Malai kofta

Hello friends! Due to some personal reasons have been quite inactive and slow in updating my space here. Hope to put more dishes soon. My today's recipe is the one I have always had in restaurants and wondered how to make this. The blogging world has taught me how to make different kind of gravies for different dishes and thanks to this I have been able to make new dishes in my kitchen making my family happy as they love the gravy dishes.

My today's recipe is inspired by a lot of people on whose space I saw this and I just modified slightly according to my taste. The taste truly was like restaurant style Malai kofta. 

Ingredients  for koftas:

• 1/2 cup grated paneer
• 1/2 cup boiled and grated potatoes
• 1tsp black pepper powder
• salt to taste
• 2-3 tbsp corn flour
• few raisins

Method for koftas:
Combine all the ingredients for kofta and give the desired shape. Deep fry in oil, drain on kitchen paper and  keep aside. Try with one kofta and if it breaks add more cornflour. I had stuffed raisins in the paneer potato mixture. 

Ingredients for gravy:

• 4 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves
• 1 small stick cinnamon stick
• 5-6 pieces of cashew or almonds
• 2tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2-3 green chillies
• 2tbsp butter
• 1tsp red chilli powder
• 1tsp garam masala powder
• 1tbsp oil
• salt to taste

To garnish:
fresh cream and some coriander leaves

Method:
Blend the tomatoes to get puree. Blend the onions with little water to make smooth paste. Heat the butter along with oil in a pan. Add the onion paste and saute it for few mins. Add in cloves, garlic and chopped green chillies. Now put ginger garlic paste and saute again.  Add tomato puree and cook for two mins and then add water as required. Boil for few mins till the required consistency comes. Add salt and masalas. 

To serve:
Pour gravy in the serving bowl. Add the koftas slowly and garnish with fresh cream and coriander leaves.

Hope you like this dish.


Sending this to Mughlai event by SHRUTI and JULIE

 

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Rose flavoured sooji halwa

Hello friends!  How is everyone today? I have two queries and I would appreciate your feedback on that. 1)  Is my way of writing appealing,engaging,boring,dull or exciting or anyother?
2) Are my fonts here correct or do I need to change them?
Would love to know what my readers really think and I tend to write as I am speaking to the readers face to face. Humor is much needed that's why I add a dose of humor in my posts.  Do let me know what you think either in comments below or mail me using contact form above.


Now coming to the recipe. It is said necessity is the mother of invention and we mothers make new invention in our kitchen all the time. This recipe was the result of some brainstorming and to make something new. Well, for me it was a new dish though.

Ingredients:

1 cup sooji/semolina
2 tbsp ghee
water as needed
1-2 tbsp rose syrup
sugar as needed
dry fruits for garnish

Method:

Its the same as we make rava kesari or normal sooji halwa except change the flavour. Heat ghee and roast sooji for few mins. Boil water on side.  Once sooji is roasted add water and rose syrup and mix well. Heat till sooji and water is mixed and sooji is cooked.  Halwa would look pink at this stage. Add sugar as needed as rose syrup itself is sweet so be careful with sugar. Mix and remove on plate.Garnish with dry fruits of your choice. Serve hot.
I got lovely pink color to the halwa. What do you think of this?  Over to you for your lovely comments.

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Kesar rasmalai--- a guest post

Hello everyone! As you all know I had my first event Be my guest  chef on my space from 1st October till 15th November. I received fabulous and yummy recipes and there have been late entrants also. So for now with this last post I officially close my event and would do the round up soon.
This post is by new friend in blogging world. Her name is Manjula Bharath.She is new to blogging but already has wonderful yummy dishes on her space called Desi fiesta. Do visit her and encourage her and love her recipes. Today she shares with us a  sweet dish and how appropriate that I end my first event on sweet note. Let us hear what Manju has to say about her dish and herself.

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Hello everyone!!! This is Manjula from desi fiesta ... am a new comer in blogging world and in a short period of time won so many lovely friends via SNC,  meenu aunty is one from that bunch of friends i have . I feel really happy that meenu aunty gave us this opportunity to show case our cooking skills in her space. She is having a lovely space am glad that am a part of this wonderful guest series she is conducting..   Am really happy to share one of my favorite dessert...


