Jumbo Choco-Chip Cookies

Yum yum is all I can say. Who doesn’t like choco-chip cookies. These taste awesome and super easy to make. Do try them.

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour(maida)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup butter softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cup choco chips
• 1 cup nuts of your choice chopped(almonds, cashews, pistachios, etc)

Preheat the oven at 350 degree F. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Keep aside. Beat butter, sugars and vanilla together in a large bowl until creamy. Add eggs one by one beating well.

Next gradually add flour mix beating well. Stir in chips and nuts with a spoon. The mixture will become quite hard to stir by now so it is gonna take some effort to stir it. Drop by rounded tsp onto ungreased cookie sheet or greased oven tray. The cookies are going to spread while baking so keep distance between individual cookies.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until edges start turning brown. Cool slightly. Remove on a wire rack and cool completely. Store in a dry and airtight container in a cool place.

Enjoy with cold milk.

Spicy Egg Fried Rice

This dish is so easy and is a meal in itself. Try it on a lazy afternoon.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 red chillies(deseeded) finely chopped
• ½ bulb garlic peeled and crushed
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 1 small Chinese cabbage(or normal cabbage) finely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers diced
• 2 egg whites lightly beaten
• 2 spring onions sliced
• ½ cup peas cooked
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Cook the rice in 4 cups of water. You can even use leftover steamed rice. Grind the chilies and garlic into a paste along with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok on a high heat and stir fry the carrots for 3-4 minutes. Add the bell peppers and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and chili-garlic paste and cook for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so that veggies don’t burn. Add the cooked rice, simmer and give it a mix and let it cook for 2 minutes.

Now push the rice to one end of the wok, add the eggs in the cleared space and scramble until set. Mix them with the rice. Add onions and peas mix well. Add the soy sauce and salt. Mix and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes on high heat.

Serve hot either alone or with raita or gravy of your choice. Enjoy!!!

Raan - e - Murg

I got this recipe from my mom's recipe book. Its a dry chicken dish without gravy and tastes awesome.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Marination time: 30 minutes at least
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For marination

• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic  minced

For the dish

• 7-8 chicken drumsticks
• 1 tsp garlic minced
• 1 cup onion paste
• 1 cup tomato puree
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• salt to taste
• red chili powder as per taste
• 1 chopped green chili
• 2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves
• pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp warm milk
• 1 tsp almonds(skin peeled and slivered)
• 3 tbsp oil
• cream to garnish

Mix all the ingredients for the marinate. Make small incisions(to let the marinate seep into the chicken) on the drumsticks and properly rub the marinate all over the drumsticks. Let them marinate for 30 minutes or more.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil and stir fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes. Now cover and simmer till done stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken and add rest of the oil to the same wok and brown the garlic mince. Add the onion paste. Cook till brown and add coriander powder, salt and chili powder. Add a tbsp of water to prevent the masala from getting burnt.

Add the tomato puree. Mix well and add green chili. Cook till oil separates and tomato is done. Now add the chicken. Mix well and add chopped coriander. Mix well and add the pinch of saffron dissolved in milk. Add the almonds. Give it a nice stir.

Garnish with coriander and cream. Serve hot. Enjoy!!!

Carrot Rice

Carrot Rice is a south Indian recipe ideal with sambhar or dahi raita. It is on the spicier side due to the usage of dry red chilies. You can use Kashmiri red chilies for a milder version.

Preparation time:15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup coriander seeds
• 1/2 cup bengal gram dal
• 10-12 whole dry red chilies
• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 3/4 tsp urad dal
• 1 cup chopped onions(3 onions)
• 1 cup grated carrots(3-4 carrots)
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
• 3 tbsp oil

Cook the rice with water, salt and a tsp of oil. Powder coriander seeds, gram dal and chilies together in a grinder. Set aside. This powder will be more than you need so keep the rest in an airtight container for future use.

In a wok, heat rest of the oil, splutter mustard seeds and urad dal. Saute onions till they start turning brown and add the carrots and the curry leaves. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes and add 7-8 tsps of previously prepared powder, along with turmeric powder.

