Kitchen Tantra

Hotel Style Paper Roast:

One of the amazing breakfast item in Tamil Nadu.......is its 'Extra Thin Paper Roast'. Its nothing but.....'Dosa', or ' Very Thin Rice Crepe. Which happens to be very thin than the home made thin Dosas. Whatever the ingredients are, its no matter here. An experienced cook can make it better, is my opinion.

If your batter is not well fermented....it will end up like mine here, white dosa!

Ingredients:

Par-boiled Rice 1 cup
Raw rice 1 cup
Urad dal 1/2 cup
Salt
Baking soda 1/2 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1-2 spoons.

Secret Ingredients:(optional)

Thoor dal 1 fistful (It gives the deep red color at one side of the Dosa)
Sesame oil 4-6 spoons
Aval/ Poha/ Rice flakes - 1 fistful(gives crispness to Dosa)
Cold Rice - little(if you miss poha, you can use cold cooked rice)
Castor oil - 1 spoon (if you like it)

Method:

1. Soak par-boiled rice, raw rice, urad dal and fenugreek seedstogether.......for about 5 hours.

2. In case if you would like to use even the secret ingredients, I mentioned above.....better soak them along with the same-step 1

3.Wet grind them into thin paste.

4. Now add salt, sesame oil, soda to this. Its better to dissolve salt and soda in 1/2 cup of water and then to add.

5. Well.....let them ferment for atleast 7 hours. Always remember they ferment and increase in volume. So try not to cover them or better to have plenty of room in your storage vessel.

6. Once after fermentation....its ready to make crepe/dosa.

7. Take a wide skillet/tawa. Maintain it over medium heat. When it is hot enough.....spray little salt and wipe them off completely. It helps in someway to make the dosa crispier. Then.....spray oil. Let it come to proper heat.

8. Now just take a tablespoon full of thin batter. Starting from the centre......make a thin crepe, as much as possible(if you find it hard....no worries, it comes through experience. keep trying)

9. Now.....while the batter is still wet....using a wooden spatule(which is eventually greesed with oil) spread the crepe to make it thin like a paper. Now cover the skillet with lid. Let the stove be still in medium heat only.

10. Just after few minutes....Remove the lid, turn the stove to high heat, run a spoon full of oil/ghee at the edges and in circles in middle. This high heat will change the light color dosa to get deep red color, running oil at this stage will also increase the crispyness.

11. Next comes the most amazing step. Do not try to roll or fold the dosa immediately. Because, now the dosa will be brittle. Just turn the dosa, other side, Sprinkle a little water(at the red side of crepe) and again turn it back. Now......slowly roll it. Did you get this! The water you sprinkled helps in rolling the dosa without actually breaking it.

Serve them hot with 'Madras Rathna Cafe Style Sambar/ Vellore Palace Cafe Style Sambar.

Labels: Dosa

Hot Mexican Salsa:

072307' segment

Ingredients:

Tomatoes 4 large diced(if needed cored - seeds removed)
Green Chilies 3 (if you dont like it hot - cored - seeds removed)
Lime 1 - juice (lime is raw lemon - green in color)
Cilandro/ Coriander leaves few chopped
Garlic 5 cloves pelled and chopped
Purple onion 1 small diced
Salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil few spoons.

Method:

In a blender add all the above said ingredients and make it into thick paste.....no further adding any water.

This hot salsa can be served along with 'Tortilla chips' or 'Mexican Corn Chips'.

Labels: Dip

Fried Bananas:(Chinese Style)


Vazhai-pazha Varuval. Varutha Vazhai-Pazham. Poricha Vazhai-Pazham. Fried Attipandu. Fried Kela.

I happen to taste this recipe recently in one of the Chinese Restaurant. It was awesome. It was much similar to the taste of 'Pazham Peri' in Kerela. I felt like trying it.....somehow managed to figure out the recipe. For my surprice, it turned out awfully good. So....dont hesitate to try this.

Hey...one thing, I generally pan fry most of my food(whereever recipe calls for deep fried)so don't rely on my photos!

