Zeera Methi Powder

Zeera methi powder is a flavorful addition to any curry. Adding a tbsp. or two of the mix to dal makes it more flavorful and aromatic, while the powder is added to kadhis, coconut currys etc.

Ingredients:

1/2 C Zeera,
1/4 C Fenugreek seeds,
1 tbsp. Tuvar dal,
1 tbsp. rice,
7- 10 curry leaves.

Method:

Dry roast each ingredient separately and mix. Slightly crush the curry leaves to release flavors.This makes the mix.

Let the mix cool and grind it in a coffee grinder to make the powder. Store in airtight container. It has a very good shelf life and does not go bad.

Sending this to Jagrutis Grind Your Cooking Masala event.

Naan Chips

I love chips and dips.  I make it almost everytime I host someone or also for a quick evening snack. Though its easy to buy Pita chips, its much easier to make them at home besides you can flavor them any which way you want and come up with any variation. Like this time I made Naan Chips.

After every party, I always have leftover Naan, if not much atleast some, but I do. So I come up with different ways of reusing them. Like this Pizza. Last time I made these chips, they came out perfect.I love them best when they are still warm , with a creamy dip or even guacamole. They do have excellent shelf life though and can be made ahead of time , which makes it ideal for parties.

Ingredients:

Roghani Naan , sliced into wedges

dried oregano (or any dried herb or spice u like)

salt (I used kosher salt)

black pepper powder (I used freshly ground )

extra virgin olive oil.(evoo)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Put the naan wedges in a large bowl, pour some evoo, sprinkle salt, pepper and oregano . Toss with your hand so the wedges are slightly coated with the oil and spices. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 mins or until slightly browned. Remove from oven and let the cool slightly.

I am sending this to Ayeshas Anyone Can Cook event. , Naynas Lets Cook Speedy Snacks event and Vardhinis Bake Fest #5 hosted by Kalyani.
 
I have a special announcement, 10 days and two posts later I finally get to introduce my other blog "the halal foodie " on Lazzat..

I hope you welcome it with the same love and support, so check it out, dont forget to subscribe and follow. I look forward to see you there :)

Thank You for the ones who already did.

Veggie Pesto Pizza n Homemade Strawberry Mint Pops

Pizza is my go to recipe for quick fix dinners. Its even quicker and less messier if you have the store bought pizza crust waiting to be baked in your refrigerator. What I like about a pizza is, just like biryani, you can never go wrong ! Atleast thats how kind it has been to me :) I have yet to come across a well made pizza that I did not like. 

If you know someone who just wont eat their veggies, this is the way to go, hide it all under a layer of cheese :) 

What I did to make this pizza is drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on a store bought pizza dough, spread some home made pesto (for recipe click here and scroll down) layered it with sliced tomatoes, red onions, baby spinach lots of mozarella and Monterey Jack, some salt n pepper and some dried oregano. Baked it using manufacturers instructions and Voila ! Dinner is served.

Its best if you make your own Pizza dough or buy some from your local pizzeria. A packet of this in your fridge will always come handy to rescue dinner.

Its been a mix of crazy hot and crazy pleasant days here, and to beat one such crazy hot day heat I made these...Strawberry and Mint pops. Super easy and super delicious. Just blend some strawberries (fresh or frozen) with a bunch of mint leaves , add sugar if and as much needed to suit your taste, a dash of lemon juice just to brighten things up and freeze them in ice pop moulds. Enjoy it on a hot summer day, you will never go back to store bought ice pops ever again !

Update:

These quick and easy recipes have been sent off to Ayeshas Anyone Can Cook Event

Butter Pecan Cookies and Awards

I am glad to announce that over the past few days Lazzat has bagged few awards, courtesy of Fathima and Nithu . A big Thanks to both of you and I  do accept these with much appreciation.

Fathima  presented these awards

and Nithu presented these awards

Update : I would like to pass on these awards to Asha, Cham, Aruna, PJ, Priya,  Shaheen and Yasmeen 

Since it was such a joyful week I thought it would be apt to share a simple, quick and delicious, melt in your mouth sweet treat with you. So presenting the butter pecan cookies...

