Masoor biryani

Hello everyone!!!
The recipe i am going to share today is masoor biryani given to me by a very dear friend, shehnaz. She is my sis-in-law's best friend. Her mother made the best masoor pulao, and shehnaz has learnt it from her but adapted it to biryani. And its awesome. Thanks shehnaz. So, here it goes.

Masoor biryani

Ingredients:

2 cups black masoor dal (Soaked and boiled)

6-7 onions (sliced)
4-5 potatoes (cut into half and fried)
2-3 tomatoes (chopped)
1cup Yougurt
2 tbsp Shan Biryani masala
1 tbspRed Chilli,
1 tsp haldi
1 tbspzeera,
1 tej patta
2 cardomoms
1 inch dalchini
2-3 cloves
3-4 black pepper
3 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp Ginger & garlic paste
Oil
Soak some zaafran in milk
3 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD : -
1) First heat the oil ,add whole garam masala, let it crackle. Then add half the onions till golden brown.
2) add ginger and garlic paste, red chilli  power, haldi, coriander seed powder and shan biryani masala and bhuno it really well till oil seperates.
3)add yogurt and wait till it becomes a little dry.
4) add the daal and fry nicely and then add fried potato.
your masoor daal is ready

For the rice:

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
2 tbsp ghee
1 tej patta
2 green cardamoms
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Salt
Water 3 cups

Method:

1)Heat ghee, add the tej patta and cardamoms
2)add the ginger garlic paste.
3)add water and salt and bring the water to a boil.
4) put the rice and cook on high till all water evaporates and then on slow for 5 mins.

For the layering:

1)First put a layer of the daal in a vessel, add the lemon juice from the top, garnish it with mint leaves and coriander leaves, and sprinkle some fried onions too and top off it with the cooked rice.
2) Sprinkle the zaffron with the milk evenly on the rice, garnish with fried onions.oil rice and then makes the layers add lemon juice, zaafran and onions to the last layer.
3) put it on the dum by covering it witha tight lid and put it on slow for at least 15 mins.
4) serve it with the kachumbar of your choice.
U can even garnish it with boiled eggs.

Or u can do the layering in a bowl, starting with rice, then daal, then rice...
And upturning the bowl when serving.

Hope u all try it and do give me your feedback.
I tried it and loved it too.

Chole bhature

Hello everyone!!!
Sorry for not been able to post recipes since such a long time..was kind of busy.
Today's recipe is posted for all vegetarian people, i have been neglectful towards them, sorry for that. So, i am going to share with u all the recipe for chole bhature..i am sure , everyone has their own recipe for chole, but , trust me, this is really good. Hubby is a great fan of this one. Though, he loves to have it with sweet imli chutney.

   
Ingredients:

For Chole:
2 cup Chick peas
2 tsp Oil
1 Bay leaf 
1 stick Cinnamon
3-4 Cloves
1 tsp Whole pepper corns
3 Green cardamom   
2 Black cardamom
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Chili powder
1 tsp Coriander powder 
1 tsp Cumin powder 
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1 cup Onions (chopped) 
1 cup Tomatoes (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger (chopped) 
1 tsp Garlic (chopped) 
1 tsp Ajwain
1 tsp Lime juice
1 Green chili (chopped)                          
1 Tea bag
1 Tbsp Butter

Method:

For Chole:

1)In a pan add oil, bay leaf, cinnamon, cumin seeds, cloves, whole pepper corns, green and black cardamom.
2) After it gets brown add chopped onions and saute it.
3)After sauteing add chopped ginger and garlic.
4) Then add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, asafoetida, salt and fry well.
5) For de glazing the pan add little water.
6) Now add chick pea (soaked overnight and pressure cooked) to the masala.
7) After stirring well add tomatoes, little sugar and salt to the chole (chickpeas)
8) Now add ajwain, chopped green chilies and water for the base.
9)To get the colour in the chole, add a tea bag to the masala.
10)Simmer the chole gently for an hour and cover it.
Add lime juice and a dollop of butter to it.
Garnish the chole with coriander and butter.
Serve the chole hot with bhaturas.

