Sugar Cookies for the New Year


NY1Happy New Year to all the readers and well wishers of Bring On The Chef In You.

Wishing you health

So you may enjoy

Each day in comfort

NY4 Wishing you the love of

Friends and family

And peace within your heart

NY8Wishing you wisdom to

Choose priorities for

Those things that really

Matter in life

NY12

Wishing you generosity so

You may share all

Good things that come to you

NY11Wishing you happiness

And joy and  blessings

For the New Year

NY2Wishing you the best of

Everything that  you

So well deserve

 NY3Wishing you the best in 2013

To start the New Year,  here is a Recipe for Sugar Cookies :

Sugar Cookies Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter softened
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2-3 tsp vanilla essence (or use your favourite flavouring)
  • 2 1/2-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt

NY9Instructions

Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture. You can tell the dough is ready when it gets a dent/dimple when touched but does not stick to your fingers.

ny5Keep ready two square sheets of wax paper.  Have your rolling pin fixed with ¼ inch thick dowel rings and roll – this ensures equal thickness of all the cookies.  If you don’t have – doesn’t matter, just ensure that the thickness is about ¼ inch.  Rolling between two sheets helps the dough not to stick on the counter-top or your rolling pin.  It is also easy to transfer to the baking sheet without getting the cookies disfigured.

NY6Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes. This version makes 2-2 1/2 dozen.

Cool and decorate with royal icing as desired.

NY7Royal Icing Recipe :

2 lbs confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup  plus one tablespoon meringue powder
about 3/4cup water

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence (Use the powdered version as the liquid one is brown in colour and you wont get a very white royal icing)

NY10To begin,   add sugar,  meringue powder  and powder essence to the mixing bowl and mix to well incorporate.

Next add warm water.

Beat till nice and fluffy and it forms peaks.

Colour the royal icing as desired.  Outline the cookies and use thinner version of royal icing to flood the cookies.

Decorate as you desire – as its New Year my cookies were made with the new year theme.

NY13

Gingerbread Cookies


gm6Christmas Season would be incomplete without  having gingerbread cookies on your Christmas platter.  You can use this batter to make plain cookies or to add that extra special touch,  use a Gingerbread Men cutter to cut out cookies.  Laced with spices these cookies are real fragrant and tasty and you can never stop at just one of these.

gm1For Gingerbread Cookies :

3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 cup  sugar
1 large  egg
2/3 cup molasses (Easily available in the flour/sugar aisle of a grocery or supermarket)

gm4Frosting:

2 cups  icing sugar
1/2 cup  butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 1/2 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.  Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until all is thoroughly mixed. Make 2-3 balls of the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and keep to chill in a refrigerator for about 2 hours.

gm2Preheat oven to 175 deg c.  Line 2 baking sheets with wax paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cookies onto the baking sheet, placing about 1 inch apart.   Keep the baking sheet in the fridge for about 10 minutes and then bake in the preheated oven for about 10-12 minutes. When you see that the edges are just getting brown- remove from oven, remove to a wire rack to cool complete.  Decorate after they have cooled with frosting as desired.

gm5 Frosting:

Beat butter till creamy then add vanilla extract.  Gradually beat in the sugar.  Add the milk and beat till the frosting is light and fluffy.  Decorate the gingerbread men as desired.  This recipe yields about 34-36 small sized gingerbread men/cookies.
gm3

Semolina Cookies with Dates


♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪
Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him. Pa rum pum pum pum
When we come
Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?
♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

These Semolina Cookies bound together with butter, orange blossom water and rose water,  hold a delicious date stuffing,  which is ahhhh…so good.   Get hold of some good quality dates;  we in the Middle East get a variety.  I had purchased a 5 Kg. pack to gift to our friend in Malaysia;  but as our trip was cancelled,  the box was still with me, lying sadly in a corner.   I decided to make good use of the Dates and thats how these Semolina Date Cookies saw the light of day.

If you are a ‘Date Lover’ like me…..you are going to fall for these yummies.

Ingredients needed :
450 grams coarse semolina
100 grams  fine semolina
225  grams good quality butter at room temperature
75 ml rosewater
15-20 ml orange blossom water
1/4 cup milk
(You need a Mould for the cookies – or else you can just shape into a round and flatten it slightly)

Filling :  2 cups of pitted dates and ½ cup of room temperature butter + ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder.  Pulse together in a blender..then knead together and form  marble  (big) sized balls. Keep aside to use as stuffing for the cookies.

