BLUEBERRY CLAFOUTIS RECIPE

    

Clafoutis is a french rustic style dessert. It's somewhere between a cake, a custard and a pancake. Traditionally clafoutis is made with whole cherries, but it's taste great with berries also.

Recipe adapted from Julia Child

Ingredients 

1 1/4 cups milk 

1/2 cup sugar 

3 eggs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 tsp lemon zest

Powdered cinnamon a pinch 

2 cups blueberries 

1/4 cup sugar and whipping cream for serving 

Method 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

In a blender blend the milk, 1/3 cup of the sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, cinnamon and flour.

Pour a 1/4 inch layer of the batter in a lightly and evenly buttered baking dish. Place in the oven until batter firms up a bit. Remove from heat and place berries over the batter. Sprinkle on the remaining sugar, pour on the rest of the batter evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes. The clafoutis is done when puffed and a knife plunged in the center comes out clean.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Great served warm.

Unniyappam Recipe

Ingredients

• White Rice (Pachari): 1 1/2 cup
• Maida (All Purpose Flour): 1/2 cup
• Jaggery: 250-300 gms
• Ripe Banana: 1 (I used 1 poovan pazham, if you are using njanli poovan you can use 2)
• Coconut Bits(Thenga Kothu): 1/2 cup
• Black Sesame Seeds: 1 1/2 tbsp(optional)
• Baking Soda: 1/2 tsp
• Ghee: 1 tbsp
• Oil: For deep frying

Method

• Add 1 cup water to jaggery and melt it. Strain the jaggery and let it cool completely.
• Fry the coconut bits in ghee till it turns golden brown.
• Grind the white rice with less water(here I used jaggery syrup to grind rice). No need to make this smooth paste.
• Add maida to this mixture and just blend to mix well.
• Grind the banana, mix with rice batter and remaining jaggery syrup. Add water little by little till you get the consistency of idli batter. Add fried coconut bits and baking soda. if you are using sesame seeds add at this time.
• Mix well and keep aside the batter for 30-45 minutes. If the batter turns too thick after resting add extra water to make the right consistency.
• heat oil in a unniyappakkara, when the oil is really hot, reduce the flame to medium. Drop tablespoons of batter to the pan. turn the unniyappam after one side done. Take unniyappam out after it become golden brown. Drain excess oil on tissue paper.

Kunchi Pathil / Kakka Roti / Steamed Rice Dumplings In Meat Gravy

This exotic dish has an important role in our Malabar culinary. This is a delightful one pot meal to take as dinner or evening snack. These are small rice dumplings steamed and cooked in the tasty meat and coconut gravy. In Ramadan, we prepare various dishes for each day and share with our neighbours. Kunchi pathil is one among them. If you are someone who loves tasty food, then try this one.

Off to the recipe...

Ingredients 

For the dumplings:

Parboiled rice: 500 gm

Fennel seeds ( perumjeerakam ): 1 tsp

Shallots ( small onion ): 5

For the gravy:

Beef / mutton cubes : 800 gm

Chilli powder : 3 tsp

Coriander powder : 4 tsp

Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder : 1/2 tsp

Onion : 250 gms chopped

Ginger paste : 1 tbsp

Garlic paste : 1 heaped tbsp

Oil : 2 tbsp 

Salt to taste 

For making coconut paste :

Grated coconut : 1 1/4 cup

Fennel seeds : 1/2 tsp

Shallots : 4

Method

Soak the rice in hot water for 4 hours.

Grind it along with minimal water until you get a coarse and grainy mixture. Add fennel seeds, shallots and salt into this and grind for few seconds.

Hang this mixture in a muslin cloth to remove excess water, take a small portion of the dough and shape it.

Steam cook this dumplings for 8-10 minutes until done.

For making gravy, first pressure cook meat with half amount of turmeric, chilly, coriander powders and with little salt.

In a pot heat oil, add onions and salt, saute till it turns golden. Add ginger and garlic and saute till raw smell fades.

