Chikkoo & Pecan/Walnut Frozen Yoghurt

I had made this yoghurt about 2 weeks before; was hesitating to post this in this winter; when most of ma fellow bloggers are struggling against big freeze in Europe. Here, in this part of Middle East, we are enjoying winter too ;but at 21C. Today, it rained for the first time here.

This recipe as the name suggests is made of chikko(Sapodilla),pecan/walnut and hung yoghurt. - a bit soury yet absolutely delicious. Chikoo adds its own charm to this yogurt based ice cream. The original recipe used walnuts whereas i prefer pecan than walnuts..

Ingredients:

Hung Yogurt  1 cup

Chikoo  6 medium

Powdered sugar  1/4 cup

Honey 3 tbsp

Condensed Milk 1/2 cup

Method:

Peel and pit the chikus.  Put them in a processor/mixer and crush.  Add hung yogurt*, powdered sugar and mix.  Add honey and process again.  Add condensed milk and mix.  Finally add crushed walnuts and mix Transfer the mixture into an ice-cream tin and level the top. Place the tin in the deep freezer to set. Make scoops of it and serve when firmly set. If you don't have an ice-cream tin, you can transfer it into an air-tight container; but you will have to keep it in room temperature for a minimum of 5 minutes before scooping. But still ice-cream tin is better option. *Hung Yogurt can be prepared easily at home. Put yogurt in a muslin cloth & hang to drain for a few hours. If you can't find a place to hang, you can place it on a strainer kept on a deep bottomed vessel.

                                                                                                                

KFC Coleslaw

Coleslaw is a type of salad consisting primarily shredded raw cabbage and carrots. I had tried lots of coleslaw recipes; tried my own varitations; but none came out perfect till I found this one some 3 years ago. I think I can give this recipe 9/10... I have the recipe of 8 cups of cabbage ; but 8 cups is a huge amount for our household use; so tried to cut it down to 4 cups. It was a difficuilt task to cut down as we won't get it that appropriate. Still tried to include both the measurements. The exact taste comes only when we measure & use each & every ingredient; otherwise they won't balance each other..

Ingredients:((For 8 cups of cabbage)):

8 cups finely diced cabbage (about 1 head) (preferably white cabbage)
* 1/4 cup diced carrot
* 2 tablespoons minced onions
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon pepper
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1/4 cup buttermilk/curd/laban
* 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method:

Finely dice cabbage and carrots.Use white cabbage. I used green one here & was not that good this time.

Place cabbage and carrot mixture into large bowl and add minced onions.

Using regular blade on food processor, process remaining ingredients until smooth or mix it nicely with a spoon/fork till the sugar melts.

Pour over vegetable mixture and mix thoroughly.

Cover bowl and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Ingredients ((For 4 cups of cabbage))

Cabbage 4 cups (1 litre), diced

Carrots 30 ml, shredded

Sugar 40 ml

Salt 1/4tsp

Pepper a pinch

Milk 30 ml

Mayonnaise 60ml

Buttermilk /Laban 30ml

White Vinegar 3/4 Tbsp 

Lemon Juice 1 1/4 Tbsp

Minced Onions 1 Tbsp

Reposting this recipe to send it to  Only salad Event hosted by Pari & Pratibha

Vegetable soup (pressure cooked)

Ingredients:

Potatoes 2 medium
Carrot 2 medium
Onions 2 medium
Beans 10
Cabbage 1 piece
Shelled Green Peas 1/2 cup / Frozen peas
celery 3 stalks
Veg. or Chicken Stock
Skimmed milk 250ml
Butter 2 tbsp (optional)

Method:

Cut the vegetables & onions into small pieces.

Pressure cook Vegetables & Stock for 10 minutes.

Strain out 1 cup of vegetables and blend in a mixer.

Return it to the soup

Add milk .Let it boil. Add butter (optional).

Season with salt & pepper.

Serve hot!!

Dry fruits & pineapple pudding

Sweets time!! had never posted a pudding before... This recipe has come to me recently from Hanan-ma sis & she got it from her friend Sufaija...Actually Hanan was always interested in trying varieties in sweets from Arabic to Indian; anything that comes across her way; whereas i was always into baking. This is a simple bt delicious recipe ;rich in dry fruits & beautifully layered.

