Seekh Kabab are my favorite kebab I make it at home quiet often. Few days back my cousin gave me pack of frozen seekh kababs Since at home we love the seekh kababs I make .So  decided to use the frozen ones to make lipsmacking seekh kabab masala.It turned out to be super delicious Creamy mild spiced gravy with pan fried seekh kababs tasted absolutely delish .I relished with rice but it  taste super yummy with rotis or naan.

ingredients
seekh kabab 6 to 7 cut into 3 to4 pieces
2 large or3 medium sized onions
1 small tomato
2 to 3 green chillies
 8 to 10 almonds
1/2 cup yogurt/dahi
2 tbsp cream /malai
1 and 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
2to 3cloves
4 cardamom crushed
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 1/2 tsp meat masla/bottle masla
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1 tsp kasuri methi
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil

method

• In a frying pan add few drops of oil ,once hot add the seekh kabab pices and fry till light brown or cooked well.You can also grill them.
• Heat a pan add little oil and saute the sliced onions till they turn light brown.
• Remove them in a plate grind together with tomato green chillies and almonds.
• In a pan add oil and butter once hot add bay leaves,cinnamon and cardamom.
• Let them saute for few seconds then add the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off
• Add the ground paste and saute well for 6 to 8 minutes over medium flame.
• Add the meat or bottle masala ,turmeric powder salt and 1 tsp sugar and saute till the oil separates from the gravy.
• Add in whisked yogurt/dahi and mix over low flame
• Add about  3/4 cup to 1 cup  of water or more if you want a thin gravy.
• Simmer and let it cook for few minutes
• Add the cream /malai and the kasuri methi .
• Mix in the garam masala powder
• Lastly add the fried /grilled seekh kababs.
• Let the mixture coat the seekh kababs.
• Check for salt add if required.
• Lastly add chopped coriander and dish out.
• Serve it with Pilaf /naan or rotis.

Link to seekh kabab  click here 

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Crispy Rava Fried Bombil/Bombay duck is my favourite .Crispy fried Bombil some dal and rice Or fish curry makes a wonderful meal.This Bombil /Bombay duck fry makes a great appetizer ..Popular as nuggets with kids They love and enjoy this yummy fish .I have started revisiting some of my old post with new pics and so posted this.

Crispy Fried esp rava fried bombils are a favourite at my place ..We do make another version of stuffed green masala bombil fry but we  prefer this simple yet yummy fried bombils.The recipe is simple and needs few ingredients.These crispy rava fried bombils go well with simple dal rice or any fish curry rice These  can be enjoyed with chapati /roti too 

ingredients

•  10  to 12 fresh  bombil/bombay ducks 
• 1 and 1/2  to 2 tsp red chilli powder/fish masala/bottle masala
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• rava/sooji to coat 
• 2tbsp rice flour
• oil to shallow fry 
• salt

Method

• Clean the bombils,remove the fins the head 
• you can slit it horizontally and discard the thorn if you wish .
• Cut the bombils into 2 or you may keep it whole .
• Apply the salt ,masala ,ginger garlic paste turmeric powder and keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
• When ready to fry ,heat oil in a pan 
• In a plate take rava/sooji/semolina and mix in rice flour .
• Coat the bombil/bombay ducks with the rava mixture and dust excess flour.
• Fry in hot oil till crisp and golden brown 

Notes

You can add ginger garlic paste if you wish but we always keep it simple by just using the above ingredients .

Chilli powder can be reduced as per taste, we use  our bottle masala

Adding rice flour makes it crisp ,you can coat it with rava ,rice flour or atta too .

The thorn is delicate and can be eaten too but if you dislike then discard.

Add lime juice if you prefer while marinating.

This fish needs less salt ,so use sparingly check the marination if you feel more salt is needed add .

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Idli chutney and sambar is the most loved combo and an amazing option for breakfast or brunch .Fluffy soft idlis with hot piping sambar and yummy coconut chutney is   a bliss.We too love idlis but my favourite is this Kanchipuram idli .

Kanchipuram Idlis are yummy idlis seasoned with some spices and tempering famous from a town named Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu which is also famous for silk sarees .The authentic kanchipuram/koli idlis are steamed in mandhari leaves but you can use steel glasses ,bowls or use regular idli plates like I did.

