Watermelon Granita

Ingredients:

1 cup watermelon cubes

2 tsp strawberry crush

2 drops of ginger juice

1/2 tsp lemon juice

sugar(optional)

salt(optional)

Method:

• Make cubes of watermelon and discard the seeds. Place the cubes in airtight box and freeze it.
• In a blender add the watermelon cubes, strawberry crush, lemon juice, ginger juice, salt and sugar(optional).
• give a quick churn and serve.

Tips:

• Watermelon cubes should be granular hence do not blend the watermelon cubes too much.
• You can add fresh strawberry instead of strawberry crush.
• To make the ginger juice, grate the ginger and squeeze the juice.
• You can add black salt instead of normal salt.
• You can also add chaat masala.
• You can avoid the lemon juice.
• Sugar should be added depending on the required sweetness.

Methi Matar Malai

Ingredients:

1 cup methi leaves, chopped

1 "ginger, crushed to paste

4 cloves of garlic, crushed to paste

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup green peas

1 /2 tsp shahi jeera

1 tsp fresh cream

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp white pepper powder

1/2 tsp kasoori methi

1 1/2 tsp oil

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1/2 tsp amchoor powder

pinch of cardamom

salt to taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadai on a medium high flame, add the shahi jeera, when it crackles add onion, cook till the onion turns translucent. Add the ginger and garlic and stir well.
• Add the methi leaves, green chilli and matar. Stir fry till the methi leaves and the green peas are cooked.
• Add the amchoor powder, white pepper powder and salt, mix well.
• Add fresh cream, milk and water and let the liquid reduce.
• Once the cream and milk reduces switch off the gas and sprinkle cardamom powder and kasoori methi.
• serve hot!

Tips:

• To give a rich texture increase the amount of oil and the cream. Add atleast 1 cup of cream and skip the milk however if the mixture is too thick add water.
• You can add sweet corn, baby corn instead of green peas.
• Methi should be cooked uncovered, it would normally take around 10-12 mins to cook.
• You can add a pinch of sugar to balance the flavours.
• Serve methi matar malai hot with roti or paratha!!

Mutton Curry With Fried Onion Paste

Ingredients:

1/2 kg mutton

2 tbsp coriander powder

1 tbsp jeera powder

2 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

3 tbsp ginger garlic paste

2 medium sized onion sliced

1/4 cup curd

2 tbsp meat masala

2 tsp garam masala

1 bay leaf

2 black cardamom

1 cup water

4 tbsp oil

salt to taste

to garnish

coriander leaves

Method:

• Wash the mutton and pat dry. Marinate the mutton with ginger garlic paste and keep aside.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil and fry the onions till golden brown. Grind it to a paste.
• Mix fried onion paste and curd together.
• Heat a pressure cooker. Add 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is heated add the bay leaf and black cardamom. Once it releases its flavour add the marinated mutton and stir fry on high heat. Stir well.
• Add the dry masalas- coriender powder, jeera powder, red chilli powder, kashmiri red chilli powder, meat masala, garam masala and stir well on medium high heat. Let the masala cook for 5 mins on sim. Add salt and mix well.
• Add the curd and the onion mixture and stir well. Let the liquid dry up.
• Once the liquid dries up, mix well and add 1 cup of water, mix well.
• Cover the cooker with the lid and cook till one whistle on high and then cook on sim for 8 minutes.
• Let the pressure drop by itself, garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Tips:

• Do not add salt unless the mutton has been cook well with the masala.
• After the onion has been ground to paste its very important to mix the paste with dahi, it helps stop further cooking of the onion.
• If after the pressure has dropped the mutton is not tender, cook the mutton without the lid for some more time.
• Since this preparation has brown onion paste it cannot be stored for too many days as it will spoil the taste of the mutton.
• You can use meat masala of any brand.

Chikoo Shake

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

ice cubes

2 medium sized chikoo

pinch of drinking chocolate/coffee

sugar as per taste

Method:

• Peel the chikoo, deseed and chop it
• In a blender add chopped chikoo and blend till the chikoo is pureed. Add milk, ice cubes, sugar and a pinch of drinking chocolate/coffee and blend it for a minute.
• Transfer in a serving glass and serve chilled!!

Tips:

• I feel a dash of drinking chocolate /coffee gives the chickoo shake a fantastic taste, however you can avoid it.
• If you want to give an Indian taste you can add cardamom powder.
• Sugar would be as per the sweetness of the chikoo. Castor sugar/ powdered sugar is best as it dissolves faster.
• You can retain the peel of the chikoo.
• You can top the chikoo shake with whipped cream or ice-cream. Chocolate flavoured ice-cream really taste well with chickoo shake.

