Egg Delicacy - A Sweet beginning to my NY food blogging :)

'Shubh Aarambh' - A Good Beginning, in fact a sweet beginning :)

This is my first recipe which i am posting after moving to NY and it is a sweet dish. In my earlier post i had mentioned all that i did since i came to NY. And now since the summer is here, our family has been planning on BBQ's and trips and camping and what not! Today, Friday, the whole family is going for BBQ and i am thrilled! Its my first here with Zuhair's family and i am so looking forward to it! Gonna miss my folks back home! Sigh!

As everyone is supposed to get one dish to the BBQ party (ofcourse other than the chicken), i thought lemme make something sweet which everyone would relish after a heavy BBQ'd meal! I decided on an Egg sweet dish - Ande ka Meetha!  I just got done with it and its tasting yummy ;)

Ingredients:
Eggs - 8
Khova/ Mava / Milk powder - 200 Gms
Ghee - 2 Tbsp
Sugar - 16 tbsp ( i.e 1 egg= 2tbsp)
Almond & Cashewnuts - 1 cup ( Grounded)
Cardamom - 2 tbsp ( Grounded)
Pinch of Baking soda

Method :

1. Beat eggs well using a beater.

2. Once it is well done, Add Ghee, sugar and Khova and mix well. Use the beater itself.

3. Now add baking soda, Almond - Cashew powder, grounded cardamom and mix well.

4. Bake it in a microwave for around 20 mins or till done or Preheat oven and bake at 300 for around 45 mins or till done. Make sure you keep an eye on it to avoid getting a burnt dish ;)

Thats it! Tan tanaaaaaaaaaa! Your Sweet tooth is all ready for a feast :)

Hope it becomes a hit at the BBQ party today ;)

And so i am BACK to Blogging! :)

Hey Friends! How you all doin? Yeah i know i am back after a real nice break :) As you all know i moved to NY and met my hubby and in-laws after nearly a year, this break HAD to happen! ;) Actually its not that i was busy with work and stuff! It was just that i took my own sweet time to get busy with blogging! ;)

In the meantime what i did was, to spend time with hubby and in-laws, roam around NY, click dozens of pictures, share them with my family back home, Shop *wink wink*, eat, and yeah Cook! :) Its close to 3 months now that i came to NY and i soooooooooooooo LOVE IT! :D Alhumdulillah!

India is THE BEST but there is something so good about NY that you would love to explore. I love my family here. I love the other people here too. I love the cleanliness here. I love the enegry here. I love the calmness here. I Love the trains and the buses here. I love the streets and the avenues here. I love the.. I Love the.. I love EVERYTHING here yaar! Alhumdulillah! :)

I wanted to get back to blogging earlier actually but was just lazzzzzzzzyyy! I used to cook, learn new recipes from my MIL, try new ones from books and blogs but was just a lil lazy to type :p Today, i said enough to myself and signed in to my blog and i am typing! So random! LOL!

Anyway, i am glad to be back and i hope to be active at the blogging world like i 'used to be'! :) All the best to me! 

Hello from New York! :)

Alhumdulillah! I have reached NY.

I came here on the 23rd of February and it was such a longggggggggg flight. Mangalore - Bangalore - Dubai - NY. Total travelling time - around 25 hours! But thanks to Emirates, i LOVED the journey :) I had so many options to pass my time that i simply did not feel like i was having such a long flight! The food.. Aaaahh.. So yumm..Movies, flight cameras, tv shows, news, gorgeous air hostesses all kept me occupied. And i guess i was a little xtra lucky coz the other two seats in my row wernt booked and so i had the ENTIRE row to myself. Yawnnnnnn.. what a peaceful sleep i had! Hehe!

The best part was yet to come. The reception i got at the JFK airport was mind blowing! I ofcourse knew my hubby and my in-laws would come to receive me and i was looking forward to see only them. But when i got out of the airport, what do i get to see!! Zuhair - My hubby with a beautiful bouquet, my in-laws, Zuhair's uncles, aunts, cousins, Grandma! Around 15-20 people to receive me at the airport! And each one had a bouquet! My face was burried with the bouquets and all the hugs , kisses and love i was receiving, all of it made me  feel soooooooooo happy! Trust me i did not feel so important even on my wedding day! LMAO! :D

Thanks to the winter here, everyone were packed with sweaters and jackets and i was just in my abaaya ( burqa).  Though i had my sweaters and jackets with me i decided not to wear them cuz i wanted to 'feel' the cold! Hehe. Staying in Mangalore you never know what winters are, so i wanted to feel this. I got out of the airport lounge and Oh my! It was seriously real cold. All kept asking me if i wanted a sweater but i kept on saying no just enjoying the weather. But the car ws parked a little far and as i reached the car i started to shiver cuz of the cool breeze. I quickly got in to the car and sat next to Zuhair. What better warmth can i ever get ;)

I reached home and to my surprise there was another young reception committee waiting for me! Snow sprays, paper crackers, wishes, sweets and gorgeous girls (Zuhair's cousins) with a banner saying - 'Welcome to the Family Mehnaz Bhabhi ' )! I will never forget that day as i was welcomed by each and every member of the family with so much of love and open arms! Maasha'Allah! Let the love remain forever and ever! Aameen!

