Rava Payasam/Sooji Kheer

This is my last blog for the year of 2015 as we are approaching 2016 in few more hours. 2015 has its own fair share of  happiness and sadness for me just like everyone else.  In a blogging world, i shall say i learnt quite a bit compared to the year before. Enough of introduction let's talk about my blog for rava payasam/sooji kheer.

Rava payasam is one of the easiest payasam to prepare and an ideal choice for neiveidhyam. I wanted to try rava payasam for quite sometimes but not sure what holding me for so long. Finally, i found an opportunity to make them and here you are for a creamy and delectable payasam recipe. The added rava tends to thickens while in the cooling process thus, its advisable to make it a little watery to get the right payasam consistency. Condensed milk is truly optional but trust me it gives a creamy and rich texture to the payasam.

Hope 2016 will be a good one and bring abundance of wealth,pink of health and all the happiness in the world for all of us. Happy new year all. See you all next year.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 tbsp condensed milk
1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup rava/sooji/semolina
2 cardamom pods, crushed
10-12 cashew nuts
20-25 pieces raisins
Pinch of nutmeg powder


Methods

Over a medium flame, heat ghee in a pan and fry the cashew nuts and raisins. Remove from flame and keep aside.

Roast the rava/sooji in the remaining ghee for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a heavy bottomed pan, boil the milk together with the water. Reduce the flame to low and slowly add the roasted rava by stirring continiously to avoid any lumps. Stir well until no lumps for 8-10 minutes.

Once the rava cooked in the milk mixture, add sugar and stir well. Let it boil for a couple of minutes.

Add the condensed milk, fried cashews,raisins and crushed cardamom pods and nutmeg powder. Stir to combined. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl.

Best eat chilled.


Notes

• As rava has a tendency to thicken, please adjust the quantity of water accordingly to your consistency needed.

• The payasam thickens while its cooling its advisable to make it slightly watery.

Sweet Poha

Sweet aval or poha usually serve as neivedhyam during Gokula Ashtami for Lord Krishna. This sweet poha recipe is the simplest recipe you can make in a jiffy. Not just easy to make this dish indeed a very healthy dish for kids. You can make them for breakfast or as a tea time snack. Poha is a very versatile which can be used for both sweet and savoury snacks The ghee fried cashew nuts adds a beautiful crunch to the dish.

Ingredients

1 cup aval/poha/beaten rice
1/2 cup grated jaggery
2 tsp ghee
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 tbsp fresh grated coconut
5-6 cashew nuts


Methods

In a pan add ghee and fry the cashew nuts. Keep aside.

In a bowl, add the jaggery and 1 tbsp water. Stir until the jaggery dissolved completely. Strain to remove impurities.

Rinse the aval/beaten rice twice in a clear water and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.

In a pan, boil the jaggery and add the aval. Stir well.

Add cardamom powder and grated coconut. Mix well.

Add the ghee and fried cashew nuts. Stir.

Remove from heat and transfer to a serving plate.

Corn Flour Halwa

Indian sweets are my dad's favourite thus, i wanna dish out something new for him for the holiday and came up with this sweet and rich cornflour halwa. The halwa turns out really well at my very first trial itself which makes me really happy. Its easy to dish out and won't consume much time to get it done, just 20 minutes and you have a delicious indian sweets ready.

I shall say my dad loved the halwa so much and the sweetness was just nice for him. Adjust the amount of sugar according to you preference, as for me the suggested amount of sugar was just nice without too much on sweet side. You can make this gorgeous looking con flour halwa in a microwave since, i'm not a microwave person i made it on a stove. The lightly ghee fried cashew nuts adds a nice crunch to the soft and melt in mouth halwa. I love the beautiful orange colour of the halwa and their glossy texture.

Ingredients

1/2 cup corn flour
1-2 pinches orange food colouring
1 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
8-10 cashew nuts, roughly chopped
2 1/2 cup water


Methods

Slightly grease a plate with ghee and keep aside.

In a bowl add the 1 1/2 cup water,corn flour and orange food colouring. Stir until no lumps.

In a pan, add a tsp of ghee and fry the chopped cashew nuts until golden. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In  a non stick pan, add the remaining 1 cup of water and granulated white sugar. Stir until sugar dissolved completely.

Reduce flame to medium-low and add the corn flour mixture.  Stir continuously.

