Chocolate milk


We should drink milk every day to give our bones the calcium that makes them strong. Day after day we’re reminded of the many benefits of milk. Milk is a pre-eminent source of calcium and helps prevent osteoporosis, especially if one is in the habit of drinking milk since early life; and it is the ideal way of getting the vitamins, minerals, trace elements and essential fatty acids we need to avoid nutritional deficiency. We all need milk, irrespective of our age. Since most of us don’t like to drink milk so today I have some delicious recipes for milk drinks which you can easily make and will love to drink.

Ingredients
  2 glasses milk
  4 tbsp chocolate, chopped
  2 tbsp cream (optional)
  Sugar to taste

Method
1. Melt three tablespoons of chocolate in a pan. 
2. Turn off the stove, add milk and sugar and mix well. 
3. Pour in the glasses. 
4. Top with cream and then garnish with the remaining chocolate. 
5. Delicious chocolate milk is ready for drinking. 
Note: If you want to drink it cold you can add some crushed ice before adding the cream.

Cheekoo shake


We should drink milk every day to give our bones the calcium that makes them strong. Day after day we’re reminded of the many benefits of milk. Milk is a pre-eminent source of calcium and helps prevent osteoporosis, especially if one is in the habit of drinking milk since early life; and it is the ideal way of getting the vitamins, minerals, trace elements and essential fatty acids we need to avoid nutritional deficiency. We all need milk, irrespective of our age. Since most of us don’t like to drink milk so today I have some delicious recipes for milk drinks which you can easily make and will love to drink.

Ingredients
  2 cheekoos
  1 glass milk
  Honey to taste (optional)

Method
1. Put all the above ingredients in a blender and blend for 1-2 minutes. 
2. Pour into tall glasses; delicious cheekoo shake is ready. 
3. You can add some crushed ice if you want to make it cold.

Nuts milk

We should drink milk every day to give our bones the calcium that makes them strong. Day after day we’re reminded of the many benefits of milk. Milk is a pre-eminent source of calcium and helps prevent osteoporosis, especially if one is in the habit of drinking milk since early life; and it is the ideal way of getting the vitamins, minerals, trace elements and essential fatty acids we need to avoid nutritional deficiency. We all need milk, irrespective of our age. Since most of us don’t like to drink milk so today I have some delicious recipes for milk drinks which you can easily make and will love to drink.

Ingredients
  2 glasses milk
  1 tbsp almonds, chopped
  1 tbsp pistachio, chopped
  1 tbsp cashew nuts
  4 dried dates (optional)
  1 tbsp peanuts, chopped (optional)
  1 1/2 tbsp sugar or to taste
  2-3 cardamoms

Method
1. Soak dried dates in water for two hours then cut in small pieces. 
2. Cut each cashew nut in 2-4 pieces. 
3. Put all the above ingredients with dates and cashew nuts in a pan and cook till it comes to a boil; then cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes. 
4. Pour in the cups and drink. If you want to drink it cold keep it aside for a while to bring it to room temperature and then keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minute. 
5. Yummy nuts milk is ready for drinking.

Scotch eggs


Ingredients
  4 hard boiled eggs
  3 tbsp breadcrumbs
  2 tbsp corn flour
  300 gms chicken mince
  ½ tsp red chilly powder
  ¼ tsp all spices
  ½ tsp chaat masala
  ½ tsp coriander powder
  Salt to taste
  1 beaten egg
  Oil for deep frying

Method
1. Place mince in a bowl and add salt, coriander powder, chaat masala, red chilly powder and all spices. Mix well. 
2. Shell the hard-boiled eggs and wrap each with the mince. 
3. Roll the eggs in the flour and dip in the beaten egg. Cover with breadcrumbs. 
4. Shake off the excess breadcrumbs and deep fry in oil until golden brown. Serve hot with chutney.

