Choco Chip Muffin

Chocolate...who does not like it?? And if its the molten one I just love it. Choco cip muffins are one of the hot favorites among kids. And its my favorite too......so I made it at home this time. I have eaten the one which are dark chocolate color but I always prefer to have white muffins with choco chips peeping out here and there. So I did not use cocoa powder in this recipe to make it brown in color. 

Ingredients :

1. All purpose flour (Maida)- 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Sugar- 3/4 cup
3. Cinnamon powder- 2/3 tsp
4. Salt- 1/2 tsp
5. Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
6. Baking powder- 1 tsp
7. Chocolate chip- 2/3 cup
8. Egg- 2
9. Milk- 1/2 cup
10. Canola oil- 1/2 cup
11. Vanilla essence- 1 tsp


Procedure :

In a pan mix all the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips. Keep it aside. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs with other liquid ingredients. After that add the dry mixture into the liquid mix slowly. Mix with a spoon lightly. Do not over mix it. Pre heat the oven at 350 degree F. Put the muffin papers in the pan and fill them up to 2/3 rd. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check it with a sharp knife if its done. Take it out and place on rack.

Chilly Cauliflower

I always get confused what should I make as a side dish for our daily dinner/lunches. And that is why  I experiment with the vegetables. Now a days I prefer the baked version of anything. It is so healthy... right? And easy too!! That is why I made this spicy cauliflower recipe for the dinner. Hope you will enjoy it.

Ingredients :

1. Cauliflower- 1 small
2. Cornflour- 3 tbs
3. Ginger-garlic paste- 1 tsp
4. Garlic- 3 cloves
5. Salt to taste
6. Green chilly- 4
7. Soy sauce- 1 tbs
8. Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
9. Red chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
10. Red bell pepper- 1/2
11. Oil


Procedure :

Cut the cauliflower in medium florets. In a pan boil water with salt. Add the florets and cook for 3 to4  minutes till the florets become a little tender. Now in a bowl mix cornflour , 1/2 tsp black pepper , red chilly powder , salt and ginger-garlic paste. Add little water to make a thick batter. Drain the water from the florets and dip the florets in the batter. Preheat the oven at 400 F and bake the florets for 15 minutes. Do turn the florets in between. Now in a pan add 1 tbs oil and chopped bell peppers, saute them for 2 minutes. Add the chilly , soy sauce , remaining pepper powder , garlic and the remaining of the batter. Stir fry everything until it thickens. Add the baked cauliflower and mix well. Sprinkle some salt and turn off the heat.

Baked Dahi Kebab

Dahi kebab was a sweet surprise to my husband. He never thought that curd can be used in making a solid kebab....but the kebabs turned out to be very crispy and tasty. 

Ingredients :

1. Curd- 1 cup
2. Paneer- 200 gm
3. Cornflour- as needed
4. Green chilly- 3
5. Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
6. Ajwain- 1/2 tsp
7. Black pepper powder- 1/2 tsp
8. Chaat masala- 1 tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Garlic- 2 cloves
11. Ginger- 1/2" stick
12. Oil
13. Ghee

Procedure :

In a large bowl add grated paneer , curd , finely chopped green chilly , ajwain , cumin powder , pepper , chaat masala , salt and minced garlic-ginger. Mix it well. Now add 4 tsp cornflour and mix again. Now brush cooking oil in a baking pan and take medium sized balls from the curd mixture and dip it in cornflour and press a little between palms. Place the tikkis on the baking plate.

 Pre heat the oven at 450 F and bake the kebabs for 25 minutes or until they turn brown. Change the side of the kebab in between. After its done , brush the kebabs with ghee and serve hot.

Moong-Paneer Seekh Kebab

A very delicious veg kebab recipe......sometimes we (the non-vegetarians) get surprised with the veg delicacies whenever we try a new thing. This kebab is one of those surprises. A perfect recipe for a party.I loved it...and  when I am updating the pictures of this recipe right now, my husband  is telling me that he wants those kebabs once again!!

