NO BAKE CHEESECAKE!!! X'MAS SPECIAL

No Bake Cheeeeeeessssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeee Cakeeeee!!!

 
Ingredients:
 
For the Base :
Marie Biscuits - 15 nos
Butter - 40 grams
 
 
For the Middle part:
Whipping Cream - 1 sachet of dream whip (total of 500 ml of whipped cream)
Sugar - 1/4 cup powdered
Cream Cheese - 300 ml (any brand will do)
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Mango Puree / mango pieces - see notes
 
For the Top part:
Mango - 3 big
Gelatin - 1 tbsp

Preparation:
 
Powder the biscuits using chopper. Then add in the butter and again run the chopper in three pulses. Transfer equally to the glasses you plan to serve as base layer. Press lightly with spoon and place the glasses in the fridge to set.
 
Meawhile peel and chop mangoes roughly. Puree them in a grinder.
 
In a bowl beat the whipping cream tiff. Add in vanilla essence and sugar. Beat cream cheese in a seperate bowl till soft and fluffy. Add to the whipped cream and mix properly. Add in half of the mango puree to the mix and stir till all is mixed well.
 
Take the glasses out of the fridge. Now on the top of the biscuit layer, layer the cream based mixture on top (almost 3/4 of the glass) and keep it fridge to set for atleast 2-3 hours.

 
After 3 hours, prepare the gelatin as per instructions written (Boil required amount of water and add gelatin to it). Once the gelatin had cooled a bit, add rest of half  of the mango puree to the prepared gelatin. Pour over top of the set cream part filling all the glasses till top (every glass will have 1/4th of this mango part). Keep again fridge to set for about 4 hours. It would be best if kept overnight. Garnish with chocolate shavings, pista or almonds. (refer pics for layering)
 
Except for the setting time, this dessert is very delicious and easy to make. I can bet you will be a star in front of guests ;)
 
Cheers,
Neetz ;)
 
Notes:
The amount ingredients mostly depends on the amount of serving glass and its quantity. So adjust accordingly.
Add required amount of powdered sugar to the gelatin mix if mango is not sweet.
China grass can also be used in place of gelatin.
For the cream base, instead of mango puree you can even add roughly chopped mango pieces.

(The mix of ingredients i have found in many of my fellow bloggers and otherwise. So I really cant pin point the recpe from so and so :) )

MUTTON BIRIYANI (My Way)

Mutton Biriyani (serves 2-3)

Ingredients:


Marination:
Mutton - 1/2 kg
Curd - 2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt


For Pressure cook:
Marinated mutton
Water - 1/4 cup


For Masala:
Onion - 1 large grinded to paste
Ginger-garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
Tomato - 1 medium grinded to paste
Cashew nuts - 4 nos soaked in milk for atleast 30 mins. (optional)
Green chilli - 3 nos
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Coconut Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt

For frying

Onion - 1 large sliced thinly

For Rice:
Basmati Rice - 1 bowl (measure of a normal 4.5" rice bowl)
Cardamom - 2 nos
Bayleaf - 1 no
Clove - 3 nos
Star anise - 1 no
Cinnamon Stick - 1 no
Salt

Pudina leaves - 1 cup
Rose water
Ghee

Preparation:

Marinate the mutton pieces once cleaned well with all the ingredients mentioned under marination, for atleast an hour. (I kept for 2 hours)

Then in a pressure cooker, add water and rest of ingredients mentioned under pressure cook and cook for 3-4 whistles.

Meanwhile cut all the ingredients for masala and grind then one by one. Grind greenchilli and coriander together and set aside. Gind tomato and cashew and keep aside. Likewise, onion paste too.

In a pan, add about 4 tbsp oil and add onion paste. Saute till it turns light brown in color and then add ginger garlic paste Saute till brown in color and then add green chilli - coriander paste and saute for 2-3 mins. Then add cashew-tomato paste and saute till oil starts leaving the sides. Then add the masala powders one by one and saute till oil starts leaving the sides again. Then pick only the pressure cooked mutton pieces (leaving the stock behind) and add to the masala mix. Then add coconut milk and cook covered till all the water is evaporated and you get a thick dry gravy. Now you have the mutton pieces ready.

