Tuesday, 8 November 2016

Masaledar Omelette Sandwich....(Mumbaia Istyle)


Hungry kiya... Make this road side Mumbai Egg Toast Sandwich. Mumbai street food has it's own style. I tried imitating the style and innovating this sandwich. I am sure you will enjoy making it. It taste akdum jhakas (super duper) 😉

Ingredients 
4 pieces of Bread
1 Egg
1 tbsp Onion chopped 
1 Green Chilli chopped 
1 small size Potato boiled and sliced 
1 Tomato sliced 
Salt to taste 
1/2 tsp Sandwich Masala 
2  tbsp Green Chutney 
1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup 
1 sliced Cheese 
3 tbsp Butter or Ghee

Method
Break an egg in a mixing bowl. Add salt,  chopped onion and green chilli. Beat it well. 
Take a skillet. Add 2 tbsp melted butter or ghee. Let it heat up. Lower the flame. Pour and spread the beaten egg.  Place 2 pieces of bread on the Omelette. Let it cook for few seconds. Cut the Omelette from the centre and turn the bread. The Omelette will be facing upwards. Apply green chutney  on both the Omelette pieces. Place the potato slices and then the tomato slices on the chutney. Sprinkle some sandwich masala powder. Cut the sliced cheese into 4 parts. Place the cheese slices on the tomato slices. Take 2 pieces of bread and cover the sandwich. Press and toast the bread. Sprinkle some more butter or ghee on the bread. Turn the bread and toast it till it is brown on both the sides. Remove it from the skillet and cut it into triangle. Spread some more chutney and drizzle with tomato ketchup. Serve it hot. 


Sandwich Masala Powder
Ingredients
8 Cloves 
1 medium Cinnamon stick 
15 Pepper corn 
1 tsp Fennel seeds 
2 tsp Cumin seeds 
1 StarAnise 
1 tsp Black Salt 
2 tsp Rock Salt 
1 tsp Dried Mango powder 

Method
Roast the above ingredients except Rock Salt, Black Salt and Dried Mango powder. Let the spices cool down. Add all the ingredients in a grinder and grind it in to a powder. 






Saturday, 5 November 2016

Home Style Kacchi Chicken Biriyani....


This Biriyani is very simple to make with all the ingredients easily available at home. It is cooked in a cast iron pot with marinated chicken and half cooked rice. The chicken is infused with smoky flavour by burning a charcoal piece and placing it over the chicken and covering the lid. Once the biriyani is made, cover the pot and let it stand for an hour before serving. Serve it with raita. 

For Marinating the Chicken
Ingredients
500 grams Chicken pieces 
1 medium size Onion paste 
3 tbsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli - Coriander leaves and Mint Leaves paste
3 tbsp Fried Onion crushed 
Salt to taste 
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder 
1/ 4 tsp Cloves powder 
1/4 tsp Cardomom powder
1/8 tsp Nutmeg powder 
1/2 tsp Cumin powder 
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
3/4 tsp Chilli powder 
1/4 tsp Pepper powder 
3/4 cup Curd
1/4 cup Saffron Water mixed with pinch of Saffron colour 

Method 
Add all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients together. Keep it aside atleast for 2 hours or more. 

To make the Rice
Ingredients
250 grams Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes 
2 Bay Leaves 
1 small piece Cinnamon 
2 Cloves 
2 Cardomom 
Salt to taste 

Method 
Take a deep bottom pot. Add half liter of water let it simmer. Add salt, cloves, cinnamon , cardamom and bay leaves. Let it simmer for a minute. Add the rice and let it cook till it is 50 % done. Drain out the excess water. 

To make the Biriyani 
Ingredients 
Marinated Chicken pieces 
Rice
2 Big size Potatoes cut into big chunks and fried 
2 tbsp Onion fried 
1 tbsp Almond flakes 
1 tbsp Raisins 
6 Apricots
3/4 cup Ghee 
3/4 cup Milk 
1/2 cup Hot water 
1/4 cup Saffron water 
Few drops of Kewda essence (Optional) 
1 Charcoal piece


Method 
Take a cast iron pot. Add the marinated chicken. Lay the fried potatoes and apricot over the marinated chicken. Sprinkle almond flakes and raisins. Take a bowl. Add milk, hot water, half of the ghee, remaining saffron water and kewda essence. Keep it aside. Smoke the charcoal piece. Put it on a small plate. Place the plate over the chicken and add a tsp of ghee. Quickly cover the pot for 2 minutes. Remove the cover. Remove the charcoal plate. Drizzle the remaining ghee over the chicken. Spread the rice over the chicken. Pour the milk over the rice. Garnish with fried onions. Cover the pot. Place the pot on a low flame. Cook it for 45 minutes to an hour. Check if the chicken is cooked. Let it stand for an hour before serving. Serve it hot with raita. 

P. S. If you don't have cast iron pot then use normal pots. The cooking is done evenly and the bottom does not burn in the cast iron pot. 

Sunday, 30 October 2016

Baked Sautéed Achari Vegetables.....


This dish can be served as a side dish or a meal by itself. This dish is an Indo -Wester fusion dish. 
I have used Indian spices in the baked vegetable dish and given it a twist. This is an experiment in my kitchen. The cheese has well combined with the Indian spices. It gives a sharp taste of the achari spices as well as the creamy texture the cheese. Instead of using all purpose flour, I have used sattu. Do try it and experience it yourself. 

