Oats Haleem (Pure Veg)

hey fnds...

last year when my sister got her wisdom tooth extracted i was in a fix, not because of the procedure, but due to the fact that my sister does'nt like soft food. i mean she was gud with liquid diet, but wanted something tasty and healthy. i searched over the internet but could'nt find any recipe matching upto my sisters expectations, so i invented this recipe.

Its called Oats Haleem, and its purely vegetarian and healthy. So here it comes...

Oats Haleem

Ingredients

Quick oats-1 cup

Chana dal- 1 cup (boiled and ground to a paste)

Onion-3(med size)-sliced

Lemon juice-2tbsp

Salt-as required

Red chilli powder-1/2tsp(optional)

Pudina-1 bunch-finely chopped

Coriander-1 bunch finely chopped

Tomatoes-2 finely chopped

Green chillies-2 thinly sliced

Ginger-Garlic paste-1 tbsp

Haldi-1/4 tsp

Oil-2 tsp

Garam masala powder-2 tbsp

Water-2 cups

Method

• Dry roast the oats for 2 minutes, keep aside.
• Heat 1tsp oil and roast 2 sliced onions till golden brown. Keep aside
• Heat the remaining oil and add green chillies, saute for a minute, then add the remaining one sliced onion, saute till onion turns light pink, then add ginger-garlic paste, pudina, half of garam masala powder. Cook for a minute.
• Add tomatoes, coriander and cook till the tomatoes become tender.
• Add chana dal paste, oats, lemon juice, remaining garam masala powder, red chilli powder, haldi, salt and water.
• Cook on medium flame for about 7-8 minutes.
• Garnish with the sauted golden brown onions, and a pudina leaf.
• Serve hot.

Happy cooking.... :) :)

Desert Roses

hey frnds...
about 2 moths bak, one of my sisters frnd came home, as the time was post dinner, i could'nt offer her dinner or tea. she is very fond of chocolates, but i dint wanna give her chocolates the usual way, so i made this recipe. its called "Desert Roses". its easy and is ready in just 8 minutes (to be precise).
so here comes the recipe.

Desert Roses


Ingredients


150 gms- chocolate (preferably dairy milk)
200 gms- corn flakes


Method

• Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (take a pan with water, let it boil, keep another pan with chocolate over it) and melt the chocolate on simmer.
• Mix the cornflakes in the chocolate until all of the cornflakes are covered in chocolate.
• Make small dumplings of the mixture and place it in a plate, and let them set in the freezer for 4 minutes.
• Serve them.

Happy Cookin :) :)

Guava Spritzer

hey frnds....
few days bak my mum bought guavas, but unlucky for me, i caught severe cold and cough, so could'nt have it.
as luck would have it guests were about to arrive and i had run out of options as to wat to give them to drink, so i looked up to a new recipe using guavas to make a drink, and luckily i found one. 
so here comes the recipe. its called Guava spritzer.

Guava Spritzer



Ingredients


2 large guavas
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp ginger (adrak) juice



Method

• Wash and cut the guavas into large cubes.
• Place these in a saucepan along with the sugar and 1½ cups of water.
• Bring to a boil and simmer till the guavas are tender.
• Cool completely and pure in a blender.
• Add the ginger juice and lemon juice and mix well. Store refrigerated in sterilized bottle till required.
• To serve, fill half a glass with the pulp, top up with chilled water/soda and ice-cubes.

Home Made Bread

hey frnds....
i thot making bread requires expertise, but when i made it, it was quite an easy task, but a little patience is required, coz the process is lengthy. So here comes the recipe.

Amish White Bread


Ingredients

2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups bread flour



Directions

• In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
• Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Spicy Tomato Soup

hey frnds...
i know its been a long tym, but here's a new recipe which i made 2day, its a tomato soup with a twist, its little spicy, hence i would like 2 call it "SPICY TOMATO SOUP".
its the one i made for my mom for mother's day. so here comes the recipe.

Ingredients:-

basil-tulsi springs-2
butter-2 tbsp
cumin seeds-1 tsp
food color red-pinch (optional)
garlic pods-4
bellpepper-1
ground pepper-1 tsp
coriander leaves-1/2 bunch
onion-1/2 small
salt  to taste
sugar-1/2 tsp
tomato-4-5


Method:-

• Heat butter in pan add cumin seeds  add garlic , chopped onions, coriander ,bellpepper and saute for few min.
• Add tomatoes and cook till mashed with little water add salt ,sugar and basil, pepper powder.
• Put in a blender and make a fine pure and strain.
• Add butter in a pan add 1 tsp of flour and cook in very slow flame till it is slightly brown add strained puree and add water ,season your soup ,check seasoning ,add cream if you desire
• Serve hot with bread croutons.

happy cooking :)

hey frnds... i know it been a long time since my last post, but now the new post is up, i made butter chicken few days bak, thot of uploading the recipe, so here it is...