Egg korma


Ingredients
  500 gms boneless chicken, cut into small pieces
  2 tsp salt
  1 tbsp white pepper
  1 tbsp green chillies, chopped
  250 gms ghee
  3 eggs
  Handful coriander leaves, chopped

Method
1. In a pan heat ghee, add chicken pieces with salt, pepper and chillies and cook till it is well done. 
2. In a frying pan, put two tbsp of the korma.
3. In a bowl, break an egg and pour over the korma. 
4. Leave it till the egg is cooked. 
5. Repeat the process till all the korma is used up. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Nargisi kofta


Ingredients for the kofta
  1/2 kg mince
  3 cloves
  1 tsp salt
  1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
  5 red chilly whole, chopped
  1 tsp red chilly powder
  1 piece cinnamon
  1/2 cup chane ki daal
  1 tsp cumin seed
  2 small cardamoms
  1 big cardamom
  1 onion roughly, chopped
  5 black pepper
  1 egg
  6 hard-boiled eggs
  1/2cup oil for frying

Ingredients for curry
  1 tsp coriander powder
  ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  1 tsp red chilly powder
  ½ tsp all spices
  1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
  200 gms tomatoes, chopped
  1 onion chopped
  200 gms yogurt
  30 gms cashew nuts
  125 ml chicken stock
  1 bunch coriander leaves, roughly chopped for garnish
  Salt to taste
  3 tbsp oil

Method to make the koftas
1. Cook mince with all the above ingredients and one cup water till water dries off completely. 
2. Cool and grind to a fine paste, add one beaten egg and a table spoon of water, mix well. 
3. Cut the boiled eggs in half, take a little portion of the mince, put a piece of boiled egg on it. 
4. Shape into kofta, fry till golden brown.

Method to make the curry
1. Fry the chopped onions in the oil until golden brown, add the powdered spices and the ginger/garlic paste. Fry well. 
2. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes. 
3. Add the cashew nuts, yogurt and chicken stock. Season. Simmer for five minutes and add the koftas. 
4. Leave to soak in the gravy for about 15 minutes. 
5. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Walnut halwa


Ingredients
  1 1/2 litre milk
  1 cup khoya
  1 cup sugar
  1 1/2 cup walnut roughly chopped
  1/2 cup almond, pistachios and cashew nuts roughly chopped
  Ghee as required
  1/2 tsp cardamom powder
  A pinch of saffron

Method
1. Boil milk with sugar and saffron. Let it cool. 
2. Meanwhile, melt ghee in a pan, add khoya and cardamon powder and stir continuously until smooth. 
3. After 10-15 minutes pour boiled milk and walnuts. 
4. Sauté till it becomes a little consistent and leaves the side of the pan. 
5. Garnish with the remaining ingredients.

Carrot and zucchini muffins


Ingredients
  1\2 cup plain flour
  1\2 cup wholemeal plain flour
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
  1\4 cup grated carrot (about 1\2 small)
  1\4 cup grated zucchini (about 1\2 small)
  1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  60 gm polyunsaturated margarine, melted
  2 eggs whites, lightly beaten
  1\3 cup low-fat milk

Method
1. Preheat oven to moderately hot (210 degrees celsius, 190 degrees Celsius gas). Brush the bottoms only of six cups in a 12 cup muffin tin with margarine or oil. Sift flours and baking powder in a bowl. Add brown sugar, carrot, zucchini and poppy seeds. Mix well.
2. Combine margarine, egg white and low fat milk. Mix well. Add milk mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until ingredients are just combined; do not over beat.
3. Pour the mixture into the muffin tin, filling until cups are two thirds full. Bake for twenty minutes or until the muffins are puffed and golden. Cool muffins in a tin for five minutes, then remove and cool on wire racks.

Note:
Store these muffins in an air tight container or freeze immediately after cooling. To freeze, completely cool muffins then wrap securely in plastic wrap, or put in plastic bag. Freeze immediately and use within four weeks.

Coconut tarts


Ingredients
  6 oz flour
  2 oz castor sugar
  Biscuit  
  4 oz butter
  1 egg yolk  
  Filling  
  2 oz butter
  1 oz flour
  6 oz castor sugar
  2 oz coconut
  1/2 tsp baking powder
  1 tsp vanilla essence
  2 eggs  

Method
1. Beat butter, egg yolk and sugar together, making it fluffy. Add flour and baking powder. Knead well and put in the refrigerator to chill. Cut into small pieces like biscuits, press in the centre and bake for 20 minutes.
2. Beat all the filling ingredients together. Place a small amount on the biscuits and bake again for 20 minutes.
3. Enjoy the delicious coconut tarts!

