Coconut Burfi Version 2.0

Cooking time: 5-7 minutes
Serving: 1 byte per person.


Ingredients:
Firmly packed grated coconut - 2 cups
Sugar - 1.5 cups or (as per taste)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp.
Ghee - 2 tsp.
Food color - a few drops


Method:
Grind the grated coconut in a blender without adding water (optional).
Add the coconut and sugar in a wide, thick-bottomed non-stick pan and begin sauting in medium-low flame.
When the sugar melts (leaves water), add the food colour and saute.
After a minute, mix in the cardamom powder and ghee.
When the coconut begins leaving the sides of the pan and white bubbles appear, remove and spread in a ghee-greased pan.
After 15 minutes, make an incision to form a shape.
Let it cool and cut.
Enjoy.

Note:
I divided the ingredients into halves. In one pan, I was sauting (with colour) and my mother was preparing with no colour simultaneously.
When the right consistency was achieved, I first spread the white portion in the cake tray and then spread the pink portion over the white one.

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Rajma Masala

Ingredients:
Rajma/Kidney beans - 1 cup
Tomatoes (ripe) - 4 (chopped)
Coriander leaves - few
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Butter - 1 tbsp.


To grind into paste:
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 3 big cloves
Green chilli - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Peppercorn (Black) - 5
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp.
Cinnnamon - 1 small stick
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2


Method:
Soak the rajma overnight. Pressure cook them with fresh water and a little salt.
Strain the cooked rajmas. Reserve the water. Mash a few beans and keep aside.
Meanwhile, grind the given ingredients into a paste.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the tomato pieces, salt and saute till they turn mushy and the oil separates.
Now add the ground paste and saute till the raw smell fades away and releases oil in low flame.
Mix corainder leaves. Pour the reserved water and bring it to a boil.
Add the boiled and mashed kidney beans. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes
Top it with butter.
Serve as a side dish for rotis and chapathis.


Note:
Pour the reserved water according to the desired thickness of gravy.
As this is a spicy and hot dish, adding butter is mandatory.
Red chillies, ginger, garlic, green chilli, peppercorn and cloves together accumulate hotness to this dish. Adjust  them according to your taste.
The original recipe includes cashewnuts which I didn't consider adding to this dish.

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Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:
Button mushroom - 200 gm (sliced)
Milk (low-fat) - 1 cup
Bay leaves (big) - 1
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp. (or as per taste)
Salt (to taste)
Garlic - 3 pods
Onion - 1 (sliced)
Olive oil

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, onion and garlic.
Saute till the onions turn translucent.
Add sliced mushrooms and saute for 2-3 minutes.
Pour 2 to 2 1/2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil.
Cover and cook for ten minutes.
Remove from heat and cool it slightly.
Discard cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves.
Strain the mushrooms and reserve the liquid.
Blend the mushrooms by adding the liquid little by little.
In a pan, add the blended mushroom, milk and bring it to a boil.
Remove from heat and add salt and pepper.
Enjoy the hot piping soup with any bread of your choice.

Sent off to Joey's "Winter Warmers" event.

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Chocolate Muffins (My 500th Post)

I'm very excited to announce that my blog has reached the 500th post. Also, two of my recipes got selected in Chacko's 'Best 30 Recipes of 2010' list. To celebrate the occasions, I'm sharing chocolate muffins today.

Dry Ingredients:
APF/Maida - 1 cup
Cocoa powder (Cadbury's) - 1 tbsp.
Granulated sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp.
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp.
Cooking Chocolate  - 1 cup

Wet Ingredients:
Milk - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp.
Oil - 3 tbsp.

Method:
Sift APF, baking powder and baking soda. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
In another bowl combine all wet ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix. Don't overbeat.
Pour in muffin cups and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.
Enjoy warm.

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Pudina/Mint Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1/2 kg (cut into bite-size pieces)
Pudina/Mint leaves - 1 cup
Onions - 4 (chopped)
Tomato (small) - 3 (chopped)
Garlic - 6
Ginger - 1 inch
Pepper powder - 1 tsp.
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1.5 tsp.
Coriander powder - 3 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Peanuts - a handful
Green chillies - 3 (slit)
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Method:
Dry roast the peanuts and remove the skin. Grind garlic and ginger into a paste. Chop the mint leaves.
Heat oil in a pan and add curry leaves, peanuts and green chillies. Saute carefully.
Add onion pieces and saute till it changes color.
Add mint leaves and saute for a minute.
Add ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell fades away.
Add the tomatoes and salt and saute till mushy.
Add chicken and mix well till the chicken changes color. Reduce the heat and add red chilli, turmeric, pepper and coriander powders.
If required add little water (I didn't add any water). Close the pan with a lid and cook the chicken till tender by stirring occasionally.
Finally add the coriander leaves.
Serve with roti or rice.

Sent off to Sameena's "Chicken Recipes Event".

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Almond Chewy Macaroons

Ingredients:
Ground almonds - 200 gm
Superfine sugar - 200 gm
Egg whites - 2
Ground Cardamom seeds - 1/4 tsp.
Rose water (to moist the hands)
Blanched almonds - 18 to 20

Method:
Preheat the oven at 200°C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, add ground almonds, ground cardamom seeds, sugar and egg whites and mix together. Knead with hand or with the mixer till you get a coherent paste. Moist your hands with rose water and form a walnut sized ball out of the paste. Place them on the paper and lightly press them flat. Place the balls each 1 inch apart. When you are finished with the paste, place one blanched almond in the centre of each macaroon. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (But mine took 15 to 18 minutes) and remove from oven when you see the golden color around the edges. Carefully lift them with a spatula (they're fragile) and place it in another sheet and cool completely.The macaroons at this stage will brown more at the edges.  After cooling, store them in an air tight container. Enjoy the chewy macaroons along with their crispy coats!

