Kadhi Pakoda/Chickpea flour and Yogurt Curry with Onion Fritters

Don't they intrigue you???  Indian spices with their myriad moods and flavors. .....

Mistress of Spice and your own Mind is all you have to be to present a nice amalgamation of flavors , aroma , spices and beauty in your dish....

                 Kadhi is a Gramflour - Yogurt based delicious Punjabi curry encasing onion fritters which are usually simmered in it and added along with a nice tempering of mustard seeds , dry red chillies , curry leaves in ghee .

This thick and creamy curry, full of flavors is loved by all.

Ingredients : 

For Pakodas/ Onion Fritters

Besan/ Gramflour 2 tbsp

2 Onions ( sliced )

Salt 1/2 tsp 

Red chilli powder 1 / 4  tsp

Ajwain/ Carom seeds   1/4 tsp 

Water 3 tbsp

Oil for Deep frying

Kadhi :

Besan  (Gramflour ) 3 tbsp

Yogurt   1 Cup

Salt To taste

Turmeric powder 1 / 2 tsp 

Water 6 cups

Fenugreek seeds 1 tsp

       
                              Tempering:
                    Ghee    2 tbsp
                   Dry Red Chillies 6 -8
                  Cumin  seeds     1 tsp
                  Mustard seeds 1 tsp
                  Curry Leaves  10 - 12

                       Red chilli powder 1 / 2 tsp
                   Dry Fenugreek Leaves   2 tsp

Directions : 

1 : Take Besan, Yogurt,  Salt, Turmeric powder in bowl and whisk it nicely. 

2 : Add water and whisk it once again.

 3: Pass it through a sieve to make sure there are no lumps.

4 : Heat oil in a deep pan.

5 : Add Fenugreek seeds.

6 : When they crackle, add besan and Yogurt mixture.

  7: Bring to boil and then simmer it on low heat till it thickens.

   8 : Fot tempering, heat ghee in a pan . Add red chillies to hot oil.
   9 : When it changes color, add Jeera, mustard seeds, red chilli powder,  fenugreek leaves and curry leaves.
   10 : Add it to the curry.
   11: Add Pakodas as simmer for a while.

12: Serve hot with steamed or Jeera rice.

                 
                           Directions :
                 Pakoda / Onion Fritters :
1: Add besan, salt, red chilli powder, ajwain and water to onions.
2 : Mix it properly.
3 :Deep fry in hot oil.

Kumquat Marmalade

I had my eyes on these beauties since a long time, regardless of which they lied clinging to their stems since no one in the household was allowed to pluck even one....

My mom nurtures and treat them like her own kids. I could never convince her but when my daughter asked her to part away with some of her Kumquats, she relented...

I could not believe myself but yes , this is the 'Relationship between a Naani and her grandchildren. 

At times I ponder over my status....should I be ENVIOUS or take it with a smile on my face?

     
              Whatever my state of mind was....I too fell in love with them. I could not lay my eyes off them. It's often said that 'Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder'....but I disagree and put my foot down on that. I didn't find them beautiful. ....They were beautiful.

  This is the reason why they kept on lying in my kitchen for two days....It was so difficult to cut them to make myself happy.

But I had no other option now....I just couldn't waste them....so I thought of making Marmalade out of them.

        My knife was the tyrant there....Least it could do was to cut them with love so I could squeeze all the juice and go ahead with my endeavour. ...😉😉

I chose a Recipe by Deeba Rajpal 

@www.passionateaboutbaking.com

I don't only love her recipes but Deeba Ma'am too.....she is a beautiful person with such warmth and positive vibes.

Ingredients :

1 Kg Kumquats 

1 Kg Sugar 

250 gms  Water

Now this is Interweaving of Light  and Shadow Accents. . .

                        Directions :
1 : Cut Kumquats into halves.
2 : Deseed Kumquats.
3 : Squeeze juice.

4 : Cut peels into strips.
5 : Heat juice along with sugar,water and strips .
6 : Keep on stirring it on high flame.

7 : Cook till its of dropping consistency.
8 : Sterilise the jars.

9 : Let the marmalade cool down.
10. Pour them into jars and refrigerate it.

Kung Pao Chicken

Authentic  Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy stir fry dish with Chicken , Peppers and Peanuts 

It is also known as Gong Bao or Kung Po.

Though the American version is milder in nature, people who are hooked to the spicy Sichuan counterpart adhere to it .

Here the chicken is marinated and stir fried along with vegetables and peanuts on high flame to give a flavorful dish.

A melange of spices and flavours,  it is an interplay of tastes. ...sweet, sour and savory. 

Ingredients :

1 Kg Boneless Chicken Breast,  cubed

 2 tbsp Cornstarch 

2 tbsp. Dark Soya 

2 tbsp Peanut Oil

500 gms  Spring Onions' whites and greens

15 Dry Red Chillies,  cut into halves and deseeded

1 Red Pepper, diced

1/2 cup Chicken stock

1 tsp Ginger, chopped 

1 tsp Garlic , chopped 

4 tbsp. Dark Soya Sauce

4 tbsp. Chinese Vinegar

4 tbsp. Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Cornstarch 

1 cup Shelled Skinless Raw Peanuts

Directions :

1: Mix Soya Sauce and Cornstarch in a bowl.

