nitu didi

VEGETABLE BALLS IN CREAMY SPINACH SAUCE

Posted on February 5, 2013 by nituchugani

This dish is a treat for all vegetarians. It is a little time consuming but with my tips i am sure you can find the time to make this special dish. I have used mock duck for this.. Mock duck is available in cans. This recipe is a complete nutritional recipe because of all the vegetables it contains. It might look complicated but i assure you it is not . Do try this vegetable out and give me feedback 🙂
FOR THE VEGETABLE BALLS (KOFTAS)
1 can of mock duck
4 slices of grated bread, you can use white or whole meal bread
1/2 cup of grated cabbage
1/4 cup of grated carrots
1 tablespoon of Nitu Didi garam masala
salt to taste
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
chopped chillies and coriander leaves
1/2 cup of grated white cheese or paneer ( i used happy cow cheese triangles)
a pinch of Nitu Didi turmeric powder
Oil for deep frying
FOR THE CREAMY SPINACH SAUCE
300 grams of spinach, washed amd chopped ( i used fresh spinach) for those of you in spain its 1 bag of mercadona or consum spinach
6 tablespoons of whole milk, or soya milk
2 onions chopped roughly
1 green chilli or more if you like it hot
1/4″ piece ginger
4 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of Nitu Didi garam masala powder
Fresh cream as needed
salt to taste
TO MAKE THE BALLS
Mix all the ingredients for the balls except the cheese/paneer. Mix the grated cheese/paneer with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder separately. Shape the vegetable/mock duck mixture into balls. Flatten them and place a bit of the grated cheese/paneer mixture in and seal the top with your palms to make into a ball. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. To fry to perfection first heat the oil, take a small ball of the mixture in your hand and drop into the oil. If it fries perfectly fine, if it disintegrates add more grated bread or some breadcrumbs.
FOR THE CREAMY SPINACH GRAVY
Steam the spinach and remove any excess water and then grind to a paste when cool. For grating the vegetables and grinding the spinach i use my amazing bullet.
Cook the onions with the ginger and green chillies with a cup of water till the onions and soft and mushy. Drain the onions and grind into a paste when cool.
Heat the butter in a pan and add the onion paste and cook till it starts changing color. Add the garam masala and the ground spinach and cook till you can see the butter begin to surface. Check seasoning and correct. Add some cream and let it come to a boil.
To serve: Heat the spinach gravy and put into a serving dish and place the halved fried vegetable balls on the top.
NITU DIDI TIP:
The sauce and the balls can be made in advance and then to serve just heat the sauce and the balls separately in the microwave and then proceed to serve the dish.

Do stop by my online store
How to make garam masala:

What is Mock Duck¿?¿¿¿

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Fusion, Ideas for meals, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Low Cost, Magic Bullet, Paneer, Recipes with videos, Spices | Leave a comment

TIPSY TRIFLE

Posted on February 4, 2013 by nituchugani

Trifle is one dessert where you can use your imagination and create a different one each time! It is basically a combination of custard and cake which is layered and fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips can be added. Actually you can add whatever you like and the custard can also be flavoured the way you like.
I had some chocolate cake which was a few days old and i decided to do something with it!
Basically i made up a custard and then broke the chocolate cake into pieces.
I put a layer of cake in a glass (you can also use a dish) and then i poured some liquer on it, (this time i felt like using something different so i used gran mariner) and then poured a layer of thick custard and then again cake with a few drops of liquer and then again some custard. This was left to set in the fridge till it sets and the cake soaks up the liquer.
This is it…simple and easy…now you can add fresh or canned fruit to the custard… you can also soak the cake in juice, you can use different types of cake.. you can add chocolate sauce, whipped cream etc as an extra layer…some jellly pieces, you can play around with the custard flavouring it with vanilla, or strawberry or cinnamon. You can mix and match different flavours and color the custard to make a pretty trifle. Do try this out and send me the pictures of your creations.
Recipe for rich and moist chocolate cake
VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE AN EGGLESS VANILLA CAKE
Which custard powder did i use???

