nitu didi

CHINESE CHILLI PRAWNS

Posted on December 25, 2012 by nituchugani

This is what i made for my xmas lunch for my family. Its a mild version of chinese chilli prawns without all that heat (spice). I used tiger prawns to make these, peeling them leaving their tails on. Its an Indochinese dish available in most chinese restaurants in India,

INGREDIENTS

500 grams of peeled prawns

Marinated in : 1 tablespoon each of soya sauce, white vinegar, chinese wine (optional), ginger garlic paste

A pinch of white pepper and a bit of red chilli sauce

FOR THE SAUCE:

1 white onion chopped fine

1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste

1/4 cup of ketchup

Splash each of soya sauce, chilli sauce, sesame oil, vinegar

4 tablespoons of cooking oil

1 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 1/4 cup of water

Chopped green chillies and spring onions

METHOD:

Heat 2 tablespoons in a wok or non stick frying pan on high heat. Stir fry the marinated prawns for a minute till just about done taking care not to overcook or else they will turn dry and hard. Remove aside and add 2 more tablespoons of oil into the same wok. Sautee the ginger garlic paste for a few seconds and then add the onion. Sautee for half a minute and then add all the sauces and stir. Add the cornstarch and water mixture and then the prawns. Cook on high heat for half a minute and then quicky add the chopped chillies and then the chopped spring onions. Taste and correct sauce and serve immediately.

NITU DIDI TIP

Do not over cook the prawns as they become dry and hard and lose all nutritive value.

If you like it spicier add more chilli sauce. If you like it less sweet you can add tomato paste instead of ketchup.

You can also use a spicy ketchup for this recipe

Posted in Fusion, Gluten Free, Ideas for meals, Made in China, Magic Bullet, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Quick Recipes, Something's Fishy | 2 Comments

CRANBERRY AND WALNUT CAKE

Posted on December 22, 2012 by nituchugani

An excellent cake to serve with coffee or tea. The tartness of the cranberries combine with the sweetness of the sponge cake to give it a lovely contrast of flavours and colours. If you are allergic to walnuts you can use any kind of nuts. This is Adelas pic and recipe 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
5 fresh small sized farm eggs
200 grams of sugar
250 grams of butter OR 200 ml of cooking oil
Rind of 1 small lemon
Rind of 1 small orange
375 grams of all purpose white flour (maida)
1 envelope of baking powder, (2.5 teaspoons)
1 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of walnuts (to be put on top of the cake)
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 250. Beat the eggs very well and add the lemon and orange rind. Beat again and add the sugar and beat. Add the butter and beat again. Add the flour and baking powder. Mix well. Pour into a greased cake pan or a silicon one. Place the nuts on the top pressing slightly so they sink a bit into the batter. Lower the oven temperature to 200. Bake for about 50-55 minutes till done.

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Crack an egg???, Floury Matter | Tagged baking, cake, cranberry, plumcake, walnut | 2 Comments

POTATO PRANKS!!! 2 lovely way to fry potatoes

Posted on December 21, 2012 by nituchugani

Lets go versatile with potatoes today! I cant think of anyone who doesnt like potatoes …and fries!!! So todays recipe of the day will be two different and versatile ways of frying potatoes!!!Mmmmm….
Again i will state my tendency to get bored and my craving for creation. I bought a sack of potatoes which were sold to me on the guarantee to give me the crispiest fries! So…..i decided to give it a go….
The first recipe is just simply french fries served in a spicy manner
The second is a totally versatile way of serving fried potatoes…
SPICY FRENCH FRIES
INGREDIENTS:
potatoes, cut into fingers
salt
a pinch of dry mango powder (amchoor)
oil for deep frying
chopped green chillies and coriander leaves
Heat the oil for deep frying. Wipe the cut potatoes with a kitchen towel so that they are dry. Add salt to them and mix well. Drop small batches of potatoes into the hot oil and fry till golden brown and crispy. Drain well and turn into a plate. Sprinkle wiht green chillies and coriander leaves and sprinkle with dry mango powder and serve immediately.

boiled potatoes, peeled and cut into rounds
left over samosa dough (please see the video on how to make samosas)
salt to taste
dry mango powder (amchoor)
red chilli powder
METHOD:
Place the cut boiled potates in a plate. Make small balls of the samosa dough and flatten. Roll each ball into a thin round. Cut thin strips out of each rolled ball . Take one strip and roll it over a potato slice making sure there is some gap so the potato can be seen (see the pic of the dish) . Its as tho you are dressing them up! Dress all the potates the same way and then deep fry them in hot oil till golden and crispy. Place on a plate and sprinkle with salt, red chilli powder and dry mango powder.
Its delicious and lovely
DID YOU KNOW DRY MANGO POWDER IS GOOD FOR HEALTH?