These are sooo easy and sooo delicious , you gotta try these. Not too sweet, melt in your mouth goodness. Its an eggless recipe, so you can actually taste the batter and make necessary changes or tweak the recipe, have fun with it ! The ingredients are as follows:

Ingredients:

1 C (or 2 sticks) butter, room temp,

1/2 C pdrd sugar, plus more for coating cookies

1 3/4 C all-purpose flour,

1 C finely chopped pecans,

1 tsp. vanilla extract.

Method :

Preheat oven to 270 F.

Using an electric mixer at low speed, cream the butter and sugar until smooth, add vanilla and gradually add the flour. Mix in the pecans with a spatula. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper.With floured hands, take out about a tbsp. of dough and shape it into rounds or crescents or squares. Place the cookies at least an inch apart and bake for 40 minutes. Roll them in more powdered sugar while still warm. Cool completely on wire racks and store in airtight containers.

Gulab Jamun

Fried dumplings of milk soaked in cardamom scented sugar syrup, this is generally how restaurant menus explain it.

Gulab Jamun is a favourite with me and my siblings. Growing up, the only sweet we would look forward to eat is Kala Jamun. Making Gulab jamun needs a perfect proportion of Khoya, Sooji or Paneer or what ever may be your recipe, the key is the proportion. This is what my mom says. For me making Gulab Jamuns, is as easy as opening a packet of my favourite brand and mixing it up. But recently I learned to kick it up a notch. Now this is how I jazz up the mix, well actually I learnt this trick from my sis who herself is a very good cook .

When you get a packet of instant gulab jamun mix (available at indian grocery stores), it comes with the instructions, in which they ask you to knead the mix using water or milk. So here is the trick, instead of that try using some condensed milk or evaporated milk (see tip below), sprinkle some elaichi powder, few blanched and finely sliced pistachios to the mix and then just knead it , fry it n soak it in sugar syrup just as the package says. I also add some rose water to my sugar syrup. You will see how richer and creamier and homier they taste just by tweaking the mix a tiny bit. Garnish with silvered almonds or pistachios and enjoy.

How much condensed milk to add: Just keep adding 1 tbsp. of condensed milk or evaporated milk at a time until you get the desired consistency, or until the mix starts to form into a ball.

Kala Jamuns can also be made using the gulab jamun mix...but lets save that story for another day :)

Thanks for sharing this trick Didi ! This is my entry to the Semi Home Made Indian Recipes event hosted by myself.


I am also sending this to the Hearts for St. Valentines Day event hosted by Priya .

Vegetable Qorma

This is another semi home made recipe for a quick qorma. I mean seriously, all I did was saute some chopped veggies till they cook slightly and then open up a jar of pre made qorma sauce . I used potatoes, carrots, peas and beans but you could use any of your favourite veggies. Just before taking the qorma off the heat I topped it with lots of fresh coriander leaves n closed the lid.

Seeds of Change has a variety of organic Indian sauces, but so far I like the Korma sauce the best. Apart from vegetables it also goes well with chicken, pan fried paneer and boiled eggs. Visit their website for coupons and more recipe inspirations.

This is my entry for the Semi Homemade event hosted here at Lazzat.

Raita

Just whip 1 Cup of Yogurt (I used Oikos Greek Yogurt) with 1 tbsp of store bought mint chutney or sandwich chutney, add some sliced red onion, few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice and season it with salt for a refreshing raita.

To this you can add grated cucumbers, cilantro, mint, green chillies , etc etc...you could also season it with chaat masala, its very twekable :) Using a store bought / pre-made chutney saves you a lot of time and effort, and the lemon juice just freshens up everything.


Raitas are usually served alongside biryanis, kababs or parathas, but you cud also use it as a dip for your nachos or chips or even papad.

This quick fix is my entry to the Semi Home Made Indian Recipes event hosted by myself.

Sweet Potato Soup

Nothing is more comforting than a warm bowl of soup on a cold, snowy, wintry night. Soups are not only very quick and easy to put together, but are also very healthy and satisfying.

