Monsoon pakora

With the Rains and the cool breeze, Monsoon is here! it's the time for hot tea and garam garam pakoda (fritters), Makes us all want to sip hot tea while looking at the rain from the window or sitting in the balcony with garam chai pakodi ;) It is one of the most popular , loved and commonly found indian street snack. 

This a Quick & super Easy vegetarian Pakoras/ Pakodas (Indian fritters) method ! :) There are many different kinds of pakoras which are really easy to make.

It goes best with steaming hot tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

• Besan (Chickpea Flour): 1 cup
• khuskhus(poppy seeds): 1 Tsp
• Breadcrumbs: 1 Tbsp
• Red Onion: 1 big
• Green chillies: 3-4 
• Kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves): 2 tsp
• Baking powder: 1 pinch
• Salt and chaat masala: according to your taste
• Oil for frying: 1/4th of frying pan

Procedure:

• Heat oil (around 1/4th the volume of kadai) in a wok / kadai).
• While the oil heats up, Mix all the ingredients well with water so as to make it into a nice & smooth batter and not too runny.
• When the oil is hot reduce the flame and fry these fritters on medium heat by making the fritters by taking 1 spoon of the batter into a round shape or using your hands and drop it into the pan.
• Fry it on both sides till it turns dark golden brown.

SERVE HOT with chutney and hot chai tea.

Video Recipe Link Here:

Bell Peppers Mushroom Sauté

Hello Everyone! It's a late update, Sorry about that :(  

There are so many easy and healthy recipes that I want to share with all of you. We all need to be conscious of our health, No matter how old or young you are! There are so many diet foods in the market and and so many different types of diet plans available these days to lose weight become healthy. But everything doesn't work for everybody. It's not easy to follow such plans But this recipe today is really healthy and mushrooms lower bad cholesterol and cut down fat. Please do try this simple dish out.

Ingredients:

• 1 packet of button mushroom (approx: 250gms)
• 2 medium: sized green bell peppers 
• 2 medium: sized yellow bell peppers
• 50 gms: boiled green peas
• 1 big red onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tsp of Apple cider vinegar.
• 1 tsp of oregano
• 1tsp of rosemary
• 2 tsp of chilly flakes
• 1 tsp of basil 
• 1-2 tbsp of olive oil
• Salt according to your taste. 

Procedure:

• Dice all the vegetables and add salt and apple cider vinegar and mix it together and keep it aside. 
• In a wok or skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the mushrooms and toss it for 2-3 minutes on medium flame.

                            

• Add all the herbs (oregano, chilly flakes, rosemary and basil). You an use dried or fresh herbs, as per your choice. Stir it for a minute

• Then add the marinated vegetables and toss it for 3-5 minutes.

• Now, Add salt and mix it and then turn off the gas.

Don't add the salt before while marinating or cooking as it will release a lot of water from the veggies and it won't taste nice & crispy. No one likes soggy veggies. 

Hope you enjoy this crispy fresh and tasty veggie recipe :)

PS: You can eat this with some melted cheese or butter and some bread (For those who aren't on a diet )

Butter Chicken

My friends and followers have been asking me the recipe of  Indian "Butter chicken" since a very long time. Sorry it took awhile, As I keep experimenting with different cuisines and techniques all the time and other unavoidable reasons

This is an indian delicacy! 

You can make it using the microwave or using the good old stove (or) even both. But for lack of time To make it quick and easy and shorten  the prep time I made it in both in a few simple steps.

I am giving both the procedures separately, You can choose as per your convenience. Enjoy :)

Ingredients:

• Chicken breast:  800 grams
• Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
• Kashmiri Lal mirch powder: 1 tsp (Red pepper powder)
• Salt according to your taste

Marination  Ingredients: 

• Yogurt: 1 cup
• Ginger paste: 2 tbsp
• Garlic paste: 2 tbsp
• Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
• Lemon juice: 2 Tbsp 
• Mustard oil: 2 tbsp
• Butter: 2 Tbsp

Gravy Ingredients:

• Dried fenugreek leaves: 2 Tbsp (kasuri methi)
• Bay leaves: 2
• Melted Butter: 2/3rd cup
• Peppercorns: 10
• Cinnamon sticks: 2 inches
• Green Cardamom: 5  pods
• Cloves: 10
• Ginger paste: 1 tbsp
• Garlic paste 1 tbsp
• Tomato purée: 2 cups (240ml)
• Red chilly powder: 1 tbsp
• Garam masala power: 1/2 tsp
• Honey: 3 tbsp
• Fresh cream: 1 cup
• Salt

Procedure: 

• Clean, skin it and wash the chicken. Cut into medium sized pieces. Make incisions on the pieces and apply the mixture of Kashmiri red chili powder, lemon juice and salt. Leave it for half an hour. 

