For me ,the best part of winter is the abundance of colorful fresh veggies, and tomato is one of them. This tomato soup is a very easy and quick, and best enjoyed with perfect crisp toast on a sunny winter morning. I have added two carrots along with tomato since my hubby doesnot like too much sour taste. You may omit the the carrot, if you like the soup more tangy.
Ingredients
- Tomato - 3
- Carrot - 2
- Cloves, cinnamon - 2 each
- Garlic cloves - 4, chopped
- ginger paste - 1 tsp
- Onion - 2, chopped roughly
- Egg - 1, beaten lightly
- Butter - 1 tbsp
- black pepper powder
- Salt
- Sugar - a pinch
In a pressure cooker . put Tomatoes and Water ( one tomato = one mug of water per person ), chopped carrot, cloves, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Close cooker , give 3 to 4 whistles.
Open cooker . let it cool and put in mixer with chopped garlic and make the Tomato Puree .
Take a pan , put Butter , when hot , put Garlic Paste, ginger paste and saute . Add the Tomato Puree , stir and let a boil . Add the stock too while boiling.
Now add the beaten Egg , a little at a time and keep stirring . Add a pinch of sugar, if you like.
Add salt and black pepper, as per taste and serve . Serve it with garlic or cheese bread.
This recipe is adapted from a magazine where there was an interview of Imtiaz Qureshi, the legendary chef and it was one of his signature dish. What fascinated me about this dish, while I was reading the recipe is the kind of ingredients it is made up of and the process itself, I was quite sure that it would be a winner on our dining table. I was just wondering that day, that if it comes out so well in my humble kitchen, how will it be when Chef Qureshi prepares it with all his skills. It needs a bit of effort, time and patience, so if you have all three, you can give it a try.
Ingredients
- King Prawns - 1 kg
- Olive Oil - 5 tbsp
- Curd - 3/4 cup
- Cream - 1/4 cup
- Green Chillies - 6
- Mint leaves - a handful
- Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
- Green Pepper -1, diced
- Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
- Chironji seeds - 2 tbsp
- Rose Water - 1 tbsp
- Basmati Rice - 2 cups
- cloves, chinnamon sticks, cardamom
- Bay leaves
- Salt
Marinade
- Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
- Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
- Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Black pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
- Flour - 1 tbsp
- Salt
Prawn Stock
- Small Prawns - a handful
- Garlic paste - 2 tbsp
- Onion Paste - 2 tbsp
- Cardamom, cloves, star anise, kaffir lime leaves, mace
Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Boil water and add whole spices, bay leaves, salt and lemon juice. Add the soaked rice to the boiling water and cook till it is 2/3 done. Strain and let it cool.
Marinate the king prawns with Marinade ingredients and keep aside for 15 minutes.
To prepare the prawn stock, heat half of the olive oil, add the garlic paste and onion paste with a pinch of salt and sugar and let it brown. Add the small prawns and fry till it changes the color. Add remaining ingredients of prawn stock and 2 cups of water and boil for about 20 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid with small prawns.
Fry the marinated king prawn till red in color.
In a large pan, whisk the curd. Add the strained prawn stock along with green chillies, mint leaves , ginger paste, green peppers, lemon juice, chironji seeds and rose water. Cook for 10 minutes.
Add the fried king prawns to this broth and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Fold in 1/2 of the cream too and keep aside.
Now take a heavy bottomed pan. Evenly spread the prawn-curd mixture on the base of the pan. and top with a layer of boiled rice. Alternate between prawn and rice till it reaches the top.
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining cream, olive oil and 4 tbsp of vegetable stock. Pour the mixture evenly over the rice. To cook the pulao in dum, first seal the edges with foil. Heat a tawa on the gas stove, then place the pulao pan over it with the lid and place a weight at the top. Cook for about 20 minutes over low heat.
Sprinkle fresh mint leaves and serve immediately.
