Aash / rice and lentil soup

AASH/RICE AND LENTIL SOUP

Aaash is made very commonly during Ramadan in Bangalore. We used to always wait for our mom to make this yummy soup for iftar everyday.It is a very healthy and filling soup, especially after a long day of fasting.But, I always wondered why Bangloreans called it ''AASH'' until recently I came to know that 'AASH' is a Persian word for soup. So, its a soup made with rice, lentils and with /without minced meat. So, here goes the recipe for Aash.

Ingredients:
500 grams of minced meat(optional),
160 grams of rice,
2 finely chopped onions,
1 finely chopped large tomato,
2-3 green chillies,
1 cup moong dal/ split yellow lentil,
1/2 cup of finely chopped mint leaves,
1 tsp ginger paste,
1 tsp garlic paste,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
1/4 tsp garam masala powder,
3-4 glasses of water,
3-4 tbsp of oil and
salt to taste.

Method:
Put the raw rice in a mixer and grind to make a coarse powder(like semolina/ sooji) and keep aside.Heat the oil in big vessel and add finely chopped onions and slit green chillies and add to the onions and fry them till the onions turn light brown in colour. Now add the ginger paste and garlic paste and saute till the spell of the ginger-garlic paste goes away. Add the turmeric powder and mix well and add chopped tomatoes mint leaves and cook till the tomatoes become soft. Now add the washed moong/ lentil and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add the washed minced meat, garam masala powder, some salt and mix everything well and cook for 5-10 minutes.
Now add 3-4 glasses of water to the vessel and bring it to a boil. Add more salt if needed. when it starts boiling lower the flame and add the powdered rice slowly, stirring it with the other hand to avoid getting lumps. Increase the flame to medium high and cook the soup by stirring it continuously till the rice is cooked. Add more water if it becomes very thick after adding the rice, to make it to the consistency of a soup. Serve hot garnish with some fried onions.

Note:
Semolina/ sooji can also be used instead of the coarsely powdered rice. But rice gives a better taste to this soup.

Back to blogging with loads of awards from friends :-)

Hi dear friends,
I am back to blogging(finally) Phew!!! This blogging world is so wonderful and addictive and what makes it wonderful is the beautiful bond one shares with the good friends we makes through the journey of blogging. I just wanted a small break from blogging during the month of Ramadan, but I that small break turned into a very long break of more than 2 months :-( I was finding it so hard to get back..everyday I would tell myself that I am posting a recipe today no matter what happens...but, then I kept postponing it each day for weeks and months. But what matters for me now is that I am back finally and I want to thank all my friends out there, who showered on me so many awards,even when I was away from here and YES !! these ''awards'' have forced me to come back and start again. Thank you friends for all these awards and for all the appreciations that keeps me going and brings a smile on my face :-)

Now coming to the awards, Priya darshini of Priya's feast have passed this beautiful and colourful award. Thanks priya for this beautiful award.


Babli of Khana masala has passed these awards to me.I would like to thank babli for these lovely award and for being so sweet :-)





And I would like to convey tons of thanks to my new friend Asha latha of Asra ashaaon ka for passing me these beautiful awards. I am very delighted to get these awards dear. Thanks again.






And the last but not the least ;) is a sweet thank you from Priya Prashanth of Priya's recipes. Thank you Priya for this colourful and beautiful thank you.

Walima cooking club (September)Jordanian cuisine-MANSAF

Jordanian cuisine was selected for the month of September by dear Arlette . And the Savory Dish that was selected was Mansaf. Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan, it is served on special occasions such as weddings and births, or to honor a guest and feasting on Mansaf is taken seriously, and hours are spent in its preparations.The lamb is cooked is Jameed /dried yogurt and mansaf is served on a large platter with a layer of Arabic flat bread topped with rice and then meat, garnished with almonds and pine nuts.
I have to admit that I cooked it Indian way, adding many Indian spices to the meat for our Indian taste buds, which loves spicy foods :) But one can refer here for the authentic recipe.

