Fish Pakora || Fish Fry

Bringing this delicious and crispy recipe from our new year's eve tradition at home. With my kids usually preparing for upcoming exams, my husband loved to serve these warm for the starters along side some cozy drinks. Hope enjoy these while you welcome the new year!

Ingredients

• Deboned fish fillets cut into small pieces           500 gm

         (Rohu or any flaky/white fish)

• Wheat flour                                                          2 tbsp
• Asafoetida(heeng)                                               1 pinch
• Mustard oil                                                          1 tsp
• Lemon juice                                                        1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder                                                 1 tsp
• Gram flour (besan)                                              1 tea cup
• Rice flour                                                            1/2 tea cup
• Yellow mustard powder                                      1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder                                               1/4 tsp
• Kashmiri redchilli powder(optional)                  1/4 tsp                       
• Ginger                                                                 2"piece
• Green chilies                                                       3-4 pieces
• Garlic                                                                  4-5 cloves
• Dry garam masala                                              1/2 tsp
• Chat masala                                                        1 tsp
• Oil                                                                       3-4  serving spoon                                               

Preparation

1. Wash the fish with water 2 to 3 times and rinse the water. Then add asafoetida in a cup water and soak the fish in it for few seconds and rinse. Gently rub wheat flour on the fish and rinse again.
2. Initial treatment to get rid of the smell-

                    Salt.                         1 tsp
                    Mustard oil              1 tsp
                    Lemon juice            1 tbsp
                    Turmeric powder     1/2 tsp

        

         Take a big bowl, remove the water thoroughly. Sprinkle above things on the fish and mix well.    

         Keep aside for 30 minutes cover with cling wrap, later wash it thoroughly.

Marination

1. Take gram flour and rice flour in a deep bowl.
2. Grind ginger, garlic and green chilli into a thin paste.
3. Add the paste to the bowl along with turmeric powder, mustard powder, red chilli Powder and dry garam masala. Add water slowly in small quantity till you get a thick batter (thickness can be compared that of a cake batter).

1. Add salt.
2. Take the rinsed fish pieces and drain any excess water. Now add fish into the batter and evenly coat on both sides of the pieces.
3. Cover the bowl with lid and keep it aside for 10 to 15 minutes for marination.

Cooking Method

1. Heat oil in a deep frying pan on high flame for few minutes or till you see fumes coming out.
2. Very carefully add 3-4 pieces of battered fish in the hot oil to fry. Reduce flame to medium and fry the fish till they become golden brown on both sides (take about 2-3 minutes for each piece to cook on both sides)

1. Continue  this process till all fish pieces are fried properly.
2. Now Fish Pakoras are ready. 
   

To serve

Take all fish Pakoras in a serving dish, squeeze some lemon juice over them and sprinkle chaat masala. Garnish with coriander leaves or mint leaves.

Serve hot with mint and coriander chutney, along with your favorite drinks!

Murg Musallam [A Royal Awadhi Chicken Recipe]

       

        Musallam connotes a whole chicken.This is a rich Awadhi cuisine made of whole chicken,in stuffed category,and of great taste,rich aroma & flavour.The present recipe is a bit in deviation from original procedure accommodating the modern way of   cooking & convenience.A royal sight on your dining table before your guests in a dawat!

Ingredients :

• Dressed whole chicken  1 [500-600 gm]

For marination-

• Lemon  1
• Salt 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder  1/2 tsp

For Stuffing-

• Mutton keema [minced mutton]  250 gm
• Green cardamoms  4
• Cinnamon  2"
• Cloves  3
• Bay leaf  3  
• Mace [javitri]  2 leaves
• Red chili powder  1 tsp
• Dry garam masala  1tsp
• Ginger  2" piece
• Onion  4 medium
• Green chili  4-5
• Garlic  6-7 cloves
• Poppy seeds  2 tsp
• Milk  1/2 cup
• Khoya or paneer  1/2 cup
• Kewra essence  a few drops
• Salt to taste
• Refined oil or pure ghee  4 tbsp
• For garnishing-
• Eggs  3 boiled
• Coriander leaves  1 bunch

 Preparation :

•  Marination of chicken: Wash the chicken thoroughly.Make cuts on all the parts of chicken.Rub lemon juice on every part of it and apply turmeric powder and salt as well.Keep aside for 2 hours for marination.

• Marination of keema: Wash thoroughly the minced mutton,mix salt and leave aside  for 1/2 hour.Thereafter throw away discharged water.

