Beetroot pachadi

I love the colour actually and I had mentioned in some post that my first experience with beets  was not really encouraging. It was this pachadi  that I had tried first at Hindu ceremony and I instantly loved  it to the core. But I ate it like a dessert and I knew nobody would touch it and I knew everyone was gawking at me especially my umma who was so ashamed . While eating it, I sat searching of I had it on blog and it was a missed recipe amongst many.

Most of the veggies doesn’t have any change in taste when cooked . But on adding the curd it's totally different.. However, for me  I loved it with rice  Once you feel that it is good to go, go ahead with cooking it and it becomes a pretty looking like a beautiful maroon colour , ready to go into anything that you are cooking it with.

Ingredients

• 2 beetroot shredded
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 Onion chopped finely
• 1 green chilli slit
• 1 sprig Curry leaves
• 1 small piece ginger crushed
• 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
• 1 red chilli
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup curd 

Method

• Heat oil
• Add the mustard seeds,curry leaves ginger red chilli . Stir for few seconds
• Add the rest of the ingredients mentioned above. Except for the curd .
• Pour 3 tablespoon water to cook the beets well.
• Cool completely before adding the curd .

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Butter kulcha

I love kulchas and naans  a lot, even if there are no sides to go with it. I would  have just in a perfect way to eat with barely nothing aside no curries or dips , just like that! There are times when I run out of flour this being the reason I cook a lot of butter naan and kulchas often for breakfast since I forget I had used up all what I had to make for tiffins too  If you are thinking, too much plian flour and so on well that's also true but I still don't bother I trick by doing a cup of wheat flour at times and still I get good results. It tastes so close to cooked tandoori style . It may be just my thought… During these times, I  also added few herbs so make it nutritional so there is  no guilt feeling I am having too much flour these days .

Here is another one for you using wheat flour
Instead  of plain flour . These  look just same with , but brown in color. I picked up a small pack of chopped parsley  and mixed in herbs since it interested me. The first thing I made with it was buttery herbs and grilled stove top. It looks so similar to the restaurant ones Apart from that, there is no difference at all.  Off to the recipe…the recipe is the authentic kulcha recipe addapted from my cousin's restaurant... It super soft and yummy.

Ingredients

• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup + more
• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• Salt - to taste
• 2 tblsp oil
• 1/2 teaspoon baking Soda
• Butter as generously needed

Method

• In mixing bowl take milk, sugar, salt, baking soda, oil in a bowl . Mix well. 
• Knead to soft dough adding in some flour  
• Cover and set aside for 30 mins.
• Divide the dough and  roll on floured surface 
• Take a pan and apply some water and place the flatten dough . 
• Invert the pan and heat the dough upside down on the flame .
• You will see some hot bubbles .
• Take it out on plate . Apply some butter . And. Serve hot.

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Malai mutton recipe

It is the eight month of the year and half way throught the year. InShaAllah, it will be Eid-ul-Adha soon and is as hoping to post some recipes that are  part of the festival, as a part of commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his inclination to accept and execute Allah’s command, despite it being the slaughtering of his eldest son Prophet Ismail (AS), who he was blessed with in his old age. 

During this Eid, since we tend to get a lot of  meat from neighbours' and friends off what they have slaughtered, lunch and dinner turns out to be more meat-centric. So for me this is best time to cook something with mutton than never before … 

I chose to share a very typical way of cooking mutton being it malai mutton recipe there are so many variations and this is very often made and  totally different from how north indians make it. I always wonder why  but then the deliciousness of the dish tells me not to think too much.  I have already shared two versions of making chicken  so it was high time I share the mutton one. It is easy and very accurate  gravy without much spices to cook with , so I for one reason who loves pepper so much would stove to dd few more in the end of the process of cooking it. It goes amazingly well with a plate of ghee rice  and is also a good combination with wheat porottas.  Here you can see I have served it with some ghee rice , which was also a lovely side for this mild curry. Off to the recipe…

