Eggplant fry/ Vazhuthananga mezhukkupuratti

This is one of my all time favourite vegetable, give me Vazhuthananga mezhukkupuratti any day and I will be one happy person. I love everything about this veggie, from the royal purple colour, to the way it looks, to the way it tastes, plus it's such a versatile veggie... :) Sadly, W is not so fond of eggplants :( (he still eats it when cooked) so I don't get to cook it that often. There's only one other person who shares my love for eggplants, my little cousin M. I am pretty sure, together we can easily finish off a pan full of this eggplant fry. ;)   

Ingredients 
Onion - 1 big sliced thinly 

Ginger - 1" piece bruised 

Garlic - 1 small clove 

Dry chilly - 2 

Curry leaves - 1 sprig 

Eggplant - 5 medium sized thinly sliced length wise 

Fennel pdr 1/4 tsp

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

Kashmiri chilly pdr 1 tsp 

Chilly flakes - 1 tsp (skip if you don't want it hot) 

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp 

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp

Method:

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a skillet and fry the eggplants on high heat till they start browning.
Remove from pan and keep it aside.
Heat the rest of the oil and tip in the sliced onion, bruised ginger and garlic, saute till lightly browned.
In goes the curry leaves and broken dry chilly.  

Pop in all the spice powders saute till the raw smell disappears.
Pour a few tablespoons of water, vinegar and salt, and let the masala cook for a minute.  

Now add the fried eggplant to the masala and mix till it coats well on the eggplants.   

Add a little bit more oil if required and fry till nicely browned and crisp. 
Serve hot with rice. 

Nadan Kerala Erachi Achar / Beef Pickle

When I think of beef pickle, the first thing that comes to mind is my hostel days. This pickle was a saviour to me and my friends from many boring, tasteless hostel meals. Needless to say this goody never used to last very long. ;) My love for pickles especially non-veg is ever lasting and W loves his pickle too, so I decided to make some last weekend. And since winter is almost upon us here in Melbourne, this will be a nice addition to my pantry for those really cold days when I am in no mood to cook elaborate meals. This recipe is similar to the way my mom makes her pickle but I have made a few changes. So, here goes my recipe for nadan erachi achar...

Ingredients:

To marinate:

• Beef - 1/2 kg
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Kashmiri chilly pdr - 2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Vinegar - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

To fry:

• Oil - 2 tbsp

To make pickle masala:

• Sesame oil/gingelly oil - 1/4 cup
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Garlic - 1/4 cup julienned
• Ginger - 1/4 cup julienned 
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Green chilly - 5 chopped (use as per your taste)
• Fenugreek pdr - 1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg pdr - a big pinch 
• Bay leaf - 1 small
• Dry red chilly - 2
• Curry leaves - a handful
• Kashmiri chilly pdr - 2 tbsp
• Beef stock - 1 cup
• Vinegar - 1/4 cup (adjust as per your like)
• Sugar - 1 tsp
• Achar masala/garam masala - 1/4 tsp
• Whole Black peppercorns - 1 tsp crushed 
• Salt to taste (the beef stock has salt, so check before adding more)

Method:

1. Clean and cut the beef into small cubes. Marinate the beef with ingredients to marinate and keep it aside for 30 mins
2. Pressure cook on medium flame for 2 whistles or until done and let the pressure escape before opening. 
3. Drain into a colander and reserve the stock for making the pickle masala. 
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and fry the pressure cooked beef till it's nicely browned on all sides.
5. In another pan heat the sesame oil and pop the mustard seeds followed by the julienned garlic. When the colour starts to change add the julienned ginger, chopped green chilly and ginger garlic paste, saute till the raw smell disappears. 
6. Mix the fenugreek powder, nutmeg powder, bay leaf, dry red chilly and curry leaves, toss for a few seconds.
7. Add the kashmiri chilly powder and stir for a minute and let everything come together. Pour 1 cup of the reserved beef stock along with the vinegar and bring to boil.
8. Toss the fried beef pieces into the pickle masala and combine well. Add the sugar, achar masala/garam masala, crushed black pepper corns and salt into the pickle and mix well.
9. Allow the pickle to cool down and check salt and pepper, adjust if necessary. 
10. Store the pickle in a clean, dry, air-tight ceramic or glass bottle. 

