Hands down, the best whole chicken recipe I’ve ever tasted and I am proud to say that this is my dear grandma’s recipe…

I had tasted this whole chicken twice, once cooked by my grandma and another time which was 2 months ago when I was in India by my mom. Since then this dish had been on my top lists and it was yesterday I finally gave it a shot in my kitchen. Yesterday we celebrated our wedding anniversary at home,  just we both had spent some great time together. In the morning my very first thought was to skip the cooking and to go for a romantic candle light dinner. After sometime, I had a second thought and it was to cook my grandma’s whole chicken and to make my wedding anniversary special. I couldn’t ignore my second thought and the thought of this irresistible whole chicken forced me to enter the kitchen and to start the preparation right away.

Before I knew, I was found totally involved in making this and I absolutely forgot what was going around me. I was truly blown away by the simplicity of this recipe and for the taste this whole chicken gained after all the cooking. With just few ingredients you could make this. After marinating the chicken and roasting it, the whole chicken is cooked slowly in coconut gravy for an hour, this made the chicken tender and juicy, rather than making it dry if you would have baked it.

The steps and ingredients for making this was so unbelievably easy that I didn’t panic at any point while cooking this nor had the feeling whether it would turn out good. The moment I started cooking this, I was sure about only one thing that it was going to turn out to be a great hit and it did. I definitely made my grandma proud!

It was obvious to my husband that I would make something special for our wedding anniversary. When he saw the cooked whole chicken served for dinner, his sudden response was “damn girl, you are kick awesome!” and I was seen on the cloud nine…

Thanks to my grandma for sharing this recipe and to my mom for showing me how to make this. You guys rock!

Grandma’s Slow Cooked Whole Chicken

Ingredients:

• Whole chicken, skin out- small or medium sized (smaller the tastier)
• Kitchen twine

To marinate the chicken

Ingredients:

• Green chillies- 12 no’s
• Salt- 1 tbsp

To make the stuffing:

• Small onions fried in ghee or oil- 1/4 cup
• Cashew nuts, roasted in ghee- 10 no’s
• Raisins, roasted in ghee- 8 no’s
• Eggs, boiled- 2

To Shallow Fry the chicken

• Ghee- 4 tbsp

To grind:

• Poppy seeds, soaked in water- 2 tbsp
• Coconut, grated- 1 cup

To make the gravy:

• Ghee- 1-2 tbsp
• Small onions, chopped- 1/4 cup
• Ginger, minced- 1 tsp
• Garlic, minced- 1 tsp
• Fennel powder- 1 tbsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala- 2 tsp
• Water- 1 cup
• Salt- to taste

Preparation:

Step 1: Marinating the chicken

• Grind the green chillies and salt with lil water to a fine paste and keep aside.

• Wash the whole chicken under running water and remove any internal organs in it.
• Pat dry the chicken with paper towel.

• Put gashes on the legs, thighs and breast of the chicken.
• Evenly spread the green chilly paste all over the chicken using a kitchen brush.
• Do not use your hands as after spreading with your hands, your hands will get a burning feeling or wear a kitchen gloves before spreading with your hands.

• Place the chicken in a huge bowl and wrap it with plastic wrap.

• Let it marinate in the refrigerator for few hours or overnight.

Step 2: Preparing the stuffing

• Boil the eggs in water and remove the shell, keep aside.
• Fry the chopped small onions in ghee or oil.
• Roast the cashew nuts in 1 tbsp ghee.
• Roast the raisins in 1/2 tbsp ghee.
• Keep aside, we will be using these to stuff the chicken.

Step 3: Stuffing the chicken:

• Take the chicken out from the refrigerator.
• Place the stuffing inside the chicken and push everything tightly so that nothing comes out.

Step 4: Tying the stuffed chicken with kitchen twine:

• After stuffing the chicken, bring the legs of the chicken close to each other on the front and tie them with a clean kitchen twine.
• Also, bring the wings of the chicken close to each other towards the breast and tie them with a clean kitchen twine.
• Make sure to tie tightly so that the stuffing won’t come out. There shouldn’t be any gap in between the legs.

Step 4: Shallow Frying the chicken:

• Heat a wide dutch oven or non-stick pot which has lid over medium heat.
• Add the ghee and place the chicken breast side up first and shallow fry it until it turns golden in color.

• Using two spatulas, turn the chicken to breast side up and fry it until the bottom part turns golden.

• Now, turn to both the sides and fry the sides of the chicken as well. Keep aside.

• Do not deep fry or brown the chicken.
• Make sure you fry all the sides of the chicken, keep turning it until it turns golden in color.

