Lemon iced Tea

Introduction: A healthy, fresh and yummy drink to welcome the summer.

Ingredients:
Tea bags:2
Water: 4 cups
Mint leaves: 8-10
Ginger: 1 tsp (minced)
Honey: 4 Tbsp
Sugar: 1 cup(50 gm)
Lemon : 1
Ice cubes:4 per glass
For garnishing: lemon rings, mint leaves and ginger grates

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Serves for: 4 persons

Method:
Boil 4 cups of water in a pot. Add ginger, mint leaves, tea bags to it. boil for 3-4 mins. Put off the flame. Add honey to the boiled water. In another pan, add 1 cup sugar with 3/4 cup of water and make  sugar syrup. when the tea water comes to room temperature, mix sugar syrup to it. strain the mixture and keep in fridge.
For serving, Add 4 ice cubes(or as per choice) to glass. Squueze out lemon juice to the glass. Pour the chilled tea into the glass. Decorate with mint leaves and lemon rings and ginger. Serve chilled.

Choco Lava cake

Introduction:
So tomorrow is valentine's day and everyone wants to make it the best day for sumone very special to them. I selected a very sweet and warm recipe for my heart and it's yummy molten choco lava cake. It contains all the softness and delicacy of a cake plus the mouth watering flavour of chocolate with a sweet warmth. a perfect dish expressing your feelings all the way on the plate in front of your valentine. Just dedicate this recipe for the love of your life, as I wish i could.

Ingredients:

¼ cup   Chocolate chips
¼ cup   Cherry filling
2 cups   Refined flour
1 tsp   Baking powder
¾ tbsp   Soda bi-carb(baking soda)
1 cup    curd
A few drops  Vanilla essence
1 cup   Milk
¾ cup   White butter
¾ cup   Caster sugar
6 tbsp   Cocoa powder

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Method:
Preheat oven to 170*C. Grease a cake tin and line it with butter paper. Mix the chocolate chips with cherry filling and keep aside. Sift flour, baking powder, soda bicarb and cocoa powder together. Heat the milk till it is lukewarm. Whisk the curd, caster sugar, butter and vanilla essence together till smooth and frothy. Fold in the flour mixture alternating with milk. Mix quickly but gently to a smooth batter. Pour into well-greased muffin moulds and spoon chocolate chips & cherry filling mixture in the centre and bake on the centre rack for 8 minutes. Check the cake, remove cake from the oven and after a few seconds, demould it .you can also bake it in pressure cooker as described in my earlier post.
Serve the cake hot and share with your valentine in moon light. It will melt in your mouth and enjoy the emotions along with the cake....hehhehehe.

Veg Hakka Noodles

Introduction:

wowwww it's chinese............who doesn't fall for delicious chinese cuisine, be it chowmein, manchurian, fried rice, hakka noodles, momos, stir fry vegetables, spring rolls and the list goes on... Chinese food is the best option for anytime meal.. Be it lunch, dinner, evening snack or starter. chinese food is a complete package. and I am madly in love with chinese.....hehe I mean chinese food. Let's make the restaurant style Hakka noodles at home in just 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

Noodles: 1 pack(250 gm)

Cabbage: 125 gm (shredded)

Carrots: 2-3 (long and thinly sliced)

Capsicum: 2 medium sized(thinly sliced)
Onions : 2-3 (thinly sliced)
Spring onions green: 1/2 cup (chopped)
Sprouted beans: 1/2 cup (optional)
soya sauce: 2 tsp
white vinegar: 2 tsp
Black pepper: 1/2 tsp
Green chilli sauce: 2 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil : 4 tsp
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves for: 2 persons

Method:
Boil approx 1/2 liter water in a big bowl. Add the noddles to boiling water. Let them boil for 2 minutes. Remember not to perfectly cook the noodles. We require 3/4th done noodles. so after 2 minutes put off the flame and refresh the boiled noodles with cold water and dip the boiled noodles in cold water. 
Heat oil in a pan. Keep the flame high. Add onions to it and fry for a 5-10 seconds. Add cabbage and carrots to it and toss the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes on high flame. continue tossing the vegetables to avoid sticking of vegetable on the bottom of the pan. Now add capsicum to it and toss well. Now add boiled noodles, soya sauce, vinegar, green chilli sauce, salt and pepper, spring onion greens and sprouted beans to it. Toss all the things well. You can also add chilli flakes to it, if you like more spicy noodles.
Hakka noodles are ready to serve. Take the noodles out in a serving plate. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

TIPS:

1. Hakka noodles should be cooked on high heat. So cook on high flame.
2. The noodles should not be fully cooked. Otherwise they will get mushy. Noodles should be half boiled.
3. you can add or minus the vegetables according to your taste.
4. you can also add the market made hakka noodles sauce to it.
5. A lilltle ajinomoto can also be added to enhance the flavour.

Potato and herb salad

Introduction:

This potato salad will give you the feel of international taste while sitting at your home dining table. It is made up of simple ingredients but tastes delicious. Try this salad as a variant for your dinner table.