Ingredients:

Refined flour (maida) 2 1/2 cups
Yogurt 1/2 cup
Baking powder 1/2 teaspoon
Soda bicarbonate a pinch
Salt 1 teaspoon
Sugar 2 teaspoons
Oil 2 tablespoons + to deep fry

Method:

1) Place flour and baking powder, soda bicarbonate and salt in a bowl. Mix well and pass it through a sieve.
2)Mix yogurt with salt and sugar. Add this to the flour and add about a cup of water and mix gradually to make a soft dough by light kneading.
3) Incorporate two tablespoons of oil into the dough and cover the dough with a wet cloth. Keep it aside for an hour. Divide dough into sixteen equal portions. Roll them into balls. Cover and keep to ferment for ten minutes. Grease your palms with a little oil and flatten the balls.
4) Roll out into five-inch diameter diskettes. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry the bhaturas on high heat till light brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot with chole.

You can make bhaturas of oval shape by pulling the rolled diskettes from opposite sides.

Benarasi kewami sevaiyaan

Hey everyone!!!
For those who missed me...So sorry for not posting any recipes since such a long time..had a minor issue with my finger, so didnt get to type.
The recipe which i am going to share today has been tried and tested by my sister in law rizwana umpteen number of times, and loved by the men of our house and me too..So, here it goes..

Ingredients:

1 cup Fine Benarasi Siwain
1 cup Khoya 
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
1 cup Water
1 cup Pure ghee
2 drops Kevra essence
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg & Green Cardamom powder
½ cup Makhana (chopped in two pcs)
½ cup Mix chopped Dry fruits (chopped Kaju, Badam, Nariyal/Khopra, Kishmish)
2 pieces Silver foil (chandi ka warq)

Method:

1) In a pan add Sugar, Khoya, Milk, Water and mix well. Boil it till you get four string consistency called Chashni (4 taar ki).
2)In another pan add siwain and roast them till they turn dark brown and keep aside in a separate plate. Make sure to avoid over roasting the delicate siwain.
In the same pan heat ghee and fry chopped makhanas, then add nariyal/khopra & other dry fruits to fry.
3)Mix roast Siwain in chashni, then add fried dry fruits. Cook for two minutes & switch off the flame. Cover the lid for atleast 10 minutes then pour kevra essence and sprinkle nutmeg & green cardamom powder.

Decorate with Silver foil (Chandi ka warq) before serving.

Mint lime juice

Hey everyone!!!
Its been quite a long time since i posted something. So, here is a simple yet refreshing drink.

Ingredients

Juice of 6 limes 
350 gms sugar 
450 ml water 
1/4 cup mint leaves - chopped
Soda - to dilute ice-cubes
 
Method
Blend the lime juice, sugar and water. 
Divide the lime juice mixture into four glasses, add some ice cubes and then divide the mint into the glasses too. 
Stir to mix and top up the glasses with soda and serve.

Chicken wontons

Hey all!!!
Today i would like to share a momos turned wonton recipe. It so happened that irfaan wanted to eat momos, so as usual, i searched and found the perfect momos recipe on khana khazana.
I tried it, and it turned pretty well. Irfaan loved it, but i am not particularly fond of steamed momos, so i thought of frying few for myself and voila!..it was yummy.
This is how i like mine.

Ingredients

1 cup maida
1 carrot
1 french beans
1 capsicum
1 spring onion greens plus white
250 gms chicken
2 tbsp oil
Salt
Chilli paste 1 tsp
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tsp soya sauce
1 tbsp tomato sauce

Method:

1) Chop all the vegetables and greens finely.
2) Grind the chicken finely.
3) heat 1 tbsp oil, add all the chopped vegetables and chicken.
4) add the vinegar, soya sauce, salt, tomato sauce and chilli paste.
5) cook for 5 mins on high flame. Keep aside and let it cool.
6) meanwhile, prepare dough using maida, oil, salt and water.
7)roll thin puri sized chapatis using all the dough.
8) neatly add the prepared mixture in the centre and close the circles forming girdles on the top.
9) last steam it for 15 mins or deep fry it my style.
Serve hot with garlic chilli sauce.

This is how the steamed ones look.

Mutton biryani

Hey everyone!!!
Eid mubarak to all! Its been quite some time, since i last shared a recipe with u all. Today its going to be my mom's recipe of mutton biryani. No matter how hard i try, it never turns out as good as hers, though everyone loves it. My Ammi (mom) makes layered biryani, she cooks the mutton and rice separately and then puts a layer of mutton and tops it with rice and the garnishing.

