Sambhar with Vegetables

My version of a South Indian Thali :) 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup tur dal
• ½ cup of cubed bottle gourd
• 10-12 small sambar onions (or shallots)
• 1 medium tomato quartered
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 3 radishes diced
• 3 carrots diced
• 2 small brinjals cut in half
• 2 drumsticks cut in pieces
• 1 potato diced
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 2 green chillis chopped
• 1 large lemon sized tamarind (extract the juice in 1 cup water)
• 1 tbsp jaggery or sugar (optional)
• 3 tbsps sambar powder
• salt to taste

For tempering/tadka:

• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp onion seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp asafoetida/hing/inguva or 3-4 crushed garlic flakes
• 2 dry red chilli
• 10-12 fresh curry leaves

Method

• Pressure cook dal with 2 cups of water and a pinch of hing. Once pressure cooked, keep it aside.
• Heat oil a separate pan, add mustard seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds  and let them splutter. Add hing and red chillies and roast for a few seconds. Don’t burn them. Lastly add curry leaves for tempering.
• Add onions and garlic and sauté for 2 -3 mintues. Add turmeric and mix it.
• Then add green chillies and all the vegetables bottle gourd, radish, brinjals, drumsticks, potato, tomato, carrots and mix and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup water, salt and put lid and let it cook for 10 minutes till all vegetables are cooked.
• To the mixture add tamarind juice, sambhar powder and sugar. Let it cook for more 2 minutes.
• Mix the cooked tur daal in the vegetable mixture. Taste the seasoning and if required add ingredients as per your taste buds.
• Let it cook for 2-3 minutes till all flavours of vegetable are mix in cooked dal
• Turn off heat and place lid. Keep covered for at least an hour and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
• Serve with hot steamed rice, poriyal , sukka chicken and papad J

Cabbage Poriyal

Another dish in my south indian thali :)

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 3 tsp mustard seeds ( rai / sarson)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp urad dal (split black lentils)
• 2 tbsp chana dal , soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
• 1 green chilli , slit
• 2 whole dry kashmiri red chillies , broken into pieces
• 8 to 10 curry leaves (kadi patta)
• a pinch of turmeric powder (haldi)
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• 3 tbsp grated coconut

Method

• Heat the oil, add the mustard seeds , chana dal and urad dal.
• When the seeds crackle, add the green chillies ,dry red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder and sauté for few seconds.
• Add the cabbage, salt, ¼ cup of water and cook over a medium flame for 6 to 7 minutes or till the cabbage is tender, while stirring occasionally.
• Mix coconut powder and cook for 1 -2 minutes.
• Serve hot

Chicken Sukka

I made a special south indian thali for my hubby which included this amazing chicken sukka. So here it is my version of chicken sukka.

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1/2 kg boneless chicken 
• 4 onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 
• 2 Tbsp ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 Tbsp Tamarind Paste
• Salt to taste
• Water 

For the masala paste:

• 1 coconut, grated
• 2 whole red chillies 
• 3 garlic pods 
• 1 tsp cumin seeds 
• 1 Tbsp roasted coriander seeds
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp malwani masala
• Water

For the malwani masala:

• 12 red chillies
• 2 tsp whole coriander seeds
• 4-5 cloves
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp shahi jeera seeds 
• 4-5 green cardamoms 
• 2-3 black cardamoms
• 1/2 cup dry coconut, grated
• 1 tsp poppy seeds (khuskhus)

Method

For the malwani masala:

• Grind all the Malwani masala ingredients and keep it aside.

For the masala paste:

• In a pan roast the grated coconut and whole red chillies. Grind this roasted mixture with the garlic pods, cumin seeds, roasted coriander seeds and water.
• Now add green chillies, chopped coriander, malwani masala and a little more water. Grind it again into a coarse masala paste.

For the chicken:

• Heat the oil in a pan, add ginger and garlic paste, chopped onions and cook for a while. 
• When the onions turn translucent, add turmeric, salt and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the chicken to the pan, mix it well and then add the masala paste.
• Add left over Malwani Masala and Tamarind Paste.
• Cook for 15-20 minutes or till the chicken is done and well coated in the masala. 
• Serve hot.