Ingredients:

Ripe, long and Firm Bananas 2 - each cut just twice(will give you 3 huge chunks) or one can cut length wise too.
Corn flour few spoons
Egg 1 well beaten
Milk 1/4 cup
Powdered brown sugar few spoons.
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a bowl, mix egg, milk and flour. Make a thin running consistency batter.

Dip the banana chunks in the batter. Deep fry them.

While it is still warm, sprinkle powdered sugar and serve as an evenning snack.

Labels: Snacks

Noi Arisi Upma:

(Cracked Rice Upma/Arisi Rawa Upma)

One can buy commercially cracked raw rice/cracked par-boiled rice for this recipe. Or if you just only have whole rice.....dont panic. Its very simple to crack it down. Wash the whole rice several times and let it get well soaked in water for 20 minutes. Then spread then in a clean cloth or plate or kitchen tissues and sun dry them. Again if it is severe winter out....no worries. Dry roast the rice in medium heated pan. At the same time, do not turn their color. Just roast to remove moiture. Then using a blender crack the rice.

Ingredients:

Cracked rice 1 cup
Onion 1 large finely chopped
Curry leaves 1 cup
Dry red chilies 6-8
Chana dal 1 fistfull
Urad dal 1 fistfull
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Salt to taste
Oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a large wok, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them pop and splutter well.

Then add asafoetida, chana dal and urad dal....fry them till the dals turn golden-reddish color.

Now add dry red chilies and curry leaves. Then followed by onions. Fry them real good until onions turn golden color.

Now add cracked rice and fry them for few minutes...let the rice get well coated with oil. Then add enough water and salt to this. Cover and cook over medium heat.

Serve hot with ginger thokku or tomato thokku.

Labels: Upma

Chithra Annam:

(Sesoned Rice)

Its one of the simplest recipe...generally cooked with left over cold rice. It got its name from 'Moon'. It seems one usually cooks this rice during full moon day and have it under moon light. So.....its name is 'chithra'.....which actually means 'stars' and moon anyways.....but still they call this in this name traditionally. I think, its cooked on some special day by hindus in India. If you want ot call it 'Chandhra Annam' It will be more appropriate. 'Chandhra means 'Moon'

Ingredients:

Cold cooked cook 1 bowl full(generally non-sticky rice)
Onion 1 large finely chopped
Curry leaves 1 cup
Dry red chilies 6-8
Chana dal 1 fistfull
Urad dal 1 fistfull
Mustard seeds 1 spoon
Cumin seeds 1 spoon
Asafoetida 1/4 spoon
Salt to taste
Oil 1 cup.

Method:

In a large wok, heat oil. Add mustard and cumin seeds. Let them pop and splutter well.

Then add asafoetida, chana dal and urad dal....fry them till the dals turn golden-reddish color.

Now add dry red chilies and curry leaves. Then followed by onions. Fry them real good until onions turn golden color.

Now add cooked rice and fry them for few minutes...let the rice get well coated with oil. Then sprinkle water and salt to this. Fry the rice over medium-high heat.

Serve hot with ginger thokku or tomato thokku. It is good to have has such too. It makes a wonderfull choice for lunch box.

Labels: Main Dish - Rice

Gulab Jamun:

(Fried Milk balls in Sugar Syrup)

This is one of the common dessert in India.....yet I couldnt make it perfect for several times. I went through hard times in making it. Most of the time either by 'Jamuns' have fissure or crack while frying are the sugar syrup wont be thick enough. Every time I will forget that the 'Jamuns' have the tendency to bulge in syrup.....so I always kind of messed it so many times.

Generally 'Jamuns' are prepared with 'fresh sugar-less Kowa'. 'Kowa' or 'Milk Kowa' is nothing but......milk consolidated to extreme limit, by slow cooking. The stage where it is in solid form, just like 'fudge'. One should not add sugar to this 'Kowa' if you want to prepare 'Jamuns'. Anyway.....I am going to give some short-cut method here to prepare this.

Ingredients:

Milk Kowa(consolidated milk without sugar) or skim milk powder 1 bowl
Whole milk - just 1/2 cup for making dough
Ghee/clarified butter for preparing dough
Rose essence few spoons
Cardamon pods 6-8 semi crushed
Saffron few strands
Sugar 3 cups for making syrup
Ghee for deep frying
Few sliced pista nuts for decoration
Few saffron strands for decoration.

