Mango yogurt popsicles {Helados de mango y yogurt

Ingredients

• 3 cups of plain yogurt (or vanilla yogurt – omit honey)
• 4-5 ripe mangoes, about 20 oz after peeled/sliced, cut into pieces – can also use frozen mango chunks
• ¼ to ½ cup sugar or honey (can also use a banana to sweeten)

Instructions

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix until you have a smoothie like mix. Taste and add additional honey (or sugar) if needed.
2. Pour the mango yogurt mix into popsicle molds or small paper/plastic cups. If you using small cups as popsicle molds you can cover them with foil and insert the popsicle stick thru the foil to keep them in place. Or let them freeze for about an hour and then add the sticks.
3. Place the popsicles in the freezer until they are fully frozen, about 4 hours (more or less depending on your freezer’s temperature). To make it easier to remove them from the molds or cups, you can dip the bottom of the mold in lukewarm water for about 10-20 seconds.

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PALAK AUR CHANA DAL KEBAB

INGREDIENTS

• Chane ki Dal - 1 cup
• Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
• Palak - 2 cups
• Bread slices - 2 ( Remove the corners )
• Green chilli - 2 tsp ( Chopped )
• Fresh coriander - 2 tbsp ( Chopped )
• Ginger - 2 tsp ( Grated )
• Roasted cumin powder - ½ tsp
• Rice flour - 2 tbsp
• Freshly ground black pepper - ½ tsp
• Chaat masala - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Egg white - 3 eggs
• Oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash chane ki dal and add it in a pressure cooker along with salt, turmeric powder and 2 cups of water.
2. Pressure cook until dal is done.
3. Do not over cook.
4. Strain the water and transfer the dal in a bowl.
5. Heat water in a big pot.
6. When the water comes to a boil, add the spinach.
7. Cook for a minute and then drain the water.
8. Chop the spinach into a coarse puree.
9. Transfer the spinach puree in the bowl along with cooked dal.
10. Add bread slices, chilli, coriander, ginger, cumin powder, rice flour, black pepper, chaat masala and salt and mix well.
11. Make small patties from the mixture.
12. Whisk egg white in a bowl.
13. Dip the patties in the egg white.
14. Shallow fry the kebabs until golden brown from both the sides.
15. Serve hot with coriander chutney.

AUTHENTIC CHICKEN KARAHI CURRY

INGREDIENTS

• 500 grams Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 kilo chopped tomatoes (no need to peel)
• 1 medium red onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1½ teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon white cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ cup water
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
• 2 - 3 green chilis (optional)
• dash of lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut chicken breasts into chunks.
2. Roughly chop the tomatoes without removing the skin and mince garlic and ginger.
3. Heat oil in pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they start to turn golden.
4. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute while constantly stirring.
5. Add the chicken to the pan and sauté (until the chicken has turned white).
6. Add all the spices (red chili powder, garam masala, white cumin and turmeric) and cook for 30 seconds while constantly stirring.
7. Immediately add ½ cup water to the pan to prevent the spices from burning and follow it with the chopped tomatoes.
8. Leave to cook on medium to low heat for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until the tomatoes have completely dissolved.
9. Add more water and cook for 5 minutes longer if the chicken isn't tender yet. All the spices will infuse into the chicken and by the time it's tender they'll be infused into the chicken - yum!
10. Taste and adjust spices. Add salt to taste.
11. Garnish with green chilis and coriander before serving as well as a dash of lemon juice.

NOTES

You can use garlic and ginger paste instead of minced ginger and garlic. 
Add a little water and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer if tomatoes haven't dissolved completely before taking off the stove.

How to make Khoya at home ~ Homemade Mawa / Khoa Recipe with step by step pictures

Ingredients:

• 1.5 litres Milk
  
• Method:
• Take the milk in a deep and wide non stick pan.
• Bring the milk to a boil.
• Once the milk boils, reduce the flame to between medium to low. 
• Scrap the sides of the pan and stir occasionally.

• When the milk thickens, reduce the flame to low. Stir and scrap the mixture constantly.
• Keep stirring until the milk completely thickens and forms the khoya.
• Remove it from the flame and let it cool.
• Khoya will thicken some more as it cools.

