paneer pakoda, just in time

I never realized that i could use the left over things from fridge to dish up some good evening snack stuff.
The previous day, i had prepared few onion rings dipped in gram flour. And the gram flour batter remained a little. To use this up, i add some garam masala (Any garam masala or chat masala or even pani puri masala!!!) to it an dipped few 1 inch cubes of fresh store bought paneer into it and deep fried it till golden brown. To my surprise, the paneer was tender and succulent in the middle of the fried batter. Just in time for a snack with tea/coffee.

Was appreciated way too much!

one way to prove, Old is gold!

tc,
N:astro

cold coffee... in just a minute

Yes, You heard me right... In just a minute.... Don you dare think of placing an order in Starbucks!

Its just made at home.

Milk - 2/3 glass
water - 1/3 glass
instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
sugar - 2 tsp
ice cubes - desired number and shape

I have an ice tray that produces heart shaped ice cubes! So, its always a pleasure to use them, let it be cold coffee, just a mixed bowl of fruits or rose milk.

Take a glass, fill it with milk, water, sugar and add coffee powder. I am talking about chilled plain milk here. Dash in few ice cubes and lo, here u go.... avoided the pain in your ass 'cos of travelling to a nearby Starbucks.

tc,
N:astro

tea time snack, bhakarwadi

This is a Marathi dish.. I know, i m not great at handling such heavy projects... That day, i wanted to send some home made delicacies to a close relative of ours. I decide, i shall send something thats dry and does not mess up during the courier.

Instant thought in my mind was Bhakarwadi. I was sure she would not have even heard of it, let alone taste it. With no second thoughts in my mind, i took up the project by a small research of 10 minutes. Though i did not have the essential ingredient - poppy seeds, i still decided to make do with sesame seeds alone.

Here is the recipe.

All you need
1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Gram flour (Besan) - 2 cups
3. Green chillies - 5 finely chopped
4. Ginger - 1 inch finely chopped
5. Fresh coriander - a handful finely chopped
6. Red chilly powder - 3 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
8. Cumin seeds - 3 tsp
9. Grated coconut - 1 cup
10. Sesame seeds - 100gms
11. Salt to taste
12. Sugar - 5 tsp
13. Oil for frying and making dough
14. Asafoetida - 2 pinch
15. Tamarind pulp - 1 tsp


Start with the dough.
Mix wheat and gram flour with 50ml of oil, 1 tsp of salt, a pinch of asafoetida. Use required amount of water, spoon by spoon, to ensure you finally end up with a very tough dough.
set aside and get back to making the filling for the dish.

Dry roast Grated coconut, sesame seeds, green chilly, ginger, fresh coriander and cumin seeds. Cool the mixture and blend them to a fine powder. Add red chilly powder, a pinch of asafoetida, salt needed, sugar, tamarind, coriander powder. This needs a very little water to make it into a paste that will not ooze out of the place where its stuffed.

Take a big enough chunk of dough and roll it to a pan cake shape, with a rolling pin, to an inch thick. Keep a hand full of the filling and try to roll the dough into a flute like shape, but very very tightly. Cut this flute into an inch thick pieces and deep fry them to golden brown in oil.
Dry the excess oil on a tissue and ready to go now....You can store in an air tight container and save it for a week's time!


tc,
N:astro

Summer cool spl "Vendhaya kanji aka Thengai kanji"

This one is especially during summer - those harsh sunny sweaty days, where body heat considerably increases thus affecting the normal functioning of the system - dehydration. When u excessively sweat or feel dry, then go for this cooling kanji, which has no chilly in it; Though it can be taken with either pickle or chutni as an accompaniment for those who cant stay away from spicy food.

This one reminds me of so many things in the past. I used to run away from the very sight of this dish, saying it tastes "Yuk", unaware of the goodness that it carried. Now, when i fell sick due to excessive feast during the first week of my marriage, this one came to my rescue - guess who prepared it for me? U get no points for guessing - my mom in law! cool... right.... yeah, like the dish, she too is one cool of a woman!

Simple, yet so elegant.

Ingredients:
1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Garlic - 5 cloves
3. Salt to taste
4. Coconut milk - 1 cup
5. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp


Take a pressure pan, add 1 cup rice :2 cups of water, finely chopped garlic, fenugreek seeds. Cook this for around 3-4 whistles, till it gets mashed and looks like a kanji - porridge. Now, into this mixture, add a cup of coconut ilk and little water according to your needs. Dash in the salt to taste.

