Aloo fry/ potato masala

The recipe for this aloo fry is from my friend who is a great cook. I have also learnt a few North Indian recipes from her, but this one in particular is the one I make often, especially when I am pressed for time or crave something spicy.

Ingredients

Potatoes – 5-6 medium

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Kashmiri red chilli powder – 1 ½ tbs

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 ½ tbs

Hing – pinch

Coriander leaves – finely chopped

Method

Peel and cut potato in cubes or wedges

Boil some water with salt and cook potatoes until just done (do not overcook)

In a kadai/pan, add oil and sputter cumin seeds.( be  generous with oil for this recipe)

Add all the spice powders and fry for a minute or so until the raw smell goes.

Add the cooked potatoes and fry for few minutes until well coated in the masalas.

Add salt if needed and garnish with coriander leaves 

Beetroot pasta

When I came across this recipe by Nadiya Hussain in BBC food , I wasn't really sure how beetroot would taste in pasta and was not too keen on trying it. However, my 11 year old, who is also a keen foodie ( it runs in the family !) convinced me to try it and I was pleasantly surprised as it tasted delicious !   

The original recipe uses cooked beetroot,which we get here in super markets, but I used fresh ones. 

Other than cooking the beetroots and pasta, this recipe hardly take any time at all and will be ready in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Pasta - 300 gm

Beetroot - 2 medium

Garlic - 3 pods

Olive oil - 2-3 tbs

Feta cheese - 100 gm

Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Salt

Dill leaves (for garnish)

Method

Peel and roughly chop beetroot into cubes.

In a pressure cooker or pan add oil. Add chopped beetroots, red chilli flakes, garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1 -2 tbs water, salt and pressure cook for a whistle or if using a pan cook covered until done. I prefer pressure cooker for faster cooking.

Once cooked, puree the beetroots in a mixie/blender.

Cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and keep it aside.

Add the pureed pasta sauce to cooked pasta. Give it a good mix. Drizzle some olive oil.

Serve hot with crumbled feta cheese and some chopped dill leaves.

Chicken enchiladas

Recipe adapted from - BBC good food

Ingredients( serves 6 )

To marinate

Boneless chicken thigh fillets (diced into small cubes) - 600 gm

Smoked paprika – 1 tbs

Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

For enchilada sauce

Olive oil

Red onion -2

Minced garlic - 1 tsp

Dried oregano - 1 tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Kashmiri chilli powder – 1 tsp

Smoked paprika - 2 tsp

Tomato passata /puree – 500 gm (I bought a bottle of tomato passata from supermarket but if u can’t find it blanch and puree tomatoes)

Sugar – 2 tsp

Salt

Pepper

For the enchilada

Olive oil

Red onions -2

Red pepper/capsicum – 1

Garlic

Smoked paprika – 1 tsp

Red kidney beans or black beans – 300 g ( I used tinned  one but you can pressure cook some red kidney beans and use that instead)

Flour Tortilla – 6 large

Cheddar cheese grated – 150 gm

Cream cheese – 2 tbsp(optional ) I only used it because I had it in my fridge.

Method

Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned and keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile make the enchilada sauce.

Add oil in a pan, add the chopped onions, sauté for 7-8 minutes until it’s soft and light brown.

Add minced garlic and fry for a minute or so.

Add oregano, paprika, cumin, chilli powder and fry for another 2 minutes.

Finally add the tomato puree, salt, pepper and cook for another 10 minutes.

Add sugar to cut the sourness.

Keep the sauce aside.

Enchiladas

In another pan add some oil and shallow fry the chicken until done. Remove and keep it aside.

In the same pan  use different if it is burnt) add some more oil and fry the chopped onions .

Once onions are nice and brown add chopped garlic and fry for a minute.

Add smoked parika, chopped red peppers , drained red kidney beans and  add half of the enchilada sauce we made before. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from fire.

Assembling

In a baking dish/tray spread a layer of enchilada sauce.

Take tortilla wrap in a plate and  add the chicken filling in the middle, sprinkle with some grated cheese and roll it into a log. Place it in the tray.

Repeat the same until your tray is full( My tray wasn't big enough so I had to do it in two batches)

Pour some enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle some grated cheese and some cream cheese (if using)

Bake it in preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes until cheese melts and bubbles 

Bengali Style fish curry/ Macher jhol

Hi all,

Hope you haven't forgotten me. I am back with a post after 2 years! Not going to bore you all with the details but in general life has been busy and typing up recipes seemed like a tedious job. 

This fish curry I made last week was too good to be forgotten and blogging about it seemed to be the best option to keep it safe. I am not claiming this to be an authentic version, but this tasted very much like the one we regularly order from our favourite Bengali restaurant. I got the basic recipe idea from a Bengali friend. The authentic version uses mustard oil but I used normal vegetable oil. If you are a fish lover like me, try this one for a change you will love it

Ingredients

Fish - 500 gm (I used Haddock)

To marinate

Kashmiri chilli powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt

For the sauce

Onion - 2 medium

Ripe Tomato - 5 small (preferably not the sour type)

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Whole red chilli - 1 

Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Salt

Coriander leaves

Method

Marinate the fish with chilli powder, turmeric and salt and keep it aside for some time.

Shallow fry the fish until 3/4 th done.

In the same pan add the cumin seeds once it sputters add chopped onions. Sauté it until it has browned nicely.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes.

