Monthly Archives: May 2014

Tandoori prawns

Preparation Time : 30 minutes + marination time

Cooking Time : 5 minutes for each batch of prawns

Serving : 4 members

Description

Tandoori prawns . My myth of thinking any thing grilled is healthy was thrown into the bin when we had a Pakistani chef cook a wide spread of kebabs for a family get together at mom’s place . The amount of butter used to baste the kebabs was un believable but there’s one thing we can say with utmost confidence , it’s that everything tastes better with a good smear of melted butter . Usually any thing in tandoori is made with chicken at home . So for a change to break the usual , used prawns this time following the same recipe I use for tandoori chicken . Had to cut down all the ingredients to half the amount as prawns does not take in much masala as chicken does . Having my doubts if my trial would work out , gave it a try . I did taste it first before it went to the table and the prawn was soft , moist succulent and juicy that came together beautifully with a brilliant explosion of flavours . Went ahead and served it confidently and passed through with hoo’s and haa’s around the dining table .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Prawn	1 kg cleaned
butter	1/4 cup to bast
chaat masala	1 tea spoon
cream	2 tea spoon

Ingredients for First Marinate

Ingredients	Quantity
garlic paste	1 tea spoon
ginger paste	1 tea spoon
lime juice	1 tea spoon
red chilli powder	1 tea spoon
salt	to taste

Ingredients for Second Marinate

Ingredients	Quantity
Cumin powder	1 tea spoon
Garam masala powder	1 tea spoon
ginger paste	1/2 tea spoon
lime juice	1 tea spoon
oil	3 1/3 table spoon
Red chilli powder	1 tea spoon
saffron	2 strands
salt	to taste
Curd ( hung )	1 cup
Onion rings and lime wedges	to garnish

Method

Mix salt , red chilli powder , ginger garlic paste and lime juice together . Rub this paste over the cleaned prawns and keep aside for 30 minutes .
Whisk curd with all the marinate ingredients . Rub this masala over the prawns and marinate for 5-6 hours in the refrigerator .
Pre heat oven to 175 degree centi grade . Skewer the prawns , leaving a gap of 1/4 cm between each Prawn .
Roast for 2 minutes on each side or until done then baste with butter and roast again for 1 more minutes . Sprinkle chaat masala and cream .
Garnish with onion rings and lime wedges . Serve hot with salad and green chuntny .

Note

Soak your skewers for 1/2 an hour in water if they are wooden .
I have used onion cubes in between each prawn .

Mosaic salad

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : nil

Serving : 6 members

Description

Mosaic salad . A salad that I was inspired by a picture that I came across in the world wide net of a salad cube made with water melon , cheese and kiwi . The vibrant colour and textural contrast that were arranged in a very different manner stole my heart as it was all about eating with your eyes , presentation and attention to detail . Not wanting to repeat the same , just took the idea of coloured cubed vegetables and fruits and made a salad of my own .Arranged the veggies , fruit and feta cheese used in the salad in a mosaic pattern all around the salad plate . Wanted to arrange the entire salad like wise but pressed for time , had to stop with a mosaic border and place the salad bowl in the middle . I Made this salad while I had invited my hubbies first cousins home for lunch . The younger lot didn’t even bother to touch the salad though it was colourful and eye catching right from chopping of ingredients to the final product on the plate but his cousin sister fathima and amma liked it a lot . Well it’s quite a task to satisfy every one at one shot . I love the simple , amazing act of feeding people and watching their reactions when they eat . It’s all about the myriad opportunities , fascinating people and experiences that come my way resulting in being admin and running sauté , fry n bake .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Tomatoes	2 cut into squares
Water melon de seeded	cut into squares 1 cup
Red , green and yellow bell peppers ( capsicum )	cut into squares 1 cup
Purple cabbage	cut into squares 1 cup
Feta cheese or paneer	1/2 cup cut into squares ( I used feta cheese )
Dried herbs	basil , tarragon , chives a pinch each
Crushed whole coriander seeds	1 teaspoon
Olive oil	2 teaspoons
Vinegar	2 teaspoons
Salt + pepper + sugar + chilli flakes	to taste

