Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Spinach Dill & Potatoes Vegetable



2 bunches of Spinach (pick, clean, wash & drain)


1 small bunch dill chopped finely (optional)


8-10 baby potatoes with skin washed & pat dry


2 big tomatoes chopped finely
2 big onions chopped finely
3 green chillies chopped
1 tbsp ginger finely chopped
2 tbsp garlic finely chopped


1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red chilly powder
Salt to taste
4-5 tbsp Oil

In a heavy bottom pot heat oil.

Add ginger, garlic & chilly fry till golden brown.

Add onions and fry till it turns light brown.

Add tomatoes fry till all the water is evaporated and oil separates. Keep stirring to avoid burning or stick to the bottom.

Add turmeric, chilly powder.


Add potatoes, spinach & dill.

Add 1/4 tsp salt. Mix well.



Cover the pot with a lid and leave it on slow flame for 20 minutes till the potatoes are cooked and the water is completely evaporated. Check the salt if you need more add as per taste.

Serve it with chappatis, dal & rice.

Mutton Dopiaza



Do Piaza - Do means two and piaz mean onions in Hindi, and the term describes using double quantity of onions in the cooking process. This curry is Spicy, delicately sweetened with Piaz and the red colour extremely appealing to the eyes. Can't wait to taste it, Yummmy.

Ingredients :

1 Kg Mutton with bones
9 medium onions
8 baby potatoes (optional)
3 tsp red chilli powder (reduce if you don't want it spicy).
1/2 cup yoghurt (whisk & keep it aside)
4-5 tbsp oil
6 plump cloves of garlic chopped
2 tbp ginger chopped
2 red dry chillies
2 bay leaves
2" cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
12 cloves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 big tomatoes finely chopped
1 tbsp butte
3/4 tsp sugar
salt to taste


Wash the mutton and put it in a pressure cooker with 1 tsp salt and half cup of water. Cook the meat untill tender, keep it aside.

Cut 3 onions into halves. Chop 2 onions finely. Extract the juice from the remaining 4 onions by grating them and squeezing the juice. Discard the pulp.



Peel the potatoes, keep it aside.



Mix the chilli powder with 2 tbsp water to a thick paste, keep it aside.

Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the onions till golden brown, remove and keep it aside.

In the same oil, add ginger & garlic.




Once browned lightly add the bayleaves, cinnamon , cardamoms. Then after 2 minutes add the peppercorns, cloves and red chillies and fry for another minute.



Now add the chilli paste & turmeric & stir continously. Add the meat, potatoes, tomatoes, butter, yoghurt & sugar. Cook for 10 minutes stirring ocassionaly so that the spices don't get burnt.

Now add the halved onions, onion juice and salt to taste. Stir it well.

Reduce the flame to minimum. Cover and cook it on slow flame for 30 minutes till the potatoes are tender.



Once the potatoes are cooked. Put off the flame.

Sprinkle the fried onions on top just before serving.

Enjoy with plain rice or naan or rotis.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Stuffed Baby Aubergines (Bharwan Masala Baingan)



250 gms Baby Aubergines


1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp tumeric powdeer
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt

Mix together all the dry spices, salt & sugar.



Make cross slits half way on the sides.

Stuff the slits with the spice mixture.



Heat the oil in a non stick pan. Add the stuffed aubergines.



Cover and cook on very low heat for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Enjoy with rotis

Safed Murg Korma (Agra Speciality)



A rich, aromatic korma which is basically a blend of Moghlai & Nawabi cuisine. Originally this dish is made only with Almonds but I tried making this with cashew & almonds. If you wish make it only with almonds.

Ingredients :

1 kg chicken breast(cut into big pcs)
1 1/2 tsp lightly roasted sesame seeds
150 gms yoghurt (hung and drained for 1 hour)
2 tbsp ghee or butter
50 gms cashew nuts
50 gms blanched almonds
1 bay leaf
4 green cardamoms
350 gms onion chopped finely
3 green chillies chopped
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
1 whole green chilly
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1/2 tsp mace powder
1 clove
salt to taste

Heat the ghee/butter in a deep cooking pot keeping 1 tbsp ghee/butter aside.

