Lemon Chicken/Nimbu Chicken..!!!

Nimbu Chicken or Lemon Chicken is a very easy,hassle free yet creamy delicious chicken preparation which would be prepared in almost no time and would surely be loved by the each of your family members.

Here is how to make it..

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 500 gm (small boneless pieces or with bones, I used the boneless ones)
• Lemons: Juice of 2 medium sized lemons.
• Ginger Paste: ½ Tablespoon
• Garlic Paste: ¾ Tablespoon
• Green Chilies: 3-4 (deseeded and cut in juliennes)
• Coriander Powder: ¾ tsp.
• Cumin Powder: ½ tsp.
• Turmeric Powder (optional): ½ tsp.
• Red Chili Powder: ½ tsp. (adjust according to your choice)
• Garam Masala Powder: ¼ tsp.
• Salt: To taste
• Fresh Cream: 200 ml (I used a small packet of Amul fresh cream)
• Milk: ½ Cup.
• Butter: 75 gm

Process:

• Wash and pat dry chicken pieces using a kitchen towel or tissue and marinate it with turmeric, salt and half of the lemon juice. Keep it inside the refrigerator for atleast 1 hour. (2 hours will be fine)
• Heat a kadhai or a pan (heavy bottomed) and melt the butter first. Once butter has melted down add the half of the julienned green chilies. Fry these for a while and add the ginger and the garlic paste. Fry for a minute and add the marinated chicken.
• Fry the chicken on high flame for 5-7 minutes.
• Then reduce the flame and add the dry spices i.e. coriander powder, cumin powder and red chili powder. Mix it thoroughly until the chicken pieces become well coated with all the spices.
• Add the milk and the fresh cream and mix very well.
• On  low heat cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the remaining lime juice and the rest of the  green chillies and cook for another couple of minutes.
•  Don’t forget to do a taste check and adjust the lime and add more salt at this time if required .
• Gravy should be little thick and taste little tangy.
• Turn off the flame and serve it with roti, parathas or phulkas.

                                                                                                              Enjoy Your Food..!!!

Eggless Chocochip Choco Cupcakes With Chocolate Buttercream Frosting..!!!

My daughter is a fanatical chocolate lover. Be it an ice-cream, cake or dessert her mind and tastebuds always revolve around chocolate. Since her very tender age she does not even want to try any flavor other than that. Therefore, making chocolate cakes at home is one of my unvarying works. Mostly I make cakes with eggs but this time my wanderlust mind asks me to go eggless. So this time I made Choco-chip cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting without using eggs. The outcome was fantastic and wholly loved by her and her friends.

Here is how to make it:

Ingredients:

                            :For the Cup Cakes:

1. All Purpose Flour ( I used self raising flour, will be available in supermarkets): 1 Cup
2. Granulated Sugar: 1  Cup (  I used 1 1/2 Cup as it was in powdered form)
3. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: 1/3 Cup
4. Baking Powder: 1 tsp.
5. Baking Soda: 1/4 tsp.
6. Salt: Just a pinch
7. Oil: ½ Cup
8. Water: 1 Cup
9. Distilled Vinegar: 1 tbsp.
10. Vanilla Extract: 1 tsp.
11. Choco Chips: A handful.

              : For Butter Cream Chocolate Frosting: 

1. Unsweetened Chocolate : 125 gm.
2. Butter: 2/3 Cup (preferably unsalted version, and the butter should be kept at room temperature for sure)
3. Confectionary / Icing Sugar: 1 ½ Cup
4. Vanilla Essence: 1 ½ tsp.

 Process:

                                   Making Cup Cakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C for 10-15 minutes.
2. Prepare your cupcake baking tray with the cupcake liners. If you don’t have cupcake liners then grease it with little butter.
3. Take a bowl and sieve all the dry ingredients together i.e. flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder & baking soda. Mix them well.
4. Take an another bowl and add the liquid ingredients together i.e. water, oil , vanilla extract and the vinegar.
5. Then pour the liquid ingredients slowly and gradually into the dry ingredients and mix well. But remember not to over mix them.
6. Now pour the batter into the cupcake liners carefully and fill each other cupcakes liners only up to 2/3 rd.
7. Sprinkle few chocochips on the top.
8. Now bake them in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes. Time of the baking may vary according to the power of the ovens. Once done insert a toothpick to check whether it comes out clean or not. If it comes out clean then your cakes are ready.
9. Let them cool in the baking pan for few minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from the pan and let it cool completely.

                                   Making Frosting:

1. I melted the chocolate using the double boiler method. For this you have to take a sauce pan filled with about an inch of water, bring it to boil. Put a heatproof bowl on top . Add the chopped chocolate into the top bowl. Let it melt with stirring constantly. Soon the chocolate will be melted. Now let the melted chocolate come to the room temperature and make it cool completely.
2. The melted chocolate must be cooled down. Otherwise the frosting will be very runny and you couldn’t able to frost.
3. Now take a bowl, put the room temperature butter and using a electric mixer mix it till it becomes soft and fluffy.
4. Add the icing sugar into it and mix it very well to get a smooth and creamy batter.
5. Add the vanilla extract whisk it.
6. Then add the cooled and melted chocolate and whisk it again at high speed to get a very nice soft, smooth, fluffy and creamy frosting.
7. Now put them into the piping bags and frost them on the top of the completely cooled cupcakes (don’t frost when the cupcakes are hot or warm, frosting will be runny in this way) and decorate according to your choice.