Method

Cut all the vegetables , water melon and feta cheese or paneer into equal sized squares . Pat dry the water melon cubes in tissue paper so that it does not ooze out water .
Whisk olive oil , vinegar , crushed coriander seeds , dried herbs , salt , sugar , pepper and chilli flakes together . Taste and adjust .
Pour over the cut vegetables , feta cheese and water melon squares . Toss well .
Place in the refrigerator and serve chilled arranged in a mosaic pattern by placing the coloured vegetables , water melon and feta cheese alternately to get a vibrant colourful salad plate .

Mangalore green peas masala

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Mangalore green peas masala which is a vegetarian delight. a gravy i tried recently as I was fed up making gravies using ground tomota and onion paste. Wanted to break the monotonous in that. Came across a Mangalorian dish which was made with chicken. I liked the recipe a lot, so i made it with green peas and worked pitch perfect. I wish you all could smell the fragrant green peas simmering away on my stove top.Was surprised about the unexpected marriage of asafoetida, coconut and jaggery That resulted in a distinct flavour. Green peas in Tamil is called Pattani and Urdu speaking muslim people are also addressed the same way in Tamil.Don’t know why ? I guess , the word pattan changed into pattani. As tamilians are nick named pandees , malayalis are nick named kanji or mallu, Telugu people nick named koltti. So are Urdu speaking muslims nick named green peas. No offense to anyone please. This is how people around us have nick named all of us.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Green peas	1 cup shelled
Coconut grated	5 tablespoon
Ginger	1 inch piece
Garlic	2 flakes
Coriander power	1 tablespoon
Chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Oil	3 tablespoon
Mustard seeds	1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves	few
Asafoetida	a pinch
Onion	1 big chopped +2 sliced
Tamarind pulp	1 tablespoon
Cumin powder	1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder	1/4 teaspoon
Jaggery	1 teaspoon
Salt	to taste

Method

Roast coconut , ginger , garlic , coriander powder , chilli powder and 2 sliced onions separately in little oil to brown and grind altogether to a smooth paste . Set aside .
Boil green peas with enough water and salt to taste . Set aside . Heat oil in a non stick kadai . Season with mustard seeds , curry leaves , asafoetida and 1 chopped onion. Fry to brown .
Top with the ground masala and sauté for a minute . Add cumin powder , turmeric powder and garam masala powder .
Mix well adding tamarind pulp , salt to taste and boiled green peas with the water . Mix well and bring to boil for 5 minutes . Add more water if need to get a gravy consistency .
Finally add jaggery and simmer for 3 minutes for all the flavours to infuse together and oil floats on top . Serve hot with any roti or puri of your choice .

Chicken samosa

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time :15 minutes for the filling + 4 to 5 minutes for each batch to be deep fried .

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Chicken samosa .This is the South Indian version which is entirely different from the North Indian samosa from the filling, to outer cover , to shape, texture and taste which is an excellent mix. These are crisp with hot stuffing inside which marries perfectly with each other. Usually had as its without any dips or sauces. Yummy to the tummy and sure can’t stop with one. This samosa is a signature dish made at most Muslim house holds during ifthar (fasting) time while breaking our fast. You all will love making these terrific impressive samosa’s . Don’t know why for a long time i thought , i was a north indian. One holiday we had gone to Bombay. I remember asking my dad if we have come to south India ? He was like we live in south india and we are South Indians. How depressed i was to hear that. God alone knows why. Think i was immensely in love with the word North Indian and took a long time for me to accept the fact also. North Indian or South Indian. I am proud to be born as an Indian. * recipe courtesy Reshma Nooh*

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken mince ( or mutton mince )	100 grams
Ginger garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
chili powder	1 tbsp
garam masala powder	1 tsp

Method

Mix everything .. Add just enough water to cover the chicken mince then pressure cook for1 whistle . Boil till all the moisture has evaporated and the chicken mince is dry .
Saute in a pan with 3 -tbsp oil, 3-finely chopped onion, 4 – green chillies finely chopped Some -coriander leaves. Then add the cooked chicken mince , saute again a minute, then remove from heat. keep aside.

