 2 inch of ginger together. This is any day better than a store bought paste.
Add the chopped green chillies to it and saute well for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of the paste goes. Cook till the the onion & the ginger - garlic paste is well done.
Now add the tomato puree to the pan and cook well for 3-4 minutes until the tomato is well squashed with the onion paste.
Now add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and salt to taste. Cook well till the oil shows on the sides.
Add the minced meat at this stage to the onion-tomato mix and mix well until all the meat is coated with the paste. Add 100 ml of water to the meat and simmer the heat for 15-20 minutes. Stir frequently.
The meat at this stage will be well cooked and the water in the gravy slowly starts to dry up. Stir well. I love the meat to be well golden.
Sprinkle some garam masala at this stage and add the chopped coriander leaves. More leaves the better. Then add the boiled green peas to the cooked meat and mix well. Switch off the heat.
Serve hot with warm rotis or naan & dal tadka!!

Pomegraneto - not - a - mojito drink

2012-10-28T00:35:00.002+01:00

In this fast paced life of ours, how many of us really wished for a good quality time to be spent with our spouses and family?? Aren't you all not bored of the same routine day in day out? We slog the whole week at work and wait for the weekend to arrive only to go out shopping at some money fleecing mall monsters, get tired, eat a quick meal from there, if time permits go for a movie and come home tired and later go off to sleep. There goes your weekend and the next morning, the same old rat race begins. That special moment with your spouse or children never happened. My friend had asked me once, whether my husband and I talk over coffee when we go out. As a diplomat I am, said to her, we don't make eye contact when there is any kind of food kept in front of us. We give our full attention to it. We laughed it off, but she really wanted to know that, are they the only odd ones out here. No, they are not!!

Last Friday, I decided to be at home (our usual friday dining out was cancelled), wanted to cook a nice cozy meal for two, make a chilled refreshing drink to relax and talk sweet nothings with my hubby. Now don't ask me what we talked but we tried breaking the rules a bit. :) I made a quick Pomegranate drink (non-alcoholic), served it in a cocktail glass, lit some candles on the dining table, switched off the tv and waited for Arun's reaction to it. He gave a thousand watt smile as soon as he saw the chilled pink drink in my hand and i knew it, he loved the whole idea behind being at home and lazying in the couch with a drink in hand. Well, he then went off to the next rounds of hard drink to celebrate the weekend. :) The "be at home romantic Friday night" was a big hit. :)

I have taken this recipe from Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals show. You must try it out, this drink as well as the Friday evening schedule. :)

Ingredients:

4-5 pomegranates
2 lime
few sprigs of mint leaves
10-12 ice cubes
ice water or sparkling water

Method:

Take 2 cocktail glasses and fill them with enough ice cubes. Then push some sprigs of mint to the glass. Squeeze the lime to the glass. (juice of one lime, each glass). Then cut the pomegranates in half and squeeze every half of the fruit over the glass to release the juice from it. Don't worry if some seeds fall into the glass. (use 2 pomegranates per glass). Now pour some sparkling water if you want your drink to have a little fizz or just add ice water to fill the glass. Take a spoon and give it a slight stir and there you go with your luxury drink.

Devil's Food Cupcakes

2012-10-19T12:12:00.000+01:00

Cupcakes - those little sweet treats are everybody's favourite and have usually seen them so beautifully displayed for almost all occasions. Every one's reaction when they hear or see Cupcake is... "Yummmm"! But is not the case with me. I have never fancied cupcakes in my life. You must be thinking, "C'mon now...Don't like cupcakes?? you must be kidding!! but the truth is, I never was a fan of these little cute things. But I just love the look of it. Those different creative frostings on top makes it so special and good looking. And the effort made by the bakers are seen just by looking at the creative topping. For the love of baking alone, I tried to bake some easy cupcakes to start off.

This recipe will be very useful for those who have never tried to bake cupcakes before (just like me) and are now interested to try their luck in baking some. I prefer chocolate to sugary icing and that is the reason why I baked some Devil's food Cupcakes. I don't know why the name "Devil's food" is given to it, must be because the main ingredient is chocolate and smothered in chocolate frosting. Chocolate is sinful and thus its the food of the devils....:) And I do sometimes transform to Devil when I see chocolate anywhere, anytime...:)

Ingredients:

100 gm unsalted butter
115 gm brown sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
115 gm plain flour
1/2 tsp soda bicarbonate
25 gm cocoa powder
125 ml sour cream

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Put at least 2 paper cupcake cases in each hole of a muffin tin.
In a mixing bowl, add the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, soda bicarbonate and cocoa powder together and whisk together until smooth.
Now fold in the sour cream gently to the mixture.
Spoon the mixture to the cupcake cases. Leave some space on top for the cakes to rise.
Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes or until well risen and firm to touch.
Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Frosting:

125 gm plain chocolate
2 tbsp caster sugar
150 ml sour cream

Method:

Heat a saucepan half filled with water. Break the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and keep it on top of the saucepan. Let the chocolate melt over the simmering hot water.
Remove and add the sugar and sour cream to the melted chocolate and whisk gently. The frosting is ready.
Spread the frosting on the top of the cupcakes and set in the refrigerator until the frosting sets. (about 10-20 minutes)
Sprinkle some shaved white or dark chocolate curls on top of the cup cakes before serving. DELISH!!!

Stuffed Steamy Eggplant

2012-10-11T11:42:00.000+01:00

Andhraites (People of Andhra Pradesh, South India) love their eggplants/brinjals so much that I have seen all my Telugu friends make something or the other with these lovely violet vegetable. Stuffed, steamed, fried, sauted, chutney, gravy, they will have atleast one of these things done with their eggplants. One such recipe is this one which I got from one of my Telugu friends. I got this recipe about 4 years ago but never tried until recently. Not a good looking dish, I must admit but it tastes absolutely delicious. And it is healthy too as the baby eggplants are steamed all the way.

Ingredients:

10-12 baby eggplants

For Stuffing:

1/4 cup chana dal (kadala paruppu/bengal gram)
1/4 cup whole coriander seeds
4-5 dry red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
8-10 curry leaves
1 tsp oil

Heat oil in a frying pan and roast the above "stuffing" ingredients for 2 minutes until they release their flavour. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for few minutes. Coarsely grind to dry powder. Mix required salt to the powder and keep aside.
Slit every baby eggplant at the bottom in a criss-cross way and stuff the slits with the spice mix. Reserve the left over spice mix for later use.
Now steam these stuffed eggplants in a steamer and let it steam for 10-12 minutes until the eggplants are cooked through.

Tempering:

10-12 shallots (finely sliced) or 1 medium onion (finely sliced)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal (black gram/ uzhunnu paruppu)
1/2 tsp chana dal (bengal gram/kadala paruppu)
few sprigs of curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

Heat oil in a kadai (wok) and add the mustard seeds, urad dal & chana dal. Let them splutter. Now add the shallots or sliced onion and saute till translucent. Now place the stuffed eggplants slowly in to the wok and coat the tempering well onto them. Sprinkle the left over spice mix on to the eggplants and mix carefully. Saute well for 4-5 minutes.
Throw some curry leaves in the end and serve hot with plain white rice and dal or with hot rotis.

So healthy and delicious!!

Aloo Tikkis (Potato Cakes)

2012-09-25T08:23:00.000+01:00

The thing I most miss in the UK is the sound of "Taka Tak" made by the street food vendors on their tava while making pav bhaji, aloo tikki, patties etc. Aah! Especially after living so many years in the hub of street food (Delhi & Mumbai), I seriously get disappointed when I am unable to go out after 6 pm. You have only two options, either go sit in a pub or have a proper dinner at some expensive restaurants. There is no in between thing. And I have started hating the American fast food joints like KFCs, McDs & pizza outlets. My stomach gets bloated and I gain 2 kilos just by the look of it. That's when I miss my Indian Street food. Its not just about the food, its the whole idea behind it. Go with your family and friends, get your hands dirty, eat while standing and haggle with the vendor saying..."Bhayya ..Aur Theeka karo na", Bhayya, ek aur papdi"!! :)

Thanks to London, I have already discovered some Vada Pav shops & Chat restaurants but the experience won't be the same. And that's when I plan to cook something at home itself. Last Sunday was apt as it was raining & I wanted to make something different than the usual pakodas. I recollected those stacked up hot Aloo Patties on the sides of a big tava made by the vendors in India. I couldn't resist and started boiling the potatoes....:)

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes
1/2 cup semolina (sooji/rava)
1 large onion (finely chopped)
2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 cup coriander leaves (finely chopped)
1/2 cup oil (for hallow frying)
salt to taste

Method:

Boil the potatoes in salted water. Peel and mash the potatoes with a masher or with your hand.
Take a mixing bowl and transfer the potato mash to it. Add finely chopped onion, chopped green chillies, cumin seeds, semolina, red chilli powder, coriander leaves & salt to the mash and mix well.
Divide the mixture into lemon sized balls. Take a ball of mixture and flatten it on your palm like a round patty or cutlet. Repeat the same with other mixture and place it on a plate or kitchen towel.
Heat oil in a flat pan for shallow frying. If the oil is hot, place the potato cakes in the oil and let it cook for 3-4 minutes on one side.Turn them to the other side and let that side too brown evenly.
Remove the potato tikkis from oil and drain on a kitchen towel. Similarly cook the remaining potato cakes in batches.

