Sheera / Kesari bath - My 100th Post

Yes friends, you read it right, this is my 100th post! It's took me almost 3 years long journey to reach this number, which I think is too long. But inspite of a big break for a whole year of 2010  finally I achieved this milestone. Last year after I almost quit blogging, lot of remarkable changes happened in this blogging world. After resuming my blog I found myself far behind in this race and then I had to put lot of extra efforts to catch up with all. Moreover its all your continuous support my dear friends that inspired me with your wonderful and motivational comments. I truly appreciate my friends cooperation that made me stand here. Now 100 posts later, I still take lots of fun and enthusiasm in cooking for my blog, capturing those moments and writing posts expressing my thought in front of you. I even got lot of friends through my blog; who are very close to me  now. I will keep on blogging and experiments on my kitchen will continue to be posted. I want to celebrate this moment with a very sweet post with "kesari bath", which I named as "Kuchh meetha ho jaye".

Kesari bath is a very popular dessert that is included in all types of South Indian meal you order in almost all the restaurants in Bangalore. It is popular in northern India also as Sheera and Sooji halwa but that actually is the simpler form using little ghee and wihout using kesar or any other color. When I had it for the first time here I was simply amazed by finding that simple sooji halwa can be made delectable by adding ghee and saffron. The recipe is known to most of  us and so my post is for those who always take pain to go to restaurant to specially have this dessert . They can prepare it easily and enjoy having it at home.

Ingredients:

Semolina (Rawa/sooji)   200 gms Milk 1 cup Ghee 3 tbsp Bayleaves 2 Cardamom powder 1 tsp Raisins 10 gms Cashewnuts 10 gms Sugar 1 cup Saffron 2 pinch soaked in 3 tbsp. of warm milk (Or you can use orange food color)

Method:

1. Take a large nonstick pan and add ghee.Add bay leaves and then add sooji/Rawa and fry them 6 to 8 minutes till it turns yellowish white and we get a nice aroma of roasted sooji.
   
   
2. Add 1 cup of warm milk and 1 and 1/2 cup of boiling water. Now add sugar. Stir continously in reduced flame for about 5 minutes so that sooji absorbe water and If required add some more water so as to get a smooth consistency. add sfron milk or food color. Stir well.
   
   
3. Switch off the  flame a and add Cardamom powder  and dry fruits (cashew and raisins). Stirr well.

Now add 1tbsp of ghee and  cover it with a lid.

Your Kesari bath is now ready to serve. Enjoy!!

Honey Prawn

This is the first time I am trying out some Chinese preparation with prawn. My hubby is a big fan of prawn as well as Chinese food.We Had this dish when we visited Mainland China last time and since then I was thinking to make an attempt to prepare this unusual combination in my own style and believe me it came out so delectable that it got vanished within few minutes. It can be served as a starter in any get together or parties where it will definitely steal the show. It is also an awesome side dish with any Chinese main course.

Ingredients:

King Prawns	300 gms
Garlic paste	2 tbsp
Garlic(chopped) Soy sauce	6 to 8 1 tbsp
Tomato sauce	1 tbsp
Cornflour	3 tbsp
Egg Salt	1(beaten) As per taste
Red chili paste	1 tsp
Honey	2 tbsp
Pepper powder Sesame seeds (optional)	1 tsp 1 tsp

Method

1.Peel the prawn and devein them. Wash properly and drain out excess water..
2. Take bowl and add prawns, soy sauce, tomato sauce, chili paste, garlic paste, cornflour and salt (Check the salt before adding more salt as soy sauce contain salt in it). Add a beaten egg and mix well and let it marinate for an hour.

3. Heat oil in a pan and drop marinated prawn dipped in cornflour batter in the oil and deep fry in low flame for 4 to 5 minutes until become golden brown. Take it out in a tissue paper and keep aside.

4. Heat little oil in a pan and add chopped garlic. Fry for few seconds and add honey and immediately add fried prawns and pepper powder. Now toss it properly so that prawn pieces get evenly coated with honey.Mind that the preparation will be dry. Turn off the flame and spread sesame seeds which is optional.

Serve hot  as starter or as side dish with noodles and fried rice. Enjoy making  and having this.

