Thursday, December 27

Bengali Rasgulla..

Rasgulla it is popular throughout India and other parts of South Asia. The dish is made from ball shaped dumplings of chhena (an Indian cottage cheese), cooked in light sugar syrup. This is done until the syrup permeates the dumplings. This was the first attempt and i was quite happy with the result.


Ingredients:
4 cups milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups water
1tsp arrowroot flour
Pressure cooker.


Method for Paneer/Chhena
Mix lemon juice in half cup of hot water and keep aside.
Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.
As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separating from the whey, turn off the heat.
Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with muslin cloth.
Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, and rince under cold water, and squeeze well. This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
Once the paneer is drained, place on a dry, clean surface and knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.
Knead the paneer and arrowroot flour by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer. Keep scooping it back to togather and knead more. If the paneer is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water. Your palm will be little greasy.



Method For Rasgulla 
Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and roll them into smooth balls.
To make the balls apply some pressure at the first and then release when forming the balls.
Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes.
Make sure the pressure cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished Rasgullas, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup.
Close the heat and wait a few minutes before you opening the pressure cooker. Pour cold water over the pressure cooker before opening.
Rasgullas should be little spongy. Serve the Rasgullas chilled.


Sunday, December 23

Merry Christmas!!!! Eggless Mini Bundt Cake.

It's Christmas time again. Merry Christmas to all my blogger friends and readers. Do lots of shopping, cooking and enjoy your holidays... I have made this bundt as i had made the pound cake with little bit of change in ingredient's.. And this bundt also had come out very spongy, this year i'm doing lots of baking, there are many more recipes yet to come, u'll all see it very soon :)


Ingredient's
1+1/2cups all purpose flour
1/2cup butter, room temperature
1/2cups sugar
1cup plain yogurt
1/4cup milk
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
4tbsp dried black grapes and raisin.


For the icing
2tbsp icing sugar
1/2tbsp warm water.


Baking Method
Preheat oven at 350F/180C for 10minutes. Grease and flour the mini bundt cake tin.
In a small bowl blend together the, milk, yogurt and vanilla extract.
In another small bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until it’s light and fluffy. To this mixture, add the liquid ingredients in 3 additions, beating well after each addition.
Now combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the black grapes.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. I made 6 mini bundt cake from this batter.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. You will be able to remove the cake from the pan in about 10-15 minutes. Keep the cake on the wire rack and let it cool completely.
After the cake completely cooled pour the icing on it..


Tuesday, December 18

Eggless Pound Cake!!! To celebrate Christmas

Pound cake refers to a type of cake traditionally made with a pound of each of four ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. This is the way to make a perfect pound cake, but i have not used egg in my pound cake so i don't call it a perfect pound cake. Many people don't prefer egg in their cakes, it is the same case with my hubby also. What ever i bake i keep in my mind to use very less eggs in it. Last night i was just going through some websites there this recipe caught my eyes and i have changed the many ingredient's, but still the result was awesome. The cake was very soft and good to taste... So friends do try this recipe and let know :)


Ingredient's
1+1/2cups all purpose flour
1/2cup butter, room temperature
1/2cups sugar
1cup plain yogurt
1/4cup milk
1tsp vanilla extract
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
4tbsp dried black grapes.



Baking Method
Preheat oven at 350F/180C for 10minutes. Grease and flour the mini bread loaf tin.
In a small bowl blend together the, milk, yogurt and vanilla extract.
In another small bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until it’s light and fluffy. It will take about 5 minutes. To this mixture, add the liquid ingredients in 3 additions, beating well after each addition.
Now combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the black grapes.


Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. I made 6 mini pound cake from this batter.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. You will be able to remove the cake from the pan in about 10-15 minutes. Keep the cake on the wire rack and let it cool completely.


Wednesday, December 12

Mini Uttapam

A delicious and quick breakfast recipe made with a dosa batter, seasoning and top with tomatos and onion. I had this mini uttapam once in restaurant on my way to chennai, they were looking so cute i din't feel like eat them, i just wanted to keep looking at them only. I wanted to try this at home from a long long time but i use to always forget. Last week i had dosa batter in my fridge and i was not having idea what to cook with that dosa batter. Then suddenly i told myself when not cook those mini uttapam which we had on that day in restaurant. Then i made mini uttapam they were as beautiful as i had in restaurant... I love it.


Ingredient's
2 cup Dosa Batter
1 cup finely chopped (tomato, onion, green chilli and coriander leafs)
Salt and Oil to taste.