  If you are bored eating regular idlis you should try these kanchipuram idlis you will love these for sure .

ingredients
for the idli batter
1 cup idli rice
1 cup parboiled rice
1 cup urad dal
handful of poha or cooked rice
salt to taste

for the tempering/seasoning 
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger grated or finely minced
1 and 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida
 10 to 12 cashews broken
2 to 3 green chillies finely chopped
6 to 7 curry leaves chopped fine (optional)
oil/ghee  to temper

Method

• Soak the rice ,idli rice together and soak the urad dal separately for 6 to 7 hours
• Grind the urad dal adding little water to smooth paste
• Grind the rice and poha with water 
• Mix both the batter with your hands and add salt and allow it to ferment for 6 to 7 hours or overnight.
• When the batter is ready grease the idli plates with oil.

• Prepare the tempering 
• Heat oil in a pan
• Add the mustard seeds ,cumin seeds,hing, chillies ,dals and ginger and the rest of the ingredients.,once the dal turns brown switch the flame off.

• Add this to the batter and mix well .
•  Pour the batter in the idli moulds and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Serve hot with chutney and sambar 
• These taste good without any sides too .

Notes
You can add 1/4 tsp ginger powder and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder in the batter.
I skipped coriander leaves you can add finely chopped coriander leaves as well .
If you don't have idli stand ,you can make this in any steel thali ,grease it well and steam like we do for dhokla ,cut and serve .
Adding cooked rice/soaked poha while grinding the batter gives soft fluffy idlis .

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Shepherd's Pie or cottage pie a delicious dish made with mince /kheema and veggies then topped with mashed potato and baked.It's a lip smacking dish and our family favourite.Always a crowd pleaser.Tradionally the mince is cooked with   Worcestershire  sauce and tomato paste or sauce with oregano and other herbs.

Here I have cooked kheema or e mince in our Desi way with all Indian spices that is how we love it .

Shepherds pie can be a great option for dinner parties Its an hit always .Though it can be eaten by itself it goes well with some toasted garlic bread or you could serve it along with some sauted veggies .

 ingredients
 1/2 kg mince  beef or mutton
1 cup green peas

2 carrot diced

2 tomatoes chopped

3 onions finely chopped

1 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder optional

5 to 6 garlic minced 

1 inch ginger minced

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste 

 1 tsp garam masalapowder

 4 to 5 green chillies

2 bay leaves

1 tsp butter 2 tsp oil

salt to taste

600 gm potatoes

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp cream 

1 tbsp butter 

Method

Wash the mince well and drain the excess water.

In a panheat oil and butter

Add the bay leaves once oil is hot

Then add the chopped onions and saute till they turn soft

Add the minced ginger and garlic also add the ginger garlic paste and saute well for few minutes

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy.

Mix in the mince and saute well 

Add the green peas and the carrots and the chilli powder .

Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup water,add salt  and cover the pan with a lid.

Let it simmer till the mince is cooked .

Add the garam masala powder mix well

Switch the flame off.

Mean while make the mashed potatoes

Boil the potatoes with skin on 

Once cooked ,switch flame off ,let it cool then remove the skin.

Smash the potatoes well.

Cook it along with butter milk and cream till it turn thick.

Let it cool.

Grease the 8 by 8 baking dish with butter

Spread the mince mixture .

Top it with the mashed potatoes ,you can also pipe it using a nozzle.

Pre heat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 10minutes.

Bake for 30 to 35 min  

Serve with garlic bread or just enjoy it with some sides of your choice.

Notes

You can use chicken or mutton mince

If you want to add herbs and sauces skip garam masala powder and chilli powder and chillies.

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Khandvi is a very famous Gujarati snack made from besan or gram flour .Its called suralichya vadya in Marathi .Though it's easy it can be tricky on your first attempt.
Right from childhood I have been a fan of gujarati snacks ..all thanks to my school friends who brought variety of Gujarati snacks for Tiffin/lunch box. Most fav being khatta dhokla I thoroughly enjoyed khandvi and other snacks a s well .

Khandvi is actually easy to make but it does require some practice to get it perfect .I still remember my first trail with khandvi back in college days I was super excited to get it right in the first attempt all thanks to my bestie who was a Gujarati and taught me many savoury and sweet dishes from Gujarati cuisine.

