10 minutes can make a desi sweet? Hard to believe but true :) - Coconut Laddoos

My discovery of the day...a 10 minute, 3 ingredient mithai...pretty excited about it :)

This morning I suddenly remember coconut laddoos...it was a sweet my mum made for every diwali when I was young but later stopped cuz coconut is so high cholestrol etc. Anyway I called mum and asked her how to make it...she said she would boil milk, sugar and coconut together till it started to thicken but suggested I use sweetened condensed milk instead and give the microwave a try to avoid the mess (cuz she said it tends to spill etc)

So I did...and success! hehe

3 ingredients as I said: (the quantities below made 13 average sized laddoos)

400gms grated coconut (I used a frozen pack from the indian store - make sure it's frozen fresh coconut - the dried one will have too much of a coconut oil smell)

300gms condensed milk

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

If using frozen coconut defrost it completely in the microwave first

Mix all three ingredients properly so there are no lumps

Put it in the microwave for 3 minutes

Take it out - stir thoroughly

Put it back in for 2 minutes

Take it out and stir once again

(Repeat last two steps 2 more times or till it becomes thick enough - just keep an eye on it cause it might spill depending on the power of your microwave)

Once the mixture feels fairly thick

Spread it on a greased plate and let it cool

Once it's cooled make them into laddoos - place in the refrigerator so they firm up a bit

(Mine are in the fridge right now but me and Saugar had one each just after I made 'em and they're definitely a hit - especially for something so simple!!)

Merry Christmas!

xoxo

Megha

Coconut Chicken

Hey Megz...

Here is the recipe of my special coconut chicken curry. When I make it, I usually make lots.. cos we love it! hehe..

Ingredients:

• chicken thighs (~500gms)
  
• for marinade:
• curry powder (3 tbsp)
  
• red chilli powder (1 tbsp)
  
• salt (to taste)
  
• chopped onion (1 large)
  
• chopped green chillies (3-4)
  
• cumin seeds (2 tsp)
  
• curry leaves (4-5)
  
• chopped/grated ginger (2 tsp)
  
• chopped/grated garlic (2 tsp)
  
• tamarind paste (usually about 1-2 tbsp, really depends on how tangy you like your curry)
  
• white vinegar (1/4 cup)
  
• cinnamon powder (2 tsp)
  
• coconut milk (1 can)
  

1. Add marinade ingredients to chicken, rub it in well and keep it for a couple of hours
2. In a frying pan add some oil and bring to heat.
3. Add cumin seeds, cook well.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and saute well (about 1 min)
5. Add chopped onions and green chillies. Brown the onions well.
6. Add curry leaves.
7. Add tamarind paste and vinegar and cinnamon.
8. Add chicken to the frying pan and cook on med-high heat for about 10 minutes
9. Add coconut milk and bring to boil
10. Cook on low heat until chicken is cooked and all ingredients are well incorporated. You may want to cover and cook so you dont loose so much water.. unless you like your gravy thick.

Have fun! :)

s

Swati's "Better-than-Mum's" Chicken Drumsticks

Will we all be this forthcoming and prompt on a blog? Not sure about me.. at the moment I am happy keeping as an email discussion between 4 of us..

Ok so the news... last night I made chicken drumsticks based on a recipe I made up myself and they came out sooo good.. I got the best compliment from Prudy.. it was and I quote 'damn ammu.. so professional.. it tastes even better than my mum's chicken.. ooh but dont tell her .. she will kill me'.. LOL!!!

So here is what I did:
- chicken drumsticks marinated in dry spice mix (large amount of corainder powder, medium amount of garam masala, small amount of curry powder, red chilli powder to taste, salt to taste)
- fried 2-3 tbsp cumin seeds, chopped ginger and chopped garlic in a cooking pot in 2 tbsp oil
- brown 1 large onion
- add spice marinated chicken
- mix everything in the pot well (add little water if it is too dry just so spices and onions coat schicken drumsticks nicely)
- add lots of dark soya sauce
- garnish with lots of coriander and spring onions

It was so simple and it came out really well.. I think it had lots to do it with the cooking utensils.. I used non-stick cooking pot with lid.. and cooked mostly with lid on so chicken remained moist.. nothing stuck to the bottom of the pan which helped masalas cook real nice.. I dried the water at the end by jst putting on high heat with lid off for a few minutes..

