Brinjal vindaloo

I am not very fond of Brinjals, but i like it in two ways either as bharwan baingan or as this recently discovered vindaloo. This dish is my entry for JFI - Eggplant hosted by Sangeeta of ghar ka khana.
thanks sangeeta !!

recipe adapted from vanitha:



Ingredients:

1. small brinjals slit lengthwise like a cross without separating it from the base - 1/4 kg
2. ginger paste - 1/4 tsp
3. garlic paste - 1/4 tsp
4. chilly powder - 1 tbsp
5. mustard seed -1/2 tsp
6. fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp
7. cumin seeds - 2 pinches
8. oil - 5 tsp
9. mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
10. onion (chopped) - 2 cups
11. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
12. tomato (chopped) - 1 cup
13. vinegar - 2 tsp
14. salt to taste
15. ginger (chopped) - 1/4 tsp
16. garlic cloves (whole) - 4
17. sugar - 1/4 tsp
    .....phew quite a looong list ..!

Method:

• Grind ingredients 2 to 7 to a fine paste & keep aside.
• Heat oil. Add chopped onions till they turn brown.
• Now add turmeric then chopped tomtaoes & fry till oil separates.
• Add brinjals & mix till masala is well coated on the brinjals.
• add 1 tsp vinegar, salt & enough water for it to cook.mix well.
• Put the whole thing in a micro proof dish & microwave for about 8 mts , removing & stirring once in between.
• Put it back to the kadai & add ginger & garlic cloves.
• when gravy thickens add 1 tsp vinegar & sugar. Mix well & serve hot with rotis.
  

Lemon pound cake with buttercream icing

i have been having this utmost desire to do icing on a cake for quite a long time. First time when i tried without any reference it turned out to be a total disaster tho i still posted the cake 'cos the cake was too yummy to be deprived of the privilege to get posted. why blame the cake for the icing fault.
so this time i decided to go by following baking 911.com.In India we dont get that high fat content cream(whipped cream) that easily which can actually form peaks. Easily available ones r that of Amul which dont thicken when u beat them not enough to make icing .so i decided to go for the buttercream icing which required just butter , icing sugar, vaniila & lemon.Though it did require shortening i went ahead without it ...& the result is ..voila.!!here it is .. ...not bad for a beginner is it??


the cake as such was also quite good 'cos of the citrus flavour..the pic as u can see is taken in the fridge!!
here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

1. 220 gms of butter (1/2 lb)
2. 1 cup of sugar
3. a pinch of salt
4. 1 tbsp vanilla extract
5. finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
6. 2 tsp of lemon juice
7. 2 cups of cake flour
8. 1 tsp baking powder
9. 1/4 cup milk

Method:

• Cream butter & sugar until soft.
• Add vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest.
• Beat in 4 eggs one by one.
• Beat the fifth egg with the milk & keep aside.
• Sift flour & baking powder once.
• Add 1/3 rd ofthe flour mix to the butter egg mixture. Beat at low speed.
• Now add 1/2 of the egg milk mixture. Beat again.
• Add flour & milk mix alternatively five times starting & ending with flour.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake at 375 degree F for about an hour.
• Let the cake cool completely.
  
  
  For buttercream icing:
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 warm milk

1. Cream butter, sugar & vanilla.
2. Add cornstarch to milk & add to butter mixture beating all the while.First beat on low speed until well blended then on medium for 5 mts.

For decorating the cake i put the cooled cake in the refrigerator overnight. then turned it upside down. Sliced off the brown portion. Cut the cake horizontally into 2 .
Spread the icing liberally on one cake. Place the other half over it gently but firmly. Now cover the entire cake with the icing . You may sprinkle chocolate gratings as well.

......want to have a bite.!!

Rava oothappam

This is a very easy-to-make breakfast that is made using ingredients that are generally available in your pantry.. this is my first ever entry to any blog event ..it is for trupti's WBB spice it up!..thanks Trupti..


..on the hot griddle..

Ingredients:

1. Rava or semolina - 2 cups
2. curd - 1 cup
3. oil - 2 tsp + for shallow frying
4. asafoetida - a pinch
5. salt to taste
6. onion - 2 large (finely chopped)
7. tomato - 1(finely chopped)
8. green chillies - 2 finely chopped
9. coriander leaves

Method:
Mix together rava, curd, 2tsp oil, asafoetida & salt. Add water to get a pouring consistency. Keep aside for 10 mts.
In the meanwhile mix together chopped onions, tomatoes, green chillies & coriander leaves. Keep aside.
Mix the batter well. the sooji must have soaked up the liquid content. Add more water if required to get a pouring consistency. Adjust seasoning.
Heat a tawa. Spray a little oil. Pour one ladle full of the batter. spread very lightly. Sprinkle the veggies mix on the dosa patting gently.
after one side is cooked dot the edges with oil & turn over & cook the other side too .Thats it its done Pop on to a plate & serve with chutney of ur choice..

