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Mar 29, 2012

Lamb chops with Indian spices!!!!

Hi guys!!!

A couple of weeks ago, I watched an episode of Aarti Sequeira on Food Network, which featured a recipe of Lamb chops cooked with Indian spices. As I was watching it I knew what I was gonna have on Sunday :-) But I kind of felt that the recipe was not really spicy. So, I just added a few more spices and created my own version of the Indian style Lamb chops!!!

You can cook them with just half an hour marination but the longer you marinate the tastier it turns out. I left them marinating in the fridge for almost 2 days. I cannot begin to explain how delicious the dish turned out. Without any more delay I am going to the recipe.

Ingredients:
Serves 1 person

Lamb chops - 2 cut pieces (I used loin chops)
Curd - 1 cup
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
Cayenne pepper sauce - 1 tsp (Use any hot sauce)
Salt - as per paste

For Indian masala powder:
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 6
Cardamom - 2 pods
Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
Corriander seeds - 2 tsp
Whole pepper corns - 2 tsp



Procedure:

1. Dry roast all the ingredients required for the masala powder and blend them into a smooth powder.
2. Now mix all the ingredients including the ground masala powder and rub the lamb chops thoroughly in this marinade.
3. Cover and refrigerate as along as you want. (Upto 3 days is good)
4. On the day of cooking, take the meat marinade and let it come to room temperature for uniform cooking. Preheat the oven to 200C.
5. Remove the excess marinade from the lamb pieces and lay it on a baking dish and pop it in the preheated oven and let it cook for 25-30 minutes for medium rare.

Serve with mint chutney/ketchup.

Mar 27, 2012

Peanut Ladoo!!!!

Hi guys!!!!

Everytime I get in the kitchen to prepare a quick snack a little voice in my head keeps reminding me 'Keep it healthy'. One evening when I was raiding my pantry and digging my head deep to come up with a healthy snack, I spotted a pack of peanuts. I was immediately reminded of these yummy peanut ladoos we used to have when we go visiting my grandma (my mom's mom). Everytime we went to visit her, my aunt (mom's youngest sister) also accompanied us. My mom and she would go off to hand-pound(they never used the mixie) all the ingredients and come up with this tasty treats. They used to stop off in between and deeply engage in gossips and we would literally have to shake them to get them back to work :-) I used to stand next to them and everytime they were about to stop the work I would get them back on track.. Anything for Peanut Ladoos!!!!

Reminiscing this just makes me nostalgic. Anyway.... lets get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Peanuts - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup (add or reduce to taste)
Cardamom - 4 pods



Procedure:

1. If using raw peanuts, get them roasted and peeled.
2. Once you have the peanuts ready, toss all the ingredients in a blender and pulse it repeatedly to get a coarse mixture.
3. Make sure not to grind in one go 'coz you might end up with an oily sticky mixture. But if you do end up with the sticky mixture still continue to make the ladoos 'coz it will still taste sinfully delicious.
4. When you have the coarse mixture, just go ahead and make ladoos when slightly warm. Just take care not to press too hard 'coz you might not be able to shape them.

Ta-da!!! Liitle tasty peanut ladoos are ready!!! Just gobble them down with tea or just as is..

Mar 26, 2012

Chicken Biryani - Pressure Cooker Method!!!!

Hi guys!!!

I just realised that I have not posted a Chicken Biryani recipe. Although, I prepare it quite often (atleast fortnightly). I prepare chicken biryani every other week. I try different types of biryani, but, this quick pressure cooker method is often repeated. The simplicity in the procedure and the yummy end result is a perfect solution when I really need a quick fix weekend lunch.

When you have all the ingredients ready and handy the whole process takes very little time. Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

Basmati rice - 2 cups
Chicken - 300 gms
Onion - 1 big
Tomatoes - 1 big
Green chillies - 1 or 2
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Corriander & Mint leaves - a bunch each
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Biryani masala - 1 tsp ( any store-bought brand)
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Bay leaves - 2
Cloves - 5
Star Anise - 2
Cardamom - 2
Salt - as per taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Food color dissolved in water (optional)



Procedure:

1. Clean and cut the chicken in desired size pieces. Chop the onion, tomato, chillies and the fresh leaves.
2. Heat the ghee in a pressure cooker and add all the whole spices and let it sizzle.
3. Now add the chopped green chillies and the fresh leaves and saute till the leaves wilt. Next add the onions and saute till they turn transparent.
4. Now add the ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell leaves. Next add the chopped tomatoes and keep mixing till they form a paste with the onions.
5. Add the chicken pieces and keep mixing to avoid sticking to the bottom. Keep mixing well till the chicken turns white. Then add all the masala powders and salt and mix well.
6. Finally add the rice along with 3 cups of water and let it cook under pressure for 10 minutes.
7. When the pressure is off, open the lid and randomly sprinkle the water with food color and fork the rice up and serve hot with raita or just cucumber.

Mar 23, 2012

Molten Lava Chocolate Cake!!!

Hi guys!!!

Ever since I had my first molten lava cake in Dominos a few years back, this has always been high in the list of my favorite desserts. Although it took this long for me to try baking one at home. I did not buy ramekins till a few weeks back, so my first attempt was in coffee mugs. I just filled the mug around 1/4 th full with the batter and baked for less than 15 minutes. That turned out great too. But baking these little chocolate babies in the ramekins makes it even more appealing. Trust me, this could be the yummiest baked good that is prepared from start-to-end in less than half an hour!!!!

I wanted to take pics of the gooey center but both of us were going nuts on these cakes as soon as they were done :-) But I hope you can still make out the center in this pic as well. Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:
Fills about 4 ramekins.

Baking chocolate (Dark/Milk) - 120 gms
Butter - 100 gms + for greasing ramekins
Eggs - 2
Sugar - 1/3 cup
All-purpose flour / Maida - 1/4 cup



Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Melt the chocolate either in a microwave or a double boiler. Add the butter to the melted chocolate and mix well till it melts completely.
3. In a mixing bowl break the eggs and add sugar. Beat them till soft and fluffy.
4. Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and toss in the flour as well. Mix till all the ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Grease the ramekins and pour the mixture till about 3/4th full. Pop it in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Stop baking at around 12 minutes for gooey center and continue till 15 minutes for stiff center.

Serve warm with Vanilla ice cream or just dig in as such!!!!

Mar 22, 2012

Chilli Chicken Curry!!!

Hi guys!!!

This week I have been really lazy.. Just lying in the couch, skipping gym and even blog-wise... I seriously have to shake myself out of this sluggishness and get back on track. So starting it with the blog :-)

I occasionally prepare some Indo-Chinese recipes at home. A weekend lunch consisting of Fried rice and some chinese curry. Chilli chicken is a favorite and awfully easy to prepare too. The first time I prepared chilli chicken I made the dry version and that turned out pretty well too. But the curry goes well with fried rice.

Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

List 1:
Chicken - 300 gms (boneless)
All-purpose flour / maida - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 2 tsp
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp

List 2:
Onion - 1 big
Green chillies - 2
Bell peppers - 2
Garlic - 3 pods
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp
Sugar - 1 tsp
Salt - as required
Corn flour - 2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp + for frying the chicken pieces.



Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients under List 1 into a paste and leave the chicken to marinate for about half an hour.
2. Heat oil in a wok on medium high flame. When it is hot enough add the marinated chicken pieces and fry till golden brown. Set aside on a kitchen tissue and drain excess oil.
3. Now heat the 1 tbsp oil and when hot add the chopped onions, garlic and chillies. Saute till it turns crisp. Then add the bell peppers and saute.
4. When they all turn a little softer add the chilli powder and salt. Add some water enough to make the gravy. Let it cook for 5 minutes and add the soy sauce and sugar and mix well.
5. Add the tomato ketchup and mix well. Have a half glass of water with corn flour mixed in it. When the gravy is simmering add the corn flour water and keep stirring till it thickens.
6. Finally, add the fried chicken pieces and let it simmer for 5 minutes till the pieces soak well in the gravy and turn off heat.

Serve hot with fried rice.

Mar 21, 2012

Award Time!!!!

Hi guys!!!

Just like any other day, the first thing I did after Ganesh left for office was switch on my laptop and open my blog page. And surprise!!!! 3 awards waiting for me was indeed a great boost. I would like to thank Lavanya from Tickle your tastebuds and Make your life Delicious for sharing these awards with me. This being my first award I feel really motivated.

