Szechuan Soup

Indian Cooking Recipe : Szechuan Soup

Ingredients :
8 dried mushrooms
250g cooked prawns
7 cups chicken stock
½ cup dry white wine
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp cornflour
¼ cup water
125g ham, finely sliced
185g lean pork, finely sliced
30g Chinese pickles, finely sliced
½ x 225g can water, chestnuts, drained, sliced
½ red pepper, finely sliced
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp water, extra
8 spring onion
250g bean curd, cubed
Method :
Cover mushrooms with hot water in bowl, stand 30 minutes.
Remove stems, slice mushrooms thinly. Shell and devein prawns.
Combine chicken stock, wine and sauces in large pan, bring to boil, boil, uncovered, about 5 minutes.
Gradually stir in blended cornflour and water, stir until soup boils.
Stir in mushrooms, ham, pork, pickles, water chestnuts and pepper, simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes.
Stir in vinegar and sesame oil. Gradually add combined egg and extra water to soup, stirring constantly.
Add shallots, bean curd and prawns, simmer 1 minute.

Chicken & Corn Soup

Indian Cooking Recipe : Chicken & Corn Soup Ingredients : 1kg chicken pieces 8 cups water 4 peppercorns 2.5cm piece fresh ginger, sliced 1 onion, guartered 3 sprigs parsley 470g can creamed corn 2 chicken stock cubes ½ tsp grated fresh ginger, extra 5 green shallots, chopped 1 tsp sesame oil 4 tbsp cornflour 4 tbsp water 2 egg whites 2 tbsp water, extra 5 spring onion, chopped 1 tsp sesame oil 4 tbsp cornflour 4 tbsp water 2 egg whites 2 tbsp water, extra 2 slices ham, thinly sliced 4 spring onion, chopped, extra Method : Place chicken into large pan, add water, peppercorns, ginger, onion and parsley. Bring to boil over medium heat, skim well to remove any scum; reduce heat, simmer gently, covered, for 1½ hours. Remove any scum from top of stock, strain, reserve 6 cups of stock. Remove meat from chicken, shred meat finely. Combine reserved chicken stock, corn, crumbled stock cubes, extra ginger, onion and sesame oil in large pan bring to boil. Stir in blended cornflour and water, stir until soup boils and thickens, simmer 1 minute. Lightly beat egg whites and extra water, add to the soup in a thin stream, stirring well. Add ham and shredded chicken to soup, heat gently. Top with extra shallots.

: Chinese Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients :
2 eggs, beaten
½ tbsp sesame oil
5 tbsp wood ears, soaked
2 cups clear stock
50g hearts of chinese cabbages
2½ tbsp vegetable oil
¼ tsp MSG
salt to taste
Method :
Wash and chop the wood ears and cabbage hearts.
Heat 2½ tbsp of the vegetable oil in a pan.
Put the eggs and fry until browned on both sides.
Take out and cut into small pieces. Keep aside.
Pour the stock into the pan. Put the salt, wood ears, cabbage hearts, eggs, and MSG.
Keep it to boil for about 1 minute.
Put sesame oil and serve.

Prawn on Toast

Indian Cooking Recipe : Prawns On Toast Ingredients : 500g green king prawns 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 tbsp cornflour 8 thick slices of bread 1 hard boiled egg yolk 1 slice ham 1 spring onion, finely chopped oil for deep-frying Method : Shell and devein prawns, leaving tails intact. Gently flatten prawns. Combine egg and cornflour in small bowl, add prawns. Mix well; coat prawns completely. Remove crusts from bread, cut slices in half. Place 1 prawn, cut-side-down on each piece of bread, gently flatten prawns on bread with palm of hand. Brush with left-over cornflour mixture. Chop egg yolk and ham into 1cm cubes. Push a cube of egg yolk onto prawns bear tail. Place a cube of ham in centre of each prawn. Place ¼ tsp finely chopped shallot at the bottom of each prawn; there should be egg, ham, and shallot along the centre of each prawn. Gently ease toasts, 2 or 3 at a time, into hot oil, deep-fry until bread is golden and prawns are cooked through; drain on absorbent paper

Chettinadu Kozhukattai

Ingredients:

Par boiled rice (idly rice) - 1 ½ cup

Red chillie-6

Curry leaf

Urud dhal-1teaspoon

Mustard seed-1 teaspoon

Bengal gram-1 teaspoon

Oil-2 table spoons

Grated coconut-2 tablespoons

Method:

1.Soak the rice for 1 hour. Put it in the mixie with the salt needed and grind for 2 minutes.

2.Add 1 cup of water to the grinded batter.Keep the kadai in the stove. pour the oil ,when it gets heated add the mustard seed and allow it to crack then add the urudh dhal, curry leaf and Bengal gram .

