Posts by OCS | Saute Fry N Bake

Meringue with fresh fruits and musk melon sauce

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 1 hour + cooling time 2 hours

Serving : 10 members

Description

Meringue with fresh fruits and musk melon sauce . The initial days of watching master chef Australia where I got to here about pavlova . Having no sense of google or access to Internet , used to wonder what pavlova was ??? All I could see and guess was a mass of white, airy , light , crisp crusted sweet thing eaten and devoured by the judges in master chef Australia . I came across a recipe in one foodie magazine where there was a recipe for meringue and it was mentioned that pavlova’s are meringue based desserts and a national dish to Australia and New Zealand where they serve it for their festive and holidays seasons mostly during summer with fruits . Now the next question in mind what’s meringue ??? Well to just put of the craving and greed in me to know what pavlova or meringue tastes like , I had to give this dessert a try . Started , didn’t have many ingredients that the original recipe demanded but made changes with availability of my pantry and went ahead . Served to all at home and waited for comments . No comments at all for the first 2 minutes .. All busy digging into the dessert . I had my first spoon full and I was like hey this tastes like the macaroons we get in Tuticorin . The great Pavlova and meringue that haunted my mind for so very long was just the usual Tuticorin macaroons that i have in my store room always to entertain sudden guests . The most exotic thing was finally some thing that I have at home always , laughed to myself silently thinking how dum I am :-)) .

Ingredients for meringue

Ingredients	Quantity
Egg whites	6
Salt	a pinch
Sugar	150 grams
Icing sugar	150 grams
Corn flour	1 teaspoon
Vinegar	1 teaspoon
Vanilla essence	1 1/2 teaspoon

Fruits : peel , stone and chop to serve as you wish.

Ingredients	Quantity
Kiwi	2
Apple	1
Mangoes	1
Musk melon	1/4

Can use any other fruit of the season instead.

Ingredients for Melon sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
Musk melon	1/4 peeled , stoned and chopped
Thick cream	300 ml
Icing sugar	20 grams or to taste

Method for Meringue

Preheat oven to 140 degree Celsius . Line a large baking tray with non – stick baking paper ( can use foil paper instead ) . Whip the egg whites , salt and sugar together with the help of an electric egg beater until stiff peaks are formed .
Sift in the icing sugar and cornflour , continue to whisk for 3 to 4 minutes . The mixture must be stiff and has to have a shine to it . Finally add vinegar and vanilla essence .
Spoon the meringue mixture on the lined baking tray , making a big , deep , shallow dent in the middle with higher than the centre walls all around to hold the fruits inside . Bake for one hour until set .
Be careful with the colour as it has to remain white . Switch of oven , open the oven door and leave the cooked meringue to cool for one hour . Remove and cool completely .

Method for musk melon sauce

Whip the cream to stiff . Blend musk melon and icing sugar to a smooth and runny . ( do not add water ) mix the whipped cream along with the musk melon juice .
Set aside in the refrigerator .

To assemble

Assemble just before serving . Pile the cut fruits mixture into the shallow dent of the meringue in the centre .
Drizzle the musk melon sauce and serve immediately .

Notes

Make sure the meringue is white in colour and does not crack . ( mine cracked and got a light brown colour as well .. Bad day I guess )
You can make the meringue a day before ( that’s what I did ) . Store in air tight container with the base sprinkled with corn flour , place the meringue and top with tissue paper . Then close with the air tight container lid and store .
Chopped fruits can be dipped into sugar syrup to avoid discolouring of the fruits .
Assemble the meringue together just before serving .

