Chef By Heart

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Khubani Ka Meetha

Ingredients:

Dried apricots soaked 500 grams

Fresh malai 1/4 cup

Sugar 3/4 cup

Apricot seeds for garnishing

Recipe:

Crack open the apricots seeds and remove the kernels and blanch them. Drain the apricots and reserve the water. Heat a deep non-stick pan.

Add the soaked apricots, reserved water and sugar. Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Press the apricots a bit and cook for a few more minutes or till they are slightly mashed.

Separate a portion of the cooked mixture and cool slightly. Blend this into a puree.

Add puree to apricots in the pan, mix well and cook till the mixture thickens. Pour into individual glasses and top with malai.

Sprinkle apricot kernels and serve either at room temperature or chilled.

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Mirchi Ka Salan

Ingredients:

Green chilies 18-20 Big

Roasted peanuts 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon

Coriander seeds 1 teaspoon

Sesame seeds (til) 2 tablespoons

Dried red chilies broken 2

Oil for deep-frying

Garlic halved 6-8 cloves

Ginger,chopped 1 inch piece

Mustard seeds 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves 8-10

Onion grated 1 medium

Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Tamarind pulp 2 tablespoons

Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1 tablespoon

Recipe:

Slit the green chilies vertically without cutting through. Heat sufficient oil in a deep non-stick pan and deep fry for 3-4 minutes.

Drain on absorbent paper. Dry roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds and sesame seeds in a non stick pan.

Grind together red chilies, peanuts, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, garlic and ginger with sufficient water into a paste.

Pour 1 tbsp of the leftover oil in another non stick pan and heat. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter, add curry leaves and onion.

Mix well and sauté till the onion is well browned. Add the ground paste and mix well.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously. Add turmeric powder and 3-4 cups of water. Stir and cook for a 2-3 minutes. 

Add the fried green chillies, salt and tamarind pulp. Mix well and cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves with pulao or biryani or steamed rice.

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Soya Chunks Manchurian

Ingredients:

1 cup - 200ml

Mini Soya chunks - 1 cup (Soya Nano, I used double horse brand)

Water – 3 cups ( to boil soya chunks)

Maida/All purpose flour - 3 tbsp

Corn flour - 1/4 cup

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

Cooking oil – to deep fry

Salt - as needed

For manchurian sauce

Cooking oil - 1 tbsp

Garlic cloves - 5 nos ( finely chopped)

Big onion - 1 no ( finely chopped)

Capsicum - 1/4 no ( finely chopped)

Spring onion - 2 sprig ( finely chopped)

Soya sauce - 1/2 tsp

Tomato sauce – 1.5 tbsp

Red chilli sauce or red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Sugar - a pinch

Salt - as needed

Recipe:

Boil 3 cups of water and add the soya chunks in hot water.Let it soak for 10 minutes. It becomes soft and doubles in size. Squeeze the chunks and drain the excess water( If using big sized soya chunks, chop them into small pieces after squeezing the water).Take them in a bowl.To this, add maida, corn flour or rice flour ( OR use 50/50), red chilli powder, g&g paste and required salt.

DO NOT ADD WATER. Just mix everything well. The moisture content of soya chunks would be enough to coat the flour. Add more flour if the chunks are not coated properly.

Make sure the flour is well coated over soya chunks. Let it rest for 10 –15 minutes.

In the mean time, finely chop the garlic, big onion, spring onion and capsicum. Set aside.

Prepare sauce mix first. For this, take red chilli sauce or chilli powder, soya sauce, tomato sauce, sugar and salt.Mix well.

Heat oil to deep fry.Drop one soya to check the heat of oil. If it rises to the top immediately, oil temperature is just right.

Reduce the flame to medium and drop a batch of soya chunks in a sprinkled manner in oil. Keep tossing them for uniform cooking. Fry them until the bubbles cease and soya chunks turn golden brown with a crispy texture. Remove in a tissue paper. Repeat the same and deep fry all the chunks. If you wish, you can serve this crispy, fried chunks as soya 65 with tomato sauce. Kids would love it. If you want to make manchurian, proceed to the next step.

Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated, add the finely chopped garlic, big onion, spring onion and capsicum.Saute until onion turns transparent.

Add the sauce mix. Add little water if needed.Mix well and check for taste. Add more tomato sauce or red chilli powder as per your taste.

Add the fried soya chunks.Toss well and remove in a plate. Garnish with finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves. Serve hot immediately !

Note:

Adjust the quantity of chilli powder as per your taste.

You can replace corn flour with rice flour or use 50/50 corn flour and rice flour.

Serve hot to enjoy its best taste because  soya chunks becomes chewy and soft after it cools down.

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Kashmiri Pulao

Ingredients:

500 gms Long Grain (Basmati) Rice

100 gms Onion sliced vertically

5 gms Cinnamon (dalchini)

5 gms cardamom (Elaichi)

5 gms cloves

A pinch of turmeric powder

1 gm saffron (kesar)

10 ml Milk

20gms walnut

20gms cashew nut

1litre water

50gms oil

Salt to taste

1/2 cup chopped apple & pomegranate

Recipe:

Wash and soak rice.

Heat oil and fry onions till golden brown and remove.

Fry whole spices, turmeric powder, add rice and sauté.

Add half-saffron dissolved in little warm milk.

Add hot water and mix well.

Cook a little. Finish with remaining saffron and cook till grains are separated and done.

Garnish kashmiri pulao with fried onions, walnuts, cashew nuts, apple & pomegranate.

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Methi Chaman

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves (methi) roughly chopped 1 medium bunch

Paneer (cottage cheese) 150 grams

Ghee 1 1/2 tablespoons

Caraway seeds (shahi jeera) 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic finely chopped 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Buttermilk 1/2 cup

Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon

Red chilli powder 1 teaspoon

Green cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon

White pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon

Spinach puree 1/2 cup

Recipe:

Heat ghee in a non-stick pan, add caraway seeds, garlic and fenugreek leaves. Mix well and saute for 2 minutes.

Add salt and mix again. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add buttermilk. Mix and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Cut paneer into ½ inch triangles.

Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, green cardamom powder and white pepper powder to the fenugreek leaves in the pan.

Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add spinach puree and mix. Add paneer and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes more. Serve hot.

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Creamy Potato Bake

Ingredients:

Melted butter, to grease

1 x 300ml ctn thin cream

125ml (1/2 cup) milk

1.25kg sebago (brushed) potatoes, peeled, thinly sliced

2 large brown onions, halved, thinly sliced

100g thinly sliced prosciutto

60g (3/4 cup) finely shredded parmesan

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 170°C. Brush a 2.5L (10-cup) capacity ovenproof dish with melted butter to lightly grease.

Combine the cream and milk in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes or until heated through.

Arrange half the potato slices over the base of the prepared dish. Sprinkle with half the onion. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour over half the cream mixture. Continue layering with the remaining potato slices, onion, salt and pepper and cream mixture.

Cover with foil and place on a baking tray. Bake in oven for 1 hour or until potato is tender.

Scatter prosciutto over the potato bake and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for a further 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and the potato is very tender.

Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Serve.

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Chicken in Mushroom Lemon Sauce

Ingredients:

Boneless chicken breasts boneless and skinless, halves 2

Button mushrooms sliced 12-14

Lemon juice 3½ tablespoons

Lemon zest grated ¼ teaspoon

Egg lightly beaten 1

Refined flour (maida) ? cup

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder ½ teaspoon

Red chilli flakes crushed ¼ teaspoon

Olive oil 2 tablespoons

Butter 1 tablespoon

Garlic cloves finely chopped 2-3

Onion finely chopped 1 small

Chicken stock ½ cup

Fresh cream ¼ cup

Parsley sprig for garnishing

Recipe:

Put egg and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl, mix well and set aside until required.