Ingredients for the Samosa Pastry

Ingredients	Quantity
Maida	1/2 cup
Salt	1/4 tsp
Water	Enough water to get a soft dough

Method for the samosa pastry

Mix together and knead,1/2 cup Maida,,1/4 tsp salt and Enough water to get a soft dough.
Divide dough into small lemon size balls..Roll out each ball into small rotis 2-3 inches in diameter .
Now spread dalda or oil liberally on one side of a roti, then stick another roti on that so they become a sort of sandwich. Do the same for rest of rotis.
Now roll out the sandwiched rotis ( on a well floured surface!) as thin as possible( paper thin). Do the same for rest of sandwiched rotis.
Heat a tawa or pan on high flame .Put a roti on hot tawa, leave for a minute, turn over, then remove from tawa within a minute.
The idea is to just cook the rotis not to make them stiff or hard.Do the same for rest of rotis.
While still hot( careful.. ) pull apart each roti at the edges. You will find that the more liberal u were with dalda.. The more easier it is to take apart without tearing the rotis to shred.
Cut each roti into 4 triangles.
Mix 2-3 tbsp of Maida and water to get a thin paste which u will be using as glue.
Make a small cone out of the triangle, sticking two edges together with glue.. Then fill with a tsp chicken masala.. Close the cone with glue again.
Repeat for the rest of triangles. Deep fry in hot oil, drain and serve hot with tomato sauce or as it is .

Some Important Tips

Also.. When u roll out the rotis , use flour liberally and stack them on top of each other or they will become dry and your pastry will become too tough.
Even while cooking the rotis or cutting them up.. Always remember to stack them .. Keep away from drafts( don’t do this under a fan!) or keep covered with a slightly damp cloth.
Vegetarians can add mixed vegetables , paneer and soya flakes instead of chicken mince and follow the same recipe to get vegetarian samosa.

Bread basunthi

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Bread Bhasundhi. Bhasundhi is a traditional full flavoured Indian sweet made by reducing milk to a semi thick form. Well bread bhasundhi is just a short cut way to finish the long simmering sweet to be done soon in a fuss free way. Made with few ingredients transforming into delicious indulgence. I got this recipe from my moms last sister Thasneem.Who is just 3 years elder to me. A fussy eater as a child .During my holiday stay at my grand parents place, she used to be compared to me a lot. As i was bubbly,loud, naughty, curious and all around the place but my aunt was just the opposite quite, shy…. Even our food habits were extreme opposites. i was very experimental even then eat anything and everything.She being fussy my grandfather used to get into my aunts nerves that she used to ask me to leave to Coimbatore soon. I remember , i used to follow the smell of food cooked in the kitchen and go even before any one could call for a meal.The elaborate spread on the table every meal was served in a way that celebrated the gathering of the entire family of all age groups. I guess my love for food was rooted from then onwards.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Bread slices	5 edges cut
Ghee	3 tablespoons
Milk	1/2 litre
Condensed milk	1 tin
Saffron	few strands
Cashew nuts	1 tablespoon chopped
Almonds	1 tablespoon blanched , peeled and chopped
Pistachio	1 tablespoon chopped ( I didn't use as I was out of stock )
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon

Method

Cut each bread slices into 4 pieces . Fry in 1 tablespoon of ghee just for the aroma of ghee to get into the bread pieces for a minute in low flame .
Make sure the colour of the bread stays white in colour . Cool and blend to get a coarse powder . Boil milk , condensed milk , cardamom powder and saffron together for 10 minutes till half reduced .
Add the powdered bread along with chopped nuts and remaining ghee . Mix well .
Simmer for a minute till all the flavours infuse together . Incase the bhasunthi is to thick can add a little milk to get a semi thick consistency . Remove from heat .
Serve hot , warm or chilled . Best served chilled .