3.When the dhal gets roasted add the grated cocunut stir for a minute, then pour the batter into the kadai and go on stirring.

4. Switch off the stove when it becomes thick to the consistency that you can make balls out of it. Allow the batter to cool for 2 or 3 minutes. Then make kozhukattai’s of the desired shape .Steam the kozhukattai’s in the idly pot for 5 minutes.

5.This kozhukattai can be eaten without any side dish. But if you can find time then you can prepare Tomato chutney or coconut chutney. It will taste yummy in that combination

Chettinadu Appam

Ingredients:

Raw rice-2 cups

Boiled rice -3/4 cup

Grated coconut-3/4 cup

For grinding:

Soak both the rice for 2 hours.

After soaking grind it in the mixie or grinder.

Do not add too much water while grinding. If you are using fresh coconut then that coconuts water can be used for grinding. Add the grated coconut after 5 minutes of grinding. This itself will make the dough little loose. Grind it to a fine paste. After taking out the dough from the grinder or mixie wash it with 1 cup of good water and keep aside.

Method :

1.Take 3 spoons of grinded dough and mix it in the water kept aside. Add 2 more cups of water into it. Now keep this mixture in the stove and go on stirring it. It will start to become thick. When it becomes little thicker (consistency of corn flour added soups) remove it from stove. Allow the Kanji to cool.Add little salt and the kanji to the dough and mix well. Make it to the consistency of idly batter.

2. Allow the batter to ferment for 6 hours. After fermenting, if little thick, coconut milk can be added or water can also be added to bring it to the correct consistency. It should be in the consistency of dosa batter.In medium fire make appams.

3.It can be made with ease in non stick appa tawa.If it is going to be served along with coconut milk soak them in the coconut milk a few minutes before serving.

Puttu

Ingredients:

Rice flour- 1 cup
Grated coconut- 1/2 cup
Cardamom- 2
Sugar- 4 to 6 spoons
Ghee-1 to 3 spoons
Salt- a pinch

Method:

Mix Salt ,little Water to Rice flour and make the flour like shreds.
Steam cook the Rice flour mix in a idy cooker.
Finally add Grated coconut, Cardamom, Sugar, Ghee and mix well.

Note:

You can try this with Ragi flour

Its good for health.

Naan

Ingredients:
3 cups self-raising flour (maida)
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup curds fresh
salt to taste
1/2 tsp baking soda (soda - bicarb)warm milk for kneading.

Method:
Sieve together dry ingredients into a large rimmed plate.
Add butter curds, oil and crumblewith fingers.
When does is like course crumbs, add milk a little at a time, till a soft pliabledough is formed.
Cover with wet muslin cloth. Cover with another plate and keep aside for 5 - 6 hours.
Knead dough lightly.
Break of piece, the size of a medium potato and roll into a thicktriangle, using dry dough if required.Place on a pre-warmed griddle (tawa).
Apply water on the top part with hands invert naanand stick to griddle.Invert griddle and roast over the gas flame direct (or nothing like toasting over bar-b-quecoals).
Serve hot with a blob of butter on it.

Chappathi

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour (200 grams)
Water (150 ml)
Salt
Oil or Butter

Method:

Put the wheat flour on a Clean and flat surface
Add 1.5 spoons of salt to the flour
Make the flour like a crater and add water and mix them
Knead the dough till it becomes smooth(nearly gets to this shape in 10 to 12 mins)
Make the dough into small lemon sized balls
Roll out the wheat balls and stretch tho even thickness
Sprinkle wheat flour when rolling to avoid sticking to the surface or roller
Stretched chappathi base preety much looks like this

On a non-stick heated pan add very little oil or butter and put the chappathi base
It slowly starts bulging and ends become browner, now flip to the other side and do the same
Now pick the chappathi and put it on direct flame so it puffs
Your chappathis are ready

Vazhakai Bajji

Ingredients:
Gram flour – 1 cup
Bajji flour 1.5 cup
Baking soda a pinch
Chilly powder 1 tsp
Salt
Raw banana - 2( thin slices )
Oil – for deep frying

Method:
Mix the gram flour, bajji flour, chilly powder, salt and baking soda with little amount of water.
It shouldn’t be too thick nor too Watery
Heat oil in a pan.
Cut the banana into slices.
Dip the slice in batter.
Leave slice slowly and fry .
Fry till the bajji turn into golden brown color.
Serve hot.