Pepper Pasta


Ingredients
  1 ½ cups fettuccini
  1 tomato
  2 cloves of garlic
  1 bell pepper
  1 tablespoon oil
  2 tablespoons soy sauce
  1 teaspoon mayo
  1 teaspoon mustard paste
  3 tablespoons cream
  1 teaspoon barbeque sauce
  ½ teaspoon each of crushed red peppers and black pepper

Method
1. Boil water in a saucepan and add the fettuccini. While that’s boiling, thinly slice the tomato and bell pepper, and chop the garlic. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic and bell peppers. Add the soy sauce and sauté on high heat for two minutes (make sure the exhaust is on or everyone in your house will be coughing like crazy) and remove the pan from the heat.
2. Add the mayo, mustard paste and barbeque sauce and mix till the sauce is smooth. Now put the pan back on a medium flame and add the tomatoes and cream. By now the pasta will be done so drain it and quickly add it to the pan (don’t drain the pasta completely; it helps keep the sauce from drying out).
3. Now all you have to do is sprinkle over the crushed pepper and black pepper, toss everything around, and put in a plate and eat it right away.

I usually don’t fuss about decorating my food like carving our carrot leaves or tomato roses, but I do make an effort to make my food look good, so garnish it with a sprig of coriander and dish it out in a nice plate and it’ll taste so much better, because what looks good tastes good too! 

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup

Ingredients
  Tomatoes – 1 1/2lb - halved
  Cherry tomatoes – a handful (optional)
  Onions – 1 cup, sliced thick
  Fresh fennel bulb – 1
  Half of a red bell pepper, chopped rough
  Bay leaves – 2
  Garlic, halved horizontally so that all the bulbs are held together but cut through
  Salt – As per taste (I use a mixture of powdered rock salt and kala namak)
  Olive oil – 2-3 tsps.
  Extra virgin olive oil – A few drops to garnish
  Black pepper, powdered – to taste (optional)
  Harissa (the surprise Middle Eastern element) – 1 tsp.
  Vegetable stock – ½ cup or more as needed

Method
1. Trim the fennel fronds and keep a few leaves for garnish. Cut lengthwise from the tip to the base of the bulb. Halve again and chop roughly. If the core is hard, remove it. Do not throw any of the trimmed fronds or the core. These can be used to make vegetable soup stock.
2. Pre-heat oven.
3. Quarter onions. Mix the onions and fennel pieces together in a baking tray. Place one half of the garlic in the center. Drizzle salt and one tsp. of olive oil. Toss and set aside.
4. Halve both varieties of tomatoes and arrange in another baking tray. Add bell peppers and keep the other half of the garlic in the center. Add bay leaves. Drizzle another 1tsp. of olive oil, sea salt and toss.
5. Place both baking trays in a pre-heated oven and bake for at least 20 minutes. Check whether the onions and fennel have browned. If not, bake for another ten minutes.  Re-check and remove the onion and fennel tray once browned.  The tomatoes will take more time, about 10 minutes.
6. Once roasted, let the trays cool. Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend to a uniform paste.
7. Sieve through a soup strainer. If needed add vegetable stock to bring the soup to right consistency. Warm the soup. Add the harissa paste, if using. If not, add chilli powder and a dash of lemon juice (very little) to adjust the sourness according to taste. If the tomatoes are sour enough do not add lemon. 
8. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with a few drops of extra virgin olive oil, or dotted with vegan yogurt, and serve with bread or by itself. 

Serves 2 generous bowlfuls

Manga curry (Quick mango pickle)


Ingredients
  Raw, hard mango, chopped into small even bits – 2 cups
  Salt to taste 
  Chilli powder – 2 tbsps. (more if you like it very hot)
  Mustard powder – ½ tsp.
  Mustard seeds – ½ tsp.
  Asafoetida powder – 1 generous pinch
  Sesame Oil – 2 tbsps.

Method
1. Add salt and chilli powder to the mango pieces and mix well so it is evenly distributed.
2. Heat oil till hot. Season with mustard seeds. Put off fire. Add mustard powder and asafetida powder. Mix and pour over the mangoes. Mix well till the spices are uniformly distributed.
3. Serve immediately with rice and gravy, preferably a mild dish such as kadhi or dal. It is generally prepared in small quantities as it does not last very long. If using for more than two days, refrigerate.

Useful Tip:
This pickle is quite flexible as you can adjust the amount of chilli powder and salt as per taste. Addition of mustard powder is optional. I like the addition.

