Instant Crispy Jalebi

Jalebi is a popular Indian dessert which makes an appearance in almost all the festivals and marriages. The best combination that goes well along with hot jalebis are rabdi. These jalebis can be made with different ingredients and they all have variety of names like the paneer Jalebi, Khoya Jalebi, Jaggery Jalebi, jaleba which is king size, jhangri which is made using urad dal, imarti and so on. 

I love all the varieties. In my blog, long back I have posted a jalebi recipe which is made instantly using yeast, today I tried using curd and baking soda. The consistency of the batter matters, as it shouldn't be too thick nor thin.

The thought of making jalebis came to me when yesterday my son after coming back from school saw the jalebi on youtube and started asking me to buy or to make as Jalebi being his second favorite dessert (first one is always Gulab jamun). Today after my morning walk, I gave it a try by preparing the batter and as the jalebis were done, it took only 30- 45 minutes. Using these quantity I made 20-25 Jalebis. As the shape and taste were delicious, I thought of sharing with all my friends here in my blog. Hope you all will try and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour- 1 Cup
2. Corn Flour- 2 tbsp
3. Ghee-4 tsp
4. Curd- 4 tbsp
5. Baking Soda- 1 tsp
6. Salt- a pinch
7. Yellow/ Orange Food Color- a drop
8. Water- required to make a batter- 1/2 Cup
9. Oil- for deep frying

Sugar Syrup:

1. Sugar- 1 Cup
2. Water- 1/2 Cup
3. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
4. cardamom Powder- 1 tsp

Method:

1. Mix the all purpose flour, corn flour, curd, ghee, baking soda, food color and salt in a mixing bowl. Combine these using little amount of water by using a whisk. The batter should be neither thick nor thin, it should be free flowing. If it feels thin add a tbsp of all purpose flour, if it is too thick add small amount of water.
2. Pour this batter into a squeezer or in a zip lock bag and seal it.
3. Heat oil for deep frying, when it is hot cut a small end of the zip lock and pour the batter in the shape of Spirals. Make 4-5 rings and let it become crisp on both the sides. Repeat with the remaining batter.
4. Meanwhile make the sugar syrup by adding the ingredients in a deep bowl on a low heat. Mix and boil till the sugar syrup forms 1 string consistency. Keep this aside.
5. Add the made jalebi rings into warm sugar syrup, flip it on both the sides for a min and remove. Continue with the remaining.
6. Enjoy hot jalebis.

Shirin's Special Goat Biryani- A delectable combination of spiced meat & rice!!!!

Eid Mubarak my friends!!!!

We visited our friend's house for the weekend and they celebrate bakrid one day before us, so we got to celebrate Eid with them. We enjoyed spending time with our friends. Kids had lots of fun time playing, all nighter, watching movies and so on. 

Usually we make some easy breakfast and then start the biryani process but at my friend's house they prepare the biryani in the morning and will have it for breakfast. We thoroughly enjoyed the biryani for breakfast. It was a new experience. As my friend Shirin, made this in her version,  I gave this biryani her name.

My friend, marinated the meat with spices and yogurt, cooked the rice separately and deep fried the onions. She then assembled it by layering and adding lemon juice and saffron milk in between. For breakfast, a delicious, scrumptious, finger licking and mouth watering biryani was ready. We relished the biryani the rest of the day.

I noticed a thing that this biryani doesn't require too many ingredients like a normal biryani. Hope you like the recipe and try it out. Please let me know how it turned.

