Heavenly Tiramisu

Tiramisu

There is nothing I love more than Tiramisu. One of my favorite Italian desserts. I tried from different super markets and different places but I never felt like its the real one. They were all lacking something. Finally on one Mother's day my Italian neighbor made this Tiramisu. I should say I have the Best neighbors & the Best Tiramisu :).
Thank You Giovanna. Can't wait to try this!

Try out this simple Tiramisu recipe 

Ingredients

1/2 cup of brewed espresso

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 ounces of mascarpone cheese (1 1/4 cups)

3/4 cup of heavy cream

18 to 20 ladyfinger cookies

1 ounce bittersweet chocolate or cocoa powder

Directions

Combine coffee and vanilla extract and a table spoon of sugar in a wide small bowl

 Filling

Beat egg yolks, 3 table spoons of sugar in a bowel for 10 mins in medium speed.

Add mascarpone cheese until just combined

Whip cream in a bowl until it holds stiff peaks.  Then gently mix the yolk mascarpone mixture.

Assemble Tiramisu

Dip half of the ladyfingers very quickly into the coffee and line the botton of a 9 inch square dish.

Spoon half of the mascarpone filling over the ladyfingers. 

Add another layer of coffee dipped ladyfingers on top and finish off the top with the remainder of the mascarpone filling. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 6 hours

When ready to serve dust grated chocolate or cocoa powder over it.    Enjoy it...

Best Ever Veggie Kebabs

Best Ever Veggie Kebabs

This vegetarian appetizer dish will satisfy any spicy cravings for a light afternoon snack or accompaniment during meals. In addition to the vegetables, the spinach and paneer will add a nutritional value to your diet.

Ingredients                                

Regular Bread - 12 slices

Potatoes – 2 small boiled and mashed.

Onion – 1 small minced

Chilies – 2 to 3 minced

Ginger/garlic paste – ½ tbsp

Frozen Mixed Veggies (Carrots, peas, corn, Cauliflower) – ½ bag minced or chopped (you can use a chopper instead)

Zuccini – 1 small chopped (Optional)

Yellow Squash – 1 small chopped(Optional)

Spinach – 1 cup chopped

Paneer – 1 cup Crumbled

Coriander / Cilantro – 1 tbsp

Oil – For Frying

Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp

Curry Leaves – a small bunch

Cumin seeds – 1/4tsp

Spice Mix

Chilli Powder – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander Powder – ¼ tsp

Garam Masala – 1/4tsp

Pepper Powder – ¼ tsp

Salt – 1 tsp

Heat oil in a skillet. Add mustard and cumin seeds, when splutters, add curry leaves, minced onions and chillies and sauté for 5 minutes. Then add ginger/garlic paste and frozen minced veggies along with Spinach and Paneer. Saute for 10 minutes until they get slightly browned. Now add the spice mix. Sprinkle pepper powder and salt. Take off the fire and immediately add chopped cilantro leaves to it.  Mix it with the boiled potatoes and keep it aside.

Remove sides of the bread with a knife. You can use any flat/ regular bread for this. Now take the bread on your palm, wet it with a little water, squeeze the water with your other hand. Put little bit of this veggie potato filling inside and shape it in to Kebabs. Fry them in oil and serve it with Cilantro chutney or tamarind chutney. Garnish it with grilled or raw vegetables.

Pachmela Dal Rajasthani Style

Pachmela Dal Rajasthani Style

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp moong Daal
1 Tbsp Urad Dal
2 Tbsp Channa Dal
3 Tbsp Toor Dal
2 Tbsp Green Gram Dal
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp ghee or Butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of asafoetida(Optional)

1/2 tsp onion seeds
1 tsp ginger-finely chopped
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp amchoor powder(Optional)
1 Tbsp coriander leaves-chopped

Method:

1. Cook the dals for 20 minutes. When they are well cooked, add salt and turmeric powder and keep it aside.

2. Heat ghee or butter, add the cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom and Bay leaves

3. When the seeds splutter, add onions, ginger and saute to a light brown colour.

4. Add the coriander powder, chilli powder and the amchoor powder, followed by the cooked daals, blend it well.
5. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

6. Garnished with coriander leaves.

7. Serve hot with Naan, Basmati rice or Poori.

How to make a Perfect Indian Onion Pakoda (Ullivada)

 Perfect Indian Pakoda for a Rainy Friday evening!

Spicy Onion Pakodas – Indian with Mint Cilantro Chutney

Ingredients

·         Bengal Gram flour or Besan – 1 cup

·         Onion – 2- 3 medium sliced lengthwise

·         Ginger – a small piece minced

·         Green Chillies – 3 -4 minced

·         Curry Leaves – 8 leaves

·         Water – 2 tbsp

·         Oil for frying

·         Salt - 1 tsp

Steps

Slice onions lengthwise. Add chopped  ginger, green chillis and curry leaves. Add salt. Mix the Ingredients in a bowl and  mix well using hands by adding 1 tea spoon of salt.

