Ria's Collection: April 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

My first ever Daring Baker's Challenge - Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake-Time to get creative!




Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.... It's my first ever Daring Baker's Challenge!! Ahhh feels so good!! I am wondering why on earth did I not join this long back! Anyways I am happy that I finally did! :)
Thank you Lis & Ivonne for coming up with such a brilliant idea :) DB rocks!!!! And thank you sooo much Jenny for coming up with this melt-in- the -mouth recipe!Thanks Abbey!!

The challenge is to how we play with the basic recipe and make it a showstopper which includes a topping too! I thought i'll take it slow and so stayed very close to the basic recipe and gave a simple topping using my mom's grape syrup.

The only thing which made me pause for a while is that we don't get cream cheese here. But being a Daring Baker I chose not to be panicky but to get going! Voila! I made my own cream cheese! It was beautiful!!!


The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.


Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

Crust:
2 cups / 180 g graham cracker crumbs
1 stick / 4 oz butter, melted
2 tbsp. / 24 g sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract


Cheesecake:
3 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each (total of 24 oz) room temperature [I made my own...recipe follows]
1 cup / 210 g sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup / 8 oz heavy cream
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. vanilla extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)
1 tbsp liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake



DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (Gas Mark 4 = 180C = Moderate heat). Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.


2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Set crust aside.


3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.


4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with foil before adding water.


5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.


Pan note: The creator of this recipe used to use a springform pan, but no matter how well she wrapped the thing in tin foil, water would always seep in and make the crust soggy. Now she uses one of those 1-use foil "casserole" shaped pans from the grocery store. They're 8 or 9 inches wide and really deep, and best of all, water-tight. When it comes time to serve, just cut the foil away.


Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!


Some variations from the recipe creator:


** Lavender-scented cheesecake w/ blueberries - heat the cup of heavy cream in the microwave or a saucepan until hot but not boiling. Add 2 tbsp of lavender flowers and stir. Let lavender steep in the cream for about 10-15 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Add strained cream to cheesecake batter as normal. Top with fresh blueberries, or make a quick stovetop blueberry sauce (splash of orange juice, blueberries, a little bit of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon - cook until berries burst, then cool)


** Cafe au lait cheesecake with caramel - take 1/4 cup of the heavy cream and heat it in the microwave for a short amount of time until very hot. Add 1-2 tbsp. instant espresso or instant coffee; stir to dissolve. Add this to the remainder of cream and use as normal. Top cheesecake with homemade caramel sauce (I usually find one on the food network website - just make sure it has heavy cream in it. You can use store-bought in a pinch, but the flavor is just not the same since its usually just sugar and corn syrup with no dairy).


** Tropical – add about a half cup of chopped macadamias to the crust, then top the cake with a mango-raspberry-mandarin orange puree.


** Mexican Turtle - add a bar of melted dark chocolate (between 3 and 5 oz., to taste) to the batter, along with a teaspoon of cinnamon and a dash of cayenne pepper (about 1/8 tsp.). Top it with pecan halves and a homemade caramel sauce.


** Honey-cinnamon with port-pomegranate poached pears – replace 1/2 cup of the sugar with 1/2 cup of honey, add about a teaspoon or more (to taste) of cinnamon. Take 2 pears (any variety you like or whatever is in season), peeled and cored, and poach them in a boiling poaching liquid of port wine, pomegranate juice/seeds, a couple of "coins" of fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick, and about a 1/4 cup of sugar. Poach them until tender, then let cool. Strain the poaching liquid and simmer until reduced to a syrupy-glaze consistency, then cool. Thinly slice the cooled pears and fan them out atop the cooled cheesecake. Pour the cooled poaching syrup over the pears, then sprinkle the top with chopped walnuts and fresh pomegranate seeds.


Some variations from Jenny (from JennyBakes):


**Key lime - add zest from one lime to sugar before mixing with cream cheese. Substitute lemon juice, alcohol, and vanilla with key lime juice.


**Cheesecakelets - put in muffin tins, ramekins, or custard cups. Try baking 20-35 minutes, or until still a little jiggly, and cool as before.


Recipe for Homemade Cream Cheese:


Milk- 2 litres


Citric Acid- 1 1/2 tsp


Water- 1/4 cup


Method:



  • Heat the milk. Once it starts to boil, add citric acid diluted in 1/4 cup of water.

