Layered Chicken Biriyani

This Chicken biriyani is my motherinlaw’s recipe and is our family favorite.Sharing and recording such precious recipes makes me feel like it’s there for me to refer too as well:)it’s really yummy with some tips included.

1)Wash Full cut chicken with lemon juice and Marinate One pound bone in chicken pieces overnight with-

-chilli powder one tsp 

-garam masala one tsp, 

-apple cider vinegar half tsp

-Salt as needed

2)fry in ghee

-one large red onion ,

-few cashews and sultana raisins and keep aside.

3)cook long grain basmati rice -

-boil a big pot of water and add 4cardomom, 3 clove,one cinnamon ,one star anise,half lemon juice to the boiling water.add long grain basmati rice to boiling water-keep stirring , once half cooked add salt , drain once nearly cooked since it will cook further after drained .

4)heat ghee and oil in a sauce pan and semi fry the marinated chicken in both sides and keep aside.

5)Blend 

-2 tomato,

-fresh coriander leaves one large bunch

-2-3cashew nut.

6)take some of the leftover oil of fried chicken and 

-sauté 2-3table spoons of Shan Bombay biriyani masala or any biriyani masala.and 

-1/4th teaspoon fennel powder

-add the blended mixture .

Once it is slightly cooked add the chicken in it and cook , once nearly cooked add some of the fried onion in it.

7)fry 1/4th tsp mustard seeds and one thinly sliced shallot in ghee and oil mixed together in a separate pan and mix in with the chicken.

8)-layer the rice, chicken , some fresh coriander and the fried cashew, raisins and onion.

9)-Sprinkle some saffron soaked milk or yellow food colour on top for that golden hue.

Serve with Salad 

-we make it with beaten l.

-curd one cup

-oneonion, thinly sliced lengthwise 

-small cubes of half a small red apple ( skin removed)and 

-half a Roma tomato

-one green chilli

-few fresh coriander leaves

-Salt as per needed

All mixed together to a yummy salad

Enjoy!😋

Milk Tea- Indian style Chai(my version)

I met with some of my childhood friends recently and made this tea for them and was surprised that they all found it special and really good. I wrote this recipe for them and i decided to post it here too. 
I started out making this tea for my hubby and through lot of trial and error i perfected it and make it nearly everyday day. Some of my friends who have not tried indian tea have been asking how to make this simple yet interesting tea with spice!Here it is...  
To make this tea you need- Whole milk, (recommended) i think that fat won't hurt you;)
-I use "tea India"tea brand or any brand tea leaves(availble in asian or indian stores) if using tea bag there is a tip that helps
-need 4-6 tea bags dipped into a cup of water and microwaved till the tea bags bloats up and looks like concentrated black tea)and add it to the milk as it boils)
- Granulated sugar ,
-Green cardamom pods
-Tea pot or aluminum tea pan and tea strainer.

How I make it for one person is

-Boil one cup of whole milk-as it's boiling I add one spoon of sugar ( add a teaspoon more if needed)

-And one pod of cardamon crushed to powder with out the skin.( if no mortar and pestle just crush the pod and put in whole)

-as soon as it boils Add two spoons of tea leaves and stir.do not let it boil for a long time.i take it off heat almost immediately i get the right dark tea colour to avoid getting bitter

-strain it as soon as you take it off heat for the same reason.- use another vessel and pour it back and forth to reduce the temperature to a drinkable one.
-you will end up with nice frothy tea that has the right temperature.
Enjoy:)

Chicken Kati roll

This chicken roll is like the Indian version of a taco or burrito.The egg layered inside the chapati or tortilla makes it even more special.I make this often and one roll is quite a meal in itself!

To start with assemble everything needed

1) cook the flour tortilla or wheat chapati and set aside.

2) mince one tomato( remove the seeds inside), half a red onion, one green chilli( removed the seeds of you do not want it spicy)and few chopped coriander leaves.add salt and pepper to taste.

3) For the chicken filling rehydrate a cup of left over grilled chicken with 1/4 th cup of chicken stock.use a teaspoon of butter and sauté the chicken with a teaspoon hot sauce, and a teaspoon of ketchup , ( or any other spices you like)salt and pepper before adding the stock if needed.

the first time I made it I used left over shredded Indian tandoori chicken pieces so no need to add any more spices - it works really well with the roll and is my favorite.

to start assembling the roll-

4) once the pan is hot enough beat an egg with salt ,pepper and a splash of milk and spread and pour it on to a round pan that can fit the flour tortilla.immediately place the cooked tortilla on the egg and let it stick to it .

