Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year...

Enjoy the Goodness of God and Remember God Loves you... Romans(bible)8:32 - If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

From

Abhijit, Monika and Aaron

Quick Chocolate Making

Hi Guys, its been a little while I wrote any new recipe and the year is already rolling out. Also we have come to the best part of the year too. It's Christmas folks and Jesus is the reason of this season. Anyways, I have come with a recipe of a world best food, which every people whether young or old cherish it in same. It's Chocolate!... hey, its very easy to make see how....

You can make around 200 pcs of the chocolate as shown in the picture. Great gift for Christmas too.

Generally you get bars of 500 gms of raw chocolate in bigger super markets or cake n bake raw material shops. In Hyderabad you will get it in general bazaar.

Ingredients

500gms of Dark Compound

1500gms of Milk Compound

A packet of rice flakes

A packet of butterscotch nuts

Essence - Peppermint, Butterscotch, Almond, Orange

Chocolate wrapping paper to wrap and keep

Method

It’s very easy. The measurement of Dark Compound to Milk Compound is roughly 1-to 1.25-unit portion of Dark Compound to 3 same unit portion of Milk Compound.

Here we are mixing all the 500 gms of Dark compound to 1500 gms of Milk compound.

Break and place them in a bigger bowl. The you need to keep in the micro oven for around 2 to 4 mins and then take it out and mix. It’s a process of melting and mixing the 2 compounds. If you don't have a micro oven, then you can place a bigger bowl with water in it and place another bowl where you keep the chocolate and stir to melt it.

You never directly melt chocolate over fire.

So once melted, you can separate various portions of the melted chocolate in different bowls and but 1 drops of different essence. Add the rice flakes and butter scotch... or you can also add nuts, almonds raisins.... just let you imagination go wild and make your own tastes.

One its done place the mix in various moulds, you will get various shaped chocolate moulds in shops.

Keep them in the deep freezer for 15mins and take it out from the moulds. It should come out fall like ice cubes. Now wrap them in the chocolate wrapping paper and store it.

Olalla.... you just made wonderful chocolate.

A Quick Brownie

Chocolate Brownie

Recently one of our friend came home over for some dinner. She made some quick desert, a home made brownie. It was very quick, so thought of sharing it with you all. Also the best part of this cake is it is completely made of vegetable oil and no butter.

Ingredients

Eggs 4nos

Castor Sugar - 2 cups (or you can also use brown sugar which will give it a sticky texture)

Vegetable Oil - 2 cups

Flour - 1 and half cup

Cocoa powder - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Walnut - 50gms crushed into small pieces

Method

Before you start the process of mixing the ingredients, you can keep the oven at 180 degrees for pre-heating.

First mix the 4 eggs and 2 cups sugar. Nicely beat them for 3-4mins, then add 2 cups of vegetable oil and beat it again for another 3-4mins.

Add 1 and a half cup of flour and 1 cup cocoa and a teaspoon of baking powder. Again mix them nicely for 3-4mins.

Add the walnut.

Now, in a baking tray grease it with little butter and sprinkle coat some flour on it to make it non-sticky.

Pour the mixture and bake it for 45mins at 180 degrees till you find no sticky substance when u poke it with a knife.

Viola, you just made a quick brown fox jumped... sorry I mean a quick Brownie.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roasted Pork Chops

This is another in the row for a quick baked meat dish. Just marination and relax while it cooks on its own.

Roasted Pork Chops

Ingredients

Pork Chops - 1kgs, cut into nice medium or big pieces

Garlic Paste - 2 tablespoon

Soy Sauce - 2 tablespoon

Chilli Flakes - 1 tablespoon

BBQ Sauce - 1 tablespoon

Sweet Chilli sauce - 1 tablespoon

Oil - 2 tablespoon

Pepper - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Method

Keep the pork chops in a marinating bowl. Add all the ingredients in the order mention above and nicely mix them with the pork chops.

Keep it refrigerated for about 2 -3hrs.

Take the marinated pork chops after 2-3 hrs and place then in the baking tray. You can grease the baking tray with 1 tablespoon of oil before arranging the pork chops nicely on it.

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree centigrade

Cook it for 45mins.

Again you made a marvel out of simple marination.

Bon Appetite!!!!

Herbed Baked Chicken

Many a times you might have thought of making a whole baked chicken and must have backed out with the thought of the complexity of making it. But believe me it is one of the most easiest dishes and the most eye googling dish you would ever make and get the best of appreciation of the people you treat it with. There are various ways of making it, but I am using a simplest of the herb chicken. All these herbs which may sound western will be found in any super markets with a cost ranging from Rs50 to Rs 80 a bottle which will last a long.