  • Stir slowly. You can see clearly the cheese forming.

  • Strain the mixture using a cheesecloth. The whey can be used instead of water for mixing doughs, for gravies etc.

  • Hang the cheese for 15 minutes. Do not squeeze the water out.Blend it using a blender to get a smooth cream cheese.
Grape flavour topping:

Grape syrup- 1/2 cup [ you can use any flavour]
Water - 1 cup [depends on how sweet the syrup is]
Gelatin - 1 tbsp

Mix grape syrup and water. Sprinkle gelatin over it. Let the gelatin swell up.
Heat the mixture till gelatin melts. Cool slightly and pour over the cheesecake.
Leave it in the fridge to set.

Oh! My topping couldn't bear the heat anymore!!


I served it as squares rather than the usual triangles.


This was huge hit at home! I mean who can resist such a creamy, soft yummilicious cheesecake!! Will definately make it again!!


-Ria

Black Forest Gateau


From the time I was a lil girl....this cake used to fascinate me... different layers and red cherries in between them ... memories of me staring at the black beauty :)
So finally after drooling over all the posts in the blog world I finally decided to make my own! :)
I made it in 2 days because of time constraint due to which my bro was literally drooling for 2 days!! :D
The only thing he asked me these 2 days were 'Is the cake ready?' In the beginning it was fine... later I was getting a bit irritated.. told him 'I will GIVE you!!! ' :P He just cannot resist anything baked :D

Black Forest Cherry Gateau:

Sponge:
Recipe adapted from Passionateaboutbaking

Eggs-6 (300g)
Powdered sugar-150g
Flour-125g
Cocoa-3tbsp
Cornflour-2tbsp ( makes the cake light)
Baking powder-1tsp
Salt- a pinch
Vanilla essence-1tsp

Method:
Pre heat oven to 190 C, reduce to 180 C 10 minutes after the cake is put in.
Sift flour,cocoa, baking powder,salt,cornflour thrice.
Beat eggs & sugar well with a beater till very thick ribbon falls & holds in place for 5 mins (approx 10 mins)
Add essence & beat for a minute.
Gently fold in the sifted flour,mix lightly and bake for 30-35 mins till done.
Once done, remove from tin after 5 minutes and leave on a rack to cool completely. Cut into 2-3 layers.

Filling:
My own recipe
Whipping cream-400 ml ( reserve half for the outside)
Powdered sugar- 3 tbsp
Cherries- 150 g (reserve50 g for garnishing)
Sugar-4 tablespoon
Water-1 1/4 cup
Rum- 1-2 tbsp

Whip the cream to peaks using 3 tbsp sugar. Reserve half for the outside.
Boil water, add sugar& cherries and let it cook for 6-7 mins. Remove from heat.
When slightly cool, add rum.
Drain, reserve the syrup.
Reserve a few as whole cherries for garnishing and slice the remaining.

Assembly:
Place the first layer of cake in the plate you wish to serve, sprinkle the reserved syrup.
Spread a thin layer of cream and sprinkle few sliced cherries on it.
Continue till the last layer is done.
Finally spread the remaining cream on top and on sides.
Grate/shave chocolate and arrange it as seen in the picture.
Dot the top with cherries

After assembly,leave the cake inside the fridge for the flavours to mature.
Serve chilled.
I'm sending this entry to Poornima's event -For the love of chocolate

Verdict- Super light and moist. Wonderful flavours! Will definately make it over and over again! :)

-Ria

Black Forest Cake on Foodista

Friday, April 24, 2009

A Tribute to the 60's ~* Pineapple Upside Down Cake*~

One of the fruits I love the most is Pineapple! I love anything with a hint of pineapple in it :D On the contrary Amma( that's what I call my mom ) hates it :( So she usually stays away from anything made from it!

