Red Chilli Pepper - Garlic Jam

It’s sweet, spicy and tangy. You can enjoy this as spread, marinate or dip. It can be kept in the air tight container for 5 to 6 months.

Ingredients

250 grams Red Chilli Pepper

30 Garlic cloves peeled 

250 grams  Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

300 ml Vinegar

Method

Cut the red chilli peppers and deseed the chillies but keep some of the seeds. Add the chillies in the chopper or food processor and pulse a few times. Remove the chillies in a bowl. Now add the garlic and mince it. 

Take a pot, add the vinegar and sugar into the pot. Cook until the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble. Add the salt, chillies and garlic. Let it simmer on low medium heat for another 30 minutes or until it thickens up. To check, take a small chilled steel plate kept in the fridge.  Pour a tsp of jam on the cold plate. If it crinkles and holds it is done. If not continue cooking and repeat the test. Once done cool it. Store the Chilli - Garlic Jam into a dry bottle and keep it in the fridge. 

Roasted Garlicky Lime Chicken

This dish can be served as a starter. The longer it is kept for marination the chicken will be soft and juicy.So keep it as long as 5 to 6 hours for marination. It’s a easy recipe and delicious in taste too. This dish is good to be served in parties. 

Ingredients

5  Chicken Drumsticks

1 tbsp Garlic paste

Juice of 1 Lime 

1 tsp chopped Coriander Leaves 

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp Pepper powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

3 tbsp Fresh Cream

2 tbsp Grape seed Oil or any Oil

Method 

Take a mixing bowl. Add the lime juice, garlic, fresh cream, red chilli powder and pepper powder.  Whisk it well. Add the oil and whisk it once again. Apply the marination on the chicken drumsticks. Keep it aside to marinate for at least for 2 hours. Arrange the marinated chicken drumsticks on a foil baking sheet and apply the remaining marination on the chicken drumsticks. Roast it in a preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes at 250 degree celsius, flip the chicken pieces in between and spray oil on the chicken pieces. After it is done then sprinkle with coriander leaves. Serve it hot. 

Lasuni Palak Pav...

Baking bread at home is a more healthier option rather than buying it from the store. All of us are regularly kneading dough at home everyday to make rotis, chappaties or Paratha. But when it come to making bread with yeast we are a bit sceptical about it. Believe me, it's a very easy task. Only thing you have to keep in mind is that you have to give the dough time to rise. Proofing is very important. 

To make it more nutritious, you can add grated or chopped vegetables while kneading the dough. You can add spices as per your choice to make it more flavorful. Serve it as snacks or eat it during breakfast with chai - maska or enjoy it with any side dish like egg omelette, keema or vegetables. 

Ingredients 

500 grams All Purpose Flour 

1 small bowl of Spinach 

4 Garlic Cloves 

2  Pickled Tomatoes or 2 Sun dried Tomatoes 

1 tsp Pickled Red Chilli slices or Red Fresh Chillies 

11 grams Dry Active Yeast 

10 grams Sugar

5 grams + 1/4 tsp Salt

240 ml of Water

50 ml Oil

Method

Chop the garlic, spinach, Tomato and chillies. Take a pan, add 1 tbsp oil. Heat it. Add the garlic, sauté it for few seconds. Add the spinach, pickled tomatoes, chillies and salt. Stir and sauté till the water from the spinach has dried up. 

Take 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add sugar and yeast. Stir it and let it rise. Add the rest of the salt to the flour and mix it. Add the yeast water and the remaining water to the flour. Add the spinach mix and start to knead it. After 5 minutes, add 1 tbsp of oil and knead for another 5 minutes. Add another 1/2 tsp of oil to the dough. Cover the dough and keep it to rise double in size.

Apply oil on the palm, punch the dough and knead the dough on a flat surface for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into equal  portions depending upon the size you want. I weigh the dough as it will be of the same size. Take a rectangular baking tray. Grease it with oil. Roll the dough and place it on the baking tray. The dough should be touching each other. Apply oil on your fingers and gently flatten the dough from top. Cover the dough and let it rise double in size. Spray water on the dough. Bake at 190 degrees celsius for 20 minutes or till brown in colour. Remove it from the oven. Brush the pav with butter. Let it cool completely before eating it. 

Chilli Garlicky Cheese Rice -Potato Pops

Chilli Garlicky Cheesy Rice - Potato Pops...