Cook for another 3-4 minutes or till the raw smell of the powder disappears. Now lower the flame and mix in the cooked rice.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with raita or sambhar.  Enjoy!!!

Hummus

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Makes 1.5 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 cup white chickpeas(kabuli channe) soaked overnight and pressure cooked
• 1 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• Salt as per taste
• Red chilli powder as per taste
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp parsley or coriander leaves

Dry roast the sesame seeds in a pan until the color changes to light brown. Blend all the ingredients together in a blender to form a smooth paste. Check for seasoning and your hummus is ready.

It can stored in an air tight jar in refrigerator for a week. Serve as a dip or use as a spread. Enjoy!!!

Sweet Tomato Chutney

We had bumper crop of tomatoes in our kitchen garden this year. It was raining tomatoes, so i decided to search for a chutney recipe on the Internet and stumbled upon this awesome recipe. Believe me, this chutney it scrumptious. You can have it with anything, be it toast, parantha, chapatis, etc. It is sweet, tangy and savory. It is a little lengthy process but the result is worth it plus it is really easy.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1.5 - 2 hours
Makes 3-4 cups of chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 garlic bulb(peeled and roughly chopped)
• 1 inch ginger(roughly chopped)
• 1 ½ cup vinegar
• 1 kg fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder
• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 2 tbsp golden raisins
• 2 tbsp almonds

Put garlic, ginger and ½ cup vinegar into a blender and blend until smooth. Keep aside.

Soak raisins and almonds in hot water for 15 minutes. Peel and chop the almonds. Keep aside.

In a heavy bottom, without a metallic finish pan(the vinegar erodes the metallic finish) combine the tomatoes, rest of the vinegar, salt, sugars and chilli powder. Bring to a boil, add the garlic-ginger puree and lower the heat.

Let the mix simmer gently uncovered for around 2 hours, until the chutney is thick and coats a spoon dipped. Stir occasionally to prevent it from sticking to bottom of the pan. You will have to lower the flame more when chutney starts thickening.

Check for seasoning, I personally added more salt and chilli than the recipe asked for. You should always taste the food while cooking.  Add the raisins and almonds and cumin. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Remove it for heat and let it cool. You should end up with chutney as thick as honey. Store it in refrigerator in a dry, air tight glass bottle.

Either serve with rotis, paranthas or use as a spread or dip. Enjoy!!!

Moist Orange Cake

I must admit I am a lousy blogger, I have a huge back load of recipes to be uploaded. I tried this cake in Feb, when oranges were available in abundance and I am blogging it now. This orange cake turned out to be delicious. It can be eaten with or without the sauce mentioned in this recipe, it is yum either way.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 45-50 minutes at 180 degree C
Serves  6 to 7

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour or maida
• 2 tsp baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1 cup butter softened
• 3 eggs separated
• 1 cup hung curd
• 1 orange’s zest

For the tangy sauce

• 1 ½ cup castor sugar
• ¾ cup fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 tbsp butter
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

Grease and dust an 8 inch baking tin and set aside. Preheat the oven at 180 degree C.

Sift together flour(maida), baking powder and salt and set aside. In a bowl beat the egg whites until peaks are formed. In another bowl beat butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the egg yolks and curd. Beat and add the zest. Keep beating till it is light and fluffy.

Now stir in the flour mix. Once flour mix is completely incorporated, gently fold in the egg whites.

Pour the cake mix into the greased and dusted tin. Bake at 180 degree C for 45-50 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

To make the sauce put all the ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Let it cool.

To serve, drizzle the sauce over the cake. Garnish with any fruit of your choice. Serve warm and enjoy.

Molten Choco - Lava Cake

If there is one dessert that I cannot resist, its hot choco-lava cake with a scoop of ice cream. It can lift my mood any time. I have been making choco lava cake for more than 2 years now, infact before getting married it was the only dessert i used to ever make. I have 3 versions of its recipes with little changes here and there with me but i like this one the best. You can combine it with fruits like strawberries too if u dont wanna use ice cream.

