Mexican hot chocolate

                  All this month I have been posting recipes from my home kitchen and now it's time for something exotic and that comes with today's post on Mexican hot chocolate.

                   Finally summer has left, although we haven't experienced a downpour so far the weather has turned slightly cold and this weather calls in for something soothing. And a warm chocolaty drink is what no one will refuse.

                  With a hint of cinnamon this hot chocolate drink is every chocolate lover's delight. Minimal ingredients and just 5 minutes are what you have to invest. I used chocolate chips for this recipe you can use any dark chocolate available to you. Also, I have used powdered sugar in the recipe you can substitute it with what you prefer like brown sugar or jaggery. Corn flour is used here to give thickness and it is completely optional you can omit it entirely. Another thing that I have learnt is people also add nutmeg powder and cayenne pepper to the recipe but I have limited myself to cinnamon powder only. Here comes my detailed recipe :-

Ingredients:

1. Milk - 1 cup
2. Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
3. Chocolate chips - 1 tbsp
4. Powdered sugar - 1 tbsp
5. Corn flour - 1 tsp
6. Water - 1/4th cup

Method:

• Heat milk in a vessel on medium flame.
• Add cinnamon powder, chocolate chips and powdered sugar. Let this cook till chocolate and sugar gets completely dissolved.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl dissolve corn flour in water.
• Add this to the milk while stirring. The milk gets thicker. 
• Turn out the flame pour in the serving cups and serve hot with bread or cookies of your choice.

             You may also want to try Chocolate pudding, Chocolate vanilla marble cake, Eggless chocolate cake and Chocolaty coconut bites from My Mom's Kitchen.

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Hyderabadi Bagaare Baingan

               Just like the Hyderabadi Biryani is famous across the globe its main accompaniment Bagaare baingan also called sare baingan in Hyderabad has a huge fan following too. This is served alongside Dahi ki chutney (raita) at all weddings across Hyderabad.

             The baingan or the brinjals are cooked in gravy that consists a rich blend of ingredients like that of sesame seeds, coconut and peanuts. However the star of the dish are the seeds and not just one or two but a collection of four. Cumin seeds (jeera), mustard seeds (rai), nigella seeds (kalonji) and fenugreek seeds (methi dana) all these combine to impart a rich flavourful taste and an aroma to the curry and are also very healthy. The consistency of the gravy is left a little thick to pair with the rice. So, here comes the detailed authentic recipe :-

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal - 250 gms
2. Tomato - 250 gms 
3. Tamarind juice - 3 cups
4. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
5. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
6. Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp (methi dana)
7. Nigella seeds - 1 tsp (kalonji)
8. White sesame seeds - 3/4th cup
9. Dry coconut - 1 no
10. Peanuts - 2 to 3 tbsp
11. Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
12. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp
13. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
14. Green chillies - 4 to 5 nos
15. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
16. Salt - to taste
17. Oil - 3 to 4 tbsp 

Method :

• Dry roast sesame seeds, coconut and peanuts and grind to a fine paste.
• Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and ginger garlic paste with 1/2 cup of water. Mix and keep aside.
• Remove the stalks of brinjals make 2 slits like in the picture below (do not cut entirely) and place them in salted water till ready to use.

                                             

 

• Heat oil in a cooking vessel. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, nigella and fenugreek seeds.
• Add curry leaves followed by brinjals.
• Cover and cook till brinjals turn a little tender. Stir occasionally.
• Add the prepared masala paste from step 1 and mix well.
• Add tamarind juice (to get tamarind juice soak a fistful of tamarind ball in water for 15 to 20 minutes and extract the juice using your fingertips).
• After five minutes add green chilies and curry leaves along with the twig.
• Add halved tomatoes, cook for another 5 to 7 minutes on low flame.

                                                 

• Serve warm.

                                 

        You can also serve this curry with Boot pulao, Bagaara khaana, Fitni pulao or Chana vegetable biryani from My Mom's Kitchen.

Share what you think of it in the comments section below.

Happy Cooking!!!

Til ka char

                        Til ka char, as the name says this recipe uses til as its main ingredient i.e. white sesame seeds. They are blended to a smooth paste mixed with tamarind pulp and cooked on low flame with a few regular Indian spices to give a flavorful side dish that which we call til ka char.

                          The recipe is a very simple one and easy to make. The consistency of the gravy is liquid like the dals. This side dish tastes best with steamed rice along with Mutton & cluster beans curry however you can also serve it with Chicken 65 (dry), Chicken stir fry, Tala hua ghosht (Mutton fry) or Mutton kebabs from My Mom's Kitchen. Now to the detailed recipe :-

Ingredients:

1. White sesame seeds - 3/4th cup
2. Tamarind extract - 2 cups
3. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
6. Green chillies - 4 to 5 nos
7. Coriander leaves - few
8. Salt - to taste

For tempering:

1. Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
2. Curry leaves - 1 sprig
3. Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

• Grind sesame seeds to a fine paste and remove it to a cooking vessel.