Easy Chicken & Pea Pie

2012-09-13T08:53:00.000+01:00

Its already September and the evenings here are turning chillier & chillier. That's when you think of making a Chicken Pie, the most comforting English food I have ever tasted.. When you crush those golden crispy puffed pastry top with your spoon to get that delicious mouthful of piping hot creamy chicken on a chilly night, you know you are going to settle down in your couch for the next couple of hours.

Last Wednesday, I enjoyed my "Pie night" alone as Arun had a party to attend that night. I cooked up my pie in a jiffy, brought my throw from the bedroom, switched on the TV and relaxed on the couch until the door bell rang at 11. I really really enjoyed some "Me" time that night!! :) So you try making this chicken pie & see how comforting it is to sit back, relax and have a pot pie once in a while. And don't worry about the pastry, I used the frozen sheets to make my pie. You can cheat sometimes, you know!!

Ingredients:

50 gm butter
2 carrots (peeled & cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
250 gm boneless chicken (cut into 1 inch pieces)
50 gm plain flour (maida)
250 ml chicken stock
1/2 cup cream
1 cup fresh/frozen peas
1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry (thawed)
1 egg (beaten with a tbsp of water)
salt & pepper to season

Method:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan & cook the carrots for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Then add the chicken & cook for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
Add the flour & stir for a minute. Now add the chicken stock & cook until the mixture starts to thicken.
Now add the cream & stir in the peas. Season with some salt & pepper. Remove the saucepan from heat after 2 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 Degree Celsius.
Take out the ramekins or a pie dish. Pour the chicken pea filling to the pie dish or divide the fillings to four ramekins just like I have done here.
Wrap the dish or ramekins with a circle of thawed puff pastry, cut just bigger than the top of the rim. Then press the edges with a fork to seal.
Beat up an egg in a bowl with a table spoon of water and brush the pastry surface with it. This is otherwise known as egg wash. This is done to help the pastry get a nice golden brown colour.
Make a slit in the centre of the pastry cover with the help of a knife or fork to help the steam to escape.
Place the pie dish on a baking tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the pastry is fluffy and golden.
Serve the pie piping hot, break open the pastry and gobble it all up!!

Focaccia Bread

2012-09-05T10:03:00.001+01:00

So I decided to bake something to check out how my new oven works. (Oh! Did I not mention that we shifted to another location a month back??). Thanks to hubby dear's job, I get a new kitchen every couple of years. And to get used to the new location, new home and most importantly new kitchen, takes time. But am not complaining this time as I got my favourite gas burner (how I used to curse the hot plates before) to cook all my Indian stuff. :)

I planned to bake a bread this time and it took an entire half day to bake one. I struggled so hard with my yeast to foam up and later knew that the yeast had already gone dead. So I quickly decided to go to a superstore to buy some yeast before I changed my mind to not to "Bake a Bread". But patience paid off as soon as I saw the result (the pic below). And I can't even explain what it feels like when you bake something and it comes out just perfect!!

"Focaccia" is an Italian flat bread which resembles something like a pizza. Even the dough prepared is similar to one that of a pizza. This is kind of a savoury bread as it is topped with rosemary, sage, olives, and other herbs of choice to make it more flavourful. This bread is quite famous in the Mediterranean belt and has different variations and names given in each region. The reason I chose to bake Focaccia is..."It is quite a good looking Bread!! :)

Ingredients:

500 gm 00 italian flour / bread flour
7 gm yeast (easy bake yeast)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp milk powder (optional)
8-10 black olives
rosemary sprigs
1 tsp dried oregano

Note: If you have dried active yeast, then put 2 tsp yeast, 1 tsp sugar into 250 ml of warm water in a bowl & stir well. Leave it for 5 minutes until frothy. Use this yeast mixture to knead the dough along with salt and olive oil.

Method:

Put the flour in a mixing bowl along with the yeast, 1 tbsp olive oil & salt. Rub the flour with your hands and gradually add some water to combine everything together.
Tip the rough dough to a flat board and start kneading well for 7-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle some flour to the dough while kneading if it is too water.
Keep the dough in the mixing bowl & pour 1 tbsp olive oil over it. Cover and allow it to proof or rise for 1 hour until it doubles its size.
Grease a baking tray with some oil. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
After an hour, punch the dough and knead for a minute. Flatten the dough by hand or with a roller pin. It needn't be a perfect round or square. With you fingers or the back of a wooden spoon, make deep indents all over the dough to relieve bubbles while baking.
Pour 1 tbsp of olive oil all over the dough and place cut black olives and sprigs of rosemary on top of the dough. Sprinkle some oregano to top it all.
Bake the dough for 20- 30 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.
Slice them however you want and serve with any hot filling soups.

