Mutton Biryani

Ingredients

• For the rice:
  
  1 star anise
  
  500 gm basmati rice, washed & drained
  
  2 bay leaves
  
  2 black cardamom
  
  2 tsp black cumin seeds
  
  6 black peppercorn
  
  6 green cardamom
  
  2 cinnamon sticks
  
  6 cloves
  
  1 tsp fennel
  
  1/4th jaiphal
  
  1 javitri
  
  3 tsp salt
  
  
  For mutton marination:
  
  1 kg mutton, cut in 2 inches pieces, preferably front leg part and avoid shoulder cut
  
  1 Tbsp garam masala
  
  1 Tbsp garlic paste
  
  1 Tbsp ginger paste
  
  3 Tbsp raw papaya paste
  
  4 Tbsp hung curd
  
  Juice of 1 lemon
  
  1 Tbsp red chilli powder
  
  1 tsp salt
  
  
  Other ingredients:
  
  4 onions, thinly sliced
  
  2 tomatoes, chopped
  
  1/4 th cup milk, warm
  
  Ghee
  
  Saffron strands
  
  Oil
  
  Rose water
  
  Kewra essence
  
  4 green chillies

Method

Marinating the mutton:

To the mutton add the beaten curd, ginger-garlic paste, raw papaya paste, chilli powder, salt, lemon juice, garam masala.

Allow the mutton to marinate for 3 hours.


Making fried onions or Barista:

Slice 2 onions very thinly. Separate the slices.

In a pan or kadai add oil and fry the onion slices till nicely brown.

Take care not to burn them. Fry in small batches. Do not put all the slices at a time, that will lead to lumpy messy onions.

Make sure all the onion slices frying are dipped in oil, if needed add more oil. Keep stirring continuously but gently for an even brown color.

Take the fried onions out with a slotted spoon or ladle.

Keep them on a paper-towel lined plate. This crispy brown fried onion slices are called Barista.


Cooking the mutton:

Heat ghee in a thick-bottomed pan.

Add remaining sliced onions and green chillies. Cook, stirring continuously, till onions are light golden brown.

Add ginger paste and garlic paste and mix well.

Add marinated mutton and cook on high heat for seven to eight minutes.

Add coriander powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Mix thoroughly.

Stir in three cups of water, bring it to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered till mutton is almost cooked.

Add tomatoes, salt, garam masala powder and fresh coriander leaves.

Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. The ghee would be separated from the spices and there should not be any watery gravy to the meat.


Preparing the rice:

Use only good quality long grain Basmati rice. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in water. Wash well till the water runs clear. Drain all the water.

In a small piece of cloth take cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, javitri, jaiphal, black peppercorn, shahi jeera, star anise and tie a knot to make a bag (potli).

Bring 750 ml water to boil, add rice, bay leaf, salt and potli, cover and cook till rice is done 1/3rd.

Drain the water & remove the whole masala potli.


Preparing the saffron-milk:
Take 1/4th cup warm milk in a cup and dissolve saffron strands in the milk.

Cover and wait for 20 minutes. Add rose water and kewra essence in the milk. Mix well and cover. Keep aside.


Layering the biryani:

Take a large heavy bottom pan with tight fitting lid.

Add 2tbsp ghee to the pan. Melt the ghee on low heat. Turn and rotate the pan carefully so the ghee can coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Switch off the heat.

Add a layer of cooked rice, then cooked meat pieces, sprinkle saffron water, add fried onion slices and ghee.

Again add a layer of rice, then meat...go on like this till you are done. Top and bottom layer will be of rice.

Cover with chopped pudina and coriander, fried onion and slit green chillies and juice of half a lemon.

Put the lid on. Seal the pan with flour dough or aluminium foil, then put the lid. Keep the heat to lowest. And cook the Biryani in this 'Dum' process for 40 minutes.

Make sure your pan is heavy-bottomed or the rice will burn. Or you can place a flat tawa then keep the pan on that tawa.

After 40 minutes switch off the heat and let the biryani stand for another 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve with raita and salad.

Laung Lata

Ingredients

For the outer covering:

4-5 cup flour

2 Tbsp oil

Water, to knead


For the stuffing:

300 gm khoya

2 Tbsp sugar

2-3 tsp cardamom powder

A handful of roasted chironji seeds

Cloves

For the sugar syrup:

1 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Method

For the stuffing:

In a wok/ kadhai add the khoya and keep stirring it on medium-low heat till its completely cooked out. This takes about 20-25 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool.

Add cardamom powder, chironji seeds, sugar. Mix it well.

The stuffing is ready.


To make the outer covering:

Knead the dough with oil and water till soft and elastic.

Make flat round rotis with this dough.

Stuff it with about 1- 1/2 Tbsp stuffing.

Fold it from two sides. Bring the other to sides together, making a loop and seal it with a  clove.

Deep fry them on medium heat, till golden. Drain them and let them cool.

Once cool, immerse them in the sugar syrup.

Serve warm.


For the sugar syrup:
Boil together the water and sugar till the sugar completely dissolves.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

• For a 750 gm cake
  
  250 gm strawberries
  
  200 gm glucose biscuits
  
  3 tbsp melted butter
  
  3/4 cup sugar
  
  1 cup hung curd
  
  1 cup cream
  
  1 tbsp gelatin
  
   4 tbsp water
  
  6-8 fresh strawberries - for garnishing

Method

Grind the biscuits and mix in the melted butter with it. Line the base of the serving dish evenly and smoothly with the biscuit mixture. Put in the freezer to set.

Puree the strawberries and sugar together in a mixie. Add the hung curd and cream, blend well to make a smooth mixture. Pour it into a bowl.

Add 4 tbsp of water in the gelatin. Then pour the gelatin slowly into the strawberry mixture. Keep stirring continuously.