Kesar Rasmalai's are nothing but Rasagulla discs soaked in sweetened saffron flavoured milk. Next to rasgullas, this is the most popular Bengali sweet outside Bengal. A well made rasmalai will melt in your mouth..

To make rasmalai its necessary to make a perfect rasgulla ...Rasgulla is also my favourite bengali sweet .... I have tried rasgulla many times n have been successful every time i made it .. lucky meee... Rasgulla also know as roshogulla in bengali is smooth , soft, spongy balls dipped in sugar syrup.. They are very light and spongy in texture.. Rasgulla tastes gud when they are served chilled . You can make variation in rasgulla too for instance i made kesar rasgulla

Thanks to my Rasgulla to cooperate with me and every time giving me good results.

To see step by step pics of how to make rasgulla  check on rasgulla  recipe on Manju's blog HERE

Now lets come to the method of preparing rasmalai..



Ingredients For Rasmalai

• Rasgulla's - 7 nos
• whole milk - 3 cups
• sweetened condensed milk - 1 can
• cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp, (crushed, if powder not available)
• pistachios - 2 tsp, crushed
• saffron strands - 1/2 tsp

  Rasmalai - method :

  You can prepare Rasgulla ahead.. Squeeze the rasgulla's a little and press them to flatten .keep them a side.
   Apply some ghee or butter on a pan and grease it well with this ghee/butter.This avoid burning of the milk.     Now heat the milk on low heat while stirring frequently.
    Get the milk reduced to half of its original quantity.
    Now add the cardamom powder, saffron and 1 tsp of crushed pistachios, mix them well.
    Add the condensed milk to this mixture and bring it to a boil. Don’t forget to stir constantly and scraping the sides.
    After the milk is of thick consistency then off the stove.
    Your delicious rabri or malai is ready, let it cool naturally then add the rabri or malai to the placed rasgulla.

    Enjoy this sinful rasmalai chilled and garnish them with pistachio or saffron strands.

    When serving, garnish with the remaining pistachios and serve chilled.

    Note : Rasmalai's should be consumed at the same day it is made or the next day .. Don't store it more than 2 days as it may lead to food poisoning.

Here is step by step pics to make  rasmalai.

Thank u meena aunty for giving me such a wonderful opportunity :) 


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 Wow! I am tempted to taste this. This looks so so yummy here. Don't you all think so? Well friends, lets hear what you all have to say and Manju thank you very much for sharing this amazing and most loved recipe here. 

Note: My first event Be my guest chef series ends here. Wait for  announcment of  the round up. Thank you all for sending me yummy and amazing innovative recipes.

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Microwave gold nugget squash halwa--- a guest post

Hello all!  Today I welcome my tenth guest in this series. A dear friend and a tough challenger Yashodha from yashodha's kitchen.  Though she is new blogger,yet she has amazing recipes on her space. Do check out her kitchen and now she would introduce us to a new and wonderful dish in her own words.

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About ME

I am yashodha, happy home-maker and mom of my little prince Nandhu.  I am new to blogging. Blogging is the best thing to share and learn more recipes, make good friends as well. I came to know MEENU aunty from SNC event. I have to thank Divy (youtoocancook) for introducing such a wonderful person by organizing this grand event. Her blog “ http://chattersmusings.blogspot.com”  has lot of delicious recipes which is also useful for the beginners.  I thank Meenu aunty to accept my guest post on her blog. I am really happy to be here.

About the Recipe

My recipe name is Microwave gold nugget squash halwa.  I prepared this halwa first time in my life. All of sudden I thought of sending some special and new recipe to Meenuaunty’s blog. It is festival season. That too Diwali is one of the important festivals in India. Diwali means celebrate with lot of sweet varieties. For that, I prepared this halwa and sharing it with you all.  

Ingredients for Halwa

Gold nugget squash puree – 1 cup

Sugar – ½ cup less

Ghee – 2 tsp

Almonds / Cashews – 2 or 3 shredded

Water – 1 ½ tablespoon

Cardamom powder – a pinch

Ingredients for Puree

Gold nugget squash – 1 small

Milk – ½ cup

Water – ¾ to 1 cup

Method

For puree

1.       Remove hard skin from the squash and cut them into pieces.

2.       Add sliced squash, milk and water to the pan and bring them to boil.

3.       Allow the squash to boil until it will be smash using spatula or large spoons.

4.       Smash it well. Make sure there are no lumps in the puree.

Note  :You can use either microwave or stove to boil squash with milk and water.