So, here goes the recipe of the mutton first followed by the rice.

Ingredients for mutton:

1kg mutton with bones
1kg onions ( sliced thinly)
5 tomatoes chopped
5 potatoes (peeled and cut into half)
1/4 kg dahi
2 bay leaves ( tej patta)
2 inch ciinnamon ( dal chini)
4 cloves (laung)
5-6 black peppercorns ( kali mirch)
2 big cardamom (badi elaichi)
4 green cardamom ( choti elaichi)
2 tbsp cumin seeds ( jeera)
2 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp turmeric powder
3 tbsp coriander powder
Paste of a handful of coriander leaves and 5 green chillies
4 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Salt 2 tsp
2 tbsp garam masala powder
Oil for frying
For cooking 1 cup
Juice of 2 lemons

Method:

1) First we heat a pressurecooker, pour a cup of oil in it, add the garam masalas, let it crackle and put half the sliced onions and cook till it turns starting to turn golden.
2) Add the ginger garlic paste , the mutton and the coriander chilli paste and cookit for some time.
3) Then add the rest of the masalas , salt , dahi and tomatoes.
4) mix it well and pressure cook for 10 mins or till mutton almost tender.
5)open the pressure cooker and cook it on simmer for some time, till mutton cooked and almost dry and oil leaves the sides. Check the seasoning according to ur taste.
DO NOT ADD WATER at any point of time. Keep it aside.
6) fry the remaining sliced onions till golden and potatoes too till golden. keep it on an absorbent paper.

Ingredients for rice:

1 kg basmati rice
2 tbsp ghee or oil
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamom
11/2 litre water
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
Salt

Method:

1) Heat a heavy bottom pan and put ghee in it.
2) add the bay leaf and cardamom.
3) saute the ginger garlic paste.
4) add the water with salt.
5) once the water starts boiling, add the rice and cook on simmer once the water reduces.

The layering:

In a vessel, put the cooked mutton, sprinkle lemon juice all over it, garnish with fried potatoes and the fried onions. Garnish with chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves. Spread the rice on top of it, and garnish it again with the remaining fried onions and mint leaves and coriander leaves.

Serve with dahi raita.

Chicken satay in peanut sauce

Helllo everyone!!!
Today i m going to share with u a really delicious chicken dish, as usual. Its called chicken satay with peanut sauce. I m sure everyone must have had it at the restaurants and must have always wanted to know how to make it. Its really very simple. Here is how it looks.

The day i decided to make it, i Searched for the perfect recipe and decided to go ahead with it. The recipe called for peanut butter, which i had asked my husband to get from a particular store near his workplace. As usual, by the time he went there, the store was closed. Since i had already marinated the chicken and had my mind set on making this dish, decided make it at home. For those of u, who dont have peanut butter at home, try this recipe. Its really cheaper to make it a home.

Peanut butter

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
1 tbsp peanut oil ( or any oil at home)

Method:
Grind the peanuts with the oil in a grinder till smooth. If want it chunky, keep aside 1/4 cup and grind for 1 minute with the smooth peanut butter to get the taste of peanut chunks in your butter.

The chicken is served with peanut sauce, which is a thai delicacy.

Peanut sauce

Ingredients:

For Peanut Sauce: 

1 large onion 
1 pod of garlic 
4-5 red chillies 
2 Tbsp oil 
1 cup peanut butter 
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice 
1- 2 Tbsp sugar 
Salt - to taste 
2 cups water

Method:
Grind the onions, red chillies and garlic together. Heat oil, saute the mixture in it for 5 mins on low heat. Add the peanut butter , sugar and lemon juice and sugar and cook for sometime. Add 2 cups water and cook on medium to low heat till u get the desired consistency.

Lets get to the marination of chicken

Chicken satay

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken boneless ( cut in cubes)
1 Tbsp oil 
2 Tbsp Soya sauce 
1 Tbsp sugar 
4-5 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Few crushed garlic 
Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate chicken pieces for at least 2 hours.
Pierce 4-5 pieces in each skewers. If u are using the wooden skewers, make sure u soak them in water for 10 minutes.
Pre heat oven for 10 minutes at 180 degrees. grill the chicken for 20 minutes. When done, cover it with the basting sauce in a pan. Let it cook for 2 minutes on high flame. Do not overcook. Chicken willturn hard.

