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

Murg Pudina or chicken with mint

This time I tried mom's recipe rather than my usual marinating the chicken in a mint paste... Well it does taste much better and looks wonderful too.... Afterall its mom's recipe

Ingredients:
Chicken 1/2 kg
Onions 2 big finely diced
Cooking oil : 4 tablespoons
Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida : 1 pinch
Garlic cloves : 7 large
Ginger : 2 inches

For mint paste :
Mint : 1 bunch : leaves cleaned, no stalks
Coriander : a few leaves, 1/4 the quantity of mint
Green chillies : 3

For marinade :
Chicken masala or garam masala : 1 tablespoon
Salt: to taste
White vinegar : 2 tablespoons

Instructions
Marinate the chicken with the marinade spices and keep aside for about 30 mins. Do not put in fridge.
While the chicken marinates prepare the rest of the stuff, like chopping onions, ginger garlic paste, clearing the mint & coriander.

Put the mint leaves, coriander leaves, green chillies and a lill water in a blender and make a paste.

The most important instruction for cooking this dish: don't let it dry in the process of cooking and cook throughout on a medium flame with the lid on. 

Now put the pan on stove on high flame. Add asafoetida and Cumin. Once Cumin starts to crackle add the marinated chicken.
Put the heat to a medium, stir the chicken so that its coated with the oil, and put the lid. Let it cook for about 3 minutes.
Now add diced onions and ginger garlic paste. And let it cook with lid on for about 7 - 10 mins till the onions are a bit cooked, stirring occasionally.

If at any time you feel its getting a bit dry, sprinkle a lill water and continue cooking. The dish should remain moist but not with gravy.

After the onions and chicken have cooked for sometime add the mint paste. Bring to boil on high flame and then put the flame to medium, put the lid on and let it cook for another 20 mins or till the chicken is well cooked.

Once done, don't put the lid back and let the steam escape so that u don't get a condense on the dish.

Serve with paranthas and dal tadka....

Bon Apetit!!

the final yumm yumm chicken

when the onions are cooked

aah the fresh mint leaves

the marinade

My quick fix paneer in gravy

Ok I'm superbly tired and he is in a mood to have something different preferably paneer but not order from a restaurant... Now cummon, I had a rather long day after an even longer day.....

So I pick up the dish with minimal cutting and frying involved.... Paneer in gravy.... Here's the recipe:

Ingredients :
Paneer 250 g _ diced in cubes
Onions 3 medium sized. Diced not chopped
Tomatoes 3 medium sized diced
Green chillies 2
Garlic cloves : 4 to 5 large
Ginger : an inch cut.
Oil to cook : 3 tablespoons
Water
Milk 1/2 cup
Dry Red chillies solid : 2
Red chilli powder : 1/2 teaspoon
Bay leaves : 2
Cumin seeds : 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder : 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste.

Now let's cook :
On the stove put a pan and add a tablespoon of oil. Once its warm add onions. Cook them for about 3 mins or till they turn golden. Now add tomatoes garlic ginger and green chilli. Cook for another 4 mins or till the tomato soften. Now add a cup of water and bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium and let the mixture cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Once cool, use a blender to make a smoothie.

Now put a pan on the stove and add a tablespoon of oil. Add the Cumin seeds, red chilli and bay leaf. Temper the spices, now add turmeric powder and let it cook for a minute. To this add the onion mixture and bring to boil. simmer the gas and let the curry cook for 10 mins. Add water if the curry is too thick. Now add milk and red chilli powder and salt. Stirring continuously cook for 5 mins. Now all you have to do is add paneer chunks and cook for another minute.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve....

Bon Apetit

One little tip: The gravy tends to have the water separated so don't add too much water