Ingredients

Pineapple
milk 1 cup
chinagrass 5 gm
cashew 10
dates 10
marie biscuits
nestle cream 1
condensed milk 1/2 tin
sugar 3 tbs +3tbs +1 tbsp or more according to taste
almonds for garnish

Method

Cut the pineapple into small pieces. I didn't cut the pineapple into small pieces becos of which it was difficuilt to serve .


Heat 3 tbsp of sugar with pineapple in high flame till all the water disappears. Stir the pineapple in between. Let it cool.

Layer these pineapples in a pudding tray.

Layer marie biscuits on top of pineapple followed by dates & cashews.

Boil milk, sugar & condensed milk. let it cool 

Dissolve china grass in a cup of water.mix it with the milk.If the china grass chunks are seen in the milk, blend it in the juicer.

Pour this over the layers without disturbing the layers..allow it to set in the refrigerator.

Beat nestle cream with a tbsp of sugar & any color.(sugar is optional here).Pour this over the pudding once it is cooled.

Garnish with almonds , cool it...& have it :)


Going to the Dish name starts with D event

Pizza with Garlic Bread

 Pizzas are nowadays found in all parts of the world with different toppings & flavors depending upon their traditional cuisines;eventhough it was originally introduced by the Italians to the outer world.. In India we can see varieties like Tandoori chicken or Paneer on top ...I don't think ,pizzas need any  description as these are familiar to everyone these days..This is a simple recipe with basic ingredients . This picture was taken a bit late so that the melting cheese s not seen in this pic...later I had to microwave it again before eating...:))

Ingredients: (For the dough)

Flour (Maida)  250 g
Yeast 7g
Sugar 1 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Water 150ml

For toppings:

Capsicum
Mushroom
Tomato soup -1 can or tomato puree
Pepperoni or sausage or chicken shredded
Black olives sliced
Oregano
Tomato ketchup

Method:

Combine a flour, yeast, sugar, salt and warm water.

Add oil and knead the batter.

Keep this in a warm place or you can heat the batter in Microwave at Power 20% for 1 to 1 1/2 min.

Let stand the batter covered for 10 -15 min.

Grease the oil on the metal tray.Spread the batter on the metal tray. Let it stand for 15 mts again. Poke with a fork all over the pie so that it won't raise too high.

Place the tomato soup/puree on it.

Place the other ingredients on the pie. You can add toppings based on your taste. tomatoes, onions, paneer etc.

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on the pizza. Then sprinkle oregano on the top ;about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp is enough.

Place pepperoni on top.

You can add 2-3 tbsp of tomato ketchup over it.

Preheat the oven to Convection 180-200 C

Cook for 25-40 min. until browned.

For Microwave users:

You can bake the bread first & then add the toppings and bake again. Bake the bread for about 20 mts in 180C. Then remove it from the oven & add the toppings alongwith cheese and then bake till it turns brown.

Garlic Bread:(crispy)

French Bread/Italian Bread / Sammoon

Garlic 3 cloves

Unsalted Butter 1/2 cup

1 heaped Tbsp of Freshly chopped parsley  or 1 tsp of Oregano

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (optional)( I didn't use)

Make 1 inch thick slices of the loaf. Mix butter, garlic paste and parsley or oregano. Spread this mixture on both sides of the loaf & Grill it for 3-5 mts in Grill 2 (if using microwave with convection) 

If you are using cheese,  Grill it for 2-3 mts, then sprinkle grated cheese over it and bake again till it turns brown.

Or you can bake it in 170C  for 10 mts, sprinkle grated cheese & then bake for 2-3 mts on high heat till it turns brown.

Date & Hazelnut Ladoo

Except few, most of the Ladoos involves lots of hardwork & series of procedures. They are prepared by Asians, mostly Indians during festives or any other celebrations. But this is a simple one that we can prepare it within a few minutes of a day...This recipe requires very less time & effort that we can prepare it as an evening snack or a dessert even when the guests have already arrived.Dates & hazelnuts compliment each other well in this recipe..

I think this could be made with roasted almonds too... never tried with that...but thinks so...

Ingredients:

Dates, finely chopped, seedless  2 cups

Hazelnuts, roasted  1/2 cup

White sesame seeds, roasted, optional --enough to coat with

Milk  3 cups

Baking powder 1 tsp

Method:

Dry roast sesame seeds, on medium heat, to a light brown.

Remove on a plate and set aside.

Dry roast hazelnuts and crush coarsely.