Ingredients:

Baby potatotes: 8 (boiled and peeled)

Hung curd: 1 cup

Dry pudina powder: 1 tsp

Chopped green chillies: 2

Chopped coriander: ½ cup

Chopped mint leaves: ½ cup

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Black pepper powder: ½ tsp

Mayonnise: 2 tsp

Salt: to taste

Oil: 1 tsp

White sesame seeds: 1 tsp

Method:

Peel the boiled potatoes and with help of a fork, poke all the potatoes. In a bowl, take hung curd. Add dry pudina powder, black pepper , salt and lemon juice to it and mix well. Add potatoes to it and mix well. Let it rest for 3-4 mins. Now mix chopped coriander, mint leaves and mayonnise to it and mix well. In a pan, heat oil. Add white sesame seeds to it. When they starts spluttering, add this dressing all over the salad. Serve immediately.

Tips:

This salad taste much good if the potatoes are a little warm. So try to make the salad with freshly boiled potatoes to retain the warmness.

You can add spring onions and any other herb of your choice to this salad.

Khoya Matar

Introduction:

This recipe is yet another addition to party dishes. It is excellent for main course and contains the sweetness of green peas with the richness of cashew and evaporated milk.

So try this tasty recipe in this winter season.

Ingredients:

Khoya/Mawa: 1 cup

Green peas (peeled and shelled): 3 cup

Tomatoes(Medium sized): 3-4

Green chillies: 2

Cashew nuts: ½ cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: ¾ tsp

Corriander powder: 1 tsp

Fenel seeds powder (saunf): 1 tsp

Garam masala powder: ¾ tsp

Sugar: ¼ tsp

Bay leafs: 2 (optional)

Oil: 4-5 tsp

Salt: to taste

Chopped coriander: for garnishing

Coconut powder: for garnishing

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Method:

Wash all the vegetables. Boil water in a pan and add tomatoes and green peas into it. Let them boil for 5 mins without covering. Strain the vegetables. Peel off the skin of the tomatoes and make a smooth paste of it with green chillies.

Heat oil in a pan and add bay leafs to it (if using). When they splutter, Add mawa to it and simmer the flame. Keep stirring and cook the mawa till it changes color and starts becoming granular. Now add all the dry spices to it and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the peas and tomato paste to it. Give a nice stir to the mixture and cover it with lid. Let the mixture to cook on sim to medium flame for 5-8 mins. Adjust the seasoning and add half broken cashew nuts and sugar to it. Cook again till a thin layer of oil comes over the mixture(5-6 mins). Put off the flame.

Garnish it with chopped fresh coriander and coconut powder. Serve hot with chapatis or Paranthas.

 

Palak ke Pakode

Introduction: Pakoras and with hot Tea is an ultimate combination for any evening. especially in rainy and cold days. There are lots of varieties of pakoras . As this season, palak(spinach) is freshly availble, so let's make palak pakoda for this evening.

Ingredients:
Spinach: 200gm

Besan: 2 Cups

Onions: 1 medium sized
Green chillies: 2
Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
Corriander powder: 1/2 tsp
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp(optional)
Salt: to taste
Oil : for frying
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

Method:
Wash and cut the stem of spinach leaves. Keep the spinach aside for drying. Cut the onions in long thin slices. chop the green chillies. finely chop the spinach. Take besan in a bowl.Add all the dry spices. Add 1 cup of water and make a thick paste without any dumplings. Add chopped spinach, onions and green chillies to it and mix well. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is sufficiently heated, Take a laddle full of mixture and drop in the oil and fry it. Similary add more pakoras to oil for frying. Fre the pakoras from both sides till golden brown.Remove them on a kitchen towl to soak excess oil. Serve the hot pakoras with tomatoe ketchup and green chutney and ofcourse Hot tea.

Apple Jam

Introduction:
 "Apple" is an iron rich fruit and as said an apple a day keeps doctor away. But I don't like apples much. So I always try to find new ways to have apples. Apple jam is a very good recipe in this view. It's eay to make and delicious for your daily breakfast. So why to buy jam for market. Make it your at home.

Ingredients:

Apple: 2 (Medium sized)
Sugar: 1.5 cup
Water: 1 Cup
Elaichi powder: 1.5 tsp
Saffron or edible color: 4-5 strands or 2 drops
Lime juice: 1 tsp

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 15 mins

Method:
Wash and peel apples. Grate the apples. Remove the seeds of the apples. Now heat a non stick pan. Add water and sugar to it and let it come to a boil. Then add apples to it and let it cook over medium flame . Stirr occasionaly to avoid sticking. After 5 mins, add saffron or color and elacihi powder. Cook the mixture till the apple softens and mixture starts drying. Add lim juice to it and cook for 5 more minutes. Put off the flame and let the jam cools. When the jam is cooled, fill it in a sterlized glass bottle and save in fridge. Enjoy the delicious jam daily over your breakfast table with toast, bread or paranthas.