MURGH METHI MALAI IN MICROOVEN

This dish is a part of Mughlai Cuisine from the province of Awadh which is now very famous in UP and Delhi. Murgh Makhani is a dish which is certainly different from this dish, flavoured by Punjabi Cuisine. The Mughlai Cuisine often requires arduous amount of time and labour, which can take days for preparing a particular dish. But I prepared it in very easy way just within 15 to 20 minutes in microoven and it is mouth-watery and one of my favorite chicken recipe, a great dish indeed.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gm Boneless Chicken, Cut into 1” Cubes

100 gm Hung Curd

50 ml Fresh Cream ( I Used Amul Cream)

1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)

1 tbsp Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Kasoori Methi)

2 tbsp Garlic Paste

1 tbsp Green Chili Paste

1 tsp Freshly Pounded Garam Masala Powder

1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

3 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Butter

½  tsp Sugar (for flavor)

2 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves

Salt to Taste

METHOD:

Wash chicken pieces nicely and make those pat dry. Now marinate chicken with curd, green chilli paste, garlic paste, dried fenugreek leaves and salt. Refrigerate the marinated chicken for 4-5 hours (I prefer to keep marination for overnight).

Now take a micro oven safe bowl, pour oil on it and micro for 2 minutes at 100% power. Add fenugreek seeds in it, stir once and micro it for another 2 minutes.

Pour marinated chicken in it. Fold well. Cover and micro for 4 minutes at 100%. Open the lid and add red chili powder, stir nicely.  Again cover and micro for 4 minutes at 100%.

Add coriander leaves and give a nice stir. Cover and micro for another 2 minutes at 100%. Keep it in 5 minutes stand time.

Just before serving, add fresh cream and micro for 2 minutes uncovered at 100%.

Serve warm with hot phulkas or  parathas or naan or any rice dish. It is simply yummy!!!

Sending to: Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

FISH CUTLETS - YUMMY SRI LANKAN SNACKS

Sri Lankans are mad on snacks. It may be tea-time snacks or any party dish. Fish cutlets are another personal favorite among Sri Lankan cuisine. They are small golf-ball sized portion of joy, dip in egg and rolled, lightly breaded and deep fried........absolutely divine.

INGREDIENTS:
(For 20 cutlets)
15 OZ Canned Tuna Fish (may use salmon or jack macherel)
2 Medium sized Potatoes (parboiled)
1/2 of a large Red Onion, finely chopped
1" Ginger (minced)
5-6 Curry Leaves (shredded)
3 Green Chillies (finely chopped)
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (as per taste)
1/2 tsp freshly pounded Black Pepper powder
1 tsp Mustard paste (optional)
1 tbsp Lime juice
2 tbsps Corn Flour
1 Egg (beaten)
1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

METHOD:

Peel potatoes and cut in cubes.

In a large bowl, combine potato, onion, mustard paste, ginger, curry leaves, green chillies, red chilli powder and black pepper powder. Mash every thing roughly.

Drain tuna fish. Add tuna and corn flour in potato mixture. add salt and lime juice in it.

Mix nicely by using your hands, should not be any lump within the mixture. (Corn flour binds mixture well)

Now time to shape the cutlets. Take about a golf-ball sized amount of mixture, little press from the up and down to give a shape like flatten disc. Next dip the flatten disc into the beaten egg and then into the breadcrumbs. Keep aside on a plate.

I made shapes of cutlets flatten dish with half portion of the mixture and with another half part I gave golf-ball shaped. Because both look very nice.

Heat oil in a frying pan. When the oil is enough hot, add 5-6 fish balls in it. Don't over crowd. Fry the cutlets both sides till golden brown. Follow the same for the remaining cutlets.

Garnish with onions/salad. Serve hot with chilli tomato sauce or mustard sauce as you like.