Ingredients

• 3 tblsp oil
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 Onion  chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon Ginger Garlic paste
• 4 slit Green Chillies
• 500 grams mutton
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup Yogurt
• 2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
• 2 teaspoon Pepper Powder
• 1/4 Kasuri Methi Leaves
• 1/2 cup Fresh Cream

Method

• Heat oil in a pan. Splutter some jeera and let it carckle a bit 
• Add in onions, cook till golden
• Next add  ginger garlic paste, green chillies 
• Add in mutton and mix well.
• Add in salt, turmeric and mix well.
• Add in yogurt and mix well. Pressure  cook till mutton is done.
• Add in pepper powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
• Add in cream and mix well.
• Take it off the heat and serve

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Chocolate chip loaf cake

There are some cakes that are so frequently made when I get the time and I made it a point to bake every week something for the kids. That why  I would bake this particular , the good old loaf cake my family favourite. Thanks to the variety of ingredients available in the market, we experiment with various flavors and varieties and try not to look at the old style dishes, that graced our tables so effortlessly and we eagerly waited for them. Now, I feel that we are under pressure to make something new all the time.  It is actually very irritating at times…because I thirst for new and I try it out to make it work. But if there is a cake with chocolate chips they and AJ loves if given anytime, then it is this simple loaf cake. I had promised I would share the recipe soon in this post, So the cake made its way ahead to make it to the blog, frustrating all those drafts that are waiting in line! 

This is one of the first cakes  I learned to make when I was with mom . She made simple chocolate loaf cake . Anytime, my mind goes blank, I go ahead and make this. I don’t know why it took so long to appear on the blog, but each time I make it. This is actually a very easy party dessert cake ..u could call it  too. There are hardly any ingredients required, takes so little time to assemble and you can make it in advance and allow it to get cozy in the fridge as much as you would want it to! I gave a few pieces to my grandparents too They loved it so much that they wanted more next time. Very rarely they ask for anything of mine like that…

The quantity I am sharing here is just snug enough for 12* 4 inch loaf pan. and baked correct till the cake was enough.

Ingredients

• 100 grams Unsalted Butter
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/4 cup plain flour 
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• ¼ cup to ½ cup milk
• 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 degree C. line a loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Take a bowl amdix in  butter, sugar and vanilla .
• Add eggs and mix well.
• Add in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and fold gently.
• Add in chocolate chips and mix well.
• Add in milk and fold gently.
• Spoon into the pan and bake for 30 to 35 mins.
• Remove and cool completely.
• Slice and serve.

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Chocolate chip cookies

I am not a chocolate person at all but my bakes in my Instagram page is loaded with them and that's mainly because of my kids  has a soft spot towards chocolate, somehow it gets done in my kitchen . I am  someone who likes to make cookies. I feel it is the easiest form of cooking. Just a few  basic attention tricks they get done so well and best part it takes very little time . My cookies  usually never turns out well. But after getting to know the right temperature of my oven I have started baking some recipes that are trial tested ones, and they all turned super so far. I lack that patience, that usually needed in baking  but basically speaking That is why there are very limited cookie recipes on the blog , inshallah will work on it soon , gradually. I wish I could improve on my skills  but as long as I don’t keep my focus on blog , I don’t think the numbers will improve!

OK, focusing back your eyes  to these delicious stack of cookies that I have cooked couple of days ago actually , as it was hot it tasted so yummy and cracky . First batch got over very soon and the second set was almost done. It was warm and I had let it cool a bit before storing  it away from containers. As gorgeous as it looks it looks and tastes wonderful as well .I guess the other aspect of baking them is that's it is super crunchy and slightly soft within . I added the chocolate chips that I had leftover from the birthday cake that I had baked for my kid. I love baking them as I have sure instincts that it will turn out fine .