Enjoy this either with sugar or as it is, with any chutni or pickle.

tc,
N:astro

double spicy "Pepper Mutton fry"

As the name suggests, the main ingredient is pepper here! I have purposely named it this way. This is an easy recipe. And a healthy onee as it involves lot of pepper and a very little red chilly powder(If desired!).

Without much writing, there it goes.

All you need:
1. Mutton or lamb - chopped into 1 inch cubes - 1 lb
2. Pepper corns - 30
3. Garlic - 1 pod ( around 10 cloves)
4. Turmeric - 1 pinch
5. Red chilly powder - 1/4 tsp
6. Onion - 1/2 finely chopped
7. Shallots - 20
8. Tomato - 1/2 finely chopped
9. Lemon - 1/2 (juice extracted)
10. Whole garam masala - 2 bay leaf, 2 clove, 2 star anise, 2 inch cinnamon
11. Salt to taste
12. Oil for frying
13. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp


Pressure cook the mutton with water, and whole garam masala added to it; add a pinch of slat and turmeric. Cook it for 6 whistles.
The stock if remains in excesses can be slightly seasoned with fennel seeds and taken as soup, which i tend to do. Else, keep the stock as less as possible. Use it while cooking this recipe.

Cut shallots into half.Crush the garlic and pepper into a coarse paste.
Heat oil in a wok or a pan with a wide mouth. Add the whole garam masala, cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add garlic pepper paste, shallots and onion and fry them till they are soft. Add tomatoes and cook it for 5 minutes. Now add red chilly powder and a little of the stock. Let t cook for 2 minutes. Its time now to throw in the meat and salt. Allow it to cook until the stock evaporates leaving beside, just the right amount of gravy. Add the lemon juice and serve it. It will go well with dosa, chapathi and rice too.

tc,
N:astro

sweetest of sweets : Puran poli / Obbattu

All these days i would just imagine myself doing Puran Poli and indulging in all of them on my own without offering it to anyone! In fact, used to keep dreaming about it all through my college days when most of my classmates used to bring these after Ugadi festival. And, lo, You got it right. I snatch it from every possible person and eat/hog them!

A very sweet memory of this dish is that my friend Vara, made all the effort and spent a day in making these delicacies for me - specially and brought them to college. And i took them to a cricket ground, so that i can avoid those "Evil" eyes on my stomach's capabilities and the passion that I had for these yummy sweeeeeet chapathis. Those days are still fresh in my mind. What friendship....lovely...And as days/years passed, we got married and moved on to different places in the world.

Here is the recipe.
1. Plain flour - 2 cups
2. Turmeric - 1 pinch (Poli's if desired in Yellow color)
3. Salt - 1 pinch
4. Rice flour - 1 tsp
5. Semolina (Rava) - 1 tsp
6. Oil - 3 tsp
7. Split chickpeas (Channa dal) - 1 1/2 cup
8. Jaggery - 2 big blocks
9. cardamom - 10
10. Sugar - 5 tsp
11. Oil for shallow frying and dipping fingers


Boil the channa dal till it is firm but completely boiled and soft.It should be mashed when u apply little pressure keeping a morsel between thumb and forefinger.
Now, when hot, dry the dal on a paper towel to remove any possible moisture from it. Grind it to a fine powder. Put this powder in tava and add jaggery to it. Keep stirring, so that the mixture becomes a paste, since jaggery melts when heated.

Powder cardamom and sugar. Need not worry about the skin of cardamom. it will get crushed, when ground with sugar.
Add this to the channa dal mixture. Mix it and allow it to cool.

Mix plain flour, rice flour and semolina with salt and 3 tsp oil. Make it into a soft dough.

Make a ball of the sweet channa dal mixture and another ball which is half the size , from the plain flour dough. Grease a butter paper or any plastic paper with oil and also grease your fingers. Place the plain flour ball and press it into a pan cake and place the sweet ball and pull the outer pan cake such that it covers the sweet ball. Now press this into a thin layered chapathi. Heat the pan and cook it on the pan with a tsp of oil. Cook it until slightly brown on either side.

Enjoy it for a cup of tea, as an evening snack.