Ingredients:(Serves 2)

3 tbsp. olive oil,

4 tbsp. onion, chopped,

2 C sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed,

2 C vegetable stock,

1/2 tsp garlic paste,

salt and pepper, to taste.

Method:
Heat oil, add onions, let them fry for a min . Add sweet potatoes, garlic paste and saute. Season it with salt and pepper. Add vegetable stock let it all cook for a few mins. until the potatoes are tender. Remove from heat, let it cool slightly and puree it in a blender or food processor.

Serve hot or at room temperature with toasted baguette.

This is the most basic recipe, you can definitely spice it up, flavor your soup with chicken stock, beef stock, curry powder, coriander powder, roasted fennel powder, tandoori masala, possibilities are endless as this soup is very versatile. Fresh mint also adds a wonderful flavor.

I like my soups to be thick , it just makes it easy to feed my 1 yr old, but you can make it less thick by adding more broth/stock.

This soup is being sent to Monthly Mingle event hosted this month by Sunshine Mom.

Nature's Pride

I recently got a chance to taste the Nature's Pride breads through the Tastemaker program offered by Foodbuzz. Once I opted in for the offer, I received these two loaves- 100% whole wheat and 12 Grain.

Years ago, I did try to switch to multi grain and whole wheat breads, but was discouraged by what I ate....I dint like them at all....in fact I found them hard to swallow ... yes, and I did get back to my favourite brand of "not so natural" white bread.

So when I received the very same varieties of Nature's Pride breads my first taste test or challenge was going to be how the bread tastes by itself. I treated each slice differently to find out what would be the best way to eat it ,so the bread got toasted, grilled , dipped, sandwiched, I also tried a slice of each of the breads by itself , and I just loved it, every time. It passed all the tests in flying colors. Of course I could not click all the images but the one you see is that of a grilled cheese sandwich, in here I used the whole wheat bread with some Manchego cheese.

There is no doubt in my mind that Nature's Pride is the next best thing to home baked breads as suggested by the blog 'my kitchen addiction '. For me this one is a keeper, healthy and tasty, and guess what ? its less expensive than some of the other brands. So next time you wanna buy a loaf , give Nature's Pride bread a try , it wont disappoint you.

Check out their website for nutritional information.

Easy Milk Burfi / Peda

If you live in cities like Chicago, New Jersey, New York , Dallas (to name a few) or places where there are a lot of Indians or Pakistanis residing like the Bay area etc. finding freshly made mithai is no big deal. Mithai, by the way, is a milk based sweet treat loaded with sugar and khoya and nuts /dry fruits. Back in India mithais are made on daily basis and are found everyday in every local mithai shops. My childhood memories bring back the aromas of freshly fried Jalebis and still warm, melt in your mouth besan laddoos, mysore paak ....yum... I remember when we had huge celebrations at home, my father would call a mithaiwala (person who makes/sells mithai ) home and get mothichoor laddoos etc. done as we kids watched over . It was fun !

In Boston, where I live (in the suburbs), we usually have to settle for the mithais we get in the frozen section of the desi store. Milk burfi also known as kalakand is one of my favourites. This recipe would be more of a burfi than a kalakand due to its texture as kalakand generally is very granular.

Its a wonderful recipe, fit for parties/crowds. It can be made ahead of time with very little effort, few ingredients, no added sugar as we use sweetened condensed milk and gives very delicious results.

Ingredients :

1 can (14 0z.) condensed milk,
15 oz. ricotta cheese,
1 C pistachios coarsely chopped,
1.5 tsp. elaichi powder, or to taste ,
ghee for greasing .

Method :

In a heavy botttom pan combine condensed milk and ricotta cheese. Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens slightly. Remove from stove top and stir in the elaichi /cardamom powder. Grease a dish with ghee. (I used a 8" square baking dish, but you could also use a pie plate or any other size plate depending on how thick you want the slices to be.) Let the mixture cool slightly, then pour it on the greased plate sprinkle pistachios on the top and press lightly with your hands , just so the nuts stick to the mixture. Let it cool. Refrigerate for 2- 3 hours/ overnight. Cut into squares and serve.

