Layered Mango-Coconut Pannacotta

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication; said, Leonardo Da Vinci, and he couldn't be more right. Simple, effortless,uncomplicated and a touch of sophistication is what I look out for when I select a particular recipe to try. 

To be honest, when I started cooking, I was never confident while trying out a dessert. Not even for the simplest custard or a fruit salad dessert. The only time I would make one was when I was forced to - for a party or when friends visit etc. It was these efforts which gradually raised my confidence and today I find myself trying out desserts with ease.

Here I have an interesting but a very simple dessert that is so easy and requires absolutely no cooking. It needs to be served chilled and can be made in a jiffy with the right ingredients. It is colorful, delicious and versatile - you can replace the fruits with every season.

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INGREDIENTS:

For the Coconut-Cream Layer:

• 1 2/3 cups Cream
• 1/4 cup Caster Sugar
• 1 Vanilla Bean, split lengthways
• 1 tbsp Gelatine
• 2 tbsp coconut powder                                                        

For the Mango Layer:

• 3-4 Mangoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp Gelatine

For the Pistachio Praline:

• 1 1/2 tbsp Pistachios, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup Caster Sugar                                                    

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Place  chopped mango in a blender and puree until smooth.

2)  Heat 1/3 cup water and add 1 tbsp. gelatin in it and stir the gelatin until it is dissolved (you can follow the instructions given on the gelatin pack for better results). Use 1 tbsp gelatin for this recipe if using the same amount of ingredients.

3)  Cool the gelatin and bring it to room temperature. Then mix it with the mango puree and pour in the setting bowls evenly. Refrigerate it until you prepare the next creamy layer (almost 30 min to 1 hour)

4)  The mango-gelatin mixture should be at least semi-set by the time you prepare the coconut-cream layer.

5)  For the coconut-cream layer, beat fresh cream or whipping cream using a beater until thick. Then add the coconut powder, icing sugar and vanilla essence. Continue to beat until well blended and thick.

6) Prepare gelatin again as in step 2. Cool it to room temperature and then mix it with this creamy mixture.

7) Pour this mixture on top of the mango mixture in each of the setting bowl. Allow this to set for another hour in the refrigerator.

8)  To make praline, heat the caster sugar on a wide pan until it is browned stirring in between.  You can add 2 tbsp of water if you like so that it doesn't harden.As the sugar browns and melts, add in finely chopped pistachios and stir well.

9) Cool it for 5 minutes and top  the double layered pannacotta and serve immediately.

10) Alternatively, you can turn panna cotta out onto serving plates. If it’s difficult to release, dip briefly in hot water then try again. Top with pistachio praline and serve immediately.

11)  It’s important when using gelatine that the temperature of the dissolved gelatine and the mixture it’s going into are the same, otherwise lumps may form.

 

Tawa Bihaari kebab

I love Kebabs for their ease & versatility. Add or minus an ingredient and you have a different taste. These Kebabs not only look yummy; but taste yummy too.

Made with only 6 ingredients, these can be grilled, oven-baked and even pan-fried. I pan-fried them coz I was too lazy to set up the grill; and they were on the table quickly and disappeared quickly too.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Kg Chicken / Mutton cubes
1/2 cup Oil
1 tbsp heaped Ginger garlic paste
1/2 cup Yogurt
1 tsp heaped Garam Masala Powder
1 tbsp heaped Raw papaya
1 tsp Chili powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Roasted and crushed cumin
1 tsp roasted and ground Coriander seeds
1 tsp roasted and ground Poppy seeds
1 tsp Roasted gram

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Marinate the meat cubes with raw papaya and oil for 1 hour.

2) Then add in all the above ingredients and keep aside to marinate for another hour.

3)  Line the cubes on skewers.

4)  Heat ¼ cup oil on a flat pan or tawa and place the skewers on it. In case you don’t have skewers, you can fry the cubes as it is.  Fry on low flame till done.

5)  Light two pieces of coal and place in the center of the tawa. Pour a teaspoon of ghee on the coals and cover immediately. Let it rest for few minutes.

6)  Serve with onion rings, lemon slices, mint leaves and chutney.

Afghani Chicken Kebab

This week's looking like a goodun with some shopping out on Wednesday, a supper on Friday with friends, a weekend loaded with arrangements and planning and donno what else - so lots to look forward to. 

I have another succulent Kebaab recipe with me made a while back which is a bit different from our other chicken Kebabs. By using skinless and boneless Chicken Breasts and dunking  in a special marinade of herbs, yogurt and pepper, these Kebabs are so tender, most and delicious that you will never be content with eating just one.

