Thursday, January 31, 2013

Coconut Pancake (Eggless)




Pancakes are always in my prime list to try from starting..i even tried couple of versions... N i admit,i can't stand the egg smell in-spite of fluffy n light texture...Finally came with my this recipe which is simply perfect without any eggs!!!



These are really got very rich coconut flavor in them which makes them strictly for coconut lovers.
I made some of it in sweeter version by mix nuts and extra powdered sugar for his after lunch dessert and loved the surprise ! :)








INGREDIENTS
(4-5 pancakes)

1Cup All purpose Flour
1/3 Cup Coconut (shredded)
1.5 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1Cup Coconut Milk/Milk
1tsp Cream(optional)
1Cardamon (powdered)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of Cinnamon
Pinch of Salt
1 tbsp Coconut oil/Oil



DIRECTIONS

  • Grind coconut with spices and sugar together for few seconds.
  • Take flour in a bowl and mix in coconut mixture.
  • Make thick batter using milk,than mix in coconut oil/oil.
  • Finally mix in baking powder and baking soda.
  • Heat the non-stick pan on medium heat.
  • Brush some butter on pan.pour 1 full ladle of batter in center(don't spread),let it spread by its own.
  • Let it cook till edges look cooked and top changes the color(will take about 2 minutes).Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.
  • Top it with any syrup or honey and fruits,serve.


# You can use butter instead of oil.don't use salt in that case.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Aloo (Potato) Kofte


 Sometimes its happens that your fridge-kitchen all are just out of mostly everything and suddenly some guest arrives for dinner..all you have just couple of potatoes..n u can't go out either.... that time my friend this dish is total savior as it doesn't need to many potatoes yet is very rich and full filling ..Its such a delight to have that you will make them even if you have alot of other things... Presently its our favorite potato dish !




INGREDIENTS

2-3 Potatoes medium size(boiled mashed)
2tbsp Cornflour
1/4tsp Baking soda
1 Onion
1 Tomato big(paste)
1tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1tsp Garam Masala powder(prefer fresh)
1-2 Whole red chilies
2tbsp Oil/Ghee
5-6 Cashews
1/2Cup water
1/2Cup Milk
Salt to taste
1tsp Coriander Powder
1tbsp Cream
2tbsp Green coriander leaves
Oil for frying


DIRECTIONS

  • Make fine paste of onion,ginger-garlic,garam masala,cashew,coriander powder.
  • Mix mashed potatoes with 1tbsp cornflour,pinch of garam masala,1/2tsp salt and baking soda.Make Balls of desired shape and size.Roll them on remaining cornflour.
  • Fry the prepared ball on medium heat untill they turns golden brown.Remove from oil and place them on paper.
  • Heat 1tbsp of oil in deep pan.Add whole chilies.after few seconds add onion masala paste and fry n medium heat till oil comes on top.
  • Add tomato paste and let it cook for another 4-5 minutes.
  • Mix in water and let it come to boil.now add milk and salt to taste.
  • After 5minutes simmering,remove it from heat and carefully add potatoe balls.
  • Top it with cream and then coriander leaves.Close the lid.
  • Serve after 5 minutes with bread of your choice or rice.



# You can add finely chopped onions in balls,if you like.
# To increase the gravy with thick consistency you can add 1 boiled onion paste.



Savory Cake



Last year i baked cakes.. ALOT !! So,this year i am just planning to take break with that...but its like addiction now to bake every now n then,may be i become bake-maniac ;)..
So,today my hand were dying to prepare the cake mix,but brain was arguing to make something healthy..first started with Carrot cake..than carrot whole wheat cake..then suddenly mind suggested why not try carrot savory cake !! So,i opened my fridge to get some carrot and again...there was whole bunch of vegetables...So,finally,i end up with this Mix-Veg Savory Cake !!! To make it lighter i thought of using semolina+whole wheat flour instead.
Very light in texture but so- so filling that make them ideal breakfast or on the go snacks..You can also store them in air-tight container for 2-3 days..




I prepared pancake from the leftover batter and it turned out nice light n fluffy snack.i simply spread some on ketchup on top and had it like roll.. :P ..so next time i ll make them for our breakfast for sure.



