Recipes

Paan Ice Cream

September 21, 2018 by Pooja

Paan or Betel leaves are a must in all the prayers or religious ceremonies in India but apart from that, it has many health benefits as well. It is a great source of vitamins, lower your cholesterol and also helps to combat depression. Since it has a bitter taste so not many people like it.

I have tried Paan Ice cream at one of my friend’s home and really liked the refreshing taste which was different from the regular ice creams. I gave a try to this ice cream at home and it was a hit with the family.

Paan Ice Cream Ingredients

Betel Leaves- 5

Fennel Seeds- 1 tbsp

Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

Dates – 3

Gulkand- 2 tbsp (Homemade Gulkand)

Milk – 4 tbsp

Whipped cream- 250 ml

Milkmaid- 1/4 tin

Tutti Fruitty- a handful

Method

Wash and clean paan leaves, in a grinder, add paan leaves, cardamom powder, fennel seeds, gulkand, dates and milk.
Grind until puree like consistency.
In a separate container take whipped cream and milkmaid blend them until thick.
Add the puree to it and mix well.
Transfer it to a container and put a cling wrap on the cover.
Leave in the freezer for a day so that it is properly set
Garnish with tutti frutti.

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Gulkand (Rose Petal Jam)

September 20, 2018 by Pooja

I remember as a kid the festive celebrations used to start early with mom, grandma and aunts preparing many festive delicacies at home. For us kids, it was the best time to peek into the kitchen to get a glimpse and aroma of those traditional recipes. Till now, I associate festivals with an onset of winters and taking out those woollen clothing.

Living outside India doesn’t change the charm of those festivals and Indian sweets (mithai) with it. I try to cook those recipes so that my kids too get to enjoy and can remember them as well. Though nowadays it is not difficult to get the things outside India as well but preparing them from a scratch has its own charm.

Do you agree with me?

I tried for a recipe which calls for Gulkand (Rose Petal Jam) as one of the ingredients and I couldn’t find it anywhere and I tried searching online but no recipe for Gulkand using the dried rose petal and again I had no fresh rose petals.

Gulkand Recipe

Dried Rose petal – 1cup

Sugar – 1/2 cup (depends on the sweetness)

Fennel seeds – 2 tbsp

Cardamom powder – 1 tsp or just coarse cardamom

Water – 1/4 cup

Method

In a pan take dried rose petals, sugar and water. Simmer on the low flame for 5-10 mins. I think we can replace with jaggery as well but not yet tried.
Add fennel seeds and cardamom it.
Let it be on the low flame for another 5 mins and check that it is slightly thicker in consistency.
Cool down before transferring it to a glass container.
You can store it in the fridge for months.

Apart from using it in the cooking, there are some of the health benefits of it as well.

Some of the health benefits of Gulkand

Gulkand is rich in antioxidants and acts as an energy boosters
It is generally recommended to eat in Summers as Gulkand has cooling properties so helps to give relief from sun strokes, nostril bleeding and dizziness.
Gulkand helps to regulate irregular periods and excessive bleeding.
It also helps to reduce body odour and excessive perspiration
It also improves appetite and digestion.

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Marble Cake | Philips Airfryer

September 15, 2018 by Pooja

I have been eyeing on an Airfryer from a long time but couldn’t decide whether to go for it as we don’t cook much of deep fried food. On another thought will it be just an appliance sitting on my kitchen top. Finally got Philips Airfryer and falling in love with it as can cook relatively faster and less or no oil at all.

Kids are pretty happy that mom is baking chicken for dinner more often and you get yummy baked veggies too. While flipping the recipe book again, I realised that we can actually bake as well.

I already have two ovens -one big size and one small in my home so baking a cake in Air fryer was not so appealing and I relate Air fryer more to cooking snacks etc. Still thought of baking a cake in Air Fryer solely with a thought it will be quicker and less messy.

This is a quick recipe with few ingredients only.