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Fusion, Gluten Free, Ideas for meals, Jain recipes, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos, Typical Sindhi Dishes, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged easy, fried, potatoes, quick, snack, Vegan, vegetarian | 2 Comments

SPANISH XMAS COOKIES WITH DESI TOUCH

Posted on December 19, 2012 by nituchugani

Its X´mas time ! Just a few days more and it will be the time for bonding, family renunion, prayer, good meals, etc etc. In Spain the spanish have many typical xmas goodies which they serve after their xmas meals. Turron (spanish nougat made out of almonds and honey) , dry fruit, different kinds of sweets and cookies. One such cookie is the “mantecado” literally translated from the word manteca which means lard…they are sweet crumbly melt in the mouth cookies made with white flour and lard and flavored with cinnamon. Now ofcourse you get them with different flavourings. Its fun to eat them coz they are very crumbly. They come wrapped individually in fancy paper and when you bite into them they just crumble apart and its soo much fun to eat. We usually hold the paper just under us as we take a bite to catch the crumbs…or you can put the whole thing into your mouth!
Well while on facebook i came across a recipe on how to make this delicacy with olive oil! I was amazed because i actually avoided eating them because of their lard content. I decided to change the flavoring to a desi one for my “spanindian” creations. The result was amazing… and i then proceed to play with the flavours and baked several batches!! This is another flop proof recipe and very easy to make. Makes about 12-15 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
250 grams of white flour (maida)
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
a pinch of salt
100 grams of sugar, powdered ( i used my amazing bullet)
125 ml of extra virgen pure spanish olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of cardamom powder
1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds (aniseeds, saunf)
6 strands of Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 150. Put the white flour into a baking tray and spread it out. Put it to roast in the oven for 15 minutes. This is to remove the excess moisture content from the flour and thus giving the mantecado its dry crumbly texture. Make sure that the flour does not brown. You wil see that it will not be smooth and in fact get a little dense. Cool completely and when cooled put into a bowl. Add the saffron strands, baking powder, cardamom powder and fennel seeds and the tiny pinch of salt. Mix well and now make a dough with the extra virgen olive oil by pouring it slowly. Gather the flour together using the olive oil to bind it and make into a dough. Knead well for about five minutes. You will notice the overpowering olive oil aroma but dont worry. Once your lovely dough is smooth make into small balls and flatten. Place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof /butter paper( i used a silicon one) and bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes till pale golden. Cool and then proceed to try one…. If you eat more than one dont worry…its with olive oil and thats good for you!!!!
NITU DIDI TIP:
If you want the original mantecado flavour, omit the cardamom, saffron and fennel and use 1 levelled teaspoon of cinnamon powder and a few drops of lemon juice.

To buy Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron do contact me
HEALTH BENEFITS OF OLIVE OIL
Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Eggless Sweet Temptations, Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Fusion, Healthy Options, Jain recipes, Magic Bullet, Quick Recipes, Saffron, SpanIndian, Spices, Tupperware Food, Vegan | Tagged baked, cardamom, cookies, healthy, mantecados, olive oil, oven, saffron, spanindian, spanish, white flour, xmas | 2 Comments