This year on Christmas eve, I took a risk. I didnot go to Nahoum, the famous baker of New Market from where I used to buy plum cake for years. Instead, I have asked one of my office colleague, Michelle Fernandez about her family recipe on Christmas cake and she happily shared the same with me. As per the recipe, I soaked my dry fruits in Rum in advance, and on Christmas Eve, I have tried the plum cake for the first time in my life. What to say, I myself was floored by the taste of it, and I am sure I am not going to buy readymade plum cake anymore.
Ingreadients
- Flour - 2 Cups
- Butter - 100 gms
- White Oil - 2 tbsp
- Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup
- Eggs - 4
- Baking powder - 1 tsp
- Baking soda - 1 tsp
- Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
- Nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp
- Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
- Mixed fruits soaked in rum - 1 1/2 cup
Different types of dry fruits should be soaked in Rum in advance for atleast a week. I could manage for 3 days though. I have soaked equal quantities of figs, raisins, candied orange peel, walnuts, cashew nuts, dried apricots and almonds.
I have started with 1/4th cup of fruits each and soaked them in 120 ml of Rum for 3 days.
Grease 27 cm round pan with butter and line the bottom and sides with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. You need to reduce it to 160 degree later while baking.
Sieve flour, baking powder, baking soda , and the spice powders and keep it aside.
In a large bowl beat sugar, butter and oil using a hand blender till it becomes creamy. Add eggs one by one and beat well after each addition.
Heat 3 tbsp of brown sugar in a bowl over very low heat till it caramelized. Add two tbsp of water to make a smooth caramel and mix with the beaten egg. This is to impart that nice brown color of the plum cake.
Mix the soaked fruits with the dry ingredients so that fruits are well coated with flour.
Gradually add the fruits and dry ingredients mix to the wet ingredients, beating slowly till everything is incorporated properly. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 50 minutes.
Check by inserting a fork at the centre. If it is still sticky bake for some more time. Cool it completely on a wire rack before slicing it.
Wish You all Merry Christmas !!!
We as a family are not very fond of flatbreads, so I usually avoid any kind of experiment regarding flatbreads and usually stick to a basic chapati or fulka.. Last week, one of my fellow blogger has thrown a question on her site asking for her next posting and this name, 'Paneer Kulcha - stove top method' caught my attention immediately. I followed the method described by her blindly and the result was really awesome. Just have a look and see.
For those who don't know, Kulcha is a fluffy round Indian flatbread typically stuffed with meat or vegetables,which is extremely popular in north India specially Punjab.
Ingredients:
- Flour or Maida - 2 cups
- Curd - 3 tbsp
- Club Soda - 1/2 cup
- Carom seeds - 3 tbsp
- Cooking Oil - 3 tbsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
For Stuffing:
- Grated Paneer /Cottage cheese - 1 Cup
- Boiled Potatoes, grated - 2
- Green chillies, finely chopped - 2
- Aamchoor Powder - 1 tbsp
- Ginger Paste - 1 tsp
- Onion - 1, finely chopped
- Spring Onion - 1 cup, chopped
- Salt to taste
Take the flour in a bowl, then add salt, curd, 1/2 tsp carom seeds, cooking oil and mix well. Add the soda carefully and mix together with flour. Add little amount of water as required and knead the dough. keep it covered for half an hour.
Mix grated paneer along with grated potatoes, chilli, salt, aamchoor powder, chopped onion, ginger paste and 1/3 of chopped spring onion. Season well.
Take small amount of dough and make a ball. Flatten it a little, then put 1 tbsp of paneer mixture at the centre. Cover and shape into a round ball again, so that the stuffing is not exposed. Now press down the ball with your palm and flatten it to a small round bread. If the kneading is proper, you should be able to flatten it by hand only, the dough should be that soft. Sprinkle some carom seeds and chopped spring onion at the top and press a little so that they stick to the bread as shown in the picture below.
