SOME MEAN LEMON RICE (CHITRANNAM)!

Have you noticed the spicy NEW Indian look of "In love with food"??, thought of whipping up something that India holds dear to the heart, and guess came to mind?...yes! some Lemon rice or Chitrannam, sour, hot and real good.Husband takes a bite and fondly says, "Wow! That's some mean lemon rice!".

 To make this you require-(recipe from here)

• 4 cups of freshly cooked rice.
• 2 to 3 juicy lemons 
• 6 to 8 green chillies,deseeded and slit
• 1/4 cup Chana dal (soak for an hour)
• 2 tbsp Urad dal
• 1 teaspoon each salt and turmeric
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 12- 15 fresh curry leaves. 
• Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
• 1 medium boiled potato

Method-

1. Heat ghee in a pan and add the cumin, mustard and curry leaves, fry till sizzling.
2. Add chana and urad dal as well as the potato and green chillies and cook till crisp and brown.
3. Now add haldi and salt and cook for a few more minutes.,tip in the rice and give a good stir  lastly squeeze lemon juice on top and serve hot.

TIPS-

• I prefer Basmati rice and cook it till just done, not mushy.The way to do this is to take rice in a large vessel and add plenty of water to it.Cook on medium flame for 15-20 minutes adding more water to keep rice submerged.Taste a grain or two for doneness.Drain well and leave on slow flame again to dry out any remaining moisture.You will get perfect rice like in a pulao.
• Be careful while handling chillies.Been there, done that!, wear gloves.I find the amount of chillies little high for my preference so deseed them accordingly.
• I use boiled/raw potato both depending upon what I have at hand, so can you.
• Don't skip the curry leaves, they are very important.
• To get this shape of rice press down hot rice in a bowl or katori with the back of a spoon, put a plate on top on which you would be serving and turn upside down, Voila!, you have the desired shape.Garnish with curry leaves and serve.
• Cashewnuts and peanuts are also fried till golden and added for extra flavour.
• The accompaniment of choice for Chitrannam is yogurt since it cools the palate, given that the rice is hot, spicy and tangy.

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HEALTHY WHOLEWHEAT (ATTA) SOFT BREAD

I love bread, particularly soft, white bread, as a child, bread was a staple in the house and we used to substitute it regularly for chapatis or rice, not a very healthy habit though but you know some habits are so hard to kick! Even now I love to soak up the last of the gravy with a slice of bread, it's really one of the simple pleasures of life.
In an attempt to eat healthy I have however completely stopped buying white bread and have switched to Wholewheat/multigrain/brown bread instead, a long standing wish was, however to be able to bake my own bread, I did that today and have a delicious, fresh, soft homemade loaf sitting on the dinner table. Now I can indulge to my heart's content and really not feel guilty about it.
For 1 medium loaf you require-
Wholewheat flour (atta)- 250 gms
Milk-1/2 cup
Fresh curd/yogurt- 2 tbsp
Butter- 30 gms (diced)
Salt-1/2 tsp
Sugar-2 tsp
Fresh yeast-2 heaped tsp
Egg-1
Sesame/poppy seeds- for sprinkling over
Method-Combine milk and curd, add sugar heat till milk is lukewarm, stir in the yeast and wait for 10 minutes till frothy.Measure out flour in a large basin, rub in the butter so that it is like breadcrumbs, add salt.Break egg in a bowl and reserve little for egg wash, add rest to the milk mixture, now knead a dough by making a well in the center and adding the milk mixture, knead into a smooth dough.Oil a bowl and put the ball of dough, turning over so that the oil coats the ough, cover with cling film and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place till double in bulk.After an hour remove cling film and punch down dough, if you wish you can now shape and leave for second proofing and then bake.I however for lack of time, shaped dough into a simple braid and baked the dough immediately. Brush with reserved egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds, bake shaped dough in a preheated oven (200 C ) for 35-40 minutes or till golden on top.
The bread came out slightly crusty on top but wonderfully soft inside and the smell of baking bread filled the entire house, it was really a wonderful experience, one which I will be repeating as much as I can :).
This healthy wholewheat bread is on its way to the Wild yeast blog, check out all the yeasted goodies there!

