Gulab Jamboo / Jamun revisted

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups full cream milk powder
1/2 cup plain flour
1 table spoon semolina
1/2tspn roughly ground cardamom
1/4 tspn saffron
1 heaped teaspn baking powder
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup whipping cream

Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tspn saffron
yellow food colouring (optional)

Oil for deep frying

Method

For Jamboos

1. Mix together milk powder, flour, semolina, cardomom, 1/4 tspn saffron,and baking powder.
2. Add warm oil to the mixture, mix, until you get a crumbly consistency.
3. Bind the mixture with the whipping cream into a soft dough (not sticky). Add a little milk or flour if necessary.
4. make 1 inch sausage like shapes


5. Deep fry at a very low temperature, otherwise they will brown and the centres will be uncooked.
Syrup
6. To make the syrup, boil the water, saffron, yellow colour (optional) and sugar over medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl

7. Use a thin cocktail stick to make a hole horizontal through jamboo, to facilitate absorbtion, place in the syrup.


8. The jamboos need to soak in the syrup for at least 2 hours.

Methi Peas and Mushrooms

Ingredients
2 cups chopped methi / fenugreek leaves
2 cups chestnut mushrooms; quartered
3 cups fresh or frozen peas
1 medium onion; finely chopped
2 small potatoes; cubed
2 large tomatoes; finely chopped
1 red pepper; cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
green chillis, minced
2 tspns cumin and coriander powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
salt to taste





Method

1. Fry the onions until golden brown
2. Add the mushrooms and fry until brown
3. Add the potatoes mix until they are coated with all the juices
4. Add the Methi / Fenugreek, cook for about 5 minutes
5. Add garlic, ginger and chillies; stir and cook for about 5 minutes
   
6. Add the tomatoes and the spices, mix and cook for 5 minutes
7. Add the peas and a little water if neccessary
8. Add the red pepper
9. Cook until the potatoes are done, about 10 more minutes
   

Serve with chapatis, paratha or rice

Methi Prawn and Mushrooms

Ingredients
2 Onion; finely chopped
1 cup Fresh Methi (Fenugreek); choped fine
6 cloves Garlic (minced)
3 inches Ginger (grated)
5-6 Green Chillies; minced
4 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped
1 lb Tiger Prawns; peeled, deveined and washed
8 oz Mushrooms; washed and sliced
2 tblspns oil
1/2  tspn tumeric powder
2 tspn cumin/coriander powder
salt to taste

Method.
1. Fry the onion in hot oil until transparent, add the mushrooms and fry till brown


2. Add the chopped methi, garlic, ginger and green chillies and fry for a few minutes,.
3. Add the tiger prawns and fry for a few minutes until they are pink.
4. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, add the cumin and tumeric powders; cook for 5 minutes and serve with chapatis or rice.

Garlic Herbed Pilau, with coriander / Cilantro, mint and Spring Onions

Ingredients

2 cups basmati rice; washed and soaked for 30 minutes

3 cups water

2 tbspn olive oil

5-6 garlic cloves; sliced

½ tspn cumin seeds

1 cup coriander; chopped fine

2 tbspn chopped mint

3 spring onions; chopped fine
Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the garlic, fry for a few minutes.

2. Add the rice, mix, until all the rice is coated by the oil

3. Add water, bring to boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes

4. When the rice is nearly cooked, heat the rest of the oil, in a small pan, add the cumin seeds. Let them pop, add the coriander, mint and spring onion, stir and pour this mixture on to the rice and mix.

5. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve.

I served it with Tandoori Chicken

The Food

I find it very difficult to take good pictures of food in the evenings, when there is little or no natural light.
Has anyone got any hints?

