Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Fruit Salad

Time has been passing like a whirlwind . Days have been rolling faster than one can imagine. Can you believe that ten days of the holy month of Ramadan have already gone by?

Ramadan in Oman and other muslim-majority countries is generally more festive and traditional when compared to the same in other countries. We work only for 6 hours at our work places and then go back home to offer our prayers followed by a small nap before we are rustling about with our scrumptious Iftar preparations.

Soon after Iftar, we are back to perform our prayers or we spend time sitting in unison with our families and discussing and spreading the message that Islam carries. This month is brimming with God's mercy and we try to seize every oppurtunity to spend our time praying for his mercy and forgiveness in order to gain the blessings that abound. Surely its fascinating to witness everyone devoted towards the spiritual path and this also encourages us not to leave any stone unturned in performing our obligations.

The aura of generosity & spirituality, the regulations in performing all acts of prayers ,the augmented sense of God-Consciousness and the devour at all mosques and at homes is something worth beholding.


You can also find our cities bustling with tons of activities with all shopping malls offering predominant collections of various brands at user-friendly prices, people having get-togethers often for meals(Iftar parties we call it), gifts exchanging and the heightened sense of sharing and giving the poor and the needy.

All our free time is devoted in the remembrance of Almighty Allah and great emphasis is laid on reciting the Holy Quran and completing it atleast once in this one month time span.

With all this, I've been busy as a beaver these days with little or no time sometimes for myself. With elaborate Ramadan Iftar menus that include delectable savoury dishes, imperative salads & coolers usually culminating in a long list of items that deck our tables as Dusk approaches.

Drinking copious amounts of liquids after breaking the fast and including a variety of fresh fruits & vegetables in our diet during the fasting days is the best way we can maintian ourselves without any gastric issues. My last ten days have mainly included these stuff in my Iftar menus and with summer at its peak in this desert country, there is no other way to revive ourselves than chilled fruits & coolers.

Ok, we are talking fruits today and a couple of days back , I quickly went on to whip up some cream to combine it with a variety of fruits, embellished with some honey and nuts. Eventually, it went into the fruit bowls and we enjoyed it during our Iftar thus helping us to regain our drained energies. Surely, a chilled Kick-off for an Iftar meal.

Fruit Salad can be prepared in a myriad ways and I did not follow any particular recipe here. I only used the resources available in my refrigerator that day to come up with something delicious. You can use any combination of fruits here and top with nuts of your choice. You can also pour some chocolate sauce over it instead of honey if you are a Cocoa lover.

This is how I made it:

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Fruits of your choice - cut into small pieces
( Apples, Pears, Kiwis, Strawberries, Bananas etc)
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Mixed fruit Jam (any flavour)
1 tsp whipped cream
Nuts of your choice - chopped ( Almonds, Pistachios, walnuts etc)



HOW TO MAKE:

1) Place a layer of fruits in a bowl and pour some jam over it.

2) Place another layer of fruits over this and then top it with whipped cream

3) Drizzle some honey over it and chase it with nuts & berries of your choice.







Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Butter Chicken

With its remarkable flavours that can come to life in just one mouthful, the butter chicken is the most impressive of all the chicken dishes I have made so far. For me, this dish is wonderful even on its own. Sappy, succulent, moist & tender - this is how I'd describe it. A tour to an Indian restaurant without enjoying this delicacy will surely be incomplete.

Of late, it has become our family favourite - thanks to the new recipe I found recently which helped me to make this perfect butter chicken dish. Its downright & irresistable and it is undoubtedly the trademark of Indian cuisine. The spices balance perfectly with the chicken to give it a soothing but a glorious flavour with a savoury fragrance.



INGREDIENTS:

For the marinade:

1/4 Kg boneless chicken cut into medium sized cubes/small sized cubes.
½ cup yogurt
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp Indian tandoori masala
 2 tomatoes (medium) ground to a thick paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp butter/clarified butter
Salt to taste


HOW TO MAKE:

1)   Marinate the chicken with the above ingredients for atleast an hour or overnight in the fridge.

2)   Grill the chicken pieces for 20-25 minutes in an oven till half done. Remove them and keep aside.

3)   Keep the leftover marinade aside to use it while making the gravy.


For the Gravy:

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
4 small green chilies, finely chopped
10 cashew nuts, blended to a paste with some water
 1/2 tsp sugar
½ tsp tomato ketchup
2 tspdried fenugreek leaves or kasoori methi
1 tbsp sour cream/single cream
2-3 drops of color (optional)
Salt, to taste
chopped coriander leaves, to garnish


HOW TO MAKE:

1) Heat butter in a skillet, add the ginger+garlic paste and saute for a minute.

2) Then add the tomatoes, the leftover marinade, the spice powders and salt and cook for a while- say 4-5 minutes

3)  Add the tomato Ketchup, the sugar, fenugreek leaves, cashew paste, color and stir for a minute.

4)  Add the chicken pieces and allow it to simmer in the gravy till oil comes up - around 5-6 minutes.

5)   Add the cream, adjust taste and garnish with coriander leaves.

6)  Serve hot with Rice, Pita Bread, parathas or Naan.




RATING NOTES:

               DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   Medium
              RATING  POINTS         :    7/10**

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Quick Eggless Chocolate cake

Finally its the weekend here, the final weekend preceeding the holy month of Ramadan. After a few tiring days at work, I decided to stop all my activities today and lean back and chill out. With the holy month of Ramadan just round the corner, the spirit of new beginnings, promises, hope and excitement seems to be all over me bringing in the joy of traditions, spirituality & celebrations.