Now the most important process, you are going to simulate the Tandoor effect at home. Heat a wide mouth, heavy and round based Kadhai or wok, take a kulcha in one hand, pat a little water on other side of the kulcha and stick it the inner side of the kadai. Press lightly with a spatula to ensure that the kulcha is stuck properly.
After 30 seconds, flip the Kadhai upside down so that kulcha is exposed to direct flame. Be very very careful at this moment, increase the flame. Within seconds you will see tiny browns spots on top, just when you see it is cooked evenly, remove from the fire and keep aside.
Remove from kadai and brush with ghee or clarified butter. Serve immediately. Kulcha is at its best when hot.
Serve with 'Nimboo ka Achaar' !!!
This recipe is adapted from the book of madhur jaffrey with some minor adjustments here and there. I have tried Murg Mussallam many a times over stove top, but this is the easiest, clean and most convenient way to handle the whole bird, I must say. It is healthy too, as you are baking it after long marination with minimum oil. Obviously, this is the main attraction of our Christmas Lunch today.
Ingredients:
For the marinade -
- Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
- Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
- Yoghurt - 6 tbsp
- turmeric
- salt
- Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- flreshly ground black pepper
You also need -
- One Whole chicken
- onions- 8, chopped
- Garlic - 1 tbsp
- Ginger Paste - 1 tbsp
- Charmagaz - 2 tbsp
- ground cumin - 2 tsp
- ground coriander - 2 tsp
- turmeric
- Green Chili Paste - 1 tbsp
- Salt
- vegetable oil - 4 tbsp
- Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Mix all the marination ingredients and rub the chicken, inside out,with the marinade. Set aside, unrefridgerated, for 2 hours.
Put the oil in a large, non-stick pan and set over medium-high heat. When hot, put chopped onion and fry till golden brown.
Add the ginger, garlic and charmagaz paste, then add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, green chilli and salt. Fry, stirring, for 8-9 minutes. Add the lemon juice, black pepper and garam masala. Mix. Turn off the heat and let the paste cool.
Pre heat the oven to 180C.
When the chicken has finished sitting in its marinade for 2 hours, spread out a piece of aluminium foil, large enought to enclose the chicken. Put the chicken, breast up, in the centre of the foil. Rub the chicken, inside out, with the fried spice paste.
Bring the ends of the foil towards the centre to form a tight packet.
Put the wrapped chicken, breast up, on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until the chicken it tender.
Cut the foil using a knife carefully, there may be steam trapped inside the packet, so be very very careful. Cut the soft and juicy chicken and serve.
This beautiful, authentic, effortless Asian delight is a breeze to make. It is loaded with vegetables along with the meat and prawn, which makes it a super healthy complete one dish meal. I have used a spoonful of curry powder to give it a more distinct Asian flavor. You may omit the curry powder altogether to make it mild.
Ingredients
- Noodles - 1 packet
- Olive oil - 2 tbsp
- Cauliflower - 1, sliced
- Capsicum - 1
- Carrot - 3
- Tomato - 1, firm, sliced
- Garlic - 4 cloves
- Green chilli - 2
- Ginger - 1 knob, grated
- Chicken breast - 2, boiled & sliced
- Prawns - shelled
- Curry Paste - 1 heaped tbsp
- Soy sauce - 2 tsp
- Fish sauce - 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
Boil the noodles till firm , then drain and keep aside. Steam the cauliflower and carrot. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add chopped garlic and slit green chili and fry well.
In the same oil, Stir fry the vegetables, at the end of frying add the capsicum and tomato slices. Remove from heat and keep aside.
Briefly stir fry the boiled chicken with a pinch of salt. Then add the prawn and cook for 5 minutes, till it turns pink.
Add a cup of water, fish sauce and soy sauce. Add the curry powder also. Allow it to bubble.
Add the drained noodles and toss together to coat. Return the fried vegetables into the pan.
Toss well over the heat and serve hot.