INGREDIENTS

2/3Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1Cup Semonina
1Cup Curd
2tbsp Butter
1 Egg
1/2Cup Water
1tsp Baking powder
1/4tsp Baking Soda
1.5Cup Mix Veggies(corn,carrot,peas,onion,Broccoli)
2 Spring Garlic/Garlic pod
Pinch of Ginger(grated)
1Spring onion(optional)
1tbsp Green Coriander
1tsp Musturd seed+Cumin seeds
4-5 Kari leaves(optional)
Pinch of Chili flacks1tsp oil
1tsp Salt

DIRECTIONS


  • Soak semolina in curd and water for 10minutes.
  • Heat 1tsp oil in pan.fry cumin-musturd seeds,garlic(chopped),garlic and kari leaves for few seconds than mix in all veggies and cook for another 2-3 minutes.Remove from heat and keep aside.
  • even though i do'nt have oven yet ! (Thanks to my engineer instinct,i can adjust temprature of cooker for baking cookies,pies,cake etc :P )
  • Seive flour,baking powder and baking soda together and mix in semolina mixture.
  • Beat egg lightly with butter and mix in above mixture.
  • Finally fold in veggies,chili flacks and salt.
  • Pour the batter in greased baking pan(6-8 inch)
  • Bake for 40minutes(or untill it passes toothpick test) in preheated oven on 175'C.
  • Let it rest for 10minutes before cutting and serving.
  • Serve with green chutney,ketchup or simply with Tea/coffee.



# Use veggies as per your liking.
## You can make eggless version too.just dont use egg..It will just make your cake bit dense but taste will not be compramised.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Chinese Stuffed Bao Bun



Originally they are from China but in Nagaland also they are very famous.Even Kunal Kapoor once shown this in Master-chef Class.

I made them today at our breakfast,these were so soft in texture and healthier too,we simply love them..they can be made even without stuffing !! Just make sure to make at the time of serving as they are good only when warm otherwise you will get very chewy texture which will convert your hit into complete miss...




Here is the recipe of our favorite Bao Buns:

INGREDIENTS
(12-15 buns)


1.5+2tbsp Cup All purpose flour
1/2tsp Yeast
1/2 Cup Warm Water
1tsp Sugar
1/2tsp Salt
2tsp Oil
1/8tsp Baking powder
1Cup Chicken chunks
1Onion
1/2tsp ginger-garlic(paste/crushed)
1/2tsp Chili powder
1/4tsp Garam Masala
1tsp oil
1/4tsp Turmeric powder
1tbsp Tomato ketchup
1tsp Soya Sauce
Salt to taste


DIRECTIONS

  • Mix yeast and sugar in 1tbsp of warm water and leave for 10 minutes.than mix oil in it.
  • Take 1.5 cup flour and salt in bowl.Make a well in center and mix yeast mixture in it.
  • Make soft dough by using warm water.Leave it for 2 hours at warm place.It will rise in double size.
  • Stuffing:Heat oil in pan.Saute onion for 4-5 minutes.Add ginger-garlic and saute for another minute.
  • Add chicken and all spices and fry for 2 minutes.Mix in the sauces and let it cook on low heat till its tender.
  • Divide the dough in 15 balls.
  • Take one ball in hand spread it in your hand  and stuff it with 1tsp of stuffing and close,make ball and place on piece of parchment paper. (like you stuff for paratha)
  • Place 5-6 in steamer at a time and steam for 15 minutes.
  • Serve hot with chili sauce.



# Serve when warm as it will get chewy once get cold.
## You can make stuffing as per your liking.



Saturday, January 26, 2013

White Pepper Chicken




I got this recipe from my brother who is also a very enthusiastic cook and he got this from his friend who served this to him his dinner party..According to him it very near in taste with pepper chicken served in very famous Shama Restaurant (Gurgaon) ! 



Here is the recipe which is surprisingly one of the easiest chicken recipe i ever tried....!