SOFT WHITE FLOUR ROTIS/CHAPATIS

Posted on December 18, 2012 by nituchugani

Who does not like soft soft melt in the mouth rotis/chapattis? Well…..i am always in the kitchen trying to experiment on my floury matter! I watch a lot of videos trying to learn and then put on my thinking cap and thought and thought of an easy way to make soft rotis…what started as an experiment turned out to be a real delight:)
This is a fool flop proof recipe… its easy, it has simple ingredients…..
TO MAKE ABOUT 20 MEDIUM ROTIS
500 grams of white all purpose flour (ordinary maida)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
200 grams of white natural yogurt (curd/dahi), you can use home made or store bought
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
warm water to knead if necessary (this all depends on the consistency of the yogurt and size of the egg)
METHOD:
Put the flour, salt and baking powder in a big bowl. Add the yogurt and egg and mix. Knead and add warm water if necessary. Knead to a smooth dough for about five minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Put it in a big container and cover it. Put it in the sun for about six hours. If you are in a country without sun, dont worry, keep it in the kitchen . After the given time knead it again for a few minutes. It should be a little sticky, not much but a bit. Flour your hands and make medium size balls out of the dough. Flatten each piece and then roll out into about half a centimetre thickness. Heat a non stick pan or tawa or ceramic pan and cook on both sides trying just to flip over once. They should baloon up. Serve with your favourite meal.
NITU DIDI TIP:
For best results cook on medium heat.

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Crack an egg???, Floury Matter, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Low Cost, NO OIL RECIPES, Tupperware Food | Tagged indianbreads, no oil, oilfree, rotis, soft rotis, white flour, wraps | 5 Comments

ORIENTAL GRAPEFRUIT CHICKEN WITH SOUPY RICE

Posted on December 16, 2012 by nituchugani

A twist to making a roast chicken with an oriental flavour. Using grapefruit juice in marinating chicken gives it a nice tang and makes the chicken succulent and soft. The soupy rice is simply rice cooked in a chicken stock. What i do is buy the whole chicken that way i use the carcass and the neck to make a fragrant stock and cook the rice in it. This is a one dish meal and very nourishing. For best results marinate the chicken overnight. It makes it much more flavorful. I pressure cook the chicken first and then put it to grill in the oven so that the chicken remains very moist. If you dont have a pressure cooker, i suggest you cook it in a casserole dish or you can bake it covered. I will give you all the options.
INGREDIENTS FOR 4 :
1 whole chicken weighing about 1.5-2 kilos, quartered, skin on and the ribcage removed
1/2 cup each of soya sauce and honey
3 tablespoons each of lemon juice and sesame oil
1 cup of grapefruit juice
a good pinch of white pepper
3 tablespoons each of grated ginger and grated garlic
2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
1/4 cup of chinese wine… (my halaal followers please omit this)
FOR THE STOCK:
1.5 litres of water
the ribcage and neck of the chicken
2 stalks of celery
1 onion halved
1″ pc . ginger bruised
salt to taste
a few peppercorns
HOW TO PROCEED: First we marinate the chicken:
Make gashes and holes in the chicken so the marinade can penetrate in. Mix the ingredients for the chicken (all the sauces and paste etc) and marinate the chicken overnight in this mixture. Next day make the stock. (The stock can also be made in advance).
FOR THE STOCK:
Boil the water and once its boiled add the chicken bones and let it come to a boil. Remove all the scum with a strainer and then add the rest of the ingredients and boil for about 30 minutes. Strain and keep the stock aside for the soupy rice.
TO ROAST THE CHICKEN.
I cooked the chicken with all the marinade in the pressure cooker for about five whistles. If you dont have a pressure cooker you can either roast it in the oven covered with foil till its fork tender, You might need to add some water so it does not get dry. Once its tender put it under the grill /boiler and roast on both sides till its golden and crispy. Please keep aside the marinade that remains in the pressure cooker to serve as a sauce. If roasting in the oven make sure you add more water so there is some marinade which you can remove before putting it under the grill.
FOR THE SOUPY RICE:
2 cups of rice
6 cups of chicken stock
salt to taste
spring onions for garnish
i also added a few chopped mushrooms

Heat the stock… add the rice and salt to taste the mushrooms and cook till the rice is very soft and tender and then serve garnished with the spring onions, I also add a few drops of sesame oil and some soya sauce. If you dont like your rice very mushy and soupy cook it with less stock to the consistency of your choice
TO SERVE:
Serve the roast chicken with the soupy rice and the sauce of the marinade separately.
The recipe sounds complicated but it isnt. You can also make it without the rice.
NITU DIDI TIP:
This chicken has a sweetish kind of taste. You can always reduce the amount of honey. Using grapefruit juice in this recipe gives in a lovely tang , flavor and also makes the chicken very succulent.
Which grapefruit juice did i use???

