INTERNATIONAL CUISINE | Saute Fry N Bake

Kunafah

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 50 -60 minutes

Serving : 8-10 people

Description

Kunafah . This word did sound like Greek to me the very first time I heard it through a relative of mine thasnim who had requested me for the recipe of Kunafah after a holiday in Dubai . Not knowing if this was a sweet or savoury dish and from which part of the world it was made .. Left me clue less for sure . Thank god , we are blessed with google to clear our doubts what so ever . Immediately googled and found out it was a middle eastern sweet delicacy made with a special dough similar to vermicelli but soft , filled with creamy textured paste of any flavour of choice and baked . Then served with a good drizzle of flavoured sugar syrup . I did add this recipe to be must try list . Started my search through friends and relatives to get access to Kunafah dough from the Middle East . The search went on for months to years and finally my cousin brother mohideen got me two packets of Kunafah dough from Dubai . Went through so many recipes in the world wide net and stuck to the most simple and authentic one . Made good use to add more glamour to my eid al adha feast table with the Kunafah for the first time . The first ever Kunafah that I have seen and tasted is the one I made and being clue less of the authentic taste and appearance felt lost with the out come . Served it and it was devoured in no time . Did send pictures to my friend sulu and she was all raving about how it looked perfect and she was surprised about the light yellow colour in the Kunafah . Satisfied me , but still had my doubts about the authentic taste and appearance in mind . Made good use clearing my doubt when on a holiday to Dubai recently . I ate Kunafah where ever I saw it and the only difference from my Kunafah was the volume . Mine was like a cake and the authentic one was made in huge trays flat with colour added to the Kunafah dough . Taste wise it was pitch perfect . My cravings to taste the authentic Kunafah was accomplished but yet again I missed out buying Kunafah dough from Dubai that has left me to square one condition of searching a source to get the Kunafah dough :-((( .

Ingredients for Sugar Syrup

Ingredients	Quantitiy
sugar	2 1/2 cups
water	1 1/4 cups
lemon juice	1 tablespoon
Rose water	1 tablespoon
Rose essence	2 drops

Ingredients for Cream filling

Ingredients	Quantitiy
rice flour	1/2 cup
milk	4 cups
heavy cream	1/2 cup
sugar	6 tablespoons

Ingredients for Pastry

Ingredients	Quantity
Kunafah pastry defrosted	1 pound
unsalted butter, melted	1/2 pound

To Garnish

pistachios chopped- 2/3 cup

Method

Syrup: In a small saucepan on high heat add water, sugar and lemon juice, bring to a boil then reduce to low, cook for 5 minutes. Cook until thick, like a syrup (if it becomes to thick add a small amount of water). Add rose water and rose essence , cool then chill.
Dilute the rice flour into the milk making sure there are no lumps . In a medium saucepan on high heat, add the diluted rice milk mix . whisk vigorously until there are no lumps to get a semi thick creamy batter . Add cream, mix well. Reduce heat to low and allow simmering 10 minutes, whisking through out every minute. Add sugar, set aside to cool .
In an extra large bowl, add Kunafah pastry, breaking all strings apart with hands. Add melted butter over pastry mixing well with hands, until covered. In an 11-12 inch pie pan, add half of Kunafah pastry, press down. Add cream filling, smoothing out then add other half of Kunafah pastry, press down. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree Celsius for 45 -50 minutes until the crust is crisp and light golden in colour .
Take a sharp knife and run along pastry sides. Cover pan with plate and gently flip. Pour half of sugar syrup over pastry; reserve other half to serve at table. Garnish with pistachios.

Notes

, in case you don’t have Kunafah dough pastry substitute with thin vermicelli instead .
you can add orange food colour to the Kunafah dough . I omitted it .you can add banana , cream cheese , nuts or anything of choice for the filling .
I preferred the simple filling as this was my first try . Will surely experiment with the rest soon .
I prefer pouring the sugar syrup into the kunafe immediately once out of the oven when hot .
Listening to the sizzle itself is so soothing .pour the reserved other half over the other tilted end just before serving .

