Nasuha Blog

Hello friends, I am back from my Goa trip and have started the reverse counting for the Indian food Bloggers meet. I am so looking forward to meet the fellow bloggers and appreciate the effort and time taken by the organizing committee to make this meet happen. Apart from meeting the bloggers who I knew only virtually, this meet also offers some exciting contests and surprises, one of which is the Urban Dazzle Cocktail and Mocktail contest.

Urban Dazzle is India's leading Home Shopping Website with a wide range of products to choose from at a very competitive price. As a food blogger who loves to buy Props which are unique and different and do not burn a hole in my pocket, Urban Dazzle is my destination and so far I have liked the service and quality they offer. From bakeware to serving platters to drinkware, they have it all.

 Keeping up with the Indian theme as required for this contest, I have come up with this Ginger and Curry Leaves Martini. I had recently bought the Martini glasses and Bar accessories from Urban Dazzle and they were the perfect choice to serve this cocktail. Here is how to make the Martini with an Indian twist. Cheers!!!!!


All you need is

Dry gin - 60 ml
Vermouth - 10 ml
Sugar syrup - 1 tbsp
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5-6
Ginger - 1\2 inch piece
Ice

For the glass rim

Curry leaves - a bunch
Martini salt


Method of preparation

For the glass rim

Heat the oven to 180 degree C.
Spread the curry leaves on a baking sheet.
Keep the baking sheet in the warm oven for 5-6 minutes, till the leaves are crisp.
Remove the leaves from oven.
Crush to make a fine powder using your fingers.
Add the equal quantity of Martini salt.
Mix well.
Wet the rim of Martini glasses using water.
Dab the wet surface over the martini salt.
The glass is ready.
Chill it for a few hours prior to serving.

For Martini

Take curry leaves and ginger in the mixing glass.
Crush them using a muddler.
Top the glass with ice.
Add gin, vermouth, lemon juice and sugar syrup and give the mixture a gentle stir.
Strain in the prepared glass.
Serve immediately.

Life is super busy at the moment and this is what I always wanted. Learning and exploring new things each day, coming up with wild ideas and executing them and most of all enjoy what I am doing and I am glad this is exactly what I got into through the medium of blogging. This chicken pulav happened in one of these busy days when I wanted to make something very quick and interesting and this recipe is just the one. Unlike a Biryani, where a lot of preparation is required, this chicken Pulav is pretty simple to make and hits just the right spot on the palate. Here is the recipe to make it.


All you need is

Long grain basmati rice - 2 cups
Chicken - 1 kg
Oil - 4 tbsp
Cloves - 2-3
Black peppercorns - 5-6
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Onion - 2 cups ( thinly sliced )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Tomato - 1 cup ( chopped )
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1\2 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Water - 4 cups
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander and fried onions for garnishing


Method of preparation

Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add cloves, black peppercorns and cinnamon.
Fry for 20 seconds.
Add onions and fry till slightly browned.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till onions are nicely browned.
Add chicken and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add tomato and cook for a minute.
Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder, salt and cover and cook till chicken is done.
Remove the cover and cook on high heat till all the water is absorbed.
Add lemon juice and mix.
Drain the rice and add it in the pan with chicken.
Add 4 cups of water.
Cover the pan and cook till rice is done.
Mix the rice once very gently in between the cooking.
Garnish with fried onions and fresh coriander.

It's been really long since I made some Indian sweet. With the festive season coming close, it's the right time to indulge in some sugary treats and so I bring you this easy to make yet very delicious Nariyal Ki Barfi. Nariyal ki barfi or coconut fudge is a must make sweet for the weddings in Mathur community and is called Pili barfi for it's yellow color. The sweet which is decked with silver foil, saffron strands and dry fruit slivers is arranged on a big thaal or plate and is send to the grooms family along with the other goodies as a token to mark the beginning of the celebration. The soft, melt in your texture of this sweet is loved by all in my family and it is so easy to make that I end up making a batch of this goodness for all the festivals. Keep the consistency of sugar syrup in check and you will nail this recipe. Here is how to make this simple yet very delicious Nariyal Ki barfi.