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Recipes with videos | Tagged cake, custard, pudding, quick, trifle | Leave a comment

HEALTHY GLUTEN FREE SAVOURY CREPES

Posted on February 3, 2013 by nituchugani

A good hearty breakfast helps us get a wonderful start to a day and keeps those hunger pangs away! We all know that cumin, sesame and nigella seeds are so healthy and good for us.
I am quite blessed that my family loves the taste of all three so i try to incorporate them in many of my dishes.
The other day i made some crepes for breakfast using a combination of all these seeds and my family loved it. I added coriander and fenugreek leaves also making it a real healthy breakfast. This is makes great tupperware and picnic food. I used olive oil to make the crepes just to add to the healthy touch but you can use ordinary cooking oil too.
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons of gram flour (besan/chickpea flour)
1 tablespoon of rice flour
1 tablespoon of cornstarch (cornflour)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon each of cumin, nigella and sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tablespoon of chopped coriander leaves
1 green chilli chopped fine if you want it spicy
a pinch of turmeric
1/2 cup of water or as needed
Olive oil as needed
METHOD:
Mix the gram flour with the rice and cornflour. Add the seeds, coriander and fenugreek leaves, salt and turmeric. Make a thin batter with the water and let the batter rest for about half an hour. Heat a little olive or cooking oil in a non stick pan and spread it with the help of a pastry brush. Put a heaped spoonful of the batter and spread it. Cook it on one side till crisp and then flip it around and cook it on the other side. Make all the crepes like this.
This can be served with a chutney, or yogurt or even stuffed or eaten on its own
NITU DIDI TIP:
These crepes can be made and frozen . To serve, remove from the freezeer, thaw and heat up in the frying pan. I used my creamic pans to make these. If you want to buy them do send me a mail or go to my online store
HEALTH BENEFITS OF NIGELLA SEEDS

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Breakfast, Crepes, Floury Matter, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Jain recipes, Quick Recipes, Tupperware Food, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged gluten free, gram flour, healthy, low calorie, olive oil, Vegan, vegetarian | Leave a comment

I LOVE YOU CHICKEN CUTLETS

Posted on February 2, 2013 by nituchugani

Valentines Day! Say “i love you” with flowers, with champagne, with a candle lit dinner , a gift… I shall say ” i love you” with a recipe! Something for all of you, and i hope you like it. “Chicken Cutlets made easy” with a vegetarian option! This is also an entry for a contest…I don´t know how many contests i have taken part in…But i never seem to lose hope…i never win…i promise ill NEVER take part in a competition again…and a few weeks later….i am back entering another one…old habits die hard they say 🙂
So…lets make this lovely snack shall we?
INGREDIENTS:
250 grams of chicken breast, cubed
Marinade for the chicken breast:
1/2 teaspoon each of Nitu Didi garam masala powder, cumin powder and tandoori spice mix
1/4 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 green chilli chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes
1/4 cup of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of coriander leaves
1 cup of boiled potatoes
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs, or as needed
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Juice of 1/4 lime
red chilli powder to taste
Oil for deep frying
METHOD:
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a non stick frying pan and add the onions and grated ginger and cook till onions are soft. Add the marinated chicken breast and cook on high heat till the chicken breast is cooked and the whole mixture is dry. Leave to cool and then put the chicken in the blender ( i used my amazing bullet) and mince it. This step can be done in advance. Add the chicken mince to the boiled potatoes and add the salt. lime juice, red chilli powder if you want it spicy, coriander leaves and bread crumbs. Mix well with your hand. Take a small portion of this mixture and make a ball. Flatten it and with a heart shaped cookie cutter press into a heart shape. Roll in breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil til golden brown. To test if the mixture wont break, first take a small ball of this mixture, roll it in breadcrumbs and fry it in the hot oil. If it fries well then its ok. if not you might need to add more breadcrumbs to the mixture. This depends on the moisture in the potatoes.
Serve hot with sauce of your choice
VEGETARIAN VERSION:
You can substitute the cooked chicken with cooked soya mince.
NITU DIDI TIP:
For best results its best to refrigerate the mixture for an hour. Always test a bit of the mixture in hot oil to see if it fries well before shaping all the cutlets..saves time . You can also make this recipe with mutton or fish
To buy Nitu Didi spices do shop in my online store
Nitu Chugani

