NAVARATAN KORMA

Starting this Monday, we are into our 27th Foodie Monday Blog Hop event and the theme for this Monday is North Indian Cuisine. North Indian cuisine is a part of Indian cuisine, from the region of Northern India and includes the Awadhi cuisine, Bihari cuisine, Bhojpuri cuisine, Kumauni cuisine, Cuisine of Kashmir, Mughlai cuisine, Punjabi cuisine, Rajasthani cuisine, Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh. North Indian cuisine has had strong Central Asian influences as compared to its southern or eastern counterpart.

North Indians and their food are inseparable. The role of food in Northern India is not just to satisfy hunger pangs but a lot more than that. Northern Indians take their food very seriously and cooking it is no less than a ritual when compared to other parts of the country, where you can still hope to make yourself a quick meal without indulging in elaborate procedures. The North of India is centre of some of the best culinary delicacies and varieties of food. 

North Indian cuisine is distinguished by the proportionally high use of dairy products such as milk, paneer, ghee and yoghurt . Gravies are typically dairy-based. North Indian cooking features the use of the "tawa" (griddle) for baking flat breads like roti and paratha, and "tandoor" (a large and cylindrical charcoal-fired oven) for baking breads such as naan, and kulcha; main courses like tandoori chicken also cook in the tandoor.

So going by the today’s theme of North Indian Cuisine, my   pick is a very popular dish amongst North Indians. This exotic Mughalai cuisine inspired preparation is known as ‘Navaratan Korma. ‘Navaratan’ means nine jewels and ‘Korma means a silky buttery sauce which is very smooth in texture. This dish is supposed to contain a mix of 9 fruits, vegetables and fried nuts. In true Mughlai cuisine fashion, cream (or cashew nut paste) is added to form the gravy. This is different from the less rich coconut based mixed vegetable curry from South India.

Before learning the recipe for this korma, a little bit of background and history of this needs to be told. “Navratan” is an amalgam of the words “Nav” meaning nine and “ratan” meaning gems or precious stones. The most famous of the Mughal rulers was Akbar the Great . Despite being illeterate,  Akbar liked to be surrounded by intelligent and talented people. He appointed 9 such people who were also his advisers and friends and he called them “Navratan” or his nine gems. This dish is named Navratan korma as it contains 9 different, pretty components. The gravy itself is pale so as to allow  “9 gems” to stand out. 

Cuisine: Mughlai

Prep Type: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

The vegetables

• 2 medium carrot, cut into 1cm cubes
• 4  cauliflower florets
• 8 to 10 thin, long string beans, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 medium potato, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1/4 cup green peas
• 1/4 cup paneer, cut into 1cm cubes

The spices

• 2 to 3 green cardamom
• 1 black cardamom
• 3 cloves
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 single strands of mace

The Korma

• 2 medium sized onions, sliced or ½ cup thinly sliced onions
• 2-3 green chilies chopped
• ½ tbsp ginger garlic paste
• ½ cup fresh curd
• ⅓ cup fresh cream
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon of garam masala powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup water or add as required
• salt as required

The Mughal richness

• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• 1 tbsp melon seeds
• 10 to 12 almonds
• 10 to 12 cashewnuts
• ¼ cup warm water for grinding to a paste or as required

The garnish

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 10 pistachois
• 10 cashewnuts
• 10 walnut halves
• 1 tbsp raisins
• ½ cup chopped pineapple
• ½ tbsp melon seeds
• 1 tbsp mint leaves
• a pinch of saffron strands

Let's Learn How to make the recipe:

Preparing the paste:

• Soak all the dry fruits and seeds in hot water for 30 to 40 minutes.Remove the peels from the almonds and add the peeled almonds in a grinder .Add ¼ cup water and grind the poppyseed, melonseed, almonds, cashewnuts to a fine paste. Add more water if required while making the paste. keep this paste aside.
• In the meanwhile, cut the vegetables and steam in a steamer for 5 to 7 minutes, till they are half done. Transfer to a sieve and wash them in cold water to retain its firmness.

Preparing the korma:

• Heat ghee in a pan. Add the whole garam masala and fry till they crackle and become aromatic.
• Add the sliced onions and saute them till they turn golden.Now add the ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilies, saute till the raw aroma of ginger-garlic goes away.
• Now whisk the curd well and keep it ready.Next add the ground paste and curd. stir well. Add turmeric, coriander powder and red chili powder and  stir well for 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame.
• Now  add the vegetables with 1 cup of water. Season with salt and mix well.Cover and simmer the veggies till they are cooked. Check as they are half cooked earlier. Once the veggies are cooked, add the cream and stir it with the rest of the korma, switch off the flame. Sprinkle garam masala powder and keep aside.

