ALOO JEERA

Aloo jeera is one of the easiest dishes to prepare when there is a lack of time, it is a flavorful and delicious dish of potatoes and cumin seeds, hardly takes time to cook. This is so easy that a beginner can also try.

Ingredients :

1. Potatoes - 2 big
2. Jeera / cumin seeds - 1 tsp
3. Ghee - 2 tsp
4. Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp (optional)
6. Green chilli - 1-2
7. Salt as per taste
8. Hing - a pinch (optional)
9. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
11. Amchur powder or Lemon juice 
12. Fresh Coriander leaves - for garnishing (optional)

Process:

1. Boil the potatoes until cooked and not mushy. You can cut the potatoes into cubes and then boil also. I have boiled them first and then cut into cubes. 

2. Add ghee in a hot pan, add jeera and fry on a low heat until they smell good. Add green chilli and ginger paste and give a good stir. Both chilli and ginger is optional, you can skip them. Fry them until a nice aroma comes out. Add salt and hing (you can skip hing also if you dont link it. 

3. Reduce the flame to low and add chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and mix well. Sprinkle amchur powder and add 1 or 2 tsp water and mix well ensuring the spices do not burn.

4. Once the spice powder blends well with water and thickens, add potatoes and toss them gently. Cover and cook with low flame for 5 minutes. Taste and add salt is required. Remove from flame.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves if you want to, or add some lemon juice. Aloo Jeera is ready to serve. You can have them as a snack, or with Dal rice or with Roti. 

CHOCOLATE CAKE - EGGLESS

This is my all time favorite cake. I love chocolate cake. Tried for the first time to bake an egg-less chocolate cake at home, in kadhai. This recipe has sugar moist crumb yet light texture. Once you try and get to eat such a nice cake at home, this will soon be your favorite too. You can also prepare chocolate layer cake, once your chocolate cake is baked, you can cut the cake into layers, pour more chocolate sauce one after one, and finally cover the whole cake with chocolate cream or chocolate sauce. Mine one is not a layered cake, its a simple and easy chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

1. Supar - 1 cup

2. Maida - 1 and half cup

3. Cocoa powder - 3/4 cup

4. Baking powder - 1 tsp

5. Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp

6. Curd - 1 cup (you can also use eggs, if you want to)

7. Milk - 1/2 cup

8. Vegetable oil - 1/2 cup

9. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp (optional)

10. Water - Lukewarm 1 cup

Process:

1. Grease the cake tray, Dust with flour evenly and set aside.

2. Add all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently mix until everything is combined well. Add lukewarm water if the batter is very thick.

3. Once the batter is ready, pour this in the cake tray.

4. Heat the heavy bottom kadhai for 10 minutes and then place a steel stand (optional) inside the kadhai and place the cake tray. If you do not have a steel stand, you can directly place the cake tray in the kadhai. If you want to add fry fruits, sprinkle them at the top of the cake and cover with a lid.

5. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes, after 15 minutes you can check by putting a knife inside the cake, if the knife comes out clean, means the cake is done, else you can cook for another 5 minutes and re-check.

Your home made chocolate cake is ready to serve. You can garnish it as you like. Also you can do plating with chocolate sauce and some colorful fruit pieces of your choice and if available at home.

Do share your experience after baking this cake.

Happy Baking.

CARROT CAKE

Most of the carrot cakes are egg less cakes. My recipe of carrot cake contains carrots mixed into the batter of simple sponge cake with eggs. This is my third experiment in baking a cake in Kadhai and this is soft and tasty. I have used eggs and all the other ingredients used in a sponge cake, additional ingredient is just grated carrot. Unlike the other cakes, carrot cake is heavy and not fluffy. I just loved the cake.

Ingredients :

1. Wheat flour - 1 cup
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Baking powder - 1 tsp
4. Butter - 1/2 cup
5. Milk (boiled and cold) - 1/2 cup
6. Eggs - 2 
8. Salt - pinch of
9. Grated carrot - 1/2 cup

Process :

1. Grease the cake tray. Dust with flour evenly and set aside.
2. Pour milk and suger in a mixing bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Gently mix until the flour is combined well. Start adding eggs one by one and keep mixing. Finally add the grated carrots and mix well (Remember : Do not mix too long after adding carrots)
3. Once the batter is ready, pour this in the cake tray.
4. Heat the heavy bottom kadai for 10 minutes and then place a steel stand (optional) inside the kadai and place the cake tray. If you do not have a steel stand, you can directly place cake tray in the kadhai. Sprinkle dry fruits in the top and cover with a lid.
5. Let it cook for 15 to 20 minutes. After 15 minutes you can check by putting a knife side the cake, if the knife comes out clean, means the cake is done, else you can cook for another 5 minutes. 

Your Carrot cake is ready to serve. You can garnish it with some more grated carrots and chocolate sauce, if you like to have chocolate in everything, like i do. 

Do share your experience while trying this cake.
Happy Baking. 

MALAI MUTTON

The most essential part of a well-balanced diet is food. And If you have ample time to spend in the kitchen, you can do many experiments. Here is my experiment with Mutton this weekend. The best combo to serve with Malai Mutton is paratha or roti, though we had with Egg fried rice. The outcome of this curry recipe is a silky smooth tender dish which is super yummy. 

