Aash

Aash is made daily for iftaar during the month of Ramadan, the following recipe is shared by my mother-in-law, who taught me how to make it.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. Ghee
a small piece Cinnamon
2 Cardamoms
1 tbsp. moong dal
1 tbsp. Kheema(optional)
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tbsp. Cilantro
1 tbsp. Mint
11/2 tbsp.Coarsely Ground Rice
4 C water, or more.

Method:

Heat ghee, add cinnamon, cardamom and kheema,cook for some time now add moong dal, add ginger garlic paste and fry for few seconds, add water , cilantro and mint and salt. Let the water boil , now add rice powder and cook till rice is cooked.

You could also use stock instead of water

Sending it to Ramadan Friendly Recipes @ the halal foodie blog and Lubnas Joy from Fasting to Feasting 

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.

Ciabatta Halwa

Though I am not a dessert person, Bread ka halwa is one dessert I can never pass. I have loved it since childhood and it still remains my favourite halwa.

There are many ways Bread is enjoyed in form of halwa. Like the Double ka meetha, where its sliced and fried and soaked in cream mixture keeping the slices intact, or as halwa where its sliced and fried but cooked with the cream/milk mixture (looks like the halwa I have made today ) and also where the stale bread is made into fine crumbs by grinding in food processor and then made just like Sooji ka Halwa, except you use powdered bread instead of sooji.

To make a good halwa with bread, its important that the bread is somewhat stale. Back at home if we did not have stale bread, I remember my mom would let the fresh bread dry out on old newspapers.

So I thought Ciabatta would be perfect for the halwa, as it really dries out when stale. I pounded the bread using a pestle, but you dont have too, you can grind it in food processor, it tastes even better that way I think.

Ingredients:

1/2 C ghee

2 1/2 C coarse bread crumbs

1" cinnamon

1 1/2 C milk

3/4 C sugar

pinch saffron

1/2 tbsp. elaichi pdr/ cardamom pdr

1/4 C sliced almonds

1 1/2 tsp Kewda extract

Method:

Pound or chop stale Ciabatta into coarse crumbs.Heat ghee , add the cinnamon and bread crumbs and roast till golden.

Add milk, saffron, and cardamom pdr and cook till the milk is absorbed. Then add sugar and cook for few more minutes

Remove from heat add the Kewda extract and mix well.I like it best while its warm

Enjoy !

Tips:

Use the measurements of the ingredients as a guide, the quantity of ghee, milk and sugar will depend on how dry/stale the bread is.

P.S. Check out my other blog "the halal foodie " , subscribe and follow to keep in touch. I look forward to see you there :)

Dahi Ki Kadhi Aur Badey./ Yogurt Gravy with fritters

Dahi ki kadhi is a traditional south indian recipe. This recipe is shared by my mother in law , its a perfect recipe for a light summer lunch and is equally quick and easy.

Ingredients:

For Kadhi:

1 med. Onion, finely chopped
2 C Yogurt
2 med. tomatoes, coarsely ground
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 C cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp chilli pdr, or to taste
1/2 tsp. turmeric pdr
a pinch garam masala pdr
1 tsp. zeera - methi pdr
2 tbsp. chana dal paste
1 tsp tamarind paste
salt to taste.

Tempering:

Oil
1/2 onion sliced
1 tsp. mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1 dried red chilli (optional)

Method:

Add the first nine ingredients for the kadhi in a dish , add water to cover the ingredients and cook until the onions are tomatoes are cooked . Then add the chana dal paste and stir well. Add salt, cook for a few mins. Add 1tsp. tamarind paste.

Heat Oil, add onions, mustard seeds, curry leaves and dried red chili , let the mustard splutter and then pour it over the kadhi.  Serve with rice and bade (recipe below).

For the Bade:

Ingredients:

1 C chana dal, soaked for 2 hrs and ground coarsely (use 2 tbsp. for kadhi)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 C dill/ spinach , chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp chili pdr, or to taste
1//4 tsp. turmeric
a pinch baking soda
1 tsp zeera methi pdr
a pinch garam masala pdr

Method:

Combine all the ingredients and deep fry.

P.S. Check out my other blog "the halal foodie " ,  subscribe and follow to keep in touch. I look forward to see you there :)

Have you tried these?

These are hands down the best Osmania Biscuits I've ever had, melt in your mouth goodness ! My friend bought these (for us) from her recent visit to Hyderabad.

If you live in or around Hyderabad, you must try this !

With tea, coffee or just as a snack ....these are really addictive :)

Murgh Malai Kabab Bites

A very Happy and Healthy New Year to all my readers and fellow bloggers !

Haah ! Its so good to see you ...

The new year has begun and I am glad I checked out one of my resolutions already :) posting here, before the first month ends that is.

A lot happened since we last met in Oct 2010. All of it involved a lot of cooking, some hits and some misses, and a lot of eating out too !