To this, add the flour., mix it gently adding water. The dough should be thick batter but at the same time not too hard.

Now add oil to a frying pan. When the oil is hot enough add spoonful of onion batter to the oil. Reduce the flame to medium and deep fry the pakodas by turning both sides. Remove it when they turn golden brown. Serve hot with Mint Cilantro Coconut chutney.

Malabar_Fried_Chicken_Biriyani

Malabar_Fried_Chicken_Biriyani 

Biriyani is very popular all over the world.The name is derived from the Persian word beryā(n) which means "fried" or "roasted". It is a very delicious dish usually prepared for special occasions such as weddings, parties and holidays. Today I am sharing the recipe of my mother in law’s famous Malabar Fried Chicken Biriyani. This is a delicious meal in itself and needs no accompaniment. The rich aroma of the spices in this impressive dish will warm your home and your soul. Make sure your family won't get addicted to this dish. You'll be in trouble :)

Preparation of Rice 
Basmati rice - 4 cups

Water - 7 cups

Cardamom pods - 4
Cloves - 5
Cinnamon sticks - 2 pieces
Bay leaves - 2

Butter or Vegetable shortening - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 Tbsp

For Frying Chicken

Chicken - 1 Whole chicken cut in to big pieces

Chilli Powder – 1tbsp

Paprika or Kashmiri Chili Powder – 1tsp(Optional)

Turmeric Powder – 3 tsp

Pepper Poweder – 2 tsp (Optional)

Ginger/Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp(You can also use grated Ginger and Garlic)

Sugar n Spice Magic Spice / Garam Masala – 2 tsp

Yogurt – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste(2 tsp)

Oil – ½ cup(just to shallow fry the chicken)

Curry Leaves – A Bunch

For Masala

Onion – 4- 5 medium chopped

Coriander/ Cilantro leaves - A bunch

Mint leaves  - a bunch(Optional)
Garam Masala- 1 tsp

Oil - 1/2 tbsp

Butter or Ghee – 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

For garnish
Cashews - 10 - 15

Raisins - 1 pack (small)
2 medium onions sliced thin and fried
Biriyani essence - 1 or 2 drops

Pineapple - 1/4cup chopped

Tomatoes - 1/4cup chopped

How to prepare Rice

Wash rice 2 - 3 times and keep it on a colander to drain off the excess water. Add butter or Vegetable shortening in a large vessel. Add the spices and then the rice. Saute for 5 minutes. Add boiling water to the rice. Sprinkle salt and let it boil for sometime. Keep it on medium flame for another 10 minutes. As soon as the rice is cooked, remove it to another vessel. Add chopped cilantro and close it with a lid. If you follow the instructions correctly, you should get good textured rice that doesn’t stick to each other.

How to prepare Chicken

Wash chicken well and keep it in a colander to drain off the excess water. This is important especially if you are frying chicken. Marinate the chicken with all the spices and yoghurt. keep it for 15 minutes. Now heat a small pan under medium flame and add oil to it. Add few curry leaves to the pan to see if the oil is hot enough. Now add the pieces one by one and close the pan with a lid. After 5- 10 minutes, change the sides and cook it for few more minutes. Make sure the flame is medium, You don’t want to deef fry the chicken. You can see chicken turning dark brown. Take it out and keep it aside. Don’t throw that oil away.

Now add the sliced onions for Masala in that oil and sauté until they are golden brown. Remove onions. Mix fried chicken pieces with these Onion masala. Add a pinch of salt to it.

How to layer biriyani

Place a big Dutch pan under low heat. When it is slightly warm, add 1 tbsp of Butter/Ghee to it. Keep the remaining Ghee for garnishing.

Add one fouth cup of chicken chicken masala to it. Don’t add too much sometimes they stick to the pan. Layer rice on top of it. Add the next set of the masala and Rice. Complete the layering by adding the rest of masala and remaining rice. Sprinkle with cashews, raisins, pineapple, tomatoes & coriander leaves.

Cover the entire vessel with foil or tissue paper and close the lid tightly.This is to infuse the flavor of the biryani masala into the rice and the process is called "Dum". Make sure the flame is low. After sometime around 5 – 6 mts, , take the lid off you can see steam coming from the top.

Garnish with fried onions and boiled eggs. These are optional

Now the secret ingredient is grated Coconut.