Butter Chicken - Murg Makhani

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 kg boneless chicken skin removed
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder (adjust to suit your taste)
• 6 cloves
• 8-10 peppercorns
• 1" stick of cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 8-10 almonds
• Seeds from 3-4 pods of cardamom
• 1 cup fresh yoghurt (must not be sour)
• 3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
• 2 onions chopped
• 2 tsps garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 400g/ 14 oz of chopped tomatoes, ground into a smooth paste in a food processor
• 1/2 litre chicken stock
• 2 tbsps kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 3 tbsps unmelted, soft butter
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves to garnish

• Preparation:

  • Mix the chicken, lime juice, salt and red chilli powder in a large, non-metallic bowl. Cover and allow to marinate for 1 hour.
  • Heat a flat pan or griddle on medium heat and gently roast (stirring frequently) the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves and almonds till they darken slightly. Cool and add the cardamom seeds. Now grind into a coarse powder in a clean, dry coffee grinder.
  • Mix the yoghurt, above whole spice powder (from previous step), coriander, cumin and turmeric powders together and add them to the chicken. Allow to marinate for another hour.
  • Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat. When hot, add the onions. Fry till a pale golden brown in color and then add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry for a minute.
  • Add only the chicken from the chicken-spice mix and fry till sealed (chicken will turn opaque and the flesh will go from pink to whitish in color).
  • Now add the tomato paste, chicken stock, kasuri methi and remaining part of the yogurt-spice mix to the chicken.
  • Cook till the chicken is tender and the gravy is reduced to half its original volume.
  • Melt the butter in another small pan and then pour it over the chicken.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Naan and Kaali Daal.
  • For an authentic and traditional cooked-over-the-coals flavour: When the Butter Chicken is cooked, make a small bowl shape with aluminum foil and place it on top of the curry ('floating' on it). Heat a briquette of charcoal on an open flame till red hot and gently put the charcoal in to the aluminum foil bowl. Cover the dish immediately. Remove the cover just before serving, discard the foil bowl and charcoal and serve. The curry will be infused with a smokey flavor!

MOCHA CHOCO CHIP MUFFINS

Lately, I’ve been bitten by the baking bug.Today, I baked a batch of Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffins.These addictive muffins have a subtle flavor of coffee and a pronounced taste of chocolate.

Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Preparation: 10 mts, Baking: 20 mts

Makes approx 16-18 medium size muffins

.

Ingredients:

2 cup flour (maida)

1 cup sugar + 2 tbsps

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee pwd

1 1/2 tbsps cocoa pwd

2/3 cup low fat milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

3/4 cup chocolate chips

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
2 In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking pwd and salt. Use a whisk to combine. Set aside.
3 In another bowl melt the butter and while its still warm, stir in coffee pwd and cocoa pwd.
4 In another bowl, mix eggs, milk and vanilla.
5Add the egg mixture and butter mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
6 Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin liners till three-fourths full. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7 Place on a wire rack to cool and remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note:

To make it eggless replace the eggs with a large mashed banana and 3 tbsps yogurt.

THEY TASTE YUMMILICIOUS, happy cooking, njoi... :) :)

Cheese Cake

hey frnds.... 
just as i mentioned in m last post, i tried paneer for the first tym, i still had some paneer left.
i love sweet dishes but dint kno wat to make with paneer, then an idea was given by my sis- CHEESE CAKE. 
hmmm... i really like 'em, and the other nyt i desperately wanted to have it, but could'nt go outside, coz it was 1.00 am, so thot y not i make it for myself, and thus made it, it was a gud try, and the cake was finished in an hour, and then i made it again the following morning. so here's the recipe.....

CHEESE CAKE


Ingredients
Crust

2 cups (approxiamtely 250 grams) finely ground marie biscuits
1/2 cup (1 stick/4 oz./113g) unsalted butter, melted 
1/4 cup powdered sugar


Filling 

450gms paneer (at room temperature) 
1 cup powdered sugar 
Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon 
2 tsp. vanilla extract 
4 eggs, separated 
1/2 cup  heavy cream 


Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20cm) tin (preferably with a removable base) with oil.

To Make the Crust: 
In a mixing bowl, combine the marie biscuits powder, sugar and the melted butter with a fork until evenly moistened. Spoon the biscuit mixture into the prepared tin and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Chill crust in refrigerator until ready to fill. 

To Make the Filling: 
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute, until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined, then beat in cream. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the strained lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. Beat until well combined and the mixture is light and fluffy (the batter should be well combined but not overmixed). 