Notes:  

• Always use dry spoon to take the pickle, this will increase the shelf life of the pickle. 
• Also you can add a couple of tablespoons more of sesame oil that is heated and cooled to keep it longer.
• I would recommend that you keep the pickle refrigerated in humid climate.
• To make more gravy, add more stock and vinegar. If there is no stock left then heat water and vinegar (as required) together, cool it and add to the pickle little by little. 
• You can reduce the quantity of kashmiri chilly and use normal chilly powder. 

Badam/Almond Kheer

I have been counting days since last Monday due to the heat-wave Melbourne has been experiencing this entire last week. It was freaking HOT!!! And thank God we are finally over it! We are back to normal now. Since I was holed up at work it wasn't that bad but for once I wasn't looking forward to getting home. Haha, never thought I would say that. :P
I did end up getting home though and wanted to drink something really really cold. That's when I remembered about this recipe my cousin Jaz had shared with me earlier. So, went right ahead and gave it a try and it was delicious. Thanks J for sharing this wonderful recipe! :)

Ingredients:

Almonds - 20 to 30
Milk - 1 litre
Sugar - as required
Cardamom pdr - 1/2 tsp
Saffron - a pinch, soaked in 2 tbsp cold milk
Nutmeg pdr - a pinch

How to:
Soak the almonds in hot water for 10 - 15 minutes.
Remove the skin by squeezing it between the fingers and grind it to a fine paste using 1/2 cup milk.
Transfer this to a non-stick pan and cook it on low heat until it starts to bubble.
Add the rest of the milk and bring to boil, continue to simmer till the raw smell disappears about 10 minutes.
Stir in the sugar at this stage and simmer for 3 more minutes before adding the soaked saffron, cardamom and nutmeg powder. (I added half cup water at this stage to reduce the thickness)
Mix well and take it off the flame. Let it cool before keeping it in the refrigerator.
Garnish with crushed pistachios and almonds while serving.

Achari murgh

Hello peeps,

How's everyone doing? I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas & New Year's. I had a well deserved break from everything and simply enjoyed being at home and meeting up with some friends.
Ok, first of all let me apologise for my long absence and lack of updates. Although it was disheartening to see this space die I simply didn't have the enthusiasm to even string together a few words, let alone make meaningful sentences. Also, my parents and brother were here and that's the other reason that kept me away from this space for so long. I'll try and be more regular in posting stuff, but hey no promises okay (only because I don't want to eat my words later ;)).
Well now that we are well into the new year, how are those new year resolutions coming around? :D Have they become life long habits yet or have they been long forgotten and shoved to the back of your mind to be dusted off and reused again come another year? ;) Since I fall into the latter category I don't really bother making resolutions because I know only too well that I am never going to stick to them....hmm :( So if anyone asks me about my resolutions I go "New year resolutions!? Meh! They are overrated!"
It doesn't make sense to me, why does the resolve to change only come around during the New Year's? Shouldn't we all strive to be better individuals, leading the best life and making the most out of life whenever we can? Why wait around for the New Year to make those changes?
So, my only resolution is to have the best year possible by riding through life's ups and downs, and to look back and say - yeah, that was a fun year! :) I know this is coming a few days (17 to be exact :P) too late but here's to a wonderful New Year, to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.
Happy New Year everyone! :) So let's get to the recipe then.  

Ingredients:

Chicken - 600 g (I used boneless, with bone is also good)
Onion - 2 medium, chopped
Ginger,garlic,green chilly paste - 1.5 tbsp
Tomato - 1 medium, chopped
Oil as required

For marinade:
Curd - 1 cup
Kashmiri chilly pdr - 1.5 tbsp
Amchoor pdr - 1/4 tsp
Achar masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric pdr - 1/4 tsp
Melam biryani masala - 1 tsp
Nutmeg pdr - 1/4 tsp
Lime juice - 1/2 a lime
Salt as required

For achar masala:
Cumin - 1/2 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Kalongi (onion seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Fennel - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dry roast the above spices and let it cool before grinding it to a fine powder. Use 1 tsp for this recipe and store the rest in an air tight container for later use.