Lets see....we bought our first house, then came the moving , then it was eid-ul-adha (bakri eid), then we were settling down, we had friends visiting us, then the house warming, then of course we were travelling and shopping. Throw in few snowstorms and there you go, 3 months of madness in less than three sentences  :)

Now, as we are still settling ...(yeah...thts right... slowly but surely...) I am kinda trying to get back into the blogging mode, catching up, see all the deliciousness I have missed, welcome new friends, which reminds me , I wanna thank all of you who emailed me, left their comments, sent their wishes, Thank You very much , I am trying to reply all the comments / questions/ suggestions ASAP.

Coming to the recipe, when I say bites its not exactly an amuse-bouche, the kababs are may be 2 or 3 biters, but they are super delicious ...try any size ... I marinated the chicken overnight but half hour should also suffice.

Ingredients :

2 C Chicken breasts, cubed

1 tsp.ginger paste, 

1 tsp. garlic paste,

1/2 tsp. chili pdr or to taste,

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/2 C cream,

salt, to taste

1.5 tsp. dhania pdr

1/2 C panko (optional)

olive oil, for shallow frying.

Method:

Combine all the ingredients except panko and oil and let it marinate at room temperature for at least half an hour, or overnight in the refrigerator. Heat oil in a pan , dip the chicken pieces in the panko/bread crumbs and shallow fry on medium heat until both sides are golden brown. Drain on a paper towel/ tissue. Serve hot / warm.

I am sending this to the Ramadan Friendly Recipes event at "the halal foodie" blog

Enjoy!

Saunfwali Malai Roti and Award

This is a very simple and easy preparation. Don't let the picture deceive you , it does not look as good as I would have liked it to be, but I still wanted to share this recipe with you. The roti in the picture is the last one I saved just for the sake of few clicks :)

This post is being sent to the CWS - Fennel event hosted by Priya

and to Ayeesha's event Iftaar Moments

Ingredients :

2 C Whole wheat flour,

1 C all- purpose flour/ maida,

1 C heavy cream,

1 T fennel seeds/saunf,

ghee, solidified, as needed

1/4 t salt

a small bunch(or a big handful) of mint leaves, chopped

oil , for cooking .

lukewarm water, as needed.

Method:

Roast the fennel seeds in a skillet on med. heat, without using any oil, until they slightly change their color and you can smell the aroma. Remove of heat , let it cool then crush it with a rolling pin or a pestle.

Mix both the flours, add the crushed fennel, salt, cream, mint and knead it into a soft dough using as little water as possible. Cover with a damp paper towel and let it rest for at least half an hour.

Divide the dough into lime size balls n roll these balls into flour.Now roll out each ball into 3" circle, apply solidified ghee / oil , fold it into a square as shown below . 

(1)

Dip into flour and roll out on the sides into a square.Cook on a hot griddle (medium heat) till brown specks appear on both sides. You can also roll them as regular rotis/ chapatis. Serve with any spicy meat or veggie qorma.

(2)

I also use these rotis to make Kabab rolls using shami kebabs, onions, tomatoes,cilantro, tamarind chutney, sprinkle some chilli pdr, chaat masala and squirt a wedge of lime. Roll it up n enjoy :P

(3)

Also to share is an award , which I am so glad to accept from two dear friends and very versatile bloggers Deepa and Guna. They both thought of me as a Versatile Blogger for which I wanna say a big "Thank You !"

To accept this award I have to thank the person who awarded it, share seven things about myself and pass it to fifteen blogger friends.

Well, this is the toughest, 7 things about me ....OK here we go,

- I am working on one more blog , in my mind that is :) will "soon" let you know

- Ramadan is my favourite time of the year, like many I am way too excited about it,

- Playing with my 2 yr old and making him laugh is my favourite thing to do

- I enjoy watching good documentaries

- I like to maintain "To Do" lists for almost every task :) 

- I am very bad at writing about myself

- I *heart* Chaats...yum..yum :)

Now to pass it on  I choose,  

Priya, of Priya's Easy and Tasty recipes

Asha,  of Foodies Hope

Vasavi, of Vasavi's Recipes

Shaheen, of Malabar Spices

Sanyukta of Creative Sanyukta

Satya of Super Yummy Recipes

Fathima of Thattukada

Yasmeen of Health Nut

Malar of Kitchen Tantra

Cham of Spice Club

Gulmohar of Collaborative Curry

Anjum of Anjus Kitchen Treasures

Saraswathi of Saras Corner

Ayeesha of Taste Of Pearl City

PJ of Ginger and Garlic

Though my list did comprise of about some 40- 50 people whom I think of as very versatile and creative bloggers,I had to settle down to 15. Its gonna be very exciting to read more about them and the ones they tag. 

Before I take a month off during the holy month of Ramadan I have a very interesting recipe to share, hopefully very soon, till then Happy Blogging everyone !

Dahi ke Jamun

Hey, did I just reveal the secret ingredient in the title itself ? I guess I did :)

I never knew the guessing games are soooo much fun, its almost addictive :) Thank you all who played along and made it this exciting for me. Most of you thought  the jamuns were made using bread or potato/sweet potato , some even suggested paneer , rice, etc ....but after all those guesses no one could come up with the right ingredient... so its finally on me to announce that the key ingredient is Yogurt ...yes... Dahi (as its know in India).

