Buttermilk - Chaas

Buttermilk helps in digestion and is a very good beverage for the obese. Can be had as an appetiser or just to augment the liquid intake during summers. Goes very well with upma for breakfast. It also helps in detoxifying the body. Fill up bottles in your refrigerator by preparing butter milk in advance so that the use of aerated drinks is eliminated and buttermilk would give a soothing effect. A natural cool drink devoid of any chemicals is a real good option to beat the heat so get set go to prepare this real easy beverage.

INGREDIENTS-

Natural Curd – 2 cups
Chilled Water – 4 to 5 cups

Roasted Cumin Powder – ½ tspn + pinch for garnish

METHOD –

Mix Curd and cold water in a blender.

Add cumin powder and give it a whisk.

Serve in glasses.

Garnish with a sprinkle of cumin powder.

 

Note – I’ve not used salt here but if you so desire can always put salt to taste.

The Train Cake

It was my son's 5th birthday party and he wanted it to celebrate it at home. Firstly I was apprehensive then for the little one I thought I should invest all my imaginations and creativity to bake a cake. Several options were there like the character cakes, Alphabet or Number Shapes cakes. Or should I say a simple round, square or a rectangle cake. Finally a thought came to my mind to use my best imaginations and to make it look really beautiful and presentable I would make the cake in the shape of the train.
I baked 4 large choclate cakes in the shape of rectangle. One cake was made in the jelly bowl, one cake was made in the choclate tin - round shape.I did the icing then I fixed the round shape cake to the jelly shape cake and attached a piece of large cake to it. Used the other part as the base. Fixed it up tightly with the long size toothpicks so that the cake is fastened securely.

Decorated it with Oreo biscuits as wheels as pink icing filled in the nozzle. To show the steam I used white polo and for a colorful effect I used gems. As a glue I used choclate spread. This was the most difficult part then I used the rest of the cake pieces to make the train. I covered the entire cake with the icing and used different flavoured Oreo biscuits to make the wheels. Decorated the entire train with different coloured icing from the piping bag using different nozzles. Used the munchini to make a small boundary in one of the compartment and assembled the entire train on a piece of cardboard which was covered with the silver foil. Used dessicated coconut mixed with green color as grass , rectangle biscuits for the boundary and red heart shape lollipop as signal and used marzipan for the rest of the decorations. Would tell you how to do the icing in my next blog, until then bye hope you enjoyed reading it as I did writing it.

Sattu Ka Paratha

Sattu is Bihar's staple food. It is a high energy giving food. Sattu means roasted gram flour. Either black gram or bengal gram is baked/roasted and then ground to prepare Sattu Flour. Sattu is easily available in all stores. In summer Sattu is mixed a glass of water and people drink it to get the cooling effect. It is a cooling agent which gives respite from heat waves. Sattu is also used to make Litti . Today am writing about famous Sattu ka Paratha which is best had with Tamatar ka Chokha or pickle.


INGREDIENTS -


For the filling -

Sattu ka atta (Roasted Chana flour) - 1 cup
Onion - 1 Large chopped
Green Chillies - 3/4 chopped finely
Garlic - 4/5 flakes chopped finely
Ginger - 1 inch piece chopped finely
Coriander leaves - 2 tblspn chopped finely
Onion Seeds (Kalaunji) - 1 tspn
Carom Seeds (Ajwain) - 1 tspn
Salt - to taste
Fresh Lime Juice - 1 tspn
Pickle (Achaar Masala) - 1 tblspn
Water - as required


For the Covering/dough-

Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt - to taste
Carom Seeds (Ajwain) - 1/2 tspn
Roasted Flax Seeds (teesi) - 1/2 tspn
Onion Seeds (Kalonji) - 1/2 tspn
Coriander chopped - 1 tspn
Water - for kneading dough


METHOD-


For the filling -
In a bowl mix all the ingredients under filling and mix well. Add 3-4 tblspns water, to make it a wet filling. The water acts as a binding agent.