Add 1 tbsp of ghee and continue stirring until the mixture thickens  and reach a glossy and transparent texture.

Add the fried cashew nuts. Stir well.

Add the remaining ghee and keep stirring until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.

Remove from heat and transfer into the greased plate.

Cool completely for 1-2 hours and cut into pieces before serving.

Semolina Cookies/Sugee Cookies

Semolina cookies also known as sugee cookies is a regular during Diwali at my household. This melt in mouth cookies reminds me of my childhood home kitchen watching my mom tiredlessly making it batch by batches to a ever waiting greedy hungry kids. Me and my siblings will be waiting to lick the mixing spoon and the bowl whereas my brother and my youngest sister obidiently mark the cookies with their signature red dots. Yes, there are no sugee cookies without the red dots at my household.

This semolina cookies made rich with pure ghee or clarified butter which is easily found in most Asian stores. The ghee contributes to the soft texture and a beautiful fragrance to the cookies. Sugee cookies can be kept in an airtight container up to 1-2 months.

Ingredients

200g pure ghee
3/4 cup semolina flour
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Few dots of red food coluring


Methods

Preheat oven at 350'F or 175'C and line a baking tray with parchment paper

In a large bowl, add semolina flour,all purpose flour,baking soda,confectioners sugar,ghee and salt.

Mix all the ingredients to a soft dough.

Using a teaspoon, drop the cookies on the prepared baking tray and using a toothpick mark the top of the cookies with red food coluring  .

Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Cool completely on wire rack and store in an airtight container.

Turmeric Smoothie

Turmeric are known for its antioxidant properties and has been used for years in treating liver disease,cancer,tumour and many more illness caused by free radicals. Turmeric are packed with antiviral and anti-bacteria which makes it a popular spice in Indian cooking. Curcumin found in turmeric works as an important ingredient to assist in liver detox.

I'm getting my turmeric mixture supply from a friend of mine to boost my liver detox. I'm taking it every night before bedtime by boiling it with fresh milk. Out of nowhere i decided, to modify the turmeric mixture into my morning smoothie and the final product really made me proud.

Ingredients

1 cup almond milk/fresh milk
1 fresh banana,sliced
1/2 cup mango chunks
1 tsp grated fresh turmeric
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp brown sugar

Garnishing

Mint leaves


Methods

In a blender, add all ingredients and process until fine puree and smooth

Pour into a serving glass and garnish with mint leaves.

Consume immediately

Authentic French Meringue

A very simple and basic recipe for French meringue which can be used for baking pavlova,pie toppings and baked meringues, You just need only three ingredients and three simple steps to come up with a rich and glossy French meringue to top up your lemon meringue pie or to bake soft and chewy summer pavlova.

Some recipes did not call for cream of tartar but trust me a little pinch of them goes a long way to create a soft and chewy meringue and it helps to stabilise the meringue to attain the stiff peak as well.
To make sure the egg whites are beaten to full volume, make sure the mixing bowl and the mixing attachment are very clean without a single tint of oil or any other elements. This is to make sure a full bodied meringue that bakes perfectly crispy in the outside, soft and chewy inside. Fresh meringue have to be used immediately it's not advisable to store them for later use. To test the perfect stiff peaks, lift you whisk or beater attachment and if the meringue stand tall peaks that do not curl at the tips, stop beating further.

Ingredients

3 large egg whites (room temperature)
3/4 cup superfine white sugar
Pinch of cream of tartar


Methods

In a very clean large mixing bowl, whip egg whites on low speed until frothy. Add a pinch of cream of tartar.

Add the superfine white sugar and beat and continue beating until sugar completely dissolved and the mixer turns to glossy and stiff peaks.

Use immediately

Oreo Milkshake

Who doesn't love milkshake or shall i ask who doesn't love oreo cookies. The cream sandwich cookies are everyone's favourite especially among kids. The dark beauty cookies comes in strawberry,chocolate and vanilla flavour and i used vanilla and chocolate oreo in my oreo milkshake.This oreo milkshake is great for summertime treat. Such an easy recipe even kids can make their delicious oreo milkshake. Rich,creamy, and refreshing summertime beverage are ready to be served in a jiffy.

Ingredients

1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 1/2 cups full cream milk
4-5 oreo cookies
1 tbsp chocolate sauce

For Garnishing

2-3 pieces oreo cookies,broken into pieces

Methods

In a blender, add vanilla ice cream,milk, chocolate sauce and oreo cookies and pulse until smooth.

