Party Planning Part 1-Drinks Continued.................

If you read my blog,you know I am planning a party & am deciding on which mocktail I want to serve.....I went through all the recipes for mocktails & finally zeroed in on my own recipe of Pina Colada..............
This is how I make it


Pina Colada {serves 6}

3 teacups (500ml) pineapple juice
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 bottle sprite/lime based aerated drink
6 tbsp vanilla ice cream
4-5 ice cubes


* Mix pineapple juice,coconut milk,ice cream.Add ice cubes & blend for few secs
* Pour the chilled aerated drink & blend again for a sec
* Serve IMMEDIATELY!

Believe me it's yum!

Next is deciding the glassware & crockery I will be using for the party.....................I took one of each type of glasses I have to compare

I have 2 peg measure,one very modern & trendy ,the other very traditional Indian..................which one should I choose!

Also it's time to open these wine bottles lying around in one corner neglected !

I think I will choose the tall slim glasses for the mocktail & the crystal cut glasses are perfect for whiskey & other drinks!
Now about the crockery.................since this is a formal party,I am going to choose my formal china dinner service which we bought after our wedding,we just celebrated 11 years of togetherness
& I can proudly say that I haven't broken anything in all these years of packing & shifting from one place to another in our adventurous military life....................LOL:)

I just love the delicate floral vines on the white background!

Have any suggestions for me?
Next I am working on invitations & I will be back with the update soonish:)

Chicken Tikka Masala-Recipe

Well...............I am back with an Indian recipe after eons!
My kids were bored of eating regular lentils & veggies so decided to make something lil fancy for lunch!
Well this is MY version of chicken tikka masala as it is usually made of chicken breast but all I had at that time was minced chicken & I was in no mood to drive out  to get fresh chicken!
How can you be a good cook if you can't spin a recipe your way...............right? So here's chicken tikka made from minced chicken.

Um................I am not really fond of frozen meat,if I have to eat a dead animal,it at-least be freshly dead ,right!
Eeew................I know it sound gross,but that's a fact!
But since my husband had already bought frozen mince,I had no option to cook it & so start with defrosting 350gms of chicken mince.

Ingredients
  
For the tikka
Fresh or frozen chicken mince-350 gms
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
red chilly powder-1/2 tsp
nutmeg powder-1/4 tsp
oil-1tbsp
coriander-1tbsp very finely chopped
mace-1/4 tsp
ginger garlic paste-1 tsp
salt to taste
oil for frying

for the curry
cumin 1tsp
1" cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 onions-grind to a paste
2 tomatoes-grind to a paste
2 tbsp cooking oil
tomato puree-1/2 small cup
garlic ginger paste -1 tbsp
garam masala-1/2 tsp
chicken masala- 1 tsp
turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
red chilly powder-1/2 tsp(optional)
lemon juice-1 tsp
cream well beaten- 2 tbsp
salt to taste

Let's go chop chop
1. The first thing to do is to make the tikkas out of the chicken mince.Mix all the ingredients for the tikka to the mince & put it in the fridge for half an hour.
2.Just make small balls out of the mixture,they should not be too big else they won't cook through.
3. Now comes the secret behind the taste of Indian food............DEEP FRYING;)
I can hear the collective groans but sorry guys,the excess oil is the secret to the generous curves of Indian women;)
4.So yes deep fry them all on medium flame till they are cooked through

5.Put them on a absorbent paper to remove excess oil....................LOL
6.Now we will prepare the gravy or masala as we call it.
7.Heat 2 tbsp oil.Add cumin to it & let it crackle.It should not burn else it becomes bitter
8.Now add bay leaf & cinnamon & stir it for a minute
9.Add ginger garlic paste,stir for a minute add onions & fry them nicely.............till they kinda become brownish................but don't burn them:)
10.Now add tomato & tomato puree to & fry them till oil starts separating.