Phulka Pudine ka (Mint Chapathis)

2012-08-24T09:49:00.001+01:00

I came up with the name "Phulka Pudine Ka" after wasting a lot of time thinking, than just calling it "Pudina Roti" or "Pudina Parantha". "Phulka Pudine ka" was so rhyming and funny at the same time that I thought let me name it the same. It is an easy peasy recipe if you regularly make rotis at home.

I just made it yesterday with a little sprinkle of mint-chat masala spice mix. It only gave the rotis that extra zing. For those who are unfamiliar with the word "Phulka", is nothing but rotis cooked on an open flame for it to puff up like a balloon with the help of steam. This method is the most healthiest way of making a roti/chapathi as it uses no oil, is perfectly light and brings that smoky flavour to the rotis.

In this recipe, the rotis won't puff up because there's mint leaves inside the dough which restricts the dough to swell, but the smokiness will release the flavour of the mint leaves inside each chapathi. :) And yeah, please do sprinkle the spice mix along with some love....:) No much calories in this one!!

Ingredients:

1 & 1/2 cup wheat flour (atta) (extra for dusting)
1 cup mint / pudina leaves (coarsely chopped)
salt to season
water (required amount to make the dough)

Method:

1) In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, chopped mint leaves and some salt and rub everything with your hand.

Then add enough water to it to make a stiff, smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside for 10 minutes.

2) Heat a tawa or a flat skillet on medium heat. While it is getting hot, divide the dough into lime size balls. Take a ball of dough and dust it with a little flour and flatten it into thin round disc with the help of belan or a roller pin.

3) Place the flattened roti on the tawa and let it get cooked for 20 seconds on the bottom. Flip it over and give it another 10 seconds to cook on the other side.

4) With the help of a tong, put the rotis directly onto the gas flame and flip it over to get smoky black marks on the pulkas. This roti will not swell up like the normal phulka but I do it just to release the flavour of the mint leaves inside the rotis.

5) Brush some ghee on top of the rotis (completely optional), sprinkle the mint - chat masala mixture on top and serve hot with a nice side dish.

Mint-Chat Masala Sprinkle

8-10 mint leaves (don't use the stalk)

2 tsp of chat masala (store bought)

- Lightly toast the mint leaves on a skillet (do not use oil) until the leaves turn light brown. Coarsely grind the mint leaves along with the chat masala.

There you are with a nice spice mix to sprinkle over Pudina rotis or like I say Phulka Pudine Ka!! :P

Fisherman's Pie

2012-08-08T09:58:00.000+01:00

Not a very good looking fine dining dish this is, but it is an absolutely delicious grub if you are a seafood fan. This typical British food is very filling, very creamy and has all the strong flavours going through it. You either love it or hate it but you can't ignore it. :)

Ingredients:

200 gm ready cut fish pie mix from any super store (which includes cut pink salmon, cod & smoked haddock) or buy a fillet each of salmon, cod & smoked haddock separately from the fish monger.
5-6 pieces of prawns (optional)
1 egg (hard boiled)
3 large potatoes (I used 1 &1/2 jacket potatoes)
2 cups milk + 4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp plain flour (sifted)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp ground black pepper
50 gm butter + 2 tbsp butter
grated cheddar cheese (optional)
salt to season

Method:

Heat 2 cups of milk in a saucepan & put the bay leaf in it. Also add the cut fish pieces along with the prawns and poach in milk for 4-5 minutes.
Remove the fish pieces from the milk and keep aside. Discard the bay leaf. The milk is now infused with strong fish juices, ready to be used afterwards.
Boil the potatoes in some salted water until a fork can easily pierce through in. Remove the skins and keep aside.
Heat 50 gm of butter in a saucepan & add the sifted flour to it. Simmer the heat. Now add the reserved fish infused milk to the floury butter and mix well continuously until no lumps remain. Throw in some salt and pepper for seasoning. Cook the sauce until it is slightly thickened. This is the Bechamel sauce. Please click here for a detailed recipe of the Bechamel sauce. Keep the sauce aside.
Heat 4 tbsp of milk in a saucepan. Pour the hot milk over the boiled potatoes with 2 tbsp of butter and some salt to it. Mash the potatoes well until smooth. Click here for a detailed recipe of the Mashed Potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
Take an oval pie dish and all you need to do is layer up the things what you have prepared. First put the poached fish pieces as the base layer in the pie dish.
Then slice the hard boiled egg and layer up on top of the fish pieces.
Now pour the thick Bechamel sauce over the fish and eggs until it is covered.
At this stage, layer up with some grated cheddar cheese if you want.
Now take a spoon and cover the pie dish with the mashed potato prepared earlier.
Place the pie dish into the oven and cook the pie until the Bechamel sauce under the pie bubbles away and the top layer turns brown. It will take approximately 20 minutes to look like the image below.
Serve hot.

