Qubani Ka Meetha (Stewed Apricot Dessert) SNC Challenge For The Month Of May2013

Qubani Ka Meetha. Though I'm from south india but never heard of this sweet before. One more thing just want to add I don't like apricot at all. When i saw my email this was the challenge for this month, for some time i thought i will skip this month challenge. But my hubby told me without trying how can you give up and it was a real challenge for me to cook this sweet. I asked my hubby will you eat this if i cook and he replied "You are asking me will i eat sweet". Then suddenly i realize OMG, he can eat sweet in any form and i should not be worrying so much to cook this... Belive me my whole flat was smelling of this sweet only while cooking and i did not like the smell, but my hubby was really enjoying. I serve with vanilla ice cream and it turn out to be the hit in my family. It was tasting so good even i was tempted to have one bite.... All thanks to Roha from Hyderabadi Cuisine for hosting this month challenge and give me opportunity to try out some thing new and yummy..

 

 

This is the wonderful thing in SNC group, where you get to try every month new new varieties. Thank you Divya Pramil for stating this group and making every one proud to be a part of this group.

 

 

 

Ingredients
½ Cup Dried Apricots
3 tbsp Sugar- As per taste
2 Crushed Green Cardamom( Elaichi)
1 tsp Lemon juice.

 

 

For Garnishing
Apricot kernels
Slice of roasted and blanched Almonds and Pistachios
½ Cup vanilla ice Cream.

 

 

Cooking Method
In a deep bowl wash and add dried Apricots cover with water and soak overnight.
Once the apricots is moist and swollen, remove apricots with a slotted spoon and then drain the apricots from the soaking liquid water aside.(The soaking syrup is used for preparing the meetha)
Then de-seed and keep aside.
Do not throw away the Apricot seed/pit crack the seed remove the (Apricot Kernels) for garnishing
In a non-stick saucepan at a medium heat, Add soaking liquid and plump apricots.
Allow to boil for 10- 15 minutes.

Add sugar and stir until it has completely dissolves. At a low heat add few drops of lemon juice to prevent caramelisation , add the crush cardamom.
Stir often to prevent burning, if required, sprinkle little water or milk to prevent from burning.
Meanwhile crack the seed with a nutcracker to extract the nuts and blanch nuts in boiling water for 1 minute and remove the skin and keep aside.
Then mash apricots with spoon occasionally, Do not cook on a high heat, stir occasionally until apricots are soft and pulpy and mushy if needed add water or milk. Remove from the heat when it reaches the desired thick consistency or into thick Compote.
Allow Qubani to cool.
Garnish with apricot kernels, Almonds and Pistachios and with ice cream.
Serve warm or cool and Enjoy..

 

Home made Mushroom Pizza With Tomato Sauce (Challenge#1 For The Home Bakers Challenge)

Home Made Pizza. There is new group challenge has been started by our one fellow bloggers Priya from a Priya's Versatile Recipes. The main aim of this group is to learn and bake together. When i saw this group on Facebook immediately i joint the group. and i was very happy to see that this group has been started by the queen of baking, there was no second thought about this. I need to thanks to Divya Prakash also for giving this month challenge as pizza, and hardly you can find people who don't like to eat pizza.

 

 

I have baked pizza many times, but never tried making every thing from the scratch at home.. Making pizza at home is real fun and when it come out from the oven, i can't say anyhting. I'm sure this month challenge has inspired many housewife's and blogger's to bake and serve happiness to their families... I enjoyed it to the core. Did you? Here goes the recipe bake and enjoy :)

 

 

Ingredients For The Pizza Base
Makes 1 Large Pizza Base
1/2 cup warm water (100 degrees to 110 degrees)
3tbsp warm milk
1/4 tsp sugar
1+1/8 tsp active dry yeast
1+1/2cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
2tbsp oil, plus more for bowl.

 

 

For The Topping
Pizza Sauce ( recipe follows)
3 button mushroom, 1 large tomato, 1 medium onion, 1 small capsicum (thinly sliced)
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced.

 

 

Ingredients For The Tomato Sauce
Make For 2 Large Pizza
2 tsp oil
6 large tomato's
3tbsp tomato puree
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper.

 

 

Directions For The Pizza Base
Pour warm water and milk into a small bowl. Add sugar, and sprinkle in yeast. Using a fork, stir the mixture until yeast is dissolved and water has turned a tan color. Let yeast stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl, add flour and salt. Then add yeast mixture and oil. Mix until the dough comes together, adding more flour as needed until dough is smooth, not tacky, when squeezed. Transfer to clean surface; knead for 5 to 10 minutes.

 

Brush the inside of a medium bowl with oil, and place the dough in the bowl, smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1hour. Remove plastic wrap, and press your fist into the center of the dough to punch it down. Fold the dough back onto itself four or five times. Turn dough over, folded-side down, cover with plastic wrap, and return to the warm spot to rise again until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

 

Punch down the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Knead the dough four or five turns into a ball. Lightly flour a clean surface, place the dough pat into a flattened circle, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and let rest 5 minutes. Using your fingers, begin to flatten and push the dough evenly out from the center until it measures about 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Do not press the dough all the way to the edges. Leave a slightly raised border, about a half-inch wide, around entire circumference of pizza dough.

 

In a mean time pre-heat the oven for 20 minutes at 250c.
Lift the dough off the surface, and center it on top of your fists. Hold your fists about 1 to 2 inches apart. Begin to rotate and stretch the dough, moving your fists until they are 6 to 8 inches apart and the dough is several inches larger. Then place your fists under the inside of the outer edge, and continue to stretch the dough a little at a time until it reaches about 12 inches in diameter. The dough will drape down over your forearms. At this stage, it is important to keep your fists along the inside of the outer edge and watch that the dough does not get too thin or tear in the center. At the same time, make sure to maintain the slightly raised border on the edges. The dough is surprisingly resilient and will not tear if this step is done carefully and slowly.

