chicken paprika

ingredients

8  ouncesfresh mushrooms, sliced (3 cups)

1  medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

2  clovesgarlic, minced

1/4  cupmargarine or butter

2 to 3  teaspoonsHungarian paprika or paprika

1/4  teaspoonpepper

2  cupscubed cooked chicken (10 ounces)

1  14-1/2-ounce canchicken broth

2  tablespoonstomato paste

1  8-ounce cartondairy sour cream or light dairy sour cream

3  tablespoonsall-purpose flour

  Hot cooked wide noodles

  Snipped parsley (optional)

directions

1. In a 10-inch skillet cook mushrooms, onion, and garlic in melted margarine or butter over medium heat about 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in paprika and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Stir in cubed cooked chicken, chicken broth, and tomato paste. Bring to boiling.

2. Stir together sour cream and flour. Stir into mixture in skillet. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 1 minute more. Serve chicken mixture over noodles. Garnish with snipped parsley, if desired. Makes 4 servings.

nutrition information

Per serving: Calories 587, Total Fat 32 g, Saturated Fat 12 g, Cholesterol 127 mg, Sodium 670 mg, Carbohydrate 44 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 32 g. Daily Values: Vitamin A 32%, Vitamin C 5%, Calcium 11%, Iron 4%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Image and Recipe credit: http://www.recipe.com/chicken-paprika/

chocolate mousse

chocolate-malted mousse

For an elegant dessert try this chocolaty mousse recipe topped with cocoa-flavored whipped cream.

ingredients

2  oz.malted milk balls (about 2/3 cup)

4  oz.milk chocolate, coarsely choppedsee savings

3  oz.bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3  cupswhipping cream

1/3  cupchocolate malted milk powder

2  Tbsp.chocolate liqueur, almond liqueur, or milk

1/2  tsp.vanilla

1  Tbsp.sugar

2  tsp.unsweetened cocoa powder

  Malted milk balls (optional)

directions

1. Place the 2 ounces malted milk balls in large resealable plastic bag and finely crush with rolling pin. Set aside.

2. For mousse, in small saucepan heat milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate with 1/4 cup of the whipping cream over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Stir in malted milk powder, liqueur, and vanilla. Cool to room temperature.

3. In large chilled mixing bowl with chilled beaters beat 1-3/4 cups whipping cream to stiff peaks (peaks stand straight). Stir about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into melted chocolate mixture; fold chocolate mixture back into remaining whipped cream. Fold in crushed malted milk balls. Spoon into 1-1/2- to 2-quart dish or 8 to 10 small bowls or glasses. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 24 hours.

4. In medium chilled bowl combine remaining 1 cup whipping cream, sugar, and cocoa powder; beat to soft peaks. Spoon on mousse. Top with malted milk balls. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

nutrition information

Per serving: Calories 520, Total Fat 43 g, Saturated Fat 27 g, Monounsaturated Fat 12 g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g, Cholesterol 127 mg, Sodium 90 mg, Carbohydrate 31 g, Total Sugar 24 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 4 g. Daily Values: Vitamin C 2%, Calcium 12%, Iron 6%. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Image and Recipe credit: http://www.recipe.com/chocolate-malted-mousse/ 

Hyderabadi Biryani

Hyderabadi Biryani

Ingredients

•Mutton,a mix of chops,marrowbone and shoulder pieces          500 grams

•Basmati rice                                                                            1 1/2 cups

•Salt     

•Bay leaves                                                                              2

•Green cardamoms                                                                  10

•Black peppercorns                                                                 25-30

•Cinnamon                                                                              3 inch stick

•Oil                                                                                         1 tablespoon + to deep fry

•Onions,sliced                                                                         5 large

•Caraway seeds (shahi jeera)                                                  1/2 teaspoon

•Cloves                                                                                   10

•Ginger paste                                                                          1 tablespoon

•Garlic paste                                                                           1 tablespoon

•Red chilli powder                                                                  1 tablespoon

•Yogurt                                                                                  1 cup

•Fresh coriander leaves,torn                                                    2 tablespoons

•Fresh mint leaves,torn                                                            2 tablespoons

•Pure ghee                                                                              4 tablespoons

•Black cardamoms                                                                  2

•Saffron (kesar),mix in 1/4 cup milk                                         a few strands

Method

Heat five to six cups of water in a deep pan. Add drained rice, salt, bay leaves, five green cardamoms, seven to eight black peppercorns, one cinnamon stick and cook till three fourth done. Drain and set aside. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep-fry half the onion slices till golden. Drain and place on an absorbent paper. Grind caraway seeds, one cinnamon stick, remaining black peppercorns, cloves and remaining green cardamoms to a fine powder and set aside. Take mutton pieces in a bowl. Add ginger paste, garlic paste and salt and mix. Add the spice powder, red chilli powder, half the fried onions crushed, yogurt, coriander leaves, half of the mint leaves and one tablespoon oil and mix. Let it marinate for about two hours in the refrigerator. Heat two tablespoons ghee in a pan, remaining cinnamon and black cardamoms and sauté till fragrant. Add remaining onions and sauté till light golden. Add marinated mutton, stir and cook on high heat for three to four minutes. Cover, reduce heat and cook till almost done. Heat the remaining ghee in a thick-bottomed pan. Spread half the rice in a layer. Spread the mutton over the rice. Sprinkle remaining torn mint leaves. Spread the remaining rice. Sprinkle saffron milk. Cover and cook under dum till done. Serve hot with a raita of your choice.

