nitu didi

FLUFFY IDLI AND COCONUT CHUTNEY

Posted on December 10, 2012 by nituchugani

I have to thank my dear friend Kavita Durgani for this recipe. I am always asked how to make fluffy idlis… and frankly the only ones i make are the ones from semolina(sooji). So here is a recipe and pic by Kavita. Hope you all do try it out and let me know…Since its not my recipe i wont be able to answer any questions (tho i am sure i can always ask Kavita..shes very helpful)
INGREDIENTS FOR IDLIS:

Par Boiled Idly rice – 3 cups..

Urad dal (Full) 1 cup..

You can use any measurement but the ratio of Par Boiled rice and Urad dal should be 3:1

Crystal Salt -4 1/2 tsp (or as required)

Method

Wash urad dal and rice and soak it separately for 4-5 hours.

Grind urad dal in the wet grinder (advisable for soft idlies) until fluffy. Add ice cold water/ordinary water when needed. Add water little by little.

Transfer it to a container.

Then grind rice well for 20-30 minutes.

After that add the ground urad Dal to the grounded rice in the grinder and grind for 5 minutes.This is done for mixing the batter well.

Add salt to the batter.

The consistency of the batter should neither be thick nor watery. It should be medium. You can master it with practice.

Transfer the batter to 2 containers. It should be filled only till half, so as to allow space for fermenting.

Leave for 6-7 hours to ferment. You could see that the batter would have risen.

If you are not using it immedietely, refrigerate it .Mix the fermented batter well.

Grease idly moulds. Take a scoop of batter and fill it in each idly mould.

Use pressure cooker or any vessel and steam cook the idlis . But the water should be heated well first.

Boil water in a kadai/pressure cooker/any vessel which could hold the idli moulds and place the idly mould with batter in it and cover it with a lid.

Steam cook for 10 -15 minutes.

Prick a matchstick or fork inside the idly, if it comes out clean – idly is ready .

FOR THE COCONUT CHUTNEY:

Grated coconut – 3/4 cup (use fresh coconut)
Red chilli or green chillies..3 or 4..
Garlic – 1 – 2 cloves (optional)
Fried gram -1 1/2 tbsp
Tamarind – a small piece or a little paste or u can put lime (nibbu)..i put lime only

For the seasoning

Oil – 2 tsp
Mustard – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 1 tsp
Curry leaves – few

Grind grated coconut, red chillies, garlic, fried gram, tamarind and salt together, adding little water. Do not grind it very finely. It should be a little coarse.

Then heat oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dal and curry leaves.When dal starts turning golden brown, pour it over the chutney.if u dont want tamarind wen finish grinding put half lime of juice ..i dont like it so sour . In Mumbai they make it with curd.

Thank you soo much Kavita 🙂

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Jain recipes, Lentils, Low Cost, Rice is Nice, Veg Starters, Vegan | 2 Comments

SAVOURY HAM N CHEESE CAKE

Posted on December 10, 2012 by nituchugani

This savoury ham n cheese cake is delicious as a snack or a starter. It can also be part of a main meal with some soup on the side. What is good about this cake is that it can be eaten hot or cold, and practially anytime of the day!
The ham can be substitued for sausage, or sauteed vegetables for a non meat version. I used a silicon baking tray to bake these and they came out simply superb. So…. lets get started so we can eat it too 🙂
INGREDIENTS:
300 grams of white flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
a good pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
100 grams of chopped ham
140 grams of grated cheese (you can use a combination of grated cheese or just any cheese you fancy or have at home)
2 medium sized room temperature eggs
250 ml of warm milk, i used semi skimmed milk but you can use whole or skimmed, or even soya milk or lactose free milk
85 grams of melted butter
OPTIONAL : dried herbs such as oregano, thyme or rosemary etc etc if you like
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 180.
Beat the eggs slightly with the butter , salt, pepper and any herbs of your choice. Add the fllour and baking powder , and mix and then add the warm milk gradually till all is well mixed. Add the ham and half of the grated cheese. If you like it spicy you can even add some red chilli powder. Put it into a greased non stick square baking tin or a silicon mould. Top with the rest of the grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes till done. Cool and cut into squares and serve!
NITU DIDI TIP:
This cake can be kept for a couple of days in a covered container. Please wait till cool and then store.
The ham can be replaced with chopped sausages, or even sauteed vegetables or finely chopped canned mushrooms, corn etc.