Italian Tomato Sauce Pasta with Chicken Sausages

My husband loves Italian food and every time I make Pasta he is so so happy. So This is for you hubby Dear :)

Ingredient

• 5 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 12 large fresh basil leaves, torn
• 1  medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp chilli sauce
• 1 tsp dried chilli pepper
• 4 fresh thyme leaves
• 1 rosemary leaves torn
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 can of tomato puree
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 pound modest-sized maccheroni, such as gemelli, strozzapretti, casareccia, zita, or penne, or substantial string pastas, such as perciatelli, spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini
• 6 quarts boiling salted water
• 1 -1/2 cup freshly grated Gouda/ Parmesan Cheese

Method

•  In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the garlic, onion in olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes or till onions are translucent.
• Add chilli sauce, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, parsley,chilli flakes. Saute for 30 seconds.
• Add the tomato puree, salt and peppr. Bring to a lively bubble, uncovered, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Stir often, watching for sticking or scorching.
• Add chicken stock and let it cook for 5 minutes. Check Seasonings and add chicken sausages.
• Cook the pasta in fiercely boiling water, stirring often, until tender yet firm to the bite. Drain, toss with the sauce, and serve immediately. Grated cheese is an option.

Chicken Sausage Pasta with Homemade Pesto and Cream Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ Packet Penne Pasta
•  1 small onion, chopped
•  8 cloves garlic, sliced
•  1/2 cup butter
•  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•  2 cups milk
•  1 pinch salt
•  1 pinch pepper
•  1 1/2 cups grated Gouda cheese
•  1 cup prepared basil pesto (recipe below)
•  4 chicken sausages grilled
• 1 tomato tomato, diced

For Pesto Sauce

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

For Pesto Sauce

• Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add olive oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

For Pasta and Cream Sauce

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Stir in garlic and butter, and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Dissolve flour in milk, then stir in. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in pesto. Add sausages and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes, or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated.

Chilli Chicken with Fried Rice

This is a very special recipe for me as I have learned it from my mum and it's been 10 years minimum that I have been cooking it now and I absolutely loveeee it. So here it goes from my mumma's kitchen - Chilli Chicken and Fried Rice.

Ingredients

For Chilli Chicken

• 400 gms chicken
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp dark soya sauce
• 2 tbsp red chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 normal onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp green spring onions chopped
• 1 capsicum sliced
• 1/2 tsp pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp ajinomoto
• 1/2 tsp castor sugar
• 1 tsp vinegar
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for Frying
• 2 tbsp sesame oil

For Fried Rice

• 10 garlic cloves, crushed slightly
•  150 ml sesame oil
• 2 carrots, cut on an angle into 3mm slices
•  2 onions, finely diced
• 80 grams  mushrooms, sliced into 4 pieces
•  2 cups cooked rice
•  3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp red chilli sauce
• 1 tsp ajino moto
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt, to taste

Method

For Chilli Chicken

• Marinate Chicken with soy sauce, red chilli sauce, vinegar, ketchup, ajinomoto and cornflour dissolved in water for 1 hour minimum.
• Heat oil and fry on a medium heat these marinated chicken pieces. Be careful while frying too much heat can over cook you chicken and make it dry so maintain the temperature
• In the same oil fry capsicum till they are partially cooked.
• Heat 2 tbsp sesame oil in a pan and sauté onions, add left over marinating mix and cook for 2 minutes. Add salt, sugar and black pepper to it.
• Add fried chicken and capsicums in the sauce and let it cook for more 5 minutes.
• Chilli Chicken is ready

For Fried Rice

• Add sesame oil in a pan add onions and let it sauté, add garlic and mushroom and let them cook till mushroom leaves all water.
• Add carrots and let it also cook on high flame for 5 minutes.
• Add soy sauce, red chilli sauce, ketchup, vinegar, salt, ajinomoto and sugar and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add cooked rice and toss for 3-4 minutes. 