Ingredients:
2 containers of reek yogurt,
2 lbs of lamb meat with bones,
a pinch of turmeric powder,
1 small onion-finely chopped,
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste,
1 tsp red chili powder,
1/2 tsp cumin powder,
1/4 tsp black pepper powder,
3 cups jasmine rice or Basmati rice,
1 cardamom,
1 cinnamon,
1 cloves,
1/2 cup of almonds,
1/2 cup of pine nuts,
2-3 Arabic flat bread/ thin Indian roti(chapathi),
1 cup of butter/ ghee and
salt to taste

Method:
In a large pot before turning on the heat pour the yogurt.Bring it to boil on high heat , make sure while you are cooking the yogurt that you are constantly stirring yogurt with a wooden spoon in one direction only. If you started stirring to the left you must keep stirring that way until yogurt starts to boil. Once the yogurt boils turn the heat off.
In another pot cook the meat with the spices- ginger garlic paste, cumin powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, onion and some salt. Cover the meat completely with water and cook till the meat is tender. remove the cooked meat and strain the broth to remove the onion pieces.
Now add 2-3 cups of the above broth to the pot of cooked yogurt, add salt and if its not tangy enough, juice of 1/2 lemon van be added to it. Add the lamb meat to the yogurt and broth mixture and cook till it thickens a little bit (like a sauce).
Heat the butter/ghee in another pot and fry the nuts and almonds till light brown. Remove the nuts and in the same butter add the garam masala(spices)- cardamom,cloves and cinnamon and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add rice , water and salt to taste and cook the rice.
When serving put Arabic bread and wet it with some yogurt, then add rice and meat in individual plates and spread cooked yogurt and slivered nuts over it.

Hi friends,

First of all I would like to thank all my friend for their Eid wishes. That was so sweet of you all to wish me, even when I was away from blogging for few weeks. I was very busy during Ramadhan and even after Eid, so was no able to respond to the comments. I thank you all again for the lovely comments.
And I would also apologize for not visiting your blogs regularly. I know I have missed many many yummy and delicious posts in these 3 weeks. But I will be back tomorrow to peep into all my favorite blogs and to catch up on all the missed posts :)
Missed bogging so so much because I have made so many good friends here(through blogging). Missed you all very much.

Falafel and dip

FALAFEL

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup dry shelled broad beans/ Fava beans,
1 1/2 cup of Chickpeas - soaked overnight,
4 tbsp each of- mint,Parsley and coriander leaves(chopped),
3-4 cloves of garlic,
1 medium sized onion,
1 1/2 tsp cumin,
1/2 tsp of cayenne,
1 tsp of sesame seeds(optional)
1 tsp of bicarbonate soda,
1 tsp coriander seeds,
oil for deep frying and
salt to taste.

For the dip:
1/2 cup of yogurt,
1/2 cup of tahini,
1/2 cup of lemon juice,
1 cup of water and
1 tsp of salt.

Method:
In a food processor, place the chickpeas,broad beans,chopped coriander leaves, parsley, mint, garlic, onion, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt. Process to a firm paste..Transfer to a bowl, and add the soda and sesame seeds if using.Knead this paste to mix everything thoroughly and let rest for 1 hour.
Meanwhile make the dip by mixing all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
Heat the oil in a kadai/frying pan. Make small walnut sized balls with the paste an flatten a little bit and deep fry on medium heat, until light brown or for 5-6 minutes. Drain them on a paper towel. Serve hot with tahini dip or use as a filling inside pita bread to make a sandwich. Enjoy :)

I am sending this over to Joy from fasting to feasting(season II) hosted by Lubna of Yummy Food and Yasmeen of Health Nut and to My Legumes Love Affair 15 guest hosted this month by Sia of Monsoon spice and event by Susan.

Banana shake

BANANA SHAKE

Ingredients:
1 big banana,
4 dates and
1 glass of cold milk.
Method:
Cut the banana into small pieces. Add dates and little milk in a blender. Blend well, add the remaining milk. Serve chilled.

This quick and easy Banana shake goes to Sireesha's event "Soup 'N Juice" .

Sambousik al dajaj /Chicken pies and awards

CHICKEN PIES

Ingredients:

For the dough:
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast,
1/4 cup warm water,
3 cups of all purpose flour,
4 tbsp of corn flour,
1 tsp salt,
3 tbsp melted butter,
1 beaten egg and
3/4 cups of water.