                                                                      Enjoy Your Food..!!

Eggless Apple Cake..!!!

I purely love eggless baking. It’s not only easy, quick and hassle free but also the cakes you get, are super delicious, moist and spongy. Eggless baking may be little delicate but once you master the art of it you will also start loving eggless baking. Today, I am going to share a perfect tea time cake recipe, Eggless Apple Cake which is not only very easy to make but also is very delicious too.

Here is how to make it :

Ingredients:

• All-purpose flour 1 Cup
• Sugar : 1 Cup ( I used white powder sugar, you may use granulated sugar or brown sugar whatever you have)
• Apple: 1 (Grated)
• Oil : 65 ml ( ¼ th Cup approximately)
• Lime Juice : Juice from a half lime
• Vanilla essence: 1 Tablespoon
• Baking powder: 1 Tablespoon
• Baking soda: 1 Teaspoon
• Cinnamon Powder: 1 tsp. (Optional, skip it if you don’t have it)
• Milk: ¼ th Cup

Process:

• Grate the apple first.
• Heat a  non-stick pan and add the sugar. Lower the flame and add the grated apple. Stir it. Soon the apple and the sugar will mix with each other. Cook until the sugar gets completely dissolved. Now turn off the flame and pour the oil into it little by little (don’t pour all the oil at a time) and stir continuously. Squeeze the lemon juice and add the vanilla essence into it. Mix well.
•  
• Now transfer the apple, sugar and oil mixture in a big bowl.
• Start sieving the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix in the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder and mix well.
• Now in the apple mixture bowl gradually add the dry ingredients. Don’t add all the dry ingredients once at a time. Add the milk and whisk to get smooth batter. The batter will not be very smooth as grated apples are there in the mixture. But don’t bother.
• Preheat the oven at 180 degree for 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare your baking pan. Grease the tray with little butter and put a parchment or butter paper into it. Grease that paper also. In this way, removing cake from the cake tin will be very easy.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin uniformly.
• Start baking it at 180 degree C or 350 degree F for 30-40 minutes. The time may vary according to the power of the oven. Therefore, it’s better to keep checking your cake at some intervals. Insert a fork inside the cake, if it comes out clean then your cake is ready.
• Allow it to cool for sometimes. Then demold it and cut it into pieces and serve.

                                                                          Enjoy Your Food..!!!

Janmashtami Special Coconut Laddu With Coconut Powder & Condensed Milk!!!!!

Sri Krishna is considered as the one of the most powerful human incarnations/avatars of the Lord Vishnu. He was born around 5,200 years ago in Mathura. The sole objective of Sri Krishna's birth was to free the Earth from the evilness of demons. He played an important role in Mahabharata and propagated the theory of bhakti and good karma which are narrated deeply in the Bhagwat Geeta.

Sri Krishna was born in a prison in the custody of Kansha. But his father Vasudev handed his new born child to Nanda Raaj and Yashoda in absolutely a miraculous way to save the new born from Kansha. Therefore Krishna  was brought up in Vrindavan and later he killed his uncle, Kansha.

 Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm in India in the month of July or August. According to the Hindu calendar this religious festival is celebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksh or the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadon.

The actual celebration of Janmashtami takes place during the midnight as Sri Krishna is believed to be borned on a dark, stormy and windy night to end the rule and violence of his uncle, Kansa. All over India this day is celebrated with devotional songs and dances, pujas, arti, blowing of the Conch and rocking the cradle of baby Sri Krishna.

The Janmashtami celebration of Mathura and Vrindavan, the places where Sri Krishna had spent his life, are very special. On this day temples and homes are wonderfully decorated and illuminated. Night long prayers are offered and religious mantras are sung in the temples.

Being an Indian I also celebrate Krishna’s birthday or Janmashtami or Gokulashtami  in my own way, as I have very little knowledge about the puja rituals. I usually prepare some sweet dishes, decorate my lord Krishna with lots of flower, light up diya & candles, blow conch shell and then pray for my family in front of my God. 

This year, I prepared a very easy sweet for my Krishna, “Coconut Laddu With Coconut Powder and Condensed Milk”. This is a very quick and easy recipe which could be prepared almost in no time.

Let’s see how to make it.

Ingredients:

• Coconut Powder/Desiccated Coconut: 300 gm
• Condensed Milk: A whole can (400gm)
• Cardamom Powder: ½ tsp.
• Ghee: To grease the hands
• Chopped Cashews: A handful
• Pistachio: A handful (chopped finely)
•  

Process:

• Heat a nonstick pan .
• Add the condensed milk. Stir it continuously in low flame so that it can't stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Now add the coconut powder. Mix it thoroughly. It will very easily mix with the milk and soon start to release the pan. Add the cardamom powder and cashews and mix very well. After 2 -3 minutes, when all the ingredients will be mixed with each other turn off the flame.
• Now grease your hands with little ghee and make round balls or laddus using your palm from the hot coconut mixture. Don’t allow it to cool unless making laddus will be difficult.
• Coconut laddus are ready now. Garnish them with chopped pistachios and serve.

