Chocolate Panna Cotta with Kashmiri Berries Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 tsp. plain gelatin
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese or additional
•  heavy cream
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup  bittersweet or semisweet chocolate,
•  finely chopped

Directions:

• Coat four 5 ramekins or 6 custard cups lightly with flavorless oil.
• Pour 1/4 cup of the cream into a small heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining 1 1/4 cups cream, the mascarpone, sugar and salt just to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth.
• Add the gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until well blended. Pour through a fine strainer into a 4-cup glass measuring cup or a bowl with a pour spout. Divide the mixture evenly among the ramekins and let cool to room temperature.
• Cover the panna cotta loosely and refrigerate until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours or up to 1 day.
• To serve, dip the ramekins one at a time into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds, then run a table knife around the edges of the custard and invert onto a chilled serving plate.
• For Kashmiri Berry Sauce, boil kashmiri berries, water and sugar and strain it after it is reduced. Spoon it over panna cotta. Serve chill

Rose Panna Cotta

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 to 3 teaspoons rose water
• 1 tbsp rose syrup
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) berries in syrup, drained and quartered, syrup reserved
• 1 pint raspberries, halved
• 4 dark chocolate grated

DIRECTIONS

• Mix cream and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand until softened, about 2 minutes. Add to hot cream mixture, stirring until gelatin dissolves.
• Place mascarpone in a medium bowl. Strain cream mixture over top, stirring until smooth. Add rose water, and rose syrup. Strain mixture into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl. Divide among four demitasse cups or 2-ounce ramekins. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours (or overnight).
• Dip bottoms of molds into hot water to loosen, then invert onto plates.
• Mix berries, raspberries, and sugar powder with water and boil. Strain and make a syrup of it
• Garnish each with a rose petal if using. Pour 2 tablespoons syrup onto each plate. Place over a bed of dark chocolate and Serve immediately.

Iyengar Style Masala Bread

Healthy cooking is my latest obsession. So another addition to healthy cooking

Ingredients

• 5 whole wheat bread slices
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seedS
• 3-4 green chilies, finely chopped 
• half an onion, finely chopped
• 1 deseeded tomato, finely chopped
• 1 cup cabbage, finely chopped 
• 1 cup carrots, grated 
• 3/4 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped 
• 1/2 teaspoon spicy red chili powder (adjust to taste) 
• 1 teaspoon chaat masala powder 
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup 
• salt to taste 
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh coriander for garnish

Directions

• To begin making the Iyengar  Style Masala Bread Recipe, we will first make the topping.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil  in heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Add onions, green bell peppers, carrots, cabbage and the finely chopped green chili and saute until the onions, cabbage and peppers soften.
• Once they turn soft, add the finely chopped de-seeded tomato, saute and cook until it softens and cooks well.
• Add the salt, red chili powders, chaat masala and stir well to combine at low heat. Check the taste and adjust accordingly.
• Finally add the tomato ketchup, mix again. Cook at low heat for another 1 minute and turn off the heat. The filling is now ready to be topped over toasted bread. 
• The next step is the toast the bread. Grease and preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
• Spread butter/ghee over one side of a slice of bread. Place the buttered side down on the heated skillet at medium heat.
• Spread butter/ghee on the top surface as well. Toast well on both sides, until the bread is browned and crisp. Remove from heat and toast the remaining breads the similar way.
• Arrange the toasted bread slices over the serving platter. Spoon and spread the masala topping over the toasted bread and serve hot.

Detox Butter replaced with Yougurt Chicken

It is very similar to my butter chicken or chicken masala. Just that butter is replaced by yogurt for a healthier twist

Ingredients

• Chicken : 1kg

Marinate

• Beaten Curd:1 cup
• Vinegar 2 tbsp
• Dhania Powder : 2 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp
• Tumeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
• Garlic Masala (I have one from Goa) 2 tsp
• Tomato sauce :-  2 tblspns
• Salt to taste

Masala

• 3 onions chopped
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 3 tomatoes puree
• ½ cup beaten curd
• 1 tbsp cream
• 2 tsp kasoori methi
• 2 tsp degi mirch
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce
• butter for cooking
• 2 tsp jeera
• 5 cashews soaked in water and make a paste of it.

Method

• Marinade chicken with vinegar n salt n leave aside for 15 mins.
• Then add around 1 cup beaten curd and 2 teaspoons dhania powder, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder,1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, garlic powder, tomato sauce  and salt and marinade for 2 hours.
• In the same vessel after an hour put chicken over slow heat for cooking.
• Grind roast onions with 2 tspns of ginger garlic paste.
• In a kadhai add butter(1 tsp for non stick), splutter jeera and add onion paste
• Cook for 5-7 mins on slow flame.See to it that you bhunno the onions for long on slow flame till it gets a perfect brown color.
• Add tomato puree n cook till oil leaves sides.
• Then add kashmiri chilly powder n red chilly powder and 1tblspn tomato sauce..1tblspn cream.1/4 cup beaten yougurt, paste of handful cashews,and cook the gravy well till oil leaves sides and den add the chicken pieces and other 1/4 cup beaten yogurt and cook again..add some red food colour(optional).
• Add kasoori methi and garam masala powder.cook for 2 more mins and garnish with corriander and fresh curd.

