Friday 30 April 2010

Tur ji paut

Ingredients

2 cups tur dal soaked for 2hrs
4 pieces of kokum
5 to 8 chilies
½ ginger cut into small pieces
Pinch of hing
2tsp ghee
Salt & haldi to taste
Gud to taste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tomato chopped in big pieces
Hand full of curry leaves

Method

Boil the dal. In a tadka katori take little ghee add mustard seeds when the stop spluttering add hing, curry leaves. Add this to the dal then add haldi, salt, kokum, chilies, ginger, Gud & tomatoes. Boil for 20 min

Serve hot garnish with coriander leaves

Tridali paut

Ingredients

for main preparation:
1 1/2 glass of water
½ cup channa dal
1 cup moong dal
½ cup tur dal
5to8 green chilies
a small pc of ginger
4 pieces of aambeli ( dry mango)
turmeric and salt to taste
for tadka:
1/2tsp jeera
4-5 red chilies
a pinch of hing(asafetida)
2tsp ghee
8-10 curry leaves
for garnishing:
fresh green coriander leaves

Method
In a pressure cooker put all the 3 dals,1 1/2 glass water, boil for some time and wait for 1 whistle. mash the boiled dal with a mini-primer, add dry mango ,salt, turmeric powder chopped green chilies and ginger cut into small pieces, then add some water(as per your requirement for how dense u want the dal to be) and boil for 10 min. then prepare for tadka
in a tadka katori take little ghee, pinch of hing, curry leaves, dry red chilies, jeera and cook till spluttering sound of jeera is heard.
Add this tadka to the boiled dal and cook for 5-10 more minutes.
Your Tridali paut is ready
serve hot in a glass katori and garnish with fresh green coriander leaves.

BESAN SAAG

Ingredients
2 tbsp besan/gram flour
2 cups water
1 small eggplant
1 potato cut into big pieces
Salt – to taste
A pinch of hing
5 to 8 green chilies
1 tsp jeera
1 tbsp oil
Hand full curry leaves
½ tsp haldi
4 pieces dry mango/ aambeli
Coriander leaves (for garnish)

Ghantias: ½ cup besan , Salt – to taste, A pinch hing, ½ tbsp crushed coriander seeds, 1 tbsp oil & water as required

Method of making Ghantias: mix all ingredients together & make semi stiff dough. Make rolls & cut into 2 inches long pieces

Method
Mix besan & water together to make a batter. In a sauce pan, heat oil. When hot, add cumin seeds, chopped green chilies, asafetida ,and curry leaves. Allow it to temper. Add the gram flour batter to this tempered mixture & add eggplant, salt & haldi. Let it boil on a high flame. Once it starts to boil add dry mangoes, potatoes & Ghantias. Reduce the flame to medium low. & let it simmer once the Ghantias are cooked the besan saag is ready to be served.

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with rice.

Thursday 29 April 2010

Bhatia Kadhi

Ingredients
1 cup water from tur dal ( the water in which you boil the dal)
2 tbsp besan
1 tsp jeera, hurba ( fenugreek seeds) , each
1 potato cut in big pieces
4 pieces suran/yam
4 pieces drumstick
4 pieces bhindi
4 pieces gavar
½ inch Ginger cut into small pieces
2 cups water
4 kokum
Some dry channa or black eye peas ( lubia) soaked
8 to 15 chilies as per taste cut into half
1tbsp oil
Salt to taste
½ tsp haldi
Sugar to taste
Hand full of curry leaves
A pinch of hing ( as we say in our language unchi vagarani)

Method

Mix the besan in water & keep aside
Heat oil in a sauce pan add jeera, fenugreek seeds, a pinch of hing. Then add curry leaves, chilies, ginger, suran, gavar, and channa/lubia & add the besan mixture. Add tur dal water, haldi & salt. Allow it to boil then add potatoes, kokum & drum sticks. Lower the heat to medium flame & let it cook for ½ hour.
Then check the seasoning & add sugar accordingly as Bhatia kadhi is should be a mixture of all flavors sweet , sour& hot. Now you can add bhindi & then cook till the bhindi is cooked. Now your delicious Bhatia kadhi is ready to be served with Dal chawal or mong chawal.
Note: you can even add banana to it & it changes a bit of flavor. You have to add the skin of the banana to get the taste, but discard it before serving. As a health alternative you can use canola oil it doesn’t affect the taste.