Method:

Add just cover level water over sugar......and prepare a thick sugar syrup. Add cardamons and saffron to this syrup.....while boiling it. One should make it till pearly consistency is acheived. Its nothing but.....boil sugar with limited water, over medium heat. Take a 1/4 spoon of syrup and drop it in a cup of water, when the syrup settles down like a pearl but did not disintegrate in water. Then it is in right point. Never heat it beyond this point. It would become very sticky......and total disaster.

Then....filter the syrup and try to have in a large bowl....where you can drop Jamuns later.

Well.....bring the kowa/ skim milk in a large bowl. Try to remove lumps from it. Add baking powder and baking salt to this. Now slowly add rose essence to the cup of milk. Add this milk little by little to the kowa. Prepare a smooth dough.

Greese your palm with ghee, then try to make small balls/elliptical shape nuggets out of it. Make sure that you are not over pressing them and at the same time....the balls should not have any fissure/crack in it. Try to make them smooth. Maybe.....you should spent time for this. Once done with it....place them evenly over a plate.

Meanwhile heat ghee/oil. Its always good to use ghe.....it has very good flavor. Fill 3/4 of the wok with ghee/oil. Your balls should be immersed in it. So......need generous oil. Heat them over medium heat.

Fry the balls. Just fry few at a time. Never load the oil. Fry till golden-reddish brown. Remove quickly from oil and place them over kitchen tissues. The milk balls have the tendency to bulge and crack sometimes. Dont prolong the time while frying....it may turn brown too quickly.

So....while they are still warm, drop them in sugar syrup. There should be plenty of room in the container....as the balls/Jamuns will bulge to 2-3 folds.

Place them in fridge for complete 5-7 hours. Let the Jamuns get well soaked in syrup. Then garnish with pista nuts and saffron strands.

Serve chilled as dessert.

Labels: Sweets

Pan Fried Veg-Pocket:

Vegetable Parcel. Pan-Fried Veg Roll. Vegetable Wrap.

Its pretty much like making egg-roll(veg or chicken roll) the only difference is....here I pan-fried it, instead of deep frying. One can even buy egg-roll sheets commericially!

Ingredients:

For Making Egg-Roll Sheets:

All purpose flour - 1 cup
Salt
Soda
Warm water 1/4 cup
Butter few spoons
Dry flour for kneading
Egg white - from 1 egg(optional)

For Filling:

Choice of your veggies:

Pink Cabbage - thinly sliced
Green cabbage - thinly sliced
Green chilies - 3 sliced
Capsicum - 1 sliced
Carrots 2 - thinly chopped
Beans 75 grams - french style cut
Salt
White pepper 1 spoon
Agina Motto 1-2 pinch
Olive oil for pan-frying.

Method:

Wrap Preparation:

Bring flour, salt and soda in a large bowl. By adding warm water little by little....slowly knead them into smooth dough. Run few spoons of ghee and finish the dough. Make equal parts out of it.

Knead them into thin uniform tortillas(chappathis).

Heat a tawa over medium range. Now toast this chappathi exactly 5 seconds on each side.

Well...now it turns to a stiff tortilla/chappathi. Set aside.

Repeat the same for all the remaining dough too.

Filling Preparation:

Heat oil in a shallow wide pan. Stir-in all the cut-veggies(you decided).

Sprinkle salt, pepper and agina motto to it. Give a quick stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then transfer this to display bowl. Allow this to cool for a while.

Making of Veg-Pockets:

Now in shallow pan, heat oil.

Take a stiff tortilla and fill with veggies. Wrap them-up. Dip them in egg white.

Pan-fry till it turns to golden color and crispy enough.

Serve warm along with toamto ketchup as an evenning snack.

Labels: Carrot, Indian Bread

Guava Salad:

Guavava fruit / Koiyya Pazha Salad.

Ingredients:

Guava fruit 2-3
Lemon juice 2 spoons
Coconut oil/olive oil 3-4 spoons
Salt 1/2 spoon
Chili powder 1 spoon

Select medium size guava for salad. Never go for ripe ones.....let it be like 'about to ripe stage'.....in dull green color.

