Guacamole

Guacamole :
   A simple, healthy dip that goes great with chips, used as a spread or in taco or just eat it.
It is a good source of good cholesterol.

Ingredients :
Avacado - 2 ripe
Onion - 1/4 medium size
Tomato - 1/2 medium size
Coriander leaves - few finely chopped
Lemon - juice from 1/2
Salt and pepper to taste
Jalapeño - 1/2 finely chopped or to taste

Method :

1. Cut the avacado and take the fresh out in a bowl.
2. Finely chop onion, tomato, jalapeño, coriander leaves.
3. Mash avacodoes with a spoon. Don't mash it completely. Chunks here and there is required.
4. Add lemon juice to it.
5. Add all the chopped vegetables. Mix them very well.
6. Add salt and pepper and mix well.

Yummy guacamole is ready.

Goes very well with tortilla chips. Can be used as spread, filling in sandwiches and many more.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

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Naan

Naan :
    It is a flat Indian bread. It is soft and fluffy. Great for party or special occasion. Kids love it.

Ingredients :
All purpose flour - 3 cup

Yeast - 1.5 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Yogurt - 2 Tbsp

Oil - 2 Tbsp

Milk - 1/2 cup
Butter - 1/2 stick ( for applying on the naan )
Baking soda a pinch

Method :

1. In a 1/2 cup Luke warm water, add yeast. Add sugar, salt and let it sit for 10 minutes.

2. It will be foamy as shown  in the 2nd picture.

3. In a bowl, add maida, baking soda, yogurt, oil, milk.

4. Add fermented yeast and mix well to form a soft dough. Don't worry even if it is sticky.

     Add some oil on top.

5. Close it with lid and let it ferment in warm place for 3 to 4 hours.

6. The picture above shows how it is fermented after 4 hours.

7. Only if it is fermented like this you will get good naan.

8. Make balls out of it and roll it to long triangle.

9. You can bake it in oven for 3 minutes or cook it in stove top.

10. Cooking it in stove is soft and it stayed soft for long time. So I prefer stove top Naan.

11. Cook on both side.

12. Apply butter on both sides.

13. If you want garlic naan, chop garlic and coriander leaves, put in the rolled dough before cooking.

14. Then cook it on both sides and apply butter. 

Anything home made is good.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

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Kalakand

Kalakand :
This is a quick and easy sweet but Very tasty.
It tastes like " pal kova". If you are from Tamil Nadu you will know that.
I missed this sweet so much and was glad when I learnt it.

Ingredients :
Ricotta cheese - 15 oz
Condensed milk - 14 oz
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
For garnishing, sliced pistachio and almonds.

Method :

1. Take square or rectangular bowl which is microwave safe.
2. Mix ricotta cheese and condensed milk and mix well.
3. Make sure there is no lumps. Don't use hand mixer and make it a paste. Just mix it with spoon.
4. This mixture should be put in microwave in intervals and mixed in between.
5. First put it in microwave for 5 minutes.
6. Take and mix it. Make sure to wipe and mix the edges too.
7. Microwave again for 3 minutes.
8. Take it and mix well.
9. Repeat the same thing for 10 minutes in the interval of 2 minutes.
10. Make sure to mix in between.
11. Check if it is in nice solid form. If not put it in microwave for 1 or more minutes.
12. Add cardamom powder and mix well.
13. Set it nicely and add the chopped nuts on top and press it slightly . I have left a part without nuts since I am planning to decorate with silver sheet.
14. Let it to cool.
15. Slice it and serve.

Enjoy the joy of cooking

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Tandoori chicken

Ingredients :
Chicken legs - 5
Thick curd - 5 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp
Red color - little
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 2 Tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Lemon juice - juice from half lemon

Method :

1. Clean chicken. Make slits with knife around the chicken until bone.

2. Mix everything in the ingredients section except oil and chicken.
3. Mix well. Now put these masala in the slits of all the chicken.
4. Coat the chicken nicely with the masala.
5. Add 1 Tbsp oil on top.
6. Let this mixture rest for 4 to 5 hours.
7. Now preheat the oven for 450 degree.

8. In baking tray, apply oil and spread it all over.
9. Place the chicken and apply little oil on top.
10. Place it in the oven and bake it for 40 minutes.

Note :
I like it little brown on the top and I left it until 50 minutes.
Flip the chicken in between to get brown evenly on all sides.

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Buttermilk Pancake

Buttermilk Pancake :
A simple recipe that kids go crazy for.  It's quick and easy to make.

Ingredients :
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Buttermilk - 1 cup
Butter - 3 Tbsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 2 Tbsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Egg - 1

Method :

1. Mix All purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar.
2. Beat egg. Add buttermilk and beat nicely.
3. Add butter and mix nicely.
4. Add this to the flour mixture and mix well.
5. In a pan, add oil and brush. Put the flame in medium, otherwise it might burn the pancake.
6. Pour a ladle of batter into the pan.
7. When it starts bubbling, flip over and let it cook again.

Easy pan cake is ready.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

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Vada curry

Vada curry :

Vada curry is another famous South Indian curry that goes great with idli, dosa.

My mil makes it every Diwali and everyone goes crazy for it. My husband loves South Indian food.

After I started blogging, he had a list to make and every single dish he named was South Indian  dish and this is one among them. This is definitely a special curry to taste.

Ingredients :
Channa dhal - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 medium size
Tomato - 1 medium size
Green chilli -3
Curry leaves - few
Corainder leaves - few
Chilli powder -1/2 tsp
Corainder powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder -1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste - 4 tsp
Corainder leaves - few chopped
Cloves  - 3
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Fennel seeds -1/4 tsp
Oil -3 Tbsp

Method :

1. Soak channa dhal for 2 hours.

2. Grind them coarsely.

3. Add little salt, make patties and fry them. It should be cooked but not turned into brown.

    It should  be still yellow as shown.

4. Scramble the vadai.

5. In a pan, add oil and when it is hot, add fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon.

6. Add chopped onion and  fry them nicely.

7. Add ginger garlic paste and fry them until raw smell goes.

8. Add tomatoes and salt and cook them.

9. Add turmeric, chilli powder and corainder powder and sauté nicely.

10. Add water and let it cook for 10 minutes.

11. Add scrambled vadai and mix them nicely.

12. Let them cook for another 15 minutes.

13. Garnish with corainder leaves and it is ready to go.

Enjoy the joy of cooking

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Cabbage-Egg Poriyal

Ingredients :

Cabbage - 3 cup
Onion -  1/4
Green chilli - 2
Curry leaves - few
Egg - 3
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 Tbsp

Method :

1. Chop cabbage and onion.
2. In a pan, add a Tbsp of oil and when it is hot, add mustard seeds.
3. When it splutters, add urad dhal, green chilli and curry leaves.
4. Add onion and sauté nicely.
5. Add cabbage and little turmeric and salt.
6. Simmer the flame and cook cabbage.
7. In a bowl, add egg, salt, turmeric and pepper and beat well.
8. When the cabbage is cooked, add this egg mixture and mix well.
9. Add a Tbsp of oil and fry nicely.
10. Make sure it is fried nicely, otherwise the raw smell of egg could spoil the taste.


Yummy cabbage - egg poriyal is ready.
It goes good with rice.

Enjoy the joy of cooking.

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