Linking to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

TANDOORI PANEER TIKKA

I found this recipe on www.sanjeevkapoor.com presented by Chef Harpal Singh Sukhi. But here, I made some changes in it according to my tastebuds and it comes out awesome, lazaabab! I used my oven by making my tikkas, but really I missed that smokey flavour which comes out from the tandoor only. One thing you have to focus always by making tikka or kabab, the marination. Tikkas are generally made in tandoor or grilled in oven. But you may prepare it on stovetop too.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb / 450 gm Cottage Cheese (paneer)
2 Medium Onions, cut in cubes
A Pinch of Carom seeds
1 Large Green Bell Pepper, cut in cubes
1 Medium tomato, cut in cubes
1/4 Cup Chickpea Flour (besan)
2 tbsps Clarified Butter (ghee)
1/2 Cup hanged curd / plain yogurt
1/3 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Black Pepper powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp freshly pounded Garam masala
1/3 tsp Dry Mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp Ginger paste
1 tsp Garlic paste
2 tsps fresh Lemon juice
3 tbsps Mustard Oil
Salt to taste
4 wooden skewers (soak in water for 3-4 hours)

METHOD:
Cut cottage cheese in 1&1/2" cubes. Set aside.

Heat clarified butter in a frying pan. Add carom seeds in it. Saute for 30-40 seconds, add chickpea flour now. Keep stirring continuously for 3-4 minutes, till a nice aroma comes out. Switch off the heat and pour chickpea flour in a large bowl.

Heat mustard oil in a pan, add turmeric in it. Immediately remove it from the pan.

Combine chickpea flour, mustard oil, curd, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, garam masala, dry mango powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, lemon juice, mustard oil and salt. Whisk nicely.

Add cottage cheese cubes, tomato cubes, green bell pepper cubes and onion cubes and mix with the batter nicely. Keep this marination aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Thread the cottage cheese / paneer into the skewers, alternating the paneer with cubes of vegetables as you wish (alternating, onion-paneer-bell pepper-tomato-onion-paneer-bell pepper-tomato like that). Arrange the skewers on the baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Bake each side for 5-6 minutes. To achieve the sizzling effect, now put the oven to broil mode for 5 minutes. Switch off the oven. Take out the baking tray from the oven immediately.

Place the paneer tikka onto the plate, squeeze little lime juice and sprinkle chaat masala on the top. Serve immediately.

TIPS: If you don't have oven or tandoor, just cook it in gas oven. Heat a griddle, sprinkle little oil in it. Place skewers on it. Cook 5 minutes each side on medium flame.
Sending to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

CORN PEAS TIKKI

During my corporate life, I was in Haryana for 6 months where I met with different types of street food. Literally I fall in love to those dishes. Among them, aloo chat and papri chat with loads of turmarind chutney, curd and mint chutney; are really mouth watery. But I loved different types of tikkis too, a lipsmacking and also a good, evening snack. Here I did some little variation on regular aloo / rajma tikki; corn, potatoes, green peas mixed with lots of Indian spices, tikkis made with it which were shallow fried. Tasty and delicious tikkis will always remind you the flavour of Delhi & Haryana, which I am missing always during evening nowadays. Try this, trust me you will surely love it.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup Sweet Corn (frozen)
1/2 Cup Green Peas (frozen)
2 Medium Potatoes (peeled and parboiled)
3-4 tbsp Bread Crumb
1&1/2 tbsp Grated Cheese
1/2 Green Bell Pepper / Capsicum (finely chopped)
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
2 Green Chilies (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Dried Mango Powder (amchur)
1/2 tsp Red Chili powder
1/2 Cup Tomato Puree
2 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste
1 tbsp + 2 tbsp Oil for Shallow Frying

METHOD:
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add chopped onion in it. Fry for 2 minutes. Add green bell pepper, green chili and tomato puree in it. Mix salt, red chili powder and dried mango powder. Fold nicely till spices leave oil from the sides of the pan.

Add corn and peas in it. Fry for another 5-6 minutes, till all moisture evaporates and everything incorporated well with the spices. Remove from pan. Add grated cheese in it.

Add mashed potatoes, bread crumb, coriander leaves and little salt with corn peas mixture. Mix nicely by using your hand.

Take a portion of mixture and make a ball out of it. Gently flatten them into a round shape.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan. Arrange 5-6 tikkis on it. Let it fry for 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side also to crispy brown. Both sides should be browned.

Serve hot with chutney or sauce.

