Posts by OCS | Saute Fry N Bake

Mango parfait

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

Description

Ripe Mango is my favourite fruit and I guess it must be the same with most of us Indians. As I was making this mango parfait i cut open a ripe mango to see its spoilt from inside. This took me back to an incident at boarding school where we were always served a fruit of the season ( watermelon, guava, grapes, mangoes etc ..) after our lunch. On one such lunch afternoon we all get to see ripe whole mangoes served in our plates. We all were excited and smiles. My friend sulu exchanged a small looking ripe mango which was in my other friend Sindhu’s plate with a big ripe mango that was placed in another girls plate beside her’s. Myself and sulu finished our lunch early and were relishing our mango treat for the day. As we were in the verge of finishing our mangoes, Sindhu takes her ripe mango and bites in to see her share is spoilt. It was an “oops” moment where we could not share ours as sulu and myself had just finished our share’s. Sindhu was in fumes as the girl beside her was relishing her mango ( the one that Sindhu had on her plate originally) and was nearly in tears. Sulu and myself didn’t know what to do. Back then it was the worst thing that could happen to one of us but now we talk about it and laugh our guts out. It’s funny to realise , the most heart breaking things back then is nothing at all now. I guess it’s the regular cycle of life which goes on and on ….

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Ripe Mango pulp	1 cup
Ripe Mango	2 chopped
Whipped cream	2 cups
Condensed milk	1/4cup
Vanilla essence	1/4 teaspoon
Vanilla sponge cake	1 loaf
Sugar	1/4 cup
White chocolate	1 cup crushed

Method

Mix mango pulp and sugar together.
cut the vanilla cake to round shape that can fit into a pudding glass.
whip cream to stiff peaks. Add condensed milk, vanilla essence, white chocolate and mango pulp. Mix gently.
Place the round vanilla cake in the bottom. Top with chopped mangoes. Then pipe in the whipped cream mix. Once again layer with chopped mangoes and top with whipped cream mix. Do the same to all the whipped cream, chopped mangoes and vanilla cake.
Decorate with chopped mangoes and chill in the refrigerator until to be served.

Chicken dhansak

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Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 35 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description:

A family holiday to Sri Lanka for two weeks which was inter linked with hubby dears business. Having cousins live Abroad is such a blessing. Here in Sri Lanka, hubby dears first cousin sister lived in Colombo. So when hubby dear was busy with his business meetings we would keep our selves busy with his cousin sisters company. Nearly every meal we dined out and as always I would explore food to its best level. One night we all got to dine at the Graze kitchen in Hilton , Colombo. A multifaceted restaurant showcasing a live and interactive theater of dining experiences that evoke’s the senses. Live stations which feature Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mediterranean and Thai specialities. I got to taste a chicken thick gravy made with lentils. I was blown away with the idea of mixing lentils in a chicken gravy. I checked the menu card to see the dishes name which said ” CHICKEN DHANSAK ”
Below with a short note describing the dish saying …
Chicken Dhansak is a popular Indian dish, originating among the Parsi Zoroastrian community. It combines elements of Persian and Gujarathi cuisine. Dhansak is made by cooking meat with a mixture of lentils and vegetables.
I was surprised to know that the dish was originated from India. Later on a trip to Mumbai , I ordered the same dish which tasted exactly like the one I had at graze kitchen in Colombo. Those days of no internet and access to recipes with a touch in your mobiles to laptops this dish just stayed ideal in my memory. Recently fed up with the regular chicken gravies made at home , the mighty dhansak popped up in my mind. Googled for a good recipe. Took bits and pieces of two to three recipes that I though would work pitch perfect at my home kitchen and gave it a try. The results were just mind blowing as the masala powder that I used was freshly made which added more aroma to the chicken dhansak than what I had twice before. My weird Dhansak journey from Colombo to Mumbai to making it at Tirunelveli was worth the travel I guess.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Toovar dal + urad dal + moong dal + red lentil masoor dal	1/4 cup each
Water	1 litter
Chicken	1/2 kg
Pepper corns	10
Cloves	8
Cinnamon	1 inch piece one
Nutmeg powder	1/4 teaspoon
Mace	1 inch piece one
Bay leaf	2
Star anise	1
Dry red chillies	3
Cumin seed	1 tablespoon
Dry Coriander seeds	1 tablespoon
Fenugreek seeds	1/4 teaspoon
White sesame seeds	1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder	1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves	150 grams
Fresh fenugreek leaves	150 grams
Mint leaves	75 grams
Tamarind pulp	1 tablespoon
Ginger and garlic paste	each 1 tablespoon
Oil	4 tablespoons
Salt	to taste

