Banana Pancakes : -

Banana is my favourite fruit to cook with. The taste of the ripe banana is very subtle yet the flavour and the aroma it emits on being cooked or baked is strong, fruity and sweet. Banana pancakes are my favourite because they can be made almost any time and with the least amount of preparation and it comes out very tasty and filling. Further banana pancakes can be made and are absolutely delicious when made even with whole wheat bread and so a healthier option as against using all purpose flour or maida.
Banana pancakes can also be made with eggs but what I made today has very few ingredients but is yet very filling and delicious.

Oh ! and I used my favourite orange measuring cups for measuring all the ingredients this time. Here is the recipe.

Banana Pancakes : -
Whole wheat flour ¾ cup
White sugar ¼ cup
Brown sugar 1 tsp
Refined oil 1tsp
Cinnamon powder ½ tsp
Milk ¾ cup
Banana 1
Butter as needed
Honey as needed

• Mix the dry ingredients and sieve them 2-3 times.

• Now mix in the refined oil and mix till a bit crumbly.

• Mix in the milk and mix well. You can use more milk to make the consistency more liquidly. I like the mix a bit thick but it does taste equally well when drippy.

• Mix in the chopped bananas.
• Heat the skillet once heated pour in the mix and cook. The mix will start bubbling in about 30 seconds. Let cook for about 1 ½ minutes. Then turn and cook the other side for about a minute.

• Take off and pat on some butter and a bit of honey and enjoy them warm.

Colourful Salad : -

Dinner tonight had to be something nutritious and tasty. So, what better than a bowl of health, tasty salad. With all the colours that are recommended to be used being available I just couldn’t help myself. So here is the recipe and yes you can mix and match all the ingredients to your taste.

Colourful Salad : -
Carrots 3-4
Green Bell Pepper/Capsicum 1
Red Bell pepper 1
Yellow Bell Pepper 1
Tomato 1
Cucumber 1
Onion 1
Shredded cabbage ½ cup
Fresh green peas ¼ cup
Salt to taste.
Black pepper freshly grounded.
Honey 2 tbsps
Salad dressing 2tbsps

• Mix in all the ingredients in a big bowl and give it a good mix. Taste to check if something is needed. Cover and refrigerate for ½ hour. Serve cold.

Carrot cake : -

I made the most amazing, moist and tasty carrot cake that I have ever made and trust me ever since I was introduced to the concept of a carrot cake I have made quite a few variations. But this one just took the crowd with all the ingredients that give it the moist feel, the pineapple and the crunch of the coconut. Delicious. I took the recipe from one of my favourite blogger Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes. Just go to
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/carrot_cake/
and get all the amazing pictures and the complete recipe there. I did not have sweetened coconut so I did increase the quantity of sugar by half a cup and the taste came out perfect. I also did not do the cream cheese frosting. But it just tasted heavenly without it. So go ahead and give it a try.
Enjoy ! ! !

Mutton Kebab : -

The last month has been a very busy and festive week with Durga Puja and Diwali falling just 20 days apart of each other there has been no time to breath easy. And even thought I have been in the kitchen often on there has been no time to document my experiments and recipes. For that matter I don’t even have many decent photographs to post but do promise to update when I do remake the recipes.
Durga Puja was at the end of last month and was all full of fun and laughter and worship. The amazing platter of food that is available during this festive season is very inspiring. This lead me to make one of my mother’s most loved recipes. It does take sometime to make but it does come out absolutely delicious.

Mutton Kebab : -

Group A

Mutton 1kg
Bengal Gram / Channa Dal 300 gms
Onions 500gms
Garlic cloves 50 gms
Ginger 40 gms
Coriander seeds 2 tsps
Cumin seeds 2 tsps
Black pepper 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Mace 1 leaf
Nutmeg ½
Water 1 ½ cups

Group B

Green cardamom 8
Cloves 8
Balck cardamom 8
Cinnamon 2 sticks
Cumin powder 2 tsps

Group C

Coriander leaves 100 gms
Green chilli’s 3 (finely chopped)
Egg white 1 egg
Bread crumbs ½ cup
Whole wheat flour 2 tbsps

• Put in all the ingredients of Group A and pressure cook on high steam till one pressure is released and then turn take to low steam and let another pressure release.

