Baba Ganoush with pickled vegetables

Ingredients:

Baba Ganoush
1 Egg plant roasted
3-4 garlic pods
1/2 cup Sesame seeds roasted
1 cup olive oil
Salt
Black pepper powder
Paprika

Pickled Vegetables
1 cup chopped carrots lengthwise/finger-sized
1 cup chopped beetroot lengthwise/finger-sized
1/2 cup green chilies cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup vinegar
Salt
1 cup water

Preparation:

• Pickled Vegetables:Soak the chopped vegetables in half cup vinegar, 1 cup water and salt overnight. Next morning, drain off the water and what you are left with are the Pickled Vegetables!

• Baba Ganoush:

1. Peel off the skin of roasted egg plant and remove the seeds.
2. In a mixer, add roasted sesame seeds and grind them. Add 2-3 tbsp olive oil to this while grinding and grind it into a smooth paste.
3. Remove this paste in a dry bowl. It is called TAHINI.
4. Now add the garlic pods and egg plant to the mixer and blend it together for few minutes. Add olive oil while blending so that we get a nice smooth texture. 
5. Add the Tahini paste to this and blend again. 
6. Add salt and black pepper powder and your Baba Ganoush is ready.

• Spread Baba Ganoush on a Roti, Nan, Brown bread or Qaboos. 
• Sprinkle some paprika and black pepper powder. Drizzle some olive oil. You may top it with black olive rings.
• Add the pickled vegetables.
• Roll and serve! 

Momos: Veg and Non-Veg

Ingredients:

Covering:
2 cups all purpose flour
Water
Salt

Stuffing (VEG):
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup sprouts
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tsp green chili paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
Salt
1/2 tsp or sugar (or as per taste)
1 tsp Fish Sauce (optional)
2 tbsp Sesame oil
Fresh chopped spring onion

Stuffing(Non-Veg):

2 cups minced chicken
1 cup finely chopped leek
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp green chili paste
2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp white pepper powder
1 tbsp+1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp+1 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp fish sauce (optional)
Salt
Sugar
2 tbsp Sesame Oil
Fresh chopped Spring onion


Preparation:

• For the stuffing(VEG):

1. Heat a wok and add oil to it. 
2. Add chopped ginger, garlic and green chili paste. Do not let the garlic turn brown.
3. Add black and white pepper powders.
4. Add all the chopped vegetables and sprouts in above stated order.
5. Saute for 5 min.
6. Add soy sauce and vinegar and fish sauce(optional). Mix well. 
7. Add salt and sugar. Mix well.
8. Garnish with chopped green onion.

• For the stuffing(Non-Veg):

1. Wash the minced chicken properly and marinate it in  1 tbsp soy sauce,1 tbsp vinegar, fish sauce(optional) and salt for minimum 1 hr.
2.  Heat a wok and add oil to it.
3. Add chopped garlic, ginger and green chili paste. Do not let the garlic turn brown.
4. Add black and white pepper powder.
5. Add minced chicken to it and saute for 5 min. Since the chicken is minced, it will hardly take few minutes to cook. You may add sprouts to this.
6. Add soy sauce and vinegar and saute.
7. Garnish with fresh chopped green onion.

• For the covering:

1. Take all purpose flour, add little water, salt and oil to it and knead a tight dough. 
2. Make 1 inch small balls from the dough and roll them into puri size rotis.

• Now place the puri/roti on a flat surface, place 1 or 2 tsp of the stuffing at the centre and fold so that the final product looks similar to a modak. There are many other ways of folding a momo. You may just google it and try different shapes! Here are a few pictures of how I folded them:

• Once it is ready, heat a double boiler and place the momos in it for 10-12 min.
• Serve hot with red garlic chutney or Schezwan sauce.

P.S: If minced chicken is not available, marinate the chicken pieces in salt and half tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Then boil, shred and mince the chicken pieces.

