Prawns Chili Dry

 

iSaltPepper- PrawnsChiliDry

Ingredients

1. 15-20 medium-size raw, cleaned, deveined prawns (shrimps)
2. 1 small onion, cut in big pieces
3. 1 small red or green capsicum, cut is large pieces
4. Spring onion - 2 sticks
5. 5 -6 green chilies, cut in pieces of 1 inch
6. 4 -5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
7. 1-inch ginger, finely chopped
8. Soya sauce - 2 and a half tablespoon
9. Schezwan sauce / Schezwan chutney - 1 table spoon 
10. Red chili sauce - 1 tablespoon
11. Olive oil - 1/2 tablespoon
12. White pepper - 2 teaspoons
13. Black pepper - 2 teaspoons
14. Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
15. Red chili powder - 2 tablespoons
16. 1 Egg
17. Cornflour - 8 tablespoons
18. A pinch of sugar (optional)
19. Oil to fry
20. Vinegar - 1 table spoon

Procedure

1. Prawns marination - Devein, clean, and wash prawns. Marinate with half a table spoon of chili powder, lemon juice, salt, one teaspoon of white pepper, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Keep aside for 10 mins.
2. Cut onion and capsicum into big pieces. Finely chop garlic and ginger. Cut spring onion.
3. In one small bowl mix soya sauce, schezwan sauce and red chili sauce, olive oil. And add a pinch of sugar if you like.
4. In prawns add a mixture of egg white and 2 tablespoons of cornflour, and mix well.
5. In one plate take 3 to 4 tablespoons of cornflour, add remaining red chili powder, salt, remaining black and white pepper, and mix. 
6. Dip marinated prawns in the above mixture of cornflour and deep fry in oil till become golden and crispy.
7. In a bowl mix 1 tablespoon of cornflour in 2 tablespoons of water. Keep it ready.
8. In a big wok, take oil, and heat.  (Please note to keep the heat a little high and always keep stirring while adding ingredients to the wok) 
9. Add ginger, garlic, and green chilies and fry just for one minute. Don't let it burn. 
10. Add onion, capsicum for less than a minute, immediately add sauce and fry a little.
11. Add prawns, little salt and mix well.
12. Stir the mixture of cornflour and water, add to the prawns and keep stirring till the prawns are properly coated by the sauce from all sides.
13. At the end add vinegar, and mix well. 
14. Switch off the heat and garnish with cut green spring onions.
15. Your restaurant style Prawns Chili Garlic is ready. Serve it hot as a starter.

Gajar Halawa (Carrot Dessert)

iSaltPepper-Gajar Halawa (Carrot Dessert)

With the month of November starts winter and the season of red, delicious, crunchy carrots.  Though nowadays (orange) carrots are available throughout the year in the supermarkets, the taste of dishes made of seasonal carrots is uncomparable. My two most favourite dishes are carrot pickle and carrot dessert which is called "Gajar Halawa" in India. 

Gajar Halwa is the best option to serve as a dessert at any party, small or big, birthday party, kitty party or a wedding. Serve it with GulabJamun or with ice cream. It is always delicious if cooked properly. Let's see how to cook it. 

iSaltPepper: Gajar (Carrots)

Ingredients:

• Carrots : 1kg
• Milk: 1 litre
• Sugar: 100gm (As per your taste)
• Pure ghee (clarified butter) : 3 Tablespoon
• Cardamon powder: 1 Teaspoon
• Sliced Cashews and Almonds: 1 Tablespoon (for decoration) (optional)

iSaltPepper-Gajar Halawa Ingredients

Procedure

• Wash, peel and finely grate carrots.
• Take a pan with a thick base and switch on the heat.
• Once hot, add ghee(clarified butter). Once it melts, immediately add grated carrots. 
• Stir the carrots thoroughly, keep stirring so that it won't get burnt and let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Once carrots become softer and start changing colour add sugar.
• Again mix well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, till all the sugar melts.
• Now add all milk and mix and keep on slow heat. 
• Keep stirring intermittently after every 4-5 minutes so that milk will not overflow and will not burn.
• Cooking this desert is a slow procedure,  it takes around 40 to 50 minutes. 
• Cook till all liquid evaporates and Gajar Haklawa becomes as shown in the photo. 
• Before switching off the heat add cardamom powder and mix well.
• At the end transfer it in a serving bowl (do not keep in the same hot pan) and decorate with sliced cashews and almonds.