So, slice them thinly with skin, Spread them in a tray.

Sprinkle little coconut oil(maybe few spoons) or one could use even extra virgin olive oil.

Then followed by salt 1/2 spoon and 1 whole spoon full of red chili powder.
Further add lemon juice. Toss them really good.

Let all the ingredients get together well. Let it stand aside for 2 hours or so. In that way....all the ingredients gets well incorporated in it.

Serve as a starter salad.

Labels: Salad/Pachadi

Starchy Sweet Potato Balls: (3 versions after few steps)

Chakarai Valli Kizhangu Urundai/Laadu.Sakaraivalli Kizhangu Laadu. Sakaraivalli Kizhangu Inippu urundai.

This recipe was prepared by my late aunty(my Dad's sister). When Daddy was a little kid, there was severe famine in the country. His older sister used tapioca to preapare this laddu. The tapioca was the only produce found back then. She used jaggery and dry coconut from the storage to make this. It had turned out as a great meal, rich in starch and glucose.

Well....for variation I used sweet potatoes here.


Ingredients:

Starchy Sweet potato tubers (large ones)-2
Shredded fresh coconut 1 large bowl full
Jaggerry/brown sugar 2 cups
Ghee few spoons
Cardamon seeds powder 1 teaspoon full.

Method:

Boil really well....the sweet potatoes. It may consume time.

Once it is done....peel off its skin and mash the pulp.

Bring all the other above said ingredients together. Mix them thoroughly.

Let it come to dough like consistency. Divide them into equal parts.....maybe like small balls(nuggets like) 2" inch in diameter.

Version 1: You could taste it as such....it will be good.

Version 2: Place them over cookie sheet....well greezed with butter. Bake them for 30 minutes over 370 degree.

Version 3: Deep fry them in warm oil....till golden brown and enjoy!

Labels: Potato, Sweets

Whole Grape Juice: (North-Arcot Sytle)

Ingredients:

Deep Purple grapes(small ones, seedless) 1/2 kilo
Sugar 6-8 teaspoons
Warm water.

Method:

Wash and clean grapes thoroughly. Remove their stem off.

Now allow them to stand in warm water for atleast 5 minutes. This way.....its easy to peel them.

Slowly....starting from the stem end of each berry, try to tear off the skin. One should do this very gently, with extra care. The pulp should be whole and full at the same time. If you feel odd in peeling......make the grapes to stand in warm water, for some more time. Make sure that you are not actually cooking grapes here. Its just....to help peeling the skin off.

Well......after doing so....to all the grapes. Reserve 1/2 of it.....maybe refridgerate it.(1)

The other half peeled grapes should be made into puree. Blend it really long......to extract more juice. One could use limited cold water for this purpose. Then......filter them. Make sure the juice is super thin and free from fibre. Refridgerate these too.(2)

Coming next.....bring the sugar to syrup consistency, by heating them with 1/2 cup water. When the sugar is syrup-y enough.....refridgerate them too.(3)

After 2 hours or so. Bring all the three items from the fridge and combine together. Mix them thoroughly. Let there be a good blend.

Add further crushed ice to this and serve chilled in short goblets. This grape juice can be served as starter.

I learnt this recipe in my home town 'Vellore-North Arcot district'. Though I dont know how the actual recipe is.....yet i figured it out, its conveincing though!

Though this juice is actually from purple grapes.....it wont have any deep purple color......and still one can enjoy....actually biting the grapes in their juice, without having trouble in chewing skin again.

Tenneese Tea:

Ingredients:

Tea leaves 1/2 teaspoon
White grape juice 1/2 cup
Lemon juice 1/4 cup
Sugar 4 teaspoons.
Mint leaves few for decoration
Lime rings for decoration.

Method:

Boil tea leaves in 1/2 cup of water and filter them atleast 2-3 times. Reserve the decotion.

Now to this decotion, add lemon juice and white grape juice. Mix them thoroughly. In this mixture add sugar and stir well.

Cool for atleat 2-4 hours.

Serve chilled with littele crushed ice on them. Garnish with few mint leaves and decorate a lime ring at one end of the goblet.