And since that beautiful day to this day - a week later i have been enjoying every bit of my life here. Ofcourse i do miss India and my family - Nothing can match that - But here is a different country with different people, different lifestyles, food, weather etc etc. Alhumdulillah i am loving every moment here. I pray to Allah (swt) to bless me with good health and patience to help me live a life filled with love, care, happiness and success in this world and the herafter. Aameen! :)

I have been BUSY!!!

*SIGH*

My last post was on Jan 27th!!! - Sad part!

My visa interview has been scheduled for Feb 15th - AWESOME part! ;)

So yeah i have been so very busy with my preparations for the interview and to fly to NY, which calls for trips to Chennai , medicals, shopping, shopping and more SHOPPING! I just came back frm Chennai a day back and guess what, i am leaving to Chennai again tomorrow morning! I am so tired of traveling, Phew!

I miss blogging but yes this phase is very important for me so i am leaving no stone unturned ;)  I need your prayers Friends, so that i may clear my interview and have a safe journey to NY and join my hubby and in-laws! Please pray for me and wish me all the luck in living a ''Happy Married life'', Insha'Allah ;)

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Tiramisu cake

If anybody visits Mangalore , there is no way they go back without having an ice cream at Ideal ice cream parlor here. They got some really amazing drool worthy ice creams and we almost go there every weekend, like every other Mangalorean! There is this real awesome ice cream you get there named Tiramisu! My sister's all time favorite. It is basically chocolate ice cream with the Tiramisu cake and choc chips!  I wanted to try making the cake and I got this recipe from my friend Ayesha which i tried out for my younger bro's birthday! It was a huge hit at our place! :) Thanks Ayesha! :)

Preparation Time : 30-40 minutes
Cooking Time : 20-30 minutes
Sponge cake , 6 inch - 1
Vanilla Custard powder - 4 Tsp
Milk - 1/2 Cup
Sugar - 6 tsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tbsp
curd - 4 tbsp
Whipped cream - 3 tbsp

Method
1. Slice the cake horizontally into three slices.

2. Mix custard powder in a little cold milk. Heat the remaining milk in a pan, add the custard powder mixture and cook, stirring continuously, till it begins to thicken.

3. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. Set aside to cool.

4. Heat a cup of water in a pan. Add one teaspoon instant coffee powder and mix. Set aside to cool.Add hung curd to the cooled custard and mix. Add the whipped cream and mix well.

5. Place the base slice of the cake in a glass bowl. Pour some of the coffee decoction over it and let it soak well. Spread some of the custard mixture all over it.

6. Soak the remaining cake slices in the remaining coffee decoction. Place another cake slice over the one in the bowl and spread some of the custard mixture all over it. Cover it with the third cake slice. Pour the remaining custard mixture over it and spread it over the top and the sides of the sandwiched cake.

7. Put the remaining instant coffee powder in a small sieve and sprinkle it all over the top of the tiramisu. Keep it in the refrigerator to set for at least one and a half hour.

Serve Chilled!! :)
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Tandoori Paneer Tikka

This is one of the super easy and quick vegan side dish one can prepare. Srivalli of Spice your life had shared this wonderful recipe and i couldnt wait to try it! Thank you so much Srivalli for sharing this, we all really loved it! :) The smoky aroma which came out of it was truly mesmerizing! Truly Tandoor! ;)

The recipe below is the same like how Srivalli had explained!

For marinade:
Paneer - 250 gms
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
Curds/ Yogurt - 1 cup, hung
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp

For Garnish:
Capsicum - 1
Tomatoes - 1
Onions - 2

Method:
1. Mix the Paneer cubes along with Onion, Capsicum, Tomato pieces with the marinade and keep it aside for 15 mins. 

2. Arrange the Tomato Cubes, Onion, Capsicum in between the Paneer Cubes on the skewer.

3. Light up your stove, and take it right over it.

4. Pour drops of oil over the Paneer. When the oil comes in contact with the masala and the flame you get that smoky effect and taste as how it is made in a Tandoori Oven.