Herbed Baked Chicken

Ingredients

Whole Chicken with skin - 1.5kgs

Garlic - 3 tablespoon

Pepper - 2 tablespoon

Dry Rosemary - 2 1/2 tablespoon

Dry Thyme - 1 1/2 tablespoon

Oregano - 1 tablespoon

Chilli Flakes - 2 1/2 tablespoon

Butter - 100gms

Oil - 2-3 tablespoon

Indian Garam Masala - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and towel dry the chicken. Place it in a marinating bowl. The method of marinating the chicken is kind of giving a message to the chicken, and do it well all across and even inside the chicken too.

So first nicely message it with garlic paste and pepper. Then as you message keep all the other ingredients onto the chicken till everything is evenly spread on it. This process should take you around 5 - 8 mins.

Now, pour 50gms soft butter and 1 tablespoon oil on the chicken and message it again. Remember the spices should stick to the body of the chicken.

Keep this marinated chicken in the fridge for about 3 - 4 hrs.

Now pre-heat the oven for 5mins and bring the chicken out of the fridge and place another 1-2 tablespoon of oil and another 50gms of butter and rub it lightly on the body of the chicken.

Now, Bake it at 210 degrees centigrade for 25mins on one side and another 25 mins on the other side.

Yummy! your fantastic mouth watering and picturesque herbed baked chicken is ready to melt in your mouth.

Bon Appetite

Mutton in cashew n almond

Ingredients

Mutton – 500gms

Red chilli powder – 1 tablespoon

Ginger garlic paste – 3 tablespoon

Coriander powder – 2 tablespoon

Garam masala powder – 1 tablespoon

Onions – 2 large ones

Curd – 150 gms

Cashew – 5 whole

Almond – 5 whole

Whole garam masala – 5 cloves, 5 cardamom and 2 cinnamon sticks

Dry chillies – 3 pcs

Bay leaves – 2 pcs

Poppy seed – 1 tablespoon

Coriander leaves

Salt to taste

Method

Marinate the mutton with curd, coriander powder, chilli powder and ginger garlic paste. Mix nicely and place the marinated mutton in the fridge for 3-4 hrs.

Now, in a kadai add oil, in it place the whole garam masala as listed and also the dry chilli and bay leaves. Let them simmer in the oil for 2-3 mins and then take them out of the oil.

Then in the same oil add the chopped onions, fry them till golden brown. Add the marinated mutton and stir and fry it nicely for 20-30mins.

As the mutton is being fried and simmered, take a mixer jar, add cashew, almond and poppy seeds, add a little water and make a nice paste of it.

Now add this paste in the mutton and stir nicely. Now, take this mutton from the kadai and place it in the cooker and add a glass of water. Cook it for about 5-6 whistles. (you can avoid this process and instead cook it in the kadai, this process is just to make the mutton soft)

Now, again place the mutton back in the kadai and add cream to the curry and 1 tablespoon of garam masala. Stir and simmer it for another 5 mins.

Garnish with coriander leaves to serve it hot with paranthas.

Enjoy!!!!!!

Scones

Scones got their start as a Scottish quick bread. Originally made with oats and griddle-baked, today's version is more often made with flour and baked in the oven. As for the origin of the word "Skone", some say it comes from the Dutch word schoonbrot, which means beautiful bread, while others argue it comes from Stone of Destiny, where the Kings of Scotland were crowned. According to Webster's Dictionary, scones originated in Scotland in the early 1500s.

Scones became popular and an essential part of the fashionable ritual of taking tea in England.

So that’s a bit of a history, now indulge in making it.

Ingredients

Flour – 300gms

Baking powder – 1 tablespoon

Sugar – 1 tablespoon

Cheese – 1 slice

Butter – 100gms

Eggs – 2

Cream – 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Method

Take a bowl and make dough with flour, baking powder, sugar cheese, butter, 1 egg and salt to taste. The texture of the dough should not be very hard but a little softer, a texture when we make soft paranthas in India.

Then take a baking tray and brush the base with little oil or butter. Make handful round shaped scones and place them on the tray. take a fork and pierce the scones from top, this will allow the scones to bake nicely from within.

In another bowl mix the other egg and cream together and beat them nicely and apply this mixture on top of each scones.

Now, place it in the pre-heated oven at 220 degrees for about 15-20 mins.

Yum! Now have these scones with your tea. You can apply butter or honey on the scones before having them.

Bon Appetite

Beef Roast - yum

Beef Roast

Ingredients

Beef tender loin - 600gms (one whole piece)

Pepper powder - 2 tablespoon

Garlic Paste - 2 tablespoon

Worcestershire sauce - 1 tablespoon

Soya Sauce - 2 tablespoon

Tomato puree - 1 tablespoon

Tabasco sauce - 1 tablespoon

Oil - 2 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

Method

Nicely pierce the beef tenderloin with a fork. Then in a bowl place all the ingredients written above with its exact measurements.

