East Indian Khudi Curry

East Indian Cuisine is a mix of Maharashtrian, Portuguese and British techniques and methods using aromatic spices in their dishes. 

The main ingredient for any East Indian recipe is the use of bottle masala which is a powdered masala using  various spices stuffed in a bottle - usually a beer bottle. This spice mix can be used to make chicken or mutton or any  meat gravy dish.

Khuddi is usuallt a  regular Sunday lunch fare at any East Indian home.  This curry tastes nice with either Ghee rice or pulao. You can use beef also instead of chicken for this dish.

Khudi

1 kg chicken

1 tablespoon ginger/garlic paste

1tablespoon East Indian bottle masala

1 tablespoon oil

Salt to taste

Roast the following and grind to a smooth paste.

3 medium size onions

1/4 cup coconut scrapped

4 green chillies

Heat oil, fry the masala till oil leaves the sides.

Add chicken pieces and coat with masala

Add water depending on how much gravy you want.  This curry should be slightly thick.

Add salt

Cover and cook till chicken is cooked.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with boiled white rice or pulao.

Pork Vindaloo

The name "vindaloo" is derived from the Portuguese dish "carne de vinha d'alhos," which is a dish of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The Portuguese dish was modified by the substitution of vinegar (usually palm vinegar) for the red wine and the addition of red Kashmiri chillies with additional spices to evolve into Vindaloo. Alternative terms are vindalho or vindallo.  

This below recipe is that of my mother's who is an East Indian.  The Goans make their vindaloo masala differently.  My Dad who is a Goan (and an excellent Cook) would grind the masala using Kashmiri chillies, Ginger, Garlic, Whole Garam Masala (which is not used in my recipe).  

We usually make this dish during festivals like Christmas and Easter and also if there is any special occassions like birthdays etc.  

Ingredients:

1 Kg pork with 1/2inch layer of fat.

1 tsp salt

Grind the following in Vinegar :-

10-15  Kashmir chillies

10-15 flakes of garlic

1 tbsp full cumin seeds

1 cup Palm Vinegar 

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

Method:

Wash and dry the Pork with a towel.

Meanwhile grind the above ingredients with vinegar to  a fine paste.

Apply the masala paste to the pork and let it marinade in an earthen dish, or glass bowl for 8 hours or overnight.

Next day put all the pork in a vessel and cook on slow fire till tender.

PS : Taste the masala and adjust the sourness according to your taste.  If you prefer it more sour you can add more vinegar at the time of cooking.  Also if you prefer it more spicy add more red chillies whilst grinding the masala.

Also in the picture below you will not see I have not used much of pork fat, the dish is pretty dry. I avoid the fat as I feel it is unhealthy.  But if you have fat in the pork use it as there is no need to add any oil to the dish and the pork will be succulent and even more tastier.

Boneless Chicken Tikka

Chicken Tikka is boneless chicken pieces marinated in yoghurt and  spices and then cooked in a tandoor (a claypot oven).  At home since we don't have a tandoor we can cook it in the oven.  The word tikka means "bits" or "pieces". It is also a chicken dish served in Punjabi cuisine. The pieces are brushed with ghee (clarified butter) at intervals to increase its flavour. It is eaten with green coriander and tamarind chutney served with onion rings and lemon.

For preparing
BONELESS CHICKEN TIKKA

Ingredients :

500gms  boneless Chicken Breasts

For Marinade :

1 tbsp lemon juice 

Salt & Pepper to taste

For the 2nd  Marinade :

¼ cup Hung Curds 

1 tsp. fresh Ginger paste

1 tsp. fresh Garlic paste

1 tsp. Red Chilli pwd.

1 tsp. roasted Cumin pwd.

1 tbsp. Coriander pwd.

1 tbsp. Tandoori Masala

¼ tsp. Garam Masala pwd.

A drop of Orange Food Color (optional)

Ghee or Oil for basting

Procedure :

Clean and wash the boneless chicken breasts. 

Pat dry and cube the chicken in to sufficiently large pieces. 

Place the pieces of chicken in a  large bowl and rub some salt, pepper and lime juice into the chicken. Set aside for about 15-20 mins.

In another bowl, whisk together the hung curd, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli pwd., roasted cumin seed pwd., coriander pwd., tandoori masala, garam masala and orange food color. 

