Night Sky Cookies!

Ingredients:
125gm /4 oz butter softened
3/4 cup /170g /5 1/2 oz caster sugar
1/2 tsp
1 egg, light beaten
2 cups/ 250 g / 8 oz flour1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup / 60 ml/2 fl oz milk
90gm /3 oz white chocolate, melted
125gm / 4 oz dark chocolate, melted

Method:

• Place butter, sugar and almond essence in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in egg.
• Sift together flour and baking powder. Fold flour mixture and milk, alternately, into butter mixture and mix to form a soft dough.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 5mm/1/4 in thick. Using a star and a moon-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies.
• Place cookies on lightly greased baking trays and bake at 190C / 375F for 10 minutes or until cookies are golden and cooked. Transfer to wire racks to cool.
• Dip tops of moon-shaped cookies in white chocolate {I skipped this as I didn't have white chocolate with me :)} and tips of star-shaped cookies in dark chocolate. Place on wire racks to set.

Tip:

• As an alternative, brush the cookies with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugare before baking.
  

Recipe adapted from craving cookies recipe book.

This goes to Kids Delight event by Srivalli and to CFK - Chocolates guest hosted by Hema, mastermind of Sharmi

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One-Bowl Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

Prep: 10mints Bake: 35 to 40 mints Serves:12

Here's a cake that's made for a party. Kids will love the chocolate chip icing, but this cake is also delicious served plain.......

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) butter,cut up and softened
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Fluffy Chip Frosting (Recipe follows)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Beat in butter with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Increase speed to medium and beat until completely smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn into a well greased 13 x 9-inch pan.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack. Frost top with Fluffy Chip Frosting

FLUFFY CHIP FROSTING

Prep: 5 mints, Cook: 3 to 4 mints Makes: 1 Cup

Ingredients:

1 Large egg white
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/8 tsp cream of tarter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Method:
In top of a large double boiler over simmering water, combine egg white, sugar, 2 table spoons water, corn syrup, and cream of tarter. Beat with a hand-held electric mixer on high speed 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft but firm peaks form when beaters are lifted.
Remove from heat and beat in vanilla. Continue to beat until icing is very stiff, about 3 minutes longer. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips.

Let me take this opportunity to wish my dear brother on his birthday......

Your birthday brings to mind
all the reasons for which
I am proud to call you
my brother and how much
I love you for that.
It also brings to mind loving wishes,
for the best in life for you.
Happy Birthday !!

I am sending all these Cakes and Cookies to Ria's event!

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Paningil (Meen Mutta) Varuthathu / Deep Fried Fish Roe (Eggs)

A very tasty cocktail snack!

Ingredients:
Fish Egg -250gms
Shallots- 10nos, chopped fine / 1 medium Onion
Ginger-1" piece chopped
Greenchilly-2, chopped fine
Egg-1
All purpose flour/ Maida- 4-6 tbsp
Salt to taste


Method:

• Wash fish eggs and tear the membrane or sack and scoop out eggs from it.
• Add chopped shallots, green chilies, ginger, beaten egg, flour and salt to taste.
• Mix well and drop a tea spoon of mix to medium hot oil and deep fry till golden brown.
• Serve hot with sauce

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Purple Cabbage Salad Recipe

I tried this wonderful salad from Elanas Pantry . You can see the original recipe here with the stunning photo...Thank you Elana for this really tasty and colourful salad recipe....

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Naaranga Achaar / Lime Pickle

Ingredients:

Lime / Naaranga-12nos
Gingelly Oil / Sesame Oil / Nallenna-1 cup
Mustard seeds-3/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder/Kayapodi - 2 tsp
Fenugreek powder / Ulluva podi -1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder- 1 tbsp
Kashmeri Red chilly powder/ Piriyan mulagu podi-1 cup
Ginger, chopped-150gm
Garlic, chopped-150gm
Green chillies, slit-100gm-150 gm
Vinegar- 250 ml - 350ml (adjust according to taste and thickness of the pickle)
Salt to taste

Method:

• Sauté the limes till soft in 2tbsp of oil. Wipe the outside with a piece of cloth or kitchen tissue and cut each lime into 4 pieces and keep aside.
• Heat oil in another thick bottom pan, fry mustard, then add ginger, garlic and green chillies and sauté till golden brown.
• Reduce heat and add all the powders one by one and sauté. Then add lime and stir well.
• Add vinegar and salt to taste and simmer in low heat till thick.
• Bottle when cold.
• Keeps for a long time.
  

Note:
All the utensils & bottle should be clean & dry. Never add water to pickle while making. Always use clean and dry spoon to take pickle from bottle.

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Mango Yogurt Panna Cotta

I made this dish in full compliance with Deeba's directions......Here is original. The pictures & recipes posted by her are truly stunning! Thanks Deeba for this lovely dessert!

Ingredients:
Thick Yogurt - 2 cups

Low fat cream - 1 cup

Gelatin - 3 tsp

Mango pulp - of 2 mangoes

Castor sugar if required

Fruit slivers, pistachio nuts, mint leaves, chocolate curls etc to garnish

Method:

• Sprinkle the gelatin over the cup of cream & allow to stand for 10-15 minutes or till it softens. Whisk well & strain into a big bowl.
• Add the thick yogurt and mango puree to the bowl & whisk well. Adjust for sugar. Add some castor sugar if required.
• Divide into 6-8 very lightly greased ramekins and refrigerate until firm, at least 3-4 hours.
• Serve with a drizzle of light cream, sliced fruit & pistachio nuts...or in bowls topped with chocolate curls, mango slivers, mint leaves, pistachio nuts etc.
  