Take flour in a bowl, add salt, pepper powder, red chili flakes and lemon zest.

Dip chicken breasts in egg, then roll them in seasoned flour till well coated.

Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes on each side or until done.

Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm.

Heat butter in the same pan, add garlic, onion and mushrooms. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Put chicken stock, remaining lemon juice and cream together in a bowl and mix well and add to the pan.

Cook till sauce thickens. Pour over chicken and serve garnished with parsley sprig and boiled noodles or steamed rice.

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Sweet Potato Kheer

Ingredients:

1/2 tblsp cardamom powder

1/2 kg sweet potatoes

4 cup water

4 cup coconut scraped

2 tbsp sago

Salt to taste 

1/4 kg jaggery

Recipe:

Take off sweet potatoes and cut into thin small slices.

Stir fry them with sago in 2 cup of water, till potatoes become soft.

Mix in jaggary.

Extract 3 cup thick coconut milk using about 4 cup of water and mix in to the sweet potatoes.

Continue to stir fry for another 5 minutes.

Mix in cardamom powder and salt.

Stir and take off the pot from heat.

Serve hot.

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Goan Fish Curry

Ingredients:

1 lemon size tamarind

2 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp malt vinegar

2 pomfret fish 

1/2 cup coconut scraped

6 red chilies whole 

2 tbsp oil

2 green chilies

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 small tomato

2 tsp garlic paste

2 tsp cumin seeds

salt to taste 

1 small onion

Recipe:

Clean, wash and cut each fish into 5-6 pieces.

Cut onions and tomatoes.

Slit green chilies and cut into half.

Roast cumin seeds, coriander seeds and whole red chilies.

Make a fine paste of all the roasted spices along with scraped coconut, ginger and garlic paste and malt vinegar.

Heat up oil in a pan.

Mix in cut onions and stir fry till golden brown.

Mix in green chilies and cut tomatoes.

Stir fry on a medium heat up for 3 minutes.

Stir constantly.

Mix in the paste and 11/2 cup of water.

Bring it to a boil and then mix in fish pieces and salt.

Stir fry on a low heat up for about 5 minutes or till fish is just done.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

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Sweet Pongal

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup

Moong dal - ¼ cup

Milk - ½ cup

Ghee - ½ cup

Cashew - ¼ cup

Raisins - ¼ cup

Cardamoms - 3 to 4

Jaggery - 1 ½ cup

Recipe:

Dry roast moong dal until it starts to change its color.

Then soak rice and dhal for 10 minutes.

Add 2 ½  cups of water, milk, ghee and cook till the rice becomes tender.

Roast  cashew, raisins and cardamom in ghee to golden.

In a separate pan take water and add jaggery to it.

Heat it till the later melts completely & forms a syrup consistency

Strain it through a strainer to remove impurities.

Mash the cooked rice dhal mixture and mix the jaggery syrup.

Stir well by adding warm ghee.

Add  golden roasted cashew, raisins and cardamom.

Combine by stirring gently.

Serve hot with lip-smacking  crispy Vada  combination.

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Bajra Khichdi

Ingredients:

100 gms Bajra

40 gms Yellow Moong Dal

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ghee

Recipe:

Soak 100 grams bajra for an hour.

Separate the husk from the bajra by grinding coarsely in a mixer at a low speed.

Mix moong dal when it becomes completely husk free.

Transfer the contents in a pressure cooker with water and salt.

Cook the contents for 10 minutes.

Add hot water if required.

Mix hot ghee to the food.

Bajra Khichdi is ready to be served.

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Til Chikki

Ingredients:

200 gm til (white sesame seeds)

500 gm sugar

1 cup water

1 tsp baking (meetha) soda

Greased thali or baking tin to set the chikki

Recipe:

Dissolve sugar in the water over low heat.

When dissolved, increase the heat and let it come to a boil.

Cook till the syrup when dropped in a cup of cold water, forms a hard lump.

Stir in the til and cook for another 2 minutes or so and remove from heat.

