Rainbow Cake

This was indeed a herculean task for a beginner like me in baking. My friend had approached me to bake a rainbow cake for a short film. They gave me great confidence and encouraged me to do this.Making this was an extreme fun and a challenge at the same time.We just had one oven and we had to bake 7 layers individually and also shoot it in parallel. It totally took 10 hours for us to complete all the layers along with icing. The outcome was delicious and worth the effort :) This is a vanilla cake made in 7 different colors. This has been done using eggs as the script demanded. This definitely finds a special place in Griha Bhojanam's Archives.

Carrot Coriander Soup

This is a very comforting and healthy recipe that can be consumed by all age groups. The goodness of fresh coriander and carrot combined on one single dish.This is extremely low in fat and aids in cleansing the body.I made this for a dinner. This is an adaptation of Sanjeev Kapoor's Carrot Coriander Soup. Let's look into this healthilicious recipe.

Serves:3-4

Ingredients

1. Carrots - 4 Big
2. Fresh Coriander-1 cup(finely chopped)
3. Bay leaves- 2 
4. Black peppercorns - 6-8
5. Onion-1 medium(Chopped)
6. Garlic - 6 pods (Chopped)
7. Butter - 2 tablespoons(I used Amul Salted Butter)
8. Pepper powder - 2 Tsp and as required
9. Salt to taste

Method

1. Heat butter in a pan, add bay leaves, peppercorns, onion and garlic and saute for two minutes.

2. Add carrot and coriander and saute for one 1-2 mins.

3. Add 5 cups of water and boil the carrot until it is well cooked and soft.

4. Switch off the flame, blend the above contents of the pan smoothly in a mixer.Please do not drain the stock. Blend the contents of the pan along with the stock.

5.Bring to boil, add the required amount of salt and pepper powder.

6. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and serve it piping hot.

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. If the consistency is watery, mix a tsp of cornflour with 2 tbsp of water smoothly and add it to the soup.Bring it to boil. This will thicken the consistency of the soup.
2. You can also use some fresh cream for creamy consistency.
3. Instead of Butter, you can use olive oil for a vegan substitute.

Kaju Paneer Pulao

Finally,I come up with a very special recipe after a gap.I am sorry for posting it after a long break.This recipe is taken from Sanjeev Kapoor's kitchen Kaju Moti Pulao. I made this for dinner. It turned out really delicious. Kaju and Paneer make the richest combo in a vegetarian meal.This make a sumptuous main course. This is sure to be a feast to your taste buds. This is a very simple and rich recipe with No onion, garlic or any masala. This is so flavorful and gentle on stomach  - Sattvik Cuisine.

serves:2-3

Ingredients

1. Cashew nuts- 10
2. Paneer/Cottage Cheese-250 gms(grated)
3. Basmati rice-1.5 cups
4. Salt to taste
5. Cornflour- 3 tsp
6. Oil for frying
7. Ghee- 3 tbsp
8. Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
9. Black cardamoms- 2
10. Cloves- 2
11. Cinnamon stick-1
12. Black peppercorns- 4
13. Turmeric powder-1 tsp
14. Milk- 3 cups

Method

1. Add salt and cornflour to the grated paneer and shape into small marble-sized balls. Heat sufficient oil in a pan and deep-fry the paneer balls till golden. Drain on absorbent paper and keep it aside. In the same oil, deep-fry the cashew nuts till light golden. Drain on absorbent paper and keep it aside.

2. Heat the ghee in a non stick pan, add the cumin seeds, cardamoms, cinnamon,cloves, peppercorns and turmeric powder. Saute for one minute.

3. Drain the rice and add it to the above content. Add milk and cook the rice as mentioned here.

4. Once the rice is done, add the fried cashews and paneer balls on top and give it a gentle mixture.

4. Transfer the rice onto a serving plate, garnish with the paneer balls and serve hot.

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. You can also use coconut milk instead of normal milk. This gives additional flavor and taste.

Butter Naan

Hello folks, this is going to be my first post after a long gap. This is a very special menu that is very close to my heart.This is my husband's favorite dish. Butter naan has become a very popular staple not just in north India, but also in the down south.The combination of Butter naan and Paneer Butter Masala leaves your taste buds longing for more.How about making a very healthy, egg less and an easy version of this popular dish at our home?? Yes, that's what I tried and it came out really well.This recipe has been picked and tried from Sailu's Kitchen and it was super successful and very soft.My husband was surprised and loved it. I would like to share this recipe and my learning here on trying this.

