Murgh Badami

This rich chicken dish in almond gravy is a perfect dish for a party or for a relaxed weekend.

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound chicken cut into desired size pieces.

15 to 20 peeled Almonds (soaked in warm water for 1 hour.)

1 tbsp roasted poppy seeds.

2 tbsp Ghee or oil

2 medium onions finely chopped

2 tsp ginger garlic paste

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 cup yogurt

2 cups chicken stock

Pinch of saffron soaked in little water or milk.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Grind together almonds and poppy seeds to a fine paste and keep aside.

Heat ghee/oil in a pan. Sauté onions till translucent. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for few seconds. Then add almonds and poppy seeds paste and sauté for a min

Now add turmeric powder, chili powder, cumin powder and sauté for few more seconds. Sprinkle little water to avoid spices from burning.

Once the spices are cooked, add chicken pieces sauté for a min then cover and cook for 5 min on low flame. Stir in between and sprinkle little water if needed.

Now add yogurt and mix well. Add chicken stock, cover and cook for another 15 mins or till the chicken is cooked completely.

Sprinkle garam masala, saffron water, salt and mix well.

Serve hot with paratha or rice.

Enjoy!

Butter Cookies

It was winter break for my daughter’s school, and holiday season. I wanted to do something she loves doing and also something which would keep her busy for sometime. So I decided to make these simple butter cookies. These cookies are easy are very less time consuming and fun to do with your kids. I had great time doing them with my daughter.

Ingredients:



Wilton cookie press.



3 ½ cups all purpose flour,

3 sticks / 1 ½ cups of butter (room temperature.)

1 tsp baking powder.

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Cookie press to make different shapes and designs.

Method:

Preheat oven at 350° F.

In a bowl combine flour and baking powder and keep aside.

Now in large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla extract. Mix well till the egg gets incorporated.

Then add flour mixture and mix well.

With the help of a cookie press make desired shape of cookies on a baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 min. or till the edges are golden brown. Cool for a min on the baking sheet and remove immediately on a cookie rack to cool completely.

Store in container and enjoy for weeks. Decorate with your favorite frosting just before serving or it will turn them soggy.

Enjoy!

Pohe / Poha

This is a typical Maharashtraian dish and one of my all time favorite breakfast menu. It is made from flattened rice which is called poha and is tempered with green chilies, curry leaves and served with dash of lemon and fresh coriander. 

Ingredients:

3 cups thick poha

1 finely chopped medium onion

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 ½ tsp turmeric powder

3- 4 chopped green chilies

Few curry leaves

½ inch ginger finely chopped

Handful of roasted peanuts (optional)

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp lime juice

1 tsp ghee

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

Finely chopped fresh coriander

Method:

In a strainer take poha and wash tightly under running water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds once they start to splutter add curry leaves, chopped green chilies and ginger. Sauté for few seconds and add chopped onion and cook the onions till they are translucent.

Now if u want to add peanuts u can add at this stage. Also add turmeric powder, salt and sugar and sauté till everything gets mixed properly.

Then add washed poha and mix well till it is covered with all the spices.

Now add lemon juice and ghee (ghee gives nice aroma to the dish). Give it a quick stir, and cover for a min. (sprinkle little water if they turn too dry)

Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve hot with a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy!

Tres Leches cake

Tres leches is three milks in Spanish.  A light and fluffy sponge cake soaked in mixture of 3 kinds of milk is moist and delicious. This is a very popular dessert in Latin America.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all purpose flour or Maida.

5 eggs

2 sticks/ 1 cup butter at room temperature

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup evaporated milk

½ cup condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla essence.

Method:

Preheat oven at 325° F.

Whisk together all purpose flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar till light and fluffy.

Add eggs, Vanilla essence and mix well. Now slowly add flour mixture and mix well.

In greased 9 inch pan pour the batter and bake at 325 ° F for 40 to 45 min check if cake is done by inserting a knife in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then the cake is done. Once the cake is done let it cool down for few min. now poke the top of all over the cake with a fork.

Mix together heavy cream, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Now pour this mixture over the cake and refrigerate it.

Sever with your favorite topping.

Enjoy! 

Fruits and Oats with yogurt

Start your day with this Delicious healthy Breakfast. full of fibers and nutrition. After sampling this yummy Breakfast treats at my Uncles place, I asked for the recipe. It was simple, easy, yet delicious.

Ingredients:

1 cup Quick Oats

4 cups French vanilla yogurt.

2 cups chopped Seasonal fruits like Blueberries, strawberries, grapes, apples etc. (if u like to add banana add it just before serving)

Dry fruits and Nuts of your choice.

1 tsp vanilla essence (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl mix together all the above ingredients, cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 to 5 hours. Delicious breakfast is ready in minutes.

Enjoy!

Broccoli stuffed Paratha.

Broccoli is one of my daughters favorite vegetables so I use them to make soups, add them in salads, pasta or they taste good even when steamed and sautéed with little butter. So I thought of trying something different and came up with this yummy parathas. They taste great and are very healthy.

Ingredients:

For stuffing

2 ½ cups finely chopped or shredded broccoli.

3 tbsp Gram flour or besan

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt to taste

For paratha dough

3 cups of wheat flour

1 ½ tbsp of oil

1 tsp of salt

Water to make dough

Method:

To make paratha dough, in large bowl mix wheat flour, salt and oil then slowly add water as required to make stiff dough. Cover and let it rest for few min.

To make stuffing, heat oil in a pan, add ginger garlic paste and sauté for few seconds, now add cumin powder, coriander powder and sauté for few more seconds on very low heat or the spices will burn quickly.

Then add broccoli, turmeric powder and chili powder and sauté for a min. cover with lid and cook for a min. (broccoli cooks very quickly)

Now add lemon juice, salt and mix well.

Then add gram flour/ besan and sauté for few seconds, cover with lid and cook for 2 mins. Once the mixture is cooked completely remove from heat and keep aside to cool down.

Divide paratha dough in 7 to 8 equal parts and also divide the stuffing in 7 to 8 equal parts. Now apply some oil to your hand and take one part of dough make a small ball of the dough  and press it with your palms to make a flat round sheet. Now add the stuffing in the center of the sheet and cover from all the sides to make a ball. Make sure the stuffing does not come out from any side.  Now roll it with a rolling pin, sprinkle some flour while rolling on both the sides to avoid sticking.

Heat a pan and roast this paratha from both the sides.Apply little butter or ghee while roasting

to give extra flavor. Repeat the same process

to make the remaining parathas.

Serve hot with tamarind chutney and yogurt.

Enjoy!  

Instant pedha

Peda or pedha is traditionally made with Khoa and is served as Prasad during devotional purpose. Khoa or khoya is the main ingredient to make this yummy dessert and is flavored with cardamom and Pistachios and sometimes also saffron. During festive season it is very difficult to get khoa so here is a good alternative to make this peda in a very simple way without using khoa.

Ingredients:

2 cups Milk Powder

½ cup Melted ghee

1 can condensed milk (14 oz can)

Few chopped pistachios for decoration

1 tsp cardamom powder

Method:

In a microwave safe bowl Mix together Ghee and milk powder, add condensed milk and mix again, make sure no lumps remain.

Microwave this mixture on high for 1 min. remove and stir well. Now repeat this same process for 3 more min and make sure You mix well each time afer every min.

Once the mixture is cooked for 4 mins Let the mixture cool down for few min. add cardamom powder and mix well then divide it in 30 equal parts. Now roll them between your palms and press gently to give nice shape. Decorate each peda with chopped pistachios. These pedhas Can be Stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days.

Enjoy!

*try to make them 1 day before as they taste better next day.