Turn the tortilla to the other side and set aside.

5) after the roll cools a bit spread a spoon of low fat mayonnaise on it ( greek yogurt or sour cream works well too)and add some of the chicken filling and then tomato filling.

6) roll it up and serve!! :-) yummy!!

Whiskey Cake!!

This flavorful cake satisfies anyone who eats and I promise it is worth all the effort.I want to spread all the joy that comes with making it and having it.

Im hoping to refer to this post in future,since I adapted the original recepie from whiskey cake Plano to suit my preferences..enjoy:-)!!

To start with,

A) For the cake-

1) -soak half a cup of organic California raisins( chopped dates was used in the original recepie  ) in half +1/4th cup of boiling water and 1tsp baking soda for 15-30 minutes-blend the mixture and keep aside.

-Preheat oven to 350 degree f

2) dry ingredients first-sift together and keep aside

-1cup and 3/4th cup of all purpose flour

-1 tsp iodised salt

-1tsp baking powder

3)cream together with a paddle attachment stand mixer or hand blender or a food processor 

-1 stick of softened unsalted butter

And half a cup of granulated sugar for 3 minutes

-add in 3 eggs one at a time and blend well each time.

-scrape down the sides and add in the flour mixture half cup at a time until mixed together well.

-fold in the blended raisins to the cake mixture at this point .

4) prepare your cake pan by spraying it with non stick spray and coating the bottom of the pan with one spoon of light brown sugar.

5)pour the cake to a preheated oven and bake for 30-35 min till a fork comes out clean.let the cake cool.

6) invert the cake to a tray lined with parchment paper.keep aside.

While the cake is baking make the toffee and bourbon sauce.the sauce measurements can be doubled if you want the cake to be more soaked.

B)For the tofee sauce-

1)melt together on low heat in a saucepan 

half a stick of butter+ half a cup of brown sugar -once melted add in one cup of heavy cream and let it cook for 5 more minutes- remove from heat and add in one spoon of good bourbon and one teaspoon good vanilla essence.mix together and keep aside.

C)For the bourbon sauce-

- bring 1 cup heavy cream with 1/4th cup of light brown sugar to a simmer in a saucepan

-in a bowl whisk together 

2 egg yolks and one spoon light brown sugar till frothy.

Keep stirring and add in half of the warm cream mixture to the egg mixture and bring back all together till the whole mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.

-remove from heat and immediately add in 1 table spoon bourbon and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

-pour the mixture through a sieve to another bowl and keep aside.

To assemble the cake-

-poke holes in the cake with a fork when the cake is still warm and pour the toffee sauce on it.The cake will soak it all up.

-just before serving preheat oven to 500 degree f let the cake warm through for 4-5 min or till the tofee sauce starts bubbling.

-pour the bourbon sauce on to a serving plate and serve the cake on top of it.

Spiced-roasted pecans and whipped cream would be an optional good topping.( as per the original recepie)

to make the roasted pecans-

-Heat oven to 350º.

-in a bowl Mix 1 tsp water, 1/4th cup maple syrup, 1/4 th tsp kosher salt, 1/4th tsp black pepper and 1/4th tsp cayenne pepper . Pour the mixture over half a cup of halved pecans and mix until all are evenly coated.Spread the pecans out on a baking sheet covered with foil.  Bake for 12-15minutes.As soon as the pecans come out of the oven, scrape the pecans off the pan and break up pecan clumps to prevent from sticking together.  Let cool completely.

You can also serve the cake by cutting it into 12 individual pieces.This cake is sinful and luscious ..it's our family favorite ..a must try!!

Eggless Peach cake

This Ina garten recipie is amazing! I've made it several times and it never fails to impress .my eggless version has a secret ingredient and that is condensed milk.the caramelised soft peaches make the cake really moist!! 

to make it:-

1)Preheat oven to 350degree f, peel 3 peaches and slice into pieces.set aside.

First the wet ingredients 

2) beat together room temperature butter and 14oz can condensed milk till light and fluffy.( condensed milk can be replaced with 2 eggs and a cup of sugar as the original recipie)

3) add in one teaspoon vanilla essence and one cup of room temperature sour cream.