Recipe: Nigella Lawson

Sent off to Akila's Dish Name Starts with 'A' event.

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Instant Semolina Dhokla

Ingredients:
Semolina/Rava - 1 cup
Sour yogurt - 1 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1 (grated)
Capsicum (small) - 1 (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 1 (seeded and finely chopped)
Salt (to taste)
Eno fruit salt - 1 tsp.
Lime juice - 1 1/2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.

Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Green chillies - 4 (slit)
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Sesame seeds
Oil

To garnish:

Grated Coconut
Coriander leaves

Method:
Add water to the yogurt and whisk into buttermilk. In a bowl, add rava, pour buttermilk and salt and mix well. Now add carrot, capsicum pieces, turmeric powder , oil and green chilli pieces and give a mix. Keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Grease the vessel with oil to steam the batter. Place the steamer on a stove top and allow the water to boil. At this stage add lime juice and eno fruit salt to the batter and whisk vigorously. Pour this batter in the greased vessel and place it in the steamer. Cover and steam for 10 to 15 minutes or until the dhokla is cooked well. After 5 to 10 minutes, cut the dhokla into square or whatever shape. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Do the tempering and sprinkle on the top of dhokla and serve immediately.

Sent off to "Flavours of Gujarat" event hosted by simply.food.

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Chicken Curry (Version 2)

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces- 750 gm
Onions - 3 (grated)
Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp.
Black cardamom - 1
Cloves - 4
Cinnamon - 2
Bay leaves -2
Kashmiri red Chilli powder - 1 + 1/2 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Kasoori methi - 1 tsp.
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp.
Cream - 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp.
Oil


Method:
Marinate chicken with 1 tsp. of ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp. of chilli powder and salt. Cover and keep aside.
Heat oil and add bay leaves, powder of cloves, cinnamon and black cardamom. Add onion pieces and saute till translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato pieces, salt and saute till tomato becomes mushy. Add the powders, kasuri methi and mix well. Now add the chicken pieces and saute for a few minutes. Add  half cup of water. Cover and cook till chicken becomes tender. Finally, add the cream and coriander leaves. Serve with roti and rice.

Sent off to Lubna's "Joy of Fasting to Feasting" event.

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Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces - 1/2 kg
Onion - 2 (finely chopped)
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Oil
Salt (to taste)

Dry roast and to grind:
Cloves - 6 to 7
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Byadegi chillies - 6
Coconut grated - 1/2 coconut (or to your taste)
Cinnamon - 1 inch (2)
Garlic - 6 to 7 cloves
Peppercorns - 1 tsp.


Method:
Dry roast the given ingredients and ground them into paste by adding required water. Keep aside.
Heat oil and add the curry leaves. Add the onions and saute till they turn golden color. Add the tomatoes, salt and saute till mushy. Add the chicken pieces and saute for a few minutes. Add the ground paste or masala and saute. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water and stir. Cover and cook in medium or low flame until the chicken is done. Serve with rice or chapathi.
Note:  If you don't have byadegi chillies, use red chilli powder according to your taste.

Sent off to Umm Mymoonah's "Iftar Moments Hijri 1431" event.

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Curd Curry

Ingredients:
Curd - 2 cups
Onions - 2 (sliced)
Garlic - 2 cloves (big)
Green chilies - 3 (slit lengthily with the base intact)
Ground coriander - 2 tsp.
Whole dry red chilies - 3
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Salt (to taste)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Oil
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp. (chopped)
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp.


Method:
Add turmeric powder and a little amount of water to the curd.
Beat the curd till it becomes smooth.
Keep it aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds.
Add onions and saute till it changes color.
Add garlic and green and red chilies and saute for 2 minutes.
Add ground coriander and saute for a minute.
Remove from heat and add the mixture to the curd.
Mix the curd in a new vessel in simmer mode for 2 minutes (don't let it boil).
Remove from heat and mix in salt and coriander leaves.
Serve with hot rice!

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Brinjal & Indian Broad Beans Curry (Vankaya Chikkudukaya Kura)

As seen on TV cooked by Chef Jacob.
Ingredients:
Green brinjal (big) -1 (chopped)
Broad beans - 12 (cut into pieces)
Onions - 3 (chopped)
Green chili - 1 (chopped)
Kashmiri red chili - 2 tsp.
Milk - 1/3 cup
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Mustard seeds - ¼ tsp.
Cumin seeds - ¼ tsp.
Coriander leaves - few


Method:
Heat oil and add the mustard and cumin seeds.
When mustard seeds splutter add the onions and fry till translucent.
Add the green chili pieces and fry.
Add the red chili powder and mix well.
Add Brinjal and broad beans pieces and saute for few minutes.
Add 2 cups of water, salt and let the veggies cook.
The sauce should be watery.
Once the veggies are cooked reduce the heat and add the milk.
Immediately remove from heat and add the coriander leaves.
Serve hot with dosas or with rice.

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