Navaratan Korma Restaurant style –

 

Ingredients –

French beans - 100 grams

Carrots - 125 grams 

green peas - 100 grams

cauliflower - 50 grams

paneer - 100 grams

few tinned pineapple cubes

For gravy (korma) –

onions - 500 grams

Tomatoes - 250 grams

ginger - 2 inch

garlic cloves - 16

green chillies - 8

turmeric - ½ T-spoon

red chilli powder - 1 and ½ T-spoon

cashews - 50 grams

curd – 3 tb-spoons

cream – 3 tb-spoons

sugar – 2 t-spoons

salt to taste

Garam masala – bay leaves – 2

green cardamom – 4

Cinnamon – 2 inch

oil – ½ cup

lemon juice -1 T-spoon

Procedure –

1.   Cut french beans and carrots into ½ inch pieces.

2. Cut cauliflower.

3.  Cut cottage cheese into 1/4^th inch /½ inch pieces.

4.  Cook french beans, carrot and cauliflower .

5.  Soak pieces of paneer/cottage cheese into warm water for sometime.

For Korma -

1.   Soak cashews into warm water for sometime.

2.  Cut onions into big chunks and boil them in water until onions turn transparent.

3.  Grind boiled onion pieces and tomato and keep separately.

4.  Grind cashews into a smooth paste and keep aside.

5.  Grind green chilli, ginger and garlic together and keep aside.

6.  Beat curd into smooth paste and keep aside.

7.  Heat oil in a pan and whole garam masalas. Sauté for a while.

8.  Add onion paste. Sauté for few minutes until it starts turning golden. Add little water if needed.

9.  Add salt and sugar and mix well .

10. Add curd and turmeric and sauté for 2-3 minutes until gravy starts leaving oil.

11. Add green chilli, ginger and garlic paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

12. Add tomato puree and sauté till gravy starts leaving the pan.

13. Add red chilli powder and cashew paste and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

14. Add boiled vegetables and mix well.

15. Add  soaked paneer/cottage cheese and toss.

16. Turn off the heat, add  cream , mix well and serve hot with roti.

Mocha cupcakes with espresso buttercream frosting -

Ingredients -

A :

1. All purpose flour - 1 1/3rd Cup

2. Coco powder - 1/3rd Cup

3. Baking powder - 1 T-spoon

4. Baking soda - 1/2 T-spoon

B:

1.  Milk - 1/2 Cup

Strong coffee - 1/2 Cup

Vanilla - 1 T-spoon

C:

Butter, soft - 100 grams

Caster sugar - 1/2 Cup

Light brown sugar - 1/2 Cup

Egg - 1 Large

Frosting -

Butter, soft - 250 grams

Icing sugar - 250 grams

Vanilla essence - 1 1/2 T-spoon

Instant coffee powder - 1 1/2 T-spoon

Procedure -

1. Mix all ingredients written under 'A'

2. Mix all ingredients written under 'B'

3. Beat butter and both the sugars together on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add egg and beat well.

4. Add ingredients under A and B alternately to the mixture C.

5. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 170 degree C and cool.

6. For frosting beat the butter for 5 minutes.

7. Add icing sugar and beat till mixted.

8. Add coffee vanilla mixture and beat till light and fluffy for 5 minutes.

Tiramisu cupcakes with coffee mascarpone frosting –

Here is one lovely cupcake recipe for new year's eve. Try this out.

Ingredients –

1. Self raising flour – 1 ½ cup

2. Eggs – 3

3. Butter, soft – 125 grams

4. Caster sugar – 2/3^rd cup

5. Vanilla essence – 1 T-spoon

Syrup –

1. strong coffee – ½ cup

2. caster sugar – 1/3^rd cup

3. Coffee liqueur – 1-2 Tb-spoons (optional)

Frosting –

1. Mascarpone cheese, cool (not cold and not room temperature)

2. Whipping cream – 1 Cup (This will give you 2 cups whipped cream)

3. Icing sugar – ½ cup

4. Extra strong coffee – 1 Tb-spoon

Procedure –

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C.

2. Beat self raising flour, eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla essence together on medium

speed for 3 minutes.

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until cup cakes become golden brown.

4. Take the cakes out and poke a few holes on the top of each cake.

5. Mix all the ingredients for the syrup.

6. Brush the cupcakes with syrup and let them cool down completely.

7. Beat whipping cream till stiff peaks form.

8. In another bowl beat the mascarpone till fluffy. (Don’t overbeat)

9. Add sugar and beat for a minute.

10. Add coffee and beat till mixed.

11. Fold in the whipped cream. Pipe on cupcakes and dust with instant coffee.

Red chillies chutney/ Thecha–

 Now winter is here and I just love to eat hot and spicy during this season. So also the season is of fresh hot red chillies. Have this spicy chutney/Thecha (in Marathi) when temperatures are low, I bet you will enjoy the fire of red chillies.

Ingredients -

Fresh red chillies – 1 bowl (approximately 12-15 fresh red chillies)

Garlic pods – ½ bowl

Lime/lemon juice – 2 tb-spoons

Oil – 2 tb-spoons

Mustard seeds – ½ T-spoon

Asafoetida – 1/4^th T-spoon

Salt to taste

Procedure –

1.  Take off the stems of chillies.

2.  Add in a mixer grinder red chillies, garlic, lemon/lime juice  and salt.

3.  Take out the pulp in a glass bowl.

4. Heat oil in a small skillet.  Add mustard seeds and asafoetida and turn off the stove.

5. Add seasoning to paste and mix well.

6. Adjust salt and serve with roti, jowar bhakri or white bread.

Note :

You can add curd if you feel this chutney is too hot and can serve as an Indian dip with fries or stir fried vegetables or even for Idli or dosas.

Patal pohe chivda (Flattened rice chivda)–

Ingredients –

Thin Poha (flattened rice) – 4 cups

Roasted chana daal – 4 Tb-spoons

Raw Peanuts -1/4^th bowl or as per taste

Dry coconut's thin pieces – 1/4^th bowl or as per taste (you can skip these if you wish)

Coriander powder – 1 Tb-spoon

Roasted cumin powder – ½ Tb-spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 T-spoon

Powdered sugar and salt as per taste

For seasoning –

 Oil – ½ cup

Mustard seeds – 1 T-Spoon

Asafoetida – 1 T-spoon

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Green chillies as per taste (in ½ inch length)

Turmeric powder – 1 T-spoon

Garnishing –

Fried cashews

Procedure –

1.  Sun dry poha for a whole day or alternately heat in microwave oven for 3 minutes. Stirring after 1 minute.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add peanuts and fry them for a minute. Take the peanuts out.

3. Add cashews in the pan and fry them for ½ minute and take it out.

4. In the same oil add mustard seeds and asafoetida. Let them splutter. Then add curry leaves and green chillies and turmeric powder. Add red chilli powder as per your taste.

5.  Add roasted chana dal and stir for a minute. Turn off the heat.

6. Add the seasoning, fried peanuts and fried cashews along with powdered sugar, salt, coriander seeds powder, cumin seeds powder to roasted poha. Mix well by hand.

7. Store in a air tight container or zip lock bags. It does not need to refrigerate.