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COMFORT FOOD~GUJARATI KADHI KHICHDI

It's really cold out here and I am craving some comfort food, Gujarati kadhi khichdi tops the list and all I want to do is curl up with a steaming plate of this ginger-garlic flavored kadhi and khichdi with a generous dollop of ghee!The difference between this Gujarati kadhi and Punjabi kadhi is that there are no pakodis in this one and it is on the runnier side, normally eaten with arhar dal khichdi and sweet mango pickle, make sure you add that dollop of desi ghee, it adds a special flavor! :)

• To make this for 4 people you need-


• Arhar dal-1/2 cup


• Rice-3/4 cup


• Turmeric-1 tsp


• Sour curd-1 cup


• Gramflour (besan)-2 tbsp


• Curry leaves- a handful


• Green chilli-1


• Garlic-5 cloves


• Ginger-1 inch piece


• Asafoetida(hing)-1/4 tsp


• Mustard seeds(rai)-1/4 tsp


• Cumin seeds(zeera)-1/4 tsp


• Refined oil- 2 tbsp


• Dry red chiilies-2


• Sugar-2 tbsp

For the khichdi- combine Rice and dal, you can presoak dal for 20 minutes if you have time, otherwise combine both and add turmeric, salt and red chilli powder, give 2 whistles in pressure cooker and let pressure drop by itself. For kadhi-Grind together ginger, garlic, half the curry leaves and green chilli in a blender.Heat oil in a large kadhai, add cumin, curry leaves, mustard, asafoetida and dry red chillies stir till seeds sputter.Combine curd and besan together and add to the kadhai, season with salt and sugar, add turmeric and simmer for at least 20 minutes, adjust seasoning to taste, serve piping hot.

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GOING GAGA OVER GOBHI MANCHURIAN ~ FRIED RICE

I am a huge fan of anything Chinese, just love the flavors of the cuisine, I had read about Gobhi manchurian on a number of blogs, always accompanied with mouth-watering pics, so I finally decided to give it a go and made this today, I am telling you it was just superb and everyone just loved it, in fact I have requests to make it every week from now on! To make this "complete meal in itself " you require-

• Cauliflower-1 head


• Flour-1/2 cup


• Cornflour-1/2 cup +2 tbsp


• Ginger and garlic paste-2 tbsp


• Salt and black pepper to taste


• Capsicum-1 large


• Onion-1 large


• Basmati Rice- previously boiled and spread out on clean sheet to dry-3-4 cups


• Spring onions- 2 chopped finely


• Chopped mixed vegetables(carrots, capsicum, beans)-1 cup parboiled


• Tomato ketchup-2-3 large tbsp


• Soya sauce-1/2 tsp


• Vinegar-1-2 tbsp


• Sugar-1tsp


• Ajinomoto- a pinch if desired


• Refined oil- for deep frying

Separate cauliflower head into small florets, combine flour, cornflour, 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste, salt and pepper to taste and mix well, dip florets into batter and deep fry like pakoras till golden, fry all in same way and keep aside.Heat 1 tbsp refined oil and fry 1/2 tbsp ginger and garlic paste, add capsicum and onion chopped into largish square shaped pieces, fry for 2-3 minutes, next add tomato and soya sauce along with 1/2 cup water, then add vinegar and 2 tbsp cornflour (which has to be mixed in little cold water first), season, add sugar, let it thicken, lastly add the fried cauliflower and cook for two minutes, add ajinomoto if desired garnish with chopped spring onions.For fried rice- heat 2 tbsp refined oil and add ginger garlic paste, fry till golden, next add the parboiled vegetables and rice , season and add some soya sauce and vinegar if desired, toss well till heated through, serve hot garnished with chopped scallions.Enjoy!

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DOSA~IDLI~UTTAPAM!

Every once in a while we get dosas packed from the local Sagar Ratna as unlike Continental, Chinese, Thai, it is one thing that everyone in the family relishes, so it's like a stress free dinner option for all.On my work off this week however I decided to make this at home, I know for a lot of you out there it must be the routine thing and hardly anything to blog about, but for an equal number of US it is a novelty, and a pretty exciting one at that.When I was unmarried we used to make dosas at home every once in a while and my mom used to call up friends and family to come, never have I seen anyone of them not turn up!That's called dosa power!!Here's how I made these crispy crepes, and how I took everything a notch up for the family and made idlis and uttapam out of the same batter, what a party!Wanna get invited?

