Monday, 25 July 2016

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. 

Sunday, 24 July 2016

Instant Kanchipuram Idlis

Instant Kanchipuram Idlis

I remember my best friend's gradmother Patti. Some of the people though they are no more in this world, they will always remain in my heart forever, she is one of them. As a teenager I use to visit my friend's house everyday, infact it was my second home. Patti use to make many Tamilian dishes and I picked up few of them from her, though few of the dishes are forgotten and few I remember. One of the dish was Kanchipuram Idlis. She used black lentils with skin and rice, soaked it over night and she use to ground it on a stone grinder. Then the batter was left to ferment overnight and it was seasoned with salt, some curry leaves, mustard seeds, chana dal, few peppercorn, few broken cashwenuts and 2 pinch of asafoetida. Then the rest of the process remained the same for making the idlis. She served it with coconut chutney and milagai podi which was again homemade. 
      Here I followed the recipe but since it is an instant idli, it was not kept for fermentation. I used Eno, but soda bicarbonate can also be added if there is no Eno. It helps in instant fermentation and incoperates air in the batter. I added desiccated coconut in the batter as I love it. Also I replaced rice with idli rawa and oats...

For the Seasoning 
Ingredients 
1/4 tsp Bengal Grams / Chana Dal
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Pepper Corn crushed 
Few broken pieces of Cashwenuts 
1 tsp minced Green Chillies 
Few Curry leaves
2 Pinch of Asafoetida 
1 tbsp Ghee 

Method 
Take a pan and add ghee in it. Let it. Heat add the chana dal, stir it for a minute. Add the mustard seeds, let it crackle. Add peppercorn and few Cashwenuts, stir it for a minute. Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Stir for another minute. Add asafoetida and stir it for few seconds. Remove it from the flame. 

For the Batter 
Ingredients 
1 cup Oats
2 cups Idli Rawa
1/2 cup Split Black Lentils with skin soaked for an hour
2 tbsp Desiccated Coconut
Salt to taste 
1 tsp Eno / Soda bicarbonate 
1/2 cup Curd
Water as required 
Seasoning 
1 tbsp Seasam oil


Method
Grind the soaked lentils in a grinder. Remove it in a mixing bowl, add oats, ldli rawa, coconut, salt, curd, seasoning and water as per required to make a batter. It should be dropping consistency. Add eno. Mix it and let it stand for 10 minutes. Take idli moulds and apply seasam oil on it. Add the batter and steam it till done. Serve it with chutney and sambhar.

Saturday, 23 July 2016

Garlicky Chilli Cottage Cheese and Veggies Stirred Fried....

Garlicy Chilli Cottage Cheese and Veggies Stirred Fried....

This is a vegetarian starter dish. I love this dish for its garlicy flavour and spiciness.

For the Sauce 
Ingredients 
2 tbsp Soya sauce 
2 tbsp Green Chilli sauce
2 tbsp Tomato Ketchup 
2 tbsp Vinegar
2 tbsp Cornflour 
Salt to taste 
4 tbsp Water

Method 
Take a bowl and mix all the above ingredients together.

For the Stir Fried Cottage Cheese and Veggies..
Ingredients 
500 grams Cottage Cheese cut into cubes 
2 Onions cut into cubes 
1 Green Capsicum cut into cubes 
1/2 Red Capsicum cut into cubes 
1/2 Yellow Capsicum cut into cubes 
2 tbsp Garlic minced 
6 Green Chillies cut lengthwise  
Sauce 
1/4 cup Water 
1/4 cup Oil

Method 
Take a wok. Heat the oil. Fry the cottage cheese in batches till brown in colour. Remove it from the oil and keep it aside on an absorbent paper. Keep 2 tbsp of oil in the wok and remove the excess oil out. In the same oil add the garlic. Stir fry it for 1 minute. Add the onion. Stir fry it till the onions are translucent. Add the capsicum and green chillies. Stir it for 2 minutes. Add the Cottage cheese. Stir it and cook for 2 minutes on high flame. Add the sauce. Stir it for another 1 minute. Add the water, stir fry it on full flame till the sauce incoperated with the veggies and cottage cheese well.  Serve it hot as a starter.

Thursday, 21 July 2016

Eggless Black Forest Cake

Eggless Black Forest Cake...


It  is made with Chocolate Sponge cake, Strawberry jam, Whipped cream, Chocolate shavings and Cherries. It is soft and moist. Have it chilled. 