Wednesday 28 April 2010

Monday 26 April 2010

Festive Cardamom Biscuits




Ingredients:

300 gm flour
125 gm castor sugar
200 gm chilled butter
1/2 tsp cardamom powder


To Decorate
2 tbsp castor sugar
edible food color


Method:

Mix flour, sugar and spice in a bowl. With your fingertips, rub in diced butter into the flour. When the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, knead it into soft dough.

Knead on a floured surface until smooth. Wrap the dough in a paper and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll on a floured surface till 1/8" thick. Cut and arrange on a baking tray. Chill for ten minutes.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 degree C for ten minutes or until golden.

Dip each biscuit into a plain or colored sugar and cool before storing in an airtight tin

Pineapple Pastry

Ingredients:

8"2 plain vanilla sponge square
1 cup pineapples-chopped fine
3 tbsp pineapple juice/syrup
3 cups cream-chilled
1 tbsp sugar
cherries and pineapple slices for garnish

Method:

Whip the cream with the sugar, till it holds its shape. Be careful not to over beat, as it will turn into butter.

Place one sponge on the plate upside down, remove the paper and spread the chopped pineapple over it in a layer.

Spread a layer of cream over this and cover with the second sponge, upside down.

Remove the paper and sprinkle with the juice/syrup. Now cover neatly with a layer of cream. Cut into desired sized rectangles and decorate with piped whipped cream.

Garnish with the pineapple slice and cherries, chill and serve.

Home-Made Chocolates

Ingredients:

160 gm semi sweet chocolate
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup nuts - chopped
1 tsp Vanilla/almond essence
a greased plate to keep the chocolates

Method:

Place chocolate and milk in a pan.

In a bigger pan, bring water to a boil and shut off the heat.

Immediately, place the pan with the chocolate over this hot water and stir slowly as soon as it starts to melt.

When the whole mixture is well blended take the pan off the heat immediately. Mix in the vanilla.

Stir in the nuts, and drop spoonfuls of mixture on the greased plate and leave to set. Your chocolates are ready.

Dessert Delight



Ingredients:

2 slice chocolate cake,
2 chocolates, cut into pieces
2 bananas
3 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemonjuice
1/2 cup cream
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
100 gm butter



Method:

Cut the bananas into not so small pieces. Heat the butter (a little more than warm) and put in the banana pieces and cook for two minutes.

Add the sugar and continue cooking till it is completely done. Then add the lemon juice and continue cooking.

In another pan, melt the cut pieces of chocolate and the cream and cook on a slow flame. Spread the cooked banana evenly on the chocolate slices.

Now decorate the chocolate slices with the melted chocolate-cream mixture and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on its side.

Ice cream cake



Ingredients:

1/2 litre vanilla ice cream
1/2 litre chocolate ice cream
1 tbsp chopped tutti frutti or cherries ( dried)
4 tbsp chopped mango
2 tbsp rum
125 ml whipped cream
3 tbsp chopped roasted almonds
dusting of cocoa and icing sugar


Method:

Fill a 7-8" cake tin with vanilla ice cream and then chocolate ice cream reserving three tbsp for top.

Fill centre with candied peel, mixed with mango, rum and cream.

Cover with remaining ice cream. Cover with foil and freeze over night.

Serve dusted with icing sugar and nuts.

Apple Pie with Raisin Chutney



Ingredients

For Apple Pie Filling

100 gm Butter
4 Medium Apple
1/3 tsp Cinnamon
15 -20 gm Sugar

For Pie Cover

100 gm Flour
100 gm Icing Sugar
100 gm Butter
50 ml Water

For Raisin Chutney

1 tbsp Whole mix spices
100 gm Raisin
30 gm Sugar
20 ml Lemon Juice
20 ml Orange Juice

Method

For Apple Pie Filling

Peel the apples & chop. Add in a sauce pan, moist the apples with 100 gm of butter and add 1/3 tsp Cinnamon and 15-20 gms sugar, cook it till it becomes thick.

Fill the pie shell with the apple mixture.

For Pie Cover
Prepare the pie dough, mix 100 gm flour, 100 gm butter, 100 gm icing sugar till it becomes crumbly; add 50 ml water into it to form smooth dough.

