Parsley, roasted garlic and Lime Garlic Knots

 

Hello my Dear Wonderful Readers!

How are you all doing today? As the weather changes and the cold sets in, I find myself pulling out my blankets, fuzzy socks and jackets out. So in anticipation of soup season, I also have a feeling we will have a lot of bread making in the house too. Did i mention I ruined my oven? Yes, so while I was getting the house ready for Diwali, last month, I cleaned the oven and when I turned it back on, the whole house lost power!!! Yeah I managed to destroy my favorite kitchen apparatus and I havent gotten around to getting the company guys to come take a look at it either (talk about being lazy) :-).

So this time I made my bread in the “convection” mode of my microwave oven and to my pleaseant surprise in really does work! how awesome is that. Now did I mention that this recipe also incorporates, whole wheat? Yes, sir it does!! So I added equal amounts of bread flour and whole wheat flour to make these babies so that they are not all that unhealthy and make a perfectly wholesome meal when paired with a big bowl of healthy soup.

Do you guys love the small bread baskets that they serve in Italian restaurants? With the flavoured butter? I am a sucker for them. While my husband refuses to have it cause he says its a distraction from the main food. I say I love it all.. hahaha..

Ingredients :-

 

1. Bread Flour / Maida – 1 + 1/4 cup
2. Whole Wheat Flour / Atta – 1 + 1/4 cup
3. Sugar – 1 tbsp
4. Salt – 1 tsp
5. Oil – 2 tbsp
6. Yeast – 1 tbsp
7. Water – 1 cup (warm)
8. Garlic – 9 cloves
9. Lime – 1
10. Parsley – 1/4 cup (chopped fine)
11. Butter – 50 gms (at room temperature)

 

 

 

Instructions :-

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add sugar, water and yeast. Set aside to rest for 10 mins. In 10 minutes it should have become nice and frothy
2. Into the same bowl, add the flour, salt and oil
3. With the hook attachment on, turn on the mixer to a medium speed for 7 – 10 mins
4. It will form a nice sticky dough
5. Grease a big glass bowl and tip the dough mixture into the bowl
6. Let it rest for 2 hours or till the dough has doubled in size
7. Meanwhile, drizzle a little oil over the garlic cloves and put them into an oven at 200 C for 15 min or till they are golden and almost black on the outside. Once they have cooled down, with the back of your spoon, press them to form a nice paste
8. Now take a bowl and add the melted butter, zest the lime, chopped parsley and garlic paste. Season with salt and mix well and set aside
9. Peheat your oven to 200 C and line a baking tray with baking paper
10. Once the dough has doubled in size, tip the dough onto a floured surface.
11. Slowly knead the dough for 2 mins
12. Then make a large ball and cut it into 2. Then cut them into 5 each. You should have around 10
13. Slowly roll out the dough into long rolls
14. Then just like you tie a shoe lace, tie the knot with the rolled out dough
15. Once you have made the knot, place on the prepared baking tray. Do the same with the remaining dough
16. Dip a pastry brush in some olive oil and brush the tops of the knots lightly
17. Place the tray in the pre heat oven and bake for 15 – 20 mins or till lightly golden on the top
18. During this time, melt the butter mixture in a microwave
19. As soon as the knots are ready take them out of the oven and dip them into the melted butter
20. Use a mitten while you dip the knots as they will really hot!!
21. After dipping them, place them back on the tray
22. Just before you serve them, brush again with the flavored butter!!

 

 

 

 

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Achari Murg Samosa – Samosa stuffed with chicken cooked in pickling spices

Hello my Dear Wonderfull Readers!!

How are you all doing today? The weather here is slowly changing and the nights are getting colder. The evening’s are breezy and that is the perfect excuse to make hot samosas don’t you think? Traditionally, samosas are make with a potato based stuffing with a wide variety of spices. But today, I bring to you my perfect spicy twist to this much loved snack. Now given that it is only a snack, the idea of spending the least amount of time in the kitchen has to be a part of this recipe right? So I recommend buying samosa patty’s from your super market cause they save so much time!! So all you have to do, is make the filling, make the samosa cone and fry them!! So simple!

So firstly you need to know how to make the Achari Murgh. Now Achari Murgh literally translates to ” Pickled Chicken”. NO I am not going to ask you to pickle a chicken. We are going to cook the chicken in a medley of spices that usually are used while making pickles. The most prominent of these spices is the “KALONJI”. Samosas are the best sort of snack for a cold evening with a hot cup of coffee and this recipe is the right mix of spicy and crispy!