Fish Pakora/Fish fritters

Today, I am going to share a very tasty snacks preparation called “Fish Pakora” or “Fish Fritters” which is just perfect as starter for parties and is equally good for  every day snack. This recipe is specially for those fish lovers who got bored with typical fish recipes. I made this fritters using Rohu fish, but any fish will go for that. It is  very easy to prepare and takes less than 15 minutes with marinated fish pieces and requires limited ingredients. Hope you will enjoy having this snack during tea time.

Ingredients:

Fish pieces	300 gms
Ginger garlic paste	1 tbsp
Tomato sauce	1 tbsp
Soy sauce	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	1 tsp
Red chili powder	1 tsp
Cornflour	½ cup
Gram flour	½ cup
Egg	1
Garam masala powder	1 tsp
Salt	As per taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. Wash the fish properly and cut into small pieces. Take out the long fish bones from it.
2. Take the fish pieces in a bowl and add ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder,red chili powder, tomato sauce, soy sauce, garam masala and salt and then mix it well and keep for marinate in refrigerator for about 2 hours.
3. To the marinated chicken add cornclour and gram flour (Besan) and a beaten egg and mix it well to get a smooth batter  with dipped fish pieces.
4. Heat oil in a pan and drop fish pieces dipped in batter one after another and deep fry those pieces first in low flame for  about 5 minutes and then in medium flame for a couple of minutes until the fish inside cooked well and it becomes crispy brown from outside.
5. Take out the fried pakora in a serving dish and serve hot with mint chutney or tomato ketchup.

Mango Yogurt Lassi

 As we know Lassi is a very popular yogurt drink in summer, I made it specially for my kid by adding mango pulp in that which added a nice flavor with amazing  taste. "Mango yogurt Lassi"  is a perfect lip smacking and thirst quenching drink and is very easy to prepare.

Ingredients:

Yogurt         1 cup
Mango pulp 1 cup
Water          1 cup
Sugar           3 tbsp
salt a pinch
Crushed ice

Method:

1.In a blender, add mango pulp, yogurt, water sugar and salt  and blend for 2 minutes . Add more water if you need thinner consistency.

2. Pour it in a glass while serving and add crushed ice and serve it chilled.

3. You can keep it in a refrigerator upto 24 hours until you serve.

Chicken and Bell Pepper Stir-Fry

Chicken stir fry is a very delectable and easy to prepare dish which is very special yet common dish in my regular menu. This dish is meant to be hot and spicy with marinated chicken pieces stir fried with bell pepper pieces. I usually prepare this by marinating the chicken pieces with Soy sauces, chilly powder, ginger garlic paste, cornflour. Those pieces are then stir fried instead of deep frying them with batter and then tossed with fried onion and bell pepper which make the whole job quick and easy. If the preparation is done in advance, it can be tossed and served within a short span of time.

Ingredients:

Chicken (boneless skinless)  1(cut into pieces) Ginger-garlic paste    1tbsp gram masala                   1tsp corn flour                          2tbsp chili powder                   2tbsp Soy sauce                       2 tbsp Tomato sauce                     1 tbsp lemon juice                  2tsp Pepper powder                   1tsp Salt- as per taste. Bell pepper (Diff. colors)       1 each Onion  (chopped)                            1 medium Garlic(chopped)              5 to 6 clove Oil

Method:

1. Take chicken pieces in a large bowl and add soy sauce, ginger garlic paste, tomato sauce, red chili powder, garam masala,  powder lemon juice, salt and cornflour. Mix it well and let it marinate for at least 2 hrs.
   
   
2. Chop onion and cut bell pepper (red yellow and green) into big chunks and keep aside.
   
   
3. In a pan put the oil and stir fry the chicken for 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked well (it will become tender and brown in color).
   
   
4. Remove the chicken pieces and keep aside and in the remaining oil stir fry the Bell peppers (Capsicum)  for few minutes (Don't overcook the veggies, it should be crunchy). Take it out and keep aside.
   
   
5. Before serving , heat little oil in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic and fry for a minute and then add soy sauce and tomato sauce. Now add the chicken pieces and bell peppers. Now toss the fried chicken pieces and fried veggies adding some pepper powder.

