Friday 29 December 2017

Khichiri



Serves 3

Ingredients: 
1. Rice (Joha) 1/2 cup
2. Daal 1/2 cup, equal amount of Masoor and Mung
3. Ghee 2 tbsp
4. Onion 1 big, chopped fine
5. Cumin (Jeera) powder 1 tsp
6. Coriander (Dhania) powder 1 tsp
7. Ginger paste 1 tbsp
8. Garlic paste 1 tbsp
9. Green chilli 2 or 3
10. Salt to taste
11. Turmeric 2 tsps
12. Refined oil 2 tbsps
13. Mustard seed 1/2 tsp
14. Cardamom (Choti Elaichi) 6 whole
15. Tezpatta (Bay leaf) 4
16. Potato 2, cut into 4 pieces each
17. Carrot 1, cut into big pieces
18. Cauliflower 3 pieces, cut into big florets
19. Cabbage a little, cut into 4 big parts
20. Radish 1, cut into big pieces
21. Tomato 1 small, chopped fine
22. Water 1 and 1/4 glasses


*******************************************************************



Method:
Heat oil, splutter mustard, add onion and fry. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli, tezpatta, elaichi and fry some more. Add tomato, salt, turmeric and fry. 
Gradually add the vegetables, powdered jeera dhania, rice and daal. Stir fry for some more time. Add ghee (Ghee can be added while serving)
Add water and pressure cook, 1 whistle. 
Delicious Khichiri is ready to serve.
Khichiri is best cooked in a karahi (pan). Keep it little watery as it soaks up most of the water as it gets cold. 


Khichiri is best served with fried pieces of Brinjal and roasted or fried Papad.


Tuesday 26 December 2017

Chicken Pepper Soup


It is great to be down with fever and cold when Sonny dear is home to take care and cook Momma hot bowls of Chicken Pepper Soup. It is so very tasty and wonderfully therapeutic. Here is how Ron my son made this soup for me.



Ingredients: 
1. Chicken (lean) 250gm, diced
2. Peppercorn 2 tbsps, crushed rough (do not use powder) 
3. Onion 2, halved
4. Garlic 1, halved
5. Ginger 1 big piece 
6. Mushroom 5, halved
7. Carrot 2, halved lengthwise
8. Fresh Coriander 1 tiny bunch
9. Salt to taste
10. Oil or Butter 2 tsp
11. Water 3 glasses 




Method:
Put all the ingredients in a pot leaving aside Oil/Butter and cook covered over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Can be pressure cooked. 
Extract the meat from the bones of the Chicken pieces and keep aside.
Take out some onion from the soup, chop and keep aside to fry.
Starin the soup and keep in a pot. 
Heat Butter/Oil, fry onion and the chicken that was kept aside. Pour this in the soup. 
Chicken Pepper Soup is ready eat. 



Sunday 24 December 2017

Chicken Manchurian


Serves 6


Ingredients: for marination
1. Chicken 1300gm whole (Debone the chicken) 
2. Eggs 3
3. Salt 2 level tsps
4. Flour 1 and half tbsps
5. Corn flour 1 and half tbsps
6. Soya sauce 2 tbsps
7. Ginger juice 1 tbsp
8. Peppercorn powder 1 tsp




Mix all the ingredients and marinate for 2 hours.

Spring Onion

Spring Onion chopped fine

Ingredients: for the gravy
1. Refined oil 3 tbsps 
2. Ginger 1 heaped tbsp (chopped fine)
3. Garlic 1 heaped tbsp (chopped fine) 
4. Spring Onion 250gms (chopped fine)
5. Salt, to taste 
6. Soya sauce 2 or 3 tbsps
7. Ajinomoto half tsp
8. Sugar 1 tsp
9. Corn flour 2 tbsps
10. Green chilly 2 or more, to taste (chopped fine)
11. Refined oil for frying, 2 cups



Method:
Fry the marinated deboned chicken pieces and keep aside. 
Heat oil and saute` the chopped Ginger Garlic Green Chilli for a minute and add Spring Onion. Keep frying on medium heat, add Salt, Ajinomoto. Fry till the Spring Onion turns very soft. Pour Chicken stock or 3 to 4 cups warm water and bring to a boil. Add Soya sauce, Sugar, stir well. Put in the Chicken pieces and cook for a few minutes. 
Mix cold water to Corn flour and add to the gravy. Check salt and thicken the gravy if required. 


