Carrot Halwa / Gajar Ka Halwa

An easy, no-fuss and most popular Indian dessert a.k.a Carrot Halwa! Does it need a better introduction? I tried this once for my best friend DK and trust me beginners, one CANNOT go wrong! With it's simple procedure and heavenly taste, this is a must try on special days or on days you want to feel special! With Diwali around the corner, let's start grating... Carrots, of course! ;)


Ingredients:

Carrots (grated) - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Sweetened Khoa - 100 gms
Sugar -1/2 cup
Ghee - 2 - 3 tbsp
Cashew nuts - as required
Raisins - as required
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp


Procedure: 

1. Take a wide bottomed pan and heat 1 tbsp of ghee. Shallow fry cashew nuts and raisins. Keep them aside.
2. Add milk in the same pan. Once it boils, add the grated carrots.
3. Keep stirring till the carrots get cooked in the milk. Stir continuously else the base will get burnt.
4. Once the carrots get cooked, add sugar and keep stirring until it dissolves.
5. Add Khoa once the sugar melts.
6. Stir until the Khoa mixes well. Add cardomom powder and mix them well. The carrots would have absorbed the milk and the mixture would have become thickened by now.
7. Add the remaining ghee and cook for 1-2 minutes,
8. Garnish with raisins and cashew nuts.
9. Serve hot or at room temperature.

P.S: I had no time for the picture as it got over in no time! ;)

Happy Diwali, folks! :)

Tawa Pizza / Ovenless Mushrrom Pizza

I never knew pizzas could be made in a tawa and most importantly taste the same until I did one myself! Here's a cheesy mushroom pizza (you can substitute mushrooms for whatever you like) right from the tawa! Mine wasn't that cheesy because I found it hard grating the cheese. Yeah, I 'm THAT lazy! =P

Ingredients:

Pizza base - 1 (from the store)
Mozzarella cheese (grated) - 1 cup
Butter - 1 tbsp

For the tomato sauce:

Tomato puree - 1 cup

Onion (finely chopped) - 1
Green chilly (finely chopped) - 2

Garlic clove - 2

Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt - To taste

Oil - 1 tbsp

For the topping:
Mushroom (chopped) - 250 grams
Onion (finely chopped) - 1
Cabbage (finely chopped) - 3/4 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

For the tomato sauce:

1. Grind together the garlic cloves, green chilies and onion in a blender. Allow this to cool.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai and add this paste. Saute well.
3. Add tomato puree and cook well until the raw smell of the tomato goes.
4. Dust in oregano and salt and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

For the topping:

1. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and saute till they sputter.
2. Add onions and saute till they turn brown.
3. Add cabbage and saute for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms, salt and cook till they turn soft. Remove from flame and keep it aside.

For the pizza:

1. Rub a little butter over a pan or dosa tawa.
2. Place the pizza base over the tawa and cook for a minute. Now turn it to the other side and spread the tomato sauce over it in an evenly fashion.
3. Add the topping over it and spread it evenly too.
4. Sprinkle the already grated cheese over it and allow it to melt and bind with the topping.
5. Transfer it into another place, cut into pieces and enjoy! Say cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!! :D 

Potato cheese balls

An old schoolmate of mine had come over and since we were meeting after a long time, I thought I could make something to surprise her of my culinary skills which she never knew I had or will ever have! And I had this sudden craving for something cheesy and I suddenly remembered this dish I had at a restaurant few days back. So yes, I started off and this took less than 15 minutes as it's as simple with the minimum but just the sufficient ingredients and it's more like a customized recipe... You can include/delete as per your taste ☺ I'm posting both the methods I tried today... Let's take off!

Ingredients:
Potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed) - 2
Onion (very finely chopped) - 1
Cheese (grated) - Anything you like (I used cheddar)
Green chilly (very finely chopped) - 1
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - For frying

For the outer coating: (You can use any of the two methods)
1. Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Egg white - 1 (or) corn flour mixed in water - 1 cup
2. Bread slices (corners removed) - one slice for one cheese ball you make
Water - As required

Method:

1. Mix together the mashed potatoes, onions, cheese, green chilly, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt in a large bowl.
2. Make small balls of the mixture and keep them aside. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai or wok.
3. For the outer coating, if you're following the first method, take one ball of the mixture you made and dip it in egg white or cornflour mixed in water and roll it in the bread crumbs so as to get coated evenly. If following the second method, dip the bread slice in water on both sides, drain off the water by pressing the bread slice between your hands. Take a mixture ball, place it on the bread slice and roll it into a ball.
4. Deep fry the cheese balls. Make sure you don't turn them unless they turn brown as they might tend to break. Serve hot with tomato ketchup! 