For the filling:
1 cup shredded cabbage,
1 cup finely chopped green beans,
2 chicken breasts- boiled and shredded,
1 green pepper-diced,
1 onion-finely chopped,
2 cloves of garlic- crushed,
3 tbsp of vegetable oil,
1 tsp of white pepper powder,
1 tsp of salt and
2 egg yolks for brushing.

Method:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water.Add melted butter and beaten egg to this yeast mixture. In another big bowl, take all purpose flour, corn flour and salt and mix well.Now add the above yeast mixture to it and add the remaining water gradually and knead for 5-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
In the mean time, start making the filling.Heat the oil in pan and stir fry all the vegetables- Beans, cabbage pepper, onion and garlic until they become tender. Now add the cooked and shredded chicken and season with white pepper and salt and stir for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F. Divide the dough into 30 small equal balls. Roll out each ball on a lightly floured surface, into 4 inch circles. Place a tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle and brush the sides with egg yolk and cover each circle with another circle of the dough. Pinch the edges together with a fork to seal and brush the top of each circle with egg yolk.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until light brown. Arrange in a serving dish and serve hot.

Source: This recipe is adapted from 'Middle eastern Cookbook' by Maria Kalife

It has been raining awards in our food blogging world. And even I was showered with so many awards. Thanks my dear friend for all the awards and appreciation you guys give me , which forces me to come here and post new recipes. I have been very busy during this month of Ramadhan and finding it hard to post frequently and I am missing so many Yummy and delicious posts. I am finding it hard to take out some time to see those yummy posts and to comment on them. But I promise that I will be back on the track soon after Ramadhan.

First of all I would love to thank the Fall in love(FIL) lady Sanghi for this lovely Gold friend award on her 100th post.. Thanks dear Sanghi..I will always cherish this award and this award will always stay close to my heart.

And Dear Priya of Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes (I just love her blog so much.She is never out of recipes to post everyday and to participate in all the events with 2-3 yummy and unique recipes) She has passed these lovely awards- 360° foodie award, Yum yum blog award and giant bear hug award. Thank you so much Priya. I am a huge fan of your blog. And to receive these from you means a lot to me.
And my sweet friends Sarah Naveen , Ayesha Priya and Rekha Shoban have also Passed these three awards to me. Thanks my sweet buddies for these awards.



And Rebecca of Chow and Chatter has given me this Friend award. Thanks dear , I love your friendship and will always cherish it.


And Last but not least Vidhas of Appetizing recipes has passed this scrumptious blog Award. Thanks dear for this award. You made my day.

Chettinad pepper chicken

Chettinad is a region of Tamilnadu state in India. Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India. It is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food (wiki) This Chettinad chicken is a very spicy gravy with many spices in it. But, one can reduce the spiciness according o one's own taste.

CHETTINAD PEPPER CHICKEN

Ingredients:
1 lbs chicken,
1 big onion-finely chopped,
3 tomatoes-finely chopped,
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste,
2 green chillies-chopped,
2 cardamoms,
3 sticks of cinnamon,
3 cloves,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder,
1 tsp cumin powder,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp crushed peppercorns,
2 sprigs of curry leaves,
2 tbsp of oil,
coriander leaves for garnishing and
salt to taste.

Method:
Heat oil in a heavy bottemed pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they splutter, add the garam masala-cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves and fry well. Now add the chopped onions, add some salt and cook till they turn light brown in colour. Add the turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies and curry leaves and saute for a while. Now add the chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder, coriander powder and cumin powder, mix well and cook till the tomatoes become soft and all the moisture evaporates. At this stage add the chicken to the pan and mix well. Cover and cook till the chicken is cooked through.When the chicken is almost done, add the crushed peppercorns/pepper powder and finish by adding chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with Chapathi/ roti/ naan.

Source: vahrevah.com

Award and Tag

My sweet friends Priya prashanth and Sarah Naveen, Arti Agarwal and Parita have showered on me this award. Thank you dearies for encouraging me by giving this lovely award.

