Lajeej Palak Macchi (Delicious Fish Spinach Gravy)

500 gms Fish Fillet (clean & cut into medium pcs)



3 bunches of Palak (spinach) pick, clean and chopped finely



3 big onions (chopped finely)
1 pkt KDD tomato Paste
3 inch pc of ginger (chopped finely)
8-9plump garlic cloves (chopped finely)
4 green Chillies
4 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
3 tsp Mehran Kadai Mutton Masala
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
2 cups of water
1 tsp white vinegar

Heat oil in a pot, Add cumin seeds and let it splutter.

Add the onions, brown them well.

Add Chopped ginger & garlic. Fry well.

Add tomato paste, fry.

Add kadai masala, turmeric, green chillies, salt fry for another minute.

Add chopped palak (spinach) & water. Close the lid & leave it on slow flame for 15-20 minutes untill spinach is nicely cooked and saucy. (If you want more gravy add another 1/2 cup of water.)



Now sprinkle crushed kasuri methi. Add Vinegar & adjust salt if required.

Add the pcs of fish, mix and leave it to cook on slow flame for another 2-3 minutes.



Serve it with hot piping boiled rice or enjoy it with chapattis.

Prawns Biryani

Biryani - Adrian's all time favorite. He can eat Biryani 7 days a week but it's only that I don't make it. Heee heee heeeeeee.

If I ask Adrian what should I cook today and with a big smile there will be a quick demand for "BIRYANI". If I have a fight with Adrian and wanna patch up all I have to do is make some Biryani and all the anger is fumed away with the pleasant Biryani aroma..

Sabrina (sabu) my daughter is another foodie who loves rice and cannot live with out it. She is banned from eating rice. It's been more than a month I haven't made rice and she is like literally dying to eat rice. I'm gonna surprise her today with this yummy Prawns Biryani.

Check out my hoggers expresions :) she is a darling monster of mine. Love u Sabu.





Ingredients :

750 gms Prawns (shelled & deveined)


750 gms of Basmati rice (wash & let it soak for 1 hour)
whole garam Masala (1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 " cinnamon sticks, 7-8 cloves, 2 black cardamom, 3-4 green cardamom)

3 medium Onions (thinly sliced)
4 big tomatoes (roughly chopped)
5 green chillies
1 cup full fat yoghurt (170 gms)
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilly powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp kewra essence
1 big lemon juice
1/4 cup milk
few drops of yellow food colour
few sprigs of chopped mint & coriander leaves
Salt to taste.


Wash the rice 4-5 times and remove all the starch. Keep it aside to soak for 1 hour.

Grind the tomatoes, green chillies & yoghurt to a smooth paste in a blender and leave it aside.



In a big casserole take 1/2 cup oil, heat the oil... Add the sliced onions and let it brown.

Now add the ground puree, ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder & turmeric powder.

Fry the above puree & spices till it starts leaving oil.



Add 1 cup of water, add salt to taste.

Add the prawns, mix and let it cook on slow flame for 2-3 minutes. Don't over cook the prawns. Put off the flame and leave it aside.



In another big vessel take water and let it boil. Add the whole garam masala.

Just few minutes before the water starts boiling add the soaked rice, add 3 tbsp salt. Stir.

As soon as the water starts boiling. Remove 7-8 big serving spoons of rice, strain. Now layer that rice over the prawns gravy. sprinkle some chopped coriander, chopped mint, 1/4 tsp garam masala powder.


Let the remaining rice cook a little longer for another 2 minutes. Strain & put it over the one boil cooked rice. Sprinkle chopped coriander & mint leaves, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder.

In a bowl take milk, add kewra essence & few drops of yellow colour., Sprinkle it over the top rice layer.



Add 4-5 tsp of ghee or oil over the rice.




Seal the handi with an alluminium foil.




Take an old frying pan or tava heat it. Now keep your handi over the tava and let the biryani cook in its own steam (dum) for 25 minutes on very slow flame.




ENJOY THE YUMMY PRAWNS BIRYANI WITH YOUR OWN CHOICE OF RAITA

Cinnarolls

Cinnamon Rolls have been on my mind from a very long time but Adrian is not very fond of cinnamon thus I avoided making it.

Whenever I pass by Cinnabon, I keep drooling over the frosted cinnarolls. The aroma is so very enticing that it makes me feel hungry.

So finally today I decided to make it. I reduced the cinnamon but I don't suggest you to do so. I was quiet happy with the outcome, they were super soft, perfectly sweet. I didn't frost them either as I didn't want it too sweet.

I'm glad Adrian and Sabu liked it and both of them ate two each.