 Ingredients:

Marination:

• Goat- 3 lbs
• Green chillies (slit)- 10-15 numbers
• Ginger- Garlic Paste- 3 tbsp
• Yogurt- 2 Cups
• Garam Masala- 2 tbsp
• Salt- as required

1. Basmati Rice- 6 Cups
2. Water- 11 Cups
3. Fried onions (sliced)- 8 numbers
4. Garam Masala- 3 tbsp
5. Lemon Juice- 1/2 Cup
6. Saffron with Milk/ Orange food color with milk- 1/4 Cup

Method:

For Marination:

1. Marinate the goat, yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, slit green chilies, garam masala and salt. Keep this aside for almost 3-4 hours or overnight. Cook this on medium flame for almost 2 hours or the meat gets tender.
2. Deep fry the sliced onions in oil till it gets golden brown. Keep this aside on a kitchen towel. Reserve the fried oil for assembling.
3. Rinse and soak the rice for 30minutes. After 30 minutes, drain the rice. Heat water required for the biryani and when it gets boiled add the drained rice and salt, mix and keep the lid and let it cook for 20 minutes on low flame. After 20 minutes switch off the flame and keep it for 10 minutes without mixing. Slowly fluff the rice using a fork.

For assembling:

1. In a deep bottomed vessel layer with a tbsp of fried onions, spoonful of goat masala, tbsp of garam masala and cooked rice and repeat the process and make sure that the top layer is of rice. 
2. Poke holes and pour the lemon juice and saffron milk in each hole and close with a lid. Let it cook on low flame for about 15- 20 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes, open the lid, mix and enjoy with raita.

Indian Chicken in Pickling Spices/ Achari Murg

A delicious, spicy, tangy Chicken dish made with pickling spices that preserves the dish for long time. A North Indian delicacy which is made with ingredients that enhances the flavors, increases the taste and is very authentic. This is a dish made in places like Rajasthan from a very long time.

I learned about this dish when I had this for the first time in a restaurant long back. I started making this at home, but couldn't post the recipe as it would be finished in no time and after some time I feel lazy to take pics. Today, here I am with a mouth watering , finger licking delicious dish which will be liked by all and hope you all will try it as the ingredients are easily available in the market.

Achar is an Indian condiment staple. Achar is a pickled food made with different variety’s of vegetables, fruits or meat and fish, which is preserved in brine or vinegar along with various Indian spices. There is no correct way of making pickles, rather every region every household has a preference. Here in this recipe, we use the spices that are used in pickles. Each spice is different from others, some are bitter, some are acidic, some are full of flavor but when everything comes together it's magical!!

Here I started with roasting and powdering the pickling spices and marinated the powder with the chicken, yogurt, which makes the gravy thick and which helps coat the chicken pieces evenly. Sautéed the onion- tomato mixture and then added the marinated chicken which is cooked in a generous amount of red chili powder and ended with a dash of crushed dried fenugreek leaves which will increase the flavors. A tender, juicy chicken in a spicy and tangy gravy is ready within minutes. This is traditionally made using mustard oil but you can use any oil as you like. You can adjust the gravy by adding water or decreasing. Hope you all like it!!

Ingredients:

1. Chicken Pieces- 2 lbs
2. Yogurt- 1 Cup
3. Salt- as required
4. Turmeric Powder- 2 tsp
5. Red Chilli powder- 1 tsp
6. Onions - 2 nos
7. Ginger- Garlic paste- 1 tbsp
8. Tomatoes (crushed)- 2 nos
9. Dried Fenugreek Leaves- 1tbsp
10. Oil- 2 tbsp

Roast and Grind: 
Pickling Spices:

1. Mustard Seeds- 1 tsp
2. Fenugreek Seeds- 1 tsp
3. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
4. Fennel Seeds- 1 tsp
5. Nigell Seeds- 1 tsp
6. Dried Red Chilies-6 nos

Method:

1. Roast the pickling spices on a low flame and when it cools down grid to a fine powder. Marinate the chicken using this ground powder, turmeric powder, yogurt and salt. Keep this aside for half an hour.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan, grind the onions to a coarse paste and fry till they turn translucent. Add the ginger- garlic paste and stir well.
3. When the raw smell disappears, add the crushed tomatoes and stir till everything gets well blended. When the water evaporates, add the red chili powder. Mix well.
4. In this add the marinated chicken, mix well and cook it covered for about 20- 25 minutes on a low flame.
5. When it gets cooked, add dried fenugreek leaves, stir and switch off the flame. Enjoy with roti, naan, bread or pulav.