Ingredients:

1. Mutton - 300 gram

2. Lemon juice - 2 tsp

3. Curd - 1/2 cup

4. Malai / cream - 3 tsp

5. Elaichi (green) powder - 1 tsp

6. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

7. Garam masala - 1 tsp

8. Coriander leaves (fresh) - for garnishing

9. Salt to taste

10. Onion - 2 (paste)

11. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

12. Oil - 2 tsp

Process:

1. Marinate mutton pieces with lemon juice and salt and keep aside for 2 hours. After that add curd, ginger garlic paste, elaichi powder and and again keep aside for 4-5 hours. (If you are planning for lunch menu, you can leave the marination overnight also).

2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add jeera. When splutters, add the marinated mutton, cover and simmer until tender.

3. Meanwhile in a separate pan, add 1/2 tsp oil, and add onion paste, ginger garlic paste and garam masala, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, and add this masala paste to the mutton pa. Mix well and let it cook til the mutton is tender.

4. Once done, add fresh cream to the gravy and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Butter Chicken

Butter chicken has gained much popularity across the globe, paired with naan or chapati is a delight that most Indians love during their restaurant visits. When I tried, here is the result...

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken : 250 gram boneless

Tomato -  3 to 5 chopped

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Kasmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Whole garam masala 

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Butter

Oil

Kasoori Methi

PROCESS:

1. Marinate the chicken pieces with ginger and garlic paste, salt and kashmiri chilli powder and keep in refrigerator for half an hour.
2. After half an hour, in a nonstick pan, add oil and fry chicken pieces and saute till chicken is cooked. Set aside.
3. In the frying pan, add 2 tsp oil and add chopped garlic and tomato, saute for 7-8 minutes, cool down and grind to a smooth paste. 
4. Now, heat a pan, add 1 tsp oil and two pieces of butter, add whole garam masala and saute,, add that tomato paste, kashmiri chilli powder, salt to taste, ginger garlic paste, mix well and let it cook for 10-15 minutes in low flame. Add the fried chicken, cover the pan and let it look for 5-10 mins on low heat.
5. After 10 min, open the lid and add 1 tsp sugar, garam masala powder and fresh cream, stir properly so that the the cream mix well with the chicken.
6. Sprinkle some kasoori methi when the chicken gravy is ready. Garnish with some more fresh cream.

Chicken Rezala

Chicken Rezala is an authentic bengali chicken curry in white gravy, this is very popular and beloved dish in Bengal.This royal dish is simply magical with its delicious aroma, texture and lip-smacking taste. The chicken is slow-cooked in a white cashew nut gravy with a blend of aromatic spices which lend a divine flavour to this dish. It has a perfect blend of sweetness and sourness in a mildly spiced gravy makes it just delectable with chapati or biriyani.

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken : Half kg

Cashew & Poppy seeds paste - half cup

Curd - half cup

Onion Paste - 1 cup

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Dry Red Chili -2-3

Whole garam masala 

Salt to taste

Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Ghre or Oil

PROCESS:

1. Make a smooth paste with cashew and poppy seeds in a spice grinder and keep aside to use later.
2. Marinate the chicken pieces with onion paste, ginger and garlic paste, curd, salt and keep aside for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour take a nonstick pan and heat ghee and oil together.
4. After one hour of marination, take a non stick pan, heat ghee or oil (whichever you are using). Add the whole spices till the fragrance comes from the spices and add marinated chicken along with the marination. cover the pan and let it look for 20-25 mins on medium heat.
5. After 20-25 min, open the lid and add the cashew and poppy seed paste, sugar, stir properly so that the paste get mix with the chicken, add the lid and let it cook for another 15-12 minutes.
6. Then open the lid and let it boil till the gravy becomes creamy in texture. Serve with hot plain rice or roti.

PEPPER CHICKEN or POLLO CON PEPERONI

A classic Roman dish, Pollo Con Peperoni(Chicken and pepper) is a simple dish to cook and tastes extremely satisfying. This is my version of this historical dish. A delight for your taste buds. Go ahead , give it a try!

    
 Ingredients: (for 1 kg chicken)

1. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
2. Black Pepper (crushed)- 1 tbsp
3. White Vinegar- 2 tbsp
4. Garlic Cloves - 10-12
5. Red Bell Pepper (Diced) - 1
6. Yellow Bell Pepper (Diced) - 1
7. Green  Bell Pepper (Diced)  - 1
8. Cherry Tomatoes – 10-12
9. Onion (Medium) - 2
10. Spring Onions - 2
11. Chicken - 1 Kilo
12. White Rum – 4 tbsp
13. Salt to taste
14. Olive Oil/Refined Oil – 2 tbsp

Process:

1. Marinate the chicken for 45 min adding salt to taste, crushed black pepper, ginger garlic paste and white vinegar.

2. Heat the oil in a wok/kadhai. Add garlic cloves and let it burn till golden brown.

3. Add chopped onions and sauté for 5 min. 

4. Add red, yellow and green bell pepper to it along with cherry tomatoes. Cook for 5 min.

5. Next, add the marinated chicken.

6. Add 4 tbsp white rum and mix well.

7. Cover with a lid and let it cook till the chicken comes to boil.

8. Once boiled, add chopped spring onions and cook for another 2 min.

9. Serve hot!