Mirchi ka Salan

Click to enlarge image

This recipe has an amazing taste to it and coupled with the tamarind and onions has a sweet and tangy taste to it. It goes beautifully with all kinds of biryani...right from chicken, mutton and even kofta pulao!

Ingredients:
5-6 Thai chillies
10 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4 tbs dessicated coconut
4 tbs til
1 handful peanuts
1 tsp khash khash
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbs oil
1 cup tamarind puree
1 1/2 large onion, finely sliced
Cilantro to garnish


Method:
Heat oil and fry the onion till crisp and golden brown. Using a slotted spoon remove and freeze for a while.

Dry roast, coconut, peanuts, khash khash and til and once they are cool enough, grind them seperately.

Boil the tamarind in water and let it soak completely, remove and strain the pulp in a bowl. Mix the ground mixture and make sure it has blended well in the puree.

Wash the thai chillies and trim the head a little and cut them in 3 pieces.

Heat oil in a big saucepan and fry mustard and cumin seeds, as they begin to splutter add the curry leaves. Slide a slit green chilli and stir for a while and add the chillies.

As the chillies start to glaze, pour the tamarind puree and ground mixture. Finally add the fried onions and cilantro, shut the lid and cook till oil seperates.


Note: If this recipe sounds similar to Bagare baingan...it is! The recipe is the same only the main ingredient changes, again care should be taken when adding red chilli powder, since these chillies are quite spicy themselves :)

Cheesy Quesadilla

Click to enlarge image

Ingredients:
Mission brand Tortillas, burrito sized: approx 8
Sour Cream as needed
Mexican blend four cheese to garnish
Qeema as needed
Ranch dressing, again as needed

Method:

Slightly warm the tortilla on a semi-warm flat pan. Remove and apply sour cream all over.

Fold the tortilla in the middle and spread qeema evenly and top it with shredded cheese and Ranch dressing. Fold it in half and press lightly.

Microwave for a about 30-40 seconds. Run a pizza cutter and slice into three parts. Serve hot!

Gorgeous Lemons!

Click to enlarge image

Here are some pictures of the lemon harvest from my backyard this season. The yield has been better from last year, as you can make out from the pictures the lemons are absolutely juicy and so very gorgeous to look at.

After distributing it among friends and family I'm still left with a lot of lemons. I wanted someone to please suggest what I can make with them....apart from lemon pickle, that is!

Banana Nut Muffins

Click to enlarge image

This muffin recipe is adapted from SaffronHut's blog. The muffins are undoubtedly delicious. The combination of bananas and walnuts is very unique. For people looking for the recipe, here it is!

Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1 egg
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Small handful of walnuts, chopped

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line muffin pan with muffin paper cups.

Mash bananas well with a masher. Chop the walnuts and reserve 1 tbsp for sprinking on top.
Add sugar and melted butter and keep aside.

Mix the dry ingredients really well, add to banana mixture Add the chopped nuts. Mix just enough to bring everything together.

Fill muffin cups about 3/4 to the top. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Bake for 20 minutes or till the muffins are golden brown.

Chicken Stow

Click to enlarge image

My Mom used to make this amazing curry, right from a sick person to a healthy one....it fits right in. And I couldn't think of anything better to eat in my flu than this. Some comfort food people :) Alright now for the recipe...


Ingredients:
2 tbs oil
1 lb chicken, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cup yogurt
2 onions
1 tsp garam masala
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
5-6 green chillies
4-5 dried red chillies
1 cup water
Cilantro sprigs while cooking and some for garnishing

Method:
Heat oil in a heavy based pan. Add all the above ingredients and cook till oil seperates from the sides.

Keep a little cilantro aside for garnish, serve hot with either naan or plain basmati rice.

Raisin Cake

Click to enlarge image

This cake recipe is perhaps the most quickest and argueably tastiest so far in my experience of baking (which is actually zilch to speak of). The ingredients are always in handy in the pantry. It was passed on to me from my aunt and she simply loves baking it every now and then. So here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:
Pam's Non stick cooking spray
1 cup all purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup raisins


Method:
Beat the eggs using a hand blender, as it turns fluffy add sugar. Slowly sift in the flour and add vanilla essence along with baking powder. Finally add the oil and blend further till smooth and lumps free. Throw in the raisins in the end and mix in well with the batter.

