Garlic Masala Prawns

Garlic Masala Prawns (Khadkala)


Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 lb Prawns (Shell-on and deveined)
1 teaspoon chilly powder (as per taste)
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
4 tablespoon oil
7-8 garlic cloves(crushed)
Salt as per taste



Method:

• Add oil in the pan,when it is hot, add garlic. Roast garlic in the oil for few  minutes but don't let it burn.
• Add prawns,chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt.
• Let the prawns cook well.
• Serve it hot.

Cucumber Cake

Cucumber Cake (Tavsalli)

Prep Time:  20 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 8 - 10

Ingredients:
1 cup rava / sooji
1 cups grated cucumber
1 teaspoon roasted sesame
2/3 cup grated jaggery
10 cashews chopped
4-5 cardamom powdered
Salt as per taste
1 tablespoon ghee/ margarine






Method:

• Pre-heat oven at 350 degree.
• In a bowl mix cucumber, jaggery, sesame, cashews, cardamom powder and salt. Try to melt jaggery completely with cucumber.
• Roast rava in a pan on moderate heat for 2 minutes. Don't allow rava to turn brown.
• Add the mixture to the rava and mix well. Keep the mixer aside for half an hour.
• Grease a oven resistant container and pour the mixture in it. Keep it in oven for 30 minutes.OR
• Grease a container . Pour the mixture into the container and steam in a cooker for 10-12 minutes without the whistle.
• Insert a toothpick to check if the cake is cooked. 
• Once the cake is cool. Cut into pieces, and drizzle some ghee before serving.

Prawn Masala

Prawn Masala


Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves: 4


Ingredients:
1 lb prawns (shell-off and deveined)
1 and 1/2 tablespoon chilly powder (as per taste)
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 and 1/2 tablespoon garlic paste
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 strand scallions/spring onion chopped
Lime juice per taste
Salt as per taste

Method:

• Marinate prawns with chilly powder,turmeric powder,garlic paste,garam masala,lime juice, salt and scallions.
• Keep it aside for 10 mins
• In a pan add oil and put in the marinated prawns. Cook it for 10 mins or till prawns are cooked.
• Serve it hot.

Puran Polis

Puran Polis

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
1 cup chana dal
1 cup Jaggery
1 teaspoon Cardamom
1 and 1/2 cups Maida/ All-purpose flour
A pinch of turmeric
2 teaspoon Wheat sooji(rava)
1 teaspoon Oil
Salt as per taste.

Method:

• Cook Chana dal in pressure cooker. Drain all the water.
• Cook dal mixed with jaggery, turmeric for 10min. Grind without using water. Add cardamom and mix well with hand to get a smooth mixture.
• In a small bowl take warm water and soak sooji for few minutes and keep it aside.
• Mix maida and sooji(drain the water),salt. Add water,oil and make a dough. Cover and keep aside for 3 hours. 
• Take a ball of dough and spread with hand. Keep a ball of chana mixture and cover with the dough and seal the ends.
• Apply oil to a plastic paper, keep the ready ball on it and roll it flat like chapati / tortillas.
• Fry it in hot pan till it gets golden brown color.
• Serve hot with ghee/butter.

Tips:
 Use sooji and flour in to make the outer wrap very soft.
 Use milk instead of water for making the maida dough so that pooran polis become soft.

Chicken Rendang

Chicken Rendang

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

•     800gms or 1.76lb chicken.
•    3 tablespoons desiccated coconut, dry-fried on medium-low heat till golden brown (optional)
•    4 -8 shallots, depending on size sliced ( substitute 2 onions)
•    2 cm gingerroot, sliced
•    1 cm fresh galangal root (optional)
•    2 big red chilies, seeded and sliced
•    4 dried chilies, softened in hot water for 10 minutes ( substitute 1 tsp chilli powder)
•    150 ml coconut cream
•    1 tablespoon sunflower oil or 1 tablespoon corn oil
•    2/3 teaspoon turmeric powder
•    3 stalks lemongrass, the fat part sliced, the remaining stalk trimmed and smashed lightly
•    3 kaffir lime leaves, torn (optional)
•    1 tablespoon dark brown sugar (optional)
•    1 -1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
•    Bamboe Chicken Rendang mix (easily available in Asian market, enhances the taste of the gravy).