Divide the dough in two equal pieces. Refrigerate for ½ a hr. Roll half of the dough 1/8 inch thick and line the pie pan. Reserve the other half wrapped tightly under refrigeration.

Roll out the remaining dough 1/8 inch thick and place it over the filling. Crimp the edges to seal, cutting several vents in the top of the pie. Bake at 180 C, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool to room temperature before serving.

For Raisin Chutney

Cook 100 gm raisins, 30 gm sugar, 20 ml lemon juice, 20 ml orange juice and whole spice together on slow fire till it becomes soft. Serve with hot apple pie.

Chocolate Tart with Milk Chocolate Ganache



Ingredients:

200 gm melted dark chocolate
150 gm milk chocolate
175 ml fresh cream

Method:

Melt the dark chocolate and cool it to the room temperature and brush them on silicon moulds. Keep it in the freezer for at least 10 to 15 mins.

Boil the cream and add the mix of dark and white chocolate into it. Pour in the melted mix into the chocolate mould.

Set it in the fridge for atleast an hour and serve cold.

Sugarfree Mango and Black Pepper Cheese Cake



Ingredients

150 gm Cream Cheese ( mascarpone cheese)
50 gm sugar-free
250 ml cream
180 gm Mango puree
1 tbsp black pepper
3 gm gelatin

For Biscuit base
100 gm sugar free biscuits
50 gm melted butter

Method

Crush the biscuits and add in the melted butter. Now spread the mixture in a springform pan & refrigerate for 15 mins.

In a large bowl, fold in the cream cheese, sugarfree natura, cream, mango puree, black pepper and gelatin.

Pour it over biscuit base and refrigerate for an hour and serve cold.

Cafe Au Lait or Coffee & Cream Cheese Mousse



Ingredients

150 ml whipped cream
30 gm sugar
125 gm cream cheese
1 tsp gelatin
20 gm coffee powder
1 kg chocolate sponge or 6 cookies
100 gm chocolate
50 ml cream

Method

Soak the gelatin in cold water .

Whip the cream and sugar, gently fold in the cheese and set it aside.

Melt the gelatin in the sauce pan and add little water to coffee power.

Mix the gelatin and coffee into the whipped cream.

Cut roundels of chocolate sponge and fill the whipped cream mixer in the mold and cover it with chocolate sponge.

Boil cream add chocolate to make garnish .pour over the chocolate sponge to give it a thin layered.

Set it in the fridge for 30 mins.

Saturday 24 April 2010

Cinnamon hot chocolate



Ingredients

500 grams of dark chocolate sweetened
480 grams of milk powder, full cream
As per taste Cayenne pepper (red hot)
1 large piece of cinnamon
Hot water or milk as required

Method

In a large mixing bowl add the grated chocolate, milk powder and red pepper to taste

Mix well.

Use ½ cup of mixture of chocolate with every cup of milk or hot water, and the preparation of hot chocolate be sure to boil the mixture for at least 15 seconds and use the cinnamon stick to stir and presents the marshmallow (optional)

Chocolate Mousse Royale (vegan)



Ingredients

950 ml of a full-fat or whipped cream
400 grams of dark chocolate sweetened semi solid

Method

whip the cream once the cream stars becoming stiff then slowly add the chocolate & start folding the cream on the chocolate & continue folding till the mixture is in pouring consistency.

Pour in a tall glass & refrigerate for 30 min & serve

Chocolate lollipop


Ingredients
1 cup of nuts (optional)
450 grams of dark chocolate sweetened (melted)
450 grams of white chocolate (melted)
450 grams of milk chocolate (melted)
Spray oil
Other Requirements
• mold in the form of lollipops
• stick lollipops

How to prepare
Add the nuts to one or all of the types of chocolate & spray the mold
Pour in the molds until chocolate completely filled
Put a popsicle stick in place so that they remain fixed in the mold
Leave aside the mold to bond chocolate
Once the chocolate is firm de-mold & enjoy

Chocolate covered dried cherries


Ingredients
2 Cup of dried cherries
450 grams of dark chocolate sweetened soft

Method
Heat a pan on low flame add cherries & sauté for 2 min

Then add the chocolate to the cherries & mix well so that the chocolate coats the cherries completely. Now mold the chocolate as require & use.