Gobhi Bhuna (Pan Roasted Cauliflower)

2012-07-16T11:21:00.000+01:00

First of all, a big "Thank you" to all of you, for appreciating my efforts on baking the super duper "Brownie Cheesecake". I have never received these many raving reviews before compared to my other recipe posts. The Cheesecake truly kicked up a notch on my baking skills and am now a bit more confident and comfortable with my oven. So after basking in the glory of my decadent cheesecake, I have come with yet another easy, simple but exciting dish for all of you. The vegetarians can be happy as I have modified the previously posted recipe of "Murgh Bhuna" to "Gobhi Bhuna"!!

I tried this recipe for lunch today and it tasted yum with rotis. You can serve this dish with a simple dal and roti. Just a small tip before going on to the recipe - "Keep the florets chunky"....

Ingredients:

1 medium cauliflower (cut into medium sized chunks)
2 tbsp natural set yoghurt
1/2 inch ginger (whole) + 1/2 inch ginger (minced)
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cardamom pods (crushed)
1/2 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds (crushed)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

In a small bowl, mix 2 tbsp of water along with minced ginger, red chilli powder, crushed fennel seeds and the yoghurt. Sir well and keep aside.
Heat oil in a frying pan (shallow kadai) and add the whole ginger, bay leaves, cloves, cumin seeds. Saute for 30 seconds.
Now add the cauli florets to the pan along with 100 ml water & salt. Stir well and cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Once the water is fully absorbed, allow he cauli florets to get roasted on all sides.
When they turn golden brown, pour the yohurt-spice mixture to the cauliflorets and gently mix. Cook in low heat until all the yoghurt gets absorbed in cauli flower.
Now sprinkle some garam masala and crushed cardamom over the cauliflower. Do not break the florets. Garnish it with some chopped coriander leaves.
Serve warm with Roti Rice and Dal.

Brownie Crust Cheesecake

2012-07-09T07:23:00.000+01:00

Saturday night 10.30 pm, the sun set was 15 minutes ago, it was pouring heavily outside the window (typical English weather) and suddenly it was all dark and silent at home. Arun said he was too tired for the day and snored away immediately. I was left alone in the living room, fully charged up only then. I wanted to engage myself immediately, do something, anything....so I thought why not I bake? Perfect time to be with yourself, and do what you love doing....COOK! I already had the plans of baking a cheesecake this weekend, so I had all the ingredients ready at home. So I baked away a nice "Brownie Crust Cheesecake" at Midnight...and What fun! :)

There was a long time request by an ardent fan of my blog and a good friend Poornima, to share a good recipe of a Cheesecake. Since "Baking" is not my forte, I delayed it too long, but after baking this one, I was feeling quite happy with myself. The Cheesecake not only tasted good, but it also looked perfect like any other Cheesecake sold in professional Bakeries. I got this recipe from some UK food magazine (which I had cut and saved it long back) and thought of trying it out someday. Never thought it will turn out this good. See the picture for yourself!! :) :)

Brownie (Crust) Ingredients:

115 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
115 g plain chocolate
115 g plain flour
200 g caster sugar
2 eggs (beaten with 2 tbsp of milk)

Method:

Take a 9 inch round cake tin and grease it with some butter all over the base and sides. Then sprinkle some flour on the base of the tin slightly.
Melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth over a low heat, in a saucepan. Transfer the sauce in a deep large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius.
Now add the sugar little by little to the sauce and beat well.
Now add the beaten eggs to the bowl and beat again till smooth. Now sift the flour and mix well until fully blended.
Pour the brownie mixture to the cake tin and spread it evenly with a spatula.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the cake tin from the oven and allow it to cool. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160 degree celsius.