5.Turn over all sides to make sure the chunks get equally burnt and cooked on all sides.

6. Once done on all sides, Tikkas are ready to serve!

Enjoy with Roti or Rice with a nice gravy!

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Domestic Tips!! WE NEED THESE!!!

Sometimes we have these silly day-to-day issues which we want to get RID of! We either want things to get done quickly or we want a solution to a domestic problem! I managed to few of such issues and their solutions which really came in handy for me and i wanted to share with everybody. Do check these out, who knows its gonna end some of your daily woes ;)

* Ants Problem

Ants hate cucumbers. Keep the skin of cucumbers near the place or ant hole.

* To get pure and clean ice

Boil water first before freezing.

* To make the mirror shine

Clean with spirit.

* To remove chewing gum from clothes

Keep the cloth in the freezer for an hour.

* To whiten white clothes

Soak white clothes in hot water with a slice of lemon for 10 minutes.

* To give a shine to hair

Add one teaspoon of vinegar to hair, then wash hair.

* To get maximum juice out of lemons

Soak lemons in hot water for one hour, and then juice them.

* To avoid smell of cabbage while cooking
Keep a piece of bread on the cabbage in the vessel while cooking.

* To rid the smell of fish from your hands

Wash your hands with a little apple vinegar.

* To avoid tears while cutting onions

Chew gum.

* To boil potatoes quickly:

Skin one potato from one side only before boiling.

* To boil eggs quickly

Add salt to the water and boil.

* To remove ink from clothes

Put toothpaste on the ink spots generously and let it dry completely, then wash.

* To skin sweet potatoes quickly

Soak in cold water immediately after boiling.

* To get rid of mice or rats

Sprinkle black pepper in places where you find mice or rats. They will run away.

Are you ready to handle your problems now?  ;)

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Khandvi - Indian cooking challenge

My first challenge in the Indian Cooking Challenge - Khandvi , a snack belonging to Gujarat. I was super excited when i mailed the moderator of ICC , i.e Srivalli about my interest to join the challenge. And my excitement grew further when i got to know this month's challenge - Khandvi. Why? Because it is a snack from the place where my hubby and in-laws belong! Me being a South Indian got married to a guy basically from Gujarat and so i need to adjust/adapt to North Indian traditions, cultures and FOOD! Since i haven't actually stayed with my in-laws till now, i was not able to learn Gujarati dishes. But this challenge has come at a perfect time, when i am about to leave to New York to join my hubby and in-laws and will complete my one year of marital bliss! :) Insha'Allah! 

I am sooo waiting to learn recipes from my mom-in-law and I can tell her,  i now know a Gujarati dish, At least ONE! ;)

From Anupama Krishnamurthy's Mitho Limdo

Ingredients:

For the batter:

Besan / Gram flour - 1 cup
Salt as per taste
Turmeric ¼ tsp
1 cup water

1 cup Yoghurt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Red chili powder - 1/4 tsp
1 green chili + ½ inch of grated ginger; both made into a very fine paste

For Tempering

Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Asafetida / Hing - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - ½ tsp
Sesame seeds - 1 tsp

For garnish

Coconut, grated or dry coconut powder  - 1.5 table spoon
Finely chopped Coriander - 2 table spoons

Method:

1. Mix the batter ingredients and blend to get a lump less batter

2. In a non-stick fry pan,  add 1 tbsp oil. Add the batter and cook on medium-low flame stirring constantly. You will see the batter coagulating, but keep stirring the batter with the back of a spatula or ladle to keep the batter smooth. This step will take about 10 minutes.

3. When the batter is ready after 10 minutes, pour 2 ladleful batter on the surface and spread the batter in a circular fashion as if you are making dosa. You will have to press the back of the ladle firmly on the surface to get thin and even strips. Do this for the rest of the batter.

4. Cut strips with a knife  Roll the strips and arrange neatly in a serving dish.

5. Heat 3 table spoons oil and do a tempering of mustard seeds, sesame seeds and hing. Take it off the stove and add 1/4 tea spoon red chili powder. With a tea spoon, spread the tempering over the khandvis making sure each khandvi gets a nice coating. 

Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves and enjoy the snack! :)

Chatpata Cabbage Fritters

It was a quiet evening yesterday at home. Everybody was just so lazy and no one was in a mood to do anything exciting. All were either sleeping or just lying down here and there :p I was online and when it was time for Namaaz, i did my ablution and did my prayers. Once done, i thought lemme make some quick snack which will lift everyone's mood. Something hot and delicious. I found a nice cabbage in my fridge and i knew what i was going to make! Since i wanted to make it super quick , i.e before others wake up, i asked my Granny to grate the cabbage while i made the mixture. Within minutes the cabbage fritters were ready and yes! Everyone really enjoyed it, so much so that our tummies were full and we couldn't have dinner too! LOL!