Hot dog

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

Hot Dog.A comforting textural colorful delight. Crazy me ,the first time i heard about this was like yuk how can people eat dogs. Got to know about sausages and hot dogs through my NRI friends from gulf in school.But first got to taste it when my class mate Christine got it all the way from Dubai just for me to know what it was. I didn’t fancy it much tough. While on a holiday trip abroad my boy afzar used to fill himself with sausages for breakfast as lunch was had only by 4.30 to 5 in the evening. My veggie girl anisha used to run away from his plate saying that thing looks wired.My boy afzer and son-in-law Riyaz love sausages.Well now my veggie girl cooks sausages for her hubby eventhough she hates the sight of it. Only recently sausages are available at my place, so have started experimenting with them in my kitchen.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken sausages	2
Hot dog rolls or French bread	1
Onions sliced	5 big
Oil	2teaspoon + 1 1/2 tablespoon
Tomato slices	1 big tomato
Lettuce leaves	2
Tomato ketchup	to garnish
Mayonnaise	3 tablespoon
Red , green and yellow capsicum strips	1 cup
Vinegar	1 teaspoon
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Eggs	2 seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and beaten along with a tablespoon of grated cheese

Method for sausages

Prick the skin of sausages all over with a fork or tooth pick . Heat 1 teaspoon oil and fry the sausages for 2 minutes making sure all the sides are cooked well . Set aside .

Method for caramelised onions

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a non – stick pan . Fry the sliced onions to brown on medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes .
Add salt to taste , sugar and vinegar and let it caramelise further for another 5 minutes more to a dark brown colour and soft . Remove from heat and set aside to cool .

Method for omelet

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan . Pour the beaten egg mixture into the pan , wait for the base to cook a little and get firm .
Fold both sides of omelet towards the Center to get a long shaped omelet that will fit into the hot dog roll . Cook the omelet well . The cheese used helps to keep the omelet moist . Set aside .

How to proceed

Spilt the hot dog roll horizontally into two . Scoop out the inside part of both the split hot dogs carefully making sure the outer crust remains un disturbed .
Apply mayonnaise on the inside part of split hot dog roll . Place lettuce leaves , few strips of coloured capsicums , tomato slices and 1/2 of caramelised onions and top with the omelet .
Push all these plied things into the lower hollow dent . Place the sausages over and top with other 1/2 of caramelised onions , tomato slices , coloured capsicum strips and lettuce leaves .
Close with the upper part of the hot dog roll . Garnish with a squeeze of tomato ketchup on top and serve along with crisp hot French fries and tomato ketchup .

Paped fritters

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 2 minutes for each batch deep fried

Serving : 4 members

Description

Paped fritters. A snack i tried recently when i had to send a vegetarian meal over to a friends place. I came across this recipe from trala dalals magazine cooking and more. The recipe was suggested for Jains so it had no onions or garlic used. I liked the idea of paped used for coating the fritters so grabbed it immediately and tried it out with a little more ingredients added to my choice. I did come across a note recently in Ancesteral chef. Com which said Use “adapted from” if you are making a small modification to someone else’s recipe. Call it your own if you change three or more ingredients (unless the original recipe was so unique that your recipe still looks pretty similar in which case call it “inspired by”) Well i am confused as how to call this dish my own, inspired by or adapted by. Whatever we have an awesome dish to share. That’s good enough isn’t it.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Paneer( cottage cheese )	1 cup crumbled
Chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Tomato ketchup	1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves	1 tablespoon chopped
Onion	1 big chopped
Green chilli	1 finely chopped
Salt	to taste
Water	1/2 cup
Crushed paped	1 cup ( I used normal South Indian appalam not the Kerala pappadam
Oil	to deep fry
Maida	1/4 teaspoon