Using clean electric beaters or a balloon whisk, whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Using a large metal spoon, fold beaten egg whites into cream cheese mixture until just combined. 

Pour the mixture into the chilled crust. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until just set in the center. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours to overnight to set. Remove 30 minutes before serving.
Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry after each cut.




TIP-Do not overbeat the mixture as it may lead to cracks on the surface.
As far as the over baking of cheesecakes goes, this is a common problem as it is difficult to know when a cheesecake is done. 
The thing to remember is that you want the cheesecake to be firm but, if you shake the pan gently, it should still wobble a little, and the center will still look a little wet. 
For even though the center may not look fully baked, once it cools it will firm up and be the correct consistency.



Cheesecakes are cakes that should not to be eaten straight away as they need to cool and then be refrigerated for several hours, preferably overnight, so the flavors have time to blend and the texture becomes nice and firm.



Happy cooking... :) :) :)

Paneer Tikka

hey frnds... the other day when i was in supermarket my mom asked me to get paneer, i got it, but i dint make any recipes till now with paneer, so i was confused as to wat i shud make, my mom suggested for paneer tikka, tho it was first time, i did try it and that too without oil, and my mom finished within minutes. hope u like them too, so here's the recipe...

PANEER TIKKA


Ingredients
2 cups paneer , cut into 50 mm (2") cubes
1/2 cup capsicum cut into 50 mm. (2") pieces
1/2 cup onion, cut into 50mm (2") pieces
1/2 cup hung curd
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp kasuri methi
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp tandoori masala
salt to taste


Method
Combine the curds, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli powder, chaat masala, kasuri methi, garam masala, tandoori masala, coriander, and salt and mix well to prepare a marinade.
Add the paneer and capsicum to it and keep aside for 15 minutes.
Thread the marinated paneer, capsicum, and onion in a combination of your choice.
Cook the tikka on a non-stick pan, turning sides every minute, just for about 4-5 minutes.
Serve hot with raita or mint chutney.




TIP- Do not cook the paneer for more than 5 minutes, coz it will result in rubbery paneer.
U can cook the tikka directly over the stove/burning coal-gives a smoky taste.

Rich Bread & Butter Pudding

hey frnds...
i got this recipe from sethna maam, she's the one who taught me the basics of baking. seriously watever iam baking these days is due the basics taught by her and this recipe was given by her, so thot y not give it a try...
so i tried it and the result was very yummmmyyyy... so here's the recipe..

RICH BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Ingredients

White bread-8 slices

Butter- 50gms

Dried mixed fruit, soaked in juice of 1 orange- 50 gms

Milk-300ml

Cream-150ml

Powdered sugar- 50gms

Egg yolks-4

Brown (demerera) sugar- 1tbsp

Vanilla essence- 2tsp

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Lightly grease a medium sized baking tray.

Remove the crusts from the bread with a knife. Butter one side of the bread and cut each slice into 4 triangles.

Strain the mixed fruit reserving the juice. Arrange the bread, buttered side up, in the prepared dish. Sprinkle the fruit between the layers.

Put the milk, cream, powdered sugar, reserved orange juice, vanilla essence and egg yolks into a mixing bowl. Beat well until blended. Sprinkle the demerera sugar over the bread. Pour the sauce evenly over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden brown on top. 

Serve warm with cream or ice-cream.

Njoi............ :) :)

Chocolate Muffins

hey frnds....
i have some cuzins who r really young and who like foods like muffins, chocolates, cakes etc...
i dint want to make cakes or chocolates, coz they are a laborious process 2 do, so i wanted 2 do something simple yet tasty and which the kids will like.
i chanced upon this recipe in  some of the collections of recipes i had, thot y not give it a try...
and i did give it a try and they came out really well.. so here's the recipe....

CHOCOLATE MUFFINS


Ingredients


Maida-1 3/4 cups
Brown sugar- 1 1/4 cups
Cocoa powder- 2/3 cup
Baking powder- 1 tsp
Soda- 1 tsp
Salt- 1/2 tsp
Chocolate chips- 1 cup
Mix all these ingredients in a bowl, use fingers to crumble if any lumps are present.


Eggs-2
Buttermilk- 1cup (can b replaced with 1cup milk +1tbsp lemon juice/vinegar)
Vanilla essence- 2tsp
Melted white butter-1/2 cup.


Method
Pre heat the oven at 180 degrees C.
In another bowl take eggs and whisk them for a minute, add the buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter. whisk all of them again for a minute.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Fold in lightly.
Bake it for 20 min.


TIP- If u dont have chocolate chips u can add two regular bars of grated cadbury dairy milk chocolate(10 rs. ones).
To check if its done, u will be able to see cracks on the top of the muffins.


Happy cooking :) :)
Njoi.....