Saturday, 10 May 2014

Milkshake Recipes With Dry Fruits

               

Dry fruit milkshake is a healthy beverage as well a great energy supplement for anyone who wants a quick boost of energy. This milkshake is very rich in iron and calcium. good for occasions when you are low in energy levels and quickly wants o super charge your energy levels. this milkshake can also be prepared during fasting or vrat occasions too. I have used all the dry fruits like almonds, pistachios, cashews, raisins, dates, dried figs and a pinch of saffron in this milkshake. You can exclude any dry fruit you don’t have or increase as well as decrease the quantity as per your liking. There will be tiny chewy bits of dates and figs in this milkshake and that what makes this milkshake different from the regular ones. You can chew the figs and dates while drinking the milkshake. This dry fruits milkshake is very filling and you might like to skip a meal after having it. I have used soy milk instead of regular milk to make it. You can use regular milk or also make with almond milk.
• ¼ cup almonds
• ¼ cup unsalted pistachios, shelled
• ¼ cup cashews
• ¼ cup raisins
• 7-8 dates, chopped
• 2-3 dried figs, chopped
• A pinch of saffron
• 2.5 cups milk - chilled soy or dairy milk
• Sugar as required
• A few dry fruits reserved from the above lot for garnishing - either slice or chop the dry fruits.
1. first blend all the dry fruits in ½ cup milk.
2. then add sugar and milk.
3. blend well.
4. stir and pour in glasses.
5. garnish with a few dry fruits slices and serve dry fruits milkshake immediately.



Mango Milkshake is one of the delicious shakes that I relish during every mango season. This milkshake is versatile make it cardamom or kesar(saffron) flavoured as per your preference. Rich,creamy and delicious shake ready in minutes. I prefer to use non-fibrous variety of mango for milkshake. Because if fiber comes in mouth while drinking milkshake then it won’t feel and taste good. I have added cardamom powder to my mango milkshake because I like it. But you can make it plain or you can add saffron instead. I have garnished it with some chopped pistachio nuts. You can use any nuts of your liking or even skip it and serve plain.
• Mangoes – 1 medium (1 cup), chopped
• Milk – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1 tablespoon or to taste
• Any nuts – few, chopped for garnishing, optional
1. Take chopped mangoes and ¼ cup of milk in the blender.
2. Blend it till it gets smooth.
3. Add remaining milk and sugar. Adjust the sugar quantity ad per your mango’s sweetness.
4. And again blend it till everything gets incorporated.
5. Pour into the serving glass.
6. Garnish with chopped any nuts. And serve.


Thursday, 8 May 2014

Coconut chicken With Sweet Chili Sauce

The shredded coconut mixed with panko bread crumbs gives a light, crunchy crust and adding a little bit of coconut milk to the egg wash ensures an even stronger coconut flavor. I’ve been wanting to cook this coconut chicken for a LONG time and my anticipation was definitely justified by the end result. If you don’t have coconut milk on hand, it can be made without but it definitely makes a difference. You might be tempted to skip the sweet chili dipping sauce but it really brings a lot of flavor to the table so get some if you can! If you prefer a healthier version, I have seen recipes that bake the breaded chicken instead of frying it.
  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup coconut milk (optional)
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 cup sweet chili sauce
  1. Cut off any extra fat globules from your chicken breasts. Cut each breast into 6 strips, diagonally to prevent the end strips from being really short. See photos below. Prepare your breading station by gathering three bowls. In the first bowl combine the flour and salt. In the second bowl, combine the eggs and coconut milk. Whisk together until well combined. In the third bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.
  2. Place ¼ cup of vegetable oil in a large heavy duty skillet and heat over medium/high heat until it is just below smoking. You can test the heat by throwing in a little bit of flour. When it is hot enough, the flour will sizzle and create a lot of bubbles.
  3. While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken strips. First, coat each strip in the flour and salt mixture. Then dip each into the eggs/coconut milk and finally coat each in panko and shredded coconut. I find it easiest to coat all of them in the flour then go back and then do the egg wash and panko/coconut for each before moving onto the next.
  4. After breading the strips, the oil should be hot enough. Place about 6 strips in the pan at once. There should only be one layer in the pan and there should be about an inch between each strip. If you over crowd the pan it will get too cold and the strips will soak up a lot of oil instead of frying. Fry the strips for 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Place them on a plate with paper towel to drain and move on to the next batch.
  5. After a couple of batches you may need more oil so you can add the second ¼ cup to the pan. Allow the oil to come up to temperature before frying the next batch (2-3 minutes). Because the strips are thin, they should be cooked through by the time both sides are browned. You can tell by the texture of the chicken; it should be stiff when pressed. If you cut your strips thicker, you will need to bake off the chicken after frying to make sure the insides are cooked through.
  6. When all of the strips are done frying, serve immediately with sweet chili sauce to dip in. I garnished mine with a little bit of chopped cilantro.


