My First Guest Post @Daily Swad Sugandh : Sabudana Wada with Twisted Chutney Recipe

Hello Friends, 

This is my first ever guest post published on any blog, and I am so glad Pooja Agrawal gave me an opportunity to do so.Her page Daily Swad Sugandh on facebook has more than  5000 likes, and her very own blog Vegetarian Indian Recipes is doing a fabulous job.
An inspiration who became a friend,this is the story of we two bloggers,This is what Pooja has to say about me and my blog.

 

"Blogging unites the people around the world. In my two and half months of blogging, I came to know so many bloggers who are extremely talented cooks. 

 

Allow me to introduce a good friend of mine, Tazeen, whom I've never met personally, but known through the blog world. I met her through her page, Simply Life which has mouthwatering recipes, restaurant reviews, beauty tips etc. I'm thankful to her who gave me the opportunity to start the first guest post on my little space today. 

 

Thank you dear Tazeen for such a lovely guest post and sharing a recipe of delicious snack. My pleasure to have you as a guest and friend.. :)"

 

To read further and check out my recipe, please click on the link below:

http://www.dailyswadsugandh.com/2013/07/delicious-snack-by-tazeen-abaji-my-1st.html

Creamy Coffee Dessert: Recipe

I have been really busy with Ramadan that's why the posts are so late.

So yes today is a completely new recipe which most of you wouldn't have ever had!!
Yes, You heard me right, !!!

One of my Bhabi(sister in law), visited my place once, and got a yummy dessert for all of us that she had cooked herself, while inquiring about the recipe, I got to know it required certain ingredients that  we don't find in India, we get them in gulf countries,so it was obvious I couldn't make it, as I used to stay in India that time.


But then, I thought to eliminate those ingredients and try my own (main ingredient less) recipe out of it.
And yes, I succeeded.!!! I served it to my parents, and they are crazy for it now.
I have to make it everytime I visit my place.

What is more special about this recipe,???
In our family, The first thing a new bride cooks in her In laws family is supposed to be a sweet.
So guess what, I tried to impress my mother in law through this dessert,my hubby loves it, and wants to finish it himself alone, LOL..
N yea, I even recieved a lot of gifts for cooking on that day!!!Lucky me!!!Yay!!!

Even it's got a secret simple ingredient, Marie Biscuits!!!
also, you dont need an oven or any heavy electronic, just a gas stove and a refrigerator!!!


Jumping quick to the recipe.


Creamy Coffee Dessert
serves 6

Preparation Time: 30 mins(you work hardly 10 mins)

Ingredients

1 pack of  Marie light biscuits
Coffee
Milk 2cups
Fresh Cream 200gm
Sugar
Dryfruits or fruits to Garnish
Roohafza to Garnish


Method

• Place the biscuits(layerwise) in a container in which you have to set the dessert

• Boil milk in a container add to it coffee in such an amount that you get a strong dark brown coffee, also add around 8-10 tbspn of sugar.Once,the coffee is ready keep aside to cool for sometime.
• Add the warm Coffee to the biscuits layer slowly till all the layers are soaked in the coffee, again keep it aside to set for 10 minutes.(Drink the rest of the coffee,if left, by adding some more milk to it,,LOL)
• Now, beat the fresh milk to gt an even consistency and evenly spread it over the soaked layer of biscuits.
• That's it, now garnish with whatever pleases your eyes,it can be chocolates,gems,m&ms, waffles, dry fruits, fruits anything!!!!
• Let it set in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
• Cut in to large pieces and serve.

Note:

*Too much of prepared coffee or too little might spoil the dessert, it has to be accurate enough just for the biscuits to get soaked.

*The more it sets in the refrigerator the better it is, I sometimes serve it the other day.

I hope you love this recipe and surely try it also do comment!!

Yumm!!Yumm!!Yumm!!

Chicken Spring Roll :Recipe

Salaam to all my friends, 

I know I am being little late to post something, but it's Ramadan, too much of important stuff is keeping me a bit busy.
Sorry for that, so, this Ramadan the blog is just going to be about recipes or may be restaurant reviews.
I hope you all enjoy the great tastes that I am presenting to you, my small attempts.

Today's Recipe is a spring roll, not to mention, there are so many varieties and flavours in Spring rolls.
You can make them mughlai, or chinese or thai, or don't know what more, and also with any kind of meat or vegetables.
This is one benefit right.?
This is again a simple recipe,actually cooking is way too simple, you just need to be good at accuracy!!

So if you really fear cooking, please just remember it's something almost every lady on this earth is good at,so how can it be difficult, ??
you don't have to reach any moon on a spacecraft.

