Chicken Haleem with Oats

Oats haleem for Iftar today :)

So if you find yourself having left over chicken, what do you do? You make a soup or better yet, oats haleem with it!

Take out the bones from the chicken. If your chicken is in curry form, you don't need the following:

Ginger garlic paste,

Onions,

Red chilli powder

If it's plain chicken, then add the above items and fry till onions turn soft.

If its' curry leftovers, you only need the following:

Lemon juice - to taste

Mint and Coriander leaves - chopped

Green chilli, finely chopped - to taste

Chicken stock - optional

Oats

Put the chicken into a pot, add the green chillies. Add chicken stock or water. One cup per person. Add coriander and mint leaves, lemon juice and salt if required. The chicken stock usually has sufficient salt in it.

Once the liquid boils, add the oats - about 1/2 cup per person, and allow to cook for 10 min. The consistency will be quite thick. Take it out of the stove and allow to cool. Then mash it up a little bit, and you will notice that it becomes a bit sticky in nature, haleem-style.

And thats it. Serve hot with fried onions and a wedge of lemon. Bismillah!

Vegetarian Panna Cotta with home-made Mango Jam

Most of us know this recipe. The Indian version actually. We actually call it "China Grass" for some reason. And the best part! It's vegetarian!!! I know it is a hassle for many to get hands on halal/kosher/vegetarian gelatin, so use Agar-Agar instead. Very simple. Very easy.

What you need:

500 ml of full cream milk (Half and Half if you can get your hands on it)

250 ml of agar agar (boiled and strained to remove any lumps)

1 cup sugar

2-3 drops of vanilla essence (Vanilla bean if you can get your hands on it)

Warm milk just up-to the point before it starts boiling. You don't want to boil it. Add sugar and dissolve. Add the strained agar agar liquid. Add the vanilla. Pour into molds. Allow to cool. Put it into the fridge for 4-5 hrs to set. Yay! It's done.

I'll put up the recipe for Mango Jam later on. You can serve with any fruit, or caramel, or honey, maple syrup...whatever moves you to tears.... 

Oh, what are those crystals you say? That is just clear agar agar with sugar and some cardamom powder for flavour. Totally optional. :D

Carrot Coriander Soup

So here’s a simple recipe that I tried out in just 15 minutes (one of Sanjeev Kapoor’s recipes). Most soups can be made with the same base – garlic, peppercons, bay leaf and any vegetable of your choice. Go on!! Try it!! 

Carrot Coriander Soup

You would need a teaspoon of peppercorns and a bay leaf.

Some garlic cloves, 5-6 would suffice.

 Around 400 gms of carrots and a medium sized onion.

Chop up the onion and the carrots.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pressure cooker. A heavy bottomed pot would do.

Add the peppercorns, garlic cloves, bay leaf and onions. 

Fry till the onions are golden brown. They should be soft by now.
Add the carrots to the pot.

Add a fresh bunch of coriander leaves along with the stems.

Add some water and allow to pressure cook for 10 min.

Allow to cool and then puree everything.

Transfer back to pot, add salt and pepper to taste. Add water to correct the consistency. Allow to boil.

And that’s it! Add a few drops of lemon. Serve hot. Some garlic bread would be nice.
And don’t forget to say Bismillah :D

Carrot Coriander Soup

Quick reference:

1 tbsp butter or ghee
5-6 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
5-6 garlic cloves
500 gms carrots
Coriander leaves with stems
Salt to taste
White pepper
Lemon

Method:
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pressure cooker. Add the peppercorns, garlic cloves and bay leaf. Chop up the onion and add it to the pot. Fry till the onions are golden brown. Roughly chop the carrots and add them to the pot. Add a fresh bunch of coriander leaves along with the stems. Add some water and allow to pressure cook for 10 min. Allow to cool and puree everything.

Sweet Tamarind chutney

 

Right, then. How about you answer one question?

What's the one ingredient that if you find missing in your chats, say dahi puri or samosa ragada, you would go mad, really really mad? Ok not mad, but you know something's missing, right?

Come on! Imli ki chutney! Admit it. You love it with your samosas and bajjies, don't you?

It's actually very simple to make.