• Take of the burner and let cool.
• In the mean time take all the ingredients of Group B and grind them well. Use a bit of water to make a smooth paste.
• Then put in the mix into the food processor and pulse till grainy. Just add a bit of water at this point and pulse till smooth.

• Now put the mix into a thick bottomed vessel and set to dry on the gas burner. When the mix is almost dry put in the Group B paste mix and cook till the mix leaves the pan. This is best done in a non-stick cookware as the mix does tend to stick. It is also very important to monitor the mix continuously.
• When done take off and mix in the chopped coriander leaves, green chillies and egg whites.
• Now make about 1 inch balls and press to flatten to make around 2 inch coins.
• Mix the bread crumbs and whole wheat flour and roll the kebabs in them and shallow fry. First heat a non-stick flat pan and let the kebabs cook oil free and then pour the clarified butter over the kebabs and let cook.
• This has to be done on low heat and a batch will take around 10-15 minutes to get completely done.
• Serve warm with mustard sauce, thinly chopped onions dipped in vinegar and tomato sauce.
• Makes around 40 – 45 pieces.

Enjoy ! ! !

My Travelog and the Romance with Food : -

Last weekend we went for a small trip to McLeod Gunj.It is situated in the hills of Himachal Pradesh and is the place of exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Dharamshala is situated on the plateau and is the small town that connects one to McLeod Gunj. A journey of about 9 kms by road or a steeper climb of 4 kms on foot gets one to McLeod Gunj. On entering McLeod Gunj one reaches the town square from which roads lead of in different direction with market on them.




The road to the extreme right leads straight to the Namgayal Monastery. On the way are shops selling many different items from purses to Tibetan art work to local things. What one can also find there is authentic Tibetan food which is a joy to the eyes and the taste buds the same.
The Tibetan momos, phinsha and rice or tigmoy(bread) is a whole some and tasty meal. We ended up having our meal at the Memory Restaurant which was found after some hunting and tried on recommendation of a resident. I was unable to take any pictures as we were famished by the time we ate and all the food got devoid the second it arrived. But I do promise to make some and then post the recipe and the pictures of the same.



Then just a few steps up the road we came to a small bakery, the Tibet bakery and Laundry where we tasted the ‘Tibet Special’ and the ‘Himalayan bar’. Both with pie crust base but different filling. They were extremely heavy but, Oh so yummy! Just one Tibet special, with a cup of milk or coffee is good enough to make a good breakfast. Oh! I did get the recipe so that is on my list to be made soon.
The second day visit was to the Norbulingka Institute and Temple. The institute specialises in all kinds of Tibetan art forms. Wood craft in the form of wooden boxes to many small and unique things, clothes, bed sheets, cushion cover etc. made of pure raw silk.






The third day we again visited the Norbulingka Institute for the food one gets at the café there. Even thought one would get only vegetarian food, the food is wholesome and mouth watering. The Tibetan Pasta, Fried Rice and Veg Momo’s were a very filling combination and the cherry on the pie was the carrot cake that came after. We enjoyed a good lunch in the garden and it was a memorable experience. After a wholesome meal we lazily headed towards the Kangra Fort. Built in the Kangra valley it is a treat to the eyes.

