Monday, August 25, 2014

Rasgulla And Rasmalai Recipe For 1st Blog Anniversary!


        My blog's first anniversary! I can't just believe that I have been scribbling in here for 1 year!! Lots of experiments, trying out new ingredients that comes in every day cooking, discovering new taste, learning new cuisine and trying to perfect each and every dish has all become part of a blogging routine. I've come up a long way. It wouldn't be possible without you readers who leave wonderful comments which keeps me going. Thanks a lot for that!!!

        I decided to make Rasmalai, traditional Indian sweet to this special occassion. Rasgulla and Rasmalai are prepared with freshly prepared chenna (cottage cheese). For Rasgulla, the chenna balls are cooked in sugar syrup till they double in size. For Rasmalai, chenna balls that have been cooked in sugar syrup and further immersed in sweetened thick milk to cook till soft. You can make Rasmalai by using instant readymade Rasgullas also.

Rasgulla recipe


Ingredients
  • Milk (Full cream) : 1 litre
  • Lemon juice : 3 tbsp
  • Sugar : 1 1/2 cups
  • Water : 3 1/2 cups
  • Elaichi powder (Cardamom powder) : 1 pinch
  • Ice cubes : 1 bowl
  • Pista & badam slits : for garnish
Method
  • Heat the milk, when it start to boil, simmer the flame, add the lemon juice. At first do not stir, after sometime stir only one or two times.
  • Heat until the whey water clearly separates. Put off the flame.
  • Add the ice cubes and mix well. Adding ice cubes prevents the chenna (Paneer) to become hard and helps for soft texture.
  • Take a strainer, lined with a cheese cloth/muslin cloth. Pour the curdled milk into it.
  • Pour water into it to remove the lemon smell and sourness.
  • Then squeeze the excess water gently and hang it for sometime.
  • Take out the paneer in a bowl and knead gently to make it a soft and smooth dough.
  • Make smooth equal sized small balls.
  • Take sugar and water in a pressure cooker and add cardamom (Elaichi powder). Boil it till sugar dissolve.
  • After the sugar get dissolved completely and the syrup boils, add the balls made carefully one by one.
  • Cover the pressure cooker and cook it till you get one whistle in medium flame. After a whistle, simmer more and keep for another 5 minutes.

  • Put the off the flame and let the pressure release by itself. Open the lid, by now it would have doubled in size.

  • Remove onto a serving dish, allow to cool. Refrigerate and serve chilled along with sugar syrup or proceed to prepare Rasmalai.
Rasmalai recipe


Ingredients
  • Rasgullas : 10
  • Sugar : 1/4 cup
  • Milk : 2 1/2 cups
  • Milk maid : 3 tbsp
  • Cardamom powder : 1/2 tsp
  • Pista & badam slits : 2 tbsp
Method
  • For making rasmalai, take an heavy bottomed/non-stick vessel, boil milk until the volume reduces to half. Add sugar and milkmaid and let the sugar dissolve, then add cardamom powder, pista and badam.
  • Squeeze the sugar syrup from the rasgullas gently and add it to the milk. Simmer for sometime. Off the flame, after it cools down, refrigerate and serve cold.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Kinna Pathiri


     This post was supposed to be posted some weeks back, in Ramadan. I was so pressed for time, more time is focused on religious affairs and duties. Here in middle east, we can feel the spirituality or the feeling of Ramadan well with special prayers and all. At our home, it's usually traditional menu during Ramadan days. We usually prepare our Malabar specials. This recipe is one of that "Traditional Malabar Iftar Special".

     Malabar cuisine is famous for its pancakes (Pathiri) and steamed rice cakes (Adukku Pathiri, Kinnapathiri, Irachipathiri etc.,.). The word pathiri traces its origin to the Arabic word 'fateerah' meaning pastry. It is believed that pathiri itself originated with the Arabs in Malabar. Kinnapathiri is a layered steamed pan cake with meat filling. This kinnapathiri can be prepared by using beef or chicken as filling. Off to the recipe...

Ingredients


For batter :

Biriyani rice : 1 cup
Thick coconut milk : 1 1/2 cup
Cardamom pods : 3
Salt to taste

For filling :

Beef (Chicken) : 1/2 kg
Onion : 2
Ginger paste : 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste : 1 1/2 tsp
Green chillies : 3
Curry leaves : 2 sprig
Coriander leaves : 2 tbsp chopped
Garam masala : 1 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
Red chilly powder : 2 tsp
Coconut oil : 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

For batter :

1. Soak biriyani rice in water for 5 hrs.
2. Grind the rice with cardamom and enough coconut milk to make a smooth paste. Pour it to a bowl and add remaining coconut milk and salt, mix well and make a thin batter.

For Filling :

1. Cook beef or chicken (With out bone) by adding 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilly powder, 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste and salt.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide pan and add chopped onion followed by salt and saute well. When it becomes transparent add ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Saute until the raw smell of ginger garlic paste goes.
3. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilly powder and garam masala into it. Saute for 2 minutes and add  minced beef or chicken into it and mix well.
4. Add chopped coriander leaves and curry leaves, check for salt and off the flame.

For steaming :

1. Get ready with steamer.
2. Place a flat bottom vessel (Kinnam)  in the steamer and grease it with ghee.
3. Pour a big ladle full of batter. Cover the lid for few minutes to cook.
4. Now open the lid, drizzle 1 tsp of ghee. Pour another ladle of batter, cover and allow to set.
5. Open the lid, spread meat masala and pour ladle full of batter to cover the meat. Allow to set.
6. Repeat the process until meat masala and batter finish.
7. Cover and steam for another 20 to 30 minutes.
8. Now our kinnapathiri is ready. Allow it to cool. demould it and cut into desired shape.
9. Serve hot. Enjoy!!

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Sweet Corn Pulao Recipe


Ingredients

Basmati Rice : 2 cups
Sweet Corn : 1 cup
Pure Ghee or Butter : 3 tbsp
Bay Leaves : 2
Cardamom : 3
Green Chilly : 2
Garlic paste : 1 tsp
Ginger Paste : 1 tsp
Whole Pepper : 1 tsp
Cloves : 2
Cinnamon : 1 stick
Cashew Nuts : 50 gms
Milk : 1/2 cup
Water : 2 to 2 1/2 cups (Adjust according to your rice type)
Mint & Coriander leaves chopped : 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method

  • Heat a pressure cooker and add butter (Ghee) into it.
  • Add bay leaves and Cardamom seeds followed by green chilies.
  • Add ginger and garlic paste and saute for a while
  • At the same time, grind cashew nuts with pepper, cloves and cinnamon into a fine paste.
  • When the raw smell of ginger and garlic goes, add cashew paste and saute again for sometime.
  • Add corn and little salt and fry for sometime.
  • Now add milk and enough water, bring to boil.
  • Add basmati rice, mint and coriander leaves.
  • Check for salt and add salt enough for rice.
  • When it starts boiling, close the lid and cook up to one whistle.
  • Off the flame and wait till all the steam goes its own.
  • Open the lid and serve hot!

Recipe adapted from here