Spiral cookies

Today I am making these spiral cookies with my 3yr old, who is helping me with weighing the ingredients. Hopefully its not that messy for a big clean-up, but definitely it is going to be a fun afternoon...

Here are the Ingredients :

300 gms flour
160 gms sugar
1 egg (optional) - add mashed 1/2 over ripe banana instead
2tsp vanilla essence
160 gms cold butter (margarine w/o milk works well too)
2tbsp cocoa powder

Mix the flour, banana, sugar , butter and vanilla essence together. This will make a nice dough, some hard work in kneading though.
Divide this dough in two parts. Knead again one part well and roll it 1 inch thick and in square shape. Keep this aside and now knead the other half of the dough. Add the cocoa powder in it. Roll it almost same size as the other one which is kept aside.
Now we have to place these rolled out doughs on top of each other, brush some oil on the white flat roll and gently transfer the chocolate roll on top of it. Now Gently roll them together to make a cylindrical roll. Keep this rolled dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven at 200 C and now cut small cookie slices (1inch in thickness ) and bake it in oven for 13-14 min . After cookies are done , place them on wire mesh and let it cool down fully. Your spiral cookies are ready to munch on.

tagiateli met kipfilet (long flat pasta with chicken )

This is also a AH magazine dish. Tried it and it do tastes very good. Thats why posting it in the blog. Hope you all will also enjoy it. Keep cooking and baking :)


Ingredients(for 2 people):
2 Chicken breasts
200 ml Heavy cream
350 gms flat pasta
300 gms spinach leaves (wash them properly)
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper as per taste

Cook your pasta as per the instructions on the pasta packet.(Usually pasta is put in hot boiling water with salt in it, and cook it in the hot water for 5-8 minutes depending on the pasta. Drain it and keep it aside.)

Wash the chicken breasts and pat it dry with a kitchen towel. Now marinate it with salt and pepper for 2-3 minutes and fry both sides of the breasts in a hot pan with as less oil as possible. Now put these breasts in a preheated Oven at 180 C for about 25-30 minutes.

While the chicken in baking the oven we can prepare the sauce for the pasta.
In a hot pan, add some little oil apprx. 1 tsp or so. Fry the spinach in it for 1 minute only. Try to do a little spinach at a time. Keep the spinach aside. Now in the same pan, add the heavy cream and heat it a bit, mebbe for 1-2 minutes or so. Before it is boiling, add the lemon juice and salt and pepper in it. Your pasta sauce is ready.

Add this sauce and the spinach to the pasta. Mix it well. While serving, put the pasta first and on the top serve the baked chicken and enjoy the delicious dish with a nice chilled sparkling wine...

first dutch dinner my hubby made

Thanks to the Albert Heijn magazine, my sweet Hubby atleast tried to come around in the kitchen...
He is keen to try on different cuisines, but he usually manages me while I am making. This is the only dish he made himself, giving me a life-time's surprise...


The dutch name I forgot, but the dish has mashed potatoes, with a fish and some baby carrots roasted... It tastes more delicious than it looks... will put the recipe soon... till then enjoy the pic....

Idli with sambhar

It's another south-Indian breakfast dish .... But I can guarantee you its more than a breakfast .... Its very healthy and tasty also. Its made from Rice flour which is ultimately steamed. So no oil , or baking .. nothing ... Just plain healthy nutritious food...

So here is the recipe to try out this delicious breakfast ...
Soak 300 gms Rice and 100 gm Urad daal separately for atleast 8 hrs. (Note: Better to start preparing for this on Saturday morning for a nice Sunday Breakfast.) Then make a paste of each separately. Make the paste as thick as possible, that means using less water while making the paste. Now mix both the pastes and mix well ... Add the Yeast solution (to prepare yeast solution: add 2 tbsp yeast granules in 3 tbsp warm water and add 1/2 tsp sugar in it. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so. Your yeast solution is ready to be used) to this paste. Cover this mixture and let it stay overnite near a warm place.
The next day the batter is fermented because of the magic yeast did. The whole batter will approximately swell by double in size, So better keep the batter in a big container for overnite stay... Add some salt as per ur taste and mix batter gently in circular motion only. Do not whisk the batter.