Pour into serving glass and top with broken oreo pieces

Serve immediately.

Raagi Puttu

Raagi puttu or finger millet puttu is a healthy dish to prepare for breakfast or dinner. Raagi are rich with fiber and with the steaming process involved in the preparation, this dish is a wonderful dish for weight watcher. This is a regular breakfast dish at my home as it is very easy to prepare and quite a filling meal to go thru the day. There are sweet and savoury version of raagi puttu and today i'm sharing the sweet version.

This sweet version has powdered jaggery added into them. You can use white sugar but i prefer them with jaggery as it gives a wonderful flavour. The sweet aroma of cardamom powder and freshly grated coconut add a beautiful texture to the super nutritious raagi puttu. I love to have my puttu hot mix with sliced ripen banana along side with a piping hot cup of coffee.

Ingredients

3/4 cup raagi flour
1/4 cup freshly grated coconut
1/2 cup jaggery powder
1/4 cup water
1 tsp ghee/clarified butter,melted
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cardamom powder


Methods

Boil the 1/2 cup water and add the salt. Stir well and keep aside

Over a medium-low heat, dry roast the raagi flour for 4-5 minutes

Transfer to a bowl and add cardamom powder.

Gradually, add the boiled salted water and mix well. To get the right consistency, take some of the wet flour and press with your palm. It should be like a ball and when put it back into the bowl, it shall fall loosely.

Heat water in a idli pan or steamer. Grease the idli pan with little oil and spread the wet puttu flour and steam for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted ghee grated coconut  and jaggery powder while it still hot.

Serve hot or warm.

Coconut Ladoo

These are the melt in  mouth coconut ladoo recipe that no one can say no to.  There are 2 methods in preparing coconut ladoo the classic way of using milk and the one i'm sharing today with condensed milk. The condensed milk method is sort of short form method of preparing this popular Indian delight. In just few minutes and with very limited ingredients one can prepare this mouth watering ladoo in no time.

Coconut ladoo are usually, serve during special occasion or festive seasons. Do not compromise with fresh grated coconut in making this sweet and rich ladoo. I added cardamom powder to the mixture as it enhance the taste and flavor of this beautiful dessert. Some recipe did not call for cardamom powder but trust me the little of it goes a long way. Give a try with the recipe and i'm sure your kids gonna love this decadent coconut ladoo.

Ingredients

1 tin/400 g sweetened condensed milk
4 cups + 1 cup fresh grated coconut
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp golden raisins
1 tsp ghee


Methods

Heat a thick bottomed pan over a medium-low heat and add sweetened condensed milk.

Add the 4 cups grated coconut and stir well.

Keep stirring until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.

Remove from flame and let it cool.

Lightly greased your hand with ghee and roll the mixture into ladoos or balls

Roll the ladoos in the remaining 1 cup of grated coconut

Garnish with golden raisins on the top

Pao De Queijo aka Brazillian Cheese Puffs

Pao De Quijo aka Brazillian cheese puffs are made of tapioca flour as a main ingredient. This babies are chewy in the inside and soft on the outside. Chewy and cheesy Brazilian puffs are simple and easy to make with our day to day ingredients that are easily available at home. Another good news is tapioca flour are absolutely gluten free. The puffs tend to fall a bit in the middle but no worries since this puffs requires thin batter, that's absolutely normal.

I made this delicious puffs with mild cheddar cheese. You can use cheddar or parmesan for this recipe and the outcome is unbelievably fantastic. Serve Pao De Queijo hot or warm to enjoy the chewiness. The chewiness created by the usage of tapioca flour is something special in this cute puffs.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
2/3 cup full cream milk
1 large egg
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or cheddar
1/3 tsp salt


Methods

Preheat oven at 400'F or 204.44 C . Grease a 12 hole muffin tin and keep aside.

In a blender, combine flour,egg,milk,oil and salt. Process until well combined.

Add the shredded cheese and process for about 5-8 seconds.

Fill the prepared muffin tin almost to the top

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on the muffin tin for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer to a serving plate

Eat while still hot or warm.