Step 5: Making the gravy to cook the chicken:

• Soak 2 tbsp poppy seeds in water for 15 minutes, drain water and put it in a blender.

• Add 1 cup of grated coconut to the poppy seeds and enough water to make them into a smooth paste.
• Keep aside the ground coconut-poppy seeds paste.
• Heat the same dutch oven or non-stick pot used for frying the chicken after wiping off any browned stains found in the pot after frying the chicken.
• If there is any ghee left from the frying of the chicken you could use that, otherwise add 2 tbsp ghee to the pot.
• Add the chopped small onions and saute for a minute.
• Add the minced ginger and garlic, saute till the raw smell goes off.
• Pour the coconut-poppy seeds ground paste to the pot.

• Add fennel powder, coriander powder and garam masala to the paste and combine well.
• Add 1 cup water to the pot and give it a stir.
• Now, place the shallow fried chicken breast side up into the coconut gravy and close the pot with its lid.

• Cook the chicken until it turns tender and juicy, by turning the chicken occasionally to different sides.
• Also, occasionally pour the gravy over the chicken to keep it moist.

• You could cook breast side up for 15 minutes, then turn to one of its sides, cook for another 15 minutes, next turn to breast side down, cook for 15 minutes, turn to the other side and cook for 15 minutes.
• For me, it took 1 hour and 15 minutes to cook the chicken.

• If the water in the gravy has reduced, you could add water to it while cooking the chicken.
• Taste the gravy and add salt if needed.
• After the chicken has cooked well, remove it from the gravy and place it on a platter.
• If the gravy that is left in the pot is too watery, increase the heat of the stove and cook till the gravy thickens.
• Transfer the gravy to a separate serving bowl and keep aside.

Step 6: Carving the cooked chicken:

• Place the chicken on a clean cutting plate.
• Using a chicken carving knife, first carve the legs of the chicken and place it on the platter.

• Next carve the wings, finally cut the body of the chicken into 2 horizontal parts.

• Place all the carved chicken parts on a platter and garnish with veggies, greens of your choice.
• While platting, pour the gravy over the chicken parts and serve it with Naan, Pita bread, Chapati, Poori, Rice etc

Tips:

• You could marinate the chicken in the refrigerator and keep it overnight.
• With 12 medium sized green chillies, the spice level of the chicken was low-medium, you could increase green chillies if you want it spicy.
• While shallow frying the chicken, make sure to fry all the sides of the chicken by turning it occasionally.
• While cooking the chicken in the gravy, make sure to turn the chicken to different sides and cook after closing the dutch oven or pot with its lid.
• You could run a fork into the chicken breast to check whether it has turned tender.
• While serving, make sure to pour the gravy over the carved chicken, gravy enhances the taste of the chicken greatly.
• After cooking the chicken, if you feel that the spice level is low, you could add ground pepper to make it spicy.

Yet another recipe I had been wanting to post for the past few years. Roti Jala or Malaysian net crepes is made in a special mould which looks like a ladle with 5 holes in it. While in the US, I didn’t have this mould, but this didn’t stop me from making this. I made the mould myself, I put 5 holes in a plastic disposable cup and made the pancake using that cup.

My mom has the mould and she makes this quite often. Roti Jala was introduced to my mom by one of my aunts, she even gave her the mould which was imported from Malaysia. Since then, these crepes have become a family favorite. My mom often stuffs the net crepes with chicken.

First, a batter is made with all purpose flour or Maida, egg and coconut milk. Then a spoonful of batter is poured into the mould placed over a hot flat non-stick pan. Swirl the mould with the batter immediately to create a net shape. When the bottom side of the crepe turns golden brown, flip it to the other side and let that side turn golden in color. Drizzle little ghee on top of the net crepe.  It needs practice to make the perfect net crepe. You should swirl the batter as fast as you can and don’t let the batter fall as drops or thick. Also, the batter must have the right constituency to make the perfect crepe.

With the mould, this comes out really good. Don’t worry if you don’t have the mould, just like me try putting 5 holes in a disposible plastic cup and pour the batter into the cup and make the net crepe.

Here is the picture of the mould used for making the net crepe:

For making the Net Crepe or Roti Jala

Making the batter:

Ingredients:

• All Purpose flour or Maida- 1 1/2 cups
• Eggs- 2
• Coconut Milk, thin- 2 cups
• Salt- to taste
• Turmeric powder or Yellow color or Saffron- a pinch (optional)

Preparation:

• Combine all purpose flour, eggs and coconut milk in a wide bowl without forming any lumps.

• Best way is to combine the ingredients in a blender into a smooth batter and keep aside in a bowl.

