Daily Archives: November 14, 2013

Orange cheese cake

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes + over night in the refrigerator to set

Serving : 8 members

Description

Don’t remember from where I took note of this recipe . Tried it out and the gelatin I used was not enough to set the Cheese cake right so next time I used more and it was yummylishous . I first got to hear and know about cheese cakes when my kids were 2-4 years old from my sister fazeem . She had just returned from a long holiday in U . S. A . Cheese cake was one among the main stories that she shared about her trip ( as I mentioned before its her who inspired me in trying a hand in desserts ) the way she explains and talks about the desserts you sure will be tempted to eat and know more about it . But cheese cake , I was like we use cheese only for savoury dishes ….. Desserts with cheese . My mind set took a long time to take away the savoury tought of cheese . Give it a try and go cheeeeeeeeese .

Ingredients for crust

Ingredients	Quantity
Marie biscuit	1 packet crushed
melted butter	2 - 4 tablespoons
sugar	2 tablespoons powdered

Ingredients for cheese cake

Ingredients	Quantity
Egg yolk	2
milkmaid	1 tin
gelatin	3 tablespoons
water	1/4 cup
cream cheese or cheese spread	150 grams
orange juice	2 oranges
fresh cream	2 cups
egg whites	2 beaten to stiff
rind of one orange

Method

Mix crushed biscuit , melted butter and powdered sugar together .
Press down into a greased spring tin or pudding tray to cover the base . Refrigerate in freezer for 10 minutes .soak gelatine in water .
Mix egg yolks with milkmaid and cook over medium heat in a double boiler .
When the yolk mixture gets warm add the soaked gelatine and keep stirring till gelatine dissolves . Do not let the mixture boil .
Remove from heat keep stirring and cool down . Mix cream cheese , orange juice , orange rind and fresh cream together .
Add this mixture to the yolk mixture . Beat the egg whites to stiff . Fold the egg whites into the orange cheese mixture . Pour this mixture over the biscuit base .
Chill for 2 hours in the freezer to set and place in the refrigerator over night . Serve garnished with whipped cream and orange segments.

Chilli Beef

Preparation Time : 10 minutes + 2 hours for marination

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

I got this recipe from my husbands cousin sister Babitha . We need very few ingredients to prepare this dish . It’s yummy and easy to make . You can substitute mutton incase you don’t like beef .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Beef	1/2 kg ( boneless cut into small cubes )
ginger garlic paste	1 tea spoon each
chilli powder	2 tea spoons
salt	to taste
vinegar	1 1/2 table spoon
fennel powder	1 teaspoon
coconut oil	4 table spoon
curry leaves	1 strand

Method

Marinate beef in ginger garlic paste , chilli powder , fennel powder , vinegar and salt to taste for 2 hours . Pressure cook the marinated beef ( about 3 whistles )till cooked .
Do not add water to the beef while cooking , as water will ooze out from the meat . Reduce the water in the cooked beef to a gravy consistency .
Heat coconut oil in a non – stick kadai . Add the curry leaves , once they splutter pour the beef gravy in .
Then roast the beef till all of gravy is reduced and gets to a nice tender crispy roast in very low heat . only then , you get a tender textured beef with a crisp cover . Serve hot .

Vada Kari

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 12 to 15 members

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

A good side dish to have with idli and dosa than the usual sambar and chuntnys . I first got to taste this dish in a hotel in trichy , Tamil Nadu . Got the recipe from my sister – in – law vaseela . I bet you will have a extra idli or dosa with vada Kari .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Bengal gram vada	6 to 8
onion	3 sliced
ginger	1/2 inch piece crushed
garlic	3 flakes crushed
red chilli powder	1 tea spoon
green chillies	2 chopped
fennel powder	1/2 tea spoon
garam masala powder	1/4 tea spoon
roasted Bengal gram dal	1 tea spoon powdered
tomato	3 big ( blanched , peeled and ground )
oil	3 table spoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 tea spoon
salt	to taste
sugar	1/4 tea spoon
coriander leaves	few chopped to garnish

Method

Heat oil , fry the onions , ginger and garlic to brown .
Top with chilli powder , green chillies , fennel powder , garam masala powder , Bengal gram powder . Fry till oil separates .
Mix in the ground tomatoes and fry till oil floats on top . Pour 3 cups of water adding salt and sugar . Boil till raw smell has gone .
Then add the Bengal gram vadas half whole and half crushed . Boil for a few minutes .
If the gravy is to thick add water to get a thick following consistency . Taste and adjust .
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with idli and dosa .

