Ratafia Biscuits

This are small light textured, round, almond flavored biscuits similar to Italian Amaretti biscuits.

Traditionally Ratafias were made from the kernels of apricot, almond or peach instead of a flour. 

They are light and crispy but chewy. They are served after dinner with coffee or as snacks. They are also used making cakes, puddings and trifles. They can be stored for a month in an air tight container. 

I have adapted this recipe from epicurus.com. 

Ingredients

2 Egg Whites

1/2 tsp Almond Essence

30 grams Butter 

1 tsp Butter for Greasing 

120 grams Almond meal

1 tbsp Rice Flour

175 grams Caster Sugar

Method

Place a baking paper on the baking sheet, grease the sheet with butter and keep it aside.

Beat the egg whites until it begins to form peaks. In a different bowl add in sugar and butter, beat it till the sugar forms soft crumbs. Add the essence, beat it until its softens further. Gradually add the rice flour and almond meal,continue to beat till the all the ingredients incorporates well. Add the egg whites and beat it again till it forms a sticky dough. Take a normal round nozzle. Use a piping bag for piping out the biscuits into small balls. Another alternative is that you can wet your palms and take small portions of the dough and form round balls. Keep a distance between the 2 balls. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees celsius in an pre heated oven till it becomes light brown in colour. Cool it completely before removing the biscuits from the sheet.

Coorgi Koli Saaru / Coorgi Chicken Curry

 Koli Saaru is a delectable Chicken dish from the region of Coorg. The curry is made with freshly ground spices which enhances the flavor of the curry. It's simple to make. It's served as a side dish, it's eaten with Akki Roti or Rice. I have used pressure cooker to speed up the time, but you can also slow cook it in a pot. 

To Marinate the Chicken

Ingredients

750 grams Chicken pieces washed and cleaned

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Chilli powder

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the chicken with turmeric powder, chilli powder and salt for 1 hour.

For the Masala powder

Ingredients

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Black Pepper corns

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

5 Cloves

1 medium stick Cinnamon

Method

Dry roast the mustard seeds, black pepper,coriander seeds and cumin seeds till a strong aroma releases. Cool it and grind them into a powder.

For the Wet Paste

1 Medium size  Onion chopped

1 Medium size Tomato chopped

6 Garlic Pods

1 Inch Ginger

2 Green Chillies

1/2 tsp Roasted Poppy seeds - I have not added

1/2 cup fresh or frozen grated Coconut

Method

In a grinder, grind the Onion, Tomato, Garlic, Ginger, Green Chillies and Coconut into a paste.

To make the Curry

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken

1 medium size Onion finely chopped

Few Curry Leaves

Wet Paste

1/2 tsp Kachampuli (Black Vinegar)

OR

1 tsp Tamarind paste

1 1/2 tbsp Dry Masala powder

Salt to taste 

3 Tbsp Oil

Method

Take a pressure cooker. Add oil, let the oil heat up, add the onion and curry leaves. Sauté on the onion medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the wet paste, stir it and cook for 3 minutes on a medium low heat. Add 1/4 cup water and continue to cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chicken pieces, stir and cook for a minute. Add the powder masala. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir for a minute. Cover the pressure cooker and allow 4 whistles. Switch off the flame and let the pressure release. Open the lid. Add salt and tamarind paste and stir the curry. Let it the curry simmer for another 2 minutes. Serve the Koli Saaru with Akki roti or Rice.

Murg Moti Pulao

The name Moti which is in Hindi means Pearl, is basically tiny meat or paneer balls cooked with rice and is covered in silver varq - edible silver leaves. 

This recipe is very easy to make and flavorful. I have not fried the meat ball, instead boiled them and then cooked it with rice.I personally don't like silver varq, since it is not good for health. Hence I have just applied little varq for show. 

For Murg Moti

Ingredients

250 grams of ground Chicken mince

1 Onion paste

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Method

To make the moti balls, in a mixing bowl add the ground chicken,onion, ginger - garlic - chilli paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli power, turmeric powder and salt. Mix all the ingredients very well till the fat releases from the meat. Make small size balls, keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Boil 3 cups of water, add the chicken balls and let it cook for 10 minutes. Remove the balls and keep it aside. Retain the chicken stock for cooking.

