Malai Kofta / Restaurant Style Malai Kofta / Malai Kofta Curry

Malai Kofta is a rich creamy north indian side dish which is generally made on special occasions. Whenever we go to restaurants, I never fail to order Malai Kofta for my rotis / Naans but our family always like to enjoy the Malai Kofta with little punch in it. Somehow, we could not enjoy the sweetish version of the Malai Kofta. So, my version would not be too sweetish, its medium and could be made with extra punch too. To enjoy this dish without guilt, I made it without any cream and butter. Trust me, the taste of this Malai Kofta is outstanding and you would earn more appreciations from your family and friends. Don't get overwhelmed during the process of  preparation. Make your process simpler by making things in parallel. The result would be amazing and would leave you with no leftovers for sure.

Ingredients 

For Making the Kofta :

Paneer Cubes / Paneer shredded - 1 Cup
Boiled Mashed Potatoes - 5 Medium
Shredded Onion - 1/2 cup
Shredded Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 1 Medium or 1/2 tbsp green chili paste.
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 Tbsp.
Broken Cashew Nut Pieces - 2 tbsp ( Optional )
Cooked Carrot - 1 Medium ( Optional )
Cooked Peas - 1/2 cup ( Optional )
Bread Slices - 4
All Purpose Flour - 1 tbsp

For Making the Gravy :

Tomato - 3 Medium or Tomato Puree - 1 Cup
Shredded Onion - 2 Cups
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Kasoor Methi - 1 tsp
Cashew Nuts - 1/2 cup ( Grind them in mixer grinder and make a fine powder )
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 3 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 3 tsp
Green Chili Paste - 1 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Salt - To Taste
Coriander Leaves - To Garnish
Adjust the red chili powder and green chili according to your taste buds.This level is meant for medium spicyness. No need to add any cream or butter.

Method of Preparation

• In the big mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for making the Kofta except the bread slices. Knead them well without any water first. 

• Soak the break slices in water and squeeze them thoroughly and add the moist bread slices into the kofta mix. Once again knead them well and make balls out of the Kofta mix as shown in the picture. 

• Fry them in heated oil till golden brown and keep all the fried Kofta balls ready. You can either fry them in heated oil or bake them in the oven under 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes on both sides.

• Meantime, we need to make the gravy for the Malai Kofta. In the cooking pan, add oil first. When its heated, add cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chili paste and shredded onion. 
• Saute them well so that the raw smell goes off. Add the spice powders into the pan and saute them for another 2 minutes.
• Add the tomato puree, cashew powder into the cooking pan. Mix them well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Finally add the milk and required amount of water into the cooking pan and cook them on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. Add required amount of salt at the end.
• Switch off the flame when the gravy consistency is achieved. Now the gravy is ready to be served. 
• Just before serving, add the kofta balls into the gravy. Enjoy this yummy malai kofta with hot rotis, Naan or any mild pulao. 

 Sunday Lunch - Roti, Peas Pulao, Malai Kofta &
 Jalapeno Pickle

Tips / Variations 

• As Malai Koftas are bit rich and creamy, its ideal to have this side dish with milder pulaos like Jeera Pulao, Peas Pulao. 
• If you are making Malai Kofta for a big crowd or party, its better to use little bit of cream while making the gravy. Decorate the top of the Koftas in the serving plate with thin layers of fresh cream to make it more attractive. 
• If you want to make it sweetish, you can add little bit of sugar into the gravy and add the koftas. But the sweetness from the milk, cream, cashews would be more than sufficient I guess.
• Presenting the Malai Kofta on the table is much more important than making it. So, serve this side dish on a fancy restaurant style serving vessel. Add the gravy first and arrange the koftas in a fashion into the gravy. Garnish with coriander leaves and pour a thin layer of fresh cream on top of the kofta balls. 

Andhra Pesarattu / Pesarattu / Green Gram Adai

Andhra Pesarattu, a crispy greenish dosa / adai / crepe is best suited for breakfast as its loaded with food amounts of protein. Its an ideal food to kick start the day. With a side of a spicy ginger chutney and some fresh curd, its complete. As this tiffin is bit on the heavier side and fills your tummy, I prefer to have it only  for breakfast and avoid during the end of the day. You will definitely smell the Pesarattu in our kitchen especially during the exam days.!! 