Requirements:-

1. I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it
2. I must list 10 honest things about myself
3. I must put a copy of Honest Scrap logo on my blog
4. I must select atleast 7 other worthy bloggers and list their links
5. I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

Honest things about me:- hmmmm....

1.I love cooking for my husband.
2. I love traveling.
3. I am very fond of babies.
4.I am very very sensitive.
5.I love reading.
6. I am very talkative and I don't like it :(
7.I love spending time with my son.
8.I am a chocoholic.
9.I love giving gifts and surprises to my dear ones.
10.I am crazy about collecting recipes.

And the Honest bloggers are:-
Shabs, Rebecca, Ann , Tina, Swapna, Muneeba and Viki .

And now coming to the tag :-
Shab's of Shab's cuisine and Priya of Priya's recipes have tagged me. Thanks sweeties :)

The Rules:1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share the ABCs of you.
4. Tag 4 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let the 4 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.The Tag:

1. A – Available/Single? Happily married :)

2. B – Best friend? My husband and my mother

3. C – Cake or Pie? Cake anytime.

4. D – Drink of choice? Milkshakes.

5. E – Essential item you use every day? My computer , my phone, my apron...

6. F – Favorite color? Baby pink and deep red.

7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? neither.

8. H – Hometown?Bangalore.

9. I – Indulgence? Chocolates.

10. J – January or February? why not November?

11. K – Kids & their names? 2 year old Son -Ammar

12. L – Life is incomplete without? Family and Love.

13. M – Marriage date? 27th April 2005.

14. N – Number of siblings? Younger twin brothers.

15. O – Oranges or Apples? Oranges.

16. P – Phobias/Fears? Lizards and cockroaches.

17. Q – Quote for today? Nothing is impossible if one tries to do it, because even the word 'impossible' is 'i' 'm' 'possible'.

18. R – Reason to smile?My husband and my baby.

19. S – Season? Spring

20. T – Tag 4 People? why here?

21. U – Unknown fact about me? hmmmm....don't know.

22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Karela (Bitter gourd)

23. W – Worst habit? Not being diet conscious.

24. X – X-rays you've had? Many

25. Y – Your favorite food? Biryani.

26. Z – Zodiac sign? Scorpio.

I would like to pass the above tag to:
Arti Agarwal,
Smitha,
Humaira and
Sabah.

My Debut in Walima Cooking Club :Iraqi Cuisine- KURAT AL TAMIR and SHAKAR LAMA

Walima cooking club celebrates Middle Eastern cuisine, where every month we go by Latin alphabetical order, choosing two recipes from every Arab country, one savory and one dessert. We can cook any one of them or both. And I really wanted to join this club, because the tag itself says' For all Arabic food lovers' and I just love Arabic food :) So..here is my first challenge. Walima club is celebrating Iraqi cuisine this month.

Iraqi cuisine or Mesopotamian cuisine is Iraq's traditional cuisine developed since antiquity in Me Mesopotamia (Sumer, Akkad, Babylonia, Assyria). It is considered one of the oldest kitchens.
As Baghdad became the centre of the Abbasid Caliphate during the Islamic Golden Age, Muslims and other scholars from many parts of the world came to visit, live and study in Iraq, which gave the Iraqi cuisine new twists to its food. This is most commonly seen in the greater use of spices (e.g. Saffron) used in the Iraqi cuisine in comparison to other Arab cuisines.

Iraqi cuisine has absorbed influences from all the neighboring countries and has much in common with Levantine, Persian, and Turkish cuisines. With the Ottoman rule of Iraq, influences of Turkish cuisine also became incorporated into Iraqi recipes (and vice versa).

Furthermore, as the rest of Iraqi history, the Iraqi cuisine has been deeply influenced by its fertile land between its two rivers Euphrates and Tigris.[1] This influence is seen in Iraq's national dishes.