For Halwa

1.       Add sugar, water and cardamom powder to the microwave safe bowl. Keep it for 1.30minutes. Stir it for every single minute.Note:  If you want to keep more time to get consistency, please increase it by 30 seconds.

2.       If you will get single string consistency sugar syrup, add squash puree to it. Mix well and keep it in the microwave for 2 minutes.

3.       Add 1 tsp of ghee to the mixture, stir well and again keep it for 2 minutes.

4.       Add another tsp of ghee to the mixture, stir well and again keep it for 2 minutes.

5.       Once halwa started separate from its sides, it comes to the correct consistency and time to pour it on the ghee greased pan or vessel.

6.       Allow it to cool for 15 minutes. Cut it into desired pieces using ghee greased knife.

7.       Remove the halwa carefully and keep it in the air tight container.

8.       Keep refrigerated and enjoy it for a week.

Here is step by step pics:

                                     

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Thank you yasho for introducing us to a new recipe and by the way the last pic looks amazingly familiar to me. Friends, over to you for lovely comments on this wonderful dish.

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Mysore pak (SNC EVENT)

Hi  friends! Our friend Divya Pramil  from You too can cook Indian food.  posted interesting  contest. Its South vs North challenge and  a way to learn new things.  

According to the challenge teams were divided into North and South group and  I belong  to North group being from Mumbai, Maharashtra.

The first challenge came from  Divya's southern team  http://divyasculinaryjourney.blogspot.in/2012/10/mysore-pak.html  and its  Mysore pak.

For me looking at ingredients I thought should be easy but method got me stumped. I had to make sugar syrup and this is one thing I can never get it right. Maybe  a mental block about this but  I could never  try anything which had sugar syrup in  the method. Encouraged by Divya pramil and Shruti wahi and her tips on how to get it done along with step by step instructions I managed to make mysore paak first time in my life. Needless to say it came out perfectly and just like the way  I love it.
So here is my recipe and for step by step instructions you can see divya's post.

Ingredients:
1 cup gram flour 
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup ghee
1/4 cup oil


Method:
Grease a plate before only and keep it aside. Mix oil and gramflour. In a deep  vessel, mix sugar and water and make  1 string consistency sugar syrup. This was the hardest part for me but seeing the pics and explained by shruti I knew when it was right. Next  add the besan mixture to syrup stirring continously.  Add ghee little by little and keep stirring. For me  somehow  2tbsp ghee seemed enough. Keep stirring till mixture changes color and texture and leaves sides. Pour in greased plate immediately and  tab the plate to straighten it. The mixture hardens  immediately. While its still warm make desired shape cut and keep it aside. Remove from plate and store Mysore pak in  airtight container.

Hope you all like it and hope the two Divyas Shruti and others and everyone like my very very very first attempt at this and thanks for this wonderful challenge  I finally made something new which I love so much and it came out perfectly just the way I love it. I am sure going to make this again as only few pieces are left now. So what do you all think, waiting for your lovely comments.

Those who would like to be part of this event, kindly click on the Join my event link at left side bar. Hope to hear from everyone.

Source : http://chattersmusings.blogspot.com/2012/10/sweet-and-sour-pumpkin-guest-post.html
Content Copyrighted to http://chattersmusings.blogspot.com/

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Maghamethi-- green moong curry

Hello everyone! Ok  I know all of you must be confused with the title, so let me explain. Magha means moong or green lentils and methi means fenugreek and so we combine these two to make something which we can enjoy with plain rice. Its very easy very simple and I am sure you would love it. So shall we begin.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup green whole moong soaked in water for an hour
• 1tsp  fenugreek seeds soaked along with moong
• 2 green chillies 
• 2 dry red chillies
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp  turmeric powder
• a pinch of hing
• a small piece of chopped ginger
• 2-3 slices of raw mango or dry mango  or 1 tbsp of lemon juice
• few curry leaves
• coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:

If you noticed the ingredients I am sure you must have seen one ingredient missing. Can you guess what it is?
Its oil  and there is no oil in this recipe, however I would tell you in the end if you do need to use oil how to use it. 
In pressure cooker, cook moong with fenugreek seeds with one cup of water. Keep for  2 whistles and once pressure cooker cools down, open the lid and roughly mash the moong  or use hand blender. Add some more water and then add all dry things like salt, turmeric etc. Add finely chopped green chilli and roughly chopped dry red chilli along with curry leaves and ginger. Let it boil till you get right consistency but make sure the moong doesnt stick to the vessel or it gives awful burning smell. Initially you need to stir it so it wont stick.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

Notes: This is the way its made in my household though there are minor variations. I have not used any oil or tempering in this. If you so desire you can use tempering of cumin seeds with red chilli and curry patta.
In some houses  moong and fenugreek seeds are slightly roasted in 1tbsp oil and then boiled in cooker. I did not use that method.
Adjust the spices and the sour flavour as per your need.