Sage Herbal Tea

I'm a fan of herbal tea...be it fresh or dried herbs i'm in for both. I bought a packet of fresh sage to use for cooking and i made sage herbal tea with the leftover leaves. There are innumerable medicinal values in a cup of sage tea. Serve a cup of sage tea to relieve headache,cold or fever. Along as a refreshing beverage, sage tea are known for its antiseptic properties aiding in reducing pain and bruises both internally and externally. A cup of sage tea after a heavy meal are recommended for a good digestion. This are few reasons out of many for you and me to enjoy a cuppa.

Ingredients

8-10 sage leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp honey
1 cup water


Methods

Boil water in a pot and add sage leaves. Boil for 1 minute and switch off the flame.

Cover the pot with lid and let the sage leaves steeps for about 3-5 minutes.

Transfer into a serving cup, add lemon juice and honey. Stir well.

Serve hot or warm

Badusha

I have seen badusha almost in all the sweet shops all over Kuala Lumpur. Just recently i tasted Badusha in one of the famous Punjabi sweet shop in KL. Instantly i fell in love with this deep fried sugar syrup coated sweets. Most of all i love the carefully handmade patterns that the sweet master took time to design them. Back home, i tried the patterns at home and wallah it turns out almost the same like the one crafted by sweet master in the Punjabi sweet shop.

Badusha or Balushahi is a North Indian sweets which is mildly sweet and made from all purpose flour. Its a soft and flaky sweets, deep fried and dunked in sugar syrup. Now you and me can make badusha at anytime at home without visiting sweet shops. Badusha stays good up to 4-5 days.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup melted ghee + oil
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp plain yogurt
Water to knead a soft dough
Oil for deep frying

For Sugar Syrup

1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water
4-5 strands saffron


Methods

In a large bowl, add yogurt,baking soda and melted ghee + oil. Whisk for 10 minutes until well combined.

Add all purpose flour to the yogurt mixture. Mix with your fingers until the mixture resemble coarse grain or bread crumbs in texture.

Add water little by little and knead the flour mixture to a non sticky soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 8-10 minutes.

Take equal lemon sized dough and bake it into balls. Slightly pat the dough and using your fingers decorate the rims with swirls by gently trim the edges by folding the dough with your thumb and forefinger.

Heat oil in a frying pan, once the oil is hot switch off the flame. Gently drop the badusha into the oil and once the badusha floats on the top, turn on the heat. Drop 3-4 badusha into the oil at one time do not over crowd.

Fry in medium flame until golden brown.

Drain the excess oil on a paper towel and drop the fried badusha into a warm sugar syrup

For Sugar Syrup

In a wide bottomed pan, add sugar and water. Boil the mixture until the sugar syrup form one string consistency.

Add lemon juice and saffron. Immediately switch of flame.


Notes

• Its important to knead the dough into a soft dough without any cracks. Do knot over knead the dough as it will give you hard badusha with many cracks.

• The purpose of adding lemon juice to the sugar syrup is to prevent crystallisation. Do not skip the step

• To check 1 string consistency in sugar syrup, boil sugar and water for approximately 8-10 minutes. Keep a bowl of water nearby, once the sugar mixture slightly thickens, dipped your fingers in the water and using your ladle take the sugar syrup. Carefully, touch the syrup with your forefinger and thumb. Gently pull apart your forefinger and thumb. If you can see 1 string of sugar syrup that is what exactly 1 string sugar syrup we are looking for.

Deep Fried Mozarella Cheese Sticks

Battered and deep fried creamy mozzarella sticks are my girls favourite snack. I often make them for breakfast or brunch and its too good to resist. In most restaurants they serve deep fried mozzarella sticks as appetiser which sometimes lack of freshness. For an amazing deep fried mozzarella sticks always choose a fresh mozzarella which gives a great impact on the texture when deep frying and the freshness in taste.

I dipped the mozzarella sticks in beaten egg and Panko bread crumbs before deep frying them and the Panko bread crumbs gives a beautiful crunch to the rich mozzarella. Panko are Japanese bread crumbs and i love them for their way of absorbing less oil than the regular bread crumbs. The end result are flakier,crunchy,rich and gooey goey mozzarella sticks are ready for you to indulge.

Ingredients

14 fresh mozzarella sticks
2 large eggs
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Methods


In a bowl whisk eggs and milk. Keep aside

In another bowl, add the all purpose flour

In separate bowl, add Panko bread crumbs

Dunk a piece of mozzarella sticks in flour then dip them in the egg mixture and roll them in bread crumbs until well coated.

Place in a baking dish .