Method:

Pressure cook all the lentils ( dals ) together adding water to done. Mash the cooked dal to get a soup consistency dal.
Dry roast pepper corns, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf, mace, star anise, dry red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek and white sesame seeds separately until a nice aroma arises. Make sure not to burn the spices. Powder together and then add nut meg powder and turmeric powder and mix well.
Heat oil and add the fresh fenugreek leaves, mint leaves and coriander leaves. Sauté until cooked well adding salt to taste. Cool completely and grind to a paste.
Pressure cook the chicken with ginger and garlic paste , one cup water and salt to taste for one whistle.
Mix the mashed dal, ground greens, powdered spice powder and cooked chicken together. Bring to boil in low heat making sure the bottom does not burn. Taste and adjust seasoning.
serve hot with rice and rotis.

Notes

You can substitute chicken with mutton and do the same.
Vegetarian’s can add a mix of potatoes, bottle gourd, brinjal and pumpkins instead of chicken and do the same.

Kaale channe

Preparation time : 8 hour
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description:

Chickpeas always reminds me of an incident. Me , in boarding school during tea break having a plate of boiled black chickpeas and hot milk. The mess chechi ( that’s how we were supposed to call the mess staff ) tapped my back and told me phone call for you. The black bull head sort of telephone was placed in the main dining hall were all the senior boys sat. Excited me about the phone call from home, equally scared and nervous me about the senior boys beside me … I ran and the minute I heard my mother’s voice say ” hello, panchu poo ( my pet name ) ” I felt a ball creep up from my tummy towards my trout which chocked me. My eyes welled and tears rolled down my cheeks. I was missing my parents, I was missing home, I was missing their warmth, I was missing their smell, I was missing every micro bit of them. As I was struggling and replying, the tea break prayer was over and the dining hall dispersed . All the senior boys saw me weeping which I felt so shameful about. Roll call time in the evening by six, all students are supposed to assemble according to our house (house was referred to the group which was named after the four seasons – I was in summer house – yellow colour ) to count the students every day for 20 minutes. The girls line is just beside three rows of the boys. I stand in the third place in the girls row. A gang of senior boys came towards me and asked me why I was crying during tea over the phone. My friend immediately replied saying she is home sick and is missing her parents. One senior offered me a chocolate bar and told ” we all also miss our parents but when you have so many friends and brothers like us around who are family here.. you should not think of your parents or home much “. Till date those few words have been the best consoling words of my life time. The bond that my boarding school experience has created with my fellow school mates cannot be expressed through words. Till date the excitement and joy of interacting with my school mates brings the best happiness to me. Food and it’s related memories in my tiny little mind locker… I am just left to smile at myself on this.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Brown chick peas	250 grams ( soaked in water for eight hours )
Cumin powder	1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder	2 teaspoons
Red chilly powder	1 teaspoon
Soda bi carbonate	1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida	1/4 teaspoon
Kasoori methi	3 teaspoons
Amchur powder ( dry mango powder )	3/4 teaspoon
Garam masala powder	3/4 teaspoon
Ginger paste	1/2 teaspoon
Garlic paste	1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies	2 chopped
Ghee	3/4 cup
Black cardamom	2
Cinnamon	2 inch piece
Black salt	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Coriander leaves	few chopped

Method

pressure cook the soaked chick peas with water and soda bi carbonate for six whistles until cooked through but firm. Strain and keep aside retaining the strained water.
Heat ghee, crackle with cinnamon, cardamom and green chillies. Add the ginger and garlic paste and sauté to crisp.
Mix cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilly powder, Asafoetida, amchur powder, garam masala powder, black salt and salt with 3/4 cup of the chicken peas boiled water. Dilute with out lumps. Pour over the crisp ginger and garlic paste. Sauté until ghee floats on top.
Add the boiled chick peas. Mix well and sauté for five to eight minutes until the masala flavor infuses into the boiled chick peas. Sprinkle chopped coriander and serve hot as a side dish or a starter.

