Banana Kesari/Banana Sheera

I made this for Thai Poosam yesterday and it was so good. Its very simple with a melt in mouth texture. 

Ingredients:

1. Rava - 3/4 cup
2. Warm Milk - 1/4 cup
3. Saffron - a generous pinch
4. Sugar - 1/2 cup(or more according to sweetness of banana)
5. Bananas - I used 5 of small variety. If you are using big, 1 is enough.
6. Water - 1 and 1/2 cups
7. Cashews and Raisins for garnish
8. Cardamom powder - 1 pinch
9. Ghee - 1tablespoon for roasting rava+3 tablespoon or more as needed.

Method:

1. In a wide kadai, heat 1 tbsp ghee and add the rava. Roast in low flame for about 5 minutes. This step yields a good texture to the kesari. Do not let the rava burn.
2. Add cardamom powder and mix.
3. Soak saffron in warm milk. Mash the bananas and add it to the rava and mix well.
4. In a vessel, boil water vigourously. Add this to the rava kadai (keep in low flame) and quickly mix well. There should be no lumps. Be careful not to splatter your hand.
5. Add the saffron milk mixture and stir well. Once the mixture gets thick, add sugar. It will begin to loosen up. Stir well so that sugar is blended in.
6. Add the 3 tablespoons of ghee little by little and stir till the kesari starts leaving the sides of the kadai. Fry the cashews and raisins separately in little ghee and add it to the kesari and mix . Serve!.

Notes:

• Use a wide and somewhat deep kadai to avoid splattering in your hands. Also be conscious to mix without lumps.
• Sugar can be adjusted as per taste. This was just right for us.
• Roast rava well in ghee in low flame but do not burn it. It will totally alter the flavour.
• This measurement is sufficient for 3 to 4 people.

Maarkandam Soup/ Nenju Elumbu Soup/Mutton Rib Bone Soup

This is my winning (Wildcard) recipe entry in the BetterButter Soups,Smoothies and Beverages contest. This soup is very 

helpful for cough and wheezing problem. 

Ingredients:

• Mutton - Rib bone pieces/Nenju elumbu - 200gm
• Coriander seeds - 2 tsp
• Black Peppercorns - 2 tsp
• Jeera - 2 tsp
• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp
• Small onions - 10
• Ginger - little more than 1/2 inch piece
• Garlic pods(I used the large variety) - 4 to 5
• Salt - as needed
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper powder (optional)
• Gingelly oil - 1 tbsp +1 tsp
• Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch
• Water - 2 cups

Method:

1. First clean the mutton bones well with water mixed with little turmeric. Rinse well.
2. Dry roast coriander seeds, peppercorns,jeera,fennel seeds, small onion, ginger and garlic in medium low flame for about two minutes. Dont let the spices burn. Set aside to cool.
3. Pulse the dry roasted spices in mixie for about 5 to 6 seconds to a coarse mixture.
4. In the pressure cooker, add the mutton, the ground coarse spice mixture, turmeric powder,salt, coriander leaves and water. Add 1tbsp of gingelly oil. Close the cooker, after 1 whistle simmer for 15 minutes till the bones are tender to eat.
5. Open and add more pepper powder only if needed and drizzle 1 tsp of gingelly oil on top. Serve hot!.

Mutton Briyani Recipe - using Pressure Cooker

Whats Sunday without non veg?. And what makes it more special is everyones favourite biriyani. This is the recipe we follow in our home for long and my husband loves it. You may be bit hesitant seeing the long procedure. But its definitely worth the try. And once you master it, making it is just a breeze. Follow the recipe as such and its sure to be your favourite. Give it a try and let me know.

Ingredients:

For marinating and cooking the mutton:

Marinating the mutton:

• Mutton - 300gms
• Ginger garlic paste - 1teaspoon
• Chilli powder - 2teaspoon
• Thick curd -1tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Salt - just as required for the mutton alone.

Cooking the mutton:

• Small onion - peeled and chopped - 1/2cup packed
• Tomato -1 chopped
• Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch
• Water - as required to cook mutton
• Oil - 1 and 1/2 tsp

For the biriyani masala paste:

• Green chilli - 8( I used long variety)
• Fennel seeds - 1tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 inch piece
• Cardamom -1
• Cloves - 2
• Cashews - around 10
• Ginger Garlic paste - 1tsp
• Ghee - 1tsp

For preparing briyani:

• Seeraga Samba rice - 1 and 1/2 cups
• Big onion - 1 sliced
• Mint leaves - 1 fistful
• Coriander leaves - 1 fistful
• Salt - as needed
• Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice - just a little squeeze
• Water - Mutton cooked water + Coconut milk - 2.5cups for 1.5 cups rice.

To temper:

• Ghee + Refined oil - 1tsp + 2tsp
• Cinnamon - little piece
• Clove -1
• Bay leaf -1
• Star anise -1
• Fennel seeds - 1/2tsp

Method:

1. Clean and wash mutton pieces well. Marinate them with the items given under "Marinating the mutton" section for 15 minutes.

