Pumpkin Spice Cranberry Scones

The change of environment into vibrant colors and the decline of temperatures with a crisp cold breeze always pairs well with the warmth from your oven and the aroma of spices filling your whole house. Even though summer always seems to leave before you can catch those last bright rays, those which fade into the cold, gray clouds all too soon, autumn also brings with it many wonderful things- enter pumpkins! 

Now don't just let these orange beauties go to waste; bring some in home for these spiced up scones, crispy and flaky with a bite into the sweet glaze, balanced by the tartness of the cranberries. Enjoy your mid mornings with these scones and your favorite tea or coffee.

INGREDIENTS:

Scones:

11/3 Cups Flour

1/4 Cup Cold Butter

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries/Craisins

1 Egg

1 Tblsp Yogurt

1 Tblsp Cold Water

1/3 Cup Sugar

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Cinnamon Powder

A Pinch Clove Powder

A Pinch Grated Nutmeg

1/6 Tsp Ginger Powder

1/4 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract (Optional)

Glaze:

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/4 Tsp Cinnamon Powder

1/2 Tblsp Melted Butter

1 Tblsp Milk

METHOD:

SCONES:

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then grease it and dust with flour.

 In a medium bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and all the spices. To this add the butter cut into small cubes and mix with a fork or pastry cutter to resemble a coarse meal.

In the other bowl, beat the egg with pumpkin puree, yogurt, cold water, and vanilla essence.

Pour this mix to the dry ingredients and mix untill well incorporated.

Finally add the cranberries and mix well. Do not knead the flour mix. Transfer to a floured surface and spread into a 8" disc.

Place this onto the prepared sheet and cut into 8 or 12 (preferable) wedges and bake for about 14 mins or until the surface turns slight brown.

Cool down for five mins before applying glaze.

GLAZE: Mix together cinnamon and powdered sugar, then add the melted butter and milk to form glaze. 

If you prefer more glaze you can double the quantity. Or serve half the pieces with glaze and leave the rest plain. It tastes equally good.

Soy Manchurian

 To think of vegetarian food without actual vegetables is quite hard. You can make something out of paneer or tofu, but what if someone doesn't like both or you want to give something different?

 Soy is like that good friend who comes in handy and surprises you. I was really really skeptical (seriously) when I thought of trying the manchurian with soy chunks. But I have no words now; I never thought this would turn out so good. Shown below is the dry version of Soy Manchurian. Try this at home and enjoy the amazing results!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Soy Chunks

1 Tblsp Corn Flour

1 Tsp Soy Sauce

11/2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

3 Tblsp Oil

1 Medium Onion 

2 Green Chillies 

4 Spring Onions 

4 Garlic Pods

2" Piece Fresh Ginger 

2 Tsp Green Chilli Sauce

2 Tblsp Tomato Ketchup

2 Tsp Soy Sauce

5 Twigs Coriander Leaves (optional)

Salt 

METHOD:

   In a pan, boil 4 cups water along with the soy chunks for about 5 mins. Drain the water and squeeze out any extra from the soy chunks and chop them into smaller (2") pieces.

To this, add cornflour, ginger garlic paste,1tsp soy sauce, 1tsp green chilli paste, and a bit of salt (if needed), then mix well. 

Heat 2 tblsp oil in a pan and fry the soy chunks until they reach a light golden color, and keep aside. Just shallow frying is fine.

Chop the onion, ginger, garlic, spring 

onion and green chillies into small pieces. 

Heat a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Keep the flame high and cook the onion for about two minutes until it starts to wilt off. Then add the white part of spring onion, garlic, ginger and green chillies one by one. Now add the soy sauce, then green chilli sauce and tomato ketchup. Check for salt and add if needed. Squeeze any extra oil from the fried soy and add to this. Give it a good stir and let cook through for two to three minutes.

Finally garnish with the green spring onion and remove from heat. Sprinkle chopped coriander on top.

A great starter or a side dish to go with any vegetarian meal.

Gka Prow Gai (Basil Chicken)

 Its end of summer and wanted I to use the last batch of basil leaves from my garden. I was looking for Thai recipes, because they make use of lots of basil in their recipes which are usually very tasty and flavorful.

  I'm really happy that I came across this recipe because it solved the purpose. I actually made it a bit dry but can be made little saucy too. So now give Gka Prow Gai a try!

INGREDIENTS:

1lb Chicken Tiny Pieces/ Mince

6  Pods Garlic Chopped

1 Small Onion Chopped

25 Chopped Basil Leaves

1 Tsp Red or Green Chilly Paste

1 Tblsp Soy Sauce

1 Tsp Brown/Palm Sugar

1 Tblsp Oyester/ Fish Sauce

3 Tblsp Cooking Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD :

 Clean and cut the chicken into very small pieces. You can even mince the chicken for this recipe.

Heat oil in a pan until really hot and fry the chopped garlic followed by onion. Add the palm sugar and chilly paste and fry well. As soon as onion turns transparent add the chicken and cook well. Add about 2 tablespoons of water if necessary.

As the chicken is cooking through, add the soy sauce and fish sauce. Adjust salt, add the basil leaves and stir together  until the dish is almost dry.

You can even switch off stove and take it out while its still saucy.

Goes really well with rice or roti. If you are planning to serve it as a starter, make it out of chicken strips.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros is a mexican breakfast dish served with eggs which translates to "rancher's eggs". Its actually  a mid morning meal in the farms.

You can make and serve them with mexican rice, beans and eggs along with salsa and avocadoes.