Blueberry Cheesecake

Blueberry Cheesecake

Ingredients
300 gms mascarpone
250 gms whipped cream 
70 gms butter  
1 pkt marie gold biscuit
10 gms Gelatin
150 gms blueberry sauce 
35 gms castor sugar

Method

1. Add 10 ml water in gelatin, put on double boiler.
2. Crush biscuit, mix with butter, set it in the base of the ring mould. Bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, keep it aside to cool down.
3. Whisk cream properly, add melted gelatin, add this mixture to mascarpone cheese at room temperature.
4. Pour the half mixture in the mould over biscuit crust. Spread 50 gms blueberry sauceon it and add the rest of the mixture. Refrigerate for one and a half hour to set. Spread remaining blueberry sauce on top.
5. Cut into desired portion size. Serve cold. 

BBQ Chicken

Burnt Garlic & Thyme-rubbed BBQ Chicken

Ingredients
1 boneless chicken leg
1 boneless xhicken breast
100 gms rice
25 ml BBQ sauce
2 gms rosemary
5 gms burnt garlic
125 gms zucchini
50 gms red pepper
50 gms yellow pepper
10 gms mixed fresh herbs

Method

1. Marinate chicken with burnt garlic, rosemary, salt, oil and pepper overnight.
2. Cook on charcoal grill carefully.
3. Serve hot with herb rice, BBQ sauce & grilled vegetables.

Boondi Laddoo

Ingredients Needed To Prepare Laddoo 
1. Gram Flour (Besan) – 300 grams (This should be slightly coarse) 2. Milk – ½ Litre 3. Sugar – 300 grams 4. Cardamom Powder- A pinch 5. Water – 500 ml 6. Saffron – A pinch 7. Food Color – Orange (This is optional) 8. Oil For Deep Frying. 

 An important tool needed to prepare Boondi is a strainer. The fineness of the holes in the strainer gives the desired shape of the boondi. There is no specific size that it is needed. It is totally dependant how you would like it. Its size and shape doesn’t affect the taste of the Laddoo.

How To Prepare Boondi LaddooAdd sugar to the water and start boiling it for the next 3-4 minutes.The scum of the sugar will be floating on the top. Remove the layer of scum. Continue boiling till it thickens. Add the cardamom powder to it and keep it aside. Mix the gram flour with milk and make it into a smooth paste without any lumps.

Heat sufficient amount of oil in a deep frying pan and heat the oil.Pass the gram flour batter through the strainer. Tap the strainer so that the flow is even and smooth. The oil should be very hot so that the frying is done rapidly. When the color turns golden brown take it out. Complete doing this till all the batter is over. Next dip the boondis in the sugar syrup that was previously prepared. After soaking them for few minutes, spread them on a plate evenly. Sprinkle hot water over this mixture and cover it with a cloth and leave it for 10 minutes.

Moisten your palms with water and roll this mixture into small balls. The size can be rolled as per your choice but make sure that all the balls are of equal shape and size.

There is another sweet that is commonly offered to Lord Ganesh is Peda. This again has plenty of varieties like Kesar Peda, Mawa/Khoya Peda, Apple Peda, Malai Peda (Malai- Cream) and many more. The basic way of preparing it is with Mawa/Khoya. To this, various flavorings are added to create varieties.

Gulab Jamun

Ingredients:      

1 cup Carnation Milk Powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tablespoons butter -melted

Whole milk just enough to make the dough

For the Sugar Syrup

2 cups Sugar

1 cup water

Oil for frying

How to make gulab jamun:

Make the dough by combining the milk powder, Bisquick, butter. Add just enough whole milk to make a medium-hard dough. Divide the dough into 18-20 portions. Make balls by gently rolling each portion between your palms into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a plate. Cover with a damp yet dry kitchen towel.

Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one. They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right. Now they must be gently and constantly agitated to ensure even browning on all sides.

If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.

The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.

Sugar Syrup

The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. To make the hot sugar syrup add mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of "Kesar". Mix with a spoon and then heat at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.

Transfer this hot syrup into a serving dish. Keep warm on stove. Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. Leave gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup overnight for best results. They can be served warm or at room temperature.