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Crack an egg???, Floury Matter, Low Cost, Quick Recipes | Tagged baking, cheese, easy, ham, quick, savoury cake, sugarfree | 1 Comment

PANEER WITH ZUCCHINI (TURAI)

Posted on December 9, 2012 by nituchugani

This recipe is a good way to get the family to eat vegetables. I cheated my family to eating zucchini (courgette/turai/turi) this way! My family loves paneer (home made fresh cheese) so i thought why not combine it with some healthy vegetable? i did not think i could get away with it but i did!! As you can see from the picture i dont use too much oil in my food, but if you like your food with that little bit more of oil, please do add some. I also cooked this in spanish olive oil (not extra virgen) so you can do that too to add to the nutrients of this dish!
To make home made paneer thats soft, and tastes yummy do follow my video on how to make paneer

INGREDIENTS FOR 2 :
Paneer made out of 1 litre of milk, cubed
1 cup of finely chopped onions
1 cup of finely chopped zucchini /courgette/turai (peel and then chop )
1″ piece finely chopped ginger
2 green chillies, finely chopped if you like it spicy
4 curry leaves
1/2 cup of finely chopped red tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and coriander powder
1/2 cup of finely chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste
2 tablespoons of spanish olive oil
1/2 cup of the whey from making the paneer of water or vegetable stock
METHOD.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the ginger and sautee till it starts changing color and imediately add the onions and cover the pan. Sautee the onions mixing from time to time till the onions start changing color. Add the zucchini and mix and cover till the zuchini softenes. Add all the spices and the green chillies and cook for a few seconds. When you see the whole mixture is dried add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes soften. Add the coriander leaves and the curry leaves. Add the whey/water/stock and bring to a boil. Gently add in the cubed paneer and cook till the sauce has thickened a bit and the paneer is nice and soft.
Serve with naan, parathas or rotis. By the way…my family ate it without realising it had zucchini and when i told them they were zapped!!! Giggles!!!
NITU DIDI TIP:
For a jain recipe replace the onions with only zuchini and omit the ginger and add cumin seeds instead.
If you dont want to make the paneer at home you can use store bought paneer or even use fresh cheese . Fresh cheese tends to get a bit rubbery when cooked for more than a few minutes so i suggest you add it last.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF EATING ZUCCHINI:
Zucchini is low in fat and helps lower cholesterol. This light and easy to digest vegetable is rich in Vitamins A and C. In India we tend to give nursing mothers zucchini as its nourshing and does not give the baby colic. Sometimes our nursing babies suffer colic pain because of what we mothers tend to eat.

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Jain recipes, Low Cost, Paneer, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos | 2 Comments

CHICKEN NUGGETS INDOCHINA STYLE

Posted on December 8, 2012 by nituchugani

“Indochinese” cuisine was invented when the chinese used to stay in Kolkata (at that time known as Calutta). It is generously flavoured with a lot of ginger, garlic and chillies. In India we have a few indochinese dishes which are not available anywhere in the world such as hakka noodles, chilli chicken , manchurian, etc etc.
Today i am going to share with you my take on indochinese cuisine… Flavourful nuggets!! They are easy to make with simple kitchen cupboard ingredients.
INGREDIENTS:
250 grams of chicken breast, cut into small not so thick cubes
1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon or more of green chilli paste ( i grind the ginger , garlic and green chilli together in my amazing bullet)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
a pinch of salt and white pepper
1 teaspoon each of soya sauce, and sesame oil and chinese rice wine (for halaal please omit the wine)
1/2 teaspoon of red chilli powder
a little chopped green chillies ( i like them very spicy, you can omit this)
2 -3 tablespoons of white flour
soda/sparkling water as needed
oil for deep frying
METHOD:
Marinate the cubed chicken with all the seasoning except the white flour. Keep for a few hours. Heat the oil for deep frying. In a bowl mix the white flour with the sparkling water to make a thickish batter. Mix all the chicken pieces in the batter ensuring that the chicken pieces are coated with the batter. Deep fry each piece in medium hot oil till golden brown. Do not fry in very hot oil or else the chicken will brown and wil be raw inside. I have a youtube video teaching you the technique of deep frying.
Serve hot with sauce of your choice.