Garnish with spring onion and serve with noodle, fried-rice or chapatti or you can enjoy it even as a starter.

Pav Bhaji

Pav bhaji is one of the most popular street food  item in western India especially in Maharashtra. 'Pav' in Marathi is bread and 'bhaji' is actually the spicy curry made of different type of vegetables and garnished with chopped coriander and onion. Pav bhaji can actually be relished in road side stalls but considering the bad hygiene of those places, we usually don't let our kids consume that food. So my post is for those who want to make this delicacy for their kids at home.

Ingredients:

Chopped onion	1 Large
Chopped garlic	6 to 8 cloves
Potatoes, peeled and diced	2 medium
Chopped cauliflower	1 cup
Chopped green beans	½cup
Peas	½cup
Chopped carrots	½cup
Chopped Capsicum	½ cup
Green chilies chopped	2
Tomatoes  medium chopped	3
Red chili powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	2-Jan
Salt (adjust to taste)	2
Pav Bhaji masala	1
Lemon juice (adjust to taste)	1 tablespoon
Fresh coriander	2 tablespoon
Bread buns	6
Butter	3 tablespoon

Method:

1.Wash all the vegetables (carrot, cabbage, beans, cauliflower, potatoes and peas) and pressure cook the vegetables except Capsicum adding little salt up to 4  whistles. Drain water and keep aside.

2.In the frying pan, add some butter and oil and fry the onion, garlic and chopped green chili till it turns light brown in colour. Now add tomatoes, capsicum, salt and turmeric powder. Fry for 6  minutes.

Mash all the cooked vegetables and add to pan. Stir continuously so that it get mix properly. Add cumin and coriander powder; mix well with the onion, capsicum and tomatoes. Add half a glass of water if the masala is too thick.

3.After 5 minutes, add the pav bhaji masala and mix well and cover and let it cook  for  3to 4 minutes.

4.Garnish with the coriander leaves and chopped onion and serve.

5.Heat a flat tawa and add Butter and then add pav pieces and toast it with butter.

Pav and Bhaji is ready to serve hot topped with butter ,chopped coriander leaves, onion and lemon.

Echorer Dalna/Raw jack fruit curry

After 'Echorer Torkari', my 1st  post on  jackfruit  became so popular, I thought of making some other experiment with that and finally I ended up in making the delicious dish  called 'Echorer Dalna'. It is a completely vegeterian recipe made of raw jackfruit which doesnt contain even onion and garlic which is considerd as a part of nonveg in bengal. It is basically a raw jack fruit curry cooked in a thin gravy which goes very well as a side dish with roti and chapatti. Here I made some variation adding chickpeas(green peas) to that which made more delicious. You can prepare it in both versions.

Ingredients:

Jackfruit 500 gms Potato 1 cut into cubes Chickpea (green peas) 1 cup Tomato 1chopped Red chili 3 Cumin 1 tsp Ginger paste 2 tbsp Green chili paste 1 tbsp Turmeric powder 1tsp Roasted Cumin powder 1 tsp Roasted coriander powder 1 tsp Red chili powder 1 tsp Garam masala powder 1 tsp

Method:

1. Clean jack fruit and wash it properly. Take all the pieces in a large pan and add 1/2 cup of water and a tsp of salt. Boil it for about 6 to7 minutes. Drain out excess water and keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and fry potato pieces until soft and golden in color. Keep it aside. Boil chichkpea soaked overnight.

3. Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, red chili and cumin seeds.When cumin starts spluttering add ginger paste and green chili paste and fry for few seconds. Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, fennel powder, red chili powder and little water. Fry the masala until oil get separated from it.

4. Add chopped tomato salt and little sugar. Stir for sometime until tomato becomes soft. Now add boiled jack fruit pieces and boiled green peas and  stir well so that it gets mixed with the masala uniformly. Add fried potato and let it covered and cook for 8 to 10 minutes with ocassional stirring. Now add garam masala powder (home made one by grinding cardamom, cinnamon and clove together) and mix it. Turn off the flame and let it cover for another 5 minutes.

Serve with hot plain  rice, chapatti or roti.

