Spring Rolls - vegetarian

Spring Rolls are mainly used as appetizers in almost every culture. In our culture it is one of the Iftar time delicacies enjoyed along with other items during Ramadan. It can contain a variety of fillings prepared using either meat or fresh vegetables but cooked beforehand and stuffed into spring roll wrappers. Spring Rolls can be steamed, shallow fried or even deep fried. The wrappers - also known as spring roll pastries - are readily available in the supermarkets hence only fillings need to be prepared at home. Here is a quick and easy recipe for crispy vegetable Spring Rolls. Let us start: 

Shallow fried Spring Rolls - homemade

Ingredients - group 1 (for filling) 

Oil: 2 tablespoons

Curry leaves: 4 to 5 Nos. 

Onion: 4 Nos. (finely chopped)

Tomato: 2 Nos. (finely chopped) 

Potatoes: 3 Nos. (chopped)

Cabbage: 2 cups. (chopped)

Bell pepper (capsicum): 1 No. (chopped) 

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tablespoon

Turmeric powder: ¼ tablespoon

Pepper powder: ½ tablespoon

Garam masala powder: ½ tablespoon

Vegetable stock: 1 cube (optional) 

Salt: to taste

Ingredients - group 2 

Spring roll sheets (store bought) 

Maida paste: ½ cup (for binding) 

Ingredients – group 3

Oil: for shallow frying  

Method:  Step by step method for easy cooking

Step 1: Take a frying pan, add oil and heat it.  Add curry leaves, then add finely chopped onions and sauté until it gets golden brown. Then add tomato and continue sautéing for 2 more minutes. Now add finely chopped potatoes and cook till the potatoes are 75% done. Then add rest of the ingredients of group 1 and continue sautéing 10 to 15 minutes to get a yummy masala filling and keep it aside.

Step 2: Now take store bought spring roll sheets, place the masala filling on it in a line near the one corner on the sheet.  Then fold two opposite tips of the sheet over the filling, and then roll to from one corner to the other corner of the sheet.  Apply a little Maida paste to the last corner to stick the last edge firmly. Now the Spring Roll is ready for frying.

Step 3: Shallow fry the finished rolls till they get desired color.  Serve with tomato ketchup, green chutney or any condiments you like. Bon appétit!

This recipe is also published at:

www.coastaldigest.com

Perfect Homemade KFC

Kentucky Fried Chicken, popularly known as KFC is one of the chicken delicacies that every one of us would be craving to eat. But can we prepare this juicy deep-fried chicken with a crispy coating right at homes? Why not make a successful attempt to prepare it this time at home? Let's give it a try! There are few recipes the chefs have come up with, but this one is a quite simplified recipe and I am sure you will find it easy and interesting. Common, let's now embark on cooking a perfect homemade KFC step by step. Bon appétit.

Ingredients - group 1 

1.  Chicken 500 - 600 grams (thighs are preferred but you may use any pieces you like)

Ingredients - group 2 (for marinating) 

1. Green chilli: 6 - 8 nos.

2. Pepper powder: 1 ½ tablespoon

3. Turmeric powder: ¼ tablespoon

4. Coriander leaves (cilantro): ½ cup

5. Ginger: 1 ½ inch piece

6. Garlic: 6 cloves

7. Salt: to taste

8. Water: ½ cup

9. Lemon juice: 1 ½ tablespoon

10. Yogurt: ½ cup

11. Oil: 3 tablespoon (for second round marination)

Ingredients - group 3 (for dipping)

Egg: 2 nos. (beaten)

Ingredients - group 4 (for coating)

White Oats: 1 cup

Maida (all purpose flour): 1 cup

Corn flour: 1 cup

Salt: ½ tablespoon

Ingredients - group 5

Oil: for frying

Step by step method for easy cooking

Step 1:

Wash and drain chicken pieces and keep aside. Keep rest of the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2: Marinating

Grind green chilli, pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander leaves, ginger, garlic, and salt adding half cup of water (refer to ingredients group 2, items 1- 8) in a mixer-grinder. Now add lemon juice and yogurt (ingredients group 2, items 9 and 10) to it and mix to get a paste of medium consistency. Add this mixture to the cleaned chicken and marinate for 45 minutes.