If you want to make pedas then follow the same instructions until you pour the mixture to set. Let it set in fridge for a few hours. Using a tablespoon measure scoop out the mix and roll between palms to make pedas , roll the pedas in ground pistachios and refrigerate again for some time.

To share with this sweet treat are a lot of awards kindly passed on by a very sweet friend Sri Lekha . Thanks Sri for remembering me :)

I would further pass on these awards to 5 Star Foodie, A2Z Vegetarian, Anjum, Asha, Humaira, Jeena, Lubna, Lubna, Mansi, Mona, Pravs, Shaista and Yasmeen for inspiring many like me and being good friends, Thank you !

Chocolate Fudge

Ramadan Kareem to all !

The most anticipated month for Muslims all around the world has begun, and we have already seen the first third part of it. I usually take a break from blogging during Ramadan , but this year I thought of participating in Lubna and Yasmeen's Joy from fasting to feasting event . I love the idea of this event.

This recipe is a no brainer, chocolate+condensed milk+pistachios = yummy goodness, and that's really all it takes to make this rich and creamy chocolate fudge. Plus this recipe is so quick, you can make it ahead of time, its great for entertaining on days like Eid or otherwise.

Ingredients:

12 oz. 70 percent dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk
Pinch salt
1 cup shelled pistachios

Method:

Melt the chopped chocolate, condensed milk and salt in a heavy based pan on a low heat. Put the nuts into a freezer bag and bash them with a rolling pin, until broken up into both big and little pieces. Add the nuts to the melted chocolate and condensed milk and stir well to mix. Pour this mixture into a 9-inch square foil tray, smoothing the top. Let the fudge cool and then refrigerate until set. Cut them into small squares, once cut you can keep it in the freezer, this fudge does not need to be thawed before serving .

Click here for more quick and easy Iftaar inspirations.

Lemon Squash n Pickled Onions !!!

Labor Day weekend is just around the corner and we are planning a road trip... thanks to Anupama's Picnic Food event, I now have so many tasty options to pack for munching n brunching.

One of my favourite things to do before road trips is pickled onions, just because it can be made way ahead of time, its easy to do, is ready in no time , jazzes the taste of any plain old sandwich/ wrap n looks gorgeous hot pink :) .

All you need is :

2 large thinly sliced red onions, i use the food processor,
some boiling hot water,
juice of 1 -2 lime/lemon, preferably lime,
salt , to taste.

Method :

Pour boiling water over the sliced onions n keep aside for few secs. Strain the onions in a colander, remove all the water by tapping the colander and dump the onions in a container, to this add the lemon juice n salt n refrigerate till you use.

You can immediately see the onions start to change their color. These onions go well with tacos too. Though this is the basic recipe for pickled onions, u can add green chillies or sugar or any pickling spice .... try any combination of flavors.

Now time for some home made lemonade. Why not make a lemon squash ? Keep it in your cooler/ icebox n just stir in some water when ever you want to have a cool sip.

I flavored mine with ginger, you can use mint or both ginger n mint ....what ever u like ...

Feel free to add n reduce the quantity of lemons n sugar, depending on how sour the lemons are n how sweet u like your lemonade. The following recipe yields 1ltr. of syrup

Ingredients:

2 cups lemon juice,
3 cups water,
3" ginger root, chopped into thin slices,
2 cups sugar,
1 tbsp white vinegar.

Method:

Boil water n sugar in a pan , till the sugar dissolves (at this stage u can add more sugar if you want , but make sure that u boil the syrup after sugar is added) . When all the sugar is dissolved remove it from heat n let cool completely. Then add the lemon juice and vinegar, mix well, throw in the ginger , cover n let it steep for at least 12 hrs , the more you steep the better. Now remove the ginger slices with a spoon, give it a stir n store in a sterilized glass bottle. You can also strain it before transferring into the bottle. Keep refrigerated.

