Mint Peas Pulao Recipe

My today's recipe is Mint Peas Pulao.  I had lot of mint leaves and I wanted to use them up. So I was looking for a easy and flavorful rice made with mint. I remember seeing Mint Peas Pulao at Nalini's space. I tried this for lunch and it came out wonderful. We all loved it. Here is the recipe.

Recipe Source: Nalini's Kitchen

What are the ingredients needed?

To grind to paste

Mint leaves, (cleaned and chopped), 1 1/2 cup

Coconut(grated), 3 Tablespoons

Green Chillies, 3 nos.

Other ingredients

Basmati Rice, 2 cups

Oil, 2-3 teaspoons

Fennel seeds, 1/2 teaspoon

Bay leaves, 1 no.

Cloves, 4 nos.

Cinnamon, 1" small piece

Star Anise, 1 no 

Onions, 1 large

Ginger garlic paste, 1 teaspoon

Green Peas, 1 cup

Garam masala, 1 teaspoon

Cashew, 7-8 nos.

Ghee, 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

How it is made?

1. Wash and soak basmati rice for 20 minutes.
2. Grind the mint leaves, green chillies and coconut into a fine paste and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a cooker pan and add fennel seeds, bay leaves, cloves,cinnamon, star anise and fry for a minute or two.
4. Then add onions and fry till they turn translucent. Then add ginger garlic paste and the ground paste and also garam masala and fry till the raw smell goes.
5. Then add the green peas, soaked rice and add 3.5 cups of water , then add the salt to taste and pressure cook it.
6. Fry cashews in ghee and keep them ready.
7. Once the pressure is released add the fried cashews along with ghee and gently mix it.
8. Serve it warm along with raitha.

Notes

• I used frozen green peas. In case if you have dried green peas, soak them atleast 4 hours ahead before cooking.
• Once it is cooked, you can add some lemon juice gently mix and serve.

Chana Dal Halwa| Chana Dal Burfi

Today I am posting a dessert recipe, Chana dal burfi. It is a fudge made with split chickpeas. I had 3 reasons to make a dessert today.  One reason is Holi, the other reason is its Panguni Uthram, my late grandpa's birthday and then today we had report card conference and Thaara made us very proud. I tried this dessert and it came out really well and everyone at home really enjoyed it. 

Dear Friends, Readers and Fellow  bloggers,

Happy  Holi to you all!!

Recipe Source : Kirti Chaudhary

What are the ingredients needed?

Chana dhal/ Kadalai paruppu/ split chickpeas, 1 cup

Ghee, 1/2 cup

Milk, 2 cups

Sugar, 1/2 cup

Cardamom, 3-4 nos. 

Cashews/ Almonds/Pistachios, as needed
Food color as needed

How it is made?

1. Soak chana dal for atleast 4 hours.
2. Remove the skin of the cardamom and powder the seeds with a tablespoon of sugar and keep it aside.
3. Fry cashew nuts in a ghee and keep them ready.
4. Drain the excess water and pressure cook the soaked dal with a cup of water till its done.
5. Then with a wooden spoon/spatula, mash the dal.
6. Heat ghee in a pan, add the mashed dal and fry for 10-12 minutes till the raw smell disappears. Keep stirring. 
7. Then add half cup of milk and continue to stir, till the milk is absorbed well and then add another half cup milk and repeat the process till  all the milk is used.
8. Now add the sugar and continue to stir, till it melts and blends well with  the mixture.
9. Continue to stir until the halwa is ready. To check the doneness, when you touch and roll the halwa, it should be no longer sticky.
10. Then add the powdered cardamom and fried cashews and mix well.
11. Now you can serve it as is as halwa. If you want to serve it as burfi, then grease the tray with ghee and pour the mixture and slice it and serve.

Notes

• You can mash the dal in a blender too. But the paste has to be coarse, not a smooth mixture.
• I would suggest using a heavy bottomed pan or non stick pan for making this dish.
• I have added edible color to the halwa to make it look attractive. You can omit it too.
• The Halwa needs continues stirring. It  took around 40 minutes in the stove for me and I was constantly stirring to avoid the halwa burn in the bottom.
• Add milk little by little, dont add them all at once.
• I made them as burfi and served them. You can serve as halwa too.
• You can use nuts of your choice. I used cashews and for garnishing the burfi used pistachios.

Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu Recipe | Garlic Pepper Gravy

Today I suddenly had craving for Garlic Kuzhambu and I wanted to try something different from my usual recipe. I had bookmarked Poondu Milagu Kuzhambu recipe from Sangee's site a while ago, I tried and it  came out really well. I just did a few changes to fit our taste. This is a tamarind based gravy with pronounced flavor of garlic and pepper. This garlic pepper gravy is good for health and can be had for remedy from cold. 

Raspberry Pinwheels- A Guest post for Priya Suresh Akka

I was waiting for this day for over a month now. You know why?  Because of my guest post for Priya Akka of  Priya's Versatile Recipes. It is for her event Rendezvous with a foodie, where each month  she showcases new bloggers and their blogs in her space. This time it is my turn. 

When Priya Akka came up with the idea of Rendevous with a Foodie, I immediately wanted to be a part of it.  Little did I then know, that will lead to some wonderful friendships which I will cherish throughout my life time. We have bonded so much that our group chat, is full of laughter and fun, it is like the good old college times. Thanks to Priya Akka for all these. She is one of the most wonderful person I have come across and a versatile blogger whom I look up with much respect. She has been blogging for five years and have been posting almost every single day. She has approximately 2390 recipes in her space. So it was challenge for me to decide on what I want to make for her that is special and has not been already blogged by her. I wanted to make something sweet and something baked. Finally zeroed on this Raspberry pinwheels and it came out really wonderful. My kids just loved it.  

For the recipe and more, click here

Egg Bhurji / Muttai Masala Poriyal

Today's recipe is a very simple recipe. It is Egg bhurji. You can also call it  Muttai masala Poriyal in Tamil. It is basically the Indian style scrambled eggs. It is very easy to prepare and also can be made in a jiffy. It can be served with rotis/ chappathis or even with bread. I like to have it with Rice and Rasam. 

What are the ingredients needed?

Eggs- 3 nos.

Onion- 1 large

Tomato- 1-2 nos. (depending on the size)

Capsicum, 1/2

Oil, 2-3 teaspoon

Green Chillies, 2 nos

Grated Ginger, 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon

Red Chilli Powder, 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin Powder, 1/2 teaspoon

Salt, to taste

How it is made?

1. Beat eggs and set them aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet.
3. Add onion, green chillies and capsicum and fry till the onions turn translucent.
4. Now add tomatoes and ginger, cook for few minutes.
5. Then add turmeric powder, Chilli Powder and cumin Powder  and cook till the raw smell disappears.
6. Then add salt mix well and add the beaten eggs and keep stirring till the eggs are cooked. 
7. Serve it warm.

It serves 4 persons.

Notes

• Adjust the spice level as per your personal preference.
• If you want you can add garam masala too. 
• I have used Roma tomatoes. I usually do not prefer adding juicy tomatoes. If you want, you can skip adding tomatoes too.

Hokkaido Milk Toast- Japanese Style (Using Tangzhong method)

I love baking bread. But I don't bake very often since yeast has not been my best friend. But I tried Japanese style Hokkaido Milk toast that is being baked using Tangzhong method, also known as water roux method. With this method, we cant go wrong with yeast. First a roux starter(tangzhong) is prepared and then added to the ingredients and baked resulting in soft fluffy bread like the one we get in bakeries. This dough can be used to make Dilkush, bread stuffed with sweetened coconut. 

The bread came out well and it was so nice, soft and perfect. 

Recipe Source :Christine's Recipes

What are the ingredients needed?

For Tangzhang

All purpose flour, 2.5 Tablespoon

Water, 1/2 cup (you can use 50:50 of water and milk too) 

For bread

All purpose flour, 2 1/2 cup

Caster Sugar, 1/4 cup

Instant yeast, 2 teaspoon

Salt, 1 teaspoon

Egg, 1 no

Milk, 1/2 cup

Tangzhong from the above

Butter,  3 tablespoon

How it is made?

Preparing the tangzhong

1. Mix water and flour without any lumps. 
2. Cook in medium low heat stirring with wooden spoon or spatula, to prevent the mixture from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.
3. The mixture will start to thicken, when stirred by spatula it will form lines. 
4. Now remove from the heat and let it cool. You can cover it with cling wrap on the surface to prevent it from drying. 
5. As soon as it is cooled you can use it. If you want to store it for later, keep it in the fridge upto a few days.If it turns grey, discard it.