I hope this post will be helpful as I have taken step wise pictures of how to roll a spring roll too.

Chicken Spring Rolls

makes 15 rolls

Ingredients:

Chicken breast,boiled and shredded (500gms)

Onion(Finely chopped 1 med)
Finely chopped Capsicum, Cabbage, Carrots(1 small bowl each)
Ginger Garlic paste (2tspn)
Black pepper powder(2-3 tspn)
Dark Soy sauce, vinegar (1tspn each)
Sugar(1tspn)
Salt to taste
Frozen spring Roll pastry /wrap
1 beaten egg
Oil to fry

Method:

The Filling:

• In a fry pan, add a tbspn of oil, let it heat for a while,add to it the chopped onion, saute it till the onion is translucent i.e it turns pinkish and loses its firmness.
• Add the ginger garlic paste and saute again for a minute, so that the raw flavour of ginger and garlic gets away.
• Now add the rest of the veggies, and keep tossing them on medium flame,until the veggies lose some of their firmness too.
• While tossing add the soy sauce, vinegar, pepper powder, sugar and salt, mix well and lastly add the shredded chicken.
• Saute all these for 2-3 minutes and switch off the flame. Keep aside to cool.
• This is how the mixture looks, (didn't have much time adding the blog website here on the picture.)
  

The roll making:

I think the pictures will demonstrate everything well

1. This is the square shaped pastry/wrap, place it on a chopping board,or any other flat surface.

   2.Fill the chicken veggie mixture in this way in a good amount to get a mouthful of juicy chicken.

   3.First folding the upper side on the mixture, then apply the beaten egg on the sides and fold them this way.

   4. Roll the rest of the pastry by applying the beaten egg wherever some gluing is needed to prevent the roll        from breaking open while frying,The rolls look like this.

• Now shallow fry these in a frying pan, carefully,when one side is golden brown turn it over for the other side to get cooked.
• I don't know what was with the pastry that I used it never turned golden brown, just directly the brown colour.Trust me, golden brown is better.
• Remove them in a plate covered with some kitchen tissues for soaking the excess oil,
• Cut into 2 halves and Serve with tomato ketchup and mayyonaise,If you are looking for some fun, add some chilli sauce or mustard powder to your mayo before serving.

Note:

* If you dont have much time playing with chicken shredding, jus give them a grind in your mixer.Just for 5 seconds, not much otherwise it will get mashed

*Do not use newspapers for soaking the oil.

I hope you like this and try at home.

Yumm!!Yumm!!Yumm!!

Wada Pav : Recipe

Hiee again..

Yes, you are right. Today is an important day.

Why you ask?

Because, I am sharing with you the recipe of that amazing food, also known as an Indian Burger, This is no ordinary food my friend.!!!

Apart from it's impeccable flavours it leaves in your mouth, it's that food, on which most of the labourers survive on in India.

What else do they have an option for?

It costs them 5-7 bucks, fulfills their tummy cravings and is also delicious at the same time.

What's the best part about it?? Be it a school, a hospital , cinema, mall, restaurant, stall, every public place sells it dude!! You can find it just anywhere, atleast in Pune and Mumbai.

Haven't you ever come across a beggar, who just asks you, "Just buy me a Wada Pav, I am hungry :( :( "??????

India is a developing country they say, but even today when that farmer comes to the city to sell his goods, he can't dine in a nice sober restaurant, but just feeds  a Wada Pav to his stomach!!

Can't imagine how a Farmer who feeds our big stomachs are the poorest people in our country!!

Also this used to be our lunch in school when we forgot our tffins, or may be mom wasn't well?Right?

So keeping the sad thoughts aside, I will present you this recipe, which might help you not to run to the stalls for an amazing Wada Pav, as you can make it youself.

Ingredients

Boiled and peeled potatoes (2 big)

Coriander

Green chilly paste (2 tspn)

Cumin Powder (1tspn)

Coriander powder (1tspn)

Turmeric Powder (1/2 tspn)

Ginger Garlic paste (1 1/2 tspn)

Rai / Brown Mustard seeds (1tspn)\

Kadi patta/  curry leaves (7-8)

Ajwain/Carom seeds (1 tspn)

Gram flour (2 cups)

Baking soda (1 pinch)

Oil to fry

Pav (indian bread)

Salt to taste

Preparation Time:30-40 mins

Method:

• Mash all the Boiled Potatoes in a big bowl in which you will mix the rest of the ingredients.
• Add green chilly paste, cumin powder, coriander powder,turmeric powder, salt, ginger garlic paste, finely chopped coriander.
• Now in 1 tspn oil, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves for a tadka or chaunk you can call it.
• Add this tadka to the potato mixture
• Once the tadka has cooled down, give everything a good even mix, and make such dumplings out of it. Like I made these here.

