Kesar Peda (Indian Milk Dessert)

Kesar Peda (Indian Milk Dessert) is a Saffron infused milk sweet. 

Pedas originated in the city of Mathura in present-day Uttar Pradesh. Traditionally it is made with Khoya. However instant recipe uses condensed milk and milk powder and can be made in microwave in hardly 10 minutes.

Kesar Peda

Ingredients
Milk Powder - 120 gram 
Condensed milk - 200 gram 
Unsalted Butter - 20 gram (room temperature)
Cardamom Powder - 1/3 teaspoon 
Pistachio - 5-6 (thinly sliced)
Saffron - pinch in 2 tea spoon milk

Recipe

1. Soak saffron threads in warm milk to get a nice colour from it
2. Add melted butter to a microwavable bowl
3. Add milk powder one spoon at a time and keep mixing with a spatula
4. Add Condensed milk and keep mixing
5. Microwave for a minute
6. Add Saffron milk
7. Add Cardamom powder
8. Mix with spatula
9. Microwave for a minute
10. Mix with spatula
11. Microwave for a minute
12. Leave to cool down in fridge for about an hours
13. Roll it  in a round shape and then flatten gently giving it a shape of peda
14. Garnish with pistachio, Cardamom powder and saffron(optional), sticking them to centre

Expresso Cookies

I used to get these cookies from Bon Bon Pastry Shop in New Friends Colony, New Delhi and I have loved these since.

Expresso Cookies

Ingredients

Granulated sugar - ¾ cup
Unsalted Butter - ¾ cup (room temperature)
Vanilla - ½ tea spoon
Salt - ¼ tea spoon
Egg - 1
Plain flour - 1 and ¾ cup 
Cocoa - 3 tablespoon

Expresso filling
Full cream - ¼ cup
Choc chips or broken pieces of a dark chocolate bar - 1 cup
Instant espresso coffee or regular Nescafe - 2 tea spoon


Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 175°C/ 325°F
2. Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. 
3. Stir in flour, cocoa and salt.
4. Shape dough by rounded teaspoonfuls into small balls. 
5. Place about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. 
6. Press thumb or end of wooden spoon into centre of each cookie, but do not press all the way to the cookie sheet.
7. Bake 10 mins or until edges are firm. Mine took 10 mins. 
8. Quickly remake indentations with end of wooden spoon (or thumb) if necessary. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 mins.
9. Meanwhile for expresso filling, mix cream and instant coffee in saucepan. 
10. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until coffee is dissolved, then remove from heat.
11. Stir in chocolate until melted. 
12. Cool about 10 mins.
13. Spoon rounded ½ tsp expresso filling into indentation in each cookie and leave to set for an hour.

Galawati Kebab

Melt in your mouth kebabs from the Awadhi table. Try this aromatic and flavoursome Galawati kebab recipe (also called Galouti Kebab).

The history of Galawati kebab is interesting. This kebab was created for the ageing Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow. The Nawab had lost all his teeth. But his passion for meat remained intact. So, this melt in the mouth kebab was prepared in his royal kitchens to satisfy the Nawab's love for meat.

The Galawati kebabs are traditionally prepared by marinating the finely ground meat with unripe papaya and a mix of exotic spices. The keema is then shaped into patties and fried in oil or ghee. The Galawati kebabs have taste that you just cannot compare with anything else. So, whether a foodie or not, you must try this exotic and mouthwatering Galawati kebab recipe and refresh your taste-buds.

Galawati Kebab 

Here's the lip-smacking recipe for the speciality of Lucknow:

Ingredients

Meat – ½ Kg finely minced meat of your choice (lamb, mutton, veal or beef)
Papaya (raw) – 3-4 tbsp
Onions – 1 medium (finely chopped)
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
Red chilly powder (Kashmiri lal mirch) – 2 tbsp
Roasted Chickpea flour (Besan) – 2 tbsp
Saffron – 2 to 3 strands
Rose water – 1 tbsp
Kewra water - 1 tbsp
Milk Powder – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Desi Ghee –to fry