How to make the roti jala or net crepes:

• Heat a non-stick flat pan over medium heat.
• When you are ready to make the crepe, pour the batter using a ladle into the mould.
• You could even place a small bowl under the mould to avoid the batter from spilling over the counter top or stove.
• Immediately place the mould over the hot pan and swirl the mould to create a net shape.

• Avoid pouring the batter thick or as drops.
• After pouring the batter into net shape, let the bottom side of the crepe turn golden in color.

• Flip the crepe to the other side, drizzle little ghee on it.

• Remove the crepe from the pan after the both sides have turned light golden in color.
• Place the crepes on a platter.

• You could have the crepes just like this with some side dish or if you are in a mood to impress your guests, stuff the crepes with chicken or other meatof your choice.
• I stuffed the My mom stuffed the crepes with chicken.

Making the Chicken stuffing:

Ingredients:

• Chicken, boneless or bone-in- 1 pound

For cooking chicken:

• Garam Masala- 1 1/2 tsp
• Chilly powder- 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Fennel powder- 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt- to taste

For making the Chicken stuffing:

• Onion, cut thin lengthwise- 3
• Ginger-Garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Cilantro or chopped coriander leaves- 1 handful
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- 2 tbsp

Preparation:

• Marinate the chicken with chilly powder, turmeric powder, Garam masala, fennel powder and salt for 10 minutes.
• Cook the chicken in a wide covered pan until all the water evaporates and the chicken turns tender.

• If you are using bone-in chicken, remove the bones after cooking the chicken and shred the chicken, keep aside.

• Heat a non-stick pan, add oil.
• Add the onions and saute till it turns tender.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute.
• Now, add the cooked shredded chicken and saute for few minutes.
• Add chopped cilantro and combine everything well.

• Remove the pan from the stove.

Stuffing the Net Crepes with chicken:

• On a platter, place two net crepes one top of the other.

• Spread one spoonful of chicken on the crepes.

• Cover the chicken layer with two net crepes one top of the other.

• Foldl the crepes stuffed with chicken into a triangular shape or as rolls.

• Chicken stuffed Malaysian net crepes is ready to be served.
• This is going to be a hit for any parties.

Tips:

• You could even add a pinch of turmeric powder or yellow color to the batter used for making the crepes. This will make the crepe look yellow in color.
• Also, you could add a pinch of saffron for a nice aroma.
• The batter should flow freely through the mould, if not add more of the coconut milk to make it thin.

From where can you buy the mould:

• The mould is available in some stores in Tamil Nadu and of course in Malaysia.
• I’ve also found them being sold on ebay.

You don’t have to spend hours and hours whipping up a dessert, with just few simple ingredients you could make a dessert that’s going to impress the entire crowd. If not a crowd, if it pleases your inner self, that’s enough to call it as a winning dessert. This is one such dessert I’ve made lately which kicked the butts of all the other desserts on my favorite list and I instantly crowned it as the No:1.

I must say after ice cream, vanilla pudding is another dessert I can call as my all time comfort dessert. All these years I had never cared of making this from scratch; always relied on instant mix and other times I bought the pudding itself from the stores. My taste buds wasn’t quite impressed by these all these years. Last weekend, while making Boston Cream Pie I had made vanilla pudding from scratch for the first time as the recipe called for this. When I read the recipe for making vanilla pudding from scratch, I was sure I wouldn’t find a much easier dessert recipe ever. Hence, before my mind forced me to get the store bought pudding, I rushed and made this.

With just few simple ingredients, which is always found in my pantry and refrigerator, I made this pudding. While making this pudding I didn’t get any negative feeling, but was quite definite that this is going to be the best pudding. Just as I thought, it turned out to be the best vanilla pudding I’ve ever tasted. My husband commented: “This is way better than store bought ones”. My ultimate judge has spoken, now what more I need.

This time I didn’t gobble up, but I devoured this pudding as slow as I can, so that the taste of this pudding would linger in my mouth for a long time…

While serving the pudding I layered the pudding with fruits which made the pudding even more delectable.

I’ve already posted the recipe of vanilla pudding along with Boston Cream Pie. After having the leftover pudding along with the fruits, I couldn’t resist posting the recipe one more time separately.

Vanilla Pudding Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

• Sugar- 2/3 cup
• Corn starch- 1/4 cup
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Milk- 2 1/2 cups
• Egg yolks- from 4 large eggs
• Vanilla extract- 1tsp
• Butter, unsalted- 2 tbsp, cut into small pieces

Preparation:

• Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine together sugar, corn-starch and salt.

• Add milk slowly and dissolve the cornstarch completely.

• Whisk in the egg yolks.

• Place the saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the first large bubble forms and it sputters.

• Reduce heat to low, whisking constantly and cook for 1 minute.

