Zaiqa

Zafraani Malai Murgh, Baingan ka Bharta, Tamatar Tuvar dal and Khushka was the dinner today after our second roza الحمد لله. The Iftaar was light~ Khajoor, Aloo Samosa with ketchup and fresh Plums.

Zafraani Malai Murgh – Chicken in Creamy Saffron sauce

Ingredients:

Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Long green chillies – 4, each cut into two
Fried crisp onions – 1/2 cup (store bought)
Chicken/Murgh, with bone – 1150 gms, cut into pieces
Salt – 2 tsp
Yogurt/Dahi – 1/2 cup, lightly whipped
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Half and Half cream – 1/3 cup (you can also use light cream instead)
Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
Saffron threads – one pinch
Slivered almonds – 1 tbsp

Zafraani Malai Murgh

Method:

1. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Keep aside.
2. In a saucepan at medium high heat, pour in oil and as soon as it warms up, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a few seconds. Add the green chillies and fried onions. Mix well. Add the chicken pieces and salt and fry until opaque, around 5-8 minutes. Pour in yogurt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Stir gently to mix and close the lid. Let cook for 5 minutes. Pour in half and half and gently mix well. Cover the lid and let cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Let cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Serve immediately along with Parathas or Naan or Khushka.

Baingan ka bhartha – Roasted Eggplants in tomato onion sauce ~ I

Brinjal – 4
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Onion – 1, large, finely chopped
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds – 1 1/2 tsp
Long green chillies – 4, chopped
Tomato – 2, finely chopped
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Cilantro+Mint leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Fresh ingredients for Baingan ka Bhartha

Baingan ka Bhartha

Method:

1. Wash the brinjal and pat dry. Take a rimmed baking sheet and place a large sheet of aluminuim foil on it. Place the brinjal on the foil and place the baking sheet under the broiler-high setting for 15 minutes. Turn the brinjal after 8 minutes. Once the brinjal are evenly black in color, remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, peel and discard the skin and finely chop the flesh of the brinjal. Keep aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, add oil and as soon as it warms up, add the onion and fry just until soft. Do not let it brown. Add ginger garlic paste, green chillies and cumin seeds and fry them along for furthur 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, coriander seed powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well. Cover the lid and let cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the chopped brinjal flesh and mix well. Cover the lid and let cook for 5 more minutes. Add garam masala and fresh chopped herbs and let cook uncovered for a few minutes. Serve.

Luv,
Mona

Fruit lassi~smoothies are my personal favorite options for iftaar when you break fast during Ramadan, or during the morning rush hours for your breakfast. Full of vitamins and minerals, they help replenish nutrients in the body.

Blueberries

My favorite berry is blueberry among all other berries, I admit, and I just love the gorgeous color of blueberry lassi. This smoothie is loaded with long-term-health boosters. It also contains yogurt, a source of bone-strengthening calcium and immune-supporting probiotics. Blend it for breakfast, or Iftaar during Ramadan, and the vitamins, protein, and fiber will replenish your energy and make you feel blooming.

Blueberry Lassi~Smoothie

Ingredients:

Organic Blueberries – 300 gms
Low-fat Yogurt – 2/3 cup
Honey – 4 tbsp (or you can also use Turbinado sugar or other natural sweetener to taste)
Almond powder (with skin) – 1 tbsp (or you can also use ground flaxseed instead)
Ice cubes – 4

Blueberry Lassi~Smoothie

Method:

Wash the blueberries in surplus water in several changes. Drain and reserve. Combine all ingredients in an electric blender and blend on medium speed until smooth, about 20 seconds. Garnish with fresh berries and serve. (Note: For a nondairy alternative, you can substitute cultured soy for the yogurt.) Pour into glasses and serve chilled.

This is my second entry to the ‘Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival ’09’ that I am hosting on my blog.
Do send me your entries as soon as possible before Ramadan starts. The deadline is 20th August ‘09.

Luv,
Mona

With the ongoing garbage strikes and the temperatures soaring humid and an intensely cloudy gloomy  weather with no glimpse of sunshine from the past few days added the forecast doesn’t seem to give any good news for the coming days either, there aren’t many things going right for Torontonians. So, to cheer myself and my family, I decided to bake a dessert. The warm fruity aroma that fills the house surely comforts every solace seeking soul.

Cherries

June and July being the cherry season in Toronto, cherries are seen in every store and market, being sold in huge quantities at reasonable rates, which I didnt mind to think a lot about before I picked up a kilo during the last week.

Halved Cherry

This easy french dessert/pudding is what I did with the remaining cherries after gorging upon them in various ways.