INGREDIENTS

1 Chicken
2 Onion
7-8 Garlic
1' Ginger
15 White peppercorns
10 Black pepper
6-7 Cashews
1tsp Cumin
1' Cinnamon
2-3 Green cardamoms
2 bay leaves
2 whole dry red chilies
2 tbsp cream
1 tbsp Oil


DIRECTIONS

  • Make fine paste of onions,ginger,garlic,cumin,white pepper and half of black pepper.
  • Marinate chicken with above paste and keep in fridge for atleast 1/2 hr.
  • Heat oil in deep pan.saute all whole spices for few seconds.Add marinated chicken with all juices and let it come to boil.
  • Add salt,Low the heat and simmer till chicken is tender.
  • Add remaining crushed black pepper and mix well.
  • Remove from heat and finally mix cream.
  • Serve hot with roti or naan.

# Adjust gravy as per your need with water and milk.
## You can use only black pepper instead of white peppercorns if you want hotter version.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Malpua


This one is another delicacy from Varanasi.We use to have them every visit to Vishwa-Nath Gali(its famous Gali of the city which is like heaven for jewelry lover ladies,Rani Mukherji once mentioned it in her one movie name 'laga chunri main daag' ).They are supar soft puries dunked in sugar syrup.In shops,they make it in perfect round shape,may be i will be able to make after so much practice. :)

Traditionally it is made with Khoya(mawa) which i will try soon but i wanted to make simpler version which i got in Tarla Dalal website.I made some adjustments in recipe and turned up nicely.


My recipe call it 1cup water to make batter but you test the better by dropping some drop in oil.This way you will able to know the temprature as well as right consistency of batter.If batter splutter in n comes on top add some flour and try again.




INGREDIENTS
(7-8 Malpuas)

1Cup Dry Milk
1/3Cup All purpose Flour(Maida)
1/2tsp Ghee
1Cup Water
1Cup Sugar
1Cup Water
Few strand Saffron
3-4 tbsp Nuts(finely chopped)
1-2 Elaichi powder
Ghee/Oil for frying


DIRECTIONS


  • Mix milk,flour,ghee properly.Make batter using 1cup water so that no lump remains.
  • Heat oil/Ghee in pan for deep frying.Oil must not be very hot.
  • Mix water and sugar in pan and put on heat till it get slightly thick consistancy(for about 5minutes).Remove from heat and add saffron and cardamom powder.
  • Put the flame on lowest.Lightly pour 1 laddle of batter in center.First it will sink than will come on top gradually.Fry both side untill edges turn light brown in colour.
  • Remove from oil and directly dunk it into syrup and close the lid.
  • Make other too following same steps.
  • Delicately remove from syrup.Serve warm or cold topping up with crushed nuts or rabri.



# You can remove each malpua before dunking another fried one as frying one takes 5-6 minutes which is               enough for previous one to suck up the syrup.
## If serving with rabri,it should be less sweet.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Paneer Pasanda




Paneer pasanda is one of the recipe which have many version...Generally it is crispy paneer (sometimes stuffed) cubes topped with rich gravy..This time i made the variation of it.

Actually i was having a bowl full of fresh home-made paneer.First i made some paneer stuffed parathas,but still there was half n bowl remaining..So planned to make this for lunch.So,here is my version of paneer pasanda....



INGREDIENTS
(Serving 2 )

1Cup Crushed Cottage Cheese(Paneer)
2tbsp All Purpose Flour
3tbsp Bread crumbs
1 Onion
5-6 Garlic
1'Garlic
1tsp Garam masala
1tbsp Curd
1tsp Cream
1/2Cup Milk
1tsp Chili powder
6--7 Cashews
2tbsp Oil
1tbsp Coriander leaves
Salt to taste


DIRECTIONS


  • Mix finely crushed paneer with 1tbsp of flour,pinch of salt and garam masala.Make 5-6 flat balls from the mixture. 
  • Mix 1tbsp flour in 4tbsp water.Dip the balls one by one in it carefully than roll them over bread crumbs.
  • Heat some oil on non stick pan.Fry the balls on medium heat till it turns crispy golden brown.
  • Make fine paste of onion,ginger-garlic with garam masala and chili powder.
  • Make Fine paste of cashews,curd,cream and milk together.
  • Heat oil in deep pan.Add masala paste and fry on low heat till oil come on top.
  • Low the heat,Mix curd-milk mixture in pan with 1/2cup water and let it simmer on low heat for 5minutes
  • Finally add coriander leaves.
  • Place fried ball on serving bowl and top it with hot gravy just before serving.