Soak rice for 20 mins and in a deep pan add the soaked rice, the spices and little salt and then instead of water add the mutton stock that we got in the pressure cooker. Measure of rice to water will be 1 cup of rice to 2 full cups of water (take water in the same cup you measured rice). Measure the stock first and rest add water to it. Boil till water is evaporated and rice if half boiled. Now rice is ready.

While rice is being done you can slice the 1 large onion and fry in batches till golden brown in color and drain in tissue. Cut pudina leaves and keep aside.

Now for the arrangement:
Rub ghee on the base of the dish and layer first with rice. Then on top layer with mutton pieces and on top pudina and fried onions. The again on top layer with rice again and finally pudina and fried onions again. Since quantity was less I got only 2 layer of rice with mutton in middle. Drizzle drops od rose water on top of the rice and add few drop of ghee too here and there. Cover with a aluminium foil and bake at preheated oven 190C for about 30 mins.

BIRIYANI JUST OUT OF OVEN

For non-oven users, you can arrange the dish as said above and cover with a tight lid and then coverig the edges with a dough or masking tape. Then on very low flame, dum for about 1 hour.

Serve warm with Onion raita, achar and pappad :)..

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

NAADAN MUTTON ROAST (Weekend Special)

Mutton Roast Kerala Style

Ingredients:

Mutton - 1/2 kg
Onion - 2 medium sliced
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Green chilli - 3 sliced
Chilli Powder - 1.5 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp
Fennel Powder - a large pinch
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup
Salt
Small Onions - 8 nos sliced
Curry Leaves - 2 springs
Coconut pieces sliced - 1/2 cup
Coconut Oil

Preparation:

Clean, wash and drain the mutton pieces.

Make a paste of all the powders and keep aside.

In a pan add around 3 tbsp oil and once hot add sliced onions and saute till light pink color. Then add in the ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes. Add in the green chilli and saute further for a min or two. Now add the powder paste and saute on low flame till oil starts leaving the sides. Add in the washed mutton pieces and pour in 1/2 cup water, salt and cook covered till done. It took for me almost an hour over medium flame. You will get cooked pieces with minimum water. Optionally to cook faster you can add 1/4 cup water, salt and pressure cook for almost 5 whistles till done. I feel cooking covered gives even more tastier dish :).

Once done, inn a pan add 2 tbsp oil. To this add onions, and coconut pieces. Saute till onions turn light brown color. Then add curry leaves and add the cooked mutton pieces. Roast till almost all the water is evaporated and dry and the end product will be in a roasted form.

Serve with Rice, chappati, or any traditional kerala breakfast dishes :)

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

COOKIE DOUGH TRUFFLES - EGGLESS

Cookie Truffles

Its VALENTINE'S DAY and obviously its a ritul type for me to make something sweet to share with all of you :). My SIL being in town made me even more eager to make this sweet. Its always better when you have an extra helping hand :) :).. I m so glad we tried this sweet out and sure was a super duper hit among my neighbours. We were floating around the whole day on ninth sky  with appreciation ;) :D

Ingredients:

All purpose Flour - 2 - 2.5 cups
Brown Sugar - 3/4 cup (softened)
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Condensed Milk - 1 tin (395 gram)
Milk chocolate Chips - 1/2 cup

For the coating:
Semi-sweet choco chips - 1 cup
Butter - 2 tbsp

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix brown sugar, butter and vanilla essence till creamy. I used a hand mixer for this. Then add in the condensed milk and mix again. Now start adding flour bit by bit till you get a dough. Once the batter starts thickening, start kneading with hand. Once you get a dough mix, add in the milk choco chips and knead nicely. Then keep in fridge for about 20 mins to harden the dough a bit so that its easy to roll into ball. Make small balls out of the dough, place them on butter paper and keep it in fridge again for a minimum of 2 hours atleast to harden the ball. Otherwise the balls will fall apart when you do the coating.

Now for the next step, Melt the semi-sweet choco chips by double boiler method and add butter to it. Once the chips have melted nicely remove and keep aside. now pick each dough balls and dip them in the melted chocolate, remove and place them on butter paper carefully. Sprinkle them with sugar strands in the end. Refrigerate overnight for best results and voila there you go! You have the best easiest cookie sweet you can make!!