The first award is


Now the rules involved with the award. If you accept the award:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
  • Copy and paste the award on your blog. Link back to the blogger who gave you the award.            
  • Pick your five favorite blogs with less than 200 followers who deserve to be noticed and leave a comment on their blog to let them know they have received the award.
  • Hope that the five blogs chosen will keep spreading the love and pass it on to five more blogs.

Now it is my turn to give this award to five food bloggers. I would like to pass on this award to

Meo's Cuisine
Recipe World
Cuisine Delights
Spice n Sugar Tales
Cilantro

Lavanya has also shared a couple of more awards.



The rules for accepting these awards are:
  • Add the awards to your blog.
  • Thank the blogger who nominated you in a post with a link back to their blog.
  • Share 7 completely random pieces of information about yourself.
  • Include this set of rules.
  • Forward this award to your fellow bloggers and inform them with a comment on each of their blogs.

Now as per the rules of the award, I'm giving this to following fellow bloggers

Dil Se...
Viki's Kitchen
Edible Garden
Spice n Sugar Tales
Sashiga


Now about ME:
  • I have never stepped in the kitchen to cook before my wedding.
  • I watch every episode of 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' how many ever times it is re-telecasted on TV.
  • I love baking.
  • When I like a song I can hear it continuously even a hundred times.
  • I am crazy about chocolates and cheese.
  • I like watching Black&White movies.
  • I love to go shopping with my mom and sister.


Mar 19, 2012

Kaju Katli / Cashew Fudge!!!!

Hi guys!!!

It started off a couple of months back when I prepared a quick dessert for Friday lunch to mark the start of our weekend. Ever since, Ganesh has started asking me 'what is this weekend's dessert?' as soon as he wakes up on Friday!!! He is a big fan of Kaju katli and was asking me for over a month to prepare them and I was pushing it further telling him that I forget to pick up cashews everytime we went grocery shopping. Not that I do not have cashews at home, but, I wanted to delay it for no reason. Finally, he picked up cashews himself and said firmly 'This weekend I want Kaju katli.. No more excuses!!'... And so, I did prepare them :-)

All you need to make these delicious little treats are cashews, sugar and very little ghee. The only trick part is getting the consistency of the sugar syrup right. You need to arrive at the Single Thread Consistency for the fudge to be slice-able and super-soft. Please see my Note below on how to check the consistency of the sugar syrup.

Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:
Makes around 20

Cashews - 1 cup (powdered)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Ghee - 1 tsp (for greasing your palms)
Water - around 4 tbsp ( just enough to immerse the sugar on the pan)



Procedure:

1. Powder the cashews and measure and keep aside. To make kaju katlis with correct level of sweetness make sure that the ratio of powdered cashew to sugar is 2:1.
2. Take the sugar in a wide pan and add water just enough to immerse it. Heat this on low flame. The heat needs to be low throughout.
3. Let the sugar syrup reach the single thread consistency and add the powdered cashews. Keep mixing to avoid sticking to the bottom.
4. Turn off heat when the mixture starts to leave the sides. After you have switched off heat just mix in circular motion for a minute and set aside to cool.
5. After around 15 minutes, when the mixture is warm enough to handle, knead it well with greased palms.
6. When you have kneaded it like a dough roll it into half an inch thick disc.
7. Slice into cubes or diamond shapes and enjoy!!!!

Note:
Checking the sugar consistency:
Heat the sugar and water in a wide pan and let it boil. Do not stir often after the sugar has dissolved 'coz this causes crystallization and this might cause the katlis to break.When it starts boiling check that the syrup is sticky. This is the first stage. The next stage to check would arrive in less than a couple of minutes. Keep a small plate nearby. Take a drop of the syrup on the plate and tilt it and the syrup should flow. This is stage two. Now in less than a minute you will reach the single thread consistency. SO keep an eye. When you take the syrup in between your thumb and index finger and rub it and spread, you should see a single thread. Thats it!!!

Mar 16, 2012

Paneer Matar Masala / Cottage Cheese & Green Peas curry!!!

Hi guys!!!

Paneer is a great ingredient for North Indian curries. I prepare rotis for dinner almost everyday. So, I try and prepare a variety of curries. I use paneer every two weeks and I prepare almost any combo of ingredients to end up in a different curry everytime. Recently, I had to use up some frozen peas in my freezer and decided to prepare this paneer matar masala 'coz I had picked up some paneer the very same day.

