My Cooking Wonders

It has been a while since I posted something here as I was way busy with work and other stuff. Today I had little time on hand. I thought of cooking something to reward myself for all the hard work. What else can make me more happy than the food I love made with my own hands in the way I wanted to..... And here I made one dish I love the most - Mutton Biryani. YUM!!! Spicy mutton biryani with a side of cool raitha and sliced raw onions. Alright guys, I got to go enjoy my food..Want some for yourselves too..There is only one way and what are you waiting for..Get into your kitchens :).. Ingredients For Marinade 2lbs Mutton or Lamb 1 cup thick yogurt 1 tbsp Red Chilli powder 1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 2 tsp coriander powder 1/2 tbsp gram masala 1/2 tbsp mutton biryani masala(I used shan brand) 1 tsp lemon juice 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 or 5 bay leaves Salt per taste For Rice 4 cups rice 6 cups water 1 cup thick coconut milk (Optional) 2 tbsp + 2tbsp butter or g

Here is dish a which is rich and tasty from Mughlai cuisine. Most of the mughlai dishes are creamy, rich with hint of nuts. The dish I prepared below is on the notes of Korma but little more richer, creamier and of course tastier :). Here is almond chicken chicken cooked in rich almond sauce. Give it a try!! Ingredients 2 lbs Chicken 10 whole Almonds + 2 tbsp Dry coconut powder or freshly grated coconut + 6 green chillies + 1 medium onion -- Grind to a smooth paste adding little water 1 tbsp ground almond powder 1/2 cup thick yogurt 1 tsp red chilli powder 2 tsp ginger garlic paste 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp garam masala Salt per taste 1/2 tsp Turmeric 2 tbsp oil For Tempering 1 tsp black cumin seeds (Shahi Jeera) 1 tsp cumin seeds 3 cloves small piece of cinnamon pinch of nutmeg 4 curry leaves Method Grind whole almonds, coconut powder, onion and green chillies to a smooth paste adding little bit of water. Set aside. Heat oil in a t

A quick and easy pasta recipe yet so tasty and very filling. Not bad for a weekday huh?..Give this a try :) Ingredients 1/2 pound pasta 1 cup tomato sauce or 2 14oz cans of diced tomatoes made to paste 1/4 cup milk 2 cloves garlic minced 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 10 cherry tomatoes halved 1/2 medium onion sliced hand full of spinach teared (or any vegetables of your choice to make up to a cup) 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Salt to taste 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp of pine nuts or silvered almonds Method Cook pasta according to package directions. While cooking the pasta once the water comes to a boil add a tbsp of salt and give a good stir before dropping in the dry pasta. Let it cook and drain the pasta into the colander. Just before draining the pasta into a colander, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta, put back in the empty pot and keep aside. Heat oil in a p

Today I prepared another dish that always will make me feel like I am home - my mom version of mutton curry. This dish is really easy and quick to make with very less number of ingredients on hand. Try out this lip smacking, spicy Mutton curry... Enjoy!!! Ingredients 1 1/2 lb Mutton or Lamb(around 75o grams) 2 medium onions chopped real fine 2 green chillies slit length wise 1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 to 1 tbsp red chilli powder depending on your spice level 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp garam masala 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp butter Salt per taste 1 tbsp oil For Tempering 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp shai jeera 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 or 2 small pieces of cinnamon 4 or 5 cloves 6 or 7 curry leaves For Garnish Handful of coriander leaves Method Clean the mutton pieces and place them in a bowl. Add ginger garlic paste, salt, chilli powder and lemon juice to the mutton pieces, mix well and keep aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker pan. Add in the tempe

Just tried out something with coconut milk and gelatin as I have left over gelatin packets on hand. It turned out pretty good and to my surprise it tasted like coconut halwa.. I could not stop with just one piece as it literally melted in my mouth. If you happen to have gelatin on hand this recipe is worth trying...Give it a try!! Ingredients 1  can (13.5 oz) coconut milk(around 1 3/4 cup) 2 cups milk 1 cup water  1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup dried coconut powder or freshly grated coconut 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped nuts(I used walnuts and almonds) 2 tbsp gelatin Fruits for garnish Method Take water and milk in a bowl. Add the gelatin and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile take coconut milk, nuts and sugar in another bowl and mix well. Set aside. Add the milk gelatin mixture to a sauce pan and bring to a boil for about 5 to 7 minutes till the gelatin dissolves into the milk. Stir occasionally. Now add the coconut milk-sugar-nut mixture to the pan. Let it come