Preparation time: 20 mins + another 20 to chill in refrigerator
Baking time: 12 mins
Makes 8 medium sized cakes

Ingredients:

• 200 g dark semisweet chocolate
• 200 g butter plue little extra for greasing the moulds
• 200 g golden castor sugar or brown castor sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 200 g maida or all purpose flour
• 50 g cocoa powder for dusting moulds
• Chocolate or caramel sauce for garnishing

Grease 9 muffin moulds or ramekins with butter and dust with cocoa powder. I use food grade silicon moulds for this purpose as it is so easy to remove the cake from them. Set aside. Melt butter and chocolate together in a double boiler and stir until smooth. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and yolks together with sugar until pale and thick. Sift flour into the eggs and beat together. Pour the chocolate mix into the cake mix in thirds, beating well between each addition.

Equally divide the batter into the prepared moulds. Chill them for atleast 20 minutes. You can even freeze the moulds for later use.

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Place the  moulds in a baking tray and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or just till the top seems little firm but centre is still a little wobbly. Always bake an extra mould than required to check the doneness. The centre has to be a gooey liquid.

Remove from the oven and let it sit for a minute before removing the cake from the mould. Serve with sauce and ice cream of your choice. Enjoy!!!

Hara Bhara Kabab

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch spinach (palak) leaves
• 2 large potatoes boiled and mashed
• 1 cup peas boiled
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped green chilies
• 1 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tsp ginger mince
• 2 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tsp dried mango powder(amchur)
• salt as per taste
• 2 to 3 tbsp gram flour(besan)
• 2 tbsp oil for pan grilling

Put the spinach leaves in boiling water and let it boi for around 5 minutes. Drain and put the leaves in cold water to help them retain color. Chop them up.

Dry roast besan in a pan stirring continuously so that it doesn't burn and till it gives out fragrance and starts changing color. Mix everything except oil and add roasted besan as required to bind the mixture.

Divide the mixture into around 10 to 12 balls and shape them into discs.  

Heat the oil in a grill pan and grill the discs on both sides to a golden brown color.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup and mint chutney. 

Enjoy!!!

Baked Soy Sauce Chicken

This recipe is pretty healthy as it is totally oil free and chicken fat is totally trimmed. It makes an easy, hassle free dinner.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinate time: atleast 4 hours
Baking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 700-800 gms chicken sliced and cleaned and trimmed of fat
• 2 spring onions finely chopped along with leeks
• 1.5 tsp garlic mince
• 1.5 tsp ginger mince
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 0.5 cup dark soy sauce
• 0.5 cup water
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• sat and crushed black peppercorns as per taste
• red chili flakes as per taste
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

Poke the chicken pieces with a fork and make small cuts on the skin with a knife. This is done so that the marinate penetrates deep into the chicken pieces. Mix rest of the ingredients in a glass bowl and coat the chicken pieces properly with the marinate. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. You can even marinate over night.

Preheat the oven to 200 degree Celsius. Line an aluminium foil in a oven tin and place the chicken along with the marinate in the tin.

Bake it for 40 to 50 minutes at 200 degree Celcius. Spoon the marinate over the pieces after 10 minutes. When top side is glazed and done, turn the pieces. This may take 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with rice and raita. Enjoy!!!

Samosa with Chhole

Preparation time: 1 hour
Soaking time: over night
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Makes 12 to 14 samosas

Ingredients:

For the samosa filling

• 5 potatoes boiled and peeled
• 1 cup peas boiled
• 2 onions finely chopped
• 3 green chilies finely chopped
• salt and red chili powder as per taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander roughly pounded
• 1 tsp dried mango powder(amchur)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

For samosa dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour(maida)
• 1/2 tsp ajwain
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp oil
• warm water to make the dough

For the chhole

• 1 cup white chick peas soaked over night
• 4 cups of water to soak and boil the chickpeas
• 1 tsp ginger mince
• 1.5 tsp garlic mince
• 1 teabag
• 2 black cardamom
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and red chili powder as per taste
• 3 green chilies slit
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped

To serve with

• 2 onions finely chopped
• 1 cup imli chutney or mint chutney or ketchup

To fry the samosas

• Oil for frying

First of all mix all the ingredients for the dough to make a smooth and non-sticky dough. Kneed it properly and use extra flour if required. Cover it with a wet cloth and let it rest for half an hour. Meanwhile, pressure cook chickpeas along with ginger mince, teabag, cardamoms, bay leaf and 1 tsp salt till done. It will take around 15 minutes.

