RAMADAN SPECIAL

RAMADAN SPECIAL AGAR AGAR 

These are my this year Ramadan special Agar Agar ........... Agar Agar is purely vegetarian and good cooler for body after a day long fasting.........Other  dishes for break fasting will differ daily but Agar Agar will be compulsory recipe.......... of course the version will change daily with different essence and color..............

This is the normal colored which is cut to my desired shape to make it  easy to have ............I will keep posting my agar agar as day goes......................

Simple version of Agar Agar

CHINA GRASS OR AGAR AGAR

INGREDIENTS:

Agar agar          - 10 gms

Milk                   -  1/2 litre

Sugar                 - 1 cup

Any Color         - 1/2 tsp

Any Essence     - 1 tsp

wash and soak the china grass in water for about 10 minutes.

Heat milk in a wide bottomed pan and bring it to a boil.

Now reduce heat and continue cooking till the  milk reduces to half. 

Take a pan and cook china grass with 1 cup of water till it completely dissolves.

Now add sugar to the pan and mix well. Remove this from flame and only then add milk. Do not cook after adding milk.

Then add the essence along with the color.

Stir this well and pour into moulds. 

Refrigerate for an 1 hour.

MUTTON DUM BIRYANI WITH CHICKEN-65 AND ONION RAITA

 MUTTON DUM BIRYANI WITH CHICKEN-65 AND ONION RAITA 

Biryani with chicken-65 and onion raita

This is my Biryani which I made for the holy night of Shab e baraat..............  I was very busy from evening in preparing biryani ......... distribution to neighbours and to less fortunate people was a big task for me...... following by Asar prayer .....prayer for ancestor and  Maghrib prayer  I was  a bit tensed......... as I was wondering whether I could finish 3 yasins............. By the grace  Almighty finished everything on time........... and had a satisfying night prayer too............... 

Chicken - 65

 The method of preparing chicken-65 you can check from my previous posts.........

Mutton Biryani

Ingredients:

Mutton                 -         1 1/4 kg
Basmathi rice     -          1 kg
Onions sliced      -         6 big 
Ginger paste       -        6 tbsp
Garlic paste        -         5  tbsp
Green chillies      -         5 
Chilli powder       -        2 tbsp
Tomato chopped   -      7 big
Curd                        -   100 ml
Mint leaves             -     1 bunch
Coriander leaves     -     1 bunch
Lemon juice of    -          1 no
Salt                         -      to taste
Oil                           -     250 ml
Ghee                        -     100 ml


Whole garam masala 
Cardamom           -        4 no
Cloves                    -       4 no
Cinnamon             -       3 to 4 strips (1 inch each)  
star anise            -         3
Bay leaves            -     4 no


Procedure:

1.  Wash mutton well and keep aside. 
2.  Heat oil in a pressure cooker or thick bottom vessel. Add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and bay leaves and stur for a minute.
3.  Add  chopped onions, green chillies (slit vertically), ginger and garlic paste. Continue stirring in a slow fire till the raw smell of onions reduces.
4.  Add chopped tomatoes and continue stirring till it gets smashed well.
5.  Add salt, chilli powder,  mint leaves, coriander leaves and  continue stirring  for few minutes.
6.  Add mutton, curd and continue cooking till the mutton gets 80 percent cooked. Add water if required.
7.  Cook the gravy in pressure cooker, once mutton is cooked you can transfer it to biryani vessel 
8.  Add lemon juice and mix it.
9.   Now add water in the ratio of 1:2
10. When gravy boils add the rice check the salt then close the vessel with its     lid. Do not mix after this stage.Your can open once and pour the ghee on the surface when all water is absorbed ..You need to put on burning charcoal above the lid .........Your biryani will be ready in 20 mins stitch off your stove and leave it .
11. U can open after 1/2 hr and check ....... do not mix vigorously ......... while serving take the rice from sides........

Biryani with chicken-65 and onion raita

SHOE POCKET

Having a Teenager in home is like having a shoe shop at home........... whatever be the occasion my son prefers to have shoes and he need a whole shoe rack for himself ........... as the problem started becos of  place scarcity I got an idea of stitching a shoe pocket  just like a letter pocket to save the space [ buying one more shoe rack will definitely block the free space]..............My idea worked out very well ......... I managed to hang it on  my son's room door and now no more problem  between Dad and Son in busy morning ............. hoops!!!! a great relief to me too......... My son is too happy as he got 2 more shoes yesterday  ready for last 2pockets..............

South Indian Style Onion Pakora

South Indian Style Onion Pakora


              These days it rains almost every evening ........... my son too staying home on his school holidays ........ feel like eating something hot and spicy and my son suggested in doing Pakora for today evening ......... Yeah we all love pakora that too south indian style [Pakoda] is our favorite snacks............ whenever I prepare pakoras at home the smell takes me to my childhood days...........my Dad used to buy snacks daily on his return from office.......... myself and my bro will be waiting even when my Mom prepares homemade desserts like kesari, pongal, payasam etc.......... hot pakodas from Jayam Bakery of K.K. Nagar  on rainy days hmmmmmm can't forget those days .......... Even today whenever  I visit my Mom's place we buy it on evenings ............ This south Indian style is what we prefer more than others.............I would like to share my recipe with all my  friends today..............easy and healthy when we prepare at home as we take more care about oil we use.............we cannot expect this in shops............. Here goes my south Indian pakora recipe................