# For risher gravy oil can be replaced by butter.
## You can make balls and gravy in advance but Top the balls at the time of serving otherwise it will loose its crispyness.


Linked to:
                                                 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Laung(lawang) Lata



This crispy sweets with super soft center is one of the staple snacks in Varanasi just like Jalebi,Samose,Gol-gappe ! Everyday in evening you can see them all over the street-food stalls..My mom use to make them at holi festival with alot of other goodies,and i just love them all... :)
The name of this recipe is because of using cloves(laung) as main ingredient even though many people don't even use it ;) ! 


I love the filling plain just with the hint of clove powder,but you can add nuts if you like.Make sure you don't fill it tightly otherwise while frying melted khoya will come out and oil will fill in.



INGREDIENTS
(for 5 laung-latas)

1 Cup All purpose Flour(Maida)
1tbsp Ghee
1/2Cup Cold Water
1Cup Khoya/Mawa(dried)
5-6 Cloves
2/3Cup Sugar
1/2Cup Water
1tbsp Finely chopped nuts(optional)
1-2 Cardamom powder(optional)
Oil for deep frying


DIRECTIONS


  • Mix ghee with flour till it resemble to bread crumb. than make soft dough using cold water.
  • Place a heavy bottom pan on heat with water and sugar,bring it to boil.Add 3 crushed Cloves.Make syrup of 1 thread consistency(will take around 4-5 minutes on low heat).Keep it in fridge to get cool down completely.
  • Mix Khoya with nuts,clove(powdered),Cardamon powder and set aside.
  • Make 5 portion from the dough.
  • Take one ball,make a thin chapati using rolling pin.Put 1tsp of khoya mixture in centre.Fold the chapati from both side twice(it will look like square pocket).Follow same process to make all 5.
  • Deep Fry them on medium heat till turns golden brown.Transfer and dip them directly to cold sugar syrup and close the lid.
  • Remove from syrup after 1/2 hour.Serve warm and Store remaining in airtight container.


# Its very important to use cold sugar syrup otherwise loung-lata will not be crispy and become soggy.

Linked to Event : 
                 
                           

Monday, January 21, 2013

Chicken-Mushroom Stuffed Braided Bread


I am a new bie in baking breads..and this one was my second one :)... i wished to make this from very long time and finally i done it !! I Just loved the aroma coming frommy kitchen while making this....


 I make the chicken stuffing..You can make vegetarian version like paneer,tofu or mixed veg or spinach etc etc ...i ll soon make these too... ! May be i will try with some leftovers too.. ;)



INGREDIENTS

Bread:
1Cup All purpose flour
1/2Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2tsp Yeast
1tsp Sugar
1/2tsp Salt
1tbsp Oil
1/2Cup Milk

Stuffing:
1/2Cup Chicken(shredded)
1/2Cup Mushroom(finely chopped)
2tbsp Onion(chopped)
1-2 Garlic
1/2tsp Garam Masala
1/2tsp Chili flacks
1tsp Green coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1tsp Butter/Oil
1Egg
1/2tsp Sesame seeds


DIRECTIONS

  • Mix yeast in luke warm milk and leave it for 10minutes.than add sugar and oil and mix well.
  • Mix both flour and salt in a bowl,make a well in center.Add milk mixture and make a soft dough using greased hand.Leave the dough covered in kitchen for 1 hour.it will become double in size by this time.
  • Meanwhile,heat butter in a pan.Saute garlic and onion for 2minutes.add mushroom and chicken.Cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.Mix garam masala,chili flacks and salt.Finally remove from heat and mix coriander leaves.Let it cool down.
  • Roll it into a rectangular sheet of 1inch thick around.Place the chicken-mushroom stuffing in center.Follow below picture to make braided bread.
  • Place the bread on baking tray.Brush it with egg white,sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.Bake it in preheated oven on 180'C for 40 minutes.
  • Serve warm and enjoy !


# Make sure stuffing is dry otherwise bread will become soggy.



Sunday, January 13, 2013

Spinach Quiche


This quiche is very easy and quick to make...and eye catcher in any social gathering !!.it got very subtle flavor.you can add some other veggies if you like.  