Knead the coarse and fine semolina with the butter until incorporated.  Add orange blossom water and rosewater and knead till a mass is formed..say about 5-10 minutes.  Rest the dough for one hour in the fridge and then remove and add ½ cup of milk a tablespoon at a time and knead the dough till all the milk is used up.  Your dough will be not sticky now and is somewhat like clay now.  Make a small ball  and press it to make a cup like shape. Add the date ball and then cover it up with the dough and make it a nice and even ball.

Put it in a mould and then lay it on a wax lined cookie tray.  Preheat the oven to 180 deg C and bake for 15-20 minutes till you see the cookies just turning a slight brown.

When cool – store in an air-tight container.   These Date Cookies are loaded with lots of butter, thus will be very buttery and melt-in-the mouth type.  These can be stored for 10-15 days.

Nankhatais…..Something Special


Made with just a few ingredients,  these melt in the mouth Indian Cookies called, Nankatas, Nankhatais; or Nankuts; are really something special.  This recipe has been widely circulated to all my friends and loved ones; and those who were extra lucky have even got to savour them.   The success ratio of these are very high,  provided you use the right ingredients, measurements and the oven temperature is right.    I have this nasty habit of making them and dumping it on others,  whether they like it or not.  So those who have been victims of my dumping,  do excuse me ;) ; shama karna.   I’ve got the special thumbs-up for this one from my Mother-in-law…so what more can I want.

The cream ones I made recently for my niece, Nicole,  who is a big fan of these.  (Nicky…are you reading this ?).  The making is a piece of cake.  Go ahead and try them this christmas season.

Flour 2 cups

Powdered Sugar 1 cup

Ghee to knead  (roughly 1-1/2 to 2 cups)

Baking Powder 1/2 tsp

Knead all together.  Rougly add 1-1/2- 2 cups (+/-) ghee (a little by little) to the flour and knead till you can get it all together into a mass.  Once that it achieved..do not add more ghee.

Place small rounds on wax lined baking tray and bake at 180 deg C for 10-15 minutes.  You can use one or two drops of colour to get coloured ones;  though I prefer the cream ones.

Oatmeal Cookies


We have all heard of ‘Never Judge a Book By Its Cover’; but have we heard of ‘Never Judge a Cookie by Its Looks’….:):);) ?.  Please don’t judge these Oatmeal Cookies by its appearance;  they are chewy, tasty and full of goodness.

Please do try them. Hubby took a pack of them for his colleagues and I have got a request for a 2nd batch. Need I say more ?

Recipe :
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter softened
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon powder
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1-1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped nuts (black raisins, walnuts, almonds, coconut shavings, dates, cashewnuts etc- your choice but make it one packed cup)

Heat oven to 375 deg F. Beat butter, sugar and egg till nice and fluffy. Add baking soda, vanilla essence, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix. Then add oats, flour and nuts, little by little and mix with a wooden spoon.

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Bake for 15 minutes or till brown. Remove from wax paper after they are out from oven and cool them and store in an airtight container.

Christmas Chocolate Cookies


With Christmas fast approaching,  it is a good idea to make these Chocolate Cookies which have a long storage life.  Buy the best quality Cocoa Powder that you can get,  to get best results.  Make a tiny hole in the cookie with a small icing nozzle so that you can pass a ribbon through it and hang it on your Christmas Tree or just keep it on your Christmas sweets tray.. both look lovely.  You could pipe small royal icing dots on the edges to give it a better look.   I was preparing them for 30 children in our Gavel Club and had no time for elaborate decoration;  but the kids loved them and all that was left was an empty tray in five minutes flat.

170g unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 small eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups plain flour
⅓ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp fine salt
Royal  icing and ribbons for decorating (optional)

In a large bowl combine butter and sugar and cream until fluffy. Then add egg, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and gradually flour, mixing dough all the time with hand mixer or a spoon. Create ball from the dough and leave it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Then preheat oven to 180°C (356°F).
Take out part of the dough from the fridge and roll it out on lightly floured surface to about ½ cm thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on baking trays lined with Teflon sheet or baking paper. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough. If it is too soft make ball from it again and place in the fridge for a while.
Bake cookies for about 10-12 minutes. Let them cool down before decorating with icing.

Christmas Menu….’Pure Indulgence’


Dear  Members, Readers and Well Wishers,

“Bring On the Chef In You” wishes all of you a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.  We do hope we have appeased your senses with our round of ‘Christmas Goodies’ made especially for you.   We thank you for your visits to our site,  which has been going beserk lately;  though our comments section does deserve a better treatment, don’t you think?    All of us have been working hard and ‘Cooking Up A Storm’ ;) (sort of) for you.  We have come up with a rapid-fire round of dishes, which can adorn your dining table this season.  So what are you waiting for …. go,  don on that apron, sharpen your knives and ‘cook up your own storm’  this CHRISTMAS;  with our Christmas Menu…”Pure Indulgence”.  You don’t have to do all of them from A-Z;  but pick up a few and charm your way into your husband’s,  friends,  lover(s),  kids,  neighbours and of course your guests hearts…………

 Are you ready for this ????????????