We ate it with rice and rasam (that prudy made - he is a rasam expert!)..

yummy dinner!!

I am gonna try all the pasta sauces.. btw have never cooked with wine.. what is deglazing the pan?

And yes agree with all the pastry sheet ideas.. lol.. have tried one very similar to praneeti's myself.. instead of muffin tray used flat tray and made it like a pizza.. :D

Anch when I moved to the UK we didnt have a pressure cooker or a microwave-able pot large enough to cook rice.. I used to do the boil and strain rice method.. and I comp agree.. it makes the rice very light and fluffy.. but alas.. I have started using the microwave again.. just out of convenience sake. :( will get myself to go back to that method.. it does make a difference..

love to all.. sisterhood united..

s

 

Easy Peasy Chicken Curry

Oh, and here's the recipe i sent out on the recipe exchange email. It's what I make on the days that i'm really tired and not in the mood for experimentation or anything complicated

 

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)
2 medium sized onions (red would be nice but any type will do)
1 large red or green pepper
1 tsp crushed garlic/garlic paste
1 tsp crushed ginger/ginger paste
1/2 - 1 tsp chilli powder/cayenne pepper - dependent on your spice tolerance :)
3 tbsp ketchup
salt

Chop the onions finely. Put them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes until a little tender.
Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a pan. Once heated add the microwaved onions into the oil with the ginger and garlic. Stir to ensure the three ingredients are well mixed and there are no lumps of ginger or garlic. Let the onions cooked till almost browned stirring occasionally.
Chop the red/green pepper into bite sized pieces and add to the onions in the pan. Add the ketchup with the salt and chill powder. Stir to mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add in the pieces of chicken. Stir to ensure all the spices/veggies coat the chicken well and cook uncovered for 4-5 minutes till the chicken starts to turn white.
Cover the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for 10 mins or so (check up to see when the chicken is almost completely cooked).
Once the chicken is almost completely cooked uncover and stir. Keep cooking uncovered for a few minutes till the chicken browns a little.

 

Some interesting breakkie ideas

Anch...the pasta sauce sounds good...except i dont usually have wine in the house since neither of us drink....hehe

thanks for the tip on brown pasta...

and praneeti - will def try the savoury tarts...they sound lovely

i love puff pastry...there's so much you can do with it...even the simplest things

 

my simplest puff pastry "recipe" (it's not really one) but great for a quick saturday/sunday morning breakfast

 

cut puff pastry into fairly big squares (one sheet into 4 pieces).

take hard boiled eggs and cut them in half. sprinkle salt and pepper.

put half a boiled egg on each pastry square and fold the pastry over so it's a triangle

bake till golden brown

i know it sounds ridiculously simple but it's awesome

 

oh and another breakfast idea...this i sort of came up with myself after seeing something on tv...saugar liked it - more for the fun of it!

ingredients required per serving - 2 slices of fairly thick bread, 1 egg, 1.5 strips of turkey bacon (u can use regular bacon too - i dont like bacon so use turkey), a sprinkling of cheese (can be any kind - something that melts nicely - i usually use grated mozarella)

cook the bacon to a crisp on a seperate pan (or i recently saw a tip that cooking bacon in an oven/toaster oven works better - haven't tried yet)

take the first slice of bread - using a wine glass, cut a hole in the center of it.

heat a tiny bit of butter on a pan and place the slice of bread with the hole on it.

take an egg and break it right into that hole - try to keep the egg from running outside the hole - but a little won't matter.

let it cook till the underside of the egg is hard enough then flip it. add salt and pepper
cook the other side - a little will spread - but not a big deal.

how much you want to cook it depends on how you like your egg - both me an saugar like it a tiny bit runny when you bite into it

while the bread and egg is cooking on the other side toast the other slice of bread - either on the pan or lightly in a toaster

once the egg is almost done to how you like it - break the bacon strips into half and put three halves (hence 1.5 strips on the bread/egg). sprinkle a little cheese and place the second piece of bread on top.