Ingredients for the stuffing :–

1. Chicken – 500 gms ( minced)
2. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Methi Seeds / Coriander Seeds – 1/2 tsp
4. Kalonji – 1/ tsp
5. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
6. Dry Red Chillies – 6 -8
7. Oil – 2 tbsp
8. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp
9. Green Chillies – 2 ( chopped fine)
10. Salt – according to taste
11. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
12. Lime Juice – 5 tbsp

Instructions :-

1. In a large pan, add the minced chicken, lemon juice, ginger garlic paste and 1/2 tsp salt. Set aside to rest for 30 mins
2. Once  you are ready to cook the chicken, heat oil in a large khadai
3. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds, methi seeds, kalonji, mustard seeds and dry red chillies. Fry till the red chillies get roasted and plump
4. Then add the green chillies and the marinated chicken
5. Add the chilli powder and cook till the chicken is cooked well and all the water has evaporated.
6. Set aside to cool down

Ingredients to assemble the samosa :-

1. Samosa Patti / pastry – 1 pack ( around 15)
2. Boiled Potatoes – 1/2 cup
3. Deep fried Onions – 1/2 cup *
4. Coriander Leaves – 1/4 cup ( chopped fine)
5. Mint Leaves – 1/4 cup ( chopped fine)
6. Flour paste – add 2 tbsp of flour to 1 tbsp of water to form a thick paste (set aside)
7. Oil – for deep frying

Instructions :-

1. In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, boiled potatoes, mint, coriander leaves and fried onions. add salt to taste
2. Using the samosa patti / pastry, fold to form a cone.
3. Then stuff the cone with the chicken mixture
4. Using the flour paste, seal the corners
5. Deep fry the samosas and serve right away with spicy mint chutney

 

 

 

Pumpkin Khao Soi with sweet sticky Pork and Egg noodles – (soup)

Hello my dear wonderful readers!!

How are you all doing today? I cannot believe its already November and the year is coming to an end. The air is a little chilly and I pulled out my baby’s jackets and I realized I have to buy him new ones 🙂 . How time flies.

Anyways, so this time I am back with a lovely creamy, bold soup. Now traditionally it is made without the pumpkin and usually it goes with chicken. But this time I decided to make the soup creamy and thick and give it a new dimension.  Hence the pumpkin.Trust me this soup is a meal in itself. You can make it completely vegan my omitting the pork but I wanted that little extra protein and so the addition of pork.

We absolutely love noodles at home. May it be rice, buckwheat, whole wheat, egg any sort, is always welcome. So the recipe calls of egg noddles but if you cannot get a hold of them then go ahead and use any noodle that you like. Just make sure that you add them just before you serve them in a bowl, or else they tend to absorb all the moisture from the soup and then just turn mushy. No one wants a mushy bowl of noodle soup right? This is not your typical noodle in a broth.

 

Preparing the Pork :-
Ingredients

1. Pork – 400 gms ( lean fillet)
2. Oil – 1 tsp
3. Garlic – 1 tbsp ( choppped)
4. Oyster Sauce – 1 tbsp
5. Soya Sauce – 1 tsp 
6. Brown Sugar / Palm Sugar – 3 tsp 
7. Salt – to taste ( 1.2 tsp)
8.  Pepper – 1.2 tsp 

Instructions :-

1.  In a non stick pan, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook till soft
2. Then add the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 2 min
3. Then cover and cook for 5 min on medium heat
4. Finally open the lid and cook till all the moisture is out 
5. Remove the cooked pork from the pan and toss out any excess fat on the pan

To Prepare the Pumpkin

 

Ingredients :-

1. Pumpkin – 4 cups (skin peeled, innards removed and chopped)
2. Potato – 1 cup ( chopped)
3. Ginger – 1 tbsp ( choppped)
4. Salt – 1 tsp
5. Water – 4 cups

Instructions :-

 

1. In a large pot, combine all the ingredients and place on medium heat
2. Cook till the pumpkin and potatoes are soft
3. Once they are soft, spoon them out, into a blender
4. Make a fine paste and set aside

To make the Khao Soi Paste :-

1.  Dried Red chilies – 25
2. Water – 1/2 cup
3.  Garlic – 20
4. Ginger – 2 tbp ( chopped fine)
5. Cilantro leaves and steam – 1 cup ( packed)
6. Shallots – 13 
7. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
8.  Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
9. Garam Masala Powder – 1/2 tsp 

Instructions :-

1.  Heat water till boiling point
2.  Place all the dried chillies into the boiling hot water and let them soak for 30 mins
3. Later in the bowl of a blender add all the ingredients along with the soaked red chillies and the water and blend to make a fine thick paste
4. Set aside ( you can use as much as you want for this recipe and freeze the rest for later use)

Making and Assembling the soup 

Ingredients for the soup :-

1.  Egg noodles – 250 gms 
2. Oil – 2 tbsp
3. Yellow Bell Pepper – 1/2 cup ( finely sliced)
4. Red Bell Pepper – 1/2 cup ( finely sliced)
5. Chicken Broth – 2 cups
6. Basil Leaves – hand full 
7. Lime Juice – 3 tbs
8. Coconut Milk – 1 can 
9. Coriander and lime for the final garnish 

 Instructions :-

1.  In a large pot, heat oil 
2.  Then add Khao Soi Paste and cook till the oil separates from the mixture
3. Then add the pumpkin and potato mixture
4.  Cook and combine for 2 mins .Then Bell Pepper and chicken broth
5. As the mixture begin to simmer add the coconut milk. Again mix well 
6. Mix well and bring to a boil again ( on medium heat)
7. Once the mixture boils, add the basil leaves, lime juice and salt according to taste
8. Cover and cook for another 5 mins and you are ready!
9. While serving, first add the soup into a bowl, then add the noodles, the pork and finally garnish with some fresh corinader , lime and basil leaves! Yummm!!   