Now start the gas and let some water boil up in the idli making vessel. While thats happening , grease your idli stand with some oil (for the first time only) and pour just 1 tbsp of the final batter to each idli section. As the batter is going to be its double size when steamed.
When you filled all the idli sections in the stand, Put it in the idli making vessel and cover it. Let it cook for 5-6 minutes. You can check by piercing idli with a toothpick, if it comes clean; your idli is done. Remove the idli stand from the vessel, be careful as it is hot. Use a kitchen towel to remove it. Now simmer the gas flame. Before removing the delicious idli from the stand, Let it cool down in the stand for 2-3 minutes. This allows us to remove the idle without breaking it. Remove the idli from the stand using back of the spoon or a dining knife. Usually it is difficult to get the idli out from the idli stand... But be patient and let it cool some more After removing all the idli's from the stand and if you have lot of stuff attached to the idli stand , apply some oil to each idli section. Usually it happens when u are making it for the first time. And again pour the batter 1 tbsp to each idli section and repeat the whole procedure. Check for the water level in the idli making vessel, if its less add some more and let it boil first before putting the idli stand in it.

You can serve the idli with a delicious "sambhar" and coconut chutney. Recipes for both sambhar and coconut chutney is in the blog. check it out ...
And finally enjoy ur delicious idli with your family .


There is another faster method to make idli other than the usual approx 1 day preparation time... I am putting the faster idli preparation also ... here is the recipe...

Ingredients:

Rawa(semolina) - as much u want ur batter to be

Curd - enuff to make the batter of correct consistency ... Usually idli batter is thicker than dosa batter

Sugar – 1 tbsp

Salt - as per taste

Make the batter with rawa and curd and add sugar and salt according to taste and let it stand overnight for fermenting using yeast solution . Or u can use it in 2 hrs also. Add ENO to ferment when using it in 2 hrs. The rest of the procedure is same an before. Its just a quicker procedure and nothing more than that. Its also a useful method if you are out of rice or urad daal... and do not want to use the mixer/blender .

Ras malai (cottage cheese balls in condensed milk )

Another sweet sweet dish from India. Its made of milk and nothing but milk ... Do have some sugar and other some ingredients.

I learned it from a friend of mine. I always used to thought of ras malai as one of the toughest dish ever made or ever known to me. It is tough though but not that much . So here goes the recipe...

Ingredients:
4 lt. whole milk (with fat 3%)
2-3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice/vinegar
sliced almonds and cashew to decorate

Boil up 2 lts. of milk in a pan, when its boiling add the lemon juice to it and do not stir. Lower the flame to low. Let it stand for 5-7 minutes. The milk will curdle. Let it stand for some more time or till the water from the solid particles in almost clear in color. Now strain this water+solid mass.But before straining , prepare the strainer. Use a very thin cotton cloth and place it on the strainer, remember tat the cloth should be big enough. Now pour your water+solid mass(cottage cheese)in this prepared strainer. Let the last drop of water be out. Squeeze the cloth to remove as much water as you can. We do not need any extra water in our cottage cheese. Keep it aside.



Now in another big clean pan, boil the another 2 lts milk. When its boiled, lower the flame and let the milk thicken. We need to thicken the milk to a double cream like consistency. This takes constant observation and little more patience. But keep in mind, the outcome will be far far better than all the efforts. Approximately, it takes around 1-2 hrs. Add the 2tbsp sugar in the end .Keep stirring this intermittently as the milk tends to stick to the pan. And if possible use a big non-stick pan. Use quite a big pan for this as the cheese balls we add later will be double in size when they are done and your pan shud be able to accommodate them.

Now with the cottage cheese, start kneading it. Its the messy part of this dish. All the cottage cheese will stick to your hands a lot but keep kneading. You have to knead it for quite some time, till it does not stick to your hands enough. And you can easily handle the cheese. It can take approximately 20-30 minutes. When the kneading is done, make very small balls from the cheese( big playing marbles size ). Only thing, after making the ball just press it a bit to flatten it a little. (Note: The balls should not break while making them. If they are breaking, then again knead the cottage cheese for some more time). You might get 15 from the whole cottage cheese.

Now here, where your thickening milk is somewhat thicker add these balls to the heating milk. When the cheese balls are double in size and the milk is thick enough, remove from the flame and keep this in fridge for some time. As the dish is served best when cold.

While serving put 2-3 cottage cheese balls with the thickened milk and decorate it with nicely sliced almonds and some cashew nuts.
Your long patience is sweeter in the end... Enjoy the sweet dish with your family.

my home-made anniversary dinner

Kashmiri Dum Aaloo (potato curry - kashmir style)

Ingredients:
250 gms Small potatoes
1 Big Onion - chopped very nicely
few Curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tbsp red chilly powder
1/2 tbsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp aniseed powder
1 cup yogurt
4-5 tbsp double cream (or u can use Milk )
Salt to taste