For the Dough -


Mix all the ingredients under the "dough" and prepare a dough. Rest it for 15-20 mins.


For the Paratha-

1. Take a little dough and using roller pin make a small chapati.
2. Prepare a small chapati of about 3 inch diameter.
3. Put 2 tblspns filling in it.
4. Close the chapati to form a small ball.
5. Using the rolling pin prepare a paratha.
6. Heat a non stick tawa/griddle
7. Place the paratha on the pan.
8. Turn sides when done.
9. Smear some ghee on both sides.
10. When brown specs appear means the paratha is done.
11. Cut in to quarter and serve hot with Tomato Chokha, ketchup, pickle or veggie of your choice.

Tricoloured Honeyed Veggies

Stir Fry is to prepare a dish in a jiffy which just needs a bit of saute and less oil and is full of vitamins as the cooking procedure is cut down which retains the essential nutrients. Stir Fry means to retain the texture i.e the crunchiness. The less you cook the veggies, the more nutrients you get from it. Here is a quick Stir Fry dish which has the power-packed Protein in the form of Cottage Cheese (Paneer), Carrot- A rich source of Beta-Carotene and Capsicum - A rich source of Vitamin 'A' Vitamin 'C' and Protein.

Ingredients -

Carrots - 2
Capsicum - 1 Large
Cottage Cheese - 200 gms

Marination -

Honey - 3tblspn
Tomato Ketchup- 2 tblspn
Chilly Sauce - 2 tblspn
Olive Oil - 2 tblspn
Oregano- 1/2 tsp
Chilly Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste

For Saute-

Olive oil - 1/2 tspn
Chopped Garlic - 1/2 tsp

Method -

1. Cut Roundels from the Carrots
2. Dice the Capsicum (Large sized)
3. Cube the Cottage Cheese
4. Mix everything given under the heading "marination"
5. Marinate the veggies and Cottage Cheese with the prepared mix.
6. Keep it aside for 30 mins.
7. Heat olive oil in a fry pan
8. Add Chopped Garlic, saute till browned
9. Add the veggies and Cottage Cheese with the marination.
10. Stir fry till well coated and veggies are slightly cooked.
11. Serve Hot.

Fish Patties

Fish is said to be in rich in Omega Fatty - 3 acids. It primarily contains 'good fat' and is a rich source of protein. Other sources of Omega Fatty - 3 acids mainly for vegetarians are the flaxseeds, flaxseed-oil, walnut.This recipe is basically for the kids and the weight watchers as the fish is steamed and then shallow-fried. 

An important thing to remember here is while the fish is being prepared there is a foul smell to avoid this one must apply loads of turmeric and some amount of salt an dkeep it aside for sometime say 20 minutes. Turmeric cuts the smell of the fish.

Here I've used Surmai (King Fish) fish fillets (boneless) for this recipe. The fish has been steamed with the whole spices so that the delicate flavours and aroma blend into the fish giving it a nice flavour. Delicately flavoured with pepper, I've used boiled mashed potato to help in binding. A very healthy and tasty dish for the kids as kids usually avoid spices. 

INGREDIENTS -

Fish Fillets - Surmai - 1

Boiled Potato -1 small

Whole Spices -

Cloves - 2/3

Bay Leaf - 1

Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Black Cardamom - 1

Green Pepper - 5/6

Garlic pods - 3/4

Seasoning-

Salt - to taste

Black Pepper Powder - as per taste

Turmeric powder - 2-3 spoons

Garnish -

Grated Carrot - 1 Large

Lettuce - 2-3 tender leaves

Oil - Vegetable Oil - as required.