For tempering:
Mustard oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a sprig, chopped
Dry red chilly - 2
Coriander leaves - for garnish

How to:
Wash and clean the chicken and cut it into bite sized pieces.
In a bowl whisk all the ingredients under marinade. Add the chicken into this, mix well and keep it aside for at least an hour.
In the meantime, heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion. When it turns translucent add the ginger, garlic and green chilly paste, fry till nicely browned. Mix the tomatoes and cook till it turns soft and mushy.
Add the marinated chicken and combine well. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low flame.
Remove the cover and cook till the gravy thickens or move to the next step if you prefer having more gravy.
Temper the mustards seeds, curry leaves and dry chilly and pour into the curry. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with roti or rice.

Mini Chicken Pies...

Ramadan came and went, leaving me with a ton of recipes in my draft. I haven't had the time to sit and calmly go through it all, but I am hoping to get on top of it soon. :) It was during that time I had asked my cousin Jasmin, a very passionate cook, if she would be interested in sharing some of her tried and tested Ramadan specialties on my blog. She happily accepted and forwarded a few recipes that were made often at her home for Iftar. She lives in the beautiful city of Hyderabad with her husband and lovely daughter Aaliyah. So, over to her and her delicious chicken pies...

"I love to cook and click pictures of anything and everything experimented in my workshop(kitchen :))...my husband is my sole motivator who puts in lots of suggestions in improving my cooking and we share a common passion for food :)..
When aishu itha asked me to do a guest post for her blog, i was surprised and thrilled, as it would be my first guest post ever and being part of her beautiful blog is actually something really special. we discussed about a few recipes and finalised this simple yet wonderful chicken pie dish..this is a very simple pie even though the recipe looks bit lengthy, but it tastes just like the ones we buy from bakery. I made this twice for iftar this ramadan and it came out really well.."

recipe courtesy: marias menu

Ingredients

for pastry: 

• All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cup 
• Butter - 100g (kept at room temperature for 15 min) 
• Egg - 1 
• Water - 1 tbsp

for filling:

• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp 
• Onion - 1 big, finely chopped 
• Capsicum - 1 medium, finely chopped 
• Ginger - 1 tsp grated 
• Garlic - 2 tsp grated 
• Green chilly - 1 
• Chicken (cooked and shredded) - 1 cup 
• Celery - 1/4 cup, chopped 
• Spring onion - 1/4 cup, chopped 
• Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp 
• Salt to taste 

for white sauce:

• Butter-2 tbsp 
• All purpose flour -1 tbsp 
• Milk -1 cup 
• Italian seasoning -1 tsp 
• Pepper powder - a pinch 

Method:

• Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes before baking 
• Mix the flour and butter, rub to form a crumbly mixture. Add beaten egg and water to this mixture and form a soft dough. Do not knead too much. Keep the dough in the fridge for half an hour. 
• In the meanwhile start making the filling. Heat oil in a pan, add onion and capsicum and saute till they become soft, no need to brown them. Then add garlic,ginger and green chilly, saute for 2-3 min. Then add celery and spring onion along with salt and pepper powder. Add the shredded chicken and mix well. Cook for few minutes and switch off flame 
• To make white sauce: Heat another pan and add butter and plain flour, and saute on low flame till raw smell goes. Then add milk to it and stir well so that no lumps are formed. Add pepper powder and italian seasoning, when sauce begins to thicken switch off flame. 
• Now mix the chicken filling and white sauce, combine well and keep aside. 
• Grease pie tins with butter. Take the dough from fridge and roll out the dough. Shape them according to the size of your pie tins and transfer them to the pie tins, trim the sides if necessary. Prick the base all over with a fork. Bake the pastry for about 7-8 minutes at 180 degrees till it turns light biscuit colour. 
• Once its done take the baked pastry out of the oven and fill them with the chicken white sauce filling. 
• Now make the lattice on top of the pastry by cutting thin long straight stripes from the rolled dough and placing it on top of the pastry as shown in the picture. Brush the top of lattice with a beaten egg. 
• Now place the pie tins in the oven and bake them for 12 -15minutes 
• Increase the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 5 more minutes till lattice turns light golden brown colour. 
• Remove the pie tin from the oven and allow to cool for few minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and have it warm..and enjoy...... 