Method

Mix paneer , chilli powder , tomato ketchup , salt to taste , onion , green chillieand coriander leaves together . Knead well .
Divide the mixture into equal portions . Roll each portion into long cylinders . Set aside . Mix maida along with water and salt to taste to get a smooth batter .
Dip each cylinder into the batter and then roll in the crushed papad Making sure its coated well all around . Do the same to all the paneer cylinders .
Deep fry in hot oil to golden brown in colour from all sides . Drain and Serve immediately with tomato ketchup or any sauce of your choice .

Note

Can substitute panner with boiled potato alone or a combination of boiled potato and cooked minced chicken or mutton ( like for cutlet ) .
Can make a mix of flavoured papads like garlic , pepper and normal crushed together for the coating .

Hariyali kebab

Preparation Time : 20 minutes + marination for 8 hours or over night .

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 8 to 10 minutes

Description

Hariyali Kabab. A kabab that i have tasted in the tandoori platter when out to a restaurant.The green colour always puts of others so the left overs are always left for me to finish. I tried the recipe on my own once at home with all the ingredients i thought might be used and it did come close.So every time after that when ever i made hariyali kabab made slight clever little twists and now i have finalised and stuck to one recipe which i am going to share with you all.Ummm there are a lot of people who are so hesitant to share their recipes.Wonder why though ? I love to share all i know as i feel after you are no more, you should leave a mark of something behind for others to be kept reminded about you and conquer the world. As my passion is food and cooking. I am on a mission to keep all my known recipes from slipping into food oblivion. Sharing these recipes in my endeavour to keep myself entertained require a little effort but that makes it all the more worth while when i see you all try my recipes at home.

Ingredients for main dish

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken breasts	1/2 kg cut into cubes
Ginger garlic paste	1/2 tablespoon each
Thick curd	2 tablespoon
Lime juice	1/2
Coriander leaves	1/4 cup
Mint leaves	1 tablespoon
Green chillies	4 to 5
Garam masala powder	1/4 teaspoon
Chaat masala powder	a huge pinch
Black salt	a pinch
Salt	to taste
White pepper	1/4 teaspoon
Ghee -	1 tablespoon
Vinegar	1/2 teaspoon
Cream	1 tablespoon
Green food color	little ( optional )

Other Ingredients

Butter
Skewers

Method

Grind all the ingredients together except for chicken to a smooth paste . Marinate the cleaned chicken pieces in the ground masala for 8 hours or over night kept in the refrigerator .
Before grilling the kababs make sure the marinated chicken pieces are in room temperature . Preheat oven to 350 degree F .
Skewer the marinated chicken pieces and grill for 14 to 15 minutes basting butter at regular intervals .
Serve hot with tandoori chutney , lemon wedges and a vinegar dressed onion , tomato salad .

Iddiappam tokku sevai

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 6 to 8 minutes

Description

Iddiappam tokku sevai. A delight to the vegetarians which is a one box meal. This dish will surely be easy to pull of at home. All the ingredients in this dish compliment each other well that it helps to add more taste to the dish. A dish which my elder mother – in – law(my father-in -laws elder brothers wife)Mrs. Mahmudha sent over to my place once. She’s become a vegetarian by choice recently.A very knowledgeable lady as she has travelled a lot. she keeps experimenting in her kitchen as i do but with a lot of vegetarian dishes now a days. The word Iddiappam was new to me when i first heard it while on a excursion trip from school to mysore.We were taken to a Restaurant for Dinner and served South Indian Meals.Most of the North Indian senior girls wanted a tiffin item instead so they asked for iddiappam.After that once i was married to Nellai the word iddiappam was mentioned again.Curious to know what it was, to my surprise it was the nool puttu that we make at home so often.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Iddiappam	20
Onion	4 sliced
Tomato	3 chopped
Oil	3 tablespoons
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cloves
Green chillies	2 slit
Ginger garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon each
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Chilli powder	1 teaspoon ,
Thick coconut milk	1/2 cup
Coriander leaves	few chopped
Cow gram( also known as cow peas , karamani in Tamil )	1/4 cup boiled
Carrot	1 big grated
Salt	to taste