cook for a little longer till the cheese melts a little

 

there's my little tit-bits for the day

 

and yes if all in favour let's start a blog

anch - rather than an email address - maybe just starting a blog on blogger with all of us having access to post to it?

if that works i can set one up and send you invites

 

signing out....

megha :)

 

Finally the fourth sister is here! Anchal's fancy-shmancy pasta sauce

Heheheehe I'm jealous i have no one to cook for and you girls aren't even around tsk :(

 

BUT here is a recipe for Pasta Sauce

Chop one large red onion, crushed garlic and sautee in olive oil....keep cooking this until the onions start to go a bit brown then add slices of portabello mushrooms (button mushrooms wont have the same affect) and wait till they cook right down and almost start to blacken.  Add salt and pepper to taste and then add half a cup of red wine to deglaze the pan, this should take off all the bits from the bottom (this is where all the yummy flavour is :) ).  To this add a can of chopped tomatoes....and the sauce should go to this really nice brown colour....trust me it doesn't taste tomato-ey at all, to add a little bit of richness add a tiny knob of butter and that'll make the sauce all shiny.  I usually make this with penne pasta or with spirals but you can try anything.

 

As for cooking brown pasta my tip is to heavily salt your water and not add the pasta until the water is bubbling and then just to keep the pasta moist add a tsp of olive oil or a small bit of butter....it wont let the pasta stick or dry out but it'll get taken out with the water so you wont be having fat either.

 

Ooohhh another tip I have is for cooking rice, when you cook basmati rice instead of cooking it in a rice cooker or a pressure cooker...cook it in a kadhai or an open pan....after the rice is cooked put it in a sieve and pour boiling water over it...this takes all the starch out and makes the rice nice and fluffy, you'll be amazed at how light the rice is and it doesnt leave you feeling sleepy or lathargic.

 

Those are my tips for today, quick recipes for cranberry cookies and ginger bread men coming up :)

 

Ohhh and also be careful with the choice of food processor you are using for your dosa batter, i've just recently burnt my blender because it couldnt handle the load so a food processor is a good idea and also make sure you check the wattage....i know this sounds so old fashione but the best thing i've found so far for dosa batter's is the sumeet mixi from india...they were fantastic!!!

 

okie ladies i have heaps more to share so i'm thinking do we want to start a blog of the sisterhood of the travelling kadhai?  what about sisterhoodkadhai@gmail.com as a common account and then we can just add things on the blog....what do you think??

 

love yaa

xoxoxxo

a

Praneeti's Savoury Tarts

BTW.. thought I might as well share with you all my random, easy-to-make recipe that I sent to someone else :) These are yummy as!!


Savoury Tarts
You need muffin trays to make this
Ingredients:
- puff pastry sheets,
- veggies/any leftover curry (tastes best with leftover curries),
- tomato & chilli (ideally sriracha sauce),
- mozzarella cheese

Method:
- cut out squares of the pastry sheets and line each muffin well with one sheet
- put in some sauce mix and spread it around
- put in the veggies/leftover curry
- spread some mozzarella cheese on top
- bake at 180degC for about 20-30 mins (or till done)

 

Idlis and Dosas - apparently not that hard!

Yaaay~ we're sooooo onto it man.. this is brilliant.. yep definately need to churn out that coffee table book for the continuity of the sisterhood :)

Idlis/dosas.. yep am making from scratch.. its pretty easy actually.. Gist of it is: u just soak stuff overnight and grind it to a paste the next day..

Idlis: 1 cup whole whole urad dal (pref without the green skin on top), 2 cups idli rava, 1 tsp fenugreek (methi) seeds
Soak the urad dal & fenugreek seeds together and the rava separately in lots of water for atleast 5-6 hours.. then, using as little water as possible, grind the dal (+fenugreek seeds) using as little water as possible (if it is too runny, idlis will come out wet). Then mix in the rava (squeeze out all the water from the soaked rava before adding it to idly batter to minimize water). Leave this batter in a warm place overnight to ferment.. it'll, ideally, double in quantity when fermented enough. Add salt, mix and its ready to use.