• Cut finely the ginger,garlic and onions lengthwise.Grind half of these together.
• Chop finely the green coriander leaves.
• Soak poppy seeds in milk for 1/2 hour.Then grind the poppy seeds with milk itself.
• Cut the green chiliies lengthwise.
• Boil the eggs.Fry two of them and grate the other one.
• Grate paneer [or mash khoya].

Method:

• For stuffing:  Heat a pressure cooker,add 1 tbsp oil.Add green cardamom,mace,clove,cinnamon and fry for 1-2 seconds.Add pieces of onion and fry till golden brown.
• Add keema and 1/4 tsp of salt.Fry,keep stirring till discharged water is tried up.Add dry garam masala,red chili powder,poppy seed paste,keep stirring
• .Cover the lid without valve,and cook till keema gets tender.Add green chili pieces and paneer or khoya,mix and cook for 5 minutes.Close the flame.Add kewra.Cut the fried egg into 8 pieces and mix.Stuffing is ready.

• For chicken:  Heat remaining oil or ghee in a cooker,add the full chicken,fry carefully until semi tender.Take it out and place on a big plate.
• Stuff the chicken with the  keema stuffing properly.Keep the remaining stuffing aside.

• Add onion,garlic and ginger paste in the remaining oil in the heated cooker.Fry,keep stirring till oil starts oozing in the bottom.
• Add the remaining stuffing.Mix well.
• Place the stuffed chicken in it.Cover well the chicken with masala from bottom of cooker.Cover cooker with lid.Cook for 1 whistle,lower the flame,cook for another 10 minutes.

Close the flame.When pressure is released,remove the lid,take out chicken carefully,so that it is not broken, in a serving tray.

• 

The murg musallam is ready.
 


 Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and grated egg.
Serve hot.Cut into medium pieces with a sharp edged knife at the time of meal itself.
Ideal companion- rumali roti or nan and rice [preferably basmati rice].

Christmas Pudding

                                          My sincere and hearty wishes on Merry Christmas to all the bloggers and non bloggers.The great Christmas is around.We are already up to celebrate it.Let us add some thing special and sweet as well as home made, up to occasion.So here is Christmas Pudding.  

Merry Christmas

        And why not try Fruit Cake too!

        

    Ingredients:

Peeled Orange

•  Maida [fine wheat flour]  1/2 cup
• White butter  6 tbsp
• Butter  6 tbsp
• Brown sugar  3/4 cup
• Eggs  2
• Orange and lemon-peeled [coarsely chopped]  1/4 cup
• Seedless dates  1/4 cup
• Walnut [chopped]  1/2 cup

  

  Brown Sugar

• Currants  1/4 cup
• Raisins  1/4 cup
• Brandy  2 tbsp
• Cinnamon powder  1/4 tsp
• Cloves powder  1/4 tsp
• Nutmeg powder  1/4 tsp



Dry Fruits

• Fresh white bread crumbs  1-1/2 cup
• Water  3 cups

For Hard Sauce

• White butter  1/2 cup
• Icing sugar  1/2 cup
• Brandy  2 tbsp
• Nutmeg powder  1 pinch

[ Note: in case ingredients are reduced,never reduce quantity of water.]

Serves: 6

Preparation:

• For Hard Sauce: Beat  butter in a bowl till it becomes light and fluffy. Add gradually sugar in small quantities at a time,keep on beating until whole sugar is added & mixture becomes creamy.Add brandy.Continue beating until  well blended.Add nutmeg powder.Chill until hard. 
• Beat the eggs.

Method:

•  Mix together orange and lemon peels,dates,walnut,currants,raisins,brandy and lemon juice and keep aside.
• Now,mix the maida,cinnamon,cloves and nutmeg powder,then sift.Add bread crumbs and stir well.
• Take remaining butter in a bowl,beat till light & fluffy.Add brown sugar in small quantities at a time and keep on beating till all sugar is used and mixture becomes light and fluffy.
• Add beaten eggs in small quantities at a time,keep on beating well.Fold in flour mixture and fruit & nut mixture.Add lemon juice,mix well.
• Spoon the mixture into a greased 1 liter mold.Cover mold lightly with aluminum foil, tie securely.
• Pour water into cooker,put grid [jaali] in cooker and place mold on grid.
• Close cooker  without pressure regulator.Cook on high heat.When steam passes through steam vent,reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes,ensuring a steady steam vent.
• Place pressure regulator in position.Bring to full pressure on high heat.Reduce heat and cook for 50 minutes.
• Close the flame.Let it cool.
• Open cooker.Take out mold and remove foil.Take out pudding with help of a knife and keep on a serving dish.
• Pudding is ready.Spread hard sugar around the pudding.Decorate with dry fruits,cherry etc.