Serves : 8 naans

Ingredients

All purpose flour/maida- 2 Cups
Warm milk-1/2 cup
Curd/Yogurt-1/2 cup
Salt-1/4 tsp
Sugar-1 tsp
Baking Powder-3/4 tsp
Baking soda-1/4 tsp
Coriander/Mint/any green herb-Chopped(handful)
Sesame seeds-1 tsp(Black/White)
Oil-1 tsp
Melted Butter-1-2 tbsp

Method

1. Mix the flour,baking powder,baking soda and salt nicely.Sieve this to form an even mixture.

2. Keep adding sugar,milk and yogurt little by little to the above dry mixture and start kneading the dough.

3. Knead hard and evenly until it forms a soft dough, something very similar to a soft clay.

4. Apply some oil to the dough and cover it completely by a thin film of oil coating.

5. Cover the kneaded dough with a damp cloth and allow it to rest for 2 hours.

6. After 2 hours, gently knead the dough.You can feel that it is much softer.

7. Make small lemon sized balls from the dough.

8. Dust the rolling surface with flour and roll the ball to a slightly elongated shape.

9. Sprinkle few sesame seeds and few chopped coriander and again roll it so that they stick well to the dough surface.

10. Heat an iron tawa and once its hot, place the naan on the tawa and close it with a lid and cook for 40-45 sec on a high flame.

11. When you remove the lid, we can see that bubbles are formed on the naan.

12. Cook the other side directly on the flame by flipping the tawa directly.The heat should be spread evenly and brown spots start appearing indicating that the naan is being cooked.Do this only for few seconds, else will get burnt.Alternatively, instead of flipping the tawa, just flip the naan to the other side on the flame using tongs and follow the same above procedure.

13. Pour some melted butter on the naan generously and serve with the ever delightful combination of Paneer Butter Masala.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

• Make sure both sides of the naan are cooked well by the indication of brown spots.They should not be burnt.
• The oil coating of the dough helps it from drying up and becoming hard.

Paneer Butter Masala

I am posting one of the most exotic dish that is very popular across India. This is one of the must items in menu card, be it any restaurants. The best pair for Butter Naan. I was planning to surprise my husband by making Butter naan and the best gravy that goes well with this is obviously Paneer Butter Masala.Though there are different methods of making this gravy, I wanted to know the authentic way of preparing it. This recipe is really what I wanted.This has been picked up from Samayal Samayal by Venkatesh Bhat. One can learn the professional way of cooking a dish from his video. I have bookmarked several of his recipes. Here am posting the most special one.

Serves:4

Ingredients

1. Paneer/Cottage Cheese-250 gms(Cubed)
2. Cashew nuts-2 tbsp
3. Banglore Tomatoes-4-5 (Medium Size)
4. Ginger Garlic Paste-2 tbsp
5. Bay leaf-2
6. Green Cardamom-3
7. Cinnamon stick-2
8. Kasuri Methi-1 tsp
9. Jeera/Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
10. Kashmiri Red chilli powder-2 tsp
11. Oil-4 tsp
12. Butter- 3 tbsp(Unsalted Cooking Butter)
13. Water-2 cups
14. Sugar- 1 tsp
15. Salt as needed

Garnishing

• Green Chili-1 (Slit)
• Fresh Cream- 1-2 tsp
• Kasuri Methi-1/2-1 tsp

Method

1. Take a pan,add water and bring the water to boiling point.

2. Add tomatoes,cashews,tsp of oil and some salt to the water,close the lid and cook for 5 mins.

3. After 5 mins, strain the concoction. Preserve the strained water as it will be used.

4. Blend the filtered-cooked tomatoes and cashews into a fine smooth paste.

5. Heat 3 tsp of oil in a pan. Add cardamom,cinnamon and bay leaf.Saute well.

6. Add ginger garlic paste to the above pan and saute nicely till the raw smell goes off.

7. Add the strained water to the above pan.

8. Add kashmiri chili powder to the above,mix everything nicely and allow it to boil.

9. Now, add the tomato cashew paste to the above pan and mix nicely.

10. Add sugar,needed salt and allow it to cook.

11. Add the butter and mix nicely.

12. Add some crushed kasuri methi leaves,jeera powder and allow it to cook on low flame.The consistency starts thickening.