Preheat the oven at 300 F. Spray Pam cooking spray liberally on a 9" square pan and pour the mix and bake for 1 hour.

Insert a skewer or knife to make sure its cooked through. Cool on wire rack and serve with tea or coffee.

Tomato and Fresh Chilli Chutney

This Chutney is more like a mild salsa, or rather a dip and it will go well with any mexican food. The recipe asked to be served chilled, and combining it with alu parathas and qeema was a disaster. My sweet hubby pretended to like it but I know its another mishap in the kitchen. But I must tell you it has a pleasant taste and if you are planning on making some home made salsa, then I recommend you go for it.

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper
4 tomatoes
2 fresh green chillies
1 garlic clove crushed
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp chilli powder
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs cilantro

Method:
Half the red pepper, deseed it and remove the core

Process the pepper with the tomatoes, chillies, garlic, salt, sugar, chilli powder, tomato paste and cilantro along with 2 tbs water in a food processor until smooth. I used the mini food prep (the newest member in my kitchen)

Transfer to a sterlized jar and chill. It won't stay long in the fridge since the raw tomatoes started leaving water.

Blueberry Muffins

Recipe taken from Nabeela's Trial and Error Blog.

Ingredients:
2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temprature
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries (I used canned blueberries)

Method:
Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a 12 cup muffin tray with baking cups or alternatively spray Pam non-stick cooking spray liberally.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl and keep aside.

Whisk egg, milk and vanilla in another bowl till well blended. Add this mixture and butter to the flour mixture along with blueberries.

Mix it in well till everything is combined well, takes about a minute for the flour gets moistened quickly.

Spoon this mixture into the muffin cups and bake for about 18-20 minutes. Increase the time further by 10 min's or till a skewer comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack, grab a good book and enjoy with a cup a coffee.

Scrambled Egg Curry

Click to enlarge image

Well another recipe from my Mom...the main ingredients are onions and eggs, you'd say that's what I put in Khagina, but nay, taste this and you'll have to change your opinion.

Ingredients:
1 tsp oil
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
3-4 average onions
2 cups water
1 green chilli
1/3 cup milk
2 tbs lemon juice
handful of cilantro sprigs, chopped

Method:
In a small bowl take the milk, add some salt to taste and 1/4 tsp ginger garlic paste. Whisk the eggs and add cilantro.

Heat an omlette pan and scramble the eggs little by little. Keep aside.

In a seperate pan, heat oil and add onions, as the onions begin to brown add ginger garlic paste, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder.

Finally add water and green chillies and shut the lid..let it all cook on a medium flame. Keep checking to avoid sticking on the bottom.

As the onions start to leave oil, add the scrambled eggs and also the lemon juice. Stir well to mix in all the ingredients. Serve with plain rice.

Dahi Wade

Click to enlarge image

Ooohh the inviting iftaars never complete without this delicious accompaniment. I remember Mom making it almost every other day of Ramadan. Making this dish brings back so many memories!


Ingredients:
5-6 tbs yogurt
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
salt to taste
1/2 cup water, as needed

For the batter:
1 cup chana besan flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
a pinch of baking soda
1 green chilli, finely chopped
a handful of cilantro leaves


For tempering:
1 tsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 dried red chillies
a few curry leaves
pinch of turmeric powder for color

Method:
In a bowl take yogurt and add salt and ginger garlic paste. Add water if the yogurt is thick, set aside.

In a small bowl take a cup of water and add less than 1/2 tsp salt, keep this aside to soak the bhajiyas after they are deep fried.

In a seperate bowl prepare the batter and deep fry the bhajiyas, till golden brown, toss them into the salty water and let them soak for a few minutes.

Transfer the bhajiyas into the yogurt mixture, set it aside.

Heat oil and add the temepering ingredients. Add turmeric powder a while before removing it from the stove. Turmeric is added to give the lovely yellow color to the tempering.