Dry Spices for Galawat Spice (galawat masala)
Cumin Seeds (Jeera) – 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon stick (Daalchini) – 1 inch
Cloves (Laung) – 4
Green cardamom (Choti elaichi) - 4
Black cardamom (Badi elaichi) - 2 to 3
Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) - 4
Mace (Javitri) – 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg (Jaifal) – one pinch
Poppy seed (Khas Khas) – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds (Rai) – ½ tsp
Bay Leaves – 2

For Dum
Coal - 1
Cloves (Laung)– 3
Green cardamom (Choti Elaichi) - 2

Recipe

1. Clean papaya, remove the seeds and make a paste. Add papaya in finely minced meat and leave it for 2 hrs.
2. Heat a pan and slightly roast chickpea flour (besan). Be careful that it shouldn’t get burnt.
3. Heat a pan and carefully dry roast Cumin Seeds (Jeera), Cinnamon stick (Daalchini), Cloves (Laung) , Green cardamom (Choti elaichi), Black cardamom (Badi elaichi), Mace (Javitri), Nutmeg (Jaifal), Poppy seed (Khas Khas), Mustard seeds (Rai) and bay Leaves. When spices leave the beautiful aroma and are roasted, switch off the heat and let it cool down. Grind it into fine paste after spices are at room temperature.
4. Now cut the onions and sautee in 3 tablespoons of ghee. When onion is golden brown, switch off the heat and let it cool down.
5. Grind onion and ginger garlic into fine paste.
6. Soak saffron in 2 tablespoon warm milk around 15-20 minutes before use.
7. Add roasted masala powder, sautéed onion and ginger garlic paste, roasted chickpea flour, red Chilli Powder (Kashmiri lal mirch), saffron, rose water, kewra water, milk powder and salt in marinated meat.
8. Mix the ingredients very finely with the meat
9. Cover the meat with cling film and put in refrigerator for 4 -5 hrs.
10. After 4-5 hrs meat is ready, just one more final step to give it authentic flavor.
11. Heat a small piece of coal till it starts burning. Put it in a metal bowl and keep it in the center of the vessel containing meat. Add some ghee and put cloves (laung) and green cardamom (Choti elaichi) in it. This will release pleasantly aromatic flavor and flavoured smoke into the meat . Quickly cover the vessel with meat and burning coal with foil so that meat absorbs all very earthy flavour of ghee and coal. Leave it covered for about 15-20 minutes.
12. Meat is now ready for kebabs. Make flat patties of the meat. Heat 2 table spoons of ghee in a pan. Fry the patties on very low flame till cooked.

Galawati Kebab

Here it is!! Mouthwatering, softest (melt in mouth) kebabs in world are ready. Serve it with paratha or naan accompanied with onions lemon and mint chutney. Mint Dip (Pudina Chutney) is one must have accompany for any kebabs.

Nihari

Nihari (Urdu: نهاری‎) is a delicious, slow cooked meat curry made of Lamb or Beef (and sometimes even Chicken) along with bone marrow and garnished to taste. 

The word Nihar originated from the Arabic word "Nahar" (Arabic: نهار‎‎) which means "day" as it was typically served after sunrise Fajr prayers.

Nihari involves the slow cooking of meat with the stock in large vessels, sealed with dough. Since the meat is cooked overnight over slow fire, these vessels are called shab deg or overnight vessels. Nihari can be made of mutton or chicken, but it tastes best when cooked with beef shanks.

Nihari tastes best when had with khameeri roti, naan or phulka. It is said that the Nihari is so heavy on the stomach that in olden days, the nobles ate a plate of it and took a nap till the zohar or afternoon prayers. That's why, it is said "Nihari is to winter what Haleem is to Ramzan." Winter is the best time to enjoy a hot plate of Nihari.

Nihari with Naan

Ingredients

Lamb leg - 1 Kg (4-6 large portions)
Bones (Knuckles and marrow) - 1 Kg (optional)

Cooking Oil - 1 cup

Ginger Garlic paste - 2 table spoon

National / Shan Nihari Mix - 1/2 packet

Salt (to taste)

Flour - 1/2 cup
Onion - 2 medium (sliced)