All you need is

Grated fresh coconut - 3 cups
Ghee - 3 tbsp
Sugar - 1 cup
Water - 3\4 cup
Yellow food color - 1\4 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Khoya - 200 g
Dry fruits slivers, silver foil and saffron strands for garnishing



Method of preparation

Grease a 9 inch pan with ghee.
Keep aside.
Heat khoya in a pan.
Fry till pinkish in color.
Keep aside.
Heat sugar and water in a pan.
Cook till the sugar dissolves and the syrup reaches a 2 string consistency.
Do not swirl while the sugar syrup is cooking.
Add yellow food color and cardamom powder.
Mix.
Meanwhile, add ghee in a pan.
Add grated coconut and fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
Add khoya and sugar syrup and mix well.
Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and spread evenly.
Let the barfi set for 3-4 hours.
Cut into small pieces.
Garnish with dry fruits slivers, silver foil and saffron strand.

Note - If your Barfi is not setting and is too soft, just microwave the mixture for 3-4 minutes and set again.
You can skip using food color and can make a white color barfi.
The consistency of sugar syrup is important for the barfi to set nicely.

This Chicken Dahi Wala recipe is very close to my heart as it's my Dad's to go recipe and I remember him making this dish week after week on our demand as we never got over this flavorful, spicy curry with a lovely texture. The recipe is quite easy to make as all you have to do is to brown the onions. All the other ingredients are basically dumped in the pan and cooked till they blend beautifully with each other. Serve it with rice or pair it with laccha paratha or naan, this recipe is surely a keeper. Here is the simple recipe to make this Dahi Wala Murgh.


All you need is

Chicken - 1 kg ( with bones )
Oil - 1\4 cup
Cloves - 3-4
Black peppercorns - 5-6
Black cardamom - 2
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Dry red chili - 2-3
Onion - 1 and 1\2 cups ( thinly sliced )
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Yogurt - 2 cups
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1\2 tsp
Kashmiri red chili powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Honey - 1 tsp
lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Fresh coriander for garnishing


Method of preparation

Heat oil in a pan.
When the oil is hot, add cloves, black peppercorn, black cardamom, cinnamon and dry red chilies.
Fry for 10 seconds.
Add onion and fry till slightly browned.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry till onions are nicely browned.
Add chicken and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Whisk yogurt and add coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala powder and salt to it.
Add the yogurt in the pan.
Cover and cook till chicken is done.
Add little water if required.
Add honey and lemon juice and mix.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice or laccha paratha.

After the huge success of the Gosht Aloo bhukahra and the Mango Chicken that I made last year, I was tempted to try more Fruit and Meat combinations and so came this Lychee Chicken. Very Unusual but a winning combination, this is a must make if you are fond of Chinese style gravies. I have used fresh litchies in the recipe as they were available in the market, but you can use the canned ones as well. Here is the recipe to make this Chinese style Lychee Chicken.



All you need is

Chicken breast - 400 g
Maida \ All purpose flour - 1\2 cup
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder - 1\2 tsp + 1\2 tsp
Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp and for frying
Garlic - 2 tsp ( chopped )
Ginger - 1 tsp ( chopped )
Onion - 1 cup ( cut into squares )
Capsicum - 1 cup ( cut into squares )
Lychee \ Litchi - 15-20 ( peeled and de seeded )
Soy sauce - 2 tsp
Green chili sauce - 2 tbsp
White wine vinegar - 2 tsp
Red chili paste - 2 tsp
Litchi juice - 1 cup ( I used canned juice )
Cornflour - 2 tbsp
Spring onion greens for garnishing



Method of preparation

Heat oil for frying the chicken.
Cut chicken breasts into small pieces.
Mix maida, salt and 1\2 tsp black pepper powder in a bowl.
Coat the chicken pieces in this mixture and fry in hot oil till golden brown.
Keep aside.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok.
When the oil is hot, add garlic and ginger.
Fry for a few seconds.
Add onion, capsicum and litchi.
Fry for a minute.
Add soy sauce, green chili sauce, white wine vinegar, red chili paste, salt and 1\2 tsp black pepper powder.
Fry for a minute.
Mix cornflour in litchi juice and add the mixture in the wok.
Add the fried chicken.
Add a cup of water and cook till sauce thickens.
Garnish with spring onion greens.
Serve hot with steamed rice.