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 2 cups (grated)
Gram flour - 1 cup
Chat masala - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp (Pounded)
Asafoetida - pinch
Salt to taste

Method: 
1. In a bowl, mix gram flour with sufficient water to make a nice paste ( not-thick-nor-thin)

2. Add in chat masala, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt and asafoetida.

3. Heat oil in a wok/ kadai and once its well heated, take a little of the grated cabbage and coat it with the gram flour mixture.

4. Now fry the gram flour mixture coated cabbage into the hot oil and fry them in batches.

Serve it hot with tomato sauce and a chutney of your choice! It seriously tastes yum! ;)

Pepper Chicken Fry

Pepper Chicken Fry - Trust me its REAL REAL yummy!! We all at home LOOOOOOVE this! We can gobble up as many roti's or plates of rice if this is on the menu. ;) My Ammi makes this so deliciously well and now i make it too! :D

Ingredients:
Chicken - 1 kg
Pepper Paste/ Masala -  3 tbsp
Tomato -2 chopped
Onion - 2 chopped
Cinnamon - 1 stick
Cloves -2
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and cut the chicken into desired pieces.

2. Add the pepper masala to the chicken pieces along with onion, tomato, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Mix well and cook till its done.

3. IF there is excess water. allow it to evaporate by keeping it on low flame.

4. Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and sprinkle some lemon juice over it.

Enjoy it with Roti or serve as a side dish with rice. :)

Sending this to Any One can Cook event hosted by Taste of Pearl city

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Pepper Paste/ Masala

This masala is used for making yummy chicken dishes as well as for making gravy/ khurma.

Ingredients:

Roasted Peppercorns - Fistful
Roasted Coriander Seeds -Fistful
Turmeric/ haldi powder - 2 tsp
Roasted whole Red chilli- 4
Ginger - 1''
Garlic - 8 cloves

Method:
Grind all the ingredients together till smooth.

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Fish Curry

Fish curry - My Ammi Abba's Favorite :) A Not-so-favorite dish of mine- Simply because i don't eat fish! :p But as far as i can cook and serve others, am happy ;) I now know that my in-laws love fish curry too, so this is one dish i had to learn ! So here i am :) It is preferable to cook this curry in a clay pot. It tastes much better - That's what everybody says :)

Ingredients:
Fish - Bangda ( Mackerel) - 3 big cut into 3 pieces each, If Sardines use12 fishes
Coconut - 1
Roasted Whole Red chilli - 8
Turmeric / Haldi powder - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Whole Coriander - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1
Garlic - 4 cloves
Tamarind - small ball
Roasted Cumin seeds/Zeera - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Fenugreek seeds/ Methi - 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Tomato - 1
Slit Green chilli - 4
Ginger - 1''
Curry or Coriander Leaves - 2 tsp

Method:
1. Grind coconut along with Turmeric powder, Coriander seeds and whole red chilli.

2. Once its getting into a fine paste, add tamarind, Zeera, Methi, garlic, onion and grind till smooth paste.

3. Remove the batter/masala adding water to form a not-thick-not-thin consistency and transfer it into a bowl.

4. Mix the batter real well and add salt and allow it to boil with the lid closed. Make sure you keep checking it in intervals so that it does not spill over.

5. Once it starts boiling, add Green chillies, ginger, tomato and onion and give it a boil.

OPTIONAL : Add chopped Ladies finger or Brinjal at this stage.

6. After the first boil, add the fish pieces and allow it to boil till the fish is cooked. Depending upon the type of fish, the cooking time would vary. Please see to it that the gravy is not too thick nor too thin.

7. Once its done, add in curry leaves or coriander leaves.

Enjoy with rice , dosa along with a veggie side dish! :)

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Beef Khurma/ curry

Friday calls for special meals every week at our place. Main dish is either Biryani or Pulao, accompanied with beef/ mutton gravy and chicken fry. Sometimes its just Pulao, Daal and chicken Fry - Everybody's favorite! Today my Ammi was out for a meeting at my sis's school and it went on for more time than expected. As expected, she was worried about lunch preparations and that too it was a Friday! I soo knew my Ammi would definitly be thinking about this, so i went to the kitchen, decided the menu and got cooking, without giving her a call. I decided on Pulao, Beef curry and Chicken 65! And when my Ammi called me up to say she would be late and that i should prepare something, i cool-ly sed 'Ammi, You just come and eat ;) Lunch is ready!! LOL!