Paprika - 1 tsp

Nihari

Recipe

1. Add oil (or mix of oil and ghee) in a wok(Karahi) 
2. Add Meat and ginger garlic paste, fry until oil separates
3. Add National / Shan Nihari Mix, fry for another 3-4 minutes
4. Add 18 cup water
5. Add salt
6. Bring to boil
7. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours
8. Dissolve flour in 1 cup of water
9. Gradually add flour mixture to gravy, stir (keep stirring continuously), and mix
   (add more flour mix if needed, to get the right consistency)
10. Bring to boil and cook for another 15 minutes
11. Heat oil in a pan and add onion, fry until golden brown
12. Add paprika, fry for another 30 seconds
13. Add oil and paprika to Nihari
14. Taste the spices, and if needed add more Nihari Mix
15. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes
16. Garnish with green chilies, ginger, and lemon

Roasted Chicken

Paste
Dahi (without water) - 1KG
Black Pepper - 1 tea spoon
Chilli Powder - 1 tea spoon
Ginger Garlic - 2 table spoon
Red Colour - 1/4 tea spoon
Mustard Oil - 150 ml
Methi Powder - 1 tea spoon
Yellow Colour

Tangri Kebab

Marinade same as Afghani, may add colour to marinade

Stuffing for 4 pieces -
Egg - 1
Chicken Keema - 100 gram
Black Pepper
Salt
Khoya
Green Chilli - small pieces


Lightly fry above ingredients like a bujia
Cut chicken leg from center and fill the stuffing
Barbecue

Afghani Chicken (Barbecue)

Ingredients

(Quantity approximately for 3 chicken to make 1 KG Paste)

Marinade:
Ginger Garlic - 1 tablespoon
Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon
White Vinegar - 3 tablespoon
Salt (to taste)


Paste:
Magaz - 150 gram
Kaaju - 100 gram
Khaskhas - 50 gram
Khoya - 70 gram
Cream - 50 gram
Milk - 1/2 cup
Methi - 1 tablespoon
White / Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon
Salt (to taste)


Recipe

1. Apply marinade to chicken and leave overnight
2. Mix ingredients of paste in a mixer.
3. Apply 30 minutes before barbecue
4. Barbecue

Afghani Chicken (Gravy)

Ingredients

500 gm Chicken
1/2 cup mustard oil
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1-inch ginger roughly chopped
5-6 Garlic cloves
2 green chillies
1 medium onion roughly chopped
2 tbsp cream + 2 tbsp milk
1/2 lemon juice
1 cup yoghurt
3/4 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp special Bhuna masala
1/2 tsp garam masala

Recipe

1. Grind coriander, green chilli, ginger, garlic and onion and make a fine paste
2. Marinate chicken with all the dry spices, ground paste, cream+ milk mixture, yoghurt and lemon juice for at least half an hour (for best results marinate overnight)
3. Heat oil in a saucepan, fry marinated chicken without the masala until lightly golden and take it out and keep aside.
4. In the same oil add the masala cover and cook for 10 mins, first 5 mins on the high flame while stirring occasionally, then on low flame for another 5 mins. Add some water and cook until the gravy boils. Add chicken to it and cover and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Then add garam masala, mix well and turn the flame off.
5. Heat charcoal and put it in the steel bowl in the saucepan and pour 1 tsp ghee, cover and leave it for 10 minutes. It will give the chicken a smokey flavour.

BHUNA MASALA RECIPE

Ingredients
2 Tbsp Cumin seeds
3 Tbsp Coriander seeds
Dried Red Chillies (according to your spice level)
1/2 Tsp Black pepper

Recipe
Dry roast all the spices and grind them to powder.

Chicken Kalimirch

Ingredients
Chicken - 1 KG (18 pieces)
Ginger Garlic - 2 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Onion - 2 medium (finely chopped)
Butter - 4 tablespoon
Salt - 1 and 1/2 teaspoon
Black Pepper - 2 teaspoon
Kasoori Methi - 2 and 1/2 tablespoon
Milk - 1 cup
Yoghurt - 1 cup
Cream - 1 and 1/2 tablespoon
Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Khoya - 3 tablespoon
Green Coriander - 4 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Lemon - 1 tablespoon
Sugar - 1/8 tablespoon

Recipe

1. Add oil to a wok(Karahi) and add ginger garlic.
2. Add onion.
3. Add butter.
4. Fry till onions are brown.
5. Add Chicken and fry.
6. Add salt, black pepper and 2 tablespoon kasoori methi (rub between palms).
7. Add milk, yoghurt and cream.
8. Cover and cook on medium heat.
9. When done add garam masala, khoya, 1/2 spoon kasoori methi and 2 tablespoons green coriander.
10. Cook for another 5 minutes.
11. Add lemon, sugar and 2 tablespoons green coriander.