Baked Tandoori lamb Chops

From so long I was thinking of making lamb chops but many things were going through my mind, like how they will turn out, whether they will get cooked properly or not and whether they taste good if baked. But when I saw lamb rack in Costco, I thought of giving it a try and here it is today in my blog which I am sharing for all of my friends to try and let me know how this dish turned out.

Before making the lamb chops, I was thinking this dish as a time consuming one, but once you start the process, this dish will take less time and at the end you can enjoy a very healthy and tasty, delicious food.

Marinate the lamb rack using the marinade ingredients and bake it till done. A perfectly cooked, mouth watering, juicy lamb chops will be ready within no time and this will be a hit among the guests. Marination plays an important role in enhancing the flavors of lamb chops. this can be served along with Indian mint chutney or along with potato wedges or cooked veggies. I served them along with quinoa- veggie soup, a perfect combination. Hope you all might like this.

Ingredients:

1. Lamb Chops- 8-12 nos
2. Marinade:
3. Greek Yogurt- 1/2 Cup
4. Paprika powder- 1 tbsp
5. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tbsp
6. Cumin powder- 1/2 tbsp
7. Minced ginger- 1 tbsp
8. Minced garlic- 1 tbsp
9. Garam Masala powder- 1/2 tbsp
10. Salt- as required
11. Coriander Powder- 1 tbsp
12. Lemon juice- 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients under marinade in a bowl and keep this aside.
2. In the above mixture add the cleaned and drained lamb chops and coat the chops well with the marinade.
3. Let it sit for  3-4 hours. No need of keeping this in the refrigerator, if you are doing so, make sure the lamb should be in room temperature before baking.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
5. Place the marinated lamb chops on the baking paper and pour the liquid on top and bake this for almost 10- 15 minutes. After 15 minutes let the chops broil for another 2- 3 minutes and switch off the oven and take the lamb chops out.
6. Cut accordingly and serve warm.

Baked Chicken- Veggie salad with Creamy, Tangy Avocado Dressing

These days we are so much into salad that I would be searching for different salad recipes or dressings. One such salad which we all like is this chicken- veggies salad with a creamy and tangy avocado dressing. Tough this baked marinated chicken- veggie I usually make, this time I wanted a dressing that goes well with this salad and here is an easy and simple dressing that will be liked by all.  The left over dressing got finished like a dip with the nachos by my kids. Trust me this will be a perfect dish among guests and they end up asking for a second serve.

In the chicken- veggie salad, you can add any vegetables of your choice and nuts or boiled eggs and enjoy just like that but I found the dressing gets well blended with the salad and kids will enjoy the most. For kids, cut the chicken into bit sized pieces and mix everything and place it in tacos and serve them. Trust me, they wont leave till everything gets finished.

This avocado dressing is delicious, creamy and perfect to drizzle on all your salads. I love avocados in most of my dishes or in smoothies. They taste darn delicious and are very healthy and nutritious. This dressing is similar to guacamole, but this is little more runny and pour able.

This dressing is so easy to make just add all the ingredients in a blender or processor and processes till it becomes a creamy consistency. Hope you all like this and try it out.
Ingredients:
For Chicken- Veggie Salad:

1. Boneless Chicken pieces- 1 Cup
2. Salt- as required
3. Pepper- 1 tsp
4. Chili Powder- 1 tsp
5. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
6. Carrots(Cut into strips)- 1 no
7. Mushrooms (cut into 4)- 2 Cups
8. Corn- 1/4 Cup

Method:

• Rub the chicken with the spices and keep this aside for 30 min.
• In a cast iron pan, add the marinated chicken, corn, mushrooms, carrots, salt and pepper. Bake for about 20- 25 min in a pre-heated oven of 350 degrees F.

