Wednesday, July 8, 2009

KOFTAY, MY WAY....




Whenever my entry finds way in any of the wonderful blog event, I become so excited, read it once, twice, sometimes even thrice. Most of you must be thinking that I might have gone mad, but for a new blogger like me, it means too much. I know these things do not matter any more to those who are well established in the blogging world, may be I am wrong, it still is enough to enthrall many of you. I have always been like this, little things in life are enough to excite me...


Blogging has become a fun ride for me, cooking up food and then writing about is indeed an enjoyable thing, but sometimes writing about it is what takes more time. My daughter who is 11 months old keeps me busy whole day. She is walking with support these days and tries to explore every corner of our apartment with her tiny feet. Her favourite spot is the kitchen although we blocked the entrance with too many things, still she finds her way. Sometimes, I wonder what amuse them so much. Anyways I planned to publish this post yesterday but couldnt get time to complete it, so posting it today.



KOFTAY: (MEAT BALL WITH PEAS AND BELL PEPPER)



INGREDIENTS FOR MEATBALL

1/2 LB MINCED MEAT
2-3 TBSP ROASTED CHICK PEA FLOUR (BESAN)
1 MEDIUM ONION (FINELY CHOPPED)
3-4 SMALL GREEN CHILLI
2 TBSP GINGER/GARLIC PASTE
SALT TO TASTE
1 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER
1 TSP TURMERIC POWDER
2 TSP CORIANDER POWDER
1 TSP GARAM MASALA POWDER
1/2 BUNCH CORIANDER LEAVES
1/2 DILL LEAVES
1 1/2 TBSP MUSTARD OIL

INGREDIENTS FOR GRAVY

1 TSP FENUGREEK SEEDS
1/2 MEDIUM ONION (SLICED FINELY)
1 SMALL TOMATO (FINELY CHOPPED)
2 -3 TBSP TOMATO PUREE
1 TSP GINGER/GARLIC PASTE
1 TSP CHILLI POWDER
1 TSP TURMERIC POWDER
2 1/2 TSP CORIANDER POWDER
1 GREEN BELL PEPPERS
1/2 CUP PEAS
HANDFUL OF DRIED FENUGREEK LEAVES
HANDFUL OF CORIANDER LEAVES (FOR GARNISHING)
1 TBSP HEAVY CREAM
1/2 CUP MUSTARD OIL

STEPS OF PREPARATION

FOR MEATBALL:

1.Wash and drain minced meat (keema) and keep aside.

2.finely chop onion and green chilli.

3.Then dry roast chick pea flour in a pan till aromatic and light brown in colour.

4.Take minced meat or keema in a large bowl combine all the ingredients.

5.Mix well with hands and make lemon size meat balls (approx 21).

6.If you are planning to cook it afterwards then place one by one on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, place another layer and then again do the same process and freeze.

7. Once they are freezed, take out the plate and carefully place each meatball in a sandwich bag and put it back in the freezer.

FOR GRAVY:

1.Heat oil in a pan and add fenugreek seeds.

2. When they give off aroma and starts changing colour, then add onion and green chilli.

3.When the onions start turning light brown, add ginger/garlic paste and tomato and stir for a minute.

4.Now add all the spices and tomato puree and mix well (can add few tbsp water to avoid spices from burning)

5. When oil starts separating, add 1 cup water and cover till it boils.

6.Then add meatballs one by one carefully, cover and let it cook on a low flame till almost done (around 30 minutes).

7.When meat balls are almost done, add peas, green bell peppers and dried fenugreek leaves, stir carefully so that meatballs donot break.

8. let it cook till oil starts separating add cream and turn off the flame.

9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with roti/ rice.

A BOWL OF CREAMY MANGO

SHAISTA'S CREAMY MANGO

Our daughter A's birthday is round the corner, she is turning one on July 29th 2009. We still can't believe that its already been a full one year of fun and laughter. It seems only yesterday when our little angel came in this world full of hustle bustle. Parenthood opened us to a whole new world~ a world which revolves around a tiny little being who needs endless care and love.



Coming back to the milestone birthday, we had been planning for almost a month, I finally managed to send the invitations today. It took me well over two weeks to finalize the e-invite, from selection of a background design and main image to appropriate wordings and suitable colours to go in the invite. We have booked a banquet hall in a nearby Pakistani restaurant, so we donot have to worry about the decoration and catering.


Besides placing an order for a birthday cake, there are other things to take care of. I have never been to a birthday party here in US, but came to know that party favours are being distributed among kids attending the party, to take home with them. I am still checking out different sites to make a list of those inexpensive things which can be given out.

So, if anyone of you have any idea of what kind of things can be given away and what activities/games should be included, do leave me a line.



CREAMY MANGO

This recipe came into existence couple of days back when I was feeling a bit lazy to make myself a breakfast.I ran out of cereal which I keep for such days, but as I saw these fully riped mangoes I knew what I am gonna do with them. Mango is one such fruit which I am ready to eat anytime in any form.

I am sending this creamy delight to sweet Srivalli who is hosting MANGO MELA and to wonderful Divya for her event..... and also here started by Ramki of one page cookbook.















