Monday, April 29, 2013

CREAMY PESTO PASTA WITH Homemade BASIL PESTO


Ingredients for Homemade Fresh Basil Pesto :


Fresh Basil : 2cups, firmly packed

Extra Virgin Olive Oil : 1/4Cup
Pne nuts / walnuts : 1/2cup
Parmesan Cheese : 1/2Cup
Garlic : 3 Cloves
Salt : 1/2tsp
Pepper : 1/4tsp


Method : 

In a small skillet, dry roast pine nuts over medium heat for 3 minutes. When it cools, add all ingredients except parmersian cheese to a food processor and make a coarse paste. Stir in parmesan cheese. Toss with pasta. (Pesto sauce Can keep refrigerated in an air tight container for up to 3 days.)


Ingredients for Creamy Pesto Pasta : 

Cooked Pasta : 2Cups
Shallots : 2, finely chopped
Maida : 1tbsp
Milk : 1 1/2Cups
Butter : 1tbsp
Pesto Sauce : 1/4Cup
Salt

Method :

1. Heat butter in a sauce pan and add Onion. When it turns to translucent add flour. Stir continuously (medium heat) until flour turns light brown.

2. Remove from heat and gradually add milk, stirring continuously so as not to form lumps.

3. Put the sauce pan back on fire and cook till the white sauce starts to thick. Now add the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Adjust salt. 

4. Add Cooked pasta to the sauce and toss gently.




Monday, April 22, 2013

POORI MASALA - Kerala Restaurant Style

How to make Crispy, puffed Poori / Puri ? 
Here is my answer with this beautiful picture :)


Perfect, crispy and puffed pooris with potato masala

Ingredients : 

Wheat Flour / Atta : 2Cups
Rava / Semolina : 2tsp or Rice Flour : 2tsp
Warm Water : 1/2Cup, mixed with 1/2tsp salt and 1tsp oil
Oil : to deep fry

Method : 

1. Combine atta and rava in a bowl. Slowly add salted warm water and incorporate the ingredients. Knead for 7minutes until its soft and elastic. Now make 20 small balls from it and roll out to small circles.
Tip 1. Do not allow the dough to sit as we do for chappathi's. This action makes puri's to absorb oil.
Tip 2. Do not roll out to thin pooris which makes them hard and flat.

2. Heat oil in a small kadai. Add Poori's one by one before the oil starts to smoke. After putting the poori in oil, wait till it comes to the surface. When it comes, Press the poori's with the deep frying strainer or any other utensil and keep ladling / shake in the hot oil on the surface slowly. This helps the poori's to puff up. Turn it to the other side and fry well. Transfer it to a paper towel to drain off any oil. 

Kerala Style Potato masala for Poori's / Chappathi's

Perfect, crispy and puffed pooris with potato masala

Ingredients for Kerala Potato Masala :

Potatoes : 3, peeled, diced
Onion : 1, thinly sliced
Ginger : 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped
Green chillies : 4, slitted
Turmeric powder : 1/4tsp
Curry Leaves : 2springs
Mustard Seeds ; 1/2tsp
Urad daal : 1/2tsp
Coconut oil : 2tsp
1st 2nd and 3rd extract of  Coconut milk from 1/2 of a coconut or 1cup water
Salt

Method :

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add urad daal and saute till it becomes light brown. Now add onion, ginger and green chillies.

2. When onion turns to translucent, add turmeric powder followed by potatoes and salt. combine well and add 2nd and 3rd extract of coconut milk. Pressure cook for a whistle and allow it to release the pressure.

3. Now turn on the flame and cook till the gravy thickens. Add 1st extract of coconut milk, curry leaves and adjust the salt. Combine well and turn off the flame. Serve hot with Poori's / chappathi's

Perfect, crispy and puffed pooris with potato masala

Tips : If you are using water instead of coconut milk, cook the potatoes in pressure cooker with 1cup water. When pressure releases combine well and slightly mash the potatoes and heat again till you get a thick gravy.

Friday, April 19, 2013

COFFEE CAKE WITH Coffee Butter Cream

Celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary with this simple, delicious and easy to make coffee cake.

best coffee cake with coffee butter cream





Ingredients : 



Powdered Sugar : 160g
Unsalted Butter : 150g, at room temperature
Eggs : 3, at room temperature
Maida : 150g
Baking Powder : 1 1/2tsp
hot Water : 1tbsp
Instant Coffee : 1tbsp (add more if you like)
Salt : 1/8tsp

For The Coffee Butter Cream Icing :

Icing Sugar : 125g
Butter : 50g, at room temperature
Instant coffee : 3/4tbsp
Hot water : 1/2tbsp
Vanilla essence : 1/2tsp 

best coffee cake with coffee butter cream




Method : 


1. Preheat the oven at 160C. Line and grease a square tin. 

2. Using an electric blender, mix together butter and sugar until very fluffy and a pale cream. Wisk the eggs in a mug with a fork and then add them gradually to the mixture with 1 tbsp of flour each time. Make sure you don't use all the flour.