• You can also make them like patties
• For the batter:

1. Take the gram flour in a bowl which is easy for you to coat the potatoe dumplings.
2. Add to it , Carom seeds/ ajwain,,salt, and baking soda.Also a pinch of turmeric powder.
3. Now the important question is how much water to add? Take water in a cup, and slowly add water and give a mix, hardly quarter cup of water at a time.The moment you find the consistency well enough to be coated easily, stop adding water.

       *Remember the batter has to be very thick, yet thin enough for coating.Like this

• Once the two mixtures are ready, keep the oil to heat. You need to deep fry these.
• Now coat the dumplings by dipping them in the batter and immediately put them in the hot oil.

Fry on medium flame,till golden brown.

• They look so lovely while frying itself!! But the hot oil keeps you away from eating them. LOL
• Serve with Pav and chutneys. I apply a layer of green chutney on 1 side of the Pav, and the tamrind jaggery chutney on the other. My hubby likes it that way.
• You can also serve fried green chilles with them

*If the batter gets too thin, add more gram flour and salt, you can use the leftover batter later for pakoras.

*Add the dumplings to the oil only when the oil is nicely heated.

*Do not fry until brown, The coating won't come out that well then.

*And yes, this is how my momma  makes them, her technique. Hats Off to her!!!

I hope you like this recipe, please share your valuable comments,

Yumm!!Yumm!!Yumm!!

Mutton Keema(mince) Kebabs: Recipe

Kebabs in itself, I must say is a cuisine to me.!!! What a variety of colour and flavour in it's family, be it veg or non veg.

Kebabs always have to be a staple order if you are visiting a restaurant, atleast my research says that.
You will always see a list of Kebabs flowing in the menu, I can't resist them, so I always have to order 1.

And the Pakistani buffets here in Dubai, I just visit them mainly for their great variety of beef,mutton,chicken and fish kebabs. Each of their Kebabs will taste totally different and unique. I would review one of these restaurants soon after Ramadan.

Kebabs just drag my mind to mughlai,, but I have seen a variety of maharashtrian kebabs too.

Especially in Mumbai you get Kebabs almost made up of every organ of a goat..LOL

This Kebab recipe I am sharing with you is again very easy to make,and easy to take inside your tummy too.

Ingredients:

Mutton mince (250gms)

Gram flour (2 tbspn)

Finely chopped Onion (1 medium)

Finely chopped Coriander

Green chilli paste/ grounded 2tspn

Ginger garlic paste 1tspn

1 egg

Salt to taste

Garam masala powder/all spice powder (1/2tspn)

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Method:

• Mix all the above ingredients in a big bowl except the gram flour and the egg. Keep aside for 10 minutes to marinate.You can also squeeze half a lemon to it.(optional)
• Now add the Gram flour too the mixture and mix well.
• Keep the oil for heating, you need to deep fry these Kebabs, as we are using raw mince.
• Add 1 beaten egg to the mixture just when you are ready to fry, and mix very well.It will look like this

• Now make small, flat, round tikki, and leave them in the oil. Fry on medium flame.
• Don't make the tikkis too thick as it will leave them uncooked from inside.
• Once the tikkis are dark brwon in colour, remove them in a plate with tissue paper over it. This will help by soaking the excess oil.
• Serve with green chutney, or tomato ketchup. You can also serve with Indian bread (paav).

They look tempting right????

 They are actually tasty, crisp from the outside, and tender mince on the inside, with juicy flavours of green chillies, ginger garlic and also lemon.

Do try it!!

Yumm!!Yumm!!Yumm!!

Ragada :Recipe

Ahhaahaaa!!!!

If you are an Indian ,and that too from Pune or Mumbai, what do u smell on the streets ???

Precisely during Ramadan,the evenings boast a festival of mouth watering smells and sights.!!

Everything from Pakodas, wadas, chaat from bhel puri to samosas,and Ragada ought to make your mouth water,it's kind of a magic spell that draws you and everyone else to the carts and shops selling them.

Chaat is something what none of us can say a "Nah" for. 

All those puris, chana, mashed potaoes, shev, the Chaska of tangy tamarind, and the sweetness of jaggery,,onions,tomatoes,coriander, yoghurt!!!! Oh My My!!!!!

While typing this,my mouth doesn't stop watering.

