Daily Archives: December 22, 2016

Crab Lollipop

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes + 3 minutes for each batch deep fried
Serves : 6 members

Description

Every month, I am given a topic and asked to share ten recipes for a tamil monthly magazine. I always play it safe with tried and tested recipes that I have shared with you all here. This time the topic was crab. I had just two to three recipes that I had tested. I was pushed to a situation where I had to come up with other recipes using crab. I wrote a list of all that I could think of. Read it and found nothing new, innovative or interesting was written. Broke my head for some time and tried to re- invent another version of the same recipes that I had listed. The usual crab cutlets were changed to crab lollipop’s that was a spot on genius reinterpretation of its own. Made them, took pictures and were tasted by my gym buddies. They went head over heels with the crab lollipop’s. As I was watching them have so much fun eating it, in my mind I did think if.. I didn’t make this change. They all would be eating a normal cutlet with no enthusiasm at all. Well, food is an art where you get to play visually too. Go ahead, try this recipe and treat yourself and your loved ones tastefully and visually.

Ingredients	Quantity
Crab claws	6 boiled
Boiled Crab flesh	1 cup
Boiled potatoes	1/2 cup
Bread slice	1 coarsely powdered
Onion	1 chopped
Green chilly	1 chopped
Coriander leaves	1 tablespoon chopped
Ginger and garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
Red chilly powder	1/4 teaspoon
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 teaspoon
Egg	1 whole beaten with salt + pepper to taste
Bread crumbs	1 cup
Oil	to deep fry
Salt	to taste

Method

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non stick kadai. Add onions and green chillies and fry to translucent.
Add all the other ingredients one by one except for egg, bread crumbs, lime juice, crab claw’s and oil to deep fry. Sauté till all the flavours infuse together.
Remove from flame add lime juice. Mix well taste and adjust then cool. Make equal round balls of the potato – crab mixture, dip in beaten egg.
Then roll over in the bread crumbs. Place the ball on top of a crab claw. Roll with hands to get a lollipop shape.
Do the same with all the potato – crab mix and crab claws.
Heat oil and deep fry. Drop the crab lollipop’s in batches of two to three at a time.
Deep fry in medium heat for the cutlets 2 -4 minutes to a golden brown colour. Drain and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Nihari Gosht

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 1 hour and 30 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description

As a teenager growing up watching a lot of cricket on the television and admiring a few players in sports star magazines that my brother used to buy. I have to admit I was a die hard fan of imran Khan and wasim akram of Pakistan. I guess that liking was forwarded to be so very curious about Pakistani food too. The first time I got to taste typical authentic Pakistani food was in Japan. I know sounds very weird but that’s the fact. My cousin brother ordered as he was a regular to the restaurant. The food was excellent in taste and I didn’t find much difference at all. It was almost like our North Indian cuisine. The nihari gosht that I had there was cooked to perfection with the meat just melting away. Since then, I wanted to try making it at home. Then again in Saudi Arabia I happened to have it again which tasted the same as I had in Japan. I made up my mind.. with no more postponing, I have to try the recipe soon. I did and my boy who is back from London after two years of his education, with his first mouth full of the dish.. was like mom this tastes just like the nihari gosht that I always have in a Pakistani restaurant in London. Only thing is the London version is a bit bland. I was all smile’s that I did cook the dish perfectly as my boy did find out that the dish was nihari gosht even with out me mentioning about it. Nihari gosht a Pakistani dish has taken a roller coaster ride with me through out the world from my childhood day crush’s in ooty, to Japan, to Saudi Arabia, to London and made in Tirunelveli finally.

Ingredients	Quantity
Mutton	1 kg
Cardamom	4
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cloves	1
Black cardamom	2
Bay leaf	1
Water	1/4 cup
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Coriander powder	1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Garlic	3 peeked , sautéd in oil and ground to a paste
Small onion	3 peeled , sautéed in oil and ground to a paste
Curd	3 tablespoons
Garam masala powder	2 teaspoons
Nutmeg powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon
Saffron	1/2 teaspoon soaked in 1/4 cup warm water
Kewar essence	a drop
Chapathi dough	2 cup
Coriander leaves	few chopped to Garnish
Rose water	1 teaspoon
Oil	2 tablespoons
Salt	to taste
Ginger Juliennes	1/2 teaspoon to Garnish