Generally, when preparing paneer curries people fry the paneer in oil/ghee before using it in the gravy. But I totally avoid this and use paneer as such. The taste is just as awesome and the texture of paneer is even better. The only thing is you have to be more careful when mixing the curry, so that you do not break the paneer. Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 200 gms (cubed)
Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 tbsp



Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a kadai on medium flame and add the chopped onion when ready. Saute till it turns transparent and crisp.
2. Now add the ginger garlic paste and mix well till the raw smell leaves. Next add the chopped tomatoes and mix well till it forms a paste with the onion.
3. Add salt and all the masala powders except garam masala and mix well. Add about 1/2 cup of water and let the masalas cook for 5 minutes.
4. When the masalas are well cooked add the frozen peas and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Finally add the paneer cubes and garam masala and mix well and turn off heat.

Tasty paneer matar masala is ready!!! Serve hot with rotis or pulao.

Mar 14, 2012

Spicy Prawn Fry!!!

Hi guys!!!

Prawn is an all-time favorite to both me and Ganesh. I prepare prawns in some form once a week. I have long wanted to try a deep fried version of prawns and did so finally :-) Just toss in a few spice powders, mix well and fry.. Voila!!! A yummy and crispy prawn fry is ready.

Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

King Prawns (cleaned and deveined) - 20
Besan powder - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per taste
Oil - for deep frying
Curry leaves - a bunch



Procedure:

1. Mix all the powders with salt and make a smooth paste by sprinkling some water. Add the prawns to this mixture and toss well till the masala coats thoroughly. Set this aside for atleast 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a kadai on medium high flame. When the oil is heated add the prawns and fry on both sides till golden brown.
3. When done with all the prawns just fry the curry leaves in the same oil and use them to garnish the prawns.

Super simple prawn fry is ready. This is a great combination with rice and rasam/sambar. Even good to just munch on as a snack :-)

Vegetable Pulao - In 15 minutes!!!!

Hi guys!!!

Like you can get from the title, this is an easy-to-prepare comfort food. I mostly prepare them on weekdays that I hit the "OFF" button instead of "SNOOZE" in my alarm and wake up to find that I have very little time before Ganesh has to leave to work. With just raita and papad this can be a very hearty and fulfilling lunch.

What I love about pulao (apart from the fact that it is ready in a jiffy) is that it looks so plain but the flavor and spice blend in the dish is quite amazing. Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup
Chopped veggies - 1/2 cup (I used beans, carrot, potatoes and peas)
Green chillies - 2
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 2 or 3 pods
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 4
Star Anise - 1
Cardamom - 2 pods
Bay leaves - 2
Salt - as per taste
Oil / Butter / Ghee - 1 tbsp



Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the whole spices and let them sizzle.
2. Meanwhile grind the green chillies, ginger and garlic into a paste.
3. When the spices start releasing their aroma add this ground paste and saute till the raw smell of the paste vanishes.
4. Now add the chopped veggies and mix well.
5. Add the rice along with 1.5 cups of water. Add salt and check for its level. Close the lid and let it cook under pressure for 10 minutes.
6. Switch off heat after 10 minutes and when the pressure is released open the lid and fluff the rice.

Quick and simple pulao is ready. Serve it just with raita or any gravy of your choice.

Mar 13, 2012

Creamy Fish Curry!!!

Hi guys!!!

I try and cook fish once a week and mostly in the usual forms i.e., fish fry or kuzhambu. Recently I thought I should try and prepare a fish gravy that would be great with rotis. I actually started to prepare a basic fish curry and since the spice level went higher than expected I ended up adding some cream that was lying around in my fridge. Thus was born this amazingly tasty and creamy fish curry!!!!

Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:

Boneless fish fillets - 200 gms (any hard fleshed kind)
Onion - 1 big
Tomatoes - 2 medium or 1 big
Ginger & Garlic paste -1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Heavy cream - 2 tbsp
Salt - as required
Oil - 1 tbsp



Procedure:

1.Heat the oil in a kadai on medium heat and when hot add the chopped onion and saute till they turn transparent.
2. When the onions turn crisp add the ginger and garlic paste and saute till the raw smell vanishes. Next add the chopped tomatoes and saute till they turn mushy and form a paste with the onions.
3. Add all the masala powders (except garam masala), salt and 1/2 cup water and mix well. Check the salt and spice level and close the kadai and let the masalas cook for 5 minutes.
4. Now add the cleaned fish pieces to the masala and let it cook completely with the lid closed. This takes around 10-15 minutes.
5. When the fish is cooked and the masalas have blended in well, add the garam masala and pour the cream as well. Mix well and switch off heat.

Serve hot with rotis!!!

Mar 8, 2012

White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberry garnish!!!

Hi guys!!!

I am a big-time chocolate addict and can have chocolate in any form. And by any form I just don't mean milk,dark or white chocolate. I also mean that I love chocolate be it a sauce, spread, cake, a candy bar itself or just the last bit of it sticking to the wrapper :-) Yes.. I am crazy about chocolates. Almost every single time we visit the grocery store, I make myself look like a sad kitty and beg Ganesh to get me a chocolate bar. You might wonder , why beg, because if I take them without his approval he sets them aside when billing.. How bad right!!! And again, why his approval, because every single time he gets me a chocolate bar he has to be ready to get himself blamed for letting me eat unwanted calories when we get home.. Now u know how difficult it is to be the husband of a crazy chocolate lover!!!!

Now coming to the mousse. I am regular visitor of the Joy of baking website. i came across a Chocolate mousse recipe that tempted me into making it at home. The site has the recipe with regular chocolate but I prepared a white chocolate version. It was really easy to prepare and is a great dessert when you have friends coming over.

Lets take a look at the recipe.

Ingredients:
Serves - 6 people

White chocolate - 120 gms
Unsalted butter - 2 tbsp
Granulated sugar - 4 tbsp
Eggs - 2 large (separated)
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Cream of tartar - 1/8 tsp (skip if not available. I did not use it)
Heavy whipping cream - 1/2 cup

For garnish:
Strawberries - 5 whole (chopped)
Sugar - 2 tsp



Procedure:

1. Make sure the butter and eggs are in room temperature.
2. Melt the chocolate and butter on a double boiler or in a microwave and set aside.
3. Beat the egg yolks with a hand whisk or fork along with the chocolate mixture and set aside.
4. Now in a separate bowl beat the egg whites, cream of tartar (if using) and 2 tbsp of sugar till they turn pale white, fluffy and form soft peaks.
5. Again in a separate bowl, beat the cream, vanilla extract and remaining sugar till they get creamy and form soft peaks.
6. Now add the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture in small portions and mix well. Finally fold in the whipped cream mixture into it and mix thoroughly.
7. Transfer this into the 6 serving dishes and refrigerate till serving. The refrigeration time should be a minimum of 2-3 hours. Longer refrigeration results in firmer mousse.
8. You can prepare the garnish just before serving. Heat the chopped strawberries and sugar in a kadai on low flame. Sprinkle some water after a couple of minutes of heating. Keep stirring till the strawberry starts to ooze. Turn off heat and use this to garnish the mousse.

Serve the mousse chilled!!!!

Sending this to the Cakes, Cookies and Desserts event hosted by Anjali.



Mar 7, 2012

Simple Butter Cake!!!

Hi guys!!!

It has taken me almost half a year to finally try baking cakes. For a while now I have been bookmarking easy cake recipes but never really gave it a serious thought. Finally, I thought I will try the simple butter cake. I wanted to start with this cake 'coz when I was browsing for cake recipes I came across pics of butter cake that reminded me so much of a soft, airy, melt-in-the-mouth vanilla cake my dad used to buy from a local bakery named 'Harini Bakery' back in my hometown. Those cakes were too yummy to resist and I thought I should try and replicate them at home. I was pretty happy with the result 'coz my cake did turn out real soft and tasty. Atleast, a great outcome for a first attempt, I'll say!!!!

Now lets take a look at the recipe.