But for a change she did try this ! Maybe because I was behind her holding the cake in one hand with a ' sad doggie face' making sure she would atleast taste it ...and she did! "Mmmmm yummy" came her instant reply ! :D I'm on cloud 9!!:D

No matter how much I tried to market the cake with my bro.. it just din't work (I guess my marketing skills [ read it as dramatics] interest the elderly and definately not the teens!! :D ) He happily peels the slice of pineapple away and eats the cake beneath it! :(
But I just say that this one of the most moist cake I have ever had![Must mention that I have tried various other versions but this one simply is great!!!] It's very soft and light! Love it! Appan (that's what I call my Dad ) has no issues with anything! As long as it tastes good he happily eats it! :)

Took a big piece to my office and Zaappp!!! The cake was history! :D Infact many have placed an order with me :)

I have made atleast some 8 batches of it in a matter of 2 weeks! It was a MEGA hit! Defiantely !! I mean who cannot have a hit when it's Nigella!! :)



Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson

Ingredients
2 x 15ml tablespoons sugar
6 slices pineapple from a 425g can, plus 3 x 15ml tablespoons of the juice
11 glacé cherries, approx. 75g total weight
100g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g soft butter
100g caster sugar
2 eggs

Butter for greasing


Method:


1.Preheat the oven to 200°C. Butter a tarte Tatin tin (24cm wide at the top and 20cm diameter at the bottom) or use a 23cm cake tin (neither loose-bottomed nor springform).
2.Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of sugar on top of the buttered base, and then arrange the pineapple slices to make a circular pattern as in the picture.
3.Fill each pineapple ring with a glacé cherry, and then dot one in each of the spaces in between.
4.Put the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, butter, caster sugar and eggs into a food processor and run the motor until the batter is smooth. Then pour in the 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice to thin it a little.
5.Pour this mixture carefully over the cherry-studded pineapple rings; it will only just cover it, so spread it out gently.
6.Bake for 30 minutes, then ease a spatula around the edge of the tin, place a plate on top and, with one deft – ha! – move, turn it upside-down.

It's yummylicious!! :D


Verdict:

No matter how much my brother hates pineapple ,for that matter any fruits in his cake, he asks me to make it sans the pineapple rings and only the juice :) It's very addictive!



-Ria








Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Matri - A love from Rajasthan!

I love travelling and I love blogging! So its very exciting for me to club them together :D I visited the land of camels,desserts,sunsets,mirrors,glass bangles,bandhani way back in Nov '05 during my college tour.That was one of the best things about Mount Carmel College, Bangalore! I love my coll so much! It was one of the best times in my life eva! Definatley when I could rub my shoulders with Deepika Padukone (Do I need to give her an intro??? ;D ), Anushka Sharma (Rab ne Bana Di Jodi fame ),Anaitha Nair( Chak De India fame),Arya Menon (Chak De India fame),Shubra Aiyappa (Ford Supermodel,Jayalakshmi Silks model etc ),Vaishali Desai (Miss.India finalist,Ponds &Siyaram's model) as college mates & having an alumini like Lara Dutta,Nafisa Ali,Vasundhara Das... anyone would have a lovely time :D



Does it sound like I am boasting????? Heck no!!! :D Just being a tad bit modest! LOL!



Ria! Get back to the post!!! :(



Yes...and so... the trip made me an addict to matri :) After getting back I made up my mind to make it at home and eat as much as I wanted to! But somehow it just din't happen!! :( And to add onto it I couldn't source Ajwain in my small town. So during my last trip to Bangalore, I made it a point to buy and stock it! So i got a packet weighing 250 g! Actually I can make atleast 50 batches of Matri's with it!! LOL! I do get real greedy at times especially when I cannot find them in Kannur!! :D Not my fault is it??? :D



So here is the recipe:



Matri -An Indian Snack

Recipe adapted from Manjula's Kitchen



Ingredients:
2 cups All Purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
1/2 cup sooji (semolina flour)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ajwain

2 generous pinch of Kasuri Methi ( not included in the original recipe)
4 tablespoons oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water (use as needed)
Oil to fry
Method:
Mix all the ingredients except the water.
Add the water little at a time, kneading into a firm dough.
Cover the dough and set aside for 15 minutes or more.


Divide the dough into about 40 equal parts.


Take each part of the dough and make a flat ball shape.Roll them into 2 inch circles.
Prick each mathri with a fork in 5 to 6 places, so the mathris do not puff when frying.




Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. The frying pan should have atleast 1 1/2 inch of oil.To check if the oil is ready, put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should make the oil sizzle and come up slowly. Fry a few matris at a time. Make sure to place just enough mathris to cover the frying oil.Fry the mathris until both sides are a light golden-brown.