Add this tandoori paste to the bowl of chicken pieces and mix well to combine. The pieces of chicken should be well coated.  Cover the bowl with cling film or a lid & and let it marinate for about 3-4 hrs or overnight in a fridge.  When ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 200c.  Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil & lightly brush with oil.  Arrange the marinated chicken pieces at a uniform distance.   After baking for 15-20 mins. remove the tray baste/brush with oil or ghee and flip the tikkas.  Baste the flipped tikkas with oil & let it bake for another 10-12 mins. 

Check with a toothpick to test if cooked through & tender. If not, baste/brush again with some oil & bake again; flipping again after every 3-4 mins. The pieces should actually be lightly blackened.  I have not done this as my kids don't like it.   

For serving sprinkle lemon or lime juice, chaat masala powder, and serve with fresh onion rings.

Beef Chilly Fry

A chilli fry is a dish with mainly onions, green chillies and ginger/garlic.  This dish can be fixed in a jiffy.  You can add fried  or boiled potatoes to this dish and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. You can add capsicum if you wish or even garnish with chopped spring onion greens. I have made beef chilly fry with some leftover beef roast (recipe given below) that I had in my refrigerator. You can make Prawn or chicken Chilly Fry too by substituting the beef with prawns.  

For the Beef Roast

Ingredients :

For the Marinade :

1 kg Beef sirloin

3 one inch pieces fresh Ginger (crushed)

8-10 flakes of garlic

1 tsp. Turmeric pwd.

6 Peppercorns

5 Cloves

2 one inch Cinnamon Sticks

Juice of 2 Limes or a dash of Vinegar

4 tbsps. Vegetable Oil/Ghee

4 dry Kashmiri Chillies (destemed, deseeded & broken)

1 cup Water

Salt to taste

 

Method

Wash the chunk of beef & drain well.

Pierce with the fork all over the meat.

Rub ginger-garlic paste, turmeric pwd., lemon juice & a little salt all over the meat.

Marinate overnight in the fridge.

Heat pressure pan with oil till hot.

Add broken dry Kashmiri chillies, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks, crushed ginger, garlic.  Fry for a minute or two till make sure not to burn the spices. 

 Add the marinated beef.  Fry the meat till it is  browned on all sides.

Add approximately 2 cups water.

Pressure cook upto 4-5 whistles till the meat is tender.

Once the cooker is cool open and dry up the excess water till you get a thick gravy.

When the meat cools slice it into thin slices.

 

For the Beef Chilli Fry :

Ingredients :

1 cups Beef Roast  sliced thinly or you can cube it

1 smal Potato cubed (can either fry or boil it)

4 large Onions sliced fine

1 med. Tomato chopped fine

½ tsp. Black Pepper pwd

3 flakes Garlic cut fine 

1 tsp. Ginger 

6-8 fresh Green Chillies chopped on a slant

¼ tsp. Turmeric pwd.

A pinch of Sugar

4 tbsps. Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

A fistful of fresh Coriander chopped fine

  

Method

Heat a thick bottom pan with oil till hot.

Reduce heat & add onions and fry till slightly pinkish  

Add green chillies, garlic-ginger and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Then  add the chopped tomatoes & a pinch of sugar & cook till soft.

Add sliced roast beef, pepper powder and mix well.

Fry on high heat till the beef is coated with onion mixture.

Add a tablespoon of the roast gravy. Mix well, add the fried or boiled potatoes.

Reduce heat & adjust salt to taste.

Serve hot garnished with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

Enjoy either with Pulao, Chapattis or sliced bread.

Birthday Cake : Chocolate Ganache with Buttercream Icing Decor

SRILANKAN FISH CUTLETS

SRILANKAN FISH CUTLETS

Sri Lankan Cutlets are a traditional party fare for any dinner or cocktail party.  My kids are huge fans of these breaded and fried little balls of savory goodness. You can make a cutlet with any meat/seafood you wish, but I really prefer the tuna fish variety.  I first got a taste of this yummy snack whilst I visited Srilanka.  I then asked my Srilankan host to share the recipe with me and she gladly did.

Ingredients

3 (200gms each) cans of light tuna fish in water drained

1 medium onion finely chopped

1-2 green chillies finely chopped

2 boiled large white potatoes crushed

Small handful of curry leaves minced

Small handful of mint leaves minced

1 Tbs of ginger garlic paste (or 1/2 Tbs each separately)

1/2 medium lime juiced (about 2-3 tsp)

salt and a lot of black pepper

 

For breading and frying:

bread crumbs for breading

2 eggs beaten well

1/2 bottle of oil for frying (I used Canola)

Directions:

Boil potatoes.  Peel and smash with a fork.

Cut onions, green chilies and curry leaves.  