Step 3: Second marination

After marinating for 45 minutes, now add oil (ingredients group 2, item 11) and let it rest for 15 more minutes. This makes a total of one hour of marination.

Step 4: Steaming

Remove chicken from marination one by one and arrange on a steaming pot (idly pot can be used). Steam them for 15 to 20 minutes and allow it cool a little bit, for easy handling.

Step 5: Dipping

Beat 2 eggs (ingredients group 3) in a bowl and keep it aside. This is needed for dipping the steamed chicken before coating and deep frying.

Step 6: Coating mix

Mix white oats, maida, corn flour and salt, (refer to ingredients - group 4) and spread it on a plate. This is a dry coating mix, no water should be added.

Step 7: Frying

Take a frying pan and heat oil to medium high heat. Now take the steamed chicken and dip into beaten egg once fully, and then roll it on dry coating mix to get a nice coating all over, do it piece by piece. Deep fry the coated chicken pieces on medium high heat until the preparation gets nice desired color. Remove them from oil and spread on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. This is quick process because the chicken is pre-steamed and done.

Step 8: Serving

Arrange the homemade KFC style chicken preparation on a serving plate and serve hot with burger buns, coleslaw, tomato ketchup and potato fires. Bon appétit.

This recipe is also published at:

www.facebook.com/SeemaIqbalsKitchen

www.seemaiqbal.blogspot.in

Mutton Paya Soup

Paya Soup is the lamb trotters’ soup cooked with Indian spices in Indian style, a delicacy that every non-vegetarian household would love to taste once a while.  It holds not only a high place in soup family but also the tastiest and healthiest among all soups.  Whether it is growing children or new mothers, recuperating patients or undernourished ones, this amazing soup works like magic!  Though traditionally this yummy and nutritious soup is cooked overnight on slow flame, I am giving a quick recipe here for easy cooking that gives the same great taste.  Let us start, bon appétit!

Ingredients - group 1

1.  Paya OR lamb trotters: 4 Nos (cleaned and cut, bone in)

2.  Water: 6 cups

3.  Onion (medium size, chopped): 3 - 4 Nos.

4.  Tomato (medium size chopped): 2 Nos.

5.  Green chilies (slit): 2 Nos.  

6.  Ginger-garlic paste: 1 ½ Tablespoons

7.  Turmeric powder:  ¼ Tablespoon

8.  Salt: to taste

Ingredients - group 2

1.  Pepper powder:  1 Tablespoon

2.  Cumin powder: ½ Tablespoon

3.  Coriander leaves (cilantro):  2 tablespoon (finely chopped)

Ingredients - group 3 (Optional, for tempering)

1.  Onion (small size finely chopped lengthwise): 1 No.

2.  Desi ghee/clarified butter: 2 Tablespoon

Ingredients - group 4

1.  Coriander leaves (coarsely chopped): 2 Tablespoonful for garnishing.

  

Step by step method for easy cooking:

Step 1:

In a pressure-cooker add paya, water, onion, tomato, green chilies, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder, salt (all ingredients listed under group 1) then cover the lid.  Cook until the trotters/paya is very well done.  It might take 8 to 10 whistles or a couple more if paya is not tender.  At this stage the meat should literally fall off the bone, that is when you know paya is done. 

Step 2:

Once the pressure from the cooker is released, now open the lid slowly and add pepper powder, cumin powder and chopped cilantro (ingredients listed under group 2), then mix once and cook further for 3 - 4 minutes.

Step 3:

Take a tempering pan and heat desi ghee/clarified butter.  Once ghee is hot add finely sliced onion (ingredients listed under group 3) and fry it on medium heat till the onion turns to nice brown color.  Now, immediately pour the tempering into the soup, cover it at once and leave it covered for 2 more minutes.  