Mango Rice:

Ingredients:

Grated raw mangoes- 3 cups
Fresh ginger 3-4" inch size peeled and finely chopped
Salt
Turmeric powder 1/4 spoon
Green chilies 6 slitted
Mustard seeds 1/2 spoon
Cumin seeds 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida
Chana dal 1 fistfull 1/4 spoon
Urad dal 1 fistfull
Curry leaves 1 fistfull
Sesame oil 1 cup
Rice 1 cup - short/long grain rice.

Method:

Cook rice with salt and a spoonfull of oil. Get it done.....to have stiff and well seperated rice. Its better to wash rice several times.....until water runs clear. Just make sure....that the rice is not sticky.

Well....heat oil. Add mustard seeds and wait until they sputter. Then add cumin and followed by chana, urad dal. Let them turn to reddish color. Now add asafoetida, green chilies and curry curry leaves. Fry them for a while.

Add chooped ginger and fry till fragrant. Then followed by grated mangoes. Fry them till they loose moisture. Maybe add salt and turmeric at this stage and cover and cook at low heat.

When it is done....add to rice and mix them thoroughly. Let all the rice get well coated with this oil and mango paste. Fold them in narrow mouthed bowl. Try to pack them real compressed in small narrow bowl. Set aside for atleast 2-4 hours.

Serve them later. Maybe one can garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. It tastes good without any gravy though. One can try this rice along with fried potatoes or ginger pickle.

Labels: Main Dish - Rice

Strawberry Surprise:

My Friend Teena calls this recipe as 'Strawberry Soup'. Which is her Gandmom's special recipe. She always wanted this recipe......but still couldnt predict 'what her grandmom's secret ingredient is'. So.....I just started a shot.....throwing myself all the ingredients she predicted, with my own ration and ofcourse, i did rely on some good websites too, to get it done with perfection. It turned out good. But......I wanted to call this 'strawberry surprise'. Hope....Teena would like it!

Ingredients:

Strawberries made into puree 1 cup(from fresh or frozen)
Fresh Orange juice 2 cups
Yogcurd 2 cups
Honey 1 cup / sugar 1 cup
Cinnamon powder 1/4 spoon
Nutmeg powder 1/4 spoon
Fresh strawberies 4-6 quartered for decoration
Large mint leaves few for decoration
Brandy/Rum 2-4 spoons (optional)

One can substitute with Chinese five spice powder or Indian chaat masala in place of cinnamon and nutmeg powder.

Method:

In a blender....bring yogcurd first and blend it real good. Once done with that....add orange juice and blend it too. Reserve them in a large bowl.

In the same blender.....make a thick puree out of strawberries. Without ading any water to it. Then transfer it to the same bowl.(in which we have yogcurd+orange juice)

Then add honey/sugar to this. Further add rum/brandy. Stir well. Refridgerate for atleast 3-4 hours. Its a cold dessert.

Just before serving, decorate with fresh strawberries, mint and garnish with cinnamon and nutmeg powder. Serve in a goblet/bowl.

Maa inji Pickle:(Mango-Ginger Pickle)

Mango-Ginger, Botanical Name is 'Curcuma amada'. This ginger has lots of medicinal properties, it helps in too many skin problems, enlarged spleen and liver.

As many of you may dont know, what a 'mango-ginger' is....its a type of ginger.....just resembles like a regular ginger.....but bit slender than it. It has strong mango flavour in it. And it has very distinct smell and taste. Its generally used for making pickles. Though one can make some instant pickles out of it. I wanted to copy my Grandmom's recipe today. I would like to stick to her recipe on the whole....without making any alterations. Though she actually didnt reveal me her secret recipe.....i figured it out all myself. As a little girl.....i watched all the painstaking effort she made. Its totally her recipe.....i am giving it out without any alteration here(version 1). One can still adjust their sesoning. It turns out with rich dark brown color, very tangarine......strong flavor.

Ingredients:(Version 1)

Mango-Ginger skinned/peeled - 250 grams
Thick Tamarind paste/milk freshly 1 bowl full
Sea Salt/Rock Salt
Turmeric powder 2 spoons
Chili powder 2-3 spoons

To be Dry Roasted and Powdered:

Mustard seeds 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 cup

For sesoning:

Oil 2 cup(sesame oil)
Mustard 1 spoon
Cumin 1/2 spoon
Asafoetida 1 spoon
Fenugreek seeds 1/4 spoon
Dry red chilies 3-5
Curry leaves 1 cup.