Easy chocolate biscuit pudding

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : Nil , 8 hours or over night in the freezer to set

Serving : 8 members

Description

The first dish I taught my daughter ANISHA to prepare when she was in the 7 th standard . Any guests coming home , me a bit lazy . I used to ask her to make this pudding . Work done and she would be poured with compliments as well . Even till date she makes this pudding very often . ANISHA prepared this pudding and took over to my aunts place ( meher chachi ) when my sister fazeem and nephews dyad and aniq had visited India for their holidays at our family get together . She was once again as usual poured with compliments . Happy cooking to all from this new year , start it with a sweet easy pudding .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Chocolate cream biscuits	2 small packets ( I use Bourbon biscuits )
fresh cream ( amul cream )	250 ml
sugar	2 cups
vanilla essence	few drops
chopped cashew nuts	1/4 cup ( can use any other nuts )
chocolate grated	1 cup

Method

Take a small tin which has a tight lid . Line it with foil paper on the base and sides to lift the pudding out once set .
Break the biscuits into 1 inch pieces . Whip cream with sugar and vanilla essence .
Arrange one layer of broken biscuits at the bottom of tin , pour little cream on top just to cover the biscuit layer . Sprinkle little nuts .
Repeat the layers and end up with cream layer on top . Grate the chocolate finally over the cream and decorate .
Close with the lid and keep in the freezer to set for about 8 hours or more .
Take out the set pudding by lifting the foil paper up and cut into small squares .
Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream or as it is . Keep the pudding always in the freezer closed with a lid .

Kotthu parota

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 6 to 8 members

Description

A mouth watering dish which i make mainly with left over parota,chapathi or tandori rotis.there was a restaurent opposite our shop called irani .they had a counter in the front which they used to make kotthu parota.the entire place use to have the aroma of kotthu parota.they use to have two flat long spatulas to cut and mix the kotthu parota .a loud noise was made every time they cut the parota in the hot huge tawa.so myself and my brother would call it don don parota as the sound was so .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Parota	10 shredded
onion	3 big chopped
green chillies	3 minced
curry leaves	few minced
coriander leaves	2 table spoons (chopped)
ginger	1/4 inch piece grated
tomato	1 big chopped
chilli powder	1 tea spoon
salt	to taste
garam masala powder	1/4 tea spoon
pepper powder	1/4 Tea spoon
oil	4 table spoons
egg	2 ( seasoned with salt n pepper and scrambled )
bone less chicken	4 table spoon (cooked and shredded )
lime	1/2 – a squeez

Method

Heat oil in a non stick kadai . Add onion and sauté till translucent .
Top with green chillies , tomato, curry leaves , half of coriander leaves and ginger . Stir for a minute .
Add chilli powder , salt to taste , pepper powder , garam masala powder and chicken . Mix well .
Add the shredded parota and toss well on medium heat for five minutes until all the flavours infuse together .
Finally add a squeez of lime , coriander leaves and scrambled eggs . Mix well . Taste and adjust .
Serve hot wit onion raitha or tomato sauce .

Sweet corn chicken soup

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

One of the first dishes I learnt to cook . I was in the 8 th standard . We were introduced to a new subject called home science . Our teacher for home science miss bina , used to teach us one dish a month when we had practical classes . At that point of time Chinese food was into a great rave in India . We all were so excited to learn a restaurant style Chinese soup . Thanks to miss bina to have taught me this dish . My culinary journey started from my home science practical classes .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Sweet corn cream style	1 tin
chicken	4 pieces
potato	1
vinegar	1 tea spoon
salt	to taste
ajinomoto	a pinch(optional)
white pepper	to taste
egg white	2 beaten
water	4 cups
corn flour	1/2 teaspoon diluted in little water

Method

Pressure cook sweet corn,chicken pieces,potatoe with 4 cups of water for 4 vissels .
Cool.grind the potato pieces to a smooth paste.shred the chicken away from the bones .
Mix the ground potato and shredded chicken to the sweet corn and mix well.add vinegar,salt,ajinomoto and pepper .
Keep on medium flame and stir well.once the soup starts to boil ,pour the beaten egg whites as stirring the soup to get thin threads of egg white in the soup .
Cook till the egg whites are cooked .taste and adjust.add the diluted corn flour mix and stir well till soup gets thick.
Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding water if the soup is too thick .serve hot .