Method

Heat a heavy bottomed vessel with oil. Add Cardamom, clove, cinnamon, black cardamom and bay leaf. Once they crackle, top with mutton and sauté until the colour of the mutton changes.
Add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Sauté for two minutes. Add water, bring to boil covered.
Once the mutton boils, add ginger and garlic paste, coriander powder, red chilli powder, sautéd and ground garlic and small onion paste. Sauté for five minutes.
Top with beaten curd, rose water, garam masala powder, nutmeg powder, cardamom powder, kewar essence and soaked saffron. Mix well and cook covered for three minutes.
Roll the chapathi dough into a long log. Place it around the mutton vessel. Place the lid over and seal the edges making sure the steam does not escape.
Lower the flame to sim and cook for 45 minutes to one hour to done.
Remove the dough seal. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and ginger Juliennes. Serve hot with chapathi’s, rotis and rice.

Sheer chai

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 15 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Sheer chai or pink tea of Kashmir is had during special occasions. The colour of the tea is pale pink that reminds you of all the beautiful faces you get to see in Kashmir with their pale pink cheeks and lips. I didn’t get to taste this tea on my visit to Kashmir but came across this recipe when I was in search of another salted tea ( noon chai ) recipe of Kashmir. The colour of the tea sure did make me want to try it out. I did and the tea was so rich with an inviting colour. The only thing I missed was to sip the sheer chai in Kashmir’s natural beauty. Blessed is that land with abundance of beauty in all means. From nature, people, trees, flowers, snow caped mountains, food to every thing. Peeps don’t miss visiting the paradise on earth….

Ingredients	Quantity
Water	4 and 1/2 cups
Milk	1 and 1/2 cup
Green tea	1 teaspoon
Cardamom powder	1/2 teaspoon
Baking powder	one pinch
Cinnamon	1/2 inch piece
Whole pepper corns	4
Poppy seeds	30 grams
Salt	a pinch
Fresh cream	30 Millie litters
Almonds + pistachio	1/4 teaspoon each chopped
Saffron	a pinch
Sugar cubes	to taste

Method

Boil 4 cups of water with green tea, baking soda and cardamom powder together.
Lower the flame and let it boil further for another eight minutes.
In another vessel Boil 1/2 cup water with pepper, cinnamon, salt and poppy seeds for 2 minutes.
Now, mix both the boiled water mixtures together from a distance at least for 20 times. This helps to give a pink colour to the tea. Strain and keep aside.
Boil milk with cardamom for two minutes. Remove the milk from heat. Add it to the strained mixture and boil again. Strain the tea.
Top with fresh cream, almonds + pistachio chopped and saffron. Serve along side with sugar cubes.

Kashmiri kawa tea

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 5 minutes
Serves : 2 members

Description

After a long tedious road trip from sri nagar to gulmarg in Kashmir. We were welcomed at the vintage hotel with hot Kashmiri kawa tea. I am not a tea person but in that cold and chill wether, I wanted to soothe myself with a hot drink. Took a cup and saw almonds and saffron floating. My mom with raised eyebrows gave a sign with out opening her mouth expressing the tea is too good. I took my first sip and it was refreshing with a new combination of nuts and saffron in it. I shamelessly had another cup too. I made sure to ask the waiter who came to pick up the cups after some time about what this tea’s name is. He told “kawa”. Now I wanted to know how it is made. Though we have access to a million recipes of any dish that we want to know about, there is nothing like getting to know a recipe through the concerned person who made it. I made sure to get the recipe from the chef there. Through out my gang ( parents, children and hubby dear ) were making fun of me about thi. Well only a food fanatic like me will know what it means to get a recipe, then try it out and share it with you all for free with a bonus of my thoughts and crazy stories attached with it. Kashmir with its abundance of natural beauty offered me a wide range of their authentic tea’s too. That did get me addicted and yet another reason to fall in love over and over again with Kashmir.

Ingredients	Quantity
Green tea	1 teaspoon
Almonds	7 peeled and powdered coarsely
Cardamom	3
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Sugar	3 teaspoons
Saffron	a pinch
Water	3 cups

Method

Grind green tea, cinnamon and cardamom’s to a coarse powder.
Boil 3 cups of water. Add the coarse powder. Boil for five minutes in low flame.
Strain the tea. Add sugar and saffron. Mix well. Garnish with almonds and serve hot.