Heat 1Tbs of oil in a frying pan and add the onions, chilies, mint and curry leaves to fry.  

Then add the garlic and ginger paste and fry for another minute. 

Salt and pepper the onions and then add the 3 cans of tuna drained.  

Then add the lime juice. Add the boiled (mashed) potatoes and mix in well.  

Mix together well and taste for the salt and pepper in the dish now that the potatoes have been added. 

I like to give my cutlets a peppery kick so I'm heavy on the pepper.   

Take off the stove and allow to cool completely so you can handle the mixture with your hands to form the cutlets.

The breading deep frying process:

                                    

Grab a small handful and slowly form into balls the size of a walnut. The most important part here is to make sure you don't have any cracks. If you have a crack then the cutlet will burst open when frying.

 The egg wash: Beat 2 medium eggs together with a tablespoon of cool water for dipping the cutlets before breading.

Breadcrumbs: I made my own by grinding some heals of bread in the blender or you can buy prepared breadcrumbs.  I don't recommend using seasoned bread crumbs.

Once you have dipped the cutlets into the egg wash and then the bread crumbs, the breaded cutlets are all ready for frying. Get this all done before you move onto the frying.

  

Heat the oil in a deep enough pan that you immerse the entire cutlet for cooking.  Heat  oil at a medium/high heat .  Drop a few breadcrumbs in the oil to see if the oil was hot enough for frying. Once they browned, the oil was nice and hot.  The oil should not be smoking hot as that will burn your cutlets.

  

Once fried, drain cutlets on a paper towel. This makes about  28-30 cutlets total.  Serve hot or at room temperature.   Enjoy !

Besan Ke Chila

Besan ka cheela or gram flour based salty pancakes are sure to satisfy your rumbling appetite and demanding taste buds. A simple pancake recipe with besan combined with onions, tomato and chillies and then spread on a pan with little oil. This recipe makes great breakfast for everyone and especially for those who want to avoid eggs

Ingredients

2 cups besan (bengal gram flour)

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 tsp chopped green chillies

1/2 cup chopped coriander (dhania)

1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper powder

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and gradually add (approx 1 1/2 cup) water to get smooth and dropping consistency batter.

Heat a non-stick tava on a high flame then turn the flame to medium.

Add little oil and spread it evenly, pour a spoonfull of batter and rotate the pan clock wise to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

Cover it with the lid and allow to cook for 4 to 5 minutes on a medium flame or till it turns to brown in colour and crisp.

Open the lid, drizzle some oil and turn it upside down and cook the other side till it turns to brown in colour and crispy.

Repeat the same process with the remaining batter.

Serve hot with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Cakes

SPICY MACARONI

Macaroni is a variety of dry pasta made with durum wheat.  Elbow macaroni noodles normally do not contain eggs and are normally cut in short, hollow shapes, however, the term refers not to the shape of the pasta, but to the kind of dough from which the noodle is made. 

Pasta is a type of noodle and is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine. To cook Pasta fill a large stockpot with water. The more the better - pasta only sticks when cooked in too little water.  Add salt. Salt makes pasta taste better.  Bring the water to a rolling boil. This means a boil you can't stop by stirring.  Measure the pasta you need. Pasta generally doubles in size when cooked, so 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups cooked. Add the pasta to the boiling water. Pasta will stick together if it isn't stirred during the crucial first moments of cooking. Don't add oil, because that will make the pasta slippery and the sauce won't stick to it when it's done.  he only way to tell if the pasta is correctly cooked is to taste it. It should be 'al dente' - firm, yet tender, with a tiny core in the middle.

SPICY PASTA

For cooking the pasta

2 cups Pasta

8 - 10 cups water 

Salt

Boil water (cover pan for water to boil quickly).

Add salt and Pasta and cook till done.

(can refer to package instructions)

For the Sauce

2 tomatoes (pureed)

1 onion diced

1 teaspoon each Italian herbs

2 Green Chillies finely chopped

1 flake garlic chopped fine

1 cup boneless chicken breast diced into small cubes

1 Capsicum

1/4 cup mushrooms

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup fresh cream

1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt

Heat a heavy bottom vessel. Add oil. Once oil is hot add onions fry till slightly brown.  Add green chillies, garlic fry till you get the aroma of chilli-garlic.  Add chicken pieces, Italian herbs and toss to coat and fry till chicken is slightly cooked.  Add mushrooms, cook till mushrooms are nicely fried, add capsicum, cook for 2-3 minutes then add the tomato puree, sugar, salt and cook till the sauce thickens.  Once the sauce thickens add fresh cream and grated cheddar cheese. Mix well.  Turn off the heat.  Add the boiled pasta to the sauce and mix well till all is coated with sauce.  Serve hot.  Enjoy.....