Note: Make it in the size of a palm, so that you can just lift it off the plate and have it with ease. Its easy to make in smaller shape, as well.

tc,
N:astro

Lamb Biryani - seems I have beaten Adi's Tandoor

I wonder how could my hubby tell this "Oh dearest, this is the BEST of all Biryanis i have ever eaten; You rock; You have certainly beaten Adi's Tandoor"! I cannot believe it. I agree he appreciates every dish i cook, let alone this. Even if its a humble idli or dosa, he makes it a point to make me realize that my efforts have not gone waste. I get appreciation much more than what I expected and for what reasons I expected. I am lucky, i must say. Touch wood.

I prepared this, very quickly, of course all credits to my SWEETHEART hubby, who helped me sail through the chopping and cleaning (lamb and other vegetables) session in no time. He chopped onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic. Cleaned the meat and did whatever possible he could do except venturing into the real cooking. I am grateful to him for equal effort.

Here is the recipe

1. Lamb - 1 lb (just for two of us)
2. Rice - preferably Basmati - 2 cups
3. Shahi Jeera - 3 tsp
4. Cardamom - 5
5. Nutmeg - 2
6. Mace - few pieces
7. Cinnamon - half an inch
8. Bay leaf - 1
9. Oil for frying
10. Ghee or clarified butter - 3 tsp (for greasing pan)
11. Onion - 2 finely chopped
12. Tomatoes - 2 finely chopped
13. green chilly - 5 slit
14. Ginger garlic fresh or paste - 2 tsp
15. Garam masala - 1tsp (I use Shan mutton masala)
16. cilantro - 1 bunch
17. Lemon - 2 sliced
18. Salt to taste
19. Milk - 2 tsp
20. Food color - 1 pinch
21. Yogurt - 1 scoop
22. Turmeric - 2tsp


Marinade a pinch of salt, 2 tsp of lemon juice, yogurt and a pinch of turmeric with the lamb and keep it aside for an hour. Wash and soak rice for an hour too.

Take a large mouthed vessel and add 5 cups of water to it. let it boil. Add a tsp of shahi jeera, a cardamom and bay leaf. Add few drops of oil and salt, such that the water is salty. Now put the soaked rice into it and cook the rice to 50%. Remove from fire and use a colander to drain the rice.

Now, heat oil in a heavy bottom pan ,rather a pressure cooker, add cardamom, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, shahi jeera and cloves. Roast till hey emanate the flavor. Add in the chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and fry till the onion is slightly brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chilly and cook till soft. Add chilly powder, trumeric, garam masala, salt and fry. Add cilantro and little lemon juice to it. Add the marinade into this and pour 2 glasses of water. Pressure cook this for 6 whistles! This is a must, cos, the meat will only then be cooked till soft.

Now, open the cooker and let the mixture boil to a thick paste.

Take a oven proof pan, grease it with ghee and layer it with rice and this thick mutton gravy alternately.. On top, make suer there is a layer of rice. Mix the food color with milk and pour it on the top layer. Place lemon slices and bake this for 30 minutes on 300 degree Fahrenheit.

Serve it hot with raita. One part of Plain yogurt mixed with 3 parts of water , a pinch of salt and garam masala sprinkled will do the magic for an accompaniment!

Have a great Biryani time.

tc,
N:astro

quack quack quack.... I love the species

This is my new found interest. These birds are cute.... Especially the young ones.... I do not have the courage to buy living ones or patience to go behind them take care and roam around doing their chores!

So, I chose to settle of these lovely tiny yellowy reddy, wide mounthed, quacky wacky creatures - yep, ducks and ducklings... Oh, the name itself brings so much happiness in me. :)

I still remember, when talking to my then fiancé (Now hubby!) about the things i liked. This one just fell in place for both of us and we could not believe that we both were very fond of these birds and what they symbolize(Every bird symbolizes a peculiar characteristic). This one does not bring great fortune, but loving a duck means "You are trying to be happy on the surface, but deep inside , you are struggling to meet the requirements to stay afloat".... Oh, what a thought. We both had the same understanding of duck.

But, in reality, people think it symbolizes "Honesty, Simplicity, Faithfulness , Light and Being ready to take on a job that is given - forever ready". This aside, I just found out in an article that a Yellow rubber duck represents "Peace" to Jewish people!

