Finally a way to make whipped cream using our good old Amul Fresh Cream

Well, I have struggled with making whipped cream for ages.... Lemme list down things I has tried:
1. Using really cold equipment - Cream whips up fine but doesn't stabilize.
2. Buying imported whipping cream - Works but is a lill expensive to buy President whipping cream in India
3. Using packaged whipping cream powder - Doesn't really taste that good
4. Using fresh cream skimmed off the milk at home - Always ends up being buttercream.
5. & ofcourse innumerable times - Amul fresh cream - It just doesn't have enough fat content.

But never could I whip up cream good enough to frost & last.

BUT FINALLY I HAVE ACHIEVED SUCCESSSSSSS...... & wanna share with you all:

So here are my tips to use Amul Fresh Cream to make that perfect whipped cream:

1. Let the cream be in a refrigerator for atleast a few hours to ensure its at 8 degrees C
2. Don't shake the pack before use 
3. When you pour the cream in a clean cool bowl for whipping, drain away the liquid that has separated from the cream.
4. Whip a lill & then add some fresh cream skimmed off the milk at home (I added about 2 tbsp to one small pack of Amul cream)
5. Add icing sugar & vanilla & whip it for a minute or two to reach that beautiful piping consistency.

Here's a pic of cupcakes I frosted with the cream.

Buttery marble cake

Well, here's my recipe for an extremely awesome buttery marble cake....being true to my punjabi self, who likes everything buttery, n not too sweet except for jalebis... i fixed this recipe:

Ingredients:
1. Flour - 2 cups
2. Baking powder 2+ 2/3 tsp
3. Salted butter - a lill more than 2 sticks of butter - 225 g
4. Eggs - lightly beaten -4
5. Sugar - 2/3 cup
6. Orange Juice - 1 teacup -I just used Tropicana - if you are using fresh orange juice then make the sugar 1 cup
6. cocoa powder - 3 tablespoon

Method:

Heat the oven to 190C
Beat together butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add eggs slowly n beat.
Add flour to the butter and eggs mixture and fold in.
Divide the batter into two parts.
Mix half orange juice with cocoa. Fold in one half of the batter to this.
To the second half of the batter add the orange juice.
Line the baking pan with baking paper or prepare the pan by greasing with a little butter.
Add the two batters to the pan in alternating spoons.
Once all the batter has been added, swirl the mix once.
Bake at 190C for 45 minutes or till a toothpick when inserted comes out clean.
Let the cake cool on a wire rack.
Slice and enjoy with a cup of tea/coffee, as you like it best ;-)

Chocolate Banana Muffins

It has been long since I posted in this space, but in the mean time, I have cooked a lot of things & fine tuned the recipes for sure.

So here's one of my favourites, I have made it a couple of times & it comes out just well :)
The original recipe is from Joy of baking but I have made a few changes to it, really so minor that you may call them negligible.

The below recipe is for 6 small muffins:

Ingredients:
1. Roasted nuts - 2 tbsps chopped (I use about 10 - 12 almonds & roast them on a dry pan on medium heat, turning them often, for about 7 mins, & then chop them)
2. All purpose flour - 1/2 cup & 1 tbsp
3. Cocoa powder (non dutch) - 1 tbsp
4. Sugar (granulated) - 4 tbsp
5. Baking powder - 1/3 tbsp
6. Baking Soda - 2 pinches
7. Chocolate chips - 2 tbsp (optional)
8.  Eggs - 1 lightly beaten
9. Butter - 2tbsp (molten and then brought to room temperature) - I use Nutralite, & trust me it gives a much better flavour than butter & is a little lighter on calories too ;-)
10. Banana - 1 mashed
11. Vanilla extract/essence - 1/3 tsp
12. Nutmeg powder - 1/3 tsp

The original recipe asks for a pinch of salt too, but omit if you are using the salted butter/nutralite.

