Ripe Papaya and Carrot Soup

Ripe Papaya and Carrot Soup
Ingredients
1/2 cup  Papaya peeled and chopped
1 Carrot peeled and chopped
1 Onion chopped
2 Garlic Clove chopped
1 small stick Cinnamon
2 Cloves
4 Pepper corn
1/4 cup Milk
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tsp Olive oil

Method:
Heat the oil in a pot. Add the onion, garlic, cloves, pepper corn and cinnamon,  saute it for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Papaya and carrot and saute for 2 more minutes. Add 2 to 3 cups of water. Cook for 10 minutes until the carrot and papaya are tender. Let it cool. Add the mixture into a  blender and puree until it is smooth. Pour the soup back to the pot. Add milk and salt,  stir well to combine, and simmer on  low flame for  5 minutes. Garnish with pepper powder and a spoon of milk. Serve immediately.

Mutton Raan Roast with Saffron Pulao Su's Style

Mutton Raan Roast with Saffron Pulao Su's Style
I love the Raan Rice at Persian Darbaar at Bandra... After I shifted from Bandra, I did not get a chance to go there. I had it in mind for many days to make it at home... So finally made it at home... though this is a completely different recipe, an experiment from my kitchen...

For the Mutton Raan Roast
For Marinating the Mutton leg Stage 1
Ingredients
1 Mutton leg
1 Lime juice
Salt to taste

Method
Make deep slits on the mutton leg with a sharp knife on both the sides. Rub the lime juice and salt on the mutton leg and marinate it for 30 minutes.

For Marinating the Mutton leg Stage 2
Ingredients
Marinated Mutton
8 Garlic cloves
4 Green Chillies
1 cup Mint leaves
2 tsp Arabic Spice Powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil

Method
Corsley grind the garlic, chillies and mint leaves. Mix oil, Arabic spice masala and salt. Rub the masala paste on the mutton leg.  Wrap it up in the foil paper and refrigerate it. Marinate it overnight.

For Roasting the Mutton leg
Ingredients
Marinated Mutton leg
2 tbsp Melted Butter
Handful of Bay leaves or All Spice leaves

Method
Roast the leg in a  pre-heat oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 2 hours. The first 30 minutes roast it covered with foil paper and keep a tray of water on the lower shelf with bay leaves or all spice leaves. After 30 minutes take the mutton leg out of the oven and  baste it with butter on both the sides. Cook it open in the foil for 1 hour 30 minutes, turning it after 15 minutes and cooking it again. If the water in the below shelf tray evaporates then add more water. This will keep the meat moist. Now baste it again with butter on both the sides. Continue roasting. Last 10 minutes take the mutton leg out of the foil and put it on the wire rack and roast it turning after 5 minutes, cook till done.  When done, serve it with Saffron Palau and Salad.

P. S. Don't discard the juices collected in the foil... use it for the Pulao.

For the Saffron Pulao
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice washed and soaked for 30 minutes
2 Onion  Slice
6 Garlic crushed
2 Green Chillies chopped
2 Dry Red Chillies chopped
2 Bay leaves
8 Black Pepper Corn
1 Stick Cinnamon
4 Cloves
2 Green Cardomon
1 Star Anise
5 Alu Bukhara
1 tbsp Raisin
2 tbsp Almond and Pistachio flakes
1/2 cup Milk
Juice retained from Mutton leg roast
3 Pinch of Saffron
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Oil
1 tbsp Butter

Method
Take a pot, add oil and 1/2 tbsp butter. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise,  garlic, green and red chillies and  onion. Fry the onion till translucent. Add the raisins, Alu Bukhara,
1 1/2 tbsp Almond and Pistachio flakes. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add sugar,  salt, juice from the roast, milk,  2 pinch of saffron and 2 cup water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook till done. Add the remaining butter.  Garnish with remaining saffron, almond and pistachio flakes. Serve it with the mutton leg roast and salad.