Mix in the soda and pour the mixture into the prepared dish.

Leave to set in thin layers.

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Chicken Patiala

Ingredients:

Chicken On Bone cut into 4 pieces on the bone 800 grams

Yogurt 2 tablespoons

Cumin seeds 1 1/2 teaspoons

Cinnamon 1 inch

Cloves 4-5

Green cardamoms 4-5

Black cardamoms 2-3

Black peppercorns 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Red chili powder 2 teaspoons

Yogurt 1/4 cup

Garlic paste 1 tablespoon

Ginger paste 1 tablespoon

Oil 4 tablespoons

Onions grated 4-5 medium

Dried red chilies 2-3

Tomato puree 3-4 teaspoons

Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon

Green chilies 3-4

Recipe:

Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamoms, black cardamoms and black peppercorns till fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Place the chicken in a bowl, add salt, red chili powder and yogurt and mix well.

Add garlic paste and ginger paste and mix again and keep in the refrigerator to marinate for 15-20 minutes.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add onions and sauté till well browned.

Coarsely grind the roasted spices with dried red chilies.

Add tomato puree, turmeric powder and broken green chilies to the onions in the pan.

Mix well and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the marinated chicken and mix well.

Add ½ the spice powder and mix well. Add 2-3 tbsp water and mix again.

Cover and cook till the chicken is done.

Add the remaining spice powder and mix well, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let it stand for a few minutes before serving.

Serve hot.

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Punjabi Pindi Chole

Ingredients:

2 cups kabuli chana

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp tea leaves, tied in a small cloth

2 Tbsp salt

2 Tbsp ginger, finely shredded

3-4 green chilies, slit lengthwise

2 potatoes-large, boiled, peeled and quartered

2 Tbsp coriander powder

1 Tbsp cumin seeds-roasted and powdered

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp black pepper powdered

1 Tbsp pomegranate seeds, powdered

3/4 cup oil

1 lemon, quartered

Recipe:

Add baking soda to the chane and soak for at least 3-4 hours.

Cook chane in fresh water with tea leaves and 1 tbsp salt.

Remove tea leaves and excess water. Add cumin, coriander, garam masala, black pepper, pomegranate seeds, 1 tbsp salt to the chane. Mix well together.

Heat the oil, add ginger, stir a few times, until slightly brown.

Add green chilies and stir a few times.

Add the chana mixture and potatoes and stir continuously till well mixed and slightly fried.

Serve hot, garnished with the lemon quarters.

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Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup

1/3 cup butter

1 tablespoon light molasses

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 cups popcorn (popped without salt or fat)

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 250°.

Coat a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and molasses in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring once. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Place popcorn in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture over popcorn in a steady stream, stirring to coat.

Spread popcorn mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 250° for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Remove from oven; stir to break up any large clumps. Cool 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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Lohri Special: Punjabi Pinni

Ingredients:

250 gms. wheatflour

250 gms. ghee

250 gms. sugar ground

3-4 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. cardamom powder

1/2 cup chopped dry-fruits

Recipe:

Melt ghee in a heavy pan.

Add, flour and cook on med/low flame.

Stir continuously, till med. brown.

When aroma exudes, and properly browned, take off fire.

Spread in a large plate.

Cool till a shade above room temperature.

Sprinkle cardamom powder, dry-fruits & cardamom powder.

Mix well. Sprinkle milk.

Mix again and form tight fist shaped pinnies.

This is done by taking some mixture and pressing in the fist.

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Lohri Special: Shengdana Chikki

Ingredients:

1 cup groundnuts, skinned, roasted, pounded roughly

3/4 cup sticky jaggery

2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

Recipe:

Heat jaggery in 1/2 cup water till the syrup is hard ball consistency.

Test its consistency by putting a drop in cold water -it should remain firm.

Add groundnuts. Grease a board and spread the groundnut-jaggery mixture.

Roll flat to 1 cm thickness. Cut into squares when sufficiently cool and hardened.

Store in a container lined with butter paper.