Firstly, boil ur small potatoes and peel the skin off and keep them separate.
In a hot pan , add some oil. Now immediately add the curry leaves. Now add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard seed start to crackle, add the finely chopped onions. Let the onions fry for 2 minutes or till they are brown. Lower ur heat and add the ginger-garlic paste. Let the mix fry for 2 minutes apprx. Now add all the dry masala (red chilly, turmeric, coriander, cumin, aniseed, cinnamon powders). Let it fry for another 1-2 minutes and add the yogurt to it. Mix everything properly and after 2 minutes or so add the double cream or milk to get the right consistency for ur gravy. You may have to add some extra milk later on. Now at this time, add the already boiled potatoes in the gravy and add the salt. Let it come to boil. Add milk if ur gravy is too thick. Switch off the flame as it comes to boil. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves... And serve hot hot with a perfect naan or a simple chapati.. It is delicious and you will want to make it over again ..... enjoy eating n cooking...

meat balls with hollandse saus n mashed potatoes

Pepper chicken

Pepper is one of the most used ingredient of most of the kitchens. But the place from where my hubby belong, KERALA, its the ultimate ingredient. So I tried making this "pepper...y" version of my favorite food .... chicken .....

Try it out with a open heart and empty stomach ... as its gonna be so damn tasty that you wish you dint have any snack before.

Here it goes . . .
Ingredients:
chicken pieces (medium size, with bones)- 500 g
Pepper - crushed 4 tbsp
Onion - 1 big, sliced thinly
pepper corns , 4-5 nos
mustard seeds, 1 tsp
cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder, 1 tsp
red chilly powder, 1 tsp
coriander powder 2 tsp
chicken masala 1 tbsp
Oil, 2 tbsp
Salt , as per need
coriander leaves, for garnishing

Start with putting the pan on the flame, medium heat though. Put the oil and when its hot enough put in the mustard, cumin seeds and also the pepper corns. Now add the sliced onions. When the onion is brown , add all the dry masala's i.e turmeric, coriander, red chilly and chicken masala too. Now add the crushed pepper in it. mix well. Add the chicken pieces in it.Add salt and let the chicken cook in low flame for 10 minutes. Now add some water, just enuff to cover the chicken pieces in it.
Let it cook till the meat is tender and cooked properly. Off the flame and garnish ur pepper chicken with coriander leaves and Serve it with steam rice....
Its good with freshly baked baguette too.

Prawns Curry

Prawns - even the word make my mouth water like a river :) They are delicious - fried, dry masala or even the curry. I learned this new curry from my mother-in-law when I was in India for a month's vacation. She made lots of other curries which I will definitely include in the blog as early as possible. She is really a very good cook and more than that she love to cook and she enjoys feeding people. Normally I am not a food addict but the food she cook makes me enjoy the appetite more and more. Mebbe thats the only reason I always gain 3-4 kilo weight whenever I go to Kerala, even if its for just 5 days. And this time we went for a whole month, so you guys can guess how much I tried not to put on the weight, but all in vain. :) Now being back in Holland, I am trying to reduce as much weight as I can. Lets see how it goes.....
So, anyways here I am putting up my new blog recipe from my Mother-in-law ... Hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I do ....


Ingredients :

Prawns - washed and cleaned properly - 250 gm
Small Onions - chopped properly - 3-4 nos
Mustard - 2 big tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 2 tsp
Fennel seed powder - 1 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - as per your taste
Coconut milk - 1 can
Oil - 2 tbsp

In a wok or pan ,add oil. When the Oil is hot enuff, add the mustard seeds and fry until they crackle. Now add the chopped onions in it and let it fry till they are crispy. After the onions are done, add the ginger garlic paste and let it fry for 1-2 minutes. When this is done, add all the dry powders(chilly, turmeric, cumin, fennel, cinnamon) and the salt lastly and mix it well. Add the prawns now and let they fry in this mixture for 2-3 minutes. We do not want the prawns to cook much as we need to cook it in the coconut milk. Now add the coconut milk to the prawns but lower the flame. Let the gravy cook for 5 -6 minutes or until your own desired consistency.

Your delicious prawns gravy is ready to be served with the hot bowl of steam rice or vegetable pulao. Enjoy eating ......

Walnut Chocolate Fudge

1 cup chopped walnuts 
400 gms of condensed milk 
30 gms of cocoa powder 

20 gms pure bitter chocolate (grate it with a small grater or melt it) 
3tbsp marie biscuit powder (you can use maida also)
70 gms of butter
few halved walnuts for decoration

Grease a 8" dish with butter. In a pan empty the condensed milk and add the biscuit powder, cocoa powder , chocolate , butter and chopped walnuts and mix well. Pour this mix into the greased dish, decorate the top with the halved walnuts and bake it in pre-heated oven at 170 C for 25 minutes.

You can substitute the walnuts with cashew nuts or the mix of cashew nuts, walnuts and almonds. 