Method:
Heat the oven at 180 C
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl except chocolate chips. Use a whisk to mix them all really well.
Mash the banana, keep aside.
Mix beaten egg, butter, vanilla together.
Add the egg mix to the dry mix & add mashed bananas to it.
Using a wooden spoon, mix all the ingredients to just ensure that the flour mix is wet. Do not over mix at this stage, or the muffins would turn out tough. a few small lumps is Ok.

Butter/ line the muffin tray & pour the batter using a spoon/ice-cream spatula.
Bake in the oven for about 20 - 25 mins or till a toothpick when inserted comes out clean.

Let the muffins rest in the tray on a wire rack for a while & pull them out gently.

Voila, your muffins are ready to impress along with a wonderful cup of Assam tea or a coffee :-)

 

Inspiration.....

I know I am a bit too late to claim that I have seen this movie... but you know I'm not much of a movie-buff. For the longest time I wanted to see Julie & Julia and finally I did watch it last night... I must say I am quite inspired, not by the individuals, but by the idea of cooking towards a goal. So far, I only cook when I need to cook for friends n husband or when I need to unwind... But cooking coz you should seems to be a good idea to ensure you try out new recipes religiously. So yeah I am gonna give this crazy idea a trial, not as ambitious as Julie: I am just gonna make 60 recipes in 52 weeks, considering that one, I am a bit novice & also I cook only during the weekends......
So, well lets see what comes up next weekend.... Open to ideas, if you wanna spring by any......

Butter Chicken my isstyle....

Well, Butter Chicken is kinda synonymous to Punjabi.... So being a Punjabi, taking pride in cooking, I ought to know how to make a signature Butter Chicken... Here's my version of it sans the tandoor....

Serves 3
Ingredients:
Chicken - 750g
Curd - 1 cup (100 - 150g)
Onions - 3 medium finely chopped (preferable pureed)
Garlic Cloves - 8
Ginger - 2 inches (Make a paste of ginger & garlic)
Tomatoes - 5 medium pureed
Lemon - 1
Green chillies - 3 finely chopped
Black Pepper - 1 teaspoon
Butter - 2 tablespoons (I use Amul butter, since making white butter would have taken longer)
Cooking Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt - To taste
Red Chillies - To taste
Chicken masala - 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Cooking Instructions:
In a bowl mix curd, ginger & garlic(paste), salt, chicken masala, black pepper, squeeze a lemon in it, a teaspoon of cooking oil. In this mixture marinate the chicken & set aside for 45 mins.

In a cooking pan - heat some oil (1 tablespoon).
Add the chicken only from the marinade, leave the marinade aside (keep it to be added later)
Cook for approx 10 mins n high - medium flame till the chicken turns a bit white. (It loses its pink color). Keep the chicken aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter & 1 spoon of oil. Add cumin seeds to it, once they start sputtering add the onion paste. Cook till it turns light brown (a stage above golden brown)
Now add the tomato puree & green chillies. Cook for approx 15-20 mins, stirring occasionally, till the mixture turns a deep brown.

Now add the remaining marinade paste while stirring. Add some water to make a gravy.
Now add the chicken pieces & cook for 10-15 mins.

Garnish with cream or a lill dollop of butter & the chicken is ready to be served with some lovely lachchaa paranthas.

Spaghetti & Meat Balls Pasta --- My Version

There are multiple recipes available for this particular dish... I guess its the simplest of all Pasta's to fix. I have my own lill version, a lill Indianised, a lill packaged version of the recipe... i loved cooking n eating it, hope you like it too....

Ingredients:
Meat Balls - about 8 (we both love meat, so u see the no. is a lill higher for 2 ppl dish)
Spaghetti Pasta - about 200g, boiled as per pack instructions (I do well cooked rather than Al dente for this dish). Also add a lill bit of olive oil & salt while boiling the pasta.
Tomatoes - about 5 large - pureed in a blender
Garlic - 7 cloves - crushed
Onion - 1 medium, chopped
Green Oinions/Shallots : 4 - chopped
Green Chillies - 2 chopped
Black Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Olive Oil - for cooking & dressing.
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Red Wine - about a 100 ml - I at times replace it with white wine too
water - about 400 ml

Instructions:
Warm butter in a pan & stir fry the meat balls in it. This should take approx. 10 mins on medium - slow flame. Keep the meat balls aside.