These can be served as tea time snacks or starters. These are vegetarian pops. I love the taste of the melted mozzarella. These are easy to make. Must serve it hot.. 

For the Stuffing

Ingredients

1/2 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Mozarella grated  

1/2 cup Cottage Cheese crumbles or grated 

1 tsp to 2 tsp Green Chillies minced as required 

1 tsp Garlic minced 

Salt to taste 

Method

Mix all the above ingredients together and keep it aside. 

For the Potato - Rice Pops 

Ingredients 

1 cup cooked Rice mashed 

2 Large Potatoes boiled grated

1 cup or 3 to 4 end slice of the Fresh Bread crumbs

1/4 cup Spinach Puree 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Oil

Method

Mix all the above ingredients together well and make a dough. If you feel the dough is too sticky to handle then add some more bread crumbs. Add a tsp oil and knead it well. 

To Fry the Pops 

Ingredients 

Stuffing

Dough

1 cup Fine Semolina 

Oil to fry 

Method

Take a small portion of the dough, flatten it.Place some stuffing in between the dough. Press the stuffing in the center and close the edges of the dough. Roll it into a ball. Repeat the process till all the pops are ready. Toss them in semolina. Heat the oil in a fry pan. Fry the pops till golden brown on full flame. Remove it on an absorbent paper. Serve it hot with tomato ketchup... 

P.S. Take Fresh Bread and grind it to make fresh bread crumbs. 

The dough is a bit sticky, to handle the dough apply oil on the palms. 

Please roll the pops well after the stuffing is done, or else it can break and the cheese can ooze out. 

Palak Paneer Idli ( Punjabi Dakshini Delight ) served with Garlic Tomato Chutney

Spinach (Palak) is a rich source of Iron. Here is an unique healthy recipe for you from my kitchen that is a fusion of Punjabi and Dakshini Cuisine. 

For the Palak Paneer Idli

Ingredient 

1 Kg  Idli Batter 

1 bowl Spinach chopped

1 bowl Cottage cheese  crumble 

1 Tomato chopped

1 Onion chopped

1 Green Chilli 

2 Garlic cloves 

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Garam Masala

1/2 tsp a Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tbsp Oil 

1 tbsp Ghee

Handful of Spinach chopped 

Method 

Add 1 bowl spinach, tomato, onion, green chilli, garlic, salt, garam masala, chilli powder and cumin powder in a blender. Blend the ingredients into a purée. Take a pan, add oil, heat it. Add the purée and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cottage cheese, mix it. Take it of the flame. Add the purée into the idli batter, adjust the salt if need, add the chopped spinach. Mix it. Take the idli mould, apply ghee and pour in the batter. Steam the idlis. Once done, serve it with tomato chutney. 

P.S. It can be done with left over Palak paneer, mash the paneer in the left over Palak paneer before using. 

Garlic Tomato Chutney 

Ingredients

1 Garlic pod peeled and clean 

6 Dry Red Chillies

2 Tomatoes chopped 

Salt to taste

Method 

Add the above ingredients in a blender and blend it into a paste. 

For seasoning 

1/2 tsp Panch Phoran 

2 Dry Red Chillies Broken into pieces 

2 Pinches of Asafoetida 

2 tbsp Mustard Oil

Method 

Take the a pan, add the mustard oil, add the chillies and the Panch Phoran. Let it crackle, add the asafoetida. Sauté for few seconds, add the paste and cook it till the oil starts to saperate from the paste. Serve it with the idlis.

Brown Bread.....With Garlic and Vegetable Puree...

Brown bread..... With Garlic and Vegetable puree.. 

Ingredients 

 350 grams Whole wheat flour 

1 1/2 tbsp Dry yeast

 1 tbsp Sugar 

3 tbsp Lukewarm water

 1 tbsp of each Carrot, Spinach and Beetroot puree 

1 tbsp finely chopped Garlic 

 Salt to taste 

1 tbsp Olive oil

 Method

 Take Lukewarm water, add sugar and yeast and let it rise. Take wheat flour, add salt and garlic.  Mix well. Add yeast water and vegetable puree. Knead well and make a soft dough. If the dough become sticky then add little flour or if it is dry the add little water. The dough has to be soft. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil.  Let it rise to double. After it rises take the dough and punch it. Take a bread tin. Grease it with remaining oil. Add the dough in the tin and let it rise again. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes in a pre heated oven. Cool the bread completely before cutting.