Hot and sweet barbecue chicken with veggies

Preparation Time : 20 minutes + one hour for marination

Cooking Time : 40 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

One best book is equal to hundred good friends but one good friend is equal to a whole library … This is what our former president of India dr. A.P.J . Abdul kalam quoted . Here I am blessed with two good friends Sindhu and sulu which means it’s equal to a whole encyclopaedia . I know all of you might be thinking why on earth is she ( that’s me ) writing about her friends here for a recipe description ??? Wait a little while more until I relieve the connection . We were in our own world of sweet nothings , happy and merry always . I still remember we never ever walked but would dance our way every where we went . Bully the junior boys and the senior ones at times if that did try to act smart with us . We would kill the boys by just looking at them and giggle our way out until we drop down and roll in the floor that lead to the guys getting so nervous . we three were the most hated by all the girls ( not sure why ). Sindhu was the most rebellious , very beautiful and a very very very good classical dancer .sulu the talented gem of our school , you name any competition ( with in the school or inter – school ) she is there in it and comes back with a prize for sure . The most popular one among us for good things of course and have to mention the fan following she had in other schools as well . Me the great was the quietest , lost and confused in my own world figuring out what I am but the funniest . I just have to open my mouth and there these two are laughing non – stop . I haven’t lost this craziness in me a bit , it sparks up when ever I am with them . We did part our ways and got busy with our lives and today Sindhu is busy attending film parties and is always into the world of lime light and glamour as she has two movie stars at home . Sulu is a home baker who creates magic with her cakes and baked goodies and me just keeping myself busy with all you people sharing my thoughts and recipes . Never in my dreams did I think sulu and myself would end up in some thing related to food as we were busy with other things as little ones . Sindhu thinks we are talking in Greek or Spanish when sulu and myself discuss food but she loves to be treated with what we cook . ( enough of you and your friends , please come to the point . Ok, ok . I always keep going on and on about the dish so for a change just wanted to take you all into a nostalgic roller coster ride with me ) Now this recipe was shared to me by sulu and was a block buster super hit on the table when served but the veggies below was not fancied much like all the girls in school hated the three of us for no reason :-)))

Ingredients for marinate

Ingredients	Quantity
Chicken breasts	3 ( cut each into two vertically )
Dried basil , oregano , thyme , rose Mary , dill	1/2 teaspoon each
Salt + pepper	to taste
Onion	1 big chopped

Ingredients for the barbecue sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
Vinegar	1 tablespoon
Tomato purée	3 tablespoon ( blitz one big tomato to a purée in a food processor )
Worcestershire sauce	1 teaspoon
Brown sugar	2 teaspoon
Ginger garlic paste	2 teaspoon
Mustard paste	2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder	to taste
Salt	to taste

Other ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
Olive oil	1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon
Boiled carrot	1 big cubed
Boiled Mushrooms	5 cut into 2
Boiled potato	1 big cut into cubes
Red , yellow and green capsicum	Red , yellow and green capsicum
Dried herbs	oregano , basil , thyme
rose Mary , dill	1/4 teaspoon each
Garlic	1 clove crushed
Salt + pepper	to taste
Lettuce leaves	6 to 8

Method

Beat the vertically cut chicken breasts with a meat hammer lightly . Add the dried herbs , salt , pepper and chopped onion together and toss over the hammered chicken breasts . Set aside to marinate for one hour .
Mix all the ingredients mentioned for the barbecue sauce . Taste and adjust . Set aside .
Preheat oven to 200 degree Celsius for ten minutes .Heat one tablespoon olive oil . Add crushed garlic .
When brown add all the vegetables , salt , pepper and dried herbs . Toss well for a minute . Remove from heat and set aside .
Place the marinated chicken breasts over a lined baking tray . Drizzle one tablespoon oil over the chicken breasts and bake for 30 minutes .
Every five minutes once baste the barbecue sauce over the chicken breasts side to side . Once cooked through .make sure to finish of the barbecue sauce by basting well .
Turn the oven mode to grill and cook further for another 5 minutes . Remove from oven . Lay a bed of lettuce leaves on the bottom of a serving plate .
Top with the sautéed vegetables . Place the hot and sweet barbecued chicken breasts on top and serve immediately.