Heat a pan, add dates and milk and mix.

Add baking powder, mix and cook on medium heat,stirring continuously, till the mixture thickens and the dates get completely mashed. There should not be moisture left in the mixture. 

Add crushed hazelnuts and mix. Make Ladoos & coat with sesame seeds. You can have it plain also.

Sending this to Dish name starts with D Event

Kaarayappam-Sweet/Plain

Kaarayappam(which is a traditional Malabar dish) is always mistaken as Unniyappam; whereas both are entirely different. It is easy to make when compared to Unniyappam  and could be prepared without much pre-arrangements. No need to leave it for fermentation also. It's so soft inside compared to Unniyappam.In India, we used to make this for marriage or any other functions when the house is loaded fully with guests . Both can be stored for a few days in an air-tight container. I'm not sure about the number of days as my kids won't allow for that. They love this and so will finish it off within 2 days. 

There is one more variation to this recipe. We cook it without jaggery and eat those for breakfast or dinner with some curries. That's why I have mentioned Sweet Kaarayappam. The other one looks white in colour. I don't have pictures with me now; but will soon post it. You can follow the same recipe;but without jaggery and cardamom powder.

Ingredients:

White Rice( Pachari)  1  cup, soaked overnight

Cooked Par boiled Rice (preferrably Triple 7 or U.S. Style rice) 1 cup

Jaggery 200gms

Cardamom powder

Salt 3/4 - 1 tsp

Sesame (optional) 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Melt Jaggery by boiling alongwith water. The consistency of the syrup is not essential as we are going to add more water while grinding. Add cardamom powder to it. Pass it through a metal sieve.Let it cool.
2. Grind soaked white rice alongwith cooked rice,water,jaggery syrup & salt. The parboiled rice we use here is Triple 7 as it won't turn good if use the Brown rice or the Palakkadan Matta.
3. It should be of Dosa consistency.Now add sesame to it (optional)
4. Heat oil in a Kaara (Appa Kaara) & when it starts boiling, fill the moulds with the dough.
5. The heat should be adjusted to Medium-Low; otherwise the inner side will remain uncooked. First you can check by filling just one mould & taste it so that you can adjust according to that.
6. When it is done on the bottom side, flip it over. Cook till it turns reddish brown color. Drain excess oil and serve hot!!

 This post goes to the  'Say Thank You Mom Event' hosted by Satya.. When she said in her event announcement 'There might be atleast one dish which your mom is best at and you prefer to have it only when she makes it and no one else.', this dish came to my mind . Even if this is a traditional dish, my Mom makes this the best and her kaarayappam is famous among close relatives and friends.So nothing better than this one.

• 

Sesame coated Alfalfa ,Tomato & Cheese Sandwich

As you all know, Sprouts are highly nutritious; they are rich in proteins & so is good in building our immune system. My kids luv to have sprouts or moong may be becos I've been feeding them with sprouts since they are 7-8 months old. My hubby who is also a doctor always insists me to feed them moong sprouts or any other bean sprouts. I think Moong sprouts are the most common ones. We can make it in our home by soaking whole moongs, draining them & then tying up in a muslin cloth for a day or so till it gets sprouted.

This is a simple recipe;infact all sandwiches are simple ,easy to prepare; healthy &delicious .. Sandwiches along with  a bowl of fruits & a glass of juice makes my day... We Indians usually don't take fruits in empty stomach; but i recommend you guys to please make it a habit; it really worth it. It detoxifies your system, supplies you with great deal of energy for your weight loss and other activities for the day.

Now...the recipe time...

Ingredients;

Butter

Bread 4 slices

Tomato 1 large, sliced in rounds

Alfalfa/Bean sprouts 2 tbsp

Cheese slices 4

Eggs 2, lightly beaten with a little salt & pepper

salt & pepper to taste

Roasted sesame seeds 2 tbsp

Oil for shallow frying

Preparation

Spread butter on (one side each) of all the bread slices. Place one cheese slice over the buttered side of one bread slice. Place few tomato slices over the cheese and sprinkle 1 tbsp of alfalfa or bean sprouts. Place another cheese slice over this and cover with the second bread slice (buttered side facing down). Trim the edges from all four sides of the sandwich. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 bread slices. Dip each prepared sandwich in egg and then coat it with sesame seeds. Shallow fry both sandwiches (one at a time), in hot oil in a non-stick pan. Slice sandwich into 2 halves and serve warm.