Ingredients :

1. Moong daal (split)- 100 gm
2. Paneer- 100 gm
3. Salt to taste
4. Green chilly- 2
5. Bread (wheat)- 1 slice
6. Black pepper powder- 1/2 tbs
7. Cumin powder- 1/2 tsp
8. Oil- 1 tbs
9. Garlic- 2 cloves
10. Ginger- 1/4" stick
11. Ghee/melted butter


Procedure :

Soak the daal in water for 3 to 4 hours and drain it. Grate the paneer. Blend the moong daal with garlic , ginger and green chilly. The paste should not be too smooth. Take the bread slice and make dry bread crumbs from it(put it in the blender and blend for a minute). In a large mixing bowl , add all the ingredients except the oil and mix well. Now heat a non stick pan and add the oil. When the oil is a little hot , add this mixture and keep stirring it with a spoon. Keep the flame on medium. Mix the moong daal mixture well and turn off the gas when it turns a little dark. It takes hardly 5 to 7 minutes. Let the mixture cool down a little. Put some oil in the seekh. Take medium sized ball from the mixture and make kebabs in the seekh. Brush a little oil all over the kebabs. Pre heat the oven at 450 F and place the kebabs on the rack. Bake for 20 minutes or until they turn brown. Change the side of the kebab in between. When it is done, take out the kebabs from the seekh and brush with melted butter or ghee. This will help the kebab to retain a moist texture.

Sending this recipe to the event I'm the star and Bake fest created by Vardhini .

Baked Vegetable

This baked vegetable recipe is a bit spicy and tadkedar. You can always mix and match different spices for this baked vegetable recipe. And that is the best part of it. 

Ingredients :

1. Potato (small)- 3
2. Red bell pepper- 1
3. Mushroom- 6
4. Salt to taste
5. Lemon- 1
6. Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
7. Red paprika- 3/4 tsp
8. Dry oregano- 1/2 tsp
9. White sesame seed- 1/2 tsp
10. Olive oil


Procedure:

Wash the potatoes thoroughly and slice them. Do not peel the skin. Make long and semi thick slices of the potatoes and prick them well. Cut the bell pepper in medium chunks. Remove the stem part. Cut the mushrooms in thin slices. Now in a bowl add all the vegetables , 1 tbs oil , salt , pepper , paprika , oregano and sesame seeds. Mix well. Cut the lemon into half and sprinkle the lemon juice on top of the vegetables. Mix again and keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes. In a baking pan apply olive oil properly and place the potatoes in rows keeping the skin side down. Keep equal gaps between each potato slice. Place the mushroom and bell pepper too. Pre heat the oven at 400 F. Bake the vegetables for 35 minutes or until the potato is done. After every 10 minutes mix the vegetables well. When the vegetables are done, take them out and sprinkle the remaining lemon juice and serve hot.

Stuffed Chicken Breast with Purée De Tomates

How many of you have experienced this: you thought to cook something and what you cooked at the end was totally different? I guess many of us have done it thousands of time. I do it very frequently :P..... Though I am glad that whatever be the end product, it turns out to be good.....phew....all those hard work in the kitchen do pay off then :)........

The recipe today I am going to share with you is one of those many out of the box recipe.....Stuffed chicken breast with purée de tomates.

Ingredients :

Chicken:

1. Chicken breast- 2
2. Salt to taste
3. Black pepper powder- 1 tsp
4. Olive oil- 1 tsp
5. Rice (cooked)- 3/4 cup
6. Cheese- 1 tbs
7. Sweet corn- 1 tbs
8. Onion (finely chopped)- 1 tbs
9. Vinegar- 1 tsp
10. Red capsicum- 1


Procedure :

Wrap the chicken breasts in cling film separately. Now beat them with the rolling pin for a while. Do not beat too hard or else your chicken breast will be damaged. This is done to flatten the chicken breast to around 1/4" thickness. Now season the breasts with salt and black pepper powder for a while. Keep them aside. Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan and add chopped onion. When they turn translucent , add the sweet corn and fry for 2 minutes. Season with salt , vinegar and pepper. Turn off the heat. Add the shredded cheese and 2 tbs of the cooked rice. Mix well. Now put one tbs of this mixture at one side of the chicken breast and roll it slowly and tightly. Wrap the chicken breast well and place some toothpick to hold the wrapped chicken. Pre heat the oven at 400 degree F. Place the chicken breasts in a baking pan and drizzle some olive oil over them. Bake the chicken for 35 minutes and check whether it is done or not. Take them out and keep aside.

Tomato puree :

1. Green tomato- 3
2. Oregano- 1/2 tsp
3. Red paprika- 1/2 tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Black pepper powder- 1/4 tsp

Procedure :

In the same baking pan where the chicken breasts were baked, put the tomatoes. In a bowl add the cubed bell pepper with some salt , pepper and olive oil. Mix well and place the bell papaer cubes in the same baking pan. Now bake them at 400 degree F for 15 minutes. Take them out. Keep the bell peppers in a separate bowl. Take the tomatoes out and mash them well. Add the oregano , salt , paprika and pepper and mix well. Your sour green tomato puree is ready!!