For basting sauce

4 tbsp peanut sauce
3 tbsp soya sauce
2 tbsp oil

Mix all together.


Serve the chicken with peanut sauce. Enjoy!!

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Honey chilli potatoes

Hey everyone!!!
I am back again with a very simple, yet delicious recipe. Irfaan and me had these honey chilli potatoes at a restaurant, and irfaan relished it. Seeing him enjoying it so much, thought of trying it myself. I found a lovely recipe for it.

Ingredients:

Potatoes,cut into fingers , soaked in water 5-6 medium
Red chilli powder 1 tbsp
Honey 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tablespoon + to deep fry
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
Spring onion greens,chopped

Method
1.Heat sufficient oil in a non-stick pan. Deep fry potato fingers till crisp and golden. Drain on an absorbent paper.

2.Heat two tablespoons oil in another pan. Add the rest of ingredients and stir for a minute.
3. Add salt and the potatoes and garnish with spring onions.

Irfaan was happy i made it.

Sesame chicken

Helllllo everyone!!!
Its been quite a gap since i last posted a recipe. So, here is another favourite recipe of irfaan, sesame chicken. Its a light and easy chicken dish to be eaten with brown rice. My hubby eats only chicken, so i tend to search and make recipes calling for it most of the time. Surely, i will post mutton, paneer and vegetarian too.

One of the main ingredient in this dish is sesame and it is called by it too. Sesame or safed til as u call in india . Half a cup of sesame seeds contains three times more calcium than half a cup of whole milk. In addition to being an excellent dietary source of calcium, sesame seeds are also a good source of manganese, copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1 (thiamin), zinc, vitamin E, healthy protein, and fiber.

Sesame seeds also contain sesamin and sesamolin, two substances that are thought to prevent high blood pressure and protect the liver against oxidative damage.

Lets move on to the recipe

Ingredients:

Brown rice 3/4 cup
Honey 3 tbsp
Sesame seeds 2 tbsp
Soya sauce 2 tbsp
Garlic 1 pod chopped (hubby loves more of garlic in all recipes)
Egg whites 2 ( optional for those who dont like it)
Cornstarch 1/4 cup
Boneless chicken 1/2 kg
Coarse salt and pepper
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
Broccoli few bunches for garnishing
Spring onions for garnishing

Method:

1) Cook brown rice and keep aside.
2) Boil broccoli and keep aside
3) In a bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, garlic and sesame seeds and keep aside.
4) in another bowl, whisk egg whites with cornstarch, add chicken, salt and pepper and mix.
5) Heat 1 tbsp oil, on medium to high flame, add the chicken, cook and turn occasionally till golden brown. Add the honey sauce and toss the chicken to coat. Add sesame chciken to the broccoli and serve with brown rice, garnishing it with spring onions.

Irfaan loved it and so did i.

Hummus (bi tahini)

Hey everyone!!!
Today i would like to share with u all the recipe of hummus. The first time i had it was in makkah, saudi arabia, and instantly developed a liking for it. My father, whom i lovingly call "abba" introduced it to me, he totally loves it.

Hummus is a dip/spread that is made from chickpeas. In fact, hummus is the Arabic word for chickpea, spanish word being garbanzo beans.

If u have eaten hummus at different places, u will notice that it tastes different at all places. Some make it with strong lemon flavour, some have a strong garlic flavour, whereas some have a spicy tone.

So, while making ur own hummus, keep in mind ur own tastebuds. For instance, use the ingredients as u like, The fun about Middle Eastern cooking is that the ingredient amounts aren't set in stone. Add a little of this and take away that and you still have a culinary masterpiece!

I would like to share the recipe which got a thumbs up from the women of my house, both my sisters in law loved it so much, they had it with bread and chapati. : )

Hummus (bi tahini) is hummus with sesame.

Recipe is as below

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ tbsp. tahini paste
2 cups chickpeas (boiled) canned ones will also do, make sure u rinse the chickpeas well
2 tbsp. lemon juice
salt to taste
1 tsp. red chili powder
¼ tsp. cumin powder
½ tsp. garlic paste
1 cup water
2 tbsp. olive

Method:

Tahini paste is normally sold, but its easier to make it at home too and very cost effective too. Just roast quarter cup of sesame on the tava or oven, do not let it turn brown, cool it and grind it with olive oil till u achieve a smooth paste.