Note:

• For an alternate style, use chicken cut into 4
• Boil in 1/2 cup yoghurt, 2 cup water, 1 tablespoon black pepper and salt
• Prepare gravy as above without Chicken and Kasoori Methi, add black pepper and salt to taste
• Add Chicken when gravy is done 
• Add Kasoori Methi at the end

Pineapple and Cherry Cake

Ingredients

Glace cherries - 150 gram
Canned pineapple with fruit juice - 227 gram
Softened butter - 150 gram
Light muscovado sugar - 100 gram
Eggs beaten lightly - 2 large
Self-raising flour - 200 gram

Pineapple and Cherry Loaf

Pineapple and Cherry Loaf

Recipe

1. Pre-heat the oven to 140 ˚C fan. Grease and line a loaf tin.
2. Chop the glace cherries into halves and wash them using running water. Drain well and dry on a kitchen towel. Drain the pineapples keeping aside about two tablespoons of the fruit juice, chop the pineapples and dry them on a kitchen towel as well. Toss cherries and pineapple in plain flour.
3. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, and the flour.
4. Now fold in the pineapples and cherries along with the 2 tablespoons of fruit juice from the canned pineapples. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.
5. Bake it in a pre-heated oven for an hour and 15 till the loaf is golden brown, well risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool the loaf on a wire rack. It can be stored for a couple of days but it hardly lasted the same day in my house!

Note: 

For a cake, I used 2.5 times of all ingredients and spring-form cake tin. Make sure to leave the loaf inside the oven(switched off) for a while after it is done.

Glace cherries - 375 gram
Canned pineapple with fruit juice - 565 gram
Softened butter - 375 gram
Light muscovado sugar - 250 gram
Eggs beaten lightly - 5 large
Self-raising flour - 500 gram

Keema Baingan (Mince Meat with Roasted Eggplant)

Ingredients

Eggplant (aubergine / brinjal / baingan) - 2 large
Lamb mince - 500 gram
Onions - 3 big (sliced)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 table spoon
Tomato - 3 (chopped)
Green Chilli - 4 (chopped)
Green Coriander - 1 bunch (chopped)
Turmeric Powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt (to taste)
Oil

Keema Baingan

Recipe

1. Apply oil on the outside of eggplant and put it on low gas flame, turn it side to side till it is completely black on the outside.
2. Once the eggplant is blackened from outside put it in cold water.
3. Scoop eggplant out of the covering and crush them to make it uniform without lumps.
4. Add oil to a wok(Karahi) and add cumin seeds when hot.
5. Add 3 big onions - fry.
6. Add ginger garlic paste.
7. Add mince meat.
8. Add tomato, green chili, green coriander, salt, turmeric and coriander powder.
9. Simmer on low flame for half an hour.

Date Cheese Cake

Date Cheese Cake

Ingredients


FOR THE BASE 75g/3oz digestive biscuits
40g/1½oz butter
25g/1oz demierara sugar

FOR THE FILLING 50g/2oz butter, softened
175g/6oz caster sugar
450g/1lb cream cheese (full fat soft cheese)
25g/1oz plain flour
1 lemon, juice and finely grated rind
3 eggs, separated
150ml/5fl oz double cream, lightly whipped


FOR THE TOPPING 150ml/5fl oz double cream, whipped
Dates - 20
a little icing sugar (optional)

