Ricotta Ras Malai

Ingredients:

For the patties:

Ricotta Cheese - 15 oz
1/4 C sugar

For the milk mixture:

4-5 C Milk
2-3 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/4 C Sugar  or more to suit your taste
few strands of Saffron/Zafran
1/2 tsp Kewra Water/ rose water

Sliced Almonds / Pistachios for garnish


Method:

In a heavy bottom vessel , heat milk on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, till it thickens or reduces to half . Add sugar, cardamom powder,condensed milk and saffron.Cook for a few mins.  Turn off the heat, let it cool slightly , now add kewra water.  Let it cool completely and refrigerate till ready to use. 

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.In a mixing bowl, whisk together the ingredients for patties ,ricotta cheese and sugar.  Mix well. Grease a 8X8 glass baking dish, pour the ricotta cheese mixture and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until ricotta cheese looks pale yellow and has turned slightly golden at the edges. A way to test if ricotta is ready to take out of the oven , would be to insert a toothpick and see if it comes out clean. Let it cool completely.Now with a round cookie cutter, cut small round patties, you could also cut squares if you like.

Arrange the baked ricotta rounds in the serving dish, pour the cooled milk mixture and refrigerate for at least half an hour. Serve chilled.

Enjoy !

Notes:

• You could make the milk mixture and the ricotta rounds at least 3 days in advance. Remember to store them separately.
• Mix them the day you would like to serve them, so they don't be too soggy or break apart.
• You could also use half and half or evaporated milk or even add some heavy cream for added richness.
• I used a glass baking dish, but you could use any, the baking time may vary in that case
• Also if you want you patties thinner use a bigger baking dish, baking time may vary if you do.
• Adjust the quantity of sugar and flavoring to suit your taste, you dont have to add the exact amount mentioned in the recipe, you could  make it more sweeter, use less /more of cardamom or kewra

Sending it to Jagrutis, Grand Festive Feasts event.

Date and Grape Chutney

This is a Sanjeev Kapoor recipe, which I tried and liked, the only change I would make to the recipe next time, is chop the grapes instead of cooking them whole. Its a nice change from your regular tamarind date chutney and goes well with vegetarian or non vegetarian kababs.

Ingredients :

               

25- 30 seedless Grapes,, chopped
10-11 Medjool dates,deseeded and chopped, you can adjust the quantity to suit your taste
1/2 tsp. Cumin seeds
1 tsp. Red chilli powder
Raisins
Salt to taste
Jaggery (gur),grated 1/4 cup

Method :

Dry roast cumin seeds, cool and powder. Cook together grapes and dates along with few drops of water till the grapes are completely mashed. Add red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder, raisins and cook for five minutes. Add salt and jaggery and mix well till the jaggery is completely dissolved and well blended. Serve at room temperature.

I followed the recipe as is and made no creative changes, turned out good. Definitely good for a break from the good ol tamarind and date chutney.

As dates are considered a power food I am sending this to Jagrutis Super Foods Super Power event 

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 

Avocado and Chicken Rolls

I love avocados for their subtle buttery taste and goodness. I add them to rotis, dosas, salads, wanna try Cham's avocado cake recipe I am even thinking of trying a mithai with it ...cant have enough.

Do you love avocados? Then you will love the new Avocados From Mexico recipe website "Recipes From Avocado Lovers", where you can submit your favorite avocado recipes and share you avocado love with with other foodies like you.

This recipe is an amazing appetiser, the original recipe is from Guy Fieri , I have tweaked it to my taste. One thing I have realised is Avocados go great with chicken, try them together.

Ingredietns:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup finely minced red onion

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

2 cups chopped chicken breast

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup julienned green cabbage

1/2 cup shredded carrots

4 cups canola oil, for frying,

12 egg roll wrappers

2 avocados, sliced into 24 pieces

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon milk

Jarred sweet chili sauce, for dipping

Method:

In a saute pan over high heat, add canola oil. Saute red onions until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, celery, chicken, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. Deglaze pan with soy sauce. Cool mixture.

In large bowl combine cabbage, carrots and chicken mixture.

In medium saucepan, heat canola oil to 350 degrees F. Oil needs to be deep enough to keep egg roll from touching bottom of pan. Add more oil, if needed.

To roll egg rolls, layout egg roll skin with corner facing you, place approximately 1/12th of mixture on roll and place 2 pieces of avocado on top of mixture. Fold corner over mixture, and then fold outside corners over the mixture, making a roll, 4 to 5-inches wide. Roll firmly, being careful not to tear wrapper, and seal the final edge with egg wash.

Dredge the egg roll in egg wash, allow excess to drain off and submerge egg roll in oil. Fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on sheet tray lined with a cooling rack.

*This sponsorship is brought to you by Recipes from Avocados From Mexico who we have partnered with for this promotion.

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 :)

Sour cream Fried Chicken

I wish all my readers, each and every one of you, a happy, healthy and peaceful 2012!