 

Arrange the pizza dough into a circle on top of the baking flat tray. Leaving the raised edge uncovered, pour 8 to 9 tsp of the pizza sauce onto the dough. Using the back of a tablespoon, evenly spread the sauce leaving a half-inch border of dough uncovered. Arrange half of the mozzarella slices on top of the sauce and arrange all the veggie's on top, then cover with left over mozzarella slices.

 

Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp on the edges and the bottom, 10 to 15 minutes, turning the pizza halfway through baking. Using a pizza wheel, slice the pizza into eight pieces, and serve immediately.

 

 

Directions For The Tomato Sauce
Pour oil into a large skillet, and place over medium heat. Using your hands, squeeze tomatoes to crush them. Add to the warm oil, along with the remaining ingredients. Cook over medium-low heat, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the sauce is thick, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow it to cool and grind it to a smooth paste...

Sauce is ready to use, after using the sauce to pizza you can store the remaining sauce in a fridge for the next time use..

 

 

Pink Prech Fish Curry With Coconut..

Pink Prech Fish Curry.. This fish curry can be cooked with any kind of fish which finds in the market. In my mom's place they usually cook this curry with a Rohu fish that also taste very good. I had in my mind to cook fish curry from few days, i went to buy fish from a shop, but he was not having rohu fish. He only had Pink Prech, Mackerel etc. I thought for a minute then i decided to buy pink prech fish only and cook the same way how i use to have before...

 

 

During summer vacation we mostly use to visit my granny's place Mysore. As soon as my grand father comes to know we reached home, while coming from his work he use to carry lots of Pink Prech, Rohu and Mackerel fish. My mom granny and aunty's use to cook this fish curry for the dinner. Still can't forget those days, some time i feel like i should go back to those days again...

 

 

 

Ingredient's
3 pink prech fish (clean and wash)
1 large onion, 5 steam of coriander
2 large tomatos
1/4 cup coconut paste
3tbsp tamarind paste
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1tsp red chilly powder, 1tsp coriander powder, 1/2tsp turmeic
3tbsp oil
Salt to taste.

 

 

Cooking Method
Grind the onion, tomato and coriander to a smooth paste, and set it aside.
In a deep frying pan, add oil, when oil is hot, add grind paste, and coconut, fry for 1 to 2 minutes, then add turmeric, red chilly powder, coriander powder and ginger garlic paste. and give a quick mix to all the masala.

 

 

Now add the fish and stir very gently. Season with and add tamarind paste and 2cups of water, again mix it very gently and close the lid and cook on low flam till the fish is cooked..
Serve hot with plain Rice..

 

 

Pepper Chicken!!!

Pepper Chicken.. This is my all time favorite chicken, it goes well with ghee rice and this is like the combination made in heaven.. When ever I'm down, this chicken works like a battery for me and i can finish the plate in a minute. This recipe has come from my granny's home and my mom use to make it quite often, i still cant forget that taste what my mom use to make, i can say even i make good but not as her... Anyways my husband says i'm the best cook :) thats more then enough for me..

 

 

 

Ingredient's
1/2kg chicken
1 onion, 2 tomato, 3 green chilli's
1/2cup coriander leafs (Freshly chopped)
1tsp black peppercorn
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/2tsp turmeric, 1/2tsp coriander powder, 1/2tsp red chilly powder
2tbsp oil
Salt as per taste.

 

 

Cooking Method
Marinate the chicken with ginger garlic paste, turmeric, coriander powder, red chilly powder and salt, set it aside for 30minutes.
In a grinding jar add tomato, onion, green chilli's, coriander, peppercorn and make a smooth paste.

 

 

In a deep frying pan, add oil, when the oil is hot add the marinated chicken and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Then add the masala paste and fry till the oil separates. Now add 1/2cup of water and adjust the salt, close the lid and cook till the water is observed and chicken is coated with masala well..
Serve with Roti or Ghee Rice..

 

 

Smoky Tomato Soup!!!

Smoky Tomato Soup. This recipe i have taken from a GoodFood magazine, and made few changes to taste better.. This soup is very quick to make and yummy to eat.. The original recipe says we have use vegetable stock, but i was not having vegetable stock at home and i was not in a mood to make. So decide to use warm water and it really didn't make any difference the taste was simply awesome... Now i know you can make soup without any kind of stock.... Before when ever i plan to make soup i use to always buy or make stock at home so that i can use for the soup.. But after seeing this result i don't need stock any more... Do try out this recipe and i'm sure you will love it...

 

 

Ingredient's
1 onion, 1 small carrot, 1 celery sticks, (roughly chopped)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2tsp smoked peprika
6 medium tomato, chopped
1tbsp tomato puree
300ml warm water
2tbsp double cream
1/2tsp dried oregano
2tsp oil
Salt and Black pepper for seasoning.

 

 

Cooking Method
In a deep fry pan, add oil, when the oil hot, add garlic, onion, celery and carrot, cook till they are soft.
Then add smoked paprika and cook for another 1 minute. Add tomato, tomato puree, oregano and warm water. Season to taste and simmer for 15 minutes.
 

 

 

Then cool it and Whizz in a blender. and pour into same pan.
Now add cream and mix well. Just warm the soup before serving..
Serve warm with an extra swirl of cream and some parsley..