Oh my, how many things i was unaware of. I am happy to know that these creatures are not left behind, in spite of being very sensitive and shy. When I write this, i am reminded of the days spent with my sister. She used to work in a site, where they had pool and a herd of ducklings. Everyday, we would sit down to make sure that we discussed what happened to them, how did they respond, what they ate, how they swam, what not! during our free time. Lol... I feel so funny now. But it was very sad to know that these creatures were dead in a few days' time as they were not taken care of properly. :((

I simply love them. I am posting a picture of the rubber ducks that I have collected till now.

tc,
N:astro

Yummy Chocolate blacberry Cake

I messed it the first time, i tried to bake. I got feedbacks like "I know what is this, its called Halwa na?"... Uff.... I was tired of hearing/getting such comments from my hubby's colleagues.... I felt like just kicking them!

Anyway, it is my mistake, cos i did not bake a cake, but a halwa! :(

Now, I made my mind up and used the ingredients in the right way. Here it goes....

All you need:
1. All purpose flour - 2 cups (250gms)
2. Powdered sugar - same amount as flour
3. Cocoa powder (unsweetened) - 2 tsp
4. Butter - 100gms
5. Cooking oil - just to grease pan
6. Almonds - slivered - 1 fist
7. Black berries - 5-6 fresh, cut into halves
8. Baking soda/powder - 1 tsp
9. Pure vanilla extract - 1 tsp
10. Eggs - 3


Beat the eggs, butter and sugar. Blend them well. Add flour into it, and keep blending it. Add cocoa powder, baking soda and vanilla extract and blend it without any lumps. It is quite tedious if you plan to do with a ladle manually. Use a hand blender if you have one.

Once blended, add the chopped nuts (Not only almonds, you can bring in any nut, except coconut!!!) and the fresh berries in to the batter. Grease the oven proof pan with cooking oil and pour the batter into it.

Place it in the oven at 400degree Fahrenheit and bake it for about 30 minutes or till a spoon/knife comes out clean when dipped into it.

Serve it hot or cold as you like. This is more of a tea cake. You can even make icing with butter, sugar and cocoa powder with orange or lemon zest.

tc,
N:astro

Jeera Rice - 2011 New Year's eve Menu - Item 2

I learnt from an article that Jeera rice is a great accompaniment to Malai Kofta, since this dish is easy to cook and Malai Kofta takes most of your preparation time.

So I decided, after being exhausted by cooking Malai Kofta, that i shall prepare something very simple, even if it meant plain white rice!!! My sweetheart jumped as soon as he heard Jeera Rice. So, not to disappoint him, i ventured into this one too.

I have always cooked this rice in a rather simple, not very tasty manner by mixing cooked white rice with season cumin and cilantro. But this way, the rice will not be completely flavored by the Shahi Jeera used.

The simplest of all variety rice is this. Go on and try it out. A spicy gravy would go well with it.

Ingredients:
1. Rice - 2 cups (Basmati Rice would prove better)
2. Shahi Jeera (Black cumin or Caraway seeds aka) - 3 tsp
3. Salt to taste
4. Cilantro - 5 strands - finely chopped
5. Lemon sliced - 2
6. Oil - 2 tsp
7. Milk - 1 tsp
8. Food color - 1 pinch


Clean and wash the rice and soak it for 15 minutes. Take a big vessel, with a lid. Add oil, season it with shahi jeera and cilantro. Fill it with 4 cups of water. The ratio of rice and water is 1:2.Bring it to boil. Add salt to taste. Now add the soaked rice. Put on the lid and allow it to cook till the rice is fluffy and soft but not mashed. Now turn off the gas. MIx the food color in the milk and pour it on top of the cooked rice. Place lemon slices on it.

Its DONE! ready to serve.

tc,
N:astro

Malai Kofta - 2011 New Year's eve Menu - Item 1

I have always heard that dishing this up is a tedious process and the scary part is "Not everyone (Especially, a newbie)can make the kofta, in the right texture, without kofta crumbling into pieces either while deep frying or in the gravy". But I decided that i shall definitely try it, to make my first New Year post wedding, a special one. Do or Die situation!

I was amidst preparation using paneer and vegetables, i heard the calling bell ring! Lo, to my surprise it was my sweetheart at the door, who came in screaming that they had let him go soon to celebrate New Year!

Now, getting back to the Kofta and Malai, this is how I prepared it.