Note: Use a larger amount of chocolate if you want thicker layer of chocolate and vice versa

Chocolate cornflakes


Ingredients

4 cups of corn flakes
450 gms of dark chocolate and sweetened soft

Method

Put corn flakes in a large bowl and pour over it about half the amount of chocolate & mix well so that chocolate covers the corn flakes properly.
Keep aside for 30 min or when you feel the chocolate has started drying add the remaining chocolate to the mixture to form a second layer of chocolates on the corn flakes.
to make bite size chocolates place spoon fulls on a baking tray or make balls & keep it in a airtight container.

If want to serve hot just place the mixture in a microwave safe bowl & heat for 30 sec on med high temperature.

Friday 23 April 2010

Instant Chocolate Coffee Milk Shake


1 cup Milk (cold)
1 Tsp Coffee, Instant chocolate pwd
Sugar as per taste
1 scoop chocolate ice cream
1 tbsp Vanilla ice cream

Method

Mix all ingredients together except vanilla ice cream
Give it a nice shake or whip it until the sugar is dissolved
You can have it at the same time or if you want it to be more chilled just freeze it for a while & while serving it add the vanilla ice-cream on the top & sprinkle some chocolate pwd on top & enjoy your shake

Unusual Recipes ( Bounty Fritters or Chocolate Pakoras & Drumsticks Cutlets)



Bounty Fritters or Chocolate Pakoras
1 pack mini bounty chocolates
1 cup plain flour
1 cup cornflour
1/4 cup sugar
1/5 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup water

Method :
Sift plain flour, cornflour, baking soda, sugar and salt. Add evaporated milk and water. Work into batter which is coat-able consistency. Heat wok with oil. Lower heat. Take out Bounty chocolates and dip it in batter. Then put it in oil. Deep fry & Continue to fry fritters until golden. Wipe dry with oil absorbing paper. Allow to cool.

Serves 4 - 6
Comments: These fritters taste different & can be eaten as a desert or as munchers.
They taste awesome & once you eat them you want to eat more. Enjoy!!!!!



Drumsticks cutlets

Ingredients
10-12 large fleshy drumsticks, unpeeled, cut into 3" fingers
1 cup roasted gram, whole
5 slices bread crumbled coarsely
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs for coating
3-4 flakes garlic, grated
1" piece ginger, grated
3-4 green chillies finely minced
1 large onion, coarsely grated, sprinkle with a little salt
1 tbsp. coriander leaves finely chopped
1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Preparations
Boil drumsticks in plenty of water. Remove.
Scrape out inside flesh carefully, with a blunt knife, or back of a spoon.
Cool, run in a mixie till smooth.
Toast whole gram lightly on griddle till light golden.
Powder gram in mixie till fine, keep aside.
Press out all excess water from salted onions.
Heat one tbsp. oil
Add grated garlic, ginger, chillies, onions.
Stir till onions are tender.
Add drumstick pulp, salt, garam masala, coriander leaves
Cool a little.
Add ground gram, crumbled bread, mix into a lump.
Make small oblong cutlets with mixture, roll in breadcrumbs.
Chill for 10 minutes, reroll in breadcrumbs.
Fry in hot oil, till crisp and golden.
Serve hot with sauce, tamarind chutney, or green chutney.
Making time: 30 minutes
Makes: 15

Thursday 22 April 2010

Burj Khalifa facts and figures


· Burj Khalifa is located in Dubai, UAE.

· It’s 828 metres tall (2,717 feet).

· The exact height was not revealed until final stages of the construction.

· It was officially opened on Jan 4, 2010.

· It was previously known as Burj Dubai.

· Burj means Tower in Arabic language.

· It’s renamed after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi.

· The tower’s official website iswww.burjkhalifa.ae

· Tallest building, previously Taiwan’s Taipei 101 (509m).

· Tallest free-standing structure, previously Canada’s CN Tower (555m).

· Tallest man-made structure, previously USA’s KVLY-TV Mast (629m).

· Tallest man-made structure ever, previously Poland’s Warsaw Radio Mast (647m).

· Building with most floors (160), previously USA’s World Trade Center (110).

· Highest elevator installation.

· Highest outdoor observation deck (~440m)

· Highest mosque at 158th floor.

· Fastest elevators at speed of 64km/h, or 18m/s.

· It would take just a minute to reach from ground level to top floor.

