ShareFinally I'm off on my vacation to India .In the event of impending holy month of Ramadaan,I  shall be off my blog for some time.Wil be back soon.
May Allah make us of the successful in Ramadan, and make it easy for us to turn to him completely and perpetually. Ameen.


ShareThe way to a perfect dish of Chicken Tikka Masala may sound laborious with grilling the chicken and then making a gravy out of it.Not anymore....

  • Ingredients for the Tikka
  • Boneless chicken(bite size pieces)-500gm
  • Red chilli powder-2tsp
  • Jeera powder-1tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
  • Garam masala-1/2tsp
  • Ginger garlic paste-2tsp
  • Curds-2tbsp
  • Oil-2tbsp
  • Salt -to taste
  • Red food color-a pinch

Mix all the ingredients with the chicken and marinate for 2 hrs.Heat a non stick pan and roast the chicken on medium flame till crisp and cooked.

For the gravy:
  • Chopped onions-1cup
  • Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
  • Tomato puree-1cup
  • Jeera powder-1/2tsp
  • Chilli powder-1tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Butter-2tbsp
Heat butter in a pan.
Add onions and saute til brown.Add ginger garlic paste and saute.
Add the remaining ingredients and saute for 2mins.
Add the chicken pieces now and add enough water to get the right consistancy.
Boil for 2 mins.
Serve hot garnished with chopped cilantro.


ShareI had Bhuna Gosht in a restaurant once and vowed to make my own version of  it at home.
The result was not too close to what I had eaten, but the taste turned out to be heavenly.


Ingredients:
  • Lamb cuts-500gm
  • Ginger garlic paste-1tbsp
  • Red chilli powder-2tsp
  • Jeera powder-1/2tsp
  • Garam masala powder-1/2tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Finely Sliced onions-1 big
  • Curry leaves-1 string(optional)
  • Oil-2tbsp
  • Chopped cilatro,Lemon-For garnish

Add ginger garlic paste,salt and all the spices to the meat and marinate meat for a couple od hours.
Add a cup of water and cook meat on low flame until tender.A pressure cooker can also be used to cook meat.Make sure the meat does not get over cooked.
In a pan heat oil,add curry leaves, sliced onions and saute till crisp and olden brown.
Now add the cooked meat and saute on high flame till all the water dries up and the meat gets crisp.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.
Serve hot with rice or rotis.
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Mishti Doi is synonymous with Bengal in East India.Bengali sweets is complete without "Mishti Doi" or sweet yoghurt. It is a must-have item on all auspicious occasions for Bengalis
Mishti Doi tastes great but is amazingly simple to make!
Mishti doi reminds me, and probably all Bengalis an earthen pot filled with a brownish mass of sweet curd.

Ingredients:

  • Full Cream Milk-1ltr
  • Sugar-8 tbsp
  • Yogurt -2 tbsp
  • 1 Earthen pot (optional)

Pour the milk in a thick bottom vessel and heat over low flame

As it starts boiling add 4 tablespoons of sugar and keep on simmering till the volume is reduced to little less than half.

Take the remaining sugar with 2 tablespoons of water and heat till the sugar melts and attains a golden brown color.

Gradually add the molten sugar over the milk and boil for another 15 minutes over low flame

Take out of flame and let it become lukewarm

Pour the milk over the earthen pot and add the yogurt

Keep the pot in a warm, dry place, and let the yogurt set over night
Refrigerate the set dahi and serve as a dessert .
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ShareThese grilled chops, easy to prepare and delicious to eat, can be served as a starter or a light lunch or even more appetizing on a barbecue accompanying other delicious dishes.This dish goes well with rice or grilled vegetables.

Lean lamb cuts are ideal for cooking this dish. This particular dish is best to be left to marinate for at least 4-6 hours or over night before cooking. Once marinated cook under a grill, barbecue or on a griddle


  •  Lamb rib chops-6 (500gm)
  • Oil-3tbsp
  • Ginger garlic paste-2tsp
  • Red chilli powder-2tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
  • Lemon juice-1tsp
  • Garam masala-1/2tsp
  • 4tbsp-thick yoghurt
  • Salt-to taste
  • Chopped cilatro-3tbsp

Beat each chop on both sides.
Place lamb chops in a shallow dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chops.
Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours.
Preheat grill for medium heat.
Place chops on a well oiled grill or grriddle  and cook on each side till well cooked.
Once cooked garnish with fresh salad, lemon wedges.Serve with your favorite chutney or yoghurt sauce.
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ShareI just love bhindi.I had my eyes on this fry since I got married.Had to wait for six long years to make this and eat. Once my husband had I  been to a wedding and there he happened to have this dish. He had all praise for it and wished to have it at home. Then my mission was to try my hands on this north Indian delicacy. It was an instant hit . This is a very good starter and also a prominent side dish to accompany with rotis or rice.


