Fat-Egg-Sugarless Fruity coffee n rose flavored cake - Anyone Bake Cute Dessert 1

Just taken out from the microwave

For dessert lovers who crave for it but control their taste-buds & those who don't care and eventually face hell lot of health issues. It's high time that everyone can enjoy easy, money & time-saving dessert, food for day on basis to utilize what usually we get in our fridges & kitchens. Anyone can bake is the motto here.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins & set for 15 mins in room temp

Ingredients (usually serves 6 heads):
Milk, any boiled, 1 & 1/2 cup
1 & 1/2 cup rawa/soozi/ semolina
1 cup refined flour to bind
1 tbsp Baking powder
2 tbsp dry fruits, soaked & blanched (if needed)
Sweet, little tangy fresh fruit(s) cut lengthwise in thin slices (I've orange zest in store too)
Few drops of any essence even if you don't have vanilla or it might got over
1 tbsp instant coffee

Method:
Mix all the ingredients except for dry fruits & fruit slices w/o making or leaving any lump. When it creates a creamy texture just add rest of the ingredients keeping few for garnishing. Smear oil in the microwave-proof dish or use slippery hardened plastic for microwave. Pour the batter & set time for 5-7 mins, depends on the microwave one uses. Pause after 2 mins & place fruit slices, dry fruits then restart. At the end wait for couple of minutes & check with a fork or better a sharp stick for weaving or fine bamboo stick to check if it's well cooked. If so then the stick will come out clean.

Let it cool to enjoy the deliciously healthy dessert at anytime you or anyone wishes. Remember to share your valuable inputs, experiences. Happy Baking on the go !!!

Chicken sans oil

Even skinless chicken has minimum amount of fat in it. One can cook it without oil & turn into finger-licking dishes.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Chicken chunks 450-650 gms (preferred boneless or breasts)

Diced vegetables about 2 cups like variety of bell-peppers, tomato, onion, broccoli

Capsicum-onion-papaya-ginger-garlic-green chili paste & thick curd about 1 cup each

Turmeric, black pepper powder & salt to taste.

Method:

Marinate the washed chicken chunks in the paste & turmeric, black pepper powder, salt for 2-8 hours. Microwave or cook covered all the ingredients in medium flame till tender. Garnish with spice mix powder & anything you like.

Lemony chicken

It’s a fusion dish. Not the authentic Lemon chicken recipe. Follow it if it sounds yummy or try out new variations.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Chicken or boneless fish chunks 500-700 gms

Corn-flour 2 tbsp, egg white & oil for shallow frying

Diced crunchy vegetables including onion

Lemon juice about 3 tbsp & lemon zest

Turmeric, cumin, coriander powder, black pepper – 1 tsp each

Red dry chilies, crushed whole spices for tempering.

Method:

Smear turmeric powder & salt on the washed chicken. Now beat corn-flour & egg white in creamy consistency without any lump. Coat the chicken pieces & fry in a deep wok. Throw in red chilies & whole spices. Add the vegetables gradually. After mixing the spice powder, add lemon zest & salt to taste. Let it cook covered in medium flame. Finally pour lemon juice with corn-flour batter & some water depending on how much gravy you need. Garnish it however you wish to present.

Nutty-Honey glazed Hot n Sweet chicken

Again here’s a No oil dish. It can be a very delectable dish depending on how one prepares & present. I usually use whatever ingredients I have in our store. While targeting some occasion we can try few variations with boneless fish chunks, lamb or mutton by adjusting other ingredients & cooking time.

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 20-25 mins

Ingredients:

Chicken 500-700 gms (preferred boneless), tomato diced, curry leaves, choicest nuts washed n blanched, honey 2 tbsp.

Paste onion-green chilies 1 cup, ginger-garlic 1 tbsp, hung curd 1 cup, turmeric-pepper powder, salt for marination.

Method:

Wash & marinate the chicken with the ingredients for few hours to overnight.

Put rest of the ingredients except honey & microwave or cook in medium flame while covered. Add honey & cook on high flame for 5 minutes. Garnish with few left out nuts, fresh fruits & leave covered for 15 mins on standby. Enjoy it as you like. This is very handy when someone has less time to cook but can plan it beforehand.

Before & after cooking

Mugh sabziwale – Chicken with vegetables (Least oil)

This dish is particularly aiming for those who want less oily food to almost no oil. Those who dislikes vegetables or even won't eat potatoes can gorge it down without fuss. It can be cooked almost in all the mediums. 