• Basmati rice-2 cups


• Urad dal-1 cup


• Fenugreek seeds-a tsp


• Salt to taste

Wash and soak both rice and dal separately overnight, soak fenugreek seeds with the rice.Next morning grind both separately till fine using little water.Leave for atleast 8-10 hours in a warm place till well fermented. Add salt to taste, spread out thinly on a non-stick pan, smear with little oil, cook till golden brown and crispy, serve with Sambar and Aloo Masala

For the Aloo masala-Boil 4 large potatoes, cool.Take 5-6 curry leaves, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 sliced onion, 1 sliced tomato, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp chilli pwdr, add to 2 tbsp oil in a hot pan, stir well and cook for 2 minutes, add the diced boiled potatoes, mash well, season and serve.

For the idlis- pour batter into well greased idli moulds, steam for 15-20 minutes, serve hot and fluffy idlis

For Uttapam-Chop 1 onion, 1 tomato, some green chilli and cilantro, spread out batter a little thickly on non-stick pan sprinkle the chopped veggies on top, flip over and cook on both sides, serve hot.

As you can see it was incredibly simple with very few ingredients for such a fabulous party!

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PASTA/FLAT NOODLES...ORIENTAL STYLE!!

I love noodles, pasta and rice and prefer them possibly over anything and everything else, so I made this delicious Oriental style pasta (not technically pasta but should I call them flat noodles instead here :)) for dinner yesterday which combines possibly all my favorite flavors, this simple, put-together-in-a-jiffy pasta will have your family licking their fingers...literally! for this you require-

• Pasta boiled and drained-200gms


• Carrots, sliced- 2


• Capsicum, sliced-2


• Cabbage-1/2 head, sliced thin


• Ginger+garlic- chopped fine-1 tbsp


• Boiled and shredded chicken-1 cup


• Cilantro-1 bunch


• Sweet chilli sauce- 2-3 tbsp (I use Maepranom Thai sweet chilli sauce)


• Lemon juice- 1 tbsp


• Salt and black pepper to taste


• Oil-2 tbsp

Heat oil and toss in the ginger and garlic first, till slightly golden, now add the veggies first and cook for 5 minutes, toss in the rest of the ingredients, season, toss well, taste and adjust the seasoning, garnish with cilantro, and a fried red chilli if desired.Enjoy your pasta piping hot!

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BEST CHICKEN BIRYANI IN THE WORLD!...WITH PICTORIAL

This is my mother's very famous recipe which she makes only on special occassions but till date she has not given the recipe to anyone, so when I went to see her recently and to tie "rakhi" to my brother she called me to her side and said -"I will not be around for very long but I want to share my special recipe with you and your blog readers so that it lives on forever", I was so touched I had tears in my eyes....Here I am sharing it with you all as per her wishes, along with very detailed step-by-step pictures taken as she made it, do let me know if you make it too so that I can tell her and I AM SURE SHE WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO KNOW....Ingredients required for making this(serves 10)-

• Fresh chicken- 2 (approx 700gms each), cut into 8 pcs each


• Finest basmati you can find- 3 steel glass full OR about 4 and a half cups


• Onions (sliced)- 7 medium


• Ginger- 1/2 cup chopped


• Garlic-1/2 cup chopped


• Almonds- soaked and peeled, a handful


• Raisins and cashews- handful


• Mint- 1 cup chopped


• Juice of 1 large lemon


• Saffron -a pinch soaked in milk


• Pure desi ghee-1/2 cup


• Garam masala- 3-4 tbsp (freshly ground)


• Bay leaves-2


• Butter-50 gms


• Aniseed powder(saunf)-1 tsp


• Green chillies- 2 sliced


• Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped onions, ginger and garlic.

Wash basmati and soak at least 1 hour before.