Cooing Method
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour few drops of oil
Take one ladle full of dosa batter and pour into small portions to make 2 to 3 mini uttapams.
Sprinkle some salt and place the tomatoes, onion, chilli and coriander mixture over each of mini uttapam.


Cover with a lid and cook on low fire.
Turn over very gently and cook the other side.
Once both the sides are cooked, remove and Serve hot with Chutney.



Tuesday, December 4

Plain Dosa!!

Plain Dosa. I like dosa a lot, because it is easy to cook and delicious to eat. This is a regular dosa variety which is prepared in every south Indian houses but with some of my touch and tricks which helps in keeping the dosa soft for a long time. If you ask me to describe a perfect dosa, I would say that 'Dosa should have red crispy crust without a single white spot and a soft and porous white interior. But everybody can't make the perfect dosa, i have tried my best to get the crispy and perfect dosa. This is the simple and easy recipe with easily available ingredient's..


Ingredient's
3/4 cup raw rice
1/4 cup urad dal (split black lentils)
2 tbsp cooked rice
2 tbsp poha (beaten rice)
1/4tsp fenugreek seeds
Oil for frying
salt to taste
Butter for serving.


Cooking Method
Wash the urad dal, raw rice and methi seeds. Soak in a little water along with the poha and cooked rice for at least 2 hours.


Grind to a smooth paste with a little water. Cover and keep aside for at least 4 hours. Add salt and mix well.
Heat a non-stick tava and grease lightly with oil. when hot, sprinkle a little water, pour a ladle of batter, spread it around, into a thin crepe and cook on one side.


Pour a little oil along the edges while cooking. When crispy, fold and serve hot with Sambar and Chutney.
Repeat for the remaining batter.


Thursday, November 29

Onion Rava Dosa..

Rava Dosa is a popular South Indian dish. It looks like thin crepes. Rava Dosas are quick to make. These crepes are prepared without fermenting. They can be served as a snack or part of a main meal. Initial days my rava dosa was terrible.. They use to be thick and never got the golden color. Slowly I learned to master it and now it is just perfect how it has to be. My hubby is not a big fan of rava upma, but thank god he atleast like rawa dosa. So here is the recipe of onion rava dosa in my way...


Ingredient's
Semolina 1/2 cup
Rice flour 1/2 cup
Maida 1/4 cup
Ginger, finely chopped 1tbsp
Green chillies 1, chopped
Whole black pepper 2 tsp, Jeera 1tsp
Onion 1, finely chopped
Coriander leaves,chopped 1 tblsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Salt as needed
Oil/ghee as needed.



Cooking Method
Take all the ingredients except onion in a bowl and mix water with it. Use a egg beater for easy mixing. Keep onions aside. The batter should be very thin of running consistency.


Heat a non stick dosa pan preferably. It should be really hot. Drizzle some oil and pour the watery batter, first to form a outer circle and then fill in the centre, just one layer. Immediately top the chopped onions in a sprinkled way. Add a tsp of oil/ ghee over it. Let it cook in medium flame until the dosa browns to a golden colour. It takes some time in medium flame. If you cook in high flame you may not get the crispy dosa. So cook slowly in medium flame. Do not flip, just fold and serve hot.
Serve hot immediately with sambar and chutney the best combo.


Saturday, November 24

Hakka Noodles..

Cooking this Hakka Noodles is very easy, you just have to know how much to boil the noodles. If the noodles are over cooked then u won't be getting the perfectly cooked hakka noodles. So make sure you follow the instruction on the pack or you just boil the noodles for 2 to 3 minutes because you will be cooking the noodles again. I can say that this was the best noodles i have cooked so far. On the day when i cooked this noodles, i shared it with my friends in the apartment. They liked it so much that on the next day one of my friend called me to show her how to cook hakka noodles. For her kids, this has become the favorite food, they just want noodles on every weekends... If we can make a kids happy by our cooking then it means we have succeed in our goal.
So do try this my version of Hakka Noodles and let me know the taste :) 


Ingredient's 
Plain noodles 1 & 1/2 cup 
1cup fine thin strips vegetables (Cabbage, Carrot, Capsicum, beans) 
1 stem of celery (optional) 
Spring onion 3 sprigs (fine thin strips) 
1 onion, 1 green chilli (fine thin strips) 
1tbsp finely chopped ginger and garlic 
Pepper 1/2 tsp 
1/2tsp ajinomoto 
1tbsp soya sauce 
Tomato chilli sauce 1 & 1/2 tsp 
Salt as needed 
Oil 2 tblsp.


