Kulfi a frozen dairy dessert

This recipe of mine has been loved by all in my family.It is so special to us that irrespective of any season my freezer has a batch of them readily available,and i bet you that you will crave for another one while still eating the first...so its a must try recipe and will revive your childhood memories...

Recipe adapted from Sanjeev kapoors advt of rainbow milk

Makes 11 kulfis

Preparation time 5 minutes

Freezer time 24hrs

INGREDIENTS

1. Sweetened condensed milk 1 can (395gm)
2. Evaporated milk 1 can(170 gm)( i use rainbow original)
3. Cardamom flavored evaporated milk 1 can(170gm)(i use rainbow cardamom)
4. Bread 2 slices(corners removed)
5. Almonds handful
6. Pistachios 2tbspns

METHOD

• Blend all the ingredients to smooth in a blender.
• Pour this mixture into kulfi moulds or matkas.
• Freezer for 24hrs.
• Served chilled.

If you dont have cardomom flavored milk, just add in 1/2 tspn of cardamom powder to evaporated milk and beat with rest of the ingredients. 

I have recieved a very good response for the recipe guessing contest and i would like to thank each and every one for their active participation.The first lucky ones to win the dining vouchers are

1.Fatema dalal

2.Shwetha

3.Maria Sia

Congratulations to all the winners,I will mail you all the dining vouchers...

Types of biryanis you can just eat

What is a delectable mix of spices and rice, and can be made with chicken, mutton, egg, fish or even vegetables? This is just one single dish, yet it is equivalent to an entire, fulfilling, several-course meal in itself. Believed to have originated in the kitchens of the Muslim Mughal Maharajas, this item is literally fit for a king! No points for guessing; I’m talking about your all-time-favourite biryanis. Considered to be the world’s best and most wholesome one-pot meal, I have yet to come across any non-vegetarian who doesn’t adore this dish.

Types of Biryanis:

Although there is no limit to the types of biryanis you can prepare, here are some of the most common and most widely eaten ones:

·         Hyderabadi Biryani: A royal dish directly from the kitchen of the Nizams, extremely rich flavours and primarily spicy. And would you believe it, the Hyderabadi Biryani comes in 49 different kinds, right from ‘shrimp’ Hyderabadi biryani to even a ‘quail’ Hyderabadi biryani! Hard to believe, especially when we’re used to the typical rice preparation of basmati rice and goat meat…

·         Lucknowi Biryani: Known by various names like Awadhi biryani, Mughlai biryani and even Pakka biryani, this is the actual recipe left behind by the erstwhile Mughal rajas and maharajas. Needs neither an introduction nor a description. A prime delicacy if ever there was one.

·         Ambur Biryani: Ambur, a city in Tamilnadu, has the distinction of more biryani shops per kilometer than any other metropolitan city in the world, leave alone India! Legend has it that this was served for the Carnatic army since it wasn’t very convenient to prepare Indian breads like rotis to cater to so many jawans all at once. And as they say, the legend lives on…

·         Kolkata Biryani: Recession was known in the past as well and it was one of these periods when potato came to be used in biryani along with a little meat as it was relatively cheaper. And this became famous as the Kolkata biryani.

·         Sindhi Biryani: The only biryani which uses yoghurt in large amounts while being cooked. Named after a state in Pakistan where it originated.

I could go on and on, but then my list of biryanis would never end. What’s more, I could even invent a special exclusive biryani recipe of my own! But till that much-awaited day arrives when you’ll be able to try out my extraordinary biryani, you can settle for these Biryani Restaurants to satiate your appetite. Simply Order Food Online and get home delivery from any of these biryani speciality restaurants in Bangalore, Delhi or Mumbai and relish your meal.

Do you know the difference between the two terms – ‘biryani’ and ‘pulao’? I was oblivious of the same until recently. When we say ‘pulao’, it means a dish wherein all the ingredients including the rice, vegetables or chicken/mutton (as the case may be), are cooked all together. Whereas when we talk about biryani, it usually implies that the rice and meat/vegetables are cooked individually in separate pots and once they’re ready, both are brought together and layered, resulting in contrasting flavours which set your taste buds tingling.

And for those of you who spend half your days commuting to and fro from home to office and then again back home, you could order biryanis on the go using the Online Food Ordering Apps of JustEat.in. Dedicated to all biryani lovers like me!