Hot Mushroom Chettinadu

Ingredients :

3 cups mixed wild mushrooms (I used baby bella mushrooms), cleaned and quartered
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
salt to taste
cilantro, minced, for garnish
For tempering
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 fresh curry leaves
For spice mixture
1 tbsp split yellow peas (chana dal)
5-6 black peppercorns
2 dried red chillies

Method :

Roast all the ingredients for the spice mixture. Cool and grind in a spice/coffee grinder to a fine powder. Set aside.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and stir around for a few seconds till the seeds pop.
Saute the mushrooms in the tempered oil. Season with salt.
When the mushrooms start sweating, add the spice mixture and saute for a couple of minutes on low-medium heat.
Add the tamarind paste (and a few tablespoons of water if the mixture starts sticking to the pan). Stir for a minute.
Garnish with cilantro.

Mushroom Chettinadu

Ingredients:

12-14 Mushrooms, roughly chopped (I used Button Mushrooms)
¾-1 tsp Tamarind Paste
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Channa Dal (Split Yellow Peas)
3-4 Dry Red Chillies, halved (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Black Pepper Corns (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
1 tsp Oil

Method:

Wash, pat dry and chop mushrooms into bite sized pieces and keep them aside.
Dry roast channa dal, dry red chillies and peppercorns in a skillet on a low-medium flame till dal turns golden brown (Approx 2 mins).
Cool and grind them to smooth powder and keep aside.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds.
When they start to pop and splutter, add curry leaves and sauté for few seconds.
Now mix in chopped mushrooms and sauté on medium heat.
When they start to sweat add salt to taste, ground spice powder and mix well.
Sauté gently on a medium flame for 1-2 minutes making sure that spice mixture doesn’t stick to bottom of the pan.
Add tamarind paste and sprinkle little water if necessary and mix well. Cook for another minute or so on medium flame sautéing in between.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with Chapatti

Mushroom Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 4 Toasted buns

• 4 Portobello mushroom

• 2 Garlic flakes

• 4 Leaf lettuces

• 1/2 Cup vinegar

• Mozzarella cheese

• 1 tsp Pepper

• Salt to taste

Method:

•Chop the garlic flakes.
•Mix olive oil, chopped garlic, vinegar,pepper and salt.
•Marinate Mushrooms in this mixture for 2 hours.
•Grill the marinated mushrooms till they turn soft.
•Spread chesse slice on buns.
•Top with a mushroom and lettuce leaf.
•Top with another bun.
•Grilled Mushroom Sandwich is ready.

Mushroom Chilli

Ingredients:

• 400 gm Button Mushrooms

• 200 gm Capsicum

• 2 medium Onions

• 2 cm Ginger

• 6 flakes Garlic

• 4 tbsp Oil

• 1 tsp Chili Powder

• 2 tsp Dark Soya Sauce

• 2 tsp Vinegar

• 1 tbsp Corn Flour

• 1 cup Water

• Salt to taste

Method:

•Cut mushrooms into halves.
•Cut capsicums into halves, remove the seeds and cut into thin strips.
•Grind onion, ginger and garlic to a paste.
•Heat 4 tbsp of oil. Fry the ground paste.
•Add chili powder and ¼ cup water. Simmer till almost dry.
•Add capsicums, mushrooms and salt. Cover and cook on low flame till vegetables turn tender crisp.
•Add Soya sauce and vinegar. Mix corn flour with water and add.
•Bring to a boil, simmer for 1 minute.
•Serve Chili Mushroom hot with noodles or fried rice.

Egg Fried Rice

Ingredients:

Basmati rice 500gms

Eggs 3

Onions 1

Green chillies 2

Ginger 1"piece

Cinnamon 1

Clove 2

Bay leaf 1

Pepper powder 1 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Oil 4 tbsp

Method:

1. Beat egg and add pepper.Make a big omelet and cut it into small pieces.
2. Heat oil,add all the masala.Saute till they are fried.
3. Add onions,ginger and green chillies.Saute till they are pink in colour.
4. Now add rice to the above mixture and mix thoroughly.

Carrot Cake-2

Ingredients:

2 cups All Purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

4 ounces unsalted butter, heated until just melted

1/2 cup dried dates, seeded and finely chopped into a paste

3 ripe bananas (1 1/4 cups), mashed well

1 1/2 cups grated carrots (about 3 medium)

1/2 cup plain Curd

2 eggs, lightly whisked
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x5x3 / 8-cup loaf pan (or 8x8 cake pan) and line it with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the walnuts and set aside.
Stir the dates into the melted butter, breaking up the dates a bit.
In a separate bowl combine the bananas and carrots. Stir in the date-butter mixture, breaking up any date clumps as you go. Whisk in the Curd and the eggs.

Add the flour mixture and stir until everything just comes together. Spoon into the prepared pan. Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes or until a toothpick tests clean in the center of the cake - it'll be less if you are using a standard cake pan. Remove from oven and let cool.
While the cake is baking whip the cream cheese . Taste. If you like your frosting sweeter adjust to your liking. When the cake has completely cooled frost the top of the cake with an offset spatula.
Makes one carrot cake.