Kale Chane ke kebab

SO one more step towards my healthy cooking.

Ingredient

• 250 gm kale chana
• 3-4 slices brown bread
• 1 onion, finely chopped 
• 3-4 cloves garlic 
• 1/2 inch piece ginger, grated 
• 2-3 green chillies, finely chopped 
• 1 heaped Tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tsp garam masala 
• Salt to taste 
• Oil for frying

Method

• Wash & soak kale chana for at least 5 hours.
• Grind them in a food processor using minimum water.
• Add salt, garlic, ginger, green chili, coriander & chopped onion.
• Now add the bread slices to soak up all the water, in the mixture, one by one.
• Just keep the slice of bread on the chana mixture, press into it.
• Then mix it nicely using your hand. Repeat until the water has been absorbed by the bread.
• Now add the garam masala, mixing thoroughly.
• Let the mixture stand for a while (an hour or so).
• Heat oil for frying.
• Take small quantity of mixture on your palm, shape it round & fry till golden brown.
• Serve with mint chutney

Beetroot and Soya Bhaji on Toast

I like doing healthy way. I was travelling for  a month eating all junk. No back to healthy cooking :)

Ingredients

• 70 g soya chunks (or roughly 1.5 cups)
• 8-12 dried red chillies (depending on how spicy the chilli is-I use a mix of Kashmiri & Bedgi))
• 8 cloves of garlic, peeled
• ½ cup hot water
• 4 medium potatoes
• 200 g cauliflower florets
• 400 ml tomato puree
• 1 medium beetroot
• ½ cup frozen or fresh peas, boiled and kept aside
• 2 tbsp oil
• 2 medium sized green capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp pav bhaji masala
• 2 tsp salt or to taste
• Handful of chopped fresh coriander

Finely chopped onions, lemon wedges, pav or whole wheat bread to serve

Directions

• In a bowl, place the dried red chillies and garlic-cover with ½ cup hot water and keep aside for 15 minutes. Once the chillies have rehydrated, grind them with the garlic to a fine paste, using some water. Keep aside.
• Bring 4 cups water to boil with 1 tsp salt and the soy chunks. When the water is boiling, lower the flame and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until the soya chunks are cooked. 
• Drain the water using a sieve, and press out all the extra water from the chunks using the back of a cup. Grind coarsely (use the pulse function so that you don't make it into a fine paste) and keep aside.
• Peel and roughly chop the beet, potatoes. Wash and clean the cauliflower florets. Place them all together in a small pressure cooker with ½ tsp salt, 1 cup water and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Open when cool enough and mash with steel masher until you get a coarse puree. Keep aside.
• In a large pan, heat the oil. Add the finely chopped onion and capsicum and sauté on medium flame for 7-8 mins until the onion are soft. Add the chilli-garlic paste, pav bhaji masala and sauté for 3-4 mins on low flame. Add the coarsely ground soya chunks, sauté until the seasonings are absorbed by this. Then add the mashed cooked vegetables, tomato puree, salt and bring to a simmer.
• Garnish with fresh coriander- serve with toasted pav, with a sprinkling of finely chopped onions and a lemon wedge. Since we have made this so much healthier, you can go ahead and add a sprinkling of grated cheese to the bhaji before tucking in.

Warli Style Mutton

Ingredients

• 1 kg mutton
• 6 green chillies
• 3 - 4 pods of garlic 
• 1 - 2 inch ginger 
• 3 - 4 onions (medium size)
• 4 - 5 teja mirch
• 4 tez pata
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 big elaichi
• 3 Tbsp of mustard oil
• 3 Tbsp of turmeric powder 
• 1 Tbsp of red chilli powder 
• 3 - 4 cardamoms 
• 1 Tbsp of cumin
• 5 - 6 cloves
• 2 tbsp Mutton Masala
• 2 - 3 Tbsp of coriander seeds
• Fresh coriander 
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Ghee

Method

For the Marinade:

• Marinate the mutton with 1 tbsp of mustard oil, 1 tbsp of turmeric, 1 tbsp of red chilli powder and salt. Put it aside.

For Masala 1:

• Grind 3 cardamoms, 1tbsp cumin, 1 tbsp coriander, 1tbsp pepper and 5-6 cloves of garlic together.

For Masala 2:

• Grind a hand-full of coriander with 6 green chilies, 8-9 cloves of garlic, ginger, 2 tbsps of oil and salt. 

Cooking

• Heat mustard oil and ghee together. Add all khade garam masala (star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf, big elaichi)
• Add onions and fry them till nice and caramelised 
• Add masala 1 and 2 into it. 
• Add a little water. 
• Once the oil begins to separate from the masala, add mutton masala and after 2 minutes of mixing it add in the marinated mutton. 
• Saute everything together, add water to cover and salt to taste.
• Cook for around 2 hours on low flame.
• Serve garnished with fresh coriander.