Serve Chilli Chicken and Fried Rice together and enjoy J

Choux Pastry with Cream Cheese Filling and Chocolate Sauce with Rice Krispies

My first attempt to make a choux pastry or better known in our bhopali language chotu eclairs pastry ;) . I need to try it more often for a much bettter shape.. But I guess this is good for first try. :)

Ingredients

For Choux Pastry

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup or 250 ml  water
• 75 g butter
• 3 eggs, beaten

For Cream Cheese Filling

• 125 gram cream cheese, cold
• 50 gram butter at room temp
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 300 gm icing sugar

For Chocolate Sauce

• 250 g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids broken into pieces
• 50 g unsalted butter
• 3 tsp rice krispies
• 3 tbsp double cream

Method

For Choux Bun

• Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and set aside. 
• Put the water and butter into a medium-sized saucepan with high sides set over a medium-high heat and stir until the butter melts. Allow the mixture to come to a rolling boil then immediately remove the pan from the heat. 
•  Add the flour and salt and beat very well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. 
• Reduce the heat to medium and replace the saucepan, stirring for 1 minute until the mixture starts to ‘fur’ (slightly stick to the base of the pan). Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. 
•  Pour about one-quarter of the beaten egg into the pan and, using the wooden spoon, beat very well. Add a little more egg and beat well again until the mixture comes back together. Continue to add the egg, beating vigorously all the time, until the mixture has softened, is nice and shiny and has a dropping consistency. You may not need to add all the egg or you may need a little extra. If the mixture is too stiff (not enough egg) then the choux pastries will be too heavy, but if the mixture is too wet (too much egg), they will not hold their shape when spooned onto baking paper.
• Using two teaspoons form the mixture into walnut-sized balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Or pipe them for a pointy top effect.
• Bake the choux balls in oven preheated to 200 C for about 10 minutes at 200 C and then for 20 minutes at 180 C  pr till golden. Remove from oven slit the corners (u need to slit in order to fill in cream cheese). Then again put the choux bun for drying at 180 C for 10-15 minutes. Keep checking you don’t want your choux pastry to burn.  If they're golden, puffed and crisped, then they're ready. Transfer them to a wire rack, and let them cool.
•  You don't want them chewy. You can store them in a tin for a day or two, or in the freezer for up to a month – but if doing this, pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to make sure they've crisped up.

For Cream Cheese Filling

• In a bowl, whisk the cream cheese and butter till smooth, Add vanilla and beat well.
• Gradually add icing sugar , whisk continuously till smooth and creamy.
• Put it in a piping bag. Let it chill for 15 minutes before piping it in the choux buns.

For Chocolate Sauce

• Melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then mix in the butter, rice krispies and cream, and remove from the heat. This can be reheated – just put it back over the water pan.

To serve, pipe cream cheese, then stuff or pipe a blob into each choux bun (profiterole). Serve them doused with the chocolate sauce.

Instant Oreo Biscuit Cake

After being officially named as langda tyagi by my husband, it was time for me to eat some desserts because I got hurt today and only dessert make me fine :D :D . So with my condition as of now I can only make something instant. Here is a recipe of my quick cake. You can use any biscuit (bourbon, jam  treats etc etc)

Ingredients :

• 1 large packet and 1 small packet of oreo biscuits (19 pairs. 38 biscuits in total) (with white cream or orange cream) if using dark chocolate one add some sugar too.
• 1 cup milk (240 ml)
• 3/4 tsp baking powder OR 3/4 tsp eno

Method:

• Crush the biscuits roughly.  [Do not remove the cream].
• Transfer to a blender and add baking powder and blend it to a fine powder.
• Remove it in a bowl, add milk and make a fine paste.
• Grease a microwave safe dish liberally with butter and add the paste to it.
• Microwave for 5 minutes [in regular microwave mode]. You will see some moist spots on the top and sides. That's fine. Also keep checking if it turns too dry , you don’t want it to burn.
• Do not touch the cake for atleast another 15 minutes, you want to let it cook with the heat trapped inside.
• Remove it from the dish and your cake is ready. 