Cheese Cake (Top layer) Ingredients:

500 g soft cheese (I used philadelphia soft cheese)
125 g caster sugar
3 eggs (beaten)
1 tsp vanilla extract
125 ml natural set yoghurt

Method:

In a large bowl, beat the soft cheese, sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla extract together until fully blended.
Now stir in the yoghurt to the cheese mix and mix well till no lumps remain.
Pour this cheese mixture over the baked brownie. Bake again for a minimum of 45 minutes until the cheese mixture is fully set. (Insert a knife and see whether it comes out clean). Remove the cake tin from the oven. Allow it to cool.
Run a knife across the edges of the cake to loosen from the tin. After ten minutes of cooling, keep the cheese cake in the refrigerator and chill for atlest 4 hours, I keep it overnight.
Remove the cheesecake from the fridge the next day, slice it into nice triangles and serve it with melted chocolate drizzled on top.

Murgh Bhuna (Pan roasted Chicken)

2012-07-05T22:44:00.001+01:00

Here's a recipe for all the chicken lovers like me. "Murgh (Chicken) Bhuna (Roasted)" as the name goes is, chicken roasted in spices. Now, I have seen and tasted this dish in many UK Restaurants and it is very much like any other chicken curry, only the chicken is roasted and added to the spicy gravy. But here, I have tried to make this dish totally dry, without its gravy. You will get exactly what the name suggests....Just Bhuna Murgh!

Friends who don't like to spend much time in the kitchen can take note of this recipe as this cooks up in minutes without any hard work. Dry, spicy, delicious chicken is made in no time and all you need in your serving plate is, some Pilau rice and Raita. You are all set for a grand meal!!

Ingredients:

500 gm boneless chicken (diced into bite sized chunks)
2 tbsp oil
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 cloves
2 cardamoms (crushed)
4 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp yoghurt
2 medium sized green chillies
2 inch ginger
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper to season
chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Heat the oil in a frying pan & add the cinnamon stick, bay leaf, cloves, cardamom and 2 tsp of cumin seeds to it. Saute for 30 seconds.
Now add the chicken pieces to the oil and stir. Add required amount of salt and pepper at this stage and let the chicken release its own juice to cook. Add 100 ml water to the chicken and put the heat in medium. Wait till all the water is absorbed from the chicken.
Meanwhile, grind the green chillies, ginger, garam masala and 2 tsp of cumin seeds to a coarse. Keep aside.
Let the chicken roast in the pan till it turns golden. Now add the yoghurt at this stage and simmer the heat. Let all the yoghurt get absorbed.
When the chicken has left with very less moisture, add the ground mix and coat well with the chicken. Switch off the heat after a minute. Serve hot with any variety rice and Raita.

Homemade Italian Garlic Bread

2012-07-05T00:11:00.000+01:00

During the past couple of months, I have tried out many of my favourite dishes at home but when coming to posting recipes, I seriously am not getting time for it. June was completely bland as I have posted hardly one recipe. So to compensate that, I promise, July will be more palatable and interesting. So to start off, am bringing to you, everyone's favourite....the irresistible "Garlic Bread"!!

This warm, buttery, garlicky bread can be made at home in no time that you will stop ordering it from any pizza joint after relishing the home made. Perfect for any tea time parties. Bake it in 10 minutes and earn your brownie points. Forget the frozen garlic bread that you buy from the superstore and make your own at home, only it will be more fresh and delicious!!

Ingredients:

1 french loaf (I have used a cheese baton)
50 gm butter (room temperature)
4-5 cloves of garlic (or more according to your taste)
1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley (I have used dried parsley)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp of grated parmesan cheese (parmigiano reggiano)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius.
Using a bread knife, slice (make slits) the french loaf about 3 cm apart, but without cutting it fully. Keep aside.
Mince the peeled garlic with a mincer or grater.
Take a small glass bowl and melt the butter in a microwave for no more than 30 seconds. It should be just creamy.
Now add the minced garlic, parsley, oregano, thyme and required amount of salt & pepper o the butter. Stir the butter well.
Take a tea spoon and spread the garlic herb butter into the each slit made in the loaf.
In the same way, spread the parmesan cheese into each slit of the loaf.
Place the loaf on a piece of aluminium foil and cover it loosely.
Place the foil into the oven and let it bake for 8-10 minutes or until the butter has completely melted on to each slice. (If you like crispy crust, open the foil after the 5th minute and let the crust turn golden brown).
Take the loaf out of the oven and slice the loaf completely and serve hot.

Sugo Al Pomodoro / Marinara Sauce (Basic Tomato Sauce for Pasta)

2012-06-25T08:47:00.002+01:00

"Relax, Sit down, serve yourself a little pasta & taste life"

Now that's what I do, when I make Pasta, the love for it just grows each time I make them! And what if some good sauce is combined to it...the pasta only develops its full flavour then. Sauces are of many types which are used in Pastas. Cream and butter sauces blend very well with fresh egg pasta, Meat sauce (Ragu) is so good with any tubular shaped ones, seafood sauces are ideally suited for thin noodle shaped pastas such as linguine, spaghetti or stuffed ones like ravioli. But for the dried pastas, which we normally stock it up in our pantry, a typical tomato sauce is all you need to make.