Now coming to this months challenge. We were given 1 savory and 2 options for sweets -Kurat al tamir ( Date sesame balls) and Shakar Lama (Cardamom cookies) by Arlette. And I tried making both the sweet dishes. Here they are :-

KURAT AL TAMIR ( Date and sesame balls)

Ingredients:
1 pound soft dates
1 cup walnuts
1 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons tahini
½ teaspoon cardamom/cinnamon powder

Method:
Add dates, ½ cup sesame seeds, and tahini in the food processor. Pulse and add the walnuts and spices; pulse again. Take the mixture out and make small balls and roll them in toasted sesame or shredded coconuts.


SHAKAR LAMA (Cardamom cookies )

Ingredients:
3 sticks butter
3 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk (optional)
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2tsp. salt
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Method:

Beat the butter in a bowl for 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat the mixture until becomes light in color. Add flour, cardamom and salt gradually. Use your hand to mix the cookie dough. Take a small piece of dough the size of walnut. Shape the cookie and place and almond in the middle. Arrange on a tray with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Strawberry cheesecake ( MY 50th POST)

Hurray !!! this is my 50th post. And I still couldn't believe it.. I never knew I would come this far ( I know 50 is not a big deal,because I know few blogs, who post 50 recipes every month
:) )Though I sarted in February , I was actually into blogging regularly only from June. I should admit that, I started my blog just to store all the recipes I cook at one place. I never knew I will be making so many good friends, from around the globe, who I can say "I know them"even if I have not met them....I would love to thanks all my friends, who joined me and who leave sweet and lovely comments, just to appreciate me. It really boosts my confidence and urges me to do more and better next time. Thanks again FRIENDS.
And here is my first ever cheesecake, which I had made 2 days ago. And I never knew, even I can make my favorite cheesecake, until I tasted it. And that too like the store bought ones :)

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

For the Biscuit layer:
200 gms of digestive biscuits,
2 tbsp of melted butter,
1 tbsp of Castor sugar.

For the cheese filling:
600 gms of cream cheese,
2 tbsp of Castor sugar,
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tbsp corn starch,
1 cup whipped cream.

For the Strawberry topping:
1-2 cups of fresh strawberries,
2 tbsp of sugar,
1 tbsp of corn starch.

Method:
Butter and line a 23 cm loose-bottomed tin with baking sheet.Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin or powder them coarsely in a food processor. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl, then pour over the melted butter and sugar and mix well. Now put this mixture into prepared pan and press firmly down into the base to create an even layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until the base becomes firm and ready to use.
Meanwhile, start making the cheese filling. In a bowl, place the soft cheese, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Now add the corn starch and beat again. Finally add the whipped cream to it and beat lightly. Now pour this cream mixture to the prepared biscuit base and bake at 350 degrees for for 40-50 mins. Cool the cheesecake at room temperature and on-mould it .
Puree 1 1/2 cup of strawberries with the sugar in a food processor and the sieve. In a pan, bring this strawberry puree to a boil, and add corn starch to it. Cook until the sauce thicken and cool completely before pouring on the cheesecake.
Just before serving , place a slice of the cheesecake on a plate, place some sliced strawberries and pour the strawberry sauce over it.

Dal Makhani

DAL MAKHANI
This month's Tried and Tasted is hosted by the very talented Yasmeen of Health Nut.And she led to a wonderful blog called A Life(Time) of cooking. Ganga has so many yummy and unique recipes. I spent hours and days browsing through them and was not able to decide what to cook for the event,because each one of her recipes looked so Yummy to me. Then, I came across this recipe for Dal Makhani ,which she says she learned it from a chef at Oberoi Hotel in Bangalore.
I had heard so much of this dish, but had never tried to cook it. So, I got hooked to this yummy recipe. And I tried to stay as true as possible to this recipe . And it turned out so Yummy and delicious. We all enjoyed it very much. Thanks Ganga for this tasty recipe and Thanks Yasmeen for leading us to this lovely blog.You can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:
150 grams of whole urad dal (black lentils),
50 grams chana dal (gram lentils),
50 grams rajma (red kidney beans),
2 green chillies,
5-6 cloves of garlic,
10-15 grams of peeled ginger,
2-3 tbsp of oil/ ghee,
1 tsp of cumin seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida powder,
a pinch of fenugreek seeds,
100 grams of tomato paste or puree,
30 ml cream, 1/2 tsp chilli powder and
1/4 tsp garam masala.