Ingredients

1/2 cup  Unsalted Butter

3/4  cup sugar

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Egg

1 and 1/2 cup  All Purpose Flour 

1/ 2 teaspoon Baking Soda

½ tsp salt

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate  Chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 degree C.

Take a bowl and mix butter, sugar,  vanilla .

Add in egg and mix well.

Add in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and chocolate chips. Shape it into a dough.

Take small portion of dough. Roll it into a smooth ball.

Arrange it in a parchment lined paper. Bake for 17 mins.

Remove and cool completely.

Store and enjoy.

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Vegetable stir fry

Three of my homy vegetables are potatoes lady's finger and brinjals . The only way I like to have it is in the form of chips, snacks and stir fries . Sometimes, I end up buying  large quantities and then forget about it in the fridge, and one fine day I wonder what to do with it. It was then that this recipe was discovered. Here is another one to be added onto it when you are looking for inspirations to cook with our homy beast who are  street food caters' love …

Vegetable Bajji  fry goes  amazingly well with anything – a perfect example being this recipe itself . This recipe was a trial in similar lines, just that potatoes is more of a durable vegetable and one that can be differed in many ways . I kept the flavors very simple and let the vegetable itself  do the tasting
We really enjoyed it with our chapathis and I ate it just like that without anything to go with it for that too as snack with toasted breads , the next day too.

Ingredients

• 4 nos. Potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1/4 kilo lady's fingers
• 2 small size brinjals
• 2 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2  tsp jeera
• 2 Dry Red Chilli
• 1 Onion sliced
• 2 Green Chillies  slit long
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Method

• Heat oil in a pan, add in  jeera, dry red chillies and fry for a min.
• Add in potatoes, onions and mix well.
• Fry well .
• Then add the rest of the veggies and fry well
• Add salt, green chilli ,turmeric powder, mix well.
• Cook till all veggies  are fried and cooked and mix well.
• Serve.

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Roasted bell pepper hummus

I love  hummus and it's an absolute craze even if there are no sides to go with it we drool just by finger licking gypsies! . Hummus is just perfect dip and have it along with any veggie sticks like  cucumber celery or carrot sticks as my son loves it. Once a while I buy the cans or just have it cooked from homemade boiled chick peas.  There are times when I run out of extras and I apply some hummus on breads . I
Love the flavours of fresh ones cooked basically from.jome and then there is no longer need for a canned one for life. That's how good the homemade hummus can be … During these times, the “innovated” hummus comes into play, like this one with red bell pepper.

Here is another one for you using chickpeas and red bell pepper . These red capsicum has a nature of so juicy flavour to it. I picked up a small pack since it I cook mostly with fornpastats and additions for sandwich The first thing I made with it was this hummus. It looks so similar to the original hummus, just that it is slightly more peach colour because of the color of the red capsicum. That's tell change we find there was some thining of the liquid to be done . I also found it a little thicker, so add more liquid to loosen it up. Off to the recipe…

Ingredients

2 whole red bell pepper / capsicum

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup  tahini, see  recipe

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil, and extra for garnish 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

Salt to taste

Method
Roast the peppers.
Remove pepper core  , cut into large pieces.
Arrange pepper pieces, skin-side up, on a baking sheet.
Bake them for 5 to 10 minutes on a tray and cool . 
Gently remove  the charred skin.

You can reserve the skin for garnish too. 

Make hummus

In mixing jar,  combine tahini ,lemon juice and grind for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then grind again

It helps the whole thing to be creamy too.

Next Add in  olive oil, minced garlic,  1/2 a teaspoon salt to  the fluffy  tahini  lemon mix.
Grind again  for 30 seconds.

Add half of the chickpeas  and repeat the process.

Now Add the roasted peppers and continue to geind again .

Add water if needed only.

The whole thing will be creamy 

Add salt to taste  garnish with pepper soup ns and green chopped parsly if needed..

Add olive on tops and make a dip.

.

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