Anyway here is the final menu of the Triple Birthday Party:

Starters
Meze consisting of Hummus, Tzaziki and Taramasalata with hot pitta bread
I did not make any of the above, as I did not have enough time, there is a great recipe of hummus on Aly Khan's A treat a week blog
Chilli and Garlic Olives
Bharela Mircha / Stuffed Chillies
Main Course
Tandoori Chicken
Roast Potatoes with Tandoori Masala
Greek Salad - recipe to follow
Herbed Pilau
Chana batata
Chevro / Chevda - great recipe by Trupti on The Spice who loved me
Blackcurrant Cake - recipe to follow
Pistachiou Kulfi - recipe to follow

Triple Birthday Party at our house tomorrow

Menu
Tandoori Chicken
Roast Potaotes in Tandoori Masala
Greek Salad
Herby Rice Pilau
Spicy Chickpeas
Blackberry Cake

Recipes to follow

Mixed Vegetables and Punjabi Wadi Curry

I spotted some Punjabi wadis in my local Indian grocers. Wadis are dry lentil cakes, the ones I bought contain: lentil flour, coriander, cumin, salt, black pepper, sodium bicarbonate, huskless blackeye beans and crushed chillies. Don’t they sound tasty?



Anyway I searched the web for recipes and found many amongst my fellow bloggers, all of whom have lots of info on their blogs, so I won’t repeat it.
Mika of The Green Jackfruit
Indira in Mahanandi
Asha from Foodies Hope on her Aroma blog
Anita of A Mad Tea Party
Indosungod in Daily Musing
Musical’s Kitchen



Ingredients
1 tablespoon oil
1 aubergine; cut in batons
2 courgettes; cut in batons
5 mushrooms; sliced
1 green pepper; cut in long strips
3 small potatoes; cut like chips
4 5 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and liquidised
1/4 tspn tumeric
salt to taste

Method
1. Heat the oil, and fry the wadis until, you can smell the spicy aroma.
2. Add all the vegetabes, stir fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, mix until all the vegetables are coated.
4. Add the tumeric and salt, mix
5. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the potaotes are cooked.
Serve with chapati
Verdict: very tasty, the wadi were soft and chewy, with peppercorns which were very hot.

Spicy Eggy Bread

Bee and Jai have got me going with the eggciting egg ideas. This is not an entry for CLICK. Just a simple breakfast

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 tbspn milk
1 pinch salt .
2 slices white bread
1/2 tsp very finely minced green chillies
1 tbspn chopped coriander leaves
1 tbspn oil (for cooking) .
salt & black pepper


Method
1. Beat the milk, eggs, salt, pepper, green chillies and coriander, a large shallow bowl.
2. Heat the 1 tspn of oil in a frying pan
3. Cut the bread into half and place all of it in the egg mixture, coat both sides, let the bread soak up all the egg.
4. Place the bread in the frying pan, let it cook until brown, flip and cook the other side.
Serve

Chilli Harvest from our only Chilli Plant

Sunday breakfast with a cup o' joe

Voting taking place now, take a look at Jugalbundi Click

When I was little, we only used to get eggs in school holidays or Sundays. We would to sing “Rujah mujah, mayai khenji mujah!” Which means something like: It’s holidays, fun-days, how great it is, we get to eat eggs. Apart from mayai which means eggs in Swahilli, the rest of the rhyme is in kuctchi. We lived in an extended family group; my four brothers and sisters and my four cousins and I used to sit round in a circle, on low stools called patla, and be fed egg and paratha by my Mom or my Aunts. One mouthful at a time each per round of 9 open mouths. The eggs were so tasty in those days, they were the amazing days, time for bonding for us siblings and cousins. When we got older we got an egg each! I remember eating the egg white first with my puris or paratha and saving the yolk till the end.
Anyway, I still have eggs only on Sundays or holidays. This is last Sunday’s breakfast. “Mayai ne mani” or eggs and chapattis.
This is my entry for Bee and Jai’s Click event

Mutton Biryani - East African Style

Eid ul Fitr Lunch. Eid Mubarak to everyone, I hope you had a great day.
In response to Sunita's request, this is too is my entry for Sunita's Think Spice Event.


