Rohu in mustard gravy

My mom's recipe...

Ingredients

• Rohu (cut into slices) - 1 kg
• Yellow mustard - 3 tbsp
• Garlic - 1.5 pods
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Panch foran
• Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
• Red chilli powder - as per taste
• Turmeric - 2 tbsp
• Salt - As per taste
• Mustard oil

Process

• Wash the fish slices thoroughly. Squeeze out the water by lightly pressing with hand.
• Add salt and 1 tbsp turmeric and marinate for 15 mins.
• Deep fry in mustard oil and keep aside.
• Make a fine paste of yellow mustard and garlic separately.
• Make a paste of onion and tomato
• Add panch foran in oil. Add garlic and fry for a while. When its light brown, add the mustard paste.
• Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and the remaining turmeric powder.
• Add the onion tomato paste.
• When the masala starts leaving oil, add water and salt. 
• Add the fish pieces when the water boils and let the fish pieces cook in the gravy for 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Serve with rice.

Note : If you wish, you could also add fried potato and fried brinjal pieces with the fish in the gravy.

Oriental Salmon

....as shared by #northmeetssouth

Ingredients:

1. Salmon
2. Kikoman soya sauce - a good amount about 1/4 cup 
3. Thai red chilli or any other - 4 cut into halves so it's easy to remove
4. Lemongrass/kaffir lime leaves - 3-4 
5. Half a lemon
6. Ginger - 1/2 inch grated
7. Garlic - 2 big cloves crushed 
8. Coriander leaves finely chopped
9. Halved cherry tomatoes - up to you say about 10 but this is entirely optional. 
10. Olive oil  - splash 

Preparation:

Make sure the salmon is thawed if it was frozen. Put it in a baking dish and marinate it with all of the above. Nicely massage it with everything on the ingredient list. Let it sit for 5 mins and bake for 10-13 mins in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree Celsius. Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil to keep the fish juicy. 

Serve immediately! 

Chocochip muffin

Ingredients:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tbsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder (it will make all the difference as it enhances the flavour of chocolate. Dont put much as excess of it will make Cinnabon)
1 bag chocochips ( roughly 250 gms but its totally unto you. I mix white and dark chocochips)
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tbsp sour cream
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup white sugar(powdered)
1/3 cup brown sugar (powdered)

Preparation:
1. Just keep eggs and butter at room temperature
2. Take chocochips in a bowl and add 2 tbsp all purpose from 2 cups which we are using for the recipe. Mix it well and keep it aside. Reason of doing this is that it will prevent chocochips to sink at the bottom of the batter and it will be evenly distributed so that you can taste chocochip in every bite :)
3. Preheat oven to 180 degree C
4. Keep you muffin tray ready with muffin lines. No need to oil but put oil at the edges of the tray.

Methods:
1. Take flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix them and keep it aside.
2. In another bowl add eggs, sugar, milk, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix it well.
3. Then add both the sugars and mix until well combined.
4. Now add all the dry ingredients and mix until everything combines.
5. Just ensure dont over mix. Your cake will be soft and fluffy it not over mixed. More you mix, harder your cake will become.
6. Finally add flour mixed chocochips and mix well.
7. Take an ice cream scoop and scoop out the batter into the muffin tray. Advantage of this is that your muffins will be evenly sized.
8. Put the muffin tray in the oven and it will take around 20 mins to bake.

Garnishing:
Just eat as is :)

Fudgy Brownie

Ingredients:

140 gms unsalted butter at room temperature
200 gms bittersweet dark chocolate
1 cup sugar( can use combination of brown and white as well)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp of salt
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp warm water
1 tsp expresso coffee
2/3 cup all purpose flour
* Yes you read it right , there is no baking powder/soda in it. It will be a dense moist chocolate brownie not a typical cakey one

Preparation:
1. Keep butter and eggs at room temperature
2. Microwave the dark chocolate so that its warm and easy to manage. You can use double boiler as well
3. Mix expresso powder and 2 Tbsp warm water and keep it aside
4. Preheat oven at 180 degree C
5. Use a square tin of 8 * 8 inches and put a butter paper or oil the tin.

Method:
1. Take a bowl and beat butter and sugar together till soft and fluffy
2. Add eggs, vanilla extract and expresso mixture. Beat till everything is combined.
3. Add melted chocolate into it and mix.
4. Add all dry ingredients but do not over mix.
5. Pour the batter into the baking tin. It will take around 40-45 mins to bake.
6. Insert a fork or knife and check. Moist crumbs are ok but it should not be a wet batter.
7. Cool it for about 5 mins before taking it out from the tin.

Garnishing:
I prefer it as is but if you want to make it more presentable , sprinkle icing sugar using a sieve over the top of the brownie and cut them in square bars. Serve it with a warm chocolate sauce drizzle and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Bohri Biryani

This yummy biryani recipe is borrowed from a Bohri family, hence the name...

Ingredients (for 4 people)

• 1/2 kg mutton
• 1/2 kg rice
• 250 gms onion
• 1/2 cup curd
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tomatoes, finely chopped
• garlic ginger paste 1.5 tbsp
• 7-8 cloves
• 5-6 small cardamom
• a small stick of cinnamon
• red chilli powder (as per taste)
• coriander powder 1.5 tbsp
• cumin powder 1.5 tbsp
• 3/4 cup milk
• few strands of kesar
• ghee 2-3 tbsp
• salt to taste
• 4-5 cashew nuts (for garnishing)

Method

• Cut onions in long and thin slices and deep fry it.
• Prepare garam masala powder by grinding cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.
• Marinate all the ingredients together except rice and tomatoes. Add tomatoes after half and hour. Marinate for minimum 3 hours.
• Add kesar to hot milk for about 30 mins.
• Par boil rice in a lot of water and a little bit of salt. Strain and keep aside.
• Put some oil in the bottom of pressure cooker, put a layer of marinated mutton and then add a layer of rice.
• Pour kesar milk on top of the rice; this prevents the rice from becoming too dry. Add ghee on top of rice as well.
• Put the pressure cooker on high flame till you get 2 whistles; then keep on low flame for 7-10 mins and switch off the gas. Let the pressure cooker cool completely.
• Serve hot with onion tomato raita and garnish with golden fried cashew nuts + onions.

Avocado Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 Banana
1 Pear or Apple
1 mug milk (I use soy/almond/hazelnut milk... Normal skimmed milk is fine too)
1/2 inch ginger (optional)
Few mint leaves (optional)

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a blender. I do not remove the skin from Apple or pear. Bring to a nice smooth thick consistency (add a little water if too thick) and serve immediately.

Maa ki dal

Sabut urad - 1cup
Rajma -2tb sp
Tomatoes puréed 1
+tomato puree(Dabur) 100 gms
Onion-1
Ginger-2" piece
Garlic-5-6 cloves
Salt
Jeera-1 tsp
Hing pinch
Red ch pd
Garam masala
Dal makhani masala-2tbsp
Butter-3tbsp
Milk 150 ml or cream

Method
- soak dal and rajma overnight
-pressure cook dal rajma with 3-4 cups of water and salt , till soft
-open the lid and keep cooking on slow heat , add more water when required
-add Dabur puree and keep cooking
-now add milk (add cream for rich makhani dal)
-simmer on low heat till you get creamy consistency
- if required mash the dal  little with a ladle
-add dal makhani masala

-For tempering

 -heat butter ,add jeera hing and chopped onions and fry till transfer ant
  -add ginger garlic and keep frying till onions are golden brown
  -add the puréed tomatoes and ch pd
   -when ghee separates ,mix with dal
    - add Garam masala
    - garnish with little butter and coriander leaves