Method:
Soak all the 3 lentils in water for 6 hours or overnight. Wash four times, changing the water each time. In a pressure cooker boil all the lentils with ginger,2-3 cloves of garlic, 2 green chilliea and some salt. And cook until all the lentils are well cooked. Now drain the excess water and mash the lentils with back of a ladle or with a wooden masher. Heat the oil /ghee in heavy bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seed and and let them crackle. Add the garlic and fry till it becomes light brown. Now add the asafoetida powder and the tomato puree to this and fry for few minutes. Add to the cooked dal(lentils), mixing well. Bring the dal to the boil again, adding the chilli powder, butter and cream. And cook on a low flame for 30 minutes. Finish off by adding the garam masala. Serve Hot with chapathi or rice. Serves 4-6 people.

I am also sending this recipe to Susan's My Legumes Love affair (MLLA) 14.

Fruit kababs

While living in US, I had subscribed to many parenting magazines after my son was born. Among them, 2 were my favorite magazines- AMERICAN BABY and PARENTS magazine. I had seen these fruit kabobs in one of those magazines, unfortunately I don't remember which one :( And I just loved the way they were arranged. It looked sooo appealing and tempting.So, wanted to try those fruit kabobs. And here I am with them :)

The fruit kabobs can be arranged in many many ways. Anything on the skewers looks appealing to the kids...Its all about making it fun for them. And yeah..we all know that no other snack can be more healthier than fruits for the kids :)

1. Apple and peaches on stick: Cut peaches and Apples and arrange them on the skewers alternatively.

2. Banana Bites: Dip chunks of bananas in yogurt first, then skewer. Roll the bananas in sprinkle. One can even lift the fiber factor by rolling the bananas in crushed granola instead of sprinkles.

3.Marshmallow Surprise: skewer strawberries and marshmallows . Put some chocolate sauce in a zip lock bag. clip off a tiny corner and drizzle designs onto marshmallows.

4.Double Melon: Marinate Cantaloupe and honeydew melon in a mixture of lime juice and brown sugar. Cut out fun shapes with cookie cutter.

I am sending this to Divya's CFK-Evening snacks event started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

Phirni

Phirni is an Indian sweet, made of rice, milk and sugar as main ingredients. Some people soak the rice and grind it to fine paste, and some use rice flour to make it. I learned making Phirni from my in-laws. My S-I-L (Ayesha) used to make this very often, whenever we had guests or for parties. It was her favorite dessert And even I just fell in love with this sweet. Simple yet irresistible. So, here is the recipe.

PHIRNI

Ingredients:
1 liter milk,
4-5 tbsp of Basmati rice,
1 cup sugar,
a pinch of cardamom powder,
2 tbsp of ghee/ clarified butter,
1 tbsp of slivered almonds,
1 tbsp of golden raisins,
1 tbsp of slivered cashews,
1/4 tsp of rose water/rose essence and
few strands of saffron.

Method:
Grind the rice into a coarse powder (like fine sooji/semolina). Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan with a pinch of cardamom powder and sugar. When it starts boiling, add the powdered rice slowly, stirring the milk with the other hand, to avoid any lumps. Keep stirring continuously for 20 - 25 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the milk has thickened. Remove it away from the heat and keep aside.
In another small pan, heat the ghee and fry the dry fruits-Almonds, cashew nuts and raisins till light brown and add to the dessert. Also add the rose essence and Saffron strands. Mix well and let it cool at room temperature. Chill it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Garnish with few strands of saffron. Best served when chilled.

I am sending this to Sanghi's Fall In Love (FIL) event. I am also re posting and sending the below recipes to the same event.

Instant Rasmalai


China grass pudding

Tabbouleh/ Parsley and cracked wheat salad

TABBOULEH

Ingredients:
4 cups finely chopped parsley,
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint,
4 firm tomatoes- De-seeded and chopped,
4 tbsp fine burghul/bulgur,
1 small onion-finely chopped,
1/2 cup lemon juice,
1/2 cup olive oil,
1/4 tsp black pepper powder,
1 tsp salt and
Romaine lettuce for garnishing.