Step 4:

Transfer the soup to a serving bowl or ideally use a porcelain soup bowl, garnish with chopped coriander leaves (ingredient mentioned in group 4).  The yummy yummy quick soup is ready to serve!  Serve it with bread slices, any Indian roti, dosa or idly!

   

Important and useful tips:

1. Lamb trotters (lamb legs, or even goat legs) are usually burnt and partly cleaned before being sold.  Sometimes it is available skin removed, hence easy to clean.  But always the burnt ones are better, also adds to taste and brings intense flavor.

2. If you happen to bring pre-burnt trotters make sure that you have cleaned even the smallest hair strands.  In my place, they remove skin and cut into pieces before they sell.

3. Use freshly ground pepper and cumin powder for robust aroma.

4. You can also add salt at step 2 instead of adding at step 1, because it sometimes speeds up cooking process.

5. Avoid the use of Ghee Tadka (tempering) when serving to those who are advised not to consume ghee.  

Tehri or Aloo Pulao

Tehri is a popular rice dish cooked with the chunks of potatoes.  It is a famous item in the North Indian daily menu and cooked in every household.  Sometimes this delicious rice preparation is also called Aloo Pulao.  There are various ways to prepare this dish, some add seasonal vegetables, carrot chunks, green peas, etc. which makes the dish yummy and colorful too.  Here is a basic recipe; but you can make variations to adjust to your taste buds. 

Tehri (Aloo Pulao) with Raita
Photo: Seema Iqbal 

Ingredients:
1.  Basmati rice: ½ kg. soaked for 30 minutes 

2.  Oil: 3 to 4 tablespoon

3.  Cardamom: 3 Nos. whole

4.  Cloves: 3 Nos. whole

5.  Black peppercorns: 10 Nos.

6.  Cinnamon stick: 1 inch piece

7.  Cumin seeds whole: ¾ tablespoon (optional)

8.  Onion: 2 No. medium size, chopped

9.  Ginger-garlic paste: ¾ tablespoon

10.  Green Chilli: 2 - 3 Nos. chopped

11.  Curry leaves: 10 to 12 Nos.

12.  Red chilli powder: ¾ tablespoon

13.  Turmeric powder: ¼ tablespoon

14.  Salt: to taste

15.  Potatoes: 3 Nos. medium size, cut into chunks

16.  Tomatoes: 2 Nos. chopped

17.  Water: almost double the quantity of rice

18.  Coriander leaves: 1 cup, chopped

Tehri served in Platter
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Step by step method for easy cooking:

Step 1:

Wash and soak rice in water for 20 – 30 minutes.  Keep rest of the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2:

In a rice pot, heat oil, add whole Garam Masala (ingredient No. 3 to 6), add cumin seeds (optional) and sauté for a minute.  Then add onion and fry until golden brown.  Now add ginger-garlic paste, green chilli, curry leaves, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt (approximately 1 tablespoonful) and sauté them together for a minute.  Now add one cup of water and when it boils add potato chunks and tomatoes and cook until potatoes are 90% done.

Step 3:

Now add rest of the water and bring to boiling point.  Add rice to the boiling water and slow down the flame after two minutes.  Add coriander leaves, mix only once and cover the rice pot.  Let it cook on low flame, which might take approximately 10 - 12 minutes.

Home-cooked Tehri and cucumber raita
Photo: Seema Iqbal

The Tehri or Aloo Pulao is now ready to serve!  Transfer the preparation to serving plate, garnish and serve with any Raita.  Indian pickle is also a good accompaniment for this delicious dish.

Important and useful tips:

1. Using chunks of carrot and some green peas would add to taste and color.

2. You may also add a 2 cubes of Maggi Chicken Stock for excellent result, but if have doubt in finding Halal product you better avoid it.