I also want to thank apu of annarassa for including my entry in her MLLA12 roundup and for the welcome note she wrote.


INGREDIENTS

1 MANGO

2 TBSP HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM

1 TSP SUGAR

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Whip cream and sugar in a bowl with fork.

2.Cut mango in pieces of whatever size u like and add in the cream.

3.Mix well and serve chilled.

Monday, July 6, 2009

GRILL IT UP:STEAKS






A smile gives red colour to your cheeks,
pink colour to your nose,
silver colour to your eyes,
So keep smiling and become a GOLA GANDA





Have you ever tried gola ganda (made by an assortment of colourful syrups poured over crushed ice)???? ...I am sure most of you must have ...but my question is, Have you ever tried gola ganda at 1:00 AM after a hearty dinner??? what? a gola ganda??? No, never...Well, we had it. It was our first time to watch july 4th fire works in houston with a couple of friends. We had late lunch so we decided to have dinner after fire works. Once fire works were over, and we ate dinner it was already 12:00 AM. Hubby dear started craving for some gola ganda so we headed towards other end of the city with our friends who had been there before. Aga juice is a well established juice shop in Houston (a famous chain in karachi, Pakistan) which serves fresh fruit juices, gola ganda, falooda, kulfi etc at a reasonable price.The juice shop remains open till midnight daily. It is a must go place if you are in the vicinity. Houston is truly a food paradise where one can find a variety of Indian and Pakistani restaurant serving deli~ci~ous food...


STEAKS
Now lets get back to cooking, we finally grilled steak yesterday and it came out pretty good ('T' did all the grilling, good job)...We never had steak in our entire life, yet to find a decent halal steak house in houston.So, we decided to give it a try. I looked for the perfect marinade to give the steak a spicy touch, once I got idea from various sites and some books on grilling, I went ahead and made my own marinade which is a combination of wet paste and dry seasoning. Go ahead and indulge...

INGREDIENTS FOR MARINADE

(a) CHILLI-PARSLEY PASTE:

1/2 CUP OLIVE OIL
1/4 TH CUP PARSLEY (CHOPPED)
3 THAI GREEN CHILLI
2-3 TBSP LEMON JUICE
1 TBSP FRESH MINCED GARLIC
SALT TO TASTE
1 TBSP FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

(b) DRY SPICE RUB:

1/4 CUP CORIANDER SEEDS
2 TBSP CUMIN SEEDS
2 TBSP FENNEL SEEDS
3 WHOLE RED CHILLIES
2 TBSP SALT
1 TBSP GROUND GINGER
1 TBSP GROUND TURMERIC
1 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER
1/2 TSP CHAAT MASALA

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Combine the ingredients for the paste,blend well and apply generously on the steaks.

2.Dry ground all ingredients of rub and sprinkle evenly on the steaks.

3.Keep the steaks covered in the fridge for atleast 2 hours.

4.Build a fire in the grill. When coals are all ignited, the flames have died down, you are ready to grill.

5.Put the steaks on the hottest area of grill and sear them well (8 minutes per side).

6.Move the steak to the cooler part of grill and cook slowly till well done.

7. Check for doneness by making small cut in the thickest part of one steak to be sure.

8. Serve hot with the tomato relish and red onion and naan.

Friday, July 3, 2009

SPICY FARE:CHILLI PAKORA


Pakora is a fried snack, popular both in India and Pakistan. In Pakistan one can find hawkers selling variety of pakoras on footpaths, railway stations, shopping centres and other public places. Pakoras are an essential part of iftar(time to break the fast) during the holy month of Ramadan (Islamic month of fasting). I can not think of iftar without some hot, spicy pakoras. According to some survey in Pakistan, pakora was rated the most popular food item in the Ramadan. Many people also associate this heavenly snack with rain. But for me pakoras are always welcome any time of a year...:):):)

Pakoras can be of many types; onion pakora, palak (spinach) pakora, baigan (egg plant) pakora, potato pakora, chilli pakora etc...Yesterday, when I opened my fridge to get some milk to make tea for my husband, I saw jalapeno peppers lying in a corner of vegetable section waiting for me to turn it into a fiery treat!! I eagerly picked them and within no time these hotties were ready to tickle our taste buds...


CHILLI PAKORA

1 CUP CHICK PEA FLOUR (BESAN)
4-5 JALAPENO PEPPERS
1 TBSP GARLIC/GINGER PASTE
SALT TO TASTE
1/2 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER
1/2 TSP TURMERIC POWDER
1/2 TSP CUMIN POWDER
1/2 TSP CORIANDER POWDER
1/2 TSP CHAAT MASALA
1/2 TSP GARAM MASALA
1 TSP AJWAIN SEEDS
1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS
A HANDFUL OF CORIANDER LEAVES
A HANDFUL OF DILL LEAVES

STEPS OF PREPARATION

1.Wash and cut jalapeno peppers into half lengthwise and remove the seeds, do not remove the stalk.