  Its really good and filling. It can be had for brunch or occasional dinner too. Hope you guys would enjoy this as much as we did.

INGREDIENTS :

4 Flour Tortillas

4 Eggs

2 Tblsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

1 Tsp Hot Sauce

1 Tsp Black Pepper Powder

Salt to taste

For Bean

1 15ounce Can Black Bean or

11/2 Cups Cooked Black Bean

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock or 

1 Chicken Buillion Cube

For Salsa

1 Small Onion 

2  Big Tomatoes

1 Jalapeno Pepper or 2 Green Chillies

2 Tblsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

1 Tblsp Lemon Juice

METHOD:

Prepare Bean:

Heat a cooking pan and add the rinsed and drained black bean with the chicken stock, check for salt and pepper and cook on medium low flame, break the beans a little and cook until the stock is absorbed. If using chicken buillion cube, add 1/4 cup water along with this and cook them.

Prepare Salsa:

Chop onion, tomatoes and jalapeno into small pieces. Add chopped coriander leaves to this. Mix in lemon juice and salt.

Fry Eggs:

  In a pan fry the eggs sunny-side up (bulls-eye) and season with salt and black pepper.

In a pan, heat the tortillas on both sides.

  Now arrange each tortilla on to plates. Divide the black bean equally onto the four tortillas. Spoon on salsa over the bean. Place an egg on top of this, drizzle some hot sauce and cheddar cheese on top and sprinkle chopped coriander. Now  heuvos rancheros is ready to be served.

Basundi

Anything I have heard about this sweet is alI through the jokes and stories published in Ananda Vikatan (Tamil Weekly), and in tv dramas where the protaganist goes to a restaurant and order for basundi. There are a variety of sweets available and native to our town, so that we, or I, never felt that any treats were never needed from outside my locality.

Finally, my mom made this one day, from a recipe book which had come with our mixer. Personally, I have made this once or twice and after soooo long, I've made this, and that too with a twist that was created from what was originally supposed to be rasamalai. 

The twist was to add some baked and shredded ricotta cheese. If you don't have ricotta you can add khoa or just exclude the whole thing.

 This new ingredient added an exotic touch to this rich sweet, and I thought of sharing this new recipe with my readers. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS :

3 Cups Whole Milk

3/4 Cup Sugar+2 Tblsp

3/4 Cup Heavy Cream

1/4 Cup Ricotta Cheese

Pinch of Saffron

4 Green Cardamoms (powdered)

2+1 Tblsp Chopped Pistachios

METHOD :

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 2 tablespoon sugar to the ricotta cheese and spread in a small tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 mins or until the surface starts to turn brown.

Remove from oven and let it cool.

Heat the milk in a deep pan along with sugar, 2 tablespoons powdered pistachios, powdered cardamom and a pinch of saffron. Keep stirring as needed until the milk thickens and reduces to half its quantity.

The saffron gives that yellow color and the flavor along with cardamom.

Once done, remove from stove and strain the whole thing. Once it's warm, mix in the cream and the baked shredded ricotta.

Cool completely and chill for about 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Serve with chopped nuts and a strand (or two) of saffron on top.

Avocado Almond Chutney

Some avocadoes were sitting in the refrigerator for quite some time. The week went by so fast that there wasn't enough time to even think of making use of it. However, I managed to find a recipe for it when I decided to forgo the routine chutney for dosa and try something new.

Brainstorming lead to this idea and so I gave it a try! But believe me, my kids loved it and insisted eating with both their dosa and chappathi (the next day's dinner). I used almonds, which can also be substituted with grated coconut. The color might not seem too appealing, but the taste is what matters, and in that department, this chutney did not dissappoint!

INGREDIENTS :

1Avocado

1/2 Cup Almond soaked and de skinned

1 Small Onion 

4 Green Chillies

2 Cloves Garlic

1/2 Tsp Tamarind Paste

Salt to taste

2 Tblsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

4 Tsp Oil

METHOD :

 Cut the avocado, remove the seed and scoop out the pulp. Mash it thoroughly with a fork and keep aside.

 Heat a pan over medium heat and pour two teaspoons oil to it. Once hot, add the chopped onion and green chillies and fry until light brown. Add the garlic cloves and coriander leaves along with a pinch of salt and the tamarind paste. Fry this mixture for about two minutes.

Cool this mixture and grind in a coffee grinder or a small mixer. Half way through the grinding add the soaked almonds and grind it to a coarse paste.

 Add this to the mashed avocado and mix well. Add more salt and adjust taste as required.

Heat the other 2 teaspoons of oil, add mustard, curry leaves and the dried red chillies and season the chutney.

Chicken Kurma

Chicken Kurma is another beloved speciality of my mom's. I still remember those childhood days when my mom made this kurma. This is made to accompany ghee rice or coconut cream rice. Its fragrant aroma always fills the house, and even wafts down half the street (believe me). Her key ingredient is white pepper powder, which gives that added bite of flavor. You can use black pepper powder if you don't have white and also you can grind two teaspoons of poppy seeds along with coconut to get that extra richness.

The potatoes in the gravy provide extra creaminess. You can make vegetarian kurma by adding vegetables like potatoes, carrots, cauliflower or peas.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lb Chicken

2" Inch Piece Cinnamon

2 Green Cardamoms

4 Cloves

1 Small Bay Leaf

2 Tblsp Oil

2 Onions

1 Small Tomato

4 Green Chillies

2 Tblsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

2 Tsp Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Medium Potato cut into pieces

To Grind:

1/4 Cup Grated Coconut

2 Tsp Coriander Powder

2 Tsp White Pepper Powder

1 Tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 Tsp Garam Masala Powder

Salt to taste

METHOD:

  Clean and cut the chicken into medium size pieces.