Chicken pie

Preparation Time : 1 hour

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Serving : 8 members

Description

Chicken pie . A recipe that I got from my hubbies cousin sister Wahitha , while on our three day holiday to Bangalore . We stayed at our single bed room apartment , where the men were in the bed room and we both slept in the living room . All night we would gossip , giggle , laugh and share our silly stories and discuss food as well . That’s how this recipe was passed down to me . This recipe really excited me as I am crazy about stuffed snacks and this one has two different stuffings with two different textured layers . one the covering and the stacked flour discs in between the stuffings . I still remember she just told it to me with out any precise measurements . I registered it in my mind and gave it a try as soon as I was back home during rozza ( fasting time ) . Wahitha did mention about a big pizza size chicken pie that can be cut into wedges and served . but as i made it during rozza time , i preferred making single serving palm size ones instead , so there was no need to cut and serve as all are fasting . Not being able to taste the dish until my fast was broken , i kept wondering a lot about the taste but the aroma while preparing was really up lifting . This snack did do full justice on the table with hoo’s and aah’s all around . From then till date this is a signature dish of mine that has kept me and others crave more and more for it .

Step 1

Ingredients for the cover

Ingredients	Quantity
Flour / maida	250 grams
Salt	to taste
Oil	1/2 cup
Water	enough to get a smooth dough

Method for the Cover

Combine flour and salt together . Add oil and mix well .
Sprinkle water little by little and knead to get a smooth dough and Set aside .

Step 2

Ingredients for the batter discs

Ingredients	Quantity
Flour / maida	2 cups
Water	3 1/2 cups
Salt	to taste

Method for the batter discs

Mix all the ingredients together to a smooth runny batter with no lumps .Heat a non stick kadai and pour in a small ladle of the batter .
Rotate to get a small circle that is smaller than your hand palm . Cover and cook on one side . Remove and set aside .
Do the same until all the batter is over to get small discs .

Step 3

Ingredients for chicken filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless chicken	1/4 kg
Ginger garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Salt	to taste
Turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
Onions	5 big chopped
Green chillies	4 chopped
Mint leaves	few
Coriander leaves	one hand chopped
Pepper powder	to taste
Oil	2 tablespoons

Method for chicken filling

Pressure cook cleaned chicken , salt , turmeric powder , ginger garlic paste and little water for one whistle .
Bring to boil and Reduce the water . Cool completely and shred the chicken to treads ( I run it in the food processor for a second ) .
Heat oil in a non stick board pan . Add onions and fry to translucent .
Add green chilies , shredded chicken , mint leaves , coriander leaves , salt and pepper to taste .
Mix well and lower the flame and keep stirring for 3 minutes letting all the flavours infuse together .
Remove from heat , cool and set aside .

Step 4

Ingredients for vegetable filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Carrots	2
Beans	10
Cabbage	1 cup
Capsicum	1
Onion stem	1
Onions	2
Garlic	2 crushed
Tomato sauce	4 tablespoons
Light soya sauce	1 tablespoon
Green chilli sauce	1 tablespoon
Red chilli sauce	1 tablespoon
Thai sweet chilli sauce	1 tablespoon
Vinegar	1/4 teaspoon
Ajinomoto	a pinch (optional)
Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
Sugar	1/ 2 teaspoon
Salt	to taste
Pepper	to taste
oil	2 tablespoons

Method for vegetable filling

Cut all vegetables to thin strips like we cut for noodles .
Mix all the sauces , red chilli powder , salt , vinegar , sugar and pepper powder together . Taste and adjust and set aside .
Heat oil in a non stick kadai . Add crushed garlic and sauté to brown .
Top with sliced onions and all the cut vegetables . Sauté until half cooked on high heat making sure the burnt smell gets infused into the vegetables . Pour the sauce mixture .
Mix well and sauté for 4 minutes until all the sauce has sunk into the vegetables and is just tossed around . Taste and adjust .
Remove from heat , cool and set aside .