Hung yogurt kneaded with flour n semolina n soaked in rose syrup... This is a very versatile recipe ...you can also try flavouring your jamuns with Vanilla but I like the traditional taste.If the Jamuns dont cook through till the centre you can make flat patties , like the one you would make for ras malai or cutlets and fry n then soak in syrup. Choice is yours. But overall this is a delightful recipe. 

Ingredients:

For Jamuns:

1 C all-purpose flour,

1 C semolina,

1 C yogurt,

1 tbsp. ghee,

a pinch of baking powder,

1/2 tsp. cardamom pdr,

1/2 tsp. nutmeg powder,
oil/ ghee for frying.

For the syrup:

1 C sugar

1/4 C water

1 tbsp. rose water

Method:

Cover a colander with muslin or paper towel and let the yogurt drain overnight.

Sift together the flour, semolina, baking pdr, cardamom pdr and nutmeg pdr. Rub in the ghee. Add the hung yogurt and knead well. to a smooth dough. Cover and set aside for atleast 3-4 hrs.

Meanwhile make the syrup. Heat the sugar and water together till you get a single thread consistency. Let it cool slightly and add the rose water.

Heat oil, shape the jamuns and deep fry on medium heat until they turn golden brown. While the jamuns are still hot either soak them in the syrup or just drop in the syrup and take them out immediately.

This sweet treat is being sent to the following events:

Sweets and Savouries for Diwali hosted by Sri

Party treats event series of Monthly mingle  hosted by  Saraswathi and started by Meeta

Only Kids delight hosted by Pari  

and Iftaar Moments hosted by Ayeesha.

Khajur

After much deliberation, Lazzat is finally on Facebook ! Ya , it took me this long :) As naive as this may sound , I would  love any suggestions or tips or even tutorials  relating to Facebook .

Ramadan is just a month away, and as usual I will officially be on a blogging break. Meanwhile I would like to share some interesting recipes and also get some drafted .

Khajur is a big part of my childhood memories. This is one simple recipe, can be stored for almost a month , though they wont last that long. Its a perfect snack for kids of all ages. We always take a big bag of khajurs when we plan a road trip.

The best part is you can freeze them n fry as and when needed (see tip below) , which comes handy especially during Ramadan. 

Ingredients:

1/2 kg maida,

1/4 kg sugar,

1 tbsp khas khas/ poppy seeds, lightly roasted

1 tbsp ghee,

a generous pinch of saffron, dissolved in 2 tbsp. warm milk,

3 tbsp milkmaid / khoya,

1 t rose water,

15 dried dates, pitts removed and chopped,

1/4 - 1/2 C almonds, slivered or chopped

1/4 - 1/2 C golden raisins,

milk , as needed, (approx. 2-3 tsp.)

3 eggs

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead it into a stiff dough without using any water. If needed you can use some milk but use very little at a time. Cover with a damp paper towel and let it rest for about half an hour.Then take a portion, roll it out , approximate a centimeter thick and cut into diamonds. At this stage you can freeze them or store in Ziploc bags or heat oil and fry on medium heat on both sides till golden . Let cool and store in airtight container.

To freeze :

Once cut , place the khajurs on a plate n put it in the freezer. After 10-15 mins. they just pop out of the plate , stack them in Ziploc bags and put it back in the freezer without letting them thaw.

P.S: If you are hosting an event or are aware of any, which you think this post might be eligible please let me know, I would love to send in my entry and show my support to the host and the event :) You can drop me a comment or just email me (bloglazzat@gmail.com)

Thank You !

Thanks to Fathima this post is now being sent to Ayeesha for her event Iftaar Moments

Gajar Ka Halwa

This post, along with few others has been drafted quite some time ago hoping that I would be able to publish it while I was away for a vacation. Some how the vacation got so busy that I hardly had time to check my mails :)  

This is my recipe for the ultimate Gajar ka halwa. Its very rich , luxurious, delicious and gorgeous. Using a non stick kadai (or pan ) is a good idea so it cuts down the amount of ghee required.

Ingredients:

3 C grated Carrots ,
1/2 C evaporated milk
1/4 C heavy cream
1/2 C whole milk

2 T condensed milk / milkmaid

3T ghee (solidified)
1 C sugar

1/2 t elaichi pdr

3 whole elaichis / cardamom (lightly crushed)
1/2" dalchini /cinnamon

1 T ghee

1/4 C cashews halves.

Method :

In a kadai (or pan) heat 3 tbsp. of ghee, add whole elaichis , cinnamon and grated carrots. Fry till the carrots start to change color or appear translucent. Add milk,cream and evaporated milk. Cook till the carrots are done i.e they are soft and well cooked. Now add sugar and condensed milk, mix well and cook for few mins, add the elaichi powder and cook covered  for few more minutes. 

Meanwhile , heat a tbsp of ghee and fry 1/4 C cashews till they slightly change their color or are slightly browned. You don't want golden or browned cashews for this one. You can also use raisins and almonds along with the cashews.  Now pour the halwa in this hot ghee, mix well and cook for a min.

Treat yourself to the ultimate gajar ka halwa n enjoy !