Add remaining powders, garam masala then add cooked meat along with stock. Stir well and cook till gravy becomes dry and meat coated with all masalas well.

Add the cooked dumplings into the masala and mix well.

Make a smooth paste with coconut, fennel seeds and shallots. Add this paste to the meat and dumpling mixture, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes. Take it off the flame.

PHILADELPHIA-CHOCOLATE SAUCE No bake Cheesecake

Here is a dessert that I tried a while ago, and have been lying in my drafts for months now. I think this is basically a cheesecake with two different flavour. A pretty straight forward recipe with an awesome result. Actually the recipe doesn't have chocolate layer in it. I added chocolate sauce into it for an extra flavor. My kids prefer anything chocolaty. This is an easy non-bake cheesecake with a chocolate cookie base. Oreo in this recipe adds a delightful crunchiness to the smooth creamy dessert.

Ingredients

Oreo biscuits : 15 crushed
Butter : 2 tbsp melted
Philadelphia cream cheese : 1/2 cup
Sugar : 3 tbsp
Cool whip whipped topping thawed : 1 pack (8 ounces)
Vanilla : 1 tsp
Chocolate sauce : 3 tbsp

Directions

Crush the cookies, mix with butter. Firmly press on bottom of a loaf tin. I used silicone one. Refrigerate while preparing filling. Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric beater until well blended. Gently stir in cool whip. Spread half of this mixture over the refrigerated crust, Again refrigerate until set.Add chocolate sauce to the remaining cream cheese mixture. Mix well and spread over the first layer. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
To serve: Invert the loaf pan on to a serving plate and slide the loaf pan out. Serve thick slices.

This recipe is linked to the event 'Wedding Anniversary Cakes & Sweets'

Haffa's Announcement
Monu's Announcement

Spring Onion Stir-fry

Spring onion aka scallion is one of the variety of onion. We can make delicious soups and Currys with this flavorful vegetable.

Ingredients 

Spring Onion : 1 bunch

Oil : 2 tsp

Cumin seeds : 1/4 tsp

Mustard seeds : 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves : 2 sprigs

Besan / gram flour : 1 1/2 tbsp 

Red chilli powder : 1/2 tsp 

Garam Masala powder : a pinch

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and chop the spring onions very finely ( both the green and white parts together ).

In a pan add oil and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds, then add curry leaves into it.

Add chopped spring onion and stir well.

After 2 minutes add salt and cook for another 2 minutes.

Now add besan, red chilly powder and Garam Masala, mix well and cook until the raw smell of besan goes. After adding besan stir all the time otherwise it will burn.

Always serve this spring onion Masala hot . 

Fish Molee Recipe / Fish Stew In Coconut Millk

Ingredients 

For marination :-

King fish or any firm fleshed fish : 1/2 kg

Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp

Pepper powder : 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice : 1 tsp

Salt : to taste

For gravy :-

Coconut oil : 2 tbsp

Cardamom : 2 

Cloves : 3 

Cinnamon: 1" piece

Bay leaf : 1

Onion : 1 large sliced

Tomato : 1 medium 

Ginger : 1 heaped tsp crushed

Garlic : 1 heaped tsp crushed

Green chillies : 3 slitted 

Shallots : 4

Curry leaves : 3 sprigs 

Thick coconut milk ,1st extract : 1/2 

Thin coconut milk : 1 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Method

First clean and pat dry fish.

Marinate fish pieces with the ingredients listed under ' for marination '. Set aside for 15 minutes. Shallow fry them until 3/4 th done, drain on to a kitchen towel.

In a wide pan heat coconut oil , then add cardamom,cloves,cinnamon and bay leaf. Saute for few seconds.

Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until onion turns soft and translucent.

Now add tomato and thin coconut milk. Bring this to a boil. Add salt to taste.

Add the fried fish pieces and mix gently. Cover and cook for few minutes or until the gravy turns thick.

Now add the thick coconut milk and mix gently. Switch off the stove.

Temper with shallots and curry leaves and add more sliced tomatoes , if desired.

Serve with appam.