11.Add all the masalas......turmeric,garam masala,chicken masala & if you wish a dash of red chilly powder.
I do both the frying & preparing the gravy together.....................we women can multitask;)

12.Add 1 cup water to the gravy............you can experiment with the water depending on how thick you want the gravy to be.Add salt & lemon juice.
13.Add the fried tikkas to the gravy & cook for 10 minutes

14.Your Ticken Chikka Curry (as my 3 yr old daughter calls it....LOL) is ready!
Just put it in a serving bowl & top it off with the beaten cream....................remember NOT to put cream while it is still on heat,the cream may split !
 Enjoy:)

My recipe

Hi
Just received a comment from a very nice lady who used my chicken mushroom casserole .And she was thoughtful enough to share it with me:)
Thank you Mrs P.

 Looks yummy:)

Indian recipe-Mutton Do Pyaza( Chevon dish)

In India the word “mutton” is often used colloquially to describe both goat and lamb meat, despite technically only referring to sheep meat.The cuisines most well-known for their use of goat include Indian cuisine.Today I am going to share my recipe for "Mutton do pyaza" or mutton cooked with big chunks of onion(pyaza). It will be relished by all whom you serve it to.

Indian Aamras (mango smoothie)-recipe

Today I am going to share recipe of a traditional Indian mango delicacy called Aamras.
 Mango is one of my families favorite fruit,after all it is often referred to as the king of fruit:)
 Mangoes are among the most popular fruits worldwide and are especially popular in South and Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Hawaii. Mangoes are a seasonal fruit and are available only during summer.
One of the best variety of mangoes is Alphonso.The Alphonso Mango is named after Afonso de Albuquerque. This is an exquisite and expensive variety of mango, that he used to bring on his journeys to Goa.

I belong to western state of Maharashtra in India  where Alphonso is grown, so naturally I have grown up eating mangoes in summers:) 
Summers are incomplete without a healthy dose of Alphonso & things made from it...................& one of the Maharashtrian specialties is Aamras which literally means mango(aam) juice(ras).


You can make aamras out of any pulpy mango but as I said my choice is always Alphonso:)
Alphonso's come in wooden crates surrounded by straw to protect them like this.

Recipe-Indian Black lentil curry (Maah ki daal)

Did you know that the earliest records of (lacto) vegetarianism come from ancient India in the 6th century BCE.  The diet was closely connected with the idea of nonviolence towards animals (called ahimsa in India) and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers.
20%-42% of the Indian population is vegetarian. Also,  Indians who do eat meat, do so infrequently, with less than 30% consuming it regularly !!!!!!!!!
 So what is the source of proteins for us??????????
Well............here come the lentils to our rescue .We eat at least one type of lentil DAILY............yup each single day.I cant imagine having lunch or dinner without home cooked "Daal".
Today I  share a recipe of a very famous lentil which originates from the state of Punjab in India.............Maah ki Daal,or Daal Makhani which is the black lentil.
This lentil is loved enough to bring a mighty huge Punjabi to his knees for a bite from his mom's hands!!!!!!
Yup.............Maah ki Daal literally means Daal cooked by Mom!!!!!!!

This is the pic of my lunch yesterday.I am going to share recipe for all the things in the pic..............but today only the black lentil curry:)

Recipe-Indian Vegetable pulao (rice with veggies)

Indian lunch & dinners traditionally consist of a lentil,a veggie,curd with chapati or parantha along with rice.This is accompanied with pickles,salads,papads & something sweet too!!!!!!!!
So yes,its quite an elaborate affair.We do not have the concept of frozen meals like west.Everything is freshly prepared .The main reason behind it is that the (IN)famous Indian heat will spoil food if kept for a longer time.Besides we are so used to eating fresh food that most of the Indians wouldn't ever eat food made more than 4-5 hrs back!!!!!!!
So like I told you what all things are made PER meal.................it is also a time consuming affair.
This sunday I was in no mood to spend my sunday morning in the kitchen so I decided to go in for a famous delicacy(read short cut recipe) - Pulao.
Pulao is basically rice cooked with lot of veggies & combine it with curd & pickles & you are ready to go:)
Here is what it looks like.YUM right:)

Indian recipe-palak paneer (Spinach with cottage cheese)

Hi all:)

I have been out of blogland close to a week thanx to a virus I picked up somewhere:(

Anywayz now I am back. Yay!!!!!!!!!

Today I am going to share an Indian recipe made of spinach & paneer........panner is a form of cheese(cottage cheese).