Tips:Mathris can be stored for a couple of months in airtight containers. If the mathris are cooked on high heat, they will be soft.


Serving suggestion: Any spicy pickle. Will post my Stuffed Green Chilli pickle recipe soon! :D




Do I need to explain the above????? ;D LOL!!




Finally home made Matri's!


Verdict: It was very good! Loved it's crisp body&its exotic flavour enhanced by ajwain & kasuri methi. Would definately make it again & again & again.... :D

~Silky Smooth Pedas~



I was thinking of what should my next post be and that's when I came across this blog of Srivalli who was hosting a Mithai Mela! What more do I need?? I have an Enormous sweet tooth :D So I knew right then (for a change!! lol )what my next one would be!! :)
I loooovvee Pedas especially 'Milma' pedas :D and I have been making a version of mine since 7th grade! :) That's very very yummy but aesthetically unappealing! :D I never had any fixed quantity for it so it used to be a bit runny but tasted heavenly!



And so my search for the perfectly yummy and perfectly easy peda recipe ended at Show me the Curry .com with Hetal & Anjua! They are amazing!! The whole dish is prepared in less than 10 mins flat!! How cool is that??? :D

I am sending this post to Mithai Mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons! Thanks Srivalli!
Recipe adapted from Show me the Curry.com
Ingredients
Milk powder - 150g
Condensed milk -1 tin
Unsalted butter-113 g
Method:
In a microwave safe dish, melt the butter.
Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Cook in the microwave for 3 minutes, stirring very well after every minute.
After the 3 minutes, mix well again and leave aside for the mixture to cool down enough to handle.
Once the mixture has cooled down, grease your hands and make balls.
Gently press the balls and flatten them to shape…round and flat.
Decorate them with coloured sugar, almonds, cashews, pistachios or raisins.
Let the pedas set and cool down.
For a pretty presentation, place them in baking cups and serve.

For best results store them in a refrigerator and serve at room temperature.

That was super fast! Cooking with 3 ingredients in 3 minutes! Thanks a lot Hetal & Anuja!!

-Ria

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

BUTTER SHORTS


Ahhhh!!!! Finally, I repeat,finally, I got some nice food colouring during a stop over at Mysore on our way back from Ooty! I found a wholesale shop which deals with bakery products and I went completely out of control!! I have been longing (read it as CRAVING) for some chocolate bars becauseI went completely out of stock :( And in my lovely town you cannot find them for which i'l have to travel another 300 kms i.e; Cochin/Bangalore!


And so when I found that amazingly lovely shop I bought 3 kilograms of chocolate! I'm well stocked now!

Yesterday I was just couldn't resist getting my hands onto baking something and I thought, why not play with the colours that I recently bought? 



I found this recipe in a Reader's Digest Cookbook handed over to me by my grandmom.That book is amazing! It has recipes for every month depending on the veggie/fruits etc which are in season.This recipe is very very simple, hardly takes anytime but in the end, you will be rewarded with something much much more than the effort you put in!! 




Butter Shorts
Ingredients:
All purpose flour- 6oz
Butter-4 oz
Caster sugar-2 oz
Caster sugar for dredging
Method:
  • Cream butter with a wooden spoon until soft, but not oily,add sugar and beat until pale and fluffy.
  • Work in the flour and knead lightly together with fingertips to form a ball.
  • Roll this out 1/8 " to 1/2 " thickness (as desired) on a floured surface or between butter paper.
  • Cut out into rounds or any other preferred shapes.
  • Prick each biscuit with a fork twice and bake just above or in the center of the oven at 180 C for about 25 minutes or until faintly tinged with brown.
  • Cool on a wire rack and serve dredged with sugar.
  • Will stay fresh for 10 days( mine lasted just few hours! :D )
Verdict: Light and crunchy . Very very addictive! :D

-Ria

Sunday, April 19, 2009

CHICKEN MOMOS

It is a very difficult task for me to describe my love for this spectacular preparation!! I am indeed in ultra deep love with it ! :) I was introduced to this heavenly treat way back in Oct'03 during our college trip to Darjeeling! It was an amaaaazingly very JUICY experience! It is prepared in a special vessel which is more or less like our steamer. You can have a look here for more details about this wonderful treat.