COCONUT RICE RECIPE

This is a South Indian recipe for coconut rice. Fried coconut and cashewnuts are added to boiled rice and garnished with ghee and coriander leaves.

Ingredients:

400 gms biryani rice
120 gms coconut
40 ml ghee
25 gms black gram dhal
25 gms broken pieces of nuts
6 gms dry chillies
2 gms curry leaves
2.5 gms asafoetida powder
20 gms (minced) coriander leaves
Salt to taste

How to make coconut rice:

• Boil rice and keep aside.
• Fry coconut evenly to a golden colour on a slow fire.
• Heat 3 dessertspoon of ghee. Fry the cashewnuts and remove.
• Fry the broken pieces of dry chillies, black gram dhal, and curry leaves well.
• Mix rice, coconut, nuts, 1 teaspoon of ghee and salt.
• Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

BRINJAL RICE RECIPE

This is a spicy rice recipe made by tempering the brinjals or eggplants with mustard seeds and curry leaves and then mixing with boiled rice. It is very tasty as well as complete meal in itself.

Ingredients:

3 cups plain rice
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
3 tsp. vegetable oil
3 cups eggplant (brinjals)
3 tsp. finely sliced green chillies
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
3 tsp lemon juice

How to make brinjal rice:

• Boil rice and keep aside.
• In a large pan fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves, add the eggplant (brinjal) and green chillies. Stir on low flame, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add salt and turmeric powder cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from fire and add lemon juice stir well and mix with the rice. Stir gently allowing each grain to coat.

MATAR MUSHROOM RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup green peas (matar) shelled 200 gms mushrooms (goochi) fresh 2 tblsp oil 4 green cardamoms 1" cinnamon 2 large onions 1 tblsp ginger (adrak) paste 1 tblsp garlic (lasan) paste 1/2 cup tomato (tamatar) puree 1 tblsp red chilli (lal mirch) powder 1 tblsp coriander powder 1 tsp turmeric (haldi) powder 1 tsp garam masala powder salt (namak) to taste 1/2 cup cashewnut (kaju) paste

How to make matar mushroom:

Clean, wash and cut mushrooms in quarters. Cut onions finely. Heat up oil in a kadhai. mix in green cardamom, cinnamon stick and cut onions and stir fry until light golden brown. Mix in ginger paste, garlic paste and stir fry for half a minute. Mix in tomato puree, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt and stir fry till oil leaves the masala. Mix in cashew nut paste dissolved in one cup of water, stir well. Add a cup of water, bring it to a boil and then mix in green peas and mushrooms. Adjust seasoning. Stir fry on low heat up for five minutes. Serve hot with naan and roti

SHAHI TUKDE RECIPE

Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh cream
4 tblsp sugar
1 tsp green cardamom (chhoti elaichi) powder
100 gms khoya
1 tblsp sunflower seeds (chironji)
2 cup milk
2 strands saffron
pure ghee for frying
few drops of kewra and rose (gulab) essence
1 handful cashewnut (kaju) chopped
6 slices bread
for garnish:
3 silver foil
few rose (gulab) petals

How to make shahi tukde:

• Cut each bread slice into two.
• Fry the bread pieces in ghee till golden brown.
• Assemble the fried breads on a plate.
• Heat up milk, add the sugar and saffron and a few drops of essence.
• Pour over the bread slices.
• Allow the bread to soak up the milk, then assemble the bread pieces on a decorative plate.
• Heat up two teaspoon of ghee and lightly fry the crushed mawa, cardamom powder and two teaspoons of sugar.
• Spread the mawa layer over the soaked bread pieces.
• Mix in essence to the cream.
• Cover the mawa with a cream layer and decorate with silver foil, cut cashewnut, chironji and rose petals.
• Serve warm or cold as you like.

PEANUT PAKODI RECIPE

Ingredients:

1 cup Peanut (Moong Phali)
1/4 cup Bengal Gram Flour (besan)
2 tblsp Rice Flour (Chawal ka Atta)
1 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Cumin Seeds crushed
1 tblsp Oil
1 pinch Citric Acid
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Water
Oil to deep fry

How to make peanut pakodi:

• Mix all ingredients well except peanuts.
• Add to peanuts, cover them evenly with mixture.
• Heat up oil in a frying pan.
• Drop a lumpful of the coated nuts in hot oil.
• Fry on medium heat, till light brown.
• Drain and put on an absorbent paper to soak excess oil.
• Seperate any nuts stuck together.
• When cool, store in airtight containers.
• Serve hot.