2 : Add chicken cubes and marinate for 30 -40 minutes. 

3: Heat oil in a wok and cook chicken cubes.

Remove chicken and keep it aside.

4: Add oil in that wok and

 add red chillies and sauté for a minute. 

5 : Add onions' whites,  ginger and garlic and sauté till translucent. 

6 : Add half spring onions' Greens and red peppers. 

7 : Mix Soya Sauce,  Sugar , Cornstarch, Chicken stock and vinegar in a bowl.

8 : Add this to chicken and stir fry till sauce thickens.

9 : Add half of the peanuts and sauté for a minute. 

10: Add rest of the greens and peanuts.

11 : Serve with steamed rice.

Chocolate Bailey's Swirl Mud Cake

Yes, Delectable Platter is a year old now. From baby steps to walking,  it's been a beautiful journey so far. Time flies........I can't believe I started this journey last year after shedding a lot of inhibitions....

A heartfelt thanks to all those who took out time from their busy schedules to go through my recipes or scroll through the picture gallery.

The response so far has been overwhelming with the number of followers and views shooting up....

Already a mother of two, this seems like my third baby.....someone very special...that goes without saying.

Now when I go through my own blog, I wonder how horrendous the pictures were and how this transition came into being....

Yes, I know you had to go through this torture...My Apologies. 

So to change the scenario, I gifted myself a Canon DSLR on my blog's birthday to give you better pictures....till date I was using my mobile for the clicks..

Though I am still not aware of its usage, I am trying my hands on it. These pictures are the first ones taken by the newbee so please bear with them....I am not a gadget freak so it  might take a while before I get a hang of it....

This recipe is an adaption from http://www.citrusandcandy.com
 with a few
changes here and there.

   
                        Ingredients :
                        For the cake

150 grams butter, at room temperature

100 gms Brown sugar

100 gms. Castor Sugar

100 gms. Dark Chocolate,  chopped roughly

50 gms Cocoa powder

150 ml. Bailey's Irish Cream whiskey

170 gms. Self Raising flour

1.5 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp  Baking soda

3 Eggs, at room temperature

         

                        For the ganache :

250 grams  Dark chocolate,  chopped roughly

150 ml Cream

100 ml Bailey's Irish cream whiskey

4 tsp. Butter

   
                               Directions :
1 : Put chocolate, butter, brown sugar, caster sugar and Bailey's in a thick bottomed vessel and heat on low flame.
2: Whisk and see that there is no lump and remove from fire.Let it cool down.
3 : Preheat oven at 160 degree Celsius for 10 minutes.
4:Grease and line 9" spring bottom pan.
5: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
6: Add eggs one by one and whisk it nicely.
7 : Fold it in flour mixture nicely.
8 : Pour this batter into greased mould and bake for 40 minutes at 160 degree Celsius.
9: Let it stand half an hour on the wire rack to cool down.
   
                      For the Ganache :

1: Put chocolate pieces in a heat proof dish.
2 : Take cream , butter and bailey's in a thick bottomed vessel and simmer it till it mixes nicely.
3 : Pour over chopped chocolate pieces and mix till no lumps are there.
4 :Cover and refrigerate for around 2-3 hours so that it's of thick consistency.
5 : Spread it on the sides and let it set.
6: Pour over the cake and form swirls with back of a spoon.
7: Enjoy as it is or with Coffee....❤❤

.

Basil Chicken

           National cuisine of Thailand is light,  aromatic, spicy , sweet and tangy.
                   Though it doesn't need an introduction with Thai joints mushrooming all over the world , this cuisine has a complex appeal with an interplay of tastes.

            Thai cuisine uses fresh and fragrant ingredients extensively.  Their style of cooking is quite conventional where they use mortar and pestle for their grinding purpose and pick fresh , aromatic herbs and spices.

                              Ingredients :

3 tbsp Oil

6 Onions, finely chopped

4 Garlic cloves, chopped

600 gms chicken breast,  chopped into bite size pieces

3 tbsp Fish Sauce

2 Bird's eye chilli,  chopped

2 Cups Basil Leaves,  chopped

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Light Soya Sauce

1 Tsp Chilli paste

1 / 2 tsp Salt

1 / 2 cup water

2 tsp  Cornstarch

                             Directions : 

1 : Heat oil in a skillet.

  2 : Add onions and sauté till translucent. 

3 : Add garlic and chillies and cook for a minute. 

4 : Add chicken and cook till it is done.

5 : Add half of the basil leaves.

6 : In a bowl, combine brown sugar, fish sauce , soya sauce , salt and chilli paste and add to chicken.

7: Cook for a minute. 

8 : Add water and Cornstarch and cook for another minute.

9 : Add rest of basil leaves and sauto for a minute.

10: Serve with steamed rice.