Repeat with the remaining mozzarella slices.

Over a medium flame, heat oil in a frying pan.

Gently drop the mozzarella sticks about 4-5 slices at a time. Fry 1 minutes at each sides or until evenly brown and transfer to a serving plate.

Continue with the remaining mozzarella sticks.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley while they are still hot

Serve with marina sauce or as it own

Bread Halwa

Diwali are over and here i am blogging the very next day of Diwali. Cleaning,shopping baking and cooking Diwali sweets take up my time and i have become super busy working mom for the past few weeks. Since Diwali is over now i hope i can get some rest to restore my energy.

Coming back to my post of the day, i'm sharing a sweet dish in conjunction of Diwali. Bread halwa are made with generous amount of ghee or clarified butter,sugar,milk and nuts. Rich and addictive dessert that can be prepared in a jiffy. With this sinful dessert, calories doesn't count after all, this is once in a blue moon dessert for me to indulge.

Ingredients

1 loaf of white bread
1 liter full cream milk
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1 cup granulated white sugar


Methods

Cut the bread into bite sized pieces and keep aside

In a pan over a medium-low heat, fry the chopped almond until golden. Remove from heat and keep aside.

In the same pan, add the 1/2 cup of ghee and fry the bread pieces until golden.

Add the milk and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves completely.

Add the cardamom powder and stir well.

Simmer until the bread pieces soften and absorp most of the milk.

Remove from heat and transfer into a serving plate

Garnish with almond slivers

Serve hot or warm

Black Treacle Pecan Tart

Sounds like a pecan pie to me but this black treacle tart is a sticky,gooey and nutty tart is a distance cousin of the famous pecan pie. Instead of baking them in a large pie dish, I opted for an individual mini tart shells. Mini sized desserts are always a better option to serve for a tea party as each person can have their own bite sized tarts for them.

Love the not so sweet crunchy and sticky filling in the case of buttery and flaky pie crust. One is definitely not enough with this delicious black treacle tart. The black treacle filling are rich and creamy on every bite. Serve with a dollop of cream on the top or as it own.

Ingredients

For The Pastry

2 cups all purpose flour
7/8 cup unsalted butter,chilled and cubed
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

For The Filling

1/3 cup whole pecan nuts,roughly chopped
1 cup black treacles
1 large egg yolk, beaten
1/3 cup double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Methods

For The Pastry

In a food processor,pulse sugar and flour.

Add the cubed cold butter and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and pulse to combined.

Dust a clean working surface with flour and knead the dough for 10 seconds. Form the dough into disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cut the dough into 8-10 equal sized pieces. Place a piece of the pastry in a tart shell and using your fingers, work the dough from bottom of the tart shell making sure all the sides are well covered. Trim excess pastry on the edges. Repeat with the remaining pastry.

Cover the pastry shells with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat oven at 220' C. Remove the plastic wrap and place the tart shells on baking tray. Poke the bottom of the pastry with fork evenly to release air bubbles.Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a cooling rack

For The Filling

In a bowl, combine black treacle,chopped pecan,cream and vanilla extract. Add egg yolk and stir.

Pour the filling into the cooled pastry shell and bake in a 150' C oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack

Affogato-Drowned Vanilla Ice Cream

Affogato means "drowned" in Italian. Affogato is a coffee based dessert whereby a scoop of vanilla gelato drown in a shot of espresso. Now you know why the dessert called drowned in Italian. There are some variations of affogato which includes a shot of amaretto. Being a non-alcoholic, i opted for the basic recepi without compromising on the taste. .

Creamy vanilla ice cream drowned in a strong espresso coffee is something i can't resist. The hot coffee and cool ice cream just melt in my mouth.  Serve with a cookie or wafer.

Ingredients

1 cup strong brewed espresso (hot or room temperature)
1 big scoop of vanilla gelato/ice cream


Methods

Put a scoop of vanilla ice cream into a bowl or dessert cup

Fill the bowl or dessert cup with a shot of espresso.

Garnish with cookie or wafer.

Serve immediately

French Toast Roll-Ups

French toast roll-ups are a regular breakfast in my household especially for the kids lunch box. Even though i made them few times before, but i didn't get a chance to snap them with the ever busy morning chores. Somehow, i managed to clicked them this time around and thanks to my elder daughter for the click. Not bad for a 12 years old i guess.