Posted in Chicken, Magic Bullet, Snacks | Tagged apetiser, chicken, cutlet, snack, starter | Leave a comment

LOLI (DESI/SINDHI SPICED PARATHAS)

Posted on February 1, 2013 by nituchugani

“Loli” orginates from my land of “Sindh”. It is a spiced roti/paratha which is served with yogurt, pickles and papadums as breakfast. If you ever visit a sindhi home for breakfast chances are high you might be served this! I haven´t met anyone who doesnt love lolis! Basically its a dough with onions, coriander leaves, green chillies and spices. It makes good tupperware food as it has a long shelf life.
I have recorded a video to show you exactly how it is done.
INGREDIENTS FOR ABOUT 10 LOLIS
4 small bowls of whole wheat flour (available from all desi stores)
1 bowl of cooking or extra virgen olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds, coarsley crushed whole coriander seeds, and lemon pepper (OR black pepper and dry pomogranet powder -anardhana /daarukhata)
About 250 ml of water or as needed
Green chillies chopped as you wish- i did not add
METHOD:
Put the flour in a bowl and add the oil , salt and all the ingredients and mix well. Add the water slowly and make a dough which is not too soft. Knead for five minutes.
Make small balls and then roll out and bake on a iron gridle (tawa) and then brush with a little butter.
Serve with papadums and yogurt

VIDEO:

For Jain recipe : please omit the onion

WHICH FLOUR DID I USE???

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Breakfast, Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Ideas for meals, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Spices, Tupperware Food, Typical Sindhi Dishes, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged breakfast, healthy, lemon pepper, loli, olive oil, sindhi | 2 Comments

SPICY TOFU OMLETTE

Posted on January 30, 2013 by nituchugani

I have time and time again written about the goodness of tofu and how versatile it is so lets just get down to the recipe today? The combination of eggs with tofu in an omlette is just fantastic. I never thought i would have such a soft melt in the mouth sensation with each bite! For of you who are on a high protein diet this recipe is just for you 🙂 You can use this recipe as a guideline and then make your own changes addding and subtracting ingredients to your own choice.
INGREDIENTS:
250 grams of firm tofu, grated
2 large fresh farm eggs
1 onion chopped fine
1 tablespoon ginger ,grated
A few green chillies and curry leaves
1 tomato, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon each of Nitu Didi turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder
1/2 cup of chopped coriander leaves
Red chilli powder if you want it spicy
2 tablespoons of extra virgin spanish olive oil
METHOD:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a good quality non stick pan ( i used my ceramic pan) and add the ginger and let it cook for about 15 seconds and then add the chopped onion and curry leaves. Cook till the onions are soft and start changing color. Add the green chillies, tomatoes and the chopped coriander. Cook till the tomatoes are soft and mashed. Add the salt and the spices and cook till the whole mixture gets dry. Add the grated tofu to this and mix well. Taste it and adjust the seasoning acording to your taste. Take off heat and leave it to cool. (This step can be done in advance or even a few days ahead so you can save time)
Once the mixture is cooled add the eggs to it and beat it well.
Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in the ceramic pan. Add the egg/tofu mixture and cook on medium heat . Let it cook and then with the help of a plate flip it over and let it cook on the other side. You might have to press it with the spatula so that it cooks through.
NITU DIDI TIP:
You can also make this with vegetables such as : grated carrots, cabbage, green peas, mushrooms, etc. Just cook them up with the onions and follow the recipe. Instead of tofu you can use paneer or just make it with the veggies 🙂
WHICH TOFU IS BEST FOR THIS RECIPE?
To buy ceramic pans do go to my ONLINE STORE

To make tofu at home here is the video :

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Breakfast, Crack an egg???, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Indochinese, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Tupperware Food | Tagged breakfast, diet, gluten free, healthy, lowcalorie, olive oil, omlette, tofu | Leave a comment