Date Cheese Cake

Recipe

1. Lightly grease a 23cm/9inch loose-bottomed round cake tin. Cut a strip of non-stick baking parchment to fit around the sides of the tin, fold the bottom edge of the strip up by about 2.5cm/1inch creasing it firmly, then open out the fold and cut slanting lines into this narrow strip at intervals. Fit this into the greased tin with the snipped edge in the base of the tin and put a circle of non-stick baking parchment on top. 
2. Preheat the oven to 160C. 
3. Put the digestive biscuits into a polythene bag and crush the biscuits with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in a medium pan; add the crushed biscuits and demerara sugar. 
4. Mix well, spread over the base of the tin and press firmly with the back of a metal spoon. Leave in a cool place to set whilst mixing the cheesecake. 
5. For the cheesecake, measure the butter, sugar, cheese, flour, lemon rind and juice and egg yolks into a large bowl and beat well until smooth. 
6. Fold the lightly whipped double cream into the mixture using a plastic spatula or large metal spoon. 
7. Whisk the egg whites with a hand held electric mixer until stiff but not dry and fold into the mixture. 
8. Pour on to the biscuit base and gently level the surface with a plastic spatula. 
9. Cut Dates into halves, take the seed out then gently put them in the tin on the top. 
10. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1/1¼ hours or until set. 
11. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for a further one hour to cool. 
12. Run a small palette knife around the edge of the tin to loosen the cheesecake then push the base up through the cake tin. 
13. Remove the side paper and put the cheesecake on to a serving plate.

Optional: Spread the lightly whipped cream in the dip of the cheesecake and scatter the fruits haphazardly on top. Lightly dust with icing sugar if wished.

Wiener Schnitzel

Wiener Schnitzel is a very thin, breaded and pan fried cutlet made from veal. It is one of the best known specialities of Viennese cuisine. The Wiener Schnitzel (or Viennese schnitzel) is a national dish of Austria.

Wiener Schnitzel  

Ingredients

Chicken Breast (escalopes) -1 Kg

Eggs - 2

Double cream - 2 table spoon

Flour (to coat)

White breadcrumbs - 50 g dried 

Vegetable oil (to fry)

Clarified butter or ghee - 25 g

Lemon (cut into wedges, to serve) - 1

Pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

Wiener Schnitzel

Recipe

1. Put escalopes between two pieces of plastic wrap on a chopping board and beat out with a rolling pin as thinly as you can without making holes in it. 
2. Season both sides well. Repeat with the other.
3. Beat the eggs lightly with the cream in a wide, shallow bowl. 
4. Put a good handful of flour on a plate.
5. Put the breadcrumbs on to another plate.
6. Dip the escalopes in turn in the flour, egg and lastly the breadcrumbs, making sure they're evenly covered with each layer, but being careful not to press them into the breadcrumbs too hard.
7. Place coated cutlets on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
8. Heat oil in a deep, wide frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and quickly browns. 
9. Add the butter to the pan and once foaming, drop in the escalopes.
10. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, swirling the pan constantly to cascade oil over the top.
11. Turn over and repeat – once both sides are golden (a matter of minutes), the schnitzel are ready.
12. Blot quickly with kitchen paper and then serve immediately with lemon to squeeze over.

Nimish

Ingredients

Double cream - 450 gram
Icing sugar - 50 gram
Rosewater - 1 tsp
Pinch saffron strands (soaked in 100 ml warm milk for 15 minutes)
few chopped pistachios and edible silver leaf (optional)

Nimish

Recipe

1. Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks just start to form – it’s important not to over-whisk it.
2. Sift in the icing sugar, then add the rosewater and the now cool saffron milk and strands. Whisk together for a minute until smooth and a few bubbles appear on the surface. 
3. Pour gently into small serving bowls or glasses and chill overnight.
4. Decorate with sliced pistachios, and silver leaf if you like. Serve.

Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake with Whipped Cream Frosting


Ingredients

Self raising flour - 1 and 1/2 cups
Eggs - 3 medium
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Vegetable Oil - 90 ml
Water - 180 ml
Sugar - 1 and 1/2 cups
Double Cream - 250 ml
Icing Sugar - 3 or 4 tablespoon


Recipe

1. Mix ingredients  with electric whisk for 3-4 minutes.
2. Bake in oven fan assisted 180 degrees for 45 minutes.
3. Coffee mixture -
•  In 500ml of water dissolve 2-3 tablespoon  of coffee depending how strong you want your coffee cake. 
• Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.
4. Once cake is baked cut in half and let it cool.
5. Then pour the coffee mixture all over the two halves of cake so the cake is soaked. 
6. Put in refrigerator  to cool.
7. Whisk double cream about 250 ml with 3-4 tablespoon of icing sugar, depending again how sweet you like and pour little bit of coffee mixture  in it.
8. Once cake is cooler, spread the cream mixture between the 2 layer of cake and on top.