Boondi Ladoo Recipe

Ingredients

• Besan flour (kadala mavu) : 1 cup
• Water : 1/2 to 3/4 cup (adjust to get a flowing batter)
• Orange food color : a small pinch
• Cardamom : 2 powdered
• Cashews & Raisins : just for garnishing
• Ghee : to deep fry

For sugar syrup

• Sugar : 1 1/4 cups
• Water : 3/4 cup

Method

1. Sieve besan flour and add water little by little to form a thick paste. Then add more water to form a flowing batter. Add orange color and mix well.
2. We need 2 ladles, one for making boondis and another one for draining them from oil. We need to be very careful about batter consistency, if batter consistency is not perfect the balls will not be round and it will have tails. To check if the batter is in correct consistency, first take a spoon and dip the backside of the spoon into batter and hold it over the heated oil. If it drops as perfect rounds then the batter is perfect. Otherwise dilute the batter and check again.
3. Pour one ladle of batter over the ladle with the hole for making boondi. It will drip down by itself, you can even spread it using the ladle in circular motion. It should not be crispy, we must take it in the just cooked stage. Drain it using the second ladle and remove to a paper towel.
4. Repeat to finish the entire batter.
5. At the same time take sugar with water in a wide pan and heat it up. Boil until one string consistency. Check for one string consistency by taking a drop between your thumb and index finger, you can see a single string forming between your fingers. Take care while doing this, wet your hands before checking. Otherwise hot sugar syrup will burn your hands. You can check the cosistency by adding drops of sugar syrup in a bowl of water. If it is in right consistency sugar syrup will form a soft ball in the water. Now off the flame and set aside.
6. Add cardamom powder into the sugar syrup and add boondis into it. Mix it well and wait for sometime to make ladoos.
7. When its still warm enough to handle with your hands shape them into ladoos. 
8. You can garnish this laddos with fried cashews and raisins. Enjoy!!

Mushroom Pulao

 

Belated Eid wishes to all. I was hoping to post this on the Eid day, but things did not work the way it was supposed to be. The guests who were expected to come on the Eid day came yesterday only. So we celebrated Eid with a simple "Nawabi Biriyani" accompanied with "Pineapple Payasam". Yesterday was the real feast. I served a five-course meal for them. There was mushroom pulao,  bhatura, naan, chicken mughalai, mutton roganjosh etc.,. etc.,. for the main course. I am posting mushroom pulao recipe this time, other recipes will be published soon.
Off to the recipe...

Ingredients

Mushroom : 15 (1 packet)
Basmati Rice : 2 cups
Cardamom : 3
Onion : 2 sliced
Mint Leaves : 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves : 1/4 cup
Green Chilly : 2
Sugar : a pinch
Butter : 4 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Lemon juice : 1 tsp

Method

• In a pressure cooker heat 2 tbsp of butter, then add cardamom. Add cleaned basmati rice into this, saute for few minutes till all the moisture in the rice leaves out. Add water.
• Add salt and few drops of lemon juice. Cook the rice till one whistle. Wait till all the steam goes out.
• Thinly slice the mushrooms and onions after washing it nicely.
• In a pan, add 1 tbsp of butter and add the onions. Add little salt and saute them till they turn pink. Add the thinly sliced mushrooms. Mushrooms tend to cook and oozes out water too.
• When done add this to the rice.
• Make a fine paste of coriander leaves, mint leaves and green chillies.
• In another pan, add little butter and add this paste and add a pinch of sugar. Sugar is added to retain the color. Saute for a while and add this to the rice.
• Mix this gently and evenly.
• Mushroom pulao is ready to serve.

Spicy Chicken Curry With Chilly Garlic Sauce

This chicken curry is very easy to prepare and there is no grinding or any other complicated steps involved. The only time consuming part would be sauteing onions. Using kashmiri chilly powder is very important for this recipe because that gives the nice red color to this gravy.