There are a few things which are always there in my refrigerator, handy to be used when there are sudden hunger pangs and the kiddo wants something delicious too. This Pizza sauce is one of those things. Just a good slather on either a whole wheat pizza base or on a whole wheat bread slice, topped with a generous dose of Mozzarella, a pop in the oven for a few minutes and a delicious snack is ready in no time. While coming up to this recipe, I have tried a lot of combinations and proportions in the past and finally have settled down on this one. Here is how to make a delicious Pizza sauce at home from scratch.


All you need is

Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2 tbsp ( chopped )
Dried oregano - 1 tsp
Fresh tomato - 1 kg ( cut into small pieces )
Tomato puree - 1\4 cup
Salt to taste
Black pepper powder - 1\2 tsp
Fresh basil leaves - a handful ( roughly torn )


Method of preparation

Heat olive oil and butter in a pan.
Add garlic and fry for a few seconds.
Add dried oregano and fry for a few seconds.
Add fresh tomato, tomato puree, salt, black pepper and fresh basil and cook on low heat for around 45 minutes.
Keep mashing the sauce with the back of a ladle.
Remove from heat once thickened to desired consistency.
Keep in mind that sauce will thicken a little more once cooled.
Cool completely.
Store in an airtight container.
It can be refrigerated for up to a week.

Method of preparation

Heat milk in a heavy bottom pan.
Simmer the heat when it comes to a boil.
Add saffron threads.
Let it cook till it is reduced to almost 1\2.
Stir the mixture at regular intervals or else it can burn at the bottom and give a very foul taste to the Kulfi.
Add condensed milk.
Dissolve cornflour in a little water and add it to the milk.
Add the fresh cream.
Blend almonds, cashew nuts and pistachio coarsely in a blender.
Add it in the milk.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool.
When the mixture is cooled, add the mango puree.
Mix well.
Pour the mixture in kulfi molds and freeze till set.
Remove the kulfi from the molds by dipping the mold in water for a few seconds.
Garnish with almond and pistachio slivers.
Serve immediately.

While cutting the cherry tomatoes into halves for sun drying, I was again taken back to the wonderful days when we were young. One of the many beautiful memories which keep on giving a sneak peek brought a smile on my face only to create another one for future.


We had a huge open space in front of the house. With a beautiful manicured lawn in the center and flower beds all around, there was enough space left to grow all sort of veggies and it was very well utilized to grow different varieties of gourds, brinjal, lady's fingers, various greens and tomatoes. During the season when tomatoes were harvested in bulk, my mom used to make the most of them by making bottles of ketchup, tomato relish and the remaining were cut into thin slices and dried in the strong summer sun to be used through out the year. These came in really handy when during the peak summers, tomatoes disappeared from the markets and the curries that were made on an everyday basis could not be compromised. These dried tomatoes were soaked in warm water for a few minutes and then ground to a paste to be used in curries. We were assigned the job of spreading the cut slices on the large plastic sheets spread in the courtyard and when the sheets turned a riot of red, it gave a wonderful sense of accomplishment and a feeling of proud to be a part of this yearly activity.


I too dry tomatoes every year but the the purpose has changed a lot. I love sun dried tomato pesto and a good bread decked with these pearls. Although sun dried tomatoes are available in the market, but why to shell out so many extra bucks, when it is so easy and economical to make your own and plus doing your own things gives such satisfaction which is incomparable. Here is how to make your own batch of Sun dried tomatoes.


All you need is

Cherry tomatoes  - 2 kg
Salt - 1 tsp

If cherry tomatoes are not available, you can use the regular tomatoes and cut them in thin slices.



Method of preparation

Wash the tomatoes and cut them into halves.
Arrange them in a single layer in a few baking trays or plates with the cut side up.
Sprinkle salt on top.
Keep the trays in the sun for 2 to 3 days till the tomatoes are dried completely.
Cover the tray with a light muslin cloth.
Keep the trays inside during the night and then again put them in the sun the next day.
Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to an year.
You can also store a few in a glass jar covered with olive oil.
Add a sprig or two of rosemary in the jar to give a nice herby flavor.
The ones stored in olive oil can be kept at room temperature in a dry area away from sunlight.

Coconut chutney is the most famous South Indian style chutney. This was the only chutney we had with our monthly treat of Dosa and idli as kids. I am sharing the traditional way in which most household make this chutney. There could be some variations but the basic recipe remains the same. Here it is.


