Kitchen Tips

 On 10th July 2011.

Shallot Substitute
Substitute an equivalent amount of onion plus a little garlic.For example,if you need  2 tablespoon of minced shallot, use 2 tablespoon of minced shallot and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic...
Ref.  How to Break An Egg.

Popcorn shrimp

Easy snack for kids...My daughter's favorite...I use to make once in a month..to love me more...

Ingredients

Shrimp -15 nos.
Egg - 1.No
Bread Crumbs - 1/2 Cup
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
Garam Masala - 1 Pinch
Lemon Juice - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil for frying

Instruction

Step1 . Clean the shrimp...
Step 2. In a plate add chili powder, salt , lemon juice,garam masala,tumeric powder, and beaten egg..
Step3. Mix the cleaned egg with the above added ingredients....
Step4. Add little bit water if needed..
Step5. Meanwhile in a pan heat oil on a medium flame...
Step6. Take one shrimp at a time and coat it with the bread crumb..
Step7.Once the oil is all set add one by one bread crumb coated shrimp and enjoy crispy...popcorn shrimp..

Note.
You can do without adding bread crumbs too..then it will taste like bajii..

Methi chappathi

Getting bored of making ordinary way of chappathi..just for a change and for different flavor and taste give a shot to Methi Chappathi/paratha which is definetly a healthy kind of recipe...

Ingredients

2 Cups - Fennu greek leaves/Methi leaves

1 1/2 Cups - Wheat flour

1 Tsp  - Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp - Chili flakes
1 Tsp - Oil
Hot Water to mix dough(May be less than 1 cup of water)

Salt to taste

Instructions

Step 1. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan when it turns hot splutters cumin seed and 2 cups of fennugreek leaves and cook until they change color.
Step 2. In a bowl add 11/2 cups of flour ,salt and this mixture along with chili flakes .
Step3. Slowly add water and mix the dough
Step4. Heat the Griddle/tawa when the griddle is hot make chappathi....
Step5. Serve immediately with your favorite side dish.

Rava Idli

 Idli is one of the most predominent South indian breakfast in everyone's house...it is not oily and has protein and carb...and an easy breakfast to make...rava idli is one kind of idli....the best thing about rava idli is no need to make batter in advance...if guest comes home want to give them evening snack...it is so easyto make and tasty.

Ingreditents

1cup - rava
1/2 tsp- mustard seeds
1 Tbsp - Uradh Dhal
1 Tbsp - Channa Dhal
2 Nos - Green chilies
1/2 cup - Curd
1 Tbsp - cashews broken into pieces
1 string - curry leaves(finely chopped)
1 strand - Cliantro(Finely chopped)
pinch of asofetida
salt to taste

Instructions
.
Step 1. Fry the rava until they change their color...but don't burn them....and let it cool down..
Step 2.In a wide pan add 1 tsp of oil and when it turns heat add mustard dhal when it pop out add the uradh dhal,channa dhal and pinch of asofetida along with the green chilies,curry leaves.. and roast the cashews....
Step3. Turn off the stove
Step 4. Now slowly add the roasted rava and mix well with the seasoning.
Step 5. In a wide bowl add cliantro,curd,salt,along with the batter...add little bit of water if batter is so thick...make sure there is no pulp in the batter.
Step6. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.
Step7. Then in idli maker....lightly add oil in the tray pour the batter and cook until the idli or done..(may be around 15-20 mins)
Step8. Serve immediately...

Caulilfower rice

A nice kind of variety rice shared  by saras....

Ingredients -1

1 Cup - Long Grain Rice/Basmathi rice/jasmine rice

Ingredients - 2

 1 No - Cauliflower(cut into florest)
1 No - Onion(Cut into lengthwise)
2 Nos - Tomato chopped in to pieces
2 Nos - Green chilies
1 Tsp - Mustard seed
1 Tsp - Urad dhal
1 Tsp - Fennel seed
1/2 Tsp - Red chili powder(Increase or decrease as per the taste)
salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Instructions

Step1 . First cook the cauliflower florest for 10 minutes with little bit of salt ...
Step2. In a wide pan add oil and when it turns heat ...add mustard seed when it splutters add  urad dhal and fennel seed...
Step3. Then add chopped onion and cook until they are soft and tender and add 2 pods of garlic...
Step4. Now add chopped tomatoes..let it cook for about 5 mins..

Step5. Now add the cooked cauliflower florests... with little bit of water..smash the florest along with the onion and tomato...

Step6. Now add 1/2 tsp of chili powder and salt as per the taste..

Step 7.cauliflower gravy is ready.

Step8. Now mix the gravy with uncooked rice...

Step9. For 1 cup of jasmine rice/long grain rice/basmathi add 11/2 cup of water.

Step10. Check for salt and spice and cook the rice.....

Step11.Delcious cauliflower rice is ready

Hash Brown

Later now-a-days am so fond of hash brown at M'c donalds...for no reason...So just a try at home for this new recipe...it came out pretty close and got thumbs up from my DH....

Ingredients

3 Tbsp  -  olive oil/butter/canola oil

1 lb -  baking potatoes, peeled and grated

Salt and pepper

Instruction

Step 1. Heat 3 Tbsp of butter  in a large frying pan on medium high heat.

Step 2. Meanwhile  when the pan is heating, grate the potato and sequeeze as much of  moisture from the potato using the papaer towel.

3 When the oil in the pan heats up make some patties of half inch thick and  deep fry until golden brown on the both sides...sprinkl with salt and pepper.