After reaching Bangalore from our trip, I still clearly remeber that my mission was to find out where to get the best momos in town! And luckily I found one very very close to where I was staying. It was in the Tibetian Market on Rest House Road next to the very famous Brigade Road.It was a small restaurant by the name Taste Of Tibet.They also have another outlet on Richmond Road. I like both but prefer the latter one because its more tastier there :)


And now the scene is different! I'm at home now and people here would stare at you if ask them whether they serve Momos in restaurants here ;) Its very not so common here :D So the only option left is DIY :D And thats the result you saw above :D See how passionate I am when it comes to food ;)


Ingredients :
Dough:
All purpose flour/Maida-500 g
Egg-1
Salt-1 tsp

Filling:
Mincemeat(fatty)-500g
Onions-250 g
Green Chillies-10 g
Ginger-5 g
Salt-10 g
Soya sauce-1 tsp
Ajinomoto (optional) -1/4 tsp
Oil -1 tbsp

Method:
For dough:
Mix flour,salt and egg.
Add tepid wate and make a soft dough,kneading vigorously for about 20 mins.
Set the dough aside for approximately 1 hour.

For filling:
Chop onions, green chillies and ginger.
Mix them with the mincemeat.
Add salt, soya sauce and ajinomoto and mix well.

To shape momos:
Divide the dough evenly into small balls ( weighing approx.10 g each)
Roll to about 6 cm in diameter.
Put 1 tsp of mincemeat filling in the centre.
And shape them into rounds by gathering the edges and pinching it in the centre.
You can shape them into the 'wonton' shapes by filling the circles,folding it into half and getting the pointed ends together and sealing it with little water .


To steam momos:
Boil water in the bottom compartment of a momo steamer ,idli steamer or pressure cooker with idli steamer.
Grease the perforated compartments and place momos keeping atleast 1/2" space round each momo.
Steam momo for 25-30 minutes( If pressure cooker is used ,do not put the weight)
Serve steaming hot .


Hope you all liked my wonderful juicy affair with momos!!

-Ria


Tuesday, April 14, 2009

MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD


You need not be a millionaire to make /eat a Millionaire's Shortbread :) It is a very simple recipe but a very delicious one! This evilish shortbread's were introduced to me during my 'hostel days'! I'm so sure anyone following my posts till now would realise how important 'hostel' was in my life. Those were the days! I mean... so much mischief.. which includes sneaking into each other's rooms in the night, mid night feasts, scaring others ( that was my fav past time!!! ) and the icing of it all were these kinda 'tucks' that we all used to load our bags with, every time we returned from our homes.


Shortbreads basking in the early morning sun ;D

I got rich when my friend Rosina a.k.a Ochi shared her fav cousin Rosy's recipe with me. So I dedicate this post to Rosy Chechy who is getting engaged to Job on 2 May 2009 :)

Congratulations Rosy Chechy!!

So now let's get rich!! ;)

Ingredients for being rich ;)

Base:
Butter-120g
Sugar-60g
Maida ( All purpose flour)-175g
  • Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Mix in maida and gather it together into a ball.
  • Line a pie dish/loose bottom dish , prick it randomly with a fork and bake it at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Toffee caramel:
Butter: 120g
Sugar:60g
Caramel syup:2 tbsp
Condensed milk:200 ml
  • Boil all the ingredients together till it starts leaving the sides of the pan.
  • Pour over the base and let it set.

Topping:
Plain chocolate:150g
Butter:20g
  • Melt together and pour over caramel.Let it harden.
  • Cut it into squares using a sharp knife and serve!

So we all are Millionaire's now ...ain't we?? ;D

-Ria

Monday, April 6, 2009

PURPLE GRANITA

My current fav mantra seems to be 'It's so hot!' :( It's really really hot in this coastal town Kannur. No matter how hard you try, you just cannot stay fresh and active throughout the day. The heat is so much that I feel drowsy thoroughout the day!! Arrrrgggghhh!!

The only way to beat the scorching heat is to stay indoors ( with our lifetime friend 'Mosquitoes') and to have something really cold to drink! That's when I thought of making a Granita!

It's super fast, mess free ,ultra cold ,energising drink! :D

For this you need:

Ice cubes : 12-15
Any fruit syrup : 2-3 tablespoon
Sugar : 1 1/2 -2 tablespoon ( need not add this if the syrup has sugar in it)

Method:
Combine all the 3 ingredients in a mixie/blender and give it a good whizz.
Serve in tall glasses.


See I told y'all it's simple!! :D It hardly takes a minute!!

Let's bust the heat together!! :D

-Ria

MURGH MAKHANI -1


My favourite ingredient ever is 'BUTTER'! And that too Amul Butter! :D I'm sure many would agree this with me. I feel so incomplete if there is no butter at home.
Of late the main reason why I assist Amma in her grocery shopping to 'METRO HYPERMARKET' is just to lay my hands into the cold refrigerator and to pick blocks of butter! I usually buy those 100 g blocks but if its not in stock , I just grab a 500g one even if I need only 50 g!! :D I need butter at home!! I must shamefully admit that I feel very 'insecure' without butter! :D


And everytime my 'experiments' go waste, I only whine about wasting 'Butter' and nothing about my efforts going waste! :D This whining session finally made Amma decide upon finding a wholesale butter dealer for me :D because as we all know the price for my fav ingredient is rising day by day!!
Last thursday whenI was badly craving for a spoonful of 'Utterly Butterly Delicious' dish , I stumbled upon this recipe on one of my fav blogs .




MURGH MAKHANI / BUTTER CHICKEN
Ingredients:
Chicken – 600-700 gms (
on the bone)
For the first marinade:
Lime Juice of 1 lime
Red chili powder – 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
For the second marinade:
Yogurt – ½ cup / thick
Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Ginger – 1 tbsps
Rock salt – 1 ts
p
Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Kasoori methi – ½ tsp (
these are a variety of dried fenugreek leaves often used in Indian cooking)
Oil – 1 tbsp
Method:
  • Make 2 deep incisions each in both breast pieces &s drumsticks. Mix all ingredients on the first marinade & rub well into chicken pieces. Keep aside for an hour.
  • For the second marinade, mix all ingredients well & rub into chicken pieces till they are well coated. Leave in the fridge for at least 3 hours. I usually leave this overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  • Place the chicken on the grill rack, with a tray underneath to collect the drippings. Grill for 8-10 minutes, brush with oil, turn the pieces, & grill for another 4-5 minutes until the chicken is tender. Keep aside.
For the makhani sauce
Gravy tomatoes – 800gms / chopped
Oil – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1 / chopped
Red Chili powder – 1 tsp
Garam masala _ 1 tsp
Cumin/Zeera powder – 1tsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Cashew paste – 2 tbsp (
I ran a handful in my dry grinder in short bursts)
Bay leaf – 1
Green chili – 1-2 / finely chopped
Butter – 50 gms
Single Cream – 50 ml (original has 100 gm double cream)
Kasoori methi – 1 tsp
Green chilies, fresh coriander, cream for garnishing.
Method:
  • Heat the oil in a pan, add onion & sautĂ© for a few seconds. Put in chopped tomatoes, bay leaf & salt & simmer, stirring occasionally, until the oil leaves the sides. Cool slightly & strain the sauce. (Do this the previous day to save time).
  • Pour the sauce back into a pan over low heat. Add all the spices, followed by the tandoori chicken. Stir well & simmer for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the butter & stir in till it melts. Finally stir in the cream & take off heat.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, cream & green chilies, as desired.
  • Serve hot with crisp garlic naan, & a salad of onion rings tossed in lime juice & salt.
Alterations I made:
  • 400g of blanched and pureed tomatoes instead of 800 g of gravy tomatoes
  • 400 g of onions slightly roasted on flame and pureed
  • Since I din't have rock salt, I substituted it with common salt.

Verdict: As the title suggests it's the best ever Butter Chicken I have ever had ( esp. among the home made ones)
Hope you all liked this 'Buttery' post of mine :)
Thank a ton Deeba for sharing this recipe :)




Friday, April 3, 2009

A me-me tag!!!

A Little bit - about - Ria- in -25 - points tag!



I must say that I hate writing about myself because I feel others should know it before I need to write down in words for them to read!! But then again it's so much fun to actually think back and pen down things that makes me special, things i love, people i love et all.
Ammu, if not for you tagging me on this I would have never even thought about something like this!!



Okay! Here I go!!