Roshogolla / Rasagola / Rasgulla Recipe

Ingredients:

Milk: 2 cups
Water: 1 and 3/4 cup 
Sugar : 1 cup
Lemon Juice: 1 and half tbsp
A pinch of cardamom powder or A few drops of rose essence

Method:

1. In a vessel, bring the milk to a boil. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to it and mix until the milk curdles. 

2. Keep stirring and then add the remaining lemon juice. Keep stirring until the whey completely separates.

3. Switch off the heat and strain the paneer in a cheese cloth. 

4. Wash the paneer with fresh water to wash away the sourness of the lemon. 

5. Bring the edges of the cloth up and tie it together. Squeeze the excess water and hang the cloth above the sink for 30 minutes. 

6. Knead the paneer to make a smooth pliable. Kneading the paneer is very important. Knead it for 10 minutes. 
  
7. Divide the paneer dough into equal size small portions and shape each portion into a smooth round ball.

8. In a wide vessel, add the sugar and water and allow the sugar to melt. 

9. Now reduce the heat to medium flame and add the rasgullas carefully. 

10. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 -15 minutes. Open the lid occasionally. 

11. Then switch off the flame and let them cool completely. 

12. Refrigerate it and serve chilled. 

Chinese fried rice

• Ingredients

•  1 1/2 cups SunRice White Long Grain Rice
•  3 eggs
•  2 teaspoons sesame oil
•  3 teaspoons peanut oil
•  5 (30g each) dried Chinese pork sausages, thinly sliced (see note)
•  3 green onions, thinly sliced
•  2 garlic cloves, crushed
•  1 long red chilli, finely chopped
•  2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce
•  1 tablespoon oyster sauce
•  1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
•  1 long red chilli, deseeded, thinly sliced lengthways, to serve
• • Method
  1. Step 1
     Cook rice following absorption method on packet until tender. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Spread rice over prepared tray. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours.
  2. Step 2
     Combine eggs and half the sesame oil in a jug. Heat a wok over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon peanut oil. Swirl to coat. Add one-third of the egg mixture. Swirl to coat. Cook for 1 minute or until just set. Remove to a board. Roll up. Thinly slice. Repeat twice with remaining peanut oil and egg mixture.
  3. Step 3
     Add sausage and onion to wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until sausage has browned. Add garlic and chilli. Stir-fry for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, peas and remaining sesame oil. Stir-fry for 2 minutes or until heated through. Top with chilli. Serve.
     • Notes
     Dried Chinese pork sausage (lup chong) is available in the Asian section of supermarkets. You could use 175g rindless, shortcut bacon rashers, chopped, instead.

Beef Brisket Pot Roast

Ingredients

• 4-5 pound beef brisket
• Salt
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 2 cups of beef stock
• 2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 Tbsp mustard (optional)

Method

1 Prepare the brisket for cooking: On one side of the brisket there should be a layer of fat, which you want. If there are any large chunks of fat, cut them off and discard them. Large pieces of fat will not be able to render out completely.

Using a sharp knife, score the fat in parallel lines, about 3/4-inch apart. Slice through the fat, not the beef. Repeat in the opposite direction to make a cross-hatch pattern.

Salt the brisket well and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2 Sear the brisket: You'll need an oven-proof, thick-bottomed pot with a cover, or Dutch oven, that is just wide enough to hold the brisket roast with a little room for the onions.

Pat the brisket dry and place it, fatty side down, into the pot and place it on medium high heat. Cook for 5-8 minutes, lightly sizzling, until the fat side is nicely browned. (If the roast seems to be cooking too fast, turn the heat down to medium. You want a steady sizzle, not a raging sear.)

Turn the brisket over and cook for a few minutes more to brown the other side.

3 Sauté the onions and garlic: When the brisket has browned, remove it from the pot and set aside. There should be a couple tablespoons of fat rendered in the pot, if not, add some olive oil.

Add the chopped onions and increase the heat to high. Sprinkle a little salt on the onions. Sauté, stirring often, until the onions are lightly browned, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1-2 more minutes.

4 Return brisket to pot, add herbs, stock, bring to simmer, cover, cook in oven: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Use kitchen twine to tie together the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme.

Move the onions and garlic to the sides of the pot and nestle the brisket inside. Add the beef stock and the tied-up herbs. Bring the stock to a boil on the stovetop.

Cover the pot, place the pot in the 300°F oven and cook for 3 hours. Carefully flip the brisket every hour so it cooks evenly.

