Baby shrimp masala

Shrimp masala is one of the most delicious dish that I ever had. It tastes best when it is combined with more chili powder. The taste gets better as you keep adding the chilli, but of course one should know [their tolerance for spiciness] when to stop. It both looks as well as tastes delicious. Although, you might want to be a little generous with the oil you add while making this dish. 

Ingredients:

Small Shrimp - 800 gms to 1000 gms [peeled and cleaned]

Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp

Cloves - 3

Cardamom - 2 pods

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick

Bay leaf - 1

Onions (medium) - 4 

Tomato (medium) - 2 

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Coconut powder - 2 to 4 tbsp

Cashew nut powder - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - to taste

Coriander leaves - 1/2 bunch [more the better]

Preparation:

1. Add turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chili powder and 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste to the cleaned shrimp. Mix it well and  start boiling it. 
2. After a few seconds water will start to come out from the shrimp, but keep boiling it till all the water is evaporated from the shrimp. (it will take about 10 to 20 minutes - varies with the size of the shrimp)
3. In the mean time heat the oil in another pan. Add cloves, cumin stick, cardamom, bay leave and fry them. 
4. After 30 seconds add chopped onion and fry it for about 15 to 20 mins till it turns golden brown. 
5. Add salt, chili powder and chopped tomatoes and fry for another 10 to 15 mins. It will turn in to a delicious gravy. 
6. Add the shrimp from step 2 and mix well. Add coriander powder, garam masala and mix. 
7. Add coconut powder and cashew nut powder and mix well. 
8. Taste at this point and adjust the seasoning to your taste if required. 
9. Just before switching off the stove add chopped coriander leaves and mix.

Enjoy with hot rice!!!!

Note: Make sure that all the water is evaporated from the shrimp before adding it to the gravy. Also, I like to add a little bit (1/2 tsp) of lime juice along with coriander leaves, depends on whether one like lemon or not.

Butter Naan

Naan is a very easy recipe. Easy but at the same time could be tricky. All it requires is a little bit of patience. In order to get the best taste just follow the recipe. Naan is a very tasty substitute for rice available in almost every Indian restaurant. Add a little bit of butter as topping and the taste is enhanced to such an extent that it feels like being in heaven as you keep tasting it.

Ingredients:

All purpose Flour  - 3 cups
Sugar - 2 tsp
Yeast - 1 and half tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Warm water - to make the dough
Egg - 1
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Butter - as topping

Preparation:

1. Add yeast to 1/2 cup of warm water and wait for 2 mins. 
2. Add sugar, oil and the above mixture to the flour and mix well. Add salt and warm water and make it in to a soft dough. 
3. Cover it with a wet cloth and leave it aside for 30 mins to 1 hour. The flour will double in size. 
4. Gently push the air out of the dough and knead it again for 5 minutes. 
5. Divide the dough in to 12 to 15 portions and apply oil on the outside. Leave it aside again for 1 hour.
6. The dough raises againas shown in the picture.  
7. Take each portion and press the air out of it and then press it like a roti. Make sure that the thickness of the naan is 5 to 6 times that of a roti. Do not make them thin.
8. Preheat the oven to the maximum temperature possible. 
9. Place these pressed naans on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for about 4 to 5 minutes. 
10. You can see them puff up. Remove the Naans from the oven and then roast them on the gas flame for a few seconds to give them the perfect color.
11. Top the naan with butter on both sides. Repeat this procedure for the rest of the naans and serve hot. 
12. Naan goes well with any gravy curry.

Enjoy while it is hot!!!!!

Chana Masala

Finally after a long time.... here comes my next recipe. Completely made it my way with lots and lots of spices. Lots of things happened in the last few weeks - trips, family visits, traveling and graduation. All in all last few weeks was filled with lot of colors and emotions [of course only happy emotions]. Well coming back to the recipe - one of my favorite and delicious dish. Also, very healthy.

Ingredients:

Channa can  -  800 gms

Tomto puree - 500 gms

Onions chopped - 2 

Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp

Cloves - 4

Cardamom - 2

Cinnamon stick - 1/2 inch

Bay leaf - 1

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Cumin powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

sugar - 1 tsp

lemon juice - 1 to 2 tbsp

Gram flour - 1 tbsp

coriander leaves - bunch of them

Salt - to taste

Chilli powder - to taste

Preparation:

1. Add oil in to a pan and let it become hot. 
2. Add cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaf and fry for a min. Add ginger garlic paste and fry further for 2 mins. 
3. Add chopped onions and fry till they become translucent. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 25 to 30  mins on slow flame.
4. Add some salt, red chilli powder and sugar and mix. 
5. Once the oil starts separating from the above mixture add coriander powder, cmin powder and garam masala and mix well. 
6. Add the soft canned chenna along with the water and mix well. 
7. In a small bowl mix the gram flour in some water with out any lumps. Add this mixture to the mixture from step 6. 
8. Let it cook for some time and add lemon juice. Adjust the seasoning in this step if required. 
9. Add coriander leave and turn off the stove. 

Enjoy with hot rice!!!!!! (also goes well with nan or rotis)

Payasam

Here I go again... more and more and more sweets. Easy to make yet very very delicious and amazing recipes. Wish I knew a million of these recipes.