To start with, I am posting the basic tomato sauce recipe otherwie known as Sugo Al Pomodoro ("Sugo" means sauce or juice & "Pomodoro" means Tomato). Now there's quite a confusion between some of the Italian culinary words which I just can't figure it out, such as, "Sugo" and "Salsa". If you know, please do share the info. Also I have titled this post as both "Sugo Al Pomodoro" and "Marinara Sauce" because the recipe is the same for both the sauce. The only difference I read was that, Sugo di Pomodoro is smooth and chunk free and is used for pizzas but Marinara sauce (originated from South Italy) has chunks of tomatoes in it and is thick, perfect for any pasta dish. I really don't know the exact difference yet....Italian friends out there, please help me understand!

Ingredients:

3-4 big fresh red tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp tomato puree or tomato ketchup
2-3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
4 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to season
4-5 fresh basil leaves (finely chopped) or 1 tbsp crushed dried basil

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat.
After a minute, add the chopped garlic, chopped onion to the pan & saute till they turn translucent.
Now throw in the chopped tomatoes to the pan & allow it to leave its juices and allow it to start thicken.
Add the tomato puree or the ketchup at the thickening stage along with salt & pepper.
Add the basil & simmer the heat for 10-12 minutes until the sauce fully thickens, perfect for any pasta dish.

Ratatouille Pasta

2012-05-28T10:46:00.002+01:00

The dish "Rat-a-too-ee" grabbed my attention only after watching the culinary adventures of Remy the rat in the movie "Ratatouille". Until then it was just any other French word to me. Though it was a light-hearted animated movie, it inspired me in many ways as to how you must use your sense of touch, taste & smell in whatever you cook. one should not just eat to live but get to know the gastronomy of cooking.
"Ratatouille Nicoise" pronounced as "Rat-a too-ee Neesua" is a roasted vegetable stew originated from the place called Nice in France. The basic ingredient of the stew is tomato & the main vegetables used in this dish are zuchinni/courgette, eggplant & bell pepper.

Ratatouille is mainly served as a side to any pasta or bread but here I have combined both together to bring out a single main dish. This is a very healthy meal as it has no fat content & also packed with nutrients. This recipe is a simpler & quicker version of a traditional Ratatouille, so instead of stewing up the veggies, I have just roasted them along with the tomatoes and then mixed with the pasta at the end. If you don't have an oven, try sauteing the veggies in a pan until cooked & soft.
Ingredients:

200 gm pasta (any type, I have used penne)
1/2 courgette (cut into bite size chunks)
1/2 aubergine or 2 small eggplant (cut into bite size chunks)
1 bell pepper/capsicum (any colour, cut into bite size chunks)
1 medium onion (finely sliced)
1 big tomato (roughly chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to season

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 Degree Celsius.
Take a roasting tin and tip in all the chopped vegetables & garlic except for tomato. pour the olive oil over the vegetables. Season them with salt & pepper. Toss everything together gently with your hands.
Put the roasting tin in the oven and roast the vegetables for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and keep aside.
Take out the tin and add the tomatoes to the roasted vegetables. Put the tin back in the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes more.
Take out the tin after 10 minutes & add the cooked pasta to the roasted vegetables. Add the oregano to it with a little drizzle of olive oil. Give everything a good mix. Serve immediately.

Stir Fry Greens & Jamie's Crispy New Potatoes

2012-05-18T09:37:00.000+01:00

Some Carbs & Greens coming your way this time and both these dishes are great as an accompaniment to any meat or vegetarian main meal. Stir Fry Greens are the easiest, quickest & the most healthiest dish you can make. You don't have to sweat it out in the kitchen & at the same time you give your body a complete pack of nutrients. This recipe can be made with any kind of edible greens like spinach, brussells sprouts, kale or leaves of any root vegetables like beets, carrots or radishes.

Stir Fry Greens:

Ingredients:

500 gm greens (you can use spinach, kale, brussels sprouts, or any other edible mixed greens)
4 green chillies (slit into half)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger ( finely chopped)
2-3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas (optional)
1 tbsp fresh or desiccated coconut (optional)
salt to taste

Method:

Wash & finely chop or shred the greens which you are planning to use for this recipe.
Heat oil in a non stick pan. When hot, put the mustard seeds, cumin seeds to it. Let it splutter.
Now add the slit green chillies, chopped ginger & chopped garlic to it. Add the turmeric too.
After a minute, add the shredded greens to the tempering with the required amount of salt.
Saute well for a minute and sprinkle some water for the greens to cook. At this stage, you can add the peas as well if you are using. Peas helps in increasing the quantity of the dish as the greens when cooked, shrinks to half its quantity. Also the peas makes the dish look more prettier like little green beads in between. :)
Close the pan with a lid and allow the greens to cook for 4-5 minutes.
Open the lid and stir well again. Switch off the heat.
You can put the coconut at this stage for the extra nutty flavour. Serve as a side with any veggie or non veg main meal.