Murgh Kofta – Rich chicken meat balls in a creamy tangy gravy

Hello my Dear wonderful readers!!

Its the weekend and this time I have made some thing rich and indulgent for you. This dish is inspired from the famous Malai Kofta, which is a croquette made with paneer / cottage cheese and potatoes. It all started with the fact that I had a little white basmati rice left and I wasn’t sure what kind of gravy to prepare along with it. Now it might come as a surprise to you, but we usually serve red rice at home. I mean the fat grainy kind. So white basmati is like having refined sugar in our coffee ( we usually add palm sugar).

After last week festivities I also had some khoya left in the fridge. So I decided to go all out and make a rich, creamy indulgent curry to pair well with rice and a salad. The recipe is divided into two steps. First making the Kofta and then the curry. Just to give it an “imperial” feel, I wrapped the koftas in silver warq. That is totally optional.

Ingredients for the Kofta :-

1. Chicken mince – 500 gms
2. Onions – 1 cup ( chopped fine)
3. Khoya – 200 gms
4. Green Chillies – 3 medium (sliced)
5. Ginger garlic Paste – 1 + 1/2 tbsp
6. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
7. Garam Masala Powder – 1 tsp
8. Besan / Gram Flour – 2 tbsp ( only if required)
9. Oil – to deep fry + 2 tbsp
10. Silver warq (optional)

 

Instructions :-

1. In a heavy bottom pan, add the oil
2. When the oil is hot, add the onions and ginger garlic paste. Fry till golden brown
3. Then add the green chilies, chilli powder, garam masala powder and fry 1 min
4. Add the chicken mince to the onion mixture and cook till all the water has dried out completely. Make sure you have all the water evaporated. Add salt according to taste
5. Set aside to cook down
6. In another bowl, slowly kneed the khoya till its nice and smooth
7. Add to cooled chicken mixture into a blender jar and add the khoya
8. Blend together for a nice thick paste
9. Now grease your hand and make small lime size balls with the mixture. Add gram flour if you find that the mixture is not holding shape. But do not add too much as it will not taste that great
10. Finally heat oil in a deep pan on medium. When the oil is hot, add the prepared chicken balls and fry till golden brown or slightly dark brown (that’s how we like it)
11. Reserve on a paper towel to drain excess oil. Cover the balls with silver leaf at this stage ( optional)

 

Ingredients for the curry :-

1. Onions – 2 cups
2. Tomato – 1 cup
3. Cardamom – 5
4. Cinnamon – 1
5. Bay Leaf – 1
6. Oil – 2 tbsp
7. Fresh Cream – 1/2 cup
8. Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
9. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Instructions :-

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. When the oil is hot, add the cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf
2. Once the spices release their aroma, add the onions and fry till translucent
3. Then add the tomato, turmeric and chilli powder. Season with salt according to taste
4. Fry till the tomatoes are cooked well
5. In a blender, puree the above mixture
6. Now again reheat the same pan with the blended mixture. Add fresh cream and mix well to combine.
7. When it begins to boil, add the chicken kofta and give it a mix without breaking the kofta
8. Your Chicken Koftas are ready.
9. This dish pairs well will simple hot rice , pappads and a salad or even chappati / naans

 

Passion Fruit Elixir

 

Hello my dear wonderful readers!

How are you all doing? So now that all the festivities are done and my Diwali lights are down, this week has been about getting back to eating healthy and finishing off all the snacks and savouries from last week 😛

But today is Friday, and Friday translates to ‘unwind’ and ‘laugh out loud’. Every Friday night, I make a batch of french fries for the little one and some small eats for grown ups. Last week, I was at the store and I found passion fruit! So like all other crazy passion fruit enthusiasts I also bought lots!! So we have had juices, smoothies and now this. Fruit and alcohol is such a wonderful combination. This passion fruit based cocktail is just the simplest, refreshing and sweet drink you want with a nice fiery chicken!

This recipe is super simple and if you wanna know how I made the simple syrup this is how it was made. Just add two cups of sugar to 2 cups of water and boil. Then stir and reduce till the mixture thickens and becomes a nice thick liquid almost like honey! That’s your simple syrup !

 

Ingredients :-

1. Passion Fruit – 2 cups of pulp
2. Lime – 6
3. Fresh Mint –  few springs
4. Water – 1/2 cup
5. Ice – a few cubes
6. Vodka – 240 Ml ( around 4 large pegs)
7. Simple Syrup – 2 tbsp * per glass
8. Soda – 500 Ml

Instructions :-

1. Juice the pulp of 2 cup of passion fruit in a blender with 1/2 cup of water
2. In a glass, add 4 lime slices
3. In a shaker, add passion fruit juice ( 1/2 cup) + vodka ( 1 large peg) + 2 ice cubes) + simple syrup ( 2 tbsp)
4. Shake well and pour into the glass with lime slices
5. Top it off with soda and fresh mint
6. Serve right away!