Ingredients

Mutton Masala
2 lb mutton on the bone cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 cup yogurt
2 inches ginger; grated
6 cloves garlic; minced
5 chillies minced
1/2 tspn saffron
8 large tomatoes (blanched, peeled and liquidised)
12 small potatoes (extra oil to fry)
2 tablespn oil
2 sticks cinamon,
4 pods cardomom,
5 cloves; 1/2 spn cumin seeds
8 medium onions; minced fine in a food processor
2 tspn coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tspn tumeric
1 tspn garam masala
salt to taste
Rice
3 cups basmati rice; washed well; and soaked in water for 30 mins
1 tbspn oil
1 tspn cumin
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in a little warm water
salt to taste

Method
1. Marinate the mutton in yogurt, garlic, ginger, green chillis, half the tomatoes and saffron overnight if possible; minimum of 2 hours.
2. Deep fry the potatoes, these don't have to be cooked through, as long as the surface is sealed.
3. Pressure cook the mutton, or boil until tender.
3. Heat the oil in a pan, add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves; cumin seeds, cook for about 3 minutes, the cloves and cardamom should have puffed up
4. Add the onions and fry until they are a rich golden brown, this is the most important for biryani masala. You can buy prefried onions if you want - available in Indian shops.
5. Add the other half of tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes, add the tumeric, cumin/coriander powders.
6. Add the cooked mutton and the potatoes, mix, making sure that meat and potatoes are coated with the tomato/onion sauce. Cook for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the rice, add 1 and ½ cups of water per cup of rice for 15 minutes,
Heat some oil in a frying pan, add the cumin, pour the oil and cumin mixture on the rice
Pour the saffron and water mixture on the rice

This is an East African style Biryani, the meat curry and rice are kept separate. Serve the rice on a large platter with the meat sauce place on the top.

Seviyan / Sweet Vermicelli

It was Eid yesterday, and we had the traditional Seviyan and papad for breakfast. This is my entry for Sunita's Think Spice Event. This month is is Saffron.



Ingredients
2 tablespoon ghee / butter (can be omited to make for a healthier option; just dry roast)
200gm roasted vermicelli
1 1/2 cup hot water (milk can be used)
1/4 teaspoon saffron; soaked in hot water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoon golden raisons
½ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup sliced pistachios
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom



1. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan, add the vermicelli and fry until golden brown.
2. Add the water and the saffron, mix and cook for a few minuites
3. Add the sugar, raisons, nuts and cardamom.
4. Turn the heat down and cook for a further 15 minutes.
5. All the liquid should be absorbed.

Traditionally seviyan is served with spicy papad or papadom

Recipes I can't wait to try

• Vindie from Passionate about Baking’s Achari Chicken
• Mavila’s of Mavilla Kitchen’s Vellarika Palinkuri
• Bee and Jai of Jugalbandi’s Peach Lassi with Saffron

Egg Fried Rice

I followed Ken Hom's recipe as published on the BBC web site. The only tweaking I did was; the addition of fresh peas.

Ingredients
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2tsp sesame oil1 tsp salt
2 tbsp/1fl oz/30ml oil
2 cups long-grain rice cooked and completely cooked
¼tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1/2 cup peas

Method
1. Put the eggs, sesame oil and half the salt in a small jug or bowl, mix with a fork and set aside.
2. Heat a wok over a high heat. Add the oil and, when it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the cold cooked rice and peas. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, or until it is thoroughly heated through.
3. Next drizzle in the egg and oil mixture and continue to stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until the eggs have set and the mixture is dry.
4. Add the remaining salt and the pepper and stir-fry for 2 minutes longer, then toss in the spring onions. Stir several times, turn once on to a platter and serve at once.

Thai Vegetable Panang Curry

Ingredients
Mushrooms cut into quarters
Baby Corn; cut length ways into 2/3 slices
Red Pepper; cut into matchsticks
Green Pepper; cut into matchsticks
Yellow Pepper; cut into matachsticks
2 large potatoes, Boiled and cut into chunks
1 head broccoli, cut into florets; boiled, microwaved or steamed
3 kaffir or lime leaves; shredded 2 tablespoon of Thai basil
Roasted cashew nuts
3 tablespoon Panang curry paste
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 tablespoon cooking oil
400 gram tin coconut milk
1/2 cups (125ml) water

1 - Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium high heat add the mushrooms, fry for a few minutes.
2. Add the baby corn and peppers cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the panang curry paste, cook, until you can see the oil,
4. Add the coconut milk, water, kaffir leaves basil and fish sauce and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender.
5. Add the broccoli and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the cashew nuts, stir and serve

Serve with rice

Prawn Pad Thai

Ben and I cooked this together. I was the sous chef, I got all the ingredients prepared, he, being a master cook. put it together.