STARTERS :

Beef Bites :

Beef Bites

½ Kg.  tender beef (cut into bite size pieces),   ginger – 1” bit,  garlic 7-8 cloves,  chilly powder (1 teaspoon),  1 green chilly,   1 onion (for grinding),   All spice powder (1 teaspoon),  sliced onion (2 big), stew-powder (1 teaspoon),   bay leaf (2),  3-4 cloves, 2 sticks cinnamon,  2-3 pepper,   2 cardamoms, 1 teaspoon tomato ketchup, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce,  2 tablespoons thick curd,  few coriander and mint leaves.

Grind fine the ginger,  garlic, 1 onion,  green chilly and coriander and mint leaves.  Powder fine the cinnamon stick, cloves &  pepper-corns.  Add to the ground masala.  Then add all spice powder, stew powder and chilly powder.  Set aside.    Add oil/ghee to a nonstick pan and keep on low heat.  Add the bay leaf – then add the meat in batches and sautee it – remove when browned on all sides  (which will take 2-3 minutes).  Complete all the meat this way and keep aside.   In the same pan, add onions and sauté till brown flecks appear then add the ground masala and fry till the oil brims to the surface.  Add the fried meat with juices, if any, and saute for some time.  Add curds and mix quickly till incorporated.   Add Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup and salt to taste.   Keep frying till the meat is well cooked and you have a dry masala which clings to the meat.   Insert few toothpicks into the bites and serve hot.

Ham and Vegetable Puffs :

Ham and Vegetable Puffs

Ham – 200 grams,  sausages (4-5) cut into tiny bits,  mixed fried veggies (carrots, peppers, cauliflowers,  yam, peas, potatoes- cut tiny pieces and deep fry),  1 onion (minced), coriander leaves (cut fine), 1 teaspoon chilly powder,  1 egg for brushing..   Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and sauté the onion. Then add ham, sausages and fry for a few minutes.  Add chilly powder and the mixed fried veggies and salt to taste.  Garnish with coriander leaves.     Thaw the puff pastry and cut each square into two equal triangles.   Put a teaspoon of filling in the center and seal all the edges. Gently press with fork on all open sides.   Lay on a cookie sheet and brush all over with egg with a pasty brush.  Preheat oven to 180 deg c.  Bake for 15-16 minutes till they are puffed up and golden brown on the surface.  

Spicy Sausages :

Spicy Sausages

1 Packet frozen sausages (I used ‘Doux’ chicken sausages),   tomato ketchup(5-6 tablespoons), worcestershire sauce (2 tablespoons),  coriander leaves for garnish,  1 spoon of  chilly powder or bafat powder.

Cut the sausages into slanting pieces.  In a non-stick pan…add little butter and saute the sausages,  quickly add the chilly powder/bafat powder and fry for sometime,  add sauces and stir fry….   When done garnish liberally with finely cut coriander leaves.

Vegetable Sticks with Dip :

3 cucumbers, 3 carrots, 2 red peppers, 2 green peppers,  1/2 cauliflower cut into small florets and steamed in microwave.  Cut the cucumbers, carrots and red peppers into strips and arrange neatly in bundles on a serving platter.  Add a dash of salt and pepper to cauliflower and steam.   Serve with your favourite dip.  I used mayonaise to which I added a few corriander leaves and a few drops of lime.

Salty Biscuits with Cheese and Sausages

1 or 2 packets of Salty Biscuits (I used TUC), cheddar cheese (Kraft) –grated,  sausages (cut into fine bits),  1 onion, 1 tomato,  chilly powder,  spice powder, 1 tablespoon olive oil, dash of sugar, few coriander leaves cut fine.     Saute the minced onion in olive oil, add tomato, chilly powder, spice powder,  sugar and fry till dry.   Grate the cheese.  Lay the biscuits on a flat platter,   add a teaspoon of sausage mixture,  sprinkle with grated cheese and garnish with coriander leaves.

Corn and Kidney Beans Munchies

1 packet of  puff-pastry squares,  1 egg, 1 tin of sweet corn, 1 tin of kidney beans,  salt, lemon small(1), chat masala (1/2 teaspoon),  olive oil, 1 green pepper (cut fine).  Drain the tins of sweet corn and kidney beans.  Add chat masala, olive oil, green pepper, lemon juice and coriander leaves.  Toss and mix.