Ok let's talk about French toast roll-ups. Not like their main counterpart this beauty doesn't require fork and knives which means you can simply enjoy them with your hands. Just grab the rolls and bite into awesome goodness of French toast. Easy and quick breakfast recepi and even easier to enjoy. Th creative breakfast idea you can pack for your kids lunch box. Simply switch to nutella,cheese,marmalade or jam for different fillings. Roll them in a cinnamon sugar for the additional crunch and and texture. Enjoy them as their own or serve with maple syrup.

Ingredients

5 slices white bread
5 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup whole milk
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp granulated white sugar

For Cinnamon Sugar

3 tbsp granulated white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon


Methods

In a bowl, whisk together milk,egg and sugar. Set aside.

In a plate, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Mix well. Keep aside

With a rolling pin, roll the bread slices into 1/8 inch thick. Spread each bread slices with peanut butter.

Gently roll up the bread. Continue with the remaining bread slices.

Heat a frying pan and melt the butter. Dip the bread rolls with the prepared milk mixture. Place on a frying pan and cook 1-2 minutes on both sides until golden.

Remove from pan and gently roll the fried bread rolls in a cinnamon sugar mixture.

Transfer into a serving plate

Greens With Walnut & Cranberries

Salad is the ultimately easy to prepare and this greens with walnut and cranberries is definitely one of the easiest. Crispy,juicy,crunchy all combined in a one wholesome goodness salad bowl. The balsamic vinaigrette add flavour and some kind of perk-me-up after taste to the salad. Easy to prepare and light to the palette without compromising in taste.

Ingredients

2 bunches green coral leaves,cleaned
1 cup whole walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
Dash of ground black pepper


Methods

In a big bowl, roughly tear the green coral leaves . Add walnuts and dried cranberries

Combine olive oil,balsamic vinegar,black pepper and salt in a bowl and whisk.

Pour the the mixture over the coral leaves and toss well.

Serve immediately.

Egg Kurma

Rich and creamy egg kurma can be done in this easy to follow recipe. I always made this delicious egg kurma when i'm overloaded with eggs in my fridge. Saucy and full of flavour egg kurma goes well with plain white rice,roti,paratha or briyani. Infused with assorted spices and to mellow down the spiciness, the creamy fresh coconut balances the flavours well. This amazing egg kurma is definitely a great choice for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

3 hard boiled eggs, scored
1 large onion
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp oil
2 cups water
Salt to taste

For Tempering

1 star anise
3 cloves
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick

For Grinding

1/4 cup grated fresh coconut
1/2 inch fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 green chillies
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4-5 cashew nuts
2 tbsp water


Methods

In a grinder, grind all the ingredients listed under "For Grinding" with 2 tbsp water. Grind into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add the fennel seeds. Once crackle, add star anise,cinnamon stick and cloves. Add chopped onion and curry leaves. Saute until the onion turns translucent.

Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soft and mushy.

Add the ground coconut mixture and cook until the raw smell leaves. Add the coriander powder,chilly powder and turmeric powder. Stir well.

Add the 2 cups water and season with salt. Stir well. Boil the gravy until the raw smells of the spices leaves. Add  the scored eggs and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped coriander and turn off  the heat.

Serve with briyani or white rice

Dragon Fruit & Chaat Masala Juice

Dragon fruits aka pitaya are loaded with vitamins and minerals which makes it an ideal choice to include in your fruits diet. Vitamin C,B1,B2,B3 and minerals such as iron,calcium and phosphorus. White and pink flesh dragon fruits are easily available in the market and i always get mine from my usual fruit vendor. My girls loves fruits and pink dragon fruits are one of their favourite. Most probably for its gorgeous shocking pink colour i guess.

Other than eating it as its own i try to feed the girls with their favourite pinky in the form smoothies,juice or as jelly. I made this beautiful pink juice with a dash of spiciness from chaat masala. Truly an Indian flavor to introduce for a tropical fruit and to my surprise the duo goes really well. This is an amazing juice when you need to perk up your mood. The chaat masala gives a beautiful hint of flavor to the juice and instantly makes me alive. A savoury note to the ordinary pink dragon fruit juice.

Ingredients

1 medium sized pink dragon fruit, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups soda water
3 tbsp granulated white sugar
1/4 tsp chaat masala
3-4 ice cubes


Methods

Add all the ingredients in a smoothie maker or blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes.