Dosas: 1 cup whole urad dal (pref no green skin), 2 cups rice (now it can be any white rice (telugu style) or parboiled white rice (tamil style).. if u're using parboiled rice, u can soak 3 cups of it for every cup of urad dal and u can use this batter to make both idlis & dosas..
Soak the urad dal & fenugreek seeds together and the rice separately in lots of water for atleast 5-6 hours.. After this, grind them separately into a *very* smooth paste. mix and leave O/N to ferment. Add salt and check the consistency of the batter.. needs to be as runny as pancake batter before using.. For dosas, grinding the rice can be an arse if u dont have a wet grinder.. If you're using a mixie/blender, it can take a lonnng time.. so just be patient and have lots of entertainment on hand :D

On that note, like Megs said, maybe a food processor is good if u want to use it for everything.. although i'm not sure of batters..I've heard a lot about the magic bullet too and it sounds like a great option!!! I so wanted to get one but dont wanna fill my small cupboards up if i can help it :(  At home here, I have an indian mixie thingee that Ram's parents had when they were here.. and it is pretty awesome, it comes with 3 jars.. small one for dry pwders etc.. medium for wet/dry gravy/batters etc and a large one for wet batters.. the medium one especially is awesome and i'm able to use it for EVERYTHING actually.. but i"m not sure how much it'll cost.. so yeah.. Wet grinder is basically big and chunky and can be used for all batters requiring grinding.. like the idly/dosa batters.. you just chuk in the dal/rice and a bit of water, switch it on and it does the batter all by itself. Its a godsend if you plan on making dosas often esp (cos of the rice) and apparently u can use i to make dal and stuff on a larger scale (aunty was saying..i never tried).

The best chutney to go with idli/dosa.. well my fav is peanut chutney.. toast some peanuts, leave to cool. In a wee bit of oil, fry up some garlic cloves (say 3-4 for a cup of peanuts), a few green chillies (halved lengthwise) and some jeera.. Take these and peanuts together and grind it to a paste with a bit of tamarind water and some salt. You can add water to make it as runny as you want. It is yummy! Same applies (without the tamarind) to coconut too for a chutney.

:) :)

 

More foodprocessor discussion

Praneeti - YES please share the idli/dosa techniques...i haven't yet tried making them from scratch but would love to!!

 

Swati - i just got a food processor/blender...got a 7-cup one so it doesnt take up a whole lot of space.

but till now I was using this little smoothie machine http://www.thanedirect.co.uk/products/housewares/magicbullet/magicbullet.php

it did practically everything i needed - spice mixes, pasta sauces, the palak for palak paneer...

i finally decided it couldn't do EVERYTHING when i was trying to make this dessert for which i was making a paste out of dates and walnuts...and that proved too much for it...

but otherwise, it's the perfect tool and takes hardly any space - and it's enough when cooking for 2. (and it cost me $20).

But if you do want a proper one - get a combo food processor/blender - it does everything you could want from it

 

thanks for the tips on adding spices btw...will keep them both in mind

 

my one trick - passed on by my health-nut mum - before putting the onions in the kadhai - stick them in the microwave for 2 mins - they will turn slightly translucent - and take a lot less oil to brown and gets that sweetness...

 

as for brown rice - i've tried pulao and fried rice with it - it tastes fine - but white is obviously better

i'd say use brown rice for everyday eating - with daal, subzi...that way you end up eating more daal, subzi rather than a whole heap of rice...

but for special things like biryani - white's better - cuz brown tends to dry out quickly

 

Luv,

Megha

 

 

What's the best food processor?

OMG Praneeti... I was thinking the same thing.. once we have lots of 'random tit bits' we can compile it in a coffee table book.. (comes from Megha's obsession for coffee table books!).. and each of us can have a copy.. that we can pass down from one generation to the next... so the sisterhood can live on.. lol!!

Dude.. do share ur idli, dosa recipes.. btw.. I once tried some dosas using Gits redymade dosa mix.. and did everything exactly as per the instructions on the back of the box.. but the taste was so *mehh*! You do make your own mix right? hehehe.. speaking of making your own mixes/spices etc..

So I am thinking of getting a blender/'mixie'.. The thing is I dnt want a big food processor.. jst something inexpensive and compact that can make onion, tomato, chilli paste, dosa mixes etc.. do I buy a blender? or a wet grinder? what is the difference anyway? I am thinking I will probably need to get a dry grinder specially for spices etc. Oh I am so confused!

Shaan's biryani mix.. will definitely try.. although I have been making biryani with own spices and it has been turning out pretty good (ginger paste, garlic paste, garam masala, coriander powder, cinnamon, cumin, fennel, roasted cashew nuts).

Megz thanks for the pasta sauce ideas.. the roasted capsicum one sounds delish will def give it a go.. I havent really ventured into italian really.. like Praneeti I am still busy discovering Indian food :) I also want to know more about cooking good roasts and european sauces to go with meats.. but that for later. Pasta I want to do.. cos 1) I like it.. 2) it is so quick to prepare/make.

I am really enjoying this.. like our own focus group.. btw how nice it is to have someone to try our new dishses and tell us how it is! hehehehe...

love and chakla-belan,
S

 

The third sister joins in! :)

hey sisters!!!
 
Brilliant ideas :) The name, the suggestions, the recipes, the plans, the LOT!!! :D Man, did we ever imagine we'd be doing this.. discussing cooking? well, actually , i think i did.. and come to think of it, i do remember discussing it with one of you guys last year or the year before too.. that soon, the future we'd be doing this ;)

I don't have any fancy recipes of mine.. I'm currently in the process of cooking so much indian food that I surprise myself with my dedication to our culture. Of course, that Ram's not a big fan of anything non-spicy is a factor too :P On that note, I'm a bit of a pro now at idlis n dosas so if u want any tips/recipes on that i can help :)

Pastas/rice: i used to eat red rice when i was at Vinthi's place.. it was really hard to eat at first but in a way guess that's good cos you eat less :P But once you get used to it, like Megha said, it is not that bad at all. Wholemeal pasta's yum, i actually think it tastes better almost than the white one.. what say you megha? We have the brown basmati at home, i haven't had the guts to try it yet though.. gotta try it sometime. Wonder if biryani tastes the same with it? Guess if it is meat biryani, shudn taste too different? Btw.. if u are making meat biryani, Shan Bombay Biryani Mix is the best one to try..

Along the same lines of swati's tip.. One of the most useful thing that mom told me is about adding spices when frying onions etc.. you have to add the spices when the onions are translucent.. rather than when they are golden brown or raw.. or like most ppl do, towards the end of the curry cooking process.. cos this way, the spices realllly get into the onions and they give the most awesome spice base.. :) 

ooh this is so exciting girls.. lets keep this up :) and eventually, i reckon, we should put up a 'book' or a blog together with all these... if not for others, for ourselves for future reference.. I've started writing all my best working/tasting recipes (that i collect from everywhere really) in a book.. dont have many as of now, but am gonna keep doing it.. we can do something like that collectively! :)

:)

 

Pasta Ideas

haha i absolutely love that name! :)

 

and i think you describe cooking so well...it's such a great feeling when something turns out really well and also interesting to figure out what went wrong when something doesnt!

 

firstly about wholemeal pasta and brown rice - i switched almost entirely to brown rice about 6-7 months ago...i'm completely used to it now - as long as it's basmati. the trick is to soak it for about half an hour before cooking it. and also to add a little more water than you would to white rice. definitely worth a try. i will say that it will take a few days to get used to it. i don't regret making the switch though. i only eat white rice when i'm out now...we decided not to buy any to avoid temptation :)

wholemeal pasta - most of the dried pasta (spaghetti or linguini mainly) that i buy is wholemeal...but we often buy fresh pasta (stuffed etc) from the supermarket and that one is usually white

wholemeal dried pasta tastes fine...just have to be a little more careful when cooking it to ensure it doesnt overcook...i know that's the general rule with pasta but with wholemeal pasta the texture is really off when it's overcooked...again worth a try

 

pasta sauces - the one totally original sauce i made that turned out great was with roasted red peppers/capsicum. you can roast it yourself too but i bought a bottle of pre-roasted peppers from the supermarket. i was tired of the tomatobased sauces so wanted to try something different. i put in the pre-roasted peppers with a handful of toasted almonds (i wanted something that would make it creamy and didnt have any cream so randomly decided to add almonds) with chilli flakes, salt and garlic into a blender and blended the whole thing together. the sauce can be used with anything - veggies, chicken etc...i did it with shrimp and mushrooms. (i usually use frozen pre-cooked shrimp cause i'm always up for shortcuts!)