2. Wash rice and soak it water and set aside.

3. Peel the small onions and chop them, Chop tomato. 

4. Once mutton is marinated, heat cooker with oil, add small onion, saute for a minute. Add tomato, coriander leaves and saute for a minute, Add the marinated mutton, water and close the cooker. Simmer it after 1 whistle till the mutton is 3/4 cooked(about 7 mins). Dont let it cook completely. In the forthcoming processes, mutton will be cooked further. So see that it is 3/4 cooked but not less than that also.

5. While the mutton is cooking, lets prepare the biriyani paste. Roast the ingredients under "For the biriyani masala paste" section except the ginger garlic paste with 1tsp ghee just for a minute. Let it cool.

6. In a small mixie jar, add the roasted items with ginger garlic paste and little to water to grind to smooth paste.

7. Extract coconut milk and set aside. Slice the onion and keep ready mint and coriander leaves.

8. Once the mutton is 3/4 cooked, drain the mutton cooked water and keep aside. You need the mutton cooked water (stock). DO NOT DISCARD it. Measure the water (I got 1 and 1/2 cups) and coconut milk to 2.5 cups. If needed add extra water to make 2.5 cups. Keep aside in a vessel. Set the mutton aside.

9.  In a cooker, add the items under "To temper".

10. Add the sliced big onion and saute till lightly browned.

11. Add the mint and coriander leaves and saute. Add the ground biriyani masala paste. Add 1 or 2 tsp of water and mix well and simmer the flame for five minutes. Stir occasionally. This is for the raw smell to leave. 

12. Add the cooked mutton and mix well. Simmer for  five minutes. Stir occasionally so that the mutton does not stick to the bottom.

13. Add the garam masala and mix.

14. Add the mutton cooked water and coconut milk (Both jointly consituting 2.5 cups) which you have set aside in a vessel. Mix well. Add required salt and mix well(remember there is salt in mutton as well. Adjust according to that).

15. Drain the water completely from the soaked rice, and add it to the cooker. Mix well. Close the cooker without weight. Once steam starts coming add the weight and immediately simmer the flame.

16. Simmer for ten mins. Switch off and let the pressure release by itself. Open the cooker , squeeze a bit of lemon and mix lightly. Serve hot with raita and egg!.

Notes:

• Be careful with the water quantity. You dont want to your briyani to turn soggy. Just 2.5 cups(mutton stock+coconut milk+water if needed) for 1.5 cups pre-soaked rice.
• I use seerga samba as it is the one which is best for this dish. If unavailable use basmati.

Methi Thepla

I had a bunch of fenugreek leaves and wanted to try something different, when I came across this dish. This is like a spiced flavourful roti which can be had as such or with raita. Lets get to the recipe.

     

Recipe reference: FlavoursOfMumbai

Ingredients:

• 2 cups wheat flour
• ½ cup besan flour
• 3 tbsp ghee for the dough + more as needed for frying the thepla
• 1 cup fresh fenugreek leaves(Methi leaves)
• Salt as needed
• 2 tbsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds+1tbsp jeera + 1 tbsp fennel all ground to fine powder
• 100 ml yogurt mixed with little water
• 2 tbsp water (adjust as needed)
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

Note: If you have readymade fennel powder,coriander powder and jeera powder you can use 1tbsp of each instead. 

Method:

1. Pluck the stems of fenugreek leaves. Wash them well, chop them.

2. Add the wheat flour, besan flour, spice powders, salt, chopped fenugreek leaves in a bowl and mix well.

3. Add in the yogurt mixed with water and knead well. Add in the 3tbsp ghee little by little. Knead well with your hands.If needed add extra water and knead to form a non sticky dough.

4. If the mixture is too sticky add a bit of flour to adjust, if its too dry add little ghee. Once you obtain a soft non sticky dough, set aside covered for 10 mins.

5. Shape round balls from the dough and roll them with a rolling pin to flat discs like roti.

6. Heat dosa tawa, when hot add the roti and cook them drizzling with ghee as needed. Let it cook evenly on both sides by flipping it. Serve hot with raita!.

Banana Chocolate Brownies made with Jaggery

Well it may sound strange to make brownies with jaggery but I just tried and it tasted awesome. These are chewy, fudgy brownies not fluffy like cake but tasty with a crumbly crust and chewy texture inside. I referred the recipe from here. The original recipe used brown  sugar I replaced with jaggery.

Ingredients:

• Maida - 3/4 cup
• Chocochips (I used Harima brand)- 2/3 cup minus 1 tbsp
• Powdered jaggery - little less than 2/3 cup
• Banana (ripe) - 1
• Vanilla essence - 1/2tsp
• Egg -1
• Butter (softened) - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 1/4tsp

Method:

1. Melt butter in a pan in medium low flame. Remove from the heat and add in the chocochips and stir with a whisk till the chips are completely melted and combined.

2. Beat the egg slightly, add the powdered jaggery, banana, vanilla essence, salt and beat well with a electric beater for 2 minutes till everything is mixed well.

3. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the above mixture and just give it a mix. Add in the flour little by little and beat well till combined completely.

4. Preheat oven to 165C for ten mins. Meanwhile grease the cake tin with butter. Spoon the batter into the tin.

5. Bake the batter in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 mins till the top turns crumbly and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Set it to 15 mins then if needed bake for extra 5 mins. Do not overbake and burn the brownie.

6. Cut the brownie into squares and serve with icecream, chocolate sauce. Garnish with chopped nuts if desired.