For Moist Chocolate  Sponge Cake (Eggless)
Ingredients
115 grams Self Raising Flour
2 tbsp Coco powder
200 grams Condensed Milk
60 grams Butter Melted 
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Soda bi carb
100 ml Club Soda 

Method

Melt the butter and keep it aside. Add the flour, coco powder, soda bi carb and baking powder and mix it. Take the condensed milk, add the flour little at a time and beat it. Add the butter and beat it in one direction. Add the club soda little at a time and mix it till the batter is thick and is of dropping consistency and the batter has a glossy look. Take a square tin. Grease the tin. Pour the batter in the tin. The batter should fill 1/2 the tin. Bake in a pre heated oven for 30 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius. To check the cake insert a tooth pick. If the comes out smooth then the cake is done. Cool the cake completely on a cooling rack.  


For the Black Forest Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate sponge cake
2 cups of chilled Whipping Cream
1/4 cup Icing sugar
1 tsp Vanilla essence
4 tbsp Strawberry Jam
4 tbsp Water
1 cup Chocolate shavings
10 glazed Cherries

Method

Cut the cake in to half. Take 1 tbsp of Strawberry jam and 4 tbsp water and mix it. Take a steel mixing bowl. Add the whipping cream. Beat it till it forms a soft peak. Add vanilla essence and icing sugar. Beat it well till it forms a proper peak. Take one slice of the cake. Sprinkle half of the strawberry jam water mix on the cake. Spread the whipped cream and then spread the jam. Take the other slice of the cake. Sprinkle the remaining strawberry jam water on the cake. Place the cake slice on the strawberry jam. Now with the rest of the whipped cream cover the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10 minutes. Put the second layer of whipped cream on the cake. Decorate the cake with the chocolate shavings. Decorate the outer rim of the cake with the whipped cream with the help of a nozzle. Add the glazed cherries. Chill the cake before serving.




Wednesday, 20 July 2016

Malaysian Prawn Dalcha....

Malaysian Prawn Dalcha....

Malaysian Dalcha is an adaptation of the Indian Dalcha made by the Indian Muslim population living in Malaysia. It is made during gatherings or had in breakfast.... Basically it is made with mutton or chicken or can be made vegetarian too. 
It is made with split pigeon peas (Toor dal) and vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, carrot, turnip, french beans etc. It's a kind of Stew  with coconut milk added to it. 
Here I added Prawns to the vegetables available in my kitchen... 
Ingredients
250 grams medium sized Prawns cleaned 
1/2 cup Split Pigeon Peas washed and soaked for 30 minutes 
1 Onion chopped 
4 Garlic cloves cut into pieces 
2 Green chillies cut into pieces 
1 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste 
1 tbsp Tamarind paste 
1 Potato peeled and cut into cubes 
1 small Carrot cut into cubes 
2 Drumsticks cut into pieces 
2 Tomatoes chopped 
Few Curry leaves 
2 tbsp Malaysian Curry Powder 
Salt to taste 
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 
1/2 tsp Chilli powder 
1 Star Anise 
1 small piece Cinnamon 
2 Cloves 
2 Cardomom 
6 Pepper corns 
1 cup Coconut Milk 
4 tbsp Oil 
Few Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing

Method 
Boil the split pigeon peas in 2 cups of water till cooked. Take a wok. Add oil. Fry the prawns in oil with 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder and salt. Remove it and keep it aside. In the same oil add the star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, pepper and cardomom. Let it crackle. Add the curry leaves. Sauté it for a minute. Add the ginger garlic paste. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the chopped onions,  garlic and chilli. Sauté it till the onions are translucent. Add the drum sticks, carrot and potato. Stir it for a minute. Add the tomatoes.  Stir it. Add the spice powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder, salt and tamarind paste. Stir it and cook for 2 minutes. Add 6 cups of water. Cover and cook till the vegetables are almost done. Add the boiled dal. Stir, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the prawns and coconut milk. Stir and cook for 2 minutes more. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Malaysian Curry Powder 
Ingredients
4 tbsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tbsp Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds 
10 dried Red Chillies 
1/2 tbsp Pepper Corns 
1 medium size Cinnamon
6 Cardomom 
2 Cloves 
1 Star Anise 
1/2 tbsp Rice 
2 tbsp Tumeric powder

Method 
Dry roast all the above ingredients except turmeric powder till light brown on a low flame. Remove it from the flame and let it cool. Add roasted spices and the turmeric powder into the grinder and grind until it becomes a fine powder. Store it in a dry glass container.