This dish is one of the really popular recipes in India.The creamy texture of the spinach alongwith fresh cheese is just irresistable:)

So here we go

MUGHLAI PALAK PANEER ( SERVES 4)

Ingredients

 A bunch of spinach ( around 600-700 grams)
200 gms paneer (cottage cheese)
seeds of 1 brown cardamom
2-3 cloves
3-4 pepper corns(black)
3 onions-grind in a mixer
2 tomatoes-grind alongwith onions
1' piece ginger-chopped
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1/4 tsp dried mango powder
3 tbsp fresh cream
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Lets roll

1.Boil chopped spinach alongwith ginger for 10 minutes.

2.Heat oil,add seeds of cardamom,cloves & pepper corns.Add ground onion,tomato paste & stir on low flame for 5 minutes.

Honey recipes

Hello all
I have recently signed up on swap-bot.Swap-bot is a service and a community.
It facilitates group snail mail and internet swaps. It is also a community where swappers can connect, share, and have fun. Swap-bot was originally created to be a tool used by blog owners to facilitate mail swaps with their readers. The site has grown from a simple utility to a meeting place where at any given time there are over 500 public swaps being hosted. Swap-bot is completely free for the users.

One of the swaps I participated was in "Honey Recipe Swap".I was assigned 4 partners to whom I had to send atleast 3 recipes whicj use honey & naturally 4 people were supposed to send recipes to me:)
So here I am going to share few of those recipes:)


Spicy Orange Baked Chicken Drumsticks



1 tbsp grated orange rind 15ml

1/2 cup orange juice 125ml

1/3 cup liquid honey 75ml

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes 2ml

1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper 1ml

8 peices chicken drumsticks (2lb/1kg total)



1.) In large bowl, combine orange rind, juice, honey, hot pepper flakes and salt and pepper.

2.) Place chicken in single layer in shallow casserole dish; pour marinade over top.

3.) Bake in 425 F (220 C) oven, basting atleast twice. Bake until chicken is glossy and golden, and juices run clear when peirced (about 30 minutes).

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Gluten Free Honey Muffins



2 1/2 cups White (or brown) rice flour 625ml

1 tbsp Gluten-free baking powder** 15ml

1/2 tsp Salt 2ml

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon 2ml

1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg 1ml

1 cup Milk 250ml

1/3 cup Vanilla yogourt 75ml

1/4 cup Liquid honey 60ml

1/2 cup Butter (or hard margarine), softened 125ml

1/2 cup Granulated sugar 125ml

2 Large eggs



**You can buy gluten-free baking powder or you can make your own.

To make 1tbsp(15ml) gluten free baking powder, combine 2 tsp.(10ml) cream of tartar and 1 tsp. (5ml) baking soda. Use only the amount needed in the recipe. Store remaining amount in airtight container.


1.) Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in medium bowl. Set aside.

2.) Combine Milk, yogourt and honey in small bowl.

3.) Cream butter and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

4.) Add flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with milk mixture in 2 parts, stirring after each addition until just combined.

5.) Fill 12 greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in 375 F (190 C) oven for 18 - 20 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

6.) Let stand in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool. Makes 12 muffins.

 
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Firecracker Shrimp


Ingredients

1/3 cup Bee Maid Honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp cornstartch

2 tsp grated orange peel

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 tbsp vegetable oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cup snow peas, cut into 1 inch pieces

1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces

6 cups cooked white rice, optional


Instructions

In small bowl, whisk together Bee Maid Honey, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, orange peel, and red pepper flakes until thoroughly mixed and cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside. Heat oil in wok or large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Stir in garlic and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bell pepper and snow peas; stir-fry 1 minute until crisp-tender. Add shrimp and green onions; stir-fry until shrimp just turns pink, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved soy sauce mixture; cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over cooked rice, if desired.

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Enjoy:)

Recipe - Chicken mushroom casserole

Tonight we have to go to somebody's place for dinner & these nights typically mean heavy Indian food!!!!!

So I decided to make something light & yet filling for lunch.