3. You may also serve cucumber raita, Indian pickle or any gravy as accompaniment.


The recipe of this rice preparation is also published at: 

     1.  www.homemade-chinese-soups.com

Chilli Chicken

Chilli Chicken is one of the Indo Chinese dishes (also known as Chicken Chilli) that most of us have craving for, from time to time.  There are plenty of variations of this preparation and each one differs in taste, aroma and appearance.  Some chefs even include crushed cashew nuts to make it real rich and crunchy.  Here I have used a simple method with modified recipe for the ease of home-cooking.  And guess what?  It is very much liked by all at home and has received lots of appreciation from the guests too.  I am sure you all will like it too.  Let’s start… Bon appétit!

Chilli Chicken - an indo chinese cuisine
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Ingredients - group 1: (for marinating chicken)

1.  Chicken bite-size cubes: 500- 600 grams (boneless preferred)

2.  Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tablespoon

3.  Cornflour: 2 tablespoon

4.  Pepper powder: 1/2 tablespoon

5.  Red chilli powder: ¾ tablespoon (adjust to your taste)

6.  Salt: to taste

7.  Egg: 1 No

Ingredient group 2: (for frying marinated chicken)

1.  Oil: 1 cup

Ingredients - group 3: (for preparing masala base)

1.  Oil: 2 - 3 tablespoon

2.  Dry red chilli: 2 Nos. cut into big pieces

3.  Chopped ginger: 1/2 inch piece

4.  Chopped garlic: 5 - 7 cloves

5.  Onion, medium size: 2 Nos (diced)

6.  Capsicum: 1 No (diced)

7.  Green chilli (chopped): 2 Nos

8.  Red chilli powder: 1/2 tablespoon

9.  Pepper powder: 1/2 tablespoon

10. White vinegar: 1 - 2 tablespoon

11. Dark soya sauce: 2 - 3 tablespoon

12. Sugar: ½ tablespoon

13. Ajinomoto (MSG): ½ tablespoon

14. Salt: to taste

15. Coriander leaves:  ½ cup (chopped)

16. Water: 1 cup (can adjust to your desired consistency)

17. Cornstarch: 3 tablespoon (mixed in ½ cup of water)

Ingredients - group 4 (for garnishing)

1.  Coriander leaves: 2 tablespoon (roughly chopped)

2.  Green chili: 2 - 3 Nos (slit lengthwise) 

Home cooked Chilli Chicken - closeup shot
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Method:  Step by step method for easy cooking

Step 1:  Wash chicken and keep aside to drain water completely.  Keep rest of the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2:  Marinating chicken.

In a mixing bowl add boneless chicken dices, ginger-garlic paste, cornflour, pepper powder, chilli powder and salt and mix it well.  Now add egg, mix again and marinate for 30 minutes.  (ref. ingredient group 1)

Step 3:  Frying the chicken.

Now take a heavy-bottom frying pan, add oil and heat it. (ref. ingredient group 2).  Once the oil is hot, fry the marinated chicken until it is done.  Remove the fried chicken pieces from oil and keep aside.

Step 4: Preparing masala base.

Take a wok (chinese cooking pan) and add 3 tablespoon of oil and heat it.  Add red chilli cuts, chopped ginger and garlic and sauté them for 1 minute on high flame.  Now add onion and capsicum dices, green chilli, red chilli powder, pepper powder, white vinegar, dark soya sauce, a pinch of sugar, ajinomoto, a pinch of salt and sauté until the onion dices turn to golden brown.  Add chopped coriander leaves and 1 cup of water and bring it to boiling point.  Now add cornstarch water spoon by spoon to get desired consistency on medium heat.  (ref. ingredients group 3)

Step 5: Now add already fried chicken and turn stove to high flame.  Keep mixing and tossing it for 2 – 3 minutes.  The Chilli Chicken of Indo Chinese style is now ready to serve.  It’s that easy!

Step 6: Serving.

Transfer the preparation from wok to a serving bowl or plate, garnish with roughly chopped coriander leaves and slit green chilli (ref. ingredient group 4) and serve.  Goes very well with paratha, chapati, naan, any type of roti and even with rice preparations.