• To it, add tamarind extract or juice. To get the tamarind extract soak a lemon sized tamarind ball in water for 15 - 20 minutes and then extract the juice using your fingers.
• Mix well to get a lump free mixture.
• Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
• Add curry leaves along with the twig. Slit and add green chillies followed by chopped coriander leaves.
• Now place the vessel on stove and let it cook on medium flame till it comes to a boil.
• Lower the flame and cook for few minutes and then turn off the flame.
• In a pan heat oil for tempering.
• Add cumin seeds, when they sizzle add curry leaves.
• Add this prepared tempering to the curry.
• Serve hot.

        For more recipes using til or sesame seeds do check out Aloo matar til, Til ki chutney, Maiqalya and Sweet n sour carrot salad from My Mom's Kitchen.

Just remember to take a snap and share it on our facebook page before serving it. 

Also check out other easy recipes from My Mom's Kitchen!

Happy Cooking!!!

Mutton & cluster beans curry

              
                       Cluster beans are known in Hindi as gawar ki phalli. They are rich in soluble fibre and good way of obtaining protein, it includes numerous important Vitamins, namely Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, foliates and has minerals namely, phosphorous, calcium, iron, potassium along with absolutely no cholesterol and fats.

                        In this recipe mutton is paired with cluster beans to get a delicious side dish. This curry tastes best with another side dish called Til ka chaar (as in the picture below) and they both together are just like a combination made in heaven. Have them with steamed rice and enjoy a divine retreat.

           My Mom adds fenugreek leaves to any beans curry that she prepares. Mostly it is the fresh small variety that she uses, but this time we used dried fenugreek leaves or Kasuri methi. You can use which ever is available to you. Here comes the detailed recipe :-

Ingredients:

1. Mutton - 200 gms
2. Cluster beans - 500gms
3. Onion - 1 no (medium sized)
4. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp 
5. Red chili powder - 1 tbsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tbsp 
7. Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp
8. Coriander leaves - few
9. Green chillies - 4 to 5 nos
10. Salt - to taste
11. Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
• Add thinly sliced onion with mutton washed, cleaned and cut into bite size pieces.
• Add salt, ginger garlic paste, red chili powder and turmeric powder.
• Add 1 glass of water, place the lid and cook for 2 to 3 whistles or till meat is cooked and tender.

                                           

• Break the cluster beans into small pieces. Wash and add these to the cooked meat.

                                                       

• Add half a glass of water. Place back the lid and cook for 2 to 3 whistles.
• Let the pressure subside on its own, then remove the lid and place the cooker back on stove. Adjust the salt according to taste.
• Add kasuri methi followed by coriander leaves, green chillies. Mix well. 
• Cook on low flame for 5 minutes.
• Serve hot with steamed rice.

                                                

                     You may also like to try Beans & potato curry, Beans & minced meat curry and Broad beans & potato curry  from My Mom's Kitchen.

           

Share what you think of it in the comments section below.

Happy Cooking!!!

Dry Urad dal

                   On our trip to Kashmir, the first night that we stayed at our hotel we ordered for whatever best they could serve and they brought in a plate full of tandoori rotis and a bowl full of dal. The next two days that we stayed there we had nothing but rotis and the dry urad dal, the recipe that which I am sharing today. In my recipe, I have made the dal completely dry, however the one we had at the hotel was of a slight gravy consistency.

                 Dry Urad dal is much like the  Khadi dal (lentils with dill) recipe that I shared earlier here in all cases khadi meaning firm. Moong dal or yellow dal is also used in making khadi dal, the recipe for which I will share soon, however today's recipe that uses Urad dal is a north Indian style. In South India it is mostly used for tempering rice and curry dishes along with chana dal and gives a crunchy taste but, in this recipe it is soft and completely cooked. Dry Urad dal tastes best with chapatis. The dash of lemon at the end does the entire magic so don't skip it.

Ingredients:

1. Urad dal - 1 cup
2. Onion - 1 no
3. Tomato - 2 nos
4. Garlic cloves - 3 to 4 nos
5. Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Coriander powder - 1 tsp
8. Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
9. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
10. Green chili - 3 nos
11. Coriander leaves - few
12. Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
13. Salt - to taste
14. Oil - 2 tbsp 

Method:

• Wash and soak the dal for 20 to 25 minutes.
•  Pressure cook the dal with salt, turmeric powder and just enough water for two whistles.
• Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, green chili and chopped garlic cloves. Saute for a minute.
• Add chopped onion and saute till translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes and cook till pulpy.
• Add red chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala. Mix well.
• Add the cooked dal to the pan, mix thoroughly and let all the water dry up completely.
• Add coriander leaves and lemon juice. Stir again and serve hot.

                    If you are looking for more such simple side dishes to go by your chapatis for everyday meals then do check out Cabbage sabzi, Aloo matar til, Gobi matar, Eggplant & potato curry and Dondakayal curry (Ivy gourd curry) from My Mom's Kitchen.

Do try and share your thoughts with us...

Happy Cooking!!!