Chicken cheese kola urundai biriyani

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Cooking time : 1 hour – 30 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Experimenting with new types of biriyani is my daughter’s favourite time pass. At home hubby dear being loyal to the authentic mutton biriyani, a new avatar biriyani is not welcome at all. When I need a break, I try new versions of the biriyani only on hubby dears absence to refine some of my cheffy skills cranking up the fun in the kitchen. This one also was done so. My love for kofta’s ( kola ) made me try this by adding a twist of cheese to them. With fingers crossed, tasted and my first mouth full, I felt the perfect balance of flavour’s, textures and taste that satisfied my cravings taking me on a wild delicious flavour trip. This brilliantly versatile biriyani did awaken me about a contemporary Appeal that can be done to an Indian staple in incredible ways. After all…. Isn’t variety the spice of life?

Ingredients for kola urundai

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless raw chicken	1/4 kg ground to a smooth paste with out water
Bread slices	2 blitz to a coarse powder with out adding water
Coriander leaves	1 tablespoon chopped
Grated cheese	2 tablespoons
Chilli flakes	1 teaspoon
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Egg	1 whole

Method for kola urundai

Mix all the above ingredients together. Check seasoning and keep aside.

Ingredients for gravy

Ingredients	Quantity
Onions	4 sliced
Tomato	3 big chopped
Green chillies	10 slit
Coriander leaves	3 tablespoons chopped
Mint leaves	3 tablespoons
Cinnamon	2
Cloves	2
Cardamom	2
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
Salt	to taste
Ghee	5 tablespoons
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 a lime

Method for gravy

Heat ghee. Top with cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Once they crackle add onions and sauté to golden in colour.
Add ginger and garlic paste. Sauté to crisp. Top with tomato, salt, green chillies, coriander leaves and mint.
Sauté until tomatoes break down and ghee floats on top.
Top with turmeric powder and red chilly powder along with 2 and 1/2 cups of hot water. Bring to boil.
Make lemon size balls out of the chicken kola mix. Drop into the gravy.
Shake the vessel so that the kolas roll over and cook evenly on all sides for five minutes on high flame and five minutes on low flame.
Add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.

Ingredients for biriyani

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmathi rice	2 and 1/4 cup boiled with water and salt to 3/4 cooked
Ghee	6 tablespoons
Curd	6 tablespoons
Rose essence	2 drops
Saffron	a pinch
Salt	to taste

Method for biriyani

Mix all the ingredients together mentioned under the biriyani ingredients.
Layer a heavy bottomed vessel with mixed rice 2 ladles. Place 6-8 kolas over with 2 ladles of gravy.
Repeat the layers until all the rice and kola gravy is over.
Cover the vessel. Place over a hot griddle / tawa on medium heat.
Cook for 15 minutes. Serve hot with onion raitha.

Tapioca Biriyani

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Biriyani in any form excites us all .
This was a try I did after watching a cookery show on the telly where they showed a road side vender making the tapioca biriyani with beef in Calicut. I was blown away with the idea with what done to a staple that’s adapted to suit the brew available. Tried it out with my twist and turns as always. The melting fat of the meat along with spices on the tapioca was a marriage made in culinary heaven. The results were mind blowing with an empty bowl left on the table. What more proof do we need that my poshed up version of this biriyani with all its delicious trimmings was a well executed dish.

Ingredients	Quantity
Tapioca	1 kg peeled and cubed
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds	1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chiles	3
Curry leaves	10
Small onion	12 chopped
Cumin powder	1/4 teaspoon
Fennel powder	1/2 teaspoon
Grated coconut	1 cup
Salt	to taste
Coconut oil	2 tablespoon

Ingredients for the mutton masala

Ingredients	Quantity
Mutton	700 grams
Onions	1 and 1/2 cup slices
Ginger	1/2 tablespoon crushed
Garlic	1/2 tablespoon crushed
Green chillies	2 slit
Curry leaves	few
Red chilly powder	2 teaspoons
Coriander powder	1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder	1/2 teaspoon
Pepper powder	1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder	1 teaspoon
Tomato	1/2 cup chopped
Thick coconut milk extract	1/2 cup
Water	as needed
Coconut oil	4 tablespoons