Method:


Peel ginger with back of your spoon, this way..toomuch flesh is not wasted. See this ginger is already slender and not so mushy...so dont waste too much of flesh by scraping.

Thinly slice down your Mango-ginger(maybe it looks like thin rings) Shadow dry them over kitchen tissues or any clean cloth for 2-3 hours.

In a large non-stick wok, heat oil. Add sesoning items. Let them pop and splutter well.

Then add mango-ginger and fry them real good. Now add salt, turmeric and chili powder.

Followed by tamarind milk. Cover and cook over medium heat.

Once it comes to thick pickle like consistency, add roasted and powdered items(fenugreek and mustard powder).

After adding this.....do not hold long on stove.(it would change the pickle's taste)

Remove from stove and allow it to cool.

Store them in a ceramic jar/glass jar. Its good to wipe the jars with spirit before popping your pickle in. And it is alway good to use any ceramic/plastic spoon while serving than steal spoon.(as the tamarind will corrode this metal) Again one useful tip, try to use sea salt/rock salt while pickling than regular iodized one.....coz iodized salt will give a kind of metallic taste to the food.

Ingredients:(version 2)

Its my own method, its tasty too. Give a try!

Mango-Ginger 1/4 kilo skinned peeled and chopped
Garlic 150 grams peeled and chopped
Tamarind tennis ball size soaked in water-thick tamarind milk 1 bowl full
Jaggery 150 grams
Sea Salt /Rock salt
Turmeric powder 1 spoon
Dry red chilies 150 grams roasted and powdered
Dry red chilies 50 grams(whole)
Curry leaves 1 cup
Mustard 2 spoons
Cumin 2 spoons
Fenugreek seeds 1/2 spoon
Fenugreek roasted and powdered 100 grams
Asafoetida 1 spoon
Chana dal 1 spoon
Urad dal 1 spoon
Sesame oil/Gingeli oil 3 cups.

Method:

Extract thick tamarind milk/tamarind water and set aside.

In a pan...heat few spoons of oil. Fry garlic and mango-ginger....till raw smell leaves. Make a thick paste out of it(wet grind with limited water). Set aside.

In a non-stick deep pan. Heat oil. Add mustard, cumin, fenugreek, asafoetida, chana and urad dal. Let them pop and splutter well.

Now add curry leaves and red chilies(whole) and fry them for a while.

Then add mago- ginger and garlic paste and fry them too.

Followed by add these = salt, turmeric powder, fenugreek powder (roasted and powdered) chili powder(roasted and powdered), jaggery and tamarind water.

Now cover and cook over medium flame. Once it is done.

Remove the lid and stir-fry them over medium to high flame. One can add little more oil...at this time.

Fry them without any water content and oil shows up on sides.

Labels: Pickle/Thokku

Cinnamon Coffee:

For Black Coffee: Add 2 cinnamon sticks along with 2 spoonfull of coffee, while brewing. Then as usual add your sugar to taste. Brisk it in a short cup.

For Regular Coffee: Add 1 stick of cinnamon while boiling milk(1 cup) and add as usuall 1/2 spoon of instant coffee powder and sugar. Make it real foamy before serving.

Other Method: Mix 1/4 spoon of ground cinnamon powder with instant coffee powder-1/2 spoon, further add brown sugar-1 spoon and 1/4 spoon of vanilla extract. Mix them real good.....until its fine and dusty. Now run a mug full of warm milk over it. Then filter the same.....serve hot in short cup.

Minty Tea:

Its better to use dry mint flakes than fresh here. 1/4 spoon of mint and 1 spoon of tea leaves. Boil them in 1/2 cup of water.....until dark brown and bubbly. Filter it atleast twice. Then add 1/2 cup of warm milk. Stir in sugar as per taste. Serve warm.