For the dry ingredients ,

4) sift together

-two cups of all purpose flour 

-one teaspoon baking powder

-one teaspoon baking soda

-1/4th teaspoon kosher salt.(if using unsalted butter)

5) mix together the dry and wet ingredients until just combined.

6) pour in half the mixture into the buttered cake pan, top with a layer of half the peaches,sprinkle a half of a mixture of 3/4th  cup of sugar and one teaspoon ground cinnamon on top of the peaches.pour the rest of the batter on top of the peaches and sprinkle the rest of the sugar cinnamon mixture and top with the crushed pecans. 

And bake for an hour or  till a tooth pick or knife inserted comes out clean.

Let it rest till cool , cut and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.yummy!

It is indeed a cake of beauty and joy:-) Enjoy!

Honey-Yogurt dressed Figs

This exotic fruit shines even better in this recipe..a very healthy and refreshing dessert to end a heavy meal or even a great snack.inspired by Nigella Lawson..it's  easy and quick,perfect for summer.

To start with

1) quarter 5 or 6 figs and place it in a plate.

To Make the dressing-wisk together

a)one cup unsweetened, non-fat yogurt

b)one spoonof red wine

c) two spoons of honey

d) a big pinch of cinnamon powder.

2) Pour in on the arranged figs 

3) crush few pistachios and sprinkle it on top and serve immediately

The creamy dressing with the sweet figs and the pistachios make it a perfect marriage of textures and makes anyone feel special :-)

Strawberry & cream

Perfect for summer, cold, creamy and refreshing, without any egg this dessert tastes like a combination of flan and pudding.Its simple and worth a try!!

In a sauce pan

1)Combine

-One can of sweetened condensed milk

-One can of milk(use the empty condensed milk can to measure out milk)

-one spoon cornstarch or corn flour

-one spoon unsalted butter

keep on medium heat and stir till its all combined and it thickens.its important to keep stirring.

2)In the mean time soak two spoons of Gelatin granules in 1/4th cup of water and keep aside.

-Add the soaked, swollen gelatin to the milk mixture and stir it in well until dissolved.

-Remove from heat and let it the mixture cool.

-Sift the mixture to avoid any lumps before the next step.

3)Add in one teaspoon of vanilla essence to the cooled mixture and fold in a cup of unsweetened whipped cream and beat until frothy.

4)Pour the creamy mixture into your choice of dish.

5)Melt 2-3 spoons of  strawberry jam with some water and drop it over the flan-pudding to create ur own modern art;) or cover it completely and chill for 30 minutes or until set and Serve!!

Garnish with strawberries if you please.The Icecream like texture and sweetness of the pudding along with the tartness of the strawberries makes It so yumm.:-)

Tresleches cake

This mexican 3 milk cake as the name suggests is so moist that anyone would go gaga over it like my hubby;)Made it for my husband's bday and we all loved it.

A simple sponge cake made with care and transformed into something awesome with the milk mixture! infact Ive used four types of  milk in my cake
for the milk mixture-condensed milk,evaporated milk,single cream and milk in the cake.

To start with-

1) preheat oven to 350degree f and get organized-

-Separate-5 eggs -egg white and yolk into two bowls-

-Sift a cup and a half of all purpose flour with two teaspoons baking powder

-set aside 1/2cup of sugar 

- one teaspoon vanilla essence

- 1/3rd cup of milk

2) Beat the egg yolks with half of sugar the half cup sugar  till it doubles and becomes a pale yellow colour.

3) combine the

-vanilla essence

-milk

With the egg yolk mixture

Set aside

5)Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and rest half that is remaining.

6) Beat till it doubles an peaks form .combine to the egg yolk mixture.

7) this step is very important- slowly fold in the egg white and yolk mixture to the flour without loosing the air in it.do not beat.

7) bake in a preheated 350 degree f or 180 degree C oven for 15-20 minutes till it turns golden brown.leave it to cool slightly.

8)For the milk mixture,combine together 

-a can of condensed milk

-a can of evaporated milk

-1/3 rd cup of single cream or whole milk.

9)fork the surface of the sponge cake -few pricks are enough( I had the tendency to prick too much ;)

10) pour the milk mixture to the warm cake and let it soak all the milkiness...

