Kaju Badam Kulfi

Hubs likes popsicles a lot. He bought these pretty Popsicle molds and totally forgot about them. Soaring temperatures in So Cal reminded me of popsicles --> popsicle molds --> and ultimately kulfi. I tried this easy kulfi recipe today and surprised hubs by serving it as a refreshing after-office snack.

Ingredients

Condensed Milk – 1 Cup, 5 Oz

Evaporated Milk – 1 Cup, 5 Oz

Almonds and Cashews – ¼ Cup, coarsely ground

Cardamom powder – a pinch

White Bread – 1 Slice (Note – I used cinnamon and raisin bread. J)

Yield – 6 Popsicle sized molds

Method

1. In a large bowl, stir together evaporated milk, cream, condensed milk, cardamom, and nuts. Pour into Popsicle molds or stainless-steel kulfi molds.

                              

2. Freeze for about 5 – 6 hours.

3. Serve these beautiful and delicious kulfis as a desert/ snack and win your loved ones’ hearts.

                              

Spicy Chicken Kabobs

Hubby bought some ground chicken and promised to treat me with some delicious kabobs. Well, that never happened and I happened to debut in making chicken kabobs. The below recipe is pretty easy and you’ll be amazed with the outcome!

Happy Kabobing!! :)

Ingredients

Ground Chicken – 1 Lbs.

Mint Leaves – 1/2 cup, chopped

Coriander Leaves – 1/2 cup, chopped

Curry Leaves – 4 to 5 strands, roasted and crumbled

Green Chilies – 5 to 6, finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp.

Garam Masala – 1 1/2 tsp.

Ground Pepper – 1/2 tsp.

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp.

Chili powder – 1 tsp.

Dhanya and Jeera powder – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Olive Oil – 1 tbsp., for greasing the baking pan

Cloves – 5 to 6 nos.

Cardamom – 5 to 6 nos., crushed

Method

1. In a mixing bowl, put chicken and all the other ingredients (except oil, cloves and cardamom). Mix all the ingredients thoroughly till all the spices blend in to the chicken.

2. Take little portions of the mixture and form sausages around the skewers. Make sure the mixture is spread evenly around the skewer.

     Note - If you don’t have skewers, don’t worry. Scoop a small handful into your palm and shape the mixture in to a log.

3. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F. Take a baking pan and grease it with olive oil. Put cloves and cardamoms on pan and place it in the oven for 2 minutes or till the spices get aromatic.

4. Take the pan out, increase the temperature to 400 degrees F. Place the kabobs on the pan and bake for 30 minutes in total.

5. After about 15 minutes, turn the kabobs over and bake for the remaining 15 minutes.

6. Serve hot with a bed of butter flavored basmati rice and mint yogurt sauce.

Fasttrack Chicken Curry

It’s the same old chicken curry with the same old ingredients. However, the method here is a very easy and a quick one. Try this out and you’ll not be disappointed :)

Ingredients

Chicken – 1/2, skinless and cut into medium sized chunks

Curd/ Yogurt - 2 tbsp

Ginger garlic Paste - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 3/4 tsp

Chili Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander and Cumin Powder - 1 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Onion - 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Tomato - 1 medium sized, finely chopped

Chopped Mint Leaves and Cilantro – ½ - 1 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Curry Leaves – 4 strands

Serves – 2 to 3

Prep time – 5 mins

Cooking time – 20 to 25 mins

Method

1. Wash the chicken thoroughly, put in all the ingredients (except for oil and curry leaves) and mix properly.

2. Take a wok, put oil and let it heat. Once the oil gets heated, put in the chicken mixture and sauté for a few seconds.

3. Cover the wok with a lid and let the chicken cook on medium flame. Cook the chicken until it’s completely done.

Note – Sautee in between for 2 – 3 times.

4. Take the curry leaves, wash them and put them in the microwave till they become really dry and crispy. First set the time for a minute. If it’s crispy enough to crumble, go ahead and crumble the curry leaves. Else, microwave the curry leaves for 40 seconds to 1 minute and crumble them.

5. Add in the crumbled curry leaves in to the cooked chicken curry about 5 minutes before turning off the flame.

6. Serve hot with rice.

American Style Breakfast Biscuits

I first had these amazing biscuits in McDonalds and since then I've been a big fan of these cute little wonders. I wanted to make these at home for a long time now; but alas! However, today I finally decided to make them. They are perfect for breakfast or a snack. You can have these with butter, jam, nutella, eggs, bacon or just by themselves. Am sure you’ll enjoy these bite sized biscuits anywhere, anytime!! J

Ingredients

All-purpose flour (maida) – 2 Cups

Butter – 1/3 Cup, cold and cut in to cubes

Baking Powder – 1 tbsp.

Sugar – 1 tbsp.

Salt – 1 tsp

Milk – ¾ to 1 cup

Note: I did not have baking powder or baking soda while making the biscuits. However, I used “ENO (fruit salt)” as a substitute for the baking powder.