Fish Manchurian

In my blog I have posted almost all versions of Manchurian recipe except for fish. 'Fish Manchurian' is yet another popular Indo Chinese preparation which you can find in most of the Chinese restaurants. I want to share this recipe to fish lovers all over the world specially my Bengali friends who really want to come out of the traditional fish recipes and make something of different taste and flavor. The recipe is very simple where fish fillet are coated with cornflour batter along with mixed spices, which is then deep fried and stir fried with sauce and vegetables.We can use any type of fish in the dish and don't forget to remove the fish bone from it. It goes very well with anything like roti, rice, noodles  etc. So friends, enjoy making this dish and having it.

Ingredients:

Fish fillets(or take any other fish and remove the bone) 250 gms
Corn flour	4tbsp
Lemon juice	2 tbsp
Ginger-garlic paste	2 tbsp
Egg	1
Soy sauce	4 tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Black pepper powder	1 tsp
Tomato sauce	2 tbsp
Red chili sauce	1 tsp
Onion (chopped)	1
Garlic cloves (chopped)	5 to 6
Red bell pepper	1
Yellow bell pepper	1
Green bell peppers	1
Green chillies Chopped	3
Ajinomoto (Chinese salt)	1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil for frying
Coriander chopped

Method:

1. Cut the fish fillet into medium-size pieces. Wash it and drain out excess water. Add red chili powder,1/2 tsp. pepper powder,1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp. soys sauce,1 tsp tomato sauce, salt and lemon juice to the fish and mix well. Let it marinate for minimum 2 hours. Cut bell peppers into square shaped pieces and keep aside.

2. After 2 hours, to the marinated fish, add corn flour and mix well and beaten egg and mix well to get a batter. If required add more salt (Keep that in mind that you have added salt already and soy sauce contains salt ).

3. Heat oil in a pan, coat the fish pieces well with the batter drop into the oil and deep fry them in low flame first and then increase the flame until it become crisp and golden brown in color. Take it out and keep aside.

4. Heat little oil in a large pan and add chopped garlic, chopped green chili and then chopped onion. Fry for a couple of minute in high flame and then add remaining ginger garlic paste all (red, yellow and green) bell pepper pieces. Sauté for a few minute and add, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1bsp tomato sauce, 1 tsp red chili paste (optional), and a pinch Ajinomoto. Stir well continuously for about 4 to 5 minutes in high flame until vegetables becomes soft. Now add fried fish pieces and mix thoroughly. If you want to make a thick gravy, dissolve 1 tsp cornflour in ½ cup of water and add that or you can keep the preparation semi dry. Switch off the flame and let it covered for some time.

Garnish with chopped coriander and chopped spring onion. Serve hot with Rice, fried rice or noodles..

Mango Delight / Mango Fool

Mango Delight  is a delectable soft and creamy frozen dessert made of ripe mango specially Alphonso. This is one of the quick soul filling dessert for the summer.  My version of 'Mango Delight' can also be called as 'Mango Fool' is a simple frozen dessert that combine mango with cream in different layers. So, for those of you who always crave for a creamy, soft, chilled and yummy mango dessert, you must give this recipe a go.

Ingredients:

Mango puree                                          1 cup(prepared by blending
                                                               fresh mango pulp).
Vanilla/ Mango custard powder               2 tbsp.
Milk                                                       1 cup
Sugar                                                     4 tbsp
Heavy whipping cream                           1 cup
Icing sugar                                             3 tbsp

Method:

 1. To make custard, take a bowl and add about 1/4 cup of cold milk and then add vanilla/mango custard powder and mix it properly. Heat a pan and boil milk in that. Now add custard powder dissolved in milk and stir well. Add sugar and 1/2 cup of mango puree. Stir again to get a smooth mixture. Switch off the flame and pour the mixture in a bow l and keep it in the fridge.

2. Beat the fresh cream until it forms very soft peaks.Whisk icing sugar also with the cream. Keep he cream in the fridge and take it out just before serving.

3. Take  serving glass and start by layering with chilled mango custard at the bottom and then chilled whipped  cream, now add a layer of mango puree above the cream layer and  then finish off with another layer of cream on the top.

You can garnish with small mango pieces  and fresh mint leaves on the top. Serve this dessert chilled and enjoy this perfect summer delight.