Cut each puff pastry square into 4 squares with a pizza cutter or zig-zag runner.   Arrange on a cookie sheet and brush liberally with beaten egg.  Preheat oven to 180 deg C and bake for 15-18 minutes till the squares puff up.  Remove from cookie sheet and transfer to a flat platter.  Top with corn and bean mixture.  Serve immediately.

MAIN COURSE :

Roast Chicken

Roast chicken

Marinade for Chicken

3 tablespoons ginger/garlic paste

1 green chilly paste

2  tablespoons chilly powder or bafat powder

1 tablespoon tandoori masala

1 cup thick curds

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoons all spice powder

(Make a thick paste of all above)  +  little salt to taste

1 Plump chicken (1500-1800 grms) – wash in and out thoroughly.   Pat dry with a paper towel.  Rub  lemon juice, salt and butter all over chicken…. (Juice of 2 lemons, 2/3 tablespoons soft butter and salt)  over and under skin and in the cavity as well.

Take care not to tear skin.  Then rub the paste above all over chicken (paste will be thick and  quite a lot) and dunk the chicken in it for ½ hour to 1 hour. 

Vegetables – onions (3), peppers (3), Carrots (4), potatoes (4), Spring onion (1 bunch), mushrooms (1 tin), cauliflower – Any other vegetable of your choice.

Cut big chuck size pieces of all the vegetables.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on vegetables+ Olive oil 4-5 tablespoons.  Toss and keep aside.

In a large roasting tray…first lay down the vegetables.  Add little extra olive oil/butter.  Then keep the chicken on the vegetables which will have thick marinade all over it. 

Preheat oven to 180 deg. C and keep the chicken for roasting for 2 hours,  basting every 15 minutes with remaining marinade and juice collected at the bottom of the roasting tray.  At the end of 2 hours all the liquid will be evaporated,  the vegetables will be browned all over and the chicken after basting will be golden brown all over.  Basting the chicken with the marinade is important to keep the meat moist and tender.

Serve hot on a large platter…garnished with the roasted vegetables and extra coriander leaves sprigs.  Carve the chicken to serving sized pieces and serve along with roasted vegetables and squeeze a lemon on each individual serving plate. 

Beef Rogan

Beef Rogan Ghosh

1 kg  tender beef,  3” piece ginger, 1 pod garlic,  8 big onions,  3 tablespoons jeera,  4/5 pieces 2” cinnamon,   10 cloves,  10 cardamoms,  6-8 pepper corns,   3 tablespoons bafat powder or 3 tablespoons chilly powder,  2 cups curds,  3 bay leaves, 1 flat tablespoon mixed spice powder, (extra cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves for frying whole – few).   Cut and wash beef till water runs clear.  Drain on a colander so that all water drains out.  In a large non-stick vessel,  brown the beef in small batches and keep aside.  Grind the ginger and garlic to a fine paste.  Grind the jeera, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, peppercorns and bafat powder to a fine powder.  Cut the 8 onions into fine slices.  In the same vessel  that the beef was fried and which has a residue of oil/ghee, add the bay leaves and the extra cinnamon, cardamoms and cloves and fry for a minute.  Then add the sliced onions and required salt and fry till the onions are golden (this is important).  When lightly browned, add the ginger/garlic paste and fry for sometime,  then add the powdered spice dry powder and stir for sometime.  Add the beef and any juices left behind and keep frying till the meat is nicely fried and oil/ghee starts glistening.  Add curds, 1 tablespoon at a time, till all the curds in incorporated.  At this point check the seasoning and add if anything required.  Test if the meat is cooked;  and depending on this add a little water and cook till beef is tender.  By now you should have a thickish gravy.  Garnish with the mixed spice powder and coriander leaves and fried potatoes (optional).

Chicken Muglai with Almonds

Chicken Mughlai with Almonds

4/5  inch ginger, 10/12  cloves garlic, 1 cup almonds, soaked in water, blanched and ground to a fine paste. 8-10  tablespoon vegetable oil,  4 pcs 2”  stick cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 8-10 cloves, 10 pods cardamom,  10 medium onions, sliced,  3 tablespoons jeera, 2 tablespoons chilly powder/bafat powder, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1.5 cup yogurt, 1 tin nestle cream, ½ teaspoon mixed spice powder,  1 big chicken cut into big pieces, coriander  leaves for garnishing, extra cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms- a few…for frying in oil before putting the onions.

Grind the ginger, garlic, almonds with water and keep aside the paste.  Dry grind the jeera, the spices, the chilly powder and bafat powder and keep aside .

Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry the chicken until it turns golden brown. Keep it aside.  In the same pan add some more oil/ghee and add the extra cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Fry until bay leaves turn brown. Put in the onions and stir fry until they get brown specs all over. Pour the ginger/garlic/almond paste from the blender and fry for a couple of minutes until the oil separates.  Add the jeera/bafat/chilly/spices dry ground mixture.  Add 1 tablespoon of yogurt and fry for 30 seconds. Keep adding tablespoons of yogurt and fry until you get a consistent mixture. Put the chicken and fry for sometime and cook gently till chicken is tender and cooked;  then add the whipped cream and salt and cook gently for a further 2-3 minutes. Add mixed spice powder  and coriander leaves and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Garnish with a few roasted whole almonds.  Serve hot with chappaties or parota.

Veal Chilly with Peppers

Veal Chilly Fry with Peppers

1 Kg Veal,    4-5 coloured peppers,  3-4 onions,   ginger garlic paste – 2 big tablespoons,   4 tablespoons curds,   stew powder – 2 tablespoons, spice powder 1 teaspoon, chilly powder 1 tablespoon,  sliced onions 4,  bay leaf. 3 pcs cinnamon sticks.   Put oil in a pan and brown the beef in small batches and keep aside.  Fry the coloured peppers for a few minutes and keep aside.  In the same oil add a bay leaf and then add the cinnamon and sliced onions and fry till the onions get brown flecks.   Add ginger garlic paste and fry.  Add the stew powder, spice powder and chilly powder and fry for some time.  Add the fried beef/veal,  and fry for some time, then add curds and salt and fry for some time.  As the veal is very tender, it  cooks very fast and should be done by now.   Add the fried peppers and add seasoning if needed.  Garnish with coriander leaves. 

Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable Fried Rice

Make rice in microwave … 2 cups rice add little less than 4 cups water.  Keep on high for 23 minutes till rice is tender (my microwave takes 23 minutes for this quantity – you should be knowing how much time your MW takes).  Fluff up the rice and keep aside.  In a large pan,  add butter and few cardamoms and cinnamon and saute chopped coloured peppers till soft.  Add any other vegetables that you like.  Add salt,  white pepper powder,  soya sauce(1 tablespoon), worcestershire sauce and lemon juice and a dash of sugar.   Add rice and mix and garnish with coriander leaves finely cut.  Serve hot.

Pork Kebabs

Spicy n Sweet Pork Kebabs

1 Kg pork cut into bite sized pieces.  Make a marinade out of 1 cup brandy, 1/2 cup tomato ketchup, 1 tablespoon brown sugar,  1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons bafat or chilly powder, 6 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 tsp dry mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  Keep the pork marinated for 5-6 hours in the marinade.  Take oil in a non-stick vessel and fry the meat on slow fire till all the marinade is dried up.   Keep adding water 2 tablespoons at a time till the meat is cooked up.   Serve hot on a flat dish pricked with toothpicks

Pork Indad

Pork Indad

1.5 kg pork.  For grinding 12-15 red kashmiri chillies deseeded,  2 tablespoons bafat powder, 6 green chillies, 4 onions, 1 spoon jeera, ½ teaspoon turmeric, little tamarind, 1 pod garlic, 10 pepper corns, 10 cloves, 2 pieces cinnamon sticks, 2 spoons vinegar, ½ cup brandy, 2 spoons of sugar, 2 cups water and salt to taste.  ¼ kg potatoes.

In a vessel add oil and fry the meat pieces (cut into thick chunks) and remove aside.  Fry the potaoes in the same oil and keep aside.  Then add ground masala and other ingredients and fry for some time.  Add the meat pieces and keep frying till the masala brims with oil and starts leaving the sides. Taste and add seasoning if any required.   Add 2 cups of water and keep boiling till meat is tender.  When done add the fried potatoes.  Serve hot.

Cutlets

Cutlets

Ingredients :-
1 packet lamb mince – (minced twice)
4 onions finely minced
Half pod garlic
2” ginger
2 green chillies
Big bundle of coriander leaves
Lemon juice
2 eggs
2” piece of Cinnamon
4-5 cloves
Pepper powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp (stew powder or  your favourite masala)
3-4 Potatoes –boiled and mashed
2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup (optional)
Bread crumbs as required

Wash and dry the mince.  In a small vessel, heat a tablespoon of oil, add cinnamon and cloves and onions and saute the onions till they are transparent.  Add the finely chopped ginger, garlic and green chillies and stir fry for a minute or two.  Remove and keep aside. 

In the same oil  add the mince and fry for sometime.  Add spices and just a little water and cook till the mince is done…. Cool and keep aside.