Here's what you need:

2 cups of Tamarind pulp - a lime sized ball of tamarind is enough

Sugar - to taste

Chaat masala - 2 tbsp

Dhanya powder/ Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder / Ground cumin - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Start by soaking tamarind in some warm water. Mash it and take out the pulp carefully using more water. Use a sieve to strain out bits. Add sugar and the rest of the masalas and stir well. Taste and tweak accordingly. The consistency will be quite liquid till you bring it to boil. Let it cook for a minute or two. It will begin to thicken. And will start looking dark and syrupy. That's it.

A word of advice. Sugar balances the tamarind. So dont be afraid to put in enough sugar to get the taste right. Also, the colour of the tamarind actually decides the colour of the chutney in the end. If you like, you can add red colour to get the restaurant effect.

Good luck!

Semiya ka Meetha

Oh Hello there!

Semiya or vermicelli is famous mostly for "Sheer Kurma", the creamy sweet dish we have every Eid. Here's something I discovered as a child in Oman in one of my aunt's place and boy, was it refreshing to have this sweet dish instead of the regular Sheer kurma. Crunchy, chewy and juicy.....sounds delicious right?

Here's what you need:

• 500gms vermicelli - get wire-thin and pre-toasted vermicelli if you can.
• 400gms condensed milk - sweetened (I used good 'ol milkmaid with that pretty lady on top of the tin)
• 150 gms melted butter - you can use ghee (clarified butter) as well, that's what I did.
• 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (elaichi)

What? No sugar? Nope. Seriously. Trust me.

The sweetened condensed milk will suffice.
Put the vermicelli in a plastic bag and tie a knot. Get your husband/father/son (or whoever is watching TV) to break it all up into little pieces.

Right, get your saucepan out then. Heat the butter and add the vermicelli. Now, on high heat, keep stirring and swishing about the vermicelli in all that lovely butter. Be careful not to leave it alone while frying the vermicelli no matter what. It'll burn pretty quickly if you start daydreaming in the middle. (NO! I DID NOT BURN MINE!!! It's just a warning)



You'll need to continue stirring for at least 10 min until it turns reddish brown in color. Do keep your nostrils alert. We don't want extra toasty (read burnt) vermicelli in this recipe.






Add the cardamom powder to the toasted vermicelli. Carry on stirring. Reduce the heat.



You will notice the butter droplets like this at the bottom of the pan.

Keep the condensed milk ready to pour. Now this is the tricky part. The moment you start pouring the condensed milk into the pan, it's going to get all sticky and gooey. You need to ensure you got your spatula ready with you to give a good stir to the whole mixture when you pour it in.


Go ahead. Pour in the condensed milk and start stirring it immedietly.


Dump the contents on the tray you kept aside a few min ago? What? You dint? DID I NOT TELL YOU TO KEEP IT READY!!! *mumble*mumble*


Flatten it out with a broad spatula and allow to cool for a little while.





Cut into cubes with a large knife. You can cut it into diamonds as well....not a hard based rule, u know. I made laddus out of them too once.


Garnish with nuts - Almonds,pistachios, walnuts, etc (if you have them in stock that is). I personally like them without nuts, but that's just me. Everyone else I know absolutely relishes them with nuts.


Once it's cool, use the spatula to scoop 'em out and serve.
So want to eat Sheer Kurma instead of drinking it? :)
Bon Apetit!

Tabouleh

Growing up in the middle east has taught me to love the arab palate. I simply love arab salads like Tabouleh, a crunchy salad and Fatoosh served with fried Qubz. I love Shawarmas, Shish Tawook and Hareeth (similar to Haleem we get in hyderabad). And how about those heavenly lebanese Labneh pastries made from cream cheese. My favourite snacks would be a simple arab bread dipped in Hommus - so filling and so yum. And grilled chicken with garlic mayonise - Taum!! That's the all-time favourite. My mom and myself can guzzle down taum with qubz anytime. Just bring it on!

So anyway, this salad is quite addictive in nature, let me warn you. A spoon of this goes in and you won't be able to stop. So lets make Tabouleh? That's right! I love Tabouleh. In fact I love everything associated with parsley. Loads of parsley. We don't get parsley easily where I live now, but if I ever find it, you know the first thing I would do with it, don't you?