Method:
In a small bowl, mix the chopped onion with salt and black pepper powder and keep aside.Rinse the the burgul and drain in a fine strainer to remove excess water and transfer into a large bowl.
Add the finely chopped parsley and finely chopped mint leaves to the bowl, add tomatoes, lemon juice, seasoned onions and olive oil. Season again to taste if necessery.
Place some lettuce leaves on a serving dish/ plate and transfer the salad to this serving dish.
Serve with barbecued meat/chicken or serve on its own :)

Source: From the book 'Middle eastern cookbook' by Maria Khalife

And Hurry!!! Another award from sweet Priyaraj of EnSamiyal and Babli of Khana Masala . They have given me this Scrumptious blog award. Thanks Priya and Babli.

It is the Scrumptious Blog Award -a blog award given to sites who:

Inspire you

Encourage you

May give Fabulous information

A great read

Has Scrumptious recipes

Any other reasons you can think of that make them Scrumptious!

The rules are:

Put the logo on your blog or post.

Nominate at least 7 blogs

Let them know that they have received this Scrumptious award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.
I would like to nominate this award to my following blogger friends:

Ayesha of http://ayshadileen.blogspot.com/
Shab's of http://shabscuisine.blogspot.com/
Yasmeen of http://yasmeen-healthnut.blogspot.com/
Duchess of http://roseteacottage.blogspot.com/
Priyaprashanth of http://recipes-priya.blogspot.com/
Parita of http://paritaskitchen.blogspot.com/
Simran of http://foodiezone.blogspot.com/

Kindly accept this award and pass it to your friends.

Awards

AWARDS

I have received this Butterfly award from Duchess of rose tea cottage. She has the most beautiful blog I have ever come across.Thanks a lot duchess.


And Sangi of Simply delicious and Ayesha of Life today have passed this award to me. Thanks dearies for this Fabulous blog award. It encourages me to do more and better every time.
And I have again been nominated for these 3 awards by Pinky of ESHO BOSHO AAHARE . Thanks Dear Pinky for the awards.

Beetroot and Potato sabzi (gravy)

This is a very quick and easy sabzi with just five ingredients, and tastes yummy with rotis.

BEETROOT AND POTATO SABZI

Ingredients:
3 big beetroots - peeled and cubed,
2 potatoes -peeled and cubed,
1 big onion-chopped,
1 tsp red chilli powder,
1 tbsp oil and
salt to taste

Method:
Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, add the chopped onions and fry till light brown in color. Add the chilli powder, cubed beetroot and potatoes and some salt per taste and mix well. Add 1/2 cup of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 5-10 minutes. Open the pressure cooker and cook further till the water evaporates. Serve hot with rotis.

I am sending this over to Viki's event Side dish for chapathi . I am also sending the below gravies for the same event.

Bangalore Phaal

And Karahi chicken

Haleem

HALEEM
-Haleem is a thick Persian, Pakistani and North Indian dish. Although the dish varies from region to region, it always includes wheat , lentils and meat. (Wiki)
Traditionally Haleem is made with mutton or beef, But I always prefer chicken over mutton. So I always make it with boneless chicken. But I have tasted the traditional mutton Haleem so many times.The best Haleem I have tasted ever was at PAKWAN in Fremont, CA, USA.
And believe me Mutton haleem is more tastier than the chicken haleem, but the latter is healthier. So, here is my way of making haleem. I know its a very long procedure, but its worth it :)

Ingredients:
600 grams of boneless chicken,
1 cup of wheat/ broken wheat,
1/2 cup of chana daal/ gram lentils,
3 tbsp of barley,
1 cup of oil,
1 tbsp garlic paste,
1 big onion,
1-2 tbsp of red chilli powder,
1 tsp of garam masala,
1 tbsp of coriander powder,
a pinch of turmeric powder and
salt to taste.

For garnishing:
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander powder,
1 small piece of ginger- cut into julienne,
2-3 thinly sliced onions,
juice of 1 lemon,
2-3 chopped green chillies (optional) and
Oil for deep frying the onions.