Posted in Chicken, Fusion, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Made in China | Tagged baked, chicken, oriental, rice, roast, soup | 2 Comments

SAVOURY PUFF PASTRY HEARTS WITH CHEESE N CHORIZO

Posted on December 14, 2012 by nituchugani

Need a quick snack? Always stock some puff pastry in your freezer or refrigerator. Puff Pastry can make some wonderful sweet or savory snacks. Today lets learn how to make puff pastry hearts stuffed with chorizo and cheese. You can also use ham/turkeyham/salami etc. I am showing you the proceedure through a video tutorial… all you need is some puff pastry sheets, chorizo and cheese. For vegetarians you can use dry cooked spinach, mushrooms, mixed vegetables, cheese n onion, etc etc.

THE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf2gA5tmVqA&feature=youtu.be

Posted in Floury Matter, Fusion, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos, Step by Step | Tagged baking, cheese, chorizo, easy, no cooking, puffpastry, quick, snack, video | 2 Comments

MASALA MOTH BEANS

Posted on December 13, 2012 by nituchugani

Moth beans or “matki” in hindi are tiny beans which are dark from outside and pale inside. They are similar to the green moong beans.
I saw them in the desi supermarket and bought some out of curiosity. They are quite delicious and nourishing too.
I made them in an onion tomato based gravy with spices and they tasted very nice with rotis.
This recipe can be also made with brown lentils in case you cant find these type of beans
They are easy to make and also easily available.
These are best made in a pressure cooker but if you dont own one you can make them in a normal casserole pan.
INGREDIENTS:
1 small cup of moth beans (matki)
4 cups of water
1 onion chopped fine
2 tomatoes chopped fine
a pinch of asafoetida (hing) totally optional
few curry leaves
1″ piece of ginger , grated
3 cloves of garlic , grated
2-3 green chillies, chopped fine (optional)
1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder
1 tablespoon of dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1/4 cup of chopped fresh coriander leaves
4 tablespoons of cooking oil or olive oil or butter
1/2 cup of milk, optional, i did not add
salt to taste
METHOD:
Soak the moth beans in ample water for at least 4-6 hours. If you are in a rush or forgot to soak them its ok…it just means that they will take more time to cook.
When ready too cook rinse the beans well and put them in a pressure cooker or normal pot with 4 cups of water and the turmeric powder. Pressure cook them for about 4-5 whistles or for about 10 minutes.If using a normal cooking method just boil them till they are soft. It might take time and you might need to add more water but thats ok.
Once they are cooked you can either remove the excess water or leave it (this all depends on what consistency you want your daal to be).
For the masala:
Heat the oil in a pan (you can also use butter if you want a richer taste). Add the asafoetida and let it sizzle for a few seconds and then add the garlic, let that cook till it turns color and then add the ginger and the onions. Let the onions soften and then add the salt and let them turn slightly golden brown. Add the curry leaves and then spices then and cook a little more and then add the dried fenugreek leaves and the tomatoes, green chillies. Cook till the tomatoes soften and till you can see the whole mixture glistening. Cook till the whole mixture is dry and then add the cooked moth beans. Mix well, taste, check and correct seasoning and let it come to a boil. If you want a rich creamy taste you can add some milk in the end and bring it to a boil and serve.
NITU DIDI TIP:
The consistency all depends on cooking time, method of cooking and the amount of moth beans you use. You can always thicken it by adding either some milk or more water but if its too watery then it will taste insipid. Also remember while pressure cooking you need to add less water.

For Jain recipes please omit the onion , ginger and garlic and proceed
HEALTH BENEFITS OF MOTH BEANS:
Please read here

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Jain recipes, Lentils, Low Cost, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Spices, Vegan | Tagged beans, daal, eggless, healthy, jain, lentils, masala, spicy, Vegan, vegetarian | Leave a comment

AACHARI TUNA SANDWICH (TUNA WITH DESI PICKLE)

