Monday, June 28, 2010

Chicken Tikka Panni


Ingredients
  • Sandwich bread - Different size of breads are available. I have chosen a longer variety.
  • Chicken tikka Masala - 1 cup (approximately)
  • Sandwich chutney - 2 - 3 tbsp
  • Lettuce - 1/2 - 1 cup (chopped)
  • Red onion - handful of chopped onions
  • Tomato - handful of chopped tomato
  • Chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Chat masala - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt to taste
Method
  • Divide the bread & toast it both the size with little butter. If you are using sliced bread then use 2 slices for one serving.
  • Apply chutney on one side of both the bread slices.
  • Now work with one slice of bread & finally use the other for covering the sandwich.
  • Now place the chicken tikka masala on top of the chutney.
  • Arrange the lettuce, onions & tomatoes over the tikka masala.
  • Sprinkle some salt, chilly powder & chat masala.
  • Cover it with the other bread slice which was filled with chutney.
  • Serve immediately.
Tips for the recipe - Arrange it just before serving. Or else it makes the bread soggy & less tasty. You can adjust the quantity of ingredients to your taste.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Vegetable cutlet



Ingredients
Group I
  • Mixed vegetables of your choice (chopped into small pieces) - 1/2 cup (boiled by adding little salt)
  • Potatoes - 2 (Skin peeled & boiled by adding little salt)
  • Chat masala -1 1/2 tsp
  • Onions - 1 (chopped)
  • Ginger - 2 tsp (grated)
  • Green chillies - to taste (chopped)
  • Coriander leaves - handful (chopped)
  • Curry leaves - few (chopped)
  • Handful of bread crumbs
  • Salt to taste


Group II
  • Bread crumbs - 1 cup
  • Egg white - 1
  • Oil for deep frying


Method
  • Mix all the group I ingredients together & make it into small desired shape.
  • Dip the shaped cutlet in the egg & then roll it in the bread crumbs to get it coated well.
  • Now deep fry it on medium flame till it turns golden brown.


Tips for the recipe
  • Instead of egg white you can also use flour batter to dip the cutlets (2tbsp corn flour + little water).
  • Instead of bread crumbs you can also use corn crumbs to coat the cutlet.
  • I have added a handful of spinach(half boiled) in my cutlet. If you are adding spinach take care that you squeeze out the water completely before adding it to the mixture or else it may spoil the thick consistency of your mixture.
  • The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape or else it will get split in the oil while frying.






Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Chicken Tikka Masala



Ingredient
  • Chicken tikka 
  • Tomato - 2 medium or big size
  • Cream - 4-5 tbsp
  • Ginger- garlic paste - 2 tsp
  • Onion - 1/2 medium or small size (chopped)
  • Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
  • Orange food color - 1 or 2 pinches
  • Tomato sause - 1 tsp
  • Oil - 1-2 tbsp

Method
  • Boil the tomatoes with little water & allow it to cool completely. 
  • Now grind it & make a puree. Keep it aside.
  • Heat oil in the pan & add the ginger garlic paste. Fry till the oil separates.
  • Now add the onion & fry well.
  • Pour in the tomato puree.
  • Then add the masala powders (cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder) food color & the sause.
  • Mix well & add the chicken pieces.
  • When the masala gets thicken, add the cream & mix well.
  • Remove from fire & serve it as a side dish for rice & roti varieties.

Tips for the recipe - Whipping cream tastes good than half & half for this recipe. If you are using half & half, add 1/2 cup for this recipe. If you want to prepare lesser quantity of tikka masala, correspondingly reduce the quantity of tikka pieces.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Eggless chocolate cake with cherry



Ingredients

  • Self rising flour- 1 cup
  • Brown sugar - 2/3 cup
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/4 or 1/2 cup
  • Refined oil - 1/3 cup
  • Lemon juice - 1 tsp
  • Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
  • Water - 3/4 cup
  • Spray oil to grease the pan
  • Whipped cream - 1 1/2  cup 
  • Cherry Mixture/Jam - 3/4 - 1 cup 



For the cake

  • Mix first 3 ingredients together in the mixing bowl.

  • Now add oil & water to the flour & mix till it gets incorporated.

  • Add lemon juice & the extract & continue mixing. Take care that you do not mix too much.
  • Preheat the oven at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
  • Grease the pan well with spray or oil.
  • Pour the batter & bake it for 20 -25 minutes or till it is done.

Simple Test - Gently press the cake using clean hand on the top of the cake. It should spring back. Then your cake is ready.
Put a sharp knife in the cake. When you take it out, it should come out clean. If it comes up with some wet batter, then it needs more baking time.




  • After 10 minutes, remove it from the pan & allow it to cool completely.
  • Then cover the cake & refrigerate it for few hours. It is not necessary to cut the top of the cake. 
  • Now arrange it in the tray. Gently press it (do not press it too hard), you can also cut the cake & arrange it if needed. It should be evenly placed as shown in the picture.(You can also directly bake it in the square or rectangular baking dish).

  • Apply the cream evenly on the top of the cake.