3. Add the rest of the flour and the baking powder to the mixture and fold it in gently. 

4. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and add to the mixture still folding. Divide into the sandwich tins and cook for 30 minutes. When cake is ready and reaches room temperature, apply the butter cream and decorate with walnuts / coffee beans.



Method for making the best coffee butter cream : 


Cream the butter and the icing sugar until light and fluffy. Dissolve the coffee in boiling water, making sure you don't add too much water or the icing will be runny and add it to the butter and icing sugar. Whisk and leave in the fridge until the cake is done.

best coffee cake with coffee butter cream

Monday, April 15, 2013

PARIPPUM NEYYUM

Hi blogger Friends, So how was Vishu for you all? Hope it was as wonderful as mine. Today I am sharing a very simple Kerala Sadya dish. This is a healthy dish for toddlers too.


parippum neyyum




Ingredients :

Toor daal(Thuvara parippu) / 
Moong Daal (Cherupayaru parippu) : 1/2Cup, washed
Turmeric Powder : a Pinch
Water : 1 1/2Cups
Green Chillies : 1, slitted
Ginger : 1/4tsp, finely chopped
Curry Leaves : 2Springs
Coconut oil : 1/2tsp
Salt

parippum neyyum


Method :

Pressure cook Daal with turmeric powder, ginger, green chillies, curry leaves, water and salt for two whistles. When pressure releases, mash the daal and boil again for a minute. Turn off the flame and add coconut oil. Serve hot with a drop of ghee.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

MUTTON ULARTHIYATHU / Mutton Dry fry

Mutton Ularthiyathu / Mutton Dry Roast


Ingredients :

Mutton : 1/2kg
Turmeric Powder : 1/4tsp
Chilli Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Garam Masala : 1/2tsp
Salt

In a pressure cooker dry roast chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala for a minute and then add drained mutton pieces with salt. Saute for 1minute and then pressure cook till the mutton pieces are soft(3-4whistles). You can add 1/4cup water before closing the pressure cooker.

Mutton Ularthiyathu / Mutton Dry Roast


To Saute :

Shallots : 15
ginger : 1/2 inch piece
garlic : 8cloves
green chilly : 2
Pepper corns :  1/2tbsp
Fennel seeds : 1/4tsp
Currry leaves : 2springs
coconut slices : 1/2cup
coconut oil : 1tbsp

Method :

1. Using a mixer, crush together shallots, pepper corns, fennel seeds, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies(should not make fine paste).

2.  Heat oil in a kadai and add coconut slices. When it turns to light brown in color , Keep aside. Now add the crushed shallots, ginger crushed mixture and saute till you get a nice aroma. Now add the pressure cooked mutton pieces with that gravy and cook till you get a dry mutton fry.

Mutton Ularthiyathu / Mutton Dry Roast

Monday, April 1, 2013

CHINESE SHRIMP FRIED RICE / Prawns Fried Rice

The simple way to make a healthy version of a Chinese-restaurant favorite, Shrimp fried rice.  Juicy garlic prawns and crisp shallots gives an extra flavour for this wonderful fried rice. 



chinese prawns fried rice

Ingredients : 


Basmati Rice : 1 1/2cup
Refined Oil : 3tsp
Beans : 4, Finely Chopped
Carrot : 1 1/2, Finely Chopped
Shallots : 5, Finely chopped
Cabbage : 1/4Cup, Finely Chopped
Spring Onions : 2, Finely Chopped
Capsicum : 1, Sliced
Green Chilies : 2, Finely chopped
Ginger : 1 inch piece, Finely Chopped
Garlic : 9 cloves, Finely Chopped
Soya Sauce : 1 1/4tsp
Salt &pepper to taste
Sugar : a pinch to sprinkle in the end



Chinese prawns fried rice

Serves :   5 Adults
Method :

1. Heat oil in a kadai/ wok/ non-stick pan and  add ginger, garlic and green Chillies. Now add  all vegetables in following order onion, beans, carrots, cabbage, capsicum, half of spring onion and mushroom. Saute on medium to high flame.

2. After 2-3 minutes add enough salt and pepper powder. Now add cooked rice and saute gently for 2minutes. Add soya sauce and mix well. Sprinkle crushed pepper and sugar. Mix together and close the pan with a tight lid. Turn off the gas and serve immediately. 

3. Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve hot with gobi manchurian / pepper mushroom fryChilli Mushroom / Pepper Chicken.

Method for cooking rice / noodles

Wash and drain  the rice. In a large kadhai / saucepan/ cooker , take 3/4th of water and bring to boil. Now add enough salt and then add drained rice. Add 1/2tsp of refined oil and wait till the rice is 90%cooked. 4.  Take care not to overcook the rice. Each grain of rice should be separate. When its done strain using a colander and Spread on a wide plate. Allow to cool. 


Chinese prawns fried rice


Note : Make sure you are making fried rice with cooled rice. you can make rice before 4hrs  or previous day you make the fried rice.