Whipped Orange Juice

Today we went on a trip to a place called "Fillmore" and surrounding are the most amazing orange groves I have ever seen. Mile after mile of orange trees filled with juice oranges, lemons, grape fruit and sometimes a strawberry farm. And if it was not orange trees then it was Avocado trees. I have never seen a Avocado tree before and I thought it was a Mango tree cause the leaves were looking kinda similar. But anyway it was great.
         So while coming back we got a whole box of fresh oranges and MAN!!! are they sweet. I wanted to make this delicious drink called "Whipped Orange Juice" I once had in a Mexican restaurante. I found the recipe and I added my own items and it was great. So here is the simple but most refreshing orange juice ever

Whipped Orange Juice 

Whipped Orange Juice

Ingredients:

1. About 1 glass of fresh orange juice
2. 3-4 ice cubes
3. 2-3 teaspoons sugar

Whip all the ingredients in a blender for about 2-3 minutes or until frothy. Serve in a chilled glass on a hot summer day or any day you want to be refreshed. ENJOY

Besan Roti Achari Baingan aur Lehsuni Chutney

Today was a day of shopping for me. I spent quite a lot of money today and after coming home in the evening, the age old question question awaited me...whats for dinner??? Hence the search began for some recipes with Baingan...the King of vegetables...Eggplant. I found these recipes on a Pakistani website and I searched and searched and searched...all those websites had videos of 30-50 minutes long. I just wanted a recipe. Didn't want to watch all the blabber
             But anyway I got the recipe from different places and it turned out great. So the recipe for today's dinner is as follows

Besan Roti (Indian bread with Chick peas flour)

Besan Roti

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Besan (Chick Peas flour)
2. 2 cups whole wheat flour
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
5. 1/2 teaspoon chilly flakes
6. 1/2 teaspoon cumin

Sift both the flours with salt and mix all the other ingredients into a dough with about 1 cup water. Apply a little oil to your palm and roll the dough to apply oil all around. Set aside for 20-30 minutes. Divide into 8-10 parts and roll into roti and fry on a hard griddle till dark spots appear on the roti. Apply little ghee on both sides and serve hot

Achari Baingan (Eggplant in Indian Pickle Spices)

Achari Baingan

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium sized American Eggplant cubed
2. 1 medium small onion cubed
3. 1 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, cumin, fennel seeds, fenugreek (Methi) seeds, Onion seeds (Kalonji), Coriander seeds or coriander powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, chilly powder, salt
5. 2 tablespoons oil
6. 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
7. 1 tablespoon white vinegar
8. 2-3 dried red chillies

Heat oil in a Kadhai or wok and add the red chillies and fry for a minute. Add the onions and fry for 2-4 minutes until they start changing color. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the eggplant and fry for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except vinegar and stir to combine. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add about 1/2-3/4 cup water and cook covered for 15-20 minutes until eggplant gets cooked thoroughly. Garnish with cilantro and vinegar and stir to combine. Serve with besan roti

Lehsuni Chutney (Garlic yogurt dip)

Lahsun ka Chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 whole garlic peeled
2. 3/4-1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3. 1/2 teaspoon cumin toasted
4. 1/2 teaspoon chilly flakes
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Blend everything to a smooth paste. Serve chilled

Kadhai Mutton

The other day I got this HUGE chunk of Kosher lamb from Costco. And the meat is great with no bones and less fat but it does seem ridiculously expensive only because it is a big chunk of meat and to spend that much for something at one single time just seems way too much.
                 But anyway, I got it and made four portions out of it and today I wanted to make one of those portions . The dish I made is very amazing. I followed the recipe exactly and it was yummy and spicy. I served it with Jeera or Cumin rice just because I did not have the strength to make Roti or better yet Naan or flat bread 


Kadhai Mutton (Lamb cooked in a spicy gravy)

Kadhai Mutton*

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb lamb or goat preferably with bones cut into small pieces
2. 1 medium red onion 
3. 2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
4. 2 green chillies sliced 
5. 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
6. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, red chilly powder, turmeric, coriander powder
8. 1/2 cup plain yogurt beaten
9. 2 tablespoons oil
10. 1 inch cinnamon stick, 2-4 cloves

This recipe is to be make in a WOK which is what a KADHAI means in Hindi. But just to make it a little more quickly I cooked it in a pressure cooker. So its up to you.

Marinate the mutton pieces with ginger-garlic paste, salt, chilly powder, coriander powder and turmeric for atleast 1 hr

Make a paste out of the onions and cumin

In a cooker or kadhai heat the oil and fry the green onions till they change color. Drain and set aside. Add the mutton and fry in the oil for 7-8 minutes. Drain and set aside. Add the onion paste and fry till it starts changing color. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add cinnamon and cloves and everything back to the cooker or kadhai except yogurt. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or 2-3 whistles. Let the steam escape and add the beaten yogurt and stir well. Simmer till the gravy thickens to your liking. garnish with cilantro and serve with roti or Zeera Rice

* The photo doesn't do any justice to the yumminess of the curry :(

Cooked EggNog

Eggnog is a recipe which is usually made during the winter holidays but it is such a nutrition rich drink and so creamy and delicious that my kids love it any time of the year. And since I am serving it to kids I don't give them the uncooked version but I make the cooked eggnog and I feel safe about it. Because I am not sure about serving raw eggs to anybody, let alone kids.
                  I have been making this eggnog for a long time now. I can't remember where I got the recipe from. I hope you too will enjoy it as much as me and my family does. So here you go

Cooked EggNog (Sweet and creamy eggs and milk)

Cooked Eggnog

Ingredients:

1. 3 eggs beaten
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 21/2 cups whole milk
4. 1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
5. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
6. 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
8. Fresh nutmeg for garnishing

In a heavy saucepan combine eggs, sugar and salt and whisk together. Gradually stir in milk while whisking and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium low heat. Stir continuously. Remove custard from heat, put it in a bowl of water and stir in vanilla

NOTE: Serve warm with a sprinkle of nutmeg

Chill the above mixture thoroughly. In a large bowl combine whipping cream and powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Fold the cream into the cold custard. Pour into serving bowls, sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy