Christmas special mixed fruit cake

• Ingredients:-
• 
  
• 225g self raising flour
• 110g butter
• 110g sugar
• 225g mixed fruit (include cherries if wished)
• 1 egg
• 5 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice (optional)

Method:-

1. Rub the butter into the flour until it looks like fine breadcrumbs, add sugar and dried fruit and mixed spice, if using.

2. Add egg and milk to make a soft dropping consistency.

3. Put into lined 2 lb loaf tin or 6" round cake tin. Sprinkle demerara sugar over the top and pat down with the back of a spoon (this gives a nice crunchy top) and bake for approximately 1 to 1 1/4 hours in a preheated oven at 180 C / 160 C fan / Gas 4 until a skewer comes out clean.

chicken with methi

Chicken is always a go-to main course for quick, easy, and healthy meals. This chicken recipe with methi leaves is as healthy as they are delicious and versatile!

One of my colleague at work asked one day ‘I wonder how do you manage to cook Indian curries after office?’ I replied ‘Nothing is as easy to prepare like our curries.’

And I really agree with this  J

Yesterday night both my babies (hubby and the little one) not at all in mood of eating vegetarian ….I had some methi leaves lying down in the refrigerator for two days with the plans of methi paratha …. ..mixed and matched it with our common ingredients we usually have in our kitchen with Chicken  and the outcome was awesome!!

The amount I am cooking is to satisfy two and half very hungry people JJJJ

Ingredients:

1)    chicken 500 g (cut into bite size pcs)

2)    Onions-2 large chopped very fine

3)    Tomato-2 large chopped very fine

4)    Methi leaves 1 bunch around 2 coffee cup chopped fine

5)    Yogurt -1/2 cup

6)    Ginger garlic paste  -1 tbsp

7)    Powdered spices (turmeric  -2 tsp,cumin powder-2 tsp,black pepper powder-2 tsp, red chilly poder-2 tsp, Coriander powder -2 tsp)

8)    Salt

9)    Vegetable oil-2 tbsp

10)  Cumin seeds ½ tsp

11)  Bay leaves 2 optional

12)coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1) Heat oil in a non-stick pan and  add cumin seeds ,bay leaves and let them splutter, add chopped onions and fry them until they are translucent.

2) Add all the powdered spices, ginger garlic paste and salt and bhunao it for 5-6 mins.

3) Add tomatoes, chilli powder, coriander powder and yogurt and cook covered till well cooked.

4) Add methi leaves and chicken and cook till sauce becomes thick.

5) Add coriander leaves and mix well.

6) Serve with rice or chapatti.

MOM style mutton Curry

This is my go-to recipe when I want to cook a simple and wholesome non-vegetarian meal for my family. The basic recipe for this dish is my Mom's so I know it is good as I grew up eating it. Mom would cook meat curry with goat meat (also called mutton in India).
The basic Mantra is using the equal amount of mutton and onions and absolutely no water,You get a nice and rich gravy made with onions and juices released from the mutton. Goat Curry or Mutton Curry is delicious served with plain rice and a salad . If you dry away the gravy, it tastes just as good with hot, freshly made rotis.

Ingredients:-

1)1 kg Mutton( Goat's shoulder side pieces )
2)1 kg Onion(cut in big chunks 1 medium sized onions cut into 4 pcs)
3) all Indian spices(Turmeric powder- 1 tbsp,Chilly powder-2 tbsp,cumin powder-1 tbsp,black pepper powder 1 tbsp,Coriander powder- 1 tbsp)
4)cumin seeds 1 tsp
5)black pepper seeds-1 tsp
6)Bay leaves/tej patta -2-3
7)whole red chilly -2-3
8)vegetable oil -1/2 cup
9)ginger garlic paste-2 tbsp
10) julienne Ginger 3 tbsp
11)salt

Method:-

1) Heat oil in the pressure cooker and add cumin seed,pepper seeds,whole red chilly,tej patta and let it splutter.
2)Add 1/2 kg onions and sauté on medium heat for 10 mins,when they turn translucent add all the powdered spices,ginger garlic paste,Salt and sauté for 5 mins.
3) Add the mutton pcs and fry for another 10 mins and add the remaining 1/2 kg onions to the pressure cooker and fry for another 5 mins.
4) put the lid on and cook on medium heat until three whistles.
5)keep aside from heat and let the pressure get released itself.
6)open the lid and put the cooker again on stove at slow heat and half covered for 10 mins.
7) serve with plain rice and onion salad....Yum!!!

Dussehra special..Banana Fritters

This is one of the sweet dish which is very popular in every Indian restaurant across UK.Although being from a Caribbean origin its fits so well amongst our Indian Festival delicacies.

our festive season have already started and this super easy dessert will sure be a star item for any dinner party.Its perfect being naughty sometimes and keep aside your calorie concious mind , Crisp and golden banana fritters served with ice cream will take your heart away!!! 



Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas
2 tsp baking powder
1 2/3 cup flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 cup milk

For syrup

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup water
Boil till sugar dissolves well.


