Rose Popsicles

Rose is favorite in any form be it flower, color or flavor. And in my opinion, the smell of rose in any dish makes it so royal. The rose flavor is so intense by itself that you won't need anything else to enhance the  dish.
 As spring has spread its warmth around, I thought of making these rose popsicles to kick start all summer coolers. Is this worth a try? No, its double or triple worth the try and you will be happy that you didn't miss making it!

INGREDIENTS :

Milk - 2 cups
Heavy Cream - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 4 tblsp
Rose Water - 2 tblsp
Rose Color - few drops

METHOD :

      Bring the milk to a boil and add the sugar. Reduce the heat and let the sugar dissolve. Now add the cream and give a stir and wait until small air bubbles start appearing on the sides of the pan. Put off the fire and remove the pan aside and let it cool for sometime. When the milk is warm enough to touch add the rose water and rose color and mix thoroughly. Transfer to Popsicle moulds and freeze them overnight or until set.

P.S :
       You can use the rose essence we get in indian grocers or the rose drink powder in middle eastern grocers instead of rose water and the color.
        Make sure this is bit on the sweeter side because otherwise the popsicles might not be as sweet as you want them when frozen.
         If you don't prefer cream then make these using just 2 cups of half and half.

Mutton Bhuna Gosht

We don't really find too many recipes in mutton. Unlike chicken, which has great versatility in taking over flavors mutton always has a strong flavor and taste to itself that its almost difficult to bring a difference in mutton recipes.Though kids are not a big fan of mutton, I cook them once in a while to feed our nostalgia because back in our country we always get fresh cuts and certain dishes taste really good when accompanied by this fiber rich meat.
Today being Sunday, I decided to make mutton for lunch and wanted to make something which won't resemble our usual curries or roasts or kabobs and ended up trying this Mughal dish. Its very well worth the try.

INGREDIENTS:

Mutton - 2 lbs (Boneless Preferred)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1+2 tblsp
Vinegar - 2 tblsp
Onions - 1 Medium
Tomatoes - 5 Nos
Turmeric Powder - 2tsp
Nutmeg Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tblsp
Bay Leaves - 1 big
Cinnamon - 2inch stick
Black Cardamom - 2 Nos
 Cloves - 4 Nos
Cumin Seeds - 2tsp
Green Chilies - 2 Nos
Thick Yogurt - 2 cups
Milk - 1 cup
Oil - 1/4 cup
Salt - To taste

METHOD:

  Clean the mutton and cut them into small cubes.To this add the vinegar,1 tblsp ginger garlic paste and salt  and mix well and let it marinate.
   In the meantime in a pan or pressure cooker add half of the oil and fry the sliced onions until golden brown. Remove the onions and discard the oil. Again bring back the pan to the stove and add a table spoon of fresh oil and fry the remaining ginger garlic paste. To this add  the fried onions and saute for a min. Then add the chopped tomatoes and all the spice powders, nutmeg, turmeric and chilly powder along with a little bit of salt and cook them until the tomatoes get wilted. Then add the mutton which is marinated and cook until the gravy thickens a bit.
   At this stage add the bay leaves, black cardamoms, cloves, cumin seeds and green chillies and the yogurt. Give them a nice stir to combine everything, add more salt close the lid and let it cook until the mutton gets well cooked but still intact, like a 3/4 ish cooked. To get to this stage you will have to lower the flame and cook for about 30 mins if its in a normal pan or about 10 mins in a pressure pan/cooker. Once done open the lid and add the milk, give them a nice stir and check for salt. Then  pour a teaspoon or two of oil and fry them until the meat is well done and the gravy is barely dry. Bhuna gosht can be served with Naan, Parotta or Jeera rice.

P.S : Both bone in or boneless meat can be used.The whole process can be made using ghee. You can use fried onions available in stores. And while adding milk, you can reduce its amount and add a tablespoon or two whole cream. Its recommended to use black cardamom and the nutmeg which are the flavor boosters.

Jeera Rice

Jeera rice is a quick alternative to any flavored rice because its easy and quick to make and you can always make it out of ingredients readily available from your pantry. It really pairs well with most side dishes either vegetarian or non vegetarian.

INGREDIENTS :

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Jeera Seeds - 2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tblsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Cloves - 4
Water - 31/2 cups
Salt - To Taste

METHOD:
Wash and soak the basmati rice in water  for about 20 mins. Later drain the water and leave the rice in a colander to dry of  the excess water.
Place a pan (to cook the rice) in the stove over medium heat and add the ghee. Once its hot enough add the cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves and fry them until the aroma comes out. Then add the jeera seeds, fry a bit and add the rice. Fry the rice for about 3 mins until it starts to give out the aroma.Now add the water along with enough salt and bring it to a boil. Once a brisk boil occurs, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook with a couple of stirs in between for about 8 mins or until the rice is cooked. Remove from fire and leave it aside for 10 mins, then fluff with a fork.
P.S : You can cook the rice in oil too.If you use oil feel free to add a teaspoon of ghee while the rice is cooking so you  get that nice  aroma and also the rice won't dry out. If you are really in a hurry you can skip the soaking part, as I have done a couple of times. The flavor and the texture always depends on the basmati brand too.