Pour into serving glass and sprinkle with pinch of chaat masala

Serve immediately.

Stir Fry Long Beans With Garlic

This is a very simple stir fry long beans recipe that even  a bachelor can whip up in their kitchen. When i saw a beautiful bunch of fresh green long beans in the market, i knew i wanted to go for a     simple and easy stir fry infused with a full flavor of garlic. I prefer my vegetables al-dente which is firm to a bite. Nothing is worst than an over cooked mushy vegetables on your dinner table. 

Love the crunchiness of the perfectly cooked long beans laced with the saltiness of soy sauce and the boost of sliced garlic. I love a bit spiciness thus, i added one dried chilly which, is truly optional. This long beans recipe is sort of what we usually order whenever we dine in Chinese restaurant. With few simple everyday ingredients that you can find in your kitchen now, you too can be a Chinese master chef of your own. Delicious stir fry longs beans with garlic ready to be served with white rice. Indeed a vegetarian favourite.

Ingredients

1 bunch of long beans, washed and cut into 2 inches
2 cloves garlic,sliced
1 small onion,chopped
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 dried chilly, cut into 2 inches
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp water
Salt to taste


Methods

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Saute onion till soft and add sliced garlic. Once garlic slightly browned, add the beans. Stir well.

Add the water and cover the pan with lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with soy sauce and salt. Stir.

Cook for another 1 minute and turn off the heat

Transfer to a serving plate

Steamed Fish With Hot Peanut Oil

Steamed fish with hot peanut oil known as Cantonese style steamed fish is a popular steamed fish usually served in restaurants or in Chinese wedding banquet to go with white rice. You can come across of this simple steamed fish on most of Chinese family's dinner table too. Its so simple that you can prepare them at the comfort of your home without visiting a posh restaurant to taste them. Using a whole fish is a must in a steamed fish recepi but a good white flesh fish fillet will be a good choice as well. Tilapia and silver pomfret is my ideal choice whereas some prefer red snapper for the steam.

The fish was steamed with generous amount of fresh ginger and scallions that lends a beautiful aroma and flavor. The julienned carrot adds texture to the delicious fish. Some prefer to drizzle the soy sauce mixture after steaming their fish just before drizzling the hot oil but, i prefer to steam my fish with the sauce so that the flavor will steam into the fish for a great taste.

Ingredients

2 medium silver Pomfret or Tilapia
1 small carrot, julienned
2 inches fresh ginger,julienned
2 small bunches of cilantro,roughly chopped
4 sprig scallions,julienned
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp water
1/8 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
4 tbsp peanut oil


Methods

In a small bowl combine the dark soy sauce,light soy sauce,sugar,salt and water. Mix well and keep aside.

Fill an inch of water in a steamer, and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, place the fish in a plate and layer half of the the julienned carrot,fresh ginger and scallions. Top the fish with remaining of the julienned vegetables.

Drizzle the fish with the prepared soy sauce mixture. Cover and steam the fish for about 10 minutes.

Turn of the heat and remove the fish immediately from the steamer.

Heat peanut oil in a saucepan over a medium high heat. Once the oil smoking hot, drizzle the hot oil on the steamed fish.

Garnish with cilantro.

Serve with plain white rice.

Pineapple Jam Tart

Pineapple jam tart is my all time family favourite cookies and i guess for many Malaysians as well. Be it on special occasions or just for a tea time snacks we all love this crumbly, melt in mouth. pineapple jam tart. Eventhough, ready made pineapple jam filling readily available in most baking stores, i prefer to make my own pineapple filling. No added preservatives or colouring goes into my filling which ensure me the freshness and safeness of home made product. In  making pineapple jam tart the pastry is another important part to be considered. A super flaky,crumbly,buttery pastry is what makes a good delicious rich pineapple tarts that most Malaysians crave for. The corn flour  and cold butter gives you that much sought crumble and melt in mouth texture to the pastry.