 

my favourite pasta sauce - and this may sound really lame - is super super simple especially with stuffed pasta...olive oil, loads of chopped garlic and chopped basil/dried basil. as simple as it sounds i l-o-v-e it

 

my hubby came up with his own creation the other day - a "mushroom pesto" he called it. he put a bunch of button mushrooms with green chilli, garlic and olive oil into the foodprocessor. it was really good i have to admit :)

he also likes to use pre-bought store tomato based sauce but make it a 'meat sauce' - where he will saute vegetables and ground turkey in the pan and then add in the store bought sauce with more spices...that's pretty nice too

 

so there's a few ideas :)

 

luv

megha, another sister of the travelling kadhai

A name is born and madam ceo is on-board :)

Awesome idea.. we could be the sisterhood of the travelling kadhaai... hehe

I never used to cook at home.. and now that I have started, I find that I quite enjoy cooking. I am also enjoying the process of trial and error.  I think one of the things that I didnt used to like back home was the fact having mum or mum-in-law :P constantly giving tips over my shoulder.. it is nice.. but they never let me do anything wrong and learn.. But in fact I like making mistakes and then rectifying them next time.. I feel like the kitchen is a perfect lab where you can keep modifying ur experiments in a controlled way until you end up with the perfect dish! And jst like a lab you always discovering new tips/techniques/flavours accidentally.. (btw.. dont get me wrong.. I never discovered any 'flavours' accidentally in the lab.. lol.. except once when I acidentally majorly sniffed an unmarked bottle and it turned out to be formalin.. was a bit dizzy for a good 10 minutes after that!.. it prob killed a few brain cells.. )

So here is my tip-de-jour.. when adding masalas to your tempering.. like coriander powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, haldi , salt etc etc.. I dissolve all of them in a little bit (usually half a cup depend on how much masala you are adding) of water.. and then add it to my tadka/tepering (which is usually onion, tomato, chilli frying in oil).. doing this prevents the masalas from burning as it is added to hot oil.. and retains all its flavours and aromas.. it also spreads nicely.. and not in lumps.. and it helps make the gravy thicker.. also allows the tadka to cook for longer as it doesnt dry out quickly..

I got that tip from a friend here.. who I watched doing this once in her kitchen.. I have been using it all the time since then.. :)

Here is my problem for further discussion.. I think pasta is a very easy quick meal.. but the ready made pasta sauces taste crap.. I wonder if you guys have any tricks to make these sauces more zesty or have recipes for a sauce from scratch.. that can be made and stored?? also have you guys tried wholemeal pasta or brown rice?? how is it?

PS: lets keep the title of the email as random tit-bit.. as it will keep these emails all in one folder in gmail.. which is quite handy..

love and peace out,
s (sister of the travelling kadhai - UK) :D

 

Marshmallows - yum!

So the other day I was talking to Praneeti about how much I love our fireplace (though have only lit it 3 times so far) and one of the most fun things is toasting marshmallows

yesterday I had this craving for toasted marshmallows...i absolutely LOVE the burnt flavour outside and the melted marshmallow inside...but we didnt have the fireplace going

I got curious and thought about trying it in the oven and it came out really well!

I just put some of those big marshmallows on some aluminum foil in the toaster oven for 5 mins...probably need to turn it once so it gets black on both sides

but they tasted awesome!

and a relatively guilt free and easy dessert

:)

First Post

The recipe exchange idea and getting a recipe today from swati makes me wonder...what if we make this a regular thing

every time one of us tries something new that isn't super complicated but comes out really well, we share the recipe/technique?

as much as the teasing about being an 'aunty' was annoying, i loved talking to you about food and the different things we tried

what do you think?