METHOD -

• 
  
  Sprinkle turmeric and some salt on the fish fillet pieces and keep aside
• 
  
  Keep some water to boil in a pan.
• 
  
  In a silver foil put the fish pieces and put all the ingredients under whole spices.
• 
  
  Prepare a parcel and keep this on a colander.
• 
  
  Colander has to be kept on the boiling water pan
• 
  
  Cover the colander. (See picture)

• 
  
  Steam the fish for 10 minutes.
• 
  
  Open the parcel fish would look like this picture.

• 
  
  Mash the fish with the back of a fork.
• 
  
  Add to it boiled and mashed potato.
• 
  
  Mix well.
• 
  
  Sprinkle seasoning to taste.
• 
  
  Form patty shape and shallow fry on a non-stick pan.
• 
  
  Assemble on a serving dish.
• 
  
  Garnish as shown in the picture.
• 
  
  Serve Hot.

Strawberry Smoothie

The lip smacking fruit "Strawberry", is a red coloured fruit which has a bright appearance and looks really tempting. The goodness quotient of Strawberry is that it is packed with vitamins especially Vitamin 'C' and is a powerful antioxidant which reduces aging factors. The kids should get a daily dose of Vitamins and the strawberry can be of great help. Children get tempted to buy it but when actually served cannot have more than one or two as it tastes sour. Same was with my kids so I thought to present strawberries in a form which should be really presentable, eye catching and also very good to the taste-buds. So all Moms enjoy presenting this recipe to your kids and let me know your feedback.

Strawberry SmoothieStrawberries - 1 box,
Milkmaid - 1/2 tin
Readymade Edible Cream - 3 tspns

Method - Chop Strawberries, reserve a few for garnishing and make a puree of the rest in the food processor. Add milkmaid and cream to the puree.

Pour this in seperate glasses and decorate with a piece of shopped strawberr.

Chill in the refrigerator.

And serve.

Note :- The sweetness can be reduced by reducing the quantity of milkmaid.

If you require a thin consistency, add little cold milk to it.

Bihari Mutton Stew

A real hot and spicy dish, using whole spices, gives it a beautiful taste. A tremendous hit in Bihari homes as it's an easy preparation prepared with choicest fresh pieces of meat. Unlike the metros Bihari's purchase the meat fresh. The meat vendors open their shops in the morning and by mid-morning the whole meat is "Sold-out". Bihari's thus get to taste the fresh meat. Simply packed with flavours as the whole spices emit their aroma and flavours making the dish outstanding. It’s a great meat dish for the dinner or lunch time. Enjoyed well with chapati or rice. This recipe comes from my mother-in-law's collection and one would truly enjoy that authentic and it's traditional flavours.

INGREDIENTS -
Mutton (Goat Meat with bones ) - 350 GMS
Onions - 4 Medium - Sliced
Ginger - 1 inch stick - finely chopped
Garlic - 10-12 pods
Mustard Oil - 2-3 tblspn

(Whole Spices)

Black Cardamom - 2 
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
Green Cardamom - 4-5
Cloves - 3-4
Bay Leaf - 2
Black Pepper - 7-8
Nutmeg - grated - a pinch
Mace - 3-4 strands
Dried Red Chillies - 2 whole (broken into 2)

(Dry Spices)

Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 tblspn
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tspn
Coriander Powder - 1 1/2 tspn

Salt - to taste
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tspn
Fresh Coriander - 1 tblspn

Method- 
Heat Oil in a Pan/wok to smoking point.
Add Bay Leaf and all the whole spices
When it emits the aroma add onion.
Sauté till the onion turns pink.
Add Garlic and Ginger. Mix well.
Add to it the meat and sauté till you see brown specs on the meat.
Good time to add salt and turmeric.
Mix well.
Add all the dried spice powders.
Mix well. Add 1 cup water and mix well again
Transfer in to a prestige cooker.
After 4-5 whistles open the lid of the pressure cooker.
Sauté well again at this point.
Add a little water for thinning the gravy.
Cook on low flame for 20-25 mins.
Transfer in to a serving dish (after the pressure drops).
Sprinkle a pinch of garam masala powder and fresh coriander
Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Bihari Mutter Kachori with Bihari Aloo Sabji