Frankly, an evening out with friends, and how can you escape a Chaat????

Seriously,if you did escape it,, you lived nothing my dear friend,, you are missing alot of fun food if you haven't yet given your taste buds a tour of Indian chaat.

Bang on!!! you agree right??

Let's jump to the recipe now.

Ingredients:

White or green peas 250 gms (after soaking overnight it should be 1 big bowl)
Boiled and peeled potatoes (2 medium)
Tamarind (1 small bowl)
Jaggery (1 small bowl)
Yoghurt 100 gms
Onion
Coriander
Shev


Method:

• Boil the soaked peas in a pressure cooker,side by side, you can boil the potatoes in a microwave oven.
• Once,both peas and potatoes are boiled,peel the potatoes,chop them into very small pieces and mix them to the peas.
• How to make the Imli-gud (tamarind & jaggery) syrup:

1. Wash the tamarind and take into a container,add some water to it.(around half a small tea cup).Bring this to boil and then keep aside to cool.
2. Once it's cool,squeeze all the pulp from the tamarind and seperate it from the leftover tamarind residue.So now you have a tamarind pulp ready.
3. Repeat the same step with jaggery ,let the jaggery dissolve in water, just don't let it cool too much otherwise the jaggery will start collecting back in to solid.
4. Mix both the tamarind pulp and jaggery syrup you made.
5. Check the taste, if you find it too sweet add some more tamarind pulp by soaking tamarind residue in water for a minute and again squeezing it. If you find it too tangy add some jaggery syrup.
6. Now for some more spicy taste, add black salt, red chilli powder/ paprika, coriander pwder, cumin powder,all according to taste.You can even add green chilli paste,but that's optional.
7. The syrup is ready,

• Now add this syrup to the peas and potaoes mixture,not all at once little by little and keep tasting it. Once you realise it's perfect just let it heat on medium to low flame. This is done so that all flavours meet and greet eachother.

• Bring to a bowl,and switch off the flame.The Ragada is ready. But you need to wait, as garnishing is very important in chaats.
• Garnishing:

1. Pour the ragada in serving bowls, add a tspn of yoghurt to it.(you can also add little sugar to the yoghurt).
2. Now add finely chopped onions and coriander to it.
   
   
   
3. Lastly, the Don of all chaats, add the Shev.Ready to serve.

*You can store the leftover syrup for about two weeks, you can even freeze it if you want it to last longer.
*During Ramadan I usually make 1 litre of this syrup and store it for the entire month.

Please do try it, also it's healthy too,it does not use any oil, and contains peas which are good for health.

Yumm!!yumm!!yumm!!

Ramadan Mubarak!!!!!!

Guest Post by a Dear Friend

WoW, it's Back!!!!
The holy month of fasting and feasting is back!

It's the same time of the year where everyday is a festival. Be it any part of the world , there is an absolute spiritual glow in everything, be it souls or surroundings,and if you happen to live in UAE like I do, your eyes our in for a special treat in the forum of beautiful and colorful decorative lights all across the cities here..

Just one peek outside the window is enough to lift your spirits. But I am sure every city has it's own way of celebrating.

Although I haven't spent many Ramadans in UAE, one thing I am sure is be it any place on earth, the spirit of Ramadan touches every place in it's own way

Be it here,or back in Pune, Ramadan is a  month of spiritual peace, prayers, fasting and the endless feasts and get togethers. The evening air  is filled with mouth watering aroma that kinds of reveals the neighbour's iftar menu. LOL

I remember as kids all we did during the fasts was to look forward to the feasting time..haha..
We would have a table full of delicacies filled with yummy take aways dad brought.
But the cherry on the cake was and always is my lovely mom's amazing culinary art.
and like many mothers out there,my mom would make something ravishing and finger licking delicacy that was a treat both to our eyes and the growling tummy.!!!

Although like me,not all of us are as good a cook as our moms, a few amongst us are doing full justice to their moms teaching and their lovely kitchens.
Well,I will post about moms and their never ending love later.

Getting back,Beauty of Ramadan is enhanced by family, friends,relatives and all the hustle bustle they bring with them.
The moon,apart from being beautiful, suddenly is so important.
The heart and soul is cleansed pure with the fasts,tarawi and the little extra tilawat.

And in all, ramadan is an awesome package that no one can afford to miss.
The soothing tarawi is truly a blessing to Mankind.

So I hope and pray that Almighty Allah blesses us this Ramadan and the many more to come, Insha Allah,
so that we enjoy this gift to the fullest and have a beautiful ,rewarding ,soothing and tasty Ramadan with our near and dear ones.

Ameen