5 Add carrots, continue to cook: After 3 hours, add the carrots. Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour more, or until the carrots are cooked through and the brisket is falling-apart tender.

6 Remove brisket to cutting board, tent with foil: When the brisket is falling-apart tender, take the pot out of the oven and remove the brisket to a cutting board. Cover it with foil. Pull out and discard the herbs.

7 Make sauce (optional): At this point you have two options. You can serve as is, or you can make a sauce with the drippings and some of the onions. If you serve as is, skip this step.

To make a sauce, remove the carrots and half of the onions, set aside and cover them with foil. Pour the ingredients that are remaining into the pot into a blender, and purée until smooth. If you want, add 1 tablespoon of mustard to the mix. Put into a small pot and keep warm.

8 Slice the meat across the grain: Notice the lines of the muscle fibers of the roast. This is the "grain" of the meat. Slice the meat perpendicular to these lines, or across the grain (cutting this way further tenderizes the meat), in 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch slices.

Serve with the onions, carrots and gravy. Serve with mashed, roasted or boiled potatoes, egg noodles or polenta.

Chicken Avocado Caesar Salad Wrap

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled then cooled 10 minutes and diced*
• Romaine lettuce (you'll need about 2/3 of 1 head)
• 2 small avocadoes, peeled and diced
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 1/3 cup finely shredded or shaved parmesan cheese
• 4 burrito size whole wheat or white tortillas
Dressing
• 2/3 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup light-mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 anchovy fillets, mashed finely to a paste (1 1/2 tsp paste)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 small garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic crusher
• 2 Tbsp water, or as needed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• For the dressing:
• Whisk all dressing ingredients together, add in water to thin 1 Tbsp at a time (it should be a somewhat thick dressing). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• For the wraps:
• Layer tortillas with lettuce, grilled chicken, avocados, tomatoes, and parmesan. Spoon dressing over tops and wrap. Serve immediately.
• *This is how I prepared and grilled the chicken - preheat grill over medium-high heat to about 425. Pound chicken breast to even thickness then brush both sides lightly with olive oil. In a small bowl whisk together 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/8 tsp garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of chicken. Grill about 4 minutes per side on preheated grill or until center registers 165 on an instant read thermometer.

Homemade Circus Animal Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies
• 2 1/2 cups (353g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (105g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• Plenty of rainbow nonpareil sprinkles
Icing
• Option 1:
• 1 1/2 cups (170g) powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 Tbsp half and half or 6 Tbsp heavy cream, then more as needed
• Pink food coloring (I used Wilton Rose)
• Option 2:
• 16 oz vanilla candy melts
• Oil based pink gel food coloring

Directions

• For the cookies:
• In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt for 20 seconds, set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer cream together butter, granulated sugar and powdered sugar until well combined. Mix in egg, vanilla extract and almond extract. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in flour mixture and mix until combined. Divide mixture into 2 equal portions, shape each portion into a smooth 6-inch disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill 1 1/2 hours, or until firm (you can chill overnight then let rest on counter about 5 minutes if it's too firm to roll). Preheat oven to 350 degrees during last 10 minutes of chilling.
• Dust a clean work surface with flour then place one disk of dough on floured surface, dust top lightly with flour and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness (leave dough disk chilled that you aren't currently working with). Cut into mini animal shapes (I used these here) then transfer (use an offset spatula to help lift them from surface if needed)to a baking sheet lined with a silicone liner or parchment paper, leaving about 3/4-inch between cookies. Bake in preheated oven about 7 - 11 minutes until set (meanwhile gather scraps of dough, mash and shape into smooth disk again and refrigerate). Remove from oven and cool several minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining disk of dough.
• For the icing option 1:
• In a medium mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar, vanilla and enough half and half or cream to reach a medium consistency (not runny, not thick). Divide mixture evenly among two bowls, tint one of them with pink coloring and leave the other white. Spread over cookies and immediately sprinkle with sprinkles after frosting each one. Let rest until glaze has set.
• Icing option 2:
• Melt candy melts in small batches (about 2 oz at a time so it doesn't harden too quickly) as directed on package. Tint half of the melts with pink coloring. Spread over cookies (or dip and slide some of the excess off on the side of bowl) and immediately sprinkle with sprinkles after frosting each one. Let rest until icing has set.