Bharwa Hari Mirch

Bharwa Hari Mirch

This is another gem of a recipe from Mom’s collection.This is yummy and simple to make.

Ingredients:

6 green chillies
4 tbsp besan ( gram flour)
1 tsp amchoor powder
1tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp saunf
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4-6 tbsp of Oil
Salt
Pinch of heeng (asafoetida)

Method:

Wash and pat dry the chillies. Make a vertical slit and de-seed them (you may leave it with the seeds too as at times they are not too spicy) .Now to prepare the stuffing, heat oil in a pan (need a little extra oil as we need to sauté besan) add in the heeng,mustard seeds,salt,amchoor powder,turmeric powder and saunf. Saute for just 2 minutes and add in the besan,stir continuosly so that the besan gets cooked evenly and does not turn too brown.Cook till the besan turns light brown and you get a nice aroma.(the mixture should come together and should not be dry,if need be add a lil oil).
Once done keep aside to cool.Once cool stuff it in the chillies. Take a flat pan and heat a little oil (not much),now sauté the stuffed chillies for 5-7 minutes till its cooked (do not over cook).Take it off from the heat and serve with dal and chapaati.

Celery Leek Potato soup

Today was a Happy day for me..I received a very sweet  token from someone whom I look upto .

The token was a a huge bunch of celery and Leek.Frankly ,I had never seen such a huge bunch with

 crisp stalks and big bulbs.Seemed like someone had really taken gud care of them,with loads of love.

And who could this be none other than Atul.Thank you soooo much for the beautiful herbs.

Ingredients:

2 stalks of celery (cut in small pieces)

3 sprigs of leek  chopped(this was a huge one so used half of it with the bulb)

2 small potatoes (cut in small pieces with skin)

3 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

Salt

Pepper

2 tsp butter

Maggi chicken cube (can be replaced with vegetable stock/cube)

Hot water

Method:

 Wash the celery stalks,leek  potatoes well.Chop and keep aside.Heat Butter in a pan add in the bay

 leaf  followed by leek,celery stalks,potatoes with skin,whole garlic cloves,salt and pepper and sauté for

 5 minutes.Ideally I s hould  have added fresh stock (made from the celery) but I tried the cheat method

 and added the chicken cube and hot water.Allow it to simmer for 2o minutes till the poatatoes become soft.Remove the bay leaf now and allow it to cool.Once Cool ,blend it well and give it a boil again and 

serve it hot, garnished with freshly ground pepper and small pieces of the celery stalk…It was yummy to the  core ,kids loved it too…

Malvani Chicken

Malvani Chicken

I learnt this beautiful dish a few years back from my cook in mumbai .
Malvani chicken is a very popular coastal region recipe in Maharashtra. It's prepared using lots of fresh coconut.The main flavour comes out with its dry roasted spices n the use of dagad phool (an amazing spice used in the Maharashtra region. A must try recipe!!!

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken
Pinch of asafoetida
2 onions sliced
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander
Salt
Oil

Coconut Paste
.......................
200gms freshly grated coconut
3 green chillies
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger

Malwani Masala
..........................
7 dried red chillies
1 tsp dagad phool (Pathar phool)
½ tsp black peppercorns
1tbsp coriander seeds
1 star anise
3 cloves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 piece cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
½ tsp cumin seeds
1tbsp fennel seeds
1 tsp nutmeg powder ( I skipped this)
½ tsp turmeric powder

Method:

Step 1:
To make the Malwani Masala,roast all the ingredients in a dry frying pan but not the nutmeg & turmeric powder. Cool the roasted spices and grind in a grinder to a fine powder. Mix in the nutmeg & turmeric. This powdered mix can be stored in an air tight container for a few months n can be used for other dishes too.

Step 2:
To make the coconut paste,grind all the ingredients in a blender with a few tablespoons of water until you get a paste.

Step 3:
Heat the oil and splutter the asafoetida,add the sliced onions.Cook on a medium heat stirring occasionally until softened and light brown for about 2-3minutes. Now add the coconut paste. Stir well and cook for 5-7 minutes.Make sure the coconut changes colour slightly to pale brown .Fry the mix and stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
At this stage add 3-4 heaped teaspoons of the Malwani masala along with the chicken & salt.Stir and coat all the chicken pieces with the coconut and spices. Let the chicken seal on high flame and cook in its juices for 2 minutes. Now add the water and mix. Bring the curry to a boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through,depending on ur choice you can have this as a curry or semi dry. Season with the lemon juice and fresh coriander.

Stir Fry Rice Noodles wit Minced Chicken!

A Super easy recipe n gets ready in minutes!

Ingredients:
400 gms minced chicken
1tbsp grated ginger
1tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 dried red chillies
2tbsp red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Lightly roasted sesame seeds
1 bowl of mixed sauteed veggies( saute pak choy, mushrooms and chinese peas for max 5 mins and keep aside, i added this in the end inorder to keep its crunchiness)

Method:

Marinate the minced chicken with a little olive oil,red wine vinegar and a tsp of soy sauce.Keep aside for 20 mins.Next,Place the dry noodles in a deep bowl and pour boiling water over it.Cover for appx. 15mins till noodles become soft.Drain and keep aside.Heat oil in a pan and saute ginger,garlic and red chillies for a minute.Stir in the minced chicken , cook till almost done.Add in the soy sauce,salt , and black pepper.Now mix in the veggies and noodles.Give it a quick stir and garnish with sesame seeds. Enjoyee

Chocolate Cups!

This recipe has been doing rounds on the net.The video is available on youtube.
However,lemme try n explain the procedure.Its superrrr easy

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped cooking chocolate (I used Morde)
3-4 smallest size plastic cups
ice cream

Method:
Make a small cut with a knife on the rim of the cups and keep aside.Cut the chocolate in small pieces and microwave for 1 minute.Take the chocolate out, by the look of it doesn't seem completely melted but its fine.Stir the chocolate with a spoon till u get a melted dropping consistency. Pour a tbsp of chocolate in each cups and roll the cups in ur hand to spread the chocolate evenly.If need be add more or remove the excess.Now place these cups in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Take them out, now to to de-mould them tear the cups with the help of the cut you made on the rim.Do this carefully, as the chocolate tends to break.Fill these choco moulds with any filling ice cream, cream or fruits and enjoyeeee !!