 Ingredients:
  
  • Bhindi (Okra)-300gm
  • Amchoor(dry mango) powder-1tsp
  • Red chilli powder-1tsp
  • Cumin powder-1/2tsp
  • Besan(gram flour)-3/4 cup
  • Corn flour-1/4cup
  • Broken cashewnuts-2tbsp(optional)
  • Finely chopped onions-2tbsp
  • Oil-to deep fry
  • Vinegar-1tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Red food colour-a pinch(optional)


Wash the bhindi and pat dry them
Cut off both the ends and slit them length wise or cut them diagonally.
Add all ingredients and mix and sprinkle few drops of water if the flour is not sticking to the bhindi.
Deep fry till golden brown on medium heat.
Serve as appetizer or as an accompaniment.
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Share-Kentucky Fried Chicken is loved across the world and there are many recipes online that try to duplicate the great taste. After many tries at preparing the perfect chicken I have learned that there are several factors that have a great influence the perfect result.

Use  shortening versus vegetable oil.The shortening tends to do a better job at cooking the chicken.
There are no shortcuts.The chicken needs to be marinated for a long time.This makes the chicken extremely soft and juicy.
This recipe is so close to the real deal. Adjust the recipe as you wish until your happy with the results.


Ingredients:

  • Chicken-8 pieces (I used the drumsticks and thighs of a large chicken)
  • Red chilli powder-1tsp
  • Garlic powder-1tsp
  • Mixed herbs-3tsp( is easily available at large supermarkets)
  • Black pepper powder-1tsp
  • Meat tenderiser-1/4 tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Egg, beaten -1
  • Milk-1cup
  • Flour-2cups
  • Coarse bread crumbs-2tbsp
  • Shortening/ vegetable oil-to deep fry

Remove any excess skin and fat from the chicken pieces.
Soak the chicken in 5 cups of water and add the red chilli powder,garlic powder,mixed herbs,salt and meat tenderiser.
Mix well and let it marinate in the referigerator for 24 hours.
Combine the beaten egg ,a pinch of salt and milk in a bowl.
In another bowl, combine the coating ingredients (flour, salt, pepper and crumbs).
When the chicken has marinated, transfer each piece to paper towels so that excess liquid can drain off.
Working with one piece at a time, first dip in egg and milk then coat the chicken with the dry flour mixture, then the egg and milk mixture again, and then back into the flour.
I like to double coat my chicken for extra crispiness and texture.
Make sure that each piece is coated very generously.
Stack the chicken on a plate.
Drop the chicken, one piece at a time into the hot shortening/oil.
Fry on medium heat till golden brown.
Remove the chicken and drain in paper towels for about 5 minutes before eating.
Enjoyyy  the amazingly crisp and juicy KFC chicken !!
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ShareMy visit to Dubai’s busiest fish market in Deira was worth a visit.
At the break of dawn, the place is bustling with sellers and traders luring every single customer to their catch of the day.
Mind you, they do sales talk in languages you can imagine – German, Japanese, English and what not - depending on how they see you!
Dubai, being situated in the Arabian Peninsula is abundant with so many kinds of fishes. The Dubai Fish Market has an incredible variety of local fish, crabs, shrimps, you name it at very affordable prices and very fresh, some still moving.
If you haven’t been to a real, wet fish market, be prepared, though - it is an eye opener to your senses. The smell is, well, fishy but what can you expect from a fish market? After a while, your nose will get used to the smell and you won’t mind roaming around looking for the perfect fish

Next to the Fish Market is the Vegetable and Fruit Market. The vegetables are better than the ones in the supermarkets.
Dubai is a desert land but because of its location, we get lots of fresh produce from neighboring countries in Mediterranean, Europe and India. Some veggies and fruits are locally produced as well, using state of the art greenhouses.
This is where you'll find a large variety of cheap and fresh fruits both from local and imported from neighboring countries. It's also a place where you can get a hand on different types of dates

In all,had a great time in the market. Cya...
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SharePav bhaji  is a fast food dish popular in most cities of India and liked by almost everyone. Pav means bread and bhaji is a term for the mashed vegetable curry  garnished with coriander and chopped onions.
  