Method for mutton masala

Heat coconut oil. Add onions and brown. Top with ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies. Sauté to crisp.
Top with red chilly powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder. Sauté for 20 seconds. Add tomato and sauté until oil separates.
Add mutton, salt and water. Cook to done. Add coconut milk, bring to boil. Reduce to gravy consistency. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Method for biriyani

Cook tapioca cubes with turmeric powder, salt and water.
Heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once they crackle , add dry red chillies, curry leaves and small onions. Sauté to brown.
Top with cumin powder, fennel powder, salt and grated coconut. Sauté by stirring for a minute.
Add boiled tapioca and mix well. Pour the mutton gravy.
Mix well and heat in low flame for five minutes, letting all the flavor’s infuse together. Serve hot.

Cauliflower 65 biriyani

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 50 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Any innovative recipes my mind thinks about.. it automatically works only with non – vegetarian. My mind comes to a stand still when it comes to vegetarian food. I make sure to invite friends over on days that they have non – vegetarian so I am at ease to come up with a feast spread menu. To break this in me, now a days once in every five non – vegetarian recipes I come up with one vegetarian recipe in between. This was one such recipe where I have made a fusion of combining two authentic recipes of my mother – in – laws as one. The cauliflower 65 and the tomato biriyani as one dish. The reimaged new, exciting versions of themselves was divine. The biriyani was a burst with a satisfying plop on our plates. Not our plate’s but plantain leaves as I served it in a typical South Indian style. Once in a while I love to dine the old fashioned way with all raised eyebrows when seeing a pop of green colour on the table. Me and my non – stop crazy foodie adventures to give all memorable moments of food and family togetherness.

Ingredients for cauliflower- 65

Ingredients	Quantity
Cauliflower	1 big flower cleaned whole
Ginger garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Chilli powder	1 tablespoon
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Curd	1/4 cup
Cinnamon	1 inch piece
Cloves	2
Cardamom	1
Pepper powder	1/4 teaspoon
Cumin powder	1/4 teaspoon
Lime juice	1/2 lime
Vinegar	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Orange Red food colour	a pinch
Cornflour	1 tablespoon
Maida	1 tablespoon
Egg	1 ( optional)
Oil	to deep fry

To garnish

Ingredients	Quantity
Onion	1 sliced to rounds
Lemon wedges	Few

Method

Grind all the ingredients together except for the cauliflower and oil to deep fry to a smooth paste.
Marinate cleaned cauliflower flower let’s in the masala paste for 3 or more hours.
Heat oil to deep fry in a heavy bottomed pan. Fry cauliflowers in batches for 5 minutes.
First 1 minute on high heat and then on medium heat for 4 minutes. This way you get a crisp out side and a soft, moist cooked cauliflowers inside.
Keep aside.

Ingredients for biriyani

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmati rice	2 cup
Tomatoes	1/4 kg Blanched , skin peeled and ground
Onions	5 Sliced
Green chillies	5 Slit
Cinnamon	1 inch piece Powdered
Cloves	2 Powdered
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	1/2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Coconut paste	one hand ground
Ghee	4 tablespoons
Water	3 cups
Coriander leaves	2 tablespoons Chopped

Method for biriyani

Cut a cross in the bottom of each whole tomato making sure the other end is intact together.
Drop the tomatoes into hot water and set aside for 5 minutes. Remove from the hot water and cool, reserving the hot water that can be used to cook the rice.( in case you are pressed for time drop the tomatoes into ice cold water)peel the skin and blitz in a food processor to a purée.
Wash and soak basmati rice in water.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Top with sliced onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes until onions are golden brown in colour.
Add ginger and garlic paste diluted in little water and fry until raw smell has gone for about 4 minutes.
Add green chillies and tomato purée. Keep stirring occasionally until oil floats on top.
Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt to taste, powdered cinnamon and cloves. Mix well adding water.
Add coconut paste and mix well. Check seasoning and bring to boil.
Drain the soaked basmati rice and add to the boiling water along with chopped coriander leaves.
Mix once gently making sure not to break the soaked basmati rice. Cover with lid and pressure cook for 1 whistle in high heat. Wait for the whistle to subside.
Add the fried cauliflower with chopped coriander leaves over the cooked rice. Toss gently. Serve hot with boondhi raitha and paped.