Fried Chicken Rice

Ingredients :-
Chicken piece (boneless) - 250 gm,
Rice - 300 gm,
Vegetables ( Carrot , Spring onions, Capsicum, French beans ),
Salt and pepper(crushed), as per taste
one Chicken bouillon

Wash the rice well and then soak it in water for 30 minutes. Now in another big pan , heat enough water to make the rice. Boil water, add some salt and the chicken bouillon and then add Rice to this. Cook the rice properly and drain the excess water and keep the cooked rice aside.

Cut all the vegetables in small pieces and keep aside.

Now in a wok, heat 3 tbsp Oil. Add the cut chicken pieces. Let the chicken cook properly. Now add all the vegetables. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Now add the rice. Stir well. Add the salt and pepper as per your taste. Fry for 2-3 minutes more. And your Chicken rice is ready to be served.
Serve Hot. . .

Chicken Biryani - Kerala style

I love chicken with any thing and Biryani makes me too much happy. My mother-in-law makes the best biryani, with all the fried onions in it.
This time I tried making the same, using chicken biryani masala( which my MIL do not use, but she suggested it to me).
It was not even close to what I like, as I think its the magic of my MIL's hand. But the dish was good enough for the first time make. I think I will improve with time. . .

Hope you all like my make, and may your hands essence will make the dish perfect for you and your family...

here goes the recipe:
Ingredients:-
500 gms Chicken - small pieces
500 gms Basmati rice ( or you can use plain long grain rice, it will taste different though)
2 tbsp Chicken masala
2 small Onions - one for the paste and other chopped finely
2 Big onions - for making fried onions - Sliced finely
2 tbsp ginger - garlic paste
3-4 green chillies
1 big tomato
Coriander leaves, curry leaves, mint leaves - some of each
5 tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)
Oil for frying onions
Cashew and kishmish - some
Salt as per taste

In a pan, Heat Oil. Then put all the sliced Onions in it for frying. Make sure the Oil should be enough to cover alteast 3/4 of the onions . Onions will shrink in size while frying. Fry the onions till golden brown, try not to burn( It happens though). Drain on to a kitchen paper so as to remove the excess oil. Keep aside. Fry some Cashew and kishmish also.

Wash the rice and soak it in cold water for about 15 mintues. Meanwhile you can keep the water to boil for making rice. When the water is boiled, add salt and the soaked rice and let it cook fully. Drain the water and keep it aside(better spread the drained rice in a big flat plate so that the grains of rice will seperate from each other and we can have a nice Biryani).
P.S. - I put some turmeric and some coriander powder in the boiling water to enhance the taste of the rice of Biryani. Try it if you feel so.

Make a paste of the one onion and green chillies and add ginger garlic paste to this. Now in another big pan(for cooking the chicken masala), add the Ghee(clarified butter) and let it heat up. Add the coriander leaves, mint leaves and curry leaves. Now add the chopped onion in it. When the onions are transparent add the above paste of onion, chillies, garlic and ginger to this. Let it cook well for 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and cook well till the masala loses oil. At this time add the chicken masala and some red chilly powder if you want ur biryani to be a bit hot. Red chilly powder is optional. Now add the chicken pieces and cook till chicken is done. Add some water if needed.

Now when the chicken is cooked, the rice is done and the fryed onions and nuts are ready, In a big vessel spread a layer of rice and then on top of it spread some chicken masala we prepared. Now add some fried onions on it and then again layer with Rice. Fill your vessel in similar way. Make sure you keep some fried onions for the top. When the layering is done, spread the kept Fried onions on the top and then spread the cashew and kishmish also.

Now put this vessel in microwave with a cover on it for 10-15 minutes. And your Biryani is ready to be served. . .
Serve the Biryani with dahi boondi raita( recipe in the blog) or plain veg raita. . .

Enjoy eating....

Ginger beer

3 big lemon
1 liter beer or soda(for kids)
200 gm Ginger
100 gm brown sugar
Ice
Mint leaves to garnish

Peel the ginger and grate it nicely.
Peel lemon and chop the zest nicely and finely.
Put both the ginger and lemon in a bowl and squeeze the lemon juice. Add the sugar and mix well.
Now add the beer or the soda. Taste well if u need more lemon juice or sugar.

Now In a big glass mug, put the ice and fresh mint leaves. Now add some of the peel lemon skin, if u have some. Now strain the already prepared punch in to this mug and serve it.

Pineapple lemon Punch

3 cups pineapple juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup Ice
6 tbsp sugar
1/2 - 1 cup light rum
Orange slice and cherry to garnish

Mix all the above ingredients except the garnishing stuff. Put it in a cocktail glass and serve with orange slice and cherry....