Final verdict they were superb. Sabu gave thumbs up. :)


INGREDIENTS :

1 1/3 cup KDD Milk (full cream)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
2 2/3 cups plain flour + 1/3 cup
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
100g unsalted melted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 cup Sultanas (optional)
1/4 cup walnuts chopped roughly (optional)




Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan.

Heat the milk just before the boiling point, turn off heat and leave to cool for about 30 mins.



When the milk mixture is lukewarm, add the yeast. Leave it to froth for 3-4 minutes.



Add 2 2/3 cups of flour, mix well. Cover and let it rise for one hour.



Now to the above risen dough mixture add 1/3 cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the mixture nicely and you will have a very sticky dough.



Leave it for another 30 minutes to rise. Punch the dough.



Sprinkle the rolling board or the surface with flour. Roll the dough thinly into a long rectangle shape.



Now drizzle the melted butter over the rolled dough.



Mix cinnamon & sugar so it can be easily sprinkled on the rolled dough.



Sprinkle the cinnamon & sugar.




Then sprinkle the cinnamon powder, sultanas & walnuts.



Now start rolling the dough slowly making sure both end are equally rolled . Roll it tightly. Finally pinch the ends to seal it.



Cut the roll to 2 inch thick and lay them in a greased baking tray leaving space in between for the rolls to rise.



Let the rolls rise for 30 mins.



Bake at a 180℃ in a pre-heated oven until light golden brown, for 25 minutes.



Enjoy it with hot cup of coffee or simply eat them plain.

Patoli

Patoli is another Manglorean/Goan delicacy. They are specially made on 15th August to celebrate the Feast of our Lady of Assumption.

These are steamed sweet pancakes made in turmeric leaves stuffed with coconut & jaggery. It is the turmeric leaves that adds a special flavour to them.

My friend Rani brought me few turmeric leaves fom Mangalore. It is also available in Indian grocery stores. You can also try with banana leaves. And If you don't find the leaves you can try it with foil. I tried making one with foil and it tasted yummy just the turmeric leaves aroma was missing.

Ingredients

10 med size Turmeric Leaves
3 cups of boiled rice (wash & soak in ample water overnight)
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of scraped fresh coconut
1 1/2 cup of goa jaggery (grated)
12-15 cardamoms (powdered)


Grind the soaked rice with salt to a smooth thick paste like thick dough. If your batter becomes thin add little rice flour and knead it to a dough.



For the stuffing :

Mix the jaggery & coconut in a big bowl, add the cardamom powder.

Put the bowl in the microwave for 1-2 minutes so you can have a little mushy stuffing. Keep it aside.



Wash & pat dry the turmeric leaves. If the leaves are too big you can cut them into half.



Take a med ball of rice dough in your wet palms and roll the ball into a thick rope.

Place the dough rope in the margin of the leaf and start spreading the dough (left & right) side ways as thin as possible to cover the whole leaf. Repeat it on all the leaves until all the dough is used up.



Now in the center add 2 teaspoonful of the stuffing.



Fold the leaves sideways.





Place the ready Patolis in a steamer with ample water and steam it for 20-25 minutes.



If you dont have a steamer you can steam them in a cooker with little water, place another container over the water and place the patolis in the container. Close the lid, do not put the whistle. Steam for 20-25 minutes.

Voila Patolis are ready to be served warm or cold.

Padwal (snakegourd) stuffed with Mince

This is another favorite of mine & Smita's which Mai use to make for us. Hope you all will enjoy it too.

For Vegetarians : Stuffing can be made of Cheese & potatoes, Rajma & soya granules chili, or Paneer burji.

INGREDIENTS :

4 long tender Padwal (snake gourd)



500 gms Mince (chicken or mutton or beef) Wash & drain the water.
2 big onions chopped finely
2 medium tomatoes chopped finely
3 green chilies chopped finely
2 tbsp ginger chopped finely
2 tbsp garlic chopped finely
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbps + 1 tbsp oil

Scrape the skin of the padwal with knife, wash and pat dry.



Cut into 3inch cylinders, scoop out the seeds & pith, Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt on it, toss well so the salt coats it well. Keep it aside.




For the stuffing :

In a small frying heat 3 tbsp oil, add chopped onions brown.

Add tomatoes brown it well, add the ginger, garlic, chilies fry it well.

Add the turmeric, cumin powder.

Add the mince, salt stir & let it cook on slow flame for 10 minutes.



Once cooked cool the mince.




Now stuff the padwal with mince and leave it aside.


Take a big frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil.

Lay all the stuffed Padwals in it. Cover the frying pan with a lid.




Let it cook on slow fire for 30 minutes turning the sides every 10 minutes.

Once cooked you can brown the sides lightly.



Serve hot with Chapattis & Salad.