Make the stock-In a pressure cooker take the lesser desired parts of the chicken like neck and all, add a handful of onions alongwith a tbsp each of ginger and garlic as well as some garam masala and bay leaves and give 5-6 whistles, strain and keep stock aside.

Fry rest of the chicken in desi ghee, till golden brown,drain and keep aside.

In the same ghee fry the onions ,ginger and garlic till golden, drain and keep aside.

Now fry the nuts and raisins in this ghee.

Soak saffron in milk.

Take a heavy bottom pot like the one shown above,OR you can use whatever you have at hand. Bring the stock to a boil, add 2 tbsp garam masala to it, then the drained rice, add salt .Let rice cook covered till almost done.

Add chicken and onion, ginger garlic fried , dot with butter/ghee.

Add chopped mint, dry fruit and saffron.

Squeeze lemon juice,add rest of garam masala and saunf powder, adjust seasoning , you can add finely sliced green chillies too.Combine everything well very, very gently so as not to break the rice.

Seal top of pot with some dough, put on "dum" (put in moderate oven or on slow heat for 10-15 minutes).

Though it does take time and effort to make a good biryani, I hope this pictorial will be helpful for first timers as well as for the seasoned cook.The biryani has a FULL-BODIED flavor and is essentially Muslim style biryani, we enjoyed ours with some pomegranate yogurt and a glass of wine.I am really happy to finally have the recipe and that too with such clarity so that my mother's legacy is passed down to future generations and the taste that was in her hand can be revived and remembered for years to come.

Thank you mamma for sharing this precious recipe with us...

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CHEESY ITALIAN PASTA/MACARONI

We enjoy macaroni a lot particularly with crisp toasted garlic bread, it's easy and healthy too provided you use wholewheat/ hardwheat semolina pasta/macaroni.Here I have purposefully avoided adding any cream based sauces in an attempt to make it healthy and possibly low-cal.The addition of tomatoes makes this pasta tangy and delicious not to mention upping the VIT.C, VIT.A AND LYCOPENE content,The inclusion of cheese is not that much and can easily be substituted with paneer/tofu if you are watcing your weight or for any other health reasons.

• Hardwheat semolina macaroni/pasta of choice-1 cup (boiled with salt and 1/2 tsp oil)


• Tomatoes-3 large


• Onion-1 small, diced


• Oregano-1/2 tsp


• Sugar-1/2 tsp


• Vinegar-1/2 tsp


• Freshly ground black pepper-1/4 tsp


• Olive oil-2 tbsp


• Cheese-acc. to preference

Boil tomatoes and onion till mushy and soft, let cool and puree in a blender.Heat olive oil, add the tomato puree and cook till it is a thick paste, add the oregano, sugar, vinegar, seasoning and lastly tip in the boiled macaroni cook for another five minutes, add the diced cubes of cheese and serve, the heat from the pasta will partially melt the cheese cubes, you can add fresh basil/veggies of choice too if desired.Serve piping hot.

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CHICKEN PAD THAI NOODLES

I am a noodle lover and will never miss an opportunity to order them when eating out, I sometimes make my own egg noodles too and eat them deep fried on top of a veggie chicken sweet and sour or in a simple stir fry, they are quite easy to make actually, will post more of that later, right now we move onto a new noodle experience altogether.

My knowledge of Thai food was mostly limited to their famous Green and Red curries or Tom yum, until I chanced upon this superb post by Pim aptly titled Pad Thai for beginners that got me thinking and prep work began in right earnest, the result is right in front of you!, though I tweaked the original according to my taste and liking, I was very happy with the end product, try it you will not be disappointed for sure...

Ingredients

• Rice noodles- 500 gms (I used regular flat noodles instead)


• Boneless chicken- 250 gms, sliced


• Peanuts- 2 tbsp


• Whole red chillies- a few


• Julienned vegetables- 2 cups(Carrots, capsicum, cabbage,mushrooms)


• Minced garlic- 1 tsp


• Seasoning + a few limes/lemons


• Eggs-2


• Tofu -few pieces


• Beansprouts(do add if you have at hand)


• Oil- 4-5 tbsp

for sauce-

• Tamarind paste- 2 tbsp


• Sugar 2 tbsp


• Paprika- 1 tsp


• Soya sauce- 1 tsp (instead of fish sauce)

