STRAWBERRY ICECREAM

Icecreams have become very common in our house now..Another discovery during lockdown And homemade is always best ,there is no business only pure ingredients and love goes into it🥰

Icecreams are made upon my daughters pleadings and suggestions. Our freezer is stocked up with icecream nowadays. Whenever she feels like having she can binge onto .After the success of choco oreo icecream ,decided to try strawberry icecream  as I got fresh strawberries recently....Next is coconut icecream in the list

When i am making icecream my daughter will be at my side with full support and enthusiasm.She now knows what goes in and how much into the recipe.


INGREDIENTS

Strawberry - 200gm
Sugar - 2tbsp
Amul fresh cream - 250ml
Milkmaid - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence  - 1tsp


How to make

Wash and clean strawberries and boil them with sugar in low flame
Once the strawberries  are cooked ,mash them well and switch off the flame .allow to cool completely
Now in a bowl take fresh cream
Keep this bowl immersed in another bowl/vessel with icecubes or coldwater
Now using electric beater beat the cream well for 10minutes or till it becomes creamy
Now add the milkmaid and vanilla essence and beat for a minute
Now add in the strawberry puree  and beat well at low speed or fold in with a spoon /spatula
Now transfer the mixture to a container and freeze it for atleast 5hours or overnight
If the icecream is very hard to scoop ,leave it outside the freezer for about 5minutes and then try
You can serve the icecream with toppings of your choice like honey ,nuts,chocolate syrup,tutti fruity, sprinkles etc

KERALA PAROTTA

During this lockdown while having a video chat with my mom in law she mentioned about her craving for parotta since she saw a parotta making video in YouTube. And she said someday after this lockdown when we go home we Must try making .Oh .needless to say she just easily passed on that temptation or craving on me...I never before thought of making parottat at home because of the rumuored difficulty in the process. The notorious swinging and hitting of the dough during parotta making which is a common sight in the street food/restaurants has given me an impression that parotta is something impossible to try at home.And this recipe doesn't require much hardwork with swinging or hitting..all it needs is ample time for the dough to rest and lot of oil.But i have used very less oil 

But I consider this one among the numerous advantages of lockdown that i decided to give it a try and the result was so overwhelming for me.These parottas were flaky soft and layered.

Parottas are the most popular street food in kerala.I remember the delicious soft flaky parottas served with mutton/beef curry during wedding receptions or other religious occasions when I was young.......ooooooh......heavenly combo....I miss those golden moments...still parottta n beef/mutton combo is considered a priceless feeling/emotion among typical nonveg keralites😁.But parottas are so humble that they go well with any kind of vegetable kurma or chicken gravy or salan as well.so lets go the recipe now

INGREDIENTS

All purpose flour - 2cups
Egg - 1
Baking soda - a pinch
Baking powder - 1/4tsp
Salt - as needed
Sugar - 2tbsp
Milk  - 1/4 cup
Oil/ghee - 1tbsp
Water - 1/2 cup or more if  needed

How to make

In a bowl, add the flour salt sugar baking powder baking soda and mix well
Now make a well in the center and add egg and milk
Mix everything together
Add water slowly and make a soft dough
Knead it for about 5minutes
Apply oil on top and keep it covered with a wet  cloth for atleast 2hours

Now take the dough and knead it well
Make 4 big balls or 6 medium sized balls
Keep them covered with a wet cloth for half n hour

Now take each ball and roll it very thin as shown in the pic
Then cut the dough lengthwise into long strips
Apply oil on the strips
Gather the strips together from one end and join them together into a single ong strip
Now keep one end of the strip in your hand and roll it as shown in the pic
Keep the roll aside and apply oil on top
Repeat the same steps for each ball
 Now heat a pan in the stove
Take each ball  keep on the surface and press it using your paw into thin parotta and place it in hot pan
Apply oil and flip it until brown spots appear on either sides or when its cooked on both sides
 When all the parottas are done place each one on top of other and tap all the parottas together from all sides..this is to separate the layers.
Now our parottas are ready to serve

BUTTER CHICKEN

 

This butter chicken is a very easy and fool proof recipe and tastes amazing.I have tried this recipe many times and every time it came out well with the same taste and consistency. I found this recipe from one of my favorite blog,nags,years before

    The week before lockdown began,we planned for a potluck lunch at workplace.I did not think twice to choose what i was going to make.One of my colleague brought chapati and another one jeera pulav,both best combination for butter chicken. I also made hot chocolate pudding as dessert,while another friend brought paayasam /kheer that day.We thoroughly enjoyed our potluck. Now off to the recipe