1. I'm a Gemini, 177 cms tall, full of life and laughter, cheerful most of the times at the same time i dont need anything BIG to happen to be moody! But then I can get out of it very easily! I am short tempered & stubborn at times. I just wouldn't let anyone force me to do things. And this whole tagging thing is a testimonial that I 'm not forced into it! lol! :D

2. Been a bully in school, very bossy which some say I still am! lol! and yeah I don't let anyone get away without having a piece of my mind if they hurt me or try to let me down intentionally & unnecessarily! I will stay away from them for the rest of my life... will not have any grudge..but just stay away..I hate gossips and gossip mongers! Sheer waste of God's precious time !

3.Gosh! I think i am really rude! Haha.. writing down all these things makes me feel that Iwas really really bad! I am rude and sarcastic at times. Though, according to me that happens rarely but according to Amma , very often! for which I give a good fight! lol!! :D .. see I am BAD! ;)

4. Been active in all the cultural stuff happening right from my kindergarten days , so much so that it made me cook 35 dishes in 3 hours flat and that too with a kerosene stove and NO pressure cooker!!! and that too when I was just 15!!! Looking back now.. I just don't know how I did that!! :D So its very obvious that cooking is a part of my everyday life.. i must say its more than that like.. breathing!! ;D

5. Was never good at writing, but was quite okay at drawing and I used to be like Shikari Shambu accidentally winning prizes at cartoon drawing!! ;D I must say blogging has improved my writing skills.

6.I'm addicted to a few things: My cookery books, my camera, butter :D ,kajal,spatula,measuring cups,my springform tin, my phone, ipod,laptop, my jewellery & many more.. hehe sounds very materialistic!! :D

7.I belive that prayers would never go waste! Been a single child till 8 1/2 yrs to be precise! I remember praying for a sibling! And you all would'nt believe that I used to actually cut out Johnson & Johnson baby pics and show it to God by raising my arms, facing the ceiling and pray for a sibling like that!! And definately God heard my prayers!! When I first saw Ritchie all wrapped up in white baby clothes in the baby cot... he looked angelic..just like ad babies!! He is the most cutest baby I have ever seen in my life! :D

8. I hate lonliness, always wants to be around people... for everything! This used to drive Amma crazy during my board exams!! :D I could never ever sit in my room and study! I used to study only on our dining table and make sure that the music is also on... haha....... Boney M!! It was my fav then! Rusputin! :D

9.I have a weird way of relating to people,places & incidents through sight of food,aroma of food, music,flowers etc

For eg:

Aroma of ginger garlic paste being sauteed : Amma's Mezhukupuratti, Meen Curry & Chinese preparations

Aroma of coconut oil heating: Pallikuttumma, Achamma aunty's kitchen.

Sight of Chocolate Mousse Cake : My friend Priyanka and Sweet Chariot Cafe on Cunningham Road, Bangalore

Songs from the movie Dhoom 2 : Our family trip to Goa in 2004! I can still remember that white colour bridge and the blue sea in Karwar!! ahhh!! memories!!

Aroma of Black Coffee/Kattan Kaapi : Pallikuttumma, Achamma aunty's kitchen


Sight of Shahi Tukre: Daisy Mummy(Amma's twin sis)

The word Soda: Jose Uncle

The word 'VEDI':My nephew Jochu -- his friends call him VEDIYAN JOSE! :D p.s 'VEDI' means lie ! :D


The word 'Chicken Bake' : Appan

Anything related to 'Shawarma': My only brother Ritchie :D The list is never ending!!

10. I have a real real scary side too.. lol! the scary acts that I used to do and stil continue in scaring people in the middle of the night.. well, i dont go around singing PRETHAM songs.. all i do is just STARE! yeah..just that!! with my head tilted little to one side ,hair not necessarily open :D .. this used to make my friends run for their lives in the hostel!!!

11. I won the 'BEST OUTGOING STUDENT OUTLOOK' award from Mount Carmel College,Bangalore ...but unfortunately I still really don't know what the title meant! :D If any of you know... please let me know ;D

12.Looking back... I don't have many regrets.. and I'm ready to correct the ones which made me regret so that I wouldn't regret in my future :D Am I confusing??

13.Oh that's when I remebered!! I really feel that I'm kind of a bad communicator! Ooops! Is there a word like communicator?? Ah! Anyway!! I would be having some great idea in my mind BUT by the time I convey it across... lol.. it would be the first one to be rejected!!