Once the syrup is made , all you have to do is, stir in 1 part of the syrup (or to taste) to 3 parts of water n enjoy.

Microwave Milk Peda !

We once had to visit one of my husbands friend who just had a baby girl, we were running late n were not sure if we would have enough time to pick some sweets on the way, that was the first time I tried these Pedas .....ready in a jiffy....n it was a huge hit in their family ... I have made these many times since then ....after all who does not want a quick n fuss free dessert !

So when I learnt about Srivalli's Microwave Easy Cooking Event I thought of sharing this recipe of Milk Peda with all of you.
Come to think of it, it would also make a good picnic food, a traditional Indian dessert for picnic in park :)



Ingredients:

1n 3/4th cup Milk powder,
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.),
1tbsp. butter, at room temperature,
1/4th tsp. cardamom/elaichi pdr.,
few strings saffron, crushed or whole,
few chironji/ sunflower seeds , slightly dry roasted, to garnish, optional.

Method:
Whisk together milk powder, condensed milk n cardamom pdr. You can also beat the mixture nicely using a fork. Add butter n whisk again for a min. Stir in the saffron n mix well . Now microwave this mixture on high for 2 mins. Remove, let cool slightly, so that you can handle it with your hands.Grease your hands with a little ghee, make small balls of the mixture while its still warm n flatten slightly or roll in desired shapes. Garnish with sunflower seeds/ saffron strands. You can also use a toothpick to decorate.

As simple as that, this recipe is also very versatile. You can try the same recipe with different combinations of flavorings and garnishes . You may also add more milk powder if you experience problem forming the pedas. Enjoy !

Quick Kulcha

This is one of the recipes I learned from my sis. It does not need baking in oven or tandoor, no resting time,etc... I also call it "tava (griddle) top" kulcha :).

Remember its not the traditional kulcha...its quick kulcha :)


Ingredients:

2 cups maida / all-purpose flour,
1 cup dill, finely chopped,
1 small onion, grated,
2 green chillies, minced, (optional)
3 tbsp. curd / yogurt,
ghee / oil, for frying,
salt to taste.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients, and knead into a soft dough using water. The onion and the curd, both have water content, so be careful with it, don't add too much water. Divide the dough into lime size balls. Roll these balls into flour.

Now roll out each ball into 3" circle, apply ghee / oil , fold it into half to get a semi-circle and then fold it one more time to get a triangle. Again dip into flour and roll out into a circle.

Cook on a hot griddle (medium heat) till brown specks appear on both sides. Apply ghee and serve hot.

I served it with a mix vegetable curry. It also goes well with minced meat (Kheema).

SOS and AFAM - Watermelon

SOS - Share Our Strength, invites us all to join them in their effort to end Childhood hunger ....all you have to do is organise a bake sale anytime till 31st of August 2007 and donate the proceeds to the organisation.

I thought of posting about this event because there are so many people who cook , bake and blog everyday . I may not know a lot of them as i have just joined the blogging world but if "you" know, you could spread the word, for details please click here.

Now for the AFAM- Watermelon event hosted by Bee and Jai from Jugalbandi (got to know about the event through Asha's blog Aroma).



Watermelon is one of my favourite fruits. Nothing compares to taking a big bite of a fresh, juicy sweet watermelon on a hot sunny day. Take it with a pinch of salt (or black salt), pepper or squeeze some lemon on it ...

I thought of many options for this event , milkshake, sorbet and many recipes on the net etc... finally this is what i came up with .....just plain watermelon juice blended with some salt n sugar .....A well chilled glass of this is amazingly refreshing. I was so tempted to add lemon or lime juice to it ....but I do not regret not adding it :)

I avoid using ice cubes in fresh fruit juices, instead I prefer to chill it in the refrigerator or keeping the juice in an ice bucket .



Ingredients:

2 cups watermelon cubes,
1.5 tbsp. sugar, or to taste,
a big pinch salt.

Method:

Dump all the ingredients in the blender and puree them. By pureeing, and not 'blending' you get a thick and frothy juice. I didn't strain it because I like the texture, but you can. Serve chilled.