INGREDIENTS

1 Pastry Sheet (for 6'pie dish)
2 Eggs
1 Cup boiled spinach
1/3Cup Carrot(optional)
1tbsp Onion(finely chopped)
2-3tbsp Corn(optional)
2tbsp Cream
2-3tbsp Mixed Cheese(grated)
1tsp Dried Herbs(oregeno,basil.pepper)
1tsp Butter

 
DIRECTIONS


  • Spread the pastry sheet on pie dish,cut the edges.poke the base with fork and bake in preheated oven(180'C) for 10minutes.
  • Heat butter in pan.Saute onion till it turns pink.Add corn and carrot with little salt,fry for another couple of minutes.Mix boiled-chopped spinach and fry till it turns dry.remove from heat and keep aside.
  • Whisk eggs and cream together for a minute,add dry herbs,cheese and spinach mixture in it and mix properly.
  • Pour above mixture in baked pie shell.Bake it on 170'C for 15minutes or till it sets.
  • Let it cool down for half an hour and serve warm.



# You can top the quiche with extra cheese which will give it golden crust on top.
## While adding salt just keep in mind that cheese and spinach,both are salty in taste.
### you can substitute 1tbsp cream with 1/4cup milk.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Sesame Chikki


Well its Makarsankrati again,in every region have there own traditional dishes like chikki,laddoos,pithas etc same as different name of this day like Makarsankranti,Bihu,Lodhi,Pongal...... but my first in kitchen ;) I still remember when mom use to prepare those boxes and jars full of sweet things like variety of chikki,laddoos etc... and the main ingredients was jaggery .




Generally chikkies are crispy in texture but this one is soft one.The recipe is from my mom n really never came across anyone else with such chikkies. Actually may back when my mom started her sessions in kitchen she was not good in making perfect syrup of jaggery so Nani (her mom) gave her idea to add bit of roasted flour in it which help to set them perfectly.So,even now when mom can mastered herself in syrup making,we all insist on this chikkies rather than crispy one as we can't have anywhere else in the whole world !!! 




INGREDIENTS

1Cup White Sesame
3/4Cup Jaggery
1tbsp Water
1tsp Ghee
2tbsp Whole wheat flour


DIRECTIONS


  • Roast sesame seeds on medium heat till it turns light brown in color.
  • Roast the flour in low heat till it turn light brown.
  • Grease with few drops of ghee the base of some steel plate or thali and keep side.
  • In heavy bottom pan heat jaggery,ghee and water together till just jaggery get melted.
  • Finally Add sesame seeds and mix well.Spread it on greased flat plate.
  • When its half set.Make mark with knife in desired shape.
  • let it get cool down completely.cut it at the mark which u make earlier.
  • Store it in air tight container.


# You can stick a peanut in center of every square to make it look interesting looking.

Andhra Style Chicken Curry


Yesterday i was ging through my chicken recipe folder for some thing rustic n new flavors and came up with andhra style chicken curry... i made some changes and turned into absolute delish dish which any chicken lover will go gaga over it !! i don't believe why i never made this before .....




So without any further chit chat,here is my andhra style chicken curry :

INGREDIENTS

1 Kg Chicken
2-3 Onions
2 Tomatoes
2 tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste
2 tbsp Vinegar
20-25 Kari Leaves
5-6 Whole Red Chilies(deseeded)
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder(optional)
2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1'Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp Black pepper
7-8 Cloves
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Mustard Oil
1 tbsp Sambhar Masala


DIRECTIONS

  • Marinade chicken with vinegar,sambhar masala,1tsp Turmeric and 1tsp salt for atleast 2-3 hour.
  • Roast cinnamon,clove,cumin and black pepper on low heat for 2 minutes.Roast 10-15 kari leaves separately for few seconds or till it turns crispy yet green.Cool them down and make fine powder.
  • Make paste of ginger-garlic paste with powder spices and whole red chilies.
  • Heat oil in heavy bottom pan.Add finely chopped onion with kari leaves and mustard seeds.Saute till onion turns pink than add finely chopped tomatoes,close the lid and let the tomatoes get mushy(for around 5 minutes) on low heat.
  • Add ginger-garlic paste with all powder spices and fry on low heat till oil get separated at edges.
  • Mix in the marinated chicken and let it cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
  • Add 1.5 Cup water,bring it to boil.Turn heat low again and let it cook for another 10 minutes.
  • At this point oil will come on top and chicken will be tender.Finally sprinkle ground spice powder and mix well.Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
  • Serve hot with bread of your choice or even rice.



