Aloo Nilgiri

I had some palak (spinach) lying in my fridge for couple of days and didn’t know what to do with it. I like to eat it plain with potatoes, my husband likes it with dal and my daughter (Sabrina) wanted it with paneer. I really didn’t know how to fulfill everyone’s taste buds. Wanted to make something different so decided to make Aloo Nilgiri (Diced Potatoes in Spinach Sauce). Sabrina says Mama its awesome and she relished it some plain rice. She orders me to make this for Easter Pound Party.

Here goes the recipe, try it and I’m sure you will love the tantalizing flavour of the Spinach. You can substitute Potatoes with chicken, mutton, fish and off course Paneer.


Ingredients to make Spinach Puree

2 big bunch Palak (Spinach)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green chillies
1” piece of ginger
1 cup of water

Boil the above all ingredients until palak is tender, cool it and then puree it in the blender and keep it Aside.



½ Kg Potatoes (boiled firm and diced as desired.)
2 big tomatoes (finely chopped)
3 medium onions (finely cubed)
3 green chillies chopped
2” piece of ginger chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp heaped coriander powder
1 tsp turmeric
4 Tbsp Oil
1 ½ tsp Salt


Put 4 tbsp oil in a non stick pan , once the oil is hot put the minced onion and the cumin seeds. Add the salt. Once the onions brown add the chopped chillies, ginger, tumeric, coriander powder and fry it well till the oil separates. Add the tomatoes and fry well again. Now add the Spinach puree stir well. Add the boiled diced potatoes and keep it on sim for 15 minutes. Check the salt and add if you need more. Serve it with Paratha or Naan. It is really Awesome…………

Cauliflower Schezuan

Nutela Cheese Cakes

Prawns Schezuan

Corn Meal Easy Bake Cake

My daughter Sabrina the “Little Chef” is 10 year old who loves to cook and is always ever ready to help me in the kitchen. She was all excited when we decided to make this easy cornmeal cake.







1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour (Maida)
2 cups sugar
1 cup milk
½ cup oil
4 eggs (separate the yolks and egg white)
1 tsp baking powder


Pre-heat the oven at 200°C. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and oil. Boil the milk and mix the cornmeal. Mix cornmeal mixture to the eggs mixture. Sift the flour with the baking powder and add to the mixture. In a bowl whisk the eggs white and fold into the mixture. Grease a cake pan. Pour this into the prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the knife comes out clean.

Yakhni Pulao

Ingredients

1 Kg Mutton
4 cups Basmati Rice
3 Medium Onions
1 Pod Garlic
2 inch of Cinnamon Sticks
5-6 Cloves
2 tsp of Saunf
2 tbsp Coriander Seeds
3 tsp salt
8-10 Peppercorns
5 whole green chillies
3 tbsp lemon juice

Wash the Mutton, add 1 sliced onion, 1 full pod of peeled garlic, cinnamon sticks, cloves, saunf, coriander seeds, peppercorns and 2 tsp of salt. Add water till the meat is covered and one inch above. Boil till the meat is cooked. Now remove the meat pieces aside and strain the yakhni (stock) and keep it aside.

Take a Vessel put 5-6 tbsp of oil , put the flame on high. Add 2 sliced onions fry until brown (remove some aside for garnishing) . Now add 8-9 peppercorns, 2-3 green cardamoms, 2 bay leaves . Add the boiled meat, soaked & strained rice. Add 6 cups of yakhni (stock), whole green chillies and 1 tsp salt and 3 tbsp of lemon juice. If you need more salt you can add as per you taste. Mix and keep it on high flame until the water starts boiling. Stir it once and close the cover and on very slow flame cook the rice for 15 minutes without opening the lid.

The rice is very aromatic., you may garnish it with browned onions and serve it just like that. Children will enjoy this Pullao coz it is not spicy and very delicious.

Baked Sake Chicken

Ingredients

2 small chickens weighing approximately 800 grams
5 tablespoons Sake Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Soya Sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
5 flakes roughly chopped garlic

Method
Halve the chicken. Leave skin on. Mix the rest of the ingredients and Marinade chicken with it and leave overnight.

Bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes. Keep basting continously with the overflowing juices. Use oven top flame to brown chicken as desired.

Chicken Lollypops

A pack Chicken wings - defrosted, washed and drained well.

Discard wing tips & split chicken wings into half from center and with the help of a knife pull meat over to one end letting it form into a ball at the end.

Prepare a marinade of

2 tbsp - Soya Sauce
2 tbsp - Kashimiri Chilli Paste (soak chillies overnight and use around 2 tablespoons)
1 tbsp Garlic paste
3 to 4 Chopped Green chillies
3 tbsp Chopped spring Onions
1/2 tsp each Foster Clarks Red and Yellow Food colour
pinch Aji No Moto
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

Mix the above ingredients and marinade the wings with this mixture for a couple of hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

For final preparation remove the chicken from the refrigerator 4 hours prior to frying. Take an egg, beat it and mix into marinade. Add 3 tbsp Cornflour to this mixture and around 2 to 3 tbsp flour (maida) add maida only as required. Check the consistency of the mixture by mixing the flours and getting the marinade and flour to a very thick clinging batter consistency.

Deep fry in hot oil for a few minutes and then lower the flame to allow the chicken to cook well. Serve hot with Schezuan Sauce. recipe to follow