Home made pesto sauce tossed with spaghetti

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 25 minutes

Serving : 4 members

Description

The new craze in me for Italian cuisine just makes me want to try every single Italian recipe I come across that interests me . When ever I get to see some thing in the shelves of gourmet stores that’s Italian I just grab it even if I don’t know what it is used for . Like wise I did the same with a bottle of pesto that was a pale green in colour , with the above floating with olive oil . Back home it was just in the store room shelf as it was in the shelves of the gourmet store . I happened to attend a cooking work shop of master chef India season 3 winner rippu dhaman handa in Coimbatore where he made a herby pesto from scratch . I was like ” OMG it’s dead easy and why did I have to get it from the shelves of a gourmet store for a whooping prise . ” later that bottle was used to make pesto bread pinwheels . Now , I make home made pesto and add it to salads , spread it over sandwich’s and katti rolls , serve it as a dip … I can go on and on . Wanting to impress and show off my new learnt Italian dishes made up my mind to serve an Italian spread for a family dinner at home . Spaghetti was one among the dishes I had in mind but wanted a change from the regular tomato – cheese based sauce I make usually . The bulb moment happened when I remembered Italian chef David rocca using pesto and tossing up a spaghetti . Went ahead with the same idea in mind but following my intuitions of the recipe . Tasted and it was spot on with a new welcoming colour that was herby and fragrant in taste . I did have a little left over which I tossed over equal amounts of cornflour + flour and deep fried to crisp and served it along a warm bowl of soup on a rainy cold night . These small inventions I come up with left overs putting as much love and effort into what I cook gives me a reason to smile when the deliciousness of the dish travels across the table .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
spaghetti	250 grams boiled in a pinch of salt and some olive oil ( reserve the boiled water )
olive oil	1 tablespoon
mint leaves	few to garnish
cherry tomatoes	2
garlic	1clove peeled

Ingredients For the Pesto Sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
basil	2 cups ( at times I substitute with 1 cup mint + 1 cup coriander leaves or equal amounts of all the three )
Parmesan cheese	1/2 cup grated
toasted walnuts or pine nuts	1/2 cup ( I used pine nuts )
Salt	to taste
garlic	4 cloves
olive oil	3 tablespoons

Method For the Pesto Sauce

In a blender add all the ingredients and mix till a semi-fine paste is achieved.

For the Pasta

In a pan heat the olive oil , add the garlic clove. Add the cherry tomatoes .
Remove the whole garlic clove.Add the pesto sauce. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the boiled spaghetti.Toss well , making sure the pesto sauce has coated the spaghetti all over .
Add about 4 tablespoons of spaghetti boiled water to get the right consistency and moister .
Garnish with a mint sprig and serve hot.

Malaysian apam balik

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 3-4 minutes for each pancake

Serving : 3-4 members

Description

Malaysian apam Balik . A street food wonder very own to Malaysia . I came across this deceptively simple recipe in the world wide net and just loved the combination of ingredients that are always available in my pantry but never ever thought about coming up with such a dish . These pancakes look plain on the outside but take a bite and the filling hits you on the right spot . these pancakes are made either thin and crisp or a bit thicker like pancakes . I tried both ways . My vote goes for the thicker version as the sugar melts and soaks up the pancake and when you bite in , its got that pillowy effect with the goodness of the filling oozing out with a delicious surprise . I made this for break fast and it was slurped away in seconds and got every one sweet talking on the table :-)) .

Ingredients Malaysian peanut pancakes

Ingredients	Quantity
Flour / maida	1/2 cup
Baking powder	1 teaspoon
Rice flour	1/2 cup
Egg	1 beaten
Salt	to taste
Coconut milk	1/2 cup
Water	1/2 cup
Butter	4 tablespoons

Ingredients Filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Roasted peanuts	3/ 4 cup
Sugar	1/4 cup
Cream style corn	3/4 cup
Grated coconut	3/4 cup

Method

Grind the roasted peanuts coarsely . Mix all the ingredients for the pancakes together to get a loose pouring consistency batter . Cover and set aside for 30 minutes . Heat a non – stick pan ( I used my appam kadai ) ,
Pour 1/3 cup batter over and swirl pan to cover the base and sides of the pan . When bubbles start to appear , sprinkle sugar , followed by 2 tablespoons each of peanuts ,
Cream corn and grated coconuts evenly onto the batter . Dot with a teaspoon of butter and allow pancakes to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown .
Fold pancake into 1/2 using a spatula . Remove and serve hot . Repeat with remaining batter and filling . Serve hot immediately .