Ingredients


For Grinding the Batter :
Green Gram Lentil / Green Pasipayaru / Green Pesarupappu - 1 cup
Idly Rice / Raw Rice - 1 Handful
Ginger - 1 square inch
Garlic Pods - 1 Medium
Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Green Chillies - 1 Medium
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Dash

For Making the Pesarattu :
Oil - Enough to fry the Pesarattu
Red Onion - 1 cup ( finely shredded )

Method

• Soak the Green Gram Moong Dal overnight or for 6-7 hours. Grind them nicely with all the ingredients as mentioned in a mixer grinder. Add salt to the batter only at the end. Add water little by little while grinding the batter which in turn makes the Pesarttu batter fluffy.
• Keep the Pesarattu Batter ready. Meantime, keep the shredded red onion and oil ready. Heat the tawa / pan for frying the Pesarattus. Add little water to the Pesarattu Batter is its too thick. 
• On medium heat, pour a full ladle of the batter at the center of the pan. Uniformly spread it and make a thin circle as shown in the picture. Sprinkle some red onion pieces on its top and add oil at the edges of the circle. 
• Fry them on both sides and serve the crispy thin Pesarattus with a side of ginger chutney and some fresh curd to cool down the stomach.

Tips / Variations 

• If you grind the batter in wet grinder, the quantity almost doubles and its super fluffy compared to the batter grinded in a regular mixer grinder.
• You can even spread a spoonful of ginger chutney on the pesarattu before adding the red onion. Generally in andhra hotels, they coat a thin layer of allam chutney / ginger chutney on the pesarattu before adding the onion which makes it more spicy and tasty. But its optional.
• You can even sprinkle some finely cut green chillies along with the red onions on its top. But it purely depends on your taste buds.

Pumpkin Halwa / Parangikkai Halwa / Gummudukaya Halwa - Microwave Version

I dedicate this super tasty Pumpkin Halwa to all my dear friends and bloggers on "Women's Day". Heard about this Halwa from my friend Gai long back. Finally on women's day, I made this halwa for all of you.!!!

As she mentioned, its definitely difficult to identify its source if you taste a spoonful of halwa. Even my husband who is a great foodie could not identify the source and asked me whether it was Badam / Almond Halwa. Oh, that's a huge success to me!!! He could not believe that its made out of Pumpkin. Well, it tastes so good and because of this yummy dessert, I am forced to make a huge holiday meal just to balance the delicious dessert at the end. 

Happy Women's Day to all of you.

My Dear friends, take a break from your routine, life. Take a moment to enjoy your achievements in life. Take a moment to cherish the past good memories in your life. Take a moment to enjoy your dreams. Enjoy your women hood. 

Ingredients

Pumpkin Cubes - 3 Cups

Sugar - 1.5 Cups

Milk Powder / Mawa - 1 Cup

Saffron Strands - 1 pinch Generously.!!

Melted Ghee - 1 tbsp 

Not added any Cardamom Seeds as I wanted to enjoy the unique flavor of saffron.

Method 

• Peel the Pumpkin Skin and cook them in the microwave till they get cooked perfectly.
• In a big mixing microwave bowl ( preferably a big glass bowl ), add the mushy cooked pumpkin, mawa ( milk powder ), sugar and saffron strands into it. 
• Mix them well and cook for totally 10-12 minutes in the microwave.
• Take the bowl out after every 3 minutes and stir them well again. Continue the process till the halwa consistency is achieved. 
• It took nearly 12 minutes for me to get that consistency in my microwave. The cooking time varies with microwaves and depends on its power level.
• Add ghee just before 2 minutes and stir them well. You would notice the slight yellowish kesar colour halwa in the bowl with an excellent aroma of saffron. 