Harabhara Kabab (Spinach patties)

We all know the benefits of green leafy vegetables. But sometimes kids don't like to eat simple dishes made of leafy vegetables. Then it's the mother's skill to make some dish which is tasty but also lovable by kids. Harabhara kabab (Spinach patties), a vegetarian starter from Indian cuisine,  is such a dish that is not only tasty and crispy but has the goodness of spinach. Let's see how to make it. 

HaraBhara Kabab - Spinach Patties

Ingredients:

1. Spinach: 2 big packs 
2. Boiled potatoes: 2 medium size
3. Green  fresh/frozen peas: 1 cup
4. Ginger: 1 inch
5. Green chilies: 4
6. Coriander: 1 cup
7. Red chili powder: 1 tablespoon ( or as per your taste)
8. Garam masala: 1 teaspoon (optional)
9. Chaat masala: 1 teaspoon (optional) 
10. Salt: As per taste
11. Cornflour: 1 cup
12. Oil to fry. 

*Ingredients shown in blue can be bought from any Indian grocery store.

Procedure:

1. Wash and cut spinach.
2. Blanch spinach - In one big pan/vessel boil water. Add cut spinach in boiling water, let it boil just for 10 secs and strain immediately. Pour cold water on spinach and strain again. Remove all water from spinach. Squeeze out all water from spinach with hands.
3. Mash boiled potatoes.
4. Grind ginger and green chilies together to make a coarse paste.
5. Cook green peas with water in the microwave just for 1 min on high power. Strain water and grind peas to a coarse mixture.
6. Wash and cut coriander. 
7. In one big bowl take blanched spinach, mashed potatoes, a mixture of peas, coriander, half of the cornflour, and ginger-chili paste.
8. Add red chili powder, garam masala, chaat masala and salt.
9. Mix all ingredients together.
10. Make small patties and pat them from both sides in the remaining cornflour.
11. Deep fry or shallow fry patties using oil. Make them crispy from both sides.
12. Serve hot harabhara kabab with tomato ketchup or any chutney. 

Add caption

Blanched Spinach, Potatoes, Peas, Ginger, Chillies, Cornflour, Salt

Mashed Potatoes, ginger chilli paste and peas paste

Patties pated in cornflour

Harabhara Kabab -Spinach Patties

Besan Laddu

Festival season is starting and any festival is incomplete without homemade sweets. Besan laddus are favorite of all and are very handy to give as snacks to your guests. You can also take these laddus with you on picnics. Kids love it! Let's see how to make these all-time favorite besan laddus. 

 

Ingredients:

1. Gram flour : 3 cups
2. Fine Semolina: 1 cup
3. Sugar: 2.5 cups.
4. Pure Ghee: 1 - 1.5 cup
5. Cardamom powder: 1 teaspoon
6. Dryfruits for decoration (optional)

Procedure:

1. Take a pan. Add pure ghee and semolina at the same time. Switch on heat.
2. Roast semolina in ghee for 3 to 5 mins.
3. Add gram flour in the pan. Roast on slow heat till it starts changing color.  Initially, it will be very dry. But once roasted properly will become soft like paste.
4. Take away from heat and let it cool.
5. Grind sugar to a fine powder.
6. Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder to the roasted and cooled besan.  Mix well
7. Take small equal portions, and make laddus.

iSaltPepper: Sugar and Semolina

iSaltPepper: Gram flour, Ghee and Cardamom seeds

iSaltPepper: Step1 - Ghee and Semolina

iSaltPepper: Step2: Add Gram Flour

Peas Patties

iSaltPepper: Peas Pattice

Green peas are very nutritious and easily available everywhere. Till now if you are not a fan of peas, try this dish of peas patties. Picky eaters in my house like it. You will also like it !! Definitely !!

Ingredients: 

iSaltPepper: Peas Patties- Ingredients

1. Boiled peas - 1cup
2. Boiled potatoes - 8 - 10  medium size
3. Finely chopped onion - 3 medium size
4. Grated coconut - 1 cup
5. Chopped coriander - 1/2 cup
6. Ginger-garlic-green chili paste - 2 tablespoons
7. Chili powder - As per taste
8. Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
9. Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
10. Jeera powder - 1 teaspoon
11. Jeera - 1 teaspoon
12. Asafoetida (Hing) - 1/2 teaspoon
13. Oil - 2 tablespoons  +  for shallow frying
14. Salt as per taste
15. Turmeric powder - 2 teaspoons
16. Cornflour

Procedure:

1. Mash boiled potatoes, add some salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder and mix evenly.
2. In a pan, take 2  tablespoons oil, once it is hot, add jeera and asafoetida (hing).
3. Add ginger-garlic-chili paste in oil, fry well.
4. Add onion and fry till becomes translucent.
5. Add chili powder, coriander powder,  jeera powder, garam masala,  and salt as per taste. Fry well till all mixture becomes dry and leaves oil from sides.
6. Strain boiled peas to remove all water and add in the onion. Mix and fry well.  
7. Lastly, add grated coconut and chopped coriander. Mix well and remove from heat.  
8. Let it cool for at least 10 mins.
9. Make small patties of potatoes as shown in the picture. Use some cornflour for dusting so that patties don't become sticky. 
10. Take one patty at the bottom, place peas-onion mixture on it, place another patty on top of it.  Join the sides by hand.  Make rest all patties like this and then shallow fry on a pan.
11. Serve hot with ketchup, green chutney, and a salad of your choice.

iSaltPepper: Peas Patties - Peas, onion mixture

iSaltPepper: Peas Patties - step 1

iSaltPepper: Peas Patties - Step 2

iSaltPepper: Peas Patties - Shallow Fry

iSaltPepper: Peas Patties

   

Vada-Pav

Ingredients

1. Ginger - 2 inch
2. Garlic - 7-8 cloves
3. Green Chillies - ( 4-5)
4. Potatoes (8 medium-sized)
5. Gram Flour - 2 cups
6. Chilli Powder - 1 Table Spoon , 1 Tea spoon
7. Garam Masala - 1/2 Tablespoon (Optional)
8. Turmeric powder - 2 Teaspoons
9. Asafoetida  (Hing) - 1 Tea Spoon
10. Salt - As per your taste
11. Coriander - 3 tablespoon
12. Oil - 3 Tablespoons  and for deep frying
13. Pav (White bun bread (not sweet)) - 10 pieces
14. Butter
15. Onion -2 

Procedure

Gram flour batter with spices

1. Make a fine paste of ginger, garlic, and green chilies. Keep aside.
2. Boil, peel, and mash potatoes.
3. Add chili powder, garam masala, turmeric powder, and salt on mashed potatoes and mix properly.
4. In a frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil, once heated, add ginger-garlic-chili paste to it, fry for 2 mins.  Then add mashed potatoes mixed with dry spices (as mentioned in step 3) and fry well for 4-5 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and let it cool. Add cut coriander on it, mix and make small balls (vadas) of potato mixture. These are called Keep aside.
6. In one bowl take gram flour, add a little turmeric powder,  asafoetida(hing), chili powder ( 1 teaspoon), and salt in it.  Add some water, mix, and make a thick paste. 
7. Now heat oil in a pan. Once it is heated properly, dip potato balls in gram flour paste and then put them in oil to fry. Fry till it becomes golden yellow in color from all sides. 
8. Give cut to the white bread buns  (pav) in the middle, apply butter inside and outside of the bread, and toast on the pan. 
9. Serve fried potato vadas with toasted bread, green chilies, and cut onion.

Simple Chicken Rice

Ingredients

1. Rice - 1 cup
2. Chicken - 250gm.
3. Onions -2
4. Tomato -1
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Garlic - 4/5 cloves
7. Mint - small bunch
8. 1cm Cinnamon stick
9. Black pepper powder - 1 pinch
10. Oil - 2 tablespoons
11. Salt 
12. Paprika / red chilli powder 
13. Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon  (optional)
14. Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon

Procedure

1. Wash and soak rice in water for 30 mins.
2. Wash chicken, drain water and marinate it with a little salt, chilli powder and lemon juice. Keep aside. 
3. Cut onions and tomato into very small pieces.
4. Make a ginger-garlic paste.
5. Wash and finely chop mint and coriander.
6. Take a pan, heat oil.
7. Add a cinnamon stick and onion in the oil.
8. Fry till onion becomes translucent.
9. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry.
10. Add chopped tomato and fry till tomatoes are cooked properly.
11. Add chilli powder as per your taste, black pepper powder and garam masala. (Adding garam masala is optional).
12. Mix it well.
13. Now add chicken pieces and stir well so that chicken pieces are covered with onion-tomato-masala.
14. Add salt as per your taste, add a half cup of water, cover pan with a lid and let the chicken cook for 5-7 minutes.
15. Drain water from the rice, add rice in half-cooked chicken.
16. Add mint leaves. Mix everything well.
17. Add some water (till the level of water is 1 cm more than rice in the pan).
18. Cover and let the rice cook slowly for 7-8 minutes.
19. Switch off the gas, keep the lid on for 5 more minutes.
20. Simple chicken rice is ready.