  • Spread the cherry mixture on the cream. 

  • Cover & chill the dessert. Scoop the dessert from the sides & serve chill.



Tips for the recipe - I like to have little bitter taste in my chocolate cake. so i have added half a cup of coco powder. If you don't like to have bitter taste then you can reduce the coco powder to 1/4 cup. Instead of whipped cream, you can also use sweeten butter or cheese, anything of your choice. Brown sugar is best for this recipe but still you can go ahead with white sugar also. I like to have more cake, medium  cream & less cherries. So I have arranged the cake in the 6 inch length square tray. If you like to have a thin layer of cake then you can go for lengthier tray. Also you can increase the amount of cream if you wish. Take care while adding cherries. Too much of cherries may make your dessert too sweet or sometimes sour. If you don't have self rising flour you can make you own self rising flour at home by mixing & sieving all the following ingredients together.
1 cup of plain flour/All purpose
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of salt


General tips for cakes - If you open the oven too soon, your cake may not rise well due to the change in the temperature.
Using a small sharp knife will loosen the cake from the sides of the pan & then turn the pan upside down to remove the cake gently from the pan.
After removing the cake from the oven allow it to cool for 10 minutes (approximately) & then remove the cake from the pan. Or else cake gets stuck to the pan.
It may also gets stuck even if the pan is not properly prepared.
Also do not allow the cake to stay in the pan for a long time. It makes the bottom part of the cake soggy.
After greasing the pan, dust little plain flour before pouring the batter.It helps the cake to come out clean.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Cherry Jam for desserts



Ingredients
  • Cherries - 2 1/2 cups
  • Sugar - 3 - 4 tbsp
  • Water - 1/2 cup
  • Lemon juice - 1 tsp

Method
  • Wash & pit the cherries.
  • Reserve a cup of cherries separately.
  • Mix all other ingredients for the cherry jam together & bring it to boil in the large pan.
  • Cover & cook it on low medium flame till it becomes soft & slightly mashy.
  • Now add the reserved cherries & continue to cook on high medium flame till it becomes thick.
  • Switch off the stove, when it reaches the consistency of the jam as shown in the picture.
  • Allow it to cool completely before using.

Whipped Cream for desserts

Ingredients
  • Heavy whipping cream - 1 cup
  • White sugar - 1/4 cup
  • Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp


Method
  • Chill the utensil in which the cream is going to be prepared.
  • Mix all the ingredients in the bowl & start whipping the cream.

  • Beat it till the cream holds soft peaks.

  • Now give very few beats to make the cream stiff peaks. (Do not over beat the cream)
Usage of the soft or stiff peaks depends upon the dessert you prepare.
You can make different flavors of whipped cream by using appropriate extracts.
1 cup of fresh cream gives 2 cup of whipped cream.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Beetroot Curd Pachadi



Ingredients
  • Beetroot - 1 medium size (grated)
  • Curd - 1 cup
  • Onion - 1 small size (chopped)
  • Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
  • Mustard & urad dal - 1/4 tsp
  • Ginger - 1/4 tsp (grated)
  • Hing - a pinch
  • Green chillies - 2 (slitted)
  • Oil - 1 tbsp
  • Salt to taste

Method
  • Heat oil in the pan and let the mustard, urad dal & cumin seeds splutter on high-medium flame.
  • Then add the chillies, ginger, hing and onions.
  • Add salt & saute till the onions turn transparent. 
  • Then add the beetroot & fry well.
  • Sprinkle some water if necessary.
  • Switch off the flame when it is done.
  • Allow it to cool slightly & mix curd.
  • Serve it as a side dish for rice or roti.

Tips for the recipe
- No need to add water if the vegetable is very juicy. It is not necessary to cook the vegetable completely. You can remove it from flame when it is 3/4th done or to your taste.







Friday, June 11, 2010

Adai





Ingredients
Group I
  • Rice - 1 cup
  • Chana dal - 1 cup
  • Toor dal - 1/4 cup
  • Whole Moong dal  - 1/4 cup
  • Urad dal - 1/4 cup
  • Onion - 1 (chopped)
  • Cumin - 2 tsp
  • Coconut  1/2 cup
  • Red chillies 5
  • Curry leaves - 1 sprig
  • Coriander leaves - handful
  • Hing - 1/4 tsp
  • Ginger - 1/4 inch
  • Salt to taste


Group II
  • Onion - 1 (chopped)
  • Cumin - 1 tsp
  • Green chillies - 3 (chopped)
  • Red chillies 2 
  • Curry leaves - 1 sprig
  • Coriander leaves - handful 
  • Hing - 1/4 tsp
  • Ginger - 1 tbsp (chopped)
  • Salt - to taste


Method
  • Soak the rice & dals together for 3 hours.
  • Grind the soaked rice & dals with little water, till it is done. Not necessary to grind it very smoothly.It can be little coarse.
  • Now add all the rest of the group I ingredients & grind for 1 minute or coarsely.
  • Now the batter is ready. Keep it aside.
  • Now heat oil in the pan & splutter cumin seeds, chillies, curry leaves & hing.
  • Add onions, ginger, little salt & continue frying till it is slight brown in color.
  • Pour this mixture in the batter. Also add a handful of coriander leaves & mix well.
  • Heat the Dosa tawah on medium high.
  • Rub the pan with oil/ghee dipped cloth or tissue towel.
  • Spread one ladle of batter on the tawa, starting from the middle in a rotating motion.
  • Try to make a thin layer.
  • Flame should be on medium.
  • Drizzle some oil on top of the adai.
  • Cook till it becomes golden brown in color.
  • Once it is golden brown, flip the adai on the other side to get cooked.
  • Serve it hot with coconut chutney.