Marinate the beef in the prepared sauce in the bowl and keep it marinated in the fridge for 8 - 12 hrs.

Now, pre-heat the oven and place the beef in a tray putting all the juice of the marination in the tray. Place 1teaspoon of oil on the exposed part of the beef and put it in the oven at 220 degrees centigrade for 25mins.

Now, turn the beef on to the other side and put another 1 teaspoon of oil and keep it for another 25mins.

Here you go a juicy tender beef roast is ready. You can serve it with some boiled vegetables and smashed potatoes.

Bon Appetite

Quick Summer Drinks - Granitas

Quick Summer Drinks - Granitas

In this hot summer the mind, body and lips looks for a chilled cooler drinks. Here I am going to show you how to make a quick mocktails but you can also add a peg of vodka in any of these drink to make it a cook cocktail.

For me to make any summer mocktail I prepare a base ice crush with lime. here is how it goes

Servings of these drinks are at the content for 4 persons

BASE

Ice - 4 glass

Lime - 4-5 pcs

Sugar - 5-6 table spoon

Plain Soda

Now, take a mixie jar and squeeze the limes in it add 6 tablespoon of sugar and pour in the 4 glasses of ice. Grind them nicely in the blender so that atleast 70% of the nice is crushed, it does not matter if there are few ice cubes still intact.

Now, pour the lime n ice mix equally to 4 tall glasses. This is the base I was talking about and it can be used for any cocktail mixtures.

Various Concoctions

You will get these syrups/cordials in the supermarket, Mapro is a company which makes them nice and cheap

1) Blue Curacao -

2) Orange Citrus

3) Litchi Cordial

So what I do is, after the preparation of the base I place 1 and half tablespoon of any of these cordials in the glass on top of the ice and then fill it up slowly with soda. (You can add a peg of white rum or vodka too).

What you get is a sparkling nice summer coolant.

You can also mix maaza to a mix of orange citrus drink... its a nice mix.

You can add mint leaves and shake it with the ice before adding soda.... these gives you a nice mint based granita...

You can play around with a lot of mixture on top of the base which I prepared.

So let your mind freek out in making your own drink

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Homemade Pizza

Making a homemade pizza right from making the pizza base can be a little frightening. It was scary to me too, but trust me I just made an effort and it came out to be fairly good enough. May not be as good as dominos but can be compared to many of the best restaurant as I can place my own amount of toppings of meat and cheese without worrying at my pocket. So guys try this out and see how good it really becomes.

Pizza

First of all lets learn making the pizza dough.

Ingredients

Flour - 250gms

Dry Yeast - 2 tablespoon

Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Salt - to taste

First of all take around 150 ml of warm water put 1 tablespoon of sugar and place 2 tablespoon of yeast in it. Cover and leave it for about 10mins for the yeast to get activated.

Take a bowl for making the dough. Place the flour in it and instead of water pour the yeast water in making the dough, dont worry if it smells a bit foul as that is the smell of the yeast and will go away when you bake it.

You can add little bit of plain warm water if more water is required.

Now, the texture of your dough should be soft enough but not sticky, you can place dry flour on the kneading floor time to time while you are making the dough.

Once done your dough should be soft and if you press the dough with finger it will slowly bounce back.

Now cover the dough in a container and keep it in the fridge for atleast 2hr or you can also keep it over night or 8hrs.

Now, preparation of the pizza. You can try various ways of making the toppings, from veg stuffs to non-veg variants(smoked or cooked chicken, mutton etc) but I am showing a method and indredients which I used, to make it really cheesy and meaty.

Ingredients

Britannia Cheezza - 150 gms

Milk - one cup

Mozzaralla Cheese - 100gms

Pork Salami - 100gms

Pork Ham - 100gms

Capsicum - 1 pc chopped

Onion - 1 big chopped

Tomato puree

Pepper

Salt to taste

Oreganon and chilli flakes for garnishing

First I make a cheese sauce

To make a cheese sauce, I grate the Britannia Cheezza into one cup of milk and heat them in low flame till the cheese and the milk both mix and melt together. Add some salt and pepper to taste.

Then, take out the pizza dough from the fridge and spread it over a baking pan. I had a rectangular shapped baking tray which I used, you can use any shape but the main thing it has to be less in depth, flat is also better.

Take the tray and put some oil on it to make it little greezy.

Now, I cover the tray with the pizza dough upto the edges and you can make it a thin crust pizza or thick to your preference. But I preferred it a thin crust.

Once the tray is covered with the dough, spread tomato puree on it, then the cheese sauce, then the cut salamis and ham. After that the chopped onions and the capsicum. Add some salt to taste.