Victoria Sponge Cake

Ingredients
Eggs 4
Caster sugar 225g
Self-raising flour 225g
Baking powder 2 teaspoon
Unsalted butter at room temperature 225g

Strawberry or raspberry jam
Whipped double cream

Victoria Sponge Cake

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan.
2. Grease and line two 20cm/8in sandwich tins. Use a piece of baking paper to rub a little butter around the inside of the tins until the sides and base are lightly coated, then line the bottom with a circle of baking paper.
3. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, add sugar, flour, baking powder and butter.
4. Mix together until well combined with an electric hand mixer (you can also use a wooden spoon), but be careful not to over mix. The finished mixture should fall off a spoon easily.
5. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins.
6. Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 25 minutes. Check them after 20 minutes.
7. To assemble the cake, place one cake upside down onto a plate and spread it with plenty of jam.
8. If you want to, you can spread over whipped cream too.
9. Top with the second cake, top-side up.
10. Sprinkle over the caster sugar.

Naan Bread

Ingredients(makes 8 small naan bread)
375g/13oz plain white flour
¾ tsp baking powder
1½ tsp salt
200ml/7fl oz full-fat milk
15g/½oz sugar
1 free-range egg, beaten (you will only need half the egg)
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Naan Bread

Recipe

1. For the naan bread, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar and half the beaten egg, then add this to the flour mixture and knead lightly until it comes together to make a soft dough (take care not to overwork the dough). 
3. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
4. To cook the naan bread, pour the oil over the rested naan dough and turn it a few times so it is evenly coated. 
5. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and roll out each one on a lightly oiled surface into a circle about 9cm/3½in in diameter. 
6. Gently stretch out the circles of dough to form the traditional teardrop shape, or, alternatively, roll them into 10cm/4in circles.
7. Place the naan bread on the preheated baking tray and bake for 4–5 minutes, or until they are starting to brown on both sides. 
8. You might need to turn the bread to make sure it colours on both sides.

Nankhatai

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup – Maida (flour)
1/2 cup – Caster sugar
1/2 cup – Ghee, at room temperature
1/4 tsp – Vanilla essence
1/2 tsp – Powdered cardamom
Slivers of pistachio and almonds, for topping

Recipe

1. Using your hands, rub in the cardamom powder with the sugar until it’s fragrant.
2. Now, add the ghee and mix until light and creamy. Add vanilla essence and mix well.
3. Sift the maida and add to the mixture.
4. Using your hands, knead the mixture into a slightly crumbly dough.
5. Shape the dough into tiny balls.
6. Flatten the biscuit slightly, and add a chironji or almond sliver to the centre. I couldn’t find any chironji in Bengaluru, and so went without.
7. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 15-18 minutes.

Bhindi Ghosht

Ingredients

Lamb or Mutton - ½ Kg
Okra (Bhindi) - ½ Kg

Onions - 2 medium (sliced)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Cardamom - 2
Ginger -  1 inch (finely chopped)
Garlic - 3 cloves (finely chopped)
Tomato Puree - 1 can
Coriander Powder - 1 and ½ teaspoon
Shaan Karahi Masala - 1 teaspoon
Chilli Powder - ½ teaspoon
Salt (to taste)
Oil - 4 table spoon
Water - ½ cup
Jalapenos -3 (slice vertically on one side)
Fenugreek((Methi) Leaves dried - 1 table spoon

Bhindi Ghosht

Recipe

1. Add oil to a wok (Karahi), when it is hot add onions.
2. Fry till the edges starts to turn golden brown.
3. Add carom (Ajwain) seeds, fry for another 15 seconds.
4. Add ginger garlic, and fry till it leaves oil.
5. Add tomatoes puree, saute till it leaves oil.
6. Add coriander powder, shan karahi masala, chilli powder and salt.
7. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes.
8. Add water, cover and cook till it is tender.
9. Add jalapenos and dried Methi leaved in the end.
10. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Lagan Seekh - One Pot Minced Meat Delight