Making the bread

1. Combine all the dry ingredients(flour, Salt, Sugar,instant yeast) together. Make a well in the centre and whisk in the wet ingredients(tangzhong, milk and egg) start kneading this mixture, then add butter and knead. It will be sticky and the beginning continue to knead till the gluten develops and the dough becomes smooth and it is not sticky.
2. Knead the dough into ball shape and keep it on a greased bowl and cover it with cling wrap or wet towel. Let it proof till it is doubled in  size. It should take about 40 minutes (timings vary depending on the weather)
3. At this point if you  want to make dilkush, you  can proceed. For instructions to make dilkush refer here
4. Then deflate the dough and divide it to 4 equal parts. Knead it into balls and cover it with cling wrap and let it rise for 15 minutes.
5. Prepare the loaf pan by greasing and flouring it.
6. Now take each balls and roll them to oval shape. Then fold both the sides inward and press in the centre. Turn the  seal downwards and roll again. Now roll them like you do a mat. Place this in the prepared bread tin such that the seal is facing downwards. Similarly do for the other balls and arrange them in the loaf pan.
7. Cover it with cling wrap and let it rise till it doubles in size. 
8. Whisk a egg and do a egg wash.
9. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake for 30- 35 minutes.If you tap the bread it should sound hollow, that means the bread is done.
10. Transfer it to wire rack and let it cool completely. 
11. Slice and serve.

Notes:

• The original recipe called for bread flour, since I didn't have it, I replaced it with all purpose flour. 
• Since the kneading of the dough is messy, my friend Reshmi suggested to use food processor. So I used it, and making the dough was easy breezy.Thanks to her for the suggestion. 

Bread Upma | Leftover Bread Recipes

Today's recipe is a very simple dish, Bread upma. When you have left over bread and is bored of the usual toast, sandwich etc., you can make this bread upma - A quick stir fry. The best part is it is so easy to make, can be made in a jiffy.

What are the ingredients needed?

Bread slices, 7-8 nos.

Oil, 2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon

Channa dhal/kadala paruppu, 1 tablespoon

Onions, 1 no (chopped)

Tomatoes(large), 1 no.(chopped)

Bell pepper/Capsicum, 1/2 (chopped)

Green chillies, 2-3 nos.

Garlic(crushed), 3-4 cloves

Curry leaves, 1 sprig

Turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon

Salt, to taste

Cilantro, to garnish

How it is made?

1. Cut the bread into cubes. You can remove the crust if you want. I like to use it with crust.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds and when they crack, add channa dhal and fry for a minute.
3. Then add crushed garlic, onions, bell peppers,green chillies and curry leaves and fry for 3-4 minutes till the onions turn slightly golden.
4. Then add chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder and cook till the tomatoes turn mushy and are cooked.
5. Add salt and mix well.
6. Now add the bread cubes and mix well and turn off the heat.
7. Garnish with cilantro.
8. Serve it warm.

Notes:

• You can use any kind of bread. I used wheat bread.
• For variation you can add vegetables like carrot, beans, peas or any other veggies of your choice.
• You can fry the bread cubes before hand and then mix with tomato mixture. I didn't do it.

Tandoori Chicken Recipe | Tandoori Murgh- In Oven | Oven Roasted Chicken Tandoori

Tandoori chicken is traditionally made in the tandoor (clay oven), but it can be easily prepared at home in the oven. Today I am posting the easy Tandoori Chicken recipe. We love Tandoori chicken a lot. In India, whenever we go to restaurant, this will be the first one we order. But after coming here, we rarely visit any Indian restaurants, so started making this tandoori chicken at home. Though I have made this so many times I couldn't blog about it because I couldn't click any pictures. So this time I didn't want to miss it. Though I made it in the night only, I managed to click few pictures. But it was tough with poor lighting and 3 pairs of hungry eyes watching me. So bear with the quality of the pictures. 

Tandoori chicken

What are all the ingredients needed?

Chicken legs, 4 nos.

Yogurt, 3 tablespoon

Turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon

Chilli powder, 1 teaspoon

Coriander powder, 2 teaspoon

Cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon

Garam masala, 1 teaspoon

Ginger garlic paste, 1 tablespoon

Lemon juice, from half lemon

Salt as needed

Orange food color, as needed

Oil, as needed

Melted Butter, 2 tablespoon

Garnish

Sliced onions

Sliced lemons

Cilantro

Tandoori chicken

How it is made?