Method

Mix the dry ingredients.
Add milk to the dry ingredients.
Make a smooth batter,If needed add some more milk and set aside for 10 mins.
Cut the banana into bite size pcs.
Heat oil in a deep pan ( the above has to be deep fried ) Dip each banana pcs into the batter drop into the oil and fry till golden brown.
Once fried dip into sugar syrup for 1 min.
Serve with Vanilla or kesar ice cream.
Delicious!!!

Easy pineapple upside down cake

T

This recipe is from one of the most reliable and comprehensive food bloggers on the internets, Elise at Simply Recipes.  I didn't change a thing.  Well, except for adding the cherries. I was very skeptical of my ability to pull this off.  An upside down cake?  Oh dear. I try hardly even to make a right side up cake.  But it was super easy.I let the cake cool and then called my hubby up for the big reveal.  We flipped it over and it slid right out of the pan with perfectly caramelized edges.  I served it with ice cream.  hubby's only critique was that he wished there was less cake and more top. 

For the topping

50g softened butter

50g light soft brown sugar

7 pineapples rings in syrup, drained and 

syrupglacé cherry

For the cake

100g softened butter

100g golden caster sugar

100g self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract2 eggs

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. For the topping, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Spread over the base and a quarter of the way up the sides of a 20-21cm round cake tin. Arrange pineapple rings on top, then place cherries in the centres of the rings.Place the cake ingredients in a bowl along with 2 tbsp of the pineapple syrup and, using an electric whisk, beat to a soft consistency. Spoon into the tin on top of the pineapple and smooth it out so it's level. Bake for 35 mins. Leave to stand for 5 mins, then turn out onto a plate. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

sweet and sour mushroom with pineapple and bell peppers!

A must try delicate, smooth and succulent dish that goes perfectly with a lighter sweet and sour sauce.


Ingredients for the Recipe:
1)250 g button mushroom washed and cleaned
2)2 onions cut into big chunks
3)diced Pineapple pcs -1/2 cup
4)bell pepper of ur choice( I have used one red bell pepper cut into bite size)
5)vegetable oil-2-3 tsp


Ingredients for sweet and sour sauce:
1/3 cup white or rice vinegar (Note: rice vinegar gives better results)
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 4 teaspoons water
Preparation:


Mix the vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together and bring to a boil in a small pot. Mix together the cornstarch and water, add to the other ingredients and stir to thicken.


Method:
1)Heat oil in a wok and add onions and mushroom.saute on high for 5-6 mins
2)Add pineapple and bell pepper and keep sauting continuously on high till the time you feel that mushrooms are cooked.
3)Pour the above prepared sweet and sour sauce as much as you want,If you want runny gravy then add more and for the dry version add less all depends on your taste.let it simmer for 5-10 minutes and note that bell peppers should not become mushy.
4)serve with noodles or fried rice.
5)The beauty of this dish is that with this single sweet and sour sauce ,You can prepare no dishes take any ingredient of ur choice (like paneer,chicken,fish,prawn)cook in the similar manner and come up with variety of dishes with very less effort.

Chicken in Bread crumbs...KFC STYLE!

A super easy recipe with unusual combination of few calorie and taste bud on priority!
My goal here is to prove that you can still get the same great taste of fried chicken without it actually being fried, saving you tons of saturated fat, calories & sodium AND to prove that you can make a homemade healthy meal for the family in basically no time at all. Think of it this way, if you’ve got time to drive to KFC, get the food and drive home, then you’ve got time to make this!
So here we go with the recipe.....


INGREDIENTS:-


1 whole organic chicken portioned (2 breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings)


2 cups bread crumbs (I used Progresso Italian style bread crumbs one can use any other normal form)
2 egg – whisked for 1 minute to lighten
1 tsp paprika/kashmiri mirch powder(MDH)
1 tsp tomato powder (I used knorr tomato soup powder)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
olive oil spray

METHOD:-


Preheat oven to 420°F.


Arrange all the ingredients in a row in the following order: the chicken pieces, whisked eggs with Salt and pepper and paprika,tomato powder added, breadcrumbs.


Begin by dipping the chicken pieces in the egg holding the chicken over the bowl for a few seconds after wards to let excess egg fall off and then coat in the breadcrumbs coating all sides. Pat the crumbs onto the pieces with clean hands to make sure it sticks. Lay on a foiled oven tray. This assembly line is a great time to get the kids involved! my lilttle one loved helping me and licked her messy hands


Once all the pieces are crumbed spray liberally on all sides with the olive oil spray.


Pop in the oven for 20 -25 minutes approx until internal temp of 165°F and the crumbs are crispy and ‘fried’.turn over the chicken and pop into the oven for another 10 mins. That’s all there is to it!


SERVE WITH KETCHUP OR CORIANDER CHUTNEY OR MAYO....I SERVED IT WITH EVERYTHING MIXED TOGETHER YUMMMMM!!!