   Make a smooth paste of the items given under "to grind" along with water as needed.

Heat a deep pan on medium flame. Add oil once the pan is hot enough and fry the  whole spices cinnamon, cardamom, clove and bay leaf. Then add the finely chopped onion along with a pinch of salt (this lets the onion sweat and helps brown quicker). Once it turns light brown add the slit green chillies and ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute or two.

Then add the chopped tomato and let it wilt, about 3 minutes.

Potatoes are added now and fry for a minute.

Now add the chicken pieces along with 1/4 tsp salt give a nice stir and let it turn color.

Now its time to add the ground coconut spice paste. Stir everything together and add 1/4 cup or little less water (depends how liquidy the ground paste is) and bring it to a boil. Now reduce flame and cook with a closed lid for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Take care and stir in between because the coconut paste tend to stick to the bottom and might burn.

Once the chicken gets cooked add more water if needed, check for salt and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. This kurma is an excellent combination for coconut cream rice though it can be served with chappathi or roti.

Spinach Channa Curry

I was looking for a way to cook spinach but doesn't want to get into an elaborate cooking procedure. Also it should be protein rich.Bumped into this recipe when surfing (I meant the net), and thought of giving it a try.

It's good and great with any bread and so fulfilling. An easy one if you have canned vegetables and chopped frozen baby spinach. But no worries you can plan ahead and soak and cook the chickpeas and get fresh baby spinach too. Either way it tastes so good. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 Medium Onion Chopped 

4 Garlic Pods Chopped 

2 inch Ginger Chopped

2 Tomatoes (1-12 ounce canned diced tomatoes)

3 Cups Cooked Channa (2-15ounce canned Chick peas)

3 Cups Chopped Spinach (12 ounce baby spinach bag)

2 Tblsp Chopped Coriander Leaves

2 Tsp Coriander Powder 

1 Tsp Red Chilly Powder

2 Tsp Cumin Powder 

2 Tblsp Oil

Salt to taste 

METHOD:

Heat a deep pan over medium heat. Pour the oil into the pan and let it get hot.

Add the chopped onions and fry until they become transparent.

Then add the chopped ginger and garlic and fry for a minute. Once the raw smell is gine add the coriander powder, chilly powder and cumin powder along with s little salt and fry for about two mins. 

Now add the tomatoes and then the chick peas.Give it a nice stir along with some salt and close the lid, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 mins.Note that the peas are already cooked.Add a little water if needed.

Then add coarsely chooped spinach and close the lid and let it cook for another 10 mins or so.

Finally add the chopped coriander leaves,check for salt and switch off the stove.

Its ine curry to be served with rice, chappathi, naan or any bread.

Carrot Halwa

Diwali is a festival of lights celebrated in India. Though it has religious importance for hindus this festival is celebrated as a time to light up your fire works by most Indians. Next to fire works Diwali is associated with too many varieties of sweets.

To wish all my friends this happy occasion I thought of blogging this recipe, a favorite and speciality of my sister. There are two versions, one is a rich variety made with milk khoa and a lighter one with just milk. Here I'm sharing the quick and lighter one. 

INGREDIENTS:

1lb Fresh Carrots

3 Cups Milk

11/4 Cups Sugar

4 Tblsp Ghee/Clarrified Butter

4 Green Cardamom Pods

A Pinch Saffron (optional)

1 Tblsp Almond Slivers (or cashews)

2 Tblsp Raisins

A pinch salt

METHOD:

   Clean, peel and grate the carrots. 

Soak the saffron threads in a tablespoon of milk and keep aside.

In a deep pan add a tablespoon of ghee and fry the almonds and raisins and keep aside. In the same pan add the grated carrots and fry them for few mins.Add the milk to this, bring it to a boil.Reduce the heat and let it cook until almost 3/4 of the milk gets absorbed. Stir often and take care it doesn't get burned.

Now add the sugar with a pinch of salt and mix well. The sugar dissolves and makes the mix looks watery but eventually it will thicken so stop worrying now 😀😀.

Increase the heat and a tablespoon of ghee now and keep stirring until the mixture begin to leave the sides of the pan. At this stage add the saffron soaked in milk, powdered cardamom and the fried nuts. Then add the remaining ghee,switch off the stive and transfer it to a serving bowl.

This halwa tastes best when aerved warm with vanilla ice cream.

Can be cooled and stored in refrigerator for about ten days.

Avocado Yogurt Drink

If you love yogurt you will love this recipe. I have already posted my Avocado rose drink. Have tried Avocado smoothie too, but haven't taken a picture and so couldn't post the recipe here. This yogurt drink is similar to dhoog(middle eastern yogurt drink) in consistency but you can make it lighter by adding more water to it.

This is very refreshing and you can make it with fat free yogurt too.

   Give it a try and sure you would love this drink.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Yogurt

1 Avocado 

7 Sprigs Coriander Leaves

2" Piece Ginger

1 Green Chilly 

1/2 Tsp Jeera Seeds 

1 Tsp Salt

5 Cups Water

METHOD:

  Cut avacado into small chunks.Remove skin from ginger and the thick stem from coriander leaves.