..a dinner menu..

..last weekend we had a few guests for dinner . i decided to try something from blog friends contributions. so i started serching for recipes. & finally zeroed in on the following:

micro veg pulao (which i've already posted)
kadai chicken (maheswari's beyond the usual)
prawn balchao
palak raitha
raw pappaya salad (thai dish)
Banana pudding (Asha's foodie hope) (forgot to take a picture !)

Kadai chicken i must say was simply superb ..i've tried recipes from her blog even before she is a chicken specialist. and for Asha's pudding i got loads of compliments esp from my 'Jeeju'. Thanks to Maheswari & Asha for such amazing recipes..for more of Maheswari's recipes click http://www.publishtoday.blogspot.com/

for Asha's recipes http://www.aromahope.blogspot.com/

Maheswari's Kadai Chicken


Prawn balchao recipe i shall post a lil' later..

Raw pappaya salad:

this is a Thai dish..very refreshing..

Ingredients:

1.Raw pappaya (grated) - 3 cups

2.peanuts(coarsely ground) - 1 cup

3.green chillies - 2(chopped)

4.tomato - 1 (chopped)

5.tamarind juice - 1 tbsp

6.lemon juice - 1 tsp

7.sugar - 2 tbsp

8.soya sauce - 1 tbsp

9.chopped coriander - 2 tbsp

10.salt to taste

Method:

Mix all ingredients together & serve chilled..!!

Palak Raitha:

very simple. healthy for children as well as adults who hate spinach.

Ingredients:
1. Spinach - 1 small bunch
2. yoghurt - 1 cup
3. chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
4. roasted cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
5. black salt - a pinch
6. salt to taste

Method:
Whisk together curd, red chilly powder, roasted cumin powder, black salt & salt. Chill in the refrigerator.
Take spinach leaves in a small bowl. Blanch in MW for a minute or 2
Let spinach cool.Put in a blender & make a puree.
Before serving add the spinach puree to curd mix well & serve.

Crab curry

This is my mom's speciality. when she makes it, it tastes heavenly. Over the years i have also mastered it .

Ingredients:

Crab (cleaned with shells intact) - 1 kg
grated coconut - 1 1/2 cups
roasted & ground coriander seeds (varutha malli podi) - 3 tbspn
shallots - handful
green chillies - 3-4 chopped
ginger - 1 inch piece chopped
curryleaves - 1 or 2 sprigs
chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
coconut oil - 2 tbspn
salt to taste

Method:


Fry coconut in a non-stick pan till it turns light brown. let it cool. make a paste of it adding a little water. keep aside.
chop shallots & keep side .
Heat oil in a deep pan. Add mustard seeds & let it crackle. Add shallots, ginger, green chillies & curry leaves. Fry for a couple of minutes till the raw smell goes.
Add chilly powder, turmeric powder , roasted coriander powder. fry for a couple of minutes . take care not to burn it.
Add crabs with salt & little water for the crabs to cook.Close the lid & bring the curry to boil.( Add little water in the beginning .You may add more in the end if the curry is too thick.)
Now add fried coconut paste .Mix well .Bring it to a boil again. Lower the flame close lid & let it cook .
once the crabs are cooked the curry is ready.

ps: you may vary the amount of chilly powder & green chillies according to your palate .

Mint paratha

this was also a pleasant surprise 'cos it was surprisingly delicious..! i had got some mint to try growing them..the leaves was not required to plant them ..what to do with the leaves..i didnt want to make green chutney..i remembered having seen Mint paratha in Sanjeev kapoor's book ..but was not sure if i shud try it ..Mint paratha ! wonder how it wud taste..anyway going ahead by my instincts i decided to give it a try just for me & Adi (my son)..husband wudnt be willing to have it ..;or so i thot..

but when i made it i was pleasantly surprised ..'cos it was too melt in in the mouth with a nice flavour ..& guess what !! husband loved it & said "why did u keep only one for me??"...

Ingredients:

1. Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
2. fresh mint leaves - 1 cup
3. salt to taste

How to make Mint parathas:

Wash & pat dry mint leaves. Dry half of it on a hot tawa or griddle. Cool & crush to a powder using hands. Keep aside.