The happiness on my Ammi's face - Priceless! :)

Beef Khurma/ Curry
Ingredients:
Beef - 500 gms
Onion - 7-8
Tomato - 5
Potato- 2
Cloves - 2
Green Peas- 1/2 cup
Cinnamon stick - 1
Salt to taste
Green chilli paste - 2 tbsp
Coconut - 1
Coriander Leaves - 1 bunch

Method :
1. Wash and cut the beef in desired pieces.

2. Heat oil in a pan and saute onions till brown. Add tomatoes and mix well till oil starts coming on the sides.

3. Add cloves and cinnamon.

4. Add the beef pieces, potato cubes, green peas, salt to taste and green chilli paste along with 2 cups of water and mix well. Pressure cook it till its done.

5. Meanwhile, Grate the coconut and grind it. Extract the coconut milk from it using a strainer.

6. Once the beef is well cooked, add this coconut milk to it and boil it for around 5 minutes.

9. Add the chopped coriander leaves and serve hot!

Sending this to Anyone can cook event hosted by Taste of Pearl city

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Desi Pizza

My blog is two months old today :)

Few days back we were all in a mood to have some nice snack in the evening and i got thinking of what we should make. Somehow we came across a pizza ad on tv and we soo wanted to eat a pizza! But no one was in a mood to go out. So we thought lets make a pizza at home! It takes time!! And all of us were very hungry. So i thought ki chalo lets make something easy, quick  and yummy!  We had bread at home and that was it! See what it turned out into! ;) Y*U*M*M*Y in the T*U*M*M*Y!

Ingredients:
White bread slices - 8 slices
Sesame seeds (til), toasted - 1/2 cup
Corn Kernels, boiled and crushed - 1 cup
Potatoes, boiled and grated - 3 medium
Green capsicum, seeded and chopped - 1 medium
Onion , chopped - 1 medium
Garlic, chopped - 4-6 cloves
Green chillies, seeded and chopped - 2-3
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp
Ginger, chopped - 1''
White pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Soy sauce - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Cornflour/ corn starch- 1/2 cup
Oil - to deep fry

Method:  
1.Cut the bread slices into squares or just cut the sides of the bread. 

2. Take potatoes in a bowl.

3. Add green capsicum, onion, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves, ginger, crushed corn, white pepper powder, soya sauce and salt and mix well. 

4. Spread the mixture on each bread square generously. 

5. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over the potato mixture and press gently. 

6. Lightly roll in cornflour. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai and deep fry the bread slices till golden. 

7.Drain and place them on an absorbent paper. Serve hot. 

It was seriously delicious. And yeah the name Desi Pizza, was given by my brother ;) He LOVED it too much. And as i am writing this post, my sis comes to me and says 'Didi, Please make this tomorrow'! ;)

I take it as a compliment! :D

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Thank You! :)

My first event at Chef Naaz - The Mistress of Spices came to an end with the end of 2010. I am glad that my love for trifles has grown deeper, thanks to the entries which i got for my Trifle Event .

I want to thank my blogger friends who sent me their gorgeous trifle entries and all those who sent in their good wishes. As a token of my appreciation, please do take this participation certificate from me.

I would love to pass it on to the following bloggers who sent me their entries and made my event delicious! ;) You can see the round up of the event below :) Enjoy!

1. Nithya from 4th Sense Cooking- Triple Trifle

2. Reshmi from Rasoi the kitchen- Banana Trifle

 

Apple Trifle 

4. Ramya from Hot from my oven - Chocolate Cherry Trifle

 

5. Aipi from US Masala - Cherry Trifle

6. Prathima from Prats Corner - Fruit Trifle

7. Tamanna from Dazzling Kitchen - Strawberry Lemon curd Trifle

8. Veena from Veg Junction - Black Forest Trifle

Thanks to you Friends, i have now learnt 10 Trifle recipes!! :D :D I shall try all of them soon and post them on my blog! :)

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Qubani ka Meetha / Apricot compote

Qubani - This name reminds us of Hyderabad ALWAYS! Hyderabadis are known for their love for sweets. No Hyderabadi meal can ever be complete without the finishing touch of 'meetha' (sweet). One of the hot favourites is the `Qubani Ka Meetha`. This sweet Temptation is served at most Hyderabadi restaurants. This dessert can be served with fresh cream, custard or even vanilla ice-cream which will be appreciated by all palates. This dessert is an essential part of any wedding feast in the city. The best part is that this recipe can be easily made at home too.