Cinnamon Buns : -

I have been going throw the net and have been reading may delicious and exciting bread recipes but had not yet got myself into baking one. Just the wait of 4-5 hours for the process to actually complete was always a bit discouraging. But then came along cinnamon bun, which Nicole had made on her blog www.pinchmysalt.com and I just couldn’t wait to make it. I was completely inspired by the cinnamon sugar and the way the bun looked soooo yummy …..
Thanks Nicole, you did turn me into a bread baker at last. Come join me on my quest …

Cinnamon Buns :-

Whole milk 1 cup
Butter 3tbsps
Flour 3 ½ cups
Sugar ½ cup
Egg 1 large
Rapid rise yeast 2 ¼ tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Butter for coating

Filling :-

Golden brown sugar ¾ cup
Ground cinnamon 1tbsp
Butter 2tbsps

· Mix the butter and whole milk and heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds or on burner till just a bit warm.
· In a bowl mix all the other dry ingredients and sieve thrice to get ride of any big particles.

· Now put the milk and butter mix in your food processor or stand mixer and slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Mix till the dough starts leaving the sides, about 2-3 minutes.
· Then mix it for a further 3-4 minutes till the dough becomes soft and elastic. You can also turn out the dough from the processor once it starts leaving the sides and knead it with your hand.

·

Take out the ball into a bowl and cover with butter. Cover with a plastic wrap then a kitchen towel and let it stand for 2 hours or till double the size. My dough almost tripled in the two hours and I will have to put it in a larger bowl next time.

· Flour a work space and punch the dough down and then roll into a 15” X 11” rectangle. Mine wasn’t even close to a rectangle …

· First line the sides, about ½ “ thick with butter. Now mix the cinnamon and sugar and spread it evenly over the bread covering almost to the sides. I had left the edged bare and had two buns with no cinnamon sugar in them.



· Now make a log and cut out the buns. It should yield 18 buns ideally. I only got around 15.

· Now put them in a baking sheet or dish and cover with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let rest for another 40-45 minutes.
· The buns will grow in size a bit.

· Now bake for 20 minutes for a batch of 7-8.

· My second batch came out more browned than the first but I loved them both.

· These buns can be simply enjoyed with butter and a cup of tea.

Enjoy ! ! !

Pepper Chicken

Sunday at last, and I have been craving to make a good taste dish. Then I remembered my favourite, Oh! our favourite chicken dish. Simple and taste, it is the best for one of those days when you are craving to get inside the kitchen but the heat gets the better of you. I know I have been talking about the heat a lot off late but I just can’t seem to get over it. Well God did hear my prayers and it has been raining of and on so life is much better.
Pepper chicken is one of the simplest a most delicious recipes I have come across. So here it comes…

Pepper Chicken: -

Chicken 500gms
Black pepper 2tbsps
White pepper 1tbsp
Ginger paste 1tsp
Garlic paste 1tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 3-5tbsps
Water ½ cup
Lemon juice 2tbsps

· Marinade the chicken with black pepper, white pepper, ginger paste, garlic paste and salt for 1 hour.
· Heat oil in a deep-bottomed pan and put in the marinated chicken. Fry for sometime and then cover and cook for 15-20 minutes.

· When the chicken is cooked pour in the oil and check the salt. Boil the chicken till the water is half dry.
· Now pour in the lemon juice and give it a boil and switch off.

Your chicken is ready to be eaten. Best served with bread or rumali roti.

Enjoy ! ! !

Zucchini Noodles : -

I tried making something different today. As I had said earlier, I thought I would try to eat a little health. It didn’t really come out to be that health as I had to use flour noodles but the rest of it was health and oh so yummy. Looking at the recipe had me a little worried about the flavour but it came out so perfect and with just those few things. I did change the recipe a bit as I didn’t have all the ingredients but it still came out well and quickly.
I used two zucchinis as the recipe called for but I could actually do with adding another one. The flavour does get enhanced. And the olive oil is the one that really renders that tangy flavour. The recipe come from one of my favorite blogs www.teaandcookies.blogspot.com you must give her blog a visit for everything nice and new on food and life.

