Culinary Xpress: 2014

Baking

Egg korma is a delicious, creamy and flavorful dish which goes very well with Naan and Paratha. Kormas typically have a gravy made of onions, lots of tomatoes, Cashew nuts and whole spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, coriander, cumin, etc. Korma is a dish that can be made with yoghurt, cream, nut and seed paste or coconut milk which is usually considered a type of curry. Korma can be either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. Some of the very popular Korma recipes prepared at most of the Indian homes and available at most of the restaurants are Chicken Korma, Mutton Korma, Egg Korma and Vegetable Korma.

Traditionally the korma originated from the Mughlai cuisine and spread to the modern day India and Pakistan. There are many techniques and styles of preparing the korma. The taste of Korma is based on the mixture of spices used and the onion-tomato gravy base spiced with ginger garlic paste and green chilies makes it flavorful and spicy. The natural sweetness of Cashew nuts makes the Korma soft, creamy, thick and rich. The korma dish can be mildly spiced or fiery as per ones choice and taste.There are three types of Korma bases.

North Indian Korma

is also called as Qorma, or Mughlai Korma. The Almonds, Cashews, and Dahi or yogurt are ground together to make the creamy base. The saffron and cardamoms are used for aroma. North Indian Korma has two variants known as Mughalai, and Shahi. The Mughalai Korma has Khoya and the Shahi Korma contains Malai or cream.

Korma Kashmir

The Almonds, Cashews, Dahi or yogurt, and milk are ground together to make creamy base. The saffron, cardamoms, and aniseeds are used for aroma. Dried fruits are added beforecooking.

South Indian Korma

Fresh coconut and coconut milk are used to make the base. Almonds may be added. Kari Patta and Fennel seeds are used for aroma. Unlike North Indian or Kashmir versions, heat is added by cayenne peppers.

INGREDIENTS

6 boiled eggs, peeled
3-4 tbsps cooking oil
3 large onions, fried and made to paste
4 to 5 tomatoes, pureed
2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1" piece of cinnamon
1 Black cardamom
2 green cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 tsps coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
10 to 12 nos of cashewnuts
Salt to taste
Fresh green coriander chopped fine - to garnish

Make a small, shallow lengthwise slit at the top of each boiled egg. Keep aside for later.
Fry the onions till almost pale golden brown and grind to a smooth paste.
Make a paste of the cashew nuts, green cardamoms, black cardamoms and cinnamon and keep aside.
Heat Oil in a pan . Add the bay leaf ,cumin seeds, Once Hot, add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for 1 minute. Stir often to prevent burning.Add the onion paste and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, salt to taste and fry till the tomatoes are cooked Stir often to prevent spices burning. Do not cook on high heat. Once tomatoes are cooked and started leaving the sides of the pan, add Coriander Powder, turmeric, chilli powder and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Now add the cashew paste and fry till the oil begins to separate from the masala (spice mix). Stir often to prevent burning. If required, sprinkle a little water from time to time to prevent the masala from burning.
Now, add the boiled eggs, stir gently to cover the eggs completely with the masala and cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove pan from heat and put Korma into a serving dish.
Garnish with chopped fresh coriander. Serve piping hot with Rotis or Naan or Parathas.

Chicken

FRIED CHICKEN WONTONS

3:51 PM

A wonton is a type of dumpling commonly found in a number of Chinese Cuisine. Wontons are made by spreading a square wrapper, dough made of flour, egg water, and salt, placing a small amount of filling in the center, and sealing the wonton into the desired shape by compressing the wrapper's edges together with the fingers. Adhesion may be made by moistening the wrapper's inner edges, typically by dipping a fingertip into water and running it across the dry dough to dissolve the extra flour. As part of the sealing process, air is pressed out of the interior to avoid rupturing the wonton from internal pressure when cooked.

For this fried wontons recipe, I used minced chicken. Fried wontons always come out delicious regardless of the protein used. Here is my easy fried wontons recipe that you can make at home. Enjoy! This recipe is perfect for entertaining. They are the perfect little appetizer, and once you get going, it really is one of the easiest foods to make out there.

Fried Wontons are commonly served as an appetizer and comes with a sweet and sour dipping sauce. Everyone loves fried wontons…they are crispy and filled with savory meat or meat and seafood filling, and the sweet and sour sauce makes them even more appetizing. Wontons come in small parcels and are available in many forms: deep-fried, boiled, steamed, or in soup. Whenever I have a craving for something appetizing, I would make fried wontons. They are so pretty and delicious, and it takes less than 30 minutes to make them!

INGREDIENTS:

For the filling

300 gms minced chicken
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 nos of green chillies finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp soy sauce

1 bunch of freshly chopped coriander

Salt
1 tbsp of Oil

For the Wonton wrapper:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup water
1 egg

Salt

cooking oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Lightly beat the egg with the salt. Add 1/4 cup of water to it and mix well.

Now sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and put the egg mixture into it. Mix it with the flour. Add as much of the remaining water as necessary to make a smooth dough.

Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. You can keep the dough wrap in a cling film and refrigerate for future use also.

Roll the dough into thin sheet and cut squares pieces out of it.

In a large bowl, add the minced chicken, ginger, garlic, green chillies, onions, soy sauce ,salt, coriander leaves and 1 tbsp of oil and mix well to combine.

To assemble the wontons, place a wonton wrapper flat in the palm of your hand.

Add 1 tbsp of mixture to the centre of the wrapper.

