Amla/Indian Gooseberry/Nellikai Pickle

My Father-in-law bought few amlas and as usual I couldn't resist making a small batch of pickle out of them. Indian Gooseberry is called Amla (in hindi) and Nellikai (in malayalam).

There are number of nutritious benefits with amla. It is the most abundant source of Vitamin C in the plant kingdom. And also what makes it different from other natural sources is that the Vitamin C does not diminsh with cooking.

Amla is a potent gift of mother nature. I've seen my mommy using Amla for pickles and murabas. Also, she will always suggest us to have Amla as this controls blood pressure. And yes, she is right. The Vitamin C in Amla helps in dilating the blood vessels and there by controlling the blood pressure.

When your belly is on fire, reach for Amla (Gooseberry). And if you are worried of gray hair, you would be delighted to know powdered Amla soaked in water and left in an iron bowl is a 3-in-1 remedy --- Shampoo, conditioner and natural hair-dye.

So, with this wonder fruit we gonna prepare the pickle and here is the recipe for it.

Ingredients:

8-9 fresh big Amla
1 tsp Red Chilly Pwd
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Pwd
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 chopped green chillies
2-3 sprigs Curry leaf
1 tbsp Gingelly oil
Salt as per taste

Method

Cook amla with 1/2 cup water and salt. Use pressure cooker for this. After one whistle, remove from heat and let it cool. Remove the seeds and preserve the pulp and remaining water.

Heat oil in a deep pan and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves. Fry green chillies for 1 min. Add all masalas and fry till a fragrant smell of chilly pwd comes. If the paste is very thick, add the water left from cooking amla. Add salt as per taste.

Add cooked amla pieces to this paste and mix well. Store in an sir tight container in refrigerator. It can be consumed immediately.

The pickle remains good for atleast 1 month, if refrigerated properly.

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Bread Pakora

Sorry to all my blogger friends for being away from blogging. I'm on my visit to India and will be here for another one more month. So, the frequency of blogging will be very low. But I'll try my best to post once in every week atleast.

Today's post is Bread Pakora, a very common Indian street food. And this is my brother's favorite evening snack. But my mom always prepare simple bread pakora where the bread is dipped in batter and deep fried and served with ketchup or mint/cilantro chutney. I thought instead of having pakora and chutney seperately, why not make layers of bread sandwiched with chutnies. Believe me guys, it taste awesome... My brother said "A-1"!!!!! Here you can see him grabbing his piece of bread pakora....

This evening snack options just got tastier and healthier with a wonderful twist of layers of tomato ketchup and mint chutney. A very refereshing and tasty snack and different from traditional bread pakora.
Here we go with the recipe:

Ingredients:

Sandwich Bread – 3 slices
Tomato Ketchup
Mint Chutney
Oil – for deep frying

For the Batter:

Chickpea Flour – 1.5 cups
Baking Soda – 1/8 tsp
Water – 1/4 cup
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Turmeric Powder – 1/8 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder – 1/4 tsp
Chaat Masala – 1/2 tsp
Salt – to taste

Method:

If required, cut the edges of bread slices. Take one bread slice and spread mint chutney and take another slice and spread ketchup.
Now assembling, keep the side having mint spread over the plain side of tomato ketchup spread slice. Now over the tomato ketchup spread place a plain bread slice. Press it firmly.

Heat oil (for deep frying) on medium heat. By that time prepare the batter in a flat bottomed platter. Mix all the ingredients and make sure no lumps are formed.

Once the oil is hot, dip the prepared bread sandwich in the batter, covering all the sides and edges with batter. Place gently in oil and deep fry till golden brown. Turn and fry on both sides. Once done, remove the pakora from heat and place on a paper towel.

Allow it to cool and cut it diagonally. You'll see the layers of tomato ketchup and mint chutney, a wonderful color combination!!
Serve and impress your guests.

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Shahi Paneer

Shahi Paneer is one of the popular dishes of Punjab. When it comes to Punjabi cuisines, you need to be generous with the amount of ghee/butter. This recipe is very easy to make at home. And it goes well with rotis, parathas and even jeera rice.
As I'm a Paneer lover, Shahi paneer is always given a "Shahi" treatment in my kitchen and my dinning table. :) Why not? Who can resist the thick, rich gravy........
So let us get onto "The KhasamKhas" dish of all times.

Ingredients:
1 cup paneer, cubed
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup dry nuts
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
10 tsp vegetable oil/ghee
Salt to taste

Method:
Fry paneer in oil till they are golden brown in color. Remove from heat and put in hot water to remain soft. In a large pan, saute dry nuts, onion and green chillies, until onions become translucent. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 min. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Make a fine paste in blender. Pour back to same pan and fry again for sometime. Reduce the flame and add all masalas and salt. Saute for 2 mins.
Add cream to the mixture and stir well. Cook at low flame and add paneer cubes to the gravy. Cook for 2 mins. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve hot with tandoori rotis or jeera rice.
Note: If the gravy is thick, add in some milk to obtain the desired consistency.

This entry goes to "Letz Relissh!!-Paneer" by Jay.

    

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Kiwi Shake

So, now here we have another summer cooler.."The Kiwi"....

Kiwi is the king of cocktails and I've once tasted Kiwi Martini Cocktail. From that day, I was in search of a chance to work on this cute little fruit.

These days, I'm into playing with fruits and fruit juices. So, here is my yummy Kiwi Shake!!

What I like about Kiwi is the gorgeous green color and the tangy taste. And when you combine them with milk, sugar and vanilla ice cream, makes it just tempting!!

Ingredients:

2 Kiwi Fruit

1 cup Milk

Sugar - as per taste

Vanilla Ice cream - 1 scoop

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Blend them well.

Serve cold. Garnish with kiwi cubes.

