Beef Cutlet

I have made these cutlets so many times and it came out yummy all the times.You can make this from leftover beef/chicken dishe also.

Ingredients

Beef-500 gms,cubed
Chilli powder-2tsp
Coriander powder-1tsp
Turmeric-1/2tsp
Garam masala/meat masala-2tsp
Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
Shallots-6-8,halved
Ginger garlic paste-1tsp
Salt-to taste
Potato-2 medium,boiled and mashed
Onion-1medium,finely chopped
Ginger-1tsp,crushed
Garlic-1tsp,crushed
Green chillies-1 or 2
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Coriander leaves-2tbsp,chopped
Mint leaves-1tblsp,chopped
Breadcrumbs-3tblsp
Egg-1,beaten
Oil-to fry

Method

Wash and clean beef pieces. Squeeze out all the water and transfer them into a pressure cooker along with chilli powder,turmeric,coriander powder,pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, garam masala,shallots and salt and cook covered for 3 whistles or until done.Do not add any extra water while cooking.Drain the beef pices from water once cooked.Let it cool down and mince them in a mixie jar adding green chillies,curry leaves,mint and coriander leaves.In a kadai heat a teaspoon of oil and add crushed ginger and garlic.Then add chopped onion and saute till it becomes soft.Add minced meat and cook for 2-3minutes.This ensures no water content in the mixture. Add mashed potato and mix well until combined nicely.Check for salt and spices.Allow the mixture to cool down.Pinch a lemon sized ball from the meat mixture and flatten it in your palm in oval shape. The cutlets should be thick.Then dip them in beaten egg mixture and then coat them with the breadcrumbs. The cutlets can be freezed at this stage and can be taken out,thawed and fried whenever needed.Shallow fry the cutlets till golden brown on both sides.Serve hot with ketchup/green chutney and lemon wedges and onion slices.These cutlets can also served as a sidedish with rice.

Aloo Bhaji/Easy Potato Curry

This aloo bhaji is always my go to side dish for rotis/phulkas/pooris when vegetables are out of stock and there are only potatoes at home.Its quite easy too.This recipe is sooo simple and flavourful.Shikha just loves aloo or anything made with aloo.So i always stock up potatoes.No fancy ingredients and this curry/bhaji is ready in a jiffy.

Ingredients

Potatoes- 6nos. Medium sized,peeled and halved
Onion- 1 big,sliced
Tomato-1 small,chopped
Ginger-1" inch piece,finely chopped
Garlic-1 tsp,chopped(optional)
Green chilly-2 nos,slit
Coriander leaves -1 tblsp,chopped
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Salt- to taste

To temper
Oil-1 tblsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Jeera- 1 tsp
Curry leaves -1 sprig

Method
Pressure cook halved potatoes after adding salt for 4 whistles or till soft.Mash it coarsely.Do not discard the boiled water. In a kadai, heat oil and temper with items mentioned under 'to temper' list.Add sliced onion,ginger,green chillies and saute till the onion turns soft and golden.Add turmeric and mix for one minute.Add the chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn mushy.Add the mashed potatoes along with the water in which they were cooked.Mix well and cook until the whole gravy becomes slightly thick.Check for salt and add chopped  coriander leaves and serve hot.

Notes

• You can add chopped garlic if you like.In that case, it should be added along with onion.
• Ginger garlic paste can also be used.
• If you are boiling the potatoes with the peel on,discard the water.Add the required amount of water later on.
• While tempering, you can add dal also.We don't like dal in our aloo sabzi.So i didn't add.
• You can even add 1/4 tsp coriander powder after adding turmeric.It gives a nice flavour.
• You can also add a pinch of garam masala by the end.But i didn't add.
• Adding curry leaves gives a nice flavour.
• The curry tends to thicken as it cools down. So adjust water accordingly.

Chicken Drumsticks-Easy version

Chicken dishes are always relished by all at home except Amma, eventhough she cooks the most amazing chicken curry in the world. Yes...my Amma don't eat fish or meat.She only have eggs, that also very rarely. Achan(my dad) is also not a big fan of chicken, but he will have it without any complaints. :) His favourite non-veg item award goes to Beef roast/curry.He likes the Garlic chicken i make when i am at home.