To Proceed

Ingredients : Oil – to deep fry

Method

Take lemon size rounds of the dough from step one and roll into palm size circles by dusting flour like we do for poories .make two sizes of poorie’s one for the base which has to be small and another slightly bigger than the small poorie’s for the final top layer .
Do the same with the dough until all the dough is over . Place a round poorie on your work surface .
Top with a step two batter disc ( that has to be smaller than the poori you have placed below ) . Spread one full tablespoon of cooled chicken filling , flatten it .
Place another batter disc from step 2 , top it with one tablespoon full of vegetable filling And flatten .
Finally top with a poori that has to be bigger than the base poorie . Cover the two fillings well on all sides with the final poori .
Twist and press the sides of the base poorie and the top poorie together . Do the same until all the poorie’s , step two batter discs and two fillings are over .
Heat oil to deep fry . Deep fry the chicken pies one at a time to crisp and golden brown in colour .
Takes about one minute on each side . Drain and serve hot with tomato sauce .

Notes

I do the entire procedure a day before except for deep frying and place in a tray with floured base and keep in the refrigerator .
Deep fry when required . It keeps well in the refrigerator for 2 days .

Curry masala powder

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : nil but to be dried in the sun for a day

Serving : To make curries for a month

Description

Curry masala thool (powder) as it is known in my in – laws place. This magical masala powder is the main secret to cooking in my hubby’s place . authentic fresh and fragrant . You can taste the skill that goes into making a home style masala powder and thats how you should make it too. They use it for their mighty mutton and chicken Salna , aanam (gravies and curries) I wish you all could smell the fragrant curries made with this masala powder simmering away when on a stove top. This powder has exotic blends to suit all kinds of tastes. Not a day will pass by in any Muslim household in Nellai without this mighty magical powder. Once you have this powder ready at home,it’s so handy that with in a few minutes your curries will be ready.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
coriander seeds	4 cups heaped
dry red chillies	1 cup full ( pressed into the cup fully )
cumin seeds	4 tablespoons
fennel seeds	4 tablespoons
cloves	2
cardamom	2
cinnamon	2

Method

Mix all the above mentioned ingredients . Dry it in the sun for one day till crisp .
Powder it together the next day .( I get it done in the near by rice mill , my powder is really smooth )
If the powder is hot after powdering spread it over a news paper to get to room temperature .
Store in air tight containers and use as required .

Peanut salad

Preparation Time : 10 minutes

Cooking Time : 10 minutes

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Peanut Salad . At home (moms place and hubby’s place)we never have a salad except for onion raitha (thayir chutney)served with biriyani and raw mango mixture. I try my best and add salads to the menu at home but i fail always as the salad kept in the table stays as it is. The mind set of everyone at home of having food pipeing hot is the issue here . But i am not going to give up as I confidently feel i can make a change . As i did with making my hubby try other cuisines.Initially he used to eat only South Indian cuisine.Even North Indian cuisine was a big no no.Boiled peanuts always brings a lot of good old memories to me. Our saree shop in Coimbatore was located in Oppanakara street , a very crowded place in the heart of the city.Everynight by 10.30 to 11 was the closing time of our shop.Dad used to be busy with his accounts , mom helping him out . myself and my brother playing around waiting for our parents to come soon.the entire crowded road used to be quite and empty . There was a particular man who used to sell boiled hot peanuts in the night . The entire road used to have an aroma filled with boiled peanuts . Myself and my brother were given a packet of the boiled peanuts every night as a brunch in the shop before our late night dinner at home .

Ingredients


boiled peanuts	2 cups
onion	1 big chopped finely
tomato	1 big chopped
green chillies	1 chopped
lime	a squeeze
salt	to taste
dates	6 pitted and sliced

Method

Mix all ingredients together . Taste and adjust .
Set aside to marinate for an hour . Serve at room temperature as a salad , side dish or a snack any time of the day .
I usually end up serving this left over salad to all while watching the television .

Note

Follow the same recipe substituting boiled chick peas instead of boiled peanuts .