Notes:

• Adjust the quantity of salt depending on whether you use salted or unsalted butter. 
• Adjust the baking time depending on the thickness of the pie and size of baking tins used. 
• I got 10 chicken pies from the above recipe using a muffin tray.

Unnakaya... and a second guest post!

A week ago, I got a message from Lubna from Kitchenflavours asking if I'd do a guest post for her blog, where she's hosting a Ramadan event - Joy from Fasting to Feasting. I was totally psyched to do my second guest post and hopped over to her blog to find out a bit more about her and her space. I was awed when I saw the drool worthy pictures and the fantastic recipes she has shared. Lubna had asked me if I could share a recipe I made often during Ramadan at my home. So, I decided to share a wonderful snack recipe I make at home called Unnakaya. I first had this mouthwatering dish when ummi (wasi's mom) made it for me and I have been crazy about it ever since. So I make these for Iftar quite frequently and freeze the extras for later. I love the textural difference from the crunchy first bite to the smooth melt in the mouth interior with a surprising coconut, cashew and raisin filling. It tastes as heavenly as it sounds, so do try it out... :)

Ingredients: 

• Plantains - 4 large, ripe but firm
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
• Cashew nuts - 1/4 cup, chopped
• Raisins - 2 tbsp 
• Granulated sugar - 2 tbsp or as needed
• Cardamom powder - a big pinch 
• Nutmeg powder - a pinch 
• Ghee - 1 tbsp 
• Oil for frying

Method:

• Steam cook the plantains till soft, allow this to cool slightly. 
• Peel off the skin and run a knife through the center to remove the black seeds inside.
• Mash this using a food processor or masher, without adding water and form a dough with no lumps.
• To prepare the filling, heat ghee in a pan, fry the cashews and raisins till golden and plump.
• Add the coconut, sugar, nutmeg and cardamom and toss till the sugar melts and the coconut turns slightly golden. Remove from heat and set it aside.

To read the rest of the instructions, please go to Lubna's amazing blog... :)

Beef Shami Kabab!

I have been wanting to share this recipe for a few days now, but never got around to it. Well, better late than never!! Right? ;) Shami kebabs have been on my list of recipes to try for a long time now and a few days ago, I got the perfect opportunity to do just that, when we invited our friends over for Iftar. What attracted me to try this dish was that it required minimum effort, yet the result was lip smackingly good! These kebabs are to die for with a unique smoky flavor, melt in the mouth texture and a crunchy exterior.

Ingredients: 

To pressure cook:

• Oil - 1 tbsp
• Beef - 500g
• Chana dal (chickpea lentils) - 1/2 cup
• Ginger paste - 1 tsp
• Garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Salt
• Water - 3 tbsp

Whole & powdered spices:

• Black peppercorns - 6
• Cinnamon - 1 stick, broken down into smaller pieces  
• Cardamom - 4
• Cloves - 5
• Bay leaf - 2
• Dry red chilli - 6 or Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin - 1/2 tsp
• Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Other ingredients:

• Red onion - 2 medium, finely chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
• Mint leaves - a handful, chopped
• Green Chilli - 4, finely chopped 
• Egg - 2 (1 beaten, 1 whole)
• Ghee as required for shallow frying

Method:

• Wash the chana dal and soak it 1/2 an hour. In the meantime wash and drain the beef and keep it aside. 
• In a pressure cooker, heat 1 tbsp oil and add all the other ingredients under to pressure cook and whole & powdered spices and mix thoroughly. 
• Cook the mixture for 3 whistles on medium-low heat. Take off heat and let it rest till the pressure escapes. 
• Open the lid and cook again till all the water evaporates. Let the mixture cool for a bit before grinding it to a fine paste in a food processor. 
• Now incorporate all the items under other ingredients except the beaten egg and ghee, into the ground mixture and form a dough.
• To make the kebabs, take a small portion of the mixture and form them into small, round patties.
• Dip the patties in the beaten egg one by one and carefully place them on a plate.  
• Heat the ghee in a skillet and shallow fry the kebabs on both sides till golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Serve the kebabs with green chutney, ketchup or onion salad and lime.