Tasty Chicken Manchurian is ready to eat with a plate of Vegetable Fried Rice 


These vegetables are added to the Fried Rice

Friday 22 December 2017

Pork with Bok Choy


Serves 3
Ingredients : to marinate
1. Pork 500 gm, cubed
2. Ginger 1 heaped tbsp, julienned
3. Salt 2 tsp
4. Baah Gaaz (sour preserved, grated Bamboo Shoot) 5 to 6 heaped tbsps
5. Bhoot Jolokiya (Ghost Chilli) 1, cut lengthwise into 4 pieces
    (May add more Bhoot Jolokiya according to taste)

  
Mix the above ingredients well and leave for 2 hours


Ingredients : to cook
1. Oil 2 tbsp
2. Garlic 6 pods, crushed
3. Salt, add some more if required
4. Bok Choy 1 small or half if big

Bhoot Jolokiya


Bok Choy



Method : to cook
Heat oil, stir fry garlic for half a minute and add the marinated pork along with marinade. 
Cook covered on medium heat, stirring occasionally till the water evaporates completely. 
Pressure cook this meat now adding 2 to 3 cups water. (18 whistles)
Meantime, take out the layers of Bok Choy and wash. Seperate the white portions from the green ones, cut into big pieces.



Pour the meat out to a wok, reduce if there is more than required water on medium heat. 
Add the white portions of Bok Choy to the pork, stir occasionally. Cook for a minute or two. Now add the green portions. Cook for another minute or so. Make sure Bok Choy is not over cooked.
Tasty Pork with Bok Choy is ready to serve.

Important :  
Do not add the Bok Choy if this curry is cooked much before. In case you need to cook it early and keep, serving later after warming. Then do not add Bok Choy, add only before serving.


Mustard Greens (Lai Xaak) can be a very good substitute of Bok Choy.
You may like to check the same recipe with Mustard Greens (Lai Xaak) Pork with Bah gaaz and Bhoot Jolokia  


Tuesday 21 March 2017

Palak Kofta (Spinach Kofta)


Makes around 16 Koftas. 

Spinach Koftas turn delicious and my children simply love them. During Winters plenty of this herb is grown in my vegetable patch along with other herbs and vegetables. It is during this season that I make these Koftas picking fresh leaves of Spinach from my garden.   

Ingredients for Koftas  : 




1. A big bunch of Spinach. Chopped
2. Paneer 200g 
3. Bread 3 slices 
4. Phool Makhana 20 to 25. Soaked, squeezed and kept aside
5. Green Chilly to taste, chopped 
6. Salt to taste
7. Corn flour 3 tbsps 
8. Garam masala powder 1 tsp
9. Keshew+Kismis half cup. Chopped
10. Oil to fry the Koftas




Ingredients for Gravy :



1. 3 Onions, grated fine
2. 3 big Tomatoes. Skinned, seeded and pureed 
3. 1 tsp Ginger paste
4. 1 tsp Garlic paste
5. 2 tsp Coriander powder
6. 1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder
7. 3 to 4 tbsp Almond paste. (Soak in water for half an hour, remove the skin before making  paste)
8. 3 tbsp Poppy seed paste (Soak in water for half an hour before making paste) 
9. 2 tbsp Oil
10. Salt to taste
11. 2 glasses of hot Water
12. Sugar (Optional) to taste
13. 100 g Cream to garnish




Method of making Koftas : 

1. Soutè Spinach in little oil and salt. Cover and cook till water dries up and it is done. Keep aside to cool
2. Grind cooked Spinach in a mixie (do not add water)
3. Take Paneer in a bowl and knead very well till it is soft. Kneading should be good so that the koftas turn soft and can soak gravy well.  
4. Mix all ingredients for Kofta along with the Spinach. 
5. Heat oil and deep fry Koftas in low heat for long time so that the inside is cooked. Do not make the size too big or they might break while frying. Flatten while making the balls as seen in picture. 


  Method of making Gravy : 

1. Heat oil, put in Onion, Ginger, Garlic fry for a few minutes. 
2. Add Almond paste, Poppy seed paste and fry a little more.
3. Add Salt, Sugar, Coriander powder, Chilly powder fry for a minute or two.
4. Finally add Tomato, keep stirring continuously till the masala leaves the sides of the karahi/wok/pan. 
5. Put in the hot Water and let it boil. 
6. Check taste for salt, sugar etc. Let the gravy remain watery. Keep aside.




Final Part :  

1. Arrange Koftas on a shallow serving dish. 
2. Pour the very hot gravy on Koftas. 
3. Make sure to pour the gravy at least an hour or so before serving, so that the Koftas are well soaked in the gravy. 
4. Heat the whole dish in an oven in case it gets too cold to serve. 
5. Decorate with whipped cream and serve.