Now put the boiled and peeled chickpeas ( know its a pain in the butt to peel it but believe me, the result will be a smooth hummus) in your grinder/processor (reserve a few for garnishing purposes), then add the rest of the ingredients. Grind everything together until it becomes a smooth paste. You can add sour milk or buttermilk or yoghurt in this if you want your hummus creamier! Taste and adjust flavors to suit your taste buds, some people prefer more tahini, or more lemon, or more garlic or chili. Add whatever you feel you like. 

To serve, pour the hummus in a plate .Presentation is important when it comes to hummus because it looks bland most of the time. Bland usually equals boring and you don't want the hummus to be passed up because it looks boring. Sprinkle red pepper flakes or paprika on top to add a little color. Drizzle olive oil on it. With the back of a spoon, smooth in a spiral manner. Garnish with boiled chickpeas. Presentation can be almost as important as the taste.

No matter how you eat it, hummus is a healthy snack and is certainly better for you than the old standby of salsa and tortilla chips.

Without the mention of my sweet hubby irfaan, any recipe is incomplete. He loves to have his hummus with toasted pita bread.

Garlic rolls

Hello everyone!!!
The last recipe was percieved as difficult by many, maybe due to the length of it. But believe me all, the minute u start getting praises for it after u have made it, u will forget all the pains u took to make it.

After i made the pita bread, i am actually in love with making breads. I love how yeast makes the bread rise and the entire procedure of making a bread is like a stress buster. Specially , after the dough rises, and then u have to punch it to remove the trapped air, i think of all my worries and insecurities and punch it with all my might. Its a lovely feeling, and i feel so much lighter. Making bread is so relaxing.

I had garlic rolls somewhere, and fell in  love with the beautiful shape it takes. It looks like small roses gathered together and peeping out of the baking tray. Its very easy to make and once made, doesnt take much time to finish off. 

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour (maida)
1 cup warm milk
2 tsp. instant yeast or 21/2 tsp of dry active yeast*
¼  tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
2 tbsp. melted butter
4 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. milk powder
¼ cup warm water (you might need a little more or less)

Garlic filling:

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp. room temperature butter
2 tbsp. freshly chopped coriander/parsley
pinch of salt n pepper
¼ tsp. garlic paste or some finely chopped garlic according to ur taste

 You can make extra garlic butter and save it for garlic bread or garlic toast. It stores beautifully in the fridge for up to a week.

INSTRUCTIONS

Sieve the flour, then add milk powder, baking powder, sugar, yeast and salt. Then add the oil and butter and the egg, and mix together. Now add all the milk. Start kneading together and gradually add the water a little at a time. You might not need it all, so add it sparingly until your dough is nice and soft. Knead for a good 8-10 minutes. The more you knead it the softer the rolls will be. This is my favourite part where i think of all the bad vibes around me and push it off.

Touch a bit of oil with your fingertips and apply all over the ball of dough. Cover in a bowl and set aside for 40mins to an hour for it to double in size.

Divide the dough into two balls. Punch it to release the trapped air, and feel all your problems release out of ur system.. Keep one ball covered whilst you are working on the other one. Dust some flour on your working surface and roll it out into a rectangular shape, about quarter inch thickness. Using the back of a spoon, apply your garlic filling all over the surface. Then roll up the dough from the longer side, like a swiss roll.

Cut the roll into about 8 pieces. Place them close to each other on a greased baking dish. Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Once all the rolls are done, brush the remaining garlic butter on the tops and cover loosely with cling film or a towel, let the rolls double in size. Then pre-heat your oven at 180 C. You can brush some egg on the rolls if you like, and you can sprinkle some sesame seeds on it. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on top.

When you remove the rolls, keep them covered under a kitchen towel for about 10 minutes to further soften them. Serve warm!

Irfaan loves it and so does kkabir ( my nephew).


* warm 1/4 cup water, make sure its not hot, add dry active yeast to it. Cover with cling and keep aside for 10 mins till it becomes frothy. Yeast is ready to use.