My Ammi learnt this from one of my aunt and she makes it just like how a hyderabadi would make it to perfection. We make it usually on Eid and my neighbors and cousins just wait for us to serve this every single time!! Yesterday we had a party at home for one of my cousin who loves this sweet, so we made it for her and this time i made it! ;) And it tasted awesome like always! It is simple yet a rich sweet dish which will definitely be loved by all :)

The soaked seeds on the right and when it is de-seeded on the left

Ingredients:
Dried whole Apricots - 200 gms
Sugar - 1 cup ( You can add more as per your taste buds)
Fresh cream - 100 ml


Method:
1.Wash and soak the dried apricots overnight with surplus water so that the water covers them by about 2-3 inches. The next day, slit the sides of the swelled up apricots to remove their seeds and keep them aside.

2. Put the slit apricots into a large thick bottom pan with the soaking liquid. Let it cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes or until the apricots are cooked very well. Keep stirring in between. Add more hot boiling water if needed.

3. Meanwhile, crack open the apricots kernels and soak the badam/ nuts in a cup of water to loosen their skin.

4. Once the apricots are cooked real well and the consistency is fairly thick, add sugar and keep stirring for sometime.

5. Taste for sugar and add in more if needed or else just switch off the heat and allow it to cool.

6. Remove the skin of the soaking apricot nuts or badam. This should be pretty easy as they have been soaking.

7. Garnish with the badam/nuts and serve it chilled topped with fresh thick cream, custard or a generous dollop of vanilla ice cream.

This is an instant hit whenever it is made, so do try it out! I am sure every one will keep asking for more ;)

Sending this to Any one can cook -Series 10 hosted by Taste of Pearl City

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Best of Year 2010

The Year 2010 will remain the most special year of my life FOREVER, Alhumdulillah! :)

I say so because some of the most important developments in and around me and the best of the things happened to me this year. Waise i am a person who would love to live life in the best way possible and would never miss a chance to celebrate each moment! But this year has been exceptionally great and i loooooooooved every bit of it! Now lemme take a recap of the year 2010 and say what was so great about this year that i regard it ' The Best year' of my life till date.

January : I got married! :D So you know the main reason for me to love this year. * wink wink*  The month was spent in shopping, shopping and more shopping! My wedding was on January 31st, so i had this whole month to indulge myself in the best. A south Indian family girl going to be a part of a North Indian family!! Such awesome times i had. If you would like to know about my wedding shopping experiences, you can read my post in my other blog here .

February : My honeymoon trip to Malaysia and Singapore! No doubt it was my best holiday ever. My hubby dearest showered me with everything that i wished and dreamt of! How can i NOT be happy then ;) Thank you soo much darling! :)

March : My hubby left to New York and my visa processing started - The only pain i experienced this year which is still going on!! But all is well and i would be leaving to NY soon, Insha'Allah :)

April : Tra la laaaaaaaa!! My hubby comes back to India to stay with me for one whole month! :D More reasons to celebrate! We enjoyed in my hometown - Mangalore for a week. We spent a week in his hometown - Gujarat for a week. We went on a fun trip with my family to Munnar, kerala for a week. The rest of the days were spent in post wedding parties ! ;) A fun filled month!

May: My birthday AND my hubby's birthday too! Since it was our first birthdays after marriage, we wanted to make it more special. We did celebrate it in the best ways possible showering each other with love, care and a whole lot of gifts! But unfortunately we could not be together for my birthday because he had to leave at the start of the month and my birthday was at the end of May! But nonetheless, he made sure he made my birthday reely special :) And now the tragic part of the month! :( I lost my dear friend in the Mangalore Plane crash :( She used to live next door and i had the keys of her apartment which i was waiting to give her on that fateful day. I will never forget that day :( May her soul rest in peace, that is all i can pray for now.

June : My visa processing was going on and i started my experiences in the kitchen full time! Yeah, till now i was busy with college and friends so i used to just be the assistant cook in my kitchen. But now i started taking the main jobs ;) I have a passion for writing and i wanted a platform to record events of my life and my thoughts! So yeah, started blogging - http://naazuk.blogspot.com/.

July : This month was spent in missing my hubby and my in-laws but i was enjoying being with my family even after my wedding ;) I know i was one of the lucky few who gets the opportunity to live with parents and siblings even after marriage, so i was making the most of it ;) My cooking sessions were going full on and my blogging too.My cousins flew down from Dubai and we had some of the most memorable weekends ;) I had posted about one such weekend here .

August : I started baking cakes! One thing which i always wanted to do. I baked so many cakes in August and September that i got tired of baking them but my siblings were not tired of eating! So i went on and on!

September : Weddings, parties and get togethers. Caught up with school friends, college friends, MBA friends!