  In a blender grind together green chilly, ginger, avocado, coriander leaves and jeera seeds along with salt. 

Then add the yogurt and beat well. Finally add water and pulse together.

Check for salt and serve in tall glasses over ice cubes.

Sambal Oelek Chicken Fry

 Chicken sambal oelek fry is a quick chicken fry made with fewer ingredients. I was browsing through and came across this recipe by Lakshmi Nair of Asianet. But I modified the recipe a bit according to our taste.

The ingredients reminded me of the Thai red Chilly paste I make at home and hence the name. The dried red chillies are really hot and the acidity in vinegar helps cut off the heat. It also helps soften the chicken meat because we don't marinate the chicken in this recipe.

Kashmiri chillies give the vibrant red color to the fry. If Kashmiri chilly is not available you can substitute 1 teaspoon of paprika while grinding the paste or just use dried red chilly. The paste doesn't have to be smooth, actually the coarser one is the better.

Corn flour helps hold the spice  paste to the chicken when dropped in oil.

This paste can be pre-made and refrigerated for about a week and frozen for atleast three months.

 Do try this recipe if you love fries and if you are a chicken fanatic.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Chicken medium pieces

15 Dry Red Chillies 

5 Kashmiri Red Chillies 

10 Nos Pearl Onions 

10 Nos Garlic Pods

2 Tblsp Vinegar 

2 Tsp Salt

1 Tblsp Corn Flour

1/2 Cup Boiling water 

1/2 Cup Coconut/ Frying Oil

METHOD:

    Clean and cut the chicken into medium pieces, wash and drain any excess water.

In a bowl soak the chillies in hot water for about 5 mins and drain.

In a food processor grind the red chillies along with shallots and garlic pods in vinegar into a paste. It doesn't really have to be a smooth paste. 

Add salt mix well and check for taste and add more salt if necessary.To this paste add the corn flour and rub this mix evenly into the chicken pieces.

Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry the chicken pieces until dark red and crispy.

Chicken sambal oelek fry is ready and served as a starter or side dish.

Green Chilly Chicken Curry

It was a cloudy autumn day. It sounded so hard to get up and hit the kitchen let only to do a elaborate cooking.But the weather demanded something spicy and sophisticated. Browsing and brainstorming finally made me realize that something has to be made which would go with chappathi or plain rice without any further accompaniment. This recipe sounded easy and quick. So I decided to go for it.

  Actually the recipe asks for marination but to hasten the process, just add a tablespoon of vinegar to the marinade and instead of green chillies you can add jalapeños but lesser in quantity.

This dish can be both made dry or as a curry with gravy.

Green chilly curry chicken is definitely worth trying and a recipe to be saved.

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs Chicken Pieces 

4 Medium Onions

10 Green Chillies/ 5 Jalapeños 

1 Cup/1/2 Bunch Chopped      Cilantro/Coriander Leaves

1/2 Cup/5 Twigs Curry Leaves

3 Tblsp Black Pepper Corns

11/2 Tblsp Jeera Seeds

11/2 Tblsp Ginger Garlic Paste

4 Tblsp Oil

Salt to taste

METHOD:

   Cut the chicken into small to medium sized pieces,clean and drain the water and keep aside.

 Grind together ginger garlic paste,curry leaves,coriander leaves and the spices along with 1 tsp oil and 11/2 tsp salt.

Rub this paste onto the chicken pieces and marinate for atleast an hour.

Cut the onion and grind it to a coarse paste.

Heat a deep pan over medium heat and add three tablespoons of oil. Pour the onion paste along with a pinch of salt and cook covered for about 5 to 7 minutes and then uncovered until it changes color to slight brown. Once done add the marinated chicken pieces to the browned onion and give a nice stir. Then along with a little water cook covered until the chicken is cooked through. Take care to open the lid and stir or add water in between making sure it doesn't get burnt.

Once the chicken gets cooked,remove the lid,check for salt and add more if needed, raise the heat and pour the remaining oil and fry well.If you prefer gravy you can skip the last step add a little water to desired consistency.

The green chilly chicken curry is ready.

Veggie Kabobs

  The veggy kabobs are very moist, light and easy to make.I came up with this recipe accidentally but turned out really good. The texture is that of chicken and most of them won't figure it out that its not chicken.For vegetarians it is going to be a treat.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Soya Granules

1 Medium Onion 

2 Green Chillies

2 Tablespoons Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Reshmi Kabob Masala

2 Slices Plain Bread

1/2 Cup Chopped Coriander Leaves 

1/2 Cup Cooking Oil

11/2 Teaspoons Salt

METHOD:

  Bring 4 Cups water to a brisk boil in a sauce pan with half teaspoon salt. Add the soy granules once the water starts to boil and let it cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, you can also follow the instructions on the package. Switch off the stove and drain the granules and keep aside.

 Chop the onion into 4 pieces. In a food processor (or the small cup in your mixie)

add the soy granules, green chillies, onion, coriander leaves, bread slices, lemon juice, kabob masala and blend together.

Remove from processor add salt and mix well. Apply little oil in your hands and make small round patties.

Heat about 1/4 cup oil in a pan and shallow fry the patties until lightly browned about 3 minutes on each side.

Chicken Cori Kabob

If you're thinking of making something quick and easy for Iftar, try this Chicken cori(ander) kabob. I named it so because coriander leaves are the main ingredient which gives the color and adds flavor to the kabob. We happened to have a similar kabob long back in a restaurant. I tried making my own version of the kabob a few times, every time adding or avoiding an ingredient from the list. Finally I think I got the right combination. Its simple, easy, quick to make and tastes great. If you do not have an oven, no worries, just make patties and shallow fry them over the stove with very little oil.