Now pour the strawberry mixture onto the set biscuit base. Cover and put in the fridge to set overnight.

Garnish with sliced strawberries and serve cold.

 

 

Spicy chicken wings

Ingredients

• 8 chicken wings
  
  2 large garlic cloves-cut into slivers
  
  1 tsp chilli powder
  
  1 Tbsp olive oil
  
  1 Tbsp paprika
  
  1 tsp dried oregano
  
  Salt
  
  Freshly ground pepper
  
  Lemon wedges

Method

Make small but sharp cuts on the skin of each chicken wing and slide a sliver of garlic into it.

Brush the wings generously with olive oil. In a large bowl, stir the paprika, chilli powder and the oregano and season with plenty of salt and pepper.

Add the chicken wings and toss it together until lightly coated in the mixture.

Cook the chicken wings on a medium grill for about 15 minutes until they are cooked through, with a slightly blackened yet crispy skin.

Pack in a box with lemon wedges to squeeze over before serving.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
  
  1 Tbsp salt
  
  120 gm
  
  Oil
  
  2 tsp garlic paste
  
  1 cup spring onions - chopped fine
  
  3/4 cup cooked and finely chopped chicken
  
  2 Tbsp celery - finely chopped
  
  2 tsp soya sauce
  
  1 Tbsp vinegar
  
  1 tsp chilli sauce

Method

Boil the rice with 1 tsp salt and 1 Tbsp oil, till 'bite-like'.

Drain and rinse under cold water.

Leave in the colander and work 1 Tbsp oil into it.

Heat the rest of the oil and saute the garlic and onions, till onions are a light brown.

Add the chicken and stir-fry till well mixed.

Add the soya sauce, vinegar and chilli sauce, mix well and add the rice.

Stir till rice and chicken are well mixed and serve.

Vanilla Ice-cream

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups milk-full cream

1 Tbsp custard powder

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla essence

1 3/4 cups cream

Method

Mix the custard and sugar in half a cup of the milk.

Heat the rest of the milk and when it comes to a boil, add the custard mixture, and bring to a boil again, stirring continuously.

When it boils, lower the heat and simmer for a half a minute, shut off the heat and leave to cool.

When it reaches room temperature, mix in the cream and vanilla essence and transfer on to a container with a tight lid.

Freeze till almost set take out and whip up in a blender and place back into the freezer in the same container.

The lid should always be tightly shut, as this avoids crystals from forming.

Blend once more when almost set and place back in the freezer.

You can adjust the cooling to normal about two hours after the last blending.

Serve garnished with the cherries or nuts.

Alternatively, freeze in an ice cream machine according to instructions.

Prawn Fry Recipe

Ingredients

• Prawns - 500 gms, cleaned and de-veined
• Onions - 2, finely sliced
• Garlic, - 3, finely minced
• Ginger green chili paste (1" ginger and 3 green chilies)
• Red chilli pwd - 1 1/2 tsps (adjust)
• Turmeric pwd - 1/4 tsp
• Coriander pwd - 1 tsp
• Saunf pwd - 1/2 tsp
• Kasuri methi - 1/2 tsp (optional)
• Coconut - 2 tbsp (grated)
• Garam masala pwd (3 cloves, 1" cinnamon stick, 1 elaichi)
• Lemon juice OR curd/yogurt - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Curry leaves - 15-20
• Cooking oil - 1 1//2 tbsps

Method

1. Marinate the prawns in ginger green chili paste, 3/4 tsp chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, lemon juice and salt for 10 mts.
2. Add 1/4 cup of water to the marinated prawns and bring to a boil, reduce to medium flame cook for 6-8 mts. Turn off heat and drain the excess water, if any.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the finely minced garlic and saute for half a mt. Add sliced onions, kasuri methi and curry leaves and saute till the onions turn a light caramlized brown, approx 7-8 mts.
4. Add the cooked prawns,1/4 tsp chili pwd, saunf pwd, coriander pwd and garam masala pwd and stir fry for 3 mts. Add the grated coconut and saute for 3 mts. Adjust salt and turn off heat. Serve hot as a starter or as a stir fry with rice.

Lauki ke koftey

Ingredients

• 1 lbs of lauki
• 4 tbsp besan
• 2 small onions
• 2 small tomato
• 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp red mirchi powder
• 4 tsp dhaniya powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 5 pieces of cardamom
• 2 peces each of badam and kaju
• 2 tsp of malai
• 2 pieces of laung
• small piece of dalchini
• 5 green chillies

Directions

Kofta balls:

1. Grate the lauki either in a foo processor or on a kadookas
2. Add besan in the grated lauki, mix it well with hands preferably
3. Take 1 tbsp oil in a ladai and add the besan laki paste to it
4. Mix the paste well in the kadai till it becomes dry, it should be good to make kofta balls from, like a dough.
5. Add salt, mirchi, dhaniya powder, ginger garlic paste to the dough and mix it again.
6. Now take out the dough and spread it on a plate
7. Make small kofta balls from the dough as soon as it cools down a little.
8. Keep these balls aside

gravy:

1. Grind the onion into a paste
2. Grind the tomato, cardomam, dalchini, laung(cloves), kaju, badam & malai  all together in the grinder and keep it separate.
3. Take 2 tbsp of oil and add green chili cut into small pieces to it
4. add the onion paste to it
5. add the tomato paste to the onion once it turns golden brown
6. add mirchi powder, dhaniya, garam masala and namak to it.
7. Fry the masala till the paste leaves oil and we know that its cooked well.
8. Add a tsp of malai after the gravy is prepared.
9. Keep the koftas separate and add as many as required to the gravy at the time of serving, boil it after adding the koftas.
10. Garnish it with some green dhaniya and serve it hot.