Mango & Pistachio Ice Cream

Who doesn't like ICE CREAM.. & who doesn't like Mango Ice-Cream? I received the ice-cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer 2 weeks ago. I wanted to try out a recipe immediately, but I had to let it sit in the freezer for a day. By the time this was done, I got too busy doing other things and I totally forgot about it. When I finally remembered that I had a jem sitting in my freezer I took it out last weekend when we were wishing for Mango Ice-Cream. I didn't have a recipe for it, nor could I find a decent one on the Internet. So I created one. Originally this recipe was for french vanilla ice-cream. I chopped and changed it, to come up with this recipe. It is fantastic! Rich, creamy, just right.

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup mango pulp
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
1/4 cup chopped pistachio
pinch of salt

Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the mango pulp until very hot but not boiling, stir often. Remove from heat and set aside.

Place egg yolks & sugar in a bowl. Whisk with a wire whip until blended and smooth.
Gradually add the mango pulp.
Return this mixture to the saucepan, cook over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edge and mixture is steamy, stirring constantly. Do not boil.
Transfer back to the large bowl. Add the whipping cream, cardamom, salt.
Cover and chill in fridge for at least 1 hour.

Assemble your Ice-cream maker (as per manufacturer advise). Turn the machine on. Pour the mixture and blend for 20mins. In the last minute add the pistachio. Immediately transfer to a freezer proof container and freeze 1 hour.

Serve and ENJOY ;)

Grilled Salmon with Honey Mustard Sauce with Oven roasted potatoes & salad greens

Sounds fancy doesn't it? Well it is a great dish that sounds super fancy, but is really easy and takes no time at all.

Oven roasted potatoes
Ingredients
4 potatoes, cut lengthwise
4 tsp olive oil
salt to taste
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary

Directions
Coat the potatoes in olive oil and herbs and spices, Bake in a 400F heated oven until cooked through and golden approx 30mins


Honey Mustard Sauce
Ingredients
2 Tbs Honey
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 Tbs Table mustard
2 Tbs minced mint leaves
1 Tbs lemon juice
Salt & pepper

Directions
Mix all the ingredients except the mint which will go in last at the time of serving.

Grilled Salmon
Ingredients
4 Salmon Steaks
2 tsp Olive Oil / butter
salt
Pepper
red chili flakes (optional)
2 tsp Lemon juice

Directions
Clean the fish, Place on baking sheet lined with foil skin side down brush on all the ingredients. Place in a 425F oven for 10mins.

Serve and Enjoy

Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies

The week before Thanksgiving I really wanted to eat some good cookies, but the gooey kind found this recipe in my recipe box (got not clue where it came from) and decided to give it a shot. It was sooo easy, and soooo YUMMMMMY. You got to get your hands dirty with all the Confectioners' sugar involved. But they are worth it in the end.

Ingrediants1
8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Good Ol' Butter Chicken

This is a great butter chicken recipe for you to try.. Butter Chicken always reminds me of going out with family to a Punjabi restaurant whenever I visited India. Actually it was always a MUST ORDER at any Indian restaurant. Slightly sweet, very very rich, buttery and creamy, with just a hint of tang from the tomatoes. Yum Yum..
The way that I like to make it, is by first maranating the chicken, grilling it in the oven/bbq & then putting it in the gravy. Makes for one tasty dish. Let me know how it was..

Ingrediants (serves 5)

Marinade
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh
1/2 cup yoghurt
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 inch ginger minced
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp corriander pwd
1 whole green chilli, minced
1/2 tsp red chilli
1/2 tsp garam masala pwd
salt to taste

Gravy
1 tbs oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 green chilli, minced
1 small onion, chopped
10 cashew nuts
1/4 tsp white poppy seeds
1 15oz can of tomato sauce, no salt
salt to taste
1/4 tsp tumeric
2 tsp corriander pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd
1 tbs ketchup
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbs kasturi methi

Method
Cut the chicken in bite sized pieces. Marinate the chicken in all of the marinate ingrediants and let it sit in the fridge for a hour. Grill it on a baking sheet at 375F for 30mins.



For the gravy. In the oil, add the green chilli, onions, saute till onions are pink. Add the cashew and poppy seeds. Now add the tomato sauce, sugar, salt, tumeric, corriander pwd, ketchup. Let it simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Blend in a food processer till it form a fine paste.
Heat the butter in the pan, add the cumin, bay leaf, the tomato mixture. Simmer for minute, now finally add the grilled tandoori chicken, the heavy cream and kasturi methi. Mix, Let it sit for a few minutes and let the chicken absorb the gravy.