Preparing the garnish:

• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a small frying pan and saute the cashews,pistachios, walnuts  till they turn a pale golden.
• Now add 1 tbsp raisins & ½ tbsp melon seeds. saute for some seconds.
• Then add ½ cup chopped pineapple cubes. saute for a minute.
• Next add 1 tbsp mint leaves, a pinch of saffron strands and saute for half a minute.
• Garnish the korma with the sauteed garnishing ingredients. 
• Serve Navratan korma with jeera rice for a blissful taste of this wonderful North Indian Cuisine.

Linking this recipe to our 27th Foodie Monday Blog Hop theme of North Indian Cuisine

Wholewheat Banana Bread with Chocolate Ganache and Hearts

Whenever I pass the display of bananas in the departmental store, I never forget to pick them up. My love for Banana always ends up in piling of Bananas in the fridge. So the best way to use the over ripe banana is to make them into Banana bread which is a type of cake made with mashed bananas, and typically cooked a loaf shape. It is often moist, sweet, and can be described as a quick bread. This classic banana bread is fluffy, moist, infused with sweet banana flavor, and loved by kids and adults alike.

 

I love this bread's moist texture and simple flavor. Banana bread should form a crack down the center as it bakes--a sign the baking soda is doing its job. “This Moist, delicious whole wheat banana bread is perfect for a Valentine’s Day treat.”This bread I bake often and is a perfect Tea time accompaniment for me. I decided to use the banana bread I bake often in making a sweet surprise cake for my Son. He loves Chocolate and for his late night cravings, it seems perfect. Without a delay, let’s check how did I make this cake. 

Recipe Type: Dessert
Serves: 4
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time:60 minutes

Ingredients for the Banana Cake:

• 1 ½ cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 4 nos of ripe banana
• ½ cup castor sugar
• ½ cup oil
• a pinch of nutmeg powder
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon baking Soda
• a pinch of salt
• ½ cup milk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon coffee powder
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

Ingredients for the Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 cup dark Chocolate
• ½ cup fresh cream

Ingredients for the Chocolate Heart:

• ½ cup white or milk chocolate
• 1 teaspoon oil
• Parchment paper
• few strawberries for garnishing
• 1/2 cup sugar syrup

Now Let’s Learn how to make this cake:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degree celsius.

•  Grease a bread tin or a rectangular cake pan with some oil.

•  Sieve the flour with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg powder, coffee powder, and cocoa powder.

•  Cut the bananas into slice and mix with sugar in a mixing bowl. Mash the bananas well or puree them with a hand blender.

•  Now add the oil to the banana and mix well.

•  Fold the flour directly in the bowl containing the mashed bananas and mix everything really well with the milk.

•  Pour the bread mixture into the loaf pan and bake at 180 degree C for 30-40 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean.

•  Once warm or cool remove the bread from the pan. Slice and serve banana bread warm.

•  The remaining loaf, you can wrap in a cling film or keep in a box in the fridge.

• For the Chocolate Ganache, break the dark chocolate into a bowl.

• In a pan pour the fresh cream and warm till bubbles appear in the sides. Turn off the heat and pour on the chopped chocolates. whisk them  till the chocolate melts completely.

• Now slice the banana bread and take one slice of it and pour a teaspoon of sugar syrup on it.

• Spread a teaspoon of chocolate ganache and place one more bread slices. Repeat the process for two more layers.

• Now cover the bread slices with chocolate ganache and keep in the refrigerator overnight.

• For the chocolate hearts, melt the white chocolate on a double boiler and when it melts completely, add a teaspoon of oil in it and whisk well.

• Pour it into a piping bag, and on a parchment paper make some little hearts and let it cool. Once cool, take the hearts out of the    parchment paper and keep aside.

• For assembling the cake, take out the cake from the fridge and pace the hearts over it along with some sliced strawberries and serve.

Caramel Custard / Baked Caramel Pudding / How to make a Perfect Caramel Custard

Caramel custard, Crème caramel, flan,flan de leche, banh caramel, kem flan is just different names of the custard dessert with a layer of soft caramel on top. This dish is is a very popular dessert and is quiet simple to make. The best thing about this dessert is that it not only tastes great but needs just a few ingredients which is commonly available in most of the homes.

