Category Archives: Glossary / Notes

Ingredients:

1 fillet of Basa fish , cut in stripes

For the marinade:

1/2 tbl spoon soy sauce
1/2 tbl spoon oyster sauce

For the batter:

1 egg
2 and half tbl spoon flour
1 and half tea spoon cornstarch
Little salt

For the red sticky sauce:

2 tbl spoon light soy sauce
2 tbl spoon tomato ketchup
1/2 tbl spoon Thai sweet chili sauce
1 and half tbl- 2 tbl spoon honey
1/2 tbl spoon sugar
1 tbl spoon white vinegar
1 and half tea spoon finely minced garlic
1 tea spoon ginger juice/ paste
1/4 th cup chicken stock ( you can use chicken powder too )
1/2 tea spoon cornstarch

* For chicken stock , if you are using chicken cube or powder , always remember to make 1 cup of stock you need 1 chicken bouilon or cube or 1 tea spoon chicken powder .

Procedure:

1. Marinate the fish fillet with the ingredients for marinade for half and hour.

2. Add the beaten egg and other ingredients for batter to the fish .

3. deep fry the fish until brown .

4. In the mean time prepare the sauce and cook in a wok stirring continuously . Add the fried fish , coat well and simmer for few minutes . If needed add little more chicken stock .

Serve immediately !!!

Chicken Kung Pao is a famous American-Chinese recipe , inspired by the Szechuan cuisine . Usually the Kung Pao chicken is dry but many loves it with gravy . My version is with gravy . 🙂

Ingredients ;

1 lb or 500 gram chicken thighs and breast , cut in cubes

For the marinade :

1 tbl spoon soy sauce
1/2 tea spoon vinegar
1/2 tea spoon sugar
1/2 tea spoon finely minced garlic
2 tbl spoon cornstarch

For the sauce :

1 tbl spoon soy sauce
1 tbl spoon hot sauce/ sriracha
1 tea spoon white vinegar
1/2 tbl spoon sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock ( you can add 1 chicken bouillon or cube/ 1 tea spoon chicken powder in half cup of warm water , mix until dissolved in water)
4 cloves of garlic ( almost 3/4 th tbl spoon) , finely minced or grated
1 tea spoon sesame oil
1 tea spoon tasting salt
1 tea spoon red chili flakes
1 tea spoon cornstarch

Other ingredients :

Peanuts
cubed onion
Cubed bell pepper
Oil

Procedure :

1. Marinate the chicken with the ingredients mentioned for marinade dor at least 2 hours .

2. In a bowl , combine all the ingredients for sauce and mix well.

3. In a pan , heat oil and fry the peanuts until brown . Keep it aside . Add the chicken , fry until meat is white and juices run clear . Add the sauce and cook until thickens . Add the cubed onion, peanuts and bell pepper .

Serve Hot with fried or steamed rice !!

Notes:

We didn’t use salt in the recipe as the sauces contain enough salt . But you can add at the end of cooking if required . 🙂

There are many ways of cooking chicken pulao !! Sometimes it is layered like biriyanis , sometimes cooked like Bangladeshi style tehari , prepared meat is added while cooking the rice . Sometimes small pieces of chicken are taken and sometimes the chicken is cut into big 4 pieces . Sometimes the gravy is served too with the big piece of chicken and sometimes the gravy is used while cooking the rice.

It is funny , everytime I say “Morog Pulao” , I imagine big pices of chicken in gravy served with the pulao . So other than this everything is only “chicken pulao ” to me !! Though Murog pulao is just the Bengali name of Chicken pulao !! But I cannot imagine Morog Pulao without big pieces of chicken ( the chicken must be cut in 4 pieces) and the pulao layered and served with that chicken and white creamy gravy . 😀

Today’s recipe is not my “Morog Pulao” !! 😀 But “Chicken Pulao” !! hahahah sorry , if I make you confused !! I already made myself clear !! 😀

Whether it is Morog pulao or chicken Pulao , the authentic recipe requries it to be white , white and white . 😀

This version is quite homey style . Less spicy , mild in flavor but irresistible in taste !!!