Chicken coriander seek kebab

Preparation time : 1 hour and 10 minutes
Cooking time : 3-5 minutes
Serves : 6 members

Description

Any time , any where kebabs bring out the carnivorous devil in me out. I just go head over heels hogging them with no shame. The seek kebab stands first on the list. I just love the smoky smell that fills the air and to see how the kebabs take shape with its crispy exterior and moist inside with in minutes time. I remember on my first trip to Delhi at the karim’s hotel opposite to the jama masjid in old Delhi. How I could not get into the hotel as the kebab counters in the front were so inviting not letting me get in. Hubby dear gave a stare signalling that it’s over crowed we have to rush in to get a place to sit. I make sure to try so many versions of the seek kebab. This version is a hereby one with loads of fresh coriander leaves used. As always it vanished with in seconds on the table and followed with any left overs being asked for dinner which is the best sign of proof for a perfectly done dish. This kebab can be done over a hot griddle with out being grilled in an oven which makes it even more home friendly for us home chefs to excel with restaurant style dishes to be made at our home kitchens. Let’s all cook, make memories through food for life and share what we know to our next generation to enjoy as we did.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless chicken mince	1/2 kg
Red chilly powder	2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon
Almond powder	2 tablespoons
Garam masala powder	1/2 teaspoon
Lemon juice	of one lemon
Grated Parmesan cheese	1 tablespoon
Coriander leaves	1 cup Chopped
Saffron strands	a pinch
Egg	1 whole
Oil	to brush
Salt	to taste
Long wooden tooth prick	as needed

Method

Grind the cleaned chicken mince to a smooth paste with out adding water.
Add all the other ingredients to the ground chicken mince except for saffron, oil and wooden skewers. Mix well. Check seasoning and keep aside for one hour to Marinate.
Make lemon size equal balls out of the chicken mince mixture. With the help of wet hands roll the mince ball over the wooden tooth prick evenly. Do the same to all the mince and tooth prick.
Mix saffron with oil to brush. Heat a iron griddle and grease with oil. Pan fry the kebabs rolling it over on all sides and cook to done until you get a crisp and golden crust in medium heat, brushing saffron oil on all sides.
Do the same to all the kebabs. Serve hot with salad, mint chutney and lemon wedges.

Notes :

You can bake these kebabs in a Preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 20 -30 minutes. Remember to soak the wooden tooth prick in water for two hours before using to roll the chicken mince in this case.

Apple Rose tart

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Cooking time : 40 minutes
Serves : 5 members

Description:

I get to see an apple tart image on one of a foodie groups that I am a member of which leaves me awe struck to think how on earth do people make such exotic stuff from a home kitchen. My mind goes on to say ” she must be having all the possible high end equipments required for such results “. After a few months time, I get to see a video where they made roses out of apples. It looked so easy and lovely. I immediately tried it out with my regular tart base and the apple rose’s on top. I could not believe that I made these beauties. They looked so very fancy, like what I gazed on from the roads of Paris into all the pastry shops there.( gosh, enough of self praising yourself..he he at times I just have to do it to lift myself more ) well, come on all, give these apple rose tarts a try and lift yourselves too.

Apple Rose tart

Ingredients for the tart

Ingredients	Quantity
Flour	250 gm
Cold butter	100 gm
Sugar	1 tablespoon
Ice water	little
salt	to taste

Filling ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Apples	2 sliced to thin slices with skin
Sugar	1/2 cup
Melted butter	4 tablespoons
Lime juice	3 tablespoons
Mixed fruit jam	1/4 cup

Method for tart shell

Mix flour, sugar and salt to taste. Rub the cold butter into the flour mix to get a bread crumb consistency. Then sprinkle cold water little by little and bring together to get a dough. Do not knead to much. Cover with cling film and keep in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Roll the pastry dough to an 1/2 inch thick equal circle. Cut out small circles with a round mould. Press down each cut circle into a greased muffin tray to get a cup shape. Place in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Method for filling :

Toss the apple slices over lime juice to avoid de – coloring of the apple slices.
Pour little melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar over the sliced apples and microwave for one minute in a microwave safe vessel.
Mix the remaining butter and sugar together. Apply it over the tart shells in the refrigerator.
Lay 18 slices of microwaved, cooked apple slice over lapping each other. Roll them tightly from one end to the other to get a rose shape.
Place the apple rose over the tart shell in the muffin tray. Do the same to all the apple slices.
Place the muffin tray into the preheated oven and bake for 25 -30 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
Heat the mixed fruit jam in a microwave oven for a minute to melt. Brush the melted jam over the apple roses and Serve.