· Burj Dubai has more than 162 floors.

· It has 49 office floors.

· It houses 1044 residential apartments.

· It has a floor area of 334,000 square metres.

· There’s 57 lifts in the tower.

· There’s 28,261 of glass-panels on the exterior of the tower.

· Its top spire can be seen from 95km afar.

· The architecture features a triple-lobed footprint, an abstraction of the Hymenocallis flower.

· The Y-shaped floor plan aims to maximize views of the Gulf.

· Over 1,000 pieces of art from prominent Middle Eastern and international artists will adorn the tower and the surrounding Emaar Boulevard.

· The tower’s peak electricity demand is estimated at 50MVA, equivalent to roughly 500,000 100-watt light bulbs.

· It’s expected to use an average of 946,000 litres of water each day.

· During peak cooling conditions, the tower will require around 12,500 tons of cooling, equivalent to the cooling capacity of about 10,000 tons of melting ice.

· Construction began in September 2004 and took 1,325 days

· The tower’s architect and engineer is Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (Chicago).

· The main constructor is Emaar Properties, a joint venture by Korea’s Samsung C&T, Belgium’s Besix and UAE’s Arabtec.

· The construction project manager is Turner Construction Company.

· Bill Baker is the chief structural engineer.

· Adrian Smith is consulting design partner.

· It took some 22 million man-hours to be completed.

· On downside, foreign construction workers were pay as little as $4 per day.

· Over 45,000 cubic-metres of concrete, weighing more than 110,000 tonnes, were used.

· Concrete used was enough to lay a 2,065km-long pavement; and equivalent to the weight of 100,000 elephants.

· Total weight of aluminium used is equivalent to that of five A380 aircraft.

· Total length of stainless steel bull nose fins used is equal to 293 times the height of France’s Eiffel Tower.

· The foundations were dug to depths of 50m.

· Total cost estimated at US$1.5 billion.

· The price for the offices spaces reached as high as US$4,000 per sq ft.

· Residential spaces as high as US$3,500 per sq ft.

· The building is part of the a 490-acre flagship development called Downtown Burj Khalifa.

· Burj Khalifa is about twice the height of Empire State Building (443m).

· It’s taller than Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak (552m).

· It’s the first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space.

· It will feature the world’s first Armani Hotel, which occupies 15 of the lower 39 floors.

· The exterior temperature at the top of will be 6°C cooler than its base (some say 10°C).

· Jan 4, its opening date, was the birthday of Sir Isaac Newton.

· Around 12,000 people are expected to live and work in the tower when it’s fully occupied.

· 103,000 Volume of glass used for exterior façade, in square metres

· 15,500 Volume of stainless steel used for cladding, in square metres

· 10 Maximum speed, in metres per second, at which lifts in the Burj travel

· 192 Number of piles that were used in the building’s foundations

· 5,670,000 Total built up area of the tower, in square feet

· 330,000 Volume of concrete used to build the tower, in cubic metres

· 39,000 Amount of reinforced steel used to build the tower, in metric tonnes

· The highest residential floor is on the 109th floor with the observation deck at the 124th floor.

· The world's tallest skyscraper uses double-decker elevators to present a futuristic look

· World's highest swimming pool (76th floor)

· World's highest elevator installation

· Artistically designed to withstand Dubai's towering temperatures in the hot summers, the exterior fascia contains 22,000 cladding panels made of a reflective glazing, engrained with numerous stainless steel tubular upright fins and aluminum and textured stainless steel spandrel panels)

· Interestingly, the next tallest building is the world, the Taipei 101, with an antenna height of just 509.2m (1670.6ft) cost $1.76 billion.

· Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Taipei 101 - 449.2 m (1,474 ft))

· Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previously Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant - 532 m (1,745 ft))

· World's highest installation of an aluminium and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)

· It weighs 500,000 tonnes.

· The Armani Hotel in the tower is described as an "ultra-luxe seven-star" hotel. It self-proclaims itself as the world's most luxurious hotel.

· Although there are 200 storeys, 40 are uninhabited and unnumbered. The top floor is therefore the 160th floor, immediately below the spire. It is full of mechanical stuff. Floors 156 to 159 are used for communication and broadcast purposes and 155 is more mechanical stuff. The best people can do is floors 139 to 154, which house corporate suites.