• Hang the yogurt in a muslin cloth till all water in it drains away. Transfer it in a bowl and add salt, ginger paste, garlic pastes, lemon juice, garam -masala powder, and mustard oil and mix well.
• Apply this marinade to the chicken pieces and mix well. Refrigerate it for 4-5 hours .

You can cook it in a microwave, By:

• Preheating your microwave in convection mode at  200 degree centigrade.
• Otherwise. Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a wok and cook the chicken till the chicken is done. It took almost 30 minutes for me.
• Place the chicken on a roasting (baking) tray / wire rack and cook in preheated oven for 15 minutes or till the chicken is tender. 
• Place kasuri methi on a flat microwave dish and roast on high (full) for 1 minute. Remove and crush with hand.
• Take butter in a deep microwave bowl (borosil or glass) , heat uncovered, for 30 seconds on high mode (100%). 
• Add bay leaves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger paste, garlic paste,
• Stir well and cook it uncovered for 4-5 minutes on high mode. I prefer doing this step using a gas stove since it gets cooked properly in comparison to the microwave.
• Add tomato purée, red chilli powder, Garam masala powder, salt and a cup of water. Cook it on high temp for 10 minutes.
• Add chicken pieces and cook, covered, for 5 minutes on Microwave High.

• Add honey, kasuri methi, fresh cream and cook it uncovered on low temperature (50% power) microwave for 4-5 minutes and serve Hot.

My Way cooking (Using the stove and microwave):

• First add 2 Tbsp of butter in the kadai (wok) then fry the Garam masala ie: (pepper corns, cinnamon. green cardamom, cloves, bay leaves) then add 2 Tbsp of  the ginger & garlic paste and cook in medium flame for about 10 mins.                                     

                                         

• Then add 2 cups of tomato pure, 1 Tbsp of red chilli powder and 1 tsp of garam masala powder and salt according to your taste. Stir it for a while and add a cup of water, cook it for another 10 minutes.

• Now add the marinated chicken and mix it well with the butter gravy. Cook it for another 10-12 minutes until the chicken becomes tender and the gravy thickens. 

• In a separate pan dry roast kasuri methi in a drop of oil and then grind it and keep it aside.

                           

• Transfer the cooked chicken into a deep microwave bowl or continue cooking in kadai (wok) Then add 3 Tbsp of honey, 1 cup of cream. and stir it well and add the kasuri methi from the top. Cook it with the lid on for another 10 minutes and turn off the stove. 

• Cook it on low heat (50% power) uncovered for 5 minutes if you are using the microwave. after adding the above.

        

~Serve hot~

Enjoy!

Strawberry Whipped Cream Chocolate Airfryer Cake

 

Chocolate Cake:

• 180 gm Fine Sugar
• 109 gm All-purpose Flour
• 60 gm Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3/4  tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Large Egg
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Hot Water (I've added some instant coffee mix to make more flavorful)

Directions:

• Preheat the AirFryer at 180°C for 5 minutes.
• In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt).
• Add in the egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract to the dry mixture. Gently stir the mixture to mix it evenly.
• Lastly, add the hot water (you can use plain hot water). Again, gently stir it to make sure the mixture are mix evenly. 
• Don't panic when you see the batter is thinning! It is normal and all good. 
• Pour the mixture into the baking pan and cover the baking with foil and randomly pokes holes on it.
• Place the baking tray in the basket. Adjust the temperature to 160°C and AirBake it for 35 minutes.
• Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes until the skewer comes out clean. Be sure to let it cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. (If you remove the cake before cooling, the cake might fall apart as the cake is very moist and soft)

Cake Icing:

Whipped cream & Strawberries:

• 2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream, Amul heavy cream.
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla flavor.

• Place mixer bowl in freezer for at least 20 minutes to chill.
• Pour heavy whipping cream, ground or fine sugar (1/2 cup or 3 Tbsp) and 3 drops (or) 1/2 tsp of vanilla into the cold bowl.

• Using a hand whisk will take a really long time since this is not whipping cream but fresh Amul heavy cream (It is a low fat cream) Hence it takes more time to whisk until it becomes light and airy.

• Do not over whisk. It took me 20 minutes of whisking with an electric hand whisk. 