Serve hot or cool.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Fruit Cake

       Let us have a change of taste.Let us have a break from meals,breakfast or even purchased bakery edibles...So prepare a home made fruit cake and surprise the family members & friends!

Ingredients:

• Refined flour [maida]  150 gm
• Egg 2
• Caster sugar  125 gm
• White butter or ghee  75 ml/gm
• Baking powder  1/4 tsp
• Vanilla essence  1 tsp  

    Preparation 

1.For caramel colour [brown sugar]:

Cashew nut

• Sugar  30 gm
• Lemonjuice  1 tsp

   Preparation:

 Sprinkle a few drops of water over sugar.Heat till it becomes brown,then add lemon juice and  water [ 1/2 cup] to form liquid consistency.Close the flame.
2. Cut the cashew nut & almonds into fine pieces and keep aside.

   Dry fruits:

Cherry

• Cashew nut  10 pieces
• Almond  10 pieces
• Cherry  10-15 pieces
• Currant  50 gm

Raisins

• Tutti fruity 2 tbsp
  Other items:
• Milk  1cup
• Honey 1tbs
• Curants

Almond

   Method:

• At first mix maida [refined flour] & baking powder and filter 2-3 times.

 

• Take white butter & sugar in a clean bowl.Cream them till the mixture gets light and fluffy.

 

• Wash all the dry fruits except cashew nut and cut them in equal 
• sizes.Spread them on a napkin to dry.Then mix them into maida mixture.
• Separately,prepare enamel colour with help of water,lemon juice and sugar.

• Beat both the eggs in a clean bowl.Then mix vanilla essence and caramel colour.
• Now add gradually the beaten egg mixture to mixture of white butter & sugar.

 

• Now,mix dry fruit to mixture of maida & baking powder.Now add this mixture gradually one spoon at a time to mixture of beaten egg and keep on beating regularly [make sure] till all the mixture is used.If this batter is getting thick enough to obstruct beating,then add 1 tbsp of milk. 

• Now the cake batter is ready.

• Either apply butter or ghee on the bottom of mould or spread a butter paper over the bottom of mould.Mould may be of any shape or size.

 

 

• Next  folding process is done with the batter.Add honey and pour the batter into cake mould.Over it spread pieces of almond,cashew nut and cherry.

Cake batter

Preheat the oven,put the mould in it and bake at 120 degree centigrade for about 20 minutes.

•  After baking is over,take the mould out,put it on the wire rack and cool it.

Fruit Cake is ready.
Slice and Serve!  

Madeleine Cake

Why to depend upon bakeries when we can prepare our own!!!!

Here is a recipe for a delicious & tasty cake which is easy to bake & liked by all...

Ingredient:

• Flour[ maida ]- 120 gm
• Sugar- 115 gm
• White butter- 55 gm
• Baking powder- 1/4 tsp
• Vanilla Essence- 3 to 4 drops
• Lemon Yellow Colour- 2 to 5 drops(food grade)
• Egg- 3pcs

    For Decoration:

• Apple Jam- 100 gm
• Red Colour- 2 to 3 drops(food grade)
• Dry Coconut Powder- 10 gm
• Cherry- 30 gm

    Apparatus:

1. palate knife
2. baking tray
3. Madeleine mold

Madeleine mold

Method:

• Filter/sift the flour along with baking powder 2 or 3 times.
• Grind the sugar.
• Separate white and yellow [yolk] of each egg in different bowls.Then take all the white in a bowl and beat it till it becomes fluffy. Add sugar gradually to it in small quantities and keep whisking till all the sugar is mixed well & the paste becomes soft,white,very light and fluffy.

• Now add the flour mix gradually in small quantities to white egg & sugar paste and blend lightly.
• Separately, add essence and color in the yolks and beat mixture well together.
• The above flour mixture is added to the yolk mixture and fold with the help of palate knife moving in the design of digit 8.Then cool melted butter is added to it and mixed well.Now the cake batter is ready.
• Grease the Madeleine mold with a little butter,then 2/3rd of cake batter is poured in  mold.Now Madeleine  mold is arranged in the baking tray.

• Put the baking tray in the preheated oven, heat at 198 degree centigrade for 12 to 15 minutes till it is baked.To check,insert a tooth pick in the center of the cake and draw back.If it comes clean the cake is baked.
• After baking, the prepared cake is cooled on the wire rack.
• Then brush the tops and sides of each cake with  thin jam layer and roll each one in coconut powder.
• Stick one piece of cherry in the center of each cake with the help of jam.

The cake is ready to eat !!