Chicken shawarma

Hello everyone!!!
Thanks again for giving ur support and encouragement.

My hubby dearest loves shawarma and i have always been looking out for the perfect recipe to make it at home. I found out , it wasnt so easy. After exhaustive research, found out a lot goes in the preparation of the shawarma and it really is tedious to make. But anything for my dearest hubby, irfaan. : )

I decided to make everything at home, including the garlic sauce and the pita bread. 

I looked here and there and everywhere and found the perfect pita bread recipe. :) but there was a hurdle which i had to cross and that was YEAST. It wasnt hard, just that it was the first time i was using it. I couldnt find rapid yeast here as the recipe suggested, so had to find out how to use the dry active yeast. Instant yeast is used directly on the flour but dry active yeast has to be activated first by mixing with a little warm water, and NOT HOT WATER and left to work for 10 mins till it becomes frothy. Yippee!! Mine worked. Now lets move towards the recipe of the pita bread.

Pita bread 

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast and if using rapid rise yeast 2 teaspoons,
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, roughly at room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil, vegetable oil, butter, or shortening( ghee)
 
Method:

If you are using active dry yeast, mix it with 1/4 cup of warm water, cover and keep for 10 mins till frothy. Miix the yeast in with the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the olive oil and 1 1/4 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water (I had to add an extra 1/4 cup).

Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes (or until your hands get tired). If you are using an electric mixer, mix it at low speed for 10 minutes.

A simple hand kneading technique is to firmly press down on the dough with the palm of your hand, fold the dough in half toward you like you are closing an envelope, rotate the dough 90 degrees and then repeat these steps, but whatever technique you are comfortable using should work.)

Pour a teaspoon of oil into the bowl and rub it around with your fingers. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release the trapped air and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it'll be easier to shape.

After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

Heat up a heavy roti pan, and place one roll in the center. Cook each pita on both sides like you would rotis or chapatis. You can dab a tiny bit of oil if you like whilst cooking them. Keep them covered.

Lets move on to recipe of the chicken filling.

Chicken shawarma

Ingredients:

1/2 cup malt vinegar 
1/4 cup plain yogurt 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
salt and pepper to taste 
1 teaspoon mixed spice 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom 
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs 
1 teaspoon red chilli powder

Method:

Mix together the malt vinegar, 1/4 cup yogurt, vegetable oil, mixed spice, cardamom, red chilli powder , salt and pepper. 

Place the chicken thighs into the mixture and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. 

Heat a heavy griddle or kadhai, cook the chicken pieces on high flame two at a time not over crowding the pan, and then on medium flame till chicken is tenderly cooked. Repear till all the chicken has been cooked. It is tedious but the result is awesome with the chicken getting cooked with all its juices. Cool it and cut into slices. 

Place sliced chicken, sliced tomato, sliced onion, and shredded lettuce and ( the most important) french fries onto pita breads.

Roll up and top with garlic sauce. Its bound to get crowded and difficult to eat without dropping. But where is the fun in eating a shawarma if u dont drop some fillings on your plate. ; )

Searched the perfect recipe for garlic sauce, this is which got thumbs up from hubby dearest and his clan.

Garlic sauce

Ingredients:

1 large potato
4 cloves of garlic (use less or more depending on your preference)
2-3 tbsp. mayonnaise#
2 tbsp. yoghurt
1 tbsp. fresh cream
½ tsp. tahini sauce (optional)*
1 tbsp. vinegar or lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil or melted butter
pinch of salt

Method:

Boil the potato with 2 cloves of garlic and a pinch of salt until potato is tender. Drain the water.

Add all the ingredients into a blender including the boiled potato and garlic. Blend until completely smooth. Sauce will be somewhat sticky and thick. Adjust salt to your taste.

Sauce is ready! Tastes better the following day, so can be made a day in advance and keeps well for up to a week in the fridge. 

*tahini is avaialble in the market, but its easy to make it at home too. Just roast some sesame seeds on the tava or oven, make sure it doesnt become brown. Cool and grind with olive oil. Tahini sauce or paste is ready to use.

# i prefer making mayonnaise at home too... 2 eggs, add juice of a lemon and whip it..adding a drop of oil at a time till it becomes a little thick using at least 1 cup of oil altogether. U can use an electric beater, its more faster. Grind 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp mustard seeds, 1tbsp black pepper and mix it with the beaten eggs. Refrigerate and its ready to use in 4 hours.