Ingredients-


 
  • Boiled and mashed vegetables(potato/cauliflower/capsicum/carrot/beans/green peas)-500gm
  • Finely chopped onions-1 big
  • Finely bchopped tomatoes-2 medium
  • Chopped garlic-2tbsp
  • Chopped fresh coriander leaves - handful
  • Pav bhaji masala -  2tbsp
  • Red chilli pwd - to taste(optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Lemon juice
  • for garnishing - onions and coriander finely chopped
  • Low fat Butter
  • Pav/Burger buns/bread-1 pack (use brown bread/buns for a healthier dish)

Bhaji:

Cut all the vegetables in big pieces and boil them with a cup of water and a little salt in a pressure cooker.
Mash these vegetables.
In a pan put 2tsp oil, add the garlic and chopped onions and sautee till slightly pink in colour.
Add the tomatoes and cook closed until soft.
Add the paav bhaji masala.(I use Everest/mother's recipe pav bhaji masala) saute the tomatoes well.
Add the vegetable mixture to it & mix it well .
Add salt (according to taste) and red chilli powder if you like a real hot gravy.
Add water if the gravy gets too thick
Let it boil for a minute or two.

Add 2tbsp butter to it as per your taste and mix it well.
Once you remove it from gas pour in juice of half a lemon for that extra taste.

For Pav:

 
Apply butter to your pav.
Toast your pav until they turn golden brown.

 
To serve:

 
Serve your Pav and Bhaji together with onion, cilantro & lemon juice garnished on the bhaji.
Enjoyyy !
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ShareTahini is readily available in stores across many countries. 
It is an essential ingredient in Middle Eastern dishes such as humous and falafel
I just like to make my own tahini and have found that this recipe is the best.
I have made it with both vegetable oil and olive oil and decided that I like if best with a combination of the two.
It is worth making tahini in bulk to reduce waste as the sticky paste is difficult to empty cleanly from your food processor. This is the proportion of oil to sesame seeds to use, increase the quantities to suit your needs

 
Ingredients:

 
  • Sesame seeds-5cups
  • Olive oil or vegetable oil-1 1/2 cups

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast sesame seeds for 5-10 minutes, stirring the seeds frequently with a spatula. Do not allow to brown. Cool for 20 minutes.
Pour sesame seeds into food processor and add oil. Blend for 2 minutes. Check for consistency. The goal is a thick, yet pourable texture. Add more oil and blend until desired consistency.
Makes about 4 cups
Homemade tahini should be stored in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container. It will keep for up to 3 months.
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ShareFalafel is very popular in the Middle Eastern snack.
As a main dish, it is served as a sandwich, stuffed in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, and tahini sauce. As an appetizer, it is served on a salad, or with hummus and tahini. Falafel is a favorite among vegetarians.



  • Dried chickpeas or canned chickpeas -1cup/1can
  • Onion, chopped -1large
  • Garlic, chopped-3cloves
  • Fresh parsley, chopped-3tbsp
  • Fresh cilantro, chopped -3tbsp
  • Cumin -1tsp
  • Flour-4tbsp
  • Dry hot red pepper-1/2tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Baking powder-1tsp
  • Oil -for frying
  • Tahini sauce thinned with a few drops of water(Homemade recipe to follow in next post)
  • Chopped tomato/onion/bell peppers- for garnish
Place dried chickpeas in a bowl, covering with water. Allow to soak overnight. Omit this step if using canned beans.
Drain chickpeas and pressure cook for 20mins until cooked 
Drain and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
Combine chickpeas, garlic, onion, cumin, parsley, cilantro, salt and pepper in bowl. Add flour and baking powder.
Mash chickpeas well ensuring to mix ingredients together. You can also combine ingredients in a food processor if  you want the result to be a thick paste.
Form the mixture into small balls, about the size of a ping pong ball. Slightly flatten.
Fry in 2 inches of oil on medium flame until golden brown .Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel for a minute or two.
Serve hot. Garnish falafel platter with cut tomatoes, green bell peppers, red onion and turnips. Serve tahini on the side.
NOTE: As an alternative, falafel can be formed into patties and served like a burger.

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ShareFresh, delicious, healthy and bursting with peach flavor!
There’s nothing like a sweet creamy peach milkshake to cool off those summer nights. A couple days I went to the grocery store and found huge, beautiful peaches for an amazing price. Lucky me!