                                                                      Enjoy Your Food..!!

Eggless Rich Chocolate Brownie..!!!!

Fundamentally cakes and brownies are dissimilar from each other. Brownies have chewy or cookie like consistency and they have a crackled top whereas cakes are light and fluffy with smooth top. Generally cakes tend to have more flour, while brownies tend to have more butter (melted) or oil. During baking a cake, baking powder and baking soda are used as the basic ingredients whereas in case of baking most of the brownies, baking powder and baking soda are not necessary.

But in my version, I have used baking powder and made a soft ,moist and rich chocolaty brownie. Though here  I have mentioned to use unsalted butter but you may use salted butter too. But if you are doing this just skip the use of salt stated in the recipe ingredients. To give a extra crunchiness to the brownies use of walnuts or almonds are the must but I didn’t use them as my daughter doesn’t want to eat them. For a double chocolaty taste in this recipe I have used some chocolate chips also. If you don’t want you may not have to use this.

Here comes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour: ¾ Cup
• Powdered Sugar: 1 Cup
• Salt: ¼ tsp.
• Baking Powder: 2 tsp.
• Cocoa Powder: ½ Cup
• Unsalted Butter (Melted/Cooled): ½ Cup
• Unsweetened Yogurt: 1/3 Cup
• Vanilla Extract: 2 tsp.
• Chocolate Chips (Optional): ½ Cup
• Chopped Walnut/Almonds (Optional): ½ Cup
• Water: ½ Cup (If required)

Process:

• Preheat the oven at 180 degree Centigrade or 350 degree Fahrenheit for 10-15 minutes.
• Take a bowl and add in all the dry ingredients together i.e. all-purpose flour, sugar, salt(if using) and baking powder. Add in the cocoa powder and mix thoroughly. Make sure that there is no lump in the mixture.
• Now melt the butter in microwave or in oven and let it cool down completely.
• Take a big bowl and add the melted butter, yogurt and vanilla extract and whisk it thoroughly until you get a very smooth, creamy and, lump free mixture.
• Add in the dry ingredients gradually into the liquid mixture and mix well. But do not over mix. During this time if you find that the mixture is too tight you may add ½ cup of water and mix well.
• Add the chocolate chips and almond or walnuts if you are using. Mix well.
• Now take a baking pan and grease it with butter or oil. Line it with parchment paper with sides up. Actually with the use of parchment paper it will be easy to lift up the brownie after baking. Grease the parchment paper also with butter.
• Now pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake it inside the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes (The times actually depends on the power of the oven, it may take even 45-50 minutes).
• Check the brownie by inserting a fork or tooth pick. If it comes out clean then the brownie is ready.
• Take the pan out of the oven and let it cool completely. Once the brownie cools down completely demold it and cut it into square pieces. Dust them with some powder sugar and serve. You may serve it with vanilla ice-cream also.

                                                              Enjoy Your Food..!!!

Palak Paneer.... Cottage Cheese Cubes Cooked In Creamy Spinach Gravy..!!!

Palak paneer is one of the most popular vegetarian dishes originating from the Punjab region of the Indian Subcontinent.  Fundamentally,  in this recipe, soft paneer or cottage cheese cubes are cooked in a smooth gravy of pureed spinach and tomato. It  is mainly served with roti, naan, or boiled rice. It is very nutritious with all the goodness of spinach and paneer.

Here comes the recipe :

Ingredients:

•        Spinach: 2 Bunches
•        Paneer ( Cottage Cheese) : 400gms
•       Onion: 3 tbsp Paste
•       Ginger: 1’’ (Smooth Paste)
•       Garlic: 4-5 Cloves (Pasted or Grated)
•       Green Chillies: 1-2 (Finely Chopped)
•       Tomato: 1 Large (Finely Chopped)
•       Oil: 2 tbsp.
•      Salt: to taste
•     Cumin Seeds: ½ tsp.
•     Garam Masala Powder: ½ tsp.
•     Milk: 1 Cup
•    Water: As required
•    Fresh Cream: 1 tbsp. (Optional)
•  

Process:

• Blanch the spinach in boiling water for just 2-3 minutes.
• Drain the excess water and let it cool for some time and then blend it in a mixer grinder to make a smooth puree. Keep aside the puree.
• Meanwhile fry the paneer cubes slightly in a separate pan using little oil. While frying them sprinkle little salt on the paneer cubes. Keep the fried paneer cubes aside.
• Now heat oil in a kadhai, add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to splutter add the onion paste. Saute it on medium flame until the onion becomes translucent.
• Now gradually add the ginger paste, garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric powder and salt .Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the spinach puree and the milk. Cook until the gravy becomes thick enough.
• Add the paneer cubes and fresh cream.Mix carefully and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
• Check the seasoning. Sprinkle the garam masala powder. Give a nice gentle stir and turn off the flame.
• Palak Paneer is now ready to serve.

                                                                            Enjoy Your Food..!!

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