 After having delicious biryani,you do crave for an dessert.So my next post will be a lip smacking dessert which i bet you cant have just one.So let me make it more exciting,guess my next recipe and the first few lucky ones will win dinning voachers which can be used in Mumbai,Delhi & Bangalore.Mail me your answers to anjuman1220@yahoo.com or message me at anjumsrasoi on facebook.

 Hints for guessing the recipe.

Its a frozen dairy dessert.

Contains condensed milk,evaported milk,almonds..

Loved by one and all

Gulab Jamun - Deep fried sweet dumplings stewed in sugar syrup

MAKES 10 GULAB JAMUNS
PREPARATION TIME: 45 MINS


INGREDIENTS
1.Nido milk powder 1cup
2.Baking powder 1tspn (leveled)
3.Ghee 1tbspn(melted)
4.Egg 1(large)
5.Flour(maida) 1tbspn
6.Cardamom powder  a pinch

For the sugar syrup(sheera)

1. Sugar 1cup
2. Water 2 and a half cups
3. Cardamom powder 1/4th tspn
4. Kewra water 1tspn
5. Saffron a pinch

Procedure to make sugar syrup(sheera):

• Take an open vessel and add all the ingredints to make the syrup .
• Boil the syrup till it becomes a bit sticky,when held between your 2 fingers.
• Dont make it too sicky,otherwise your jamuns will not soak in the syrup and  will become hard.
• Keep this aside.
• You can add  the jamuns after they get deep fried to this syrup and cook for about 8-10minutes.

Procedure to make the jamuns:

• Now take a bowl and mix all the ingredients together and knead well to make a soft dough by applying ghee on your palms.
• The dough will be sticky initially but as start kneading it will become soft,you dont need to add any milk or water.
• Make small balls with this dough ,greasing your hands a bit everytime.
• Make sure the there are no cracks on your balls.
• Your balls are ready to be deep fried in oil.
• Heat oil in a vessel(kadai) to deep fry the gulab jamuns,simmer the flame so that the oil is  medium heated till you make the balls.
• The oil should be not too hot,start putting all the balls one by one in the oil.
• Keep stirring till the gulab jamuns turn nice brown in colour.

• The balls should take atleast 5-7 minutes to turn brown in colour.
• By doing this the balls get properly cooked  from inside.
• Now transfer these balls into the sugar syrup and cook this syrup with jamuns for about 8-10minutes.

• Your gulab jamuns are ready now.
• Tranfer them to your serving dish.

Shami kabab and shikampur kabab

Makes 16 shami/shikampur kababs


Preparation time: 1hr



INGREDIENTS to be added to the meat:

1.Boneless mutton 500grms

2.Split Bengal gram(chana dal) 3tbspns (soaked in water for 30mins)

3.Garlic cloves 12

4.Ginger 1 inch piece

5.Cinnamon 2-3 sticks

6.Red chilli powder 2tspns

7.Turmeric powder 1/4th tspn

8.Caraway seeds(shazeera) 1tspn

9.Kawab chini(cubeb) 2tspns

10.Elaichi 5

11.Whole peppercorn(kalimirch) 2tspn

12.Oil 2tspns

13.Salt to taste



METHOD:

Add all the ingredients in a cooker along with a cup of water and condense for 10 mins,till the mutton becomes a tender.

You can put all the whole masalas in a muslin cloth,tie it like a potli and drop it in the cooker as well.

If you dint make a potli,try and handpick the whole masala as its hard to grind them with mutton.

You can discard the garam masala.

Also dry out all the water.



INGREDIENTS TO BE ADDED WHILE GRINDING:

1.Coriander leaves 1 bunch

2.Mint leaves 1/2 bunch

3.Green chilles 2

4.Freshly grounded garam masala powder 1tspn

5.Lemon juice of 1 lemon

6.Fresh Cardamom powder 1/2th tspn

7.Raw onion 1 medium or brown onion about a handful (which ever u like for an added flavor..i usually add some raw onion)



METHOD FOR GRINDING:

Cool the mixture.

Grind the mutton a bit for around a minute in a blender.

Later add haramasala(coriander leaves,mint leaves,green chillies) along with garam masala powder,cardamom powder and lemon juice.

Grind the mutton till you can blend them to form threads like consistency.

Don't grind too much.

INGREDIENTS FOR STUFFING TO MAKE SHIKAMPUR KABABS:

1.Hard curd 1/2 cup

2.Finely chopped onion 3tbspns

3.Few coriander and mint leaves.



METHOD FOR STUFFING:

1.Properly mix up the ingredients for stuffing.