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Chicken, Floury Matter, Fusion, Ideas for meals, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Low Cost, Made in China, Magic Bullet, Quick Recipes, Recipes with videos | Tagged chiken, indochinese, nuggets, starter | 4 Comments

COOL LEMONADE

Posted on December 6, 2012 by nituchugani

Today i bring you a recipe and pic sent in by my follower Zeenat Dawood…She messaged me saying she wanted to make lemonade but wanted to put some cut fruit in it…I messaged her back giving her some suggestions and she very sweetly sent me the pic and the recipe..Thank you soo much my dear 🙂

3 lemons
10 glasses of ice cold water
2 cups of sugar

Cut lemons in half & de-seed.Squeeze out the juice & add to the water with its pulp.Add in the sugar(u can add more or less according to your sweetness) & mix till the sugar dissolves.Pour in glasses & serve with frozen strawberries,kiwi or mint.Enjoy

NITU DIDI TIP: Adding a pinch of salt, black salt or even some roasted cumin seed powder or some chaat masala to this drink (just a tiny pinch) will give it a nice flavor.For those of you who drink alcohol can add some rum or some vodka!! CHEERS!!!!!

Posted in Cocktails, Everything Vegetarian, Healthy Options, Jain recipes, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Vegan | Tagged cocktails, fruit, juices, lemonade, mocktail | 2 Comments

QUICK, EASY AND LIGHT LEMON PIE

Posted on December 5, 2012 by nituchugani

I am not an expert with deserts tho i do try to make puddings and cakes from time to time. Each time my son comes home to visit i like to make him some kind of desert as he likes eating something sweet after every meal. When i look up a recipe on the internet and find too many ingredients or too many steps i get a little put off. I am always pressed for time and try to keep my cooking short, sweet and simple. Today i made this lemon pie in a jiffy, and was surprised how nice it tasted and how quickly it was ready. Its light because it has no cream in it. The base does have butter but that cant be avioided. You can also use sugar free jelly to make this. I will give you all the options. So…..a piece of pie anyone????????
INGREDIENTS:
1 packet of jelly, you can use the flavor of your choice, i used lemon…you can also use sugar free jelly and halaal jelly or even gelatine free jelly…
water
milk, i used whole milk but you can use skimmed milk, lactose free milk or even soya milk OR cream if you want it richer
FOR THE BASE:
2 cups of powered biscuits, i used simple marie biscuits but you can use digestive or any sweet biscuit or even sugar free or whole wheat biscuits, gluten free biscuits etc
1/4 cup of melted butter, sorry here there is no substitute 😦
4 tablespoons of sweetened chocolate powder (like Nesquik or Cadburys drinking chocolate or any brand you have at home)
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
METHOD:
Make the jelly acording to the instructions in the packet… and when you have to add the cold water substitute it with milk or cream.
Let the jelly set in room temperature while you make the base.
Mix the crushed biscuits with the chocolate powder and the cinnamon and pinch of salt, Mix it well with your fingers. Sometimes you might need to add a bit more of melted butter, all depends on which crushed biscuits you are using.
Take a pie dish (a pie dish is a round not so deep dish) and put all the buttery crumbs into it. Press very well to coat the bottom of the dish and the edges. Press well or else when you pour your jelly mixture the crumb layer will just float on top and it will be a delicious mess!! Put the pie dish with the crumb layer into the fridge for an hour.l Remove and gently pour the slightly thickened jelly mixture over it gently and refrigerate till the topping sets.
Decorate as you wish, with fruit or with whipped cream. I just decorated it with a few berries for color contrast.
Cut and tuck into it!!!!
NITU DIDI TIP:
You can omit the biscuit layer and just serve it as a lemon pudding ….
You can make it total low calorie using the options i have given you
You can also add some ginger juice to this…or some mint leaves… or even lemon zest
The jelly i used is a good quality and very fruity so i did not need to perk it up
You can omit the chocolate powder in the biscuit base
You can use different types of biscuits to make the biscuit base
You can save money by powdering biscuits no one wants to eat at home and use it for this pudding
You can also store biscuit crumbs (which sometimes happen when you open a packed of biscuits ) and use it…
Which jelly did i use???? I used an excellent jelly

Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Eggless Sweet Temptations, Floury Matter, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Low Cost, Quick Recipes | Tagged biscuits, jelly, pie, pudding, quick | 7 Comments

CHEESEY LOLI

Posted on December 4, 2012 by nituchugani

LOLI!!! If you ever go to a Sindhi home in the morning, chances are this is what you will be served for breakfast. A whole wheat paratha served with yogurt, papad and maybe a cup of hot steaming CHAI?????
I am sorry the pic isnt a bit too clear but this has been a request on my facebook page by many and i decided to share it with the pic i already had in my system.
The lolis can be frozen half cooked and then reheated up. Do try them with scrambled eggs or omlette!!!!
They are yummy eaten cold also and can be taken on journeys because of their long shelf life…..
Do try out this recipe of mine and let me know 1 cup of whole wheat flour (atta)
a little chopped onion (2 tablespoons)
a little chopped green coriander(2 tablespoons)
a little chopped green chillies
a pinch of salt and pepper
a pinch of Nitu Didi cumin seeds
a pinch of dry pomogranet powder ( anardhana), PPTIONAL
a pinch of coriander seeds, crushed
abt quarter cup of oil for kneading..you can add a bit less and then add water if needed
METHOD:
mix all the ingredients together and knead it together with oil and make a hard dough, its important to knead it well,
leave it to sit for abt an hour covered and then reknead it a bit.
heat an iron gridle and make balls of your dough and roll it out not too thin.
bake it the hot girdle till brown. u can also add a bit of oil or butter when its nearly done.

Now i discovered a new way to serve loli! A cheesey loli for all the cheese lovers out there! Just half cook the loli and top it with cheese and pop it in a medium hot oven at 180 degrees till the cheese is melty and bubbly!
This variation is my creation and everyone at home loved it. You can use any kind of grated cheese for this.
NITUDIDI TIP: A good loli is the result of a good whole wheat dough. I use PILLSBURY CHAKKI FRESH AATA

For Jain recipe please omit the onions, this can also be made without the pomegranet seeds
Health benefits of whole wheat flour ?

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Fusion, Jain recipes, Low Cost, Quick Recipes, Typical Sindhi Dishes | Tagged eggless, jain, quick, sindhi recipe, vegetarian, whole wheat flour | Leave a comment

RICH CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Posted on December 3, 2012 by nituchugani

I have already uploaded the recipe of an eggless fatless brownie and today am going to teach you how to make rich chocolatey brownies a easy peasy way!
INGREDIENTS:
100 grams of melted butter
1.5 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
3 eggs
3/4 cup white flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or a little more
a pinch of salt
FOR THE TOPPING:
100 grams chocolate bar
METHOD:
Heat the oven to 170 degrees
Blend the melted butter with the sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add the eggs and beat well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the egg mixture into the dry mixture. Mix just till blended without over mixing. Grease a square pan and add the mixture into the pan and bake for about 40-45 minutes till done.
FOR THE TOPPING:
Melt the chocolate bar in a double boiler till melted. Spread over the baked brownie and leave to cool thoroughly. Cut into squares and serve.
Its awesome with vanilla icecream!
DOES CHOCOLATE COMBAT DEPRESSION??