INGREDIENTS 

1. Chicken  - 1/2 kg (boneless or mall pieces)
2. Onion - 2 big,finely chopped
3. Tomato - 1 (pureed)
4. Tomato sauce - 1tbsp
5. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
6. Kashmiri chilli powder - 1tsp
7. Corriander powder -1tsp
8. Garam masala  - 1tsp
9. Milk - 1cup
10. Cashewnuts - a handful (soaked and grinded into paste) or fresh cream
11. Butter or oil - 2tbsp
12. Kasuri methi - a big pinch
13. Corriander leaves- to garnish

HOW TO MAKE

• Heat a pan  and add butter 
• Add chopped onions and saute
• When onions turn golden brown add ginger garlic paste and saute for 2 minutes 
• Now add turmeric ,chilli and corriander powders and saute for a minute
• Add the pureed tomato and the ketch up  close the pan with  a lid and allow it to boil  for 5 minutes
• Add in crushed kasuri methi ,milk and chicken pieces
• Keep the flame in sim
• Let it cook untill the chicken pieces are soft
• Chicken will let out water..so adjust the thickness of the gravy accordingly 
• Now add the cashew nut paste and salt and garam masala.mix well
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and remove from stove
•  Butter chicken is ready to serve .

CHEESY CHICKEN EGG OMLETTE

I made this few days ago when we were all very hungry and not in the mood of cooking breakfast. And that was a quick and yummy breakfast

We love the flavor of green chillies in omlette..It added to the taste when blended with cheese and oregano and chicken

INGREDIENTS

1. Egg- 3
2. Boneless chicken - 100gms
3. Green chillies - 2 
4. Milk - 2tbsp
5. Shredded cheese - 2tbsp
6. Oregano -1tsp
7. Pepper - 1/2 tsp
8. Salt - as needed
9. Oil /butter - 2tbsp

HOW TO MAKE

• Cut the chicken into small cubes and keep aside
• Beat eggs along with milk,chopped greenchillies ,salt andkeep aside
• Heat a pan add butter
• Add chicken cubes ans saute adding some salt and even a pinch of turmeric powder 
• When all the water oozes out and chicken cubes are cooked well, spread the chicken pieces evenly and add the egg mixture into the pan
• Sprinkle oregano and pepper
• Cover and cook for five minutes.no need to flip the omlette 
• Once the top is cooked spread the grated cheese on top and cover and cook for about 2minutes just to melt the cheese
• Switch off the flame and move to serving plate carefully 

LOVELETTER(kerala pancake)

Never gave a thought about how this delicious snack got its name as loveletter when i was a kid.But now i know why it is called so.Irresistible sweetness and love  filled inside which makes you fall in love with it;indeed a loveletter..It has other names like madakku saan,elanchi etc in different parts of kerala. But i feel loveletter is the best suitable one🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

This was an usual after school snacks during childhood. The moment i stepped into my home coming back from school my mom while making loveletters,the aroma of cardomom and coconut rush into my nose...aahhhh..nostslgic.My mom used to add egg and used only maida to make these loveletters,which would make it even more delicious

Adding egg is optional.But it adds taste.you either use whole wheat flour alone or all purpose flour or mix of both as i did here.Either ways its a yummy snack.

INGREDIENTS

Whole wheat flour - 1/2cup
All purpose flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - a pinch
Water - 1 cup
Egg -1 optional
Ghee - as required

FOR THE FILLING

grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Jaggery  - 1/2 cup
Cardamom  - 3 pods ,crushed

HOW TO MAKE

In a bowl add flour ,salt ,baking soda ,water and mix well.the batter should be loose

Grate jaggery and mix with grated coconut and crushed cardamom  and keep aside

Heat a pan..apply some ghee
Pour a big ladle of batter into the pan and spread thinly
Flip it once its cooked
Again flip it when the other side is cooked
Now take a spoon full of coconut Jaggery mixture and place in the middle of the pancake
Fold both sides of the pancake to the inside and cover the filling..
Loveletter is ready .
move to a serving plate

CHOCO OREO ICECREAM

I am on cloud9 that i made this delicious icecream today...my daughter is a biiig icecream lover and she has been craving for it for many days..we are hypersensitive to the preservatives added in most of the popular brands of icecreams.But i didn't have the courage to try making at home and i didn't know it was this easy to make icecream at home.I love my electric beater☺

I was going through some videos in youtube for the recipe.but i have gone through so many videos that i finally ended up mixing all the recipes.i even added a tablespoon of leftover dalgona coffee cream which is completely optional. The texture of the icecream was perfect nothing less than the shop bought ones.Needless to say that toppings are totally customizable. And we can make few changes in the recipe to make different flavors of icecreams like strawberry ,mango ,fig n honey ,tender coconut ,coffee  n cookies etc which i would love to try in the future

My daughter loved it very much.she didn't allow the icecream to set overnight..it got hardly 8hrs to set.And blame my excitement  for the quality of the pics😁.let's see how to make this delicious icecream

INGREDIENTS

Amul fresh cream - 250ml
Condensed milk - 1/4 cup
Vanilla essence  - 1tsp
Oreo biscuits Amul- 5 numbers
Coco powder  - 2 tbsp
Chocochips ,nuts,raisins,  chocolate syrup - for toppings

HOW TO MAKE

Take fresh cream in a bowl.