 Only after marriage, i started cooking all by myself although i used to be my Amma's helper in our kitchen. I came to this place called Visakhapatnam where my husband Sanju is working. Its been 3 years and 9 months of blissful life and now we have an angel daughter Shikha who is almost 2 years old. Now she is my biggest critic when it comes to cooking. She just enjoys food, specially chicken. After getting married to Sanju, i used to cook(still cooking) for a hungry bunch of 15-20 bachelors almost every weekend. Very terrifying...isn't it?? Well.. to be honest, initially i used to panic when weekends come and now i can say i  became kind of an expert in making Chicken curry. All thanks to Sanju's friends and coursemates. :) But i enjoy every bit of it.

Now onto our today's recipe.These chicken drumsticks can be easily made at home and they are sooo yumm..It is crispy on the outside and juicy inside.. :) I just made two drumsticks for Shikha and Sanju this weekend. But here i am sharing the recipe for four pices of chicken legs.


Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients

Chicken legs/drumsticks-4 nos.
Oil- enough to shallow fry

To marinate
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder-1tsptsp(kashmiri chilli powder
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp
Lime juice - juice of half a lemon-1 tsp
Salt - to taste

For extra coating
Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder-1/4 tsp
Garlic powder-1/4 tsp
Salt-a pinch

Method
Wash and clean chicken legs.Pat dry them.Give slits on the flesh.Marinate with the items mentioned under 'to marinate' list and keep undisturbed for atleast 2-3 hrs.I kept in the freezer overnight. Then coat the chicken legs with the items mentioned under 'for extra cowting' list. Shallow fry the chicken legs on a frying pan for 2-3 minutes on each side or till it gets cooked nicely and becomes crispy and golden brown on the outside.Keep the flame on medium throughout the cooking or else you will end up in burnt chicken legs.

Garnish with lemon wedges and enjoy!!

Rajma Masala

Rajma masala is a very flavourful and delicious dish that can be paired with any rice or roti.My favourite combo is this rajma masala along with hot phulkas.I also use the left over masala as filling for sandwich for the next day breakfast.I must say, this dish tastes even better the next day.I used the red rajma variety which i found more flavourful than the black ones.

Rajma masala
Ingredients

Rajma-1 cup
Onion-1 big,chopped finely
Red chilli powder-1.5 tsp(i used kashmiri chilli powder)
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder-1/2 tspzz
Kasoori methi-1 fat pinch
Cream/milk- 2tblsp
Coriander leaves-2 tblsps

To temper
Oil-1 tblsp
Jeera-1 tsp
Cloves-2
Cardamom-2
Bay leaf-1
Cinnamon-1/2" stick

To grind
Tomatoes-3 nos.,medium sized
Ginger-1" piece
Garlic-7-8 cloves
Green chilly-2 nos.

Method
Wash and soak rajma overnight or atleast for 8 hours.Wash again for 2-3 times and cook it in a pressure cooker after adding salt until cooked.Mine got done in 7 whistles.Take cqre not to overcook rajma.Set aside.

Grind all the items under 'to grind' list to a smooth paste and keep it ready.

In a kadai,add oil and splutter jeera and then add all spices listed under 'to temper'.Add onion and saute till transparent. Then add the tomato puree and mix well.Cook until oil oozes out.Then add all the masala powders one by one and mix until tge raw smell leaves.Crush kasoori methi with your hands and add it to the dry gravy.Now add the cooked rajma along with teh water.Mix well and let it boil til the vravy reaches a semi-thick consistency. Now simmer the flame and add cream or milk.Doil boil after adding cream as it will curdle.Keep on low heat for 2-3 minutes,add cortiander leaves and switch off.Delicious rajma masala is ready to be served eith steamed rice or hot roti/phulkas!

Rava/Semolina/Sooji Laddu

Rava/Semolina laddu is a perfect sweet which can be made for Vinayaka Chathurthi/Ganesh chathurthi.

This easy rava laddu can be made in less than 20 minutes and its super yummy with the taste of ghee and slight crunchiness of powdered semolina/rava/sooji.

Rava laddu

Ingredients
Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup
Granulated sugar-3/4 cup
Ghee -1/4 cup minus 1 tblsp
Cashews - 8-10
Cardamom - 2


Method

Dry roast rava in a hot kadai till aromatic.Take care not to burn or change the color. Now allow it to cool down and make it a fine powder with the help of a mixie.Powder sugar along with cardamom.Fry the broken cashews in a tablespoon of ghee and keep it ready. Mix the powdered rava and sugar evenly in a large bowl.Add the fried cashews and melted ghee.Mix thoroughly to get a crumbly texture.Make balls from the mixture.If you are unable to make balls sprinkle a tablespoon of milk or add more ghee till it can be made into balls.I got 17 small laddus from the above mentioned quantity.The laddus can be stored in an airtight container for 3-4 days in room temperature. If milk is added, the shelf life will be less.So consume accordingly. 