Prawns Pad Thai
For Sauce
2 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or gur / jaggery; grated
½ teaspoons of red chilli powder; or to taste

Mix the tamarind paste, fish sauce and gur in a warmed pan, stir until the gur melts, add the chilli powder, and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.

Noodles
250gm rice sticks or noodles;
2 tablespoon vegetable oil2
teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger
20 large tiger prawn; deviened
2 large eggs, lightly beaten with the 1 tablespoonsesame oil
6 spring onions sliced diagonally into 1 and 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup of Chinese chives; cut in to 1 and 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup of green beans; cut into 2 inch pieces
1 cup bean sprouts (home grown!)
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges
chilli flakes

Method
1 Soak the noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes or when soft.
2. Drain the noodles.
3. Heat the wok, and then add the oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic and ginger; stir for a few minutes.
4. Add the prawns stir for 3-4 minutes and remove and keep aside.
5. Add the chives, spring onions and beans, stir-fry for a few minutes.
6. Add the noodles and stir-fry for 2 minute, add the sauce, little at the time
7. When the noodles are covered with sauce, push them to one side of the wok and scramble the eggs and sesame oil mixture.
8. Add the prawns, half the peanuts and bean sprouts. Mix, place in serving bowl or individual plates.
9. Garnish with the remaining peanuts, the coriander and lime wedges.
Extra chilli powder / flakes can be added at the table.

Serves 4

Thai Chicken Satay

Ben made this last Sunday.

Chicken Satay
Ingredients
8oz chicken breast cut in small cubes
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons coriander leaves
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon Thai yellow curry paste; available from most Asian stores
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon oil

Method
In a large bowl mix together all ingredients for marinade add the meat.
Cover and leave in refrigerator for 30mins.
Place chicken on skewers, Grill until cooked.

Peanut sauce
3/4 cups coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup ground roasted peanuts

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer for 15mins stirring constantly.

Serve the chicken with the peanut sauce, nice hot or cold.

Thai Fish Cakes

I used Rick Stein recipe without any tweaking, the fish cakes were delicious, disappeared within minutes. I did not serve it with the sauce describe below, but with some sweet and sour sauce (as I was running out of time!)

Ingredients
450g/1lb ling or coley fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
1 tbsp Thai fish sauce
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 kaffir lime leaf or 1 strip or lime zest, shredded very finely
1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (leaves and stalks)
1 egg
1 tsp palm sugar or muscovado sugar, I used gur / jaggery
½ tsp salt
40g/1½oz French beans, sliced thinly into rounds
150ml/5fl oz groundnut or sunflower oil

For the sweet and sour cucumber sauce:
50ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
100g/4oz caster sugar
1½tbsp water
2 tsp Thai fish sauce
50g/2oz cucumber, diced very finely
25g/1oz carrot, diced very finely
25g/1oz onion, chopped very finely
2 red bird's eye chillies, sliced thinly

Method
1. For the sauce, gently heat the vinegar, sugar and water in a small pan until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Bring to the boil for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and leave to cool
3. Stir in the fish sauce, cucumber, carrot, onion and chillies. Pour into four small dipping saucers or ramekins and set aside.
4. For the fish cakes, put the fish in a food processor with the fish sauce, curry paste, kaffir lime leaf or lime zest, chopped coriander, egg, sugar and salt. Process until smooth, then stir in the sliced green beans.
5. Divide the mixture into 16 pieces. Roll each one into a ball and then flatten into a 6cm/2½in disc.
6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the fish cakes in batches for 1 minute on each side, until golden brown. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper, then serve with the sweet and sour cucumber sauce.

I doubled the recipe for my party.