 

Flan or caramel custard  is always the best sweet treat served very often during family dinner and everyone love it, so do i. I love it’s silky texture, the glossy shiny look, the colors and the feeling of  melting slowly in your mouth  is just worth giving this dessert a try at your home.

Cuisine: International
Recipe Type: Dessert

Prep Time : 15 mins

Cook Time : 30 mins 
Serves: 2
Ingredients: 

•    3 nos of Eggs
•    1 1/2 cups of Milk 
•    1 tsp Vanilla essence 
•    A pinch of Nutmeg powder
•    3 tbsp of powdered Sugar 
•    1/4 cup granulated Sugar for caramelizing 
•    1 tablespoon water
•    2 Ramekins or any mold

   
Let's Learn how to make this Caramel Custard:

• Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes.

• Take 1/4 of granulated sugar  in a pan, add a tbsp of water and heat on medium flame. Stir only until the sugar dissolves and then wait for the sugar to caramelize . Once it starts changing color,  do not stir rather gently swirl the pan for even coloring .

• Donot let the caramel to turn too dark, or else it will taste bitter and have a burnt smell. 

• Pour the prepared caramel evenly into individual ramekins or moulds. Make sure that the base of the ramekin is well coated. Allow it to set for 15 minutes.

• Break 3 small eggs into a bowl, add a tsp of vanilla essence, a pinch of nutmeg powder and 3 tablespoon of of powdered sugar or castor sugar. Whisk using a wire whisk until frothy.

• Strain the mixture to give the custard a smooth texture and to remove undissolved egg white strands if any and leave it to cool. 

• Then pour the milk-egg mixture into the prepared ramekins. Cover it with Silver foils.

• In a Baking tray, add a cup of water and place the ramekins in it and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean.

• Let it cool for sometime and simply demould the custard from the ramekins and serve.

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

With a creamy top and buttery biscuit base, who can resist this classic dessert ... No-bake Strawberry cheesecake. Cheesecake is a sweet dish consisting of one or more layers. The main, and thickest layer, consists of a mixture of soft, fresh cheese (typically cream cheese or ricotta), eggs, and sugar; the bottom layer often consists of a crust or base made from crushed cookies or digestive biscuits, graham crackers, pastry, or sponge cake. Cheesecake is usually topped with fruit, whipped cream, nuts, fruit sauce, or chocolate syrup.

 

Cheesecakes are made in different parts of the world using different ingredients  such as, United States and Canada use cream cheese; in Italy, cheesecakes use ricotta; Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland use quark. Cheesecakes are most easily baked in a leak-proof spring form pan, often paired with a water bath to more evenly distribute the heat.  Cheesecakes can be broadly categorized into two basic types: baked and unbaked.

Whether you make a bakes or no bake cheesecake, you will come across cream cheese — a very important ingredient in cheesecake.  Many recipes recommend for Philadelphia Cheese, which makes the Cheesecake  silky and shiny. But it is not a product that is easily available in many parts of the world, so making it at home is the only option you will have. Actually it’s pretty easy to make. You can learn how to make Cream Cheese at home Here.

 

Besides the cream cheese , you will be needing heavy cream or sour cream to help in  softening the texture of the cheese and adding some moisture. Adding  sour cream will give you the extra hit of sour tang  to the cake but in this recipe I have added the fresh cream.Coming  back to my recipe , Today I want to share an easy Cheesecake recipe which requires absolutely no baking and is delicious and refreshing. This Cheesecake I have made for our 26^thFoodie Monday Bloghop theme of “ Valentine’s  Recipes”.

 

Cheesecake topped with bright, sweet strawberries is a flavor that never gets out of fashion! These two flavors work perfectly together, as the balance of creamy and rich plus juicy and sweet only work to enhance each other, especially when Valentine’s Day is around the corner. This  cheesecake topped with a generous layer of strawberry preserves where each slice is packed with loads of creamy filling, graham crust and sweet strawberries for a taste of summer. 