• The mixture will start to thicken, whisk constantly.
• Remove from the flame, immediately pour the mixture sieve into the bowl (this is to remove any tiny particles that might be present in the pudding).

• Stir butter and vanilla extract into hot pudding and combine well.

• Place a plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to prevent the formation of skin on the pudding).

• Chill for 3 hours in the refrigerator.
• After 3 hours, take the pudding out, mix the vanilla pudding and serve with fruits in a dessert bowl.

Layering the Pudding:

Fruits used:

• Apple, chopped finely-1
• Orange, chopped finely-1
• Banana, ripe, chopped-1
• Strawberries, chopped finely- 4 no’s

How to layer:

• Combine the fruits in a small bowl and keep aside.

• In a dessert bowl, add 2 tbsp of the fruits as the first layer.

• Add 3 tbsp of the vanilla pudding and smooth the top, this is the second layer.

• Again, add 2-3 tbsp of the fruits as the third layer.

• Add vanilla pudding as the fourth layer.
• Top with cut fruits on top.

• You could also add almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts or your choice of nuts.

Tips:

• To make chocolate pudding: Add cocoa powder along with corn starch and sugar.

It’s actually a cake with two treasures, it has vanilla pudding inside it and chocolate glaze over it; what more do I need? Just gobble up…

Finally spring has sprung and we are enjoying unbelievably beautiful and sunny weather for the last couple of weeks. Hope the weather is not going to trick us by acting anymore weird. As spring arrives, first thing that comes to my mind is it’s time to barbecue. We love to BBQ and we really don’t miss any great sunny day that’s good for BBQ. Yesterday, we had our first BBQ of this year with our good friends. Even though it was slightly chilly in the evening, we had a fun time and we grilled Tandoori chicken, Scallops, Shrimp, Asparagus and of course Corn on the cob. Everything was delicious. To end the fun filled BBQ I had made Boston Cream pie and my friend had made Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache. Two of these delicious desserts gave the BBQ night a sweet ending.

Every time when I feel like having cake, I end up making my Dates cake. So this time I really wanted to try a different cake. While searching for some kool cake recipes, as usual I bumped into Martha Stewart’s website and chose Boston Cream Pie from the dessert category to bake.

Even though it’s called as a pie, it’s actually a cake filled with vanilla pudding and frosted with chocolate. The main reason why I chose to bake this cake was that I could enjoy vanilla pudding along with the cake. Vanilla pudding being my favorite pudding. And my husband will get to enjoy chocolate from this cake.

I made the cake, vanilla pudding and the chocolate glaze from scratch. I had some leftover vanilla pudding which I had this morning topped with fruits and nuts.

Happy Easter!

Boston Cream Pie

Step 1: Making the Cake:

Ingredients:

• All purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups + more for sprinkling on the cake pan
• Baking powder- 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt- 1/2 tsp
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Eggs- 3 large
• Milk- 1/2 cup
• Butter- 6 tbsp + more for greasing the cake pan
• Vanilla extract- 1tsp

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with 1 tsp butter and sprinkle 2 tsp flour on the pan; keep aside.
• In a small bowl, combine together the flour, baking powder and the salt; set aside.

• Combine milk and butter in a saucepan over low heat and let it come to a boil.

• Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar on high speed for 4-5 minutes or until thick, lightened in color and the mixture holds together for several seconds when the beater is lifted.

• Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients (flour/baking powder/salt) just until incorporated (don’t over mix it).

• With mixer on low speed, add the hot milk mixture to batter; mix just until smooth.

• Mix in vanilla and transfer the batter to the cake pan and smooth out the top.

• Bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes, until a fork when inserted comes out clean.

• Cool cake for 10 minutes in the pan, remove from pan and transfer to a rack or a platter to cool down, side up.

Step 2: Making Vanilla Pudding:

Ingredients:

• Sugar- 2/3 cup
• Corn starch- 1/4 cup
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Milk- 2 1/2 cups
• Egg yolks- 4 large
• Butter, unsalted- 2 tbsp, cut into small pieces
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

Preparation:

• Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine together sugar, corn-starch and salt.

• Add milk slowly and dissolve the cornstarch completely.

• Whisk in the egg yolks.

• Place the saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly until the first large bubble forms and it sputters.

• Reduce heat to low, whisking constantly and cook for 1 minute.

• The mixture will start to thicken, whisk constantly.
• Remove from the flame, immediately pour the mixture sieve into the bowl (this is to remove any tiny particles that might be present in the pudding).

• Stir butter and vanilla extract into hot pudding and combine well.

• Place a plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding (to prevent the formation of skin on the pudding).

• Chill for 3 hours in the refrigerator.