Donuts


Ingredients
Maida - 1 cup
Yeast - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar ( powdered ) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/4 cup
Oil - as needed

Method
1. Boil milk in a pan.  When lukewarm, add yeast, sugar, mix well and set aside
2. Add maida, baking powder, butter to the milk and knead to a thick dough.
3. Cover the dough with a thin cloth for 20 minutes.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan.
5. Take small portions of the dough, roll into small circles and fry.
6. When the donut is still warm, roll in powdered sugar and serve.

Chickpea and spinach salad with cumin dressing

Ingredients
    850 grm cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    1/2 cup chopped red onion
    1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
    1/4 cup of olive oil
    3 tablespoons of lemon juice
    1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
    1 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
    1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
    Salt and pepper to taste
    4 cups baby spinach leaves
    Yogurt with Orange Essence
    2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped (optional)

Method
1. In a medium bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley and onion. 
2. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. 
3. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve the chickpeas salad over a bed of spinach leaves. 
4. Top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint, if using.

Hyderabadi Zafrani Pulao


Ingredients
    2 cups Rice (long, grained)
    1/2 cup Sugar
    4 tsp Ghee
    12-15 Cashew nuts.
    18-20 Almonds.
    Pinch Saffron.
    1/4 tsp Nutmeg Powder.
    1/2 tsp Green Cardamom Powder

Method
1. Wash rice twice and soak in just enough water to cover it for half an hour. Drain excess water.
2. Place almonds and cashew nuts in a flat microwave dish and cook, uncovered on Microwave medium (70%) for five minutes. Let them cool and thinly slice the almonds. Halve the cashew nuts.
3. In a deep casserole, mix ghee and rice and cook, uncovered, on Microwave high (100%) for two minutes.
4. Stir. Cook, uncovered on Microwave high (100%) for two minutes more.
5. Mix nutmeg powder, green cardamom powder, saffron, raisins and sugar into the rice.
6. Add three and a half cups of water and milk and stir once.
7. Cover and cook on Microwave high (100%) for fifteen minutes.
8. Allow standing time for five minutes.
9. Garnish with almonds and cashew nuts. Serve hot.

Chicken Dum Biryani


Ingredients
Chicken - 1/2 kg
Basmati rice  – 1/2 kg
Freshly grated nutmeg -1/4 tsp
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon stick -1
Green cardamoms - 3
Ground mace – 1/2 tsp
Whole star anise -2
Garam masala powder -2 tsp
Thick curd - 2 cups
Tomato past - 4 tbsp
Onions -1 big sliced
Ginger garlic paste  - 2 tsp
Chilli powder -2 tbsp
Saffron - pinch dissolved in 2tbsp warm milk
Salt to taste
Oil - 8 tbsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method
1.In a bowl  mix  curd, ginger garlic paste, garam masala, powder, tomato paste, chilli powder, nutmeg, ground mace salt mix well .
2.Add the chicken & &rub the mixture into the meat. Let the chicken marinate for 3-4hrs.
3.Drain the rice & keep aside. Boil 6cups of water in a pan.
4.Meanwhile, heat ghee/oil in a skillet. Add staranise, cardamoms, cloves & cinnamon & let it splutter, then add rice fry for 4-5mts.transfer the rice to the boiling water, add salt & cook uncovered till the rice is3/4th cooked.
5.Drain the rice in a colander & set aside.
6.Heat oil in a pan; add onions & fry till golden brown. Transfer to a plate.
7.Now heat oil in a pan & add the marinated chicken fry it for about 5mts or until the oil separates.
8.Add the rice over the chicken mixture sprinkle ghee & saffron dissolved in milk cover tightly with aluminum foil & place the pan over a pan
9.Cook on high heat for 5mts then cook for about 20mts on medium heat.
10.Remove & let stand covered for 5mts before serving.

Lemon Chicken Soup


Ingredients
Chicken ( boneless ) - 500 gm (Thighs)
Onion - 1
Rice ( cooked ) - 1/2 cup
Spinach - a small bunch
Coriander leaves - a few
Oregano ( dried ) - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/4 cup
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Olive oil - 1/4 cup

Method
1. Cut spinach, onion finely.
2. Heat oil in a large pan.
3. Add onion and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add chicken, rice, oregano, 4 cups of water, cover with a lid and cook.
5. When contents start boiling, switch off the stove.
6. When contents are warm, remove chicken and cut into small pieces.
7. Blend the contents and cook on a low flame.
8. Add spinach and cook.
9. When spinach is cooked, add coriander leaves, pepper powder, salt and switch off the stove.
10. Add lime juice and mix well.  

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