INGREDIENTS:

1lb Chicken Breast pieces 

1 Cup Chopped Coriander Leaves

2 Tablespoons Ginger Garlic Paste

4 Green Chillies 

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Slices Plain Bread

1 Egg

2 Teaspoons Olive/Canola/ Vegetable Oil

METHOD:

    Clean the chicken pieces, coriander leaves and green chillies.

    Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare a cookie tray by lining with aluminum foil and apply oil on the foil just to make sure the kabobs don't  stick to the foil.

    Place the chicken pieces in a food processor and pulse it few times to mince it. Then add all the other ingredients together and run the processor just to breakdown all the ingredients and form a lump.

Remove it to a plate and check for salt, and add more if needed.

To this, add the olive oil, mix and keep aside.

Get the skewers ready by cleaning and applying oil to it.

Now roll the chicken along the skewers like a tube.

Place the skewers on the prepared trays and bake for about 20 mins, turning once in between.

When timer is done check by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, remove from oven and let it cool down a bit. 

Using a fork, push the kabobs out of the skewers onto a plate, slice and serve.

Quick Roti

Some nights are crazy, you haven't planned ahead about your dinner or you probably are running out of your groceries. It's necessary to bring something to the table quick and satisfying.This roti might save you on such a day. So simple and easy to make and yes, no compromise on taste.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

    Plus extra for dusting

4 Tablespoons Yogurt

4 Teaspoons+ 2 Tablespoons  Clarified              Butter*/ Ghee

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Sugar

1/4 Cup Warm Water

METHOD:

  In a mixing bowl, measure all the dry ingredients and mix them through. Then add 4 teaspoons clarified butter and knead through the flour. It becomes crumbly. Then add the yougurt and knead completely to make a smooth ball. If you need more moisture, add the warm water as needed. Make the dough into a ball and you can use it immediately or cover it with a wet cloth until ready yo use.

 Make small balls(around 12), out of this dough. Take each ball and roll it into small discs(about 3 inch radius), using the extra flour for dusting.

 Heat a flat pan at medium high, spread a drop or two of the clarified butter and put the roti on the pan and cook for about two minutes on each sides or until golden spots appear on surfaces.

 Serve with your favorite side, vegetable curries, chicken or meat.

I made it along with egg malai/egg butter masala.

Egg Butter Masala

  Egg curries are never my forte. Whenever I make curry, people say it's not upto my standards of cooking. But I have to try it sometimes to bring in something to the table. I came across this recipe recently and thought I would make this to pair with the quick roti. Viola finally I made a really tasty egg curry. Made the recipe in my style. So here goes Egg Malai.

INGREDIENTS:

5 Hard Boiled Eggs

2 Medium Sized Onions 

2 Small Tomatoes

1 Green Chilly Chopped

1 Teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste

1 Teaspoon Red Chilly Powder 

1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin Powder

1/2 Cup Cream

2 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander Leaves

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1/4 Cup warm water.

METHOD:

 Hard boil the eggs, de-shell them, cut into halves and keep aside.

Heat a pan over medium high heat.Pour oil and then add the finely chopped onion until transparent.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry until raw smell is gone. Then add the chopped tomatoes along with a pinch of salt and fry until the tomatoes get wilted and cooked through. Switch off the stove and let it cool down a bit. Transfer the contents to the food processor and blend them well.

Bring back the ground mix to the same pan over medium heat. Add the chopped chilly and then the dry spice powders along with little salt. Fry well, add 1/2 cup warm water along with the eggs and close with a lid and let it simmer for about 5 mins.

Remove the lid, give it a stir. Now add the cream and let it heat through. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve along side your favorite bread/roti or rice.

Sweet Thenkuzhal

  Thenkuzhal to people in most parts of tamilnadu would be those crispy entwined ball like snack, otherwise in simple words Murukku (of course one other form of it). But for the people of southern TN its that ladder shaped sweet which is more like honey comb that oozes out sweet syrup when you bite into it. Most festive seasons are incomplete without this sweet from street side vendors making it fresh and hot. I still remember my granddad bringing it from town in palm leaf baskets which adds that extra flavor to the sweet.
  I remember my grand mom and mom making this at home as a kid but mostly we can get it so fresh from the markets so why bother yourself with all those labor. Few months back out of the blue the kids had been talking too much about this sweet so I had been searching for the recipe. Luckily I found it and gave it a try. The end result was almost the same except the shape. You can figure out the difference from the pictures.

Here's how the store-bought thenkuzhal looks.  

INGREDIENTS :

Raw Rice  : 11/4 Cup
Urad Dal   : 1/4 Cup
Salt            : Pinch
Sugar         : 11/2 Cup
Water         : 1/2 Cup
Oil             : For frying

And here's my homemade version.

METHOD :

              Soak the rice and urad dal for about four hours and grind them to a smooth thick batter. Add a pinch of salt and mix well and leave it for about 8 to 12 hours.
            When ready to fry the thenkuzhal, make the sugar syrup. Dissolve the sugar in water and heat on medium flame. The syrup is ready when it gets to one string consistency. (When the syrup starts to thicken just rub a drop of the syrup between two fingers and pull them apart, you will see a string between the two fingers) .
            Heat oil in a pan at medium high temperature. The oil should be hot to squeeze the batter. Either fill the batter, (which is a bit thicker than pancake batter) in a funnel cake mold or if you feel more comfortable, do it using a ziplock or icing bag and squeeze in to the shape of a ladder or any shape you may be more comfortable with. Let it cook for 2 mins on both sides or until light golden and crisp.
  Once done remove from oil, dip it into sugar syrup for about 2 mins and remove to a serving plate. Thenkuzhal mittai is ready. For those out there with a sweet tooth this one would delight you.
         