Ingredients

Chicken small pieces(with bones) : 1 kg
Onion(thinly sliced) : 3
Garlic paste : 1 1/2 tbsp
Ginger paste : 1 1/2 tbsp
Tomatoes(chopped) : 2 big
Turmeric powder : 1 tsp
Pepper powder : 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri chilly powder : 2 tsp
Coriander powder : 1 tsp
Garam masala : 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida : a pinch
Chilly garlic sauce : 3 tbsp
Curry leaves : 2 sprigs
Oil : 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Take 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder, 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste and salt in a bowl. Add cleaned chicken pieces into it and marinate for at least 1/2 hour.
2. In a deep wok, heat oil and add sliced onion and salt. Saute until onion become translucent.
3. Add remaining ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell goes.
4. Add tomatoes, cover and cook till tomatoes become mushy. Then add all the powders and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the marinated chicken pieces to this gravy with 2tbsp of chilly garlic sauce, mix well and cook for 8-10 minutes. Mix in between so that it will not stick to the bottom. Then add 1/2 cup of water, cover and cook until the chicken completely done.
6. Off the flame and garnish with curry leaves and chilly garlic sauce.
7. Serve hot with Ghee Rice.

Recipe adapted from here

Elaneer Payasam / Tender Coconut Kheer

Elaneer payasam recipe is very simple and less time consuming, but it's tastes heavenly. 

Ingredients

Tender Coconut water : 3 cups ( 2 tender coconuts )

Tender coconut flesh : flesh from 2 tender coconut
Coconut Milk : 150 ml

Milk : 1 cup
Condensed Milk : 150 ml

Elaichi ( cardamom powder ) : a pinch

Method

Boil whole milk then pour condensed milk, when it becomes thick switch off the flame. Allow it to cool, then add coconut milk and cardamom powder into it and mix well.

Grind 3/4 part of coconut flesh along with enough coconut water, add this paste to the milk mixture.

Cut remaining coconut flesh into small pieces and add to the mixture. Now add remaining coconut water (adjust the amount of coconut water so that the payasam does not become too watery)

Chill the payasam atleast for 30 minutes and serve.

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.

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!!

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

Sweet Chatti Pathiri (Iftar Special Recipe)

Chatti Pathiri is a very common sweet dish among Malabar Muslims. This is a must for any get together in our area. It is made in both sweet and savory variations. This is a little time consuming recipe but really tasty and delicious. You can bake this in oven or cook on stove top. I prefer stove cooking rather than oven. We can make the Pathiri either like the chappathi dough, rolling it and then cooking on the tawa/griddle or making batter, by mixing maida (plain flour), water egg and salt and making thin pancakes. I made the batter version because it is so soft and easier.

Ingredients

For the pathiris :

Plain flour : 1 cup

Egg : 1

Water : enough to make a thin batter

Salt : a pinch

For the filling :

Eggs : 5

Sugar : 10 tbsp (can adjust according to your preferences)

Grated coconut : 5 tbsp

Raisins : 50 gms

Cashew nuts (broken) : 50 gms

Poppy seeds (couscous) : 4 tbsp

Cardamom powder : 1tsp

Ghee : 2-3 tbsp

For coating :

Eggs : 4

Sugar : 6 tbsp

Cardamom powder : a pinch

Preparation

For the pathiris :

1. Mix the flour, egg and salt with enough water to make a thin batter.

2. Make thin pan cakes (dosas) in a non stick pan. You can vary the size of the pan cakes depending on the size of the vessel in which you are making chatti pathiri.

For the filling :

1. Beat the eggs lightly with sugar and cardamom.

2. Heat a large frying pan. Add ghee and saute raisins, cashew nuts, poppy seeds and grated coconut until they start to change the color slightly.

3. Add the beaten egg and scrample the whole mixture until the egg is well cooked. Keep it aside.

For the coating and the assembling :

1. For coating, beat the eggs, sugar and cardamom and keep aside.

2. Take a non-stick vessel or baking tray, spread ghee all around.

3. Take one pan cake, dip in the egg coating mixture and keep it as the first layer.

4. Sprinkle the scrambled egg filling on top of the pan cake.

5. Dip the second pan cake in the egg coating mixture, and place it on top of the filling.

6. Sprinkle the scrambled egg mixture again and repeat this until all the pan cakes and the scrambled egg mixture is used up. Pour the remaining egg mixture on top so that it drains on all the gaps on sides and form a thin layer on top. This is important to keep chatti pathiri moist.

7. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until the top of pathiri turns golden. You can cook it in a non-stick vessel on stove, by placing it in very low flame and then flipping it over carefully and cooking on the other side.

Chicken Kofta Curry

Hi,
Hope everyone out there is doing well. I am doing great here. As it is Ramadan, I am little busy and cant find time to blog. Now at least I have got sometime so that I could share this recipe for you. Chicken kofta curry is an Indian style spiced meatballs in spiced gravy. It's a flavorful Indian dish. Off to the recipe...

Ingredients

For the koftas :

Ground/Minced Chicken - 500 gms

Onion - 1 finely chopped

Ginger & Garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Garam Masala -1 tsp or to taste

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Cilantro - few sprigs
Cornflour - 1/2 cup
Oil for fry

For the curry :

Oil -2 tbsp

Cardamom seeds 1/4 tsp

Cloves - 3 

Cinnamon stick - 1 inch piece 

Bay Leaf - 1

Onion - medium, finely chopped

Salt - very little

Ginger & garlic - 1 tbsp, minced

Tomato Paste - 1 tbsp

Tomatoes - 2 medium chopped

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder - 2 tsp

Cumin Powder 1 tsp

Garam Masala - 1 tsp

Yogurt - 1 cup, we'll beaten

Water as needed

Cilantro - for garnish

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients for the koftas (except cornflour) and mix really we'll.

2. Dip your hands in water and take a small amount of mixture and make lemon size balls. Coat with cornflour. fry and keep aside.

3. For Curry part, heat Oil in a pan on medium heat.

4. Once hot, add the Cinnamon stick and the bay leaf.

5. Pound the Cardamom Seeds and the Cloves in a Mortar and pestle.

6. Add to the Oil.

7. Immediately after that add the Onions.

8. Add a little Salt to speed up the cooking.

9. Once the Onions change color add in the minced Ginger & Garlic.

10. Cook for just a couple of minutes.

11. Add in the Tomato Paste and mix well.

12. Add in the fresh tomatoes and Turmeric powder and cook till the Oil separates.

13. Add in the Coriander powder, Cumin powder, and Garam masala.

14. Mix well and lower the flame to a simmer.

15. Adding the well-beaten yogurt slowly and stir continuously while adding.

16. Add enough Water and increase the flame to a medium, cover and allow the curry to boil.

17. Drop koftas gently into the boiling curry.

18. Repeat process till all the koftas are in the Curry. 

19. Lower the flame, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, remove cover and mix very gently.

20. Garnish with Cilantro and serve hot.

Cappuccino at Home ( without using coffee maker )

I am a coffee lover ! In our family everyone loves coffee. At our home we don't make a regular instant coffee, we always makes cappuccino. When I was in India I always prefer to have coffee from " Coffee Beans " here, its " Starbucks".

You don't need to have a coffee maker, or an espresso machine at home to make cappuccino.

Ingredients

Coffee mate or any coffee creamer : 1 heaped tbsp

Instant coffee powder : 1 1/4 tsp ( I prefer nescafe )

Sugar : 1 levelled tbsp

Boiling water : 1 cup

Preparation

Take a cup ( or mug ), add coffee powder and sugar. Add 2 to 3 droplets of water. When adding droplets of water, the mixture in the cup should not become too wet. So add only little just for mixing.

Now start stirring the content in the cup quite fast with the back of a spoon.

You have to stir until you get a thick-gooey-coffee-cream kinda mixture. It will take two to three minutes. The dark brown coffee miture will turn to beige color. It should smell heavenly.

Now add the coffee mate into the coffee mixture and add boiling water by a rotating movement and give a gentle stir.

You can see the froth gushing up just like in cafes.

You can sprinkle some coffee powder over the top.