Anju's Kitchen Treasures

AMAZING OLIVE OIL......

6:13 PM - Posted by Anjum - 0 comments

Olive oil has numerous benifits.

Here is my list of reasons to use extra virgin olive oil

Nutrition - vitamins E, K, and A as well as hundreds more micronutrients make olive oil a really healthy choice when compared to any other oil.

Heart Health - extra virgin olive oil is high in powerful antioxidants and mono unsaturated fat which contributes to lowering bad cholesterol.I personally have experienced this after using olive oil for about 3 months.

Blood Pressure - Studies now indicate that extra virgin olive oil may help to lower blood pressure. Patients were able to reduce or eliminate the need for medications when olive oil was consumed on a regular basis.

Non Hydrogenated Oil - olive oil is not hydrogenated oil. Hydrogenation creates dangerous trans-fats found in margarine and many other packaged foods

Cancer - olive oil may be just as effective in the prevention of colon cancer as fresh fruits and veggies. A diet rich in olive oil has been shown to reduce the incidence of colon, breast and skin cancers.

Alzheimers - this disease is associated with the clogging of arteries caused by cholesterol and saturated fat. Replacing other fats with olive oil will reduce the risk

Gallstones - Olive oil promotes the secretion of bile and pancreatic hormones naturally and lowers the incidence of gallstones.

Oleic Acid - oleic acid (omega 9) makes up 55 - 85 percent of the fatty acids in olive oil. Don't confuse this with the amount of free oleic acid which is the main factor used to determine the grade of the olive oil and the lower the better. It's great for your skin .Oleic acid aids in keeping our arteries supple and helps prevent cancer.

Flavour - It just tastes good. I guess I would have to say it is an acquired taste and some people just don't like the bitter characteristic of some oils. There are olive varieties known for their mild flavour and olive oil pressed from ripe olives is smooth, mellow and buttery.

It's Natural- the best of olive oil benefits. Extra virgin olive oil is nothing but fruit juice extracted mechanically from olive fruit. There is no heat or chemicals used in the extraction process. My favourite and the most beneficial is a fresh organic unfiltered extra virgin olive oil.

There are many more olive oil benefits. It's great for skin and hair care, used in natural remedies, and is a more versatile cooking oil than you may think.

Its never too late...Switch to Olive oil !

Hyderabadi Khatti Dal

5:34 PM - Posted by Anjum - 3 comments

ShareYou bet,Iv been getting into this Hyderabadi food mode over the last week.
I guess it was triggered off with the TV show-called foodie hosted by kunal vijaykar.In a particular episode,Diya mirza cooked up some amazing Hyderabadi Khatti dal and Fried Kheema.Shall try out the kheema a little later.

So herez yet another slurpy dal recipe which goes well with practically anything.
It works wonders when you defenitely need a break from the chickenz and the muttonz...
So here is the recipe

Ingredients:

2cups tuvar dal
salt to taste
2 tsp red chilli powder
4 whole garlic cloves
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chilli
4 cups water
1 cup tamarind paste
For tempering or the tadka:
2 garlic cloves cut lengthwise
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
one string curry leaves
2 dried red chillies

Method:

Wash the dal and place it in a pressure cooker, add 2 cups of water, garlic cloves, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder and pressure cook for about 15-20 min's.

After the pressure comes out,smash the dal with a wooden smasher or spoon.

Finally add the tamarind paste.

Throw in the green chilli and cook the dal for about 2 mins and set aside.

In a small pan, heat oil/ghee and add cumin and mustard seeds, as soon as they start spluttering, add the remaining ingredients and splash in onto the dal.

Serve with plain rice, or as a side dish with rotis(the consistancy can be made a little thicker if with rotis)

Shaami Kebab

3:38 PM - Posted by Anjum - 3 comments

ShareShami kebabs are an extremely popular snack in Pakistan and India. They are often garnished with lemon juice and/or sliced raw onions, and are usually eaten with chutney made from mint or coriander

Ingredients for the mouth watering Kebabs:

150 gms Mutton Kheema

1 Egg
1meduim sized chopped Onion
3 Green Chillies chopped

50 gms Bengal Gram dal(Chana dal) soaked overnight
1tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp Cumin Seed (Jeera)

1/2tsp garam masala powder

4 Pepper corns (Kalimirchi)

2 Red Chillies

Oil

Method:
Boil the washed kheema in 1/2 a cup of water and a little salt till water is absorbed and meat is tender.

Grind meat into a fine paste.

Take ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds, garam masala, peppercorns, red chillies and soaked gram dal and grind into a fine paste.

Mix both the pastes well.
Now mix well the beaten egg and prepare a uniform dough.
Add finely chopped green chillies and onion to dough and mix well.

Shape the dough into small round flattened patties or kababs.
Heat oil/ghee and deep fry kababs till golden brown and serve hot with sauce or chutney

This can also be served as an accompaniment to biryani and pulavs.

Do try this out and relish these amazing kebabs !

Hyderabadi Kacchi Dum Ki Biryani

1:19 PM - Posted by Anjum - 3 comments

ShareHyderabad is known the world over for its “Kachchi Aqni ki Dum ki Biryani” – truthfully named on its method of preparation. It is the best “One dish meal” one could ever imagine. In fact it is the King of all dishes.