Prawn Biriyani

Preparation Time : 25 minutes

Cooking Time : 45 minutes

Serving : 4 to 6 members

Description

Prawn Biriyani . A mouth watering , hearty , full flavoured indulgence . I was having a chat with my hubby’s neice Rahima Zenofer and just asked her what they had for lunch . She told prawn biriyani. The minute i heard that wanted to try it out. I am a keen cook and often can’t resist trying out a recipe i particularly like. Immediately got the recipe from her mom Wahidha and tried it out the next day. It turned out absolutely pitch perfect. I have to confess that i ended up eating most of it .(that’s what happens usually , shameless me)

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
prawns	1 kg
onions	3 sliced
tomato	2 big chopped
green chillies	6 slit
ginger garlic paste	1 teaspoon each
cinnamon	2
cloves	2
cardamom	2
lime	1/2
turmeric powder	1/4 teaspoon
ghee	100 grams
curd	100 grams
chilli powder	1 1/2 teaspoon
pepper powder	2 1/4 teaspoon
cumin powder	1 teaspoon
fennel powder	2 1/2 teaspoon
mint leaves and coriander leaves	1/4 hand each chopped
rose water	1/4 teaspoon
saffron	a pinch soaked in 2 tablespoons of milk
basmati rice	3 1/2 cup
water	4 1/4 cup
cashewnut	10 + coconut grated - 4 teaspoons ground together to a smooth paste
salt	to taste
bay leaf	1

Method

Marinate cleaned prawns with curd , salt , turmeric powder , chilli powder , cumin powder , pepper powder and fennel powder . Set aside .
Wash rice and soak in water . Heat ghee in a pressure cooker ,add cinnamon , clove , cardamom and bay leaf . Once they crackle top with onions and sauté till dark brown for about 8 minutes .
Add ginger garlic paste and fry to brown and crisp . Top with tomatoes and green chillies and sauté till tomatoes break down and gets to a gravy consistency .
Pour the marinated prawns along with mint leaves and coriander leaves . Mix well pouring water and pressure cook for 1 whistle .
Add cashewnut and coconut paste , lime juice and rose water . Mix well and bring to boil . Taste and adjust .
Salt , sourness , hotness should be more than required only then when cooked with rice will taste good . Add the soaked rice along with saffron . Mix well .
Pressure cook for 1 Whistle and simmer the flame for 5 minutes . Once the whistle sound settles down . Prawn biriyani is ready . Serve pipeing hot with onion raitha .

Mutton kurma

Preparation Time : 15 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 6 to 8 members

Description

Mutton Korma (kurma that’s how we pronounce it as) this is an authentic dish from my moms place. We have so many different gravys and curries made with mutton and chicken and each one must be had with particular dishes only. Each gravy has a different name to it like korma , charu , stew , manja thanni , ottha paalan charu and goes on …. we never have any non vegetarian curries with plain white boiled rice nor do we serve these curries for lunch except for ghee rice we serve korma and coconut rice is served with kaaei charu.But at my Hubby’s place they have just one style of curry made both with mutton and chicken. they use it for every thing possible and have it in all the three meals of a day . At hubbys place , they call their curries as Salna mainly or else aanam. My aunt Thasneem got married to a proper Tamil family who live in chennai but hail from viruthunagar. She had a tough time getting used to their Food habits.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
mutton or chicken	1 kg
( coriander powder - 10 teaspoons , ginger garlic paste - 2 teaspoons , cinnamon -2 , clove - 2 )	grind together to a smooth paste
big onions	2 sliced
small onions	15 grind coarsely
green chillies	2 grind coarsely
tomato	2 chopped
green chillies	4 whole
curd	4 teaspoons
chilli powder	1 teaspoon
coconut	1/2 ground to a smooth paste
mint and coriander leaves	few
cinnamon	2
clove	2
cardamom	2
oil	4 tablespoons
ghee	4 tablespoons
potato	3 each cut into 4
lime	1/2
salt	to taste

Method

Marinate mutton with ground masala , salt , curd , mint and coriander leaves , whole chillies , 1/2 of small onions , tomato and 1/2 of sliced onions . Set aside for half an hour .
Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker add cinnamon , clove , cardamom, sliced onion , small onion and ginger garlic paste .
Sauté till brown in colour . Top with chilli powder , coarsely ground green chillies and marinated meat . Stir well till the colour of meat changes and lets out some liquid .
Add the potatoes . Stir well . Add enough water to cook the meat and pressure cook till meat is tender and cooked through .
Add the ground coconut and a big squeeze of lime . Mix well and bring to boil and let all the flavours infuse together .
Then simmer till oil floats on top . Serve hot with ghee rice ( nei choru ) or parrot has .
No harm in having this with bioiled white rice .