1. Wash and Clean the chicken legs and make slits  on it and keep it ready.
2. Then in a bowl combine yogurt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, ginger garlic paste, salt, food color and lemon juice. Apply this marinade to the prepared chicken legs till they are fully covered in the marinade.
3. Cover it and refrigerate it for at least 6 hours- 8 hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Prepare the baking tray by covering it with silver foil and apply oil to it.
5. Then arrange the marinated chicken in the baking tray  and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Then using thong, turn it to the other side and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. Then apply melted butter over the chicken and broil for about 3 -5  minutes till you get the charred effect on the chicken. 
8. Remove it from the oven. Arrange it in the serving tray and garnish it as desired and serve it warm.

Tandoori chicken in oven

Notes

• I used 4 chicken legs. You can use other part of the chicken too. But make sure it is de-skinned and has bones.
• The more time it marinates the better. So prepare ahead for this dish.
• Before arranging in the oven make sure you shake off the excess marinade from the chicken.
• Oven timings varies with each oven. So check yours carefully.
• While the chicken is in the broiling mode stay near the oven watching it. When it is just right remove it from the oven immediately. There was once I was away, the smokes started to come, making the smoke alarm beep. But Thank god chicken was not affected. So when the chicken is in the oven in broiling mode have an eye on it.

Vanilla cupcakes with Rose flavored Butter cream frosting- Women's day Special

Today is International Women's day. I wish all my friends, Readers and fellow bloggers, Happy womens day. To celebrate the occasion, today's recipe is Vanilla cupcakes with rose flavored butter cream frosting. Since I added rose flavor to the frosting, I tried to make rose design on top of the cupcakes. I got the inspiration for it from my friend Priya who recently posted Rose cake , which she made for her anniversary in her blog.

Recipe :Joy of Baking

What are the ingredients needed?

For the cupcakes

All purpose flour, 1 1/2 cup

Baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon

Salt, 1/4 teaspoon

Butter, 1/2 cup

Sugar, 2/3 cup

Eggs, 3 nos. 

Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon

Milk, 1/4 cup

For the Rose Butter cream frosting

Powdered Sugar(Icing sugar)- 2 cups

Butter, 1/2 cup

Rose essence, 1 teaspoon

Milk, 2 table spoons

Pink color

How it is made?

Cupcakes

1. Pre heat the oven to 350 F
2. Prepare the cupcake pan by lining with paper liners and keep them ready.
3. Sift together all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and keep it aside.
4. Using a beater, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add eggs one by one and continue beating. Then add vanilla extract and beat.
5. Now to this mixture add the flour mixture, alternating with milk and mix  until they are well combined.
6. Pour this batter into the prepared cupcake pan dividing equally in each cup and bake for 15-17 minutes until they are done.
7. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting.

Butter cream frosting

1. With hand mixer or electric mixer, cream butter until it is smooth and fluffy.
2. Then add the rose essence and  continue to mix.
3. Reduce the speed and little by little add powdered sugar and continue beating. Scrape the edges. 
4. Then add milk and rose color and continue to beat at high speed till the frosting is light and fluffy.

Assembly 

1. Before applying the frosting make sure that the cakes are completely cooled.
2. I used Wilton 1M star tip to make the rose. Gently place the tip in the centre and make swirls around to form the rose pattern gently rotating the cupcake.
3. You can make design as per your choice too.
4. I added some sprinkles and colored sugar too.

Notes:

• Please make sure all the ingredients are in room temperature.
• While baking please make sure the cake is not over baked. The timings in oven varies with each oven.
• For making vanilla frosting instead of rose essence you can use vanilla extract and the color  can be of your choice.

Carrot Kheer Recipe | Carrot Payasam | Carrot Vermicelli Kheer

Today's recipe is Carrot Kheer. I recently made this kheer for a potluck dinner and it was a hit. Everyone just loved it. But I could not take any pictures so couldn't blog about it. Again I made it this weekend when I went to visit my friend. I didn't want to miss it this time too, so in a hurry clicked some pictures and finally here I am with the recipe. Most of the carrot kheer I have come across is made with just pureed carrot, but I wanted add some texture, so added vermicelli along with the pureed carrot. It is a rich, creamy delicious payasam/kheer with the goodness of carrot. 

Carrot kheer

Kadai Mushroom | Restaurant style Kadaai Mushroom Recipe | Mushroom Recipes

Today's recipe is Kadai Mushroom. We all love mushroom and I prepare it often at home but still I have posted only one recipe using Mushroom- Mushroom Cabbage Pulao. So I wanted to make something in mushroom specially for the blog and chose this dish since it is so easy to make and tastes delicious almost similar to the one you get in the restaurants. Over to the recipe,

Kadai Mushroom