The second one was prepared using the first method and the first one with the second. But whatever, both were yummmmmylicious! :D

Crispy fish colo - colo / Whole fish fry

I was in the library one day, so bored (obviously!) and randomly flipping pages of a novel which was only helping me get even more bored. So I thought I could exchange it for some DIY project book or something that would lift my spirits for the moment. My eyes were scanning through the racks when a big bright orange book caught my eye. It had the word "Asia" on it. Curious to know what it was about, I immediately pounced upon it. And tada... It was a book on the various Asian cuisines with mouth watering pictures of them! It took me about half an hour to flip through the whole book and when I was about to close, the last recipe definitely was the first thing I planned to try once I got back home. It was a simple fish fry recipe but with a Lao twist. Yes! It was a dish from Laos, a landlocked country in the Southeast Asia. So, over to Laos in the Indian way! ;)

Ingredients:
Whole fish (cleaned) - 1 (Anything that you like and that which fits your pan)
Red chilly - 3-4
Green chilly - 3-4
Ginger - 1/2-1 inch piece
Garlic - 4-5 cloves
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Fish sauce (optional) - 1 tsp
Lime juice - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - For frying
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - For garnishing

Method:

1. Slash the fish with a knife making 3-4 cuts on both the sides.
2. Mix red chilli powder, lime juice, fish sauce and salt and rub over the entire fish.
3. Blend the chillies, ginger and garlic in a processor and marinate the fish in that for about an hour. Make sure to rub the paste inside the slashed parts as well.
4. Heat oil in a wok and fry the marinated fish on both sides till it is completely cooked.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Slashed!

Chilli burst

Crispy fish colo - colo

Butter Chicken Masala / Murgh Makhani

The other day I had extra chicken after making chicken fried rice, so the next thing that popped on my mind was butter chicken masala. Known for it's North Indian flavor, butter chicken doesn't necessarily have to accompany naan/roti/chapati. It goes best with rice too. Here it goes:

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken (cut into small pieces) - 1/4 kg
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp

For marinating the chicken:
Thick curd - 2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Tandoori color (optional) - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

For the gravy:
Tomato (pureed) - 3-4
Cashew nut (boiled with water, drained and blended into a paste) - 10 
Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Green chilly (finely chopped) - 1
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 1 tbsp
Fenugreek leaves (hand crushed) - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Milk (at room temperature) - 1/2 cup
Cream - 2 tbsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Buter - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Mix chicken with the ingredients listed under 'For marinating the chicken' and leave aside for 2-3 hours.
2. Heat butter in a pan and add garlic paste. Saute for half a minute.
3. Add chilly, cumin powder, red chilli powder and mix well.
4. Add tomato puree and salt and saute well till the raw smell of the tomato goes.
5. Lower the flame. Add cashew nut paste, tomato ketchup, sugar and water and give it a good stir.
6. Meanwhile, heat oil in another pan and shallow cook the marinated chicken pieces. Drain and keep aside.
7. Now add the chicken pieces to the gravy once the gravy comes to boil. Cook for a minute.
8. Add milk and stir well for another minute before adding the cream and mix well.
9. Throw in the garam masala and fenugreek leaves and give a final stir.
10. Garnish with cream or fenugreek leaves or finely chopped coriander or even more cream! Your choice!☺

Chicken fried rice

The mention of chicken fried rice makes my mouth water! This is a recipe I'll hog on anytime of the day. And my whole family knows what I'll order every time we eat out. Yes! Chicken and fried rice together = Total bliss!

Ingredients:

For the rice:
Basmati rice - 3 cups
Carrot, beans, cabbage (finely chopped into thin strips) - 2 cups
Capsicum, spring onions (finely chopped) - 1/4 cup each
Soya sauce - 2 tbsp
Ajinomoto - 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tbsp

For the chicken:
Boneless chicken - 1/4 kg
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1/4 tbsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

For the rice:

1. Clean and soak rice for about 15 minutes.
2. Cook rice (either in a pressure cooker or in a non stick tawa) with 4 cups of water.
3. Once the rice is cooked, spread it on a plate with the help of a fork so that the grains do not stick to each other.
4. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a wok and add cumin seeds.
5. When it splutters, add chopped spring onions (white part alone) and saute well.
6. Add the remaining vegetables and saute till they are half cooked.
7. Add ajinomoto, soya sauce and salt and saute well.
8. Slowly add the cooked rice and mix well. Add pepper powder and sprinkle spring onion greens over this.

For the chicken:

1. Pressure cook the chicken along with turmeric powder, ginger garlic paste and salt.
2. Once it's cooked, cut the chicken into small strips using a knife or forks.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add chilli powder to it. Add in the chicken pieces and saute well.
4. Add garam masala and mix till the chicken is coated well with the spices.
5. Remove from heat and add the chicken pieces to the rice and mix well.

Relish with Butter chicken masala! 

500+ views!!

Wow!! It feels so amazing that my blog finally hit 500+ views! Thanks to all those lovely people who stopped by purposely or accidentally! ;) This means a lot to me! Thank you so much :) 

Do you want to know what I cooked to celebrate this? Here it is:

Chicken fried rice and Butter chicken!
Bon appetit! :D