For the Creamy, tangy Avocado dressing:

1. Avocado (cubed)- 1 no
2. Garlic Clove- 1 no
3. Juice of lemon- 1/2
4. Parsley Leaves- few
5. Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
6. Salt- to taste
7. Greek Yogurt- 2 tbsp

Method:

• Blend all the ingredients in a blender and take in a serving bowl or mix it with above made chicken- veggie salad and enjoy.

Chicken Tikka Biryani- A Finger-licking deliciousness..

Chicken tikka Biryani is a dish in which the marinated chicken pieces are baked in the tikka masala and the flavored basmati rice is added to the Chicken tikka gravy which is then served along with Raita.
Chicken Tikka Masala is a very popular Indian delicacy in which the boneless chicken pieces are marinated in the spice mix of curd and spices and baked till perfection which is then added to a rich, creamy gravy and can be had along with naans/ rotis/ pilaf. This is a perfect appetizer for any occasion.

For this Biryani, I have used chicken with bone instead of boneless, and I made the Biryani using small grain rice which is as tasty and flavorful as the long grain.

For a long time, Biryani has become a part of Indian cuisine and so many different varieties of vegetarian and non-vegetarian Biryani recipes are made. I have been thinking about making this tikka Biryani from a long time and so this weekend I tried it and surprisingly came out well.

The process looks a bit lengthy, but if the chicken tikka is made in advance like a day or two before then it will be very easy to prepare the Biryani. This will be an instant hit among guests if served at a party. This flavorful, spicy, aromatic Biryani will be loved by all. A little bit of foresight and planning for this dish and it can be made quickly.

I know that my last post is also chicken, but couldn't help it as I have to post this Biryani,  because this recipe I was longing to make and came out perfectly well.

I have marinated the chicken for 2 hours, you can marinate the chicken overnight, as the spices will be very well infused into the chicken. By looking at my preparation process don't panic, I will give some easy points to make the process easy and simple.

•  Prepare the tikka masala and store it in an airtight jar. This can be used for any other gravy or for paneer tikka masala.
• The day before making the Biryani, marinate the chicken pieces in the tikka masala and keep refrigerated till the next day.
• You can prepare the Biryani masala and store in the refrigerator.
• You will get perfectly cooked basmati rice if you follow the method which I explained below. You can make the long grain or the small grain rice.
• We ended the Biryani with a small glass of sulaimani/ black tea squeezed lemon. A great digestive drink.

Hope you all will try this out and let me know how it turned.

Ingredients:

For Tikka Masala:

1. Coriander Seeds- 3 tbsp
2. Cumin Seeds- 2 tbsp
3. Pepper Corns- 2 tbsp
4. Red Chillies- 10- 12 nos
5. Cloves- 8- 9 nos
6. Cardamom- 6-7 no
7. Cinnamon- 1" stick
8. Turmeric Powder- 1 tbsp
9. Red Chili Powder- 1 tbsp
10. Dry Mango Powder- 1/2 tbsp (optional)

Method for tikka masala:

• Dry roast all the ingredients under the tikka masala and grind it to a fine powder. Keep this in an airtight jar and use the powder as required.

For Preparing the Chicken Tikka:

1. Chicken- 2 pounds
2. Ginger- Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
3. Lemon Juice- 2 tbsp
4. Tikka Masala- 3 tbsp
5. Red Chili Powder- 1 Tsp
6. Turmeric Powder- 1 Tsp
7. Salt- as required
8. Curd- 1 Cup

Method:

1. Wash and drain the chicken. Marinate the drained chicken using all the ingredients listed for chicken tikka and let it rest for 1 hour. Arrange the marinated chicken pieces on a parchment paper and store the remaining masala liquid for future use.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the marinated chicken pieces for about 20- 30 minutes, flipping in between. Keep this aside once done.