After you sauté the onions, in the same pan add the ½ cup grated coconut (store bought coconut is fine). When it slightly changes color remove them from fire. You can mix this to the Chicken Onion masala . This will give a really good smoky flavor to the Biriyani. Now Enjoy!

Ari Pathiri & Beef Plantain Curry - Malabar Style

  Weekend Getaway to Kerala, "God's Own Country"

I am starting this album with the intention of sharing my recipes I have received across the world. Each week I’ll take you to a country where I can share some of the authentic recipes that I have received from my close friends, along with sharing their passions & hobbies.

But before I start with any Country, I have to take you to my Home country India and my native land Kerala the place I was born and raised for 23 years before I relocated to US.

Bestowed with a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year, Kerala, as the name says is a Land of “Coconut trees” , endless artforms,  Spices, festivals, pilgrim centers wild life & monsoons.  . When I visited Miami few years back, I felt like I am somewhere in Kerala , but really miss the monsoons and homely food.

 Recently Kerala has been featured in http://www.lonelyplanet.com/india/kerala. You can also visit their Tourism websites at  https://www.keralatourism.org/kerala-at-a-glance/ if you like to know more about it.

Certain things I recommend visiting if you are in Kerala are

1.       Trivandrum Padmanabha Swamy Temple

2.       Kovalam and Poovar  in Trivandrum

3.       Kumarakom House Boat Trip

4.       Backwater & Lagoons in Cochin

5.       Wayanad Wild life Sanctuary

6.       Thekkady 

Main Festivals of Kerala are Onam, Vishu, Ramzan & Christmas but we Keralites celebrate something atleast once in a month. 

There are so many recipes in my mind, but let's start with Kerala Pathiri /Ari Pathiri.

Pathiri otherwise called as Ari Pathiri is a traditional Roti/Crepe made of rice flour. It is a Popular dish among Kerala Muslims but the word traces its origin to Arabic word Fateerah meaning Pastry. It is a main dish regularly served during Ramadan. This dish is something you can try with your kids. When I make Pathiri, my little girl will join me in Kitchen. She loves to knead the dough and rolling them. I think they enjoy the mess but its a great experience. They gave a new name to it called “Moon Chappathi” .

Steps to make Pathiri

3 cups of Water

2 ½ cups of Roasted  Rice Flour

Salt – 1 tsp

Oil

Instructions

Boil the water with salt in a Dutch oven. When you see the water bubbling turn the flames to low and add rice flour slowly stirring continuously. Switch off the oven and keep mixing the dough with a wooden spatula making sure there are no lumps. Now keep the dough aside for 5 minutes.  Start kneading again, this time with your hands. The dough might still be warm, keep kneading until its smooth, you can add some oil to your handswhich prevents the dough from sticking.

Now make small equal sized balls out of the kneaded dough.  Meanwhile, keep a cast iron skillet over medium flame. You can either roll this using or a rolling board but I prefer the Pathiri Presser. It saves a lot of time for me.

Take the Presser, smear little bit oil on both sides and keep the ball in the center. Now press it in to small circles. Immediately after you make one, dust them slightly in rice flour and keep them aside in a plate. You should not use lot of rice flour. Finish it with the rest of the dough

Now take each pathiri and dust off the remaining flour from it and place it on the skillet. After a few seconds, turn it over. Repeat this once more. When you see the pathiri it puffing up, use the back of a spoon to spread the heat, without pressing down too hard. When it puffs up, remove it from the griddle.

 DO NOT COOK IT FOR LONG TIME. It should remain white and soft, to be enjoyed properly.

Dip the Pathiri in coconut milk and serve it with hot meat curry.

Scrumptious Patriotic Breakfast - Spinach & Carrot Mini Idlis

 

Spinach & Carrot Mini Idlis (South Indian Appetizer)

Ingredients

1.       Idli rice – 3 Cups

2.       Urad Dal – 3/4 Cup

3.       Fenugreek – ½ tsp

4.       Water – As needed to grind

5.       Salt – to taste

6.       Carrot – 2 cups

7.       Spinach – 2 cups  

Wash and sock Rice, Urad dal & Fenugreek min 6 hours. Drain water from urad dal and Fenugreek and grind with 1/2 cup of water. Add more water if needed.  It will take around 25 minutes to grind urad dal and Fenugreek.  And then grind rice in the same way.Grind to smooth batter.  Mix Rice batter, Urad Dal batter and add Salt.  Mix well Keep closed in a warm place for fermenting minimum of 12 – 14 hrs. 

Grind carrot and Spinach separately and keep it aside. 

Mix small portion of batter with carrot and another small portion with spinach.

Grease idli plates with ghee or oil. Pour the idli batter with carrot and then spinach in separate idli plates. Make some plain idlis too. Decorate well.

Serve hot with coconut chutney.