Very Berry Strawberry..

Seems my posts are kinda following a pattern.. alternating between sweet-dishes & main-course.. so I thought of continuing the trend for the time being :) ..
..sharing a quick & easy CHEESY STRAWBERRY TRIFLE.. for times when you don't have time in hand to prepare a dessert.. or when you just not in a mood to put in efforts.. this one will surely come handy..

Ingredients (for 3 dessert glasses)
Sponge Cake - 250 grams (or Muffins can be used too)
Fresh Strawberries - 15 (for juice, layering & garnish)
Grapes - bunch
Kiwi Fruit - 1
Vanilla Icecream - 1 cup
Strawberry Yogurt - 1 cup/100 grams
Cream Cheese - 2 Tablespoons

Preparation
1. Prepare fresh strawberry juice by blending 3 strawberries with little water.
2. Dice kiwi, grapes and 8 strawberries and mix together in a bowl.
3. Prepare Yogurt - Cheese mixture by mixing the strawberry yogurt & cream cheese.

Layering
1. In a dessert glass, layer the cake slices (1 inch approx) at the base. Moist the cake with fresh strawberry juice (we could use any canned juice available at home instead e.g orange juice or mango juice, etc)

2. Put 2 Tablespoons of the fruit mixture over the moist cake.

3. Pour a thin layer of melted Vanilla Icecream over the fruits - let the icecream pour down through the fruits.

4. Finally, layer the Yogurt - Cheese mixture and refrigerate (no freezer) the glasses for about 30-40 minutes.

Garnish with fresh strawberries and serve chilled :)

This recipe is for:

- Raven's wonderful event - Cook. Eat. Delicious- Desserts with Strawberry hosted by Sizzling Tastebuds..

- Kalyani's 100 day global food festival event..

Shalgam Masala (Turnip cooked in Indian Spices)

Post Diwali, complete laziness had set in... plus a lotta eating out..  made me completely off cooking infact the thought of cooking only ;) ... After a series of usual paneers and chole and aloo in the last 2-3 days... wanted to try something different.. SHALGAM MASALA..

The thought of having turnip for dinner didnt appeal to me much.. untill the dish came out absolutely gorgeous.. Arunesh (my hubby) & I actually fought over getting a larger portion ;) ..

Ingredients
Turnip (medium - diced) - 2
Onion (medium - thinly sliced) - 1
Tomato (small - diced) - 1
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Ginger - Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Green Chili - 1
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt (to taste)
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Water
Fresh Coriander  - to garnish

Cooking
1. Heat Oil in a non-stick skillet and saute the sliced onions. Add ginger-garlic paste and the green chili (slit vertically) once the onions turn pink.

2. After frying for about 5 mins, push the sauted mixture to the sides of the pan and add mustard seeds. As the seeds start to crackle, add the chopped tomatoes. Cover the pan wid a lid and let it cook on a slow flame til the mixture becomes pulpy. (Approx 10 mins)

3. Add Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Salt, Turmeric and chopped Turnip. Mix well. Add a cup of water and cover the pan with a lid till the turnip is cooked. (You will have to keep checking on the turnip - in case the turnip is hard you will be required to put more water)

4. Once the turnip is cooked, mash it a little with a wooden spatula and add sugar. Mix well.

5. Finally, sprinkle Garam Masala and Fresh Corainder leaves.

PS - Shalgam Masala tasted great with hot chapatti (indian flat-bread) and yougurt.

Diwali Special - Coconut Ladoos

May this festival of light bring brightness & lots of happiness in each one's life... Happy Diwali :))

It's the time of celebration and enjoyment for most of the Indians.. and celebration calls for sweets...Sharing the quick and easy (easiest actually) recipe for COCONUT LADOOS... and delicious too...

Ingredients
Condensed Milk - 1/2 of a can [enough for 15-20 ladoos]
Coconut (scrapped) - 1.5
Cardamom seeds (powdered)  - 1/2 teaspoon
Almonds - handful

Cooking
1. Scrap 2 fresh coconuts. Further grind the coconut shreds in a grinder/ mixie so as to have a thin course powder.

2. In a heavy bottom pan, heat 1/2 a can of condensed milk till it starts to boil. Add the scrapped coconut and keep stirring continously. (the mixture should be very tight  - you can adjust the amount of coconut depending on the consistency of the final mixture)

3. Once the mixture gets a thick consistency, add powdered cardamom and mix well.

4. Remove from flame and let it cool. As the mixture cools down a bit, make ladoos with your hand and garnish each one with an almond. (the mixture should be warm else giving it a round shape would be tuff)

Coconut Ladoos are ready to serve :)

This recipe is linked to Priya's Veggie/Fruit a Month - Coconut event. It's Culinary Vibe's first ever participation in an event.. and am excited :))

PS - there are people like me, who are scared of taking a small lump of the warm mixture in the hand - so u need a friend like i do to shape the ladoos .. thus, dedicating this post to Leena .. my cutest friend..tuff to manage widout honestly .. (not just while making ladoos ;) )



Thanx sweety...