So enjoy the Afghani Chicken Kebab.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skin removed.(I also used chicken thighs)

For marinade:

• 2 tbsp yogurt
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tbsp kebab masala powder (as shown below)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• A pinch of turmeric
• Salt to taste

For the kabab masala powder:

• 50 g saunf (fennel seeds)
• 50 g jeera (cumin seeds)
• 50 g cloves
• 50 g cardamom
• 50 g cinnamon
• 50 g bay leaves

Roast and grind the dry spices. Only 1 tbsp is required for the recipe, the remaining can be stored in an airtight container.

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Cut chicken in 2 -3 inch cubes.
2. Blend the ingredients of the marinade. Marinate the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Pre- heat the oven and grill for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked.
4. Alternatively, skewer the chicken and barbecue on charcoal or an electric grill.
5. Serve with onion rings that have been soaked in lime juice and chili mixture.

 

Moong Dal Pancake or Green lentils Pancake

India boasts of a variety of pancakes to pamper the breakfast time. Pancakes are more common in South India and they can be prepared in a myriad ways.
 
Pancake recipes have evolved to suit regional and personal preferences and every little place in India will have its own special type of pancake. Once the batter is ready, they are  fairly quick and easy to prepare.
 
I have a recipe here for a pancake packed with proteins and I am sure these will top the list for a healthy breakfast.

 
INGREDIENTS:
 

2 cups green gram lentils soaked for 8 hours and ground in a mixer with little salt

1 green chilly, finely chopped

½ inch piece ginger, chopped

A pinch of asafoetida(optional)

¼ tbsp rice flour

¼ cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves (optional)

Salt to taste

1 finely chopped onion

Oil for pan frying

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1)  Mix all the ingredients with the ground lentils except oil to make the pancake batter.

 

2) Heat a griddle or a flat pan and smear some oil over it.

 

3) Using a ladle, pour and spread some pancake batter on it into a round shape.

 

4) Smear some oil over this spread batter on the pan. Flip and cook both sides till crisp and browned.

 

5) Serve with a Chutney or a dip.

 

 

Pencil Seekh Kebab

These Seekh Kebabs have all the elements of a classic Kebab roll up, grilled and can be eaten with a warm sauce.

I made these during the weekend and  teamed it up with a Salad and I was delighted to find my little toddler enjoying them as a finger food. This is a great meal to get your kids taking in mouthfuls.

These Kebabs are easy to do (although the instructions look long and difficult)  and perfect for a light kid-friendly meal or  an evening snack. You can also roll them up with flat breads for exciting wraps and rolls of your choices.

INGREDIENTS:

½ kg minced meat (completely drained of water)
2 tbsp gram flour
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 dried red chillies
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Juice of half a lime
5 to 8 finely chopped green chillies
1 big onion grated and squeezed of all water (use a muslin cloth)
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
Chopped coriander
¼ tsp meat tenderizer (optional – u can marinate meat in raw papaya for half an hour initially)
Oil for shallow frying

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Mix all the ingredients and marinate for an hour or more.

2)  Make the seekh kebabs by rolling the kheema tightly over a skewer. If you don’t have a skewer, you can use a pencil and make short seekhs. Slightly wet your palms and keep pressing the meat against the skewer or pencil.

3) Once the seekh is firm, gently slide it out from the skewer or pencil.

4)  Shallow fry or grill on the top rack of an oven the seekh kebabs in oil, till perfectly done.

5)  Serve them hot with some chilli sauce or Ketchup.

 

Chapli Kebab

I've been a bit slack again with the posts waiting in my drafts and about updating my blog recently due to one thing or another so there is a massive backlog of recipes that I'll be posting over the coming days. I started this one last week and have written the remainder of it now from my office desk.

I've been struck down by some bizarre bug that feels like a weekend hangover but very definitely isn't. I feel lethargic for some unknown reasons and have been longing for a holiday which I want to utilize relaxing. Incidentally we have a public holiday coming soon but it is still a fortnight away from us. Sometimes life really is hectic!!! 
 
So this recipe was tried a few days back on one of the weekends when the menu was a bit low key. I was a slightly hesitant to follow it to the dot and wanted to make a few changes. Luckily I did not. Because I discovered how adding unique ingredients also can make a great Kebab.
 
The recipe below says the rest.
 