 

Is your mouth watering yet? Without further delay, let’s move on to the recipe:

Recipe Type: American

Course: Dessert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time:40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 200gm digestive biscuits
• 100gm unsalted butter melted
• 75gm   pistachios and walnuts
• 200ml fresh cream
• 200 ml cream cheese at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon Gelatin
• 100gm icing sugar
• 2 tablespoon strawberry coulis
• 1 teaspoon Rose water
• 250 gms strawberry
• 50gms granulated sugar
• 7 inch Loose Bottomed cake tin

 

Let's Learn how to make this No Bake Strawberry Cheese cake:

• Melt the butter and keep aside.  
• Place the Digestive Biscuits on a ZIP bag and with the help of a rolling pin crush the biscuits into fine crumbs.
• Now crush the Pistachios and walnut and  add  the same to biscuits  . Now add the melted butter and mix everything until well combined. 
• Pack this mixture firmly into a loose-bottomed cake tin, spreading out with the back of a spoon so that it is evenly distributed and coming slightly up the sides of the tin.  Chill until needed.
• In the meantime cut the straw berries and grind in a blender.
• Strain the juice  into a saucepan.  Add a few tbsp of icing sugar, to taste.  Gently heat until you have a thick, but still drizzle-able coulis. Allow to cool completely.
•  Meanwhile, soak the gelatin in a small bowl of water for 5 min.  Pour the cream into a pan and bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.  Squeeze any excess water out of the gelatin and add to the warm cream, stirring until dissolved.  Allow to cool slightly.
• Beat 100g of icing sugar into the cream cheese along with the 2 tablespoon of Strawberry coulis and Rose water. 
•  Add the gelatin cream along and beat until smooth.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture into the biscuit base and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, until set.
• Before serving Spread a generous layer of strawberry coulis on top and serve .

 Rounding up my experience of making my first cheesecake is this beautiful surprise from my son which I could not resist but share with you. While I was Photographing this , I asked him to take a bite and share his comments on how it is being done and he came up with this beautiful message and an empty plate.....That says it all......

Happy Valentine's Day Readers......

Pomegranate Lemonade

It feels like summer has already arrived  here at my place and what better way to beat the heat than this  simple  Pomegranate lemonade which  is the perfect drink to have on a hot, summer day. The pomegranate juice worked really well in this lemonade. 

With fresh Pomegranates everywhere you can make this delicious and thirst quenching juice and enjoy it chilled. Since Pomegranates are available in plenty, why not make a batch of lemonade, add a little pomegranate juice and some black salt  to create a fun and refreshing drink. Garnish with a few mint leaves crunchy treat.This is a very healthy and cooling summer drink and tastes absolutely yummy.

Pomegranate juice is not only delicious, but also full of antioxidants. In fact, there may be more antioxidants in pomegranates than  in cranberries or green tea. Add some flavor and antioxidants to your lemonade with this delicious recipe.

 I had already used this jewels over my Pomegranate Ice Cream, Panacotta and today I’m making this pomegranate lemonade. It doesn’t take much time  to make, and it’s such a refreshing summer twist on the traditional lemonade. Plus, the beautiful pink of the pomegranate juice just looks so pretty up against that lemony yellow slice. And it’s perfect if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic Valentine drink. So why wait....set the table and serve this Pomegranate Lemonade on this Valentine's Day.

Serves -2

Preparation Time - 15 minutes

Ingredients 

• Pomegranate juice - 2 cups
• Fresh Lemon Juice - 1/4 cup
• Black Salt - 1/4 tsp per glass
• Ice Cubes 
• few mint leaves and lemon wedges for garnishing

Let's Learn how to make this Pomegranate Lemonade

• Deseed the Pomegranate and place on a sieve. With the back of a spoon press the pomegranate seeds, this way you will be able to extract fresh juice. This way you can get more vitamins, antioxidants and other nutritional elements.You can also use store bought Pomegranate Juice. 
• In a tall glass, place some Ice Cubes and add some black salt to it. pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice to it.Yo can check for taste and if needed can add more lemon juice.
• Pour the freshly collected Pomegranate juice over it.
• Place a lemon wedge on the rim of the glass.
• Decorate with some mint leaves and serve chilled.

Watch out for this space for some more interesting Valentine Recipes......Till then Keep Cooking...Keep spreading Love.......

HOW TO MAKE CREAM CHEESE AT HOME

Many of the recipes which I look at to try out at home calls for Cream Cheese,which is never available at the place where I live. This is the reason my Blog never have a Cheesecake recipe, but this time I decided to try my hands on the authentic cheesecake using that cream cheese. So making them at the comfort of my home is the only option I am left with. 

After I made these Cream Cheese at home I felt why have I not tried this earlier. Many of you might be facing the same problem as me and I hope this post of mine would help all those people who always wanted to try making Cheesecake at home but could not do due to non availability of Cream Cheese. All you need is milk, lemon ,yogurt and a few hours. 