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes with Raspberry Filling

We have a budding baker at home; by which I mean really just a 7 year old who loves cupcakes, both baking and eating them (especially the latter). Sometimes, all of a sudden, she'd come and tell me that she feels like baking. She would give me the idea and a list of the ingredients that go in. All I have to do is get everything and measure them- in short, be the sous chef.

   So as the story goes, we made this awesome chocolate coffee cupcake filled with raspberry filling. Interestingly, as we didn't have eggs that day, it turned out to be an eggless and vegan cake

with no compromise on taste. To top it off we made a Raspberry Cream Cheese Rose icing. This is a very easy and mess free cake and can be had with or without the frosting. The coffee can be fresh brewed or instant and also can be made strong-to-mild to fit your taste. If you don't like coffee, substitute with just warm water. Also, vanilla essence can be used in place of cinnamon and rose water.
Because the pictures were taken late into the night, lighting was not that good.

Again the color of the cake would be a little bit more black because of both coffee and chocolate, but it doesn't affect the taste.

INGREDIENTS :

For The Cake :
Flour                   : 11/4 Cup
Sugar                 : 1 Cup
Cocoa Powder   : 1/3 Cup
Baking Soda      : 1 Tsp
Salt                    : 1/2 Tsp
Warm Coffee     : 1 Cup
Cinnamon          :1/2 Tsp
Vegetable Oil     :1/3 Cup
Vinegar               : 1Tsp

For The Filling :

Raspberry Jam    : 1/4 Cup

For The Icing :
Cold Cream Cheese       : 8oz
Butter                             : 3/4 Cup (At room temperature)
Raspberry Jam/Preserve : 1/2 Cup
Rose Water                     : 1 Tsp
Salt                                 :  A Pinch
Red Food Color              : 2 Drops
Powdered Sugar              : 2 Cups

METHOD :

Icing First:
             
       Beat the cream cheese, butter and raspberry jam together until smooth using an electric mixer at medium speed. One by one add salt, rose water and the food color until an even pink color is reached.
   Now reduce the speed to low and add little by little the powdered sugar. Once all the sugar is added raise the speed until the frosting turns really smooth.
  Keep this frosting refrigerated until the cupcakes are cooled and ready for frosting.

Cupcakes:

     Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 12 cup cupcake pan and keep it ready. In a mixing bowl mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, cinnamon and baking soda with a whisk. Then add the warm coffee, oil and vinegar. Mix them until everything gets well blended.
   You can do this using an electric mixer or a stand mixer but just mixing with a hand-held whisk does the job too for this recipe.
  Pour them into the prepared cupcake pan bake for about 13 to 15 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven. 

Using the back of a spoon, create a hole in the center, making sure it doesn't go all the way down. Fill them with the raspberry jam. Once done, let it cool down completely before frosting.

Goan Fish Curry

You should always have a new recipe to try with an ingredient every once in a while such as chicken or fish, to keep yourself from getting bored by using the the same recipe over and over again.The addition of a new flavor to an old recipe is a small and simple change, but can create big, bold, and different tastes! I thought of making a new fish dish when I was not at all in a mood for the usual fish recipe. I eventually thought of making this
Goan Fish Curry, which used to be an once in a while try, but soon became a forgotten dish. So I googled and found out this recipe, which isn't very similar to the one I am used to cooking, but still I thought of giving it a try. I did make a few small tweaks to fit our palette. This recipe is a keeper for sure and I think that this would go really good with any rice, chappathi, or even naan. So without any further thought, just go for it! Try something new.

INGREDIENTS :

King Fish      - 1 lb
Onion            - 2 med
Tomato          - 2 med
Green Chilly    - 2 Nos

Garam Masala - 1/4 Tsp

Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 Tblsp 

Red Chilly Powder  - 2 +1 Tsp
Coriander Powder   -2 Tsp
Turmeric Powder     - 1/2 Tsp

Jeera Powder          - 1 Tsp

Fennel Powder         - 1 Tsp

Lime Juice               - 11/2 Tblsp
Coconut Milk           - 1 Cup
Coriander Leaves    - Few Sprigs

Dry Red Chillies       - 2 Nos

Curry Leaves           - 1 Sprig

Oil                            - 1/4 Cup or less

Water                       - As needed

Salt                          - 2 Tsp or more

METHOD :

        Clean and cut the fish into small pieces. 

Clean and chop the onions, tomatoes, green chillies, coriander leaves and clean the curry leaves.

Mix together 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilly powder and 1 teaspoon salt and marinate the fish pieces in this mix and keep aside.

Dry fry in a flat pan 2 teaspoons of chilly powder, 2 teaspoons coriander powder, 1 teaspoon jeera powder and 1 teaspoon fennel powder until raw smell is gone(You can use whole spices instead of powder too).

In a mixer, mix together this spice mix along with garam masala, lemon juice and ginger garlic paste.

In a pan over medium heat add two tablespoons of oil and fry the chopped onions. Once they become translucent  add the chopped green chillies.

 Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry well, cover the pan and cook until oil separates.