Ingredients:

Milk - 2 cups
Vermicelli - 3/4 cups
Sugar - 5 to 6 tbsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Cashew nuts - 10 to 15

Preparation:

1. Heat the ghee in a pan and fry the cashews in it till they turn golden brown. 
2. Remove them from the ghee. 
3. Add vermicelli to the left over ghee and fry it till it changes the color a bit. 
4. Once fried add the milk and let it boil. [I like less milk with my sweet, so added just 1.5 cups of milk instead of 2 cups]
5. Keep mixing to avoid lump formation. Add the sugar and cardamom and mix well.
6. Let it boil till the vermicelli is cooked.
7. In the end add the fried cashew nuts and mix well.

Enjoy when it is hot!!!!!

Milkova

Here comes another sweet recipe on my blog. Making more sweets makes me more and more happy so here comes another recipe. Coming from Indian origin I love to eat and try any recipe that is sweet. My mom taught me the recipe and here it goes. This makes just a cup of sweet. To make more just increase the items proportionally.

Ingredients:

Milk - 1 liter
Sugar - 5 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

1. Mix the water and vinegar and keep it aside.
2. Heat the milk in a pan. Once the milk starts boiling add the water and vinegar mixture to the milk and keep mixing. 
3. After few seconds the milk will start to curdle. Boil it for one more minute and drain the milk through the muslin cloth.
4. Heat another pan and add the curd from the cloth in to it. 
5. Add sugar to the above and mix well. 
6. Keep mixing till it slightly changes the color. Add the cardamom powder and mix well and serve.

Enjoy while it is hot!!!!!

Carrot Pachadi

A traditional dish from the southern part of India. My grand mom used to make it for me and this was one of my favorite foods when I was a kid. The combined flavors of carrot and coconut will make us want to eat more and more. Very healthy, delicious, colorful and easy dish. I haven't made it since I moved to Germany (which is 2 years now) and finally made it today. The dish tastes so much better with fresh coconut, but I couldn't get my hand on one. So, I am making my dish with coconut powder.

Ingredients:

Large carrots - 3

Coconut powder - 4 tbsp [the more you add the better it tastes]

Salt - to taste

Green chillies - 2

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Chana dal - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp 

Turmeric powder - pinch 

Curry leaves - 2 stems

Tamarind paste - 1.25 tbsp 

Oil - 3 tbsp 

Preparation:

1. Chop the green chillies and the carrots and keep them aside. 
2. Add 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and heat it on medium high. Add the chopped chillies and let them fry for 2 to 3 minutes. 
3. Add the coconut powder and let if fry for few seconds. Add the salt, tamarind paste and carrots to the above and let it fry for 30 seconds. Do not cook the carrots as we want the crunchy texture to the dish.
4. Let it cool for some time and once cooled blend the mixture in to a paste. Check the seasoning and add some salt if necessary and blend again. 
5. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another pan. Add mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, curry leaves and fry for 30 seconds. 
6. Add the paste [from step 4] to the above and fry it for less than a minute.  

Enjoy with hot rice!!!!!

Note: Never let the carrots cook for more than a min at any point of time as the dish tastes much better when the carrot still retains its crunchy texture. Have to be very careful when frying coconut powder as it tends to burn very quickly.

Honduras Special - Chicken

Finally!!! here comes my first non-vegetarian dish. Some of my friends have been eagerly waiting for non-vegetarian recipes and here it comes. In order to make it more special I asked my special friend Daisy to make this dish and she immediately agreed. Thanks to her for making this wonderful and delicious dish.

Ingredients:

Chicken - 3 Breast pieces
Ginger and garlic - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper - to taste

Spiced chicken slices - 3 [as shown in the figure]
Mozzarella Cheese - 1/4 cup shredded
Oil - 2 tbsp
Red capsicum - 1/2
Medium onion - 1
Cream or milk - 1/3 cup
Chicken broth powder - 1 tsp

Preparation - Chicken:

1. Take the chicken breasts and marinate them with ginger & garlic paste, salt and pepper and leave it for 30 minutes. 
2. Try to slice the chicken breasts in to half by running the knife from one end to the other but, make sure that the other end is still intact. 
3. Open one of the chicken breast and then place a thin chicken slice on top it. Now add about 2 tbsp of mozzarella cheese on the center and then close the chicken breast. 
4. Repeat this for all the chicken breasts. Coat these pieces in bread crumbs and keep them aside.
5. Heat the pan and add about 1 tbsp of oil and fry the chicken breast pieces on medium heat till they are 90 percent done. 

Sauce:

1. Heat another pan and add 1 tbsp of oil. Add chopped onion, chopped capsicum, salt, pepper and chicken broth powder.
2. Cook till the onions become transparent. Add the milk and cook for another 2 minutes. 
3. Switch off the stove and let the mixture cool for some time. Then blend the mixture in to a paste. 
4. Cook this paste for a min and then taste it [adjust the seasonings if needed] before adding the chicken breast pieces.
5. Add the 90 % done chicken breast pieces and cook them for another 10 minutes. 
6. Serve hot.

Enjoy it with hot rice or potato puree!!!!