Homemade Eggless Vanilla Ice cream

Yes..eggless vanilla ice cream..smooth and creamy just like store bought ones..that too homemade and eggless too...woooow

This was my reaction when i first heard about this ice cream from my friend Ann.Only after tasting it i was fully convinced that yaay..this is the ice cream recipe i was searching for. Being an ice cream maniac, i have tried so many ice cream recipes till date which includes boiling milk,reducing it to half, then churning the mix after keeping in freezer every 2-3 hrs..uff...But after trying this recipe i must say its the best.

Only thing is that it calls for a stabilizing agent normally used in commercial production of ice creams called GMS(Glyceryl Mono Sterate).But once in a while u can make this at home..not a big deal... ;)


I know hearing the name GMS, you will be sceptical to make this, But trust me people, it really makes a difference.The ice cream is super smooth without any crystals and no harmful sides of GMS are proved. So chill... :)

GMS along with another stabilizing agent CMC is added to ice creams when produced commercially.But here i am not going to use it.And both of these are easily available in supermarket s and food stores nowadays.

I guess i had enough of blah to convince you to carry on with the recipe..ryt..well,here you go...

Please bear with my photo quality as i am yet to buy a good camera. As of now i am doing all the clicks with my normal digital camera.. :P


Homemade Eggless Vanilla Ice cream
Ingredients

Milk - 1 litre(i used full fat milk)
Corn flour-1.5 tblsp
Sugar-8 tblsps
GMS-1.5 tblsp
Vanilla essesnce-1tsp
Milk powder-1/2 cup

Method

Heat milk in a thick bottomed pan.Take out 1/4 cup of milk when warm and mix cornflour and GMS in it without lumps.Pour it back into the milk and mix well.Add sugar. Bring the whole mixture to boil ,stirring continuously till it starts thickening and covers the back of a spoon.Stich off the heat and sieve the mixture for any lumps.Let it come to room temperature.Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze for 6-8 hours.Then take it out of the freezer.Leave it for around 5-10 minutes to slightly loosen up.Add milk powder and vanilla essence.Beat on high speed with a hand held electric beater or a metal whisk.But here i would recommend electric beater coz it is a tiring job since the mix is half frozen.Beat for 5-7 minutes continuously till the whole mixture becomes smooth and almost doubles up in volume.This is our ice cream base.You can do numerous variations here.You can add cocoa powder, nuts,fruits,raisins,chocochips,butterscotch chips,fruit purees and what not to make it your favourite flavoured ice cream.Isn't that cool??Now put it back in freezer for another 7-8 hours.I know..the waiting..even i am so impatient when it comes to ice cream.But can't help it folks.. :D.

Scoop out and enjoy!!! :)

Nellikka Achar/Amla Pickle/Gooseberry Pickle

Nellikka...yummm..all at home just love nellikka..be it raw or cooked..we make nellikka juice, nellikka chamnanthi and this pickle is the most wanted one.Amma makes two types of nellikka achar.We, as kids used to call vella(white) nellikka achar and chuvappu(red) nellikka achar.We love both the versions.

I chose this nellikka achar as my first post since its my Amma's favourite. So straight on to the recipe.

Nellikka Achar

Ingredients
Nellilka/Gooseberry - 12-15 nos.
Red Chilli powder -2-3 tblsps(i used kashmiri chilli powder)
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek powder-1/2 tsp
Vinegar-1/4 cup
Garlic-15 cloves roughly chopped
Curry leaves-2 sprigs
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Oil -as needed to temper
Salt - to taste

Method

Boil gooseberries in salted water for 2-3 minutes until soft.Strain water and keep aside to cool.You can steam them too.Some people slightly saute them in a tablespoon of gingely oil.But i prefer this way.Pit the seeds and make it small pieces.I chose big variety gooseberries.If you are using small ones, use them whole.No need to take the seeds in that case.

Heat oil in a kadai and splutter mustard seeds.Add curry leaves and then add garlic and saute till it becomes slightly golden.Lower the flame and add the powders one by one. Fry for one minute without burning and add salt.Now add vinegar and bring it to a boil.Add the nellikka pieces and mix well till all the masala gets coated on the nellikka pieces.Check for salt.Keep it undisturbed till it comes to room temperature and then store in airtight container. This will keep good for long if handled carefully and always use a dry sppon for scooping out pickle. This pickle tastes best after 2-3 days.

Balance the gooseberry taste with vinegar and salt.Thats the trick..tasty,yummy gooseberry pickle is ready.