Meal haven

Minced Meat Vada (Mutton Kheema Vada)

An excellent appetizer with kheema which can be served at a party. It can also be served with rice and dal as an accompaniment.

Ingredients:

Coarse Mutton mince – 250 gms

Onion – 1 medium very finely chopped

Mint leaves – 15 chopped (optional)

Coriander leaves – 4-5 sprigs (chopped)

Green chillies – 4 -5

Garlic-Ginger paste – 1 tsp each

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Roasted Bengal gram dhal (pottukadalai ) – 1/2 cup

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – a small piece about 1/2 inch

Cardamom – 1small

Aniseeed – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Dry roast the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a pan, powder it and keep it aside. Next, powder 1/2 cup of roasted bengal gram dhal and keep aside.

Wash the mince meat well and squeeze out water.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the minced meat, saute and then add the whole green chillies and keep on stirring till the water dries up. Then add the ginger- garlic paste, green chilly paste (make a paste of the cooked whole green chillies), turmeric powder, salt and 3-4 tbs of water. Put the weight of the cooker and pressure cook for 4 minutes, if mince is coarse.

After pressure is released and it cools down, open the cooker and dry the mince completely if there is any water. This step is very important as the balls may break if it is wet and water is present in it . Next, take the mince and grind in mixie jar for 1 or 2 seconds . It should not be a paste but should be slightly coarse so as to get the flavour of mincemeat whilst eating.

Remove and add it to a mixing bowl. Then add the spice powder, finely chopped onion, finely chopped mint and coriander leaves, roasted bengal gram dhal flour 4 -5 tablespoons; check salt, mix well and form into small lemon sized balls and slightly flatten them in the middle.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the vadas. Do not crowd with too many vadas in the pan as they may break. Lower to medium heat, turn over when fried on one side and remove when done.Try with one vada – if it breaks, add white of an egg or beat an egg and add a little so that it binds with the mince mixture. Do not keep on turning. Leave it and turn only after it is done.

KFC Style Fried Chicken

Non-Vegetarian, Snacks

When a friend asked me to try this one, I never expected it to be so finger licking good….. Here, I have made some variation to suit my palette and the result was that it tasted as good as KFC, if not even better. The flavourful crust with the succulent pieces is so darn delicious.

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs – 1/2 kg

Egg – 1

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Buttermilk – 1/4 cup

Salt as needed

Oil for fying (sunflower or corn oil)

For the coating

All Purpose Flour – 2 cups

Garlic powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

Dried Oregano – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Dried Basil – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Salt

Preparation:

Clean and cut the chicken into medium sized pieces. Marinate the chicken in buttermilk, chillie powder, egg and salt. Mix it well and let it marinate for 2 -3 hours.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the ingredients for the coating together well. Do not add water to it.

When you are ready to fry, take a chicken piece from the buttermilk and make sure to drip the excess liquid and dust it well all over with the flour. The chicken should be well coated with the flour. Repeat the process for other pieces too.

Heat oil in a pan. When it is smoking hot, drop the chicken pieces into it. Reduce the flame to medium low and fry for about 5 minutes. When it is golden brown, flip it to the other side and fry well. Remove and transfer the chicken pieces onto a kitchen tissue or plate.

Mutton Curry

Non-Vegetarian

A simple gravy without tomato prepared with soft tender chunks of mutton which can be served with rice, rotis or any bread.

Ingredients:

Mutton – 1/2 kg

Red chillies – 5

Green chillies – 1 slit

Cinnamon – 1 inch

Cloves – 3

Peppercorns – 8

Cumin seeds/ Jeera – 1 tsp

Ginger chopped – 1 tsp

Garlic chopped – 1 tsp

Coriander Leaves – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Onions cubed – 1 cup

Onion – 1 big (finely chopped)

Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Salt – To taste

Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Water – 1 1/4 cups

Cashewnuts ground – 8 -10 (optional)

Preparation:

Marinate the mutton in yogurt and salt for 1 hour.

In a pan, add oil and heat it. When hot, add the cardamom, cloves, pepper, cumin seeds/jeera and saute. Then add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, cubed onions and lastly the coriander leaves, turmeric powder, green chillie and saute well. Put off the stove and let it cool. Pulse this in a mixie until fine and keep it aside.

Meanwhile, in a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the chopped onions and saute well. When it turns brown, add the marinated mutton, salt as desired and saute well for 5 minutes. Then, add the ground mixture and 1 1/4 cups of water. Close the lid of the pressure cooker with the weight on. Keep it on medium flame until you hear a whistle. After the first whistle, reduce the flame to medium low and let it cook for 10 -15 minutes depending on the tenderness of the meat. If the meat is a bit tough, you may have to keep it until you hear a second and a third whistle. Usually three whistles would suffice.