(The above vegetables should cook well and become slightly mushy. If not so, just process them in a blender or a processor to a coarse paste and bring back to the pan).

To this add the prepared spice mix along with a pinch of salt and fry well.

Add the coconut milk, mix well and add a cup of water, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a pan over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons or more of oil and shallow fry the fish pieces.

Now add the fried fish pieces to the simmering gravy and cook for another 5 minutes.

Finally taste check for the salt and add more if required. Also adjust the gravy consistency with water. The gravy should be not so thick or watery but kind of thick and pourable. Cover the pan and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes or until oil seperates. 

Season the mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chillies in oil and pour over the fish curry and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Sarkarai Pongal

      Pongal is a traditional dish made of the tamils. It can be made either sweet or savoury. The sweet edition is the SarkaraiPongal  and savoury is the Ven Pongal. This recipe is the sweet one. Pongal can be completely cooked in milk or you can use both water and milk. The secret to the taste is the richness and the silky texture. Sarkarai Pongal is made during many auspicious occasions by the tamils.

 INGREDIENTS :

 Raw rice    - 1cup

 Moong Dal -1/4 cup

 Palm Sugar -cup

 Milk             -1cup

 Water          -4 cups

 Cashews     - 1Tblsp

 Raisins         - 1Tblsp

 Coconut       -1Tblsp

 Nutmeg         -1/4 Tsp

 Cardamom    - 2

 Ghee              - 4 Tblsp 

METHOD :

    Dry roast the moong dal in a pan until it starts to give out the flavor and keep aside. In a pan or preferrably pressure cooker heat a tablespoon of ghee and fry the cashew pieces, raisins and coconut seperately and keep aside. Heat the milk and water with a pinch of salt in the same pan while you clean the rice and and moong dal.Add the cleaned rice and dal

to the water. Bring it to a brisk boil and close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook on medium high heat for five whistles. When you open the pan you should see a mushy mixture which is kind of watery. If not cooked enough you want to cook them a little more.

  Meantime take the grated palm sugar along with a tablespoon of water and melt it. Once the rice is cooked and the pressure subsides, open the lid and pour the strained sugar syrup to the cooked rice and dal mix and give it a nice stir and cook for about few mins until they come together, make sure the water evaporates but the mix doesn't get dried out. Add a tablespoon or two of ghee, mix well and now add the roasted cashews, raisins and coconut pieces and stir them along with a table spoon of ghee. Finally sprinkle the nutmeg powder and split cardamom. And pour a tablespoon of ghee over this. The yummy, gooey, ghee-laden pongal is ready.

   A versatile dish can be served as breakfast,an evening snack or dessert.

 Few things which might help you are you can always use dark brown sugar if you don't have palm sugar. You can also use coconut cream instead of milk. I prefer to add half cup of coconut cream to water instead of milk and finally add half cup thick coconut cream aftet adding the sugar syrup. This gives a rich taste to your pongal.

Naan Khatai

 Naankhatai is one of my all time favorites, and I hope this will become the case for many of you too. A cross between cake and cookie, eating this is an experience within itself. Crunchy on the outside, soft and crumbly inside, mild sweet with a bite into a granule of salt... Oh no. You'll have to actually eat it to talk about it. As a kid I was amazed (I'm not sure why), to find that it can be made at home too. I tried this recipe after a long time and it came out really good. I would suggest that you add cashews to bring an extra flavor and crunchiness. Do try this at home. You will be so happy you did if you have that yearning for cookies or a nonstalgia for childhood biscuits.

INGREDIENTS :

Flour/ Maida            - 1 Cup

Powdered Sugar     - 1/2 Cup

Ghee                       - 2/3 Cup

Baking Soda            -1/4 Tsp

Cardamom Powder  - 1/4 Tsp

Nutmeg Powder       - 1/4 Tsp

Salt                           - 1/4 Tsp

Chopped Cashews/

 Pistachios(Optional)   - 1 Tblsp

METHOD :

 Pre- heat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

    Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to this the cardamom powder and nutmeg powder.

 In a seperate bowl beat together ghee and powdered sugar. Make sure the ghee is in room temperature. When it turns smooth and fluffy, add the dry ingredients little by little and mix together.

 The dough should be soft enough to roll into small balls and should not crack. If not soft, add a teaspoon or two of milk.

  Make small balls, pat lightly on top and arrange them in a cookie sheet. Then bake them for about 16 mins. Remove them from the oven and let to cool completely.

 The baking time may vary depending on the oven. So be sure to check after 12mins and wait to get the nice aroma. When you touch with the finger it should be soft because the biscuits tend to cook on resting. The base should not get burned, and should still look white. 

 The outer side should be little hard for a bite and soft and crumbly inside.

 If you prefer, feel free to add a tablespoon of finely chopped cashews or pistachios to the dry ingredients.

 Enjoy your Naankhatai with a cup of hot tea or coffee or just munch on them anytime you like.

  

Carrot Almond Halwa

Halwa is this thick, condensed sweet popular among Asians. Carrot halwa is one among them and popular in the region of Punjab both in India and Pakistan. There are different versions among different regions within the country itself. The North Indian version is really thick and creamy while in South India its a light and sweet dish. 

 I usually make the southern version( recipe someother time), but thought of making northern version this time. Because I didn't have any Khoa, and because I had a cup of soaked almonds thought to try a new version and it worked.

This tasted so heavenly when served hot over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Give it a try and you will be happy you did, especially if you have a sweet- tooth.

