Sunday, February 17, 2013

Carrot Sago Kheer




Ingredients:

1 cup Finely grated Carrot
1/4 cup White Sago Pearl
3/4 cup Fine Sugar
11/2 cups Boiled Fresh milk
2 tbsp Condensed milk
2 tsp Cardamon powder
1/2 cup Water
4 tbsp Ghee
6-7 Cashew nuts (broken into small pcs)
2 tbsp Golden Raisins

Method:
  • Clean and soak the sago pearls for 30 mins. Drain the water and keep aside.
  • Now heat a thick bottom pan over medium low heat, add ghee and fry cashew nuts till golden. Drain and keep aside.
  • Add the raisins and fry till they plump up well. Drain from ghee.
  • To the same pan, add the grated carrot and fry on low flame for 5-7 mins.
  • Then add the drained sago and water and bring to boil and cook till sago turns transparent.
  • Now add the fresh milk and sugar and cook till it turns thick consistency.
  • Then add the condensed milk and cardamon powder. Cook for another 2-3 mins and switch off the stove.
  • Finally add the ghee roasted cashew nuts and raisins and stir to mix everything well.
  • Serve the carrot sago kheer warm or chilled.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Prawn Sambal



Ingredients:
1/2 kg Tiger prawns
2 Onions (thickly sliced)
2 tbsp Thick Coconut Milk
4 tbsp Cooking oil
Salt to taste

For the Sambal:
20 Dry chillies
1 Onion
1 Tomato
10 Garlic 
1 small piece Ginger 
2 tbsp Vinegar
11/2 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Belacan (dried shrimp paste)
Salt to taste


Method:
  • Clean, shell, devein the prawns and keep aside.
  • Cut the dry chillies into small pieces, discard the seeds and soak in warm water for 30 mins. Drain and keep aside.
  • Grind all the ingredients given sambal together with soaked dry chillies into a fine paste.
  • Heat oil in a wok and add the ground chilli paste and fry over medium low heat till raw smell leaves and oil separates to the top.
  • Then add the sliced onions stir fry for few mins.
  • Then add the cleaned prawns and fry for few mins till prawns are cooked.
  • Now add coconut milk and stir fry for few mins and switch off the stove.
  • Serve it hot with Pandan Nasi Lemak.

Pandan Nasi Lemak




Ingredients:
4 cups Long grain Basmati rice
7 Pandan leaves
1 big piece Ginger (Sliced)
4 cups Coconut milk
4 cups water
2 tbsp Coconut oil
11/2 tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste

Method:
  • Separate the pandan leaves, wash clean and roughly chop it. Grind it coarsely together with 1 cup of water. Strain the pandan juice through a fine seive and keep aside.  
  • Wash rice and soak it in water for 30 mins. Keep aside.
  • Add the coconut milk to the pandan juice and add enough water to make it 8 cups.
  • Now add the soaked drained rice, pandan coconut milk, sliced ginger, coconut oil, salt and sugar to a rice cooker. Cook till rice is fluffy. 
  • Once ready, let it stand for 5 mins before serving. Fluff the rice with a fork.
  • Serve the Nasi Lemak rice warm.

Spicy Fried Chicken




Ingredients:
1 kg Chicken drumstick and wings
2 tbsp Garlic ginger paste
1 Whole Egg
3 tbsp Corn Flour
1/2 tbsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp Chicken masala
1 tbsp Chilli powder
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tbsp lime juice
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
  • Wash and clean the chicken wings.
  • Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, then add the all the ingredients except oil. Rub everything together with fingers to mix well.
  • Marinate the chicken pieces in the marinade for atleast 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.
  • Heat enough oil in a kadai over medium low heat. Fry the chicken pieces in batches till it is crispy and well browned.
  • Drain in a kitchen towel and serve it pipping hot.

