Editors Picks

Hi

Today I am going to share my favorite desi and continental recipes with you all. I hope you like it. These might be a little spice or a little sweet but every bite of it is breath taking sooo lets start.

Kulcha and Wheat Kulcha recipe

INGREDIENTS

MAIDA KULCHA

• 2 cups of Self rising flour
• 1 cup Beaten Curd (yogurt)
• 2 tablespoon Water
• 1/4 cup Oil/Ghee
• 1 teaspoon Maida 

WHEAT KULCHA

• 2 cup Wheat Flour (Atta)
• 1/2 cup Curd
• 1/4 cup Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Baking soda
• 1/4 cup Water to knead dough
• Salt to taste
• 2 teaspoon Oil

METHOD

MAIDA KULCHA

1. Let's prep up our ingredients. Sieve flour through a strainer and add curd and oil to it. Start working on the dough. Knead the dough- it will not only help build gluten in our dough it will also make it light and airy resulting in soft and fluffy kulchas.
2. Once the dough is ready, cover it with wet kitchen towel and set it aside for 2-3 hours. The dough will rise and become airy during this time period.
3. Heat the tawa/griddle. Take a kulcha dough and roll out in the form of a roti and place it on the hot tawa. When cooked from one side flip over and cook the other side. Apply 1 teaspoon of oil and start cooking by pressing down the kulcha with the help of a spatula.
4. When one side is cooked flip over and cook the other side same way by applying 1 teaspoon of oil.
5. During the cooking process kulchas will puff up, cook them using oil and serve them hot. Repeat the process with rest of the dough and it will yield 6 kulchas.

WHEAT KULCHA

1. Knead a soft and pliable dough by mixing all the ingredients mentioned above. Cover and let it sit in a warm place for 2-3 hour.
2. After an hour, roll and shape out the dough into a small disc shape.
3. Transfer it to a hot griddle.Sprinkle some cilantro leaves.if you prefer sprinkle some sesame seeds...
4. Turn and cook from other side by applying some oil. Cook evenly from both the sides till evenly brown.

FALAFEL

INGREDIENTS 

4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, halved

1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped of fresh mint

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1⁄2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

vegetable oil cooking spray

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pita pockets, warmed

shredded lettuce

chopped tomato

sliced onion

HERBED CUCUMBER YOGURT

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 kirby cucumber, seeded and chopped

sea salt

pepper

DIRECTIONS

To make Herbed Cucumber Yogurt: Add all yogurt ingredients to a mixing bowl; whisk to combine; cover and chill until ready to serve.

To make Falafel: Add the scallions, garlic, cilantro, and mint to the container of a food processor; pulse until mixture is finely chopped.

Add the chickpeas, breadcrumbs, cumin, baking powder, salt, and Tabasco; continue to pulse until the batter has the consistency of cooked oatmeal.

Lightly oil hands and form mixture into 4 burger shaped patties.

Spray each patty lightly with cooking spray.

Let the olive oil get hot (but not smoking) in a large skillet over medium heat.

Fry patties for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp.

Transfer cooked patties to a paper-towel lined plate.

Put cooked patty into warmed pita pocket with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and sliced onions.

Serve with Herbed Cucumber Yogurt.

Fettuccine Quattro Formaggi 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound spinach fettuccine
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
• 2/3 cup grated provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled soft fresh goat cheese
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

       METHOD

• Cook fettucine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.Meanwhile, combine cream and next 6 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until mixture simmers and is smooth.Drain pasta; return to same pot. Add cream sauce and Parmesan to pasta; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts.

Butter chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup Tamar Valley Greek Style Yoghurt
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3cm piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 600g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 20g butter
• 1 brown onion, halved, thickly sliced
• 410g can tomato puree
• 1/2 cup Massel chicken style liquid stock
• 1/2 cup thickened cream
• Basmati rice, to serve
• Coriander leaves, to serve

METHOD

Place yoghurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and chilli powder in a glass or ceramic dish. Add chicken. Stir to coat. Cover. Refrigerate for 2 hours.Heat oil and butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add chicken mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until chicken just starts to change colour. Add tomato puree and stock. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until chicken is tender and mixture has thickened slightly.Stir in cream. Simmer for a further 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with steamed rice and coriander leaves.

Mutton Malai Curry

INGREDIENTS

• Mutton ½ kg (beef) ( meat of domestic sheep)
• Ginger Garlic 1 tbsp
• Green Chili paste 1 tbsp
• Salt 1 tsp
• Water 1 cup
• Oil ½ cup
• Onion 1/2 cup (sliced)
• Cashew Nuts (ground) 20
• Yogurt ½cup
• Button Red Chilies (roasted & ground) 10
• Nutmeg (ground) ¼ tsp
• Cream ½ cup
• Coriander Leaves (chopped) 2 tbsp
• Green Chilies (chopped) 3
• Cheddar Cheese (ground) 2 tbsp

INSTRUCTIONS

Boil mutton with ginger garlic, green chili paste, salt and water till mutton tender; reserve the stock.
Heat oil fry onion till soft. Add in ground cashew nut, yogurt, roasted, crushed red pepper and Nutmeg; cook till oil comes out.
Add mutton and stock cook till thick.
Add cream, coriander, green chilies and cheese.
Dish out and serve with paratha.