South Indian Style Pakoda

Ingredients:

Red onions horizontally cut   - 2 large

Besan flour  - 2 cup

Rice flour - 1/4 cup

Baking soda - 1 pinch

Green chilies chopped - 4

Ginger peeled and crushed - 1 inch

Garlic crushed  - 2 pods

Curry leaves - 3 -5

Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Canola oil - for deep frying.

Method:

Peel off the skin of onions and cut thin and horizontal.

Finely chop the chilli, curry leaves, crushed  ginger  and garlic

Add all the ingredients to the besan flour  and mix well

If needed sprinkle little water and mix well such that if we take in hands it is to be so sticky.

Use your fingers and scatter  the dough in oil for small pakoras be careful while doing it above the hot oil.

Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry till golden brown and your hot and spicy pakoras is ready to taste.

Good  snack for a rainy evening.

MY RECENT CAKE

MY RECENT CAKE

My recent cake

Here is my recent Icing Cake which was made a for my friend who was new to baking .......... As she requested me to teach to decorate the cake  this simple and easy cake was made by us .........as she was a little bit nervous to decorate I finished it all by myself................

Batura with Channa Masala and Mattar Paneer

BATURA WITH CHANNA MASALA AND MATTAR PANEER

Batura is one of the favorite dish of my family members........... My hubby and  Son used to prefer different side dishes for most of the dishes I cook.............. In a family of three I cook a lot ............ I sometimes feel Iam  living  in a very large family that to  whenever I see my sink after cooking.................  My hubby like to have batura with Channa Masala........ whereas my Son like to have Batura with Matter Paneer....... Whatever be  I feel obliged in cooking Batura.......... yeah! they both can have one favorite  side dish each whereas  I can have  two ......... hmmmmmmm ........Yummy too.........I like to have both Channa Masala and Mattar Paneer..........They are my favorites toooooo..............

When we see the Twinkling eyes of our children on seeing their favorite dish ........... we feel happy and however hard be the dish to cook we love to cook it for them......... we don't feel the tiredness too.......... Here is my Batura with Channa Masala and Mattar Paneer for U all too..............

Puffy Batura

INGREDIENTS FOR BATURA

All-purpose flour    - 2 cups  

Sooji                        - 4 tbsp

Yeast                       - 1/4 tsp

Sugar                      - 1 tsp

Salt                         - 1 tbsp  

Yoghurt                  - 3 tbsp

Oil                           - 2 tbsp

lukewarm water     - 3/4 cup 


Method:

Add sooji, sugar, and salt to the flour and mix well.

Mix oil and yoghurt with flour. Add yeast water to the flour and make into soft dough

Knead the dough well and divide the dough into equal parts.

Shape dough into balls and roll into roughly 5 to 7 inch circles. Dust lightly with dry flour to help with the rolling.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on high heat. 

Batura should be light creamy brown on both sides. Take the batura out and place them on paper towel to absorb the extra oil. 

Left side is Channa Masala and Right side is Mattar Paneer

Batura with Channa Masala and Mattar Paneer 

CHANNA MASALA RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

Chick peas                   - 1 cup

Onion (chopped)         - 1 medium 

Tomato (chopped)       - 1 medium

Ginger&Garlic paste  - 1 tsp

Garam masala pwd     -  2 tsp

Coriander pwd        -  1/4 tsp

Cumin pwd              -  1/4 tsp

Lemon juice           -  1/2 tsp

Green chilli           -  1

Ghee or butter       -  2 tsp

Coriander leaves   -  for garnishing

Salt                        -  to taste


METHOD:

Soak dry chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.

Add salt to taste to the soaked chickpeas. Boil in the same water until chickpeas are tender.

Take a pan heat oil add onion and fry till transculant.

Add ginger and garlic paste.  

Now add tomatoes saute until well cooked

Then  coriander , cumin and garam masala powders. saute well 

Add  the chickpeas along with water [press the channa so that you get a thick gravy}. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Mix lemon juice and stir well.

Garnish with chopped green coriander, and serve.

METHI ALOO

 METHI ALOO

Ingredients:

Medium  Potatoes (boiled and mashed/cubed)  -  4
Big  Onion  -  1
Tomatoes  -  1
Green Chilli  -  2 small 
Dried Kasoori Methi (fenugreek leaves)  -  1/4 cup 
Turmeric powder  -  1/4 tsp
Chilli powder  -  1tsp
Coriander powder  -  1tbsp
Cumin seeds  -  3/4tsp
Minced Ginger (optional)  -  1/4 tsp
Oil  -  1 tbsp
Salt - to taste


Method

Soak the dried methi with enough water for 5 mins, drain'em and keep it aside.  

Heat oil in a skillet, add cumin seeds, followed by onions, ginger and green chilli.

Saute until tender and add the tomatoes, followed by dried methi and saute for 3-4 mins.

Now add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and coriander powder along with salt, mix well and pour 1/2 cup of water.

Let cook for a min or two, then add the mashed/cubed potato mix well and continue cooking.

Then pour 2 cups of water, check salt for taste and cook until right consistency. 

Finally sprinkle chopped cilantro.

Methi Aloo

Serve  with chappathi

Serve hot with chappathi