Coconut Ladoo

My Daadi Ammi or Grandma used to make this sweet with grated fresh coconut and in those days it was not one of my fav orites. But today I was craving something from the old times and I started searching for the recipe of LAUZ (thats what it was called in my household) and I found the recipe which is different from what my DaadiAmmi used to make. None-the-less I made it and it tastes great.

Narial Ladoo (Coconut balls made with milk and sugar)

Narial Ladoo

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups grated coconut (fresh or if frozen thawed)
2. 1 cup brown sugar
3. 2 cups whole milk
4. 2 green cardamom pounded
5. 1 tablespoon ghee or clarified butter

In a heavy bottomed pan roast the coconut till it turns into light brown. Take it out and set aside. Heat the milk and simmer till it becomes half of the original volume. Add the sugar and simmer further for 5-7 more minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and keep stirring till it comes together. Cut the heat and let it cool till it becomes cool enough to handle. Wet your palms and make them into balls. Enjoy Coconut Ladoo

Salmon curry with Ambada Khatta

Its been ages that I blogged anything. Its just that the priorities have shifted a bit. Some other things have just been moved up the priority and bogging was pushed down. Anyway, here I am today I made Salmon curry with a side gravy of Sorrel leaves which are might sour, and I love them

Salmon Curry (Salmon Steak pieces in a simply yummy gravy)

Salmon Steak curry

Ingredients:

1. two pieces of 1 inch thick salmon steaks cut into 4-5 pieces each
2. 1 medium onion
3. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
5. 1/2-2/3 inch ginger
6. 2 green chillies slit
7. 2 garlic pods
8. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric, methi powder, coriander powder
9. 1 tablespoons oil

Marinate the fish with all the powdered ingredients and oil and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Grind the onions and ginger and garlic  and cumin to a fine paste. Heat the oil and fry the onion paste until it starts getting dark. Add fish to it, add about 2 cups of water and slit green chillies simmer for 12-15 minutes.  Garnish with cilantro and enjoy fish curry


Ambada Khatta (Simple Sorrel leaves gravy)

Ambada Khatta

Ingredients:

1. 1 big bunch sorrel leaves separated
2. 1 small onion sliced
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, urad dal, mustard seeds
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric,
5. 1/2 tablespoons oil
6. 1 teaspoon each of salt, roasted peanut powder
7. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder (optional)
8. 1 garlic clove chopped fine
9. 2 dried red chillies broken

Pressure cook the sorrel leaves with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1/4 sup water. Let the steam escape, open the cooker and grind the leaves to a smooth paste.

                 In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil and fry the urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds till they start to splutter. Add onions, red  chillies and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and fry for a minute. Add the rest of the ingredients, 2 cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes,. Give it a taste test and add more water it it is very sour or salt as per taste. Enjoy

I deep fried some store bought yogurt chillies (green chillies marinated in yogurt and sun dried ). DELICIOUS. I put them in the ambada khatta and served them

Dahi Mirchi

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

 

Roti aur Shahi Aalu Gobi

So...today is one of those days when I don't have much in the refrigerator. Normally I love cauliflower but lately I don't want to eat it. So it is one of those vegetables which was sitting in my fridge for a long long time. Finally, its time had come today. And the search began...because I didn't want to make either Gobi Gosht, Poppy seed cauliflower, Cauliflower with shrimp, Yummy Cauliflower fry, Cauliflower special. I finally ended up finding a very unique dish on Tarla Dalal's web site and I made it and I was DVine. Yummy, delicious. I have never eaten anything like it and I went perfectly with the Roghni Roti I made. So here is the recipe

Shahi Aalu Gobi (cauliflower and Potatoes cooked in Cottage Cheese Gravy)

Shahi Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium small cauliflower cut into florets
2. 1 medium large onion peeled and cubed medium
3. 3/4 cup finely chopped onions
4. 1 cup chopped mushrooms
5. 2 bay leaves
6. 1 cup paneer cubed
7. 1/2 tablespoon butter
8. 1 tablespoon oil
9. 1 cup chicken stock (or water) divided
10. 1/2 teaspoon each of chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric, garam masala, ginger-garlic paste
11. 1 teaspoon salt

In a pan heat the butter and fry the mushrooms till they look nice and brown. Add the paneer, stir once and cut the heat. Let it cool and grind it to a smooth paste using 1/2 cup chicken stock or water.

In the same pan heat the oil and fry the onions and bay leaves till they become translucent. Agarlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add the potatoes and cauliflowers and stir . Add all the ingredients and stir to combine. Add the rest of the stock or water and bring to a boil. Cook covered for 10-15 minutes until potatoes and cauliflower are done. Garnish with cilantro and serve with Roghni Roti

Roghni Roti