Prawn 65

I love my prawns in whichever texture, form or sauce they are in. Prawns give me an immense sense of satisfaction at the end of the meal. Something that any other acceptable variety (my husband eats anything that walks, crawls, flies and swims) of non-veg doesn't seem to bestow on me. Prawn 65 is an innovative version of the fish preparation which initiated as Chicken 65. Chicken 65 owes its origin to a certain restaurant somewhere down south of the country. It started as a very popular chicken dish, specific to the restaurant which was against the number 65. Customers used to place their orders as 'Chicken 65' and hence the name. As the popularity of the dish spread within the country, the dish was known as 'Chicken 65'. I remember trying this dish in a shack in Goa. Facing the sea, legs spread straight, leaning on a comfy chair with a tangy flavored, relatively hot and spicy dish befriending a chilled beer sitting on a stool beside me and witnessing the approaching gray clouds from far of over the salty waters. Ah! A trip to heaven and back.  
So when I thought of bringing in the flavors of the Chicken 65 into my prawns, 'Prawn 65' is what I got. So here is a quick recipe to a super tasty, tangy prawn curry.

Ingredients:

500 gms of prawns
1 finely chopped onion
Ginger and garlic paste
Schezwan sauce
Coriander leaves
Turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

Marinate the prawns after washing them properly in 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp salt. Let it sit for sometime till the sauce is being prepared. In a wok put the oil and let it heat for sometime. Then put the cumin seeds. As the seeds start to pop put the chopped onions. As it turns to light brown put the ginger and garlic paste. Let it cook for sometime. Then put the Schezwan sauce and cook for sometime. Put the prawns, turn the heat low and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes with the lid on. After 20 min check on the prawns. If it is cooked then put the coriander leaves, turn off the heat and let it sit there with the lid on. I prefer to have the Prawn 65 dry with a tad bit of curry just to keep it moist. So do not put water or you will lose the flavor.  

Lemon Cup-Cakes

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Baking a cake always enthralls me into a different world. The mental calculations of the recipe, the anxiety on the consistency, manipulations with the ingredients and finally the smell as I open the oven door. Baking a cake is a trip to heaven and back. So here is a my version of lemon cup-cakes.

Ingredients:

3 Eggs

3/4 cup butter/oil

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

3/4 cup white flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp lemon extract

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1/2 cup Chocolate chips (optional)

Method of preparation

Beat the three eggs and the sugar together. Pour the oil/butter (in room temperature) and mix. In goes the baking powder, the lemon extract and the lemon zest. Give it a good mix. Then put the sieved flour and fold it into the batter. Make sure the flour is folded into the butter till it is mixed. Do not over mix the batter as the air that has gone into might escape in the process. Preheat an oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Pour the batter into the cup cakes liners and bake at 180 degrees for about 15-20 min or till a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool down on a rack. If you intend to frost it, make sure the cup cakes are completely cooled down before frosting. Enjoy. 

Raw Mango Chutney

Serve it as a dip for the smoking hot Pakoras, or spice up the vegetarian meal with an extra dash of flavour, the Indian chutney is definitely the Atlas in an Indian plate that cannot be shrugged. As the name suggests Chutney or Chatni is something that is meant to be licked. The licking gives the dish an extra hint of Oomph. Raw Mango Chutney is a traditional homemade side dip popular in the Eastern part of India namely Odisha and West Bengal. With the onset of the summer months and the early mango season, raw mangoes flood the markets and what better way to beat the heat than cool mango chutney. So here goes my mother’s recipe…

Ingredients:

4 small size mangoes

200 gms of jaggery (Gur)

1 tsp of oil

1 tsp of corn starch

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of panch phoran (A mix of five spice-Cumin, Mustard Seeds, Fenugreek Seeds, Black Cumin Seeds, Fennel Seeds)

1 red chilli

5-6 curry leaves

2 tbsp of water

Here is how…

Wash, peel and cut the mangoes. Put them into a pressure cooker along with the jaggery and salt. As soon as the whistle goes off turn off the heat and let the pressure subside on its own. Take another pan, put the oil. As the oil heats up put the mix of the five spices or the panch phoran, the red chilli and the curry leaves. Pour the cooled mangoes as you hear the spices popping. Mix the corn starch with the water and pour it into the mixture. Bring it to a boil for approximately 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it settle down on the remaining heat of the burner. It can be consumed warm but for best results let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour. This Chutney tastes best when served cold.

If not Cake but definitely a Bake#Chicken Tandoori#

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It’s good to end a journey but it is the journey that matters in the end…And what other good way to end a memorable journey with a platter of succulent homemade Tandoori Chicken. Tandoori Chicken or Roasted chicken gets its name from the traditional clay oven in which the chicken pieces are roasted. However, where will you find a clay oven in the comforts of your home! So here is my version of Homemade Tandoori Chicken.

Ingredients

4-5 Chicken Leg Pieces

2 Tbsp of Yogurt

1 Tsp of Salt

1 Tbsp of Tandoori Masala (I prefer Everest Tandoori Chicken Masala)

1 Tsp of Vinegar

1 Tsp of Lemon Juice

1 Tsp of Black Pepper

Marinate the Chicken pieces with all the ingredients mentioned above. Leave it for a minimum of 1 hour or more. Then place the pieces in the oven and grill for about 30 min at 200 degrees, turning over after the first 15 min to ensure an all-round grilling. Leave it inside the oven for another 10 min. Enjoy hot with a dash of lemon juice on top and beautifully cut circular onion rings…

Carrot Cake

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Home is where the freshly baked carrot cake is! This delicious moist carrot cake packs a whole lot of cake for a whole lot of guests. Whether served warm with a dollop of ice-cream or eaten with a freshly brewed cup of coffee, the dulcet yet divine fragrance of this carrot cake will make your guests yearn for it. So here is the recipe and the method of preparation:

Ingredients:

6 cups of grated Carrots
1 cup of Brown sugar
1 cup of Raisins(Kismish)
4 Eggs
1 ½ cups of White Sugar
1 cup of Vegetable Oil
2 Tsp of Vanilla Extract
1 cup of Fresh Pineapples
3 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 ½ tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of salt
4 Tsp of Cinnamon
1 cup of chopped Walnuts or choco-chips (Its your 'Choice')

How to bind them all.....??? There it goes....

Use the fine side of a grater to grate 6 generous cups of carrot. Put the grated carrots in a bowl and mix a cup of brown sugar and set it aside for an hour. After an hour put a cup of raisins into it and give it a good mix. Then preheat the oven and grease and flour two 10’’ cake pans. Then in a large bowl add 4 eggs and mix. As the eggs are being beaten, gradually add 1 ½ cups of white sugar, a cup of vegetable oil, 2 tsp of vanilla extract. When the ingredients are fully incorporated, add 1 cup of crushed and drained pineapples. In another clean bowl add 3 cups of all purpose flour along with 1 ½ tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of salt, and 4 tsp of ground cinnamon. Mix in the dry ingredients in with the wet. Finally add the carrot, raisin and brown sugar mixture and a cup of chopped walnuts. If you do not want nuts then you can add in choco-chips. Then pour the batter evenly into the prepared cake pans and bake it at 180 degrees for about 30-45 min or till a tooth pick comes out clean. Set them aside to cool down. You can enjoy it as it is or can frost it with freshly whipped cream/sour cream.