INGREDIENTS:
 
500 gms Beef or lamb mince
4 tbsp Gram or Corn flour
2 tbsp Coriander seeds (crushed)
2 tbsp Pomegranate seeds
3 tsp Red pepper (crushed)
1 tbsp Fresh ginger paste
2 beaten eggs omelette (or pan fried with little oil & salt)
Salt to taste
2 tsp Black pepper crushed
6 Tomatoes medium sized, chopped
2 Onion 2 finely chopped
5 Green chilies chopped
2 Egg
Oil for frying
 
HOW TO MAKE:
 
1)  In a mixing bowl add all the above ingredients (excepts oil which is for frying).

2)  Also add the omelette and mix so that omelette in broken into small pieces and mixed with all the ingredients.

3) Let the mixture set in a refrigerator for 2 - 3 hours.  Make flat medium sized patties out of it.

4) Deep fry the patties or grill them in a hot oven until golden brown.

 

Simple Chocolate cake

Cooking is fun for sure but the joy is really in sharing your creation and serving people by putting your best foot forward. On my recent weekend baking spree, I chose to bake a simple chocolate cake with a simple frosting and ended up serving it to a small group of my colleagues at the workplace the next day. It was a welcome break for everyone from a busy loaded work day to see everyone relishing homemade bakes which eventually created a flow of gratitude and compliments as they enjoyed it.

This recipe will make even the most finicky Dessert eater a lover of sweets. The cake for sure is light and fluffy with loads of chocolate flavor – in fact the Chocolaty flavor is definitely mellowed. The cake is deliciously soft and moist and the type of fat used is unsalted butter at room temperature. However I also happened to read that oil also can be used in this recipe so that the softness and moisture is retained even when the cake is refrigerated. So don't be shy to make it in your own way. It is a lovely cake and the margin of errors is almost nil.

Now off to the recipe :

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups sugar

245 grams all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter        

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla essence

 

Chocolate Frosting:

 

1 small can puck cream (plain flavored Danish cream with about 20% fat)

1/2 cup chocolate syrup

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

 

2) In another large bowl, cream unslated butter till soft and creamy. Then add sugar and continue to cream until the sugar has dissolved at least half. You can use a beater or a whisk for this process.

 

3) Add in eggs one at a time and  whisk together . Then add the milk and  vanilla extract. Beat until all the sugar is dissolved and the batter is creamy and fluffy (about 5 minutes)

 

4) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir, or whisk, until combined.

5) Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 

6) Cool the cake and then frost it.

 

Frosting:

 

1) Whisk together the puck cream and chocolate syrup until creamy.

 

2) Spread it evenly on the top of the baked chocolate cake and enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hyderabadi haleem

I am not a massive fan of rich food, but Friday lunches are important for us because we celebrate our weekend with some great food, tried and tested dishes and desserts. From quite a while we have been craving Haleem and I was eyeing one of the nearby Hyderabadi restaurant for it.

Haleem is made by beef, mutton or chicken along with all pulses and spices of Indian sub-continent. The main ingredient is the broken wheat and the best way to cook is the slow cooking method which helps the spices get absorbed by the other ingredients. Originally from Persia, this dish is also very popular in South Asia as well.

Unfortunately most Hyderabadi restaurants here sell Haleem only on Fridays and usually for lunch. And it is not always possible to pick it up from the restaurant after the Friday prayers due to various reasons. So instead of pondering deep over these issues, I just decided to make it myself even though I know it is a tedious job and I was making it for the first time and the margin for errors could be quite high.

Irrespective of all of these things, on Thursday evening I found myself embarking on the arduous task of bookmarking a recipe for this fabulous dish and then soaking the lentils and the wheat. It was decided that Friday lunch would be a one-dish affair and it would surely be Haleem along with a garden salad. I need to point out that I used to feel making Haleem is a very stressful job and it is usually served only in most Muslim parties for highly deserving recipients. I knew I was wrong after I made it.

 This recipe comes from an authentic Pakistani recipe source. I absolutely adore the way Pakistanis cook their Non-vegetarian dishes. I hope you enjoy making Haleem.

INGREDIENTS:

300gms. minced Chicken/Lamb meat                                           
150gms. Chana dal
150gms. Urad dal
150gms. yellow Moong dal
150gms. Broken Wheat
150gms. Oats (optional)
1 tbsp. whole Black peppercorns
2 tbsp. Black pepper powder
1 big Onion, finely sliced
500ml. Chicken/Mutton Stock
100gms. thick Yogurt/Curd
2 tbsp. Ginger-Garlic paste
2 tbsp. Garam Masala
½ tbsp. Coriander powder
½ tbsp. Jeera/Cumin powder
3 Cardamom, 3 1’ pieces of Cinnamon and 3 Cloves
Ghee/Oil
Salt
4 tbsp. Lemon juice
5 Green chills
1 cup Coriander leaves
½ cup Mint leaves

 HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Beat yogurt with ½ tbsp. black pepper powder, salt and ½ tbsp. ginger-garlic paste. Add chicken/mutton pieces to this and mix well. Leave this marinade in the refrigerator for 3-4 hrs.