Ingredients:
1. Paneer - crumbled - 1 cup
2. carrot - 2 - finely chopped and boiled
3. Beans - 10 in # - finely chopped and boiled
4. Potatoes - 3 - boiled and mashed
5. Chilly powder - 3 tsp
6. Pepper powder - 1 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Milk - 1 cup
9. Onion - 1 finely chopped
10. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
11. Tomatoes - 1 finely chopped
12. Cilantro - 1 bunch finely chopped
13. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
14. Oil - for deep frying and cooking gravy


Take the vegetables and squeeze the water out of the boiled vegetables. They should be as dry as possible, so that the Kofta comes out properly into any shape (Oval, Round or bullet). Mix the crumbled Paneer, mashed potatoes and the squeezed vegetables; add 1 tsp of chilly powder, pepper powder, salt to taste. Roll them on a tsp of all purpose flour to make sure there is no moisture left on it.

Now make them into balls, deep fry them in oil until they turn golden brown. Keep them aside.
Now lets make the Gravy. Heat oil in a wok, add onion, garlic, ginger and tomatoes and fry until they are soft. Add the rest of the chilly powder , 1 tsp of turmeric and salt to taste. To avoid getting charred, use a cup of water. Let it come to boil. Turn the gas off and let this mixture cool. Blend this mixture to a paste.

Heat the wok, add a tsp of oil. Allow a tsp of cumin seeds to splutter. Add the paste to it and let it come to a boil. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes. Add 1 cup of milk to it. Aloow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Now, just before dropping the Kofta, sprinkle the chopped cilantro and a pinch of garam masala. Turn off the gas.

Kofta will absorb the gravy even without being cooked. Allow it as it is for 5-10 minutes before serving!

tc,
N:astro

Blogging it late, I Cracked the test!!!

In my last post of 2010 year, I had written about how it meant when i was declared failed at the driving test. But i decided, the very next day I am not letting this go this way. So, i got up very early on the 31st of December and joined the queue in the DMV office. Waited in the queue for an hour(Of course, my ever supportive hubby too accompanied me :) ) and took the test once again.
This time, i did not leave even a bit of chance to take me for granted. All I did, was to solve as many test papers I could, ranging from year 2000 to year 2010 test papers, that were posted online the whole of previous day - the day I failed. It gave me so much of energy and enthusiasm to crack it. I was brushing myself, all through the waiting session.

I Briskly walked to the counter and took the paper to start answering. All i did, was not to repeat the mistake of answering every question by just glancing at it. I went through the questions word by word clear this time and decided to mark the BEST option out of the 3 choices given. This way, i could mark most of the answers with patience and by understanding the situation as stated in the question. Also i had skipped those questions for which i did not know/was unsure of the answers. After finishing all other questions, i came back to the ones that I had skipped. Re read them , imagined myself undergoing such situations and marked the answers which I thought were close to true.

And submitted my paper for grading. My hubby was just trying to meet eyes with me, to ask, how confident I am with the test this time. I simply nodded my head, as to "I am good!" and there the grading officer came with a bland sentence "You passed, your temporary license is attached; apply for driving test"....Oh my Gawwwd.... I was waiting to hear this from 2 days..... Uff, now, relieved from the tag of being failed, i moved out of the office, running to hug my sweetheart! He was too delighted
as much as I was.....

Happy ending.. Oh, not yet, I still have to give my driving test.

Wishing myself good luck, yet again,
Successful gurl forever!!!

Tc,
N:astro

Hurray! Its 1-1-11

Its yet again a new year, with new resolutions, new hopes(Rather hopes renewed!), new wishes and everything new, except hubby! lol.... Just kidding....

This being my 1st new year after wedding makes it much more special and enjoyable. I am very glad that I could celebrate this occasion with him,by cooking a romantic dinner on the New year's eve, which included "Malai Kofta", "Zucchini Paratha" and "Jeera rice"; on the New Year day, by baking "Chocolate Blackberry (Not the phone but the real berries!) Cake", from scratch; visiting Temple by driving for 4hours, which is actually an hour from home; making "Guacamole" for corn chips; evening "Masala Chai" with "Paneer cutlet"!!!

I cannot go back and imagine having made so many dishes and accumulated so many appreciation from Him and also from a hell lot of true friends, through social networking. I said, i shall blog this and make it more memorable and Lo, here I am trying to pen it down to save it for further years to come. Also, after so many months of my marriage, I got so many second looks in the temple for the attire that i had draped and the confidence that I carried to carry that dress. :)) (The funniest part is, my hubby was keeping an eye on anyone who stared at me!)ha ha ha....

This year has been a truly wonderful year on the very first day itself - That is 1-1-11. Thank God, its the same in both the countries' date formats!

Will post all the recipes that I made (Specified) during these two days with photographs.

Happy New year 2011 to one and all....

tc,
N:astro