Malaysian black rice pudding with coconut milk

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 25-30 minutes

Serving : 5-6 members

Description

Malaysian black rice pudding or authentically known as bubur pulut hitam in Malaysia and neighbouring countries in Singapore and Thailand . The first time I heard about this pudding ( it’s more like a thick porridge actually ) was through my aunt Shameem who was invited over for lunch to a friends place for Diwali where they served this black beauty to her . It’s not an easy job to get a good review from my aunt so this made sure that this mighty pudding is a sure must try . I did take note of the recipe from the telly through the hit series of food safari . Seeing the host of this show Maeve O’Meara go “umm ummm ” eating this pudding Was another intimation that made sure this one recipe is for keeps as this is her signal of saying the dish is too good to resist . Now the next problem is getting black rice to prepare this sweet Devine dish . Any out of station trip is not complete with out a gourmet shopping done for me . Like wise on a trip to chennai was going through the stuff in a gourmet store ( amma nana ) and to was delighted to see black rice . Grabbed two packets and the first thing I did when back home was to cook the black pudding as all the other ingredients required are every day cupboard friendly at home . As cooking half way , I was like how can rice with sugar and coconut milk taste really good . There’s no ghee , nuts or any thing to be added as well . But my doubts were put to shame as this black rice has an aromatic flavour that just soothes your taste buds and soul together . The colour does put you off but once you dig in , it’s hard to resist yourself from another helping . As usual I ended up gulping the entire lot with just one bowl had by hubby dear . ( shameless me :-)) ) after nearly a year or so after my try over this black rice pudding . We were invited to my hubbies niece engagement in a place called sivagankai in tamilnadu . My first time to that place and I was excited to see the cultural and culinary difference there . We were served lunch and the first thing served on the plantain leaf was the Malaysian black rice pudding . My eyes popped out literarily as I just could not under stand how did this dish end up in this corner of the world . Later to my surprise I was informed when asked that this is very famous dish here in kaaraikudi ( a neighbouring town ) where most of the chettiar community people of that region are linked to Malaysia through business . On my way back home this did bring a board smile to me thinking a dish that has travelled all the way from Malaysia to kaaraikudi a decade ago has just caught your attention a few months ago . Well culinary knowledge is a never ending journey and that’s why I guess I am in love with it.

Bubur pulut hitam

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
black rice	1 cup
Water	3 cups
Salt	1/4 teaspoon
sugar	1/2 cup or more to taste
Thick coconut milk	2 cups

Method

Wash and soak rice in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes . Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles .( the authentic way is to slow cook in a heavy bottomed pan with a lid for 3-4 hours ) rice will be cooked but still wet .
Stir in sugar and 1 1/2 cups coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and rice is tender but still slightly chewy for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool to warm or room temperature . Just before serving, stir pudding . Serve in individual pudding bowls topped with a good drizzle of remaining coconut milk on top .

Shepherds pie

Preparation Time : 35 minutes

Cooking Time : 20- 25 minutes

Serving : 8- 10 members

Description

Shepherd’s pie , an authentic English dish which is believed to have originated from Scotland, Ireland and other northern England regions. Traces of pie recipes that have been found show that it was prepared as a meal in the middle age of 1700 ‘s . This dish is ideal for home cooks like us to rustle up a meal with left overs to result in a comfort food for the family or host a gathering . It also has in its flavour the fact that it is no more than an easy assembly job , and is prepared in advance , making it ideal for entertaining large groups when the pressure is mounting and time and energy declining . Having a lot of fish left over from the previous days fish curry , I ended up making this shepherd’s pie . The original recipe of shepherd’s pie fish mix demands for a white sauce with fish but I have indianised the fish filling with our every day ingredients and religiously followed the original recipe for the potato mash . The final dish was to die for and yum , one main reason being the potatoes were organic potatoes from our farm at kodaikanal . This dish served as an eye opener and let me know that one’s individuality shines through the variations they lend to the food , and the way they disregard tradition to play around with our local ingredients .

Ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
boneless fish	1/2 kg
gingergarlic paste	1/4 teaspoon
chilli power	1/4 teaspoon
turmeric powder	a pinch
salt	to taste
oil	1 tablespoon
onions	3 small chopped
green chillies	1 chopped
pepper powder	to taste
coriander leaves	few
potatoes	750grams peeled and chopped
milk	50 ml
butter	50 grams
grated cheese	50 grams

Method

Boil cleaned fish with ginger garlic paste,chilli powder ,turmeric powder and salt to taste .break the boiled fish to flakes with a fork and set aside.
heat oil in a non stick pan ,add onions ,green chillies and saute to a light brown in colour .
Add the fish flakes and toss well.season with pepper powderand garnish with chopped coriander leaves .toss well and set aside .
Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender .mash the potatoes with milk and butterUntil smooth.season with salt .
Pre heat the oven to 180 degree celsius.pile the fish mixture in a one litter capacity greasewd baking dish ..spoon the potato mash
On top and smooth with a spatula.trace a pattern into the potato mach with the tines of a fork and sprinkle with grated cheese .( i omitted the cheese to avoide
A few calories at least ).bake for 20-25 minutes or until you get a golden crust on top.

Chicken wontons

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time :3-4 minutes for each batch deep fried + 20 minutes

Serving : 4-6 members

Description

Chicken wontons . The first time I got to read this dishes name on a menu card in a Chinese restaurant in Coimbatore , was not sure about how to pronounce the word wonton . I remember it was a chicken wanton soup . Wanting a clear soup , very hesitantly pronounced the word wonton and checked if it was a clear soup , then ordered the soup . Even till date I go through this difficulty of not being sure of a million words on how to be pronounced . But I never give up and make sure to learn the exact pronunciation of the word . Every passing day there is at least one new thing to be learnt isn’t it . The deep fried wanton also was introduced to me from the same restaurant Kowloon in Coimbatore . Ever since that first mouthful bite , this in one of my favourite dishes . Those days of no Internet and google left me in despair to experiment for a perfect recipe of home made wontons . But every try I failed with the texture of the wonton skin and the folding part . Days of no google left us in plain experimenting of trial and error . Thanks to World Wide google network that anything and everything is just a finger touch away . My first try .. i was so very nervous but it was the talk of the table . From then on , it’s a staple at home . Only that no one ever gets enough of them .

Wanton wrapper ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
egg	1
salt	3/4teaspoon
plain flour /maida	2 cups + extra as needed
water	1/4cup +extra as needed

Method for wanton wrappers

Lightly beat the egg with the salt. Add the water
Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add the egg and water mixture and combine.
Add as much of the extra water as necessary to form a dough.
Form the dough into a ball and knead for approximately 5 minutes, or until it forms a smooth, workable dough.
Cover and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out until very thin and cut into 9 cm squares.
Pasta machines are brilliant for rolling this out, or just use a rolling pin.

Ingredients for the filling

Ingredients	Quantity
Spring Onions	5 tablespoons chopped
Carrot	1 thinly sliced
Beans	5 thinly chopped
Cabbage	1/4 cup shredded
garlic	1 clove crushed
pepper powder	to taste
Cooked shredded chicken	1 cup , ( cook boneless chicken cubes with salt to taste and enough water ,evaporate the water to dry . then blitz in a food processor )
light soy sauce	1 tablespoon

MethodFor filling

Add the carrots , beans and cabbage to hot boiling salted water .
Cover and switch of the flame and set aside for 5 minutes .
Drain and Mix all ingredients together,taste and adjust and set aside .

How to assemble and deep fry

Cut wanton wrappers into equal shaped squares. Place a tablespoon of chicken filling in the Center of the square .
Spread egg white on the two adjacent edges of the wanton wrappers . Fold the square into a triangle so that the egg white helps the edges of the triangle to stick together .
Dot with egg white on one side of the long side of the corners . Take the two sides of the long corners and bring them together with the edged corner underneath the other corner .
The edge should curl up to form a boat – like shape . Do the same with all the filling and wonton wrappers .
Heat up the oil in a frying pan or wok at medium heat. Fry the wonton until golden brown. Watch the heat carefully.
Keep turning them to cook them all the way through. Will take about 30 seconds not more . Drain and serve hot along with sweet and sour sauce .