Panai oolai kozhukattai ( palm leaf kozhukattai )

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 8 members

Description

This is an authentic dish very own to the southern region of Tamil Nadu mainly in the districts of tirunelveli , tuticorin and kanyakumari . It is served mainly during Thiru karthigai deepam days . The palm trees play an important role in the life of the people of tirunelveli region . As coconut trees are to kerela , palm trees are to tirunelveli . The palm Jaggery is used in many dishes and in medicines too . I first got to know about this dish when my neighbour served me this dish when I dropped in to her place .tirunelveli being home to me for the past 24 years I felt bad that my recipe posts were not mostly based on this region . So today’s post is dedicated to tirunelveli .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice flour	1 cup
coconut grated	1/4 cup
Dry ginger powder	1/2 teaspoon
palm jaggery	1/2 cup ( boiled in water to get a syrup , can use normal jaggery instead of palm jaggery )
water	1/2 cup
cardamom powder	1 teaspoon
black sesame seeds	1/2 teaspoon
salt	a pinch
Threads	few made out of palm leaves
palm leaves	few cut into 6 inch pieces , the middle portion of leaf

Method

Mix rice flour , cardamom powder , coconut grated , dry ginger powder , black sesame seeds and a pinch of salt together in a big bowl .
Strain the palm jaggery syrup and cool to warm . Add the syrup to the rice flour mixture and knead well to get a loose dough ( dough should be a bit more loose than of roti dough ) using little water if needed .
Place little dough in the Center of the cleaned and cut palm leaves .
Tie them on each side with a thread made from the palm leaves .
Do the same with the remaining dough and palm leaves .
Steam them for 10 -15 minutes .
Remove and serve hot or at room temperature .

Aatukkal soup

Preparation Time : 1 Hour

Cooking Time : 45 minutes

Serving : 6 members

Description

Trotters or goats legs soup . A regular dish at home from my childhood days but every region has its own variation and recipe . The one at moms place is black in colour as they add ground pepper and cumin to the soup , my hubby’s place it is pale yellow colour . I am posting the recipe that I learnt from my hubby’s place . ( moms recipe will be posted later ) remember as a kid myself and my brother used to call it jelly meat . my brother darvesh was and is also a very poor eater ( his elder son dyab is just like him in looks , behaviour , habits mainly food habits ). mom used to feed him till he started going to higher school . Moms aim was to have a chubby son but her dreams are not full filled till date . Her grand sons dyab and aniq ( my nephews , brothers sons ) are skinny too but my boy Afzar was and is a huge chubby fellow . He is a great foodie like me . He loves his paya soup so very much from as a 3 year old kid . I had gone to Colombo acommaping my hubby on a business trip leaving my boy Afzar at moms place in Coimbatore .my bro and my boy had dinner first . It was aattukal soup for dinner . my brother served my boy first and he started eating . My boy wanted a second helping of soup , 3 rd helping, 4 th helping ,5 th helping and the 6 th helping all the trotters pieces were over . ( nothing left for my parents also ) .my boy wanting more started howling , shouting crying out and rolling on the ground . My bro not knowing what to do , just put the eaten waste bones into the soup again and served him . After my trip , my bro was like next time you leave your son with us we will have to sell our property to feed him ..

Ingredients

Ingredients	Contents
Trotters ( goats legs )	4 (each cut into 4 pieces)
Small onions	one hand full chopped + 4 to temper
Tomato	1 small chopped
Poppy seeds	100 grams ground
Cumin powder	30 grams
Pepper powder	25 grams
Coriander powder	1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1/4 teaspoon
Fennel powder	2 pinch
Ghee	2 teaspoon
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cloves	2
Cardamom	2
Ginger garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Salt	to taste

Method

Pressure cook cleaned trotters in 1 1/2 litters of water for 10 whistles .
Add chopped small onion and tomatoes and pressure cook for another one whistle .
Top with ground poppy seeds , coriander powder , chilly powder , cumin powder , pepper powder , fennel powder and salt to taste .
Mix well and bring to boil . Taste and adjust . Heat ghee , add cinnamon , cloves and cardamom .
Once they crackle top with small onion and ginger garlic paste . Sauté till the ginger garlic paste crisps up . Pour over the soup and mix well .
Serve hot with kal dosa ( thick dosa ) .