# Make sure you don't over roast the spices(edges must not turn black) otherwise it will give bitter taste to gravy.
## Adjust gravy as per your liking.
### If you like hot gravy than don't deseed the chilies.



Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Rum Balls


If you go on research for rum ball recipe,you will get two types,one uses biscuits(which i already posted in past,click here for recipe) another cake crumbs.But the common thing is condense Milk which works as binding ajent..Following Rum balls recipe don't require this ! 
On Xmas Pankaj asked for these but my kitchen was running with condensed milk..Finally came up with this idea and believe me it turned out even better than normal rum balls..these were so soft and cocolaty !! 
If you wanna make simple chocolate balls,just replace rum with instant coffee in half of quantity.




INGREDIENTS
(10-12 Balls)

3Cups Crushed Rum/Chocolate/Vanilla Cake
1/3 Cup Rum
1/2Cup Coconut powder
1/2Cup Raisin
1tbsp Coco Powder
1/2Cup Dark Choco chips
2tbsp Milk
2tbsp Sugar
1tbsp Cream

DIRECTIONS

  • Crush the cake in very small crumbs.
  • Soak the chopped raisins in rum for 2-3 hours.
  • Heat a pan and add cream,milk,sugar and bring to boil.Remove the heat and add choco chips and coco powder,mix well untill chips get melted.
  • Mix in rum with soaked raisin properly.
  • Finally add crumbled cake and coconut.Mix properly.
  • Wet your hand with some water and make 10-12 balls from the mixture when its  still warm.
  • You can roll balls in shredded coconut,melted chocolate or sprinkles.
  • Keep it in fridge for few hours before serving.



#Taste best after day of making.
##Adjust the sugar as per your taste buds.



Whole Wheat Bread



This one is my very first bread loaf which i made just now. Loved the texture and taste of it ! n its healthy too as made with whole wheat flour and i used honey instead of sugar.Surely gonna make them soon again.
You can make the dough in advance and store in fridge to bake it later.just make sure to bring the dough at room temperature before baking.
I brushed to top of my loaf with some egg white a sprinkled sesame seeds to make more intresting. You can skip this completely.






INGREDIENTS
(1 Loaf)

1Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2Cup+2tbsp All purpose Flour
1/2tsp Dry Yeast
1/4Cup Water
1/2Cup Milk
1/2tsp Salt
1tbsp Honey
2tbsp Butter/Olive oil

DIRECTIONS


  • Mix yeast in lukewarm water with honey for 10minutes untill it becomes frothy.
  • Add all purpose flour,salt and butter.Mix well.
  • Add milk and mix than add wheat flour and make a dough.Use extra fine flour to avoid it from sticking in pan.
  • Cover with damp cloth or cling sheet and leave it in damp place of kitchen for 2-3 hour.it will be double in size.
  • Kneed the dough and place it in baking pan.Leave it covered for another 1 hour. 
  • Bake it in preheated oven on 180'C for 40-45 minutes.Let it rest for 10-15 minutes and its ready to serve.


# To make it vegan,just replace milk with almond milk.
## You can prepare dough and store in fridge.Just bring it to room temperature before baking.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Chocolate Stuffed Cookies



These little cookies are Unbelievably easy to make one of those things which you have to hide in the kitchen otherwise won't even get the trace of it ! from outside it looks like normal plain cookies but when take a bite surprise comes out and fill your mouth with melted divine chocolate and makes your eyes big with amusement !!! When i make them,in some cookies melted chocolate oozed out from top and make it even more irresistible ! ;) Next time m gonna try to stuff chocolate cookies with some caramel ! :)



INGREDIENTS:
(8-10 Cookies)

3 1 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 eggs
1tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8-10 chocolate chunks


DIRECTIONS:

  • Mix flour,salt and baking soda in bowl.
  • Cream together the softened butter, white sugar until fluffy. 
  • Add the egg and vanilla and the warm water and mix until just combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a dough just forms. 
  • Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for two hours.
  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • Flatten a small ball of dough on a lined baking sheet and press an chocolate chunk in the center. Then, press another small ball of dough on top and seal edges. Repeat until all dough is used. 
  • Place cookies few inches apart on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are golden.
  • Let it cool down a bit.enjoy !