My Healthier version of KFC Curry Crunch (Spicy and Crunchy Chicken Indian style)

Ingredients:

2 large Chicken drumsticks without skin
2 tbsp melted butter
Oil for greasing
Half cup of Crushed Wheat Flakes (Kellogg's Wheat Flakes)

Marinade#1: (Wet marinade)
Half cup thick yogurt
2 tbsp giner-garlic paste
1 tbsp white pepper powder

Marinade#2: (Dry marinade)
Half cup Besan
Half cup Corn Flour
1 tbsp Red chili powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 tbsp Coriander seeds' powder
1 tbsp Onion powder
1 tbsp Crushed Black Pepper
Half cup chopped Curry leaves
Salt
A pinch of Sugar
1 cup of Crushed Wheat Flakes (Kellogg's Wheat Flakes)

Preparation:

1. In a zip lock bag, add all the ingredients of Marinade#1 with half cup water. Add chicken drumsticks to this, lock the bag and shake it vigorously so that all the ingredients get mixed properly and the chicken is well marinated. Place this bag in fridge for about 12 hours.
   You can marinate the chicken and refrigerate it overnight. But do not marinate it for over 20 hours. 
2. In a container (with tight light lid/cover), add all the ingredients of Marinade#2. Close the container tightly and shake so that all the ingredients blend well. 
3. Preheat the oven at 220^o C. 
4. Remove the chicken drumsticks marinated in yogurt and roll in the dry marinade so that the drumstick is well coated with the second marinade. Roll properly so that a nice thick coating is formed around the chicken drumstick. This step is very important if you want a nice crispy coating.
5. Grease a baking tray or baking dish using little oil. Place the chicken drumsticks on this baking dish and drizzle melted butter over them. Sprinkle some more crushed cornflakes if required.
6. Bake at 220^o C for about 35-40 min. 
7. Remove from oven and enjoy with salad or ketchup! 

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

-Courtesy Joy Of Baking

Ingredients:

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

1 1/4 cups (125 grams) sifted cake flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons (10 grams) regular or Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1/4 cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cups (150 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk

1 tablespoon liquid red food coloring

1/2 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8-10 tbsp  Cream Cheese 

200 gm of Whipped Cream

Preparation:

Red Velvet Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line 12 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup whisk the buttermilk with the red food coloring. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and buttermilk to the butter mixture, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour.

In a small cup combine the vinegar and baking soda. Allow the mixture to fizz and then quickly fold into the cake batter. 

Working quickly, divide the batter evenly among the 12  muffin cups and smooth the tops with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon.Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 18 -23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes and them remove from pan. Let cool completely before frosting. Either spread the frosting with a knife or offset spatula, or use a large 1M Wilton open star decorating tip to pipe the frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add cream cheese to this whipped cream and whip again. Blend both the ingredients well. Refrigerate and use a piping bag to decorate the cupcakes. You can also use the colorful sprinkles to  make them look attractive.

For video recipe: http://www.joyofbaking.com/RedVelvetCupcakes.html

Veg Cutlets

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes; boiled and mashed
1 cup chopped carrots and french beans each
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tbsp Garam masala powder
1-2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp juice
Bread crumbs
Salt
Coriander
Oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, carrots and french beans. Toss the veggies properly and let them cook. This will take about 7-10 min.
2. Add red chili, turmeric and garam masala powder, salt, lemon juice and mix well. 
3. Add mashed potatoes to this and mix it properly.
4.  Take wok off the flame and add bread crumbs to it after the mixture cools down. Mix the bread crumbs with your hands and check if the mixture has reached a consistency where it can be rolled into cutlets. It should form a tight dough-like mixture. You can use maida/all purpose flour or corn flour instead of bread crumbs to bring this desired consistency.
5. Roll small balls of this mixture(lemon sized) and press them gently to give that 'tikki look'. Shallow fry on low flame.
6. Serve with mint chutney or tomato ketchup and some fresh green salad.

Cornflakes Bhel

-Courtesy Sanjeev Kapoor

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain corn flakes
1 small onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 cucumber chopped
1 green chili finely chopped
Half cup of pomegranate
Paprika/ Red chili powder
Chat masala
Half tsp icing sugar
Salt
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Mix all the above ingredients and toss well. 
2. Serve immediately after preparing or the corn flakes will become soggy. 
3. You can add some sev to it and top it off with  fresh coriander leaves.

Mushroom Lemongrass Soup

Ingredients:

4-5 large button mushrooms
2 stalks of lemongrass
4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 stalk of celery
1 inch ginger
2 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp white pepper powder
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vinegar
A pinch of sugar
4 cups water
Fresh cilantro

Preparation:

1. Boil 4 cup of water and add lemongrass and celery stalk to it. Boil it for about 30 min.
2. Strain the resulting stock and discard lemongrass and celery. (You may throw in your choice of vegetables along with these; like carrots, beans etc)
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan (preferably olive oil) and add chopped garlic to it. Add slices mushrooms and saute for 5-7 min. Then add the prepared stock.
4. Boil the soup and add the powders and sauces mentioned above. Add some sugar as per taste.
5. Finish it off by garnishing with some fresh cilantro.