For Pulao

Ingredients

250 grams Basmati Rice washed and soaked in water

Chicken meat balls

1 medium size Onion sliced

1 medium size Tomato sliced

1 tsp Ginger - Garlic - Chilli paste

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped

1 tbsp Mint Leaves chopped

1 cup Curd

2 Bay leaves

2 Cloves

2 Cardamom

1 small piece Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder

2 1/2 cup Chicken stock

Salt to taste

1/4 cup Ghee

Silver Varq 

Method

Take a pot, add ghee. Let it melt. Add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves. Let it crackle. Add the ginger - garlic and chilli paste, sauté it for a minute. Add the onion and sauté it till the onion is changes its colour. Add the curd and stir it for some time. Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt. Stir occasionally and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup Water and cook till the oil releases. Add the tomato coriander leaves and mint leaves. Stir and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Drain the water from the rice. Add the rice, stir for a minute and then add chicken stock. Cover and cook till the rice is almost 80 percent done. Add the  moti balls and keep 6 to 8 moti balls aside for garnishing. Stir, cover and cook further till done. Garnish with the remaining moti balls and mint leaves. Apply little silver varq on the balls. Serve it hot.

Chingri / Prawns Maacher Malai Curry

This dish is an authentic Bengali delicacy and is made for occasions. It's a gravy dish. You can enjoy this dish with hot steaming rice. Big size prawns / Galda Chingri are cooked in coconut gravy. 

Ingredients 

8 pieces Chingri Maach / Big size Prawns

( Cleaned,  deveined and marinated with Salt and 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder for 10 minutes )

1 1/2 cup Coconut Milk 

( Take 1 1/2 cup grated Coconut and add 1 cup water, grind it. Strain and squeeze the milk out from the coconut paste ) 

1 small Onion paste

1 Tomato paste

1 tbsp Garlic - Ginger paste  ( 2 Garlic and a small piece of Ginger )

2 Green Chillies slit

1/4 tsp Garam Masala powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp Chilli powder 

3/4 tsp Cumin powder 

1 tsp Sugar 

Salt to taste

2 Cloves 

2 Green Cardamom 

1 small piece of Cinnamon 

2 Bay leaves

2 tbsp Curd

1/4 cup Water

1/2 cup Mustard Oil 

1 1/2 tbsp Ghee

Method 

Take oil in a wok, heat it up to a smoking point. Reduce the flame. Add the prawns and sauté them for a minute. Remove them and keep it aside. In the same oil, add a tbsp of ghee. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom. Let it crackle. Add the ginger - garlic paste, stir for a minute. Add the onion paste, continue to stir, add the sugar. Sauté the onion till it changes it's colour. Add the tomato paste, stir and add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, chilli powder and green chillies.  Continue to sauté. Add the curd. Stir it. Add salt and sauté it till the oil releases from the paste. Add water, stir it. Add the prawns, stir and cover the wok. Cook it for a minute. Add the coconut milk, cover the wok and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ghee and sprinkle the garam masala powder. Switch of the flame. Serve it hot with hot steaming rice. 

Pişi / Hamur Kizartmas

It's a fried Turkish bread or dough and it's normally eaten for breakfast or snacks. The bread dough is stuffed with a stuffing and is then fried in oil. Normally the dough is stuffed with chopped parsley and feta cheese. I have substituted it with spinach and cottage cheese. There are no spices add to the stuffing, but if you wish you can add some chillies or pepper powder to make it spicy.

For the Stuffing

Ingredients

2 cups Spinach chopped

1 cup Cottage Cheese crumbled

3 Garlic Cloves minced

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

Method

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the garlic and sauté it for a minute. Add the spinach and salt, stir well till the water dries up. Add the cottage cheese and stir again for another 2 minutes, remove it from the flame and keep it aside.

For the Pişi

Ingredients

2 cups of All Pourpose Flour

7 grams of Instant Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Curd

Stuffing

1 1/2 cup of Lukewarm Water

1 1/2 tbsp Oil for the Dough

Oil for frying

Method

Add the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix it. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the yeast, sugar and half cup of lukewarm water, mix well and keep it aside till it rises. Add the beaten curd and a tbsp of oil. Begin to mix the flour, keep adding little water at a time to form a soft dough. Apply oil on the dough. Cover it and keep it aside to rise. Knead the dough for 2 minutes. Divide the dough into medium lime size portions. Roll out each portion into a disc, place a tbsp of the stuffing on one half of the disc and fold the other half over the stuffing. Seal the edges. Heat the oil in a wok. Fry the Pişis until golden brown from all the sides on a low flame. Serve it hot with a cup of tea.