Open the pressure cooker and check if the meat is cooked. If you want the gravy to be of a thicker consistency, keep the gravy on fire for a few more minutes and stir often gently so that it does not burn and the gravy thickens.

Once done, serve garnished with coriander leaves. You may add ground cashewnuts for a richer gravy.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Desserts

This is a classic British dessert made with dates. A rich, sticky pudding doused with an indulgent toffee sauce will make your taste buds sing.

Ingredients:

Dates (Pitted and finely chopped) – 10

Baking soda (Bi-carbonate of Soda)- 3/4 tsp

Boiling water – 3/4 cup

Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

Softened butter – 6 tbsp

Eggs (large) – 2

All purpose Flour/Maida – 1 1/4 cup

Light brown sugar – 1/2 cup

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Pecans/Walnuts chopped – 1/4 cup (optional)

Sauce:

Light brown sugar or Dark brown sugar – 3/4 cup

Butter – 8 tbsps

Heavy whipping cream – 1/2 cup

Kosher Salt or any salt- a pinch

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Lightly grease a 8 x 8 inch pan or 6 individual ramekins with butter/cooking spray.

In a bowl, stir together the dates, boiling water, baking soda and vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Pulse it once in the mixer and keep it aside.

In another bowl, cream the light brown sugar and butter with a handheld mixer until it is combined well. Then, add the eggs and mix well.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix it well. Add this to the wet sugar butter mixture and fold it lightly, until it is well combined.

Then, add the dates mixture and the chopped nuts to this mixture and fold it with a spatula. Do not overmix or beat it with an electric beater.

Spread the batter evenly on the 8 x 8 inch pan or spoon into individual ramekins.

For an 8x 8 inch pan, bake it for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre, comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely. For individual ramekins, baking time of 30 minutes should suffice.

Preparing the sauce:

Combine sugar, butter and salt in a pan and keep it on low heat. After about 3 minutes, when the sugar dissolves, add the heavy whipping cream and stir for another 2 minutes. The sauce should become smooth and silky.

Remove the cakes from individual ramekins and place it on individual plates. Drizzle the sauce over it. You can sprinkle pecan or walnuts on top of it. If you have baked in an 8 x 8 inch pan, cut square pieces of the cake and serve it on a plate.

You may also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Kanjeevaram Idlis

Breakfast

Kanjeevaram aka Kanchipuram is a district in Tamilnadu, famous for silk sarees and a number of temples. The Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kanjeevaram serves these idlis as prasad to the devotees. Made with rice and lentils, these idlis are spiced with a tempering of ghee, ginger, cumin seeds, whole peppercorns etc…..

Ingredients:

Idli rice/Par boiled rice – 1 cup

Whole Udad dal – 1 cup

Pepper corns – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp

Ginger – 1 inch piece finely chopped

Cashewnuts – 5 – 6 chopped

Asafoetida/hing – a pinch

Curry leaves – 1 sprig chopped

Ghee – 1 tbsp

Salt – to taste

Soda Bi-carbonate – 1/4 tsp

Water – 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Wash and soak the udad dal and rice separately for 4 hours or overnight, with 4 cups of water each.

After 4 hours, remove the water and grind the udad dal coarsely adding 2 tbsp of water. Keep it aside.

Next, grind the rice coarsely adding about 3 tbsp of water. Keep it aside.

Mix both the batters, add salt and let it ferment for atleast 8 hours.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, pepper, chopped ginger, curry leaves, chopped cashewnuts and asafoetida. Add this tempering to the fermented batter. Mix the soda with a tsp of water and add it to the batter. Mix the batter gently.

In a pressure cooker, pour the batter into small katoris or into idly moulds . The idly moulds or the small katoris need to be greased with ghee. Steam it for 8-10 minutes and put off the cooker. Wait for 10 minutes to let it cool.

USe a sharp knife or spoon to remove the idlis and serve it with any chutney.

Note : Mix the soda just before pouring the batter for steaming. If you are not going to use the entire batter, remove as much as you want and add the soda. Store the rest of the batter in the fridge.

Chicken Punjabi

Non-Vegetarian

This rich and creamy chicken curry is an all time party favourite. Though not as popular as the butter chicken, this one is just as flavourful and quite different.