Marinate:
Chicken-1kg

Thick curds-1/2cup

Ginger garlic paste-1 1/2 tbsp

Green chillies-12,slit into two.

Chilli powder-3tsp

Corriander powder-2tsp

Chopped pudina-1cup

Turmeric powder-1/2tsp

Grind together-10 peppercorns,1/2tsp shahjeera,1" cinnamon stick,3cardamoms,10 cloves

Lemon juice-of 2 lemons

Salt -to taste

Marinate all the above ingredients and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

Soak 1/2tsp saffron in half a cup of warm milk.

Heat one cup oil in a pan and add one big sliced onion and fry until brown and remove in a bowl.

Soak 4 cups of basmathi rice for 30mins.

Boil enough water and to this add:

5 cardamoms,
2 bay leaves,
1tsp shahjeera,
1/2tsp ginger garlic paste
2tbsp oil
salt to taste.

Boil for 2-3 mins and drain(rice should be a little below half cooked )

Heat a heavy bottomed pan,add the oil left over from frying the onions and arrange a layer of chicken on it.

Spread a layer of rice over it and sprinkle fried onions over it crushing them with the fingers.

pour a tsp of melted ghee and some of the soaked saffron.

Repeat the same procedure with finally a layer of rice on top.

Sprinkle the remaining fried onions and saffron.

Cover with a double sheet of aluminium foil(foil should be bigger than the mouth of the pan) and close the lid.

Cook on high flame for 10 mins and again on medium high for 20 mins.

Switch off the flame and let it stand for 15mins to absorb the flavours completely.

Gently fold in the layers .

Ideally served with shami kababs and mirchi ka salan

Its tastes great even with out any accompaniments.

Cooking the Biryani in the oven:

For this take a oven proof dish or aluminium tray , grease it with oil , layer chicken , rice , sprinkle ghee /oil , fried onions , saffron milk, . Now seal it with aluminium foil and cook in preheated oven @ 400 degree F for 30 mins and reduce heat to 300 degree F and cook for an hour . switchoff oven and after 10 mins of standby u can takeout tray from oven and serve hot .

Dinner at KHORASAN KABAB

4:28 PM - Posted by Anjum - 0 comments

Fridays have always been more of a family day for me. And when a family gets together, they eat together. After prayer, we headed to Afghan Khorasan Kabab for some physical food

We decided to share a starter –thick Chickpea & noodle soup.

How or what did we eat it with, you might wonder?.

Arabic bread! Thin and floury, it was a little like chapatti and great for scooping up the Foul.

To accompany the soup were essentially deep-fried patties of spiced chickpeas. With a soft and chewy interior, and a nice fragrance of the spices used, I enjoyed this snack. Dip it into the soup and their flavors complement each other

There are three different styles of rice and what you get depends on the day and availability. On that Friday, it was Bukhari rice. Those beautifully-long grains were sweet and nutty. A good companion to the grilled meats.

Palak Paneer

1:40 PM - Posted by Anjum - 4 comments

Palak(spinach)-2 large bunches

Paneer(cottage cheese)cubes-200gm

Onions-1 big cut finely
Tomato-1,cut finely
Salt-to taste
Zeera-1/2tsp
Ginger garlic paste-1/2tsp
Chilli powder-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2tsp

Garam masala powder-a pinch

Heat water in a pot and immerse the palak leaves and let it boil for 2 mins and strain.Do not close lid as this will make the fresh green colour go dark.

Cool and make a paste using a blender.Do not add water.

In a pan heat 4tbsp oil and fry the paneer cubes until light brown.Immerse the cubes into a bowl of warm salted water.Let it sit.
This makes the paneer soft and lets the salt seep into the paneer.
In the remaining oil in pan,add zeera and fry the onions until brown.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry.Add salt,chilli powder and garam masala and tomato.
Fry well until oil separates.
Add palak paste and fry fr 3 mins.
Add the paneer and fry well.
Serve hot garnished with fresh cream and tomato pieces.

Goes really well with nan,roti,poori or kulcha.

CRISPY LADY FISH

12:41 PM - Posted by Anjum - 2 comments

Over my weekend grocery shopping with mom,I happened to spot some really fresh lady fish.I really didnt know how tasety they were until mom asked me to try them out.And lo...the same day mom made the lady fish fry and it was so tastety that i ate most of the fish before it reached the dining table :-)

Lady fish(medium sized)-10 nos

Marinate:

Ginger garlic paste-1tsp

Salt-to taste

Red chilli powder-1tsp

Turmeric powder-1/4tsp

Corriander powder-1tsp

Cornflour-1tsp

Lemon juice-1tsp

Red food colour-a pinch(optional)

Clean fish well and rub with salt and turmeric powder and let it stand for 10 mins.Wash well and drain water.Add all the ingredients,sprinkle a few drops of water if very dry and marinate for a couple of hours.

Shallow fry on medium heat on both sides for perfectly cooked,crispy fish fry !!!

Time in Dubai is....

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