Cherry Clafoutis
8 servings

Ingredients:

Ripe red cherries – 1 pound, pitted and halved
All-Purpose flour/Maida – 125 grams
Eggs – 4, large, at room temperature
Vanilla powder – 2 tsp
Almond extract – 1/2 tsp
Finely powdered raw Almonds – 1/2 cup
Milk – 1 1/2 cup
Sugar – 1 cup

Cherry Clafoutis

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Grease a baking dish with about 2 litre capacity generously with ghee or melted butter. Mix the cherries with 2 tbsp sugar and spread in a layer in the dish.
3. In a blender, mix all the remaining ingredients and blend for a minute, until smooth. Pour this mixture into the dish with cherries and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
4. Let cool for 15-20 minutes and serve warm.

Tip: To pit the cherries, you can buy yourselves a good quality cherry pitter from the market, you improvise using a chopstick. Just push the pit out of the cherry with a chopstick.

Luv,
Mona

Simple, healthy, cooling, smooth and a delicious indulgence, Chawal ki Kheer or Phirni , similar to rice pudding ~ the dessert which every Hyderabadi immensely enjoys. Today I share with you my family’s recipe for it.

Chawal ki Kheer served along with Poori

Rice is first soaked for a little while in cool water, and then powdered to a semolina texture. This powdered rice is used to prepare the Kheer. Be careful when you add the rice powder to the milk. Always soak it in water and add it to the cooking milk to avoid any lumps. Do not substitute the powdered rice with the rice flour that is available in the market. Chawal ki Kheer is enjoyed cold, on its own. It is also served along with Pooris.

Chawal Ki Kheer – Rice Pudding
Makes – 4 or 5 servings

Ingredients:

Basmati rice – 1/3 cup
Milk – 3/4 litre
Sugar – 1 cup
Finely powdered cardamom seeds – 1/4 tsp
Finely sliced Pistachios – for garnish
Finely Sliced Almonds – for garnish

Chawal ki Kheer served in individual cups

Method:

1. Wash and soak the rice in cool surplus water for about 2 hours. Later, drain the water and spread the rice overnight on a cloth so that the rice air-dries.
2. The next day, add the dry rice grains in a grinder and powder it, not too coarse, not too fine, the texture of the rice should be similar to that of semolina/rawa.
3. Pour milk into a saucepan at medium high heat and let it come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook the milk for 3 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, add the powdered rice, and about 3/4 cup of cool water. Mix well and slowly add this to the boiling milk while stirring continously but gently. Stirring the milk continously while adding the coarse rice powder soaked in water is vital, or else you will end up with lumps of rice powder in the milk. Keep stirring and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add sugar and let it cook for about 10 minutes more. During this time you will observe that the pudding has started to thicken up and the rice powder is thoroughly cooked. Do not cook for too long, as the pudding will thicken more once it is cold. Remove from heat, when the consistency is just slightly thick.
5. In the last few seconds, add the cardamom seeds powder and mix well. Remove from heat and keep side to cool. Once cool, refrigerate the pudding until cold. Serve in individual cups garnished with the sliced nuts.

Note: For best flavor, serve this dessert in small unglazed terracotta pots(called as ‘katori’ in Hyderabad). The earthern pots absorb all the moisture and impart a delicate flavor to the dessert which is out of the world.

Luv,
Mona

I was missing home, my Ammi’s hand made food, dearly.

Ammi makes the best Kheer-Poori in this whole world. When I was near her, with her, I never really realised the importance of her nearness, her closeness, her presence in my daily life. Now that I am so far away, I miss her and her embrace. Ammi, I miss you! But I am thankfull to my Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) that todays technology allows me to call and speak to her anytime I wish alhamdulillah. May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) bless everybody’s parents with the best of health and give them the ajr, Ameen.

Kheer-Puri is a combinatin that most poeple from India and Pakistan must be familiar with. A combination that can make any person living away from his or her hometown nostalgic and bring back a rush of good old memories, just like it happened to me.

Today I am sharing with you all the recipe for Puran Poori and Chobay ke Poori, which are similar to the stuffed sweet pastries, empanadas.
Puran is a paste made of mashed Chana dal cooked in ghee, sugar and nuts. The same paste can also be used to prepare flat diamond shaped Laoz, and it is also used as a stuffing in flat bread to prepare Mitthi Roti. Today I am using Puran to prepare Puran Poori, which are stuffed pastries, similar to empanadas, but with a sweet stuffing.
Similarly, I stuff the pastries with an another sweet stuffing, called as Choba, or a mixture of shredded coconut, dry fruits and nuts and some sugar.

Chobay ke Puri – Sweet Empanadas stuffed with a Coconut and dry fruit and nut mixture

Ingredients:

For the filling:-

Ghee – 1 tbsp
Dry Desiccated Coconut – 3/4 cup
Finely sliced Pista – 1/4 cup
Finely sliced peeled almonds – 1/4 cup
Raisins/Kishmish – 1/4 cup
Sugar – 1/4 cup

For the Dough:-

Wheat Flour (Durum Atta)  – 2 cups (usually maida/all-purpose flour is used)
Water – 1 cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method:
1. In a bowl, combine the sliced pistachios, almonds, dessicated coconut and the raisins.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed non-stick kadai at medium heat, pour ghee and as soon as it gets warm, add the above mixture. Stir continously and roast for a minute or two until you start getting an aroma and it is quite lightly toasted. Do not let the coconut turn into a dark brown color or get burnt, keep a close eye. Remove from heat and immediately add the sugar and mix well (you can also add a little bit of grated khoa at this stage for added richness). Keep aside to cool. This mixture is called as Choba.