• Whisk until the texture is light and airy and you see soft peaks on your whisker. You can whisk until you get the consistency you want for the icing of the cake :)

• Prepare the strawberries before hand,  If the strawberries are sour you can sweeten them by placing the cut strawberries coated with sugar dust or sugar syrup in a bowl overnight, or for a few hours. (I have cleaned the berries, dried them and then coated them with fine sugar and left them in the freezer for a few days prior to baking the cake).

• Coat the entire cake with layers of whipped cream and decorate with the strawberries however you like :)

~ENJOY~

Tandoori Chicken

Tandoori Chicken is an Indian take on "Roasted Chicken" . The word 'Tandoor' is originally an Indian form of cooking - Roasting " Tandoor " But with the advancement in technology, Now we can use electric grills, coal grills, electric BBQ's , electric Tandoors etc for roasting. 

When the weather starts getting chilly and a cool breeze blows and the leaves turn brown and there are showers now and then, We know that Autumn is here and the monsoon is on it's way back. Hot and juicy Roasted chicken goes perfectly in such weather. 

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 800 grams 
• Kashmiri red chilly powder: 2 Tsp
• Lemon juice: 3 tsp
• Butter
• Onions cut into rings
• Salt  
• Hung curd: 200 grams  
• Ginger-garlic paste: 50 grams
• Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
• Chaat masala: 1/2 tsp
• Mustard oil: 2 tsp
• Tandoori chicken Masala (spices/ Everest seasoning )
• Lime cut into wedges/ slices
• Edible orange colour (optional)

Method:

• Skin, wash and clean the chicken. Make incisions/ cuts with a knife on the breast and leg pieces.  
• Make a mix of kashmiri red chilly powder, salt, hung curd, mustard oil, ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, tandoori masala powder and marinate the chicken with this mix and keep it in the refrigerator for 5 to 6 hours.

• Now brush the marinated chicken pieces with melted butter and grill it in the microwave for 20mins. I have chosen the auto grilling tandoori option in my microwave (LG), All microwaves have this option.
• After 10 minutes turn over the chicken (flip it over)  and grill for 10 minutes again (each side for 10 minutes)
• Give it standing time in the micro for at least 5 minutes.

• Now take it out carefully and glaze the chicken with butter and then roast it directly over an open flame (over your stove or charcoal BBQ) approximately 3-4 minutes on each side while turning it around

• Remove it from the flame once it's roasted and serve it with a dash of lemon juice and a pinch of chaat masala from the top.

Serve hot with onion rings and lemon slices

~Enjoy!~

ANOTHER VERSION : Boneless tandoori Chicken Tikka for this season 

Here: Recipe Link

PS: Note:-

• I have used a microwave and my stove for roasting it, The same can be done over an electric grill/ electric tandoor or coal BBQ as well.
• The Masalas (Spice Powders that I have used are given below). +EVEREST MASALA (C&F) 

  

Paneer Posto (Cottage Cheese cubes with Poppy Seed Paste)

This dish, Makes me nostalgic, because when I got married there were only 2 dishes I could make with confidence, this one which is a cottage cheese delicacy and the other was pumpkin with eggs.
I especially wanted to write this on my blog so that one day our children can cook up these kind of delicate things instead of burgers and sandwiches and with the passage of time we tend to forget things as we grow old, and may forget many ingredients too. This serves as a permanent reference .

Ingredients:

• Half a coconut (will be made into paste)

• 4-5 green chillies
• 2 tsp of mustard seeds
• 2 tsp of poppy seeds

• 1 tsp of salt 
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 1 tsp of turmeric powder
• 250 grams of paneer( cottage cheese)

• 2 tsp of mustard oil

 Method:

• First make a fine paste out of the coconut, green chilly, mustard and poppy seeds in a mixer or blender, adding 1/4 th cup of water, sugar and salt to it and  keep in aside.

• Now take a bowl and grease the bowl with mustard oil and place the the cottage cheese (paneer) cubes in it nicely. 

• Now add the paste made from poppy, mustard and coconut evenly over the paneer and stir it a little so that the paneer cubes get evenly coated with the paste Then spread 1 tsp of mustard oil from top.

.

There are two ways to cook this:

• Either microwave it on high for 10 minutes covered in cling film (plastic cling wrap)    

                                                  Or

• Steam the mixture made above in a pressure cooker / steam cooker / slow cooker, without a whistle (in pressure cooker) for around 20 minutes.

• It's optional but you can garnish your dish with fresh coriander  leaves. 

~Enjoy with hot rice~