Pepper, Chilli and Vanilla

A delicious steak you could ever have l if you love eating steaks you should definitely try this one..remember in my chapli kebab post i mentioned of getting beef from anther state..I enjoyed every bit of kebabs and steaks that i made with the beef..

You can relish this yummy steak in the comforts of your home and it cost just 1/4 th the price you pay in the restaurants...serve it with tosssed vegetables and mashed potatoes and some garlic bread you will love it.

Ingredients
1/2 kg beef steak /Undercut cut thinly
1 1/2 tsp black pepper crushed
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp hp sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
salt

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
2-3 tbsp cream
1 tsp hp sauce
1 tsp pepper sauce
1 1/2 tsp black pepper

Method

Marinate the beef steaks with salt ,pepper, lime juice ,soy and hp sauce and olive oil ,keep aside for 2-4 hours you could refrigerate overnight .
Heat a grill pan add a teaspoon of olive/any oil add marinated beef
Let it cook on both sides on med flame remove the steak on a plate
In the same pan add butter then add flour saute for a minute add milk ,cream and pepper and HP sauce.
If the sauce is very thick add few teaspoon of milk ,mix well then pour over the steak.
Serve with tossed vegetables, mashed potatoes and garlic bread.

Hi everyone hope you all doing good...Its so good to connect with you all after a very long break...My blog was on a sleep mode since few weeks reason being I was super busy with my cousin's wedding...I really enjoyed every bit of the wedding...As i came home i thought of posting all the recipes which are yet lying in the draft folder but was really feeling lazy...
But since its already December i thought of posting few Cake recipes lying in my drafts which will be handy for Christmas..I have posted most of the sweet last year but will be updating few more Christmas sweet recipes in the coming days ...
When you want to bake a cake and don't know whether you should bake a chocolate or vanilla cake you should opt for a Marble Cake. You can enjoy both vanilla and chocolate flavour in every bite of this delcious moist butter cake ..I bake this when its really hard to decide what to bake...this is loved by all at my place its soft buttery and simply yumm..try it out you will love this..

Ingredients
125 gms butter
100 gms flour/maida
100 gms sugar (powdered)
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree for 10 min
Prepare the cake tin by greasing it and line it with parchment paper/butter paper.
Mix the flour with baking powder and salt (only if using unsalted butter) .

In a bowl cream butter and sugar till fluffy.
Add eggs and beat till well incorporated.
Mix in vanilla esscence and milk.
Fold in flour till well mixed.

Divide the batter into 2 parts to one add cocoa powder .
Transfer the plain batter into the greased baking pan.
Tap it lightly to distribute evenly.
Pour the cocoa batter in the middle of baking pan, and lightly swirl the cocoa batter with a butter knife. I use a wooden skewer and usually do the “S” shape with the skewer a couple of times. Do not overmix.

Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean ,it took me about 40 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and let cool on the wire rack .
Unmould from the pan and enjoy this delicious cake with cup of coffee/just enjoy it with your fav drink.

Its already November and the weather has started changing a bit....Along with some cool breeze blowing Sore throat ,cold and flu has also getting viral these days. I am having terrible cold and bad throat since last week. Today I felt like having something hot and light made my favourite Chicken and Noodle Soup ,added some veggies lying in the fridge it was light but very delicious Healthy at the same timing filling too...You can add whichever vegetables you want .

Ingredients
150- 200 gms chicken
handfull of egg noodle
1 carrot
4-5 french beans
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/2 tomato
1 small onion
1/2 tsp black pepper crushed/ as needed
1 inch cinnamon stick
1-2 cloves
3 garlic cloves crushed
1 inch ginger crushed
1/2 tsp oregano
1-2 bay leaves
salt
4-5 cups water

Method

Mix chicken with little salt and keep aside for 10 minutes .
Roughly chop onion ,tomato and the vegetables.
In a saucepan add chicken and all the other ingredients ..
let it boil over medium flame and it boil for 15-20 mins.
You can also use chicken or veg stock if you already have I didn't have so i used chicken piece with bone to get the maximum flavours in the soup.
Sprinkle a dash of pepper before you serve .