Preparation Time : 15 mins

Resting Time : 30 mins + Overnight

Makes : 250 grams of cream cheese

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Litre Full fat milk
• 2 tablespoon lime juice
• 4 tablespoon thick Yoghurt
• 8 to 10 Ice Cubes

Let's Learn How to do make Cream Cheese at Home

• In a heavy bottom pan, heat milk on a medium flame stirring continuously. Once milk starts boiling, reduce the heat and gradually add lime juice and stir, you will notice milk has started to curdle.

• Once milk is curdled, take it off from the stove and immediately add ice cubes.Leave it for 2 to 3 minutes.Line the strainer with muslin cloth.Strain the curdled milk and squeeze to drain the excess water.
• In a blender, blend together the strained curdled milk and yoghurt till very smooth and soft paste.
• Line the strainer with muslin cloth and place it over an empty bowl. Transfer the soft paste to it and cover and refrigerate it overnight.You will notice the excess water being drained to the bowl. Discard the water.
• Scrap the cream cheese from the muslin cloth.
• Store this cream cheese in an air tight container and use within a week, maximum 10 days.

 Wait for this space for more kitchen basics and till then keep cooking ....

CARDAMOM PANACOTTA WITH POMEGRANATE REDUCTION

Fruits & berries with their vibrancy, sweetness mixed with tartness are my favorites. I can never take my eyes off from their hues in the supermarket, so I never let any chance not to include them in my shopping list. Not only do they add a fresh flavor to desserts & salads, they are also packed with more nutrients than any diet plan you may be on! I experiment with fruits very often, and including these fruits in the recipe was not only easy, but also had the simplest flavors that were delicious and refreshing. You can check for these recipes like Pomegranate Ice Cream, Strawberry Pancakes, Cottage Cheese & Fruit salad, Tricolor PanaCotta etc.

Among all the fruits and berries , Pomegranates have always attracted me because its colour is so beautiful and vibrant and the seeds look just like little red jewels.  Besides its look and taste ,this fruit gives great health benefits too – the juice keeps blood thin and helps prevent blood cells from clumping together, while the antioxidants keep cholesterol levels low.

Though I am not a person who believe in celebrating Valentine's day, but prefer to bask in it 365 days because the Feeling of Love is awesome.To celebrate the season of love, I have decided to make a series of recipes you can try at the comfort of your home on this coming Valentine's Day and the year ahead.And what better start than this No bake Italian dessert with cream and milk called Panna cotta which means “cooked cream” in Italian. its a softly set pudding which is creamy yet firm. Generally gelatin is used to set this pudding. Panna cotta can be wholly made with cream or with a combination of cream, milk and fruits. 

So here is my take on this classic Panacotta recipe which I had made for my family who are close to my heart with Cardamom flavour and with Pomegranate reduction.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Setting Time: 4 hours

Serves-4

Ingredients

For The Cardamom Panna Cotta:

• 200 ml Amul Cream
• 200ml Full fat milk 
• ½ cup Sugar 
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 2 teaspoon Gelatin
• 2 tablespoon Cold water

For The Pomegranate reduction:

• Seeds of half a Pomegranate 
• 2 teaspoon  cornflour 
• ¼ cup  water
• Sugar to taste

For Garnishing:

• Few Pomegranate seeds
• 2 to 3 mint leaves

Let's Learn How to Make this Recipe:

• In a small bowl, place the gelatin and pour the water over it. Let rest for about 20 mins. The gelatin will turn into jelly like mixture.
• In a pan, combine cream, milk and sugar and bring to a rolling boil, stirring in between. Do this on a medium flame. Once it starts boiling over, add the cardamom powder and mix again.
• Once done, take about 2 tbsp of this mixture and add to the gelatin and mix well.
• Add this immediately to the hot milk mixture and combine well using a balloon whisk.
• Let it cool down a bit. Pour into ramekins or any other glass bowl and let it set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

To make the Pomegranate reduction:

• Cut the pomegranates in half. Place a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Using your fingers, scrape the seeds into the sieve. With the back of a  wooden spoon ,press on the seeds to extract the juice. Discard the seeds and set the juice aside.
• In a medium saucepan, mix the cornstarch with the sugar. Slowly stir in the pomegranate juice and mix well. Cook this over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mix begins to thicken and darkens to a deep wine color, and the  mix coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Before serving the Panacotta, de mould it from the ramekin or glass bowl into the serving plate. 
• Pour the Pomegranate reduction on it, Place some pomegranate seeds and mint leaves on top and serve immediately.