Add chilli, turmeric, coriander and sauté until the raw smell goes.

Meanwhile blanch and puree 5 tomatoes.

Add the tomato puree to the onion paste.

Add water, some salt and boil. 

Carefully add the cooked fish and let it boil for 2-3 minutes.

Check salt. If the gravy is sour add a tsp of sugar.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Let it sit for some half an hour for the flavours to mingle.
Serve with rice. Enjoy !

Kerala beef fry

Ingredients

Beef – 750 gm ( diced )

To marinate

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tbsp

Pepper powder – 1tsp

Cumin powder – ¼ tsp

Salt
shallots -5 numbers ( finely chopped)
Curry leaves -  few (torn)

Other ingredients
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Coconut oil

Onion – 3 finely chopped or  shallots 1 1/2 cup( thinly sliced)

Ginger minced – 1 tbs

Garlic minced – 1 tbs

Curry leaves

Garam masala - 1 tsp 
Pepper powder - 1 tsp ( freshly crushed)

Coconut slices - 2 tablespoon

Method

Marinate the beef with the ingredients and keep it aside for an hour. You can also add a tsp of meat tenderiser while marinating to make the beef soft.

Pressure cook the beef by sprinkling some water for 5 whistles on a low flame. Cooking time vary depending on the beef.

In a pan add coconut oil , add red chilli flakes and fry for few seconds.
Add the chopped  onion and sauté  until brown.

Add minced ginger, garlic and fry until raw smell goes off.

Add curry leaves and  cooked beef .

Cook for some more time  (uncovered) until the gravy thickens and coats the beef.

Meanwhile roast coconut slices in some coconut oil until golden brown. Add this to the beef and mix.

Finally add some pepper powder and drizzle some coconut oil and remove from fire.

Black forest cake

Ingredients  - serves ( 8-10)

For the chocolate sponge ( I use 200 ml cup)

Plain flour- 100 gm( 1 tbs less than I cup)

Sugar – 140gm ( ¾ cup)

Butter – 50 gm /1/4 cup (melted)

Cocoa powder – 25 gm

Eggs – 4 large

Baking powder – ½ tsp

Vanilla extract – 1 tsp

Salt – pinch

For syrup

Sugar 3/4 cup

Water – 1 1/2cup

Brandy/cherry brandy  – 3 tbs

For filling /frosting

 Double cream – 600 ml

Icing sugar – 5 tbs or according to your sweetness

Vanilla extract – 1 ½ tsp

For decoration

Fresh cherries

Grated chocolate/ chocolate strands

Method

Making the cake

·         Measure flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt in a mixing bowl and keep it aside.

·         Beat eggs with sugar and vanilla extract until its thick and trebled in volume for about 5-8 minutes.

·         Sieve the dry ingredients from mixing bowl to the egg mixture and fold in gently.

·         Add in the cooled melted butter and gently fold in.

·         Divide and pour the batter into two 8 inch cake tins and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for about 10-12 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

·         Cool the cake completely .

  Preparing the syrup
         In a saucepan add sugar and water and stir it until it boils and all the sugar melts.

         Turn off the flame and 2 tbs of brandy. Let it cool down.

  Preparing the filling

Whip the cold cream with icing sugar and vanilla extract for couple of minutes until soft peaks are formed

Assembling the cake

·        Cut  each layer of cake into two and you will get 4 layers of cake.

·        Place the  first  cake layer on a cake stand and pierce with a tooth pick and pour the sugar syrup over it.

·        Spread cream over it evenly

·        Place the next  layer and repeat the process.

·        Cover the whole cake with whipped cream and decorate as you like with fresh cherries/ grated chocolates etc

·        Chill the cake for the flavours to mingle.

Wholemeal bread

               

Hello all…

Unless I start taking food pics in my  phone, my blog is not going to survive because  I haven’t got the time to take my camera out, style it, take pics and edit it after spending all my energy running after a 1 year old ! Hopefully I might get time to do all that again  soon, but until then  I would rather update my blog  with phone pics than losing my tried and tested recipes  fore ever. So here I am with a bread recipe which I have made couple of times with whole meal flour which is a hit in my household. Nothing can beat the taste of freshly baked home made breads …trust me got to make it to believe it !

Recipe adapted from Paul Hollywod

                

Ingredients

Whole meal flour – 250 gm

Strong white bread flour – 250 gm

Salt – 5g

Instant yeast- 8 gm

Unsalted butter – 40 gm

Tepid water – 320 ml

Olive oil

Method

Tip flours, salt, yeast, butter into a bowl, add water little by little and knead until you get smooth dough. You might not need all the water.

Put the roughly kneaded dough into a work surface and knead with little olive oil, folding the dough inwards for couple of minutes until you get a smooth and silky dough.

Place the dough in a bowl and cover it with a tea towel and let the dough proof for one hour or until double in size.

After an hour knock out the air in the dough and knead again, folding inwards until you get smooth dough.

Place the dough into an oiled loaf tin and let it proof again for another hour by covering it with a clean plastic bag.

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Put a roasting tray in the oven with hot water to create steam which gives lighter crust.

Place the loaf tin inside and bake the bread for about 35 minutes, you should hear a hollow sound if you tap the base of the bread if it’s cooked.

Let it cool.

Enjoy!