Ingredients:

For Marination:

Chicken – 750 gms

Curds – 1/2 cup

Ginger- garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt

For Gravy 1:

Oil – 2 tbsp

Cinnamon – 1/2 inch

Carrdamom- 2

Cloves – 2

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Ginger finely chopped – 1 tsp

Garlic finely chopped – 1 tsp

Onions finely chopped – 4

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Tomatoes chopped – 2 nos

Water – 3 tbsp

For Gravy 2:

Oil – 1 tbsp

Cummin seeds/Jeera – 1/2 tsp

Ginger – 1 tsp

Garlic – 1 tsp

Spinach/Palak chopped – 1 cup

Onion – 1 diced

Capsicum – 1 diced

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1/2 tsp

Green chillies finely chopped – 2 nos + 1 no for garnish

Cashew nut paste – 1/4 cup

Water – 1/2 cup

Ginger juliennes – 1/2 inch cut

Dried fenugreek leaves powder/Kasoori methi – 1 tsp

Garam masala powder – 1/2 tsp

Fresh Cream – 1/4 cup (optional)

Preparation:

Marinate the items given under “For Marination” and keep it aside for 1-2 hrs.

Gravy 1

Add oil. Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and jeera. When it starts to splutter, add chopped ginger and chopped garlic. Then add the finely chopped onions and saute well. When it starts to brown, add turmeric powder, chillie powder, coriander powder and saute again for 2 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes turn mushy. You may add 3 tbsps of water so that the tomatoes do not stick to the pan. After it is well sauteed, remove half of this masala and keep it aside.

To the other half of the masala in the pan, add the marinated chicken and stir well. Add 2 finely chopped green chillies and saute. Close with a lid and cook on a low flame until it is done. Put the flame off.

Gravy 2

In another pan, add oil. Add cumin seeds/jeera, chopped ginger and garlic and saute well. Then add the chopped spinach/palak and saute again for 2 minutes. Add the diced onion and diced capsicum and saute again. Add turmeric powder, red chillie powder, coriander powder and cumin seed powder and saute.

Add the other half of the masala which was kept aside to this and mix it well. Add cashew nut paste to this and saute on a low flame for 3 – 4 minutes. Add salt and 1/2 cup of water . Add the chicken gravy 1 to this and mix well. Then add, ginger juliennes, dried fenugreek leaves powder/kasoori methi powder, garam masala powder and 1 green chillie finely chopped. Cover and cook for 2 minutes.

You may add 1/4 cup cream if required.

Garnish with ginger juliennes and chopped green chillies..

Very Addictive Walnut Muffins

Desserts

Though I have made this a couple of times, every time we crave for more and have requests for additional batches to be baked. It is so damn good and worth every calorie and the best part is, it is quick to make with just 5 ingredients.

Ingredients:

Brown Sugar – 1 cup

Maida/All purpose flour – 1/2 cup

Softened Butter – 2/3 cup

Chopped walnuts – 1 3/4 cups

Eggs – 2

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar and chopped walnuts and stir well.

In a separate bowl, beat the butter and eggs together. Add the ingredients in the other bowl (flour, brown sugar and walnuts) into this and combine well.

In a muffin pan, line it up with muffin liners. Spoon batter into it filling only 3/4 of the cup as it will rise to bake.

Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius and bake for 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. If batter sticks to it, bake it for another 2 minutes. Pop it out when done.

You may drizzle caramel or chocolate sauce over it and serve.

Note: You may also use pecan nuts if you do not have walnuts.

Malabar Fish Curry

Non-Vegetarian

This curry originates from the Northern part of Kerala, The Malabar region. This curry is adapted from Umi Abdulla’s style of cooking. This particular fish curry from Kerala is my favourite. Here, the coconut is roasted to a golden colour and ground alongwith aniseed which gives it a tangy and a nutty taste. It can be served with rice or dosas.

Ingredients:

Seer fish or any other fish – 250 gms

Coconut grated or cut into pieces- 3/4 cup

Onion – 1 big finely chopped

Green chillies – 4 sliced long

Tamarind – a small ball

Curry leaves – 10 leaves

Ginger cut fine – 2 inch piece

Garlic chopped fine – 6 cloves

Shallots – 1 tbsp chopped

Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp

Coriander leaves – 3 or 4 stalks

Chillie powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Aniseed/Saunf – 1 tbsp

Tomato – 1 big chopped

Water – 1 1/2 cups

Oil – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Preparation:

Soak tamarind in little water. Clean and cut the fish and keep it aside.

In a pan, add a tsp of oil, add the chopped shallots and aniseed and saute well. Add curry leaves (5- 6 leaves) and then the grated coconut until it turns golden brown in colour. Let it cool and then transfer it to a mixie. Add 1 tbsp of water and pulse it. Grind it until it is fine and keep it aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and heat it. When hot, add fenugreek seeds and when it slightly changes colour, add the chopped onions and then the chillies. Next, in goes the chopped ginger and garlic . Saute for a few minutes and then add the chillie powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute it again and add the chopped tomatoes and saute it well for 5 minutes until the raw smell disappears. Now add the tamarind pulp to it and two cups of water. Boil for 5 minutes and add the fish and close the lid. Lower the flame and let it simmer for some time.

Lastly, add curry leaves, coriander leaves and the ground paste and let it boil once. Make sure you gently stir the gravy so that the fish pieces do not break. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Drumstick leaves Adai (Moringa Lentils Pancake)

Breakfast

Full of proteins, this savoury lentils pancake is served typically with avial (a yogurt based vegetable gravy). I prefer to have it smeared with butter or with a chutney. You can also make it to a thinner consistency and pour it like a dosa.

Ingredients:

Raw rice/ Ordinary Basmati rice – 1 cup

Tur Dal – 1/4 cup

Bengal gram dal/Chana dal – 1/4 cup

Udad dal – 1/4 cup

Moong Dal – 1/4 cup

Whole red chillies – 8

Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – a pinch

Grated coconut – 1 to 2 tbsp or coconut bits/pieces – 10

Drumstick leaves – a handful (optional)

Salt – to taste

Oil- as required

Preparation:

Wash and soak the lentils and the red chillies together in a bowl of water, overnight.

In a mixer, add the red chillies and grind it . Next, add the rice and lentils/dals together with little salt and grind it to a coarse consistency. Add very little water, if you want a thicker version of the adai. If you would like to pour it like a dosa, you can add half a cup of water and grind. To the batter, add the drumstick leaves, pepper powder, asafoetida, grated coconut and mix well. Adjust the salt.

Heat an iron griddle or a non stick pan. Wipe it with a piece of cloth dipped in oil and pour one ladle of the batter and spread it like a dosa. Turn the flame to medium and add a tsp of oil all over the sides of the dosa. When it gets cooked, flip it to the other side and cook. Serve it with coconut chutney or tomato chutney.

If you would like a thicker version of the adai, instead of pouring it like a dosa, take a handful of dough and place it on the griddle and spread it by hand. Or you could spread the adai on a banana leaf and place the adai directly on the pan by flipping the banana leaf. Pour a tsp of oil on all sides so that it is cooked to a golden colour. Flip and cook the other side also. Take it off the fire and serve.

Note: If you do not have drumstick leaves, you can substitute it with mint leaves /coriander leaves or spring onion greens.

Veggie and Chicken Pizza

Baking

This recipe makes 4 pizzas. You may halve it for making two pizzas or freeze the dough and make it later.

For Pizza topping:

Mozarella cheese – 250 gms or as needed

Capsicum – 1 thinly sliced

Onion – 1thinly sliced

Mushroom – 3 sliced

Tomatoes – 1

Tinned Corn kernels – 1 tbsp

Cooked chicken – 4 or 5 small pieces (optional)

Olives – 3 or sliced (optional)

Tomato Sauce – 2 tbsp

For Pizza dough

Warm water – 2 1/2 cups

Sugar – 1/4 cup

Instant yeast – 3 tsps

Oil – 1/4 cup

Maida/All purpose flour – 6 cups

Salt – 2 tsp

Preparation of the dough:

In a bowl, add water, sugar and yeast. Allow the mixture to become frothy. It takes about 10 minutes to become frothy. Then, add the oil.

In another bowl, add maida and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture, 1/2 cup at a time and mixing it gently. Continue to add the flour little at a time and combine all together with a spatula. The dough will be a little sticky at this time. Gently knead it by hand for 5 to 7 minutes until soft. Once the dough is kneaded, apply oil all over the dough and cover the dough in plastic wrap and keep it in a wide bowl. Let the dough rise at room temperature and double in one hour.

After it has doubled in size, turn the dough onto a well floured surface. Pull the dough around to bottom and make it into a circular ball. Cut it into 4 equal pieces.

You may halve the recipe and make 2 pizzas. You may also freeze one portion or two portions for later use.

For 1 1/2 cup Tomato Sauce:

Tomatoes – 3 or 4 peeled and diced

Olive oil – 1 tbsp

Garlic – 1 minced

Sugar – 1/2 tsp

Bay leaf – 1

Dry Oregano – 1 tsp

Dry basil – 1 tsp

Red Chillie flakes – 1/4 tsp

Black Pepper powder – less than 1/4 tsp

Salt – As needed

In a pan, heat oil. Add garlic and then the diced tomatoes. Add the sugar, basil, oregano, bay leaf, pepper flakes, black pepper and salt. Simmer and let it cook for 10 minutes until the raw smell disappears.When cooked, cool it and blitz it in a mixie or blender, until smooth.

Preparing the pizza:

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees for 15 minutes or until it beeps.

Meanwhile, roll out one portion of dough into the desired shape (round or rectangle) into a medium or thick crust, as per your preference. Place a parchment paper over the baking tray. Place the rolled out dough on the parchment paper. Spread the pizza sauce over the rolled out dough. Add grated cheese over it and top it with vegetables and the chicken pieces. Sprinkle Italian herbs and chillie flakes. Bake for 17 to 20 minutes at 200 degree celsius. Take it out, slice and serve.