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Marinate for 7-8 hours or max 24 hours

Chicken 500-700 gms cut into medium chunks

Ginger-garlic paste 2 tbsp

Hung or thick curd less than a cup

Raw papaya grated about 2 cups

Grated or onion paste about 1 cup

Green chili paste about 2-3 tbsp (deseeded)

Kashmiri chili powder 1 tsp

Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin paste/powder – 1 tsp each

Salt to taste.

Bay leaves 2; Red dry chillies 2 for tempering;

Whole spices crushed – few black pepper, green cardamoms, cloves, 1” cinnamon;

Mix of crunchy vegetables about 2-3 cups cut into julienne or bite size pieces

Tomato cut into chunks

1 tbsp oil

Any herb or curry leaves (optional).

Method:

Wash the chicken pieces & marinate with all the ingredients as long as you can.

Heat a thick bottomed pan or wok. Pour oil & let the whole spices start spluttering. Add the marinated chicken pieces only & let it cook for few mins while covered in medium flame throughout the cooking. Once it leaves ample juice then add the vegetables one after another & mix slightly. After 10 mins turn the chicken & add tomatoes, herbs if using. After 10 mins add left out marination & cook for some time till you get the consistency you wish. Or, microwave it in lower power till the chicken leaves bone.

Serve it with garnishing of your choice like whipped cream/hung curd, pomegranate seeds to poached egg. Use garam masala/spice mix powder. Relish it with hot rice, breads of your choice in any season and never forget to share your experiences and/queries, if any.

Milky Prawns in Coconut bed

This dish is for foodies without or less restriction on their taste-buds. It’s aromatic and combines few flavours & blend them pretty well turning it into a savory item. There was no particular recipe for this since I prepared it based on my instincts as well as personalized touches.

Cooking time: 30 mins including preparation

Ingredients:

Tiger prawns – 500 gms with shell which needed to be cleaned (Keep the shell on body intact if it has eggs – yellow)

Onions – 3 medium or 2 large into paste

Garlic – 2-3 cloves into paste

Green chilies – 5-7 or as per taste

Coconut desiccated – 1 cup into paste

Milk – 1 cup

Water – 1 cup or little more for gravy

Turmeric, Cumin & Coriander powder – 1 tsp each

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp; 2 Bay leaves; 2 dry red chilies; 3 Cardamoms, 3-4 Cloves, 6-8 Black pepper, 1” Cinnamon stick all coarsely crushed for tempering

Tomato – 1 cut into small pieces (optional)

Oil or ghee – 2 tbsp

Kashmiri red chili powder, Black pepper powder – 1 tsp each

Spicemix or garam masala powder – ½ tsp

Salt to taste.

Preparation:

Keep the prawns marinated in salt, turmeric & onion, garlic, green chili paste’s juice. Heat oil or ghee in a thick bottomed pan or wok. Throw in the ingredients for tempering one after another. Pour the paste in lowering the flame when aroma fills the room but without burning the ingredients. Saute the paste and add tomato pieces, if using it along with powdered spices. Once the tomatoes are tender just add coconut paste, prawns then milk with gap of a minute or two. Now add some water for required gravy, salt to taste, black pepper & Kashmiri red chili powder. Let it boil in the lowest simmer. Just when it starts leaving a distinct aroma of coconut, prawns & the spices add the spicemix or garam masala. Garnish with slit chilies, desiccated coconut, whipped cream (if no bar on cholesterol), fresh coriander leaves or as per your choice.

Tip: Tomatoes leaves distinct flavor so I opted out while using ghee & so many spices especially I wanted this dish to stand out among other Prawn dishes using coconut or coconut milk. Serve it with hot rice or fresh pulkas, paranthas or even loaves of your choice. Remember not to use too much turmeric powder & boiling with tomatoes may curdle the milk. Unleash your creativity in the kitchen too & win everyone’s heart at ease. Your ideas & experiences are always welcome.

Chicken Manpasand - Chicken in roasted onion-tomato-curry leaves

Before & after putting into microwave.

I prefer to follow my instinct while creating or making anything. And, I believe that culinary is an art in itself. Here goes a succulent dish made with lot of care, patience, knowledge of basic cooking along with the main ingredients. One can enjoy this as side dish during main course or as a starter with little variations. Since my motto for this to keep all the aroma & flavors distinct yet bit subtle thus not overpowering our senses while savouring it any time.