Ingredients Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
Red chilly powder	1 1/2 tablespoon
salt	a pinch
sugar	3 tablespoons
vinegar	1 tablespoon
water	2 tablespoon

Method

Put all ingredients together in a small bowl and microwave it until the sugar is dissolved.
Stir to prevent the sugar from crystalizing on the bottom. It should take about a minute or so depending on your microwave.

Notes

I added some tomato sauce , red chilli sauce and thai sweet sauce to the filling . But this filling did have a change in colour on the wontons once fried only where the filling was . So better to keep the filling simple and white in colour .
The authentic filling is usually made with raw meat ground and then mixed with garlic , spring onion and soya sauce , I was not confident if the raw meat might cook so I used cooked meat .
Vegetarians can substitute with thinly sliced mixed vegetables for the filling .
Be very careful while deep frying making sure you do not brown the wontons too much .
In case I have ready made wonton wrappers in stock I do use them instead which is really handy and easy but nothing comes close to home made wanton wrappers .
Be careful about microwaving sugary mixtures too long because the sugar gets extremely hot and can crack a bowl due to thermal expansion of the area where the sugar is.

Bee hoon

Preparation Time : 30 minutes

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

Serving : 6 members

Description

Bee hoon but at home its known as bee goon . bee hoon is a dish of the cultural fusion between Malay and Chinese. bee hoon sauce is a chilli-based sauce and there is a variation that is a chilli – peanut sauce very similar to the one served with satay. The chilli / chilli peanut sauce is spread on top of rice vermicelli.Rice vermicelli are thin noodles made from rice and are a form of rice noodles.They are sometimes referred to as rice noodles or rice sticks. Some thing similar to the rice sevai we cook with but thinner and cooks very fast . As mentioned before this dish was introduced to us by my co – sister Farzana who has a touch of Malaysia in her roots . This recipe might taste very different from the traditional bee hoon but in a good way and apt for Packed lunches . A true treat to all your senses . my fussy veggie gal ANISHA loves it . Every piece of chicken in anishas plate goes straight into my carnivorous boy afzar’s plate . Who is more than happy to have meat and more meat on his plate . This is one dish as a kid when asked if you “need another helping ? ” my gal greedily would nod yes . Her chubby face ( she was bake then ) with the hair band and those fringes of hair on her forehead … Are Still so fresh in my mind . These memories bring a board smile to me :-)) .

Ingredients

Ingredients	Quantity
Rice vermicelli	1 packet
Dry Red chillies	6 to 8
Tomato	5
Small onion	8
Boneless Chicken tiny pieces / tiny prawns	1 cup
Sprouts	1/4 cup
Spring onion	1 chopped
Lettuce	2 leaves shredded
Potato	2 huge chopped into tiny cubes
Carrots	2 big chopped into tiny cubes
Cabbage	1/4 cup shredded
Chilli powder	to taste
Ginger garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon each
Tomato sauce	3 tablespoons or more to taste
Hot and sweet sauce	1 tablespoon
Eggs	2 beaten with salt + pepper to taste
Salt	to taste
Oil	4 tablespoon

To prep

Soak dry red chillies in water for 1/2 an hour and grind to a paste .
make a cross cut with a knife in the bottom of each tomato . Drop them into hot water ,cover for 2 minutes . Remove and peel the skins and grind to a smooth paste .
Grind the small onions to a smooth paste .marinate chopped potatoes and chicken cubes / prawns with chilli powder and salt to taste separately and set aside for 15 minutes .
Fry the potatoes in hot oil to crisp , drain and set aside . In the same hot oil fry the chicken pieces/ prawns to cooked and crisp .
Drain and set aside . cook the rice vermicelli according to the packet instructions . Drain and set aside .
Make omllets with the beaten and seasoned eggs . Cool and cut , by rolling the omelet tightly and cutting into thin threads and set aside

How to proceed

Heat oil in a non – stick kadai ( the same oil used to fry the potatoes and chicken / prawns can be used .) add the onion paste and sauté to brown .
Top with ginger and garlic paste and sauté to crisp and oil separates . Top with carrots , sprouts , spring onions , cabbage and lettuce .
Sauté until the carrots are a bit soft . Add red chilli paste , tomato paste and sauté till raw smell vanishes and oil floats on top .
Add fried potatoes , chicken / prawns , tomato sauce and hot and sweet sauce .
Mix well . Taste and adjust . Add the boiled rice vermicelli and toss well in low flame making sure the sauce is evenly spread out and mixed well .
Finally add the egg threads , mix well and serve hot .

