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!!!