Spicy Pumpkin Orange Jam

Spicy Pumpkin Orange Jam

Ingredients
1 big bowl or 1/2 kg of Pumpkin peeled, deseeded and cut in to thin slices
Juice of 2 Oranges
Juice of 2 Lime
1 tbsp Ginger juice
1 stick Cinnamon
1 Star Anise
2 Pinch of Nutmeg
1/4 tsp Chilli flakes
Pinch of Salt
3 cups Sugar
2 cups of Water

Method
Add the pumpkin and water into a large pot. Cook the pumpkin on high flame until the pumpkin slices are soft, mushy and the water has almost evaporated. Add the sugar, orange juice, lime juice, ginger juice,  cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, salt and chilli flakes. Cook on low flame on a large burner, stirring it occasionally in the beginning and then continuously as the jam begins to thicken and reaches the setting point. To check, take water in a small plate, add a droplet of the jam, if the droplet settles in one place and does not spread then it is done. Remove the pot from the heat. Take the clean glass jar. It has to be completely dry. While it is still warm, pour into the jar. It can be preserved upto  2 months.

Chicken and Prawn Balti

 Chicken and Prawn Balti

Ingredients
10 to 12 Boneless Chicken pieces
1 bowl medium sized Prawns
2 Onions chopped
2 Tomatoes chopped
1 Green Capsicum cut into pieces
1 tsp Green Chillies crushed
1 tsp Ginger crushed
1 tbsp Garlic crushed
1 bowl Tomato puree
2 tbsp Curd
Salt to taste
3 tbsp Balti Masala powder
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped  for garnishing

Method
Take a wok, add oil. Let it heat. Add the onions and sauté it till translucent. Add the green chillies, garlic and ginger. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes sauté it for 2 minutes, then add the chicken, stir it. Add the tomatoes and capsicum, stir it, add the salt and balti masala. Stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add the prawns and tomato puree, stir it the add the curd. Stir and cover and cook till the chicken pieces are tender. Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Balti Masala powder
Ingredients
2 tbsp Cumin Seed
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
1 tbsp Mustard seeds
1 tbsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Nigella  seeds
1 big Cinnamon stick broken into small pieces
4 Black Cardamom
1 tbsp Peppercorns
10 Cloves
1 tbsp Dry Fenugreek leaves
20  dried Curry leaves
5 Bay leaves
1 tbsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp  Garlic powder
1 tbsp Ginger powder
1 tbsp Red Chilli powder

Method
Take a pan. Add all the spices one by one and dry roast it. Cool it. Add the spices into a grinder, add the powder. Grind all the ingredients to a fine powder. Cool it and store it in an air tight dry glass bottle.

Khatte Aloo

Khatte Aloo 

Ingredients
1/2 kg Baby Potatoes boiled and peeled
1 cup Curd
1 tsp Ginger and Green chilli paste
Salt to taste
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Fennel powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Dry Mango powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
Oil to fry
For Seasoning
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1 Red Dry Chilli broken into pieces
Pinch of Asafoetida
Few coriander leaves chopped for garnishing 

Method
Take a wok, add oil to fry the potatoes. Let it heat, fry the potatoes till light brown in colour. Keep the potatoes on an absorbent paper to drain out the oil.  In a mixing bowl add the potatoes, curd, ginger - chilli paste, salt and rest of the spices. Mix it. Keep it aside for 30 minutes. Take a fresh wok, add 2 tbsp oil, add the seasoning, let it saute for a minute. Add the potatoes, stir, cover and cook till the oil starts to leave the spices. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve hot.

Dahi Palak Vada

Dahi Palak Vada 

 For the Palak Vada 

2 cups of Spinach leaves chopped, and sautéed in 1/2 tsp oil till the water dries up

1 cup Gram flour

Pinch of Soda bicarbonate 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Carom seeds 

Oil to fry 

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add the spinach, gram flour, salt , carom seeds and soda bicarbonate. Mix it well. Heat oil, add 1 tsp of the batter in hot oil and fry the Palak vadas till brown, once done, keep it on the absorbent paper, cool it and break it into half. 

For the Dahi Palak Vada

 Ingredients 

Palak Vada 

2 Cups Curd 

1/2 cup Milk

1 tbsp Green Chutney ( Add  1/4 cup Coriander leaves, 1 Green chillies, 1 tsp Raw mango and Salt in a blender and blend it together)

1 tbsp Sweet Tamarind Chutney ( 2 tbsp Tamarind pulp, 4 tbsp Jaggary, salt, 1/4 tsp  chilli powder, mix together and cooked it till the Jaggary melts and thicken up a bit)

Salt to taste 

2 tbsp Sugar 

1 tbsp Sev

Sprinkle of Chat masala

Few Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing 

Few Pomegranate seeds for garnishing 

Method

In a mixing bowl, add curd, milk, salt, sugar. Beat it well. Add the broken pieces of vada. Mix it. Drizzle the green chutney and the sweet chutney, sprinkle the chat masala. Sprinkle the sev, coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds from top. 

Surmai Sukha Masala (King Fish semi dry gravy)

Surmai Sukha Masala (King Fish semi dry gravy)

For the Wet Paste
Ingredients
4 pieces of Surmai including Fish head
8 Garlic cloves
3 tbsp Coriander Leaves
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1 tsp Tamarind paste
1 tsp Lime juice
Salt to taste

Method
Add all the above ingredients in the blender except fish, add 3 tbsp or more water and blend the spices into a paste. Apply  lime and salt on the fish and keep it aside for 10 minutes, after 10 minutes apply the wet paste on the fish and marinate it for 15 to 20 minutes.

For the Gravy
Ingredients
Marinated Fish
1 big size Onion chopped
10 to 14 Garlic cloves whole
4 Green chillies broken into pieces
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped for garnishing
2 tbsp Oil

Method
Take a pan, add oil. Let it heat. Add garlic, saute it till light brown in colour. Add the chillies, saute it for a minute. Add the onion and fry till light brown in colour. Add the marinated fish, cook the fish on both sides for 5 minutes each, add 1/4 cup of water and cook on medium high heat till the gravy dries up and the oil from the gravy is seen. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice....