CHICKEN AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO WITH WINE

 

Risotto the creamy way to eat your rice! You can make this in so many ways, with meat, vegetables, chicken, seafood or even just with the stock of your choice.
I have already uploaded a video of a seafood and sparkling wine risotto and was asked to do a chicken and mushroom one.
The vegetarians can omit the chicken and follow the same steps using a vegetable stock.
The secret to a great risotto is adding the stock slowly so that the rice gets its creamy consistency…this requires patience..a little patience and you have an amazing risotto!!
I dont know why people find it daunting to make risotto…its quite easy!! I hope this video and recipe guides you
INGREDIENTS FOR 4-6
500 grams of cubed chicken breast
250 grams of cubed mushrooms
2 cups of rice
2 tablespoons of butter plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion chopped
1 chicken stock cube
1 small pinch Nitu Didi pure spanish saffron
salt and pepper to taste
chicken stock as needed
1 small glass of white wine (OPTIONAL AS THE VIDEO SAYS)
cream and grated parmesan cheese for garnish
METHOD:
In a deep pan heat the butter and add the olive oil to prevent it from burning. Add the chicken cubes and sautee till they are not raw. Remove onto a plate and sautee the mushrooms in the same butter oil mixture. Remove and keep aside and add the onion and sautee till transparent. Then add the salt and add the rice and sautee till the rice starts to stick then add the wine and cook till all the wine evaporates (this process is to kill the alcohol content in the rice..and leave it with just the flavor) Once that is done add the stock cube and the saffron and then the chicken stock little by little waiting for it to evaporate before adding more and stirring so the rice gets creamy, When it is 90% cooked add the chicken and mushrooms back in the pan and finish cooking til the rice is done. Add the cream if you wish and stir. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
ENJOY!!

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VEGETARIAN NOODLES

Noodles are a favourite with everyone! There are soo many types of noodles one can make… chinese fine egg noodles, veg noodles, flat ones, rice ones, udon noodles…i can go on and on…whichever noodle you choose to make is upto you. Even the choice of meat or veggies to make them with can vary from tastebud to tastebud. So here i will teach you a simple noodle recipe you can make with a few ingredients from your kitchen!
INGREDIENTS:
1 small packet of noodles of your choice cooked by the instructions (  i used chinese veg flat noodles)
2 cups of shredded cabbage
1 cup of leeks, chopped fine
1/2 cup of canned bamboo shoots chopped fine
1/4 cup of green capsicum
2 tablespoons of ginger garlic paste
soya sauce to taste
salt and white pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
few drops of rice vinegar
chilli oil to taste ( i did not put-you can also add chilli sauce of your choice)
METHOD:
in a wok heat a few tablespoons of oil and sautee the ginger garlic for half a minute and then add all the vegetables for a minute. Add the noodles and toss well. Add the seasoning and mix everything well. Taste and correct seasoning. Cook till well heated and serve hot

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VEGETABLE PAKORAS(ONION BHAJJI) GLUTEN FREE

This is soo popular as an alternative to samosas in an indian restaurant. The british named it ONION BHAJJI which comes from the word ONION BAJIYAS..and we sindhis call is SANA PAKORAS.. well whatever you call it..these lovely gluten free vegetable fritters are an excellent starter…yummy on rainy days…can be eaten cold… but verry delicious hot from the fryer into your mouth!! And if you make many….you can freeze them (thats it you have left overs) or you can make a home made sauce with onions, tomatoes and spices and put these pakoras into them!! SOOO many ways for 1 simple dish!!! What do you all say??? This is the basic recipe… many have their own versions…this pic was sent to me by Reema Sonu…i gave her the recipe over the phone.  Thank you Reema sweetie 🙂
INGREDIENTS
2  cups of gram flour (besan, chickpea flour, harina de garbanzos)
1 onion finely chopped
1 courgette (turai) finely chopped
1 potato, grated
1/2 cup of red and green capsicum chopped fine
1/4 cup of grated carrot
1/4 cup of chopped coriander leaves
green chillies chopped if you want them spicy
1 teaspoon of Nitu Didi cumin seeds
a pinch of Nitu Didi turmeric powder
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Carbonated water to make the batter (agua con gas, soda water)..this is IMPORTANT if you want non oily pakoras

METHOD
heat the oil in the deep fryer. Prepare all the vegetables and mix with the gram flour, add the seasoning and mix everything verry well. Add the carbonated water and make a thick batter. Drop spoonfulls into the hot oil and fry till golden brown. IMPORTANT…do not let the batter sit… else the carbonated water will lose its fizz and then the effect of using it is lost
SERVE WITH CHUTNEY OF YOUR CHOICE

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Gluten Free, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Typical Sindhi Dishes, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

SPINACH KABABS(HARA BHARA) VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

HARA BHARA KABAB
an excellent starter for the vegetarians in your party
i know this is made with channa daal but NITU DIDI makes it WITH HER OWN DIFFERENT TOUCH
so here is my version

1/2 cup of boiled channa dal lentil, drained

1 cup of spinach steamed and water drained off completely
1/2 cup each of green peas and finely chopped green beans boiled
1 big potato boiled
a little paste of ginger and green chillies
1 teaspoon of garam masala
1/2 teaspoon each of kasuri methi and chaat masala ( u can add more chaat masala if u like), you can also add a 1/4 teaspoon each of cumin, coriander and garam masala powder..Nitu Didis
salt
2 tablespoons of roasted gram flour (besan)
METHOD
mash the potato and add the all the ingredients and mash well. keep in the fridge for a few hours to harden. shape into kababs and shallow fry in a little oil and a non stick frying pan.
IF YOUR KABABS BREAK , which it shouldnt…BUT IF THEY DO U CAN ADD SOME BREADCRUMBS
serve with chutney of your choice

TIP: for gluten free dont add breadcrumbs… you can even roll them a bit in dry gram flour..These can be pan fried or deep fried…FOR DEEP FRYING… make sure the dough is firm…else you will have a mess

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Veg Starters, Vegan | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

TANDOORI CHICKEN (CAN BE MADE WITHOUT ANY OIL)

I love tandoori chicken!! Whenever i am asked what i can eat almost everyday…its TANDOORI CHICKEN!! i make it simply and without oil… you can brush it with oil or butter…the option is totally yours but it doesnt  make much of a difference

FOR 1 WHOLE CHICKEN (skinless, with gashes all over…see pic)

150 grams yogurt

1 whole pod of garlic

1.5 inch of ginger (less if u want it milder)

2 heaped tablespoons of Nitu Didi tandoori masala

salt to taste and juice of 1 lime, red food coloring if you wish

red chilli powder if u want it hot

Blend all the ingredients in a blender till smooth. Marinate the chicken in this mixture overnight. Bake in a hot oven (200 deg) till done, browned n crispy!!!!

FOR THE VIDEO ON CHICKEN TIKKA WHICH IS THE SAME RECIPE

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THEPLAS STEP BY STEP

step by step recipe of theplas pics and recipe sent to me by PINKY NAGDEV..thank you soo much PINKY..now you can all learn it her way….plus the recipe has also been written by her 🙂

STEP 1STEP 2STEP 3STEP4STEP 5

STEP 6STEP 7STEP 8step 9HERE ARE YOUR LOVELY THEPLAS

enjoy with papad and pickles!!

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Floury Matter, Step by Step | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

RED AND GREEN CHUTNEY

Two different chutneys to spice up your life!! Well they dont have to be spicy because the heat in them is optional. These chutneys keep for a week in the fridge BUT i add citric acid crystals or white vinegar and they last longer. They both last me more than 3 weeks
TIP: always use a clean spoon and store it in an airtight jar or container
RED CHUTNEY
1 tomato
1 red capsicum
4-5 flakes of garlic
2 tablespoons of chopped ginger
5-6 birds eye dried red chillies ( if you want it hot)
salt and sugar to taste
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
Blend everything in a blender without water. If you want to add citric acid crystals just add a pinch. Taste and correct the taste acording to your tastebuds and refrigerate.

GREEN CHUTNEY
1 cup of washed and chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons of washed and chopped mint leaves
3-4 flakes of garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped ginger
5-6 green chillies
1 tomato (green if possible- i used a red one)
salt and sugar to taste
2 tablespoons of white vinegar
Blend everything in a blender without water. If you want to add citric acid crystals just add a pinch. Taste and correct the taste acording to your tastebuds and refrigerate.

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Indian Restaurant Dishes, Sauces and Chutneys, Vegan | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

SPICY BAKED CHICKEN WINGS

These spicy wings are healthy to eat because they are baked and have no added oil on them!
You can mix and match the spices acording to your own kitchen cupboard contents and the heat comes from the amount of chilli powder you use so that can be adjusted.
INGREDIENTS for 2
500 grams chicken wings, tip cut off and cut into 2 (i trim off the excess skin and fat and even prick them with a knife so the marinade penetrates in)
1/2 teaspoon each of Nitu Didis coriander powder, cumin powder, lemon pepper, hot paprika powder garlic powder and turmeric powder
salt and chilli powder to taste
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
METHOD:
mix the spices and sprinkle all over the chicken wings with the salt and lemon juice rub the spices well into the chicken and leave for 2 hours to marinate
put into a baking tray and bake  in a preheated hot oven till golden on both sides (you will have to turn them once after 15 minutes )
YUMMY!!!!

Posted in Chicken, Nitu´s Spicy Delights, NO OIL RECIPES | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

STEAMED RICE WITH VEGETABLES

This is a nourishing steamed rice and vegetable dish with the minimum of flavoring.The wonderful flavor comes out of the dipping sauces you can make to flavor this dish with. For those of you who dont like your food very spicy or with many sauces…this recipe is for YOU…you can mix and match the vegetables acording to whats in season. A must is cabbage and mushrooms coz they are very flavorful vegetables and give this dish its distinctive taste
INGREDIENTS FOR 4
1 cup roughly chopped cabbage
1/2 cup of white mushrooms , quartered of left whole if tiny
1/4 cup of green beans chopped
a little celery chopped
a little grated ginger
springonions or leeks chopped
1 vegetable stock cube (optional)
1 cup of rice
2 cups of boiling water
salt to taste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
METHOD
in a pan heat the olive oil and put in the grated ginger and then the  rice and sautee for 1 minute with salt. Add the water and then go on adding the vegetables acording to cooking time, 1st the mushrooms and the celery and then as it keeps on cooking you can add the beans and the leeks…the cabbage takes a few seconds to cook so add that last. The trick is to have all the flavor of the vegetables and for them to remain crisp and crunchy while the rice is being cooked. Serve immediately and with different dipping sauces or chilli sauces.
SOYA DIPPING SAUCE
mix soyasauce with honey, grated ginger, sesame oil

Posted in Everything Vegetarian, Rice is Nice, Vegan | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

EGGLESS VANILLA SPONGE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

This is the recipe together with the video so its all very well explained.
FOR THE EGGLESS VANILLA SPONGE
1 yogurt used as a measurement (about 150 grams)
1 3/4th measurement of sugar
3 measurements of white flour
2/4 measurement of oil
1 measurement of whole milk
1 envelope (2.5 teaspoons) of baking powder
3/4 teaspoon of soda bicarbonate
1 heaped tablespoon of vanilla essence
FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE
1/2 cup milk
200 grams of milk chocolate

THE SAME RECIPE WITH 2 EGGS AND THE CARAMALISED NUTS SPRINKLED ON TOP

 

Posted in A Piece of Cake???, Eggless Sweet Temptations | Tagged , , | 1 Comment