Fold the wonton in half, corner to opposite corner to make a triangle. Seal tightly all around. Make sure there are no air pockets or holes in the wonton. Fold the longer two triangle points together and seal to make the wonton shape.

Place folded wonton on a clean, dry plate or baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap to avoid drying out. When wontons are all folded, you can store or freeze.

To fry wontons, Heat the oil. Add a few wontons to the oil to fry on medium heat, turning occasionally until they are golden brown. Remove them to a draining rack placed over a baking sheet so they can drain excess oil.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 teaspoon freshly ground red chilli paste

1 pinch salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons water

Put all ingredients together in a small bowl and mix it until the sugar is dissolved. Serve with fried wontons.

I am sure most of you would like to give it a try t home ......and do let me know your feed back of this wonderful, crispy fried wonton recipe. Till then Happy Cooking......

Curries & Lentils

PUNJABI CHOLE MASALA

11:35 AM

Chana Masala (Punjabi Chana Masala), is a delicious chana curry from Punjabi cuisine which is popular in all parts of India. Lovingly known by a lot of different names, such as Chole, Punjabi Chole, Khatte Channe, which features boiled white chickpeas flavoured with a wide range of spice powders known as Chole Masala, along with onions, ginger and garlic. Another special aspect of this famous road-side food is the cooking of the chana with tea, to give a rich flavour and colour to it.

Chole Bhature is one of the most eaten breakfast in north India. If you have ever been to Delhi and tasted the Sita Ram Diwan Chand’s Chole bhature, you know what I am talking about. During one of my trip to Delhi I had a chance to eat the famous street food, the Choley Bhature of Sitaram and Diwanchand which has a very mild and Medium Spiced quite smooth textured I mean simply cannot explain the taste as they were amazing...!I personally like them so much that I decided to get another Half plate packed. My liking for this dish has grown so much that it is included in our menu atleast once in a week. This dish taste exceptionally well with Rotis, Naan, Paratha, Poori and Bhature .This is an humble attempt on my part to present the Chole Masala I had at Delhi before you…..

INGREDIENTS

200gms Chole or Kabuli Chana or Cheakpeas
3 cups water for pressure cooking the Chana
2 large onions
1 tea bag
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 green cardamoms
1 bay leaf
Salt

For the Gravy:

2 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
2tbsp MDH Chole Masala
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp amchur powder/dry mango powder
1 tsp Kasoori Methi
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil

For garnishing

Coriander leaves
½ inch ginger julienne
1 medium onion, sliced or chopped
1 lemon sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse and soak the Chole/Kabuli Chana/Chickpeas in enough water for 5 to 6 hours.

In a pressure cooker, add the chole along with 2 chopped onions, 1 bay leaf, 2 green cardamoms, 1inch cinnamon stick, salt and 1 tea bags along with water to cook. By boiling the onion you get a super rich gravy.

Pressure cook on medium heat till 1 whistle and then lower the heat to cook on slow flame for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the pressure cooker cool, after which drain the chana from the stock and keep the stock for later use. Take away the tea bag from the chana. To check whether the chanas are cooked, you can press it with your fingers to see whether it has softened or not.

Heat oil in a pan/ kadai. Add the cumin seeds, green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smells go away. Now, add tomatoes & sauté till they soften and the oil starts to leave the sides of the pan. Add the turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chilli powder, coriander powder, amchur powder, chole masala and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.

Now add the cooked chole and stir well. Mash some of the chole for a thick consistency. Add the stock in which the chana was boiled and let the chana cooked in this stock on a slow flame till the desired consistency, which is medium to dry consistency. Check the seasoning and add 1 tsp of sugar to balance the sourness of the chole.

Dry roast the kasoori methi and crush them with your palms and add it with the garam masala to the chole gravy.

Garnish with coriander leaves & ginger julienne

Serve the chole with Rotis , Paratha, Poori or Bhature along with sliced onions and lemon.

Curries & Lentils

SHAHI PANEER (Without Onion & Garlic)

6:15 PM

customandtradition

ENDURI PITHA ( Steamed Cake wrapped in Turmeric Leaf)

7:25 PM

Prathamastami is celebrated in Odisha for the life and prosperity of the eldest child. Since the celebration falls on the eighth day ( Krushna Pakshya) of the month of Margashira and is done for the eldest child or the first child, it is widely known as – Prathamastami . On this occasion the eldest child of the family is given new clothes and is made to sit on a wooden pedestal (Pidha). In front of him/her Purna Kumbha is placed on handfuls of paddy. Above it a branch of mango leaves and a coconut is placed. Then, the mother or any other elderly lady wishes him /her long-life and good health by praying Sathi Debi, the Goddess who protects children from all kinds of evils.

The main delicacy of the day is Enduri Pitha and Khiri which is offered to the deity.In this occasion all the necessary items required for the rituals are given by the child’s maternal uncle.

Cuisine: Odia

Prep Time: 20 minutes( Excluding the soaking Time)

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

200 grams skinless Black Gram
600 grams flavored Rice
4 nos of Coconut
Jaggery as per taste
2 nos of cardamom powder
A pinch of nutmeg powder
Turmeric leaves
Salt

Let's Learn how to prepare this recipe:

Soak rice and black gram dal separately.

Wash the same thoroughly and then grind them separately into a thick batter. It need to be a little coarse.

After 2 hours add rice batter and black gram paste together and mix well and leave the batter for fermenting overnight. Add the salt just before the preparation.