Note

This korma is mainly served with ghee rice and with kerala parothas only at home . Be experimental and try it with every thing possible .

Cup cakes with Raspberry Icing

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 6 members

Description

Cupcakes with raspberry icing . This is my first try on cupcakes. I felt ok but have to better myself for sure. My daughter ANISHA is into cup cakes now a days .So for her sake atleast i have to update myself in cupcakes. My last stay in coimbatore , she craved so much for cup cakes . Finally found one small shop where they sell cup cakes.She got a few but have to say they were way too expensive and didn’t taste good or appear good. My gal was all praises about my friend gazeena sulu kunahmed and her cup cakes. Sulus cup cakes look so beautiful that we will not want to eat them. (meaning just admiring them will be worth) Uum ok happy republic day to all. I am a real patriotic person. But i feel our patriotism stops with schools and colleges. Have to mention about my experience in my last visit to a movie theatre in fun republic mall in Coimbatore. Before the movie could start they played a musical and visual of our national anthem asking everyone to stand up. I was so surprised but had goose bumps.

Ingredients for cupcakes

Ingredients	Quantity
flour	1 1/2 cups
sugar	2/3 cups
eggs	3
butter ( room temperature )	1/2 cup
vanilla essence	1 teaspoon
milk	1/4 cup
baking powder	1 1/2 teaspoon

Ingredients for Icing

Ingredients	Quantity
butter	100 grams ( room temperature )
icing sugar	200 grams
rasburry jam	2 tablespoons

Method for cupcakes

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius ( 350 degree Fahrenheit ) . Line muffin cups with paper lines .
Beat butter and sugar with an electric beater till fluffy . Add eggs one at time beating well along with the vanilla essence finally .
Mix flour , baking powder and salt a pinch ( if useing unsalted butter ) together .
Alternatively add flour and milk in three additions with the mixer on low speed , beginning and ending with flour .
Fill the muffin cups with the mixed batter to 3/4 and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through .
Check by inserting a tooth prick in the Center of cupcake and it comes out clean , it’s set and cooked . Remove and cool .

Method for Icing

Beat butter and icing together till fluffy and smooth . Mix in the rasburry jam ( purée the jam if thick ) .
Pipe the icing with diffrent nozzels on the muffins . Serve at room temperature .
Make sure the cupcakes are cooled down completely or else the icing starts to melt . ( I piped the icing when the cupcake was warm with excitement but it all melted , dum me )

Carrot chapathi

Preparation Time : 20 minutes + 1 hour for the dough to rest

Cooking Time : 1 1/ 2 minute for each carrot chapathi

Serving : 4 members

Description

Carrot chapathi . My hubby complains about the my menu at home being the same always (the best way to win a heart is through their stomach , that’s my motto) so my regular chapathis just changed to carrot chapathis instantly. I had some grated carrots left over which i wanted to use for salad in my refrigerator. The chapathis was even more soft and tasted a bit sweet.My hubby likes vegetable korma whenever i make chapathis to accompany it and he wants a lot of mixed vegetables in the korma.The korma should be thick with just vegetables and a little gravy coated around. Gosh how much vegetables can a person consume at a time. This chapathi having carrots inside saved me from his complaints of regular menu and his wanting for more vegetables. These are little tips and tricks that are perfect for home cooks and beginners. Health fanatics to can take in account of this recipe instead of having regular chapathis have it with a healthy twist.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
wheat flour	2 cups
salt	to taste
sugar	1/4 teaspoon
water	as required
carrots	2 grated

Method

Mix wheat flour , salt and sugar together . Gradually add water and knead to a smooth dough . Keep aside for an hour .
Pat and knead again . Make lime size balls and roll out into medium sized circles .
Apply 1/4 teaspoon of oil all around the chapathi on one side facing you . Place a tablespoon of grated carrots in the Center .
Fold all the four sides to get a small square . Do the same with the remaining dough and carrots .
Roll the small squares into square shaped chapathis . Heat a tawa and roast the chapathis on both sides till cooked through .
Serve hot with desired subji , gravy or korma .