Winter is settling in and in this weather one would love to have hot Bihari Mutter Kachori's with Bihari Aloo ki Sabji. Traditionally there is no filling in Bihari Kachori's but I've slightly modernised it by using a pea-filling. Home made is hygienic and one would definitely enjoy cooking it as it does not take much time to prepare this. So without wasting time let me come to the recipe-

INGREDIENTS FOR MUTTER KACHORI

Fresh Green Peas - 300 gms

Ginger - 1 inch grated

Green Chillies - 1 chopped

Roasted crushed cumin (Bhuna Kuta Jeera) - 1/4th tspn

Asafetida (Hing Powder)- 1/4 tspn

Roasted crushed Fennel Seeds (saunf)- 1/4 tspn

cooking oil - 1/2 tspn

chopped coriander - 1 tblspn

salt - to taste

Refined Flour (Maida) - 1 cup

salt - to taste

Hot  Ghee (Moyan) - 2-3 tblspn

Carom Seeds(Ajwain) - a small pinch

Nigella Seeds(Mangrella/Kalonji) - a small pinch

Luke Warm Water - for kneading

Oil - for deep frying - as required

METHOD-

In a flat plate mix refined flour, salt, ghee, carom seeds and Nigella seeds..

Knead a hard dough.

Cover and keep it aside for 20 minutes.

For the filling -

Heat the oil.

Add raw peas. Sprinkle salt.

Saute till oil is well coated on the peas and peas turn slightly soft.

Crush the peas.

Add salt, roasted crushed cumin, fennel seeds and asafetida 

Add grated ginger and chopped chillies, coriander leaves.

Mix well.

Making of Bihari Mutter Kachori-

Take a small ball from the dough.

Flatten it and place 1 tblspn filling.

Close/Seal and prepare a kachori slightly thick. (As shown in the pic)

Deep Fry in hot oil.

Drain in an absorbent paper.

Ingredients for Aloo Sabji

Boiled Potatoes - 4-5 small

Tomatoes -2 medium

Ghee/oil - 1  1/2 tspn

Asafetida (Hing Powder) - 1 tspn

Panchforan - 1 tspn

Bay Leaf - 1

Roasted Cumin powder - 1 tspn

Roasted Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tspn

Garam Masala powder - 1/4 tspn

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tspn

Red Chilly Powder - 1 1/2 tspn

Amchur Powder (Dry Mango Powder) - 1 tspn

Salt - to taste

Chopped Coriander - 1/2 cup

METHOD -

Peel Potatoes and crush it with your hand. do not cut.

Cut tomatoes unevenly into 5-6 pieces.

In a vessel boil 1 1/2 cups of water with the tomatoes till done.

Keep it aside.

In a kadhai (Flat Bottomed Pan) heat oil or ghee.

Add bayleaf.

Add to it panchforan. Let it crackle.

Add asafetida. Mix don't let it burn.

Add potatoes. Mix well to coat the potatoes well with hing and panchforan.

Add all the dried masalas one by one.

First add coriander powder followed by turmeric powder.

Then add red chilly powder, cumin powder and salt.

Mix well. Add tomatoes with the left over water in which the tomatoes were boiled.

Add chopped coriander.

Now add 1/2 cup water and let it boil well for 7-8 minutes on very low flame.

Sprinkle dry mango powder and garam masala powder.

Mix well. Now crush a few potatoes in the vessel itself so as to form a thick gravy.

Use the back side of the kalchul to crush the potatoes.

Serve hot in eco friendly dishes with kachori.

Note - Paanch foran - is a mixture of equal quantities of fennel seeds(Saunf), onion seeds (Kalonji),  fenugreek seeds (methi dana), carom seeds (ajwain), yellow mustard (peeli sarso).