Reduce the flame to medium heat. Add the almonds, cashews and bay leaf fry for 4-5 minutes.

Add onions and let it fry for another 7-8 minutes.

Add the chopped green chillies, green cardamom & sesame seeds. Add 200 ml of water and cook for another 10 minutes on slow flame.



Cool the mixture & now puree it in a blender to a smooth paste.



Add the reserved ghee/butter in a deep pan. Heat the ghee, now add garlic, ginger, whole green chilly & clove.

Addd the chicken pieces. The chicken will leave its juices. Cook till all water evaporates. Now add the whisked hung curds. mix it well. Don't worry if the yoghurt will curdle.

Now add the ground spice mixture with the nutmeg & mace powder. Add salt to taste. Stir well and add 300 ml of hot water. Mix, cover and leave it on slow flame for 10 minutes untill the chicken is tender.

Serve it with butter naan or plain pulao or boiled rice.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Pomegranate Jewels in Curaminade


1 Pomegranate Jewels
2 part of Almarai Lemon juice or lemonade
2 tbsp Mojito (lime & mint) syrup
2 tbsp Blue Curacao syrup
some ice crushed ice

In a glass add Curacoa syrup. to it add the lemonade and mix well.

Add crushed ice and mix well again.

Now add the Mojito, let it settle down. Do not stir.

Add the Pomegranate jewels to it.

Serve chilled.

Sabu chilling out on her first summer mocktail to celebrate the holiday season.

Cheers !!!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Vermicelli Rice



2 cups Country Basmati Rice
1 cup of vermicelli

2 Veg. Maggi Cubes
5-6 pods of cardamom
4 cups of water
6 tbsp Oil

Wash the rice 5-6 times . Soak it in Luke warm water for 1 hour.

In a big pot pour oil. Once hot add the vermicelli & fry till light brown.

Now add water, cubes , cardamom. Let the water boil.

Now add the rice, stir.



Cover the pot with a foil to seal it. Then put the lid on.

Let the rice cook on extremely slow flame for 15 minutes till it’s nice and fluffy.

Chicken Moulokhia




2 pkts of Frozen Moulokhia



1.5 Kg Chicken (skin it, wash & strain. Cut into bite size pieces.
2 Medium onions sliced thinly
8 flakes of garlic chopped finely
3 green chillies slit
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
2 Veg. Maggie cubes
1 small lemon
2 tbsp oil + 4 tbsp oil
3 cups of water

In a bowl take chicken pieces, add 1/2 tsp salt & turmeric. Keep it aside for 15 minutes.

Take a frying pan, add 2 tbsp oil. once hot fry the chicken pieces lightly browned on both sides.



In another pan add 4 tbsp oil, as well as the oil dripping from the fried chicken. once the oil is hot add green chilies, garlic. Fry for a minutes. Now add the sliced onions. Fry the onions till they are translucent for another minute or two. Add
the maggie cubes, add water. Let it boil.

Now add the thawed Moulokhia, add black pepper powder and let it simmer on slow flame for 10 minutes. Add the fried chicken into the gravy and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Put off the flame.



Serve this yummy chicken with Vermicelli Rice. Recipe for Vermicelli rice follows.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Thai Style Vegetable Curry





















100 gms Baby Thai Brinjal halved
100 gms Purple Yam cut into square pcs.
2 big onions cut into big chunk size
150 gms Mushrooms
2 carrots Cut into thick long strips























For Grinding

10 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 small ball of tamarind
4 tbsp dessicated coconut
2 " pc of galangal (thai ginger)
10 Kaffir lime leaves
2 tbsp chopped lemon grass
3 cloves of garlic
4 dry red chillies
4 thai bird chillies

Grind the above to a smooth paste.

few kaffir lime leaves
1 tsp of lemon grass chopped
2 thai bird chillies slit
1" galangal pc chopped
2 tbsp oil
4 tbsp Coconut Milk Powder
1 big lemon (squeeze out the juice)

In a pot heat the oil. Add the galangal, then add the lime leaves, chillies & lemon grass.