CREAMY CHICKEN PUFFS/PASTIES

Posted on January 29, 2013 by nituchugani

My 500th post and it had to be something special! I toyed at ideas and recipes for two days and pondered over what to post on this very special day for me! I dont think i would ever reach to this stage or take my blog and my facebook cooking page to this level. Sweet or salty? Indian, Chinese or Spanish??? I was in a dilemma….and in the end decided to make something that everyone could modify to their taste! Its a little tough to please soo many followers from soo many different countries believe me 🙂
I live in Valencia which is a city in spain and i always feel grateful because this country has given me so much. Its so nice to come across people who are curious about the life here , its friendly people and the culture.
Todays recipe is my gratitude to Spain. Creamy cheese puffs/pastys/empanadillas. If you have been to Spain you will see these half moon pies on sale in all of the bakeries. These are “empanadillas” stuffed with different stuffings like tuna and capsicum, spinach, onion and bacon etc etc just to name a few typical ones. Today i will teach you a simple way to make them and write down simple fillings which you can stuff them with.
FOR THE CREAMY CHICKEN FILLING:
250 grams of minced chicken breast
1 onion chopped fine
1/4 cup of red capsicum (bell pepper) chopped fine
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of oregano and mixed herbs of your choice
1 tablespoon of white or whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of milk , skimmed or half and half or whole or even soya milk
2 tablespoons of tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon of spanish olive oil
METHOD:
Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan and add the onion with the garlic and sautee till the onions change colour. Add the capsicum and sautee till they soften a bit. Add the salt and pepper and then the minced chicken and cook till the chicken releases its moisture and starts to change color. Add the herbs and the flour and cook for half a minute. Add the milk and the ketchup and let it all cook till the whole mixture has boiled and is thick. Leave to cool. (Filling must be absolutely cool… whichever filling you choose to use)
FOR THE PASTRY:
100 ml of water
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil or cooking oil
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon of eno fruit salt
Around 250-300 grams of all purpose white flour
Mix the water and oil in a bowl. Add the salt and the fruit salt and immediately start adding the white flour by tablespoonsfuls. Use as much needed as to make a dough. Knead the dough for about five minutes till its soft and pliable. Keep for about fifteen minutes. Make small balls out of the dough and roll out each ball till quite thin. Put a spoonful of the filling on one side and fold over to make a semi-circle or half moon. Press the edges with a fork and place on a baking tray. Make up the rest of the puffs like this and place all on the tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees till golden brown.
NITU DIDI TIP:
You can use any filling for this: boiled spinach with sauteed mushrooms in garlic, soya minced meat (vet kheema), fish in cream sauce, etc etc. This is a good way to use up left overs too. Just make sure the filling is dry.

Please do stop by my online store

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Floury Matter, Fusion, Low Cost, SpanIndian, Spanish Tapas | Tagged baked, empanadilla, halfmoons, pasty, pies, spanish | Leave a comment

CRISPY CHICKEN N CHEESE BALLS

Posted on January 28, 2013 by nituchugani

Who doesn´t enjoy a pre-dinner snack with a drink specially on weekends or while watching an exciting match on tv? I simply love snacks…indian, chinese or fusion! There is just something about deep fried food inspite of what it does to our health. Carefully deep frying your snacks makes them non oily . I time and time again ask my followers if my snacks look oily and they all say “no”!! I guess the secret is in my method of frying which you can watch on my youtube videos.
These crispy chicken n cheese balls are made in an instant if you have some boiled chicken at hand or some left over roast chicken or turkey and don´t know what to do with it.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of boiled and shredded chicken
1/2 cup of grated cheese (which one did i use??)
1 egg, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley or coriander
2 heaped tablespoons of cornstarch
a pinch of salt to taste (remember cheese is salty)
a pinch of ground black pepper
oil for deep frying
METHOD:
Mix the cooked shredded chicken with the cheese and add the egg and mix it well. Add the salt and pepper and the cornstarch. It should now be like a dough. Make into small balls. Heat the oil for deep frying and deep fry one ball first to see if it breaks. It should not, but if it does (it could be due to the extra moisture in the chicken) add some more cornstarch and make into balls and deep fry on medium heat till golden brown. Serve with sauce of your choice.
NITU DIDI TIP:
I usually buy a whole chicken and ask my butcher to make fillets out of the breast for my chinese cooking. The thighs and other parts i boil for a hearty chicken soup and then i use some of the boiled chicken for this snack. This way you use up the whole chicken and do not waste.