Method-

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce and cook till sugar melts, adjust ingredients according to taste.Keep aside.Boil the noodles till done, drain in a colander and drizzle some oil to keep the noodles from sticking together.Heat oil in a wok add the chicken first, then after 2-3 minutes add tofu, garlic, peanuts and chillies followed by the sauce,( I did not cook individual portions, due to the fact that I was already making this for the two of us), add veggies and then noodles, if using eggs, at this point move all the noodles to one side of the pan and break an egg in the middle,let set for 10-15 seconds, season and toss well.Serve with fresh cut limes,extra ground peanuts and chilli powder, simply delicious!

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RAW PAPAYA PARANTHAS

I am not a great fan of papaya, but at times I feel like having it especially on days I feel I should be eating healthy!, sometimes however I really enjoy some chilled sweet ripe papaya and feel how could I not like this??A very long time ago I had tasted kacche papita ka parantha (raw papaya parantha) and I remember I liked the taste so I thought of making these today.

Apart from being an excellent source of Vitamin A, it also contains the digestive enzyme-"papain", raw papaya is very good for tenderizing meat and if applied on the skin leaves it smooth and acne free!                          

                                                                             

                             Grated raw papaya -ready for stuffing into paranthas

Ingredients-

• Raw papaya- 1 medium sized
• Coriander leaves- a handful, chopped
• Garam masala- 1 tsp.
• Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
• Ajwain -1/4 tsp.
• Salt to taste
• Wheatflour for dough

Method-

Grate the papaya and squeeze out excess water, add all the other ingredients, mix well and keep aside.

Knead dough the usual way , stuff with the prepared raw papaya stuffing, cook on a hot griddle (tawa), smear with some pure ghee on both sides cook till golden brown.

 

            

            Raw papaya paranthas -ready to eat with pickle, yellow butter and curd

These paranthas turned out so delicious it was hardly possible to discover it's basis, and I can bet that if you don't tell someone what they are stuffed with, no one can guess!

                    These are off to lovely Nags for AFAM-Papaya

Technorati Tags: raw papaya paranthas

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HEALTHY AND EASY FRIED RICE

If you had a choice between rice and roti -what would you go in for???,I would definitely go for rice!!, here I have made them nutritious and high-fibre simply by using brown rice instead of the polished white one and adding lots of vegetables.

The secret of making good fried rice in which each grain is separate is - always boil rice beforehand in plenty of water, drain excess water and spread out on kitchen towels to dry for few hours  or use a day-old leftover rice, this way the grains will be separate and you will get perfect fried rice.

                   

                                Healthy and easy fried rice with- yogurt

Ingredients-

• Boiled brown rice- 4 cups, spread out to dry for 2-3 hours
• Fresh vegetables ,(carrots, beans, peas, cabbage, cauliflower, spring onions and mushrooms) chopped- 2 cups
• Soy sauce- 1 tbsp.
• Vinegar -1 tbsp
• Ginger and garlic paste- 1 tsp
• Ajinomoto- 1/4 tsp
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• Onion- 1 large chopped
• Oil- 1 tbsp

Method-

Heat oil in a wok or kadhai and add the ginger and garlic paste, as well as the onion, saute, add the rest of the veggies and fry till semi cooked but still crunchy, add the rice and rest of the ingredients, toss around to mix well, serve hot.

I had these steaming hot with an unusual palate cooling accompaniment- yogurt.

Technorati Tags: healthy and easy fried rice

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ROSEMATTA RICE WITH LEMON SAMBHAR

I read about this rice a long time back on Mahanandi in which, they have been accorded their rightful place, as have most of the other ingredients that Indira blogs about, I think that's the beauty of this lovely blog!, I am sure all of you agree with me.

Anyways coming back to Rosematta rice, I was quite pleasantly surprised to find it at my neighbourhood South Indian store( named Kannan Store), now this is the store that has always fascinated me with it's wide array of unfamiliar foodstuffs, I always ask the owner so many questions as to what is this?, how does this taste?, how is this cooked? and so on...