For the Biryani Masala:

1. Oil- 2 tbsp
2. Onions (chopped)- 3 nos
3. Tomatoes (chopped)- 2nos
4. Ginger- Garlic Paste- 2 tbsp
5. Red Chili Powder- 1 Tsp
6. Turmeric powder- 1 Tsp
7. Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
8. Pepper Corns- 1 Tsp
9. Slit Green Chilies- 4 nos
10. Garam Masala Powder- 2 Tsp
11. Curd- 1 Cup
12. Coriander and Mint Leaves (chopped)- 1/2 Cup
13. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Heat oil, add the chopped onions along with cumin and peppercorns. When they turn translucent, add the ginger- garlic paste. Saute till the raw smell disappears.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, coriander and mint leaves. Stir well. Add the garam masala powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder with the required amount of salt.
3. Add the curd along with baked chicken pieces and the remaining tikka masala liquid. Mix well. Let this boil for about 5 minutes on a medium flame. Switch off and keep this aside till the rice is ready.

For the Rice:

1. Basmati Rice- 3 cups
2. Water- 6 Cups
3. Oil- 1 tbsp
4. Clarified Butter- 1 tbsp
5. Whole Spices (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise) - 1 tbsp
6. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Soak the rice for about 30 minutes. Drain and keep this aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil and clarified butter. Add the whole spices and pour 6 cups water. Cover with a lid and let this boil on high flame.
3. Once when the water starts to boil, add the drained rice and close with the lid, let it cook on low flame for exactly 20 minutes.
4. After 20 minutes, switch off the flame, let this rest for 10 minutes. Open, fluff with a fork.

Assembling:

1. Clarified Butter- 1 tbsp
2. Fried Onions- 1/2 Cup
3. Coriander Leaves (chopped)- 1/4 Cup

• In a wide mouthed vessel, layer the chicken tikka masala and rice alternating with a tbsp of clarified butter, fried onions and chopped coriander leaves. Close with a tight lid and serve when needed.

Chicken in fenugreek leaves and Cream/ Methi Malai Murgh (MMM)

Methi Malai Murg is a creamy chicken, curried in yogurt and cream with a punch of dried fenugreek leaves. This is popular Indian cuisine, which comes from the Mughals and is a perfect side dish for rotis, naan, rumali rotis.

This creamy, silky chicken gravy is a perfect show stopper for any parties. This is stunningly tasty, super quick and a perfect winter dish to keep you warm. This dish will be liked by all.

The chicken gets cooked well with all the spices along with yogurt and cream and the addition of kasoori methi will give an amazing aroma and flavor to the dish.

Kasoori methi is dried fenugreek seeds, which is used in most of the Indian cooking. These leaves are slightly bitter and are crushed to enhance the flavors before adding to a dish. These are easily available in all the Indian stores across the US. I loved the flavor of these dried fenugreek seeds when I first used them in Rara Chicken- a Punjabi dish. Try making this dish at home and I am sure that everybody will fall in love with this dish.

Ingredients:

1. Chicken- 1 1/2 Pounds
2. Oil- 1 tbsp
3. Whole Spices (Cardamom, Cloves, Cinnamon) - 1 tbsp
4. Bay Leaf- 1 no
5. Onions and Green Chilies (chopped) - 2 nos
6. Ginger & Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
7. Tomatoes (chopped) - 1 no
8. Yogurt- 1/2 Cup
9. Red Chili Powder- 1 tbsp
10. Coriander Powder- 1 tbsp
11. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
12. Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
13. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
14. Salt- as required
15. Fresh Cream- 1/3 Cup
16. Kasuri Methi (dried Fenugreek Leaves) - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Clean, wash and drain the chicken pieces. Keep it aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and green chilies. Saute till the raw smell disappears. Add the ginger- garlic paste. Mix well.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and when they turn mushy, add the red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, and the garam masala powder.
4. Stir well, add the yogurt along with chicken and salt. Mix till everything gets well blended.
5. Add 1/2 cup of water and close with a lid till the chicken gets cooked well. Once the chicken gets cooked, add the cream and adjust the consistency of water.
6. Sprinkle with the Kasuri Methi to the cooked chicken and cook for about 2 more minutes and switch off the flame. Serve the hot MMM along with rotis/ pulav.