Suji Halwa (Semolina pudding) recipe

Its a very popular pudding in India and is especially loved by kids. Its also one of the easiest indian desserts to prepare.

Ingredients

Suji (Semolina) 1 cup
water 4 cup
sugar 1 cup
ghee/butter/margarine 4 table spoons
cardamom powder 1/4 teaspoon
Almonds/rasins/cashews

Procedure-
1) Heat the ghee/butter/margarine in a heavy bottomed pan and put semolina.
2) Roast it on low heat for 20 minutes till semolina becomes golden brown resembling the colour of sand. (This step is the key for the recipe)
3) On the side boil water and add sugar and cardamom to it.
4) Add the sugar solution to the semolina while stirring continously to avoid formation of lumps.
5) Mix some dried fruits like almonds/raisins/cashews and serve hot.

Chocolate Souffle recipe

I chanced upon this recipe while browsing nestle's recipes. This is amazingly simple to make and is sumptuous. Everyone who has tasted it, has loved it. This is especially liked by the kids as they are not so calorie conscious. The recipe is as follows-

Ingredients-
Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 tin (400g)
Milk 2 cups (300ml)
Milk Chocolate 40g (optional)
Gelatine 2-1/2 tbsp
Water ½ cup (75 ml)
Fresh Cream 1-1/3 cup
Rum/Kahlua to taste (optional)
Cocoa 3-4 tbsp.
Walnuts/Almonds/Cashew 50g, chopped (optional)

Procedure-
1. Dissolve gelatine in 1/2 cup water over a pan of hot water.
2. Break the chocolate into bits.
3. Whisk cream till light and fluffy (soft peak stage) and keep chilled.
4. Add cocoa to 1 cup Milk. Heat over a pan of hot water and make a smooth paste.
5. Add dissolved gelatine, cocoa paste, rest of milk, chopped nuts, rum and chocolate pieces to Milkmaid. Mix well. Chill till the mixture begins to thicken on the sides.
6. Beat the mixture and fold in chilled whisked cream (This step is important or else cream will form a separate layer)
7. Pour the mixture into a wet soufflé dish and chill.
8. Served decorated with stiffly beaten cream and chocolate curls.

Dal Parantha recipe

One of the best things about being in India is the immense variety of vegetarian food that's available. Indian diet is primarily vegetarian. My mom made these tastiest of paranthas today and I decided to put the recipe on my blog.

Ingredients-
2 cups whole wheat flour (Atta)
Dal (cooked lentils curry) one cup
1/2 cup water (if required to obtain pizza dough consistency)
Dried green vegetable 1 teaspoon (kasoori methi)
Dried pomegranate seeds 1 teaspoon (anardana)
Green chilly 1
Medium sized onion 1
Coriander seeds 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander (cilantro)

Procedure-
Mix all the ingredients together except water. Knead the dough and add water of needed to obtain pizza dough consistency. After the dough is ready, make doughballs of 2 inches. Dust a rolling board with flour and roll the dough balls to approxmitely 4 inches diameter. Roast it in a pan on both sides. Add a teaspoon of oil or ghee and shallow fry for 20 seconds.


Enjoy it with butter/curd/achaar or any combination of three.

You could use your leftover dal for this as well.

Chicken Wraps Recipe

I made these wraps as a mean to utilise my leftover momo filling. This turned out to be even better than momos itself. The recipe is as follows -

Filling-
250gms minced chicken
1/4 tomato (diced)
1 medium sized onion (diced)
1/2 shallots (diced)
1/4 cup coriander (chopped)
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
Make paste - 2 green chillies, 1/2 inch piece ginger, 3-4 cloves garlic
salt to taste
2 tbsp butter or ghee
pepper

Wrap-
Tortilla wrap/chapatti/bread

Lettuce
1/2 tomato (diced)
cheese of your choice (shredded)
Tomato sauce (or pizza sauce)

Procedure-
1. Mix all the filling ingredients and keep aside for an hour.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add the filling.
3. Fry till the chicken is cooked.
4. Add cheese and cook till it melts.
5. Spread sauce on the wrap and put lettuce leaves, tomatoes and some filling.
6. Roll sides of the tortilla to make wraps.

and enjoy this quick and easy chicken wrap.

You could also use this filling in patties, sandwiches and snacks.

Nepalese Dumplings (Momos) Recipe

The dish "Nepalese dumplings" or "momos" is my childhood favorite. Actually, I cherish the memories associated with it more than the dish itself. Today, I tried to prepare the dish and it was awesome. So, I decided to share the recipe with whoever is interested.

Momos is kind of a fusion between chinese and Indian cuisines. The procedure is inspired by "chinese dumplings" but the filling is very much indian. The recipe is as follows-

Ingredients

Wrap
1 and a half cup plain flour
1/2 cup water

Filling-
250gms minced chicken
1/4 tomato (diced)
1 medium sized onion (diced)
1/2 shallots (diced)
1/4 cup coriander (chopped)
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
Make paste - 2 green chillies, 1/2 inch piece ginger, 3-4 cloves garlic
salt to taste
2 tbsp butter or ghee

Procedure-
1. Knead the flour after adding the water till it becomes like a pizza dough
2. Keep aside while you prepare the filling
3. Mix all the filling ingredients
4. Make one inch dough balls and flatten it using rolling pin. Use some dry flour to dust the rolling board.
5. Put one spoonfull of filling in the center od the wrapper. Bring the edges together and make pleats to ensure that the filling doen't come out.
6. Oil the steamer rack or alternatively put cabbage leaves so that the dumplings doen't stick.
7. Steam the dumplings for 20-25 minutes.

And it's ready to eat!

This will make 13-16 dumplings, enough to fill up two adults. Or you could serve it as a snack in a gathering.

In Singapore, you could also try the deep fried version of this at a restaurant called "Gorkha grill". The address is as follows-
Shenton Way
21 Smith Street
Tel: (65) 227 0806.
Chinatown Singapore 058935

Hi!

Hi,

I started cooking when I was staying in a hostel. My initial cooking was anything but appetising. But with persistence and experimentation, I have now become a decent cook. Well, not all the recipes come out as expected but I am learning.

In this blog I would share a recipe as and when I try it at home. Being an Indian, my cooking is inspired by indian cookery.

This blog will serve as a database for tried and tested recipes plus the comments I get for that.