Preparation time: 7-8 hours for marination & refrigeration.
Cooking time: 20-25 mins in microwave & 30 mins in medium flame.

Ingredients - for 4 servings:
Chicken cut in chunks about 600-700 gms
Ginger-Garlic paste 1 tbsp each or little more to smear each piece profoundly
Thick or hung curd about 1 cup
Lemon juice 1 tbsp (omit it if you want the chicken sweeter)
Cumin, Coriander powder 1 tbsp each & turmeric 1 tsp for marination and another for cooking
Green chilies 10 pasted but deseeded & 2 slitted for garnishing
Medium onions 5-6 grated (Use lesser quantity if you want it to be tasted hotter & on dry side)
Black pepper powder about 1 tbsp
Tomato medium 1 cut into lengthwise slices & keep 2 slices for garnishing
Curry leaves 2 whole sprigs & keep aside 1 tbsp new leaves for garnishing
Whole garam masala or 3-4 green cardamoms, 8-10 black peppers, 1" cinnamon stick all crushed, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 dry red chilies & 1 Bay leaf for tempering.
Oil or ghee 2 tbsp for cooking
Salt to taste for marination as well as cooking
Garam masala or spicemix powder 1 tsp for garnishing

Preparation:
Marinate the properly washed & drained chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, lemon juice, cumin & coriander powder and keep aside for an hour. Then smear the hung curd & little salt to the pieces and put for refrigeration for about 7 hrs or overnight.

Cooking:
Put whole spices, bay leaf, dry red chilies then cumin seeds, curry leaves into heated oil or ghee in a pan or thick bottomed wok. Now saute the grated onions minus its juice initially & green chili paste. Once the onion is roasted well into light brown then add tomatoes. Sprinkle salt, black peeper powder & mix evenly utilizing onion juice. On lowest flame let it dry while covering with a lid & stirring often.
If you cook the chicken in the microwave then cover the bowl's surface with cooked onion & place the marinated chicken kept outside for 30 mins then put rest of the onion-tomato-curry leaves on it. In full power cook for 20-25 mins depending on the quantity. Now sprinkle garam masala or spicemix powder, other ingredients for garnishing & again cover it for another 30 mins.

Mix well & ready to serve with rice, breads, Indian breads etc. Be it in slight gravy or dry as starter the chicken will melt in your mouth. Hope you relish it & share your experiences, suggestions.

Tip: Use 1/2-1 cup water if you want more gravy.

Aromatic Kadhi - Indian dish in gravy

Aromatic Kadhi

An Indian dish prepared with basic ingredients such as curd and the Bengal gram flour. A specialty during scorching summer days both for the taste buds & gastro-entero factors to soothe your body. Its enriching aroma will please your senses any time.

Cooking time: 10-15 mins to serve for 4 adults

Ingredients:
250gm of sour curd;
2 cups of Bengal gram flour;
1 tablespoon of Mustard/Olive/White oil for the whole spices & separate oil for deep-frying, optional;
1/4 tsp each or 1 tsp of mixed cumin, coriander, fenugreek & fennel seeds;
1 dry red chili & 2 green chilies chopped;
1" cinnamon stick;
2 cloves of green cardamom;
1 tsp of dry ginger powder or 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger;
Curry leaves;
1 tsp turmeric powder;
Salt to taste;
Adequate or say at least 1 lt water;
A deep wok for cooking & frying spoon.

Preparation:
If you are fine with added calories then fry some crispy 'pakoras' mixing 1 cup of gram flour, 1/2 cup of curd, some chopped chilies, salt to taste & water to make a thick paste. Deep-fry the batter in small portions turning them into golden brown balls in medium flame.
Now, leave just about 1 tbsp of oil to swallow fry the spices together adding the ginger & turmeric powder at the end. Cover it up for few seconds & the room fills up with nice aroma and crackling sound. Meanwhile, make a runny paste of the remaining gram flour, curd & water. Add it to the spices while stirring not to create any lump. Add salt to taste & water, if required. Bring it to boil stirring frequently thus no lump forms & add the prepared 'pakoras' if you meant so. It thickens quickly so you may need to add more water, in case you like a little runny kadhi. However, never ever reheat it so better you prepare only as much as you'll require. Serve it with rice or Indian bread or rotis.

Try it at home as you may please & share your experience, ideas or questions, if you get any.

Tip: You can keep pakoras pre-ready & heat them up in microwave before adding to the kadhi. Also, serve it with piping hot rice thus no need of reheating but consume on the very same day.