Serve with naan / roti

Bukhara Dal Makhani

Are you looking for simple yet the most tastiest recipe for Dal Makhani? This recipe is perfect for you. Although this recipe takes some time to cook, but there is nothing like it. My husband who has lived most of his life in Mumbai, says this is the best dal makhani he has ever tasted and is even better than the famous Punjabi dhaba. This is a traditional recipe from Punjabi Cuisine. Dal Makhani is the most delicious Indian dish. It is included as a main dish in Indian lunch and dinner menu. Dal Makhani goes well with pulao, but it can also be eaten with plain rice or nan. You should definatly try this Dal Makhani recipe.


Ingrediants
1 cup Black moong dal + 4 tbs Rajma (Kidney Beans)
1/2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala whole or pdr
2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
Salt to taste
8oz tomato pureed
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tbsp coriander pdr
1 tbs Red chilli powder
2 tbs grams butter
1/4 cup cream
2 tbs Kasturi Methi

Directions
1. Thoroughly wash black grams (Black moong dal) and kidney beans. Then soak it in water (2 glasses) for about few hours. Pressure cook till dal is cooked to mash able consistency.

2. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan.

3. Add cumin ,garam masala(optional) ,you can skip garam masala and add little garam masala pdr at last .

4. Add ginger-garlic paste ,turmeric and add tomato puree and cook well for 10 min in medium flame covered

5. Add chilli powder, and salt. Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens into pulpy sauce (about 3 mins).

6. Then add cooked grams and kidney beans to the mixture. Cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes. You can add a little water if you find it too thick.

7. Add the butter and cream and cook for 30 minutes.

8. The longer this Dal cooks the better it is, keep mixing every 10 mins as the dal settles at the bottom. Add the Kasturi Methi. Dal Makhani is ready to serve.

Masala Capsicum

What to make for a quick lunch? Today is grocery day and the only thing I had left in my fridge this morning was green bell pepper & onions. Kinda short for ingrediants I whipped up this tasty dry side to go along with the Lemon rice I made for my husbands' lunch. It cooks very fast & it is one of those no-brainer dishes.

Ingrediants
1 tbs oil
1 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp mustard seed
1 whole red chilli
1 green chilli, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 whole bell pepper, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
salt to taste
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tbs corriander pwd
2 tbs sherreded coconut
cilantro to garnish

Directions
Heat the oil in a open fry pan, add the cumin, mustard seed, red chilli, green chilli, ginger & garlic. Saute onions till they are pink,together with the salt and tumeric. Then add the peppers, on med-low flame, cook without covering the pan, as this will make the peppers go mushy and loose the texture you are looking for. The peppers should be cooked in 5-7 mins. If it starts to burn in this process add a dash of water. garish with shredded coconut and cilantro.

Serve hot with rice/roti & dal

Methi Aloo

I love potatoes.. They are my favourite. Frying potatoes with methi leaves for me is Sindhi cuisine. I do know that Methi Aloo might be some north-indian cuisine too. I always like this with hot steamed rice and dal or chapatis. Combing the benefits of methi with the ever popular potatoes, mildly seasoned with turmeric, chilli and garlic.
Fenugreek or methi has been used in ancient Indian and Chinese medicine to treat a number of ailments from bronchitis and arthritis to inflammations, rashes and digestive disorders and promoting healthy metabolism. Recent studies have shown that fenugreek lowers blood glucose and cholestrol levels and are hence used in treating diabetes and cardiovascular problems.
Turmeric, popularly used in Indian cooking is considered a cleanser, blood purifyer, antiseptic and most importantly for it anti-cancer properties.This healthy combination of fenugreek and turmeric in the form of methi aloo makes an appearence on our table whenever fresh methi is available at the indian market. Methi aloo is clearly not a favourite among many due to the bitterness of methi. Sauteing the methi leaves with the salt till they wilt lightly removes the bitter taste.

Ingrediants
1 small bunch Methi, cleaned and cleaned again (it is usually very dirty)
1 tbs oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
1-2 green chilli / to taste, minced
1 small onion
1 large tomato
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp tumeric pwd
salt to taste
1 tbs corriander pwd
dash of garam masala pwd

Directions
Heat the oil in a saucepan with a lid, add cumin, chilli, ginger & garlic, saute for a few mins. Add the onion and saute till pink-golden in color. Now add the tomatoes, over the pan with the lid and let the tomatoes get mushy, 4-5 mins. Stir well, add the potatoes, tumeric, salt, corriander pwd, & garam masala. Cover and cook for 4-5 mins. When the potatoes are half cooked add the methi leaves. Cook till potatoes are fully cooked.

Serve hot with rice / roti. Enjoy!!