• We will be using only half of this pudding to fill in the cake, rest you could place in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and have it later topped with fruits, nuts etc.

Step 3: Chocolate Glaze:

Ingredients:

• Heavy cream- 1/4 cup
• Semi-sweet chocolate chopped- 4 ounces

Preparation:

• In a saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil.

• Remove from heat, and add chocolate, stir in smooth.

• Set aside to cool to room temperature and to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.

Step 4: Filling the cake with vanilla pudding and topping with chocolate glaze:

• With a serrated knife, cut the cooled cake horizontally into two parts.

• Spread the bottom half of the cake with half of the prepared vanilla pudding and spread it evenly on the cake.

• Gently place top half of the cake over the pudding layer.

• Using a small spatula, spread the prepared chocolate glaze over the cake.

• Allow it to set for 15-20 minutes.
• Leftover cake can be refrigerated , covered up to 2 days.

I can literally eat shrimp everyday, I am truly not exaggerating. Shrimp has been my favorite shell fish ever since I was a kid. Only thing that is stopping me from making shrimp everyday is the fact that it’s high in cholesterol. I’ve been doing a lot of internet research about this and have found that many studies prove that high cholesterol in shrimp doesn’t do much harm to our body. Even though it increased people’s bad cholesterol, it also boosted their good cholesterol enough to offset the increase in bad cholesterol.

This is definitely a good news to all the shrimp lovers. Also, it is low in fat and contains fish oils which is good for our heart. However, consuming too much of anything will make us sick. Hence, eat shrimp in moderation and avoid frying it. Instead, grill it or bake it and enjoy it with no guilt.

I try different things with shrimp and I dare to add shrimp to almost everything. So, last time when I had cooked shrimp, I made a bisque out of shrimp. To make it healthy, I had made the bisque without adding the fish stock or chicken stock. I added water instead and finished it off by adding very little fat free cream.

This is a good recipe for anyone who is on diet and wants to enjoy shrimp.

Shrimp Bisque:

• Recipe: Thas

Ingredients:

• Shrimp, shelled, vein removed and cooked- 12 no’s large
• Onion, chopped- 1
• Celery, diced- 2 stalks
• Potato, diced- 1
• Garlic, minced- 1 1/2 tsp
• Thyme, fresh- 2 sprigs
• Parsley chopped- 1 handful
• Ground pepper- 1/4 tsp
• Fat free cream- 1/4 cup
• Olive oil or butter- 1tbsp
• Water- enough to thin down the bisque
• Salt- to taste

Preparation:

• You could use cooked frozen shrimp or uncooked fresh ones.
• If using uncooked shrimp, remove the shells, devein it and wash thoroughly under water.

• Heat a wide cooking pan over medium heat and add olive oil or butter.
• Add chopped onions and little salt, saute till tender.
• Add garlic minced, thyme sprigs, potatoes and celery, cook covered till potatoes turn tender.

• Add shrimp to the cooked veggies and add some water to it and season with ground pepper and salt.

• If using uncooked shrimp, cook the shrimp for few minutes.

• After the shrimp has cooked, transfer the veggies and shrimp to a blender and puree it to a smooth constituency.
• Transfer the pureed shrimp back to the cooking pot placed over medium heat.

• You could add water to thin down the bisque.
• Taste it and if required add salt and ground pepper.
• Add cream and bring it to a simmer.
• Finish it off by garnishing with fresh parsley leaves.

Tips:

• Save the tails of the shrimp and wash it under running water, you could use this to decorate the bisque and the soup bowl.

Every bite of truffle I slip into wild ecstasy and I turn into its humble slave…

I dedicate this post to all the chocolate lovers out there, that means to each and everyone living on this planet. Is there anyone who are bold enough to say NO if they are offered some chocolates? I truly guess none.

In the chocolate world, I love truffles the most. It’s heavenly, it’s enslaving and it’s therapeutic. I think of enjoying one truffle and end up having many in just one sitting. I’ve never quite thought of making truffles in my kitchen, every time I get the craving I know I could get it from the nearby chocolate stores. So why go through the trouble of making it at home, that’s what I thought all these days. But making truffle in my kitchen had been one of the things I wanted to accomplish and this wish was buried deep inside the corner of my mind.

Yesterday, I had gone to Barnes and Nobles (my favorite book store) with the sole intention of reading a book. How could I possibly read any other book if an aisle of cook books were lined in front of me. The whole time I surfed through those cook books. I flipped through the cookbooks with my eyes glued to the stunning pictures and soon my mouth turned into an ocean. And I stumbled upon the recipe for chocolate truffles in one of Martha Stewart’s cookbooks. Truffles made with just 3 main ingredients and in just 15 minutes, Voila this was the kind of recipe I had been looking for. Clicked a picture of the recipe and rushed to my kitchen without wasting a minute. I was so eager to make this and to take a bite of my homemade truffle.