I have not added any thickening agents like cornflour or so...i you wish you can add a tbsp of cornflour mixed in cold water and add it once hte chicken and noodles have been boiled.
You can add as many vegetables as you like ,if adding green peas make sure you boil it before adding it.

homemade eggless icecream ,dryfruits icecream

Wishing all my readers and friends a very Happy and Blessed Diwali..May this festival of lights brighten your lives with joy and happiness...On this festive occasion I thought of sharing with you this amazing Ice cream which is now my family favourite..Its rich super yumm and delicious.....

Two months back when my hubby brought some evporated milk tins when he came down I thought of making an ice cream with it and using evaporated milk tin instead of whipped cream..It was the first time i was using evaporated milk to make an icecream i was a bit sceptical but to my surprise the kesar pista icecream was super yummy and was loved by all...
The key to whip the evaporated milk is to use it chilled keep the tin in the freezer for 3 hours minimum and then whip it ,you will see how beautifully it triples in volume...i will soon add the stepwise pics in this post or may be a new post coming up in few days...Try this Easy Kesar pista ice cream you will love

kesar pista icecream,evaporated milk icecream recipe

Now over to the recipe ..the recipe is easy to remember If you do not have evaporated milk use fresh cream You can refer my previous post on Tutti Frutti Icecream Fruit ice cream for the recipe and method...

Ingredients
200 ml/ 1 cup whipped cream
1 cup / 200 ml /half tin Evaporated milk
1/2 cup pistachios chopped
few strands saffron soaked in 1/4 cup warm milk
150gms -200 gms/1/2 tin condensed milk
few drops of rose water.

Method

In a bowl take evaporated milk and with electric beater beat till it triples in volume .
In another bowl beat the cream till it holds soft stiff peaks
Now add the saffron,rose water, doubled evaporated milk and condensed milk to the whipped cream and beat on low speed till all mixes well and is creamy.
Add the chopped pistachios and mix gently.
Pour it an air tight container and freeze for 5-6 hours.
Once set enjoy delicious Kesar/saffron and pistachio icecream

Notes
You can use chopped almonds if you wish
I have not added any artificial colour hence the pale color..if you want you can add a tiny pinch of yellow food colour or if you want it to be pista icecream you can add 2-3 drops of pista essence and pista green color.
The evaporated milk has to be ice chilled I usually measure it once i open the tin and keep the remaining half in a sealed airtight container in the freezer for later use.
I did not add any extra sugar as i added condensed milk alone,the amount of condensed milk depends on your taste buds you may add more or less accordingly.
Keep the beaters and the bowl in the fridge for 1 hour before you start beating.

a rich and delicious korma/kurma with succulent mutton cooked with dried apricots...i have posted one mutton korma already but in this i have not used cashews/almonds but still it tasted just yummy
You can try this with chicken as well ...I have pressure cooked the korma to save time but you can cook it on slow fire till the meat is cooked well..it will bring in more flavour and the taste will surely be better..

Ingredients
1/2 kg mutton
1/2 cup curds beaten
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 tsp each /javitri / mace , nutmeg/jaiphal and cardamom powder
2 tbsp oil/ghee
dried apricots 6-7
3 med thinly onions sliced
2 tomatoes pureed
2-3 cardamom
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
2 bayleaves

Method
Cut the mutton into pieces ,wash and keep aside in a strainer to remove excess water
Fry the sliced onion till they turn golden brown n crisp n keep aside
Marinate the mutton with gimger garlic paste turmeric powder and yogurt for atleast 20 minutes.
Heat the pressure cooker vessel add ghee/oil then add bay leaves ,cardmom
Add the marinated mutton and saute for 8-10 minutes
Then add crushed brown onions and mix well.
Now add tomato puree and fry for few minutes
Add the coriander powder ,cumin powder red chilli powder and saute till the oil separates
Add about 3 cups water
Cover the pressure cooker with lid and cook till its done ..
Once cooked release the pressure and sprinkle garam masala powder,nutmeg and cardamom powder and apricots ( Check notes) mix and just let it simmer for a while.
Serve hot with rice/pulao /naan
I enjoyed this with Plain biryani rice which I posted earlier you can find the link here

Notes
You can even grind the fried onions with 1 tbsp water
To make it more rich you can add 1 tbsp cashew paste to the marinade or grind 10 cashews with the tomato After you add nutmeg,mace powder you could add 1/2 tsp kewra water I have added 2 drops of kewra essence..this gives a nice aroma
You can soak the dried apricots in water for 10 -15 minutes before you add it in the end or you can add the dried apricots along with the mutton ,it will give a nice sweet taste

Balushahi or Badusha is a Very popular Indian sweet/ mithai .Balushai or Badusha is made on festive occasions mainly diwali or boli..Balushahi's or Badusha are indian doughnuts that are flaky yet melt in mouth and so delicious.