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Mango Lassi

When it comes to summer, there is no fun without mangoes. In my hometown, we have a big mango tree in our backyard. In my childhood, me and my friends, we will climb that tree and pluck all mangoes, no matter whether they are raw or ripe. I just love those memories.. I must admit that I'm a good tree climber... :)

I bought a box of my sweetie mangoes from a Mexican grocery store. Lemme tell you guys my mom prepares excellent mango lassi. That's just perfect!! And what's unique is the hint of ginger in it.. This gives lassi a spicy flavor... Yes, ginger aids in digestion of mangoes.. but i like the gingery twist in my sweet mango lassi...

After this riotous combination of mangoes and yougurt, I'm going to get into other fruity combinations... I believe every fruit blended with yogurt, is just awesome!!

And when it comes to Alphonso mangoes, rich, pulpy and smooth as butter... they are bursting with flavor. Blend them with yogurt, little sugar and oh my!! you are with your perfect summer drink!!!

Ingredients:

2 large Alphonso mango, cut into small cubes
1 cup yogurt
3 tbsp Sugar or as per taste
1/2 cup Milk, if required
1 tsp ground ginger
2-3 ice cubes

Method:

If you don't have fresh mangoes, substitute with 1 cup canned mangoes and if using sweetened mango pulp, reduce the amount of sugar.
Combine all the ingredients, except milk, in the blender. Blend well. Adjust the ingredients as per the taste.
Pour the milk, little by little, until you reach the desired consistency.
Serve garnished with nuts or mango slices.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

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Kuwaiti Chicken Biriyani

Although I'm not perfect in biriyani, I've tried making it in number of ways. Cooking chicken and rice in layers, cooking both together, preparing in pressure cooker and this goes on. And everytime I find a difference in outcome. And yesterday I tried by cooking half cooked chicken and rice in layers. Believe me, this came out to be perfect. And when you accompany it with raita, pickle and green salad, it becomes "WOWY!!".

It's true that making biriyani yourself and eating it, is one of the most cherishing experiences in life.

I always suggest that whenever you're preparing biriyani or pulao, use good quality of basmati rice. This results in best flavor and appearance.

Ingredients:

For rice
2-1/2 cups of basmati rice, washed
3-1/2 cups of water

For chicken
500g chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch ginger, grated
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsp chilli pwd
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp mint leaves, chopped
Salt, as per taste
Pinch of saffron strands, soaked in 1/4 cup of water

Whole Spices
2 bay leaves
4, 1 inch cinnamon stick
3 cloves and green cardamoms
1 black cardamom
3 tsp cumin seeds

Garnish
8-9 cashewnuts, fried
1 tsp chopped cilantro

Method:

Boil water in medium saucepan and when it boils add rice to it. Cook until rice is half cooked. Remove from heat and spread over large platter to cool.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pan and add in all the whole spices. Saute for 1 min and add onion and saute until golden brown. Add garlic and ginger, stir until fragrant.
Now add tomato and all masalas. Cook till tomato becomes soft. Add chicken pieces and some water, stir until chicken gets almost cooked. Add salt and remove from heat.

In a medium pot, place half quantity of prepared rice and the chicken mixture on top. Sprinkle chopped cilantro and mint over it. Cover the top with the remaining rice.

Pour the saffron water on top. Cover firmly with pot lid and cook over low heat for 30 mins or until rice is cooked.

Garnish with cashewnuts and cilantro. Serve with raita and green salad. Enjoy!!

This entry goes to "Festive Rice" event by Torview.

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Garlic Naan

If I'm not wrong, naan is favourite of every Indian and so mine too. I'm a true lover of naan and I love it in any form. Last Saturday, we had our lunch at Indian hotel, LA and we ordered garlic naan, shahi paneer, chicken 65, vegetable pulao and raita. Oh my god! I had tummy-full and I thought "Why not prepare Garlic Naan?" And there we go....

I used to think, for preparing naan we need tandoor.. But, I read in some cookbook that we can prepare them in oven... Wow! I was jumping in joy.. Even Sree was surprised when he saw Garlic naan for dinner.. He was not ready to believe me that I've prepared them in home. Atlast I shown him how I did... :)

So, here I go for you all................

Ingredients:

4 cups - All Purpose Flour
2 tbsp - active dry yeast
1 tsp - Baking Powder
4 tbsp - warm milk
2/3 cup - plain yogurt
2 tbsp - ghee
2/3 cup - milk
1/2 cup - chopped cilantro
2 tsp - minced garlic
2 tbsp - sugar
1/2 tsp Salt

Method:

Mix together warm milk, yeast and sugar in a bowl and let it stand until frothy. In a medium bowl, take flour, baking powder and salt. Make a depression in center and fold in the frothy mixture, yogurt and ghee. Mix together and use milk to knead it into a smooth ball of dough.

Oil a medium bowl and place the dough into it. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and keep aside for atleast 1 hour to rise.

Once dough has risen, punch down and knead in minced garlic. Take 8 balls out of the dough. Roll the ball out, using rolling pin, into an oval about 6 inches long.

Preheat the oven at high broil mode. Oil the baking sheet and place the naan on it. In each batch, you can make two naans.

Brush naan with melted ghee and broil for 5-6 minutes or until brown. Take it out, brush some more ghee onto it, sprinkle chopped cilantro and chopped garlic and broil for another 1-2 mins.

Serve warm with paneer butter masala or another rich curry.

This entry goes to Two for Tuesdays Volume 12 hosted by Girlichef.

Also it goes to BSI-MILK hosted by Sanyukta.

Have you enjoyed this recipe or photos? Do follow this blog, share it with your friends and help this blog grow. This will motivate me to carry on with my passion. Hope you've enjoyed your time here and thank you for visiting me!!!

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