2.Grease your hands with some desi ghee or oil.

3.Now take some mutton mixture and make flat patties,stuff the mixture in the middle and close the pattie from all the sides carefully.

4.Shape the mixture in small circular shapes.

Your shikampur kababs are ready to fry.

5.If you are making shami kabab, don't stuff them with the filling ,just shape into diamond shapes.

FRYING METHOD:(need oil for frying)

Heat some oil and shallow fry the shami kabab/shikampuri kabab to golden brown in colour on both sides



TIPS:You can freeze this mixture and use whenever you wish for upto a month.

Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani and review of Foodpanda

In my recent visit to India I got to know about FOODPANDA.(www.foodpanda.in) - the online delivery site for delicious, tasty, mouth watering dishes. A wide range of succulent, hot meals can be delivered at your door step within a few minutes. Delivery from Foodpanda is hassle free and with a few clicks of the mouse your favourite food can be at your door step. I used this service several times and got an opportunity to enjoy great dishes from all over the city. The food is served in a hygenic way and the pleasant behavior of the delivery boys adds a extra flavour to the dish. You can also enjoy great savers from their website. I would recommend Foodpanda to ONE AND ALL. Now coming to today's recipe .

 Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani 
This recipe originated from the royal kitchen of the Nizams. It is a dish that doesn’t call for an elaborate process but requires a lot of ‘tender loving care’. Kachha (raw) biryani is in Hyderabadi style, where marinated raw chicken and partially cooked basmati rice are layered and cooked on dum, over low heat. I have prepared this biryani several times, and the recipe is perfect and has never failed me. Once the biryani is cooked on dum, as you open the lid, the kitchen smells fragrant, rich with the reassuring aroma of pure ghee, saffron and the chicken cooked to melt in the mouth with tenderness.

SERVES: 5
Cooking time 45mins
INGREDIENTS: For the Aqni:
STEP 1:MARINATION
Marination time:1hr minimum
1.Chicken with bone 1kg
2.Salt to taste
3.Red chilli powder 2tspns
4.Turmeric powder 1/4tspn
5.Ginger-garlic paste 3tbspns
6.Garam masala powder 1tspn
7.Green chillies 15(slitted)
8.Coriander leaves 1 bunch(finely chopped)
9.Mint leaves 1/2 bunch(finely chopped)
10.Fried onions 2 handful
11.Yogurt 400gms
(put it in a strainer or a muslin cloth and use the hard curd for marination)
12.Oil 3/4cup (use the leftover oil that you used to fry the onions)

METHOD FOR THE MARINATION:

Wash the chicken and leave it in a strainer atleast for an hour so that you don't have any water in it.
Add all the ingredients one by one into the chicken.
Leave it to marinate atleast for an hour or you can even marinate a day earlier and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.

STEP 2: BOILING THE RICE

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ADHAN:
1.Basmati rice 5 cups(I use India gate)
2.Salt 9tspns
3.Caraway seeds 1tspn(shazeera)
4.Cardamom 5(elaichi)
6.Cloves 4(loung)
7.Cinnamon 2sticks(patta)
8.Bay leaves 2

METHOD FOR PREPARING THE RICE:
Soak rice in lukewarm water for a minimum of 30minutes.(this will make your rice grain longer). Simultaneously in a big wide vessel,boil lots of water with salt,caraway seeds,cinnamon,cardamon,cloves and bay leaves.
When the water starts boiling add the soaked rice to it.
Give it a stir,dont keep stirring everytime as this will break your rice grain.
Cook till the rice grain can be broken into 2 when held between two fingers.
This will take 2-3 minutes as you have already soaked the rice for 30minutes. Keep checking now and then.
Drain the rice in a strainer and keep the rice aside.

STEP 3:LAYERING
INGREDIENTS FOR THE LAYERING:

1.Lemon juice of 1lemon
2.Coriander leaves 1cup
3.Mint leaves 1/2 cup
4.Fried onions 1cup
5.Saffron 2 pinches(mixed in luke warm milk)
6.Luke warm milk 1/2 cup
7.OIl 1/2 cup
8.Desi ghee 2Tbspns

METHOD FOR THE LAYERING:
Take a wide vessel in which you wish to dum the biryani in or you can alternatively use a clay pot.

LAYER 1:
Put a very thin layer of rice as your first layer This is a protective layer so that you don't burn your chicken in case you over cook.

LAYER 2:
Put the marinated chicken as your second layer.

LAYER 3:
Put half of the cooked rice as your third layer.