Zucchini Noodles: -

Noodles boiled the usual way
Zucchini 2-3
Chilli flakes to taste
Oregano to taste
Basil fresh 3 cups or you can use dry basil as I did
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Olive oil 1 tsp
Grated Cheese 1 cube

· Boil the noodles just right. Chop up the zucchini really thin. This can be done by hand; I used my new nice dicer. Nice fine sticks. Boil the zucchini for about 2 minutes in the microwave or just toss them into boiled water for 5 minutes. Toss in all the ingredients in and give it a good toss about. Now add the cheese and mix once more.

· Eat immediately, warm and filling.
· You can combine it with some garlic bread on the side or it can be eaten alone.

Enjoy ! ! !

Busy Day Cake : -

So Monday was a busy day. Even though I was at home it was far busier than a day in office. With the water lines getting fixed and people walking in and out the whole day I was busy and thus when it was almost evening I decided to reward myself with a busy day cake. Oh yes, it is exactly what I said, simple to make and gets mixed in a few minute with nothing more to put in other than what is easily available at home.
It was taken from one of my favourite blogs http://orangette.blogspot.com/2009/04/about-cake.html
It did come out a little dry but that could be because I over baked it a bit, 2-3 minutes is my guess. Give it a try on one of those busy days when your craving for a cake but just don’t have the energy for all the effort.

Busy Day Cake: -

Butter ½ cup
Sugar 1-¼ cups
Eggs 3 large
Vanilla essence 2 tsp
All purpose flour 1 cup
Wheat flour 1 cup
Baking powder 2 tsps
Salt ¼ tsp
Grated nutmeg ¼ – ½ tsp or more to taste
Whole milk/ plain yoghurt ½ cup

· Preheat oven at 190 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9 inches baking dish with cooking oil and set aside.
· Mix all the dry ingredients except the sugar and sieve them thrice so that no thick particles remain.
· Beat the butter and sugar by hand or in your food processor till light and fluffy.
· Add in one egg at a time and give it a good mix. Now add in the vanilla essence.
· Now mix in ¼th of the dry ingredients, and then mix in 1/3rd of the milk. Repeat till all ingredients are incorporated.
· Pour into the baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and then take out.
· As Molly says this is one of those cakes that you just eat with hand.

Enjoy ! ! !

Mutton Curry

Happy Independence Day !!
So today is the day to relax and unwind and also to celebrate. What better way to celebrate than to cook something nice and India. The mutton curry I made to day is a favorite with every Bengali household and taste best with rice and eaten with hand. Trust me on this. It has this very subtle flavour which is not too spicy and nither is it bland. Accompanied by some raita and onions this is a perfect afternoon meal on a day like this. It has been raining cats and dogs in Delhi. What a relief. And the beautiful rainbow that deciede to come out in the evening was the icing on the cake ….

Mutton Curry : -

Mutton 1/2 kg
Curd 6-8tbsps
Onions 2 medium
Garlic paste 1 tsp
Ginger paste 1 tsp
Corriander powder 2tsps
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt to taste
Cloves 6
Green cardamom 6
Cinnamon 1/2 inch stick
Black pepper 10-12
Dry red chilli 2 broken
Bay leaf 2
Sugar 1/2 – 1 tsp (optional)
Potatoes 2-3 medium
Oil 3 tbsps
Ghee 3 tbsps

Wash the mutton well and remove all the fat. Now marinade for 1-2 hours in curd, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, corriander powder, ginger paste and garlic paste.

Roughly grind the cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper. Now heat a deep bottomed sauce pan or a pressure cooker and heat the oil and ghee. Once heated put in the sugar and let it caramelise. Now put in all the grinded spices along with the dry red chilli and bay leaf. Let the spices crackle, about 30 seconds.


Then put in the onion paste and fry till golden brown.

Put in the marinaded mutton and the potatoes and let cook covered for 20-30 minutes. You will know it is done when you see oil coming out of the mutton.


Now pressure cook on high till one pressure is released then cook on low heat till the second pressure is released. This can also be cook in the microwave on high for 10-15 minutes or till the mutton is tender. But the taste may differ.

Serve hot with rice, raita and thinly sliced onions.

Enjoy ! ! !