Now there's something else to jubilate - Aysha's Kitchenette from today has got a new look. You must be wondering why? This is my way of gifting my dearest blog on its first Birthday. A small occasion of celebration.


Yes, its hard to believe that a year has passed by so soon. But Aysha's Kitchenette has evolved from a blushing page to a persuasive outlet of my quiescent passions. From desserts to savouries, this blog has been liberally embellished with simple daily meals, yearning comfort foods, tried & tested recipes from the internet/cook books & dotted with a few thoughts & memories that I fancy to cherish.

Recollecting the events that led to this modest aspiration of mine, I cannot surmount the magic of joy and hope that struck me a year back when this new alien country refused to hearten me. My days had been utterly tranquil & I woke up every morning with dampened energy. Routine activities like cooking & other household chores seemed banal & mundane. I began to contemplete on self motivating ways and then one day just as a flash of lightining it struck me like an inspirational gusto.


Before I could jump to start this newfound passion of mine, I was a mixture of nerves & adrenalines. I wondered if I could commit myself to it or I'd just negelct it after a while and allow it to weed away. I felt like being on tenterhooks while I battled with these fears. But then suddenly one day, I gathered my nerves, bundled them up & opened the flood gates of creativity haltingly. The rest is History. Now I am all ready to rock n roll.

Even though my initial motive was to upgrade myself into a seasoned chef, I tried to guide my vision into something realistic to get into the groove.Gradually Reading ,Writing, Cooking & Learning  got converted into inspiring and refreshing activities that unfolded me gently into a more confident soul. Invading my thoughts & transferring them on this page has empowered me to hone my skills & galvanised this blog to become my steady companion sharing my contentment & woes.

A Long Journey
This a post inscribed for you all - my towers of strength & I am at a loss of words on how to thank you all for enlivining me to the core & stopping over often to see what this page has for you. I am deeply overwhelmed by your constant support & the geneorsity showered on me regularly.Albeit virtually, I'd love to see more suggestions from you all on how to enrich this page & make it a fruitful platform to you all.

So let us celebrate this special occasion with a simple but a luscious Chocolate cake. Yes, I belive that a cake can surely add oomph to any celebration. A Quick,eggless Chocolate cake that can be made without any tantrums of beating the eggs/butter till stiff. An outer chocolaty decoration that can make mouths water. With its creamy texture, it melts deliciously in the mouth making you crave for more and more.


A beautiful & decadent cake for Aysha's Kitchenette that has just turned One !!!

INGREDIENTS:
[ Adapted from joyofbaking.com]

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder  sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

For the Chocolate Frosting:


1 packet semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream (35% butterfat)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and place rack in center of oven.

2)  In a cake pan, stir together the flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3)  Add the melted butter, water, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. With a fork, mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

4) Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

5) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.


Frosting: 

1) Place the chocolate chips, cream, and butter in a heatproof bowl. Place over a saucepan of simmering water and melt until smooth.

2) Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature until it is of pouring consistency. Then pour the frosting over the cooled cake. Let stand until frosting has thickened.






Sunday, July 1, 2012

Grilled Haryali fish

Enjoying the morning solitude, I am sitting at my desk all set to transfer my thoughts onto this page. Fortunately, I've never been a beverage person. So sipping cups of tea/coffee has never been my habit.

I just realised that I have hardly shared recipes on sea food on this site even though I eat it regularly. Fish is my best pick in sea foods even though I occasionaly have prawns too. Other crustaceans have never been on my interest list.I have rarely been a sea food person otherwise.

Fish is one of the best sources of Proteins. It is one of the foods that is a package to proteins without much saturated fat. Proteins contribute heavily for the growth and repair of the body, thus significantly lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases and controlling the cholestrol.





For me, fried fish has always ranked high on my list of comfort foods. There is no special time to eat it. I can even snack upon it, but prefer it very much with plain cooked rice and a lentil curry. With its deliciously golden colored texture, I find it very appeatising. Marinating it with various flavoured sauces and shallow frying them/grilling them is my usual way of preparing them for a fine meal.

INGREDIENTS:

Any Fish cut into pieces- I use Jesh TT/Salmon/King fish (about 6-8 pieces)

For the Marinade:

1/2 bunch Coriander leaves
1/4 bunch Mint leaves
3-4 Green Chillies
1 tbsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 Lemon's Juice
1-2 Fish Masala (optional)
1-2 Cardamoms
1-2 cloves

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Grind all the ingredients of the marinade to a thick paste. Let it not be watery as the marinade has to hold onto the fish pieces.


2) Marinate the fish pieces with this marinade and set it aside, preferebly in the refrigerator for atleast 1-2 hours.

3) Remove it from the refrigerator atleast 20-30 minutes before frying.

4) Heat 3-4 tablespooons of Oil in a pan, place some of the fish pieces on this oil and allow it to fry, flipping it on both the sides till golden brown on both the sides.

5) Garnish with some lemon juice and finely chopped coriander leaves if you wish.


RATING NOTES:
               DIFFICULTY LEVEL    :   Easy
              RATING  POINTS         :    8/10**

** For a more crispy texture, you can roll the marinated fish in bread crumbs/ corn flour before frying.


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