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

1 chicken , cut in 8 pieces
1/2 (half) cup onion paste
1 and half tbl spoon ginger paste
1/2 tbl spoon garlic paste
2 cinnamon sticks
5 or 6 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 tea spoon black pepper
2 small black cardamom
2 bay leaves
1/2 tea spoon chili powder ( not more than that ), you may skip this , but I added it .
1 tea spoon special garam masala powder *
1/3 rd cup heavy cream or thick milk
Shahi Masala paste, apply all ( grind 1 tbl spoon desiccated coconut , 1 tbl spoon poppy seed or posto and 5 or 6 cashew or almond into a fine powder then make a thick paste with 3 tbl spoon evaporated milk or heavy cream or thick milk)
1 tbl spoon maowa / khoya ( optional)
Salt to taste
1/3 rd cup ghee

For the special garam asala grind half teaspoon cumin , 1/4 th teaspoon whole coriander , half teaspoon fennel , 3 cardamoms , 5/6 cloves , 9/10 white or black pepper , little mace ( javetri ) and nutmeg ( jaifol) together into a fine powder. Don’t dry roast any of them except javetri/ mace .

For rice :

3 cups aromatic rice like kalojeera/ Basmati
1 tbl spoon Ginger paste
1/3rd cup Chopped Onion
Ghee
Salt to taste
2/3 green Cardamoms, 2 small black cardamom, small stick of Cinnamon and 1 Bay leaf
10 green chilies , whole
Good quality Keora water

Procedure:

1. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients except khoya , cream or milk and special garam masala powder . Heat ghee and add the chicken into it . Add little water and cook the chicken with lid on . The chicken will release water too . Let the chicken cook with it’s own water . Don’t over cook . The chicken needs to be tender but not fully cooked , or else when added while cooking rice , the flesh may come off . Add milk , special garam masal powder and khoya . There must be around 1 or 2 cups of gravy .

2. In another pot heat ghee. Add the green and black cardamoms, cinnamon and bay leaf. Fry for a while and then add the chopped onion .Fry them until they r light brown. add the rice, salt and ginger paste. Fry a little. Add the chicken with remaining little gravy. Mix well. Add hot water. For each cup of rice, add 1 and half cup of water. So Since here we took 3 cups of rice, we need to add 4 and half cup – 5 cup of water. I took 5 cups . So If your gravy is 2 cup , add 3 more cups of hot water . Cover the lid and cook on medium flame.

3. When the water is almost drying out add 10 whole green chilies .

4. Reduce the heat and stir with light hand without breaking the rice. Sprinkle keora water, close the lid tightly and keep it on low flame, which is known as dom. What I do, I always use double boiler method. For that place your pulao pot over another pot, filled with water. Keep it on medium flame. The steam will make the pulao just perfect!!!!!!!!!!!! The lid of the Pulao pot must be tithtly closed . Don’t open the lid too often , otherwise the fregrance of keora will vanish away !!

Serve hot with desi style salad and kababs or even boiled eggs..Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

Ingredients: This amount can make 3 or 4 sandwiches

For steak:

300 gram tenderloin or Sirloin cut beef ( undercut)
1 tea spoon black pepper
Salt to taste ( not too much , the sauces has salt too)
1 tea spoon garlic paste or finely grated garlic
1 tea spoon Workchestershire sauce
1/2 tea spoon steak sauce ( optional)
3/4 th tea spoon bar b q sauce
Oil

Other Ingredients:

Long bun/ hot dog bun
Mayonnaise
Mustard or horseradish sauce ( optional)
Caramalised onion
Grilled bell pepper and mushroom
Provlone Cheese ( or any cheese hat melts)

Procedure :

You can prepare the steak first then cut them in thin stripes or you can cut the meat into thin stripes and then marinate and prepare . I followed the last method . I Cut the meat into thin stripes , then marinate with seasoning and salt then fried .

1. Cut the meat pieces into thin long stripes . Marinate with all the ingredients mentioned above except oil for at least 1 hour .