Chicken Cafreal

Ingredients:

1/2 kg chicken

To be ground into a paste

15 cloves of garlic

2" ginger

3/4 cup coriander leaves

8 pepercorns

1" cinnamon

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp tamarind pulp

1 lemon(juice)

5 green chillies

5 cloves

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp khus khus

1/2 tsp jeera

1/4 tsp haldi

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

Method:

• Wash the chicken and pat dry.
• Make incisions on the chicken.
• Add all the ingredients of the ground masala in a mixie and grind to a fine paste.
• Apply the ground masala along with salt to the chicken and marinate for atleast 4-5 hours.
• Heat a pan on medium flame. Add the oil and butter, once its heated add the marinated chicken along with the marination.
• Fry the chicken on a high flame for 2-3 mins. Then turn the flame to sim and cover the pan. Let the chicken cook on a low flame.
• Once the chicken is cooked, turn the flame to high and dry the entire marination. Once the marination has dried, fry all the chicken pieces on a high flame for 2-3 mins.
• serve with french fries and goan ooney !!!

Tips:

• You can marinate the chicken overnight. The more time it marinates the better will be the taste.
• You can also add vinegar esp. the goan vinegar, that will give an authentic taste, however if you do not have it you can skip..like i mostly do.
• This is a dry preparation.
• You can preserve some of the marinate and once the chicken is cooked, take another pan add a bit of butter and oil and on a high flame add the remaining marinate also add sugar and salt and little bit of garam masala and add the chicken and see that all the masala coats the chicken. This way it really taste good.
• The amount of green chillies can be varied according to your taste.
• Squeeze lemon before serving it balances all the flavours.
• To make the tamarind pulp soak tamarind in hot water for sometime, squeeze well and sieve. Alternatively, add water to the tamarind and microwave covered for 1 minute. Keep aside for 2 mins, squeeze well and sieve.
• This prepartaion can be served as a starter.
• The garam masala powder can be avoided.

Sarson Paneer (Paneer in Mustard)

Ingredients:

100 gms Paneer, diced into 1" cube

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 green chilli

1/4 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)

1" ginger

1/4 tsp haldi

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp jeera powder(cumin powder)

1 1/2 tsp dahi

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

to garnish

pinch of cinnamon powder

pinch of cardamom powder

Method:

• Soak mustard seeds and green chilli in 2 tsp of water. Drain and grind it into a fine paste. Keep it aside.
• In a bowl add 1 tsp of water to dahi and whisk, keep it aside.
• In a bowl add the ginger paste, jeera powder, haldi powder and sugar. Mix well adding 1 tsp of water and keep aside.
• Heat a kadai on a medium low flame and add 2 tsp of oil, add the paneer pieces and shallow fry it till light golden brown.
• In the same kadai, add 1/2 tsp of oil, heat it on medium low flame. Add kalonji and let it crackle.
• After the kalonji crackles, add the ginger mixture and stir well. Add 1 tsp of water and cook till the ginger is cooked.
• Add the dahi and cook on a low heat for a minute. Add the mustard paste and let the mixture cook well for another minute.
• Add 3/4 cup of water and bring it to boil on a high flame, add the paneer pieces and salt and bring it to boil on a low flame.
• Switch off the gas after one boil. Garnish with cardamom powder and cinnamon powder and serve!

Tips:

• This is a Bengali preparation. You could add radhuni in this preparation.
• You can also use mustard oil, I have however, used refined oil.
• Paneer can also e deep fried.
• Increase the amount of green chilli if you need more spice.
• The consistency of this gravy is extremely thin, almost watery.
• This gravy tastes good with plain rice.

Anda Paratha (Egg Paratha)

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli finely chopped

1/4 tsp haldi

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

pinch of jeera powder

pinch of coriander powder

1 tsp coriander leaves, finely chopped(optional)

salt to taste

1 tsp oil

for the dough

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

salt (optional)

water as required

Method:

• Knead the dough to a very smooth and soft texture. Use water as required.
• Beat the egg and add salt, red chilli powder, onion, green chilli, coriander powder, jeera powder and coriander leaves(optional) and whisk well.
• Place a tawa on the flame and heat it on a low flame.
• Make two balls of the dough to make two parathas.
• With the help of a rolling pin, roll one ball to make a big roti. Apply oil and little dry flour and fold the sides to make a square. Now, roll the square to get a bigger square.
• Put it on the tawa on low flame.
• Once the bubbles appear turn the paratha.
• Once the paratha has been slightly cooked on both the sides, open one of the folded side with the help of a fork and knife and add the whisked egg inside the paratha and gently evenly spread the egg inside the paratha. Let the paratha cook on low flame so that the heat is enough to cook the egg inside the paratha.
• Once the egg is almost solid turn the paratha, apply oil on all the side and cook the paratha and the egg. Press from above to ensure that the egg is perfectly cooked.
• Repeat the process for second paratha.

Tips:

• You can also make a round paratha (chappati as referred in Maharashtra, Goa) or a triangular paratha.
• You can add chat masala once the paratha is done.
• You can add ghee on the paratha, but since this paratha is anyway heavy I try to avoid it.
• When you are rolling the paratha use dry flour to make rolling easy.
• You can add salt to the dough.
• The paratha should only be cooked to the minimum when before the egg is added as the paratha would be on the flame till the egg is done hence if you cook the paratha before adding the egg then the paratha has to be kept on the flame till the egg is cooked and you will end up burning the paratha.
• However, if you like a slightly half fried egg, you can semi cook the egg inside the paratha.
• For other tips on paratha making please refer to the recipe of Matar Paratha.