October : A very important month for me this year! My parents left for the 40 day pilgrimage to Mecca also called Hajj. So i was handed over the position of the 'Top chef' at home as my mum was on the 40 day leave from the kitchen! I knew it was a big responsibility for me as i had two working brothers and 3 college going siblings, an aunt and my grandma! I had to please their taste buds throughout the 40 days! And Alhumdulillah, it turned out one super splendid month for all of at home! We all gained weight! LOL! Not that while my parents were around we were skinny creatures, but the amount of chicken, paneer, cheese, cakes, desserts,  sandwiches and chaats that went into our tummies this month, we all bloated up! :p And not to forget my elder bro's birthday meal preparations! Just fabulous!

November : My younger bro's birthday! Again a special menu for all of us. I had such a good time cooking these 40 days! And guess what, i started this food blog ;) Chef Naaz - The Mistress of Spices!. My parents got back on Nov 21st and i prepared a special meal on their return which everybody feasted on! :)  If you would like to know more of my experiences as a ' Top Chef', you can read it here .

December : My visa processing is in the last stage and once all is well, Insha'allah i would be leaving to NY asap. My blog turned one month old and i hosted the 'Trifle Event' on my blog :) I participated in various events in this month and i got to know so many amazing bloggers and their delicious recipes. I was so very happy to be getting followers, awards and such  lovely comments from fellow bloggers! It was such a good motivation. I also had a reunion with my MBA friends and we had a gala time.The year ended on a superb note with a family outing! :)

Now to pick the top 5 of my posted recipes!

I would give the first place to my Fruit Trifle

Second place to Prawns Manchuri

Third place goes to Kharaash Chicken

Fourth place has gone to Heart Healthy Meal

And last but not the least! The fifth position goes to my gorgeous Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry frosting

My Resolution for the Year 2011 is to cook real good food and please my hubby and in-laws taste buds every single time i cook! Its gonna be a new year and a new country for me and i hope to enjoy every single day doing the things which make me and my family happy the most! One thing i want to reeeeeeely do to perfection is Baking! I was such a reluctant baker and i wish to overcome all my baking fears in the coming year! Wish me luck guys :)

I would love to thank my hubby, my family, friends - both on and off the blogging world, for giving me so much of love, care and motivation everyday, to help me do the things that i love the most! :) Hope you all had a good time reading this post just like how i had a good time doing the recap! I wish you all a very happy New year 2011. May all your wishes, dreams and aspirations come true. May all that we cook be loved by all and may all of us stay good friends, help one another and spread peace and happiness around :)

Enjoy and have a fantafabulously amazing,  magnificently splendid and yummilicious year ahead! Happy New Year 2011! :)

Sending this post to Srivalli's Best of the year 2010 Event . Thank you Srivalli for making me do this wonderful recap. I enjoyed every bit of it :)

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My gorgeous Chocolate cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Its been a month since i got a microwave for my Ammi, and ever since i wanted to make cupcakes in it. I had made cupcakes earlier in the oven but i wanted to bake some in the MW. While i went shopping for muffin  cups and trays, i came across the silicon muffin cups and i just could not get my eyes off them! They looked sooo cute! I  asked the guy there if they were really MW safe! :p And lo! I got 'em home! I got searching for chocolate cupcake recipes because my siblings love it and wanted to do a frosting with strawberries since i had them at home. So i went online checking for recipes and i came across Shabs cuisine's chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting . I loved the recipe and wanted to try it out. I made some slight modifications and baked the cupcakes. And you can guess by the pictures, they turned out AWESOME!!

Things we need:

2oo g  butter at room temperature

2 ½ cups castor sugar

4 large eggs at room temperature

1 ¾ cup plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp Chocolate Syrup

1 cup whole milk

2 tsp vanilla essence

Method: 

1. Beat butter and sugar for 3 minutes on high speed until soft and fluffy.

2. Add egg, one by one at a time to the above mix, mixing well after each addition.

3. In a separate bowl, sieve together flour, baking powder and soda, cocoa powder and salt twice or thrice.

4. Mix vanilla essence with milk.

5. Fold 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg-sugar mixture followed by little of the milk and mixing well. Repeat the process until milk and flour is all used up. Add flour and milk alternately, starting and finishing off with flour.

6. Pour in the chocolate syrup and mix well. 

7. Scoop the mixture to muffin cups filling just below half or just half full. Bake for like 4 mins on microwave convection at 200 degrees. Cool them on wire rack completely before frosting them.

Being baked in the Microwave!