Yield - 23 bite sized biscuits/ 6 - 7 large biscuits

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven at 420 degrees F/ 215 degrees C.

2. In a big bowl, put all the dry ingredients. Add butter cubes and mix everything together. The mixture will be coarse and dry.

3. Add milk (little by little) to the mixture and knead it in to smooth dough.

4. Place the dough on a floured surface and flatten (by either patting it or by using a rolling pin) it out till it is 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits using a cookie cutter or anything that is round (I used a wide water bottle’s cap).

5. Brush off any excess flour on the biscuits. Place them on to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake the biscuits for 15 – 17 minutes or until the edges begin browning.

Cinnamon Apple Squares

Whenever I make something with fresh fruits, one can take it for granted that I couldn’t find any other better use for them than turning them in to delicious treats. :)

Hubby and I often become ambitious and buy loads of fruits.  We resolve to eat them and become healthy. But alas! The results are in front of you ;)

Try these mini treats and save your fruits from being dumped in to the waste basket (that is if your story is same as that of ours :)). 

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida – 1 Cup

Baking Soda – ¾ tsp.

Salt – Pinch (Can be avoided if using salted butter)

Ground Cinnamon – ¼ tsp.

White Sugar – ½ Cup

Brown Sugar – ½ Cup

Salted Butter – ¼ Cup/ ½ Stick/ 4 tbsp.

Eggs – 1

Vanilla Extract – 1 tsp.

Apple – 1 Cup, finely chopped

Walnuts (optional) – ½ Cup, coarsely ground

For the glaze:

Sugar – 2 tbsp.

Cinnamon powder – 1 tsp.

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C.

2. In a big bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients and keep aside.

3. Melt the butter and add sugar, vanilla extract and egg to the melted mixture and mix well.

4. Add flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix well. At this step add the chopped apple pieces and walnuts.

5. Take a cake pan, grease it with butter and pour in the batter. Sprinkle the glaze mixture of sugar and cinnamon evenly on the batter. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes.

6. Take it out. Allow it to cool. Transfer on to a wire rack for it to cool completely or simply place it on a sheet or plate. Cut in to equal sized square pieces.

CON Malai Mutter Paneer

This dish tastes as if it is actually made in malai (butter). However, it CONS you as it has no trace of butter in it. Try out this low calorie (barring the paneer ;)) dish and con all your loved ones. :)

Ingredients:

Onions – 1 cup, diced in to cubes

Cauliflower – 1 cup, diced in to cubes

Green Chilies – 6 to 7, slit vertically

Cumin Seeds – ½ tsp.

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp.

Paneer – 1 cup, diced in to cubes

Green Peas/ Mutter – ¾ cup, frozen or fresh

Red Chili powder – ½ tsp.

Dhanya and Jeera powder – ½ tsp.

Oil – 2 to 3 tbsp.

Sugar – 1 tsp.

Milk – ½ cup

Salt – To taste

Water – 1 to 1 ½ cups

            

Method

1. Take a saucepan, put it on flame and add oil. Once the oil gets heated, add cumin seeds, upon spluttering put green chilies, onion pieces, cauliflower florets and sauté until the rawness goes. Onions should become a little translucent.

2. Turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool.

3. Grind the onion cauliflower mixture into a fine paste.

4. Put the pan on heat, add a little oil and pour in the paste. Add ginger garlic paste and cook until the gravy loses all its water and sticks together. Keep stirring at regular intervals.

5. Once the gravy is ready, add red chili powder, dhanya jeera powder and cook for another 5 minutes.

6. Now add green peas and paneer cubes. Mix well and add water. Let it come to a boil.

7. Add milk, sugar and salt and let it cook until a desired consistency is acquired.

8. Turn off the flame and serve hot with roti/ rice.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Story behind these muffins is the same. Bananas in my house were sitting idle without being put to any use. So I thought, ‘Hmm, let’s make some banana muffins’.

These muffins are an absolute delight. Try them and you won’t be disappointed. :)

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour/ Maida – 1½ cups

White Sugar – ¾ cup

Unsalted Butter – 1/3 cup

Baking Soda – 1 tsp.

Eggs – 1

Ripe Bananas – 2 ½ - 3, mashed

Salt – Pinch (if using salted butter, salt can be avoided)

Vanilla Extract – ½ tsp.

Milk Chocolate Chips – ¼ cup

Hersheys Chocolate Syrup – ¼ cup

Coffee Decoction – 1 tbsp.

Yield – 12 muffins

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together butter (melted/ at room temp), sugar, eggs and vanilla. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, sift together flour, salt, soda. Add these dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Beat together well. Add the mashed bananas (Make sure that the banana is well mashed and gets properly mixed with the batter).

3. Add in the chocolate syrup, coffee decoction and chocolate chips in to the mixture and mix well.

4. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees F/ 190 degrees C.

5. In the meanwhile, Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup ¾ full.

6. Bake the muffins for 25 – 30 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean when inserted.

7. Cool the muffins and serve with a hot cuppa coffee. :)