For the Spice powder 
Ingredients
1 tbsp Coriander seeds 
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds 
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds 
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds 
1/2 tsp Carom seeds 
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
8 Red Dry Chillies

Method 
Grind all the above ingredients in to a powder. This powder can be stored in a clean glass bottle and can be used to make pickles or any achari vegetables or meat. 

For the Sautéed Achari Vegetables
Ingredients 
8 Mushrooms cut into 4 pieces 
1 big size Onions cut into cubes 
1 Green Capsicum cut into cubes 
1 medium size Brinjal cut into medium size cubes 
1 small size Broccoli cut into small florets 
1 small size Carrot cut into thick strips 
1 mediumsize Sweet Potato cut into wedges 
8 Garlic cloves crushed 
1 tbsp AcharI Masala powder 
1/2 tsp Mustard powder 
1/2 tsp Chilli powder 
Salt to taste 
2 tbsp Mustard Oil 

Method 
Take a pan. Add oil. Let it heat. Add the garlic. Sauté it for few seconds. Add the sweet potato, carrot and onion. Sauté it. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, stirring it occasionally.  then add the brinjal, capsicum, broccoli and mushrooms. Stir fry the vegetables. Cover and continue to cook  till the vegetables are done. Add the salt, mustard powder and achari masala. Stir it. Switch off the flame. Keep it aside. 

For the Cheesy Sattu Sauce 
Ingredients 
1 cup Processed Cheese grated 
3 tbsp Sattu / Roasted Chickpea flour 
3 tbsp Butter 
1 cup Milk 
Salt to taste 
1/4 tsp coarsely ground Fennel seed powder 
1/2 tsp Mustard powder 

Method 
Take a pan and add butter. Let the butter melt. Add the Sattu and roast it for few seconds on low flame. Gradually add the milk... stirring it continuously. As the sauce thickens, add the cheese. Stir it for few seconds. Switch off the flame. Add salt, mustard powder and fennel seed powder. 

P. S. If the sauce has thickened up add 1/2 of milk and heat it up once more. 

To Assemble
Take a baking tray. Add the vegetables and pour the sauce from top. Sprinkle some more cheese from top and sprinkle with coarsely ground fennel powder. Bake it in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celcius. Remove it and serve it hot. 

Friday, 28 October 2016

Paan Chocolate Cake Truffles..


If you are a paan lover, and want to enjoy dessert with an Indian touch, then this is an ideal Diwali sweets for you after a sumptuous meal. This is made with chocolate cake sponge and the ingredients of the paan are added into the cake crumbs. It is mixed and kneaded into a dough. The dough is then divided into small balls which are dipped into melted chocolate and garnished with sweet fennel balls. Just pop one and you will pop in another... Sinfully delicious..... 🎊✨🎉💥😃

To prepare Paan Chocolate Cake Balls
Ingredients 
15 small Betel leaves cut into pieces 
1 1/2 cup of Chocolate Cake crumbs
2 tbsp Gulkand 
3 tbsp Chocolate Ganache
1 tbsp Sugar coated Fennel seeds mukhwas 
1 tsp chopped Glazed Cherries 
1/2 Paan masala ( pinch of Nutmeg powder, pinch of Cinnamon powder, pinch of cloves powder , pinch of Cardamom  powder and pinch of fennel powder )
1 tbsp of each  dried Rose petals and Desiccated Coconut  ( I did not use )

Method 
Take a grinder, add the cake crumbs, chocolate ganache, gulkand and betel leaves. Grind it into a paste. 
Or 
Add the cake crumbs into a grinder and grind it into a finer crumbs. Remove it into a mixing bowl add the chopped betel leaves, gulkand and chocolate ganache and follow the rest of the process. 
Add the paan masala, chopped glazed cherries, sugar coated fennel seeds mukhwas, rose petals and desiccated coconut. Knead it into a dough. Make small balls from the dough.

To make the Truffles 
Ingredients 
1/4 packet of Pure Dark Chocolate 
2 tbsp Sugar coated Fennel seeds 
Paan Chocolate Cake Balls 

Method 
Melt the chocolate in the microwave and cool it down to room temperature. Dip a cake ball into the melted chocolate. Remove it and keep it on a chocolate / small cupcake liner or a parchment paper. Sprinkle some sugar coated fennel seeds. Repeat the same process. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Serve it. 





Monday, 24 October 2016

Paan Bahar Sandesh....


I have betel plant growing wild in my balcony. I love the flavor of the betel leaves with gulkand and sweet fennel mukhwas. My experiment with Sandesh continues. I have infused betel leaves and gulkand with paneer. Have it at the end of a meal. As you eat it, first taste is of the sandesh and then the flavour of the paan.. 

Ingredients 
10 small size Betel Leaves finely chopped 
200 grams Paneer / Cottage cheese
3 tbsp Condensed Milk 
3 tbsp Dessicated Coconut 
2 tbsp Gulkand 
1 tbsp of Sweet Fennel Mukhwas 
1 tbsp of Sweet Mix Mukhwas
Few Cherries cut into pieces 

Method 
Take the paneer and blend it in a blender. Take a wok, add the paneer, Betel leaves, dessicated coconut, gulkand and condensed milk. Keep stirring it continuously and cook on low flame till all the ingredients combines together and forms a dough. To check, take a small portion of the dough and roll it with your fingers. Remove it from the wok and keep it on a plate. As it cools down a bit. Knead it for a minute and divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Mix the 2 types of sweet mukhwas together. Take a portion. Roll it into a ball and slightly flatten it. Create a dent in the centre. Fill up the centre with the mukhwas and add a cherry piece on top.