Few months back when my cousins visited me they brought few sweets along from a very famous sweet shop at my place when i opened one box i saw there were balushahi's in..To be honest I was not so happy ...lol I expected Malai Peda/Cham Cham which is my fav ..But then when i tasted it I absolutely loved this delicious sweet I wondered why i didnt try it all these years .It was Flaky sweet at the same time soft I absolutely loved it .I thought of trying it at home since i had the recipe written long ago in my old recipe book .I was happy with the outcome ..the balushahi's were super delish and turned out just as i tasted from the sweet shop which my sis brought..

Do try these balushahi this Diwali and enjoy these delicious treat with your family .

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour/maida
4 tbsp curds chilled
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp ghee
1-2 tbsp cold water to knead if required
ghee /dalda for deep frying
For the syrup
2 cup sugar
1 cup water
few strands of saffron
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
chopped pistachios to garnish

Method
Mix the baking powder and baking soda and sslt in the flour and sift it
To this add melted ghee and mix till it looks like breadcrumbs
Add beaten curds/yogurt to the flour and mix.
Mix to form a dough,the dough won't be smooth don't worry we need the dough to be like that .
Now cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest or 45 -50 mins.
Without kneading the dough divide the dough into 8-9 balls.
Shape it into round balls and make a dent with the thumb.
For smoother yet flaky balushahi take the small portion on your palm flatten it and fold it do this 4 times then roll to ball and make dent this way the balushahi will be smooth yet flaky .

Heat the ghee /dalda in a kadhai ,the ghee should be medium hot
Drop a small ball of dough to check if the ghee is hot,the bal will float on top this indicates the ghee is hot.
Fry the balushahis oe medium flame
Fry in 2-3 batches don't overcrowd while frying.
Make sugar syrup by boiling sugar and water together till it reaches 1 to 1 and 1/2string consistency.
Add saffron and cardamom powder to the sugar syrup.
Soak the balushahi's in the warm sugar syrup for 10-15 mins.
Turn the balushahi with spoon so that the other side is also soaked as well .
Garnish with chopped pistachios

Notes
Use chilled curds and chilled water to mix the dough .
I use 3 to 4 tbsp curd and skip water .you may use 2 tbsp curd and about 1 to 2 tbsp chilled water .
Fry on med low flame it takes about 4 to 5 min in each side , let the balushahi fry until light golden .
Do not put the flame high while frying the balushahi ,or else it won't cook from inside.

Ghari is an extremely rich and delicious sweet from Surat ,Gujarat ...Ghari is a sweet made with a covering of puri which is made with maida/refined flour and the stuffing is of mava and pistachio..The covering is then dipped in ghee and sugar Ghari is a rich sweet So its not the dish for you if your on a healthy diet...
I have been a fan of this delicious sweet Ghari right from childhood My Dad's friend use to get this for us every month whenever he visited his hometown Surat.
We have been making ghari since 5 yrs now .My mom had watched the recipe on a Gujarati cookery show .The original recipe uses rava/semolina in the filling but we make the filling with pistachios only..The recipe is actually very simple..You can alter the filling recipe as per your taste.
Gharis are usually prepared on festival of Chand Padva/Gudi Padva ..But you definitely can make this anytime you crave for...

Mashed Potatoes are so easy to make and loved equally by elders and kids ..You can enjoy mashed potatoes with your fav steak or just have the way you like it..I always make mashed potatoes with my fav Chicken and Beef Steak..very easy to make try this creamy mashed potatoes today..