Cooking Method 
Cook noodles as per the instructions given in the pack or boil 3-4 cups of water and cook noodles for 3-4 minutes. Make sure its not over cooked. Drain water and wash it to remove the excess starch and add 1 tsp oil and mix well to avoid sticking.


Heat a pan with oil and fry ginger and garlic, when they turn golden brown add onion and green chilli, fry for 1 min. Add the veggies one by one frying each for half minute. Add the sauces, salt, pepper and ajinomoto. Give a quick stir. Add the drained noodles and mix well. Then add the chopped spring onion and stir well.
Serve hot with any Manchurian or As u like.


Monday, November 12

Happy Diwali 2012!!!

Happy Diwali to all my blog readers and my blogger friends.... I am going to have lot of fun this Diwali and hope the same for all of you... Have Fun and safe diwali :). Surprise your loved one's this Diwali by cooking different types of sweets. To know the recipe click on the link. Gulab Jamun, Gajar Ka Halwa, Suji Ka Ladoo, Roasted Sevai, Suji Ka Halwa, Sheer Khurma, Rice Kheer.


Tuesday, November 6

Vegetable Gravy Manchurian

Vegetable Manchurian. There are two versions of Vegetable Manchurian, wet and dry. Made with generous amount of garlic and ginger and flavored with soy sauce and vinegar, the wet Vegetable Manchurian (with gravy) complements steamed white rice and is best when drizzled on a serving of steaming hot rice, fried rice or noodles. The dry Vegetable Manchurian is best served as an appetizer and is a favorite in our home.


Ingredients
2 cups finely chopped capsicum, cabbage, carrot, beans, 
cauliflower and spring onion whites 
2tbsps maida, 2tbsps cornflour 
1tbsp ginger-garlic finely chopped 
2 green chilli finely chopped 
1/4tsp soy sauce, 1/4tsp tomato sauce 
1/2tsp black pepper powder 
salt to taste 
oil for deep frying.

For sauce 
1/4cup spring onions, finely chopped 
1onion roughly chopped 
1 1/2tbsps finely minced garlic 
1/2tbsp finely minced ginger 
2 finely chopped green chillis 
1tbsp cornflour 
2 tsps soya sauce, 1/2 tbsp chilli sauce 
2 tsps vinegar, 2 tbsps tomato sauce 
Oil and Salt as required


Cooking Method 
Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottomed vessel. 
In a bowl, combine maida, cornflour, salt, ginger-garlic-green chilli, pepper, soy sauce, tomato sauce and all the finely chopped vegetables. Sprinkle little water to make a thick mixture. Add water little by little and use only as much water as required to form small balls. 
Carefully place each ball into the hot oil. Do not crowd the vessel. Reduce flame and deep fry the vegetable balls till cooked. Increase the flame towards the end of the cooking process and fry till they turn golden brown. Remove onto absorbent paper and keep aside.


Cooking Method For Sauce 
Mix cornflour in a little water. Keep aside. 
In a deep wok, add oil, when the oil is hot add garlic and ginger, fry them to golden brown 
Then add onion and green chilli and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Now add soya sauce, tomato sauce, chilli sauce, vinegar and salt. cook them for few minutes on a high flame, then add fried Manchurian and cornflour mixture and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on low flame. Garnish with spring onion and Serve hot.


Friday, October 26

Bundt Cake .. In My Style!!! (Eid Special)

Bundt Cake, this was my dream to bake this cake from a long long time but never had confidence. Last week i was just going through few blogs, from there i got this recipe and i got the confidence to give it a try. I have changed few ingredients and the measurement to this bundt cake original recipe, and it was the best cake i have ever made. Though this was my first attempt to bake this bundt cake, believe me i was shocked by the results. Thanks to the people who made this bundt cake and also gave me the confidence to bake this very difficult cake.. Here is the recipe for you all...


Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large lemon and lemon zest
4 large eggs.


For Glaze on top 
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons water.


Baking Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the cake. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, eggs, lemon juice and zest. Whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in dry ingredients just until combined (do not overmix). Pour the batter in to the prepared bundt cake pan and smooth top.


Bake until a tester inserted in cake comes out clean, about 50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes, invert onto rack to cool completely.
Make the Glaze. Whisk together confectioners' sugar and enough water to form a thick yet pourable glaze. Set rack with cake over a piece of wax paper (for easy cleanup) drizzle cake with glaze, and allow the glaze to set before serving. Cut into pices and serve with some whipped cream or as it is.