The actual recipe called for brandy which I ignored.

Chocolate Truffles= simmer milk and butter+ pouring it over chocolate + constant whisking on an ice bath+rolling the chocolate over your favorite coatings+refrigerate to set= awesomeness…

Box these homemade truffles and wrap it with a ribbon, this will make a perfect gift for your dear ones.

Chocolate Truffles:

Makes: 8 truffles

• Milk- 1/4 cup
• Butter- 1tbsp
• Bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped- 5 ounces

For topping:

• Pistachios, coarsely ground- 2 ounces
• Almonds, coarsely chopped- 2 ounces
• Cocoa powder, unsweetened Dutch-Process- 3 tbsp
• Peanut brittle, finely chopped- 2 ounces

Preparation:

• Create the truffle work station: Place pistachios, almonds, cocoa powder and peanut brittle in separate bowls.

• Prepare an ice-water bath: Put 2 cups of ice on a large glass bowl and keep aside.
• Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and keep aside.
• Bring milk and butter to a simmer in a saucepan.

• Pour this over the chocolate and whisk until smooth.

• Place this bowl over the ice bath and constantly whisk it.

• Whisk, whisk and whisk until the mixture is thick enough to scoop with a spoon, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• At this point you might be skeptical about how this melted chocolate mixture would turn thick: Just keep on whisking over the ice bath and you’ll see the magic of liquid state transforming into a solid state.

• I know this whisking might hurt your hands, but your mind has already fallen into the yummy truffles you are going to devour soon, so you are not going to give up in the middle.
• When the mixture has turned thick, using a tea spoon or mini ice-cream scooper- form the mixture into mini balls.

• If you find it hard to make the balls with the spoon, go ahead let your hands do this.
• Drop the balls into your favorite topping and roll it to cover with the topping
• You could do the assortment, by coating with pistachios, almonds, cocoa powder and peanut brittle.

• Place the truffles on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate to 10- 15 minutes or until set.

• Just like me, you’ll be also checking the truffles a million times, the moment it sets it will be taken out of the refrigerator and gobbled up so fast beating the speed of light.
• These truffles will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator, keep in a single layer in air tight container.

Tips:

• Whisk the chocolate mixture constantly over the ice bath, it takes 5- 10 minutes for the mixture to turn thick.
• You could use skim milk.
• You could use any one of these toppings or try all of these toppings.

My first love in the food world: Shrimp (Prawns) and it was love at first sight…

Whether it’s fried, sautéed, grilled or buried in a bowl of rice, I die for them and my love for shrimp never seems to subside even after meeting with other handsome guys in the food world: P

When the incredible food blogger Anamaris at Chef it yourself approached me with her idea of starting a Top chef challenge in her blog, I couldn’t just ignore it as I love challenges and it’s always fun participating in these contests. As this is the first challenge, she made it easy by asking the contestants to blog about a dish that represents them. When I read about this, I suddenly screamed voila, it’s darn easy and I can do this. Believe me that turned out to be a wrong scream. When I started to think about a dish, which is totally me, many dishes lined up in front of me and there was a huge conflict between the dishes. When I almost got settled on one dish, another one came to me and asked me: ‘don’t you think I am your type’ and then the next one popped out and the war continued for a while. Soon, I was seen compromising with each one of the dishes, as I don’t want to unfriend them or break their hearts. I love all the dishes unconditionally…

Growing up in Kerala, I had enjoyed seafood a lot. Seafood was served on almost everyday in my house, for lunch and dinner. In my hometown, we get fresh, catch of the day fishes, which is brought to the house by fish vendors. Among them, shellfish has been my favorite, especially Shrimp. Even now I remember how I used to butter up the fish vendors in advance to bring the fresh shrimp for me. And it always worked, they never failed to bring the fresh ones.

My favorite way of devouring shrimp is by deep-frying it after seasoning it with homemade spices. However, for this contest I am going to submit the recipe for ‘Shrimp Biryani’. Biryani is yet another famous dish in India, I doubt, if there would be any special occasions without biryani. Biryani could be referred as the dish, which is served during the time of happiness and special occasions. If you stop by my house during special occasions or festival season, you are guaranteed to be treated with homemade biryani made by my mom.

Shrimp and Biryani totally represent me, shrimp being my favorite and since I am a person who loves celebration and special occasions, biryani is my type of dish. When other dishes confronted with me, shrimp biryani won over my taste buds hands down.

This recipe was inspired from Vahchef.