One of my friends called me up in the morning telling me she had fresh mushrooms & offered to send them over.................since mushrooms go bad pretty fast I knew lunch had to have mushrooms somehow!!!
I decided on chicken & mushroom casserole.This is one of my tested & tried recipes which turn out really great.Here it is:)

Ingredients

1cup boiled & shredded chicken
200 gms mushrooms - chopped
2 onions-chopped
4tbsp dry bread crumbs

white sauce

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp plain flour
3 cubes(60 gms) cheese-grated
salt,pepper to taste
3 cups milk

How to cook

1.  Melt butter in a heavy bottomed pan.Add onions & cook till transparent.
2. Add mushrooms.Stir for 2 min.
3. Sprinkle flour.Stir continuously for a minute on low heat.Remove from fire.
4. Add the milk,stirring continuously.Return to fire& cook till it coats the back of a spoon.
5. Add salt & pepper to taste.
6. Add chicken & simmer for a minute.
7. Add grated cheese & remove from heat.
8. Transfer to a baking dish & sprinkle bread crumbs.
10. Bake for about 20-30 min in a hot oven till the dish gets brown.


I forgot to add bread crumbs as you can see the pic:)
But it turned out just as yummy:)

The chunks of mushroom & chicken are simply tempting.

Here is Sasha .................she went off to sleep still watching TV on the bean bag:)

Obviously she ate well;)

Tell me if you try this out

BON APPETIT

kitchen garden & Indian okra recipe

Hi all

Today is a better day,an encouraging comment from  a wise woman,a "fabulous" comment from Jamie of prudent baby & voila!!!!!!!!!!

I am in a better mood already:)

I am not going to write about bags or purses today.I am going to share my other passion with you all - My kitchen garden:)

One of the perks of being married to an Indian Army Officer is that I get to stay in huge houses with even bigger lawns & gardens!!!!!!!

My front lawn has a hammock under a HUUUUUUGE rubber tree & an assortment of seasonal flowers.What I am really proud of is my kitchen garden.
 I have been growing strawberry,capsicum,okra,carrot,spinach,coriander,raddish,tomato,onion,garlic,cucumber,bitter gourd,pumpkin,peas.....................& much more.

Currently I have okra in full swing.Have a look

I really love plucking fresh produce from my garden & then cooking it.Being home grown I know they are totally organic,& are not full of insecticides & pesticides , compromising the quality of food I am serving my family!!!!!!!

And believe me the taste is naturally much much better than veggies stored in the supermarket!!!!

I am going to share one of my favourite recipes of okra,we call it "Bhindi" in hindi.So here is how you can make traditional Indian stuffed bhindi.But before that please admire my bhindi's once more;)

STUFFED BHINDI

This is sufficient for 2-3 people

Ingredients

250 grams bhindi (fresh, medium)
1 tsp. Garlic(paste)
1 tsp. Coriander powder
1 tsp. Mustard Powder
1 tsp. Spice mix for Chaat
½ tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 pinch Asafoetida
½ tsp. Red Chili Powder
2 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
4 tbsps. Mustard Oil (mustard oil brings out the flavour of okra,any other oil will also do!)


Directions



1. Wash, wipe and remove the tops and tips of bhindi.
2. Use a knife to make vertical incisions to stuff masala. Keep aside.
3. Mix all dry masala, chaat masala(1/2 tsp) with little water and stuff into the bhindi with help of a small knife.
4. Pan fry bhindi until crisp in medium high heat; use oil liberally;)
5. Add remaining spice mix and continue frying for another minute.
6. Drain on kitchen paper to remove excess oil (if needed).
7. Decorate bhindi with raw onion rings and coriander leaves, sprinkle chaat masala in serving dish.

And you are done!!!!!! As simple as that.If you make it,please tell me how did you like it:)

I also have capsicum ,green chillies & tomatoes in their last cycle now.

See these gorgeous capsicums:)

There is a lovely Indian dish called "paneer shimla mirch" which uses capsicum alongwith cottage cheese to make a yummmmm dish,Maybe I will add the recipe in some other post:)

 

My tomatoes are almost finished now............when they were in their prime;).............tomatoes are seasonal as all other veggies,I was getting almost a kg of tomatoes daily!!!

Today I am going to make something combining all these lovely veggies from my garden:)

Am planning to plant new seeds today................will post that in another update about my Kitchen Garden:)