Wednesday, October 17

Chakli...



Ingredient's
2cups rice flour 
2tsp Urad dal flour
1tsp sooji (Rava)
1tsp maida 
2tsp melted butter
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
1/2tsp black and white sesame seeds
1/2tsp cumin
Salt to taste
Water as per reqs
Oil for deep frying.


Cooking Method
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Adding water little by little, form a stiff dough. 
Take the 1 star attachment and fix it to the maker. Alternatively take a plastic sheet lightly brushed with oil/butter.


Now take a small amount of dough and place it inside the maker. Press the dough on the plastic sheet and you will find the dough coming out shaped as per the one star attachment.
Slightly rotate the maker round and round until you make a circle. Press it until a sufficient amount has dropped into the oil and break off the rest of the dough from dropping - just stop pressing the maker.


Now fry them until done - You can make it red, light brown or golden as per preference.
Drain them on paper towels. Let them cool and store in air tight containers.


Thursday, October 11

BBC Good Food Kitchen.



BBC GOOD FOOD INDIA LAUNCHES KITCHEN-STUDIO 

BBC Good food has recently launched their test kitchen in Mumbai. On Friday, the 5th of October, the BBC Good Food Kitchen was launched in Mumbai. The kitchen is designed to serve as a laboratory to test recipes before they find a place in the magazine.

So where does good food come from? A good kitchen, of course. A kitchen is integral to culinary creativity and quality assurance, and that is precisely the motivation behind the launch of the brand new BBC Good Food India kitchen. Like the magazine, the Good Food test kitchen is the first of its kind in India and firmly establishes the brand as the pioneering authority in food in India.

BBC Good Food India has at its core the triple testing of every one of the 80 plus recipes featured in the magazine each month. This makes the kitchen crucially important to the magazine. It has been designed to fulfill the brand’s central philosophy of fool-proofing every recipe so our readers get it right the very first time they try it in their kitchen. The kitchen will also serve as a laboratory for the creation and development of new recipes by the Good Food cookery team, thereby underlining our commitment to culinary innovation and growth.

Located centrally in Mumbai’s Prabhadevi, the 1,800 sq ft property houses a fully equipped kitchen as well as a photography studio. The mod cons in the fully fitted state-of-the-art kitchen include stovetops, wok burners, griddles and ovens and fryers, besides essentials such as a refrigerator, a cooler and a dishwasher. The kitchen is designed in a modular style, with an ergonomic central kitchen island.

Commenting on the launch, Tarun Rai CEO Worldwide Media said “BBC Good Food is India’s first and only international food magazine. And we are very happy that, in another first for the magazine industry, we now have our own kitchen and studio to test each recipe and create new, original ones. The food scene in India is changing rapidly and people are experimenting with cuisines both in their kitchens as well when eating out. It is not surprising; therefore, that BBC Good Food has been so successful since its launch a year ago.

Apart from recipe development and testing, the kitchen and adjacent studio will be used to host live events and masterclasses by top chefs from around the country and the world. In keeping with Good Food’s philosophy of being a multiplatform brand, the videos of these demos will be uploaded on our soon-to-be-launched website, making recipes literally come alive for our followers.

Making food look visually stunning is one of the outstanding features of the magazine, and the spacious photo studio will be invaluable as a location for our photo shoots.

With the magazine’s foundation firmly set with the launch of the test kitchen, innovating and constantly bringing readers new and cutting-edge ideas from the world of food is going to become even more exciting. Happy cooking!

Monday, October 8

Orange Muffin's..

Muffin is an American English name for a type of quick bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. They may be filled with sweet fillings, such as chocolate, orange, toffee, lemons, or blueberries. I have tried with orange and the muffin has come out very tasty and beautiful...


Ingredients
3 eggs
1 large orange pulp 
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)


Baking Method
Preheat oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C).
Grease muffin tins (paper muffin bake cups are recommended) or 12-15 medium cups.
In a bowl mix flour and baking powder together and keep it aside
In a different bowl beat the butter with sugar till fluffy, then add eggs, beat for 1minute. Now add vanilla and milk. beat for another 1 minute. Then fold in the flour mixture and orange pulp mix it nicely.


Then pour the mixture into a grease muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees, until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes for XL muffins, about 20 minutes for medium size muffins. The Orange Muffins may be served hot or at room temperature.


Related Posts with Thumbnails