Ingredients
1 cup besan/gram flour
1 cup curds thick
2 cup water
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 and 1/2  tsp ginger green chilli paste

2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoetida/hing
coriander leaves and fresh grated coconut to garnish

Method

• Mix together besan green chilli and ginger paste ,curds salt .
• Mix with a whisk then add water and whisk to a lump free batter
• Grease 3steel  thalis/ plate with oil
• Pour the batter in a nonstick kadhai/pan and cook over medium flame

• Keep stirring continuously till it becomes thick 
• it takes about 10 to 12 minutes to get the desired consistency.
• Once its thick and start leaving sides ,switch the gas off and quickly pour it in the greased thali(backside).
• Pour it and spread with spatula as thin as possible
• let it cool ,then cut into strips with knife and roll each strip  tightly to form khandvi

• Meanwhile prepare the tadka/tempering by heating oil then add a pinch of asafoetida/hing , mustard seeds,curry leaves 
• Pour the tadka over the khandvi and garnish with scraped coconut and coriander leaves .
• Enjoy delicious khandvi with a cup of chai or coffee or with any chutney.

Some recipes call for lemon juice I  have never used ,you can add 2 to 3 drops while mixing the batter
Keep stirring till you get thick batter
to test you can take a small amount of batter and spread on a small greased plate,if it rolls well itss ready if not it needs to be cooked more .
You can also add curry leaves and green chillies to the tadka

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Hariyali Mutton Chops or Green Masala Mutton chops is a mouthwatering dish ,mutton chops cooked together in a flavourful green masala ,It can be relished as an appetizer or as side dish with any flat bread .We love crumb fried mutton chops it is regular at my place .You can find some chops recipes in the blog .

Ingredients
mutton chops 1/2 kg
a small bunch of  coriander leaves
handful of mint leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
4 to 5 green chillies/or as needed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1  tsp garam masala powder
1 1/2 inch ginger
6 to 7 garlic cloves
 5 to 6 peppercorns
Lime juice as needed
Salt to taste

Method

• Wash the mutton chops and drain excess water.
• Apply salt lime juice and turmeric and keep aside for 30 minutes.
• Grind the chilli ,garlic ,ginger  ,cumin seeds coriander ,mint pepper to a paste
• Apply this paste to the chops and marinade for  3 to 4 hours .
• When ready to cook heat the pressure cooker
• Add 2 tsp oil then add the chops and marinade and saute for 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add very little water and sprinkle garam masala powder .
• Cover with the lid and cook till tender ,it took 3 whisltes ,check notes .
• Release the pressure and open the lid.
• If there is little water left you can try it by cooking the chops without the lid .
• Garnish with onion coriander leaves and serve ..
• You can enjoy this with Roti or any flatbread or serve as a appetizer .

Notes
You can cook this in an open pot on slow flame till done.
If you want gravy add more water and cook you will get thick gravy .
the chops i made were tender so they cooked fast within 3 whistles ,it may take 3 to 5 whistles for the chops to cook depending on the meat quality .

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Gulab Jamun  is one of most popular Indian sweet and my personal favourite .These days fusion cakes are in trend ,So after the ever popular rasmalai cake it  was time to try the gulab jamun cake and im glad that i did.to be honest i had never tasted the gulab jamun cake so this was completely an experiment .I used my mawa cake for the base and milk powder gulab jamun i skipped using sugar syrup to moisten the cake because i dint want a oversweet cake 

For the base i have used my mawa cake which is fluffy and so yummy and then used whipped cream to frost it ,the gulabjamuns  i used were homemade too ,you can either make milk powder gulab jamuns like i did or the my khoya gulab jamuns .

Ingredients

for the cake follow mawa cake recipe 

gulab jamuns click here for recipe

1 cup whipping cream

Method

• Make the cake and the gulab jamuns one  a day ahead 
• the day you are frosting the cake ,make the whipped cream you Can add a tiny drop of rose or almond essence to the  whipping cream whip till it forms stiff peaks
• divide the cake into two using a serrated knife or a thread

• Slice the gulab jamuns into 2 or three 
• Apply a dollop of whipped cream and spread using a offset spatula crumb coat it
• Top it with sliced gulab jamuns 
• Then cover with the other half and apply the whipped cream 
• Make any design you want and place some gulab jamuns on the rosettes 
• you can garnish with nuts /anything you prefer 
• Let it refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting 

You can also make an eggless vanilla sponge for the base
the link to the mawa cake here
the link to the gulab jamuns here 
khoya gulab jamun  here

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