Yesterday I came across some more varieties of rice, about which I would be blogging about later, maybe I should post a picture of the store itself , so that you all would join me in the gazing- with- awe state that I find myself in ,when I am there.

When I asked the owner about Rosematta rice after spotting it, about what it is ,he said that this is Red rice (simpler to explain I guess for him!), upon asking that what is it called down South ,he said that they call it "matta"rice, so then  I knew I was on the right track!, my next question was- how is it cooked?, to which he simply replied- cook in lots of water and NEVER in a pressure cooker, so I set about cooking it exactly that way.

                Rosematta Rice- raw

I took about 2 cups of Rosematta rice in a big pan with loads of water, and washed it thoroughly and drained the reddish mud coloured water, put it on the stove after refilling with more water and let it come to a boil, lowered the gas knob to sim and let them gently bubble away, now I was prepared that this variety takes longer to cook so after tasting a few grains after every 10 minutes, they were done in under half an hour, I drained out the rest of the water and covered the pan for another 15 minutes.

         Rosematta Rice- cooked

I was overjoyed with the results, a thick, plump rice grain very separate from others with a delicious rich, nutty , creamy flavor, had them hot with some lemony sambhar, ghee and tomato chutney, Unforgettable taste, will be making these often now!

FOR THE LEMONY SAMBHAR-

Ingredients-

• Toor Dal- 1/2 cup
• Mixed veg.-1 cup
• Curry leaves-5-6
• Lemon juice- 2 tbsp.
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp.
• Sugar- 1/2 tsp.
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
• MTR Sambhar powder- 1 tbsp.
• Oil- 1 tsp.

Method-

Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add mustard seeds and curry leaves, tip in all the other ingredients, except lemon juice, fry for a minute, add water and give four whistles,let steam drop by itself.

Open cooker, sprinkle lemon juice , season with salt, add ghee and serve.See this is an extremely quick and easy sambhar, ready in under 20 minutes if you have all the ingredients at hand.

I am sending this off to-

JFI-Toor Dal hosted by Linda

(http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/2007/11/08/hooray-its-my-turn-jfi-december/

FOR THE CHUTNEY-

In a grinder add 4 plump, ripe tomatoes and 1 small onion as well as 1 large green chilli and grind to a rough paste. Heat 1/2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds and 5 curry leaves add the tomato paste ,season and cook for 5 minutes, serve.

Rosematta Rice with lemon sambhar and tomato chutney

Technorati Tags: rosematta rice , lemon sambhar , tomato chutney

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BAKED SAFFRON PULAO

RPulao ,possibly the most sought-after preparation ,whether it is veg or non-veg, pulao lovers want it all the time, and yes! for all of us who have had a hard day at work, a one-pot meal like this, is a boon. No making chapatis, dal, vegetable separately, just add everything in one go ,and there you are done !

Pulao's normally tend to be on the heavier ,greasier side, but here I am baking the pulao, which translates into simply, less toil, less time in the kitchen, all the veggies are intact and it's great for health, plus a touch of saffron for the exotic-loving ,so what are we waiting for, with just simple side-dishes of cucumber-tomato raita , achar and papad, your family will be left asking for more !                                                         Baked saffron rice pulao

Ingredients-

• Onion - 1 medium, sliced
• Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
• Capsicum - 1 medium, chopped
• Carrot- 1 chopped
• Garlic- 3-4 cloves, chopped
• Rice- 1 cup, soaked for 15 mins.
• cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Oil- 2 tbsp.
• Bayleaves- 2
• Garam masala- 2 tbsp
• Mint- 1 tbsp.,chopped
• Green chillies,chopped- 2
• Few strands of Saffron ,mixed in 1 tbsp milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method-

Preheat oven .Take a large baking pan,add oil spread onions,tomatoes, capsicum, carrots, cumin, garlic, green chillies and bay leaves, bake for 15 minutes, everything will get lightly browned and will be sizzling, add the rice ,masala and the salt and pepper, add water approximately one inch above the level of the rice ,sprinkle the saffron strands and milk on top, sprinkle mint and bake for approx, half an hour.      