Ginger Chutney / Allam Chutney / Allam Pachidi / Inji Chutney

Ginger Chutney is a very good accompaniment for Idly, Dosas and Adais. As its very good for the stomach, its wise to have a teaspoon of this chutney in our meal plate all the time. I lick this chutney even for my curd rice.

Ingredients

Ginger - 2 Big Ones
Urad Dal / Ulutham Paruppu / Minna Pappu - 2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - 1 square inch
Dry Red Chillies - 2 Medium ( According to your taste buds. )
Jaggery - 1 tiny cube
Salt - To Taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 1 Pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 3 or 4

Method

• Peel the skin and cut the ginger into small pieces and keep ready.
• In the frying pan, add 1 tsp of oil. When its heated, add urad dal, cumin seeds,coriander seeds and saute them till golden brown on medium heat.
• Add the dry red chillies, tamarind and ginger pieces next and saute them till you get a nice aroma of Ginger.
• Switch off the flame and grind them together with required amount of salt, jaggery after the contents get cooled.
• In the same frying pan, add the remaining oil and finish the tempering process with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Pour them over the ginger chutney.
• Include this healthy chutney / dip in your plate along with any meal.

Rotini Pasta in Red Bell Pepper Pesto / Rotini Pasta in Spicy Red Sauce

Ever Since I started venturing out different recipes in Italian Cuisine, the pesto varieties really triggered my imagination. Keeping the colors of the Pesto as green, red and white constantly, I am in the process of switching the respective ingredient for making those colors and trying the Pesto in various forms. This Red Bell Pepper is one of those and the spicy red pesto came out super delicious with good flavor. As such, red bell peppers have good amounts of anti oxidants and health benefits. In addition to that, this pesto is made more nutritious using Pine Nuts, Garlic, Black Pepper, Parmesan Cheese. This Pesto could be made in good amounts and stored in refrigerator for future use. Generally it gets over faster within a week. Definitely a colorful healthy treat to the kids and they love it. Try this out in your kitchen and let me know your comments for further improvements, my dear friends.

Ingredients

For the Red Pesto :

Red Bell Pepper / Red Capsicum - 2 Big Ones

Garlic Pods - 5
Black Pepper - 3 tsp
Pine Nuts - 2 tbsp
Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
Fresh Basil Leaves - 1/2 cup

For making the Pasta Plate :
Rotini Whole Grain Pasta - 2 Cups
Salt - To Taste
Olive Oil - 2 tsp
Mushrooms - 1/2 cup ( cut in any desired shapes ) ( Optional )
Green Zucchini - 1/4 cup ( cut into small squares ) ( Optional )
Italian Seasoning powder - 1/4 tsp
Black Pepper Powder - To Taste
Red Bell Pepper Pesto Sauce - As Desired.
Parmesan Cheese or any romano cheese of your choice - To Garnish.

Method
For the Red Pesto :

• Toast the Red Bell Pepper either in the oven or on the stove. If you are roasting them on the stove, keep the Red Bell Pepper pieces on top of the Pulka making grill and toast them slowly on both sides till they turn light black.
• After its cooled down, grind them along with other ingredients in a blender and make the spicy red pesto. Store it in an airtight container. 

For the Pasta Plate :

• Cook the Rotini pasta in a separate vessel, drain them and keep ready.
• In the cooking pan / vessel, add oil first. When its heated, add the cut vegetables and saute them with a pinch of salt. 
• Add the Italian seasoning powder, little black pepper powder to taste and saute them again for a minute.
• Add few tablespoons of the prepared red pesto sauce into the pasta plate and serve immediately. 
• Garnish with either Parmesan cheese on its top or Romano Cheese of your choice.

Tips / Variations :

• Choose any shapes or varieties of Pasta while making this in your Kitchen.
• While making the Pesto Sauce, if you dont have Basil Leaves on hand, just add dried basil powder or add a tbsp of Basil Pesto Sauce into it. This is a shortcut i follow generally if its not available then. Honestly, nothing could be compared to adding the fresh basil leaves while making Pesto.
• If you dont want any veggies in your pasta plate, its purely optional. I know some people prefer to enjoy the pasta only with the Pesto Sauce and its richness. Agreed.
• Richness of the Pasta is determined by the type of cheese we use and garnish at the top. 