Method: 

•  Pulse the shallots, ginger, galangal root, chillies and sliced lemongrass, adding enough of coconut cream to make a thick paste.
•  Heat oil in a thick-bottomed non-stick saucepan till medium hot. Stir fry the shallot paste for 2 minutes. Add turmeric and smashed lemongrass stalks. Cook for 2 minutes.
•  Add meat pieces. Stir-fry for 5 minutes.
•  Mix  1 complete pack of  Bamboe Chicken Rendang mix.
•  Add rest of coconut cream. Cook on medium-low heat till meat is done and quite tender, and curry sauce is very thick (you're lucky if the timing of both coincide!). Scrape bottom of pan every 2 minutes with 
• Serve it hot with coconut rice.

Tips:

1. Cooking time varies with size and cuts of meat. When curry is thick and almost dry, add fried desiccated coconut, brown sugar, salt and kaffir lime leaves. Cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Always tastes better if made in advance. i.e prepared in the morning and severed for dinner.

Reshmi Kebabs

 
Reshmi Kebabs

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time:  20 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 lb Chicken (breast pieces)
1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
1 tablespoon fresh cream
6 tablespoon curds(thick)
1 tablespoon cashew powder
1 teaspoon garlicpaste
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon green chilly paste.
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 cube cheese (as per taste)
Salt to taste.


Method:
         
         Marination

• To the chicken pieces add salt, white pepper powder,fresh cream,curds cashew powder, ginger-garlic paste, green chilly paste, garam masala and cheese.(Keep this mixture in the freeze for atleast 6 hours its better if kept overnight).
• In a pan,roast this mixture on high flame for sometime and then on low flame till the mixture is completely dry.
• Keep the mixture aside to cool down,
• To get the charred taste and look put the pieces on skewers and roast them on flame.
• Serve kebabs hot with green or mint chutney. 

Chicken Biryani

Chicken Biryani


Prep Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 40 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Whole cut Chicken

Saffron

Cardamom (3 Green and 2 black), 

1 inch cinnamon sticks, 

5 cloves, 

8 peppercorn

2 tea spoons of ground poppy seeds

4 medium size onions finely chopped

5 Serrano Chilies finely chopped

4 medium size tomatoes finely chopped

Ginger- garlic paste.

1 whole bunch of cilantro

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1.5 teaspoon red chilies powder

1 teaspoon garam Masala

Lime juice as per taste

Salt as per taste.

Vegetable Oil.

 Method:

• Set aside 1 pinch full of saffron in ¼ cup milk. 
• Cook 3 cups of rice. Add oil and salt.
• Add cardamom,cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorn to a plentiful amount of oil
• Add finely chopped  onions,ginger and garlic paste,serrano chilies.
• Cover and cook the above till onions are translucent and giving off water
• Then add finely chopped tomatoes.
• Cover and cook for 5 mins.
• Add turmeric,chilli powder,garam Masala,lime juice,salt and whole cut up chicken.
• Cover and cook on a medium flame for about 30 minutes, stir it occasionally (Do not add water)
• Then add cilantro.
• Cover and cook for another 15 minutes
• Then add  poppy seeds.
• Uncover on a higher flame to thicken gravy. 
• Deep fry lengthwise cut onions. 
• Create layers with the bottom most layer of chicken, then rice, onions, saffron milk.
• Cover with aluminum foil and place in conventional oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
• Serve it hot.

Steamed Modaks / Dumplings

Steamed Modak / Dumplings – Maharashtra Special

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 8

Ingredients: 
Outer cover:                      
 1 cup rice flour
 1 cup water
 1 teaspoon ghee / butter
Inside filling:
 1 cup jaggery (powdered)
 1 cup fresh coconut (grated)
 2 tsps poppy seeds
 Salt to taste.




                                                                             Method:

•  Fry poppy seeds dry and mix with jaggery and coconut.
•  Add the mixture to a pan and stir constantly. 
•  Make small balls of the mixture.
•  In another pan, boil water and add rice flour,ghee, salt and stir well (dough consistency).
•  Knead the dough well and roll into small circular discs.
•  Stuff the filling and cover it like momos.
•  Steam modaks for 10-15 minutes. Tasty steamed modaks are ready to be served.
• Serve the delicious steamed modaks with ghee.

Blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins


Prep Time:  15 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 12


Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries.

For Topping:
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar , mixed with
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Method:

• Heat oven to 375°.
• Grease 12 regular-size muffin cups.
• In bowl, mix butter until creamy. Add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time, beating after each.
• Beat in vanilla, baking powder and salt.
• With spoon, fold in half of flour then half of milk into batter; repeat.
• Fold in blueberries.
• Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle topping onto each muffin.
• Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy to touch.