2. Then spread some mayonnaise on it . In a grill pan or skillent add some oil and put some thinly sliced onion and fry until soften and gets little colored . Fry some thinly sliced bell peppers the same way . Sautee some mushroom if you want .

3. Now heat the grill or frying pan and add 2 tbl spoon of oil into it . Add the meat and cook on high flame . Meat will release water so you should cook it on high flame . Remember , don’t cook for longer time as if you do so the meat will become rubbery . And always cook steak on high flame . Cook for around 4/5 minutes until the water dries out and the meat is tender .

4. While the meat is being cooked , grill the buns for few minutes . Spread mayonnaise on it .

5. when the meat is done, turn off the stove add some provlone cheese over the meat and mix until melts . Immediately transfer it to the buns. Add the caramalised onions , mushroom and bell peeper .
Enjoy !!!

For the cake recipe , please click the link below;
https://khadizaskitchen.com/2014/10/26/tuttie-fruttie-pound-cake/

Now some important points . Cupcakes or muffins are baked faster than the cake . So Bake for 20-25 minutes or until if a toothpick inserted comes out clean . Each oven is different , time may vary ,so keep an eye on the cupcakes while it is in the oven.

If you want dome shaped cupcake then pour 3/4 th of the pan , for flat even top pour half of the pan . 🙂

Who doesn’t love a rich , moist , flavorful slice of a chocolate cake ? If you are a chocolate lover , give this recipe a try . 🙂

Ingredients:

2 eggs ( room temperature), separated + 1 additional egg yolk ( optional)eg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tbl spoon Mayonnaise
1 and 1/2 cup + 1 tbl spoon sugar ( powdered)
1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour ( I took 3/4 th cup cake flour+ 3/4 th cup all purpose flour)
1/3 rd cup of good quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup brewed coffee ( or you can take 1/2 cup of boiling hot water and add 1 teaspoon instant coffee in it )
1 tea spoon baking soda
1 tea spoon baking powder
2 tea spoon vanilla essence

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 FH and grease a line two 8″ baking pans with parchment papers.

2. Beat the egg whiye until stiff . But don’t overbeat . The meringue should not be dry .

3. Beat the oil , mayonnaise and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg yolks one at a time . Beat . Now add the buttermilk and vanilla essence and beat to incorporate .

4. Sieve flour , cocoa powder , baking powder and baking soda together . Fold in the egg mixture with coffee starting and ending with flour . Like add 1/3 rd of flour , mix well , add coffee , then again flour , then coffee , ending with flour . The batter may seem runny , but the batter should be like this . Now Fold in the egg whites with the batter taking one-third of it at a time .

5. Pour the batter in the prepared molds , tap few times then bake for 40 minutes or until if a skewer inserted comes out clean . Don’t overbake .

6. Cool the cakes in a wire rack . Then frost with frosting and cover with chocolate ganache .

Chocolate Ganache :

4 oz ( 2/3 rd cup) of semi sweet dark chocolate chips
1/4 th cup heavy milk

Melt te chocolate with heavy milk using double method boiler or in the microwave . If using microwave , careful don’t burn the chocolate. Don’t expect the chocolate fully melted in the oven . If you do so , the chocolate may get burnt . After 30 seconds take it out from oven and stir with a spoon . If warm enough the chocolate will melt while stirring . If not microwave for another few seconds .
Cool down a bit before applying on the cake .

Chocolate frosting

1/2 cup softened butter
1/4 th cup cream cheese ( optional)
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 th cup semi sweet chocolate chips melted in 2 tbl spoon butter .

Beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until creamy . Add the melted chocolate ( must not be hot) into it and beat until incorporated .

For melting the chocolate warm 2 tbl spoon butter first and then pour it over the chocolate chips . Stir until melted and cooled down a little .

Notes:

If you don’t have buttermilk , take 1/2 cup of like warm whole milk , then add 1 tbl spoon vinegar into it . Stir and keep it aside for 15 minutes . Buttermilk is ready .