Ingredients
4-5 potatoes
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp cream
2-3 tbsp milk
1 tsp pepper/as needed
salt

Method
Boil the potatoes with skin on it until cooked.
Remove the peel and mash it.
Take a sauce pan/nonstick pan add the potatoes,milk,butter and cream and cook till all mixed up add pepper and salt and serve with steak.

for more steak recipes click the link below
Chicken Steak with roasted vegetables
Chicken Steak with Creamy Pepper Sauce

Chapli kebab are Peshawar famous kabab made with beef mince. The word Chapli comes from It is flat and palm sized and actually resembles chapals( slippers) But you can make them small and shape them round .I was longing to try m hands on these delicious mouth melting kebabs but thanks to the beef ban i cud only wish to try this with mutton /chicken..recently i was on a Vacation to Goa and thought of packing some beef and mince and taking it along. so that we can enjoy some beef dishes..I was happy that the beef was in a very good condition..
I made beef steak ,kebabs cutlets ,beef chilli,schezwan beef and saved some for beef roast..I enjoyed these dishes to my heart's content..So in this coming days you will see many beef recipes shared here..

Coming to today's recipe I made these lovely kebabs with some Yummy Plain Biryani Rice Mutton korma recipe to follow soon We had a lovely lunch My hubby was enjoying every bite and he just loved these kebabs I will be tyring these with Mutton next time ....For all those who long to eat beef here in Mumbai for time being you can try these recipes with mutton .

Ingredients
250 gmsBeef /Mutton Mince
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds/dhaniya
1 tsp cumin/zeera/jeera
1 tsp anardana/pomegrante seeds
2-3 dry red chilli
1 tsp pepper powder
wheat flour 2 tbsp
1-2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp mint leaves
3-4 green chillies/as needed chopped
1 small 0nion chopped
2 med sized tomato chopped or cut in slices
1 egg

Method
In a tava dry roast red chillies ,coriander and anardana/pomegranate seeds ,cumin/jeera till nice aroma comes let it cool then coarsely powder it in a mixer.
Then quickly just pulse onion ,green chilli and mince
To the mince mixture add the powdered chilli and cumin and ginger garlic paste ,salt
Add pepper powder ,egg ,wheat flour ,coriander mint leaves
then mix chopped seedless tomatoes and keep it in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
you can make it palm size n press a tomato slice n then fry
Heat a non stick pan /tava add oil ,once the oil 9s hot gently add the kebabs then shallow fry on both sides till brown and cooked well.

Tips
Anardana/pomegranate seeds give a nice taste to these kebabs but if you do not find them add 1 tsp lime juice

i have tried making these kebabs in both ways by adding the chopped tomatoes to the mince mixture and also pressing a sliced tomato on the kebab ,you just need to be careful while frying the sliced tomato kebab ,there are chances for the tomato slice to come out while frying ,so you really need to press it on the kebab so it sticks well.
Dry roasting chillies,cumin and coriander is optional but i prefer roasting it since it adds in more flavor.
These Kebabs/kebabs can be frozen just mix all the ingredients shape it into kebabs and arrange it in a plate in a single layer and freeze it once frozen ,you can store it in zip lock bags or in an airtight container.
If you do not eat beef try them with mutton /chicken mince.but it taste best with beef mince.
The mince should be well drained if there is water left, the kababs will shrink while frying.

Piyush is a nectarous drink made with shrikhand and buttermilk .Its a very popular drink in Maharashtra and Gujarat.I have always been a huge fan of this delicious drink. This drink though popular is rarely found in restaurants there are few Maharashtrians hotel which serve this.I craved for this yesterday .I had a fair idea that this was made from shrikhand and butter milk and nutmeg was the key ingredient now the urge was so intense that i couldn't wait for making shrikhand from scratch so I made this with store brought shrikhand

The recipe is very simple this can be made in 10 mins so perfect for the instant cravings..I have seen people using hung curds too but i prefer the taste of shrikhand and butter milk so i do not add sugar.

Ingredients
200 gms Shrikhand (i used kesar )
1 1/2 cup thick curd/dahi
1/4 cup water /milk
1/2 tsp nutmeg
saffron dissolved in milk
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
almond/pistachios for garnish

Method

In a bowl mix together Shrikhand ,Curds and milk
Add saffron ,nutmeg and cardamom powder
Whisk together till smooth
Add sugar if needed and mix well ..I did not add as i found it was just perfectly sweet
garnish with chopped pistachio and almonds.
Pour into individual glasses and serve chilled

One best thing of Indian cuisine is there is wide range of breakfast option to choose from idlis to upmas to puri bhaji so many varieties ..Todays post is a simple yet filling breakfast option Paratha or parantha are nothing but Indian flatbread made either with stuffing some vegetable and some spices.
..Parathas with curds and pickle wow what a awesome combo love to have this for breakfast ...infact parathas are one such thing that i enjoy any part of the day .When there is nothing in the fridge i always make parathas it is quick and easy and a filling meal too...Some people use maida or all purpose flour to make parathas thats why the parathas are whitish ..i have always made parathas with whole wheat flour/chakki ka atta ..
Try these mouthwatering parathas soon the recipe i use is very simple you can add or minus any ingredients you wish to ..