Tips for the recipe - Batter can be used directly after grinding without any fermentation process. But for better taste allow the batter to ferment for 3-6 hours.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Lemon Rasam



Ingredients


  • Tomato - 1 
  • Lemon Juice - 3 - 4 tbsp(adjust) 
  • Toor dal - 1/4 cup 
  • Turmeric powder - little 
  • Garlic - 6-7 
  • Green chillies - 4 (slitted)
  • Curry leaves - 1 spring 
  • Mustard - 1/4 tsp 
  • Pepper corn - 1/2 tsp 
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp 
  • Oil - 1 tbsp 
  • Fenugreek seeds - 2 pinches 
  • Hing - 3 pinches 
  • Coriander leaves - handful (chopped) 
  • Salt for taste


Method



  • Boil dal & tomatoes with salt & turmeric powder. 
  • Allow it to cool & mash it completely. Add some water if necessary & bring it to the consistency of rasam. 
  • Crush the garlic & keep it aside. 
  • Make a powder of cumin & pepper. 
  • Add green chillies & curry leaves to the dal water. 
  • Adjust salt. 
  • Heat oil in the pan & splutter mustard. 
  • Add fenugreek seeds & hing. 
  • Now pour in the dal water. 
  • When the water starts bubbling, add the crushed garlic along with the powdered cumin & pepper. Also add the lemon juice. 
  • Allow it to boil for very few seconds. 
  • Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves & remove it from fire. 

Tip for the recipe - Do not allow the rasam to boil for a long time. It makes the rasam less tasty.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Fish Fry II



Ingredients
  • King Fish - 6 fillets
  • Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
  • Orange red food color - 1-2 pinches
  • Egg white - 1 (large)
  • Vinegar or lemon juice - 1 tbsp
  • Chilly powder - 1 tsp or to taste
  • Pepper - 1/4 tsp
  • Corn flour - 3 tbsp
  • All purpose flour or maida - 4 1/2 tbsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for deep frying

Method
  • Mix all ingredients together with the fish.
  • Sprinkle little water & bring it to medium consistency.
  • Cover & refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.
  • Heat the pan with oil.
  • Then deep fry the fish between medium high & low flame.
  • Remove the fish from the oil when it is done.
  • Drain the excess oil & serve hot with lemon & onion.

Tip for the recipe - You can use any fish which taste good for roasting like catla, rogh & so on. You can marinate the fish over night for good taste. You can also place the fish in the sun for 30 minutes if you don't have much time.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Capsicum Stew



Ingredients
  • Capsicum - 1 1/2 cup (cubed)
  • Onions - 1 small size
  • Tomato - 1 medium size
  • Coconut milk - 1/2 tin (200 ml) 
  • Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsp 
  • Aniseed powder - 1 1/2 tsp
  • Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Curry leaves - few
  • Coriander leaves - handful
  • Mint leaves - 2 handfuls
  • Oil - 1 tbsp
  • Salt to taste

Dry Masala
  • Cinnamon - 2 pieces
  • Cardamom - 2
  • Black cardamom - 1 (crushed)
  • Cloves - 6
  • Aniseeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Bay leaves - 2
  • Anistar- 3

To Grind
  • Whole cashew - 7
  • Green chillies - 5 (adjust)
  • Garlic - 4
  • Ginger - equal to garlic

Method
  • Grind the cashews separately.
  • Grind green chillies, garlic, ginger together & keep aside.
  • Heat oil in kadai on high medium flame.
  • Add the dry masalas & fry for a while.
  • Add curry leaves, onions and fry till it becomes transparent.
  • Now add the grounded garlic paste and fry for few minutes.
  • Add in the tomatoes, mint leaves & fry till the tomatoes becomes mashy.
  • Add salt, garam masala powder, aniseed powder, coriander powder & turmeric powder.
  • Now add the capsicums & fry for 1 or 2 minutes.
  • Pour the coconut milk along with the grounded cashews & mix well. 
  • Add water if needed.
  • Cover & cook till the raw small leaves the gravy.
  • Remove it from flame when the gravy becomes slightly thick. 
  • Garnish it with coriander leaves.
  • Serve it with roti. 

Tips for the recipe - Thick coconut milk will give good taste. You can use aniseed powder or you can grind the aniseed along with green chillies. Using different colors of capsicum will give good taste & also it makes the gravy very rich & colorful.



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