Ingredients

250 g - mincemeat
1 tsp - Butter or 1 tsp - oil
1 - Onion
1 tbsp - Garlic paste
1 tbsp - finely chopped Green chillies
1 tbsp - finely chopped Coriander leaves
1 tbsp - finely chopped Mint leaves
1 - Egg
salt to taste
pepper powder

Lagan Seekh

Recipe

1. Put garlic paste, coriander leaves, mint leaves, salt on top of the mincemeat and mix it well.
2. Marinate for an hour.
3. Cut onion and deep fry it in oil.
4. As soon as it turns golden, remove it from oil and keep it aside.
5. It is known as birasta.
6. Beat egg with pepper powder and salt.
7. Take flat pan and grease it with butter/ oil and spread about half quantity of a beaten egg on the pan.
8. Mix half birasta and marinated mincemeat dough. Press lightly to spread throughout the pan.
9. Spread the remaining part of the beaten egg on the dough.
10. Cover the pan with foil and bake in the oven or on the gas for 25 mins.
11. Garnish with birasta, capsicum, tomato and carrot.

Coffee Walnut Cake

Ingredients

For the sponges

• 340g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 340g caster sugar
• 250g plain flour
• 90g walnuts
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 6 large eggs
• 3 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 1.5 tbsp boiling water

For the frosting / topping

• 750g icing sugar
• 250g unsalted butter
• 4 tsp instant coffee dissolved in 2 tbsp boiling water
• 2 tbsp milk
• approx 9 walnut halves for decorating

Equipment needed

• 3 - round sandwich tins (20cm)
• Baking parchment
• Stand mixer or electric hand whisk
• Food processor
• Offset palette knife
• Silicone spatula
• Sieve
• Kitchen scales
• 2 x wire cooling racks
• Display plate or cake board

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 180oC / 160oC Fan / Gas Mark 4 (I have a fan oven so all my recipes are tested at the fan temperatures). To make the sponges, grease and line three 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment. If you only have one or two tins, you can still do the cake, but you’ll have to do the baking in batches
2. Weigh out the walnut halves and dry fry in a frying pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the oils start to release the walnut aroma. Set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the sponge mixture
3. Beat together the sugar and butter with an electric hand whisk, or a stand mixer if you have one, until they are light coloured, smooth and creamy. Beat in each egg thoroughly, one by one (rather than dropping them all in together). If the mixture starts to split, just add a tablespoon of flour and continue beating – this will bring the mixture back
4. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and fold this into the wet mix
5. Weigh and measure the flour and the baking powder and put into a food processor. Add the cooled walnuts. Blitz thoroughly until all the nuts are incorporated and form a light, fine powder
6. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can try crushing the walnuts as small as possible by putting them in a sandwich bag and whacking them with a rolling pin but it will be difficult to get them fine enough to work in the cake)
7. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a silicone spatula, making sure to mix any flour that ends up at the bottom of the bowl. Be gentle when you’re folding in the flour – you don’t want to knock out any air you’ve incorporated into the mix through all that whisking!
8. Divide the mixture evenly between the three tins. Smooth out the surface of the sponge mixtures with an offset palette knife and bake for about 23-28 minutes (keep an eye on it from 20 minutes), or until a cocktail stick comes out clean when poked into the centre of the sponge
9. Remove from the oven and when the tins have cooled enough to handle, take the sponges out of the tins and set to cool on wire racks
10. While the sponges are cooling, prepare the coffee butter cream icing. Weigh the butter into a bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and continue to mix. Make up the coffee and beat into the mixture. Add 2 tbsp milk if you need to loosen the butter cream a little more
11. Once the sponges have cooled, if they have raised middles, slice the tops flat with a bread knife (I usually spread a bit of the icing on the off cuts to taste a secret preview of the final cake)
12. Put the bottom sponge on your display plate or cake board. Neatly spread about 1/3 of the butter-cream icing onto the bottom layer of sponge using an offset palette knife. Try to spread evenly, and right up to the edges of the sponge, so you can see a neat line of icing once the top layer of sponge goes on
13. Add the next sponge and repeat. Turn the top layer of sponge upside down and lie on top of the spread icing; pressing down gently, and scraping off any excess icing that squidges out of the middle
14. Using the offset palette knife, neatly spread the remaining icing on the top of the cake and garnish with the remaining walnut halves.