Siriyan Kibbha bin saniya

Preparation Time : soaking broken wheat over night + 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 1 hour

Serving : 8 to 10 members

Description

Siriyan kibbha bin saniya . I got this recipe from a satellite channel . A very meaty dish. My knowledge about world cuisine was very little until satellite television channels were launched in india.This dish is a baked savoury dish . from the time i started to cook till a few years bake i was not at all at ease with baking and using an oven let it be for savoury or sweet.One fine day i made up my mind to break the myth of my baking fear. I pushed myself to get out side my comfort zone and started baking. Only then did i realize that thinking what i know is enough is not the attitude you should have in you.Always be ready to welcome more and more new challenges and get experimental. I am a self taught cook and whatever i know till date are learnt by my change in attitude. Oops i just went far away from the dish.I did use mixed vegetables for the stuffing along with meat but its better of as the original recipe demands.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
minced meat ( keema )	1 kg
seven spice powder ( mix of cinnamon , clove , cardamom , coriander ,pepper , chilli , turmeric )	1 teaspoon
chilli flakes	to taste
onions	6 chopped finely
butter	2 tablespoons
broken wheat (wheat rawa big ones kurunai )	2 cups heaped soaked in water over night
olive oil or ghee	3 tablespoons
pine nuts or any nut of your choice	1/4 cup chopped
salt	to taste

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil cook 1/2 the minced meat with seven spice powder , salt , pepper , chilli flakes , 1/2 chopped onions till the minced meat is cooked and gets to a dry consistency .
Fry the chopped nuts with butter and mix along with the cooked minced meat mixture . Set aside .
Grind the other 1/2 of the minced meat to a smooth paste . Season with salt , pepper , chilli flakes , onions and socked , drained broken wheat and mix together to get a dough .
Take a round baking pan . Grease it with butter . Fill the bottom of pan with 1/2 the ground minced meat mixture evenly to form a 1/4 inch thick base . Use wet hands to flatten the top to get an equal proportion on top .
Top the dough base with the minced meat nuts mixture evenly . Then top the other 1/2 of the ground minced mixture .
Repeat the same process as for the base . Cut the entire kibbha bin saniya with a wet knife like we cut a pizza .
Pour oil over the top . Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 40 to 45 minutes or until cooked through .
Serve hot .

Chocolate and Coconut Balls

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : nil

Serving : 6 to 8 members

Description

Chocolate and Coconut Balls . Decadent rich dessert made with few simple ingredients transforming into a decilious sweet. I came across this recipe in one of the food blogs. Gave it a try when my daughter was here. She being a chocoholic melted eating my chocolate balls (I liked the coconut balls better) its so simple that i taught this to the kids that attended my kids workshop. They had so much fun preparing this dish more than i had putting them together. These balls are perfect to be given away as gifts. To high lighten them cover them in transparent paper tied with coloured bows or arrange them in cute small boxes. Should be had in 3 to 4 days and always kept in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
chocolate biscuit	200 grams ( I used Bourbon biscuits )
condensed milk	3/4 tin
grated chocolate	as needed
grated coconut	as needed

Method

Crush and powder the biscuits in a blender .
Add the condensed milk little by little into the powdered biscuit and knead well to get a dough .
Roll the dough into small balls , then roll half the balls in grated coconut and the other half in grated chocolate ( I used Cadbury milk chocolate ) .
Refrigerate till firm and serve chill .