11) let it soak and keep it refrigerated for Atleast 3 hours.I kept my cake overnight to soak.trust me the wait is worth it:-)

12) cover the cake with whipped cream-the traditional way.. And decorate as you wish!

 

I used few raspberries to bring out the white and wrote the bday wish with chocolate ganache.I present to you..tresleches cake!

Quick pasta Alfredo

This creamy pasta is very simple and satisfying. It's a must make recipe.

I had some left over farfalle and fusilli and which I mixed together.You can use ur choice of pasta.

1) Boil
-a cup of pasta with salt according to instructions.-nearly 15 minutes
Keep aside.

2) Saute
- two cloves of minced garlic and a spring of spring onion in olive oil and

- half a cup or more of turkey sausage-diced into rounds. (or any sausage or chicken strips)

-add in a half a cup of (I used a mixture of carrot,yellow sqash and zuchinni ,potatoes)cut into rounds which is available in frozen packets.You can use fresh ones and your choice of vegge's too or may be omit the vegges totally.

-add in a teaspoon of  parsley and chives- I used dried ones.
-two spoons of grated parmesan cheese.
-Salt and pepper.
 
3)To make the sauce mix together-
-3 spoons of cream cheese (love using it in pasta's)
-half a cup of milk

4)Mix the meat mixture, with the pasta and ofcourse the sauce.

5)Let it bubble and adjust the sauce consistency with the pasta water.

Granish with more parmesan and  a sprinkle of parsley...indeed heavenly!
 

Pecan pie

I was surprised with the simplicity of this mouthwatering pie..it's a must make recipe!

1) I used a small store bought pie crust foil plate( u can make your own if U wish) butter with digestive buscuits mixed together make a good base too.

2)In a pan mix ( I've used less of each since we like it less less sweet)

-half a stick or 8 spoons of butter

- half a cup of brown sugar

- 3/4th cup of maple syrup (corn syrup or pancake syrup works too)

- half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

Once it's melted together

3) beat 3 eggs separately with a pinch of salt and add in the cooled syrup.

4) Stir in half a cup of chopped pecans (you can use full pecans too)

5) bake for 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree farenheit oven.

Serve with whipped cream. It was so yummy that we did not have any left overs.;-) sure to be a good treat!

Roast Turkey

There are so many ways to marinate and roast a turkey that finding a perfect recipe is difficult since each family have their own taste preferences.I'm looking forward to perfect this amazing way of cooking each year.

Inspired by Chef Gordon Ramsay I made this roast Turkey for Thanksgiving which was not dry and very tasty with the gravy. It's good dish to know this festive season.If your not a turkey fan you can make it with Chicken.It might be even better:-)

The main principle behind this method of cooking is to keep the bird moist, you can use brined turkey or dry rub marinated but I like to keep it overnight with the simple - tangy marinade below.

1)first step is

Mix 

-one and a half stick of butter or 12 spoons of unsalted butter 

-with a big bunch of chopped parsely.

-3-4 spoons of olive oil

-2 lemon juice and zest

- 3 cloves of puréed garlic

- salt and pepper 

Open up the skin over the back and stuff this butter mixture in between the skin and flesh of the turkey from the back and front and on the surface.

2) Season the Turkey inside with salt and pepper and stuff

-2 onions

-1 lemon cut into haves.

-one dried bay leaf 

- two springs of Rosemary.

keep this overnight in the fridge.

3)Before roasting drizzle olive oil and a spoon of kashmiri chilli powder on top of the turkey .

4) The rule is to bake half an hour per kg of turkey, basting every half an hour.

I used 8 lbs or 3.996 kg Turkey so the total baking time would be 2 hours and 45 minutes. 

First step in the baking process is to bake it

-first in 420 degree Fahrenheit or 220 degree Celsius oven for 10 minutes 

- remove from oven, baste and cover with 5-6 smoked streaky bacon,and few cloves pushed in the back bone end

- and bake in 350 degree Fahrenheit or 180 degree Celsius for 2 hours and 45 minutes basting with the juices in the tray at every half an hour.

The bacon, butter and olive oil will help to keep the truly moist in the roasting process.

- Its important to rest the turkey for 3 hours before serving.I decorated the turkey with cornbread stuffing and pomegranate rubies!