Yet another Panini recipe from my new Panini grill :).. Enjoy!! Ingredients 3 to 4 oz Ciabatta bread  2 tbsp of Pesto - r ecipe here 1 small chicken breast oven roasted or grilled 3 thin slices of Provolone Olive oil for brushing Method For Chicken I got couple of breast pieces. I butterflied them, sprinkled with lemon juice, salt and some taco seasoning on both the sides. Topped them with chopped fresh cilantro leaves, placed them over a baking sheet and placed in the 375F preheated oven for 35 minutes. For Chicken Panini Turn on the Panini grill/Panini Press. Slice open the bread. Apply the pesto on the spongy side of both the slices. Lay one slice on the preparation board. Place the chicken on the bread slice. Top it off with the provolone cheese. Top it off with other slice of bread. Brush the top with olive oil. Place the sandwich brushed side down on the grill. Now brush the other side with olive oil and close the panini press until the cheese is melted

YAY!!!!!!!!!I got my new panini grill. I am so excited to try and make all these sandwiches and panini's now. You can make these without a panini press or grill but the time you are going to spend on making these will make a big difference.  Anyways I am presenting all the different ways you can make it so that anyone can try making these yummy sandwiches at home. First and fore most I kicked it off with my favorite grill cheese sandwich which will taste out of this world, I promise :). Hope you guys will like it too... The recipe goes like this. Ingredients 2 slices of sourdough bread (wheat or multi grain breads works great too) 1 tbsp Butter 3 or 4 thick slices of mozzarella 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese 5 or 6 slices of dill or Jalapeno pickles Handful of spinach or spicy arugula Method On a Panini press Heat up the panini press. Meanwhile, Butter both sides of both the bread slices. Lay one bread slice on the board. Sprinkle 3/4th

Kobbari undalu also known as Kobbari losulu is one of the traditional home made sweets in Andhra. People with sweet tooth will definitely love these undalu. All you need is freshly grated coconut, jaggery and little patience to make this dish..Give it a try :) Ingredients 2 cups freshly grated coconut 2 to 2 1/2 cups of grated Jaggery(I used 2 1/2 cups) couple of pinches of elaichi powder or cardamom powder(yalakala podi) Method Add coconut, elaichi and Jaggery to a thick sauce pan. Turn the heat to medium and place the pan. The jaggery will start to melt in a few minutes. Let the grated coconut cook well in the jaggery syrup. Keep on stirring continuously so that the coconut mixture does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Let all the moisture go away and cook till the coconut mixture becomes thick. At this point the mixture will start to stick to the stirring spoon and tend to leave the sides of the pan. Line a plate with parchment paper or apply ghee to a plate.

Here is the tasty and rich chicken keema balls kofta curry. The best way to describe this dish is chicken meatballs cooked in spices and rich gravy. Earlier today I made chicken keema balls for snacks and I made some extra balls to make this yummy curry. This dish I made today is based off on Mugalai dishes which are well known for their richness. Keema kofta curry can be served with rice or any Indian bread items..Enjoy!! Ingredients  Keema balls made from 1/2 lb ground chicken - recipe here 1 big onion roughly chopped and made to paste 2 tomatoes + 2 green chillies made to paste 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder 5 almonds + 5 cashews + 1 tsp poppy seeds + 1/2 tbsp coconut powder made to fine paste adding little water or milk 1 tsp garam masala Salt per taste 2 tbsp oil For tempering 1 tsp black cumin seeds (Shahi Jeera) 1 tsp cumin seeds 3 cloves small piece of cinnamon pinch of nutmeg 4 curry leaves 1 tsp Turmeric For garnish 2 tbsp

Today I made crispy chicken keema balls. These chicken balls can be served as a quick snack item or can be made into yummy kofta curry with leftovers which I will be posting later. Adding rice to the keema will help absorb the moisture. These balls can be baked in the oven if you feel guilty to eat deep fried food :). Give this a try!! Ingredients 1 lb ground chicken 1 cup cooked rice 4 tbsp finely chopped onion 4 tablespoons chopped Coriander leaves 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste 1/2 tbsp red chilli powder (adjust per spice level) 1 tsp garam masala powder 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 egg 1 tsp Salt(adjust per taste) Oil for deep frying Method In a bowl beat the egg well. In another big bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for oil and mix well and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes. Form the mixture into balls. In Oven Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Spray a baking sheet with not stick spray. Place the balls on the baking sheet. Bake unti