In another big bowl..put in the boiled potatoes and mash them till no lumps remain.  Add the cooled mince, {discard the cinnamon and cloves at this point},  the fried onion mixture,  sauces, coriander leaves, lemon, stew powder and salt.   Mix and adjust seasoning as desired….if you want it spicy add more chilly or more stew powder.

Form equal round ball and flatten them on a cutting board with a butter knife.  Shape the cutlets into rectangular or round shapes. 

Beat up two eggs with 2-3 tablespoons of water (not till frothy – just till the yolk dissolves).  Dip the shaped cutlets into egg wash and then coat with bread crumbs.  Assemble all of them like this and keep on a flat platter and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

In a shallow non stick pan – add a little oil  and shallow fry the cutlets on both sides till golden brown.   Use a fork to turn over (I feel this is easier than using a flat spatula). Drain on tissue paper and serve hot.

Pork Bafat with Sanna

Pork Bafat

1.5 Kg pork, 10 cloves, 2 pieces cinnamon, 6 green chillies, 7 onions, 2 pods garlic, 1″ piece ginger.   Cut onions into chunky piecs.  Cut garlic into 2 or three slices and ginger cut very fine,  slice green chillies.  Grind together to form a thick paste,  15 pepper corns, 12 dry chillies, 1 spoon jeera, 2 spoons coriander, little turmeric + 2 tablespoons bafat powder + 1/2 onion. Plus soak some tamarind in water and keep aside.

Add  just a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick vessel and brown the meat in batches for 2-3 minutes.  Remove and keep aside.  In the same vessel, add the chopped onion and sliced ingredients and cinnamon and cloves. Then the ground masala.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes…add meat, salt to taste and vinegar.  Cook till meat is nearly done,  then add tamarind water and simmer till meat is tender. 

Sanna

Lamb Curry with Coconut Milk

Lamb with Coconut Milk

1 Kg Lamb, 1/4 Kg. Potatoes, 2 cups thick coconut milk.  For grinding :  4 green chillies, 4 kashmiri chillies, 2″ big ginger, 8 peels of garlic,  8 cloves,  3 -2″ pieces of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons kuskus, 2 teaspoons jeera, 8 pepper-corns, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 2 big onions , a small ball of tamarind, few mint leaves and a bunch of green coriander leaves.  Grind together and make a fine paste.  In a pan add ghee and brown one thinly sliced onion.  Add the  masala paste and fry till oil brims to the surface and the paste changes colour.  Add the meat and fry for sometime.  Add water and cook till the meat is nearly done..add salt then add potatoes and cook till soft.   After potatoes are cooked add the coconut milk and simmer for a minute…do not overboil after the coconut milk has been added.  Serve hot with pancakes or  bread or rotis.

Prawn Biryani

Prawn Biryani

1 Kg. prawns, 8 big onions,   3 tablespoons ginger garlic paste, coriander and mint leaves (a bunch), green chilly 8-deseeded, jeera 1 tablespoon, badeshep 1 tablespoon, 1 big tomato, chilly powder/bafat powder 1 tablespoon, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves (few), curds ½ cup, lemon juice, yellow colour, butter or ghee and coriander and mint leaves for garnish.  Grind ginger, garlic, coriander and mint leaves, gree chilly, jeera and badeshep, chilly powder and cinnamon and cardamom and cloves and tomato  into a fine paste.  Slice 8 large onions.  In a vessel add butter or ghee and fry the 8 sliced onions till golden brown and crisp.  Remove and keep aside.  In the same oil, add the ground masala and fry till oil starts to separate from the masala.  Add prawns and curds little by little.  The add little lemon juice and salt to taste and cook till prawns are done.

Make 3 cups long grain rice and fluff up the rice so that grains are separate.  Arrange the rice, fried onions and coriander leaves and prawn masala in layers till all the rice and masala is over.  Put the vessel in the oven for 5-10 minutes.   Serve onto a large platter and garnish with more fried onions.  Serve accompanied with curd raita.

Tendli with Cashewnuts

1/2 kg tendli, few curry leaves, few cashewnuts, mustard seeds, 1 onion, 1 green chilly, 1/2 cup fresh coconut, 1 tomato, 1 tablespoon or more vegetable powder,  little jaggery and salt to taste.  Take little coconut oil in a vessel,  add mustard seeds and when they splutter add curry leaves, onion and green chilly, then tomato, vegetable powder and jaggery.  Add cut tendli, salt to taste and water and simmer till nearly done.  Add fresh coconut and cashewnuts and simmer for a further 4-5 minutes.