And friends, please don't be lazy to trim the edges as i did...hihi...wake up a bit early...:))

Posting this to Sujana's celebrating sandwich event

Strawberry Ripple with Mascarpone Cream & Ma first Ever Award!!

Merry X'mas to all of u...I know that it's a bit early; bt ma exams are on the way & I wanted to post something before that, for the x'mas. But still the festive season has begun and you can see the Santas & X'mas trees all over. Ma kids are also busy collecting them.You can see ma daughter's Santa in one of the pictures below. She painted it & now it's there on her table since a week ..

A bit busy now, so going directly to the recipe ....so mch to type... :))

Ingredients:

For the honey sponge:

5 egg yolks

Salt 4 gm

Honey 175gm

Flour 75 gm

Baking powder 5 gm

Egg Whites 5

Sugar 125 gm

Melted butter 90g

Strawberry Jam 30gm

For the Strawberry Ripple with Mascarpone cream

Mascarpone cheese 150g

Icing sugar 20 g

Egg Yolks 1

Heavy Cream 150g

Strawberry puree 55ml

sugar 15 g

gelatin 12g

Egg yolks 2 

Sugar 25g

Fresh strawberry, chopped 35g

                                                   

Method:

1. To make the sponge, whisk the egg yolks until slightly thickened.Continue to whisk as you slowly add the salt and honey. Whisk this mixture until it has risen and is pale in colour.                                         
2. Add the flour and baking powder to the yolk mixture. Gently fold in.
3. Whisk the egg whites and sugar in a separate mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the flour and yolk mixture to the egg white mixture and gently fold in until completely incorporated. Lastly, fold in the melted butter.
4. Spread the batter about 1 cm thick onto  a 40*60 cm baking sheet pan. Bake in the oven at 210C oven for abt 6 mts. Set aside.
5. When completely cooled, spread the strawberry jam evenly on the sponge and roll into a long cylinder resembling a swiss roll. Place in the freezer until it sets, then cut the roll into slices about 2 cm thick.You have to roll it carefully & tightly..cos this is the roll which is seen while serving & it should be perfect. This was my first attempt; so i think i would 've done more neatly.But the taste was awesome!!
6. Spray bowl shaped mould with non-stick spray and dust with a small amount of sugar. Line the bottom of the mould with the Swiss roll slices and set aside. I used ramekins;bt not bowl shaped.
7. To make the strawberry ripple, in a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the mascarpone cheese, icing sugar, and the two egg yolks. Beat the mixture until smooth and set aside.
8. Whisk the heavy cream in a separate bowl until light and fluffy.Set aside.
9. In a saucepan place the strawberry puree and sugar over high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and mix in the gelatin until fully dissolved.
10. Ina a separate bowl, whisk the four egg yolks and sugar together until the mixture rises and is pale in colour.
11. Gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the yolks, then fold in the strawberry mixture, and lastly the whipped cream. Fold until everything is fully incorporated, but don't overwork the mixture.
12. Put this mixture into the previously prepared mould.Set in the freezer.
13. When ready to serve invert the mould onto serving plate and garnish with fresh strawberry or raspberry; though i used frozen...:))

This post is going to the Suma's anniwersary event

Verdict: Next time I would make half the qty of the mascarpone cream...as i didn't lik too mch of it..

AWARD TIME!!

Oops!! forgot to mention about ma first ever award..All thanx to Sujana!! This 'Sunshine Award' was passed on to me by Sujana from Sujana's World & I'm sharing this with all ma followers & fellow bloggers..It really means a lot to me & defenitely a source of inspiration. Please do check her blog.

Vegetable Makhanwala

Such a delightful dish again frm the Khazana of Sanjeev kapoor... He has been such a wonderful chef; got lots of recipes in his site that i've always been following his one or the other recipes. This one is so easy & gt a royal taste;contains 8 different types of vegetables & paneer as well...I loved the combination of these vegetables with paneer...u may omit 1 or 2 vegetables; it won't affect the recipe much..You can use the frozen mixed vegetables also.