Chop remaining mint leaves finely. Add to this whole wheat flour & salt & make a soft dough using enough water. Divide the dough into balls.

Roll out each ball into a thin paratha .Make rotis out of it without oil..it will come like phulkas..!

Finally sprinkle dried mint powder that u made in step 1 over the parathas..

the original recipe required to add butter to the dough + the paratha was made like the flaky paratha (malabar paratha)..but i thot this was healthier..

'Mindblowing' Palak paneer..! (microwave)

Continuing with my MW cooking this time i decided to try palak paneer..i've had palak paneer from several sources & tried making it several times before but never tried it in MW & i've never liked it either ..whenever someone says "OOhs & Aahs "about it i wonder what is so great bout it ..i just pick & eat the paneer pieces & discard the gravy..
..this dish i call it "mindblowing "palak paneer 'cos it is simply mindblowing ..i was bowled over..!!i licked up the gravy till the last drop !!
& because it was made in the MW it was quite easy too...Also it is not very rich 'cos it has only 1 tbsp of butter & 1/4 cup milk..
Ingredients:

1. ginger - 1/2 " piece
2. garlic - 4-5 flakes
3. onions - 2 chopped
4. green chilly - 1 chopped
5. cumin seeds - 1 tsp
6. oil - 2 tbsp
7. coriander powder - 2 tsp
8. garam masala - 1/2 tsp
9. tomatoes - 2 chopped
10. kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves) - 2 tbsp
11. Spinach leaves - 300-400 gms
12. butter - 1tbsp
13. red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
14. salt to taste
15. sugar - 1/4 tsp
16. milk - 1/4 cup
17. paneer(cottage cheese) - 200 gms (cubes)

How i made it:

In a large microproof bowl put oil, cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onions, green chilly, coriander powder & gram masala. Mix well. Micro HI for 5 mts.

Add chopped tomatoes & kasoori methi. Mix well. Add washed spinach leaves (no need to chop them). Micro HI for 8 mts.

Cool spinach .Blend with 1/2 cup water.

Transfer the spinach puree to the same microproof bowl. Add butter, red chilly powder, paneer, salt , sugar, milk & 1/4 cup water. Mix well.

Micro Hi for 5 mts. Serve hot ..Its superb !!!

the original recipe by Nita mehta required 600 gms of spinach .i reduced it to 350gms.

Microwave veg pulao

As the name suggests this is a pulao entirely made in the microwave including the sauteing part; which means i used just one utensil for the entire process .

...microwave is something which most of us in india dont make full use of . Besides reheating we seldom do much in it..There are so many uses of it & i am trying to do justice to it by looking for all pieces of info about its uses , be it books internet what not.

I dont know if this is an info to any of you but since the discussion is on microwave i thot it worthwhile to add here , that u can cook potatoes in a ziplock in the MW in just 3-4 mts..

this pulao that i made makes good use of this super gadget ..

...Three cheers to human inventions..!!

Recipe source: Nita Mehta's microwave cooking

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 1 cup
2. Potato - 1 (chopped)
3. carrot - 1 (chopped)
4. Green peas - 1/4 cup
5. ginger paste - 1 tsp
6. garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
7. Oil - 5 tbsp
8. water - 2 cups
9. chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
10. turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
11. salt to taste
12. tomato - 1 chopped
13. lemon juice - 1 tsp
14. mint - few leaves chopped

Spices to be powdered -
pepper corns - 10
fennel seeds - 1 tsp
cardamom - 3-4
cloves - 4-5
cinnamon - 1 inch piece
bayleaf - 1/2 a leaf

How to make it:

Make coarse powder of all the spices .Put the powdered spices in a thin muslin cloth & tie it well. This is your spice bag.

Soak rice in water.

In a large microproof bowl put in potato, carrot, peas, ginger-garlic paste & oil. Micro HI for 3 mts.

Take out the bowl add drained rice, 2 cups of water, red chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt & the spicebag . Stir once. Micro covered on HI for 6 mts .

Take out the bowl again. Add the tomato, lemon juice & mint. Stir again. Micro covered on HI for 7 more mts.

Remove. Stir with a fork lightly without breaking the rice. Pulao is ready.Remove the spice bag & serve with love.

...the best prt of microwave cooking is that once u've put the food in it u can do some other job ..if the timing u give perfect ur food will also be cooked perfectly..neither over nor under..!!

ps: As i am now in a MW cooking spree all u friends pl share all pieces of info on this topic..thanks in advance..!