Now for the Strawberry Frosting:

1 cupWhipped cream

1/2 cup Lightly sweetened Strawberry Puree

3-4 tsp of icing sugar

1. Beat the whipped cream and beat only till soft peaks form.

2. Add the icing sugar and beat well. 

3. Then add the sweetened strawberry puree a little at a time and beat until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.  Taste and fold in more puree if required.

Since it was my first time doing the frosting, it dint turn out stiff. I learnt from my mistakes and Insha'Allah next time i hope to perfect it :) Until then enjoy the recipe and the pictures! :)

Sending these cupcakes to
Srivalli's Kids Delight- Chocolate Feast!
Dr. Sameena's Cookies and cakes for xmas 
Smitha's Choco delites event
Its time to jingle again  at Asan Khana
Champa's Bake off Event!
Suma's baking event 

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I have been tagged!

My childhood friend Prathima Rao tagged me in a series of questions on her blog Prats Corner . It was the first time i was tagged to answer questions and so i was all happy and excited to answer the Q's! Here i am with my answers! Hope this helps you in getting to know me better. :)

1. Who inspired you to cook or bake?

Well, i guess i should say ' My Marriage' inspired me to cook ! LOL! I got married early this year and before that i was always busy with my studies, family and friends. I did have an interest in cooking but dint exactly spend time in the kitchen. But yeah once i got married, i knew i HAD to develop my culinary skills and that is how i got cooking ;) The food bloggers played a real big role in inspiring me to cook because i got to know people like me who did not know much of cooking, doing some amazing dishes. And If i have to name persons i guess i will mention my Ammi and my hubby.

To inspire me to bake - It would definitely be my younger sis. She LOVES cakes, pastries and the like. So i started baking to heed to her requests! And i am so glad she got me baking. otherwise i don't think i would bake any cakes coz..psst psst.. i WAS a lil scared of baking. But now all is well :)

2. What is your take on organic food? Is it a big deal for you?

Organic food.. Ah its still something which i haven't given importance to. Probably in the future i might, but right now not a big deal!

3. You try a new recipe and it does not turn out good, What will you do?

Obviously, i would feel a lil sad if it does not turn out the way i expected, but then if it was something that went wrong because of my mistakes, i would definitely try again, but if its not liked by anyone of us at home, i would never try it again ;)

4. Do you have a new years resolution - and would you be sticking to it?

Well, New year always comes with a lot of enthusiasm for each one of us. We always wish to do much better than we did in the previous years. And i am no exception. I do make resolutions every year but i end up fulfilling just a bit of every resolution. For 2011 i would love to make resolutions AND stick to them! I intend to learn ALOT of cooking in the coming year and since i am going to join my hubby and in-laws in New York in January, i wish to please their taste buds every single time i cook. I wish to learn a lot of North Indian cooking from my Mom-in-law and hope to teach her my south Indian cooking. Wish me luck folks ;)

5. Do you time your breakfast, lunch and dinner or eat when you are hungry?

Ummm.. For my family, i would time the meals accordingly but for myself i choose the latter :p
Actually much depends on the menu too. If its something that i drool over, i eat it ON TIME, actually.. before time :p But if its something that i do not like, i would postpone my meal to the maximum time and eat it when my Ammi's patience levels comes down totally and i get a earful! :p This usually happens during breakfast coz lunch and dinner we make it a point to have it together. I LOVE it when the whole family is together for meals.

6. Name three ingredients you consciously avoid or eliminate even when the recipe calls for it. 

Mushrooms, MSG ( Ajinomoto), Lemon Rind.

7. Name three things you have to use in most of the recipes.

I love using cumin seeds usually. I love the aroma it brings in. And i love Ginger garlic paste and yeah onions usually are a must for me.

Now lets get the tag rolling ;) I wish to pass on the questions to 5 of my blogger friends. And they are..

1. Fezi of Kitchen Boffin
2. Ms. Chitchat from chitchat@crossroads
3. Tahemeem from Tahemeem's Blog
4. Ayeesha from Taste of pearl city
5.Akheela from Torview

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Paneer Cutlets

Paneer is one awesome ingredient which can make any recipe taste delicious. I made this few days back when all of us at home where just lazying around because of the rains here and my dad and bro came back home early. So i thought lets enjoy the evening chai with everyone with these Paneer cutlets! And we did have a wonderful evening :)

Ingredients:
Paneer - 1 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup
Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1/2 cup
Potatoes - 1 cup
Chat masala - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Boil and mash the potatoes.

2. Boil and chop the veggies finely.

3.Take a vessel and mix together all the veggies and the mashed potatoes along with all the spices and salt.

4.Once the paneer- veggie mixture is ready, shape them into oval cutlets.

5. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the cutlets.

Enjoy with tomato sauce or Mint chutney. :)

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