Cottage pie( English meat pie)

Ingredients

Minced Beef - 250 gm
Potatoes - 5 -7 medium size
Milk - 1/4 cup
Butter - 1 tbs
Carrot(chopped) - 3
Chicken stock - 1/2 cup
Worcestershire sauce - 1 1/2 tbs
Onion - 2
Garlic chopped- 1 tbs
Cheese - 75 gm
Pepper powder
Salt

Preparation

Boil potatoes and mash well by adding little milk,salt,pepper (optional) and butter.
In a pan fry the minced meat until its brown in colour.
In a saucepan saute onions,garlic for few minutes. Add chopped carrots,meat and chicken stock.Add salt,pepper and worcesteshire sauce and cook it covered for half an hour.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 200 degree centigrade.In an ovenproof dish spread the meat mixure.Cover it with mashed potatoes and place it in the oven.After 20 minutes sprinkle the cheese on the top of the pie and bake for another 10 minutes.Serve warm !!
If we use minced lamb instead of beef they call it SHEPERD'S PIE.

Chakka Ada( Vacation special)

Hi friends,
I am back after my holidays.It took me a while to get adjusted with cold weather and empty home which welcomed us back. The vacation was so wonderful,we enjoyed each and every moment and on the way back we stopped in Dubai to visit my sister there.I have never been to Dubai before,so It was like a wonderland to me with the huge buildings and constuctions everywhere.The view from Burj khalifa,the world tallest building was so amazing.Palm island which is a man made island in the middle of sea was another wonder,but weather wise I am happy with London's weather,atleast we can go out wearing layers of clothes.It was too hot in Dubai,outdoor activities is not possible in the hot sun,winter is the best time to visit Dubai.I am sharing some Dubai pictures below.

BURJ KHALIFA








The recipe that I am going to post today is one of the delicacies that my mom cooked for me while we were in India.The jackfruit season in kerala is usually during the months of april,may but my mom reserved few for me in the tree itself.My mom never thought that it would stay in the tree till september,but luckily it didnt ripe and nor did the birds pecked it.So I had the luck to eat jackfruit in all forms both ripen and as a chakka puzhukku with raw jackfruit.

Here goes the recipe.

Jackfruit ripen - 1/4 of the fruit
Rice flour - 1 1/4 cup
jagerry - according to your sweetness
Cardamom powder -pinch
Banana leaf



Preparation

In a saucepan cook the jackfruit with melted jaggery.Allow it to cool down and blend it into a smooth paste. Melt some more jaggery with little water and keep it aside.In a mixing bowl take the rice flour and add the jackfruit paste to it and add the melted jaggery too.Finally add a pinch of cardamom powder.Mix well.Roast the banana leaf in the flame so that it wont tear.Take a spoonfull of the mixture into small banana leaves,press it gently with hands and fold it.Steam the leaves in a steamer for about 30 to 45 minutes. Enjoy with cup of tea !!