Hope you all like it. Over to you for your lovely comments.

Reminder: 

Those who would like to be part of my first event, kindly click on the Join my event  link at left side bar. Hope to hear from everyone.

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Apple raita ..

Hi friends! How have you all been? I have been stuck in some personal commitments so unable to post regularly and hope to sort things soon. My today's recipe is very very very very simple. We make so many raitas  so this apple raita is one of them and again very easy.

Ingredients:

1 apple

1cup yoghurt
sugar to taste

Method: 

Blend yoghurt to raita consitency, not too watery nor too thick and add sugar. Grate apple directly into blended  yoghurt and mix it. Serve chilled with any pulao, biryani or rotis.  I have not peeled the skin of the apples but its upto you to keep intact or remove it. Quick, easy with minimum ingredients and yet delicious raita is ready in  few mins.
Feel free to add variations to the raita.

What do you think about it?

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Dudhi halwa

Hello my lovely friends! My today’s recipe is quite easy but this was the first time I attempted it. I am sure most of you already had made this and know about it. My mom used to make this but somehow I felt the taste weird always so never did like it. This time my mom and dad were with me for few days so I said I would make dudhi halwa for you and you tell me how its made. Imagine my surprise when I saw it was very easy to make and doesn’t take time at all and it tasted awesome.

Lets begin making our delicious healthy  dudhi halwa and co incidentally this is my 50^th post which in my early days I felt I  may not reach hehe. So kuch meetha ho jaaye………..!!!!

Ingredients:

1 bottlegourd/dudhi/giya 

 3tbsp milk 

¼ cup sugar or to taste

1tbsp ghee

Pinch of  cardamom powder 

To garnish khus khus. Cut almonds, few strands of kesar (saffron)

Method:

Grate the dudhi and squeeze out all the water. In a pan heat ghee and add dudhi. Stir for just few mins and don’t let dudhi get brown. Add milk here and as dudhi leaves lot of water so milk shud be less. Alternatively you can use condensed milk. Stir it again till dudhi and milk are mixed. Add sugar to taste and stir again. Sugar would leave out more water so let it cook for few mins till it leaves sides.  Add kesar, and almonds here and  garnish with my favourite khus khus. The color of halwa would remain bit greenish.

Serve it hot.

Let me know what is your views on this.

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Mix vegetables in dal

Hello everyone! My today’s recipe is inspired by Aarthi’s blogpost and I thought I would give it a try. I have made few variations from what she made.I had made this about 2months back when I saw at her blog but just kept it pending to post.

Recipe source: Aarthi ..@ Yummy Tummy

We all make  dal in different ways and at times plain dal becomes boring so lets do mummy ka magic here.

Ingredients:

1cup tur dal  , washed and soaked for  30mins

1tsp haldi (turmeric powder,

1tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

1tsp rai  (mustard seeds)

1tsp urad dal 

Pinch of hing (asaephotida)

1tsp red chilli powder

1tsp garam masala powder

1tsp coriander powder

1tsp amchur powder

Salt to taste.

Few curry leaves,

3 green chillies, cut in small pieces

2 dry red chillies  broken in pieces

1onion sliced

2cloves of garlic crushed

2tbsp oil

1 cup of mix vegetables of your choice.

Here I have used tomatoes, carrots, brinjal, okra, gwar, yam (sooran) and cauliflower cut and mix them all  in one cup.

Method:

In pressure cooker boil  dal in usual way. In a pan put oil, sauté onions, then put jeera, rai and green chillies, stir them and then add  urad dal, curry leaves, dry red chillies,garlic and hing. Stir for a min then add all the vegetables. Stir and and put some water so they cook nicely.