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter - 250 gms (at room temp)
Granulated sugar - 1 cup
All-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Eggs - 4 large
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 4 tbsp
Assorted nuts - 1 cup (chopped) (this is optional)


Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Butter and flour a 20 cm cake tin and set aside.
2. Take the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat it together in medium speed till it turns pale and creamy. It is in the right consistency when it turns almost whitish pale.
3. Now break in each egg and beat for a minute till the mixture turns real creamy and frothy. The eggs need to be at room temperature.
4. Now add the vanilla extract and mix well.
5. Sieve in the flour, baking powder and salt to the wet mixture and beat it in medium speed. Make sure not to make the mixture very airy.
6. Finally, add the milk and mix it well with a spatula. Now pour the prepared cake mixture into the greased cake tin and even out the surface. Add the nuts if using and pop it in the preheated oven.
7. Bake for around 50-60 minutes. At around 30 minutes, when the cake has risen nicely, u can pull the tin out and make a straight incision half way through the cake to let it bake evenly.
8. The oven heat needs to be consistent and works differently in different ovens. So make sure to keep an eye from 45 mins. Check it with a fork or a tooth pick and pull it out of the oven when down.
9. Let it sit on a cooling rack for 15 mins and invert it out of the pan.


Slice and enjoy!!!

Sending this to the Cakes, Cookies and Desserts event hosted by Anjali.



Mar 6, 2012

Quick and Easy Mushroom Curry!!!

Hi guys!!!

Mushroom is a very rare ingredient that I use in cooking. My husband just likes them in deep fried versions and I am pretty reluctant these days to prepare deep-fried oily dishes. That clearly rules out the chance of preparing mushroom in his favorite way. A couple of weeks back when I saw the sliced and packed mushrooms I thought it was time I prepared a simple mushroom curry at home. With the anytime available ingredients, this curry is almost ready in 15 minutes.

Lets take a look at the recipe.

Ingredients:

Mushroom - 200 gms (cleaned and diced)
Onion -  big
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tsp
Fennel powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as required
Oil - 1 tbsp



Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a kadai on medium heat. Add the chopped onions and saute till they turn transparent and crisp.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and mix till the raw smell goes. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute till they combine well to form a paste.
3. Now add salt and all the masala powders except garam masala and mix till they blend in well.
4. Toss the chopped mushroom into the kadai and mix well. There is no need to add water at this stage 'coz the mushroom lets out moisture when cooked on medium heat.
5. Close the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes. If the bottom starts to get sticky sprinkle some water and cover and cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Add the garam masala and mix well, check the salt and spice level and turn off heat.

The easiest curry I have ever prepared. It tasted great with rotis and pulao.

Banana bread!!!

Hi guys!!!

After an amazing week's vacation I had to drag myself to sit and blog today :-) A wonderful vacation going around places and most important of all sparsely cooking at home, it really has been difficult to get back to the routine. Anyway I have been baking whenever I had time. Baking has been my most sought out time-killer!!! I love everything about baking and most of all the aroma that fills the house.

I have long wanted to try baking banana bread but finally tried it last week for an evening snack. Before the loaf  had actually cooled down, Ganesh and I finished it up fully :-) Right from the moment we finished the loaf, he has been asking me when I am gonna bake this again :-) It was just yummy and I am definitely gonna make it a regular dish. Now lets see the recipe.

Ingredients:
Makes a single 9 inch loaf

All-purpose flour - 1 3/4 cups
Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp (optional. skip if using salted butter)
Eggs - 2 large
Butter - 1/2 cup melted and cooled
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Ripe bananas - 3 (mashed well with a fork)



Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Take a loaf pan and butter the sides and bottom and keep aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt if using.
3. Take another bowl and break the 2 eggs into it and whisk it lightly with a hand whisk or just a fork. Do not beat the egg too airy 'coz this might cause very hard bread.
4. Now add the vanilla extract, melted butter and mashed bananas into the eggs and mix well till incorporated.
5. Now add the wet mixture in 2 portions to the flour mixture and mix well. Again, make sure not to over mix. Just mix till the ingredients are well incorporated and no dry flour is still left.
6. Add the mixture to the prepared loaf pan and even the surface. I left a few chunks of banana and that did feel good when chewing the loaf. The mixture needs to be upto 3/4 of the pan.
7. Now pop the loaf pan into the preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or till the fork inserted through the middle comes out clean. Mine took around 50 minutes.
8. Let it cool for 15 minutes and remove from the pan.

Yummy banana bread is ready. Serve it warm with tea and see how the loaf disappears in minutes!!!!

Note: You can add some toasted nuts to the bread if preferred.

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