Method:
Soak the wheat, lentils and barley for 1- 1 1/2 hours. Heat 1/2 cup of oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add the garlic paste and fry for 1 minute. Now add the chicken pieces and all the dry spices -chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and garam masala and fry for few minutes. Now add the soaked grains and lentils to the chicken and mix well again. Add 6-7 glass glasses of water and cook on medium heat for 1-2 hours or until the lentils, grains and the chicken is cooked. Meanwhile deep fry the onions for garnishing on low flame until, light brown and crisp.Keep aside.
When its cooked, pass the curry through a sieve with small holes, separate the chicken pieces and shred them finely, blend the grains and lentils in a food processor very coarsely. Make sure not to make it to fine paste.
Now mix together the drained liquid, blended grains and shredded meat and bring to boil. Cook over low heat and cover the pan with a lid, and cook for 20 mins, stirring frequently.
Now fry 1 onion in the remaining 1/2 cup of oil, until light brown and add to the haleem and cook on low flame for another 10 minutes.
Garnish with lemon juice, ginger, chopped coriander leaves, and the fried onions. Serve hot as a side dish or main course.

Fattoush / Mixed vegetable salad

FATTOUSH
Fattoush is a Middle eastern salad made from mixed garden veggies fried / toasted pieces of pita bread. And this recipe is adapted from MIDDLE EASTERN COOKBOOK by Maria Khalife.

Ingredients:
2 small cucumbers-peeled and diced,
4 sliced radishes ,
2 medium tomatoes,
1/2 romaine lettuce,
4 spring onions-cut into small pieces,
1/2 cup chopped parsley,
3 tbsp chopped mint,
1 pitta bread,
1/2 chopped green pepper,
1 clove of garlic,
1/2 tsp salt,
1/3 cup lemon juice and
1/2 cup olive oil.

Method:
Usually the pitta bread is deep fried till brown and crisp, but as I wanted it to be on the healthier side, I toasted the pitta bread in the oven until brown and crispy. Break this toasted pitta bread into small pieces and keep aside. Shred the lettuce into small pieces. In a big bowl, mix in the cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, radishes, spring onion, pepper, parsley and mint.
Make the dressing by crushing the garlic in a small bowl with the salt. Stir in the lemon juice and olive oil. Drizzle this dressing over the salad just beforee serving oil and also add the toasted pitta bread and toss well. Serve.

Tips:Usually sumac is also added to fattoush. But I had to skip it because I didn't have it :(

English Trifle

This was the first time I tried my hands on Trifle, though I have eaten it soo many times. I had never imagined making one at home...But I liked it more than the store brought ones ;)

ENGLISH TRIFLE

Ingredients:
Pound cake/ trifle sponge,
2-3 tbsp strawberry jam,
16 oz whipped cream,
400 g of fresh strawberries,
1 tsp sugar,
1 cup water and
1/2 tsp vanilla extract.

For Custard:
1 1/2 cup sugar,
1/4 cup sugar,
2 tbsp cornstarch,
2 egg yolks and
1 tsp vanilla extract.

Method:
For the custard,in a bowl incorporate the sugar, cornstarch and beaten egg yolks with some milk to make a smooth paste without lumps. In a saucepan bring the remaining milk to boil, remove the milk away from heat and add the above paste to it very slowly, incorporating it with the milk. Return the saucepan and cook over very low heat until the mixture thickens, add vanilla extract. Keep aside to cool until ready to use.
Cut some strawberries into halves and add 2-3 tbsp of sugar to it and refrigerate for 30 minutes until ready to use.
Traditionally sherry is sprinkled on the trifle sponge to make it moist. But..as I don't use it, I made a syrup by mixing 1 tsp of sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract with 1 cup of water.Mix well till sugar dissolves and keep aside.
Cut the trifle sponge /pound cake into slices and place them on the base of a glass bowl. Now sprinkle some vanilla syrup on them and spread the strawberry jam on the slices. Now arrange and with the refrigerated strawberries .Pour custard on these strawberries and finally spread a layer of whipped cream. Garnish with whipped cream and some fresh strawberries.

The trifle can also be arranged in single serving bowls like in the picture on the right side :)






This is my entry for Simran's AWED- Britain started by DK of Chef In You.