Method

Heat oil add cinnamon and cloves . Once they crackle top with onions and fry to brown in colour .
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry to crisp . Top with tomatoes and green chillies and sauté till the tomatoes lets out all its juices and gets to a thick cooked gravy .
Add turmeric powder , chilli powder and salt to taste . Mix well . Sauté for a minute . Top with thick coconut milk , mix well and bring to boil .
Simmer for 3 minutes or until oil floats on top . Cool the tokku gravy completely . Shred the iddiappam and mix it with the gravy to get a lightly moistened iddiappam which is coated well with the tokku gravy .
Be careful as the Iddiappam should not be mixed with a lot of gravy and get soggy . Garnish with boiled cow gram , grated carrot and chopped coriander leaves .
Toss well . Serve hot .

Bread bonda

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Serving : 8 members

Description

Bread Bonda. A tea time brunch that my mom used to make when i was a kid . Very rarely did mom get into the kitchen to cook as she was so busy helping dad with his business. I use to love seeing my mom cook and being in the kitchen. Though mom is not a great cook. The little she cooks is jaw dropping.My son till date tells that my mom is the worlds best cook.I am still struggling to win my boys heart through his tummy. My parents were here at my place for a day, last week. They got to see my cooking competition pictures only then.The pride my mom had in her seeing those pictures and showing it to dad. That one moment i was filled with utter joy as my mom was not at all happy about me starting sauté ,fry n bake. She kept complaining saying its not going to do any good to you, stop wasting your time. Recently at a cousins wedding had so many friends,relatives and others who had liked sauté,fry n bake talk to me about my page.All along having my mom beside me. Happy i proved her wrong and made my parents feel proud about me . The joy of connecting with all you people through food which I am passionate about is ultimate .

Ingredients for filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Mixed vegetables	1 1/2 cup chopped ( cabbage , carrots , capsicum , green peas , beans , cauliflower )
Chicken or mutton mince	200 grams ( vegetarians can substitute with paneer or soya chunks )
Oil	1 tablespoon
Onion	1 big chopped
Green chillies	2 chopped
Coriander leaves	chopped few
Salt	to taste
Ginger garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon each
Pepper	to taste
Chilli flakes	to taste
Turmeric powder	a pinch
Lime	a squeeze

Other Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Bread	12 slices crusts cut
Water	2 cups
Salt	to taste
Bread crumbs	2 cups
Oil	to deep fry

Method for filling

Mix chicken or mutton mince with turmeric powder , ginger garlic paste , salt to taste and very little water and pressure cook until cooked through .
Boil till all the moisture has evaporated and the meat is dry . Heat oil and fry onions and green chillies to translucent .
Top with chopped mixed vegetables and sauté till vegetables are half cooked , stirring constantly .
Add the cooked minced meat , seasoning with pepper , chilli flakes , lime juice and salt to taste . Toss and mix well . Garnish with coriander leaves .
Set aside and cool completely .

How to Proceed

Mix salt to taste with2 cups of water . Take a slice of bread , dip into the salted water and squeeze between your palms to get a flat wet base .
Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the Center . Bring all the four corners together and shape into a ball . Roll the balls in breadcrumbs evenly all around .
Do the same with all the bread slices and filling . Keep in the refrigerator till needed . ( I follow the recipe till this stage in advance and proceed only when required ) Heat oil to deep fry . Deep fry the bread bondas to golden brown in colour .
Drain and serve hot with tomato sauce.