Important and useful tips:

1. Use only fresh ingredients for alluring aroma and taste.

2. During step 3, don’t put all the chicken into oil at once, but fry them batch by batch.

3. You can adjust the quantity of water as per the texture and consistency you desire, at step 4.

4. Using a teaspoonful of store-bought chilli-garlic sauce will add to taste and color during step 4.

5. Since this dish has a Chinese touch, it requires the use of MSG (monosodium glutamate) which is commonly known as Ajinomoto. You may avoid it if you don’t like.

6. To prepare Dry Chilli Chicken add very little of water instead of a cup full at step 4, also reduce water ratio for preparing cornstarch mix.

7. Step 3 and Step 4 can be cooked simultaneously if your stove has 2 burners. 

8. Be careful while adding salt because ingredients like vinegar and soya sauce contains some salt in it.

This Chilli Chicken recipe is also published in:

   1.  www.coastaldigest.com

   2.  www.seemaiqbal.blogspot.com

Yakhni Biryani

Here goes the basic recipe for the delicious Yakhni Biryani, a meat and rice dish of marvelous taste.  It is a classic North Indian dish cooked differently south Indian Biryanis and holds a high place in north Indian menu.  It gets its name from the Yakhni - the meat stock - it is cooked in.

Home cooked Yakhni Biryani
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Ingredients - group 1

1. Lamb/Mutton: 1 Kg

2. Onion (medium size, chopped lengthwise): 3 - 4 Nos

3. Turmeric powder:  a very small pinch

4. Tomato (small - medium size chopped): 4 - 5 Nos

Ingredients - group 2

1. Oil: 5 - 6 Tablespoons

2. Onion: 2 (medium size, chopped lengthwise)

3. Ginger-garlic paste: 2 ½ Tablespoons

4. Green chilies (less hot ones): 8 - 10 Nos

5. Salt:  To taste

6. Lemon juice: 1½ Tablespoons

7. Yogurt: 2½ Tablespoons

8. Rice: 1 Kg. (Soaked in water for 10 minutes. Use short grain rice like Jeerakasala or the rice which is generally used to prepare ghee rice)

9. Coriander leaves (Cilantro) coarsely chopped:  1 Cup

10.Water (generally for short-grain rice, a ratio of 1.5 cups of water is required to every 1 cup of rice)

Ingredients used to cook this Yakhni Biryan
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Step by step method for easy cooking:
Step 1:  Keep all the ingredients ready and handy.

Step 2:  Take a cooker, add lamb/mutton, turmeric powder and chopped onion, mix it and let it cook till the mutton is 75% done.  Then remove the lid and add chopped tomatoes and cook it until tomatoes are dissolved, then keep aside. (This step needs only the ingredients listed in group 1 above. No oil or water is needed at this stage).

Step 3:  Take a heavy-bottom cooking vessel and heat the oil.  Add chopped onion, ginger-garlic paste and sauté them for 2 to 3 minutes.  Now add green chilies (less spicy ones), already cooked mutton/lamb (step 2) and sauté it for 2 more minutes.  Now add salt, lemon juice, yogurt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, keep stirring from time to time.  Then add water as per the ratio mention above (refer item 10) and turn the flame to high.  While it starts to boil, add soaked rice and wait for 1 minute.  Now add chopped Cilantro leaves and mix the whole thing very carefully without causing any damage to the boiling rice.  Now cover the lid tightly and cook in low flame until rice is fully done.  This would take 6 to 7 minutes but keep checking to be on safer side.  The delicious Yakhni Biryani is now ready to serve.

Yakhni Biryani served with onion-tomato salad
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Serving:

Serve the hot and yummy Yakhni Biryani with a portion of traditional onion-tomatoes salad or raita, or any other side dish of your liking.  Pickle is a great combination too.  Bon appétit!