The moist and slightly sweet and juicy homemade pineapple jam compliment the buttery pastry well. This is a open faced pineapple jam tart recipe one of the many way to prepare the classic tart which you may come across in many olden Chinese bakeries those days. Nowadays, the delicious pineapple tart comes in many shapes to attract their new age customers yet, i do still prefer the classic way when it comes to my pineapple tart. Good to go with a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients

For The Pineapple Jam

2 cups fresh pineapple, peeled,cored and shredded
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 egg,beaten
1 1/2 cups fine white sugar
2 cloves
1 star anise
1 tbsp lime juice

For Pastry

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp corn flour
10 tbsp cold butter
1 egg yolk,beaten
2 tbsp cold water
1/2 tsp salt


Methods

For The Pineapple Jam

In a saucepan, add all the ingredients mentioned under "For The Pineapple Jam'

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 30 minutes by stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens

Remove from heat and cool the filling completely

For The Pastry

In a large bowl, sieve all purpose flour,corn flour and salt.

Rub in the cold butter into the sifted flour to resemble coarse crumbs

Add the beaten egg yolk and water. Mix the till combined.  Do not over mixed.

Shape dough into a disk and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate for 40-35 minutes.

Dust a clean working surface with little flour and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thick.

Cut out the dough using a pineapple jam cookie cutter. Place the cookies onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Put a spoonful of the prepared pineapple jam in the centre of each cookies.

Brush the cookies with beaten egg.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.


Cool on baking sheet for 4 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack to cool completely

Store in an airtight container.

Notes

• You can use a 2 inch fluted cookie cutter if the special pineapple jam cookie cutter not available in your nearby stores. 

Masala Egg Dum Briyani

This is the first time i'm making masala egg dum briyani and i shall say it was a great success. With much expectation, i brave myself to give the briyani a try and was immensely thrilled over the superb tasty briyani. I made the fluffy delicious briyani for a special Sunday lunch and it was a hit on our dining table.

The briyani was fluffy and grainy...thanks to the basmati rice. The briyani was packed with aromatic spices which lends a beautiful flavor to the grains. Made rich with ghee and curd which stabilise the spiciness in the dish.  The masala coated eggs compliment the briyani in such a way that no one can resist. If you notice, i didn't use briyani masala powder in my egg dum briyani mainly because all the spices used in the dish is what you can find in store bought briyani masala. It feels good to make briyani from scratch and by knowing what goes into your homemade briyani.

Ingredients

For The Rice

4 cups Basmati rice
3 tbsp ghee
1 bay leaf
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
2 cloves
Salt as needed

For The Eggs

3 boiled eggs, scored
1 tsp besan flour
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Little water
Salt needed
1-1/2 tsp oil

For Seasoning

1 large onion,sliced
3/4 cup fried onions
4 tbsp curd
1 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
10-12 cashew nuts
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
2 green chillies,slitted
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp chilly powder
1/2 tsp black cumin seeds
2 black cardamom pod
1 tsp javeri mace/kadal pasi
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp ghee
2 tbsp oil

For Garnishing

1 tsp ghee
1/3 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/3 cup chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp fried onions
4 strands saffron
1 tbsp milk


Methods

For  The Rice

Wash and soak basmati rice in water for 30 minutes. Drain and keep aside

In large pot, over a medium flame heat ghee. Add the cumin,cloves,cinnamon stick,bay leaves and cardamom. Saute till fragrant.

Add 5-6 cups of water and salt. Once the water starts boiling, add the drained basmati rice and mix well. Cover and cook in high heat till the rice are 60% done.

Remove from heat and drained the water immediately.

For The Eggs

In a bowl, add the besan flour,salt and red chilly powder. Add little water to make a thick paste.

In a pan, heat oil and fry the masala coated eggs for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside.

For The Seasoning

Heat ghee and oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add the cloves,cardamom,cumin,cinnamon stick,javeri mace and cashews. Once splutter, add the sliced onion and fry till golden. Saute ginger garlic paste till the raw smell leaves.

Add the coriander powder, turmeric powder,chilly powder,garam masala powder and salt. Mix well.

Add the curd and cook till oil separates. Transfer 3/4 of the mixture to another bowl.

For The Layering

Soak the saffron in 1 tbsp milk. Keep aside.

Top 1/2 cooked basmati rice on the remaining 3/4 masala mixture in the pot. Sprinkle with 1/2 of fried onions,chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves.

Repeat the layers until you are done with all the rice and masala.

Add in the fried masala eggs, drizzle with saffron soaked milk.

Heat a tawa on a low heat and place the prepared briyani pot on top. Cover and add weight by placing heavy object such as stone morsel or a brick.

Cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let the steam to settle down for at least 8-10 minutes.

Fluff the rice with fork.

Serve hot with eggplant ghostu and raita.