If you want you can make it with 2 biscuits too, just reduce the milk to 1 tbsp and baking powder to 1 tsp and leave it in microwave for 30 seconds. Not everyone wants to have a huge cake. So to simplify the trick is right mix of milk, baking powder and biscuit powder. Most.. most.. important is microwave timing. For less number of cookies time like 30 seconds is more than enough or else you will have a burnt cake.

Oreo CupCake with Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For Cupcake

• 100 g Butter
• 100 g Brown Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 80 gram flour
• 15 gram cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40 ml Milk
• 6 Oreo cookies with cream separated and reserved for frosting

For Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting

• 125 gram cream cheese, cold
• Cream of Oreo Cookies 
• 50 gram butter at room temp
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 300 gm icing sugar
• Reserved Oreo Crumbs

Method

For Cupcake

• In a bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar till light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and whisk till combined
• Add milk and mix thoroughly.
• Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and oreo cookies (30 grams) (without cream) powdered. Set aside extra crumb for frosting.
• Fold into the mixture with a spatula.
• Line a cupcake mould with liners and scopp the batter into each liner till 3/4 full.
• Bake at 175 C for 15 minutes or till a skewer when inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

For Frosting

• In a bowl, whisk the cream cheese , cream of oreos and butter till smooth, Add vanilla and beat well.
• Gradually add icing sugar , whisk continuously till smooth and creamy, and then add the reserved crumbs.
• Put it in a piping bag. Let it chill for 15 minutes before frosting.

Mutton Kalia/ Masaledar

Today’s recipe is a north Indian mutton curry from my origin UP, also known as mutton kalia or masaledar gosht.

Ingredients:

Masala

• 10 Dry Red Chilies
• 150 grams or 1 cup Onions chopped/diced
• 30 – 35 grams or 10 big Garlic Cloves
• 2 tbsp. Coriander Seeds
• 3 – 4 tbsp. Water
• 2 – 3 tsp. Turmeric

Rest of the Ingredients:

•  
• 8 Tbsp. Mustard Oil (can use any oil)
• 750 grams Goat Meat cut into small pieces (I used leg pieces with bone)
• 200 grams or 2 cups sliced Onions
• 2 ½ – 3 tsp. Chili Powder (adjust to taste. I added it as the 10 chilies wasn’t spicy enough)
• 2 tsp Salt (adjust to taste. This is approximate measure)
• 10 Cardamoms
• 1 tbsp. Ghee
• 3-4 cups Water

Preparation:

• Take all the ingredients listed under masala and grind to a fine paste. Dry chilies will be hard to grind to a fine paste. Specs of chilies are ok, as long as onion and coriander seeds are ground to a paste.
• Heat oil in a wide sauce pan or a Dutch oven. When cooking with mustard oil, oil needs be heated until very hot. The recipe says once the oil is very hot, turn off the heat and let the oil cool a bit. Doing this reduces the pungent smell of mustard oil. I heated oil until very hot but did not let it cool. I turned off the flame, added the onions and then turned on the flame.
• Fry the onions until light golden brown.
• Add the meat and fry for about 5 minutes until meat is roasted and the raw smell disappears.
• Add the ground masala paste, chili powder, salt and continue frying until onion smell disappears. This would take another 5 – 7 minutes.
• Add 2 cups of water, hot water is preferred, reduce the flame to medium and cook uncovered until water evaporates. Continue frying until the masala browns and oil begins to separate. Cooking time from the time water is added and oil separates takes about 25 – 30 minutes.
• Add another 1 – 2 cups of water, lower the heat, cover and simmer until meat is almost tender. This would take about 20 minutes. The recipe called for 1 cup boiling but the meat wasn’t tender enough and had to add another 1 cup of water.
• Add ghee, cardamom seeds and simmer until meat is completely cooked, another 5 – 10 minutes. The recipe said to add cardamoms as it is but I added 5-6 whole cardamoms and, the rest I ground to powder and added it to the kalia.
• Serve it with pulao, rice or with roti.