Yakhni Biryani served with home cooked KFC type chicken
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Important and useful tips:

1. You may adjust the water-rice ratio based on the type of rice you would use.

2. Short grain rice is always advised for this dish but basmati rice also goes well.

3. If the meat is real tender then avoid using cooker at Step 2.

4. You may replace the lamb/mutton with chicken or any meat of your liking, but adjust the cooking time accordingly.

5. In case you don’t find the chilies that are less hot, you may have to reduce the quantity.

My Yakhni Biryani recipe is published in:

     1.  www.coastaldigest.com

     2.  www.seemaiqbal.blogspot.in 

Meat Steaks in Ginger-Garlic Sauce

Steaks are flat cuts of meat pan-fried or barbequed and served in thick sauce of different flavors.  Loaves of bread with butter, potato chips (french fries) and green salads are great accompaniment for the steaks.  Condiments like mayonnaise and ketchups goes well too.  Steaks can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and a great idea for picnics.  Boneless flat cuts of tender beef is always preferred.  This particular recipe is modified and Indianized, so that even those who do not have barbeque facilities can also cook it with ease at homes.

Home-cooked steak arranged on veg bed
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Ingredients - set 1 (for marinating)

Boneless meat: 1 kg (cut into flat pieces)

Ginger-garlic paste: 3 tablespoon

Soya sauce: 3 tablespoon

Olive oil:  3 tablespoon

White vinegar: 1.5 tablespoon

Salt:  to taste

Ingredients - set 2 (for sauce)

Chicken stock: 1 cube

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tablespoon

White vinegar: 1 tablespoon

Soya sauce: 3 tablespoon

Corn flour: 2 tablespoon

Cabbage: 1 cup (sliced) 

Bell pepper (capsicum): 1 no (sliced) 

Carrot: 1 no (peeled and cut)

Ingredients - set 3 (for presentation)

Sliced cabbage: 1 cup 

Sliced bell pepper: 1 cup 

Sliced carrot: 1 cup

Steak in ginger-garlic sauce, ready to eat
Photo: Seema Iqbal

Method:  Step by step method for easy cooking

Step 1: Take the meat pieces and hammer them using a meat hammer or rolling pin and put them in a bowl.  Now add ginger-garlic paste, soya sauce, white vinegar, salt, olive oil (ingredients set 1) and marinate the meat for 1- 2 hours.  You may also refrigerate the marinated steaks overnight. 

Step 2: Take a serving plate; arrange sliced cabbage, carrot, and bell peppers (ingredients set 3) on the sides and keep aside.  You may also make a bed of these veggies to arrange the cooked steaks over it.    

Step 3: Take a heavy-bottom pan and pre-heat it.  Add some oil and pan-fry the hammered and marinated meat one side at a time until it is done.  You may also deep fry the meat instead of pan-frying.  Once done, arrange the beef steaks evenly in serving plate which is already arranged with veggies (refer step 2), and keep it aside but don’t allow it to cool down. 

Step 4: Prepare corn starch by mixing the corn flour in a cup of warm water.   The corn starch is required for thickening the steak sauce to bring it to a desired consistency.  

  

Step 5: To prepare sauce, take the same pan in which the meat is fried (no need to remove residue as it adds to the taste) and add 4 cup of water and heat it.  While heating add chicken stock, ginger garlic paste, vinegar, soya sauce and keep stirring slowly.  Once it comes to boiling point, add cabbage, bell pepper and carrot (you may add any vegetable of your choice at this point).  Now add corn starch spoon by spoon, keep stirring steadily so that the sauce becomes a bit thick and lumps-free.  Once the desired thickness is achieved switch off the stove.

Step 6: Now pour the hot and spicy sauce on top of beef steaks which is already arranged in the serving plate.  

Step 7: Serve yummy beef steaks with toasted bread slices and butter.  The steak is always accompanied by potato chips and green salads.  Bon Appétit.

Important and useful tips:

You can check the doneness by cutting into the middle of steak. 

This recipe is also published at:

     1.  www.seemaiqbal.blogspot.in