Double Ka Meetha:(Hyderabadi dessert)

Its one of the simple dessert i love and crave for. Its kind of traditional mughal dessert in Hyderabad. Its generally served after heavy mughal biriyaani. Its delicious and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

White Bread slices 8- each made into 4 pieces
Whole milk 1 cup
Fresh cream 1 cup
Butter/Ghee 1 cup
Cashewnuts 1/4 cup splitted
Almonds sliced lengthwise
Sugar 1 cup
Cardamon seeds powder 1/2 spoon.

Variation: One can still use brown/wheat bread instead of white bread or regular.

Method:

In a wide pan, heat ghee. When it is hot enough....fry bread slices till golden color. Then leave them over kitchen tissues for a while and reserve in a wide tray.

Fry cashewnuts and almonds in butter/ghee.....till golden color. Then spread them over our reserved fried bread.

Heat sugar with 1/2 cup of water. When it comes to syrupy stage add milk and cardamon seeds powder. Boil for some more time. Or until it reduces into half. Run this sugary-milk over the bread tray. Let the bread slices get really well soaked in it. Refridgerate them for atleast 2 hours or so.

After 2 hours....further add cold fresh cream and serve in a small plate/bowl.

Since it has double cream.....its called 'Double ka Meetha'.

Labels: Sweets

Beer Battered Fried Ginger-Chicken:

Ingredients:

Chicken medium size(bone-in and skin-on)-500 grams
Ginger 5" inch size-skin peeled and grated
Beer 1/2 cup(or 4 spoons)
Cloves 5 grated or pounded coarsely
Cinnamon powder 1/4 spoon (optional)
Red food color 1 pinch
Black pepper cracked 2-3 spoons
Salt
Lemon juice from fresh fruit 1-2
All purpose flour 1 fistful
Egg white from 1-2
Groundnut/Peanut oil for deep frying.

Method:

Clean chicken well in running water. Then pat dry them.

In a large bowl.....sift flour, lemon juice, beer,cracked cloves, cracked pepper, ground cinnamon, red food color, grated ginger, salt and egg whites. Mix them thoroughly. Then bring in chicken and mix them well. Cover and refridgerate them overnight.

Generally cloves gives rich aroma when it stands.....if in hurry try to marinate atleast 2-4 hours minimum.

Heat oil in deep pan. Maintain the heat over medium heat condition.

Fry only few at a time......over medium heat. Let the chicken turn crispy and deep reddish-brown color.

Serve hot.....with onion rings, lemon wedges and crisply fried curry leaves.

This can be served as an appetizer or as a side dish for steam cooked rice(it goes well with plain tamarind rasam).

Labels: Chicken

Caramel Coffee:

Ingredients:(serves 1)

Rich flavoured instant coffee powder 1 spoon
Caramel candy 1
Condensed milk 1 spoon
Farm fresh milk 2 cups
Sugar 1 spoon
Fresh cream 1 spoon for decoration
Cocoa powder 1/4 spoon for decoration

Method:

Boil milk.....until it reduced into 1/2. Like 2 cups of milk should come to 1 cup. Boil over sim-medium heat for long time. At the same time.....milk should not be burnt too.

So....to this well reduced milk, add caramel candy and condensed milk. Let it melt in the boiling milk.

Mix them thoroughly. Turn off the stove. Remove from stove top. Then add sugar and coffee powder. Mix well.

Never try to heat coffee after adding coffee powder to it. It not only reduces its flavour.....it turns to acidic nature. Which will give you bitter taste. So....its always like this. Heat only milk and then add coffee powder. Not while still on stove top.

Pour them into serving mug. Drop a spoonfull of fresh cream over this. Drizzle cocoa powder over this. Serve really hot.

Hot Chocolate:


Chocolate Milk. Warm Cocoa Milk.

Ingredients:(serves 1)

Dark chocolate squares 4
Farm fresh milk 2 cups
Fresh Cream 1 spoonfull

Method:

Boil milk.....until it reduces 1/4 of its portion.

In a seperate deep boiling pan.....break in 4 squares of dark chocolate. When it melts really well.....add well boiled milk to this. Let it boil over low to medium heat.

Once it boiled well....allow it to cool down. Maybe overnight would be good. The next day....boil it again.

Once it is bubbly....with good flavour and rich color. Pour them into serving mug.

Float a spoonfull of freah cream on top of it. Serve really hot.