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

Notes:
You will perfect round balls. I had feew extra melted chocolate so used to stick the sprinkles at the end :)..
Use all Purpose flour in accordance to the need for thickening the dough.

I would like to send this over to Valentine Fest , Bon Vivant, Just for Fun

KERALA ROAST CHICKEN

Kerala Roast Chicken

Ingredients :

Chicken - 750 gms (cut into small pieces)
Onion - 2 medium chopped finely
Ginger - garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
Tomato - 1 medium (sliced)
Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - 3/4 - 1 tsp
Curry Leaves - 1 handful
Salt

For marination:
Kashmiri Chilli Powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp (adjust according to the spice)
Vinegar - 1/5 tsp
Salt
Oil for frying (Coconut oil preferred for the authentic taste)

Preparation:

Take the ingredients mentioned under the marination part and make a paste with vinegar without adding water. Marinate the chicken nicely adn kepp for a minimum of half an hour atleast. I had kept for 1 hour.

Then in a pan, add sufficient oil and fry the chicken pieces lightly.(Dont literally fry them!). Remove and keep then on tissue to drain excess oil. 
In the same oil, add the onions and ginger garlic paste. Saute till onions become light brown in color and add in the sliced tomato and curry leaves. Saute till tomato gets smashed nicely. Then add in the powders and saute till raw smell goes. Add in the drained chicken pieces and then sufficient water, cover and cook till chicken pieces are soft and tender. If water remains still open the lid and cook further till water evaporates and the gravy thicken to a roasted form. Serve warm with rotis, chappati, rice with onion rings and fresh chopped green chilli.

I am sending this dish for the entry of Kerala Kitchen

Cheers,
Neetz ;)

TRADITONAL X'MAS CAKE

X'mas special Kerala Plum Cake

About 1.5kg
Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour : 300gm
Powdered Sugar - 300gm
Butter - 300gm
Egg - 300gm (approx 5 large eggs)
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Orange Juice - 1/2 cup
Caramalized Sugar - 6 tbsp
Lime Juice - 1 tsp
Orange skin - 2 tsp*
Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp
Cardamom - 2
Nutmeg Powder - 1/2 tsp
Clove - 2
Cinnamon - 2 sticks
Cashew nuts -  a ahndful roughly chopped
Tutti frutti - 1/2 cup
Cherries in syrup - 1/2 cup
Dates - 10 nos
Rum - 2-3 tbsp*

For the Caramalized Sugar:
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Boiled water - 1/3 cup

In a thick bottom pan, add in the sugar and melt it over low-med flame. After some time you will see the sugar startes melting and changing its color to light brown. Gradually it will turn dark brown and almost blackish color. Switch off the flame and pour in the hot boiling water. Keep aside to cool. (While pouring hot water be very careful as it will splatter)

Preparation:

Soak the cherries, dates, tutti frutti and raisins in rum for atleast a week. I had soaked themmore than 2 weeks. When needed, drain them and keep them aside.

Sieve the all purpose flour and baking powder.

Seperate the egg whites and egg yolks. Beat till egg is fluffy. Same way beat egg yolks till light in color.

Powder the spices together and keep aside.

In a bowl, add in the powdered sugar and butter and beat till creamy. Add in the egg yolks and mix once again.

Now add the egg whites and whisk nicely.

Then add in the flour little by little and start whisking. Add in the caramilized sugar, lime juice, essence, orange skin, nuts and the masala powder and whisk nicely till all are properly mixed.

Now in a plate add in the fruits and dates and rub in flour lightly. his helps the fruits to be in the flour. Otherwise if its wet it will go below while baking.

Add this to the batter and mix. if you want you cna save few for garnish too.

Transfer the batter to a pan and into the pre-heated oven at 180C/350F for about 50 mins. Since the quantity was more my oven took more time. Some may take hardly 30-40 mins. Check the cake with toothpick test.
Cheers,
Neetz ;)

Notes :
Youc an use freshly grated skin of an orange and then powder them or even dried orange skin. I used fresh powdered skin.
For the orange juice, you can freshly squeezed one and also add a bit more than the said quantity if the batter is too thick.
If you dont have rum, you can use brandy or even wine too.