# You can keep it in microwave for few minutes to get melted chocolate center.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Dal Gosht


I heard of this dish name from quite a while..finally made this some days back and become star of my home menu.Traditional version use ghee to prepare this but i ditched and make in musturd oil and added ghee while serving which given nice aroma..You can use same amount of ghee instead of oil for richer version.
Many people use only bengal gram lentil but i prefer equal mixture of 3 lentils.So,here is my version of Dal Gosht.....



INGREDIENTS


1/2Kg Mutton
1 Cup Lentils (masoor+chana+arhar)
3 Onion
2 Tomatoes
2-3 Green Chilies
2tbsp Ginger-Garlic paste(prefer fresh)
1tbsp Fresh Garam Masala
2tsp Coriander powder
1tsp Turmeric powder
1.5tsp Chili powder
Salt to taste
2tbsp Musturd Oil
1tbsp Ghee(optional)
2tbsp Green coriander leaves

DIRECTIONS

  • Soak mixed lentils in water for 30 minutes.
  • Make paste of 1 onion and tomatoes separately.
  • Heat oil in deep pan.Fry the 2 onions(finely chopped) till turns brown.
  • Add ginger garlic paste and all powdered spices.Saute till oil comes on top.
  • Add mutton and fry on high heat for 5 minutes.
  • Add salt,tomato paste,green chilies and soaked lentils.
  • Add 2-3cups of water and let it simmer till its fully cooked and oil comes on top.(for arround 40 minutes)
  • Finally garnish with green coriander leaves and ghee.Serve hot !



# You can sprinkle some freshly made garam masala while serving.
## Add water as per your liking.adjust salt and spice accordingly.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Vada-Curry


Well...first HAPPY NEW YEAR !! 
Its the 4th month of well known SNC Event and my 3rd Entry so far ......Now a days as soon as new month starts,i wait for the new recipe to try ! :)This month we,North Team,got the Vada-Curry as challenge from Ramya.
In north we make this dish too...difference is just type of lentil and some spices.(We use Urad or Moong dal instead of Chana Dal !)
One of the very regional recipe like this from Varanasi,you check here...



So,with any further delay,here is my recipe of Vada-Curry.

INGREDIENTS

1 Cup Bengal gram/Chana Dal
2 Onion
1 Tomato(paste)
2 Green chilies
1/2tsp Fennel Seeds
2-3 Red Chilies
1tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1" Cinnamon
2-3 Clove
1 Star anise
1tsp Cumin
1tsp Coriander powder
1/2tsp Turmeric powder
1tsp Chili powder
1tbsp Green coriander leaves
Salt to taste
1tbsp Oil+ Oil for deep frying


DIRECTIONS

  • Soak the chana dal in water for about 1 hour,drain them. grind it coarsely along with fennel seed, 1 green chili,1 red chili,1/2 tsp Salt and 1 tbsp water.
  • Make a fine paste of onion,green chili.
  • Heat 1 Cup oil in deep pan.Make small vadas of grind dal and fry them on medium heat till golden brown.Cut them in half and keep aside.
  • Heat 1tbsp oil in pan.Add whole spices and 1 finely chopped onion.Saute till onion turns pink.
  • Add onion paste,ginger-garlic paste and powder spices.Fry on low heat till oil comes on top.
  • Add tomato paste and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Now add 1Cup of water and let it get boiled on high heat.
  • Finally add chana dal vadas and let it simmer on low heat for another 5minutes.
  • Garnish with green coriander and serve hot with chapati or rice.



# After grinding the dal,you can rinse grinder with some water and use it to make gravy.This way you will get thicker gravy.
## While adding salt in gravy keep in mind that vadas also have salt in it.