Immerse this  bowl in another bowl with icecubes or cold water in it.

Now using an electric beater beat the cream at high speed for 5minutes

Add condensed milk to it and start beating at high speed for another 5 minutes

Now add vanilla essence and cocoa powder  and beat for another 5 minutes

Add crushed oreo biscuits into the mixture and gently fold in

Transfer the mixture to a container or bowl and  cover with lid or aluminum foil

Keep in the fridge to set for minimum 5 hrs or overnight

Scoop the icecream and top it with chocochips or chocolate syrup or honey or nuts of your choice

And you are ready to dive in:))

MOONGDAAL NAMKEEN

Haldiram's moongdal namkeen is my daughter's favorite. Since its lockdown we have the constant urge to keep munching all the time and its best to try homemade snacks  always.

The first time i tried this it was a flop because i didn't soak the moongdal as i assumed it need not be soaked.then i googled , found the recipe and made it yesterday. It is very easy to make and only bad thing about this simple yet yummy n crunchy snacks is that its deep fried.lets see how its made

INGREDIENTS 

Skinless split moongdal - 1 cup 

Oil - for deep frying

Salt - as per taste

HOW TO MAKE

• Wash and soak moongdal for 2 to 3 hrs 
• Drain the moongdal   and keep aside 
• Heat a pan and add oil for frying the  moongdal 
• Add the moongdal into the pan and deep fry them till its crispy or about to change into brown colour 
• Spread the fried moongdal in a plate an when it is slightly cooled add some salt  and give it a mix
• Now moongdaal is ready to much on.

CHICKEN STEW

I wanted to try a different version of chicken gravy and ended up making this yummmmmy chicken stew.My sister used to make mutton kurma most of the times when i paid a visit to her .

This stew is creamy and thick and goes very well with appam pathiri idiyappam. But i had it with dosa as i was lazy to make pathiri or idiyapam.Trust me it was a great combo...crispy dosa and chicken stew.....So let's go to the recipe

INGREDIENTS

1. Chicken-1/2kg
2. Oil - 2tbsp
3. Onion - 1 big.finely chopped 
4. Potato - 1 cubed
5. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
6. Green chilli - 2 or 3
7. Pepper - 1tsp
8. Corriander powder - 1tsp
9. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
10. Fennel powder - 1tsp
11. Cashew nut  - 5 or 6 
12. Coconut milk - 1/4 cup
13. Salt - as required 
14. Cardamom - 3
15. Cinnamon - one small stick
16. Cloves - 4
17. Bayleaf - 1
18. Curry leaf - 1 spring

How to make

• Wash chicken and drain aside
• Soak cashew nuts in hot water 
• Heat oil in a pan and add the whole spices(cardamom, cloves,bayleaf,cinnamon)
• Add chopped onions and saute well
• When the onions become translucent add ginger garlic paste and crushed green chillies curry leaves and saute
• Now add the crushed pepper corriander powder,fennel powder , turmeric powder and saute for 2 minutes
• Add  chicken pieces cubed potatoes  and salt
• Add half a cup of water and close the lid and let it cook
• Meanwhile grind the soaked cashews into a fine paste
• Once the chicken is cooked add the cashew paste and give a stir keeping the flame in sim
• Check salt and add the coconut milk and mix well for 3 minutes.
• Do not let it boil after adding the coconut milk.
• Switch off the flame and now the stew is ready to serve.

DALGONA

This one needs no introduction now because of its huge popularity during this lockdown..i used to make coffee this way ..creamy and rich ,but had no idea that it had a name like "dalgona"...i am not a "coffee" person.but whenever i have ,i love to have it strong and creamy.

Needless to say this coffee is addictive,rich and creamy just like the one we get from cafe coffee day or any fancy coffee shop.the good news is we don't need any fancy ingredients to make this one...let's move on to the recipe..

INGREDIENTS

1. coffee powder - 3tbsp
2. Sugar - 3tbsp
3. Water - 3tbsp
4. Milk - 1/2 cup

HOW TO MAKE

• Take a bowl add coffee powder, sugar ,water  and beat well with hand wisk or electric beater untill the mixture is creamy.Using hand whisk will take more time but you can get the same consistency. 
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• Boil milk and pour into serving glass
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• Top the milk with coffee cream we made

You can garnish with chocolate chips or cookie crumbs or bit of coffee powder or even honey.

Enjoy your dalgona coffee:)))