2) Soak the broken wheat overnight in some water.
3) Soak all the lentils for atleast 2-3 hours.

4) Make a fine paste of green chillies, coriander leaves and mint leaves.

5) Pressure cook together the lentils and the broken wheat with 4 cups water until they are very soft and then try to puree it with a flat spoon.

6) Pressure cook the marinated chicken or mutton until very soft.

7) In a cooking vessel heat clarified butter/oil and then add whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.

8)  Add sliced onions and fry till they turn nice golden brown. Reserve half of fried onions for garnish.

9) In the same oil, along with fried onions add green chill, coriander and mint paste. Fry for a minute and add pureed lentils, broken wheat and cooked chicken.

10) Add chicken/mutton stock, pepper powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, oats, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice and garam masala. Mix till all the ingredients are mixed nicely.

11) Cook by stirring occasionally on low flame for 30-45 minutes till the flavors are incorporated with each other completely.

12) Serve warm by garnishing with reserved fried onion slices and lemon wedges.

  

Nargisi Kebab

Nargisi Kebabs as they are popularly known as are a treat to non vegetarians. Succulent mutton is rolled out around boiled eggs that are spiced to bring out the best flavor. These are a specialty especially during Ramadan months as they are one of the best choices for iftars.

The concept for these Kebabs is quite different from our other Kebabs. The recipe below says the rest.

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggs, hard boiled
500 grams mince meat
50 grams Bengal gram lentils
2 tsp green chilli paste
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
Whole spices, 2 to 3 of each
3 cups water
1 egg, beaten
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Soak the lentils  for an hour.

2) Pressure cook together the minced meat, lentils, green chilli paste, ginger-garlic paste, whole spices, and salt.

3) Once the cooker opens, on a high heat dry all the water out from this meat mixture.

4) Grind the meat mixture in a grinder till a dough-like consistency is obtained.

5) Slice the boiled eggs half, length-wise. Slightly oil your palms, and flatten a small amount of the meat mixture on it. Cover each half of the eggs with the meat mixture.

6) Dilute the beaten egg with two teaspoons of water.

7)  Heat oil in a pan. Dip the kababs in the beaten egg, and fry till golden and serve them hot.

 

Dahi Kadhi

This weekend's been great, so much food, cooking, napping and reading- all my favourite stuff basically! I'm going to spend the rest of this week catching up and scheduling my blog to make way for an influx of new reviews and recipes that will be coming your way soon. I have got 15 more recipes waiting in my drafts which have been tried and tested since a while, waiting to get published. I intend putting them up at the earliest.

Can you say YUMMY? This is such a great QUICK and EASY recipe, yet the results taste like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. This is an ample serving. You could easily just steam some rice and still have room in your calories for some meat or chicken on the side. It is perfect for the summer months and a pleasure to the digestive system. We call it the Dahi Ki Kadhi in India, made up mainly of sour yogurt. Each state has its own version of this recipe and all versions taste wonderful.

INGREDIENTS:

For the kadhi:

• 1 small to medium onion
• ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic or crushed garlic
• 8-10 fenugreek seeds
• 2 green chillies chopped or slit lengthwise
• 2 red chillies broken
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• a generous pinch of asafoetida
• 8 to 10 curry leaves or 1 sprig
• 2 tbsp.oil
• a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

For the curd mixture:

• 1 1/2 cup full fat sour curd
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water or add as required
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Pinch garam masala powder
• generous pinch of asafoetida/hing
• Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

 

The curd mixture:

 

1) Mix all the ingredients listed under the curd mixture in a bowl and keep aside.

 

The Kadhi :

 

1) Heat oil in a low bottomed vessel. Add in the red chilies, garlic  and the asafetida.

 

2) Then add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and the cumin seeds.

 

3) Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the green chilies and the sliced onion and fry them until onion is soft.

 

4) Pour in the curd mixture. Allow it to simmer on low flame for about 10 to 15 minutes.

 

5) Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

 

6) You can drop in some onion fritters or spinach fritters and can serve it with steamed rice.