INGREDIENTS:

3 Cups Grated Carrots(Approx.6 medium sized ones)

2 Cups Whole Milk

11/2 Cups Sugar

1/2 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk 

30  Almonds 

4 Tablespoons Ghee(Clarified Butter)

4 Cardamoms 

10 Almonds For Garnish

Vanilla Ice Cream (Optional)

METHOD:

  Soak the almonds in hot water for about 30 mins, remove skin and grind into a coarse paste. You can make this ahead and store in fridge for 3 days or freeze until two weeks.

    Clean the carrots, peel the skin and grate them.

   Place a wide bottomed pan over medium low heat and pour the milk along with the grated carrot and cook until the carrots are cooked through along with the milk. Add a pinch of salt. Keep stirring inbetween and take care that the milk doesn't burn at the bottom. This takes about 20 minutes. You can leave it in the stove and do other chores keeping an eye on it.

Once the carrots are cooked add the sugar and keep stirring while the sugar melts and start to thicken.

Now add the condensed milk and the almond paste. At this stage it will be little watery. Let it cook and get thickened. Add two tablespoons of ghee at this point. Now you will see it bubbling up and bursting air bubbles. Reduce heat and let it thicken and leave the sides of the pan. Now add the remaining ghee and bring everything together and season with the cardamom powder. Remove from fire and transfer to a serving bowl.

Tastes  good when served hot with vanilla ice cream and crushed almonds (toasted almonds is fine too) on top.

Chinese Bhel

Chinese Bhel is a favorite appetizer for us. We never miss this whenever we go to an Indo-Chinese  restaurant. It's very quick and easy to make at home also. Just make sure you buy the crispy wonton strips that are mixed in with the bhel.

 Here I have given three methods where you can use the wonton strips. Choose whichever is easy for you. It can be served as a starter in parties; can be served instead of salads or as an evening snack for your kids to make them eat their veggies. Go for it, I promise you, you won't regret because it's so light and refreshing. 

INGREDIENTS:

Serves : 4

1/4 portion of a small red cabbage

2 Carrots

2 Lettuce Leaves

2 Spring Onions

1 Celery Stick With Leaves

2 Cups Chinese Wonton Strips (Recipe follows)

Sauce:

4 Tablespoons Soysauce

2 Tablespoons Ketchup

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

METHOD:

 Mix all the ingredients for sauce.Place a pan over low flame and heat until sugar dissolves and everything is mixed through. Keep aside.

   Clean and cut all the vegetables into thin strips.

  

 In a mixing bowl place all the vegetables along with the wonton strips. Pour the prepared sauce and mix them thoroughly. Check for salt now and add if you prefer. Plate and serve. 

This serves well as a starter or can be served instead of salad. 

Wonton Strips:

1 Cup All Purpose Flour 

1/6 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Cup Oil

1/4 Cup Water 

    In a mixing bowl, mix together flour and salt along with a teaspoon of oil. Now add water little by little to make a firm ball and knead well.

Roll them into thin discs and cut them them into thin strips.

Heat oil in a deep pan and keep the flame at medium. When the oil is hot enough throw the strips into the oil and fry until light golden about 4 minutes stirring them inbetween. Drain them in a paper towel layered bowl and let it cool.

OR

5 Sheets Frozen Egg Roll

1/4 Cup Oil

   Unfold the frozen egg roll sheets and cut them into thin strips. Heat oil in a pan and fry them until light golden. Drain off the excess oil and let it cool.

You can also bake them to crisp at 350 degree farenheit for about 8 mins. Time varies depending on your oven.

OR

Buy any chinese wonton strip packs from your grocery isle. The job is pretty quick.

Breakfast Messy Eggs

Breakfast is always a challenge, whether it be on a busy weekday or a lazy weekend. You might want to eat something good and filling but you'll want it to be easy to prepare also. I used to make a similar omelette and wanted to share it in the blog, but then I came across this recipe which is much easier to make and so I'm sharing this one first. I made a few changes to the original recipe I read. 

 You can clean and chop the vegatables, then freeze them ahead for a much quicker job on a weekday. Everyone loved this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Serving Size : 4

Eggs        - 8

Spring Onion - 3 Nos

Celery      - 1 Big

Bell Pepper - 1/2 Small

Jalapeños - 1 No

Plum Tomatoes - 10 Nos

Olive Oil    - 2 Tblsp 

Salt           - 1/2 Tsp

Pepper Powder - 1/2 Tsp

Parmesan Cheese - 4 Tblsp (Grated)

Mayonnaise           - 2 Tblsp 

Tomato Ketchup    - 2 Tblsp 

METHOD :

 Clean and chop the vegetables into small chunks. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño, if you can't stand so much heat in your dish.

Break the eggs into a small bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder and beat well.

Heat a nine inch round and atleast three inch deep pan over medium heat. Add a tablespoon and a half of olive oil and saute the chopped bell peppers. Then add the spring onions, jalapeño and celery along with a pinch or two of salt for about two minutes. The veggies should be cooked but still crisp.

Now add the cheese, then mayo and ketchup and mix well. Transfer this to a plate.

In the same pan, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil then reduce heat to medium low and pour the beaten eggs. 

Cook and stir gently until the eggs are soft. Now add the vegetables back to the pan with the egg and scramble and cook until the eggs are firm.

Breakfast messy eggs is ready to be served.

Have it for breakfast with a toast and a cup of juice or just the dish itself with a hot cup of tea or coffee and a smoothie for kids.