Notes

Vegetarians can do the same by avoiding the chicken / prawns and the eggs

Potato gnocchi with mushroom herby brown butter

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 30 minutes

Serving : 5 members

Description

Potato gnocchi with mushroom herby burnt butter .An Italian origin dish served as an entree alternative to soup or pasta which is a sort of dumpling made with steamed potatoes , egg and flour . Served hot or warm .Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter (sometimes fried butter) with sage, pesto, and various sauces. Like many Italian dishes, there is considerable variation in recipes and names across different regions of Italy . I am not sure which region this recipe is from . I did get to know about this wonder dish through the telly . From then , being wanting to give it a try . Finally one fine day started of very nervously , following the recipe that require a little effort but that makes it all the more worth while . Finished boiling the gnocchi and had to make a sauce now . I didn’t want to make the usual tomato or cheese based sauce that I make for pasta or any Italian dishes . Came across a recipe that used pumpkins and mushrooms with burnt butter and sage with gnocchi . Loved the idea and went ahead by omitting the pumpkin and substituting sage with mixed herbs . Though it looks and sounds less pretentious , works surprisingly well with all the elements coming together . I guess the butter did the magic here as every thing tastes better with a smear of melted butter . more butter used , more better in taste :-)) The gnocchi’s were soft and moist drunk with the fragrantly herby butter and stock . Every one in the table liked it except my boy , Afzar who missed his cheesy creamy sauce .

Ingredients for potato gnocchi

Ingredients	Quantity
potatoes (washed), peeled, quartered into 4	800 grams
Salt & ground white pepper	to taste
egg lightly whisked	1
plain flour	2 cups ( 300 grams )
finely grated parmesan	1/4 cup ( 20 grams )
Plain flour	little to dust

Method for potato gnocchi

Add enough water to a saucepan to reach a depth of 3cm. Bring to the boil over high heat. Place potato in a metal steaming basket. Place steamer in saucepan (make sure base of steamer doesn’t touch the water).
Steam, covered, for 15 minutes or until tender. (It’s best to steam rather than boil the potato. Boiling can saturate potato with water, which will increase the amount of flour required and result in a heavier gnocchi.) Transfer to a bowl and use a potato masher to mash until smooth.
Season with salt and pepper.Add the egg and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add half the flour and parmesan and stir until combined.
Add the remaining flour, in 2 more batches, until well combined and a firm dough forms. (If dough is too soft, add more flour.) Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll 1 portion into a 2cm-diameter log about 30cm long.
Use a lightly floured knife to cut into 2cm pieces. Repeat with remaining dough portions.
Lightly flour your hands and roll each piece of dough into a ball. Use your thumb to roll each ball over a floured fork. Place on tray.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil over medium heat. Add one-quarter of gnocchi (drop onto base of pan in a single layer, but don’t overcrowd as they can stick together) and cook for 3 minutes or until they rise to the surface.
Use a slotted spoon to drain and transfer to a bowl. Cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat, in 3 more batches, with the remaining gnocchi.

Mushroom herby Brown Butter ingredients

ingredients	Quantity
butter	4 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons extra
Mixed dried herbs	(basil , oregano , thyme , rose Mary , dill and sage) -2 pinches each ,
Maggi chicken stock	1 cube
olive oil	1 tablespoon
sliced mushrooms	250 grams
Grated Parmesan cheese	for serving

Method for mushroom herby brown butter

Melt 2 tablespoons butter with olive oil in large skillet then add mushrooms. Sauté until tender and cooked down. Remove and set aside .
Heat remaining butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until melted.
Add mixed dried herbs and continue cooking until butter turns a clear, dark amber, being careful not to burn.Add chicken stock cube to butter along with 1/4 cup warm water .
Bring to boil . Add drained gnocchi to skillet with butter and stock, tossing to coat evenly.Add cooked mushroom slices, tossing to coat evenly.
Season with salt ( be careful with salt as butter and the stock cube contains a lot of salt ) and pepper, and top with grated Parmesan cheese . Serve hot .