       all the sliced and chopped veggies in the pan- ready for baking

I was very pleased with this pulao when I first made it, since it is absolutely no-fuss, and perfect for all those times you just don't feel like cooking much( and for lazy bones too). Each grain of rice separates perfectly and the veggies retain a light crunch, you can taste the subtle flavor of saffron and and the sharpness of mint as well, all in all highly recommended !                                         

The aroma of this pulao will find it's way to Sunita's event-at  http://sunitabhuyan.blogspot.com/2007/08/my-monthly-event-think-spice-think.html   

Technorati Tags: baked pulao , rice

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DIVINE BANANA BREAD

My friends and family say that this is the best that they have ever had!, it is bursting with the flavor and goodness of bananas, even if you have never baked before ,I promise you it is so great you would want to make it again and again...

The key is to use over-ripe bananas or bananas that are past-it, you can use the batter for muffins too.This bread is very soft & moist and will remain so even after several days, though it doesn't last more than half an hour in my home!

The best part is that during baking my entire house fills up with a to-die-for heavenly aroma!

Ingredients-

(makes 1 medium-sized loaf), (serves-6 :only in theory)

• Refined flour(maida)- 1 cup
• Bananas- 4 medium sized- mashed well (about 1 cup)
• sugar- 1/2 cup powdered
• baking soda- 1/2 tsp.
• Salted butter (Amul)-1/4 cup (50 gms.)
• salt- 1/4 tsp
• vanilla essence- 1 tsp.
• egg-1
• cinnamon & nutmeg- a pinch each

Method-

Preheat oven-180 degree C. Cream butter and sugar together very well in a large bowl.

                        creaming butter and sugar together

Combine flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat well, add mashed bananas, whisk till well blended.

                                  mashing-up the bananas

Stir flour mixture into banana mixture, stir TO JUST MOISTEN.

                    the batter poured into tin-ready for baking

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes.

                        the nicely-browned banana bread

Let cool for ten minutes before turning out of pan.

              delicious, flavorful banana bread- ready to be devoured!

This is my entry for JFI-Banana hosted by Mandira of ahaar-

( http://ahaar.blogspot.com/2007/09/jfibanana.html)

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HAKKA NOODLES let's eat Chinese...

I think Chinese food is perfect!. It's such a harmony of sweet and sour and that little bit of chilli, whenever we go out for dinner ,my first choice is a good Chinese restaurant, in fact I have such an irresistible fascination for chinese food since childhood that my mom used to say that I should have been born in China!

Well I think it is very healthy too ,given the large amount of vegetables that are put into it as well as the method of cooking used- that is a quick stir-fry perfectly retaining all the nutrients as well as the juiciness of the vegetables, this method is followed for chicken or pork too to seal-in the juices , this dish is ready in a jiffy with a little bit of pre-preparation.Here is my recipe for hakka noodles, fresh, flavorful and delicious with that slight crunch to it!

                             delicious hakka-noodles

Ingredients-

• noodles- 1 pkt (250 gms)
• french-beans-1/2 cup sliced into long strips
• carrots-1/2 cup sliced into rounds
• cabbage-1/2 cup chopped into squares
• capsicum-1/4 cup chopped into squares
• onion- 1 large chopped into squares
• omelette made out of 2 eggs- cut into strips
• shredded boiled chicken-1/2 cup
• ginger-garlic paste-1 tbsp.
• oil-2 tbsp.
• aji-no-moto(chinese salt)- a pinch(optional)
• vinegar-2 tbsp. or acc. to taste
• soya sauce- a dash
• salt to taste
• pinch of sugar
• pepper to taste

Method-

Take a large saucepan ,put noodles and lots of water to completely submerge them , add a little salt and put on fire, boil for 15 mins or till al-dente (tender to the bite ),be very careful ,we dont want overcooked noodles, in fact slightly undercooked would be just fine.

Drain in a colander ,immediately sprinkle little oil ,so that they dont stick together, spread out on kitchen towels/paper for at least 2-3 hrs.

Heat oil in a wok , add ginger-garlic paste saute till lightly brown add rest of vegetables and cook briefly, add noodles and all the seasonings as well as chicken and the omelette strips and stir fry for further 5 minutes, dish out and serve hot with tomato ketchup-out of the world taste!

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