Add salt and all spices and keep it aside after they have been cooked. Take dal out of  pressure cooker and mash it a bit. Add water and add salt and turmeric powder. Be careful with salt here as we had added it in the vegetables.  Mix the cooked vegetables in dal and stir it. Let it come to one or two boils.

Voila your dal with vegetables is ready.

Serve it hot and garnish with coriander leaves and a dash of butter. You can leave out butter but I just simple love the look of butter on top.

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Moong sprouts Samosa

Hello everyone! This week Holi the colorful festival is coming. According to wiki, Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours.  The main day, Holi, also known as Dhuli in Sanskrit, also Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated by people throwing scented powder and perfume at each other. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival, also known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). After doing holika dahan prayers are said and praise is offered. The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad accomplished when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion.

Lots of sweets and savouries are made this day and from me  I have come up with samosas.  We can do any filling of our choice but here  I have used moong sprouts plus potatoes.  Lets begin and let me know what you think. Happy Holi, everyone.

Ingredients for outer covering:

1cup wheat flour

 Salt to taste

 2tbsp oil

 1tsp jeera/cumin seeds( alternate you can use ajwain)

 Water to make dough.

Method:

Take flour in a pot, add salt,oil and jeera and mix well. Add water slowly and make medium chapati atta/dough. It should not be very hard. Cover and keep aside.

Ingredients for filling:

½ cup sprouted moong/green gram

2 potatoes boiled

2 green chillies cut in small pieces

Salt to taste

½ tbsp amchur powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tbsp  coriander powder

1tsp garam masala powder.

Oil for deep frying.

Method:

Boil the sprouted moong and drain out excess water. You can use this water in some other dish. Keep moong dry. Add potatoes mashed and other ingredients for filling. Keep it aside. For chilli adjust according to your taste.

With dough make equal lemon sized balls. Roll out each to big round chapati shape.  Cut in middle so it resembles semi circle.  I forgot to take pics of the semicircle but I think all you cooks understand this.  Rub slight water on the outer edges of circle and fold and bring to middle and seal the middle part till it resembles triangle. From open end put the above filling and again seal with water and close it. Do this with all the balls. 

Heat oil in pan  and fry the samosas till they are golden brown. Take them out of oil, drain excess oil on kitchen paper and serve  hot with any chutney or tomato sauce or have them just as they are.

Hope you like these samosas. You can do same filling with chana dal with same masalas.  Choice is yours, and over to you for feedback.. cheers

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New year.. new dish using carrots

Hello everyone! Wishing you all a very happy new year. I know it has been some days since the 1^st of January happened. Better late than never eh….

Today I bring for you one of my very simple dish and easy to make. Good for those who prefer less oil, less chilli, less sugar even…

Serves 2 people and increase quantities according to your need.

Ingredients:

                                                                     2  large thick carrots. (Preferably the red pink  one not the bright orange.) cut into 1 inch long pieces (ALMOST THE  SIZE OF FRENCH FRIES)

1green chilli  slit length wise

1/4tsp  rai or mustard seeds

1/2tbsp oil

1tbsp  besan or gram flour (optional)

1tbsp sugar ( optional)

Salt to taste

1/4tsp haldi powder or turmeric powder

Method:

In a pan  heat oil, then put mustard seeds,stir till it splutters, add green chilli, stir once more, add carrots. Stir them, add salt and  turmeric powder and mix well.

Here I add a little 4tbsp water for carrots to soften and quickly cook. Cover and cook on slow heat for 2 mins.  Check if carrots have softened and increase heat and stir again. Again here I add besan but if you don’t want you can skip this part. Besan would stick to carrots and soak out extra water. Add sugar if you wish and any case carrots have their own sweetness. Stir and take out of the heat.

Serve hot  with roti or puri  and for garnish use  cut coriander leaves.

I  have kept it mild and you are free to improvise on this by increasing chilli and leaving out sugar and besan.

The above is my method of cooking but there is another way. Do not add water. cover the vessel and cook carrots on low heat. Keep checking in between to see if its cooked then add besan and sugar if you wish and this would be bit of dry method.

Tip: always put little quantity of any masala and taste before serving. Once you add more salt then it gets difficult to reduce it in some cases.

Enjoy and do let me know by your comments if you cooked it. 

Submitted to
MurariAnniversary-Giveaway-2012 @ Hema's Blog.

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