2.Place all the ingredients except jalapeno in a bowl and add sufficient water to make a thick paste.

3.Heat oil in a deep-frying pan or wok, place a few jalapenos in the batter, coat evenly and drop one by one in the hot oil.

4.Take them out with a slotted spoon on a plate lined with paper towel and serve hot with chutney or dip of your choice.

5.I usually serve pakora with green chutney or tomato ketchup.



I am sending this recipe here , an event by Shanthi.




Wednesday, July 1, 2009

SOME THOUGHTS TO SHARE AND STEAMING HOT KADHI!!!1



We entered for a giveaway in a nearby mall a couple of months ago..(well, actually my husband did, I was not interested as I do not consider myself lucky enough to win in any kind of lucky draw)...and even tried to drag him out of it.....:):):):) .But, he insisted on filling out that small piece of paper asking for name and related basic contact information and dropped in a box kept their solely for collecting the participant's info. We eventually forgot about it until one day I recieved a call from one of their representatives, informing that my husband was one of the winner, asking us to visit a resort 30 minutes drive from our house. She told us that there were various prizes (Cash, free shopping spree, cruise, vacation somewhere in US and a car) and we were a gauaranteed winner of any one of the prize.My husband asked me not to get too much excited, as our chances of getting the most sought after prize that was a car were quite slim, but he was hopeful of getting the lowest prize money.



When we reached there, a representative greeted us and escorted us to a big hall. He took our basic info, asked us about our mutual interests and activities, places we visited so far, places we wanna visit in next 10 years, hotels we stayed in, cost of vacation..blah, blah, blah......After that he introduced us to this phenomena in which one can become owner of a condo at some resort, where multiple parties holds right to use the property and each party gets a fixed time in a year to use the property. It took him almost an hour and nothing about the prize so far. In short, he showed us some shabby looking cabins and lodges and insisted on getting the ownership. When he failed to get our interest going he went to get his manager who started all over again.By that time we were so exhausted and tired that we did not even had energy to stop him. When we did not show our interest to him either, another person came and asked us what was wrong with us and he was so mean and rude, somehow we got rid of him. Then, we were asked to go to another building to get our prize, where a lady gave us a stack of cards from which we had to select and scratch a card. After that she asked us to match the numbers on the card with the numbers on a papers. None of the numbers matched but as promised we were given a prize to spend vacation somewhere in USA ..(now lying somewhere as it has too many catches....)



MORAL OF THE STORY: These Americans definitely know their business.they know how to get money out of our pockets.



KADHI

Now coming back to the cooking, I am very fond of this bihari style kadhi, it is very close to the punjabi kadhi. The only difference I figured out between this one and a punjabi kadhi is the onion paste which enhances its flavour and texture. I never imagined a kadhi without a pakora in it but my husband likes plain kadhi with pakora on the side so I served it that way. I bring to you this delicacy straight from my kitchen stove, try this out, I am sure you will ask for more.....:D






















INGREDIENTS FOR KADHI



1 CUP YOGURT


2-3 TBSP CHICK PEA FLOUR(BESAN)


1 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER


1 TSP TURMERIC POWDER


SALT TO TASTE



FOR PASTE



1 MEDIUM ONION


2 GREEN CHILLI


3-4 CLOVES GARLIC



Grind onion, green chilli and cloves with 1-2 tbsp water.




FOR TEMPERING



7-8 ROUND WHOLE RED CHILLIES


1 TSP CUMIN SEEDS


7-8 CURRY LEAVES




STEPS OF PREPARATION



1.Beat yogurt with fork until it becomes smooth and pour it in a large pot.



2.Dissolve besan in water to get thin consistency and it should be lump free.



3.Then add salt, red chilli, turmeric and onion paste.



4.Add 3-4 cups of water and leave it uncovered on medium flame, stirring occassionally.



5.After first boil, lower the flame and cook for atleast an hour.



6.When it is almost done,heat oil in a pan, add red chilli, cumin seeds and curry leaves and fry till aroma comes.



7. Immediately pour it into the kadhi.Garnish with coriander leaves




INGREDIENTS FOR PAKORAY



2 CUPS CHICK PEA FLOUR(BESAN)



1-2 SMALL GREEN CHILLI



SALT TO TASTE



1 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER



1 TSP TURMERIC POWDER



1 TSP CORIANDER POWDER



1 SMALL ONIONS(SLICED FINELY)



1/2 TSP GARAM MASALA



1 TSP CHAAT MASALA



1 1/2 TSP AJWAIN SEEDS



1 TBSP CUMIN SEEDS



HANDFUL OF CORIANDER LEAVES(CHOPPED FINELY)



OIL FOR DEEP FRYING





STEPS OF PREPARATION



1.Place all the ingredients in a bowl except onion and by slowly adding water and stirring at the same time obtain the consistency which should not be too thick or too thin.



2.Add onions and mix well then start dropping them one by one with the kelp of a spoon in hot oil.


3.Deep fry well till they turn golden brown and take out with a slotted spoon on a plate lined with paper towel.



4.Serve with kadhi and rice.






I am sending it to shanthi here.



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