14.I never knew I could dance!! I still remeber me dancing in school for ' RUK RUK RUK ' and I was supposed to shake my hips.. you know that holding both your hands to one of your hips and just move it up and down... well!! I just couldn't do that no matter how much I tried!!! :( And finally my friend came up with an idea... she told me.. just hold ur hips with your hands and then move your toe in such a manner that the hips look like they are MOVING!! lol! That was one phase.. and then it was our CUL-WEEK in Mounts.. and we were in our final yr degree.. and since that was our last year in college .. we thought of participating for the Filmy Dance competition! Throughout the dance we had to shake our hips in some form or the other! And that's when I learnt the art of it!! lol!! And then after the final performance I actually got lots of comments saying that I was the best 'HIP SHAKER' in the whole group!!! :D .. rewind-rewind .. memories of me being the only one struggling in our group in school!! :D

15. Never been an athletic types and I hate exercising! :D

16. Recently me and Amma have this weird connection!! What ever I think in my mind.. the very next second she tell me that!!!! But I must say.. sometimes its really scary...because she speaks the exact same words what I have been speaking in my mind!

17. I never understood the need to pray loudly ,shouting out praises... I always prefer to pray in silence.. due to which I have been in trouble so many times in school! I still clearly remeber how a brother who came for the Christeen Retreat in School, saw me praying without opening my mouth when the full hall was shouting praises ,noticed me , called me aside and said I needed COUNSELLLING!!! ;D I really didn't mean to hurt anyone's feeling's while I am writing this.. but that's what I feel about prayers-- A quiet talk between me and God! :)

18. I really wish at times I had a sister especially when I see how close Amma and Daisy Mummy is! Now
Vandu Chechy has adopted me! ;)

19. I always I repeat I always wanted to be in the food related industry! But alas! I am in the textile industry now :( But I'm determined to join a professional course once I complete a year with my current employer :D

20. I got this idea of opening a small cafe/bistro after seeing the 'Pastry Cottage' in Goa. That place is sooo full of chocolate goodies.. tiny place but lovely!

21. A dream related to the above 2 points of mine is to specialise in Wedding Cake Decoration! :)

22. I hate people 'digging for gold' & spitting in public! Hates men who try hard to impress with their accent or the way they talk or behave with ladies ..lol ...

23.I firmly believe all politicians should atleast have a degree ( academics) !

24.I love my family and I can be really fierce in defending them! :)

25. I talk a LOT!! :D

Finally i completed it!! yeyeye!!! :D

It was sooo much of fun! And so here I am tagging you dear friends!

1.
Vandu Chechy
2.
Varsha
3.Arlene
4.
Smitha
5.
Sweetiepie

xoxo
Ria


P.S I'm sorry Maria!! I really din't see that tag you had put for me! :D

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Ooopps! Stupid Me!!!


Dear Friends!
This is not a recipe post but a confession of mine that I can be super dumb at times! I started blogging since Oct'08 nevertheless I feel I'm still new to this whole thing especially the 'Settings' of the blog!

I was shocked when my friend Maria scrapped me on Orkut saying that she was unable to comment on one of my posts! I was wondering what could have gone wrong! Because I clearly remeber seeing comments on my few posts!!

Then I realised that recently I have been playing a bit too much with my blog 'Settings' and I put the comment thing on an 'OFF' mode! :)


So dear friends I hope the changes I made should let the comment column to be active! Please bear with me for being so super DUMB!! :D


Thanks a lot Maria for pointing this out for me!!


xoxo

-Ria


P.S Please feel free to comment here for my other 'Comment Free' posts!! :D

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES


I love challenges and competitons especially when it is related to food! And i found one on Sweet and Simple Bakes! Its such a lovely blog!! Their ideas are brilliant!!! Thanks a ton Rosie & Maria!! :)

I actually saw this challenge on March-30!! But realising the posting deadline was for April -1 I had some time.. so I thought I'll definately give it a go!! And here I am with my creation!!
I hope my first contribution is acceptable! :D

You can find this lovely blog here:

Love,
Ria

P.S For some stupid reason I had my 'Comments' off!! So please feel free to leave in a comment for all the 'comment free ones ' in the posts published since 2-April!! :D
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