Step4. Hash Browns are ready to serve....

Chicken with Buffalo wing sauce

Taste as serve in resturant....one of the best recipe from my friend saras kitchen....easy to prepare and friends will really ask how you make it...each and every time...it is the best starter and goes well with ranch....
thanks saras for sharing this recipe with me...

Ingredients

1lb - Chicken Wings/thigh
1 packet -of McCormick Original Buffalo Seasoning mix
1 tbsp - ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp - chillie powder(increase or decrease as per ur taste)
1 tsp -  gram masala

3 tbsp - hot buffalo sauce/hot sauce

4tbsp - lemon juice

1 tsp - grounded pepper

2 tbsp - olive oil

Salt to taste

Instructions

Step 1. In a large bowl add all the spice ingredient, mix well.
Step 2. Then rub the mixture evenly over the chicken.
Step 3. Let the chicken marinate for a least two days in the fridge.
Step 4. Grilled the chicken for 1 h 30 minutes at 350°C.

Thai Red curry fried rice

Thai red curry taste so yummy...the color of the paste looks so rich and hot...it give good texture to the food...

Ingredient-1

1 cup - Jasmine rice/basmathi rice/long grain rice(uncooked)

Ingredients -2

2 Nos - Egg
6 Pieces - chicken(Boneless)
1/2 No - Onion(Cut in to length wise)
1 No - Carrot(Cut in to length wise)
1 No - Capsicum(Cut in to cubes)
10 Florets - Broccoli

1/4 Cup  -Peas
1 Tbs - Red Curry paste(increase or decrease as per the need)
1 Tsp  - Soy sauce(or fish sauce)
1 pinch - Chili flakes
1 Pinch  - salt
Oil to cook

Method

Step1. Cook the Rice and keep aside let it cool down completely.
Step 2. Scrambled the eggs and keep it separately.
Step 3. In a wide pan add oil(may be around 3 tsp)
Step 4. Fry onion until golden brown
Step 5. Add 1 Tbs of red curry paste..and saute it for 1 to 2 mins...
Step 6. Now add the chicken pieces and cook ...add little bit of water so that it red curry paste doesn't burn or stick with the pan.
Step 7. Now add  pinch of salt and red pepper and 1 Tsp of soy sauce/fish sauce.
Step 8. Wait until the chicken is cooked..then slowly add the vegetables and cook for another couple of mintues..
Step 9. Don't over cook the vegetables...at this stage add the cooked rice and make sure it mix well.
Step 10. Red curry should be evenly spread in the white rice add little more oil..so that it won't stick to the pan or look dry.
Step 11. At this stage add the scrambled eggs..

Step12.. Garnish with green onion..

Note.

For my vegetarian friends u can also make red curry paste from scratch .Red curry paste has dried shrimp and  fish sauce..so avoid using store brought curry paste..
And rest making fried rice the procedure is same..avoid egg and chicken just add all the veggies..

Veggieball Manchurian

I had some frozen veggie ball in my freezer for long time..so bored of eating it keeping it in oven....suddenly a bulb flashed ....why can't we try manchurian out of it....i tried and it taste awesome...

Ingredients

6 Nos - Veggie Balls

1/2 No - Onion(Cut it in to big pieces)

1/2 No - Capsicum(Green bell pepper cut in to big cubes)
1/2 tsp - Gingergarlic paste

1/2 tsp - Dark soya sauce

1/4 tsp - Vinegar

1/2 tsp - Ketcup

1/4 tsp - chilli flakes
salt to taste
cliantro to garnish

Method

Step1. Cook the veggie ball as per the instruction.(May be keep in the microwave for 1 minute.) and keep aside
Step2. In a wide pan heat oil and add gingergarlic paste and cook for 1 minute

Step3. Then slowly add the onion and bell pepper and fry for 4 mins...

Step5. Then add soyasauce,ketup and vinegar and little bit of salt..and chili flakes.
Step6. After 1 min of mixing it well add the veggie ball.
Step7. Add 2-3 tsp of oil...to avoid stickiness...

Step8. Check for the salt and spice if need add more..

Step9. Yummy yummy manchurian is ready.
Step10. Before ready to serve garnish it with cliantro and serve with smile...

Vanilla Sweet

This is one of my mom's recipe and i love to taste it...but she use to do once in a year only for Diwali...i still remember after Diwali i use to take sweets to every of my friends in school and even in college they really enjoy eating it..there will be a big fight for my mom's sweet and savories...those are the days....




Ingredients

1 Cup -Maida
11/2 Cup - Sugar
100 gm - Dalda
50 gm - Oil
1 No - Elachi(Cardamom)

Instructions

Step 1. First in a big wok or kadai heat the dalda along with oil..once it turns heat slowly add the maida to it..and mix it well and keep it aside.
Step2. Then have to make Sugar Syrup...in a wide thick pan add 11/2 cup of sugar and dissolve it will little water along with the elachi .. to get syrup(may be it will take 10 -15 minutes)
Step3. Check the syrup the syrup should come like string consistent.
Step4. Then add the sugar syrup to the fried madia...make sure the maida is little bit hot...
(it is better to fry maida in a thick pan so it will remain heat so sometime)
Step5. Then stir the mixture for around 5-10 minutes..untill it is thick and hard you to stir further.


Step6. In a wide plate apply some oil and pour the batter to it.
Step7. Cool down completely and cut in to piece and ready to serve.

Source

My Mom