13. Add the paneer cubes into the gravy and cook till the paneer becomes soft and covered in gravy sauce.

14. Garnish with fresh cream,some crushed kasuri methi and green chili.

15. Paneer Butter Masala is now ready to be served with any kind of indian flat bread.Goes well with Butter Naan.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

• Sugar is added to give the dish the required sweetness and also a glaze texture.
• Butter can be added depending on your taste and calories required.More the butter, more creamy the dish is.

Vegan Broccoli Walnut Salad

There was a period where in I had to reduce my weight quickly so that I could get back to my dancing and shows. I was desperately looking out for a diet plan to shed, of course in a healthy way. I was introduced to this Diet plan through one of my dance friends and is called as Vegan Detox Diet. Unlike other diet plan where you quickly start gaining after you stop the diet, this was a healthy way of detoxifying your body,washing away all your toxins and letting your body flush all the unhealthy fat through proper intake. I will be writing a detailed separate post about this diet plan in my blog very soon and post the link here. Now, check out this highly nutria-Delicious which is highly protein packed and contains the goodness of all colored vegetables. You can have this as your snack or as a substitute for your mid-day meal.

Serves:2
Ingredients

1. Vegetables

• Broccoli - 4 florets
• Onion - 1 (sliced thinly) 
• Aubergine -1/4 cup (sliced thinly)
• Beans-1/4 cup (chopped)
• Bell peppers -1/4 cup (sliced thinly)

2. Walnuts-1/4 cup (chopped)
3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil-1/2 cup 
4. Garlic - 4 pods (minced finely)
5. Freshly ground pepper as required
6. Dried Parsley and Oregano - 2 tsp each
7. salt as required
8. Turmeric a pinch


Method

1. Boil the broccoli florets and beans together with a pinch of salt and turmeric separately till they are semi cooked. They should not be overcooked or become too soft.

2. In a pan, add virgin olive oil and saute garlic for a minute. Add onions and saute till they become translucent. Add aubergine and bell peppers and saute for a min till aubergine turns color and becomes semi cooked.

3. Now add the cooked florets and beans to above contents and saute for a min.

4. Add the chopped walnuts. 

5. Add the needed amount of salt, pepper,parsley and oregano for seasoning and toss it well.

6. Salad is ready to be munched :)

Bhaingan Bharta (Smoked Eggplant)

Another interesting gravy from the land of punjab.I personally don't like eggplant.I was quite skeptical about trying this and was afraid if I might not like the taste.Somehow, I wanted to try this and trust me, it was just amazing like any other curry bowls.I loved it. I had prepared this and taken to office. Everyone just loved it. I am now posting this recipe which goes very well with rice as well as phulka,rotis.

Serves:3

Ingredients

1. Eggplant-1 (Medium Sized or Big)
2. Cumin Seeds/Jeera- 2 tsp
3. Onion- 1 big or 2 small (chopped)
4. Capsicum - 1 small (chopped into medium size)
5. Tomatoes- 2 big or 3 small (chopped)
6. Garam Masala Powder- 2 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 2 tsp
8. Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
9. Red Chili Powder-2 tsp
10. Turmeric Powder-1 tsp
11. Green Chili - 1 (slit lengthwise)
12. Salt to taste
13. Oil-2 tbsp

Garnishing

Coriander leaves-few

                                                                               

Method

1. Oil the eggplant fully and place it on a low flame. Refer the video attached.

2. Keep rotating the sides of the eggplant to ensure all the sides of the eggplant is nicely cooked and roasted.You get a nice smoky flavour when this process is happenning.

3. Once all the sides are roasted completely,allow it to cool down and then peel of the skin using hand.(You can cool the eggplant by immersing in water).

4. Roughly chop the eggplant as shown in the picture.

5. Heat oil in a pan,add jeera/cumin seeds.Once they crackle, add onions,capsicum and green chili and saute until onions turn transparent.

6. Now add tomato,ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw flavor of the ginger garlic goes off.

7. Add the chopped bhaingan/Eggplant to the above  pan and saute nicely. 

8. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder,coriander powder and garam masala powder. Mix nicely.

9. Close the pan and allow the gravy to cook nicely for about 10 mins on a low flame.By now, tomatoes would have mushed nicely and the bhaingan would also have got cooked nicely.

10. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with Phulka.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

• I have used capsicum for additional flavor and taste. Trust me, adding capsicum tastes great.
• Goes well even with rice- Personal Experience :)