Notes

These gnocchi’s stay moist and soft even the next day if kept in the fridge and heated in the microwave .
The shape of my gnocchi’s are a bit different Than the regular shape as I didn’t get the original form of rolling with a fork right so just went ahead with what I felt comfortable with .
Make sure not to over crowd the gnocchi’s while boiling them . Boil them in 3-4 batches .
I used a little chilli flakes as well to spike up the herby butter sauce a bit . It’s optional and your choice to add or omit this ingredient

Creamy chicken pie

Preparation Time : 40 minutes

Cooking Time : 1 hour – 20 minutes

Serving : 8 members

Description

Hi Ma’am,I am Akhila Mohandas. I like your recipes so much, as it always uses ingredients available at home.I like the way you explain the method which motivates us to try the recipe.Had tried many of your recipes.Just want to thank you for all the recipes.Another request is to post any Pie recipe.you are doing an excellent job.Cheers!!!Thank you once again.
I have never made a pie before . So had my doubts about the dish . Went through a couple of recipes and finally stuck to the one I am posting today with a bit of ingredients added to the pastry and chicken sauce . Started to feel quite confident as the pastry was something similar to the quiche de Lorraine pastry method which I bake very often . Finished and all ready to bake the pie . Found the pie to look so bland and ordinary .came up with an idea to use my fondant cutters to create a pattern on the top of the pie with attention to detail . My quest to use my fondant cutters was also put to use finally . The pie looked and tasted awesome . A big thumbs up from hubby dear also that brought a board smile on my face :-)) . I religiously follow the motto of ” the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach ” .

Ingredients for the pastry

Ingredients	Quantity
chicken (boneless, cooked and diced )	1/4 kg
refined flour / maida	2 cups heaped
butter	3/4 cup / 90 grams
vinegar	1 teaspoon
cold milk	1/4 cup
salt	1-4 teaspoon
baking powder	1 teaspoon
slightly beaten egg white or milk to glaze the pie	1 tablespoon

Ingredients for the chicken sauce

Ingredients	Quantity
Boneless Chicken ( diced and cooked along with ginger + garlic paste	1/4 kg
Ginger + garlic paste	1/4 teaspoon , ( for chicken )
milk	2 cups
refined flour	2 tablespoons
butter	1 tablespoon
salt	to taste
Chilli flakes	to taste
White pepper	to taste
Mixed dried herbs( oregano , thyme ,rosemary , dill , basil )	a pinch of each

Method

Preheat oven to 325 degree F / 160 degree Celsius . Mix the butter, refined flour, vinegar, cold milk , salt and baking powder and knead lightly into soft dough using little water if required and keep aside covered in the refrigerator for 20 minutes .
Heat and Melt butter, add refined flour, saute a little and add the milk very gradually, stirring vigorously all the time.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes, add the salt, white pepper , chilli flakes , dried herbs and chicken. Mix well and boil till a thick gooey saucy consistency is obtained . Add a little more milk if the sauce gets too thick .
Roll out a little more than half the dough about 1/4 cm (1/8″) thick and cover the base and the sides of the pie dish. Prick with a fork and fill it with the chicken white sauce mixture.
Roll out the other portion of the dough, wet the edges, and cover the pie, pressing the edges together, to seal.
Prick with a fork( I decorated with leaves all around and the Center with the rolled dough cut into leaf shapes with a help of a fondant cutter ) glaze the surface with the beaten egg white or milk and bake in a pre-heated oven for about 45-60 minutes or until golden.( my oven took 60 minutes ) tadaa mouth watering creamy chicken pie is ready .
Cut into wedges and Serve warm as it is .vegetarians can substitute with a veggi filling .
Chicken filling can be substituted with mutton , fish , or a combination of mushrooms or green peas added along with chicken .