Arabic Spice Powder
Ingredients
2 tbsp Peppercorns
2 big sticks of Cinnamon
1 tbsp Cloves
1/2 tbsp Cardomon seeds
6 Red Dry Chillies
1 small Nutmeg
1/4 cup Coriander seeds
1/4 cup Cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder

Method
Blend the above ingredients together in a blender and make it into a powder

Beetroot Chocolate Bundt Cake

Beetroot Chocolate Bundt Cake
Made this specially for my daughter who loves beetroot cake...
Ingredients
2 1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup Chocolate chopped
1 cup Butter 
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 cups Beetroot puree
1tsp Vanilla essence
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Soda bicarbonate
Powder Sugar for Dusting

Method
Melt the chocolate and 1/4 cup butter in a microwave, stir it. Let it cool a bit. In a large bowl, add the remaining butter and brown sugar, beat it until light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time and beat it. Now combine the chocolate mixture, beetroot puree and vanilla essence in to the beaten batter. Gradually combine the flour, soda bicarbonate  and  baking powder in to the batter and beat it. Pour the batter into the greased  baking bundt tin.  Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 50 to 55 minutes in a pre heated oven or until a toothpick is inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool it.  Before serving, dust with powder sugar.

Bedmi Puri Aur Aloo ki Sabji

Bedmi Puri Aur Aloo ki Sabji
Bedmi puri is a popular breakfast from the North. Bedmi poori is made from grounded urad dal or moong dal combined with spices and mixed with wheat flour. There are two ways to make this puri, one method is to mix the spices with dal and flour together and knead it. The other method it to make a dry mixture of dal and spices and stuff it in the dough just like making a kachori.

For Bedmi Puri
Ingredients
3 cups Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Samolina
1 cup Moong dal or Urid dal
1 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp Chilli paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Fennel powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Dry Mango Powder
2 tbsp Oil
Oil to fry

Method
Soak the moong or urad dal in the water for 2 hours. Drain the water out and put the dal into the mixer to make a coarse paste. Add salt, coriander powder, red chilli powder, ginger, chilli paste, dry mango powder, asafoetida, fennel powder into the paste. In a bowl take flour, semolina and 2 tbsp oil. Mix the flour, add the dal paste. Knead it, add lukewarm water little at a time. Knead it and make a semi soft dough. Cover the dough and leave it for half an hour. Knead the dough again. Heat oil in a wok. Make small balls of the dough and roll it into flat disc. Put the puris into the oil and fry until it turns brown. Serve it with Aloo ki Sabzi recipe.

For Aloo ki Sabzi
Ingredients
5 Potatoes Boiled
2 medium sized Tomatoes puree
1 tbsp Ginger grated
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
2 tsp Chilli powder
2 Dry Red Chillies
1 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp mustard oil

Method
Roughly mash the potatoes into big pieces. In a pan, heat mustard oil,  add  dried red chillies, asafoetida and cumin seeds. Add tomato puree and ginger paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cook for another 5 minutes or until oil leaves the sides of the pan. Add potatoes and mix well with the spices. Add 3 to 4 cups of water, stir it. Boil the sabzi till it is thick in consistency. Serve hot with the bedmi puris.

Noodles with Spinach, Eggplant and Sprouts....

Noodles with Spinach, Eggplant and Sprouts....
Ingredients
3 Packets of Hakka Noodles
1 cup of Eggplant cut into thick medium strips
1/4 cup of Spinach chopped
1/2 cup of Red Capsicum cut into long strips
1 Onion sliced
1 tbsp Garlic chopped
1 tbsp sliced Red Pickled Chilli
1/4 cup of Moong sprouts
2 tbsp of Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp of Hot Basil Sauce  
1/2 tbsp Grated Jaggary
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method
Boil the noodles according to the instruction on the packet. While draining the water from the noodles, retain 1/2 cup water from it. Take the water in a bowl, add salt, Jaggary, rice wine vinegar, worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp oil and hot basil sauce. Mix it and keep it aside. Take a wok, add 1 tbsp oil, heat it and fry the eggplant till brown, take it out and keep it aside. In the same wok add 1 tbsp oil again. Let the oil heat, add garlic and onion, fry on high flame till translucent. Add the capsicum, spinach, pickled chillies, sprouts and eggplant. Stir fry till 2 minutes, add the noodles and pour the sauce on the noodles. Stir fry on high flame till the sauce and noodles have incoperated well. Serve hot.