Ingredients:

Vegetables:
Cauliflower, cut into florets 1/2 medium
Green peas shelled 1/2 cup
French beans, chopped  4
Carrots chopped 2 medium
Baby potatoes,peeled   4
Button Mushrooms   8
Capsicum ,chopped   1 medium
Corn corb, thinly sliced 1 medium

Other ingredients:

Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves  4-5
Butter  3 1/2 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Garlic chopped 5- 6 cloves
Kalonji /Onion seeds/ karinjeerakam 1/8tsp
Whole dried red chillies ,broken 4
Red chilli paste 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup 1 tbsp
Tomato puree(boiled)  1 cup
Paneer/ cottage cheese 100gms
Fresh cream 1/2 cup
Kasoori Methi 1 tbsp
Fresh coriander leaves -a few sprigs
Cashewnuts ,crushed 10
Almonds ,crushed 10

Method

Boil cauliflower florets with a pinch of turmeric powder. Drain and keep aside.


Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and chopped garlic. As they begin to change colour, add green peas, French beans, carrots, corn, potatoes and curry leaves. You can use frozen mixed vegetables also..


When these are half done add  capsicum and mushrooms. 


Sprinkle kalonji and salt to taste. Cover and cook on low heat. 


When vegetables are done add broken red chillies, fresh red chilli paste and tomato ketchup. Stir well. 


Add boiled tomato puree,cauliflower  and paneer cubes and sauté for a minute. 


Add fresh cream and sprinkle crushed kasoori methi. Stir in butter. 


Serve hot sprinkled with coriander leaves and coarsely crushed cashewnuts and almonds.

Palak/Spinach Puri

Spinach is considered as Nutritional Powerhouse. It is loaded with Calcium, folic acid, vitamin K, fiber...etc...Its always recommended to add Spinach; fresh or frozen; to our food menu as often as we can. We can even add spinach in our sandwiches instead of lettuces. My kids jst hate spinach ;so i've to find different ways to make them have it; either add them in  puris ,chappathis or in soups. 

This puri is so delicious & yummy that they still don't know that there's Palak in it. I don't lik the color of this puri ;the green & brown combo; but the taste overcomes it. Ma family jst luv it.

Ingredients:

Atta/whole-wheat flour 2 cups

Palak/spinach 1 bunch

Salt

Water 

Method:

Blanch palak in boiling water,drain & let it cool. Make a paste of it.

Mix all the ingredients together & make the dough adding enough water . Keep the dough covered for about 10 mts.

Divide into 14-16 equal sized balls & roll into 4 inch diameter puris.

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai & deep fry the puris on medium-high heat. Drain onto an absorbent paper and serve hot.

Kerala Porotta

Paranthas are Indian flat breads made on a tawa; either stuffed or plain. It must have originated from North India; (yet not sure)bt it has its own south-indian variation; the most popular being the Kerala Porotta. Apart from the fact that North-Indian Paranthas are made by panfrying whole wheat flour, the main ingredient in Kerala Porotta is Maida/refined flour. These are found in spiral layers, which could be separated from each other, when done perfectly. This is my mom's version (i thnk, i don't have to mention it again) of home-made porottas which I remember, has always been our favourite !! 

Ingredients:(10-12 porottas ;depends on size)

Maida / refined flour 4cups
Sugar 1 tbsp

Egg 1 

Salt as required

Oil/ ghee 2 tbsp ( I prefer oil)

Baking soda 1/4 tsp

Enough water to knead the dough

Method:

1. Knead the dough with all the above ingredients .Keep it aside for atleast 4 hrs in a bowl covered with a damp cloth.

2. Make a minimum of 10 equal sized balls with the dough. Rest it for a minimum of 5 minutes.Flatten all the balls like a roti & keep aside.

3.Now u've to beat the rotis in such a way that it turns to  thin & transparent. All the sides should be well beaten. The procedure is shown in the picture below:

-Use both your hands. Right hand below the roti & left hand above. Take it & beat it from all the sides occasionally. Make it as thin as possible.

4.Apply oil and sprinkle flour over the beaten roti.

5.Take the one end of the dough on your index  & middle finger together, then roll it over with the other hand like a spiral.The layers should be even so that they might not get disturbed.Lock the other end of the dough to the centre. Keep it aside. Do the same for all the prepared rotis.

6. Now flatten these spiral balls into circle shaped Porottas with the hands. You can use the wooden roller also, but it would be fine if you use your hands as the layers would remain intact. Fry it in a non-stick pan or tawa by brushing oil till it turns crispy.

7. Beat the porottas with both your hands so that the layers gets separated.