PUNJABI TADKA - Dal Makhani

Being a Punjabi, I thought of sharing recipes that typically belong there.. thus, would share them under the section "PUNJABI TADKA" .. starting with "DAL MAKHANI".. cooked in typical punjabi ishtyle :)

Ingredients

Whole black gram 1 cup

Red kidney beans 2 tablespoons

Onion, chopped 1 large

Green chili, slit 2

Tomatoes, chopped 2 medium

Ginger, chopped 2 inch piece

Garlic, chopped 2 cloves

Cumin seeds 1 teaspoon

Red chili powder 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder 2 teaspoon

Cumin powder 2 teaspoon

Garam masala powder 1 teaspoon

Butter 3 tablespoons

Oil 1 tablespoon

Thick Cream 1 tablespoon

Fresh Coriander (finely chopped) for garnish

Salt to taste

Cooking

1. Wash and soak black gram and red kidney bean overnight in water.

2. Next morning, Pressure cook the soaked mixture with half of a tomato (chopped) and salt in enough water till three whistles. Check if the red beans have softened, else pressure cook again till a whistle.

3. In a non-stick pan, heat butter and oil together. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to change color, add ginger, garlic and onion and sauté till golden. Add slit green chilies, tomatoes and sauté on high heat. Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and sauté till the tomatoes are reduced to a pulp.

4. Add the cooked onion-tomato mixture to the pressure cooked pulses and simmer on low heat. Add some water if the mixture is too thick. Add garam masala powder and adjust salt. Add cream and fresh coriander. Simmer on low heat till the dal is well blended.

5. Add a dollop of butter and serve hot.

PS - Goes perfect with Paratha and Naan (Indian Flat-breads)

Egg & Veggie Biryani

Biryani.. surely a hot fav of many of us.. this recipe might read as if it WOULD require SO MUCH work.. but as you will get on to cooking it, trust me you will just sail through.. and in no time the Yummy EGG & VEGGIE BIRYANI would be ready..

Ingredients

Basmati Rice - 2 cups

Boiled eggs – 4

Mixed vegetable (carrot, capsicum, peas, mushroom, broccoli) – 2 cups

Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon (heaped)

Onions - 4

Green Chilies - 5

Mint leaves - handful

Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

Red Chili powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon

Ghee/ Unsalted butter – 1 teaspoon

Cardamom - 2

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – small stick

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon

Salt according to taste

Oil for frying


Cooking

1. Wash the rice and half boil in a pan full of water with cardamom, clove, cinnamon and 1 green chilies (slit vertically). Add salt. Drain the excess water by running the rice through a sieve.

2. Whisk the yogurt along with ginger-garlic paste, 1 green chili, red chili powder, turmeric powder, powered garam masala and salt. Marinate the eggs (slit across) for about 40-45 mins.

3. Thinly slice the onions and deep fry them in the oil until golden brown. Strain.  Add 2 green chilies (slit vertically), mint leaves and coriander leaves and keep it aside.

4. For the final layering, heat ghee/ unsalted butter in a skillet (pref one with a lid). Saute the diced vegetables for about 5 mins and pour the egg mixture over them, next layer the onion mixture over it, sprinkle lime juice and finally layer it with half boiled rice. Sprinkle little oil (used for frying onion) and ghee on the top.

5. Cover the biryani tightly with a lid and let it cook on a slow flame for about 30- 40 minutes.

6. Mix well and serve with Raita.

 

Chocolate Brownie (Eggless)

It isn't always easy to write the first post... a thousand thoughts cross my mind right now.. but then I am sure my writing skills shall improve with time.. hopefully ;)

A close friend's birthday came in Navratra and so cropped the thought of baking an eggless cake.. thanks to a recipe my sister shared and a few tweeks here and there.. DELICIOUS CHOCLATE BROWNIE CUPCAKES came as my end product :))

Ingredients
Oil - 1/2 cupSugar (powdered) - 3/4 of a cup
Curd - 1 cup
White Flour - 1.5 cups
Cocoa Powder - 1/2 cup
Coffee Powder - 1 teaspoon
Baking Powder - 1 teaspoon
Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon
Walnuts
Gems/Chocolate Chips - for garnish

Cooking

1. Preheat the oven ;350 degrees F.

2. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tray.

3. Mix Oil, Sugar, Baking Powder and Baking Soda in a bowl and keep aside for ten minutes.
4. Sieve the White Flour, Cocoa Powder and Coffee Powder together.
5. Combine both the above mixtures in a bowl along with curd and beat well (we could use an egg-beater too)

7. Crush the walnuts and add them to the batter and stir until mixed.

8. Fill the muffin tin till about the brim of the paper liners.

9. Bake until the batter rises (roughly 20 minutes). Insert a tester into the center of the muffin to check. (the tester should come out clean with no batter stuck to it) 

10. Remove from oven and let the muffins cool. Place them on a serving tray, garnish with gems/chocolate chips and serve.

It would taste great with a dallop of vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce.. slurrp :)