Sending to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes

AAM-RAS

Today, I come here with a flavourful mango delicacy. I know most of my friends love this delicious dessert. The alphonso mango is very luscious, sweet and usually used for this preparation. 'Aam' means the king of all fruits, mango and 'ras' means juice. But it looks different than a juice and is a mouthwatering and popular dessert item in all over the India.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Cups Mango Pulp
1/2 Cup Sugar or as per sweetness of mango
1/2 Cup Milk / coconut milk
1/4 tsp Cardamom powder
A pinch of Saffron (optional)
Few Pistachios, raisins and Cashewnuts for garnishing

METHOD:
Combine mango pulp, sugar, milk, saffron and cardamom powder in a jar and blend altogether for 60 to 90 seconds.

Pour in ramekins and decorate with pistachios, raisins and cashewnuts.

Place in refregerator for 1-2 hours before serving.

Serve as a dessert or may serve with hot puris too.

Recipe source & acknowledgement: www.sanjeevkapoor.com
Sending to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes 



CHENNA PODA (RICOTTA CHEESE CAKE FROM ORISSA)

The Bright Sun Has Lighted

The Sky The Flavors of Pongal / Lohri / Bhogali

Is In the Air Soak Yourself

In Hearty Music & Rejoice

HAPPY MAKAR SANKRANTI TO ALL....:)

It's the begining of a festive week for several communities in India and every Indian wants to celebrate this festival in very traditional way with lots of mouth melting sweets. 'Chenna Poda' (burnt cheese) is the quintessential cottage cheese dessert from the state of Orissa in Eastern India. It is made of well kneaded ricotta cheese or chenna, sugar, cashew nuts and raisins; baked for several hours in earthen fire untill it browns. The burnt smell is amazing and it is very delicious in taste. It must be cooled down for hours before serving. Lord Jagannath, the lord of this universe's favorite dessert is to be said Chenna Poda. So friends, don't waste your time, tryout and relish this mouth melting Oriya dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

2&1/2 Cups Fresh Warm Chenna  / Ricotta Cheese / Fresh Paneer (hung chenna)

1&1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar

2 tsp Clarified Butter (ghee)

½ tsp Cardamom Powder

2 tbsp Rice Flour

Some Cashewnuts (chopped)

Some Raisins

METHOD:

Mash the chenna nicely by using your palms, this process will make the chenna soft.

Add Sugar little by little and mix it thoroughly.

Put clarified butter (desi ghee), rice flour and cardamom powder and mix well again. Now chenna mixture is ready.

Preheat oven to 200’C. Place a baking paper in a baking pan, grease with clarified butter (ghee) and pour the whole mixture into the pan.

Top with cashew nuts and raisins. Press lightly by using your palms. Now it is ready to insert in oven.

Bake for 40 minutes. Cool down completely.

Cut into desired shape and serve. 

Sending to: Holiday Recipes ~ 3rd Blog Anniversary Event

GAJAR KA HALWA

Gajar ka Halwa or Gajrela (in Punjabi) is a traditional dessert made with milk and carrot. I used mawa with little milk, it gave a nice creamy texture. A delectable dessert of Northern India and Pakistan. The Arabic word, "halwa" means sweet. It is treated as a light nutritious dessert as it contains less fat. This toothsome dessert just melts in your mouth and tempts you to eat more and more... 
Recipe Source & Acknowledgement: Homely Food

INGREDIENTS:
325 gm Carrot
3 tbsps Clarified Butter
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Freshly Pounded Cardamom powder
1/4 Cup Grated Mawa (khoya)
Few Almonds (Chopped)
Few Cashew Nuts (Chopped)
Few Pistachios (Chopped)
1 tbsp Raisins
6-7 Strands of Saffron

METHOD:

Wash, peel and grate carrots.

Heat clarified butter in a non-stick pressure pan.

Add grated carrot in it. Fold nicely.

Saute for 4-5 minutes on medium heat. Stir occassionally.

Add 1/2 cup milk in it. Mix and pressure cook for 1 whistle.

Allow to escape steam naturally. Open the lid now.

Again place pressure pan on a stove top. Add grated mawa and cardamom powder in it. Fold nicely for 3 minutes.

Now add sugar, raisins and chopped nuts in it. Keep stirring continuously for 7-8 minutes on high heat. Add saffron strands and mix nicely. Remove from heat now.

Garnish with chopped nuts, raisins and few saffron strands. Serve hot or warm.

Sending to:  Chandrani's Holiday Recipes