Add the ground paste, add water & Salt. Let it boil. First only add the yam, let it cook for 10 minutes with the lid covered. Add the baby brinjal let it cook for another 5 minutes till the brinjal is tender. Now add the babycorn, mushroom & onions. Let it cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust the thickness of the gravy and check the salt. Add lemon juice. Put off the flame. Add the snowpeas in the end to retain its crunchiness.

Take 1/4 cup of luke warm water. add the coconut milk powder. mix well then thick thick milk to the gravy.

Enjoy the creamy, spicy, lemony Thai aromatic curry with plain boiled rice.

Cantaloupe Sipper




Another summer coolant. Love its rich taste, and the musky aroma with a little hint of ginger.

1 Cantaloupe
2 tsp sugar (add more if you want it sweeter)
1" piece of ginger
1/2 cup of water
2-3 cubes of ice

Wash the cantaloupe.

Slice the top and with a spoon or scooper remove all the flesh and keep it aside.

Keep the empty cored bowl aside to serve your drink.

Blend the cantaloupe pulp with sugar ginger, ice and water.

Pour it in the cantaloupe bowl & serve chilled.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Suran & Dal Curry (Elephants foot with lentil curry)



I love this vegetable but I make it rarely as cleaning this vegetable is a big task. You cannot use bare hands to clean or cut as your hands or any part of the skin touches, It will give you a itchy feeling and then the whole body will start scratching. I hate this itchy part. I use gloves but still that itchy feeling is still behind my mind. Somehow I can still sense itchy feeling.

Please do take care but If by any chance your hands or body gets scratchy rub your hands for 2-3 minutes with a small ball of tamarind and you will see the itchiness gone. Then wash your hands with warm water and handwash.

600 gms of Suran (Elephants foot) (Remove the skin & cut into small cubes)



3/4 cup Masoor Dal (pink lentil)
1/2 onion sliced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp oil
8 flakes of garlic roughly chopped
few sprigs of curry leaves

Masala for grinding

5 dry red chillies
6 black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 med. size ball of tamarind
4 tsp dessicated coconut
2 tsp of coconut milk powder
2 flakes of garlic
1/2 med. onion chopped

Grind the above to a smooth paste with water and keep it aside.

In a pressure cooker add the washed dal, sliced onion, salt, turmeric, Cubed Suran with 3 cups of water on slow flame.



Put off the flame after 1 whistle. Do not open for another 10 minutes.

Now add the ground smooth masala paste in the pressure cooker (cooked mixture of suran & dal). Add 2 cups of water and let it boil for 3-4 minutes. Check if the suran is cooked and also adjust the salt.

Take a small frying pan, add 3 tbsp oil, once hot ad the chopped garlic and fry till brown, add the curry leaves. Now temper the curry with this fragrant oil.



Enjoy with papad, lemon pickle & plain rice. Simple & delicious comforting food.

Friday, June 03, 2011

Cucumber Mint Cooler



Another refreshing drink to quench your thirst. Its cool, minty & lemony.

2 big cucumber
1/2 cup water
10 mint leaves
4 tbsp sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)
4 tbsp lemon juice
3 cans of soda
Ice (as much you wish)

Wash and cut the cucumber.

Add the cucumber & mint in the grinder.

Strain the juice. Add sugar, lemon juice. Mix with a spoon till sugar melts.

Now add the soda & crushed ice.

Serve it cool and beat the heat. Enjoy.

Rocky Road Fudge



170 gms Dark Chocolate (chopped roughly)
1/4 cup condensed milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup nuts & raisins
5 tbsp cream
2 cups of mini multi colored marshmallows



Line a small pan with butter paper or foil & grease it lightly with butter.

In a bowl add chocolate and on double boiler melt the chocolate.

Add cream stir then add the butter & condensed milk.

Put off the flame.

Add the nuts and the marshmallows. Mix well.



Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and put it in the fridge for 4-5 hours to set.



Remove and cut into small square pieces.

Special treat to the kids as well as big kids tooo.. YUMMYYYYY.