  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons chili paste
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed and left whole
  • 1 carrot, very finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
  1. Combine all ingredients, except the cornstarch, in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow it to boil on high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While this is boiling, whisk or stir together the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water.
  2. After 3 minutes, slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the boiling mixture on the stove. Stir to combine and reduce heat to a low boil. Allow it to boil, stirring frequently, for 2 more minutes. Taste and add more chili paste if desired. Remove and discard the garlic. Serve warm or allow to cool and refrigerate until needed. Sauce can be served hot or cold. Enjoy!


Monday, 5 May 2014

Fried and Baked Mathri Recipe, Punjabi Mathri

Mathri or mathiya is a popular snack in north india and there are many versions of making mathri. i made both fried and baked mathri. texture wise, of course the fried mathri is definitely better, but the baked mathri is good too. They a little less golden than the fried ones and have a faint denseness. This recipe is for punjabi style mathri which is flaky and is spiced with ajwain (carom seeds), kali mirch (black pepper) kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and jeera (cumin seeds).
• 2 cups maida or all purpose flour + ½ cup whole wheat flour OR 2.5 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp ghee or 3 tbsp oil
• 5 to 6 tbsp water or as required
• 2 tsp ajwain or carom seeds
• 2 tsp black pepper, crushed coarsely or kept whole if you prefer
• 2 tsp kasuri methi or dry fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds or jeera
• a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
• a pinch of baking soda (optional for frying but do add if baking the mathris)
• salt as required
• oil for deep frying

1. first heat the ghee or oil. take the hot ghee or oil and maida, whole wheat flour, all the spices, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl.
2. mix everything well and rub the fat evenly in the flour with your fingertips. the whole mixture should resemble breadcrumbs. the more you do this, the more better texture the mathris will have.
3. just add 1 or 2 tbsp of water each time and only mix the dough. don't knead like a roti or poori dough.
4. only mix the water in the dough.
5. when the whole mixture can be easily clumped or gathered together into a ball, cover and keep aside for 30 mins.
6. heat oil for frying in a kadai or pan.
7. pinch small balls from the dough. just roll them lightly in your palms to even them. no need to give them a proper round shape etc.
8. keep the balls covered so that they do not dry out.
9. flatten each ball with a rolling pin or belan to medium thickness.
10. prick each mathri with a fork. the jagged uneven edges are alright. in case you want a smooth finish, then use a biscuit or cookie cutter. roll a large piece of dough and cut with a cookie cutter.
Frying: 
1. check the hotness of oil before frying the mathris.
2. drop a small piece and if comes to the surface gradually, then the oil is ready.
3. if it comes to quickly, then the oil is very hot and the mathris will brown from out but remain uncooked from inside and will become soft.
4. if it comes slowly, then the oil is cold. result would be the mathris would absorb a lot of oil and become dense due to over frying.
5. fry the mathri is medium hot oil till crisp and golden.
6. regulate the flame between low to medium if required.
7. drain on kitchen paper towels and when cooled store them in an air tight box.
8. prepare and fry the mathris in batches.
9. serve these flaky spiced punjabi mathris with ginger tea or masala tea as an evening snack.


Thursday, 1 May 2014

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Crumb Frozen Dessert

I love all recipes that include chocolate and peanut butter but, deep down, I really just want to eat them as they are. And so I knew that they needed to be distinct layers of chocolate mousse and peanut butter mousse with a layer of something in between. Graham cracker crust or crumbled cookies would be fine but I wanted special. Crumb cake crumbs without the cake would be special. And chocolate crumbs would be extra special.
  • 2 oz. Cream cheese
  • 2 oz. Prepared whipped topping
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 Cup peanut butter
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 1 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/4 Cup milk
  • 1 oz. Cream cheese
  • 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 4 oz. Prepared whipped topping
  • 1/3 Cup Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 Stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
  • Pinch of salt

Make the chocolate crumbs by combining the sugar, cocoa powder, flour and salt in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and mix together. Using your fingers, crumble the mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir and return to the oven for 10 additional minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Note that the crumbs will be soft at first but will harden as they cool.
While the crumbs are baking, make the peanut butter mousse by whisking together the cream cheese, whipped topping, sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and salt.
Make the chocolate mousse by placing the chips in a bowl along with a tablespoon of the milk and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and return to the microwave for an additional few seconds if needed. Stir in the remaining milk and set aside to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and whipped topping. Fold in the chocolate mixture and combine until smooth.
To assemble the parfaits, place a heaping tablespoon of crumbs at the bottom of a dessert glass, add two tablespoons of the peanut butter mousse, another layer of crumbs and two tablespoons of the chocolate mousse. Repeat the layers and finish with a topping of the chocolate crumbs.

 
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