Friday, October 26, 2012

Avocado egg rolls



I had these rolls for the first time in 'Cheesecake Factory' and have become a huge fan of them since....I tried  recreating them at home and they turned out to be good :) Here's the recipe...

Ingredients:


  • Avocados - 4
  • Store bought egg roll wraps / spring roll wraps
  • Green chillis - 2-3(depends on your taste) minced
  • Onion - 1/2 an onion-finely chopped
  • Cilantro - a few sprigs finely chopped
  • Sun dried tomatoes - 2-3 wedges diced
  • Salt - to taste
  • Pepper - to taste
  • Oil - for deep frying

Directions:
  • Dice the avocados and place the diced avocados in a mixing bowl.
  • To this,add the diced tomatoes, minced chillis,chopped onions,cilantro,salt and pepper and mix well. Mash the avocado with the back of a spoon,but make sure that it still remains a little chunky.
  • Place a tablespoon full of this mixture in the center of the wrap & fold it into the shape of a spring roll. You can find the directions on the cover of the wraps itself. :)
  • Heat oil in a pan and once the oil is hot, drop in the rolls and fry till they turn golden brown.
  • Serve hot with a sweet and sour cilantro+cashew sauce.

Ingredients for the cilantro+cashew dipping sauce:

  • Cilantro - 1.5 cups
  • Cashew - 1/2 cup
  • Coriander powder - 1 tsp
  • Cumin powder - 1 tsp
  • Tamarind pulp - 1 tsp
  • Balsamic vinaigrette - 2 tbsp ( this has the vinegar,olive oil and the herbs,so I did not have to add the ingredients separately.  :P)
  • Garlic - 1 pod 
  • Salt - to taste
Directions:
  • Grind all the ingredients together into a coarse paste and voila you have your dipping sauce ready!


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Banana Walnut Muffins

Hello peeps,

Its been quite some time since I've posted something on my blog...have been busy with loads of stuff..Anyways,now that I'm back with my favorite pass time(cooking!!),I started off with baking again.

 I bought some bananas during the weekend,with the idea of eating 1 every day,diligently...well...you can say that the plan dint quite work out. Today,I noticed that they were on the verge of becoming over ripe..so...that was when the idea of banana walnut muffins struck me!

Ok,enough talk...lets start baking!!!


Ingredients: 


  • 3-4 ripe bananas
  • 1 cup chopped/broken walnuts
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • Salt - a pinch
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon instant coffee
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Salt - a pinch


Directions:

  • In a bowl,mash the bananas and to this,add the egg,melted butter,sugar,salt, coffee,vanilla extract & make sure all the ingredients are incorporated well into the mashed bananas. Once done,stir in the chopped walnuts.
  • Next,add the flour(I've sifted the flour & the baking soda together) & mix well to ensure that there are no lumps in the batter.
  • Line the muffin tray with liners & pour the batter in,till it fills up to 3/4 of the muffin cup.
  • Place the tray in a preheated oven at 350 F and bake for 25-30 mins,or till the toothpick comes out clean once it is inserted into the center of the muffin.





Saturday, January 14, 2012

Kaju Burfi

Hello peeps,


Festival time is here!! Time to indulge in some rich,delicious treats...so let's start off with one of my fav sweets...kaju burfi(also known as kaju katli/katri)..I couldn't believe my eyes when I discovered that this is one of the easiest recipes ever...check it out:


Ingredients :
  •  2 cups cashew nuts
  • 1.5 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • a pinch of saffron - optional
Directions:
  • Grind the cashew nuts into a coarse powder.
  • In a heavy bottomed pan,add the sugar+ water & boil it for 10 minutes on medium heat (the syrup should get a string consistency). {you can add saffron to the syrup-optional}
  • In another pan (preferably a non stick one),dry roast the cashew powder for less than a minute.Do not roast the powder too much,coz this will make the burfi oily.
  • Now,add the hot syrup to the roasted cashew powder & mix well to avoid any lumps. Keep stirring to prevent the mixture from burning at the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the mixture starts leaving the edges of the pan & it becomes a little firm (not too much,the burfi will harden once it cools down,so make sure that u can still pour the mixture onto a plate,but at the same time,it is not too runny),pour the mixture onto a greased plate.
  • Let the mixture cool down a bit & then cut it into diamond shaped burfis. Store them in an airtight container.
  • If you have an edible silver foil,you can decorate the burfi with it.





Friday, December 2, 2011

Broccoli Paratha

Heya peeps..


I was talking to my mom recently,when she mentioned that she made gobi parathas & they came out very well..That is when i got this idea of making Broccoli parathas...my take on gobi parathas....For all the moms who struggle to feed their children the greens they need...try this...the kids will love it for sure!!


Ingredients:


For the dough:
  • 2 cups whole wheat/chapathi flour
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • water - as needed
For the stuffing:
  • 1 medium sized broccoli flower
  • 1 tbsp coriander cumin powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp curry powder (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp aamchur powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt to taste
  • chopped coriander leaves - 1/2 cup

Directions:

  • Mix the wheat flour,salt,oil & water and knead it into a soft dough.Let it rest for 1 hr. (cover the dough with a bowl/a damp cloth/with cling wrap).
  • Take only the broccoli florets (cut off the stem part of it) and put them in the blender to make a coarse powder. (You can also grate them,but this method is easier). 
  • In a pan,heat the oil & add the cumin seeds to it. Once they start spluttering,add the grated broccoli,salt & let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • To this,add the remaining spices & cook for another 2 minutes.Add the chopped coriander leaves at the end.
  • Let this mixture cool down completely before you start making the parathas.
  • Knead the dough once more & divide it into equal sized portions.Do the same thing with the mixture,so that you get equal sized parathas.
  • Roll the dough into a small disc & put the filling in the center of it. Now,gather all the ends of the paratha & seal it in the center.(It should now look like a dumpling.)
  • Roll this paratha gently so that the filling does not come out of the dough.
  • Heat the tawa & fry the parathas till they turn golden brown on both sides.(add some oil to each side while flipping them)
  • Serve hot with any pickle or raita.