Marble Cake Philips Airfryer

Ingredients:

All purpose flour – 120 g

or Plain flour + Baking powder (1 1/2 tsp)

Butter- 120 g

Milk- 40-50 ml

Castor sugar- 110g

Cocoa powder- 1 tbsp

Eggs -2

Vanilla Essence- 1/2tsp

Method

Preheat your Air fryer on 160 c for 10 minutes (160 is already set on Airfryer setting for baking)
With a blender or mixer, make a creamy and fluffy mix of butter and sugar.

3. Add in eggs (one at a time) and blend in well followed by milk and vanilla essence.

4. Add your flour into it and mix it well.

5. Separate into two parts and in one part add cocoa powder. Taking one spoon from each mixture and pouring in alternatively in your baking pan.

6. I just did this with a toothpick and here the mixture with cocoa powder is more since my kids over do it always.

7. Bake for 25 mins on 160 c and take out to see if cooked well.

Loving this hassle free cooking!

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Stir-fry Black pepper chicken with veggies!

March 28, 2018 by Pooja

This Stir-fry black pepper chicken with veggies is under 15 minutes dish to cook and I find them a healthier way to enjoy the crunchiness of veggies along with the chicken. Stir fry recipes are the easiest one to try out when you are looking for a quick fix on a lazy day or when you can’t figure out what to cook. You can always do mix and match with stir-fry according to your taste making it an one pot kind of a meal.

Stir-fry Black pepper chicken with veggies!

Ingredients

Chicken (marinated in Black pepper)
Roasted Bell Pepper -1
Garlic- 5-6 pods
Ginger- 10 g
Red Onion -1
Spring onion- a bunch
Dry Red Chilli- 5-6
Broccoli- Handful (blanched)
Carrot- 1 (blanched)
Salt
Soy sauce- 1 tsp
Red chill/ Tomato Ketchup- 1 tbsp

Method

Roast Red Bell pepper to get that charred smoky flavour and blanch Broccoli and carrot.

2. In a pan take some oil, add some roughly chopped ginger, garlic and red onion. Saute it for 2-3 minutes and add dried red chillies to it. Now simultaneously add the marinated chicken in black pepper and spring onions along with any liquid in it.

3. Let the chicken cook for 10 minutes and add carrot, broccoli, salt, soy sauce and tomato ketchup. Cook for another 5 minutes with a lid on it.

Serve hot with Rice!

Adjust chilli according to your taste
Try boneless chicken though with bone works fine too
You can add more veggies accordingly.

Homemade Lemon pickle

February 22, 2018 by Pooja

Pickle or Achar is part of every Indian Kitchen and for some, no meal is complete without a pickle or chutney. Lemon pickle or nimbu achar is as common as Mango pickle which you will find commonly. It is prepared in many forms – sweet, sour or spicy. I never get a chance to learn from my Grandma preparing these pickles but every family has their own unique style of making pickles.

I always loved these home-prepared recipes with the right amount of spices blended in it than the store one with additional preservatives so this time finally gave a try to it. Since lemon pickle is a home remedy for stomach disorders and digestion so a must to have at home.

LEMON PICKLE RECIPE

Ingredients

Lemon – 250 gms
Salt – 2 tbsp
Sugar – 250 gms or less (according to your taste)
Garam Masala -1/2 tbsp
Black cardamom- 3-4 (Grind coarsely the seeds inside)
Ajwain- 1/2 tbsp
Red Chilli – 1 tbsp
Black Salt- 1 tsp

Method

Wash the lemon properly and check that lemons are without any spots on it. Wipe with a clean kitchen towel to dry them. Cut the lemon into half or 4 pieces.

Add salt to these lemons and keep them aside in a clean glass jar or container with a lid for 15-20 days in the sun or near the window. (Please make sure your container is absolutely clean)
Just shake the container after 2-3 days as the juice settles down at the bottom.

After 15 days

In a pan take sugar, less than a cup of water and let them simmer on a medium flame. Add all the spices ( Black cardamom, Red chilli, Black salt, Garam Masala, Ajwain).