Serve the breast piece with some baked red bell pepper and the tomato puree.


All rights reserved on photographs and written content © 2012  A Girl's Diary

Baked Soy Chicken With Peanut Chutney

A simple baked chicken kebab with an extra spicy peanut chutney!! A terrific combination.

Ingredients :

1. Boneless chicken- 250 gm
2. Corn flour- 1 large tbs
3. Soy sauce- 2 tbs
4. Salt to taste
5. Garlic- 3 cloves
6. Ginger (minced)- 1/2 tsp
7. Black pepper powder- 1/2 tsp

Procedure :

Cut the chicken into medium pieces and keep aside. In a mixing bowl add the cornflour , soy , minced garlic and minced ginger , pepper. Mix well. Cornflour tends to stick to one place , so you have to be very quick to mix the ingredients evenly. I have used freshly minced garlic and ginger , it gives a nice aroma as well as a nice taste to the chicken. One can also use ginger-garlic paste. Mix the chicken in this mixture and marinate the chicken overnight. Cover the bowl with a cling film. I did not add the salt while marinating the chicken. 

Take out the chicken at least two hours before baking. Add salt and mix well. Now pre heat the oven to 350 degree F. I brushed a little oil on the chicken pieces. Place the chicken pieces in the skewers and place the skewers in the oven. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Turn it in the middle of baking. 

After 30 minutes , check whether chicken is done or not. To do so, prick the chicken with a sharp knife and see if any pink liquid flows out or not. If not , then the chicken is done. Now to get a nice crispiness , I baked the chicken for another 10 minutes at 400 degree F. 

Peanut chutney :

Ingredient :

1. Raw peanut- 100 gm
2. Onion (chopped)- 2 large tbs
3. Red chilly powder- 1/2 tbs
4. Garlic- 1 clove
5. Red paprika- 1/2 tsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Green chilly- 2
8. Chaat masala- 1/2 tsp
9. Water

Procedure :

In a pan roast the raw peanuts properly. Then remove the skin of the peanut. To do so , just rub the little warm peanuts between your palms. Now in a pan heat 1 tbs oil and fry the chopped onion , garlic. Cool down the mixture. Add all the ingredients in a mixing jar and blend together. Add water as required to make a smooth paste.

Serve this spicy peanut chutney with the chicken kebabs.

Sending this to Priya's event Dip in.

Banana and Almond Muffin

I have always had a fascination towards baking. Recently I made my first baking attempt. And it was a banana- almond muffin recipe. The recipe was super hit and I was super excited!! I loved the combination of the two. Hope my baking success will continue after this.

Ingredients:

1. All purpose flour (maida)- 1 cup
2. Salt- 1/4 tsp
3. Sugar- little less than 1/2 cup
4. Baking powder- 1 tsp
5. Baking soda- 1/2 tsp
6. Chopped almond- 2 tbs
7. Banana- 2
8. Curd- 1/2 cup
9. Oil- 1/2 cup
10. Egg- 1
11. Vanilla essence- 1 tsp

Procedure:

Pre heat your oven on 350 degree F (pre heating an oven helps the oven to reach to the desired temperature from all side, the timing of pre heating vary from oven to oven. In my oven it takes 6 minutes. Just select "Bake" option and select the desired temperature, press start, it will  automatically stop after pre heating and there will be a sound). 

In a large mixing bowl add maida , sugar , baking powder , salt and baking soda. Mix everything well. Now add the chopped almond and mix.

In another bowl whisk the egg properly. Add the curd , oil and vanilla. Whisk it well. Mash the bananas properly. For a great taste you should use ripe bananas, the one with brown spots on the skin. Those bananas are really sweet and they add a nice aroma and flavor to the muffins. Now add the maida mixture slowly to the egg mixture. Mix everything with the help of a spatula. Do not over mix. Just moisten the dry ingredients. Place muffin papers in your muffin pan and fill each cup up to two third of height. 

Now place the muffin pan inside the oven and bake it for 25 minutes (as it took in my case). After finishing insert a tooth pick to check whether it is properly done from inside or not. If the tooth pick comes out clean, its done. Keep it inside for a minute or two as it helps in attending the nice brown tinge. Take it out after that and cool the muffins. Your delicious Banana - almond muffins are ready.

Sending this to the event Banana recipe by Sameena and Sweet Luv by Vardhini.