Bitter gourd coconut fry

This dish does not have many ingredients, and does not take much preparation except for the coconut grating. Let me warn you, though, the bitter gourd must NOT be grated, for that would bring out the bitter juice, making the dish quite bitter.

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd- 1 number.
Chilli flakes   - 1 to 2 tablespoons
Onion -   3 large
turmeric powder- half teaspoon
Salt - to taste(I add 1 tsp)
Grated coconut - about a handful
Oil  - 2 to 3 tablespoons

Method of preparation:

Slice the bitter gourd lengthwise and deseed. Chop it into small pieces(Do NOT grate it). Chop the onions to similar small pieces. Heat oil in a kadai and add the chilli flakes. When the chilli flakes fries up(this will happen soon; don't let it get burnt), add the bitter gourd, onions, salt and turmeric powder. Stir well and let it simmer. Keep closed. Stir well every 5 mins or so till the bitter gourd is cooked. This may take some 15 mins. Add grated coconut and continue on simmer for another 10 mins or so, stirring occasionally this the bitter gourd is done.

Chana Masala

A north-Indian dish that goes well with all kinds of roti and puri, kabuli chana masala has always been one of the family's favorites. It goes well with rice,too.

Ingredients:

1 cup kabuli(white) channa
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
1 green chilli
1 inch ginger piece
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp gharam masala powder
1 tbsp saya sauce
salt to taste
a few strands corriander leaves for garnishing.

Method:

Soak the chana for at least 4 hours and pressure cook till soft to bite: The level of water should be just a cm above the level of chana. Pressure cook till a whistle, and then leave it on simmer for 20 mins or half an hour.

Grind onion, green chilli, tomato, garlic and ginger into a paste.
Heat a tbsp of oil, and add the paste.
When the oil starts coming out, add the masalas a cook a minute.
Add the cooked chana along with the water.
Add soya sauce and cook till gravy thickens.
To make thick gravy you may follow either one or a combination of the following options:
  a. grind half a handful of cooked chana alond with the paste.
  b. add a tsp or two of corn flour to the curry as it gets cooked.
  c. smash the chana with a laddle as the curry gets cooked.
  d. fry 3 tbsp of grated coconut and dry grind it(I personally don't prefer this)

After the curry is cooked, garnish with corriander leaves.

Carrot Cake

 

I tried this recipe on our fourth wedding anniversary this year (January 15th). I never thought I'd like carrot cakes when I learnt that it calls for raw carrots. But silly me! the carrot gets cooked while baking! and I found myself enjoying yet another cake recipe! 

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1 and 1/2 cup maida flour

2 big carrots grated

1 egg

2 cups sugar (or as required)

2-3 cups oil

1 level tbsp baking bowder

1 baking soda

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tbsp caramel/custard power (optional, for rich taste)

roasted nuts as required (optional)

1 tbsp cardamom powder

For Icing:

2 cups cream cheese(unsalted)

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar (too much sugar would bring in moisture and make icing less thick)

Method of Preparation:

Sieve in all the powders together.

Beat egg, sugar, carrot, oil and essence, cardamom.
Add the powder mixture to it.
Check if sugar is as desired, and add more sugar if necessary.
Add in the nuts.
Pour the mixture into baking tin greased with butter and dusted with flour.
Bake at 250 degrees for 30-45 mins or till knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Prepare the icing in the time the cake is baking:
Whip butted and cream cheese.
Add sugar and mix.
Chill till cake is baked and cooled to room temperature on wire rack.

With a serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally in half.
Spread cream over one half, and place the second half over it.
Spread creap on the top and sides.
Serve chilled.

Bread Sandwitch pudding

This is a simple, yet very tasty dessert. You'd need a banking pan or oven resistant glass dish because you will be baking it in the electric oven or microwave. The amount of bread slices and milk you use would depend on the size of the dish, as the milk-essence-sugar-egg mixture must soak the bread slices, so that only the top of the highest bread slices are seen. Here is my proportions:

Bread slices - 12 (3 X 4)
Jam - enough to spread
Butter - enough to spread (optional)
Chocolate(any) sliced to small pieces - optional, as desired- to give a chocolaty taste.
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Milk - 3 cups
egg - 1
vanilla essence - 1 tsp
Nuts - 1-2 tbsp
sultanas - 1-2 tbsp

Method:

Spread jam and butter (arrange chocolate pieces evenly, if using) on 8 slices. Arrange the 12 slices in the form of a sandwich, so that you'd have 4 sandwiches(3 slices each), in the form of a square. Place them on a baking dish greased with butter.
Beat egg, milk, sugar, vanilla essence, and pour this mixture on to the bread sandwiches, so that the top slices are seen.
Sprinkle nuts, sultanas on to the top.
Bake 25-30 mins or till done, at 180 degree Celsius.
Serve at room temperature, or chilled.

Fish roast

This is a good recipie for any kind of fish, preferrably one that doesn't give out too much smell when raw.

Ingredients:

4 medium sized fish (or 8 small ones)
Onion - one large
Green chilli - 2-3
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Feenugeek seeds: 1 tsp powdered
Thick tamarind pulp - 2-3 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil- 1 tbsp

Method:

Grind all the above, except fish and oil, in grinder, apply to fish and leave for at least 1/2 hour. 2 hours would be ideal.
Smear oil on tava, turn on the heat, arrange fish, and cook on low flame.
Once fish is cooked, increase flame to medium heat or high, till fish skin gets crusty. You may serve with onion rings and lime squeezed over.

Soya Bean cutlets

Soya beans are a great source of protiens and a very good replacement for meat. Soya bean chunks, if properly prepared, can taste as good as beef. I have used soyabean minced to replace minced beef in minced beef curry, and it tasted very similar to minced beef curry! The following is a recipie of my mother's: Soya bean cutlets. You can enjoy them with rice, or as snack with tomatoe ketchup, or as cutlets in hamburgers for breakfast!

Ingredients:

Soya bean chunks- 1 bowl
Onion - 2 medium/large, finely cut
Ginger - 1 inch, finely minced
Garlic - 5-6 pieces, finely cut
Green chilli - 5-6, cut finely
Curry leave - 2 stalks, cut finely
Corriander leaves - 4 stalks, finely cut
Gharam masala - 2 tsp (optional)
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp (optional)
salt to taste

For crest: Method 1: 2 potatoes, pressure cooked and mashed, 2 cups bread crumbs and white of 1 egg. You can make bread crumbs by grinding rusk well. You'll find it much cheaper!
for Method 2: 4 bread slices soaked in water.

Oil for deep frying.

Method : Soak soya bean chunks in warm water for 20-30 minutes, squeeze out the water, mice in electric grinder for a few seconds.
Mix all the ingredients from Soya beans to salt well with your fingers.

You may now follow any of the following two methods:

Method 1: MIx in the mashed potatoe to the soya bean mixture, shape the mixture to small round, flattened cutlets. Dip in egg white and roll over bread crumbs. Deep fry in oil.

Method 2: Squeeze out the water from soaked bread slices, mix in well with soya bean mixture. Shape into small round, flattened cutlets. Deep fry in oil.

Chilli Chicken