Indo Mexican Chaat / Mexican Chat / Mexican Chaat

A Big Bag of Baked Tortilla chips in the pantry was disturbing me quite a bit. Though we enjoy those chips with our favourite salsas and guacamole during snack time,still the quantity is more..Being an ardent fan of chaat varieties, I really wanted to make an excellent chaat using the tortilla chips. Well, this chaat was a fusion of Mexican and Indian as it contained the ingredients of both the cuisines. I loved the final output and the chaat was so delicious, nutritious and full of flavour. Definitely try this out and enjoy this healthy snack with a side of hot chai.

Ingredients

Baked Tortilla Chips / Baked Corn Chips - 2 Cups
Cooked Black Beans or Cooked Pink Beans - 1/2 cup
Sweet Yellow Corn - 1/2 Cup
Cooked Potato Cubes - 3/4 cup
Tomato Pieces - 1/2 cup
Fresh Jalapeno Peppers - 2 ( cut into tiny bits without seeds )
Red Onion shredded - 1/2 cup
Coriander Leaves - To Garnish
Fresh Lime Juice - 2 tsp
Avocado - 2 Big ( Cut into medium squares )
Salt - To Taste
Black Pepper Powder - To Taste
Chat Masala Powder - 1 tsp
Green Chutney - 2 tsp  ( Homemade chutney made of coriander, mint leaves and green chillies ).

Method

• Keep all the ingredients that are required for making this Mexican Chaat ready.
• Cut the veggies into desired shapes and keep them ready.
• Add all the ingredients except the baked tortilla chips into the chaat plate. Mix all the ingredients uniformly and keep the plate ready.
• Add the baked tortilla chips just before serving and mix gently. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy this mouth watering chaat with a side of hot tea.

Tips / Variations 

• Add the tortilla chips just before serving so that they don't lose the crispness and get soggy.
• I did not add the tamarind date chutney in this chat variety mainly to avoid the tangy taste of tamarind and to enjoy the real freshness of Avocado and Jalapeno Peppers. But its purely up to your taste buds.
• Use your own imagination to improve the chaat in your own way and enjoy...

Beerakayan Palu Posina Kura / Beerakaya Kura / Peerkangai Curry / Ridge Gourd Curry - Andhra Style

Heard about this curry from my husband a lot..and whenever I buy the Beerakaya from the market, he never failed to mention about this curry and its one of his favourites since his childhood. So I decided to explore this curry based on the input given by him. The dish came out well and fulfilled his expectations.!!! This curry can be eaten either with hot rice or Rotis. It is definitely one of  the recipes I like to repeat in my Kitchen.

Ingredients

Beerakaya / Peerkangai - 2 Big Ones
Onion - 1/2 cup shredded
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1/2 tbsp
Green Chillies - 1 Medium slit into halves
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
Urad Dal - 2 tsp
Salt - To Taste
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp
Milk - 1 cup
Coriander Leaves - To Garnish
Curry Leaves - 5 or 6

Adjust the level of red chilli powder as per your spice level. As we are adding milk in this case, 2 tsp of red chili powder and 1 green chilli is ideal for medium spice level. If you want to have more punch, add another green chili.

Method

• Peel the Beerakaya skin and keep them separately if you are planning to make a Pachadi out of the skin.
• Cut the Beerakaya into small squares. Likewise keep the other ingredients that are required for the preparation ready.
• In the cooking pan, add oil first. When its heated, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal  followed by ginger garlic paste and onion.
• Saute them till they get translucent. Then add the Beerakaya pieces,curry leaves and saute them till they get cooked three fourth. You could close the lid in order to fasten this process.
• Add all the spices, salt into the pan now and saute them for 2-3 minutes till the spices get blended with the cooked beerakaya pieces thoroughly.
• Add a cup of milk into the pan and allow the contents to cook on a low flame for nearly 8-10 minutes.
• Once it thickens, switch off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.