• Parsley, 1 bunch
• Mint leaves, 1/2 bunch
• Coriander leaves, 1 bunch (optional)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Cucumber, chopped
• Lettuce, a quarter portion, or 1 cup, chopped
• 3-4 spring onions, chopped fine
• Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
• Lemon juice, 1 tbsp
• Salt
• Burgul - 1 cup

And the main ingredient which makes Tabouleh awesome - Burgul wheat. You'll need a cup of this. Soak for a few minutes while you chop the rest of the stuff. Grind it well.

Mix it all together in a large bowl. Season with olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt to taste.

Lovely.

Caramel Pudding

Would you believe me if I told you that making caramel pudding is extremely easy? Well....IT IS!!!! I tried it a couple of days ago and it was just perfect :)

Sadly I din't have my digicam with me...so a picture from the internet will have to suffice. However...the point is, caramel pudding is simply delicious, an alltime favourite of many and you don't need any of those instant pudding mixes at all. All you need is:

For the pudding:

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp custard powder
• 4 tbsp sugar
• vanilla essence - a drop

For the caramel:

• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp water, lukewarm

Beat all the ingredients together and strain it using a tea strainer. Pour the mixture into a double boiler. I used an idli cooker. You can use a normal pressure cooker as well, but without the whistle. Simply use a small vessel which will hold the pudding. Put 1/2 cup of water into the cooker and place a barrier, like an upside down container inside. Place the vessel containing the pudding.over this. Cook for 20 min. That's it!

Now, for the caramel. This might be the only tricky part. Take an aluminum vessel, and add sugar in it. Sprinkle some water in it and heat very patiently up to 10 minutes on low flame. When it reaches the melting point, the sugar will slowly turn an amber color and a texture like honey. As soon as this happens, wait till the sides of the pot are covered with this liquid and turn off the heat. Stay clear (it might sputter) and quickly add 2 tsp of water into this and stir to remove any lumps. Your caramel is ready.

Pour the caramel in a dish. Turn pudding upside down into this dish and serve cold.

P.S: Making caramel for the first time was the most exciting part of the whole process. It was simply thrilling to watch sugar crystals melt into this beautiful liquid.

Fruits in Custard

Well its Ramadhan time...and we love our fruits at Iftar time. Here's fruit custard with a twist. Ever tried it with almonds and dates? It is simply awesome. A little crunchy. A little chewy.

• 1/2 litre milk
• 2 tsp custard powder
• 1 cup sugar
• A drop of vanilla essence
• 2 bananas
• 1 apple
• 1 orange, seeds removed
• pomegranate seeds
• 10 almonds, skinned and chopped
• 6 dates, seeds removed and chopped
• 2-3 slices of plain vanilla cake or sponge cake

Prepare custard according to directions. Heat milk to boiling point. Dissolve custard powder in a little water to make a paste. Reduce heat and add sugar to the milk. Add the custard paste stirring continuously. Add vanilla essence. Allow to cool and refrigerate.

Dice the fruits and add the orange bits preferably without the skin. Add the chopped almonds and dates. Mash the sponge cake with fingers and sprinkle into the custard. Mix well and serve cold.

Tip: Custard not your thing? Make Fruit Chat instead. Leave out the custard and the cake. Add orange juice to the diced fruits, a pinch of salt, 4 tsp sugar and some black pepper. You can use fruit chat masala available in deli counters as well. Ramadhan Kareem.

Banana and Date Cake

• 2 3/4 cups cake flour (maida)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup dates, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Microwave ½ cup of dates on high for 10 minutes and puree. Mash the bananas with buttermilk and add it to the puree and keep aside.

Mix and sift the flour, baking powder and soda, salt together and keep aside.

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, sugar and eggs until peaks form when you lift the whisks. Add vanilla essence. Carefully fold in the flour taking care to avoid lump formation. At low speed, beat in flour mixture and the mashed banana and date mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. Add chopped dates and walnuts. (I used some candied cherries as well)

Prepare a cake tin with butter and dust flour over it. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 1 hour or until cake tests done. Insert a clean knife carefully and if it comes out clean without any cake mixture sticking to it, your cake’s done! Cool for 15 minutes and then turn it upside down and cool completely. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and serve.