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Samosa

Alright people,


Time for another favorite snack...check out the recipe!!


Ingredients:


For the dough:
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp carom seeds(ajwain)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • water
For the filling:
  • 4 medium sized potatoes(boiled,peeled & mashed)
  • 1/2 medium sized onion - finely chopped
  • 1 cup green peas
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp coriander+cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 wedge lemon/lime
  • 1-2 chopped green chilli
  • 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves/cilantro
  • salt to taste
  • oil for deep frying

Directions:

  • In a bowl,add the flour,ajwain,baking powder,salt,oil and mix well to form a crumbly mixture.To this,add water & knead into a soft dough. Once done,coat the dough with oil,cover it with a bowl & let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
  • Add garlic powder,coriander+cumin powder,red chilli powder,garam masala & salt to the mashed potatoes & keep aside.
  • In a pan,heat 1 tbsp of oil & add the cumin seeds.Once they start spluttering,add the chopped onions & fry them till they turn translucent. To this,add the chopped green chilli & saute for 1-2 minutes.
  • Once done,add the green peas to this mixture along with some salt & fry them till the peas are soft.
  • To this,add the potato mixture & fry till the mixture is cooked thoroughly & gets a nice golden color. Top it off with a garnish of lemon juice & chopped cilantro.
  • Cool down this mixture before you start filling the samosas.
  • Divide the dough into lemon sized balls & roll them into thin chapatis.
  • Cut the chapati in the center,so that you get 2 halves(semi circles). Now,take one end of the half & fold it in the center.Overlap the other edge too on top of it& seal the edges with a little water. You should now have a cone,in which you can stuff the filling.
  • Take about 1 tbsp of filling & put it in the cone ( don't over stuff the cone,because you will not be able to seal the samosas properly..) Once you have filled in the samosas,seal the edges with a little water & keep aside.
  • Repeat the process. Once you are done filling all the samosas,put them in a plate & cover them with a damp paper towel,so that they don't dry out.
  • Heat oil in a vessel (make sure that it is on medium heat) & fry the samosas till they turn golden brown.
  • Drain excess oil(if any) on a paper towel & serve hot with green chutney/cranberry chutney.



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Methi Muthiya

Hello everyone...


 I've come across this Gujarati recipe that looked delicious...so I've tried it out & realized that it not only looks delicious but it tastes amazing too!! Check out the recipe:


Ingredients:



  • 1 cup bengal gram/besan (chickpea flour)
  • 1 cup fenugreek leaves chopped finely (methi) ( frozen works too, make sure you thaw it well before adding it and you need not add water additionally this way).
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder (or as per taste)
  • 1 tsp coriander-cumin powder (Jeera-dhaniya powder)
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp curd (optional) or 1 tbsp aam choor powder
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil ( to add in the dough)
  • Salt to taste
  • oil for frying


Directions:



  • Mix all the ingredients together to form a stiff dough(just make sure that the dough is not too stiff either,the consistency should be the same as chapathi dough). If the dough becomes too thin,add some besan to it & if the dough becomes too stiff,add some water accordingly.
  • Roll the dough into dumplings (any shape that you desire).
  • Deep fry them in oil until they turn golden brown.
  • Drain the excess oil on a paper towel & serve hot with coriander chutney/ketchup.



Monday, October 24, 2011

Guthi Vankaya curry

Heya people...


It is time for me to post another recipe,which is a very popular dish & one of  the favorites in Andhra...almost everyone loves this dish..."Guthi Vankaya"... sure...it takes some time to make it,but it is totally worth the wait!! check out the recipe:


Ingredients :


  • 1 kg baby egg plant (vankaya,brinjal)
  • 1 tbsp channa dal
  • 1 tbsp urad dal
  • 4 dry red chillis
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds (dhaniya)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
  • 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi,menthulu)
  • hing - to taste
  • tamarind - a lime sized ball
  • salt - to taste
  • oil
  • turmeric
  • chopped coriander - 1 cup
  • garlic - 2-3 cloves (optional)


Directions:

  • Slit the brinjals into quarters,leaving the stems intact. This makes it easy to stuff the brinjal & it also retains its shape.
  • In a large pan,fry the brinjals till they are half cooked.( You can also sprinkle some salt on them,while they are cooking).
  • Once done,remove the brinjals & in the same pan,add 1 tsp of oil (put it on medium heat). To this,add  the red chillis..once they turn brown,add channa dal,urad dal,coriander seeds,jeera, fenugreek seeds,hing & fry them till they turn golden brown.Once done,add the tamarind,garlic,turmeric and fry till the garlic loses its raw flavor.
  • Cool this mixture down to room temperature & grind it into a coarse powder.To this powder,add salt & some water. Make sure that this mixture is not too runny. Just add a little water to it.
  • Stuff this mixture into each brinjal & fry them till they become tender.
  • Once done,garnish with the chopped coriander & serve hot with either steamed rice or roti..