Tangdi Kebab !!

INGREDIENTS:
Chicken drumsticks-4
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
2 Green chillies chopped
1/2 cup skimmed milk yogurt
1 tbsp Gram flour
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt to taste

METHOD:
Clean and trim excess fat and skin form the drumsticks.Pat them dry with a towel.Make 3-4 long deep incisions and apply lemon juice.
Hang skimmed milk yogurt for 15 minutes in a cloth to to drain off excess water.
Roast gram flour in a non stick pan on low heat,stirring continuously.Allow it to cool.
Mix the roasted gram flour,hung yogurt,ginger garlic paste,turmeric powder,garam masala powder,red chilli powder,chopped green chillies and salt.
Marinate chicken drumsticks in the above mixture.Refrigerate for two hours.

Skewer marinated chicken drumsticks and roast in a moderately hot charcoal fired tandoor.
OR
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200 degree Celsius for 20 minutes or till completely done.
Turn the drumsticks a couple of times to ensure even cooking and colour.

Serve hot sprinkled with Chaat masala and lemon wedges.

Everybody's favourite-Black forest cake !!!

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Ingredients
For the Cake:
1 cup flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup powdered sugar
4 eggs
3 tbsp milk
4 tbsp rum OR sugar syrup

For the Icing:
1 cup fresh cream
6 tbsp powdered sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup grated chocolate

METHOD :
Preheat the oven for some minutes.
Sieve the flour with the cocoa powder and baking powder to avoid lumps.
Separate the egg whites and the yolk.
Beat the egg whites,adding the sugar slowly till it becomes stiff.
Beat the yolks slightly and add to the egg white mixture.Beat again for 1 minute.
Fold in the sieved flour and the milk.Mix well.
Grease a tin with some butter(1 tsp) and dust it with flour.
Pour in the cake mixture and bake in the oven at 200 degree celcius for 30 minutes.
Insert a knife in the cake.If it comes out clean,the cake is done.

Cool the cake.Cut it into two halves horizontally.
Soak the two halves with the rum/sugar syrup.
To whip the cream-Put the cream into a light bottomed vessel.Place this vessel in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes.Beat the cream till it thickens.Do not overbeat it,as the cream can turn into butter.
Beat the egg whites,adding the sugar gradually.Beat till fluffy.
Add the beaten egg whites to the cream.
Spread out the cream on the bottom half of the cake.Press the other half over it.
Cover the top and the sides with the rest of the cream.
Decorate with grated chocolate.
Refrigerate the cake.Cut into pieces and serve.

Paneer Tikka !!

WHAT YOU NEED :
100gms paneer-cut into 1 inch squared pieces
1 large green capsicum
2 medium sized white onions
2 medium sized tomatoes
2 tsp curry powder/garam masala
1 tsp crushed peppercorns
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste
oil to brush(preferably olive oil)
some toothpicks

HOW TO DO IT :
Cut the capsicum into halves,deseed and cut into one inch squared pieces.Cut onions into quarters and separate the onion segments.Cut the tomatoes in quarters,deseed and cut each quarter into two.
Put the cut paneer,capsicum,onion and tomato in a bowl.Marinate them with curry powder/garam masala,crushed peppercorns,lemon juice and salt and refrigerate for half an hour.
Skewer the marinated paneer and vegetables on the toothpicks.
Heat a non stick pan,brush with little oil and place the paneer tikkas.Cook them on medium heat,turning occasionally for 5-6 minutes or till they are done.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.
I used green apple curry sauce.(Ask me if you want the recipe)

Easy and Quick Chocolate Mousse !

INGREDIENTS :
150 gms chocolate chopped ( preferably plain cadbury's )
1-1/2 cups cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
a pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS :
In a small pan,over high heat, heat 1/2 cup of cream till small bubbles start appearing at the edges. Do not bring it to boil.
Add this cream to the chopped chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate is completely melted.Allow it to cool.Then add the vanilla essence and salt.
In another bowl,take the rest of the cream(1 cup) and beat it to make it stiff. Add the chocolate mixture to the whipped cream and beat again on medium speed until the mixture becomes soft.Pour into serving bowls/glasses and refrigerate for some time.Serve chilled,garnished with mint leaves.

Garlic Prawns in Creamy Sauce

An easy side dish which will be ready in 15 minutes(i.e,if the prawns is already cleaned)

Ingredients:
30 medium sized prawns(deshelled and deveined)-pat them dry with a towel
3 tbsp butter
10 garlic cloves chopped
2 stems of spring onions chopped
4 tbsp cream
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp pepper powder
salt to taste




Method:
Heat the butter in a pan.Add the chopped garlic and spring onions and saute for 3-4 minutes.Add the prawns and cream.Cook till the prawns curl.Add tomato ketchup,pepper powder and salt.Mix well.Cook till done.Do not overcook the prawns.
You can have this with rice or garlic bread.