Saffron pulao

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 4 members

Description

The word saffron immediately takes me to Kashmir and it’s saffron fields Pampur is a small town, which is 13 km from Srinagar was where I got to see the saffron fields. The saffron plant is very small and its flower is the only part which is seen above the ground. The blooming time of this flower is autumn. As I visited during summer, it was just the plant with no blooms. Saffron has a unique sweet smell. Saffron flowers bloom for about three weeks from mid-October to the first days of November. To see them during the day is nice. But seeing (and smelling) them on a moonlight October night is an experience even emperors notably ‘Jehangir’, the Mughal would crave for as told to us by our guide. The saffron from Kashmir are of the best quality that I have ever used. Wanting to make a dish that is fragrant with the scent of saffron alone, I tried the saffron pulao which was absolutely what I had visualised. The aroma waffled our home and lined our tummies with divinity. Spread the joy at your homes too with this awesome mildly flavoured pulao.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmathi rice	2 and 1/2 cup
Saffron	1 teaspoon
Ghee	2 tablespoons
Cardamom	4
Cinnamon	2 inch piece one
Cloves	4
Pepper corns	10
Curd	1 tablespoon
Water	4 cups
Lemon peel	1 teaspoon grated
Pistachios	1 tablespoon chopped
Almonds	1 tablespoon skin peeled and chopped
Salt	to taste

Method

Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons of hot water.
Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Crackle the cinnamon, clove, cardamom and pepper corns. Top with basmati rice and sauté for minutes. Add 4 cups of water. Mix well.
Add salt to taste, curd, lemon zest and soaked saffron and bring to boil. Close the pressure cooker lid and cook further for one whistle.
Heat ghee and sauté the almonds and pistachios to golden. Sprinkle over the pulao with a few saffron strands. Serve hot.

Xacuti Goan crab

Preparation time : 30 minutes
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Goa always enlightens me with a holiday mood, carefree laid back days and good food. My first holiday to goa as a school girl with my parents were spent in the beach and swimming pool through out with good food in between. My brother and myself were tanned so much which took more than six months time to get alright. My second holiday to goa was with my parents and kids. We had such an awesome family time together visiting the local market, cooking, shopping and sight seeing. This time , I was mature enough to grasp about Goan culture and cuisine. Every meal that we had any where in goa was divine. Xacuti became our regular order from the menu card. Though it was served with a slight variation every where the base of the Xacuti remained same. My vegetarian daughter would gorge on the potatoes in the Xacuti. We all fell in love with the mighty Xacuti so much that we got packets of Xacuti masala powder on our return home. Now it’s added to our regulars on the table and I make it with chicken, mutton, prawn and crab.

Ingredients to grind

Ingredients	Quantity
Dry red chillies	8
Grated. Coconut	4 tablespoons
Turmeric powder	1 teaspoon
Cloves	4
Pepper corns	10
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Poppy seeds	1 tablespoon
Fennel seeds	1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds	a pinch
Garlic	6
Coriander seeds	1 teaspoon

Other ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Crab	5
Onion	1 chopped
Oil	4 tablespoons
Salt	to taste

Method

Grind all the ingredients together mentioned under the to grind column to a smooth paste adding little water.
Heat oil in a wide pan. Add onions and brown them. Top with the ground masala paste and sauté until oil separates.
Add the cleaned crab pieces, salt and little water. Mix well and cook to done for fifteen to twenty minutes. Serve hot.

Notes

The same method can be followed to make with chicken, mutton and prawns.
You can add potato cubes when making the same with chicken and mutton.
Can Add thick coconut milk extract at the end and bring to boil. This can be served as a curry.

Jasmine tea

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

Description

Jasmine flowers and South Indians are itched together for sure. Any thing and every thing auspicious we need our jasmine flowers. I am a true blue South Indian in all means but not when it comes to keeping the Jasmine flowers in the the head. Not sure why, I don’t fancy it much. We South Indians have this habit of saving the jasmine flowers tied together long stripes in the refrigerator and save it for the next day or evening. This happens very often resulting with the scent of the jasmine flower being infused with all the other food in the refrigerator. This actually was the bulb moment when I though why not try making a jasmine tea. Gave it a try and it was lip smacking good. The biggest flaw of jasmine flowers over powering its fragrance into other food items was the most brilliant idea that gave birth to this jasmine tea. Me and my crazy little self .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Jasmine flavoured green tea	1 teaspoon
Milk	1 cup
Palm sugar	to taste
Jasmine water	1 cup

Method

Marinade five jasmine flowers in two cups water closed with a lid for five hours. Strain to get jasmine water.
Add jasmine flavoured green tea to the jasmine water and bring to boil for ten minutes.
Boil milk and palm sugar together in another vessel. Strain the jasmine tea over the milk and boil further. Strain and serve hot.