Shrimp Biryani:

For making homemade Biryani Masala:

• Cloves- 10
• Black Cardamom- 4
• Maze- 3
• Bay leaf-2
• Green cardamom-10
• Cinnamon-3 sticks
• Pepper corn- 10
• Black cumin- 1/2 tsp
• Fried onion- 2 tbsp
• Chilly powder-1 tbsp
• Coriander powder- 2 tbsp
• Cumin powder-1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
• Fennel powder- 2 tsp

Preparation:

• Grind the above ingredients into a fine powder and store it in an air-tight container.
• This biryani masala can be stored for few months.
• This can be used for making all kinds of biryani: Chicken, lamb, Fish, Vegetable etc

For Making Rice:

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice- 1 1/2 cups
• Cardamom- 3
• Cinnamon- 2 inch piece
• Cloves-3
• Bay leaves- 2
• Fennel seeds- 1 tsp
• Water- 2 1/2 cups
• Salt- to taste

Preparation of Rice:

• Soak the basmati rice in water for 30 minutes.
• In a large pot, add the water and the spices to it, let it come to a rolling boil.

• Season the water with required salt.
• Add the strained, soaked rice to the boiling water and cook in medium heat by covering the pot.

• Cook the rice to only 85-90%, remaining cooking has to be done along with the shrimp masala.
• If there is any water in the rice, strain it and keep aside.

Frying the Shrimp:

• Shrimp, deveined and de-shelled- 1 lb

• Ginger-garlic paste- 2 tsp
• Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- just enough for shallow frying the shrimp

Preparation:

• Devein, de-shell and clean the shrimp under running water.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and salt to the shrimp and marinate it for 15 minutes.

• In a non-stick pan, add the oil, when it is heated through, add the shrimp and shallow fry it in batches, for 4 minutes.

• Don’t over fry it.
• Remove the shrimp from the oil and keep aside.

Making the Shrimp Masala and adding the rice

Ingredients:

• Oil- used for shallow frying the shrimp
• Yogurt- 1 1/2 cups
• Green chillies, chopped- 1 tbsp
• Cilantro, chopped- 1/4 cup
• Mint, chopped- 1 handful( optional)
• Biryani Masala- 2 tbsp
• Salt- little
• Fried shrimp- 1 lb
• Cooked Rice- 1 1/2 cups

For Granish:

• Fried Onion, homemade or store bought- 1/2 cup
• Cilantro, chopped-1/4 cup
• Saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp milk- 2 pinches

Preparation:

• Heat a wide non-stick pot over medium heat, add the oil used for frying the shrimp.
• Add the yogurt to the oil, saute it.
• Add green chillies, cilantro, mint, salt, biryani masala and combine everything.
• Now, add the fried shrimp and mix it.

• Evenly spread the shrimp masala.
• Add the cooked rice on top of the shrimp masala and spread it as a layer.
• Garnish with fried onions, cilantro, and saffron.

• Cover the pot with it a tight lid and cook for 10 minutes over low-medium flame.
• While serving, combine the rice and shrimp masala together and serve with Raita.

Carrot Raita:

Ingredients

• Yogurt- 1 cup
• Red Onion, minced- 1/2 small onion
• Carrot, grated- 1
• Green chillies, chopped- 1 tsp
• Cilantro chopped- 1 handful
• Salt- to taste

Preparation:

• Combine all the above ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Serve with Shrimp Biryani.

Tips:

• This recipe might look like a lengthy one, believe me it’s not that hard as it seems.
• Prepare the homemade Biryani masala the previous day and this can be stored for several months and can be used for making any kinds of biryani.
• On the day of making this, you just have to make the rice and the shrimp masala.
• You could simultaneously cook the rice and fry the shrimp.
• After frying the shrimp, start making the shrimp masala.
• By then rice must have cooked, spread the rice on the shrimp masala and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Wait and watch the magic: anyone who tastes this biryani will rave about your culinary skills and thus the  proud moment.

I had participated in the January Joust and the 3 ingredients with which I had to create an original recipe, chosen by the previous winners were Mushroom, Orange and Wine or Sparkling Grape Juice. As soon as I read about the ingredients, I had the urge to participate in this joust, though I wasn’t quite sure about the recipe I would come up with these ingredients. I only cared about being a part of this contest and to have some fun with these ingredients in my kitchen. I entered my kitchen with a blank mind and before I knew I combined these three ingredients with the Mussel, found in my freezer and in no time the dish was ready on the dining table. I had a lot of fun making this dish and didn’t expect this would turn out to be a winner.