Fried Fish Masala Rice

Tastes almost like fish biryani with a little variation in the ingredients.You can try the same recipe with chicken instead of fish !!

Ingredients :
2 cups Basmati Rice-soaked for twenty minutes
1 tbsp ghee
4 cups boiling water
1 tsp salt

1/2 kg sear fish(cut into pieces )
1 tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil
1/2 tsp ginger chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped
2 onions sliced thin
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 cup coriander leaves chopped
1/4 cup mint leaves chopped


Method :
Heat ghee in a pan.Add the rice and stir for 2-3 mins.Add the boiling water along with the salt. Cook till the rice is tender but still holds the shape.
Marinate the fish pieces with chilli powder,turmeric powder and salt.Keep aside for one hour.Heat oil in a pan.Shallow fry the fish turning the sides.When it is done,remove the fish pieces and keep aside.In the same oil(which will have the remains of the marinade),add the ginger and garlic.After one minute, add the onion and cook till brown.Add garam masala,coriander powder and pepper powder(Add chilli powder and salt if required).Mix it properly.Add the mint and coriander leaves now.Cook for one min.Debone the fried fish and slice it into small pieces.Add these fish pieces to the masala and cook for another two minutes.Add the fish masala to the cooked rice. Serve with salad.

Crunchy chicken !!

Now you can make KFC chicken on your own. And it takes less than a hour for preparation.

INGREDIENTS :
4 skinless chicken legs ( You can even use chicken breasts )
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp chilly powder
salt to taste
1-2 cups water

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornflour
1 egg
Cornflakes ( preferably Kelloggs )
Oil to shallow fry

INSTRUCTIONS :
Marinate the chicken with the ginger-garlic paste,chilly powder and salt for half-an-hour.Heat some water in a vessel.Add the chicken along with the marinade and boil until soft.Remove the chicken pieces from the water.
Make a mixture of egg,cornflour,flour and salt.Dip the chicken pieces in this batter. Coat them with slightly crushed cornflakes.Heat oil in a saucepan.Place the chicken pieces and cook them for 5 minutes turning the sides.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Pineapple-Mint Sorbet Recipe !

This is an easy to make frozen desert and an excellent cooler during summers. The word sorbet is french and the 't' is silent in the pronunciation. The best thing about this dessert is that it is non-fat as compared to ice creams or frozen yogurt.

INGREDIENTS :
I cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice(use tang if fresh juice is unavailable )
1 tbsp lime juice
1 ripe pineapple peeled(Alternatively, you can use canned pineapple without the syrup )
2 tsp fresh mint leaves

HOW TO MAKE IT :
Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat and allow it to cool. Puree the pineapple along with the mint leaves in a blender. Combine this puree with the sugar syrup,orange juice and lime juice in a bowl. Keep it in the freezer for 2 hours or until it is slightly frozen. Take it out and use a beater to remove the ice crystals and to get a smoother texture. Pour the mixture into serving bowls and freeze it for another two hours. Once you get the required texture,transfer it to the refrigerator.Place it in the refrigerator until ready to be served. Serve, topped with fresh mint leaves !!

Fondue !

Food has always been a topic I have been interested in.And I can proudly quote that I do live to eat and not eat to live. I merely do not want to eat anything and everything but have a taste of all the cuisines in the world. Food does have an important effect on the body and mind.Good food makes you happy.

When I walk by the roads in kerala and get the smell of fresh omlette being cooked in the 'Thattukadas',I cannot control my urge to have it.But my parents being 'health conscious' have always stopped me from having it.But,I have quite a few times sneaked out to have it.And,I feel the food cooked there is a lot more times hygenic than the food cooked in multi-starred restaurants.

I say food and in my mind I can see pictures of Mashed potato loaded with cheese,of grilled sea-food,of spaghetti bolognaise,of blueberry cheese cake,of tiramisu etc etc...Slurp ! Every mood has a particular kind of food.When I am sad,I did prefer to have sizzlers to burn away my sadness.When I am happy,I would have something made from cheese.When I am romantic,I would be having ice creams topped with chocolate sauce(which is very rare and unlikely me ).When I want to celebrate,I would have a meal including only desserts-Cheese cake,Sizzling brownie,Tiramisu,Chocolate mousse,Baked alaska being some of the options.

I can go on and on about food.This,being my first blog-I want it to be a short and sweet one.So I am ending it here.One thing to say-If you are feeling low,Food is the best remedy.Trust me !