Mash the potatoes and mix all the ingredients for the filling. Set aside. Divide the dough into 6 to 7 equal balls. Roll them into discs of 1 mm thickness with the help of some oil.

Cut the discs into 2 equal halves.

Join the edge of the half disc to form a cone.

Fill in a tbsp of the filling and seal the opening. Make rest of the samosas in the similar manner and keep aside.

To make the chhole, heat a saucepan and add the oil. Next add the cinnamon and saute to about 30 seconds. Next add the garlic mince and saute for another 30 seconds. Add the onions and fry till they become translucent. Add the chilies, salt and red chili powder. Saute for another minute and add the chickpeas without the water. Reserve the water. Cook for a minute and add the coriander powder. Now cook the chickpeas for 2-3 minutes. Now add the reserved water and bring the chhole to a boil and reduce the flame. Add the garam masala and the cumin powder. Let the chhole simmer on heat till they are reduced to the desired consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Now heat the oil for frying the samosas and fry the samosas golden brown. Serve hot with chhole and chutney or ketchup of your choice. Enjoy your evening!!!

Bean Salad

This salad has its inspiration from the three bean salad. But I have added more ingredients to it to make it more interesting and nutritious. The dressing cannot do without a little sweetness, so don't skip it.

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 5 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp red kidney beans(rajmah) soaked over night
• 2 tbsp white chickpeas(kabuli channe) soaked overnight
• 2 tbsp black grams(kale channe) soaked over night
• 100 gms tofu diced(use cottage cheese if tofu not available)
• 1 bell pepper chopped finely
• handful french beans chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 spring onion chopped
• 2 tbsp chives(greens of spring onion) chopped
• 1 tomato chopped
• 1 cucumber chopped
• 3 tbsp lettuce chopped
• 3 tbsp coriander chopped

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp english musturd
• 1 tbsp castor sugar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup(optional)
• salt and black pepper as per taste

Pressure cook the beans, chickpeas and grams for 15 minutes or til done. Drain them and keep aside. Blanch the french beans(put them in boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes and then immediately put them in cold water. This retains their color).

Toss all the ingredients for salad in a large bowl on chill in the refrigerator. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and keep aside.

Pour the dressing over the salad, toss, and serve. Enjoy!!!

Lemon Chicken

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Marinate time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:

• 600 g chicken sliced
• 3 limes' juice
• 1 lime rind grated
• salt as per taste
• 1 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp thyme (dried)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp butter

Mix lime juice, rind, salt, pepper, garlic, thyme and keep aside. Clean the chicken, make slits to let the marinate seep the chicken. Add the chicken to the mix. Coat the chicken with the marinate properly, cover it and let it marinate for 2 hours.

Heat the butter and oil in a wok. Add only the chicken pieces not the excess marinate. Keep the excess marinate, don't throw it away. Saute the chicken on medium to high flame, continuously stirring till it starts turning golden.

Now add the excess marinate and cook till the chicken is done and glazed. There should be no liquid left.

Enjoy!!!

Mix Raita

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves 4 to 5

Ingredients:

• 4 cups yogurt beaten lightly
• salt as per taste
• 1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1 tomato chopped finely
• 1 tbsp each green, red and yellow bell pepper chopped finely
• half cucumber chopped finely
• 1 carrot chopped finely
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp coriander chopped

Mix all the ingredients well. 

Team with stuffed parantha or any veggies. Enjoy!!!