Prep time - 10 minutes
Making time - 10 minutes
Yields - A cup of chutney

All you need is

Coconut - 1 cup ( cut into small pieces. )
Roasted Bengal gram - 1\4 cup
Curd - 2 tbsp
Green chili - 1
Ginger - 1\2 inch piece
Salt to taste

For tempering

Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1\2 tsp
Urad dal\ split skinned black lentil - 1 tsp
Dry red chilies - 1-2  ( broken )
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Heeng \ asafoetida - 1\4 tsp


Method of preparation

Blend all the ingredients for chutney in a blender to make a smooth paste.
Use little water to blend the chutney.
Transfer in the serving bowl.

For the tempering

Heat oil in a small pan.
Add mustard seeds and urad dal.
Fry till the dal turns brown.
Add dry red chilies, curry leaves and heeng.
Pour the tempering over the chutney.
Mix the tempering with the chutney.
Serve with dosa, idli or paniyaram.

Chocolate ganache is a sauce made with chocolate mixed with cream and butter. It is an excellent topping for cakes, desserts, ice creams and pastries. It is very easy to make at home and can be refrigerated for a few days in the refrigerator. Dark, milk or white chocolate can be used to make ganache. I am sharing a recipe of ganache which is excellent for pouring on cakes and desserts. Here it is.


All you need is

Dark chocolate - 120 g
Unsalted butter - 1 tbsp
Fresh cream - 1\2 cup
Granulated sugar - 1 tbsp

You can also use semi sweet chocolate to make the Ganache but then skip using sugar.



Method of preparation

Chop the chocolate into small pieces.
Transfer it in a bowl.
Heat fresh cream and butter in a bowl.
Add sugar.
Heat till it just starts to boil.
Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and whisk vigorously till the chocolate melts and the mixture is shiny and smooth.
Your ganache is ready.
Store it in an airtight jar for up to a week in refrigerator.
Heat or microwave the ganache before using.

Balushahi is a traditional Indian sweet which is made using all purpose flour, ghee and yogurt. It crispy from outside and soft and flaky from inside. It's usually made for the weddings in India and can be kept for a few weeks without getting spoiled. making Balushahi at home is very easy. By keeping a few tips and tricks in mind, you can make this delicious sweet in your kitchen. The first thing to keep in mind is to fry the Balushahi on very low heat. This way, they get cooked till inside without getting burned from outside. Another thing to keep in mind is the consistency of sugar syrup. It should be of 2 string consistency, otherwise it will not set. So here is the simple recipe to make Balushahi at home. Give it a try. You will love i.


All you need is

Maida \ All purpose four - 2 cups
Salt - 1\4 tsp
Baking soda - 1\2 tsp
Baking powder - 1\4 tsp
Ghee \ Clarified butter - 1\4 cup ( At room temperature )
Yogurt - 1\4 cup ( cold )
Cold water - 4-5 tbsp
Ghee for frying

Silver foil for garnishing
Pistachio slivers for garnishing

For the sugar syrup

Granulated sugar - 2 cups
Water - 1 cup
Cardamom powder - 1\2 tsp
Saffron - a pinch ( crushed )



Method of preparation

Sieve maida, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a bowl.
Add ghee and mix nicely with your finger tips.
Add yogurt and mix well.
Add water and knead to make a soft dough.
Cover and keep the dough aside for 30 minutes.
Make 16-18 equal sized balls from the dough.
Do not smoothen them much.
Press in the center with your thumb.
Heat ghee in a heavy bottom pan.
When the ghee is slightly hot, drop the Balushahis in the ghee very gently.
Do not heat the ghee very much otherwise the Balushahi will fry from outside but will remain raw from inside.
Fry on very low heat till golden brown.
Keep changing the sides while frying, but be very gentle.
Do not overload the pan.
Fry the Balushahi in batches.
Each batch will take around 25-30 minutes for frying.
Remove from heat once done in a plate.
Let cool.

For sugar syrup

Heat sugar, water, cardamom powder and saffron in a pan.
Do not stir much.
Cook till the syrup reaches a 2 string consistency.
To check the syrup consistency, drop a little syrup in a bowl filled with water.
Touch the syrup with your forefinger.
Now touch your forefinger and thumb and pull apart.
It should make 2 strings.
Remove from heat.


Dip the balushahi in the sugar syrup and remove on a plate.
Let them dry for 2-3 hours.
Garnish with silver foil and pistachio slivers.
You can store balushahi in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.