Banana Balls




Ingredients:
1/2 kg Self Raising Flour
1 Egg
3 tbsp Coarsely Grated Coconut
5 tbsp Palm Sugar (Gulam Melaka)
5 tbsp Fine Sugar
5 Large ripe Bananas
Salt to taste
1/4 cup Ghee or oil
Few tbsp boiled milk (optional)

Method:
  • Smash the bananas well with a potato masher. Make sure there are no lumps.
  • In a big bowl, add the mashed banana and the rest of the ingredients except ghee/oil. 
  • Mix well to combine everything. Make sure the batter is not too thick or too thin. The consistency should be like idli/pancake batter.
  • Few tbsp of boiled fresh milk can be added to adjust the consistency of the batter.
  • Allow the batter to ferment for atleast 5-6 hours.
  • To make the banana balls, heat the kuzhi paniyaram pan and drizzle few drops of ghee or oil into each whole.
  • When it is hot, pour the batter into each hole and fill it to 3/4.
  • Let it cook on medium low flame for 2-3 mins. Now using a tooth pick or paniyaram stick, turn the balls and cook for another 2 more minutes till it turns golden brown.
  • Remove the balls from the pan. Again drizzle few drops of ghee into each hole and repeat with the rest of the batter.
  • If you don't own a kuzhi panniyaram pan, not a problem, the batter can be made into small pancakes or dosas drizzled with a little ghee around it.
  • Serve it hot with a good cuppa coffee.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Garlic Pepper Chicken




Ingredients:
1/2 kg Chicken (Cut into small pieces)
10 cloves of Garlic (peeled and halved)
1 Onion (Cut into wedges and separated)
1/2 Tomatoes (chopped)
6 Dry red chillies (Broken into small pieces)
4 strands of curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 Bay leaf
2 whole Cardamom
3 cloves
1 Star anise
1 tbsp Fennel seeds
3 tbsp Whole black pepper
11/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp Chicken masala (Chicken curry powder)
1 tbsp garam masala
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp Pure ghee
Salt to taste

To Grind:
8 Garlic
1 inch Ginger
2 Red Onions 

Method:
  • Dry roast black peppercorns in a pan over low flame for few mins. Cool and grind into a coarse powder.
  • Grind the garlic, ginger and red onions to a fine paste with little water.
  • Heat oil in a wok, when hot add the small cut pieces of 4 dry red chillies and curry leaves. Fry till crisp and keep aside.
  • Now add the whole garam masala (Bay leaf, Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and Star anise) to the pan and then 1 tsp fennel seeds. Fry for a min.
  • When they splutter, add the remaining dry chillies and the grinded onion paste.
  • Keep the flame medium low and add salt and fry till oil separates from the paste and the raw smell goes off.
  • Now add the cleaned chicken and turmeric powder and cover the pan and let it cook for 15 mins.
  • Then add the chicken masala and garlic slices. Stir everything together, cover the wok and cook for 5 mins under medium high flame.
  • Now add chopped tomato and stir well to mix everything and cook for 5 more mins. 
  • Add few strands of chopped coriander leaves and quartered onion wedges. Mix everything well and keep on low flame.
  • Then add the grounded pepper powder and 1 tsp garam masala powder to the pan and stir well.
  • Keep on low flame till oil separates from the masala.
  • Then add the roasted dry chillies and curry leaves and mix well. Add the ghee and give a final stir and switch off the stove.
  • Serve it hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.

Spicy Potato Wedges




Ingredients:
3 Large potatoes
2 tbsp Cooking oil
2 tbsp Kashmiri Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Black pepper
1 tsp Crushed dried Italian herbs
11/2 tbsp Red Chilli flakes
salt to taste

Method:

  • Dry roast the black pepper in a pan over low flame, cool and grind it coarsely.
  • Wash, clean the potatoes and pat it dry with kitchen towel and cut it into thin even size wedges.
  • Place the potatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle the chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt over the potatoes and mix well to combine everything.
  • Then add the grounded pepper powder, Italian herbs and chilli flakes. Toss well to mix everything.
  • Heat oil in a good non stick pan over medium heat to shallow fry the potato wedges. Once the wedges are crispy and browned, flip it over and fry on the other side also.
  • Once done, drain to a paper towel.
  • Serve the spicy potato wedges with tomato ketchup or garlic mayonnaise.