Ingredients:
  • Peaches -6
  • Ice -4 cups
  • Honey-to taste

 
Peel the peaches, chop them and place them in a blender with ice, and blend. To serve, pour the glass half way with the smoothie, add a dash of honey, pour the glass to the top, and top it with one more dash of honey.
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Share
  •  Lauki (bottlegourd), peeled and grated-4cups
  • Onion (chopped)-1large
  • Tomato (chopped)-1large
  • Gram flour (besan)-4tbsp or more if required
  • Yoghurt-2tbsp
  • Garlic cloves, finely chopped-3cloves
  • Ginger, finely chopped-1tsp
  • Black pepper powder-1/2tsp
  • Chopped Green chilies-4
  • Cumin seeds-1tsp
  • Coriander powder-1tsp
  • Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
  • Red Chili powder-1tsp
  • Salt-to taste
  • Oil-4tbsp

Dry roast besan on low heat for 2-3 minutes
Squeeze water out of the lauki; mix in salt, ginger and black pepper.
Sauté over high flame, to dry up excess liquid and leave to cool.
Add roasted besan, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder,2tsp chopped corriander leaves; mix well and shape into walnut sized balls.
Deep-fry koftas to a golden brown over high flame and keep aside
Coarsely grind green chillies, onion, yoghurt and tomatoes all together in a blender
Add 2 large spoons of oil in a pan.
Add chopped garlic and the coarse masala to it.Once the masala is cooked,lower the flame and continuously stir the masala
Add the dry masala, i.e. red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt to taste
Add 2 cups of water to make the gravy. Boil the gravy for 5mins
Add koftas into the gravy
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves
Serve hot with roti or rice.
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ShareKiwi fruit, is one of the top healthy fruits.
Kiwi fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals and protective phytochemicals that promote health and longevity of human life.
What more can one ask for? This amazingly tasty drink is an amazing health drink,a heat buster and an excellent cocktail drink for parties.
Ingredients
  • kiwi fruit, diced with some larger chunks for garnish-1cup
  • Juice of lime, freshly squeezed-1
  • Finely minced ginger-1/4tsp
  • Dash of salt- optional
  • Sugar syrup-3tbsp
  • Ginger Ale(carbonated soft drink flavored with ginger)-8 oz.
  • Ice
In a mixing container, add sugar syrup, dash of salt, minced ginger, diced kiwi, and lime juice; mix well.
Pour ginger ale into a chilled serving glass.
Pour juice mix over soda, making sure to swirl minced ginger and kiwi.
Garnish with kiwi and lime rind. Enjoy!
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ShareMy idea of the perfect dessert involves custard in any shape or form.
This rich custard gets its color and flavor from a caramelized-sugar topping. It's a great make-ahead dessert that's sure to impress any gathering.
The recipe I submit to you today is Julia Child’s crème renversée au caramel–unmolded caramel custard. You line your molds with the caramel, fill it with custard, and then bake in a water bath to ensure slow and even cooking. It can seem a little complicated but crème caramel is actually quite simple to make and it never fails to impress.

for the caramel:
  •  Sugar-2/3rd cup
  • Water-1/3rd cup
Add sugar and water to a heavy stainless steel saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. When it starts to brown, swirl the saucepan around but do not stir. This will ensure that the sugar turns color evenly and will help wash any crystals off the side. When it is thick and a light, nutty brown, remove from heat and pour directly into molds; swirl each mold to coat evenly with the caramel.

For the custard:
  • Milk-2 1/2 cups
  • Sugar-1/2cup
  • Eggs-3
  • Egg yolks-3
  • Vanilla extract-1tsp

Bring the milk to just below a simmer in a saucepan.
Gradually beat the sugar into the eggs and egg yolks in a bowl until well mixed, light, and foamy.
Continue beating while pouring in the hot milk in a thin stream of droplets.
Add vanilla extract.
Strain the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into the caramel-lined molds.
To bake the molds, set them in a pan and pour enough boiling water around them to come halfway up the sides. Place in the bottom third of an oven preheated to 350F.
After five minutes, turn down the heat to 325F. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the center is firm but slightly wobbly. Cooking it too long will result in a tough rather than tender custard.
Chill in the refrigerator. To unmold, run a knife between the custard and edges of the mold. Place a serving dish upside down over the mold and quickly reverse the two, and remove the mold from the custard.
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