Creamy Chicken Tikka Kebabs

Creamy Chicken Kebab

Boneless chicken cubed into squarish pieces,  ginger garlic paste about 5/6 tablespoons,  salt to taste, white pepper powder 1 teaspoon, egg whisked 1,  cheddar cheese grated -3/4 tin (small tin), 8 green chillies deseeded and chopped fine,  nutmeg powder 1 teaspoon,  coriander leaves-chopped, cornflour 2 tablespoons,  cream – 1 tin,  oil/butter for basting.  Rub ginger garlic pase and salt and white pepper onto the chicken cubes.  Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.  Add cheese, green chillies, corriander, nutmeg powder, cornflour and cream to the whisked egg. Mix well and add to the chicken mixture and marinate for sometime.  Skewer the chicken cubes and roast in an oven/grill or you can even shallow fry them on a pan. Brush with remaining marinade and baste with butter till well grilled on all sides.  Serve sprinkled with lemon juice.

DESSERTS

Jam Rolls

Jam Rolls

This is delicious served warm either as a cake or a dessert.   3 eggs, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 cup flour,  1 teaspoon baking powder,  2 tablespoons boiling water, ½ cup jam, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar (extra).  Grease a 25cm x 30 cm swiss roll pan, line base and sides with wax paper.  Grease the paper well.  Beat eggs in a small bowl with hand beater for about 4 minutes until thick and creamy.  Gradually add sugar until dissolved between each addition.  Fold in sifted flour and water.  Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake in moderate oven (160 deg C) for about 15-18 minutes till it is lightly brown on top.  In the meanwhile warm jam in a saucepan over low heat.  When done turn the cake immediately on to wax paper sprinkled with extra sugar.  Trim edges of cake. Spread hot jam evenly over hot cake.  Roll up from the short side using the wax paper as a guide.   Do not wait for the cake to cool.  Make it into a large sausage covered with wax paper.   Cut into ½” slices and serve.

Mississippi Mud Cake

Mississippi Mud Cake

This is a very dense cake; serve with whipped cream if desired.  250 grams butter chopped, 150 g dark chocolate –chopped, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup hot water, ½ cup whiskey, 1 tablespoon dry instant coffee, 2 cups flour,  2.5 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ cup cocoa, 2 eggs lightly beaten.  Grease a 23cm square slab pan, line base with paper. Grease paper.  Combine butter, chocolate, sugar, water, whisky and coffee in heatproof bowl and stir over hot water until chocolate is melted and mixture smooth.  Cool to lukewarm.  Stir in sifted flour + baking powder + cocoa (sift them together) and then the eggs.  Fold gently till all is mixed but take care not to deflate the mixture too much.   Bake in a slow oven (150 deg c) for 1 hour 20 minutes or till toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  When cool dust with icing sugar. Cut into squares and serve.

Double Delight

Double Delight

1 packet lime jelly, 1 packet rasberry jelly, 1 397 grams condensed milk tin.  Whipped cream and cut nuts for decoration.  Make jelly as per the instruction on the packet.   Make one colour first…add 1/2 condensed milk, when the mixture is at room temperature.   Pour into serving glasses till half full and leave to set in refrigerator.  When set,  make the other coloured jelly and add the balance 1/2 tin condensed milk and stir.  Pour into the serving glass, which already has the red colour already set.  Put in refrigerator to set again.  Top with cream and sprinkle a few chopped nuts on top.

Strawberries and Chocolate

Stawberries and Chocolates

10-12  berries,  250 grams of hersheys milk chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter.  Royal icing  (mix together 2 tablespoons of meringue powder,  2 tablespoons water and stir in icing sugar about 1 cup or more,   till you get a thick runny white mixture-  if it is too thick just add water a tablespoon at a time – till you get the right consistency).  Melt chocolate and butter over a bowl of heated hot water till nice and smooth.  Dip 3/4 of the strawberries in the chocolate mixture and leave to dry on a waxed paper.  When dried drizzle the royal icing mixture. 

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Strawberry Panna Cotta

1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup nestle cream, 1 cup whipping cream, 1 tablespoon vanilla essence, 1/3 cup sugar (add more if desired), 3 teaspoons or 1 envelope unflavoured gelatin powder, 3 tablespoons cold water, 1/2 cup strawberry pulp, few fresh strawberries for garnish, 2 drops of pink colour.

Soak gelatin in cold water.  In a saucepan, heat the buttermilk, cream, whipping cream, sugar, strawberry pulp and vanilla essence.  Bring to a slow simmer.  Remove from heat and mix the gelatin, while whisking the mixture slowly.  Pour into individual serving cups and chill for 4-5 hours in the fridge.  Once set garnish with cut strawberries and nuts.