You can also add some red chilli flakes, herbs of your own choice to these balls.
Do visit my online store

Nitu Chugani

Posted in Chicken, Crack an egg???, Fusion, Gluten Free, Ideas for meals, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Snacks, Tupperware Food | Tagged balls, cheese, chicken, easy, fried, quick, snack | Leave a comment

CRISPY VEGETABLE PAKORAS WITH A TWIST (SANA PAKORAS)

Posted on January 27, 2013 by nituchugani

I yet have to come across someone who doesnt like piping hot crispy pakoras at any time of the day! The english call it “onion baaji” and is the number one starter for them! They are also known as “bhajiyas” and for us sindhis we call them “sana pakoras”. Well today i have a twist to our “sana pakora”!! Recently i was invited for a “pint and pakora” event.. me providing the pakoras and the cafe providing the pints of beer! It was a lot of fun watching the spanish drool over pakoras. Again i state, i have not come across anyone who does not like pakoras till date! Wether they are hot from the kitchen or left for a few hours , this makes an excellent snack for travellers or a picnic dish. Serve it with ketchup, or a green or red chutney and your done ! I am always experimenting in my kitchen trying to create different flavours for my food. Today i am sharing with all of you my recipe of crispy , non oily pakoras with a “twist”!
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of gram flour (please not this is also called channe ka aata and besan in hindi- not to be confused with chickpea flour and is available in most asian supermarkets)
1/2 cup of rice flour
1/4 cup of each of the following chopped fine : white onion, courgette (turai, zucchini), and red or green peppers
1/4 cup of chopped coriander leaves
1/4 cup of grated tofu, or paneer
2-3 green chillies chopped fine if you want it spicy
1 tablespoon of finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds and coarsely pounded coriander seeds
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt to taste
a pinch each of turmeric powder and red chilli powder
1 tablespoon of hot oil plus more for frying
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
Soda water (sparkling water as needed to make the thickish batter)
METHOD:
This recipe will be written in steps.
1. Cut all the vegetables and put them into a big bowl. Add the seasoning and spices. This can be done a few hours in advance if you want to save time.
2. When you want to make the pakoras heat oil in a deep fryer or a “kadai”. Let it heat on medium heat.
3. Add the gram flour (besan) to the mixed vegetables together with the rice flour.
4. When the oil is hot , add the sparkling water and baking powder to the vegetable/flour mixture and make a thickish spoonable batter. Please watch my youtube video on pakoras to have an idea.
5. Lastly add a tablespoon of hot oil into the batter and mix well.
6. To test the temperature of the oil : i just put a tiny teaspoonful of the batter into the oil…if it rises slowly means the oil is ready. To see this proceedure please go to my youtube video.
7. Put spoonfuls of this batter into the hot oil taking care not to put too many at the same time into the oil as they will not cook well. You will see how they puff up while frying. Fry them till golden brown and then drain well.
Serve with chutney or sauce of your choice.
Enjoy this lovely desi snack which is so popular worldwide !
NITU DIDI TIP:
You can also add chopped spinach leaves, a teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves, some grated carrots, some grated potatoes etc etc to this batter.
To get different flavours i suggest you add different vegetables so that each time it tastes different!

HERE IS THE VIDEO ON HOW TO MAKE AND FRY PAKORAS :

WHAT IS GRAM FLOUR?

FOR JAIN RECIPE: Omit the onions and ginger and then proceed
Nitu Chugani

Posted in Breakfast, Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Fusion, Gluten Free, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos, Veg Starters, Vegan | 2 Comments

MIXED BERRY PARFAIT

Posted on January 26, 2013 by nituchugani

Shivi Sharma has sent me this lovely recipe for a mixed berry parfait for all those who love berries. I would happily make this if i had left over cake and cookies and want to use them up. Thank you so much Shivi …big hug 🙂