Now grate the mozzaralla cheese to cover the tray.

Put it in the pre-heated oven at 220 degrees for about 20-25 mins.

You will be surprised to see that you have made the best pizza ever.

Bon Apetit!!!

Momo (dumplings) with Red Chilli sauce

Momo is one of our favourite dishes and it comes straight from the land of my darling wife, as she is a nepali. So this recipe is authentic to her taste, hopefully you all will enjoy it. Try the sauce also as thats a special sauce to accompany your momos.

Momo (dumplings) with Red Chilli sauce (serves 4 persons)

Ingredients

chicken or pork keema (mince) - 500 gms

onion - 250gms

garlic paste - 2 tablespoon of

Oil - 3 tablespoon

Flour - 500gms

Salt to taste

You also need a momo steamer vessel

Method

Key to this method of momo preparation is "do not pre-cook the meat". Usually pork and chicken mince is very tender, so we let it cook along with the momo while steaming.

Chop the onions into small quite small pieces then take a mixing bowl, put the chopped onions, pork mince, 2 tablespoon of garlic paste and 3 tablespoon of oil and salt to taste. Mix them nicely.

Now, in a separate bowl to make a dough with flour. Put 1 tablespoon of oil into the flour before kneading.

Make small balls out of the dough and roll over it over with make a round approx 3inch diameter. (you can also make it bigger or small depending on your preference)

Place a spoon or 1 and half spoon of the mince mix on it and nicely fold it in a semi-circular shape.

Keep making the mince filled momos and keep then in you momo maker vessel to steam.

Steam it for 15-20 mins and your momo is ready.

Now, to make a red chilli sauce you need;

Red Chilli - 5-6 dry red chillies

Garlic cloves - 5-6

Tomato - 1 big

Soak the dry red chillies in water for about 15mins.

Take them out in a mixer jar, place the garlic cloves and the tomato and little salt to taste.

Blend them nicely and you momo sauce is ready.

Enjoy!!!!!!!!

Indian Mackerel fry with garlic bread

Indian Mackerel fry with garlic bread

Ingredients

Indian Mackerel – 4 fish

Ginger n garlic paste

Coriander powder

Chilli powder

Fish masala

Lime

Salt to taste

Bread crumbs

Eggs

Method

Marinate the fish with 2 tablespoon of ginger n garlic paste, 1 tablespoon of coriander powder, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder, 1 tablespoon of fish masala (fish masala is a mixture of garam masala, dry ginger, dry mango, tamarind) and sqeeze 1 tablespoon of lime juice, add salt to taste.

Keep the fish marinated for 2-4 hrs.

Later, while you heat the oil for shallow frying of the fish. Spread grounded bread crumbs on a plate and break 2 eggs in a bowl.

Take each fish at a time, dip it in the egg and roll it over the bread crumbs and shallow fry the fishes.

Serve the with some garlic bread, potato wedges and steamed cauliflower. Garnish the fish with some lime and coriander leaves.

Enjoy!!

Hongkong Sweet n Sour Chicken

Chinese is always been one of my interest and this one is very tasty.

Hongkong Sweet n Sour Chicken (servings 4 persons)

Ingredients

Chicken (400gms) boneless cut as small to medium pieces (little smaller than a medium)

Eggs 2

Sugar

Tomato puree or paste

Vinegar

Soya sauce

Onion

Capsicum

Salt to taste

Method

To make this recipe I will teach you in 3 steps,

First - how to fry the chicken

Take a bowl, break 2 eggs, add 1 teaspoon of sugar, salt to taste and ½ tablespoon of cornflour. Mix this batter nicely and place your boneless chicken and mix all of it.

Heat oil in a wok or a kadai to very high sizzling temperature.

Now, spread a lot of cornflour over a plate. Pick chicken one by one from the batter mix and drop them in the cornflour spread over the plate to have a coat of cornflour.

As each one of them gets its coat put them in the oil and fry them till its golden brown in color. Once all fried keep them in aside.

Second – preparing the sauce

Take another bowl, pour ¾ cup of tomato puree, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 ½ tablespoon of soya sauce, mix them and keep them aside.

Third – the finale

Cut 2 medium sized onions into thicker slices, so, it means slices to be 3 times bigger than your normal curry cut onions.

Same way cut 2 big capsicum into bigger flatter pieces.

Put 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok and stir the onions in the oil for 30 sec, it should not try brown, add the capsicum and stir for another 20sec and then add the sauce which you prepared in the second step. Stir all for 1 min and add the fried chicken which you prepared in the step one.

Stir all of them for another 2 mins adding salt to taste, so that the chicken is nicely coated in the sauce.

Optional you can add a pinch of ajino moto.

Voila, you prepared an astonishing dish

Bon Appetite!!