Splash it onto dahi wadas and refrigerate it, serve chilled by itself or a variety of sauces of your choice.

Vadas

Click to enlarge image

This is the first time I was trying to make vadas using GITS vada mix. Follow the instructions on the packet carefully.

Although I must warn you that the water measurements are not accurate. So make sure the batter is even otherwise you will have to struggle to get the doughnut shape out of it ;p

Serve hot with Mint and Cilantro Chutney/Hot and sweet Tomato Chilli sauce.

Mint and Cilantro Chutney

Click to enlarge image

This refreshing chutney is perfect for serving with south indian dishes or even samosas. The sweet blend of tamarind and sugar gives a whole new taste to it. Another addition in the chutney is that of yogurt, which the recipe says is optional, but I strongly suggest you add it coz it brings out the taste in it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup mint leaves
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 green chilli
1tbs tamarind puree
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbs thick plain yogurt(optional)


Method:
Wash the mint and cilantro leaves. Blend all the ingredients together in a food processor, or chop everything finely. Taste the chutney and add more salt if necessary. Finally stir in the yogurt for a milder creamier taste.

French-Fried Bhajiyas

Ramadan Mubarak to all the Bloggers!

Now that Ramadan has officially gone underway and the summer almost out the door...Iftaars are all about something hot and piping. Something hot...hmm, the first thing that pops up in your mind will be those sinister looking oily delicacies which you actually avoided eating all these days and which you can't resist no more!!

Ingredients:
2-3 potatoes
1-2 tbs chana besan flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of baking soda
few cilantro sprigs
3-4 tbs oil, for deep frying

Method:
Peel the skin of the potatoes and cut them length wise-french fried style. Keep them aside.

In a bowl, take chana besan and mix salt, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, soda and cilantro. Add water little by little, just enough to make a thick batter and hold the potatoes together.

Toss in the potatoes and coat them well in the mixture.

Spoon out the potatoes and deep fry till golden brown. Serve with chutney or sauces of your choice.

Chutney Mayonnaise

Click to enlarge image

Recipe inspired from Martha Stewart.

This spread can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks. You may need to stir a bit before using. Well, I finished up mine the same evening I made it....it was so delicious :P
It can also be used in burritos as a filling.

Ingredients:
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup mango chutney
1 teaspoon curry powder, (preferably Madras)
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
Pinch of ground pepper

Method:
In a food processor, combine mayonnaise, chutney, curry powder, and lime juice; season with salt and a pinch of ground pepper. Process until smooth.

Stir Fried Chicken

Click to enlarge image

Another one of the recipes which I resort to when I'm running on the edge. Assembling the ingredients is a cakewalk.

Ingredients
1lb boneless chicken
2 tbs oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 cup water
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Method:
Cube the chicken into bite size pieces.

Heat oil and fry onions, as they start to turn golden add ginger garlic paste and the green chillies

Throw salt, turmeric and red chilli powder.

Finally add the chicken and sprinkle a little water, shut the lid and check to see if the chicken is tender.

Add the cilantro sprigs and serve hot.

Khara Masala Chicken

Click to enlarge image

Whole spices are used in this recipe giving it a wonderful taste and rich flavor. Besides its pretty gorgeous to look at. This is a dry dish and is best served with curries and dals.


Ingredients:
3 curry leaves
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp onion seeds
1/2 tsp crushed dried red chillies
1/2 tsp white cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp salt
1 tsp shredded root ginger
3 garlic cloves, sliced
4 tbs oil
4 fresh green chillies, slit
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken, cubed
1 tbs fresh cilantro sprigs

Method:
Mix all the seeds listed above, together with the curry leaves and salt. Add the shredded ginger and garlic cloves to the spice mixture in the bowl and stir well.

Heat oil in a deep pan and add the spice mixture, slip in the green chillies and mix further.

Add the sliced onion into the pan and fry over a medium heat for a few min's, until the onions are flavored with the mixture.

Finally add tomatoes and chicken cubes and cook further for 10 min's. The chicken should be cooked through and the sauce reduced.

Stir everything together well, add cilantro and serve hot.