Ingredients
3-4 med sized potatoes
3-4 green chillies chopped
2-3 tbsp coriander chopped
12 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chaat masala/amchur powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp haldi
salt to taste

for the dough
2 cup whole wheat flour
water as needed
1 tbsp oil/ghee
salt

Method
Boil potatoes and mash them well
To the mashed potatoes add salt ,green chilli ,coriander leaves turmeric and amchur
Mix well and shape into a dough.
Divide into small portions.

Mix wholewheat flour and salt Knead a semi soft dough by adding water and 1 tbsp oil
Knead the dough and keep it covered with a damp cloth for few minutes.
Divide the dough into small balls and stuff the potato mixture and seal the ends tightly.
With the rolling pin roll into parathas you may need a little whole wheat flour to dust while you roll.
Heat the tava/non stick pan
Place the paratha and let it cook from both sides add oil/ghee and flip over
You will see golden brown spots over take it out of the tava/pan
Serve hot with pickle and curds.

I love biryanis and keep trying different types of biryani..This one was shared by my college friend Asma it is her moms special biryani ..I have been following this recipe since 12 yrs now and it has never failed me Love this biryani ...Memoni Mutton Biryani uses lots of spices and masala which makes this biryani a flavourful one..Potatoes are added in the biryani some prefer adding fried potatoes to the gravy but i like to arrange the fried potatoes while layering it.

I enjoyed this memoni mutton biryani with Chicken Malai Seekh Kabab and raita ..it was a real feast..do try it out I'm sure you will love it.

muslim memon style mutton biryani,memoni maseledar biryani recipe

Ingredients
for the mutton marination
1/2 kg Mutton
1/2 -3/4 th cup Curds
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
6-7 green chilli ground to paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp chilli powder
salt

masala & layering
3 med sized onions thinly sliced
2 tomatoes sliced/chopped
3 potatoes cut in cubes
2-3 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp mint leaves chopped
1 tsp garam masala powder
saffron infused milk/pinch of saffron colour dissolved in 1 tbsp water

1/4 tsp nutmeg /jaiphal powder

1/4 tsp mace/ javitri powder

1/4 tsp green cardamom /elacihi powder
fried nuts as needed

ghee

oil

for the rice
1/2 kg rice soaked for 30 mins
1-2 bay leaves
3-4 green cardamom
1/2 tsp black cumin/shahijeera
1 inch cinnamon

mutton biryani recipe,indian mutton biryani recipe

Method

Marinate mutton pieces with salt curds ,chilli paste ,ginger garlic paste ,coriander powder turmeric powder chilli powder and keep aside for 2-4 hrs or overnight in the fridge.
Slice 3-4 onions thinly and fry onions till golden brown and crisp
Cook the soaked basamati rice till 3/4 th done with bay leaf and whole garam masala as mentioned.
Fry potatoes till light golden and keep aside.
In pressure cooker vessel add 3 tbsp oil then add the chopped tomatoes and saute add the marinated mutton and 1 tsp garama masala powder saute for 5-7 mins
Add half of the fried onions and fry well.
The mixture will leave oil once it reaches this stage add water and the leftover marinade.
Cover the pressure cooker with lid and cook till done for about 3-4 whistles
Once done ,release the pressure and open the lid.
In a thick bottomed pan where you are layering the biryani add 1 tbsp melted ghee or oil then spread half the layer of rice.
Add the fried potatoes ,coriander mint leaves ,fried onions and the mutton masala and the mace nutmeg and cardamom powder.

Add the other remaining layer of rice and the chopped coriander leaves and fried onion slices.
Add saffron infused milk ,1 tbsp ghee and nuts if using .
Cover the lid tightly and cook on dum for 15-20 mins on a very low flame .
Serve hot with raita and Kababs.