STICKY HONEY GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMP

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• juice of one small lemon
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• green onions, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a small bowl whisk honey, soy sauce, garlic and lemon. Add half of the sauce to the shrimp and let marinate for 30 minutes.
2. In a medium sized skillet at the butter. Add the shrimp and discard marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium high. Cook until the shrimp turns pink about 2 minutes each side. Add the reserved marinade and pour over shrimp. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken and coats the shrimp. Garnish with green onions.

Bombay Biryani

THINGS YOU NEED

• Mutton or chicken 1 kg, washed / cleaned, cut into pieces
• Rice basmati 1 kg, soaked for 15 minutes
• Potatoes 4, steam lightly, peel and cut into large pieces
• Tomatoes 6, quartered
• Onions 4 medium, finely sliced
• Mint 1 bunch, finely chopped
• Green chillies 6 whole
• Ginger-garlic paste 1, 1/2 tbsp
• Dried plums 1 cup, soaked in hot water.
• Red chillies 1 tbsp, powdered
• Coriander 2 tbsp, powdered
• Peppercorns 6
• Cloves 4
• Cardamoms 6
• Black cumin seeds 1 tsp
• Yellow food color 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Yogurt 1 cup
• Hot milk 1 cup
• Ghee/oil 1 cup
• Lemon juice of 2

METHOD 

Combine mutton or chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic, red chili powder and green chillies, coriander, mint, lemon juice, plums and salt.

Mix well and set aside for half an hour.
Heat oil in a pan and fry onions till golden brown.
Move half of it to absorbent paper.
To the remaining half in the pan add the marinated meat.
Cook on low heat, do not add water, when the liquid dries fry a little and remove from heat.
Deep fry the potatoes and separately fry the tomatoes in a little oil and add both to prepared curry.
Boil the rice with cardamoms, black pepper, cloves and salt.
When the rice is half done drain in a strainer.
Put a little oil in the base of pan and make a layer of half the rice. Then put a layer of the prepared curry and cover with a second layer of rice, pour in warm milk and sprinkle food color on top of it.
Cover tightly and steam on very low heat for 15 minutes.
Serve hot with raita.

Suji Ka Halwa (Semolina dessert)

INGREDIENT

1 cup semolina (sooji)

3⁄4 cup sugar

3 cups water

2 tablespoons raisins (kish mish)

1⁄4 teaspoon cardamom 

seed(choti elaichi)

12 tablespoons ghee

DIRECTIONS

In a pan add water and sugar. Boil it for ten to 15 mins high or till the water dries up into half.
Turn off the heat & add the raisons (kish mish) in it. This would be yr sheera.
In a separate pan warm up the ghee on medium high and add cardamom seeds and semolina (sooji) in it. Keep on stirring it till the semolina turns a bit darker or golder brown. Note u can not leave the semolina unattended now since it can stick in the pan & burn up easily.
Stir fry it for 10 minutes.
Now add the sugar water & cook it for 5 mins on high.
Once the water dries up & the semolina puffs a little bit cover the pan & let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
Take out in a serving dish. Sprinkle some chopped dry fruits.
This sweet dish is best served hot.

Vada Pav

Ingredients 

• Potatoes boiled and peeled 6 large

• Pav

• Oil 1 tablespoon + to deep fry

• Asafoetida a pinch

• Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon

• Green chilli-garlic paste 1 tablespoon

• Salt to taste

• Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1/4 cup

• Lemon juice 1 tablespoon

• Loaves of bread (pav) 8 small

• For Batter

• Coarse gram flour (besan) 1 1/4 cups

• Salt to taste

• Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon

• Turmeric powder 1/4 teaspoon

• Soda bicarbonate a small pinch

Method

Step 1

To make the batter place the gram flour in a bowl. Add salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, soda bicarbonate and mix. Add sufficient water and whip to a smooth and thick batter. Set aside for at least fifteen minutes. Place the boiled potatoes in a bowl.

Step 2

Heat one tablespoon oil in a pan. Add asafoetida, turmeric powder, green chilli-garlic paste and mix. Add potatoes and salt and mix. Set aside to cool. Add coriander leaves, lemon juice and mix mashing the potatoes some more.

Step 3

Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and shape them into balls.

Step 4

Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Dip the potato balls in the gram flour batter and deep fry till golden and crisp on the outside. Drain on absorbent paper. Slit each pav, spread some dry garlic chutney, place a vada and press lightly

CHERRY TOMATO PIZZA MARGHERITA

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
   • 1 tablespoon olive oil
   • 1 12-ounce bag cherry tomatoes, stemmed
   • 1 garlic clove, pressed
   • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed in plastic bag
   • 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
   • 1 4-ounce ball fresh mozzarella in water (ovoline), diced
   • 4 ounces whole-milk mozzarella, diced
   • 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves plus small leaves for garnish

PREPARATION

1. 1. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Unroll dough on heavy large baking sheet; pull to about 12x8-inch rectangle, pinching any tears to seal. Fold over edge of dough to make border.
   2. Heat large skillet over high heat 2 minutes. Add oil, then tomatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until tomatoes are charred and beginning to break down, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in garlic, fennel, and crushed red pepper. Using back of fork, crush tomatoes in bowl, leaving large chunks intact. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Toss cheeses and chopped basil in medium bowl.
   3. Sprinkle cheese mixture evenly over dough, right up to border. Spoon on tomato mixture in dollops, leaving some cheese uncovered. Bake pizza until crust is crisp and brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
   4. Loosen pizza with metal spatula and slide onto board. Garnish with basil leaves.

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