Posted on December 12, 2012 by nituchugani

One more recipe in addition to my “spanindian” creations. Tuna sandwiches or baguettes are a common snack, or light meal in Spain. In many bars and cafes they serve a common “bocadillo de atun con olivas” which translated is a baguette with a tuna and green olive filling. I am a tuna fan…i like canned tuna in my salads and my sandwiches. One day i wanted to perk up my tuna baguette with something more spicy and exciting than my regular chilli sauce. I opened my kitchen cupboard and saw a whole row of sauces and then this lovely jar of spicy green chilli pickle and i said lets experiment today!!! So in went some of the oil from the pickle into my mashed up tuna..with some chopped onions… and voila!!! I had my lovely filling…now to have a bite…. oooh…wat do i say??? The oil spiced up my filling to tingle my tastebuds…My family ofcoruse just looked at me with an expression that said “ugghh…what on earth have you done”!!!!! I savoured each and every bite…Now i know this filling might not be everyones cup of tea…but if you like tuna and you like pickles…do try it out…i used a very hot pickle…but you can use anyone you like 🙂
So….. lets make a quick sandwich!!
1 can of drained tuna ( about 60 grams)
2 tablespoons of finely chopped onions
2 tablespoons of oil from any desi pickle ...I USED…. (see here)
2 slices of white/brown/wholegrain or any kind of bread of your choice, i just used what i had…
METHOD:
Mix the mashed tuna with the onions and the oil from the desi pickle and let it sit for about five minutes. Spread on your bread and make your sandwich… Each bite is purely delight 🙂
NITU DIDI TIP:
If you dont like onions you can add any kind of vegetable such as grated carrots, cabbage or cucumber etc. You can also add tomatoes.
You can use bread of your choice, buns, pita bread or wraps
The filling does tend to get a bit soggy so its not picnic friendly
HEALTH BENEFITS OF CANNED TUNA
Tuna is rich is omega 3 oils which is good for our health. It is also a good source of protein and vitamin B…

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Fusion, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Sandwiches, Something's Fishy, SpanIndian | Tagged indian, pickles. sandwiches, quick, spain, spanindian, spicy, tuna | Leave a comment

GLUTEN FREE CREPE/CHILLA

Posted on December 11, 2012 by nituchugani

Day by day there are more people who have a gluten intolerancy . I try to please everyone as much as i can by innovating new recipes which are simple, economical and also easy. This recipe is simple and very easy. These crepes/chillas can be eaten with anything sweet or savoury. If you want them sweet just add some sugar to the batter and some flavoring and if you want them salty you can follow my recipe. I did not make them spicy as my daughter does not eat spicy food but i will give you all the options one can do with this versatile recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of gram flour (besan also known as channa ka aata)
1 cup of rice flour (known as chawal ka aata)
a pinch of salt if you want it salted
1 teaspoon of nigella seeds /black onion seeds, kalonji
1-1.5 cup of water or more
1/4 teaspoon of eno fruit salt
a pinch of turmeric powder (if making it savoury ofcourse)
METHOD:
Mix the gram flour with the rice flour and add the salt , turmeric and nigella seeds. Add some chilli powder if you like it spicy. Add the water and make a semi thick batter like for coating pakoras . Let the batter sit for an hour at room temperature. After an hour add the eno fruit salt to it and now lets make the crepes.
Heat a bit of oil in a non stick frying pan and spread it with a pastry brush or a piece of kitchen paper. When its hot add a big spoonful of the batter and spread it with the back of the spoon till its a uniform round. Let it cook on one side and then flip and let it cook on the other side till both sides are browned. If you like you can drizzle a bit more of oil.
OPTIONS: You can substitute nigella seeds for cumin seeds
My daughter loves nigella seeds and i try to add them in my food as they are so good for health
You can add chopped onions, coriander leaves and green chillies to the batter.
You can also add some freshly grated coconut.
You can make it sweet by omitting the salt and adding a bit of sugar.
I even tried cooking it on one side, topping it with finely chopped onions and then flipping it over to the other side and cooking it.
These crepes /chillas can be used as wraps and filled with any filling of your choice

NITU DIDI TIP: For a thinner crepe/chilla you can make the batter thin… it all depends on choice
HEALTH BENEFITS OF NIGELLA SEEDS
Nigella seeds also known as black onion seeds (kalonji in hindi) are small black seeds full of flavor and goodness.
They are very good for health Please read HERE

Nitu Chugani©