Though its become too long, i wanted my readers to find the entire package in one, coz more than making the shawarma , finding and assembling the recipe took more time.

Hubby is totally in love with this recipe and me too. ; )

Do let me know how yours turned out.

Basic pancakes

Hello everyone!!!

Thanks for the overwhelming response by all. 

Here is a simple breakfast recipe for pancakes. The day i introduced this for the first time to my hubby , irfaan, he loved it so much that he demanded pancakes for breakfast the entire week...:).

Its adapted from martha stewart. It goes like this.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour, (maida) (spooned and leveled)

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Assorted toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, confectioners' sugar, honey, jams, preserves, sweetened whipped cream, or chocolate syrup

My hubby loves it with maple syrup : )

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

3) In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).
4) Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.
5) For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).
6) Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. 
7) Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. 
8)Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You'll have 12 to 15 pancakes.) Serve warm, with desired toppings.

Thai pad ka prow gai

Hello everyone!!!

After my steamed chicken kebabs being a success and getting praises from my hubby,I got a bit too carried away and thought of surprising my hubby with his favourite dish - "Thai pad ka prow gai " which translates in English as "stir fried chicken with basil"

It is a thai delicacy which he  had in Thailand and loved it so much that after eating it at various places nothing could match the original dish. So , it was a big challenge for me to reproduce the same taste :)

 

I started researching on it and found innumerable recipes on the net. After  exhaustive  searches found the perfect one.

 

Basil leaves in this recipe make this dish unique in the scent and taste.

 

Thai Pad Ka Prow Gai

     

Ingredients:

 

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 pod of  minced garlic

6 mid size chillis, coarse minced

200 g chicken breast, sliced

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 yellow bell pepper ( julliennes)

1/2 cup basil leaves (as much as you want)

Method:

1. Preheat the pan and pour in vegetable oil 

2. Throw in the garlic, stir until light brown

3. Add chili (make sure not to breath in)

4. Add chicken, stir until cooked

5. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar

6. Add basil leaves and bell peppers  and quickly turn a few stirs then serve on a dish with steamed rice

 

 

 

Fish sauce is avoidable. I didn't put it because hubby doesn't like it, tastes just as well without it. And basil leaves give such a sweet taste and aroma to the dish, it is holy indeed!!

 

It was a surprise well praised and  think now I have made it to his heart ;)

Steamed chicken kebabs

Hello everyone!!!This is Sabaa inviting you all and myself too for the very first blog of my experiences in my Matbakh, and for all those who dont know what it means, it is an arabic word for kitchen.

 

Allow me to please share with you the reason behind my love for cooking. It initially started with learning to cook, for the basic reason that every girl should be able to cook to make her husband and in laws happy, because as  they say 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach'. I found that i impressed all with my skills but him and well my hubby is a bit difficult  to impress ;)

One day after trying too hard to impress him with my culinary skills, I angrily asked him to explain to me his food preferences. At a friends house  while reading a newspaper he showed me the below photograph of a chicken dish which really looked very tempting and asked me to cook it.

 Thus started my quest for the ingredients to cook this dish and after endless Google searches, I finally got this recipe :)

Steamed chicken kebabs

Ingredients:

2 pieces of chicken breast ( chopped roughly)

1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp chilli paste

1/2 cup spring onions ( chopped)

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 slice of bread ( chopped roughly)

1/4 cup spinach ( chopped)

Sprinkling of cheese (optional)

1 tbsp oil

Salt as per taste

Method:

1.      In a mixer, grind chicken, ginger garlic paste, spring onions, cumin powder and bread into a coarse paste.

2.       Season it with salt and divide the entire mixture into two equal portions.

3.       Place one portion of this mixture on a rectangular sheet of aluminium foil and flatten it with the back of a spoon.

4.       Sprinkle spinach and cheese on top and fold the paste into a thick roll like a swiss roll, wrap this mixture by folding the foil paper and steam it in a pressure cooker or dim sum steamer for 15 mins.

5.        Unwrap the foil and cut the kebabs into thick circles.

6.        Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce , cabbage and lemon wedges.

My effort below:

Hubby loved it. Hope you all try it too.