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Crack an egg???, Floury Matter, Quick Recipes | Tagged brownies, chocolate, walnuts | 5 Comments

FENNEL SEED CHICKEN (CHICKEN IN SAUNF)

Posted on December 2, 2012 by nituchugani

Fennel/Aniseeds are these small seeds with a lovely mild licorish flavor to them. In India we have them sugar coated and used as a mouth freshener and also to calm a runny stomach. In Spain they have sweet biscuits flavored with them. I decided to flavor some chicken with them. Not many recipes use fennel seeds in them and i feel its one spice that needs to be used more often. I do use them to flavor my samosa filling tho…it gives it such a different delicate flavor.
So…if you do like fennel seeds , i am sure you will like this chicken
INGREDIENTS:
500 grams of chicken legs and thighs, remove the skin and make gashes in them
4 cloves of garlic
1″ piece ginger
2 green chillies or a small piece of green capsicum
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 onion chopped fine
2 tomatoes chopped fine
1 tablespoon of roasted and slightly pounded fennel seeds(aniseeds/saunf)
1/4 cup of chopped coriander leaves
4-5 curry leaves
extra chopped green chillies if you liek it hot
a pinch of turmeric and red chilli powder
4 tablespoons of either olive oil, cooking oil or butter
METHOD:
Blend the ginger garlic, green chillies in the blender with the lemon juice without adding water, I use my amazing bullet…its truly amazing.
Marinate the chicken with this and some salt for an hour.
Heat the oil or butter in a good thick non stick pan…i use my ceramic cookware. Be careful not to burn it. Add the marinated chicken and cook till the chicken gets a bit brownish..you wil have to keep on turning it.
Once its browned add the onion in it and cover it. Let the onions start sweating and then browning. Keep stirring so that it doesnt get burnt. Once the onions have browned add the fennel seeds, some salt, the red chilli powder, the turmeric and the curry leaves. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till softened. Taste and check seasoning. Add about half a cup of water and let it boil so that you can have some gravy.
Serve hot with rotis, naans or basmati rice.
Which fennel seeds are best???? And what can you do with them?
Nitu Chugani©

Posted in Chicken, Gluten Free, Healthy Options, Ideas for meals, Magic Bullet, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, Quick Recipes, Spices | Tagged .tasty, butter, chicken, fennel, original, quick | 2 Comments

FISH IN METHI (FENUGREEK)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by nituchugani

Fish in fenugreek is one of my favorite dishes. I hail from the province of Sindh and this way of making fish is quite popular in sindhi homes. Its delicious with rice or chapatis. What i like about this dish is the absence of spices and the way its just flavored with herbs giving it a very different flavor. After all we cant keep on flavoring our food in cumin/coriander and garam masala all the time! This recipe is dedicated to my dear father who used to love this! Each time i make it i remember him…. You can use any kind of white fish for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS FOR 2:
500 grams of white fish like hake, pomfret, monkfish etc…you can also use perch
1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons of finely chopped ginger
3 red tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon of dried fenugeek leaves or 1 cup of fresh fenugreek leaves ,chopped
1 cup of finely chopped coriander leaves
2 green chillies chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
salt to taste
1/2 cup of water
METHOD:
Wash the fish fillets and pat dry. Heat the oil in a good non stick frying pan ( i now use ceramic frying pans…they do not stick at all). Add the garlic and sautee till they start turning pale golden and imediately add the ginger and sautee for a few seconds taking care not to burn. Add the dried or fresh fenugreek leaves and the salt. Give it a quick toss and add the turmeric powder and green chillies. Toss again for a few seconds and add the chopped tomatoes and the coriander leaves. Cook till tomatoes get all smashed and cooked. Add the water and bring the whole gravy to a boil. Add the fish pieces in gently and with a spoon try and cover the fish with the sauce. Cover and cook for about 8-10 minutes till the fish is cooked. Gently turn the fish slices once to ensure its cooked thoroughly on both sides.
Check and correct seasoning. This can also be made with potatoes…its called “methi aloo” and also very famous.
If you cannot get fresh fenugreek leaves you can use the dried variety.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF FENUGREEK LEAVES
Fenugreek (Kasuri Methi) is an amazing magic herb that can cure number of ailments. Pakistani and traditional Chinese medicine recommend fenugreek to treat arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, improve digestion, maintain a healthy metabolism, increase libido and male potency, cure skin problems.
Which brand of fenugreek does one buy???