In a deep dish, put some olive oil say about a tablespoon & add garlic. Once the color of gralic changes to a light brown, add onions & stir fry for about 5 mins, till the nions become golden & transparent.
Now add the tomato puree along with shallots, & green chillies.
Cook at high flame, stirring occassionally for about 8 mins, till the time the mixture is well reduced to a semi solid mass.
Add water & bring to boil while stirring continuously. At this stage add the meat balls & wine, & let the mixture reduce slowly to a sauce like consistency. I do this by alternating between high & low flames in a 2 mins high - 5 mins medium - 2 mins high.... cycle.
When the sauce is about to reach the desired consistency, add salt to taste,black pepper powder, some oregano powder, & red chilli flakes if you like it hot!!!

Plating:
Make a roundel of Pasta on the plate & pour the meatballs sauce in the centre. Garnish with a lill bit of shredded cheese & olive oil.

Enjoy with some dinner rolls & butter .....

Bon Apetit!!!

Keema pav or minced meat with buns

Well Keema I believe is one of my strongest dishes.... I ve perfected the recipe over years.... If I ve to impress a meat eater with my cooking Keema would be choice... It never ever goes wrong, eat it with pav or lovely ghee roast paranthas.... So here it goes, the yummiest Keema recipe... Trust me its the best
Ingredients
Mutton mince : 250 g
Onions : 2 medium sized chopped finely
Ginger : 1 inch grated
Garlic : 7 cloves medium sized
Tomatoes : 2 medium, grate n discard the skin
Green chillies : 3 chopped
Red dry chillies : 2
Dry Bay leaves : 2
Comin seeds : 1 tsp
Asafoetida : 2 pinches
Ghee/clarified butter : 2 tbsp
Cooking oil : 1 tbsp
Water : 500 ml
Garam masala : 1 tbsp
Salt : to taste
Pav : as many as you want :)
Cooking instructions:
Put a deep dish or cooking pan on high heat on stove.
Add cooking oil & clarified butter. (The oil prevents the ghee from burning)
Now add Cumin seeds, asafoetida, bay leaves & dry red chillies. Break the bay leaves & chilli while adding them.
Once the seeds start sputtering add onions and cook till golden brown.
Now add the tomato paste and garlic.
Cook for abt 3 mins and then add the ginger and green chilli.
Cook on medium heat constantly stirring for another 5 mins. Don't let the masala burn, sprinkle a lill water whenever u feel its getting dry.
Now add the mince and mix properly. Let it cook for 2 mins while stirring it intermittently.
Now add water and bring to boil.
Once boiling turn the heat from medium to low and cover.
It takes approx 30 mins for the water to reduce.
Keep the pan covered throughout the cooking.
After every 5 mins just stir it a lill.
After 20 mins of cooking add salt to taste and garam masala.
Once the water has reduced, Put the heat on sim or low and let it cook for another 15 mins with stirring every 2 mins or so.
Make sure the lid is on throughout and if at any time u feel the dish is getting a lill dry, sprinkle a lill water.
You absolutely don't want the wonderful dish to have dry meat... Trust me I ve done that blunder and hence learnt. It shouldn't be wet but at the same time shouldn't lose its moisture....
You know its done when the color turns a beautiful brown or deep maroon I would say.
I personally like to Garnish with coriander leaves sprinkle but it goes great just like that too. 
Roast the Pav in some butter on a tava or flat pan.
Serve Keema with butter Pav and some salad.... My personal fav Wud be raddish with lemon & black salt as salad.
Bon Apetit

the wonderful masala that wud give u all the flavour u need

masala well cooked

when it all starts to biol.

the plating aint nice but i like it just like this

the wonderful color of a well cooked keema