LAYER 4:
Sprinkle evenly fried onions,coriander leaves,mint leaves and lemon juice as your fourth layer. (fried onions should be put in this layer and not the final layer as they go darker if put in the last layer because of the steam).

LAYER 5:
Put the remaining half rice in the fifth layer.

LAYER 6:
Finally sprinkle the saffron mixed in milk evenly.
Desi ghee mixed with oil should be put in from the corners to make full circle.
Seal this with aluminium foil.

FINAL STEP: COOKING METHOD:
Cook on high flame for 8-10 minutes till you see some steam escaping.
Now lower the flame for 15minutes.
Keep rotating your vessel clockwise every 3 minutes.
Switch off the stove and leave aside for 10minutes.
Don't mix in the whole biryani when you serve.
Take them out in layers like the chefs does.

SERVE HOT WITH RAITA OR MIRCHION KA SALAN

TIP:
You can freeze the onions in the freezer in a zip lock bag after you fry them to make it crispy.

Chicken Harees

Cooking time: 50minutes

Serves 12 INGREDIENTS:

1. Chicken with bone 1kilo
2. Oats(Quaker) 400 grams
3. Big onions(sliced finely) 5
4. Red chilli powder 1tspn
5. Ginger garlic paste 1-2tspns
6. Salt to taste
7. Cashewnut 2handfulls(grind to paste using water)
8. Black pepper powder 1tspn
9. Garam masala powder 1tspn
10. Lemon 1
11. Salt to taste
12. Chicken stock cubes 2

HARAMASALA
15 Green chilles
Corainder leaves 1 bunch
Mint leaves 1/2bunch
WHOLE GARAM MASALA
Cloves 6
Cinnamon 2-3 sticks
Cardamom 5
Caraway seeds 1tspn
Whole Black pepper 1tspn
FOR THE BAGAR
Desi ghee 4tbspn
Ginger-garlic paste 4tbspns

METHOD

• Cooker chicken with onions,haramasala, whole garam masala,salt,red chilli powder,ginger-garlic paste along with 2 cups of water for 10mins.
• Now take out the chicken and shread it,discard the bones.If you can, please take out the whole garam masala,specially the black pepper.
• To the gravy, that is left in the cooker,add cashewnut paste,shredded chicken and cook for around 5 minutes ...switch off the stove and keep this aside.
• Take a big vessel, heat about 2tbspns oil+2Tbspns of desi ghee and fry the oats to brown in colour...take care that you dont burn the oats.
• When the oats turn brown in colour immediately add atleast 3 glasses of water.Also add maggi chicken stock cubes.
• Now add the cooker ingredients to these fried oats.Add enough water so that,they both cook togther properly.
• Take a dal ghotni(one used to mash dal traditionally) and keep mashing the oats.Add black pepper powder abt 1tspn...or as per ur taste also add salt,coriander leaves,mint leaves,lemon juice,garam masala powder 1tspn.Keep frying all this for a while. If u find this difficult you can add some water,then simmer the flame and keep frying every now and then.
• Now take a seperate small utensil, heat about 4tbpns of desi ghee,to this add 4Tbspns of ginger garlic paste fry till it becomes brown in colour..mix this with the haleem/harees mixture..cook for sometime,the consistency should me medium thick..and switch off the flame.The harees should be not too runny nor too thick..as it will thicken up when it cools down.
• Garnish with fried onion,boiled eggs,coriander,mint leaves and fried caswetnuts.

Chicken and oats soup

INGREDIENTS:
 1.Chicken with bones 350grms
 2.Oats 10tspns
 3.Moong dal(golden gram) 3tspns
 4.Garlic 3flakes
 5.Tomato 1 medium
 6.Cumin powder 1/2tspn
 7.Turmeric powder 1/4th tspn
 8.Maggi chicken stock cubes 2
 9.Olive oil 1tspn
 10.Cinnamon 1 stick
 11.Whole Black pepper 1tspn
 12.Salt to taste
 13.Water 8-10 glasses
 14.Black (dried) lemon 1

 Method : 
1.Pressure cook all the ingredients except the lemon, on a low flame for about 30minutes.
 2.Take the chicken out and shread it(throw away the bones).
 3.Add the chicken back to the soup and also a black lemon.
 4.Boil till you get a soupy consistency,dont make it thick.
 5.Lastly add some fresh coriander leaves and cook for 2 more minutes,discard the lemon.
 6.Serve hot.

Chicken and oats shorba