Jamie's Crispy New Potatoes:

I call this adorable Brit Chef, a Cutie Pie. Jamie Oliver and his way of cooking is absolutely droolworthy. He doesn't care about the sophistication in the way he cooks, tidiness is not in his dictionary and above all I just love the way he throws a generous amount of Olive oil in his every dish. Just what I want...;) But casual cooking is his USP and his cookery shows are so popular in the UK that his cook books sell like hot cakes. "Jamie's 30 Minutes Meals", is one of his cookery shows, where he cooks up a full 3 course meal in just under half an hour. "Crispy New Potatoes" was one of the dishes he showed in this programme. I tried it and I absolutely loved it.
I have cut down on the oil, so you don't have to worry!! :)

Ingredients:

500 gm baby new potatoes
5-6 cloves of garlic
few sprigs of fresh rosemary (can use dried rosemary if fresh is not available)
1 & 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 a lime
salt & pepper to season

Method:

Leave the skins on the potatoes. Cut into half if there are some large potatoes. Boil them in a saucepan along with a pinch of salt & the cloves of garlic. You can throw in the garlic with the skins on. (work made easy) Cook the potatoes for a maximum of 15 minutes.
Drain the potatoes & retain the garlic as well.
Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan or wok. Tip the potatoes & garlic to the oil & saute well.
With the help of a spatula or a flat spoon, just press each potato to make it little flat without mashing it entirely. The reason you make it flat is to help the skin go crispy as quick as possible. Add the sprigs of rosemary to the pan with some more salt & some black pepper.
Toss the potatoes in regular intervals until all the sides have become golden & crisp. Squeeze some lime juice in the end & serve hot with any steak, rice or pasta.

Khattu Mag (Moong bean cooked in spicy sour yoghurt)

2012-05-09T09:52:00.000+01:00

Now before introducing this dish to all of you, I must admit, I had no idea that such a dish exists. Until I tried "Khattu Mag" in two of my Gujrati Thali sessions. For those of you who are not familiar of what a THALI is, it is a selection of various dishes (number goes from 4- 12) of a particular region served in small steel bowls on a big round steel plate. So if you are visiting India for the first time, I suggest you to try out Thalis of different regions in order to get familiarized with the native delicacies. :)

So "Khattu Mag" was one of the veggie dishes which I very much relished in my Gujrathi Thali. It was a combination of a dal & kadhi gravy. I usually had them both as two different dishes. Ths was two in one. I immediately thought of making this at home and post it in my blog for my vegetarian friends. "Khattu" means Sour & "Mag" means Moong beans. So as the name suggests, it is a simple gravy but a lot of flavours will play in your palate. Absolutely easy to make with no extra effort and yeah very very healthy too!! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sabut moong (whole mung bean/green gram)
1 & 1/2 cup sour yoghurt
2 tbsp besan (chickpea/gorgonzola/gram flour)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp green chilli paste (grind 2-3 chillies)
1 tsp sugar or jaggery
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2-3 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
8-10 curry leaves
1 tbsp cooking oil
pinch of heeng (asafoetida)
salt to taste

Method:

Wash the sabut moong an soak it for a minimum of 2 hours. Drain it & boil them in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles or a maximum of 15 minutes, whichever is the longest. Switch off the heat.
Meanwhile, take a large bowl & mix the yoghurt, besan, turmeric powder, ginger paste, chilli paste, pinch of salt & whisk them to a smooth mixture. No lumps should be seen.
Add sugar or jaggery at this stage along with a cup of water & whisk again.
Heat oil in a non stick kadai or a saucepan. Now add a pinch of heeng, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, cloves, cinnamon, fenugreek seeds & allow it to splutter for a minute. This is what you call the tadka or the tempering to the gravy.
Pour the whisked yoghurt mixture to the tempering and cook for 5-8 minutes over a low-medium heat until the gravy thickens or the raw smell of the besan & yoghurt has fully gone.
Open the pressure cooker & add the cooked moong bean to the yoghurt mixture and cook in a low heat for another 3-4 minutes.
Switch off the heat & serve hot with plain rice and rotis. :)