Dates ksheeram

Preparation time : 5 minutes
Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves : 3 members

Description

Dates is one dry fruit that has never fancied me ever. I guess the dates pickle is the only one thing I like which is made out of dates but every year I end up having so much of dates in my pantry where I am pushed to try something new to finish them up. So here’s one such try with dates which is a distant cousin of our South Indian payasam. This dessert was rich, creamy and yum that can be made by any one with no high end cooking technique required. It’s these sort of recipes that excite me where even a novice to cooking can pull it of in style. A must try recipe that’s sure for keeps.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Dates	20 seeds removed
Milk	2 cups
Ghee	1 teaspoon
Saffron	1/2 teaspoon
Rice flour	1 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder	1 pinch
Cardamom powder	1/4 teaspoon
Salt	a pinch
Sugar	( optional ) I didn't add

Method

Heat ghee, sauté the pitted dates in it for a minute making sure the bottom does not stick. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Boil milk, Soak saffron in 1/4 cup of boiled milk and keep aside. Dilute the rice flour is 1/4 cup of water. Add it to the boiling milk little by little, stirring all the way to get a thickened milk version.
Add cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, soaked saffron, salt and ghee sautéed dates. Mix gently. Add sugar if required. Serve hot, warm or cold.

Hyderabad mutton dum biriyani

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Hyderabad mutton dum biriyani

Preparation time : 40 minutes
Cooking time : 40 minutes
Serves : 8 -10 members

Description:

I am Glued to the television show planet food where host Padma Lakshmi is keenly enquiring chef mahboob Alam khane about how the Hyderabad biriyani is made. I watch the entire episode saving it in my mind and taking note of the recipe as well. I try the recipe the following week end at home. My kids and myself loved it but hubby dear being a hard core fan of his mother’s biriyani considers any other version of a biriyani as a fake one. My children busy in their own way and demands of them to stay out of station for educational purpose just made the Hyderabad biriyani fade away from my regulars at home. Now that, I have my son back home as a permanent member it’s time to rekindle all the long lost faded dishes there were kept out of the kitchen. I started with all the prep work along with my cook who is always very curious about any thing new I do. As I started to layer the marinated meat and rice, my cook kept asking me” amma, how will this meat cook. I am sure this entire biriyani is going to be a flop show.”
I just smiled at her and went ahead. Once the biriyani was done as always my cook gets to taste it first to check seasoning. She made sure to see if the meat was cooked. She was so surprised about this method and on how tender the meat was with the rice flavoured mildly complimenting each other so well. Being with me on all my kitchen experiments, she’s become another version of me. I guess with my recipes being shared with you all, there are many more version’s of myself through out the world.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Basmathi rice	1 kg ( washed and soaked in water for one hour )
Mutton with bones	1 kg cut into big pieces
Onions	4 sliced
Green chillies	2 slit
Ginger and garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
Curd	1 cup
Red chilly powder	1 teaspoon
Coriander powder	1 teaspoon
Bay leaf	1
Cardamom + cloves + cinnamon	2 each
fennel seeds	1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Mint leaves + coriander leaves	one handful each
Saffron	1/4 teaspoon soaked in 1/4 cups of warm milk
Ghee	1/2 cup
Oil	2 teaspoons
Salt	to taste

Method:

Heat ghee and deep fry the sliced onions to crisp and golden. Strain and set aside.
Mix cleaned mutton, deep fried onions, green chillies, curd, ginger and garlic paste, red chilly powder, coriander powder, salt to taste, half of the coriander leaves and half of the mint leaves together and Marinate for two hours.
Boil 2 litters of water adding 2 teaspoons of oil, salt to taste, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and bay leaf. Add soaked and drained rice and bring to boil for a minute. Drain the rice and keep aside.
In a wide mouthed, heavy bottomed vessel lay the bottom with the soaked mutton mix. Top with the boiled and drained rice spreading it evenly. Sprinkle the remaining mint leaves and coriander leaves. Pour 2 tablespoons of the onion deep fried ghee all around. Pour the soaked saffron with the milk all around.
Close with a lid and cook on medium high heat for ten minutes.
Then lower the flame to sim and cook further for another ten minutes. Then place a iron griddle ( dosa tawa ) over the flame. Place the vessel with the biriyani with lid over the iron griddle. Place a heavy vessel with water filled in it over the lid. Cook further in low flame for thirty minutes. Switch off the flame and leave the biriyani un disturbed for another ten minutes.
Toss the biriyani making sure to mix the mutton gravy and rice with out breaking the rice grains. Serve hot with mirchi ka salan and dhahi ki chutney ( onion raitha ).