For the gravy,

1)Drain the excess fat from the roasting juices 

2) fry together

-chop and add in the stuffed

-Onion

-lemon

- crispy bacon on too of the turkey.

-a spring of rosemary

- one chopped tomato

-the unwanted bits of the turkey like the wing tip, neck

3) add in the roasting juices,once it is reduced a little, add in

-2 cups of chicken stock

Reduce again,

-add dry cider (optional)

4) seive it to get a smooth gravy 

5)check seasoning and serve with a spring of Rosemary and garnish. 

Goes very well with the turkey, potato casserole, pork with apricot and pistastio stuffing and all other sides.

It's all worth it:-)

Profiterole....a French Classic!

This dessert called profiterole or 'choux a la creme' in French are small round puffy buns filled with creme and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Perfect combination of flavours....This perfect dessert or snack is simple enough and my all time favorite, a must try!!

There are many variations and ways you can experiment with it once you make the basic choux right.

I made nearly 24 of it with this recipe, Smaller the  better, so next time I would try to make it even smaller. 

----To make the chox dough,

 1) boil 

- one cup water

- half a stick of butter or 4 tablespoons of butter.

Once the butter is melted and is bubbling

2) add in 

-one cup of all purpose flour

And mix till all comes together into a dough.

3) Remove from heat at this point and Once it's cooled 

4) add in

- 4 eggs- beating one at a time till a smooth paste is formed 

5) drop a spoon (or more according to the size and shape u prefer) of it on a greased tray .You can use a piping bag for more precise and equal sized drops.

6) Bake for 400 degree Fahrenheit for 15 minutes and 350 degree faranheit for 5 or 10 more minutes as needed .

These can be filled according to your liking.

I filled it with yummy French vanilla pudding by piping it in each profiterole and topped with more pudding and homemade chocolate sauce.

----For the the filling

- I used one packet of instant french vanilla pudding powder.

mixed it with

-one cup of double cream

- half a cup of milk

And beat until thick.

(whipped cream or whipped icecream also works well !!)

----For the chocolate sauce,

I melted 

-Half cup of semisweet chocolate chips with

-2 spoons of milk 

And drizzled over...

( coca powder with milk, sugar and butter works too)

This dessert is very easy specially for a group of people..appealing to the eyes and taste buds:-) yumm

Pomegranate-almond milk shake.

To make this lovely drink it's important to get good quality red ripe pomegranate. The ruby red of the pomegranate comes out beautifully to create magic and makes anyone feel special:-)

This is how I made it.

1)Separate the pomegranate rubies from the skin.

2) Blend 

-one cup of pomegranate rubies

-half a cup of milk .

 (A scoop of vanilla icecream if u like it more creamy. U can use unflavored almond milk or even soy milk) 

- one spoon of sliced almonds (powdered or crushed works too)

-one spoon of caster sugar( add more according to taste).

3)Strain the juice to remove the seeds to get a smooth consistency .

4)Garnish with sliced almonds and serve:-) 

It's easy,beautiful to sight and good for u too!!

Mushroom puffs with Indian spices

These puffs were a huge success and I recommend u all to try. Its full of flavour and I like it even better than meat puffs.

This recipe was created from my instincts, few fresh button mushrooms and a left over pastry sheet which was stuck together. I rolled it out and cut into 8 triangles.Hence the cute small shaped parcels;)

To start with,

1) keep ready one sheet of pepperidge farm puff pastry sheet cut into ur desired shape.

2)for the filling

- flavor the hot oil with one thinly sliced garlic.As it sizzles..

- saute one finely chopped red onion.

- one green chilli chopped.

- once the onion is lightly browned

- add in two cups of cleaned and diced button mushrooms.

- add salt and pepper and let it sweat out all it's liquid and cook well.

-keep stirring till the oil starts separating  

3) now add the spices and sauté 

- half a teaspoon turmeric powder 

- one teaspoon coriander powder 

-half a teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder

- half a teaspoon garam masala powder

- juice of half a lemon.

4) saute till everything is combined and 

adjust salt.

5) once the filling is slightly cooled,fill it in each cut pastry sheet and roll into desired shape.

6) Brush egg wash ( one egg and one spoon milk beaten together) on each parcel and bake in 400 degree F or 200 degree C oven for 20 minutes.

Cool and serve!!! I present to u mushroom puffs:-)