GARLIC BREAD

Garlic bread consists of bread topped with garlic and olive oil or butter. It is then either grilled or broiled until toasted, or baked in an oven.  It is typically made using a baguette which is partially sliced downwards, allowing the condiments to soak into the loaf while keeping it in one piece. The bread is then stuffed through the cuts with oil and minced garlic before baking. Alternatively, butter and garlic powder are used, or the bread is cut into separate slices which are individually garnished.  Some variants are topped with a variety of cheeses, often mozzarella, Cheddar or feta. Some use clarified butter in place of olive oil.

I always wanted to make garlic bread at home for my kids.  I had tried various methods but finally settled down for this very simple and easy one.  Try it your family will love it.  

GARLIC BREAD
1 stick of Long French Bread
2 cloves of garlic grated fine
1/4 cup mozeralla cheese
2 tablespoon of cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tsp of dried oregano, basil or any Italian seasoning (I used oregano)
2-3 tablespoons of Butter  
Salt to taste 

Method

Cut the French bread on a slant

Apply butter on one side of the bread  

Place the side with butter facing down on the baking dish lined with either foil or baking paper

Heat a pan, add 1 tablespoon of  butter, add the garlic immediately (do not let the butter or garlic burn or turn brown).  

Once the raw smell disappears, turn off the gas.

Mix Mozarella and Cheddar cheese together, add the butter garlic mixture. Gently mix the mixture and spread on the sliced bread. 

Drizzle some olive oil on the bread slices and sprinkle some Italian herbs.

Bake till the cheese melts and is slightly brown.

TIFFIN IDEAS FOR KIDS

What to pack for breakfast for your kids tiffin.  This is one of the most difficult task not for anything else but that kids get bored of eating the same old stuff.  Wouldn't we too ? We all need a change and something different especially kids they love innovative things.  Here are few ideas with recipes for your kids tiffin.

CHEESE STRAWS

Ingredients:
150g (5 1/2 oz) grated cheese (you can use a strong cheddar, or a mixture of your left over cheeses)
100g (3 1/2 oz) plain flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
100g (3 1/2 oz) butter
2 egg yolks

Heat oven to 350F (180C, Gas Mark 4)
Line or lightly grease 2 baking sheets

Put flour, baking powder and butter into the food processor and process until like breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and give a quick whiz, then add the egg and process into a dough.

Turn out. Flour the table and pat or roll the dough out. Cut into straws or use a small cookie cutter. Place on baking sheets and bake for 8-12 minutes until lightly browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes before moving to a wire rack.

PITA BREAD PIZZA

You will need:

Pitta bread
Tomato sauce or tomato puree
Grated cheese
Salami/sausage (optional)
Cooked veggies (optional)

Instructions:

Spread a little tomato sauce onto a pitta bread and cut into small triangular pieces. Top with a little grated cheese and place in a moderately hot oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to bubble.

MINI WRAPS

Tortillas (wraps)
Cream cheese
Thin sliced ham, chicken or turkey
Sliced tomato, if your kids like it

Instructions:

Lightly spread a tortilla with a little cream cheese, if using. Place one or two slices of thin ham or turkey over the cream cheese, and the tomato slices. Roll tightly and either leave as they are or cut into slices to give you small rounds (my kids prefer them this way).

You can also use sliced cheese or grated cheese, peanut butter, vegemite or marmite, grated carrots, raisins - use your imagination to put together a combination which your kids will enjoy.

GRATED CARROT/APPLE SANDWICH

Grated Carrots

Grated Apple

Cream Cheese

Ham

Sliced bread

Mix carrots/apple/cream cheese.  Season with pepper/salt.

Butter one slice, add ham, butter 2^nd bread, on top pour cheese mixture, cover and cut into squares.  Place a toothpick to secure it.

Chocolate Cupcake Recipe

This chocolate cupcake recipe is sure to please the chocolate lover in you.

 Ingredients• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 cups sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup water

• 2 large eggs

• 3/4 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 4 ounces melted unsweetened  baking chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Combine all ingredients into large mixing bowl.  Mix at low speed for 30 seconds, and scrape bowl.  Mix at high speed for 3 minutes.

Fill liners 1/2 to 2/3 full of batter.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pans then remove from pan, and place on wire racks to cool completely.

Frost when chocolate cupcakes are completely cool.