If you want to take a break from tandoori chicken or tikkas or kebabs ... this is recipe you should try. Its a nice, refreshing break from the (nice, refreshing but) regular (ly used) flavor.
I have eaten (the halal) KFC only once in my lifetime n frankly speaking I am glad about it. Apart from all the "main stream concerns" , I felt it was very bland for my taste.

This particular recipe is very flavorful with the mustard and spices in the breading mixture. The original recipe asks to fry the chicken in vegetable shortening, but I have used vegetable oil instead. I bet frying in the shortening would certainly make a difference but ....

Ingredients:

Marinade

1/2 C whole milk

1 C sour cream
3 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
3 1/2 to 4 lbs Chicken (approx. 8 to 10 big pieces)

Breading

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp paprika/ chili pdr
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Oil for frying.

Method:

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Lightly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and place them in the bowl with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours.

In a plate, combine the ingredients for the breading mixture, toss the marinated chicken  until they are well coated with the mixture. Place the breaded chicken on a rack with a baking sheet. When all of the pieces are breaded, refrigerate them for 15 minutes.You can skip this step n fry the pieces directly, but refrigerating them, even if its only for 15 mins, will give you a crispier crust .

In a large skillet, heat oil over low heat until it reaches 350 degrees F. Test 1 piece first. The oil should bubble and react as you add the first piece. Use a pair of heat-resistant tongs to gently place the chicken pieces in a single layer in the skillet over medium heat. Cook, undisturbed, 5 to 8 minutes, or until you can see the underside of the chicken browning. Remove the skillet from the heat and gently turn the pieces on their second side. Cook for an additional 10 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked through, remove it and transfer it to a rack. Serve immediately or keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

Enjoy !

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!

Basic Chicken Stock

It happens to me all the time ...Taking a break from blogging is easy, getting back into the blogging mode really takes time. Before every vacation I feel excited about all the possible things I would like to blog about after coming back, till date it has never happened :) 

Nevertheless, while I am still struggling to get out of this, I thought may be I could share a simple recipe of how I make my basic chicken stock, may be some soup made using that would do the trick, may be I could post about the soup as a follow up. Well, though the later two still seem distant, let me tell you how I make the stock...

Where I live (in the suburbs)  we don't find halal chicken stocks at the stores (I mean the desi grocery where we buy our halal meat), so I usually make my own. I think a good stock can add loads of flavour to any thing you make out of it  and it sure is a very good thing to have in your pantry / fridge.  

Tender stalks of cilantro



I take 1 cup uncooked bones of chicken, its OK if they have some meat on it, you could shred it and use it in your sandwiches or soups. Add 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. whole black peppercorns,  one small onion chopped, 2-3 green cardamoms, 1/2 " stick of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 3 and half cups of water and cook on high uncovered for a few mins. Chop off the tender stalks of a small bunch of cilantro/coriander and add it to the stock. Season it with salt and let it cook until it reduces to half or a little over half. Your Chicken stock is ready to use. 

To store, let it cool and then store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 15 days. You can also freeze it in ice trays and store it for up to a month. I don't keep it that long and use it within a week in all possible ways, soups, rice, dal, to knead parathas,  curries, etc... etc. 

The recipe is pretty simple, I don't add the veggies or spices or even oil, which makes it very versatile and pretty basic, hence the name. 

By the way, Ramadan was the best part of the year as always and I thank you all for your Eid wishes. 

See you soon !

Update:

I am trying to catch up with all the new visitors to my blog, for those who did care to comment I add you to my Fellow Bloggers List. If you don't see your name in the list, plz, plz, plz let me know. 

Thanks!

Ritz Chaat

Ramadan Kareem to all.

Its the first day of the holy month of Ramadan , time to officially announce a break from blogging. Before I go, as promised I have a super delicious treat to share with you all.

I love chaats, I mean, who doesn't ? There are many toppings that go well with the Ritz crackers/ Monaco biscuits, the chaat toppings are my favourite way to doll up these salty crackers. These make excellent party foods, I served them at one I recently hosted and it was liked by all. 

When it comes to chaat nothing is right or wrong , it all builds according to your tastes or preferences (remember asking the chaat wala to add more imli ? ). There is no specific recipe for this chaat so I 'll simply put how I assembled these.

To assemble this chaat spread some boiled n mashed potato on each ritz cracker , top it with pudina / mint chutney, Tamarind/ Imli ki chutney, ketchup, sprinkle some chaat masala, top with finely chopped red onions then some nylon sev (thin sev) , garnish with chopped coriander/ cilantro n mint leaves.

Tip:

You can use home made or store bought chutneys. If you plan to make a big batch of these, fill the mashed potatoes in a piping bag n pipe some on each cracker instead of spreading on each individual one, this way its faster. Use a squeeze bottle for the chutneys.

Visit my Ramadan page for more recipe ideas and inspirations !

This is my entry to the following events:

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

Joy from Fasting to Feasting  hosted by Lubna

Visual Treats hosted by Sanyukta

Lets Munch  Tea Time Snack  hosted by Sharmilee

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 !