Here is the Winner, Mussel Mushroom in Sparkling Red Grape juice: http://thasneen.com/cooking/musselmushroom

My heart felt Thanks to all the fellow bloggers who voted for my recipe, Foodie BlogRoll, Leftover Queen and all the other participants who inspired me to participate in this contest.

Here is the Official announcement of my win on the Foodie BlogRoll:
http://www.foodieblogroll.com/ /royal-foodie-joust-winners-for

I can’t wait to receive the award which is an awesome Royal Foodie Joust Apron. The 3 ingredients that I had chosen for the next month’s Joust are Fish, Nutmeg and Coconut Milk. Honestly, I had a hard time choosing the ingredients than coming up with an original recipe:) Hoping to participate in many more Jousts  in the future.

Thanks to all my friends and family who constantly support me and encourage me, I am fortunate to have such friends and a great family.

[People walk on a debris-covered street in Port-au-Prince, January 17, 2010. Credit: REUTERS/Daniel Aguilar]

I am going to donate $100 to Haitian Relief via UNICEF.

Here’s how you can make it even better with a click:

Become a fan of Cooking with Thas on Facebook or if you’re already a fan, suggest to your friends to become a fan of Cooking with Thas on Facebook and if we reach 250 fans by this Sunday, I will send an additional $100 to UNICEF on your behalf. So the total donation amount will be $200. We already have 79 fans, so it’s not a long way to go. Every little bit counts. I will share the receipt here after I make the donation. Thank you for your time!

In addition if you would like to donate directly to Haitian Relief, please go here. Your donation will help disaster victims rebuild their lives and their communities.

Creamy, rich, delicious yet healthy, guilt free refreshing milkshake…

As you walk past the milkshake bar, when your head turns around and your eyes skim through the irresistible menu…your subconscious mind pops up to stop you from ordering your favorite deliciously unhealthy milkshake. There you will be seen conflicting with your subconscious right in front of the store. Next thing you hear will be “would you like to have something?” from the milkshake tender. Without any further pondering your answer will be- Yes, I would like to have strawberry milkshake with 2 huge scoops of ice cream, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with shaved dark chocolates, here goes your order. Each spoonful of this milkshake will be filled with flavorful guilt and after you empty the huge glass, your subconscious would start listing the amount of calories and the saturated fat content you just sipped into your body by paying $5 from your pocket.

Do you really want to sip the milkshake with such guilt and pain? I don’t think so. We should sip the milkshake enjoying the richness, flavor and with each spoonful our mind and soul should be happy and delighted. Here is a guilt free, fat free, rich, creamy milkshake from my kitchen to yours. Sip with style and feel refreshed for the remainder of the day.

While innocently browsing through the ice cream aisle, I bumped into Organic So delicious dairy free creamy vanilla. Seeing the percentage of saturated fat it had, I couldn’t just leave it back in the shelf. It had 0% saturated fat. I must say this ice cream tasted much richer and tastier than the regular one. So, why buy the extra fat if we have better fat free choices?

Amazing health benefits of Basil seeds:

• Good remedy for constipation, indigestion and heartburn.
• It has the same effect of antibiotics eliminating bacteria.
• It helps to detoxify any toxin that might be circulating through the body via blood thereby have the property to purify blood.
• A glass of any juice with soaked basil seeds in it helps to refresh and cool our body and mind.

Fat Free Soy Ice Cream Shake:

Ingredients:

• Skim milk- 2cups
• Organic So, creamy vanilla or any fat free ice cream- 2 scoops  + 2 scoops while serving
• Cardamom powder- 2 pinches
• Rose Syrup or Rooh Afza- 4 tbsp
• Vermicelli, broken into 2 inch strands- 2 handful
• Basil Seed or Takmaria- 2 tbsp
• Coarsely ground Pistachios- 1 tbsp

Preparation:

• Soak basil seeds in 1/2 cup water for 20 minutes or until it is plumed up. Strain the water and keep the plumped up seeds aside.

• Cook vermicelli in water until just cooked, strain the water and keep aside.

• In a saucepan, heat the milk, add cardamom powder and rose syrup to it and let it come to a boil.
• Remove from the flame, add cooked vermicelli and stir it without any lumps.
• Add the soaked, plumped up basil seeds and 2 scoops of ice cream to the milk and combine well.

• Chill the flavored milk in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.
• While serving, add 2 scoops of ice cream to the milkshake glass, pour the chilled milk over the ice cream making sure to add the vermicelli and basil seeds to the glass.

• Top the milkshake with 1 tbsp of coarsely ground pistachios.

Tips:

• Basil seeds should be always soaked in water. It can be added to any kind of  cold drinks.
• For a more colorful look, you could even add jelly to the milkshake.
• This flavorful milk can be made ahead of time and chilled, it actually tastes better the next day.