Custard Tarts

 

Custard Tarts

 1 stick (115 grams) unsalted butter, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup almond powder, 1 large egg, 1 cup flour,  ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest.  Combine butter with sugar, almond and egg and beat at low speed. Add flour, baking powder and lemon zest and beat until a soft dough is formed.  Put the dough on a plastic wrap and flatten to a disc.  Refrigerate and chill.  Roll the dough and cut into rounds to fit the tart pan.  Bake for 25-30 minutes till golden.  Cool on wire rack.  Make custard as per instruction in packet.  Pour custard into the baked tart shells and top with cherries or fruit of your choice.

Chocolate Cake and Custard

Chocolate Cake & Custard Cups

5-6 slices of chocolate cake,  4 cups readymade custard cups (I use Al Marai),  4 strawberries, 2 tablespoons icing sugar,  ½ cup cashewnuts chopped into bits.  Crumble cake and make cake crumbs.  Pour the custard into 4 icecream bowls,  sprinkle with cashewnuts all over the top of custard.  Top with the cake crumbs till the brim.  Put icing sugar in a sieve and gently shake over each cup.  Top with strawberry on each cup.

Chocolate Cocktail Creams & Assorted Milk Chocolates

Assorted Chocolates

Chocolate Cocktail Creams

There is nothing better than having chocolate after dinner.  These Chocolate Cocktail Creams, filled with dark chocolate and genuine spirits in cream centers, will surely get you into the festive spirit.    The assorted chocolates will leave you in a quandary, wondering which to pick.  Its Christmas folks, and its comes just once a year,  so indulge and take a taste of each one and chill out.

Christmas Tree Cookies


Butter 300 grams, flour 400 grams, sugar 200 grams, Eggs 2, vanilla essence 1 teaspoon.  Cream butter and sugar for about 10 minutes till creamy.  Add eggs one by one.  Add vanilla essence and beat for 2 minutes.  Now mix in the flour in small batches at low speed till all is incorporated.  Put in a cookie press with christmas tree mould and press on to a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.  Preheat oven to 180 deg. C and bake for 10-15 minutes till light brown all over.  {Variation :  Can replace 2 tablespoons of flour with cocoa to get cocoa biscuits}.

Oatmeal Cookies


1 cup brown sugar

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon powder

½ teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1-1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped nuts, black raisins, walnuts, almonds, coconut shavings, dates etc(your choice but make it one packed cup)

Heat oven to 375 deg.  Beat butter sugar and egg till nice and fluffy.  Add baking soda, vanilla and baking powder and salt. Lastly add oats, flour and nuts – little by little and toss gently with a wooden spoon.

Line a baking sheet with the cookies and bake for 12-15 minutes till brown.  Transfer  from cookie sheet to another flat platter. Cool and store.

Iced Sugar Cookies


We hope you are liking the holiday/Christmas goodies that we are churning out for you.  Kulkuls, rose cookies, chaklees and the other normal stuff that you make year after year is also planned to be on;  but we thought it was better to put up something new for you guys to try out.  Ta-dah, presenting Sugar Cookies – you can leave them plain or ice them- both are lovely.  You can make stars, hearts, holly leaves, santa or any thing that you want, provided you have the cutters.  I had lovely santa-cutters but just could not find where they were.

These cookies are firm enough to decorate but soft when you bite into them, and also keep well for quite some time.

Sugar Cookies :

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg beaten

1 teaspoon almond essence

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon salt

2-1/2 cups sifted flour

Cream butter.  Add powdered sugar.  Blend in egg, almond essence, vanilla, salt and flour.  Chill dough until firm.  Roll to ¼” thickness on a well-floured surface.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Place on greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 180 deg C for 8-10 minutes.  Frost and decorate when cool.

Icing :

4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons meringue powder

5 tablespoons of water

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matt appearance (about 7 minutes).  Transfer to an airtight bowl.  This is very stiff icing and a this point it is too stiff to use for decorating.   Lay your cookies on a flat surface and take two three tablespoons of icing and add drops of water till it has reached piping consistency.  Colour the icing or use white to pipe borders for the cookies.  Pipe the edge of each cookie and let stand till set.  Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some icing to another bowl and add water so that the icing drips off easily when lifted.   Use a piping bag to drop a big blob on each cookie and flood each cookie.  Allow to spread…if needed prod it with a tooth-pick till it reaches the edges of the piped cookie.  Break any bubbles that may form and allow to set. 

You can add coloured candy or sugar or even paint them with edible food colours once they are dry.

I had made tiny rabbits, apples,  pears, oranges  and flowers but unfortunately my son thought they were ready to eat and when I took a short nap while they were cooling ,  my son gobbled them up even though they were not iced.   So a small word of caution,  keep them out of reach of your kids till they are iced or you wont have any left for icing J.

 Enjoy !