My 4 1/2 year old son's finger print card on Mothers day!!!

Thank you Madhu for sharing this award with me :) :)

I am passing this award to Happy Cook, Bharathy, Purnima, JZ, Varsha, Soma, Deeba, Nags, Lena, V JR & Pearlin. Please accept this award dear friends...:)

Now for the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs (Only if you like).

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

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Crusty Chicken Goulash

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large onions chopped
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp seasoned flour
500gm/1 lb boneless chicken breast fillets, cut into strips
1 tbsp tomato paste (puree)
1/2 cup/125ml/4 fl oz red wine
1/2 cup/125ml/4 fl oz chicken stock
3 tbsp natural yogurt

For Sour Cream Crust:
125gm/ 4 ox butter, softened
300gm/ 9 1/2 oz sour cream
1 egg
1 cup/125gm/4 oz self-raising flour, sifted
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley



Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and cook onions, stirring, over a medium heat for 5-6 mints or until golden. Remove onions from pans and set aside. Combine paprika and flour in a plastic bag, add chicken, shake to coat with flour mixture, then shake off excess flour mixture.
• Heat remaining oil in frying pan and cook chicken, stirring, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Return onions to pan, stir in tomato paste (puree), wine and stock. Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6-7 minutes, remove pan from heat, stir in yogurt and set aside to cool.
• To make crust, place butter, sour cream and egg in a bowl. Stir in flour and parsley and mix well to combine.
• To assemble place crust mixture in an 8 cup/2 litre/ 3 1/2 pt lightly greased casserole dish and work mixture to cover sides and base of dish.
• Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F. Spoon filling into crust, cover with lid of dish or aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove lid and bake for 10 minutes longer.
• Serve this delicious chicken with a tossed green salad or a boiled, steamed or microwaved green vegetables such as green beans, zucchini, snow peas or asparagus.
• Serves 4.

Tip:

I halved the recipe and I got one full dish like in the picture and it was enough for 2 adults.

Recipe adapted from "Quick and Easy Chicken Dishes" cook book.

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Rising Phulka

After I saw this at Kamala's I got tempted and thought of making it and it was a super hit in my family. I got the perfect soft Phulkas ever since!!! Thank you Kamala for posting this.

Ingredients
Wheat flour - 2cups
Salt - 1tsp
Warm water - 1 cup

Method:

• Take wheat flour and mix salt to this.
• Now slowly add warm water to this and knead
  well to get a soft dough.
• Keep it aside for 30 min.
• Make medium sized balls and roll out to a uniform,
  thin rounds.
• Keep the rolled out phulkas on a hot tawa.
• Flip it to another side when you see the white spots.Cook this side well.
• Now take it out from tawa and put the half cooked side directly on high flame.
• And there you get the perfect rising phulkas.
  

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Doughnuts

Ingredients:

Sugar-1 tsp
Yeast-1 tsp
Warm Milk- 1/2 cup
Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm milk and leave to rise.

Maida- 2cups
Butter 1 tbsp
Sugar- 3 tsp
Egg yolk-2 nos

Method:

• Make a dough of all these items together with the yeast mixture and leave on a greased tray for 1 hour, allowing it to rise to double it's size.
• Knead once again and roll out and cut into doughnuts. Keep aside on a greased tray for 1 hour. Deep fry in hot oil and dust with icing sugar or dip them into chocolate sauce (recipe follows) while warm. My little one liked these doughnuts dipped in chocolate sauce and then in sprinkles :)). Makes about 30 doughnuts!

Chocolate Sauce:
Ingredients:
Cocoa-3tbsp
Water-1/4 cup
Sugar-1/4 cup

Method:
Put cocoa, water and sugar in a small container and mix it without forming lumps. Keep it on a slow flame until it becomes thick.

Enjoy!!!!

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Badaami Tangri

Ingredients:
8 drumsticks (chicken legs) / 3 breasts of chicken cut into 2" pieces

1ST MARINADE
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2ND MARINADE
3/4 cup thick curd- hand for 15 minutes
1/2 thick cream
2 tbsp almonds- blanched (soaked in hot water and peeled) and ground to a paste
2 tsp kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1 tbsp corn flour
2 tbsps ginger-garlic paste
3/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped coriander

BASTING ( POURING ON THE TANGRI)
3 tbsp melted butter mixed with 1 tsp white pepper and 2 tsp kasoori methi

Method:

• Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Make 2 incisions (not too deep cuts) on each drumstick.
• Marinate the pieces with the first marinade- salt, red chilli and lemon juice for 1/2 hour.
  Mix curd, cream, almond paste, kasoori methi, corn flour, ginger- garlic paste, salt and coriander in a bowl.
• Pickup the chicken pieces discarding the lemon juice. Marinate the chicken pieces in the curd mixture for 2-3 hours or even more, but refrigerate while being marinated. You may marinate the chicken overnight too.
• Heat an electric oven at 180C or a gas tandoor on gas at moderate flame for 10 minutes. Grill the marinated chicken pieces on a greased wire grill.
• Melt some butter and mix some white pepper and kasoori methi in it. Turn the chicken once in between and baste (pour) with this melted butter to flavour the chicken. Grill till tender for about 15-20 minutes.
• Serve hot sprinkled with some chaat masala and lemon juice.
• Serve with Poodina chutney.

This Recipe is taken from Nitha Mehta's Tandoori Cooking in the Oven

I am sending this Badaami Tangri to Lets go nuts-Almonds event hosted by JZ of Tasty Treats.

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