Choba ~ Coconut+Raisins+Pistachio+Almond+Sugar mixture

3. In a food processor, add the flour, ghee and salt. Process for a few seconds. Add the water and process to form a soft dough. You can also form the dough on a work surface using your hands. Remove the dough onto a platform and knead it add using some extra flour or water, whatever is needed, until a soft pliable dough is formed. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
4. Pour cool water into a cup and keep ready.

The filling~choba, on a side of the dough disc, notice the edges have been moistened for sealing

Stuffed Pastry

5. Lightly flour the work surface. Roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles that ae about 12 cm in diameter, use a bowl as a guide if you wish. Collect the scraps, knead for a few seconds to form a ball and roll out again later, until then cover and keep aside. Dip your fingers into the cup with cool water, and wet the outer edge of the dough circles. Put about 2 tablespoons of the cooled toasted Choba mixture in a side, leaving room around the edges for sealing, and fold over the other half of dough over the filling to form a half circle. Do not over fill or else, the dough might tear. Use a pizza wheel to trim away the corners and make a nice half moon shape. Press the wet edges firmly to seal and crimp to form a pattern. Keep all the prepared stuffed pastries covered under a cloth on the work surface until all are done.

Stuffed Pastry with edges crimped

Puran Puri ~ Fried Stuffed Pastries

6. Once all the stuffed pastries are ready, heat oil in a kadai or wok to deep dry. Once the oil is hot, gently lower a few of them and deep fry both sides until lightly brown. Do not over crowd the kadai. Remove them using a slotted spoon. Do not pile them up onto a platter. Keep them uncovered in a single layer on a kitchen towel until all are done.

Puran Puri – Sweet Empanadas stuffed with Chickpea and nut mixture

Ingredients:

For the filling:-

Bengal gram/Chana Dal – 1/2 cup
Ghee – 1 tbsp
Sugar – 1/4 cup + 4 tbsp
Finely Powdered Green Cardamom seeds – 1/4 tsp
Finely sliced Pistachios/Pista – 1 tbsp
Finely sliced Almonds/Badaam – 1 tbsp

For the Dough:-

Wheat Flour (Durum flour) – 2 cups
Water – 1 cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Ghee – 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Wash and drain the dal. Pressure cook the dal in a little water until the dal is soft. Once done, cook the dal until there is very little water left. Remove it from heat. Once it is lukewarm, blend the dal in a blender until smoothly pureed keep aside.

Puran ~ Sweet Chickpea mixture

2. Pour ghee in a saucepan at medium heat and as it melts, add the pureed dal and cook uncovered for 3 minutes. Add the sugar and cook for 5 minutes, stirring continously. Add the sliced pistachios and almonds, cardamom seed powder and mix well. Remove from heat when the mixture is fairly dry and starts leaving sides. Let it cool down. This mixture is called as the Puran.
3. In a food processor, add the flour, ghee and salt. Process for a few seconds. Add the water and form a soft dough. Remove the dough onto your platform and knead it add using some extra flour or water, whatever is needed, until a soft pliable dough is formed. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
4. Pour cool water into a cup and keep ready.

The filling~puran, on a side of the dough disc, notice the edges have been moistened for sealing

Pooriyaan – Stuffed Pastries

5. Lightly flour the work surface. Roll out the dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles that ae about 12 cm in diameter, use a bowl as a guide if you wish. Collect the scraps, knead for a few seconds to form a ball and roll out again later, until then cover and keep aside. Dip your fingers into the cup with cool water, and wet the outer edge of the dough circles. Put about 2 tablespoons of the cooled Puran mixture in a side, leaving room around the edges for sealing, and fold over the other half of dough over the filling to form a half circle. Do not over fill or else, the dough might tear. Use a pizza wheel to trim away the corners and make a nice half moon shape. Press the wet edges firmly to seal and crimp to form a pattern. Keep all the prepared stuffed pastries covered under a cloth on the work surface until all are done.

Puran Puri ~ Fried Stuffed Pastries

6. Once all the stuffed pastries are ready, heat oil in a kadai or wok to deep dry. Once the oil is hot, gently lower a few of them and deep fry both sides until lightly brown. Do not over crowd the kadai. Remove them using a slotted spoon. Do not pile them up onto a platter. Keep them uncovered in a single layer on a kitchen towel until all are done.

We enjoy both Chobay ki Poori and Puran Poori along with Chawal ki Kheer. Dip the deep-fried stuffed pastries in the rice pudding and enjoy.

Kheer Puri – Rice Pudding and Stuffed Pastries

Reminder: Send me your Ramadan delicacies before the deadline. For more information refer to The Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival.

Luv,
Mona